Orders from Lord Wellington having arrived, General Hill was directed
to proceed with his division towards Merida and Caceres, in hopes of
being able to surprise and intercept a corps of the French army, under
General Girard, as well as to re-open the communication between La
Pena's Spanish troops and those of Castanos. The 2nd division marched
accordingly, on the 22nd of October, from Portalegre and the out
quarters. The 1st brigade, consisting of the 50th, 71st, and 92nd,
under Major General Howard, was on the alarm post at an early hour;
and by daylight we were pretty far on our route in the direction
previously ordered.
When the clouds and mist had cleared away, the ancient castle of
Alegrete, placed on the summit of a barren chain of mountains was
discernible. To our left extended a long range of heights, in some
parts clothed with wood, and in others with verdant pasture, the
brightness of which gave the prospect a lively effect. The road was
broken and uneven, and, in general, so bad, that our baggage animals
could scarcely make their way. Towards noon the heaviest rain we had
ever experienced set in, increasing as we pushed onwards against the
storm, pelting most furiously, and blown into our faces through the
clefts and openings of the mountain sides close to which we travelled.
We were thoroughly wet to the skin, benumbed by the intense coldness
of the cutting blast, and well nigh deprived of life and motion.
However, supporting each other with hopes of better times, we jogged
on amidst the ceaseless war of hail, wind and rain. We halted at the
village of Codiceira, just within the Spanish frontier, where a few of
us darted into one of the best looking habitations we could see.
There, after taking up without ceremony a good position in the chimney
corner, and before a blazing pile of fagots, we got rid of our well
drenched garments; in exchange for which, cloaks and mantillas were
supplied by the hands of a benevolent old dame, whose exertions to
administer comfort to our exhausted frames deserve to be recorded in
the annals of her country.
While we are enjoying the comforts of this snug place of refuge, I
will take the opportunity of saying a few words as to certain persons
who seemed to think that we had no title to such a luxury. The
dragoons sometimes acted towards the infantry in rather a cavalier
manner, and appeared to treat them as if they were quite an inferior
order of beings. Whether it was because they had the honour of being a
little more elevated from the ground, or that to their visage were
appended the whisker and mustachio, and they talked their mother
tongue in a lisping style, it would be difficult to determine. It is
at all events pretty certain, that many of them, recently imported
from the purlieus of St. James's, assumed a great variety of airs and
graces, unbecoming in the field, however beautiful they might have
seemed in Bond Street, and which the rough and dirty work of war and
fighting failed to do away with. I can never forget the conduct of one
of their noble sprigs, whose regiment happened to arrive at the town
when we were halted. It was a poor place after a hard march, under bad
weather and very heavy rain, but we were glad to obtain any sort of
shelter in the wretched village. We had scarcely entered, when our
ears were saluted with the noise of cavalry, coming down the street,
and in a short space we had a sample of dragooning, such as it would
be vain to look for even among the Cherokees.
Three or four of us were seated round the wide fireplace of a Spanish
hearth, after taking off our well drenched jackets and accoutrements,
and were enjoying the benefit of a fine blazing pile of fire, the very
counterpart of that I have just described, and our servants were
preparing for the culinary operations, when a loud hammering was heard
at the door of the hovel, accompanied by the clanking of carbines,
sabres, sabredashes, and other warlike appurtenances. At the same
moment, in burst a tall, raw-boned trooper, (armed cap-a-pied, with a
countenance well furnished with a most abundant crop, in which the
crows might have built their nest,) followed by two others, carrying
sundry hampers belonging to their masters. The intruder, who proved to
be the officer commanding, gazed with awful stare upon the lodgers
already in the house, and drawing himself up, as if, like Sampson, he
were about to raise the building on his shoulders, called, or rather
growled out, in the tone of an angry mastiff, while he curled the
points of his black mustachios, "these quarters are not too good for a
Col--o--nel of Dra--goons--eh!" and suiting the action to the word, he
flung his implements of war on a table close at hand, with a degree of
violence that shook our frail tenement to its base. His claims to
supremacy being intimated to us, we gathered up our traps, and bundled
out indignantly, looking round, with no very gracious glances, at the
statue in whose possession we quietly left the premises, to go in
search of another billet.
