View Full Version : Camperdown The Dutch Fleet.
Dutch fleet.
Line of battle.
Ship
Rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rating_system_of_the_Royal_Navy)
Guns
Commander
Casualties
Notes
Killed
Wounded
Total
Gelijkheid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Gelijkheid) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
68
Commander H. A. Ruijsch
40 killed
Badly damaged and may have been dismasted. Captured at 15:10, later became HMS Gelykheid
Beschermer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Beschermer)
Fourth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_rate)
56
Captain Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooitze_Eelkes_Hinxt) † (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action)
Unknown
Lightly damaged
Hercules (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Hercules) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
64
Commander Ruijsoort
Unknown
Hull very badly damaged and set on fire, mizenmast collapsed. Captured and became HMS Delft.
Admiraal Tjerk Hiddes De Vries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Admiraal_Tjerk_Hiddes_De_Vries) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
68
Captain J. B. Zegers
Unknown
Badly damaged and ship may have been dismasted. Captured at 15:00, later became HMS Devries
Vrijheid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Vrijheid) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
74
Vice-Admiraal Jan de Winter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_de_Winter)
Commander L. W. van Rossum † (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action)
58
98
156
Hull very badly damaged and ship dismasted. Captured at 15:15, later became HMS Vryheid
Staaten Generaal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Staaten_Generaal)
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
74
Rear-Admiral Samuel Story (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Story)
20
40
60
Hull badly damaged, masts and rigging lightly damaged
Wassenaar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Wassenaar) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
64
Commander A. Holland † (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action)
Unknown
Damaged. First captured at 14:00, subsequently rejoined the combat and was captured again. Later became HMS Wassenaer
Batavier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Batavier)
Fourth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_rate)
56
Commander Souter
Unknown
Lightly damaged
Brutus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Willem_de_Eerste)
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
74
Rear-Admiral Johan Bloys van Treslong (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Bloys_van_Treslong)
Commodore Polders
10
50
60
Lightly damaged
Leijden (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Leijden&action=edit&redlink=1)
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
68
Commander J. D. Musquetier
Unknown
Lightly damaged
Mars (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Mars&action=edit&redlink=1)
Fifth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_rate) razee (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razee)
44
Commander D. H. Kolff
1
14
15
Mizenmast collapsed
Cerberus (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Cerberus&action=edit&redlink=1)
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
68
Commander Jacobsen
5
9
14
Lightly damaged
Jupiter (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Jupiter&action=edit&redlink=1) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
72
Rear-Admiral Hermanus Reijntjes https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Dagger-14-plain.png
61 killed[18] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_battle_at_the_Battle_of_Camperdown#cite_note-WLC330-18)
Hull and rigging severely damaged, main and mizenmasts collapsed. Captured at 13:45, later became HMS Camperdown
Haarlem (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Haarlem&action=edit&redlink=1) *
Third rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rate)
68
Captain O. Wiggerts
Heavy casualties
Hull severely damaged and mizenmast collapsed. Captured at 13:15, later became HMS Haerlem
Alkmaar (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Alkmaar&action=edit&redlink=1) *
Fourth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_rate)
56
Captain J. W. Krafft
26
62
82
Hull severely damaged and ship dismasted in the immediate aftermath of the battle. Captured at 14:30, later became HMS Alkmaar.
Delft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Delft_(1783)) *
Fourth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_rate)
56
Captain Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_Verdooren_van_Asperen)
43
76
119
Hull severely damaged. Captured at 14:15. Sank during journey to Britain with the loss of an additional 34 lives.
Frigate line
Atalante (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Atalante&action=edit&redlink=1)
Brig (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brig)
18
Commander B. Pletsz
Unknown
Heldin (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Heldin&action=edit&redlink=1)
Fifth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_rate)
32
Commander Johan Ferdinand Dumesnil de l'Estrille
Unknown
Galathée (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Galath%C3%A9e&action=edit&redlink=1)
Brig (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brig)
18
Commander Riverij
Unknown
Minerva (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Minerva&action=edit&redlink=1)
Sixth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_rate)
24
Commander Eijlbracht
Unknown
Ajax (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Ajax&action=edit&redlink=1)
Brig (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brig)
18
Lieutenant Arkenbout
Unknown
Waakzaamheid (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Waakzaamheid&action=edit&redlink=1)
Sixth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_rate)
24
Commander Meindert van Nierop
Unknown
Ambuscade (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Ambuscade&action=edit&redlink=1) *
Fifth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_rate)
36
Commander J. Huijs
Unknown
Captured but later driven ashore on the Dutch coast and retaken by Dutch forces
Daphné (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Daphn%C3%A9&action=edit&redlink=1)
Brig (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brig)
18
Lieutenant Frederiks
Unknown
Badly damaged
Monnikkendam (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Monnikkendam&action=edit&redlink=1) *
Fifth rate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_rate)
44
Commander Thomas Lancester
50 killed
Badly damaged. Captured at 14:00 but subsequently wrecked on the Dutch coast
Haasje (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dutch_ship_Haasje&action=edit&redlink=1)
Advice boat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviso)
6
Lieutenant Hartingveld
Unknown
Total casualties: 540 killed, 620 wounded.
