On the forenoon of the 2d March, we cast anchor in Aboukir Bay, the
place where the battle of the Nile was fought. Here we lay until the
8th, before the weather would permit us to land; a period of great
anxiety, for every hour was giving the enemy time to collect his forces,
and prepare the means of defence. This made the prospect increasingly
awful. Our regiment was intended to have been one of those which should
land first; but the fever having increased so much, that about one half
of our number were at this time sick, we were unfit to perform a
regiment's part, and another of equal strength was put in our place. The
bay was shallow, and the ships which contained the troops being in
general of a large size, had to anchor at a considerable distance from
the shore. On the 7th, a number of smaller vessels which had been loaded
with provisions, but whose cargoes were now nearly expended, were moved
to about three miles from the shore; and several regiments were put on
board of them, that support might be quickly given to those who landed
first. All of our regiment fit for duty were ordered into one of these
vessels in the evening. The weather was now favourable, and every thing
indicated that the landing would be attempted next morning. I slept
little or none during the night; but frequently employed myself in short
prayers to God to be merciful to me, and to spare me and protect me from
danger.--I was surprised this night with a want of my ordinary sight,
and heard numbers of my comrades say that they did not see so well as
usual, and yet they had no pain in their eyes.
About two o'clock in the morning the signal was made for the first
division of the troops to get into the boats, and at three o'clock they
were ordered to row for their rendezvous in the rear of one of the light
war-vessels that was anchored about a gun-shot from the shore. This was
a very fatiguing service to the seamen; because the fleet was so widely
anchored, and many of the large ships so far from the shore, that it was
nine o'clock before they were all collected and arranged. The enemy
could see all our movements; and the unavoidable delays that took place,
gave them a fair opportunity to provide for their defence, for they now
knew the only point at which we could land. I contemplated the scene
with an anxious aching heart. The number of troops in the boats was
about 5500, and the whole army about 15,000, of which there were about
1000 sick at the time of landing, and of these about 400 belonged to our
own regiment.--There were two bomb ketches and three sloops of war,
anchored with their broadsides to the shore; on the right flank of the
boats there were a cutter, two Turkish gun-boats, and two armed
launches; and on the left flank, a cutter, a schooner, one gun-boat, and
two launches. These light vessels were to go as near the shore as the
water would admit, to annoy the enemy and protect the boats.
At nine o'clock the signal was made for the boats to advance; and the
whole line advanced at the same instant, giving three loud cheers. "The
French, to the number of two thousand, were posted on the top of
sand-hills, forming the concave arc of a circle on the front of about a
mile, in the centre of which elevated itself, a nearly perpendicular
height of sixty yards, apparently inaccessible."[7] The left of this
rising ground was a continuation of sand-hills close to the shore,
gradually diminishing in their height until they ended in a long flat
tongue forming the entrance of Lake Maadie. The ground to the right of
the centre height on the shore was flat, but there were clusters of
thick bushes, (such as form the date or palm tree), which were
favourable for concealing the enemy; and on the extremity of the right
stood the castle of Aboukir, in which were several 10 inch mortars, and
a large Martello tower, having two brass 32 pounders on its top, and
which, from its position and height, commanded nearly the whole shore.
As soon as the boats set off for the beach, the two bomb ketches, and
the three sloops of war, began to throw their shot and shells upon the
shore; and the light vessels, stationed to protect the flanks of the
boats, moved along with them and began to fire. The bulk of the enemy's
field artillery was in the flat ground, to the right of the height
before mentioned, the rest was among the smaller sand-hills on the left
of it. As soon as the boats were within the reach of their shot, they
opened their fire on them; and it appeared to be their design, to make
their shot cross the boats in the centre. The heavy guns on the top of
the tower in Aboukir castle, and the mortars, commenced, at the same
time, their fire on the right flank of the boats. The scene now became
dreadful; the war vessels pouring whole broadsides; the bomb ketches
throwing shells, which, exploding in the air, formed numerous little
clouds; and the gun-boats and cutters on the flanks of the boats,
exerting themselves to the utmost. As none of these, however, could
approach the shore, so near as to be within the reach of grape-shot, or
even to have a certain aim, their exertions were of little benefit to
the boats; which pursued their progress towards the shore, whilst the
enemy's artillery, (12 pieces, exclusive of the large guns in Aboukir
castle), continued to play upon them with unremitting activity. All eyes
were directed towards the boats; every flash of the enemy's artillery
was noticed; and every eye on the stretch, to discern where the shot
might strike the water, to observe if it lighted among the boats, and if
any of them were damaged or sunk; and we too often had occasion to
picture to our minds, when we saw the shot strike in the middle of them,
and produce disorder, how many it might have killed, or wounded, or
drowned; for my own part, although I felt thankful that I was not myself
in the boats, yet my feelings for those that were, were nearly, if not
altogether, as painful, as if I had been in them; and I believe that
this was the case with the most of the spectators. But while we were
thus feeling for them, we became increasingly astonished to behold how
the boats pressed forwards towards the shore, although the wind, of
which there was a smart breeze, was against them; how well they
preserved their order under the terrible fire of the enemy's artillery;
and how quickly any disorder produced by the shot that fell amongst them
was remedied. The painful feelings of anxious apprehension and suspense
experienced by those in the boats, must have been greatly heightened by
the circumstance, that most of the shells and shot fired by our war
vessels were necessarily fired over their heads, they being between the
vessels and the enemy: so that an ill-directed shot from their own
ships, was as dangerous to them as one from the shore; and when buzzing
through the air over them, must have been apprehended as one from the
enemy, about to strike destruction amongst them.
As the boats approached the shore, the enemy moved their artillery that
was on their right, and drew it nearer to their centre. It appeared to
be a part of their object, to keep the extreme right of the boats
betwixt their artillery and the war vessels, and thus prevent the war
vessels from having a clear opening to direct their fire: and indeed all
our fire, from all descriptions of vessels, did not seem to interrupt
for a moment that of the enemy, or to silence a single gun all the time
the troops were rowing to the beach. When they approached near to it,
the enemy having drawn their artillery from the right, planted it on the
top of the centre height, which now appeared to look directly down upon
the boats: and now came the most trying moment. From this elevated
position they poured down such a continued fire of shot, shell, and
grape, as made us, who were looking on, apprehend that few would reach
the shore. Some disorder too appearing among the boats increased our
fears; but at this instant we heard them begin to cheer, and saw them
press forward with redoubled vigour. We soon observed the right flank of
the boats reach the shore under the centre height,[8] and the men form
immediately on the beach; while the enemy from the top of the height
poured down grape shot, as well as the fire of musketry from a line of
infantry which was ranged along it. In a few seconds the 40th flank
companies, and the 23d regiment, were in line; and, without firing a
shot, ascended the height in the face of the enemy. This movement was
clearly seen by the whole fleet, and attracted all eyes.--The spectators
began to tremble, lest the enemy should drive them down again; but we
were astonished to see with what rapidity and order they mounted the
steep face of the height. They were soon close to the enemy, and charged
them with loud cheers, when the enemy fled, and in an instant both
parties were out of sight. The 42d regiment, which had landed and
formed, was now seen ascending the left of the height, and charging the
enemy opposed to them, who also fled and disappeared. We now turned our
attention more to the left, where part of the troops were forming on the
beach; but the left of the boats had not yet reached the shore. The
enemy, who had been posted among the smaller sand-hills, as soon as the
boats came near the shore, rushed down into the water, fired into them,
and endeavoured to prevent their landing. A party of cavalry also
charged those who were in the act of landing, which produced a temporary
confusion; but they were soon wholly repulsed. All the troops were
landed, and the beach, and the heights that lined it, cleared of the
enemy, I believe, in less than a quarter of an hour, and nothing to be
seen by the spectators, but the empty boats, hoisting their sails, and
proceeding with all possible speed to receive the second division. Some
of them soon reached the ship I was in, and with all haste we got into
them and rowed for the shore. On the way I saw some boats swamped, which
had been struck with large shot; but the men who were in them had been
picked up by the small boats, which followed those that had troops in
them, for this express purpose. The number of boats, that were seriously
damaged, was small, compared with what might have been expected; but
they were in general less or more perforated with grape shot and
musketry. The boat in which I was had an oar broken, and was otherwise
damaged; but none of the men were killed or seriously wounded in her.
