Badajos--Its Capture by the French--Attempts to retake it by the
English--Wellington invests it in Person--Assault upon Fort
Christoval--Storming of the Town--Terrific Conflict--The place
sacked by the Victors--Disgraceful Drunkenness and Debauchery of
the Troops--The Main Body of the Army depart for Beira.
Badajos, the capital of the Spanish province of Estremadura, is
situated near the Portuguese frontier, at the confluence of the
small stream of the Rivillas with the Guadiana. It is very strongly
fortified, both nature and art having contributed their stores to
render its position impregnable. A huge rock, one hundred feet
high, overlooks the meeting of the waters. On the top of this rock
rises an old castle, venerable from its age, and itself a strong
fortification. The town occupies a triangular space between the
rivers, and is protected by eight curtains and bastions, from
twenty-three to thirty feet high, with good counterscarps, covered
way and glacis. On the left bank of the Guadiana there is a lunette,
covering a dam and sluice, which commands an inundation. Beyond
the Rivillas stands an isolated redoubt, called the Picurina. This
is four hundred yards from the town. Two hundred yards from the
ramparts, rises a defective crown-work, called the Pardaleras. On the
right bank of the Guadiana rises a hill, crowned by a regular fort,
three hundred feet square, called San Christoval. A bridge, supported
by twenty-two stone arches, crosses the stream, and this is protected
by a bridge head. The strength of this place made its possession a
desirable object to both parties. It had been early invested by the
French, under Soult, and vigorously assaulted. It was, however, well
defended, and would probably have maintained its position, had it not
been for the weakness and inefficiency of its commanding officers,
which caused the battle of the Gebora to terminate in a shameful
defeat and immense loss to the Spanish army. Rafael Menacho was
next made commander of the place. He sustained the siege with great
spirit, and everything seemed to promise favorably, when Menacho
was unfortunately killed, during a sally, and the command devolved
upon Imas, a man most unfitted for this situation. He surrendered,
almost without a struggle, to the French; although he had received
certain information that a strong army was moving to his assistance,
and would soon raise the siege. He demanded that his grenadiers
should march out of the breach. Permission was granted, but they
were obliged themselves to enlarge it, before they could do so. The
French immediately took possession of the city, and strengthened its
defences. Lord Wellington was much chagrined at the loss of this
place, and early in May sent Lord William Stewart to invest it. The
siege was carried on with vigor, but under great disadvantages,
arising from want of the proper materials for construction of the
works. In endeavoring to erect their batteries, the engineers were
obliged to labor exposed to a heavy fire from the city, which proved
so destructive, that, before one small battery against one of the
outworks of the town was completed, seven hundred men and five
officers had fallen. When, at length, on the morning of the 11th
of May, this battery was completed, before night five of its guns
were silenced by the enemy, and the rest were so exposed that it was
impossible to man them. The same day news reached our army that the
French army were coming to the relief of Badajos. Immediately our
commander took steps to raise the siege, as to remain there would
have exposed our whole force to destruction. On the night of the
13th, he removed all his artillery and platforms; and on that of the
14th, his guns and stores. But so secretly was this done, that the
French were entirely ignorant of it, until, as the rear guard were
about being drawn off, they made a sally, and, of course, discovered
it. Soon after this, the battle of Albuera occurred.
Our own division was not, however, engaged in this battle, having
been ordered to Campo Mayor, where, on the 24th, orders reached us
that we were again to march for Badajos, Lord Wellington having
resolved to invest it in person. We immediately marched, and arrived
on the evening of the 27th, where we found Lord Wellington, with
ten thousand men. During the absence of our army, Phillipon, the
governor of the place, had entirely destroyed the little remains
of fortifications left by them, repaired all his own damages, and
procured a fresh supply of wine and vegetables from the country. He
had also mounted more guns, and interested the towns-people on his
side. The works of the siege were commenced under Wellington’s own
direction, on the 29th, and carried on a week, with various success.
Then it was resolved to make an assault upon Fort Christoval.
The storming party, preceded by a forlorn hope, and led by Major
McIntosh, with the engineer Forster as a guide, reached the glacis
and descended to the ditch about midnight, on the night of the sixth
of June. The French had, however, cleared all the rubbish away, so
that seven feet perpendicular still remained; and above this were
many obstacles, such as carts chained together, pointed beams of
wood, and large shells ranged along the ramparts, to roll down upon
the assailants. The forlorn hope, finding that the breach was still
impracticable, was retiring, with little loss, when they met the main
body, leaping into the ditch with ladders, and the ascent was again
attempted; but the ladders were too short, and the confusion and
mischief occasioned by the bursting of the shells was so great that
the assailants again retired, with the loss of more than one hundred
men. Two nights after, a second attack was made, but met with no
better success. The British troops, with loud shouts, jumped into
the ditch. The French defied them to come on, and at the same time
rolled barrels of powder and shells down, while the musketry made
fearful and rapid havoc. In a little time, the two leading columns
united at the main breach; the supports also came up; confusion arose
about the ladders, of which only a few could be reared; and the
enemy, standing on the ramparts, bayoneted the foremost assailants,
overturned the ladders, and again poured their destructive fire upon
the crowd below. One hundred and forty men had already fallen, and
yet not a single foot had been gained, nor was there one bright spot
in the darkness to encourage them to proceed. The order was given to
retire. The next day, Wellington heard that the army of Soult was
again advancing to attack him; and as to receive battle there would
throw all the disadvantage on his side, he thought best to raise the
siege. On the 10th, the stores were all removed, and the siege turned
to a blockade, which was afterwards terminated, when the armies
of Marmont and Soult, having effected a junction, advanced to its
relief. It was nearly a year before the allied army again found it
desirable to approach Badajos. Meanwhile the war was carried on with
great activity, although with varied success.
