royal standard of England, with its three gold leopards set on red,
was advanced to the cry of “For God and St. George!” A strong body
of knights attended it. Then came Surrey’s own banner, of chequered
blue and gold, followed by a numerous force of his vassals. It was
in vain. They forced their way over the bridge, but finding no room
to form, they only served to increase the confusion and swell the
slaughter made by the Scottish spearmen. Of all who crossed that
fatal bridge there returned but three. Sir Marmaduke Twenge with
his nephew and armour-bearer, spurring their steads, rushed into
the midst of the Scots at the bridgehead, cut their way through,
and escaped unharmed. The haughty churchman, Cressingham, lay dead
on the field. A Scottish spear had pierced his mail like silk, and
run him through the body, till the point stood out on the other
side. It was said that Wallace’s own hand drove that spear home.
Surrey saw that the safe side of the Forth was safe no longer, for
the Scots were preparing to cross. He turned his horse, and fled
without drawing bridle to Berwick. His troops broke and scattered
in all directions. The face of the country was covered with a
confused mass of terrified fugitives, who threw away their arms
and standards as they fled. Keen and fierce the Scots pressed the
chase, and their thirsty swords drank much blood. The powerful host
which a few hours before had marshalled so proudly beside Stirling
Bridge was beaten small and scattered like chaff.”
STONY CREEK.--_Canada._--Fought, June 5th, 1813. Between the
Canadians and Americans, the latter commanded by Generals Chandler
and Winder. The Americans had advanced as far as Stony Creek with
the intention of dislodging him, when Lieutenant Colonel Harvey,
now Sir John Harvey, conceived and executed a plan of surprising
them in the night. Before day he entered their camp, consisting
of 3000 men, with only 704 soldiers, killed and wounded a great
number, and captured two Generals and 120 prisoners. This affair
so disconcerted the Americans that they returned hastily to Fort
George, leaving the communication with part of Niagara frontier
open to the British, and perhaps eventually saving the whole of the
Province.
STRATTON HILL, BATTLE OF.--Between the Royal army and the forces
of the Parliament, headed by the Poet Waller. The Parliamentarians
lost the battle, with numbers of killed and wounded, and Waller
was obliged to flee to Bristol. Fought, May 16th, 1643. Waller was
nephew to the great Hampden.
T.
TALAVERA.--Fought, July, 27th and 28th, 1809, between the
English and French and Spanish armies.--“After the campaigns of
Marlborough, the English army acquired little distinction in the
field for more than a century. The battles of Dettingen (1743),
Fontenoy (1745), and Minden (1759), were affairs in which England
was involved by her Hanoverian alliances, and in which small
bodies of English troops were engaged, with little glory, and
with but trifling results. It was not until the next century had
opened, and the talent and ambition of one of the world’s greatest
conquerors had almost reached the climax of universal dominion,
that England, for her own preservation, and for the rescue of the
Spanish peninsula from his grasp, was compelled to send an army
into Spain; which, under the guidance of one of the most consummate
Generals that the world has ever seen, chased the armies of France
over province after province, from Lisbon to Biscay, and ultimately
drove them over the Pyrenees.
The peninsular campaigns of the Duke of Wellington commenced
with the brilliant affair of Vimiera; but we cannot dignify that
engagement with the name of a great battle, in which the forces
on either side, did not exceed thirteen or fourteen thousand men;
and the fruits of which were snatched from the victor’s hands by
the sudden arrival of a superior in command. It was on Sir Arthur
Wellesley’s second appearance in Portugal, in the year following
the battle of Vimiera, that the contest really began; and the three
great battles which distinguished its successive stages, were those
of Talavera, Salamanca, and Vittoria. The first exhibited the
power of Napoleon in Spain fairly grappled with; the second showed
that power defeated; the third closed the struggle by its absolute
downfall and expulsion.
After his supercession in 1808, on the very day of Vimiera, Sir
Arthur Wellesley had returned to England; but, happily, the
indignation felt by the English people at the convention of Cintra,
by which the results of that victory had been thrown away, warned
the British government that it was needful in times of great
emergency to depart from the rule of _seniority_, and to select
a Commander mainly on the ground of known and proved talent and
ability. Hence the victor of Vimiera was again called into the
field, and, on the 22nd of April, 1809, Sir Arthur Wellesley a
second time landed in Portugal.
