[113] “At this time the 45th were engaged with numbers out of

proportion, but they gallantly maintained their ground. The 5th, 74th,

and 83rd, were likewise attacked; but the 88th, from the nature of

their situation, came in contact with the full body of the enemy, and,

while opposed to three times their own number in front, were assailed

on their left by a couple of hundred riflemen stationed in the rocks.

Colonel Wallace changed his front, but had scarcely reached the rocks,

when a fire, destructive as it was animated, assailed him. The moment

was a critical one, but he never lost his presence of mind. He ordered

his two first companies to attack the rocks, while he pressed forward

with the remainder of his regiment against the main body. The 8th

Portuguese were close on the enemy, and opened a well-directed fire,

while the 45th were performing prodigies of valour. At this moment

the 88th came up to the assistance of their comrades, and the three

regiments pressed on: a terrific contest took place; the French fought

well, but they had no chance with our men when we grappled close with

them; and they were overthrown, leaving half of their column on the

heath with which the hill was covered.

“The French, ranged amphitheatrically one above another, took a

murderous aim at our soldiers in their advance to dislodge--officers

as well as privates became personally engaged in a hand-to-hand fight.

Captain Dunne fought with his sabre, while Captain Dansey made use of a

firelock and bayonet; he received three wounds, and Captain Dunne owed

his life to a sergeant of his company named Brazill, who, seeing his

officer in danger of being overpowered, scrambled to his assistance,

and making a thrust of his halbert at the Frenchman, transfixed him

against the rock he was standing on.

“Although they combated with a desperation suited to the situation

in which they were placed, the heroes of Austerlitz, Esling, and

Wagram, were hurled from the rocks by the Rangers of Connaught.”--

_Reminiscences of a Subaltern._

* * * * *

“The 88th arriving to the assistance of their comrades, instantly

charged, and the enemy were borne over the cliffs and crags with

fearful rapidity, many of them being literally picked out of the holes

in the rocks by the bayonets of our soldiers.”--_Lord Londonderry._

* * * * *

“Referring to their conduct on this occasion, the Duke of Wellington

observes in his despatch, that he never witnessed a more gallant

attack than that made by these two regiments on the division of the

enemy which had then reached the ridge of the Sierra. In addition to

this flattering testimony of his Grace, and in further evidence of the

gallantry they displayed, it will be sufficient to state, that the

loss sustained by these two corps on the occasion amounted to sixteen

officers, seven sergeants, and two hundred and sixty-one men, being

nearly one-half of the whole British loss in the battle.”--_Mackie._

[114] Napier.

[115] It was said that by this discharge, two officers and ten British

soldiers fell. This is not surprising, as the bayonets were literally

touching.

[116] Nearly at this moment the following incident occurred:--“A

poor orphan Portuguese girl, about seventeen years of age, and very

handsome, was seen coming down the mountain, driving an ass, loaded

with all her property, through the French army. * * * She passed over

the field of battle with a childish simplicity, unconscious of her

perilous situation, and scarcely understanding which were the hostile,

and which the friendly troops; for no man on either side was so brutal

as to molest her.”--_Napier._

[117] The French loss was at first considerably exaggerated; and few

English writers yet agree in estimating its amount. According to

Colonel Jones, Massena’s loss was two thousand killed, three hundred

prisoners, and from five to six thousand wounded. Napier only makes

their killed eight hundred, and their wounded and prisoners about

three thousand seven hundred. Other writers differ as widely in their

estimates. The number given above is probably nearer to the true amount.

[118] “The patron of a house, occupied by an officer of the

adjutant-general’s department, on arriving for other purposes,

requested the servants to remove for a short time one of the horses out

of a stall, where it had been standing for some days. As soon as the

animal was removed, he proceeded to dig, and speedily exhumed three

thousand crusada novas, which he had buried some months previous.”--

_Life on Service._

[119] “Fifty thousand of these fugitives found support and consolation

in the hospitality and kindness of the citizens of Lisbon; but an equal

number, who fled to the left bank of the Tagus, long remained exposed

to the weather; and a large proportion miserably perished from hunger

and disease before relief could be administered. Hard as was their lot,

it was far more happy than that of the villagers in the rear, and on

the skirts of the enemy’s cantonments, whose habitations, plundered

of everything, and occasionally occupied by detachments of French,

afforded their owners no supplies, and only a precarious shelter.

Many of these wretched creatures passed the whole season of winter

exposed to its inclemencies in the neighbouring woods or mountains,

subsisting merely on roots and herbs; and on the advance of the allies

returned to their homes, their bodies emaciated from abstinence, and

their intellects impaired by long-continued apprehension; amongst

them were girls of sixteen, who, become idiots, resembled in person

women of fifty. Numbers of children of either sex, who’d survived the

severe trial, flocked to the road-side as the army approached to demand

relief; appearing so thin, pale, and haggard, that many a hardened

veteran was observed to turn from the sight with disgust, as he

compassionately bestowed on them a portion of the biscuit intended as

his next day’s support.”--_Jones’s Account of the War._

[120] “Above one hundred and fifty officers and five thousand men were

made prisoners by this well-timed enterprise; three thousand five

hundred muskets were taken, _nearly the whole of which were charged_,

and hence the number of effective men may be estimated.”

[A curious inference of Doctor Southey. Surely the muskets of wounded

men would be just as likely to be found loaded, as those of soldiers

who had escaped unhurt.]--_M._

[121] After driving the allied rear-guard from Sobral, “the French

were pursuing their advantage,” says Doctor Southey, “when a peasant

fell into their hands, who, unlike his countrymen, answered without

hesitation all the interrogatories which were put to him; he told the

commander that they were close upon the British lines, and pointed out

to him where the batteries were, in constructing which he had himself

laboured. Had it not been for this warning,” &c.--[Surely works that

extended nearly thirty miles, for which fifty thousand trees had been

allotted--on which three thousand artillerymen and engineers, and

seven thousand peasants, had laboured--and on whose armament three

hundred and nineteen heavy guns had been employed; works like these

could not have been involved in all this mystery, and their very

locality kept a secret from an officer like Massena, who commanded the

most unbounded sources of information!]--_M._

[122] Leith Hay’s description of the lines has been selected, as well

for its graphic power as its fidelity.

[123] “The French plundered after the most scientific and approved

methods; they used to throw water on suspected places, and watch its

absorption, judging that the spot where it dried the quickest had

been lately disturbed. No qualms of conscience prevented the orthodox

catholic soldiery of the French army from rifling the most sacred

places. The communion plate and silver lamps and candlesticks vanished

in the twinkling of an eye. Not content with what the churches offered

above ground, or from a zeal for antiquarian research, they despised

a superficial or traditional account of former modes of burial, and

investigated the point by breaking open the tombs.”--_Southey._

[124] Santarem stands on a hill which rises boldly from the banks of

the Tagus. The road runs across an open plain, and a causeway that

extends nearly eight hundred yards. This is the only approach, one

side being surrounded by impassable marshes, and the other, which

reaches to the river, by deep ditches overgrown with reeds, which are

impracticable for either cavalry or guns.

[125] Militia.

[126] “One squadron of dragoons surmounted the ascent, and, with

incredible desperation, riding up to the wall, were in the act of

firing over it with their pistols, when a rolling volley laid nearly

the whole of them lifeless on the ground. By this time, however, a

second and a stronger column of infantry had rushed up the face of the

hill, endeavouring to break in and retake the howitzer, which was on

the edge of the descent and only fifty yards from the wall; but no man

could reach it and live--so deadly was the 43rd’s fire.”--_Napier._

[127] An ingenious phrase used by the Prince of Esling in his

despatches, to evade the plain but unpalatable term of _retreat_.

[128] The French soldiers had been so long accustomed to plunder, that

they proceeded in their researches for booty of every kind upon a

regular system. They were provided with tools for the work of pillage,

and every piece of furniture in which places of concealment could be

constructed they broke open from behind, so that no valuables could

be hidden from them by any contrivance of that kind. Having satisfied

themselves that nothing was secreted above ground, they proceeded to

examine whether there was any new masonry, or if any part of the cellar

or ground-floor had been disturbed; if it appeared uneven, they dug

there: where there was no such indication, they poured water, and if it

were absorbed in one place faster than another, there they broke the

earth. There were men who at the first glance could pronounce whether

any thing had been buried beneath the soil, and when they probed with

an iron rod, or, in default of it, with sword or bayonet, it was found

that they were seldom mistaken in their judgment. The habit of living

by prey called forth, as in beasts, a faculty of discovering it: there

was one soldier whose scent became so acute, that if he approached the

place where wine had been concealed, he would go unerringly to the spot.

“Wherever the French bivouacked, the scene was such as might rather

have been looked for in a camp of predatory Tartars than in that of

a civilized people. Food and forage, and skins of wine, and clothes

and church vestments, books and guitars, and all the bulkier articles

of wasteful spoil, were heaped together in their huts with the planks

and doors of the habitations which they had demolished. Some of the

men, retaining amid this brutal service the characteristic activity

and cleverness of their nation, fitted up their huts with hangings

from their last scene of pillage, with a regard to comfort hardly to

have been expected in their situation, and a love of gaiety only to be

found in Frenchmen. The idlers were contented with a tub, and, _if the

tub were large enough, three or four would stow themselves in it!_”--

_Southey._

It would appear that the English had some little experience in this

line of business as well as the French.

“Some of the dragoons, with a quarter-master, immediately mounted and

followed the French, who were now approaching their goal, and took

little notice of these few horsemen. The quarter-master, however, saw

an opportunity of doing a little business; observing, among those

who lagged in the rear, one man with a ledger in the slings of his

knapsack, he naturally concluded that such gear in the French, as in

our service, belonged to those who carried the purse, and, on the

strength of this analogy, he by degrees approached him of the ledger,

and returning his sword, and advancing at speed, he pounced upon his

prey, and seizing him by the collar, shook the musket out of his hands,

and bore him off. He proved to be a paymaster’s clerk, and carried

sixty doubloons, then worth about four guineas each.”--_The Hussar._

[129] “For some time we contented ourselves with keeping pointers and

greyhounds, and indulging as often as opportunities offered in the

sports of shooting, coursing, and fishing; but now a taste for hunting

began to prevail amongst us, and fox-hounds and harriers, more or less

numerous and good, were established in the different divisions of the

army. At head-quarters we were fortunate enough to become possessed of

an excellent pack, which afforded us much amusement, and occupied time

which otherwise would have hung heavily on our hands. In our quarters

we lived gaily and well: a spirit of good-fellowship and hospitality

every where prevailed; and in them, war, balls, private theatricals,

and agreeable parties, were things of continual occurrence.”--_Lord

Londonderry._

[130] The _covered-way_ is the space extending round the counterscarp.

The _counterscarp_, the slope of the ditch, facing the body of the

place.

[131] “After receiving the praise his gallantry merited, we have

heard that Colonel Head was addressed, ‘I believe, Colonel, that you

would have galloped into Badajoz if the gates had been open.’ ‘Faith,

General, I believe I would,’ was the Irish answer.”--_A Campaigner._

[132] After the battle of Barosa, the wounded of both nations were,

from want of means of transport, necessarily left upon the field

of action the whole night, and part of the following day. General

Rousseau, a French general of division, was of the number; his dog, a

white one of the poodle kind, which had been left in quarters upon the

advance of the French force, finding that the general returned not with

those who escaped from the battle, set out in search of him; found him

at night in his dreary resting-place, and expressed his affliction by

moans, and by licking the hands and feet of his dying master. When the

fatal crisis took place, some hours after, he seemed fully aware of the

dreadful change, attached himself closely to the body, and for three

days refused the sustenance which was offered him.

Arrangements having been made for the interment of the dead, the

body of the general was, like the rest, committed to its honourable

grave; the dog lay down upon the earth, which covered the beloved

remains, and evinced by silence and deep dejection his sorrow for the

loss he had sustained. The English commander, General Graham, whose

fine feelings had prompted him to superintend the last duties due to

the gallant slain, observed the friendless mourner, drew him, now no

longer resisting, from the spot, and gave him his protection, which he

continued to him until his death, many years after, at the general’s

residence in Perthshire.

