BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN (1807)

The 'Second Battle of Copenhagen', (16 August - 5 September 1807) was a British attack on the civilian population of Copenhagen in order to seize the Danish fleet.
Denmark was a greater European power than today, possessing the province of Holstein (currently part of Germany) and all of Norway. At this time most of the Danish army under the Crown Prince was defending the southern border against possible attack from the French; thus the defence of Copenhagen was extremely limited.
The British government decided to seize the Danish fleet to avoid its ending up in the hands of Napoleon and attacked Copenhagen without any declaration of war. British troops commanded by General Wellesley defeated weak Danish forces near the town of Køge, south of Copenhagen. Within a few days, Copenhagen was completely encircled. The Danes rejected British demands to surrender, so the British fleet under Admiral James Gambier bombarded the city from 2 September to 5 September, 1807. On 7 September 1807, Danish General Peymann surrendered both the city and the fleet (eighteen battleships, eleven frigates, two smaller ships, two ship-sloops, seven brig-sloops, two brigs, one schooner and twenty-six gunboats) to the overwhelming British and Hanoverian force under General Lord Cathcart. In addition, three 74-gun battleships on the stocks were broken up or destroyed, along with two of the aforementioned battleships and two elderly frigates.
The British fired 5,000 rounds into Copenhagen on the first night of bombardment, only 2,000 rounds into the city on the second night, and 7,000 rounds on the third night.
More than 2,000 civilians were killed and 30% of the buildings were destroyed during the battle. The bombardment had included Congreve Rockets, which caused fires. On 21 October 1807, the British fleet left Copenhagen for England. The war continued up to 1814, when the Treaty of Kiel was signed.
Peymann was under orders from the Crown Prince to burn the Danish fleet, as the Danish king at this time was not mentally stable. No one really knows why the fleet was not burned.
After capture, one ex-Danish battleship, ''Neptunos'', ran aground and was burnt on or near the island of Hven, and when a storm arose in the Kattegat twenty-three of the captured gunboats similarly had to be destroyed or abandoned. Of the fifteen battleships which reached England, all were added to the British Navy but only four — ''Christian VII'' 80, ''Dannemark'' 74, ''Norge'' 74 and ''Princess Carolina'' 74 — saw subsequent active service.

Contents

The Ships involved

Footnotes

References

Historical Fiction

The Ships involved

'Britain (under Gambier)'

The following ships sailed with Gambier from England on 26th July 1807:

''Prince of Wales'' 98 (flag of Admiral James Gambier, 1st Captain Sir Home Riggs Popham, 2nd Captain Adam Mackenzie)

''Pompee'' 74 (Vice-Admiral Henry Edwyn Stanhope, Captain Richard Dacres)

''Centaur'' 74 (Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, Captain William Henry Webley)

''Ganges'' 74 (Commodore Richard Goodwin Keats, Captain Peter Halkett)

''Alfred'' 74 (Captain John Bligh)

''Brunswick'' 74 (Captain Thomas Graves)

''Captain'' 74 (Captain Isaac Wolley)

''Goliath'' 74 (Captain Peter Puget)

''Hercule'' 74 (Captain John Colville)

''Maida'' 74 (Captain Samuel Hood Linzee)

''Orion'' 74 (Captain Sir Archibald Collingwood Dickson)

''Resolution'' 74 (Captain George Burlton)

''Spencer'' 74 (Captain Robert Stopford)

''Vanguard'' 74 (Captain Alexander Fraser)

''Dictator'' 64 (Captain Donald Campbell)

''Nassau'' 64 (Captain Robert Campbell)

''Ruby'' 64 (Captain John Draper)

''Sibylle'' 38 (Capt. Clotworthy Upton)

''Franchise'' 36 (Capt. Charles Dashwood)

''Nymphe'' 36 (Capt. Conway Shipley)

The following vessels joined on 5th August off Helsingor:

''Superb'' 74 (Captain Donald M'Leod)

The following further vessels joined on 7th August off Helsingor:

''Minotaur'' 74 (Rear-Admiral William Essington, Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield)

''Valiant'' 74 (Captain James Young)

''Inflexible'' 64 (Captain Joshua Rowley Watson)

''Leyden'' 64 (Captain William Cumberland)

The following vessels joined on 8th August or later:

''Defence'' 74 (Captain Charles Ekins)

''Mars'' 74 (Captain William Lukin)

''Agamemnon'' 64 (Captain Jonas Rose)

''Africaine'' 32 (Capt. Richard Raggett)

Note that Lieutenant-General Lord Cathcart arrived in the ''Africaine'' on 12th August to take command of the ground forces.

