Twenty Male Figures.
The battle of Corunna, so disastrous to the British army, was fought
January 16, 1809. Sir John Moore arrived in Spain in November, 1808,
with a British army, and having advanced some distance into the
country, he found himself compelled to make a rapid retreat. He was
closely followed by the French under Marshal Soult, who attacked the
British as they were embarking. Sir John Moore, while earnestly
watching the result of the fight about the village of Elrina, was
struck on the left breast by a cannon shot; the shock threw him from
his horse with violence; he rose again in a sitting position, his
countenance unchanged, and his steadfast eye still fixed upon the
regiments engaged in his front; no sigh betrayed a sensation of pain;
but in a few moments, when he was satisfied that the troops were
gaining ground, his countenance brightened, and he suffered himself to
be taken to the rear. As the soldiers placed him in a blanket, his
sword got entangled, and the hilt entered the wound. A staff officer
attempted to take it off, but the dying man stopped him, saying, "It
is as well as it is. I had rather it should go out of the field with
me." And in this manner, so becoming to a soldier, Moore was borne
from the field. Several times he caused his attendants to stop and
turn him around, that he might behold the field of battle. Night soon
darkened the scene; the rumbling of baggage wagons, and the occasional
booming of the distant cannon, alone disturbed the mournful silence of
the scene; here and there the flames of burning villages shed a
portentous light through the gloom. At length, to break the mournful
silence, and to express the sympathy they might not speak, the band
played a requiem for the dying general. The solemn strains arose and
fell in prolonged echoes over the field, and swept in softened
cadences on the ear of the dying warrior. Moore breathed faintly for a
few hours, and before the morning dawned he had passed away. His
corpse was wrapped in his military cloak, and was interred by the
officers of his staff on the ramparts of Corunna--an event which is
commemorated in the beautiful verses of Wolfe, the guns of the enemy
paying him funeral honors. Soult, with a noble feeling of respect for
his valor, raised a monument to his memory. Thus ended the career of
Sir John Moore, a man whose uncommon capacity was sustained by the
purest virtue. His tall, graceful person, dark, searching eyes,
strongly defined forehead, and singularly expressive mouth, indicated
a noble disposition and a refined understanding. He maintained the
right with a vehemence bordering upon fierceness, and every important
transaction in which he engaged increased his reputation for talent,
and confirmed his character as a stern enemy to vice, a steadfast
friend to merit, a just and faithful servant of his country.
_Description of Tableau._--This magnificent scene contains twenty
figures. On the centre of the stage, reclining on an English flag, is
Sir John Moore, his countenance pale and deathly. He is dressed in
rich uniform, which is described in the latter part of the tableau.
His position is, lying across the stage, his face turned to the
audience. At his feet stand two Highland soldiers, leaning on their
muskets, and gazing on the dying man. A soldier with a bandage around
his head is kneeling in front of them; one hand grasps the flag, the
other points to the background; countenance expressing terror. At the
head of Moore, partially stooping and holding the end of the flag, are
two officers in full uniform; two other officers are seen back of the
body, who are also grasping the flag and gazing on the face of the
dying hero; three soldiers are kneeling in the foreground, their
attention fixed on Moore; back of this group, on a platform one foot
high, is seen a platoon of soldiers, one of which holds an ensign;
their backs should be towards the audience, muskets to the shoulder,
and position of soldiers marching hastily from the field in retreat;
still further in the background, on a platform four feet high, is
placed a second platoon, who are in the same position; one or two in
each rank are looking back to the group in front; two soldiers
directly back of Moore are levelling their muskets to the enemy in the
distance. Cannon, muskets, drums, and swords should be strown
carelessly on the stage, while a small quantity of smoke must be made
to hover over the scene, and the booming of cannon imitated in the
distance. Moore has one hand pressed to his breast; the other is held
by one of the officers at his side. The costumes of the officers
should be as varied and brilliant as can be procured. Scarlet coats
would be most appropriate. The scene must be illuminated by a red fire
burned at the right side of the stage. Music of a mournful and sacred
order.