Reports from the Seat of War—The Duke d’Angoulême—The German
Cavalry—Misconduct of the Spaniards—Attacks on our Grazing
Parties—Movement of Head-Quarters—Death of Colonel Sturgeon—Visit to
the Hospital—New Quarters—Skirmishes—Wellington and the Mayor.
Head-quarters, Aire,
March 16, 1814.
MY DEAR M——,
Here we remain still, and probably shall do so for a few days, for the
French Marshal not only keeps his position near Conchez, across our
road to Tarbes and Toulouse, but does not seem disposed to go beyond
demonstrations, and cannot muster courage to attack us, and we, I
believe, are not quite prepared to attack him. The glorious reception
Marshal Beresford met with at Bordeaux, and the spirited and decided
conduct of the _maire_, &c., there, you will have heard by the last
mail, for the news came after my letter, but before Lord Wellington’s
bag was dispatched. We have all sorts of reports from the vicinity of
Paris, about the battle at Meaux, of a large French corps having gone
over to Bernadotte. There are reports from Bordeaux, but all uncertain;
I think, however, that the _maire_ must have had some good intelligence
to induce him to take the line he has done, which must be his ruin, and
that of all his friends, if we make peace at last with Bonaparte.
The Duke d’Angoulême, at first, it is said, declined a burgher
guard, and preferred an English one. This will not do: he must show
confidence and spirit, and rely upon his French friends, and give no
offence by partialities for the English. This was bad advice in some
one about him, for I understand he personally has always wished to take
a decided line, and risk his personal safety for the cause.
We hear the Royalist party are beginning _à la lanterne_ again, but I
hope this is not true. The inhabitants of Bordeaux must arm and protect
themselves. We shall leave but a small force there. The river and their
own people must be their chief reliance. Lord Wellington has sent for
the fourth division from Marshal Beresford to help here. Canning went
off at four o’clock on the 14th, with these orders (as I understand);
he was sent from Gartin by Lord Wellington, eleven miles from this in
front, and was here in an hour. Whilst he was dressing and getting a
fresh horse, I got him his money from the Paymaster, and he was off,
remounted for Roquefort, twenty miles; and thence he was to post the
other seventy miles all night to Bordeaux. He was heard of at Langon,
about three or four in the morning, so that by nine o’clock on the
15th he would be in Bordeaux; and as the fourth division, which was at
Langon, would march that day, in about two days more they will be here.
All our 18-pounders and some other reinforcements will arrive, and then
Soult must be off, or I hope get another beating.
The heavy German Cavalry (for by its name they wish to be known, for it
carries credit with it), went through here two days since in admirable
order, the horses in particular, but the latter are altogether too
slight for the men, who are all large, bony, heavy men, of a certain
age, and experienced heroes. It will not be easy by a royal order, and
light jacket and caps, to transform these gentlemen into light Germans,
nor do the corps like it at all. Ponsonby’s heavy brigade is also close
by, fresh from Spain, like the Germans, and in the same excellent
condition. Nearly ten thousand Spaniards, very fine-looking men, and in
good discipline, are also two miles from this, at or near Barcelona.
Hitherto they have behaved in general much better than was expected on
the march; but we feed them, as they have no transport. If they will
but fight a little in return, and take their share of loss, we should
do famously.
Murillo’s Spaniards, I am sorry to say, have begun very ill in our
front. The day before yesterday, Soult made an advance against them;
when they were ordered to fall back a little to a rivulet, and there
defend themselves. Once with their backs turned, however, away they
went, and never stopped until the Buffs were ordered up to stop the
French, who, the moment they saw the red coats coming on, were off home
again very quickly, but not quite so rapidly as the Spaniards had run
from them.
The Portuguese cavalry had a little affair, and behaved well. The 14th
Dragoons had also an affair the day before yesterday. Half a squadron
under Captain Babington were ordered by Colonel Harvey to drive off
a French half squadron, and then halt until he came up. They upset
the French, saw another whole squadron beyond, were tempted to go on
by their first success, and succeeded in a great measure again, but
Captain Babington was taken. The wounded French dragoons of the 5th
regiment, brought in here prisoners, are all very fine men, and the
whole regiment are said to be the same sort of men. They came in much
cut about the head and hands.
