THE RIFLE BRIGADE
(Formerly 95th Rifles)
*Preface*
Mr. Herbert Strang has asked me to write a few words explanatory of the
title he has chosen for this book.
"The Light Brigade" was the name given to the first British Brigade of
Light Infantry, consisting of the 43rd Light Infantry, 52nd Light
Infantry, and the 95th Rifles, which were trained together as a
war-brigade at Shorncliffe Camp in the years 1803-1805, just a century
ago, by General Sir John Moore, the Hero of Corunna.
These regiments subsequently saw much service together in various
quarters of the globe; they were engaged in the Expedition to Denmark in
1807, the Campaign in Portugal in 1808 under Sir Arthur Wellesley,
including the Battle of Vimeiro, and the famous Corunna Campaign under
Sir John Moore.
In July, 1809, The Light Brigade, consisting of the same three corps,
was re-formed under the gallant Brigadier-General Robert Craufurd
(afterwards slain at their head at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo in
1812), at Vallada, in Portugal, and it was in the same month that it
made the forced march, famous in all history as "the March of the Light
Division", of some fifty miles in twenty-four hours to the battle-field
of Talavera. In June, 1810, when at Almeida, in Spain, "The Light
Brigade" was expanded into "The Light Division" by the addition of
Ross's "Chestnut Troop" of Horse Artillery,[#] the 14th Light
Dragoons,[#] the 1st King's German Hussars, and two regiments of
Portuguese Cacadores.
[#] The present "A" Battery, R.H.A., which bears its proud title of "The
Chestnut Troop" in the army lists to this day.
[#] The present 14th (King's) Hussars. Charles Lever, the novelist,
recounts some of their gallant deeds in _Charles O'Malley, the Irish
Dragoon_.
It was as "_The_ Light Division", throughout the long and bloody
struggle in the Peninsula, and up to the Battle of Toulouse, fought in
April, 1814, that the regiments of the old "Light Brigade" maintained
their proud position, so well described by Sir John Kincaid (who was
adjutant of the 1st Battalion at the Battle of Waterloo) in his
delightful book, _Adventures in the Rifle Brigade_. He writes of the
95th Rifles in the Peninsula as follows:--
"We were the Light Regiment of the Light Division, and fired the first
and last shot in almost every battle, siege, and skirmish in which the
army was engaged during the war.
"In stating the foregoing, however, with regard to regiments, I beg to
be understood as identifying our old and gallant associates, the
Forty-third and Fifty-second, as a part of ourselves, for they bore
their share in everything, and I love them as I hope to do my better
half (when I come to be divided); wherever we were, _they_ were; and
although the nature of our arm[#] generally gave us more employment in
the way of skirmishing, yet, whenever it came to a pinch, independent of
a suitable mixture of them among us, we had only to look behind to see a
line, in which we might place a _degree of confidence almost equal to
our hopes in heaven_; nor were we ever disappointed. There never was a
corps of Riflemen in the hands of such supporters!"
[#] The Baker rifle, a short weapon with a flat-bladed sword-bayonet
known as a "sword", very like the present so-called "bayonet", only
longer. Hence the Rifleman's command, "Fix swords!" The three
battalions of the 95th were (with the exception of the 5th battalion of
the 60th Regiment) the only corps in the British army armed with rifles
at the period of the Peninsular War, all others carrying long
smooth-bore muskets, known as "Brown Bess", with long three-sided
bayonets. The Baker rifle fired with precision up to 300 yards, whereas
"Brown Bess" could not be depended upon to hit a mark at one-third that
range.
Such was the "Light Brigade" which gives its title to this book.
The story deals with a period full of interest to Englishmen. Napoleon,
having overrun Spain with some 250,000 men, swept away and defeated all
the Spanish armies, and occupied Madrid, had set his hosts in motion to
re-occupy Portugal and complete the subjugation of Andalusia. At this
critical moment in the history of Spain, Sir John Moore, who had landed
in the Peninsula with a small British army only about 30,000 strong,
conceived the bold project of marching on Salamanca, and thus
threatening Napoleon's "line of communications" with France--whence he
drew all his supplies and ammunition. The effect was almost magical.
