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It has been suggested that the present work is an earlier painting to the almost identical one, albeit with one or two anomalies, which is held in the National Collection at Greenwich.
The context of the scene is the action between the English mail packet Windsor Castle and the French privateer the Jeune Richard off the coast of Barbados on the 1st October 1807. The French ship had a larger crew and superior armaments, but this did not deter the English, led by Captain William Rogers, who fought bravely and with great skill. Both sides suffered considerable losses, but eventually the English were able to board the Frenchman, kill her Captain and tear down her colours.
Drummond's work represents the scene from the Jeune Richard's starboard main shrouds, showing the moment that Captain Rogers and his remaining men have boarded the privateer and are preparing to shoot the boatswain.
Drummond painted a bust-length portrait of Captain Rogers which served as a basis for this study and the finished picture. The final work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1808, and was also engraved in mezzotint by W. Ward in 1809.