Lettres de marins ayant participé à la bataille des Cardinaux : Le Chapelain, un capitaine et l'Amiral Hawke The Battle of Quiberon Bay Chaplain, RN Quiberon Bay, 25 November 1759 The firing now became very alert on both sides, and there was no distinguishing any longer English colours from French. M. du Verger, the French rear admiral, in the Formidable bore a very fierce cannonade from the Resolution; but upon the Royal George's coming up, they hauled down their flag, and struck to Sir Edward Hawke,... The Royal George continued advancing, and Sir Edward gave orders to his Master to carry him close alongside of M. Conflans in the Soleil Royal. The French admiral seemed to have the same ambition on his part, and it was a glorious sight to behold the blue and white flags, both at the maintop mast-head, bearing down to each other. The Royal George passed the Torbay, which was closely engaged with the Thésée of 74 guns, and soon after sent that unfortunate ship to the bottom. On the other side was the Magnanime, who kept an incessant fire on one of the largest of the French ships and in the end obliged her to strike. She afterwards ran ashore and was burnt. The two commanders-in-chief were now very near, and M. Conflans gave the English admiral his broadside; the Royal George re turned the uncivil salutation; but after two or three exchanges of this kind, the Marshal of France declined the combat and steered off. The French Vice-Admiral likewise gave Sir Edward his broadside, and soon followed the example of his superior. Another and another acted the same part; the fifth ship escaped not so well. Sir Edward poured his whole fire into her at once, and repeating the same, down she went along side of him. The Royal George's people gave a cheer, but it was a faint one; the honest sailors were touched at the miserable state of so many hundreds of poor creatures. The blue flag was now encountered with seven ships at the same time, and appeared to be in the very centre of the French rear. Every observer pitied the Royal George, to see her singly engaged against so many of the enemy... her situation would have been lamentable if the enemy had preserved any degree of composure, or fired with any sort of direction; but their confusion was so great, that of many hundreds of shot, I do not believe that more than 30 or 40 struck the ship. Sir Charles Hardy, in the Union, with the Mars, Hero, and several other ships, were crowding to the Admiral's assistance, when the retreat of the French, covered by the obscurity of the evening, put an end to the engagement. Happy circumstance for the enemy, as an hour's daylight more would have brought on their total ruin! The battle was fought so near the coast of Brittany, that ten thousand persons on the shore were sad witnesses of the white flag's disgrace.... The glory of the British flag has been nobly supported, while that of the enemy is vanished into empty air.   Burrows, Montagu. Life of Lord Hawke (1883), p. 394.   The Battle of Quiberon Bay Admiral Sir Edward Hawke   The Royal George, off Penris Point, 24 November 1759 In my letter of the 17th by express, I desired you would acquaint their Lordships with my having received intelligence of eighteen sail of the line, and three frigates of the Brest squadron being discovered about twenty-four leagues to the north-west of Belleisle, steering to the eastward. All the prisoners, however, agree that on the day we chased them, their squadron consisted, according to the accompanying list, of four ships of eighty, six of seventy-four, three of seventy, eight of sixty-four, one frigate of thirty-six, one of thirty-four, and one of sixteen guns, with a small vessel to look out. They sailed from Brest the 14th instant, the same day I sailed from Torbay. Concluding that their first rendezvous would be Quiberon, the instant I received the intelligence I directed my course thither with a pressed sail. At first the wind blowing hard at S. b. E. and S. drove us considerably to the westward. But on the 18th and 19th, though variable, it proved more favourable. In the meantime having been joined by the Maidstone and Coventry frigates, I directed their commanders to keep ahead of the squadron, one on the starboard, and the other on the larboard bow. At half-past eight o'clock on the morning of the 20th, Belleisle, by our reckoning, bearing E. b. N. 1/4 N. about thirteen leagues, the Maidstone made the signal for seeing a fleet. I immediately spread abroad the signal for the line abreast, in order to draw all the ships of the squadron up with me. I had before sent the Magnanime ahead to make the land. At three-quarters past nine she made the signal for seeing an enemy. Observing, on my discovering them, that they made off, I threw out the signal for the seven ships nearest them to chase, and draw into a line of battle ahead of me, and endeavour to stop them till the rest of the squadron should come up, who were also to form as they chased, that no time might be lost in the pursuit.... Monsieur Conflans kept going off under such sail as all his squadron could carry, and at the same time keep together; while we crowded after