Frigate Commander (12 page)

The incident raises a number of interesting points about Moore and his style of command. From Moore’s own account, and from his earlier comments, it is clear that he was determined neither to punish in haste nor to rely solely on the testimony of the accuser before passing sentence. It had become increasingly obvious that Moore and Eaton did not agree on the administration of punishment on board the ship, and the more that Moore attempted to maintain a fair and balanced system of discipline and order, the more Eaton felt that he was being sidelined and his rank undermined. The discontent created by this difference in approach had been growing since Moore commissioned the ship and there was now no possibility of reconciling the Captain and First Lieutenant. To some degree one must understand Eaton’s position, for it was unenviable. The more that the Captain refused to acquiesce in his decisions over discipline, the less authority he could wield over the crew. Eaton could be completely wrong in the haste and inflexibility which he applied in the maintenance of order on the
Bonetta
, but it would have been almost impossible for him to backtrack and adopt a different method. As he fell in popularity, the Captain would grow. It was an almost untenable position. What made the matter more serious was that Eaton had made such a public accusation about the Captain’s performance. It was something that Moore could not ignore. Finally, to cap it all, when Moore reviewed the nature of the seaman’s misdemeanour, he found it to be trivial, if somewhat cheeky. Certainly not something for which a good officer would have a man flogged.

Within three months Eaton had been replaced.

At the end of December, Moore was ordered to the Downs to rendezvous with Admiral Murray’s squadron which was bound for the West Schelde to assist the Dutch against the French. On arrival, Moore was informed that the Captain of Murray’s flagship, the 50-gun
Assistance
, was ill and he would have to take over as Acting Flag Captain. Moore was jubilant, because although this might only be a temporary appointment, it was more than likely to be confirmed as permanent. To his chagrin, days after they arrived in the Schelde, Captain John Maude arrived with orders to supersede him. Moore returned to the
Bonetta
deeply depressed. He could not help thinking that if so much trouble had been taken to put another temporary officer in his place, he must be held in poor regard by the Admiralty.
³⁵

Nevertheless, as the squadron lay at anchor in Flushing road, exciting news arrived: firstly, it was learned that French armies were advancing to cross the West Schelde and invade Zeeland and the Dutch navy was mobilizing for war; also that the King of France had been executed. Then newspapers reported that French batteries had fired upon the English sloop
Childers
as she reconnoitred the harbour at Brest. Meanwhile the squadron waited in Flushing road for the Dutch to assemble their defences. Understandably, Moore was anxious to be off. If actual war had broken out, he wanted to be in a more active position.
³⁶
Furthermore, the extended delay and inactivity was beginning to have its effect on the crew of the
Bonetta
and several of the midshipmen had become disobedient and disrespectful to their officers. Moore blamed himself for this, thinking that – despite his determination – he had been over indulgent with them. However, they had now gone too far. He noted in his journal
: ‘I shall turn over a new leaf with them tomorrow.’
In fact, on the following morning he broke two of them of their rank, though not without misgivings:

These two young men are powerfully recommended . . . but I must give up every idea of discipline if I pass unnoticed the just complaints of the Officers.

Perhaps it was his brief spell in the
Assistance
, but Moore also had other reasons for being dissatisfied with the
Bonetta
. Now that war seemed imminent, she seemed poorly armed for the duties she was likely to face. He was also beginning to doubt his own abilities:

I do not feel altogether comfortable in some other respects, there is not that attention to the ship’s duty which there ought to be. To be a thorough, Good officer, requires a strict and constant attention, and a spirit of method and routine which I find great difficulty in adhering to.

Four seamen had to be punished, and the Boatswain’s Mate had begged to be relieved of the duty of flogging one of them, as they had been messmates together in several ships. Moore could understand the man’s position, but he could not afford to have a weakness in the command structure. He pointed out to the Boatswain’s Mate that he, as Captain, was the one inflicting the punishment as part of his responsibilities as the ship’s commanding officer. The Boatswain’s Mate was not acting in a personal capacity but was acting as any other man in obeying his officer’s orders. Moore liked corporal punishment no more than any other man, but he firmly believed that such were
‘... absolutely necessary in order to prevent greater evils’.