My own time was passed with the regiment to which I belonged,
either in the mountains, or in foraging or bringing supplies, as
circumstances dictated. Although again and again engaged in light
skirmishes with small bodies of the enemy, occupied as our own
regiment were, it was not my fortune to engage in a general battle,
until the last siege of Badajos. And as this city was one of the most
important, and its siege the best sustained of any on the Peninsula,
I shall give an account of it more in detail than I have thought best
to do of the rest.
The unfavorable issue of the two former investments, had induced Lord
Wellington to wait until a combination of favorable circumstances
should at least give more hope of success. The auspicious moment
had, in his view, now arrived. The heavy rains which occur at this
season of the year would so raise the rivers in the high lands,
where his troops were located, that there would be no risk of their
detention in proceeding at once to the Alemtejo, while this same
flow of waters, in the more level portion occupied by the French,
would prove a fatal impediment to the junction of their forces, which
were at this time considerably scattered, owing to the difficulty of
obtaining provisions. Regiments were despatched, therefore, to bring
all the stores of clothing and provisions from the different points
where they had been left, and concentrate them near Badajos.
Wellington himself, having remained at his head-quarters, on the
Coa, until the last moment, in order to conceal his real intentions,
now came in person to superintend the new works. As the French had
strongly occupied the stone bridge over the Guadiana, he ordered
a flying bridge to be thrown across, which was completed on the
15th of March, 1812. Over this Major-general Beresford passed, and
immediately invested Badajos, with an army of fifteen thousand men.
A covering army of thirty thousand occupied different positions
near; and, including a division on its march from Beira, the whole
of the allied forces now in Estremadura numbered fifty-one thousand.
The garrison of the enemy, composed of French, Hessian and Spanish
troops, was five thousand strong. Phillipon, its brave commander,
had been busily occupied, since the last siege, in strengthening the
defences of the place, and in procuring supplies for the expected
invasion. Every family was obliged to keep three months’ provision
on hand, or leave the place, and every preparation was made for an
obstinate and long-continued resistance. General Picton took the
chief command of the assailants. He was alternately assisted by
Generals Kempt, Colville, and Bowis.
The night of the 17th was ushered in by a violent storm of wind and
rain. It was extremely dark and uncomfortable; but, as the loud roar
of the tempest would effectually drown the noise of the pick-axes,
eighteen hundred men were ordered to break ground only one hundred
and sixty yards from the Picurina. They were accompanied by a guard
of two thousand men. So rapidly did they work, that, though it
was late when they commenced, before morning they had completed
a communication four thousand feet in length, and a parallel six
hundred yards long, three feet deep, and three wide. The next night
these works were enlarged, and two batteries traced out. To destroy
these works was now the first object of the besieged. On the 19th,
thirteen hundred of their number stole out of the city, unobserved,
into the communication, and began to destroy the parallel. They
were soon discovered, however, and driven away. As they rode up,
part of the French cavalry entered into a mock contest, giving the
countersign in Portuguese, and were thus permitted to pass the
pickets; but they soon betrayed their real character, and our troops,
hastily seizing their arms, drove them back to the castle, with a
loss of three hundred men. One hundred and fifty of the British
fell, and, unfortunately, Colonel Fletcher, the chief engineer, was
badly wounded. Owing to this circumstance, and the continued wet
and boisterous state of the weather, the works advanced slowly; but
the batteries were at length completed. Owing to the heavy rains,
the parallel remained full of water, and it was found impossible
to drain it. But this was in some degree remedied by making an
artificial bottom of sand-bags. One place yet remained, on the right
bank of the Guadiana, which Wellington had not invested. The eagle
eye of Phillipon soon perceived his advantage. He erected here three
batteries, which completely swept our works with a most destructive
fire; and its effect would have been yet greater, had it not been
that the mud obstructed the bound of the bullets. A courier was
instantly despatched to the fifth division, stationed at Campo Mayor,
for assistance. But misfortunes seldom come alone. The heavy rains
had caused such a rise in the river, that the flying bridges were
swept away, and the trenches filled with water. The provisions and
ammunition of the army were still on the other side of the river,
so that we were soon in want of both. To add to this, the earth
thrown up for intrenchments became so saturated with water that it
crumbled away, and our labors were for the time wholly suspended. A
few days of fine weather, however, relieved us from our unpleasant
situation. The river subsided, another flying bridge was constructed
and row-boats obtained, so that the communication might not again be
interrupted, under any circumstances. On the 25th the reinforcement
from Campo Mayor arrived, and the right bank of the Guadiana was
immediately invested. The same day, our batteries were opened upon
the fort. The enemy were by no means silent spectators of this
invasion. They returned our fire with such vigor, that several of our
guns were dismounted, and quite a number of officers killed. Marksmen
were also stationed on the trenches, to shoot every one who should
show his head over the parapet.
General Picton now resolved to take the fort by assault. Its external
appearance did not indicate much strength, and he hoped for an easy
victory. But the event proved that these appearances were deceptive.
The fort was strong; the ditch fourteen feet perpendicular, and
guarded with thick, slanting poles, and from the top there were
sixteen feet of an earthen slope. Seven guns were mounted on the
walls, and two hundred men, each armed with two loaded muskets, stood
ready to repel all intruders. Loaded shells were also ranged along
the walls, to be pushed over, in case of an attack. General Kempt
took the direction of the assault, which was arranged for the night
of the 25th. Five hundred men were selected from the third division,
of which two hundred were stationed in the communication of San
Roque, to prevent any assistance reaching the fort from the town; one
hundred occupied a position at the right of the fort, one hundred at
the left, and the remainder were held as a reserve, under the command
of Captain Powis.
