, british invasion , oldies)

One of the most remarkable Birmingham bands of the early 60s, in addition to its classical creations, became famous for the fact that in its ranks began musical career Steve Winwood. A native of South Wales, Spencer Davis (b. July 17, 1941) arrived in Birmingham in 1960, where he began to master the profession of a teacher, and in the evenings he performed blues at various venues. In the meantime, Steve (b. May 12, 1948) and his older brother Muff (b. June 15, 1943) moved from piano and church choir to guitar, occasionally performing with their saxophonist father at dance parties. Once fate brought Davis to the Winwood brothers, and, having found common interests, the guys organized their own group, "Rhythm and blues quartette", which also included drummer Pete York (b. August 15, 1942).

The quartet's favorite venue was the "Golden eagle" pub, and one of the patrons who raved about the band's gigs was none other than future Slade frontman Noddy Holder. It was in this institution that the musicians were discovered by a young promoter from the capital, Chris Blackwell, who helped the guys sign a contract with Fontana records. At Muff's suggestion, the band was renamed the "Spencer Davis group" because Spencer was the oldest of the guys and could be in charge of future interviews.

The first single "SDG", released in April 1964, was a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Dimples", and did not become very popular just because the original was released at the same time. Then the team began to actively travel around Britain, with the help of which three subsequent singles ("I Can" t Stand It", "Every Little Bit Hurts", "Strong Love") got into the national charts. By the way, at that time Steve was the main vocalist, and Spencer himself rarely stood at the microphone.The material consisted mostly of rhythm and blues covers, which did not allow the team to open up to its full potential.Then Blackwell attracted Jamaican singer and composer Jackie Edwards to cooperate, and the very first song he wrote (" Keep on running") in the processing of "Spencer Davis group" pushed the Beatles themselves off the top of the charts.

Well, when the first longplay went on sale, the musicians simply did not know what to do with the squealing fans. In continental Europe, the team also quickly gained popularity and the tour (especially German) was a great success. The Edwards-Winwood tandem produced a couple more hit singles, after which Blackwell, under the influence of the organ of Winwood Jr., began to persuade the group to write purely their own material.

Composed by Steve, the composition "Gimme some loving" found itself in second place in the British charts, and also made a great impression on the American audience. However, Winwood quickly grew musically, and the scope of "Spencer Davis group" became too tight for him. In 1967, he left the group, and after that he dumped Muff. The Winwoods' place on SDG was taken by guitarist Phil Sawyer and organist Eddie Hardin. Interesting fact- one of the keyboardists who did not pass the audition was Reginald Dwight, who later became famous under the name Elton John. Without Steve, the band's business began to decline, although the first single in his absence ("Time seller") settled at number 30. In late 1967, Sawyer was replaced by Ray Fenwick, who made his debut on the single "Mr. Second Class". At the beginning of the next year, the Spencer Davis group put together a good album, "With their new face", but, unfortunately, it was overshadowed by the debut work "Traffic".

October 1968 was marked by the departure of Hardin and York, who formed the duo Hardin and York. Their places were taken by Nigel Olsson and Pete Murray, but this configuration managed to record only one single. The release of the planned album was thwarted, and the group soon disbanded. Spencer moved to America, where he took up recruiting activities for labels. Nevertheless, in the early 70s, a short-term reunion of the "Spencer Davis group" took place.

When guitarist Spencer Davis recruited drummer Peter York, bassist Muff Winwood and singing multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood, the latter became the band's frontman. Spencer Davis Group rose to prominence after Chris Blackwell signed them to Island Records; The biggest hits were "Keep on Running", "Somebody Help Me" (both #1 UK), "Gimme Some Lovin" (#2) and "I'm a Man" (#9).

The Spencer Davis Group
basic information
Genres	bit pop rock
years	- - present tense
Country	Great Britain Great Britain
City	Birmingham
Where	Birmingham
Labels	Fontana Records Island Records United Artists Records
Compound	Spencer Davis Eddie Hardin Steff Porzel Colin Hodgkinson Miller Anderson Jim Blazer
Former participants	Steve Winwood Muff Winwood Pete York Phil Sawyer Nigel Olsson Dee Murray Ray Fenwick
spencer-davis-group.com
Media files at Wikimedia Commons

Just when it looked like the Spencer Davis Group was about to make a breakthrough in the US market, Winwood stepped down and formed Traffic. In 1969, the group disbanded; the band's guitarist went on to work as a producer, notably with the Canadian Downchild Blues Band.

