THE BATTLES
OF THE
BRITISH ARMY
THE BATTLES
OF THE
BRITISH ARMY
BEING
_A POPULAR ACCOUNT OF ALL THE PRINCIPAL
ENGAGEMENTS DURING THE LAST
HUNDRED YEARS_
BY
ROBERT MELVIN BLACKWOOD, M.A.
AUTHOR OF
“_The British Army at Home and Abroad_,”
“_Some Great Commanders_,”
_&c._, _&c._
_THIRD EDITION_
LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL,
HAMILTON, KENT AND CO. LTD.
PREFACE.
All phases of life and incident relating to the building up and
consolidation of our Empire, ought to be of supreme interest to those
who regard themselves as Britain’s sons. Fortunately the arts of peace,
and the respect for justice and individual right, have had much to do
with the growth of the greatest empire in the world’s history.
At the same time, unfortunate though the case may be, the ordinance
of battle has had no small share in the extension of the country’s
interests. In acknowledging this unfortunate fact, it is so far
consoling to realise that many of these conflicts have been thrust
upon us, and were not sought on our part, in the interests of
self-aggrandisement. It likewise is a matter for congratulation, that
this battle feature in the future history of our country, is likely
to prove much less than in the past. All wise and good men will
strive towards this end. Even those who look on the appeal to arms as
unavoidable in international controversies, concur in thinking it a
deplorable necessity, only to be resorted to when all peaceful modes
of arrangement have been vainly tried. And also, when the law of
self-defence or of the defence of national interest justifies a state,
like an individual, in using force to protect itself from imminent and
serious injury.
The battles, however, form a large and integral part of our past
national history. And, so far as they are in the cause of right, we
may well be proud of them. Our soldiers and generals may compare
favourably with those of any other nationality. For bravery,
indomitable pluck, and perseverance they never have been surpassed
in the whole annals of history. A fearful and wonderful interest is
attached to these scenes of bloodshed. The intense love of country
and honour, and the undeniable greatness of disciplined courage,
which make soldiers confront death and destruction, excite our
profound admiration. The powers also of the human intellect are rarely
more strongly displayed than they are in the capable commander who
regulates, arrays, and wields at his will the armed masses under him,
and who, cool in the midst of fearful peril, is ready with fresh
resources as the varying vicissitudes of battle require. Seeing
that these splendid feats of arms and acts of patriotism, are the
performances of our own fathers and brothers, intense interest in, and
knowledge of their details, ought to be universal throughout the land.
In the present volume will be found separate and popularly written
narratives of all the principal engagements that have been fought
by our soldiers during the last hundred years. They are arranged in
chronological order, so that, in a sense, the volume comprises a
popular military history for that lengthened period. Giving the battles
by themselves, apart from the intervening transactions of lesser
interest, and also the omission of political affairs, will no doubt
prove a convenience to many.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PAGE
_THE BATTLE OF ALEXANDRIA_--1801 13
CHAPTER II.
_THE BATTLE OF ASSAYE_--1803 24
CHAPTER III.
_CAPTURE OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE_--1806 30
CHAPTER IV.
_THE BATTLE OF MAIDA_--1806 35
CHAPTER V.
_THE BATTLE OF ROLICA_--1808 39
CHAPTER VI.
_THE BATTLE OF VIMIERO_--1808 43
CHAPTER VII.
_THE BATTLE OF CORUNNA_--1809 47
CHAPTER VIII.
_THE BATTLE OF TALAVERA_--1809 60
CHAPTER IX.
_THE BATTLE OF BUSACO_--1810 73
CHAPTER X.
_THE BATTLE OF BAROSA_--1811 81
CHAPTER XI.
_THE BATTLE OF FUENTES D’ONORO_--1811 88
CHAPTER XII.
_THE BATTLE OF ALBUERA_--1811 92
CHAPTER XIII.
_THE SIEGE OF RODRIGO_--1812 98
CHAPTER XIV.
_THE SIEGE OF BADAJOZ_--1812 103
CHAPTER XV.
_THE BATTLE OF SALAMANCA_--1812 112
CHAPTER XVI.
_THE SIEGE OF BURGOS_--1812 123
CHAPTER XVII.
_THE BATTLE OF VITORIA_--1813 128
CHAPTER XVIII.
_THE BATTLES OF THE PYRENEES (Part First)_--1813 138
CHAPTER XIX.
_THE SIEGE OF SAN SEBASTIAN_--1813 145
CHAPTER XX.
