^ h>l'li..-hr,i hif J.K- J . aimU'e .London. THF, LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE ARTHUR MARQUIS AND EARL OF WELLINGTON, VISCOUNT WELLINGTON OF TALAVKRA AND OF WELLINGTON, AND BAllON DOURO OF WKLLESLEY, ALL IN THE COUNTY OF SOMERSET, K. B. LIEUTENANT-GENETtAI-; MAKSHA L GENERAL OFTIIE PORTUGUESE, AXD CAITAIN-GEKERAL OF THE SPANISH AKMIES; Conunaudei'-in-Chicf of his Britannic Arajesty's Forces str\'in£;iii the Pcniiuiiia; also DUKE OF ClUDAl) RODHIGO, K. 0. S. &c. &c. COPIOUS DETAILS AND DELINEATIONS, HISTORICAL, Political, and 3Jilifary, OF THE VARIOUS IMPORTANT SERVICES In which lie has been engaged in FLANDERS, INIHA, IRELAND, DENMARK. Also, NUMEROUS INTERESiTNG SPAIN, AND PORTUGAL, ^rofe0stonal ^necDotes; ^"OT ONLY OF HIS BRETHUr.N IN A StMS, HUT ALSO OF THE GREAT GENE- RALS OPPOSED TO IIIM IN VARIOUS PARTS OFTI?E WORLD. A Complete and General P'ieic of his Services, AND, OFTHEIR BENEFICIAL CONSEQUENCES AS TO THE POI.ITKA f. SITUy\TION, AND IIONOUKABLE CHARACTEH, OF THE BRITISH NATION. BY FRANCIS L. CLARKE .JCLJ LONDON: rUlNTED BY AND FOR J. AND J.CUNDEE, IVV-LANE, PATrRNOSTEIl-nOW. W^. V; t», JJreface. JL HERE never 7vas a question in politics ^ per hajys, in which there has been a (jreaterf a moye extreme, dif- ferenccy than on that of the war in the Peninsula ; and it is not less worthy of notice, that, perhaps, there never was a greater degree of unanimity of approval than at present upon this very question. When all Spain rose, as it wei^e hy a miracle, (for the effect was simultaneous and without combination ,) in opposition to the insidious thraldom, of France, her exertions were looked on by many in this country with coldness, and even apathy. It was supposed im- possible for a degraded, and almost enslaved, popular tion to resist, even for a moment, the military power a ltd political machinations of him who had conquered more than half of the civilized world. All feared her 1 IV PREFACE. her eventual success, and some prognosticated, with the most determined assertions, her eternal suhjuga- tion. Yet, in the space of a few short years, horv changed is the scene! — so changed, that even onr most desponding statesmen venture tolook forivard toher re- storation to her ancient ranli among the kingdoms of Europe, and to her resuming that rank accompanied with feelings of esteem and gratitude to Britain; feelings which, in future political connections, may idtimately tend highly both to the political welfare and internal comfort of each country. To what, then, has this wonderfid, this extraordinary, change been owing ? To what, indeed, but to the liberal and friendly assistance of this country ; — to the gallantry of our troops, and to the consummate skill and ap- proved valour of him who has so frequently led them on to glory ! During the whole j^rogress of this ar- duous, this almost unequalled contest, the gcdlant Wellington has unequivocally afforded grounds for the highest honors that his Sovereign coidd shower down upon him, or his grateful country could bestow. He has, by his example, given spirit and enthusiasm* mot only to his own troops, but to those of the sister kingdoms of the Peninsula. By his consummate skill, indefatigahle exertions, and excellent judgment, he has foiled the best Generals of France, overcome dif- ficulties considered insuperable, and directed the exer- tions of Britain, and the force of her unfortunate allies, to those points where, in all cases, they were most available. By his steadiness, and his Fabius movements, he has preserved his own strength unbroken, whilst that of J?REFACE. of his enemy was on the decline^ and enabled tlie scattered bands of Patriots i6 acquire both discipline and numbers, and thus to produce a hardy race of sol- diers, who, as Guerillas, have learned to despise French couraye, and to counteract even French dis- cipline. At the same time, by the well-timed rapidity of his manoeuvres, 7vhen necessary, as well as by their secrecy and determined jjurposes, he has beat cdl the calculations of the enemy, accordiny even to their own confessions ; a proof of which, if proof were wantiny would be found on the fact of his haviny taken CiUDAD RoDRiGO in half the time which the French yeneral had considered possible; and thus, by its capture, connected with that of Almeida, always a military post of importance, not only formed a pow- erful defence for Portuyal, but opened a way into the very heart of Spain. This latter excellence of rapidity and determina- tion was, indeed, always expected by his friends; and we shall have occasion to see, in the proyress of this Bioyraphy, particulaily in detailiny his brilliancy of thouyht at the ylorious battle of Assye, on the plains of Hindoostan, that their expectations were well founded ; but the steadiness of his other oj^erations, the self-denial with which he has delayed to pluck the laurels which Victory held out to him with open hand, are traits in his character which miyht have been con- sidered as unlikely to appear, and that without dero- yatinyfrom the hiyh character which he had acquired previous to his present distinyuished rank in the Pe- ninsula. But it is to this latter part of his character that 9 much Tl PREFACE. much of the success of the 2)^esent contest has he^n owing ; and it is entirely 07ving to it that he has been enabled to overcome the various difficulties he had to encounter, as^ opposed to the almost overwhelming power of France, commanded by her best generals, with a force of British troops, even no7V little more than half the number of French concentrated in any one spot. For, much as the Spanish and Portuguese troops have of late improved in discipline, and much as might have, eveii at first, been expected from their native courage, yet Lord Wellington could not trust the safety of his army, or the ultimate success of the cause, to an absolute dependence on their almost untried exertions; he has, nevertheless, known how to avail him- self even of their inefficient state with a degree of judgment and spirit hajJj^ily justified by the event. We may then aver, without fear of contradiction, that on the valour of our troops, and on the skill of our general, (as it has been most eloquently said by one of our inost exalted statesmen,) have depended the- cause of Liberty in Spain, in Portugal, in Europe, nay in Britain herself, and throughout the whole Universe. Li the late brilliant campaigns, the conduct of our soldiers, too, has been unequalled, and our Parliamen- tary records justify that opinion which we heard a gal- lant general, and one well skilled in desultory warfare, and, of course, well qualified to judge, declare, " that he believed he might defy any other jiation to produce soldiers so steady under arms, or so silent in a night attack.^^ But it is not on the courage of our troops alone, that we have learned to depend , for we may add, that there is now no part of military arrange- ment PREFACE. Vll tnent in which our army does not, at least, equal that of any other : and well might the Earl of Liverpool lately boast in the House of Lords, that in our infantry, in cavalry, in our artillery, and enyineeriny, and even in our commissariat, in the Peninsida, our superiority had been strikingly apparent. Such, as he justly added, was the effect of the excellent military disci" pline estahlished at home, and put in practice and in action there, by the admirable judgment of the Earl f Wellington; a superiority not only enjoyed by the British, bid also severely felt by the enemy. The good consequences of all this it is almost un^ necessary to point -out. There was no end of French boasting of driving us into the sea; and of inmting us from our ships to the contest on land : but we have taught them to respect and fear us. In some points, though we have sacrificed much, yet the advantages gained have been equal to that sacrifce. Even the de- fence of Portugal, the possession of the ports of Spain, or at least their occupancy and preservation by the Pa- triots, and the neutralization of the Spanish Fleet, are objects of high importance, when we consider tJie facilities which the possession of all these things would have afforded to France. The stimulus, too, thus given to the population of Spain and Fortugal, the militarg ardor infused into their bosoms, the love of li- berly thus ingrafted into their hearts, will all tend to form and establish a new era in those countries, and in Europe, which may be expected to lead to the future internal welfare of each, and to the future equaliza- tion of political power, and consequent extension of li- berty and promotion of peace. we VI II PREFACE. We must now close this slight sketch of the subject^ with one observation on the character of our gallant fellow citizen. If we look at him, as will be exempli' fed in the course of this work, whether commanding', or commanded, we shall always find the same great- ness of mind, whether checked in his pursuit in the moment of victori/, as at Vimeira, by the orders of a superior ; or prompted to delay the accomplishment of hi'illiant ineasures, where victory was certain, in order io spare the blood of his gallant comrades in arms. <• .-r^l^^m-^ INTllO- INTRODUCTION. JF it is by experience that we gain wisdom, and by a com- parison of nearly similar events that we can best form an ac* curate judgment, it will not be irrelevant, in our introduc- tory part, to take a slight sketch of the causes and conduct of a former war carried on by Great Britain in the Peninsu- la; and that, by a very curious coincidence, nearly in the very corresponding years of the preceding century. In the conduct and issue of that war, and in the conduct and pro- bable issue of the present one, there has, indeed, been a great contrast; for there we were merely as auxiliaries though now we have acted more immediately as principals. At that period, too, we were in opposition to that branch of the House of Bourbon whose rights we are now defending j and in our objects we were unsuccessful, though without tar- nishing the honor of the British name. When in the year 1701, Charles II. of Spain, a branch of the House of Austria, deceased without issue, Philip Duke of Anjou, grandson of Lewis XIV. being second son of the Dauphin of France, assumed the Spanish crown, ac- cording to the will of the deceased monarch ; but the Em- peror of Germany having put up one of his own family a* a claimant, it was considered as the interest of Gr«^at Bri- tain to support him, in order to prevent the accession of such power to France, by her Royal Family thus coming into possession of the immense possessions and resources of I. M ihe X INTRODUCTION. the Spanish empire. There was also a party in Spain ini- mical to the French interest ; and it was hoped that, by spi- rited measures, an Austrian prince might be established orv the throne of Spain. Charles III. the Austrian claimant, arrived in England in. 1703; and, in 1704, an auxiliary force of 12,000 British and Dutch troops was sent to Portugal; the English under Duke Schomberg, and the Dutch under General Fagel. King Charles immediately published a manifesto, setting forth his right to the crown of Spain ; and on the arrival of the expedition at Lisbon, the Portuguese having alreadjr joined the grand alliance against France, the King of Por- tuo-al published a declaration in which he vindicated the claim of Charles, and gave his own reasons for taking up arms in his defence and support. The Bourbon prince, under the title of Philip V. was not backward in preparing for hos tilities, but immediately declared war against his competi- tor, and also against the King of Portugal and his other al- lies; and, having hastily assembled an army, proceeded to the i*ortngucse frontier, when he captured Segura; Salvatierra, and some other places. It being understood that the Catalonians were partial to thej cause of the allies. Sir George Rooke, with a British squa* dron, proceeded with the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt and a force of 2500 men to Barcelona, where he landed the troops j but being disappointed in his expectations of a flattering re- ception and co-operation, the army was again embarked, and the squadron proceeded towards Toulon. In June of the same year, (1704) the Portuguese were found to be very dilatory in furnishing the proper supplier which they had promised, so that nothing could be done. There was also a great want of cordiaHty amongst the ge- nerals of the three nations, English, Dutch, and Portii- ,guese, so that the Duke of Schomberg, weary of his com- mand, was anxious to be recalled, and was superseded by Ueury de Ruvignv, Earl of Gahvay. 7 The. INTRODUCTION. \\ The Spanish monarch in July put an end to his short campaign, on account of the heat of the weather^ and return* cd to Madrid, having put his army in cantonments; and, fearing that it would be impossible to retain his petty con- quests, destroyed all their fortifications, except those of Salvatierra and Mervan, and abandoned them to their fate. Though our troops were thus left in idleness, yet our ad- miral was determined to do something; accordingly he re- turned from Tou'it».^ Howards Gibraltar, and captured that fortress on the 10th of July, after a siege of three days, having landed the Prince of Hesse with only 1800 men. On the I3ih of August the combined English and Dutch fleets defeated the united French squadrons from Toulon and Brest, and obliged them, in a most shattered condition, to retire to Toulon ; a part of them, however, was enabled soon after to proceed to the southward when the combined squadrons had left the Streiglits, and the Sieur de Pontis, with a considerable force, blockaded Gibraltar by sea, the Spaniards having commenced the siege of it in September. In 1705 Gibraltar was relieved by Sir John Leake, who surprized and defeated the French squadron ; and in May, the Portuguese and confederate forces having commenced ihe siege of Alcantara, took it by storm after six days; Sal- vatierra and Albuquerque being soon after retaken. In the same month the Earl of Peterborough was sent from Eng- land, with 5000 additional troops, in a fleet commanded by Sir Cioudesley Shovel ; after touching at Lisbon, where King Charles embarked along with him, they proceeded to Gibraltar, and afterwards to Altea Ba3',where a manifesto was published ; and the advices from Barcelona being very encou- raging, the earl was induced to proceed there, where he landed the troops, accompanied by the king, and was soon reinforced by great numbers of Spaniards. On the 3d of September, Monjuick was taken after a siege of three days, but the gal- lant Prince of Hesse fell in the attack ; in three weeks after- ;b Q, wards Xn lNTRODUCTIOlf» wards Barcelona surrendered, and all Catalonia immediately (declared for King Charles. On the opposite side of Spain the allies had laid siege to Badajoz, but were obliged soon after to raise it by the Marg shal du Thesse, the French general in command of the combined French and Spanish army ; and, in the contest, the Earl of Galway lost his right hand. The proceedings in Catalonia were, however, considered so important for the general cause, ti^^iv both Houses of Parliament at home were induced to congratulate her ma- jesty upon her message informing them of these events, in ^November 1705. But the progress of the allies on the eas- tern side was still very circumscribed, little remarkable hap* peoing until the latter end of December, when a Catalo- nian Colonel, of the name of Nebot, was induced to leave the opposite party, with about 950 cavalry, and to join JCing Charles at Denia, in Valencia, who soon after captured Xabea, asmall place in that vicinity, which slight successes seem to have induced the whole kingdom of Valencia to de- clare in his favor, when his new friend. Colonel Nebot, took possession of its capital. At the close of the year the French and Spanish armies proceeded to besiege Valencia; but the Earl of Peterbo- rough having marched with the English army to its relief, this plan was given up, and an attack was made upon St, Mattheo; but Peterborough not only obliged them to de- camp, but also took possession of Morviedro. In the early part of 1706, a battle of some importance for the rjumbeis engaged, but of little in its consequences to either party, took place at San Estevan de Libera, after which the Spanish and French troops, under du Thesse, commenced the siege of Barcelona ; which was, however, $o speedily raised, on the arrival of Sir John Leake from LiS" bon to its relief, that the assailants left behind them 106 brass guns, 23 mortars, and an immense quantity of provi- sions INTRODtJCTION. ^ Mtt /lions and ammunition. On the opposite side of the king- dom, the allies took Alcantara, in which they found 47 jpiecesof brass cannon; and Moraliza and Coria having .^oon after fallen, the Earl of^Galway published a manifesto in the name of his royal mistress, calling upon the Spaniards to acknowledge King Charles as their lawful monarch. In May, in the same year, Ciudad Rodrigo was captured by the allies, after a siege of five days ; and the news of the raising of the siege of Barcelonahaving just then arrived, tlie Portuguese were in high spirits, and the allies proceeded to push through Spain for Madrid, where King Philip returned with all possible expedition ; but, soon finding that he had no troops on whom he could depend, he destroyed cvers' thing of value which he could not carry off, and retired towarcis Burgos in order to be ready for a retreat into Frrince. On the 26th of May, Carthagena declared for the Aus- trian claimant, and was secured by an English squadron ; and in June the English and Portuguese confederate army^ commanded by the Earl of Galway and the Marquis des Minas, pushed on for Madrid, which made such an impres- sion upon the inhabitants, that deputies were sent out to ac- knowledge their submission and allegiance to their new mo- narch. On taking possession of the capital King Charles was proclaimed, and the example of the inhabitants of Ma drid was voluntarily followed by Toledo, and several othe places of importance, inclusive of the whole kingdom of Arragon. Charles, however, was still with the English ariny at Barcelona, and is accused of want of celerity in staying too long there, notwithstanding the repeated solicitations of the Earl of Peterborough, and the invitations of th€ gene- rals in the capital, who were all anxious that he should re- pair to ^Jadrid. But even when he set ou-t for that place he occupied so much time in the siege of Saragossa, that the confederate forces, for some reason never suiticiently ex- plained, had evacuated Madrid, whither King Philip soon •»hcY proceeded with a few forces, having had time to reco- ver- Xiv INTRODUCTION* ver from his alarm at the former rapidity of movement ort the part of his assailants. In Valencia the war was still carried on with some brisk- ness ; and, in July, Sir John Leake proceeded with the Eng- lish fleet before Alicant, which was immediately afterward* taken by storm, though the castle held out for a short time ; but at length surrendered upon an honourable capitulation. This, however, was but of little importance to the cause of Charles; for the return of Philip to Madrid had such an ef- fect, as to induce the kingdom of Castile to declare for him. King Charles was, therefore, compelled to join the con- federate army at Guadalaxara; and this he was the sooner reduced to, as the Earl of Peterborough, who had just then received the commission of an ambassador extraordinary, was leaving the eastern coast of Spain, in order to proceed for Italy, in hopes of raising some supplies. Soon after, Sir John Leake arrived at Majorca with the British fleet, and obliged that island and Ivi9a to declare for King Charles; but this- was shortly counterbalanced by the recapture of Carthagena ; and the year was closed with the death of Pe* dro. King of Portugal. The year 1707 was a most unfortunate one for the confe- derate arms; for, on the 5th of April, they were completely defeated at Almanza, whilst under the command of the Marquis des Minas, and the Earl of Galway, having up- wards of 10,000 men killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. The whole number of British in the action were only 14,000; yet it is believed that it was entirely owing to the ill con- duct of the Portuguese that the day was lost. So strong in- deed was this opinion, that the House of Lords shortly after severely censured the Earl of Galway for having yielded the post of honour on that day to the Portuguese. It was al- so matter of complaint at home that the number of Bri- tish troops was so small, although 29,000 had been voted by Parliament for the service of the Peninsula. The JUfTRODtrCTTOW. Xf The shatteiefl remains of the confederate army were, notwithstanding their defeat, able to retire in pretty good or- der to Alcira, from whence they sent their wounded to Bar- celona, cind then crossed the Ebro, where King Charles had retired some time before with a small force, and was sta- tioned at Tortosa at the month of that river. This move* ment they were now obliged to make, in order to defend Ca- talonia. The victorious army pursuing their advantage, andbeing no longer kept in check by the confederates, soon recovered Valencia, Saragossa, &c. but Philip lost much of his popu- larity by the atrocious conduct of France, in ordering the unfortunate town of Xativa, on the right bank of the river Xucer, in Valencia, to be utterly burnt and destroyed, and in depriving both Arragon and Valencia of some of their most ancient privileges. In July the party of King Charles was so 'strong in Italy, that he was proclaimed king at Na- ples; but his cause began to decline rapidly in Spain, fresb forces having arrived from France, under the command of the Duke of Orleans, who invested and took Limosa, a stJong and well fortified town in Catalonia, under the observance of the confederate army : yet to counterbalance this in some degree, the Imperialists, under Count Thaiin in Italy, cap- tured Gaeta by storm, where they laid hold of all the parti- zans of King Philip in that country, and were thus enabled to secure Naples for King Charles. So great was the discontent at home at this period, re>» gpecting the conduct and issue of the war, that very strong debates were held in both Houses ; yet nobody thouo-ht of giving up the cause, but each body of the legislature came forward with an address to Queen Anne, stating their opi- nion, that no peace could be safe or honourable for the country, or for our allies, which would secure Spain and her colonies to the power of France. They also requested het to call on the emperor to send some additional and power-, ful reinforcements into Spain,, under the command of Prince Eugene, XVi INTRODUCTrON. Eugene, (the Wellington of that day) but they emperor ap- pears ahnost to have neglected this remonstrance from our court, as he merely sent a few troops under Count Stahreiti- berg. It is also a curious fact, that the^House of Commons, af- ter a long and close examination, addressed her majesty complaining that there were then only 8660 British troops. in the Peninsula, instead of 30,000, the number voted; to which the answer was, that nearly the whole number voted had been sent, but were now thus reduced in consequence of death and desertion. About the middle of 1708, after a long interval of quie-t, the French captured Tortosaon the left bank of the Ebro; an advantage counterbalanced by our conquest of Minorca on the 19th of August by Sir John Leake, and Major Ge- neral Stanhope, with only 3264 men ; and, in November, Denia and Alicant again fell under the French arms. The siege of Alicant having been undertaken by the French, and conducted mostly as a blockade for three months, 'tliey contrived at last to form a mine under the rock on wliich the castle stands, which being partly blown up, tlie governor and several valuable officers lost their lives; yet the castle held out nearly two months longer, and was only forced to surrender, but on honourable terms, after a siege conducted with great exertion. On the 27th of April another unfortunate defeat of the confederate troops took place on the banks of the river Caya, after which the Earl of Galway escaped with great diffi- culty; but the Earl of Barrymore, Major General Sank- ey, Brigadier Pearce, and two whole brigades, were made prisoners of war. Some negotiations about this time had taken place, by which it was stipulated that Charles III. sliould be acknow- ledged as the lawful Spanish monarch, and that the French army should evacuate that kingdom; but Lewis XIV. after amusing himself with the credulity of the allies, laughed at the INTRODUCTION. XYU the treaty, and most shamefully evaded its signature, so that the war was recommenced, when Count Stahremberg, the Im- perial general, was lucky enough to capture Fort Ballaguer, on the banks of Rio Segre, in Catalonia, a strong post with a garrison of 700 men. The French ministry, in 1710, in order to amuse the al- lies> and to gain time*, again made some pacific proposals, in which they offered to consent to a partition of Spain ; but in this the allies knew them to be insincere; nor would they themselves, indeed, have agreed toil; and, notwithstand- ing the Gallic machinations, the tide of success began to turn in favour of King Charles, whose army, commanded by General Stanhope, (ancestor of the present Earl Stan- hope,) defeated King Philip at Almanera, in Catalonia, on the l6th of July, when the French, having lost about 1500 in killed and wounded, were obliged to retire to Lerida; but, being closely pursued by the confederates, fell back upon Saragossa. On the 10th of the ensuing month, August, King Charles being then with the army, another brilliant victory was obtained over King Philip near Saragossa, which city immediately opened its gates to the conquerors ; and so powerful did Charles then feel himself in Castile, that he immediately superseded the form of government established by PhiHp, restored the ancient rights of the Castilians, and reinstated their former magistrates. Indeed the French power was at this juncture so weakened, that Philip, not feel- ing himself safe at Madrid, retired to Valladolid ; and the confederates marching towards the capital, General Stan- hope advanced with the cavalry, and took possession of it on the lOih September, 1710. About a fortnight afterwards Charles made his appear- ance in his capital; but soon found that the inhabitants were more attached to his rival than to himself: he soon left it therefore, and placed his troops in quarters to the southward of it, and in the vicinity of Toledo, in full confidence that, notwithstanding the disaffection of the capital, he might still I- Q be Xviii INTRODUCTION. be enabled to spend the winter thus in the very heart of Spain by the aid of the Portuguese; but they having disap- pointed him, and King Philip again collecting some forces? he was obliged to retire into Arragon, where, in the succeed- ing November, Major General Stanhope, with a British force of "2000 men at Brihuega, was surprised and made prisoner of war, by the unexpected junction of the French and Spanish armies. The Imperial general, Count Stahremberg, hearing of his danger, marched immediately to his relief, but was too late to prevent the disaster; he was fortunate enough, however, to fcdl in with the enemy under King Philip and the Duke of Vendosme, about one league from Brihuega, when he brought them to action at Villaviciosa, and defeated them, although their forces amounted to 'l.>,()00 men. After this, Stahremberg advanced toSaragossa; but, for some reason never explained, soon retired into Catalonia, thereby ena- bling Philip to return to Madrid, where the inhabitants re- ceived him with open arms ; and, on the iGth December, Gerona, the key of Catalonia, was permitted to fall into the hands of the French army, after a gallant resistance of six weeks, so that Charles was obliged to retire to Barcelona. This disastrous and unexpected turn of tlie campaign na- turally produced a great sensation at home: and in the com- mencement of 1711, the House of Lords having entered into an enquiry on the cause of our losses. Lord Peterborough succeeded in throwing the blame upon the Earl of Gal way, whilst he himself received public thanks. Instead, howe- ver, of sending him out again to Spain, he was appointed plenipotentiary to the xVustrian court, and the Duke of Ar- gyle was entrusted with the high commissions of ambassador extraordinary, and plenipotentiary, and of commander in, chief in Spain. These proceedings were lullowed up by a vote of the tipper House, that the Earl of Galvvay, in yield- ing up the post of honour to the Portuguese at the battle of INTRODUCTION. xix of Almanza, had acted contrary to the honour of the impe- rial crown of Great Britain. In Spain, affairs began to take a more disastrous turn ; for in August, the Portuguese hating entered into a separate negotiation with King Philip and the French court, King Charles found it necessary in the ensuing month to embark atBdrcelona for Italy. On his arrival in Italy, he was elected King of the Romans, and Emperor of Germany ; and, on be- ingcrowned at Frankfort on the 1 1th of December 1711, seems to have given up all further thoughts of the Spanish crown. In order to do away some of the objections to his establishment on the throne of Spain, King Philip, now settled at Madrid, published his renunciation of all claims to the succession in France; and in September of the same year, Lord Lexing- ton having proceeded to Madrid to receive the fore-men- tioned renunciation, the English forces, then in Catalonia, commanded by Brigadier Pearce, were embarked on board the squadron under the orders of Sir John Jennings, who im- mediately proceeded for Minorca, where the colours of King Charles were hauled down, and those of the English substi- tuted in their stead. On the 5th of November, the act of renunciation took place in the presence of the English ambassador, and was registered by the Cortes, and from that period we may con- sider the war at an end. To draw a parallel between those events and the transac- tions of a later date would here be premature; but we shall have occasion to notice them more fuiiy, and shall now pro- ceed to the principal design of the work. ct LIFE LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE MARQUIS WELLINGTON. SECTION I. Freliminary observation— Ancient respectability of the Family of Colley, now Wellesley— Birth— Military Education— Progress to the Rank of Field officer — First military Embarkation for Britanny — Observations — Joins the Army in Flanders — Capture of Tournay, and Anecdotes — Evacuation of Ostend— Judicious conduct of the Earl of Moira — affair atAIost — Anecdotes of General Doyle— Conductof the French Army — Invasion of Holland — Military Anecdotes- Gallant affair at Boxtel — Meritorious Conductof the Governor of Grave — Attack of the Waai —Gallant attack of the Tuyl — Retreat through Holland — Conduct of the Dutch — Affair at Metteren, and gallant behaviour of the 33d Regi, ment— Dreadful Sufferings of the army — Exemplary Conduct of His Royal Highness the Duke of York — Evacuation of Holland — Em- barkation at Bremen — Return to England. If example is more powerful than precept, no apo- logy can be necessary for a minute detail of great and virtuous actions ; and there is perhaps no mode more generally useful and efficacious for the preserva- tion and extension of that example, than in record- ing the Biography of the great and good. Indeed, the historic page is never so interesting as in the dfelineation of active worth; volumes may be filled with the black catalogue of tyranny and oppres- sion, exciting no other feeling than abhorrence at the crimes and depravity of human nature ; but when one bright gleam of sunshine illumines our page, when we see high birth, brilliant genius, and unwearied activity, employed in resistance to the invader, in sup- porting the rights of 7iative princes, at the two ex- tremes 2-2 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Aiiliquity of the Wellesley family. tremes of the old world, and humanely eng-aged in mitigating' the capti'^ity even of the sons of the usurper, the eye dwells on it with unspeakable satisfaction, and we proudly exclaim, " This is our countryman !" Such must be the sensations of every man on advert- ing to the liiilitary career of the subject of our pre- sent biography, v/ho, though scarcely arrived at what is called middle life, has yet^ittained a pitch of mili- tary glory, v/hich entitles him to the esteem of his fellow citizens, and holds him up an example to his younyer brethren in arms. Though the personal vv^orthof the Marquis of WeU linrjion is alone sufficient to give splendour to nobility; yet the natural curiosity respecting the origin and fa- mily antiquity of such a man induces us to take a slight sketch of his ancestors, who were originally of English descent, being settled in the county of Rut- land, for time immemorial, under the appellation of Cowley, Cooley, or ^CoUey^ as is now the modern mode of writing it. In the reign of Henry Vlil. when many gentle- men of family were induced, by royal grants, to emi- Sfrate to Ireland, two brothers of this familv, Walter and Robert Cowley, established themselves at Kilkenny, and were presented by the King, in his 2"^d year, with a grant of the ofiice of clerk of the crown in chancery for, and during, their lives re- spectively. It is evident that both brothers had been brought up to the bar; for the youuger became Master of the Rolls, and the eldest, Walter, ancestor of the present family, was appointed Solicitor General of Ireland in 1537; but having surrendered that Office in 1546, he was two years afterwards raised to that of Sur- veyor General of that kingdom. His eldest son, Sir Henry Coiley, appears to have dedicated * In Giaiston church, Rutlandshire, there is a monument for Walter ColIey, Esq. and Agnes his wife. He was lord of the manor in 1407. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 23 Character of his ancestors by Sidney. ■ ] « dedicated himself to the profession of arms; for he lield a commission from Queen Elizabeth of Captain in the army, from whom he also received a warrant in J 559 to execute martial law in the districts of Offaley, Carbery, SVr Henry Colley, suc- ceeded him at Castle Carbury, of whom we only find it recorded that he married Anne, daughter and co- heiress of Christoj)her Peyton, Esq. Auditor Gene- ral of Ireland; and his eldest Son Dudley Colley, of Castle Carbury, Esq. having distinguished him- self much in the royal cause, was appointed an officer in the army by King Charles II. soon after the Resto- mtion, and had also a grant and confirmation of the lands of Ardkill and Colli ngstown in Kildare. He was also member of Parliament for Philipstown. This Dudley married Anne, daughter of Henry Warren of Grangebeg in the county of Kildare, Esq. and had a numerous family by her, of whom Henry was his successor; and a daughter Elizabeth married Garret Wellesley (or Wesley) of Dangan in the county ^rARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 05 Family first ennobled. county of Meath, Esq. a family of ancient Saxon ex- traction, bein^ settled in the county of Sussex.* This Henry Colley, Esq. by his niarriag'e with Mivry, only daughter of Sir William Usher, of Dub- lin, iCnt. left a numerous family : and his youngest son, llichnrd Colley, was tlie first who adopted the name of Wellesley, as heir to hisJ first cousin. Gar- ret Wesley, of Dangan, who left him all his estates on condition of his taking the name and arms of that family, all which was granted, and recorded in the Herald's office, Sec. in 1728. He appears to have held several offices under the crown ; was Auditor and Registrar of the Royal Hospital of Kilmainham, second Chamberlain of the Court of Exchequer, Sheriff of the county of Meath in 1734, and mem- ber of Parliament for the boroug-h of Trim in the same year. In consideration of his public services, his Majesty George H. was pleased to create him a peer of Ireland, by the title of Baron of Morningv ton, in 1747. He married Elizabeth, daug-hter of John Sale, LL. D. Registrar of the diocese of Dub- lin, and representative in Parliament for the boroug"!! of Carysfort ; and his eldest son, Garrety having suc- ceeded him in his barony, was soon after, in 1760, created Viscount Wellesley and Earl of Mornington, having before that held the otiice of custos rotulorum of the county of Meath. He married Anne, f eldest 2. D daughter * This family emigrated to Ireland, in 1172, the first Irish ancestor I^eing standard-bearer to Henry U. His descendants distinguished tlieiiiselves much in several successive reigns in a military capacity, and received various grants of lands for those services ; but, being now ex- tinct, their name, though not their blood, is represented by the pre- sent noble family of Colley Wellesley. t Tliis is a very ancient family, originally Norman. Their first ap- pellation was De la Montagne ; nor did they adopt the English transla- tion until the reign of Edward III. at whjch time they possessed consi- derable landed estates in Stafford and Devonshires. An early ancestor A,vas Sir John Hill, a learned serjoant of the law, in the reign of rdward III, and they were first settled in Ireland in the reign of Queen m Elizabeth, 26 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Exemplary conduct of Marquis Wellesley. dangliter of the Right Honourable Arthur Hill, Vis- cou'.it Duno'annon, and had issue, the present Marquis of Weliesiey, William, now Wellesley Pole, in con- sequence of inheriting' the estates of William Pole, of Ballifin, Esq. Arthuk, the subject of our present biography, and several other chililrcn. The first earl having- died whilst a g-reat part of his family were yet in their infancy, a most impor- tant care devolved upon their amiable mother, whose prudent and energetic conduct overcame the obsta- cles attendant upon an impaired state of fortune, arising" from causes which it had been impossible to counteract. It has been well said, that her wise and liberal oeconomy, in conjunction with the energies of an active and well informed mind, had supplied not only the deficiencies of fortune, but also the loss of a father. It must be confessed, indeed, that much of this power to do good on the part of Lady Morning- ton arose from the very generous and liberal conduct of the present Marquis, who, with a magnanimity and fraternal conduct which must always redound to liis honour, gave up the entiie management of the family estates to her guidance ; and, though in the hey-day of youth, not only submitted cheerfully to those prudential restraints which her paternal care suggested, but actually paid off all his father's debts, out of an honourable regard to his memor}'. ArthuFv, the subject of our present biography, Avas born on the 1st of IMay 1769: and, at an early age, was sent to Eton, that he might receive the be- jiefit of a public education ; and, as he had chosen the army for his profession, he afterwards went, at the close of the American war, to Augiers, in France, in order that he might acquire the theory of military science in that celebrated school, then under the di- rection of the much esteemed Pir/nerol, who has long been Elizabeth, under the patronage of Walter Devcreaiix, the famous Earl pf Essex; sir/ce which period their loyalty and gallantry "have always jiiade them favourites of the Huccessive monarciis. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. o? KarK raiilt ill ihu arniY. been considered as tlie Vaiiban of modern warlike architecture and eng"ineerint;-.* After acquiring* a fund of information, and there- by layinj!^ a g'ood foundation for future observatioa and study, oar young* candichite for military fame re- ceived his first commission in the army at an early period of hfe: and this taking" phice during the time of peace, he had leisure to aj)ply his scientific know- ledg'e to garrison and regimental practice, in which we are enabled to say, that his conduct was such as to merit the esteem of all his brother officers; for he applied himself sedulously to the best authors on the subject of military affairs, thus forming* a basis for future military fame: and, having* his own rank and connections to trust to for promotion, he preserved throughout a gentlemanlike and steady independ- ence. We have not been able to ascertain the date of his first commission : but we find that at the age of twen- ty-three he bore the rank of captain in the 18th re- giment of light dragoons, from which corps, on the 80th of April 1793, he was appointed to the majority of his present regiment, the -33d, in the room of Major Gore, who then resigned. In this junior rank of Field-officer he did not long remain, but availed himself of his seniority to pur- chase in succession from Lieutenant Colonel Yorke, who resigned his commission in that regiment; a, d his appointment took place on the 30th September 1793. Lieutenant-Colonel Wellesley, now scarcely four and D 2 twenty, * The advantages derived troui tiie mode of preparation for an ac- tive and public liie must have been very great, vvhen we consider that Anglers, under the old regime of France, was a large town, with up- wards of 30,000 inhabitants ; and contained not only an university founded by St. Louis, but also an academy of belles lettres instituted in 1085; thereby alfording every opportunity for the acquirement of general and useful knowledge, and also that polish, so useful, so es* sential, in an enlarged intercourse with mankind^ 28 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Expedition to Britaiin3'. twenty, engaged in active service under his gallant countryman the Earl of Moira, and early in 1794 was actually embarked with that force which was intend- ed to have erected the standard of loyalty in Britan- ny ;* but the fate of the Netherlands and of Flan- ders was no sooner decided by the unfortunate issue of * With respect to the propriety of this expeclLtion, both in its object and the various details connected with the formation of the force and means intended, there have been a variety of opinions ; but as his Lordship lias lately acted so conspicuous a part on the theatre of poli- tics at home, it may be interesting to notice the manly and rational vindication of his own conduct which took place in the House of Lords on that occasion in February 1T94. Alluding to some obser- vations which had been thrown out in the lower House upon the plan and object in view, he detailed, with clear and manly eloquence, the general outlines of the expedition, the views of ministry, and the va* rious communications which had taken place with the Royalists on that subject. He informed the House that he had communicated with go- vernment early in the preceding October (1793) and then was first made acquainted with the extent of the assistance intended to be af- forded to the Royalists. The impo/^tance of the object, and the ex» tent of the means, he considered as sufficient to determine him to ac- cept of the proposed command, and to risque the responsibility which he considers as attached to it. To the accusation of an illegal appoint- ment of French officers, he urged, that the motives which acUiated his conduct were stric^tly proper; and the reasons which he slated were, that he understood from indubitable sources of information that the Royalists, though in possession of a great number of cannon, had no men capable of managing them; it therefore became an ob- ject with him to take as many artillerjr men with him as possible to supply this deficiency : unfortunately, however, it happened that the exertions made by the government here in other expeditions had so exhausted the country, that the number of artillery men which were sent to him scarcely amounted to one seventh of the number he had requested. Under these circumstances he suggested to ministers the propriety of employing some French artillery officers, then on the continent, in his army; those gentlemen were sent for; and as it could not be expected that they could defray their own expenses, they were put upon an allowance, but not upon the regular establish- ment. In consequence of this arrangement he had appointed two French officers to be his Aidsdu-Camp, and one to be Quarter-Master-Ge- neral, to act in the Royalists' army when the junction should take place. This explanation was so plain and.simple, that the voice of party and the whispering of slander were completely hushed. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTOX. 09 War in Flanders, of the early part of the canipaig-n of tliat year, un- der His Royal Highness the Duke of York, than his Lordship was ordered to proceed with his little army to Ostend. It is not our place here to enter minutely upon the question of the continental coalition war; the sub- ject has already been sufficiently canvassed : yet tJiouoh there were many who predicted\lefeat in this country, it was then still the opinion of a great ma- jority of the political world that France, torn as she was by disunion and mistrust, would Le unable to cope with the veteran troops of Europe. That there were strong grounds for this latter opijiion may well be inferred from a consideration that even one or two only of the confederate powers had, in former wars, been fully able to cope with that country when a po- tent monarchy ; and that, even in her most flourishing periods, France had been not only successfully oppos- ed in her ambitious designs, but even reduced to. the utmost distress. It was forgot, however, by one party, and perhaps overlooked even by the other, (for the forebodings of doubt. and despair were certainly rather hazarded as oracular prophetic denunciations, than as conclusions drawn from past experience,) that the constant jealou- sies which had for so many ages existed between the coalesced powers would stdl operate against the gene- ral unanimity and singleness of plans and views which were so necessary to ensure ultimate success. ^Vith respect to our own exertions, it may fairly be" concluded that our force was too small for us to act as principles; for though it was, perhaps, nume- rically larger than any which we had previously sent to the continent; yet times and circumstances, and even the mode of warfare, were much changed since that period when campaigns were conducted often by movements only, without coming to action ; and when the siege of one or two towns, undertaken in some 3 30 ^IPE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Frencbcjuelij. some measure like holiday amusements, were consi- dered as sufficient employment for a summer. There is no doubt, also, that much of the calamity uttenilant upon our campaign of 1791, under His Roval Highness the Duke of York, arose from the want of cordiality in the inhabitants of the country in which our operations were carried on: for it has been well observed, tha^: though at first our troops were on a very friendly footing- with the inhabitants , of Flanders, yet still so rooted was the aversion of that people to the Austrian government, and so par- tial wei'e they to the principles and views of the French republican party, that their troops were al- ways welcomed into the towns with the loudest ac- clamations, and always treated with every mark of attachment. ' It must also be remembered that in the reig'n of Joseph the 2d, most of the fortifications in Flanders had been completely destroyed, in consequence of the perturbed state of the country, and its disposi- tion to revolt. This, however, turned out a mistaken policy ; for m"any of these were the most coipplete works ever constructed, and would have been of the utmost service in obstructing the progress of the French arms in the early part of the campaign. After the surrender of Tournay,* indeed on the very * The evacuation of Tournay was foMowed by one of those occur- ii'uces so shocking to humanity, ^nd yet so frequent during the great- est part of the revolution. One who was almost an eyewitness of this melancholy eveat relates, that amongst the numerous victims of insa- tiable French barbarity were two beautiful young women respecta- bly situated as milliners in that city. Britannia's sons, says this pleasing writer, are ever tremblingly alive to the charms of the fair 5.ex; it is no wonder, thcn.fore, that tlie angelic sisters of the grancle place found many admirers in the Duke of York's army, which had been so long, and so frequently, encamped in tlie tlie neighbourhood, TKe young women selected their favorites, and attachment du aeur subsisted between them and two English officers; and, after the evacua* ^iou of the town, letters from their absent lovers wgre found in their possession. :MARQin?! OF WELLINGTON. gj Arrival at Ostend. very day on which the capitulation was signed, Hi;* lioyal Ilipi-hness was ohlig-ed to abandon his position n< ar OndeiKirde, and to retire towards Antwerp; to which city he sent his sick, and wonnded. The French immediately took, possession of Ondenarde ; and, most fortunatel}' for themselves, were there snp- plied, as well as at Tournay, with large <]uantities both of military stores and provisions, for want of which they must otherwise have soon been in extreme distress. At this eventful period, the little army under the Earl of Moira arrived at Ostend ; and his Lordship, having- got intelligence of the perilous situation of His Royal Highuess's forces, soon found it necessary to call a council of war, in which it was considered, that it would tend more to the ultimate safety of the British army to proceed immediately to its relief, than to risk the chance of a siege, which the French would certainly undertake ; and in which even the bravest and most protracted defence of the garrison, whilst the French were pressing on the Duke with such an imposing force, would notlend in the slight- est decrree to make a diversion in his favour. This conduct of Lord Moira, however prudent and justified by the circumstances of the case, appears to have been very different from the original inten- tion of his expedition to this place ; for in a vindi- cation of his conduct in JNISS. which was handed about amongst the superior officers, it was stated that the orders under which he embarked pointed out the restricted object of defending Ostend ; and also that lie had told the ministry that any orders for his serving in Flanders must occasion his immediate resignation. The day after his landing', however, he j)osscssioii. Accused of liaving correspoiided with the enemy, ♦.Ii'^y ■were iiistaiiMy hurried to the^i'/Zf// crt/'/, conveyed to Lisle, and never did the merciless blade of the giiilloliac descend upon more lovely ari4 ;nnD;eiit victims. ^ 32 UVE OF THE MOST NOBLE Evacuation of Ostend. he heard so much of the state of the country, that he thought he could not honestly confine his attention to the precise point of service confided to him. In consequence of his new adopted plan, he first made a proposal to Generals Ciairfayt and Walmo- den to unite their forces, and act from Bruges to Thieldt, upon tlie left M'ing of the French. From General Ciairfayt he soon after received a declaration that on account of Prince Cobourg's de- feat, he could not fulfil any engagement 'with him, and that he expected to evacuate Ghent in a few hours. A careful consideration of all these circumstances induced his Lordship to resolve on the plan of march- ing with his force of 10,000 men to join the main army, by the route of Ecloo and Ghent ; but still it was thought prudent to evacuate Ostend, as its fur- ther possession was no longer of importance to the general cause. Accordingly he ordered that the troops forming the garrison should be immediately embarked ; which was done with such promptitude and judgment, that in the short space of one day (July the 1st 1794,) the whole garrison with their baggage and all military stores were safe on board the transports. Owing to the exertions of Lieutenant (now Sir Home) Popham, then agent for transports, all the ships were got clear of the harbour, notwith- standing the enemy's fire, except an old Indiaman, the Glatton, and a prison ship; but as the wind freshened, and blew strong into the harbour, it be- came impossible to move them. Intelligence of an event so important could not fail of being sent to the French, by their friends in the town, which induced them to make such a rapid niarcli, as to have their advance guards close to the walls in the evening of that day ; so that indeed a party of them marched in even whilst the last divi- sion of the British troops were embarking, and im- mediately turned the cannon of the different forts npoi^ MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 33 S^fstem of Republican plunder. upon the boats and transports ; from all which it is evident, that nothing- (>nt the promptitude of decision on the part of Lord Moira, the extreme activity of Colonel Vyse, to whom the conduct of the business wa.s entrusted, and the cordial co-operation of all the other ])rincipal officers, could have saved that rem- nant of the British force, consisting" of the 8th, 33d, and 4 1th regiments, which were to land in Zealand, and thence proceed to join the main body. It mi[>ht fairly have been suj)posed that the ad- vantages resulting from the occupation of Ostend, by a British garrison, mig^ht have had some effect on the self-interested minds of its inhabitants ; yet so in- fatuated were they with French politics, or so ig-no- rant of French rapacity, that the advanced troops on entering the place were received with the loudest ac- clamations, and with open arms; which generous re- ception the French commanding* officer immediately repaid by a new system of organization according to the most approved and most practised rules of French fraternity. On taking" possession taxes, to the amountof two mil- lions, were levied, and all the warehouses put in requi- sition. Indeed every other town and villaofe shared the same fate ; and Lisle and Dunkirk being" fixed on as the depots of plunder, every young man from 15 to 30 was obliged to work on the canal from Nieu- port in order to facilitate the transport of the goods and of the harvest. No alternative was allowed y submission or the guillotine excepted. The Earl of Moira himself and his small force had now to proceed by land to the British head-quarters in the face of a superior enemy ; he had taken care however, with the most admirable degree of mditary precision, to secure a communication, and to ensure his junction with that part of the allied army under General Clairfayt ; and the rapidity; of the march fortunately exposed nothing to chance, though the French general had orders to strike at the corps at 2. E all 34 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBI£ Attempt on Alost. all events, and had taken every preliminary measure for that purpose. Though the evacuation did not take place until the 1st of July, yet Lord Moira had pushed on so fast with the main body of his little force, that, on the 29th of June, he had arrived at Malle only four miles, from Bruges on the way to Ghent. On this route he received a letter from the Duke of York, (which had come round by Sluys in con- sequence of great part of the country being" in pos- session of the enemy,) desiring- him to embark his whole army, and to join him at Antwerp : but the proceedings were too far advanced to execute this order. Soon after he received another pressing' order to march by Sluys and Sas de Gaud, the Bruges road appearing impracticable to His Royal Highness, and thus to join the British army more rapidly than the passage by sea would allow. Feeling himself completely now justified in his course of proceedings, this prudent and indefatigable officer had after a most tedious and difficult march ; and, encountering con- tinual obstacles, reached the town of Alost ; but such had been the previous sufferings of his troops, that from their leaving Ostend until their gaining that position, they were without baggage or tents, and exposed through all their route to the inclemency of a wet and unhealthy season. Presuming on the fatigue they had endured, and trusting to their consequent weariness, the Frencli attacked them on the 6th of July j of which the copa- mander-in-chiefs account stated : ** Since writing my last letter, I received a report from Lord Moira, that on the morning of the 6th the enemy made an attack upon the outposts at Alost. The picquets being driven in, they penctmted into the town ; but, upon his Lordship advancing with a reinforcement, the enemy retreated in confusion." Lord Moira Speaks highly of the conduct and spirit of the officers and men who were engaged upon this occasion j MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 35 Admirable presence of mind. occasion ; and particularly of Lieutenant Colonels Doyle and Vandeleur, who were both wounded." The occurrences, however, which took place upon this occasion, deserve more particular notice as illus- trative of the advantages resulting- from presence of mind on trying occasions. General, then Colonel Doyle, having accompanied his Lordship with his new raised corps, the 87th, or Prince of Waks's Irish regi- ment, he was ordered, during the march, to take jx^st with his battalion at this village, to cover the movc- mentsof the army, as this was supposed the most likely route by which the enemy would attempt an opposi- tion. The judgment which directed the movement was correct ; for the Colonel had scarcely taken pos- session of the place, when he was obliged to defend himself against an immediate attack. He had scarce- ly time to occupy the houses commanding the prin- cipal street with the main body of his corps, and was himself just returned from posting his picquets, when a squadron of British dragoons, who had been ad- vanced in front, came back on a full g'allop, pursued by a large body of the enemy's hussars, who had tiven mixed with them and entered the town. Colonel Doyle was in the street, and stUl on horseback, but attended only by his two orderly dragoons, (one of whom was killed by his side,) and had scarcely time to caution his young troops against firing, lest they should, in the confusion, kill the British dragoons as well as the enemy ; and so much was he taken up with this duty that two of the enemy's hussars a(U yanced to attack hiin unnoticed. One of these gave him a severe cut on the head ; and, when he was in the very act of turning to defend himself, he received another wound in the arm from the second hussar. The period, nay the moment, was critical ; nor could he have escaped with his life, had not his grenadier company, with a well timed precision, commenced a fire lr he dashed down a cross road, and got back to his regiment and com- mand.* Though * Another instance of his gallantry in early life is equally deserving of notice, and was indeed the first cause of liis promotion and subse- quent patronage. Whilst a Lieutenant of light infantry in the fortieth regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Grant, whose paternal care of the younger part of the officers of his corps is said to have made liini be considered by them as a father, he also filled the office of adjutant. At the battle of Brooklin in America on the '27th of August, 1776, Colonel Grant being desperately wounded early in the day, and the action becoming extremely hot, in the very spot where he lay, young Doyle, tearful that ills estimable and gallant friend miglit be trampled to death, rushed in with a few brave followers, to the very midst of the enemy, and dragged tiie body of his commander from amongst their feet ; but it was only his body, for his soul had, in the conflict, departed for a belter woild. This generous act of self-devotion, and of almost filial piety, not only gained the applause of all who witness- ed il, but prodijC!Tie and energetic compliment from the commander-in chief, and laid the basis of his future advancemenl. It is impossible to quit this subject without noiicing that it is to (Gene- ral Doyie that a gfe^.t proportion of our regular army (the regiments on MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ^> Gallantry of a private solilier. Though the iiauie of Lieutenant-Colonel Wtiies- ley Avus not mentioned particularly in this affair, we have on liie Irish establishment) are indebted for tlieir present comfortable subsistence, when worn out veterans; for although in the sister coun- try there was an institution, something similar to tiiat of Chelsea, yet it was on so confined a scale, both witl; respect to the numbers |)ro- vided for, and to the amount of tlieir stipend, that few could hope for relief; nor was that relief adetjuatc to the end proposed. To Gene- ral Doyle, then member of Parliament for MuUingar in 1782, it was left to bring forward a measure of sucli great importance as the im- provement of this national desideratum ; and to his eloquence may it be said that the improvement was owing. Unused to the technical modes of Parliamentary business, lie might have failed ; but his elo- quence was irresistible. His speeches on the different stages of the business were masterpieces of simple, yet expressive oratory ; and his anecdotes were so well tuned as not only to awaken all the Inier feelings, but to produce conviction in the minds of his auditory. Jn recapitulating various anecdotes of the gallantry of the common Irish soldiery, he related one which we transcribe verbatim from his own words on the occasion. " Another brilliant example of tried fidelity flasiies upon my mind: when Lord Rawdon was in South Carolina, he had to send an express of great importance through a country filled ■with the enemy: a corporal of the 17th dragoons, of known courat^e and intelligence, was selected to escort it. They had not procc^eded far until they were fired upon, the express killed, and the corporal ^vounded in the side. Careless of his wound, he thought but of his duty : he snatched the dispatch from the dying man, and rode on till from the loss of blood he (ell ; when, fearing the dispatch would be taken by the enemy, he thrust it into the wound until it closed upon it. He was found next day by a British patrole, with a benignant smile of conscious virtue on his countenance, with life sufficientlv re- maining to point to the fatal depository of his secret. In searchiii"- the wound was found the cause of his death ; for the surgeon declared that it was not in itself mortal, but rendered so by the iiiserlion of the paper. Thus fell the patriot soldier — Cut off from glory's race, ^VIlich never mortal was more fond to run ; Unheard he fell ! In rank a corporal, he was in mind a hero. His name O'Lavery; liis country, Ireland ; Dnvn was his county, and the parish Moira, in which a chaste monumeiit records at once /lis fame, and the gratitude of his illustrious commander and countryman Lord Rawdon. While memory holds her seat, thy deed, O gcjneroiis victim ! shall be pre- sent 3g LIFE OF THE MOST NOBI.li: Successes of the Republicans. have been given to understand that he (althoug^h his own regiment was embarked) had accompanied the army on their march, and commanded a covering^ party in the rear, on which service he was highly instrumental in the repulse of the French army upon this occasion. Two days after this action, on the 8th of July, Lord Moira effected a junction with the Duke of York. They posted their united forces along the canal be- tween Brussels and Antwerp ; but here they were not permitted to remain. Previous to this, in consequence of General Clair- fayt's retreat to Ghent, General Count Walmoden had been obliged to fall back with the Hanoverians, upon the right flank of the Austrians, by which means Bruges had been abandoned as early as the 26th of June : on which the municipality of that place sent deputies to the French army, with an invitation to them to visit the towiiy and assuring them of a most cordial reception, accompanied with many high compliments on their known good faith and generosity. The French with great politeness accepted of this invitation, but were obliged to apologize for post- poning the visit, in consequence of the expected ad- vance of the British : but, afterwards advancing, taxed them to the amount of four millions of livres. The fall of Oudenarde being followed by that of Ghent, on the 5th of July, the republican forces, by tl)e possession of this very considerable city, were enabled to form an important station, and thus to support sent to my mind : 1 would not for worlds liave lost tliy name. How would it have lived in Greek or Roman story ! nor the Spartan liero of Thermopylne, nor the Roman Curtius, have in self devotion gone beyond thee .*• Leonidas fought in the presence of a grateful country ; thou wert in a strange land unseen. Curtins had all Home for his spectators ; the corporal was alone in a desert ! He adopted the seur timent without knowing tlie language, and cliose for his epitaph, Dulce et decoiuni est pro patriu niori." MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 3'^ .^.ttack at Mechlin. support a nuineroiis force, sufficient to keep the al- lied army iu a constant state of alarm.* The pasi- tiou of the British troops under His Royal Hig'h- iiess was no longer tenable • therefore, under the cir- cumstances of tlie case, he judged it most prudent to evacuate his post, and to aj)proach towards Antwerp, iu order to shorten the distance, and thereby facili- tate the junction between his army and that advanc- ing- to his relief under Lord Moira. The French attacked them in great strength on the 12th of this month ; and they were compelled to take shelter before Mechlin, closely pressed by their assailants : from the post of annoyance, however, which they had possessed themselves of, they were, in their turn, driven by a reinforcement brought up by Lord Moira, and obliged to fall back on their main body with great loss. This little enterprize kept the enemy in check for three days ; but they a se- cond time attacked the posts in front of Mechlin, oa the side towards the canal, near which the British troops occupied the dyke, from whence they were not dislodged until after a very obstinate resistance. The French, however, were too numerous for the reten- tion of the post ; accordingly no measures were taken to regain it; and the British, after retiring to Mech- lin, finding it untenable, evacuated it immediately, Antwerp was now their last resource ; and though the Duke was convinced that it was not possible to retain it even for any length of time, from the com- manding force which the French possessed enabling thein * Ghent was taxed to the amount of seven millions of W^-re?. by the Bepublican army on taking possession. The convent of Nobles in one million ; that of Bodeloo in eight hundred thousand ; and the mercan- tile iiouses in proportion; where no specie was to be had the goods were seized upon. Ail carriages were considered in a state of requisi- tion ; and the owners ordered, under pain of death, to send tiiem to the abbey of St. Pierre, wliich was converted into a repositorv, Bruges was taxed to the amount of four millions, of whicii the cleriiy were to pay two, the uobJesse one, and the citizens, living upoo their income, another. 8 40 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Gallant aff..ir at Boxtel. them to surround it on every side ; yet he still re- solved, with g-reat propriety, to remain there for some time, in order to cover the military operations of the Dutch on their own frontier, and to give them every opportunity of putting their various works in- to the best condition fur a vigorous defence. At this period the Earl of Moira resigned his command, and returned to England. After the 4th of August, Lord Moira's army w^s incorporated with the Duke's,* and the whole of the infantry brigaded afresh. The 33d had been one of the regiments intended to have been under the com- mand of Lord Corn wallis ; but they were now de- tained in Holland from the circumstances of the case. During the progress of the retreat, the French liaving passed the morass at Piel, deemed an insu- perable barrier between the contending powers, a sudden attack was made upon all the posts ^on the right of the British army on the Ltth of Septem- hei'i when that of Boxtel, the most advanced, was forced, with a loss of 1500 of the troops of Hesse Darmstadt, who were com])letely surrounded and cut off. The possession of Boxtel by the enemy rendering the whole line of posts untenable, as it completely commanded the river Dommel, which runs immediately into the town by Fort Isabella, the Commander-in-Chief thouglit it absolutely necessary to retake it, and for that purpose detached the re- serve, composed of the brigade of guards, and 12th, 33d, 42d, and 41th regiments of the line, with ca- valry and artillery. At day break on the 15th, Ge- neral * The following narrow escape of the Duke of York lias hitherto passed unnoliced. As lie was crosf?ing a small river, by means of a plank, a soldier suddenly rushed by him, and reached the opposite bank. The Duke stopped, struck with indignation at the soldier's rudeness; but his indignation was ciianged into gratitude, wiien he saw the man's head taken off by a cannon ball as soon as he had left tlie plank, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 41 Gallantry of the thirty-third. - — " =a neral Abercrombie having- reconnoitered found the enemy so strong-ly posted, that he did not venture to risque the attack without positive orders ; and, upon sending-hack to His Royal Highness for instructions, he was desired to persist in the attack, but not to proceed further than he thought prudent. In front, and inclining* to the left of Abercrombie^s corps, which had advanced through Schyndel, was a plain, skirted by a thick plantation of firs, in which the French had constructed several masked batteries. Tlie Coldstream regiment had been left on picquet at Erp, avillag-e on the river Aa, between Bois le Due and Helmont. The cavalry, 1st and e^d guards, with the 33d and 44th regiments of the line, pushed on toward the point of attack, the 12th and 42d re- maining- in reserve on and near Schyndel. Some French Hussars shewed themselves boldly on the level g^round, as a lure to the British cavalry ; and, retreat^ mg'^ before them, dispersed when they had drawn our unwary squadrons within reach of their bat- teries, which immediately opening upon them, they sustained some loss before they could possibly fall back. General Abercrombie having little doubt, by this time, of the proximity of the French grand army, and conceiving he had obeyed his orders to the fullest extent, by advancing as far as prudence would justify, determined to recal his troops, and to retreat \vithin the British lines of encampment. About one hundred were killed and wounded during the affair; and although the British retired in very good order, yet the narrowness of the road had caused a regi- ment of Irish light dragoons to throw the 1st guardss into some confusion. Taking advantage of this de- lay, the enemy's squadrons advanced in full force ; but fortunately the thirty-third were formed in the rear, when their gollant leader with great judgment and promptitude caused them to open, and permit the dragoons to pass through, when instantly wheel- ing up into line they threw in a few cool and well 2. F directed LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE. Anecdotes of Pichegru. directed vollies into the thickest of the assailants, which obliged them to retreat with precipitation, and thereby enabled General Abercrombie to complete his retreat without further molestation. The army having fallen back on the Maes about the 17th of September, the Frenck videttes were ad- vanced in many places to the opposite side of the ri- ver, and frequently conversed with the British soU diers on picquet, expressing' great respect for their national character, and assuring them that Pichegru's* army had received with universal disgust the infa- mous decree of the Convention, to grant their brave enemies. * The arrogance of this upstart General may be drawn from the fol- lowing laconic epistle which he transmitted to the Prince of Cobourg, on his first taking the field: " General, " I summon you, in the name of the French Re- public, to give up immediately Le QuesiiQi, Cond6, and Valenciennes, or be assured I shall attack and vanquish you. " PICHEGRLV* Ketwithstanding thisspeciinen of French bravado, it must be acknow- ledged that Pichegru was the most moderate of all the French Repub- Jican chiefs, and is quite free from all cliarges of private plunder and peculation, a circumstance authenticated by a very singular fact, in that periud of rapacity. His parents were very poor and obscure peo^ pie, at Arbois, in Franche Compt^, where he was born in 1761; and he having begun his first studies at a small college here, continued and improved them at the convent of monks of the order of Minims ; sa r.iuch so, indeed, that tliese reverend fathers persuaded and encou- raged him to teach philosophy and mathematics in a college of their order at Brienne. lie was unwilling, however, to enter on his novi- tiate, or to take up the cowl ; but enlisted in the artillery, and served in America, where he laid the foundation of those Republican princi- ples which afterwards brought him to act so great a part on the military theatre of Europe. 'T would far exceed our limits to notice tfee infa- mous conduct of that party in France which succeeded at length in depriving him of his command ; it is sufficient to say that he returned to his native place nearly as poor as when he left it ; for all his property Tvere his horses and camp eqaipagc, and these he sold to divide with two of his poorest relatives, who were not afraid to afford him shelter, and with the remaining five brethren of his old friends the Minims, all that remained, the rest having either perished in prisons, or on re- yolutionary scaffolds. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4^ f . '■ • = Unhandsome conduct of ttie Dutch. enemies no quarter. They would frequently conti- nue those conversations for hours, with all the g'ar- rulity peculiar to their country, always closing* their remarks with " Englishmen, go home — you have no business here — vou are too honest to be leagued with the Austrians and Prussians. They will soun leave you in the lurch." These conversations usually con- cluded with the one party striking up " God save the King," and the other, " Car Ira," or the Carmag- nol. The great project now in agitation among the French was the attempt upon Holland. This, how- ever contrary to the usual mode, was intended for a winter campaign ; for that season was approaching", and its expected severity held out to them a prospect of being able to pass the various rivers and canals as soon as they should be frozen over. This determination had taken place after a smart action at Creve Coeur, which had enabled them to advance toward Bois le Due, at which time the British army was posted at Grave, which His Boyal Highness thought too near the presence of a supe- rior force ; accordingly, about the beginning of Oc- tober, when they had taken that place, he found himself compelled to retire. The States Generals were so short sighted in their policy, as to imagine they could negociate a separate peace with Fratice, whilst she was buoyed up by pre- sent success, and stimulated by her wants to future rapacity. The Dutch, indeed, seemed regardless of every former treaty, and unmindful of every obli- gation which they owed to Great Britain, one of whose objects, in entering upon this expeusive war, was their protection, and the security of the advan- tages they derived from a free navigation of the Scheldt. Dutch ambassadors were even sent to be- seech the ruling faction at Paris to grant them such terms as their known good faith and generosity would F 2 dictate -, 4i LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Military anecdotes of Bomniel. dictate J but the vmfortunate and misg'uided Hol- landers wei-e first cajoled, next plundered, and then laughed at. About tliis period, from the advance of the enemy, the Dutch Patriots also dared openly to avow their principles. Indeed the Stadtholder's party was de- creasing daily; and, the greatest dissensions prevailing" in the different cities of the United Provinces, the per- nicious effects were much fell by our army. The re- treat too was hastened, by the precautionary measures of destroying the tlykes not being sufficiently attend- ed to. Some of them, indeed, had been pierced through, and round Bois le Due the inmidations had succeeded tolerably well ; but on the capture of Creve Cceur, which, though only a small fortress, standing on the Maes, between Bois le Due and Bommel,* commanded the sluices of the former town. The French were thereby enabled to draw off the water, to bid defiance to the inundations, and to form the siege of that place. But the bombardment was scarcely * It is a curious military fact, and interesting in a work of this na- ture, that Borarael may be called the birth-place of the modern system of fortification. It is a small town on the banks of the Waal : at the jends of the two principal streets are gates ; that towards the water, be- tween very ancient walls, but on the land side more modern and strong- er, with drawbridges over a wide fosse that nearly surrounds the town. On the other side of this ditch are high and broad embarkmeots, well planted with trees, and so suitable to be used as public walks that, tliey have generally been supposed to have been raised partly for that purpose, and partly as defences to the place against inundations. Ti)ey are, however, greater curiosities, having been thrown up by- Prince Maurice, in 1599, principally because he considered his garri- son V as too numerous for the old works, and thereby enabled him to extend his line of defence. Between these entrenchments are made what is thougiit to have been the first attempt at a " covert way," now forniin'g such a principal part of the modern system of defence. At that period Bommel stood a siege of five weeks, in which the Spanish General, Mendoza, lost two thousand men. In fact, Bommel was a place of the last importance to the Dutch, in their struggle with Phi- lip of Spain for their liberty at this period — but noW; alas I how fallea f'om the gallant simplicity of their aacestors.. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON, 45 Dutch hospitality. scarcely begun, when the gates of the town wci^ thrown open, and the governor, who was generally considered as being highly bribed, surrendered oa the 9th ot October. Unfortunately, by this das- tardly proceeding, upwards of 400 helpless emi- grants fell into the hands of the remorseless Repub- licans. They had, indeed, endeavoured to escape in various disguises ; but most of them were dis(*r>- vered, and others betrayed, and all who were takea were most inhumanly butchered, en masse, at the head of the Republican army. When the vanguard of the British army had crossed the Waal, on the 6th of October, and were approaching the villages marked out for their canton- ments, a drummer entered a Dutchman's house upon the side of the dyke, to purchase some apples, ex- posed, as he imagined, for sale. The fellow, sup- posing the lad's intention was to steal them, aimed a pistol at his breast; and, pulling the trigger, wounded, him severely. The flank battalion of guards marching" by at the moment, a serjeant darted toward the house in order to secure the offender ; but, finding the doors closely barricaded, he found his way through a window, and was proceeding up the staircase, when the Dutchman sprung from a dark corner, and stab- bed him to the heiirt. The house was instantly sm- rounded and set on fire by the enraged soldiers ; one man escaped along the thatch enveloped in the smoke; but the rascal who had killed the serjeant was disco- vered, and immediately hung upon the nearest tree as an example to others. These occurrences were but trifles, however, to subsequent atrocities inflicted upoii the sick and helpless of the British army. While the British army was lying behind the Meuse, on the 19th of October in the morning, the enemy, to the amount of 30,000 men, as afterwards stat- ed by the prisoners, attacked the whole of the advanced posts of the right wing, particularly that of Drutin, yvhkh was defended by the 37th regiment, and that of 46 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Attack on the British lines. of A| elthevn, where the Prince of Rohan's light battalion was posted. In this affair, which happen- ed immediately under the eye of the Commander-in- Chief, the gallantry of the whole British line was most conspicuous; the odds, however, were too great ; and at last the post on the left of the 37th, which was occupied by a detaclniient of Rohan's hussars, was forced. Major Hope, who commanded the 37th, and who on this occasion distinguished himself ex- tremely, was obliged to retreat upon the dyke along the Waal, which he continued for sometime without being- much annoyed by the enemy. Unfortunately, however, a strong body of the enemy's hussars being mistaken for the corps of Rohan, the regiment allow- ed them to come upon them unmolested, when the hussars immediately attacked, and the narrowness of the dyke, which on every other occasion must have afforded a security to the infantrj^, in this instance acted against them, as they were driven off by the enemy's charge, ond suffered severely. In addition to this attacking force, the Comman- lier-in-Chief having received intelligence that another considerable body had passed the Meuse, near Rure- mond, and were advancing upon the left flank, hav- ing already taken possession of Cleves, he judged it imprudent to risk a general action in this position, which was kept only in order to preserve a communi- cation with Grave ; and therefore determined to pass the Waal, and to take up the different cantonments already appointed for the defence of that river. Repeated invitations from the principal towns were sent to the French, in addition to the state negotiations; and an occurrence which took place strongly marks bow much the love of gold, even in important affairs, is implanted in their disposition. A burgher, one of the principal disalFected patriots, was fortunately dis- covered attempting to cross the Waa!, with an address in his possession, signed by upwards of 3000 of the principal inhabitants of Amsterdam, engaging to do 6 all MAHQUIS OF WELLINGTON; 47 Gallant attack at Tiiyl. all in their power to put that place in Picheuru's hands. This daring" adventurer, tlms endeavouiiiig" to pass through tlie very centre of the allied an.jy, ■was apprehended by an Hanoverian officer, whilst barg-aining" with a skipper ibr a passage across the river, who demanded forty ducats for the job; but the patriotic ambassador, whilst chaffering* in order to save twenty, lost the opportunity of speedily em- barking at the critical moment, and paid for his ceconomy with his life. On the 2d of December, His Royal Higlmess the Duke of York being- recalled, the command of the allied armies devolved upon the Hanoverian General Walmoden : and on the 30th of December 1794, the head-quarters being then at Arnheim, an attack was meditated on the enemy ; for which purpose a corps was formed of ten battalions of British infantry, of which the 33d was one, under Major-General Lord Cathcart, Major-General Gordon, and Lieutenant- Colonel Mac Kensie; six squadrons of light cavalry, and one hundred and fifty hussars, under Major-Ge- neral Sir Robert Lawrie ; the Loyal emigrant corps, and four battalions and four squadrons of Hessians, under Major-General de Wurmb : the whole being commanded by Major-General David Dundas. This respectable force was divided into three co- himns. The left column to attack by the dyke : the. centre to attack in such a manner as to keep the church of Wardenbm'g- upon its left wing- ; and the right column, consisting- of four British battalions, and the Rohan hussars, to keep their left wing ap- pwjc to the Vliet, to turn Tuyl, and to attack it in the rear. Lord Cathcart found the road by which his co- lumn was to march so impracticable, that, being^ obliged to make a great detour, he could not come up in time ; and General Dundas finding, at his ar' rival near Werdenberg, that the enemy had aban- ♦loned it during the night, he thought it advisable to pu§h 4f^ IIFE OF THE MOST NOBLOT - ' " - ■— -^ -^^ Sicte ot Grave. pnsh on with the other two columns, and to begin the attack immediately upon Tuyl. This attack was execoted with such gallantry and ispirit by the troops, that, notwithstanding the natu- ral strength of this post, the abattis of fruit-trees, that the enemy had constructed, the batteries of the town of Bommel, which flanked tlie approach, and the immense number of the defenders, yet it was soon carried, and the enemy driven across the river, (then every where passable on the ice,) with a considerable loss. Four pieces of cannon also were taken; and the whole detachment received the hicrhest praise, not ©nly for their spirited conduct in the execution of the enterprize, but also for the patience and perseverance with which they encountered the immense fatigues and hardships, considerably enhanced by the cold and severity of the season. The success of the whole was so far complete as thus to oblige the invaders to recross the Waal. Grave surrendered between the 1st and 4th of Ja- nuary ; General Bons defended the post till his last shot was expended. During' the siege it was said that 3070 shells were thrown into the place, render- ing' it nearly a heap of ashes. The fortifications "were not, however, much damaged ; but the garri-? son were constrained to capitulate, having neither ammunition nor provisions left. During the long and close siege of this town, the most spirited defence was made by its garrison ; and the Governor, General Bons, seemed determined to fulfil the noble answer he gave when summoned to sairrcnder the place, — " I am an old soldier and wish for nothing more than to die worthy the glorious ap- pellation of having lived a hr^ave one. 1 hope to be buried under the ruins of this fortress, or to conquer. —Be assured I shall defend it as long as 1 have pow- der sufficient to send a ball against the enemies of mankind, and in so doing I shall serve my God and inyfdlow creatures." Not with- MARQUIS OF WIZLLIXOTOK. 49 Affnir !!£ Mettereii. Notvvithstaucling the advantages g-ained 011 the 3l.st of December, yet, as the tVost was still iiureasing-, it was judged expedient, that General Diuulas's corps should fall back upon Lingen, leaving outposts upon the Waal ; a movement which was executed oU the night of the 3d of January. The severity of the weather still increasing, the enemy were induced, on the 4t]i, to recross the Waal near Bommel. The advanced posts of the allies were immediately driven in, and Tuyl fell into the hands of the assailants. General ]3undas, notuith- standing, still thought that he should be able to defend Metteren, and thus to check the further progress of the enemy ; but the advanced posts of the Hessians, nearest to his post, having been obliged a!s» to fall back, the Conimauder-in-Chief, in concert with the other principal officers, thought it prudent to send others to him, ainl also to General Dalwick, to unite their detachments iiiafiediately, and at day break of the 5th, to make a vigorous attack upon the enemy, to drive them across the Waal. v But about two in the afternoon of the Itli, the French attacked the post at Metteren about a mile in front, where part of the ^"kl regiment, with a pic- quet of eighiy cavalry, and two curricle guns, were posted; their superior numl>er, and their disposition to surround this brave little detacinnent, soon matie it necf-ssary to fall back on the other part of the regi- ment, which was supported with two howitzers. In this difficult movement, they were very hardly pressed by a large body of the enenn'^ hussars, that galloped along the road with great vivacity. The troops having beforehand been in an alert situation, the village of Geldermalsen was soon co- vered by the 42d and 78lh; when the wiiol^» of the 9Sd took its place in tlie litte' of dettnice, and the other troops were in reserv^e on the opposite dyke of the Lingen, that river being conipleteiy frozen, and every where passable. 50 UFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Bravery of the 33d. ri In the early part of this affair, Colonel Wellesley, and his little band, must have displayed great activity ; but the charge of the superior body of the enemy was so impetuous, both on the cavalry and infantry, that at first they had the advantage, and, it is even said, had taken tlie two curricle guns ; but the reserve of the 33d coming up, the guns were retaken, and the enemy repulsed, so as to allow of the gallant few falling back with regularity on the main body. ,t The enemy still persevering in their attack, and being now reinforced, advanced on the village of Gel- dermalsen, both in front and flank ; but after a great deal of nmsquetry firing, for about an hopr, were every where repulsed by the steadiness of the troops, and forced to retire. The violence of the frost having now converted the whole country into a kind of plain, which thereby af- forded the greatest facilities^, to the French army, in all their movements. General jl>undas thought it ne- cessary to fall back during the night upon Beuren, where General Dalwick was already stationed. This circumstance, and the excessive fatigue which the troops had undergone in those operations, at a season of the year, and in situations, in which they were often obliged, from want of cantonments, to pass the night without cover, determined the Commander- in-Chief to take up a position behind the Leek, ex- tending from Cuylenberg to Wageningen. Another reason for this movement, was a march made by a considerable column of the enemy, attend-^ ed by a large train of artillery towards Gorcnm ; whilst their attack upon the right, combined with an attempt upon I'hiel, evidently indicated a regular plan of operations, even during the severity of the weather. In the mean time a partial change took place in the movements of the British ; for a very considerable ¥ind sudden thaw having come on upon the 6th, which offered a prospect of still preserving the position upon 7 the MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 5,1 Severities a( ilie weather. the Waal, it was judged proper that the troops which had not yet crossed the Leek should remain in the cantonments they then occupied, and tliat the rest should ag'ain move i'orward. On this occasion Lieutenant- General Abercromby and Major-General Harnmerstein, with the g-reatest part of their corps, and some Austrian battalions, were to have begun their march upon Thiel, and towards Bomniel upon the 7th ; and General Dundas's corps received orders, in consequence, to occupy Bueren, and the heights near it, on the 8th, in order that they might co-operate with the former detachments. Notwithstanding the severity of the weather, it was extremely changeable ; and it had happened very un- fortunately that the frost set in again most unexpec- tedly ; but as the troops were already put in motion, and counter-orders might have prevented a combina- tion, from the extent of the line. General Dundas having assembled his corps, with a zeal and exertion both on his part and that of the different commanding officers, which drew forth the highest praise from the Commander-in-Chief, he proceeded towards Bueren on the morning of the 8th, having detached in ad- vance two battalions, who were afterwards to have marched upon Thiel, to co-operate in the attack upon that place. On their arrival at Bueren, they found all the British posts upon the Lingen driven in, and the enemy in force near Bueren ; but as soon as more troops came up. Lord Cathcart was sent for- ward in advance, and soon drove back the enemy with great loss beyond Geldermalsen. The retreat of the British army was still, however, absolutely necessary ; but under circumstances of the most horrible suffering, which cannot be related better than in the words of an eye witness : *' On the 16th of January, Ave marched at the ap- pointed hour ; and, after a very laborious journey, about three o'clock in the afternoon reached the verge of an immense desert, called the Welaw, when instead G 2 of 52 ^-IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Sufferings of ilie iroops. of having a resting" place for the night, as wp expect- ed, we were informed that we had fifteen miles fur- ther to go. Upon this inlonnation i»any hegan to he very much dejected, and not without reason ; for se- veral of us, besides suffering the severity of the wea- ther, and fatigue of the march, had neither eat uor drank any thing', except water, that day. For the first tliree or four miles such a dismal pros- pect appeared as none of us was ever witness to be- fore ; a bai'e sandy desert, w ith a tuft of withered grass, or solitary shrub, here and there. The wind was excessively hi«>h, and drifted the suow and sand together so strongly, tJiat we could hardly wrestle against it : to wliich was added a severity of cold al- njost iuNulirral)le. The frost was so iutense, that the water wliich came from our eyes, freezing as it fell, hung in icicles to our eye-lashes; and our breath, freezing as soon as emitted, lodged in heaps of ice about our faces, and on the blankets or coats, that were wrapped round our heads. Night a|)[>roaching fast, a great number, both men and vvonjen, began to linger behind, their spirits being quite exliausted, and without hope of reaching iheir liestination ; and if they once lost sight of the cohunn of march, though but a few moments, it being dark, and no track to follow, there was no chance of iiiiding it again, in this state nundjers were induced To sit down, or creep under the shelter of bushes, where, weary, spiritless, aiul without hope, a few mo- ments consigned them to sleep ; but, alas 1 whoever slept waked no niore, their blood instantly congealed in their veins, the spring of life soon dried up ; and if ever they opened their eyes, it was only to be seus^ible ol the last moments of their miserable existence. Others, sensible of the danger of sitting down^ hut having lost the column, wandered up and down the pathless waste, surrounded with darkness and despair ; uo sound to comfort their ears, but the bleak whistling" wind; no sight to bless their eyes but the wide MARQUIS OF WEIXlNGTON. gg Melancholy anecdote. wide trackless waste, and ' shapeless drift ;' far from Iiunian help, far from pity, down they sunk, to rise no more !* The snfterings of tlie British arm}^ at this period, were indeed great in the extreme ; but the public in- dignation, though just in its censure, was unfortunate- ly thrown upon those who least deserved it. An ex- tract from the report of an eye-witness will, however, do justice to the Commander-in-Chief, and give rea- son for great praise to those whose indefatigable care and attention have tended much to render the situa- tion of the British soldier comparatively comfortable, even under circumstances of the greatest privation. This accurate writer observes that the British hospi- tals, which had been so lately crowded, were then mucli thinned. Removini>' the sick in waofj^ons with- out sufficient clothing to keep them warm, in that ri- gorous season, had mdeed sent some hundreds to their gi'avei-s : whilst the shameful neglect that then pervaded all the medical departments had rendered the hospitals nothing better than slaughter houses. VVitliout covering, without attendance, and even without clean straw, and sufficient shelter from the weather, they were thrown, he asserts, together in heaps, unpitied and unprotected, to perish by conta- gion. * DrcHclful as this scene was in the evening of the 16th, tlie con- teinplatiou of it the next morning was more horrible. An officer of the giiurds, who passed over the plain, relates that one scene made an impression upon Jiis nuMDory, whicii linie can never efface. Near a carl, which lay on tlie common, he discovered a stout looking Jian, and a beautiful young woman with an infant about seven months old, at her breast; all tliree frozen and dead. The mother liad most certainly expired in the act of suckling her child ; as, with one breast exposed, she lay upon the drifted snow, tlie milk, to all appearance in a stream, drawn from the nipple by the babe, was instantly congeal- ed. The infant Reemed as if its lips had but just then been disengaged, and it reposed its little head upon the mother's bosom, with an over' tiow of milk frozen as it trickled from the mouth ; their countenancof ■w.cre perfectly composed and fresh, rcsemblijig thos« of personis in-a Soiiud and tranquil slumber. 54 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Humanity of the Duke of York. gion, whilst leg-ions of vultures, down to the stewards, nurses, and their numberless dependants, pampered their bodies, and filled their pockets with the nation's treasure — - — the picture is too horrible to finish — but, lie adds, " His Royal Highness has at all times paid great attention to the sick of his army ', and directions have been given, and regulations made, as circum^- stances required, tending to promote their comfort, and restore their health, Jbesides a number of standing orders, which, if strictly attended to, would, in many cases, have removed the evils complained of." It is added, that the magnanimity, humanity, and sincere regard to the interest and honour of his country, with which the Duke of York discharged the duties of his important office, were too well known not to be uni- versally acknowledged. Had he been apprised of the delinquencies and the frequent inhumanity here noted, he would not have suffered their continuance. It was, indeed, after His Highness had left Holland, that these cruel neglects and peculations were most apparent and flagrant. Though the sufferings which Colonel Wellesley must now have endured were great in the extreme, in common with the whole army, yet these were to him a school of experience ; and he has ever since directed his best attentions to the comfort of his troops, whose conduct under the most trying circum- stances have always tended to their glory. At this period the diminished British army had every disadvantage to encounter ; for through the activity of the French commanders, and the inhospi- table feelings of the Dutch, whose hatred was never concealed when they had fair and safe opportunities of manifesting it, they were totally unable to make any thing like a determined stand. On the 27th of January 1795, they were able to reach Deventer, after one of the most fatiguing and distressing marches which perhaps was ever experienced by a retreating army. Here then they fondly hoped to enjoy some little MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 55 Inhospitable conduct of the Dutch. little respite from their sufferings, and from the abso- hite necessity of the most sedulous attention ; for, not- withstanding- all their sufferings, such had been their courage and perseverance, as to enable them in the midst of their arduous trials to convey with safety to this rendezvous all the ammunition and military stores, artillery, and implements of war of all descriptions belonging to the army. Further than this, however, from the unwillingness of the country people to supply them with cattle and. waggons, and from the rapid diminution of their strength, they were unable to convey them, and were therefore obliged to destroy great part to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy, whose rapid ap- proach made it necessary to evacuate Deventer on the 29th. The French force in pursuit, nay almost within contact, was estimated at 50,000 men advanc- ing with great rapidity, having all the resources of the country at their beck ; yet notwithstanding this immense superiority, this handful of Britons, in spite of the celerity of their movements, still pre- served a steady pace, and such an imposing counte- nance, that their pursuers were constantly kept in check, and the gallant few preserved their move- ments firm and steady amongst incessant obstacles, surmounting them all with their accustomed energy.