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Early career and portraits
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Mortella Tower. Corsica (elevation). First illustration in Plan of Mortella Tower, St Fiorenzo Bay. Corsica, 1794 (PAD1621)
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| Object name: |
Drawing
We
have 2017 objects of this type online
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PU1621, Mortella Tower. Corsica (elevation). First illustration in Plan of Mortella Tower, St Fiorenzo Bay. Corsica, 1794
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
About our images
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| Artist/maker: |
C. F. D
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| Date made: |
probably circa 1794 |
| Place made: |
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| Materials: |
ink and watercolour |
| Measurements: |
371 x 243 mm |
| Credit: |
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London |
| Collection: |
Prints, drawings and watercolours
Learn about this collection
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Description:
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This ancient tower on Mortella Point guarded the anchorage in San Fiorenzo Bay, northern Corsica. It had two 18-pounder guns on top and made the bay impossible for the British to use in their invasion of February 1794. When two British warships attacked it from the sea it returned red-hot shot that started a fire in one of them. It was only captured after British shore guns used hot shot that set fire to ‘bass-junk’ (old rope used as protection) on the parapet and ‘smoked out’ the French defenders. The British later blew up the tower but were so impressed that from 1805 they based their own ‘Martello tower’ coastal defences against Napoleon on it. They corrupted the Italian name mortella (myrtle) into ‘martello’ (which, coincidentally, is Italian for hammer) from the start. This name was spread by a print of the tower for which this is one of three anonymous drawings used.
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Related publications
Nelson & Napoléon
– Margarette Lincoln
A catalogue for the Nelson & Napoléon exhibition at the National Maritime Museum
ISBN 0-948065-59-1
Published: 2005
Publisher: National Maritime Museum Publications
Edition: 1
Buy
'Nelson & Napoléon' from the museum shop
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