Osman Pacha defeated by the Emir Bechir Cassim at Merouba—Proposed
Attack on Beyrout—Correspondence with Sir Robert Stopford—Letter
from the Emir Bechir Cassim—Letters to Lords Minto and
Palmerston—Visit to the Encampment of the Emir Bechir
Cassim—Comfortless quarters at Argentoun—Return—Preparations for the
Attack of Beyrout.
I was much pleased, on my return, to find the Emir Bechir Cassim, taking
advantage of Ibrahim having weakened his forces before Merouba, had
attacked Osman Pacha, defeated him, taken between 400 and 500 prisoners,
and obliged him to retire on Basquinta, at the head of the Nahr-el-Kelb.
It now became absolutely necessary to act with vigour, and I again
brought Beyrout under the Admiral’s consideration, and was glad to find
he approved of it, and he wrote to me as follows:—
“October 5, 1840.
“My dear Commodore,
“This Emir is a capital fellow, and has done good service. In a
conversation I had with the Pacha yesterday he thought it would much
facilitate the fall of Beyrout if the passes in the adjoining hills
could be cleared, to allow the mountaineers to come down, who he says
are all armed.
“In furtherance of the object of attacking Beyrout I shall go there in
the afternoon, after embarking our marines, and those of the Edinburgh
and Hastings, in a steamer; these men will have to embark all their
various concerns, as it will be unnecessary to land them here again.
“I am sorry to say we have now 100 sick on board, mostly our own men.
“The Pacha wishes to come to Beyrout; he had better embark with Walker
Bey, and be towed up, and the Turkish flag ought to be displayed.
“I may, perhaps, pound Beyrout to-morrow, but the attack on shore will
wait your arrival. There are fully 3000 men outside the town, with 20
field pieces.
“Your’s very truly,
“ROBERT STOPFORD.”
“To Commodore Napier.”
This looked like business, and I lost no time in replying as follows; an
opportunity offering, I also wrote to Lords Minto and Palmerston:—
“Powerful, October 5, 1840.
“My dear Admiral,
“I inclose you a letter[15] I wrote last night to the prince, and his
answer. I am now going off to concert measures with him. If he is
prepared to come down the left bank of Dog River we shall then cross
over, but were we to do it without him to clear the mountains, we should
expose our right to be turned by Souliman Pacha. All this our good Pacha
on shore does not think of. I am glad he is going with Walker Bey; the
fact is, he is afraid to stay here when we attack Beyrout, for fear the
enemy should come in upon our camp, which I shall take care they do not
do.
“I send off the Princess Charlotte’s marines, and am glad you are going;
the effect will be good. The marines of the other two ships shall be
kept in readiness to go in Stromboli, but with your permission I will
not embark them till after my interview with the prince, who is a trump.
Permit me, my dear Admiral, to congratulate you on our unexampled
success; all we have now to do is to act with great judgment,
accompanied by dash when a favourable opportunity offers.
“I find last night, notwithstanding all that has been said to the Pacha,
he sent one battalion to the mountains, where they were useless, and
withdrew another from a very important pass, without either myself or
Jochmus knowing one word about it; so much for Turkish tactics.
“With your permission I will keep the Austrian rockets also till after I
have seen the prince. I shall have a long ride, but I find personal
interviews and examining the country one’s-self, preferable to
correspondence, which is always uncertain here.
“Believe me your’s, &c.,
“CHARLES NAPIER.”
“Admiral Sir R. Stopford, G.C.B.”
Footnote 15:
This letter is lost.
_Emir Bechir Cassim’s Letter._
“October 4, 1840.
“I have received your kind letter, and find you are sorry that I took
the Turkish troops with me; they came of their own accord, not to fight,
only for amusement, and they have returned quite safe. The troops of the
mountains, after one day’s fighting, drove back Osman Pacha, took more
than 300 prisoners and more than 60 killed, still my troops are
following him to Natasanine. What you say about coming by the province
of Kátá, when we meet, we will talk about it; I will do everything I
can; but now what is necessary is for one scheik and 500 men to remain
in Tegretil Bunduk (near Masra), to prevent the enemy from entering
Kesrouan, and we have written about it, and expect to put this place in
order before we return. I have the ague and fever; it is very bad for
us. The provisions have not been sent. There is no excuse for the
muleteers, as they can hear our firing. Mr. Wood promised to come to me;
he has not; if the fever returns to me, and I cannot come to you, let
him come to me, and we will talk together about this business.”
