H.M.S Valor
14 Aug 1808
46 Degrees 23’ N, 14 Degrees 12’ W
Will stood high above the deck of the Valor aloft of the main and top sails. The view was spectacular, the wind at his back and the smell of early dawn lifted his spirits as high as the thin wispy clouds stretching across the sky. The sun peaking above the eastern horizon brought the promise of another day at sea and yet another day of pursuit from the French sloop. Will had climbed high atop the rigging to be the first to spot her sails off behind the Valor. Several times in the last two days of steady pursuit, Captain Grimes had turned the Valor to and unleashed cannon fire to stave off the French ship. Still, the dogged pursuit continued. Will had spoken with the Captain at length of their tactical options. They could surely outgun the smaller French warship and if they boarded her would easily outnumber the crew, even after the casualties they took engaging the others. But Captain Grimes insisted on toying her along, lengthening the engagement. The fight had wounded the Valor and she was handicapped in battle without her lead starboard gun, but still very capable in combat.
“Just hope we don’t have to trade broadsides with any frigates our class,” said Will to himself as he searched the horizons for the French sails. In the pre-dawn light, he hadn’t been able to locate the sloop and with the sun baring all to his eye he scoured the horizon, revealing no sails. It was a small relief, even with a heavy advantage against the smaller ship and crew, every engagement carried the chance of losing their ship and crew to the depths of the sea. William scanned across the horizons again searching for any sign of the enemy warship to no avail. They had lost her, no doubt she was still out there, but probably had turned away from their pursuit. Captain Grimes had intended to draw her out from their first engagement weighing whether there was another squadron of ships in cohort with the first three. Just thinking of it again made Will’s chest swell, they had engaged three ships, one of which was far out of the Valor’s class and succeeded. It would surely be a high note in the Admiralty’s report to the crown when word traveled home about their engagement.
Climbing down from the rigging, William met Captain Grimes on deck.
“No sign of the French sloop Sir. It appears she has broken pursuit.” William reported.
“Perhaps Will, but we must remain alert. Let’s keep an extra lookout for the next few days.” Grimes answered quickly. He was obviously distracted by something; Will could tell his thoughts lie elsewhere.
“Is something amiss Sir?” Will asked. Captain Grimes made fast eye contact with his first lieutenant and motioned for him to follow. The two walked aft to the quarter deck and when the Captain was certain they would be out of hearing from the rest of the crew, he leaned in slightly to William.
“Lieutenant Cobb has raised questions of Mr. Shelton’s conduct in our engagement with the French. Apparently, he ordered the young man to assist with the recovery of the starboard battery when gun one was struck by the French shot. Cobb has informed me he saw Mr. Shelton coming up from the hold after the engagement was over.” Said Grimes. He was visibly disturbed by this revelation and William could see the matter was consuming to the Captain.
“If he was in fact in the hold during the engagement Sir, that would constitute cowardice in the face of the enemy.” William replied. It was an obvious statement and he knew the Captain had already come to that conclusion; the gravity of the charge however gave them both pause. If in fact Midshipman Shelton had been hiding in the ship’s hold below the waterline, he was in fact guilty of cowardice in the face of the enemy. The only prescribed punishment for which would be death. William knew Captain Grimes had a fondness of the young Midshipman, often giving the youth extra instruction in matters of navigation and seamanship. It was no secret that Shelton’s father was a friend to Captain Grimes, both serving together as midshipmen early in their careers. This made the matter even more difficult for the Captain, his duty would require him to see the young man put to death on the high sea.
“Would you see to it that Mr. Shelton is put into irons. We will have an inquiry today and standard will be at dawn tomorrow. There must be no favoritism in this matter Will, the service demands absolute action where cowardice is concerned. His father will understand,” said Grimes, his tone low in both volume and spirit.
“I certainly will Sir. But if you would permit me. I know there is no lost love between Cobb and Shelton, perhaps before putting the young man in irons I should examine his claim further?” Will asked. Captain Grimes hesitated slightly. It was no secret that Cobb did not care for the young midshipman, often displaying a tendency to be harder on him for it. But even the suspicion of favoritism
