Cambridge Library Collection - Naval and Military History
2 total works
John Drinkwater (1762-1844) was stationed at Gibraltar with the Royal Manchester Volunteers from June 1779 to February 1783 while it was besieged by a Franco-Spanish force. He kept a careful record of events during the longest siege endured by British forces. Returning to England a captain, in 1785 he published his account of the unsuccessful siege, which went through four editions in five years. The siege by both land and naval forces put the garrison under great pressure, as food and fuel became scarce. Two successful naval expeditions in 1780 and 1781 evaded the blockade to bring provisions and extra troops, and to evacuate civilians. The siege was lifted, and Gibraltar remained a key British naval base in the Mediterranean. As well as giving his own eyewitness account, Drinkwater got assistance from other officers and men, and also provides illustrations of Gibraltar and plans of the siege.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Drinkwater (1762-1844), an army officer, was on board the Minerva, bearing Commodore Nelson's pennant, after the British evacuation from Corsica, when they found themselves in the middle of the Spanish fleet. Having been transferred to another ship, and Nelson to the Captain, Drinkwater thus became an eyewitness of the Battle of St Vincent, 14 February 1797. He made sketches of the positions of the fleet during the battle, that were subsequently praised for their accuracy by naval officers. His Narrative was originally published the same year, but reissued in 1840 with the addition of anecdotes of Nelson, to raise funds for a Nelson testimonial. The original aim of the work was to give due credit to the officers, particularly Nelson, to whom it was felt that Admiral Sir John Jervis had not given sufficient recognition for their part in his most significant victory.