_THE BATTLES OF THE PYRENEES (Part Second)_--1813 149
CHAPTER XXI.
_THE BATTLES OF THE PYRENEES (Part Third)_--1813 153
CHAPTER XXII.
_THE BATTLES OF THE PYRENEES (Part Fourth)_--1814 159
CHAPTER XXIII.
_THE BATTLE OF TOULOUSE_--1814 163
CHAPTER XXIV.
_THE BATTLE OF QUATRE BRAS_--1815 167
CHAPTER XXV.
_THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO_--1815 177
CHAPTER XXVI.
_THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO (Continued)_--1815 180
CHAPTER XXVII.
_THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO (Continued)_--1815 187
CHAPTER XXVIII.
_THE BATTLE OF KEMMENDINE_--1824 193
CHAPTER XXIX.
_THE BATTLE OF MELLOONE_--1825 201
CHAPTER XXX.
_THE BATTLE OF PAGAHM-MEW_--1825 206
CHAPTER XXXI.
_THE AFGHANISTAN DISASTERS_--1838-39 208
CHAPTER XXXII.
_THE DEFEAT OF THE BILUCHIS_--1842 211
CHAPTER XXXIII.
_THE BATTLE OF MOODKEE_--1845 215
CHAPTER XXXIV.
_THE BATTLE OF FEROZEPORE_--1845 223
CHAPTER XXXV.
_THE BATTLES OF ALIWAL AND SOBRAON_--1846 226
CHAPTER XXXVI.
_THE BATTLE OF MARTABAN_--1852 231
CHAPTER XXXVII.
_THE BATTLE OF PEGU_--1852 236
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
_THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA_--1854 241
CHAPTER XXXIX.
_THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA_--1854 252
CHAPTER XL.
_THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN_--1854 261
CHAPTER XLI.
_THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL_--1854-55 269
CHAPTER XLII.
_THE BATTLES OF BUSHIRE, KOOSHAB, AND MOHAMMERAH_--1856-57 280
CHAPTER XLIII.
_THE BATTLES AT DELHI_--1857 291
CHAPTER XLIV.
_THE BATTLES AT DELHI (Continued)_--1857 299
CHAPTER XLV.
_THE BATTLES AT DELHI (Continued)_--1857 308
CHAPTER XLVI.
_THE BATTLES AT CAWNPORE_--1857 316
CHAPTER XLVII.
_THE RELIEF OF LUCKNOW_--1857 326
CHAPTER XLVIII.
_THE RELIEF OF LUCKNOW (Continued)_--1857 335
CHAPTER XLIX.
_THE FIGHTING AT ALLAHABAD_--1857 344
CHAPTER L.
_THE FIGHTING AT FUTTEHGHUR_--1857 349
CHAPTER LI.
_THE SIEGE OF KOTAH_--1858 352
CHAPTER LII.
_THE FIGHTING AT JHANSI, ROOHEA, AND BAREILLY_--1857-58 356
CHAPTER LIII.
_THE CAPTURE OF CANTON_--1857 364
CHAPTER LIV.
_THE BATTLES AT THE TAKU FORTS_--1860 373
CHAPTER LV.
_THE BATTLE OF AROGEE_--1863 382
CHAPTER LVI.
_THE STORMING OF MAGDALA_--1868 388
CHAPTER LVII.
_THE BATTLES OF AMOAFUL AND ORDASHU_--1874 393
CHAPTER LVIII.
_THE BATTLES WITH THE ZULUS_--1879 401
CHAPTER LIX.
_THE BATTLE OF MAZRA_--1880 413
CHAPTER LX.
_THE BATTLE OF TEL-EL-KEBIR_--1882 420
CHAPTER LXI.
_THE BATTLE OF MINHLA_--1885 430
CHAPTER LXII.
_THE BATTLE OF THE ATBARA_--1898 435
CHAPTER LXIII.
_THE BATTLE OF OMDURMAN_--1898 444
CHAPTER LXIV.
_THE ADVANCE OF ROBERTS_--1900 454
CHAPTER LXV.
_THE BATTLE OF JIDBALLI_--1904 465
CHAPTER LXVI.
_THE BATTLE AT HOT SPRINGS_--1904 469
THE BATTLES
OF THE
BRITISH ARMY
CHAPTER I.
THE BATTLE OF ALEXANDRIA.
1801.
