In the Navy
Copyright© 2005/2020 to Argon
Chapter 61: A New Task
March 1814
O’Grady was still recuperating when they dropped anchor at Port Royal eight days later, but he was back to commanding the prize William Macy, after pleading for this chance of promotion. In the reports which Tony filed at Admiralty House and with Rear Admiral Brown, Tony had given full credit both to O’Grady and Master’s Mate John Brown, the former for his daring and the valuable intelligence he had provided, and the latter for his presence of mind in the face of O’Grady’s arrest.
Like any commander in chief, Brown had good use for a swift schooner, and Darrin O’Grady was given the command of the William Macy, to be renamed HMS Steadfast. Brown was ordered to stand his exams for lieutenant, and the examination board, under Captain Andrew Lambert, let him pass, in spite of the nerves he showed. His namesake Brown then put him into Menai as replacement for O’Grady.
Rear Admiral Brown was in a very good mood. His ships and sloops had had two very profitable months, combing the Caribbean for American privateers and merchantmen, and his share of thirteen prizes was close to £4.500, a fortune for an admiral whom luck had eluded for years. Consequently, he was genial and cooperative. He even volunteered to accompany Tony when he reported about the La Guaira affair to the Duke of Manchester, since the news about possible hostility of New Grenada against British ships had to be spread amongst the British possessions.
Manchester reacted coolly upon hearing Tony’s report and questioned the wisdom behind Tony’s confrontative tactics, but Brown, who had met O’Grady and seen the lingering traces of the abuse he had suffered, contradicted, rightfully claiming that the lieutenant would otherwise be dead. It was still abundantly clear to Tony that Manchester was carrying a grudge against him. The next months would be uncomfortable and he decided to limit his interaction with the governor to written reports.
Meanwhile, Brown planned a large-scale sweep of the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and upon his request, Tony returned Menai to Brown’s squadron, but also “borrowed” his sloops and the Cossack post ship for the undertaking, in the meantime filling in for Brown at Port Royal, this time for at least a month. Saturn stayed behind with Andrew, providing at least one powerful ship for the defence of Kingston Bay. Therefore, Tony did most of his duty in his cabin and rather had the clerks from Admiralty House come to him for any signatures or other business.
Almost weekly, mail packets arrived, from London, but also from Bermuda, where a new commander in chief had been appointed. Sir Alexander Cochrane was now in charge, a man of obvious abilities but controversial. It was alleged that he requisitioned slaves recovered from prizes for his own West Indian plantations, if true, a violation possibly of the letter but certainly of the spirit of the 1807 ban on trans-Atlantic slave trading. On the positive side, he was an energetic officer who did not shy from making bold decisions. In his first letter to Tony, he felicitated him for the numerous needle-pricks he had inflicted on the Americans. He also asked for a copy of Tony’s report on the raids of New Orleans and Mobile and added a few extra questions. The request was easily and quickly fulfilled with the next departing packet.
To this point, the mail out of the Admiralty had also been appreciative, and Tony expected for his command to be prolonged. He was of a mixed mind about that, of course, since a another year without Harriet and the children was a sacrifice.
Then, on April 2, another packet arrived bearing mail from London, and in it, he found several envelopes addressed to him. Once again, the acknowledgements of his reports coming from the First Naval Lord’s office were complimentary, but there was also a letter from his father-in-law, Admiral Sir Richard Lambert.
Lambert House,
London, March 3, 1814
My dear Anthony,
I am writing this letter to advise you of some rumours I picked up at the Admiralty. Your reports, which do you much honour, have ruffled feathers amongst younger rear admirals who are without command but with solid interest in Parliament and Ministry. You seem to pick up prizes left and right, and with Brown giving you the Menai, too, they claim that your command is more fitting for a flag officer. Recently, they found ears to hear their complaints, and from what I hear, Rear Admiral Reginald Morningside will relieve you as soon as they can get Melville to countersign the orders.
This development, if Melville will agree, has no negative bearing on you, but rather shows that some younger rear admirals want to step into your shoes. To an old sea dog like myself, this is quite funny to observe, and Melville agrees. He wants to employ you again immediately, but having the happiness of my daughter to weigh, I convinced him to give you a shore posting, almost a sinecure, but a prestigious one: You will be appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth. Your old friend Inman, by the way, is ecstatic about that, claiming that you will set an inspiring example for his cadets. Most importantly, they won’t need you more than once or twice per month, allowing you to see your family with regularity.
I sincerely hope that this piece of news will not be too disappointing for you, and I trust that having you back will drive the frown out of Harriet’s face. I have not told her of this development yet, to avoid any disappointments should things not work out as planned by
Your scheming father-in-law
Richard
PS: Andrew will be recalled, too, but more to pacify Manchester. His mother wants him back anyway, to finally find a wife for him.
Looking up from the letter, he saw Andrew at his desk, also perusing a letter, likely from the same sender.
“Your father?” he asked with a grin.
“Yes,” Andrew sighed. “He thinks I should show better judgement than to dally with a duchess. So, we’ll leave Jamaica?”
“Likely, my dear Andrew. They want to pacify Manchester, and they want to give a young rear admiral the chance to win some prize monies. Let us wait for the orders. Things may still fall through, but there are worse things than to return home.”
