Lieutenant Hornblower
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower
novel written by C. S. Forester
, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.
It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication.
The book is unique in the series in being told not from Horatio Hornblower's point of view, but rather from Bush's. This helped Forester to explain Hornblower's unsuitable first marriage besides giving an objective view of Hornblower himself. This unusual narrative perspective also allows Forester to sustain a mystery, advanced hint by hint in the course of the novel, about who pushed Captain Sawyer into the hold - Hornblower himself or Wellard.
, who becomes Hornblower's faithful companion and best friend, is introduced boarding HMS Renown
as the Third Lieutenant
. Hornblower is the Fifth and junior Lieutenant. It is quickly apparent that Captain James Sawyer suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, constantly suspecting plots to undermine his authority and awarding irrational and arbitrary punishments to Hornblower and other officers. A young volunteer named Wellard suffers particularly badly. Four of the Lieutenants meet in secret in the lower decks to discuss what can be done, but are interrupted when Wellard warns them that the Captain is on his way to arrest "mutineers". The officers scatter and attempt to appear as if nothing had happened, and in the confusion, they learn that the Captain has somehow fallen head-first into the hold.
When the Captain regains consciousness, he has entirely lost his reason as a result of the fall, and is incapable of resuming command. The First Lieutenant
, Buckland, takes charge; but having appeared to be steady enough at the start of the book, he is overwhelmed by the responsibility. Ordered to capture an anchorage from which Spanish privateer
s are operating, he makes a clumsy frontal attack which is repulsed. Hornblower brilliantly retrieves the situation, when he suggests a surprise attack at night. Bush leads the successful attack, but it is Hornblower who is instrumental in negotiating the unconditional surrender of the remaining Spanish forces.
The Spanish base at Samaná is destroyed, a Spanish privateer and some small craft are captured and Buckland's promotion seems assured. Unfortunately for him, the Spanish prisoners take control of the Renown during the night, taking Buckland prisoner asleep in his cot. Hornblower alertly retakes the ship, but in the desperate fighting, Bush is severely wounded and the helpless Sawyer is killed.
Upon their return to port, there is an awkward Court of Enquiry. Hornblower repeatedly denies any knowledge of how Captain Sawyer came to fall into the hold. After enquiries end indecisively, Buckland is passed over; instead, Hornblower is promoted to Commander
.
Unfortunately, the Peace of Amiens (1802) is signed before Hornblower's promotion can be confirmed. Because he has to pay back the difference in pay between a commander and a lieutenant, Hornblower is reduced to earning his living by playing whist
for money. He resides in a lodging house, where he meets his future first wife Maria (née Mason), the daughter of the landlady. Bush meets him several times, and notes in a newspaper that Midshipman
Wellard, who (apart from Hornblower) might be the only witness to Captain Sawyer's fall into the hold, has drowned in an accident.
The Peace of Amiens comes to an end in 1803. War has not yet begun, but is imminent, as evinced by a press gang
Hornblower and Bush encounter. Hornblower's promotion is confirmed (by a Lord of the Admiralty he impresses with his exceptional cardplaying skills) and he is appointed commander
of a sloop of war
.
, which concern the voyage of the Renown and the subsequent enquiry, and for some scenes at the beginning of episode 7.
Horatio Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
novel written by C. S. Forester
C. S. Forester
Cecil Scott "C.S." Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith , an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of naval warfare. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen...
, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.
It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication.
The book is unique in the series in being told not from Horatio Hornblower's point of view, but rather from Bush's. This helped Forester to explain Hornblower's unsuitable first marriage besides giving an objective view of Hornblower himself. This unusual narrative perspective also allows Forester to sustain a mystery, advanced hint by hint in the course of the novel, about who pushed Captain Sawyer into the hold - Hornblower himself or Wellard.
Plot summary
William BushWilliam Bush (Hornblower)
Captain William Bush RN is a fictional character in C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series. He is Hornblower's best friend, and serves with Hornblower in the Royal Navy prior to the Peace of Amiens and again during the Napoleonic Wars.-Character sketch:...
, who becomes Hornblower's faithful companion and best friend, is introduced boarding HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1798)
HMS Renown was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was to have been named HMS Royal Oak, but the name was changed to Renown on 15 February 1796....
as the Third Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. Hornblower is the Fifth and junior Lieutenant. It is quickly apparent that Captain James Sawyer suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, constantly suspecting plots to undermine his authority and awarding irrational and arbitrary punishments to Hornblower and other officers. A young volunteer named Wellard suffers particularly badly. Four of the Lieutenants meet in secret in the lower decks to discuss what can be done, but are interrupted when Wellard warns them that the Captain is on his way to arrest "mutineers". The officers scatter and attempt to appear as if nothing had happened, and in the confusion, they learn that the Captain has somehow fallen head-first into the hold.
When the Captain regains consciousness, he has entirely lost his reason as a result of the fall, and is incapable of resuming command. The First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, Buckland, takes charge; but having appeared to be steady enough at the start of the book, he is overwhelmed by the responsibility. Ordered to capture an anchorage from which Spanish privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s are operating, he makes a clumsy frontal attack which is repulsed. Hornblower brilliantly retrieves the situation, when he suggests a surprise attack at night. Bush leads the successful attack, but it is Hornblower who is instrumental in negotiating the unconditional surrender of the remaining Spanish forces.
The Spanish base at Samaná is destroyed, a Spanish privateer and some small craft are captured and Buckland's promotion seems assured. Unfortunately for him, the Spanish prisoners take control of the Renown during the night, taking Buckland prisoner asleep in his cot. Hornblower alertly retakes the ship, but in the desperate fighting, Bush is severely wounded and the helpless Sawyer is killed.
Upon their return to port, there is an awkward Court of Enquiry. Hornblower repeatedly denies any knowledge of how Captain Sawyer came to fall into the hold. After enquiries end indecisively, Buckland is passed over; instead, Hornblower is promoted to Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
.
Unfortunately, the Peace of Amiens (1802) is signed before Hornblower's promotion can be confirmed. Because he has to pay back the difference in pay between a commander and a lieutenant, Hornblower is reduced to earning his living by playing whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
for money. He resides in a lodging house, where he meets his future first wife Maria (née Mason), the daughter of the landlady. Bush meets him several times, and notes in a newspaper that Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
Wellard, who (apart from Hornblower) might be the only witness to Captain Sawyer's fall into the hold, has drowned in an accident.
The Peace of Amiens comes to an end in 1803. War has not yet begun, but is imminent, as evinced by a press gang
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
Hornblower and Bush encounter. Hornblower's promotion is confirmed (by a Lord of the Admiralty he impresses with his exceptional cardplaying skills) and he is appointed commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of a sloop of war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
.
Television adaptation
This novel provides the material for episodes 5 and 6 of the Hornblower television seriesHornblower (TV series)
Hornblower is the umbrella title of a series of television drama programmes based on C. S. Forester's novels about the fictional character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Naval officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars....
, which concern the voyage of the Renown and the subsequent enquiry, and for some scenes at the beginning of episode 7.