NOTTINGHAM
Next morning the troops, as is customary during a state of active
warfare, were under arms an hour before daylight, and remained in
position till after the sun had risen. It was then confidently expected
that the column would be put in motion, though in what direction it was
to proceed, or what was the object of the descent, none but the General
himself appeared to know. A rumour, indeed, prevailed, that a flotilla
of gun-boats upon the Patuxent, commanded by the American Commodore
Barney, was the point of attack; and that while the land force advanced
up the river to prevent their retreat, armed boats from the fleet were
to engage them in front. That such was in reality the primary object of
the landing, I have every reason to believe, though circumstances
afterwards occurred to bring about a change in the plan of operations.
Into these, however, I shall not now enter, because they are in no way,
connected with the present stage of my narrative, but shall merely
observe, that in their expectations of an immediate advance the troops
were disappointed. Whether it was that the arrangements had not been
completed, or that intelligence respecting the state of the country and
the enemy’s preparations was wanting, I do not know; but the regiments
returned to the ground which they had occupied during the night, and
everything resumed the same face which it had worn on the evening
before.
In this state affairs continued till four o’clock in the afternoon,
when the General suddenly made his appearance in the camp, the bugles
sounded, and the regiments formed in order for marching. Nor did many
minutes elapse before the word was given, and the army began to move,
taking the direction of Nottingham, a town situated on the river, where
it was understood that the flotilla lay at anchor. The march was
conducted with the same caution and good order that had marked the
choice of ground for encamping and the disposition of the troops in
position. The advanced-guard, consisting of three companies of
infantry, led the way. These, however, were preceded by a section of
twenty men, moving before them at the distance of a hundred yards; and
even these twenty were but the followers of two files, sent forward to
prevent surprise, and to give warning of the approach of the enemy.
Parallel with the head of the three companies marched the flank
patrols; parties of forty or fifty men, which, extending in files from
each side of the road, swept the woods and fields to the distance of
nearly half a mile. After the advanced guard, leaving an interval of a
hundred or a hundred and fifty yards, came the light brigade; which, as
well as the advance, sent out flankers to secure itself against
ambuscades. Next to it, again, marched the second brigade, moving
steadily on, and leaving the skirmishing and reconnoitring to those in
front; then came the artillery, consisting, as I have already stated,
of one six and two three-pounder guns, drawn by seamen; and last of all
came the third brigade, leaving a detachment at the same distance from
the rear of the column, as the advanced guard was from its front.
In moving through an enemy’s country, the journeys of an army will,
except under particular circumstances, be regulated by the nature of
the ground over which it passes: thus, though eight, ten, or even
twelve miles may be considered as a short day’s march, yet if at the
end of that space an advantageous position occur (that is, a piece of
ground well defended by natural or accidental barriers, and at the same
time calculated for the operations of that species of force of which
the army may be composed), it would be the height of imprudence to push
forward, merely because a greater extent of country might be traversed
without fatiguing the troops. On the other hand, should an army have
proceeded eighteen, twenty, or even twenty-five miles, without the
occurrence of any such position, nothing except the prospect of losing
a large proportion of his men from weariness ought to induce a general
to stop, until he has reached some spot at least more tenable than the
rest. Our march to-day was, upon this principle, extremely short, the
troops halting when they had arrived at a rising ground distant not
more than six miles from the point whence they set out; and having
stationed the piquets, planted the sentinels, and made such other
arrangements as the case required, fires were lighted, and the men were
suffered to lie down.
It may seem strange, but it is nevertheless true, that during this
short march of six miles a greater number of soldiers dropped out of
the ranks, and fell behind from fatigue, than I recollect to have seen
in any march in the Peninsula of thrice its duration. The fact is that
the men, from having been so long cooped up in ships, and unused to
carry their baggage and arms, were become relaxed and enervated to a
degree altogether unnatural; and this, added to the extreme sultriness
of the day, which exceeded anything we had yet experienced, quite
overpowered them. The load which they carried, likewise, was far from
trifling, since, independent of their arms and sixty rounds of
ball-cartridge, each man bore upon his back a knapsack, containing
shirts, shoes, stockings, &c., a blanket, a haversack, with provisions
for three days, and a canteen or wooden keg filled with water. Under
these circumstances, the occurrence of the position was extremely
fortunate, since not only would the speedy failure of light have
compelled a halt, whether the ground chanced to be favourable or the
reverse, but even before darkness had come on scarcely two-thirds of
the soldiers would have been found in their places.
The ground upon which we bivouacked, though not remarkable for its
strength, was precisely such as might tempt a General to halt, who
found his men weary and in danger of being benighted. It was a gentle
eminence, fronted by an open and cultivated country, and crowned with
two or three houses, having barns and walled gardens attached to them.
Neither flank could be said to rest upon any point peculiarly well
defended, but they were not exposed; because, by extending or
condensing the line, almost any one of these houses might be converted
into a protecting redoubt. The outposts, again, were so far arranged
differently from those of yesterday, that, instead of covering only the
front and the two extremities, they extended completely round the
encampment, enclosing the entire army within a connected chain of
sentinels; and precluding the possibility of even a single individual
making his way within the lines unperceived.
