1800 - Expedition to the Morbihan


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol III
1800 Expedition to the Morbihan 5

ship's company, quitted the Repulse, then stranded, and made good their landing on one of the Glénan islands, situated about two miles from the continent. From this island the British officers and crew were sent as prisoners to Quimper, except the first lieutenant, John Carpenter Rothery, the master, George Finn, two midshipmen, and eight seamen; who got into the large cutter, and, on the fourth day, after experiencing much bad weather and being nearly lost, reached the island of Guernsey.

In a few months afterwards, on his return home, Captain Alms, his officers, and crew, were tried by a court-martial for the loss of the Repulse. The first lieutenant and master were dismissed the service, and declared incapable of serving again, for having disobeyed the orders of the captain, who, as already stated, was incapacitated from active duty by a serious accident: the captain and remainder of the crew were honourably acquitted.

In the latter end of March Lord Bridport resumed the command of the Channel fleet off Brest, bringing with him 17 sail, making, when Sir Alan Gardner had gone home with seven ships to refit, a fleet of 38 sail of the line. On the 24th of April, however, Lord Bridport resigned the command of the Channel fleet then in port, and Admiral Sir Alan Gardner sailed with it on a cruise. Two days afterwards Admiral Earl St.-Vincent hoisted his flag on board the 90-gun ship Namur at Spithead, as the commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, and soon afterwards joined it off Brest.

On the 1st of June, Earl St.-Vincent detached Captain Sir Edward Pellew, with the Impétueux and six other 74s, also five frigates, one sloop, and five troop-ships, having on board about 5000 troops including 200 artillery, commanded by Major-general Maitland, for the purpose once more of rendering assistance to the Chouans, and other royalists in Quiberon bay and the Morbihan. On the 2d the squadron anchored in the bay ; and on the 4th the 32-gun frigate Thames, Captain William Lukin, 16-gun ship-sloop Cynthia, Captain Micajah Malbon, and some small-craft, attacked the south-west end of Quiberon, and silenced the forts, which were afterwards destroyed by a party of troops, landed under Major Ramsay. Several vessels are represented to have been brought off; and some scuttled, with the loss of only two men killed and one wounded on board the Cynthia.

On the 6th, before daybreak, about 300 men of the Queen's regiment landed in the Morbihan, covered and sustained by a division of small-craft and gun-launches under Lieutenant John Pilfold, first of the Impétueux. This united force brought off two brigs, two sloops, two gun-vessels, and about 100 prisoners. The French 16-gun brig Insolente and several smaller vessels were burnt, the guns of the fort destroyed, and the magazine

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