MILITARY MEMOIRS.
EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY ANDERSON & BRYCE.
THE
MILITARY MEMOIRS
OF AN
INFANTRY OFFICER.
1809-1816.
EDINBURGH:
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR,
BY ANDERSON & BRYCE.
MDCCCXXXIII.
Address.
The Work now submitted to the Public, contains an account of the
Author's Campaigns during the most memorable period of the late French
wars. It pretends to no eminence as a literary composition; but the
Author trusts, that it will not be found wanting in accuracy of detail,
as to facts falling under his own notice. He trusts that no one who
opens it in hope of being amused, will shut it disappointed; and he
sincerely hopes that the junior members of his own profession will find
in it something which may prove useful to them when they are called
upon to suffer hardships--to encounter dangers--and to perform duties
similar to those recorded in the following pages.
Perth, 20th March, 1833.
MILITARY MEMOIRS
OF AN
INFANTRY OFFICER.
CHAPTER I.
In the beginning of the summer of 1809, the whole European
commonwealth--Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Sicily excepted, were
arrayed in arms against the British Isles; and ere the autumnal sun had
cheered the heart of the Austrian husbandman, that powerful empire,
after a series of sanguinary conflicts, was compelled to sue for peace,
and join the ranks of the enemy. The latter unfortunate event reduced
the number of our allies from _forty_ to _sixteen_ millions; and
consequently gave to our haughty antagonist a numerical superiority of
one hundred and fourteen millions--France and her allies forming a body
of one hundred and fifty millions, while Britain, and her little band
of faithful friends amounted to thirty-six millions of souls only! Such
was the unequal division of power in Europe in July 1809, when the
grand expedition under the present Earl of Chatham quitted the British
shores, to assail the enemy in a quarter then looked upon as the most
vulnerable point of his widely extended dominions.
During the awful period of preparation, the eyes of every inhabitant
of these realms were directed to the place of rendezvous; while with
breathless anxiety they watched the movement of every ship, and of
every battalion, as if the fate, not only of the United Kingdom, but
of the civilized world depended on the contemplated assault. From the
Land's End to John O'Groat's, and from Donaghadee to the southernmost
promontory of Erin's green isle, the interest excited on this occasion
was every where the same. Throughout Scotland, England, and Ireland--in
the mansion of the peer, and lowly abode of the peasant--one prayer
only was heard, and that one was for the success of the expedition
wherever bound, and a safe return to those embarked in it.
At Deal, Ramsgate, and Portsmouth, scenes of a most animated
description were daily presented to the eye of a spectator, from the
commencement of the vast preparations, till the last vessel spread
her white sails to the wind, and bade adieu to the chalky cliffs of
the sea-girt isle. During the whole of that interesting period, the
embarkation of men, horses, artillery, and military stores, continued
without intermission until all the ships in the fleet were filled
with the munitions of war, and those gallant spirits who were destined
to apply them to deadly purposes. At the embarkation of some of the
battalions, it was truly heart-rending to see the poor women taking
leave of their husbands--many of them to meet no more. The agonizing
cries,--the piteous lamentations, and the tears which flowed in copious
streams down their care-worn cheeks, were more than sufficient to
penetrate the hardest heart that ever lay incased in the breast of
man. The feelings of the soldiers, also, were on those occasions,
not only such as to do them honor, but to convince every individual
who witnessed the interesting scenes, that although soldiers may be
said to live and move in a region of danger, and not unfrequently
surrounded with scenes of horror, in every appalling shape which the
field of battle can produce, yet their hearts are stored with a much
larger portion of the finer feelings of the human breast, than people
in private life have hitherto been disposed to give them credit for.
The parting salutations of the distressed couples, no one could hear
without being sensibly affected.--"God bless you, Mary; be kind to our
babes;" or "Farewell, Betsy; think of me till I return;" were very
generally the requests made by the soldiers, when they grasped the
hands of their afflicted partners, to bid them adieu,--requests which
the latter invariably promised to observe, and then sealed their
pledge with a tender embrace.
Scenes of dissipation were also pretty numerous, particularly at
Portsmouth, where it was nothing uncommon to see a jolly tar locked
so fast in the arms of a help-mate on the beach, that it required
considerable exertion to rouse them from their slumber, and not a
little persuasive eloquence to make the happy mortals relinquish their
unseemly couch on the shore, for one more secluded from public view.
For two weeks previous to the sailing of the expedition, Deal was
literally filled to an overflow with naval and military officers of
all grades, from the admiral to the little middy, and from the general
to the jolly ensign. Every hotel and tavern, and numerous private
houses, were so crowded, that four of my friends were one evening
compelled to pay one pound four shillings for a _room_ and _single
bed_. Determined to reap a golden harvest, the _good honest_ people
of Deal, demanded most exorbitant prices for almost every article we
required, and which, I am sorry to say, were but too generally paid,
and without a grumble by the thoughtless, and almost countless host of
purchasers. During the day, the principal shops were crowded almost to
suffocation--particularly those confectionary establishments where the
sparkling eyes of the fair shopkeepers formed a point of attraction
too powerful for the youthful portion of our fraternity to resist.