We soon reached the shore, at a place where it was deeper than common:
and with a leap I landed dry shod. The first thing I saw, as I passed
along the beach, was some Frenchmen lying dead within the edge of the
water. The beach was strewed with dead and wounded men, with horses, and
artillery taken from the enemy: but the action was over. We formed in a
hollow on the left of the centre height, where the 42d had repulsed a
charge of cavalry; some of the 42d, and also of the cavalry, with their
horses, were stretched dead upon the sand:--we were soon ready, and
advanced through the first range of sand-hills, and found the first
division formed with their artillery, which had landed along with them,
and was drawn by seamen. This circumstance had materially contributed to
the success of the landing; for the enemy were astonished to find that
our artillery was landed as soon as the troops, and began to fire upon
them as soon as the musketry of the infantry. Eight pieces of cannon
were taken from the enemy; but the army lost in this affair, one hundred
and two killed, five hundred and fifteen wounded, and thirty-five
missing; the loss of the navy was twenty-two killed, seventy-two
wounded, and three missing, making a total of seven hundred and
forty-nine, the greater part of which were killed or wounded in the
boats, previous to landing.
During the course of the day the troops were all landed; we did not
however advance far that day, but took up a position at no great
distance from the shore. Our first concern was to learn whether water
could be got in this sandy desert; and we were glad to find that it
could be obtained in the hollows, by digging a little way in the sand.
When night came on we stationed our guards, and lay upon the sand,
covering ourselves with our blankets. This night I was surprised to find
that I could see nothing, and I continued to be in this state every
night, until the night of the 20d: in the day time I saw as well as ever
I did, and had no pain in my eyes.
On the morning of the 9th our regiment, along with a party of Corsican
riflemen, advanced along the peninsula about three miles from where we
landed, to a place where it was contracted into less than half a mile in
breadth. Here was a redoubt and a flag-staff, for communicating signals
betwixt Aboukir castle and Alexandria: but the enemy had left it, and
thrown a large gun, intended to be mounted on it, into the ditch. In the
course of the day, the 42d regiment and others, came and occupied this
position, and we returned to our former one, where we remained until the
morning of the 12th, waiting for the landing of some horses, ammunition,
and provisions, from the fleet. We made booths of the branches of the
date (or palm tree), to shelter ourselves from the dew, which fell very
copiously, and we had sometimes heavy showers of rain and hail, which
made it pretty cold. The thermometer was frequently below 50.
On the morning of the 12th, having filled our canteens with water, and
furnished ourselves with three days provisions, the whole army advanced.
Having proceeded a little beyond the narrow neck of the peninsula, the
enemy's cavalry began to skirmish; our march was slow and often
interrupted; the surface of the ground being very uneven, the sand very
deep, and the day very warm, parties were frequently sent to assist the
seamen with the guns, and even those guns which had horses to draw them,
were unable to get forward, for the horses had never been used to the
draught, and were often unmanageable.--Before evening we came within
sight of the enemy's army posted on a height. Their strength was about
6000 men, of which 600 were cavalry, with 20 to 30 pieces of cannon. As
it was too late to engage them that night, we halted, and began to dig
for water; for we had made use of all that we had, and were now very
thirsty. The place where we began to dig, was a deep soil of black
earth, and below it a clayish mixture. About four or five feet from the
surface, water began to appear in small quantities; each company dug a
well; but before the one to which I belonged had found water, the
regiment was ordered upon picquet. There was no help for it. We were
posted along the front of the army, only those who were blind were not
put on sentry, but left in groupes, a little in the rear. There were
nearly twenty of a company in this condition. We felt very unhappy; for
we had to remain in the spot where we were, until, when it was necessary
to shift our position, some one who had sight came to conduct us to
another place: we then took hold of one another, and were led in a
string; and, had a party of the enemy made a dash at the place where we
were, we were unable either to have resisted or fled.
On the morning of the 13th we were ordered to advance in front of the
army, to form, along with the 90th regiment, the advanced guard. We had
no time to procure water, but got a little rum, and began our march,
leaving our knapsacks with a guard. We had not advanced far, before our
light company, which was in front, came upon the enemy's picquets, and a
skirmishing began, which increased as we advanced. The light company was
reinforced several times, the enemy's picquets getting stronger as they
retreated, being joined by those who were in their rear. The ground
through which we marched was interspersed with thick bushes; but we
approached a rising ground, on which the main body of the enemy's army
was drawn up in order of battle. The ascent to this height was entirely
bare, and also the ground to the left of it, which projected to Lake
Maadie.--Our regiment kept to the side of the lake; the 90th was on our
right; and the army followed us in two lines. Our parties in front
pressed eagerly upon the enemy's picquets, which caused the regiment to
march pretty quickly, in order to be near them for their support; and
this led us to get a considerable way in advance of the army, which
could not follow with the same speed.--There was one nine pounder
field-piece, and one four and a half inch howitzer, along with us; but
very little ammunition with them. Armed launches too had kept pace with
the left of the army upon the lake; but it was now so shallow that they
could not follow us farther.--As soon as the 90th regiment had cleared
the broken ground, and began to ascend the height on which the enemy's
army was posted, a heavy column of cavalry was observed coming forward
to charge them. The front section of the 90th halted, and the regiment
formed line with all expedition. The front section of the enemy's
cavalry wheeled, as soon as it came opposite the right of the 90th, and
began to form line. The two parties formed opposite and very near each
other, but the cavalry line was formed first. The rear sections of the
90th had not time to reach the extent of the line, and closed upon the
rear of the left, making it six or eight deep, but they had a clear view
of the horsemen who were on higher ground. The cavalry advanced upon
them with their swords raised; the 90th stood firm, until the cavalry
were so near the right of their line, that they were going to strike at
them with their swords; they then began to fire, and it ran from right
to left like a rattling peal of thunder. It was one of the most terrible
discharges of musketry I ever saw; and, from the nearness of the enemy,
it was dreadfully destructive. The cavalry instantly retreated, and many
horses ran away with empty saddles. During the time of this transaction,
which was over in a few seconds, our regiment made a momentary pause. On
the retreat of the cavalry we again advanced. The enemy then began to
open their artillery upon us from the heights. We still pressed on; but
as they saw all our movements, and perceived that we were considerably
advanced before the army, they formed the resolution to attack us with
all their force; and accordingly marched to their right down the height,
and, when on the plain, formed line, and came forward. When we perceived
their movement, we halted, formed five companies in line; posted the
other five in the rear of scattered bushes on the left towards the lake,
and awaited their approach. We cannonaded them with our two pieces, but
our ammunition being soon expended, the guns were drawn into the rear.
