Embarkation of the troops -- Lawrence's regiment sent to Ireland
-- He receives his pay for the war and promptly spends it --
Ordered on foreign service again to the West Indies -- Terrific
storm which compels the fleet to put back into Cork -- Arrival at
Barbadoes -- Death of a young captain from fever -- Jamaica --
Discovery of a female stowaway -- Lawrence told off to deposit
her on shore -- The regiment proceeds to New Orleans -- A new
kind of fortification to be stormed -- Doings in camp on Dolphin
Isle -- Return to England -- News arriving of Napoleon's escape
from Elba, the regiment is sent on at once to Flanders -- Ghent
-- March to Brussels.
After remaining at Bordeaux for five or six weeks the army embarked on
board ships bound for various parts of the British Isles. Our regiment
was again despatched to Ireland, most of us being Irish. We were
conveyed thither by the _Sultan_, a fine man-of-war with seventy-four
guns. We had a very good passage, and amused ourselves very much with
the sailors on board, who on their part had many a good laugh at our
general ragged appearance. We landed in Ireland at Monkstown, near
Cork, and marched thence to Fermoy, whence after lying two three days
in the barracks there, we proceeded to Athlone in West Meath, where we
were stationed for about two months.
The regiment had never been settled with during the whole of our
Peninsular trip of six years, though money had been advanced to us at
various places, so now while we were waiting at this place the
accounts were made up, and some of our sergeants found they had as
much as 50_l._ or 60_l._ to receive. My own lot amounted to 40_l._, I
being one of the younger sergeants. When our pay had been given us a
week's furlough was granted to the whole regiment, and no doubt most
of the money melted away in that period--at least, I know mine did,
for not having been in the British Isles for so long, we were all
resolved to have a spree. I never went away from Athlone, however, the
whole time, but slept in barracks every night, though there was no
duty to be done as the militia were ordered out for that. I knew that
it would be useless to cross the Channel in that short time to see my
parents, though I should have liked to have done so, but I did not
altogether forget them, and wrote to them to ease their minds about my
whereabouts; as I had written to them during my stay in the Peninsula,
and I thought they might have been anxious about my safety when they
heard or read about the scenes that were taking place there, as
parents naturally are about their children, be they ever so rackety.
But we were not allowed to stay here even in peace long, for at the
end of the two months we were again ordered on foreign service, and
marched to a place called Mallow in Cork, whence, having been joined
there by our second battalion, and having had all the men fit for
service drafted out of that into ours, we proceeded to Cork itself.
This was a fine place for our captain to get rid of the remaining
skulkers, and he left them behind, much to their annoyance, in the
second battalion.
From Cork we proceeded to the Cove to embark, after a stay in Ireland
now of about three months altogether; and when all was in readiness on
board the ships, we set sail for the West Indies. It can be better
imagined than I can describe in what sort of spirit we began this
other war, scarcely having slipped out of one field before we were
launched into another; but as they were the usual thing on our
embarkations, the same scenes that took place at Portsmouth will serve
to picture those at Cork: they did not tend to enliven us much, but
they were soon forgotten when we got to work talking over and telling
our new comrades the many tales of the Peninsula.
After launching out of Cork Harbour, however, a terrible gale blew up,
which obliged us to put into Bantry Bay for a time. One of our ships
was lost on the rocks, but fortunately all on board were saved. They
had lost all their accoutrements, however, so they were taken on board
various ships, and as soon as we got fairer weather we returned to the
Cove to await a fresh supply, which was at least three weeks in
coming. Then we again set sail, amusing ourselves on the voyage as we
best could; and having good weather, we arrived as soon as could be
expected at Barbadoes, and anchored there for a short time. One of the
captains of my regiment, who had probably seen enough of war to
satisfy him, had before our start sold his commission to a younger
officer who gave him 1200_l._ for it; but, singular to say, the very
first night of this our anchorage this poor young man went to sleep on
shore, and, catching a fever, was brought on board and a few hours
afterwards was a lifeless corpse. Owing to the infectiousness of his
disease, he had to be immediately sewn up with two of our large shot
in a blanket, and the funeral service being read by an officer as
there was no minister on board, he was put into the sea.
From Barbadoes we sailed to Jamaica, and anchored off Port Royal. A
singular circumstance occurred during our stay there: a girl was
discovered who had been concealed on board at Cork by some of the
sailors in a bundle of straw unbeknown to the captain of the ship.
This being the best place for shipping her back to England, she was
obliged to leave her accomplices at once, and I being sergeant of the
watch was called to take her on shore to Port Royal with two privates.
We took her to a kind of public-house, where, although it was two
o'clock in the morning, the people were still amusing themselves in
dancing to some rough music of their own, the whole of them being
blacks. We asked for the landlord, and on his soon making his
appearance from among the company, as black as a crow and still
steaming with the dance, I inquired if the girl could have a bed there
for the night. He said, "Yes, for a dollar." I thought that was a
stiffish price for a night considering it was two o'clock in the
morning, but I paid him the sum and left the poor unfortunate girl
there while we returned to our ships. I was very sorry for her, as she
seemed nearly broken-hearted, but I could do no more for her under the
circumstances, and I hope she got safe back to England after all.