In addition, there were another three dozen smaller frigates, sloops, bomb vessels and gun-brigs attached to the British fleet, and a very large number of merchant or requisitioned ships carrying troops or supplies.

'Danish'

The following Danish warships were surrendered on 7th September under the terms of the capitulation following the attack:

''Christian den Syvende'' 84 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Christian VII'' 80

''Neptunos'' 80 - sailed for Britain, but wrecked en route.

''Waldemar'' 80 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Waldemar'' 80

''Danmark'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Danmark'' 74

''Norge'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Norge'' 74

''Fyen'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Fyen'' 74

''Kronprinds Friderich'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Kron Princen'' 74

''Tre Kroner'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Tree Kronen'' 74

''Arveprinds Friderich'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Heir Apparent Frederick'' 74

''Skjold'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Skiold'' 74

''Odin'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Odin'' 74

''Justitia'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Justitia'' 74

''Kronprindsesse Maria'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Kron Princessen'' 74

''Prindsesse Sophia Friderica'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Princess Sophia Frederica'' 74

''Prindsesse Caroline'' 74 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Princess Carolina'' 74

(Note a sistership of this vessel, the ''Prinds Christian Friderick'', was not present at Copenhagen at the time of the assault, but was captured and burnt by the British Navy on 23 March 1808.)

''Dittsmarschen'' 64 - not sailed to Britain, but deemed useless and burnt.

''Mars'' 64 - not sailed to Britain, but deemed useless and burnt.

''Seijeren'' 64 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Syeren'' 64

''Paerlen'' 38 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Perlen'' 38

''Rota'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Rota'' 38

''Havfruen'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Hasfruen'' 36

''Freja'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Freya'' 36

''Iris'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Iris'' 36

''Najaden'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Nyaden'' 36

''Havfruen'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Hasfruen'' 36

''Nymfen'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Nymphen'' 36

''Venus'' 36 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Venus'' 36

''Frederichsteen'' 26 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Frederickstein'' 32

''St Thomas'' 22 - not sailed to Britain, but deemed useless and burnt.

''Triton'' 22 - not sailed to Britain, but deemed useless and burnt.

''Lille Belt'' 22 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Little Belt'' 20

''Fylla'' 22 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Fylla'' 20

''Eijderen'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Eyderen'' 18

''Elvin'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Elvin'' 18

''Gluckstadt'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Gluckstadt'' 16

''Nidelven'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Nid Elven'' 16

''Sarpen'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Sarpen'' 16

''Glommen'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Glommen'' 16

''Mercurius'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Mercurius'' 16

''Delphinen'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Delphinen'' 16

''Allart'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Allart'' 16

''Flyvende Fiske'' 14 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Flying Fish'' 14

''Brevdrageren'' 18 - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Brev Drageren'' 12

''Ornen'' 12 (schooner) - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Ornen'' 12

''Stege'' 2 (gunboats) - sailed to Britain, added to British Navy as ''Warning'' 2

There were a further 25 gunboats similar to the ''Stege'', of which 23 were destroyed in the Kattegat rather than sailed to Britain - these were the ''Arendal'', ''Nykjobing'', ''Nakskov'', ''Aalborg'', ''Odense'', ''Langesund'', ''Stavoern'', ''Christiansund'', ''Flensborg'', ''Wiborg'', ''Kallundborg'', ''Helsingoer'', ''Nestved'', ''Roeskilde'', ''Saltholmen'', ''Fredericksund'', ''Stubbekjobing'', ''Rodby'', ''Nysted'', ''Svendborg'', ''Faaborg'', ''Holbek'', ''Middelfart'', ''Assens'' and ''Kjerteminde''.

(Note that in 1809 there was a plan to give almost all of captured vessels more 'traditional' British warship names, but this plan was later cancelled, and most Danish vessels retained their original names (or at least, 'anglicised' versions thereof) until they were taken to pieces.)

Footnotes

References

★ Smith, D. ''The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book''. Greenhill Books, 1998.

★ Winfield, Rif. ''British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1793 - 1817''. Chatham Publishing, 2005.
See also a new account of the British assault on Denmark in 1807 - 'Defying Napoleon. How Britain bombarded Copenhagen and seized the Danish Fleet in 1807' by Thomas Munch-Petersen (Sutton Publishing, 2007) Details available on http://www.copenhagen1807.info.

Historical Fiction

Author: Bernard Cornwell;
Title: "Sharpe's Prey"-
Richard Sharpe and the Expedition to Copenhagen, 1807