Author's Battalion embark for England--Land at Plymouth--Expect
to be again ordered on Foreign Service--Order received--Embark,
with other troops, for America--Land at Pine Island.
We embarked on the 8th July on board his Majesty's ship Dublin, of 74
guns, commanded by Captain Elphinstone, which took the five companies of
my battalion, with two companies of the 43d. We sailed the next day, I
think, and had generally fine weather during our voyage, which lasted
till the 18th, when we arrived at Plymouth. She was but a dull sailer,
or we ought not to have occupied so many days in so short a passage.
During our voyage, as remarkable an instance of heroic fortitude and
bodily strength was exhibited by a sailor of this ship as I ever
remember to have witnessed. He was doing something on the fore-yard, and
by some accident he was precipitated into the water, but in his fall his
shoulder came in contact with the flue of one of the anchors, by which
it was deeply and severely cut. The ship was going at about five knots
an hour, and it took near half an hour before she could be brought
round and a boat sent to his assistance; and notwithstanding the severe
cut he had received, from which the blood was fast streaming, he not
only contrived to keep himself from sinking by buffeting with a heavy
sea, but actually stripped off his jacket in the water, as it seems it
had been an encumbrance to him. When the boat reached him, the poor
fellow was nigh exhausted, and a few minutes more would have deprived
the ship and the service of an excellent sailor, but having been got
into the boat, he was brought on board more dead than alive, where every
attention being paid to him, he soon afterwards recovered.
We landed at Plymouth on the 18th, and occupied one of the barracks. We
did not exactly know what was to become of us. Kent being our regimental
station, we expected to be ordered to march and join the left wing in
that county, but were still kept at Plymouth, where we met with great
kindness and attention from the inhabitants in general, who are upon the
whole, I think, an excellent and a moral people. We also fared
sumptuously here, every description of food being both cheap and good.
Fish in particular is most abundant and excellent. In short, we were
here as comfortably and as well quartered as we could desire, and every
thing tended to make us perfectly satisfied with our lot. We relaxed by
attending the theatre occasionally, which is one of the best provincial
ones in the kingdom, and at this time could boast some very good actors.
There were a variety of other amusements, such as fishing, &c., which of
course we indulged in occasionally. From hence I was called up to London
to meet our Colonel, the Hon. Sir W. Stewart, to arrange our battalion
concerns, &c. for the few latter years of hurry and confusion, and which
was at last got done to the satisfaction of all concerned. Here also we
began to replenish our wardrobes, which, it will easily be imagined,
were not the most magnificent in the world on our first arrival.
But we were not long permitted the enjoyment of English society or
English comforts, for we had scarcely been a month at Plymouth till we
received an order to prepare again for foreign service, and the nature
of that service being kept a profound secret, we scarcely knew what
necessary articles of equipment to prepare. The general opinion,
however, was, that our destination was some part of America,
consequently we endeavoured to meet all contingencies by preparing both
for a warm and cold climate. All hands of course were vigorously set to
work, in order to be ready when the summons arrived, which we knew might
be very soon expected. An alteration was made in the arrangement of our
battalion. The staff was ordered to proceed to join the other wing at
Thorncliffe, which of course included myself, but Major Mitchell, who
was now appointed to the command of these five companies, was anxious to
take me out with him in the capacity of acting paymaster, and to his
friendly and earnest endeavours, added to the kindness of Captain James
Travers, who had at first intended to apply for that situation himself,
but renounced it on my account, I am indebted for again having an
addition of 10s. per diem made to my regimental pay during the
continuance of service on this expedition.
