In consequence of the victories gained in the Peninsula during 1808 and
1809, two gold medals were struck for presentation to such superior
officers as had distinguished themselves in action; the same medals were
afterwards conferred for military services in other portions of the
world. No corps were returned in the list for medals, which had not been
engaged. This, by the Duke of Wellington’s despatches, appears to have
been the rule.
A notification appeared in the “London Gazette,” dated Horse Guards,
9th. September, 1810, stating that His Majesty had been graciously
pleased to command that, in commemoration of the brilliant victories
obtained by divisions of his Army over the enemy in the Battles of
Roleia and Vimiera, also in the several instances where the cavalry had
an opportunity of distinguishing themselves against the enemy in Spain,
and in the battles of Corunna and Talavera de la Reyna, the Officers of
the Army present on those occasions should enjoy the privilege of
wearing a Medal, and His Majesty having approved of the Medal which had
been struck, was pleased to command that it should be worn by the
General Officers, suspended by a Ribbon of the colour of the Sash, with
a blue edge, round the neck; and by the Commanding Officers of Corps,
(not being of rank inferior to Lieutenant-Colonel,) and the Chiefs of
Military Departments, attached by a ribbon of the same colour to the
button-hole of their uniform. His Majesty was also pleased to command
that the Medals which would have been conferred upon the Officers who
had fallen at or died since the above-named actions, should, as a token
of respect for their memories, be deposited with their respective
families.
These medals were alike except in size. On the obverse, Britannia,
wearing a helmet, is seated on the globe; in her right hand extended a
wreath of laurel, and in her left a palm branch; to her right the
British lion, and on the left a round shield charged with the crosses of
the union banner. The reverse has a wreath of laurel, within which the
name of the event and the year were engraved, thus—Roleia and Vimiera,
1808; or Corunna, 1809; or Talavera, 1809; or Nivelle, Nive, etc. The
name and rank of the officer were engraved on the edge. The large medal,
of the size of that granted for Maida, was for general officers; in full
dress it was worn from the neck, to a crimson ribbon with blue edges.
The small medal, (of which an illustration is given,) attached to the
ribbon by a gold swivel, with a gold buckle above, was conferred on
field and other officers.
At this period the rules and regulations regarding the issue of medals
were, 1st.—Medals are only to be bestowed upon occasions of great
importance or of peculiar brilliancy. 2nd.—Medals of a larger size are
conferred upon General Officers, including Brigadiers, who wear them
suspended by a ribbon round the neck.[38] Medals of a smaller size are
bestowed upon Colonels, and Officers of the senior ranks. 3rd.—No
General or other officer is considered to be entitled to receive a
Medal, except he has been personally and particularly engaged upon the
occasion, in commemoration of which this distinction is bestowed, and
has been selected by the Commander of the Forces upon the spot, and has
been reported by him to have merited the distinction, by very
conspicuous services. 4th.—The Commander of the Forces (after he shall
have been informed of the intention of Government to bestow medals)
shall transmit to the Secretary of State for the War Department, and to
the Commander-in-Chief, returns signed by himself, specifying the names
and ranks of those Officers whom he shall have selected as particularly
deserving. 5th.—The Commander of the Forces, in making this selection of
the most deserving Officers, will consider his choice restricted to the
undermentioned ranks, as it is found to be absolutely necessary that
some limitation should be put upon the grant of this honour.
The rank and situations held by Officers, to render them eligible for
the distinction of Medals, were, General Officers; Commanding Officers
of Brigades; Commanding Officers of Artillery or Engineers;
Adjutant-General and Quartermaster-General; their Deputies having the
rank of Field Officers, and their Assistants having the same rank, and
being at the head of the Staff, with a detached corps or distinct
division of the Army; Military Secretary, having the rank of Field
Officers; Commanding Officers of Battalions, Corps equivalent thereto,
and Officers who have succeeded to the actual command during the
engagement, in consequence of the death or removal of the original
Commanding Officer.
CAPTURE OF MARTINIQUE AND GUADALOUPE.
FEBRUARY, 1809, AND JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, 1810.
In January, 1809, the armament which had been assembled at Carlile Bay,
Barbadoes, under the command of Lieutenant-General (afterwards Sir
George) Beckwith, commanding in the Leeward Islands, proceeded against
Martinique, off which island, then in the possession of France, it
arrived on the 30th. of January. The troops landed in two divisions. The
first division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost, consisting
of between six and seven thousand men, and the second, numbering over
three thousand men, under Major-General Frederick Maitland, landed near
St. Luce and Point Solomon, in the afternoon of the 30th., without
opposition, and notwithstanding the difficulties of the country,
occupied a position on the banks of the Grande Lezarde River before
daybreak on the 31st., after a night march of seven miles.
