Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez, Vol. I — Reading Companion

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In Category - Memoirs

Authors: Ross, John, Sir, 1777-1856 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2008 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Saumarez, James, 1757-1836; Admirals -- Great Britain -- Biography Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 113,995

Reading time 496 min

Text sections 15

This digital edition of Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez, Vol. I — Reading Companion is described by source-level measurements including 113,995 words, 8 hr 16 min estimated reading time, and 15 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 25.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Saumarez, James, 1757-1836,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #26031

Sir John Ross's 1838 memoir of Admiral Lord de Saumarez, based on family papers, traces his career from Guernsey origins through the Battle of the Nile and beyond, with extensive correspondence and journal entries that reveal his personal voice and naval command.

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Genealogy of the family of Saumarez.--Curious Record.--Branches of the late family.--Marriage of the late Lord de Saumarez. Page 7

Commencement of his Career.--His Education.--Visit of the Duke of Gloucester to Guernsey.--Decides for the Navy.--Is put on the Solebay's books.--School at London.--Embarks in the Montreal.--Winchelsea, Pembroke, Levant.--Smyrna.--Returns home.--Passes for Lieutenant.--Embarks in the Bristol.--Proposal to leave the Navy.--Attack on Fort Sullivan.--Gallant Conduct.--Is made Lieutenant.--Bristol, Chatham, Lady Parker.--Commands the Spitfire.--Rhode Island.--Many Engagements.--War with France.--Appearance of the French Fleet under D'Estaing.--Spitfire burnt.--Appearance of Lord Howe. Page 14

Serves ashore.--Returns to England in the Leviathan.--Providential escape from shipwreck.--Visits Guernsey.--Joins the Victory.--A journey to London.--Joins the Fortitude.--Battle off the Dogger Bank.--Anecdotes of Admiral Parker.--Lieut. Saumarez promoted to the rank of Master and Commander.--Appointed to the Tisiphone.--Sails for the West Indies with Admiral Kempenfelt.--Action with Comte de Guichen.--Captures a French ship of thirty-six guns.--Is despatched to Sir Samuel Hood.--Arrives at Barbadoes.--Escapes from two French men-of-war.--Passes through an intricate channel.--Joins Sir Samuel Hood.--Gallant conduct in cutting out a vessel.--Tisiphone ordered home.--Fortunate exchange with Captain Stanhope.--Takes command of the Russel. Page 41

Situation of the Hostile Fleets.--Surrender of Brimstone Hill.--Junction of the Fleets.--Antigua.--St. Lucia.--Sailing of the French Fleet under Comte de Grasse.--Action of the 9th of April.--12th of April.--Gallant conduct of the Russel.--Captain Saumarez returns to Jamaica.--Comes to England with Convoy.--Is paid off at Chatham, and confirmed a Post-captain. Page 65

Captain Saumarez returns to Guernsey.--His exemplary Conduct.--Visits Cherbourg.--Is introduced to the French King.--Returns.--Changes at Guernsey.--Prince William Henry visits the Island twice.--His Reception.--Appearance of Hostilities in 1787.--Captain Saumarez is appointed to the Ambuscade, and pays her off.--His Letter on his Marriage.--Remarks thereon.--Armament of 1790.--Saumarez commissions and pays off the Raisonable.--War of 1793.--Appointed to command the Crescent.--First Cruise; takes a prize and saves Alderney.--Second Cruise; captures a cutter.--Third Cruise.--Return.--Crescent docked and refitted. Page 84

Crescent refitted.--Sails for the Channel Islands.--Falls in with the French frigate La Reunion.--Particular account of the action.--Letters from Captain Saumarez to his brother.--Brings his prize to Portsmouth.--Official letters.--Letters from various persons.--Ship refitting.--Captain Saumarez obtains leave of absence.--Is knighted for his gallant conduct. Page 99

Sir James Saumarez is placed under the orders of Admiral McBride.--Is detached, and attacks an Enemy's squadron.--Narrow Escape from Shipwreck.--Off Havre.--Cherbourg.--Private letters relating the particulars of several Cruises on the French coast.--Gallant Action with a French squadron of superior force off Guernsey. Page 119

Sir James commands a Squadron of Frigates, in the Channel.--Visit to Weymouth.--Joins the Channel Fleet.--Black Rocks.--Private Letters and Instructions.--Appointed to the Orion.--Crescent's Officers and Crew volunteer to follow him.--Appointed to the Marlborough (_pro tempore_).--Commands a detached Squadron.--Returns to the Orion, attached to the Channel Fleet.--Private Letters.--Lord Bridport's Action.--Orion, the headmost Ship, begins the battle.--Official Letter.--Two private Accounts.--Returns to Portsmouth.--Expedition to Isle Dieu.--Returns to Spithead. Page 143

Orion taken into dock.--Is refitted, and joins the Channel Fleet.--Detached on a particular service.--Returns.--Proceeds to reinforce Sir John Jervis.--List of his fleet.--Battle with Spanish Fleet off Cape St. Vincent described in a private letter.--Conduct of Saumarez in the action.--Salvador del Mundo strikes to the Orion, and is taken possession of by her Lieutenant.--Engages the Santissima Trinidada.--She strikes to the Orion.--Remarks on that occasion.--Lagos Bay.--Lisbon.--Sir James sails on a cruise with Admiral Sir H. Nelson.--Returns.--Commands the advanced squadron.--Several private letters.--Commands the advanced squadron off Cadiz.--Mutiny in the fleet.--Anecdote and remarks thereon. Page 164