The forage animals of head-quarters were yesterday very nearly getting
into a terrible scrape—about two hundred and fifty animals, and two of
mine in the number. They foolishly went in front of our picquets, or
nearly so, though regularly under commissariat directions. Whilst they
were loading at a farm, one peasant slipped away, and it is concluded
told some French dragoons near what was going on, whilst the other in
the house gave some of the party wine. There were four artillerymen
unarmed in the house, and about six Portuguese, one of whom was mine,
when a French officer of cavalry, with his sword drawn, came to the
window, told them all to come out, and that they were prisoners. When
they came out, seeing that he was alone and his party three or four
hundred yards off, they mounted their mules, and nearly all got off,
with the loss of, it is said, only one man and two or three mules.
Some fellows galloped all the way here without their loads or cords,
and at first spread an alarm that all were taken. They arrived home in
the course of the day, and my Portuguese brought home a load of good
hay and two deserted ropes in triumph. It is thought that the party
should have brought off the officer prisoner, but most are satisfied
with having got their own property back again. He cut one of the
artillerymen on the finger, who put up his arm to save himself.
Another party of muleteers with stores from Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux,
with supplies for the seventh division, to which they belonged, were
attacked three days since on their road near Roquefort, quite in our
rear and on our communications, by some French partizans, a sort of
guerillas called _La Bande_. These now, it is said, are employed by
Soult: they were formerly a set of _douaniers_, or smuggler catchers.
Several mules were killed and wounded, and, I believe, some muleteers
killed, and some of the money taken. It is to be feared that the
Spanish muleteers will begin to be alarmed at this. We have cavalry,
however, on the road, and they will now be more on the look out in
future.
This place is now much crowded. Three new Generals came in yesterday
and to-day,—Sir Stapleton Cotton to-day, with, about a hundred animals
belonging to himself and his staff. I was turned out of my stable in
consequence, though but a very bad one, and my animals are now in a
back kitchen turned into a stable. At Barcelona the Spaniards turned
out the cavalry with much less ceremony. It is said that a company,
with a Captain at their head, gallantly charged Captain S——’s horses
and bâtmen (General C——’s aide-de-camp), and were very successful. One
little blood-horse kicked about, broke loose, and made a good defence,
without injuring himself; but another horse, not so quick in his
retreat, received two slight bayonet wounds, and a slight cut with a
sabre, and the Spaniards carried the day, behaving like heroes!
Our people are all moved in consequence, and I hope that these
_valorosos_ and blood-thirsty gentlemen will soon be allowed to contend
with a more glorious enemy, and will behave with equal spirit when the
opportunity shall arrive.
The Swedish (Bernadotte’s) aide-de-camp is, it seems, to campaign with
us; he is buying horses, &c., and preparing for the field. He is a
great talker, and, I understand, of this country. From his conversation
he seems to have served against us under Massena in Portugal, but how
he is what he is I do not exactly understand.
The weather is still very cold. Lord Wellington would not even
condescend to-day to go and look at the French. He only sent Colonel
Gordon to go on to Gartin, and report.
_Head-Quarters, 17th March, Aire._—About three o’clock yesterday we
learnt that the French were off, and filed through Conchez, apparently
on the way to Tarbes. I think they will not venture to go too near the
mountains, but must make for Toulouse. If not, our fourth division,
which, it is said, will be here to-night, will make us strong enough,
I hope, to push a column through Auch straight to Toulouse, while the
rest follow Soult, and we should then be at Toulouse first. I conclude
he will turn that way from Tarbes. General Hill moved a little after
the French yesterday to keep them in sight. The rest of the army will,
in my opinion, get in motion to-day or to-morrow, and head-quarters
move on very soon afterwards. About fifty prisoners were sent in here
last night, mostly dragoons.
