The Egyptian campaigns, 1882 to 1885 Part 10

10. The adjoining battery received only slight injuries.

11. _Lighthouse Fort, or Fort Ras-el-Tin._--The barracks to the north of the fort were riddled with sh.e.l.l, and in many parts left in ruins. The parapets on the west side were so scored with sh.e.l.l that it was difficult to estimate the number of hits, but at no point had they been pierced. The scarp also suffered severely, both at the bastions and on the curtain; and the right face of the bastion was much marked by shrapnel bullets. On the west front the parapet showed about twenty-three hits, and the scarp twenty-four; two stores were burnt, and the rifled-sh.e.l.l store was riddled with sh.e.l.l. The Lighthouse itself was. .h.i.t by several sh.e.l.ls, and the buildings round its base were reduced to ruins. Right gun (9-inch).--This gun was sent back to the end of the slide, and breaking the ties was tilted up on its breech with the muzzle in the air. Left gun (9-inch).--This was struck by two sh.e.l.ls, and gun and carriage were both destroyed. The former was. .h.i.t on the trunnion ring, which had been partially carried away, the carriage was in pieces, and the brackets were torn off and broken. The gun was thrown about twelve feet to the rear and crushed several of the gunners, ten bodies having been found beneath it. In the left bastion, a 10-inch Armstrong gun was. .h.i.t on the muzzle, but the tube was not damaged. The sockets of the levers were broken by use, the tackle shot away, and the shot-crane broken and useless. A 9-inch gun was run back and tilted up on the breech in the same manner as the 9-inch gun in the right bastion.

An 8-inch gun was struck in reverse by sh.e.l.ls. The gun and carriage were capsized on the left side, but uninjured. One truck of the slide was cut away. The Lighthouse Fort suffered more severely than either Pharos or Adda, since there was not one of the rifled guns which could bear on the fleet left fit for service.

12. _The Lines of Ras-el-Tin._--(Left or Harem Battery.) The effects of the bombardment on the fort were small, but the loss of life must have been considerable, as many sh.e.l.ls burst in it. The rear face of the tower was in ruins. Right gun (8-inch Armstrong).--A 9-inch Palliser sh.e.l.l struck the lower side of the gun and burst on the breast of the carriage with the following results: the gun beyond being indented for a distance of 8 inches in length was uninjured, but had been thrown about 10 feet from its original position. Both brackets of the carriage were torn away. The entire carriage was a wreck. Centre gun (8-inch Armstrong).--The right-front truck of the carriage was broken, and the gun was struck by a splinter on the chase. The gun and the carriage, however, suffered no serious injury, though the left bracket of the latter was pierced by a splinter. The centre battery in the interior was almost uninjured, though the parapet was deeply scored in all directions by sh.e.l.ls. The embrasure of the left gun (9-inch) was choked up by the ruins of the cheeks, whilst the revetment on each side of the neck was swept away. The condition of the guns was as follows:--10-inch Armstrong gun.--The right-front truck of the carriage was carried away, and the buffers of the slide were much damaged by the recoil of the gun. 9-inch Armstrong gun.--The gun and carriage were uninjured except that the lever of the elevating gear was bent, and the holdfast was rising off the pin. 9-inch left gun.--This was. .h.i.t on the left trunnion by a sh.e.l.l which tore off the cap square, and also by a second sh.e.l.l, on the right bracket six inches in the rear of the trunnion. The gun and carriage were, however, practically uninjured. This battery in the early reports of the bombardment was miscalled the Moncrieff Battery, but there was in it no gun mounted on that system. The Moncrieff gun, 180 yards to the westward, was. .h.i.t on the left side by a splinter of a sh.e.l.l, and a bolt in the rear of the left bracket was also cut out by a Nordenfeldt bullet. Beyond this it was unhurt, and remained perfectly serviceable.

_The Hospital Battery._--The effects of the bombardment here were overwhelming. The entire gun portions were so entirely destroyed that it was difficult to discover where the original crest had been.

The injuries to the guns were as follows:--Right gun (7-inch Armstrong).--The cheeks of the embrasure were driven in on the gun, and the trucks were jammed, otherwise the gun and carriage were uninjured.

