*Hornblower at the Basque Roads*
Forenote: The major events in this story really did happen. All the characters except Hornblower and Bush are historical and represented as accurately as I can manage. The Basque Roads affair was one of the great controversies of the day and I found myself wondering what Captain Hornblower would have done if he had been caught up in it. Then I concluded there could be only one answer.
Although there is a battle in this story it's basically a character piece and Hornblower is not exactly at his most heroic. As usual with me this story is heavy on the angst.
Disclaimer: Horatio Hornblower, William Bush and certain aspects of past history referred to here belong to the C. S. Forester estate and A&E Productions. All other characters belong to themselves and the Royal Navy. The history of the Basque Roads action and its sequel also belong to the Royal Navy, whether the Navy likes it or not.
***********************
*Chapter One - The Appointment*
'What a tempestuous world do we live in! Yet terrible as Buonaparte is in every point of view, I do not fear him as much as those domestic mischiefs - Burdett, Cochrane, Wardle and Cobbett.'
Hannah More on British Radicalism
*******
1809
"Surely they can't do it, sir! A man like Admiral Harvey -"
"Not even a Rear-Admiral can be permitted to publicly insult his superior," Captain Hornblower said curtly.
"But to court martial the man who captained the fighting Temeraire at Trafalgar! And all for a man like-"
"Enough, Mr Bush!" Hornblower snapped. He'd never known Bush be angry enough to speak out of line before. Come to think, he couldn't remember ever seeing Bush really angry before. He'd served under Harvey of course, regard for his former captain must explain it. "The Rear-Admiral's previous record has no bearing whatever on the matter. His language was far beyond excusing." Beyond repeating as well. Unless called to testify, he would never in his life repeat the words Sir Eliub Harvey had used, all too publicly, to describe Admiral Lord Gambier. Canting hypocrite, useless psalm-singer and utterly unfit for command was barely the half of it.
"To a man of his temper," Bush persisted, "being asked to serve under a markedly junior officer-"
"Are you questioning the Admiralty's orders, Mr Bush?" Rather alarmed now, Hornblower made the words as brutal as he could manage.
Thankfully Bush checked himself. "No. Sir. But I would say that Admiral Harvey would be more than capable of leading the attack, and it surprises me that the Admiralty appointed Captain Lord Cochrane."
"Captain Cochrane," Hornblower said, "has a marked familiarity with the Basque Roads anchorage."
"I know that, sir, and I'm not questioning his ability, but the Admiralty must surely have known the appointment of a relatively junior man would sit badly with the senior fleet captains."
"Mr Bush," Hornblower said with regrettable, but necessary, coldness, "I will not be drawn into discussions of Admiralty decisions, nor will I tolerate criticisms on that subject. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Bush said, unhappily. "Is that all, sir?"
Without meeting Bush's eyes, Hornblower lifted the pamphlets that lay on his desk. "See that these are distributed to the men, Mr Bush."
*
It was a good question, Hornblower admitted to himself when Bush had gone. Granted Admiral Gambier had no enthusiasm for the proposed fire-ship attack (an open secret within the Channel Fleet), granted another man needed to be found to lead it if there was to be hope of success: why had the Admiralty appointed Captain Cochrane?
A moderately well-connected man, son of an impoverished Scots earl and nephew of a Rear-Admiral. Yet very much in the Admiralty black books, if naval gossip - and probability - spoke true.
An able man. A man who knew the territory, his raids on the great French anchorage had made headlines a few years back. But a captain only since 1801; a captain who commanded a modest frigate, not one of the great ships- of-the-line; a captain who, to Hornblower's certain knowledge, had never been in a general action. Why, with men like Harvey available and eager, why Cochrane?
Cochrane the rebel, the firebrand. Cochrane whose insubordination was as well-known as his exploits. Cochrane the Radical, who used a parliamentary seat to expose and attack naval corruption, inefficiency and callousness whenever he was not at sea. Cochrane, generally believed to be still holding an active command only because his popular reputation would make it difficult to remove him.