him with every sail our ships could bear. At half-past two p.m. the fire beginning ahead, I made the signal for engaging. We were then to the south-ward of Belleisle, and the French Admiral headmost, soon after led round the Cardinals, while his rear was in action. About four o'clock the Formidable struck, and a little after, the Thésée and Superbe were sunk. About five, the Heros struck, and came to an anchor, but it blowing hard, no boat could be sent to board her. Night was now come, and being on a part of the coast, among islands and shoals, of which we were totally ignorant, without a pilot, as was the greatest part of the squadron, and blowing hard on a lee shore, I made the signal to anchor, and come-to in fifteen-fathom water.... In the night we heard many guns of distress fired, but, blowing hard, want of knowledge of the coast, and whether they were fired by a friend or an enemy, prevented all means of relief.... As soon as it was broad daylight, in the morning of the 21st, I discovered seven or eight of the enemy's line-of-battle ships at anchor between Point Penris and the river Vilaine, on which I made the signal to weigh in order to work up and attack them. But it blowed so hard from the N.W. that instead of daring to cast the squadron loose, I was obliged to strike topgallant masts. Most of the ships appeared to be aground at low water.... In attacking a flying enemy, it was impossible in the space of a short winter's day that all our ships should be able to get into action, or all those of the enemy brought to it. The commanders and companies of such as did come up with the rear of the French on the 20th behaved with the greatest intrepidity, and gave the strongest proofs of a true British spirit. In the same manner I am satisfied would those have acquitted themselves whose bad-going ships, or the distance they were at in the morning, prevented from getting up. Our loss by the enemy is not considerable. For in the ships which are now with me, I find only one lieutenant and fifty seamen and marines killed, and about two hundred and twenty wounded. When I consider the season of the year, the hard gales on the day of action, a flying enemy, the shortness of the day, and the coast they were on, I can boldly affirm that all that could possibly be done has been done. As to the loss we have sustained, let it be placed to the account of the necessity I was under of runing all risks to break this strong force of the enemy. Had we had but two hours more daylight, the whole had been totally destroyed or taken; for we were almost up with their van when night overtook us.... Moorhouse. Letters of English Seamen. (1910), pp. 119   The Battle of Quiberon Bay British Captain 20 November 1759 I most heartily congratulate you upon the great event of our defeating Marshal Conflans on the 20th instant. As the express is on the point of setting out, my relation of the victory cannot be particular. On the 14th of November Sir Edward Hawke hoisted his flag on board the Royal George in Torbay, where the fleet had put in a few days before through stress of weather. The same evening we stood out to sea, with 23 ships of the line, and two frigates; and on the 16th were within eight or ten leagues of the isle of Ushant. >In the afternoon we fell in with some English transports returning from Quiberon, who gave the admiral information, that they saw the French fleet the day before, consisting of 24 sail, standing to the SE and were at that time 23 leagues W. of Belleisle. The intelligence was received with universal acclamation, and every ship prepared for action. The admiral lost not a minute of time, but pursued with the utmost alertness. In the evening of the 18th the wind came on fresh from the westward, and we spread all our canvas to court the prosperous gale. On the 20th about half an hour after eight in the morning, the Maidstone frigate let fly her top-gallant sails, which was a signal for discovering a fleet; at nine, not a doubt was left, of the happy hour being arrived which we had six months been impatiently expecting. We ascertained them to be the French squadron, of 21 sail of the line and three smaller ships; and that they were chasing Captain Duff's frigates and bombs; the destruction of which was one object of their destination. Upon their having a distincter view of our ships they gave over the chase, and appeared to be forming a line to receive us. From the equality of combatants, we concluded the action would be very great, and general; but I may venture to assert, there was not an Englishman from high to low, who did not assure himself of victory. Upon our advancing, Marshal Conflans changed his plan, and put right before the wind towards the shore, seeking safety in his flight. At this critical time Sir Edward paid no regard to lines of battle, but every ship was directed to make the best of her way towards the enemy: the admiral told his officers he was for the old way of fighting, to make downright work with them. At noon our headmost ships were pretty near them, and between one and two, the Warspite and Dorsetshire began to fire, and were then abreast of the Cardinal