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San Diego Sarah has posted 9,884 annotations/comments since 6 August 2015.

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Third Reading

About Wednesday 4 December 1661

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

From Sandwich's log, at anchor in Tangier Bay:

December 4, Wednesday.
The Constant Warwick came to us and brought to me a letter from his Royal Highness of the 9th of November and one from Capt. Allin in the bay of Cadiz.
This day I wrote to his R.H., Mr. C. and L.S., intended by the Colchester to Capt. Allin.

Copied from
The Journal of Edward Mountagu,
First Earl of Sandwich
Admiral and General-at-Sea 1659 - 1665

Edited by RC Anderson
Printed for the Navy Records Society
MDCCCCXXIX

Section III - Mediterranean 1661/62

@@@

The Constant Warwick
His Royal Highness = his R.H. = the Lord High Admiral James, Duke of York
Capt. Thomas Allin
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
The bay of Cadiz
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Mr. C. -- presumably William Coventry, private secretary to James
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
L.S. -- nominations please. I dunno.
The Colchester -- part of Lawson's half of the squadron
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

I can't imagine a world where it takes over 3 weeks to get a memo from my boss, never mind run a military campaign like that.

About Monday 2 December 1661

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

From Sandwich's log, at anchor in Tangier Bay:

December 2, Monday.
An English merchantman came in, 18 days from the Isle of Wight; brought news that the fleet was expecting to set sail for Tangier speedily.
He brought me a letter from Capt. Allin in the Foresight at Cadiz which gave me the like notice.
Also the Martin came in with Mr. Herbert etc., from Gayland, and brought one of his people to help us to wood and water.

Copied from
The Journal of Edward Mountagu,
First Earl of Sandwich
Admiral and General-at-Sea 1659 - 1665

Edited by RC Anderson
Printed for the Navy Records Society
MDCCCCXXIX

Section III - Mediterranean 1661/62

@@@
Isle of Wight
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Capt. Thomas Allin
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
The Foresight
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Cadiz
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
The Martin
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Mr. Herbert
A Mr. Herbert had been sent by Amb. Sir Richard Fanshawe to see Sandwich; possibly he was this Capt. Charles Herbert?
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Gayland = Abd Allah al-Ghailan (AKA "Guiland", "Gayland")
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

This is North Africa, and wood for fires and drinking water were scarce, so Sandwich would have been grateful for help from a local to find sources.

About Monday 2 December 1661

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Talking about Parliament, the most significant thing discussed in the Commons today:

Great Level of Fens.
The Counsel of the Old and New Adventurers, and of the Country, and any other Persons who are concerned, or claim any Interest, in the Great Level of the Fens called Bedford Level, or are prejudiced thereby, being this Day to be heard at the Bar, according to an Order of this House, made the 12th of July last;

And the Counsel of all the said Parties being this Day accordingly heard, at the Bar of this House;

Resolved, upon the Question, That the Debate of this Matter be adjourned; and resumed on This-day-sevennight: At which Time, this House will take into Consideration the Law or St. Ives, Lynn Law, Peterborough Law, Huntington Law, the Fourteenth Part Indenture, the Rump Act in 1649, and some of the Deeds of Purchase made since that Time; to the which End they are then to be produced: And, upon Consideration thereupon had, this House will take such Order herein, as shall be meet.

About Monday 2 December 1661

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... a tiny bit of work ..."

You can't do much with no funds. Just because Parliament voted to raise some taxes, it could be months before the Navy gets a brass nickle. Plus Pepys has a very experienced clerk watching the mail.

About Tuesday 2 July 1667

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

CONCLUSION:

The Dutch launched the attack; ladders were brought forward and in an action lasting 45 minutes the Dutch were repelled by concentrated English fire which caused loss.

The Dutch reorganized and launched a second attack.

A small English galliot joined the action, firing grapeshot at the Dutch on the shore. The shingle on the beach, sprayed by the shot, acted like shrapnel causing the Dutch many casualties.

Col. Thomas Dolman was killed in this attack which created confusion; less than 15 minutes later the leaderless Dutch marines retreated, leaving their ladders and other equipment behind. The English captured some prisoners and the Dutch suffered many casualties. The Dutch seaward squadron was only able to fire a few ineffective shots at long range.

While the Dutch marines had been attacking the fort, the sailors at their beachhead came under attack by the local trained militia, commanded by James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk and 3rd Baron Howard de Walden.

Continuous English fire lasted until 10:00 p.m. at which point the Dutch sailors decided that, with casualties rising and being unable to advance forward, to retreat.

The Dutch were trapped onshore by low water until around 2:00 a.m. on 3 July, giving 500 regular infantry under Major Legge time to arrive from Harwich.

Other English soldiers had also skirmished with the Dutch when they had retreated from the fort, but no British cavalry arrived. Legge's men were soon badly outnumbered as the defeated Dutch marines joined forces with their men on the beachhead.

No significant fighting took place and the Dutch were able to re-embark after 2:00 a.m., and by 6:00 a.m. their fleet had sailed away from Harwich.