By the bye, I should like to know the reason why so many confectioners
and fancy snuff retailers, place pretty little interesting creatures
behind their counters, for it is a system which I ever have, and will
continue to condemn as one of a most pernicious tendency--the giddy
and thoughtless portion of our youth viewing it in a light _favourable
to immorality_. Now, this being a fact which no man can deny, and as
it should be the grand object of all respectable tradesmen to stand
fair with the world, and be at peace with their own consciences, those
individuals who now employ _decoy ducks_, cannot too soon lay aside the
practice, for they may rest assured, that no such bare-faced attempts
to procure a market for their commodities, will ever be patronized by
any good or honourable man.
From the rising to the setting of the sun, Deal and its environs
daily presented to the eye of a stranger, a singular and interesting
picture. Afloat and on shore, the first disturbers of our nocturnal
repose, were the morning guns, and reveille. By their united efforts,
thousands of dormant spirits were daily roused into action, some to
prepare for a long and a tough pull at the oar--others for a hard
cruise on shore. From day-break all was life and gaiety on board;
and ere the sun had advanced far on his diurnal journey, hundreds of
boats filled with naval and military heroes, were skimming along the
surface of the briny deep, and with fearful velocity hastening towards
the landing-place. The foraging parties returned to their ships on
procuring the provisions of which they stood in need; those on pleasure
remained on shore to enjoy the sports of the day. On the departure of
the former, stillness reigned through every corner of the town, till
noon, when boats, as formidable in point of numbers as before, again
approached the beach, and poured fresh cargoes of emigrants into it, to
the great annoyance of all, save shopkeepers and publicans. On landing,
each officer pursued the route which fancy pointed out. The politician
retired to some place of entertainment, and scanned the pages of
the newspapers; the sedate and prudent had an eye to their personal
comforts; and the loungers made arrangements for a cruise through
the town, to torment some unfortunate billiard marker, or make some
confectioner, or milliner's shop girl fancy herself a goddess. Engaged
in similar _interesting_ and _honourable_ employments, the various
groups promenaded the streets, till old father time, pointing to the
hour of four, gave the whole a hint to retire and partake of Deal
hospitality, or the good things which their friends had provided for
them on board. From the latter hour, every hotel, and minor place of
public resort, were crowded with warriors of every description, whence
hundreds of them, after dedicating many a full flowing cup to those
they had left behind, went daily reeling to their boats, as happy as
the juice of the grape, or malt could make them, all the way singing,
"How merrily we live who soldiers be."
Whenever the surf ran high at the landing place, these thoughtless
mortals afforded their more reflecting brethren a very rich treat;
for having generally dipped deeper into the cup of intemperance than
prudence dictated, they had so much difficulty in stowing themselves
into their skiffs, that a severe bruise or two on the leg, in addition
to a complete ducking, were very frequently the fruits of their
bacchanalian revels, before they accomplished their object.
A more unique, and on the whole, interesting mass of human beings, was
perhaps never before collected within so narrow a compass. In Deal,
were congregated men from every country, of every religious persuasion,
and of every profession under the sun. So various were the costumes
worn, and so numerous the languages spoken by the dense assemblage of
naval, military, and civil characters, as they paraded the streets,
that had that interesting personage, Mr Paul Pry, been then in
existence, and dropped in upon us, ignorant of the cause which had
drawn us together, he most assuredly would have taken it for granted,
that it was our intention to build a second Babel on one of the heights
between Deal and Dover.
Various as were the costumes of the multitude, their shades of
character were not less diversified. Having occasion one day to wait
upon Sir John Hope, (late Earl of Hopetoun) he, on my taking leave,
requested me to carry a letter to Colonel Cameron of the 92d regiment,
who, with a portion of his battalion, was then on board of the Superb
of 74 guns. On leaving Walmer, I proceeded to the quarter-deck of
the _venerable_ bark, and delivered my charge into the hands of the
Highland chief. Knowing that Sir John Hope was to take his passage in
the Superb, and that orders had been received for her to sail on the
following morning, the Colonel instantly communicated the contents of
Sir John's note to Admiral ----, whose pendant floated in the wind from
the mast of the "_Old Superb_," as the nautical gentleman generally
denominated her. On hearing that Sir John Hope did not expect to embark
for three or four days, the Admiral then said he would write to Sir
John on the subject, and requested me to forward his letter the moment
I landed. The Admiral then hurried into his cabin, and in a few minutes
reappeared with the letter in his hand.
On receiving it, I again repeated my pledge to see the letter
delivered, and was on the eve of turning round to regain my boat,
when the Admiral, without uttering a word, snatched the letter out of
my hand, tore it in numerous pieces, and like a flash of lightning,
darted into the cabin. This comic scene drew smiles from many a
weather-beaten countenance, while to me, the whole matter was totally
inexplicable; and in this hopeful state of ignorance I might have
remained to the present day, had not a naval friend the same day at
dinner satisfied me, that with the exception of a few such occasional
occurrences, there was no other draw-back to as gallant and amiable a
character as ever graced the quarter-deck of a British man-of-war.
To the same friend I am indebted for the following anecdote of another
distinguished naval commander, who held an important command in the
fleet, which wafted us to the pestilential marshes of the land of frogs.
