THE BATTLE OF FUENTES D’ONORO
Much fighting—We drive the enemy across the Mondego at Coimbra—Battle of
Fuentes d’Onoro—I go into the French lines to take away the body of
a friend
THE whole of our troops were put _en route_ to follow them. The 1st
Light Division and our headquarters and brilliant staff were all much
excited, and anxious to be at them. We soon arrived at, and crossed
without opposition, the formidable causeway and works which so long
defied us, and which even now startled us not a little. In a few hours
more we were passing through the now empty and deserted town of
Santarem. We were now halted, and could not see much, but amongst the
many signs of devastation and plunder we passed under the remaining
walls of that once peaceful convent where, two years ago, we had spent
many happy days and hours. Nothing now remained but the bare crumbling
walls. The dear nuns were gone, no one knew where, most likely to
Lisbon. The building was destroyed and plundered by the enemy, and we
afterwards heard that such was the fate of all the convents within reach
of the French during their advance towards the Lines of Torres Vedras,
and that many of the nuns who had not time to escape, or who trusted to
their religion and calling for protection and safety, were shamefully
treated by the French officers and soldiers. Of this I can have little
doubt, for when our advance was over, and we got settled amongst the
inhabitants, we heard many sad stories of this description.
We had not advanced many miles from Santarem when we heard the distant
firing of our Light Division and our advanced field train, now evidently
up with the enemy. This went on till dusk, and we then bivouacked for
the night. Next morning we were again in pursuit, without pressing the
enemy, rather to allow them to get away, unless they offered battle.
Their first stand was for some hours in force in front of the village of
Pombal. As soon as our troops got within reach they opened a heavy fire
from a numerous artillery upon us, but our troops and guns, being now
well up, returned the compliment with their accustomed vigour and
interest; some manœuvring and changes of position followed on the part
of the French, and additional troops were shown and brought into action.
Our 1st Division was then hurried to the front to support our troops,
and having got into action, the fight was continued with determined
valour for some time, until the enemy began to give way, and finally to
retreat in some confusion. We followed them till dusk, when we halted
and took up our position for the night. For days after this we had no
fighting, till we drove them across the Mondego at Coimbra, and by some
other bridges and fords of that splendid river, at each of which places
there was a great deal of fighting.
The scenes of destruction and murder which we frequently passed in the
villages and on our daily march, were dreadful. Houses and furniture
burnt, men and women mutilated and murdered, lying about in the most
disgusting and barbarous manner, some with their throats cut, some with
their eyes and ears gone, and others cut up and most dreadfully exposed;
all this for revenge, because they would not, or could not, supply the
French army with provisions, and in the hope that these savage
proceedings would terrify others into instant compliance. The French
were suffering fearfully at that time from want of food, and their
deserters to us were then unusually numerous. We had almost daily
evidence of the former fact, for as we entered villages which they had
left, it was an ordinary sight to see in the houses one or more dead
French soldiers lying on the floor in full uniform, their arms still
grasped in their hands as if asleep, also sitting in chairs with their
caps on, and in full uniform, their firelocks standing upright between
their legs, and quite dead; evidently they had died from want of food. I
may mention that during our pursuit of the enemy we always took up our
position each night in the open fields, without any covering beyond our
blankets, and these were generally saturated with wet, for in Portugal
rains are frequent, and dews and fogs unusually heavy during the night.
If we remained for a few days or weeks we cut down some trees and bushes
and made ourselves as comfortable as we could in shelters. In permanent
quarters the army was always housed in the neighbouring towns and
villages. When the towns and villages were deserted we were distributed
among a number of empty houses and streets. The country abounded with
game, especially hares, so during our idle time we were coursing or
shooting with success. Each company cooked its own food, and divided it
in the usual form. The officers of one or two companies messed together,
giving and taking dinner with their friends occasionally. We arrived
near the frontiers of Portugal driving the enemy before us, passing
through Vizeu, Mangualde, Celorico, and Guarda, and some of the other
villages we had occupied. The army was halted for some weeks, and many
of the inhabitants joined us and again occupied their houses, but in all
of these places we found the same sad evidence of the reckless
destruction of houses and property of every description.