29143
Captain Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooitze_Eelkes_Hinxt) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killed_in_action)
Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt was born in a Roman-Catholic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman-Catholic) family. His father was a merchant captain, who sailed in Europe, often to the Baltic countries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_countries). Dooitze Hinxt probably learned navigation skills aboard the ship of his father. In the years 1764–1780 Hinxt sailed on his own koff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koff_%28ship_type%29), the Aemelia Dorothea.
In the service of the Frisian Admiralty.
In 1782, Hinxt joined the Frisian Admiralty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frisian_Admiralty). He became Lieutenant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant) and was given command of the cutter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutter_%28boat%29) Snelheid. This was a small ship, with copper sheathing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_sheathing), 12 guns and a crew of 60 men. The Snelheid was indeed a fast ship, and Hinxt often organized matches for speed with other ships.
In the years 1783–1785, Hinxt sailed for the Dutch colony of Essequibo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essequibo_%28colony%29) in Latin-America. In the years 1787–1789, he sailed to the Mediterranean Sea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea), where he visited the Aegean Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegean_Islands), among other places. On 23 December 1789, Hinxt was promoted to Captain. In the years 1792–1794, he visited Essequibo and the Mediterranean a second time. In September 1794, Hinxt joined a fleet near Flushing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlissingen) to await the French forces from the South. Hinxt was known to be a good navigator, but he wasn't a good military man. Yet in 1794, he collided with the ship of war Walcheren (capt. Marinus J. Haringman). The side of the Snelheid became badly damaged. Captain Haringman (and other officers with him) acted arrogantly towards Hinxt and his small cutter and refused to pay the repair costs. In the end, the issue was solved when Admiral Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hendrik_van_Kinsbergen) got involved. Meanwhile, Hinxt was ready for a new ship. In a letter he complained because he was wet all the time, with wet clothes in a wet cabin, and the decks were never dry.
Marriages.
Hinxt married Anna Gerrits from the city of Leeuwarden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeuwarden) n 1763. After her death he married Elisabeth Annes de Haan in 1769. She also died young, due to complications of childbirth. Hinxt married again in 1790, with Catharina Joris de Haan (Elisabeth's sister?), who was also born in Leeuwarden. The couple moved to the city of Harlingen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlingen,_Friesland).[6] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooitze_Eelkes_Hinxt#cite_note-kleinekerkstraat-6) Hinxt had three children, but in 1797 only his daughter Anna Maria survived.
In the service of the Batavian Navy.
When hostilities broke out between the Dutch Patriots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Patriots) party and the Orangist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangism_%28Netherlands%29) party in 1787, Hinxt had not openly supported a cause. Old letters reveal that he did have contacts with the Patriot party. So when the patriots seized power in 1795, it was clear to Hinxt that he would join the Batavian Navy.
In 1796 Hinxt was given command of the ship Beschermer. This was a ship of war with 56 guns, and a crew of 350 men. The ship became part of a fleet under Admiral Jan Willem de Winter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Willem_de_Winter), which was made ready for an invasion of Ireland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1798). The fleet was meant to sail for Brest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brest,_France) first, to combine with a French fleet. But a British blockade prevented the Dutch fleet from leaving port. In the summer of 1797, the Batavian fleet was stationed near Texel. At this time, Hinxt, his wife, and his daughter Anna Maria (born in 1778) were all aboard the Beschermer.
The Battle of Camperdown.
On 8 October 1797 Admiral De Winter decided to go on a small cruise to give his crew some experience. The British flee under Admiral Adam Duncan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Duncan,_1st_Viscount_Duncan) was quickly informed of this, and on 11 October 1797 the two fleets engaged each other near the village of Camperdown.
The Beschermer sailed in the tip of the line and was attacked by HMS Belliqueux (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Belliqueux_%281780%29). Hinxt was wounded early in the battle. His left arm and a finger on his right hand were shot off, and he received another wound on his left thigh. Hinxt was quickly taken to his cabin for medical care. He allegedly spoke to his Lieutenant Jacob Oelsen, asking: "Will we have to surrender?", Oelsen answered: "No captain! We won't surrender, we will give all we can." Hinxt replied: "Then continue, and do your duty!" Minutes later, the Beschermer was attacked by HMS Lancaster (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Lancaster_%281797%29). The Beschermer's officers left the battle, considering their situation hopeless. The Battle of Camperdown was a crushing defeat of the Batavian Navy.
Dooitze Eelkes Hinxt died of his wounds on 20 October 1797. He was buried in Huisduinen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huisduinen).
Rob.
29144
Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_de_Winter).
De Winter was born at Kampen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampen_%28Overijssel%29), and entered naval service as a young boy. He distinguished himself by his zeal and courage, and at the revolution of 1787 he had reached the rank of lieutenant. The overthrow of the patriot party (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriottentijd) forced him to fly for his safety to France (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France). Here he threw himself heart and soul into the cause of the French Revolution (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution), and took part under Dumouriez (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fran%C3%A7ois_Dumouriez) and Pichegru (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Pichegru) in the campaigns of 1792 and 1793, and was soon promoted to the rank of brigadier-general (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigadier_general_%28France%29).