A few days previous to the memorable battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Sir
R.S. was detached on a special service by Lord Nelson, with several
sail of the line. The gallant chief had not been long absent from the
grand fleet, when one morning he observed an enemy's fleet of four
sail of the line, bearing down, cleared for action. Our lads being
as anxious for a bit of fun as their Gallic opponents, accepted the
challenge, and to it they went, ship to ship. One of the British
ships commanded by Captain ----, less distinguished for beauty than
his unconquerable courage, grappled instantly with a French ship of
superior force, and in a very short time made her opponent feel, that
no enemy, however formidable, is at any time permitted to approach a
British man-of-war with impunity; for
Firm are the sons that Britain leads,
To combat on the main.
On perceiving that the fire of his favourite ship was doing great
execution, the Admiral, in token of his admiration, threw his hat on
the deck, and remained uncovered, amidst dreadful showers of bullets.
The fire from the French vessel growing less vivid, Sir R.'s heart was
so gladdened with this first prospect of victory, that he began to
dance, and with the vigour of years gone by, kept it up, till his _hat_
was turned into innumerable shapes; and in one of the most fantastic,
removed from under the Admiral's feet, and replaced on his head. A
second favourable omen soon after appearing, the hat was again doomed
to descend from its elevated station, to experience from its brave
owner the same treatment as before. But fortunately for the _chapeau_,
a third omen of victory soon followed the last, which operated so
powerfully on the mind of the gallant Admiral, that he ordered his
_wig_ to follow its friend, and in a twinkling again began to trip
it on the light fantastic toe, and continued the youthful amusement
till every one of the enemy's ships had successively hauled down their
colours.
The day at length approached, when it became necessary for all and
each of us to lay fun and revelry aside, and prepare for an early
meeting with the enemies of our common country. Early on the afternoon
of the 27th July, the ominous signal, _Blue Peter_, was hoisted on
board of the head quarter ship. Although nothing had been permitted
to transpire which could mark the exact point of debarkation, yet
from various movements among the vessels of war, it was not very
difficult to discover that our destination was Holland. This was
rather a disagreeable discovery, for it was impossible to banish from
our remembrance the dreadful hardships which our friends suffered
in that country, during the campaigns of 1794 and 1795. These
unpleasant recollections, added to the disastrous dispatches which
arrived from the banks of the Danube, a few days previous to the
sailing of the expedition, produced an unfavourable impression on the
minds of almost every individual in both services. But it may very
fairly be questioned, whether the appointment of a titled general
to a high command in the expedition, did not produce a much more
baneful sensation. Report had been for some time particularly busy in
assigning to this General the situation which he ultimately held in the
expedition; but until the appointment actually appeared in the London
Gazette, none attached the smallest credit to it; for there were more
than one general officer then at home, not only well qualified for the
command of such a force, but who having spent the greater part of their
lives on foreign service, looked for such an appointment as a suitable
reward for their long and faithful services. That some of the best and
bravest of our land felt severely the cold hand of neglect on this
occasion, was not only currently reported, but _credited_ in military
circles. In fact, report went so far as to assert, that promises had
been made in a high quarter to some of the gallant individuals, which,
if kept, the noble Earl would have been compelled to remain at home,
and live in expectation. Had the appointment of commander-in-chief
rested with the troops, their choice would, no doubt, have fallen
upon that general, whose military talents shone so conspicuously in
the command of the British army in Spain, on the fall of his early
and bosom friend, the lamented MOORE. Can I adduce a stronger proof
in support of this assertion, than the following little incident, to
which I was an eye-witness. A private soldier of the 36th regiment,
actually refused to embark at Portsmouth; and on being desired to give
his reasons for disobeying the orders of his superiors, very coolly
replied, _that it was because Sir John Hope was not to have the command
of the expedition_. I may state further, that the soldier was placed
in the boat by force; and on quitting the beach, cried, "_Sir John
Hope for ever_;" to which the cheers of those on shore most heartily
responded.
So confident were many of my friends that the fleet would never sail
from the Downs, that when the signal of preparation was hoisted,
hundreds were on shore, so totally destitute of the means of leaving
it, that had the fleet got under weigh the same day, a considerable
portion of them must eventually have been left behind. As it was,
many officers did not get on board till four o'clock on the following
morning, and then only on paying the _trifling sum of three and four
Guineas for a trip of half as many miles_.
The troops employed in this expedition, consisted of twelve squadrons
of cavalry--forty battalions, besides portions of battalions, of
infantry--and from eighty to one hundred pieces of artillery. The whole
were formed into sixteen brigades, and the latter again into seven
divisions as follows, viz.:
_Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote's Division._
_1st Brigade._--Colonel Mahon.
Three Squadrons.--9th Light Dragoons, part of 95th Rifle Corps, and
Detachment of Royal Staff Corps.
_2nd Brigade._--Brigadier General Rottenburg.
The 68th, 1st Battalion, 71st, and one Battalion of 95th Rifle Regiment.
_Lieutenant General the Earl of Rosslyn's Division._
_1st. Brigade._--Major General Linsingen.
Three Squadrons 3d Dragoon Guards--Three Squadrons 12th Light Dragoons,
and Three Squadrons 2d Light Dragoons, King's German Legion.
_2nd Brigade._--Major General Stewart.
The 2d Battalions of the 43d and 52d, and Eight Companies of 95th Rifle
Corps.