There was a want of courtesy and good feeling here, not in any way
consistent with high bearing, and these, with many other traits of
character, produced a jealousy between us, so that no very cordial
intimacy could take place; nor was there much love wasted on either
side. Engaged in one common cause, in duty on the same field together,
all those ideas of superiority should have been forgotten, and those
heroes with spurs of at least half a yard in length, should have
packed up all their high opinions and fine notions, and sent them to
the stores in England, there to be made use of at some future period.
Such commodities never do for service, nor will they harmonize with
camp or bivouac. They may pass current at home, where the pride of
wealth, gold lace, and dress, go far to raise a man in public
estimation; but lying in a wet ditch, or stretched by the side of a
tree upon the ground, with a tattered cloak for covering, they are of
little value. In that situation, a good blanket, and a well filled
haversack, are worth all the lace, fringe, feathers, and aiguillettes
in the British army.
About this time I remember an officer joined our camp from England,
with a canteen profusely stocked, as well as a good kit. He was
moreover a well dressed young man, apparently fresh from the hands of
Dodd, of St. James's Street, equipped in garments that seemed as if
they were pasted on his body, besides a grey frock coat, lined
throughout with silk, and adorned with frogs and tassels in
abundance.
Such a set of poor unfortunate gypsies as we were must have been
doubtless held in little estimation by our hero, who viewed with scorn
our dingy costume, tarnished and tattered in so vile a manner that
even a Jew broker or an Irish beggarman would have scarcely picked
them up. We had however each of us a good blanket, (and some had two)
that was designed a double debt to pay--
"By night a coverlet,
A saddle cloth by day."
Johnny Newcome, well scented, had a good stock of odours and essences
for service in the field; and instead of beef or rum, his hampers were
amply stored with otto of roses, macassar oil, and other articles of
sweet perfume. He glanced with horror at our ugly trim, but when he
beheld the saddle cloth, he laughed outright, and called us, "blanket
merchants."
It was then cold and wintry weather, the rain occasionally came down
in torrents, so that when the night set in, we found our friendly
coverlet a most timely aid. The green-horn, who was certainly one of
his majesty's hard bargains, eyed us most wistfully askance, and,
shivering in his stays and broadcloth, envied the old stagers while he
tried to crouch from the rain and nipping air under any shelter he
could find.
One of our fellows, an admirable wag, peeped out from beneath his
fleecy counterpane, and observing the plight of Master Superfine, who
lay ensconced behind the stump of an old tree, he hallooed, and
bellowed out so that the whole camp might hear him, "Halloo, old boy!
How do you like the blanket merchants now?" The field was in an uproar
at the joke, and the unfortunate recruit having no desire for war's
alarms, of which he had seen quite enough to damp his fiery spirit,
took himself away soon after, and the Blanketeers never had the
pleasure of seeing his pretty face again.
Having despatched these gentlemen, we will now pursue our march, in
search of General Girard. Early in the morning, on the 23rd of
October, the troops were assembled, and about day-light, it being
clear and fine, we were on the road to Albuquerque. At a considerable
distance, the celebrated castle appeared towering above the hills that
constitute a branch of those which extend from the Sierra de
Arronches, in Portugal, into the heart of Spanish Estrimadura.
Having gained the heights, we entered the town at its base by a narrow
causeway, paved with large stones. Albuquerque, which gave the title
of Duke to a patriot general, is a populous, and good sized place,
enclosed by lofty turreted walls. Similar to others throughout the
country, the houses are flat-roofed, and the streets narrow, close
and dirty.