Group history

The Spencer Davis Group was formed in 1963 when guitarist Spencer Davis (born July 17, 1939 in Swansea, Wales) invited the brothers Muff and Steve Winwood (bass guitar and organ, respectively) to cooperate. Together with drummer Pete York, they began to regularly perform in urban clubs and soon attracted the attention of Chris Blackwell of Island Records, who signed them to a contract and became a producer.

SDG debuted with the single "Dimples" (1964) and had their first big hit with "Keep On Running", which topped the UK charts. "Somebody Help Me" and "When I Come Home" followed in 1966 (as well as "Det war in Schoneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Madel ruck ruck ruck an meine grune Seite" released especially for the German market. Spencer Davis at the beginning He studied in West Berlin in the 1960s and wanted to show some kind of gratitude to the country with these two releases. also appeared on the American charts.

In 1967, Steve Winwood formed his own band, Traffic; his brother Muff became head of A&R (artists and repertoire) at Island Records. Spencer Davis Group continued to record ("Time Seller", "Mr. Second-Class" - the second of which became a "hit" on Radio Caroline, one of the famous pirate radio stations) and - together with Traffic - recorded the music for the film "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

The group's last successful release was "After Tea" (1968), but at the same time this song was released by the German band The Rattles. The Spencer Davis Group stopped performing and soon disbanded. Davis continued to work as a producer, mainly recording jazz-influenced albums. Muff Winwood, also as producer, has recorded two albums

pop rock

Just when it looked like the Spencer Davis Group was about to make a breakthrough in the US market, Winwood stepped down and formed Traffic. In 1969, the group disbanded; the band's guitarist went on to work as a producer, notably with the Canadian Downchild Blues Band.

Group history

The Spencer Davis Group formed in 1963 when guitarist Spencer Davis (Eng. Spencer Davis, genus. July 17, 1939 in Swansea, Wales) invited the brothers Muff and Steve Winwood (bass guitar and organ, respectively) to cooperate. Together with drummer Pete York, they began to regularly perform in urban clubs and soon attracted the attention of Chris Blackwell of Island Records, who signed them to a contract and became a producer.

SDG debuted with the single "Dimples" (1964) and had their first big hit with "Keep On Running", which topped the UK charts. "Somebody Help Me" and "When I Come Home" followed in 1966 (as well as "Det war in Schoneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Madel ruck ruck ruck an meine grune Seite" released especially for the German market. Spencer Davis at the beginning He studied in West Berlin in the 1960s and wanted to show some kind of gratitude to the country with these two releases. also appeared on the American charts.

In 1967, Steve Winwood formed his own band, Traffic; his brother Muff became head of A&R (artists and repertoire) at Island Records. Spencer Davis Group continued to record ("Time Seller", "Mr. Second-Class" - the second of which became a "hit" on Radio Caroline, one of the famous pirate radio stations) and - together with Traffic - recorded the music for the film "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

The group's last successful release was "After Tea" (1968), but the German band The Rattles released the song at the same time. The Spencer Davis Group stopped performing and soon disbanded. Davis continued to work as a producer, mainly recording jazz-influenced albums. Muff Winwood, also as producer, recorded two Sparks albums that brought the band to prominence in the UK.

Spencer Davis Group, despite the fact that they did not last long, turned out to be an influential group: their songs were subsequently performed by many musicians, in particular, Chicago ("I'm a Man", 1969), The Allman Brothers Band ("Don't Want You No More", 1969), Three Dog Night ("Can't Get Enough of It", 1970), The Blues Brothers ("Gimme Some Lovin"", 1980). Their songs were also performed by The Grateful Dead - at concerts, once - with Spencer Davis himself (1989, Great Western Forum, Los Angeles).

