Coruña. Through rain and snow, and over almost impassable roads, the
British army of about 19,000 retreated with the French army of about
60,000, with 91 guns, hanging on without daring to do more than press
the retreat, which became so demoralising to Moore's army, that not
only had baggage to be abandoned, but guns and treasure to the amount
of £25,000 were thrown over a precipice near Nogales to prevent any
possibility of their falling into the hands of the enemy. And so, with
his army of comparatively raw troops, Sir John Moore resolutely and
defiantly made his way to Coruña, pursued by the veterans, under Ney
and Soult, only to find on arriving at the port that the transports
which were to bear them to England had not arrived! There was nothing
to be done but to accept battle, and this he did in such a splendid
manner that it makes his death in the hour of victory an imperishable
memory, while the recollection of the valour of his much-tried
and distressed soldiers will last as long as men respect courage,
especially that which triumphs in the face of adversity. Sir John Moore
was buried on the ramparts of Coruña by his staff officers and a few
men of the Black Watch and other regiments he loved, but--
"No useless coffin enclosed his breast,
Nor in sheet nor in shroud we wound him;
But he lay like a warrior taking his rest,
With his martial cloak around him."
Over his soldier's grave the French Marshals placed a plain tomb, while
Marshal Soult, who commanded the French, had placed upon a rock near
which Sir John Moore fell a Latin inscription recording the fact. He
was not allowed, however, to sleep in his soldier's grave, for the
Spaniards removed his body to a more conspicuous position, and covered
it with a magnificent monument eloquent of his deeds, but hardly in
keeping with his simple spirit.
In the battle of Coruña, fought on January 16th, 1809, the 50th
Regiment particularly distinguished itself by its use of the bayonet,
as did also the 42nd, who made a daring and victorious dash into "the
key of the fight," Elvina village--indeed, the battle is said to
have been won by Lord William Bentinck's brigade; Sir David Baird's
division, consisting of the 4th, 42nd, and 50th, which, as mentioned in
general orders issued by Lieutenant-General Hope, "sustained the weight
of the attack." The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers were the last to embark.
The regiments engaged at Coruña also included the Grenadier Guards;
1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 14th, 20th, 26th, 28th, 32nd, 36th, 38th,
43rd, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 59th, 71st, 76th, 79th, 81st, 82nd, 91st, 92nd,
95th, and the Rifle Brigade; 7th, 10th, 15th, 18th Light Dragoons; 1st
and 2nd Light Battalions King's German Legion, and the 3rd Dragoons of
the same corps. Three batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery were also
present.
=Martinique.=--This island was taken by the British in February, 1762,
and on several other occasions, but a bar was only given for the
campaign in 1809, which had been concluded, despite very bad weather,
by its surrender to Lieutenant-General Beckwith on February 24th, 1809.
The French were under Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse. It was restored to
France in 1814. For this campaign a bar was granted when the decision
was made to issue the Military General Service medal, commonly but
erroneously known as the Peninsular medal, since not only were bars for
Guadaloupe and Java included, but also for Fort Detroit, Chateauguay,
and Chrystler's Farm in America.
For the capture of Martinique the superior officers were awarded a
gold medal, similar to that I shall shortly describe as having been
conferred upon the officers who served in the Peninsula.
The following regiments took part in this expedition--60th, 63rd,
and 90th; 1st West India Regiment and the flank companies of the 7th
Royal Welsh Fusiliers; 8th, 13th Light Infantry, 15th, 23rd, and 25th
Regiments.
=Talavera.=--In the spring of 1809, Sir Arthur Wellesley left England
to take command of the Anglo-Portuguese army, and, landing at Lisbon
on April 22nd, placed himself at the head of 25,000 British and
Portuguese, crossed the Douro, drove Marshal Soult out of Oporto,
advanced into Spain, and giving battle to the French at Talavera,
defeated them after a long-drawn conflict lasting over the 27th and
28th July. The French were commanded by the intrusive King Joseph
Bonaparte, assisted by Marshal Victor. The French losses in the first
day's fighting were about 1,000 officers and men, the British losing
about 800. For the two days the French had a total of 7,394 placed
_hors de combat_, including Generals Lapisse and Morlot killed, and
Generals Sebastiani and Boulet wounded; the killed numbered 944, and
the wounded 6,274, while 150 were taken prisoners. The British losses
amounted to 6,268; Generals Mackenzie and Langewith, 857 officers and
men being killed; 3 generals, 192 officers, and 3,718 men wounded, 9
officers and 643 men missing. The Spaniards gave their losses as 1,200
killed and wounded. This battle, the victory in which was claimed for
both sides, gained for the victorious General the titles of Baron Douro
of Wellesley and Viscount Wellington of Talavera, with a pension of
£2,000 per annum.
