BATTLE OF THE TEXEL (zie: Slag bij Kijkduin)
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The
RELATION from the On the Tenth of August
in the Morning, his Highness Prince Rupert,
lying with His Majesties Fleet seven Leagues from the Texel,
bearing E. and by S, of them dispatched away the “Papenburgh”
a Dutch East India Prize,
under the care of Sir Charles
Littleton, which had fallen that Morning casually into their
Hands; about which time the Fleet Weighed, having the Wind at N.E. a
gentle Gale, his Highness being Advertised by his Scouts, That the Enemies Fleet, which
had lain at Ankor four Leagues from Camperdown
and seven Leagues
S.S.E. from ours, were getting under Sayl, which obliged him to stand
S.E. to get the Wind of them. About Two in the Afternoon, the Enemies
Fleet was seen by Ours; standing Northwards: of whom his Highness,
having got the Wind, about four in the Afternoon stretched near the
Headmost of them; then the Enemy Tacked, when their Van was a Breast
on us, and made all the Sayl they possibly could. The Prince kept such
a Sayl as our whole Fleet might accompany him, but the Day being near
spent, his Highness thought it not fit to Engage them then, but kept
under Sayl all night. On the Eleventh in the Morning
at Break of day, the Enemies Fleet was seen (being ninety old Men of
War) within two Leagues of ours, bearing from the E. and by S. S.E. of
us, the Wind at E. and by S. the Texel
bore E.N.E. near five Leagues distance. Between four and five the
Fleet tacked and stood to the Northwards till eight, then they Tacked
again and stood to the Southward, the Enemy still observing our Motion
and edging toward us, until half an hour after Eight, when they bore
right down upon us. Van
Tromp upon the Blew Squadron in the rear,
De Ruyter with the main body
upon the Red, and Banckert with
the rest upon the White.
Between Nine and Ten of the
Clock there fell a great Shower of Rain, and very thick Weather, with
which the Wind shrunk from the E. and by S. to the S.W. At eleven of
the Clock the Weather cleared up, and we perceived the White Squadron
had Tacked and Weathered both Fleets. The Enemy had a great Squadron
in Weather of the Prince’s and Sir
John Harmans Divisions, de
Ruyter was right in the Prince’s Wake, and pressed him very
hard. Two of their Vice-Admirals,
and one of their Rear-Admirals, were within little mote then Cannon
Shot to Leeward of him, and the Blew Squadron warmly engaged with Van
Tromp to Leeward of all. The Prince kept close upon a
Wind till twelve at noon, and then his Highness bore upon Sir
John Chickley first
and afterwards to the Blew Squadron where he found Sir Edward
Spragge’s Ship, the Royal Prince, towing off without any of its
Masts standing, dut defended from the Enemy by the Earl of Ossory
in the St
Micheal and some other Ships of the same Squadron. At six in the evening his
Highness Engaged smartly again till eighty at night, when he got his
Larboard Tacks on board and flood N.N.W. with the Wind S.W. at which
time the Ennemy tacked and stood to their own Coast. We have several of our Men of
War disabled, but not one lost. The Henrietta
Yaght which attended the Earl of Ossory
was sunk by his side, but he saved the Captain and all the Men. Sir Edward
Spragge, Admiral of the Blew Squadron, changing his Ship, was
unfortunately Drowned, his Boat being sunk under him by a shot from
the Ennemy. Captain Le Neve was also slain; Sir
John Kempthorn Vice-Admiral
of the Blew, Captain Courtney Captain Howard, Sir
William Reeves, and Sir William
Jennings, were Wounded Captain Stockman
and Captain Merryweather of
the Duke of Buckingham’s Regiment,
and Mr Mey a Volunteer, were
also Slain, which were all the Hurt and Wounded of Note we yet hear
of. We cannot certainly tell what
the Ennemies Loss was, but two of their Great Ships of 70 and 60 Guns
were both lost in our fight, the one sunk by Sir John
Kempthorn, the latter burned by Captain Washbourn;
It is likewise confidently said that four or five more were
destroyed and several were seen to go off much disabled. On the 12 our Fleet was
refitting, and on the 13 in the morning, when this Account came away
from them, they were under Sail, to look after the Enemy, who were
gotten out of sight the night before, standing as is supposed towards
their own Coast. The RELATION
from the The Wind being at S.E. and
favourable to the Enemies, who had drawn themselves up toward their
own Coasts, they disposed their Squadrons to come upon each of ours,
which they expected all at a time. Tromp
with his Squadron having Attacked the Blew
, de Ruyter and his Vice-Admiral, the Red, and Banckert the
White, who had the van and the Wind at E. endeavouring to weather
the Enemies, to which end the Marquis de
Martel, Rere-Admiral of the said Squadron, with his ship called
the Royal Terese, Tacked
upon the Enemy but not being able to get the Wind, he terminated very
close to them, constantly firing from after the Chevalier Fouruille,
Commander of the Sanspareil being
the second ship of the van. Tacked also upon the Enemy and
was followed by the Sieurs Pauvettiers and Louis-Cabaret Commanding
the Précieux, and the Aquillon
but they could not yet gain the Wind.