During the time that we were advancing, I had frequently and earnestly
prayed to God, to spare and protect me. Our present situation was one of
imminent danger; part of the enemy's artillery were playing upon us from
the rising ground towards the right; and in front, the enemy, with the
rest of his artillery, was advancing in great force, in a line formed
like the blade of a scythe, the curved point to our left on the shore of
the lake, and that part of it appeared to be composed of cavalry.[9] It
seemed to be the enemy's intention to come round our left, and get into
our rear with that part of their line, while the rest of it attacked us
in front, and out-flanked us on the right, by which they would have
completely surrounded us, and either destroyed or carried us prisoners,
before the main body of the army could arrive to assist us. This was
their only object. They were too weak to attack the army on level ground
with any hope of success; but they were more than competent to take or
destroy our party, which did not amount to 500 men. I was near the left
of the line, and beheld the advance of the enemy with an anxious mind;
but as we were standing in a fixed position, I had some leisure for
reflection; and as death was once more staring me in the face, I began
to inquire "what hope have I for eternity, if I am cut off at this
time?" I confessed my sins in the words of the 51st Psalm; and besought
God to pardon them, and give me a new heart; I then thought, "If we are
mostly cut down at this time, and have to appear before God, will he
make no difference between me and those around me, many of whom, in
place of calling upon him, profane his name?" I then endeavoured to lay
hold on the mercies promised to the penitent and contrite in heart. I
thought I was sorry for my sins, and confessed them without guile, and
on this account I endeavoured to hope for mercy, thus resting partly on
the difference that I conceived to be between my own character and that
of others, and partly on my contrition and repentance before God. But my
mind was still dissatisfied; I still feared the worst; I knew not the
merits of a Saviour's righteousness; my hope was not built upon him but
on myself, and could not be satisfactory. I therefore cried to God to
spare me once more, and promised that my future life should be devoted
to his service. The Lord was pleased to hear my cry, and to protect me
during the awful scene that was just about to commence. The enemy's line
had advanced within about 300 yards, and brought two-field pieces in
front of the company I was in, and fired them at us. One of the balls
came skimming along the surface of the ground. I caught a view of it at
some distance, and thought it was coming directly to me. It grazed a
small hillock of rubbish a few yards in our front, and laid down the
second file on my right. It struck the left leg of the front rank man in
the centre, passing through it, and leaving a part of the skin on each
side. It grazed the calf of the rear rank man's left leg, tearing it,
and carrying part of it away. The small stones which it drove from the
rubbish-hillock hurt our faces, and a quantity of them entered into the
lacerated limbs of the wounded like hail. The one whose leg was broken
died some time after he had undergone amputation; the other also died
some months after in Rosetta. I thought that the hillock of rubbish had
perhaps altered the direction of the ball, else it might have struck me;
and while I felt for my comrades, I thanked God that I had escaped.
We were now anxious for orders to commence firing, as the enemy were
still marching forwards; the ground in front was somewhat undulated,
rising a little, for about 200 yards in our front, and then gently
falling. Our commanding officer allowed them to advance, as far as to
the highest part in our front; and whenever we saw their feet
distinctly, gave orders to fire. This was eagerly done; and the moment
we began firing, the enemy's line, in place of rushing forward, and
destroying us in an instant, made a halt from right to left, and opened
their fire upon us. As we were most afraid of the two pieces of
artillery in front playing upon us with grape-shot, those around me
directed their fire chiefly at them, which I believe caused them to be
removed to one of the flanks. We then levelled at those directly in our
front; but the smoke soon covered them so much, that a particular object
was not visible. We then took aim at where we judged their line was; but
we were not so much afraid of those directly in our front, as of a body
which appeared to be cavalry, and which threatened to come round our
left into our rear.--In order to keep them back; those near me directed
nearly the one half of their fire against them; for we feared that those
who were posted in the rear of the bushes to our left, would not be able
to prevent them from advancing, the bushes being widely scattered, so
that they might have been easily passed. These men, however, did their
duty most admirably. The enemy opened a fire of grape-shot, from several
pieces of artillery, to dislodge them; but they bravely maintained their
post. Our ranks were now getting thinner; our commanding officer,
Lieutenant Colonel Erskine, was severely wounded with grape shot in
several parts of the body.[10] The officer commanding the company I was
in, was also wounded, and many more.--After we had fired about 12
rounds, whilst I was in the act of loading, I was struck by a musket
ball in the left side, near the pit of the stomach, close to the ribs,
and was whirled round on my heels by the force of the stroke. I was
stunned and felt great pain; and, concluding that I was wounded, I stept
into the rear and grasped the place with my hand. I found the skin was
entire; and on shaking myself, the ball dropped at my feet. I then
resumed my place in the ranks, and continued to fire until I had
expended 22 rounds; when to our great joy, a party of marines, doing
duty on shore, arrived on our right, and Dillon's regiment on our left.
At the first fire of these troops, the enemy retreated with great
precipitation. We pursued them to some distance; and Dillon's regiment
coming up with a party of them, charged, and took two pieces of
cannon.--The enemy was so closely pressed that he divided his forces,
and part of them retreated to the left, through a shallow place of the
Lake Maadie, the other part retired direct upon Alexandria. Had we had a
proper proportion of cavalry, we might have captured all the enemy's
artillery, and even have taken Alexandria itself; for we could have
reached it before that part of the enemy's force which retreated to the
left, as we were nearer it than they.
The army formed in line on the heights which the enemy had occupied in
the morning: they cannonaded us, and kept up a fire of sharp-shooters,
by which we lost a number of men. A division of the army was detached to
the left, to a height near to that of Alexandria; the reserve advanced
on the right, and another division in the centre. Our regiment was part
of the division sent to the left. The day was warm, and we suffered much
from want of water. I have seen a Spanish dollar offered for a draught,
and in many instances refused. The gunpowder which unavoidably got into
our mouths by biting the ends of our cartridges while loading, tended
greatly to augment our thirst.
The enemy had now concentrated his forces on the heights of Alexandria.
When he saw our division advancing to the left, he sent a party with two
guns to cannonade us, and as we advanced nearer, he opened upon us a
heavy fire of shot and shell. Our order of march was in divisions of
companies; and, as we drew near the height, a cannon bail struck the
ground, close to the right of the division of the company I was in. The
ground happened to be soft mould; the ball lodged itself in the mould,
and we were covered with the dust and small fragments of stones which it
raised. It was a great mercy that the ground was not hard in that spot,
as it was in the greatest part of the adjacent ground; for the ball
would in that case have rebounded, and in all probability have laid down
the front rank of the division. I felt thankful for deliverance, and
continued to pray in my heart to God to spare and protect me.--We formed
in close columns upon the height. The bed of a canal, over which was a
bridge, lay in the bottom of the hollow that was betwixt us and the
enemy's position: the bridge was defended by a party of cavalry and
infantry, with two guns. The 44th regiment, being sent in front, charged
the enemy with the bayonet, and captured the bridge; and the party which
defended it retired into their own lines. During this operation the
columns advanced, and began to descend into the hollow. Our regiment was
in the front, the enemy played upon us with his artillery, to which we
were now dreadfully exposed; but, after we had descended some way down
the height, we were ordered to retire; and, as we retreated undercover
of the height, we were partly screened from his fire. After we had
remained in this position some time, our regiment was allowed to retire
to the rear of the right of the centre division of the army. This
division had been formed in line on the plain, and being wholly
unprotected from the enemy's shot, had suffered very severely. They were
still in this state; but they had now laid down their arms, and either
sat or lay on the ground, by which means they were not so much exposed.
We took up our position, and several men from each company were allowed
to go in quest of water. I was one of them; and, as no one knew where to
find it, we took different routes. After travelling some distance to the
rear, I got information where water was to be had; and having made all
haste to the spot, I found it, and instantly began to drink; but I
thought I should never be satisfied. Never was any thing so precious to
me in all my life as this water. After having drank a considerable
quantity, I began to fill the canteens (of which I had ten) which I had
brought to fetch it to those who remained; but many a drink I took
before I had filled them. I then began to feel a little hungry, having
eaten nothing from the preceding morning, lest it should increase my
thirst. I sat down and took a piece of biscuit and a bit of pork, and
began to eat; but still every mouthful required a little of the water;
and I wished to be fully satisfied, before leaving the place, that I
might not be under the necessity of drinking any of what I was carrying
away. The water was white and muddy, but not thick; it was in a part of
what had been the bed of a canal, or had been hollowed out by torrents
coming from the heights in the winter season, across the mouth of which
a bank had been thrown, which prevented the water from running into the
lake, to which it was near. Having satisfied my thirst, I returned with
a load of water to my comrades, to whom it was as acceptable as it had
been to myself. We remained until near sun-set in the same position; and
as the whole army was within reach of the enemy's shot, he continued
less or more to cannonade us. When our regiment got on their feet and
began to move, they fired at us from two of their heaviest guns. One of
the balls rebounded from the ground, nearly killed our Major, and passed
through the ranks: those opposite to it saw it, and were so fortunate as
to make an opening, through which it passed without touching any one.