Why had the Admiralty appointed Thomas Cochrane?
*
"You've not met him?" George Seymour asked.
"No," Hornblower answered neutrally. Cochrane had not been part of the Channel Fleet before the present appointment.
The fleet's youngest post-captain smiled, "Just don't take him for a fool, some do, but he's not a fool at all."
"His tactics are all that concern me," Hornblower said, knowing he sounded pompous. He did not care to be lectured by a man over ten years his junior. "Is he likely to be reckless?"
"Oh no. Tom plans everything to a hairsbreadth. Ask any of his officers, or men for that matter, they'll all say they never had a captain more careful of their safety. If you ask me, he's never had the full credit he deserves because the papers can't believe a victory is great unless there's been large amounts of bloodshed. Not that he doesn't make mistakes, mark you, but he doesn't do it often." Seymour chuckled. "I had to tow him home once, after he collided with the Minerve, he didn't like that. But even that day - how many captains have engaged three corvettes and a frigate twice their own ship's size single-handed and made the French come off the worse?"
There was affection as well as admiration in Seymour's smile, Hornblower realised. Well, aristocrats did hang together, though to be fair there was not much of the snob about young Seymour. As for Cochrane, he would no doubt do a competent job, but Hornblower did not expect to like him. There were three reasons for this, although he was barely aware of two of them. Cochrane was almost exactly his own age, and it raised Hornblower's hackles to serve under a contemporary. Second, Hornblower did not much care for the aristocracy, having too often felt passed over because of his own lack of connections. Third, the most important reason and the only one he acknowledged to himself, Cochrane was a Radical. Hornblower could not approve of that. Did the man want to undermine the whole fabric of the country, the very basis on which order rested? The things he proclaimed to the world should be kept decently under wraps. They were true of course, but that was all the more reason for not speaking them aloud. Surely every decent officer knew that.
Every officer except Thomas, Lord Cochrane.
*
Hornblower, Seymour and most of the other captains had come early to the flagship. Cochrane was precisely on time.
His first impression was of sheer size. Hornblower was generally counted a tall man, but Cochrane towered over everyone else in the room. He had short red-blond hair, side-whiskers and a bony face with a very large nose. Once seen he was permanently unmistakable. His manner was a surprise, gentle and modest, not at all like Hornblower's idea of a rebel - or an aristocrat.
"Captain Hornblower, of the Lydia." All the captains previously unknown to Cochrane needed to present themselves, in order of seniority.
"Captain Hornblower, yes, I know of you." Hornblower invariably reacted to such a greeting with inner apprehension, but whatever Cochrane had heard remained undisclosed for the present; there was work to be done. Within a few minutes Cochrane was presenting his plans to the assembled captains.
The situation was too well known to need much summary. The French fleet recently escaped from Brest and holed up in their great anchorage. Capable of wrecking havoc if allowed to escape, and Basque Roads was a hard place to blockade effectively. The Admiralty wanted the fleet destroyed, but that would be as tricky as if the French had chosen to beard the British in Portsmouth harbour. Nonetheless Hornblower was quite surprised to hear Cochrane say that he did not expect a fire-ship attack to succeed. The French, he said, would certainly be anticipating some such tactic, and would be prepared to intercept the ships and kill the crews. What he was saying made sense - but surely the man hadn't come all this way just to say the attack could not be done?
He had not. Without a pause, Cochrane went on to outline his solution, which he called 'explosion vessels'. Basically old ships would be packed with explosive according to a design drawn up by Cochrane himself, and loosed on the French with the crews abandoning them just outside the anchorage. With fuses carefully primed, the ships would explode within the harbour and spread panic and confusion throughout the fleet. At this stage conventional fire-ships would be sent in, and the French would most likely be too afraid these were more explosions vessels to intercept, in fact the fleet would probably been thrown into chaos trying to avoid them. With luck many of the ships would be set aflame, but if that did not happen, and it quite likely would not, the confusion should be sufficient for a follow- up raid to destroy the fleet. Probably many of the ships would run aground and be left disastrously vulnerable, unable to manoeuvre.