Discography

Albums (UK)

• Their First LP(Fontana TL 5242) (July 1965)
• The Second Album(Fontana TL 5295) (January 1966)
• Autumn"66(Fontana TL 5359) (September 1966)
• With Their New Face On(United Artists ULP 1192) (1968)
• Funky(Date/One Way) (1997; recorded 1968)

Albums (US)

• I'm A Man(United Artists UAL 3859) (1966)
• Gimme some lovin'(United Artists UAL 3578) (1967)
• With Their New Face On(United Artists UAS 6652) (1968)

Singles

Write a review on "The Spencer Davis Group"

Links

• . - Official website of The Spencer Davis Group.
• Rate Your Music

Notes

An excerpt characterizing The Spencer Davis Group

- This is a real, real world, and a very real danger! .. This is no longer the innocent beauty that we created! .. What are we going to do?
- Leave. - Again stubbornly repeated the baby.
We can try, can't we? Yes, and grandmother will not leave us if it is really dangerous. Apparently, we can still get out on our own if she doesn't come. Don't worry, she won't leave us.
I would like her confidence! .. Although usually I was far from shy, but this situation made me very nervous, because there were not only us, but also those for whom we came to this horror. And how to get out of this nightmare - I, unfortunately, did not know.
- There is no time here, but it usually comes at the same interval, approximately as there were days on earth. - Suddenly the boy answered my thoughts.
– Has it already been today? - Stella asked, obviously delighted.
The little girl nodded.
- Well, let's go? - she looked at me carefully and I realized that she was asking to “put on” my “protection” on them.
Stella was the first to stick her red head out...
- Nobody! she rejoiced. - Wow, what a horror! ..
Of course, I could not stand it and climbed after her. It really was a real “nightmare” there!.. Next to our strange “place of confinement”, in a completely incomprehensible way, human beings hung upside down in “bundles” ... They were hung by their legs, and created, as it were, an inverted bouquet .
We got closer - none of the people showed signs of life ...
- They are completely "pumped out"! Stella was horrified. “They didn’t even have a drop of vitality left! .. That’s it, let’s run away !!!
We rushed as fast as we could, somewhere to the side, absolutely not knowing where we were running, just to get away from all this blood-freezing horror ... Without even thinking that we could again fall into the same, or the same even worse, damn...
It suddenly got dark. Blue-black clouds rushed across the sky, as if driven by a strong wind, although there was no wind yet. In the depths of the black clouds dazzling lightning flashed, the peaks of the mountains blazed with a red glow... Sometimes swollen clouds were torn apart by evil peaks and dark brown water flowed from them like a waterfall. This whole terrible picture was like the most terrible of the terrible, a nightmare ....
- Daddy, darling, I'm so scared! - the little boy squealed thinly, forgetting his former militancy.
Suddenly, one of the clouds “broke”, and a dazzlingly bright light blazed out of it. And in this light, in a sparkling cocoon, the figure of a very thin young man, with a face as sharp as a knife blade, was approaching. Everything around him shone and glowed, black clouds “melted” from this light, turning into dirty, black shreds.
- Blimey! Stella screamed happily. - How does he do it?
- Do you know him? I was indescribably surprised, but Stella shook her head negatively.
The young man sank down next to us on the ground and with a gentle smile asked:
- Why are you here? This is not your place.
“We know, we were just trying to get to the top!” - the joyful Stella was already chirping all over. – Will you help us get back upstairs?.. We definitely need to get home faster! And then our grandmothers are waiting for us there, and here they are also waiting, but others.
The young man, meanwhile, for some reason, looked at me very carefully and seriously. He had a strange, piercing look, from which for some reason I felt embarrassed.
What are you doing here, girl? he asked softly. – How did you manage to get here?
- We were just walking. - I answered honestly. And so they were looking for. - Smiling at the "foundlings", she pointed at them with her hand.
"But you're alive, aren't you?" – could not calm down the savior.
Yes, but I've been here many times before. I answered calmly.
- Oh, not here, but "above"! laughing, my girlfriend corrected me. “We definitely wouldn’t come back here, would we?”
“Yes, I think this will be enough for a long time ... In any case, to me ...” I was already shivering from recent memories.
“You must get out of here. - Again, softly, but more insistently said the young man. - Now.
A sparkling "path" stretched out from him and ran straight into a luminous tunnel. We were literally drawn in without even taking a step, and after a moment we found ourselves in the same transparent world in which we found our round Leah and her mother.
Mom, Mom, Dad is back! And Great too!.. - little Leah rolled head over heels towards us, tightly clutching the red dragon to her chest. neck, squealing with delight.
I was happy for this family that found each other, and a little sad for all my dead “guests” who came to earth for help, who could no longer hug each other as joyfully, since they did not belong to the same worlds .. .
- Oh, daddy, here you are! And I thought you were gone! And you took and found! That's good, how! - the radiant girl squealed with happiness.
Suddenly, a cloud flew over her happy face, and it became very sad ... And in a completely different voice, the little girl turned to Stella:
Dear girls, thank you for your dad! And for my brother, of course! Are you going to leave now? And when will you be back? Here is your dragon, please! He was very good, and he fell in love with me very, very much ... - it seemed that right now poor Leah would burst into tears, so much she wanted to hold at least a little more of this cute marvelous dragon! .. And they were about to take him away and there will be no more...