These precautions were, however, like those of the preceding day,
unnecessary; no enemy making his appearance, even to reconnoitre: and
yet it cannot be said that the night was passed in uninterrupted quiet,
for the troops had scarcely lain down when they were disturbed by a
tremendous storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied by a heavy fall
of rain. The effect of the lightning, as it glanced for a moment upon
the bivouac, and displayed the firelocks piled in regular order, and
the men stretched like so many corpses beside them, was extremely fine.
The effect of the rain, however, was not so agreeable, for, being
perfectly destitute of shelter, we were speedily wet to the skin; and
the remainder of our resting-time was rendered thereby the reverse of
comfortable. But the feeling of fretfulness, natural on such an
occasion, lasted no longer than till the day dawned, and the line of
march was again formed; when their former good-humour returning, and
seasoned in some degree by the fatigues of yesterday, the troops moved
on in excellent order and in the highest spirits.
The route to-day was different, in many respects, from that of
yesterday. In the first place, we had now got beyond the stretch of
cultivation, and were proceeding through forests of immeasurable
extent; this, of itself, gave a very different aspect to all around,
because hitherto we had seen houses and fields of corn on each side of
the road, and now we could discover nothing but wild savannahs,
apparently untenanted by a single human being. In the next place, we
learnt from some of the country people, who had been impressed as
guides into our service, that numerous detached bodies of riflemen lay
in ambush among the thickets; and the very expectation of having
something to do, created a degree of excitement which, till now, we had
not experienced. In consequence of that information, the flank patrols
were strengthened and commanded to extend to a greater distance; the
advanced guard marched at a greater interval from the head of the
column, and the whole army moved forward with more caution and
circumspection than had hitherto been used.
In the course of this day’s march a little adventure occurred to
myself, which, in the illiberality of my heart, I could not but regard
as strikingly characteristic of the character of the people to whom we
were now opposed, and which, as at the time it had something in it
truly comical, I cannot resist the inclination of repeating, though
aware that its title to drollery must in a great measure be lost in the
relation. Having been informed that in a certain part of the forest a
company of riflemen had passed the night, I took with me a party of
soldiers, and proceeded in the direction pointed out, with the hope of
surprising them. On reaching the place, I found that they had retired,
but I thought I could perceive something like the glitter of arms a
little farther towards the middle of the wood. Sending several files of
soldiers in different directions, I contrived to surround the spot, and
then moving forward, I beheld two men dressed in black coats, and armed
with bright firelocks and bayonets, sitting under a tree; as soon as
they observed me, they started up and took to their heels, but being
hemmed in on all sides, they quickly perceived that to escape was
impossible, and accordingly stood still. I hastened towards them, and
having arrived within a few paces of where they stood, I heard the one
say to the other, with a look of the most perfect simplicity, “Stop,
John, till the gentlemen pass.” There was something so ludicrous in
this speech, and in the cast of countenance which accompanied it, that
I could not help laughing aloud; nor was my mirth diminished by their
attempts to persuade me that they were quiet country people, come out
for no other purpose than to shoot squirrels. When I desired to know
whether they carried bayonets to charge the squirrels, as well as
muskets to shoot them, they were rather at a loss for a reply; but they
grumbled exceedingly when they found themselves prisoners, and
conducted as such to the column.
But to return to the principal narrative. The army had now advanced
within a few miles of Nottingham, and the men were beginning to look
forward with some anxiety to a halt; whilst as yet nothing beyond the
capture of a few stragglers had occurred to confirm the rumours which,
in the morning, and during the whole of the march, had occasioned so
much more circumspection than appeared to be requisite. The day was
likewise far spent, and, as was to be expected, the ranks were
beginning to be less carefully preserved, when a smart firing in the
wood upon the right of the road gave new life and energy to the
soldiers. It was now confidently expected that the enemy would make a
stand. The column closed its order, ready to wheel into line in a
moment, and everything was on the qui vive: but it proved to be no more
than a rencounter between a party of American riflemen and the flank
patrol. After firing a few shots, the enemy gave way, and our main
body, which had continued to move on during the skirmish, came in
without the slightest opposition to the town of Nottingham.
We found this place (a town or large village, capable of containing
from a thousand to fifteen hundred inhabitants) completely deserted.