* On * Many complaints have been made, and undoubtedly much exag- gerated, ot the want of discipline, and licentious conduct, of the Bri- tish troops on several occasions in Holland ; but we must recollect that the shameful treatment which they received throughout the whole of Holland, from the patriotic party, was such as they liad no right to expect, even in a hostile country, much less that of a friend, whom they had come to save from the fraternization of modern reformers.; So strong, indeed, were the prejudices against them, that an eyewitness has declared, that the implacable hatred evinced by the Dutch boors, towards the English, can scarcely be conceived ; extending even be* yond, or rather into, the grave. They have been known on several occasions to dig up the bodies of British soldiers during the night, to mutilate and deface them with their long knives, which the lower or- ders. 56 LIFE OF Tim MOST NOBI;E Pleasing change in quarters. On the 10th of July they were able to cross the Vecht, and two days after to reach the Ems ; still pursued by an harassing- enemy, who, however, never dared to attack them seriously until the 2 1th of the month, when a larg-e and superior body of the French army came up with the rear. An action immediately took place ; but our little band display- ed such firmness that the assailants were totally una- ble to make any impression upon them, and were obliged to allow them to resume their march, and to pursue it unmolested into the country of Bremen, where the kindness of the German boors formed a most pleasing' contrast to the sullen apathy, or more spiteful enmity, of the Dutch. This feeling- was well expressed by one of the unhappy sufferers, now a partaker in these comparative plisasures, who ob- served that it was something* like a dream, or fairy vision, and that they could hardly believe then- senses, after being buffetted about l)y fortune, driven like^ vagabonds, through frost and snow, over all tha wilds of Holland, and when in their greatest extre- mities, or when they asked for atily thing to refres'lt themselves, even with money in their hands, being answered only with a shrug of the shoulders, " no- thing for the Englishmeny' but then to be sieated tri* the most elegant apartments, servants attending, ready to anticipate every wish, — beds of the softest down to repose on, &c. In fact tlie hospitable Bre- meners treated them like their own families, and omit- ted nothing which could contribute either to their comfort or pleasure. During the whole of this arduous retreat, Lieute- nant-Colonel Wellesley, at the head of three battalion*, had covered all the movements ; and, even under cir- cumstances of the greatest and most peculiar difficulty, acted ders always carry about their persons concealed, and to leave them in that state in order that tlicir former comrades might see them in the MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. Arrival in Knglancl. acted ill such a manner a* to excite the applause of all, and to j^ain the approbation of his superiors. JBelore we close this campaign, we feel it a duty, as impartial historians, to meet the clamor and misre- presentation which was so loudly echoed and re- echoed tliroughout the united empire, respecting- its conduct, as far at least as it regaixls His Royal High- ness the Commander-in-Chief. It has been said by an English author, that if the son of a sans culotte had acted with the same ability as this son of a king^ and encountered nobly, and of- ten victoriously, so many difficulties from the superior number of his foes, " a thousand voices would have proclaimed his great performances." — Yet we will not trust to English partiality, but give an extract from u Frenchman, no less than citizen David, a true Sans Culotte himself, and now the imperial |>ortrait painter: — *' an imperial historian must not deny that on this occasion, and many others, the de- fensive operations of the enemy were always of the best disposition. We may even say the same of their retreat. That which the English made at this time demands the highest praise ; for they took every pre- caution necessary; and we may indeed confess that nothing" was nco-lected." On the arrival of the troops in England, every ex- l)edition was used to prepare them for foreign service, and the 33d being under orders for the West Indies, Lieutenant-Colonel Wellesley embarked in the fleet which under the command of Admiral Christian was intended to proceed to that station : but the heavy equinoctial gales in the autumn of 1795 having re- peatedly driven them back, the destination of great jrart of the forces was altered, and the 33d were or- dered to Ireland to recruit, where they remained un- til the Colonel was once more called to active ser- vice. 3, H SECTION ,g. LIFE OF TIIK MOST NOBLE Arrival in India. SECTION IT. Arrival in India— Projected attempt on Manilla— Expected war in tlie Carnatic— Preliminary oh^orvations— Rt-liglous customs aiul man- . ners of the Hindoos— Political state of Society — Tippoo Snltaun's Politics— His negotiations wiili France — French troops landed at Man- galore— Governor-General's reasons for engaging in the war— Insidious, conduct of tlie Suitaun — Formation of the arniy for the Mysore—Ni- zam's Suhsidiarv Contingent put under the separate command of Colo- nel .VVelleslev — Anecdotes of Lieutenant-General Harris— Advance of the armv — Skirmishes and attacks of the enemy — Battle of Malia- velli— Advance to Seringapatam — Siege of that important citv and for- tress— Brilliant attacks comlucted by Colonel Wellesley — Affair of the Sullannpetiah— Stonn and Sunt'nder—Anecdotesof Forlorn Iiope,Sic. — Anecdotes of <.'olonel Dnnlop— Tippoo's conduct and fall — Anec- ■ dotes of General Sir David Baird— Discovery of Tippoo's body- Anecdotes of Tippoo Suitaun — Anecdotes of the Storm — Changes in iiie Mysore government — Tippoo's Sons sent prisoners toVellore, and the rightful Rajah reinstated on the throne of his ancestors— Treaure ■found in the palace, &c.— Renelicial consequences of the fall of Tip- . poo— Gratitude of the army to Lord Mornington, and his exemplary self-denial — Gallant and judicious conduct of Colonel Wellesley against Dhooudia VVaugh— Battle of Conahguil, &c. &c. &c. jnL Ne^v Ei'a now arrived in which the splendid aljilities of Colonel Wellesley had an opporttniity of being bronght forward, his brother the Earl of Mornington, (now Marquis of Wellesley,) being ap- pointed to the high and important station of Gover- nor-General of our Oriental empire, whither the Colonel, with his own regiment, accompanied him ; and they arrived at Kedgeree at the mouth of the Ganges, on board the Virginie frigate, on the 17th of May 1798, when the Governor-General proceed- ed fpr Calcutta, went tlnough the usual ceremonies, and took on him the execution of his arduous otlice. The Spanish war having then been commenced, l^n a|;tack on their settlements at the Philippine Ts- MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 59 Observations on India, lands was determined on, and a large force not only assembled, f)ut partly embarked for that service, in which Colonel VVellesley would have enjoyed an high command; but the intrigues of the Jh'ienoh with the native Princes of India obliged the Governor-Gene- ral to chang^e his plans, on the instant, and reserve his troops for the defence of the British territories. Notwithstanciino' the friendly protestations of Tip- poo Sultaun, the experience of the campaigns under the Maixpiis of Corn wall is had shewn that the lo>s of the Coiuibatoor country and other ^listricts, and even of many of his hill forts in the Mysore, had piv)Juced 110 steady effect on his mind, and he seemed to fear nothing- whilst he possessed his capital. The Earl of Mornington therefore rospect of war between that prince and the compauy ; but, within two days after their arri- val, a proclamation was issued by the (jrovernor-Ge- neral staling, that an embassy had arrived with let- ters from Tippoo Sultaun addressed not only to the g'overnment of tlie Isle of France, but to the Exe- cutive Directory at home, proposing to conclude an offensive and defensive alliance, to subsidize what- ever troops France might send to his assistance, and to commence against British India a war for which the Sultaun vvas described as fully prepared ; and stating- at the same time that he was waiting' with anxiety the moment when the assistance of France should enable him to satisfy his ardent desire of ex- pelling the British nation from that country. Such a proclamation was no doubt very impolitic, as giving full warning to England of what she might expect, and thereby enabling the Company's servants in India to be upon their guard ; for the proclamation soon found its way to Calcutta: but as it concladed MARQUIS OF WELITNGTON. ©3 Insidious conduct of the Suk.iuri. b^ offering- encouragements to the subjects of France to enter into the service of Tippoo Sultaun, on terms to he fixed with his ambassadors then on the spot, it is likely the government thought a full developement necessary to encourage the plan in view of raising man. Tippoo Sultaun, therefore, having actually con- cluded these offensive and defensive engagements with France, then our enemy ; having permitted the French troops to land publicly at Mangalore, and having thus collected by their aid a force openly destined to carry those engagements into effect ; hav- ing also applied to the Directory of France for a more powerful force, destined to the same end; and having also declared that the delay of the meditated^ blow proceeded from no other cause than his expec- tation of receiving further aid from the enemy ; the Farl of Moinington conceived himself perfectly justi- fied in asserting that the Sultaun had most flagrant- ly violated the treaties existing between him and the Company, and that he had actually con. mitted an act of direct hostility and aggression against the British government in India. In addition to this, the Governor-General had re- ceived undoubted intelligence that Tippoo had for sometime previous beeu entirely employed in mili- tary preparations and perfect conformity with the hostile spirit of his engagements with our inveterate enemy ; that the greatest part of his army was in a state of equipment for the field j and that a consider- able portion of it was actually encamped under his personal command. All this, however, was in direct opposition to tlie communications from Tippoo himself, for he had not then attempted to alledge even the pretext of a grivaiice on the part of the British government; and even in his letters to Sir John Shore, now Lord Teignmouth, whilst his ambassadors were actually at the Isle of France, nay, dated on the very day on which the French force landed at Mangalore, he de- clart'd (i4^ LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Preparatioiib for war. clared tl.at ** his friendly heart was disposed to pay every rei;ar(l to truth and justice, and to strengthen the foandations of harmony and concord between the two nations;*' and he concluded with expressing- a de- sire that Sir John would impress Lord Mornington with a sense of the friendship and unanimity so iirrli- ly snbsisied between the two states. Lord Morningr ton was fortunately not to be cajoled by these pacific declarations; but considered the act of Tippoo Sul-^ tann's ambassadors, ratified by himself, and followed' up by the admission of a French force into his army, as equivalent to a public, unqualified, and unambi- g-uoQS, declaration of war, he determined on an im- mediate attack upon his capital, as demanded by 'the soundest maxims both of justice and policy, and as the best and surest means of frustrating* the execu- tion of his unprovoked and unwarrantable projects of atabition and revenge. The departure of the large force destined for Ma-^ liitla, it was aftenvards ascertained, would have proved a signal to the watchful vengeance of Tip- poo to invade the Carnatic, even without waiting for the aid of a French force, the assistance of which did not appear necessary to him during the contemplated absence of such a considerable portion of our army. • The whole proposed plan of operation became, therefore, necessarily changed, and the Madras ar- my, under Lieutenant-General Harris, was concen- trated at Vellore, in the Carnatic; but, from the una- voidable delays in providing the necessary equipments for so large a force, it was not in a condition to begin its march before the 11th of February, 1799. Tlie contingent of the Nizam, amounting to about (5000 of the Company's troops, under the command of Colo- nel Roberts, and subsidized by His Highness, toge- ther with the same number of his own native infantry, inarched from Hyderabad, under the command of Meer Allum Bahauder, and, had arrived at Chit- toor, even before General Harris was ready to march from Vciiore. In MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 05 IVlorcli towards Seringapatatii. In order to g"ive the Nizam's force the utmost re- spectability, the Commander-in-Chief not only strengthened it with some of the Company's bat- talions, but appointed the 33d reginient to join it, giving- the genenil conwr.and of the British force thus serving to Colonel Weileslev. This arrangement, which was highly pleasing to Meer Alliun, added greatly to the coniidence of his troops, and tended much to render theai essentially useful. Colonel Wellesley had thus under his command the whole of the Nizam's detachment, fortning the reserve of the army, and comprising his own regi- ment the 33d, the 11 th, part of the ^d and 4th, two battalions of the 1st Bengal regiment, two brigades of artillery, the Nizam's infantry commanded by Captain Malcolm, and the cavalry of the same prince commanded by their own native officer, Meer Allum. Along with these he had a distinct staff; and the cavalry alone amounted to (3000 men : the whole army under General Harris being returned 3(),9^39 fighting men, all well equipped, amply and liberally supplied, excellent in discipime, and never surpassed by any army ever formed in India, in the skill and ability of the officers in all departments. It must be confessed, indeed, that the expedition was begun under untoward circumstances, for the c«mberous baggage and numerous attendants on the Nizam force, as well as that of the European troops, the inunense quantity of public stores and provisions, the long train of ordnance, with above forty thousand Benjarres, formed altogether such an host, as not ta admit of being covered by th« effective force ; sa that if Tippoo had employed his powers, with the military skill which he was supposed to possess, he mii»ht, without hazarding an engagement, by de- sultory skirmishes, distant cannonades, and other hos- tile movements, have so harassed the itjfa.itry, and weakened the cavalry, that a great part of the ba-- 3. I ^age. ^ LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes o( General Harris. gage, stores, and ammunition, would probably have fallen into his hands, and the army have thus been greatly impeded in its march to the place of destina- tion, particularly as the rainy season vtas then near setting in. The Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant-General Harris,* having determined to advance to Seringa- patam, by the rout of Talgautporam and Cankanelli, the march commenced at day break on the 10th of March 1799. The cavalry were in advance, the baggage on the right, and the detachment under Colonel Wellesley, which had marched by the left, moved parallel at some distance on the right flank of the army. Even * Lteutenaiil-GeiK-ral Harris, afterwards Sir George, (as Knight of the Bath,) vv;iii the elclu'st sun of a respectable clergyman of the esta- blished church, wlio dying in early life left a tamily of tuo sons and three daughters, in that kind of rather moderate circumstances which •would natiiraily result from a small living, and the necessary expenses of dec.ntly educating a large family. A frieiu! of Mr. Harris took tiie youth under his patronage; and, trusting lo his gallantry and goodness of heart for his rise in life, edu- cated him for the army, into which he entered at the commencement of tlie American war, and upon all occasions distinguished himself as a very brave and intelligent ofticer. This cannot, indeed, be doubted when we recollect that during great part of the war he acted under the particular command of the Earl of Moira, then Lord Cawdon ; and performed the various services committed to his care, more especially in the Adjutant-General's department, so as to acquire the praise and confidence of that gallant and most respectable nobleman. Having returned from the American continent, towards the close of the war, with the rank of Major, he soon after went on service to the West Indies, where he acquired additional rank, and an increase of honour. He afterwards accompanied General Sir William Meadows to India, having then arrived at the rank of Colonel ; and there recommended himself so strongly to the Marquis of Cornwallis, by his active and spirited behiviourj and also by his knowledge of forlilication, and en- gineering, and the other various branches of a soldier's education, that his Ivjrdship left him in India with the rank of Lieutenant-Gene- ral, and of Corumaudfn-in-Chief of the Bri^uitaun's army had retired. Early on the morning of the day, as the Colonel and his advance approach- ed Sultaunpettah, a cloud of dust to the -westward evidently denoted that the army of Tippoo was then in motion, and it afterwards appeared that it had just quitted its position on the westward bank of the JMaddoor river, and had encamped at Mallavelly. As the movements from this date led to an action in which the Colonel bad an opportunity of greatly dis- tinguishing himself, we shall notice them more mi^ nutely from the observations of an eye-witness. Pursuing their march, the right wing, the cavalry, and the detachment under Colonel Wellesley, halted I ^ 00 68 " I'IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Pre pariitious ior tlie battle. on the 2oth of March, and were joined by the left wing- and the battering train. On the.26th tlie whole mov- ed in compact order, and encamped five miles to the eastward of Mallavelly. This gave Tippoo an opjjor- tunit}' of executing- part of his intentions.: for the spies, on their retnrn from his camp, positively asserted that he had declared his intention of attacking them " as soon as they ventured out of the jungles," or thick forests through which they had to pass ; and his hav- ing waited some days encamped on the banks of the lyiaddoor appeared to confirm the truth of their re- ports. The ground taken up by the army on the 26th was open, and easily to be seen from the adjoining heights; and the enemy's advanced parties, amongst which were some elephants, soon appeared upon a distant ridge. From thence, after reconnoitering the British encampment for a considerable time, they retired, and in the evening' fourteen or fifteen guns were seen in motion ; the whole of which circumstances seemed to point out that the Sultaun was preparing for the execution of his threatened attack. On the 27th therefore, at day break, Colonel Wel- lesley's division was ordered to move parallel to the left, but at some distance, so as to cover the baggage, and to be in readiness to act as circumstances should require ; whilst the main body of the army marched from its left flank on the or-reat road leadiuii- to iVlal- lavelly. Major-General Floyd commanded the ad- vance of the whole, having under liim all the picquets; together wjth five regiments of cavalry ; he ap- proached within a mile of Mallaveliy, but was there obliged to halt, in consequence of discovering a nume- jrous body of the enemy's cavalry on the right flank, whilst their infantry remained on the heights beyond that place. He Nvas convinced that this was Tipjjoo's grand army ; and, having reconnoitered his position, disco- yeftd some guns moving- to\yards the right of the enemy's MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 69 Advance to action. enemy's line, as it" with the intention of occupying" a ritlg"e wliich entiiatletl tlie low t^round on the eastern Hank of the village, lie immediately concluded thatV tliese g'uns were intended to open upon our line whilst* passing- this ground ; and having" given the proper in-' formation to the Commander-in-Chief, measures were immediately taken for an instant attack, in order ta/ frustrate his plans. •* Colonel Weliesley, with his division, was directed to attack the Sultnun's right flank, wliilst the pic- quets, under Colonel Sherbrooke, supported l)y the right wing" ot the main body, under Major-General Brydges, were to penetrate through the village of Mailavelly towards the centre of the enemy's line ; and Major-Geueral Popham, with the left wing" and the rear guard, was to remain at the fort end of the village of Mailavelly, for the protection of the batter- ing train and baggage ; the five regiments of cavalry bemg formed on the left of the road, with orders to support Colonel Weliesley 's attack. The Colonel no sooner put his force in motion, and his mana'uvre was perceived by the Sultaun, than the guns were drawn otf to a ridge beyond that which they at first occupied. Here the main body of the enemy's infantry was drawn up, but at so great a distance, that it was at tirst imagined they were about to retire : and at this period General Harris, who had led the picquets and the right wing in person, arrived at the fort of Mailavelly, whilst Lieutenant-Colonel Richardson, the Quarter-Master- Gtneral, having advanced to reconnoitre the ground on the M'estern side of the fort, now waited for in- ' structions. The General, indeed, was of opinion, from the enemy remaining at so great a distance, that he did not mean to advance ; he, therefore, gave orders to Colonel Richardson to mark out the ground for a new encampment, which he performed under the protec- tion of Colonel Sherbrooke with the picquets, rein- forced 70 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Action coiiHueuccs. forced by the 2oth light dragooas, and the second re- gimeiit of native cavalry. He had scarcely, liovv- ever, marked Oat this new gToiind, when twelve or fourteen guns were opeued from different parts of the enemy's line, at a distance of two thousand yards. Though at this distance they soon got the range, and did some execution ; but our advanced troops were soon in motion, for Colonel Sherbrooke inmiediately pushed forward with the picquets, to a village in front of the left of the hostile army, from which he soon drove off a party of their cavalry and rocket men. This position was of such consequence that a body of the enemy's horse soon began to hover on our right flank; bat they were kept in check by the '2dt\\ dragoons, under Colonel Cotton, who still main- tained their position. The picquets were indeed now the most advanced part of the army, a^d had been most judiciously posted by Colonel Sherbrooke with their right to the village ; but they were now consi- ilerably annoyed by the cannonade and rockets ; and the cannonade increasing*, the 5th, 1st, and 3d bri- gades were ordered to advance and form upon his left. At this juncture Colonel Wellesley, supported by Major-General Floyd, with the three remaining re- giments of cavalry, advanced en echellon of batta- lions ; and the whole line thus moving slowly and steadily, ti.i:c was given for the whole to act together, the enemy's cannonade being- answered by as many of the Ikld-pieces, as could be brought up ; the ac- tion thus becoming general along the whole front. At this moment a desperate attempt was made on the part of Tippoo, by moving- forward a colunm to the number of two thousand men, in excellent order, to- wards the ;3«kl regiment, but this gallant corps, re- hcrving its fire with the utmost steadiness, received that of the enemy at tlie distance of sixty yards ; and, (;ontiniiing to advance, the column g-ave way and T^cre lljrown into disorder, at which critical moment General MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 71 • . I . battle of Mallivelly. J. . • , ■ , ■■ , - ■ ■ =r= General Floyd making- a rapid charge completed the route wiili great sianohtcr. The enemy's first line, with the wliole of its c^-uns, was now forced by the advance of the whole British line to retire to the next heig'ht, where their second line was forii^.ed. They were at this time almost be- yond the reach of our g-nns ; and the cannonade, which had lasted three hours, having ceased on both sides, on account of the distance, the enemy retreated : indeed it may be said that the action, })roper!y speak- ing, was of very short duration ; for, although some corps of their infantry, as well us cavalry, exhibited the strongest proofs of courage, yet it was totally im- possible for them to withstand the determined valour and steadiness of the British force. The British loss was inconsiderable, three officers only being wounded, six Europeans killed, and thir- ty-four wounded ; the loss of our native troops amounting to only about half the number ; bat though the enemy appeared to suffer severely, yet it was imi)Ossible to ascertain the extent of their loss, as they carried off both killed and wounded, which were afterwards understood to have amounted to upwards of one thousand ; and it was afterwards accurately known, that of the column which attacked Colonel Wellesley, and was afterwards charged by General Floyd, only two hundred and thirty remained on the field in a state for service, after the action was over. It has also been mentioned that some of the prisoners asserted that the infantry were driven on by the horse, and ordered to attack the British ; a fact further cor- roborated by an eye-witness, who adds, that the firmness of those corps which opposed his Majesty's 3Sd regiment, as well as the gallantry of a party of horse that charged the European brigade, was perhaps never exceeded by the Sultaun's troops on any former occasion. On the approach towards Seringapatam Colonel Wellesley, with his division, accompanied by the 8 cavalry, 72 I'lFt: 01- THE MOST NOBLE Advance to Seringapatam. cavalry, and the right wing of the army, encamped on the north side of the river Cauvery, whilst the left wing crossed that river, at a very practicable ford, a movement which tended much to defeat the proposed plans of the enemy against their advance. On the 1st of April, 1799, the whole army was within thirteen miles of Seringapatam ; on the 3d the army marched l»y the lei't, and Colonel Welles- ley's division, keeping on the right, moved along the "bank of the river, the whole encamping again upon the high road, at the distance of five miles from that fortress. To go through all the details of this important siege would be far beyond our proposed limits, we shall, therefore, briefly state that on the 5th of April the whole British army took up its ground opposite the west face of the fort of Seringapatam, at the distance of only three thousand five hundred yards, the left being to the river Cauvery, whilst Colonel Wellesley, with his division, was encamped enpotence, to the right of the whole. In front of the British camp were several ruined villages, and rocky eminences, besides an aqueduct, which passing from the left of the camp takes there an easterly direction, till it approaches within seven- teen hundred yards of the fort, where it winds off to the right to a large grove of cocoa trees and bam- boos, called the Sultaunpettah Tope : and these po- sitions afforded cover for the enemy's infantry and rocket men so near to the camp, that many of the rockets thrown from these places fiell among the tents. In ordev to dislodge them from this cover. Colonel Wellesley had orders on the evening of the 5th of April to have the 33d regiment, and the 2d Bengal regiment, in readiness at sunset; whilst Colonel Shaw with the 12th, and two battalions of Sepoys with their guns, received similar orders : the former being destined to scour the Sultaunpettah Tope, whilst MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 73 Successful attack. whilst the latter was to attack the posts at the aque- duct. It was a little after sun-set before these detach- inents advanced, which they did both at the same instant, the obscurity of the night being at the same time rather unfavourable to their operations. Colonel Weilesley, immediately upon entering' the Tope, was assailed from it on every side by a hot fire of ums- quetry antl rockets, which circumstance, added to the darkness of the night, the uncertainty of the enemy^ force and position, and the badness of the ground, obliged him solely to confine his operations to the mere object of making a diversion, and to postpono the attack of the post until a more favourable o))por- tunity, whilst Colonel Shaw was enabled to seize up- on a ruined village within forty yards of the aque- duct, so as to secure his troops from the musquttiy of the enemy, who however still retained possession of the aqueduct itself. The Commander-in-Chief the next morning (the (5th) observing that the village, where Colonel kshaw was posted, was still much galled by the enemy's mus- quetry, a reinforcement during the night having ar- rived at the aqueduct, and I'eeling that the possession of the Sultaunpettah Tope was absolutely necessary not only for the support of Colonel Shaw's post ; but also for the security of the camp against the annoy- ance of the enemy's rockets, he made a disposition to drive in the whole of the enemy's outposts extend- ing from the Cauvery to the Tope, and ordered that three distinct, but simultaneous, attacks should be made under cover of some "uns brought forward lor that purpose. The attack on the Sultaunpettah Tope again was entrusted to Colonel Wellesley ; Colonel Shaw was to advance from the ruined village which he occu- pied, and to dislodge the party posted in the aijue- duct; whilst Colonel Wallace was to attack a village on the enemy's right flank, with the grenadiers of i' K th<: 71 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Siege continued. the 74tli and two companies of sepoys ; and the whole was to take place exactly at nine o'clock. At the appointed hour Colonel Wellesley advanced to the attack of the Tope with the Scotch brigade, two battalions of sepoys, and four guns ; and the enemy firing under cover of the bank of the aque- duct, their fire was returned by a few discharges from the field pieces, when the whole corps rushed on with great gallantry ; and the Colonel having judiciously detached parties to take the post in flank, the enemy were thereby immediately thrown into confusion, and forced to retire with great precipitation. At this pre- cise moment Colonel Wallace took possession of the village, on the right flank, which commanded a con- siderable part of the aqueduct ; and Colonel Shaw having quitted the ruined village, rushed upon the enemy, and drove them from that part of the aque- duct from which he had been so much annoyed, dur- ing the night ; the whole of the advanced Ime of posts was immediately occupied by our troops, the success of those brilliant attacks, so ably planned, and so gallantly executed, securing to the assailants a, strong connected line of posts, extending from the river to the Tope, a distance of about two miles, forming in some measure^ by means of the aqueduct, a complete line of contravallation at a proper dis- tance both from the camp, and from the line of attack. The siege proceeded with great gallantry and per- severance on both sides, until the 26th, when the ene- my still retaining possession of parts of an entrench- ment, at the distance of two hundred and thirty yards from the approaches, it was found necessary, in or- der to facilitate th.e further operations of the siege, that they should be dislodged from it to secure the working parties from the effects of musquetry. It was settled, that all the batteries should keep up a smart fire upon these works, and also on the entrench- -mcnts, for at least half an hour before the assailants advanced ; ..^ MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 75 GeiK-Tal assault. advanced ; but that as soon as they should he seen to approach the posts of the enemy, then the fire should be directed ag^ainst that line of fire, in the fort itself, from which most annoyance might be expected. The directions of these attacks was ^iven to Co- lonel Wellesley, who on that day commanded in the trenches, which he did with such precision and gal- lantry, that the two columns, which advanced a little after sunset, stormed the entrenchment with great spirit, threw the enemy into confusion, and succeed- ed in establishing- the posts, which were immediately secured as effectually as possible from the annoyance of the fire from the works. To detail all the various gallant occurrences during this memorable siege would* requii-e volumes ; we must therefore content ourselves with noticing, that the batteries having at noon, on the iJd of May, ren- dered the breach almost practicable, scaling ladders, fascines, and other materials, were ordered to be sent to the trenches, after sunset, and to be kept in readi- ness for the assault. The breach being considered practicable, on th(^ evening of the 3d, the troops destined for the assault were stationed in the trenches, before day-break of the 4th, at which time Colonel Wellesley was order- ed to take the command of the reserve in the advanc- ed works, in order to act as circumstances might; point out, his own regiment, the 3:3d, forming" part of tiie left column, under Lieutenant-Colonel Duu- lop, which w as to attack the northern rampart. About half-past one in the afternoon. General Baird having completed his arra'igements, stept out of the trench, drew his sword, and, in the most heroic and animating- manner, said to his men, " Come, my brave fellows, follow me, and prove yoursehes worthy the name of British soldiers !" In an instant both columns rushed from the trenches, and entered the bed of the river, under cover of the fire of the batteries; but, being- immediately diicbvered by the K 2 enemy. 76 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Aiucdoti u of tlie Forlorn Hope. enemy, they were assailed hy rockets and musqnetry. In six minutes the forlorn hope, closely followed [)y the rest of the troops, had reached the summit of the breach, v, lure the British colours were almost in- stantly displayed ; a most glorious and animating sight to the rest of tlie army, whose anxiety was im- mediately relieved ; for until our troops had crossed the ditch, (although every precaution was taken for filling it, if necessary,) even the most sanguine minds could not be utterly void of doubt.* In a few minutes more the breach, one hundred feet wide, was crowded with men, who being now collected in sufficient force to enter upon the ram- part, liled off to the right and left according to Ge- neral Baird's instructions. The conduct of Tippoo himself was on this occa- sion highly creditable to his personal character. Ac- cording to his usual custom, he went out early in the morning to one of the cavaliers of the outer rampart, whence * 'I'lie forlorn hope was led bv a 3or]e;int of the liglst company of the Bombay Kiiropean regiment, who volunteered his services on the occasion ; liis name was Graham. He ran forward to examine the brracli ; and mounting it iie pulled off his hat, and with three cheers called out " Success to Lieutenant Graham," (alluding to his having a <(>nimission if he survived,) on which he rejoined his party, and re- mounted with them with the colours in his hand. Upon reaching the rampart, he struck the colour staff in it, exclaiming, " Damn 'em, I'll •^liew ihein tlie Bntisli (lag !" and was at that moment shot through the lit-ad. 'I'he gallant Rllow left an European widow and four childreu behind him, who were, liouever, taken care of. Lieutenant Colonel Diinlop, who p.reatly distinguished himself, re- ceived Ills wound, Ih u personal contest with one of I'ippoo's Sirdars, \s ho a-isailcd him with iiis sc) meter, about half way up the breach, making a desperate cut at tlie Colonel, which the latter was so fortu- nate as to parry, and instantly returned with a cut that laid his adver- sary's breast open: the Sirdar, although mortally wounded, made ano- ther blow at Colonel Dunlop, which struck him across the wrist of the right hand, and nearly cut it througii. The Sirdar then instantly reeled back and fell on the breach, where he was bayonetted by the soldiers as they passed. Colonel Dunlop still went on at the head of ills men until he ascended to the top of the breach, where he fell from th? \oi% oi blood, and was carried oif tu the rear by some soldiers. 1 MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 77 Coi.iluct ot Tippou. wlitMce lie could ob.sL'i\e what was tloiiig' 011 botb sides. lie remained there till about uoon, when he took his usual repast under u PandaL At this time he sccius to have IkkI no idea of an immediate attack, even though told that the British lines were unusually crowded with Europeans ; but ruerely sent orders to IVIeer Cofiar, a favourite officer, to keep a strict guard. He was informed a few minutes af- terwiinls that Meer Gofi'ur was killed by a cannon siiot. — " \> ell," said he, " Meer Gofi'ar was never afraid of death." Yet he was evidently agitated, ordered the troo[)s near him immediately under arms, and desired his servants to load his carbines ; and, has- tening along the ramparts towards the breach, he then met a number of his troops flying before the van of the assailants, who, he now first perceived, had mounted the walls. Here he exerted himself to rally the fugitives, encouraging them both by voice ai^d example. He repeatedly fired on our troops himself, and one of his servants asserted that he saw him bring down several Europeans from the breach. At this critical moment, the front of the European flank companies approached the spot where he stood ; he now found himself almost deserted, and was forced to retire to the traverses of the north ramparts. These he defended, one after another, with the bravest of his men and officers, and indeed several tinjes, as- sisted by the infilading fire from the inner walls, obliged our troops to halt in their advance, until the 12th regiment crossing the inner ditch took him in Hank. Yet even then, whilst any of his troops remained with him, he disputed every inch of ground, until he approached the passage across the ditch to the gate of the inner fort. Here he complained of pain and weakness in one of his legs, in which he had received a bad wound when veiy young ; and ordering his horse to be brought, he mounted ; but seeing the Europeans still advancing on both the ram- parts, he made for the gate followed by his palan- i tlie assault. The act of storniiug- displayed a most animating* and unrivalled picture of British gallantry; for we have seen that the columns of grenadiers dashed, as it were, across the I'iver at noon day, despising the difficulties of the jiassage, to mount the breach, which could have been piiicticable alone to their ir- resistible force and bravery. The impetuous spirit which led them on in the fibce of a very heavy and L. 2 continued. Uis revengeful disposition maybe easily conceived from tiie follow- Jng curious extract from one of Iiis own MSS. " The means I have taken to keep in remembrance the misfortunes I experienced six years ago (alluding to the war with Lord Corwallis,) from the malice of my eijemies, are to discontinue sleeping in a cot- ton bed, and to make use of a cloth one ; when I am victorious, I shall resume the bed of cotton." His thoughts were comtantly bent on war and military preparations. He has been frequently iieard to say, that in this world he would ra- ther live two days like a tyger, than two hundred years like a sheep ; and, something on this principle, he adopted the figure of the royal tyjer as a species of armorial bearing, and as the emblem of his state. His father had chosen the elephant. The title of " Lion of God," was formerly given by Mahomet to his son in-law, Ali, to denote the prowess and valour by wiiich he signalized himself in fighting under the prophet's banners. Innumera- ble, indeed, are the traditions and records of the deeds of this celebrated warrior; ajid he seems to have been a second Jack the Giant Killer, as many of the romantic tales of the Moor-men have him as their hero. On his example, Tippoo was anxious to form himself; and him he adopted as the guardian genius, or tutelary saint, of his domi- nions. It was natural, therefore, for him to assume his name; and ac- cordingly upon his sabres and other arms he had a cypher cut in Ara- bic characters, signifying " the Lion of God is the conqueror ;" and these letters were so artfully arranged as to bear some resemblance to a tyger's face: audit is perhaps likely that the assumption of the tyger as his own emblem was as much in honour of Ali as boastfully indicative of his own disposition, for the natives of Hindoostan make nodistinction between theTygerand the Lion. It was a favourite maxim with him that kings should be inflexible in their orders ; that God had forbidden the use of wine ; and that he should persist in exacting; a strict obedience to his edicts on that sub- ject. Yet, with all this inflexibility, his conversation was remarkably lively, entertaining, -uicl instructive ; and during his meals he was fond of reciting passages of the most admired historians and poets; and sometimes amused himself with sarcasms upon the infidels, and the enemies of his government. gt LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE French republican officers. continued fire of cannon and musquetry, the ra- pidity with which they ascended the ladder, and the resistless courage with which they drove the af- frighted enemy from the walls, soon combined, in- deed, to throw the principal works into their posses- sion. The hour of attack also was fortunate, and judiciously chosen ; it being one at noon, when num- bers of the besieged had retired to take refreshment ; though enough still remained to have repelled less daring assailants. The carnage also on this occasion was much less than might have been expected (however it r&ay still be lamented) when we contemplate a large city thus entered by storm, and filled with people whose opposition was continued in the streets and from the houses, and where no incentive was wanting to gratify lust, rapine, and revenge. But it should be for ever remembered, to the honour both of officers and men, that the effusion of blood was very soon re- strained; and that under circumstances of provoca- tion which sufficiently proved, if proof were ever "Wanting, the humanity of the British character. Nor in the course of that plunder which the laws of war allow, in certain cases, to the conquerors, was any defenceless inhabitant killed, nor any wo- man treated with wanton brutality. With respect to the French republican officers,* and * The proceedings of these republican gentry may be justly ap- preciated from the fact that in the archives of the Sultaun, after the siege, there was found a journal of the proceedings of a Jacobin Club established by them ; from wliich it appeared that their secretary could not spell, and that the members could not write their own names. These men, with all the ignorance and audacity of their brethren at Paris, on the 24th of April 1797, had actually raised the national colours, surmounted with the bonnet rouge, in the presence of" Citi- zen Prince Tipjjoo," as they ridiculously called him, whilst tiio Jaco- bin army at Hyderabad, the court of the Nizam, under Perron, dis- placed the colours of the republic of France on a staff, whose head was ornamented with a scymeler, wliicli piercing a crescent, (tlie em- blem MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. f^-j Occurrences after ilie Storm. and others indeed, though they obtained the quarter, Avhich from tlieir conduct they so ill deserved, yet it has been observed by an eye witness that it mu'A be imputed to accident rather than to any disposition in their favour : but that party had shut iheniselves up with the defenders of the palace till the first burst of violence was past ; and, mixing with them, par« took of the mercy by which they were preserved. Every delicacy was shewn to the remains of thr, unfortunate chief ; and the preparations for his fune- ral were superintended by the principal Canzee of Seringapatam, every article which he thought proper to order being provided in order tliat the ceremony migiit be performed with as much pomp as circumstances would admit of. Indeed Colonel Wellesley, who was then appointed commandant, gave directions not only that four iiank companies of Europeans sliould attend, but also that minute guns should be fired during the interval, a mark of res- pect which the Prince, Abdul Khalie, at first declined the acceptance of, until he was convinced of its true intent. _ On the morning of the 5th of May, Colonel Wel- lesley relieved General Baird ; and on the following day was appointed to the permanent command of Seringapatam, as noticed above, on which occasion he with the greatest promptitude used every means in his power to prevent every kind of excess. Pub- lic notice was given that severe examples would be made of any persons detected in the act of plunder- ing the houses, or molesting the inhabitants ; four men were in consequence executed for plundering, and tlie most perfect tranquillity was immediately restored. These examples, and the personal activity of the Colonel himself, who went into all the houses of the principal inhabitants to establish safeguards, soon blem of Mahometanism) was most daringly and significantly crowaed with the Cap of Liberty, ^6 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Removal of Tippoo's family. «oon produced a general confidence ; the inhabitants, who had fled on the night of the storm, returned to their habitations, and resumed their usual occupa- tions ; in a few dtiys the bazars were stored with all kinds of merchandize and provisions, for which there was a ready and advantageous sale ; and an eye wit- ness declares that three days after the storm the principal streets was so crowded as to be almost im- passable, presenting rather the appearance of a fair than of a captured city. The first important duty which fell upon Colonel Wellesley after the capture, he being one of the com- missioners * appointed for the final regulation and establishment of the nevi^ conquest, was the removal of the families of Hyder AU and Tippoo Sultaun from Seringapatam to the Carnatic. The details of this delicate office, of this painful but indispensable measure, fell to his lot as commandant ; and though his conduct and regulations were considered as sub- ject to such suggestions as might be offered by the other members of the commission ; yet it has been well said, that to his prudential precautions, which the occasion required to prevent the possibility of commotion or escape, to his discretion, activity, and humanity, throughout the whole of this arduous and difficult task, is justly ascribed the facility with which it was accomplished. Information * In detailing the steps necessary for this delicate business, the Governor-General in his instructions observed that it could not be entrusted to any person more likely to combine every office of huma- sity, with the prudential precautions required, than Colonel Welles- ley ; and he therefore committed to his discretion, activity, and hu- manity, the whole arrangement ; but subject always to such sugges- tions as might be offered by the other commissioners. He added that Colonel Wellesley, in his name, would give the most unequivocal assurances of protection and indulgence to every part of the family ; and that he was persuaded that the humanity of General Harris would induce him to exert every effort to mitigate all the rigorous parts of this necessary and most expedient revolution, so loudly called for by a due regard to British interest, and the welfare of the natives them SfelveSk MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 87 Search of the Zenana. Information having been given that a quantity of jewels were concealed in the Seraglio, application was made to Colonel Wellesley, the commandant, for permission to search, which he readily granted ; and the proper notice being given to remove the wo- men from the apartments which it was intended to examine, the gentlemen deputed for that service pro- ceeded to the task. They were disappointed, how- ever, in their object, for they did not find any thing of value ; and it was ascertained afterwards that Tippoo never entrusted his women with the care of his jewels, or even of their own. On this examination it appeared that there were in all, including some of the wives and other ladies of the late Hyder's family, six hundred and fifty females in the Seraglio and palace ; a number al- most equalling those of Solomon himself. This business at first made some noise ; and the Governor General in a subsequent dispatch observed that he had heard, with the utmost degree of surprise and concern, that the Zenana^ or women's apartment, in the palace of the jSultaun, was searched; and add- ed that he could have wished, for the honour of the British name, that the aparknents of the women had not been disturbed. He acknowledged that in the heat and confusion of an assault, such excesses are no doubt frequently unavoidable ; but that he should ever lament that this scene should have been acted long after the contest had subsided, and when the whole place had submitted to the superiority of our victorious arms. He then observed that if any per- sonal ornaments, or other articles of value, were taken from the women in that unfortunate moment, he trusted that the Commander-in-Chief would make it his business to vindicate the humanity of the Bri- tish character, by using the most zealous exertions to obtain a full restitution of the property in ques- tion. After this observation, 'he hinted that he thought it superfluous to add his most anxious ex- 7 X^ectation, §5 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE The Sultaun's Throne and Jewels. pectation, that the utmost degree of care would b« laken to secure the personal property of the princes and of the women, when the period of their removal should arrive. To this remonstrance the Commissioners subse- quently replied, assuring* him that before the Zenana was searched for treasure, separate apartments were prepared for the ladies, and no precaution omitted to secure them from the possibility of being* exposed to any inconvenience. Upwards of ten lacks of rupees worth of jewels, and the amount of 500 camel loads of muslins, shawls, rich cloths, and various kinds of merchandize, were found as prize to the captors. The Sultaun's throne, being* too unwieldy to be carried away, vras broken up ; it was a howdar or arm- ed seat, upon a tyger, covered with sheet gold ; the ascent to it was by silver steps, gilt, having* silver nails, and all the other fastening's of the same metal. The canopy was alike superb, and decorated with a, costly fringe of fine pearls all around it. The eye* and teeth of the tyger were of glass. It was valued at (30,000 pagodas, upwards of 25,0001. sterling*. The sheet gold alone was estimated at 40,000 pagodas. Every inch of the howdar contained an Arabic sen- tence, chiefly from the Koran, superbly stamped, being' raised and polished in the most beautiful man- ner. A gold figure of a bird, covered over with the most precious stones, was fastened to the top of the canopy •■, its beak was a large emerald ; its eyes car- buncles : the breast was covered with diamonds; and the wings which were expanded, as if in the act of hovering, were completely lined with diamonds ; on the back were many large jewels, well and fancifully disposed ; the tail, which resembled a peacock's, was also studded in the same manner ; and the whole so arranged as to imitate the plumag'e, yet so closely set that the gold was scarcely visible. A num. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 89 Craellj- of Tippoo. A number of tig-crs were found in the palace yard ; but these were all ordered to be shot to prevent ac- cidents. Greater part of tliis treasure had been the plun- der of the unhappy Mysore family, and of many other inferior Rajahs. There was every thing-, in short, M'hich money or force could procure. Amidst all the apparent immensity, of confusion, every thing was regularly labelled and arranged; and Tippoo himself, whose desire of hoarding was insatiable, al- ways passed the greatest part of his leisure time, in reviewing this varied and splendid assemblage of his riches. It is a remarkable fact, that the public dispatches to or from the different presidencies and officers with Lord Cornwallis, and such other public or private let- ters, as were intercepted by Tippoo during the pre- ceding war, were all found in the palace. They ■were carefully packed up; and, what is more remark- able, not more than three or four of the letters had ever been opened, the seals of all the others being* entire. During the subseqirent search Tippoo's only bro- ther, Kerim Saheb, was found in a dungeon with heavy irons on hands and feet; he had languished in that horrid condition, for many years, from an unfound- ed fit of jealousy that the tyrant had conceived against him. The primary objects of the Commander-in-Chief's attention, after the fall of this fortress, were to dis- band the late Sv.ltaun's army, and to obtain possession of the principal strong holds, throughout his do- minions. The measures necessary for effecting the first of these objects were accordingly taken, throngh the agency of Purneah. The Sillahdar horse, of their own accord, returned to their lands ; the corps, for- merly Lally's, surrendered ; and the Europeans com- posing it, together with those under M. Chapuy, re- 4. M centlv 90 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE .''-"■• ,--..', — e- Correspondence of Tippoo. cently arriv^ed from the Mauritius, were secured, and immediatelv smit as prisoners of war into the Carnatic. The army of Bombay, which liad joined the niaui army during- the siege, were detached to take posses- sion of the Canara country ; and circular letters were sent to all the killadars, or commanders of the various fortresses, requiring' the surrender of their posts to the British arms, and giving- them general assurances of favour and protection, all which were attended to, and every thing soon arranged in the most amicable manner. The villagers immediately returned to their occu- pations, throughout the whole country; and, in a very short time, the strongest symptoms appeared of a ge- neral disposition to submit to the orders of the British government, without opposition or reluctance. On a further investigation of the palace, all the re- cords of Tippoo's government were fortunately se- cured, and were found to contain the whole of his correspondence with the French. In one of these he told them that he acknowledged the suhlimihj of their constitution; and, as a proof of his sincerity, he proposed to their nation a treaty of alliance and f rater uifi/y for ever indissoluble ; and to be founded on republican principles, of sincerity and good faith; and he concluded by exclaiming — " Hap- py moment ! the time is come, when I cajj deposit in the bosoms of my friends the hatred which I bear against those oppressors of the human race. If you will assist me, in a short time not an Englishman shall remain in India I you have the power and the means of cHeeting it, by yuur free negroes. With these new citizens (much dreaded by the Englisli) joined to your troops of the line, we will purge India of those villains! The springs which I have touched have put all India in motion ; my friends are ready to fall upon the English ; (Sec." The British government had now a very difficult part to perform j for the necessity now occurred of de- terminiuo* MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 91 Revolution of llic Government. termining' in what hands the new government of the Mysore shouhl be placed. It seemed expedient, in- deed, tJiat a choice should ilistantly be made between tlM3 pretensions of the family of Tippoo Sultaun, and tliose of the ancient house of the llajahs of Mysore, neither of whom, however, were considered as having any absolute right or title to the throne. As the Earl of Mornington feelingly expressed him- self, in one of his public dispatches, the claims of hu- manity, on both sides, rendered the decision a painful and ungracious task. No alternative remained in fact, but to depose that dynasty which was found upon the throne, or to confirm the Mahometan usurpation, and, with it, the perpetual exclusion and degradation of the Icg-itimate Hindoo sovereig-ns of those coun- tries. It was also a matter of soiious reflection that the usurpation, althoug-h not sanctioned by remote antiquity, had yet subsisted for such a length of time as to have nearly exting-nished the Ii0[)es of the Hin- doo family, and accustomed them to the humility of their fortune ; whilst the sons of Tippoo, born in the state of royalty, and educated with the proudest and. most exalted expectations of sovereignty and pewer, would be proportionably sensible of the sudden change oi" their condition, and the unexpected disappoint- ment of their splendid prospects. In this view of the subject Lord Morning'ton, with great feeling, declared that it would have been more grateful to his mind, (securing at the same time a munificent provision for the ancient family of My- sore,) to have restored that of Tippoo Sultaun to the throne, if such a restoration could have been accom- plished without exposing the JMysore to the j)erpetual hazard of internal conunotions, and of foreign war ; and also without endangering the stability of the in- tended settlenient, of the mutual interests of England, and her Indian allies. These latter objects were certainly of great impor- tance ; for there was every reason to believe that the M 2 total 92 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Political conduct of Lord Mornington. total destruction of the British power in India had for many years, nay always, formed the favourite and unremitting object of Tippoo's hopes and exertions; that he not only trusted to have accomplished this de- struction, by instigating the French to invade that country ; but that he had also prosecuted this unalter- able purpose with all the zeal and ardour of passionate resentment and vindictive hatred, as well as with the steadiness of a deliberate maxim of state policy. It was, therefore, natural to conclude, that his heir, and indeed his vi hole family, must have been educat- ed in the same principles, encouraged to mdulge the same prejudices and passions, and instructed to form the same views of the interest and honour of the Moori'sh throne of Mysore. That these sentiments were strengthened by the events of the war was also extremely probable; and it was not likely, that the heir would ever be brought to consider himself in any other than a degraded and abject state, if placed on the throne by British favour, and limited by British controul ; under arrangements too, which would have required our retention of a great part of the country,' and of some of his principal strong holds ; and to Lord Mornington's comprehensive judgment it did not seem umeasonable to suppose, that the heir of Hycler All, and Tippoo Sullauuj animated by the im- placable spirit and bold example of his ancestors, and accustomed to the commanding prospect of in- dependent sovereignty, and to the splendour of mili- tary glory, might be tempted deliberately to hazard the remnant of his hereditary possessions in pursuit of so proud an object, as the recovery of that vast and povverfid empire which, for so many years, had enabled those ancestors to be the scourofe of the Car- natic, and the terror of almost all Southern India. Oil the other hand, it was very judiciously considered, that the restoration of the descendants of the ancient Rajahs of Mysore had all the force of this mode of reasoning in its favour; for the indignities which that deposed MARQUIS OF WELUNGTON. 93 Restoration of the ancient Princes. deposed family had suffered, especially during" tlie cruel and tyrannical reig-n of Tippoo Sultaun, and the state of degradation and misery to which they had been reduced, w oulcl, it was expected, naturally excite a sentiment of gratitude and attachment to that power which should not only deliver them from op- pression, but raise them to a state of considerable af-- fluence and distinction. It was also an important con- sideration, that an intercourse of friendship and mu- tual kindness had always subsisted between that family and the British g'overument; and that, even iu the most desperate crisis of their adverse fortune, they had never formed the slightest connection with our enemies ; and that as their elevation to the throne would be the spontaneous act of British g'enerosity, so it would be from British support and alliance alone that they could ever hope to be maintained in their regal station, or to be defended against the usurper's descendants, or any other claimants. In addition to all this, the Governor considered that all motives of policy, all moral considerations, and every sentiment of generosity and humanity, fa- voured the restoration of this ancient family. Their high birth, the antiquity of their legitimate title, and their long and unmerited sufferings, rendered them peculiar objects of compassion and respect ; nor could it be doubted that their government would be both more acceptable and more indulgent than that of the IVloorish usurpers to the mass of the inhabit- ants of the country, composed almost entirely of Hindoos : and the whole of these reasons induced him to adopt the resolution of preferring the de- scendant of the Rajahs of Mysore to the heir of Tippoo Sultaun. For the accomplishment of a settlement founded on these principles so well established, the Governor- General issued a commission appointing Colonel Wellesley, along with General Harris, the Ilonour- l^ble Henry Wellesley, and Lieutenant-Colonels Kirkpatrick 94 LI^E OF THE MOST NOBLK Removal of Tippoo's family. Kirkpatiick and Close, as Commissioners for the affairs of the Mysore; and the first step undertaken by them was to make provision for the surviving- offi- cers and chiefs of the late Sultaun, and for the fa- milies of those slain during the campaign. This ju- dicious measure succeeded in producing' the most salutary effect, in tranquillizing the minds of the prin- cipal Mahometans remaining in Mysore, and in plac- ing the clemency and generosity of the British go- vernment in the most conspicuous light. The next important duty of Colonel Wellesley, as a Commissioner, was to undertake the painful, but necessary, task of removing the families of Hyder Ali and Tippoo Sultaun from Seringapatam to the Carnatic, for which purpose the fortress of Vellore was prepared for their reception, with payment of stipends allotted to both families, and every accom- modation suitable to their former rank and expecta- tions. Colonel Wellesley, and the other Commissioners, with a degree of consideration highly praiseworthy, had, previously to tlie departure of the Princes from Seringapatam, cautiously abstained from all inter- course with the iamily of the Rajah of Mysore ; but the moment the four eldest sons of Tippoo * had left that capita], Colonel \yelle8ley paid a visit to the young ilajah, whom he found, along with others of his persecuted family, in a condition of poverty and humiliation which excited the strongest emo- tions of compassion. The particulars of this inter- esting visit were fully detailed by the Commissioners in a dispatch to the Governor-General, in which they state, that having signified through Purneah, a con- fidential friend of. the family, the general outlines of the * Alter tlie storm the. two sons of 'Hppoo, who had been hostages at Madras, comforted tlieinselves with a decent and manly resigna- tion to their fate. 'I'hev were ignorant of their father's death until the body was found, it being believed by them, as well as by others, that he had escaped. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON, g,y Interview willi ihe young Rajali. tlie jjlan iMtcMuletl for their restoration to their ori<^inal rank, a written answer was sent hy the grandmother and aunt of the Rajah, then only a child of five years ohl, in which they expressed the greatest happiness at the pleasing prospects before them. They added, ** Forty years have elapsed since onr government ceased. Now you have favoured our hoy with the g-overnment of this country, and nominated Pur- neah to be his dewau, (or minister,) we shall, while the sun and moon continue, commit no oftence to your government. We shall at pU times consider ourselves as under your protection and orders ; your having established us must ever be fresh in tlie me- mory of our posterity from one generation to another. Our offspring can never forget an attachment to your government, on whose support we shall depend." Colonel Wellesley, and three of the other Com- missioners, immediately signified their intention of paying their personal respects to the family in the evening, and proceeded to their residence accompa- nied by Purneah ; but, although every preparation was, made for their reception, yet the misery in whicb they found them was almost indescribable. A por- tion of the apartment in which they were received was concealed by a curtain, l)ehind which the Rana, or Queen mother, and the other relatives, were seated. The male part of the family received them with ex- pressions of gratitude and joy proportioned to the magnitude of the benefits conferred on them, and to the state of obscurity and indigence from which they were now to be relieved, and in which they had been kept by llydcr and his son ever since the first usurpa- tion. On communicating, through Purneah, the general outline of the plan in their behalf, the Itamty in a most eloquent and energetic rej>ly, expressed the live- ly sense which she entertained of British generosity, which had thus raised her and her family from the lowest state of human misery to that station of which they 96 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE The Rajah placed on tlie throne. they had been deprived by tyranny and usurpation. She dwelt particularly on the persecution to which she and her family had been exposed from the cruel, savage, and relentless disposition of the late Tippoo Snltauii : l)ut, she added, that the generosity of the India Couipany, having restored the ancient rights of her house in the person of her grandson, had opened to her a prospect of passing the remainder of her days in ))eace. This venerable lady was the second wife of the Rajah, who reigned at the time of Hyder's usurpa- tion : her name Letchima AmanT/, the second wife of Kisna Ruiye Worrier ; the maternal aunt of the youi-g chief was Dcwaj Amani/f the second wife of Chiaum Raige, his father, who had married eight wives, the young Rajah's mother, and this lady, being sisters. The Rajah himself was a boy of five years old, of a delicate habit, his complexion rather fair than other- wise, and his countenance very expressive. He be- trayed some symptoms of alarm on the first arrival of Colonel Wellesley and his friends, but these soon disap- peared ; though he shev^^ed himself upon the whole rather of a timid disposition, from having suffered considera- bly from restraint. 1 le soon, however, began to feel the importance of his situation, and to confirm the good opinion formed of him at first ; and, during the subse- quent ceremony of his inauguration, hisconduct was so remarkably decorous, as scarcely to have been expected. It was then determined on, instead of bringing them to Seringapatam, that the ancient town of My- sore, as the most eligible situation for the seat of go- vernment, should be appointed for their residence : and on the 3{)th of June Colonel Wellesley, assisted by his brother Commissioners, had the gratification of formally placing the young Rajah upon the throne of his ancestors. , In this ceremony every attention was paid to the prejudices of the native inhabitants ; and the Brah- 9 mans MARQUIS OF WEIXINGTON. 97 Conniiand uf .Seriiigdii;il.ini. mans having- fixed on the rnontli as the most auspi- cious nionnent for placnig- Ki-^tna Rajah Oodiavt r in his new sovereig-nty, the Rajiih and his fa'nily were removed from Sering-apatam to Mysore, where the best preparations were made tor their accommoda- tion that circumstances wouhl admit of, whilst Ge- neral Harris, attended by his suite, and an escort of European cavalry, arrired there in order to preside on the occasion. On the auspicious morning-, Colonel Wellesley and the other members of the Commission, accompanied by Meer AUuni Bahauder, the Nizam's General, mid his son Meer Dowran, and preceded by the 12tli regiment of foot, proceeded to the Rajah's residence, where the ceremony of inauguration took place be- fore a g-reat crowd of spectators, so happy at the circumstance, that, as the Commissioners declared, it would have been difficult to describe the joy which was visible in their countenances. That part of the ceremony which consisted of placing the Rajah on the Musnud was performed by General Harris, as senior Commissioner, and by Meer Alium, each of whom took a hand of the youthful prince, to whom, soon after, General Har- ris presented the seal and signet ; the whole taking place under three vollies of niusquetry from the tro>>ps on the spot, and a royal salute from the guns of Se- rin gapatam. After this arrangement Colonel Wellesley was con- firmed by the Governor-General in the command of JSeringapatam, as a trust of great delicacy and im- portance, and which, in his public dispatches, he said he considered as his duty to repose in a persoa of approved military talents and integ"rity. The whole of these important arrangements, in which Colonel Wellesley took so distinguished and 80 active a share, being thus happily finished, it is by no means irrelevant, in forming a judgment of &. N his 98 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Slale of India. art ■ . — t . ■ ^== his services, to look -at the actual state of India in consequence of them. From the period of the first war with Hyder Ali, the tranqnilhty of the Company's possessions had been continually menaced by the Chiefs of Mysore ; and even in the intervals of peace which succeeded the various contests with Hyder and Tippoo, the secu- rity of all our territory in the Carnatic had been very uncertain : for, notwithstanding- these cessations of actual hostilities, still the designs of those Princes had been uniformly hostile, and the baneful effects of this perpetual state of uncertainty and solicitude had not only put the Company to an extraordinary expence, but had been felt by the natives themselves, in the decay of agriculture, and of the arts of peaceful industry. To this it nuist be added, that the other conse- quences of this hostile feeling were, a rebellious spi- rit in certain descriptions of the Company's native subjects, a diminution of British influence and consi- deration at the native courts, the rising hopes of the turbulent and disaffected, the decline of public and private credit, and the constant necessity of guarding against surprise from the sudden aggression of an ene- my, whom no clemency or moderation could con- ciliate, and no faith could bind. The fall of Seringapatam, therefore, under all the circumstances wliich accompanied that event, placed the whole kingdom of Mysore, with all its resources, at the disposal of the company ; and thus, the only power in India to which the French could look for assistance, or which could be deemed formidable to British interests, was now completely destroyed. Other advantages might also be expected to, and did, flow from these events ; as they served as a salutary lesson to the various native princes of India, proving to them the danger of violating their public engage- i»ents, and of inviting foreign invasion, for the pro- i^ecution 8 MAJIQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 99 Militury ctjinplinieiiis. sedition of sflicmes of aiubition and liatred against the British power. The balance of power of tlie whole empire was thus throw n into the hands of Britain, presenting an irresistibU^ force, and enabling her, either to concen- trate the most efficient part of the resources of the Mysore in one mass, for the single object of her own defence, against any possible combination ; or to throw the same weight into that scale which might appear to require such an aid in order to preserve the general trant|uilllty, on the solid basis of justice and , moderation. The consequences, in a pecuniary point of view, to tlie company, by the final arrangements of terri- tory, were very great. There was an augmentation of direct reX'enue of upwards of two and a half mil- lions sterling, whilst the subsidiary treaty with the new Kajah gave them as much more; the whole making a neat annual increase of about four millions. Nor did the country itself sufl'er ; for it is a pleasing reflection, that the inhabitants soon returned to their ancient customs ; tiie deserted villages were soon re- peopled ; and, under the fostering hands of Britis.h protection, the fertile environs of Seringa})atam soon began to flourish in a renewed state of peaceful culti- vation. The army beino- anxious to offer the Earl of Mor- nington, as they ex[>ressed themselves, some mark ol its high estee»n for the wisdom which had preparebation. This self denial of the noble Governor-General was duly appreciated at home ; and he not only shared fully in the thanks of the nation, expressed throug-li both Houses of Parliament, to all those connected with the brilliant conduct and issue of the war, but also received a signal mark of his Sovereign's fa- vour and approval by an elevation to a Marquisate and a British barony. The tranquillity of India, dependant upon those transactions, permitted Colonel Wellesley, for a short time, to enjoy his well earned fame,* amidst the blandishments of peace; but we shall now see him engaging in a more arduous warfare as a conunand- ing officer, and with all the responsibility attached to tiiat character. In the year 1800, the tranquillity of the Mysore country became much disturbed by a freebooter, of the .name of Dhoondiah Waii^li, whose force soon in-« creasv^Ml to such an alarming extent, as to tiireaten the securitv of the Company's possessions, and also the territaries of their allies, on the westerii borders of the * In the GcntNal Orders of llie 5fh of May, lie was particularlv no- ticed. " On referring to the progress of the siege, so many occasions have occurred for applause to the troops, that it is cliflicult to particu- larise individual merit ; l)ut the gallant manner in which tlie Honoura- bly Colonel VVelle'^ley (with otheis) conducted the attacks on the se- veral outworks and posts of the euemy deserves to be particularly re* corded." MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 101 I ■ iM ' ' — : ■ InMirrection 6f Dliooiidiah. the Peninsula. It was necessary, therefore, to send a force for the suppression of this predatory system; iind the Governor-General attached such a degree of political importance to the whole transaction, and re- posed such implicit confidence in the. talents of liis brother, as to give the command of the expedition to Colonel Wellesley, from whose exertions, both politi- cal and military, he expected the most solid and ex- tensive advantages would accrue. Colonel Wellesley, therefore, having- assembled a «ufficient British and native force, proceeded on his mission ; and crossing the Malpurba at Jellahaul, on the 3d of September, entered the territories of the Nizam at Hanamsagur on the 5th. Colonel Steven- son, who had a force under his command to co-operate in this service, being- oblig-ed to cross the river ill boats, was not able to advance until the day preced- ing; and as it appeared probable that when Dhoondiah jshould be pressed, by the whole of the force on the northern side of the Duab, he would return into Sa- vanore by Kannaghery and Bopul, and would thus impede the communication ; or, if favoured by the Patans of Cannoul, and the Polyg-ars on the right bank of the Tumbundra, he would pass that river, and would enter the territories of M3^sore, Colonel, Wellesley determined to lead his detachment to the southward, and to prevent the execution of either of tliese designs, if he had them. He also resolved, afterwards, to push him to the eastward, and to take such advantage of his movements as might turn up, while Colonel Stevenson should move by Moodgul and Nohsry, at the distance of between 12 and 20 miles from the Kistna, and the Mahratta and Mo- g-hul cavalry then collected in one body between the British force and the corps of the freebooters. In pursuance of this plan he arrived with his little army at Kaiinagherry on the 7th, and on the 8th moved with the cavalry to Baswapoor, arriving- oa the following^ day at Yepalperwv; the infantry being- at 302 I'IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Attack df'DEoondiah. at Howley and Shinnoor, about 15 miles in the rear. On the 9th in the morning Dhoondiah moved from Malg'herry, a place ahout 25, miles from Rachoor, at which he had been encamped for some days, towards the Kistna ; but on his road having seen Colonel Stevenson's camp, he returned and encamped about 9 miles in front of Colonel Wellesley's force ; it was clear, however, that he did not know of the near ap- proach of the British, believing them still to be at Shinnoor. On the 10th in the morning, the Colonel moved forward with his force, and met Dhoondiah's array at a place called Conaghull, about six miles from Yepal- perwy, being then on their march to the westward, apparently with the design of passing between the British and native detachments. At this period Dhoondiali's army consisted of 5000 cavalry, which Colonel Wellesley immediately attacked with his little force, consisting only of the 19th and 25tii dra- goons, and 1st and 2d regiments of native cavalry. Dhoondia was strongly posted, with his rear and left flank, covered by the village and rock of Conali- gull, and he stood the attack for some time with ap- parent firmness ; but such was the rapidity and de- termination of the charge, made by the four regi- ments, which their gallant and judicious commander was obliged to form in one line, in order to bear some proportion in length to tliat which they had to attack, that the whole of the enemy's line gave way, and were pursued for many miles with great slaughter. In the retreat many, among whom was Dhoondiah himself, fell : and the whole of the remainder were dispersed, and scattered in small parties over the face of the country. Part of the enemy's baggage was still remaining in his camp, about three miles from Conahgull. The Colonel returned thither, and got possession of all the elephants, camels, and every thing they had. This complete defeat and dispersion of the rebels, and, MARQUIS OF WELTJXGTON. lOS Jiesult of ilie attack and, above all, the death of Dliooudia, put a coiuplete end to the warfare, and freed the government from all fears for the tranquillity of the country ; and the whole business was most handsomely completed by Colonel Stevenson, who at Deodv*^;', on the very day of the action, came up with, and took, the only two remaining" guns the enemy possessed, together with a quantity of baggage, all the remaining camels, bullocks, &c. throwing the whole body into con- fusion, taking many prisoners, and dispersing the rest. In all the details of the action Colonel Wellesley, modestly evading all praise to himself, gave the greatest credit to the officers and men, and particular- ly to Colonel Stevenson, to the movements of whose detachment he considered himself as indebted for the opportunity of destroying one who might have be- come a formidable opponent of the British govern- ment. In the public orders subsequent to this event, the Governor-General in council took an opportunity o£ expressing to Colonel Wellesley the high sense en- tertained of the judicious arrangements made by him for the supply of his army, of the indefatigable ac- tivity displayed in its operations, and of the distin- guished ability manifested in those luasterly disposi- tions, which had so fortunately terminated in the dis- comfiture and utter defeat of the enemy. These or- ders also noticed the patience with which the officers and ti'oops had endured a series of fatiguing service, the spirit and zeal which had distinguished all, and also the matchless bravery with which their small force had actil against an enemy so much superior ia uumber. SECTION J04 l^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Restoration of tranquillity in India. SECTION II r. Culonel Wellesley destined for new services, but resumes his command in the Mysore— Preliminary observations — Gradations of military rank — Rise ot the Mahralla State — Anecdotes of Scindiah— Scindiah's poli- tics— Attacks on the power of the Peishvvah — Liberal policy of the Marquis of Wellesley — Subsidiary treaties with the country powers — Balance ot power in Hindustan— French Intrigues — Anecdotes of Monsieur Perron — French cruelty towards the great Mogul — Anec- dotes of Holkar — Preparations for war— Army assembled under Lieutenant-Ceneral Stewart — Lord Clive gives the command of a detached forc^ to Major-Generai Wellesley — March ot General Wellesley's force towards Poonah— Arrival at Poonah — Grateful re- ception by the natives— Reinstatement of the Peisliwah — Political and Diplomatic power granted to General Wellesley — Force of Scindiah and the confederates— Evasive conduct of the Mahralta chiefs— Mardh towards Ahundnegou — Attack of that fortress— Storm- ing of tiie Pettah — Surrender of the fort— Anecdotes of the attack — March of the army in pursuit of the confederates — Capture of Jalnapoor — Complimentary general orders to Major General Welles- ley and his little army — Military operations and advance to Maul- niah — March towards Assye — Battle of Assye — Military anecdotes of the Battle — Total defeat of the enemy — Insidious proposals of the enemy— Notes of the army under General Lake — Battle of Aliy- ghur — Capture of that fortress — Battle of Laswarrah — Restoration of the great Mogul — Anecdotes of General Lake— Observations political and military — Military monument at Calcutta — Further operations — Capture of Asseir Ghur — Gallant battle of ^/g-flww— Siege and Storm of Gawilghur — Military delineations — General Wellesley conclude* treaties with the confederate Rajahs — General view of the successes of the war — Military and civil compliments to Major General Wellesley — War with Holkar— Capture of Chandore — Gratitude of the natives to the Major General— Elected Knight of the Bath- Return to Eng l4nd— &c. &c, &ic. Tranquillity being- restored in India, by the transactions with Dlioondiah, and his final overthrow, the great and comprehensive mind of the Governor- General mechtiited an expedition to Batavia, to be commanded by General JBaird. In the event of tho success of this enterprise, a part of the force was to have been detached for the purpose of attacking" the . Mauritius MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. iqo Egyptian expediticiii. Mauritius and the Isle of Bourljon. Colonel Wel- lesley was destined to this important duty. Accord- ingly in the month of Decern her 1800, he was re- called from his command in the Mysore, and qaitte .-fi'id arranging the whole adninislration for his e 'pl.ijcr, the Rt'ij.! ?alia. On this occasion l^anojee (Scindiah':, father) having .prrfoiii.cd sereral \ery gallant explwts, he wastxallcd to a iiigh ci ii>- T maud. MAliQUIS OF WELLINGTON. jqq Scintliah's politics. supreme officer : for he absolutely usurped the g'o- vernment of Poonah, and had established himself in the vicinity of that city with a powerful army, the reo'ular infantry and artillery of which had been dis- ciplined, and were then principally commanded by French officers. This influence of Scindiah had been felt by th« Marquis of Wellesley, even as far back as 1708, when he wished to prevail on the Mahratta powers to fulfil the conditions of the subsistin*^ alliance ag-ainst Mysoi-e, in spite of the then otherways friendly inten- tions of the Peishwah himself, and several of the other chiefs. In fact, the hostile chiefs had actually main- tained a secret and treacherous correspondence with Tippoo until his fall ; and even after that period by means of emissaries (under the direction and con- troul of Scindiah, who was then absolutely para- mount in the durbar at Poonah,) had attempted to excite the dethroned family, and the remaining pen- sioned officers of the late fcf'ultaun, to commence hos- tihties against the English, and foment a rebellion in the :>jy$cre. Still the Governor-General, by a safe and liberal policy, (and who had already offered a part of Tippoo's states to the Mahrattas, though the offer was refused through Scindiah's influence) at- tempted by propositions of the most amicable nature, both to Scindiah and the Peishwah, to ward off the ex'DCcted hostilities on the part of the Mahratta powers ; but these offers were again all rejected, throu.»'h the policy of Scindiah, who, depending upon his military power and on French assistance, seized the government of Poonah, the capital of the Mah- ratta empire, and absolutely prohibited the Peish.wa f I'd in iTiand, and rewarded with large giants of land. Dying soon after, he left two Ifsj;!iiniate 5ons, and two illegitimate, the younge-t uf wiioia •was' M.'i.i Rajah Scindiah^ wlio, on the death of his tliree brotiuMS *nr- ing va lous disturbances, inherited the paternal estates, and aimed a', sovereignty in the dominions of the Mogul, his master. aiO LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Aaecdoles of Perron. from cementing- his ties of alliance with the company ;, and even compelled him to violate his good faith with Britain, at the expense of his reputation, and to the certain subversion of his own power as a sovereign prince. At this period the destruction of the hostile force of Mysore, accompanied by the consolidation of our alliances with the Nizam, had left us without a single rival in India, the Mahratta power excepted; nor could even they become formidable under any circum- stances, except their union under an enterprizing chief. Such a crisis, however, had now approached ; and it was obviously required, by common prudence, to check its influence and consequent baneful effects as soon as possible. The Governor-General, therefore, having in 1800 formed a subsidiary treaty with the Nizam, at the court of Hyderabad, it was attempted to extend it to the Mahratta chiefs; and, in 1802, was actually put in force with the Gwichvar ; its operation attaching that state to the British interest, and securing to the company a vahiable and important territorial estab- lishment in the populous and maritime province of Guzarat. Even this partial arrangement appeared to afford «ome security for preserving a due balance between the several states, forming the Mahratta confederacy, antl also to tend in some measure to the prevention of any dangerous union among them ; but the then dis- turbed state of the Mahratta empire had offered a strong temptation to France, to attempt the favourite oi)ject of establishing a dominion within the Indian peninsula ; and a considerable force for that purpose had been introduced under the command of Monsieur Perron,* who at that period possessed the sovereign command ♦ Th'o gciiilemaii came to India as a midshipman during the pe« n»U of the American war, and served there uuder bullrein. Having travelled MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. Ill 1 ' • ■■ ' ■ ■ Usur[)atiun of tiie Mogul power. command of some extensive countries, on the leffc bank of the Indus, with a revenue of near two mil- lions sterling-. At this period, indeed, tliere were still a few British officers in the service of Scindiah ; but it was well known that Perron only waited the arri- val of some more of his countrymen, in order to dis- miss the whole of them. In fact, Perron at tha4 mo- ment held both the person and nominal authority of the unfortunate Shah Aulhim, the deposed Mog-hul emperor, in the most abject and degrading" subjection, for the office of Vakeel, or Viceroy, being- held by the Peishwa, Scindiah as his deputy nominally, and real master, administered the affairs of the Moghul em- pire, whilst the fiction was carried to such a length that Perron called his army the " Impeii;il army," and himself a servant and subject of the Great Moghul. By travelled into the upper provinces, he entered into the service of the Rana of Gohud, under the orders of a Mr. Sangster. While in this service, on a very small salary, he married Mademoiselle Deridan, sis- ter of an officer, whose family resided at Pondicherry. After the de- struction of the Gohud Rana, he entered into the service of Scindiah, as a quarter-master serjeant, on the pay of sixty rupees a month, and in a corps commanded by M. Losloneaux. When Gholan Cadir was taken in attempting to escape from Mearut, where he was besieged during some of the intestine disturbances, Lostoneaiix is supposed to have got possession of the saddle, in which tliat Roliilla chiif had con- cealed all the valuable jewels which he had plundered from the palace at Delhi. With tiiis booty he made his escape to Europe; and having also carried off the money assigned liim for the payment of his corps, M. Pillet, whom lie liad left in charge of them, being unable to satisfy the demands of the soldiery, had nearly lost liis life. After the escape of Lostoneaux, Perron received the command of a. battalion from Rana Khan, Scindiah's general; but being reduced on the return of the army into cantonments, he was left without employ until the arrival of General de Boigne, who, forming a brigade in Scin- diah's service, gave Perron the command of tlie Burhampoor battalion. Shortly after this he lost a hand by the bursting of a ham! grenade, whilst trying some experiments ; but his skill was such that he suc- ceeded General de Boigne in the command of liis brigade, and sig- nalized himself much in the various operations of Scindiah's army pr*^ rious to the commeiicemeut of hostilities with Great Britain. 1X2 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE ''\ •..'■"• ' - - ' , J- Anecdotes of Holker. By all these means, it is well known that the French government intended to make the unfortunate em}3eror the }3rincipal instrument of their plans iagainst British India, and to avail themselvciS of the authority of his name to re-establish their influence and power. All the attempts on the part of the Governor-Gene- ral, to re-establish the independence of the Peishwa, were now found impracticable; yet notwithstanding- this, even as far down as 1802, the Marquis determin- ed to renew his negotiations for the conclusion of an improved system of alliance with the court of Poonah, as the increased distractions of that state seemed favourable to British interests, in conse- quence of the recent successes of Holker against Scindiah. Holkar, however, was a mere adventurer, an ille- gitimate son of a late chief; and the only boon which could be held out to him was that of a secure and per- manent establishment under British protection, in- stead of his risking his all for the mere chance of ac- quiring power and plunder at Poonah.* But * Holker was the son of a native of t'le Dekan, a man so poor that it was willi the greatest labour and diftjculty he was able to maintain his family. Milhar Rao Holkar. the son, becoming an orphan at six years of age, went to his uncle, who, with six looty or irregular horsemen, -9!^% in the service of Rajah Sehuba, of the Saho family. On entering his ninth year, his uncle, wiio had a large fl(K:k of sheep and goats, consigned them to him for pasturage; in consequence of which, early every morning, he took then) out to graze, returning again with them in the evening. One day, whilst carrying him his victuals, the uncle perceived his nephew asleep, whilst a large black snake liad exalted and spread his head over him like an umbrella to sliadc him from the rays of the sun. The snake retired to its iiole on the uncle's approach, "who was in the utmost astonishment, but from thenceforward firmly believed, that his nephew would become a very great man. In consequence of this he awoke him, carried him home, tlispensed with his further attendance on tl^e sheep ; and taking troni him a writ- tfu promise,' that he would befrienU him whenever lie rqse to eminence, be MARQlilS OF WELLINGTON. J 13 !i.rr. . : . . = -^ IMilitary force assembled. « : . • • - " ^ But Scindiah still maintained his power over tha Peishwah, and his troops were actually engaged with those of that chief, in opposition to Holkar on the 2oth of October 1802, when Ilolkar was victorious. In consequence of this defeat, the Peishwah was anxious to avail himself of British protection, and soon after tied from his dominions, under the patronage of the government of Bombay, being conveyed in an English ship from one of his own ports to the strong* fortress of Severn Droog on the coast of Malabar. It was now detennined to resort to warlike mea- «ures, to restrain the power of the hostile chiefs, to re-establish the Peishwah, and to restore order and tranquillity throughout the noi'th of India; measures as necessary for tlic happiness of the distressed na- tives, as for the welfare of British interests; and, ac- cordingly, a considerable force was collected from the different presidencies, and assembled at IJurryhury on the north-west frontier of the Mysore, under the command of Lieutenant-General Stewart, ajnounting to 3581 European and native cavalry, 390 artillery, 284o European infantry, including the 33d, and 1212 native infantry, together with 40 field pieces, besides jBmailer guns, and a battering train. > On the 27th February 1803, Lieutenant-General f^tewart was ordered to adopt the necessary measures for the march of the British troops, into the Mahrat- ta territory, and to detach such a force as he thought sufficient for that purpose. 5. P The he procured his admission into the service of the Sehuha Rajah, as a kind of Porter. The young Holkar, in the course of a short time, rendered himself capable and useful ; and was, among others, allowed to approach hJs master ; after which he obtained a command ; and, as the oriental his- torians say, being born under a fortunate planet, rose to dignity and power. His wife, TheliaBai, among othersons, brought him ^ne of such a wiciOHs disposition, and such a great debauchee, that she Jiad him tranv pled (o death by an elephant, and his only daugbtex burnt herself at the tomb of her husband. 114 UFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Advance of tlie army. The high opinion formed of Major-General Wel- lesley by his brother now displayed itself; for we are told in the memoir drawn up by the Marquis himself, that this conmiand of the advanced detachment ne- cessarily required the united exertion of considerable military talent, and of great political experience and discretion. Indeed this high opinion was not confined 16 the Marquis ; for Lord Clive also, (then Governor of the Madras Presidency, and within whose limits of government the army was formed,) was convinced that the trust could not be confided with equal pros- pects of advantage, to any other person than the sub- ject of our biography, whose extensive local know- ledge, and personal influence among the Mahratta chieftains, (acquired by his conduct in the command of the Mysore, and by his subsequent victories over Dhoondia, and the other refractory chiefs,) appeared best calculated to ensure success to the future impor- tant operations. Lord Clive, therefore, gave instructions to Lieute- nant-General Stewart to that purpose ; and the general having directed a detachment from the main arniy to be assembled ready for action, consisting of one regi- ment of European, and three regiments of native ca- valry, two regiments of European and six battalions of native infantry, with a due proportion of artillery, amounting altogether to about 9707 men, together tvith 2500 of the Rajah of Mysore's cavalry, the com- mand was given to the Hon. Major-General Welles- ley, for the purpose of advancing into the Mahratta territory. The Major-General advanced from Hurry hur on the Sd of March 1803, and arrived at Tumbudra river on the 12th, which he then crossed; his march through the whole of the Mahratta territory being most successful; for the British troops were every where received as friends, and almost all the chiefs in the vicinity of the route of the detachment, joined with MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 3 1,5 Retreat of Hoikar. with their forces, and accompanied the British army to Poonah. This long march at a season of the year very unfa- vorable, and performed without loss or distress, must be considered as highly honourable to the com- manding officer, though certainly much aided by the amiable conduct of the Jagheerdars and of the inhabitants, vv'hich must however be considered as principally attributable to the fame which the Bri- tish army had acquired in the campaign under his command against Dhoondia Waugh. The princi- pal causes of success, indeed, were the ability, tem- per, activity, and skill, of the General, which were most eminently displayed in directing the system of the supply and movements of the troops, in his pre- vention of plunder and of all excesses, and in his con- ciliating the inhabitants of the various districts through which his route was pursued. On the 15th of April Holkar, now the principal chief of the rebellious party, had reached Chandore (about one hundred and thirty miles N. N. E. from Poonah) whilst Amrut Rao alone remained in that city with a force of about 1500 men. At the same time, a subsidiary force under Colonel Stevenson, sent by the Nizam, had arrived at Akloos, a town only eight miles from the Neera river, and but a short distance from the army of General Wellesley, who immediately reinforced the Colonel with the Scotch Brigade. As Holkar's position was now taken up during a retreat from Poonah, it appeared unnecessary to the general to advance all his troops to that city, for the purpose of eftecting the restoration of the Peishwah ; and as the country was already nnich exhausted, and there prevailed a great deficiency of forage, he de- termined to dispose of a great portion of his army in such cantonments, that the whole might procure forage and subsistence, and at the same time be rea- dy to form a junction with facility, whenever that p 2 might IW LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Rapid march to Poonah. might be necessary. In pursuance of this plan, he directed Colonel Stevenson to break up from his posi- tion, and proceed to Gardoon, where the Nizam's troops were to be quartered, and then to place him- self with the British subsidiary troops in a position towards Poonah, and on the Beemah river, near its junction with t'ne Mota mola. Previous to this, the Major General had received information from Colonel Close, the British resident at Poonah, that it was the intention of Amrut Rao to plunder and burn that city as soon as the British troops should appear; and the Peishwah also, then at Basseen, sent an urg-eiit request that he would dispatch part of the Peishwah's army towards that place in order to provide for the safety of some part of his Hio'liuess's family still resident there. As soon, therefore, as he had completed his ar- rangements, he contirmed his march to Poonah, by the road of Baramooty, determined, as soon as his army should arrive within the distance of a forced march, to advance himself with the British cavalry and the Mahratta troops belonging to the Peishwah, well knowing that the latter were not of themselves sufficient to frustrate the de-signs of Amrut Kao. Having soon after received intelligence that on the 18th of April, Amjut E.ao was still in the vicinity of Poonah, and that he had removed the Peishwah's family to the fortress of Saoghur, a measure gene- rally considered as preparatory to the destruction of the city, lie marched on the 19th of April at night over a most rugged country, and through a very diffi- cult pass, called the little Bhoorghaut, about forty miles froni Poonah, and arrived there on the 20th, ^t the head pf hi§ cavalry, having marched a total distance of about sixty miles in thirty-two hours. Alarmed by the ra[)idity of the march of the Bri- tish troops, Amrut Rao aS soon as he heard of their approach on the morning of the 20th, retired with precipitation, not having time to put his plans in exe- ^ cution, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTOX. 117 Restorntioii of the Peishwah. cntion, for the destrnction of the place; whilst Major General Weliesiey, and his gallant few, were welcom- ed by the small number of remaining inhabitants as their deliverers. No sooner indeed was the intelli- gence spread, than all those who had deserted their habitations, and ded to the hills in the vicinity during the usurpation of Holkar, afforded a convincing proof of the confidence they reposed in the British name, by returning immediately to their houses, and quietly re- suming their usual avocations. On this occasion the Marquis of Wcllesley justly observed that it >vas a circumstance equally honour- able to the British character, and propitious to the British interests in that quarter of India, that the first effects of our influence, in the Mahratta territo- ries, should have been displayed in rescuing the capi- tal of that empire from impending ruin, and its in- habitants from violence and rapine. Arrangements having now been made at Bombay for sending an escort of about 2000 men under Colo- nel Murray to protect the Peishwah, in his journey towards his capital, his Highness passed General Weilesley's camp on the Otli of May ; and on the 13th, attended by his brother and a numerous train of the principal chiefs of the empire, he proceeded to the city, when having entered his palace he re- sumed his seat upon the musnud, or throne, with the usual ceremonies. During this procession, in order to heighten the effect, a salute was fired by the Bri- tish troops, which was answered from the fortress of Saoghur, and which ceremony was followed by the same from the surrounding hill forts, &c. kScindiah was now again in arms, with the pro- fessed intention of opposing Holkar ; but the Gover- nor General was doubtful of his purposes, having reason to believe that a confederacy actually existed between those chiefs, in union with the llajah of Berar. The circumstances which took place in the ensuing months confirmed this opinion; and, accord- lis LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Diploinalic fwvvcrj of ihe geiieriil. ingly, in this very delicate crisis of affairs, it appear- ed absolutely necessary, on the part of the Marquis, to unite the controul of all political affairs in the De- kan, connected with the negotiations then going^on, and with the movements ot the army, under a dis- tinct local authority, subject indeed to the Governor General in council, but possessing full powers to conclude upon the spot whatever arrangements might become necessary, either for the final settlement of peace, or for the active prosecution of the war. It was obvious then that these powers ought to be held by the commanding officer of the troops; and ac- cordingly the Marquis, as he himself states, deter- mined on the 26th of June, to vest them in Major General Wellesley, whose already established influ- ence amongst the Mahratta chiefs, and intimate knowledge of his sentiments concerning the British interest in the Mahratta empire, were particularly calculated to enable that officer to execute the ardu- ous trust reposed on him, with the greatest benefit to the public welfare. The Major General immediately commenced his political operations, and on the l^ith of July ad- dressed a letter to the British resident directing him to state to both Scindiah, and the Berar Rajah, the anxiety with which the British government desired the preservation of peace; and also to observe that the only proof which could be accepted of the since- rity of their amicable professions was the imme- diate disbanding of their armies, and their return from the Nizam's frontier to Iheir own capitals; and the resident had further orders to say that if these terms were not complied with, he had orders to quit Scindiah's camp without delay. Several evasive attempts were made by the two chieftains to avoid an immediate settlement: how- ever at length on the 31st of July they sent an an- swer [)roposing, (either with baiefaced impudence, or with a degree of ignorauce almost iaconceiv- able,) Marquis OF WELLiNGTOK. uo Enemy's effective force. able,) that they woultl retire from the position wliicli they occupied, l)iit that at the same time General Wellesley shouhl commence his march also to the usual stations of the British army ; adding- that on the same day on which the British troops should reach the stations of Bombay, Madras, and Seringa- patam, (tfiough the relative distances differed from 1049 to 321 miles,) the Mahratta confederates would encamp the united armies of Scindiah and the Berar Rajah, at Boorhanpore, a city belonging to Scindiah, M\A fifty miles from the Nizam's frontier. To go through all their subsequent evasions i* here unnecessary ; it is sufficient to state that the whole was a system of procrastination for their own purposes ; and that, after their denial of our just re- quisitions, it was evident that the defence and secu- rity of our own rig^hts, and those of our allies, could only be maintained by an instant recourse to arms, against the united forces of those two Rajahs. The season too was so far advanced as to press for deci- sion, particularly as the actual prevalence of the rainy Monsoon, in those provinces which must be- come the theatre of war, was considered as more favourable to our operations than to those of the na- tives, who are unwilling to engage in hostilities at that period.