Spencer Davis (b. 17 July 1941) adolescence played in several London skiffle bands, after which he moved to Birmingham and began working as a teacher. Nevertheless, he did not give up music and, having given her evening time, he performed the blues at various city venues, first alone, and then in the company of the future Fleetwood Mac member Christina Perfect. In 1963, Spencer met the Winwood brothers, Steve and Muff, who were then performing under the label "Muff-Woody Jazz Band". Having discovered the musical views of the guys similar to his, Davis invited them to his company to organize a new ensemble. The line-up was completed with jazz drummer Pete York, and the newly-baked quartet was named "The Rhythm And Blues Quartette". The "secret weapon" of the group turned out to be Steve, who, despite his young age (15 years old), had an adult-like chic soul vocal and thereby leading the audience to indescribable delight. The quartet's favorite venue was the Golden Eagle pub, and one of the patrons who admired the band's concerts was none other than the future Slade frontman Noddy Holder.

It was in this institution that the musicians were discovered by a young promoter from the capital, Chris Blackwell, who helped to sign a contract with Fontana Records. At Muff's suggestion, the ensemble was renamed the "Spencer Davis Group", since only Spencer, as a senior, could be responsible for the planned interviews. Released in April 1964, the first single was a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" and did not become very popular just because the original was released at the same time.

Then the group began to actively travel around the country, with the help of which the next three forty-five ("I Can" t Stand It", "Every Little Bit Hurts", "Strong Love") hit the national charts... By the way, at that time the main vocalist was Steve, and Spencer himself rarely stood at the microphone.The material consisted mostly of blues and rhythm and blues covers, which did not allow the team to open up to its full potential.Then Blackwell attracted Jamaican singer and composer Jackie Edwards to cooperate, and the first written them the song "Keep On Running" in the processing of "Spencer Davis Group" with its powerful R&B rhythm pushed the Beatles themselves off the top of the charts. Well, when the first LP went on sale, the musicians simply did not know where to go from squealing fans. In continental Europe, the band also quickly gained popularity, and tours (especially German ones) went off with a bang.With the help of Edwards, the band gave out a couple more hits ("Somebody Help Me", "When I Come Home"), after which Blackwell was impressed organ of Winwood Jr. began to persuade the group to write their own material.

His initiative quickly bore fruit, and the composition "Gimme Some Lovin" composed by Steve ended up in second place in the British charts, and also gutted the American top ten. However, Winwood quickly grew musically, and the scope of "Spencer Davis Group" became cramped for him. In 1967, he left to create "Traffic", and then Muff left, accepting Blackwell's offer to work for his office "Island Records".

Surviving the blow, the team made up for the losses with the help of guitarist Phil Sawyer and organist Eddie Hardin. An interesting fact - one of the keyboardists who did not pass the audition was Reginald Dwight, who later became famous under the name Elton John. Without Steve, the band went into decline, although the first EP in his absence ("Time Seller") settled on the 30th line. In late 1967, Sawyer was replaced by Ray Fenwick, who made his debut on the single "Mr. Second Class". Early next year, the Spencer Davis Group released With Their New Face On, an album marked by a trendy psychedelic slant, but unfortunately it couldn't compete with the work of Trafficic. October 1968 was marked by the departure of Hardin and York, who created the rather successful duo Hardin And York. Their places were taken by Nigel Olsson and Pete Murray, but this configuration managed to release only one single. The release of the planned album "Funky" was thwarted, and the group soon disbanded. A brief reunion of the "Spencer Davis Group" took place in the first half of the 70s, when new bass player Charlie McCracken joined Davis, Hardin, Fenwick and York.