When Pichegru in 1795 overran the Dutch Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic), De Winter returned with the French army to his native country. The states-general now utilized the experience he had gained as a naval officer by giving him the post of adjunct-general for the reorganization of the Dutch navy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_navy). In 1796 he was appointed vice-admiral (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice-admiral) and commander-in-chief of the fleet. He spared no efforts to strengthen it and improve its condition, and on 11 October 1797 he ventured upon an encounter off Camperdown (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camperdown) with the British fleet under Admiral Duncan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Duncan,_1st_Viscount_Duncan_of_Camperdown). After an obstinate struggle the Dutch were defeated, and De Winter himself was taken prisoner. He remained in England until December, when he was liberated by exchange. His conduct in the battle of Camperdown (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camperdown) was declared by a court-martial to have nobly maintained the honour of the Dutch flag.
From 1798 to 1802 De Winter filled the post of ambassador to the French republic, and was then once more appointed commander of the fleet. He was sent with a strong squadron to the Mediterranean to repress the Tripoli (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripoli) pirates, and negotiated a treaty of peace with the Tripolitan government.
He enjoyed the confidence of Louis Bonaparte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Bonaparte), then king of Holland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Holland), and, after the incorporation of the Netherlands in the French empire, in an equal degree of the emperor Napoleon. By the former he was created marshal and count of Huessen (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Count_of_Huessen&action=edit&redlink=1), and given the command of the armed forces both by sea and land. Napoleon gave him the grand cross of the Legion of Honour (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Honour) and appointed him inspector general of the northern coasts, and in 1811 he placed him at the head of the fleet he had collected at the Texel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texel).
Soon afterwards De Winter was taken ill and compelled to go to Paris (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris), where he died on 2 June 1812. He had a splendid public funeral and was buried in the Panthéon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on,_Paris). His heart was enclosed in an urn and placed in the Bovenkerk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovenkerk,_Kampen) church at Kampen.
Rob.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampen,_Overijssel)
29146
Rear-Admiral Samuel Story (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Story).
Story was born in Maasbommel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasbommel). He entered the navy of the Dutch Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic) (Admiralty of the Maze (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty_of_Rotterdam)) in 1770. On 5 July 1774 he became a lieutenant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant) on the 20-gun Orangezaal. His first command (in 1781) was the 36-gun frigate Jason. In 1793, he was appointed captain of the 40-gun frigate Pollux at Hellevoetsluis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellevoetsluis).
Revolution of 1795.
In the severe winter of 1794/95 the ships of the Dutch navy at the roadstead of Hellevoetsluis became frozen in the ice on the River Maas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Maas). Story's commanding officer Rear-Admiral (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear-Admiral) Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Melvill_van_Carnbee_%281743-1810%29) then appointed him commander of the naval base and squadron. The armies of the French Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republic) had invaded the Netherlands in the course of the War of the First Coalition (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Coalition). They made easy progress in early 1795 and the commander-in-chief of the Dutch navy, lieutenant-admiral (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant-admiral) Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hendrik_van_Kinsbergen) ordered Story to offer no resistance.
On 3 January 1795, he released and armed 600 French prisoners of war, who had been incarcerated on his base. In that way he secured the base for the Batavian Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavian_Republic) that was proclaimed shortly afterward.
The new government of that Republic appointed Story in February, 1795, to a commission that was charged with making an inventory of the ships of the fleet, and other naval installations, in connection with accusations of neglect by the previous regime. The commission presented its report on 27 May 1795, and concluded that the state of the navy was deplorable. This was the basis for an ambitious programme of naval construction in 1796.
Battle of Camperdown.
The new fleet was first put to the test in the Battle of Camperdown (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camperdown) of 1797. During this battle, Story commanded the Batavian frigate division as rear-admiral aboard the 74-gun ship-of-the-line Staten-Generaal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Staaten_Generaal). This ship caught fire, and while this was extinguished, it drifted to leeward (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeward), which made it impossible to rejoin the battle. This may have contributed to the loss of the battle by Vice-Admiral Jan Willem de Winter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Willem_de_Winter). In any case, the battle is remarkable because of the new tactics employed by Admiral Adam Duncan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Duncan,_1st_Viscount_Duncan), which amounted to breaching the Dutch line, instead of sailing parallel to it (as were the usual tactics up to then). The point where the line was breached was just before Story's ship.
However, Story distinguished himself in the sequel of the battle by rallying the Batavian frigate division and leading them safely into port.
Vlieter Incident.
In 1798, the Batavian Republic was asked by its French ally to take part in the expedition to assist the Irish Rebellion of 1798 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1798). A Batavian squadron was formed near Texel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texel) under the command of Story. When the Dutch part of the expedition to Ireland was cancelled, this squadron was next re-targeted to the East Indies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Indies) at the request of the Committee of East Indian Commerce of the Batavian government. It was to escort an expeditionary force of 5,000 soldiers under the command of General Herman Willem Daendels (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Willem_Daendels) who was to be in overall command. Story now attained the temporary rank of vice-admiral. However, strong rumours of a planned Anglo-Russian attack on the Republic in summer 1799 led to the cancellation of this expedition.