* It * By (he most accurate accounts received on the subject of the force of the enemy, it appears that towards the close of the month of |uly, the troops opposed to Major General Wellesley, under the Imine- diatc command of Scindiah and of the Kajah of Berar, in the field, amounted to about 33,505 cavalry, 10,500 regular infautr\% 500 match lock men, 500 rocket men, and 100 pieces of ordnance- Two Brigades under Monsieur Dndernaigue and Major Brownrigg, -amounting to twelve battalions with a large train of artillery, had been ordered to Hindustan, and Major Polhman's brigade had beca directed to return to Boorhanpore, leaving with Scindiah only eight battalions consisting of about 4500 men ; the Rajah of Berar** infan- try amor.nted to 8000 men. These forces were posted at Julgong, a placeat thefbotof the Adjuntee Ghaut, in the Dekan; and, in addition to 120 LIFE OP THE MOST NOBLE Advance to Ahmediiagliur. It is not necessary to detail the various co-opera- tions intonded by tlie troops under General Lake, thoniih they will be noticed in the progress of the narrative; it is therefore a point most connected with our main subject to state, that Major General Wel- lesley having' received information, on the 6th of August, of the failure of the British resident's nego- tiation, was determined to commence hostilities without delay, but was prevented from moving by a very heavy rain, which had lasted three days, and had rendered the road from Walkee to Ahmednaghur totally impassable. On the 7th it cleared up so much as to permit him to commence his march the next day, on which morning he had dispatched a messen- g-er to the Kellahdar of Ahmednagur, requiring him to surrender his fort. On his arrival in the vicinity of the Pettahf (or town protected by the fortress) General Wellesley oifered protection to the inhabitants; but it was re- fused in consequence of the place being in the pos- session of a body of Arabs, supported by a battalion of Scindiah's native infantry, and a body of horse encamped ^ — . — « . to the troops already stated, Scindiah had an advanced party of a few thousand horse dispersed through the Adjuntee liills. The force under the immediate command of Monsieur Perron, Scindiah's General in the northern provinces of Hindustan, amounted to about sixteen or seventeen tliousand regular and disciplined infantry, and a well pro- portioned and numerous train of artillery; together with a body of irregular troops, and from fifteen to twenty thousand horse. The head ([uarters of Perron's force were established near Coull, in a com- manding situation on the frontier of the British possessions, and on the most vulnerable pait of our extensive oriental empire. The local situation of Scindiah's territories, and the nature of his military force in Hindustan also, constituted at all times a serious danger to British interest ; for part of tliose territories were situated "between the Jumna and the Ganges, thus interrupting our line«f de- fence in that cjuarter, whilst some of his principal posts were intro- duced into the centre of our dominions, wliich with the possession of Agra, Delhi, and of tiie right bank of tiie Jumna, enabled him to command nearly the wiiole line of our north western frontier. ride H'^ellesleijs History of th If'ar. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 721 Assault of the Peitah. encamped in an open space between the fort and the pettah. Re immediately determined to storm tht. latter place, and accordingly attacked it with the picquetsof the infantry, reinforced by the flank com- panies of the 78th reg^iment, under the command oi jLientenant-Colonel Harness ; a second attack took place under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, with the 74th regiment and tlie 1st batta- lion of the 8th ; whilst Captain Yesey, with the flank companies of the 74th, and the 1st battalion of the 3d, formed a third point of assault. The wall sunounding the Pettah was found to be very lofty, and defended by towers; but then it had 1)0 rampart, so that when the troops had ascended to the attack, they had no ground on which they could stand ; and the Arabs, who occupied the towers, de- fended their posts with their accustomed obstinacy. They were, however, at length obliged to quit the wall ; but flying to the houses they continued a de- strnctive fire upon the assailants, who were also at- tacked by Scindiah's regular infantry after they had entered the Pettah ; notwithstanding this, our troops were in a short time completely masters ©f the whole place, though with the loss of some brave officers and men. The loss of the enemy, indeed, was much greater, as may be judged from the natur« of the contest; and on that very evening all that part of their force which was not absolutely necessary for the defence of the fort went off to the northward, ac- companied by the greatest part of the Arabs. With his accustomed activity the Major-General reconnoitred the ground in the vicinity of the fort on the 9th, and on the evening of that day Lieutenant- Colonel Wallace, with five companies of the 74th regiment, and the 2d battalion of the 12th, seized a position within four hundred yards of it, on which, in the course of the night, a battery was constructed for four guns, to take off the defences on the side on which tlie principal attack was proposed. At day «.. a light X22 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE sasr Capture of Ahmednagliur. light on the morning- of the lOth this battery was opened; and it was so judiciously placed, and was erved with such effect, as to induce the Killedar to propose a cessation, in order that he might send a person to treat for a capitulation. General Weiiesley instantly replied, that he would not cease firing until he should have taken the fort, or until the Killedar should surrender: he told hiuj, however, that he was willing to listen to any thing which he might have to communicate. On the morning of the 11th, there- fore, the Killedar sent out two Vakeels, or Commis- sioners, to propose the surrender, on condition that be should be allowed to depart with the garrison, and to have private property secured; to which the General consented to agree; but, well knowing the treachery and evasive principles of these gentry, he never ceased firing until five o'clock that evening, when the hostages arrived in the British camp. On the morning of the 12th of August 1803, the Kille- dar marched out of the fort, with a garrison consist- ing of 1400 men ; and the British troops immediately took possession of it. The loss of the British was comparatively trifling after the 8th, owing most undoubtedly to the spirit with which the attacks on that day were carried on ; and their acquisition was an object of great conse- quence from the advantageous situation of Ahmed- naghur, on the frontiers of the Nizam's territory, not only covering Poonah, but serving as an important, point of support to all the future operations in the northern district. It was, in fact, considered as one of the strongest forts in the country; and the Gene- ral himself said, in his public dispatches, that with the exception of Vellore, in the Carnatic, it was the strongest country fort he had seen, and waj? throughout in excellent repair except that part ex- posed to the fire of the British artillery. The wJiole number of the assailants killed were 18 Europeans suid 12 natives; woundedj 61 Europeans, 50 na- 6 tives. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 12^ Anecdotes of the attack. " -... - . , .. .. ■ , , . :-si tives.* As soon as the place was in our possession, the General proceeded to take charg^e of all the dis- tricts dependent upon it, yieldinw- an estimated an- nual revenue of 650,000 rupees, which districts were placed under the temporary management and autho- rity of a British officer. Proposing- to advance to the tlodavery river, the general stationed a garri- son in the fort sufficient for its retention ; and, having- Uiude all other necessary arrangements, he crossed that river with the whole of his army on the 24th of AuguT't, and having arrived at Aurungabad on the 2t>th lie understood that Dowlut Rao JScindiah, and the Rajah of Berar, had, on the •24th, entered the territories of the Nizam, by the Adjuntee Ghaut, with a large body of horse. They had actually passed between Colonel Ste- venson's corps, (which had moved to the eastward, towards the Badowley Ghaut) and Aurungabad, and had proceeded as far as Jalnapoor, a small fort, ca- pital of a district of the same name, about forty miles east of that city ; but no sooner did they hear of thfe arrival of the British troops, than they moved off to the south-east, with the reported intention of crossing the Godavery, and marching upon Hyderabad. a 2 In * The coolness of the Europeans in the attack may be drawn from the fact, that though the attack under Captain Vesey succeeded with- out difficulty, yet tlie scaling ladders of the party on the left, under Lieulenant-Colonel Harness, being placed against a part of the wall which, as it has been noticed, had no ramparts, the troops were fired upon from the inside of the town as soon as Ihey had reached the top of the ladders, without the possibility of descending into the town to dislodge the enemy; upon which Lieutenant-Colonel Harness, finding that he could not obtain a secure footing on the wall, very coolly drew ofifhis party, and entered the town at another point. In the mean time the centre attack, under Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, had moved on and placed the ladders against a bastion which they Carried with great ease. The enemy made some resistance in the streets, and a Pfirty of Arabs actually, with great bravery, charged the grenadiers of the 78th, but they were instantly repulsed and pnt to flight; which immediately led to the evacuation of the town by the rest of the troops, whd by that time bad suffered considerably. 124 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Capture <)f Jalnapoor, ... ■ - __^ In consequence of this the Major-General imme- diately marched to the left bank of the Godavery, and continued to the eastward by that route ; the ri- ver itself, at that period, beins^ fordable in every part, a circumstance hitherto unknown at that season of the year. The enemy, thus checked in their operations to the southward, immediately returned to the northward of Jalnapoor, and the General had the satisfaction at the same time of afTording- protection to two impor- tant convoys of g-rain and treasures, which had been detached by Lieutenant-General Stewart from Mood- ghul, the last of which convoys, under Major Hill, joined the British force some time afterwards, on the 18th of Soj)tember. In the mean time, on the first of that month, Co- lonel Stevenson returned from the eastward, and on the 2d attacked and carried the fort of Jalnapoor. Nor were his services confined to this only; for, whilst General Wellesley was engaged in covering" the ad- vance of his convoys, and in preventing the confede- rates from crossing the Godavery, the Colonel made several attempts to bring them to action, in ope of which, on the 9th of September, he was completely successful, having surprised their camp, inflicting" on them a very severe loss, but the absolute extent of which it was impossible exactly to ascertain from tha nature of the attack itself. The precision and rapidity of the movements of General Wellesley's little aruiy had all the desired effect of preserving" the territories of our ally from depredation ; for, during this excursion of the enemy towards the Godavery, their irreg-ular horse had occa- sioned very little injury to the Nizam's people, being", in fact, in many places attacked and beaten by the common peonsy an irregulai- kind of infantry of the very worst description, generally employed in the collection of the revenue, and stationed in small mum^ ^ers in the different villages. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 125 i'ubl'c lliai.k>U. Ge:uTal W elleslov The confederate chieftains finding" that this their usual mode of predatory warfare was not attended with success, determined to alter their pro}30sed plan of operations; and, according^iy, crossed over to the northward, toward the Adjuatee pass, where they were reinforced by a detachment of reg'ular infantry, under the command of Messieurs Pohlman and Du- pont, consisting" of sixteen battalions, with a nume- rous and well equipped train of artillery ; the whole of which force was now collected about Bokerdum, and between that place and Jaffierabad. In the mean time intelligence of this brilliant suc- cess having" arrived at Calcutta, the most complimen- tary general orders were immediately issued on the 8th of September, in which the Bengal g-overn" ment signified the high approbation with which the Governor-General, in Council, had observed the judgment, promptitude, and skill, manifested by Ma- jor-Gencral AA^ellesley in directing the forces under his command on that critical occasion. The distin- guished alacrity, gallantry, and spirit, which the of- ficers and men displayed in the attack upon the Pet- tah, and in the subsequent siege of Ahmednaghur, were also particularly noticed ; the loss of the officers and men who fell was deeply lamented,* and the survivors were assured that their gallant memory, having thus fallen with honour .in the public service, would be regarded with atfection and respect by their sovereign and their country. During this period, the war under General Lake in the northern parts of India, and the operations of a small Bombay force acting against Baroach, were carried on with great brilliancy; we must confine our- selves, however, to the operations of the two corps under General Wellesley and Colonel Stevenson, which joined on the 21st of September, near to Bud- liapoor, when it was determined that the two divisions should * Captains Grant aod Humberston ; Lieutenants Andersoa anil flenderleath, 196 llfE OF THE MOST NOBLE Advtiuf. e to Naiilnial shouid move forward separately towards the enemy, mid attack tbeiii in tiie iiiorning of the 24tli. The dispositk)n which the confederate Rajahs had Iiitherto evinced, of wishing to avoid an action, and the necessity of making a vigorous effort against theiv* main force, afforded no other means of effecting this important object, except the one now undertaken ; and^ therefore, the two divisions united on the 22d ; Colonel Stevenson taking the western route, and the General advancing* on the eastern line of march, round the hills between Budnapore and Jalna. Having arrived at Naulniah on the 23d, and there received a report that Scindiah and tiieilajah of Berar had moved off in the morning wil^h their cavalry, and that the infantry were about to follow, but were still in CLimp, at the distance of about six miles from the ground on which he had intended to encamp, it seemed obvious that the proposed attack was no long- er to be delayed ; and having, therefore, provided for the security of his baggage antl stores at Naul- iiiah, he Diarched to the attack. The importance and rapidity of this decision are strongly iliustrative of our hero's military character; for if he had not adopted this spirited and judicious resolution, the enemy would probably have harassed Jiim during the whole day of the 23d; and, as he could afford no other security to the baggage and stores, than the entrenchments which he might }>e able to construct, it must have been exposed to loss,- if he had waited until the 24th, according to the plan pro- pCFScd for the junction of Colonel Stevenson's detach- ment; at all events he would have been obliged to leave more than one battalion for their protection. There were other iniperative reasons for hastening the attack, w liich seem to have weighed much with him ; for he considered that by this prompt measure the enemy would be kept in complete ignorance of the position of the baggage and stores ; and as there was 'cvevy reason to believe that the confederate Rajahs would MARQUIS OF ^\^5LLIXGTC)N. 157 Brittle of Assve. wonid get information of Colonel Stevenson beings on his march to join for the nttack on the foilowint^ day, it was extremely probable in that case, that they would withdraw their guns and iufaiitry in the course of the ensiling night, in order to avoid the combined assault of the British forces. The immediate ntlnck therefore, as the Marquis of Welle.dey afterwards de^ clared, was a measure dictated both by prudence aiid courage. The force left at Naulniji!), for tlie protection of the stores, consisted of a battalion of sepoys, and four hundred of a natixe corps; when the British army moved on towards {he confederates, who wei'e found encamped between, andalonp;, the course of two rivers', the Kaitna and the Juah, towards their junction. Their Ymc extended east and west alonj^ the north bank of the Kaitna river, the banks of which are high and rocky, and are impassable for guns, except- ing at places close to the % illages. The enemy's right, consisting entirely of cavalry, was posted in the vicinity of Bokerdun, and extend- ed to their line of infantry, which was encamped in the neighbourhood of the fortified village of AssYE- The British army had already marched fourteen mile;* to Nanlniah; and the distance from that place to tire enemy's camp being six miles, it was one o'clock m the afternoon before the British troops came in sight of the combined army of the confederates. Although they had arrived in front of the enemy *s right, yet Major-General VYellesley determined, on reconnoitring the ground, to commence his attack on the left where the guns and infantry were posted ; and accordingly he nmrched round to their left flank, covering the march of the column of British infantry, by the British cavalry in the rear, and by the FeisK- wah's and the Mysore cavalry on the right flank ; a inanoeuvre dictated by the consideration that a defeat an(iou their artillery, and finally to reliu<[uish the held of battle, after a brave resistance on the part of Sciiiduih's infantry for upwards of three hours. It has also I »ee;i R 2 said 132 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Loss of the British. said by several officers in the British army, who had served during the preceding- campaigns on the Euro- pean continent, that it was no disparagement to the French artillery to say, that cannon were never better served than by the enemy at the battle of Assye, on the 23d of" September 1803; yet notwithstanding this powerful circumstance, and the presence of numerous bodies of hostile cavalry, who several times manifest- ed a disposition to charge the line ; still the British troops, animated by the gallant spirit of their Gene- ral, and emulating the noble example of his zeal and courage, exhibited a degree of resolution, firmness, and discipline, which completely overawed both the cavalry and infantry of the enemy, forcing them thus to retire in such a manner at length, as not to be formed again for actual service. Major-General Wellesley himself, in his dispatches, stated that the victory, which was certainly complete, had never- theless cost very dear, the loss in officers and men being very great ; and that of Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, and other officers in pailicular, being great- ly to be regretted.* He gave great praise to Lieuten- ant-Colonels Harness and Wallace, for the manner in which they conducted their brigades; and to all the officers of the staff for their ready and useful assist- ance ; and he observed, that the ofiicers commanding brigades, nearly all those of the staff, and the mount- ed officers of the infantry, had their horses shot under them. It * Tde total number kiUeci were, [uiropeans IPS, natives 428, and 325 horses ; tlie wounded were 444 Europeans, 1 138 natives, and 1 1 1 horses, and tiiere were only 36 missing. 'I'lie officers killed were Lieu- tenant Colonel Maxwell of llie lytb dragoons, and Captain R. Boyle; Captain H. Mackey, 4th native cavalry ; Lieutenant Bonomi, 5th na- tive cavalry ; Captain Lieutenants Steele and Fowler, Lieutenants Lindsay and GrilTitlis, o( the artillery; Captains D. Aytone, A. Dyce, Xi. Macieod, J. Maxwell, Lieutenants J. Campbell, J. M. Campbell, J. Grant, K. Nielson, L. Campbell, and M. Morris of the 74th j Lieu- tenant J. Douglis of the 78tii ; and Lieutenants Brown, Mavor, and Perrie, of native corps. IVIARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 133 Res'ilt of the victory. It was not until the evening- of the 2 1th that Colo- nel Stevenson was able to join General Wellesley, having- been prevented by several impediments from yn'osecnting- his march as r<«j>i<{ly as was expected. This shews more fully the propriety of the General's mea.sures in hastening- the attack ; hut at the same time reflects no blame whatever upon the gallant Co- lonel, whose conduct had always been marked by the greatest zeal, activity, and public spirit. He was immediately detached in j;ursuit of the enemy, and his. success in harassing- their retreat fully justified General VVellesley's reliance upon his services. The good consequences of this victory were soon displayed ; for, on the 8th of October, Major-Gene- ral Wellesley received a notification from the camp of Scindiah, from a person of tiie name of Ballajee Rhoonjur, who was one of Scindiah's ministers, re- questing that he would dispatch a British oflicer, to- gether with an officer of the Soubah of the Dekan, (or Nizam,) to the confederate camp, for the purpose of negotiating terms of peace ^between the British and the Nizam, and the confederate Mahratta chiefs. The Major-General, however, well knew that this nianliad been originally dispatched by the Peishwah from Bassein to J^cindiah, for the purpose of explain- ing to him the nature of the engagement entered in- to by the Peishwah and the British government, when that diplontatic personage, with all the accustomed ver- .satility and treachery of a Mahratta politician, had de- serted his master's service, betrayed his confidence, and attached Inmself to the service of Scindiah. General Weliesley, however, had other sufficient reasons for declining this business at the present moment ; for as there was no mention made either of the Rajah of Berar, or of Scindiaii himself, in this communication, he had no certainty of the application being- author- ized by either of those chieftains, who might thus, when convenient, disavow any knowledge of the mat- ter ; and he also suspected that it might be merely a feint 134 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Prudence of General Wcllesley. feint on the part of those chiefs, as the presence of a British officer in the enemy's camp at that moment wouhl have tended to raise the spirits of their troops, and prevent their dispersion ; nay, might have been represented by the insidious enemy as an attempt on the part of the British government to sue for peace. He, therefore, refused to comply with the request; but at the same time signified his disposition to re- ceive at the British camp, with every mark of ho- nour and respect, any person duly empowered by the direct authority of 8cindiah, or of the Berar Rajah, to propose terms of peace to the aUied powers. The confederates finding their tricks, if they were such, completely circumvented, and not chusing to treat on serious terms, now collected the remains of their broken army, and moved along the bank of the Taptee river to the westward, as it appeared to Ge- neral Wellesley, with the intention of proceeding to the southward by the road which leads to Poonah ; he therefore determined to remain to tlie southward in order to watch their movements, and detached Colonel Stephenson for the attack of Boorhanpoor which fell shortly afterwards. Whilst the Major-General was employed in this service during the succeeding months, the insurgent chiefs received the most severe blows from the suc- cesses of the British troops in other quarters, and the superiority of the British power was hrmly esta- blished,* In * Whilst these military operations were carried on by our armies in the Dckan, against the main force of Scindiah and the Berar Kajah, similar operations, with similar general instructions, were given to General i^ake, v\hose army was on the north-west frontier of Oiide. The refusal of the confederated chieftains to abide i)y General Wellesley's propositions early in August was considered by General Luke MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 135 (Operations of General Lak«. In the jrcncral orders, which were issued at Cal- cutta on the receipt of the intelligence of this deci- sive Lake as a sufiicieiit reason for comiucnring the war in that quarter, which was liappily concluded on the 1st of November by the decisive battle of Laswarrah. It is, indeed, beyond our liinits to give any thing like a detailed ac- count of those operations; but still a few anecdotes of some of the most interesting transactions may serve to illustrate the happy eflfects of British policy, valour, and generosity. The operations of this i)art of our army were principally directed against the force under the command of Monsieur Perron, tl)en in possession of Delhi, the ancient Mogul capital, and who was attempt- ing to found a new French empire in India, on the ruins of that of Britain. The first success was on the plains close to Ally Ghur, a strong for- tress which the General proposed to attack, and in the vicinity of which Monsr. Perron had assembled his wbole force. His positiou was strong and favourable for repelling the attack of the British army ; his front being completely covered by an extensive swamp, which in some parts was not passable; his riglit think protected by the fort of Ally Ghur, and liis left dt riving consid'-rable strength from the nature of the ground on that side, and front the pos'tion of some villages which were occupied by parties of his troops. His force was estimated at about 15,000 horse, of which from four (.0 five thousand were regulaf cavalry. General Lake having detL-rinined to turn the left flank of the e«eniy, the British cavalry were foriiied into two lines, and advanced to the attack, suppoited by the infantry in three and four lines, accord* ing as tl>e confined nature of the ground \«iouid admit. During this advance the enemy's line kept up a smart fire, particularty of matcl>- locks, through a village wiiicii the cavalry had to ;jass ; and a large column of the hostile cavalry, headed by a r.-gular corps of horse, ap- pioaclied sufficiently near to enable the British cavulry to fire a few rounds from their galloper guns, w.'iich succeeded in forcing them to retire. With this shew of opposition the enemy were contented ; for fhe excellent front displayed by tiio Briti-,h cavalry, and the regular and determined advance of tiie whole army, so completeiy overawed Moo- sieur Perron and his troops, that they retired as fast as the British troops advanced, and finally quitted the field witllout venturing to risk an engagemejit. The British made several attempts to ciiarge the enemy's cavalry ; but the extreme rapidity of their retreat prevented the possibilitv of ejecting this most desirable object. Genera! Lake liimseir, tliro'ugh the wlioleof the day, shewed a glorious example to his men ; he was with the cavalry through the whole of the business, and charged in person at the head of the 27 th dragoons. The ;|36 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE General Lake's campaign. sive victory at Assye, the Governor-General observed that at the close of a campaign of the most brilliant success The fort of Ally Gluir was soon taken by storm in the most gallant manner, and our troops advanced (o Secundra on the 9th of Septem- ber; and on the I itli ihe glorious l)attle of Delhi was fought in sight of that ancient city. The progress of tiiis battle displayed both British skill and British intrepidity ; for liiiding that it would be dit'iicult to defeat the enemy in their actual position, General Lake, who early in the day whilst m advance with the cavalry had his horse shot under him, determined to make a feint by wiiicli the enemy should be induced to quit their in- trenchments, and to atlvance on the plain. With this object in view the British cavalry were directed to retire upon the infantry, both for the purpose of drawing the enemy from his position, and of covering the infantry's advance ; and this retrograde movement was performed with t!ie coolest regularity until the junction was effected, wiien the cavalry opened from the centre, and allowed the enemy to pass on in front. Tlie moment tiiat the cavalry began to retire, the enemy, who imagined it to be a real relieat, quilted their strong position, and ad- vanced witli the whole of their guns, shouting and exhibiting every demonstration of perfect confidencein their superior prowess; but they halted on seeing the British infantry, who were instantly formed into one line, with tiie cavalry in a second line, about forty yards in their rear. At this decisive moment the whole of the British force advanced, whilst General Lake himself led the 76th regiment through a tremen- dous fire of round, grape, and chain-shot. The British still advanced with the greatest bravery and steadiness, and without taking their niusquets from their shoulders, until they had reached within an hun- dred paces of the enemy, who instantly commenced a heavy fire of grape from all their artillery. In an-instant the order was given to charge — the whole Britisli line fired but one volley, and then with their illustrious and gallant leader rushed on with such impetuosity that the enemy gave way, and Hed in every direction. The moment the line halted after the charge the General, with his usual precision, ordered them to break into columns of companies, on which the cavalry ciiarged through the intervals with their galloper guns, and completed this signal defeat by pursuing the enemy to the very banks of the Jumna, and driving great numbers of them into that river. The whole of this glorious business was seen from the minarets and towers of Delhi, and immediately after the action the unfortunate Emperor, Shah AUum, sent to General Lake to express his anxious desire to place his person and autliority under the protection of the Tictorious army. When General Lake went himself into the city, conducted by the eldest son and heir apparent, Prince Mirza Akbar Shah, although he did MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. J37 (• Anecdotes ol" General Lake. success and glory in ever}^ quartei- of India, this tran- scendent victory demanded a testimony ol" paljlic ho- 6. s nour ' ■ '■ " '■■''- I ■ horse having been pierced by several sliot, and fallen dead under Iilin Mcijor Lake, who was on horseback close to him, disniounted, and of- fered his horse to his father ; but the gallant veteran refused, until the major having procured ahorse from one of tlie cavalry, he was pre- vailed an to take his son's charger. At that very instant, a shot struck Major Lake, and wounded lii;n severely in the presence of his parent who then found it necessary to lead the troops against the enemy, aud to leave his gallant and wounded son upon the field. Never, as the Marquis of VVellesley observed, was a more affecting scene presented to the imagination, and never had I'rovidence exposed human forti- tude to a more severe trial. But the general in this dreadful and distracting moment, giving up all personal considerations, prosecuted his victory with unabated ardour; and at the close of the battle had the happiness of learning that his son's wound, although severe, was not likely to prove dangerous, and that he was still reserved to serve iits kitJgand country with hereditary honour. lie lived, however, but i9.iiil at the glorious battle of Roleia iii PorUigal .' MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 1 gi^ *i ■ . ■ ■ ■ - • ■ • — - Progress ol the war. the action, upon the |)ul)lic monument to be erected at Calcutta, to the memory of all those who had fallen in the public service during- that campaign. In execution of the plan which General Weliesley had laid down of watching the motions of the con- federate chieftains, he arrived at Poolinary, about sixteen miles north from Aurungabad, when he ob- gerved that they did not advance to the southward, as he had been informed they iirst intended ; and in the night of the 15th of October, he received infor- mation so particular, of the disposition of their tiT»ops, baggage, ckc. that he concluded, they intended to interrupt Colonel Stevenson, who was then detached towards Asseerghur after the capture of Boorlianpore. He therefore immediately put his army in motion on the 16th, and descended the Adjuntee Ghaut on the 19th; at which time Scindiah had moved to the northward ; but he halted on the return of the Bri- tish, and returned to Taptee, where the Rajah of Berar separated from him, as it was said, for Chan- dore. But General Weliesley, well knowing* the tricks of these wily chieftains, suspected immediately that this report had been circulated for the purpose of drawing him to the southward again; therefore as Colonel Stevenson had by that time got possession of Asseerghur, and was fully equal to any thing- that could be sent against him, he immediately re-ascend- ed the Ghaut, and thereby frustrated the plans of the enemy. In this judicious opinion and determination he was confirmed by receiving* authentic iutellig-ence on the 24th that the Rajah of Berar had actually passed through the hills which form the boundary of Can- deish, and had moved towards the river Godaverv. General Weliesley, therefore, proceeded up the Ghaut with the British army on the 2 5th, continued his march to the southward on the 26th, and on the 29th of October had passed Aurungabad. At this pe- riod the Rajah had advanced gradually to the east- £1 ^ ward 140 ^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Cessation - of arms. ward, ami was at Lakeeg-ann, about twenty miles north from Puttrin, on the arrival of the British troops at Aiirungahatl ; and so much was he alarmed at their advance, that during- the time of their being' in his vi- cinity up to the 31st of October, he moved his camp 110 less than five times, expecting as rapid a visit as they had paid him at Assye. His force, however, was now very much reduced, and so little efficient, that 6000 of hi:> cavalry, whom he detached to attack a convoy of grain and bullocks under the charge of Captain Baynes with three companies of native infant try, two guns, aud 400 of the Mysore cavalry, were actually defeated by that small force. After the captui-e of Asseerghur, by Colonel Ste*- Yenson, the unremitting activity of General Welles- ley was still directed to the various military objects in view; and in the latter end of November, various conferences having" taken place with Scindiah's am- bassadors, who now felt himself obliged to negotiate, a cessation of arms in the Dekan was agreed upon on the 23d of that montli. During the progress of the negotiation, the Rajah of Berar had moved towards his own dominions, and the Major-General had descended the mountains by the Bagoorah pass, for the purpose of co-operation with Colonel Stevenson, who was then proceeding to the attack of Gawilghur. On the 28th of November, the British troops un- der General Wellesley came up with a considerable body of Scindiah's regular cavalry accompanied by the greater j)art of the Berar infantry j and as Scin- diah had not fulfilled the conditions of the truce which he had himself souglit with such eagerness, General Wellesley resolved, notwithstanding the eager and insidious remonstrances and protestations of Scindiah's Vakeel, who was still in his camp, to attack the enemy with all possible vigour. He im- mediately ther(^fore moved forward to Parterly, >vhen he was joined by Colonel tSteveubon, the con-r 6 federate* MARQUIS OF WELLINCTON. 14^ Jiattle of Ar^auni. federates having retired from that very spot, their rear being" still discernible from a lofty tower in the vicinity. The day was still extremely hot, and the troops were so fatigued that the general felt inclined to postpone the pursuit until the evening; ])ut he had scarcely halted when large bodies of the enemy's horse were noticed in front : and the picquets being immediately advanced, the whole army of the confe- derates was distinctly perceived, formed in a long line of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, extending a front of five miles, on the plains of Air/anm. The moment was now critical ; and the general, finding that the enemy was determined on a general action, instantly advanced with the whole army in one column, in a direction nearly parallel to the ene- Diy's line, and with the British cavalry leading. As the British army neared the confederates, it Mas drawn up in two lines, the first consisting of tlie in- fantry, the second of the cavalry, and the right wing was advanced in order to press on the enemy, whilst the left was su])ported by the Mysore horse. No sooner had the British come pretty close, than ttiey were attacked by a large body of Persian troops, who maintained a most desperate conflict for some time, but were at length totally destroyed : at the same time, a charge of Scindiah's cavalry was re- pulsed with great bloodshed by the first battalion of the 0th, when the whole hostile line gave way, and fled with the utmost precipitation and confusion, leav- ing thirty -eigiit pieces of cannon and all their anminni- tion in the hands of the victors. The route was in fact in all parts of the line most decisive ; and General Wellesley immediately push- ed on for Gawilghur, in order to commence his ope- rations against that fortress.* The services of the army * This fort is extremely strong from its sitiulion, being erected in a range of ixiountains, betweeo the sources of tiui ruonah and Tapice rivers. 1j 42 LIFE OF TriE MOST NOBLE Li.. , , " . , , , ■••'''■■ Sg Sifge, of Gavvilgliur. army were now laborious in the extreme, and such a» scarcely had ever been witnessed. In this service General Wellesley's army took a principal share, aithongh his object was principally to cover the ope- rations of the siege, but if possible to carry into eftect attacks upon the southern and western faces. On the I'ith at night, Colonel Stevenson's detach- ment opened two batteries, for brass and iron g"uns, to breach the outer fort and the third wall ; and ano- ther to clear and destroy the defences on the point of attack. A fourth battery was erected by General Wellesley's own division on the mountain, under the southern gate, for the purpose of effecting a l)reach in the wall near that gate, or at least to di- vert and distract the attention of the garrison. On the night of the 16th, the breaches of the outer wall of the fort were judged practicable ; and a storming party was ordered for the attack, at ten o'clock on the following morning, under Lieutenant-Colonel Kenny. At the same time, two attacks were to be made from the southward ; one on the south gate fcy a slroiig detachment under Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, rivers. It stands on a lofty mountain in tlie very heart o this range, and consists of a complete inner fort, which fronts to the south, vhere the rock is steepest. There is also an outer fort which covers the approach from the north, by the village of Labada, and all the walls are strongly built and fortified by ramparts and towers. The comniunicaiioiis with the whole works are through three gates; one to the south with the inner fort ; one to the north west with (he outer fort; and one with the nortli wall. The ascent to the first is very steep, and is only practicable for troops ; that to the second is wider, and is by a road formed for the communications of the garrison with the southern countries, but passing round the west side of the fort, and exposed for a considerable distance to its fire ; it is besides so narrow as to make it impracticdble for regular a|)proaches, and the rock is scarped on each side, nor does it lead further than the gate. The communication by the northern gate is direct from the village of r.aba» da, anc in this direction the ground is level with that of the fort; but the road leadsthrough the mouniains for about thirty miles from Elich- poor, from whence the labour and difficulty of moving ordnance and %iores were great in the cxlreijie, teARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. l/fS Assault of (lie tortrcss. ■f . . . . : Wallace, and the other on the gate of the north west by a similar force under Lieutenant Colonel Chalmei-s. These latter dispositions, however, were |^»rincipally intended to draw off tiie enemy's atten- tion from the real point of assault. At the appointed hour the three parties moved forward ; and that under Lieutenant Colonel Chalmers reached, the north-west g"ate, just as the enemy were attempting to escaj)e through it, from the bayonets of the assailing- party under Lieutenant Colonel Ken- ny. A dreadful shmg-hter now ensued, and Lieute- nant Colonel Chalmers entered the fort without any difficulty. The wall in the inner fort, in which no breach had yet been made, was still to be carried ; after some attempts upon the gate of communication between the inner and outward forts, a place was at length found, at which it was possible to escalade the wall ; and here Captain Campbell, with the light infantry of the 91th regiment, fixed the ladders, scaled the wall, and opened the gate to the storming party, who were quickly masters of the place. The garrison had been numerous, and their slaughter was great. The effect of these operations, and of the others in the north, were so powerful, that on the 17th of December 1803, General Wellesley had an op- portunity of displaying his diplomatic powers, bj the conclusion of a treaty of peace with the Kajah of Berar in his camp at Deogaum, in which th6 Rajah renounced all adherence to the confederacy, ceded to the company the provinces of Cuttack and Balasore, and engaged never to keep in his service the subjects of any state which might be at war with England. 8oon after this that hitherto restless prince, Scin- diah, finding that he had no remaining chance of gratifying his ambition or revenge at our expense, finding himself without an ally, and having exhaust- ed all his resources and expedients, thought proper to send an ambassador to the general also, when another 144 LIFE OK THE MOST NOBLE Successes of ilie Briiisli arms. another treaty was concluded on the 30th of Decem- ber, highly favoLuable to the British interests. No other opportunities offering- for Major-General Wellesley to display his military talents after the Mahratta war, which may be considered as almost at a close on the 1st of November, after the decisive battle of Lasvvarrah under General Lake, we shall present our readers with a statement of the general success from the pen of the Marquis of Wellesley himself. From the 8th of Aug-nst, the day on which hostili- ties commenced, until tlie 1st of November, a pe- riod short of three months, the British army had con- quered all the possessions of Scindiah in Guzerat, the city of Boorhanpoore, the province of Cattuck, the cities of Agra and Delhi ; the fortilied towns of Ahmednaghur, the forts of Alyghur, &c. had been taken by storm; five others reduced by capitulation; had defeated the enemy in three general engage^ ments at Delhi, Assye, and Laswarrah ; and had taken 2(58 pieces of ordnance, 5000 stand of arms, 215 tumbrils, and 51 stand of colours, with a large quantity of stores, baggage, camp equipage and am- munition, in the field, whilst the captures in the va- rious forts, (kc. amounted to 445 pieces of ordnance, making the total number 715. The rapid j)rogress and happy result of these suc- cessful operations had restored the Peishwah to his sovereign authority at Poonah, and cemented the British alliaiice with that prince ; had secured the succession of the legitimate heir of the Nizam to the government of his deceased i'ather; had protected the British interests at Hyderabad from injury, and had confirmed the stability of the treaties by which the French were exjielled from the Dekau in 1798 : and finally had delivered the aged, venerable, and unfortunate em}>eror of Hindustan, the descendant of a long line of i^loguis, from misery and ignominy, frgm indigence and bondage, and iroin the hands of -A. the MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 145" JMilitary gratitude. the French, who had acted towards hitn witli their accustomed insolence and barbarity. Nor were the consequences of this campaig-n less important in a g-eneral political view; for the mili- tary gallantry of the g-enerals, combined with the admirable and exemplary conduct of the ofHcers and troops, could not fail of inspiring* both friends and foes with a g'eneral sentiment of just confidence in the vig'our of our military resources, in the sta- bility of our dominions and power, and of the hope- lessness of dimiiii-jhing" that by any means either in- sidious or decidedly hostile. In short, as the mar- quis observed, our uniform success in frustrating" every advantah sense entertained of his merit, bv all ranks and distinctions in the settlement. In the address, it was very justly asserted that the difficult negotiations which lie carried on with two hostile powers, when, at the sanie moment, his attention was occupied by the operations of the field, did the greatest honour to his talents as a statesman, and displayed a happy union of political skill, and of military science. The general repose of the British empire in India was lor a short time disturbed by the hostile conduct of Holkar, who, we have seen, had been formerly in league with Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar. The conduct of this chief, however, was preda- tory in the extreme ; for he spared neither friends nor foes, btit actually made an attack upon Scindiah's fort of Agimcre, during, or at tiie period of, the negotia- tions with the British. On the settlement of the peace with Scindiah and the Berar Rajah, though the British government saw the futility of efttering into alliance with Holkar, yet it MAtlQUIS OF W£:LLtXG'T(:)N. j^j Insolence of llolkiir. it was slill an ol)j(>ct ot" policy to the Marquis of Wel- lesley to keep him qniot if possible ; and as we had nothing- to do with the question of succession between him and his brother, it was proposed to conchide an eng-agement with him, agreeing to leave him in the nnmolested exercise of his authority, provided that ho would engage to abstain from any act of ag'gression agamst the British government or its allies. Alter considerable delay and negotiation, a letter was addressed by llolkar to General Weilcsley, still commanding the army in the Dekan, and which ap- peared to be written in February 1804, in which he" demanded the cession of certain districts in that coun- try, ns the price of peace, and added that in the event 01 a war taking place, although he might be unable to opjiose the British in the field, still that '* countries of many hundred coss,* should be overrun, and {)lun- dered, and burnt; that the British Commander-in- Chief should not have leisure to breathe for a mo- ment ; and that calamities would fall on hundreds of tiiousands of human beings in continual war, by the Jittacks of his army, rvhifli overwhelms like the waves of the scci^ Even this insolent letter did not make any impres- sion on the moderation of the British government; but it was at length found absolutely necessary, in the month of April, to reduce his mischievous power, which seemed solely bent on disturbing the general tran the tuue of the " British Grenadiers :" Begin Ihe song of triumph, resound tlie martial strain ! To Britain's shores relurning, brave Weliesley quits the plain! Where victory exulting, her conq'ring flag still rears. And led to glory, or to death, her British Grenadiers .' Our enemies reviving, rejoice in his return ; But soon shall fade the flatt'ring hopes that in their bosoms burn; For from his great example, fresh heroes still shall rise. Nor e'er the sun of contjuest set in tiiese unclouded skies ! We mourn the gallant soldier, that for his country bleeds. But to the painful sacrifice a lasting calm succeeds ; And though the transient storm of war obscures the rising day. The star of peace shall brighter shine, that gilds its evening ray. Then Weliesley, though retiring from yon ensanguin'd field, Where Mars, thy might extending, made Scindiah's legions yield ; Yet, shall a livelier joy be thine, when, with protecting care, Plenty and liberty have spread their mingled blessings there. Then sing the song of triumph, once more the martial strain. To Britain's shores returning, brave Weliesley quits the plain. A little time the conqueror for all his toils repays. It gives him all a soldier asks — his bLing and Country's prai^ff. SECTION 150 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Expedition to Hanover. SECTION IV, Preliminary observations — Expedition to Hanover— Attack on the Mar- quis of Wellesle}- by Mr. Paull — Marriage of Sir Arthur Wellesley— Genealogical anecdotes of tiie Longford family— Parliamentary con- duct of Sir Arthur in vindication of the Marquis— Elucidation of In- dian politics— Speech on the financial aflairs of India— Appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland — Official and parliamentary duties- War with Denmark— Policy of France towards that country — Expe- dition prepared for Copenhagen — Sails for the Sound — Arrival at Co- penhagen— Landing ot the army — Proclamation by the Coramander- 5n-Chief— Commencement and operations of the siege of Copenhagen — Danish army formed in the Interior — Sir Arthur Wt-Uesley detached with a separate command — Operations of his army— Battle of Kioge — Defeat of the enemy — Copenhagen bombarded — Capitulation— Gene- rous and prudent conduct of the Conquerors— Fleet and arsenals taken possession of— Military anecdotes of the siege, &c. — Return to Eng- land—Thanks of both iiouses, to the officers employed — Modest elo- quence of Sir Arthur Wellesley- Speeches and political conduct of Sip Arthur respecting Ireland, ic. &;c. &c. AN the latter end of 1S05, Great Britain having agreed to a partial support of her friends on the con- tinent, a considei'able {'orco was accordingly embark- ed at llanisgate ; consistino- of the German Hano- verian legion, near 8000 strong, the brigade of the Coldstream guards, and other regiments, amounting ill the whole to about 13,000 men ; and having sailed on the 4th of November, from the Downs, under the command of General Don, with a fair wind, they reached the \A'escr river on the 20th, and landed at Bremen, where they were welcomed by the inhabitants;, with every mark of kindness; and a proclamation in the name of his Majesty to his Hanoverian subject^f was immediately issued. On the 17th of December Lord j^IARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 1,^1 Aiu'cdotej of the Cathcart family. Lord Cathcari* arrived there irom Eng'larid and took tlie oomirand of the Britisli i^rmy, theu quartered ia Bremen and in Hanover ; and at this period Sir Ar- thur Wellesley, having- l>een placed upon the staft', was promoted to the command of a brigade. The circumstances of the time prevented this small force from accomplishinij;- any thing ; and accordingly they soon after returned from the continent, landinjj at Yarmouth in February 180(5. After his return from Hanover, Sir Arthur Welles- ley • Lord Cutlicart is descended from a family in whicli military glory !nuy be considered as a part of its iiilicritance. In latter times his grandfather was Cominander-in-Chi'ef of the laud forces, sent out vvjlli Admiral \'ernon tu the uttack of Carthagena ; but died before the cap- turr, under tiic very walls of that fortre-is, in 1740. Plis father, during the whole of his life, was employed in the active exercise of Jiic military profession. He was wounded in tlie check at ^le memorable battle: of Fonteiioy ; and was afterwards compelled to wear a paich to conceal tlie wound. liicDukeof Cumberland waj standing by his side when tlie ball struck him;' and the traditionary memorials of the family record the brief soldierlike words, in which the Duke noticed it, " Cathcart ! they have marked vo'i." In tlie batlle of C'ulloden, he again fought by the sid, to urg'e his accusation, cer- tainly with unabated constancy and perseverance. Unluckily for him, amongst his other deficiencies, he wanted judgment, temper, an(| discretion ; and though tlie want of these qualifications is often useful to a man whose object is merely to gain the applause of a mob, yet it will ultimately tend to his defeat in the opinions of the thinking" and judicious. Sir Arthur Wellesley, being now in the senate, took frequent opportunities of vindicating the character of his brother from the wild and unfounded aspersions thrown upon it ; and his eloquence and intimate knowledge of the subject were irresistible on the minds of all who were not warped by party or by prejudice. Such was the state of the question in the be- g'inning of 180(5; early in which year, after a life of such activity, he now sought for the calm delights of domestic happiness, and was married to the Honour- able Miss Elizabeth Pukenham, daughter of the late Lord Longford, to whom he was united on the 10th of April 1800 ;t but his talents were not permitted 7. u to * The principal of" these charges were for havius^ applit;d one and a half million to purposes not sanctioned by the company ; and for hav- ingexpended 25,0001. per annum illegally, to purposes of ostentation and splendid profusion, in his official establishment, which ought to have come out of his own salary ! -|- This very ancient and noble family is originally of Saxon descent; and we find that in the reign of Edward lU. Sir Lawrence Pakenham, Knt. marlied Klizabcth, second sister and co-heiress of Thomas En- gaine, Baron of Blalherwick, in N'jrthamptonshire. From him de- scended Sir John and Sir Hugh Pakenham, brothers, in tlie reign of Hbnry Vlll. and the consequence of the family may be drawn from the fact that Sir John, the eldest, was possessed ot tlie manor of Lord- jngton in Sussex; and his only daughter and heiress, Constance, was married to Sir Geoifry de la Pole, Knt. second son of Sir Richard de la Pole and Margaret Planlagenet, only daughter of George Duke of Clareiice, brother of King Edward IV, Sif 151 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Piikt nham gciiealoi:3-. to sink into oblivion, as we find him a very few days after in liis place in the House, attending to the charges already brought forward against the Mar- quis. Sir Arthur interfered but slightly until the •22d of April, and tiien though he did not rise to object to the printing of the first charge, though brought for- ward in a most unparliamentary way by Mr. Pauil, nor Sir John, the youngest, was lord of the manor of Norwitham m Lincolnshire, and left issue a son John, and a daughter Anne, who was married, in the reign of Henry V'lII. to Sir William Sidney, (first tu- tor, and then Cliamberlain and Steward of the Household, to King Ed- ■\v:ird VI.) by whom she was mother of Sir Henry Sidney, afterwards Lord Deputy of Ireland. These marriages are suflicient proof of the early importance of the family. John Pakenham, already spoken of, had issue only one son Robert ; and he must have died about the close 1 of Edward's reign, for we find that in the first year of Queen Mary that princess granted the wardship and marriage of his son to Sir Hen- ry Sidney. | Robert left an only son, Hugh, who having no less than eighteen *, children, all males, three of them went over to Ireland, as ofiicers of ^ the army in IG42, serving in the troops sent to suppress the unhappy < rebellion which then raged in that country. The eldest of these three was Henry, the ancestor of the present fa- inily, who had for his services a grant of the lands of Tullinally, now better known by the name of Pakenham Hall, in the county of West- ineath : which are still in possession of the family. He seems to have been of considerable consequence in that part of the country, and was elected Memberof Parliament for Cavan, in the county of Meath, af- ter the Restoration. His son. Sir Thomas Pakenham, Knt. was Prime Serjeant to his Ma- jesty in Ireland. He died in 1709, and was succeeded by his son Ed- ward, who sat in Parliament for the county of Westmeath, during great part of the reign of George I, His eldest son Thomas also sat in Parliament for the town of Longford, and in 1166 was called up to the House of Peers as Baron Longford, He married Elizabeth, heiress of Michael Ciiffe, Esq. of Ballinrobe, in the county of Mayo, and had a son, Edward Michael, the second Lord. Lady Longford being grand niece of the last Earl of Longford, she was, on the 5th of July 1775, created Countess of Longford with rtmiainder to her son Edward; but he, though Baron Longford, never inherited the Earl- dom, dying before his mother. He married Eliisabetii, daughter of Hercules Langford Rowley, Esq. by the late Viscountess Longford, and had a numerous family consisting of the presciit Earl ; Edward Mi- chael, now a Major-General, and serving with his illustrious brotlier- iii-law ; William, a Captain in the navy, unhappily wrecked in the Saldanha frigate ; and, amongst other daughters, Elizabeth, li|l| ■PRESENT MOST NOBLS MAR.«H10NBSS OF WEtLIKSTON, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. I55 Speech in the House. nor to the apjDointing of a day for considering it, he could not help saying" a few words upon the manner in which the noble Marquis, who was the object of that charge, had been frequently held up as a public delinquent. The House would recollect how oftea that noble Marquis had been thanked by the House, and by the Court of Directors, for those very mea- sures, many of which were now brought forward as matters of charge. He argued, that the accuser had not laid any ground for his charge, much less had he produced any evidence in support of it. The service in \vhich he had himself been employed enabled him to speak to some of the facts contained in the charge; and he could say there was no foundation whatever for some of them. With respect to others, they Were either totally misrepresented or mistated, and as devoid of truth and justice. It was true that an Indian Director had said that he had in his pocket a paper which would j)rove many of them. If so, wliy did he not move for the production of that pa- per ? If the honourable gentleman had really any iuch paper in his pocket, and could produce it, he was ready to meet it. The honourable Director had stated, that the letter which had been previously moved for contained proofs of many of the accusa- tory statetuents ; but this he begged to dispute. The letter contained no such proofs. It might, indeed, contain references to documents relating to the alle- gations in the charge, but that would not amount to a proof. He confessed that he could easily conceive the delicacy of situation into which the House had been brought by the course that had been adopted. He could conceive that it might be a question with the House, whether in justice it could receive a charge, without any proof being offered in support of it. He felt it also due to justice that some enquiry should be made. On this ground it was that he sup- ported the motion of the Right Honourable Secre- tary (Mr. Fox) to adjourn the consideration of the V 2 subject; 156 tIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Defence of Marquis Wellesley, subject ; he did not wish to press the House to any precipitate judgment, but he hoped they would con- sider the feelings of his noble relative, and come to such decision as would lead to a speedy and full dis- cussion of the whole case. On tlie 28th of April, ^^ hen the adjourned debate was resumed, and Mr. Paull, complaining" of want of papers, wished to induce the House to adopt the charg^es in the absence of all evidence whatever. Sir Arthur Wellesley said, that he believed the practice of Parliament in such cases had been already shewn to be, that the evidence should generally, if not al- ways, precede the charges, and that he saw no ne- cessity for deviating- from that rule on the present occasion ; though he admitted at the same time that every case ought to stand on its own individual me- rits. The charge, he said, as brought against his noble relative, was for squandering the money of the India Company in unnecessary purposes of personal splendor ; but the papers hitherto produced applied to charges of which no notice had as yet been given. He then adverted to a paltry attempt whicii had been made to prejudice the House and the public at large against himself, by stating that he was impli- cated in some of the proceedings ; but to this his short reply was, that wliat he did in India was in obe- dience to the orders he had received ; and for the manner of that obedience, and its immediate result, he was ready to answer either to that House, or to any other tribunal in the realm. On a subsequent occasion, on the 8th of May, he ag'ain came forvv^ard, atid declared, that the more speedily the charges against the Marquis could be put at issue, and the more expeditious the mode by which the matter could be brought to its final deci- sion, the more satisfactory it would be to the Mar- quis and to all his friends : and this he did in reply to gome charges of a wish to procrastinate the enquiry, wheii, in fact, Mr. Paull and his party were actually 8 calling" MARQUIS OF Vv'ELLINGTON. 157 KloqiKiice of Sir Arttiur. calling' upontjie House for a decision, before even the papers vvliich tbey themselves had moved tor bad been brought up. It is impossible to follow the lonyc, fii-equent, and very interesting, debates on this sub- ject; but we cannot pass over tiie spirited vindica- tion of his brother from a charge of murder brought forward by Mr. PauU, witliout any shadow of prcmf whatever ; and which, indeed, he only noticed in order that a charge of so foul and atrocious a nature should not go forth unexplained, or remain as a stain upon the character of the Marquis, without having- the circumstances, on which it was fabricated, in a proper point of view. He explained, that the Ze- mindars of the country ceded to the Company, in- stead of paying their tribute, or rents, in a regular manner, had combined to resist the usual law and custom ot" the countjy, had in fact taken up arms and retired to their forts; and that it was therefore necessary, as a matter of Justice, and as an example also, that they should be reduced to obedience by force. In fact, so obstmate, and so powerful, were they, that it required the v^hole of the Bengal army, with the Commander-in-Chief at their head, to ef- fect this service. Tiiey were, therefore, attacked in their forts ; and in the course of their obstinate resist- ance some persons fell, and some blood was spilt; but this was what the accuser had designated as a murder, although it was completely an act of public power, done in support of the laws of the country, like what would have been done against any class of British subjects in resistance to laws passed by that House; and the House itself would therefore judge how far it was just to designate such a measure by the epithet of nuu'der. On the 10th of July 1806, in defence of his bro- tlier he made a most eloquent and highly impressive speech on the financial affairs of India, in which he proved that the revenues of that country had increas- ed between six and seven millions per annum during ins J5S ^^VE OF THE MOST NORLE Appoliifed Secretary iu Ireland. his brother's administration: and that, during that pe- riod, in consequence of his arrangements, the commerce of India had become capable itselfof supplying the de- mand for bullion in the China market, so as to have placed the affairs of the company, and of the pub- lic at large, upon a footing hitherto unknown. In the early part of 1807, Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, under His Grace the Duke of Richmond ; and on the 8th of Api'il 1807, was sworn in a member of the British Privy Council in consequence of that political office. During the subsequent months he was sometimes re- sident in Ireland, attending to the duties of his office, and at others fulfilling his duty in the United Parlia- ment. In the pursuance of these official duties. Sir Ar- thur Wellesley on the 9th July brought in a bill to prevent more effectually insurrections and disturb- ances in Ireland; another object of the Bill was also to prevent improper persons having arms; and the whole was to be enforced by obliging all persona to register their arms, and by establishing some very strong measures against the manufacturing of pikes. On this question a great deal of accusation and re- crimination took place, and nuich was said of the re- vival of religious animosities ; however, the measure was at length carried through its various forms. At this period the attempts of Buonaparte to shut the Baltic against English commerce were nearly successful, and his plans of seizing the Danish navy for the purpose of the invasion of these countries was well known to government; a fact which, though denied by many at the time, has since been fully proved by his own state-papers. Little, indeed, was now want- ing to the completion of his plan but the consent of Denmark; she opposed, however, but a feeble ob- stacle to his ambition, and he proceeded by threats and negotiations to prepare her for his views ; whilst llis army on tlie borders of Holstein was ready tw take MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. Expediliou to Copenhagen. take advantage of any opportunity that miglit offer for a sudden irruption into that country. The British government having- kept an atten- tive eye upon these transactions, determined to irus* trate them by sending to sea a powerful military and naval armament, consisting of about twenty-sevea sail of the line, with 20,000 men; and such had been the secrecy attending the whole preparation of this expedition, that it was at sea before either its desti* nation or its force was known to the public. The command of the troops was g-iven to Lord Cathcart, and Sir Arthur Wellesley accompanied him on the service ; and the naval part of the expe- dition was under the direction of Admiral (no\tr Lord) Gambier, assisted by other gallant officers. On proceeding to sea one division of the fleet, un- der the immediate superintendance of Commodore (now Sir Richard) Keats, was detachefl to the Great Belt, with instructions to allow no military force of any description to enter the Island of Zealand ; and this enterprising-, yet prudent, officer having- con- ducted his squadron through an intricate and difficult navigation, stationed his vessels in such a manner as completely to fulfil the orders entrusted to him. The British army was conducted by the main body of the Fleet to the Sound, when the operations commenced \Vitli the greatest vigour. A proclamation was immediately issued by the Commander-in-Chief declaring the circumstances under which they were obliged to proceed to this de- barkation ; that the deposit of the DaTnish ships of the line was the sole object of their enterprise, which was undertaken in self-defence, merely to prevent those who had so long disturbed Europe, from direct- ing against Great Britain the resources of Denmark; that the most solemn [dedge had been given, and was now renewed, that if the demand should be acceded to every ship should be restored in the same condition sm when delivered up j that Zealand should be treat- ed 560_ • LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE B^'ish annv lauded. ed by the xiritish t'orcesr while on shore, oii the foot- ing of a province of the most friendly power of Great Briiain; the strictest discipline being observed, and persons and pioperty lield most scrupulously sa- cred; that the innocent blood which must be shed, and the horrors of a besieged and bombarded capi- tal, must fail on those only who advised resistance to a measure thus dictated by imperious circumstances, and that the Commanders-in-Chief were still anxious to proceed with reason and moderation, if the Da- nish government were inclined to come to an amic^,- ble arrangement. On the 18th of August 1807, the reserve of the army landed at ('ve in the morning with the ord- nance of a light brigade, and occupied the heights of Heilerup, before Copenli-4gen ; and in the course of the day additional troops were landed. A flag of truce was then received from Major-General Pey- man, Commander-in-Chief in Copenhagen, request- ing passports for the two Princesses of Denmark, nieces of bis Danish Majesty, to leave Copenhagen, Avhich were granted; and in the evening the army marched by their lelt in three columns, and lay upon their arms in advance. At day break the whole ar-. my marched in three columns to invest the town, and every arrangement was made for that purpose in the course of the day. About noon hostilities actually commenced by the picquets towards the left being attacked, whilst the Danish gun-boats rowing out of the harbour cannonaded the left of the line with grape and round shot. The picquets soon drove in and pursued the ene- my, and resumed their posts, being supported by the advance of part of the line; and the British gun- brigs aud bombs, having been towed as near the har- bour as they could be, oj)ened a tire, though at a consi- derable distance, upon the Danish gun-boats, forcing them, after a long and heavy cannonade, to retire into the harbour. 0*1 MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. iQi Advance of tlie armv. On tlie .s«cceef Commons, particularly in every tiebate "which respected ihat country. As some misrepresen- tations have gone abroad respecting his senthuents, 8, Y particularly 170 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Political beiUirnfiits. particularly on the Catholic question, we feel our- selves called upon to notice them here more particu- larly. On the loth of April 1808, an active and li- beral member, from, the sister country, rose to draw the attention of the House to a circumstance respect- ing' some Protestant institutions there, which he had before alluded to. He observed that a sort of cate- chism had been coujposed for these schools, called *' The Protestant's Catechism," which did not dwell, as the catechisms we were best acquainted with, upon prayers, creed, or commandments, but went almost entirely to abuse the tenets of the Catholic church, which were completely misrepresented in it. Almost all the assertions which were in this book, respecting* the doctrines of the Catholic religion, were complete- ly, as he said, unfounded ; he asserted that they were in contradiction to the doctrines which the Catholic children learned in their prayer-book, and which the Catholic body professed and avowed. He then read several extracts from this *' Protestant Catechism," as it was called, and com[)ared them with the Catholic prayer-book, and with the declaration solemnly sub- scribed by the Catholics. The effect, he complained, inqjressing- such gross misrepresentations on the minds of young- children, could be only to increase those relig-ious animosities which every good man wished to allay as soon as possible. He conqilained that among- the doctrines which 2000 children were liow taught at those Protestant charter schools were these, " That the body of the Catholics conceived that no allegiance was due to the king-, and that faith was not to be kept with heretics." It was evident, he ob- served, that they must hate those whom they conceiv- ed capable of entertaining- such sentiments. At a time when the liberality of Parliament was appealed to in support of those institutions, he conceived it would be a proper time to reform this abuse, and to prevent such a catechism being- taught at these schools. In MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ^71 Purlianicntarj conduct. In reply to this, Sir Arthur Wellcsley ex|)ressc(l ills sorrow that this subject had been drawn into dis- cussion in that House. He said it liad ah-eady en- l^aged the attention of the Board of Education, who would probnbly g-ive directions concerning' it. For his part he certaiidy never had seen the " Protestant Catechism," nor was he acquainted with those docu- ments, which the honourable Gentleman quoted, to refute it ; but he thou'^ght that \^ hen he had stated what was taught in some schools, he ought also to have stated what was tauoht in others. He had been mformed that at several Catholic schools children had been taught to read, not in the Bible, but in Paine's Rig-hts of Man, and in books which g-ave an account of what the Roman Catholics of Ireland had suffered from the Protestants ; an education which, in like manner, would breed them up in a fixed and rooted hatred of the Protestant cause. On the 29tli of the same month, when the question of a g-rant as usual to the Catholic colleg-e at May- nooth, was before the House, he was decidedly ag-ainst any measure which should increase the num- ber of Catholic priests in that seminary, on a convic- tion that the number provided for at that place, with those who were educated in the same profession, in other parts of Ireland, would be fully adequate to the necessary supply for all religious purposes. In opposition also to any increased g-rant, he contended that when the college at May nooth was first instituted, it was not intended that it should be wholly suppoit- ed out of the public purse ; even the memorial, pre- sented previously to the foundation of that establish- ment, merely prayed for a charter, iu order that the funds might be better secured: and that of the nu- merous Catholic students who were educated on the continent before the French revolution, the fact waa that most of them had received priest's orders before they went abroad, a g*reat proportion of thorn actually Y 2 supporting |BF^ LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE _ 0(tic;al duties. supporting' themselves by the exercise of their func- tions as priests. Froni these observations. Sir Arthur Wellesley had his full share of the charg-e of intolerance ; bat how little he desc rved it is evident from his opinion de- livered on a subsequent debate, respecting the ap- pointment of Dr. Duig'enan to a seat in the Privy Council of Irelund, on the 4th of May, when he ex- pressly declared that his own opinion was that, with- out distinction of religion, every man ought to he call- ed on to do service to the state, where he was par- ticularly qualified to do that service ; and on that ge- neral ground he approved of the appointment without reference to religious squabblt;s, or to the indiscreet language which excessive zeal had produced on ikoth sides of the House, every example of vi'hich ought to be as a warning to both sides to preserve coolness and liberality as far as possible. Thus, during a long and arduous session did he dedicate himself to the CiVil service of his country with as much advantage to it, and honourto himself, as he had heretofore done in the field ; and when we contemplate the records of Parliament in the years 180G, 7, and 8, it is impossible not to admire that manly comprehensiveness of mind, and liberality of sentiment, which fitted him for every discussion, and carried him through many warm de- bates without ever creating him a single enemy. Even in May 1808, Sir Arthur continued his officii services, and in that month brought in a bill for en- forcing the residence of spiritual persons, upon their benefices in Ireland, and for erecting churches, and building- glebe houses, in that kingdom. From theSe civil duties, however, he was soon called to take- a command on the scene of his present glory ; we shall^ therefore, postpone all further detail to the succeeding section. =^^* ^ SECTION MARQUIS OF WELLIN<5T0N. 173 ■ri*X3 )ril vih Royal fmni'.y — Do«nfal ot the Prince of Ptare— AI)dicalion of tht Spauish king— Madrid taken possession ot— fiiaiit^urntiou o! Kins Feroiiiand — J iiiiiiey of King Ferdinand to Bayoime — Its consequences ~ Anecdotes of t'le Queen of Spain— Anecdotes of Buonapaito — Masacre of tlie inhabitants of Madrid by llie Frei.ch— Ante otes of that event— JoH'ph placed on the ihrone of Spain— An. cdctes of the intru-ive king — Enthusiastic pati iolisni of the Sjjanish people — Evacua- tion ot Madid by the French— Enthusiasm of England in the Spanish cau^e— E-peditiin prepared to defend Portu'^al, and succour Spain- Sir Arthur W'eliesley proceeds to Spain — Jouis ilie BrUish admiral off the lagus— returns to Mondego Bay in Portugal— Lands the armv — Anecdotes— March of the army — Anecdotes ot tiie French General'*— Topographical and military sketches of the country— March to Roicia — Attack and defeat of the French — Anecdotes— Military letters— Re- inforcements arrive from England — Arrival of Sir Harry Burrard-^ Battle of Vimiera — Sir Arthur Weilesley superseded in the command — Arrival of Sir Hew Dalrymple — Convention of Cintra — Anecdotes of die French, &c. — Military and political observations — Sir Arthur Wellesley returns to England — Court of Inquiry— Observations— Ex- ., planation of Sir Artluir's conduct— Issue of the Court of Inquiry, and to Jiis Majesty's marked displeasure at the Convention — &c. &c. &c. jDEFORE we enter upon the important services per- foimed by the subject of our biography in the Penin- sula, it is necessary to take a slight retrospect of the political events which led to those occurrences, as such an investig-ation will not only render the subse- quent events more intellig-ible, but also prove more fully the extent of the advantages g-ained by this country, and by the general cause of liberty in Eu- rope, from his gallantry, prtidence, ant! perseverance. No sooner had Buonaparte concluded the treaty of Tilsit, by which he had subjugated the north of Eu- rope, than he turned his attention to the west of the continent; and not content with having the resources of Spain and Portugal, and their transatlantic do- ^ minions* t74 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Conduct of Buonaparte. minions, at his command^ resolved to complete their final destruction, by placing' some of his own family and minions upon their dishonoured thrones. ' To pursue his nefarious attempts through all theii*' various ramitications would far exceed our limits ; it' is sufficient to bring- to the recollection of our readers, that whilst the lloyal family and government of Spain were in a state of confusion, he took advantage of the opportunity, to pour large bodies of French troops into the Spanish territory ; nay, so great was the infatuation, supposing that they only came to pre- serve order and tranquillity, that the government ac- tually issued orders to receive and treat the French even on a more liberal scale than was used towards their own native army. By these means, in a very short time, all the most importdut posts and fortresses of Spain, nay, the whole of Portugal, were in French occupancy, when Napoleon ventured to throw off the mask, by complaining" to the King of Spain that the measure of uniting the Prince of Asturias to one of his own relatives was not in sufficient forwardness. The unhappy, monarch had no course left, but to ex- press his wishes for the immediate solenmization of the marriage ; to which Buonaparte only replied by sending his creature, Don ICugenio Isquierdo, back to Madrid witli confidential communications, the , proceeding's on which were conducted with such se- q crecy, that their tenor can oidy be known from the * fact that soon after his departure from the Spanish ' capital, to return to Paris with the issue of his nego- tiations, the unfortunate Ring and Queen, for unfor- tunate they must be reckoned, notwithstanding" the folly of the one, and the iujproper conduct of the ' other, had l)egnn to make preparations to emigrate j from their native country to their transatlantic do- t minions in Mexico.* ' Dej)rived * It is possible that this was the very object of Napoloon's wislies ; _\ as he had already' driven the Kojal Family of i'oilugal totlie same al- ' ternative: MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 175 Spanisli Royal Family. ijPeprived of wliat they considered the support of tlic Prince of Peace, the unhappy occupants of the Spanish throne dared no longer attempt to exercise the royal power, hut immediately put in execution that resolution, which it has been asserted they had foi" some time entertained, of resiirninof the sovereiofn power to the Prince of Asturias. , 'J'he subsequent occurrences took the arch contriver rather unexpectedly, as he did not look for such energy upon the part of the Spanish people; in fact, he had iniagineil that the people, instead of being- merely dis-5 satisfied with the abuses which had crept into the ad-7 rpinistration, were absolutely estranged from the per-J sons of their royal family; and that as the royal fa- mily must by that time have been already on the coast, if not embarked, he would be received with open arms, and considered as the guardian angel of Spain, and ternative: but the facilities for its execution on the part of their Spanish majesties were not so gn-at as in the former case, they being resiclei;t in liic very heart of their kingdom, far from any of their own sea- ports, and without the certainty of a Britisli squadron being ready to convoy them in their banishment, as had been the case in the former instance. To tiiis we must add the fears of the people, perhaps their love, notwithstanding all that had happened to shake their loyalty ; for it is well ascertained, that scarcely had tlie first reports gone abroad of the intentions of the royal family to abandon their capital and their palaces in its vicinity in order to proceed to Seville, than discontent and fear were exiiibited, in the most lively colours, in the features of alt the inhabitants of i\]adrid, and in short of all ranks and classes of per- sons. As the probaliility of the intended emigration became more evidenf, the fears of the people increased ; and, at length, a popular commotion took place, on the 17th and 18lh of March, like a sudden explosion; for there can be traced nothing like the formation of any concerted plan ; imieed, as it has been aptly said, the people merely seemed ac- tuated by a sort of instinct of self preservation. Immediately the in- famous Godoy was thrown into prison, as it was supposed that t/ie plan had principally originated wilh him, for the purpose of withdrawing himself, and some portion of that wealth which Jie had wrung from the people of Spain, or received from France for his treachery ; and, in fact, to save himself from tlie vengeance of an outraged and insulted people. 0(5 llFE OF THE MOST NOBT.E Insidious conduct of Alurat. and for tliat purpose he had already ordered Aiurat to advance with his army to Madrid. The French g-eneral judging the present circum- stances favourable to his master's cause, immediately advanced to Madrid ; giving- out, with true French finesse, that Buonaparte might be expected imme- diately at the capital, whilst the mysterious ob- scurity of Buonanarte's projects, and the proximity of his troops, all operated on the Prince of Astu- rias to make him anxious, at least for the present, to conciliate the good will of the invader. In fact, so very anxious was he to avert or to avoid any cause of displeasure, that after having communicated his accession to the throne in the most friendly, affection- ate, and even submissive, terms, he actually sent a de- putation of three of the first grandees to Bayonne, to compliment his Imperial Majesty in his name.* Murat now played his masterstroke of policy ; for, having possessed himself of the Spanish capital, he avowed that his political interference was now neces- sary ; and that until the Emperor acknowledged Fer- dinand VII. it was impossible for him to take any step that should appear like an acknowledgment of his right to the crown ; and that, in fact, he was under the necessity of treating- only with the former mo- narch. Those who had supported the son, certainly in opposition to the father, now saw the tables com- pletely turned, and too soon knew what they had to depend upon; whilst, to give some colour to it, Mu- rat listened to the solicitations of the King and Queen * To preserve the impression produced on the minds of all by the expected arrival of Buonaparte, Murat gave all the necessary orders for preparing apartments in the royal palace for so august a guest ; and the unfortunate Ferdinand was so alarmed at the expected visit, and at his own actual state of insecurity, that he wrote again to Napoleon, to say how agreeable it would be for him to be personally acquainted with his Mujestij, and to assure him froiTi his own lips of his ardent desire to strengthen more and more the alliance which subsisted bctweea Ih^p two nations, ' - - ' " MARQUIS OF \^E^.^NGTON, Yeiiiig Ki'.ig's joqj-ney ,^o Uajcyiiie. Queen to release tijeir favourite Godoy Jyf)m i^^^n-r uoninent. -/, ... In tiiis state of things, as Cevallos informs us in his very lucid exposition of those events, the youn^ iiionarcli made liis public entry into Madrid, unat-* tended by parade, but accoinpanie« of the v.(fc of a Corsicaa petty fogger upon the Throne of Spain ! ! This horrid scene has also been thus described by an English Ladv! " Words cannot describe the horror with which we have been sur- rounded since the lirst of this month ; the approaching storm was e.K- pecled ; but on the I'd, immediately after breakfast, it broke out in the most furious manner. Our friend T — had provided a retreat at his countrv house, about six miles distant, to which we wore to re- move that evening : but the storm overtook us, and stopped our jour- ney. The thunder of the artillery 'announced the business ; and, in a few minutes after, the whole male population of the city appeared in arms ; wherever a French soldier was discovered, he was instantly shot or cut down ; six of tliem were put to death under our windows : the scene was dreadful beyond description. After two or three hours' carnage, particularly in our great street called Alcala, a reinlorceincnt of Frenchmen poured into the town, and in their turn became the assailants ; our doors were burst open by liie defeated populace, and seven or eight of the inhabitants took re- fuge under the couches, and in different parts of the house ; but the French soldiers followed them^ and in my presence they most un- mercifully bayonneted tliose who had first entered the room, where Y and my children sat shivering with horror. The presence of a young French officer protected us ; and he had the humanity to continue in. the house the entire of this fatal day, to whom 1 certainly owe the lives of myself and children. All night the inhabitants were forced to illuminate their windows, and fifteen dreadful looking fellows took entire possession of the lower part of the Ijouse ; they soon broke open the --.-:=-K MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. -^^^ 185 Proclaraation of Buonaparte. monarch, dated at Bayonne on the 4th of May, to obey Murat as the Lieutenant-General and viceroy of the king-dom, by his new title of " Grand Duke of Berg," and his still newer one of " Cousin to th© King of Spain." Every means that could be taken to ensure the complete subjugation of Spain, and to prepare for the reception of the '' Intrusive King," were novtr put in force, not only by threats' of vengeance, but by all kinds of internal regulation favourable to the French cause. In aid of his designs, however, Buonaparte found it necessary to pay some attention to the prejudices as well as the wishes of the Spanish people ; and he therefore called an assembly of the Notables through- out the kingdom, who were to send deputies to Bayonne, for the purpose of forming a new constitu- tion ; and, in the latter end of May, he published a proclamation, in which he had the audacity to in- sinuate, nay, almost to assert, that he was commis- sioned from Heaven to reform their government, and to make them a great, a glorious, and a happy nation. " Your Princes," said he, " have ceded to me their rights to the crown of Spain. — Yo?ir na- tion is old ; my mission is to restore it to its youth." The farce of assembling the representatives of the Spanish nation at Bayonne, to confirm this cession, was now got up, and all the performers, or rather the puppets, went through their parts with great ap- plause. The Spanish nation, however, had now opened its eyes, and was not to be blinded, even by 8. 2 A the ihe cellars, which they pUuulcred, nor could the presence of the friendly officer prevent (hem. The following morning was a scene of horror; almost every person that passed through the streets was stain- ed with blood, and the dead bodies lay in heaps ; it was reported, ■nd I believe with truth, that Murat intended to erect some work* outside the town, (o batter It to the ground, in revenge for the lives cff his soldiers. Tliis, however, he abandoned. Next day we wenf tuffered to remove to Oiubro, &c.— " ]8G LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Spanish enthusiasili. the mang-uration of king Joseph, with a whole train of unworthy Spaniards at his heels, though some ol' them were of the first families in the country.* ' Nor were the patriots ot" t^pain even misled by the proclamations of their former princes, (who now, hur- ried as prisoners into the interior of France, were content to sign any thing, for the preservation of their lives,) but in a manner almost miraculous, not only in the provinces at home, but even in their most distant colonies, started up simultaneously, " as if moved by one indig'nant soul into an attitude of de- fence and defiance, and declared eternal war ag-ainsfe their perfidious and insolent oppressors; an event which certainly astonished all Europe : and no one, perhaps, more than the tyrant, who had treated them with so much contempt." The enthusiasm which burst forth in this country, in favour of the Spanish cause, both on the part of the government and of the people, is well remem- bered ; and perhaps never were the exertions of a g-overnment so universally applauded by a people as upon that occasion. In Spain, the insurrection^ as it was called, spread rapidly ; provincial juntas were established, which w ere soon resolved into one supreme central junta ; a friend\w, concert was immediately established be- tween the patriots and the various British naval and military * 1 !ie Ffciicii sesined determined tiiat the Buori;iparle family slioiild he boUi Heroes and Adonises, and the following was actually inserted in aypanisli newspaper under their influence. "The Diario de Man- resa lias stated in one of its numbers, that his Majesty Joseph the First is crooked, Utuie, and liumphacked. Doubtless nt;ilher lite graces of the body, jior any external accomplishments, ought to be rej^^irded as (judities which render princes objects of respect. We can assert, Jiowever, that our monarch is well pioportionecJ, thoutrh of a middle s'afure; and that to the tine qualities of the heart and tlie head, which eminently distinguish him, he -joins regularity of features, and a live- ly and ai^reeahle physiognomy. For the rest, this priiKie is known tiiroiighoul all France, and a great part of Furape, and will soon be eipially well known in Spain. Irj the mean time enough has i)een ijid in repi; to the el/VuiUcry ami falseliood of the Diario de Manresa." M A RQUM OfHvffitNGTON. J S7 11 ' General rcsistiince to tlie tyrant. 'military officers in the vicinity of Spain ; the g-rciit- est harmony prevailed amongst the various provinces ; and the French Heet in Cadiz harbonr was taken possession of. In Portug-al too the sacred flame of liberty be- o'an to spread, and was fostered by the judicious conduct of the British admiral, Sir Charles Cotton ; an alliance oft'ensive and defensive was entered into by the two regenerated nations of the Peninsula ; and the friendliest lelations were established bctweeu them and Great Britain. Events of the most important nature, previous to our taking" an active part, now took place with the g-reatest rapidity. In Andalusia, the battle of Bay- len, and the subsequent surrender of the French army under Dupont, gave great spirits to the patriotic cause, and the French imperial armies were repulsed by almost unarmed citizens in every quarter. From Valencia, General Moncey was repulsed with slaughter and disgrace; at Saragossa, * the 2 A 2 very * Without entering minutely into the details of the Spanish e\'^r- tions, we may notice a proof of the general enthusias)n on llie 15th of June, during the battle of h'aragossa. This was of the most desperate description. Tiie first assault of the French prothiced a sanguinary conflict of two hours' duration ; wliich was still of clDubfCuI issue, when the brave patriots became fuiious, and, witli irresistible impetuosity, fell upon their opponents, and gave no cjuarter to any that fell into their power. The result was a complete and signal defeat of the French army. The enemy having been reinforced renewed tli? attack on the 30th, and the action which ensued continued until tiic S?d of July, when they were again defeated with immense slau^liter. Several thousand women followed the brave patriots to battle, con- tinually cheering their husbands, sons, and broliiers, and ulterinu; senlinienls of the utmost detestation and abhorrence of the infamini* oppressors of their country. They carried witi) them fluggons of wine, with which tliey occasionally refreshed the fatigued patriots, l-'earless of death, many of them shared the perils of the conflict wi^Ji their heroic countrymen ; and, to the eternal disgrace of the enemy be it related, five of these virtu- operations against Dupont in An- dalusip, or else in conjunction with Sir Arthur Wel- lesley's army ; and as the Seville junta thought the aid of the British totally unnecessary for the formcv service, and Sir Arthur was very judiciously of opi- nion, that little could be expected from either hii^ -own force, or the smaller one of General Spencer, singly considered, he imme, wt-re left at Leyria ; and for the remainder of their march the British troops slept in the open air; which, indeed, as tlie weatiier was very fine, was not attended with any inconvenience. ■*" One infamous story of them is recorded, that but a few days be- fore they had used tlie bishop of the diocese with the greatest indig- iiity ; they stripped him naked, and tied him down in his chair, while they brought bis niece into the room, and treated her with such com- plicated violence and barbarity, that she died upon the spot, before tiie eyes of her venerable relation. This cruelty was committed in order to extort the church plate and other property which they supposed the bishop to be the depositary of. f Until their arrival at Leyria, the army regularly encamped every night, principally in the woods and vineyards. Sir Arthur purposely avoided the towns and villages which lay in his route, in orderto es- cape, as much as possible, putting the inhabitants to inconvenience. It may also here be remarked, that the troops, on taking up the ground for tlie night, were always encamped in columns, in their order of march, instead of the usual mode of encampment in line — by which much delay was avoided, both in encamping, and in breaking up for their march, and was on tlie wiiole much more adapted to the comfort and convenience" of tlie soldiery than the usual method. From the commencement of the march from Mondego bay, up to tlic gallant business of Vimiera, there was not a single punishment inflicted for strHggling or plunder, even of the minutest article. Kvery ed on by Colonel Laka. The enemy occupied the village of Colum- bera, situated on the principal road to Lisbon, and of course necessary for oMr jLither operations; After some skirmishing, and coder a heavy MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 203 Anecdotes of iJic action. Tlie position whicli tlie enemy now took up was a formidable one; but SirArtlmr immediately made dispositions ibr attacking' it; and the ridemen bcin^ 2 c -2 already ^re from the surrounding heights, we drove the French from this point ; but their principal position was on the heights of Rolfia, which overlook and overtop t!ie village. These were our next object; and, on comparison, Salisbury Craigs, (near Edinburgh,) will give you the nearest idea of tlieuj, vvith the exception of a few passages leading from the top. Our eiiterjirising airtas^anist-, you may be sure, had not neglected these; ainJ while climbing up tiirough briars and brush- wood, plied us successively with grape and nuisquctry. I commanded tlie riglit centre company, tiie fifth from tiie right ; each scrainbled up the best way he could ; and, on gaining the summit, I found several oniccrs, and about CO privates of the 29th, who were in front of nic: only one of my own company reached the top \v\th nie, the rest following fast. Here we lost that tlistinguished ornaiu/'nt of his pro- fession, my good friejid Colonel Lake, and many other gallant olli- cers, long my companions in the regiment. My poor private, the mo»- ment J)e stepped up, was also knocked down by my side : in the ago- uies of death, he asked leave to shake hands with me ; he was a good soldier, and few knew their duty belter. Upon advancing, we were immcdiatelv attacked by a French platoon of ninety men, uiiom we jrepealedly repulsed ; these were, however, joined by another of the same jiumber, who charged us with the hayo;iei, with whom we susr- /fained the unequal .:onfl!.ct ; but o^ir liule band being now considera- bly advanced in front, and reduced to Cj, .\]ajor VVray, Captain Ford, and myself, and our brave companions, were under the painful neces- sity of surrendering. Even this, however, did not satisfy the sangui- nary enemy, who seemed bent on bayonetting us ail. After many- narrow escapes. General Bcrnier at last came up, and with diflicully put an end to the carnage, and to the distressing scene aroimd of tiie dead and the dying. 1 have been oftener than once engaged with French troops, and my former opinion still remains unchanged ; upon any thing like equal terms, they have no chance with the British bay- onet ; so it would have been the case now. General Bernier, I under- stand, (lie was taken afterward at Vimiera,) is now a prisoner in Eng- land, where our countrymen ought to treat him with every possible at- tention ; he not only saved us, but the lives of many other parties. We were hurried away towards Lisbon, and put on board the ^'asco cic Gama in the Tagus, from which, by General Kellerman's Conven- tion, we were soon exchanged. Soldiers may mention their hardships, but never complain. I am now quite recovered, thank God. fn place of wounded, they were very nearly returning us all killed, con- sidering it inevitable. During the time we were prisoners, aijd l)efore the Convention was concluded, we dined with the Coiiimandcr in Cljief of the French army, General ^unot. The dinner service was all 204 LIFE OF THE INIOST NOBLE Anecdotes o( Colonel Lake. already in the mountains on bis rig'ht, no time was lost in assailing^ the different j)asses, not only for the support of the ritle corps, but with the hopes of a com- plete defeat of the French division. The British army resolutely advanced to the difTerent passes, which were all difficult of access, and some of them most obstinately defended by the enemy ; but nothing could withstand the inspetuosity of the British, par- ticularly of the 9th and ifUh regiments in the centre, who reached the point of attack sometime before those on the lianks could arrive up. * The enemy were now silver plate, &c. and the dessert was served completely in gnld. In short, it was the most splendid thing of the kind I ever sat down to. There Tyere about t\vei)ty French officers, liigh in rank, of the party, who ■were ail very attentive; General Junot iiim^elf was equally so. I jiever did enjoy more pleasure than when General Beresford ordered ine to march back at the head of PO British prisoners to the tahip, where we were joyfully received. Indeed, my own brave company- drew up, and gave iis three times three cheers. The army is still en- camped, and has suffered considerably from sickness, &c. * It was at this crisis that the gallant Colonel Lake, who had dis- tinguished himself so much with his father in India, fell in the very moment of victory. We have had occasion to notice this youthful hero, in the section respecting India ; but here we must further men- tion that George Augustus Frederic Lake was second son of that gal- lant, able, and distinguished veteran, the late Lord Viscount Lake, whose name must always be remembered with reverence and gratitude for his signal services to British India. This gallant youth was born in 1780, and entered the army at sixteen, at which early age he served as Aid du Camp to his father when Commander in Chief in Ireland, and was presi nt at the various actions of Castlebar, Vinegar Hill, an4 Ballynamiick, at all of which he displayed tliat resolute fortitude which was one of the marked features of his father's character on every occa- sion of ditiiculty or danger. At the nge of nineteen he obtained thq command of a company, and proceeded to Holland ; and in 1801 ac- companied his father to India, where he filled the arduous situations of acting Adjutant-General of t!ie King's Forces, and Military Secretary to the Commander in Chief, discharging their duties with the utmost assiduity and al)ility, and at the same time with great advantage to the public service. During this period, also, he held the office of De- puty Quarter-Master-General, in which he gave universal satisfaction to both officers and men. Colonel Lake returned from India with his father in !