The following regiments were engaged in the battle of Talavera, those
marked with an asterisk being specially mentioned in dispatches. 1st
Batt. Coldstream Guards; 1st and 3rd Batts. Scots Guards; 2nd, 3rd,
4th, 5th, 6th, 2nd Batt. 7th Regiment,* 2nd Batt. 24th, 1st Batt.
29th,* 2nd Batt. 31st,* 1st Batt. 40th, 1st Batt. 45th,* 1st and 2nd
Batts. 48th, 2nd Batt. 53rd,* 5th Batt. 60th,* 1st Batt. 61st, 2nd
Batt. 66th, 71st, 79th, 82nd, 2nd Batt. 83rd, 2nd Batt. 87th, 1st Batt.
88th, 91st, 92nd, 1st Batt. 97th,* and the Rifle Brigade. 3rd Dragoon
Guards, 4th Dragoons, 14th (now Hussars), 16th (now Lancers), and 23rd
Light Dragoons; Royal Artillery, Engineers, and Staff Corps; 1st and
2nd Light Battalions, 1st Light Dragoons, and 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th Line
Battalions of the King's German Legion.
=Peninsular Gold Medals.=--Following this brilliant victory it was
notified in the _London Gazette_, September 9th, 1810, that a gold
medal would be granted to commemorate the battles of Roleria, Vimiera,
Coruña, and Talavera. It was, however, only given to officers who
had taken part in these engagements, or who had participated in any
brilliant cavalry affair. It was also decided that the medal to which
an officer would have been entitled, had he survived, should be given
to his next of kin. The medals vary in size, but are all of the same
design. The larger size was conferred upon General Officers, and the
smaller ones upon colonels and senior officers. The medal was only
given to those who were actually in command during an engagement, or
succeeded thereto owing to the commander being killed or placed _hors
de combat_.
The gold medal bears on the obverse the figure of Britannia, wearing a
rather squat Roman-looking helmet, seated upon a globe, and bearing in
her extended right hand a laurel wreath and in her left a palm branch,
which rests upon an oval shield bearing the Union Jack; to Britannia's
right is the British lion. On the reverse is a simple wreath of laurel,
with the name of the battle and the date engraved in Roman capitals.
The medal is attached to the ribbon by a simple suspender, and a gold
buckle was frequently worn in the middle of the ribbon. General and
Commanding Officers were ordered to wear the medal suspended from the
neck by means of a red ribbon with blue edges--familiarly known as
the Peninsular ribbon--and below the rank of lieutenant-general by
the same ribbon from a button-hole of their coat. The senior officers
complained that it was very inconvenient to wear a medal dangling from
the neck while on horseback, and they were supported in their plea
by Wellington. This medal is generally found glazed, to prevent its
surface being damaged, the name and rank of the officer being engraved
upon the edge of the medal itself.
[Illustration: PORTUGUESE OFFICER'S CROSS FOR THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN.
Awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Brunton.]
=Guadaloupe.=--General Beckwith, who had captured Martinique, attacked
the West Indian Island of Guadaloupe, and captured it on February 6th,
1810. The French, who lost nearly 600 men, were commanded by General
Ernouf (see =Martinique= for regiments engaged).
=Busaco.=--Wellesley's Spanish allies had failed him, as Sir John Moore
with his sorry experience had predicted, and so after the battle of
Talavera de la Regna he retired into Portugal, whither Napoleon sent
Marshal Masséna to "drive the English Leopards into the sea," but
the "Sepoy General," as Napoleon had dubbed Wellesley, was alive to
the possibilities of the situation, and in face of the overwhelming
numbers of the French, decided to prepare the impregnable lines of
Torres Vedras, stretching from the Tagus to the sea; but before he
could entrench himself he was compelled to check the pursuit of
Masséna on the Busaco Sierra on September 27th, 1810, where his army
of British and Portuguese resisted all attempts to dislodge them. In
this battle both the British and Portuguese troops fought with daring
determination, so that it would appear invidious to single out special
regiments for notice, but the 38th, 45th, and the 8th Portuguese
Regiments were mentioned in dispatches. The 88th Connaught Rangers
repulsed a division of French infantry, while the 74th Highlanders did
a like service. General Simon, who had bravely led his brigade up the
mountain side, was captured by two men of the 52nd Regiment, and the
French losses amounted to 2,000 killed and as many wounded. The British
losses were 197 killed and 1,072 wounded. Marshals Ney, Masséna, and
Regnier commanded the French, the English and Portuguese being under
Wellington.