In 1800, an attempt on Cadiz was planned and abandoned; and an army,
the _corps élite_ of Britain, was kept idly afloat in transports at an
enormous expense, suffering from tempestuous weather, and losing their
energies and discipline, while one scheme was proposed after another,
only to be considered and rejected. By turns Italy and South America
were named as countries where they might be successfully employed--but
to both designs, on mature deliberation, strong objections were found;
and on the 25th of October final orders were received from England,
directing the fleet and army forthwith to rendezvous at Malta, and
thence proceed to Egypt.
The troops on reaching the island were partially disembarked while the
ships were refitting; and the fresh provisions and salubrious air of
Valetta soon restored many who had suffered from long confinement and
salt rations. Five hundred Maltese were enlisted to serve as pioneers.
Water-casks were replenished, stores laid in, the troops re-embarked;
and on the 20th of December, the first division got under weigh,
followed by the second on the succeeding day.
Instead of sailing direct for their destination, the fleet proceeded
to the Bay of Macri. Finding that roadstead too open, the admiral
shaped his course for the coast of Caramania. There he was overtaken
by a gale of wind--and though close to the magnificent harbour of
Marmorrice, its existence appears to have been known, out of a fleet
of two hundred vessels, only to the captain of a brig of war. As the
fleet were caught in a heavy gale on a lee shore, the result might have
been most disastrous to the transports, who could not carry sufficient
canvas to work off the land. Fortunately, Marmorrice proved a haven of
refuge; and the surprise and pleasure of the soldiers can scarcely be
described, when they found themselves in smooth water, and surrounded
by the grandest scenery imaginable, “though, the instant before, the
fleet was labouring in a heavy gale, and rolling in a tremendous sea.”
Another landing of the troops took place, and no advantages resulted
from it to compensate the loss of time which allowed the French to
obtain strong reinforcements. Goat’s flesh was abundant, and poultry
plentiful; but the Turks had probably been apprised beforehand of
the munificence of the British, as every article was advanced on the
arrival of the fleet four hundred per cent. in price.
The remount of the cavalry formed an ostensible, almost an only reason,
for the expedition visiting Asia Minor, and consuming time that might
have been so successfully employed. The horses arrived, but from their
wretched quality and condition they proved a sorry equivalent for the
expense and trouble their acquisition cost.
While the expedition was in the harbour of Marmorrice, an awful tempest
came suddenly on, and raged with unintermitting fury for two days.
It thundered violently--hailstones fell as large as walnuts--deluges
of water rushed from the mountains, sweeping everything away. The
horses broke loose--the ships drove from their anchors--the Swiftsure,
a seventy-four, was struck with lightning--and many others lost
masts, spars, and were otherwise disabled. Amid this elemental war,
signal-guns fired from vessels in distress, and the howling of wolves
and other wild animals in the woods, added to the uproar.
After a protracted delay in waiting for the Turkish armament, which was
expected to have been in perfect readiness, the expedition left the
harbour without it on the 23rd of February. The sight, when the fleet
got under weigh, was most imposing; the men-of-war, transports, and
store-ships amounting to one hundred and seventy-five sail.
The British army was composed of the whole or portions of twenty-seven
regiments, exclusive of artillery and pioneers.[1] Its total strength
in rank and file, including one thousand sick and five hundred
Maltese, was fifteen thousand three hundred and thirty men. In this
number all the _attachés_ of the army were reckoned--and consequently
the entire force that could have been combatant in the field would
not exceed twelve thousand bayonets and sabres. This was certainly a
small army with which to attack an enemy in possession of the country,
holding fortified posts, with a powerful artillery, a numerous cavalry,
and having a perfect acquaintance with the only places on the coast
where it was practicable to disembark in safety.
[1] EFFECTIVE STRENGTH OF THE EGYPTIAN ARMY.
Guards--Major-General Ludlow.
1st, or Royals, 2nd battalions 54th and 92nd--Major-General Coote.
8th, 13th, 90th--Major-General Craddock.
2nd, or Queen’s, 50th, 79th--Major-General Lord Craven.
18th, 30th, 44th, 89th--Brigadier-General Doyle.
Minorca, De Rolde’s, Dillon’s--Major-General Stuart.
RESERVE.
40th, Flank Company, 23rd, 28th, 42nd, 58th, Corsican
Rangers--Major-General Moore.
Detachment 11th Dragoons, 12th Dragoons, 26th
Dragoons--Brigadier-General Finch.
