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Ben Hallowell's duel
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PMarione
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Post Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 1:21 pm    Post subject: Ben Hallowell's duel Reply with quote

Benjamin (Ben) Hallowell was a Canadian giant born in 1760. He is well known for two anecdotes.
He was a passenger on Jervis' Victory at the battle of St Vincent. As the mist lifted on the morning of 14 February 1797, the flag-lieutenant reported, "There are eight sail of the line, Sir John."
"Very well sir."
"There are twenty sail of the line, there are twenty-five, Sir John."
"Very well sir."
"There are twenty-seven sail of the line Sir John, near double our own."
"Enough of that sir; if there are fifty sail I will go through them!" answered the undaunted admiral.
"That's right, Sir John, and a damned good licking we'll give them", cried Ben Hallowell, thumping his commander-in-chief on the back in his exhilaration. In other circumstances that would probably have ended in a CM.

At the battle of the Nile Ben Hallowell was in command of the Swiftsure and it was he who some days after the battle send to Nelson a coffin made of the wood of the main mast of L'Orient in which he was to be buried in 1806.

The Swiftsure was captured on 24 June 1801 by a French squadron.

His later career is given in the DNB :
Quote:
In 1802 Hallowell commanded the Argo (44 guns) on the African coast with a broad pennant. Touching at Barbados on his return to Europe, and learning there that war had again broken out, he placed his services at the disposal of Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, then commander-in-chief on the Leeward Islands station. He was thus engaged in the capture of St Lucia and of Tobago in June 1803, and was warmly thanked by Hood in his dispatches. On his return to England he was sent out, still in the Argo, on a special mission to Abu Qir. He was afterwards appointed to the Tigre, in which he joined the fleet off Toulon under Nelson, and under his command took part in the chase of the French fleet to the West Indies in May and June 1805. In September the Tigre was with the fleet off Cadiz, but was one of the ships detached to Gibraltar under Rear-Admiral Louis on 3 October, and had thus no share in Trafalgar.
Continuing in the Tigre, Hallowell was given command of the naval part of the expedition to Alexandria in 1807; after this he was with the fleet off Toulon and on the coast of Spain until his advancement to flag rank on 1 August 1811.
In January 1812 he hoisted his flag on board the Malta (80 guns), again in the Mediterranean, where he remained until the peace. In January 1815 he was made a KCB. Between 1816 and 1818 he was commander-in-chief on the coast of Ireland, and became vice-admiral on 12 August 1819. From 1821 to 1824 he was commander-in-chief at the Nore, with his flag in the Prince Regent.


What is less known is the story of his duel with General Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin.
In June 1813, following the victory of Wellington at Vittoria, the French armies where in full rout when Major General Donkin was blamed for inducing Lieutenant-General Sir John Murray to lift the siege of Tarragone which was a major communication knot for the French armies in Aragon and Catalogne.
Ben Hallowell who was in charge of the squadron which embarked the troops, accused Donkin of abandoning the artillery to the enemy and disgracing the army.
Donkin denied this and called Hallowell a damned scoundrel and a damned rascal, and a fortnight later sent a challenge to a duel.
Hallowell refused to meet Donkin, saying that his accusations were directed against Donkin the soldier and not his private character, and therefore it was not appropriate to fight a duel till the official investigation had been completed.
Donkin insisted on immediate redress for the insult made in public.
Hallowell remained unmoved.
In January 1815, during the CM (which was to exonerate Donkin and put the blame on Murray), BH wrote to Donkin suggesting that the moment the CM ended they meet to fight their duel.
Donkin replied that after what had passed between them, the duel must end fatally for one of them thence putting the 3 others (the survivor and the seconds) in jeopardy and proposed that the duel took place on the Continent.
BH replied that he couldn't go to the Continent without the Admiralty's permission and that asking permission would arouse suspicion.
On 20 January, BH received a letter from the Secretary for War, Lord Bathurst, informing him that if he challenged Donkin, accepted a challenge from him or acted on any previous challenge, he would incur his highest displeasure. On 9 February he was also commanded by the Admiralty to desist from fighting a duel with Donkin.
That put an end to the affair.
Sorry no gory details - maibe another time. Crying or Very sad

The main source for the story is Pistols at Dawn by Richard Hopton, London, 2007.
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