At length the order arrived for our embarkation, and on the 18th
September, just two months from the day of our arrival in England, our
five companies were sent on board his Majesty's ships Fox and Dover,
both frigates of the smaller class, and which had been prepared for the
reception of troops, by having a part of their guns taken out, and
being, as it is termed, armed "en flute." The commanding-officer, with
the staff and three companies, were put on board the Fox. We laid in an
immense sea stock of provisions, &c. not knowing how long we might be on
the water, but unfortunately for us we had scarcely put foot on board,
when the order was given to weigh and proceed to sea forthwith, so that
no time was given for the stowing away of all the stock, which had cost
us about L.24 per person; the consequence was, a great part of it was
lost or destroyed, from its being knocked about the deck in the midst of
the confusion and bustle consequent on the crew and the soldiers
(strangers to each other) being set to work to weigh anchor and make
sail in such a hurry. Little assistance was afforded us from the ship on
this occasion. We thus lost nearly the half of what we had been at so
much pains to provide; but such things being common occurrences in a
life like ours, it was therefore vain to fret.
The force that embarked at the same time with us, consisted of the 93d
Highlanders, a company of artillery, some rocketeers, a squadron of the
14th light dragoons, without horses, and our five companies, the whole
under the command of General Keane. The good people of Plymouth, as is
customary, cheered us as we left their shore, wishing us the most ample
success and good fortune, and which we, who had for so long a time been
in the habit of conquering, did not for a moment admit a doubt of being
fully realized.
We sailed, as I said, on the 18th September, and stood down the channel
with a pretty fair breeze, till we reached what are commonly called its
"chops," where we encountered adverse winds, and blowing a succession of
gales (equinoctial, I imagine) which detained us beating off and on for
seven days. This was as uncomfortable a beginning of our service as
could well be imagined. High winds, with rain, and contrary to the way
we wished them, were certainly rather trying to the patience of us
landsmen, and there was something in our situation on board this ship
which did not at all tend to alleviate our discomfort. In fact, we
wished our fortune had placed us on board a transport rather than where
we now found ourselves. All the discipline and strictness of a regular
man-of-war was enforced, without any of the countervailing comforts and
conveniences usually found on board such ships; and to such a length was
this carried, that because our officers sometimes stood on the
quarter-deck, holding on, in the rolling of the ship, by the hand-ropes
which surround the companion, not only these, but the ropes which were
stretched to prevent people falling out at the gangway, were ordered to
be removed, that nothing should remain by which lubbers like us might
hold on in the heavy rolls to which the vessel was subject in gales like
those I have been describing. We were no less than twenty-four people in
the cabin, twelve of our officers and twelve gentlemen of the
commissariat department, so that we were sufficiently crowded, besides
being in several other respects ill provided. But all this would have
been borne with cheerfulness and good-will, had we not experienced such
a total want of kindness and urbanity from a quarter where we least
expected it, and from which that unkindness could be made most
effectual.
We lost the fleet during the continuance of these gales, but sealed
orders having apprized our commander where to rendezvous, we made sail
for the Island of Madeira, which we reached on the 9th October, and
where we found the fleet. Some of the wags of our other two companies on
board the Dover, pretending to think we must have been cast away and
lost, had erased all our names from the army list as defunct. This
rather annoyed some of our folks, but it might have been easily seen it
was only a little waggery in which they had been indulging themselves.
A day or two before we reached Madeira, we fell in with a strange sail,
to which we gave chase, and brought her to; she proved to be an English
merchant brig. It was said our commander wished to have a little
independent cruise, which caused him to part from the fleet, and that
there was a famed American privateer called the Wasp that had made a
great number of captures, and which he was anxious to fall in with that
he might take her. Had such a thing occurred as the Wasp appearing in
sight, and we had given her chase, I could have compared it to nothing
but to a vulgar simile which I have sometimes heard used, that of a cow
endeavouring to catch a hare, for indeed she was, I believe, one of the
fastest sailers that had ever been known, while we, on the contrary,
were in comparison just like the cow to the hare. This also must have
been a piece of waggery on the part of those who first set such a report
afloat, for no man in his senses would have ever thought of chasing
privateers with the Fox frigate at the time of which I am now writing. I
regret I did not go on shore on this beautiful island, the town and
scenery of which were most inviting, but as our stay was only to be so
very short, it was scarcely worth while.
