THE BATTLES OF THE PYRENEES.
PART FOURTH.
1814.
The intrenchments into which Soult, on the failure of his attempts upon
the allied positions had withdrawn his troops, covered the approach to
Bayonne on the side opposite to Anglet.
Six weeks passed on. The weather was too inclement to allow movements
to be made on either side, and the French marshal was occupied in
defending his extensive lines, and the allied general in preparing
secretly for passing the Adour.
In February the weather changed, the cross roads became practicable,
and Lord Wellington with his characteristic promptness, commenced
preparatory movements for the execution of his grand conception.
To distract the attention of Soult from the defence of the Adour,
Wellington threatened the French left on the Bidouse.
The road, however, communicating with the bridge of St. Palais was
uncovered, and though evening had come on, and the second division,
with a Spanish corps under Morillo, were alone in hand, Lord Wellington
determined to force the position. The Spaniards were desired to march
rapidly on St. Palais, while, with Stewart’s division, the heights
should be carried. The attack was gallantly made, the enemy offered
a brave resistance, but the position was stormed in fine style, and
held against every effort the French could make for its recovery. The
contest continued until darkness had shrouded distant objects, while
the battalions still fought with such furious obstinacy, that volleys
were interchanged within pistol range, and the bayonet frequently
resorted to. Finding it impossible to force those enduring troops from
the ground they seemed determined upon keeping, Harispe, before Morillo
could seize the bridge, succeeded in retiring his beaten corps. Falling
back upon the Gave de Mauleon, he destroyed the bridge of Navarette,
but the river was forded by the British, Harispe’s position forced, and
his division driven behind Gave d’Oleron.
Soult instantly destroyed the communications, and rendered the bridges
over the Adour impassable. The centre of the allies being now in force
on the Bidouse, and concentrating on Sauveterre, the French marshal
retired from Bayonne, leaving a powerful garrison behind him for the
protection of that important city.
The citadel of Bayonne is a truly formidable work, standing on a
commanding hill upon the right bank of the Adour, and greatly elevated
above all the other defences of the city, nearly fronting the mouth of
the Nive. It is almost a perfect square, with strongly-built oreillon
bastions at the four angles. A double range of barracks and magazines
inclose a quadrangular space in the centre called the _place d’armes_,
the sides of which are parallel with the curtains of the citadel.
The north-east, north-west, and south-west bastions are surmounted
by cavaliers which appear to be well armed with cannon mounted _en
barbette_.
All necessary preparations for the passage of the Adour had been
completed, and from the co-operation of the British navy much
assistance was expected. That hope was fully realised; and the noble
exertions of the British sailors on the eastern coast of Spain, at
St. Sebastian, and at Passages, were crowned by the intrepidity with
which the bar of the Adour was crossed. Undaunted by the failure of the
leading vessels, which perished in the surf, with death before their
eyes, and their comrades swamping in the waters, on came the succeeding
_chasse-marées_. At last the true channel was discovered. Vessel
succeeded vessel, and before night a perfect bridge was established
over the Adour, able from its solidity to resist a river current, and
protected from any effort of the enemy by a line of booms and spars,
which stretched across the river as a security against fire ships, or
any other means which the French might employ for its destruction.
Before the flotilla had entered the Adour, or the pontoons had arrived
from Bedart, the guards attempted a passage of the river by means of
the small boats and a temporary raft formed of a few pontoons, and
worked as a flying bridge, by means of a hawser extended from the
opposite bank. As the strength of the tide interrupted this precarious
mode of passage, when only six companies, with two of the 60th rifles,
and a party of the rocket corps, had crossed, the position of this
small body, isolated as it was, and open to the attack of overwhelming
numbers, was dangerous in the extreme. Colonel Stopford, however, made
the best dispositions in his power for defence, and formed with one
flank upon the river, and the other appuied upon a morass, while the
heavy guns that had been placed in battery on the other shore, swept
the ground in front of the position with their fire.
As had been truly apprehended, an attack was made. The French advanced
with fifteen hundred men, and the guards and rifles received them
steadily, the rocket corps, on either flank, opening with this novel
and destructive projectile. A few discharges completely arrested the
enemy’s advance, and they hastily retired from the attack; while at
the turning of the tide, reinforcements were ferried over, and the
position secured until the following evening, when the whole of the
first division, with two guns and a few troops of dragoons, succeeded
in effecting a passage.
Bayonne, in the meantime, was closely invested, and the garrison
forced back from the villages in front of their lines, by Sir John
Hope. Lord Wellington, having secured the attention of Soult by a
formidable demonstration on his front, enabled Sir Rowland Hill to
pass the Gave d’Oleron unopposed, and thus turn the left flank of the
French marshal. Soult instantly retired and took a position behind the
Pau, establishing his headquarters at Orthez. Picton, with the third
and light divisions, had followed Hill; Clinton, with the sixth, had
crossed between Laas and Montford; and Beresford observed the enemy at
Peyrehorade closely, and kept them within their intrenchments.