By sun-set the army took up its position on the heights from which the
enemy had been driven on the morning, with our right to the sea, and our
left to the canal that separated Lake Maadie from the bed of Lake
Marcotis.--As soon as our position was adjusted, and we had liberty to
pile our arms, the cry was for more water; and as I had been sent for it
before, and knew where it was to be found, I was sent along with others.
It was dusk before we reached the spot, which now presented a confused
but interesting scene. The cavalry and artillery horses, which had been
all day without water, were now there, and had gone into it with their
feet, where they were greedily drinking. This had stirred up the mud,
and made the water a perfect puddle; near the edge it was as thick as
paste. We had therefore to wade in among the horses to where it was
deeper; so that here were men and horses, standing promiscuously, knee
deep in the water, trying as it were which could drink fastest. By the
time I got my canteens filled, it was pretty dark; and, owing to the
confusion, as I could not see, I had great difficulty in finding the
regiment.
I now lay down on the ground to take some rest. I reflected seriously on
the events of the past day, and thanked God for having heard my prayers,
and for having spared and protected me. I remembered the promises I had
made, and my conscience accused me of having broken them almost as soon
as made. Even during the time of the action, when many were falling
around me, and my danger was greatest, I had made use of improper
expressions: expressions which I was not guilty of using at other times,
and which, on such an occasion, above all others, I ought to have
avoided. This threw me into dejection of spirits, and into a train of
very serious reflections for several days; reflections which were
deepened by my being led to see more minutely the danger I had escaped.
Having occasion to shift my clothes, I observed that the ball which had
struck me on the side, had passed through my coat and cut my waistcoat
between the second and third button from the bottom; it had then grazed
my side, and had been obstructed in its passage outwards by a small
volume of poems, containing Pope's Essay on Man, Blair's Grave, and
Gray's Elegy, which I had in my side pocket. The corner of the binding
next to my side was shattered, and the greater part of the leaves much
bruised. I now discerned, that it had been the force with which the ball
struck the book that had wheeled me round. I was impressed with the
conviction, that if I had been standing square to my front, the ball
would have lodged in my left side; and that even in the oblique position
in which I stood, had it been one inch nearer the right, it would have
lodged in the body and proved mortal. There were few of my comrades that
had not their clothes cut in several places; and many had received
contusions that would have proved mortal wounds, if the French had
properly loaded their pieces. It was said that they did not use the
ramrod in loading, which enabled them to fire with greater rapidity; but
the charge being loose in their pieces, the shot did not fly so true to
its direction, and was in many cases weak; making only a contusion, in
place of perforating the body. This partly accounts for such a long
continued and tremendously superior fire, not being so destructive as
might have been apprehended. The regiment lost 125 killed and wounded;
but our wonder was how so many had escaped.
The loss sustained by the army, was 156 killed, 1082 wounded; and of
seamen and marines there were 29 killed and 55 wounded, making a total
of 1322. Four pieces of cannon and some ammunition were taken from the
enemy.
A great part of the grape-shot and cannon balls, that were fired by the
French, were made of a composition of brass. They had taken the
copper-sheeting and bells of a number of the ships in the harbour, and
the unserviceable brass guns in their possession, and had melted them
into balls, to prevent their ammunition from being exhausted; because
the blockade of Egypt by our ships of war, prevented them from receiving
regular supplies from France. But the grape-shot of this description
that lodged in the bodies of the wounded, had the tendency of making the
wounds foul.
I continued to ponder over what had taken place; and my mind became
increasingly uneasy. Conviction of sin, and a sense of ingratitude to
God for his mercies, drove me almost to despair. I had my Bible with me,
but made no use of it: our duty and fatigues left almost no leisure to
do so, even had I been so inclined; and the dangerous nature of our
present situation agitated the mind, and prevented the composure needful
for the investigation of truth. One who previously knew the spiritual
import of the Scriptures, might have made some profitable use of a
Bible; but our circumstances were quite unfavourable for one like me. I
was left to ruminate upon what occurred to my memory. I recollected what
Manoah's wife said to her husband, when he was afraid that he should die
because he had seen God. "If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would
not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands;"
(Judges xiii. 23.) and was led to conclude, that I ought not to give
myself over to despair, seeing God had yet spared my life. I had also a
general recollection of the following passage of Young's Night Thoughts:
---- Time destroyed
Is Suicide, where more than blood is spilt.
Time flies, death urges, knells call, heav'n invites,
Hell threatens; all exerts: in effort, all;
More than creation labours!--Labours more?
And is there in creation, what, amidst
This tumult universal, wing'd despatch,
And ardent energy, supinely yawns?--
_Man_ sleeps; and _Man_ alone; and _Man_ whose fate,
Fate irreversible, entire, extreme,
Endless, hair-hung, breeze-shaken, o'er the gulf
A moment trembles; drops! and _Man_ for whom
All else is in alarm! _Man_, the sole cause
Of this surrounding storm! and yet he sleeps,
As the storm rock'd to rest,--Throw _Years_ away?
Throw _Empires_, and be blameless. Moments seize,--
Heaven's on their wing: a moment we may wish
When worlds want wealth to buy. Bid _Day_ stand still,
Bid him drive back his car, and re-import
The period past; regive the given hour:
Lorenzo, _more_ than miracles we want:
Lorenzo--O for yesterdays to come!
Such is the language of the man _awake_;
His ardour such, for what _oppresses_ thee:
And is his ardour vain, Lorenzo?--No;
That _more_ than miracle the gods indulge;
_To-day_ is _yesterday_ return'd; return'd
Full-power'd to cancel, expiate, raise, adorn,
And reinstate us on the Rock of peace.
Let it not share its predecessor's fate;
Nor, like its elder sisters, die a fool.
Shall it evaporate in fume? fly off
Fuliginous, and stain us deeper still?
Shall we be poorer for the plenty pour'd?
More wretched for the clemencies of heav'n?
NIGHT SECOND.
While I had a general recollection of this passage on my mind, there
were a number of its particular expressions very frequently in my
memory. When I thought on the past dangers I had come through, and
looked at our present hazardous situation, the words
----"hair-hung, breeze-shaken, o'er the gulf
A moment trembles,"----
strongly impressed my mind with a sense of the critical nature of human
life in general, and of such a situation as I was now in, in particular;
and the words,
----"and yet he sleeps,
As the storm rock'd to rest"----
with the folly of being careless and unconcerned, in such a situation;
and when I thought on the misimprovement of past time, the words,
----"O for yesterdays to come!"
spoke the feelings of my heart:--but the words,
"Today is yesterday return'd; return'd
Full-power'd to cancel, expiate, raise, adorn,
And reinstate us on the Rock of peace,"
were often in my mind, and contributed, with the words of Manoah's wife,
to give me a partial ease; they led me to form a new resolution, of
setting out once more in attempting to lead a godly life, and keep the
divine commandments. Having formed this resolution, I set about the
performance of it with all due care, and my mind enjoyed a temporary
peace. I was frequent in prayer, as I hoped that by this means I should
prevent my mind from wandering. I had taken my present resolution so
strongly, that I thought if I did not keep it this time, I could never
hope to keep any resolution afterwards.
We now got our tents on shore, and were busily employed in landing the
heavy artillery, and in raising breast-works and redoubts. The fatigues
of the army were very great; and as nearly the one half were now
affected with the night blindness, they were ordered to take their turn
of night duties. A blind and a seeing man were put to work together, to
carry two-handed baskets filled with earth to raise the breast-works,
the seeing one leading the blind; and as the sentries on the out-posts
were double, a blind and a seeing man were also put together: the blind
man was company to the other; for, although he could not see, he could
hear; and more depended upon that than upon seeing for the best sight
could not see an object at night at any distance. When upon sentry at
night, I discovered that when I looked a good while to the ground, I
could discern upon _it_ the shadows of persons that were approaching me;
but if I lifted up my head I could not see the persons themselves,
though they came close to my face. I continued, when out at night, to
look constantly to the ground, and my sight gradually got better, and
was quite recovered by the night of the 20d.
