Continued retreat of the French -- Narrow escape of Lord
Wellington -- Lawrence volunteers to remove the danger -- Is
successful, and earns the praise of Lord Wellington -- Repeated
engagements with the enemy -- Lawrence, like most people who try
to hedge, nearly comes to grief -- Capture of a bridge and
village -- Lawrence, becoming lame, is left on guard over a
Portuguese cottage -- Surprises and discomfits a French intruder
-- Sad end of a hungry corporal -- Lawrence made sergeant.
We marched slowly on, following up the enemy as closely as possible,
often even having them in sight: and both armies were sometimes
encamped for a week at a time, and employed meanwhile in skirmishing
with each other.
At one of these halts the enemy by some means or other got three
pieces of cannon on to the top of a steep mountain, probably by men
dragging them up with ropes, as it was impossible for horses to have
done it; and on our entering the valley, Lord Wellington happening to
be with us, a shot from one of these carried his cocked hat completely
off. Our colonel remarked to him, "That was a near miss, my Lord;" to
which he replied, "Yes, and I wish you would try to stop them, for
they seem determined to annoy us." Our colonel immediately said he
would send some of the grenadiers up for that purpose, so I, being a
corporal and right-hand man of the company, volunteered with a section
to undertake the job. Six men were accordingly chosen besides myself;
rather a small storming-party for the object in hand, as they numbered
twenty-one artillerymen and an officer, according to my own counting.
I led my little band along the valley and approached the mountain
whence they were tormenting us. The artillerymen kept up a fire at us
from the cannon, which consisted of light six-pounders, but owing to
our movement they could not get the elevation. We slowly scaled the
hill zigzag fashion to baffle their aim, until we got so close that
the cannon could not possibly touch us, owing to a slight mound on the
hill. We were then within a hundred yards of them, and I took their
number, and found at the same time that they had no firearms with them
but the cannon, which were of not much use at close quarters for such
a few men. I should say we lay there on the ground for at least ten
minutes, contemplating which would be the best mode of attack, while
they were anxiously watching for our reappearance.
At last when ready I said, "Now my men, examine your flints and
priming, so that all things may go right." They did so, saying, "All
right, corporal, we will follow you;" so I too sang out, "Now for a
gold chain or a wooden leg!" and having told them what to do and to
act together, we jumped up, and giving them a volley, we charged them
before they had any time to take an aim at us, and succeeded in
gaining the cannon and driving the men down the mountain to a body of
their infantry that was stationed at the foot. I immediately made a
signal with my cap for our brigade to come up, for they were all ready
and on the watch, but we found that the enemy's infantry was likewise
on the move for our height. Fortunately, our brigade was the first to
arrive, and reinforced us on the mountain, and on seeing this the
enemy decamped. By great luck not one of my men was injured, whilst
our volley killed or badly wounded five of the artillerymen.
After the enemy's retreat, the colonel came up to me and said, "Well
done, Lawrence; I did not think you were half so brave, but no man
could have managed it better." He likewise praised my six
fellow-stormers, and a short time afterwards Lord Wellington himself
came up and asked me my name, and on my telling him, said, "I shall
think of you another day."
These three cannon, which were composed of brass, were now the only
ones we possessed, as owing to the difficult nature of our route our
own had been obliged to be left behind; even the cavalry being of very
little use in this mountain warfare. Soon after this daring feat of
ours, the enemy again commenced their retreat, we still following
close up to them; but after proceeding some two miles, we found they
had again halted and were occupying another mountain; so we sank into
the valley, and made ourselves as comfortable for the time as we could
under the circumstances. We had no tents, and even if we had, we could
not have pitched them so close to the enemy, so at night we curled
ourselves well into our blankets and retired to rest on the ground.
Finding next morning that they apparently did not mean to renew their
retreat without being made to do so, we tried the experiment; but that
day we were defeated in our object, for again, like the fatal fox and
grapes, we could very well look at them but could not get them down.
We accordingly brought up by the mountain again that night, and those
who were not amongst the number told off for picket, which was large
as we were so near the enemy, again retired to rest in their blankets.
But next morning, not feeling contented with their prolonged stay, or
with our attack of the day before, which had only failed to move them,
we again assailed them; this time with success, for we drove them from
that mountain and pursued them till they again halted. We followed
their example, and then we lay again for several days, getting good
and undisturbed rest every night, and only having to send out a picket
so as to guard against any surprise from the enemy, this duty, of
course, falling equally on all in their turn.
I think it was about the third day that we were put into advancing
order and were again led on to the attack. When we got within a few
paces, we gave them our usual volley, and made our charges, which they
did not long stand against before they again started on a slow
retreat, we always keeping pretty close to their heels and being very
often occupied in skirmishing with them.
