Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol II

The Story

The narrative of this second volume begins in the immediate wake of the decisive naval engagements of July 1801, where the British fleet under Sir James Saumarez thwarted French designs to dominate the Straits of Gibraltar and reinforce their struggling army in Egypt. While the nation celebrates these victories, the atmosphere within the fleet is one of restless anticipation. Saumarez, aboard the Caesar, oversees the refitting of his ships and manages the delicate logistics of a blockade against Cadiz. He navigates not only the physical threats of enemy fire and the looming possibility of red-hot cannonballs but also the bureaucratic friction of naval command, as he faces the unexpected arrival of Sir Charles Morice Pole, who supersedes him in command. This period of professional uncertainty is marked by a profound, gnawing impatience for communication from England, leaving the Admiral in a state of suspended animation while he remains at his post as second in command.

As the political tides turn toward the Peace of Amiens, the narrative shifts from the high-stakes theater of combat to the elaborate ceremonies of recognition. Saumarez is created a Knight of the Bath, and the book details the formal tributes bestowed upon him, including the thanks of Parliament and the freedom of the City of London. Yet, beneath the veneer of national gratitude, there is a persistent thread of disappointment; the Admiral’s own professional advancement does not match the scale of his contributions, a discrepancy noted with careful, restrained commentary by the author. The transition to peace is brief, and the story soon pivots back to the mounting tensions of the Napoleonic era, as Saumarez returns to the defense of the Channel Islands, conducting experiments on coastal fortifications to test their resilience against potential invasion.

The scene then expands to the Baltic, where the Admiral takes on his most complex role as commander-in-chief. Here, the struggle is as much about the delicate art of statecraft as it is about naval maneuver. Saumarez acts as the primary intermediary between the British Crown and the Swedish monarchy, particularly during the volatile reign of Gustavus IV. He is tasked with protecting trade and maintaining a formidable presence in the Sound, while simultaneously managing the fallout from the deposition of the Swedish King and the subsequent, often bloody, internal political upheavals of the Swedish state. The account captures the surreal nature of this era, where the traditional boundaries of enmity are blurred; the Admiral finds himself in the position of maintaining an uneasy peace with nominal allies who are forced into hostile stances by French pressure, while protecting the very trade routes his "allies" are pressured to seize.

The narrative reaches its climax in the complex web of the Baltic station, where Saumarez successfully prevents the collapse of regional stability and keeps the French from gaining a foothold in strategic cities like Riga. Through letters and reports, we see him balancing the limited resources of his fleet against the vast requirements of the British government. He manages the movements of convoys, the blockade of Russian ports, and the delicate handling of Swedish domestic strife, including the horrific public lynching of Count Fersen. Even as he serves with distinction, the book concludes with a poignant examination of the Admiral’s frustrated ambition, as his requests for a peerage are met with polite but firm rejection by the Prince Regent. The work ends not with a grand final battle, but with the quiet, persistent record of a life spent in service, supplemented by an addendum that links his career to the broader military contributions of his family, particularly his brother, Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Saumarez.

The People

• Sir James Saumarez: A dedicated, meticulous naval officer of immense patience and strategic foresight. He is defined by his deep sense of duty and his ability to remain composed amidst the shifting alliances of the Baltic, yet he remains deeply frustrated by the lack of official recognition for his lifelong service.
• Gustavus IV (Adolphus): The King of Sweden, whose volatile and increasingly isolated reign creates a constant source of anxiety for the British command. His eventual deposition and flight to England on a British ship mark a turning point in the regional conflict, leaving Saumarez to manage the resulting political vacuum.
• Sir Samuel Hood: A trusted colleague and Rear-admiral who serves under Saumarez. His health and tactical judgment are significant factors in the Baltic operations; he represents the backbone of the professional naval support that allows the Admiral to execute his complex mission.
• Count Fersen: A leading Swedish statesman whose tragic death at the hands of an infuriated mob serves as a stark illustration of the dangerous, unpredictable climate in Stockholm. His fate underscores the volatility of the national politics that Saumarez is forced to navigate.
• Baron Platen: A Swedish official who works closely with the British fleet. He serves as a vital conduit for communication and coordination, representing the pragmatic side of the Swedish government that seeks to preserve national interests against the encroaching shadow of Napoleon.

