cheer him as he came alongside.
Copenhagen stands on a dead flat facing the sea; it is defended by a
large fort and two heavy batteries, thrown up on rocks or sandbanks.
Besides these there was the Danish fleet drawn up in a long line before
the city, and eighteen floating batteries, mounting no less than 690
guns. Some way off, in front of the city, is a shoal called the Middle
Ground, and then another channel, and then comes the long island of
Saltholm. On the last day of March we entered the channel between the
Swedish and Danish coasts, having the castle of Helsingburg on one side
and that of Elsinore on the other, and on we sailed in front of the city
till we came to an anchor off the island of Arnak. Sir Hyde Parker
remained near the mouth of the channel with the heavier ships, so that
Lord Nelson had the lighter ones all to himself, while the brave Captain
Riou commanded the frigates. All the night was spent in preparing for
battle, and Captain Hardy was employed in sounding the channel, through
which we were to pass to the attack. He even reached in the darkness
close up to one of the Danish ships, and sounded round her. There was
the whole squadron anchored so close in with the Danish shore, that had
our enemies known the range they might have done us much mischief. Lord
Nelson spent the chief part of the night dictating orders to his clerks,
to send round to his captains to tell them what to do. At last the
morning broke, and, with a fair wind, the `Edgar' leading under a press
of sail, the fleet stood down the Danish line, and took up their
positions as arranged, the brave Captain Riou and his frigates being
opposed to the Crown Battery, at the further end. With a groan, we who
once belonged to her saw the old `Agamemnon' take the ground on the
shoal I have spoken of; the `Bellona' and `Russel' touched also, but
sufficiently within range to take part in the battle. Soon after ten
the `Edgar' began the action, and one, by one, as the other ships
slipped from their anchors, and following at intervals, took up their
position, they also commenced firing. The commander-in-chief, Sir Hyde
Parker, was away on our right, you'll understand, with the bigger ships,
and from the way the wind was he could not have come up to help us.
Now, along the whole line the action became general. Opposed to us
there were the forts and the floating batteries, and the Danish ships of
war, all blazing away together; and many