&07, and waa SOffU MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. oQS Defeat ol" llie enenij. now driven from all the passes which led up the mountains, and the British troops were advanced iu the plains on their summits, the i)th and 29tli * being; most in front, which two reiiiments sustained three most daring' and gallnnt attacUs made by the French troops in order to cover tlie retreat of their main body ; but though the assailants were, in return, as g-alhmtly repulsed, yet they succeeded in effectiuij tlieir retreat, princij)ally from the want of cavalry on the ])art of the British, and from the difficulty of bringing up through the passes a sufficient numl>er of troops and artillery to support those who had first ascended. In this affair Sir Artiiur Wellesley gave every cre- dit soon afterward appointed to command the 29th regiment of foot. lie embarked with General Spencer's expedition, and |)roceede(l for Gib- raltar and Cadiz, and afterwards to Portugal, where he tiius lost Lis life, at the head of the grenadiers of his regiment, gallantly repelling the formidable charge which liad been made on it by the French troops undfr General Bernier. He was shot through the breast, and never spoke afterwards. Major Campbell, aid-ducatnp to Sir Arthur Wellesley, was near him when he fell, and immediately went to him, expressing his hope that he was not seriously wounded. Colonel Lake lifted up his eyes, and took Major Campbell's hand, which he pressed with all his remaining strength, and soon after expired. His body was then covered with a cloak, and after the action was removed for inter- inent. When Major Campbell was passing, many of the wounded men of the '29th regiment called out to him, *' Never mind us, Sirl for God's sake take care of the poor Colonel !" In the whole course of this action, he displayed that ardent valour which so eminently dis- tinguished his father, and manifested a degree of professional activity ■which has ensured for him the lasting admiration of the army, and will transmit his name to posterity, as one who, on eve7-y service of emergency, had unifor.mly served his " King and Country," with He- JKEDITARY HoNOUR. * The gallant 29th regiment, on whom the brunt of this day's busi- ness fell, has often distinguished itself in America, and in other quar- ters of the globe. This band of heroes lost nearly 500 men on this flay; and they were part of the force of 4000 who were to attack the narrow pass, which from its situation, if well defended, nuist have been impassable. Nothing, however, could withstand British valour, which after a long and most bloody contest prevailed, but not until the French had a whole corps of git'nadjer* actually cut in pieces. ^Qf^ PFE OF THE MOST NOBLE i^Iovcments of the Freijch. <.lit to iiis enemy for the ability and celerity with which he defended his formidable positions ; bnt it must be remembered, that although the British army was superior in numbers, yet it was only a very small part of it that came into action. * Immediately after the battle of Iloleia, Brigadier-General Anstruther arrived from England with reinforcements, and the French bepfan a general movement, as General Loi» son joined Laborde at Torres Vedras, when they both began their march towards Lisbon, after which-Ge- neral Junot arrived at Torres Vedras with a small corps, and there was every appearance of a general junction of the whole French army between that place and the capital. * Tlie whole British returns were one Lieutenant-Colonel, two Cnp* tains — in all 70 killed; one Lieutenant-Colonel, three Majors, six Captains — in all 3;55 wounded. In order to appreciate the vast con- sequence of this victory, we mu)t recollect, that l)ad nqt Laborde's strong position been forced critically on this very day, |ie would, ac- cording to the best accounts, have been strengthened that evening by Loison's division, which was within a da}'3 inarch of him ; and it was jinown tliat Junot jiad left Lisbon with the same intention, with the yliole of his remaining force. As it w^s, it required all the ability displayed by the general hiiuself, and all the prowess of the British troops, to drive liim thence. How i|t might have turned out, had the whole French armv occupied such a position, it is not easy to deter- mine. Indeed, it must bp confessed, that both English and French fougiit on ihjs occasion as if every individual engaged wjjs fully sensi- ble of the absolute necessity, the one of retaining, the other of forcing, this important pass. The i)th and '^Uth foot wpre, on this t)ay, for some time exposed to ^he shock of the whole French force, they having been the lirst regi- inents who reached the heights. Three times were these gallant corps attacked in the most furious manner by an immensely su[)crior force of the enemy, and as oftpn did they repulse them ; till at length other corps iiaviiig surmounted the heights, came to th»'ir relief, which en- abled them to compel their adversaries to retreat. The positions taken up by the Conjmander in Chief, his mode of attacking the enemy, and the wiiole of his subsequent mancuvres, were the admiratiop of the wiiole army ; whilst his personal exertions and activity appeared almost incredible. Wherever was the hardest fighl-j ing, there was the general to be seen ; and to his personal gallantly DO small proportion of the glorious victory may fairly be ascribed. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 207 Advance to V"iiiiiora. On the iNtli JSir Arthur VVelleslcy heard the in- vouiiible intcliiirence of the division of the Britls4l forrc (dispatched from Harwich) under Brig-adier-Ge- nerfil A»istruth(7r, bein^' off the coast of Peniche. He according'ly marched to Lour.nho, about eight mdes distant from Vilhi Verde, inclining' towards the sea, in order to cover the landing of tlie uevvly arrived force, and to effect a junction; both which measures being completely effected in the evening' of the 19th, on the 20th Sir Arthur advanced with a striuigth of nearly 18,000 effective men, in pursuit of the enemy, and took up his ground that evening at the village of Vimiera, * which he occupied. In the evening of that very day, Lieutenant-Gene- ral Sir Harry Burrard f arrived from England to take the command of the troops in Portugal, until Sir Hew Dalrymple should join from Gibraltar. General Burrard had left that part of the expedition which he commanded * Tbe village of Vimiera is situated on a valley witli the river Ma- ceira running through it : at tiie back, and to the westward and north- ward of this village, there is a mountain, the western point of which touches the sea, whilst the eastern is separated by a deep ravine from the heights, over which passes tiie road leading-froni Louriniio and the northward, to Vimiera. On this mountain, the greater part of the British army was posted ; and on the southern and eastern sides of the town, the riflemen were posted, near a h'tll which was entirely com- manded from the main position of the army, and which at the sanw time Gonunanded all tlie vicinity to the south east. The road to Lou- rinho passed on its left; but it had not been occupied, as the camp was only taken up for one night, and there was no water in its vicinity. The cavalry and the reserve of artillery were in the valley between the faills on which the British infantry were posted, so as both to 3ank and support the advanced guard, t Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Burrard, at his first entering the army in 1776, held a commis;;ion in the 60fh Royal Anicncans, In wliich regiment he served seven years ; he was thence promoted to tf«i majority of the 14th foot. In these regiments he saw much active ser- vice, both in America and the West Indies. In 2 789, he exchanged into the first regiment of foot guards, of which he soon after became Lieutenant-Colonel. Since that period, he served under the Duke of York in Flanders; and at Ostend, (where he was taken prisoner,) wa"? second in command under Major-General Coote. He had a brigade ia Holland, and also served in the expeUitioa against Copenhagen, ^0^ ttt?E OP f HE MOST NOBIE Action of VTiiiiera. fomviiiinded some days before, in the care of Sir John JMoore, and came himself in a fast sailing' vessel to the coast. Having- had communication with Sir Harry on board, Sir Arthur, in the belief that he would be attacked the next day by the enemy, ordered the troops to be under arms at sunrise on the 21st. After the affair of the 17th General Laborde had fallen back upon Torres Vedras, a tolerably large town, 21 miles north of Lisbon, on the day of his de- feat, having- retreated in the whole about 17 miles, and was joined in the evening by General Loison. General Junot arrived there on the following day ; and thus the whole French force being concentrated, they determined, as Sir Arthur Wellesiey had fore- seen, on attacking the British at Vimiera. The English troops were under arms, agreeably to their orders, by break of day of the 21st; but the French not aj)pearing, they were allowed to take some refreshment. About seven o'clock, certain in- telligence of the approach of the French having reached the Commander in Chief, the generate was beat, and the whole army assembled in a moment with a regularity and quickness most admirable, and with an ardour to be led against the enemy which no danger could damp, actuated as they were by truly British feelings, and the utmost confidence in the skill of their leader. There being still time, Sir Ar- thur altered his position, and took that in which he determined to await the attack of the enemy, about a ttiile in front of the village. The French first appeared at eight o'clock in the morning, in large bodies of cavalry on the left, upon the heights, and on the Lourinho road ; and the eye of the British general soon decided that their object was to nnike an attack on the advanced guard, and upon tln^ left of the position ; he, therefore, ordered General Ferguson's brigade to move across the ra- vine with three pieces of cannon to the heights on the Lourinho road, wiiere he was followed by other bri- 8 gades, iVIAROTTTC at: WTTT T TXr.TON'. 9.0Q MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON-. JOJ) Repulse of the French gades, which all formed with their rioht mwn the viiiiey which leads into Viiniera, and their left upon the other ravine which separates those heights froni the raiis^e towards the sea, and on which the Portu- guese trooj)s were posted, supj)orted by Brigadier- General Craulurd's brigade, ^^ir Arthur considering that the advanced guard, on the heights to the South East, was sufficient for theii- defence, Major-General Hill was ordered with his brigade as a support to* the main body of infantry in the centre, and to serve as a reserve for the whole line ; and in aid of this the ca- valry were drawn up in their rear. The enemy's at- tack now began in several columns upon the whole of the troops on the height in the centre ; and on the left they advanced, notwithstanding the fire of the rifle- men, close to the oOtli regiment, and were only check- ed and driven back by the bayonets of that corps. The second battalion of the 43d regiment was also closely engaged with them in the road which lead?* into Vimiera ; a part of that corps having been or- cuated by tlie Frencii, and taken possession of by the British troops. The British admiral. Sir Ciiarlcs Cotton, under those circumstances felt himself justified in entering into a convention with the Russian admiral Seniavin, by which the fleet of that nation, consisting of nine line of battle ships and one frigate, were surrendered, to be iield by England as a deposit until six months after the conclusion of peace between Russia and England ; and measures were immediately taken for their being sent to Spithead. Most certainly the Portuguese, who had been pilhiged in a most shameful and outrageous manner by the French, did not feel pleased with this convention : for as it expressly declared that all the property .belonging to the individuals of the French army was to be considered as sacred ; anil that they might eitlier dispose of it in Portugal, or carry it away under the name of baggage, the most shameful and ra-. liacious pillage of the Fortuguese took place very soon after its rati- ficatioti MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 217 Anecdotes ol' Vimiera. It must be confessed that the general regret and indignation of the whole nation was raised by this 10. 2 E Convention fication. It was also discovered that the Frencli officers, so far from discountenancing and repressing those shameful proceedings of their men, rather encouraged them in it. In order, therefore, at once to protect the Portuguese, and to keep the execution of the articles of the Convention to their proper and just meaning, it was absolutely ne- cessary to appoint commissioners, who might determine what was, and what was not, private property. One of the most pleasing circumstances which resulted from the vic- lory of Viiniera, and the consequent liberation of Lisbon from the yoke of the French, was the freeing from bondage, and restoring to their country, the Spani>h troops which Junot had ordered to be dis- armed, and to be confined in the vessels in the Tagus. The day on which their arms were delivered to them presented an interesting and grand sight In order that this act might be performed with the magnihcence vviiich was justly due to it, all the British and Portu- guese troops were assenjl)ied on tht; occasion. The sword of the Spa- nish general was delivered to liim by General Beresford, witli an ap- propriate address, in which he congratulated himself on the honour which had been allotted him of delivering to a Spaniard, and there- fore a man of honour, that sword of which he had been deprived by the artifice and violence of the foes of his country; and which, now that he had regained it, would undoubtedly be employed in its de- fence. As soon as the officers and soldiers were put in possession of their arms, they pronounced a solemn and unanimous oath never to repose till they had seen their beloved Ferdinand re-established on the throne ; and for hin), their religion, and their country, to conquer or die. It may truly be said, that a battle more important in its consequences was never gained by England i — whether we consider the beneficial effects which must result from it, being not less than the recovery of an entire kingdom from the grasp of the common enemy ; — its raising the national character to the height it must do in the eyes of all Europe, a circumstance of the uimost value in the then, as well as in the present, state of the world, and more to be appreciated than conquest itself ; — and the consequent debasement of t-lie military ciiaracter of the enemy. Again, if this battle were solely to be estimated by the military talents of the commander, the zeal and good conduct of the officers serving under him, and tlie individual bravery of every soldier who fought, it will stand second to none which the annals of England commemorate. In the determined fierceness of attack, impetuosity, and obstinate resistance of the enemy, British troops have rarely been so opposed. "On the whole it was a great and glorious day for Old England, and binds upon the brow of the general, who led her heroes to the field, a vrrealh of laurel as fresh as it is unfading." ' in 518 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Military anecdotes. Convention to a great height. In fact the throne was besieged as it were with petitions from all parts of the In this action, indeed, as in that of Roleia, the want of cavalry was much to be deplored ; as this deficiency alone prevented the victory from being as decisive as it was brilliant. In spite, however, of this deficiency, the loss of the enemy cannot be computed at less than 4,000 men, and nearly all his artillery. The French had. in the field about 15,200 men, of whom 1200 were cavalry ; but this latter force by no means distinguished itself, not having once come to a charge in the course of the day ; but its position and numbers were formidable, and it contributed to keep in check a considerable body of the British troops, occupied in watching its movements. The boasted French artillery on this day was served in every respect far inferior to that of the British. Indeed, it is impossible to convey an idea of the precision with which the latter was directed, and the execution that it made in the ranks of the enemy. The Shrapnel shells (whose name is adopted from their being the invention of Colo- nel Shrapnell, of the artillery) in particular made dreadful havoc among the ranks of the French.* The honour of the French military character was, however, for some time nobly supported by its infantry. Their mode of attack was in column ; a mode of warfare which they have hitherto successfully practised against the Austrian and other troops of the continent. On this occasion, however, it entirely failed. So far from obtaining the object of this manoeuvre, that of penetrating (he English line, and taking it then in flank to the right and left, they never approached near enough for the British bayonet to act, without having their heads of columns invariably broken, and the whole thrown into confusion. AVhat also contributed materially to their defeat was the scientific manner in which the English General met this species of attack. The French army advanced in three large columns, in such a manner, as to bring them all to bear upon the British left and centre. Invariably as each advanced, and independently of the resistance it met in the front, it was taken on the flanks by the fire of corps advanced for that pur- pose, by a small change in their position ; by which means they lost a surprising number of men before they could put it to the bayonet. In fact, * These shells are made so as to contain about 100 musquet balls ; and are calculated to explode at given distances, on which they in- stantly spread death and devastation around. Indeed so much were the French dismayed at the effects of this novel instrument of war, that many of the grenadiers who were made prisoners declared that they could not stand it, and were literally taken lying on the ground, or under cover of bushes and the high banks of some ditches in the fieW of battle. 7 MARQUIS OF WELLLVGTON. 219 Further anecdotes. the kingdom, calling" strenuously for an enquiry into the motives, which could have led to the transaction. 2 E 2 Much fact, in no case did the French come to the resort of this latter weapon, that they were not instantly broken, not standing its push an instant. The advance of the enemy to the attack was impetuous, and even furious. As they appfoached, they saluted tiie English with every op- probrious epithet whicli their language is so eminently fertile in. While on the contrary the latter, in derision, clieered them as they ap- proached.* Before the action, General Junot harangued his army in the follow- ing laconic terms — "Frenchmen! there is the sea. You must drive those English into it 1" In fact they did their utmost for three hours and a half to obey his orders, but never during that time made the smallest impression on the English line, although they repeatedly ral- lied, and tried every thing which could be effected by rapidity ^of movement, and particularly of attack. At length wearied out and beaten, they were forced to give way in every direction, and were pursued oft" the field of battle by the British infantry for a distance of three miles. Numerically speaking, it must be confessed that the superiority of troops was on the British side; but (hen, as otherwise observed, not more than yOOO of these were ever brought into action, whilst every Frenchinan was engaged: for when the French retreated General Hill's brigade which formed the second line of the British, and were destined toreceive the enemy in case they had penetrated the first, had not fired a single musquet, were quite fresh, and might have been led in pursuit of the enemy immediately, if such a manoeuvre had been judged proper, according to Sir Arthur Wellesley's suggestion. In short we may now say, agreeably to the very interesting stric- tures which appeared on the occasion, in more than one periodical publication, and to which we are indebted for much of this animadver- sion, that the battle of Vimiera was decided by superior generalship in the leader, and superior bravery in the soldiers — -every manoeuvre was practised in it which could arise out of the combined and various movements of attack and defence ; repeated change of position oc curred on both bides, and the palm of victory was at length the prize of * Theirdress was singular. It was blue, with white facings ; over the whole of which was worn a white woollen surtout somewhat like a waggoner's smock frock : their caps were square like tiiose of tlie Hu- lans, and they had goat skin knapsacks. 1 heir musquetry was through- out formidable, particularly that of two bwiss regiments in their ser- vice, who behaved most gallantly. The voltigeurs were upon the whole good, but far i;iferior in activity and real service to the English xifiemeo. 2-20 I'lFI^ 01*' THE MOST NOBLE Conduct of tlie General. Much clamour was also attempted to be excited against Sir Arthur Wellesley, although he was no longer of him who best deserved to wear it, after a long and arduous conflict of nearly four hours. On this glorious and ever memorable day, the most conspicuous cir- cumstance connected with it is, doubtless, the conduct of the British Commander-in-Chief, as well from his rank as his responsibility — on him every thing turned— to his conduct every one looked — the good or the evil which might result from the expedition was referred to him alone. It is proper further to remark, that, during the whole of this period, Sir Arthur never went under cover at night, but always slept on the ground in the open air ; he was the first up, and the last down, of the whole camp ; sleeping constantly in his clothes, and his horse picquet- ted near him, ready saddled, to be mounted at a moment's warning. During the whole of this anxious period, he was cheerful, affable, and easy of access — enduring every privation himself, he was atten- tive to the wari^ts of all; and ever active to obviate them. Of his dispositions in the held notice hiis already been taken. In personal bravery he has been rarely equalled, never excelled. Con- spicuous by tht Mar of the order he. adorns, he was constantly in the hottest part of the action ; whenever a corps was ^o be led on, from the death of its officer, or any other unexpecttjtjvcause. Sir Arthur was <»n the spot at the head of it. " Is it wonderful then," is asked in the very perspicuous eulogiuni from which we have selected so much — " Is it wonderful that such a man should be the idol of his soldiers, and the admiration of his bro- ther officers ?" These sentiments were universally shewn, when he was cheered by the whole line after the action of the 21st, exclaiming "This glorious day is our old GeneraPs^' — and when congratulated by the general officers on the victory, they all eagerly ascribed it to him, as " Exclusively his own !" * Previous to the departure of Sir Arthur Wellesley, he received from the General officers a present of a piece of plate, of the value of one thousand guineas, and a similar one from the field officers serv- ing * It is v.-orthy of remark, that from the day on which he took the com- mand of the army, until the day on which he resigned it, but three desertions took place ; — those wore all from the 5th battalion of the 00th, a rifle corps; and the parties were foreigner-!. Those men were caught and delivered up by the Portuguese to the English Provost Mar- shal ; but were released without punishment, in consequence of the deportment of the corps to which ihey belonged. In presence of the whole army, Sir Arthur thanked them for their uniform gallant con- duct, and restored them these men, without punishment, as the best reward he could bestow on them. I MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 221 Convention ol Cintra, long-er CominaucJer-in-Chief when it took place; but, said those who thoni?ht projier to lay the blame on him, " he was the officer who signed the preliminary articles." To this his advocates answered, That he had merely signed those articles by order of his su- perior officers ; '* but then," replied his calumniators, " why did not he object to the business entirely?" Before we enter more into the historical detail of the consequences of the Convention,* we shall, how- ever, make one or two observations, which will per- haps set this part of the question at rest. In the first place it is well known, that Sir Arthur. Wellesley, on many occasions, expressed to his friends in private his disapprobation of the Convention ; we cannot, therefore, suppose that he was active in its formation ; and to the charge, that he did not hint any disappro- bation when in consultation with the other Generals, that is certainly nothing more than a bare surmise, and must fall to the ground when the facts of the case are considered. When the proposals were first made by Junot, through the medium of General Kellerman, it is evi- dent that the preliminary articles were sent ready written in French, and that they were not drawn up conjointly iiig under him, " as testimonies of the high esteem in which tliey held him as a man, and of the unbounded confidence they placed iu him as an officer." * It is also a curious fact that the opinion of the people of Enghind, previous to the corTimencemeiit of the operations in Portugal, did not extend further than to a capitulation on the part of Junot : nay tliere was even a government bulletin posted at Lloyd's, on the lt)th of August, stating that " Generals Wellesley and Spencer had formed a junction, and landed all their troops. A summons had been sent to Junot, who proposed to capitulate on certain conditions : to which how- ever, Jiis brother oflicer. General Laborde, would not consent" — and in a popular military publication of that day, it was added (The Star) " It would appear to be his most judicious proceeding to capitulate, as it would be Sir Arthur Wellesley's policy to accept it, and to grant him easy terms. His position is so strong that lie miglit hold out a long time, and it is for the interest of our allies, iliat our army should be ^])eedily released from this service that it may proceed on another." 222 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Sir Arthur's share conjointly l)y tlie two iieo'ociators, Generals Welles- ley and Kellernian. All, therefore, that Sir Arthur Welle.sley had to do, was to receive the French pro- posals, to lay tlieni before the British Commander-in- Chief, and to obey his orders to sign them as a basis for furlhitr discussion, for the formation of a defini- tive convention.* This was an order which he could not disobey; an order which involved him in no re- sponsibility. But when these preliminary articles were to be acted upon, what was the case? — why, that 8ir Arthur no longer continued as the neg-ociator, but was superseded by Colonel Murray, when the final articles were drawn up in English, still evidently upon the skeleton of a French projct, as appears from the attacht^d observations of the English Commander-in- Chief. Now, nobody ever thought of charging Colonel Murray with having done wrong in signing and ar- ranging the fnial articles, a business too which Sir Arthur Wellcsley had declined ; if so, still less can any * Tlioiigli we Iiave hazarded tlie speculation, and certainly not an inipropcr one, that Sir Arthur Wellcsley in signing the preliminaries acted only us tin agent, we feel it but justice to all parties, to state more fully, that vvlu'i) Sir Hew Dalrymple staled to the court that he had been grossly aspersed in the public prints, to serve, as it would seem, the CHuse of a more favoured officer, &c. and that he now pledged him- self that Sir Harry Burrard, Sir Arthur Wellcsley, and himself, were present with General Kcllerman when tiie pretimimries were discussed and settled, and (hat Sir Arthur Wellesley bore that prominent part in the discussion to which the important situation lie held in the country, the glorious victory he had litily obtained, and the information, more particularly of a local nature, which lie possessed, so well entitled him to assume — Sir Arthur with great candmir replied, that he regretted exceediniily that any thing should havt' appeared in the public prints vyhich cmild be supposed to h;»ve the effect of serving him at the ex- pense of the conduct or character of Sir Hew Dalrymple; and he dis- claimed, in his own name and that of his relatives and friends, any approbation or knowledge of such sentiments. He then added, " that he had agreed with the Commander-in-Chief on ih*; principle e( those articles, though he had differed from him in some of the details ; Ae fiad Ji/giied the preliminuriex at the desire of Sir Hew Uairi/mjjle, but not in consequence of any coniinund or compulsion. '*^ MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 003 in the Convchtioii. blame possibly attach to the latter tor merely g'oing- through the official forms of the acceptance of a pro- jet in order that it might be discussed. In fact, he had no right to refuse its acceptance in the first place, and when desired to sign it according to official form, he must have been guilty of disobedience of orders had he refused, having already voluntarily accepted the office of negociator. It is evident that no blame, therefore, could attach to him individually in this business as an active agent; but had he even approved of its principle, even then, it is a question of opinion whether the transaction was blameable or not. liideed, the mem- bers of the board of enquiry soon after instituted, who were certainly the best qualified to judge of the business from having the whole evidence !)efore them, and from their military habits of life, even they wera divided in opinion, with regard to its expediency.* * During the progress of the inquiry, on the srd of November, Sir Arthur VVellesley found it necessary to enter more fully into his own vindication, particularly after tlie delivery of a written paper bv Sir Hew Dalrympie ; and he then stated that the force lie commanded consisted of 13,000 men, and he was taught to expect the aid of 6000 Portuguese " the French army comprisea 20,300 men, and was in pos- session of the fortress of Elvas, which in strength was inferior to none of the second class in Europe ; yet he felt conrident that the Britislt force was competent to advance against tiie enemy, and bring ihe contest to a successful is, their positions Jiad been but littk^. altci-ed from those of the summer. Their rioht was to the ocean, the left on Arrag-on, and the front towards the Kbro, strength- ened lately by reinforcements from Frjuice, and par- ticularly by 100,000 conscripts, hastily collected by Buonaparte ; who, having made his arrangements at home, quitted Paris for Spain, leaving the British ambassador to dispute about a basis for peace, whilst he himself was hotly pursuing his new war. He pro- ceeded rapidly foi* Bayonne ; aiKl on the ?id of No- vember, with a reinforcement of l-:j,000 men, joined his brother Joseph at Vittoria."^ The plan of the Spaniards at this precise moment was, * Tliis now flying usurper is the elder brotiiec of the Corsican ; and was, before the revolution, a clerk to a petty attorney, the same pro- fession which his father followed after being, promoted by Monsieur de Marboeuf to the rank of avocat, or king's attorney : though he had formerly been a i)rivate soldier. That 5/ie upoitk oi liberty and equality, Miss Helen Williams^ at- tempts to prove that Buonaparte, both by father and mother, is of no- ble orii^in ; but the fact is, (as declared in a work published at Genoa, in 1744,) that w hen on thtf 3d of May 1.7SG, Porto Vecchio, in Corsica, was attacked during the struggle for Corsitan liberty, a butcher from Ajaccio, calletl Joseph Buona, brought a seasonable assistance with a banr) of vagabonds and robbers, who during tlie civil wars had cho- sen him for tlieir leader; and (or which he was raised by King Theo- dore to the rank of a nobleman: or, more prupcrly speaking, z gentle- man, being entitled to bear arms ; for at that time, and indeed even .i)ow in many parts of Europe, njankind were classed solely as noble .and ignoble, every man who iiad a right to a coat of arms being reckoned noble, and the intermediate English term of gentleman being unknown.!, Ou iWisprotnotion, Buona added parte to Ins name, and his son Carlo was father of the present race of Buonapartes by Letitia Raniolini his ivijc, but the mistress of General Marbcuuf. 'I'he grandfather Cailo, from whom the young Carlo took his name, kept a winehouse ; but, being accused and convicted of riiurder, died a gaily slave at Genoa in ri'2+, and Uis lady died there six years after- wards in the house of correction! MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 035 Anecdotes of N< _y. was, with the risrlit and left wing's of their grand army to turn the Hanks of the French force, whilst Castarios should make a vigorous attack upon, and hreak througii, their centre. This seemingly judicious design was accordinglyactcd upon ; andCastanos, with the central arp.iy, crossed the Ehro at three difterent points, the French only making a show of resistance j nor did they prevent him from pushing forward de- tachments, and taking possession of Lerin, Viana, Capporoso, and othei-s of their own posts, on the left bank, or north side of the Ehro. He was even al- lowed to advance to Pampeluna, whilst the French only mancEuvred so as to hide their own intentions. In fact, in pursuance of this deep laid design. Mar- shal Moncey had orders to advance with the left wing of the French array along the banks of that ri- ver, not to oppose the passage, but by presenting a weak front to decoy Castanos to cross it^ nor did the stratagem fail of success, (thougli it is possible C-as- tanos would have crossed without it,) for it threw Castanos off his guard, when Marshal Ney,* with 2 G 2 " his * Marshal Ney is amongst tlie most respectable of tlu- FrencL marshals, having originally served in the 4th regiment of hussars, wliere he rose, through tiie difierent gradations, to the command of a cotnpany in 1794, at wliich time he attracted tlio notice of General Kleber so much, that he appointed h;m Adjutant-General to his army: yel, even then, lie was conscious of his own military deticiencies, so that, when appointed to a command at Montreuil, he applied himself to remove his own deficiencies with so much ardour as to manoeuvre his troops for wliole days together, until his ofticers openly said in de- rision, " We are going to give the Marshal (tliis was in 1800) a re- hearsal of the lesson he received in private with his ivoodcn men. He doubtless takes us for men of iron." ! and Buonaparte having also remarked that he had twice as many sick as any other corps, recom- mended hi!ii to complete himself night and day in tlie closet, and " na'^onably well with his troops.* He seems, howcvLr, not to have taken so mncli pains with his owa manners, but is still rude and unpolished j and of his private charac- ter it is enough l(j say, that when in 1800 lie commanded tlie army of the Rhine he was accompanied by a young lady, who was con- sidered as his wife. She enjoyed that title for three years ; and, ia- deedj 23(5 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Don Julian. his division passing the line of the Ebro, and dash7 ing forward with great celerity, in separate columns, took the Spamsh posts of Legix)no and Calahorra, threw the whole country into alarm and confusion, and cut off the communication between the two armies of Blake and Castanos.* The first operations of the French were now di- rected against Blake's army, which was successively driven from post to post during the latter end of Oc- tober and the beginning of November as far as Espi- nosa, where, having taken up a strong position, this, the Gallician army, was forced to make a stand in or- der to save its magazines and artillery, but in vain ; for, after a brave resistance of tv^o days, they were obliged to retreat with precipitation. During this con6ict at Espinosa, a detachment was deed, her birth, her fortune, and education, were far superior to that of her protector, who had the viliany to turn her off, and accept of a helpmate from the seraglio of Bnoinaparte, as a step for his laddei* 'of ambition. He is now Duke of KIchingen, and as well skilled in pluii- der as any of his associates. * Nothing can be more illustrative of the general spirit of Spain than the following anecdote: Julian, a native of San Felices dos Gallegos, was nothing but a sim- ple herdsman ; but under the direction of the general of the district, he with six other youths, on horseback, and with no other arms but pikes, formed a little party to molest the patroles of the enemy, which in different parts of Castile were plundering the inhabitants. He was so far successful, that, in a short time, he made 100 cavalry prisoners^ which were conducted under escorts to Ciuclad Rodrigo. Subsequent to this extraordinary success, Julian was made an ensign, and he re- ceived orders to augment his party to the number of fifty men. Their plan was to give quarter to none, except to such as gave information by •which the enemy could be annoyed. ' .- On one particular evening when he had joined the Spanish force in front of Marshal Ney, Julian proceeded to the vanguard with his fifty pikemen, and rushed upon 70 French dragoons, who had se- parated theriiselves from the main army, three leagues upon a fo- raging party. Of these he killed 60, took 4 prisoners, and only 6 es- caped, 'I'hese and many other acts of personal valour he performed, until he attained the rank of captain, and that without the loss of a single; ineraber of his corps. MARQUIS OF WFLLINGTON. 337 Spanisli defeats. was sent against the last retreat of the Gallician larmy, Keynosa, wliere a considerable force was es- tablished. At break of day on the llth of Novem- ber, they were suddenly attacked on both their rig^ht, left, and centre. They were forced to consult their safety by flig-ht ; throwing* away their arms and co- lours, and al)aiKloning their artillery. After this un- fortunate business, General Blake, with the remains of his broken army, took refuge in Asturias, whilst what remained of the corps of Romana, which had formed a part of this Gallician array, fled into the northern parts of that province. The Spaniards, however, were so closely pursued by Marshal Soult, that the van of his army entered St. Andero on the 16th of November, forcing- the bishop of that place to take refuge on board an Eng-lish frigate. Before the 23d of November the French had routed and dis- persed the armies of the north of Spain, and also that of Estremadura, under the command of the young Count of Belvidere, who having- been insi- diously permitted to proceed as far as Burgos, and to occupy it with his army, was then attacked by supe- I'ior numbers, his army routed after a gallant resist- ance of twelve hours, and almost annihilated ; he himself, with the small remains, flying- to Lerma, and from thence to Aranda. The invaders, thus at liberty, directed their whole force against Castanos; and, on the 23d of Novem- ber, bringing him to action at Tudela, g-ave him a signal defeat, thereby opening the road to Madrid; on which route, on the 29th of November, a force under the command of General Victor took posses- sion of a most difficult pass in the Sierra J\Iorena, called the Puerto, though remarkably well fortified, and defended by 13,000 Spaniards. On the 1st of December advanced parties of the French appeared before Madrid, at which period the inhabitants were busily employed in raiding pal- lisades, and constructing redoubts, expressing- a de- termined 238 J^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Surrender of ]Mlies: but this we shall notice more at larcfc, presently. d On MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 239 Anecdotes of Sir John Rloore. On the 4th Moria and another went to the French army, were introduced to Buonaparte ; and, after some threats of an assault, and other manoeuvres to cloak the apostasy of these traitors and others of their friends in the Junta, the city was given up, the Junta ])laced in various situations, and Morla se- cured both in his fortune and military rank. Such was the state of affairs in Spain, previous to the events connected with Sir John Moore's army, which we shall now briefly trace.* To * Sir John Moore was a native of Scotland, and wassonof Dr, Jolin Moon; so well known in the republic of letters by bus travels over great part of Europe whilst tutor to the Duke of Hamilton, and for several very interesting novels, Zeluco, Mordaunt, Edward, &c. but who was settled at Glasgow as M. D. when Sir John was born. From this amiable? parent, he received the rudiments of an education that was matured and perfected by him also at a subsequent period, he having at an early age instilled into him those generous and heroic principles as well as that ardent love of freedom, which warmed his own bosom, and was never extinguished, or even debased, by his constant resi- dence amongst, and habitual correspondence with, the great. Daring the tour alluded to, young Moore was then companion of his father, and was also much respected by his father's pupil, with whom l>e lived for many years, amidst all those early and eiKlearitig scenes which knit the hearts of young men to each other. On their return in 1778, young Moore commenced his military ca- leer, as Ensign in the 15th, regiment of foot, in which he soon ^fter acquired a Lieutenancy ; and, after passing through all the gradations in doe urder, became Lieutenant Colonel o\' the 40th, after which he obtained the rank of Colonel in the army, and rose to that of Major General in 1798, The first opportunity he had of distinguishing himself was at Toulon, being then Lieutenant Colonel, and being then selected by Lord Hood to accompany Major Koehler on a secret and confidential mission to Corsica, iu order to form a union between that Island and Great Britain. In the sul)sequent attack upon the French posts in Corsica, in 1795, Colonel Moore was detached to seize on Fornelli, wiiich he accom- plished, but with considerable difficulty ; for notwitJistanding that his attack was sudden, and that his troops had dragged a howitzer and a six-pounder over mountains extremely difficult of access, yet tlie tov>er itself was to strongly situated to be taken by a coup de main, being a lofty circular work, with the only entrance at least forty feet from the ground, and standing upon a detached cnruicnce on the borders of Saij. 240 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Sir John Moore's services. To illustrate the liberal and patriotic spirit of this g-allant general it is sufficient to say that on his arrival in San Fiorenzo bay, and not far from that city. Undaunted by diffi- culties he still persisted in his attack, and the seamen of the fleet soon got up four 18 pounders, a large howitzer, and a ten inch mortar, over precipices and ragged rocks to a height of 700 feet, when the place •was certainly no longer tenable, yet the officer commanding chose to stand an assault which Colonel Moore made in the evening of the 17tli of February, himself advancing at the head of his column, and cut- ting down a French grenadier with his own hand. His subsequent conduct at Calvi was no less gallant; for then he marched to the attack of one of the strongest works with a body of troops with unloaded musquets, stormed and took possession of the ramparts, under a severe discharge of musquetry, and grape shot, equally regardless of the fire of small arms, the roaring of cannon, and the bursting of shells. Although severely wounded in the head, yet he entered the enemy's works, in company with the brave grenadiers, whom he led, and was embraced at the close of his victorious assault by General Stuart, the conqueror of Minorca, who was an adequate judge of that gallantry, for which he himself was so much distin- guished. After the surrender of Corsica, and the subsequent arrangements had taken place, he was appointed Adjutant General ; but he seems to have been on rather indifferent terms with the Viceroy, and was soon after recalled for more honourable and active service, being promoted to the rank of Colonel in the army, and ordered for the West Indies under the gallant Sir Ralph Abercrombie, where he served as Briga- dier General during the long and arduous campaign of I7y6. Here he distinguished himself much at the capture of the Dutch colonies in South America, and also at the reduction of Saint Lucia. On his return to Europe he accompanied his old general to the Haider, and afterwards commanded the right wing of the British army whilst the enemy advanced against them in their cantonments ; and there he was a second time wounded. After this service, he went to Egypt with the same general, and commanded the reserve of the army on the memorable landing in Aboukir bay on the 7th of March 1801. The position of the French, who were posted on a commanding eminence, was admirable ; but no sooner had his boat approached the land, than the Major General leaped on shore; and, placing himself at the head of his brigade, climb- ed the fortified eminence, and charged in his usual manner with the bayonfct. Such intrepidity proved irresistible; for the French retired towarcis Alexandria, and General Moore next day received the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief for his gallantry. Li the subsequent action of the 21st of March, when Abercrombie fell, he distinguished himself once more whilst leading on the reserve, agaiDst RIARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 24 1 Charactel of Sir John Moore. in PortLigal which touk place utter the battle of Vi- miera, he was warm in his praises of Sir Arthur 11. 2 H Wellesley> against which the principal attack oif the enemy was.directed ; and the gallant Hutchiiisun in his oflicial letttr observed, that the troops con- ducted by him behaved with unexampled spirit, and resisted the im- petuosity of the French cavalry, and tlieo added that " Major Gene- till Moore was wounded at their heafi, tliough not dangerously. I regret, however, the temporary absence from the army of this highly valua- ble and meritorious officef, whose counsel and co-operation would be io highly necessary to meat this moment." He recovered in time, however, to a'^sist at the siege of Cairo, as ■well as of the castle of Marabout, .md after Alexandria had been re- duced, and all the French in Egypt had submitted, was appointed to escort the capitulating army to the place of embarkation. <.)n his re- turn to England, he had a command on the staff in the Kelitish dis- trict, and in 1805 was sent to the command in Sicily, from whence be- ing recalled he went to Sweden, where his services are well known, and from thence was ordered for Portugal and Spain, where he fell ! ! His character cannot be better drawn than in the general orders of the Commander-in-Chief at home, on the 1st of February 1809. " bir John Moore from his youth embraced the profession with the feelings and sentiments of a soldier ; he fell that a perfect knowledge^ and an exact perforinance of the humbi**, but important duties of a subaltern officer, are the best foundations for subsequent military fame ; and his ardent mind, while it looked forward to tho^e brilliant atchieve- ments, for whicfi it was formed, applied itself with energy and ex- emplary assiduity to the duties of that station. " In the school of regimental duty, he obtained that correct know- ledge of his profession so essential to the proper direction of the gallant spirit of the soldier; and he was enabled to establish a characteristic order and regularity of conduct, because the troops found ia their leader a striking example of that discipline which he enforced ia ©thers. " In a military character, obtained amidst the dangers of climate, the privations incident to service, and the sufferings of repeated wounds, it is difficult to select any one point as a preferable subject for praise ; it exhibits, however, one feature so particularly charac- teristic of the man, and so important to the best interests of the ser- vice, that the Commander-in-Chief is pleased to mark it with his pe- culiar approbation. " The life of Sir John Moore was spent among the troops — *• During the season of repose, his time was devoted lo the care and instruction of the officer and soldier; in war, lie courted service in every quarter of the globe. Regardless of personal consideratioi.s, he es- teonieJthatto which t is couuUy called him, the post of honour, and 242 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE British arrangements. VV^ellesIey, and absolutely declared to vSir Hew Dal- rymple, that he wished to wave all pretensions de- rived from his seniority; and that as Sir Arthur had done so much, it was fair he should take the lead in the operations against Lisbon, and if the good of the service rerjuired it, he would execute any part that was allotted to him, without interfering' with Sir Arthur's orders. Sir Arthur Wellesley having applied for leave of absence to return to England, after the convention, and Sir Hew Dairy m pie being recalled, the com- matid devolved on Sir Harry Burrard, who very soon requested to resig-n^ when the ministry at home judg^ed it best to invest Sir John with the command, and on the 6th of October 1808, he received dispatches from London with this appointment. Previous to this, it had been intended to send a British force into Gal- licia; but the transports being' employed in carrying Junot's army to France, means had been wanting-. Now, however, the plan was resumed: Sir John Moore had orders to send the cavalry by land, and a discretionary power to send the infantry and artillery by such mode of conveyance as was most rapid and practicable. At the same time he was informed that le5,000 men mider General Sir David Baird were to join him from Corunna. Finding- on enquiry that the march of the expected force mider Sir David Baird would fully occupy all military means at Corunna, Sir John gave up all thoughts by his undaunted spirit, and unconquerable perseverance, he pointed the way to victory, " His country,the object of his latest solicitude, will rear a monument to Jiis lamented memory, and tlie Commander-in-Chief feels he is paying the best tribute to his fame, by thus holding him forth as aa example to the army." All his brothers have risen to eminence in their professions. One is the present gallaut Graham Moor* whose aame will always Uve iij the Ib^itl^h naval annals. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 243 Military plans. thoug-lits of sending- any part of his force by sea ; and tlie Spanish g-overnnient liaving- deputed Colonel Lopez, an officer in their service, and one well ac- quainted with the country, with its roads and re- sources, to assist the British arniy on its march, to establish ma^'azines, and to make all the necessary arrang-ements with Sir John Moore, he not only cou- firhied the intelligence respecting- Corunna, but also pressed Sir John, in the name of the Junta, to march by land; assuring- him that if he went by sea, one half of the army would never be able to proceed from Corunna, through want of necessaries.* The difficulties Sir John met with, eren in the out' set, were great in the extreme. He found the Portu- guese entirely ignorant of the state of the roads even in their own country, though they all agreed that it ■was impossible to transport artillery over the moun- tains, which form the northern boundary of Portugal ; intelligence confirmed by British officers, Mho had l?een sent or a tour of inspection: so that as equip- rnents could not be procured at Corunna, nor food on the road by Elvas, nor artillery conveyed by Almeida, he was absolutely forced to divide his army, part of the artillery going' with the cavalry through Spain, the remainder of the three divisions proceed- ing by different routes through Portugal. The different regiments of each division followed each other in suc- cession to facilitate the march ; Sir John intending that the whole of the troops coming from Portugal should unjte at Salamanca, and that Sir David Baird 2 H 2 and * When the question took place whether they sliould ^iroceed in a northerly direction, tjirough Portugal to Almeida, or should take the great eastern road to Elvas, and thence march through Estraniadura, it was found that the whole coukl not he subsisted on the road by Elvas, no magazines having previously been formed for such a bocty of troops. Nay, when the Spanish Commissary General was consulted on this subject, and when the qyantjty of meat required by the Rrilish army Vfas explained to him, he computed that were they to be supplied witlj the rations specified, in three months all the oxen would b^ con5miie4| (»pcl very few ^logs would jbe left ia the country. 244 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of General Hope. and General Hope* should either join there or at VaUadolicl : and the several divisions being moved off, Sir John Moore left Lisbon on the 27th of Octoberj just as the Grand Spanish armies, as alregidy observed^ were commencing" their plan of operations against the French army north of the Ebro. The expectations from this army, at home, found- ed on the known gallantry and skill of its commandi^r, were certainly very high, and Sir John's brother ii^ liis vindicatory narrative cannot be accused of exag- geration, when he says, that during this period the Spanish and English newspapers were busily employ* cd in reporting the enthusiastic patriotism of the Spaniards, and in asserting tliat all ranks, young and old, had taken up arms, were eager to rush upon their enemies, and determined to die rather than submit to a treacherous, cruel, and impious invader; for such was the spirit of the proclamations of the various Juntas, all vying with each other in magnanimous €xj3ressions. He then adds that the British government, not trusting implicitly to such authorities, sent officers and agents into the various parts of Spain, who rivalled each other in reporting the universal ardouc of the country, to which full credit was then given, and the British army dispatched into Leon, to parti- cipate * The ancient Scottish family of Hope has been distinguished in every period of national history, so that we may consider the gallantry of General Sir John Hope as hereditary. His early military habits vere formed during active service in America; and, what is more to liis credit, he, with Moore and Stuart, was almost the only officer that escaped the deadly contagion of gaming, then so prevalent in our transatlantic army. In 1796 he accompanied the lamented Aber- crombietothe West Indies, and behaved most gallantly at Grenada, and afterwards at St. Lucia in 1196, where he served as Brigadier General. During the remainder of the war, he was upon every active expedition; and at the commencement of our operations in Portugal was sent out on that service, proving himself a worthy disciple of tliC ^chool of Abercrombie, MARaUIS OF WELLINGTON. 245 March of ihc Brilisli. cipate in the glory of expelling the French from the Peninsula. ^yithout entering deeply into the controversy ou this subject, we may just observe that there was cer- tainly an evidently good basisfor tliese sanguine hoper, ; and that although circumstances unfortunately tended to defeat the plan of co-operation, the Spanish armies being almost annihilated before Sir John Moore^s advance into the country, still has the per- tseverance of Spain, and our late brilliant successes, sufficiently shewn that the physical and moral ])owers of that country were fully adequate to the expectations formed, if they had been properly directed. In passing through the Portuguese territorj'-, the troops behaved with such order and regularity, as to form a striking contrast to the cruelty and rapine of the French arn>ies. The people in consequence were civil, but still there were considerable difficulties in finding a sufficient supply of provisions for such aa army. There was also a great \yant of money, pro-, ducing many inconveniences ; for it had been errone- ously supposed that government bills would have been accepted ; and at Guarda, even the chief magistrates refused to procure provisions vyithout regular pay- ments, whilst the peasantry, as indeed might natm*ally be expected, refused any dealings with paper money: and it is stated that although Sir John Moore was usually entertained with politeness at the houses of the nobility, and saw little appearance of a French party, yet he was surprised to observe the slight interest which the Portuguese took in public affairs ; they were indeed in general well inclined, but very hikevt'arm. It is no doubt then that the Spaniards at this mo- ment had perhaps too great a confidence in their own strength, and judged too hastily of the possible powers and exertions of their enemies ; but it is stated that the correspondence which Sir John Moore lield with men of candour and discernment, and who re- ^ sided 24(5 tIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Sir Diivld Baird. sided upon the scene of action, tended to confirm him more and more in his conviction, that little or nothing was to be expected from the exertion of the Spar niards themselves. He appears indeed to have ad- vanced in direct opposition to his own judi^ment ; but it may still be a question, whether his final want of success in his advance may not in some degree have proceeded from his own despondency, which is so strongly marked in many of his letters, and which, particularly in his subsequent retreat, may have pro- duced those effects which his known gallantry and uu- dannted s))irit would otherwise have prevented. The difficulties of the march still increased ; and, riotwithstanding the situation of affairs, it appeared impossible to correct the dilatoriness of the Spanish administration ; so that when Sir David Baird* arriv-p fed at Corunna on the ISfch of October, the Gallician Junta actually refused permission for the landing of the * Sir David Baiifl is another of those heroes >v\liom Scotland has produced for the defence of the British Empire, being descended from a very ancient family in the Lothians with an estate of 8,000/. per annum in the possession of his eldest Brother, who, though entitled to the rank of a Baronet, has not thought proper to assume it. To write of Sir David liimself, a volume would scarce suffice ; and it has been well said of him, that he is aGeneral who, more than any officer of the age (perhaps with the exception of the Marquis of Wellington,) has seen war in all its possible varieties; a^ General to whom experi- ence has taught caution, most happily tempered in herqic gallantry by a judgment that seldom errs. Like all or most of o\.\x modern heroes. Sir David began service du- ring the Amciican War, having gone, in 1 779, to India, as Captain in the 73d regiment, of which he and one serjt.-antonly now survive. Whilst in that country he saw much hot scrvic--, particularly in one action with a considerable, and indeed overwhelming, force of the enemy, •when the Grenadiers of his company fought with such determined heroism, that many of theni were still seen loading their last car- tridge after both their legs had been shot away. The few who remained, however, after the slaughter, were made prisoners, and Captaii^ Baird carried to that fortress which he afterwards so gallantly stormed. His subsequent services arc too well known, in Egypt, at the Cape, ice. 8(c. to require notiicej iudeed tlje vpry euDpef atiop of them oqly ;would nil a page. MARQUIS OF WELTJNCxTON. 217 Advance into Spain. the troops! The astonishment of Sir David at this ex- traordinary circumstance may easily be conceived 3 he had, however, no alternative, but to send oti" expresses to Madrid and Lisbon ; though he at last obtained leave to disembark, but with such a cold reception and such a total absence of all exertion in preparing- his equip- ments, that he actually wrote to Sir John Moore to enquire whether the Supreme Junta had yet g-ivea permission for British troops to be admitted into Spain. In the early part of November Sir John Moore by rapid marches had reached Atalaia: in fact he found greater facilities than he had expected ; for, though the roads were certainly very bad, still were they practicable for artillery ; though such was the extreme ignorance of the Portuguese, that instead of procuring any of them for guides, British officers were obliged, from station to station, to reconnoitre, and actually to trace out the route. The previous misin- formation was also the more to be regretted j as othei-wise, General Hope's division miglit very well have been brought by this route along- with the rest of the army. The troops now reached Almeida by the 8th of No- vember; and, though it rained incessantly, they march- ed on cheerfully in spite of the weather, and behaved extremely well, notwithstanding the inhospitality of the country they were marciiing through. The ap- pearance of the country, however, and the manners of the people, improved greatly on first crossing the boundary line between Portugal and Spain ; for the advantage was greatly in favour of the latter ; parti- cularly at Ciudad Rodrigo, where the army was re- ceived with shouts of *' Viva los Ingleses !'* On the 13th of November, Sir John Moore arrived with the advanced guard of his army at Salamanca; and there he halted, intending to assemble all the troops coming from Portugal, before he should push further into Sj ain j a plan more particularly neces- sary. 248 LIFE m THE MOST tottt Advance of the Frencli. : 3-J ! -V- •■■■■■■ ■' . -J--- ' ■■ . . ^ . - sary as he had just then g-ot intelligence of the farte of the army of Estramathira, ah-eady mentioned.* Sir John had only been two days at Salamanca, when he was informed by an express from the g"over- nor of the province, General Pignatelli, that the French army had advanced and taken possession of Valladolid, which is only twenty leag"iies from Sala- manca. At this period, Sir John was only with his advanced corps, in an open town, three marches from the French army, withotit even a Spanish picqnet to cover his front, althongh he had been promised that his march into Spain should be covered by a force of sixty or seventy thousand men ; and his own force con- sisted * The opinion of Sir John Moore respecting the cause in which he •was then engaged may be drawn from a few extracts from a letter to Lord William Bentinck, dated the iSlh of November. " I am sorry to say, from Sir David Baird I hear nothing but com- plaints of the Junta of Corunna, who afford him no assistance. They promise every thing, but give nothing — we find no difficulty with the people; they receive us every where well. But the authorities are back- ■ward, and not like a country that want our assistance. The officer you mention to have been sent to Sir David Baird (ravelled by slow journies asif in profound peace; and, consequently, arrived too late, and when little wanted. The head of Baird's column is this day at Astorga ; but had they waited for the said officer, it would have been still at Cofun- na. The Spaniards seem to think" that every body should fly b«t themselves. 1 differ only with you in one point in which you say the chief and great obstacle and resistance to the French will be afforded by the English army. If that be so, Spain is lost. The English amy, I hope, will do all which can be expected from their numbers ; but the safely of Spain depends upon the union of its inhabitants, their enthu* slasm in their cause, and in their firm and devoted determination to die, rather than submit to the French ; nothing short of this will enable them to resist the formidable attack about to be made upon them. If tbey will adhere, our aid can be of the greatest use to them ; but, if not, we shall soon be outnumbered, were our force quadrupled. I am, therefore, much more anxious to see exertion and energy in the govern- ment, and enthusiasm in their armies, than to have my force augmented. The moment is a critical one — my own situation is particularly so — I have never seen it otherwise; — but I have pushed into Spain at ail ha- aards ; — this was the order of my government — and tlie will of the people of England. I shall endeavour to do my best, hoping that all the bad that may happen will not happen ; but that, with % shajce of bud^, \»'C shall also have a portion of good fortun*." MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. .249 Uifticulties of Sir John Moore. sisted of only three brigades of infantry, without a single gun, as the remainder were moving- up in suc- cession, but could not be expected under kss than ten days. Decisive measures were instantly necessary ; for if the French advanced in force, he had no option hut to fiill back on Ciudad Rodrigo ; the country in which vicinity, being very poor, could not long afford subsistence for the troops ; and if he should even retreat into Portugal, his situation would scarcely he improved. He, therefore, assembled the Junta of Salamanca, and explained to them the situation of affairs, calhng on them to make such sacrifices as the occasion re- quired, and stating the necessity of his having carts and mules, should it be necessary to retire. All this was listened to with calm acquiescence, and the whole party seemed to hear of the generous intentions of the British, and of the destructive ravages of the French, with equal indifference. He therefore found himselt forced to depend on his own resources, and sent orders to Generals Baird and Hope to concentrate their di- visions, to advance with all speed to Salamanca, but to be on their guard upon their march. At this crisis, Mr. Frere had arrived as Minister- Plenipotentiary from Great Britain, and Mr. Moore laments that he unfortunately had acquired all his no- tions of Spanish patriotism and politics in London, and that his prepossessions were nuich too strong to be effaced by the observations of his predecessors, or even to be altered by the most opposing facts. It mustj however, be observed, that if Mr. Frere was too san- guine in his hopes, there were many others who were too despondent in an observation fully justified by sub- sequent events, and which may be considered as m i some measure illustrated by a letter of Mr. Frert/s of S the 13th of November, to Sir John Moore, in which ' he says, " the fixed spirit of resistance, which, with- out calculation of danger or of means, seems to have "H- I 2 J rooted 250 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Junction of the British. rooted itself in the minds of the people, appears supe- rior to any reverse;" thus fully exemplifying- what in some measure may be applied to their subsequent con- duct.* Sir David Baird did not reach Astorg.i until the 19th of November, and then only with part of his in- fantry, having* had to encounter a thousand deficien- cies, and to struggle with difficulties entirely new to him, meeting with a variety of obstacles in his pro- gress, and receiving but little aid from the Spaniards; in overcoming them. From Astorga, Sir David thought it imprudent to advance ; and, in an official letter, he said, " We have no kind of support to ex- ' pectfrom the Spaniards, who are completely dispersr. ed and driven from the fiehl ; and if I were to move * forward the infantry I have at present here, I should necessarily expose myself to be beaten in detail, withr out a chance of being able to oppose any effectual re- sistance." Lieutenant-Geoeral Hope, who had proceeded by the Elvas road, had already done wonders ; for, not- withstanding his toilsome march, he, by indefj^tigable exertions, and good arrangements, had provided for the subsistence of the corps under his command; and had brought them into the vicinity ot" Madrid. Yet, npon the whole, the situation of affairs in Spain wa,s becoming evidently more and more critical ; and every account sent to Sir John Moore, by those whom he considered as men of sound judgment, was filled with statements of the Spanish government having most unwisely * A curious circumstance mentioned in Sir John JNIoore's own journal, and highly illustrative of the honour and integrity of tlie Spanish cha- racter, deserves notice here, " Lord Proby was at Tordesilias reconnoitring, when a patrole of French cavalry came into the town. They stayed some time. Every liian in the town knew that Proby was there, for he had been two days among them ; yet not a man betrayed him ; and when the cavalry left the place, and his lordship came into the street, they all testified their satisfaction, and declared that, though they had no arms, they would Jiave died rather than have allowed him to be taken. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. So! Anecdotes of Sir John Moore. unwisely concealefj their desperate situation from their ally. Under such circumstances, it is perhaps not surpris- ing- that Sir John Moore, as well as some other of his officers,should have viewed the Spanish cause with des- pair; yet subsequent evenis have shewn, that the hopes of the more sanguine have been far from being- dis- a])pointed; and that, though Spain may have been tar- dy in lier exertions, she was not more so than what naturally resulted from the general state of society in that country, and from her habits and prejudices; for ithough a pti'ople may be simultaneously roused to ac- tion, it will still require time to produce a unity of laction in all cases where the spirit of enthusiasm does ;not immediately operate.* The defeat of Castanos's army we have already mentioned ; the intelligence of which arrived at Sa- lamanca on the 28th of November, and totally dark- ened the aspect of affairs. Whilst this army remain- ed, there stiil appeared to Sir John Moore a hope of 2 1 2 resist- * III making these observation?, \vc profess, al the same time, the highest admiration of liis military talents, and give him every credit for the indefatigability of his exertions at this crisis. IJis occupations were indeed too important and pressing to admit of a moment's relaxa- tion, and the quantity of business he transacted may be conceived from the manner ia wliich his time was daily employed. He always rose between three and four in the morning, lighted his fire and candle by a lamp which was placed in his room, and employed himself in writing till eight o'clock, when the officers of the family were assembled for breakfast. After this meal, he received the general officers, and alt persons with whom he had business; and the necessary orders were issued. Ilis pen was frequently in his hand in the forenoon also ; for he wrote all his letters himself. He always rode before dinner for an hour or two, eitiu-r to view the troops, or lo reconnoitre the country. His table was ptetitiful ; and the company varied from fourteen to twenty officers. He was a very plain and moderate eater, and seldom drank more than three ol* four glasses of wine, conversing with his officers witli great franknecs and cheerfulness. His portfolio was usually open again before he went to bed; but, unless kept up by business, he never set up later than ten o'clock. By this regularity and assiduity, all his affairs were transacted wit]i -order, u»d '•'HU'out procrastination. 252 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE I'roposed retreat. resistance in the north of Spain ; but now he gave up all expectations of it, considering it evident that if Buonaparte chose, as might be expected, to push for- ward his advanced corps upon him, his junction with General Hope would be very doubtful, and that with Sir David Baird impossible. For tliese reasons, he at once took the resolution of withdrawing the army from Gallicia and Leon, and of assembling it upon the banks of the Tj^gus ; the proposed ad\*antages of which measures were, that the whole British force would be collected, and united with upwards of 10,000 men more, who were left in Portugal.* In the>mean time he thought it possible that all the scattered corps of the Spanish array might fall back and concentrate, and there receive such new levies as might be raised in the southern provinces ; which, when assembled, might still form an army capable of making a stand, and to whose aid the British might then move forv/ard in a formidable body. He consi- dered, that if the Spaniards had constancy to hold out, and fortitude to continue the contest, an opportunity would still be afforded them ; for in the south all their energies might be put forth, and effectual assistance afforded them bV the British army ; or should theii' armies even be repelled in these efforts, still secure re- treats vs'ere afforded them in the protection of Cadiz and Gibraltar. Indeed it appears from all his corres-^ pondence that it had always been a favourite plan of Sir John Moore to commence and carry on the mili- tary operations from the south of Spain. Sir * It is but fair to acknowledge that the magnitude of the force under Sir John Moore increased his difliculties of transport and of subsistence. It has been asked, however, " liow comes it then that much larger French armies were supported?" The answer is obvious — tlie French were in an enemy's country, and helped themselves to whatever could be had ; when we, being in tiie country of an ally, were obliged to pur- sue a different line of conduct. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. o.^jj Military anecdotes. 8ir Joliii now took- the resolution of retreatinir without waiting- for any further communications from the British ambassador, and the fate of Castanos con- vinced Iiim that the situation of his army admitted of no delay. He tiien assembled the g-eneral ofiicers, and shewed them the intelliM infantry and 2450 cavalry; their artilleryy in- deed, was niniierous, but of" a very small calibre ; for, mcliiding' a brigade of three pounders, it amounted to iifty o-nns. Sir John Moore, now joined by General Hojoe's division, was anxious to unite with Sir David Baird, nnd to endeavour to prosecute the war in the north of Spain, instead of retiring upon the Tagus. Ill this crisis his brother ?;ays, and we are disposed to give liim full credit, that Sir John knew that the passes of Somosierra and Guadarama were possessed by the French, and that an attempt to force them would be destructive ; yd if he continued w here he was,, or only guarded the frontiers of Gallicia, every thing valuable in Spain would be quickly subdued. The first of these, therefore, he rejected as rash, and the other as futile ; but he formed and executed a plan for stopping the progress of the French, and re- lieving Srain, Avhich has been highly admired by masters in the art of war. " This will be gradually developed." But as he found that the Spanish gene- rals who liad been deputed to him were rpiite incapa- ble of discussing a plan, or giving him any advice, he thought it impiudent to confide his intentions to them. He considered it most advisable to trust no one with his designs, except the government, and the generals commanding armies, who were to co- operate witli him. Yet one of those " incapable" generals wrote to him on the 7th of December to say, " For if, instead of uniting the two divisions of your army with the army of the Marquis of Romana at Zamora, or some other point that may impose upon the enemy, you j)ersist in putting your design in execution, you will inmiediately occasion the destruction of Spain, and perhaps your excellency will be under the necei" aity of embarking for Enylandr That MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 857 Firsl encounter in Spaia. That Sir John Moore, however, did intend to con- nect himself with the Marquis of Romana, is evident from his letter to that officer ; as well as from his sub- sequent instructions to Sir David Baird. In the morning of the 8th Sir John Moore received intelli- gence from the gallant Colonel (now Sir Thomas) Graham, that the enemy had got possession of the capital, l)ut that the Junta concealed the fact as much as possible, cimipletely softening down the principal fact, and making it appear that Madrid had, instead of surrendering, only entered into a kind of armistice with the enemy. This Sir John neither absolutely believed, nor did he totally discredit it, but again considered himself compelled to make every effort in his power for the relief of the capital, and according- ly advanced from Salamanca. The movement was made from the left flank by brigades, towards the Douro. The reserve and General Beresford's bri- gades were marched to Toro, there to unite with the cavalry under Lord Paget, whilst Sir John Moore moved with the remaining divisions towards Torde- sillas. Sir David Baird was directed to push on his brigades to Benavente ; and the whole being united, it was proposed to proceed to Valladolid, with the view of threatening the communication between Ma- drid and the French territory. Even on the 12th of December, Sir John was still ignorant of the absolute submission of Madrid, and had hopes that his movements might be of use towards the saving of that city : and on the very same day Brigadier-General Stuart whilst moving from Arevolo with the 18th and German dragoons, having got information that a party of French cavalry and infantry had got possession of a village called Rueda, he attacked it in the night by surprise, with a party of the 18th light dragoons, and killed or took pri- soners almost the whole of the detachment. This •was the first encounter of the French and British in Spain J and the march of the British had been so well 11. 2 k concealed 2;>8 LIFE OF TFIE MOST NOBLE Aiifcdotcs fif Lord Piiget. concealed that the French were astonished to find that there were any English troops there ; the pri- soners dechiring' that it \\as imiversaily believed they had retreated. The intelli<»ence soon after received, thongh unfa- vourable as to Madrid, still afibrdcd some consolation to Sir John, in finding" that Buonaparte believed he was retreating- ; but as it was evident that Soult's corps was much stronger than had been i-epresented, he considered it no longer advisable to march to Yalla- dolid, lest Sir I)avid Baird should be attacked iu forming- his junction, but thought it preferable to move to Toro, thus commencing- that retreat which afterwards ended so unfortunately for the g-eneral cause, thouofh certainly without diminishing- the lustre of the British arms. Sir John INToore, however, still had hopes of bein^ able to meet with Soult in his march towards Sir Da- vid Baird, and that, if possible, before he could re- ceive any reinforcements, and before any French corps should be pushed forward on his right flank tu endanger his retreat. To pursue Sir John, though the whole detail of his inanccuvres is not exactly part of our plan, it is suf- ficient to say, that in his further advance, he was checked by the retreat of Romana, and by the little, chance of an}^ further Spanish co-operation, although his own force amounted to 2JJ,000 infantry, and up- wards of 'iOOO cavalry *, Ilomana** * On the '"Joili of Dccrmber Lord Paget, by a will concerted niovenieiit, attacked and del'calcd the advanced guard of (he enemy's cavahy at isaliagun, to tlic miniher of about TOO. At this period the head-quarlcrs of tlie French were at Majorga, but llie cavalry and horse aitillery were advanced to Monabtero Melgar Abaxo, williin three leyi;in-s of Sahagtm. 'I'he weather was extremely cold, and the ground covered with deep s^iow ; yet J.ofd I'agot resolved to cut oJitlie above-mentioned detach- aien(, and atTcordingiy marched at two o'clock in the inorning, and uent Cciiei'^l Sladc with the lOlh hubsarj along Ihe Cca to enter the MARQUIS OF Wl'LLIXGTON. 2,50 Plans of l}iioi)npHrte. Romaiia's force was, however, at leni^tli brought so forward as to iiuliice Sir John to direct a movement on their part in the latter end of December, whilst lie should make a proposed attack on the enemy ; Sonlt having" his force of 18,0(K) men concentrated , behind the river Carrion, and the head columns of Junot's corps being between Vittoria and Burgos. But an influx of intelligence soon convinced Sir John, that the French reinforcements were advanc- ing, rapidl}^ and that Buonaparte was fully prepared : accordingly the forward march of the troops was in- stantly countermanded *. Sir John, therefore, pre- 2 K 2 paripg town, wliilst he proceeded towards it in another direction with the 15tU dragoons and horse arlillcry. His lordship approaciied to the place at dawn, and surprised a picquct : but two or three men escaped, and gave the alarm. He puslied forward, and discovered the enemy formed up, not ^r from the town. The two corps manoeuvred for some time, each endeavour- ing to gain the Hank of its opponent. At first the ground was unfa- vourable to the British, particularly from llie situation of a hollow; but, by superior skill, his lordship surmounted this difliculty, passed tlic licllow, completely out-manceuvrrd tiie enemy, and charged them at a favourable moment, when the French, having wheeled into line, very injudiciously awaited the shock. lieing unecpial to this, they were over- thrown in an instant, and dispersed in every direction, many killed, with two Lieutenant-Colonels, and 157 prisoners ; the wliole Britisli Hussars not being more than 400 ! The gallant Lord Paget (now the Earl of Uxbridge) was des- tined in very early life for tlie army, after receiving his education at Westminster School, and spending a siiort time at Oxford. To trace him through^ibis. various services on the continent would be to ''detail almost cverji . ition which happened there; it is enough to say ■that he is now esttiel »''sd one of the best cavalry ofhcers we have, a fact fully proved by his conduct during Sir John Moort''s retreat, when in this long interval, and against a vast superiority of force, the French arn)y bteing 70,000 strong, of which tiie British fell short by 30,900, yet still the latter had the advantage in every rencounter. In fact the rear guard, and covering cavalry commanded by Lord Paget, were never broken ; and the main army was thus enabled, unmolested by the enemy, to continue their arduous march : so ihat as loijg as the name of Moore shall be remembered, so shall the skill and gallantry of Paget I * The plan of Buonaparte was certainly t'.iat of a great general : its particulars 260 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdote of Buonaparte. paring- for the danger, calculated the time; but to frustrate the plan v<'as forced to continue his retreat, which he was silently, but busily, occupied in pre- paring for on the 24th of December, when the whole disposable force of the French army, forming" an irre- gular crescent, Mas marching with rapid steps to en- viron his army. To accomplish this favourite object, says Sir John's brother, Buonaparte stopt his victori- ous career in the South, where there was nothing- capa- ble of resisting him. Lisbon and Cadiz would have yielded as easily as Madrid, and those must be san- guine indeed, who can believe that any further re- sistance would have been made in Spain. He then proceeds to observe, that the bold measures adopted by Sir John Moore arrested the immediate subjuga- tion of the country ; for though he had intelligence sufficient to induce him to retire, still he had not learned the whole amount of the force that was marching against him, and was resolved not to be alarmed into a false step, nor retreat one step further than was absolutely necessary, as he wished to defend the Gallicias if possible.* Several particulars were evidently disclosed by his movemeiris ; but exact in- formation has also been obtained through Major Napier of the 50th regiment, who, having been aftLrwards stabbed in the body by a bayonet at the battle of Corunna, and wounded in tlie head by a sabre, yet gallantly defended his life, until qaarter was promised to him. When a prisoner he was treated most handsomely by Soult, and dJned with Marshal Ney frequently, who, as well as C leraULa horde, and other officers of rank, frankly told him the desij ;and sentiments of Napoleon. When Buonaparte first received intelligence that the British were moving to the Douro, he exclaimed, " Moore is the only general now iit to contend with me; I shall advance against him in person !" Accordingly, orders were sent to Soult to give way if attacked, to de- coy the British army to Burgos, and to push on a corps to Leon on their left flank, whilst Buonaparte himself moved rapidly with all the disposable fores from Bet)aven(c, thus expecting to surround the British with 60 or 70,000 men before they could possibly reach Gal- Jicia. * Whilst on the heights of l^iigo, on the 17th of January, the French attacked MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 261 Anecdotes of JNIajor Roberts, &c. Several skirmishes took place during the early part of the retreat*, and on the 27th the rear guard cross- ed the Eslar, and blew up the bridge. The retreat seemed now a determined measure ; but we shall wave all observations on it, only ob- serving, that whenever the British army stopped, or whenever there was a slight affair of detachments, their conduct was always highly meritorious, though it appears from Sir John Moore's general orders, that there attacked a division of the left wing ; and a body of them having pene- trated up a lane, drove a few of our light troops before them, and turned the flaHk of tlie picquet of the 92d regiment. On this Sir John Moore, who was near the spot, rallied a few, and led them back, when Brigade Major Roberts, passing Sir John, huzzaed the men for- ward, and charged the French, himself shooting one man. He then rode into the lield on their flank ; and, having gained their front, or- dered the officer to lay down his arms; but he refused, and directed his men to fire, which they did, but missed the major, who imme- diately fired and shot the officer. He was then fired at again, and two bullets passed through his right hand, whilst returning a pistol he had discharged ; to its holster case. Two more passed through his cloak, and another cut in two his horse's bridle ; yet he succeeded in repelling the party, after which he was obliged to have his hand amputated on the field. In this business the French had eighty-three killed and wounded, and 125 made prisoners ; whilst the whole British loss was the major wounded, and two privates killed. * On the 26th Lord Paget fell in with a detachment of the advanced guards of Buonaparte's own army at Majorga. His lordship immedi* ately ordered Colonel Leigh, with two squadrons of the lOth Hussars, to attack this corps, which had halted on the summit of a steep hill. One of Colonel Leigh's squadrons was kept in reserve ; the other rode briskly up the hill ; on approaching the top, where the ground was rugged, tlie colonel judiciously reined in to refresh the horses, though exposed to a severe fire from the enemy. When he had nearly gained the summit, and the horses had recovered their breath, he charged boldly, and overthrew the enemy ; many of whom were killed and wounded, and above a hundred surrendered prisoners. Nothing indeed could excel the coolness and gallantry displayed by the British cavalry on this occasion. The 18th dragoons had signalized themselves in several former skirmishes : Captain Jones, when at Valencia, had ventured to charge 200 French dragoons with only thirty British, when fourteen of the enemy were killed and sIk taken prisoners. 7 262 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of General Stewart. there were some individual cases which required no- tice*. When Buonaparte had assembled his whole army at Astorga, to the amount of 70,000 men, and per- ceived, by the masterly arrang-ements of Sir John IVIoore, that it was no longer possible to intercept him, he desisted from his personal pursuit, and con- tented himself with detachint]^ three marshals, with as many divisions, to follow the British closely, and to destroy them either before, or during their em- barkation at Corunna, to which place Sir John Moore judged it most prudent to proceed |. It is an un- pleasant '•■ During this retreat a gallant atchievement of a small party of ca- valry deserves particular notice. It appears, that the British in their retreat over a river had blown up the bridge; but the French cavalry discovered a ford above it, where tliey crossed. ^J hey then formed, and were nearly double the number that coiiJd be brought against them. Our brave countrymen rejoiced at the sight, and forgot the dis- parity of numbers. They advanced smartly upon the enemy, who stood to receive them ; and at a short distance fired upon the British. General Stewar,t, who commanded, then advanced beyond his iioe, and gave the words " Draw !" — " Charge !" The British roshed on ; the French received them firmly; aud for a quarter of au hour the clasi) of sabres rung like a peal of bells. General Stewart was op- posed to General Le Febvrf, whom he made prisoncy. Several other French officers also were taken, and a great many men fell on both sides. But here, as on the plains of Maida, British courage proved more firm and determined than that of the P'rench. The proud Imperial guard, (the officers of wliicii declared they had never before been beaten,) gave way before an inferior number of British dragoons, and retreated across the ford. At this moment, three cannon were bpoiight to btar upon them, and the broad river was disco-lo«red with blood. f AUhoiigli the enemy were indeed frustrated in their attacks up to this period, yet a multitude of severe distresses were now accuiinilaling upon the British, which the prudence of their leader cokild not avert. Deluges of cold rain fell, chiHiiig and drenching the soldiers, who were wading in bad roads, deep with mud. It was often diflicultto procure shelter when they halted ; or fuel to dry their clothes, or to dress their food. The provisions were often scanty, and irregularly procured ; for the baggage, magai:ines, and stores, were transported on carts, drawn chiefly by Spanish mules and bullocks; but the drivers, kerri6e«i MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. OGS Anecdotes ol" General Aiistrutlivr. ^ileasaiit task to enter niiicli further into this unfor- tunate series of halting' and retreating', ])articular!v as it has been so accurately detailed in Mr. Moore's narrative of the campaign*. In fact, in the early part of January 1809, the enemy pressed on so hard that the rear g'uard was almost always engaged ; and in such circumstances it was impossible to suffer any thing to retard tlie march of the columns ; of course, whatever could not keep up was destroyed f . We are terrified by tlie approach and attacks of the French cavalry, often ran away in the night time, leaving th»^ir waggons; persuaded that if thcT foil into the hands of the French, tiiey would be jiiassacred. The bul- locks and mules unfortunately could not be made to move, except by tiKi native drivers, so that provisions and stores were often obliged to b^ destroyed; and, for the same reason, the"sick and wounded were neces' larily left behind ! * Totiie valuable lives lost in this retreat, though not by (he sword of the enemy, we may add that of General Anstruthcr, eldest son of Sir Robert, whose services were always of the most brilliant kind. He could write too as well as he fought, and tiie dispatches which he wrote in the autumn of 179G, when with the Austrian army, giving an account of the operations of the Archduke Charles, are perfect mo- dels of military composition. In Holland and in Egypt his conduct was highly meritorious; and at the memorable battle of Vimiera, when Sir Arthur ^Vellesley sent one of his aids-du-camp to say that a corps, not then warmly engaged, should he sent to his assistance ; he coolly replied, '• Sir, I want no assistance. I am beating the French, and am able to beat them whenever I meet them." With Sir John Moore he commanded the reserve, and the fatigue and anxiety to which he was exposed were so incessant and so great in the extreme, sleeping constantly in the open air, and undergoing every fatigue and privation of the lowest soldier, that his constitution sunk under it, and he expired through an unconquerable zeal for tliv service. He was buried in one of the bastions of the citadel gate of Corunna, which overlooks the sea, where some future military piN grim, in days of peace, may sigh over his grave ! t There were even two carts with dollars, to the amount of five and twenty thousand pounds, which fell behind. This money hud been brought forward from Corunna with Sir David Baird's corps, and was under the charge of the Paymaster General's department. 'J he means provided for its conveyance were insufiicifnt ; for the carts were drawu by tardy bullocks, who were quite exhausted with fatigue, and could kut be got ou. After every effort was in vain, the casks were at length rollei! 264 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE March to Coruniia. are sorry to say that Sir John Moore's general orders bespeak a system of insubordination which we scarcely thought possible in a British army under any circumstances; but we forbear all comment; nor will we disturb the ashes of the gallant dead*. From day to day the same sufferings and the same circumstances occurred, until the arrival of the army before Corunna, after traversing 250 miles of country, through mountains, defiles, and rivers, and constantly in contact with a superior pursuing enemy : but, though often engaged, even their rear guard was never beaten, nor thrown into confusion, but was victorious in every encounter. Every thing was now prepared for embarkation from Corunna f , in preference to Vigo ; but it was soon rolled down a precipice on the side of the road, and (he advanced guard of the French passed the place in five minutes afterwards. It was afterwards learnt, that this money was found by some Spanish peasants. * During the whole of this unhappy business, the conduct of the Spaniards was generally inhospitable ; and, on finding the advance was given up, they became hostile. Much allowance, however, must be made. It was unfortunate that from the offensive conduct of some few of the British troops the whole army suffered ; but yet the unani- mous sentiment of antipathy, and the general disgust that was felt and expressed by the army, must undoubtedly have become so general from the sellish, and in many instances, inhuman, conduct of the Spa« niards themselves. On many occasions, fearful of being obliged to re- ceive the wet, hungry, and wearied soldiers after a toilsome march, they shut up their windows, and barred their doors; nor would they reply to the intreaties of the poor fellows for shelter, until they were forced, with their nnisquets, to break the doors open. -j- The town of Corunna is strengthened by batteries, and guns mounted at all points ; the citadel is strongly fortified, as indeed is the town ; but both are commanded by a hill within a short distance, so that for Sir John Moore to have stood a siege would have been im- possible. The citadel forms a smalltown, and contains the houses of the people of distinction, and oneor two convents. It is composed of very narrow streets, paved with rough flag stones ; the houses are very large, but the ground floors are used entirely for othccs ; there is little ap- |)car3nceof comfort within the houses, not even the sociable sight of a blazing MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 265 Battle of Corunna. soon discovered that the French army would not per- mit it to take place without an attack, in hopes of ful- liHing their boast of driving* the English into the sea. About one in the afternoon of the 16th of January the enemy, who had on the morning received rein- forcements, and who had placed some guns in front of the right and left of his line, was observed to be moving troops toward his left flank, and forming- various columns of attack at that extremity of the strong and commanding position,which, on the morn- ing of the 16th, he had taken in the immediate front of the British army. This indication of his intention was immediately succeeded by a rapid and determined attack upon Sir David Baird's division, which occupied the right of the British. This first effort of the enemy was met by Sir John Moore, and by Sir David Baird, at the head of the 42d regiment, and the brigade under Ma- jor-General Lord William Bentinck. TJie village on the right now became an object of most obstinate contest; Sir David Baird here re- ceived a severe wound, which deprived the army of his services; and soon after Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, who had just directed the most able disposition, fell by a cannon shot. The troops, though not unacquainted with the ir- reparable loss they had just sustained, were not dis- mayed; but, by the most determined bravery not only repelled every attempt of the enemy to gain ground, but actually forced him to retire, although he had brought up fresh troops in support of those actually engaged. The enemy finding himself foiled in every attempt 12. 2l V to a blazing fire; and although the weather, whilst the British troopj w^re in tliis part of the country, would have admitted of some arti- ficial heat, yet, after all th^ir sufferings, this was a comfort which they could not enjoy. 266 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Continuation of the attack. r. II . I , ■ . . . ■ , to force the right of the British position, endeavoured by superior numbers to turn it; but ajudicious and well timed movement, which was made by Major- General Pag-et, with the reserve, which corps had moved out of its cantonments to support the right of the army, accompanied by a vigorous attack, defeated this in- tention. The Major-General having pushed forward a rifle corps, the 95th, and the first battalion of the 52d regiment, drove the enemy before him ; and, in his rapid and judicious advance, threatened the left of his position ; which circumstance, with the position of Lieutenant-General Eraser's division (calculated to give still further security to the right of the line) induced the enemy to relax their efforts in that quar- ter. These efforts, however, were but the more forcibly directed towards the centre ; where they were again successfully resisted by the brigade under Major-Ge- neral Manningham forming the left of Sir David Baird's division, and a part of that under Major-Gene- ral Leith, forming the right of the division under Lieutenant-General Hope. Upon the left, the enemy at first contented himself with an attack upon the British picquets, which, however, in general maintained their ground. Find- ing his efforts thus unavailing upon the right and centre, he now seemed determined to make the attack upon the left more serious, and had succeeded in gainincr possession of a village through which the great road to Madrid passes, and which was situate^l in front of that pait of the line. From this i)ost, however, he was soon expelled, "with considerable loss, by a gallant attack of some companies of the 2d battalion of the 14th, under Lieutenant-Colonel Nichols ; so that, before five in the evening', the British had not only successfully re- pelled every attack made uj)on that position, but had gained ground in almost all points, and had occupied a more forward line than at the commencement of t the MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 267 Anecdotes of the battle. the action, whilst the enemy confined his operations to a cannonade, and the fire of his light troops, with a view to draw off" his other corps. At six, the firing" entirely ceased. The different brigades were re-as- sembled on the ground they occupied in the morning, and the picquets and advanced posts resumed their original stations. Notwithstanding the decided and marked supe- riority which at this moment the gallantry of the troops had given them over the enemy, who from his numbers and the commanding advantages of his po- sition no doubt expected an easy victory. General Hope, on reviewing all circumstances, did not con- ceive that he should be warranted, in departing from what he knew was the fixed and previous determina- tion of the late gallant Commander-in-Chief, to with- draw the army in the evening of the 16th for em- barkation, the previous arrangements for which had already been made by his orders, and even in fact far advanced at the commencement of the action.