redoubts connected by an entrenchment. On the 2nd of February
the British made a movement to extend their right, and the ROYAL
FUSILIERS were again engaged, and manifested the same heroic
ardour and superiority over the enemy as on the preceding day.
Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham led the FUSILIERS, supported by the
light battalion, against the enemy's advanced redoubt, in open
day, and the spirited conduct of the officers and men was again
eminently displayed: but it appearing to the commander of the
expedition that the redoubts would be gained with a loss beyond the
value of the acquisition, the FUSILIERS were ordered to desist.
The loss of the regiment was one serjeant and twenty rank and file
killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham, Captains Row and Cholwich, one
serjeant, one drummer, and fifty-eight rank and file wounded, three
men missing. The enemy afterwards abandoned the redoubt and spiked
the cannon.
On the following day a general order was issued, in which it was
stated--"The benefit the advanced corps under Lieutenant-General
Sir George Prevost have produced to His Majesty's service, from
the gallant and successful attack made upon Morné Bruno and the
heights of Surirey, on the 1st instant, by the first brigade of
the army and the light battalion under Brigadier-General Hoghton,
demands from the Commander of the Forces a reiteration of his
acknowledgments, and his assurance to the brigadier-general, and
to the commanding officer of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, of the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, and of the light battalion, also to the officers,
non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of those regiments, that he
will not fail to lay their meritorious exertions before the King.
The exertions of all the corps engaged yesterday were conspicuous;
and although the state of the works possessed by the enemy did not
admit of their being carried by the bayonet, which rendered it
the general's duty to direct the corps employed to retire, they
manifested a spirit and determination which, when tempered by less
impetuosity, will lead to the happiest results."
_Fort Bourbon_ was afterwards besieged; and on the surrender of
this place the French marched out (7th March) and laid down their
arms; the ROYAL FUSILIERS and the two other battalions of the first
brigade receiving each an EAGLE from the French regiments, with a
proportion of brass drums, &c.
The capture of this valuable island having been achieved, the
troops were again commended in general orders for their excellent
conduct: and the ROYAL FUSILIERS were subsequently honoured with
the privilege of bearing the word "MARTINIQUE" inscribed on
their colours, as a mark of royal favour and approbation. Brevet
Lieutenant-Colonel Blakeney received a gold medal for his conduct
in this service.
After the completion of this brilliant enterprise, the ROYAL
FUSILIERS returned to Nova Scotia; before embarking they were again
commended in general orders. They sailed from Martinique on the
15th of March, and arrived at Halifax in April.
Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham being anxious to stimulate the ROYAL
FUSILIERS to good conduct by distinguishing merit, assembled a
board of officers for that purpose, and the names of the following
non-commissioned officers and soldiers were recorded in the "BOOK
OF MERIT."
Serjeant Thomas Simpson for meritorious and gallant conduct at
Martinique. Quarter-Master-Serjeant Timothy Meagher, Serjeants John
Ledsam, John Henry, John Day, William Harris, William Inchbold,
Joshua Redshaw, Thomas Beale, Thomas Miller, George Kenney, ----
Willson, George Clementson, Corporal Dove, Drummer Thomas Maud,
Privates William Vagg, Mark Ewing, Benjamin Price, James Haughney,
Nathaniel Moss, and James Delamy for general good conduct;
Serjeants Meagher and Henry were afterwards promoted to commissions.
In April, 1809, Lieutenant and Adjutant Orr, a most meritorious
officer, was promoted to a company, on which occasion the
serjeants presented him with an address, expressive of their
regard and gratitude for the manner in which he had performed
the duty of adjutant. This circumstance was, however, deemed a
departure from strict discipline, and the Commander-in-Chief
in North America, General Sir James Craig, declared in General
Orders, that the serjeants had been guilty, unintentionally,
of an act of insubordination.[17] The sentiments expressed in
this order obtained the concurrence of the Commander-in-Chief
of the Army, who stated in orders;--"The reason for which the
Commander-in-Chief has directed the circulation of this Order,
is, that he may avail himself of this opportunity of declaring to
the army his most perfect concurrence in the sentiments therein
expressed by the distinguished and experienced officer by whom it
was framed, on a subject which appears to have been by some very
much misunderstood.--The circumstance of inferiors of any class of
military men assembling for the purpose of bestowing praise and
public marks of approbation on their superiors, implies a power of
deliberation on their conduct which belongs to the Sovereign alone,
or to those officers who may be intrusted with the command and
discipline of the troops. It is a procedure equally objectionable
whether in the higher or lower ranks of the army; and as the
Commander-in-Chief cannot but regard it as a principle subversive
of military discipline, he trusts it is a practice which will be
for ever banished the British service: and he directs commanding
officers to act accordingly.
