Battle of Toulouse. The French retreat to Carcassone. The allied army
enters Toulouse. Despatches reach Lord Wellington from Paris
relative to Bonaparte’s abdication, and his departure for Elba. He
transmits this information to Soult, who declines a cessation of
hostilities. We march from Toulouse towards Carcassone. Count Gazan
meets us with a flag of truce. Soult acknowledges the new order of
things. Hostilities cease. The dismay of fire-eaters at the
termination of the war in the Peninsula and south of France. Sortie
of the French garrison from Bayonne. Some regiments embark at
Bourdeaux for America. Five weeks at Castel Sarrazin. Soult’s army
reviewed at Montauban by the Duke d’Angoulême. We march to
Bourdeaux. Take leave of our Portuguese allies. The parting. Arrive
at Bourdeaux. Lord Wellington reviews the 43d, 52d, and 95th
regiments. We embark for England.
BATTLE OF TOULOUSE.
By the morning of the 10th of April, the 3d, 4th, 6th, and Light
Divisions, with the cavalry, were across the river; and Sir Rowland
Hill’s corps remained on the left bank, having closed near the suburbs.
Lord Wellington immediately arranged matters for attacking the enemy,
who was in a position on the heights above the city, covered with
redoubts and different field fortifications, which had been constructed
under the directions of General Cafarelli, an engineer of talent. The
different entrances to the town were defended by artillery, and the head
of the bridge, opposite to which Sir Rowland Hill’s troops were
stationed, had been rendered formidable also. The approach to the
heights was, in most parts, a _glacis_, which, as it afforded no
protection to the assailants, exposed them to a deadly fire.
Sir Thomas Picton’s division occupied the ground from the Garonne to the
great road leading from Bourdeaux into Toulouse. The Light Division
covered the ground from the left of General Picton nearly to the base of
the French position. On our left again were the Spaniards; and
considerably further to their left was Marshal Beresford, with the 4th
and 6th Divisions. Sir Rowland Hill threatened the city from the
opposite side of the Garonne. The cavalry, I believe, supported Marshal
Beresford’s column.
The outline of the plan of attack was something like the following. The
3d and Light Divisions were to throw light troops along the canal, and
by a constant fire to attract the enemy’s attention on that point, and
to threaten the entrance by the great road. The Spaniards were to attack
the heights in conjunction with the 4th and 6th Divisions; but being
nationally and by constitution obstinate and self-opiniated, they
thought proper to ascend the heights long before Marshal Beresford’s
column had made a sufficient _détour_ to enable it to attack the French
right. The consequence was, that the Spaniards were driven back with
great slaughter, and probably would not have halted until this time, if
the Light Division had not advanced in line to cover their retreat, and
enabled them to form behind it.
The 4th and 6th Divisions had now arrived at their destination, and with
a bravery and resolution which was never surpassed, stormed and carried
redoubt after redoubt, and finally drove the French with great slaughter
from the heights into Toulouse. The loss sustained by the troops which
stormed the heights was extremely severe.
The high ground looking into Toulouse was now entirely in our
possession; and from it Lord Wellington had the power of making it too
hot a position for the French army, if he had thought proper to use his
artillery. Motives of humanity towards the citizens prevented his taking
such measures. Both armies suffered severely in this bloody contest. The
loss of the allies has been rated at nearly five thousand men, and that
of the French (who lost several general officers) is stated to have been
as great. Not a shot was fired on the following day; and in the night of
the 11th Marshal Soult retired on the road leading to Carcassone.
The allied army entered Toulouse on the 12th (except the 4th and 6th
Divisions, which were on the road by which the French had retreated),
and was received with the greatest apparent joy. White cockades were in
every hat, and white flags displayed from every house.
The same day despatches reached Lord Wellington from Paris, announcing
the abdication of Bonaparte, and his being about to repair to Elba. A
flag of truce was sent to Marshal Soult from the British head-quarters,
to apprise him of the fact; but, as no official communication to that
effect had reached him direct from the provisional government at Paris,
he declined overtures for an armistice. In consequence of this, the
allied troops left Toulouse on the 17th, and proceeded in the direction
of Carcassone, where the French army was concentrated.
General Count Gazan, the chief of Soult’s staff, met us with a flag of
truce near Baziege; the purport of his mission being to inform Lord
Wellington that Bonaparte’s abdication had at length been officially
notified to Marshal Soult, who was ready to conclude an armistice, and
to appoint persons to fix on a line of demarcation between the French
and allied armies. Thus we at length witnessed the termination of the
war which had so long been waged in Spain, Portugal, and the South of
France.
