Thursday 13^th June 1667.

On the morning of Thursday 13 June the Dutch were once again favoured with a north-east wind, and it was now merely a question of waiting for the tide to turn, so that they could make use of that also to advance towards Upnor Castle

"Upnor Castle"

During the time of waiting Cornelis de Witt and de Ruyter spoke to the commanders of the men-of-war and the fireships, exhorting them to do their duty and to render fearlessly to their country the services that it had a right to expect of them. The commanders, for their part, affirmed their loyalty and patriotism, and promised to do all that lay within their power to carry out their orders. They then dispersed to their ships to await the order to advance.

This came about midday but by this time the favourable north-east wind had abated somewhat, and this slowed down the progress of the Dutch towards Upnor. They did not in fact reach the castle before 2 p.m. an interval that gave the garrison time to prepare counter-measures for them.

The leading Dutch ships encountered heavy fire, not only from Upnor Castle itself, but also from the batteries on the opposite bank, especially from the heavy guns commanded by Sir Edward Spragge.

In this unpleasant situation the Dutch found inspiration from the presence of their great leader de Ruyter. While the men-of-war and fireships were making their slow progress towards Upnor he had ordered a long-boat to be made ready for himself. When Cornelis de Witt asked him what purpose he had in mind, de Ruyter replied simply: “I am going to see what our people will do” On hearing this de Witt declared that he would accompany de Ruyter, and so they both transferred to the long-boat. During the operation that ensued de Ruyter did not, however, merely sit in a long-boat and watch from a safe distance what happened. He went well forward, scorning all danger in the narrowing fairway, and took an active part in directing operations. Other superior officers, including van Ghent, and Vice-Admiral de Liefde, also transferred to sloops and bug-boats, and gave orders in the thick of the fire, encouraging particularly the crews of the fireships in their hazardous task.

While the men-of-war were engaging Upnor Castle and the batteries on the opposite bank, the first of the fireships, the “Rotterdam”, grappled the “Loyal London” and set it on fire. Though this ship and the “Royal Oak” and “Royal James” had been sunk in the shallow water near the river bank, enough of their upper works remained above water to enable a fireship to do its work. Two more of these quickly followed the “Rotterdam”, placed themselves alongside the “Royal Oak” and “Royal James”, and soon these vessels were also burning. The fires aboard the: "Loyal London" and the “Royal James” did not, spread as fast as the Dutch desired, and so they sent in their two remaining fireships, one against each of the English men-of-war, and soon, the “Loyal London” and “Royal James” were burning as furiously as the “Royal Oak”

Edward Gregory, Clerk of the Check at Chatham, who had survived the bombardment of Sheerness Fort, witnessed the burning of the three ships and he wrote later to Pepys, describing the scene.

The destruction of these three stately and glorious ships of ours [he said] was the most dismal spectacle my eyes ever beheld, and it certainly made the heart of every true   
Englishmen bleede, to see such three Argos’ lost.

The noise and confusion of battle must have been more intense in the narrower corners of Upnor Reach, than in the broader waters of Gillingham, the day before. The din must have been tremendous, for apart of the guns from the Dutch, there was a continuous cannonade from Upnor Castle, from Sir Edward Spragge’s heavy guns opposite and from other gun emplacements. In the river itself, the three large men-of-war lay blazing, sending clouds of smoke billowing upwards, whilst in the midst of the Medway Dutch bug-boats and sloops plied hazardously up and down, encouraging their men in the fireships, and evacuating them when their task was done.

Pieter Cornelisz van Soest. Medway Raid. Capture of the "Royal Charles"

 The bravery of the Dutch in adventuring into these narrow waters under intense fire, was astounding, and was rewarded by the demoralizing which it had on the men who had been left on board the “Royal James” Royal Oak” and “Loyal London” to defend them. These put up hardly any fight, and the entire operation is redeemed, in English eyes, by the bravery of the men only. This was Captain Archibald Douglas who, with some of his Scots soldiers, had been sent on board the “Royal Oak”. When she took fire all aboard her left their posts with the exception of Douglas, who remained steadfast, till he died in the increasing conflagration.