Artillery and Prince’s--Brigadier-General Lawson.
On the 1st of March the Arab’s tower was in sight, and next morning the
whole fleet entered Aboukir Bay.[2] On the following morning a French
frigate was seen running into Alexandria, having entered the bay in
company with the British fleet.
[2] The men-of-war brought up exactly in the place where the Battle of
the Nile was fought, the Foudroyant chafing her cables on the wreck of
the French Admiral’s ship. The anchor of the L’Orient was crept for and
recovered.
The weather was unfavourable for attempting a landing of the troops.
This was a serious disappointment, and an accidental occurrence added
to the inconvenience it would have otherwise caused. Two engineer
officers, engaged in reconnoitring the coast, advanced too far into
the bay through an over-zealous anxiety to mark out a landing-place.
They were seen and overtaken by a French gunboat, who fired into the
cutter, killing one of the engineers and making the other prisoner.
The survivor was brought ashore, and forwarded to Cairo to General
Menou; and thus, had the British descent been before doubtful, this
unfortunate discovery would have confirmed the certainty of an intended
landing, and allowed ample time for preparations being made to oppose
it.
The weather moderated in the morning of the 7th, and the signal was
made by the flag-ship “to prepare for landing.” But the sea was still
so much up that the attempt was postponed, and with the exception of an
affair between the boats of the Foudroyant and a party of the enemy,
whom they drove from a block-house, that day passed quietly over.
The 8th was more moderate--the swell had abated--and preparations for
the landing commenced. At two o’clock the first division were in the
boats, amounting to five thousand five hundred men, under General
Coote; while the ships, on board of which the remainder of the army
still remained, were anchored as near the shore as possible, to allow
the landing brigades their immediate support. The right and left flanks
of the boats were protected by launches and gun-brigs; three sloops of
war, with springs from their cables, had laid their broadsides towards
the beach; and the Fury and Tartarus had taken a position to cover the
troops with the fire of their mortars.
The French were drawn up on a ridge of sandhills, with an elevated
hillock in their centre, and twelve pieces of artillery in position
along their line. The moment was one of absorbing interest--and many a
heart beat fast as, in half-companies, the soldiers stood under arms in
the launches, impatiently waiting for the signal to advance.
A gun was fired; off sprang the boats, while the men-of-war opened
their batteries, and the bomb-vessels commenced throwing shells. The
cannonade from the shipping was promptly returned by the French lines
and Castle of Aboukir; while on swept the regiments towards the beach,
under a furious discharge of shot and shells, and a torrent of grape
and musketry, that ploughed the surface of the water, or carried death
into the dense masses of men crowded in the launches. But nothing could
exceed the glorious rivalry displayed by both services in advancing;
while shot was hailing on the water, the sailors as the spray flashed
from their oar-blades, nobly emulated each other in trying who should
first beach his boat. Each cheered the other forward, while the
soldiers caught the enthusiastic spirit and answered them with loud
huzzas. The beach was gained, the 23rd and 40th jumped into the surf,
reached the shore, formed as they cleared the water, and rushed boldly
up the sandhills, never attempting to draw a trigger, but leaving all
to be decided by the bayonet. The French regiments that confronted them
were driven from the heights; while pressing on, the Nole hills in the
rear, with three pieces of artillery, were captured.
The 42nd were equally successful; they formed with beautiful regularity
in the face of a French battalion protected by two guns, and after
defeating a charge of two hundred cavalry, stormed and occupied the
heights.
While these brilliant attacks had been in progress, the Guards were
charged by the French dragoons in the very act of landing, and a
temporary disorder ensued. The 58th had formed on the right, and,
by a well-directed fire, repulsed the cavalry with loss. The Guards
corrected their line, and instantly showed front, while the French,
unable to shake the formation of the British, retired behind the
sandhills.
The transport boats had been outstripped by those of the
men-of-war--and consequently, the Royals and 54th only touched the
shore as the dragoons rode off. Their landing was, however, admirably
timed; for a French column, under cover of the sandhills, was advancing
with fixed bayonets on the left flank of the Guards. On perceiving
these newly-landed regiments, its courage failed; it halted, delivered
a volley, and then hastily retreated.