We sailed again on the 11th, after having first got a cask of excellent
Madeira wine from the house of Messrs Gordon and Co. This was the best,
I think, I ever drank. We stood almost due south, passing pretty close
to Teneriffe and the other Canary Isles, until we fell in with the
trade-winds, when we kept more away towards the south-west. Our voyage
now became delightful, for a gentle and refreshing, but constant and
steady breeze, carried us on at the rate of about five or six knots an
hour, without having occasion hardly to alter a sail or rope. We passed
to the tropic of Capricorn on the 15th October, when our sailors
prepared to indulge in the same innocent but amusing ceremonies that are
adopted on crossing the equator. Neptune, with his Amphitrite, got
dressed in full costume, and every other appendage being ready, it only
now remained that the commander's sanction should be obtained to their
commencing the imposing ceremony; but no! his godship was dismissed in
no very courteous manner, and told to go and attend to his duty. Thus
the fiat of a greater than Neptune, even in his own element, reduced him
from the godlike rank he held to that of a mere forecastle sailor; and
thus were all our expectations frustrated. In all the other ships of the
fleet the amusement was carried on with the greatest good humour, as we
could plainly perceive with our glasses.
On the 18th, we passed pretty near the Isle of St Antonio, the
westernmost of the Cape Verde Isles, and then bearing off still rather
more to the west, we kept our course generally at about 12 or 13 north
latitude, and in this manner crossed the Atlantic.
From the time that we had entered between the tropics, we had seen
numerous shoals of flying fish, some of which, when closely pursued, (by
the dolphin generally,) actually fell on board our ship. A very accurate
drawing of one of these was made by one of our lieutenants, a friend of
mine, who, I believe, has it to this day. They were generally about the
size of a herring, and much resembling that fish in shape and colour,
with two fins projecting from behind their gills, nearly as long as
their body. These are their wings, with which they can fly generally for
100, or 150, or sometimes 200 yards, when they fall again into the
water. We also caught a dolphin about this time, our carpenter having
harpooned it from the bow of the ship; but I was considerably
disappointed in finding it did not exceed from twenty-four to thirty
inches in length; and the hues of it, though beautiful when dying, by no
means answered my expectations.
On the ---- November, we made the island of Barbadoes, and anchored in
Carlisle Bay, off Bridgetown, the capital of the island. It is not easy
to describe the effect which is produced on an European the first time
he beholds the beauties of a tropical country, and which, I think, he
does in the greatest perfection while they are yet distant from him.
Robertson's description of Columbus's first view of a West India island
is, I think, as correct and as beautiful as any thing can possibly be;
and his feelings for the moment (heightened indeed by the circumstance
of his having at length attained to his long-looked-for Western India)
will describe pretty nearly what every one must feel, who has not before
beheld the productions of a tropical climate. But oh! how is the scene
changed when you get on shore! Nature indeed is still beautiful and rich
beyond the conception of a northern native; but man--how fallen! Here (I
think I shall not far err if I say) you behold man in his lowest state:
the savages of the woods are, in my opinion, much higher in the scale of
being than those whom our cursed cupidity has introduced to all our
vices, without one alleviating virtue to counterbalance the evil. But
how could the poor Africans learn any thing that is good from those who
do not practise good themselves?