Lord Wellington had decided on an immediate attack. The French were
very strongly posted; their left wing, commanded by Clausel, rested on
the Gave, and occupied the town of Orthez; the centre, under d’Erlon,
was formed on the heights in the rear; while the right wing extended
behind St. Boès, and held that village. Harispe’s division was placed
as a reserve in the rear, and crossed the great roads leading to
Bordeaux and Toulouse.
On the 27th February, Wellington commenced his operations. The allied
left wing, composed of the fourth and seventh divisions and Vivian’s
brigade, under Marshal Beresford, attacked the enemy’s right at St.
Boès; while the third and sixth divisions, under Sir Rowland Hill, with
Lord Edward Somerset’s light cavalry, were directed against Soult’s
left and centre. The British movements were ably executed. Hill crossed
the river in front of the French left, and turned their flank--the
enemy holding their ground with great obstinacy, while the allied
attack was as remarkable for its impetuosity. A final and protracted
struggle ensued, but the French unable to sustain the combined assault
of the allies, commenced retreating by divisions, and contesting every
inch of ground as they abandoned it. Hill’s parallel march was speedily
discovered, and as that movement threatened their rear, the order of
the retreat was accelerated, and gradually assumed the character of a
flight. The British pressed rapidly forward, the French as quickly fell
back; both strove to gain Sault de Navailles, and though charged by the
British cavalry, the enemy crossed the Luy de Bearne before Hill could
succeed in coming up.
The defeat of the 27th was decisive. The French loss in killed and
wounded was immense. Six guns and a number of prisoners were taken; the
troops threw away their arms, many deserted altogether, and few defeats
were marked by more injurious results to the vanquished, than those
attendant upon that of Orthez.
The allied loss amounted to two hundred and seventy-seven killed, one
thousand nine hundred and twenty-three wounded, and seventy missing.
One circumstance occurred during this obstinate contest that displayed
the readiness of Lord Wellington’s decisions, and the rapidity with
which he adopted measures to meet any incidental exigency.
A Portuguese battalion in advancing had been so roughly received that
it broke and fell back upon a brigade of the light division, who
succeeded in covering its retreat. The nature of the ground on which
the right of the enemy was posted, from its narrow front, confining the
attack to a line of but two battalions; while a heavy battery of guns
and a converging fire of musketry swept its approach and rendered the
boldest efforts of the assailants unavailing in carrying the height.
Wellington perceived the difficulty, and in a moment changed his method
of attack. Walker, with the seventh division, and Barnard, with a light
brigade, were pushed up the left of the height to attack the right of
the French at its point of junction with the centre; and Picton and
Clinton were directed to advance at once, and not as they had been
originally ordered, await the result of Beresford’s attempt upon the
hill. The whole face of the battle was thus suddenly changed, the
heights were speedily won, and the enemy, after a fierce resistance,
driven fairly from their ground, and forced from a most formidable
position.
That night the French retired to Hagetman, and, joined by the garrison
of Dax, fell back on St. Sever, and afterwards on Agen--Beresford
advancing by Mont de Marsan, and Hill in the direction of Aire. Heavy
rains favoured the French retreat, by impeding the advance of the
allies, and it was the 2nd of March before Hill overtook them in front
of Aire.
Although posted on formidable ground, Sir Rowland instantly and
successfully brought them to action. The second division, with De
Costa’s Portuguese, advanced to the attack; the former by the road
to Aire, and the latter by the heights upon the left of the enemy.
The movement of Stewart’s division was most brilliant; and though the
Portuguese behaved gallantly and won the ridge, they were attacked
furiously, and unable to hold the ground, deforced, and driven in great
confusion from the height. The French followed with a strong column,
and the consequences threatened to be disastrous, but the success of
the second division permitted Sir Rowland to detach Byng’s brigade to
the assistance of De Costa; and in place of assailing a broken corps,
the enemy’s columns were confronted by one in equal order, and already
buoyant with success. The result was what might have been expected;
the French were charged and beaten from the field, the town and the
position abandoned, the Adour hastily crossed, a number of prisoners
made, and a regiment cut off and obliged to retire to Pau.
Soult pursued the line of the right bank of the Adour, and concentrated
at Plaisance and Maubourget, to await Lord Wellington’s attack; but
finding the road to Bordeaux uncovered, the allied general marched his
left wing directly on that city. On Beresford’s approach, the garrison
evacuated the place, crossing over to the right bank of the Garonne;
and the authorities and inhabitants generally assumed the white
cockade, and declared themselves in favour of the Bourbons.