When the Anglo-Russian expedition (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Russian_invasion_of_Holland) materialized in August 1799, Story still commanded the squadron at Texel, again as a rear-admiral. The machinations of a number of officers in his command with Orangist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangism_%28Netherlands%29) leanings led to the debacle of the Vlieter Incident (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlieter_Incident) in which Story felt constrained to surrender without a fight to the Royal Navy squadron under Admiral Andrew Mitchell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Mitchell_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29) because of a mutiny aboard the Batavian squadron.
Conviction and banishment.
After this surrender, Story was made a prisoner of war in England till the Peace of Amiens (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Amiens). After his release, he did not feel welcome in England as a loyal Patriot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriottentijd), unlike his Orangist colleagues, who were in a similar predicament. The Batavian government had meanwhile tried him in absentia. He dared not return to the Republic because of this, instead trying to conduct his defence from abroad. He moved to Bremen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen) in October 1802.
The Hoge Militaire Vierschaar (High Military Court) convicted him on 16 January 1804 of dereliction of duty, cowardice, and disloyalty. He was declared to be "perjurious, without honor, and infamous," cashiered from the navy, and sentenced to banishment for life, on penalty of beheading. After this harsh sentence, he spent the rest of his life trying to be rehabilitated. In 1805, he published a defence in the form of a book that was part auto-biography. He did not succeed, mainly because he died before the restoration of the leader of the Orangist faction, William I of the Netherlands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_the_Netherlands) to power. Other "mutineers", like Theodorus Frederik van Capellen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodorus_Frederik_van_Capellen) were rehabilitated by the new king, but this was not extended to Story because he could not ask for rehabilitation.
Story died "of the impact of dropsy" in exile in Cleves (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleve) on 8 January 1811.
Rob.
29148
Admiral Johan Arnold Bloys van Treslong.
8 November 1757 to 26 January 1824) was a Dutch (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands) naval officer and Patriot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriottentijd). He started his naval career in 1772 as midshipman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midshipman) with the Admiralty of the Maze (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty_of_the_Maze). He served the Dutch Republic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Republic) on the North Sea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea), in the West Indies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indies) and in the battle with islamic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic) pirates in the Mediterranean (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean).
In 1781, he fought in the naval battle of Cape St. Mary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_30_May_1781) under the command of Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Melvill_van_Carnbee_%281743-1810%29), and from 1782 till 1787 he was commander of several ships in the Mediterranean. He was laid off in 1787 because of his support for the Patriots' faction. This ill-favouredness lasted until 1793. After the ringing defeat during the Battle of Camperdown (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camperdown) in 1797 he was made a scapegoat, but his reputation was later restored.
The Battle of Camperdown (Kamperduin)
Flying his flag aboard the 74-gun ship of the line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_the_line) Brutus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Brutus), Treslong escorted the squadron of commander-in-chief of the Batavian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavian_republic) fleet, Vice admiral (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_admiral) Jan Willem de Winter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Willem_de_Winter) (1761–1812), as Schout-bij-nacht (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schout-bij-nacht) of the "White flag" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flag#Ancien_R.C3.A9gime_in_France), on 7 October 1797. The committee of the Navy and the committee of Foreign Affairs had ordered the fleet to break the British blockade of the Dutch coast. At Camperdown, the Dutch fleet engaged a much stronger British fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Duncan,_1st_Viscount_Duncan).
Duncan acted in a manner that was imitated later by Nelson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Nelson) at Trafalgar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trafalgar); he thinned out the poorly coordinated and badly sailing Batavian fleet. The British ships set a perpendicular course towards the Batavian ships and shot them to pieces. The flagship (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagship) Vrijheid (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Vrijheid) (Freedom) was included (boxed in) by four British ships, and one after the other the Batavian ships were devastated by the excellently navigating and firing enemy.
Bloys van Treslong could not reach the flagship because it was located against the wind, and because he was impeded by a burning and rudderless Dutch ship, the 74-gun Hercules (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ship_Hercules). A cannonball shattered the rear admiral’s right arm, which had to be amputated.
The British fleet gained a sounding victory; ten Batavian ships were captured (among which were nine ships of the line), and there were almost 1400 Dutch casualties. On the English side, not one ship was lost, but more than 1000 casualties were counted. For the first time in history, a Dutch Admiral had lost his flagship. Admiral De Winter and his crew were taken prisoner and were brought to Great Yarmouth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Yarmouth). The rear-guard under Bloys van Treslong, by then reduced to three heavily damaged ships, managed to sail to Hellevoetsluis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellevoetsluis).
Consequences of the Battle of Camperdown.
The Batavian Republic had been deeply shocked by the defeat. In the eyes of the parliament (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament), the press nor the public opinion was the government (the Staatsbewind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatsbewind)) was not to blame -- although responsible for sending a fleet that was too weak -- and Admiral de Winter was considered a hero. That Bloys van Treslong was an aristocrat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy_%28class%29) did not improve his popularity in this revolutionary period, and thus all the blame fell on the Rear Admiral. Supposedly, he had navigated poorly and had given the English the opportunity to cut through the Dutch line as a scythe; he was also accused of not having assisted the surrounded De Vrijheid. He had to appear before the naval high tribunal.