During the march of the army from Aboukir, I had seen great quantities
of ruins; and while employed in working among them, and in building
breast-works and redoubts with the stones of ancient palaces, and the
earth that formed the banks of their far-famed canals, I could not but
reflect on the ancient glory of Egypt, of which there were so many
evidences, even in the barren peninsula of Aboukir. I saw in these ruins
the fulfilments of Jehovah's threatenings, and an evidence of the truth
of the Scriptures;--and from the description given of "populous No,"
(Nahum. iii. 8, 9, 10. Ezekiel xxx. 14, 15, 16, which I had frequently
read during the passage up the Mediterranean,) I conceived that
somewhere in this vicinity, such a city must have stood. These
reflections gave an unusual degree of interest to our operations. We
were now upon Scripture ground: we had come from a distant island of the
sea, to the land of the proud Pharaohs, to carry on our military
operations where Nebuchadnezzar, and Alexander the Great, had carried on
theirs. The event was singular and striking: and our situation novel and
interesting. Our camp stretched from the sea to the lake; and on the
lake were numerous boats, bringing provisions, ammunition, and military
stores from the fleet; while parties of seamen and soldiers were
carrying or dragging through the deep sand, the various articles from
the landing place, distant about two miles from the position of the
army. And within four miles of our front, were the heights of
Alexandria, upon which the enemy's troops were posted, with the various
forts which they had constructed for their defence. On the right of
their position stood the beautiful and majestic column, known by the
name of "Pompey's Pillar;" and towards their left stood the stately
obelisk called "Cleopatra's Needle."[11] The old walls of Alexandria
were behind them, over which the masts of near 200 sail of ships were
visible, which had conveyed the army of Bonaparte from France, and had
been blockaded by the English since that time. And in the more distant
view to the sea, was the Isle of Pharos, at the entrance of the harbour,
on which once stood a light-house, mentioned by Rollin in his Ancient
History as one of the seven wonders of the world, but which was now
strongly fortified by the French, for the protection of the harbour,
before which a squadron of our fleet was kept constantly cruising.
The Arabs began to bring us sheep and young onions for sale. The men of
the tent I was in, bought a sheep for a Spanish dollar, from an Arab,
whose only covering was a plaid thrown round his naked body, resembling
those worn by Highland shepherds. But our greatest difficulty was to
find wood to cook it with. The bark of the date tree was the only part
of it that would burn: its withered leaves, with the roots of a creeping
kind of brier, which we pulled out of the sandy soil, and with
difficulty got to burn, were the only fuel we could find. For a few days
we had far to travel for water; but every regiment dug wells in the flat
ground, on the left of the position, where a sufficient supply, although
somewhat brackish, was obtained.
My mind continued pretty easy for three or four days; but I found that I
was not fulfilling the task that I had undertaken; that I was failing in
the performance of duty, and was not keeping God and eternity in view,
in the manner I had resolved to do. This began to make me again uneasy;
and, as my hopes rested on my own performances, when I found that these
performances were not what I had promised and resolved they should be,
these hopes were shaken. I had not, indeed, been guilty of any open and
notorious sins; but I had not done that which I had resolved to do, and
on the doing of which I had hoped for the forgiveness of past sins, the
favour of God, and eternal life; and this threw me back where I was
before.
The regiment received orders on the 20d, to march early next morning to
Aboukir, to do the hospital duty, because we were too weak to do the
duty of a regiment in the line. We were accordingly under arms and
marched off an hour before daylight, and left our tents standing for a
regiment that was to come from the second line to occupy our place. But
we had not proceeded above a mile and a half, when we heard a discharge
of several muskets on the left; which caused us to halt and look to the
place where the firing had been. In a few seconds we saw a number more
muskets fired, (for the darkness made the flash of even the pan of every
musket distinctly visible,) and after that a field-piece, and then a
general discharge of about 300 muskets; when it ceased. We knew that
there was a guard of about 300 men, and a field-piece, with a working
party of as many more, on the spot; and as the firing had ceased, we
thought it might be a false attack to disturb the working party and
alarm the army.--After standing a little, and all continuing quiet, we
began with hesitation to proceed on our journey: but we had not moved
many steps, when we heard the discharge of a musket on the right of the
army: this produced a voluntary halt; and in a few seconds we heard the
discharge of two or three more. We were then ordered to return, and had
not proceeded far, before a number more discharges were heard in the
same direction. This quickened our march, and we made all expedition
towards the tent of the commander-in-chief, which was in the rear of the
right of the army. Before we got there the firing on the right was
beginning to be pretty thick. We were now ordered to resume the position
we had left. It was yet dark; but the firing of musketry began to be
heavy, and the artillery commenced playing, with the help of lighted
lanterns to let them see to load. By the time we got to our position,
the action was close and warm on the right, and the firing of musketry
and artillery very heavy, which the darkness of the morning made
peculiarly awful. There was now no doubt of a powerful and determined
attack from the enemy. When we arrived at our position in the line, the
day had begun faintly to dawn. The regiment which was to have taken our
place, had not done it; a column of the enemy having ascended the brow
of the hill in our front, were making towards the opening in the line
where we should have been. The regiment on the right was extending its
left, and the one on the left its right, and had filled up the one half
of the space when we arrived. On our arrival a part of us filled up the
opening, and began to fire on the enemy's column, which then retreated
under the brow of the hill, out of our sight and below the range of
shot. They left, however, a number of sharp-shooters on the edge of the
hill, who kept up a straggling fire upon our line. The regiments on the
right and left now closed their files, and we got all into line, and in
good order; when the enemy's column, having adjusted itself under the
brow of the hill, showed itself anew, and came forward to the attack. We
again opened our fire upon them, which they returned; but after the
second or third round, they again retreated as before, leaving a still
greater number of sharp-shooters, who ranged themselves along the edge
of the descent of the hill, which in part concealed them from us, but
allowed them to have a fair view of our line, upon which they kept up a
destructive fire. We returned a straggling fire upon them from the line,
having no sharp-shooters in front to engage them.