I was engaged myself in one of these affairs that happened during a
short stay that we made. A small body of us were out under a sergeant,
an Irishman named Ryan, and observing a large force with some of the
enemy lurking around the premises, we made towards it and drove these
few off the place, after which four or five more came out of the house
on our approach and decamped. We entered and found a pig there just
killed; but the butchers had evidently not had time to open it, so we
set about taking our turn to do so, but were not allowed time to
finish the job, for we now perceived a large body of French fast
coming up, and we in our turn were obliged to retreat. Sharp enough
work it was for us, too, for they had got within bounds of shot, and
certainly did not fail to make use of it, following us up and firing
at us across a meadow, which I can well remember was surrounded by a
very thick thorn hedge, which delayed us very much, as we had to jump
over it; and I not being much of a jumper myself, managed to find
myself in the middle of it. It was a very prickly berth, and became
more so when our sergeant, who had got clear himself, came to my
assistance to pull me through. I got scratched all over, but that was
not so bad as the thought of the bullets that were peppering through
the hedge on all sides of me; however, I was extricated at last,
though I left most of the back part of my uniform behind, and we
proceeded at full speed on our way. We had not gone far, however, when
our poor sergeant was shot down. He appeared quite dead, but I did not
stop, for they kept on stoutly pursuing us until they began to be
afraid of getting too close to our line, which by this time had made a
forward move, both our army and the enemy likewise being still on the
march, and we skirmishing with their rear.
At one time we came on about two hundred of their stragglers, and we
fortunately numbering very strongly, were enabled to engage them and
drive them back. Soon after this I had another very narrow escape. One
of the enemy had lain in ambush in a thicket at the top of a mountain
where I myself was straggling. I had no one near me at the time, and
this fellow in the bush fired at me. The shot first took the ground
and then bounded up against my brass breastplate, which was fixed on
my cross-belt, and probably served on this occasion to save my life.
The Frenchman, as soon as he had spent his shot, bolted; I had my own
musket loaded at the time, but I did not think of firing, but
proceeded after him with all my speed till I came up with him. I did
not think I could run so fast. I have made Frenchmen run before, but
it was generally after me. When he saw he was outdone he showed very
poor pluck, for he immediately threw down his arms and gave himself up
to me. If he had had any spirit he would not have done that so easily;
though certainly I was loaded, while he was not, having, as I before
said, exhausted his shot, owing to my plate, however, I am happy to
say, without doing me the slightest injury.
I then began to strip him of his accoutrements and ransacked his
knapsack, but I was sadly disappointed in finding nothing about him;
so I took his musket and broke the stock, and left him, not feeling
inclined to be troubled with a prisoner, or to hurt the man in unfair
play. And I likewise felt quite pleased at my narrow escape, as those
sort of things often served as topics of conversation during our night
lounges when we were in pretty quiet quarters. The man himself seemed
very grateful that I did not hurt him after his offence; and the more
so when I returned him his not-fit-for-much kit in his knapsack,
nothing of his, in fact, being damaged except his musket; and he
walked away with an air of assurance, without appearing to be in any
hurry or afraid of being overtaken by any other of our men.
I then went on in search of my comrades, who had by this time left the
mountain for the neighbouring valley, and after running down the
slope, I found them posted in a house situated at the bottom. They had
been in search of provisions, but all they found was a cask of sweet
cyder, the French having evidently been there before us and the place
having been ransacked of everything but this. We drank as much as we
wanted and put the rest into our canteen, but we were greatly
disappointed in not finding anything to eat, for we were dreadfully
hungry and very short of provisions.
However, after we had refreshed ourselves with the cyder, at which our
officer helped us, he ordered us to be getting on, or rather led us on
himself to a small village about half a mile off, which we knew was
occupied by some French. We found that a river intervened between us
and this village, with a bridge over it guarded by about two hundred
of the enemy; and a long lane had likewise to be traversed before we
got up to them, in passing through which several of our men were
wounded either by some of the enemy lying in ambush or by stragglers.
Still we did not take long altogether in arriving at the bridge, and
when there, having our firelocks all ready, we opened fire and then
charged; but our attack was in vain, for we were met and overpowered
and obliged to retreat behind a large hill at a short distance from
the bridge. In the course of this short action I saw the French
officer's horse shot from under him, but whether he was injured
himself I cannot say.
We rested a short time behind this hill, and came to a determination
to make another attack on the bridge. This time we met with more
success, for though we only effected it after a long and severe brush,
we made them retreat, leaving the hard fought for but really
insignificant bridge in our possession. We found nearly thirty of the
enemy lying there killed and wounded, while we only lost about fifteen
in all. But we did not delay over our captured bridge, for the blood
of victory once in our veins, we pressed on for more and traced them
down, continually firing as we passed through the village.