The court-martial cleared Admiral de Winter of all responsibility for what had happened, although other officers got a disciplinary sentence. In the eyes of the military judges Johan Arnold Bloys van Treslong was solely to blame for the defeat at Camperdown. In spite of a competent defence and convincing arguments to the contrary, he was declared guilty and sentenced to up to five years' suspension and payment of a part of the process costs. It took more than ten years for Bloys van Treslong to be rehabilitated under the reign of king Louis Bonaparte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Bonaparte).
Rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation took place on 18 October 1808 in the form of an appointment as (titular) Vice Admiral (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Admiral). On that very day he was honourably dismissed and pensioned at the age of 61. He was also dubbed knight in the "Order of the Union (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Union)", an honour which he shared with his relatives Cornelis Ysaac (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornelis_Ysaac_Bloys_van_Treslong&action=edit&redlink=1), Jacob Arnout (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob_Arnout_Bloys_van_Treslong&action=edit&redlink=1) and Willem Otto (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willem_Otto_Bloys_van_Treslong&action=edit&redlink=1).
Rob.
29156
Commander Dirk Hendrik Kolff (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid) .
August 30, 1799, the navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Samuel Story – eight ships of the line, amongst which Story’s flag-ship, the ‘Washington’, three frigates and one brig – surrendered to the British navy in the road stead known as De Vlieter, northeast of the island of Wieringen. The Batavian flag was lowered. Under British command the ships sailed for England.
Camperdown.
Commander of one the line ships, the ‘Utrecht’, was lieutenant-commander Dirk Hendrik Kolff (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid) (1761-1835). Just like the other officers he didn't have much of a choice. The crew as well as NCO's who were siding with Prince Willem V, in exile in England, excited about the sight of all of the Orange flags they could see ashore because of a successful raid by the English at Kamperduin. The Batavian Republic seemed to be losing out. Kolff had to admit - at the last court-martial on board of the 'Washington' - that, under these circumstances, also from the 'Utrecht' "no firing was to be expected"
Court-martial.
It had been the naval officer within him, the professional, who spoke as a member of the court-martial. No political choice was made here following his point of view. On the one hand there was, as he'd write in his biography “mijn oude bekende verkleeftheyd aan het Huijs van Nassauw” (my close attachment to the House of Nassau). On the other hand there was a resentment towards the English, that had taken away all of our colonies, against whom he had fought. Who, after their surrender, promised to reimburse the officers for the loss of all provisions, which were personal property, but who never fulfilled this promise. "This promise was never realized: the English government never confirmed the evidence of their admiral and behaved to me, as so often before, never straight forward." In any case, he had done what his duty obliged him to do. His point of view may characterize him as politically naive. For the Batavian government at The Hague it had been up to Kolff to choose between loyalty or treason to the newly 1795 erected national state. This, now, was the public morale.
Taken to their country by the British, he remained there not for long. He spoke about "onsen brave Stadhouder Willem de Vijfde" (our brave Stadtholder William V) and left soonest possible for the fatherland and to his family in Amersfoort.
Imprisonment.
After having arrived there he was soon ordered by the 'Agent of the Navy' to notify them of his place of residence. He understood, of course, that this may have had something to do with the incident of the surrender of the squadron at the Vlieter. However, "convinced myself that in this situation there had been no other way of dealing", he gave his address, even though this was generally known already. At the moment of his arrest he experienced difficulty to convince the Agent of the Navy that he was not a criminal but had to be treated as an officer following his right to that status. A coach was sent, with a certain lieutenant named Geweldiger, which was to take him to The Hague. There he was imprisoned in the so called 'Hartogshuis', the former palace of the duke of Brunswijk-Wolfenbüttel, later Ministry of Justice, in a street called Poten (Lange Poten). Eight months he had to spend there, a period which was an ordeal for him, and not only for him.
Apart from what he, decades later, wrote about this himself, there is the more extensive narration dating 1898 from one of his grandsons, whose main source was his mother, Kolffs eldest daughter Hanna (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid). In the fate of her father, accused of high treason, she became to be a leading figure. In many points the stories of father and daughter are coincidental. Differences in tone, detail, and emotion, are notable. They give extra depth to the story, also give more dimension to the story as we think we know it now. The difference between the story of the father, presented short and masculine, and the account of the daughter, showing a high degree of feminine perception is the lead of my article, even though I understand that not all can be explained this way.
Contrary to the masculine memories there are those of the grandson, more feminine memories depicting the despair of Kolffs spouse Margrieta (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid). She travelled, being pregnant for four months, from Amersfoort to The Hague with Hanna. At The Hague she asks the authorities for permission to visit her husband. The sturdy Jacobin she talks to replies "nobody is allowed to visit prisoners of war" and, when she persists: "Madame, vous l'avez entendu." Kolff didn't know about this, also never wrote in his papers about his wife travelling in vain to The Hague. Locked up on the third floor of the Hartogshuis he remembers his room quite well. The lower windows were shielded of with wooden boards, the top ones were barred. However it was a spacious room, well equipped with good furniture. Two attendants served him. He was allowed to ask them for anything except for paper, ink, and books. Later the public prosecutor also allowed him this privilege. One of the attendants, who seemed to be reliable, told the prosecutor about Kolff's attempts to befriend him, and was awarded with a silver tobacco box. Kolff writes about this in a businesslike manner. Casually he writes about the three times he was interrogated, where he persisted in his previous report. The sounds of the bolts, which were used every day to lock him in, however, he found "rather unpleasant."