In Its Own Voice

While describing the dire medical reality of long-distance naval campaigns, the author recalls a grim period of survival in the mid-eighteenth century:

"For the space of six weeks we seldom buried less than four or five daily, and at last it amounted to eight or ten; and I really believe, that, had we stayed ten days longer at sea, we should have lost the ship for want of men to navigate her."

In a letter reflecting on the precarious nature of the Baltic alliance, the Admiral weighs the rumors of the day against his own duty:

"The accounts rumoured of the pretended defeat of the Austrians, I trust, will not prove correct; and we must not be surprised at the circulation of exaggerated accounts of the success of Buonaparte in the present state of affairs on the continent and in the northern parts of Europe."

Detailing the irony of the shifting political landscape, the Swedish Admiral Krusenstjerna writes to the author regarding the bizarre nature of their supposed alliances:

"Our friends the French and Danes express their friendship to us with unremitted zeal in capturing and robbing from us our merchant vessels, whilst our enemies the English let them pass unmolested from one port to another."

What It's Really About

At its core, this work is an investigation into the limitations of military glory and the complexities of command in an age of total war. While it chronicles the external victories of the British Navy, it is fundamentally concerned with the "behind-the-scenes" machinery that sustains a global power. The book argues that the success of a state rests not merely on the decisive cannon fire of a fleet engagement, but on the ability of its officers to act as diplomats, administrators, and political buffers in foreign lands. The Admiral is presented as a man who understands that keeping a sea lane open is often more difficult—and requires more nuance—than sinking an enemy vessel.

The text also poses a silent, lingering question about the nature of gratitude in public service. The recurring theme of the Admiral’s ignored requests for the peerage is not presented as mere vanity, but as a case study in the gap between the monumental burden placed on an individual and the cold institutional indifference of the state. It highlights the friction between the meritocratic requirements of high-seas command and the opaque, often political, structures of the Admiralty and the Crown.

Furthermore, the book explores the fragility of the "Great Man" theory of history. Though centered on a single figure, the narrative is constantly interrupted by the reality of the mob, the failing health of subordinates, and the unpredictable, violent swings of national sentiment in countries like Sweden. It suggests that a commander's primary struggle is to maintain a sense of order in a world that is inherently chaotic. The inclusion of his brother’s military history and the detailed appendices regarding historical battles suggests that the author views Saumarez’s life as a single thread in a larger, multi-generational tapestry of imperial duty. It is a study in consistency: how a man remains steady in his principles while the map of Europe—and the definition of "friend" or "enemy"—changes with the seasons. Ultimately, the book is about the quiet exhaustion of duty, the weight of a professional life measured in dispatches, blockade orders, and the slow erosion of one’s own private aspirations for the sake of a national project that rarely offers the full measure of recognition in return.

Why Read It Today

Reading this volume is akin to stepping into a private archive that has been left largely undisturbed. The prose is functional and deliberate, reflecting the mid-nineteenth-century style of biographical record-keeping. It is not a novel, and it does not seek to entertain with fast-paced action; rather, it offers the reward of immersion in the day-to-day realities of a high-ranking officer. Readers who appreciate the granular detail of historical administration—the logistics of blockade, the nuances of international correspondence, and the weight of official responsibility—will find the book deeply satisfying.

The difficulty for the modern reader lies in its structure. The book frequently interrupts its own flow with long lists, official letters, and technical appendices. There are moments where the reader must navigate the formal, sometimes stiff, language of the period, as well as the occasionally dry reporting of names and titles. However, these obstacles are also the book’s greatest strength; they provide an authentic, unvarnished look at how history was documented for posterity by those who lived it. It feels like a primary source, and that proximity to the past is its most compelling feature.

What remains with the reader is not the image of a swashbuckling hero, but the portrait of a professional. One walks away with a vivid understanding of the sheer, grinding labor required to maintain the British naval hegemony during the Napoleonic Wars. You see the human cost of these efforts—not just in the death and disease mentioned in the accounts, but in the toll of continuous, high-pressure decision-making. For anyone interested in the intersection of military life and international relations, or those who simply wish to understand the reality of the British Navy beyond the romanticized versions often found in fiction, this book offers a grounded, honest account. It is a slow, thoughtful read that leaves you with a quiet, lingering respect for the immense, often thankless, machinery of empire.