rocks. Presently after the Revenge, Resolution, Torbay, Magnanime, Swiftsure, Montagu, and Defiance, came into action. The firing now became very alert on both sides, and there was no distinguishing any longer English colours from French. M. Du Vergen, the French rear-admiral, in the Formidable, bore a very fierce cannonade from the Resolution; but upon the Royal George's coming up, they hauled down their flag and struck to Sir Edward Hawke. This was only a point of honour, the Resolution having the merit of subduing them. The Royal George continued advancing, and Sir Edward gave orders to his master to carry him close alongside of M. Conflans in the Soleil Royal. The French admiral seem'd to have the same ambition on his part, and it was a glorious sight to behold the blue and the white flags both at the maintopmast head bearing down to each other. The Royal George passed the Torbay which was closely engaged with the Thesee of 74 guns, and who soon afterwards sent that unfortunate ship to the bottom. On the other side was the Magnanime, who kept an incessant fire on one of the largest of the French ships, and in the end obliged her to strike. She afterwards ran ashore, and was burnt. The two commander-in-chiefs were now very near, and M. Conflans gave the English admiral his broadside; the Royal George returned the uncivil salutation, but after two or three discharges of this kind, the marshal of France declined the combat and sheered off. The French vice-admiral likewise gave Sir Edward his broadside, and soon followed the example of his superior. Another and another acted the same part; the fifth ship escaped not so well; Sir Edward poured his whole fire into her at once, and repeating the same, down she went along side of him. The Royal George's people gave a cheer, but it was a faint one; the honest sailors were touched at the miserable fate of so many hundreds of poor creatures. The blue flag was now encountered with seven ships at the same time, and appeared to be in the very centre of the French rear. Every observer pitied the Royal George, to see her singly engaged against so many of the enemy. It seems indeed a kind of degradation to so noble a ship to be pitied; but really her situation would have been lamentable, if the enemy had perserved any degree of composure, or fired with any sort of direction; but their confusion was so great, that of many hundreds of shot, I do not believe that more than 30 or 40 struck the ship. Sir Charles Hardy in the Union, with the Mars, Hero, and several other ships were crowding to the admiral's assistance, when the retreat of the French, covered by the obscurity of the evening, put an end to the engagement. Happy circumstance for the enemy, as an hour's daylight more would have brought on their total ruin. This battle was fought so near the coast of Brittany, that ten thousand persons upon the shore were the sad witnesses of the white flag's disgrace. When I sat down to write, I intended to have given you only a general account, but upon such an animating occasion as this, there is no possibility of leaving off, whilst a margin remains unocupied. We have burnt the Soleil Royal of 84 brass guns, M. Conflan's ship, together with the Hero of 74 guns; both of which ran shore near Crozie. We have sunk the Thesee of 74 guns and the Superbe of 70: we have driven off the Juste of 70 guns upon the rocks, where she overset; and have taken the Formidable of 80, the French rear-admiral 62 of whose guns are brass. Ten or eleven other ships were aground, but got off again, by throwing their guns and stores overboard. They are now crept into the entrance of the little river Villaine, where we do not despair of setting them on fire. Whether we succeed in this or not we have room to believe they have undergone so much damage, that few of them will be able to put to sea any more. The rest made their escape the night after the engagement, under the command of M. Beaufremont, their vice-admiral, and stretched away for Rochfort. We have had the misfortune to lose the victorious Resolution of 74 guns, and the Essex of 64; the former struck upon a sand called Le Four, the night after the battle; and next morning the Essex going down to her relief, unhappily ran upon the same shoal. Our endeavours to get them off were unsuccessful; but we have this consolation, that almost all their people were saved, and are embarked on board the Formidable. I should be esteemed a very unjust historian, if I neglected to make known to you, that Captain Dennis of the Dorsetshire, and Captain Speke of the Resolution, have acquired immortal honour; the admiral told them, in the warmth of his gratitude, they had behaved like angels. I would in this place attempt the most honourable mention of Sir Edward Hawke; nor would I by any means omit Lord Howe, and Captain Keppel; neither should Captain Campbell pass unnoticed, but that there was a certain greatness in their behaviour which exceeds the ability of my pen to celebrate.... The glory of the British flag has been nobly supported, while that of the enemy is vanished into empty air. The Gentleman's Magazine, (December 1759), p. 557. -