We are all alive again with regard to the Allies, and the stories from
Bordeaux are most animating. In addition to this, we move after Soult
to-morrow. Head-quarters to be at Viella, nearly three leagues in
advance, towards Auch. I fear we shall, as part of head-quarters, see
neither Toulouse nor Bordeaux; for if my generalship correspond with
Lord Wellington’s, Soult will in my opinion cross the Garonne, and our
right will go to Toulouse, and we, as part of head-quarters, shall
pass the river by some bridge to be laid down below near Agen,—more
towards the centre of our movements. The scene at Bordeaux I much
regret to have lost. We already hear of disturbances at Toulouse, and
even reports of Louis XVIII. being proclaimed at Paris. From the want
of a popular Bourbon cry at Bordeaux, I hear they have set up “Henri
IV.,” and “Gode sav de King.” The weather to-day is delightful: I only
hope it will last. We are told that Suchet has offered to withdraw all
his garrisons from Spain into France, and give up the towns in their
present state; this has been referred, it is said, to Lord Wellington,
and by him refused, as only releasing so many men for present use, who
must sooner or later, if we persevere, be prisoners. This is quite
right no doubt for the common cause.
_Viella, 18th._—I have just time to add a few lines at this place,
which is about nine miles from Aire, on the road to Tarbes, and our
head-quarters to-day. It is a small scattered village, so much so that
I am at a farm at least two miles or more from the main village, and
nearly by myself at the last house in the commune. I have, however,
a doctor and a commissary within a quarter of a mile, and as we are
fortunately well received, and welcomed everywhere, it does not
signify. I feel quite at ease.
We had a tiresome march here, for the third division, the sixth, and
the heavy Germans with the baggage of all three, the whole of the
pontoon train, the artillery of the two divisions, head-quarter’s
baggage, and eight thousand Spaniards all went the same road, over our
newly-made bridge across the Leis, a small stream which falls into the
Adour, near Barcelonne. The French, in destroying this bridge, had not
blown up or burnt the main centre pier, so that about twenty-five elm
trees, about twenty-five feet long, and bundles of fascines, about
twelve feet long, placed crosswise, and then covered with dirt, in two
days’ time made us a famous bridge.
Some time hence, when the fascines get rotten, some luckless car or
horseman will no doubt go through into the water, which is deep, and
about twenty feet below. The high roads are excellent, and the country,
though not a rich soil, very pretty and loveable. Almost every drain
under the road, or a small arch for streams to pass under, had been
broken down; some left so from neglect of late, some I believe just
made on purpose to delay us: faggots, and a little mould, with a few
small trees at bottom, soon made a passage, but created delays.
_19th, 7 o’clock._—To-day we move to Maubourguet, nearly in the Tarbes
road. This looks as if Soult was making for Tarbes, and not Toulouse.
I can scarcely believe this. If he places his rear on the mountains,
he gives up Toulouse, and the richest country; and if beaten when up
there, will, in my opinion, escape with difficulty. He may expect some
reinforcements from Suchet that way, but still must go to Toulouse.
We, however, have now a chance of seeing the latter, whereas I thought
we should have crossed nearer Agen, lower down the river.
My patron here is very friendly. The French plundered him terribly,
and all his neighbours. They call them brigands, and dread them
more than our army. My man let five Portuguese dragoons through his
premises, and, he says, saved them. He is of a class of men that
existed in former days in England; the owner and cultivator of eighty
acres of land, partly corn, partly wood, partly vineyards, and partly
meadow—thus he has all within himself. He has a wife and four children,
two women servants, two pair of oxen, of which he has been obliged to
sell one pair to pay the French contributions. He has two labourers,
both deserters, for keeping whom he knows he is liable to a fine of
from five hundred to three thousand francs, and to be confined five
years, but he can get no other servants, and of course these are
faithful.