On the 1st. of February, the 7th. Royal Fusiliers, and the light
companies of the brigade which were in advance, drove a body of the
enemy from Morne Bruno to the heights of Surirey, where the enemy on the
2nd. of February made a determined stand. A sharp action ensued, in
which British valour was conspicuously displayed, and the French were
driven from their position with considerable loss. Batteries were
subsequently erected, and the siege of Fort Bourbon was commenced with
such vigour that the garrison surrendered on the 24th. of February.
Amongst the trophies captured on this occasion were three eagles and
several brass drums.
Having thus captured this valuable island, Lieutenant-General Beckwith
congratulated the troops, and stated in his official despatch, that “the
command of such an army will constitute the pride of my future life. To
these brave troops, conducted by Generals of experience, and not to me,
their King and Country owe the sovereignty of this important colony; and
I trust that by a comparison of the force which has defended it, and the
time in which it has fallen, the present reduction of Martinique will
not be deemed eclipsed by any former expedition.”
The gold medal was conferred on the general and regimental commanding
officers, according to the practice of the service at this period.
An expedition, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Beckwith, against
Guadaloupe, the only island remaining to the French in the West Indies,
was embarked in January, 1810. The expedition rendezvoused at Prince
Rupert’s, Dominica; and on the morning of the 28th. of January, a
landing was effected by the first division, at the Bay of St. Marie. The
second division sailed on the 26th. of that month, and anchored at the
Saints until the 29th., when it proceeded towards Guadaloupe, and
menaced the enemy’s defences at the Three Rivers. A landing was effected
near the village of Les Vieux Habitans during the night without
opposition. The French appeared in force on some high open ground, when
the 15th. Foot turned their right flank, the Royal West Indian Rangers
the left, and the 13th. Light Infantry advanced against the front, and
the enemy was speedily forced from his ground.
The 7th., 8th., 13th., 15th., 23rd., 25th., (flank companies,) 60th.,
63rd., 90th. Foot, and 1st. West India regiment were engaged in this
service.
Shortly afterwards the conquest of the island was completed, and the
achievement reflected great credit on the troops employed. In general
orders, dated 6th. February, it was announced that “The Commander of the
Forces returns his thanks to the officers of all ranks, for their
meritorious exertions, and to the non-commissioned officers and
soldiers, for the cheerfulness with which they have undergone the
fatigues of a march, difficult in its nature, through the strongest
country in the world, and the spirit they have manifested on all
occasions to close with the enemy.”
GUADALOUPE is now borne on the colours of the 15th., 63rd., 90th., and
1st. West India regiment; and medals were granted to the superior
officers, both for the capture of that island and also of Martinique.
The medal was like that for Talavera, already described. When the War
Medal was issued, bars were inscribed with the names of these two
islands.
BATTLE OF BUSACO.
SEPTEMBER 27TH., 1810.
The advance of Marshal Massena in the summer of 1810, was preceded by
the proud but vain boast, that, in pursuance of the imperial orders, he
would drive the English leopards into the sea, and plant the eagles on
the tower of Lisbon. His first operations were attended with success.
Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered to Marshal Ney on the 10th. of July. After
the gallant but hazardous combat between the light division and the
French advance on the 24th. of that month, they passed the Coa in
overwhelming numbers, when the retrograde movement and concentration of
the allies behind the Mondego immediately commenced. Almedia having
surrendered on the 27th. of August, the allies were again withdrawn to
their former positions. The French line of invasion was not finally
indicated until the middle of September, when they commenced their
advance into Portugal along the right bank of the Mondego.
Lieutenant-General Viscount Wellington, notwithstanding their vastly
superior numbers, determined to give them battle in the position of
Busaco, a lofty and rugged sierra or mountain ridge, extending about
eight miles in a northerly direction from the Mondego, and crossing
their line of march.
On the night of the 26th. of September, the combined British and
Portuguese armies assembled in line on the precipitous sierra, named
after the village and convent of Busaco. The second (Lieutenant-General
Hill’s) division occupied the extreme right, guarding the declivities
towards the Mondego; next to it the fifth (Major-General Leith’s)
division; then the third division, having the first (Lieutenant-General
Sir Brent Spencer’s) division on its left, occupying the highest part of
the ridge; then the light (Brigadier-General Craufurd’s) division at the
convent of Busaco; and the fourth (the Honourable Major-General Cole’s)
division on the extreme left. In front, within cannon-shot and in full
view of the British position, was assembled Massena’s army, seventy
thousand strong, occupying the opposite range of mountains. The day
passed over peaceably, but during the evening and night, small parties
of skirmishers, passing up the dark ravines, attempted to establish
themselves close to the British line, and kept all upon the alert.