One of our people while here said, "he thought the men were all rogues,
and the women all unfaithful." Of the slave population the latter is
certainly a correct description, almost universally, in Bridgetown; for,
with shame be it spoken, their masters and mistresses calculate upon
their worth as if they were brood-mares, by the number and the
description of wretched beings which they can bring into this world of
misery. What indeed could you expect from those who can thus act, and
those who sanction such conduct, but the like treatment that Mr
Shrewsbury met with, if you endeavour to show them to themselves or to
others in a true light? While the strong man armed keepeth his castle,
his goods are in peace; but let another endeavour to bind this strong
man, and take his goods from him, and oh, what a resistance may not be
expected! Let the West Indians have slaves whom they may treat as cattle
for their own gain and profit, even if it be at the expense of the souls
of the poor wretches whom they thus destroy; but endeavour to show these
degraded human beings that they are capable of being raised to a level
with their unfeeling and avaricious masters, and you may shortly expect
the fate of a Smith or a Shrewsbury, so regardless are these dealers in
human flesh of their duty as men who must soon render an account of all
their actions.
It may be said, that I saw little, while here, but the very worst of
society, and this may in a great measure be true; but it is evident that
such things were done and sanctioned at Bridgetown when I was there, in
1814, as led me to pray that my lot might never be cast among such
people.
I now gladly turn from this scene of vice and misery, and pursue my
narrative.
In the bay at this place a hulk was stationed for the reception of
prisoners of war. Our boats usually passed pretty near it on going on
shore for water. A number of Americans were on board as prisoners. On
one occasion, or more, I believe, they called out to our fellows as they
passed under her stern, "So you have come out from England to attack our
country, have you? I hope you have brought your coffins with you, for
you will need them before you return." And, in truth, many of those
fine fellows to whom this insolently coarse but patriotic speech was
addressed, did indeed require coffins before the business we were going
upon was finished.
We left Barbadoes on the ----, and, passing down through the midst of
the islands, we left St Lucia on our left and Martinico on our right
hand. We also passed close to Dominico and Guadaloupe, with several
smaller islands which I do not recollect, and, keeping to the southward,
passed St Christopher's, Santa Cruz, Porto Rico, and St Domingo, having
a fine view of the whole as we moved delightfully along. This latter
large island took us more than two days in passing; but on the 21st we
came in sight of Jamaica, the chief of our West India possessions. We
stood off and on near to Port-Royal till the 23d, when we made sail to
the westward, and on the 25th came to anchor in Negril Bay, at the
extreme west end of the island of Jamaica. Here we found several sail
both of men-of-war and transports, having on board the troops which had
been engaged in the operations against Washington and Baltimore, &c.,
and consisting of the 4th, 21st, 44th, and 85th regiments, with some
artillery. They were not strong indeed, having been considerably reduced
by their late arduous services; but their numbers, added to ours, we
thought quite sufficient to enable us to make a descent upon the
American coast, near New Orleans, which it was now whispered was our
destination: indeed this had been conjectured from the time we left
England, but nothing certain was known, and even now it was not
officially made public. A day or two after our arrival here, two of the
West India regiments also joined us, the 1st and 5th, at least a part of
both; so that we now mustered a respectable force. Admiral Sir Alexander
Cochran commanded the naval part of the expedition, he being here on
our arrival on board the Tonnant 84; several smaller vessels also, with
stores, &c. &c. joined us from Port-Royal. When the whole were collected
together, we felt proud of our fine force, which we vainly imagined
nothing we should have to encounter could withstand for a moment: but
the battle is not always to the strong; and we were shortly after
painfully reminded of this truth. But I must not anticipate,--evil
always comes early enough.
During our stay here, I went on shore for a few hours, and visited some
of the farms or plantations. Indeed, while we remained, the place where
we landed was generally like a fair; for the inhabitants had assembled
in great numbers, bringing with them live stock and poultry and
vegetables, &c. for sale, all of which were greedily bought up at prices
high enough, I warrant you. The vegetation at this place was most
luxuriant, even in this the middle of winter almost; but I apprehend
this was the finest season of the year, for it was not at all
intolerably hot, and every thing, had the appearance which our country
assumes in the height of summer. An accident occurred whilst we
continued here, which had nigh proved serious. The Alceste frigate, one
day, in shifting her berth, run with her head right on board the Dover,
where our other two companies were on board. She cut her up from the
stern into the cabins, not less I am sure at the top than ten feet. Two
of our people were in the cabin at the time playing at backgammon, and
were not a little astonished to see the prow of another large vessel
tearing its way right into the very place where they were sitting.
