The troops kept in Ireland -- Ordered to Spain to fight new
opponents in behalf of their late ones -- Land in Mondego Bay and
advance to Vimeira -- A light repast interrupted by a heavy
battle -- Battle of Vimeira -- Preliminary skirmishing --
Lawrence's first experience in fighting the French -- A good
front-rank man -- Defeat of the French and advance on Lisbon --
The French evacuate the city -- Lawrence's impressions of Lisbon
-- Sir Arthur Wellesley made commander-in-chief -- The regiment
invalided for a time -- Attempt to join Sir John Moore frustrated
-- Seville -- Lawrence's first offence -- He is court-martialled
for it and flogged -- Moral reflections on the same.
We had already laid in our sea stock in preparation to start for
England, when we found ourselves disappointed of our hopes, for orders
came for us to land in Ireland; and we had to march to Cork and thence
to various other places for six months, nothing of any particular note
happening during the while; and at the end of it, orders again came
for us to embark for Portugal, to drive the French from there, and
from the Spanish dominions. Thus after we had been in open war against
the Spaniards, who for the time had been in alliance with the French,
or rather had been forced to be so, now that Buonaparte had overrun
their own country and kindled hatred against himself, these same
Spaniards had made peace with us, and sent to us for assistance to
drive him out of their country: so that we had to go and fight for the
very nation we had been a few months before opposing in Monte Video,
Buenos Ayres, and Colonia.
After we had all embarked we had still to lie in Cork Harbour, waiting
for the English fleet, and then we sailed from the Irish coast, about
twelve thousand strong, under Sir Arthur Wellesley, on the 12th of
July, 1808. We first touched at Corunna to make arrangements with the
Spaniards, and their advice being to land in Portugal, we went to
Mondego Bay, near the town of Figueras, where we landed, leaving our
baggage on board. After about five days' march we were joined by
General Spencer, and next day our advanced guard had a slight
engagement with the enemy at Rorica. Thence we marched on to Vimeira,
and were joined by Generals Anstruther and Acland with more
reinforcements, and Sir Hugh Dalrymple took the head command from Sir
Arthur Wellesley.
The village of Vimeira stood in a valley with a fine range of hills to
the westward, and a ridge of heights to the east. Our brigades were
stationed on the mountains to the west, whilst our cavalry was posted
in the valley, and General Anstruther's brigade lay to the east.
On the first night of our encampment there, two of my comrades and
myself were strolling over the hills together, when we fell in with a
hive of bees, weighing I should think at least a hundredweight, which
we carried back into the camp: not without difficulty, however, for we
found them very uncivil passengers to carry, and our faces and hands
were fearfully stung; but our honey and grapes, for we had profited
too from being encamped in some very fine vineyards, paid us for this
a little. Next morning we proceeded to make our breakfast off the same
materials, but we were not destined to finish very quietly, for in the
midst of our meal we were disturbed by the near approach of the enemy,
and were immediately ordered under arms.
The right of our line was engaged at least two hours before a general
engagement took place on our side, which was the left, but we were
skirmishing with the enemy the whole time. I remember this well, on
account of a Frenchman and myself being occupied in firing at each
other for at least half an hour without doing anyone any injury; but
he took a pretty straight aim at me once, and if it had not been for a
tough front-rank man that I had, in the shape of a cork-tree, his shot
must have proved fatal, for I happened to be straight behind the tree
when the bullet embedded itself in it. I recollect saying at the time,
"Well done, front-rank man, thee doesn't fall at that stroke," and
unfortunately for the Frenchman, a fellow-comrade, who was lefthanded,
came up to me very soon afterwards, and asked me how I was getting on.
I said badly, and told him there was a Frenchman in front, and we had
been trying to knock each other over for some time, without either of
us having been able to succeed; on which he asked me where he was,
that he might have a try at him. I pointed out the thicket behind
which the Frenchman was, and he prepared his rifle so as to catch him
out in his peeping manoeuvres, but not without himself, as well as I,
being well covered by my old front-rank man. By-and-by Mr. Frenchman
again made his peep round the bush, but it was his last, for my
comrade, putting his rifle to his left shoulder, killed him at the
first shot.
After we had been thus employed in skirmishing for some time, a large
body of French made their appearance in our front. Our artillery
greeted them pretty sharply, ploughing furrows through them with ball
and throwing them into a confused state, after which our columns
advanced under General Spencer, our cannon still playing over our
heads, until we got within a short distance of the enemy, when we
fired and charged them, driving them from the position they had
occupied after some very severe fighting well kept up for some time on
both sides, and capturing about seven pieces of cannon, with
ammunition waggons. The loss of the French at this place could not
have been much less than two thousand, though some have reported it
less and some more; but it is very hard to arrive at a just
calculation. Our loss was reported to have been about seven hundred.