"By command of the Right Honourable the Commander-in-Chief,
"HARRY CALVERT,
"Adjutant-General."
* * * * *
In the meantime the second battalion had embarked from Cork to
join the British army in Portugal under Lieutenant-General Sir
John Craddock; it landed at Almeda, opposite to Lisbon, in April,
and mustered upwards of six hundred and fifty officers and men,
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Myers, baronet:
the ROYAL FUSILIERS and second battalion of the fifty-third
regiment, with one company of the sixtieth, formed a brigade
under Brigadier-General Alexander Campbell. Soon afterwards
Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley arrived in Portugal to
command the army.
In May the combined British and Portuguese forces advanced against
the French under the celebrated Marshal Soult, who had captured
_Oporto_ by assault about five weeks previously, and occupied that
city with a numerous body of veterans. The British general advanced
upon Oporto, and the ROYAL FUSILIERS had the honour of taking part
in the masterly movements by which the legions of Napoleon were
driven from that city on the 12th of May, pursued through the wild
and mountainous districts in the north of Portugal, and forced to
abandon their artillery and ammunition, and to save themselves by a
precipitate flight.
After this success the army retired to Abrantes, where the ROYAL
FUSILIERS were encamped nearly three weeks; they subsequently
advanced into Spain to aid the patriotic Spaniards in their
attempts to expel the French from their country, the British being
joined by a Spanish force under General Cuesta. Having entered
Spain, the army proceeded along the valley of the Tagus, and halted
near _Talavera de la Reyna_. The Spaniards pushed forward, but were
speedily driven back by the advance-guard of the French army under
Joseph Buonaparte, who bore the title of King of Spain. A British
brigade covered the retreat of the Spaniards, and the allied army
went into position near Talavera, the Spaniards occupying the
strong ground on the right, and the British extending to the left
along the more exposed part of the field. In the centre, between
the two armies, there was a commanding spot on which a redoubt
had been commenced, with some open ground in its rear; at this
important post the ROYAL FUSILIERS were stationed, with several
other corps under Brigadier-General Campbell, and they proved
themselves worthy of the trust reposed in them.
The French attacked the left of the British position on the evening
of the 27th of July, and were repulsed. The attack was renewed at
daylight on the following morning, and British skill and valour
were again triumphant. A short respite ensued while the French
generals held a council of war; but soon after mid-day their army
was seen in motion. The British stood to their arms and calmly
awaited the approach of the hostile legions; a cloud of light
troops covered the front of the French army; they were followed
by four dense columns, protected by eighty guns; and the ROYAL
FUSILIERS beheld the torrent of battle advancing towards them
with the fury of a tempest, threatening instant destruction to
all opposition. The fourth corps came rushing forward with such
impetuosity that it speedily cleared the intersected ground in
front, and attacked the ROYAL FUSILIERS and other corps on the
right of the British line with terrific violence. The British
regiments met the storm of war with unshaken firmness, and breaking
in on the front of the advancing columns, and assailing their wings
with a heavy fire, forced them back with a terrible carnage: the
ROYAL FUSILIERS rushed gallantly forward to the muzzles of the
French artillery, and, after an obstinate resistance, captured
seven guns, which the enemy endeavoured to re-capture, but in
vain. The French veterans rallied on their supports, and appeared
resolute on another attack, but they were assailed by so tremendous
a fire of artillery and musketry, that they retired in disorder,
and thus victory was secured in this part of the field. Sir Arthur
Wellesley observed in his despatch,--"I was highly satisfied
with the manner this part of the position was defended;" he also
mentioned the second battalion of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel SIR WILLIAM MYERS, among the corps which had
particularly distinguished themselves, and thanked the battalion
and its commanding officer in orders. The French were repulsed at
every point of attack, and they withdrew from a contest in which
the superiority of the British troops was eminently displayed.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS had Lieutenant Beaufoy and six rank and file
killed; Lieutenants Kerwan and Muter, Adjutant Page, one serjeant,
two drummers, and fifty-one rank and file wounded; one private
soldier missing. Their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir
William Myers, was rewarded with a gold medal; and the regiment was
subsequently authorised to bear the word "TALAVERA" inscribed on
its colours as an honorary distinction for its gallantry on this
occasion.