About nine o’clock, the signal was given, and the troops moved
forward. The night was very clear, although there was no moon; and
the fort, which had loomed up in the darkness still and silent, as
though untenanted, answered back the first shot of the assailants
with a discharge that caused it to resemble a sheet of fire. The
first attack was directed against the palisades in the rear; but
the strength of these, and the destructive fire poured down upon
them, obliged them to seek some weaker part. They turned to the face
of the fort; but here, the depth of the ditch, and the slanting
stakes at the top of it again baffled their attempts. The enemy
lost not a moment in pouring their fire upon the assailants, and
the loud death-screams told that the crisis was becoming more and
more imminent. The alarm-bells in the city itself now rung out their
shrill sounds, the guns on the walls and on the castle opened on the
assailants, rockets were thrown up by the besieged, and the answering
shots from the trenches served to increase the tumult. All eyes were
turned in the direction of the fort. A battalion, hastily sent out
from the city, advanced to its aid; but they had scarcely entered the
communication, when the troops stationed there rushed to the onset,
and in a few moments they were driven back within the walls. By the
light of those streams of fire, which ascended every moment from the
Picurina, dark forms might be seen struggling on the ramparts, in all
the energy of determined contest. Continued rounds of artillery had
broken down the palisades in front, and the assailants were fighting,
hand to hand, for an entrance.
The party in the rear of the fort had thrown their ladders, like
bridges, across the ditch, resting them on the slanting stakes, and
springing on them, drove back their guards. Fifty men, bearing axes,
now discovered the gate, which soon fell beneath their blows, and
they rushed in to a nearer contest. The little garrison, stern in
their resistance, did what they could. Powis, Gips, Holloway and
Oates, fell on the ramparts. Nixon, Shaw, and Rudd, were not long
behind. Scarcely an officer was left; and yet the struggle continued.
At length, when only eighty-six men remained, they surrendered, and
the Picurina passed to the allies. Only one hour had that fierce
conflict lasted, yet of our troops four officers and fifty men had
fallen, and fifteen officers and two hundred and fifty men were
wounded. Phillipon felt deeply the loss of this fort. He did not
conceal from his soldiers the increase of danger to their city from
it; but he stimulated their courage by reminding them that death
was far preferable to an abode in the English prison-ships. They
deeply felt that appeal, and, with the first dawn of light, their
guns were manned with renewed activity. These were turned against
the fort, and so raked it that it was impossible for our troops to
remain there, and it was deserted. This victory gave fresh courage
to the besiegers. Our whole force was occupied, the three succeeding
nights, in erecting new batteries, and in extending the parallels
and communications. In the daytime, comparatively little could be
done, as the fire from the town so galled the workmen. Repeatedly
they dismounted our guns, and destroyed the defences which had been
erected to shield the laborers, so that we were obliged to wait until
the darkness prevented their marksmen from taking aim, in order to
carry on our works. The night of the 27th, an attempt was made to
destroy the dam, which had been built for the purpose of forming an
inundation, and lessening the space where our troops could work; but
the moon had now made her appearance, and shone so brightly that the
effort was unsuccessful.
On this night a most daring feat was performed by one of the French.
Having disguised himself, he crept over the wall, and concealed
himself until he had caught the watchword for the night. Then,
boldly mingling with the troops, he proceeded to the works. Here the
engineer had placed a line to mark the direction of the sap. Just
before the workmen arrived, he moved the string, until he brought it
within complete range of the castle guns. The men commenced work at
once, but the light of the moon enabled the guns to tell with fearful
precision upon them; and it was not until a severe loss had been
sustained, that the mistake was discovered. Meanwhile, the intruder
stole quietly back to his old quarters, which he reached unmolested.
Soult, trusting to the strong intrenchments of the place, had
but little fear that it would finally surrender; but he knew a
hard-fought battle was inevitable. He therefore endeavored, as much
as possible, to concentrate his forces near; but, while they were
marching for this purpose, Graham and Hill attacked their flanks, and
forced them to take another direction. The whole of the Spanish army
now moved on to the Ronda hills, and threatened to attack Seville.
This movement obliged Soult to detach a large part of his army to
the assistance of this city, and had, as the event proved, fatally
delayed his march to Badajos. On the 30th, Wellington received
information that Soult had resumed his march, and would soon arrive;
but this news only served to hasten the preparations for the attack.
Forty-eight pieces of artillery were now constantly playing against
the San Roque, and the siege advanced at all points. Still the
San Roque stood firm. General Picton was the more anxious for its
destruction, as the inundation, which was caused by the dam, and
protected by this lunette, prevented the free action of the troops.
On the night of the 1st of April, several brave fellows determined
to see if they could not accomplish by stratagem what open force
had failed to effect. Two officers placed themselves at the head
of a small company of sappers. Under cover of the darkness, and
their motions encumbered by the powder they were obliged to carry,
they stole rapidly, but noiselessly, into the camp of the enemy. It
was, indeed, a dangerous experiment. The least noise, the slightest
accident, might alarm the sentinel; and then, they well knew, none
would return to tell their fate. Scarcely venturing to breathe, they
reached, in safety, a spot near the place. One of the officers then
went to examine the dam. During his absence, the rest of the party
could see the sentinel, as he approached within a very few feet of
where they lay concealed. They saw, if they could dispose of him
without noise, they might probably accomplish their aim undiscovered.
The officer, having examined the dam, now returned, just as the
sentinel approached. “Now, boys, is your time,” he whispered.