On the 29th, signal was made to weigh, when the whole got under way, and
started in fine style; our now gallant fleet covering the ocean for many
miles. We kept along on the south side of Cuba, and on the 3d December
made Cape St Antonio, the westernmost point of that large island. From
hence we now stood to the northward, crossing right athwart the Gulf of
Mexico. During our stay at Barbadoes, we had purchased a live sheep and
a pig, as we feared our stock might run out before we landed. The sheep
was productive of great amusement to our messmates, at the expense of
the poor caterer. In all hot climates, I believe, the wool of the sheep
becomes in course of time more like the hair of a goat than what it
really is. This was the case in the present instance, most of our people
declaring they would not eat of such an animal, which was, as they
conjectured, a sort of mule bred between a sheep and a goat; while the
poor caterer was like to have the sheep thrown on his hand. This
produced many a bickering, even after it was known that such was the
case in warm climates; for they kept up the fun as long as possible,
always trying to keep the unfortunate caterer in hot water about it. The
sheep was killed, and produced excellent mutton--not fat indeed, but
eatable. We were not so fortunate, however, with our pig; it appears it
must have been diseased--what, I believe, is usually termed measly. It
was dressed without this being known, and eaten; and the consequence
was, all the twenty-four of our mess, except myself and another were
literally poisoned. In the middle of the night, when it began to take
effect, the most distressing scene took place imaginable, and the
medical men were kept busily employed for a considerable time afterwards
preparing and administering emetics, which providentially had the
desired effect on all, for in a short time the whole recovered; but had
medical assistance not been promptly administered, the chances are some
of them would have suffered. Its effects were something like cholera
morbus, working both up and down in the most violent manner.
On the 10th December we made the American coast off Mobile, where we
fell in with a vessel, on board of which was Colonel Nichols of the
marines, with three or four Indian chiefs of the Creek nation, to which
people he had been for some time previously attached, they being then at
war with the Americans, and consequently our allies. They came on board
our ship, and were shown every thing curious; but their reason for
visiting us was, that they might see our rifles, for they considered
themselves good shots, and wished to examine our arms, with which they
did not express themselves over-satisfied, as they had been accustomed
to see no other description of rifles than those used by the Americans,
which are both much longer and heavier, but carry a much smaller ball.
Indeed they had never seen any military rifles, but only such as the
above, and which are constructed solely for the purpose of killing deer
and other game. The gallant colonel endeavoured to amuse us a little on
this occasion with the wonderful feats of his proteges. He told us, that
they being generally very short of balls, were always very careful how
they expended them in hunting; and that their rule was never to fire at
a deer, until it was in the act of passing between them and a tree,
that, should the ball go through its body, as it sometimes did, it might
lodge in the tree on the other side, and they would then go and pick it
out, and recast it. We thought he ought to have told that story to his
own corps the marines; for I believe he did not get many of us to give
implicit credit to so wonderful a tale. They were most grotesque-looking
figures; most of them were dressed in some old red coats, which they had
got hold of by some means, with cocked hats of the old fashion. These I
believe had been given them by some of our people, for they were English
manufacture. But they had tremendous large rings, &c. hung in their
ears, the laps of which were stretched nearly to their shoulders; some
of them also wore rings in their noses; and some of them were without
any sort of lower garments, having nothing but a sort of cloth tied
round their waist, which passed through between their legs and fastened
before. These people it was intended should bring their warriors to join
us near New Orleans; but, owing to some cause with which I am not
acquainted, none but these three or four chiefs ever came near us.