In the subsequent part of this campaign the battalion sustained
considerable loss from disease; but it was not engaged in actual
conflict with the enemy.
During the summer Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable EDWARD MICHAEL
PAKENHAM, commanding the first battalion in Nova Scotia, was placed
on the staff of the army in Portugal. The affable deportment,
amiable disposition, and liberality of this brave and zealous
officer, with his gallantry in the field, and his assiduous
attention to the interests, comfort, reputation, and efficiency
of the regiment during the series of years he had served with the
ROYAL FUSILIERS, had procured him the regard and esteem of every
member of the corps. Previously to his leaving the battalion, the
officers obtained his consent to have his portrait taken, and
presented him with a sword valued at two hundred guineas, as a mark
of their sincere regard for him as an officer and a gentleman,
and of their admiration of his manly virtues and zeal for the
service. The command of the first battalion devolved on Brevet
Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Blakeney, who devoted himself to the
good of the service, and preserved the battalion in its high state
of discipline and efficiency; it was employed at the out-posts of
Nova Scotia, and occupied George's Island, Melville Island, Point
Pleasant, York Redoubt, &c.
[Sidenote: 1810]
On the 1st of January, 1810, the first battalion mustered upwards
of a thousand officers and soldiers, and events occurred soon
afterwards which occasioned the removal of this fine body of men
from North America to the theatre of war in the Peninsula, where
the Spaniards and Portuguese were struggling for independence
against the forces of France, and where a British army sent to aid
the patriots was acquiring never-fading laurels under Sir Arthur
Wellesley, who had been created Viscount Wellington.
The French army in Spain having received numerous reinforcements, a
powerful and well-appointed force advanced under Marshal Massena,
Prince of Esling, to complete the conquest of Portugal; and the
very superior numbers of the enemy rendered it necessary for
the British army to limit itself to the defence of Lisbon. Lord
Wellington, however, resolved to maintain a forward position as
long as possible, and among the reinforcements sent to his aid
was the first battalion of the ROYAL FUSILIERS. On this occasion,
Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost stated in orders:--"On the
departure of the ROYAL FUSILIERS the Lieutenant-General commanding
acknowledges with pride and pleasure that this corps is an instance
among British soldiers of the union of regularity and good conduct
in quarters with patience and valour in the field of battle.
Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost has that opinion of the
commanding officer, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and
privates of this already distinguished corps which induces him to
pronounce his confidence that the ROYAL FUSILIERS will maintain
their reputation on whatever service they may be employed, and that
when called upon to face the enemy of their country, they will
again add to their own fame, and exalt the glory of the British
arms."
The first battalion landed at Lisbon on the 27th of July, every
man in health and under arms, and after a short repose advanced
up the country to join the army in the field. On passing Thomar,
the battalion halted a few days, and was reviewed by Major-General
Leith and the Portuguese General, Miranda, who expressed their
admiration of the appearance of the officers and men, and of the
ease and steadiness with which they manœuvred in battalion and
performed light infantry movements. After the review the battalion
advanced to Villa Cortez; and on the surrender of Almeida the army
withdrew to the rocks of _Busaco_, where it took up a position
to oppose the superior numbers of the enemy, whose commander
vaunted he would drive the English into the sea, and plant the
eagles of France on the towers of Lisbon. The first battalion of
the ROYAL FUSILIERS was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Blakeney,
and formed in brigade with the seventy-ninth, under Colonel the
Honourable Edward M. Pakenham, in the first division commanded by
Lieutenant-General Sir Brent Spencer; the second battalion was
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Myers, Baronet.