“Remember, one word, one sound, and we are lost.” Riquet, a powerful
Irishman, selected for this purpose, seized his cloak, and stood
prepared. As the man was passing, he sprang forward, and, throwing
his cloak over him, he was in an instant gagged and bound. Then,
rapidly and silently, the powder was placed against the dam, the
train laid, and the match applied. They waited a moment, to see that
it was not extinguished, and then hastily retreated. A few moments
passed, and the loud explosion was the first intelligence the enemy
had of the intrusion. All eyes were bent anxiously upon the spot, but
our hopes were destined to a sad disappointment. The dam stood firm,
and the inundations still remained. But, although this brave attempt
had failed, it soon became apparent to our general that the crisis
was rapidly approaching. The bastions of the Trinidad and the Santa
Maria had already given way; the breaches were daily enlarging, and
hope grew strong that we should succeed in reducing the place before
Soult should arrive. Nor were the enemy blind to their danger. They
had already built a strong intrenchment behind the walls. Now they
converted the nearest houses and garden-walls into a third line of
defence.
Rumors were continually circulating that the French army was close
at hand; but they were so uncertain that no dependence could be
placed upon them. About this time, however, certain intelligence was
brought that Soult had effected a junction with Drouet and Daricoa,
and was already at Albuera. No time was then to be lost. Wellington
himself examined the breaches, and pronounced them practicable, and
the night of the 6th of April was fixed for the assault. Rapidly the
news circulated among the army, and eighteen thousand daring soldiers
burned for that attack, that was to carry to posterity so dreadful a
tale. I shall never forget the effect on our own regiment, when it
was announced. General Sponsbury himself bore the tidings, and asked
if our regiment--the 28th of foot--was willing to lead the assault
upon the castle. This offer had already been made to the colonels of
the 10th and 17th regiments; but their men were suffering so severely
from a disease in the eyes, called the Jamaica Sands, that they
declined the honor. “My men have their eyes open, at such a time,
general,” answered our brave colonel; “nor is their leader ever blind
to the interests of king and country.” Then, turning to us, he cried,
“What say you, my lads? Are you willing to take the front ranks in
this attack?” A loud shout gave its affirmative to this appeal. Every
heart thrilled at the honor thus conferred, although all knew how
perilous such a distinction, must necessarily be.
The dreaded yet longed-for night drew on, and our officers were
busily engaged in arranging the order of the attack, and in preparing
the men for their duty. Picton’s division was to cross the Rivillas
river, and scale the castle walls, which were from eighteen to
twenty feet in height, furnished with every means of destruction,
and so narrow at the top that their defenders could easily reach and
overturn the ladders.
To Leith was appointed the distant bastion of San Vincente, where the
glacis was mined, the ditch deep, the scarp thirty feet high, and the
defenders of the parapet armed with three loaded muskets each, that
their first fire should be as deadly as possible.
The 4th and light divisions were to march against the breaches, well
furnished with ladders and axes, preceded by storming parties of five
hundred men, with their forlorn hopes. Major Wilson, of the 48th, was
directed to storm San Roque, and to General Power was assigned the
bridge head.
The morning had been very clear, but, as night approached, clouds
covered the horizon, as if to veil the bloody scenes of the night.
Fog rose thick from the rivers over every object, thus rendering
the darkness more complete. Unusual stillness prevailed, although
low murmurs pervaded the trenches, and, on the ramparts, lights
occasionally flitted here and there. Every few moments the deep-toned
voices of the sentinels broke in upon our ears, proclaiming that “all
was well in Badajos.”
The possession of this place had become a point of honor with the
soldiers on both sides. Three times had the French seen their foes
sit down before these almost impregnable walls. Twice had they been
obliged to retire, with heavy losses. The memory of these disasters,
revenge for those who had fallen, hatred of their foes, and a strong
desire for glory, now nerved each British arm for the contest; while
the honor of the French nation, the approval of their idolized
emperor, and, more than all, the danger to which their families would
be exposed in case of failure, combined with an equal thirst for
glory, awakened all the ardent enthusiasm of the French.
At ten o’clock a simultaneous assault was to be made on the castle,
the San Roque, the breaches, the Pardaleras, San Vincente, and the
bridge head, on the other side of the Guadiana.
The enemy were, as yet, all unconscious of the design of our general,
and the dark array of the British moved slowly and silently forward.
Every heart was full; for, although now unusual quiet reigned, every
one knew that it was but the prelude to that hour when death, in its
most terrible and ghastly forms, would be dealt on every side. In one
short half-hour the signal was to be given,--nay, even that little
time was lost. A lighted carcass was thrown up from the castle, and
fell at the very feet of the men in the third division, casting a
lurid and glaring light for yards around. The wild shout of alarm,
the hurried tones of the signal-bells, and the tumultuous rushing of
the soldiers, proclaimed that our array was discovered. Not a moment
was to be lost. “Forward, my men, forward!” passed from rank to rank.
One wild, long, deafening shout, responded, and then the besiegers
dashed onward. In a moment a circle of fire seemed to surround the
doomed city.