[133] Narrative by Colonel Jones.

[134] At one place, however, the fury of the fight seemed for a time

to centre. “A great commotion was observed among the French squadrons;

men and officers closed in confusion towards one point where a thick

dust was rising, and where loud cries and the sparkling of blades and

flashing of pistols indicated some extraordinary occurrence. Suddenly

the multitude was violently agitated, an English shout arose, the mass

was rent asunder, and Norman Ramsay burst forth at the head of his

battery, his horses breathing fire, and stretching like greyhounds

along the plain, his guns bounding like things of no weight, and the

mounted gunners in close and compact order protecting the rear.”--

_Napier._

[135] 74th, 83rd, and 88th.

[136] The final charge that decided the possession of the village, on

the evening of the 5th, was made by the 88th. That it was a splendid

affair may be inferred from the praise bestowed upon it by a man, who

for some unknown reason, detested that gallant regiment, and sought

every opportunity of exhibiting his feelings of dislike.

Speaking of the attack on Fuentes d’Onoro, Picton, in a letter to his

uncle, says, “It was defended in the most determined manner by the

71st, 24th, and 79th. About two o’clock, however, these regiments began

to give way, and fell back on more defensible ground in the rear of

the village; when at this moment the 88th, under Colonel Wallace, and

led on by Major-general Mackinnon, was ordered to move up and support

them. This was done in admirable order; and they made so overwhelming a

charge through the streets, that they drove the enemy from the village

with immense loss.” In fact, the charge of the 88th was so brilliant

and decisive, that the French never ventured to enter the streets again.

[137] The French officers were censured for continuing these attacks on

the village, instead of assailing the right. “At Fuentes d’Onoro the

British army stood, after the right wing was thrown back, on perfectly

open and level ground, one point only resting on the strong village in

question; yet was that strong point constantly attacked, while the army

was left totally unassailed. At Albuera the French employed the whole

of Godinot’s division of infantry in the attack of the village that

gives its name to the battle; yet, when evacuated by Alten’s brigades,

it proved of no use whatever, for the battle was fought and decided

on open ground, at the other extremity of the field, where an entire

division of infantry would probably have turned the fate of the day.”--

_Raoul._

[138] “He ruined all the principal bastions, and kept up a constant

fire of the artillery in a singular manner, for always he fired

several guns at one moment with very heavy charges, placing one across

the muzzle of another, so that, while some shots flew towards the

besiegers, and a loud explosion was heard, others destroyed pieces

without attracting notice.”--_Napier._

[139] When Brennier’s escape was reported to Picton by an Irish

officer, the general, never remarkable for suavity of temper, hastily

inquired, “What the devil were the ----th doing?”--“Faith,” returned

his informant, “I suppose they were asleep.” “Asleep!--What then was

the ----th about?” and he named the next regiment in the line.--“Devil

a one of me can tell,” replied the Irishman coolly; “but maybe they

were watching the ----th, for fear somebody would waken them!”

[140] “Observing that all the interior of the castle could be seen from

a small fort situated on the heights of Christoval, on the Portuguese

side of the Guadiana, and that the back of the front defence of the

castle might be enfiladed from thence, it became clear, that should

the fort be reduced, and heavy batteries erected within it, no body

of men, exposed to their fire, could stand to dispute a breach in the

wall, which formed the sole defence of the castle. That wall, from

its uncovered position, appeared liable to be battered down from a

distance; and as, when in possession of the castle, the resistance of

the town must, under its commanding influence, cease, Badajoz might by

this mode of attack be captured in a fortnight.”--_Jones’s Account of

the War._

[141] Much of the success of a siege depends on the quality and

endurance of its battering train, as well as the accurate service of

the guns. In some of the sieges undertaken by the Duke of Wellington,

his artillery were miserably deficient--and the wonder is how, with

such inadequate means, he effected successful results in such brief

time, and under the greatest disadvantages. A French engineer, in

alluding to the sieges, makes the following observations:--“There

sat down before the place a besieging army of fourteen or fifteen

thousand men, including three thousand Spaniards, and two thousand

Portuguese militia; and the artillery to be employed amounted to forty

pieces, among which are to be numbered four 10-inch and six 8-inch

howitzers. Of mortars we possessed none; eight, therefore, out of

the ten howitzers were directed to be used as such; and our guns, of

which two were 24-pounders, and four 16-pounders, were all brass, and

of Portuguese manufacture. The engineers’ stores collected on the

occasion comprised three thousand five hundred intrenching tools,

sixty thousand sand-bags, six hundred gabions, a very few fascines,

and an extremely inadequate quantity of splinter-proof timber and

planks; whilst, independently of the officers, there were attached to

the department, one hundred and sixty-nine men of the line, to act as

overseers, forty-eight carpenters, forty-eight miners, and twenty-five

rank and file, of the corps of royal artificers. The chief engineer and

principal director of the operations was Lieutenant-colonel Fletcher.

Major Dixon, of the Portuguese artillery, was at the head of that

department; and Captains Ross and MacLeod were put in charge of two

depôts, which were established on each side of the river.”

* * * * *

“The first siege of Badajoz by the English, being attempted with

forty bronze cannon of Portuguese construction, the whole were

rendered unserviceable in a very short space of time, though loaded

with powder not more than one-third of the weight of the balls, and

discharged at the moderate rate of once only in eight minutes; and

the siege miscarried. The English attributed the quick deterioration

of the cannon to the strength of their powder, and consequently they

determined to have no parks but such as were composed of cast-iron

cannon from England. The latter was the description of artillery

which they employed when they attacked Ciudad Rodrigo in the January

following. They established their batteries at a distance of about

500 yards (_mètres_) from the escarp, and fired upon it incessantly,

until they had opened two practicable breaches; this they effected in

two-and-thirty hours and a half’s firing, and they carried the place

in five days. There was not a single cannon which burst, or suffered

injury, though each was fired a very considerable number of times in

constant succession. The siege of Badajoz was resumed a second time,

and the breaching batteries were established at about 710 yards’

distance (_mètres_). The number of cannon brought to bear was sixteen

24-pounders, twenty-four 18-pounders, and six mortars of five inches

and a half diameter. The attack began on the 30th of March, and by the

6th of April three practicable breaches were effected; that in the

curtain was forty feet broad; that on the flank ninety feet; and the

third, which was on the face of the bastion, was 150 feet. The number

of hours’ firing was 104, and the number of projectiles discharged

35,246. The results were the same during this siege as at the siege of

Ciudad Rodrigo; not a single cannon burst, or became unserviceable,

though the 24-pounders were fired in constant succession, at the rate

of 1249 discharges each.”

* * * * *

“The siege of St. Sebastian affords a third instance of the extreme

endurance of English cast-iron cannon. The breaching batteries, which

were established at a distance of about 660 yards (_mètres_) from the

place, opened a breach 100 feet broad in the escarp, against which they

were directed, and it was rendered practicable on the third day after

the firing was first opened. The batteries were composed of thirty-four

cannon, of which twenty were 24-pounders. The same batteries being

opened the next morning, to make a second breach, effected one of

thirty feet in breadth, after fifteen hours and a half’s firing. During

this interval each cannon discharged from 300 to 350 shot without

being injured. Had it been required to produce the same result with

brass cannon, three times as many cannon would have been necessary,

supposing the ordinary rate of firing to have been observed. During

this siege, which was twice resumed, several of the pieces withstood

the discharge upwards of 9,000 times in uninterrupted succession,

without experiencing any material damage. Their fire was so accurate at

the last attack, that they were employed in throwing shrapnel-shells,

filled with powder and balls, over the heads of the besiegers, for the

purpose of driving away the besieged who lined the top of the breach.

It was one of these shells which set fire to a quantity of obusses and

bombs that stood on the rampart, and occasioned an explosion, which

created so much confusion in the place as to produce its fall.”--

_Thierry._

[142] Napier.

[143] Marshal Beresford was furiously attacked by one of these

desperadoes, who, under the influence of brandy, were riding recklessly

about the field, and doing an infinity of mischief. The marshal seized

the lancer’s spear, unhorsed him by sheer strength, and his orderly

dragoon despatched him by a _coup de sabre_.

[144] Napier.

[145] “Fields far on the rear of the allies were strewed with the

bodies of Polish lancers who had penetrated singly beyond the

contending parties. These desperadoes galloped about in all directions,

spearing the wounded men and their defenceless supporters.”--_Jones’s

History._

[146] “The wounded of both armies were brought in promiscuously, and

many of them laid in the streets and in the squares, till shelter could

be allotted them; even for this inevitable necessity no order having

been taken by the Spanish authorities. It is worthy of notice, that a

greater proportion recovered of those who were left a night upon the

field than of such as were earlier housed; and this is explained by the

effect of free air in preventing fever.”

* * * * *

The following is a graphic but faithful description of a military

hospital after a battle:--

“In the yard of a quinta, or nobleman’s house, I looked through the

grating and saw about 200 wounded soldiers waiting to have their

limbs amputated, while others were arriving every moment. It would be

difficult to convey an idea of the frightful appearance of these men;

they had been wounded on the 5th, and this was the 7th; their limbs

were swollen to an enormous size, and the smell from the gun-shot

wounds was dreadful. Some were sitting upright against a wall, under

the shade of a number of chestnut-trees, and, as many of them were

wounded in the head as well as in limbs, the ghastly countenances of

those poor fellows presented a dismal sight. The streams of gore which

had trickled down their cheeks were quite hardened with the sun, and

gave their faces a glazed and copper-coloured hue; their eyes were sunk

and fixed; and what between the effects of the sun, of exhaustion, and

despair, they resembled more a group of bronze figures than any thing

human. There they sat, silent and statue-like, waiting for their turn

to be carried to the amputating tables. At the other side of the yard

lay several whose state was too hopeless for them to sit up; a feeble

cry from them occasionally, to those who were passing, for a drink of

water, was all they uttered.

“A little farther on, in an inner court, were the surgeons. They were

stripped to their shirts and bloody. Curiosity led me forward: a number

of doors, placed on barrels, served as temporary tables, and on these

lay the different subjects upon whom the surgeons were operating; to

the right and left were arms and legs, flung here and there without

distinction, and the ground was dyed with blood.”

* * * * *

“In an inner room was a young officer shot through the head,--his was

a hopeless case. He was quite delirious, and obliged to be held down

by two men; his strength was astonishing, and more than once, while I

remained, he succeeded in escaping from the grasp of his attendants.

The Scotch officer’s servant soon after came in, and stooping down

inquired of his master how he felt, but received no reply; he had

half-turned on his face; the man took hold of his master’s hand--

it was still warm, but the pulse had ceased--he was dead.”--

_Reminiscences of a Subaltern._

* * * * *

“We were about to leave the room when we perceived a _paillasse_ in the

corner, which had hitherto escaped our notice; a pelisse of the 18th

hussars served as a coverlet, a little round head was upon the pillow;

a vivid eye, with the countenance of a deadly pallid hue, bespoke a

wounded Irishman. ‘Do you belong to the 18th?‘--‘Yes, plase your

honour;’ (the right hand at the same time carried up to the forelock.)

‘Are you wounded?’--‘Yes, plase your honour;’ (again the hand to the

head.) ‘Where?’--‘Run through the body, plase your honour.’ (We verily

believe he said twice through the body, but cannot charge our memory.)

‘Are you in pain?’--‘Och! plase your honour, I’m tolerably asy; the

Frinch daacter blid me, and to-morrow I shall see the old rigiment.’

It is needless to say that we were deeply interested in this gallant

fellow, who bore his dangerous wounds with so much composure; and it is

a pleasing sequel to this anecdote to be able to state that he finally

recovered.”

* * * * *

“Two singular cases of contusion of the brain were observed at this

time in the hospitals: one man did nothing but count, with a loud and

deliberate voice, from forty to seventy, always beginning at one number

and ending at the other, and this incessantly through the whole night.