At the battle of Busaco the following regiments took part: the
Coldstreams and Scots Guards; 4th, 14th, and 16th Light Dragoons, and
three batteries of artillery; 1st Royal Scots 3rd Batt. 3rd, 5th,
7th, 9th, 11th, 24th, 27th, 29th, 31st, 34th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd,
43rd, 45th, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 60th, 61st, 66th, 74th,
79th, 83rd, 88th, 97th, and the Rifle Brigade; there were also present
the following units of the King's German Legion; 1st and 2nd Light
Battalions, and the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th Line Battalions.
=Rodrigues and Isle of France.=--To keep our order chronologically
we must leave for a moment the army in Spain to call attention to
the fact that it had become necessary, in order to protect British
shipping from the French ships harbouring in the Isle of France, or
the Mauritius, that the place should be taken from them. Previous to
this, as part of the same plan, it had been decided to also take the
Island of Rodrigues, as a preliminary to the capture of the Isle of
Bourbon. For the action which was fought at Rodrigues it was decided
to award a medal to those who had taken part in the expedition in the
then French islands, and on September 10th, 1811, a General Order was
issued stating that a medal would be awarded to those who had taken
part in the action at Rodrigues, the defeat of the French on the Isle
of Bourbon, and the capture of the Isle of France. The medal was
awarded to native troops only, although the 86th and 96th Regiments
bear BOURBON on their colours. 2,201 were struck, 45 gold and 2,156
silver. The obverse bears a figure of a sepoy standing beside a field
gun, holding the Union Jack unfurled in his right hand, and in his
left his musket with bayonet fixed; with his left foot he tramples on
a French colour and Eagle, whilst the British fleet at anchor forms
the background. On the reverse is a Persian inscription surrounding a
laurel wreath, stating that "this medal was conferred in commemoration
of the bravery and accustomed fidelity exhibited by the sepoys of the
English company in the capture of the Mauritius Islands in the year of
the Hegira 1226." Outside the wreath is the record RODRIGUES VI JULY
MDCCCIX. BOURBON VIII JULY & ISLE OF FRANCE IN DEC. MDCCCX. The medal,
1⁹⁄₁₀ in. in diameter, was intended to be worn suspended from a silken
cord.
It is noteworthy that a corporal of the 86th planted the regimental
colours on the redoubt, and in the fight for the Isle of Bourbon
Lieutenant Munro of the 86th was killed, also 17 men killed and 59
wounded. At the taking of the Isle of France only 29 of both services
were killed, and less than 150 wounded and missing; besides the fleet
of 70 sail, an army of 10,000 men under Major-General Abercromby took
part in the expedition.
=Barrosa.=--On September 29th Wellington retired with the allied
armies of 25,000 British and 30,000 Portuguese behind the famous lines
of Torres Vedras, where his force was augmented by the arrival of
English troops. Masséna made a series of ineffectual attacks, which
had the effect of keeping Wellington's army from getting stale, and
then retired to Santarem. Meanwhile a force of 4,500 British, under
Lieutenant-General Graham, and 7,000 Portuguese under General Dom
Manuel le Lapeña, reached Tarifa to operate against the rear of the
French army under Marshal Victor at Chaclana. Graham had unfortunately
contented himself with the command of his own troops, leaving Lapeña to
assume the position of Commander-in-Chief. On April 5th, 1811, Lapeña
halted his army on the Cerro de Puerco, now known as the heights of
Barrosa. The Spaniards, lacking in discipline and devoid of _esprit
de corps_, straggled into a situation which gave the keen-eyed French
Marshal an opportunity he was not slow to take advantage of, for the
blundering Lapeña had left a position which could have been held on
the heights of Barrosa, with the result that his Spanish army was
routed and driven towards the sea. Lapeña's stupidity had placed
Graham in a very awkward situation. He had obeyed the command to
move to Te Bermeja, but, apprised of the danger that threatened the
Spanish General, he countermarched, only to find that Lapeña had bolted
with his rabble of soldiery, and that the French held the key of the
position. Graham determined to take the heights, and it is said there
was never a shorter, more violent, or bloodier conflict; it lasted one
hour and a quarter, and resulted in a loss to the French of about 3,000
killed and wounded, including General Ruffin and Brigadier Rousseau,
who were mortally wounded, and six guns. The British out of their
small army lost in killed and wounded about 1,243 men, including 50
officers and 60 sergeants. The 87th Regiment, Royal Irish Fusiliers,
distinguished themselves by charging the French line, and capturing the
Eagle of the 8th Infantry, the first to be taken during the war; two
companies of the Coldstream Guards accompanied the 87th in its charge.