“The unexpected arrival of a victorious Commander,” says Sir W.
Napier, “created the greatest enthusiasm:--the Regency nominated
him Captain-General; the people hailed his presence, and an
undefined but powerful sentiment that something great would be
achieved, pervaded the public mind.” Still, somewhat surprising,
and rather overweening, was this confidence; for Sir Arthur
Wellesley commanded only 26,000 English and German troops;--the
Spanish and Portuguese armies were of little worth, and the French
Emperor had at that moment in the Peninsula, a force of _two
hundred and seventy thousand men_.
Sir Arthur lost no time in bringing his troops into action. On
the 12th of May he crossed the Douro, in the face of the French
army, and carried Oporto. Soult had entered it two months before
with 25,500 men; he quitted it with 19,500, having lost by the
sword and by sickness, by assassination and capture, 6,000 good
soldiers. He had marched into Portugal with 58 pieces of artillery,
he quitted it without a gun! Yet Soult was perhaps the greatest of
all Napoleon’s Generals. Sir Arthur’s next object was, and indeed
it seemed a necessity of his position, to seek the French armies,
and to fight them with the least possible delay. The demand of the
English, and of the Portuguese also, was to be led against the foe.
To raise the spirit of the people of Spain and Portugal, and also
of the governments of both countries, it was necessary to show that
there was an army and a General in the field, and that neither the
army nor the General were afraid of meeting the French.
At this period the Spanish Generals and the Spanish Ministers had
not fully proved their entire inefficiency. They still boasted of
their power to “drive the French out of Madrid, and out of Spain;”
and if the English General had refused to co-operate with them, he
would have been charged with cowardice or with treachery. On the
27th of June, 1809, therefore, Sir Arthur, at the head of 22,000
British troops, and with 30 guns, entered Spain, and began his
march on Madrid. The Spanish General Cuesta, with an army of 39,000
men, was to co-operate with him.
This co-operation, however, proved to be nothing but hindrance
and a source of vexation. The two armies marched forward, Sir
Arthur grieved, day by day, by some failure of supplies, means of
transport, or other necessary aid. On one occasion a delay of two
whole days was created by the Spanish General’s obstinacy. On the
24th of July Sir Arthur wrote to Lord Castlereagh, “I am not able
to follow the enemy as I could wish; having found it impossible to
procure _even one mule, or a cart in Spain_; ... My troops have
been in actual want of provisions for the last two days.” Meanwhile
the Spanish Government took care of its own troops, and left the
English to shift for themselves. “The French,” writes Sir Arthur,
“can take what they like and will take it--while we cannot even buy
common necessaries.”
Joseph, the nominal King of Spain, was apprized of the approach
of the English and Spanish forces, and marched out of Madrid with
25,000 French veterans, commanded by Marshals Jourdan and Victor,
to meet them. The two armies came into the neighbourhood of each
other about the 22nd of July, 1809. Sir Arthur and Cuesta had
agreed, on that day, that Victor’s corps, which had been found
detached from the rest of the French army, should be attacked on
the following day. But when the English troops were getting under
arms the next morning, the old Spaniard was not up, and finally,
he objected to any attack that day. The fact was, that the French
General had contrived to corrupt some of Cuesta’s staff, and thus
difficulties were constantly thrown in the way.
Victor, whose discomfiture would have been easy on the 23rd, had
now escaped, and had joined Sebastiani and King Joseph. The whole
French army now amounted to 56,122 men, and, confident in their
strength, the Commanders resolved at once to march upon Talavera,
and to attack the Anglo-Spanish army.
Two or three minor engagements preceded the general battle. On
the 27th, in the afternoon, Victor’s advanced guards came upon
the British outposts, and immediately attacked them. The English
troops, some of whom then saw fire for the first time, were thrown
into some confusion, and Sir Arthur himself narrowly escaped being
made prisoner. A body of 10,000 Spanish which was posted near, took
such an alarm, that they broke and fled, giving out that “all was
lost.” Sir Arthur, with some difficulty, restored order, brought up
fresh troops, and the French were finally driven off. Yet such was
the effect of this panic among the Spanish troops, that they went
into action the next day with 6000 men less than their previous
number.
