Madras, which occurred in the native army in India, particularly
among the European officers, had occasioned the first battalion
to be withdrawn from garrison, and to be employed in services
necessary to bring the disaffected to submission; at the same
time four captains and eight lieutenants were attached to the
Company’s artillery, and to the Seventh, Ninth, Twenty-second,
and Twenty-fifth Regiments of native infantry, in the place of
the suspended officers: officers of the THIRTY-FOURTH were also
appointed to perform the duties of assistant adjutant-general,
fort-adjutant, and deputy judge advocate.
[Sidenote: 1810]
The THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment performed many long marches with the
field force, under Colonel Conran, of the First, or the Royal
Regiment of Foot, in October, November, and December, 1809, and it
was also frequently in motion during the first four months of 1810.
On the 8th of May it encamped at Jaulnah, and was in tents during
the periodical heavy rains: in October it moved into temporary
barracks. Previous to this period, the arrival of Lord Minto,
Governor-General of India, had been followed by happy results, and
the authority of the civil government of Madras had been restored.
In the Peninsula, the immense preparations of the French for
the campaign of 1810, induced Lord Wellington to limit his
operations to the defence of Portugal; and the second battalion
of the THIRTY-FOURTH was employed, with the division under
Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill, on the Alemtejo frontier, in
opposition to the French under General Reynier. Portugal being
invaded by a powerful French army, under Marshal Massena, Prince
of Esling, the British forces withdrew before the superior numbers
of the enemy. The movements of the THIRTY-FOURTH were the same as
those of the second division of the army, and after passing the
Mondego river, early on the morning of the 26th of September, they
took post on the right of the position on the rocks of _Busaco_,
where an array of British power was prepared to resist the torrent
of invasion. The Prince of Esling assailed this position on the
27th of September, when the furious attacks of the veteran legions
of Napoleon were repulsed by British valour. After astonishing
efforts, the French fell back; and they subsequently turned
the left of the position by a flank movement; when the British
commander withdrew to the lines of _Torres Vedras_, where a series
of works, along a range of lofty mountains, opposed a formidable
barrier to the progress of the enemy. The THIRTY-FOURTH had their
post in the lines, and were stationed at Calendrix, and afterwards
at Bucellas.
The French commander viewed the stupendous works of Torres Vedras
with surprise, and being unable to accomplish his menace of driving
the English into the sea, and planting the eagles of France on
the towers of Lisbon, he withdrew to Santarem in the middle of
November. On the retrograde movement of the enemy taking place,
the division of which the THIRTY-FOURTH formed part, was ordered
to cross the Tagus, and move upon Abrantes, to succour that place,
or head the march of the enemy. The battalion passed the river on
rafts; but when the enemy was found in position at Santarem, Sir
Rowland Hill’s division was ordered to halt at Chamusca.
The battalion passed the winter in village cantonments on the left
bank of the Tagus, and the country being low and marshy, the health
of the soldiers suffered from agues.
On the decease of Lord Southampton, in the summer of this year, the
colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on Lieutenant-General Sir
Eyre Coote, from the Sixty-second Foot.
[Sidenote: 1811]
The first battalion suffered from the effects of the climate at
Jaulnah, in the East Indies, and was removed in May, 1811, to
Secunderabad; when it left one hundred and thirty men in hospital.
To the second battalion was appointed the duty of watching the
movements of the enemy, to prevent the passage of the Tagus by the
French. On one occasion an island in the river was taken possession
of by a detachment of the enemy; but the light companies of the
brigade, of which the THIRTY-FOURTH formed part, dislodged the
French, and the island was occupied by a company of the regiment,
until the 5th of March, when the Prince of Esling quitted his
position and retreated.
The THIRTY-FOURTH pursued the retreating enemy towards the
confines of Portugal, witnessing scenes of slaughter, devastation,
and confusion, produced by the French army, beyond description;
the battalion was afterwards detached, with other forces, under
Field-Marshal Sir William Carr Beresford, to the relief of _Campo
Mayor_, which fortress was besieged by a detachment from the
French army, commanded by Marshal Soult. This place surrendered
before the troops marching to its relief arrived, and as the
British approached, the French, having dismantled the works, were
marching out of the town, when some fighting occurred, in which the
Thirteenth Light Dragoons evinced great gallantry.