The British had now possession of the heights; the brigade of Guards
was formed and advancing, and the boats returning to the ships for
the remainder of the army. Observing this, the enemy abandoned their
position on the ridge, and, retiring behind the sandhills in the rear,
for some time kept up a scattered fire. But on the British moving
forward they deserted the ground entirely, leaving three hundred killed
and wounded, eight pieces of cannon, and a number of horses to the
victors. The remainder of the brigades were safely disembarked, Sir
Ralph Abercrombie landed, and a position taken up, the right upon the
sea, and the left on Lake Maadie.
A landing in the face of an enemy, prepared and in position like the
French, under a heavy cannonade, and effected on a dangerous beach,
would naturally occasion a severe loss of life; and several promising
officers, and nearly five hundred men, were killed, wounded, and
missing. The only surprise is, that the casualties were not greater.
The mode in which an army is debarked exposes it unavoidably to fire,
and troops, packed by fifties in a launch, afford a striking mark for
an artillerist. Guns, already in position on the shore, enable those
who work them to obtain the range of an approaching object with great
precision; and the effect of a well-directed shot upon a boat crowded
with troops is necessarily most destructive.
After the army had been united, it advanced by slow marches, some
trifling skirmishing daily occurring between the advanced posts. The
British bivouac was at the town of Mandora, and Sir Ralph moved forward
to attack the enemy, who were posted on a ridge of heights.
The French, reinforced by two half brigades of infantry, a regiment
of cavalry from Cairo, and a corps from Rosetta, mustered about five
thousand five hundred of that arm, with five hundred horse, and
five-and-twenty pieces of artillery. Their position was well chosen,
as it stood on a bold eminence having an extensive glacis in its
front, which would allow full sweep for the fire of its numerous and
well-appointed artillery. The British attack was directed against
the right wing, and in two lines the brigades advanced in columns of
regiments, the reserve covering the movements, and marching parallel
with the first.
Immediately on debouching from a date-wood, the enemy descended from
the heights, and the 92nd--the leading regiment on the left--was
attacked by a furious discharge of grape and musketry; while the
French cavalry charged down the hill, and threw themselves upon the
90th, which led the right column. Though the charge was most gallantly
made, Latour Maubourg leading the dragoons at a gallop, a close and
shattering volley from the 90th obliged them to turn along the front
of the regiment, and retreat with a heavy loss. A few of the leading
files, however, had actually reached the line, and were bayoneted in a
desperate effort to break it. The attempt failed, and in executing his
duty gloriously, their gallant leader was desperately wounded. The
British pushed the reserve into action on the right; the Guards, in the
rear, to support the centre, and Doyle’s brigade, in column, behind the
left. The French were on every point forced from their position--but,
covered by the fire of their numerous guns and the fusilade of their
voltigeurs, they retreated across the plain, and occupied their own
lines on the heights of Alexandria.
Dillon’s regiment during this movement made a brilliant bayonet charge,
captured two guns, and turned them instantly on the enemy. Wishing
to follow up this success, Sir Ralph attempted to carry the position
by a _coup de main_; and advancing across the plain, he directed the
brigades of Moore and Hutchinson to assault the flanks of the French
position simultaneously. To attempt dislodging a force posted as
the enemy were, could only end in certain discomfiture. The troops
could make no way--a murderous fire of artillery mowed them down;
“the French, no longer in danger, had only to load and fire: aim was
unnecessary, the bullets could not but do their office and plunge into
the lines.” For several hours the British remained, suffering this
exterminating fire patiently; and at sunset, the order being given to
fall back, the army retired and took up a position for the night.
The British loss, its strength considered, was immense. Eleven hundred
men were killed and wounded; while that of the enemy amounted barely to
a third, with four field-pieces, which they were obliged to abandon.
A strong position was now taken by Sir Ralph; the right reached the
sea, resting on the ruins of a Roman palace, and projecting a quarter
of a mile over heights in front. This promontory of sandhills and ruins
was some three hundred yards across, sloping gradually to a valley,
which divided it from the hills which formed the rest of the lines.
The extreme left appuied on two batteries, and Lake Maadie protected
the rear--and the whole, from sea to lake, extended about a mile. In
front of the right, the ground was uneven; but that before the centre
would admit cavalry to act. The whole space had once been a Roman
colony--and, on its ruined site, a hard-fought day was now about to be
decided.
The French position was still stronger than the British lines, as it
stretched along a ridge of lofty hills, extending from the sea on one
side to the canal of Alexandria on the other. A tongue of land in the
advance of their right, ran nearly for a mile parallel with the canal,
and had obliged the British posts to be thrown considerably back, and
thus obliqued their line. In a classic and military view, nothing could
be more imposing than the ground on which Menou’s army were encamped.