When on the way back to the army, previously to entering upon this
action, the state of my mind was rather different from what it had been
before. I prayed earnestly for protection: but having so often failed in
the promises I had made, I was afraid to make any more. I began to be
diffident of myself. I did not plead with God on the promise of future
amendment, but prayed for mercy. I used indeed the name of Christ; but
had no right understanding, either of the true nature of the atonement
for the guilt of sin, by his blood, or of his righteousness to justify
the ungodly. My confidence was not placed in them for acceptance with
God; but should death be the issue, I cast myself, with trembling
hesitation, on his general mercy, and that with more resignation than
formerly. I confessed my past failures, and prayed that if God was not
pleased to preserve me unhurt, but if I was to be wounded, it might be
in a merciful way; and that, if death was to be the issue, my sins might
be pardoned. This was my prayer on entering the action, and as we had
intervals of firing, I repeated it. But great as my fear of death was, I
never thought of attempting to avoid it, by flinching from my duty as a
soldier in such times of danger. I looked upon such conduct as sinful,
and dared not seek present safety by an increase of guilt. I was also
convinced, that cowardice was attended with the greatest danger, and
that our greatest safety lay in every one doing his duty with steady
courage. I had fired about twelve rounds, when the sun was beginning to
appear in the horizon, and was in the act of ramming another cartridge,
when a shot from one of the sharp-shooters, struck upon the inner ancle
bone of my left foot; it turned round the back of the leg, passing
between the sinew of the heel and the leg bone, and lodged just under
the skin, a little above the bone of the outer ancle. It was there that
I felt the pain. I was stunned with the stroke; but from the part in
which I felt the pain, I did not think it was a ball, but that a large
shot or shell, having struck some of the stones that were lying in the
rear, a splinter from them had hit me in the back of the leg: I loaded
my piece, and then, on lifting up my leg to see what was the matter, saw
a musket-shot hole in the half-gaiter, and some appearance of blood. I
shouldered my piece, but the sharp-shooters directly in front of me had
disappeared. I stood a few seconds unresolved what to do; but feeling
the pain increase, and seeing the blood beginning to appear more on the
gaiter, and the officer commanding the company having come to the rear,
and observing that I was wounded, he called to me to fall out, and I was
induced to leave the ranks, but felt very reluctant to quit my comrades
before the battle was decided: not that I loved to stay in a place of
danger; but I did not like to leave them in the time of it; and had
there been firing at the time, I should have continued to fire while I
was able. As matters stood, however, I conceived it to be my duty,
seeing I was disabled from keeping my place in the ranks, to make the
best of my way, as long as I was able, to a place where I might be out
of the reach of shot, and get my wound dressed, that it might not
receive injury by delay. I got as quickly as I could to the rear,
keeping my arms, accoutrements, and knapsack which I had on when
wounded. The battle at this time was raging upon the right with terrible
fury; and the brigade of guards immediately on the right of ours, were
closely engaged. The roar of the artillery was dreadful. Daylight had
now made both parties visible to each other; but the smoke of the firing
obscured the distant view; so that, although the scene of contest was
but a short way off from me, I could neither see our own line nor that
of the enemy, all being covered with a thick cloud, through which
nothing was visible, but the dark red glare of the flashes of the
artillery. As I began to descend the height in the rear of the army, I
was in imminent danger. The position of the brigade of guards, (which
was on the right of ours,) and of the right of our own brigade, receded
considerably from the spot on which our regiment stood, owing to the
direction of the rising ground on which we were posted. In consequence
of this, and of the positions of the enemy's columns and artillery, a
large proportion of his shot, that had been fired at too high an
elevation, fell in the rear of our regiment's tents. As I did not at the
time observe this circumstance, I took the direct road from our own
rear, to the landing place on Lake Maadie, distant about two miles. I
was led by this route to cross the range of the falling shot. The musket
and grape shot was coming down in showers, and further on, the large
shot was striking and rebounding off the ground in rapid succession. I
used all possible exertion to get through this danger; and, by the
goodness of God, received no further hurt; while others, who, like
myself, were wounded and retiring to the rear, did not escape. The
exertion I had made, with the blood I was losing, which marked my steps
in the sand, began to exhaust me; but I had the happiness of having my
canteen full of water at the commencement of my retreat, which refreshed
me. My arms, at length, however, becoming too heavy for me, I left my
firelock in an erect posture, by running the bayonet into the ground,
after taking the powder out of the pan, to prevent accidents to those
that might find it.
When I had got near to the landing place, I found several surgeons, on
the outside of an hospital tent that had been lately pitched for the
sick, busily engaged in dressing some of the wounded that had arrived
before me. I sat down to wait my turn to be dressed, which was not long,
for the number before me was not great. When I took the gaiter off my
leg, I pulled a piece of it out of the wound, and as the ball appeared
prominent under the skin, it was easily extracted, and another piece of
the gaiter was taken out, which was wrapped round it. The ball was
flattened, and a part of it turned over by the resistance of the ancle
bone; yet the bone was not broken. After I was dressed, I lay down at
the side of a bush, until I might learn what was to be done with the
wounded. By this time the firing of musketry had ceased on the field of
battle; a cannonade alone was heard; and we were all anxiety respecting
the success of the day, for if the army was compelled to retreat, the
situation of the wounded would be distressing and dangerous. Great
numbers of wounded were now arriving to be dressed, who brought
different reports, some of them saying, they did not think that the army
would be able to keep its ground. This made us look with anxiety to the
heights, to observe if any retrograde motion was made; but the cannonade
ceased; and we were informed that the enemy had been completely
repulsed, and had retreated back to Alexandria. The action terminated
about ten o'clock, A. M.
This action, though short, was severe and bloody, and was sustained on
our part chiefly by the right wing of the army, the left having been
only partially engaged. The object of the enemy was to dislodge the
troops on the right, from the rising ground on which they were posted,
and then to drive the army into Lake Maadie. He expected to possess
himself of the rising ground before day-break; and being perfectly
acquainted with the place, and with the way in which we were posted, he
was at no loss to make his attack in the dark: but as it was our
practice to stand under arms from three o'clock in the morning till an
hour after day-break, we were not taken by surprise. The enemy's force
consisted of nine thousand seven hundred men, of which fifteen hundred
were cavalry; with forty-six pieces of cannon. Our army, by its losses
in the former actions, by parties absent at Aboukir on duty, and by
sickness, had been reduced to somewhat less than ten thousand, including
four hundred cavalry; with thirty-six pieces of cannon. When the enemy
retreated, he left seventeen hundred men dead and wounded on the field,
of whom a thousand and forty were buried the first two days: he lost
also four hundred horses. How many wounded retired, or had been removed,
could not be known; but military judges calculate the whole at about
four thousand men, which was more than a third of their whole number. We
had two hundred and forty-three killed, one thousand one hundred and
ninety-three wounded, and thirty-two missing, and four seamen killed,
and twenty wounded, making a total of 1493.--Our worthy
commander-in-chief, Sir Ralph Abercrombie, died on the 28th, of a wound
he received in the thigh, and was deeply regretted by the whole army.
General Moore also was again wounded, but recovered in a short time and
returned to his duty. The loss of our regiment was forty men.
Having lain at the bush until about two o'clock, I then observed a
number of the wounded going on board of boats to be taken to the fleet.
I got up and went to the landing place, and having got on board one of
them, arrived at the fleet in the evening; where I was put on board a
two-decked ship, appropriated for the reception of the wounded, and got
into a berth with two more of the same regiment. Upwards of two hundred
wounded men were collected on board of this ship; and the wounds of many
of them being severe, numbers died during the first ten days. If any one
wishes to know what were the topics of conversation among so many men in
such circumstances, it pains me to state, that our conversation was
about any thing but that one thing which most concerned us, and which
ought to have engrossed our whole attention. About that world to which
so many of us were daily departing, and about that God before whom so
many were so soon to make their appearance, there was not a word to be
heard, except it was in taking his name in vain. The groans of the dying
were to be heard in various quarters of the ship, but no one either
asking or telling how a sinner could be saved. Nor was I better than
others. I did not improve my mercies. I had been wounded in a
comparatively merciful manner, but I forgot the God to whom I had made
my supplication, and neglected my Bible. I conversed with one of my
comrades, who was a Scottish Episcopalian, upon church government, and
he took some pains to inform me of the claims of Episcopacy, of which I
was ignorant. But what did such topics avail to dying men, whose
conversation ought to have been about the salvation of their souls? He
was badly wounded in the thigh, and did not live many weeks. The part of
my wound where the ball entered healed in about sixteen days; but the
part where it was extracted became inflamed, and the foot and ancle
swelled considerably. I was suspicious that the dirty water with which
it was sometimes washed was the occasion of the inflammation. An
erroneous opinion was entertained, that salt water would smart the
wounds: and as fresh water was not in plenty on board the ship, only a
small quantity of it was allowed for washing them. A great number were
washed with one basin-full, and, as many of the wounds were foul, this
was calculated to infect those that were clean. Had salt water been
used, a basin of clean water might have been taken to every one. I was
washed with salt water when in the hospital at Aboukir, and felt no
difference between it and fresh. By the end of three weeks my wound
began to mortify. I was then put into a boat to be taken to the hospital
at Aboukir, along with a number more whose cases were considered bad.
Two were so weak that they were unable to sit, and were laid upon
gratings in the bottom of the boat: one of them died before we reached
the shore, and the other died upon the beach. These cases made little
impression upon my mind; death was becoming familiar to me, and I looked
at it with a careless indifference. When the boat reached the shore I
was carried to the Hutts hospital; which was a building upon a height,
erected by the French to serve as barracks to their troops stationed at
Aboukir.
It was formed of the trunks of date trees split down the middle; the
ends were sunk into the ground; the flat side of one tree was turned
outwards, and the flat side of the next inwards, and so alternately, the
round edges being made to overlap each other, and the crevices filled
with plaster lime. It was roofed in the same manner. A great many bats
had formed their nests in the holes, where the roof rested upon the
upright posts.--Here I was well taken care of; so that by the mercy of
God, the inflammation subsided, and in sixteen days the putrid flesh was
wholly cleaned away, leaving a pretty large orifice. A part of the
tendon of the heel seemed to have been eaten away by the inflammation,
but the damage did not appear to be very serious, and it began to heal
rapidly.
