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19<br />

THE WOODEN WALLS<br />

15<br />

What Nelson Began, Strachan Finished<br />

LAURIE & WHITTLE.<br />

'S.R RICH.D J. STRACHAN'S Action with the FRENCH, off ROCHEFORT: Nov.r 2. 1805. in which the four<br />

French ships were taken.' 'Publish'd Dec.r 12, 1805, by LAURIE & WHITTLE, 53, Fleet Street, London.'<br />

London: Robert Laurie & James Whittle, Decr. 12 1805, aquatint, printed in colour and finished by hand,<br />

border: 172 x 248 widest: 197 x 266 platemark: 201 x 273 mm.<br />

The paper a little creased, two tears to the upper platemark restored, one slightly inside the plate area.<br />

This is a hurriedly prepared and published plan/view of the naval battle fought between four British ships<br />

commanded by Sir Richard Strachan, and four French ships commanded by Rear Admiral Dumanoir le<br />

Pelley, off Rochefort (near La Rochelle, on the west coast of France). The battle was fought on 2nd November<br />

1805 and this plan published on 12th December. The victory was first announced in 'Lloyd's List', the British<br />

maritime newspaper on 8th November, while Strachan's squadron, with their prizes, docked in Plymouth<br />

on the 10th, and the resultant map in printed just over a month later.<br />

Sir Richard Strachan's squadron, originally part of the fleet blockading Brest, was detached to locate a<br />

squadron of ships from Rochefort that had put to sea, and were attacking British shipping. On station off<br />

Ferrol, in Spain, on 3rd November 1805, lookouts espied four French ships, which Strachan pursued.<br />

However, this was not the Rochefort Squadron, but the four surviving ships of the line from the Combined<br />

Franco-Spanish fleet that escaped the British at the Battle of Trafalgar - the 'Duguay-Trouin', 'Formidable',<br />

'Mont Blanc' and 'Scipion' - sailing north for Rochefort. Finally, on the 4th, Strachan was able to bring the<br />

French to battle, some 264 miles west of Rochefort. Although the opposing forces were evenly matched, the<br />

four French ships were all crippled in the fighting and forced to surrender.<br />

Laurie and Whittle, in a fit of patriotic fervour, note "This Victory, obtained by Sr. Richd. Strachan, is as<br />

decisive, in every respect, and as glorious, to its extent as any which has ever been atchieved by British skill<br />

and gallantry. T<strong>here</strong> have been few instances in which the antagonists have been so well matched.<br />

The smallness of our loss in killed and wounded arose from the enemy firing high, and our closing suddenly<br />

with them."<br />

In one of the quirks of history, as the action took place closer to England, it was Strachan's fleet that arrived<br />

in England first, about the same time as the initial despatches announcing the victory at Trafalgar, and this<br />

may account for the publishers' over-excitement. £500

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