The former was, however, scored with forty-nine hits from a 10-inch shrapnel sh.e.l.l, the greatest depth of any hit being 5 inches. Left gun (7-inch Armstrong).--A sh.e.l.l burst under the front racer on the left side of this gun, tore it up and bent it into a vertical plane, twisting the truck and forcing it off the racer. The slide was also jammed by the ruins of the revetment. The gun-carriage and slide were otherwise uninjured, and were left fit for service.[27]

13. _Fort Adda._--The barracks and stores, especially on the east side of the fort, were very much injured, but the batteries were not materially damaged. The only sh.e.l.l which entered, that on the southern half of the western side, blew up the magazine. The loss of life from the explosion was probably very great, and the entire s.p.a.ce between the magazine and the gate was covered with stones, timber, and broken sh.e.l.l.

The injury to the guns was as follows:--A 10-inch S.B. gun was dismounted by a sh.e.l.l which threw the gun and carriage to a distance of about 15 feet from the slide. Another 10-inch S.B. gun was similarly dismounted, whilst a third was struck on the left side of the platform by a sh.e.l.l which had previously cut off the cascabel of the second gun to the left; the beams of the platform were completely shattered, and the gun with its carriage was overturned and wrecked.

14. _Fort Pharos._--The west tower and front were breached in many places; the minaret was partly knocked down, and the whole of the west front of the keep, with its two turrets, were in ruins. The south-east corners of the fort were also much shattered by the sh.e.l.ls which pa.s.sed over the west front. The stores and barracks suffered severely, and the destruction of so much masonry must have added considerably to the moral effect of the fire of the ships. With regard to the sea front, the parapet was. .h.i.t in several places (seven in all), but only in three cases did a sh.e.l.l enter the battery. The corners of the traverse to the right of the 8-inch Armstrong guns were carried away by two sh.e.l.ls; a third sh.e.l.l pierced the sole of the embrasure of the 10-inch Armstrong gun, and threw the large granite block which formed the sill on to the platform of the gun, so the gun might be said to be out of action. Of the S.B. guns, one heavy 10-inch on the west tower was dismounted, by a 16-inch sh.e.l.l from the _Inflexible_, one 10-inch gun on the west front was capsized and put out of action, and it is not unlikely that another, with its carriage, fell into the crater formed by a sh.e.l.l.

On the rear face, a 36-pounder, having been hit on the cascabel by a chance sh.e.l.l, was thrown completely over the parapet, and left standing on its muzzle at a distance of 30 feet from its original position.

Another gun was also unserviceable, owing to the partial destruction of its carriage by a sh.e.l.l. But it was in the casemates below that the fire of the ships inflicted the greatest injury. The front wall of the casemates, which is faced with masonry two feet in thickness, was in many places torn away under the stress of fire, leaving only six feet of rubble as a protection to the guns. Through the latter the heavy sh.e.l.ls pierced with ease. The results were as follows:--Under west tower, casemate penetrated, gun not disabled. In casemates Nos. 1 to 12, just one half of the guns were disabled. Of the casemates on the right sea front, No. 17 was the only one in which there was no gun hit. The loss of life in the casemates must have been out of all proportion to the effect produced by the feeble guns (six 5-inch S.B.) mounted within.

On the scarp of casemates Nos. 1 to 12 there were about 13 hits, of which seven pierced the wall.

15. _Fort Silsileh._--The fire does not appear to have in any way injured the guns or stores of this fort, though fragments of at least two sh.e.l.ls lay around the rifled guns.

The total number of guns dismounted was, four M.L.R. guns, sixteen S.B.

guns, and one mortar.

The forts at Alexandria generally were badly knocked about, but the more modern parapets were not seriously injured. If the bombardment were directed against the forts in their defensive capacity, it must be p.r.o.nounced a failure. If its object were the dismounting of the rifled guns, it must be conceded that such results as attended the work of either the inside squadron (where only one gun of this type was seriously affected), or even of the outside squadron (where less than half of the guns were permanently disabled), do not justify the verdict of success.

In the wider sense, however, of having driven the Egyptian gunners from their batteries and having silenced the forts, the fleet was unquestionably victorious.

CHAPTER X.

THE DAY AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT.