In the centre stood Fort Cretin; on the left, Fort Caffarelli;
Pompey’s Pillar showed boldly on the right; Cleopatra’s Needle on
the left; while Alexandria appeared in the background, with its walls
extending to the sea; and at the extremity of a long low neck of land,
the ancient Pharos was visible. Wherever the eye ranged, objects of
no common interest met it; some of the “wonders of the world” were
contiguous; and “the very ruins under foot were sacred from their
antiquity.”
The British army had little leisure, and probably as little
inclination, to indulge in classic recollections. The men were busily
engaged in fortifying the position, bringing up guns for the batteries,
and collecting ammunition and stores. The magazines were inconveniently
situated; and to roll weighty spirit-casks through the deep sands was
a most laborious task, and it principally devolved upon the seamen.
The fuel was particularly bad, the billets being obtained from the
date-tree, which it is almost impossible to ignite, and whose smoke,
when kindling, pains, by its pungency, the eyes of all within its
influence. Water was abundant, but of indifferent quality; and as
Menou, with a most unjustifiable severity, inflicted death upon the
Arabs who should be found bringing sheep to the camp, the price of
fresh provisions was high, and the supply precarious.
On the 10th, an affair took place between an enemy’s patrol and a
detachment of British cavalry, under Colonel Archdale. It was a very
gallant, but very imprudent, encounter--a third of the men, and half
the officers, being killed or taken. Another casualty occurred also,
to the great regret of all. Colonel Brice, of the Guards, in going his
rounds, was deceived by a mirage; and coming unexpectedly on an enemy’s
post, received a wound of which he died the third day, a prisoner.
Menou was reported to be advancing; and an Arab chief apprised Sir
Sydney Smith, that the French intended an attack upon the British camp
next morning. The information was discredited; but the result proved
that it was authentic.
On the 21st of March, the army, at three o’clock, as usual, stood to
their arms, and for half an hour all was undisturbed. Suddenly, a
solitary musket was fired, a cannon-shot succeeded it, and a spattering
fusilade, broken momentarily with the heavier booming of a gun,
announced that an attack was being made. The feebleness of the fire
rendered it doubtful against what point the real effort of the French
would be directed. All looked impatiently for daybreak, which, though
faintly visible in the east, seemed to break more tardily the more its
assistance was desired.
On the right, a noise was heard; all listened in breathless
expectation; shouts and a discharge of musketry succeeded; the roar
increased; momentarily it became louder--there indeed the enemy were in
force--and there the British line was seriously assailed.
Favoured by broken ground, and covered by the haze of morning, the
French had partially surprised the videts, attacked the pickets, and
following them quickly, drove them back upon the line. One column
advanced upon the ruin held by the 58th, their drums beating the
_pas de charge_, and the officers cheering the men forward. Colonel
Houston, who commanded the regiment, fearing lest his own pickets
might have been retiring in front of the enemy’s column, reserved his
fire until the glazed hats of the French were distinguishable in the
doubtful light. The 58th lined a wall partly dilapidated, but which in
some places afforded them an excellent breastwork; and the twilight
allowed the French column to be only distinctly seen when within thirty
yards of the post. As the regiment occupied detached portions of the
wall, where its greater ruin exposed it to attack, an irregular but
well-sustained fusilade was kept up, until the enemy’s column, unable
to bear the quick and well-directed musketry of the British, retired
into a hollow for shelter. There they reformed, and wheeling to the
right endeavoured to turn the left of the redoubt, while another column
marched against the battery occupied by the 28th. On the front attack
the regiment opened a heavy fire, but part of the enemy had gained
the rear, and another body penetrated through the ruined wall. Thus
assailed on every side, the 58th wheeled back two companies, who, after
delivering three effective volleys, rushed forward with the bayonet.
The 23rd now came to support the 58th, while the 42nd moved round the
exterior of the ruins, cutting off the French retreat; and of the
enemy, all who entered the redoubt were killed or taken.
The situation of the 28th and 58th was, for a time, as extraordinary as
it was dangerous, for at the same moment they were actually repelling
three separate attacks, and were assailed simultaneously on their
front, flanks, and rear.
