The Adventures of Roderick Random

Capture of Bocca Chica

After four hours of cannonading and a breach made by land batteries, the Spanish abandoned Bocca Chica fort during the night, allowing soldiers to take the ramparts without resistance. Simultaneously, sailors captured Fort St. Joseph, the fascine batteries, and one Spanish man-of-war, while three other vessels were destroyed by the enemy to prevent capture. This success raised hopes that the town would offer little further resistance, though opportunities to press the advantage were missed due to excessive caution.

Masters of the Outer Harbour

The capture of the forts at Bocca Chica gave the expedition control of the outer harbour, producing great rejoicing among the forces. The victory led to expectations of minimal opposition from the town itself, as the Spanish defenses had been the foundation of their confidence.

The Soldiers’ Rations

The provisions available to the soldiers and sailors were described in deplorable terms. Salt beef, nicknamed “Irish horse,” was putrid; New England salt pork tasted neither like fish nor flesh; and biscuits from the same origin were infested with insects that caused them to move of their own accord. Butter rationed by the gill tasted of train oil and salt. Each man received three half-quarterns of brandy or rum daily, mixed with water and lacking any sweetener.

Water Allowance and Provisions

Despite adequate water supplies for a six-month voyage at half-a-gallon per person daily, the men endured a ration of just one purser’s quart per day during five weeks in the Torrid Zone. This restriction was attributed to either penance, a desire to mortify the crew, or an intent to make soldiers more reckless with their lives. The author disputes claims that mortality resulted from poor provisions and water scarcity.

Re-embarkation of the Troops

Following the placement of garrisons in the captured forts, soldiers and artillery were re-embarked after more than a week of this service. The expedition then proceeded toward the inner harbour, where fortifications on both sides of the entrance had been abandoned by the enemy.

Landing at La Quinta

Ships managed to open a passage through the blocked harbour—where old galleons and two sunk men-of-war obstructed the channel—to facilitate a second landing at La Quinta near the town. After faint resistance from Spanish militia opposing their disembarkation, the troops established camp with plans to besiege St. Lazar castle.

Assault on St. Lazar

The castle of St. Lazar, which overlooked and commanded the city, was attacked by musketry alone following a council of war decision, despite lacking proper siege approaches. The assault met with devastating consequences, the enemy providing such fierce resistance that most of the attacking detachment was killed on the spot. The remains of the army subsequently retreated to the ships.

The Retreat and Losses

The army that had landed with eight thousand able men near Bocca Chica was reduced to fifteen hundred fit for service following the failed assault. The sick and wounded were squeezed into transport vessels, prompting the author’s sardonic commentary on this outcome.

Hospital Ship Conditions

The sick and wounded were crammed into certain vessels called hospital ships, though they lacked adequate surgeons, nurses, or cooks. With insufficient space between decks to sit upright, wounds and amputations became infested with maggots amid the corruption. Though each major ship could have spared a surgeon, neither the general nor the admiral requested such assistance from the other.

Discord Between Commanders

The author depicts growing discord between the army general and the naval admiral, comparing their mutual resentment to Caesar and Pompey. The general could not accept a superior while the admiral was impatient of an equal. This division prevented coordination that might have saved lives or secured victory. The author employs a proverb about dropping between two stools to illustrate how their failure to cooperate doomed the enterprise.

The Floating Battery

The admiral ordered one of the captured Spanish men-of-war equipped with sixteen guns and manned by detachments from the fleet to bombard the town. The vessel was towed into the inner harbour at night and opened fire at dawn from within half a mile of the walls. After six hours under fire from thirty cannon, the crew was forced to set the ship ablaze and escape by boat. This action provoked widespread speculation, with critics suggesting the admiral either lacked strategic sense, was testing enemy strength, or was pursuing personal vendettas at the public’s expense. Defenders claimed insufficient water depth for larger ships, though pilots contradicted this assertion.