That same night Victor, encouraged by the effect of the surprise
thus narrated, made an attack after sunset on a hill which was
the key of the English position. For a moment the French attack
succeeded, but General Hill brought up the 48th regiment, and at
last expelled the French from the ground which they had gained. The
British lost 800 men, and the French 1000, in this affair, which
was not ended until long after dark.
As soon, however, as the day dawned, the French renewed the attack.
Once more they ascended the hill, and struggled hand to hand with
the English infantry. General Hill was wounded, and many officers
fell around him. But the French never gained the upper hand. After
a severe contest, they fell back; and the English pressed down
the hill, after them, until the whole of the attacking column got
into confusion, and finally rushed down the declivity in headlong
rout. This single attack, which lasted only forty minutes, cost the
French nearly 1500 men.
A consultation was now held in the French camp, as to the
expediency of immediately risking a general battle. Jourdan
strongly urged the taking up a position behind the Alberche, and
there awaiting the approach of Soult, who, with another army, was
expected to menace the English on their flank and rear in a few
days. Victor was more confident, promising to carry the hill on the
English left, if Sebastiani would attack the centre and right at
the same moment. He added, “If such a combination can fail, it is
time that we gave up war.”
King Joseph hesitated; when, at that moment, a despatch arrived
from Soult, stating that he could not reach the neighbourhood in
less than a week. This decided the matter, and orders were given to
attack.
Meanwhile, many discouragements prevailed in the English camp.
Provisions were scarce, and the men suffered from hunger. Among the
Spaniards all was confusion and distrust. Such alarm was created
by Cuesta’s conduct, that in the very midst of the battle, his own
countryman, the Duke d’Albuquerque, sent one of his staff to warn
Sir Arthur Wellesley that “Cuesta was betraying him.” Sir Arthur
received the message while seated on the hill, intently watching
the movements of the French. He listened to it without even turning
his head; and coolly replied to the officer who brought him the
message, “Very well, you may return to your brigade;” and then
quietly resumed his survey.
But now the battle began. The allied army was posted near Talavera,
having that city and the Tagus on its right, a hill already
referred to on its left, a sort of ravine and water-course in
front; and looking towards the Alberche,--a river which flows into
the Tagus,--in front of which lay the whole French army. “The
British and Germans,” says Sir W. Napier, “were somewhat above
19,000 sabres and bayonets, with 30 guns. The Spaniards were 33
or 34,000 men, with 70 guns. The French advanced with 80 guns,
and nearly 50,000 men. But what a difference in the quality of
the troops! The French were all hardy veterans; while the genuine
soldiers of the allied army did not exceed 19,000.”
Before one o’clock the French soldiers were seen to gather round
their eagles, and the rolling of drums was heard along the whole
line. Half an hour later, King Joseph’s guards, the reserve, and
the fourth corps were descried in march; and soon the table-land
and the height on the French right were covered with dark and
lowering masses. Victor gave the signal for battle, and 80 pieces
of artillery sent a tempest of bullets before the light troops,
who came on with all the swiftness and violence of a hailstorm,
followed by the broad black columns in all the majesty of war.
“Sir Arthur Wellesley from the hill viewed the whole field of
battle. He saw the fourth corps rushing forwards with the usual
impetuosity of French soldiers and falling upon Campbell’s
division, which held the right centre, with infinite fury; yet
that General, assisted by Mackenzie’s brigade and two Spanish
battalions, withstood their utmost efforts. The British regiment
met the advancing columns with loud shouts, broke their front,
lapped their flanks with fire, and at last pushed them back with
a terrible carnage. Ten guns were taken; but as Campbell feared
to break his line by a pursuit, the French rallied, and made head
for another attack. Then the British artillery played vehemently
upon them; a Spanish regiment of cavalry charged their flank; they
retired in disorder, and the victory was secured in that quarter.”
This was on the right of the English line. On the left, two
different columns of French were seen advancing towards the hill,
the key of the position. Sir Arthur sent forward an English
regiment of cavalry, and the 1st German hussars, to charge the
heads of these columns. A hollow cleft, not before perceived,
stopped the Germans; some of the English leaped it, in twos and
threes, and in desultory manner fell upon the French infantry. Some
Polish lancers charged them while thus disordered, and the regiment
was broken, and lost 207 officers and men.