* 2 L 2 Orders * The personal exertions of tlie gallant Moore himself deserve clue notice. ^Vhenthe French artillery pl'jnged from the heights, and the two hostile lines of infantry mutually advanced, beneath a shower of balls, yet for some titiie they were still separated from each other by stone walls and hedges, which intersected the ground. As they closed, it was perceived that the French line extended beyond the right flank of the British ; and a body of the enemy were observed moving up the valley to turn it. An order was instantly given, and the half of the 4th regiment, which formed this flank, fell back, refusing their fight, and making an obluse angle with the other half. In tliis posi- tion they commenced a heavy flanking fire ; and Sir John Moore watci;ing the manoeuvre called out lo them, that was exactly what he wanted to be done. He then rode up to the jOth regiment, commanded by Majors Na- pier and Stanhope ; who got over an inciosure in their front, and charg- ed most gallantly. TheGeneral, ever an aclmirerof valour, exclaimed, " Well done the fiftietli ! well done tny Majors !" — using tliis expres- sion in allusion to his iiaving recommended them both to the rank they held, entertaiHiug in particular a sincere friendship for the honourable Major Stanhope, second son of Earl Stanhope, and nephew to the late Mr. Pitt. This gallant regiment, so bravely led, soon drove the ene- my * ^26S ^'^^'^ OF THE MOST NOBLE Interesting anecdotes. Orders were, therefore, given for the troops to quit their position about ten at night, which was done with iny out of the village of Elvina, with great slaughter ; but in the con- riict Major Napier, advancing too far, was wounded and taken prisouer, and Major Stanhope unfortunately received a mortal wound.* Sir John now proceeded to the 42d, addressing them in these words, *' Highlanders, remember Egypt !" — they rushed on, driving the French before them, till they were stopped by a wall. Sir John ac- companied them in the charge, and told the soldiers that he was well pleased with their conduct. He then sent Captain Hardinge to order up a battalion of guards to the left flank of the Highlanders; upon which the ofTicer, commanding the light company, conceived tiiat as their ammunition was nearly expended, they were to be relieved by the guards, and began to fall back ; but Sir John, discovering the mis. take, said to them, " My brave 42d, join your comrades, ammunition is coming, and you have your bayonets." They instantly obeyed, and all moved forward. Captain Hardinge now returned to report tliat the guards were ad- vancing. While he was speaking, and pointing out the situation of the battalion, a hot fire was kept up, and the enemy's artillery played incessantly on the spot. Sir John Moore was too conspicuous. A cannon ball struck his left shoulder, and beat him to the ground. He raised himself, and sat up with an unaltered countenance, look- ing inteotly at the Highlanders, who were warmly engaged. Captain Hardinge threw himself from his horse, and took him by the hand J then, observing his anxiety, he told him the 42d were advancing ; upon which his countenance immediately brightened. His friend Colonel Graham now dismounted to assist him ; and, from the com- posure of his features, entertained hopes that he was not even wound- ed ; but observing the horrid laceration, and effusion of blood, he rode off for surgeons. The General was now carried from the field of battle, in a blanket, by a Serjeant of the 4'id and some soldiers. On his way, knowing of Sir David Baird being wounded, he ordered Captain Hardinge to re- port his own wound to General Hope, who then assumed the com- nund. The * After the battle Major Stanhope was buri€d by his brother at the entrance of that post, where he had bivouacked the night preceding the action ; and as tlie surviving and disconsolate brother was leaning forward from his horse, taking a last sad and silent look at his beloved remains, the grave being then just filling up, a rifle shot from the. PVench advanced posts penetrated his cloak, which was strapped be- Jbre him, and struck him on the side. Had it not been for the circum- stance of the cloak breaking the force of the ball, be would have fallea into his brother 's grave. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 269 Fall of Sir Jolin iMoure. with a degTee of order much to their credit. The whole of the artillery . that remained uiiembarked having The tidings of this unfortunate disaster were carried to Sir David Baird, when tlie surgeons were dressing his shattered arm. He in- stantly commanded them to. desist, and to run to attend Sir John Moore; but when tliey arrived and offered their assistance, he coolly said, " You can be of no service to me, go to the soldiers to whom you may be useful." As tiie soldiers were carrying him slowly along, he made them turn liim round frequently, to view tlie lield of battle, and to listen to the tiring ; and was well pleased when the sound grew fainter. At this pe- riod a spring waggon, bearing Colonel Wynch wounded from the bat- tle, came up. The Colonel asked, " Who was in the blanketi" and being told il was Sir John Moore, he wished him to be placed in the waggon: but the General asking one of t!ie Highlanders whether he thought the waggon or the blanket best, the honest fellow answered that the blanket would not shake him so much, as he and the other soldiers could keep the step and carry hiui easy. Sir John said, " I think so too," and thus they proceeded with him to his lodgings, the soldiers shedding tears as they went. In carrying him through the passage of the house, he saw his faithful servant Francois, who was stunned at the spectacle; but Sir John said to him, smiling, •• My friend, tliis is nothing." The remaining incidents of his gallant life we may draw fjom a sketch written by his most intimate friend Colonel Anderson, who drew up an account the following morning, stating — " I met the General in the evening of the Idth, bringing in a blanket and sashes. He knew me immediately, though it was almost dark, squeezed me by the liand, and said Anderson, don't leave me. He spoke to the surgeons on their examining his wound, but was in such pain, he could say but litl.Ie. " After some time lie seemed very anxious to speak to me, and at in- tervals got out as follows,^/;/(/e>'iY)//, ?/ou knon' that J hare alivays wished to die this ivai/ ! He then asked. Are the French beaten, which he re- peated to every one he knew, as they came in. 1 hope the people of England ivill he satisfied ! — / liope my rountri/ ivill do me justice .' — Anderson — ijou xviUsee my friends as soon as you can — tell them — even/ thing — say to my Mother — here his voice <.|uite failed, and he was evi- dently agitated — Hope — Hope — I hare viuch to say to him — hut— can. not get it out — ai-e Colonel Graham— and all 7>iy Aids-dc'Camp uell? ( here a private sign was made by Colonel Anderson not to inform him of Captain Burrard, son of Sir Harry, one of his Aids de Camp, who was wounded in the action, and died two days afterwards) — I have made my v:iU, and have remembered my servants — Colborne has my kHI and all my papers. "Major Culborne then came into the room. lie asked the major, if the 270 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Death of the gallant Moore. having been withdrawn, the troops followed in the order prescribed, and marched to their respective points of embarkation, in the town and neighbour- hood of Cornnna. The picquets remained at their posts, until five in the morning of the 17th, when they were also withdrawn with similar orders ; and without the enemy having discovered the move- ment.* By the French were beaten — Its a great satisfaction for me to knoiv tve hare beaten the French — Is Paget in the room — On being informed that he was not — added — I feel myself so strong — / fear I shall be long dying — On being told that Captains Perry, and Stanhiipe, tliird son of the Earl, were in the room, he spoke to both — after some interval, said, "Stanhope, remember me to your sister!" — he then pressed Colonel Anderson's hand close to his body, and in a few moments expired with- out a struggle ! ! !'* " FVom a sentiment of veneration," adds Iiis brother, "that has been felt in every age, the corpse of a man wiio has excited admiration can- not be neglected as common clay. This impression leads mankind sometimes to treat an inanimate body with peculiar respect; and even to bestow upon it unfelt honours. This was now the subject of delibe- ration among the military friends of Sir John Moore, who had survived the engagement, when Colonel Anderson informed them that lie had often heard the general repeatedly declare, that if he was killed in battle, he wished to be buried where he had fallen. General Hope and Colonel Graham immediately acceded to his suggestion; and it' was determined, that the body should be interred in the rampart of the citadel of Corunna. *' At twelve at night, his remains were accordingly carried to the spot, by Colonel Graham, Major Colborne, and his aid-de-camps, and de- positedi until a grave was dug by a party of the 9th regiment. No cofiin could be procured, and the body, which was not undressed, was wrapt up by his sorrowful friends, in a military cloak and blan- kets. Towards eight in the morning some firing was heard, when, lest a serious attack should be made, and prevent the last duties being performed, the officers of his family bore the body to the grave, the funeral service was read by the chaplain, and the gallant remains laid in its cold, and silent, yet honourable bed !" * Of the otficers who lost their lives in consequence of this unfortu- nate campaign, we must not omit Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Symes, of the 76th foot, who died on board the Mary transport, in iiis pas- sage from Corunna, not so much from his wounds, as in consequence of extraordinary fatigue and exertion. He was one whose civil and military virtues, and accomplishmeats, were equally the objects of ad mi- MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 071 Embarkation oftlieormy. By the unremitted exertions of the navy, and in consequence of the judicious arrangements made by the officers directing- the transport service, the whole were embarked with a degree of expedition which has seldom been equalled; and, with the exception of the brigades under Major-Generals Hill and Beres- ford, which were destined to remain on shore, until the movements of the enemy should become manifest, the whole was afloat before day-light. The brigade of Major-General Beresford, which was alternately to form the rear-guard, occupied the land front of the town of Corunna: that under Major-General Hill was stationed in reserve, in the promontory in rear of the town. The French pushed their light troops towards the town soon after eight o'clock in the morning of the 17th; and shortly after occupied the heights of St. Lucia, which command the harbour; but notwithstanding this circumstance, and the mani- fold defects of the place, there being" no apprehension that the rearguard would be forced, and the disposi- tion of the Spaniards appearing to be good, the em- barkation of Major-General Hill's brigade, was com- menced and completed by three o'clock in the after- noon. Major-General Beresford, with that zeal and ac- tivity so well known to be his, having fully explained, to the satisfaction of the Spanish Governor, the na- ture adnilration. He possessed the highest capacity for science, with the most shining talents for action; and was not less endowed with the amiable qualities which embellish private life. He was twice ambas- sador to the court of Ava, in India ; and published an interesting ac- count of his lirst embassy, which gained him distinguished reputation as a diplomatic and literary character. As a military man, he was not less eminent; and, as a husband, a parent, and a friend, he was affectionately beloved, and deeply lamented. The general impressioa for his loss was such, that when his body was brought home for inter- ment, on its way from Fortimouth to Hochester, the funeral procession was joined by a long train both of relatives and friends ; and the church and church-yard crowded with the oflicers and soldiers of Chatham Carriton. 272 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE -*■" -^ ■ ■ ■ • '"■'■'' . ■ , ' , ' ■; Military reflections. tare of our movement, and, having made every pre- vious arrangement, withdrew his corps from the land front of the town soon after dark, and was, with all the wounded that had not been previously moved, embarked before one in the morning'. General Hope, in his public dispatches, very justly observed, that circumstances forbade the indulgence of the hope that the victory (for such it undoubtedly was) with which it had pleased Providence to crown the eftorts of the army, could be attended with any very brilliant consequences to Great Britain. Indeed, independent of its being followed so speedily, and also necessaril}^, by an embarkation, it was clouded by the loss of one of her best soldiers. It had been atchieved at the termination of a iono- and harassing- service. The superior numbers, and advantageous position, of the enemy, not less than the actual situation of the army, did not admit of any advantage being reaped from it ; but still the gallant Hope comforted himself with the reflection, that it must be grateful to an admiring country, that the lustre of the British arms had been maintained amidst such disadvantageous circum- stances ; for the army which had entered Spain, amidst the fairest prospects, had no sooner completed its junction, than, owing to the multiplied disasters that dispersed the patriotic armies around, it was left to its own resources. Indeed the advance of the British corps from the Douro, afforded the best hope that the south of Spain might be relieved ; but this generous eflbrt to save the unfortunate people also afforded the enemy the opportunity of directing every effort of his numerous troops, and concentrating all his principal resources, for the destruction of the only regular force in the north of Spain, The diligence with which this system had been pursued had pro- duced the necessity of rapid and harassing marches, which had diminished the numbers, exhausted the strength, and impaired the equipment, of the British army ; notwithstanding all which disadvantages, and those MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 373 Cliaracier ot'Sir Julm .Moore. those more immediately attached to a defensive posi- tion, which the imperious necessity of covering* the harbour of Corunna for a tiine had rendered indis- pensable to assume, yet the native and undaunted valor of British troops was never more conspicuous than on this occasion. The returns of the British killed and wounded did not exceed from seven to eight hundred ; that of the enemy, there is reason to believe, was nearly double. Of the excellent qualities of the regretted Sir John Moore, we may say, in the words of the g*allant nar- rator of this event, that his fall will long- remain a subject of regret to every one who loves or respects his manly character 3 though it may be matter of some small alleviation, that after conducting the army throuofh an arduous retreat, with consummate firm- ness, he thus terminated a career of distinguished honour, by a death that has given the enemy ad- ditional reason to respect the name of a British Soldier. Like the immortal Wolfe, he was snatched from his country, at an early period of a life spent ia her service; like Wolfe, his last moments were gild- ed by the prospect of victory, and cheered by the shouts of his conquering companions ; like Wolfe also, his memory will doubtless ever remain sacred in that country, which he sincerely loved, and which he had KO faithfully served. We may here add that Sir David Baird lost an arm in this business ; that the ships of war received all such of the wounded as they could accommodate, and that the remainder were sent to the hospital, and other transports. The weather being tempestuous, the dilhculties of embarkation were great : and the enemy having brought cannon to a hill overhanging the beach, before the embarkation of the rear guard was completed, a majority of the transports were forced to cut or slip; in consequence the embarkation being no longer practicable at the town, it was com- 12. 2.M pleted 274 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Thanks in Parliament. pleted at a sandy beach outside, when the wholte were brought o-f^' and pi'cceeded for England.* We HOW proceed to investigate the occurrences connected with tlie subject of our biography, at^er his arrival in England; and the close of the proceedings on the Cintra convention. On the 2oth of January, the House of Commons- having proceeded to confer thanks on tlie officers who survived the battle ofCorunna,and to vote a monument in St. Paul's to the gallant 3Ioore, Lord Castlereagh then called on the House, to confer the same honour of thanks on Sir Arthur Wellesley,. and the conqueror of Yimiera. The noble loi-d, after expatiating upon the services of this distinguished officer, and the bravery of his followers, alluded to the superior numbers of the enemy engaged upon this occasion; and concluded with expressing his opinion, that the thanks of that House had never been called for by liiore transcendant merit. To this, Mr. Whitbread moved an amendment, for the purpose of introducing ■ the name of Sir Harry Bnrrard ; but, fhidingthe sense of the House decidedly against him, withdrew his amendment; and the original notice was carried, with only one dissenting voice : to which were added, thanks to the various officers, as well as to the non- commissioned officers, and privates. ■ On a subsequent motion in Parliament, respecting" the campaign in Portugal, Sir Arthur explained his- views, * But the sufierings of the ariDytwere not completed on their embark- ation ; for on tlie passage iiome many vab.'a'ole lives were lost on board theDispa'ch transport; amongst whom were, the Honov.rableM.jjor Cavendish, (second son of I^rd George Cavendish, and nepfae^v of the late Doke of Devonshire,) wiios,e body was since found at Fair month ; Qaptain Diickenfield, eldest son of Sir Nathaniel ; and I.iei^ tenant the Honourable E. Waldcgrave, second brother of the Rarl. Besides those tliree otlicers, the Dispatch had on board seventy-two 0)cn, and thirty-six horses, all of the 7th Dragoons. Every soul on board perished, exceptuig seven Dragoons. Besides th^ese there were other ciirfit uon-coiniuissioned officers, sixty privates, four wonaen, and thirty two horses, who also perished. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 275 I>cbates in Parliament. views, and motives of action, tlironghont the whole expedition ; which were, to engage the enemy «s near to Lisbon as possil>le, and to have followed up his advantage, exactly as he had pi'oposed to Sir liarry Bnrrard and to Sir Hew Dalrymple: and he again added, that if the enemy had been vigorously follow- ed, after the battle of Vimiera, there would have been no reason for conchuUng a convention. Sir Arthur on his return had immediately resumed Jiis parliaujentary duties, as well as his official ones, in the exercise of the latter of which, on the Gtli of February, he obtained leave to bring in two bills; one to enable the Bishops of Ireland and the Commander of the forces in that country to frank letters; and the other to amend and consolidate the various laws re- lating' to the Irish militia. After this Mr. \V hitbread, at some length, made a promised motion re»|3ectmg the Chief Secretary- ship of Ireland being lield by Sir Arthur during his military absence ; and concluded by moving " that the oflice of Chief Secretary for Ireland is an eft'ective office of the highest responsibility, which cannot be held by any person absent from the realm; and that the emoluments of that office ought not to be enjoyed by any person who is rendered unable by his situation .to perform the duties thereof." To this Sir Arthur Wellesley answered, that when first he was appointed to the Secretaryship, it was with the clear understanding that his acceptance of that situation shouhl not preclude him froi^i assuming any subsequent military convmanc}. Under this im- pression, he had gone to Zealand, and afterwards to Portugal; and in both cases, having found the office vacant on his return, he had resumed the functions of it. But, in both cases, he had relinquished all claim tea contiimance in it upon his quitting the country, so that he should have had no reason to complain, had lie found it occupied by another. That it was not '"^o, 2 Ai 2 was 276 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Pari i amen lary ctiHrMCter. was attributable to the noble Duke at the head of the government of Ireland, who had very kindly express- ed his wish stiil to avail himself of his (Sir Arthur Wellesley's) services. After some observations, Lord Castlereagh moved the previous question, to which Mr. Whitbread did not object, — as he said his only object was to prevent the present case from being' established as a prece- dent, which he thoug-htthe discussion had done. After this. Sir Arthur Wellesley's Parliamentary duties have been suspended ; but^ before we proceed to further military details, it is proper to notice that his abilities in the Senate were fully commensurate to those in the field ; and it has been well said of him, i particularly throughout his defence of his brother, ■ that if he could not sdence his adversaries, he always convinced his auditors ; whilst his mode of speaking, ' at once simple, perspicuous, and energetic, was united with so much real modesty and diffidence of manner, as to secure him no small share of the favour of the house, and a constant deg-ree of flattering attention. It was during" the short lived administration of Lords Grey and Grenville that he had come into Parliament for an Irish Borough, but afterwards sat for Newport in Hants : and it was in the succeeding administration, that he wasr.ppointed to the Chief Secretaryship of the sister kingdom ; an office certainly incompatible with the active duties of that profession which he had chosen, and of which he had now proved himself to be one of the greatest ornaments : but then it must be remembered that he accepted it merely on condi- tion of its not prejudicing his military views and pur- suits ; and that he performed its duties sedulously, whilst at home, and with a degree of highly honour- able perseverance, at the same time declining all sa- lary during those short periods when absent from its duties. A treaty of peace, friendship, and alliance, be- tween his Britannic Majesty and his Catholic Majesty 6 Ferdinancl MARQUIS OF WEIXINGTON. 077 Proceeds for Portiiijal. Ferdinand the seventh, was now avrang-ed, by which Great Britain guaranteed the sucressioii and possession of the Spanish Crown and Kni- pire to Ferdinand himself, or snch lawful successor as the Spanish nation slial! acknow]edi>-e ; whilst the Spanish g-overnnient cng"aged never to cede to France any part of the territories or possessions of the Spa- nish monarchy in any part of the world ; making- common cause aoainst France, and not to make peace with that power, except by common consent. ' Our troops in the Peninsula had now for some time been commanded by Sir John Craddock ; but the British government having determined on more active operations, it was thought proper to entrust the conV mandto Sir ArthurWellesley, who immediately prepar- ed to supersede Sir John, that gallant officei's services being required in another part of the globe wh re they mig'ht be equally honourable to himself, and equally useful to his country. On the '22d of April, Sir Arthur Wellesley landed at Lisbon from England, to resume the command of the united British and Portu^'uese armies. He was o received with extreme joy by the inhabitants, and a splendid illumination took place. On the 2Uh he set out to join the army which had already proceeded on its march to Oporto. On the 9th of May, Sir Arthur Wellesley intended that the army should march from Coimbra to dispos- sess the enemy of Oporto ;* in fact the advanced guard and * Next to Lisbon, Op,orto is assuredly the most consiclerablt- and wealthy place in Portugal. Ft is the chief place of a district, the seat of a Corregidor, or Provedor. and (being regarded as a garrison town) has also a military governor: it is a bishopric also. Its population was then about 40,000 ; and it had four suburbs, seven parishes, and twelve monasteries. 'l"he rein^iins of the ancient Moorish walls and gates may still be seen in many places ; yet the town is at present, properly speaking, an open place, and without any other thaii a temporary defence. The moulii of the rlvj;r is covered l>\ a small fort. -27S i^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Army crosses the Vouga. -and the cavalry had marched on the 7th, and the whole had halted on the 8th to afford time for Mar- shal Beresford with his corps to arrive upon the Doiiro. The infantry of the army was formed into three divisions for this expedition ; of which, two con- sisting' of the advanced guard, of the Hanoverian brigade, and the brigade of Guards, un^ier Brigadier GeueraKSti'iart, Lieutenant General Paget and Payne, &c. with a brigade of artillery, nntler Lieutenant General Sherbi^o©ke, moved by the high road from Coimbra to Oporto; whilst one conjposed of Major General Hill's brig-ade and Briofadier General Came- ron's with a brigade of six pounders, proceeded by the xoad from Coimbra to Aveiro.* On the 10th, in the morning-, before day light, the cavalry and advanced guard crossed the Vouga, with i he intention to surprise and cut ofi' four regiments of French cavalry, and a baftalion of infantry and artil- lery, cantoned in Alben/aria Nova, and the neigh- bouring" villages, about eight miles from that river. In this affair, though not completely successful as far as ■fort, called San Joas de Foz, near which, on the coast, there is a -small market town. Besides this work, to the northward tliere was a •bastion on the very beach ; and on the south side, opposite, was a re- doubt called Santa Catharina, lianked, in its turn, for defence, by a -few smaller batteries. * The state of the country may be drawn from the following ex- •fract frMm an ofiicer's Journal: " Hitherto nothing had struck me beyond the ordinary attcndante of war; but at Albergeria Velha, the violent animosity whicli prevailed between the Freucii and Portugucae appeared but too plainly in the treatment whicii the former had given this unfortunate village. Indeed •the conduct of the enemy and the state of tliis place which they had just (luitted was really painful to think upon. Every house had been •broke open, and every piece of furniture destroyed, every cask of wine which they could discover had been staved, and the'liquor wasted. All tiie fowls, pig«, and cattle, had been killed, and several linibswere yet lying in various (piarters of the streets. .Such were the barbarous and revengeful acts the French had been guilty of before they re- trejted. 'J'he Portuguese in return had wreaked their vindictive hatred on the dead Frenchmen, and so completely had they disfigured the inanimate bodies, that it was not easy to distinguish any one human fcatiire. MARQUIS OF A\^LUNGTON. 27^ ^Altack of advatictd posts. as rogardetl the complete surprise, yet the superiority of tlie British cavalry was evident througliout the day ; some prisoners and cannon of the detachment were taken, and the British advanced g^iiard took up the position of Oliveira. On the same day Major General Hill, who had einharkod at Aveiro in the evening" of the 9th, arrived ;vt Ovar, in tlie rear of the enemy's rig"ht, and the head of Lieutenant General Sherbrooke's division pass- eil thc'Voug-a, on the same evening*. On the ] 1th the advanced g^uard and cavalry con- tinued to move on the high road towards Oporto^ with Major General Hill's division iti a parallel road, which leads from Oporto to Ovar. On the arrival of the advaifted guard at Vend as Novas between Santo Kedondo and GrijoH-, they fell in witb the out posts of tlie enemy's advanced guards, consisting of abonS; 4,()(L)0 infantry, and some squadrons of cavalrv, strongly posted on the heights above Grijon, their front being covered by woods and broken ground; but the enemy's left flank was in a moment most judi- ciously turned by a movement well executed by Major General Mui'ray, with Brigadier General Langberth's brigade of the Hanoverian Legion; whilst the lOth Por- tuguese regiment of Brigadier General Stuart's brigade attacked their right, and the riflemen of the 93d and the flank companies of the 29th. 43d, and 52d, of the .same brigade under Major Way, attacked the in- liintry in the woods aixl village in their centre. These attacks soon obliged the enemy to give wav; and the Hon. Brigadier General Stuart immediately led two squadrons, of the Kith and 20th dragoons under the conunaud of Major Blake, in pursuit of the enemy, destroyed many, and took many prisoners. This success, though on a small scale, had such au eflect upon the French, that they crossed the Douro, and destrojed the bridge, on the night of the lltli ; but Sir Arthur soc/ii after collected as many boats as could be brought to the ferry immediately above the. 280 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE. Arrival on the Douro. the towns of Oporto and Villa Nova, as it was im- portant, with a view to the operations of Marshal Beresford that he should cross the Douro immediately. In furtherance of this operation, he also in the morn- ing- of the J 2th sent Major General Murray, with a battalion of the Hanoverian Legion, a squadron of cavalry, and two six pounders, to endeavour to col- lect boats, and, if possible, to cross the river at Ovintas about four miles above Oporto, The ground on the right bank of the river at the ferry immediately above Oporto, and where Sir Arthur intended to cross, was capable of being pro- tected and commanded by the fire of cannon, placed on the height of the Sierra Convent at Villa Nova, and there appeared to be a good position for tht British troops on the opposite side of the river, until they should be collected in sufficient numbers. The enemy took no notice of the collecting of the boats, nor indeed of the embarkation of the troops, until after the first battalions (the Bufi^s)* were landed, and had taken up their position under the command of Lieutenant General Paget on the opposite side of the river. They then commanded an attack upon them, with a large body of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, under the command of Marshal Soult, which that corps most gallantly sustained till supported successively by the 48th and G6th regiments belonging to Major Ge- neral Hill's brigade, and a Portuguese battalion, and afterwards by the first battalion of detachments belonging * The gallant behaviour of the BiifFs proved how well formed was the confidence Sir Arthur placed in them: as they crossed the Douro in tlie face of a most dreadful fire of cannon and musquetry, in which situation, necessarily unsupported by the rest of the army from the want of l)oats, they yet maintained their ground against the united efforts of the French army; and, though artdlery, cavaiiy, and infantry, were successively brought against them, still they renjained victorious and nnbr>ken, until tlie guards and the British cavalry coming over put an end to this unequal contest. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 281 Auecdotc-a otihe baitle of Oporto. belonging- to Brigadier General Kichard Stuart's brigade.* 12. 2 N Lieutenaut- * An officer, v;ho was present on this occasion, makes the following lively observations : " Every thing considered, the passage of the Douro is certainly oce of the most brilliant atchievementson record. The troops had made a forced march of above 80 miles from Coimbra in three days and a half, and the whole of the artillery was got on, though some parts of the road vsere so excessively bad, that it seemed wonderful how the guns ever got through them. From the heat of the weather, and the great lengtii of lime which the stoppage of the artillery forced us to be oa the different marches, the fatigues which the troops underwent was extreme. The current of the Douro is very rapidj the opposite banks high and steep, in possession of the enemy, and we were ignorant of his forces ai#d defences. There was no means of crossing the river, ex- cept in such small Portuguese boats as the enthusiasm of the people brought to us, at their own peril, from the Frencli side of the river; and the troops that first passed had to wait till these boats went back- wards and forwards, and successively brought over the remainder. iNotwithslauding such difficulties^ Sir Arthur VVellesley did not delay one moment in crossing the river. The animation and bravery of the troops seconded his activity and presence of mind; the enemy's bat- teries were soon taken, himself defeated at all points, a vast number of prisoners made ; and, when the pursuit was ordered to cease, one senti- ment of regret pervaded all. The bridge over the Douro being de- jtroyed, there was no means of getting over the artillery, and only about sixty of the dragoons had already crossed. Under tiiese circum- stances. Sir Arthur Wellesley durst not in prudence pursue, though ••e have since learned from some English otficers who were with the French army, and afterwards made their escape, that the confusion ■was so great, and the troops so entangled with baggage, &c, that the greatest pait of them must have been taken prisoners, if we had conti* nued the pursuit. " The country was so hostile to the French, that they could not get any information of our movements : the advance from Coimbra was therefore unexpected ; and it was so very rapid, that they were com- pletely taken by surprise. " Seven hundred sick were by this means left in the hospital. Mar- shal Souk's dinner was preparing, and was actually eaten by Sir Ar- thur VVellesley. Some of the captured generals were taken in tiie streets of Oporto, Many men were killed in the streets by the 29th regiment, and General Laborde's baggage was taken just beyond the entrance of Ihe city, " 'i he scene was altogether most beautiful, and perfectly unique. The day was very fme ; and, the tide being in, the river was quite full. *' Immediatelj ^S'2 WFE OF THE MOST NOBLli Defeat of Marshal Soult. Lieutenant- General Pag-et was unfortunately wonnfled soon after the attack commenced, when the command of these gallant troops devolved upon Ma- jor-General Hill : and although the French made re- peated attacks upon them, they made no impression 3 and at length Major-General Murray, (by the mas- terly movement of the morning,) having appeared on the left flank of the French, on his march from Ovin- tra where he had crossed, and Lieutenant-General Sherbrooke, (who by this time had availed himself of the enemy's weakness in the town of Oporto, and had crossed the Douro at the Ferry, between the towns of Villa Nova and Oporto,) having appeared upon the right with the brigade of guards, and the 29th regi- ment, the whole of the enemy's force retired in the utmost confusion towards Amarantha, leaving behind them five pieces of cannon, eight ammunition tum- brels, and many prisoners : their loss amounted to a considerable number, and they left 700 sick and wounded behind them in the hospitals at Oporto. The exertions of the army in this affair were highly deserving of pra-se. In four days they had marched over eiglity miles of most difficult country, had gain- ed many important |;ositioiis, and had actually en- gaged and defeated three difierent bodiesof the enemy's troops, '' Immediately opposite to Oporto is the town of Villa Nova, where we embarked to cross the river. Here on the beach was raised an immense standard of white cloth, on which the sign of the cross was eujbroidered ; the opposite walh of Oporto were lined with people •waving white handkerchiefs to us, expressing, by their signs and ges- tures, their extreme anxiety for our passing the rivt-r; the Portuguese rowed their own boats, and the animation these poor fishermen display- ed, and their exertions to get us quickly over, were very striking. The houses, as we passed through the streets, were principally siuit, for fear of being pillaged by the French in their retreat; but the balconies "were full of people, chit-Hy women, and from one end of the shore tq the othei there was a continued line of white handkerchiefs w^Ye4 tQ ws from the balconies." MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 283 ^ j- . , . ' ■ . Oporto Jiberated. troops.* Oporto now became the reward of the cap- tors. Sir Arthur, immediately on entering* Oporto, very prudently and humanely issued a proclamation, in which he required from the inhabitants that they should comport themselves with compassion and hu- manity towards the French prisoners, who by the laws of war were entitled to his protection. He shewed them that it would be inconsistent with the g-enerosity and humanity of the Portuguese nation to revenge upon those unfortunate individuals the out- rages and calamities which it had suffered ; and he, therefore, directed all the inhabitants to remaiix tranquil in the town, and to forbear appearing in the streets with arms. The effects of this judicious proceeding were to produce an immediate tranquillity ; and most cer- tainly to save a great effusion of blood, as otherwise every French prisoner would have been massacred by the long outraged and very justly incensed in- habitants, .^ig^^' ** The sufferings of Oporto, previous to this, had been, great in the extreme : for Soult on his first entering it had given up the city to his troops to plunder for three days ; vast numbers of the inhabitants were violated and murdered during that period with impunity ; the soldiers only being restricted from murdering- childrea under ten years of age. However improbable thi* may appear, it is a fact that the British government became possessed of numerous facts upon this head, and that it was at one time in contemplation to give an authenticated account of them to the world, as a striking example of French fraternity , 2 N 2 When * Lieutenant-General Paget's wound was much regretted by the gallant Commander in Chief, not only as that of a friend, but as one who had been most useful to the service in the few days he had beea with the army. lie had, indeed, rendered a most important service at the time he received it, in taking up the position wiiich tha troops 90 steadily maintained until finally successful. 284 LIFE OF THE MOST MOBLE Anecdotes of Marshal Souit. When Sir Arthur Wellesiey first determined upon the expedition to the north of Portugal, against Mar- shal Soult, * he had sanguine hopes that the Portu- guese * Marshal Soii't is now upwards of fifty years of age ; he is describe ed to be strong and active, but a libertine and avaricioii<;. In fact, glory is but his third passion, coming in after money and wonien^ so that when he first heard of his appointment some years ago to the then ^rmij of England, he said, in the presence of an Englishman then in France, '• Now I am going to recruit my seraglio and to fill my coflfers, by putting into requisition English misses and English guineas." lu short, Citizen Soult was at that time a terrorist, and had been a pri- vate in tlip French 23d regiment, previous to the Revolution. He was, first promoted to the rank of Captain in the National Guards, by Ro- bespierre, in 1792 ; and, being sent to serve under General Custiue on the Rhine in the campaign of 1793, was wounded at Mayence ; hue was soon after raised by Robespierre to the rank of major of bri- gade. On the fall of Robespierre bethought himself kicky in being only- dismissed the service; but was soon after restored to his rank by Gar- net in 1796, after wiiich he served in the army of the Rhine, and waa •with General Moreau in the famous retreat through the Black Forest. In 1798 the friendship of Hoche procured for him a nomination as ge- neral of brigade in the army of the Sambre and Meuse, where he was noticed, more for the absurdity of his Jacobin principles than for his military talents. Whilst serving in the south, in 1800, he was appointed by Buona- parte as LieutenaiU-General in Massena's army, and he certainly dis- played much courage at the siege of Genoa ; but like many others of these revolutionary heroes, or rather ruffians, his laurels were too oftea stained with blood ; and if he was able only to fill one pocket with 'the sp'jilsof his enemies, he was said to be an adept at filling the othef from the stores of his friends. Notwithstanding the infamy of his character, his bravery and his peculiar species of intelligence rendered him useful to the prime mov- ers of the Revolution ; but having displayed much activity as a notorious revolutionary intriguer, it is said that both Moreau and Massena have de- scribed hiin as more fit to make motions in a club, to bow in an anticham- berof a.revolutionary committee, or of a republican tyrant, than to head aa army. It is evident, indeed, that Buonaparte had a better opi- nion of him, from his having appointed him Commander in Chief of the Army of England assembled some years ago at St. Omers. He vas suspected, however, of having aimed at the Consular chair, and of many other acts of ambition equally absurd and extravagant ; but it •was considered that he took sufficient care to conceal these predilec- tions from the crafty Corsican, ■who would doubtless have nipped tha ambition of this aspiring sans calotte. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. og5 Piirsait of the enemy. guese General Silviera, would be able to hold liis post upon the Tamaga, till he should be reinforced ; by means of which position, and by the possession of Chaves, the enemy's retreat would have been cut oiF, excepting across the Minho river ; but even that he had hoped to render impracticable by pressing hard upon his rear. This well concerted plan was, how- ever, deranged by the French having got possession of the bridge of Amarantha, where Silviera was post- ed ; particularly as Sir Arthur had no real ground to hope that Marshal Beresford, who wasth(?a marching towards Lamego, would be able to effect more than to confine the enemy on that side, and oblige him to re- tire by Chaves into Gallicia, rather than by Villa Real into Castile. Yet the gallant Beresford effected more than was supposed possible; and, after having driven in the ene- my's posts at Villa Real and Maisan Frien with some losS; actually forced General Loison's outposts at the bridge of Amarantha, and again acquired possession of the left bank of the Tamaga, on the very day that the Commander in Chief had so gallantly passed the Douro. In fact, no sooner had the intelligence of this brilliant coup de main reached Loison than he judged it prudent to retire immediately from Amarantha, and to join the advanced guard of the French army, when General Beresford instantly occupied his eva- cuated post. On the morning of the 13th Sir Arthur Wellesley led his army from Oporto in pursuit of the retreating enemy, and in the evening he received information that they had destroyed a great proportion of their artillery in the neighbourhood of Pennafiel, and had directed their march towards Braga ; a measure to which he was evidently driven in consequence of Marshal Beresford's co-operation on the Tamaga. Sir Arthur, on having these facts well ascertained, immediately proceeded on the morning of the 14th with the army in two columns towards the Minho ri- 6 Ter, 286 I^IPE OF THE MOST NOBLE r- .. . • ■ : ■ ■ . . ■ ■ 3 - Anecdotes of the Frencli retreat. ver, directing" the Marshal to march upon Chaves in case the enemy slioiild tarn to his right, whilst Major-' General Murray with the Hanoverian legion was to communicate with the Marshal, if, as then re- ported, Loison should remain in the vicinity of Aniarantha. In unison with these general orders the pursuit vi^as continued until the 15th, when Sir Arthur with the main body arrived at Braga, and on the following day at Salamonde ; and this with such rapidity that the guards under liieutenant-General Sherbrooke and Brigadier-General Campbell, then in advance of the British army, had an affair with the enemy's rear guard, at a late hour in the evening. In this business the British attacked them in position, and having turned their flanks by the heights, the enemy immediately retreated, leaving a gun and some pri- soners behind them.* On * The sufferings of the French army at this time were dreadful, as appears by the journal of an officer on the spot : " The road as we went along was strewed with wrecks of their army, dead horses, musqaets, ammunition, knapsacks, bodies of French soldiers murdered and stripped by the peasants, and now and then a solitary soldier lying on the road side, and dying from fever, want, and fatigue. " The scene at the bridge over the Cabado, was most striking and affecting. The bridge is very narrow, and the confusion had been so great, that the cavalry, in passing, had trampled down the infantry. Vast numbers of men and horses had been precipitated over the bat- tlements. I'he bed of the torrent was covered with drowned horses, or such as had been lamed in their fall ; the banks were strewed with bagfage of every description — arms, knapsacks, dead horses, dead bodies, &c. and if to this assemblage of sad and melancholy desolation, vou add the e(!ects of the surrounding scenery, immense mountains, a furious and rapid torrent forcing its way among piles of rocks, and continually augmented by long cascades from the mountains, you may form some opinion of the sort of feelings which such a view must in- spire. " The quantity of plunder collected in Oporto by the French must have been enormous ; there is hardly a species of properly, but wiiat we found in the knapsacks that were thrown away ; plate of every de- scription, jewellery, quantities of money, wom«ns' ornaments, cloathsof all MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 287 Ketreat of ihe French. On the 17th and 18th, the pursuit continued, and on the latter day the British army arrived at Monte Alegre, when Sir Arthur found that Soult had taken a road througli the mountains towards Orenza, by which it would be difficult, if not impossible, to overtake him, and on which he had no means of stopping him. That the enemy had a great superiority over the British in the celerity of his movements upon this oc- casion, is evident; but that is not surprising when we consider that he commenced his retreat by destroying so large a quantity of his guns and ammunition. In fact, he afterwards destroyed the remainder, and a great part of his baggage, and kept nothing except what the troops or a few mules could carry. He also left behind him his sick and wounded, and the road from Penafiel to Monte Alegre was strewed with the carcases of horses and mules, and French soldiers who were put to death by the peasantry be- fore the British advanced guard could save them. * During this retreat the British picked up about 500 prisoners ; but the enemy, upon the whole, lost not less than one-fourth of their whole number. That it got away at last was considered as matter of regret ; but Sir Arthur very judiciously observed, that if an army throvfs away all its cannon, equipments, and baggage, and every thing which can strengthen it, and can enable it to act together as a body, and aban- dons all sorts. A man of the 83d regiment got a bar of solid gold ; ano- ther found one of silver." * The Commander in Chief observed, in his dispatches, that this was the naturaF effect of the species of warfare which tlie enemy had. earned on in Portugal. The French soldiers, he added, had plunder- ed and murdered Ihe peasantry at their pleasure, and he bad seen many persons hanging on the trees by the sides of the road, executed for no reason that he could learn, excepting tliat they were not friendly to the French invasion and usurpation of tlie government of their country. He also said that the route of their column on the retreat could be traced by the smoke of the villages to which they sut fire! 288 I^I^E OF THE MOST NOBLE Union of the allied armies. dons all those who are entitled to its protection, but retard its progresf?, it iniint then be able to niarchTby roads throiigli which it cannot be followed with any prospect of being- overtaken by an army which has not made the same sacriiices. In this brisk pursuit too we must not omit that, notwithstanding all the care of the general, the Bri- tish troops suffered considerably from the state of the weather ; the rain having been constant for nearly a ■week, and the roads in that difficult country almost impracticable ; yet they persevered with spirit in the pursuit to the very last, having been generally on their march from day light in the morning until dark. The brigade of guards were at the head of the co- lumn through the whole business, and, as Sir Ar- thur observed, set a most laudable exa?nple to the whole army, and conducted themselves remarkably well in the affair with the enemy's rear guard at Salamonde. Sir Ai'thur Wellesley, (after the complete expul- sion of Soult from Portugal,) marched his army south- ward from the Blinho to Abrantes, where he collected stores and provisions to enable him to march into Spain to join General Cuesta, who had assembled about 40,000 men round Monude. On forming a j miction, it was proposed to attack Victor's and Se- bastiani's corps, these being united and occupying an entrenched position near Truxillo, about 70 miles from the Portuguese frontiers. * In the mean time the war in Spain was carried on with various success*^ The army cf General Blake had resumed offensive operations, and had formed a junction with the armies of Murcia and Valencia. A division of his army had, however, been surprised near Saragossa by a French corps under General Suchet, and obliged to retire with considerable loss, Blake * At this periofi, (3d July.) General Craufurd had arrived at Lis* Mri with a reinforcement of 3000 men from Ireland, and ht^d proccedei^ to Abrantes. MARaUIS OF WELLINGTON. o^Q Spanish military affairs. Blake then advanced to Tortosa with the intention of attacking General St. Cyr's corps ; and at Alcan- tara a most irallant action was fought between 2,000 Spaniards, commanded by Colonels Mayne and Grant, British officers, and a body of French con- sisting of 10,000 men, in which the latter lost iip- M'ards of 1200, and the small body of brave Spa- niards were enabled to retreat with only a small comparative loss. In this the enemy also had 1500 cavalry and 12 field |)ieces ; but the Spaniards fought with such fury, and such indescribable gallantry, that they maintained the pass until sunset in spite of a most dreadful and galling tire from the whole of the ene- my's line. Sir Arthur Wellesley, on his return from the pursuit of Soult, was obliged to remain long inactive in the vicipity of Lisbon, not by any means from his own disposition, which was full of activity and ardour in the cause, and forward and adventurous in quest of personal reputation. He was, indeed, anxious to strike some decisive blow ; but before this could be attempted, it was necessary tfiat some plan of co-opeiation should be concerted between him and the Spanish generals, particularly Cuej>ta. He was also e?itremely anxious that Cuesta should not at- tempt any movement of importance without the English army, and at leugtii obtained his promise that he would suspend his operations until the Britisl^ army had reached the Tagus. In his subsequent arrangements he found many obstacles with respect to the management of the Spa- nish Generals and Juntas, and in urging them to call forth all the energies and means of Iheir country, par- ticularly with Cuesta, who was a friend to a kind of harassing warfare, and not very willing to run the risk of any great or decisive battle. At length, liovv- ever, a plan of operations was concerted between the British and Spanish generals, and both began their Oiarch towards Madrid. l'}^ 2 o Cue 290 LIl^E OK THE MOST NOBLE F<»rce of the allied arniv. One of the most important and splendid victories in the Peninsula was now approaching' ; it is ne- cessary, therefore, to examine the previous mili- tary transactions with some deg;ree of precision, in J order to inve>tio^ate and understand its real merits. Early in .hiiy, .Joseph Buonaparte joined Sebas- tiaui with those troops which he brought from Ma- •irid, and with a detachment from Marshal Victor's corps, making' the force under >Sebastiani about '<^8,000 men, and their intention vvas to attack the Spanish corps under General \ aiiegas ; but that oriicer retired into the mountaui* of the Sierra Mo- rena ; and, though forced to retreat, was still able to attack and destroy a considerable part of the enemy's advanced guard. The Fi'ench troops then returnetl to the Tagus ; and the whole armv then under Victor, and amounting to about 35,000, were concentrated in the neiglibourhood of Talavera, and on the AU bercbc. General Cuesta's Spanish force was now in the vii^ cinity at Almaras, and the advanced guard of thfe British army arrived at Placentia on the 8th of July, the whole of the troops being finally collected about the IGth. Sir Arthur Wellesley, with lirs usuftl precision, now proceeded to Cuestii's head -quarters ; and having stop[)ed with liim two days, arranged a plan of ope*- rations upon the l^'rench army, which were to com- merjce about the 18th, if they should remain so long lit their position as to allow the whole British force to- come up. At this period the Spanish army amourtted to about 88,000 men, (exclusive of the force under Vanegas,) of which about 7,000 were cavalry, 14,000 of this force were detached to the bridge of Arzobis- po, and the remainder were encamped under th^ Puerte de Mirabete. According to these arrangements die British army Jbroke MARQLIS OF WELMNGTON. 291 Military aaecdotcs. broke lip from Placentia* on the 17th, and reached Oropesa on the 20th, where a junction was formed 2 o 2 with * " On the Ctli of July we entired the city of Placentia, the capital of Estrainadura ; the inhabitants welcoined our entrance, by vvaving their liandkerciiiefs, luiid iiiixzas, and otiier denionstrationb of joy. Placen- tia is a large but not a handsome town, has old Moorisii walls, aad is si- tuated on the river Xerto over which it has two bridges; some of the houses are extremely large, though I think none particularly handsome. In one private luinjsion, we had accomniodatiun (that is to say, room, for the furniture and inhabitants were gone,) for 'JOOO men, beside:, slab, ling for most of our horses. In tiiis neighbourhood most of the moun- tains are tipped with snow, which is brought to the town in considerable quantities, for the purposes of cooling creams, lemonade, Sec. Piacen tia is also famous for its n)auutucture of chocolate ; and has, besides, a number of respectable siiops, tiiough their tenants were at first afraii of opening them tons; tiieir reciMit visitors, the French, not being ac- customed to trouble themselves with accounts. A most seasonable sup- ply of shoes was also procured here for the soldiers ; many of whom had been totally barefooted and woefully foot-sure for several preceding days," Journal of an Ojficer. " On the 9th we left Placentia, and halted in a viijley abouf three miles off; this situation was boiii beautiful and beneficial, a delightful stream of crystal water in our front, and in our rear the snow clad mountains I have spoken of. On the evening of the lOth, we received an une.v- pected route ; and, returning through Placentia, niarched two leagues to Malapartidi, a village containing about 400 inhabitants, and nearly the same number of miserable hovels : a good church, containing, amongst other figures, one of our Saviour supported in tl;e Virgin's arms, and decorated wjth a laced coclicd hat, ajid a full dress velvet suit. In the centre of tlic church was an open sepulchre, with human bones ex- posed to view. Here the Fr<:nch had pillaged to excess, and the con- sequent inisery of the inhabitants may be conceived, but cannot be described. I know nothing of philosophy ; but, in spite of my partia- lity to the, army and zeal in the service, common sense and unavoid- able observation will sometimes obtrude reflections by no means fa- vourable to war.or its promoters; and when I Irive heard the people of this icountry and of Portugal censured, or, in more unceremonious language, fi. daiuned,'' for not iurnishing all the supplies we require, I have caught myself asking the qmstion, what is it to the cottager, ox the farmer? what to the Iialf-starvod inhabitant, by whom his misery is occasioned f tVhether by friend or foe, his crops and his cattle are alike consumed— " Where'er we move in anger, desolation tracks our progress: where'er we pause in amity, aflliction mourns our friendship." The seal of war is unavoidibly the seat of woe; and though the English, in general, pay honestly for what they are obliged to take, what recompense is this to a nvdn 2Qko LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Advance toward? Talavera. with the Spanish force. Previous to this, Sir Rohert^ Wilson had marched from his positions, and arrived!' on the Alherche on the 23d, with the Lusitanian le- gion, and a small Spanish and Portuguese force ; whilst Vanegas, havinii" broke up from JMadrileyos^i was able to cross the Tagus by a ford at Pueute Duenes, and to arrive at Argand about the same time. The combined armies moved from Oropesa on the 22d, and the advanced guards attacked the enemy's outposts at Talavera, when their right was turned by tlie 1st hussars and the 23d light dragoons under Geni neral Anson, directed by Lieutenant General Payne, and by the division of infantry under Major General; . Mackenzie, and they were driven in by the Spani&b? advanced guards under the command of General Sar-^ jas, and the Due d' Albuquerque. The united armies now approaching the enemy ra- pidly, the columns were formed for the attack of the - position of Talavera de la Reyna on the 24th of July j5 but the attack being postponed until the morning of, the 25th by desire of General Cuesta, the columns^ were again put in motion, and the different corps ad-*.» vanced, when it was discovered that the bird hadl' flown, and that the enemy had actually retired about" one in the morning to Santa Olalla, and thence towfjrds . Torrigos, evidently with the intention of forming a; junction with Sebastiani. At this period Sir Arthur Wellesley found his ope- rations much crippled, and his advance after a retreat* : ing- army much retarded, on account of the great de*^ > iiciencyrj a man who is ol>liged lo abdiuloii tlie pbce he has cultivated, and the necessaries of life, which not even money ran procure.- In the present case, however, we must derive what comfort we can from f he reflection^,/' that, compared to tlie French, we constitute tlie lesser evil, and that our cause under Heaven is just. " In that cause I think we shall for the present succeed : but whether the Spaniards will retain what we may aid them to acquire, whether in fact they ar'ethat loyal, brave, virtuous, and chivalrous people', which they are generally accounted, I do most seriously doubt." Journal of an Officer. !\}ARQU1S OF VVELLIiN'GTON. 2^i ConccntTailon of the French. ficiency of means of tranJ^port iiY Spain. Gt^neral Guesta had indeed urg-ed the Central Junta to adopt vig'orous measures in order to relieve the general wants. But these means were not taken with suf- ficient resohition, and Sir Arthur was forced to come to the detennination of not n.ovino;' from Talavera until he was supplied ; as, in fact, he was no longer able to continue his operations without this relief. General Cuesta, however, followed the enemy's lin^' of march with his army from the Alberche on the morning- of the -ilth, as far as ^anta Olalla, and push- ed forward his advanced guard as far as Torrijos : and, at the same time, Sir Arthur, but without break- ing up his main body, detached two divisions of in- fantry, and a brigade of cavalry, across the Alberche, to Casalegos, under the command of Lieutenant-Ge- neral Sherbrooke, with a view to keep up the commu- nifjution between him and the Spanish army, and with' Siv Kubert Wilson's force at Escalona. It happened unfortunately at this junction that General Vanegas had not earned into execution that part of the precon- certed plan of operations which related to his corps, so that he was still at Damiel, in La Mancha, by which means the French, by the 26th, had been enabled quietly to collect all their detachments in that part of Spain, between Torrijos, and Toledo, in which latter place they only left a garrison of 2000 men. The French united army now consisted of the corps of Marshal Victor, of that of General Sebastiani, and of seven or eight thousand men of Joseph Buona- parte's guartis, and the garrison of Madrid ; a most splendid, and apparently ove4'bearing-, concentration of force ; the whole commanded by Joseph himself, aided by Marshals Jourdan and Victor, and General Sebastiani.* '-'' '^ ' Flushed 1 '. 'ui>f iuci :.i ■ ; . * Victor, like most of the FVencli generals, entered into the army as a private, and at the age of fifteen, previous to the levolulion, was lit i^94 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Victor, &c. t. Flushed with their uumbers, the French now aclo|>(- ^d a plan of attack instead of retreat;* and on the 20th, the artillery. But his progress was rapid; for, devoting his leisure hours to fencing, he became tiotired by hio officers, and at th<* coniinence- nient of the y ditches. The high road, leading from the bridge over the All)erche, was defended by a heavy battery, in front of a church, which was occupied by Spanish infantry. Ail tl»e avenues to the town were defended in a similar manner ; tlietown was occupied, and the remainder of the Spanish infantry was form- ed in two hues behind the banks, in the roads which led from the town, and the right to the leftof the Bri- tish force. In the centre, between the two armies, there was a commandino^ spot of ground, on which the combined allies had begun to construct a redoubt, with some open ground in its rear: and at this spot Brigadier-General Alexander Campbell was posted with a division of in- fantry, supported by General Cotton's brigade of dra- goons, and some Spanish cavalry in his rear. Such was the disposition of the British and Spanish armies, as directed by the gallant Wellesley, with all the military talent of a Scipio or a Hannibal, and de- tailed by himself with all the elegant precision of a Poly bins.* The operations now commenced, and about two o'clock on the 27th the enemy aj)[)eared in strength on the left bank of the Alberche, and manifested an intention to attack General Mackenzie's division. It was not the intentiou of Sir Arthur that the business should commence on this spot ; but the French with great * " We afterwards passed ihe river Albcrca over a very fine bridge of eight arches. It was fordahle, and iiitersef;led by an inrmiiy of small sands. In the afternoon the scenery assumed a new character ; we saw a great quantity of cork trees, and, in tlie distance, mountains covered with snow. At length wc arrived at Talaveyra de la Reyna, a town surrounded by a very rich country, and beautiful avenues of trees. The smiling interior of the country slicws tliat it anciently enjoyed a degree of atHuence which it still retains. From Talavera we turned to the left, ajul lodc almost the whole day among paths that meandered among or- chards and delightful flowery meadows," Journal of a» OJucr. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 097 - -r-- Anecdoiei of General M' Kenzie. •n ■ , ■ .. - great rapidity, had made it before the troops could be withdrawn. However, the whole of this detachment of the British force, consisting- of General Macken- zie's and Colonel Donkin's brigades, and General Anson's brigade of cavah-y, and supported by Gene- ral Payne, with the other four regiments of cavalry, in the plain between Talavera and the wood, were all withdrawn in g^ood order, but with some loss, par- ticularly by the 2d battalion of the 87tb, and the 2d battalion of the 3Jst in the wood. The conduct of General Mackenzie upon this oc- casion, and the military and officer-like style in which he withdrew his advanced g-uard, was much praised by the Commander-in-Chief, whilst the steadiness and discipline of the 45th regiment, and of the 5th battalion of the 60th, were most conspicuous.* 13. 2p As * Major-General Ronald M' Kenzie, who fell so gloriously in this battle, was the representative of a very ancient Highland family, \vhose patrimonial estate (Suddie) lies in that part of Kosshire, called the Black Isle. He began his military career in the marines, under the immediate eye of his uncle. General M' Kenzie, of that corps, and for some time previous to ITQI did the duty of Adjutant to the Chatham division. Upon the death of his uncle, by which hp succeeded to some personal fortune, he relinquished the marine ser- vice, perhaps from an ambition to get forward in his profession more rapidly than that service admits of; and in the spring of J 7^4 he be- came Major of the 2d battalion of the 78th foot, raised by the present Lord Seeporth. In the latter end of that year, or early in 1795, both battalions of the 78th were consolidated ; by which measure this gal- lant officer, along with his officers and men, joined the first battalion, at the Cape, when they proceeded to India, 1200 strong, where the rpciment served with distinction under Lieutenant-General (then Co- Tonel) Mackenzie Fraser. He returned to Europe in 1801, sincerely legretted on his absence by his regiment, and all who knew him ; and being promoted to the rank of Colonel soon after his arrival in England, he was placed on the northern start" as a Brigadier. After this he was made governor and commandant of Alderney, and soon replaced oa Hie northern staff as Major-Gcneral, which situation he held wiien, ftn his own solicitation, he was removed to the command of a brigade in Portugal in ISOS. He was in Parliament four years for the Suther- land boroughs, and afterwards for the county. He was a zealous, steady, cool, soldier; a mild and most friendly man. The service lost in him a most excellent oflicer — his friends, an estimable and amiable 298 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Movtraents before the baltle. As the (lay advanced, the enemy appeared in greater numbers on the right bank of the Alberche; and the General saw cleariy that lie was now ad* vancing to a general attack, wliil.^t General Mac- kenzie continued to tali back gradually upon the left of the British position, where he took liis station in the second line, in rear of the guards, Colonel Don- kin being placed in the same situation, further upon the left, in the rear of the German legion. It was now the dusk of the evening, and the enemy imme- diately commenced his attack by a cannonade upon the British position, and by an attem[)t with his ca- valry to overthrow the Spanish infantry on the right; but this general attenjpt, on both ends of the line, failed entirely. He, hovvever, early in the night, pushed a division along the valley on the left of the height occupied by General Hill, of which he obtain- ed a momentary possession ; but General Hill attacked it instantly with the bayonet, and carried it. This attack was repeated during the night, but failed; and again at day-light in the morning of the 28th by two divisions of infantry, but was a third time re- pulsed by the gallant Hill. In all these affairsj the conduct, both of officers and men, was most merito- rious, and many lives were lost, General Hill him- self being slightly wounded. The enemy now determined to carry every thing by a general coup-de-main, and accordingly made an attack along the whole line of the British, with the whole of his force. Previous to this, however, in consequence of the repeated attemj)ts upon the height on the left, by the valley. Sir Arthur Wellesley had placed two brigades of British cavalry in that valley, supported in tiie rear by the Due d' Albmjuerque's division of Spanish cavalry. The enemy theii placed light amiable companion. The 78tli adored him, and will, long lament him Dving withont issue, his estate of Suddie went (o an only sister^, piarried to Captain Potts of the 42d, with a large faniilj'. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. oc)q I^allle of Tabvcra. light infantry in tlie raiig-e of mountains on the left of the valley which were o])jjosed hy a division of Spanish infantry under Lieutenant General de Basse- court. The jri'neral attack now coniinenced by tlie march of several columns of infantry into the valley with a view to attack the height occupied by General Hill ; but these colunuis were immediately charged by the 1st German !i"ht dragoons and 23d drasfoons under the connnand of General Anson, directed by Lieu- tenant General Payne, and supported by General Fane's brigade of heavy cavalry ; and although ihe 23d dragoons suffered considerable loss, the charge had the effect of preventing the execution of that part of the enemy's plan. W'lilst this general attack was made upon thelefl, with what he hoped would be a preponderant force, another took place upon Erigadier General Alexan- der Campbell's ])osition in the centre of the combined armies, and on the right of the British ; but this at- tack was in like manner most successfully- lepulsed by General Campbell supported by the king's regi- ment of Spanish cavalry, and two l)aUalions of Spa- nish infantry ; and that with such effect that the ene- my left their artillery behind them. The whole of this j)art of the business was conducted in high style, and much to th.e satisfaction of Sir Arthur himself, \vho appears to have been in the midst of this as well as of the other attacks.* 2 P 2 Wliilst * On tlie 'J3(l, WL' tliis night occupied, in advance of the army, some Conifortaijlc liufs which Iiad been erected by the Fix-nch, biit were un- der arms at iwo o'clock in the morning, and continued so till seven, ivhen all appeared quiet, and our parades were dismissed ; scarcely, however, wtre our lirelocks filed, ere notice was given that the enemy approached. General M' Kenzie ordered us to advance, and we were on ouf march when an order tor a retreat arrived — we conliniied retreating and fighting, till wecaine upon the remainder of our army, in the plains opposite to the townoi 'lalavera; this was about nine at night, by whicli time we were greatly fatigued, and were consequently marched 300 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecduies of the battle. Whilst these operations were thus going on^ the enemy made another attack upon Lieutenant Gene- ral iii'*''ched to the rear, whers we formed a second line to our fresher troops; the enemy pushing on all this time with astonishing ce- lerity, and keeping up a tremendous fire from their numerous ar- tillery. About ten, they made a must daring attack iipun the left of our line, but were nobly repulsed by the 3d and 2§ih regiments. Af- ter this there was not much done till day-light in the morning of the 28th, when the artillery from each army opened with a rapid and destructive fire. The French again made an attempt upon our left, and were again repulsed. At length the action became general; but to describe it is impossible; we charged, and were repulsed, and charged again ; suffice it to say, that at night the French began to retreat, and the victory was consequently ours — it was, indeed, — •* A battle hardly fought, A victory for which t!ie conq'rors mourn'd. So many fell." The French are said to have had five and forty thousand men in this action, with King Joseph in person. Victor, however, had the com- mand, and was seconded by Sebastiani. Our loss is estimated, and that pretty accurately, at five thousand men, killed and wounded ; that of the French, by their own confession, exceeds double the number. Id one division, and with our brigade, we lost the gallant General JM' Kenzie, and a very large proportion of officers ; the plains were covered with woiinded and dead ; whilst, horrible to relate, the stub- ble caught fire, and many disabled wretches were burnt to death. Of this action the Spaniards were quiet spectators. On the following inorning, the French army having totally disappeared, we applied ourselves, to searching out, and carrying off, the wounded. But such scenes as the field and town presented, on this and the two succeeding days, exceeds human credibility, as much as it overpowered the most unfeeling amongst us. The God of mercy grant, " 1 ne'er may look upon the like again." The enemy plundered such of our officers as they laid hold of of their vratches, epaulets, and money ; but, in other respects, they observed the dictates of humanity ; to some they administered wine, to others water, and placed others out of the battle's heat. To one friend of mine, they offered a service, which 1 believe few of us, in any situation, however miserable, would willingly accept. Seeing him severely wounded, and covered with blood, they asked him if they should terminate his sufferings? This favour he declined, and is now doing well. My poor friend E — indeed complained, that to him they behaved otherwise, having kicked and pushed him in an unfeeling manner ; yet he spoke not.pf them with rancour; but, having lingered for two days, he died the death of a flero, with the resignation of a Christian. — Om orderly book of Viclor's is said to Jiave been found in Ta'avera, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 30 1 Attack oil the left. ral Sherhrooke's division, wliich was on the left and centre of the first line of the British army. This was perhaps as gallant a part of the business as took place on that day ; for the attack was most spiritedly re- pulsed hy a charge of bayonets by the whole division, in which, however, onr troops suffered much from the impetuosity of their gallantry: for the brigade of guards, v.hich were on the ri;, he strongly reprobates the rapacity- of ]iis troops ; and conchides a Philippic 011 the subject l)y declaring tiiatthe only passicns liioy had left were for blood and plunder. This is not, perhaps, quite so honest as Soult is said to have been, who, ad- dressing his troops on the same subject, declared a resolution to put a stop to that practice, as he was resolved that nobody should rob in Portugal but himself! Such had been the state of its occupancy by the French, that most of the inhabitants had shut up their shops, so that few necessaries, and no luxuries, vvere to be obtained ; though these, wine in particular, were greatly netdcd," Journal of «n Officer., 302"^ LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE — • ■ ■ ■■■ ■— »< Anecdotes of those that fell. pieces of cannon, a r|utuitity of ammunition, and some prisoners. Alter so long' an action, with more than double numbers, it is not surprising" that the loss of the Bri- tish, both in men and officers, should have been very great. 'Fbat of the enemy was, however, much greater ; as Sir Arthur Wellesley had the most posi- tive information that entire brigades of infantry were destroyed, and that the battalions which retired were much reduced in numbers ; their total loss amounting" at least to ten thousand men, that of the British being as in the note below.* The French (still numerically superior to the combined army) continued to keep a rear guard of about ten thousand men on the left of the Alberche ; whilst ! * Oil the side of the French, Generals Lapisse and Morlott vvere killed; and Generals Sebastian! and Bouiet wounded. On the British side Major-General Mackenzie and Briijadier-General LangwertU were killed ; whilst Major-General Hill and Brigadier-General A. Camp- bell were slightly woundeii. The total British lo>^s on both days amounted lo 34 ofilicers killed, and 195 wounded ; whilst the Serjeants, &c. and rank and tile were, killed 767; wounded, 3718 ; and 9 officers, with 6i4 others missing; making a grand total of 5367. Colonel Alexander Gordon of the 83d regiment, who fell go glori-- ously on tiiis hardfonght day, was wounded in the neck by a miisquet ball, charging the enemy at the head of his regiment ; and when cat- rying olf the field, a shell fell on him and killed him instantly. Colo- nel Gordon was very severely wounded in Holland, under the Mar- quis of Huntly, in whose regiment he was at that time a captain. He' served in the same regiment in Egypt, and was subsequently appoint- ed aid-cUi-camp to the Earl of Ilardwick, during his viceroyship m Ireland. He was son to the late Lord Rockville, a Scottish Lord of Session, and the Countess of Dumfries, and brother to William Gor- don, M. P. for Worcester, and partner in the house of Gordon and Murphy, in London. Colonel Gordon was little more than 33 years of age. Lieutenant-Colonel John Ross also, who gloriously fell at the head of the grenadier company of the 2d (or Coldstream) regiment of guards, was an officer of the most promising talents, and of an excellent cha- racter. His death was universally remembered by all his brother otli- cers, and by numerous friends. lie was fourth son of the late Vice- Admiral Sir John Lockhart Ross, of Balnagowan, Bart, so much fam" ed for his naval exploits whilst captain of the Tartar frigate. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ^03 I . — Arrival of the Mhtcjuis oi WeHc^U'y. ■whilst the extreme fatigue of the troops, the want of provisions, and the nintiljerof viounded to be taken care of, obliged the British to remain in their posi- tion so oalUiiitiy defended. . A reinforceiuent, consisting" of Britradier General Cranfurd's brigade, arrived in the Britisli camp on the ilHli in t!ie moining- ; and so great liad been tlieir anxiet) to join in the expected convict, that they hud actually marched twelve Spanish leag-ues in little more than twenty-four hours : and on the 31st of July, about eleven o'clock at night, the enemy with- drew their rear guard, which haon's detachment; but when he was forced to return, and tiie action commenced, it was ordered to Banos to watch the Monte Major road and the hcigiits in the rear of the left. When the enemy's cavalry came near to this battalion, an officer and some dragoons called out to the Commanding officer to surrender; but a volley killed him and his party, when the battalion proceeded to mount the heiglils, in which movement it was attacked and surround- ed by a column of cavalry, and a column of infantry, but cut its way llirough and cleared itself, killing a great many of the enemy, espe- cially of the cavalry. After a resistance of nine hours, and without artillery, Sir Robert •was obliged to retreat ; but this he did in good order, though in the presence of a very superior force. * " 1 1th August. We this day proceeded, or rather receded, about three leagues, and hutted in a dismal valley on the banks of th(- El- nionte river, distant about a mile and a half from the village of Jera- cigo. This village, like most others that I have seen in Spain, consists of an overgrown church, and a cluster of pigstyes, denominated dwellings; the church here has been gutted and degraded into a •table ; but its roof is of very handsome Gothic construction. " Truxillo, August 20th. This is a considerable town capable of con- taining ten or twelve thousand inhabitants; it is built upon an_ emi- nence, commanded by a large Moorish castle, and surrounded by a vast tract of rocky and unproductive land. It contains a spacious square, neatly surrounded by piazzas. In this square is the family mansion of Pizarro, this being his birth place ; and it is the best house in the town. " There are besides several handsome monasteries and churches; in one of the latter (that dedicated to Santa Maria) is a plain marble slab, in memory of the warrior, whose deeds and misdeeds are well known. Here is also another tablet to a nephew of the no less cele- brated, but much more harmless, Cervantes. The interior of this church. 3 1 4 LIFE OF T HE MOST NOBLE i ■ ', . ' - - ' - ■: "~ Anecdotes of the march The succeeding' events of this year require but lit- tle further illustration : it is sufficient therefore to ob- serve that part of the French army, under Sebastiani, fell churcli, particularly the roof, exhibits the most beautiful specimen of jfjothic architecture I ever behelil ; it appears to have been very re- cently and completely repaired ; but being now, like many other re- ligious houses in this country, converted to a barrack, it is, I fear, in a fair way of dilapidation. " 23d to Madelin, the approach to which has a very striking appear- ance, coming suddenly upon the banks of the wide and winding Guadiana. On the sumn)itof a rock, on the opposite bank, is a large and very handsome Moorish castle, wiiilst the same view present one of the most beautiful bridges I ever saw. The Guadiana is the second largest river in Spain, and is wide, but sliallow, in this place; not used, here at least, for the pu'poses of navigation. The Moorish castle stands in a most commanding situation, and contains within its walls a cliurch, an ample amphitheatre, and many monastic cells; all at this time desolate and deserted. The bridge has twenty very finely turned arches, of different sizss, but elegant symmetry ; upon a ^mall column, erected above the largest arch, is a splendid coat of arms, sur- rounded by a coronet, and beneath tiiese are the numerous names and titles of a nobleman who caused ii to be built. " From the castle is a most commanding view, comprising seven tov^ns, and a most extensive plain; which plain is formed intoasortof semicircle by a chain of distant mountains: all tiiis part ot Spain seem? to be divided by nature into the^e sort of districts or sections. The village or town of Madflin is but a poor place though somewhat superior to (hose we have lately passed through. " 24lh August. From Madelin to Merida we had a very long march of six leagues. " Merida stands upon the Guadian.i, and is (he largestand best town I liaye seen since quitting Talavera. Tiie river here is broader and deeper than at Madelin, and from the lenglli of the bridge must be extremely wide in the winter season. This bridge has' no less than iifty-six arches ; but one tiiird of them are at present dry ; in none of them is there the least regularity of architecture, or beauty of symme- try — ^there is less appearance of desolation in this town, and more of cultivation in its vicinity, than I have any where witnessed throughout Spain. Of the churches here, tlie usual resort of botii idle and curious travellers, I can as yet say nothing, as their cioors are this day stu- . diously barred against us: but as 1 understand we halt here for a few clays, I may proijably gain access to theni. "September 1st. Having halted this day, I have had ample time to • visit the place; but the churches offi-r nothing worth writing aboiit.''/ The town is well worth exploring, however, by travellers, as it possesses^'' Iherci aus of an amphitheatre, an aqueduct, and many other Roman '? antiquities." J ournal of an Oj[jker, '■ IMAPtQUIS OF \VEIJJNGTO>Y. J^15 t -■■ ^== Raised to the l'eenii;e. fell in, on the 11th of Aiig^ust with General Venegas, and his Spanish army, at Almonacid, and inflicted upon him a total defeat; yet on the eastern coast of Spain the French were not so successful, and were particularly checked by the destruction of a convoy, destined for Barcelona, by the squadron under Lord' Collini^wood on the 2oth of October. WJjen the intelligence of the battle of Talavera reached this country, the admiration of the empire was excited by the gallant conduct of the Comman- der-in-Chief, and his brave troops. The usual thanks were given by the leg-islature, and private subscrip- tions took place as usual for the wounded, and for the benefit of the widows and orphans of those who- so gloriously fell on that day. A mark of I'oyal approbation was also more pecu- liarly extended to Sir Arthur Wellesley, who on the 26th of August in this year, (1809,) was elevated ta the dignity of the Peerage of the United Empire, by the title of Viscount Wellington of J'alavera, and of Wellington, and Baron Douro of Wellesley, in the county of Somerset.* Lord Wellington, soon after the retreat of his army, suft'ered severely from the fatigues of the campaign; but his health being re-established in October, he was about that time appointed by the Regency C.iptain- General of all the forces serving- in Portugal ; and his army was now in excellent order, having* all provisions and stores supplied from Lisbon and Abrantes. On the Spanish side, the French made themselves masters ot" llostaiiich on the 8th of November ; and on the 19th ot" the same month General Arrisaga was 2 R 2 attacked * It is worlhv of remark, that the motto of the family of Wellesley is " Unicu virtus iiec«essiiiia" — or f'irtue alone is necessunj ; but Lord Woliiiiglon, having adopted a new motto on liis creation, ♦' Forro tiiium necessariimi" — One thing tuore is iiecasari/, liis Lordsliip has sliewn himself capable of performing not only tliat one thing more, bi(tatsoof following it up with a succcasive train of noble d«edi. 316 l-^E OF THE MOST NOBLE " Anecdotes of Geroiia. attacked and beaten by Marshal Soult on the plains of Ocana. On the 2^\\\ following, the Spaniards under the Due del Parque were also defeated near Alba de Tormes, by General Kellerman ; and, on the lOth of December, Gerona surrendered to the French, after having' gloriously supported all the hardships and dangers of a siege for nearly six months.* Such •was the state of affairs, at tlie close of 1809. * After Gerona had been twice invosled, and the assailants twice dri- ven back, the French again advanced to besiege it with more formi- dable means, and in a more regular manner ; and, on the 12th of Au- gust, the besieged finding themselves unable, any longer, to defend the castle of Monjoy, retired into the city, leaving the castle a heaj) of ruins. Yet they withstood all the attacks of different French gene- rals, during a siege of six months; nor was it until the JOth of De- cember that they surrendered on honourable, but>badly kept, con- ditions. ■ The gallant defence of this town seen^s to rival that of Saragossa, A lady, who was in it during tlut period, gave the following interesting account to her friend. " it is now nine o'clock at night, and we have had an hour's respite, after a bombardment of three days, without a moment's interruption. I can find no words capable of giving you an idea of the horrors of the scene. The enemy has eleven mortars, all of M'hich are discharged at once. We have forty balls, that have fallen at our own threshold. The Cathedral is jn front of us ; and they know- ing it is full of people, and that the magazine of powder is adjacent to it, direct their aims at that edifice. But God assists us ; and, although six balls have fallen upon the Cathedral, one only has passed through it, which indeed has killed thirteen women, and wounded fourteen; but this is nothing, considering the number of people in the church. All the engineers allow, that there never was a more severe bombard- ment. Tite shells are twelve or fourteen inches in circumference, (the Jady ought to have said diameter,) and they inclose combustibles which often occasion conflagration where they fail. Yesterday two very large ones exploded before our hogse, and the Royal Hospital has been on fire ever since yesterday morning; but the sick and wound- ed have been removed. The houses are almost all destroyed ; but, notwithstanding tiiis general mischief and ruin, it is astonishing to see the people of the city, and in particular the women, at the doors of their houses, and passing along tlie streets without fear; and evea the military express their surprise at tlie insenUbility of the citizi'ns, male and female, to the dangers to wliich they are ex- posed." SECTION MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 317 Vote of thanks to Lord Wellington. SECTION VIL Parlianipnlary thanks to LofJ Wellington in 1810— Debates on that sub- ject — Luminous tlett'iice and vin(noation by tlie Mariiuis of Wellesiey — Alt'aii's in i)|)ain — Invasion of Andalusia — Occupancy of Seville by. the French — Scba^liani defeats Arisaga— Biographical notices of the for- mer — Siege of Cadiz— Jealousies ol the Spanish Junta— Negociations of our emlia-.sador with the Spanish Government— Calling of tlie Cortes — Atrocities of tiie French army before Cadiz — Operations in Catalonia — Defeat of General O'Donnel at Vichu by Augereau— Anecdotes of the latler-~Operations in the North— Fall of Astorga— Atrocious proclama' tion of Massena— Sieceof Ciudad Hodrigo— Distribution of the French force— Anecdotes of Regnier— Policy of Lord Wellington — Canton- ments of the British army — Operations of the armies— Aflair at La Cou- cejjlion, under Brigadier-General Craufurd — Siege and surrender of Almeida to the French— The British army retire, and clear the country — Anecdotes of these events— Topographical delineations— Lord Wel- lington lakes post at Busaco— Battle of Busaco — Anecdotes and oc- currences — Biographical notices of the officers engaged— Political and military consequences of the action— British army retire upon their lines at Torres Vedras— Sufferings of the Portuguese— Gallant seizure of Coimbra by Colonel Tranl— French army lakes post in front of the British lines — Retreat of Massena— Pursuit of the French army— Judi- cious arrangements of Lord Wellington — Occurrences of the French retreat towards Santarem— British positions at Cartaxo, and afteiwardg at Torres Vey a g'reat proportion of the people at home, been considered as so highly transcen- dent as fully to justify the marks of royal favour be- stowed upon him, and to call for the thanks of the Legislature. There were, however, some few indivi- duals, who still professed to have their doubts ; and accordingly when Parliament met, and the motion for a vote of thanks was expected. Lord Grey in th« House of Lords, on. the day preceding, expressed his opinion that it was of considerable importance that some information should be laid before the House, by which they might be enabled to form some opinion 518 Lli-'E OF THE MOST NOBLEf Parliamentary debates. opinion with respect to the propriety of the motion. It was necessary, he contended, that they should know, whether the advance of Lord AVei]in<^ton into Spain was the exercise of his own judg-ment, or the result of the instructions of ministers. It was also of importance tliat they should have before them the nature of the information communicated by Lord Welling-ton respecting the action of Talavera ; there being", as he said, strong reason to believe that minis- ters, at the time they held out that battle as a victory, knew, from what was stated by Lord Wellington in Lis dispatches, that our army must retreat; and that the battle, said to be a victory, must be followed by all the consequences of a defeat. He therefore mov- ed for the instructions to his Lordship ; for the dis- patches received from him, on his marching to Pla- centia ; for the dispatches which he sent from Tala- vera after the battle ; and also for certain correspond- ' ence between Lord Wellington and the Spanish go- vernment respecting the supplies for the army. But all these motions were negatived as totally nnneces-' ^ sary, and also on the ground that there was no prece- dent for calling for papers in order to enquire into the general conduct of a campaign, where the only object in contemplation was, a specific vote of thanks for a particular service. On the succeeding day Lord Liverpool rose in i^p!{ House for the purpose of moving thanks to Lord" *^ Wellington and the officers and men under his com-" raand, for the skill and ability, the valor and braver\v ' by which they obtained the glorious victory at Tala- * vera. The prudence and propriety of his Lordship*s con- duct on this occasion was not only honourable to ' himself, bui to Lord Wellington ; for he had framed his motion so, as he himself said, with a view to con-^ - ciliation, as to separate the conduct of the army and of the officers commanding from every other sul)ject connected' ^^ I MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ai9 iMution of Tlianks. connected with the general management of the cam- ^i^'^"- . . . . , . • -^ .Whatever opinion might be entertained W'th re-; pect to the measures which led to the battle itnelf, or to the consequences which ensued, still he contended there could be not one sentiment as to ihe skill of the o^eneral, and the valor of his army. In tracing- the j)rogress of the glorious event, he observed that it had been determined on the part of the French, to make a concentrated attack on the combined armies; that although the Spanisli army was present, and partially was engaged in the battle, yet the brunt of the attack was principally, if not wholly, borne by the Englislj, not an?ounting- to more than 20,000 men, whilst the French army fell little short of 50,000. Yet the enemy, after repeatedly renewing' their at- tacks, were repulsed with the loss of nearly 10,000 men, twenty pieces of artillery, and four standards. It was of the last importance, he contended, that such victories as that of Talavera, should be reward- ed by every tribute of honour and praise tliat House could bestow ; for as it had been the g^ood fortune of Great Britain to unite a military spirit with conmier- cial pursuits, so every encouragement was due still further to promote that spirit. Even now, he .justly asserted, no atchievement was ever more entitled to praise than the victory at Talavera ; and as he admitted that if their lordships were called upon to decide on all the circumstances of the campaign, it might naturally alter the question. He wished, therefore, to direct the attention of the House solely to the conduct of the oiiicer, and the army under his command, on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809. I "J-'o this the Earl of Suffolk answered, that, as a professional man, it was painful to his feelings to state any objections to a motion of thanks to Lord Welling- ton ; but he could not denouiinate that a victory >v'here a retreat immediately followed, and the wounded 320 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Objections to the motion. wounded and the prisoners fell immediately into the liands of the enemy. Even the capture of artillery, he contended, was not in all circumstances to be con- sidered as a signal of victory, as he said it might have been convenient for the eneuiv to leave them upon the field ! Witli i'eg-ard to the reinforcement of 36,000 men which was advancing- to support the French, he enquired, M'hy did not Lord SVeliing-ton know of their situation, and the probability of then* approach ? It was the duty of every general to have such informa- tion. Considering- also the amount of the British force in the Peninsula, and that only so snuill a portion of it was brought into action at Talavera, he thought that upon this head there was also much g-round for repre- hension, and this conduct appeared to him to be in perfect conformity to that of the same general in bringing up only half his forces to act against the enemy at the battle of Vimiera. The Earl of Grosvenor was apprehensive that if the House were to be called upon to vote thanks for every instance of the display of valour, the proceed- ing would draw after it very injurious results. If a single detachment, nay, if an individual, had exhibit- ed proofs of bravery, their lordships, he said, might be called upon to vote away their thanks ; and, as to the battle of Talavera itself, it was one which, in all its circumstances, did not appear to him to be entitled to such a reward. After some other observations, liord Grey rose to shew how little justice there was in such a vote of thanks. He asserted that the battle of Talavera had neither succeeded in attaining- the general object of the campaign, nor the immediate object, that of dispersing' the enemy's army. As to the general object of the campaign he considered it to be that of driving the enemy's troops before him, and obtaining possession of Madrid, the capital : now the French troops in Spain, at that time, occupied a defensive 6 iiae MARQUIS OF WELUNGTON. 32 1 I'oliiicnl cihimnks. Jine of positions, from Toledo to Salamanca. On the advance of Lord Wellington into Sjiriin, they left their jjosifions and concentrated their forces to oppose hiui. Lord \V ellin^ton tlren marched in the direction of Madrid, as far as 'I'aUivera ; where he was obliged to stop for want of provisions, and the means of transport. The battle was foug^ht, attd the enemy for the moment repnlsed. But the «re{K'raS object of the advance into Spain was lost. Th€J enemy retained possession of the capital, and the British ti'oops were obliged to retreat. It had been said that Lord Wellintjton had disphiyed great skill im the. dispositions he liad made for battle. Lord Grey would not agree in that opi?iion. The position on this left had not been sntlicientlv secured or taken advan- tag-e of; and there was much also to blame in the con- duct of Lord Wellington, with respect to the Spanish troop.s ; certainly the dispatch of the Spanish Gene- ral g"ave a very different account of the conduct of troops, from that g^iven in the dispatch of Lord Wel- lington. But if Lord Wellington believed the Spa- nish troops to be of such a description that they couhl not be trusted to meet the enemy in a situation of such imminent peril at Talavera ; if Lord Welling- ton held such an opinion of the Spanish troops why did he give the Spanish General the option of defending the passes against the advance of the French army under the Duke of Dalmatian which threatened the flank and rear of the British, or takin;*' care of our sick and wounded at Talavera? Why also had not Lord Wellington better information respect- h in^ the defence of these passes ? Why trust to the in- telligence he received from the Spaniards, neglecting even the ordinary precaution of sending' an officer of 'his own to ascertain whether the passes were properly defended ? To this he added that Mis Majesty's ministers, at \\q ^'time they triumphed forth the battle as a splenc^d and decisive victory, were in the possession of Lc(rd 14. . " 2 iJ W ellingtoe's 322 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Spirited vindication. Wellington's dispatches, in which he stated the un- fortunate situation of his army, the necessity of re- treating:, and the difficulties he had to encounter in effecting- such a retreat. We have thus in one view given all the objections which could be raised, either against his Lordship or against the ministry, by those who upon ^!l occasions had disapproved of our engaging in the Spanish cause, and who had never spoken of our armies in Spain without prophesying disgrace and disaster. It is but common justice therefore, without adopting the politics of any party, to record the manly and lucid vindication of the gallant Wellington from one \yho, both in his relative and official capacity, seemed par- ticularly cviUed on for his support. The Marquis of W ellesley therefore, after apolo- gizing for his private feelings on the present occasion, ■when he was called upon to perform a public duty, by vindicating the character and conduct of so near and dear a relative as a brother, began by proceeding to observe that Lord Grey did not seem very dearly to understand the object of Lord Wellington's opera- tions. On the arrival of his brother in Portugal, he found thi t the enemy was not only in possession of its north- ern provinces, but that a plan had been concerted, by v»'hich Victor and Soult were to advance from dif- ferent points, into the south. The first object, there* fore, was the deliverance of Portugal. The operation then by which he expelled Soult was as able, as rapid, and conclusive, as any recorded in the page of history. It was therefore unfair, as some noble Lords had done, to describe such an operation merely as an affair with the rear guard of Soult's corps. After this, Lord Wellington immediately proceeded to the south to oppose Victor, who had actually advanced in that direction, but who on the approach of Lord Wellington had thought it prudent to retreat. What ■\7as the situation of Spain, when Lord Wellington a^lvanced MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 323 Dcvelopement of plans. advanced into the country ? The Supreme Central g-overnment had been long established, and tlieir au- thority was generally recognized. The part of the country throug-h which his march lay abounded in resources of every description ; nor was it fair to en- tertain a doubt of the power and disposition of the Spanish g-overnment to render them available. The joint request of the Supreme Junta and General Cuesta to Lord Wellington, was, that he would co- operate with the Spanish army in driving Victor from the Tagiis. It was impossible therefore for Lord Wellington to refuse his assistance for the attainment of "this desirable object, as a refusal on his part would have argued a supposition that the Spanish govern- ment was incompetent to perform its duty : and that the country, though full of provisions, was unwilling to supply them. Besides this, it was impossible to answer for the safety of Portugal, without striking such a blow against Victor as might prevent him from joining, or co-operating, with Soult, or any French corps that might invade that kingdom from the northward. He then stated, in opposition to Lord Grey's sur- mises, that the plan agreed upon between the British and Spanish Generals was, that the British army, supported by that under Cuesta, should move against Victor's corps, and that in the mean time Vanegas, by a circuitous route should threaten Madrid, in order, if possible, by this demonstration, to draw off the atten- tion of the French corps under Joseph and Sebastiani, and thus prevent them from making any movement in conjunction with Victor. The due execution of this plan, in all its parts, he contended was sufficient to justify Lord Wellington in his expectations of success ; and accordingly he advanced against Victor then at Talavera, on the 22d of July, and soon came in sight of the French army, whom he proposed to attack on the following morning. 