The Count d’Estrées
Vice-Admiral of France seeing that the Reer-Admirals division who
had the Van, could gain nothing upon the Enemy, resolves to bear
through them, in order to getting the Weather gage.and going to the
Prince’s assistance. And in effect he broke through the Enemies Line
between 11 and 12 at noon.and weathered all their ships except Banckert.
Who passed to windward of him within Pistolshot and the rest to
Leeward of him within the same distance. The said Banckert’s
fireships did all they could to burn the Counte d’Estrées
ship calles La Reine and
one of their Fireshipws burnt out under his Boltsprit, and the other
he sunk with his shot, and having stood the Enemies Fire on both sides
and he himself fired without intermission both his great and final
Shot. Having lost 30 Men and his ship much torn, he got the Wind,
whilst the Sieurs de Breuilly de Garbaret, and several other Captains, did all they
could to come up to such of the Enemies ships as were ahead of the;
but they would not stay for them. Admiral Banckert
and his ships, bore
upon the Sieurs d’Estival Chevalier
Dailly, and the Sépuille Commanders
of the Invincible the Fire
and the Amable; the fist stayed for
Banckert, who durst not come near him.and after having shown all
the marks of Courage and Resolution, was killed by a great Shot during
this Dispute. After which the White Rallied
and Pursued the Enemy before the Wind and with all theirs Sails until
hald an hour past seven in the evening, when we founf fifty of the
Enemies ships who had Rallied and who durst not bear upon the Princes
Squadron, because we had the Wind of them, expecting onely the
Prince’s Orders to do whatever his Highness should think fit. The Comte d’Estrées
thinking he ought to keep the advantage of the Wind, to renew the
Fight the next day, it being already too late to Engage afresh,
without express orders from his Highness. The RELATION
from the On Monday the Eleventh of August
we Engaged the Enemy, the Wind at S.E.near the About seven in the morning
Prince Rupert Tacked, being near Land, so gave the Wind, as large as
they could, to the Dutch; The
Blew Squadron having the Rear, the Red
the Middle, and the White
the Van. Tromp and his Division taking the Blew,
de Ruyter, the Red, and Banckert
the White Squadron. With us
Sir John Kempthorn began the
Awhile after Tromp
and Sir Edward Spragg engaged.
Sir Edward Spragg lay by for Tromp
and so did most of his Division, and fought at this rate three
hours. Prince Rupert and the
White as their adversaries
being separated from us, we heard not of them till four in the
afternoon, when they came very opportunely to our assistance; Sir Edward
Spragg lay battering against eight or nine of the Dutch a long time and most of his Division being so far Leeward they
could not help him, for Sir John
Kempthorne being prest, it prest us all out of our station much to
the Lee, this was about twelve of the clock when we perceived Sir Edward Spragg to put before the Wind, which made us conjecture him
either dead or much damaged; Sir John
Kempthorn and his Division Tacked upon the Enemy who was very
eager upon the Prince either to take or burn her, but the Blew Squadron by this
time came so about her, that the Enemy found it too hot for them,
though they plyed her still hard. More particulars I have not
time to write, but that very unfortunately that day at two of the
clock St George was so
disabled too that Sir Edward
Spragg took Boat to go on board the Royal
Charles and had not rowed ten Boats lengths but a bullet came
through the St George and
broke his Boat; they made
back again as fast as they could, on board, but before they came
within throw of the Ropes, the Boat sunk, and Sir Edward
Spragg drowned being taken up dead, his head and shoulders above
water having taken so dead hold of the Boat, they could hardly
disengage him from it. Mr Littleton, Mr Smith an d
his Page were drowned with him; the St
George Boat being next took up his body, and his Lieutenant half
dead; for the preserving of his Ship the Royal
Prince, there continued still a brisk Fight, and about four in the
afternoon his Highness bore in, and the Dutch
which favoured getting off that Ship being towed by two or three
others; the Dutch were still.
Unwilling to leave hewr, and so the Fight continued till near eight at
night. We are preparing for another
Bout, God continue to give us still good success. Excuse this
imperfect Narrative, being writ in a hurry. F I N I S. If had
lost this battle, Holland, or The United Provinces as Holland was
called at the time, would have ceased to exist as an independant
Nation. This tiny country was by far the richest nation in the world
and the envy of the permanently needy and always greedy monarchies
England and France, who had decided to split it up between them. de Ruyter thwarted their plans for conquest by doing what the famous seahistorian A.T. Mahan had called: "Excelling in the Obvious", meaning doing things that any sailor could do, but doing it better, faster, and more accurately The French Admiral who commanded the French Fleet in 1676 in the Battle where de Ruyter died, once said in a report to Louis XIV: "The Ducht Fleet under de Ruyter, can enter a moonless night, in inpenetrable fog and with a raging gale, and come out of it the next day in a perfect Line Ahead.
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