The 42nd, in relieving the 28th, was exposed to a serious charge of
French cavalry. Nearly unperceived, the dragoons wheeled suddenly round
the left of the redoubt, and though the ground was full of holes, rode
furiously over tents and baggage, and, charging _en masse_, completely
overthrew the Highlanders. In this desperate emergency, the 42nd, with
broken ranks, and in that unavoidable confusion which, when it occurs,
renders cavalry so irresistible, fought furiously hand to hand, and
opposed their bayonets fearlessly to the sabres of the French. The
flank companies of the 40th, immediately beside them, dared not, for a
time, deliver their fire, the combatants were so intermingled in the
_mêlée_. At this moment General Stuart brought up the foreign brigade
in beautiful order, and their heavy and well-sustained fusilade decided
the fate of the day. “Nothing could withstand it, and the enemy fled or
perished.”
During this charge of cavalry, Sir Ralph Abercrombie, who had ridden to
the right on finding it seriously engaged, advanced to the ruins where
the contest was raging, after having despatched his aide-de-camp[3]
with orders to the more distant brigades. He was quite alone, and some
French dragoons having penetrated to the spot, one, remarking that he
was a superior officer, charged and overthrew the veteran commander.
In an attempt to cut him down, the old man, nerved with a momentary
strength, seized the uplifted sword, and wrested it from his assailant,
while a Highland soldier transfixed the Frenchman with his bayonet.
Unconscious that he was wounded in the thigh, Sir Ralph complained only
of a pain in his breast, occasioned, as he supposed, by a blow from the
pommel of the sword during his recent struggle with the dragoon. The
first officer that came up was Sir Sydney Smith, who, having broken the
blade of his sabre, received from Sir Ralph the weapon of which he had
despoiled the French hussar.
[3] A curious incident occurred immediately afterwards. An aide-de-camp
of General Craddock, in carrying orders, had his horse killed, and
begged permission of Sir Sydney Smith to mount a horse belonging to
his orderly dragoon. As Sir Sydney was turning round to give the order
to dismount, a cannon-shot took off the poor fellow’s head. “This,”
said the Admiral, “settles the question; Major, the horse is at your
service.”
The cavalry being completely repulsed, Sir Ralph walked firmly to the
redoubt on the right of the Guards, from which a commanding view of
the entire battlefield could be obtained. The French, though driven
from the camp, still maintained the battle on the right, and charging
with their reserve cavalry, attacked the foreign brigade. Here, too,
they were resolutely repulsed; and their infantry finding their
efforts everywhere unsuccessful, changed their formation and acted _en
tirailleur_ with the exception of one battalion, which still held a
flèche in front of the redoubt, on either flank of which the Republican
colours were planted.
At this time the ammunition of the British was totally exhausted; some
regiments, particularly the reserve, had not a single cartridge; and in
the battery the supply for the guns was reduced to a single round. In
consequence, the British fire on the right had nearly ceased, but in
the centre the engagement still continued.
There the attack had commenced at daybreak; a column of grenadiers,
supported by a heavy line of infantry, furiously assailing the Guards,
and driving in the flankers which had been thrown out to check their
advance. Observing the echelon formation of the British, the French
general instantly attempted to turn their left; but the officer
commanding on that flank as promptly prevented it, by throwing some
companies sharply back, while Coote’s brigade having come up, and
opening its musketry, obliged the enemy to give way and retire.
Finding the attack in column fail, the French broke into extended
order and opened a scattered fusilade, while every gun that could be
brought to bear by their artillery was turned on the British position.
But all was vain; though suffering heavily from this murderous fire,
the formation of the Guards was coolly corrected when disturbed by the
cannonade, while the fine and imposing attitude of these regiments
removed all hope that they could be shaken, and prevented any renewal
of attack.
The British left had never been seriously attempted, consequently its
casualties were very few, and occasioned by a distant fire from the
French guns, and a trifling interchange of musketry.
While the British right was, from want of ammunition, nearly _hors
de combat_, the French approached the redoubt once more. They, too,
had expended their cartridges, and both the assailants and assailed
actually pelted the other with stones, of which missiles there was a
very abundant supply upon the ground. A sergeant of the 28th had his
skull beaten in by a blow, and died upon the spot. The grenadiers
of the 40th, however, not relishing this novel mode of attack and
defence, moved out to end the business with the bayonet. Instantly
the assailants ran, the sharpshooters abandoned the hollows, and the
battalion, following their example, evacuated the flèche, leaving the
battle ground in front unoccupied by any save the dead and dying.