The fortress of Olivenza was afterwards captured; and the siege of
_Badajoz_ was commenced, in which the THIRTY-FOURTH were employed
and sustained some loss.
While the siege of Badajoz was in progress, Marshal Soult assembled
a numerous force, and advanced to the relief of that fortress, when
Marshal Beresford moved forward to meet him, and took up a position
at _Albuhera_, where he was joined by a Spanish division under
General Blake. The THIRTY-FOURTH, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
William Fenwick, were in position, and were formed in brigade with
the first battalion of the Twenty-eighth and the second battalion
of the Thirty-ninth Regiments, under Lieutenant-Colonel the
Honorable Alexander Abercromby.
On the morning of the 16th of May, the enemy made a slight attack
on the village of Albuhera, and on the bridge, to draw attention
to that point; and soon afterwards powerful columns of infantry,
supported by a numerous force of cavalry and artillery, assailed
the heights on the right, from which the Spaniards were forced
to retire. Lieutenant-Colonel Colborne’s brigade of the second
division, under Lieutenant-General Stewart, rushed up the heights
with great gallantry; but was nearly annihilated by a charge of
the enemy’s Polish lancers and hussars on its rear. Major-General
Hoghton reached the heights with the third brigade, under a heavy
cannonade, and was soon engaged in a furious contest in which many
officers and soldiers fell, and Major-General Hoghton was shot in
the act of cheering his men: the battle raged with dreadful fury,
and this brigade was nearly destroyed.
At a critical moment the Fusiliers mounted the hill on the
right of the remnant of the third brigade, at the same time the
Twenty-eighth, THIRTY-FOURTH, and Thirty-ninth passed on its left;
and this gallant line arrested the progress of the French columns,
which were pressing forward in anticipation of victory. The heads
of the enemy’s masses were broken by the steady fire of the British
soldiers, who closed on their numerous adversaries, and sternly
contended for victory. The THIRTY-FOURTH were severely engaged;
many officers and soldiers fell, and Ensign Sarsfield, bearing
the regimental colour, was shot; the colour was seized by another
officer, and the battalion pressed forward upon its opponents, who,
by a determined and continued attack, were driven from the heights,
and the British soldiers stood victorious on the contested hill.
Marshal Soult, finding that his French soldiers could not force the
position, withdrew beyond the river, and the battle was thus won by
the divisions of the allied army, under Marshal Sir William Carr
Beresford, who stated in his public despatch,--“It is impossible
to enumerate every instance of discipline and valour shown on this
severely contested day; but never troops more valiantly or more
gloriously maintained the honor of their respective countries.”
Captain George Gibbons, Lieutenant Thomas Castle, and Ensign
Sarsfield, with three serjeants, and twenty-seven rank and file
of the THIRTY-FOURTH were killed; and Captains G. J. Widdrington
and John Wyatt, Lieutenants John Hay, and ---- Walsh, with six
serjeants, and eighty-five rank and file wounded.
The word “ALBUHERA,” displayed by royal authority, on the colours
of the regiment, commemorates the distinguished gallantry of the
second battalion on this occasion; and a medal was conferred on its
commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel William Fenwick.
After the victory at Albuhera, the siege of _Badajoz_ was resumed;
but the advance of two powerful French armies, under Marshal
Massena and Marshal Soult, occasioned the British commander to
raise the siege and take post behind the Caya, where the superior
numbers of the enemy did not venture to attack him, and in a short
time the French retired. Lord Wellington marched the main body of
the army to the province of Beira, leaving ten thousand infantry,
with a proportion of cavalry and artillery, in the Alemtejo, under
Sir Rowland Hill; and the THIRTY-FOURTH formed a part of this force.
