On the 24th of July, the British and Hanoverian troops passed the
Emperor of Russia in review, in the Place Louis Quenze: and to shew his
detestation of those persons who brought Louis XVI. to the scaffold,
Alexander placed himself almost on the spot where that unfortunate
monarch lost his life by the hands of the executioner. In order to
spare the feelings of the inhabitants, the troops were desired not
to wear laurel. But the opportunity being too good to convince the
Parisians that their brethren had really been worsted at Waterloo,
almost the whole army hoisted the emblem of victory amid deafening
cheers. Immediately after passing the Emperor, our old general (Howard)
now Lord Howard of Effingham, galloped up to us in private costume,
congratulated the few that were present on the additional honours which
the regiment had gained, and then placing himself alongside of the
commanding officer, accompanied us through various streets of Paris,
on our route towards our encampment. During the time that this truly
estimable and gallant nobleman commanded our brigade in the Peninsula,
he was equally beloved by officers and men.
From this time, down to the end of October, the movements of the allied
army were few, and with two or three exceptions, extremely unimportant.
Drills, division, brigade, and regimental, we had in abundance; and
often at so early an hour as three and four o'clock in the morning.
Drill, when improvement is the object, is attended by all ranks with
pleasure, but when its object is to harass or annoy, it is attended,
but with no very friendly feelings towards the person by whom it has
been ordered, and, therefore, instead of being beneficial, creates
a dislike to military exercise and duty of every kind, which should
invariably be avoided. I have been led to make these remarks, in
consequence of what occurred to our brigade in Clichy camp, in August
1815. Our General, who was always grumbling at something or other, and
was never satisfied with the exertions of either officers or men, at
length fell upon a notable plan of punishing us for our inattention,
viz. sending us all to the balance or _goose-step_. At sun-rise on the
morning, after the promulgation of the order, our French friends beheld
the no less novel than ludicrous exhibition, of two thousand men, each
standing on one leg, and one or two hundred instructors bawling right,
left, as if the thunders of Waterloo had deprived the men of the
power of knowing their right foot from their left. In a few days, the
goose-step was changed to squad, then to company drill, but finding us
a parcel of incorrigibles, he, in a few more, finally dismissed us,
conceiving, no doubt, that to continue his lessons of instructions, was
something like casting pearls before swine.
On the 22d of September, the British and Hanoverian army was reviewed
on the plains of St Denis. Pursuant to the orders of the Field Marshal,
the troops were formed by nine o'clock in the morning, with their
left resting on the village of La-Chapella, and their right extending
towards St Denis. The first corps, consisting of the first and second
divisions of infantry, formed the left--the second corps, second and
fourth divisions, the right--and the reserve, the fifth, sixth, and
seventh divisions, the centre. Colonel Estoff's brigade of cavalry,
formed in rear of the second corps, in close column of regiments of the
front of a squadron--and the cavalry brigades of Lord Edward Somerset,
and Lord George Beresford, formed in a similar manner in rear of the
first corps and reserve. Each division of infantry was formed in three
lines of brigades, in close column of battalions right in front, with
its artillery posted on the right. The colours of the regiments forming
the front line--and the officers of the leading divisions were moved
three paces to the front, as at open order. Drawn up in this manner, we
waited the arrival of the illustrious individual, for whose amusement
we had been called together.
The Duke of Wellington having arrived on the ground at an early hour,
received the Emperors of Austria and Russia, and King of Prussia,
about ten o'clock. On approaching the centre of the line, the front
companies presented arms, the standards were lowered, and every band
played "God save the King." In the suite of the allied Sovereigns
on this occasion, were Prince Blucher, Prince Schwartzenberg, Field
Marshal Barclay-de-Tolly, Platoff, Hetman of the Cossacks, the
Arch-Duke Constantine of Russia, two sons of the King of Prussia, and
a very great many more of inferior rank. The breasts of some of those
individuals were literally covered with decorations, and many of their
uniforms were really splendid. The three monarchs were the plainest
dressed individuals in the field; the Emperor of Austria being dressed
in white, and the other two wearing plain green uniforms, with a star.
This part of the ceremony being over, the Field Marshal summoned around
him the Generals commanding divisions, and gave them instructions
regarding the operations of the day, which very closely resembled those
of the allied army at Salamanca, on the 22d July, 1812.
The first corps moving to its left, passed between Montmartre and the
walls of the capital, to attack the right of our supposed enemy. On
arriving at the barrier of Clichy, the corps debouched on the road to
that village, when, having established itself in rear of the foe, it
halted.
The second corps moved forward, but obliquely to the right, and then
attacked the left of our invisible enemies. In this movement, the corps
was supported by the 5th division, till the former succeeded in its
object, when the latter, with the other two divisions of the reserve,
advanced in column at quarter-distance; and with their light troops in
front, moved round the northern base of Montmartre, to the attack of
the enemy's centre. On the arrival of the second corps, in the vicinity
of Clichy, and the reserve within a few hundred yards of the road
leading from that village to Paris, the whole halted; and the fifth
and sixth divisions formed line, the front line dressing on the 92d
regiment. Every division now ordered arms, and stood at ease for nearly
half-an-hour.