_3d Brigade._--Brigadier General Baron Alten.
The 1st and 2d Battalions King's German Legion.
_Lieutenant General Sir John Hope's Division, or Corps of Reserve._
_1st Brigade._--Brigadier General Disney.
The 1st and 2d Battalions First Foot Guards.
_2d Brigade._--Major General the Earl of Dalhousie.
The 1st and 2d Battalions 4th Foot, and 1st Battalion 28th Regiment.
_3d Brigade._--Major General Sir William Erskine.
The 20th Foot, and 1st Battalion 92d Regiment.
_Lieutenant General the Marquis of Huntly's Division._
_1st Brigade._--Major General Leith.
The 2d Battalions 11th and 59th, and 1st Battalion 79th Regiment.
_2d Brigade._--Brigadier General Ackland.
The 2d Foot, 76th, and 2d Battalion 84th Regiment.
_Lieutenant General Mackenzie Fraser's Division._
_1st Brigade._--Major General Dyott.
The 1st Battalions of 5th, 58th, and 91st Regiments.
_2d Brigade._--Brigadier General Montresor.
The First Battalions 9th, 38th, and 42d Regiments.
_Lieutenant General Grosvenor's Division._
_1st Brigade._--Major General Brown.
The 2d Battalions 23d, 26th, and 81st, and First Battalion 32d Regiment.
_2d Brigade._--Major General Picton.
The 1st Battalion 36th, 2d Battalion 63d, and 77th Regiments.
_Lieutenant General Lord Paget's Division._
_1st Brigade._--Major General Graham.
The 3d Battalion 1st Foot, and 85th Regiment.
_2d Brigade._--Brigadier General Houston.
The 2d Battalions of the 14th and 51st, and 82d Regiment.
_Commander-in-Chief._
Lieutenant General the Earl of Chatham.
_Second in Command._
Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote.
_Commanding Artillery._
Major General M'Leod.
_Chief Officer of Engineers._
General Terrot.
The naval part of the expedition consisted of from 300 to 400 vessels
of all denominations, upwards of 100 of whom were ships of the
line--frigates, sloops, and brigs of war, &c. The whole were placed
under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, who had
Rear Admiral Sir R.G. Keates as his second, on this interesting and
important occasion.
At day-break, on the 28th of July, all hands were piped on deck to
assist at the capstone, and most cheerfully did every man, soldiers
and sailors, join in the good old British cry of "Yeo--heave ho!" In
less than an hour, a considerable portion of the fleet had unfurled
their white sails to the wind, and were ploughing their way towards the
Scheldt, their decks covered with thousands of warriors, chaunting, as
they cast a long and lingering look behind--
"Ye beautuous maids your smiles bestow,
For if ye prove unkind,
How can we hope to beat the foe,
Who leave our hearts behind."
The vessels of war moved outside of the transports, and the gun-boats,
with the assistance of some buoys, marked the route of the whole.
The appearance of the fleet this morning, was even more magnificent
than when it rode at anchor in the Downs. Nothing could move more
beautifully than the largest class of our men-of-war, as they dashed
through the foaming billows, leading the way to the scene of action.
For some hours I paced the deck of our little brig, admiring with
feelings of national pride, the noble--the unrivalled spectacle before
me; and on my eyes being sufficiently feasted, I descended into our
little crib, and there craved from the Giver of Victory, success in
some degree commensurate with the magnitude of the armament.
On weighing anchor, the wind was favourable, and blowing what our
nautical friends called a gentle breeze; but as we receded from the
British shore, it freshened, and during the rest of the day blew hard.
A few hours after leaving our anchorage, and when something like order
was restored on deck, we retired into the cabin to partake of our
morning repast. The servants, however, having neglected to _lash_ the
table to the cabin floor, we had not been seated many minutes, when
one dire hitch of our little jade, tumbled every thing topsy-turvy. In
an instant, away went seats and sitters, table, tea-pot, cups, bread,
butter, and eggs, all towards one common centre--the portly person
of our worthy quarter-master, a man nearly six feet four inches in
height. The latter no sooner felt an inclination to slide backwards,
than he, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, rather unluckily
caught hold of the table, which being as ready for a piece of fun as
his own seat, at once yielded to the impulse of the venerable hero,
and most cheerfully accompanied him in his trip to the then lower part
of the cabin. Failing in this attempt to preserve his position, our
messmate had now no other alternative than to permit matters to take
their course, so down went the head, and up flew the heels of the
warrior, who in a moment lay weltering--not in his blood--but in tea,
and nearly suffocated with the caresses of his friends, who in their
journey to the same quarter of the cabin, found the veteran an obstacle
not to be avoided.