On 7 February, news finally reached the squadron that they were at war with the French and two days later they weighed anchor and headed back across the North Sea for the Downs. As night fell, Moore ordered his crew to quarters in case they should fall in with a French man-of-war. There was no man-of-war; instead the
Bonetta
had to battle with hard gales that blew her far to the north and split her sails. Then the wind changed and she was driven down to Dunkirk where Moore found himself navigating through sandbanks in the dark. It was no wonder he scrawled into his journal:

The life of a seaman is certainly one of the most hazardous as well as uncomfortable; if we should strike one of these sands I do not believe a man could escape. We are now kicking about so much that it is with great difficulty that I make shift to write this.

Days later they arrived at the Downs only to put to sea again immediately, after a French privateer. The latter escaped into Calais and Moore headed back for the South Foreland. Once again, thick weather closed in and the
Bonetta
was swept towards the notorious Goodwin Sands. Moore ordered soundings taken and, to their horror, they found themselves in just 6 fathoms of water;

We clewed the sails up and let go the anchor veering to almost a whole cable before we snubbed her. At low water we had a quarter less three where we lay. As soon as the lee tide slackened I hoisted the Cutter out and sent one of the Pilots in her to sound to the SE which was the way we must cast the ship to save her going on the Godwin; when the weather tide began to make she thwarted a little with her stern to the southward which was all against her casting the right way, I therefore ordered a Spring to be clapped on the cable, hove taught, got the top sails set for casting to the southward, cut the cable and made sail. After she had cast the spring being a rotten hauser broke and she had very near come back on us again, but by good luck we boxed her off. This was a very narrow escape.

Back at the Downs, the
Bonetta
was placed under the command of Admiral MacBride and sent round to Sheerness for new sails and pay for her crew. Frustratingly, there were no sails to fit the
Bonetta
’s yards. Moore returned to the Downs, only to be sent to Portsmouth with a convoy to protect. Every day, accounts were received of French privateers and prizes being taken by English cruisers, and Moore fumed:

I am losing time. By the Lord, this will be a warning to me never to hurry out of Port again without having the ship completed in all respects for the officers I have been under have not paid the least regard to my representations of the state of the sloop, but have suffered others to go to Portsmouth who had no real necessity for it. I do wish from my very heart, that our Convoy may be attacked by something, not too superior to us, for although I am very short of complement, yet I have some seamen on board from other ships which makes me stronger than I am likely to be after I get to Spithead. I think the officers will all fight, and I believe myself to be staunch.

At Portsmouth, Moore was able to get new sails and there, also, Lieutenant Eaton left to join Admiral Elliot’s flagship. Moore was secretly relieved. The days before Eaton’s departure had been tense –
‘it is unpleasant to have people in the ship who think every day that they are to be superseded’.
Unfortunately, Moore also lost Thomas Maxtone, his Second Lieutenant, whom he had considered very capable.

At last, on 21 March, the
Bonetta
was ordered to cruise in the Channel, between Calais and Dungeness. Moore was optimistic. As he left port there were rumours that Captain George Brisac in the sloop
Scourge
had taken a French sloop-of-war of nearly equal strength after what was being described as a
‘smart action’
. By the time the
Bonetta
reached Boulogne, however, Moore was beginning to regret that his station didn’t extend further to the west towards Cape Le Havre, as he thought there were no significant French ports east of the Seine. He decided to circumvent this inadequacy by making a dash to the west towards the end of his cruise. Meanwhile, the
Bonetta
settled into a routine, which mainly consisted of stopping French fishing boats as it was known that some were being used as privateers. When, however, Moore found himself interviewing the venerable sixty-three-year-old master of one of these he found himself embarrassed at the role he was having to play. He presented the man with bread and brandy and let him go on his way
;

I do not know that I am justified in dismissing her, but I acted from good motives. In the first place, I could very ill spare men to take care of her, in the next place it was lumbering the ship with prisoners, thirdly and lastly, I was actuated by pity for these poor people, who certainly had nothing but their boat to depend upon for the support of their families. Certainly the generous English do not wish to render more wretched, men who have nothing. Had I seen any appearance to induce me to believe her to be a Cruiser, I would have had no remorse.