The following day, the 12th July, when it was proposed to renew the bombardment, there was dull gloomy weather off Alexandria, with a haze hanging over the city. There had been a strong breeze from the sea during the previous night, and it was still blowing fresh from the N.N.W., causing the ironclads forming the outside squadron to roll somewhat.

The gunboat _Beacon_ at daylight collected the bodies of the men belonging to the fleet, killed the previous day, and buried them at sea.

The _Humber_ storeship appeared in sight, and working parties were sent to her for ammunition.

At 9 a.m. the _Inflexible_ and _Temeraire_ were sent to reconnoitre the batteries from Eunostos Point on Ras-el-Tin, to Fort Pharos.

At 10.15 the _Temeraire_ reported that the Hospital Battery was prepared, that two large rifled guns were ready with guns' crews about them, and that numbers of men under arms were in the barracks and covered way. The _Inflexible_ at the same time signalled that a large body of men, armed with rifles, was in the rear of the Hospital earthworks. In reply, the _Sultan_ signalled to the _Inflexible_ and _Temeraire_, "Close, and open fire with sh.e.l.l." At 10.40 the two ships, having taken up position, fired twelve sh.e.l.ls, to which there was no reply, and the men were observed leaving the batteries.

At 10.48 flags of truce were displayed at the Lighthouse Battery and at Fort Adda. At the same time, a boat bearing a white flag came out towards the _Inflexible_. This being noticed, the vessels were ordered to cease firing. The boat then returned to the sh.o.r.e without communicating.

At 11 the Admiral signalled to the _Penelope_ and _Sultan_, "Weather having moderated, Admiral intends to attack Marabout and Adjemi; approach with _Sultan_, _Alexandra_, _Temeraire_, and _Superb_. I will send gunboat to summon enemy to surrender."

At 11.10 the _Bittern_ was sent with a flag of truce to communicate with the Egyptian authorities.

At 11.30 the squadron was reinforced by the arrival of the ironclad _Achilles_, belonging to the Channel Fleet.

At 2.50 p.m. the _Bittern_ returned, and signalled, "Negotiations have failed, have informed authorities you will engage batteries at 3.30 precisely." At 3.40 the _Bittern_ hauled down her flag of truce, and it was reported that the flag of truce at Ras-el-Tin was also taken down, though this was subsequently found not to have been the case.

At 3.50, the Egyptian flag at Marabout having been hauled down, the vessels there were recalled, and the Admiral signalled to the _Sultan_, "Engage batteries off Pharos and Ras-el-Tin with your squadron." At the same time the _Invincible_ fired a shot into the Mex Forts, but got no reply.

At 4.40 a general signal was made to the ships to "take up position for engaging batteries, anchoring as convenient;" and at 5 the _Alexandra_, _Temeraire_, _Achilles_, _Superb_, and _Sultan_ weighed anchor, and proceeded in line towards Fort Pharos. None of the ships, however, opened fire, as the flag of truce at Ras-el-Tin was seen to be still flying.

At 5.40 the _Helicon_ was sent into harbour with a flag of truce. The instructions of the officer in command were to inform the authorities that if they wished to treat with the Admiral they could do so by returning in the _Helicon_, and that if they did not do so, no more flags of truce would be respected.

At 5.50 the signal was made for the squadron to anchor for the night.

The _Helicon_, pursuant to orders, steamed up the harbour and lay off the a.r.s.enal wall, whilst the officer in command went on board the Khedive's yacht _Maharoussa_, expecting to find some one to treat with, but not a person was on board. After waiting half an hour, he signalled that he had been unable to find any of the authorities to communicate with, and returned at 8.20 p.m.

As early as four in the afternoon a part of the town had been observed to be on fire, and the conflagration soon after was seen to spread rapidly.

During the night the fires on sh.o.r.e continued to extend, and it became evident that it was the richest part of Alexandria, the European quarter, which was in flames.

The spectacle as viewed from the ships was grand, but awful in character. The sky on the land side was lighted up with a fierce red glare, and columns of smoke covered the city and surrounding country.

The Admiral's first idea was to send a landing-party to save the town.

He, however, hesitated on account of the risk to his men. Eventually, to discover the state of things on sh.o.r.e, he landed a party of fifteen men from the _Invincible_. The streets were found completely deserted, and all was silent save for the roar and crackle of the flames and the sound of falling beams and walls. The party returned at three a.m. on the 13th.