The wind had increased so much in the night of the 28th, that at
day-break on the 29th, the sailors called it a stiff gale. Two hours
after sun-rise, the sea presented to the view of all on board, such an
unusual appearance, that every one fancied that the vessels in rear
were descending a considerable declivity. As the day advanced, the wind
increased, till the surrounding waters became so agitated, that when
the masters of transports were plying between their own vessels and
those of their respective commodores, they frequently appeared to us
all but engulphed in the roaring element. The small craft rolled and
pitched most fearfully, and the crews of the gun-boats had work enough
on their hands. The decks of the latter being raised very little above
the surface of the water, almost every wave passed over them, drenching
the crews so thoroughly, that the poor fellows, long ere night, had
more the appearance of belonging to some amphibious tribe, than the
human race. In the afternoon, the cries of some of the latter for help,
were truly deplorable. Previous to the sailing of the expedition from
the Downs, the competition amongst the junior naval officers for the
command of the gun-boats, was extremely keen, each candidate bringing
into play all the interest he could command, to obtain for him the
object of his ambition. But I am pretty certain, that had a sense of
honour permitted them, not a few of those spirited individuals would,
on this occasion, most gladly have made use of the same interest to
have themselves removed back to their former situations.
About nine o'clock in the morning of the 29th, the person on the
look-out duty, descried the Dutch coast a-head, and towards noon,
a great many vessels dropped their anchors in the Room-Pot, but
subsequently moved to a safer anchorage in the Vere-Gat, between
the islands of Schowen, and North Beveland. Here the whole armament
re-assembled the same evening and following day.
Every thing being ready for an immediate descent on the enemy's coast,
part of the army destined to act against Flushing, were removed into
flat bottomed boats; and at four o'clock in the afternoon of the
30th, moved off in beautiful order towards the shore. Under cover of
a few bomb vessels and gun-brigs, the small craft advanced with great
regularity, till within a short distance of the landing place, when a
general cry of, "Devil take the hindmost," ran from right to left. The
landing of troops in face of an enemy, being at all times a hazardous
operation, considerable anxiety was apparent in every countenance, till
the friends who had preceded us in the road to honour, had obtained a
footing on the enemy's soil. Having effected a landing on the island of
Walcheren, at a place called the Bree-sand, and about a mile from Fort
Der Haak, part of the troops under General Fraser, were sent against
the latter; which, on his approach, being evacuated by the enemy, he
continued his offensive movement towards Ter-Vere. The governor of this
fortress shewing an unwillingness to resign his command, the place was
regularly invested on the land side, and bombarded from the river, with
great effect during the night of the 30th, and the whole of the 31st.
These summary proceedings caused the commandant to listen to terms, and
ultimately to surrender the _town_, garrison, and military stores, into
our hands on the following day.
Middleburgh, the capital of this little island, surrendered to Sir Eyre
Coote, on the 31st July, and Fort Ramakens on the 3d of August, but
not before the place was regularly invested, and our batteries about to
open on its defences.
Pending these operations, a portion of the fleet under Sir Richard
Keates, having on board the reserve, commanded by Sir John Hope,
proceeded up the eastern branch of the Scheldt, and on the 1st of
August effected a landing on the island of South Beveland, the whole
of which fell into our hands, during that and the following day. The
brigade of guards under General Disney, were pushed forward towards
Fort Batz, a place of some strength, at the upper extremity of the
island, which being evacuated by the enemy, was taken possession of
by them on the 3d of August. The brigade commanded by the Earl of
Dalhousie, was directed to support the Guards in this movement, and Sir
William Erskine's brigade occupied Ter Goes, the chief town, and some
adjacent villages. A few days after, the latter brigade moved forward
six or seven miles, and took possession of the towns of Capelle,
Biesling, &c.
After a good deal of severe fighting between the troops under
Generals Graham, Houston, Lord Paget, and the enemy, Flushing was
closely invested on the 1st of August. From that day the duties of
our companions engaged in the siege were unremitting; and owing to
the natural dampness of the soil, and copious rains which daily
deluged the earth around them, extremely severe. In constructing
their batteries, and carrying forward their other field operations,
the British troops had to contend with most unseasonable weather,
and an active and enterprising enemy. But every individual bore
his allotted portion of privations and danger, with a firmness and
resolution which at once commanded the admiration and thanks of their
superiors. Honour, country, liberty,--words to the military slave, or
mercenary, unknown,--carries the British soldier through every danger
and difficulty, and makes him lay down with pleasure even life itself,
if by such a sacrifice, offered on the altar of his country, he can
transmit to his posterity, untarnished and unimpaired, the liberties
and honour of his native land.
From the 1st of August, daily affairs of posts took place between the
besieged and besiegers--the French commandant allowing no opportunity
of retarding the progress of his opponents to pass unimproved. His
efforts to prolong the siege, or utterly defeat the plans of his
antagonists, were ceaseless. His dreadful salvos of artillery from the
ramparts, at one time, and his well-planned and ably executed sorties,
at another, caused us a loss in time, as well as many valuable lives.
But notwithstanding all his exertions, our batteries were constructed,
and reported ready to open on the 12th of August.
Every moment of our time being precious, preparations were made for
a combined attack on Flushing, by land and sea, on the following
morning. The land batteries, accordingly, opened at ten o'clock, and
were for some time gallantly seconded by a number of our vessels
of war. But the fire of the latter not proving so effective as was
anticipated, Sir Richard Strachan withdrew them from under the enemy's
guns, resolved to make another trial on the succeeding day.