When we reached the town of Sabugal on the Coa we found the enemy
strongly posted to dispute our passage of that river. After a good deal
of fighting our Light Division forced and carried the bridge, and a
general engagement for some hours followed, with much slaughter on both
sides. In the evening the enemy gave way and continued the retreat. It
rained fearfully during the night. In the fields which my brigade
occupied we were up to our ankles in mud. It was one of the most trying
nights we ever had; our men suffered so much from the wet and cold that
two or three were found dead on the ground when the assembly sounded
next morning. Massena halted his army again in the neighbourhood of
Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, in both of which fortresses he had a strong
garrison; there he was allowed to remain unmolested for some months
longer. We in like manner halted, and were put in quarters in the
different villages in advance of the Coa, my brigade being comfortably
housed at Alfaiates, and while here we enjoyed ourselves much in field
sports and coursing. Headquarters were again near us, and Lord
Wellington mixed frequently with us in the chase. Our quartermaster got
sick about this time, and I was appointed to do his duty, which gave me
an opportunity of improving my Portuguese. About the last week in April,
1811, the army was again put in motion to the front. Early on the
morning of the 3rd of May we came in sight of the French army posted in
order of battle in and beyond the village of Fuentes d’Onoro. The
weather was beautiful, and both armies fought without either gaining any
decided advantage. On that day the casualties on both sides were
numerous, when night stopped the battle. Next morning at daylight it was
renewed, and continued at various intervals in various parts of the
line, until again checked by darkness. On the following morning, the 5th
of May, it began again in earnest, and was more formidable and general,
the numbers of killed and wounded and prisoners on both sides being very
considerable. Upon the whole the French gained ground upon us, where my
brigade and divisions were posted, and drove us from the village of
Fuentes. This occurred about midday, and the weather being unusually
hot, a suspension of hostilities was agreed upon for the purpose of
carrying away the wounded and burying the dead.
I had charge of one of the fatigue parties sent on this service, and
passed at once over to the village of Fuentes, then in possession of the
enemy, from which they had driven us. We were received most kindly, and
proceeded at once to our work of burying the dead and removing the
wounded. This was continued for only an hour, when the bugles of both
armies sounded “To arms!” on which the French troops near us immediately
fell in, shouldered their arms, and taking off their caps, gave us three
cheers. We at the same time, shaking hands with some of them, made off
as fast as we could back to our own lines, and there, forming in order
of battle, took off our caps and returned the same hearty good cheers.
Then, and not until then, was a shot fired by either of the contending
parties, and the battle again commenced with more vigour than ever, and
continued with fearful slaughter until night.
Amongst our losses on that memorable day was a very dear friend of mine,
Lieutenant Edmond Kelly Ireland, of the 24th Regiment. I was with him
when he fell, and I knew where to find him. He was equally well loved
and regretted by all his brother-officers, and Lieutenants Moorsoom and
Pell and I, after a talk, determined to go at once to the French lines
to claim his body; so, accompanied by two of our soldiers carrying a
blanket, and without leave, we moved boldly off to the French side until
stopped by one of their sentries. We answered “English officers,” on
which he ordered us to stand still, then turned out his guard, or
picquet. A French officer and a dozen men then advanced, and asked who
we were and what we wanted, and being told we came to request to be
allowed to look for and claim the body of an officer and friend of ours
who fell that day on their ground, our brave foe said at once,
“Certainly, gentlemen; give me up your swords and I shall be happy to
conduct you wherever you wish to go.” We accompanied him under escort to
his bush hut. He spoke freely and kindly of the battle, boasting a
little that they had driven us off so much of the ground and from the
village. He gave us a glass of brandy and water and biscuits, then said,
“Gentlemen, I shall now conduct you where you like,” so off we went to
the spot where I knew poor Ireland fell. We soon recognized him amongst
heaps of slain; he was lying on his back stripped of all his clothing.
He was shot right through the head, and must have died at once. We
placed him in the blanket and carried him back with us, returning as we
came, by the French officers’ bivouac, there receiving our swords. In a
quarter of an hour more we were safely back in our own lines, without
having been missed. Our next work was to dig a grave, and that being
damp and watery, we opened another in a higher ground, and there we laid
our dear and much-lamented friend. Our doings soon became known; some
one told all to our colonel, who at once assembled all the officers, and
gave us a most severe lecture, pointing out to us how improper and
imprudent our conduct was, and how difficult it would have been, if we
had fallen into the hands of a dishonourable enemy, to prove that we
were not deserters, and we were cautioned not to attempt any such folly
for the future. Later, we were told by one of the senior officers that,
although obliged to reprimand us, no one thought more highly of our
conduct than our good Colonel Kelly. We fully expected to renew the
fight on the morning of the 6th, but to our surprise and satisfaction,
as that day dawned not a Frenchman was to be seen. They retired beyond
our reach during the night, and so ended the battle of Fuentes d’Onoro,
fought on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of May, 1811.
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