The British and Portuguese troops were in line on the ridge of
the lofty and precipitous hills of Busaco; in front lay the army
of Massena on another range of heights, and the dark mountains
were crowned with the bivouac fires of the opposing bands. On the
morning of the 27th of September, as the light appeared, the fire
of musketry commenced between the advanced posts stationed in the
deep hollows which separated the two armies: shortly afterwards the
French columns of attack appeared, and throwing forward crowds
of skirmishers, they speedily emerged from the hollow beneath,
and assailed the British position with that impetuosity which
distinguishes the first onset of French soldiers. They were opposed
by the unconquerable firmness of British soldiers; the heads of
columns were pierced by musketry, and charged with the bayonet;
and the formidable masses of veteran Frenchmen were overthrown
and driven down the mountain sides with a terrible clamour and
confusion, leaving crowds of killed, wounded, and prisoners behind.
Being unable to overcome the steady valour of the British infantry,
the French commander desisted, and the allied army stood triumphant
on the contested heights. The ROYAL FUSILIERS were stationed on a
portion of this range of rocks which was not seriously attacked,
and their loss was limited to two private soldiers killed,
Lieutenant Mair, and twenty-two rank and file wounded. Colonel
Pakenham, commanding the brigade, was rewarded with a gold medal.
After this vain attempt to force the rocks of Busaco, the French
commander made a flank movement to turn the left of his opponent's
position; when the allied army withdrew to the lines of _Torres
Vedras_, and there opposed a resistance which the French marshal
did not attempt to force.
While the opposing armies confronted each other, several sharp
actions took place between the advanced posts; and on the 13th of
October a company of the ROYAL FUSILIERS was ordered to drive back
a reconnoitring party of the enemy which had entered the village
of _Burlada_, situate between the two armies. This service was
performed with distinguished gallantry, and the French were driven
back at the point of the bayonet.
After searching in vain for a vulnerable part in the British
lines, the French commander, instead of driving the English
leopards into the sea, retired to the strong position of Santarem;
Lord Wellington advanced, and, establishing a series of posts to
watch his opponents, placed his army in cantonments.
The twenty-third, or Royal Welsh Fusiliers, having arrived from
America, the two battalions of the SEVENTH and first battalion of
the twenty-third were constituted a brigade under the command of
Colonel the Honourable Edward M. Pakenham: it was designated the
"FUSILIER BRIGADE," and attached to the fourth division commanded
by Major-General the Honourable Lowry Cole: the first battalion of
the SEVENTH was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Myers,
and the second by Lieut.-Colonel Blakeney.
[Sidenote: 1811]
In January, 1811, Colonel the Honourable E. M. Pakenham was placed
at the head of the Adjutant-General's department, and the command
of the FUSILIER BRIGADE was intrusted to Major-General Houstoun.
The brigade was stationed, at this period, at Aveiras de Cima.
At length disease, want of provisions, and the impregnable lines
of Torres Vedras, turned the vain boasting of the French commander
into defeat; he retraced his steps towards Spain, covering
wantonly, and with brutal cruelty, the line of his retreat with
rapine, bloodshed, devastation, and burning villages. The ROYAL
FUSILIERS moved forward in pursuit; several skirmishes occurred,
and, on the 12th of March, the brigade was in line near _Redinha_
(a town in the central part of Portugal, in the province of Beira),
and advancing to attack the rear column of the French army under
one of Napoleon's most active and enterprising generals, NEY; but
as the British ranks moved majestically forward in firm array, the
French fired a volley and instantly fled under the cover of the
smoke towards Condexia.