Marching again on the 24th we passed through the thick woods bounding
the Sierra, our route lying over a wide and level plain. It was late
in the afternoon when we halted in a valley of broom, interspersed
with cork and chestnut trees, beneath the spreading branches of which
we took shelter for the night, and, wrapped up in warm cloaks and
blankets, around huge bundles of burning cork, solaced our weary limbs
after the labours of the day. The only habitation that we saw upon the
desolate road, was a sort of Posada, a large tenement, standing on the
brow of a steep hill, called La Caza de la Castilana. We continued
during the whole of the following day, on the same line and at a late
hour halted on the top of a high and bleak promontory, exposed to the
rain, and all the miseries of a dismal bivouac; but so completely were
we jaded, that we enjoyed good sleep without the aid of rocking; our
chamber was sheltered from the northern blast by large bushes of thick
broom. Travelling for the remainder of the night, we arrived on the
morning of the 26th at Malpartida, a small straggling village, in the
midst of barren grounds, with a most abundant crop of stones. The
inhabitants appeared to be decent and well clad; the women were
good-looking, with ruddy cheeks, and the full glow of health. A number
of buxom wenches, with stout rotundity of limbs, were seated at the
door of their humble mansions on our approach; most of whom were
employed in knitting, and seemed, by the eager glance of their keen
black eyes, to enjoy the novel dress and martial bearing of our
soldiers.
These fair ones were clothed in many colours, their bodies in jackets
of brown cloth, and petticoats to match, of sparing length, thereby
exposing to the rude and vulgar gaze of man their well formed
pedestals. Those were encased in blue stockings with red clocks, and,
to complete this part of their attire, well polished shoes with brass
clasps were appendages of which they were not a little vain. The
mantilla of blue or yellow, gracefully thrown across the shoulders,
and a profusion of rich dark hair, neatly tied with various ribbons,
imparted to the figure an air of peculiar liveliness and interest.
We started from Malpartida betimes on the 27th. The rain again poured
down on us with violence, and throughout the day there was but little
intermission. We rested in a field, near the village of San Antonio,
under a most inclement and desperate night, without the means of
cover, or any refuge from the weather. Fires were not permitted, lest
the enemy should discover our movements, and, as it was intended to
come upon them unawares, we travelled without the slightest noise, the
most rigid silence being preserved in all our movements.
Before daylight we were drawn up in the neighbourhood of Arroyo del
Molino. This place lies on the borders of a wide forest, extending
along the base of the Sierra de Montanches, and was scarcely visible
above the trees, the church-spire alone pointing out its retired and
lonely situation, beneath the adjacent hills.
As the mist, by which the distant Sierra was mantled, gradually
withdrew, we discovered that the French troops were, at that hour,
quietly enough lodged in the town. Little dreaming of the near
vicinity of such unwelcome visitors, they were in the full enjoyment
of their slumbers; and, as they had made no arrangement to guard
against surprise, our unlooked for arrival threw them into the utmost
consternation.
The 1st brigade halted on some rising ground, on the road leading to
the village, into which the 71st Light Infantry was promptly
despatched to pay their respects, as well as to assist Monsieur in the
adjustment of his toilet.
Advancing cautiously in double quick time towards the streets, without
noise or sound of bugle, the light bobs soon gained possession of all
the principal outlets, and although the alarm given by the enemy's
pickets flew like lightning throughout the cantonments, their cavalry
alone, (many of whom were pulling up their saddle girths), succeeded
in making a good retreat before our men appeared. Their infantry,
however, after starting from their beds, out of which they had with so
little ceremony been roused, hastened with all speed towards the wood,
and having extended themselves along its boundaries, a close and well
directed fire was immediately opened on both sides; but the 71st in a
little time pressing in rapidly, followed by the 50th and 92nd, the
Frenchmen gave way in all directions. Retiring across the plain, into
the depth of the forest, they flung away knapsacks, accoutrements, and
other trappings, by which they were encumbered, making, as they
vanished among the trees, such very good use of their legs, that we
found it no easy matter to keep them within hail, or within the range
of those missiles that were despatched to bring them to.
While those performances were going forward, the 3rd brigade, together
with some cavalry, made a rapid flank movement on the Merida road. In
consequence of this, the fugitives became hemmed in, between our
troops and the mountain ridge, on the left. Making a last and
desperate effort, they tried to scramble up the rugged face of the
precipice, but failing in their exertions, the principal number of
their veterans fell into our hands, their leader Girard, with a few of
his ill-fated companions alone escaping across the steep and nearly
impassable heights. Among the officers of rank who became prisoners
was the Prince d'Aremberg. The whole of their guns, baggage, and
commissariat, were left on the field.