One after another, the team released the albums "Gluggo" and "Living In A Back Street", but these miserable experiments at the junction of soul, blues and boogie-hard did not find a response among the masses. Spencer subsequently worked for himself, and as listeners grew nostalgic, he increasingly resorted to the name "Spencer Davis Group". Hardin also took part in one of the next reunions, which took place already in the 2000s, and Davis, at that time, had already two sets of partners, American and English, to reduce touring costs.

Last update 24.01.17

-
- present tense

The Spencer Davis Group The Spencer Davis Group

Just when it looked like the Spencer Davis Group was about to make a breakthrough in the US market, Winwood stepped down and formed Traffic. In 1969, the group disbanded; the band's guitarist went on to work as a producer, notably with the Canadian Downchild Blues Band.

Group history

The Spencer Davis Group formed in 1963 when guitarist Spencer Davis (Eng. Spencer Davis, genus. July 17, 1939 in Swansea, Wales) invited the brothers Muff and Steve Winwood (bass guitar and organ, respectively) to cooperate. Together with drummer Pete York, they began to regularly perform in urban clubs and soon attracted the attention of Chris Blackwell of Island Records, who signed them to a contract and became a producer.

SDG debuted with the single "Dimples" (1964) and had their first big hit with "Keep On Running", which topped the UK charts. "Somebody Help Me" and "When I Come Home" followed in 1966 (as well as "Det war in Schoneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Madel ruck ruck ruck an meine grune Seite" released especially for the German market. Spencer Davis at the beginning He studied in West Berlin in the 1960s and wanted to show some kind of gratitude to the country with these two releases. also appeared on the American charts.

In 1967, Steve Winwood formed his own band, Traffic; his brother Muff became head of A&R (artists and repertoire) at Island Records. Spencer Davis Group continued to record ("Time Seller", "Mr. Second-Class" - the second of which became a "hit" on Radio Caroline, one of the famous pirate radio stations) and - together with Traffic - recorded the music for the film "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".

The group's last successful release was "After Tea" (1968), but the German band The Rattles released the song at the same time. The Spencer Davis Group stopped performing and soon disbanded. Davis continued to work as a producer, mainly recording jazz-influenced albums. Muff Winwood, also as producer, recorded two Sparks albums that brought the band to prominence in the UK.

Spencer Davis Group, despite the fact that they did not last long, turned out to be an influential group: their songs were subsequently performed by many musicians, in particular, Chicago ("I'm a Man", 1969), The Allman Brothers Band ("Don't Want You No More", 1969), Three Dog Night ("Can't Get Enough of It", 1970), The Blues Brothers ("Gimme Some Lovin"", 1980). Their songs were also performed by The Grateful Dead - at concerts, once - with Spencer Davis himself (1989, Great Western Forum, Los Angeles).

Discography

Albums (UK)

• Their First LP(Fontana TL 5242) (July 1965)
• The Second Album(Fontana TL 5295) (January 1966)
• Autumn"66(Fontana TL 5359) (September 1966)
• With Their New Face On(United Artists ULP 1192) (1968)
• Funky(Date/One Way) (1997; recorded 1968)

Albums (US)

• I'm A Man(United Artists UAL 3859) (1966)
• Gimme some lovin'(United Artists UAL 3578) (1967)
• With Their New Face On(United Artists UAS 6652) (1968)

Singles

Write a review on "The Spencer Davis Group"

