| Naval History of Great Britain - Vol III |
| 1801 |
Lord Nelson at Copenhagen |
79 |
other vessels, which have already been named. Taking the Danish guns from the Danish accounts, we submit the following statement as not materially incorrect.
| BRITISH |
DANISH |
| Long guns |
No |
No |
Long guns. |
No |
No |
| 32 pounders |
140 |
|
36 pounders |
48 |
|
| 24 pounders |
74 |
|
24 pounders |
360 |
|
| 18 pounders |
192 |
|
18 pounders |
70 |
|
| 12 pounders |
22 |
|
12 pounders |
98 |
|
| 9 pounders |
114 |
|
8 pounders |
52 |
|
| 6 pounders |
6 |
|
|
|
|
| |
~~~~~ |
548 |
|
~~~~~ |
628 |
| Carronades. |
|
|
Carronades. |
|
|
| 68 pounders |
28 |
|
|
|
|
| 42 pounders |
26 |
|
|
|
|
| 32 pounders |
54 |
|
None apparently. |
|
|
| 24 pounders |
8 |
|
|
|
|
| 18 pounders |
36 |
|
|
|
|
| |
~~~~~ |
152 |
|
|
|
| |
Total . |
700 |
Total. |
. . . 628 |
|
This, although something less than a "two-to-one" superiority, is sufficient to entitle Commodore Fischer, and the brave officers and men under his command, to great credit for the obstinate defence they made. As an instance of individual courage and devotion on the part of the Danes, and of most noble feeling on the part of Lord Nelson, we transcribe from the pages of a respectable periodical work the following anecdote: "During the repast (at the palace) Lord Nelson spoke in raptures of the bravery of the Danes, and particularly requested the prince to introduce him to a very young officer, whom be described as having performed wonders during the battle, by attacking his own ship immediately under her lower guns. It proved to be the gallant young Welmoes, a stripling of seventeen. The British hero embraced him with the enthusiasm of a brother, and delicately intimated to the prince that he ought to make him an admiral; to which the prince very happily replied, "If, my lord, I were to make all my brave officers admirals, I should have no captains or lieutenants in my service." This heroic youth had volunteered the command of a prame, which is a sort of raft, carrying six small cannon, and manned with 24 men, who pushed off from the shore, and in the fury of the battle placed themselves under the stern of Lord Nelson's ship, which they most successfully attacked, in such a manner that, although they were below the reach of the stern-chasers, the British marines made terrible slaughter amongst them: 20 of these gallant men fell by their bullets, but their young commander continued knee-deep in dead at his post, until the truce was announced."*
* Naval Chronicle, vol. xiv., p. 398.
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