Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/258

 “During this service, which was attended with excessive fatigue, by the nature of the mountains over which we had to pass, a distinguished share fell to Captain Rorica, who, with fifteen Calabrese, Mr. Thomas Ullock, purser, an artilleryman, and our guide, spiked the guns of the lower battery, under musketry of the fort; likewise to Captain May (35th regiment). Lieutenant George Bowen, and Mr. Ullock, with forty men, and the assistance of the inhabitants, who destroyed a store of provisions, and took a Serjeant of artillery and two other soldiers, in the town, also under the musketry of the fort. I do not mean, by mentioning these in particular, to take from the merits of others, who were all equally zealous. I cannot either avoid mentioning the great exertions of the gun-boats, under Lieutenant M‘Donald (35th regiment), the barge, launch, ami yawl, under Messrs. William Henry Brand, William Hutchinson, and William David Fowkes, midshipmen of the Apollo; they drew a continual fire of the fort and battery upon them, and captured a boat attempting to escape with despatches.

“The fort stands upon the pinnacle of a mountain, which position is so strong, that fifty English soldiers, with the good disposition of the inhabitants, are likely to resist any force the enemy may send against it. Its garrison consisted of 139 men. It has one mortar, one 18-pounder, and two 8-pounders: there are three 18-pounders in the lower battery, and several musketry outworks. We have only to lament the loss of one man on our side, (an inhabitant) killed; the enemy had one wounded.

“Lieutenant-Colonel Robertson having left a garrison in Augusta, we sailed on the 1st instant, with the Imogene (sloop), and a gun-boat, to attack this island.

“Although it blew excessive hard in squalls, we succeeded in landing 160 soldiers, 70 seamen, and 50 marines, with a howitzer and 6-pounder field gun the same night, at Port Bufalo, which enabled Major Slesser (35th regiment,) with the flankers, to surprise the hill, with a musketry work upon it that commands the town.

“Hearing that 300 of the enemy’s troops, to relieve Augusta, were arrived on the opposite shore (Sabionalla), I directed Lieutenant Charles Taylor, acting commander of the Imogene, to bring away or destroy their boats, and if fired at from Curzola, not to return it to the town; which instructions he obeyed with the utmost forbearance, as he fired over all, when their fire was directed at him. Mr. Antonio Parbo, commander of the gun-boat, likewise behaved gallantly; his vessel was hulled three or four times.

“Finding that the enemy appeared determined to hold out (although our field guns were upon the hill, and our advance in the suburbs within pistol-shot), and that the civic guard were collecting in the country, I took off the Apollo’s seamen to attack the sea batteries, which, in the morning of the 3d, after about three hours’ firing, we silenced; they then agreed to capitulate; and, I am happy to add, that we thereby have captured the