Links

• . - Official website of The Spencer Davis Group.
• Rate Your Music

Notes

An excerpt characterizing The Spencer Davis Group

The remnants of the troops of Langeron and Dokhturov, mixed up, crowded around the ponds on the dams and banks near the village of Augusta.
At 6 o'clock, only at the Augusta dam, the hot cannonade of some Frenchmen could still be heard, who had built numerous batteries on the descent of the Pracen Heights and were beating at our retreating troops.
In the rearguard, Dokhturov and others, gathering battalions, fired back from the French cavalry pursuing ours. It was starting to get dark. On the narrow dam of Augusta, on which for so many years an old miller with fishing rods sat peacefully in a cap, while his grandson, rolling up his shirt sleeves, sorted through a silver quivering fish in a watering can; on this dam, over which for so many years the Moravians peacefully passed in their twin wagons loaded with wheat, in shaggy hats and blue jackets, and, covered with flour, with white wagons, left along the same dam - on this narrow dam now between wagons and cannons, people disfigured by the fear of death crowded under the horses and between the wheels, crushing each other, dying, stepping over the dying and killing each other, just to be sure after walking a few steps. also killed.
Every ten seconds, pumping air, a cannonball slapped or a grenade exploded in the middle of this dense crowd, killing and spattering with blood those who stood close. Dolokhov, wounded in the hand, on foot with a dozen soldiers of his company (he was already an officer) and his regimental commander, on horseback, were the remnants of the entire regiment. Drawn by the crowd, they squeezed into the entrance to the dam and, squeezed from all sides, stopped because a horse fell in front under a cannon, and the crowd pulled it out. One shot killed someone behind them, the other hit in front and spattered Dolokhov's blood. The crowd advanced desperately, shrank, moved a few paces, and stopped again.
Walk these hundred steps, and, probably, saved; stand another two minutes, and probably died, everyone thought. Dolokhov, who was standing in the middle of the crowd, rushed to the edge of the dam, knocking down two soldiers, and fled to the slippery ice that covered the pond.
“Turn around,” he shouted, bouncing on the ice that crackled beneath him, “turn around!” he shouted at the gun. - Keep! ...
The ice held it, but it bent and cracked, and it was obvious that not only under a gun or a crowd of people, but under him alone, he was about to collapse. They looked at him and pressed close to the shore, not yet daring to set foot on the ice. The regimental commander, who was standing on horseback at the entrance, raised his hand and opened his mouth, addressing Dolokhov. Suddenly one of the cannonballs whistled so low over the crowd that everyone bent down. Something flopped into the wet, and the general fell with his horse into a pool of blood. No one looked at the general, did not think to pick him up.
- Get on the ice! went on ice! Let's go! gate! don't you hear! Let's go! - suddenly, after the ball that hit the general, countless voices were heard, not knowing what and why they were shouting.
One of the rear guns, which entered the dam, turned onto the ice. Crowds of soldiers from the dam began to run to the frozen pond. Ice cracked under one of the front soldiers, and one foot went into the water; he wanted to recover and failed to the waist.
The nearest soldiers hesitated, the gun rider stopped his horse, but shouts were still heard from behind: “He went to the ice, that he was, go! gone!” And screams of horror were heard in the crowd. The soldiers surrounding the gun waved at the horses and beat them to turn and move. The horses started off the shore. The ice that held the footmen collapsed in a huge piece, and forty people who were on the ice rushed forward and backward, drowning one another.
The cannonballs still whistled evenly and plopped onto the ice, into the water, and most often into the crowd that covered the dam, ponds and shore.

On Pratsenskaya Hill, on the very spot where he fell with the staff of the banner in his hands, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky lay bleeding, and, without knowing it, groaned with a quiet, pitiful and childish moan.
By evening, he stopped moaning and completely calmed down. He did not know how long his oblivion lasted. Suddenly he again felt alive and suffering from a burning and tearing pain in his head.
“Where is it, this high sky, which I did not know until now and saw today?” was his first thought. And I did not know this suffering either, he thought. “Yes, I didn’t know anything until now. But where am I?
He began to listen and heard the sounds of the approaching stomp of horses and the sounds of voices speaking in French. He opened his eyes. Above him was again the same high sky with still higher floating clouds, through which a blue infinity could be seen. He did not turn his head and did not see those who, judging by the sound of hooves and voices, drove up to him and stopped.
The riders who arrived were Napoleon, accompanied by two adjutants. Bonaparte, circling the battlefield, gave the last orders to reinforce the batteries firing at the Augesta dam and examined the dead and wounded remaining on the battlefield.
- De beaux hommes! [Handsome!] - said Napoleon, looking at the dead Russian grenadier, who, with his face buried in the ground and a blackened nape, lay on his stomach, throwing back one already stiffened arm.
– Les munitions des pieces de position sont epuisees, sire! [There are no more battery charges, Your Majesty!] - said at that time the adjutant, who had arrived from the batteries firing at August.