2 s2 A 324 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Observations on the battle. At this very moment, Victor's corps was then total- ly unsupported by every other, and consisted of no moj'e than 'i8,(M30 men. If, therefore, the attack up- on Vicior had been made on the 23d, as Lord Wel- lington proposed, the result must have been not only most glorious but most complete. It happened unfor- tunately, however, that General Cuesta refused to at- tack the enemy on that day ; but for what reason had never been explained ; and the consequence was that Victor retreated, and made his escape on the very night of the 2.3d, and effected a junction with Joseph and Sebastian i. And even at the very same time. General Vanegas, who ought to have been at Arganda on the -^ 2d, was so perplexed with orders and counter orders from the Junta, that he tlid not arrive there until the 29th, a day after the battle had been fought. These things were certainly most unfortunate : but, as his Lordship added, against such strange misma- nagement what human prudence could provide. With respect to the political questions connected with our assistance afforded to Spain, the Marquis perfectly agreed that th<3re was a necessity for a ra- dical change in the present modes of the Spanish government. It was impossible, however, that such a change could be the work of a day ; but we were not therefore to abandon the Spaniards to the mercy of their cruel invaders, or to desert them in the crisis of their fortunes. With respect indeed to the battle of Talavera itself, he would say nothing more of it in a military point of view than that the British troops had succeeded in re- pulsing the attack of a French army almost double their own numbers, the efforts of which had chiefly been directed against their position. But with respect to its consequences, he would boldly maintain that this signal defeat had essentially tentributed to the main objects of the campaign. For, unless that blow had beeu struck against Victor, it would MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 325 /^iiiiuii^ se:tled hy I . iliaiiiei t. would have b it to the main land, will scarcely ad- liiit f<}(ir men abreast ; -.'nd thai is defended by several very strong batteries.' The ro.id too wu?, even tlien, interaet;ted with trenches " hikd LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Operations in Aiulalusia. ^^, The further progress of the siege it is annecessary to detail, particularly as even, in the early part of the year, the operations of the English army and the al- lies were not solely confined to the defence of Cadiz; and it was a part of our general plan, to act also on the oflensive, by rousing, encouraging, and aiding, the natives, in a resistance to their invaders. In the south, in particular, much was done by Ge- neral Lacey, who, having disembarked at Aigesiras with a small force of 5000 men, had it augmented so much in a few days as to amount to 12,000. In fact, all the inhabitants of the mountainous district, in the south of Andalusia, rose as if by common consent; and all the arms found at Ronda, which had been evacuated by the French, were distributed among them. The business now became very harassing to the French, who, calling these rude sons of liberty insurgents, had marched several parties against them, a,_niurderous warfare being carried on by both sides. The Spaniards were, indeed, at last, obliged to re- treat ; but though these mountaineers were defeated in several actions, still they were not conquered. In fact, every British officer, who had opportunities of seeing" these Spanish mountaineers, agreed in their description of the ferocious and savage appearance and air of these Alpujarese, or natives of the Alpu- jarra range. Every day they were bringing pri- soners into Gibraltar, with the spoils of the French- nien they had killed, consisting of liorses, helmets, uniforms, &c. and, indeed, many of themselves be- came completely metamorphosed, throwing off their ancient filled willi water from several smnll rivulets, and on the borders of thii causeway there were dykes and deep fosses. A deep trench upwards of 200 feet in width, in some measure insidating tlie Ida, was another defence ; and the bridge, which iu tiiues of peace had formed the com- Dion communication, was now destroyed ; and, in short, there were so many defences, both natural and artificial, that with common prudence the place (by those who knew it) was considered impregnable. AfARQTJIS OF WELXiNiGfTON. ^^ Anecdotes of Augereau. ancient dress of sheep skins, and accoutring them- «elves in French habiliments. On the Catalonian side of Spain great hopes had been entertained tliat the patriotic exertions of the people would have been crowned with success ; but , .iinfortunatei)', on the 20th of February, Marshal Augereau* so completely defeated General O'Don- nel ■* Tliis republican general, u'lio had thus defeated General O'Don- .,fiel in the neighbourljood of V'icii, and who once was appointed * Commander-in-Chief of the army inlended against Ireland, is the bastard son of a fruit voman, and was born at Paris in 1749; but his mother afterwards marrying a green grocer, called Augereau, this hopeful son of love and mystery adopted the name of his new father. His talents soon displayed themselves; for at an early age he was inscribed upon the registers of the police as one of the spies; but in vilVGU, when scarcely twenty years of age, having robbed a person ..whom he had arrested of his purse, the Lieutenant of the Police obliged him to enlist (witli a kind of prophetic forethought) in the Legion de Corse, or what in England would be called the Neicgate ^'-^ Blues, being composed of a set of desperate villains like himself, who, hrinstead of being sent to the gallies, were embarked for Corsica in order j.lto repress the rising spirit of liberty in that people. ^ On this philanthropic mission, and in this respectable corps, he no .doubt acquired much of tliat knowledge which has fitted him for the If'fitfw Corsican corps, which has entered as deeply into villany as his Sr-formcr legion, though under higher sounding titles. Even the officers of this Legion de Corse were either adventurers, degraded noblemen, or dishonoured gentlemen ; and at one time they had the honnur of enrolling among them the onccjnmous Count de Mirabeau, that amiable regenerator of France. Whilst at Toulon, in 1772, Augereau deserted, was retaken, and this redoubtable Marshal of France now bears on his back perhaps a more faithful remembrancer than his conscience, tiie marks of 200 lashes iwhich he received on that occasion. In 177S he again deserted to the Prussians in Silesia ; but, again deserting from that service, he returned lo Paris, and the first proof he gave of his love of equality was the robbery of a jeweller's sliop; but the police again laying hold of him, Jie was recommended to a retirement in the Bicetre for two years, when he had an opportunity of amusing himself with hard labour. On coming out from this eclipse he went as a servant with a Swiss officer, tlie Baron de Sales, to Switzerland, and having married the daughter of a shoemaker at Neufchatel he ti)eretook up the profession of a fencing master: but even there his genius could not avoid dis- playing itself; so, after borrowing a horse and two watches from a watchmaker 3^ LIFE OF THF MOST NOBLE Ke publican atrocities. nel in the neighbourhood of Vich in Catalonia, that all the efforts of the Patriots, in that quarter, were for some time paralysed. Iti . -^A •watchmaker of the name of Courvoisier, he set off upon the lour of ' Italy, leaving his wife as a pledge to the watchmaker. Whilst ill Italy lie went llinnigh tiie usual scenes he had been ac- customed to; and being now fitted to shine as an active citizen, he was gladly engaged by the revolutionary emissaries of F;iyette, as a fit tool to assist them in their designs upon the peace and tranquillity of Italy. Being at length banished from Italy he returned to France, and was soon promoted to the rank of General of the army of the Pyrennees in llOV, where his personal courage was certainly creditable to his ciia- racter as a soldier ; and in two years afterwards he went with the army of Italy, where lie distinguished himself at Miilesiino in April 1796, having carried the diiTicult defiles of that place, joined his friends Joubert and Menard, and, by the promptitude of liis manoeuvres com- pletely hemmed in a division of Austrians under General Proveyra. At IBoIogna his conduct was horrible. After robbing all the convents and churches, he, in the rtame of the great nation, oidered every thing, under pain of death, to beat his disposal, lie set his soldiers an example of indecency, plunder, and debauchery, whenever it was in bis power; and the sacredness of innocence, protected by their vows to their God, and their renunciation of the world, was violated by him in the most scandalous manner. In particular he in one night put sixteen young nuns inlo requisition for himself and his staff; the tears of youth, the pangs of conscience, and the prayers of virtue, availed nothing ; they were, by a drunken soldiery, carried away al- most lifeless from the retreats and cells of religion lo the infamous beds of vice ; to endure the tiorrid and disgusting embraces of cruel crime in power. Four of these 0oO, (besides 1-500 killed durinjr the siege,) and there were also twenty pieces of cannon cap- tured. Some jealousies at this period seem to have exist-' ed between the French generals ; for it is said that Marshal Ney, who was then investing Ciudad Ro* drigo, had a considera])le degree of apprehension that General Junot, between whom and himself there was some misunderstanding, would not co-. operate with him for the reduction of the city, with. all the cordiality anil promptitude which the circum* stance demanded : but Junot, notwithstanding, joined him after the capture of Astorga, and in the mean time IMarshal Massena* set out froni Paris in order to take the command of the army appointed for the conquest of Pprtuga], forming a force of 80,000 men. The siege of Ciudad Rodrigo ha4 long been re** tarded and obstructed by heavy rains, bad roads, and the difficulties in the way of the transportation of stores and provisions, considerably increased by Lord \A'^ellington with the allied m-my bejng in its vicinity ; but at length tlue French trenches werd^ opened on the loth of June, just as Massena ha4 arrived to take the command of the army. Situated as Lord Wellington was, he could not with propriety advance for its relief; his manoeuvres being strictly defensive, and his army totally unable to cope with that of Massena as assailants, thoi\g'h his superior skill and the energy of his troops soon after enabled him to choose and to defend the posi- tion of Busaco, with additional honour to the Bri- tish arms. 15. 2V In i^ > , — . , — — i * Before Massena left Salamapca he published a proclamation, styling himself King of Portugal, and promising, on his royal word, to drive all the English into the sea in less than three months ; and de- plaring that he would hang every British oftcer foiind iutherorlugqe* service I 338 ^^FE OF THE "MOST NOBLE Fall of Ciudad Rodrigo. In consequence the city was completely invested by a body of troops under Ney on the right bank of the Agueda, and by anotlier under Junot on the left ; whilst a detachment was sient from tlie latter corps towards St. Felix to watch and check the mo- tions of the allies, aud to cover the operations of the sieg'e. In the morning of the 25th of June, forty-six pieces of heavy artillery were opened at once on this ill-fated city, soon proving- too heavy for the Spanish fire, thoug-h the garrison, who were well supplied with aVtillery, sejved their batteries eXr tvemely well, and poured such ^ shower of shot and shells upon the assailants that, in order to coyer their advances, they found it necessary to attack two conyents, which were not easily g-iven up, but takers and retaken several times, until at last they were partly burnt, after which the Frei^ch were c^ble to retain them. Though possession was obtained soon after of the suburbs of St. Francis, y^t it was i>ot without obsti- nate resistance ; and though on the -iSth, the works •were so miich damaged that the French sent in £^ summons, yet both the garrison and inhabitants, roused by the monks to the highest pitch of religious^ enthusiasm, appeared determined to resist to the last extremity. But a breach was at length made on the 9th of July, wheii the ev plosion of a mine unfortur nately threw the whole counterscarp into the djtch below the breach, then about 18 fathoms in width; and on the 10th in the evening the whole French army advancing to the assault, the garrison was ob- liged to surrender at discretion. Even the French y^eve struck with the appearance of desolation and ruin, whiph was seen on all si(|es; indeed scarcely a house was to be ^net with that was entire, or ex- empt from some marks of the horrors of the siege. Upwards of 2000 lost their lives, and the remainder of the garrison, to the number of 7000, were oblig-ed 8 . to MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 339 Distribution of iMasscna's army. to deposit their arms in the arsenal where the French found 125 pieces of cannon, mostly bronze, with 200,000 pounds weight of powder, and more than one million of mnsqnet cartridges, as stated by Massena in his dispatches. The few brave survivors were ordered to be sent tp France ; bnt it is said, that scarcely one half ever reached that country; for though many died of fatigue, yet more, when they had become so weak as to be in- capable of keeping pace with their escort, wereshoti After the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, parties of re- connoissance were sent out from the French to ex- amine the positions of Lord Wellington's army whose advanced posts now fell back upon the main body, as absolute offensive operations were not to be under- taken against a force so numerous as that of the invad- ing army, which consisted of nearly 110,000 men, ac- cording to the French account, which, even if true, adds more to the fame of his Lordship in having kept at bay such an overwhelming force, and obliging them at last to retreat. The distribution of this force will serve to elucidate the important events now about to take place. Ge- neral Loison with 15,000 men invested Almeida, "whilst the remainder of Ney's corps, about 10,000, ■were at Fort de la Conception. About three miles N. W. from Ciudad Rodrigo, at St. Felix, was Junot with 25,000 men, whilst a force to the same amount was in Ciudad R(>drigo, and its immediate vicinity. These three corps s\ere within two days' march of the allied army, and some part of them not more than seven or eight miles distant, whilst Massena, the Commander-in-Chief, was at ValdemuKi, a village near Ciudad Rodrigo, which a few weeks before had been occupied by Lord Wellington. Kellerman was on the north of Portugal, and threatened Oporto with 12,000 men; and Regnier* menaced Alentejo in the 2 U 2 south * Regnier is coDsidered in France as one of their best informed of- ficers, both iu the theory and practice of war ; and lih said, that, for this 340 I'll^'E OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Regnier. south with about 18,000; whilst the remaining small divisions occupied such posts as were most convenient for procuring forag'e, &c. With such an overwhelming- force it is not surpris- ing that Massena and his Imperial master should have considered the conquest of Portugal as certain ; yet even such a force, we shall now see, was baffled by the superior skill and address of the British General, whose defensive conduct in this situation seems more worthy of admiration than even iiis most brilliant vic^ tories. It may be necessary to premise, without going very far back, that ever since the retreat after the battle of Talavera, in the preceding year, the plan of Lord Wellington had been to avoid any further active co- operation with the Spanish army, until it was better organized ; but, at the same time he resolved not to re- tire from Spain, unless obliged by absolute necessity. Should that even be the case, still he determined, if possible, to make a stand on the Portuguese frontier, where his army would be as serviceable to the cause of Spain as if actually in that country; and, accord- ingly, he took post between Merida and Badajoz for some time, until he found it necessary to retire for . the defence of Portugal. In the early part of the present year (1810) the British army was principally about Lisbon and on the north side of the Tagus, when having gained a fresh stock of health, by good quarters, they were able this reason alone, has Buonaparte been indiiced not to make him a Marshal, fearful of losing his useful services in his situation as head ©f the staff, particularly with respect to the commissariat, the conduct of ?ieges, &c. He is by birth a Swiss ; and, entering the army, as a soldier, and not as a politician, at the beginning of the revolutiou was held in hig!i estimation by Picbegru. With Moreau also, he was a favourite ; yet General Sarrazin asserts that he was deficient in the field, and though brave, yet wanting that presence of mind so necessary for a General. Kegnier commanded at the battle of Maida whea Sir John Stuart sjratcbeU the laurel be expected to gain. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 341 Quarters of th*- British arn>v. able in February to occupy an oxteiuled line from Santarein on the Tagus to Oporto on the Douro, in- cUiding" Lamego, Viseu,* Coimhra, and Abrantes, having been joined by the Portuguese troops so ably disciplined, by the gallant and indefatigable Marshal Beresford : whilst General Hill was in advance with a considerable body of cavalry, on the banks of the Guadiana, in order to check the approach of the enemy, who had appeared before Badajoz. During the operations of the French again::it Cia- dad Rodrigo, the British and allied army was can- toned in five distinct bodies ; one was at Celorico, consisting of about GOOO men under General Spen- cer j General Hill had 8000 between the Tagus and the Guadiana; General Cole had about 10,000 at Guarda, which was the principal post ; at Piuhel General Picton lay with 4000; and General Craufurd was stationed in advance, between Guarda and the French army. On the 4th of July, the enemy passed the Agueda m force, and obliged Brigadier-General Craufm-d to fall back with his advanced guard to the neighbour- hood of the fort of La Conception, which had pre- viously been occupied by a part of the third division of infantry. In this movement, however, the enemy were not al- low-ed to act quietly; but were annoyed by repeated skirmishing with considerable efliect by the 1st Hus- sars, * Viseu, with its districts, includes the see of a bishop, and twenty- two small towns, the whole population amountinq to about 93,000 be- fore the country was laid waste by the French armies. Viseu itseV is situated about tiie centre of the province, between the Vouga and Alondego, anil is of very ancient d;ite, being called Vicontiuin by the Romans, the Proconsul Decius tJiuius having found- ed it in the time of Sertorius, Even yet two towers of Roman archi- tecture are in existence ; but it possesses another specimen of anti- quity which, if not so old, is perhaps more curious. Tliis is the tomb of the ill fated (Jothic, or Visi-Gothic, King Rodrigo, who having escaped from the battJe of Xeres, with the loss of his army aod his 'Crown, became a uionk at this place. 342 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Spirited skirinisli. sars, and by the Ocl battalion of Portuo-aese chasseurs, who, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel El- der, displayed g'reat steadiness in frequent rencontres with the French. On the nth of July his lol'dship received intelli- gence, of Ciudad Rodrig^o having surrendered to the French army under Marshal Ney, who, having made a larg"e and practical)le breach in the place, had taken every measure for a storm, when the g^arrison sur- rendered to his terms of capitulation,* as already no- ticed. Whilst the enemy were in such force, Lord Wel- lington could only watch their movements, and that so closely that frequent skirmishes took place be- tween the picquets of the two armies ; particularly on the 11th of July, whilst the head quarters were at Alverca, where, in a little affair, tJie enemy lost two officers and thirty one men, and twenty nine horses, all taken, or killed; when the British loss was Lieu- tenant-Colonel Talbot and eight men of the 14th Light Dragoons killed, and twenty three wounded. These little affairs, though of no importance to the g-eneral system of warfare, were yet useful in keep- ing up the spirit of our troops, and in proving a salu- tary check to the impertinence of the enemy. The advanced posts of the British army under Brigadier-General Craufurd, remained in the Til- lages, near the fort of La Conception, until the 21st of * The enemy had taken up their ground before Cifldad Rodri^o on the 26th of April; they invested it conipletelj on the 11th of June, and opened their tire on it, on the 24th of that month. Adverting to the nature and position of the place, to tlie deliciency and defects of its works, to the advantages which the enemy had in their attack upon it, and to tiie numbers and formidable equipment by which it was at- tacked, Lord Wellington considered the defence of Ciudad Rodrigo to have been most honourable to the Governor, Don Andres Hervasti, and his garrison ; and to liave been equally creditable to the arms of Spain, witli the celebrated defence of other places, by which that na- tion had rendered itsc'lf illustrious, during the presciit contest for inde.- peadencei MARQUIS OF WEU4NGT0N. 343 Ailack of llie jKlvaiiced posts. of July, when the advance of the euetny in force obliged the cavalry to retire towards Almeida, and the fort of La Cou'ceptioi^ wa.-^ con.socjneiitly de- stroyed. From the 21st until the 2 1th, General Craufnrd still continued to occupy his main position (in advance of the British ariuy thin at Alverca) near Almeida, with his left within eight-hundred yards of the fort, and his right extending towards Junca. But the enouiy attacking him on the 21th, shortly after day- light, with a very large body of cavalry and infantry, he was obliged to retire aci'oss the bridge, over the Coa. In this point of retreat the troops siiflered much ; but, though the enemy made three eftbrts to stpnn the bridge, they were repulsed in them all.* The * Colonel Craiiturd's own statement said, that the French at! vancr led to attack the light division, with between three and fnjir lhoii-.aiiU cavah'y, a considerable number pf guns, and a large body uf infaniry. On tlie lirst appearance oC their iieads of columns, the British cavalry and brigade ol ariillery altaclied to tlie division advanced to support the pictiuets ; and Captain Ross, with four guns, was for some time eii- gagid with those attached to the euenjy's cavalry, yt-hiph were of much larger caliUje. As the immense superiority of the enemy's force displayed itself, the whole advance fell back gradually towards the fortress of Aloieida, upon the right of which the infantry of the division was polled, hav- ing its left in some inclusuros near the windmill, about eight hundred yards from the place, and iis right to the Coa, in a very broken and extensive position, which it was absohit(;ly necessary to occupy, in order to cover the passage of the cavalry and artillery, through the long defde, leading to the bridge. After this was effected, the infantry retired by degrees, and in as good order as \\«is possible, in ground so extremely it.tricate. A position close in front of tlie bridge was maintained as long as it was necessary, to give time to lije troops whjch iiad passed to take yp one behind the liver ; and tlie bridge was afterwards defended with the greatest gallantry, thougli with considerable loss, particularly by the 43d, and part of the 93th regiijmnts. Towards the afternoon the tirijig ceased ; and, after it was dark'. General Craufurd marched his whole body from the Coa, and retired to Carvelhal. ., The British troops certainly behaved with great gallantry ; but their ^oss was severe, both in killvd, Nvounded, and prisoners, the latter of whom. 344 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Fall of Almeida. The retreat of the British advanee enabled the enemy to open their fire upon Almeida, late on Satur- day night, or early on Sunday morning- of the 2Gth of July, and the place was surrendered in the course of the night of the 27th,* XiOrd •whom, amounting (o 83, were taken in a charge of the enemy's caval? ry, just after tiie Britisli cavalry and guns had begun ta retire. Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Hull, Captain E. Cameron, and two Lieutenants, were killed ; and the whole loss amounted to upwards of 420. * A Letter from Colonel Cox, explanatory of thp tali of Almeida, is here deserving of a place. " It appears that he was reduced to the necessity of capitulating on the 2~th at ten o'clock, at night, in consequence of the unfortunate ex- plosion of the great magazine of po\yder in the castle, and the small magazines contiguous to it, l)y which dreadful accident he was de- prived of the whole of his artillery aqd nnisquet an)muniiion, with the exception of a few made up cartridges, which rpniained in some of the expense magazines on the ramparl§, and thirty-nji^e barrels of powder which were in the laboratory. " Upwardsof half of the detarhmeijtqf artillery/and a great number of infantry soldiers, besides several of the inhabitants, we^e destroyed Ky the elfect of this terrible explosion. Many of the guns were dis- mounted upon the ramparts, the works most materially injured, and a general dismay spread amongst the troops and inhabitants of the place. " In this situation, the difficulties occasioned by the explosion were much increased by the infamous conduct of Da Costa, the Portuguese Governor, and of Barrcros commanding tiieir artillery. The former, indeed, had, until the commcDccmenl of the enemy s fire, acted with much zeal and propriety ; but, as soon as that began, siuit himself up in the bomb proofs, and after the explosion, from personal fear, and to avoid any further liring, took advantage of the consternalion and con- fusion, which must be ever attendant on such a case, to counteract Colonel Cox's attempt to hold out at least some time longer. The Major of artillery too had acted well during the siej^, but after the explosion appears to have added treachery to cowardice ; and, to gain favour with the enemy, communicated to him the real state of the gar- rison, and that it had no ammunition whatever left, which induced Alassena to refuse the terms demanded by the Colonel. " In tliis distressing sitAation, Colonel Cox had no alternative but to use his best endeavours for the most honourable terms he could pro- cure; and it is pleasing to observe, that, with the before mentioned ex- ceptions, the garrison, both British and Portuguese, behaved remark- ably well ; but Masscna infamously broke the capitulation^ and ac- tually detained upwards of ()00 of the Militia as Pioneer^ /" MAItQUIS OF WELLINGTON. S-ifi Movements of the British army. Lord Wellington seems to have been disap- j>ointed by the speedy fall of this place ; for in his public dispatches he expressed not only his regret, but his inability to account for so trifiing a defence. An explosion in the town had, indeed, been heard at the advanced posts during the course of the daj^ on the 27th, and it was observed that the steeple of the church was destroyed, and many houses unroofed by the bombardment; but although a telegraphic com- munication had been established M'ith the Governor, yet the weather not permitting it to be used during the Sunday, and greatest part of the next day, Lord Wel- lington on its clearing up, had the mortification to see that the besieged and the assailants were in communi- cation. As soon as he was certain of the fall of the place, he moved the infantry of the British army again into the valley of the Mondego,* keeping a division upon Guarda, and the outposts of the cavalry at Al- verca. In the morning of the 2 1st of August, the enemy attacked the British picquets twice, but feebly, and were immediately repulsed ; yet in the afte«'noon they obliged Sir Stapleton Cotton to draw in his posts from beyond Fraxedas.f 15. 2 X Lord * " The valley of Mondego, is in some parts iibrupt and inaccessi- ble, with the river of that name foaming over great masses of stone of ^'ery singular conformation, apparently caused by the coinse of the water. It is not here, however, navigaWe. Our men calculated the descent to be a league, and the ascent of the opposite mountain to be at least two leagues. On the immediate bank of the river stands the village of Miserella, I think the sweetest romantic seclusion lever be- held ; a valley of prodigious extent oneiiher side, bounded by moun- tains, and abounding in every luxury — the oak, chesnut, and most other forest trees, svliich are known in Britain; and the orange, the pine, the arbutus, and an infinity of others, in full foliage and luxuri- ancy of fruit. It was really wiiuer on the tops of the mountains, and. midsummer in the valley." Journal oj an Officer. t A brilliant little affair took place at this period, and deserves notice. On the 2-2d of August in the morning, a troop of tlie 13th light drasrootis 346 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Advance towards Coinibra. Lord Wellington now discovered Massena's plan, which was gradually unfolding itself. He seemed determined to turn the left of the allied army; but Lord Wellington, to check him, retired through the valley of Mondego, when Massena, adopting a new route, threw himself in the road which leads from Vi- seu to Coimbra, in hopes of getting possession of the resources presented by that city and its vicinity, and thence to proceed to Lisbon. Lord Wellington im- mediately determined to cover Coimbra ; not with the intention of maintaining that post, but in order to give the inhabitants time to retire with their effects.* Though Massena had concentrated the greatest part of his forces at Viseu on the 2 1st of September, yet a halt of three days was absolutely necessary in order to give time for the bringing up the baggage and the artillery ; and it was during these three days that Lord \Vellington was enabled to execute the ju- dicious and brilliant manoeuvre of passing from the left to the right of the Mondego, and then taking up his drasoons, aiiVl one of the 4th Portuguese dragoons, forming a squa» tlror) under tiie command of Captain White of the 13th, whilst recon- noitring at Ladovera, fell in with a patrole of the enemy's dragoons, be- longing to the 2d corps under General Regnier, and consisting of one captain, two subalterns, and about sixty men. Captain White fortu- nately succeeded in coming up with them, when he immediately charged -ind oxerlurned them, taking prisoners two lieutenants, threC; Serjeants, six corporals, one trumpeter, fifty privates, and about fifty horses; the captain being also a prisoner, but escaping during the bustle on foot : and all this without the loss of a man on our side, and six only of the enemy being wounded. * The humane and judicious conduct of Lord WelIine;ton, by this rapid and well conducted movement, gave such oU'ence to Massena, that in a letter which the latter wrote on his arrival at Viseu, judging .probably of English conduct by what the French themselves iiad. done, he iisserted that he had passed through a country and " through ^vays bristling with rocks, and a mere desert ; not a soul to be seen. Every thing removed, destroyed, or abandoned. The English had the barbarity to ordt r all who should remain at their homes to be shot. Old men, women, and children, every one tlying bcfnre us." From tliis curious specimen of the epistolary, we may judge at which' nation the Portuguese were most terrified. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 347 Bu<:aco and Coimbra. his position on the Sieriu de Busaco.* At that period the head-quarters of the British army were at Celori- co ; but Lord Wellington found it prudent to retire towards Viseu, on which the French army untler Mas- sena continued to advance from Celorico upon the lat- ter position. During these operations, the different corps of Portuguese militia, and ordenanza, were em- ployed upon his flanks and lear, and Colonel Trant with his division attacked the escort of the military chest and reserve artillery near Tojal on the 20th of September. In this affair Colonel Trant succeeded so far as to take about one hundred prisoners ; but the enemy collected a force from his front and rear, which obliged the colonel to retire towards the Douro. Not- withstanding this, the exertions of the different cfetach- ed corps were so great, that Lord Wellington felt him- self jnstified in saying that the enemy's communica* tion with Almeida, in his rear, was not only cut off, but that he possessed only the ground on which his army stood. In this juncture. Lord Wellington found it neces- sary, about the middle of September, to adopt mea- sures to collect his army in the vicinity of Coimbra, f 2x2 and, * Busaco is a position in a mountainous coantry ef some extent ; indeefl the wiiole province of Beira, of whicii Coimt. . is the capital, is almost entirely surrounded by a chain of mountains. The eastern range, along wliicli are the towns of Guarda, Celcrico, Trancoso, and Viseu, is opposed to the Spanish frontier; whilst the northern range extends across the whole kingdou) of Portugal, and separates Beira from the northern provinces. The river Mondego nearly crosses the interior in a westerly course, and therefore parallel to the northern range. From the right bank of this river there also springs a small northerly chain of mountains. This chain is the Sierra dc Busaco, exactly on which position Lord Wellington awaited the arrival and attack of tiie French. f Coimbra, like almost all the great cities in Portugal, is built on the declivity of a hill, which in this instance is of considerable steep- ness ■» only a small part of the town being situated on the plain. The Mondego, in its wide bed, winds along in front close to tlie hill, and over it is a long stone bridge. The traveller does not perceive the txjwn 348 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Takes post at Busaco. and, if possible, to prevent the enemy from getting pos- session of tlirit town. Whilst employed in perfecting this manoeuvre, the enemy's advanced guard on the 21st pushed on to St. Cambatiao at the junction of the rivers Criz and Dao ; and Brigadier-General Pack retired across the for- mer, and joined Brigadier-General Craufurd at Mar- tagoa, having destroyed the bridges over those two rivers. The enemy's advanced guard crossed the Criz, hav- ing repaired the bridge on the 23d ; and the whole of the Gth corps was collected on the other side of the river ; on which his lordship withdrew the cavalry through the Sierra de Busaco, with the exception of three squadrons, as the ground was unfavourable for the operations of that species of force. On the '25th, the whole of the 6th and of the 2d corps of the enemy crossed the Criz, in the neighbour- hood of St. Cambadao; and Brigadier-General Crau- furd's division and Brigadier-General Pack's brigade retired to the position which had been fixed upon for the army on the top of Sierra de Busaco. These troops were followed in this movement by the whole of the corps of Ney and Regnier, but the manoeuvre -was conducted by Brigadier-General Craufurd with great regularity, and the troops took their position without sustaining any loss of importance. The town until he descends into the valley ; but then it forms a fine and surprising view, in the midst of a charming country, which it adorns with innumerable monasteries and churches, along tlie declivity of the iDOunlain. But he has no sooner entered Coimbra, than all his expectations are disappointed ; for the streets are extremely narrow, crooked, full of angles, ill-paved, very dirty, and frequently so steep that it is difficult to climb them. There is a single broad street on the plain ; but even that is not inhabited^ by the rich because it is deemed unhealthy irw the summer. The Mondego swells in winter, overflows its banks, and in summer leaves marshes, which, as in all warm countries, produce pestilentia-l vapours. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 319 ]'ositions of the Britisli The 4tli rortugucse Cacadores which had retired on the right of the other troops, and the picquets of the 3d division of infantry, which were posted at San Antonio de Cantaro, under Major Smitli of the 45th, were engaged with the advance of Regnier's corps in the afternoon of tlie "2 "ith ; in which atfair the Caca- dores gained great credit for their steadiness and gal- lantry.* As the enemy's whole army was on the ridge of the Mondego, and as it was evident that he intended to force the British position, Lientenant-General llili crossed that river, hy a short movement to his left, on the morning of the 26tii, leaving Colonel Le Cor with his brigade in the Sierra de Alarceila to cover the rio'ht of the army ; and Mnjor-Generai Fane with his division of Portuguese cavalry, and the 13th light dragoons in front of the Alva, to observe and check the movements of the enemy's cavalry on the Mon- dego. With this exception, the whole British army was collected upon the Sierra de Busaco, with the caval- ry observing the plain in the rear of its left, and also the road leading from Martagoa to Oporto, through the * To understand (horouglily the subsequent occurrences connected witii tlie brilliant affair of Busaco, it is necessary to premise that the Sierra de Butaco is a lufly ridge of mountains extending from the Mondego about eight miles in a northerly direction. At the highest point of the ridge, about tuo miles from the termination, are the convent and garden of Busaco. This Sierra is connected by a mountainous tract of country with the Sierra de Carannda, wliich extends in 3 north easterly direction beyond Viseu, and separates the valley of th« Mondego from the valley of the Douro, on the left of tlie Mondego. Xearlv in a line witli the Sierra de Busaco is another ridge of the sama description, which is called the Sierra de Marcella, covered by tha river Alva, and connected by other mountainous tracts with the Sierra d' Eslrclla. All tiie roads to Coimbra from the eastward lead over one or other of these Sierras ; and they are very difficult for the passage of an army ; tlie approach to the top of the ridge oa both sides, being vatj irountainous 8;50 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Battle of Busaco. the mountain oils tract which connects the Sierra de Busaco with the Sierra de Caraniula. The eighth corps joined the enemy in front on tlie 26th, but did not make any serious attack on that day ; however, the light troops on both sideS' were engaged throughout the line. But on the 27th, the Grand Attack was made : for, at six in the morning of that day, the enemy com- menced two desperate assaults on the British position ; one on the right, the other on the left, of the highest point of the Sierra. The attack on the right was made by two divisions of tlie 2d corps, on that part of the Sierra occupied by the 3d division of infantry. One division of French infantry arrived at the top of the ridge, when it was attacked in the most gallant manner by the 88th regiment under the command of the Ho- nourable Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace ; and the 45th regiment under the command of the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Meade, and by the 8th Portu- guese regiment under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel Douglas, directed by Major-General Picton.* These * General Picton, who so distinguished himself in this action, is a na- tive of Wales, and son of the late general so well known in the Ameri- can war, and who afterwards we believe held an elevated situation in bis majesty's household. There never was perhaps a man more hardly used than this gallant eflicer, for his conduct at Trinidad, whilst governor of that island ; in- deed so numerous were tlie charges against him, sixty-six in number, that government, though they did not supersede him, yet thought pro- per to put the government of the island in commission, the commission- ers being Colonel FuUerton, the Naval Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, and Colonel Picton himself, wlio still retained the rank of military commander-in-chief in the island. Yet when tlie privy council came to examine those sixty-six charges, all except one were dismissed, and that was for signing the order for the question, or torture to be applied to Louisa Calderon. ■ It is enough here to observe, that certainly torture is against both the spirit and letter of English law, and English humanity ; but, by the capitulation MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ^i Anecdotes of Pictoa and Leith. These three corps advancetl with the bayonet, and drove the enemy's division from the advantageous ground which they had obtained. Tlie other division of the 2d corps attacked further on the right, by the road leading from St. Antonio de Cantaro, also in front of Major-General Picton's di- vision. This division of the assailants was repulsed before it could reach tlie top of the ridge, by the 74tli regiment under the command of the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel French, and the brigade of Por- tuguese infantry under the command of Colonel Champelmont, directed by Colonel Mackinnon. Major-General Leith* almost moved to his left, to the capitulation of Trinidad, the governor was obliged to abide by the Spanish law ; iiad he refused the order, his conduct would have been illegal. We mean not, however, to justify this proceeding in an English governor; but it ought to be recollected that the accused person was 8U=!pected of having been false to the man with whom she cohabited, and of having assisted her paramour in robbing him ; so that much of the clamour excited on the occasion was certainly not founded in truth. In saying thus much, indeed, we are merely the advocates of truth without attempting justification, or saying how far an English governor might have ventured to depart from a strict legal course on such an oc- casion. * General Leith, who was so distinguished in this action, is another of those gallant Scots, who have so often risked their lives in defence of liberty and humanity. He is a native of Aberdeen, and has long been considered throughout the army as a most accomplished oOlcer. His rank in life and personal qualities have united him witii one of our most elevated and ancient families, he having married Lady Augus'.a Fitzgerald, sister to his Grace the Duke of Leinster. General Leitli has been particularly noticed in the army for a singular circumstance. When a very young officer, he was engaged in some expedition in In- dia, where he was badly wounded, nay left for dead, on the troops being forced to re-embark, but was observed by a soldier who returned through the surf, and carried him off" from the beach, just as the,last boat was pushing off. Several years afterwards, when the gcnrral commanded in Dublin, he saw an aged man in distressed circumstan- ces, whose face bethought he recollected, and on enquiry found it to be tlie very man who had saved his life ! Gratitude, aid»jd by generosity, iniincdjately provided for tlie vete- ran. S52 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Mililarv anecdotes. tlie support of Major-General Picton, and aided in the defeat; of the enemy on this post, with the 3d bat- talion of the royals, the 1st, and 2d battalions of the 38th regiment.* On the left the enemy attacked, with three divi- sions of infantry of the Gth corps, that part of the Sierra occapied-by the left division commanded by Brigadier-General Cranfurd, and by the brigade of Portuguese infantry commanded by Brigadier-Gene- ral Pack.f One division of infantry only made any progress towards the top of the hill, and they were immediately charged with the bayonet by Brigadier- General Cranfurd with the 48th, 52d, and 95th regi- ments, and the 3d Portuguese Cacadores, and dri- ven down with immense loss. Brigadier-General Clement's brigade of Portuguese infantry, which was in reserve, was now moved up to support the right of Brigadier-General Craufurd's division; and a battalion of the 19th Portuguese re- giment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Macbean, made a most gallant and successful charge upon a body of another division of the enemy, which was endeavour- ing to penetrate in that quarter. Besides these general attacks the light troops of the two armies were engaged throughout the whole of the 27th. In the evening of the 27l]i the enemy were beaten on all sides ; and his loss of officers and men was enor- mous. The Generals of Division, Merle and Mau- cere were wounded, and General Simon;|: was taken ^ prisoner * In these attacks all the leading officers are stated to have particii' larly distinguished themselves ; and Lord Wellington observed that he never witnessed a more gallant attack than that made by the Britisix 38lh and 5Uh, and the Sth Portuguese regiments on tiie enemy's divi- sion which had reached the ridge of the Sierra. t General Pack is a countryman of the gallant Wellington, atid has often distinguished himself on many occasions, particularly at Buenos Ayrcs ; and in every part of service has always been exemplary. X Generul Simon was brought prisoinir to England, wiien he was seat to MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 3.5^ Operations after the action. prisoner by the 52d regiment, along* with three colo- nels, thirty-three other officers, and two hundred and fifty men. The assailants left 2000 dead upon the field of battle, and their loss in wounded was stated both by prisoners and deserters, to be immense. iSo signal was the defeat, so severe the lesson taught, that the enemy did not attempt to renew his attack on the succeeding* day, except by some slig-ht skirmishing with his light troops ; but he was seen to move a large body of infantry and cavalry from the left of his centre to the rear, from whence his cavalry was observed to march in the road which leads from Martagoa over the mountains towards Oporto. Lord Wellington having thought it probable that he would endeavour to turn the left of the British bv that road, had directed Colonel Trant, with his di- vision of militia, to march to Sardao, with the inten- tion that he should occupy those mountains ; but un^ fortunately he was sent round to Oporto by the gene- ral officer commanding' in the north in consequence of a small detachment of the enemy being in posses- sion of St. Pedro de Sul ; and, notwithstanding the efforts which he made to arrive in time, he did not reach Sardao till the 28th at night, after the enemv was in possession of the ground. As his Lordship judged it probable that in the lo. 2 Y course to Odiliam in Hampshire upon his parole of honour; but this he thouglit proper to break, and soon after endeavoured to secrete himself in the metropolis, in hopes of making his escape to France. But his intentions were even more extended ; for it was soon after discovered by the transp>ort-board that a correspondence had been established between General Simon together witii a French surgeon, and the French government, for the purpose of liberating French prisoners on their parole. Strict search was therefore made after the fugitives, aod tJiey were found, in January 1812, in the back kitchen of a house in' Pratt-slrcet, Camden-town, then kept by a French woman. A number of other fugitive prisoners were also discovered in consequence of tie search, some of whom were sent to Bridewell, others to a hulk at Chat- ham, whilst Simon and the doctor were commiUed to tlie castle ot Dunbarton in Scotland, 354 UFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Blassena's movcmcnls. course of the nig-ht of the 28th, the enemy would thro\y liis whole army upon that road by which he could avoid the Sierra de Bnsaco, and reach Coimbra bv the hig^h road to Oporto; and thus the British army would have been exposed to be cut off from that town, or to a g'eneral action on less favourable g-round ; and as he also considered that he had reinforcements in his rear, he was induced to withdraw from the Sierra de jBusaco towards Coimbra. As Lord Welling-ton expected, Massena did break up in the mountains at eleven at nig-ht of the 28th, and he made the march to the left of the range of mountains, certainly in spite of any opposition that could be thrown in liis wa}^ owing principally to the unfortunate circumstance of the delay of Colonel Trant's arrival at Sardio. In consequence of this, although Lord Wellingtoii did not absolutely succeed in effecting those objects which he had in view in passing the Mondego, and in occupying* the Sierra de Busaco, yet he did not regret his having- done so. In fact, he considered this movement as affording him a favourable oppor- tunity of shewing* the enemy the description of troops of which his army was composed ; he also was pleased with the opportunity of thus bringing the Portuguese levies into action with the enemy for the first time, in an advantageous situation; and indeed he confessed that they had proved that the trouble "which had been taken with them had not been thrown away, and that they were even then worthy of contending in the same ranks with British troops, in that interesting cause which he considered them as affording the best hopes of saving'. To shew that his Lordship's expectations were correct, and that his warm praise of the conduct of the British troops was well founded, it is only ne- cessary to examine the state of the losses of the al- lied army during the gallant affair of Busaco, when compared with thosq of the enemy. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. S.5,3 Good conduct of the allies. The sum total was of the British, a major, 4 other officers, and 102 Serjeants and rank and lile killed; 3 Lieutenant-Colonels, /> majors, 27 other officers, and 458 Serjeants and rank and file wounded ; with one captain, 1 serjeant, and 29 rank and file misi- ing. Of the Portuguese, tlie loss amounted to 4 cap- tains, 2 subalterns, and SI rank and file killed ; 1 colonel, 1 major, o captains, 18 subalterns, 9 Ser- jeants, and 478 rank and file wounded; and 20 miss- ing-. A loss equal to that of the British, and proving that they had been as warmly engaged.* Lord Wellington proudly boasted in his public dispatches, that throughout the contest upon the Si- erra, and in all the previous marches, his army had conducted itself in the most regular manner. Ac- cordingly all the operations were performed with ease, the soldiers suffered no privations, underwent no unnecessary fatigue, there was no loss of stores, and the whole body of troops were in the highest spirits. Some days after the action it was ascertain- ed that Massena's advanced post was at Avelans in the road from Oporto to Coimbra ; and on the 29th of September the whole of his army was seen in march through the mountains ; whilst at the same date, or the day following, the British and Portuguese allied troops were already in the low country between the Sierra de Busaco and the sea; and the whole of it, 2 Y 2 with * To mention every officer who slied his blood 011 this important ch army at this period, to he slightly passed over. Colonel Trant having arrived at Mealijada on the 6th of October, with the expectation of forming a junction with the corps under the, command of lirigadier-General Miller, and Colonel Wilson, and of combining an attack on Coimbra, was in some measure disappointed iji learning that those two corps were delayed from want of supplies in the very exhausted districts extending immediately north of IJusaco, and that the cavalry attached to them could not move forward in con- sequence of the fatigue it had experienced in recent marches. He had, therefore, no other alternative in order to [wevent any mea- sures of defence taking place at Coimbra, from which he was distant only three short leagues, but to proceed on with his own division, ■whilst yet a strong probability existed of his arrival at Mealhada not being made known. He therefore marched at mid-day, having a squadron of cavalry in his front, under the command of a gallant young officer. Lieutenant Dutel, supported by two hundred light troops, whilst the column of infantry was headed by the Portuguese Coimbra regiment, as the post of honour. In tiie proposed plan of attack, it was intended to enter at two points at one time, one division by the high road from Oporto, theothtr to branch off from the column on having pass- ed Fornos, and by ascending the iieights to ihe eastward of tiie town, enter by the Arco Santa Anna, passing through the quarter called Lo- relto; but this arrangen>ent was to take place only in the event of Colonel 'I'rant's finding tije enemy on his guard. At a short distance from Fornos, towards iMealiiada, this enter- prising officer fell in with a detaciiment of tlie enemy to the right ot that village. It commenced firing; but the cavalry having been push- ed on to Fornos, they succeeded in cutting it olf from all communica- tion with Coimbra, when it surrendered after losing some men. No other outposts of tiie enemy were niet with ; and Colonel Trant, u|x)n approaching Coimbra, directed the cavalry to gallop through the principal streets, to cross the bridge of Mondcgo, and by pene- tratins MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 8.3Q Anecdotes of the assault. On the following day Brig-adier-General Miller and Colonel Wilson arrived at Coimbra with their detachuaents ; (rating inlo the Lisbon road, to intercept any information which might be sent to tlie niaiii army. Tliis manceiivre was effected with the utmost spirit b^ Liciileiiant Dutel, with the loss of only one dra- goon killed. — Colonel Trant immediately dispatched divisions of infantry into the principal parts of the town : where an unconnected resistance took place for an hour, in which only two men of the assailants were kiUed, with Colonel Serpa and about twenty five men wounded. On the Santa Clara side of the Mondego, where a great proportion of the enemy's force was stationed in the convent, some irregular firing was kept up upon the cavalry in cro:,sing the bridge; but the French commanding oriicer, immediately after Lieutenant Dutel had crossed, proposed capitulating. Colonel Trant then proceeded to the convent, but would allow no terms except those of discretion ; and on his promise of exerting his good oflices and protection against the insults of the peasantry, the Frencli troops laid down their arms and marched out. Of the prisoners, four thousand were marched olF for Oporto, in- cluding an entire company of Napoleon's marine guards. Three thousand five hundred firelocks were found ; and, as almost the whoi-e of them were loaded, it shevved the number of the garrison who had been capable of making resistance; but no artillery were taken. These arms were immediately distributed amongst the Ordananza «f the country, whilst the victors got possession of a quantity of oxen and sheep which had been collected for the subsistence of (.he French army, and certainly proved a very seasonable supply to the captors. It must be confessed that from the nature of the attack, it was difli- cult to controul the soldiers, or to prevent the armed peasantry from plundering ; these latter indeed did commit some acts of violence, but not more than six or eight Frenciimen were the victims of their resentment. Nothing could possibly exceed the state of wretchedness in which the city itsolf was found ; for the enemy, not content with sacking it to the very utmost extent, and stripping the few housekeepers who re- mained of even their personal clothing, had wantonly set fire to some houses, and had heaped into the streets, in one general mass of ilis- order, all the furniture which they could not take withtiie army. It could not be expected tijcr.?fore that soldiers, of whom about eight hundred were relatives of the town and its neighbourhood,' ac- companied by their wretciicd relatives, could patiently witness a scene of devastation in which their property had been thus «njusti(ii- bly and irretrievably destroyed. Yet, notwithstanding this, the generous feelings of Colonel Trant toduced him to use every possibic exertion to give protection fb the Freach ^60 I^I^'E OF THE MOST NOBLE Distress of the enemy. detachments ; and between that and the 20th they took about three hnndred and fifty prisoners, being soldiers who had straggled from their regiments on the enemy's march, as they themselves stated, in search of food. That the enemy at this period must have been suf- fering extremely is also evident from another fact, that a detachment from the garrison of Peniche, sent out by Brigadier-General Blunt, under Captain Fen- wick, had been successful in a similar manner, and had brought in forty-eight prisoners, made from stragglers in the rear of the enemy's army, having* killed nine j whilst Lieutenant-Colonel Waters, who had been em- ployed with small detachments of cavalry and in- fantry in the enemy's rear, had been alike fortunate. In short, as his lordship observed in one of his dis- patches, the difficulties which the whole of Massena's army experienced in procuring subsistence, owing to their having invaded Portugal without magazines, and having adopted no measures for the security of their rear, or of their communication with Spain, had rendered it necessary for the soldiers to straggle in search of provisions j and not a day passed without deserters or prisoners being brought in. At this period every thing remained quiet in the north of Portugal * ; and in the south of Spain, Mar- shal French who Iiad fallen into his hands; and, after the first moments of assault, he succeeded in securing them from insult. In furtherance of these humane intentions, he found it necessary, however, to leave one of liis brigades behind, and to march with all the prisoners that could be moved, with the remainder of l)is division as an escort to Oporto; for such was the animosity of the people of the country, and so strongly excited against the French by the horrid atrocities committed by their army, that he considered his own pre- sence absolutely necessary for their preservation, particularly in that intermediate district between IVJondego and Vouga. * The situation of the unhappy Portuguese at this period may he drawn from a proclamation of Lord Wellington of the 4th of August, in whu h he observes — «'The MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 301 Topographical anecdotes. shal Mortier had retired from Zafra and Los Santos, and fallen back upon Seville with his army, in which march General Ballitsteros had followed him to the vicinity of Castello de las Guardias, whilst the Portu- guese and Spanish cavalry had moved on from the Guadiana towards the Sierra Morena, Though the winter was now approaching-, yet Lord Wellington seems to have been intlefatigable in the concentration of all the disposable forces; and ac- cordingly having, in the early part of the month, also put the infantry of the Marquis de la Romana's corps in motion for the purpose of a junction with his army, they crossed the Tagus in the morning of the 19th, and were well advanced to unite whenever it should be found necessary. Soon after this the enemy detached some troops toward Santarem *, and on the 23d of October Ge- 10. 2 z neral " Tlie inhabitants of some villages li:ive remained in them, confiding in the promises of the enemy, and hoping that by treating the enemies of their country well, they might conciliate and mollify them, and in- spire them with humane sentinieDts ; that their property would be re- spected, their females preserved from brutal violation, and their lives secured. Vain hopes! The inhabitants of these submissive places have sufTcred all the evils which a cruel enemy could inflict ; their property- has l)ci>n plundered, their hal)itations burnt, their women atrociously- violated, and those whose age or sex did not provoke the brutal violence of the soldiers, have fallen victims to the imprudent con- fidence which they placed in promises made only to be broken." * Santarem is a very important station, being a most commanding garrison town, and so iiighly estimated by Lord Wellington, that in his first expedition to Portugal in 1808, it was his advice that Santarem should be first occupied. It is only forty-five miles from Lisbon, and very strongly -jituated in a military point of view. It commands the great Eastern «>ad, and isoneof tlie main defences of Lisbon, provided that it is garrisomcl by a sufificient force to occupy it, together with the po' sitions in the vicinity; and is therefore one of the most essential fortresses to possess either in advance or retreat. The works are flanked on the south-east by the Tagus, and on the north-west by very strong hills ; and the great Eastern road, on which it stands, is between Santarem and the Taqus. Its original splen- dour may be estimated from its having had seventeen churches; but as this 362 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE French prepare to cross the Tagus. iieral Loison marched towards that place with the division under his command, whilst a body of the ene- my's infantry and cavalry marched into Thomar on the same day. About this period, the reports which Lord Wel- ling-ton received, from the deserters and prisoners brought in, all concurred in the accounts of the dis- tress felt by the enemy, through the want of pro- visions of all descriptions. These people stated also that the French army were busily employed in col- lecting and preparing materials to construct a bridge over the Tagiis ; it was something extraordinary, however, that this was done with great privacy ; for, although the British army had a good view of that river, from different points of the ground which they occupied, and had officers and others employed on the left of the Tagus to watch the motions of the enemy ; yet, even up to the latter end of October, it had been impossible either to discover where this work was c^xr- rying on, or where the bridge was to be placed on the river when constructed *. The French appeared, hovk^ever, very anxious to collect boats, and on the 24th, they endeavoured by the fire of artillery to drive a party of the Ordenanza from Chamusca, in order to obtain possession of some that (his road has always been that through which the French entered Portugal; it has been completely ruined by their devastations, having had every tiling valuable pillaged in the earhest part of the war, and latterly nothing left that would burn, or was worth carrying away. * Azanibuga is the first town on the road from Santarem to Lisbon, being about thirteen miles distant from the former. In this part the road is rather dillicuit, and might be made much more so, particularly in one or two places, where an army acting on tlie defensive would hare considerable advantages. '1 he littt-st of these places for military defence is about four miles from Sanlarem, where the road passes through a plain which has a river In front, crossing the road ; and, though this would not suffice for a per- manent defence, it offers great advantages as a temporary post for covering the retreat of a retiring army. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 30a Fujiitioiis of tlie armies. that were in that place ; but in this they did not SUC7 cced. In fact, to have pushed on a business of this kind might have brought on a general action, for which they were not prepared, and to wliich tlicy did not feel themselves competent ; at the same time, not- withstanding this, it still seems to have been most prudential conduct on the part of liOrd Wellington not to court an action, as the enemy were then suffering as much as tliQ.y could well have done after a defeat ; as on the side of Obidos and Ramelhal, the British cavalry and a battalion of Spanish light in- fantry, vi'ith the troops of the garrison of Pcniche, actually confined their detachments within very small limits, so that they really possessed no part of the country, except that on which their army stood*. In the early part of November, Lord Wellington, with his army, was still at Pero Negro, i'lje state and position of the enemy also had been but little varied; they still had a considerable body of troops, principally cavalry, on the Tagus, l)etween Punhete and Santarem, and they had also pushed some corps across the Zezere above Punhete, principally cavalry, apparently with the design of reconnoitring the roads in that direction, and the Fort at Abrantes. They were now found to be at work preparing a bridge at Santarem and Barquinha for the destruction of which Major General Fane was detached from the British army with a body of cavalry and infantry to the left of the Tagus, in case he should find it practi- cable. So great was the distress of the enemy by the 2 z 2 middle ^ At this period the dilTferent parties nf Guerillas had been more daring than u^ual ; and they had united in tlie neighbourhood of Val- ladolid, early in the month of October, to the amount of fifteen hun- dred, in order to carry off a convoy of money which had been raised in contributions iu tlie country, but in this they unfortunately failed. 364 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE The French retreat. middle of November *, and so well planned and faithfully executed were the dispositions of Lord Wellington in confining them for upwards of a month in their old position, with their right at Sobral, and their left resting upon the Tagus, that they found it necessary to retire on the night of the 1 1th of Novem- ^ ber, going off by the road of Alenquer, towards Alco- entre with their right, and Villa Nova with their left, and continuing their route to Santarem on the suc- ceeding days. Lord Wellington's information was so correct, in- deed he himself watched them so closely, that this movement was instantly known; and on the very next morning, (the 15th) the allied army broke up from their position, and followed the march of the enemy. So rapid was this harassing pursuit, though still with great prudence avoiding a battle, that the British advanced guard was at xilenquer on the same day, and the cavalry and advanced guard at Azambu- ga, and Alcoentre on the 16th, and at Cartaxo on the 17th. In these movements about four hundred prisoners were made by pressing hard upon the enemy's rear ; the advance being followed closely up by Sir Brent Spencer's division, and the 5th division of infantry un- der Major General Leith. Lord Wellington on the 17th of November re- ceived accounts from Major General Fane (who had been detached to the left of the Tagus to look after the enemy's bridges) that the bridge over the Zezere, which he had been sent to destrov, had been carried away — _ , _ * His lordship in his dispatches of (lie 3d of November had said, " It is reported by aii the deserters that the enemy's troops continuiR to SiiOer great distress from the want of provisions. " It is impossible to form an estimate ot the quaiitilj of provisions %vhich they found in Ihe villages on the ground which they occupy; but it is certain that they can draw none from any other part of the eouHtry, the whole beiqg in the possessiojj of our tryops," MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 5^6 Injudicious conduct of tlie British General. ■ — . ~ away by the floods, but that another had been con- structed across the Zezere, and that they had on that day marched a larg-e body of troops from Santaremi towards Golegan. In consequence of this information, his lordship vvitli great promptitude passed Lieutenant-General Hill's corps across th6 Tugus at Valada, in the boats which Admiral Berkeley had sent up the river in order to assist and to facilitate the various operations of the army on that river. The skill and patience dis})layed by Lord Welling'- ton during- the whole of these manoeuvres were such as completely to defeat all the plans of the enemy ; for being- himself obHged to act on the defensive, in order to bring them to a stand, he had so completely strengthened the works of his position, as to render an attack upon the line occupied by the allied ar- my very doubtful, if not entirely hopeless; whilst at the same time his dispositions were so judiciously made as to keep the enemy in check on all sides, but that on which they finally retreated; and, even there, it was impossible for them to keep up any communi- cation whatever with the country, sufficient to ensure them the necessary suj>plies. Could they have crossed the Tagus, a fertile country would have been within their reach ; but this they could not do with- out bridges or boats, to procure either of which they were unable whilst the river was in British pos- session. There is no situation in which an army more par- ticularly requires the constant superintendauce of its Commander-in-Chief, than when it is comparatively in a state of quiescence ; but, even in this state, the dispositions of Lord Wellington were so judicious, that, during the month he lay behind his lines, the effective strength of his army in proportion to its total numbers had wonderfully increased ; in fact, there was no sickness of any importance, and above one 3G6 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Co-o|)eration of the Navy. one half of those stated as sick in the military returns were convalescents, who were very considerately de- tained at Beleni, and the other hospitals, until they had completely gained their strength so as to bear the fatigue of marching, and of the other duties of the field. During the whole of these operations too, a con- siderable additional force had been provided from the fleet, and Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Williams had himself come up the Tagus to facilitate the passage of Lieutenant-General Hill's corps across the river, and to assist in other services ; on all which occa- sions, the greatest harmony, and the most cordial friendship, had subsisted between the two services, as indeed has always been the case during the present and preceding wars. Much praise was also due to his lordship for his arrangements respecting his allies ; for, in adclition to the Portuguese force, the jVlarquis de la Romana had also joined the allied army in their positions in front of Lisbon, with a considerable detachment of the Spanish army under his command ; yet through- out the whole period during which these positions were occupied, every thing went on with the utmost regularity, and the most satisfactory precision, not- withstanding that the force was thus composed of troops of various descriptions, and of different na- tions. For all this, however, the gallant Wellington claim- ed no merit to himself ; but attributed it entirely to the general zeal for the general cause, and to the con- ciliating dispositions of the chiefs and general officers of the armies of the different nations. Up to the early part of December, the enemy con- tinued their retreat, closely followed, as prudence and enterprise dictated, by the British army : and about this period a detachment commanded by General Gardanne, and which had returned to Sobreira For- mosa, MARaiJIS OF WELLINGTON. 3(37 Retreat of Gardanne. mosa, as if unwilling' to quit Portugal, thought proper to resume their march to the frontier, and to enter Spain. So closely were they watched, however, that they had no opportunity of forming any comnnuiication with the enemy's troops on the left of the Zezere, though at one time only three leagues distant from them. General Gardanne indeed seems to have had some particular object in view, though it was frustrated by the different positions of the British army ; for hav- ing lost some prisoners taken by a patrole, and a party^ of the Ordinanza, which accompanied the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Ponsonby on a reconnoissance from Abrantes to the river Codes, it was understood that the enemy had made very particular enquiries respect- ing the position of Lieutenant-General Hill's corps, and the means which the allies possessed of crossing the Tagus at Abrantes ; after which having commenced their march from Cardigos towards Codes in the morning, they retired a few hours after with great precipitation, and continued their retreat in the same manner until they reached the frontier. In this retreat they were followed by the Ordinanza, who not only did them much mischief, but succeeded in capturing a great part of their baggage ; and so much were they harassed, even by this irregular force, that they destroyed many horses and mules which could not keep up with them ; and their whole march, as Lord Wellington observed, if it was order- ed by the supreme authority, and was connected with any other arrangement, had every appearance, and "Was attended by all the consequences, of a precipitate and forced retreat. With respect to the main body of the enemy's army, however, which was still in front of the British position at Caitaxo, no particular alteration took place up to the loth of December, except the detach- mg a body of cavalry, consisting of four regiments, t towards 368 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE -' ' ' . ','"-, :f French take post at Santareni. towards Coimbra; but finding- that town occupied by General Bacellar, they soon returned to their station in rear of the rig-ht of their army, which, from all the accounts brought in by prisoners and deserters, con- tinued to suffer severely, whilst the British army, though acting- on the defensive, were in possession of as many comforts as were compatible with such a state of warfare. Santarem was at this period the head quarters of the French army, (as Cartaxo was for the British) and they had about the 22d of December been able to collect some boats on the Zezere, over which river they had also thrown two or three bridges ; and, to- wards the latter end of the month, those detachments which had retired from Lower Beira, in the early part of December, crossed the Coa, and moved into the Upper Beira, by the roads of Pinhel and Tran- coso, and of Alverca and Celorico. This seems to have been something of a forward movement on the part of the enemy, but the whole force did not consist of more than sixteen or seventeen thousand men, being partly Gardanne's division, with some other troops j their progress, however, was by no means rapid, and their advanced posts, even on the '22d, had not got further than Maceira, in the valley of the Mondego. Though Lord Wellington still deemed any active operations on his part imprudent, 3'et he had made every disposition for active warfare, whenever it was practicable. Accordingly in the latter end of the year, though General Silveira had retired with his division of troops to Mor Monto de Beira, yet he, and General Milter, and Colonel Wilson, were prepared to act across the Mondego, upon the flanks and rear of the enemy when occasion should require it. At the close of the year, Lord Wellington still pur- sued the same defensive warfare which had hitherto been so successful; and although there were some ap- pearances of a ti:rn of fortune in favor of the French, yet he MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 369 Anecdotes of a soldier's life. he was firm in adhering to his plan, and never foi- a moment doubted of its success. We cannot give a more faitliful picture of events at this period, than from a recent statement, which tells us that the ar- dour and activity of Lord Wellington were suitable to the importance of the crisis. He was very sparing in his diet, and slept in his clothes. He was up every morning at four o'clock, and at five he rode out and visited his advanced posts.* The noble enthusiasm with which he was actuated was infused into his ar- my by sympathy. The whole country indeed was under arms. Every thing at Lisbon was military. The city was garrisoned by marines from the English fleet ; and the garrison of Lisbon was sent to reinforce the army, which was also augmented by the arrival often thousand Spaniards, under the Marquis of Ro- mana. The greater part of the British troops had arrived from Cadiz; and the seamen and marines were also landed from the fleet, to assist in working the guns in the batteries. The banks of the Tagus, on the right of the British lines, were flanked by the armed launches, and seven sloops of war were sent up the river ; whilst extensive works were raised on the south side of the Tagus, to cover the river and protect the shipping. On the same side of the river too, the Peninsula, formed by a creek or small bay 16. 3 a at * If the French suffered from privation the British were not also with- out their inconveniences ; but the following extract from a military letter will shew something of a soldier's life. " Cartaxo, 29th November, 'i'he FVench take all the vegetables and eatables they can carry away, VVe are but poorly ofT here, and a good deal harassed. Scarce a house is left in the country \^ith a door or window shutter — Windows are out of the queslion. A board or two serves for a table, and he is a lucky fellow who can find a ciiair or stool to sit on ; beds we do not presume to think of. Since we iiave left Lisbon, 1 have never taken off more than coat, slock, and shopg, and put on my boat cloak, and hairy cap, and am glad if I can g«'t a place to lie down dry, which has not always been the case. We can get nothing but our rations, except what 'comes from Xisbon — We Jive cheap,".—— 570 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Di^pusiiKiii ol il e aliied army. at Moita, near Aldea Gailega on the Tagus, and the l)ny of St. Ui)es, was cut off from the French by a douijie line of fortifications, mounted with very heavy aHillesy, and manned, partly, by a body of SOOu seamen ; on account of which the Fn iic*h were prevented frv;m advancing' to Ahnada opposite to Lisbon, even if they should be able to cross the river, which a^ one time was supposed to be their intention ; and on that side of the Taj^us were posted the corps of Generals Hill and Beresford. Torres Vedras, however, formed the main defence. This was the grand line, and Lord AVellington him- sielf lay at Cartaxo with the main body of the Britisl^ army.' Between these two great military forces was the British fleet in the Tag-us, ready to assist on which ever side the attack might be made, and to transport troops when necessary; so that, upon an emergency, a most considerable part of the whole force might be brought into action, even on the shortest no- tice. The whole of this scene is most imposing ; for though perhaps the allies were numerically su[)t rior to the French, yet it must be reirollected, tl'at a great part' of their force was as yet very inefficient: but the V. 1 oie of the two contending armies amounted at least tt/ 1^^0,000 men. The grand position of the allied army at Torres Ve- dras was a line of strongly fortified heights, extend- ing from Aihandra on the Tagus, to Torres Vedras about thirty miles from Lisbon, and from thence to the n:onthof the ^Sissandro. Behind these there were two atlier ^ines of trenches and redoubts, exter^diug frouj Mafra, on the sea coast, to the Tagus. One of these, which m as nearest to the fortified line of Torres Vedras in front, was capable of defence by 20,000 men ; whilst half that number w^-s sufficient for the other. On all of these there was planted an immense niim- i> ber MAROUIS OF \VELLINGT0>3. 571 Liiieii ol Torres Vtdras. ber of artillery ; whilst retloabts were raised at Peuiche, Obidos, and many other places. Even the hills were fortified ; and, on the left of the position, the whole of the coast, from Vimiera to the very mouth of the Ta- gus, was Jstndded with redoubts mounted with heavy artillery. The right on the Tagus was flanked by the aimed boats of the squadron. Mines vvere ready for springing in many places; and the whole country \V£is one vast fortification, with about 80,000 men well armed and well fed. Torres Vedras is of itself an old and insignificant town, on the Oporto road from Lisbon, and is about two and twenty miles distant from the capital. It stands in a valley, but has some very important heights in its vicinity ; and particularly one conical hill, •which commands the town ; and, having the ruins of an old tower upon it, from thence gives a name to the place. It must indeed be a place of considerable anti- quity ; for even as early as the Roman times, when it was a colonial Praesidium of the people, it had the name of " Tunes Veteres," or the Old Towers. Of the lines themselves, we may add that the first line comprehended thirty -two works, with about 100 pieces of cannon, and 10,000 infantry. The second line was defended by sixty-five works, 15,000 infan- try, and about 200 pieces of artillery: whilst the re- mainder of the army was (employed in keeping up the communication between the lines and the reserve. The grand total, on the 1st of November 1810, being 107 distinct fortified works, 28,490 infantry^ iind 444 cannon of all sizes ! ! ! — works to which the labours of Hercules were but as mole lulls to mountains ! Sa2 372 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Commencement of 1811. SECTION VIII. Spanish affairs — Fall of Tovtosa— Death and character of the Marquis Dc la Romana — Anecdotes of ditto — Defeat of General Mendizabel— Anecdotes of military enterprise — Affairs of Cadiz — Expedition de- tached— Anecdotes of Sir Thomas Graham— Battle of Barrosa— Mili- tary Anecdotes of ditto — Extraordinary conduct of the Spanish general — Observations on Lord Wellington's policy— Distress and retreat of the French army— Pursued by the British— Horrible atrocity — Gallant affairs with the rear of the French— Defeat of Massena's rear-guard at Pombal — Affair of Arronches— Further interesting delineations— Mar- shal Beresford blockades Badajoz, and defeats the French at Campo Mayor— Anecdotes of Marshal Mortier — Anecdotes of the battle— Mas- sena's rear- guard defeated at Sabugal— Blockade of Almeida — Attack and repulse of Massena at Fuente d Honor— Curious anecdotes of Don Julian, the famous Spanish Guerilla— Retreat of the garrison of Al- meida—Battle of Albuera, and defeat of Soult— Interesting military anecdotes— Biography of the officers who fell— Gallantry of the Spa- xiisli soldiery— Gallant affair of the British and French Cavalry at Usagre— Siege of Badajoz— Two assaults fail— Lord Wellington raises the siege— Junction of the French armies — Lord Wellington blockades Ciudad Rodrigo — Raises the blockade — British rear-guard repulses Marmont — Attacks of theFrench on Fonte Guinaldo — French army repulsed at Aldea de Ponte — Retreat of the French— 'Distin- guished honours to Lord Wellington — Gallant enterprize of Don Ju- lian Sanchez— Governor of Ciudad Rodrigo taken — Anecdotes of General Hill — Spirited attack and judicious surprise of General Girard and his detachment — Anecdotes of ditto — Curious anecdotes of King Joseph and Marshal Marmont, &c. &c. Sec. jL he year 1811, has perhaps produced more impor- tant events than any other of the struggle for inde- pendence in the Peninsula. On the second day of the year General Suchet* took -■ ■ ■ • ,.--.--- ■ . , * Suchet is perhaps one of the best officers, formed in the school of the revolution. He was the son of a wealthy manufacturer of silks and damasks at Lyons, and received, not merely a liberal and gentlemanly, but a most finished and superior, education. He was not originally in- tended for the army, but entered into it at the commencement of the revolutioiif MARQUIS OF WELUXGTON. 375 Anecdotes of Roinana, took possession of Tortosa, after a short siege and very ineffectual defence. It is believed indeed that it might have held out a much longer time, particu- larly as its situation near the mouth of the Ebro ren- dered it easy to afford it succours from the sea ; but its surrender is one of those extraordinary events during this Spanish contest, which it is easier to la- ment than to account for. On the 23d of January Soult took possession of Olivenza; and the same day produced an event, even more lamentable for the Spanish cause, in the death of the gallant Marquis De la Romana.* After revolution, during all the wars of which he served with great military distinction. Buonaparte, one of whose main talents certainly is to dis- cover, and to understand characters, adopted him almost as soon a» he knew him ; and when the war in Spain became arduous, and evea hazardous, sent him there immediately, along with some others of his best officers. * Lord Wellington expressed his sorrow for the death of the Marquis De la Romana, who expired at Cartaxo, within the British lines, on the 23d of January, after a short illness. He observed that his talents, his virtues, and his patriotism, were well known: that in him the Spanish army had lost its brightest ornament; his country its most upright pa- triot ; and the world the most strenuous and zealous defender of the cause of liberty; and his lordship added, that he should always ac- knowleilge, with gratitude, the assistance which he had received front him, as well by his operations, as his counsel from the time of his joining the allied army. Romana was a native of the island of Majorca, and was born at Pal- ma in 1762, his name Don Pedro Caro y Sureda, a grandee of Spain by descent, and by subsequent services. Grand Cross of the Royal Spa- nish order of Charles the third, and Captain-General of the Spanisli armies. After an education suitable to his birth, during which he made a rapid progress in the learned languages, with the classics of which he was familiarly acquainted, emulous of his father who died gloriously in the field of honour, in the expedition to Algiers in 1775, he began his military career in the Marine Guards of the Royal Spanish navy, where he continued until the war of the French revolution, being then captain of a frigate. At this time he exchanged his services, and be- came a colonel in the army of Navarre, commanded by his uncle Don Ventura Caro, then a lieutenant-general. His services were so important, and his abilities so transcendant, that in 1801 he was appointed captain-general of Catalonia, and pre- «dent of the Royal Audiencia of that province; in which capacity h« found 574 LIFE OF ril'Z MOST Nf)tiLl^ liiteresliiis ancc(i>.te. After tlie death of the Marquis, his corps devolv- ed upon Meiidizabel, who was soois after iietitched upoii found many opportunities of displaying his t-xtensive knowledge, and sound polif y. lie afterwards rose to be Director-general of Engineers, and cDunseliorat war. Tiie insidious plan which tlje tyrant of Europe already cherished, led him to withdraw from Spain the Marquis De la Romana with her best troops. In tiie command of these the maicjuis displayed an in- telligence which is well known, till the situation of his beloved coun- try coming to his knowledge amid the snows of the north, from that moment he vowed (o succour her, surn)Out)ting, with that view, a thou- sand dangers and difficulties On his ariival in Sjjain, by his conduct and military skill, he finally succeeded in driving the invaders from Gallicia, even to their own as- tonishment, and to the surprize of all who knew the small means he had at his disposal. As the recovery of the Spanish forces, which had been so insidious- ly drawn away by Buonaparte, forms a prominent feature in the his» tory of the Spanish revolution, the following anecdote will not be ir- relevant : Whilst the Marquis De la Romana and iiis troops were in Denmark, they were kept in profound ignorance of the situation of their native country, and of the glorious events which had taken place there, not- withstanding the various attempts which had been made on the part of the British naval commander. Sir Richards Keats, to communicate the tidings to him, and to concert the means of escape for himself and troops. At length an enterprising gentleman was found, an ecclesias- tic, in whose honour, knowledge, and good sense, the firmest confi- dence could be placed. This gentleman, disguised as a trader of the humblest description, went by way of Heligoland, to the place where the marquis and his troops were confined, having encountered such dif- ficulties in his progress, as required the utmost caution, patience, and fortitude. At length he overcame all obstacles; and, having ascertain- ed the person of the marquis, he was obliged to watch incessantly for an opportunity of addressing him, without exciting the suspicion of the numerous spies by whom he was surrounded. This agent at last •was obliged, as if by accident, to joStle the marquis in the street, in order to attract his attention ; and, having done so, he apologized as if ignorant of his rank, and concluded with offering to sell him some excellent cotKee. The marquis treated this offer with contempt, and signified that he supposed he was speaking to a smuggler. The priest, however, persevered in recommending his coffee ; and in the course of the conversation, took an opportunity of intimating that he was not a smuggler but a gentleman. •' We'll soon see to that," said the mar- quis, and then asked him if he could speak Latin, The priest answered in MARQUIS OF WELLTNr.TON. 375 Spirited skirmish. upon a particular service, but was det'euteil on the 19th of February by Soult, near the river Geborah.* Whilst in the affirmative, and a conversation ensued, apparently about coffee, as the gestures of both were intended to deceive all who niis^hf observe them. The marquis was then duly informed of every thiiiif tliat Iiad occurred in bpain, of tlie assistance which the British Government had rendered, and of its readiness t) adopt any measure tjiat was practicable, to effect the rescue of himself and his troops, that they might join their heroic countrymen in resisiiug the vile attempts of France to enslave thenj. The rest of the measures necessary for the attainment of the object in view, and its final success, art- well kno^vn * A brilliant little affair took place on ilie 8th of F'.-bruary which de« serves ncuce here. In the neighbourhood of Guarda, the enemy had long been b:i?y la plunderintj v\hatever they could lay their hands vn, and haviuLf de- tached 2,500 men to Belmonte, they sacked and destroyed all the small places around it. They at the same time sent word to Covilhaens, a con- siderable village and post of some importance, that it was their inten- tion to establisii their head quarters there, and th.it they would put to death those who fled. In order to attempt to counteract tlioir inten- tions, and to save the principal place in that part of tiie country, Lieu- tenant Colonel Grant, then exercising the duties of a commission ia tlie Portuguese army, marched from Sardao on the night ot the 8th, •with only four hundred of the Ordenanza and a six pounder, and arrived at Covilhaens on the following morning. Here he remnined until the 12th, when at 8 o'clock in the morning one thousand live hundred of the enemy came from Belmonte in two columns, and attempted tha place. Colonel Grant, having stationed his little band to the best ad- yanlage he could, permitted the assailants to approach to the range of grape-shot, when he opened a lire from his single gun, and in tea minutes they were thrown into confusion, aad retreat^■d in disorder, but still facing at times, :.nd manoeuvring in front, whilst two com- panies of the Ordenanza annoyed them in Hank and rear, with suclx success that at two o'clock they retired from the field, to their old quarters, at Belmonte. Colonel Grant wjs liowever soon afterwards obliged to retire, the enemy having moved a large force with caunoa against him. The situation of the two armies at this peri id not leading to any operations on a large scale, several individual acts of skill and gallan- try took place, which deserve notice. One of them in particular we fhall mention. Whilst Sir William Erskine was at Marmaleira the enemy had, for some time, been in the habit of making a strong patrole almost every wight up to Arruda ; in consequence of which, Sir William detached poruet Streuuvvitz oftlx: bussars, with thirty ijieo of the i(3th lii^ht ' dragooas 37(3 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of General Graham, i ■ . ■ .. I- .1. . . .rz Whilst the main bodies of the hostile troops were laying in their respective positions, some events took place in thesouth which deserve particular notice;*and an dragoons and some hussars, to place himself in the ambuscade, in the ▼ iciiiity of Ferragoas, in order to cut off this patrole if it should appear, and likewise to watch the motions of the enemy, who were reported to be on the eve of making some considerable movements. Tlie eneniy not appearing during the nights of the !9th and 20th, as was expected, on the evening of the latter day Cornet Strenuwitz (not having forage to enable him lo remain any longer) sent a small party up lo the enemy's picquet at Alcanhede to inviie them out, which had tlie desired effect, the enemy following this patrole with an officer and twenty infantry, and an officer and tlie same number of dragoons who were led by the patrole witliin reach of the ambuscade, where the cornet ■with his party fell on them. Immediately the officer with the whole of the infantry were taken or cut down; three dragoons were likewise taken, and several cut down ; whilst the remainder by dispersing escaped being made prisoners. Seventeen prisoners were taken, and the British had only one horse wounded. The wounded officer taken was Aid-de-Camp to General Clauzel, who has since commanded the army of Portugal on Marmonl's being wounded at the battle of Sala- manca. He had hiu)self been placed in ambuscade like Cornet Strenuwitz, but serms to have caught a. Tartar .' * An expedition having been determined upon bythe Spanish Govern- ment, to which Lieutenant General Graham** then at Cadiz, had con- sented ** General SirTI-.omas Graham, was born in the year 1750, at Balgowan in Scotland, long the seat of his ancient family ; and. his niotlier was lady Christian Hope sister to the late Earl of Hopetown. Being an only surviving son, the whole care of his highly respect- able father w-as to give him an education suitable to his birth and for- tune; andhe having decided on a private educationit wasattended with tlie greatest advantage, for it is said tiiat there is not a better inform- ed man in the army than the gallant General; he writes his own lan- guage with force and simplicity, and being anxious to employ ail his leisure in adding to his already large stock of knowledge, he con- trives to join the character of an indefatigable reader to that of the ac- tive soldier, and the man of business. Even now, many of the humane improvements too, which he is carrying on at Balgowan for the welfare of his country, were contemplated amidst the fatigues of active ser» vice, and the diiections for their advancement written on the ground, the soldier's pillow ! In early life G-eneral Graham traversed the whole continent of Eu- rope; and though he did not then ente<: ke army, yet he acquired a iarg« MARQUIS OF WEIXINGTON. 377 Expedition to Tariffa. an important aera in the Spanish war was now approaching", which seems to have been foreseen and 16. ,3 B provided sented to give his personal assistance, together witli that of a consi- derable portion of the troops uucler his command, Rear Admiral Sir Eichard Keats proceeded to afford all the assistaiicc* in his power, when a body of upwards of three thousand troops, including cavalry, with various military stores and provisions, were embarked on board of British and Spanish men of war, and as many transports as could be collected belonging to tlie two nations. With these there were seven thousand Spanish troops embarked, and the whole were assembled in the bay of Cadiz on tlie 20th of February, wailing for a favourable opportunity to proceed into the straights of Gibraltar, witli a view to ■force a landing between Cape Tiafalgar, and Cape de Plata at Tariifa, or at Algesiras in failure of the two former places. General La Penas was tlie Commander in Chief of the Expedition ; and his object was to unite the Spanish forces at San Rociue, with his own army, in order to make a combined attack on the rear of the enemy's lines at Cadiz. It was also intended that the British I'leet should assist in some demonstrations, and in an attempt to open a communication from Cadiz to tiie advancing army. On the evening of the '.'Otli, it being conceived, from the appear- ance of the weather, that the Spanish part of the force would be able to get out on tlie afternoon and night of the 21st, the Britisli detach- ment and squadron, under the command of Captain Brace of the navy, j)Uttosea accordingly; and, with the exception of one transport, got ifitothe straits; but it being impracticable to make a landing either in the vicinity of Cape Trafalgar or Tariffa, Captain Brace proceeded to Algeziras, on llie west side of the bay of Gibraltar, where Ge- nera! Graham and the troops were landed. The little army immediately marched fbrTariffa; but as the roads were large stock of military knowledge — knowledge, however, which perhaps he would never have put in practice, had it not been for the loss of an amiable wife, sister to tlie present Lord Caihcart, and with whom he lived the life of an ardent and passionate lover for eighteen years !. She yielded up her meek spirit at Hieres in the south of France, when the disconsolate husband became asolitary wandwrer, and arriv- ing at Gibraltar attached himself to the army, and accompanied Lord Hood in the British Fleet to Toulon, where he shewed liiinself very actrve in the negociations which put that place into our hands. After tliis he wished to acquire rank in ihe army, his military ar- dour having recommended him to Lord Mulgrave and every officer with whom he served, but it was not without great difticulty that the forms of ofiice were at length broken through, which has at last raised bim to the rank he so well deserves. 378 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Operations in Andalusia. provided for by Lord Wellington, in his admirable defensive manpiuvres, as he clearly and judiciously saw were Impracticable for carriages, tlie artillery, provisions, stores, &c. were coiivc-yed thither m boats, notwithstanding the unfavourablenesa of the weather, by the indefatigable exertions of the navy. It wasyhowever^some days before the Spanisli part of tlie expedition could get out ; nor did they get to 'I'arifta until the 27(1). Oi} the 'JSth the combined army moved from Tariffa towards Bar- bate, attended by such naval means as winds and weather would per- mit ; and picparalioas were made by the Fleet ai>d gan'ison at Cadiz, and immediately acted upon, to menace the Trocadero and other points of the French line, in order, as the arvuy advanced, to favor its opera- tions, arrangements being made for a landing and real or feigned attacks as circumstances might determine; for whicii purpose the regiment of Toledo was embarked oil board the British squadron. On the 1st of March, tJeaeral Zayas pushed across the river San Petri, near the coast: a strong body of Spanish troops threw a bridge- across the river, and formed atete du pont. It was, however, a post of too- much importance for the enemy to leave it unmolested: and accordingly it was attacked witii vigour an the nigiits of tlie 3d and 4th, when, though the assailants were ultimately repulsed, the loss of the Spaniards was very considerable. The winds and weather were now so tempestuous and unfavorable, that landing on any part of the neighbouring coasts was extremely difficivjt, and a speedy reembarkation, if necessary, almost impractica- ble ; in fact, even common communication with the advancing allied army was considerably impeded by the heavy surf along the shore; and the services of the Spanish regiment embarked being totally useless they were sent on shore. Information was now received that the army was advancing, but the weather on the Mh in the forenoon was too uusettled to admit of any CO operation. The allied troops, after a night march of sixteen hours from the camp near Vcgar, arrived on the morning of tJie 5th of March on the low ridge of Barrosa, about four miles to the southward of the river of San Petri.* A well conducted and surcessfvil attack on the rear of the enemy's lines near San Petri by tJie vanguard of the Spanish army, under Bri- gadier-General Ladrizabel, having opened the communications of the army with the Isla de Leon, General Uruham received directions from the * The Iieights of Barrosa extead inland alwiit a niiVe and a half; continuing on the north the extensive heathy plain ofChiclana. A great pine forest skirts the plain, and circles round the height at some distance, terminating down towards San Petri: the intermediate space between the north, side of the height and the forest being uneven and broken. MARQUIS 0? WELLINGTON. 