The book came today and this is from the chapter on Copenhagen in 1807, 170-171:
'The assault began on 16 August. A landing north of Copenhagen was made at Verbaek by the Reserve Division (Wellesley's command), and the other divisions followed. The city was surrounded on the landward side by the 24th, and on that day Gambier sent Popham to Cathcart urging greater speed, though to get so many troops ashore so quickly was good going. The initial landing had been unopposed, but some Danish forces soon arrived, to be driven off without difficulty by the substantial British cavalry contingent….The construction began of batteries for the bombardment of the city and its defenses. Flotillas of Danish gunboats drove off the British bombs and brigs from the entrance to the harbor, and were to bombard the seaward end of the British lines, until driven off by the artillery there. The bigger British ships were kept at a distance owing to the shallowness of the water, and took no part in the fighting. The Danish gunboats were not able to seriously disrupt the work on land. The sea fighting was mainly done by the smaller ships, bombs and brigs, though the Danes often had the better of it in these minor fights. It proved impossible for the British to reach the harbor entrance, and the Danish gunboats several times succeeded in bombarding the British army positions on land. A Danish army, mainly composed of barely trained militia, gathered south of the city to attempt its relief; it was defeated and driven away by Wellesley's brigade in a brisk action.'
'The Danes remained stubborn, perhaps not appreciating the innate ruthlessness of the British commanders, who, to be sure, were under serious time pressure and were already conscious of the threat of ice, while a major concentration of French forces was forming at Hamburg. So very little compunction was displayed when the siege batteries were completed and the formal demand for the surrender of the city and the fleet was rejected. For four days the British forces lobbed shells and bombs and Congreve rockets into the city. The woodyard was set on fire, as were many of the houses. The Danes claimed that 2,000 civilians casualties were caused, a figure rejected by the British, unconvinvingly; they suggested 'only' 700; in fact a more recent calculation suggests that 'only' 200 died. At the same time a substantial proportion of the population of the city fled for refuge to the island of Amager. At length on 5 September the Danish commander, General Peiman, agreed to surrender both the city and the fleet.'
'It is well to be clear about this event. In order to seize the fleet of a neutral country, its capital city, inhabited by a large civilian population, was deliberately bombarded. This bombardment was not just directed at the city walls, a legitimate military target, but at the city itself, using mortars, howitzers, and rockets. It was a means of terrorizing the civilian population to force the Danish commander to give in. The rather shamefaced accounts in British histories give the game away; it was and remains an atrocity; had such a concept been current at the time, it would have been classed as a war crime.'
Again, very well done on the recommendation.
paints brigs for the British fleet.