Commodore Armiger
27-01-2008, 16:12
Vice Admiral Sir William Kennedy was a teenage Midshipman who fought in many small boat actions during the war with China of 1856. Here is an extract from his memoirs:
On the evening of the 5th November I received orders to accompany the Barracouta on a secret expedition at daylight the following morning. Lieutenant H. Beamish, gunnery lieutenant of the Calcutta, came in my boat and took charge, as I was only a midshipman. The object of the expedition was known only to Captain Fortescue of the Barracouta, but it mattered little to us what the job was. Daylight of the 6th saw us alongside the Barracouta, which immediately weighed and stood down the river towards the French-folly Fort. This fort was built on an island about a mile distant from the Dutch-folly, and mounted twenty-six heavy guns. It was, moreover, backed by twenty-five mandarin junks, heavily armed and moored under the guns of the fort. These junks had been collected with a view to attack our ships, and our object was to destroy them. (See plan and sketch [below].)
The Barracouta was ordered to engage the junks, and our business was to lay out her stern anchor and enable her to bring her broadside to bear. We soon sighted the junks, and very formidable they looked in the morning sun with all their banners flying. They were moored in a crescent, with the horns towards us, supported by the fort in a very strong position. The Barracouta mounted only six guns, and the pinnace a 12-pounder howitzer, an absurdly
small force for the work; but we had learned to despise our enemy, and laughed at any odds.
The Chinamen were fully prepared for us: the junks lay broadside on, with their guns run out on one side, springs on their cables to keep their broadside bearing, and "stink-pots" at the mast-heads. These offensive weapons are deserving of description. The stink-pot is an earthenware vessel filled with powder, sulphur, &c. Each junk had cages at the mast-head, which in action were occupied by one or more men, whose duty it was to throw these stinkpots on to the decks of the enemy, or into boats attempting to board; and woe betide any unlucky boat that received one of these missiles: the crew would certainly have to jump overboard or be stifled.
As soon as we hove in sight the junks beat to quarters, and kept up a hideous din with gongs and tom-toms; their crews, stripped to the waist, stood to their guns, matches in hand, but waiting, according to their usual tactics, for the first shot.
The Barracouta steamed slowly towards them, her guns cleared for action, every man at his post. Our little gun was loaded with grape, and trained on the nearest junk. It was an exciting moment, as we advanced till we were within 300 yards of the centre junk, and the horns of the crescent overlapped us. The Barracouta now anchored, and simultaneously fired her bow gun loaded with shell into the midst of the junks. At the same instant the junks opened fire with a deafening roar, and were enveloped in fire and smoke. Round-shot, grape, canister, and scrap iron hurtled through the air, and the water was ploughed up around us. The Barracouta's men worked well, directing their fire towards the thickest of the smoke; but owing to the ship being bows-on, only one gun on the forecastle could bear on the enemy. Shots were flying in all directions, knocking about spars and cutting away ropes; but fortunately their aim was too high, as we were so close. Loud above the din could be heard the yells of the Chinamen and the clanging of their gongs. Captain Fortescue now ordered us to lay out his stern anchor, as his ship was being raked and her forecastle swept by the storm of missiles.
Having got the anchor in our boat, we proceeded to lay it out, being exposed meantime to a murderous fire of grape. A shot struck one of my boat's crew in the head, killing him instantly, and spattering us with his blood; but we dropped the anchor in the right place, and enabled the Barracouta to bring her broadside to bear on the junks, thus bringing three more heavy guns into action: our little brass gun also did some execution on the crowded decks of the enemy.
Having deposited the body of our shipmate on board the Barracouta, we continued the action: meantime the heavy metal of that ship began to tell, and some of the junks blew up with all their crew as their magazines ignited. Several more were in flames, and the fire of the others began to slacken. It was evident they had had enough of it, and soon we had the satisfaction of seeing all the junks on fire and their crews making for the shore. The Coromandel, with the Admiral on board, towing the boats of the squadron, now made her appearance, coming to our support; but the action was over. The boats formed line and pulled for the shore ; the fort fired a few shots as we approached, but was speedily abandoned, and so ended the capture of the French-folly Fort and the destruction of twenty-five of the finest mandarin junks in the imperial navy.