Another continually uttered the most extraordinary blasphemies and

curses, exhausting the whole vocabulary of malediction, without any

apparent emotion of anger. This case did not prove fatal, but the man

was left in a state of helpless idiocy.”

[147] Major M’Intosh commanded, Dyas led the forlorn hope, and Forster,

of the Engineers, guided the party.

[148] The French united corps amounted to sixty thousand infantry, and

seven thousand six hundred dragoons. The allied force had probably

fifty-five thousand infantry, and some four thousand cavalry. As only a

portion of the latter arm was British, in quality, as well as numbers,

it was much inferior to the French.

[149] “Nothing but the greatest discipline, the most undaunted bravery

and a firm reliance on their officers, could have saved those devoted

soldiers from total annihilation. They were attacked, with a fury

unexampled, on three sides of the square; the French horsemen rode

upon their bayonets; but, unshaken by the desperate position in which

they were placed, they poured in their fire with such quickness and

precision, that the cavalry retired in disorder.”

* * * * *

“At the charge made by the whole of the French cavalry at El Bodon on

the square formed by the 5th and 77th regiments, a French officer had

his horse shot under him, and both fell together. The officer, although

not much hurt, lay on the ground as if dead, and in this situation

would, in all probability, have escaped, as the French infantry were

fast advancing to the relief of their cavalry, had it not been for a

German hussar, one squadron of whom were engaged in the conflict, who

rode up to the spot, and made a cut at the officer lying on the ground;

on which, he immediately sprang up, and, with his sword at the guard,

set the German at defiance. Another of the King’s German hussars then

galloped up, and desired the French officer to surrender, which he

refused to do. The appearance of the officer in this position was truly

heroic: he stood without his cap; his head was bare, and some marks

of blood were on his face. From the fine attitude he presented, and

being a tall, athletic man, he strongly impressed the beholders with

the belief that he would defend himself against both the hussars. At

this time, Ensign Canch, of the 5th, ran out of the square, and was

proceeding rapidly to the place, in the hope of inducing the officer

to surrender himself a prisoner; but the hussars, finding they were

baffled, and could not subdue this brave man with the sword, had

recourse to the pistol, with which they killed him, to the great regret

of the British regiments that were looking on. This affair took place

about halfway between the square already mentioned and the French

cavalry, who were hovering about, after being repulsed by the 5th and

77th regiments.

“We were informed by a prisoner taken at the time, that the officer who

defended himself so gallantly against the two hussars, was an Irishman,

and the major of his regiment.”--_Reminiscences of a Subaltern._

[150] “Marmont contented himself with making an exhibition of his

force, and causing it to execute a variety of manœuvres in our

presence; and it must be confessed, that a spectacle more striking

has rarely been seen. The large body of cavalry which followed us

to our position, and had bivouacked during the night in the woods

adjoining, were first drawn up in compact array, as if waiting for the

signal to push on. By and by, nine battalions of infantry, attended

by a proportionate quantity of artillery, made their appearance, and

formed into columns, lines, echelons, and squares. Towards noon,

twelve battalions of the Imperial Guard came upon the ground in one

solid mass; and as each soldier was decked out with feathers and

shoulder-knots of a bloody hue, their appearance was certainly imposing

in no ordinary degree. The solid column, however, soon deployed into

columns of battalions--a movement which was executed with a degree

of quickness and accuracy quite admirable; and then, after having

performed several other evolutions with equal precision, the Guards

piled their arms, and prepared to bivouac. Next came another division

of infantry in rear of the Guards, and then a fresh column of cavalry,

till it was computed that the enemy had collected on this single

point a force of not less than twenty-five thousand men. Nor did the

muster cease to go on as long as daylight lasted. To the very latest

moment we could observe men, horses, guns, carriages, tumbrils, and

ammunition-waggons, flocking into the encampment; as if it were the

design of the French general to bring his whole disposable force to

bear against the position of Fuente Guinaldo.”--_Lord Londonderry._

[151] “The French batteries opened at daylight on the 28th June, and

by ten o’clock a practicable breach was formed: the besiegers then

appeared perfectly quiet, firing only an occasional round or two;

but when the heat of the day was a little past, they suddenly rushed

to the assault. The defenders made but a slight resistance, and in a

few minutes the French columns were in the streets, and immediately

gave loose to every species of licentiousness. Some thousands of the

citizens perished by individual atrocity; whilst a continued fire from

the batteries swept away crowds of trembling fugitives, who fled to the

sea-side and sought refuge in the boats of the squadron. The British

seamen gallantly rescued many within reach of the very sabres of the

enemy’s dragoons, who charged amongst the defenceless mass, cutting and

slashing in every direction. In a word it was a French army licensed to

pursue its own inclinations; and scenes such as are read with distrust

in the ancient historians, are attested by some thousand witnesses yet

alive to have been acted here.”--_Jones’s Account of the War._

General Suchet’s own statement is as follows: “The rage of the soldiers

was increased by the obstinacy of the garrison, who expected to be

relieved, and who were prepared to sally out. The fiftieth assault made

yesterday in the middle of the day to the inner works was followed by a

frightful massacre, with little loss on our side. The terrible example,

which I foresaw with regret in my last report to your Highness, has

taken place, and will be long remembered in Spain. Four thousand men

were killed in the streets; ten or twelve thousand attempted to save

themselves by getting over the walls, a thousand of whom were sabred or

drowned; we have made 10,000 prisoners, including 500 officers, and in

the hospitals remain 1,500 wounded, whose lives have been spared.”

[152] The duration of the siege was seventeen days, and for seven the

breach had been perfectly open.

[153] Lord Londonderry.

[154] The probability of hitting the same object at different ranges,

with the same gun, may be considered to be in the inverse ratio of the

distances respectively; the advantage, however, being always in favour

of guns at or under the line of metal.

The probabilities of hitting objects of various size, the gun and range

being the same, are somewhat in the ratio of the square roots of the

surfaces fired at.

Of any given number of rounds, with 24-pounders of nine feet six

inches, under favourable circumstances, the range being accurately

ascertained, the object on, or nearly on, a level with the gun--

the traverse or trunnion--axis of the gun--being horizontal, the

following proportion of shot may be expected to hit without grazing:

Range in yards 600 900 1200 1500 1800

A six feet target, 36 square ft. 5/8 4/9 1/3 2/9 1/7

A nine feet target, 81 square ft. 7/8 2/3 1/2 1/3 3/14

Ranges of a 32-pounder long gun, 9½ feet, charge 10 lbs. 11 oz.

powder, single shot, initial velocity 1600 feet.

_Elevation in Degrees._

RL | ½ | 1 | 1½ | 2 | 2½ | 3 | 3½ | 4 | 4½ | 5 | 5½ | 6

_Range in Yards._

100 | 390 | 670 | 900 | 1000 | 1250 | 1390 | 1515 | 1630 | 1740 | 1850

1955 | 2055

_First Differences._

280 | 230 | 190 | 160 | 140 | 125 | 115 | 110 | 110 | 105 | 100

_Second Differences._

50 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5

[155] The beautiful artillery practice at this siege was attributed

to an accidental circumstance,--the shot brought from Almeida to the

batteries, being of a larger size than that which is commonly employed;

consequently the windage was diminished, and the firing became so

singularly correct, that every shot struck the wall with a precision

which ordinary bullets, discharged from the same gun and with equal

care, could not effect.

[156] General Craufurd entered the army at an early age, and had seen

much and varied service. In the short interval of peace, he visited

the Continent to improve himself in the scientific branches of his

profession, and afterwards served in two Indian campaigns under Lord

Cornwallis. After some unimportant employments on the Continent,

he joined the disgraceful expedition against Buenos Ayres, and

subsequently served with the army of Sir John Moore, in command of the

light brigade. After the retreat, he joined Sir Arthur Wellesley the

morning after Talavera, and became most deservedly a favourite of that

commander.

Craufurd’s military talents are admitted to have been of the first

order. An enthusiast regarding martial glory, he sought every

opportunity to distinguish himself. In the affair of the Coa--at

Busaco and Fuentes d’Onoro, he established an undying reputation.

Wellington’s despatch contained his well-earned eulogy--and the breach

before which he fell was fitly chosen as a last resting-place for the

fearless leader of the gallant light brigade.

The following very able sketch of the respective dispositions and

abilities of Craufurd and Picton, places their characters in a striking

light. We agree with Colonel Napier, in awarding to Craufurd the

possession of higher military talents than Picton ever exhibited--and

we are convinced, had both lived, and both been employed in active

service, that Craufurd would have shewed himself the abler officer.

To compare either to Wellington, is nothing but egregious folly. Both

undoubtedly were brave, ready, and intelligent--but to name them with

the master-spirit of the age, is an act of very injudicious friendship.

“Picton and Craufurd were, however, not formed by nature to act

cordially together. The stern countenance, robust frame, saturnine

complexion, caustic speech, and austere demeanour of the first,

promised little sympathy with the short thick figure, dark flashing

eyes, quick movements, and fiery temper of the second; nor, indeed, did

they often meet without a quarrel. Nevertheless, they had many points

of resemblance in their characters and fortunes. Both were inclined

to harshness, and rigid in command; both prone to disobedience,

yet exacting entire submission from inferiors; and they were alike

ambitious and craving of glory. They both possessed decided military

talents--were enterprising, and intrepid; yet neither were remarkable

for skill in handling troops under fire. This, also, they had in

common, they both, after distinguished services, perished in arms

fighting gallantly, and being celebrated as generals of division

while living, have since their death been injudiciously spoken of as

rivalling their great leader in war. That they were officers of mark

and pretension is unquestionable, and Craufurd more so than Picton,

because the latter never had a separate command, and his opportunities

were necessarily more circumscribed; but to compare either to the Duke

of Wellington, displays ignorance of the men, and of the art they

professed. If they had even comprehended the profound military and

political combinations he was conducting, the one would carefully have

avoided fighting on the Coa, and the other, far from refusing, would

have eagerly proffered his support.”--_Napier._

[157] General Mackinnon was the younger son of the chieftain of Clan

Mackinnon. He was born near Winchester, and commenced his military

education in France. At fifteen he entered the army, served three years

as lieutenant in the 43rd, raised an independent company, and exchanged

into the Coldstream Guards. In Ireland he was brigade-major to General

Nugent, and served at the Helder, in Egypt, and at Copenhagen. In 1809,

he joined Sir Arthur Wellesley, was present at the passage of the

Douro, and had two horses killed at Talavera. At Busaco he received

thanks upon the field--and after some sharp affairs with the French

rear-guard during Massena’s retreat, led the last charge in person at

Fuentes d’Onoro, which left the British in undisputed possession of the

field.

In Mackinnon’s character there was no trait wanting to form the perfect

soldier. To the highest intellectual endowments, he united, “a gentle

manner, with a dauntless soul.” Married to a woman worthy of a brave

man’s love, his passion for military glory had allowed him little space

to enjoy that quiet happiness that generally waits on wedded life. His

selected profession demanded the sacrifice--a command was offered--

he accepted it, and left a happy home. At last his health declined--a

change of air was recommended--he reluctantly consented to leave the

Peninsula for a season--and, for the last time, revisited England.

Walking one evening in the garden, his lady led him to a spot where,

with all a woman’s pride, she had planted a laurel to commemorate every

action in which her beloved one had been victorious. Mackinnon, deeply

affected, turned away, whispering, “Alas! love, the cypress will be the

next!”

No leader was ever more deeply regretted. The brigade immediately

under his command adored him; and those who survived the explosion,

dug a grave inside the breach, and there hastily entombed the body of

their gallant general. After the confusion ceased, the officers of the

Coldstream Guards raised his honoured remains, and interred them at

Espeja with military honours.