It was a striking plan, Hornblower had to admit. If Cochrane was actually capable of doing what he claimed to be able to do in designing the explosion vessels, it would be a very good plan. Certainly Captain Cochrane was no fool, although Hornblower could see how he might be taken for one. There was an almost childlike ingenuousness about the man, which might seem foolish under other circumstances. If he was aware of how much concentrated resentment was directed against him, by the captains so much his senior who had been passed over, he gave no sign. The plans, and his complete confidence in the plans, absorbed his whole attention.
"I will man the first explosion vessel, with selected members of my crew. The other vessels and fire-ships will be crewed by volunteers. I'm sure I do not need to tell anyone in this room that the French are prepared to execute any man captured aboard a fire-ship or in the wake of such an attack. I am not looking for volunteers now, there is ample time for that. Our first priority must be to prepare the ships."
Despite himself, Hornblower was starting to like Cochrane. There was an infectious quality to his enthusiasm, a warm and open air about him that reminded Hornblower a little of -- the thought had half-formed unbidden, he pushed it ruthlessly away, and hardened his heart against the Scottish captain. The plans were the important matter. When the meeting ended he would have left at once, but Cochrane intercepted him before he could do so.
"Captain Hornblower, I would be glad of some further speech with you."
"Of course," Hornblower replied, noting that Cochrane seemed both urgent and diffident, an odd combination.
"There is a matter I have been wishing to ask you about for many years, but our paths never came into contact. I believe - there cannot be two men of your name within the service - I believe you served with my cousin."
"Did I?" Hornblower hastily conned the list of men he had served with, trying to guess which one might have been related to the man before him. The unfamiliar feeling of being loomed over irked him a little, but he recognised the cause and knew it unworthy.
"Lt Kennedy," Cochrane said.
Forenote: The major events in this story really did happen. All the characters except Hornblower and Bush are historical and represented as accurately as I can manage. The Basque Roads affair was one of the great controversies of the day and I found myself wondering what Captain Hornblower would have done if he had been caught up in it. Then I concluded there could be only one answer.
Although there is a battle in this story it's basically a character piece and Hornblower is not exactly at his most heroic. As usual with me this story is heavy on the angst.
Disclaimer: Horatio Hornblower, William Bush and certain aspects of past history referred to here belong to the C. S. Forester estate and A&E Productions. All other characters belong to themselves and the Royal Navy. The history of the Basque Roads action and its sequel also belong to the Royal Navy, whether the Navy likes it or not.
***********************
*Chapter One - The Appointment*
'What a tempestuous world do we live in! Yet terrible as Buonaparte is in every point of view, I do not fear him as much as those domestic mischiefs - Burdett, Cochrane, Wardle and Cobbett.'
Hannah More on British Radicalism
*******
1809
"Surely they can't do it, sir! A man like Admiral Harvey -"
"Not even a Rear-Admiral can be permitted to publicly insult his superior," Captain Hornblower said curtly.
"But to court martial the man who captained the fighting Temeraire at Trafalgar! And all for a man like-"
"Enough, Mr Bush!" Hornblower snapped. He'd never known Bush be angry enough to speak out of line before. Come to think, he couldn't remember ever seeing Bush really angry before. He'd served under Harvey of course, regard for his former captain must explain it. "The Rear-Admiral's previous record has no bearing whatever on the matter. His language was far beyond excusing." Beyond repeating as well. Unless called to testify, he would never in his life repeat the words Sir Eliub Harvey had used, all too publicly, to describe Admiral Lord Gambier. Canting hypocrite, useless psalm-singer and utterly unfit for command was barely the half of it.