Not an individual was to be seen in the streets, or remained in the
houses; whilst the appearance of the furniture, &c., in some places the
very bread left in the ovens, showed that it had been evacuated in
great haste, and immediately before our arrival. The town itself stands
upon the banks of the Patuxent, and consists of four short streets, two
running parallel with the river, and two others crossing them at right
angles, The houses are not such as indicate the existence of much
wealth or grandeur among the owners, being in general built of wood,
and little superior to cottages; but around the village are others of a
far better description, which convey the idea of good substantial
farm-houses, a species of mansion very common in the United States. For
several miles in every direction the country was in a high state of
cultivation; though, instead of the maize and wheat which we had
hitherto seen, the fields were covered with an abundant and luxuriant
crop of tobacco. This plant seems, indeed, to be at all times the
staple commodity of that district; for, besides what was growing and
unripe, we found numerous barns filled with the remains of last year’s
crop; the whole of which was, of course, seized in the name of His
Majesty King George the Third. But in the main object of our pursuit we
were disappointed. The flotilla, which had been stationed opposite to
Nottingham, retired, on our approach, higher up the stream; and we were
consequently in the situation of a huntsman who sees his hounds at
fault, and has every reason to apprehend that his game will escape.
MARLBOROUGH
In this posture the army continued during the night, having its right
defended by the river, and its left extending considerably beyond the
town, and secured, as usual, by a connected chain of outposts; nor was
it put in motion, as had been done the day before, as soon as there was
sufficient light to distinguish objects. There seemed, indeed, to be
something like hesitation as to the course to be pursued,—whether to
follow the gun-boats, or to return to the shipping; but, at last, the
former proceeding was resolved upon, and the column set forward about
eight o’clock, in the direction of Marlborough, another village, about
ten miles beyond Nottingham. The road by which we travelled, as well
to-day as during the whole of the excursion, was remarkably good; in
some places rather heavy, from being cut through a sandy soil, but in
general hard, dusty, and, to use an expressive phrase, having a sound
bottom. Running, as it did for the most part, through the heart of
thick forests, it was also well sheltered from the rays of the sun; a
circumstance which, in a climate like this, is of no slight importance.
To-day, our whole journey was of this description, nor did we reach a
single cultivated spot till we approached the vicinity of Marlborough;
when we found ourselves in a country not more fertile than beautiful.
The ground, which had been hitherto perfectly flat, was now broken into
the most graceful swells, generally cleared of wood to within a short
space of the summits, and then crowned with hoar and venerable forests.
The village itself lies in a valley formed by two green hills; the
distance from the base of one hill to the base of the other may be
about two miles, the whole of which was laid out in fields of corn,
hay, and tobacco; whilst the slopes themselves were covered with sheep,
for whose support they furnished ample means. But Marlborough is not,
like an English village, compact, and consisting of one or two lanes
the houses are scattered over the plain, and along the sides of the
hills, at considerable intervals from one another, and are all
surrounded by orchards and gardens, abounding in peaches and other
fruits of the most delicious flavour. To add to the beauty of the
place, a small rivulet makes its way through the bottom, and winding
round the foot of one of these ridges, falls into the Patuxent, which
flows at its back.
During our progress to-day the same caution was observed which had been
practised yesterday. Nor was it altogether unnecessary, several bodies
of the enemy’s horse occasionally showing themselves, and what appeared
to be the rear-guard of a column of infantry evacuating Marlborough, as
our advance entered.
MARCH TO WASHINGTON.
There was, however, little or no skirmishing, and we were allowed to
remain in the village all night without molestation. But if we were not
harassed, we were at least startled on the march by several heavy
explosions. The cause of these we were at first unable to discover; but
we soon learnt that they were occasioned by the blowing up of the very
squadron of which we were in pursuit, and which Commodore Barney,
perceiving the impossibility of preserving, prudently destroyed, in
order to prevent its falling into our hands.
In Marlborough we remained not only during the night, but till past
noon on the following day. The hesitation which had caused the loss of
a few hours at Nottingham again interfered, and produced a delay which
might have been attended with serious consequences. At length, however,
orders were given to form, and we quitted Marlborough about two in the
afternoon, taking the road to Washington. During this day’s march there
was more skirmishing than had yet occurred. We had scarcely got above
three miles from the village, when the advanced guard fell in with a
party of riflemen, who maintained a sharp contest before they gave way.
The column, however, continued to move on without molestation, till
arriving at a point where two roads meet, the one leading to
Washington, the other to Alexandria, a strong body of troops, with some
artillery, were observed upon the slope of a height opposite. The
capture of Washington was now the avowed object of our invasion; but
the General, like an experienced officer, was desirous of keeping his
enemy in the dark as to his plan of operations. Whilst the advanced
guard, therefore, reinforced by two additional companies, marched
directly forward to dislodge the party from the heights, the rest of
the army wheeled to the left, taking the road which leads, not to
Washington, but to Alexandria. These movements were not lost upon the
enemy, who, observing by the dust in what direction the main body had
filed off, immediately began to retreat, without waiting for the
approach of the detachment sent against them. As they ascended the
hill, however, they made a show of halting and forming a line. Our men
moved steadily on in column, covered by one company in extended order
along the front; but the enemy, having merely thrown a few round shot
with great precision among the skirmishers, broke once again into
marching order, and were quickly hid by the rising ground. As soon as
they had disappeared, the advance halted; and having remained for about
an hour on a little hill to watch their motions, turned to the left,
and followed the rest of the army, which they found advantageously
posted at a place called Woodyard.