| Naval history of Great Britain
by
William James |
| 1807 |
Lord Gambier at Copenhagen |
291 |
continued until 8 P.M. of the 3d. In the evening it recommenced, and was continued throughout the night, but with much less vigour than during the preceding night, in the hope that the Danes would surrender without the necessity of further severity. This was not the case, and at 7 P.M. on the 4th the bombardment recommenced in all its fury. In a short time the wood at the timber-yard, which was nearly a quarter of a mile in length, and of great value, was set on fire by red-hot shot. The steeple of the Fruekirke, or metropolitan church, was also set on fire, and, falling, spread the flames in every direction. By this time the fire-engines, which had been so serviceable on the first night, were all destroyed, and many of the firemen killed or wounded. This dreadful work continued until the evening of the 5th; when, the conflagration having arrived at a height to threaten the speedy destruction of the whole city, Major-general Peiman sent out a flag of truce, requesting an armistice of 24 hours to afford time to treat for a capitulation. The armistice was declined, as tending to unnecessary delay, and the works on shore were continued ; but the firing was countermanded, and an officer was sent by Lord Cathcart to explain, that no capitulation could be listened to unless accompanied by the surrender of the Danish fleet.
Major-general Peiman having consented that the surrender of the fleet should be the basis of the negotiation, major-general Sir Arthur Wellesley, Sir Home Popham, captain of the fleet, and Lieutenant-colonel George Murray, deputy quartermaster general of the British forces, were appointed to settle the remaining terms of the capitulation. On the 6th, in the evening, the articles were drawn up, and on the 7th, in the morning, signed and ratified by the respective parties. By the terms of the capitulation, the British were to be put in possession of the citadel, and of the ships of war and their stores ; and, as soon as these were removed from the dock-yard, or within six weeks from the date of the capitulation, were to deliver up the citadel, and quit the island of Zealand ; all hostilities were, in the mean time, to cease, and all property and prisoners taken on either side, to be restored.
Between the landing of the British troops and the commencement of the bombardment, one or two sorties and several skirmishes had taken place, in which the army had sustained a loss of four officers, one sergeant, and 37 rank and file killed, six officers, one sergeant, and 138 rank and file wounded, and one sergeant and 23 rank and file missing ; making, with the loss incurred by the British afloat, a total of 56 killed, 179 wounded, and 25 missing.
The loss on the part of the Danes, on board the gun-vessels, and in the different skirmishes outside the city, appears, by their own accounts, to have been about 250 in killed and wounded, exclusively of a great number of prisoners. Their loss within
^ back to top ^ |