General Girard’s division of the Fifth French corps having taken
post at Caceres, Sir Rowland Hill advanced, on the 22nd of October,
to drive the enemy from thence, and on the approach of the British
troops, the French retired, halting at _Arroyo de Molinos_, a
village situate in a plain at the foot of a ridge of rocks rising
in the form of a crescent. An opportunity presenting itself to
effect the surprise of this corps, the British performed a forced
march in cold, wet, stormy weather, and arrived at the vicinity
of the village at daybreak on the morning of the 28th of October,
their approach being concealed by a thick mist with heavy rain. The
French infantry were assembling outside the village to commence
their march, the baggage was being loaded, and General Girard
was waiting at his quarters for his horse, when suddenly the
Seventy-first and Ninety-second British Regiments charged into the
village, capturing much baggage and many prisoners; at the same
time the Twenty-eighth and THIRTY-FOURTH made a detour, supported
by the Thirty-ninth, to cut off the enemy’s retreat. The French
formed two squares, and commenced retreating; the British pressed
resolutely upon their opponents; the Thirteenth Light Dragoons
captured the French artillery, the Ninth Light Dragoons and Second
Hussars King’s German Legion overpowered the enemy’s cavalry, and
the Twenty-eighth and THIRTY-FOURTH Foot cut off the retreat of
the French infantry by the main road. Thus beset on every side,
the French soldiers dispersed, and rushed with great speed up the
steep mountain by an unfrequented path; when the Twenty-eighth and
THIRTY-FOURTH British Foot passed a ploughed field at a running
pace, and ascended the difficult precipice in pursuit, chasing
the enemy among the rugged heights, and capturing many prisoners;
a battalion of the _French Thirty-fourth Regiment_ being made
prisoners on this occasion by the second battalion of the British
THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment[15]. The French General Brun, and Colonel
the Prince d’Aremberg, were among the prisoners.
Sir Rowland Hill, speaking of the troops employed in this service,
stated in his despatch,--“No praise of mine can do full justice to
their admirable conduct; the patience and goodwill shown by all
ranks during forced marches, in the worst of weather; their strict
attention to the orders they received; the precision with which
they moved to the attack; and their obedience to command during the
action; in short, the manner every one has performed his duty from
the commencement of the operation, merits my warmest thanks.” The
conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick, of the THIRTY-FOURTH, was
particularly commanded.
After this exploit the troops returned to the Alemtejo.
Towards the end of December the THIRTY-FOURTH again advanced into
Spain, and were employed in operations to surprise a body of French
troops at Merida, under General Dombrouski. On arriving at _La
Nava_, the British cavalry found three hundred French infantry and
a party of hussars in the town, and this body of troops, effecting
its retreat to Merida with little loss, informed General Dombrouski
of the approach of the British troops, and he retreated during the
night.
[Sidenote: 1812]
In January, 1812, the siege of _Ciudad Rodrigo_ was undertaken, and
the THIRTY-FOURTH and other corps, under Sir Rowland Hill, made
a movement to co-operate in covering the troops employed in this
enterprise, which ended in the capture of the besieged fortress by
storm on the 19th of January.
When the siege of _Badajoz_ was undertaken, the THIRTY-FOURTH
formed part of the covering army, and were stationed some time at
Merida. The two divisions of the covering army, under Sir Rowland
Hill and Sir Thomas Graham, afterwards advanced upon Almendralejos
and Llerena, the THIRTY-FOURTH moving towards the former town.
Marshal Soult collected a numerous force and advanced to relieve
_Badajoz_; but learning that on the 6th of April that fortress was
captured by storm, he retraced his steps.
After the capture of Badajoz, Lord Wellington proceeded towards
the northern frontiers of Portugal, leaving the THIRTY-FOURTH in
Estremadura, under Sir Rowland Hill; and in May the battalion
was employed in an enterprise for the destruction of the enemy’s
communication across the Tagus at _Almaraz_. After a march made
with great secrecy, amidst various divisions of the enemy, the
troops approached the bridge, the THIRTY-FOURTH being with the
left column, which was prepared with ladders to capture the fort
of Mirabete by escalade; but the difficulties of the march had
retarded the progress of the troops, and as the attack could not
be made before daylight, they remained concealed in the mountains
until the evening of the 18th of May, when they moved forward. At
daybreak, on the following morning, the left column, of which the
THIRTY-FOURTH formed part, commenced a slight attack on the castle
of Mirabete, at the same time another column captured the forts,
which covered the bridge, by storm.
Speaking of the THIRTY-FOURTH, and other corps which operated on
the Mirabete, Sir Rowland Hill stated in his despatch, “I regret
much that the peculiar situation of Mirabete should have prevented
my allowing the gallant corps to follow up an operation which they
had commenced with much spirit, and were anxious to complete.”