His land, he says, is worth about 50_s._ an acre. It requires much
labour, but when left alone he says is good enough to make them very
happy. In spite of all that he has suffered, and his earnest desire for
peace, he is certainly no friend to the Bourbons. He curses Bonaparte
for his ambition, has a tolerably just notion of all his losses in the
North, and in Spain, from the soldiers; but still, would rather, in my
opinion, have Bonaparte and peace than the Bourbons. I can never get
him to say a word, good or bad, as to the latter. At the same time,
like all the rest of the French, he would just now submit to anything
for peace. All have the highest respect for Lord Wellington, which they
say they learn from the French army, high and low.
_Maubourguet, 5 o’clock._—We left Viella at nine, and after a tiresome
ride through baggage the whole way, arrived here about four o’clock,
though it is only about fifteen miles. The bridges were all broken
down, and nearly every gutter across the road, but this only caused
delays, and was quite ineffectual. The troops and artillery waggons all
found some way round or through. When about twelve miles on our road,
we found the last three miles quite choked with all the baggage of
head-quarters and the troops. At first I conceived the delay arose in a
broken bridge being repaired, and was patient; but a sharp firing and
cannonade soon commenced in front of Maubourguet, near Vic, and then,
guessing that it was an intentional halt, I made my way through it
here, and found every one in front, and a sharp firing about four miles
in advance, near Vic Bigorre.
I met also a party of the fine German cavalry wounded going to the
rear; they had had an affair the day before yesterday in advance of
Madiran, half way between that place and this, and with two squadrons
instantly upset four squadrons of French chasseurs, took many horses,
and cut up many men, but the French ran too fast to leave any
prisoners. This tempted the Germans to attack yesterday a very superior
force, it is said three times their number—three French regiments; and
I hear they suffered much.
In the first affair they had about four killed and eighteen wounded.
We were at first without orders as to staying here and unpacking, but
a report soon reached us that the French would not stand, and were
off. So we all unpacked quietly before the firing ceased, and prepared
for dinner in this town, where five hundred French cavalry had passed
the night, and had only departed about eight in the morning, with the
curses of the inhabitants. Our Portuguese were principally engaged, it
is said, yesterday, and without much loss. The sixth division entered
Vic last night.
_Maubourguet, 7 o’clock, 20th, Sunday._—No orders last night. Lord
Wellington very late home; but I have just learned that we are to move
to-day to Tarbes, taking it for granted that the French will be out to
make room for us. This is very strange, and so is the confidence of our
men. When we halted yesterday the bâtmen were saying, when within three
miles of this place, the head-quarters, “We must only wait a little
till the troops have cleared our quarters for us and made room.”
I now cannot understand Soult’s plans. He seems to be making for the
mountains, and to have suffered us in some measure to cut him off from
Toulouse. Colonel Canning arrived last night from Bordeaux with an
account of a grand defeat of Bonaparte, and that he had fallen back on
Orleans. This I expected if he were not killed, as I concluded he would
try and unite with the Lyons army and Soult’s, and make one more stand
in the heart of the kingdom. If this be true, Lord Wellington must be
careful as to passing the Garonne; Soult’s junction, nevertheless,
will at any rate be doubtful. Our men are in the highest spirits, and
driving all before them; weather fine.
_Tournay, March 21st._—At nine left Maubourguet; about four miles
further I stopped at Vic Bigorre, to see poor Colonel Sturgeon’s
body. He was a very clever man and officer, and particularly skilful
as a bridge engineer, and in all languages. He went too close to the
skirmishers, to reconnoitre, and was shot in the head just under the
eye. I also went over the hospital, to assist Dr. M’Gregor in giving
directions to the French as to arrangements, to talk to and satisfy
some wounded French officers, and to get bedding, straw, and help from
the _maire_ by requisition instantly. We had about two hundred wounded
there of all nations, many Portuguese, one of whom was undergoing
the operation of amputation of his leg and thigh, very high up, and
seemed in great agony. The French surgeon thought that Dr. M’Gregor was
finding fault, and stopped, and turned to us to explain. I understand
he was doing it in a clumsy way, but Dr. M’Gregor begged me to praise
him highly, or he would be alarmed and do it still worse. Close to
Vic, by the road-side, were about a dozen bodies of men killed by
cannon-shot, and terribly mauled.