After the battle was ended we marched on towards Lisbon, passing on
our way about a hundred and fifty carts laden with the enemy's
wounded. When we arrived at Lisbon we encamped, so that the French had
no means of communication with the city; as, our fleet lying in or
near the mouth of the harbour, and our army stopping all approach from
the land, the French in the city were blocked in. On the first night
of our encampment the inhabitants illuminated the part where we lay.
We were not destined, however, to be outside the city long, for on the
leaders of our army and the French coming to some terms, the French
left with the honours of war, and gladly embarked from the harbour in
September. These were the very troops with whom at a later period we
had to contend.
When the enemy had left Lisbon we took up our quarters in the city,
amid the joy and enthusiasm of the inhabitants, who shouted in triumph
as the French left, and held illuminations even on the vessels in the
harbour for several successive nights afterwards.
Lisbon then on every side still exhibited marks of that terrible
earthquake which almost completely destroyed it in the year 1755. It
was situated on the right bank of the Tagus, near its mouth, which
forms a very fine harbour; and it stood chiefly on very precipitous
hills, of which the highest was occupied by the fine castle of Saint
George, which was indeed the principal object that attracted the eye
anywhere from the city. The great squares contained some magnificent
edifices, noteworthy for the fineness of their pillars. The streets
were narrow and winding and dirty, and indeed after the French had
left the whole city was in a most desolate state; but the general view
of the city and its environs from the harbour at a distance was very
beautiful, the sides of the hills being clothed with plantations and
numberless vineyards, and the buildings extending for a mile and a
half or two miles along the coast.
Sir Hugh Dalrymple, Sir Arthur Wellesley, and some other of the chief
leaders of our army were then recalled to England to communicate the
circumstances of the terms that had been arrived at in Portugal
between the two armies: as the rulers, and indeed all classes in
England received the first reports of them with indignation. This was
the reason that the inquiry was made, of which the fruits were that
Sir Arthur Wellesley was decided on as the proper person to take the
head command of our troops in the Peninsula.
During our stay in Lisbon our regiment fell ill and was obliged to be
returned unfit for service, which state of things lasted about two
months. But as soon as Sir Arthur Wellesley returned as
commander-in-chief, we were ordered into Spain, in company with five
thousand Spaniards, to join Sir John Moore's army. We had a long and
tedious march until we reached a place called Seville, where we
encamped for several weeks, on account of Sir John Moore having been
obliged to retreat; and the French cutting off our communication, we
had to proceed to Cadiz and there embark again for Lisbon.
I must here relate a circumstance which took place before I proceeded
from Seville, which, although not very creditable to myself, is of too
great importance as an event in my life to be omitted. I absented
myself without leave from guard for twenty-four hours, and when I
returned I found I had jumped into a fine scrape, for I was
immediately put into the guard-room, and a drum-head court-martial was
ordered on me. It was the first offence to cause one to be held on me,
but that did not screen me much, and I was sentenced to four hundred
lashes. I felt ten times worse on hearing this sentence than I ever
did on entering any battlefield; in fact, if I had been sentenced to
be shot, I could not have been more in despair, for my life at that
time seemed of very little consequence to me. My home and my
apprenticeship days again ran in my head, but even these thoughts soon
lost themselves as I neared the spot where my sentence was to be
carried out. I found the regiment assembled all ready to witness my
punishment: the place chosen for it was the square of a convent. As
soon as I had been brought in by the guard, the court-martial was read
over me by the colonel, and then I was ordered to strip, which I did
firmly and without using any of the help that was offered me, as I had
by that time got hardened to my lot. I was then lashed to the
halberds, and the colonel gave the order for the drummers to commence,
each one having to give me twenty-five lashes in turn. I bore it very
well until I had received a hundred and seventy-five, when I became so
enraged with the pain that I pushed the halberds, which did not stand
at all firm, on account of their being planted on stones, right across
the square, amid the laughter of the regiment. The colonel, I suppose,
thinking then that I had had sufficient, ordered, in the very words,
"the sulky rascal down," and perhaps a more true word could not have
been spoken, as indeed I was sulky, for I did not give vent to a
single sound the whole time, though the blood ran down my trousers
from top to bottom. I was unbound and the corporal hove my shirt and
jacket over my shoulders and conveyed me to the hospital, presenting
about as miserable a picture as I possibly could.
Perhaps it was as good a thing for me as could then have occurred, as
it prevented me from committing any greater crimes which might have
gained me other severer punishments and at last brought me to my
ruin; but for all that it was a great trial for me, and I think that a
good deal of that kind of punishment might have been abandoned with
great credit to those who ruled our army; for it is amazing to think
of four hundred lashes being ordered on a man young as I was, and
undergoing all the privations of a most sanguinary war, just for an
offence, and that the first, which might have been overlooked, or at
any rate treated with less punishment and a severe reprimand.