Death Sentence.
His death sentence was inevitable. Another shock brought him out of balance. On March 1, 1800, his wife Margrieta died, at Amersfoort, two weeks after the birth of a son (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiiib) - named Dirk Hendrik after his father. It was Scholten, his solicitor, who brought him this bad news. "I fell ill immediately", he would recall later. Fortunately there was the possibility of blood-letting him, and he gratefully recalls the name of the man who helped him with this. The recollections by mouth of Hanna, as we think, is heavier. All sharp items had to be taken from the widower and "furiously he now demanded to see a member of his family." This was allowed and so, eight days after the funeral of her mother, Hanna travelled to The Hague together with Martinus Kuytenbrouwer (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiib), who was married to her seven years older cousin Johanna Kolff (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiib). She was allowed to stay with this young couple at The Hague. Every evening from eight to ten she visited her father in the Hartogshuis. To him this was, according to his journal, "better than any possible medicine." To which he immediately added "and by this I got connections outside of my room." In other words: maybe now there an escape could be planned. The risk factor was very high, especially because Kuytenbrouwer was an officer in the artillery in Batavian service, who was not supposed to have any clue.
The Escape Plan.
Hanna could always visit without being searched first, as was the case with all other visitors. Her father doesn't mention anything about this. The feminine version accounts of Hanna bringing him a good file: he used it to file through one of the bars with which he was almost finished when one of the maids betrayed him. There were more friends from the outside. One of them was Scholten, the solicitor, who does not appear in Kolff's account on his escape, but in that of Hanna he is the organizer of his second escape plan. In Kolff's view his heroes are Hanna, and perhaps even more so, one of his two attendants: 'a retired horse man': Stepan Breijer is his name in the father's memory, Lucas Bruiers in that of the daughter. If the escape would succeed he would get a guilder a day, for his life time - half of this amount for his wife in case widowed, adds the account of Hanna. The account of the father is sober, but also has gaps. He doesn't tell that Breijer, who had been a tailor in his civil life, started to cut civilian clothing for his officer. The father also doesn't mention that Hanna, following Scholten's instructions, over a couple of days, smuggled in all of the material and smuggled out most of the important papers of her father, all under her own dress. None of the family members, where she stayed at The Hague, noticed any of this. Nor does he mention how Breijer, in the end, managed to create a well fitted black suit from all of the material.
Both accounts agree that tension rose, during these days in May, 1800. Kolff writes that Breijer told him about the death penalty of "the unfortunate and not-guilty 'Capitijn' Lieutenant Connio", who had also been involved in the surrender of the escadre at the Vlieter and who had been imprisoned in a room above that of Kolff. He could hear how Connio was taken from his room to be shot to death. In Hanna's account the appalling end of Connio got even worse: the officer would have preferred suicide over death on the scaffolding and after uttering "Fare well, Kolff", cut his own throat with a razor knife. "His still warm blood dripped down through the wooden panels of the ceiling of Kolff's room."
As a soldier he remembered that, thanks to Breijer's help, he got two good pistols with powder and lead as well as a poniard. That it had been Hanna who brought them these we have to learn from her. It was now two days before his execution. According to his daughter he pretended to be very ill and the mislead doctors prescribed several drugs, which Hanna got rid of silently. She was allowed to visit him more frequently, because these were to be his final days. The guards, who often got wine and food from their prisoner, may have lost count on who were in the room, because of the coming and going of people.
The Escape.
In the city the Fair was at its height. In The Hague in May, when the Fair was on, no one stayed at home at night and it was rather chaotic in the streets. Even one of the guards seemed to have left for the Fair. Ten o'clock seemed to be the best time for an escape. We note that how it was Scholten, in the daughters' account, who prepared the escape from The Hague: a fourgon, a small carriage mainly for baggage, would be waiting near or at the Kalvermarkt. 'Extra posting' arrangements had been prepared all the way right up to the German border, with at every station a ducat as tip for the fastest possible help in changing the horses. Damage to the carriage, or an injured horse, would be paid for instantly. The presumption was that "a noble man wanted to abduct his female", not something an outsider wanted to get involved in. According to Kolff it had been himself who directed the entire operation. He urged Breijer to obey him without question and to not be 'confused', to which Breyer agreed. Kolff shivered when he noticed the obvious frightful feelings of this man. Hanna would, as usual say "Good night, papa, see you tomorrow" after which Breijer would take her to her cousins the couple Kuytenbrouwer. Breyer would close the door and shift the bolds, but not lock them. As usually he would then hand the keys to lieutenant Geweldiger in his room between that of Kolff and the staircase. This is how it went when we follow Kolff's account. After Breijers departure he waited a while, and then went 'very calm', cane in his hand, silently passing the room of the lieutenant, who was seated reading, found the staircase and managed to open the front door, with some difficulty. On the inner court, outside, he walked right through the horse guards at the gate, but got held by a sergeant major, a German, who asked him about his identity. Kolff says: "My friend, don't you recognize the doctor of the house?" upon which the man bowed. On the Poten he mingled in the crowd of the Fair and thus got to the Kalvermarkt. He found the fourgon, but not Breijer, whose life was in danger now as well, and who was supposed to accompany him. After 15 minutes Breijer showed up and they left for the direction of Woerden (direction Utrecht).Using the outer city canals of Utrecht, not going through but around Arnhem, towards Huissen. Huissen was Cleve territory, which was then a part of Prussia. From there he wrote to the Agent of the Navy and asked for a fair trial. After a couple of days his request appeared to be in vain. He then travelled on to Oldenburg, where he had an acquaintance. He settled himself there. Half a year later Hanna came to live with him.