"To a man of his temper," Bush persisted, "being asked to serve under a markedly junior officer-"
"Are you questioning the Admiralty's orders, Mr Bush?" Rather alarmed now, Hornblower made the words as brutal as he could manage.
Thankfully Bush checked himself. "No. Sir. But I would say that Admiral Harvey would be more than capable of leading the attack, and it surprises me that the Admiralty appointed Captain Lord Cochrane."
"Captain Cochrane," Hornblower said, "has a marked familiarity with the Basque Roads anchorage."
"I know that, sir, and I'm not questioning his ability, but the Admiralty must surely have known the appointment of a relatively junior man would sit badly with the senior fleet captains."
"Mr Bush," Hornblower said with regrettable, but necessary, coldness, "I will not be drawn into discussions of Admiralty decisions, nor will I tolerate criticisms on that subject. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Bush said, unhappily. "Is that all, sir?"
Without meeting Bush's eyes, Hornblower lifted the pamphlets that lay on his desk. "See that these are distributed to the men, Mr Bush."
*
It was a good question, Hornblower admitted to himself when Bush had gone. Granted Admiral Gambier had no enthusiasm for the proposed fire-ship attack (an open secret within the Channel Fleet), granted another man needed to be found to lead it if there was to be hope of success: why had the Admiralty appointed Captain Cochrane?
A moderately well-connected man, son of an impoverished Scots earl and nephew of a Rear-Admiral. Yet very much in the Admiralty black books, if naval gossip - and probability - spoke true.
An able man. A man who knew the territory, his raids on the great French anchorage had made headlines a few years back. But a captain only since 1801; a captain who commanded a modest frigate, not one of the great ships- of-the-line; a captain who, to Hornblower's certain knowledge, had never been in a general action. Why, with men like Harvey available and eager, why Cochrane?
Cochrane the rebel, the firebrand. Cochrane whose insubordination was as well-known as his exploits. Cochrane the Radical, who used a parliamentary seat to expose and attack naval corruption, inefficiency and callousness whenever he was not at sea. Cochrane, generally believed to be still holding an active command only because his popular reputation would make it difficult to remove him.
Why had the Admiralty appointed Thomas Cochrane?
*
"You've not met him?" George Seymour asked.
"No," Hornblower answered neutrally. Cochrane had not been part of the Channel Fleet before the present appointment.
The fleet's youngest post-captain smiled, "Just don't take him for a fool, some do, but he's not a fool at all."
"His tactics are all that concern me," Hornblower said, knowing he sounded pompous. He did not care to be lectured by a man over ten years his junior. "Is he likely to be reckless?"
"Oh no. Tom plans everything to a hairsbreadth. Ask any of his officers, or men for that matter, they'll all say they never had a captain more careful of their safety. If you ask me, he's never had the full credit he deserves because the papers can't believe a victory is great unless there's been large amounts of bloodshed. Not that he doesn't make mistakes, mark you, but he doesn't do it often." Seymour chuckled. "I had to tow him home once, after he collided with the Minerve, he didn't like that. But even that day - how many captains have engaged three corvettes and a frigate twice their own ship's size single-handed and made the French come off the worse?"
There was affection as well as admiration in Seymour's smile, Hornblower realised. Well, aristocrats did hang together, though to be fair there was not much of the snob about young Seymour. As for Cochrane, he would no doubt do a competent job, but Hornblower did not expect to like him. There were three reasons for this, although he was barely aware of two of them. Cochrane was almost exactly his own age, and it raised Hornblower's hackles to serve under a contemporary. Second, Hornblower did not much care for the aristocracy, having too often felt passed over because of his own lack of connections. Third, the most important reason and the only one he acknowledged to himself, Cochrane was a Radical. Hornblower could not approve of that. Did the man want to undermine the whole fabric of the country, the very basis on which order rested? The things he proclaimed to the world should be kept decently under wraps. They were true of course, but that was all the more reason for not speaking them aloud. Surely every decent officer knew that.
Every officer except Thomas, Lord Cochrane.