[Illustration: MOSCOW]
Our own division, under charge of General Kempt, had crossed the
narrow plank that constituted the bridge over the Rivillas, under
a heavy fire of musketry, and then, re-forming, ran hastily up the
rugged hill, to the foot of the castle. Scarcely had we reached the
walls, when our brave general fell, severely wounded. His faithful
aides-de-camp carried him from the field; and, as they were passing
to the trenches, he met General Picton,--who, hurt by a fall, and
unprepared for the advance of the signal, had been left in the
camp,--hastening onward. A few hurried words passed between them, and
General Picton ran on, to find his brave soldiers already ascending
the heavy ladders they had placed against the castle walls. And
well might those men be called brave, who dared attempt to ascend
those ladders, in spite of the showers of heavy stones, logs of
wood, and bursting shells, that rolled off the parapet,--regardless,
too, of that ceaseless roll of musketry, that was telling with such
fearful precision on their flanks,--forgetting, apparently, that,
even should they live to reach the top, they could scarcely hope to
survive the shock of that formidable front of pikes and bayonets
that rose to meet them. Deafening shouts echoed on every side, as
the besieged endeavored to throw down those heavy ladders; and these
were answered back by the groans of the dying, and the shrieks
of the soldiers that were crushed by their fall. Yet, not for a
moment daunted, those behind sprang on to the remaining ladders, and
strove which first should meet the death that seemed inevitable.
But their courage was fruitless. Every ladder was thrown down, and
loud shouts of victory ran along the walls. But the British, though
foiled, were not subdued. They fell back a few paces, and re-formed.
Colonel Ridge then sprang forward, and, seizing a ladder, placed it
against the lowest part of the castle wall, loudly calling to his men
to follow. Officer Canch succeeded in placing another beside him,
and in an instant they were fighting upon the ramparts. Ridge fell,
pierced with a hundred wounds; but, ere his assailants had time to
strike again, those ladders had poured their living load into the
castle, and, step by step, were its brave defenders forced, fighting,
into the street. Here a reinforcement induced them to pause, and a
hard-fought conflict ensued. But their assistants came too late,--the
castle was ours.
While these events were passing at the castle, more terrific, more
maddening, if possible, was the contest at the breaches. Just as the
firing at the castle commenced, two divisions reached the glacis. The
flash of a single musket from the covered way was the signal that the
French were ready, and yet all was still and dark. Hay packs were
thrown hastily into the ditches, and five hundred men sprang down the
ladders, which were placed there, without any opposition. Why was
this ominous stillness? But the assailants had hardly time to ask,
when a bright light shot up from the darkness, and revealed all the
horrors of the scene. The ramparts were crowded with dark figures and
glittering arms, while, below, the red columns of the British were
rushing on, like streams of burning lava. A crash of thunder followed
that bright light, and hundreds of shells and powder-barrels dashed
the ill-fated stormers into a thousand atoms. One instant the light
division paused, and then, as if maddened by that terrific sight,
they flew down the ladders, or leaped into the gulf below. A blaze
of musketry poured its dazzling light into the ditch, as the fourth
division came up, and descended with equal fury. But the enemy had
made, at the bottom of the ditch, a deep cut, which was filled with
water. Into this snare the head of the division fell, and more than a
hundred men were drowned. Those behind checked not an instant, but,
turning to the left, came to an unfinished intrenchment, which they
mistook for the breaches. It was covered in a moment; but, beyond
it, still lay a deep and wide chasm, between them and the ramparts
they wished to gain. Confusion necessarily ensued, for the assailants
still crowded on, until the ditch was full, and even then the press
continued. Not for one moment ceased the roar of the musketry upon
those crowded troops, and the loud shouts of the enemy, mingled with
the din of bursting grenades and shells. The roaring guns were
answered back by the iron howitzers from the battery, while the
horrid explosions of the powder-barrels, the whizzing flight of the
blazing splinters, and the loud commands of the officers, increased
the confusion. Through all this the great breach was at length
reached, and the British trusted that the worst was over; but, deep
in those ruins, ponderous beams were set, and, firmly fixed on their
top, glittered a terrible array of sword-blades, sharp-pointed and
keen-edged, while ten feet before even that could be reached, the
ascent was covered with loose planks, studded with sharp iron points,
which penetrated the feet of the foremost, and sent them rolling back
on the troops behind.
Behind these sword-points, the shouting Frenchmen stood rejoicing
in their agony, and poured in their fire with ceaseless rapidity;
for every man had a number of muskets, and each one of these, beside
the ordinary charge, was loaded with a cylinder of wood, full of
leaden slugs, which scattered like hail, when discharged. Hundreds
of men had fallen, and hundreds more were dropping; but still the
heroic officers rushed on, and called for new trials. Yet, there
glittered the sword-blades, firm, immovable; and who might penetrate
such a barrier? Yet, so zealous were the men themselves, that those
behind strove to push the forward ranks on to the blades, that they
might thus themselves ascend on a bridge made of their bodies; but
they frustrated this attempt by dropping down, for none could tell
who fell from choice, and who by the effect of that dreadful fire,
and many who fell unhurt never rose again, crushed by the crowd.
For a little while after the commencement of this terrible attack,
military order was preserved; but the tumult and noise was such, that
no command could be distinctly heard; and the constant falling and
struggling of the wounded, who sought to avoid being trampled upon,
broke the formations, and order was impossible. Yet, officers of all
stations would rush out, and, followed by their men, make a desperate
assault on that glittering steel, and only fall back to swell the
pile of dead and dying. Two hours were spent in these vain efforts,
and then the remaining soldiers turned sadly and slowly away; for
they felt that the breach of the Trinidad was, indeed, impregnable.
An opening still remained in the curtain of the Santa Maria bastion,
and to this they directed their steps; but they found the approach
to it impeded by deep holes and cuts, and their fearfully lessening
numbers told how useless the attempt would be. Gathering in dark
groups, they leaned despairingly on their muskets, and looked with
sullen desperation at the ramparts of the Trinidad, where the enemy
were seen, by the light of the fire-balls which they threw up, aiming
their guns with fearful precision, and tauntingly asking, “Why
they did not come into Badajos?” And now, unwilling to be finally
conquered, Captains Nicholas and Shaw, with fifty men, collected from
all regiments, made one more desperate attempt to reach the Santa
Maria breach. Already had they passed the deep cuts, and toiled over
two-thirds of the dangerous ground, when a discharge of musketry
levelled every man, except Shaw, to the earth. Nicholas, and a large
proportion of the rest, were mortally wounded.