Having loaded a mule with oats from a French store at Vic, I proceeded
towards Tournay. The road was crammed, and some sharp skirmishing going
on about three miles beyond the town, which had commenced on the Vic
side. The French only left the town about nine o’clock, and tried to
blow up the bridge, but were stopped by two or three gun-shots. They
stood their ground tolerably, on a very strong ridge of hills, until
night, and remained _en bivouac_ on them last night. At three this
morning they were off; and here we are after them again, about nine
miles on the road to Toulouse, at this place, Tournay, which was last
night Marshal Soult’s head-quarters.
Tarbes is a good town and contains a number of good houses. From the
houses being large, and having yards and gardens, and from there being
one or two large open spaces or squares, it covers a good deal of
ground, but does not count, I understand, above ten or eleven thousand
inhabitants. The people received us in general very well, but were
quite passive, taking no part in any way. They had been kept quite in
ignorance of all that was going on in the north, and at Bordeaux in
particular—at least a great part of them. I explained, and harangued
all I could in order to set them right. My own patron was, it struck
me, a strong Bonapartist, and I took some pains to plague him a little
accordingly. We have had no sort of interruption to-day, except from
the multitudes passing, which form a continued stream, from five in the
morning, along a wide road, until about four or five in the day. The
fine weather has unfortunately turned to rain, but I hope will return
to us again.
You will see by the map that Soult has taken to the Toulouse road at
last. He is at Mont St. Jean to-day, it is said; and that, as usual,
when inclined to run, the French beat our people in marching, and we
cannot cut him off. He has run some risks by going this roundabout
road; and had we been strong enough to have pushed along the Auch road
also, we should have puzzled him a little. We shall now, most probably,
drive him gradually to the Garonne. It is likely, in my opinion, that
he will make another stand. I have been turned out of my stable, and
had much trouble with the _maire_, so have only time to seal up.
P.S. The country, from Maubourguet to Vic, Tarbes, and part of the
way here, was all a flat, of rich country, like the country between
Bridgewater and across into Somersetshire; except that half the meadows
at least were vineyards and orchards in one, and interlaced very
prettily; the fruit-trees kept small, about ten feet high, and the
vines trained off at about six, and all intertwined and furled together
with withy-bands. This was famous cover, as no musquet-ball could pass
far through the trees; a few common shot had destroyed the quincunx
regularity in many places. The water meadows were very beautiful,
and the system seemed to be understood and well managed; the streams
beautifully clear. The background of this large flat was all the way to
the Haute Pyrenees covered with snow; but the higher Pic du Midi was
never visible, always in the clouds; the lower one was. The Alps are
far superior, as far as I can judge. Adieu.
_Nine o’clock at night, Isle en Dodon, March 24th, 1814._—Our post
and movements are now so uncertain and sudden, that I know not when
or how to write to you, and fear that my last was sent too late, and
may probably be sent with this, by which means all the zest of late
news from the army will be lost. I have just heard, by accident, that
a mail will go to-night, and have only time to scribble a few hasty
lines immediately after dinner. My last finished at Tournay; thence
we proceeded the next day to Galan, a poor village, and rather a wild
mountain road, the short cut to Toulouse. Our second division and
cavalry followed the enemy along the high road by Lannernezon, Mont St.
Jean, and St. Gaudens. One corps of their army went also through Galan.
The _maire_ of the latter was a fine old man of eighty-two, and a good
friend.
I was at a miserable half-furnished house, and my baggage being stopped
by the Spanish troops, it did not arrive until seven o’clock; luckily
it came in time for me to dress, in order to dine with Lord Wellington,
a mile off, in the rain. The _maire_ had been an hour in the room with
Lord Wellington before he found him out, talking by the fire in his
quarter, until at last Lord Wellington, having let him go on some time,
asked him to dinner. This staggered him, and led to an explanation. The
_maire_ said, that the night before he had had Generals Clausel and
Harispe, and that they only ordered a dinner to be prepared, and did
not ask him to eat part of his own, or thank him, or take the least
notice of him. He could not, therefore, believe that Lord Wellington
was the enemy’s General, after having been so treated, as he said,
“like a dog,” by his friends.
