قراءة كتاب My Adventures During the Late War A narrative of shipwreck, captivity, escapes from French prisons, and sea service in 1804-14
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My Adventures During the Late War A narrative of shipwreck, captivity, escapes from French prisons, and sea service in 1804-14
his life—he was still only thirty-six years of age—was spent in enforced retirement: in the thirties and forties the navy was kept low, and there was little prospect of work for the half-pay captain.
On 28th June 1825 O’Brien married Hannah, youngest daughter of John Walmsley of Castle Mere, Lancashire, by whom he became the father of a large family, seven children in all. Two years after, he took his wife for a long tour round northern France, to show her the places of his imprisonments and escapes. It was this revisiting of old scenes that caused him to write the book which we have here reprinted. But he did not publish it till 1839, when it appeared, dedicated by permission to the young Queen Victoria. He had, however, already put out long before a shorter narrative of his escape, from which the two-volume book of 1839 was expanded. It had appeared in the Naval Chronicle for the years 1812-15, in the strange form of sixteen “Naval Bulletins” addressed to no less a person than the Emperor Napoleon. The dedication of this original draft deserves reproduction—it runs as follows:—
“As your Imperial Majesty has long delighted in the compilation of endless Bulletins, as they are styled, in which truth and candour are never suffered to appear, it may perhaps amuse you, during some of these pauses which occasionally occur in your systematic destruction and humiliation of your fellow-creatures, to be enabled to hear a little truth, and to trace the manner in which such a humble individual as myself bade defiance to your persecutions, and has at length returned to his duty as a naval officer, notwithstanding all the dungeons, fetters, and insults which distinguished your reign of despotism.”
The last of the “Naval Bulletins” appeared in the same number of the Naval Chronicle as a narrative by Henry Ashworth, one of the companions of O’Brien’s first escape. From this, an incomplete story, which Ashworth did not survive to finish, certain parts of O’Brien’s tale can be corroborated and expanded.
O’Brien was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral on 8th March 1852. He survived five years more, and died on 13th May 1857 at Yew House, Hoddesdon, in his seventy-third year.
The not very flattering portrait of him which we have reproduced as our frontispiece was drawn by J. Pelham and engraved by J. Brown for the book of 1839.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Preface | v |
| Biography of Captain O’Brien | ix |
| CHAPTER I | |
|---|---|
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The Hussar Frigate is sent home with Despatches, and wrecked on the Saintes—Efforts to save the Ship—Attempt to escape in the Boats foiled by bad Weather—A Surrender to the Enemy |
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| Page 1 | |
| CHAPTER II | |
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A kind Reception by the Enemy—Our Shipmates all Prisoners—Consolations under Misfortunes—Prisoners sent to the Hospital at Brest—Robbery by a French Seaman—Running the Gauntlet—Dilemma of wearing or giving up a Sword—Kindness of the French Nuns—Orders to march into the Interior—Wounded Pride and Hard Fare—Bad Faith of the Minister of Marine—The March begins for Verdun—Arrival at Landernau—Aristocratic Differences in Rates of Pay or Allowances amongst Republicans—Landiviziau—An Illustration of Equality—Morlaix to Rennes—Prisoners and Vermin—Vitré—English Dogs at a French Inn—Laval—A Spectacle for the Mob—Alençon—Difficulties increased—Part of the Crew separated from their Officers—Our Arrival at Rouen—An honest Gaoler and his amiable Wife—A moderate Bill for Gaol Fare—Bons Garçons in a Prison—Our Arrival at Amiens—English Sympathy for suffering Countrymen |
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| Page 7 | |
| CHAPTER III | |
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Departure from Amiens—Arrival at Albert—Our French Officer’s Delicacy and Liberality—A Civic Feast at Bapaume—Effects of Champagne on French Aldermen—A Separation from our kind Conductor—A New Escort—A forced March to Cambray—Pitiable State and severe Sufferings of the Seamen—Entrance into Cambray—Imprisonment—Landrecies, Avesnes, Hirson—A Billet upon the Inhabitants—Rocroy—A brutal Landlord—The Robbery and Abuse of Prisoners—Givet—Charlemont—A Description of the Fortifications—An Escape of Prisoners—A fruitless Pursuit—Generosity of the French Commandant—Private Lodgings—A Jacobin Landlady—Exhausted Funds—The 4th of June—Honours done to King George the Third’s Birthday—Roast Beef and Plum Pudding—French Terrors of Insurrection—The Difference between taking off and only touching Hats in saluting Men in Authority—Good News—A joyful Departure in a cart for Verdun |
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| Page 26 | |
| CHAPTER IV | |
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Our Arrival at Verdun—A joyful Reception—General Wirion—His Indulgence towards the Prisoners—The Meetings of old Shipmates and Friends—Mental Employment the best Antidote against Ennui and Dissipation—Restiveness at Confinement—Anxiety to be again in the Active Service of Old England—Meditations upon an Escape—Contrivances to avoid a Breach of Parole or any Breach of Honour—Three Comrades or Compagnons de Voyage—Scaling Ramparts—A Descent of Seventy-two Feet—The Open Country—The March commences—Flying by Night, and hiding in Woods by Day—Heavy Rains, Dismal Roads, and Swampy Beds, with Bad Fare and Good Hearts—Leaping a Moat—A Dislocated Knee—The March resumed, and pursued lamely—The Town of Neuville—Extreme | |