*
Hornblower, Seymour and most of the other captains had come early to the flagship. Cochrane was precisely on time.
His first impression was of sheer size. Hornblower was generally counted a tall man, but Cochrane towered over everyone else in the room. He had short red-blond hair, side-whiskers and a bony face with a very large nose. Once seen he was permanently unmistakable. His manner was a surprise, gentle and modest, not at all like Hornblower's idea of a rebel - or an aristocrat.
"Captain Hornblower, of the Lydia." All the captains previously unknown to Cochrane needed to present themselves, in order of seniority.
"Captain Hornblower, yes, I know of you." Hornblower invariably reacted to such a greeting with inner apprehension, but whatever Cochrane had heard remained undisclosed for the present; there was work to be done. Within a few minutes Cochrane was presenting his plans to the assembled captains.
The situation was too well known to need much summary. The French fleet recently escaped from Brest and holed up in their great anchorage. Capable of wrecking havoc if allowed to escape, and Basque Roads was a hard place to blockade effectively. The Admiralty wanted the fleet destroyed, but that would be as tricky as if the French had chosen to beard the British in Portsmouth harbour. Nonetheless Hornblower was quite surprised to hear Cochrane say that he did not expect a fire-ship attack to succeed. The French, he said, would certainly be anticipating some such tactic, and would be prepared to intercept the ships and kill the crews. What he was saying made sense - but surely the man hadn't come all this way just to say the attack could not be done?
He had not. Without a pause, Cochrane went on to outline his solution, which he called 'explosion vessels'. Basically old ships would be packed with explosive according to a design drawn up by Cochrane himself, and loosed on the French with the crews abandoning them just outside the anchorage. With fuses carefully primed, the ships would explode within the harbour and spread panic and confusion throughout the fleet. At this stage conventional fire-ships would be sent in, and the French would most likely be too afraid these were more explosions vessels to intercept, in fact the fleet would probably been thrown into chaos trying to avoid them. With luck many of the ships would be set aflame, but if that did not happen, and it quite likely would not, the confusion should be sufficient for a follow- up raid to destroy the fleet. Probably many of the ships would run aground and be left disastrously vulnerable, unable to manoeuvre.
It was a striking plan, Hornblower had to admit. If Cochrane was actually capable of doing what he claimed to be able to do in designing the explosion vessels, it would be a very good plan. Certainly Captain Cochrane was no fool, although Hornblower could see how he might be taken for one. There was an almost childlike ingenuousness about the man, which might seem foolish under other circumstances. If he was aware of how much concentrated resentment was directed against him, by the captains so much his senior who had been passed over, he gave no sign. The plans, and his complete confidence in the plans, absorbed his whole attention.
"I will man the first explosion vessel, with selected members of my crew. The other vessels and fire-ships will be crewed by volunteers. I'm sure I do not need to tell anyone in this room that the French are prepared to execute any man captured aboard a fire-ship or in the wake of such an attack. I am not looking for volunteers now, there is ample time for that. Our first priority must be to prepare the ships."
Despite himself, Hornblower was starting to like Cochrane. There was an infectious quality to his enthusiasm, a warm and open air about him that reminded Hornblower a little of -- the thought had half-formed unbidden, he pushed it ruthlessly away, and hardened his heart against the Scottish captain. The plans were the important matter. When the meeting ended he would have left at once, but Cochrane intercepted him before he could do so.
"Captain Hornblower, I would be glad of some further speech with you."
"Of course," Hornblower replied, noting that Cochrane seemed both urgent and diffident, an odd combination.
"There is a matter I have been wishing to ask you about for many years, but our paths never came into contact. I believe - there cannot be two men of your name within the service - I believe you served with my cousin."
"Did I?" Hornblower hastily conned the list of men he had served with, trying to guess which one might have been related to the man before him. The unfamiliar feeling of being loomed over irked him a little, but he recognised the cause and knew it unworthy.
"Lt Kennedy," Cochrane said.