879 Battle of Barros.i. saw tliat the nature of the Spanish territory, the nature of the warfare carried on in the Peninsula, and the 3 11 2 protracted the Spanish General La Penas, to move clown from the position of Barrosa to that of the Torre de Bennesa, about half way to the San Petri river, in order to secure a communication across the river, over which a bridge had been lately established. This latter position placed Ihe British troops on a narrow woody rid^e; the right on the sea cliff, the left fallinp; down to the Almanza creek, on theodi^e of the marsh ; a hard sandy ijeach giving an easy communication between tlie western points of these two positions, Generjtl Graham having halted his division on the eastern slope of the Bafrosa height, he marched, about iiooi), thfougJi the wood to- wards the Bermesa, (cavalry patroles having previously been sent to- wards Chiclana without meeting with tlie enemy,) but on the march he received intelligence that a large Frencii force had apj»eared on the iplain, and' was then advancing towards tire heights of Barrosa. The General, considering that positioH as the key of San Petri, im- mediately countermarched in or of attack roused us from our pillows. The haze of tlie morning clearing up, we could easily perceive the out sen- tinels were men of straw, and proved quite passive. In fact, a better managed retreat was never executed. Not a vestige of a dollar's worth remained. Being at the outposts with the 14lh dragoons and 1st royals, 1 entered with them ; and three miserable deserters who had hid themselves were, with one too ill to move, the only enemy to be found. " Such a scene of horror, misery, and desolation, scarce ever salut- ed the eye of man. Smoking ruMis, the accumulated filth of months, horses and human bodies putrefied to suffocation nearly, caused to many a vomiting ! The houses unburnt, with scarcely a vestige of wood — «loors, windows, ceilings, roofs burnt — and where the sick had expir- ed, there left to decay ! The number left was great. Every church demolished, the tombs opened for searching after hidden plate, every altarpiece universally destroyed, and the eilluvia so olfensive as to defy describing. In some gardens, the miserable lieads, ondecayed, stuck up like scarecrows; in some wells, a body floating. " Down a precipice to which we were invited by prospect to look, the human and the animal carcases, mingled in dung, repulsed our senses, and shudderingly vibrated the soul at the savage, horrible, dia- bolical acts of a French army. Greater spirits, better discipline, and Riore order, never attended an army than this. But to see tlie country, is to weep for the horrors of war. Such horrid excess I never saw be- fbre. Every town, village, or cottage, destroyed. Tiie growing nur- sery, and the vvild grove, each havocked for destruction's sake. The pot that refined the oil b'oken ; the wine press burnt, for burning's sake; the grape vines destroyed as noxious weeds; the furniture un- burnt, thrown from the windows, and with carriages, &c. made a bon- fire of; the large libraries strewed over the land in remnants of paper; the noble convent in ashes, and the poor, unhappy, aged inhabitants, unable to llee, hung around as ornuuienling the walls, ten or twelve in a place. " To bear the semblance of a female, was to be tortured ; to be an infant, to be u sacrifice. " One MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 3g7 Movenieiila ol" tlie enemy. Their first moveii^ents indicated an intention to collect a force at Tliomar ; he, therefore, niivrchcd upon that toun, on the 8th, a considerable body of troops formed of a part of INIarslial Sir William Be- resford's corps, under Major-General the Honourable William Stewart, which had crossed the Ta<^us at Abraiites and afterwards the Zezere, and of the 4th and 6th, and part of the first divisions of infantry, and two brigades of British cavalry. The enemy, how- ever, continued their march towards the Mondeg"o, having" one corps on the road to Esj)inhal ; General Loison's division on the road of Anciao ; and the re- mainder of their army towards Pombal. These last were followed, and never lost sight of by the light division, and the Royal Dragoons, and 1st Hussars, who annoyed them so closely as to take about two lipndred prisoners. On the 9th of March, the enemy collected in fiont of Pombal a considerable force, amountinc: to three divisions of their army ; but even this they were not permitted to do unmolested ; for the Hussars, which with the Royal Dragoons, and lig^ht division, were immediately in their front, distinguished themselves much in a charge which they found a favourable op- 3 c 2 portunity " One circumstance, almost beyond credibility to be committed by human beings in the heart of Europe, and the nineteenth century ; a convent of eleven nuns, with two priests, were escaping in a boat ; un- happily tliey were too late; and, overtaken near Villa Franca, the priests were one shot and one drowned. One only of the nuns was young ; she was instantly violated, as well as the rest ; and the old age of 65 was no defence against these savages. 'I'iiese very nuns were thus treated successively by numbers, and confined until disease made them loathsome to the hell hounds themselves. '• When a flag of truce introduced them to us, the sight was most shocking. Every one tried to comfort them, and they were immedi- ately taken care of and conducted by water lo Lisbon, with every com- fort and consolation their unhappy case would admit of." Wlien the British army entered Santarem they observed a Frencli sentence written on the walls, implying, that " a good soldier ought to have the heart of a lion, the strength of a horse, the appetite of a mouse, and the humanity of a brute '" 38B LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Pursuit of the enemy. portunity of making", under the command of Colonel Arenschildt. So rapid, indeed, had been the movements in ad- vance of the pursuing army, that a detachment of the 16th Light Dragoons uiider Lieutenant Weyland, which had been in observation of the enemy near Leyria, made prisoners a detachment consisting of thirty dragoons on that morning; and had followed the enemy ironj Leyria, and arrived on the ground just in time to assist their friends the hussars in their charge. Though a part of the British army was so far in advance, yet Lord Wellington could not collect a sufKcient body of troops to commence any serious at- tack upon the enemy, beiore the llth,* when a con- siderable force was brought up including the light divisions of infantry and all the British cavalry ; all of which joined upon the ground immediately in front of the enemy, who had commenced their retreat from their position during the night. The enemy now made an attempt to hold the an- icient castle of Pombal, but were driven from it by the advance under the command of Major-Generals Sir William Erskine and Slade ; but a strong corps of the enemy under General Montbrun was enabled to hold the ground on the other side of the town, as our troops had not arrived in time to complete the dispo- sitions for the attack, before it was dark. In the night of the 1 1th, the enemy retired ; and on the J2lh the sixth corps of their army with Gene- ral Moixtbrun's cavalry took u\> a strong position at the end of a defile between Redinha and Pombal, with their right in a wood upon the Loura River, and their left extentiing towards the high ground above the River of Redinha. This town was in the rear. Lord * On this very clay, tlio 1 llli of Maicli, Badajoz surrendered to Marshal Soult after a very honourable resistance. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ggQ Attack oil the rear gu;ird. Lord Wellington inin)ediately led to the attiurk, \vith the divisions of light infantv}^ General Pack's brigade, and the cavalry ; the other troops being in reserve. The post in the wood upon their rigiit was first forced by Sir William Erskine with the light divi- sion, when his Lordship was enabled to form the Bri- tish troops in the plain beyond the defile ; and the division under General Picton was formed in two lines in the skirts of the wood upon the right. By the other dispositions for the niain attack, Genei'al Cole's division was in two lint;s in the centre, having General Pack's brigade supporting their right, and the lijiht division in two lines on their left. These again were supported in the rear by the British caval- ry, and three other (ii visions of infa; try in reserve. The w hole of the troops were thus formed with great accuracy and alacrity, and Lieutenant-General Sir Brent Spencer led the line against the enemy's position on the height, fr(>m which they were imme- diately driven, with the loss of many men killed and wounded, and some prisoners. The conduct of the 52d regiment and of the Portuguese Ca^adores on this occasion was very brilliant; and Lord Wellington himself said in his public dispatches, that he liad never seen the French infantry driven from a wood in a more gallant style. Thus far their defeat was complete; but as there was only one narrow bridge, and a lord close to it, over the Redinha river, over which the British light troops actually passed with the eneujy, and these pas- sages at the same time were commanded by the French artillery, some lime elapsed betore a ^nificient jiumber of troops could be passed over to make a fresh disposition to attack the heights ui vvliich they had again taken post. A division, however, passed over ; und, by manuuvring upon tiieir flan ;^s, obliged them to retire upon their main body at Conoeixa. Even there they were pursued; and, on the 13th, 9 Lord 590 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Horrid atrocities at Leyria. Lord Wellington observed them sendinsr off their bag-g-ag^e; and, jiidg-ing" from their movements that they felt themselves hard pressed, he immediately marched a division under Major-General Picton, through the mountains upon their left, towards the only road open for their retreat, which had the in- stant effect of dislodging them from their strong position at Condeixa :' after which a communication was opened with Coimbra, and a detachment of ca- valry taken prisoners. A considerable part of the enemy's force was found in a very strong position at Casal Nova, the next morning, but the light infantry drove in their outposts ; and as Lord Wellington ob- 561'ved that he could only dislodge them by move- ments upon their flanks, a series of movements to that effect were immediately put in force, which ob- liged them to abandon all the positions which they successively attempted to take in the mountains ; the whole of their rear-guard, consisting of two corps d' armee, being thus driven back upon the main body at Miranda de Corvo, upon the river Esa, with a considerable loss of killed, wounded, and prisoners.* The * A letter written on the spot says, " It is impossible to describe the scenes of horror of whic'i I have been an eye-witness, and which will for ever brand the name of Massena with execration. It is hard for any body to believe that hunian nature could be guilty of such enormous and wanton wickedness. The city of Leyria liad been on fire eleven days when I was there, and was burning still. Every thing that could be taken away was re- moved, and the rest destroyed. The images in the churches were cut in pieces ; the graves were actually opened for the sake of plunder. The runs and friars at all the towns to wh-ch we came had lied to the mountains; their convents were destroyed, and we found none hut a few Portuguese perishing with Juinger and ill treatment. At every place where we halted, if we saw any thing like a house with a door standing, we made it our head-quarters, and took possession of any ta- ble or chair that might have escaped tlie general tlevastation, as the mansions had no tenants to dispute our rights. Ail was dreadful silence and desolation. Tliefloorsof almost every house had been pulled up wiierever wepassed,|)arlicu!ariy at Leyria,where there were about twelve miserable MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. jjgj Beneficial consequences of tlie retreat. The result ot" these spirited and well timed Opera- tions was the saving- of Coinibra and Upper Beira from their hostile ravages, whilst a communication was opened with the northern provinces, and the enemy themselves were obliged to retreat by the road to Ponte de Murcella; in which route Lord \Velling- ton expected that the militia would be able to annoy them in flank, whilst the allied army should press upon their rear. The whole country indeed aftbrded many advantageous positions to a retreating' army, of which, as his Lordship candidly observed, they shewed that they knew how to avail themselves : but they were obliged to retreat in one solid mass, covering their rear in every march by the operations of a strong- rear-guard in the various strong positions they might fall in with ; and so great were the inconveniences and difficulties connected with this mode of retreat, that before they quitted their position they were ob- Jiged to destroy a part of their cannon and ammuni- tion, and afterwards to blow up much which their horses could not carry away.* On miserable wretches who had been unable to move from wounds and fa- mine; some of whom expired before us. The city, four years ago, contained 30,000 inhabitants. Libraries were burned and scattered ; and it seemed to be tlie intention of the enemy to leave a dreadful memorial of their fury, that never should be effaced from the recolieC' tion of the couatry." * Lord Wellington observed that they had no provisions except what they had plundered on the spot ; or having plundered, wliat the soldiers carried on their backs ; and some live cattle. He added that their conduct througliout the retreat was marked by a barbarity seldom equalled, and never surpassed. Even in the towns of Torres Novas, Thomar, &c. in which tiie head-cjuarlers of some of the corps had been for four months, and in wliich tiie inhabitants had been induced by promises of good treatment to remain, these poor people were jet plun- dered and many of their houses ecamo clear, the enemy having perceived that the body which had advanced were not strong*, fittacked them in a solid column, supported by ca- valry 398 tIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Spirited skirmisli. g . ■ '■ ■ .„ . — . valry and artillery. These troops, however, re- pulsed this attack, and advanced in pursuit upon the enemy*s position, where they were attacked by a fresh column on their left, and were charged by the French hussars upon their right. On this they re- tired and took post behind a wall, from which post they again repulsed the enemy ; and advanced a se- cond time in pursuit of them, and took from them a howitzer. They were, however, again attacked by a fresh column with cavalry, and again retired to their post, where they were joined by the other light brigade. With this accumulation of force, they again advanced to the attack, where they were again attacked by a fresh column with cavalry, which charged their right, and obliged them again to take post in an enclosure upon the top of the height, from whence they could protect the howitzer which the 4()th had taken, and from this they again drove back the enemy. The French were now making aiTangements for a, fresh attack upon this post, which Colonel Beck- "with and his party had so gallantly defended, and had actually moved a column upon the left, when the light infantry of General Picton's brigade, supported by the Honourable General Colville with his brigade, ©pened their fire upon them. At the same moment the head of Major General Dunlop's column crossed the bridge of the Coa, and ascended the heights on the right flank of the enemy ; and the cavalry at the same time appearing on the high ground in rear of their left, the whole of the enemy's force immediately retired across the hills to- wards Rondo, leaving the howitzer in the possession of those who had so gallantly gained and preserved it, and about two hundred killed in the ground, with six officers and three hundred prisoners left in the hands of the allied army.* Finding" * In noticing the occurrences of this day, Lord Wellington ob- serTed, that although the operations were, through unavoidable acci- MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 899 lilotka ()e of Almeida. - Finding- themselves thus closely harassed, the ene- my continued their retreat during all the succeeding* nisrht and the next morninof ; and entered on the frontiers of Spain on the 4th, thus leaving Portugal free. They continued their retreat, and crossed the Agueda a few days after ; whilst the allied army took up their position upon the Duas Casas, a post which General Craufurd had occupied with his ad- vanced guard during the latter part of the preceding siege of Ciudad Rodrigo; and the advanced posts were soon pushed as far forward as the banks of the Agueda. Lord Wellington, about the latter end of April, ijaving made arrangements for the blockade of Almei- da, and having reason to believe that the enemy's army would not be in a situation for some time to at- tempt the relief of that fortress, even if they should be so inclined, took the advantage of this momentary discontinuance of active operations with respect to his own army, to proceed for Estremadura to the corps under Sir William Beresford. In short his ac- tive mind was every where, and he shrunk from no fatigue or privation, to have his person every where also. With Sir William's army, he found every thing in an active state, and a system of desultory war- fare ilents, not performed in the manner intended, yet that he considered the action fought by the light division, by Colonel Beckvrith's brigade principally, with the whole of the 2d division of the French army, to Leone of the most glorious that British troops were ever engaged in. It was impossible, he added, for any officer to conduct hin)self witli^ more ability and gallantry than Colonel Beckwitli. The action was commenced by an unavoidable accident to which all operations are Jiable; but liaving been commenced, it would have been impossible to withdraw from the ground, without risking the loss of the object of the general movements ; and it w'as desirable to obtain possession, if possible, of tiie top of the hiil, from which tiie enemy hail made so many attacks with advantage, on the first po»itioa taken up by the 43d regiment. 400 I-IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE rr , • ■ • ,'■■,, , ._j Gratilude of the Portuguese. ^re coristantly carrying on, to the great annoyance of the enemy. The operations of this early part of the campaign may thus be considered as decisive : and the brilliant successes of the allied army were celebrated by every demonstration of joy which could mark the gratitude of the Portuguese for the exertions of the British troops in their b'^'half, and the general satisfaction inspired by the salvation of their country. Te Deum M'as sung in all the churches ; the city of Lisbon was splendidly illuminated ; and, in addi- tion to the general popular expression, the regency seiitthe most complimentary addresses to Lord Wel- lington and Sir William Beresford. One great ob- ject of Lord Wellington, in his visit to the army in Estremadura, was to superintend the arrangements for the siege of Badajos by Marshal Beresford's army ; and this being accomplished, he set off again on his return to his own troops on the banks of the Agueda and Coa; about which time the town of Olivenza, after some spirited attacks, had surrendered to Majoi* General Cole. The gallant affair of Fuente D'Honor was now r.pproacliing; it is necessar}^ therefore, to enter a little more into detail, on the anterior movements of the two armies; the affair being in itself so critical, as at one time to have given considerable advantages to the French, had they known how to profit of them ; but all of which were immediately retrieved by the skill of the British General, and the gallantry of his army. On the 2d of May the enemy's whole force, con- sisting of three corps d' armee, and all the cavalry which they could possibly collect in Castile and Leon, including about nine hundred of the Imperial guard, crossed the Agueda at Ciudad Jlodrigo. As liord Wellington's object in maintaining a posi- tion between the Coa and the Agueda, after the ene- my had retired from the former, was to blockade Al- meida, MARQCriS OF WELLINGTON. 401 Positions of the British. tiieida, which place, he had learnt by intercepted letters, and other information, was ill supplied with provisions for its garrison ; and, as the enemy were infinitely superior to the British army in cavalry, he did not give any opposition to their march, and they passed the Azava on the evening" mentioned, in the neig'hhourhood of Gallesros. On the .'kl in the morning-, they continued their march in three columns, towards Duas Casas ; two of which proceeded to the vicinity of Alameda and Fort Conception, and the third, consisting" of the whole of the cavalry, and two other corps of infantry, proceed- ing" straight forward. The allied army had heen cantoned along" the river Duas Casas, and on the sources of the Azava ; the light division heing' at GalIeg"os and Espeja. This last fell back upon Fuentes d'Honor, a villag-e on the Duas Casas, with the British cavalry, in proportion as the enemy advanced, and the Jst, 3d, and 7th di- risions were collected at that place; and the Glh di- vision, under Major-General Campbell, observed tho bridge at Alameda; whilst jMajor-General 8ir Wil- liam Erskine, with the :>th division, was at the pas- sages of the Duas Casas, at Fort Conception, and Aldea D'Obispo. Bng"a(lier-General Pack's bri- gade, with the Queen's regiment, kept the blockade of Almeida ; aiid Lord \V^eUing'ton prevailed on the gallant partiza^i, Don Julian Sanchez, to occupy Nave d'Avar with his corps of Spanish cavalry and iofautry. The Light Division were moved in the evening* to join General Campbell, upon finding- that the enemy were in strength in that quarter, and they were brouofht back ag'ain to Fuentesd'Honor, on the morn- ing of the r>th, when it was found that a corps of the enemy had proceeded to strengthen their left. Shortly after the enemy had formed on the ground on the right of the Duas Casas, in the afternoon of tlie 3d, they attacked the village of Fuentes with a 17, 3 E very 402 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Attack of Fuentes d' Honor. Tery large force; but it was defended in the most gallant manner by a mucli inferior niiuibcr, "^ who maintained their position with great perseverance, when Lord Wellington, whose eye was every vi/here, having observed the repeated efforts which the ene- my were making to obtain possession of the village, and being fidly aware of the advantage which they "would derive from that [wssession in their subsequent operations, immediately reinforced it in succession with the 70th, 79th, and 24th regiments, when the Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel Cadogan, at the head of the 71st, charged the assailants, and drove them from the part of the village of which they had obtained momentary possession. Nearly at this time, Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, who commanded in advance, was wounded, and the command devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Came- ron of the 79th. The contest continued until night, when the British troops remained in possession of the entire village. Lord Wellington, judging that the 71st and 79th regiments, with the 2d battalion of the 24th to sup-? port them, were sufficient for the defence of the vil- lage, then withdrew the Light Infantry battalions and the 83d, for service in another part of his line. The enemy attempted nothing further on the 4th, than to reconnoitre the positions which the British army had occupied on the Duas Casas river; and, du- ring that night, they moved General Junot's corps from Alameda to the left of the position occupied by their tith corps, opposite to Fuentes. From the course of the reconnoissance of that day, Loid Wel- lington had imagined, that the enemy would make another * The detachment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Williams of the 60tl) regiment, in command of the light infantry battalions of General Picton's division, supjwrted by the ligiit infantry of General Nightingale's biigade, the lifrhl infantry of General Howard's brigade, and that of the German legion, together with the second battalion of the 83d regiment. MAHQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 403 Bnltle of Fuenles. another attempt to gain possession of" Fuentes d'ilo- nor, and of the ground occnpied'i)v the troons be- hind tliat villaiie, by crossing the Dnas Casas at Poya Velho ; he, therefore, in the eveniiig* moved Major- General Honstoun's division to the right, in order, if possil>Ie, to j)rotectthat passage. On the morning of the 5th, a large body of the enemy appeared in two cohmnis, with all the cavalry, on the opposite side of the valley of the Dnas Casas to Poya Velho ; and as tvt^o other corps of the French also made a movement to their left, the light tlivi- sion, which had beeii brought back from r'.ie vicinity of Alameda, was sent, with the cavalry unOer Sir Stapieton Cotton, to supj)ovt General Honstoun's division; whilst the 1st and 3d divisions of the Bri- tish made a movement along the rici^e between the Turon and Dnas Casas rivers, corresponding- to that of tlietwo corps of the enemy. With an enemy so superior in numbers, the difficul- tv of defend in uf so* extended a line, as the British were obliged to occupy, must nave neon very great ; for had they failed in any one part of it, or attempt- ed to concentrate, they must have been turned ; and, perhaps, defeated ; it is not, therefore, too nmch to say, that the prudence and prescience of Lord Wel- lington, with respect to every hostile movement, and the activity and alertness of the troops m executing his counteracting manoeuvres, were more worthy of admiration on this occasion than even the personal gallantry displayed by all. The general action now commenced by the 8th corps of the French attacking General Jlonstonn's advanced guard consistipg of the 85th regiment un- der Major M'Intosh, and the 2d Portuguese Ca^a- dores under Lieutenant-Colonel Nixon. These corps were shortly after obliged to retire; but they did it in good order, though with so,»ie loss: and the ene- my's corj)s being thus establisi'.ed at Po}a Velho, they availed theaisttlves of tiiis advantage, by sending 3 £ ii forward 40 1 LIFSr OF TliE MOST NOBLE JucJicious British raaiiQeuvre<^ forward their cavalry to turn the rig'ht of the 7th British division, between Poya Velho and Nave d'Avar, from which phice Don Julian Sanchez had been obliged to retire. This was a most critical moment for the British army ; but, without hazarding an observation, we shall simply state the judicious movements, which checked its consequences, and turned the fortune of the day. The cavalry who had turned the post, occupied hj General Houstoun, immediately charged ; but their advanced guard was met by two or three squadrons of the different regiments of British dragoons, and instantly driven back, leaving Colonel La Motte of the 13th Chasseurs, and some other prisoners. At the same moment their main body was checked and obliged to retire, by the well directed fire of Major- General Houstoun's division. During the whole of this business Lord Wellington was on the spot, and afterwards spoke in high terms of the conduct of the Chasseurs Britanniques, and of a detachment of the Duke of Brunswick's light infantry. He saw the charge repulsed ; he immediately concentrated part of the British force towards the left, and moved the 7th and light divisions, and the cavalry, from Poya Velho towards Fuentes d'Honor, and the other two divisions. To the prudence of Lord Welling- ton in thus concentrating his line, we may say that the safety of the British army was in a great measure owing ; whilst the steadiness of the troops presented such a front to the enemy, as effectually checked them from taking advantage of the moment to make an attack in fol'ce. Indeed, they were sufficiently occupied in another part of the line ; and the event fully justified the Commander-in-Chief; for he had extended his line, to the occupation of Poya Velho and its vicinity, in hopes that he should be able to maintain the comnumication across the Coa by Sabu- gal, as well as provide for the blockade, which ob- ject* Marquis of Wellington. 40.'5 ■ Cnliciil circuniitaiice-j of ilie Brili^li. jects he now saw were incoiiii'atibie with each other; and he, therefore, ahandoned that which was the least important, phicing- the lig-ht division in reserve, in the rear of the left of the 1st division, on some com- manding" ground beyond the Tiu'on, which |)rotecte(l the rio^ht flank and rear of that division, covered the conininnicatiofi with the Coa, and prevented that of tlie enemy with Ahneida, by tlie roads between the Turon and that river. His Lordship himself very candidly allowed in hia dispatches, that the circnmstances were very critical ; but the movements of the troops were most admi- rably conducted by Generals Honstonn, Craufurd, and Cotton ; as the 7th division was covered on its passage of the Turon, by the lig-ht division under General Craufurd, whilst it, in its turn, was covered by the British cavalry, in its march to Join the 1st di- vision of the army. The British army now took up entirely a new po- sition, extending" along the high ground from the Turon to the Duas Casas. This disposition was most admirable ; every part of the line forming a mutual defence to the next, and vice versi\. For the 7th di- vision, on the left of the Turon, covered the rear of the right; the 1st division, in two lines, were on the right ; Colonel Ashworth's brigade, in two lines, in the centre ; and the 3d division, in two lines, on the left. The light division and British cavalry were in reserve ; and the village of Fuentes d'Honor on the left of all. Such confidence did Lord Wellington now place on this new arrangement, that when Don Julian San- chez's * infantry joined the 7th division in Freneda, ' he * Tlie exertions of tlie Guerillas were still active and unceasing; among others was Don Julian, or /Julian as the Spaniards call him, who is Captain General uf one district. He has long been the terror •f the French, auU the hope uf his ouii countrvmciu lie 406 tIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Doh Julian. he immediately sent him with his cavah'y to endea- vour to interrupt the enemy's communication with Ciudad Rodrigo. The enemy too were fully sensible of the military importance of these movements ; for, from this moment, all their efforts on the rig'lit were confined to a cannonade, and to some triding charges of their cavalry, u'pon the advanced posts. In one of t'lese affairs, a very serious repulse was given to the enemy, by the picquets of the 1st di- vision, under Lieutenant-Colonel Hill of the 3d re- giment of guards ; but, as they were afterwards fall- ing back, they did not see the direction of another in sufficient time to form and oppose it, and Lieute- Bant-Colonel Hill was taken prisoner, and many men were wounded, and some taken, before a detachment of the British cavalry could move up to their support. Immediately after, the 2d battalion of the 42d un- der Lord Blantyre also repulsed a heavy charge of the cavalry directed against them. The enemy also made an attempt to push a body of light infantry down the ravine of the Turon, to the right of the 1st division ; but this was repulsed by the light infantry of the guards, muler Lieutenant-Colonel Guise, assisted by five companies*of the 9'3th under Captain OTlara. Thus vvei'e they completely checked upon the riglit ; but their principal eii'ort, throughout the whole of the day, was directed against Fuentes d'Honor. Here however, although the whole of their six corps were He had liis father, mothf-r, and sister, murdered by the French ; and has, like Hannibal, sworn eternal hatred to them, whether in peace or war. After being expelled from the patrimony of his ancestors, it was not long before he had an opportunity of avenging the death of his re- latives. BeUirning with his band of Guerillas from the mountains, he found a French Coloml, who had beta a great aggressor in that piHt of the couiilry ; and, upbraiding iiim for his numberless cruelties, told him, tliat he was Don Julian, who had now the satisfaction of putting a stop to his villanif"S, and sending him to another tribunal to account for them. This was in the same Louse in which his father was murdered. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 497 Gitlianr defence ot Fuentes. ^vere at different periods of the day employed to attack it, they could never g^ain more than a temporary pos- session of it. It was defended by the 24th, 7Jst, and 79th regiments, under the command of Lieute- nant-Coiont-i Cameron, supported by some lig-Jit infan- try battalions, the picquets of the 3d division, and the Portuguese corps. Here again as in the preced- ing attack, on a foriuer day, the commanding officer Mas wounued, when the defence devolved upon the Hon. Lieutenaiit-Colonel Cadogan, who had distin- guished Iiimself so nobly by charging at the head of the 71st regiment, on the preceding day. The troops defending Fuentes were besides sup- ported, when pressed by the enemy, by the 74th and 88lh J and on one of these occasions, the 88tii, with the 71st and 79th, under the command of Colonel Mackmnon, charged the enemy and drove them throuo!) the village. In this quarter, the contest lasted till night, when the British troops were in full possession of the vil- lage ; after which the enemy, completely repulsed on all sides, attempted no further attacks upon the Bri- tish positions, l.'^o signal was their defeat, for defeat it certainly w?.s, that m the course of the n.ght of tlie 9th they commenced a retrograde movement from their pvsition at Duas Casas; and, at daylight in the mornmg of the 8th, the whole French army was in motion. Such was the state of affairs, however, that Lord "Wellington could not inmiediately decide whether this movement was preparatory to some tresh attempt to raise the blockade of Almeirfa, which the British force still kept up, or one of decided retreat ; but such was his confidence in his gallant iew, that he had every reason to hope they would not succeed in the first, and would therefore be obliged to have recourse to the last. It was indeed impossible for him to adopt any absolutely offensive measures against thern. itt this movement; for their superiority in cavalry was ^ ver^ 40^ I'TFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Repulse and retreat' of the French. very great, owing" to the weak state of the English horses from recent fatig-ne and scarcity of forage; he judged, therefore, that the result of a general action brought on by an attack of the enemy by the British army nii^ht under these circumstances have been doubtful ; and if the enemy had chosen to avoid it, or if they had met it, they would, in either case, have taken advantag-e of the concentration of the British army for the purpose of fighting the action, to throw relief into Almeida. In the whole of this business at Fuentes the actions w^ere partial ; yet, from the great numerical supe- riority of the enemy, the British loss was very great*. No officers of rank were either killed or wounded, however, except those mentioned in the course of the narrative ; and the whole numerical loss of the British and Portuguese, during the several attacks, amounted to 198 killed, 1030 wounded, and 294 missing. The evident superiority of the British now in the Peninsula, though out numbered, may be drawn from tlie fact, that, at this very period, Sir William Beresford ■was enabled to invest Badajoz on the left side of the Guadiana. and to beu'in to collect stores for the at- tack of that place ; and further by the circumstances of the enemy, under Massena, having retired on the 8th to the woods between Espega, Gallegos, and Fuentes d' Honor, in which position their whole array was concentrated on the following day, when, on the evening of the 9th, the whole broke up and retired across * The city of London on the 9th of May not only voted thanks to Lord Wellington, and the gallant army under his command; but ^Iso agreed to present him with an elegant sword value i^OO guineas. Some objections indeed were made lothis measure, but it was at length finally carried in spite ofall invidious opposition. Thanks also were voted by the two Houses of the Legislature, and every demonstration of public joy and public honors manifested, as jgme revrard for such a long series of jieroic galiantry. WARaUIS OF WELLINGTON. 40^ Ingenious retreat of the French. across the Azava, covering* tJieir retreat by their mi' nierous cavalry, and crossing- theAguedaon the 20th, thereby leaving" Almeida to its fate. As a proof of the consequences of his victory, Lord Wellington immediately established his advanced posts upon the Azava and on the Lower Agueda, whilst the main body of his army were put into canton- ments on the Duas Casas *. 18. 3 F On * Almeida was now left to the attacks of the allied army ; it was in- deed not tenable against a regular siege, but a very well coiuUicted manoeuvre on the part of its small garrison deserves notice; for oa the lOtli in the evening, tiie Gth division having resumed tiie block- ade, Major General SirW'illiam Erskine was ordered to send a battalioa to iiarba del Puerco to guard the bridge there, which ha and they appeared to have marched between tlie bodies of troops posted to support the piccjuets ; and in particular could not have passed, far from the right of the Queen's regiment. Upon the first alarm. Brigadier General Pack, who was at Maiapar* lida, joined the picciuets, and continued to follow and fire upon the retiring garrison, as a guide for the bodies of troops posted to support the picquets in the blockade ; whilst Major General Campbell march- ed from Malapartida with a part of the 1st battalion of the 36Lh. But the garrison continued their march in a solid compact body with- out firing, and were well guided between the positions occupied by the British troops. It happened unfortunately too, that the 4th regiment, which was or- dered to occupy Barba del Puerco, missed the road, and did no ar« rive there until the fugitives had reached the place, and commenced the passage of the bridge. At this moment, however, fresh troops came up, who had followed the firing ; and the enemy suffered a con- siderable loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, but the plan had been 90 well concerted, that part of the 2d corps of the enemy, which were in St. Felices, formed upop the river, to protect their passage as soon as they heard the firing, and some of our troops who had crossed the river vere obliged to retire with loss. It appears that this plan had been some time in agitation ; as, for se- veral nights before, the garrison had repeatedly fired cannon in the night, and had made several feigned sorties to produce a fire of mus* quetry, so that when this retreat actually took place, great part of the British troops considered it as nothing more than a series of the sam» proceedings. 4 ] LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Siege of Badajoz raised. Oil the night of the 15th of May Lord Welling- ton received dispatches from Sir William Beresford, informing" him that Marshal Soult had broken up from Seville, and had advanced towards Estre- madura, notwithstanding the reports which had been indnstrionsly spread that he was busily occupied in strengthening Seville, and that all his measures indi- cated an intention to remain on the defensive in An- dalusia. Without a moment's delay, his Lordship set out on the following morning for Villa Fermosa, and arrived at Elvas on the 19th, when he found that Sir William Beresford, m consequence of Soult's advance, had raii^ed the siege of Badajoz, but without the loss of ordnance, or stores of any description, and had formed a junction with the Spanish Generals Castanos and Blake at Albuera on the 15th *. Towards * After the battle of Almeida, Lord Wellington rode to Elvas, but arrived the morning after the affair at Badajoz. His wisii was so great to be present, that he killed three horses in the journey, which he per- formed in three days. On his arrival at a river, he found a bridge, which he had ordered to he constructed, not ready, and he swam his horse across ; the stream was very rapid, and the two dragoons who fol- lowed him were drowned. His Lordship was saved by the superior strength of his horse. On the 16th of May, three days previous to his Lordship's arrival at Elvas, every measure was taken to receive the enemy under Soult, who had appeared in front on the preceding evening, and the whole allied force was formed in two lines, nearly parallel to the river Albuera, on the ridge of the gradual ascent rising from that river, and covering the roads to Radajoz anil Valverde **. The enemy, in the morning of the 16th, did not long delay his at- tack ; at eight o'clock he was observed to be in movement, and his cavalry **" General Blake's corps was on the right in two lines ; its left on the Valverde road joined the right of Major General the Honourable Wil- lia{n Stewart's division, the left of which reached the Badajoz road; where commenced the right of Major General Hamilton's division, which closed the left of the line. General Coles's division, with one brigade of peneral Hamilton's, formed the second line of the arrangement of the British and Tofliiguese army. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 41 1 Battle of Albucr.i. Towards the latter end of -'lay, haying assembled at Caiii[)o Mayor, - Lord Welling- 3 F 2 ton cavalry was seen passing the rivulet of Albiicra considerably above the right of the allies, ami shortly after he marched out of the oppoite wood a strong force of cavalry, and i"o lieavy columns of infantry, pointing them to the front of the line, as if to attack-tiie village and bridge of Albuera ; during this time, under cover of his vastly superior cavalry, he was filing the principal b nly of his infantry over the river beyond the right, and it was not long bi fore his intention appearerl to be to turn the allies by ihat ilank, and cut them otf from \'alverde. Major-General Cole's division was therefore ordered to form an ol)lique Jine to the rear of the right, with hi^ own right thrown back, and the intention of the enemy to attack on the right bf-coming now evident. Marshal Beresford requested General Blake to form part of his tir>t line and all his second to that front, which was done. SouUconomenced the attack at nine o'clock, not ceasing at the same time to menace the left; and, afltr a strong and gallant resistance of the Spanish troops, he gained toe height* upon which ;.' ey had been formed. At this critical moment, the divisions of Generals Stewart and Hamilton were brought up to the left of ll;^' ;:>p:.nish line, aud f«.»rmed in contiguous close columns of battalions, so a: to be moveable .' any direction, whilst the Portuguese cavalry under General Otway lei-iain- «d at some distance on the left, to check any attempt of the enemy below the village. As the heights the enemy had gained raked and entirely con»- manded the whole allied position, it became necess.iry to make every effort to retake and maintain them ; and a ituble one? .vas made by the division of General Stewart, headed by that gallant otiicer. Nearly at the beginning of the enemy's attack, a iieavy storm of rain came on, which, with the smoke of the firing, reitdered it impos- sible to discern any thing distincily. This, wiih the nature of the ground, had been extremely favourable to the enemy, in foi ining his columns, and in his subst-(]nent attack. Thesi^ circimstanci^s too, operated very unfortunately it this moment, whe.T the right brigade of General btewart's division, under Li«-utenant Colonel Colbourne, first came into action, anti behaved in the most gallant manner, and finding that the enemy's column could not be shaken by their fire, proceeded to attack it with the bayonet ; but, white in the act of charging, a body of Polish lancers, (cavalry) which the obscurity of the atmosphere, and the nature of the ground had concealed (and which was, besides, mistaken by those oi the brigade wljen disco- ■yered for Spanisli cavalry, and therefore not tired upon) turned the brigade, which being tlnis attacked unexpectedly in the rear was un- fortunately broken, and sulfered immensely. The 31st regiment, being ihe left one of the brigade, a^one escaped this charge ; and under the couiniaijd 41-2 ^irE OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of the battle. ton issued orders for the close in vestment of Badajoz on the right bank of the Guadiana, in addition to the former comniancl of Major L'Eslrange, kept its ground until the arrival of the 3cl brigade under Major General Houghton. The conduct of this bri« gade was most conspicuously gallant, the brave Major-General falling, pierced by wounds, whilst cheering his men to the charge *. Though the enemy's principal attack was on this point of the right, he also made a continual attempt upon that part of the original front towards the village and bridge, which were defended in the most gal- ]ant manner by Major-General Baron Aiten, and the light infantry brigade of the German legion, whose conduct was remarkably steady throughout. This point now farmed the left of the allied army, and General Hamilton's division had been brought up there, he being left to tjirect its defence. When the iiifantry attempted to force the allied line, the enemy's cavalry also endeavoured to turn it ; but his endeavours were com- pletely out-manoeuvred by the allied cavalry, though much inferior in TUimber, directed by the Hon. Major General Lumiey. At this moment, the fortune of the day, if not turned, was at least "wonderfully aided by a most judicious movement of Major-General Cole, who brought up his left, marching in iine to attack the left of the enemy, and arrived most opportunely to contribute, with the charges of the brigades of General Stewart's division, to force the enemy to abandon his situation on the heights, and retire precipitately, and ta take refuge under his reserve. The ■ * During the i.ottest of the action, an ofi-icer, Ensign Thomson, was called on U> surrender the colours he held ; but he declared he would give them up only with his life, and he fell a victim to his bravery. Another ('(ficer. Ensign Welch, had the colour-staff he held broken by' a caniion-bdll, and was also severely wounded, having fallen on the field ; lie tore the colours from the staff, and tiirust them into his bo- som, where they were found after his death. Sir W dliam 15eresforil was also attacked by one of the Polish cavalry, ivhom he dismounted, with tlie intention of preserving his life; but the man, perhistiiig iii his first design, was at length killed by a dragoon. When these P( lish laiioers make a charge, a red flag is suspended at the end of every lance, and that flag is so carried by the rider as to pre- vent the horse from se-, ing any other object. These red flags, during the action, terrihed the British hor>;es, and rendered every efKort hnr practicable to make them meet the charge. 'I'lu P.ilish lancers comniitted gnat cruf^lties upon our woftnded, put-7 I'ngsevi-ral of them to death ; but the_\ were themselves overtaken dur- in- i!)e r<>tieut by the 3d and 14ih dragooaS; who killed and cut down aconsidtiable number ot thein. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ]]:^ BJtigiHpliical ani'cdn(cs. former investment by fc>ir William Beresforcl on the left bank, and deteruiinetl to re-commence the opeia- tion:^ Tlie retreating corps of tlie assailants were pursued by the allies to a considerable distance; and, indeed, as tar as Sir VVilliani Herestord tiiouglil it prudent, consi(iering the vast superiority of cavalry which the enemy possessed; lie, therefore, contented himself with seeing (hem driven across tlie AUnicra. 'I'liough beaten in his main attack, Soult still continued that near llie vilUge ; on' that side, however, he was never able to make the slightest impression, nor even to cross th« rivulet, although a great proportion of the troops had been drawn away to support the point of the main attack ; but when defeated in tiiis lat- ter quarter, his attempts upon tiie left ce-ased also. Of this brilliant business^ General Beresford observed, that it was impossible to enumerate every instance of discipline and valour shewn on this severely'contested day ; but never were troops that more vali- antly or more gloriously maintained the honour of their respective countries. Of the Spanish troops, the behaviour vvab most gallant and honourable; and, though from the superior number and weight of tlie enemy's fiirce, that part of them that were in the position attacked were obliged to cede the ground, yet it was after a gallant reiistance, and they continued in good onler to support their allies. The action iiself commeiiced, as has been stated, at nine o'clock, and continued without interruption until two in the afternoon, when the enemy being driven over the Albuera, tliere was nothing during the remainder of the clay but skirmishing and cannonading. The Frencb left on the field of battle about two ihousand dead, and lost about one thousand prisoners ; besides live generals killed and wounded : they hav- ing commenced the action with about twenty-two thousand infantry, four thousand cavalry, antl a numerous and heavy artillery. ^1 he general total of the British on this day amounted to STO killed, 2722 v.ounded, and 554 missing, great part of whom afterwards re- turned ; whilst that of the Portuguese was 104 killed, 2(i2 wounded, and about SO missing. The oidy otticers of high rank of the British killed were Major-Gc jieral IloughtoiV, and Lieutenant-Colonels Sir William Myers,* of the 7th regiment, * Sir William Myers, the gallant young hero we have thus to la- ment, was the only son of the laie Lieutenant-General of that name. Though presenting the highest classical promise at Winchester College, so prominent, indeed, as to induce the learned and amiable Dr. God- dard to use every means in his power to tletach him from military jiur- suits ; yet his youthful ardour was not to be repressed, (he already lield a commission in the half-pay,) and at the age of sixteen, in ISOO, liis sylicitalions was atlcudcd to, and he exchanged from half-pay into ti the 4J4 I'IFE <^^' '^^^^ MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Colonel Duckwortli. tions of the siege. It was^ accordingly imested on the 25th of May, and ground broken on the night of the Ttb regiment, and Duck wort li,* (the former dying of his wohikIs,) but the number of wountled was v^ry great, amongst wlion;i were the two Generals Cole and Stewart ; besides Lieutenant-Colonels Blakeney, White. Inglis, and n)any other gallant ofHcers. After the buUk the enemy retired to the ground he had been for- jnerly on ; but so much afiiid of an attack as to occupy it in position ; • and during tiie night lie thought proper to retreat by liie road lie came towards Seville, leaving Badajoz to its fate, and a number of wounded to the humanity of the coniiuerors, who administered to them every assistance in their power. On the Coldstream guards, embarking with tliem /or the memorable plains of Egypt. Here, even on the first landing, lie fell wounded by a musquet shot Ml the knee ! On a friend's incjuiring anxiously, if he was hurt ? — the gallant boy smiled, said it was nothing — fainted — and vfas carried off the field. In 1802 he was Lieutenant-Colonel, and then completed his military education at Wycombe; and being appointed in 1804 to the command 0f the 2d battalion of the 7th, or royal fuzileers, then only a regiment of recruits, from that moment all the energies of his mind were occu- pied in fitting tiiem for service; and to his unceasing exertion and exemplary military zeal may in a great measure be attributed the high character for conduct and dicipline, which this corps has since ob- tained. High in spirit, with all the enterprising hope of youth, with all the enthusiasm of his character directed towards military fame, he went ■with his gallant regiment to Portugrd, and there Sir Arthur Wellesley became the model of his imitation ; and, young as he; was, he was soon entrusted with tlie command of a brigade. At Talavera his conduct was highly exemplary. The brigade which lie commanded was plac- ed- on the right of the line, and against him Sebastiani directed his at- tack, when the fuzileers, assailed in front and Hank by three times tlieir force, boldly charged in front, drove the French before them, and oOO uieu took ten pieces of artillery ! Peace to his gallant shade ! "* Lieutenant-Colonel Duckworth, who fell so gallantly in the action, ■was of the Lst battalion of the 48lh foot, and sou to the gallant Admi- ral Sir John 'Ihomas Duckvorth. He was only 2a years of age, and married at a very early age Miss Fanshawe, daughter of Commissioner Fanshawe, of Plymouth Dock- yard. On the day that the afllicting news of his fall reached Plymouth, iheir only son, of four years old, lay dead ! MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 415 Furilier anecdotes of the buttle. tlie 29th, the ordnance and stores for the siege having- then been brought up. In On the part of the allies, though their loss was severe> * yet it was unavoidable, and they completely reaped the advantage which they expected by their opposition to the attempts of the enemy, who wliilst forced to abandon the object for wiiicli he had almost stripped Anda- lusia of troops, instead of having accomplished tiie haughty boasts with which he harangued his troops on leaving Seville, had nothing left but to return to that city with a diminished army, and with a de- creasing reputation. By subsequent accounts, intercepted letters from General Gazan, *ho was left to conduct the retreat of sitcii of tiie wounded as could march, "^ The British in the battle scarcely amounted to eight tiiousand — the Portuguese to seven thousand — the Spaniards from ten to eleven thousand — making in the whole about twenty six thousand men, whilst ih^ French were not only superior in cavalry and artillery, but iiad ^,000 men in the field. When the French drove the Spaniards, at the commencement of the action, froin the height on the right, there was a shout of triumph, which was beard froin one end of the line to the other. The Spaniards, although driven from the height, rallied at the bot- tom of the hill, turned upon the enemy, and niost gallantly checked their career. No action in which the Spaniards have been engag- ed proves more clearly than that of Albuera how greatly it is to be lamented that they are not taught to manoeuvre by officers of mote ex- perience in the art of war t!uii their own. To a man, they evii^ced the most signal courage ; but, owing to their want of improvements ira discipline, it is difiiciilt and hazardous, lest they should be thrown into confusion, to move them from the position which they have first oc- cupied. " The immense loss sustained by the French chiefly took place when the allies regained the heiajht from which the Spaniards had pre- viously been driven. In forcing the enemy into the low grounds to- wards the rivulet, the carnage caused by our musquetry and the Shrap- nell shells was iniim use — whole ranks of the enemy were mowed down, and had we possessed any thing like an equality of cavalry, the greater part of the French army must have been taken or destroyed. It is due to the enemy to state tliat in the attack, during the whole battle, and in the retreat, they manifested great skill. and> signal courage. " When they were at last aware tlmt the battle was irretrievably lost, they protectt^d their infantrv by their cavalry and artillery ; and having recovered troin the confusion into which they were thrown when liyint? from the height, they retreated in good order, and formed on the opposite side of the rivulet." Journal of an Officer. 416 ' LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Siege of Badajoz. In the early part of June, the operations were car- ried on with vig"om', so that by the Gth of that month two breaches had been made, but neither of them practicable for an assault. On the 6th, the fire from the outwork of St. Chris- toval being" considered as hkely to impede the pro- jrress of the sieoe, Lord Wellinji^ton directed that an nttempt should be made to carry it by storm that night. Major-General Iloustonn, who conducted the operation on the right of the Guadiana, accord- ingly ordered a detachment under Major Macintosh, of the 85th regiment, to proceed on that service. The troops advanced under a very heav}-^ fire of musquetry and hand grenades from the outwork, and of shot and shells march, anioiniting to four tliousand, it appeared that the sum total of tlie enemy's loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, was not less than nine thousand men. * On the 2jth of May a most brilliant affair took place between the advanced cavalry of ihe British and the French rear guard. Majnr- General Lumley who commanded in advance, having driven the enemy's rear guard from Usagre, occupied that post on the night of the 24th, placing some Spanish troops ia front of the town, and the British and Portuguese cavalry in its rear with four si>f-pounders. On the morning of llie 25th, the whole of the enemy's cavalry ad- vanced with five or six heavy guns; and, upon the opening of tlieir first gun, the advanced line was ordered to retire, which they did slowly, in excellent order, and without loss; the Spanish troops filing on the main road, through the town which had been left open for thcm.^ Whilst a mutual cannonade was kept up on the heights opposite to each other, the enemy committed a most daring attem.pt, or rather an error, for which they were severely punished. In spite of two of the British guns, which bore directly for a few paces on the road, three of their chosen regiments of cavalry dashed rapidly through tiie town, and formed on the tlank of the 3d dragoon guards, wiiich corps, being conceaJed by a small hill, they did not see, and in front of the 4th dragoons, they themselves presenting two fronts. A charge of the 3d dragoon guards was at this moment ordered on the right, and a si- nniltaneous movemeut of the 4th dragoons, at the same moment on the left, decided the point. The enemy wavered before the British ca- valry reached them, and almost at the same instant they were over- turned, and apparently annihilated ; tlifi contest being almost blood- less OH the partof tlie British. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4X7 Failure of tlie assault. shells from the town, with the utmost intrepidity, and the best order to the bottom of the breach, the ad- vanced g-Liard being led by Ensign Dyas, of the 51st regiment, who volunteered to perform that duty ; but they found that the enemy had cleared the rubbish from the bottom of the escarpe ; and, notwithstanding that they were provided vi'ith ladders, it was impossi- ble to mount it, and they retired with loss. After three days' continual cannonade, the breach in the wall of St. Christoval again appeai-ing practicable, his Lordship directed that a second attempt should be made on the night of the 9th, and another detachment was ordered for the service under the command of Major M'Geachy, of the 17th Portuguese regiment, when Ensign Dyas again volunteered to lead the ad- vance ; but, on advancing at nine at night, they met with the same opposition as before, and on their arrival at the foot of the breach, found that the rubbish had been a second time completely cleared away. Ma- jor M*Geachy was killed and several of the other officers fell ; yet the troops still maintained their position, although to mount was impracticable, until Ma- jor-General Houstoun sent orders for them to re- tire. Lord Wellinjjfton must have been doubtless cha- grined by these disappointments, tor he had expected to reduce the place before the latter end cf June ; and he was naturally anxious to accomplish it by that time, as he then expected that Marshal Soult would receive such reinforcements as would enable him to make movements against the besieging" army. His Lordship now found that the necessary works to insure the capture of the place would require a la- bour of several days to complete ; and, on the morning of the 10th, he received accounts that Soult was then in full force, having received considerable reinforce- ments even at that early period. He also received accounts Avhich left no doubt of the destination of the French army to the southward, and that their arrival 18. ' 3 Q wa? 418 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Raising of the siege. was expected at Merida on the 15th ; he, therefore, found it necessary to order the sieg-e to be raised, as he hud not a sufficient force to carry on its operations, and at the same time to watch the movements of an overwhelming army ; though he still determined to maintain the blockade. About the middle of June the French army had advanced towards Badajos; but even then they beg'an to feel the effects of bringing- together their whole force, as even at that early period they were straiten- ed for provisions, and kept much in check by the po- sitions of the allies. As it was now deemed of g-reat importance to draw off the pressure and attack of the French armies from the Spanish troops. Lord Wellington having returned about September to the northern frontier of Portugal, made an advance with his army for the purpose of threatening Ciudad Rodrigo. 13y this manoeuvre he expected not only to relieve the various Spanish armies from the overwhelming' pressure of the French, but also to compel the French armies to concentrate and again advance into a ra- vaged country, where they would meet with but little subsistence. In fact this seems to have been a part of his g-ene- ral plan, which was always to keep the enemy on the; alert, and never to permit it for any length of time to i^eparate into*distinct corps, or to spread itself in de- tachments so as to facilitate the means of support and forag£. By this means, he constantly kept his own army also in an active and healthy state, as his own sup- plies from Li»i)on and Oporto were always certain,t whilst Britain was the mistress of the ocean. Under all these considerations, he was certain of rilhcr aiHioying the French army to the whole pro- ])osed extent, or of gaining possession of Ciudad Ro- tirig-o if they should not chuse to advance ; in either of wiiich cascfj, an object of importance would be •Ltuined. The MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. ' 4if) Position of llie British army. The French chose, however, to adopt the former alternative, and accordingly advanced in great force from Salamanca towards Fuente Guinaldo. It is unnecessary to trace all the movements of the hostile armies until the 4th of September, when Lord Wellington commenced the blockade of Ciudad Ro- driofo: but this he was obliged to raise on the 2oth of September, being then inthepresonceof a very superior enemy, having- previously, on the 21st of that month, collected the British army in positions from which he could either advance or retire without difficulty ; and which would enable him to see all that was going- on, and the strength of the enemy's army. ^Yith this intention, a part of the British army occu- ^^ied the range of heights on the left of the Agueda, having- their advanced guards within three miles of Ciudad Rodrig'o ; another division was at Fuenfe' Guinaldo, wliere Lord Wellington had ordered a po- sition to be strengthened with some works ; the light division was on the inght of Agueda, having their right resting- upon the mountains which separate Cas- tile and Estremadura ; Lieutenant-Colonel Graham with the left of the army was posted on the Lower Azava; whilst the sixth division, with Major-General Anson's brigade of cavalry, was at Espeja, Carpio Marialva, &c. Mareschal del Campo Don Carlos d'Espagne ob- served the Lower Asfueda with Don Julian Sanchez's cavalry and infantry : whilst Lieutenant-General Sir Staplcton Cotton, with a large proportion of the ca^ valry, was on the Upper Azava in the centre, with General Pack's brigade at Campillo, and rather in advance; the 5th division being in observation, in the rear of the right, at the pass of Perales, in consequence bf the French General Foy having remained and col- lected a body of troops in Upper Estremadura. The enemy first appeared in the plain near Ciudad Rodrigo, on the 23d, and retired again in a short time; but, on the 24th in the morning, they advanced 3 Q ^ agai^ 420 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Manoeuvres bel'ore the battle. again in considerable force, and entered the plain by the roads of St. Spiritus and Tenebron ; aad be- fore evening- they had collected there all their caval- ry to the amount of about six thousand men, and four divisions of infantry, of which one division were of the Imperial Guard ; and the remainder of their ar-? niies were encamped on the Guadapero, immediately beyond the hills which surround the plain of Ciudad Rodrigo. On the morning" of the 25th, every thing- seemed to threaten a serious attack, and the French beg"an by sending a reconnoissance of cavalry towards the Lower Azava, consisting of about fourteen squadrons of the imperial guard, and these drove in the English posts on the right of the river ; but on their passing it, the Lanciers de Berg were charged by two squa«* drons of the IGth and one of the 14th light dragoons, and driven back. Ashamed of being checked by such an inferior force, they attempted to rally and to return, but were fired upon briskly by the light in- fantry of the Gist, who had been posted in the wood by Lieutenant-General Graham, when General Anson drove them across the river, and afterwards resumed Jiis own posts on that side. ! But the enemy's attention was principally directed during the day to the position of the 3d division on the hills, between Fuente Guinaldo and Pastores. About eight in the morning they moved a column consisting of between thirty and forty squadrons of cavalry, and fourteen battalions of infantry, with twelve pieces of cannon, from Ciudad Rodrigo, in such a direction as made it doubtful whether they would attempt to ascend the hills by Encina El Bodon, or by the direct road to Fuente Guinaldo, and Lord Wellington was kept for a few monients in a state of indecision, until a forward movement shewed the direc- tion of their march, when he innnediately reinforced the post on the hill, over which the road passes to Guinp.'do. In MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 421 Attack at Fucnte Guinaldo. In the mean time, however, the small body of troops at the post g-allantly sustained the whole attack of the enemy's cavalry and artillery. One regiment of French dragoons succeeded, indeed, in taking two pieces of artillery which had been posted on a rising ground on the right of the British advance ; but thej were immediately charged by the •2d battalion of the 5th regiment under the command of Major Ridge, and tile guns retaken. Whilst this operation was going on in the flank, an attack was made on the front by another regiment, which was repulsed in a similar manner by the 77th regiment; and the three squadrons of General Alten's cavalry repeatedly charged different bodies of the enemy as they ascended the hill. At length the divisions of the ejiemy's infantr}' which had proceeded from Ciudad Rodrigo, being brought up to the attack on the road of Fuente Guinaldo, and Lord WeUington, seeing that they would arrive and be engaged before the coming up of the reinforcements he had ordered, determined to withdraw this advanced post, and to retire with the whole upon Fuente Guinaldo.* In * " Marched at 4 A. M, from Pao, Ihrougli Havas and towards Aldea de Ponte — when, just in llie midst of our cookery, tlie alarm was given that the French were approaching, in great force, on the otiier side of the town, and whicli was confirmed by an instantaneous discharge of cannon and musquetry. Ihe beef and soup wore thrown iii every di- rection, and we stood to our arms. Two companies were ordered to a Btone W3!l in front, to protect the movements of the division in their formation. In tiiis position we waited the approacli of the enemy. I should observe, it was an enclosed field with stone walls, and very well adapted to the operations of infantry and light troops. The attention of the enemy was however called off by a division to the left of ours, and General Dunlop thought it advisable to remove to a more advantageous position, and more protected from cavalry. We there- fore moved upon a hill on the left, and formed in close columns, to support the division then engaged, if necessary. General Picton's di» vision were likewise in reserve at nearly a similar distance. i'We had here an opportunity of calmly beholding a field of battle 422 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE " . ■ ' ~ ' ' ' ■ f- Repuise of the enemy. In performing this critical manoeuvre, the 2d bat- talion of the 5th regiment, and the 77th, were formed into one solid square, and the 21st Portuguese regi- ment into another, supported by Major General Alten's small body of cavalry, and the Portuguese artillery. The enemy's cavalry immediately rushed forward, and being so superior in numbers, obliged the British cavalry to retire to the support of the Portuguese regiment ; and at the same moment, the 5th and 77th were charged on three faces of the square by the French cavalry ; but they halted and repulsed the attack with the utmost steadiness and gallantry. This repulse was decisive ; the whole of the rear guard continued its retreat and joined the remainder of the third division, which was also formed in squares on their march to Fuente Guinaldo ; and the whole retired together in the utmost order, the enemy never as spectators, and a most unpleasant spectacle to my feelings it was; not a man but anxiously wished that it might become general. Our guns appeared to be most advantageously placed on the skirts of a wood ; their force in cavalry outnumbered ours exceedingly. P^or some lime eaci) side manccuvred as coolly as on a parade ; sometimes ad- vancing, covered by light troops; and sometimes retreating. *' After skirmishing in this manner for nearly two hours, a very heavy cohHnnof the enemy were seen advancing over a liiil, in their rear, which seemed likely to make matters assume a more serious aspect. They advanced boldly against our guns, and received a shell, which deranged them a little, by bursting in the midst of them. They still however advanced; but, on a second shell being thrown with equal effect, they went to the right about, without again approaching our artillery. The skirmishers were frequently very hotly engaged; the royal dragoons, and the 1 1th light, were the only cavalry in the field, and the former absolutely offered battle to three French regiments of cavalry, superior in numbers. 1 he royals admirably maintained the ciiaracler they have so justly gained in tliis country ; and the French appeared to admit their own inferiority, and to feel the effects of tlie 25tii tiiough we had retreatc^L Our men though fatigued and hungry, and without even wine or spirits, were anxious to engage, and were hammering their flints, and were making all their usual pre- parations. " There were some Irish lads, whose conversation was truly laugh- able.' ' Journal of an Officer^ MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 40:^ Retreat to Aldca de Ponte. never attempting to make anotlier charge upon them, but contenting themselves with following them at a respectful distance, though keeping up a fire from the artillery. The whole British army was now in position upon Fuente Guinaldo, and the whole of the force so posted as to be en echelon, of which the centre was in the position of Guinaldo, the right upon the pass of Perales, and the left Nave d' Aver. Even here, though in a defensive position, Lord Wellington did not desist from harassing the enemy as much as in his power, having at this very period detached Don Julian Sanchez, with a large body of cavalry, to the enemy's rear. In the afternoon of the 2oth, the enemy brouo-ht ap more infantry from Ciudad Rodrigo, and in the course of that night and of the 26th they collected the whole of their army in front of the British posi- tions ; on which his Lordship, not deeming it expe- dient to stand their attack in that place, retired about three leagues, towards Alfayates, and Aldea de Ponte, the picquets of the cavalry being in front of the lat- ter place. It had been the enemy's intention to turn the left of the position of Guinaldo, by moving a colunm into the valley of the Upper Azava, and thence ascending the heights in the rear of the position by Castellegos*; and from this column they detached a division of in- fantry, and fourteen squadrons of cavalry, to follow the British line of retreat by Albergaria, whilst ano- ther body of the same strength followed by Furcalhos. The former attacked the picquets of the cavalry at Aldea de Ponte, and drove them in; and tliev pusli- ed on nearly as far as Alfayates; but Lord Wellington immediately ordered General Pakenham to attack them with his brigade, supported by General Cole, 5^nd8ir Stapleton Cotton with the cavalrv, when tho assailants were driven back through Aldea de Ponte, upon 424 i^lFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Affair of Aldea de Ponte. upon Alberg-aria, and the picquets of the British cavahy resumed their stations. But the enemy having been now reinforced by the troops which marched upon Furcalhos, again advanc- ed about sunset, and drove in the picquets of the cavah-y from Aldea de Ponte, and took, possession of that viUage. Aldea now became the scene of contention ; for deneral Cole immediately attacked with a part of- General Pakenham's brigade, and drove them through the village ; but night coming on, and General Pa- kenhani being uncertain of what was passing on his flanks, or of the numbers of the enemy, and indeed knowing also that it was Lord Wellington's inten- tion to fall back with the main body still further, he evaluated the village, which the enemy re-occupied during the night. On the 28th Lord Wjellington formed his army on the heights behind Soito, the right being extended to tlie Sierra das Mesas, whilst the left was at Renda on the Coa, about one league in the rear of the positiou which they had occupied on the preceding* day. Beyond this, however, he had no further occasion to retire; for the enemy, instead of advancing, also began to retire, evacuating Aldea de Ponte on that day, and placing their advanced posts at Albergaria, on which his Lordship began to canton liis troops in this position, in consequence of the expected bad weather at the equinox, and from understanding alsa that the enemy were actually about to retire. Though tlie whole of these manoeuvres were ab- solutely a retreat, yet it was a retreat highly honour- able to the skill of the commander, and the gallantry of the troops; fully justifying what Lord Wellington called a memorable example of what the steadiness and discipline of the soldiers, and their confidence in their officers, can effect in the most difficultand try- ing situations. With respect to the 2d battalion of the oth, aiid the 77th in particular, the steadiness was* 7 peculiarly MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4^25 ^"""^ ■■'■''.. ■ ■ , . , . Good conduct of the Dritish troops. peculiarly couspicuous, as Lord Wellington himself y these two weak battalions. The Portuguese infantry too, though not actually charged, were repeatedly threatened ; yet they shew- ed the utmost steadiness and discipline, both in the mode in which they prepared to receive the enemy, and in all the movements of a rt^treat over six miles of plain, in front of their superior cavalry and artillery. In fact the Portuguese artillery men attached to the two pieces of cannon, which for a few minutes fell into the enemy's hands, were actually cut down at their guns. The conduct of the British and German cavalry was also highly meritorious, as though there were not more than three squadrons of the hussais and light dragoons in the field, yet they charged the enemy's cavalry repeatedly, notwithstanding the supe-^ riority of the latter.* We have thus seen that Lord Wellington was forced to give up his blockade of Ciudad Rodri<>'o; indeed he owned himself that he could not pretend to maintain its blockade, nor make any efforts to prevent, or even materially to impede, the collection of sup- plies, or the march of the French convoy for the relief of that place. This relief was indeed the great object of the enemy ; and for that purpose they were obliged to collect and concentrate all their troops, thereby re- lieving all the Spanish corps who were haid pressed 18. S H in * Amidst the great mass of praise bestowed by his Lordship in his dispatches, he observed that his Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince.of Orange, accompanied him during the various operations, and though it was the first time of his being in fire, yet he conducted himself witii a degree ot spirit and intelligence all'ording a hope that he wiU becojiie an oraauieut to his prolessjou. 426 l^IFK OF THE MOST NOBLE Grant of Ibreign honors, in other quarters, and forming in the whole an army of sixty thousand men, of vvliich six thousand were cavalry, with 125 pieces of artillery. It has i)een said that his Lordship, if he meant not to make an effectual stand, mig^ht have retired without exposing his troops to slaughter ; but this is a mode of reasoning only fit for tlie fireside — a well contested retreat will preserve the courage of an army, whilst to retire without seeing the face of the enemy will always dispirit it. Besides, as his Lordship said, *' the reports were so variou^ respecting the enemy's strength, it was necessary that he should see their army," as this wbuld undoubtedly have an influence upon his ulterior operations.* That the resistance ofi'ered by the British army was sufficient to check any plans which the enemy might have formed, beyond the mere relief of Ciudad Rodrigo, is evident from their having retired from that place on the 30th of September, the army of the north separating for Salamanca, and that of Por- tugal toward Banos and Placentia. At this period, several distinguished foreign honors were bestowed on Lord Wellington, and on the 26tli of October, a royal license was gazetted, permit- ting his Lordship, (who some time before had been constituted Marshal General of the Portuguese army) to accept the title of Conde de Vimiera, and also the Insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of tiie Royal Por- tuguese military Order of the Tower and Sword, con- ferred npon him by the Prince Regent of Poitugal iii testimony of the higii estimation in which his Royal Highness holds his distinguished and glorious services on various important occasions. f The * The whole loss of the allied army during the three days' contest was very trifiing. The British had only forty killed, and about JTO wounded, whilst that of the Portuguese was even less. f At the same time, Sir William Beresford (who liad been elected a Knight of the Bath for his gallant services;, and who is also Marshal and Commander* Marquis of Wellington. 427 Anecdutes ol Sir Rowland Hill. The French armies in the month of October conti- nued nearly in the same positions; butnotwithstandins^ that the relief of Ciudad Rodrigo had been an object of such importance to them, it was still harassed, if not blockaded, by the allied army, and so alert were the advanced parties, that the gallant Spanish parti- zan, Don Julian Sanchez, actually on the 15th of October carried off a large proportion of the cattle grazing near that place, and even made prisoner the Governor, General Reynard, who had come out of the fort and across the Ag'ueda, attendeci by some staff officers, and escorted by a party of about twenty cavalry; he was there surrounded by Don Julian's detachment as soon as he entered the hills, and was taken with two of his escort under the very g-uns of the place. About this time, the Spanish Guerillas were in- creasing in nuuibers and boldness throughout the Pe- ninsula, wheie the two well known partizans Empe' cinado and Minci were verv successful against some 'of the enemy's posts and detachments, when their army was collected for the relief of Ciudad Rodrigo ; but these occurrences would occupy too much ground from our main subject, to be entered on more fully. Whilst the two main armies were thus laying watching each other s movements, the British and their allies were not inactive in other places; particu- larly Lieutenant-General IIill,| vvhohad been ordered 3 H 2 to Commander-inCliief of the Portuguese forces) received permission to accept the dignity of Cnnde deTrancoso, and the insignia of the same order conferred oa Lord VVeliiiigton. Sir Robert Wilson and Colonel Trantwere also both honoured with tlie rank of Knights Commanders of the same order. * The family to which Lieutenant-General SirRowland Hill belongs is a very ancient one of Shropshire, where his father embellished the elegant seat of liawkestone, Jiear Shrewsbury ; but the family is per- Jiaps better known by the indefatigable and venerable Rowland Hill, (also the reverend) whose exertions in the cause of religion at the Sur- 428 TIFE OF THfi MOST NOBLE Pursuit ol' Geiieirtl Girard. . . • '■■,"'' 'r g to march into Estrematluia, with the troops under his command. He marched by Aldea del Cano to Al- cuesca, in sear At this moment the 71st iind 9-id regime tits charged into the town with cheers, and drove tlie enemy every where at the point -of the bayonet, having- oidy a few of their men cut down hy the enemy's cavahy. The enemy's infantry which had got out of tlie town had, by the time these regiments arrived at the extremity of it, formed into two squares, with the cavah'y on their left ; the wliole were posted between the Merida and Medellia roads, fronting- Alcuesca. These squares were formed close to the town, but the j^arden walls were promptly lined l)y the 71st light infantry, whilst the 92d filed out and formed aline on the enemy's flank, the whole throwing in a hot and well directed fire. In the mean time one wing of the 5i)\h regiment occupied the town, and secured the prisoners : and the other wing, alon^ with the three six pounders, skirted the outside of it : the artillery, as soon as within range, firing- with great effect upon the squares. Whilst the enemy was thus occupied upon the right, General Howard's column continued movin*^ upon their left, and the allied cavalry advancing, and crossing the head of the enemy's column, cut off the cavalry from the infantry, charging it repeatedly, and putting it to the route. The 13th light dra- goons at the same time took possession of the enemy's artillery. In this part of the business the Spanish cavalry, under the Count de Penne Villemur, behaved re- markably well ; for the British cavalry having been somewhat delayed by the darkness of the night and the badness of the road, the Spaniards were the first to but it did not flo — a flag of truce were sent to tell them that they Vere surrouiuied, and to ask tliem to suirender. " Tlie men and ollicers seemed inclined to do so, and an officer and a few men acliially came off; bnt Girard said he would never surrcii'* der with life, and if taken there was hi§ resource, pointing to his piST tola— he was in tears and much agitated.'* 45-2 IIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Result of tlie Hctioii. to form upon the plain, and gallantly engaged the enemy until the British came up. The whole body of the French were now in full retreat; but General Howard's column having gain- ed the point to which it was directed, and the left column coming fast upon them, they had no re- source but to surrender, or to disperse and ascend the mountain, which forms one extremity of the Bierra of Montanches, and is almost inaccessible. The latter attempt they preferred; and, scrambling* lip the eastern extremity, were followed closely by the 28th and 34th regiments, whilst the 39th and Colonel Ash worth's Portuguese infantry followed round the foot of the mountain to take them in flank. As may be imagined, the enemy's troops were by this time in the utmost panic ; the cavalry were flj'ing in every direction, the infantry throwing away their arms, and the only effort of either was to escape. The troops under General Howard's command, as well as those he had sent round the point of the mountain, pursued them over the rocks, making pri- soners at every step, until his own men became so Exhausted, aud few in number, that it was necessary for him to halt and secure the prisoners. The force which Girard had with him at the com- mencement of the business, consisting of 2500 infan- try and 600 cavalry, were now totally dispersed, or captured ; amongst the latter of whom were Gene- ral Brune, the Prince d' Aremberg, two Lieutenant- Colonels, an aid-ducamp, thirty captains and subal- terus, and upwards of 1000 soldiers, with the whole of their baggage, artillery, commissariat, and even the contributions which they had recently levied. The enemy's loss in killed was also very severe, whilst, from the circumstances of the case, it was very trifling" on the side of the British. Girard escaped himself with two or three hundred men, but without arms, and even these were much harassed in their retreat by the Spanish peasantry. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTOTf. 433 Curious Freiicli arraiiKCineuts. During this year the Guerilla system was carried to a much greater extent than had been supposed possible; and was, indeexi, adopted in every part of Spain, and attended with considerable success. By this means the difficulties under which the French had laboured for want of provisions and stores were considerably increased, whilst on all hands the intrepidity and activity of the Spaniards themselves M'ere much improved by this active mode of warfare, and stimulated by the prospect of gain. Yet after all it must be confessed, that although much has been done, still this desultory mode of war- fare never would, in itself, have any important effect upon the question of Spanish hberation fiom the assaults and insults of a rapacious imd vindictive enemy. Towards the month of November the French ar- rangements in Spain seem of a very curious nature ; for it appears that the country on both sides of the Tag-us, as far upas Aranjuez, had been made over, by Buonaparte, to Marshal Marmont, for the sup[)ort of the army in Portugal. This arrangement reduced Joseph to the greatest distress, as the produce of that country was all that he had to depend upon, being actually obliged to subsist upon the money produced by the retail sale of the grain forcibly le- vied from the people. The grain which was thus levied and sold by Jo- seph's orders was again seized by orders from Mar- mont, and taken from the people who had pur- chased it at Joseph's retail shops ; the only satisfac- tion they had being that of the very amusing infor- mation that Joseph had no right to sell it. 19, 3 J , SECTION 434 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Opening of the jjresent year. SECTION IX. Spanish affairs— Surrender of Blake — Repulse of Montbran— Siege of Ciuclad l\o(lrigo— Assault and sinrt^nder of that fortress— Fall and anecdotes of General Mackiniion — Deatli and anecdotes of General C rail furd— Lord Wellington created an Earl — Sie;hip, on reconnoitring, pbserved that the enemy had entrenched the bastion of La Trinidad, and also that the most formidable preparations were making for the de- fence of the breach in that bastion, as well as of that in the bastion of Santa INlaiia ; he therefore determined, in order to spare the lives of his people, to delay the assaidt for a day longer, and to turn all the guns in the batteries in the second parallel on the curtin of La Trini* dad, in hopes that by effecting a third breach, the troops would be' enabled to turn ihe enemy's works for the defence of the other two, the attack of which would besides be connected by the troops destined to assault the breach in the curtin. A heavy fire now took this new direction, and on the evening of the sixth this third breach was effected; and the fire of the face of the bastion of Santa Maria, and of the ilank of the Daslion of La Trinidad being overcome. Lord Wellington determined to attack the place that jiiglit During this period, the 5th division, under Lieutenant-General Leitji, which had left Castile only in the middle of March, and but lately arrived in the vicinity of Badajoz, liad hitherto been kept in jest'rve ; but on this evening they were brought up to service. Weighing every circumstance with due precision, and observing fxzry tiling with a soldier's eye, and at the same time securing the' general MARQUIS OF WF.LLINCTON. /145 I'reparations lor tlie assault. Alentejo, to perform their duty, and to supply the ar- my with means ot" transport ; tlicse diiiiculties con- tinued general safety of his troops, by attacking witli a preponderating force, his Lordship now laid down a most admirable jilan, which was that Lieuienint General Picton shonld attack the castle of Badajoz, by es- calade, with the third division; and a detachment from the guard in the trenches, furnished that evening by the tth division, under Major Wilson of the 48th regiment, should attack the ravelin of San Eoque upon his left: while the 4th division, under the Honourable Major General Cohille, and the light division under Lieutenant Colonel Barnard, should attack the breaches in the bastions of La Trinidad and Santa Maria, and in the curtin by which they are con- nected. In furtherance of this desigri, the ith division were to occupy the ground which the 4th and light divisions had occupied during the siege, and Lieutenant- General Leith was to make a false attack upon the outwork called Pardclieras, and another on the works of the fort towards the Guadiana, with the left brigade of tlie division, under Major-General W^alker, which he was to turn iiifo a real attack, if circumstances should prove favourable ; * and Brigadier-General Pouer, who invested the place with his Portuguese brigade in the right of the Guadiana, was directed to make false attacks on the tete du pont, the fort ot San Christoval, and the new redoubt called MwnccEur. Every thing being arranged for this awful and important event, the assault commenced at ten at night, Lieutenant-General Picton pre- ceding, by a few minutes, the attack by the remainder of the troops. This attack was led by Major-General Kempt, from the right of the iirst parallel ; he was unfortunately wounded in crossing the Rivellas be- low the inundation ; but notwithstanding this circumstance, and the obstinate resistance of the enemy, the castle was carried by escalade, and the 3d division established in it about hall past eleven. Whilst this attack was going on, Major Wilson of the -ISlh regiment carried the ravelin of San Hoque by the gorge, with a detachment of two hundred men of the guard in the trenches ; and, with the assistance of Major Squire of the Engineers, established himself in that work. The 4th and light divisions moved to the attack from the camp, along the left of the river Rivellas and of the inundation. They wer* rot perceived by the enemy until they reached the covered way, and the advanced'guards of the two divisions descended without difficulty into * It is an old observation in the service that every day a soldier or sailor has something to learn. This is particularly noticeable on the present occasion, where we see the gallant and judicious Wellington availing himself of past experience during the attack on Ciudad Rodri- go, when General Pack's brigade so spiritedly turned a feint into a real attack, and thereby facilitated the reduction of the place, and tended to save the further effusion of blood. 410 I'il'E OF 1 HE MOST NOBLE Anecdutes of the assault. tinned also to exist even afterwards, with tlie excep- tion of General Victoi*ea, the Governor of Elvas, who, tosi'etlier into the ditcli, protected by the fire of the parties stationed on the glacis for that purpose ; and they advanced to the assault of the breaches, led by their gallant officers, \vith the utmost intrepidity » but such was the nature of the obstacles prepared by tlie enemy at the top and l>ehind l!ie breaches, and so determined their resistance, that tlie British troops on this particular service were unable to estabiisli themselves within the place. Many brave officers and soldiers were killed and wounded by explosions at the top of tite breaches ; others wiio succeeded to them w^ere oblife,ed to give way, having found it impossible to j>enetrate tlie obstacles wiiich the enemy iiad prepared to impede their progress. Tiiese gallant but inetreCual attempts were, however, obstinately and resolutely persevered in until after midnight, when Lord Wel- lington, who was on the spot, linding tliat success in this (juarter was not to be attained, and that General Picton was established in the cas- tle, immediately ordered these, the 4th and light divisions, to retire to the ground on which they had assembled for the attack. In the mean time Major-General Leitb bad pushed forward Major- General Walker's brigade on the left, supported by the 38th regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Nugent, and the 13tli Portuguese regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel De Regoa ; and lie had made a false at- tack upon the Pardeleras with the 8lli Cacadores under Major Hill. Major General Walker forced the b.irrier on the road to Olivenza, and entered the covered way on- the left of the bastion of iSt. Vicente, close to the Guadiana. He there descended into the ditch, and es- caladed the fare of that bastion. Lieutenant General Leith supported this attack by the 3Sth regiment and the lith Portuguese regiment ; and the troops being thus esta- blished in the castle, which commands all tlie works of the town, and in the town, and the 4th and light divisions being fvirined a^ain for the attack of the breaches, all resistance ceased; and at daylight the governor. General Philippon, who lind retired tt) San Chri^toval, sur- Bendered, together with General Verlande, and all the staff and garrison. Though Lord Wellington had ioun:GTOX 4SI Gallant atlack of Alruaraz. ous part of his plan of operations, it deserves particu* lar notice here.* Owing to the necessar}^ preparations for this expe- dition, Sir Rowland could not be^>-in his march-before the 12th of May, which he did with the 2d division of infantry, and attained his objects by taking- by storm Forts Napoleon and Ragusa, and the tete du pont and other works, by wliich the enemy's bridg-e was guard- ed ; by destroying tho^e forts and works, as well as the bridge and establishments 3 and by the capture of 20. 3 M their * The strength of this position 'vas such as apparently to bid defi- ance to any coup de main, for the bridge was piotLxled by strong Vorks thrown up by the French on both jides of the river, and further covered on the southern side by the cast'e and redoubts of Miraljet«, about a league off, commanding the pass of that name, through whicli runs the road to Madrid, being tlie only one passable for carriages of any description by which the bridge can be approached. The worLs on the left bank of the river consisted of a tete du pont, strongly built of masonry, aiid well entrenched ; and on the high ground above it, there was a large and well constructed fort, called Kapoleon, with an interior entrenchment, and a loop-holed tower ia the centre. This fort contained nine piecesof cannon, with a garrisoix of between four and five hundred men : and there was also on the op- posite side of the river, on a height immediately above the bridge, a Very complete fort recently constructed, which flanked and added much to its defence. On tlie morning of the 16th of May, Sir Rowland Hill reached Ja» faicejo, and the same evening the troops marched in three columns » the left column commanded by Lieutenant-General Chowne (28th and 34th regiments under Colonel Wilson, and the Otli Portuguese Ca^a- dores,) towards the casLle of Mirabete ; the right column under Ma* jor-Generul Howard, (30th, 71st, and fi2d regiments,) and accompa- nied by Sir Rowland Hill himself, to a pass in the mountains, through which a most (liiiLl'rult and circuitous foot-path leads by the village of Bomangordo to the bridge ; the centre column under Major-General Long, (6th and 1 8th Portuguese infantry under Colonel Ashwortli, and 13th light dragoons, with the artillery,) advanced upon the high road to the pass of Mirabete. XJie two flank columns were provided with ladders, and it was in^ tended that either of them should proceed to escalade the forts against "which they were directed, had circumstances proved favourable; the difficulties, however, whicii each had to encounter on its march were such, that it was impossible for them to reach their respective points before day break. Sir Rowlaad^ therefore, judged it best, as thero A6S LI^E OF THE MOST NOBLE A??nu!r of Fort Napoleon. — > their magazines, with two hundred and fifty pri- soners, and eighteen pieces of cannon. Th« was no longer a possibility of surprise, to defer the attack, until he should be better acquainted witli the nature and position of tha vorks, and accordingly gave orders for the troops to bivauack * oa the Leina. Oa a full consideration of circumstances. Sir Rowland determined to penetrate to (he bridge, by the mountain path leading through the village of Romangordo, even although by that means he should be deprived of th« use of artillery ; a decision fully justified by sub- sequent events. Accordingly on the evening of the 1 8th he moved with Major-Ge« rtral Howard's brigade, and the 6th Portuguese regiment, for this operation, provided with scaling ladders, &c. Although the distance h-j be marched did not exceed five or six miles, yet the difficulties of the road were such, that, with the united exertions of officers and men, the column could not be formed for the attack before day light. Con* fiding, however, and justly, in the gallantry of his troops, Sir Rowland ordered the immediate assault of Fort Napoleon. The 1st battalion of the 50th, and one wing of the 71st regiment, regardless of the enemy's artillery and musquetry, immediately esca- !aded the work in three places ; nearly at the same time. The enemy seemed at first determined, and his fire was destructive, but the ardour of the assailants was irresistible, and the garrison was driven at the point of the bayonet through the several entrenchments of the for tand tete du pont across the bridge, which having been cut by those ea the opposite side of the river, many leaped into the river, and thus perished. In fact, the impression made upon the enemy's troops was such, that •the panic soon communicated itself to those on the opposite side, and Fort Ragusa was abandoned instantly, the garrison flying in the utmost confusion towards Naval Moral. The conduct of the 50th and 7ht regiments, to whom this brilliant assault fell, and the cool and steady manner in which they formed and advanced, and the intrepidity with which they mounted the ladders, and carried the place, was worthy of tliose distinguished corps and of the officers who led them. If the attack could have been made before day, a greater number of British troops would have been engaged ; for it was intended that th» ■g2d regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron, and the remainder of the 71st, under the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Cadogan, were to have escaladed tlie tete du pont, and effected the destruction of the bridge, * This term so frequently in use at present, in consequence of the ■lodern system of the war in the Peninsula, simply means for a corps to rest on its march, either for sleep or refreshment, without pitchiaj; thwr tents, or forming any military defence. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON- 459 Effects ol" llic capture. The general importance of this measure, as con- nected with Lord Wellington's plan of future opera- o M 2 tioiLS, bridge, at tlie same time that I he attack was made on Fort Napoleoo. The impossibility of advancintr, however, unforlunately deprived them of this opportunity of distingui.iiing themselves, tijough it rendered the alFair more brilliant for tliose actually engaged. One division of the force in this expedition, though not absolutely in action, bad an arduous duty to perform, and contributed much to t be success of the enterprise ; for the diversion made by Lieutenant- General Chowne, •with the troops under his command, against the castle of Mira- bete, succeeded completely in making the enemy believe that the British would not attack the foris near the bridge, until they had forced that pass, and thereby made way for the conning up of tl>e ar- tillery. It is likt-ly, indeed, that this corps would have turned thit diveraion into a real and successful attack, had circumstances permit- ted Sir Rowland Hill to avail himself of their gallantry and reso* lution. The assault throughout was superintended by the gallant Hill himself; but led by Major-General Howard, wl>ose gallantry was Ably seconded by^his statT, Brigade-Major \Vemys»of the 50tb> and Lieutenant Battersby of the 23d light dragoons. From the great quantity of ordnance and stores in this positio», it is evident that the enemy had considered it in a very imiwrtant light ; its destruction, so completely as it was performed, was there- fore a material object. In this service the towers of masonry, which were in the two forts, were completely levelled ; the ramparts of both in great measure dismantled ; and the whole apparatus of the bridge^ together with the workshops, magazines, and every piece of timber which could be found, entirely destroyed. The guns were principally 12-pounder3 and howitzers, and were 38 in number; there was also a considerable proportion of powder in barrels and cartridges fixed to shot ; but as the magazines were blown up immediately after the capture, and every thing destroy- ed, it was impossible to ascertain the exact quantity. There were also riO.OOO nuisquet ball cartridges, 300 six inch shells, 380 rounds of case shot, 400 musquets, 20 large pontoon boats composing the bridge, vith timbers complete, 60 carriages for removing the same^ and also for the conveyance of heavy timber, a large proportion of rope of various dimensions, with anchors, timber, tools, and every thing complete on a large establishment for keeping the bridge and carriages in a state of repair. The quantity of provisions too was considerable, including 30,000 rations of biscuit, 6j,t)00 of rice, 28,000 of brandy, 17,000 of live cattle, and 18,000 of salt meat, &c. &c. As an addition to this important success, it is pleasing to reflect that th« British loss was far from severe, considerijig tfa^e arduous service in tfhish 460 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE French communications cut off, tions, may be drawn from the consideration that ih© road from Ahiiaraz affords tlie only good military communication across the Tag us, and from tlie Tagus to the Guadiana, below Toledo. All the permanent bridges below the bridge of Arzobispo had been de^ stroyed during tlie war, by the different parties of belligerents, and the French had not been able to re- pair them ; this one, indeed, destroyed at Almaraz, was a bridge of boats, but Lord Wellington had good reason to believe that the- enemy had not the means of repairing it. In addition to this, the communications from thio bridges of Arzobispo and Talavera to the Guadiana being very difiicuU, and not deserving of being consi- dered as military communicriions for a large army, the evident result of this well laid, and well executed plan, was to cut off completely the shortest and best conmtunication between the armies of the south and of Portugal ; and, therefore, a leading incident in those mana^uvres vi'hich enabled his Lordship to catch Marmout single handed at the gailt^nt affair of i^alamanca.