Book
Review:
Defiant and Dismasted at Trafalgar:
The
Life and Times of Admiral Sir William Hargood
By
Mary McGrigor
Unlike
Admiral Horatio Nelson, few of his band of brothers - the captains
who backed his leadership brilliance with courage and flair -
are household names today.
One
of those is Admiral Sir William Hargood who, at Trafalgar, was
captain of the Belleisle - a 74-gunner that was mercilessly pounded
by several French vessels.
Refusing
to show weakness the Belleisle fought for hour after exhausting
hour against all comers and despite being dismasted and unable
to manouevre its crew only thought on how to injure the enemy
further.
One
of the main reasons for intransigence of the Belleisle is the
respect the men had for their captain.
Despite
being small in stature, Hargood was courageous and was a man whose
career stretched back to the American Revolutionary War.
In
Defiant and Dismasted at Trafalgar: The Life and Times of Sir
William Hargood, author Mary McGrigor looks at a quite remarkable
career in the Royal Navy.
Beginning
with his days as a cabin boy at age 10, McGrigor places the adventures
of Hargood amid the social and military landscapes of the periods
she is writing about.
She
tells how among other escapades Hargood was forced to surrender
his vessel to a superior French one, was one of the few whites
to escape from the slave revolt on San Domingo, and faced court
martial for losing his ship.
Based
on an earlier biography by Joseph Allan, Defiant and Dismasted
is a good read that hopefully will make Hargood better known among
those interested in the period.
-
Richard Moore
8/10
Defiant
and Dismasted at Trafalgar: The Life and Times of Sir William
Hargood, Pen and Sword, ISBN: 1844150348.