But this lamented chief found a mourner even in an enemy. During

Mackinnon’s earlier residence in France, Napoleon, then a military

student in Dauphine, formed an intimacy with the family of the

deceased. Consequently, he became a regular visitor at their chateau,

and it would appear, that in after-days of pride and power, he never

forgot the hospitality offered to him, when he was but a nameless

cadet. At the peace of Amiens he invited the family to visit France--

and when he heard Mackinnon named among those who had fallen at Ciudad

Rodrigo, it is said that Napoleon betrayed unwonted regret at the

decease of a youthful friend, who seemed to hold a place in earlier

affections, before war and conquest had “steeled his heart, and seared

his brow.”

[158] “The letter in question was dated from Merida, at a period

posterior to the relief of Badajoz, and the consequent retrogression

of our divisions. It began by informing his Excellency the Prince

of Neufchatel, that having succeeded, in conjunction with the

Duke of Dalmatia, in raising the siege of Badajoz, the writer had

since directed his undivided attention to the reorganization and

re-establishment of discipline in the army of Portugal. The system of

requisitions, and the irregularity of supply, had been carried, it was

continued, to so great a height, that the army was become little better

than a rabble of banditti; nor could any thing be attempted, with the

slightest prospect of success, till the method should be entirely

changed, and the troops provided and paid in such a manner as to render

them both contented and manageable. To accomplish this the marshal was

then devising plans; and he earnestly pressed for instructions and

assistance from the Emperor in carrying them into execution.

“In addition to this despatch from Marmont, a letter from General

Tresion, chief of the staff, was likewise intercepted; but it contained

little calculated to interest, except an explicit declaration that the

French troops were unable to cope with the English, and that their best

chance of success lay in manœuvring.”--_Lord Londonderry._

[159] “The first men that surmounted the difficulties the breach

presented, were a sergeant and two privates of the 88th. The French,

who still remained beside the gun, whose sweeping fire had hitherto

been so fatal to those who led the storm, attacked these brave men

furiously--a desperate hand-to-hand encounter succeeded. The Irishmen,

undaunted by the superior number of their assailants, laid five or six

of the gunners at their feet. The struggle was observed--and some

soldiers of the 5th regiment scrambled up to the assistance of their

gallant comrades--and the remnant of the French gunners perished by

their bayonets.

* * * * *

“Lieutenant Mackie, who led the forlorn hope, had miraculously escaped

without a wound--and pressing ‘over the dying and the dead,’ he

reached the further bank of the retrenchment, and found himself in

solitary possession of the street beyond the breach, while the battle

still raged behind him.”[D]

The following anecdote is descriptive of those personal affairs that

the _mêlée_ attendant on the first entrance of a defended town so

frequently produces. The actor, since dead, was a personal and an

attached friend of the author.

“Each affray in the streets was conducted in the best manner the moment

would admit of, and decided more by personal valour than discipline,

and in some instances officers as well as privates had to combat with

the imperial troops. In one of those encounters, Lieutenant George

Faris, of the 88th, by an accident so likely to occur in an affair

of this kind, separated a little too far from a dozen or so of his

regiment, found himself opposed to a French soldier, who apparently was

similarly placed: it was a curious coincidence, and it would seem as if

each felt that _he_ individually was the representative of the country

to which he belonged; and had the fate of the two nations hung upon

the issue of the combat I am about to describe, it could not have been

more heroically contested. The Frenchman fired at, and wounded Faris

in the thigh, and made a desperate push with his bayonet at his body,

but Faris parried the thrust, and the bayonet only lodged in his leg;

he saw at a glance the peril of his situation, and that nothing short

of a miracle could save him; the odds against him were too great, and

if he continued a scientific fight, he must inevitably be vanquished;

he sprang forward, and seizing hold of the Frenchman by the collar, a

struggle of a most nervous kind took place; in their mutual efforts

to gain an advantage, they lost their caps, and as they were men of

nearly equal strength, it was doubtful what the issue would be. They

were so entangled with each other, their weapons were of no avail, but

Faris at length disengaged himself from the grasp which held him, and

he was able to use his sabre; he pushed the Frenchman from him, and ere

he could recover himself, he laid his head open nearly to the chin;

his sword-blade, a heavy, soft, ill-made Portuguese one, was doubled

up with the force of the blow, and retained some pieces of skull and

clotted hair! At this moment I reached the spot with about twenty men,

composed of different regiments, all being by this time mixed pell-mell

with each other. I ran up to Faris--he was nearly exhausted, but he

was safe. The French grenadier lay upon the pavement, while Faris,

though tottering from fatigue, held his sword firmly in his grasp, and

it was crimsoned to the very hilt.”--_Grattan._

It is strange how the lighter occurrences of human life ridiculously

intermingle with its graver concerns. An officer with a shattered leg

crawled into the corner of a traverse to avoid the rush of friends

and foes, each equally fatal. Presently the contest changed from his

neighbourhood, and the adjacent streets were deserted.

An hour passed--none disturbed his melancholy rest--when a footstep

was heard, and an 88th man staggered round the corner with a bundle of

sundry articles he had managed to collect. Unable to get further, he

placed it beneath his head--fixed his bayonet--and lay down to sleep

in peace. In a few moments a Portuguese camp-follower peeped round the

corner, looked suspiciously about, substituted a truss of straw for the

bundle, and absconded with the plunder the drunken Ranger had, as he

imagined, so carefully secured.

[D] The selection of anecdotes connected with an Irish regiment

might appear a national partiality: but at this period of

the campaign the Rangers had been heavily engaged. Their

casualties, from the investment of Rodrigo to the fall of

Badajoz--six-and-twenty days--amounted to twenty-five

officers and five hundred and fifty-six men!

[160] “Ill as I was, in common with many others, who, like myself, lay

wounded, and were unable to accompany our friends, I arose from my

truss of straw to take a parting look at the remnant of my regiment as

it mustered on the parade; but, in place of upwards of seven hundred

gallant soldiers, and six-and-twenty officers, of the former there were

not three hundred, and of the latter but five!

* * * * *

“The drums of the division beat a ruffle; the officers took their

stations; the bands played; the soldiers cheered; and, in less than

half an hour, the spot which, since the 17th of the preceding month,

had been a scene of the greatest excitement, was now a lone and

deserted waste, having no other occupants than disabled or dying

officers and soldiers, or the corpses of those that had fallen in the

strife. The contrast was indeed great, and of that cast that made the

most unreflecting think, and the reflecting feel. The sound of the

drums died away; the division was no longer visible, except by the

glittering of their firelocks: at length we lost sight of even this;

and we were left alone, like so many outcasts, to make the best of our

way to the hospitals in Badajoz.”--_Grattan_, _Reminiscences, &c._

[161] _Fascines_ are small branches of trees bound together. They are

used for filling ditches, masking batteries, &c. &c.

[162] A work on either side of a ravelin, with one perpendicular face.

They are also sometimes thrown up beyond the second ditch, opposite the

places of arms.

[163] “The town of Badajoz contains a population of about 16,000, and,

within the space of thirteen months, experienced the miseries attendant

upon a state of siege three several times. The first was undertaken

by Lord Beresford, towards the end of April, 1811, who was obliged to

abandon operations by Soult advancing to its relief, and which led to

the battle of Albuera on the 16th of May.

“The second siege was by Lord Wellington in person, who, after the

battle of Fuentes d’Onoro, directed his steps towards the south with

a portion of the allied army. Operations commenced on the 30th of

May, and continued till the 10th of June, when the siege was again

abandoned; Soult having a second time advanced in combined operation

with the army of Marmont from the north. The allies continued the

blockade of the town till the 17th, when they recrossed the Guadiana,

and took up a position on the Caya.

“The third siege, again undertaken by Lord Wellington in person, was

begun on the 17th of March, 1812, and continued without interruption

till the 6th of April, when it fell by assault, after a most determined

and gallant resistance on the part of the French.”--_Mackie._

[164] _Counterguards_ are small ramparts, with parapets and ditches,

erected in front of a bastion or ravelin, to secure the opposite flanks

from being open to the covert-way.

[165] _Gabions_ are large circular baskets, filled with earth or sand,

and used for forming parapets, covering working parties, &c. &c.

[166] _Revêtement_ of a battery is the exterior front, formed of

masonry or fascines, which keeps the bank of the work from falling.

[167] The reader, who may not be acquainted with terms used by

engineers, will find a brief explanation of those of frequent

recurrence serviceable.

_The glacis_ is the part beyond the covert-way to which it forms the

parapet.

_The flank_ is any part of a work which defends another.

_The epaule_ is the shoulder of the bastion.

_The gorge_ is next the body of the place where there is no rampart.

_Fougasse_ is a small mine, six or seven feet under ground, generally

formed in the glacis or dry ditch.

_Curtain_, the wall that connects bastions.

[168] _Retrench_, in fortification, means the isolating of a breach

by forming inner defences; as cutting a trench, palisading, erecting

barricades, &c.

[169] _Chevaux-de-frieze_, are wooden spars, spiked at one end, and set

into a piece of timber. They were originally used as a defence against

cavalry, but are now commonly employed in strengthening outworks,

stopping breaches, &c.

[170] “A general officer had one of the soldiers’ wives stripped of her

under petticoat, by the provost, of which he had got an inkling, either

by secret information, or by its obtruding itself on his notice, from

being of red velvet bordered with gold-lace six inches deep, evidently

the _covering of a communion-table_.”--_A Campaigner._

[171] “The Bivouac.”

[172]

“G. O.

“Camp before Badajoz, 7th April 1812.

“It is now full time that the plunder of Badajoz should cease.”

“G. O.

2. “The Commander of the Forces has ordered the provost-marshal into

the town; he has orders to execute any men he may find in the act of

plunder after he shall arrive there.”

“G. O.

“Camp before Badajoz, 8th April 1812.

3. “The Commander of the Forces is sorry to learn, that the brigade

in Badajoz, instead of being a protection to the people, plunder them

_more_ than those who stormed the town.

6. “The Commander of the Forces calls upon the staff-officers of the

army, and the commanding and other officers of regiments, to assist him

in putting an end to the disgraceful scenes of drunkenness and plunder,

which are going on in Badajoz.”

“G. O.

“Fuente Guinaldo, 10th June 1812.

7. “The Commander of the Forces is sorry to observe, that the outrages

so frequently committed by soldiers when absent from their regiments,

and the disgraceful scenes which have occurred upon the storming of

Badajoz, have had the effect of rendering the people of the country

enemies instead of friends to the army.”

[173] “On entering the cathedral I saw three British soldiers

_literally drowned in brandy_. A spacious vault had been converted

into a spirit depôt for the garrison; the casks had been perforated

by musket-balls, and their contents escaping, formed a pool of some

depth. These men becoming intoxicated, had fallen head foremost into

the liquor, and were suffocated as I found them.”--_Table Talk of a

Campaigner._

[174] “At the period of the re-capture of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz,

Buonaparte stood on the pinnacle of fame and power: his empire

stretched from the Elbe to the Pyrenees, and from the shores of

the northern to those of the Adriatic Sea: whilst throughout all

continental Europe his military supremacy was admitted and feared. As

proof of the latter assertion, it need only be recalled to memory, that

the various arbitrary decrees which, in the arrogance of uncontrolled

authority, he from time to time issued, to cramp and confine the

industry of the world, were obeyed without a hostile movement. The

powerful and the weak equally yielded them a full though reluctant

compliance: even Russia, doubly secured against his interference by

her immense extent and distant situation, deemed it prudent to submit;

till at length the prosperity of her empire being threatened by a long

adhesion, she endeavoured, by friendly representations, to obtain an

exemption. These failing in effect, the discussion had, at this time,

assumed the character of angry remonstrance, the usual precursor of

war; but, as a long series of overbearing conduct and insulting replies

had failed to drive her into open resistance, it cannot be doubted that

it depended on Buonaparte, by conciliatory and friendly attention, to

preserve her as an ally. No external interference, or the apprehension

of it, therefore, existed, to divert his attention from the affairs of

Spain; and the impartial historian, of whatever country he may be, is

bound to record, that those brilliant triumphs over the French armies

were obtained by the Portuguese and British, when Buonaparte was in

amity with all the rest of the world, and his military empire in the

zenith of its strength and glory.”--_Jones’s Account of the War._

[175] The numbers, French and English, were about two thousand sabres

each.