Accordingly, at ten o'clock on the morning of the 14th, Sir Richard
Strachan again weighed anchor, and carrying six or eight ships of the
line close under the enemy's batteries, instantly opened his fire
upon the town, and by rapid and dreadful broadsides from his floating
castles, assisted by the batteries on shore, soon set Flushing on fire
in numerous places. For some hours General Monnet returned the salutes
of our batteries and ships with much spirit and considerable effect;
but towards four o'clock the flames had spread over the greater part
of the town, and so many of his guns had been disabled, that before
five o'clock his fire almost entirely ceased. Conceiving the moment
favourable to transmit the governor a summons to surrender, Sir Eyre
Coote accordingly sent in a flag of truce, about five o'clock, and
gave him one hour to consider the conditions on which his submission
would be accepted. No answer having arrived at the expiry of the above
period, the cannonade was instantly re-commenced, and continued with
unabated violence, till almost the whole of the devoted town was in a
complete blaze. Being now fully convinced that it would only be a waste
of human blood to continue the contest longer, General Monnet offered
to capitulate, on condition of being sent into France. This offer being
refused, he then agreed to accept the terms dictated by the British
commanders, which in substance were,--that he should surrender himself,
and all the troops under his command, prisoners of war, and deliver up
all his cannon, and military stores, into the hands of the conquerors.
The total loss sustained by the enemy on this occasion, consisted of
6079 men killed, wounded, and prisoners, 224 pieces of cannon, 2000
barrels of gun-powder, and an immense quantity of military stores.
The roaring of the artillery, in and around Flushing, had no sooner
reached the ears of the good people in that quarter of South Beveland
where I was then stationed, than the roofs of all the churches and
wind-mills in our vicinity, were crowded with anxious spectators,
almost all of whom had friends or relations residing in Flushing
on that eventful day. Although the distance between us and the
belaboured fortress was considerable, yet the spectacle produced by the
operations of the belligerents, was forced upon our notice in the most
magnificent, but melancholy form, which we could possibly have desired.
None, however, but those who were close to the scene of action, can
form any idea of the dreadful scene which followed in the wake of
the last cannonade. But even at the distance at which we viewed the
conflagration, its appearance was so truly appalling, that although
there was no one thing which we more ardently wished for than the fall
of Flushing, yet as men and as Christian soldiers, we could not refrain
from dropping a tear of sympathy for the innocent inhabitants, who,
surrounded with flames, and threatened with instant death by our shot
and shell, had spent a day and a night of horror, which none but those
who have been similarly situated can possibly describe.
At day-break on the 15th, Flushing had all the appearance of a vast
charnel-house, for whichever way a person turned his eyes, there was
nothing to be seen but houses
Tottering in frightful ruins, as the flames
Had left them, black and bare;
And half-burnt bodies, which allured from far
The wolf and raven,--and to impious food
Tempted the houseless dog.
Having all along looked forward to the fall of Flushing as a signal
for the simultaneous advance of both army and navy, to prosecute, to a
successful close, our ulterior operations against the enemy, language
cannot express in terms sufficiently strong, the severe disappointment
which all of us experienced, when, instead of being ordered to act
a part worthy of the land of our birth, the whole army was kept in
cantonments, and in the full enjoyment of an inglorious ease, till the
troops became so sickly, that it seemed to be a _matter of doubt_
how far _prudence_ would lend the sanction of her name to any further
military operations against Antwerp. To settle this point, however,
a council of war was held, but not till TEN DAYS AFTER the surrender
of Flushing. The deliberations of the council were, as a matter of
course, kept a profound secret. But report was busy on the occasion,
and if it spoke truth, a naval officer of rank offered, with a given
number of frigates, &c., to lead the way to Antwerp, and there take,
burn, or otherwise destroy the whole of the enemy's fleet and stores,
provided he was supported by Sir John Hope, with a mixed force of
22,000 men. The offer, though not accepted, must have shewn the members
of the council, that there was one of their number, who did not occupy
that place at their board which his great military talents entitled
him to fill. For on the _same day_ it was also reported, that on the
breaking up of the meeting of the general officers, _more than one_ of
them expressed an intention of returning to England, that they might
no longer be an obstacle in the way of his appointment to the supreme
command of the army in Holland. If none of the lieutenant-generals,
_senior_ to Sir John Hope, expressed themselves in the manner above
stated, then report must have been amusing its auditors with a tale
of fiction; but until the assertion is shewn to be groundless, by the
testimony of one or more of the lieutenant-generals then present,
(two of whom, viz. the Duke of Gordon, and Earl of Rosslyn, are still
alive,) I shall consider myself entitled to hold the same opinion I
have hitherto done in regard to this matter.
About the 20th of August, the troops were first attacked with fever and
ague. Towards the latter end of the month it had appeared in the ranks
of every battalion, but in some with more virulency than in others.