“Yes. It appears that mother is scouring the salons for a fitting bride for me. I better not show my face in London for a while. Mother’s and my tastes in women do not really match. She is likely looking for rich widows.”
“You tried that, too, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and it bears testimony of my appeal to ladies that she preferred to stay a wealthy widow. Maybe, I should look for a fellow captain’s daughter, one who was raised in a Navy family.”
“I did well, following that course,” Tony grinned.
“I said ‘captain’s daughter’, not ‘senior admiral’s daughter’, but you are correct. Perhaps I should let Father look for a well-connected granddaughter in his circle of friends.”
“Will you believe me that I would have taken Harriet if she’d been a boatswain’s daughter?”
“Yes, without a doubt, and she would have taken you without the captaincy and the sash and star. Her dowry would have reflected your position, though.”
“So true! Well, if things go as expected, you can cast your net amongst the admiral’s families.”
Meanwhile, the first two prizes caught by Brown’s squadron had arrived at Port Royal, and Tony had to assemble a prize court to determine the legality. Obviously, Brown had taken a leaf from Tony’s reports and swept along the northern Gulf coast, catching the first prizes when they tried to slip into Lake Pontchartrain. From what Tony learned, the Americans had fortified the narrow passage into the inland sea against British ships, but those ships still outside were fair game.
Brown had also sent a message advising Tony of the squadron’s return to Port Royal, in time to organise the Kingston Convoy of merchantmen headed for London. If those orders concerning him and Andrew really arrived soon, Tony knew that he would be in charge of that huge convoy. Consequently, he paid close attention to the merchantmen trickling into Kingston Bay.
Four weeks after Tony had received the letter from his father-in-law, a newcomer arrived at Port Royal. It was a third-rate, HMS Scarborough, launched only a year before, and after an exchange of signals, Tony knew that his successor had arrived. She was a Vengeur class ship of the line, one of forty planned, and of the most modern design. Obviously, Morningside preferred a third-rate for his flagship, but perhaps, his orders were different from Tony’s. With a shrug, Tony called for his barge and had himself rowed ashore to Port Royal, to receive his successor and superior at Admiralty House.
Morningside was at least 10 years Tony’s senior by age, and he had received his flag only four months earlier. He was surprised over being received by a mere commodore, but Tony explained the situation, and then the two rapidly settled the change of command. It was unfortunate that the rest of the squadron was still sailing under Brown, but Morningside shrugged it off as unimportant.
He was also carrying the orders for Tony and Andrew, and those were no surprise. Tony would sail home in Saturn, retaining his rank as commodore first class and flying his broad pennant. That was a strong sign that his relief was not due to his falling from favour, and Tony appreciated it.
Morningside was a pleasant man and an experienced officer, but so far, unlucky with noteworthy engagements and prize monies. He was eager to collect as much information from his predecessor as he could, and Tony did not hold back anything. He also explained the events at La Guaira, pointing out that the port was likely hostile at the moment, and Morningside had a gleam in his eyes, learning about that.
“You mean to say that some of the Spanish planters sell off their slaves to American ships before returning to Spain?”
“That was what I learned from reliable sources. Sadly, the former Governor of Cartagena, a personal friend, could not help me with information, but some of the republican junta members were not quite as discreet.”
“Yes, I learned that you hail from Jamaica and know your way around the Caribbean. How is Brown — I mean, Rear Admiral Brown?”
“We cooperated beautifully, Sir, always looking for the best of the Navy. Please, do not ask me to judge a superior officer; I’m only a captain when all is said.”
“I understand, Sir Anthony, although ‘only a captain’ was not how Lord Melville spoke of you. What will you do upon your return?”
“They want me as lieutenant governor of the Royal Naval College. I gave a few lectures there, two years ago, and they appreciated an officer who is not biased against their cadets.”
“That sounds like a pleasant duty. Your Nº1 coat will get good use.”
“That’s a way to see it, Sir. Mostly, I shall appreciate the chance to see my family again.”
“A good point, too, Sir Anthony. Well, I suppose that we have settled the relevant issues. So tomorrow at 4 bells, forenoon watch?”
“Yes, Sir. Since I shall retain my broad pennant, we shall witness the hoisting of your flag and be the second to salute it.”
“Splendid, Sir Anthony. I appreciate your helpfulness.”
“My duty and my pleasure, Sir.”
“I shall hold a dinner after the ceremony, and I should love to welcome you and Captain Lambert. He is Admiral Lambert’s son?”
“Yes, Sir. He is also my brother-in-law.”
“Oh, yes, of course. One last question: how did you get along with Manchester?”
Tony made a face. “Splendid at first, but then we picked up his — umh, estranged wife from a prize we recaptured. We were not privy to the gossip surrounding the Duchess and gave her passage to Kingston. His Grace was not pleased.”
“Ouch! Nobody gave you a heads-up?”
Tony shrugged.
“It was quite a scandal, Sir Anthony. The Duchess eloped with one of the grooms, even playing house with the man. Of course, she is shunned now.”
“She was alone when we rescued her, and a pleasant passenger, to be sure, Sir.”
“Well, we all know that it always takes two to ruin a marriage.”
“You speak wisdom, Sir,” Tony conceded with a wry smile.