The rest of the day we were busy spiking the guns and levelling the parapets, after which we returned to Canton.
On the evening of the 5th November I received orders to accompany the Barracouta on a secret expedition at daylight the following morning. Lieutenant H. Beamish, gunnery lieutenant of the Calcutta, came in my boat and took charge, as I was only a midshipman. The object of the expedition was known only to Captain Fortescue of the Barracouta, but it mattered little to us what the job was. Daylight of the 6th saw us alongside the Barracouta, which immediately weighed and stood down the river towards the French-folly Fort. This fort was built on an island about a mile distant from the Dutch-folly, and mounted twenty-six heavy guns. It was, moreover, backed by twenty-five mandarin junks, heavily armed and moored under the guns of the fort. These junks had been collected with a view to attack our ships, and our object was to destroy them. (See plan and sketch [below].)
The Barracouta was ordered to engage the junks, and our business was to lay out her stern anchor and enable her to bring her broadside to bear. We soon sighted the junks, and very formidable they looked in the morning sun with all their banners flying. They were moored in a crescent, with the horns towards us, supported by the fort in a very strong position. The Barracouta mounted only six guns, and the pinnace a 12-pounder howitzer, an absurdly
small force for the work; but we had learned to despise our enemy, and laughed at any odds.
The Chinamen were fully prepared for us: the junks lay broadside on, with their guns run out on one side, springs on their cables to keep their broadside bearing, and "stink-pots" at the mast-heads. These offensive weapons are deserving of description. The stink-pot is an earthenware vessel filled with powder, sulphur, &c. Each junk had cages at the mast-head, which in action were occupied by one or more men, whose duty it was to throw these stinkpots on to the decks of the enemy, or into boats attempting to board; and woe betide any unlucky boat that received one of these missiles: the crew would certainly have to jump overboard or be stifled.
As soon as we hove in sight the junks beat to quarters, and kept up a hideous din with gongs and tom-toms; their crews, stripped to the waist, stood to their guns, matches in hand, but waiting, according to their usual tactics, for the first shot.
The Barracouta steamed slowly towards them, her guns cleared for action, every man at his post. Our little gun was loaded with grape, and trained on the nearest junk. It was an exciting moment, as we advanced till we were within 300 yards of the centre junk, and the horns of the crescent overlapped us. The Barracouta now anchored, and simultaneously fired her bow gun loaded with shell into the midst of the junks. At the same instant the junks opened fire with a deafening roar, and were enveloped in fire and smoke. Round-shot, grape, canister, and scrap iron hurtled through the air, and the water was ploughed up around us. The Barracouta's men worked well, directing their fire towards the thickest of the smoke; but owing to the ship being bows-on, only one gun on the forecastle could bear on the enemy. Shots were flying in all directions, knocking about spars and cutting away ropes; but fortunately their aim was too high, as we were so close. Loud above the din could be heard the yells of the Chinamen and the clanging of their gongs. Captain Fortescue now ordered us to lay out his stern anchor, as his ship was being raked and her forecastle swept by the storm of missiles.
Having got the anchor in our boat, we proceeded to lay it out, being exposed meantime to a murderous fire of grape. A shot struck one of my boat's crew in the head, killing him instantly, and spattering us with his blood; but we dropped the anchor in the right place, and enabled the Barracouta to bring her broadside to bear on the junks, thus bringing three more heavy guns into action: our little brass gun also did some execution on the crowded decks of the enemy.
Having deposited the body of our shipmate on board the Barracouta, we continued the action: meantime the heavy metal of that ship began to tell, and some of the junks blew up with all their crew as their magazines ignited. Several more were in flames, and the fire of the others began to slacken. It was evident they had had enough of it, and soon we had the satisfaction of seeing all the junks on fire and their crews making for the shore. The Coromandel, with the Admiral on board, towing the boats of the squadron, now made her appearance, coming to our support; but the action was over. The boats formed line and pulled for the shore ; the fort fired a few shots as we approached, but was speedily abandoned, and so ended the capture of the French-folly Fort and the destruction of twenty-five of the finest mandarin junks in the imperial navy.
The rest of the day we were busy spiking the guns and levelling the parapets, after which we returned to Canton.