The following British regiments took part in the battle: 2nd Batts. of
the Grenadier, Coldstream, and Scots Guards; flank companies of the 1st
Batt. 9th Regiment; 1st Batt. 28th; flank companies 2nd Batt. 47th; 2nd
Batt. 67th; flank companies 2nd Batt. 87th; 2nd Batt. 87th; 2nd and 3rd
Batts. Rifle Brigade; Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, also the 2nd
Hussars of the King's German Legion.
The British had been under arms for twenty-four hours, and fought
the battle with Lapeña and his men acting the part of spectators,
except for the Spanish Walloon Guard and the regiment of Ciudad Real,
who joined in the fray "impelled by the instinct natural to brave
men." Napier, in comparing the two leaders at Barrosa, states: "The
contemptible weakness of Lapeña furnished a surprising contrast to
the heroic vigour of Graham, whose attack was an inspiration rather
than a resolution--so wise, so sudden was the decision, so swift, so
conclusive was the execution."
[Illustration: SPANISH CROSS FOR ALBUHERA.]
[Illustration: SPANISH CROSS FOR CIUDAD RODRIGO.]
[Illustration: SPANISH GOLD CROSS FOR VITTORIA.]
=Fuentes d'Onor.=--On Sunday, May 5th, 1811, the battle of Fuentes
d'Onor (Fountain of Honour) was fought. The British and Portuguese
armies under Marshal Beresford had invested Almeida, upon which Marshal
Masséna marched his army, and the British light division and cavalry
retired as the French advanced upon the village, which gave its name
to the battle, and together with the heights behind was occupied by
the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division. The French attack upon the village on
May 3rd necessitated the aid of reinforcements, and the 71st (Highland
Light Infantry), the 79th (Cameron Highlanders), and the 24th (South
Wales Borderers) were dispatched, the first-named regiment charging the
enemy and driving them out of that portion of the village which they
had occupied. The contest raged until nightfall, and over 250 officers
and men fell on each side in what was practically a hand-to-hand
conflict. The 4th was spent quietly, but on the 5th Masséna decided to
try the fortune of the day, which at the commencement seemed to smile
in his favour, for Junot carried the village of Posa Velha, while the
French cavalry not only drove in the cavalry of the allies, but the
whole movement caused Wellington to make a daring change of position,
during which an episode unique in the annals of warfare took place. In
the retirement, two guns, under Captain Norman Ramsey, had been left
behind, and the French and British also were astounded to see Ramsey
charge through the French masses at the head of his battery, "his
horses breathing fire and stretching like greyhounds along the plain,
his guns bounding like things of no weight, and the mounted gunners in
close and compact order protecting the rear." Shortly after the 2nd
Battalion of the Black Watch again distinguished itself by repulsing a
charge of French dragoons.
While the fighting was proceeding on the vast plain, a furious attack
was made on Fuentes d'Onor, which was desperately held by the 24th,
71st, and 79th Regiments, but the unequal contest was determined by
the bayonet charge of the 88th Connaught Rangers. Nightfall compelled
the cessation of hostilities, and both armies lay down to rest, looking
to the morrow to decide the battle, but the French gave no sign of
battle, and on the 8th retreated on the road to Ciudad Rodrigo. Masséna
claimed Fuentes d'Onor as a victory, despite the fact that his object,
to relieve Almeida, was unattained. In this sanguinary battle the
British lost 200 killed, 1,028 wounded, and 294 missing. It is said
that Masséna's total loss was about 3,000; of the French dead 200 were
found in the lower village of Fuentes d'Onor. This was Masséna's last
battle, Napoleon recalling the _enfant chéri de la victoire_, who
returned to France broken-hearted, and when opportunity offered gave
his allegiance to Louis XVIII.
The regiments engaged in the battle were the 2nd Foot Guards
(Coldstreams), 3rd Foot Guards (Scots Guards), 1st Dragoons; 14th and
16th Light Dragoons; 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, 24th, 30th, 38th, 42nd, 43rd,
44th, 45th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 60th, 71st, 74th, 79th, 83rd, 85th,
88th, 92nd, 94th, and the Rifle Brigade; Horse Artillery; 1st Hussars;
1st and 2nd Light Battalions, and the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th Line
Battalions of the King's German Legion.