Just before moving from our original ground, Prince Blucher and staff,
Platoff, &c. came forward to examine the dress of the 42d, 79th, and
92d Highlanders. Many a remark was made, and many a joke cracked at
the expense of the philibeg; but Donald, instead of getting sulky on
the occasion, took a similar method of being revenged upon the gallant
body of foreigners in his front, some of them being attired in uniforms
which he considered no less singular than his own.
During the temporary suspension of hostilities, the Arch-Duke
Constantine of Russia walked his horse up to the left of the 92nd
regiment, and began to scrutinize the dress of the men. Having asked
a young lad to show him his bonnet, the poor fellow, either not
knowing the rank of the individual who was addressing him, or like
some of his companions, thinking him "a queer looking chiel," actually
refused. Being then with the Imperial cavalcade, a little in front of
the regiment, and aware that his brother's countenance was no great
introduction to him any where, the Emperor Alexander galloped up, and
in good English, said, "Take off your cap, my lad, and show it to
this gentleman." This at once removed the bonnet from the head of the
Caledonian, and placed it in the hands of the Russian Prince, who,
after examining it for a little, returned it to the owner; the Emperor
at the same time remarking to his brother, "Cett un brave regiment." On
their progress towards the right, the Emperor, turning to Captain F.
said, "This is my brother, Sir, will you have the kindness to show him
your sword?" On examining the claymore, the royal brothers returned it,
and then rejoined their distinguished friends.
On resuming our arms, the first corps, in column at quarter distance,
again manœuvred on the right of the enemy; and the second corps also at
quarter distance, turned Clichy, by moving between the village and the
reserve. The latter advanced the seventh division at quarter distance,
and the fifth and sixth divisions in line. Soon after we moved, the
heavy cavalry made a most beautiful charge past our flanks, which
completed the rout of the enemy, and was the last offensive movement we
made on that _memorable_ day.
It now only remained for us to pay our respects to the Emperor
of Austria, and for that purpose, the whole army halted, and the
battalions then in line, formed column. In a few minutes, the Duke of
Wellington, and the allied Sovereigns, took post on the left of the
road leading from Clichy to Newilly, when the whole marched past the
Emperor in column of companies at quarter-distance.
The review was attended by almost all the English nobility and gentry
then in Paris. Their splendid equipages added much to the interest and
magnificence of the scene; for at one time almost every part of the
northern slope of Montmartre was completely covered with them. As the
army advanced, however, the beaux and the belles retired; and when the
allied chiefs took their ground as before-mentioned, the whole group
assembled around them, to witness the novel spectacle of a British army
passing in review before an Emperor of Austria, under the walls of the
metropolis of France.
During our stay in the camp of Clichy, my time was partly occupied in
an attempt to reclaim from the paths of vice, _without the aid of the
"cat o' nine tails,"_ six men, who had repeatedly given but too good
proofs that they were ready and willing to engage in the perpetration
of almost every description of crime. The measures I adopted on the
occasion were the following:--
First of all I divided the company into three classes. In the
_first_ were placed the best men,--in the _second_ the indifferent
characters,--and in the _third_ the very worst. On the class-rolls
being made out, the company was turned out, the roll called, and each
individual, on answering to his name, took post in the class to which
he was appointed. The rueful countenances which those in the second and
third classes exhibited on the occasion, testified at once that none
of them before that moment had conceived there was the smallest shade
of difference between their own, and the character of the best behaved
man in the company; for, on being removed as it were from the society
of the latter, I fancied I saw the tear of shame and repentance start
in the eye of various individuals, and my conjecture turned out to be
well-founded. On the classes being told off, the members of the first
were informed that they would have themselves alone to blame, if they
were removed at a future period from the proud station they occupied;
and those of classes second and third, that it would be equally their
own fault, if a month or two hence they should still find themselves in
their degrading situations.
This preliminary step being taken, I proceeded to divide the company
into six squads, corresponding with the number of desperate characters
in it. Each squad, which was composed of an equal proportion of each
class, was placed under the orders of a non-commissioned officer. To
each squad one of the six bad characters was given in charge, with
orders not to permit him to quit the camp either by night or day. This
I did not conceive to be any great hardship, as they all slept in the
same tents at night, and were all in camp together during the day. But
the majority of the company thought otherwise, and demurred at being
made responsible for the conduct of others. Being quite determined,
however, to make a fair trial of the plan, I gave a deaf ear to their
grumbling, and insisted on an implicit obedience to the orders I had
given them.
A fortnight passed away, during which time there had been no thefts,
nor plundering excursions heard of, in the company. Satisfied in their
own minds by this time, that a complete remedy had been found for the
evils which had arisen in the company after the battle of Waterloo,
all the non-commissioned officers, and a number of the privates of
the company, waited on me one morning, apologized for their previous
conduct, thanked me for what I had done, and begged me to persevere
in the same line of conduct. Encouraged by the prospect of success,
I, by way of an additional inducement to good conduct, placed at the
disposal of the company _five prizes_, consisting of useful articles
of dress, to be drawn for at the end of the first month, by all those
who, during the _previous month_, had been mustered in CLASS FIRST.
The great amusement which the drawing of the little lottery afforded
the men, and the keenness with which each individual contended for the
lucky numbers, induced me to continue the same plan till relieved in
the command of the company, four months afterwards, by which time my
success had so far exceeded my expectation, that, previous to handing
over the company to my successor, I had the inexpressible satisfaction,
of enrolling _four of the bad characters in CLASS FIRST_, and of seeing
them contend with their comrades for the monthly prizes.