While in this place, a small scorpion had got into my haversack, and as
I put my hand into it to get some bread it stung me in the point of my
thumb. This sensation resembled that which is produced by the sting of a
bee, but the pain was more violent, and lasted for twenty-four hours
before it subsided, but was attended by no other bad consequence.
The regiment to which I belonged, being at this time encamped at
Aboukir, made an offer to accommodate their own wounded men, as the
general hospital was crowded. This offer was accepted, and those that
were in a condition to be moved were sent to the regimental hospital. I
remained a day or two there; but, being healthy, and my wound likely to
heal soon, I was removed to the convalescent tents, which, on account of
some cases of fever in the regimental hospital, were at some distance.
There I was left to dress my wound myself, which continued to mend, but
not so rapidly as before. That dreadful calamity, the plague, made its
first appearance at the Hutts hospital about the time that I left it;
and, a few days afterwards, a corporal went with a party and buried a
surgeon and two women in one hole, and seven others in another, that had
already fallen victims to it.
The strength that the enemy brought to the field on the 21st March,
showed that they were far more numerous in Egypt than we had been led to
believe. The greatest number that had been calculated to be there was
15,000; but they had 27,000. As soon as the action of the 21st was over,
the army made trenches along the whole position, and completed and
increased the batteries and redoubts with all possible haste. The left
was the weakest part of the position. The bed of Lake Mareotis was in
front of it, but it was nearly dry, and passable in many parts both for
horse and foot. Lake Maadie[12] was in the rear of the left, being only
separated from the bed of Lake Mareotis by the banks of the canal[13] of
Alexandria; and its waters were considerably above the level of Lake
Mareotis and the surrounding country. On the 13th April a large opening
was made in the banks of the canal; the water rushed into Lake Mareotis
with a fall of six feet, and it continued to rush in for a month, when
it nearly found its level; but there continued always a fall of about a
foot, owing to the sand absorbing the water. By this measure a large
extent of country was inundated; the front of the position was
contracted, and the left protected from assault; and Lord Hutchison, who
had succeeded Sir Ralph Abercrombie, was enabled to proceed with a part
of the army to Rosetta, which had been previously taken by a detachment,
assisted by 4,000 Turks; General Coote being left with the remainder to
blockade Alexandria. The force assembling at Rosetta was destined to
march against Grand Cairo. The Grand Vizier was advancing with an army
from Syria to co-operate in the same object. Our regiment was ordered to
join the troops at Rosetta. Most of the men belonging to it, who had
been left on board ship sick of the fever, at the time we landed, had by
this time recovered, so that it was now pretty strong. I continued in
the convalescent tents about a fortnight. To enable me, when necessary,
to go abroad, I procured a rough piece of wood, upon which I got the
head of a tent mallet fastened, to serve for a crutch. By the help of
this, and a stick in the other hand, I made a shift to go out of the
tent; but, not being very expert at the use of the crutch, as I was
going out one day, the tent cords catched the lower end of it, and I
fell down, with the wounded leg undermost. This was to me a serious
accident; for my wound immediately began to get worse, and in a few days
it was greatly inflamed, and discharging black matter. I was then
removed to the hospital tents, to be near the surgeon. Orders came for
the regimental hospital to be moved to Rosetta, and such cases as were
not fit to be moved were sent to the general hospital, which was now an
extensive establishment; for the sick and wounded that were on board the
fleet were sent on shore, and lodged in large sheds. Into one of these I
was taken, along with another, who had been in the same convalescent
tent with me. He had been slightly wounded: a musket ball having grazed
the front of his leg; he was able to walk about with little
inconvenience, and was desired by the surgeon not to confine himself
close to the tent, but to take the air, and some little exercise. We
were not, however, aware of the extreme danger of having the skin broken
in Egypt, let the hurt be ever so slight. His wound had got much worse;
it was not to appearance so serious as mine, yet, after he was a few
days in the general hospital, it was found necessary to amputate his
leg, an operation which he did not survive long; for the stump
mortified, and he died after lingering about five weeks. His case
alarmed me not a little; and as my wound continued for some time to get
worse, the inflammation spreading, the lower part of the leg swelling
greatly, and the pain being excessive, I was the more apprehensive, and
prayed earnestly for mercy. God was pleased to hear my cry, and to spare
me once more. The inflammation by and by subsided; the pain became
moderate, my appetite, which was lost, returned; and the wound began to
clean and heal.
The weather was now very warm. The shed in which I was, was so
constructed, as to combine the advantages of shade and air. The roof was
formed of boards, (brought I suppose from Marmorice,) and was supported
upon posts, made of the trunks of date trees, which were sunk into the
ground at certain distances; boards were nailed to these posts, and
about an inch left open betwixt each board, to the height of about four
feet, and then there was an opening of about two feet to the edge of the
roof. This shed was of great length, and was crossed by one or two
similar ones. In them all there were three rows of beds, two rows with
the ends of the beds to the sides of the shed, and one row set
length-ways in the centre. Although these structures were so open in the
sides we were sufficiently warm during the night. We were, however, much
troubled with fleas, of which the sandy floor was full, so that it was
impossible to get rid of them. Indeed the whole of the desert was full
of these vermin. There were also some crickets of a very large size,
which interrupted our sleep by the strong and constant sound of their
music; not unmelodious in itself, had it not been unseasonable. The
flies too gave us a vast deal of annoyance through the day. It was with
difficulty that we could keep them out of our eyes; and they were most
pernicious to those who had large putrid sores; for, as it was
impossible to keep them out of the wound while it was dressing, this
occasioned not only present trouble, but the breeding of maggots, which
increased the torture of many who were sinking to the grave. Even those
who were well, of all classes, found it needful to carry a small bunch
of rushes tied upon a handle, to be used like a fan, to drive them away.
On the 23d of May, the hot wind came on. The air was darkened with mist,
which was so thick that it rendered breathing difficult. We were glad to
cover ourselves over the head with our blankets: for although the heat
was intense, and the blankets disagreeably warm and heavy, yet we found
our breathing more tolerable under them than when uncovered. The orderly
men, who had to go out of the shed for water, and on other necessary
business, complained of the heat of the wind, saying that it blew the
sand in their faces as hot as fire.[14] Towards evening the wind blew
from the sea; the air became clear; and the night was about its usual
coolness. But the consequences of this wind were dreadful to the
hospital. The plague now raged with redoubled fury, and made fearful
havoc among the nurses and orderly men, and those who had slight wounds.