Daylight revealed the town still wrapped in flames, and an immense cloud of smoke hung over its whole extent.

At 5.40 a.m. the _Invincible_, _Monarch_, and _Penelope_ left their anchorage off Mex, and steamed into the outer harbour, with the _Beacon_ and _Bittern_ in company. At 5.50 the _Helicon_, which had again gone in to pick up refugees, embarked and brought 170 of them for distribution amongst the ships outside. They were of all cla.s.ses and nationalities, and included several women and children. They had pa.s.sed through the streets unmolested, and reported Alexandria deserted, and that all the troops had left the previous day, after setting fire to the town. It was believed that part of the soldiers had gone to Rosetta, and part to Damanhour. The _Helicon_ reported that there were a great many more refugees, women and children, inside the mole waiting for an opportunity to come off.

In the meantime the Admiral held a consultation with some of the captains and officers under his command as to what was best to be done.

On the one hand, there was the certainty that unless some step should be taken, a great part, if not the whole, of Alexandria would be destroyed.

On the other, it was uncertain how far Arabi's troops had retired, and one report was that they were ma.s.sed to the number of 9,000 outside the town, no further off than Moharrem Bey Gate. The number of men that could be landed without disabling the ships was not large. The Admiral found it difficult to decide. Already he must have begun to realize the error he had committed in opening fire with such precipitation. The Channel Fleet (of which, as already stated, the _Achilles_ had arrived) were known to be on their way from Malta, as well as the _Orontes_, troop-ship, with troops from Gibraltar. The _Tamar_, too, with 1,000 marines, was at Malta. The ships of the Channel Fleet alone could have furnished a contingent of 1,800 men in addition to those whom Admiral Seymour could have disembarked from his own squadron.

The bombardment, so long delayed, might well have been r.e.t.a.r.ded for the short period necessary to enable the reinforcements to arrive. What had occurred was not altogether unforeseen. Arabi had, before the bombardment, declared that if the ships opened fire he would burn the European quarter; and the fulfilment of his threat would have not only gratified his thirst for revenge, but would have also covered the retreat of his forces.

At last a landing was resolved on, and at 8.35 a.m. the general signal was made, "Prepare to land marines," followed ten minutes later by the order, "Prepare to land brigade of seamen." The _Helicon_, _Bittern_ and _Beacon_ were despatched to the outside squadron to bring in as many men as possible, whilst the _Condor_ and _Cygnet_ were told off to take the seamen and marines from the insh.o.r.e vessels. At 9.5 the _Alexandra_ was detached to reconnoitre off Rosetta Gate, and the remaining vessels of the outside squadron were directed to take stations for bombarding, in case the landing should be resisted.

At 10.30 the landing-party left the ships. The force consisted of four hundred men, including all the marines of the squadron; it was led by Commander Hammill, of the _Monarch_, and had with it a Gatling gun.

The _Invincible_, at the same time, sent ash.o.r.e and spiked the guns at Fort Saleh Aga, and the other vessels landed men to destroy the guns in the Lighthouse Fort at Ras-el-Tin.

Whilst Commander Hammill's force was disembarking, large bodies of soldiers were seen moving towards Fort Silsileh, apparently accompanied by field-pieces, and the _Sultan_, _Temeraire_, and _Achilles_ were ordered to watch that point, and to bombard if necessary.

In the intervals between carrying out the above-mentioned operations, the larger ships were engaged in recruiting their exhausted stock of ammunition from the store-ship _Humber_. In this matter a most unexpected difficulty arose. Through some unpardonable blunder the ship had been despatched from Malta without a single filled common sh.e.l.l on board, and actually without powder to fill the empty sh.e.l.ls she had brought with her. Further than this, she had brought no fuzes, and as the vessels of war had no reserves of powder, they would, had hostilities been resumed, have been speedily reduced to a state of comparative impotence.

In the course of the day, anxiety being felt for the safety of the Khedive, the _Condor_ was sent to cruise off the Palace at Ramleh.

Further parties of men were landed in the town, making the total force disembarked about 800 men. They took with them a day's provisions, Gatling guns, and ammunition.