A great part of the men being quartered in _barns_, it frequently
occurred that all the inmates, (six or eight,) of some of those places,
were seized with the disease in the same night. This, however, we were
not much surprised at; for the natural dampness of the barn-floors,
and the humidity of a Dutch atmosphere, were of themselves more than
sufficient to engender disease, even had the barns been placed on
situations of much greater altitude. As an antidote to the pestilential
vapours incident to the climate, a _wholesale_ system of bathing was
recommended by our medical friends. When it was intended to indulge the
soldiers with a little of this cooling amusement, they were generally
marched down to the right bank of the Western Scheldt about mid-day. At
a given sound of the bugle, the lads of our battalion undressed, but
not a man durst move into the water, till the shrill notes of a second
bugle intimated to the _interesting_ group that they had permission to
do so, dressed in _Adam's first covering_. The scene which followed
can only be pourtrayed by the pencil of a Cruickshank,--language would
fail in the attempt. Some were highly amused with the exhibition;
but I must confess that I looked upon the whole proceedings with
loathing and disgust. I most readily concede, that the feelings of a
considerable portion of the private soldiers are not of a very refined
description,--but as men of various characters are to be found in every
mixed society,--who will assert that there were not many individuals in
the battalion, whose feelings were deeply wounded on these occasions,
by making them figure in an exhibition, no less novel than indecent. It
is bad policy to place men in situations, where, if any change in their
conduct is produced, that change must be for the worse.
But Sir William Erskine, who was intimately acquainted with the nature
of the malady, strongly recommended to our notice the following
recipe,--one glass of brandy before dressing, one at breakfast, one
after dinner, and another in the evening. This antidote, being much
more congenial to the habits and tastes of a great majority of his
brigade, than an ablution in the Scheldt, raised the fame of Sir
William as a son of Æsculapius, far above others of greater pretensions.
But regardless of all our antidotes, death appeared in our ranks
about the latter end of August. His power continuing to increase, it
was deemed advisable to remove all our sick to England, on the 1st
of September. On the 2nd, our division, the reserve, received notice
to prepare for embarkation; and on the following morning we marched
to the left bank of the Eastern Scheldt--went on board of transports
ready to receive us, and afterwards dropped down to the anchorage of
the Vere-Gat. Here, by some of those unaccountable occurrences which
but too often follow the failure of a military enterprise, we were
detained nearly a week, inhaling infection at every breath, when we
might have been enjoying the healthful breezes of our native land. The
consequences were such as any man of common understanding would have
anticipated. Fever and ague, in its worst form, increased so rapidly,
that before we reached our own coast, more than a-half of the men were
under medical treatment, and the whole as uncomfortable as our most
inveterate enemy could wish.
On the morning subsequent to our re-embarkation, between twenty
and thirty of the men on board of the transport in which I took my
passage, were attacked with the pestilence. To prevent it spreading,
the worst cases were removed from the hold, into boats placed under
an awning on deck. In one of these temporary hospitals, ten or a
dozen fine fellows were confined on the evening of the 5th September,
when the first victim on board ship, a tall, handsome grenadier, took
leave of this world. His companions taking it for granted that their
dissolution was also approaching, became so agitated, that it was with
the utmost difficulty they could be prevailed upon to remain in their
berths. Being on deck when the grenadier died, and perceiving the
state into which his melancholy exit had thrown them, I endeavoured,
but unsuccessfully, to soothe their excited feelings, and banish the
dreadful notions which seemed to haunt their minds; but the prospect of
immediate dissolution, and its attendant horrors, stared them so fully
in the face, that no language I could use seemed to have the smallest
effect. Their situation, at length, was so truly deplorable, that one
of the party, a tall, robust non-commissioned officer, started to his
feet with the agility of the hare, leaped from the boat, and then with
the countenance of a maniac, ran along the deck, crying in all the
bitterness of despair, that he was a dying man, and continued in this
state of temporary delirium, till a fresh attack of ague compelled him
to resume his place in the boat.
In the same group of patients, there was a grenadier, a man of a most
athletic form, but of weak intellect. On perceiving the serjeant leap
from the boat, honest Willie Mill attempted to follow his example, but
was prevented by the sentry on duty. Early next morning I went on deck,
expecting to find Willie in the last stage of the disease, but to my
utter surprise I found him soliciting, not the grim king of terrors for
a short respite, but the pay-sergeant of his company for a morning
repast. Willie's appetite being always keen, he pressed his suit with
so much ardour, that the sergeant was frequently on the point of
yielding. A sense of duty, however, at length prevailed, and Willie's
request was refused. Foiled in his attempt to obtain a substantial
breakfast of beef and bread, Willie turned round, and with a look
that would have sunk deep into the heart of a savage, very gravely
said,--"Weel, weel, sergeant M'Combie, if ye think thae things are o'er
strong for my weak stamach, just gang to the cook, and tell him _to
mak me some stir-about, and to mak it gay'n thick_." I need scarcely
add, that Willie's second request excited considerable merriment on
deck, in which some of his boat-companions, ill though they were,
heartily joined. Willie's last appeal was too powerful to be resisted;
his appetite was gratified; he recovered, and I believe still lives to
enjoy the bounty of his sovereign, which enables him to indulge in a
daily allowance of his favourite stir-about.
On the 8th September, the transports containing our regiment, quitted
their anchorage on the Dutch coast, and on the 10th cast anchor in
the Downs. On the following morning we sailed for Harwich, where, by
reason of foul winds, we did not arrive till the afternoon of the 13th.
