This one is quite long.
Rather than try to attach it as a image, it has been transcribed. See below. I've cut out (snipped) portions that lead up to the Battle of Trafalgar.
I hope you are as captivated as I was.
Enjoy.
Hampshire Telegraph - Monday 6 January 1806
Extract of a letter written by an Officer of the Bellerophon.---
"Bellerophon, off the Start, Dec. 2, 1805.
"DEAR SIR,----I had the pleasure of writing to my Aunt from off Cadiz, on the 21st of September, just after the entry of the Combined Fleets into that place; I am happy to convey you now the intelligence of their entire defeat...[snipped - long description of the chase in the Mediterranean Sea and to Trafalgar, and the Battle]... and he immediately made signal to bear down upon the enemy in two columns, himself in the Victory leading the starboard division, Admiral Collingwood in the Royal Sovereign the larboard one, in which the Bellerophon was the fifth ship, no signal was ever obeyed with more promptitude, one would have thought that the people were preparing for a festival, rather than a combat, and no dissatisfaction was expressed except at the state of the weather, which was calm, and prevented our nearing the enemy till 10 o'clock, when a light breeze springing up, we came up with them fast. They were in the mean time employed in forming a close and well-imagined, though till now, unexampled order of battle; but which, had their plan of defence been as well executed as it was contrived, would have rendered our victory much more dearly bought than it had been; they were formed in a double line, thus---
1 2 3
4 5 6
French and Spaniards alternatively, and it was their intention on our breaking the line (which manoeuvre they expected we should as usual put in execution) astern of No. 4, for No. 2 to make sail, that the British ship in hauling up should sail on board of her, while No. 5 should bear up and take her, and No. 1 would bring her broadside to bear on her starboard bow.----Luckily, this manoeuvre only succeeded with the Tonnant and Bellerophon, which were among the ships that suffered most. A few moments before the action commenced, Lord Nelson conveyed the following sentence by telegraph, to the fleet.----"England expects every man will do his duty;" the loud and repeated cheering with which this was received, was a convincing proof that such an injunction was needless.
At noon precisely the action commenced by the Fougeux and Monarca opening fire on the Royal Sovereign. Now follows an extract from our log----"12 10 Royal Sovereign opened fire on the enemy's centre----12 13 answered 15 general.----12 30 Royal Sovereign at the head of the larboard division, broke the enemy's line astern of a Spanish three decker, and engaged her to leeward, being followed by the Mars, Bellisle, and Tonnant, who engaged their respective opponents.----12 25 opened our fire on the enemy.----12 28 Victory at the lead of the starboard division, opened her fire on the enemy.----12 30 engaging both sides in passing through the enemy's line astern of a Spanish two decker (El Monarca)----12 35 fell on board the French two deck ship L'Aigle, whilst hauling to the wind, our fore yard locking with her main one, kept up a breaking fire both on her, on the starboard bow, and a Spanish two decker (El Monarca) on the larboard bow, at the same time receiving and returning fire with a Spanish two decker (Bahama) on the larboard quarter, and receiving the fire of a Spanish two decker (St Juan Nepomuceno) athwart our stern, and a French two decker (La Swiftsure) on the starboard quarter, the action soon after became general.----At one the main and mizzen top-masts fell over the starboard side, main top-sail and top-gallant-sail caught fire.----1 5 the Master, and 1 11 the Captain fell, still foul of L'Aigle and keeping up a brisk fire from the main and lower decks, poop, and forecastle being nearly cleared by the enemy's musketry, chiefly from troops on boards L'Aigle. 1 20 the jib boom was shot away.----1 40 L'Aigle dropt astern under a raking fire from us as she fell off, our ship at this time quite unmanagable [sic] from braces, bowlines, &c. shot away----1 45 L'Aigle was engaged by Defiance.---- 2 5 she struck.----On the smoak [sic] clearing up, observed several of the enemy's ships had struck.----Fired several shots at El Monarca, our first opponent, when she struck----3 sent an Officer and a party of men to take possession of her.----3 6 the ship being ungovernable and in danger of falling on board of the Tonnant, Temeraire, and prizes, made 318 to Sirius, out boats and sent them ahead to tow, towed and swept the ship clear of them, received prisoners from our prizes,----4 5 answered 101.----4 10 opened our fire on five French ships making off to windward, the stern most of which was cut off, and struck to the Minotaur.----5 7 the firing ceased, thirteen sail of the enemy's ships making off to leeward, four of their line to windward----5 20 answered 99 general.----5 30 took possession of El Bahama, Spanish 74----Sunset, one of the prizes sunk another blew up."----Thus far our log, but it will not be amiss to mention that whilst engaged with the five ships in this situation, L'Aigle twice attempted to board us, and hove several grenades into our lower deck, which burst and wounded several of our people most dreadfully, she likewise set fire to our fore chains; our fire was so hot that we soon drove them from the lower deck, after which our people took the coins [sic] out and elevated their guns so as to tear her decks and sides to pieces; when she got clear of us, she did not return a single shot, whilst we raked her, her starboard quarter was entirely beaten in, and, as we afterwards learnt, 400 men hors de combat, so that she was an easy conquest for the Defiance, a fresh ship; we were well matched, she being the best manned ship in the Combined, and we in the British Fleet. Unfortunately situated as we were, I have no doubt she would have struck, had we been able to follow and engage her for a quarter of an hour longer; but had we been fairly alongside her, half an hour would have decided the contest, for I must say I was astonished at the coolness and undaunted bravery displayed by our gallant and veteran crew, when surrounded by five enemy's ships, and for a length of time unassisted by any of ours. Our loss as might be expected was considerable, and fell chiefly on our prime seamen, who were foremost in dishinguishing [sic] themselves, twenty-eight, including the Captain, Master, and a Midshipman, were killed outright, and 127 including the Captain of Marines, who had eight balls in his body, and his right arm shot off before he quitted the deck, Boatswain, and five Midshipmen, were badly wounded, and about forty more slightly, so as not to be incapable of duty, nineteen of the wounded had already died before we left Gibraltar, I consider myself as very fortunate in having escaped unhurt as our class suffered so severely. Our Second Lieutenant, myself, and eight men, formed the party that took possession of the Monarca ...[snipped]... we kept possession of her, however for four days, in the most dreadful weather, when having rolled away all her masts, and being in danger of immediately sinking or running on shore, we were fortunately saved by the Leviathan, with all but 150 prisoners, who were afraid of getting in the boats. I can assure you I felt not the least fear of death during the action, which I attribute to the general confidence of victory which I saw all around me; but in the prize, when I was in danger of, and had time to reflect upon the approach of death, either from the rising of the Spaniards upon such a small number as we were composed of, or what latterly appeared inevitable from the violence of the storm, I was most certainly afraid, and at one time, when the ship made three feet water in ten minutes, when otn [sic] people were almost all laying drunk upon the deck, when the Spaniards completely worn out with fatigue would no longer work at the only chain pump left serviceable, when I saw the fear of immediate death so strongly depicted on the countenances of all around me, I wrapped myself up in a union jack, and lay down upon the deck for a short time, quietly awaiting the approach of death; but love of life soon after again roused me, and after great exertions on the part of the British and Spanish Officers, who had joined together for the mutual preservation of their lives, we got the ship before the wind, determined to run her on shore; this was before midnight, but at daylight in the morning, the weather being more moderate, and having again gained upon the water, we hauled our wind ...[snipped]
(transcribed by A.O'Neill on 11 APR 2020)
Darrel I had gone through a similar experience (re: late modifications for mounting) so I know exactly how you felt. It took me a few days of planning before I mustered enough nerve. Alan