Napoleon was compelled instantly to stay the march of his immense
armies, whilst at the head of over 80,000 of his finest troops he hurled
himself on the intrepid Moore. The latter, thus assailed by
overwhelming numbers, was forced to order a retreat on his base at
Corunna, a movement which he conducted successfully, despite the
terrible privations of a rapid march in mid-winter through a desolate
and mountainous country, with insufficient transport and inadequate
staff arrangements. Thrice he turned to bay and thrice did he severely
handle his pursuers. Finally, at Corunna, after embarking his sick and
wounded, he fought the memorable battle of that name, and inflicted on
the French such heavy losses that his army was enabled to re-embark and
sail for England with but little further molestation. The gallant Moore
himself was mortally wounded, and died the same night. The effects of
the Corunna campaign were to paralyse all the Emperor's plans for nigh
three months, during which time the Spaniards rallied and regained
confidence, and the war took a wholly different turn, although it was
only after five years' constant fighting that the French invaders were
finally driven out of the country.
The Spaniards, on the other hand, animated by the presence of their
English allies, once again took up arms in all directions and made a
desperate resistance. No struggle was of more appalling or sustained a
nature than was their second defence of Saragossa, which, in the words
of the French soldiers engaged in the siege, was defended not by
soldiers but by "an army of madmen".
The following story has thus a double interest. In its account of
Moore's great Retreat it illustrates what we did for Spain in her dark
days of 1808-1809; while in the pages dealing with the heroic Defence of
Saragossa it illustrates what Spain did for herself.
*Contents*
_Chapter_ I
CORPORAL WILKES WANTS TO KNOW
_Chapter_ II
SOME INTRODUCTIONS
_Chapter_ III
PALAFOX THE MAN, PALAFOX THE NAME
_Chapter_ IV
A DELICATE MISSION
_Chapter_ V
A ROADSIDE ADVENTURE
_Chapter_ VI
MONSIEUR TABERNE
_Chapter_ VII
PEPITO INTERVENES
_Chapter_ VIII
DON MIGUEL PRIEGO
_Chapter_ IX
SOME SURPRISES
_Chapter_ X
THE EMPEROR'S DESPATCH
_Chapter_ XI
NAPOLEON IN PURSUIT
_Chapter_ XII
CORPORAL WILKES ON GUARD
_Chapter_ XIII
DON MIGUEL'S MAN
_Chapter_ XIV
AN INCIDENT AT CACABELLOS
_Chapter_ XV
THE GREAT RETREAT
_Chapter_ XVI
THE BATTLE OF CORUNNA
_Chapter_ XVII
IN THE GUADALQUIVIR
_Chapter_ XVIII
A SQUIRE OF DAMES
_Chapter_ XIX
PALAFOX THE MAN
_Chapter_ XX
A DAY WITH TIO JORGE
_Chapter_ XXI
NIGHT ON THE RAMPARTS
_Chapter_ XXII
JUANITA
_Chapter_ XXIII
THE FIGHT IN THE RUINS
_Chapter_ XXIV
"A BON CHAT, BON RAT"
_Chapter_ XXV
PEPITO FINDS A CLUE
_Chapter_ XXVI
WANTED: DON MIGUEL PRIEGO
_Chapter_ XXVII
THE ELEVENTH HOUR
_Chapter_ XXVIII
THE LAST FIGHT IN SARAGOSSA
_Chapter_ XXIX
FRENCH LEAVE
_Chapter_ XXX
THE WHIP HAND
_Chapter_ XXXI
DOCTOR GRAMPUS AND A FRENCH COOK
_Chapter_ XXXII
THE PRISONER AT BAYONNE
_Chapter_ XXXIII
PALAFOX THE NAME
_Chapter_ XXXIV
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
_Chapter_ XXXV
DOOM
_Chapter_ XXXVI
SERGEANT WILKES WANTS TO KNOW
*Glossary of Spanish Words*
*List of Illustrations*
Plate I
THE 95TH CHARGE HOME . . . . . . . . . Frontispiece
Plate II
A QUESTION OF SUPPLY
Plate III
JACK CAPTURES A DRAGOON
Plate IV
JACK MAKES AN OPPORTUNE APPEARANCE
Plate V
FRANCISCO FALLS FROM THE PLANK
Plate VI
JACK HAS A NARROW ESCAPE
Plate VII
JACK LEADS A FORLORN HOPE
Plate VIII
MIGUEL ESCAPES FROM THE GARDEN
*Maps and Plans*
1. Map of Spain and Portugal, showing the positions of the French,
Spanish, and British forces at the commencement of Moore's retreat from
Sahagun