[176] Marshal Beresford disbanded these regiments for their cowardice,

and had a few of the runaways tried and executed at Coimbra.

[177] The bridge at Alcantara had been rendered impassable by the

blowing up of one of the arches. The ingenuity displayed by the

engineers in rendering it available for the passage of an army, was

most creditable to that department.

[178] _Têtes-des-ponts_ are thrown up to cover a communication across

a river, and favour the movements of an army advancing into, or

retreating from, an enemy’s country. The form, size, and strength

of a _tête-du-pont_ must be entirely regulated by locality and

circumstances. A _tête-du-pont_ may be composed of a horn-work defended

by batteries on the opposite bank--or it may be a half square fort

with bastions--or half a star fort--or redoubts disposed to flank

each other.

[179] “Coming from Castile, the traveller descends from this ridge into

a country, where, for the first time, the gum-cistus appears as lord of

the waste; the most beautiful of all shrubs in the Peninsula for the

profusion of its delicate flowers, and one of the most delightful for

the rich balsamic odour which its leaves exude under a southern sun,

but which overspreads such extensive tracts, where it suffers nothing

else to grow, that in many parts both of Portugal and Spain, it becomes

the very emblem of desolation.”--_Southey._

[180] _Leith Hay’s_ account of the destruction of the bridge differs

from _Southey’s_. “Those who first succeeded in gaining the right

bank cut away the three boats nearest to that end of the bridge, by

which means the survivors of the garrisons of Fort Napoleon and the

_tête-du-pont_ were prevented escaping.”

[181] “Our bivouac, as may be supposed, presented an animated

appearance; groups of soldiers cooking in one place; in another, some

dozens collected together, listening to accounts brought from the

works by some of their companions whom curiosity had led thither;

others relating their past battles to any of the young soldiers who

had not as yet come hand-to-hand with a Frenchman; others dancing and

singing; officers’ servants preparing dinner for their masters, and

officers themselves, dressed in whatever way best suited their taste

or convenience, mixed with the men, without any distinguishing mark of

uniform to denote their rank.”

* * * * *

“The whole appearance of what had been a French bivouac for a fortnight

was perfectly characteristic of that nation. Some clever contrivances

for cooking, rude arm-racks, a rough table, and benches to sit round

it, still remained; while one gentleman had amused himself by drawing

likenesses of British officers with a burnt stick, in which face,

figure, and costume, were most ridiculously caricatured; while another,

a votary of the gentle art of poesy, had immortalized the charms of his

mistress in doggrel verses, scratched upon the boards with the point of

a bayonet.”--_The Bivouac._

* * * * *

“In bivouacs, the squabble for quarters is extended and transferred to

a choice and dispute for the possession of trees, and I have heard of

officers being, sorely against their will, flushed like owls, and made

to decamp from an evergreen oak, or other umbrageous tree.

“Nothing more exemplifies the vicissitudes of a soldier’s life, than

the different roofs that cover our heads within a week: one day we

have all the advantages of a palace, and the next the dirt and misery

of the worst _chaumiere_, sometimes even in the same day. A fortnight

ago, just after the battle of Orthez, opposite Aire, our regiment being

in the advance, we established ourselves in a magnificent chateau,

certainly the best furnished house I have seen since I left England,

decorated with a profusion of fine or-molu clocks. Just as we had

congratulated ourselves on our good luck, and prospect of comfort, and

I had chosen for myself a red damask bed, an awful bustle was heard,

indicative of no good, as was speedily proved to our discomfiture.

Whether it was a judgment upon us for looking so high as a chateau, on

the principle of those who exalt themselves being abased, I leave to

divines to decide; but we quickly learned, that in consequence of the

fourth division treading on our heels, and Sir Lowry Cole having as

sharp an eye for an eligible chateau as ourselves, he had ordered his

aide-de-camp to oust all its inmates under the rank of a major-general.

“Though possession, in civil matters, is said to be nine points of the

law, it does not hold good in military affairs; and as the articles

of war, as well as the gospel, teach us to avoid kicking against the

pricks, like the _well-bred dog_ (I dare say you have heard of), we

walked out to prevent being more forcibly ejected.

“This highly satisfactory incident took place in a shower of rain; and

the only building near the manor-house was a mill, belonging to the

estate, and into this we crept, and were doomed, instead of splendour,

quiet, and cleanliness, and the harmonious chiming of the or-molu

clocks, to put up (certainly not to be satisfied) with the bare walls,

the eternal clack of the mill, and a considerable loss of good English

blood, from the attacks of thousands of hostile French fleas.”--

_Hussar’s Life on Service._

[182] De la Cuesta.

[183] “The scene was grand and impressive, the spacious, noble building

crowded to excess, and the ceremony performed with all the pomp and

splendour of Catholic worship. The pealing organ never poured its tones

over a more brilliant, varied, or chivalrous audience. To describe the

variety of groups would be endless: the eye, wandering through the

expanse of building, could seldom rest twice on objects of similarity.

All the pomp of a great episcopal seat was displayed on the occasion.

Contrasted with the sombre dresses of the numerous officiating clergy,

the scarlet uniforms of the British were held in relief by the dark

Spanish or Portuguese costume. The Spanish peasant, in all the

simplicity and cleanliness of his dress, appeared by the mustached

and fierce-looking guerilla; while the numerous mantillas and waving

fans of the Spanish ladies attracted attention to the dark voluptuous

beauties of Castile.”--_Leith Hay._.

[184] Casualties of the allies on the 18th July, 1812:--Killed 95;

wounded 393; missing 54; total 542.--_Wellington’s Despatches._

[185] “An error of one of their generals gave him the opportunity

he desired, availing himself of which, he fell upon them like a

thunderbolt; and the issue of the attack was as decided a rout upon

the part of the French, as was, perhaps, ever experienced by any army.

Their broken and discomfited masses, swept away before our victorious

troops, were precipitated upon the Tormes, in crossing which many were

drowned. Had it not been for the protection afforded them by the night

immediately coming on--for it was four in the evening before the

action commenced--few of them could have escaped. As it was, although

prevented following up the victory to the full extent, the trophies of

the day were two eagles, twelve pieces of cannon, and 10,000 prisoners.

“It has been said, how far with truth the editor is not aware, that the

Duke of Wellington has been heard to express himself to this effect,--

‘that if required to particularize any of the battles in which he

commanded for the purpose, that Salamanca is the one on which he

would be best contented to rest his reputation as a general.’ When we

consider the infinite skill with which, during the previous operations,

he out-manœuvred his opponents, rendering their superiority of numbers

of no avail, the eagle-eyed sagacity that saw the error of the French

commander, and the promptness and decision with which he turned it to

his purpose, ending, as it did, in the total discomfiture and rout

of the enemy, it is by no means improbable that such is his opinion,

although it may never have been so openly expressed. On comparing it

even with the most brilliant of his other victories, such, no doubt,

will be the opinion of most military men.

“The allied loss in the battle of the 22nd, and previous operations,

was nearly 6,000; the Spanish proportion being _two men killed and four

wounded_.”--_Mackie._

[186] “He (Lord Wellington) ordered Pakenham to move on with the third

division, take the heights in his front, and drive every thing before

him. ‘I will, my lord, by God!’ was the laconic reply.”--_Robinson’s

Life of Picton._

“His answer to Lord Wellington, when the latter ordered him to attack,

was not ‘I will, my lord, by God!’ but, ‘Yes, if you will give me a

grasp of that conquering right hand.’”--_Napier._

Those who knew Sir Edward will best decide between these versions

of his answer. With chivalrous gallantry, Pakenham’s modesty and

gentleness of manner were proverbial. The curt and vapouring terms of

his imaginary reply are in no keeping with his character--and Mr.

Robinson, in common justice to his memory, should expunge them.

[187] “The two Irish officers who carried the colours of the 88th

regiment, and who were immediately in the rear of the mounted officers,

thought that the shot was intended for either of them. Lieutenant

Moriarty, carrying the regimental colour, called out, ‘That fellow’s

aiming at me!’ ‘I am devilish glad to hear you say so,’ replied

Lieutenant D’Arcy, who carried the King’s, with great coolness,--‘for

I thought he had me covered.’ He was not much mistaken: the ball that

killed Murphy, after passing through him, struck the staff of the flag

carried by D’Arcy, and carried away the button, and part of the strap

of his epaulette.”--_Reminiscences of a Subaltern._

[188] Leith Hay.

[189] “Capt. Brotherton, of the 14th dragoons, fighting on the 18th

at Guarena, amongst the foremost, as he was always wont to do, had a

sword thrust quite through his side; yet, on the 22nd, he was again

on horseback, and being denied leave to remain in that condition with

his own regiment, secretly joined Pack’s Portuguese in an undress, and

was again hurt in the unfortunate charge at the Arapiles. Such were

the officers. A man of the 43rd, one by no means distinguished above

his comrades, was shot through the middle of the thigh, and lost his

shoes in passing the marshy stream; but, refusing to quit the fight, he

limped under fire in rear of his regiment, and, with naked feet, and

streaming of blood from his wound, he marched for several miles over

a country covered with sharp stones! Such were the soldiers; and the

devotion of a woman was not wanting to the illustration of this great

day.

“The wife of Colonel Dalbiac, an English lady of a gentle disposition,

and possessing a very delicate frame, had braved the dangers and

endured the privations of two campaigns, with the patient fortitude

which belongs only to her sex; and in this battle, forgetful of every

thing but that strong affection which had so long supported her, she

rode deep amidst the enemy’s fire; trembling, yet irresistibly impelled

forwards by feelings more imperious than horror, more piercing than the

fear of death.”--_Napier._

* * * * *

“At the sale of some deceased officer’s effects at Salamanca, the

man who officiated as auctioneer on one occasion, on producing a

prayer-book as the next lot for competition, remarked, that “_he_ must

indeed be a brave man who purchased it, as that was the _fourth_ time

during a month he had submitted it for sale.”

[190] “The soldiers endured much during the first two or three days

after the battle, and the inferior officers’ sufferings were still more

heavy and protracted. They had no money, and many sold their horses and

other property to sustain life; some actually died of want; and though

Wellington, hearing of this, gave orders that they should be supplied

from the purveyor’s stores in the same manner as the soldiers, the

relief came too late.”

Casualties:--

British. Portuguese. Spanish.

Killed 694 304 2

Wounded 4270 1552 4

Missing 256 182 0

---- ---- --

Total 5220 2038 6

----

Grand total 7264.

[191] It broke his right arm (subsequently amputated), wounded him in

the side, and obliged him to be carried from the field in a litter,

by relays of grenadiers, as any rougher method of conveyance was

intolerable. After the marshal was removed, Clausel supplied his place

with high credit to himself, both during the engagement, and in the

retreat on Valladolid.

[192] Mr. Southey, alluding to the eagles taken at Salamanca, gravely

observes: “It is said that more than _ten_ were captured, but that

there were men base enough to conceal them, and sell them to persons

in Salamanca, who deemed it good policy, as well as a profitable

speculation, to purchase them for the French.”

Nothing can exceed the absurdity of this statement. The capture of so

many trophies could not have been achieved without a correspondent

notoriety--and those who were fortunate enough to win them, knew

that the gallant deed would secure both honours and promotion. Is it

probable, that the daring spirit who rushed into the deadly _mêlée_

and seized the proud emblem of victory, would barter it, when won, for

a paltry consideration? It is indeed a sweeping slander on British

soldiers, to insinuate that out of _ten_ brave and devoted men--for

brave and devoted they must have been to do that deed--eight were the

sordid wretches which Dr. Southey has depicted them.

[193] The following passages are extracted from two letters addressed

by Lord Wellington to Earl Bathurst and Sir Thomas Graham, dated

from Flores de Avila on the 24th and 25th of July, 1812. The light

and playful manner in which he alludes to the glorious victory just

achieved is extremely characteristic of “the great Captain.”