Losses for the Dutch were moderate: they suffered less than 150 killed, wounded or captured. The English loss was no more than 10 men, but Gov. Nathaniel Darrel who was wounded in the shoulder by a musket ball.

After the failure of this raid the Dutch focused on blockade the Thames. De Ruyter sailed off to cruise the English Channel, leaving Adm. Jan Jansse van Nes in charge of the blockade, which lasted until the end of July.

Further hostilities were ended by the Peace of Breda, which was signed on 31 July, 1667.

The attack is noteworthy for being an early battle honor for both the English and Dutch marines. The Dutch Regiment de Marine (founded by Michiel de Ruyter in 1665) had won its first battle honor at Chatham during the attack on the Medway earlier in the year; they later become the Netherlands Marine Corps.

The garrison of Landguard Fort was provided by the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment, raised in 1664, and one of the earliest precursors of the Royal Marines.

The defense of Landguard was the Royal Marines first battle honor and it is recorded as the site of the last opposed invasion or attack of England.
The fort is open to the public.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat…

About Tuesday 2 July 1667

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Meanwhile, up the Essex coast:

The Battle of Landguard Fort (or the Attack on Landguard Fort) was a battle towards the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War on 2 July, 1667, where a Dutch force attacked Landguard Fort near Felixstowe. It was intended to clear the way for an attack on the English Royal Naval anchorage at Harwich.

After repeated attempts the Dutch attack planned by Adm. Michiel de Ruyter was repelled and as a result the planned attack on Harwich was abandoned. It was one of the last battles of the war before the Treaty of Breda was signed.

In the aftermath of the great Dutch victory on the Medway in June 1667 Michiel de Ruyter now had command of the Thames Estuary which allowed the Dutch to establish a naval blockade of London. Further attempts to operate in the Thames met with less success, and so at the start of July de Ruyter decided to attack Harwich, the next good safe anchorage up the coast from the Thames, and a naval base since 1657.

Before they could attack Harwich, the Dutch needed to neutralize Landguard Fort, the port's outermost line of defense. Landguard Fort is situated on a spit of land that runs south from Felixstowe across the mouth of the River Stour and River Orwell estuaries, and was built to protect the anchorage at Harwich, on the opposite side of the estuary.

The governor of Landguard Fort was Nathanial Darrell and was defended by 400 experienced musketeers of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment.

The Fort had 40 cannon and about 100 men, and officers for gun crews.

De Ruyter split two of his squadrons in the attack: one operated inside the estuary and one was out to sea, but as they moved forward they came across unexpectedly shallow water which meant that the attack from the estuary was totally abandoned, but the seaward squadron could fire a few shots at long range.

De Ruyter intended to support his attack with naval gunfire at relatively close range but pressed ahead anyways.

The Dutch now sent the marines into boats and some 1,500 marines and 500 sailors rowed to shore under the command of Col. Thomas Dolman (a hardliner Parliamentarian turncoat), the English commander of the Dutch land forces.

They landed on the coast to the north of the fort at Cobbold's Point. This put them out of range of the guns in the fort, but also meant that they had to split their forces.

The Dutch left the smaller part of their force at the cliffs -- the majority of them sailors -- leaving the marines to attack on their own. The marines marched south to attack the fort, but they had the hard task of dragging their cannons across shingle.

The English were prepared for this action; there had warnings of a possible Dutch attack after the defeat at Medway.

About Edward Gregory (jun.)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

A speculation, not backed by any historical investigation on my part, but Edward Gregory Jr., is not a common name, like Smith or Jones, and this Sir Edward is clearly well educated and has connections, or he wouldn't have had those positions.
Perhaps he was the same man, or a relative, of this "Edward Gregory":

In 1660 a grant of 4,000l. to 'Edward Gregory' was explained by Charles II to be meant for the benefit of John Pakington III, 2nd Bart., MP, but was passed in another name 'lest the example should be prejudicial.'

This is the same Sir John Pakington, MP for Worcestershire, who probably forged letters in 1661 to justify a crack-down on discenters.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Why did Pakington deserve an anonymous gift?
He and his wife had supported King Charles I's chaplain, Henry Hammond, in his last decade of life, and been the unofficial center of High Church Anglicanism at their home, Westwood Park, Worcs., throughout the
Commonwealth.

John Pakington III had married Dorothy Coventry, daughter of his childhood guardian, Lord Coventry. This means he was brother-in-law to William and Thomas Coventry, and well-known to Anthony Ashley-Cooper, their cousin.

For more, see
https://www.historyofparliamenton…
https://books.google.com/books?pg…

Rev. Henry Hammond (1605 – 25 April, 1660) was a fervant Royalist, and also the brother of the regicide Judge Thomas Hammond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen…

It was a smaller circle of influence than we are accustomed to today.

About Sunday 1 December 1661

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... in the afternoon my wife went to church, and he and I stayed at home and drank and talked ..."

This is the only time that I recall Elizabeth going to church by herself, and leads me to believe she attended many more times than Pepys records.