The bridge having been destroyed, and the communication between the
several divisions of the French army rendered more difficult, the
British troops retired.
[Sidenote: 1813]
After the victory gained by the army under Lord Wellington at
Salamanca, the troops under Sir Rowland Hill penetrated the Spanish
provinces, and eventually advanced upon Madrid: they afterwards
occupied a line from Toledo to Aranjuez. The THIRTY-FOURTH took
part in these movements; and when the concentration of the
enemy’s forces rendered a retrograde movement necessary, the
battalion suffered, in common with the other corps, the fatigues
and privations consequent upon this retreat;--the soldiers were
not able to procure any other food besides acorns, chesnuts, and
berries from the hedges, for nineteen days together; and the
inclemency of the weather augmented the sufferings endured on this
occasion. The retreat was continued to the frontiers of Portugal,
where the army went into winter quarters.
During this year the first battalion was stationed at Secunderabad,
in the East Indies.
After passing several months in quarters in Estremadura, the
second battalion of the THIRTY-FOURTH advanced, in May, 1813, with
the troops under Sir Rowland Hill, upon Salamanca, thus taking part
in the comprehensive movements by which the enemy’s position on
the Douro was turned, and the French divisions forced to retreat.
The THIRTY-FOURTH followed the enemy in his retrograde movements,
advancing upon Valladolid, and afterwards upon Burgos, and on the
12th of June the battalion took part in forcing a strong body of
French troops from _Hormaza_; which was followed by the destruction
of Burgos Castle, and the retreat of the enemy behind the Ebro
river. The battalion took part in the movement through the wild
and beautiful regions towards the source of the Ebro, and after
traversing rocks, and mountains, and narrow defiles, it crossed
the Ebro; when the enemy again fell back, and Joseph Bonaparte
concentrated his force in the valley of _Vittoria_, to arrest the
progress of the British arms.
After taking part in these brilliant operations, the THIRTY-FOURTH
had the honor to contribute to the complete overthrow of the French
army on the 21st of June. On this occasion the battalion formed
part of the column under Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill, which
advanced at day-break, and seizing the bridge of Puebla, crossed
the Zadora river; the Spaniards under General Morillo attacking
the heights of La Puebla, and the British advancing along the
Vittoria road. The French commander sent a strong body of troops
to regain the heights, and two British battalions were detached to
aid the Spaniards. Before the fighting at this point had ceased,
Sir Rowland Hill’s column issued fiercely from the defiles of
Puebla, and captured the village of Sabijana de Alava. The heights
at this point, some thickly wooded ground, and the village, became
the theatre of a severe contest, in which the THIRTY-FOURTH,
under Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick, were warmly engaged. The troops
advanced under a heavy cannonade; but undismayed by the determined
countenance of the foe, and regardless of a shower of bullets, the
British infantry rushed forward, dislodged the enemy, and drove him
back on his reserve. In vain the French endeavoured to recover the
lost ground; columns of attack were formed, and repeated efforts
made; but all without success. The other columns of the allied
army were also victorious at their several points of attack, and
the legions of Napoleon sustained a decisive overthrow; they were
driven from the field with the loss of their artillery, baggage,
and military chest, and were pursued until dark.
The THIRTY-FOURTH had ten rank and file killed; Lieutenants T. G.
Ball, Edward Mogridge, and Alan B. Cairnes, four serjeants, and
fifty-nine rank and file wounded.
Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick received a clasp, in addition to his
medal for the battle of Albuhera; and the royal authority was
afterwards given for the word “VITTORIA” to be inscribed on the
regimental colours, to commemorate the gallantry of the second
battalion on this occasion.
The THIRTY-FOURTH followed the retreating enemy to the foot of the
Pyrenean mountains, and were some time employed in the blockade
of _Pampeluna_. While on the march for this place, the battalion
was exposed, on the 24th of June, to a violent thunder-storm, when
Lieutenant Masterman, an officer of approved gallantry and of great
promise, was killed by lightning: his horse was also killed under
him.