After this, no further attempt was made; and yet the soldiers would
not retire, but remained passive and unflinching, under the fire of
the enemy. It was now midnight. Already two thousand brave men had
fallen, when Wellington, who was watching the progress of the attack
from a height close to the quarries, sent orders that the troops
should retire and re-form for a second assault. But so great was the
confusion, that many of the officers did not receive the orders, and
so endeavored to prevent the soldiers from leaving, which occasioned
many deaths.
But the gallant defenders of Badajos, although successful at the
breaches, found that there was no time to look idly on. The whole
city was girdled by fire. The third division still maintained its
ground at the castle; the fifth were engaged at the Pardaleres, and
on the right of the Guadiana, while General Walker’s brigade was
escalading the bastion of San Vincente. This brigade had stolen
silently along the banks of the river, the noise of its ripple having
drowned the sound of their foot-steps until they reached the barrier
gate. Just then the explosion took place at the breaches; and by
its light the French sentinels discovered their assailants. In
an instant, a sharp musketry was opened upon them. The Portuguese
troops, panic-struck, threw down the scaling-ladders which had been
intrusted to them; but the British snatched them up, and reared them
against the walls, which, in this place, were thirty feet high.
Unfortunately, the ladders were too short, and this placed them in
a most perilous and uncomfortable position. A small mine was sprung
beneath their feet, adding its quota to the fearful number of the
dead; beams of wood and shells, fraught with living fire, were
rolled upon their heads, while showers of grape from the flanks
swept the ditch, dealing death-blows thick and fast on every side.
But, fortunately for our troops, the reinforcement to assist in the
defence of the castle was just at this time called for, and a part of
the walls lower than the rest was left unmanned. Three ladders were
hastily placed here, but they were still too short. But British valor
and ingenuity soon overcame this difficulty. A soldier, raised in
the arms of his comrades, sprang to the top; another followed. These
drew their comrades after them, and soon, in spite of the constant
fire which the French kept up, they ascended in such numbers, that
they could not be driven back. Dividing, on their entrance, one-half
entered the town, while the other, following the ramparts, attacked
and won three bastions. Just as the last was yielding, General Walker
fell, covered with wounds. A soldier, who stood near him, cried out,
“A mine! a mine!” At that word, those troops which had crossed the
strong barrier, whom neither the deepness of the ditch nor the height
of the wall could appal, who flinched not a moment at the deadly fire
of the enemy, shrank back at a chimera of their own raising. Their
opponents saw their advantage, and, making a firm and deadly charge,
drove them from the ramparts. But, before the French had time to
rejoice in their victory, a reserve, under Colonel Nugent, made its
appearance, and the fleeing soldiers returned, and soon gained the
field.
The party who had entered the town at the first attack on San
Vincente pursued their way through the streets. They met with no
opposition, however. All was still and silent as the grave, and yet
the streets were flooded with light, and every house illuminated.
Sounding their bugles, they advanced to the great square of the
town, but still met no enemy. All was bright and still, except that
low murmurs were heard from behind the lattices, and occasionally
a shot was fired at them from under the doors. Hence, leaving the
square, they repaired to the breaches, and attempted to surprise the
garrison, by attacking them in their rear. But they found them on
the alert, and were soon obliged to return to the streets. But the
English were now pouring in on every side, and the brave defenders
of the ramparts and the breaches turned to defend their homes. A
short and desultory fight followed. Generals Viellande and Phillipon,
brave and determined to the last, were both wounded; and, gradually
falling back, they retreated, with a few hundred soldiers, to San
Christoval, where they surrendered to Lord Fitzroy Somerset. Then
loud shouts of victory! victory! resounded through the streets, and
found its joyful echo in many hearts.
During this siege, five thousand men and officers had fallen;
thirty-five hundred having lost their lives the night of the
assault,--twenty-four hundred at the breaches alone. If any one would
picture to himself the terrible scenes that occurred at this spot,
let him imagine a lot of less than a hundred square yards, which, in
the short space of little more than two hours, was deluged by the
blood of twenty-four hundred men. Nor did all these fall by sudden
death. Some perished by steel, some by shot, some were drowned,
some crushed and mangled by heavy weights, others trampled down by
the crowd, and hundreds dashed to pieces by the fiery explosions;
and all this occurred where the only light was the intense glare
of the explosions, and the lurid flame of the burning dead, which
came to mingle its horrible stench with the sickening odors of the
gunpowder, and the nauseous smells of the exploding shells. Here,
too, the groans of the wounded were echoed back by the shrieks of
the dying; and, ever and anon, between the roar of the artillery and
the thunder of the bursting shells, were heard the bitter taunts of
the enemy. Let any one imagine all this, I say, and they may have
some faint ideas of the horrors of war. Yet, dreadful as this is,
could the veil but drop here, the soldier’s heart might still throb
with pride, as he recounted the hard-fought battle, where valor stood
preëminent, and none yielded, but to death, until the victory was
won. But there is still another dark and revolting page, which, in
a history like this, designed to paint the horrors as well as the
glories of war, it were not well to omit. I refer to the scenes which
followed the victory, when Badajos lay at the mercy of its conquering
foe. If there is one feature of war more repulsive than another, one
from which every good feeling of the heart shrinks back appalled,
it is from the scene which invariably follows, when permission is
given to sack and plunder a conquered city. All restraint is laid
aside. Men’s passions, wound up almost to frenzy by the exciting
and maddening scenes through which they have passed, will have a
vent; and no sorrow is too holy, no place too sacred, to shield its
occupant from the storm. Our men scattered themselves through the
city, all with liberty to do what they pleased, to take what they
wanted. Houses were broken open, and robbed. If any resistance was
made, death was the certain penalty; and often death in such a form
that a soldier’s fate would have been mercy. All, it is true, were
not alike. In such an army there are always brave men, who, even
in such an hour, would scorn to commit a dishonorable action, and
these seconded the attempts of our officers to preserve at least a
semblance of order; but they were too few to accomplish much. All the
dreadful passions of human nature were excited, and they would have
way. Many lost their lives in vain attempts to check the cruelty and
lust and drunkenness of their own soldiers. For two days and nights
Badajos resounded with the shrieks and piteous lamentations of her
defenceless victims, with groans and shouts and imprecations, varied
by the hissing of fires from houses first plundered, then destroyed,
the crashing of doors and windows, and the almost ceaseless report
of muskets used in violence. It was not until the third day that the
soldiers, exhausted by their own excesses, could be collected in
sufficient numbers to bury the dead of their own regiments, while
many of the wounded perished solely from want of necessary care. I
had imagined that the miseries of intemperance were no unfamiliar
sight to me; yet never before, or since, has it been my lot to meet
the madness which characterized the eager search for liquor, on every
side. An instance that occurred in our own regiment, I will relate.