Meanwhile, one of the French attacking columns was actually
contending for possession of the hill; and at the same time a
powerful mass of infantry, crossing the ravine, pressed hard upon
the English centre. The French attack was at first driven back;
then the English Guards, in the excitement of success, rushed after
them with reckless ardour. The French reserves charged them; the
Guards, disordered, were broken; the German Legion, adjoining, got
into confusion, and for the moment the English centre seemed to be
shaken and in disorder.
But when the Guards had made their rash charge, Sir Arthur,
foreseeing the issue of it, had ordered up the 48th regiment; and
had also sent for Cotton’s light-horse. The French came on, pushing
before them the disordered foot-guards. Sir Arthur charged them
with the 48th, brought them to a stand; the Guards and the German
Legion speedily recovered their ranks; and at last this terrible
attack was defeated, and the French were pushed back over the
ravine, carrying with them their general, Lapisse, mortally wounded.
Meanwhile their attack on the hill had failed; while on the Spanish
part of the army, safely posted behind redoubts in Talavera, they
had made no assault. And so closed the battle of Talavera. Both
sides remained in the position of the morning when night closed
upon them. But at day-break the French began their retreat; and
before six o’clock their whole army was safely encamped behind the
Alberche. That day, too, Sir Robert Crawford joined the British
army, bringing with him the 43rd, the 52nd, and the 95th regiments;
which troops immediately relieved the rest of the army of the
outpost-duty.
The loss of the English in this terrible contest was 6268;
including in the reckoning all the attacks, both on the 27th and
the 28th. The loss of the French was 8794, according to their own
returns. They lost also 17 guns, some tumbrils, and several hundred
prisoners.
Sir Arthur Wellesley, as we have said, was obliged to fight this
battle. Had he refused to advance, the Spanish government and
people would have deemed his presence useless, and would have
upbraided him with want of courage. And having advanced, the French
Marshals very naturally looked upon him as their prey; and attacked
him, deeming his defeat certain.
The reputation gained by the victory was obviously that arising
from a fearless meeting of the attack of a fine French army of
50,000 men, led by two celebrated Generals, with an Anglo-German
force of 19,000, encumbered with the merely nominal aid of
Spaniards. A French critic, General Jomini, thus speaks of the
moral result: “This battle at once restored the reputation of the
British army, which, during a century past, had declined. It was
now ascertained, that the English infantry could dispute the palm
with the best in Europe.”
Sir Arthur, too, had now seen, and his troops had seen and proved,
the value of the Spanish army; and all illusion on that subject had
ceased. Their artillery was well trained, and sometimes rendered
good service; but their cavalry was wretched; and their infantry
was totally unable to perform evolutions under fire without falling
into confusion. The result therefore naturally was, that the
English General, retiring into Portugal, commenced plans to be
carried out by English and Portuguese forces, in which the Spanish
armies bore little or no part.
The merits of the English Commander were promptly recognized by his
own government. He was immediately created Baron Douro and Viscount
Wellington of Talavera, and of Wellington in the county of Somerset.
There is a remarkable similarity, in all its chief features,
between this, the first of Wellington’s great battles, and
Waterloo, his last. Doubling the numbers on both sides, the
proportions were nearly the same. The French at Talavera had more
than 50,000 excellent troops,--at Waterloo they had almost twice
as many. The great English General had about 19,000 good troops
at Talavera, with the nominal aid of 30,000 worthless ones. At
Waterloo, he had about 33 or 34,000 good troops, with the addition
of about as many unreliable ones. In both cases alike, the French,
confident of success, made the attack; and in both cases they were
foiled and driven back by a British force of less than half their
number. The one material difference between the two conflicts lay
in this,--that in the second great battle, just as Napoleon’s last
attack had been repelled, a force of 50,000 Prussians broke in upon
the retreating French, and utterly dispersed and annihilated their
already-beaten army.”