In the meantime Marshal Soult, being at the head of another French
army, had captured _Badajoz_, the capital of Spanish Estremadura;
also _Olivenza_, another fortified town on the west frontier of
Spain; and a detachment from his army had besieged _Campo Mayor_,
a barrier fortress of Portugal, in the province of Alemtejo;
and on the 14th of March the ROYAL FUSILIERS were detached to
the Alemtejo, to join the forces under Marshal Sir William Carr
Beresford, and take part in the relief of Campo Mayor, and in the
re-capture of Badajoz and Olivenza. While on the march, Campo Mayor
surrendered; and the British, continuing their route, arrived
before the town on the 25th of March, as the French columns
were marching out, when the thirteenth light dragoons and some
Portuguese cavalry charged with great gallantry, and threw the
enemy into confusion.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS were stationed at Campo Mayor about a
fortnight, and were subsequently employed in the siege of
_Olivenza_, which was terminated in seven days by the surrender of
the garrison on the 15th of April. The loss of the regiment was
limited to one man killed and one wounded.
This success was followed by the siege of the strong fortress
of _Badajoz_, situated on a beautiful plain on the Guadiana,--a
noble river five hundred yards broad; and the ROYAL FUSILIERS were
employed in this service. Marshal Soult, who had retired after the
capture of this fortress in March, quitted Seville, and, assembling
a powerful force, advanced to its relief. The allied army turned
the siege into a blockade, and moving forward to meet the advancing
foe, took up a position at _Albuhera_. The ROYAL FUSILIERS formed
part of the blockading force, but were subsequently ordered to
join the army; and they arrived in position about nine o'clock on
the morning of the 16th of May, at the moment when the French were
advancing to commence one of the most obstinate and sanguinary
actions in which British troops were ever engaged. The FUSILIER
BRIGADE, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir WILLIAM MYERS, of the
SEVENTH, was ordered to form in an oblique line behind the right;
the first battalion of the SEVENTH was commanded by Major John
Mervin Nooth, and the second by Lieut.-Colonel Edward Blakeney.
Being favoured by a height which the allies had neglected to
occupy, the French commander concentrated behind it fifteen
thousand men and forty guns, within ten minutes' march of the right
wing of the allied army, without his opponent's knowledge; at the
same time he extended the remainder of his forces along the woody
banks of the Feria, towards its confluence with the Albuhera. A
little before nine on the morning of the 16th of May, these troops
issued from the woods in one massive column, supported by a second,
flanked by cavalry and preceded by artillery, and attacked the
bridge, where they met with a formidable resistance. The British
general, anticipating the principal effort would be against his
right, directed the Spaniards under General Blake to change front,
and the second division to support them: but the Spanish general
delaying to execute the movement, the enemy was among his troops
before they were completely formed. A destructive cannonade, a
heavy fire of musketry, and the approach of some French squadrons
menacing to charge, put the Spaniards into disorder, and they fell
back fighting. The French columns pushed forward; their reserves
mounted the heights in their rear, and their batteries were brought
into line.
The retrograde of the Spaniards laid open the position of the
allied army, and the only good road by which a retreat could
be conducted was exposed. To remedy this disaster, the leading
brigade of the second division rushed forward; it was speedily
under a destructive fire; a heavy rain concealing distant objects;
and four regiments of French lancers and hussars having turned
the right flank in the obscurity, charged the British battalions
in the rear at the moment when they developed their attack, and
slew or took prisoners nearly two-thirds of their numbers: one
battalion, being in column, maintained its ground, while the French
horsemen overthrew all other opposition, and captured six guns.
A lancer attacked Marshal Beresford, who pushed the lance aside,
and, grappling with the lancer, threw him from his horse. Another
British brigade came boldly into the fight, repelling a charge of
lancers on its flank; the remaining brigade of the second division
arrived; a Spanish corps moved forward, and the enemy's infantry
recoiled; but soon recovering, renewed the conflict with greater
violence than before. The fighting became vehement, and more than
two-thirds of every British corps engaged had fallen, when their
ammunition began to fail, and the enemy established a column in
advance upon the right flank. The tide of success was evidently
flowing in favour of the French, when the fourth division was
ordered to the heat of the conflict, and a brigade of the second
division, which had only been slightly engaged, rushed forward into
the fight. At this moment a number of captured British soldiers
were being hurried to the rear of the French army; the enemy's
reserves were pushing forward to reinforce their front;--the field
was covered with heaps of dead bodies;--the lancers were riding
furiously about the upper part of the hill spearing wounded men,
and six pieces of artillery were in the hands of the French.