“I hope that you will be pleased with our battle, of which the despatch

contains as accurate an account as I can give you. There was no

mistake; every thing went on as it ought; and there never was an army

so beaten in so short a time. If we had had another hour or two of

daylight, not a man would have passed the Tormes; and, as it was, they

would all have been taken if ---- had left the garrison in Alba de

Tormes, as I wished and desired; or having taken it away, as I believe,

before he was aware of my wishes, he had informed me that it was not

there. If he had, I should have marched in the night upon Alba, where I

should have caught them all, instead of upon the fords of the Tormes.”

* * * * *

“I took up the ground which you were to have taken during the siege

of Salamanca, only the left was thrown back on the heights; it being

unnecessary, under the circumstances, to cover the ford of Saint

Martha. We had a race for the large Arapiles, which is the more distant

of the two detached heights which you will recollect on the right of

your position: this race the French won, and they were too strong to

be dislodged without a general action. I knew that the French were

to be joined by the cavalry of the army of the North on the 22nd or

23rd, and that the army of the Centre was likely to be in motion.

Marmont ought to have given me a _pont d’or_, and he would have made a

handsome operation of it. But, instead of that, after manœuvring all

the morning in the usual French style, nobody knew with what object,

he at last pressed upon my right in such a manner, at the same time

without engaging, that he would have either carried our Arapiles, or

he would have confined us entirely to our position. This was not to

be endured, and we fell upon him, turning his left flank; and I never

saw an army receive such a beating. I had desired the Spaniards to

continue to occupy the castle of Alba de Tormes; ---- had evacuated it,

I believe, before he knew my wishes; and he was afraid to let me know

that he had done so; and I did not know it till I found no enemy at the

fords of the Tormes. When I lost sight of them in the dark, I marched

upon Huerta and Encinas, and they went by Alba. If I had known there

had been no garrison in Alba, I should have marched there, and should

probably have had the whole. Marmont, Clausel, Foy, Ferrey, and Bonnet,

are wounded badly. Ferrey, it is supposed, will die. Thomières is

killed--many generals of brigade killed or wounded. I need not express

how much I regret the disorder in your eyes since this action. I am in

great hopes that our loss has not been great. In two divisions, the

third and fifth, it is about twelve hundred men, including Portuguese.

There are more in the fourth and sixth; but there are many men who

left the ranks with wounded officers and soldiers, who are eating and

drinking, and engaged in _regocijos_ with the inhabitants of Salamanca;

I have sent, however, to have them all turned out of the town. I hope

that you receive benefit from the advice of the oculists in London.

“Believe me, &c.

“WELLINGTON.”

“Lieut.-Gen. Sir T. Graham K. B.”

[194] “Napoleon had notice of Marmont’s defeat as early as the 2nd of

September, a week before the great battle of Borodino. The news was

carried by Colonel Fabvier, who made the journey from Valladolid in

one course, and having fought on the 22nd of July at the Arapiles, was

wounded on the heights of Moskowa on the 7th of September!”--_Napier._

[195] “I was much struck with the simplicity of the Duke of

Wellington’s attire, who wore a light grey pelisse coat,

single-breasted, without a sash, and white neck-handkerchief, with his

sword buckled round his waist, underneath the coat, the hilt merely

protruding, with a cocked hat under his arm. He stood with his face

towards the altar during the prayer offered up for the success of our

arms.”--_Leith Hay._

[196] Segovia, a celebrated town of Old Castile, where are many remains

of Moorish and Roman antiquity. Among the former is the Alcazar, once

the palace of the Moorish kings, and afterwards of Ferdinand and

Isabella, but which since their days has been used as a state prison.

This building stands on a rock, rising some hundred feet above the

river, which winds round nearly three-fourths of its base, and is

cut off from the town on the remaining portion by a deep ditch and

defences. The aqueduct, said to have been built by Trajan, is to be

seen at different points between the town and Ildefonso, where the

water is obtained; but the most remarkable feature of this structure is

the portion in the suburb of the town, consisting of two rows of arches

one above the other, nearly two hundred in number, the whole being

formed of large blocks of stone, fitted into and supporting each other

without cement, having thus withstood the ravages of time for eighteen

centuries.

San Ildefonso is a village fifty miles north of Madrid. Here is

situated the palace of La Granja, a favourite summer residence of

the royal family. The building and gardens, with the numerous _jets

d’eau_, were formed after the model of the palace and gardens of

Versailles, by the Bourbon dynasty on their accession to the throne of

Spain. The palace is situate at the bottom of the Sierra Nevada, an

attached ridge of the Guaderama, in a recess on the north side of the

mountain, which rises to a considerable height, covered with trees to

its summit, and to the east and west; thus sheltering it at all times

from the scorching heats of summer. The front of the building looks to

the gardens, which rise before it, till they terminate in the craggy,

pine-covered summit, adding much to the picturesque beauty of this

delightful residence. The whole presents a scene, certainly, much more

calculated to remind the beholder of the verdure and freshness of a

more northern clime than of the burning fields and sultry sun of Spain.

[197] “From our bivouac in the woods of Ildefonso, at daybreak on the

10th of August, we began to ascend the mountain; the road winding

among stately pines and rugged precipices, at every point presenting

behind us a prospect in every way worthy to arrest the attention. From

the summit we commanded a boundless view of the country we had lately

traversed, interesting from being the scene of our past toils and

victories; while in our front lay one not less so from its novelty,

from the many striking objects that presented themselves to the eye;

but, above all, awaking feelings the most intensely interesting, from

our near approach upon the capital of Spain, a flying and dispirited

enemy in our front. With exhilarated spirits we descended the wooded

skirts of the mountain, the palace of the Escurial to our right, while

more distant lay Madrid, with its hundred globe-topped spires, the

indications of former Moorish sway. Encamping in the neighbourhood upon

the 12th, we moved into the city the following day.”--_Mackie._

[198] “We had a devil of an affair on the evening of the 11th. The

French, two thousand cavalry, moved upon the Portuguese cavalry;

D’Urban ordered them to charge the advanced squadrons, which charge

they did not execute as they ought, and they ran off, leaving our guns

(Captain M’Donald’s troop). They ran in upon the German cavalry, half a

mile or more in their rear, where they were brought up; but they would

not charge upon the left of the Germans. These charged and stopped the

enemy; but Colonel de Jonquiers was taken, and we have lost a good

many of these fine fellows. There are twenty killed, and about as

many wounded and prisoners. We likewise lost three guns of M’Donald’s

troop in the Portuguese flight, but the French left them behind.”--

_Wellington’s Despatches._

[199] Mr. Grattan, author of “Reminiscences of a Subaltern.”

[200] “We invested the place completely on the evening of the 13th;

and in the night, detachments of the seventh division of infantry,

under the command of Major-General Hope, and of the third division of

infantry, under the command of Major-General the Hon. E. Pakenham,

drove in the enemy’s posts from the Prado and the Botanical Garden,

and the works which they had constructed outside of the park-wall;

and having broken through the wall in different places, they were

established in the palace of the Retiro, and close to the line of

the enemy’s works inclosing the building called La China. The troops

were preparing in the morning to attack these works, preparatory to

the arrangements to be adopted for the attack of the interior line

and building, when the governor sent out an officer to desire to

capitulate, and I granted him the honours of war.”--_Wellington to

Lord Bathurst, Madrid, Aug. 15th, 1812._

[201] “I likewise request your lordship not to forget horses for the

cavalry and the artillery, and money. _We are absolutely bankrupt._ The

troops are now five months in arrears, instead of being one month in

advance. The staff have not been paid since February; the muleteers not

since June, 1811; and we are in debt in all parts of the country. I am

obliged to take the money sent to me by my brother for the Spaniards,

in order to give my own troops a fortnight’s pay, who are really

suffering for want of money.”

[202] In fortification, the _salient_ angle is that which turns from

the centre of a place; while the re-entering points directly towards it.

[203] _A horn-work_ is a work having a front and two branches. The

front comprises a curtain and two half-bastions. It is smaller than a

_crown-work_, and generally employed for effecting similar purposes.

[204] The eventual success of the French has been ascribed, it is

hard to say with what truth, to their finding on the person of a dead

officer a full detail of the siege operations, as arranged by the

British engineers.

[205] The mine was loaded with a thousand pounds of powder, and, for

fifteen feet, tamped with bags of clay.

[206] _A Cavalier_ is a work in the body of a place, domineering the

others by ten or twelve feet.

[207] “In all the former sieges, almost every misfortune during their

progress has been readily traced, next to the smallness of the means

with which they were undertaken, to the defective state of the siege

establishments of the army, which were seldom equal to draw the full

benefit from even the small supplies that were brought up. But on this

occasion even such as those did not exist: there was not the semblance

of an establishment of that nature; not even a half-instructed miner,

or half-instructed sapper--barely an artificer--hence the deviations

from the original project, and the delay in the execution of such parts

of it as were followed, which, combined with accident, served to render

the project unavailing.”--_Journal of the Sieges._

[208] The complete success of this bold manœuvre offers many

reflections on the futility of attempting to stop the march of troops

by the fire of artillery in the night. In this instance, the good order

and silence with which the allied army filed under the walls of the

castle, was rendered of no avail to them by the conduct of a party of

guerilla cavalry, who, unused to such coolness, put their horses to

their speed, and made such a clatter that the garrison took the alarm,

and opened a fire from the artillery directed on the bridge: the first

discharge was, as might have been expected, very effectual; but the

gunners immediately afterwards lost their range and direction, and

their fire only served to make the carriages file over the bridge with

more speed than usual.

[209] The following striking anecdote indicates French gallantry:--

“Suddenly, a horseman, darting out at full speed from the column, rode

down under a flight of bullets to the bridge, calling out that he was

a deserter; he reached the edge of the chasm made by the explosion,

and then violently checking his foaming horse, held up his hands,

exclaiming that he was a lost man, and with hurried accents asked if

there was no ford near. The good-natured soldiers pointed to one a

little way off, and the gallant fellow having looked earnestly for a

few moments as if to fix the exact point, wheeled his horse round,

kissed his hand in derision, and bending over his saddle-bow dashed

back to his own comrades, amidst showers of shot, and shouts of

laughter from both sides.”--_Napier._

[210] The united French corps numbered seventy-five thousand infantry,

twelve thousand cavalry, and two hundred pieces of cannon; while the

whole of the allied force that Lord Wellington could place upon a

battle-field, did not exceed fifty-five thousand Anglo-Portuguese, of

which five thousand only were horse.

[211] Napier.

[212] “Knowing that the most direct road was impassable, he had

directed the divisions by another road, longer, and apparently more

difficult; this seemed such an extraordinary proceeding to some general

officers, that, after consulting together, they deemed their commander

unfit to conduct the army, and led their troops by what appeared to

them the fittest line of retreat! Meanwhile, Wellington, who had,

before daylight, placed himself at an important point on his own road,

waited impatiently for the arrival of the leading division until dawn,

and then suspecting something of what had happened, galloped to the

other road, and found the would-be commanders stopped by that flood

which his arrangements had been made to avoid. The insubordination and

the danger to the whole army were alike glaring, yet the practical

rebuke was so severe and well-timed, the humiliation so complete, and

so deeply felt, that, with one proud sarcastic observation, indicating

contempt more than anger, he led back the troops and drew off all his

forces safely. However, some confusion and great danger still attended

the operation; for even on this road one water-gully was so deep that

the light division, which covered the rear, could only pass it man by

man over a felled tree; and it was fortunate that Soult, unable to feed

his troops a day longer, stopped on the Huebra with his main body, and

only sent some cavalry to Tamames. Thus the allies retired unmolested.”

[213] “It is scarcely possible to imagine what powerful effect the

excitement consequent on active warfare produces upon those who under

different circumstances would evince apathy or irritability. Men

nursed in the lap of luxury, and accustomed from childhood to all

the elegancies of upper life, submitted to every privation without a

murmur; while others, whose constitutional indolence was proverbial,

seemed actuated by some secret impulse that spurred them to exertion,

and roused a latent energy that was surprising even to themselves.