The position of Busaco, although formidable from the steepness and
rugged character of its face, was too extensive to be completely
occupied by the twenty-five thousand British, and the same number of
Portuguese troops, which formed the allied army, and there was an
interval of about two miles between the left of the fifth and the right
of the third division, which occupied the lowest and most accessible
part of the position.
An hour before day, Lord Wellington went through the ranks on foot. He
passed in comparative silence, for the English soldiers seldom indulge
in those boisterous demonstrations of joy so common with the troops of
other nations, and indeed rarely are known to hurrah, except when
closing with the enemy; but wherever he was recognised, his presence was
felt as the sure presage to another victory, to be gained by the men
whom he had already led in so many fields of triumph. To be beaten when
_he_ commanded, seemed, in the opinion of his soldiers (which is no bad
criterion to judge by) next to impossible.
At six in the morning of the 27th. of September, two desperate attacks
were commenced upon the British position, the one on the right, the
other on the left of the highest point of the sierra. The assault upon
the right was made by two divisions of the second corps, on that part of
the sierra occupied by the third division of infantry. One division of
French infantry arrived at the top of the ridge, when it was attacked in
the most gallant manner by the 88th. Connaught Rangers, under the
Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, and the 45th., under the
Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Meade, and by the 8th. Portuguese
regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas, directed by
Major-General (afterwards Sir Thomas) Picton. These three corps advanced
with the bayonet, and drove the enemy’s division from the advantageous
ground it had obtained. The other division of the second corps attacked
further on the right, by the road leading by St. Antonio di Cantaro,
also in front of Major-General Picton’s division; but was repulsed
before it could reach the top of the ridge, by the 74th. Highlanders,
under the command of the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel French, and the
brigade of Portuguese infantry, under Colonel Champelmond, directed by
Colonel Henry Mac Kinnon; Major-General Leith also moved his left to
support Major-General Picton, and aided in the defeat of the French in
this post, by the third battalion of the Royals, and the first and
second battalions of the 38th. regiment.
His Lordship stated in his despatch, that he never witnessed a more
gallant attack than that made by the 38th., 45th., and 8th. Portuguese
regiment, on the enemy’s division, which had reached the ridge of the
sierra. Major William Smith, of the 45th., was killed.
Meanwhile, on the left, the enemy attacked with three divisions of
infantry, of the sixth corps, that part of the sierra occupied by the
left division, commanded by Brigadier-General Craufurd, and by the
brigade of Portuguese infantry, under Brigadier-General (afterwards Sir
Denis) Pack. “One division of infantry,” wrote Viscount Wellington,
“only made any progress towards the top of the hill, and they were
immediately charged with the bayonet by Brigadier-General Craufurd with
the 43rd, 52nd.,[39] and 95th. regiments, and the 3rd. Caçadores, and
driven down with immense loss.”
Besides these attacks, the light troops of the two armies were
engaged throughout the 27th. The loss sustained by the enemy was
immense, two thousand being killed upon the field of battle, with a
corresponding amount of wounded. Captain Lord Fitz Roy Somerset,
(the late Lord Raglan,) Aide-de-Camp to the British Commander;
Captain the Marquis of Tweeddale, of the 1st. Foot Guards,
Deputy-Assistant Quartermaster-General; Major Charles Napier, of the
first battalion 50th., (severely;) and Captain George Napier, of the
first battalion 52nd., were amongst the wounded.
BUSACO on the colours of the 1st., 5th., 9th., 38th., 43rd., 45th.,
52nd., 74th., 83rd., 88th., and Rifle Brigade, commemorates this
achievement.
There is a charming episode related by Sir William Napier, of the orphan
girl, which belongs to this battle:—“Meanwhile an affecting incident,
contrasting strongly with the savage character of the preceding events,
added to the interest of the day. A poor orphan Portuguese girl, about
seventeen years of age, and very handsome, was seen coming down the
mountain, and driving an ass loaded with all her property, through the
midst of the French army. She had abandoned her dwelling in obedience to
the proclamation, and now passed over the field of battle with childish
simplicity, totally unconscious of her perilous situation, and scarcely
understanding which were the hostile and which the friendly troops, for
no man on either side was so brutal as to molest her.”