The Alternative version.
Is this really how it went? The daughter has a different account. It had not been Breyer who'd brought her home. When her father had dressed up in the black suit, put on a whig, and placed a hat on his head deep down up to his eyes, he had left the room and she stayed behind alone in that room. These were her, as she declared, "the most frightful and painful moments in her already so turbulent life, for in every sound she heard she thought to hear her father being brought back." After half an hour she called a servant and said she wanted to go home.
She had arranged her father's nightcap carefully on the bed and hung father's clothes on the side. While leaving the room she wished her father good recuperation and a good night, in a way that the guards could hear her. With trembling voice she told the lieutenant that her father was resting now, upon which the lieutenant ordered his own attendant to take Hanna home. Once there, she couldn't say anything about the escape, she fainted, and only came around after repeated blood-lettings. The next morning Scholten visited her at the Kuytenbrouwers and gave her instructions. A carriage came to pick her up to take her for questioning. We have detailed information on her replies to the Council of War who questioned her. She never mentioned Scholten, which could have been fatal for him. She even interrupted in French when the gentlemen, behind the large table - covered with green linen, were deliberating. In the end the chairman's heart seemed to have melted, he took her on his lap, kissed her and gave her jams.
Exile and return.
This how father and daughter each of them wrote what they could remember when they thought back of these occurrences whenever the family asked them about it. These have been their personal recollections of what had touched them most in those exiting days.
Breijer remained at Oldenburg as well and got his annual allowance of 365 guilders until his death in 1805.
In 1814 Kolff's death sentence was cancelled. He returned to his fatherland with his second wife (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid). Hanna got married in Oldenburg, became a widow, married again. She died in 1829, six years before her father. All of her life the portrait that he got painted of himself, and which he presented her as a sign of gratitude, must have hung in her house. It was returned to him after her death. That painting and their accounts, is all we have of them. Surely we will find more in archives on Dirk Hendrik Kolff (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid) and maybe even also of his daughter Hanna (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid). We are working on this. The question remains whether we will get to know them better than from their memories of springtime 1800 in The Hague, especially because they are so different, even contradictory.
Footnote:- with the exception of a few spelling corrections this is the story translated from the Dutch Family account of commander Dirk Hendrik Kolff (http://www.kolff.nl/kolffen/gb.htm#xiid)'s adventures after Camperdown.
I thought it well worth including here as an example of the effects of battle on some of the losers.
In the main I left in the Dutch idioms as I felt it added to the ambience of the account.
Rob.
29157
Captain Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen
Born at Bergen op Zoom on 6th or 7th of February 1757. van Aspern distinguished himself as a commander of the Ship of War "Delft".
The 38 year old Orangist naval officer joined the Batavian and Dutch service in 1795, and soon regained Captains rank.
During the Battle of Camperdown, although implored by Verdooren to fight on, because the ship was assailed by a force majeure, and at the urging of his crew he stopped fighting as his ship was shot into a complete wreck. After the he had thrown his papers weighted with a cannonball overboard he lowered his flag. Moments later, he was transferred with a large part of his crew to the English ship Monmouth. He was allowed back to his ship Delft to get some personal belongings and change his uniform. During that visit to Delft, the water had risen more than 10 feet in the hold, trapping many of the crew. Having helped the wounded as much as possible, during the imprisonment that followed, he represented the interests of the Dutch prisoner of war from his ship.
He was appointed by order of Louis Napoleon on January 1,1810 Commander of the Order of the Union. Verdooren was appointed by Napoleon I to "Contre-admiral" of the French fleet, "Chef-military" of the maritime district of Amsterdam on December 12, 1810. On November 23, 1813 he left the French Navy to retire.
In the Kingdom of the Netherlands he was appointed on July 1, 1814 Vice Admiral and he was later by King William I in his Royal Decree No.16 of July 8, 1815 made Commander of the Military Order of William. The decision was made because of his previous noble actions whilst in command of the "Delft" during the Battle of Camperdown.
The name change from "Verdooren" to "Verdooren van Asperen 'is due to his claim to the title Asperen after the death of Phillip Marie Rijksgraaf van den Boetzelaer in 1811. This nobleman was the brother of the father of Verdoorens third wife Elisabeth Henriëtte. William I confirmed the name change in the Royal Decree No.1 of 28 June 1815. However, with the announcement that it would not be an heritary title as Elisabeth Henriëtte van den Boetzelaer was already deceased in 1813 at the age of 36.