=Albuera.=--"Modern history," wrote General Picton, "presents no
example of an action so obstinately disputed as that of Albuera." It
was there that the "Die-hards" gained their coveted name, and when
the roll-call of the "Buffs" was called, after the battle, only three
privates and a drummer answered to their names. It was the fight for
the regimental colours which accounted in a degree for the grave loss
of life, so Lieutenant-General Cust states. Ensign Thomas refused to
yield the colours and was killed. Lieutenant Latham, when severely
wounded, tore the precious flag he had received from Ensign Walsh from
the broken staff, and concealed it under his body, where it was found
after the battle by a sergeant of the 7th Fusiliers.
=Latham Gold Medal.=--Latham, who had a wonderful recovery,
was presented by the officers of the "Buffs" with a gold medal
commemorating the event, and a royal authority was given him to wear
it. The "Buffs," as I have indicated, were almost annihilated--4
officers, 4 sergeants, and 208 rank and file were killed; 13 officers,
11 sergeants, 1 drummer, and 222 rank and file wounded; 1 officer
wounded and taken prisoner; 2 officers, 15 sergeants, 1 drummer, and
161 rank and file missing--a loss of 644 officers and men in one
battle. The "Buffs" had already lost 27 killed and 208 wounded, and 7
missing, at Talavera. The 57th, Middlesex Regiment, who were called
upon by their dying Colonel Inglis to "die hard," went into action 570
strong, but when the battle was over, 23 officers and 400 rank and
file "were lying as they had fought, in ranks, with every wound in the
front."
The battle was fought on May 16th, 1811, the Spanish leaders agreeing
that Marshal Beresford should have supreme command, and to receive
battle in the village of Albuera. The allied army consisted of 32,000
infantrymen and 2,000 cavalry, with 38 guns; half the force was
Spanish, and the other half equally composed of British and Portuguese.
The Spaniards, as usual, were slack, and did not get into position
properly. The battle opened by the French attacking the heights on the
right of the Spaniards, and though they fought stubbornly at first they
gradually gave way before the onslaught of the French. Matters had
become very serious when General Stewart sent the leading brigade of
his division up the hill under General Colborne; the advance was made
in a drizzling rain. The French made several brilliant charges, and in
the _mêlée_ the commanding officer, Marshal Beresford, was attacked
by a Polish lancer, whom he seized bodily and threw from his saddle.
Those were heroic days indeed! The bad weather, which had so far
favoured the French, actually helped to save the day for the English,
for the drizzling rain prevented Marshal Soult from appreciating the
sad condition of the British. On the heights the 31st had resolutely
held its ground; other regiments had been cut to pieces, and Beresford
thought of retreat, when the cool daring of Colonel (afterwards Lord)
Hardinge, who took upon himself to order General Cole to advance, and,
taking General Abercromby's brigade to the ground, saved the day--to
which, by the way, the Portuguese regiments of the fourth division
contributed--General Cole leading the 7th and 23rd Fusiliers in person.
Cole drove off the Lancers and recovered the lost guns, but ere the
enemy were driven from the ridge, they had fired a terrific volley from
all the guns, which killed Sir William Myers, wounded the intrepid Cole
and three officers, while the Fusiliers "reeled and staggered under
the iron tempest like sinking ships, but nothing could stop them."
Soult, rushing into the thickest of the fight, tried to encourage
his brave soldiers to stand; it was useless. "Suddenly and sternly
recovering, they closed on their terrible enemies, and then was seen
with what a strength and majesty the British soldier fights." To again
quote Napier, "Nothing could stop that astonishing infantry ... their
measured tread shook the ground, their dreadful volleys swept away
the head of every formation ... the French reserve, mixing with the
struggling multitude, endeavoured to sustain the fight, but the effort
only increased the irremediable confusion; the mighty mass gave way,
and like a loosened cliff went headlong down the steep. The rain flowed
after it in streams, discoloured with blood, and 1,500 unwounded men,
the remnant of 6,000 unconquerable British soldiers, stood triumphant
on the fatal hill." The dead and wounded lay in two distinct lines on
the ground, and in such compact masses that 7,000 bodies occupied so
small an area that the artillery advancing into action had to pass over
the living and the dead, friend and enemy.
[Illustration: ALCANTARA MEDAL, 1809. (Obverse.)]
[Illustration: MILITARY GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL.]
[Illustration: ALCANTARA MEDAL, 1809. (Reverse.)]