A more complete coup-de-main was not made during the war; it was
executed in a manner honourable alike to the military skill and the
courage of our justly respected Chief of Division, General Hill, by
whose talent and steady perseverance the brilliant achievement was
planned, and carried to a successful termination, in spite of the
obstacles opposed by a long march in the most inclement weather. The
object of the expedition was attained in the fullest manner, and the
consequences were most important to the prosperity of the succeeding
campaign.
The firing on all sides having ceased, and the prisoners being
collected under sufficient escort, preparatory to their final exit
from the coast, our brigade proceeded in open column along the plain,
on emerging from which we entered the high road to Merida, on the
Guadiana, passing on to the right of the lofty Sierra. In the woods
about five leagues further we encamped, and on the following day, the
29th of October, we marched into the old town of Merida, when on the
30th we halted.
This ancient town had been completely plundered, and thrown into a
state of ruin and desolation, by the frequent visits of the invaders.
The celebrated buildings, which for ages had stood secure from the
ravages of any other hand than that of time, were now either partially
dismantled, burned, or destroyed. The remains of a Roman amphitheatre,
and those of the Triumphal Arch, built by the Emperor Trajan, are
still, however, in good preservation, and together with the numerous
vestiges of ancient structure are well deserving the attention of the
antiquary.
The convents, nunneries, and other religious edifices, were converted
into barracks and stables for the French army, and therefore exhibited
nothing but naked walls, blackened and scorched by the fires made
therein. The only place of worship that escaped the general wreck was
the grand cathedral in the Plaza, which being a large unsightly pile,
built without taste or uniformity, is not particularly ornamental to
the town. Beyond the outskirts, are the ruins of an aqueduct, which
bears upon its venerable front evidence sufficient of past
respectability, and, though many centuries have rolled away since it
was erected, several of its arches are still in a perfect state. On
the road to Truxillo a new aqueduct has been built, which is not so
light or well finished as the old one. The bridge across the Guadiana
is remarkable for its great length and solidity; it has seventy-four
arches, a great number of which are over a low marsh, on the banks of
the river, dry in the summer months. The extent between each extremity
is about eight-hundred yards. There are watch towers and seats along
the battlements, and the whole structure, composed of a greyish stone,
is well cemented, and seems formed to stand for as many more ages as
it has already stood.
Passing through Montijo and Talavera de la Real, we arrived on the 1st
of November at Campo Mayor, in Portugal, where we found good quarters
and civil inhabitants. The town is fortified, and is distant three
leagues from Elvas, and three from Badajos.
Campo Mayor was attacked and taken about a year before by the French,
who afterwards gave it up as a situation unworthy of the garrison
necessary to defend it. The houses are generally solid and well built,
most of them had, however, been plundered and stripped of their
interior workmanship and furniture, by their late visitors.--The
streets are narrow, dirty, and ill-paved, but there are a number of
respectable and well supplied shops. The market is good, and was well
stocked with the abundant produce of the fertile country by which it
is surrounded.
Campo Mayor was at one time one of the richest and most considerable
towns in the Alentejo; but since the period at which this part of
Portugal became the immediate seat of war, and the French and British
troops alternately came into possession of the place, it has suffered
greatly; a number of its principal houses and public buildings having
been burned, and its castle, citadel, and works, much injured by both
armies. There is a curious charnel house in the main street, the walls
of which are composed entirely of human skulls, laid and cemented
together in regular layers. The establishment has a most horrid
appearance, as beheld through the bars of a small grating, and is
rendered still more dismal by the pale glimmering light thrown around
by a lamp suspended from the arched roof of the death-like sepulchre.
The inhabitants of Campo Mayor evinced much joy on our arrival; our
late successes encouraged them to receive us with the warmest welcome,
which they testified by every possible demonstration of merriment and
festivity.