1782 - Soldier William Adair - Our Red Hot Balls
The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot was in Gibraltar from the autumn of 1770 to November 1783 and therefore for the duration of the Great Siege. (See LINK) William Adair, a soldier of the Regiment was certainly there for the “floating Batteries” fiasco and has helpfully lefty us both a drawing of two of the ships and a poem commemorating the event.
The floating batteries
The poem
On the Spanish floating Batteries Destroyed at Gibraltar 15th and 14th September 1782/wrote by Wm Adair Soldier 58th.
On Calpe Mount where Numerous Batteries Rise
And towering Bulwarks Seem to Reach the Skies
Great Eliott lives loud Cannons him proclaim
Adorn’d with laurels and with matchless fame
He Troops Commands who is to Britain Dear
Whom France and Spain to Combat ever fear
They three long years before Our Walls have laid
With Hectoring boast and Pompous Proud parade
They though to Starve us for to Gain their Ends
And Eliott made them Reverence Britains Fame
And stamped with Shot and Shells Great Georges Name
September 12th the Combined Fleet appeared
To Negro point and Algueziras Steer’d
With such a Force they thought Briton to Fright
But hardy Britons ever cheerful Fight
With Longing Eyes we View’d them from our Walls
Anxious to let them taste our Red hot Balls
On the thirteenth ten Battering Ships Se Sail
And Steer’d their Course Amidst a pleasant Gale
At ten they Anchor’d and began to play
And thought to fill our hearts with dire Dismay
We man’d our Batteries with Cheerful Glee
And Fought like Men who Glory to be Free