The three nurses who attended the division of the shed I was in, were
infected one after the other, and were sent to the post hospital; where,
as I afterwards heard, they died. One set of nurses and orderly men
followed another in rapid succession for some weeks. It was observed,
that none of those who had large sores were infected by it; but such
sores after this period were more mortal, for mortifications now became
rapid in their progress, and baffled the power of medicine to arrest
them. Amputations were multiplied, but were mostly unavailing; and even
sores comparatively slight, mortified and proved fatal. Some of the
cases struck me forcibly.--A sailor who had a slight wound in one of his
legs, and who could move about, and be serviceable to those that were
bed-fast, went one night to the shore, which was not far off, to get
some drink; his leg immediately got worse; in a few days the entire calf
of it was one putrid ulcer, with numbers of maggots; poultices, spirits
of wine, and other strong liquors, and tinctures were profusely used,
but in vain--he died in about a week. Another, whose wound was cured,
and who was ordered to join his regiment, absented himself on the night
previous to the day appointed for his departure, and that of some
others. In a day or two after the party was gone, he appeared in his
place with a sore leg. It was believed that he had purposely scratched
his shin with a stone; but whatever way he had taken to make it sore,
the surgeon, who had not noticed his conduct, saw that it required
dressing, which was done without any particular inquiry; and as none
that knew his conduct liked spontaneously to inform upon him, he was not
called in question. It was manifest, however, that cowardice was the
cause of his injuring his leg, that he might remain in the hospital
until danger was over. But the very means he took to avoid danger, to
which he might never have, been exposed, proved his destruction. In
three or four days his leg became so much inflamed, that amputation was
rendered necessary. This was performed above the knee, but the
inflammation had reached the thigh. As he lay nearly opposite to me, I
saw the face of the stump when it was dressed. The skin never united; at
the second or third dressing the flesh of the thigh was detached from
the bone; so much so, that there was a large cavity underneath the bone,
which made it visible almost to the joint. He died before next day,
being about ten or twelve days from the time, he appeared with his leg
sore. At my left hand lay a young man, a sailor belonging to the
Northumberland 74, with a large ulcer in the under side of his right
arm, a little below the arm pit. I formed an attachment to this young
man; took a note of his own and his mother's name, and place of
residence, and of the time when his wages became due; and promised, if I
got safe to England, to inform them of these particulars, and of the
time and circumstances of his death, for he was sensible that death was
near. But there is one thing that gives me no small pain, when I reflect
upon it, to this day; that, although I saw he was dying, I was not able,
with all the religion I thought I had, to point my dying comrade to the
Saviour. Not having found a Saviour to my own soul, whatever I might say
about religion or religious subjects, a Saviour, properly so called, was
no part of my system. I who never beheld Jesus, as the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world, could not point him out, in that
soul-reviving character, to others; neither did there appear to be in
this house of death, any one that could point his dying comrades to a
Saviour, nor any among the dying throng, that were asking after a
Saviour. Whatever emotions might be passing through the minds of any,
the question as to what became of the soul after death, the hope of
heaven, or the fear of hell, the way to attain the one and escape the
other, never became a subject of conversation; and yet if ever
circumstances, (short of those of criminals condemned to die, without
any hope of mercy, upon a particular day,) could have forced such
conversation upon a company of sinful mortals, it must have been the
circumstances we were in. But every one seemed to indulge the hope of
life, until the cold hand of death was already on his heart, and left
him little time to think of that world to which he was going, and less
ability to communicate his thoughts to others, or to ask, or to receive
information. And this was the case, not in this hospital only, but in
all the hospitals I was in, both before and afterwards. I did indeed say
a few words to my dying comrade, about praying for mercy to his soul,
and made use of the name of Jesus in a formal way; and he continued for
several days before his death, to pray very earnestly to God for mercy,
and made use of that name: but whether he understood the character of
Jesus as a Saviour, and was led to place his dependence upon his merits,
is more than I can tell. It may be, that the Spirit of Christ, in his
sovereign grace, gave him a saving knowledge of that name that was used
at first in ignorance, and led him to trust in him for salvation; but if
this was the case, it was known only to himself; he was unable to make
it known to others; and, although he had been able to tell me if I
asked, I was unable to discern it; for he that has not been enlightened
by the Spirit of Christ himself, and brought out of darkness into
marvellous light, is ill qualified to discern when that change takes
place upon others.[15]
Footnote 7:
I quote these words from Sir R. Wilson's history, which contains a
degree of knowledge that I could not pretend to. The statements which
I give of the strength of the enemy, the number of cannon they had on
the field on the different days, and what we took from them, I also
state upon his authority. The account of the losses of the army I take
from the statements in the gazettes, which I believe to be pretty
correct, for I have found that they gave a true account of the loss of
my own regiment, and I have heard soldiers of other regiments say the
same of the gazette accounts of the loss of theirs.
Footnote 8:
The boats had gradually verged to the left during their progress, so
that this height, which before appeared to be opposite their centre,
was now opposite their right.
Footnote 9:
It was afterwards said that it was the dromedary corps.
Footnote 10:
He was taken on board one of the ships in the fleet, and had one of
his legs amputated, but he died in a few days, and was buried on
shore, at Aboukir.
Footnote 11:
For the information of such readers as have not access to large works,
I will take the liberty of inserting an account of the dimensions of
these celebrated and ancient monuments, from Sir R. Wilson's history.
"Pompey's Pillar is of the Corinthian order, and eighty-eight feet six
inches in height; the shaft formed of a single block of granite,
retaining the finest polish, except where the wind on the north-east
front has chafed the surface a little; it is sixty-four feet in
height, and eight feet four inches in diameter.
"About thirty yards in the rear of the French intrenchments, stands
Cleopatra's Needle, and one of equal magnitude is lying close by,
horizontally. The form of these obelisks is of considerable elegance,
and their magnitude is enormous, considering that each is only one
piece of granite; their height is sixty-eight feet three inches, and
their base seven feet seven inches by seven feet square; their sides
are covered with hieroglyphics, which, on the eastern front of the one
that is upright, are much effaced by the wind.
"Tradition affirms that they ornamented the gate of Cleopatra's
palace. From the quantity of marble, &c. &c. found near the spot,
probably the residence of the sovereigns of Egypt was placed
there."--_History of the Expedition_, 2d vol. pp. 156, 158, 159.
Dr. E. D. Clark, the traveller, who has paid great attention to the
study of the age and design of ancient monuments, thinks that the
_shaft_ of Pompey's Pillar "is of much earlier antiquity than either
the _capital_ or the _pedestal_." He gives probable reasons to believe
that the _shaft_ was made in the time of _Alexander the Great_, the
founder of _Alexandria_, and who was buried there, to be a sepulchral
pillar to the memory of that monarch; but that _Julius Caesar_ had set
it upon a _pedestal_, and had put a _capital_ upon it in honour of
Pompey, whose head he caused to be burnt with funeral honours, and the
ashes put into an _urn_, and placed on the top of the _pillar_: but
that the _pillar_ had likely fallen afterwards, and had been restored
by the emperor _Hadrian_.--_Clarke's Travels, 4th Edit._ 8vo. vol. v.
ch. vii. p. 361, &c.
Footnote 12:
Or Sed; "sometimes called the Lake of Aboukir. The passage into it at
Aboukir, is about two hundred yards wide, and was made about the year
1782, by the sea breaking down the dyke, which had been built ages
back, to recover from the ocean that part of the country which now is
Lake Maadie." _History of the Expedition to Egypt_, p. 27.
Footnote 13:
This canal commences at Rhamanieh, on the banks of the Nile, and
passes over fifteen or sixteen leagues of country. The bed of it is
above the level of Egypt; the banks are formed of earth raised wholly
above the surface. There is no water in it, but at the time of the
inundation of the Nile. The beds of the canals in Egypt are all above
the level of the country, that, when cut, the water may run out of
them. They are properly canals of irrigation.
Footnote 14:
This wind was still more dreadful in the interior of the country; and
at the place where the army was on its march to Cairo; as appears by
the following extract from Sir R. Wilson's History of the Expedition
to Egypt, vol. 1. p. 177.
_ALGUM, 23d May._
"This day will ever be remarkable to the Egyptian army; a sirocco wind
darkened with a burning mist the atmosphere; the thermometer was at
120 in the shade; the ground was heated like the floor of a furnace;
every thing that was metallic, such as arms, buttons; knives, &c.
became burning hot; the poultry, exposed to the air, and several
horses and camels died; respiration was difficult, and the lungs were
parched with fiery particles. Had the heat continued forty-eight
hours, the effect would have been dreadful: but happily as night drew
on, the wind cooled, and at last changed to the north west.
"At Balbeis, the thermometer was at 130; on the western side of the
Nile 120; at Alexandria 105."
_Extract from a Journal written by one of my comrades._
"We had one day's hot wind from the south; it began to blow about 9
o'clock; and wo be to him that is far from shelter, as neither man nor
beast can survive it three days! It came from the desert as hot as the
opening of an oven door, bringing small sand like mist along with it.
All the sentinels were called in, and the cattle crept close to the
ground and groaned for fear. The buffaloes took to the river, covering
themselves, all but the nose, in the water; and no man was able to
stir out of his tent until the evening."
Footnote 15:
The promise that I made of informing his relatives of the time and
circumstances of his death, I fulfilled when I came to Ireland, for
which I received a letter of thanks from his brother.