Several of our men, and among them some that I had known in Ireland,
and should never have suspected of such conduct, broke into a cellar
where was stored a large quantity of wine. There were many casks, and
some of them contained wine that bore the brand of scores of years.
They tore down the doors for tables, and commenced their mad feast.
Bottles half emptied were thrown across the cellar, and what would
have sufficed a regiment for months, was recklessly poured upon the
floor. Unconscious, or not caring what they did, they stopped not to
draw the wine, but, knocking in the head of the casks, proceeded to
try their various qualities. At length, overcome by intoxication,
they sank upon the floor, and paid the penalty of their rashness with
their lives; for, when a diligent search was made for absentees, they
were discovered actually drowned in the wine. Many were burned to
death in houses which they themselves had fired.
For my own part, I had been fortunate enough to pass through all
the horrors of the siege, and the bloody scenes of the assault,
unhurt. Excitement had rendered me reckless of danger, and I hurried
on, scarce knowing where I was or what I did. Now that this had
passed, I felt exhausted and weary, and very thirsty. My comrade
and myself resolved that our first search should be for something
to drink. We hurried on, until we reached a large store, where we
thought we should find some liquor. The fastenings of the outer door
soon yielded to our efforts, but the door to the cellar we found it
impossible to open or break down. Just at this moment, a band of
pioneers happened to be passing, who always carry with them huge
hatchets. We called to them, and, with their assistance, soon made
our way to the cellar. But here a great disappointment awaited us.
We found no liquor, but only two tiers of firkins, used for holding
butter. One of our men, in anger, struck his hatchet into one of
them, when, to our great surprise, out rolled whole handfuls of
doubloons. We then struck the heads of the firkins with the butt-ends
of our muskets, but could not break them. The hatchets, however,
soon completed the work. When the heads were knocked out, the money
was so firmly pressed together that it came out in one solid mass.
Each one of us then took what we pleased. I placed three handsful in
my comrade’s knapsack, and he did the same by me. I then filled my
haversack, and even my stockings, with the precious treasure. Part of
our company remained as guard, while the rest went to report to our
commander the discovery we had made. I soon found that I had stored
more money than I was able to carry, so I threw a part of it in an
old well. Our commander immediately sent a detachment of men to empty
the cellar, and they brought away no less than eight mules’ burden of
gold. I cannot now recall its exact amount, but such was its value
that our officers determined to send it to Brussels, when the army
should leave Badajos.
We take the following description of the scenes to which we have
above referred from an eye-witness. He says: “It has been the
practice of modern historians to describe, in the glowing language of
exaggerated eulogy, every act done by the British and their allies,
while their pens have been equally busy in vilifying and defaming
all who were opposed to them. Perhaps there is no circumstance to
which this applies with more force than the description usually
given of the conduct of the British armies and their allies after
the taking of Badajos. While their gallantry is praised to the
utmost, their evil deeds are left to find the light as they may; but
‘foul deeds will rise, though all the earth overwhelm them.’ Before
six o’clock on the morning of the 7th of April, all organization
among the assaulting columns had ceased, and a scene of plunder
and cruelty that it would be difficult to find a parallel for took
place. The army, so orderly the preceding day,--so effective in its
organizations,--seemed all at once transformed into a vast band of
brigands. The horde of Spaniards, as well as Portuguese women and
men, that now eagerly sought for admission to plunder, augmented the
number of this band to what the army had been before the battle;
and twenty thousand persons, armed with all power to act as they
thought fit, and almost all armed with weapons which could be used at
the pleasure of the bearers, for the purpose of enforcing any wish
they might seek to gratify, were let loose upon this devoted city.