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The first volume of Sir John Ross's Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez opens not with a sweeping naval panorama but with a genealogy of the Saumarez family, including a “Curious Record” that grounds the admiral in Guernsey's local history. Ross, a captain in the Royal Navy himself, draws on original family papers to construct a narrative that alternates between third-person biography and first-person letters and journals. The early chapters detail Saumarez's education, his decision for the navy, and his first commands, with the text punctuated by official orders and personal reflections. Readers encounter a work that is part family chronicle, part official record, and part intimate correspondence—a hybrid form that demands attention to shifts in voice and source.

Genealogy and Early Career

The memoir begins with a genealogy chapter that may seem dry but establishes the Saumarez family's long presence in Guernsey. Ross then moves quickly to Saumarez's childhood: the visit of the Duke of Gloucester to the island, his schooling in London, and his first sea service aboard the Solebay. The excerpts show a pattern of careful documentation—dates, ship names, and locations are given precisely. Saumarez's early promotions are recorded alongside specific actions, such as the attack on Fort Sullivan, where his “gallant conduct” earned him a lieutenancy. The narrative voice is formal, but occasional details—like a “providential escape from shipwreck”—hint at the personal drama to come. Readers should note how Ross weaves official correspondence into the story, a technique that becomes more prominent later.

The Voice of the Journal

A striking shift occurs when Saumarez's own journal entries appear. After the Battle of the Nile, his entry of 18 August 1798 reveals a more intimate voice: “I soon had them sorted, and out of about twenty for myself I selected four from you, which were read with an avidity you will better conceive than I can describe.” The direct address to his wife (or close correspondent) and the description of reading letters “till daylight” bring the reader close to his emotional state. Ross does not gloss these passages; he lets them stand. The journal also records practical details—ships under command, prize vessels, and orders from Nelson—but the personal interludes are what distinguish this memoir from a mere naval chronicle. The contrast between the formal third-person narrative and Saumarez's own prose is one of the volume's most instructive features.

Orders and Command Structure

The excerpts include two orders from Nelson to Saumarez, dated 12 August 1798, directing him to take charge of prize ships and proceed down the Mediterranean. These documents are reproduced verbatim, with Nelson's signature and the formulaic language of command: “You are hereby required and directed.” Ross uses such orders not only as evidence but as structural elements, embedding them in the narrative to show the chain of command and Saumarez's responsibilities. The reader sees how naval communication worked—through written orders, despatches carried by captains like Berry, and the constant movement of ships. The inclusion of these official texts alongside personal letters creates a layered picture of Saumarez's world, where duty and personal life intersect. The memoir thus serves as a primary source for understanding late-eighteenth-century naval administration.

The Hazardous Voyage Home

After the Nile, Saumarez's journal describes a “tedious and hazardous voyage” home with prizes and a squadron. The entry captures the anticlimax after battle: the disappointment of missing letters, the “day after the fair” feeling when ships arrived too late. Ross titles this section with Saumarez's own phrase, “tedious and hazardous voyage,” and lets the journal carry the story. The reader follows the slow progress, the management of prizes, and the constant need for provisions. This section exemplifies how Ross uses the correspondence to show the less glamorous side of naval life—the waiting, the logistics, the separation from family. The journal's detail about sorting twenty letters and reading them “with an avidity” underscores the emotional cost of service. For a first reading, these passages reward close attention to tone and detail.

Readers approaching this volume should be prepared to navigate between Ross's biographical framing and Saumarez's own words. The correspondence and journals are the heart of the work, offering direct access to the admiral's thoughts and experiences. Pay attention to the dates and places: they anchor the narrative in a specific historical moment. The genealogy and early chapters provide context, but the later sections, especially the Nile aftermath, show the memoir's distinctive value as a personal record of naval command.

Admiral de Saumarez's journals speak of duty measured in decades, yet his quiet letters home carry the same tender uncertainty I find in the memoir of a life retraced—All the Days of My Life: An Autobiography The Red Leaves of a Human Heart — Edition Insights. Both are voices whispering across centuries, asking only to be remembered gently. I have shelved them side by side, and they seem to share a breath.

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Barbara Bowman - 1 month ago

This volume of Admiral Lord De Saumarez's memoirs is a treasure trove of naval history. The correspondence provides a vivid picture of the Napoleonic Wars through the eyes of a key figure. The editing and annotations are superb, making it accessible and engaging for both historians and general readers.

Peter Mcknight - 1 month ago

While the original material is undoubtedly important, this volume feels dated and lacks narrative flow. The correspondence is presented without enough context or connective tissue to make it compelling. Only for serious scholars who need primary source access, not for the general reader seeking an engaging biography.

Brandon Robert Williams - 1 month ago

A well-researched collection of letters and memoirs that offers a deep look into the life of Admiral De Saumarez. The historical detail is impressive, but the book can be dense and heavy with maritime jargon. Recommended for those with a strong interest in naval history rather than casual readers.