I believe it is common to human nature to forget hardships, privations,
and fatigues, of however long continuance, soon after they have ceased,
and are succeeded by the common comforts of life. This may account, in
some measure, for the assertions which I have heard made by a few
zealots and fire-eaters, who, long after the termination of the war in
the Peninsula (and not until then), have declared that they were quite
inconsolable when the armistice was concluded, and the prospect of no
longer being targets for French bullets stared them in the face. But at
the moment when hostilities ceased between the armies of France and
England, I do maintain that the general and universal feeling was
(amongst those, at least, who had been participators in the whole of the
war in the Peninsula, from the summer of 1808 to the spring of 1814),
that for the present we had had enough of campaigning, and that a little
rest and time to refit would be desirable.
A few days after the battle of Toulouse, the French garrison made a
sortie from Bayonne at night, and vigorously attacked the blockading
army. There was a great deal of bloodshed on both sides; and Sir John
Hope was made prisoner. It has been asserted that the French governor in
Bayonne was well aware that Bonaparte had abdicated, and that
hostilities had ceased between the French and allied armies. If this be
true, hanging would be far too honourable a death for the man who could
wantonly sacrifice so many brave soldiers, without any possible good to
his country.
The war between America and Great Britain was still in progress; and no
sooner had we done with fighting in Europe, than daily reports were in
circulation of various regiments being about to embark at Bourdeaux for
the western world. Many regiments did embark at that port for America, a
few weeks after hostilities ceased in France; but our regiment did not
receive orders to proceed across the Atlantic until a later period.
In the latter end of April the army was cantoned on both banks of the
Garonne; the river Tarn being the line of demarcation between us and the
French. The Light Division occupied Montech, Grizolles, Castel Sarrazin,
and other towns. In the latter place the 52d regiment and our battalion
were quartered; and we spent five or six weeks very pleasantly,
receiving the greatest kindness and hospitality from the inhabitants.
Dances, fêtes champêtres on the banks of the Garonne, horse-races, and
various gaieties, filled up our time; and great regret was expressed
when the order arrived which obliged us to leave our new French
acquaintance; some of the fair females of whom had ruined the peace of
mind (_pro tempore_) of many of our gallant gay Lotharios. I went from
Castel Sarrazin one morning to Montauban, to see the army of Marshal
Soult, and a part of Marshal Suchet’s, reviewed by the Duke d’Angoulême.
The troops were drawn out in several lines, waiting the arrival of the
duke; and I had an excellent opportunity of inspecting that very army
which we had so often met in the Peninsula. Their general appearance was
fine and soldierlike. The Spanish sun had left its mark on their
countenances, which were for the most part lively and animated, without
the smallest appearance of despondency or disappointment at the late
change, or at the loss of their imperial master. Marshal Soult alone
appeared sullen and dejected. But this possibly was his natural manner.
Marshal Suchet, who sat on horseback on the duke’s left hand, laughed
and joked, and had every appearance of being perfectly satisfied.
On the 1st of June we bade adieu, with infinite regret, to our kind
friends at Castel Sarrazin, and marched towards Bourdeaux.
On the 11th we arrived at Bazas, a small town on the left bank of the
Garonne, where the Portuguese troops were to take farewell of their
British allies, and to return through Spain to their own country. The
1st and 3d Caçadores had now served in the Light Division four years,
and participated in its various successes. Many of the officers of the
two corps were consequently known to us, and the best understanding
existed between their soldiers and ours. There was a great deal of
shaking of hands, accompanied by many _vivas_; and the parting was
altogether affecting. At this place, also, the Portuguese and Spanish
followers, both male and female, were doomed to take their departure
from the British army. There was much weeping and wailing on the part of
the signoras.
We reached Bourdeaux on the 14th of June, and encamped a few miles from
the city. Lord Wellington took a last look, near the suburbs of
Bourdeaux, at the British regiments of the Light Division, which were
about to embark and to be dispersed. He departed amidst loud cheers of
men and officers, many of whom had followed him through seven
successive, and, I may add, successful campaigns in the Peninsula and
the south of France. The cavalry marched from Bourdeaux to Boulogne and
Calais, where they embarked for England; and the infantry waited at
Bourdeaux for shipping to take them to England, Ireland, or America, as
their destinations happened to be. Bourdeaux was thronged with British
officers and soldiers, not in gay or flashy costumes, but in remnants of
what had once been so.
After several weeks spent in this delightful town, the 1st and 2d
battalions of our corps embarked on board the Ville de Paris of 110 or
120 guns; and, after a ten days’ voyage from the mouth of the Garonne,
anchored at Spithead on the 22d of July, 1814. Nothing could exceed the
kind attention of the officers of the Ville de Paris towards us; and I
never passed ten days at sea so pleasantly. We marched from Portsmouth
into Kent, and both the battalions wintered at Dover.