Subject to no power of control from others, intoxication caused them
to lose all restraint on themselves. If the reader can for a moment
fancy a fine city, containing an immense population, among which may
be reckoned a proportion of the finest women Spain, or perhaps the
world, can boast of,--if he could fancy that population and these
women left to the mercy of twenty thousand infuriated and licentious
soldiers, for two days and two nights, he can well imagine the
horrors enacted in Badajos. Wine and spirit stores were first forced
open, and casks of the choicest wines and brandy dragged into the
streets; and, when the men had drank as much as they fancied, the
heads of the vessels were stove in, or the casks broken, so that
the liquor ran about in streams. In the town were large numbers of
animals,--sheep, oxen, and horses,--belonging to the garrison. These
were among the first things taken possession of; and the wealthy
occupier of many a house was glad to be allowed the employment of
conducting them to our camp, as, by so doing, he got away from a
place where his life was not worth a minute’s purchase. Terrible as
was this scene, it was not possible to avoid occasionally laughing;
for the _conducteur_ was generally not only compelled to drive a
herd of cattle, but also obliged to carry the bales of plunder
taken by his employer perhaps from his own house. And the stately
gravity with which the Spaniard went through his work, dressed in
short breeches, frilled shirt, and a hat and plumes, followed by
our ragamuffin soldiers with fixed bayonets, presented a scene that
Cruikshank himself would have been puzzled to delineate justly. The
plunder so captured was deposited under a guard composed principally
of soldiers’ wives. A few hours were sufficient to despoil the shops
of their property. Night then closed in, and then a scene took place
that pen would fail to describe. Insult and infamy, fiendish acts
of violence and open-handed cruelty, everywhere prevailed. Age, as
well as youth, was alike unrespected, and perhaps not one house,
and scarcely a person, in this vast town, escaped injury. War is a
terrible engine, and when once set in motion, it is not possible to
calculate when or where it will stop.
“The 8th of April was a fearful day for the inhabitants. The soldiers
had become so reckless that no person’s life, of whatever sex, rank,
or station, was safe. If they entered a house that had not been
despoiled of its furniture and wines, they were at once destroyed.
If it was empty, they fired at the windows, or at the inmates, or
often at each other. Then they would sally into the streets, and
amuse themselves by firing at the church bells in the steeples, or
at any one who might be passing. Many of the soldiers were killed,
while carrying away their plunder, by the hands of those who, a few
hours before, would have risked their own lives to protect them.
Hundreds of these fellows took possession of the best warehouses,
and acted as merchants; these were ejected by a stronger party, who,
after a fearful strife, would displace them, only themselves to give
place to others, with terrible loss of life. To put a stop to such a
frightful scene, it was necessary to use some forbearance, as well
as severity; for, to have punished all who were guilty would have
been to decimate the army. In the first instance, parties from those
regiments that had least participated in the combat were ordered into
the town to collect the hordes of stragglers, that filled the streets
with crimes too horrible to detail; and, when this measure was found
inadequate, a brigade of troops were marched into the city, and
were directed to stand by their arms, while any marauders remained.
Gibbets and triangles were erected, and many of the men were flogged.
A few hours so employed were sufficient to purge the town of the
robbers that still lurked in the streets, many of whom were Spaniards
and Portuguese, not connected with the army, and infinitely worse
than our troops. Towards evening tranquillity began to return; but it
was a fearful quiet, and might be likened to a ship at sea, which,
after having been plundered and dismasted by pirates, should be left
floating on the ocean, without a morsel of food to supply the wants
of its crew, or a stitch of canvas to cover its naked masts. By
degrees, however, the inhabitants returned, and families left alive
again became reünited; yet there was scarce a family that did not
mourn its dead.”
The same writer says: “Early on the morning of the 9th of April, a
great concourse of Spaniards, from the neighboring villages, thronged
our lines. They came to purchase the booty captured by our men; and
each succeeding hour increased the supply of their wants, numerous
and varied as they were, and our camp had the appearance of a vast
market. Some of the soldiers realized upwards of one thousand dollars
from the sale, and almost all gained handsomely by an enterprise in
which they had displayed so much devotion and bravery; and it is
only to be lamented that they tarnished laurels so nobly won, by
traits of barbarity which, for the sake of human nature, we hope have
not often found a parallel.”
It was not until order was in some measure restored that the wounded
and dead could be attended to; but now graves were dug, and the
mangled remains, so lately full of life and activity, burning with
high hopes and fond anticipations, were laid away, adding their
numbers to the vast pile of victims sacrificed to that Moloch--war.
It is said that when Wellington learned the number of the fallen, and
the extent of his loss in the death of those brave men, a passionate
burst of tears told how much he was affected by it.
For a few days Wellington lingered near Badajos, hoping that Soult,
to whom Phillipon had sent the fatal news even in the confusion of
his surrender, would be tempted from his intrenchments to risk a
battle with the allies, while the troops were flushed with victory.
But this general, although feeling deeply the loss of one of his most
impregnable fortresses, found himself too much occupied with the
other division of the allied army to venture on such a course.
It was Wellington’s intention, in case this battle did not take
place, to proceed immediately to Andalusia; but, learning that the
Spanish general had failed to garrison the fortresses already taken
in a suitable manner, he was obliged to alter his own course of
action, in order to secure former conquests. While he remained here,
his time was busily occupied in repairing the breaches, in levelling
the trenches, and restoring the injured fortifications. This being
done, he placed here, as a garrison, two regiments of Portuguese, and
marched himself, with the main body of his troops, upon Beira.
Before the victorious army of the Allies left Badajos, Wellington
determined to send a convoy to Brussels, with the treasure and spoils
found in that place. The regiments selected to form this convoy
were the 28th, 80th, 87th and 43d. We were to leave Badajos and
pass through the northern part of Spain, by the romantic gorge of
Roncesvalles to St. Jean Pied de Port in France, and from this place
take the most direct course to Brussels. The day before our army was
to leave for Beira was the day selected for our march. Our farewell
words were soon spoken, and we were on our way.
No incident of particular interest occurred in our route, and we
found ourselves on the 3d of June in safety in Brussels, where we
remained in garrison until that great battle which decided the fate
of Europe, and sent the French Emperor to his lonely home on the
barren rock of St. Helena.