The following are my letters to the Earl of Minto and Viscount
Palmerston.
“Head-quarters, Army of Lebanon,
D’Jounie, October 7, 1840.
“My Lord,
“The Admiral’s dispatch will inform your Lordship what is passing here.
The Little Prince, Emir Bechir, destroyed Osman Pacha’s army on the 4th,
with his mountaineers, and crossed over Dog River this morning. I have
moved forward the Turkish troops, and am preparing to advance the whole
army by land and by water, preparatory to attacking Souliman Pacha, who
is still at Beyrout, and in the neighbourhood; the town is strongly
barricaded, and as yet we have not attempted it. If we succeed in moving
him we have little more to do in Lebanon; and I do not think the enemy
will enter these provinces again. We expect every day 4000 more Turks;
and I hear that Sir Charles Smith is better; if he is able to work, my
functions cease, which I regret; however, I have had a glorious time of
it, and all my plans have completely succeeded.
“I have the honour to be, &c.,
“CHARLES NAPIER.”
“To the Right Hon. Earl Minto.”
“Head-Quarters, Army of Lebanon,
D’Jounie, October 7, 1840.
“My Lord,
“Success attends our operations; we attacked on the 24th the enemy’s
advanced posts on the left bank of the Dog River, and made between 400
and 500 prisoners. On the 26th I attacked and took Sidon, and made
nearly 3000 prisoners. On the 4th of October the little Emir Bechir
attacked and destroyed Osman Bey’s army, who have retired on Balbec, and
this morning he has entered the province of Kata, and I have moved
forward the Turkish troops. We are now preparing to attack Souliman
Pacha, and if we succeed, the whole of the country, with the exception
of the position of the Grand Prince, will be cleared and armed. We have
then Tripoli to turn our attention to, which I think will be an easier
conquest. Acre will be a tougher job, but I believe within our power to
accomplish, unless more forces are brought against us; we expect 4000
more Turkish troops every day, which will be a great assistance. Sir
Charles Smith, I hear, is better; if he is able to take the command, my
functions cease, which I am sorry for. I hope, in the final settlement
of this question, some attention will be paid to the mountaineers of
Lebanon; they ought to have added to their territory the seaports of
Sidon, Beyrout, and Tripoli; this would be most advantageous to them,
and most beneficial to the interests of England. They would pay a
tribute to the Porte, and have the sea open to the export of their
produce without the vexatious exaction of the Turks.
“Your Lordship will excuse this letter, I have hardly a moment to
myself.
“I have the honour to be, &c.,
“CHARLES NAPIER.”
“To the Right Hon. Lord Palmerston.”
After a very fatiguing journey of eight hours, I found the Prince
encamped in a glen surrounded by the most rugged and savage rocks,
perched on the top of which were many mountaineers to prevent surprise.
From 1500 to 2000 men were in the camp, dressed in the gay costume of
the Mountain. The Prince himself was in a small tent, surrounded by his
Emirs and Scheiks, and received me with the greatest kindness. After
complimenting him on his victory, through the medium of my interpreter,
the tent was cleared, and I pointed out to him the plan of operations I
meant to pursue to gain possession of Beyrout, which he quite approved
of, and promised his cordial co-operation the moment he was supplied
with ammunition and provisions, which the Turkish Commissary was most
negligent in doing; they were almost in a starving state, a few goats
being all they could procure in the mountains, and the horses were
entirely without barley. After staying an hour, we returned to
Argentoun; the road was strewed with dead and dying Egyptians, some of
them stark naked, and it was with the utmost difficulty I could persuade
the mountaineers to assist in getting the poor wretches crammed into a
small cottage on the road-side; they did not put the prisoners to death,
but they stripped them, and left these poor creatures to die of cold and
want.
At Argentoun we did not find our quarters at all improved since our last
visit; in addition to the bed-fellows we had to encounter, we were
obliged to turn in supperless; having calculated on getting back to the
camp the same night, we brought no provisions with us, and not even an
egg was to be had for love or money. Next morning, at daylight, we were
on horse, and by noon arrived at D’Jounie.
On the morning of the 7th I sent a battalion across the Nahr-el-Kelb to
support some of the mountaineers who had collected there, and other
preparations were made to move on Beyrout by sea and land. The Grand
Prince was also directed to cross higher up, and to keep me regularly
informed of all his movements.
--------------