Notwithstanding the enemy had withdrawn his right and left into
France, he maintained his centre in force in the rich valley
of _Bastan_, which afforded numerous strong positions; and
the troops, under Sir Rowland Hill, having been relieved from
the blockade of Pampeluna, advanced to dislodge the enemy. On
penetrating the mountains, in the early part of July, the left
wing of the THIRTY-FOURTH was engaged in dislodging the enemy from
one of the villages in the pass. The battalion also took part in
forcing the French from the valley of Bastan, and being in advance,
on the 7th of July, it drove the enemy’s piquets from the heights
of Maya: it was afterwards attacked by a strong line of French
troops; but the Thirty-ninth coming up, the two battalions repulsed
the enemy by a few well-directed volleys.
One private soldier of the THIRTY-FOURTH was killed, and ten rank
and file were wounded; Lieutenant Ball, who had recovered of the
wounds received at Vittoria, was again severely wounded.
After taking part in forcing the enemy from the valley of Bastan,
the THIRTY-FOURTH were employed in guarding the _Col-de-Maya_,
one of the entrances to the valley; they were encamped in the
Arestesque Pass, about two miles from the summit of the mountain,
and furnished a piquet on the lofty rock of Arestesque.
Marshal Soult, having been appointed to the command of the troops
on the Pyrenees frontier of France, assembled a numerous force
to break through the mountains, and relieve Pampeluna and St.
Sebastian. Captain Moyle Sherer, of the THIRTY-FOURTH Foot,
commanded the piquet on the Arestesque rock, on the morning of
the 25th of July, and a glimpse of cavalry and infantry advancing
having been obtained at dawn, the light companies were ordered to
support the piquet. These companies had just formed, with their
left at the rock, when three French divisions ascended the rock
and attacked the piquet, which defended its ground with great
gallantry, against overwhelming numbers, until Captain Sherer
was taken prisoner, and many men had fallen, when the survivors
fell back on the light companies; and these troops sustained the
assault of the enemy with difficulty. The din of war echoed through
the valley, and the brigade, consisting of the Twenty-eighth,
THIRTY-FOURTH, and Thirty-ninth, hurried to the scene of conflict.
The THIRTY-FOURTH ascended the rock first, by companies, at a
running pace, and arrived breathless from the length and ruggedness
of the ascent. The grenadier company was in front, under Captain
John Wyatt, who urged his men to make a desperate effort, and fell
pierced with many bullets the instant he gained the summit; nearly
every man of the leading section experienced the same fate. The
other companies of the battalion rushed forward in the face of a
storm of musketry, and a determined, but unavailing, effort was
made. The commanding officer, the adjutant, and many other brave
officers and soldiers, were struck by the tempest of balls. After
fighting with great desperation some time, the THIRTY-FOURTH,
the light companies, and the piquet were forced back by superior
numbers, and the enemy established his columns on the ridge of the
position. The British, however, retained possession of a rock,
which was the key of the pass, and the progress of the enemy was
arrested.
The THIRTY-FOURTH had five hundred and thirty officers and soldiers
engaged on this occasion, and their loss was Captain John Wyatt,
Ensign T. W. Phillips, one serjeant, and thirty-six rank and
file killed; Adjutant John Day mortally wounded and prisoner;
Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick, Lieutenants P. S. Barron and M.
Simmons, Ensign S. Pickett, four serjeants, and fifty-one rank
and file wounded; Captain Moyle Sherer, Lieutenant F. Hovenden,
Ensigns F. Russell and John Norman, one serjeant, one drummer, and
seventy-seven rank and file prisoners: many of the prisoners were
wounded. Total loss, one hundred and eighty-two.
Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick had his right leg amputated above the
knee; and the command of the battalion devolved on Major Henry
Worsley.
The enemy’s attacks being developed, and other points of the
position in the mountains forced, Sir Rowland Hill retired during
the night fifteen miles, to a post in the rear of Irueta. The
THIRTY-FOURTH halted on the heights of Irueta until the evening of
the 27th, and marched during the night through the pass of Villate,
upon the town of Lanz, and afterwards upon Lizasso: the British
army went into position to cover the blockade of Pampeluna, and
the troops under Sir Rowland Hill formed on the left of the line.
Some severe fighting occurred on the 28th of July, and the resolute
attacks of the enemy were repulsed with great gallantry.