Persons who at home would have dreaded injurious circumstances from

a damp shoe, were too happy, on service in the Peninsula, to find

the shelter of a roof and luxury of wet litter after a ten hours’

march over muddy roads, in rain, and storm, and darkness; and those

whose Apician tastes were not unfrequently outraged by the culinary

offendings of the most gifted mess-cook, cheerfully discussed the

ration cut from the reeking carcass of an over-driven ox, and exchanged

claret and champaign for _aqua ardiente_ and _vin du pays_, flavouring

more strongly of the goat-skin than the grape.”

It is true, that when cantoned the army were spared from these

annoyances. The strict eye kept by Lord Wellington over the

commissariat at these times, secured a plentiful supply of necessaries

for the troops, and under huts or canvass they were tolerably protected

from the weather; but at the sieges, the retreats, and the rapid

advances in bad weather, nothing could surpass the misery endured

through cold and heat, hunger and thirst, continued fatigue, and all

the ills the soldier’s life is heir to.

Bright as the hour of triumph appears to the conqueror--brilliant as

the foughten field that ends in victory--“the tale of war still bears

a painful sound,” and many a heart-rending story of distress might

be narrated attendant on the storms of Badajoz and Rodrigo, and the

retreats to Corunna and the Lines. The state of the sick, the worn-out,

and the wounded, were pitiable. Unable to extricate themselves,

numbers, “with vulnerable wounds,” perished of cold and hunger in the

ditches of the captured fortresses--or, after struggling to the last,

died on the line of march, abandoned of necessity by their comrades,

and ridden over or put down by merciless pursuers, who had neither

leisure nor inclination to extend succour to these deserted sufferers.

In speaking of the retreat from Burgos, an infantry officer says,--

“The privations which the army suffered were unusually severe: I saw

many a brave fellow lying on the road, dying from fatigue, famine, and

the inclemency of the weather. On one spot, about one hundred English

and Portuguese soldiers lay extended after the retreat. One miserable

instance, was a soldier of the ninety-fifth; having marched as far as

he was able, at last he sunk from exhaustion, and crawled upon his

hands and knees, until he expired.”

Another thus describes his misadventure. “We travelled the whole of

that night, our army in full retreat, and the French in close pursuit;

the weather wet and miserably cold, and the roads so drenched, it

was up to the middle in mud; the animals were knocked up, and I

unfortunately fell into the hands of the enemy, a French hussar

regiment, who treated me vilely.

“They knocked the cart from under me, sabred the men, and dragged me

into the middle of the road; stripped me, tearing my clothes into

shreds, and turning me over with their sabres, plundered me of what

little I had remaining; tore a gold ring from my finger, and then left

me naked, to perish with cold and hunger.

“I lay in this miserable state two days and nights, with no mortal near

me, except dead ones; one of which lay with his head upon my legs,

having died in that position during the night preceding, and I was too

weak to remove his body; I could not raise myself, I was so reduced.

“In this suffering state I continued to exist, which I attributed to

some rum, of which I drank a considerable quantity from a Frenchman’s

canteen, who was humane enough to let me do so, when I explained to

him that I was a British officer: the rum soon laid me to sleep. The

Frenchman was a hussar, and appeared to belong to the regiment who had

treated me so inhumanly in the morning (it was now past dusk). I begged

him to take me up behind him. He shook his head; but kindly took an old

blanket from under his saddle, covered me with it, and then rode off.”

In this wretched state the narrator was discovered by an Irish soldier

who turned out a true Samaritan.

“The poor fellow found me literally in a state of starvation, and took

me upon his back (for I was quite helpless) to the village; begged food

for me from door to door; but the inhuman Spaniards shut them in our

faces, refusing me both shelter and food, at the same time they were

actually baking bread for the French. However, my fellow-sufferer, by

good chance, found a dead horse, and he supplied me with raw flesh

and acorns; which, at the time, I thought a luxury, believe me, and

devoured, when first given me, in such quantities, as nearly put an end

to my sufferings.”

A very creditable exception must be made in favour of the Spanish

women, who, during the Peninsular campaign, exhibited the greatest

kindness towards the British, and afforded to the sick or wounded

soldiery the most disinterested and devoted attention. In the higher

classes this feeling was frequently indulged, even at the risk of

family or personal proscription; and it would appear that among the

humbler grade a warm sympathy existed towards their deliverers.

“Two girls, daughters of the baker of the village, notwithstanding

the threat of punishment to those who should relieve me, absolutely

did, two or three times, bring me a little food saved from their own

meals.”--_Military Recollections of Four Brothers._

[214] “The Spaniards, civil and military, began to evince hatred of

the British. Daily did they attempt or perpetrate murder; and one

act of peculiar atrocity merits notice. A horse, led by an English

soldier, being frightened, backed against a Spanish officer commanding

at a gate; he caused the soldier to be dragged into his guard-house

and there bayonetted him in cold blood; and no redress could be had

for this or other crimes save by counter violence, which was not long

withheld. A Spanish officer, while wantonly stabbing at a rifleman, was

shot dead by the latter; and a British volunteer slew a Spanish officer

at the head of his own regiment in a sword fight, the troops of both

nations looking on; but here there was nothing dishonourable on either

side.”--_Napier._

“Two of the handsomest men of the light company, M’Cann and Ludley,

were billeted in a house containing a mother and her daughter, when

one evening a Spaniard came in and invited them to take some wine

with him, during which, it is supposed, in a fit of jealousy, he took

the opportunity of stabbing them both to the heart. The assassin made

his escape before the alarm could be given, as also did the mother

and daughter; but our men were so exasperated, that they attacked

the house, and in twenty minutes there was not one stone left upon

another.”--_Cadell._

[215] “Sir,--I have ordered the army into cantonments, in which I

hope that circumstances will enable me to keep them for some time,

during which the troops will receive their clothing, necessaries, &c.

which are already in progress, by different lines of communication,

to the several divisions and brigades. But, besides these objects, I

must draw your attention, in a very particular manner, to the state of

discipline of the troops. The discipline of every army, after a long

and active campaign, becomes in some degree relaxed, and requires the

utmost attention on the part of the general and other officers to bring

it back to the state in which it ought to be for service; but I am

concerned to have to observe, that the army under my command has fallen

off, in this respect, in the late campaign, to a greater degree than

any army with which I have ever served, or of which I have ever read.

Yet this army has met with no disaster; it has suffered no privations,

which but trifling attention on the part of the officers could not

have prevented, and for which there existed no reason whatever in the

nature of the service; nor has it suffered any hardships, excepting

those resulting from the necessity of being exposed to the inclemencies

of the weather, at a moment when they were most severe. It must be

obvious, however, to every officer, that from the moment the troops

commenced their retreat from the neighbourhood of Burgos on the one

hand, and from Madrid on the other, the officers lost all command over

the men. Irregularities and outrages of all descriptions were committed

with impunity; and losses have been sustained which ought never to have

occurred. Yet the necessity for retreat existing, none was ever made in

which the troops made such short marches; none on which they made such

long and repeated halts; and none in which the retreating armies were

so little pressed on their rear by the enemy. We must look, therefore,

for the existing evils, and for the situation in which we now find the

army, to some cause besides those resulting from the operations in

which we have been engaged. I have no hesitation in attributing these

evils to the habitual inattention of the officers of regiments to their

duty, as prescribed by the standing regulations of the service, and

by the order of this army. I am far from questioning the zeal, still

less the gallantry and spirit of the officers of the army: and I am

quite certain, that as their minds can be convinced of the necessity

of minute and constant attention to understand, recollect, and carry

into execution the orders which have been issued for the performance of

their duty, and that the strict performance of this duty is necessary

to enable the army to serve the country as it ought to be served, they

will, in future, give their attention to these points. Unfortunately,

the inexperience of the officers of the army has induced many to

conceive, that the period during which an army is not on service is one

of relaxation from all rule, instead of being, as it is, the period

during which, of all others, every rule for the regulation and control

of the conduct of the soldier, for the inspection and care of his arms,

ammunition, accoutrements, necessaries, and field-equipments, and his

horse and horse-appointments, for the receipt and issue and care of

his provisions, and the regulation of all that belongs to his food,

and the forage for his horse, must be most strictly attended to by the

officers of his company or troop, if it is intended that an army--a

British army in particular--shall be brought into the field of battle

in a state of efficiency to meet the enemy on the day of trial. These

are the points, then, to which I most earnestly entreat you to turn

your attention, and the attention of the officers of the regiments

under your command, Portuguese as well as English, during the period in

which it may be in my power to leave the troops in their cantonments.

The commanding officers of regiments must enforce the orders of the

army, regarding the constant inspection and superintendence of the

officers over the conduct of the men of their companies in their

cantonments; and they must endeavour to inspire the non-commissioned

officers with a sense of their situation and authority; and the

non-commissioned officers must be forced to do their duty, by being

constantly under the view and superintendence of the officers. By these

means, the frequent and discreditable recourse to the authority of the

provost, and to punishments by the sentence of courts-martial, will be

prevented; and the soldiers will not dare to commit the offences and

outrages, of which there are too many complaints, when they know that

their officers and their non-commissioned officers have their eyes and

attention turned towards them. The commanding officers of regiments

must likewise enforce the orders of the army, regarding the constant

real inspection of the soldiers’ arms, ammunition, accoutrements, and

necessaries, in order to prevent, at all times, the shameful waste

of ammunition, and the sale of that article, and of the soldiers’

necessaries. With this view, both should be inspected daily. In regard

to the food of soldiers, I have frequently observed and lamented, in

the late campaign, the facility and celerity with which the French

soldiers cooked, in comparison with our army. The cause of this

disadvantage is the same with that of every other description,--the

want of attention of the officers to the orders of the army, and to the

conduct of their men; and the consequent want of authority over their

conduct. Certain men of each company should be appointed to cut and

bring in wood, others to fetch water, and others to get the meat, &c.

to be cooked; and it would soon be found, if this practice were daily

enforced, and a particular hour for seeing the dinners, and for the

men dining, named, as it ought to be, equally as for the parade, that

cooking would no longer require the inconvenient length of time it has

lately been found to take, and that the soldiers would not be exposed

to the privation of their food, at the moment at which the army may be

engaged in operations with the enemy. You will, of course, give your

attention to the field-exercise and discipline of the troops. It is

very desirable that the soldiers should not lose the habit of marching;

and the division should march ten or twelve miles twice in each week,

if the weather should permit, and the roads in the neighbourhood of

the cantonments of the divisions should be dry. But I repeat, that the

great object of the attention of the general and field officers must

be, to get the captains and subalterns of the regiments to understand

and to perform the duties required from them, as the only mode by

which the discipline and efficiency of the army can be restored and

maintained during the next campaign.

“I have the honour to be, &c.

“WELLINGTON.”

“To ----, or the Officer commanding the ----.”

[216] “Sometimes divisions were moved too soon, more frequently too

late, and kept standing on wet ground, in the rain, for two hours,

perishing with cold, waiting the order to move. Their clothes were

seldom dry for six hours together, and during the latter part of the

retreat continually wet; sometimes they were bivouacked in a swamp,

when better ground was near; they lay down upon the wet ground, fell

asleep from mere exhaustion, were roused to receive their meat, and

had then no means of dressing it,--the camp-kettles had been sent

on, or by some error were some miles in the rear, or the mules which

carried them had foundered on the way; and no fire could be kindled on

wet ground, with wet materials, and under a heavy rain. The subalterns

threw the blame upon their superiors, and these again upon theirs,

all complaining of incompetence in some of the general officers, and

carelessness or supercilious neglect in some of the staff.”--_Southey._

[217] “But the hurry, and fear, and confusion, with which their

preparations were made, defeated this malignant purpose. Several

mines failed; some which were primed did not explode; others were so

ill-managed that they blew the earth inwards; and as the explosion took

place some hours sooner than was intended, the destruction which was

intended for their enemies, fell in part upon themselves. Many of their

men, who were lingering to plunder, perished as they were loading their

horses with booty in the streets and squares, and three or four hundred

were blown up in the fort. Above one thousand shells had been placed in

the mines: the explosion was distinctly heard at the distance of fifty

miles; and the pavement of the cathedral was covered with the dust into

which its windows had been shivered by the shock. The town escaped

destruction owing to the failure of so many of the mines, but the

castle was totally destroyed,--gates, beams, masses of masonry, guns,

carriages, and arms lying in one heap of ruins;--some of the mines had

laid open the breaches, and exposed the remains of those who had fallen

during the siege.”

