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NAVAL HISTORY of GREAT BRITAIN - Vol II
1799
SIEGE OF ACRE
289


performed their part well. Lieutenant John Westley Wright, of the Tigre, who commanded the seamen pioneers, notwithstanding he had received two balls in his right arm as he advanced, entered the mine with the pike-men, and proceeded to the bottom of it ; where he verified its direction, and, by pulling down the supporters, destroyed all that could be destroyed in its present state. Major John Douglas, of the marines, ably supported the seamen in this desperate service, bringing off the wounded, and among them Lieutenant Wright, who had scarcely strength left to get out of the enemy's trench.

The loss sustained by the British was, one major of marines (Thomas Oldfield) and two private marines killed, one lieutenant (John Westley Wright), one lieutenant of marines (George Beatty), two midshipmen (Richard Janverin and James Morrison Bigges Forbes), one sergeant and six privates of marines, and 12 seamen wounded. The return of the detachment to the garrison was well covered by the fire of the Theseus, who had taken an excellent position for that purpose. The Turks, as proofs of their prowess, brought in 60 Frenchmen's heads, a great number of muskets, and some intrenching tools, of which last the besieged were greatly in want.

When Buonaparte set out on his march to Syria, he sent orders to Alexandria for Rear-admiral Perrée to put to sea with the French frigates Junon, Alceste, and Courageuse, and brig-corvettes Salamine and Alerte, having on board a quantity of battering cannon and other heavy munitions of war for the Syrian army. These were in addition to those directed to sail from Damietta. The blockade of Alexandria by Captain Troubridge prevented M. Perrée's departure ; but, about a month after Sir Sidney Smith, Captain Troubridge's successor, had sailed for the bay of Acre, the French rear-admiral quitted Alexandria, and reached Jaffa with his valuable cargo : in addition to which, by Buonaparte's desire, he landed four of the Junon's 18-pounders.

In the mean while the garrison of Acre continued to make occasional sorties, under the protection of field-pieces in the boats of the ships, until the evening of the 1st of May, when the French, after many hours' heavy cannonade from 23 pieces of artillery, including nine battering 24 and 18 pounders brought to Jaffa by Rear-admiral Perrée's squadron, and which, on the 27th of April, had arrived thence overland, made a fourth desperate attempt to mount the breach, now much widened. The Tigre by this time had moored herself on the one, and the Theseus on the other side of the town, so as to flank the walls of it ; And the gun-vessels, launches, and other rowing boats, had stationed themselves in the best manner for flanking the enemy's trenches.

Opposed to so destructive a cross-fire, the French troops, in spite of their bravery, were repulsed with a heavy loss. Nor

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