My own patron was a half-starved apothecary without medicines or
drugs. He offered to dress a fowl for me, but was very willing instead
to sell me one for twice its value, for dinner the next day.
_23rd._—We moved again to Boulognes, about sixteen miles, rather a long
march, and in part bad road, though in general the roads all over this
part of France are very much superior to ours in England; compared with
our best roads, they are very superior to any in the distant counties,
and to many of our main and best roads, even in the neighbourhood of
London. The light, third, fourth, and sixth divisions of cavalry, and
about eight thousand Spaniards, all move with this column, and we
reach of course by mid-day, when all is in motion, with the artillery
and baggage, about ten miles. The second division and cavalry follow
the French. At St. Gaudens the 13th Dragoons came up with the French
rear cavalry, formed just outside the town, charged, broke them, drove
them pell-mell through the town on their reverse beyond it. There they
re-formed; the 13th charged again; then the French ran, with the 13th
after them, for two miles. The result is said to be a hundred and
twenty prisoners and horses, besides killed.
From Boulognes we to-day marched to this place—Isle en Dodon. The
majority of the people here seem to be friends of Bonaparte, and the
assistant _maire_ in particular, with whom I had much conversation; for
he gave Doctor Hume and me a joint billet at the empty house where he
gave out the billets, and no stable at all. As I was obliged to have
him in the room so long, I determined to work him a little for treating
us so ill.
The _maire_ of Boulognes ran away at first. At night he came back
and went to Lord Wellington, who showed him his proclamations and
regulations, &c. The _maire_ said he had taken the oath to Bonaparte,
and would not act. “Very well,” said Lord Wellington, “then the
people must choose another; but now you have taken your line, I must
take mine, and send you over the Garonne into the French lines.” He
gave orders accordingly, to Colonel S——. The _maire_ ran away, and
could not be found. Colonel S—— took up the father, to march him off
until the son appeared. This brought him out; he remonstrated with
Lord Wellington, said he was one of the first men of the country, and
should be ruined by this. Lord Wellington said, “He should have thought
of that sooner, and he must go;” and to this place he came to-day a
prisoner.
We have just received orders to march to Samatan to-morrow. All here
have a notion that Suchet’s forces join Soult near here; that is, have
done so, or are to do so; but we are a little in the dark, and the
ignorance of the French about everything is astonishing: they seem
quite stupified. But Bonaparte has many friends still, and the reports
in the French papers, though upon the whole good, are not decisive.
The armistice seems to have gone off from the arrangements about
Italy. We are living, like the rest of the armies and the French, by
requisitions; but we hitherto pay in money, which others do not. We
consume everything, however, like locusts.
Lord Wellington popped between Colonel G—— and me as we were discussing
the allied battles this morning, and suddenly took a part, to my great
astonishment, in our conversation.
On leaving Tarbes a party of civilians went round by Bagnières to see
the baths, the rooms, &c., a sort of Spa, about twelve miles round,
and where no troops had been; not an Englishman there, but they were
told they would be well received, and so they were indeed. The _maire_
addressed them; the people were in crowds, so that it required force
to enable them to pass. The National Guard turned out and presented
arms to them: it was like Lord Wellington’s entry into Zamora, they
say, such an outcry! such a display! A ball was proposed, but as there
was a French garrison about six miles off, and no allied troops near,
the party declined staying, and went off highly pleased with their
excursion. This is very odd, for on the road we go, all is stupefaction
and indifference. I should have enjoyed this, but am obliged to be very
prudent now, after my late escape. Adieu again.
The schoolmaster, or _prêtre_, at Boulognes had written a long poem
entitled “_Mon Rêve_,” a prophecy nearly of everything which has taken
place, and containing much in honour of Lord Wellington. He said he had
long had it concealed, and volunteered spouting it out to us, to his
own great satisfaction, and it really was not bad.