PART ftrand facing the channel, unknown to every I. perfon in the boats. At their landing they for

all

tunately pitched afhore under the muzzles of 1741. thefe guns, which immediately began to fire on them; the failors were furprized at fo unexpected a reception, but recollecting that their fecurity was in their refolution, they intrepidly rushed in at the embrazures, took poffeffion of the battery before the Spaniards could renew their fire, and fecured the cannon with very inconfiderable damage to themselves. This firing alarming the Spaniards at the larger battery, they turned three pieces of cannon on the platform, fired with grape fhot fo foon as the feamen advanced, which went over their heads and did them little prejudice; the failors inftantly rufhed on with great boldness and fpirit, and after a fmart, though fhort refiftance, carried the battery, fpiked up the guns, tore up the platforms and burned. them, together with the carriages, guard-houses, and magazines, returning to their thips with fix wounded prifoners, after fuftaining but a very inconfiderable lofs in the whole action; and for this gallant behaviour the vice admiral rewarded every common man with a dollar a piece. This fuccefs was a great relief to the troops, as it freed them from the greatest annoyance of their camp, and gave them an opportunity of working quietly on their grand battery, which the engineers had been very flowly erecting against the caftle of Boca Chica. Tais battery was constructed in a wood, to prevent the garrifon in the caftle from discovering it before it was completed; and though the engineers were affifted with 500 feamen, 250 blacks, befides as many pioneers as could be fpared out of the army, they had been now upwards of a week in fo negligent and tardy

VI.

a difpofition, that the battery was far from being CHAP. in a condition to incommode the caftle: this concerned the vice admiral, who expected the engineers would have feconded the fuccefs on the Bar- 1741. radera fide, by opening their battery against Boca Chica, which was punctually promised him, and he had reason to expect, this being the latest day appointed for it.

On the 20th, as foon as it was day, the garrifon of Boca Chica began to fire warmly at the bomb battery, though without doing any parti cular damage; but, being fenfible of the utility and advantageous fituation of the Barradera battery, the Spaniards had been diligently repairing it, and on the 21ft had built up fome embra zures and mounted two guns, with which they again played on the bomb battery; but were soon filenced by the Ripon, ordered by the vice admiral to anchor as near as poffible to it, and keep firing, to prevent any further working on the le velled battery.

THE vice admiral grew very uneafy, both from the apprehenfions of the openness of the road the fleet lay expofed to, and the foul ground that was daily cutting their cables; this, augmented by the flow proceedings of the engineers, and together with intercepted intelligence that Admiral de Torres was arrived at the Havanna, where the French squadron under Monfieur Rochefieulle was expected to join him, induced the vice admiral on the 21ft to hold another council of war with the commanders of the fleet, when they came to a refolution "To make a general at"tack upon all the forts and batteries, to be put "in execution as foon as the wind would permit "the fhips to move to their proper stations." Commodore Leftock was appointed to begin the S attack

VoL. I.

PART attack with three, eighty and three feventy gun I. fhips, being the most that could be brought con

veniently to batter clear of each other; and the 1741. commodore was to be fupported by Sir Chaloner Ogle, with the additional fire of other fhips, where-ever he could find there was room for it; for which purpose the vice admiral iffued the neceffary inftructions.

THE grand battery of twenty guns being finifhed, after clearing the wood from before it, on the 22d, about feven in the morning, began to play very brifkly on Boca Chica Caftle, as did the bomb battery and thirty mortars and cohorns planted on the platform behind the cannon; which the Spaniards returned as brifkly from the caftle, the four fhips in the mouth of the harbour, fort St Jofeph, and fome few guns from the Barradera; fo that the work was warm on both fides.

On the 23d, pursuant to the difpofition of attack, Commodore Leftock in the Boyne, with the Prince Frederick, Hampton-Court, Suffolk and Tilbury, went in to batter Boca Chica caftle, and the ships pofted there; which were, the Galicia, the admiral's fhip, San Carlos, Africa, and St Philip, all mounting upwards of fixty guns; their pofition being as advantageous as the most prudent commander could have formed, both for oppofing any attempt that might be made by fhipping on the entrance into the harbour, or to annoy any battery that could be raised afhore; and as they found no battery against them from fhore, which was highly requifite, the Spanish fhips failed not to play as brifkly, and did much greater damage than the caftle; but the Boyne, falling fo far to leeward as to lie expofed to the whole fire of the Spanifh fhips and fort St Jofeph,

was

.

was much shattered and ordered off again that CHAP. night; the reft continued there: and the Princess VI. Amelia, belonging to Sir Chaloner Ogle's divifion, having fallen farther to leeward than was 1741. intended, lay fair to filence the new mounted guns on the fafcine battery, and did fo accordingly which was a great prefervative to the men playing the battery against the castle, and those in the camp, as the fhot from the fascine battery went over the hill into the camp. The Prince Frederick and Hampton-Court, fharing the fire that had been employed against the Boyne, were also much shattered by morning, when the vice admiral was obliged to call them off, after many men killed and wounded, and the former having loft her commander, Lord Aubrey Beauclerc, à brave and gallant officer, who would have been an honour to his noble family and his country, being of a fedate as well as of a refolute temper. The Suffolk and Tilbury, happening to anchor well to the northward, lay fuccessfully battering against the breach till evening, when every thing appearing fit for an affault, they were ordered to draw off. The army in the mean time began to look on the breach as acceffible, but the general complaining they were galled by the Barradera battery, where the Spaniards had again mounted fix guns, which would be able to annoy them in their attack; the vice admiral directed the Princefs Amelia, Litchfield, and Shoreham, 'to go in and anchor as nigh it as poffible; and about noon fent the boats of the fleet again, manned and armed, to demolish the fafcine battery; the men when landed were commanded by Capt. Watfon, having under him the Captains Cotes and Dennis, and thofe remaining in the boats commanded by Capt. Cleland and Capt. Brode

I.

PART rick; who, having time and day-light for it, effectually performed their business, without any oppofition: for fo foon as the Spaniards faw the 1741. boats coming to land, and the fhips anchoring close to the battery, they deferted it: but the Captains Watson and Cotes marched into it, fpiked up the guns, and entirely deftroyed the battery. The feamen afterwards drew fome of their boats over a neck of land, and boarded and burnt a floop that lay there to fupply the battery with ammunition.

THE greatest part of the guns in Boca Chica caftle being now difmounted, General Wentworth went in the night of the 24th to reconnoitre the breach; and judging it furmountable, refolved to affault it by ftorm the next evening, an hour before night: he came off in the morning and acquainted the vice admiral of his defign, who immediately made the fignal for his boats again, and fent them in to make a favourable diverfion, under the chief command of his engi neer Capt. Knowles; who landed at the fafcine battery, and drew up his men before the time of the forces marching to attack the caftle, which contributed to throw the Spaniards into fome confufion. General Wentworth, having made the neceffary difpofitions, about half an hour after five, ordered the troops to move forward to af fault the breach. The forlorn hope confifted of a ferjeant and twelve grenadiers, who were immediately followed by thirty volunteers; next marched 260 grenadiers, the whole then remaining, under the command of LieutenantColonel M'Loud, and afterwards Colonel Daniel at the head of a detachment of 500 men, who had under his direction fome fmall parties, carrying fcaling-ladders, pick-axes and fpades,

to