The bravery of Douglas made a deep impression on contemporaries because of its contrast with the cowardice shown by so many other men, who instead of fighting the Dutch, took the first opportunity they could to escape from the scene of action. Sir William Temple, in a letter written to Lord Lisle from Brussels in August 1667, said:

 I would have been glad to see Mr. Cowley before he died, celebrate Captain Douglas his death, who stood and burnt in one of our ships at Chatham, when his soldiers left him because it should never be said a Douglas quitted his post without order. Whether it be wise in men to such action or no, I’m sure it is so in States, to honour them.

The poet Cowley had died in July 1667, but the literary memorial of Douglas that he might otherwise have produced came instead from the pen of Andrew Marvell. He wrote an elegant eulogy of the gallant Captain entitled: “The Loyal Scott” a manuscript copy of which is preserved in the British Museum. In this Mar5vbell depicted the last minutes of Douglas on board the burning “Royal Oak” as follows:

Fixt on his Shipp, he fought the horrid day,
And wondred much at those who ran away
The fatall Barke him boards with grapling fire,
And softly through its Ports the Dutch retire.
That pretious life he still disdains to safe,
Or with known art to try the gentle wave.
Much him the Glories of his Ancient Race
Inspire, nor could he his own deedes deface.
And secret joy in his calme breast doth rise,
That Monck looks on to see how Douglas dies.
Like a glad lover the fierce flames he meets,
And tries their first embraces in their sheetts…..
Downe on the deck he layd himself and dyed,
with his dear sword reposing by his side.
And on the flaming planks he rests his head,
As one whoe huggs himselfe on an warm bed.
The Shipp burns down and with hiss relicks sinks,
And the sadd streame beneath his ashes drinks.

More prosaically, in August 1667 Captain Douglas’ widow petitioned Charles II to be granted the ship “Golden Hand”, which was employed at that time raising the sunken ships in the Medway, as compensation for her husband’s death on active service.

The operation against the three ships at Upnor cost the Dutch about fifty men killed and a number (unknown) wounded. These casualties, which much exceeded those of the previous day, was due to the sustained fire from Upnor Castle and the heavy guns mounted on the opposite shore which were under the direction of Sir Edward Spragge. These could hardly have failed to do considerable damage to the Dutch because of the shortness of the range, the river being much narrower at Upnor than at Gillingham. The unexpectedly fierce opposition, the first real counterattack that they had experienced, caused the Dutch, once the Upnor operation had been concluded, to abandon any further design that they might have had of venturing still further up the river to attack the dockyard installations and the men-of-war lying below Rochester Bridge. They were also, however, deterred by the fact that they had used all their fireships, and that the river above Upnor was obstructed by a number of vessels, which had been sunk or had run aground the day before. They feared, in short, and not without reason, that if they ventured too far they might find themselves trapped in the river with no possibility of escape.

The sight of the ships that had been sunk in Dockyard Reach the day before was a major factor in deciding the Dutch not to risk any of their ships or men above Upnor, and so the docky7ard and the remaining English men-of-war escaped.

On Thursday 13 June, after the Upnor engagement was over and the decision had been taken to go no further, Cornelis de Witt sat down in his cabin on board the “Agatha” and wrote another letter to the States-General. He recapitulated the events of Wednesday, correcting some of the information he had given in his previous letter, and he then reported on the action off Upnor. He mentioned de Ruyter’s arrival on Wednesday and his part in the operations on Thursday. In these, de Witt said, the Dutch had lost no more than fifty men. He then excused himself for not venturing higher up the river. He said that this was considered unwise because of sunken vessels lying in various places. and because English reinforcements were arriving. After commending the officers who had had charge of the Upnor operation for the special zeal and vigilance, which they had shown in carrying out their orders. Cornelis ended his letter thus: "In the ship "Agatha”, lying at anchor in the river of Chatham, before the village of Gillingham, the 23 June [13 June Old Style] 1667.

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