On the 11th we anchored near the Chandeleur Islands, at the entrance
into Lake Ponchartrain. But it was discovered that the Americans had
some gun-vessels, which, on account of their drawing only little water,
had been stationed in this lake for its protection, and on our
appearance had retired nearer to New Orleans. It was necessary that
these should be previously disposed of in some manner, before the
disembarkation of the troops could with safety be effected. None of our
ships could follow them on account of the shoalness of the lake. An
order was therefore issued for all the men-of-war to prepare their boats
for an attack on these vessels, the chief command of which was given to
Captain Lockyer of the Sophia gun-brig. On the morning of the ----, they
therefore assembled for this purpose, and pushed up the lake in search
of the gun-vessels, which were discovered moored near some islands
called by the natives, "Les Isles Malheureuse," or the "Unfortunate
Islands," and which form the entrance from Lake Ponchartrain into Lake
Borgne, or Blind Lake. No time was lost in attacking this formidable
flotilla, consisting of vessels carrying from five to six guns each, and
commanded by a lieutenant of the American navy, named by them Commodore
Jones. A most determined and gallant resistance was made by the
Americans; but superior numbers, with equal, if not superior courage and
seamanship, prevailed, and in a short space of time the whole were
captured. Both the commandants were severely wounded, with a great
number of officers and men killed and wounded. Nothing could exceed the
gallant intrepidity, I understand, with which our boats advanced to the
attack; for, from experience I am well convinced, the fire from those
gun-vessels must have been most destructive; for better shots, either
with artillery or small arms, do not exist than the Americans. Orders
were now issued for the army to prepare to land; but the distance, from
where we had been obliged from shoal water to stop to the town, being so
great, it was determined to form a sort of depot on a small island, near
the mouth of the Pearl River, called Pine Island; and farther to
facilitate the transport of the troops, small brigs, &c. were sent as
far up the lake as possible, into which the troops were put successively
from the larger vessels, and from which they generally took their
departure for the above island.
On the 15th our people left the Fox, and were moved up the lake into one
of the brigs before noticed, where we were packed in as tight as
herrings, there being near 400 men on board a little thing scarcely
calculated to contain the fourth of that number, and where there was not
literally room to lie down. But, on the 19th, we were relieved from this
rather close confinement; and being put on board of long boats, we
pushed off for the island, which lay at a considerable distance,
notwithstanding the measures that had been adopted to shorten our
voyage. The weather proved extremely rough and unpleasant, which
rendered our trip neither over-safe nor comfortable; and to mend the
matter, the seamen on board our boat were rather in the wind, and did
not manage her so well as was desirable; for, poor fellows, they had
been engaged in this fatiguing service for several days, (a considerable
number of the troops having been previously landed,) and were
consequently the more easily prevailed upon to indulge when grog came in
their way. Our middy too was quite worn out with fatigue, and slept
nearly all the time we were on board. Our boat was several times on the
point of being swamped, for the water came in quite plentifully on
occasions of her being laid down by sudden squalls. Another boat, which
accompanied us, had her mast carried away.
We landed on the island before mentioned in the evening, and of course
looked out for the best shelter we could find. But it was a complete
desert; nothing but reeds grew on it, except a few stunted and scrubby
bushes at the lower end of it. It came on a most severe frost during the
night, which I understand caused the death of several of the sailors,
who had indulged perhaps a little too freely, and had lain down without
any covering. Some of the poor blacks also, I understand, suffered in
consequence of the severe cold, a thing with which they were totally
unacquainted, and against which they were ill provided, having nothing
but their light and thin West India dress to keep it out. It was
laughable the next morning to see them examining so intently the ice
which had been formed on the pools near our bivouack. They could not
conjecture what it was; some of them asserting it was salt; while the
greater part were totally at a loss respecting it. I had by great good
luck got into a sort of hut belonging to some of the officers who had
previously landed; but I do not remember in all my campaigning to have
suffered more from cold than I did this night, and was extremely glad
when daylight appeared, that I might be able to move about.