[218] “The Bivouac.”

[219] “The city of Vitoria is said to have obtained its present name

from a victory gained by Leuvigildus XVI., king of the Goths, over the

Swevians, whose kingdom he conquered and added to his own, so early as

towards the end of the sixth century. Its vicinity, however, having

been the scene of the successful operations of Edward the Black Prince,

in restoring to his dominions Don Pedro the Cruel, king of Castile,

this will, it is hoped, be sufficient to justify the allusion to the

name as twice associated with the glory of the English arms.

“The battle which overthrew Henry and restored Pedro to his kingdom,

was fought betwixt Navarette and Nejara, on the right bank of the Ebro;

but Froissart, in his Chronicles, mentions that before the Prince had

crossed that river, he occupied for six days a position in front of

Vitoria, probably near the scene of Wellington’s victory. He further

mentions, that while in this position, Don Telo, Henry’s brother,

having advanced to reconnoitre the Prince’s army, fell in with a

body of English under Sir Thomas Felton, who, being much inferior in

numbers, in the proportion of one hundred and sixty lances and three

hundred archers to six thousand of the enemy, took possession of a

height, where they defended themselves till the whole of the English

knights, after performing prodigies of valour, were killed or made

prisoners, none escaping, except a few boys by the fleetness of their

horses.

“It may be mentioned as a curious incident, that during the battle,

when Lord Wellington was giving directions for the third division

to attack a height in possession of the enemy, the Spanish General

Alava, who during the war was personally attached to Lord Wellington’s

staff, remarked that the hill in question was, by the tradition of the

country, known as the _Altura de los Ingleses_ or Hill of the English:

this is supposed to be the hill alluded to in the Chronicles.”--

_Mackie._

[220] “The Bivouac.”

[221] It is remarkable that, within sight of this ground, the battle

of Najara was fought, in which Edward the Black Prince, acting as the

ally of a bad man, defeated the best troops of France, under their most

distinguished leader, Bertram du Guescelin, who had come in support of

a worse. It is also remarkable, that the Prince of Brazil, before the

battle of Vitoria was fought, should have conferred the title of Duque

de Victoria upon Lord Wellington.--_Southey._

[222] “We chanced to meet a Curé on the French side of the Pyrenees, at

whose house General Merle had been quartered, shortly after the battle,

who said that the general was furious, exclaiming against Joseph, and

vowing that the _matériel_ of three armies (those of the south, the

centre, and of Portugal) had been sacrificed to save _fifty putaines

and their baggage_.”--_Peninsular Recollections._

[223] “General Morillo, with all his roughness and his ignorance,

was an enthusiastic admirer of every thing English. Throughout the

whole course of his various services during the war, he evinced a

strong and marked feeling of attachment and respect for the troops

of that country. He had raised himself from the lowest ranks by his

enterprising courage and cordial exertion in forwarding every scheme

or measure calculated, as he conceived, to resist French domination.

He had obtained considerable authority over the division of Spaniards

under his immediate orders; his courage was undoubted; his devotion to

Sir Rowland Hill, with whom he had long served, unbounded. Under these

circumstances, this officer, in most respects a very ordinary man,

became known to the army, and his name identified with some degree of

distinction.”--_Leith Ilay._

[224] “The Bivouac.”

[225] “The Bivouac.”

[226] “From the number of muskets left on the field, the wounded must

have been very great: wounded men invariably get quit of every thing

that incumbers their retreat; but a musket is scarcely ever to be seen

whole, as the first comer always snaps it across the small of the

stock.”--_Peninsular Recollections._

[227] “A squadron of the German hussars, however, overtook and engaged

their rear-guard, near Pamplona: the enemy employed against the hussars

the only long gun he had remaining; the hussars forced back the enemy;

and as the gun was retiring on the high-road, a carbine shot struck

one of the horses, which becoming unruly, the gun was dragged from the

causeway and upset. The hussars immediately took possession of it.”

* * * * *

“The country was too much intersected with ditches for cavalry to act

with effect in a pursuit; and infantry, who moved in military order,

could not at their utmost speed keep up with a rout of fugitives.

Yet, precipitate as their flight was, they took great pains to bear

off their wounded, and dismounted a regiment of cavalry to carry them

on. And they carefully endeavoured to conceal their dead, stopping

occasionally to collect them and throw them into ditches, where they

covered them with bushes. Many such receptacles were found containing

from ten to twenty bodies.”

[228] “It was rather more than a foot long, and covered with blue

velvet, on which the imperial eagles were embroidered; and it had

been tipped with gold, but the first finder had secured the gold for

himself. The case was of red morocco, with silver clasps, and with

eagles on it, and at either end the marshal’s name imprinted in gold

letters.”--_Southey._

[229] “The Bivouac.”

[230] Like the tidings of Marmont’s disaster at Salamanca, the news

of Joseph’s defeat reached Napoleon at a crisis, when a lost battle

was a calamity indeed. With him, every previous armistice had obtained

concessions; and, had Vitoria terminated differently, battles, in no

way decisive, might from a fortunate success in Spain, have produced

results similar to those of Marengo, Austerlitz, and Jena. With

ominous rapidity, the intelligence reached every European court that

Joseph had been driven from his throne, and Wellington overlooked the

fields of France--and none could gainsay it--a conqueror. With what

astonishment these tidings were received, those immediately round

the person of Napoleon have since narrated. Nothing could be more

humiliating--nothing, the time considered, more ruinous. His brother

no longer prosecuted the war in Spain, but, defeated and shaken in

confidence, had sought shelter in the plains of Gascony. “Accustomed

as he had been to receive reports from the Peninsula little calculated

to give satisfaction, or to confirm his impression of the invincible

qualities of those troops which he had personally ever led to certain

victory, so extensive and alarming a reverse as that now made known

must have been as unexpected as it was disastrous; but with all the

promptitude of a person born to command, instead of yielding to gloomy

circumstances, he issued orders for a bold effort to counteract the

tide of war, to recover the ground lost by Vitoria, and to awaken to

energy, as he conceived, the dormant spirit of his soldiers. Troops

marched from the interior to reinforce, artillery from the depôts

completed the equipment, and the marshal Duke of Dalmatia was entrusted

with full powers to conduct the renewed hostilities, and retrieve the

errors of his predecessors.”--_Leith Hay._

[231] “Here a battery was erected; the covered-way to it passed

through the convent, and the battery itself was constructed in a

thickly-peopled burial-ground.

“A more ghastly circumstance can seldom have occurred in war, for

coffins and corpses, in all stages of decay, were exposed when the soil

was thrown up to form a defence against the fire from the town, and

were used, indeed, in the defences; and when a shell burst there it

brought down the living and the dead together.

“An officer was giving his orders when a shot struck the edge of the

trenches above him; two coffins slipped down upon him with the sand,

the coffins broke in their fall, the bodies rolled with him for some

distance, and when he recovered he saw that they had been women of some

rank, for they were richly attired in black velvet, and their long hair

hung about their shoulders and their livid faces.

“The soldiers, in the scarcity of firewood, being nothing nice, broke

up coffins for fuel with which to dress their food, leaving the bodies

exposed and, till the hot sun had dried up these poor insulted remains

of humanity, the stench was as dreadful as the sight.”

[232] The peninsular sieges were always remarkable for displays of

personal intrepidity and adventure. On the 21st, in carrying a parallel

across the isthmus, the pipe of a ruined aqueduct was accidentally laid

bare. It opened on a long drain, four feet in length, and three feet

wide. “Through this dangerous opening Lieutenant Reid of the engineers,

a young and zealous officer, crept even to the counterscarp of the

horn-work, and finding the passage there closed by a door, returned

without an accident. Thirty barrels of powder were placed in this drain

and eight feet was stopped with sand-bags, thus forming a globe of

compression designed to blow, as through a tube, so much rubbish over

the counterscarp as might fill the narrow ditch of the horn-work.”--

_Napier._

[233] “Marshal Soult issued a proclamation in imitation of those

spirit-stirring productions by which Napoleon was accustomed to call

forth the enthusiastic admiration of his soldiers; but the essential

quality calculated to give effect was wanting. When the emperor, by the

roll of the drum, called attention to his emphatic words, the troops

knew that he would fulfil the promise of leading them to victory, and

that knowledge gave effect to the concise but brilliant announcement

of his intentions, and what he expected from them. When the Duke of

Dalmatia’s proclamation appeared, it was that of an ordinary man,

promising more than he could perform, and as such was received by those

to whom it was immediately addressed.”--_Leith Hay._

“He himself had been repulsed by a far inferior British force at

Coruña; had been driven from Oporto, and defeated in the bloody field

of Albuera. He was addressing men who had been beaten at Vimiera,

beaten at Talavera, beaten at Busaco, beaten at Fuentes d’Onoro, routed

at Salamanca, and scattered like sheep at Vitoria. They had been driven

from Lisbon into France; and yet the general who had so often been

baffled addressed this language to the very troops who had been so

often and so signally defeated!”--_Southey._

[234] In fact, the picket was surprised--the advanced videts upon a

height in its front having been overpowered by the heat, had fallen

asleep, and thus allowed the French to approach the picket without

giving an alarm.

[235] “The French gained ground until six o’clock, for the British,

shrunk in numbers, also wanted ammunition, and a part of the 82nd,

under Major Fitzgerald, were forced to roll down stones to defend

the rocks on which they were posted. In this desperate condition

Stewart was upon the point of abandoning the mountain entirely, when a

brigade of the 7th division, commanded by General Barnes, arrived from

Echallar, and that officer, charging at the head of the sixth regiment,

drove the French back to the Maya ridge.”--_Napier._

[236] Riding at full speed, he reached the village of Sorauren, and

his eagle-glance detected Clausel’s column in march along the ridge of

Zabaldica. Convinced that the troops in the valley of the Lanz must be

intercepted by this movement, he sprang from his saddle, and pencilled

a note on the parapet of the bridge, directing the troops to take the

road to Oricain, and gain the rear of Cole’s position. The scene that

followed was highly interesting. “Lord Fitzroy Somerset, the only

staff-officer who had kept up with him, galloped with these orders out

of Sorauren by one road, the French light cavalry dashed in by another,

and the English general rode alone up the mountain to reach his troops.

One of Campbell’s Portuguese battalions first descried him, and raised

a cry of joy, and the shrill clamour caught up by the next regiments

swelled as it run along the line into that stern and appalling shout

which the British soldier is wont to give upon the edge of battle, and

which no enemy ever heard unmoved. Lord Wellington suddenly stopped in

a conspicuous place; he desired that both armies should know he was

there; and a double spy who was present pointed out Soult, then so near

that his features could be plainly distinguished. The English general,

it is said, fixed his eyes attentively upon this formidable man, and

speaking as if to himself, said, ‘_Yonder is a great commander, but he

is a cautious one, and will delay his attack to ascertain the cause of

these cheers; that will give time for the 6th division to arrive, and

I shall beat him_.’ And certain it is that the French general made no

serious attack that day.”--_Napier._

Twelve British regiments were embattled on the Pyrenees who had fought

at Talavera; and there were present not a few who might recall an

incident to memory, that would present a striking but amusing contrast

Cuesta, examining his battle-ground four years before in lumbering

state, seated in an unwieldly coach, and drawn by eight pampered mules;

Wellington, on an English hunter, dashing from post to post at headlong

speed, and at a pace that distanced the best mounted of his staff.