The year is 1794, and Britain is at war with France. Corsican patriots have pleaded for British aid in freeing Corsica from the occupying French Revolutionary forces. To this end the Royal Navy is to bombard a large, round tower situated on Mortella Point, to allow the Army to capture it. But the tower puts up a good fight and the Navy is repulsed with serious damage and sixty casualties. The 'Mortella Tower' is indeed a formidable barrier against invasion....

The Mortella Tower, Corsica
The Mortella Point Tower

The British actually captured the tower at Mortella Point twice; in September 1793 it was taken after two hours' bombardment by HMS Lowestoft. Corsican patriots took over from the French garrison, but eventually lost the tower to the French again. The tower was up-gunned to mount one 6-pounder and two 18-pounder cannon, as again the Royal Navy took on the tower. On Sunday, February 9, 1794, HMS Fortitude (armed with 74 guns) and HMS Juno (32 guns) sailed into San Fiorenzo Bay. Captain William Young of HMS Fortitude wrote in his log:

February 9

Light airs and clear weather, at 1 weighed and came to sail, let go the steam anchor under the stern and the best bower [anchor] with a spring on it abreast of Mortella Tower which begun immediately to fire on us. As soon as the ship was properly placed we returned the fire and kept a constant firing until half after 3 when an explosion took place between decks occasioned by a red hot shot striking a powder box, which communicated to others and blew up several men. Soon after the ship was perceived to be on fire, by red hot shot. 3 minutes before 4 cut away the cables and spring, came to sail...came to with the best bower in 16 fathom. Water got out the shots and extinguished the fire.

a.m. 10 February
Came on board carpenters from the different ships to examine the damages, mustered the ships company, found 6 men killed and 57 wounded.1

The tower eventually fell to the besieging British Army, who had landed further along the coast. Major-General David Dundas and Lieutenant-General John Moore established a four-gun battery 150 yards from the tower, and bombardment began. After two days, the tower was still holding out, until a lucky shot caused a fire to break out amongst some material used to strengthen the parapet, and only then did the tower succumb.2

The tower was demolished3 to prevent its re-use by the French before the British left Corsica in 1796, although problems were encountered when trying to blow it up. The whole experience left its mark on British defensive ideas, however, and detailed plans were taken of the tower before its destruction. The Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean, Admiral Sir John Jervis wrote at the time that he "hoped to see such works erected on every part of the [English] coast likely for an enemy to make a descent on."4

It was at this time that the name 'Martello' was first coined. It is believed to have originated from a corruption of 'Mortella', after the location of the tower which had so impressed its attackers. Confusion over this sometimes arises due to the Italian coastal watch towers known as 'Torre di Martello' or 'Hammer Towers' in which a hammer was used to strike a bell to warn of the approach of pirates.

  1. From a typed transcript held by the Redoubt Fortress Museum, Eastbourne. The original source is unknown.
  2. More detailed accounts of the Mortella Point Action are given in: Mead, Cdr. H.P. The Martello Towers of England from 'The Mariner's Mirror' July and October, 1948, and also in Sutcliffe, S. (1972) Martello Towers
  3. The extent to which the Mortella Point tower was demolished is shown in the photograph at the top. While the tower appears to be standing, it is, in fact only one half, preventing it from mounting guns again. Bill Clements says in Towers of Strength (1999) "The tower at Mortella Point was an example of a common type and the remains of others may still be seen on Corsica" (p48).
  4. Quoted in Sutcliffe, op cit, p.22

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