Early on the 14th our worst cases were landed and consigned to the
care of the medical staff at Harwich, and a few of those who could
with safety be removed farther by water, were transported in boats
to Ipswich. In the afternoon the rest of the battalion, including
all the remaining sick, landed at Land-Guard Fort, and proceeded to
Woodbridge barracks--the former on foot, the latter on waggons. Never
did I witness a spectacle more heart-rending than the removal of the
sick from the transports to the shore, and thence to Woodbridge. The
emaciated figures, and long thin pale visages of the poor sufferers
as they lay stretched in the boats and on the waggons,--the piercing
shrieks and agonizing groans which the jolting of the latter drew from
their death-like lips, forced tears from my eyes as I moved along with
the melancholy throng. This scene however, distressing as it was, was
soon to be eclipsed by others of a still more mournful description.
For several weeks after our arrival at Woodbridge, our sick-list daily
increased, till upwards of _four hundred_ of our men were immured
within the cheerless walls of an _hospital_. Of these, two, three,
and even four, were frequently removed in one day to the place of
interment, and there consigned to the silent tomb, by those few whom
a merciful Providence was pleased to bless with health and strength.
At first the dead were buried with military honours; but this mark of
respect was latterly withheld, on a representation being made to the
commanding-officer by the medical attendants, that the long-roll of the
muffled drum operated so powerfully on the minds of the sick, as to
renew the alarming symptoms which had previously yielded to the power
of medicine. As each mournful procession crossed the barrack-square,
the lamentations of friends, or the wailings of a widow, and her orphan
children, struck upon every ear, and penetrated every heart. Never,
no never, shall these distressing scenes, the fruits of rashness and
mismanagement, be banished from my remembrance.
During the first two months of our residence in Woodbridge, the
duties of the regimental medical staff were unremitting and
severe--particularly those of assistant surgeon Dunn, whose humanity
would never permit him to absent himself from the bed of the poor
sufferers, so long as his medical advice could be of service. For this
praise-worthy attention to those under his charge, the blessings of
the soldiers saluted him at every step, and no doubt encouraged him to
persevere in the same laudable conduct throughout. I have been induced
to notice these facts, in order to shew my young medical friends
that it is only by a humane, diligent, and faithful performance of
their duties, that they can expect to obtain the grateful and sincere
respect of those whose comforts and happiness, on similar occasions,
are generally increased or lessened, in exact proportion to the zeal
with which the surgeon and his assistants discharge the duties of their
stations.
With regard to the loss which we sustained in this most disastrous
expedition, I may remark that the effective strength of the battalion,
which, on landing in South Beveland, was 998 rank and file, was so
much reduced by the Dutch pestilence, that, in the month of October
following, between 200 and 300 only were fit for duty. One morning,
indeed, the grenadier company could only bring _two_ non-commissioned
officers, and _three_ privates, to the public parade. But had the
deaths, numerous as they were, constituted the whole of our loss, a
few additional recruiting parties would very soon have made good the
deficiency. Unfortunately, however, in our battalion, as in almost
every other employed on the same service, the deaths formed but a small
portion of our _real loss_. For the repeated attacks of the malady had
made such inroads on the constitutions of the survivors, that, when put
to the test in the Peninsula, they were found to be no longer the same
men. Their frames had become so enervated, that exposure to the night
air, or a heavy shower of rain, sent many of them shivering to their
beds; then to an hospital, where they but too frequently led a life of
suffering and misery, till they sank into a premature grave.
Placed in Woodbridge under the circumstances just now stated, it cannot
be considered surprising that the months of October and November should
have appeared to us cheerless, and have passed slowly away. Indeed I
believe, that but for the grand jubilee parade, subscription ball,
and dinner, on the 25th of October, we should have died of perfect
ennui. In the afternoon of that day, the garrison, consisting of
four battalions of infantry, a considerable body of artillery, and
some German cavalry, were marshalled in the barrack-square, by Baron
Alten, and almost immediately on the troops taking their stations, the
thundering of the cannon right and left,--the vollies of musketry,--the
cheers of the soldiers, re-echoed by dense masses of the populace,
proclaimed to the surrounding country, that George the Third, the
Father of his people, had completed the fiftieth year of his eventful
reign.
At the conclusion of this interesting pageant, the officers threaded
their way towards Woodbridge, where, at five o'clock, they sat down to
an elegant dinner, consisting of all the varieties and delicacies of
the season. Almost every officer in the garrison was present, and for
some time every thing went off with eclat. On occasions of this kind,
however, it but too frequently happens that the young and inexperienced
allow reason to resign her seat to folly, and are then betrayed into
actions the most extravagant and absurd. Inexperience has, no doubt,
been often permitted to be pleaded in mitigation of the offence of
an unfledged youth; but some young men are led to the commission of
offences which even youth cannot palliate. This being the case, I trust
I shall be permitted to express a hope, that in future the young and
thoughtless portion of our military youth will attentively listen
to, and ponder over the advice of their more experienced brethren,
before they place themselves under the guidance of a tutor reared in
the school of folly. For by doing so, they may rest assured that they
will at all times glide along the surface of life as smoothly as a
little bark, skimming along the surface of unruffled water, and like
her, at length find their way into port without meeting with any thing
materially to lessen the pleasure of the voyage of life.
On the 6th of March, 1810, I bade adieu to Woodbridge, and proceeded
to Scotland, on my way to join the second battalion of my regiment in
Ireland. Being in a delicate state of health, I amused myself a few
weeks in Edinburgh, and then proceeded to the country to inhale the air
of my native hills.