He died at Oost-Souburg on October 30, 1824.
Rob.
No further information on the other Captains nor any of the Frigate Captains is at the moment available.
Rob.
Thanks very much for your information Niek.
Rob.
Note on Admiral Johan Arnold Bloys van Treslong
The following is based on S.J. de Groot: Schout-bij-Nacht J.A. Bloys van Treslong (1757-1824). Terecht een zondebok of niet? [NvD: Rear-Adm. ... Rightly a scapegoat or not?], in Tijdschrift voor Zeegeschiedenis 13-2, Sept. 1994, pp. 131-147.
The situation can best be followed by using Plate I from an annexe published by J.W. de Winter (yes, the Dutch CinC) in his translation of Clerk's Essay on Naval Tactics: Krijgskunde ter Zee, Amsterdam 1806.
29557
Fig 1 shows the situation at 9 AM, A Batavian fleet, C Wijk aan Zee, D Delft (detached), O observing British ships, V British main body, W wind WNW.
This picture shows the order of sailing at the moment the British fleet is sighted. Vrijheid leads the center division, with the other 74, Staaten Generaal, (not marked) at nr. 4 position. The van division (which would become the rear) is one ship short, the Delft is coming up from a reconnaisance mission. Bloys rear division is to windward.
Fig 2 shows the situation at 12 Noon, A Vrijheid (De Winter), B Staaten Generaal (Story), C Brutus (Bloys), E Jupiter (Reijntjes), I Dutch frigates, W wind NW, others as above
The Dutch fleet is forming line. Two gaps appear: one in front of Jupiter, the rightful place of Delft, the other after the second position from the head of the line, the rightful place of Brutus. Delft is coming up fast, Brutus is still to windward. Staaten Generaal (supposed to be 9th in the line) is moving forward to fill a gap forming to the rear of Vrijheid. The Vrijheid herself had lost a spar, and hence had trouble taking her correct place.
Fig 3 shows the situation at 12:30 PM, M Monnikendam (large frigate), O Monarch (Onslow), V Venerable (Duncan), S British frigates, T Agincourt, W wind NW.
Instead of taking his place in the center of his own squadron, Bloys decided to reinforce the center, weakened by both Vrijheid and Staaten Generaal moving forward (they should have been 3rd and 4th in the center division). This left no gap for the Delft, which ship fell in to the rear of the line. Staaten Generaal is already falling out of the line.
This is the first part of the accusation: Bloys failed to obey orders. The problem was that De Winter had issued two sets of orders, one on July 6, the other on July 17. De Winter claimed that the July 17 orders were only for engagements immediately after leaving port. Bloys followed the order issued last, which was further confused by the brief mistaken observation on Bloys flagship of another signal, 635, instead of the signal 655 hoisted by De Winter. This signal was also for forming line of battle, and even more permissive.
For the second part of the accusation, see plate II from De Winter's annexe to Krijgskunde ter Zee.
29558
Fig 4 shows the situation at 12:45 PM, F Cerberus, G Batavier, H Wassenaar, R not mentioned, W wind WNNW (between NW and NNW)
Bloys finds himself in a relatively quit part of the battle, between the two main fights around Onslow/Reijntjes and Duncan/De Winter. He tried to maintain the line, engaged at a distance by ships R.
Fig 5 shows the situation at 1:45 PM, H (left) Haarlem, K Gelykheid and Admiraal de Vries, L Hercules (burning, fire about to be put out), W wind NNW
The situation shortly before Bloys lost his arm. Brutus and the two ships following (Leyden and Mars) now take course for the surrounded Vrijheid. The other three ships of the original center (B, G, H) are scattered.
Fig 6 shows the situation at 3 PM, P and R unnamed British ships engaging Vrijheid, N not mentioned (Dutch remnants running towards Texel), W wind not mentioned, but turning
Brutus' captain, Kapitein-Luitenant Polders, after consulting with the wounded Bloys, decides to abandon the rescue attempt of the Vrijheid due to the numerous apparently lightly damaged unengaged British ships in the neighborhood, and save the three ships. De Winter tried to signal, but the signals were carried away by British fire. This was the second part of the accusation, failing to assist the flagship and implied cowardice. Not very reasonable, Brutus suffered 10 dead and 55 wounded including the admiral, out of a complement of 550 nominally, almost 12 %. Shortly afterwards Bloys went below.
De Groot continues with a discussion of some legal technicalities, concluding that Bloys failed to do his duty near the middle of the battle, so some of the blame should be his. He wonders though why Story (who ran earlier) was not cashiered as well. Souter (captain of the Batavier) was seriously reprimanded and sentenced to hard labour.
According to De Groot, Bloys was rehabilitated by King Louis Napoleon on 1 October 1808, probably after some good words by his younger brother, then Vice-Admiral Willem Otto Bloys van Treslong. Promotion to titular Vice-Admiral followed on March 23, 1815, by King Willem I (at that time only Soeverein Vorst (Prince Sovereign)).
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.