TARA, BATTLE OF.--This was one of the earliest battles in Ireland
in ’98. Fought between the Royal forces, only 400 strong, and
the insurgent Irish, amounting to 4000, yet they were completely
beaten, and 500 slain, May 26th, 1798.
TARBES, BATTLE OF.--Fought, March 20th, 1814, between the English
and French. Marshal Soult was forced from his position, with great
loss, by the Duke of Wellington. This engagement shortly preceded
that of Toulouse.
TARENTUM WAR.--One of the most celebrated wars in Roman History.
Undertaken by the inhabitants of Tarentum, with the aid of the
renowned Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, which resulted, after many
battles, in their subjugation by the arms of the Romans.
TCHERNAYA, BATTLE OF.--One of the brilliant engagements during
the Crimean war. Fought, August 10th, 1854. The enemy, in dense
columns of infantry and cavalry, supported by 160 guns, advanced
from the heights towards the river, here crossed by two bridges,
the larger one being known as the Traktir Bridge. They carried
pontoons, and appliances for crossing the stream; and there were
also several places in which the Tchernaya was fordable. Favoured
by the dim light of early morning, they succeeded in throwing
several battalions unobserved across the river, and attacking the
division led by General Camon, on the extreme left of the French
line. Though taken by surprise, the French made a brave resistance,
and the 3rd Zouaves and 50th of the line assisted by the 82nd,
which attacked them in the flank, succeeded in repelling them with
considerable loss.
In their second attempt the Russians were somewhat more successful.
They advanced across the Traktir Bridge. The _tête du pont_ was
guarded by the 20th regiment of the line, who were too weak to
offer any effective resistance. They bravely disputed the ground,
and lost twelve officers before they would give way. The dense
masses of the Russians now thronged across the bridge. In their
train followed three guns, which were promptly got into position to
sweep the road along which the French would advance. The infantry
swarmed across the bridge, or waded breast high through the stream.
Quickly forming into heavy columns, they advanced in gallant style
up the hill in front of the French centre. General Herbillon was
fully prepared for the attack, and the enemy was promptly met, and,
after a very animated contest, driven back across the bridge by the
2nd Zouaves, the 97th of the line, and one battalion of the foot
Chasseurs. The slaughter was terrific; the French and Sardinian
guns playing on the retreating mass, and the French pursuing them
in a vigorous bayonet charge.
The right of the French position occupied some low hillocks,
defended in front by the river, and by the aqueduct used to supply
the Turkish army with water. The Sardinian army was encamped on
their right and had manned a very effective battery. General
Faucheux was the French commander at this portion of the line, and
a considerable body of artillery was under his command. While the
Russians were attacking the French centre, as already related,
another column of enormous strength advanced across the river and
aqueduct, and attacked the French right. The artillery and the
rifles of the Sardinians made dreadful havoc in their ranks; but
the Russian officers cheered on their men to the advance, and, in
defiance of dreadful loss, charged gallantly the French position.
The Zouaves, who held the brow of the hill, retired slowly to the
main body, which was partially hidden by the nature of the ground,
and the enemy came on with loud cheers, imagining an easy conquest.
Then the French suddenly formed up into line, and charging forward
with an impetuosity that defies description, literally crushed
the enemy in their tremendous rush, and hurled them down the
hill. Many rolled into the aqueduct and were suffocated; others
had their limbs broken by the fall; and the main hotly turned and
fled precipitately towards the bridge. As the broken and flying
mass poured onwards, the batteries opened upon them, and a scene
of fearful massacre ensued. The bridge was choked with the troops
endeavouring to pass across, and the river was crowded with the
fugitives. Among them poured the iron hail of the Sardinian
batteries; and when they struggled into the open ground, hundreds
more fell mortally wounded. Never was there a more complete or
ignominious defeat.
The remnants of the infantry withdrew behind the cavalry, and
retreated to the hill; the Russian artillery covering them by
a heavy fire against the French batteries. Prince Gortschakoff
manœuvred his cavalry for some time in sight of the Allies, hoping
apparently to draw our dragoons in pursuit among the hills, where
a second Balaklava massacre would probably have awaited them.
General Scarlett, commanding the English cavalry division, eagerly
proffered the services of his splendid warriors, but General
Pelissier wisely declined to hazard such valuable troops in such a
perilous adventure.