On the following day there was some skirmishing on different points of
the line, but the French, taught by experience to appreciate the
strength of the position and the valour of its defenders, did not renew
the assault. Towards evening their columns were seen in movement to
their right, and their whole army was shortly on the march to turn the
British left flank.
The allies then commenced their retreat, and before daylight on the
29th., the position of Busaco was evacuated, the divisions moving on
their previously-arranged lines of retreat towards the lines of Torres
Vedras. This stupendous line of entrenchments and fortifications, had by
Viscount Wellington’s orders, been constructed, with admirable skill and
immense labour, for the defence of Lisbon. The French general, who had
followed the retreat through a wasted and deserted country, with the
confident expectation that he was driving the British to their ships,
found his progress arrested on the 10th. of October by this barrier,
which he soon perceived to be impregnable, and which extended
twenty-nine miles from the Tagus to the sea. Within the lines, supplies
were abundant, and with the exception of some employment in
strengthening the defensive works, amusements, exercises, and field
sports of every attainable kind were the occupation of all ranks, who
engaged in them as if no hostile interruption was to be apprehended. The
allied army was at this time augmented by fresh regiments from England,
and a sixth division of infantry added to it.
BATTLE OF BARROSA.
5TH. MARCH, 1811.
Wellington’s generals, like those under the illustrious Marlborough, did
not often have the opportunity of fighting independent battles. What
Wynendale was to Webb in Queen Anne’s reign, Almaraz was to Lord Hill,
Albuhera to Lord Beresford, and Barrosa to Lieutenant-General Thomas
Graham, (afterwards Lord Lynedoch,) who commanded the British forces in
Cadiz at the above period. In consequence of Marshal Soult having
proceeded into Estremadura, Marshal Victor was left to carry on the
siege of Cadiz, and a combined attack on the rear of the blockading army
at Chiclana was determined upon. Accordingly a British force of about
three thousand men, under Lieutenant-General Graham, and a body of seven
thousand troops, commanded by General Le Pena, were selected for this
expedition. The forces having first proceeded to Gibraltar, afterwards
disembarked at Algesiras, on the 23rd. of February, and being all united
at Tarifa, marched thence on the 28th. of that month.
General Zayas pushed a strong body of Spanish troops across the river
Santi Petri near the coast on the 1st. of March, threw a bridge over,
and formed a _tête-de-pont_. This post was attacked by the enemy on the
nights of the 3rd. and 4th. of March, who was repulsed, though the
Spaniards sustained considerable loss. On the 5th. of March, 1811,
Lieutenant-General Graham, and the army under his command, arrived on
the low ridge of Barrosa, and gained a decisive victory over the French
army, under Marshal Victor, composed of the two divisions of Generals
Rufin and Laval.
The circumstances under which Lieutenant-General Graham found himself
placed were such as compelled him to attack the very superior force, in
point of numbers, of his opponents. The allied army, after a night march
of sixteen hours from the camp near Veger, arrived on the morning of the
5th. at the low ridge of Barrosa, about four miles to the southward of
the mouth of the Santi Petri river. This height extends inland about a
mile and a half, continuing on the north the extensive heathy plain of
Chiclana. A great pine-forest skirts the plain, and circles round the
height at some distance, terminating down to Santi Petri, the
intermediate space between the north side of the height and the forest
being uneven and broken. A well-conducted and successful attack on the
rear of the enemy’s lines near Santi Petri, by the vanguard of the
Spaniards, under Brigadier-General Ladrizabel, opened the communication
with the Isla de Leon, and Lieutenant-General Graham received General La
Pena’s directions to move down from the position of Barrosa to that of
the Torre de Bermeja, about half-way to the Santi Petri river, in order
to secure the communication across the river, over which a bridge had
been recently constructed. This latter position occupied a narrow woody
ridge, the right on the sea cliff, the left falling down to the Almanza
creek on the edge of the marsh. An easy communication between the
western points of these two positions were kept up by a hard sandy
beach. Lieutenant-General Graham, while on the march through the wood
towards the Bermeja, received intelligence that the enemy had appeared
in force on the plain of Chiclana, about fifty miles from Tarifa, and
was advancing towards the heights of Barrosa.
This position being considered by the British general as the key to that
of Santi Petri, he immediately countermarched in order to support the
troops left for its defence, and the alacrity with which this manœuvre
was executed, served as a favourable omen. It was, however, impossible
in such intricate and difficult ground to preserve order in the columns,
and time was never afforded to restore it entirely. Before the British
could get quite disentangled from the wood, the troops on the Barrosa
hill were seen returning from it, while the enemy’s left wing was
rapidly ascending. His right wing at the same time stood on the plain,
on the edge of the wood, within cannon-shot. A retreat in the face of
such a foe, already within reach of the easy communication by the
sea-beach, must have involved the whole allied army in all the danger of
being attacked during the unavoidable confusion of the different corps
arriving nearly at the same time on the narrow ridge of the Bermeja.