At the end of his cruise, Moore sailed west to Havre de Grace where he intercepted two American ships putting to sea. They reported that the harbour was crowded with shipping which was afraid to leave port and that several privateers and one 28-gun frigate were fitting-out there. With this news, the
Bonetta
ran back across to Portsmouth to await new orders. There, happily, Moore was joined by a new First Lieutenant, Henry Martin. Martin had not served at sea since the end of the American War, but Moore seems to have taken to him immediately; besides, he was now feeling very positive about both the
Bonetta
and her crew, so much so that he believed he could even try his luck against a ship of superior force. Such buoyancy was dispelled, however, when new orders arrived for the
Bonetta
to return to Newfoundland. Moore had been hoping for either the West Indies or the Mediterranean and he was naturally despondent, thinking that once again he was a victim of disfavour in high places. Although this may have been a natural response to the news, in fact Moore had experience of the coast of Newfoundland and was, therefore, a good choice for the station. His gloom was deepened because the
Bonetta
was twenty-one men short of complement and it seems probable that he had to resort to the Press Gang to fill the places, for he noted in his journal:

I think the necessity for impressing seamen is one of the most glaring although but a partial evil, and yet it is curious here that the people who suffer are not those who complain.

In the middle of April, Moore set sail for Waterford where he was to rendezvous with the frigate
Druid
and a convoy bound for Newfoundland. Sailing west he took a wide sweep to the south of the Channel in the hope of catching something, but all he encountered was a Danish merchantman, which had just left Le Havre. The Dane seemed unable to tell Moore anything about the ships in the harbour and earned himself the epithet ‘blockhead’ as a consequence. Nevertheless, now that he was at sea again, Moore was feeling happier:

I feel myself much more comfortable in the ship now than I did formerly. The first Lieutenant is a good tempered, agreeable man; who pays attention to his business, and at the same time conciliates the minds of the People under him. The former was a good seaman, but to me, a most distasteful fellow, I always treated him with attention. Much more than he merited at my hands, for he was sulky and careless upon almost all occasions. If I had not always looked upon him as on the point of going away, we should have had a settling; however, God be with him, we shall never sail together again, if I can help it. Mr Maxtone
³⁷
, the late 2nd Lt, was a great loss to me, he was very much to my mind, and always conducted himself as a gentleman and an officer, entirely to my satisfaction; I certainly approved of his going, and recommended him strongly to Commodore Murray. I gave up every idea of personal convenience when his interest was concerned. The gentleman who succeeded him, I very much approve of, he is a good seaman, and a well disposed, honest fellow. It may be in my power to be of great use to him, and I shall certainly not neglect any opportunity. He is not
[yet]
a confirmed Lieutenant.’

Arriving at Waterford on 23 April, the agents for the merchantmen came on board immediately to report that the convoy was very nearly ready to sail. They were closely followed by the masters from the ships who came aboard to receive Moore’s orders. However, westerly winds set in and delayed the convoy’s departure. Whilst waiting, Moore found himself inundated with hopeful young Irish volunteers, wishing to escape the threat of poverty or starvation on land. Surveying these applicants, Moore was suspicious. Very few were seamen and, cannily, he suspected many of them harboured secret grievances. As a commander Moore knew that
‘Complaining is a proof of confidence in those to whom the complaint is made’.
He did not want men in his ship who would be afraid to come forward with problems, nor did he want an undercurrent of simmering resentment to infect the rest of his crew. Nevertheless he picked up a number of ‘
tolerably good hands
’ though three men also deserted and a marine drowned whilst attempting to swim ashore.