Menou’s attempts had all been signally defeated. He perceived that
the British lines had sustained no impression that would justify a
continuation of the attack, and he determined to retreat. His brigades
accordingly moved off under the heights of their position in excellent
order; and though, for a considerable distance, they were forced
to retire within an easy range of cannon shot, the total want of
ammunition obliged the British batteries to remain silent, and permit
the French march to be effected with trifling molestation. The cannon
on the British left, and the guns of some men-of-war cutters, which had
anchored close in with the land upon the right, kept up a galling fire,
their shots plunging frequently into the French ranks, and particularly
into those of a corps of cavalry posted on a bridge over the canal of
Alexandria to observe any movement the British left might threaten.
At ten o’clock the action had ended. Sir Ralph Abercrombie previously
refused to quit the field, and remained exposed to the heavy cannonade
directed on the battery where he stood, until perfectly assured that
the French defeat had been decisive. From what proved a fatal wound
he appeared at first to feel but little inconvenience, complaining
only of the contusion on his breast. When, however, the day was won,
and exertion no longer necessary, nature yielded, and in an exhausted
state he was carried in a hammock off the field, accompanied by the
tears and blessings of the soldiery. In the evening he was removed, for
better care, on board the flag-ship, where he continued until his death.
Immediate attention was bestowed upon the wounded, who, from the
confined nature of the ground on which the grand struggles of the day
had occurred, were lying in fearful numbers all around. Many of the
sufferers had been wounded by grapeshot, others mangled by the sabres,
or trodden down by the horses of the cavalry. Death had been busily
employed. Of the British, two hundred and forty were dead, including
six officers; eleven hundred and ninety men and sixty officers wounded;
and thirty privates and three officers missing. Other casualties had
occurred. The tents had been shred to pieces by the French guns, and
many of the wounded and sick, who were lying there, were killed. No
wonder could be expressed that the loss of life had been so terrible,
for thousands of brass cannon-balls were lying loosely about, and
glistening on the sands.
The French loss had been most severe. One thousand and fifty bodies
were buried on the field of battle, and nearly seven hundred wounded
were found mingled with the dead. The total loss sustained by Menou’s
army could not have been much under four thousand; and in this the
greater portion of his principal officers must be included. General
Roiz was found dead in the rear of the redoubt, and the French order of
battle discovered in his pocket. Near the same place two guns had been
abandoned, and these, with a stand of colours, fell, as trophies of
their victory, to the conquerors.
No army could have behaved more gallantly than the British. Surrounded,
partially broken, and even without a cartridge left, the contest was
continued and a victory won. That the French fought bravely, that
their attacks were vigorously made, and, after discomfiture, as boldly
repeated, must be admitted; and that, in becoming the assailant, Menou
conferred an immense advantage on the British, is equally true. There
Menou betrayed want of judgment; for had he but waited forty-eight
hours the British must have attacked him. Indeed, the assault was
already planned; and, as it was to have been made in the night,
considering the strength of their position, and the fine _matériel_ of
the Republican troops, a more precarious trial could never have been
hazarded. But the case was desperate; the successes of the 8th and
13th--and dearly bought, though gloriously achieved, they were--must
have been rendered nugatory, unless forward operations could have been
continued. In short, Menou fought Abercrombie’s battle, and he who must
have been assailed, became himself the assailant.
Military criticism, like political disquisitions, comes not within
the design of a work merely intended to describe the action of the
battle, or the immediate events that preceded or resulted; but, if the
truth were told, during these brief operations, from the landing to the
evening of the 21st, mistakes were made on both sides. The military
character of Britain had been sadly lowered by mismanagement at home,
and still more ridiculously undervalued abroad, and it remained for
future fields and a future conqueror to re-establish for Britain a
reputation in arms, and prove that the island-spirit wanted only a
field for its display.
After lingering a few days, the French Generals Lannuse and Bodet died
of their wounds; and on the evening of the 28th March the British army
had to lament the decease of their gallant and beloved commander.
An attempt to extract the ball, attended with great pain, was
unsuccessful. Mortification ensued, Sir Ralph sank rapidly, and while
his country and his army engrossed his every thought, he expired, full
of years and honour, universally and most justly lamented.
The eulogy of his successor in command thus concludes:--“Were it
permitted for a soldier to regret any one who has fallen in the service
of his country, I might be excused for lamenting him more than any
other person; but it is some consolation to those who tenderly loved
him, that as his life was honourable so was his death glorious. His
memory will be recorded in the annals of his country, will be sacred to
every British soldier, and embalmed in the recollection of a grateful
posterity.”