After about a week had elapsed a gun-brig arrived to convey us to
North America, England being then at war with the Americans, and we
went on in her to the mouth of the River Mississippi. There we
disembarked into barges holding about a hundred troops each, and
having been towed up by other small sailing and rowing boats to
Orleans, were put on shore near that place, our body consisting of
five English and two black regiments, with a battalion of marines.
We marched on the same day and encamped about two miles from the city.
Skirmishing was kept up with this our new enemy during the night, but
without any great casualty happening. On the following morning,
however, we advanced in a body to attack a battery that had been
constructed near the city, chiefly out of barrels of brown sugar. We
were at first warmly received with the cannon and musketry planted
there, but they soon got tired of our Peninsular medicines: I suppose
the pills disagreed with them, for they were very quickly obliged to
retire into the city and no more fighting ensued; and some terms
having been hinted at, when the black regiments had eaten a quantity
of the fortifications, which they seemed to be very fond of, and we
had put some into our haversacks as likely to be useful to sweeten our
cocoa, we returned to our boats, and dropping down the river to a
piece of land called Dolphin Isle, there encamped again.
The island was uninhabited, except that there were plenty of
alligators, racoons, and oysters there; but we had plenty of
provisions, that is, in the shape of meat and flour, though no bread,
which inconvenience was from the want of ovens. We soon set to work,
however, to construct one by burning a quantity of oyster-shells for
lime, and having mixed that with sand and water we made some very good
cement; after which we got a lot of iron hoops from the vessels, with
which we formed the arch, and so we put one oven together; and I much
doubt if it did not bake as well as any English one, considering the
style of dough that we had. After it had been found to answer so well,
at least twenty more were constructed on the once desolate but now
busy little isle. We were constantly on the coast in search of
oysters, of which there was an abundance; and some of the more
industrious of us even collected them for sale among the troops who
either preferred buying them to taking the trouble of collecting them
for themselves, or else were unable to go on the sands on account of
being on duty. They were sold very cheap, however; I have known half a
bushel go for one dollar, which was certainly not much for the trouble
of getting them.
During our stay here a playhouse was likewise erected, and some of the
more clever among the officers and men amused the troops in that way.
The scenery was rather rude, to be sure; but with these and various
other games and freaks the three months that we lay there passed off
very pleasantly The poor blacks, however, suffered dreadfully from the
cold, it being then winter, and they had to be sent back to their own
country long before we left.
Our chief reason for lying there so long was to see all settled and to
wait for orders before we proceeded back to England. When the order
did come, joy was in every mouth, for this was indeed a short campaign
compared with our Peninsular affairs, and it may be supposed we were
by no means sorry for that. We embarked on board the same ships, and
again tacked to the West Indies to get provisions at one of the
Spanish islands, where we took on board live cattle and water, and as
food for the former a kind of cabbage, which on account of their size
were called cabbage-trees.
Thence we proceeded on our route to Portsmouth, and had a very
pleasant voyage with fair weather prevailing; but when near England we
fell in with an English frigate, which informed us that Napoleon
Buonaparte had left the island of Elba with a small force and had
landed in France to collect more troops. This was indeed a
disappointment to me, for I felt sure that if he again intended
disturbing Europe, we should have to be on the scene again. But in
another way it caused no small amount of stir on board, for the young
officers, who were looking ravenously forward to promotion, were so
rejoiced at the news that they treated all the men to an extra glass
of grog, to make everybody as lively as themselves.
Nothing else of any particular note occurred on our voyage, and
having arrived near Portsmouth a signal was raised, and we fell in on
the quarantine ground, hoisting a yellow flag for a doctor to inspect
us on board. When he came he found all on board our ship to be in very
good condition, which was reported to the general, and the very next
morning he signalled to us to weigh anchor and proceed to Flanders; so
without setting foot on English ground we again went on our way to
meet our common enemy. This time, however, he was not in his old
quarters, but in the north of France, where he had collected more than
a hundred thousand troops.
I left Portsmouth this time with a good deal lighter heart than I had
last, being now more used to war and hardships than to peace and
plenty, though perhaps I would rather have landed than proceed on this
errand; and, indeed, there were many of us who had left wife and
children at home who went off with a very sad heart.
Our voyage this time was a very short one, only occupying one day; and
early on the following morning we arrived in sight of Flanders and
there brought up at anchor. Very shortly some small vessels came
alongside to convey us to the quay at Ostend, where we landed, and
after marching about half a mile we came to a canal, where we embarked
in large open barges, in which we were towed by horses past Bruges,
about twelve miles off Ostend, to Ghent, which at a wide guess might
be twice the same distance further. We landed at Ghent and lay there
about nine days, while Louis XVIII. was staying in the town, he
having been obliged to flee from Paris by that old disturber after a
short reign of about ten months.
At the end of the nine days the drums beat at midnight, and we arrayed
ourselves in marching order as quickly as possible. The landlord of
the house where I was staying had got up, and would kindly insist on
filling our canteens--that is a capacity of about three pints--with
gin, giving us as well some bread and meat each, and warning us to
look out, for he knew the French were coming. All having assembled at
the rendezvous, orders were given to march on to Brussels immediately.
I could not exactly say what the distance was, but it was probably not
less than forty miles, taking us two days of hard marching to
accomplish it.