Lieutenant-General Graham relying on the heroism of British troops, and
regardless of the number and position of the enemy, determined on an
immediate attack. Major Duncan soon opened a powerful battery of ten
guns in the centre. Brigadier-General Dilkes with the brigade of Guards,
Lieutenant-Colonel Browne’s (of the 28th.) flank battalion,
Lieutenant-Colonel Norcott’s two companies of the second Rifle corps,
and Major Acheson with a part of the 67th. Foot, (separated from the
regiment in the wood,) formed on the right. Colonel Wheatley’s brigade,
with three companies of the Coldstream Guards, under Lieutenant-Colonel
Jackson, (separated likewise from his battalion in the wood,) and
Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard’s flank battalion, formed on the left.
As soon as the infantry was thus hastily got together, the guns advanced
to a more favourable position, and kept up a most destructive fire. The
right wing proceeded to the attack of General Rufin’s division on the
hill, while Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard’s battalion, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Bushe’s detachment of the 20th. Portuguese, were
warmly engaged with the enemy’s tirailleurs on the left.
General Laval’s division, notwithstanding the havoc made by Major
Duncan’s battery, continued to advance in very imposing masses, opened
his fire of musketry, and was only checked by that of the left wing. The
left wing now advanced firing; a most determined charge by three
companies of the Guards and the 87th. regiment, supported by all the
remainder of the wing, decided the defeat of General Laval’s division.
The eagle of the 8th. regiment of light infantry, which suffered
immensely, and a howitzer, rewarded this charge, and remained in
possession of Major Gough, (afterwards General Viscount Gough), of the
87th. regiment.[40] These attacks were zealously supported by Colonel
Belson, with the 28th. foot, and Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost with a part
of the 67th. regiment.
A reserve formed beyond the narrow valley, across which the enemy was
closely pursued, next shared a similar fate, and was routed by the same
means. Meanwhile the right wing was not less successful; the French,
confident of success, met Brigadier-General Dilkes on the ascent of the
hill, and the contest was sanguinary: but the undaunted perseverance of
the brigade of Guards, of Lieutenant-Colonel Browne’s battalion, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Norcott’s and Major Acheson’s detachment, overcame
every obstacle, and General Rufin’s division was driven from the heights
in confusion, leaving two pieces of cannon in the hands of the victors.
In less than an hour and a half from the commencement of the action, the
enemy was in full retreat. The retiring division met, halted, and seemed
inclined to form; but a new and more advanced position of the British
artillery quickly dispersed it. The exhausted state of the troops
rendered pursuit impossible, and a position was occupied on the eastern
side of the hill. When the conflict had ceased, Lieutenant-General
Graham remained on the field of battle; but the Spanish general, La
Pena, who had looked on while this obstinate battle was fought, did not
seize the favourable opportunity which the valour of the British troops
had put into his hands, of striking a severe blow at the remains of the
French army retreating in disorder. The inactivity of the Spaniards
continuing, the British proceeded on the following day to Cadiz.
Among the prisoners were the General of Division Rufin, the General of
Brigade Rousseau,[41] the latter being mortally wounded; the Chief of
the Staff, General Bellegarde; an aidede-camp of Marshal Victor; the
Colonel of the 8th. regiment and several other officers. The prisoners
amounted to two general officers, one field officer, nine captains,
eight subalterns, and four hundred and twenty rank and file. The enemy
lost about three thousand men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and six
pieces of cannon were captured.
Both Houses of Parliament unanimously voted their thanks to
Lieutenant-General Graham, and the officers and men under his command,
for his victory.
The following corps were engaged in this battle:—2nd. Hussars, King’s
German Legion; Loyal Artillery; Royal Engineers; 1st. Foot Guards, 2nd.
battalion; Coldstream Guards, 2nd. battalion; 3rd. Foot Guards, 2nd.
battalion; 9th. Foot, 1st. battalion, (flank companies;) 28th. Foot,
1st. battalion; 47th. Foot, 2nd battalion, (flank companies;) 67th.
Foot, 2nd battalion; 82nd. Foot, 2nd. battalion, (flank companies;)
87th. Foot, 2nd. battalion; Rifle Brigade, 2nd. and 3rd. battalions;
20th. Portuguese Regiment; and one company of the Royal Staff Corps.