Unfortunately I sprained my foot here, which disabled me from
following, and a Portuguese inhabitant having asked our officer to
let one of our men stay in his house to guard it from plunder whilst
we remained in or near the village, the officer said to me, "Corporal
Lawrence, you may as well stay with the man as you are so lame, and it
will do to give you a rest." The company was to go back to the house
where the cyder had been found, so I was rather glad of this
occurrence, as I calculated I should get more attention paid me than
if I had been with my comrades. I accordingly seated myself near the
door of the man's house, and he soon brought me about a pint of wine
with a piece of bread, for which I was very grateful, as I was very
hungry and the wine proved to be much more to my taste than my
previous ration of cyder.
I had not been sitting there long, however, before I heard a heavy
footstep descending the staircase of the house, and on looking up,
found it belonged to a Frenchman who had been up there for the purpose
of plunder, and was now coming away with a good-sized bundle of clean
linen under his arm. When he saw me he immediately bolted out of a
back door which led into a field. I made a desperate plunge at him
with my bayonet, but owing to my bad foot I could not get near enough
to him to hurt him; still I managed to stop his burden, for he had
forced that against the bayonet to shield himself from it. As soon as
I could extricate my musket, I hobbled as quickly as I could to the
back door and sent a bullet after him; but he had got some distance
away, and I cannot say exactly whether I hit him; though I think it
broke his arm, for I saw it drop immediately, and his motion became
more slackened as he passed out of sight, which contented me as much
as if I had killed him.
I then went back into the house and blew the Portuguese up for not
keeping a better watch than to let a Frenchman find his way upstairs,
as he might have killed us both. The Portuguese said he did not know
how he got up there, neither did he very much care so long as he was
gone now. I told him I thought he was a very easy-going customer, and
pointed out that I had saved his linen for him, and his wife took it
upstairs again as if nothing had happened, he likewise remarked that
there was no fear of the Frenchman having taken any money, for he had
none. He then gave me some more bread and wine, and when I had stopped
two or three hours longer, during which time I drank the wine and
stowed the bread into my haversack till I should feel more inclined to
eat it, I left them, not feeling altogether safe there, as the enemy
might very likely fall back. I returned over our well-deserved bridge
to the cyder-house, as we had named it after the barrel we had found
there. On my arrival my comrades seemed to smell out my bread, and
they came and hovered round me like bees while I divided it as well as
I could, for I was not hungry myself, and it was soon devoured.
We only stayed about two or three hours longer at this house until
the army came up, and we again joined our different regiments. We
halted near this place for the night, and our butchers commenced work
killing bullocks for our supply. I think scarcely a drop of blood was
wasted, for even that was caught in our kettles and boiled and eaten,
and was found to be very good. Each sergeant had to send in his return
for the meat required for his company, at the rate of two pounds for
each man; and when he had received it, the cooking immediately
commenced.
This was the last cooking that my fellow-corporal Burke, whom I have
referred to before, ever took part in. But before relating how that
happened I may as well mention that the butchers were entitled as a
sort of perquisite to the bullocks' heels, which they sometimes sold.
Burke bought two of these at this place for fifteenpence, and began
cooking them in a somewhat peculiar manner, being either too hungry or
too impatient to cook them properly by boiling. What he did was to put
them on the fire to fizzle just as they came from the butcher, not
even cleaning them, or taking any of the hair off; and every now and
then he would gnaw the portion off that he thought was done, in order
to get the underdone part closer to the fire. In this way he finished
both the hocks, and for a time seemed satisfied, evidently thinking he
had had a good supper.
But he had not counted on his digestion, for having eaten so much on
an empty stomach, and that too almost raw and mixed with a fair amount
of soot, for the fire was not altogether clear, it was not long before
he felt it begin to disagree with him, and he commenced to writhe
about and was in fearful agonies all night. The doctor of the regiment
was sent for, but he could do nothing for the man, and in the morning
he was no better. We were then ordered to follow up the enemy, so that
he had either to march on in this state or be left behind. He chose
the former, so I got him along by helping him for about a mile, when
he suddenly without saying a word to any one fell out of the ranks,
lay down on a bank by the roadside, and expired in a few minutes. I
was very much hurt at this, for he was one of my best comrades, but
there was no help for it, and we had to leave him and march on.
We did not come in contact with the enemy at all that day, and
encamped for the night, as we thought, but it afterwards proved to be
for nearly a fortnight. Towards the end of that time, our captain, who
was my best friend in the whole regiment, rejoined us, having been
left behind owing to a slight wound which he had received while on
the march three or four weeks previously, but of which he had now
quite recovered. Our company was at that time very short of sergeants,
for which I shall afterwards account, so he recommended my promotion
to fill one of the vacancies to the colonel, who gave him a written
order for the purpose, and I was put into the place of poor Ryan. I of
course was very proud of my new title, and not only that, but I
received one shilling and elevenpence pay per day, being an additional
sixpence on what I had formerly.