* u Vhicli tliey were engaged. Captain Candler of the oOtli was the only officer killed in the assault; and he was the first to mount the ladder, and fell upon the parapet after giving a distinguished example to his men ; but leaving a large family to deplore his loss. The total amounted to 33 killed, and 144 wounded. The prisoners taken in- cluded a Lieutenant-Colonel, a Major, and several other officers; in ^he whole 259. In this expedition it must be noticed that the Spaniards were parti- cularly serviceable. The Marquis de Almeida, a memberof the Junta pf Eslrcmadura, accompanied Sir Rowland Hill ; and fron^ him, as V'ell as from the people of the vicinity, he received the most ready and effectual assistance it was in their power to bestow. * It is a pleasing part of a biographer's task to mark in the present place the comprehensive mind of the gallant Commander in Chief in those arrangements ; for we may see that even whilst preparing for him- self a straigiit path to his subsequent harvest of laurels, he at the sam« time contrived to draw off some of the pressure of the French armies in the south from tlie patriots in that quarter, even whilst confining them . within the limits of tJiat very distrigtt £veB MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 461 Furilici- nioveniC! ts.. In the north, and\>n the side of" Castile, the French seem to have been aware about this time of their awkward situation. In butli Ohl and Xew Castile, they were in motion, two of their divisions having- been sent across the Tagus by the bridge of Arzo- bispo, and tiience moved along the road to Deleytosa, in order to cover the withdrawing of their advanced post of Mirabete. The whole of the army of Portugal also made a movement to their left ; part of them being on the Tagus, and Marmont's head-quarters being moved from Salamanca to Frontieros. Further north General Bonnet with his band of plunderers had been able to do no better than to make two predatory excursions towards the frontiers of Gallic i a ; Even this was of an importance which, though not immediately ob- servable, was doubtless of considerable advantage ; for we see that nearly about the time when th(; French troops, as already mentioned, marched from Seville towards the (^ondado de Niel»!a, another consider- able detachment under Marshal Soult went towards the blockade of Cadiz, and it was even expected that the French in Andalusia would be strong enoui',h to make another attack on TaritFa ; but as soon as the enemy received early intelligence of dir Rowland Hill's advance, they were forced to make movements on 'heir left, whither Gen Drouet directed the troops under l.is command, arriving upon the Guadiana at Medellin on the 17th of May. In this position was Sir William ErskineV division of cavalry which Jiad remained in Lower Estremadura wiih a part of the 'id division of infantry, and some other troops under Lieutenant General Hamilton. On the 13th of May a detachment of Drouet's cavalry drove in their picquets as far as Ribera; but though much superior in foice, he did not venture to attack them. Indeed the effects of Soult's reinforcements to the besieging army at Cadiz migiit havi- been of considerable consequence as far as regarded the defence of that place; but this Marshal found himself ohlitred to move from the blockade of Cadiz towards Cordova ; and the troops which had marched from Seville into the Condado de Niebia found it necessary to return to Seville about the same period. They were not in sufficient time, however, to check the gallant Hill; for he had attained his object, and returned to i luxdlo, beyond all risk of being attacked by a superior force, long before the French troops tvcre able to assemble; they, therefore, hud no other alternative, i)U| to fall back upou Corduva. 4(52 I IFE OF THE MOST NOB-LE Advance of llie British army Gailicia; but had again entered the Asturias, and re- .^umed the possession of Oviedo and some other tovvus. Yet even there the Spaniards were beginning' to exert themselves, and General Mendizabel was s.o fur in their rear, as to keep possession of the town of Burgos> though the enemy still retained the castle. Indeed, at this period, in all parts of the country, the boldness nnd activity of the Guerillas were constantly increas- ing ; and their operations against the commou enemy were daily becoming more and more important. From this period until the middle of June, the two armies kept nearly in flight of each other, but without attempting any thi»^g on either side, until the 13th of June, when the British troops crossed the Agueda, and marched forward in three columns, the troops ttnider Don Carlofi d'Espana forming a fourth; and the whole arrived upon the Yalmusa, a rivulet about six nules fi'on? K^alamanca, oji the following day. The enemy on tlie 3 6th shewed some cavalry, and a small body of infantry, in front of the town, and manifested a design to hold the heights on the south side of the Tormcs, but their cavalry were immediately driven in by tlie British advance, and on that very evening thev thought proper to evacuate Salamanca, leavmg a garrison of about eight hundred men in the fortifica- tions which they had erected on the ruins of the col- leges and convents which they had demolished. By the fire from these they protected the passage of the Tormes by the bridge ; but this was unavailing, for the British troops crossed that river on the 17th, by two fords in the vicinity. The forts were inuned lately invested by the 6th division under the command of Major-General Clin- ton ; and, having been accurately reconnoitred, it was necessary to break ground before them ; this was done on the evening of the 17th, and every thing was immediately put in a state of preparation for com- mencing a fire from eight pieces of cannon at the dis- tetnce ol" three ijundred yards from the principal of th« Q €nemy'« MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON, 4^,, Arrival at Salamanca. enemy's works in hopes that the possession of it would produce the surrender ol" the rest. It was impossible to describe the tumnltaous joy of the people of Salamanca upon the entrance of the Bri- tish troops. Lord WeUing'ton was looked on as tlieir saviour from French domination — indeed much had they suffered for more than three years, during- which time the French, among other acts of oppression, had destroyed thirteen of twenty-five convents, and twen- ty-two of twenty-five colleg-es which once existed in tljis celebrated seat of learning-. The enemy retired by the road to Toro ; and their rear guard, so rapid was their progress, was fifteen miles from Salamanca in the evening. They conti- oued their retreat by the same route on the ensuing morning, with the intent of coUectingtheir army on the Pouro between Toro and Zamora. Marshal Marmont having collected his whole army on the Douro by the 19th of June, with the exception of General Bonnet's division, wliich was still left in the Asturias, and some trifling garrisons, he moved forward to oppose the British army on the 28th from J^uente Sabino. Lord Wellington immediately formed the allied, army, with the exception of the troops engaged in the operations against the forts in Salamanca, on tlie heights extending from the neighbourhood of Villarea to Morisco ; 'find the advanced posts of the cavalry and infantry retired upon the army in good order and without material loss. The enemy remained in front during that night up to the evening of the 21st, on which night they esta- blished a post on the right tiank of the British, the possession of which by them deprived the allies of an advantage which might eventually be of impor- tance. Lord Wellington, therefore, directed Lieutenant- Geaeral Sir Thomas Graham to attack them in that post on the 22d, with the troops oa the right, under 464 LIFE 01" THE MOST NOBlE I\I;inceuvres of the French. under the command of IV^ajor-Generals Hope and De B«rnewitz. The enemy were drivetl from the ground immedi- ately ^vith considerable loss ; the assailants conduct- ing" themselves particularly well in this affair, which took place in sight of both armies. It is evident^ therefore, that Marmont was unwilling to risk the bringing on a general action ; and, indeed, h6 thought proper to retire with his whole force during the night, and on the following evening posted himself with his right on the heights near Cabesa Vellosa, and his left on the Tormes at Huerta^ his centre being at Aldia Rubra. The object of the enemy in this manoeuvre was to endeavour to communicate with the g^arrisons in the forts at Salamanca, by the left of the Tormes; but Lord Wellington instantly developedtheir plan, and to coun- teract it, immediately changed the front of his army, placing his right at|St. Martha, where there is a ford over the Tormes, and the advanced posts at Aldea Lingua : whilst Major-General Bock's brigade of lieavy dragoons was sent across the Tormes in order to observe the passages of the river. The French crossed the Tormes at Huerta, about two o'clock of the morning of the 24th, in considera- ble numbers of cavalry, infantry, and artillery ; and there was soon every appearance of a general move- ment in that direction. On this occasioAi the conduct of Major-General Bock's dragoons was conspicuously good, as they did every thing in their power to make known the enemy's movements, and opposed their advance vigorously, under many disadvantages, in order to afford time for the dispositions necessary to be made on the occasion. As soon as the Earl of Wellington was certain that the French had crossed the Tormes, he directed Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham to cross that river with the 1st and 7th divisioiis j and at the same tiwJ« MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4^55 Assault and failure. time he sent over Major-General Le Marchant's bri- gade of cavalry ; and concentrated the remainder of the army between Moresco and Cabrerizos, keeping the advanced posts still at Aldea liingua. By noon, every thing being prepared for a general action, the enemy had advanced as far as Calvarissa de Abaxo; but Marmont, observinii^ the disposition so judiciously made for his warm reception, thought pro- per to retire again in the afternoon to recross the Tor- mes at lluerta, and from thence to the position he had before occupied.* 20. 3 N These * Up lo tliis period the anny was so Gomplotely occupied tliat tiie siege cf the Forts did not advance with the rapiility the g'Tll:int Co;n- inander-iii'Chief had expected. Iiuleed from th^i pains taken, and the expense incurrtd in their construction, lie was prepared to meet with some difiicuities, and provided an equipment a^jcordingly ; tiiese difficulties were ot a formidable nature; and the forts, three in number, each defending the other, wore very strong, aHhoiigh not of a regular construction. By tlie 'ijth of June, there were breaches opsn in the Convent of St. Vincenti, which was the principal work; but these could not be attacked with propriety until the assailants sliould get possession of San Cayetano ; accordingly Major General Clinton made an attempt to carry that work by storm on the night of the '23d, the gorge having been completely damaged by the lire from British batteries ~ but the attempt unfortunately failed and Major General Bowes unhappily, but gallantly fell.** Every nerve was now strained to hasten the reduction of those forts, in order that the British army might proceed further against t!ie enemy; and accordingly outhe2fith,in the afternoon, the ammunilion whiciv was sent for having arrived, the fire was imniediately recom- menced upon the gorge of the redoubt of San Cayetano, in wiiich a practicable breach was elTected at about ten o'cli'ck in the morning of the 27th, and the assailants had succeeded nearly about the sane tiine in setting fire to the buildings in the lar^e fort of St. Vincenti, by the hre from which the approach to San Cayetano by its gorge was de- fended. The ** The gallant Major General was so eager for the success of tlie enterprise, that he had gone forward, with tiie storming party, which consisted of a part of his brigade, and was wounded ; and after his tirst wound was dressed, he returned again to the assault, and received a second wound which killed him. The Toss bcs'des, both in officers a;id sign, was cousidcrable. 406 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE - • ' • ' ■ ■ « I Successful assault. These events were not only of importance to the general cause, but they tend alsa to display the cha- racter The Earl of Welliiigtoa seized on the eventful moment, and instant- ly £;ave direcuons that the forts of St. Cayetano, and La Merced should be stormed ; and some little delay occurred, in consequence of the commanding Oflicers of these forts in the first instance, and afterwards the commanding ollicer of St. Vincent having expressed a desire to capitulate after the lapse of a certain number of hours. As it was obvious, however, that those propositions were made in order to gain time, till the fire of St. Vincenti should be extinguislied, his Lordship refused to listen to any terms, unless the forts should be instantly sur- rendered ; and having found the Co.mmanding Officer of St. Cayetano, who was the first to offer to surrender, was entirely dependant upon the Governor of St. Vincenti, and could not venture to carry into exe- cution the capitulation which he had offered to make, the Earl imme- diately gave directions that the storm of that fort, and also of La Merced, should instantly take place. This gallant assault was performed in the most undaunted manner by detachments of the Gth division, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Davies of the 3Glh regiment, under the direction of Major General Clinton. The troops entered the fort of St. Cayetano by the fi^orge ; and escaladed that of La Merced: tiie whole taking place witb a very trifling loss on the part of the British. The good effects of this rapidity of decision, and gallantry of exe- cution, were soon apparent ; for no sooner did the British flag display its united crosses through the retiring smoke, waving protection over those wall* where the French Eagle had screamed the cry of desolation, than the governor of St. Vincenti sent out to notify the surrender of that fortress, on the terms which had previously been offered. These were that the garrison should march out with the honors of war; that they should be prisoners of war; and the officers to re- tain their personal military baggage, and tlie soldiers their knapsacks. VVitii his acctistomed promptitude and humanity, his Lordship deemed it expedient to accept the place by capitulation on those terms, and to put a stop to the attack; this was, however, agenerous con- cession ; for bucii were the judicious arrangements, and so ardent the impetuosity of the allied troops, that the Oth regiment of the Portu- guese Ca^adores had stormed one of the outworks, and were actually ■jkt that moment in possession of it. This was another lesson to the French that neither their indiKitry m>r their valour could withstand the shock of British perseverance and British gallantry ; in fact in less than three weeks, were t hits carried works which had taken nearly three years in constructing, and that with increased activity for the preceding nine months. To make them tenable, a large expense had beea incurred ; and, indeed MAI^QUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4(57 Movement of tlie armies racter of the noble chieftain in the most admirable point of view ; perhaps indeed the most remarkable trait in his character upon this occasion, was the modesty with which he himself acknowledged the disappoint- ment of his own expectations ; saying- that he was mistaken in his estimate of the extent of the means which would be necessary to subdue those forts, and was therefore oblig-ed to send to the rear for a fresh supply of ammunition, tlius necessarily causing' a delay of six days. As soon as the enemy heard of the fall of those forts, they immediately withdrew their garrison from Alba de Tormes ; and indeed it may be said that the operations were carried on in sight of Marmont's army which had remained in its position, with the right at Cabeza Vellosa, and the left at Huerta, till the night of the 27th of Jane, when they broke up, and re- tired in three columns towards the river Douro ; one of them directing its march upon Toro, and the others upon Tordesillas. On the 28th Lord Wellington also ))roke up the cantonments of the allied army, and on the oOth of June they were encamped on the Guarena.* On the 1st of July the British broke up their en- campment, and the enemy having retired from 3 N 2 Alaejos, indeed lliose works being siifiicicntly garrisoned with about eight hun- dred men, and armed with thirty pieces of artillery, were thus of a nature to render it totally iinposbible to take them, excepting by a re- gular attack ; and it was obvious that the French Commander-in- Chief relied upon tlieir strength and upon their being suGicienlly gar- risoned, and armed, as he liad left in St. \'incenti large depots of clothing, and military stores of eveiy description, * The total loss in these affairs on the allied side was 1 Ij killed and 3S2 wounded. The prisoners amounted to 706 — and yet Marshal Mar- mont has since had tiie modesty to declare that these garrisons caused a. greater \o%% to the allies, than their own number amounted to. Now it must be remembered that evin this total of (he allies killed and wounrigades of cavalry, and drove them in upon the nsaio body at Tordesillas. As the right and centre of the British army were how- ever at some distance, Lord Wellington was un- able to bring up a sufficient body of troops in time to attack the enemy during their passage of the Douro, »nd accordingly they effected that operation with but little loss, taking their position on that river, with their right on the heights opposite Polios, their centre at Tordesillas, and their left at Himancos in the Pisuerga. His Lordship on the next day, the Sd of June, mov- ed his left to Polios, and obtained possession of the ford over the Douro at that place, in front of the [)Osi- tions of Marmont's right; but as the ford was scarcely practicable for infantry, and the enemy's corps were strongly posted, with a considerable quantity of artillery, on those heights already mentioned which commanded the plain on which the British troops must have fornsed after crossing the ford, and as at the sametiijie, he could not with propriety establish the army on the right of the Douro until he had adequate nieans of passing that ri\er, he did not at that mo- ment IWARaUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4(5^ Advance of the British. nieiit think it prudent to pnsh the advanced corps any further.* In the course of the LMh and 10th of June, the enemy moved all their troops to the right of their position on the Douro, and tlieir army was concen- trated between Toro and San Roman. A consider- able body then passed the Douro at Toro on the 16th, when Lord Wellington immediately moved the allied army to their left on that night with an intention to concentrate on tlie Giiarena. As the Earl of Wel- lington most candidly and modestly observed in his public dispatches, it was totally out of his power to prevent Marmont from passing* the Douro at any point which he mig-ht think expedient, as he had in his possession all the bridges over that river and many of the fords; however he recrossed the Douro at Toro, on the night of the 16th, moved his whole army to Tordesillas, where he again crossed the river on the morning of the 17th, and there again assembled his army at Nava del Rey, having marched not less than ten leagues in the course of the 17th. The 4th and light divisions of British infantry, and Major General Anson's brigades of cavalry, had marched to Castrejon on the night of the 16th, with a view * General Bonnet who, in the latter end of June, had been at Aqul- la del Campo, joined Marmunt's army on the 7th of July, In fact Marmont seems to have felt himself obliged to make every effort in his power to keep the British in check ; and, in consequence of this, the moment Bonnet joined him, lie extended his line, pu and strictly attentive to all th'j duties connected with his profession. lu addition to Ids peisonul gallantry, he is particularly noticeable for the great improvements he brougi)t forward in the army MJth respect to the sword exercise, and also in digesting the system published for the cavalry in 1790 from the War Office, But liis pub- lic spirit and perseverance were tlie most conspicuous from the share lie had in the framing and institution of tlie Royal Military College ; a }>ublic seminary founded on a plan similar to tiiat of the academy at Woolwich, but more extensively applicable to the education of every rank and description of army officers. As a reward for his skill and perseverance, he was appointed Lieu- tenant-Governor, and held that office for some years with credit to himself, and advantage to the institution : but the last promotion pre- vious to his joining the army in Portugal having given him a rank in- compatible with the situation, he was once more engaged in active service. He had been but a short time in Portugal vvhen he received the af^ flicting intelligence of the death of his amiable consort, whom he had been obliged to leave in a state of pregnancy. His grief at so melan- clioly an event was now only to be soothed by the bustle of an active campaign ; and there he fell — leaving a large family unprotected, but v.'ho iiave all been handsomely provided for by the benevolent patron- age of the Prince Regent, and the generous gratitude of an applaud- ing country, f MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 479 Anecdoles of tlie baltlc. having' thrown some troops on the left of the 4th after the failure of General Pack's attack upon the Arapiles; aud at this moment the Honourable Ge- neral Cole was wounded. But at this critical mo- ment Marshal Sir William Beresford being on the; spot, he immediately directed General Spry's bri- gade of the 5th division, which was in the 2d line, to change its front, and to bring its fire on the flank of the enemy's division ; and whilst engaged in this ser- vice he received a severe wound, which, for a long time afterwards, deprived the service of bis active exertions. Nearly about the same time too Lieutenant-Ge- neral Leith received a wound which unfortunately obliged him to quit the field ; on which Lord Wel- lington, whose eye was every where, immediately or- dered up the Gth division, under Major-General Clin-v ton, to relieve the 4th, and the battle wai soon re- stored to its former success. The enemy's right, however, reinforced by the troops which had fled from his left, and by those which had now retired from the Arapiles, still conti- nued to resist ; on which Lord Wellington ordered the 1st and light divisions, awd Colonel Stubb's Por- tuguese brigade of the 4th division, which was re- formed, and General Anson's brigade, to turn the right, whilst the Gth division, supported by the 3d and 5th, attacked the front.* It * Nothing can more illi-istrate tlie gallantry of the Coinmandpr-in- Cliief than the various anecdotes of the battle contained in different tetters from the army ; but to insert even the tenth part of tliem would far exceed our limits. Clear as was his conception, and judicious as was his plan, nothing could be more concise than his orders: — to General Leith, who was ordered to the attack of the hill, he had only time to say, " Pusli on, and derive them to the Devil :" — and when the business was over, and the difh rent officers came round his Lordship to congratulate him pre- vious to his pursuit, he only smiled, and said, *' Marinont hds forced vie to U(k him f Indeed, it is evident that bis Lordship would not have cuiumeuce4 480 WFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Pursuit of the enemy. It WHS dark before this point was carried by the 6th division, and the enemy fled through the woods townrds the Tormes. His Lordship immediately pursued them with the 1st and light divisions, and General Anson's brigade, and some squadrons of ca- valry, under Sir Stapleton Cotton, as long as he could find any of them together, directing his pur- suit upon Huerta, and the fords of the Tormes, by which the enemy had passed on in their advance ; but the darkness of the night was highly advantageous to the enemy, many of whom escaped under its co- ver who would otherwise have been made prisoners.* Lord Wellington, with his gallant comrades, re- newed the pursuit at break of day, and Bock's and Anson's brigades of cavalry having come up in the night, and having crossed the Tormes, the pursuers were enabled to come up with the enemy's rear guard of cavalry and infantry, near Le Serna ; when they were immediately attacked by the two brigades of dragoons, and the cavalry fled, leaving the infantry to their fate. On this occasion, his Lordship observ- ed, that he had never witnessed a more gallant charge than was now made on the enemy's infantry, the whole of which, three battalions, were made prison- ers. The pursuit was contrived until the evening of the 2'3d as far as Peneranza; whilst the scattered re- mains of Marmont's army passed through Plores de Avelin, and afterwards by Arevalo towards Vallado- lid, Avhere they were joined by the cavalry and artil- lery of the army of the north, but too late to retrieve their broken fortunes. It was difficult to ascertain exactly the enemy's loss commenced tlie aclion even then, if it had not been for Marmont's blimdcr in extending liis line, and thereby affording iiis Lordship, :is he hin)?elf observed, the opportunity he had so anxiously wished for. It was, in fact, a military game of draughts ! * Owing to this diirknes'5 il unforUinatciy iKippencfl that Sir Staple-, ton Cotton was wounded I'v one of the British sentinels, after tlie army' bad halfe'J. ' ' ^" MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 4^1 Pencil rciv.-tol ihf ■)n'i| loss in this brillijuit actioti ; bat the ackiiowlefigciiient which has since been made by Marinont himself, * 21. 3 P renders * The plain and modest account of this decisive and gallant action, from the pen of tlie Maixiiii^ of Wellington, certainly requires no com- ment ; yet so nuicii justice, liiougli Uiviiiingly, lias been done to his gallantry and skill, by the narrative o.' "rs lival, th.ii we subjoin that account, in order to preserve and ha 1 it down to posterity, as that document alone is sufficient to form tne basis o*" his fiiiure fame. Report of Marskal tlie Duke of Huf^usa, to the Minister at ff^ar. " Tudela, July 31. " Monsieur, — The interruption of the communications with France, since tile ojienitig of the campaign, having prevented me from giving you the successive accounts of tiie events which have passed, I shall commence this report from the moment at vvhicti the English began operations ; and I am going to have the honour to place before you, ia detail, all the movements which have been executed, to the unhappy event that has just taken place, and which we were far from ex« pecti ng. " In the month of May, I was informed the English army would open the campaign with very powerful means ; I informed the King of it, in order that he might adopt such dispositions as he thought proper ; and I likewise acquainted General Califarelli with it, that lie might take measures for sending me succours when the moineni should have ;)rrived. "The extreme dilHcuIty in procuring subsistence, the impossibility of provisioning the troops, when assembled, prevented me from having more than eight or nine battalions in Salamanca ; but all were in readi- ness to join me in a few days. " On the 12th of June, the enemy's army passed the Agueda ; on the 14th, in the morning, I was infoimed of it; and the order for assem- bling was given to the troops. On the Itjth, the English army arrived before Salamanca. In the nisrlit between the 16th ;tnd 17th I evacuated that town, leav- ing nevertheless a garriso:t in the forts 1 had constructed ; and which, by the extreme activity used in their construction, were in a state of defence. I marched six leagues from Salamanca ; and there, having collected five divisions, I approaciied that town ; I drove before me iiie English advanced posts, and oLiligcd the enemy's army to shew w'lat attitude it reckoned i:pon taking; itappcaied determined to fight upon the fine rising ground, and strong poiiiioii, San CiMisfoval. I'he re- mainder of the army joined me; I inanoeu. rcJ round that position, but I acquired tlie certairty that it every where presented obsiacles difficult lo be conquered, and that it was betiT to force the enemy to come upon another field of battle, than enter into action with thcin upon ground which gave them too many advantages ; Ije'^ides,
  • i- tioii might every moment become more critical, and the eneniy se- riously occupied himself with it ; inasmuch as if it were still thus iso- Jated, it would remain entirely unconnected with the important events which were taking place in the plains of Castile. General Bonnet, calculating on this state of matters^ and considering, according to the knowledge he has of the country, that it is much easier to enter than depart out of it, according as the enemy might oppose the entrance or departure, he decided on evacuating this province, and on taking a posi- tion at Reynnsa. There, having learnt that the army of Portugal was in presence of the English army, and that they were on the point of engaging, he did not hesitate in putting himself in motion, and rejoin- ing it. "Strongly impressed with the importance of this succour, and with the augmentation which my cavalry was about to receive ; not having learnt anything positive farther concerning the army of the north; and being besides informed of the march of the army of Gallicia, which, in the course of a few days, would necessarily force me to send a de- tachment to repulse them, I thought it my duty to act without delay. I had to fear that my situation, which was become much ameliorated, might change, by losing time ; whilst that of the enemy would, by the nature of tilings, become better every moment. " I therefore resolved on repassing the Douro ; but this operation is diflicult and delicate : it cannot be undertaken without much art and circumspection, in presence of an army in condition for battle. I em- ployed the days of the 13lh, 14th, 13th, and i6th of July, in making- a number of marches and countermarches, which deceived the enemy. I feigned an intention to turn by Toro, and turned by Tordesillas, making an extremely rapid march. This movement succeeded so well, that the whole army could pass tlie river, move to a distance from it, and form itself, without meeting with a single enemy. "On the 17th, the army took a position at Wava del Rey. The enemy, who was in full march for Toro, could only bring two divi- sions with celerity to Tordesillas de la Orden ; the others were recalled from different parts to re-unite themselves. " On the 18th, in the morning, we found these two divisions at Tor- desillas de la Orden. As they did not expect to lind the whole army joined, they thought they might, without peril, gain some time. ^Nevertheless, when they sav\ our m:isses doming forward, they en- deavoured to elfict their retreat to a ridge which commanded the vil- lage to which we were marching. "We had already reached Ihem. If I had had a cavalry superior or equal to that of the enemy, these two divisions would have been de- stroyed. We did not, however, pursue them the less, with all possible vigour J MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 495 Result ot ihe victory. rank, wliilst the number of dead on the field was very large. Marraont himself lost his arm, which was amputated vigour; and, during three hours' march, tliey were overpowered by the fire of our artillery, which I caused to take tiiem in the rear and flank, and which they could with difliculty answer; and, protected by their numerous cavah'y, tliey divided llieniselves to re-ascend the Guarena, in order to pass it witii the greatest facility. " Arrived upon the lieightsof the valley of Guarena, we saw that a portion of the English army was formed upon the left bank of that river. In that place the heights of that valley are very rugged, and the valley of a middling breadth. Whether it was necessary for tlie troops to approach tlie water, on account of the excessive heat, or vhetiier it was from some other cause of which I am ignorant, the English General had placed tlie greater part of them on the bottom of the valley, within half cannon-shot of the heights of which we were masters ; I therefore, upon arriving, immediately ordered a battery of forty pieces of artillery to be planted, whicii, in a moment, forced thf? enemy to retire, after having lefta great number of killed and wounded upon the spot. The army marched in two columns ; and I had given thecommand of the right column, distant from that of the left three quarters of a league, to General Claussel. Arrived u])on this ground. General Claussel having few troops before him, thought he was able to seize upon the two rising grounds upon tlie left bank of the Guarena, and preserve them ; but this attack was made with few troops, his troops liad not halted, and scarcely formed ; tiie enemy peiceived it, march- ed upon the troops, which he had thus thrown in advance, and forced them to retreat. In tiiis battle, which was of sliort duration, we ex- perienced some loss. The division of dragoons wJiich supported the infantry vigorously charged all the English cavalry; but General Carrie, a little too far advanced from the J 3th regiment, fell into the enemy's power. "i'he army remained in its position all tlie night of tlie 19th ; it even remained in it all the day of the 20th. The extreme iicat, and the fatigue experienced on the I8th, rendered this repose necessary to assemble the stragglers. " At four in the evening, the army resumed its arms, and defiled by the left to proceed up the Guarena, and take a position in front of Olmo. My intention was, at the same time, to tiirealen the enemy, and continue to proceed up tlie Guarena, in order to pass it with faci- lity ; or if the enemy marched in force upon the Upper Guarena, to return by a rapid movement upon the position they should have aban- doned. The enemy followed my movement. " On tiie 20th, before day, the army was in motion to ascend the Guarena; the advanced guard rapidly passed that river, at that part where it is but a slreani, and occupied the commencement of an im- piense piece of ground, which continued without any undulation to near Salamanca» 48(5 ^^^ ^^' thp: most noble Marmonfs account of the amputated after the action, and himself nearly taken prisoner dm'ing the pursuit. Four General officers also were killed, and several wounded. Such Salamanca. Tlie enemy endeavoured to occupy tlie same ground, but could not succeed ; then he attempted to follow a parallel rising ground, connected with the position they had just quitted, and which every where offered them a position, provided I should have marched towards them. The two armies thus marched parallel with all possible celerity, always keeping their masses connected, in order to be every moment prepared for battle. Tlie enemy, thinking lobe beforehand with us at the village of Cantalpino, directed a column upon that vil- lage, in the hope of being before us upon the rising ground which com- mands it, and towards which we marched; but their expectations ■were deceived. The light cavalry which I sent thither, and the 8th division, which was at the head of the column, marched so rapidly, that the enemy were obliged to abandon it ; besides, the road from the other plain approaching too close to ours, and that which we had hav- ing the advantage of commanding it with some pieces of cannon, ju- eral Clausel, though wounded, did not quit the field, but to the end gave an example of great personal bravery. The General of artillery, Tidot, and Colonel Digion, commanding the reserve of artillery, particularly distinguislied themselves. On this day, unfor- tunate as it has been, there are a multitude of traits worthy of being noticed, and which honour the French name. I will collect them, and solicit from his Majesty rewards, for the brave men who have deserved them, i ought not to defer mentioning the conduct of the brave Sub- Lieutenant Guillemat, of the 11 Sdi regiment, who sprung into the linenjy's ranks to obtain a tlag, which he seized, after having cut off' the arm of the person who carried it : he has brought this flag into G«r ranks, notwithstanding tiie severe bayonet wounds he has received. " We have to regret the loss of the General of Division Ferey, dead of his wounds, of General 'I'homieres, killed upon the field of battle, and of General Desgraviers. Generals Bonnet and Clausel, and tbc Geneial of Btigade Menne, are wountled. " I ^'■"i your Excellency to receive the assurances of my high Goa- ^ileratiou. " Signed (with the kft hand), "The Marshal Di>kcof Ragusa.'* * When Lord Wellington, before sending home the dispatches, was anxious to collect all the Eagles taken from the enemy, it was fount? that Marsiiil Beresford's regiment, the Connauglit Hangers, had gok I'hreo of them, and soldtiieui to 3 Sutler for a botile of Euni ! MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 49 1 Further anecdotes of the action. fugitives crossed the Douro, whilst the remainder, consisthig of the left wing, proceeded for Tudela.* Tt appears that the intrusive Joseph left Madrid on the 21st, with the army of the centre, supposed to consist of from ten to twelve thousand infantry, and from two to three thousand cavahy, directing his march by the Escurial, towards Alba de Tormes. He arrived at Blasco Sanchez, between Avila and Are- velo, on the 25th, where he heard of the defeat of Marmont, and judged it most prudent to retire that very evening, through Villa Castin to Espinar; after which, lie directed his march with all haste to Sego- via ; for so hard was he pressed that, shortly after his departure from Blasco Sancho, two officers and twen- ty-seven men of his own cavalry were taken prisoners by a patrole of the British. To describe the tumultuous joy which took place at home on this occasic'ii is totally unnecessary ; or to ex- patiate on the three days of continued illuminations, &;c. — it is sufficient to say that on the 18th of August His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, created the 3 a 2 erallant * A melancholy and afl'ecting occurrence took place, immediately after the battle, in a visit paid by an English lady to the fatal fieiJ, ■where she found the body of her gallant fallen husband. This was the amiable wife of Captain Prescott of the 7th fuzileers. She was thus left a widov; in a foreign country, with two infant orphans to protect ! but the humanity of British officers did every thing to alleviate her loss ! " Lord Wellington who, whenever there is an action, gets into the thick of it, had some hairbreadth and miraculous escapes ; he had balls passed through almost every part of his clothes ; nay, it was said that one of his holsters was shot away, and his thigh sliglitiy grazed with a ball. "When the enemy had crossed the Douro, and had reached Vallado- lid, Marmont sent an Aid du Camp to his Lordship, requesting per- mission to remain there without being considered as a prisoner of war; but to such a proposal his Lordship could not listen — " All the deserters and prisoners agree that Joseph would rather be a prisoner in England, living as brother Lucien does, than be King of Spain ; but he dares not budge on account of brother Nap, whokeepg all the family in order," Letter from an QUkcr^ 492 l^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Additional honours to the gallant General. gallant Earl a Marquis of the united kingdom; he having*, before that, been elevated by the Spanish Regency to the rank of a Grandee of Spain, with the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, and created a Knight of the Golden Fleece, to which it is said His Royal Highnesii the Prince Regent has notified his intention of adding the first vacant garter. In addition to his other honours, His Royal High- ness also granted an armorial augmentation in the dexter quarter; of an " Escutcheon charged with the crosses of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick, being the Union badge of the United Kingdom, as a lasting memorial of his glorious and transcendent atchievements." It ought to be noticed also that the Portuguese re- gency, in addition to the title of Conde de Vimiera, had latterly created him a marquis in that kingdom, •with the title of Torres Vedras. ^ His recent appointment of Generalissimo of the Spanish army, is not only an honourable mark of gra- titude, but also a most judicious mark of confidence ; and one which, by producing unity of design and si- multaneity of execution, may tend most efficaciously to the liberation of the Peninsula. ISECTION MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 493 Fiencli Fraternit}'. SECTION X. Salamanca— Anecdotes of its occupancy— Great change in the Spanlarfli in favour of the Biitisli— Scandalous conthict of the French — Spanish constitution proclaimed— Retreat of the Intru'^ive King — Exertions of the Spanish armies— Entrance to Valladolid — Anecdotes of the same- Affairs in the south— Gallant exertions of the cavalry — Alluir of liin.o- josa— Concentration and partial advance of the army of Portugal — Capture of Astorga by the Patriots- Operations of the Guerillas in tlie vicinity of Bilboa— Defeat of the I'>ench columns by MendizabVl — Services of the British squadron— British advance to J^egovia — Ciiock of tiie Portuguese cavalry— The Marquis enters Madr[0«- Anec- dotes of the same — Capture of the Retiro— Interesting Anecdotes of the Evacuation and Entrance of the capital — Proclamation of the Spa- nish constitution — Return of the Juramentaios to allegiance- Me- tropolitan addresses to the Marquis — Siege of Cadiz raided- Anec- dotes of the preceding blockade — Gallant attack of the French ;.t Seville— Recovery of that city — Expedition from Sicily — Its onei;- tions— Pursuit of the French army in the north— Affair at Valladolid, &c. — Occupation of Burgos— Siege of the castle, and other inteiesW ing occurrences, &c. &c. &c. — Conclusion, X HE Britisli head-quarters were again fixed at Sa- lamanca, wliere Marniont had been so certain of pass- ing the night that he had actually distributed the orders for billetting, &c. previous to the action. The change which this elegant town had undeigone since it became a French depot was highly illustrative of thevc fraternal mercies in other parts of Spain, and indeed in every part of the world where they have carried horror and desolation, whether as republicans or imperialists. In making a fortified town of this ancient seat of learning, these modern Vandals seemed studiously to 7 kavs 494 I-IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Change in Spanish manners. have destroyed every thing- connected with the noble convent of St. Vincent, one of the n^ost splendid buildings in the world, which they almost totally pull- ed down and converted into a fort. They even pulled down colleges to build walls, and absolutely filled up ditches and vacant places with elegant co- lumns and pillars of the finest architecture. But the greatest change observable in Salamanca, since its former occupation by the army under Sir John Moore, was not so much the ruin and havoc which every where met the eye, as the change in the manners and sentiments of the inhabitants of this learned and polished city. When the British army were there formerly, the austerity and haughtiness of the inhabitants was observable in every thing ; the British were re- ceivefl with coolness every where, and neither ^ officers, men, nor General, were treated with much ^ consideration ; but a four years' residence of the French among them had then opened their eyes, and made the greatest imaginable change. It was now beyond civility every where ; the whole British army, officers and men, were not only treated kindly,but caressed; and the poor people seemed anxious to share tlieir purses, tlieir efi'ects, in short, every thing ' Ihey had, with them ; nay, to give them up all, upon one condition, that of keeping away the villainous French from them. We have seen how much Buonaparte and his Sa- vans have professed to foster learning and encourage the arts ; but of this there were few proofs given at Salamanca ; for the very first steps his generals took were to shut up all the colleges, dilapidate the build- ings, seize on their revenues, and imprison such of their professors, (or to send them to France,) wlio chose to retain a liberty of opinion. On the first of August the new constitution was proclaimed with due solemnity at Salamanca, all pub- lic orders attending and taking the oaths, the Gran- deeg MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 49; Furliier oLcrations. dees who had returned, the heads of religious houses, heads of colleges, municipality, and military. In every quarter the Grandees and opulent inhabi- tants entertained the British and Portuguese officers ; and the healths of George the Third, Ferdinand the Seventh, the Cortes, the British Parliament, the Prince Regent, and the Prince Regent of Portugal, were the leading toasts. In the evening there were parties given, and good fireworks in the elegant square in the centre of the town. On the 3d of August a grand Te Deum was performed at the cathedral ; there was also a bull fight, and in the evening a grand ball ; the theatre being likewise open every night. In short, if appearances were to be believed, the Spanish natives, wherever our troops now arrived, seemed determined to preserve and to enjoy their liberties. The operations of the two armies, after this decisive and sanguinary action, are too deserving of detail, to be passed slightly over ; accordingly we must notice that the French army of the centre, after having pass- ed through the Guadarama pass, and after its head had arrived at the Venta de San Raphael, returned to Segovia, where Joseph Buonaparte arrived on the jjight of the 27th of July. The object of this movement was apparently to di- vert the allied troops from the pursuit of the army of Portugal, and to enable the latter to maintain them- selves upon the Douro ; in which, however, the ene- my did not succeed. Their rear guard remained in •ome strength on the left of the Douro, during the 28th and 29th ; but the light and 1st divisions, and the cavalry, having crossed the Eresma and Cega rivers on the latter day, the enemy's rear guard retir- ed during the night across the Douro, and thence fol- lowed the movements of the main body towards Villa Vanez, abandoning Valladolid, and leaving there se- Tenteen pieces of cannon^ a larg^e quantity of shot and shells. 406 I-IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE ^^^^H Arrival ;,t Vall;i. The capture of this place seems a'good answer to those who have been in the habit of accusing the >9paniards of incapacity and iuibecillity : for Astorga, when it surreudcj'cd, waii couiuiaiided by » general of brigade, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 501 Anecdotes of Marmont. briccade, and defended by a lieutenant-colonel of en- gineers, its garrison also consisting' of two battalions of the •23d, and one of the 1st reg'inients of the line, in all one thousand and two hundred effective men. On retiring- from La Baneza, the French troops took the direction of Zaniora ; but evacuated that place on the morning of the iTth of August, retiring by Toro to Valladolid, when the Gallician army again moA ed forward, and at the close of the month occu- pied cantonments on the Esla, in the towns and vil- lages near Villamanan, as will be more fully noticed. The exertions of the Spanish troops in the direction of Biiboa also, are too important not to be slightly pass- ed over. About the l3th of August, General llouget, with a force of nearly three thousand men, advanced from Durango to attack Biiboa. General Renovales immediately took up a position on he left bank of the river, having his right on the heights of Bolueta and Ollargan, defending the new bridge of Bolueta; his reserve at Castragana. As soon as the enemy's force was ascertained. General llenovales formed his plan of attack; part of the vanguard and Campillo\s regi- ment were to [)ass the river at Portugalette, and pro- ceed to the heights of Santo Domingo, to attack the enemy's right at daybreak on the 14th, whilst Gene- ral l^orlier, witli the vanguard, attacked the enemy who were in possession of the two bridges in the> town ; and the troops at the bridge of Bolueta and the- heights of Ollargan were to attack the enemy's left, "which was strongly posted on the heights of Begona and El Morro. At three o'clock on the morning of the 14th, the. attack commenced with great vigour, and after a heavy fire of four hours the enemy were driven from the bridges of the town, and from tlie heights of Be- gono and Morro; and at nine o'clock they commenc- ed a precipitate retreat towards Zornosa, pursued by General Renovales's division, and the vanguard, head- ed by Parlier : but had the troops which w^re to have attacked 502 ' LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Pursuit of the enemy. attacked the enejny's rig-ht, arrived at the appointed time, the victory would have been most complete ; and probably General Roiiget, with the g-reater part of his troops, would have been cut off ironi Du- rango. Their loss on this occasion far exceeded that of the Spaniards, which was very small in comparison with the magnitude of the advantage. The steadiness of the new raised troops of General Renovales's division proved what the Spaniards migiit be under proper discipline ; much, indeed, was certainly owing' to that officer himself, who is stated to have been indefatigable in his exertions to com- plete and to organize his force. On the l-jth the Spanish army occupied Galdacano and Zornosa, with^jheir advance close to Durango, which place the ) iemy had taken great pains to strengthen, having some artillerv on the bridge of Yurreta, and occupying several houses in that town,- besides having an encampment on its left, on the heights of Santa J^ucia and Betuno. On the night of the 20th, information was received at the Spanish head-quarters, that the enemy were advancing to the attack, and that a column had marched to Orduna, the high road from which to Bilboa joins the road from Zornosa to the latter place, about a mile distant from it. On this infor- mation, General Mendizabel determined to fall back and wait for the enemy on the left bank of the river, in nearly the same position as that occupied b}' Gene- ral Renovales in the preceding affair. On the night of the 21;-.t, the French advanced from Durango in three columns ; two of which came by way of Zornosa, and the other by Yillero, with a view of getting possession of the heights that led from Ar- rigoriaga, and flanked those of Bolueta, which latter formed the right and key of the Spanish position. » Renovales's division occupied the ground from those ' heights of Bolueta to those of Oluviaga, which sup- ported MARQUIS OF WELIJNGTON. 503 S)>ai)ish exertions in the north. ported the left, covering the bridge of St. Anton, the wooden biid;j;-e, and the bridge of boats. At daybreak on the niorniiig" of the 22d, General Mendizabel, with part of the vangnard, proceeded to attack the cohinin approaching by Vdlero, directing that the division of Iberia shoukl meet him at Arri- gorriaga. Dispositions were now made on the part of the Spaniards which seenjed to ensure tie destruc- tion of that column ; but the enem\% on finding- them in possession of the bridge of Arrigorriaga and the roads leading- to Bilboa, changed their direction, and by a most rapid march, favoured by the thickness of tlie woods, etfected their junction With the second co- Imun, vvl.idi was destined to make a simultaneous at- tack upon the bridge of Bolueta. General iVienciiz:d>el with his vanguard, and Lon- g-ar's division, arrived there in time to resist the enemy's atiack ; their principal efforts being directed to force the Bolueta bridge, which was defended in the most gallant manner. Here the Fi'ench suffered considerably without gaining a foot of g-round : and their efJ'orts on the left of the line proved etjually unsuc- cessful ; for General Renovales at the head of his brave peasant soldiers met their attack in every point. On the left tiie t'rench attempted in vain to force the two bridges of the town, and that of boats ; and, night coming on, they retired to their position on the heights of St. Domingo el Morro and Begona. Arrangements were now made by General Mendi- zabel for a combined attack on the French position ; but finding that they had, upon being attacked by Keno vales, who crossed the river in front of the heights of Banderos, early in the night, commenced their retreat, no time was lost in pursuing them; and notwithstanding the great advantage they had in j)oint of time, yet from the rapie French army. .... I .. I ■ ■ ■ , I I . ■ A The Spanish General conchided his address by stating" that all those who came in shonld also be paid for their aims and such other military articles as they should bring- with them : and so great was the effect of the proclamation, that even, in the course of a few days, a great number of those unfortunate and misguided men made their appearance; and, having taken the oaths of fidelity, joined their brethren in arms. In fact it had such an influence as even to produce desertions from Joseph's arm^^ to the amount of thou- sands daily. His whole line of retreat, in short, ■was covered with deserters ; and on the 21st it was known that this intrusive kii)<;'had chan^-ed his route, and was then proceeding by tiie Arragon road. At this period the tov/ns of LaMancha were inun- dated with deserters from his army; and nearly 2000 it was said had entered the capital, whilst many of the French partizans, who had not actually taken up arms, returned to their homes extremely disgusted with the treatment which they had met with from the retreating" army. The Marquis of Wellington still remained in the capital until the 22d of August, and on that morning the Nev,' Council v/ent in a body from the Consistorial Hall, with the ceremonies of state, under the Presi- dency of the Field Marshal Don Carlos d'Espana, Commandant General ad intsrim of New Castile, and of the capital, and proceeded to the lloyal Palace, to compliment him as General Duke of Ciudad Ro- drigo; and being admitted into his presence, the Ge- neral addressed his Excellency in the name of the whole Council in the following terms:-— <' Most Excellent Lord,— The Council of the capital of Spain, which has deserved the public con- fidence, and which was elected according- to the laws of the Sjjanish Monarchy, sanctioned by the general and extraordinary Cortes of the nation, comes to offer to your Excellency the sincere expresision of its respect MARQUIS OF WELLIXGTOK. 5X7 Complimentary a(idr«'sse«, \c. • ■ — ... .^ .. ..,,.,■ respect and gTatitucle. The inhabitants of Madrid justly celebrated in history by their heroic patriotism, and who, in the glorious struggle in which the nation i» engaged, were the first people who, without other force than their loyalty, shed their blood to defend the independence of their country and the rights of their legitimate Sovereign, manifest to your Excel- lency, by the voice of their Magistrates, the satisfac- tion they feel at seeing in the palace of their King's the illustrious conqueror of Vimiera and Talavera, the deliverer of Portugal — the conqueror of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz — the hero who, in the plains i of Salamanca, humbled the pride of our perfidious ^ and cruel enemies, frustrated their designs, and broke I the chains which disgraced the capital of the Spanish \ Empire — a memorable victory which history shall ' transmit to the most remote posterity. ; " My Lord Puke — The representatives of a most •loyal and grateful people hope, that your Excellency, 1 thus worthily placed at the head of Spanish greatness, j "will be pleased to take this capital under your (arti- cular protection ; and that the effects of this benefit will be the continuation of that precious liberty which 1 we acknowledge to owe to your Excellency, 'iind the j restoration to his throne of the Monarch who is the i object of our persevering love and honour, and des- I tined to reign, according to a wise constitution, over ! an illustrious people, who will for ever be worthy of j their liberty frcrii the sacrifices they have made." I To this the Marquis returned the following an- ! swer : — I " 1 am very sensible of the honour which the most ; noble and loyal Council of Madrid has done me in I this visit, imd am highly gratified with the polite i language in which your Excellency, speaking in its ! name, has been pleased to ntention the principal oc- j currences of the war in which 1 have borne a part. ] I have particular satisfaction in receiving a body of j magistrates elected by the faithful people of Madrid accordinq: 518 l^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Patrioiic feelings of the Spaniards. according to the forms provided by the constitution, sanctioned by the general and extraordinary Cortes, which, possessing the confidence and iniiuence of the people, carry into execution the laws with impar- tiality and vigour. The events of war are in the hands of Providence ; but I trust that these gentle- men and inhabitants of Liadrid wiil not doubt that I shall continue to make every ef/ort in my power to carry into execution the ordei;s of His Royal Highness, who exercises the authority in the name of his Bri- tannic Majesty, in behalf of the interesting cause of Spain ; and I hope that these efforts will not only contribute to preserve the peace and security of the city of Madrid, but also ultimately to establish the independence, prosperity, and happiness, of Spain." Perhaps the best record of the national gratitude, of the lively yet generous feelings of the K>paniards, was in an address published about this period, and which ma}' fairly be considered as speaking the sense of the nation in general, and highly illustrative of the generosity of the Spanish character. It forms indeed such an important historical document that its substance cannot be considered as irrelevant in this place. It is there exultingly stated that at last have disap- peared the oppressors of Iberian liberty. Those much talked of ai-mies, Wiaerever they passed, caus- ing famine, death, and general desolation, no longer exist ; those Generals and their Chief, intrusive Joseph, remain terrified by the presence of a military genius, the great Wellington ! the apostate Spa- niards, who lent themselves to be the vile organs of the French maxims, are now wandering covered with opprobrium. Napoleon said that he came to regene- rate it ; he accomplished it ; the Spanish slave turns citizen, the superstitious free^ tVom prejudices, the coward valiant, the credulous mistrustful, the egotist generous, the indolent thoughtful ; the Spanish genius penetrated the iniquitous maxims of France, t but MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 519 Natural exultationa. but neither this, nor its Emperor, nor its armies, can resist the light of that luminous star, who plowed the seas to hurl the eagles from the capital of Spain. " Spaniards, we are already citizens! The consti- tution, to which ye have sworn with so much pleasure, is the best security of your rights. O, fathers of the country, do not delay the moment in which a grate- ful population may express to you their gratitude for the grand monument which ye have raised to the in- dependence of the Spanish nation I " As this happy moment is not yet arrived," add^ this spirited address, " let us divide with our generoua defenders the last remains of our ancient prosperity j let us occupy ourselves to their comfort ; already wo owe whatever we enjoy to their efforts, and what- ever we may in future enjoy — their subsistence, cloth- ing, care in their sickness, promptitude in their con- veyances, are the objects which should occupy us under pain of renouncing^ the pompous title of Eatriots and grateful men. Let us restrain in our earts the feelings which the impudence of the French partizans naturally exerts, who, animated with a vain and ill founded hope, remain among us as a mark for our indignation, caused by them. ** Let us not offend nor insult them ; nor, by pre- tending to correct crime, commit a greater, in usurp- ing authorities of a right which does not belong to u» — exceedinji: the limits of that same constitution to which we have just sworn. Let us confide in the impartial justice of government, who will revenge our injuries, and separate us from those who are unwor- thy of the Spanish name. They, of every description, even to the sepulchre, will carry with them the pub- lic detestation. " The sad remains of Marmont's army, the march continually interrupted of a fugitive king, the uncer- tain state of Soult, and the horrible loss of imperial (f^oops in thu uonih, are notj, in truth, events which can 520 ^I^E OF THE MOST NOBLlS •"-" • — ■ ^-r — -— — — ^~ Active patriotism in the Peniiisuia, can flatter their hopes : we on the other hand who con- template the victories g-ained at Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, SaUimanca, Astorga, Valladolid, and Ma- drid — we who see the standard of independence freely wave over the provinces of Gallicia, Asturias, the two Castiles, Estremadura, and La Mancha — we who enjoy the privilege of being led to the field of honour by the tirst General known in Europe, should neither fear those deluded men, nor take advantage of our superiority over them. Let us be just in our resentments; praiseworthy in the prudence with which we tolerate them ; th^ government is still just." With sentiments so laudable, it was scarcely pos^ sible that a people could err; and accordingly we find that in all those districts liberated from the power and oppression of the enemy, all the civil authorities, every social regulation, and in short every relation of life, returned to their proper bias, or level, without any convulsion, and without producing any inconve* liience whatever. The Spaniards were now not inactive in the ge- neral cause ; and about the 28th of August their patriotic army of the centre, consisting of their 2d and (id armies, after continually moving about for 19 days, had at last finally taken post at Hellin, in the kingdom of Murcia, for the purpose of observ- inof the movements both of Soult's and Suchet's forces. At these stationary head-quarters, there daily jiresented themselves an immense number of French partizans and juramentados : the first wishing to em- l&race the patriotic cause, and enter the Walloon guards ; the others being destined for the infantry corps. Some Juramentado oflicers had likewise deserted at that period; but they, as they had a{)peared at a time when the country iiad no occasion loj- their ser- Tice,s, were sent to Majorca as common soldiers. On J MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 50] » m . r, Expefliliou from Sicily. On the 28th General Frere with 1200 cavalry had advanced between AUacete and Bonete, and General Bassecourt was in AUora, and to the latter officer a number of deserters were daily presenting themselves from Suchet's army, in coiisequence of his proximity to Almanza, the first place on the enemy's line. About this period, General Mina attacked a corp$ of the enemy, composed of 3000 infantry and 200 horse, on the higli Pamplona road, near Tulos ; th^ /Dnemy's loss on this occasion consisted of from eight to nine hundred men, whilst that of the Spaniards wait but of trifling consideration. General Villa Cam pa also, near Requina, attacked more thaii 1000 of the enemy's infantry, with some Tirtillery mid cavalry, commanded by General Baron Mepos, completely destroying them; the greater part were made prisoners, others were wounded, or killed, ^nd the remainder saved themselves by dispersion, leaving behind them, two pieces of artillery, the ammunition waggons, the convoy of stores, &c. and all the baggage : which shall be more fully noticed. About the 24th of August, intelligence was receiv- ed at Madrid that Valencia had surrendered to th© expedition from Majorca, and that Tarragona and Lerida were also in tiie hands of the allies. At that period, in the south, General Hill had or- ders to advance, and his operations were to be con- ducted in conjunction with the division at Ayamonte, and with the forces under Ballasteros. Up to this time, the greatest harmony prevailed be- tween the allies and native troops; and, consistently with this good understanding, the Spanish Guerillas in the neighbourhood of Madrid placed themselves under the command of the Marquis; and, amongst the principal chiefs who had concurred in this arrangement, were 3Iedico and the Empecinado. Great hopes also were entertained of the general success from the future operations of the troops dis- embarked on the eastern coast. This expedition left 522 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLK Additional Honour'*. Sicily 7000 strong-, totally British, consisting of ^ division of the 20th light dragoons, the 1st battalion* of the 10th, 58th, and 81st regiments, the 4th and 6th battalions of the King's German legion, and the regiments of I)illon and de Kolie. At Minorca, they were joined b}'^ about 4000 thou- sand Spanish troops, organized and disciplined in that place, thus forming a conjoint force of about 1 1,000 men, under the command of General Maitland. On its arrival on the coast of Spain, the troops were landed at Alicant ; and being joined by Gene- ral Roche's division, and the horse of the 2d and 3d army, proceeded from that place in the direction of Valencia, on the 15th of August; and, though the French had determined to fortify themselves in the. points of Ibi and Castella, yet no sooner were the troops in motion, than General Harispe disappeared from these points with the utmost rapidity. In consecjuence of all these bi'illiant achievements, the Spanish Government determined to present the "Marquis with the order of the Toison d'Or, or Golden Fleece, the most ancient and honourable order ia Europe next to that of the Garter ; and the Cortes decreed that a monument should be erected near Salamanca, in commemoration of the victory of the 22d of July. Upon the official details of that glo- rious event being read to them by the Secretary at War they unauimously, amidst reiterated exclama- tions from the galleries of — " Long live the nation- Long live our allies" — passed a vote of thanks to the Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, and the troops under his command, and appointed a deputation to wait upon the Honourable Llenry Wellesley, his brother, and now the British ambassador there, to congratulate him on so signal a victory. The deputies were the Marquis Villa Franca, and Counts Toreno, Vega, &c, — The Marquis Villa Franca addressed the ambas- sador in these terms — " The General Cortes, after hearing with the most extraordinary emotion the re- lation MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 523 ' f-^ - ■• ■ - ■ . - u Ruse de Guerre of Soult. lation of the victory obtained by the Duke of Ciiidad Rodrig-o, in the fields of Salamanca, have resolved, that in its name, and on that of his Majesty, thanks should be given to that General, the officers, and troops under his command; and likewise that we should, without any ceremony, wait upon and com- pliment your Excellency on this happy event, both as the representative of the Great British nation, and as the Brother of the i^reat Hero who has obscured the triumphs of the tyrant." Mr. Wellesley in reply assured them that he was above measure gratified by this proceeding' of the Cortes, and that lie hoped this great success would be followed by still greater advantages, and that the result of the whole would be the so much wished for entire liberty of the Peninsula. About the early part of August the enemy had in a certain degree reinforced their troops in Estrema- dura, in consequence of which General Hill removed to Zafra. No sooner had Soult heard of the battle of Sala- manca, than, like a true disciple of Buonaparte, he ordered rejoicings and a grand entertainment in hov nour of Marmont's brilliant victory ; and at the same time put every animal in the country in requisition, and took every possible means of forming depots, at the same time putting his camp in motion avowedly for the purpose of destroying General Hill's force. His absolute intentions were indeed unknown, but he made a slight movement on the left of that division^ of the allied army under Hill, who in his turn kept a good look out so as to act or move as circumstance might require. Immediately afterwards, the French advanced in force upon Urnachos, when General Hill, in order to counteract thera, marched his troops so as to occupy the positions of Villa Franca and Almandra- i-Iego ; where, shortly after, the British army received accounts of the victory. The enemy now retired by ' 8u2 ' the 0^ LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Siege of Cadiz raised. the road to Usag^re, and the British proceeded to Los Santos and Zafra, as already noticed; after which General Hill sent a flag* of truce to General Drouei with information of Marmont's defeat, and accompa* nied by twelve French prisoners, who could assurft Jiim of this great and important event. At this period the French, in the southern parts of" Andalusia, found themselves very unpleasantly cir- cumstanced; and instead of acting offensively againsd General Ballasteros found themselves obliged, on thS 25th of August, to evacuate all their lines of position^ from Gnadalate, Ronda, and the points of Gaher^ and Teba, blowing up their fortifications, spiking their cannon, and destroying their ammunition. General Ballasteros immediately pursued them, au^' on the following day his troops occupied the Ronda, and Villa Martin ; and so completely w as the face of afifairs now altered, that instead of being kept iij check, he prepared, in the event of the enemy having; left any force stiil to blockade Cadiz, either to marclj upon them; or, if they had evacuated their linfes, to pursue them in their retreat. He -was not in time, however, for either plan ; for fearing for his owiji safety, Soult gave directions for the siege of Cadi^ to be raised ; and on the 24th and morning of th^ 25th of August, the besiegers abandoned all tlieir positions and works opposite to Cadiz and the Isla, except the town of Port St. Mary's, where a body of troops remained until the middle of the day, and the^ withdrew to the Cartuga. They left a very numerous artillery in the severaj works, and a large quantity of stores and powder j and although most of the ordnance was rendered un- serviceable and useless, yet, from other causes, they appeared to have retired with more precipitation from their position than could have been expected. In- deed so apprehensive were they of being harassed, tfe^tHi considerable body of cavalry was brought down, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTOIf. r^fii L"*- "... - ~- .:-^=^ Details of the retreat. down, previous to the conimeucement of the re? |reat. The towns of Puerto Real and Cliiclana were im-. inediately occupied by detachments of Spanish troops, and a party of the 2d Hanoverian hussars together Avith some light troops under the command of Colo- nel Lambert.. At the same time Major General Cooke, Com- mander of the British forces in Cadiz, receis'ed in-, formation that Colonel Skerrett and the Spanish troops tmder General Cruz had arrived at Manzanilla on ^he 22d, and remained there in order to arrest the attention of Marshal Soult. The raising of the siege, as may easily be conceived, produced the. most lively satisfaction amongst the in- habitants of Cadiz, who exultingly exclaimed, " The greatly desired moment is arrived when we behold the ^aughty and insulting foe broken down and humbled ^ven on these coasts of the Peninsula. The siege of Cadiz is raised J The brilliant triumphs and progress q^ the allied army, led on by the great English Ge-i 6eral, have already produced the most felicitous re- sults. The siege pf Cadiz has been raised, and it^ fafety insured on the plains of Salamanca. The te- nacity of the Yandal Soult, in retarding this happj ttioraent, will in the end prove greatly advantageous- %o the common cause." In describing the details of this event, it was stated that at dawn of day on the 25th commenced thq public destruction pf the enemy's works, redoubts, batteries, powder magazines, &c. The obscuritj of the preceding night was not sufficient to screen bis coerced determination, as the people of Cadi55 Qould easily hear the explosions of dift'erent maga- zines before the light of day enabled them to behold the precipitate retreat of these ferocious invaders. The formidable work at La Cjabazuela ceased to exist at one in the morning, and at ten th^ Cadiz garrison 6 toojk /525 J^IFE OF THE MOST NOBl.E Occupalion of the French works. took possession of tliat point, whilst numerous boat« from the town' crowded over to that shore so long in possession of the enemy. The advance of the troops of the g-arrison to the front of the line, most opportunely added to the em- barrassments of the retreating army, had not only pre- cipitated his retreat, but gave them an opportunity of destroying" those trains which were just laid for the destruction of tlie remaining- magazines. The greater part of the battering cannon along the line were left untouched, or badly spiked. In fact the enemy had not time even to burn their launches, al- though many of them were sunk ; and a great quan- tity of sabres and other arms were found in the salt pits; the suttling booths and infirmaries were left on fire. " Such was the confused precipitation of Soult!" By noon of the Soth the Spaniards occupied the works which were erected in Puerto Ileal and at the Trocadero ; in the castle of Santa Catalina, no mounted cannon remained ; the carriages were burn- ed, and the adjoining magazines and salt works de- stroyed. Don Marcus Gruceta proceeded to esta- ])lish provisional governments on the evacuated quar- ters, and Don Francisco Maurell took possession of the towns in the vicinity. A strong column of French cavalry and infantry retired to Xeres ; but, on the morning of the 26th, proceeded on their march to Seville. The night be- fore Soult left Port St. Mary's he levied a contribu- tion of 12,000 dollars on that town, and imprisoned some of the inhabitants because they refused to pay their proportion — most of them were, however, libe- rated on the following morning on its appearing that they had not the means of advancing a dollar. It was observed by a spectator that the destruction of the various works was fine in the extreme and un- commonly grand, the whole of Cadiz being, as it were, almost surrounded with immense fires, afibrd- mg ^lARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 52T General liappiocss at Cadiz ing" a full prospect of the batteries as they blew up one after another. Fort Catalina in particular af- forded a very fine sight ; but as tlie enemy had mined the whole of the magazines, though only a part of them blew up, the general commanding was obliged to issue an order that no person sliould go near them; yet, in spite of the danger, it was almost impossible to restrain the public curiosity. The inhabitants of Cadiz, under these happy circumstances, f^eemed, as it were, to have renewed their existence ; and the women, in particular, were in extacy at the idea of ajjain behold in 2: their relatives and friends at Port St. Mary's and other places, and wiiom they had , been prevented from visiting ever since the French had first taken possession of Andalusia. On the very day of the evacuation, an extraordi- nary sitting of the Cortes took place, when the mi- nister at war, by order of the regency, presented an account of all that occurred in the enemy's line, wlien a general thanksgiving was ordered throughout Spain ; and on the same day, the Duke del Infan- tado, then at the head of the regency, published the following energetic address: " Citizens of Cadiz — The regency of the king- I dom which beholds you in these moments j^enetrated ; with the most exalted joy at the withdrawing of the ' enemy's troops, which with so much audacity pre- I sented themselves in the front of your city walls, I insulting and ridiculing your constancy and patriotism, ;| is equally convinced that you are aware of the impor- : tance of preventing their re-occupation of those posi- j tions .which they have first been obliged to abandon. ' " You have suffered without murmuring, and with (i a resignation worthy of that reward which Provi- I; dence has this day extended to you, in decreeing tha i\ end of a siege, whicji, however, could not tire out l! the constancy or devotion of the besieged. In order I to secure at once your future tranquillity, and place I I you beyond the reach of any accident which may arise LIFE OF TltE MOST NOBLE Address of the Regency. arise from the ud certain fortune of war, the g-overn- inent has determined to proceed to the execution of the works projected in the Trocadero, and which will be sufficient to secure the people of Cadiz against the repetition of such hostile operations in future. With similar impressions, continue, citizens of Cadiz, faithful to make, if necessary, similar sacrifices for the general advantage of your country. The go- vernment will have to n^ake known to you such ne- cessities, sliould they exist, and it regards your con- duct; and finally the regency felicitates you on th^ most fortunate event of this day ; so fortunate for yonrselves, for all commercial men, and for the na- tion in general." , The siege of Cadiz was at all times an important circumstance in the affairs of the Peninsula; but, as its various details would have interfered with the continuity of the former narrative, and could only iiave been presented in a disjointed state, we avoided entering into particnlai's trusting that we should be enabled, by its final issue, to avail ourselves of an op- portunity of noticing it in a more connected manner. We shall, therefore, here briefly state some of tlie- leading occurrences. The lines of circumvallation, on which the French' nrmy had been so many years employed, reached from Conil, by Torre-Bermesa, Chiclana, Puerto Real, and Puerto de Santa Maria, to Rota, an ex- tent in the whole of ai)0ut eight leagues. During the thirty-one months of blockade, which commenced on the 5th of February 1810, the enemy never ceased labouring with the greatest activity on the construction of an immense number of redoubts and batteries, which at least contained about 500 pieces of cannon, of the largest calibre. They had also formed in their lines, parks of artillery, maga- zines, and foundries, calculated to support and in- crease the vigour of the enterprise, certainly one of the most extensive in its outline recorded in the his- tory MARQTTIS OF WELLINGTON. 52^ Det.iiJs of tlie sipse. tory of modern wars; though still inferior to the im- mense works of the British army at Torres Vedras ; and to these prodigious means of attack the enemy had added a flotilla consisting of about thirty gun- boats. As the impregnable defences of the Isla de Leon left not the most distant hope of successfully attacking Cadiz on that point, the French early directed their attention and their labours to that quarter of the bay where the small Isthmus, called the Trocadero, is situated. It appears that their plan was to multi- ply their lines of fire upon that point in such a way as to silence that of the castle of Puntales and of the adjacent batteries; in consequence of success in which case they expected it would be practicable to effect a landing, which might enable them to form a lodge- ment between the grand battery of St. Ferdinand, and the land port gate, from whence, with mortars only, they would be enabled to reduce the city of Cadiz to ashes. This plan, though a bold one, and of very difficult execution, because they could not flatter themselves with becoming masters of the sea, was generally acknowledged, even by their most ex- perienced engineers, to be the only one that lield out the prospect of a successful result. In consequence, on the whole coast of the Trocadero, including- Fort Louis, the enemy had mounted about 200 pieces of artillery, many of them mortars of the largest and most augmented calibre, which kept up a tremen- dous, though ineffectual, fire upon Puntales and the adjacent batteries, which was always returned with redou!)led vigour. The enemy, even from the first, despairing of the effect of all these fires upon Cadiz, next applied themselves to the discovery of projectiles that might effectually damage the city. AH the science of the corps of French artillery, and of a Spanish traitor called Domingo Vcngoa, formerly a colonel of ar- 23. 3 X ' tillerv, 530 U¥E OF THE MOST NOBLE Disappointment of the enem_y. tillery, was put in requisition, whose range might reach to the city of Cadiz. On tiie 1.5th of December 1810, they made their first exjjeriment with a piece of from eight to nine feet in length, in the shape of a cannon, but with the chamber and the capacity of a nine inch howitzer. The grenades thrown by this were partly filled with lead, and could not burst. Their range was about 0000 yards, or three geographical miles,, and they fell considerably beyond the centre of the city; but without producing any other effect than that of a round shot descending from the same elevation. The enemy, however, were animated to new at- tempts by the result of this experiment, and flattered themselves that, by multiplying their trials, they miofht at len&lh succeed in throwinor- a number of projectiles calculated to annoy the population of Cadiz to such a degree as to produce disturbance, and thus hasten and insure the surrender of the place from the eff'ects of discontent and confusion. Time indeed has at length demonstrated that these hopes were ridiculous; for the enemy having-'con- structed the two batteries of Cabazuelo and Angulo in the most advanced part of the Trocadero towards Cadiz, placed in them fourteen pieces of the new construction; and from the 24th of June 1812, they began throwing projectiles daily, which mostly fell within l!ie city, but without producing greater efi'ect than in the first ex[)eriments. It appears that tiie enemy did not increase the num- ber of their firings, from a well founded fear lest their pieces should burst from the shock of an im- pulse so extraordiaat'y, and also from their immense coasumption of gunpowder, every charge, it is said, requiring thirty six pounds. Notwithstaiiding this, we have seen that the go- vernment, with the ofiicers of the various public de- partments, although so far within range of the French Mre, and exposed to continual danger and incon- venience. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 531 Evacuation of the Fiencli lines. venicnce, never abandoned their posts ; indeed it must be acknowledged that they had no other place of refuge, unless they had g"one to Majorca or Mi- norca, where their means oi" coniiuunication with tt^ir allies would have been much curtailed. After this sort of bombardment for two months, which caused very little damage, and to which the jjopulation became at last habituated; they had the satisfaction of witnessing' what the Spanish authority, to which we have been much indebted for the fore- going- statement, calls one of the greatest results of the memorable victory of Salamanca, which has immortalized the Dnke of Ciudad Rodrigo. " The whole of the 2oth of August," observes this narrator, " the enemy were abandoning their lines, having destroyed some of their batteries, and ren- dered useless a part of their artillery. On the same day the Spaniaitls took possession of their lines, where there was found an immense quantity of gnu carriages, carts, balls, bombs, gunpowder, bag- gage, arms, and stores of provisions. Of the 500 pieces of artillery, many were found in a serviceable state, the enemy not having had time to destroy them, from the precipitation with which he retired. All these amount in value to many millions," (undoubt- edly he means not sterling money of Britain, but of the currency of Spain,) " but there has not yet been time to take an inventory of them, and we have been chiefly employed in destroying the works, and in bringing the artillery and stores into Cadiz and the Isle of Leon. " Such has been the issue of the incessant labours of the enemy against Cadiz — labours which have been often blazoned in the French reports as mo- dels of their kind, and as, like the works of the Ro- mans, calculated to excite the admiration of tho world." Two thousand men were immediately set to work upon the projected cut, which is to convert the Tro- 3x2 cadero 632 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE! Operations at Madrid, &c. cadero into an island, and to render it, like the other approaches, impregnable. Were the enemy, there- fore, under any unfortunate change of circumstances, to approach with any possible amount of force, his fire could not reach Cadiz, nor even its bay. In this manner, therefore, the most important point of Spain will remain perfectly secure ; and it will of course be impossible for the enemy, even if unex- pectedly reinforced, to possess in tranquillity the rest of the province of Andalusia. We now return to the operations of the British army at Madrid, where the Marquis of Vf eUington received information on the 18tb of August, that Joseph Buonaparte had retired from Ocana two days before, and that his army was in full march to- wards Valencia. About the same period the French abandoned Toledo which was taken possession of by a party of the Guerillas of Ei Medico ; and, soon after the cap- ture of the Retiro, the garrison of Guadalaxara, con- sisting of seven hundred men, surrendered to the Empecinado by capitulation, on nearly the same tern^s as those granted by his Lordship to the garrison at Madrid. The marquis now received reports from Major General Clinton, informing him that a part of the remains of the army of Portugal Lad moved forward from the neighbourhood of Burgos, and that some 'of their detachments were understood to be in Valla- doljd on the 1 Uh, in consequence of General Santo- icildes having withdrawn the troops of the army of Gailicia which had occupied that town. Some of their detachments were likewise on the right of the Pisuerga; but this advance did not take his tiordship unawares, for he had expected they would make this movement, as soon as he collected, Ins troops together for the purpose of marching upoi^ Madrid. The intelligence also which he received from the South MARQUIS OF \\T-IXIx\GTON. 53.3 Capture of Sail Lucar. South was to him of great importance; for from thence he learned that Drouet pressed less upoa General Hill, having- drawn in his right from La Guarcna, though still occupying' Hornachos; and though at that period General Vallete had returned to the blockade of Cadiz, yet Ballasteros had not only been so successful as to capture three hundred prisoners at Ossuna, but by the positions of his troops had been enabled to re-open his communication with the British garrison in Gibraltar; so that his Lordship had every prospect of being- able to direct the whole of his force ag-auist the army of the centre and that of Marmojit. Indeed the Spanish prospects jn the South were now improving- rapidly in consequence of the g-allant exertions of Colonel Skerrctt, the brave defender of Tariffa, and who had been some time before dis- patched with a considerabic British and Spanish force to Ayamonte in order to harass the right wing- of the French army mulcr Soult. On the 24th of Aug'ust, Colonel Skerrett, and Ge- neral Cruz Mourg-eon in command of the Spanish troops, judged it advisable to make a forward move- ment on Seville; but before this could be done it was necessary to force the enemy's corps of observation of three hundred and fifty cavalry and two hundred infantry at San Lucar la Mayor. In order to accomplish this design without hazard, but without any superfluous force, the gallant colo- nel marched from Manzanilla with eight hundred ti'oops, composed of the 1st regiment of guards, the 87th, and the Portuguese regiment commanded by Brigadier-General Downie, accompanied with six hundred Spanish troops. On arriving at the environs of San Lucar, not a moment was lost, but the Spanish' column attacked on the right, and the British and Portuguese on the left, when the French were driven througli the streets with precipitation, leaving' some killed, wounded^ 53 t LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Advance to Seville. wounded, and prisoners ; and the combined troops took post in the place without the loss of a man. Two days afterwards it was the joint opinion of Colonel Skerrett and the Spanish General, that it would be attended with the most beneiicial effectsj both on the public opinion, and in saving the city of Seville from being plundered, if the French could' be precipitated in their retreat from that place ; the allied troops in consequence marchetl for that pur- pose, and arrived at the heights of Castillegos de 14 Cuesta, immediately above Seville^ on the morniugf of the 27th at six o'clock. The Spanish troops formed the advance, and the French advance was soon driven in ; when the caval- _ ry retired leaving the infantry in the plain, who,- thus deserted by their friends, were immediately charged by the Spanish cavalry, and a great number made prisoners. In front there vt^as a redoubt in advance which it was necessary to carry, being on the left of the as- sailants, and this redoubt the Spaniards attacked^ losing a great number of men ; bat the different allied columns having now advanced into the plain, the re- doubt was turned, and its communication with the citv cut off, when it surrendered. The Spanish troops under General Cruz now took the right, and made a detour to arrive at, and attack on the flank of Triana, one of the suburbs of Seville. Immediately, with great precision, Colonel Sker- rett ordered the redoubt to be masqued by a detach- ment of the 20th Portuguese regiment, and at the Same time advanced afield piece \\ith some troops to keep in check the enemy's fire at one of the gates opposite to the assailants. After giving sufhcient time for the Spanish column to arrive at its station, the British and Portuguese troops advanced to the attack in front; the cavalry and artillery advancing at a gallop, supported by the grenadiers of the guards, and the infantry following". MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 535 Attack of the French. The enemy immediately abandoned the gate ; and the assaihmts entered the suburbs, and advanced near to the bridge of Seville with as much rapidity as pos- sible, in hopes of preventing its destruction, which would have rendered the success of tlie allied troops extremely difficult, if not doubtful. At this move- ment, the advance were checked by tlie heavy lire of grape shot and musquetry at the turning of the jstreet; but the grenadiers of the guards immediately advancing to their support, drove every thing before them. At this critical moment the Spanish column, which had attacked iu the quarter of Triana, most fortunately arrived, when the whole body advanced to the bridge under a very heavy fire. Captain Cadoux, of the 9'3th, with great judgement made a flank movement on the allied left; Captain Roberts with great rapidity brought up two guns ; a lieavy fire of artillery and musquetry was thus soon brought to bear on the enemy, who were driven from their position on the other side of the river, and from the bridge, which they had only in part destroyed. The grenadiers of the guards, and some Spanish troops, led the columns that crossed the bridge. A general rout ensued, and the enemy were driven through the streets, which were strewed with their dead, and pursued at all points, leaving behind them valuable captures of horses, baggage, and money. Colonel Skerrett in his dispatches after this brilliant atchievement declared that it was impossible for him to express the joy of the people of Seville, at the 3ntish victory. Even under the fire of the French, they brought planks to lay across the broken bridge; »nd their acclamations and vociferous marks of joy, added to the immense crowd, rendered it very difli- cult for the officers to march through I lie streets with their columns. The vast extent of the city, the exhausted state of the troops who had advanced iu double quick time 9 ^ for 536 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE ' . .- .,..,. . , . , . , M.^ i i , Capture of Seville. for three miles, and the wont of cavalry, rendered it impossible to continue the pursuit beyond the town — and indeed such was the rapidity of the attack, that this victory over an entire French division and the passage of a bridge which the enemy liad mate- rially destroyed, with iiis infantry and artillery form- ed on the banks of the river, was atchieved with a loss so small as scarcely lo be credible. In fact the g-allant narrator had only to regret the loss of one officer. Lieutenant Brett of the royal ar- tillery, who was killed gallantly fighting' his gun at the bridge: before which, hovs'ever, his intrepidity had been observed by the whole detachment. The only oiiicer wounded was Lieutenant Llew- elyn of the 95th rifle corps; and these with one Ser- jeant, one rank and file, and two horses, killed, to- gether with twelve rank and ille and one hors^ wounded, formed the whole of the British loss. Yet it was justly said that in this affair, though not a sanguinary one, the conduct of every officer and soldier was above all praise ; .whilst during the whole of the attack our allies, the Spaniards, rivalled the^ conduct of the British and Portuguese troops; and the modest yet gallant colonel most liberally observed that General Cruz Mourgeon, by his military talentSs and braver)'^, principally contributed to the success-i ; ful result of the day. In this aii^iir the loss of the enemy must have been very great ; several ofiicers were taken, and nearly ■ two hundred prisoners in all. Many guns and military stores were taken : and two of the field pieces, which the enemy advanced, fell into the hands of the allies. On that very night also, a division of seven or eight thousand Freucli troops passed by : but they ventured not any movement against Seville; and, al' Colonel Skerrett observed, the allied attack and oc-^'' Qupation had thus most opportunely saved the city'' from' MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 537 ■>" ' ■ ' ■ — Impudent proclnniatiou of Josepli. from the devastation and contributions which it must otherwise have underoone. About the 25th of Auo^ust information was convey- ed to the Marquis, that Joseph Buonaparte hadcon- tinued his march towards Valencia, his rear <:fuard on the 19th having- been as forward as La Roda; and at the same time he was put in possession of a communication with the Sicilian expedition, liaving" re- ceived dispatches from Lieutenant-General Maitland wJio had advanced from Aiicant as far as Monforte. At this period, on the eastern coast of Spain, Gene- ral Roche liad taken post at Alcov, from whence Suchet had retired to St. Felippe; and it was gene- rally believed that he intended to cross the river Xucar: and in conjunction with General Roche's movement, General O'Donnel on the 17th was at jYecla in Murcia. It is a curious fact that about this time, Joseph Buonaparte rendered furious against the worthy and patriotic inhabitants of Madrid, by their having made no resistance against the " parties of the In- suvfjents,'' and by the general satisfaction they shew- ed upon the entrance of these into the very place of his court, had actually the effrontery to declare that IVfadrid shall never again be the residence of his au- gust presence, and that this honour and pleasure of receiving his rojjal person should alone belong to those cities which shew their attachment to \\\e good cause, and their efforts for the general good of the na- tion, such as Yalentia and Seville. It happened un- luckily, however, that the Hying intruder, at the time I when he pennerl this decree, was ignoi-ant of Seville ■being occupied by the insurgents, and of its happiness i at the change. : ; When Joseph and Suchet formed a junction, their jniiited forces did not amount to more than 22,000 I men, but the Juramentados continued to desert i daily not only from Joseph's army, but also from Soult's then at Grenada. 23. 3 y A3 538 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Robberies of the French armies. As a proof of the spirit of robbing- vyith which Jo- seph is an i muted, it is sufficient to recount that on his arrival at Valencia he was followed by 370 coaches, more than 800 waggons, and an innumera- ble number of baggage carts, all laden witii plunder, partly taken from those whom they left behind, and. partly the property of those who had at first attempt- ed to accompany his army. On the journey many tuf these fugitives were purposely deserted, after be-, rng' robbed of their all ; for, three days a great part of them were without bread, or even water, and numbers died of fatigue as well as hunger. In addition to their miseries, swarms of Guerillas hovered on their flanks and rear, hourly cuttings off entire companies of Jurauientacfos, and parties of partizans. At this period the conduct of Soult seemed quite undetennijied ; but it was known that he had sent convoys towards Cordova, whilst in the road from Seville towards Grenada he had ordered the different flying' corps or garrison.^ to be collected. General Duran, it appeared, had entered Logrono, \vbere he had destroyed the fortitications, the house of inquisition, and the fort called Balbuina: but the French General Darque, with 2500 infantry and 200 horse, having advanced as if with an intention of "attack, Duran placed himself witijin half a league- bf the place, in a kind of ambuscade, with 1400 in- fantry and about 100 horse, where he waited their advance; when the French were forced to retire with U very severe loss. In the nortit, the remains of the army of Portugal, joined by the forces which had been in the Asturias, hltempted to make son$e hostile movements, and on the 18th had detached some troops from Valladolid \vhich drove in Major-General Anson's picquets at udela; but that oliicer was still in sufficient forcci to maintain his posts on the ikift of the Doaro. Foiled iu their attempt to pu:>h> him further, and t fearful, MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 530, Concentration of tlie Frexh forces. fearfnl for their own detachments, the enemy next uiovcJ a body of troops from ijic vicinity of Valla- dolid, consistino- of about six tlioiisand infantry, and twelve huiulred cavalry, under General Foy, who felt himself strong- enou-:;h to venture as far as Toro, from whence he drew off the jj;-arrison. In fict it ap- pears that Foy's principal object in his movement was to collect these scattered jr-arrisons of Toro and Zamora ; in addition to wliicli he had hoped to cut off the Portuguese militia employed in the blockade of the latter place ; but beino- disappointed in this ex- pectation by the good conduct of the Portuguese general, he marched froui the vicinity of Benevente, but not qntil he had been joined by a body of infan- try equal to his own in number, whicli had likewise marched from the Pisuer^a, on the Rio JSeco; and on the '20th of Aug-ust, the whole were about two leagues distant from Benevente, a movement which they were enabled to make unmolested, in conse- quence of the Gallician troops having all marched towards Astorga, with the exception of the Spanish cavalry which still remained in Benevente, and saved that place from the intended French visit. Being forced to leave the garrison of Zamora still blockaded by the Portuguese army under the Conde D'Amarante, they, however, ventured to proceed towards Astorga in hopes of relieving that garrison. The enterprising spirit of the Guerillas, at this point of time, cannot be better liged them to aban- don the wood they had collected, and the waggons in which it was to have been conveyed. In fact he pursued, them until within cannon shot of that town, ■S Y 2 where 540 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Dajliiog exploit of llie Gueriilos. where he formed in order of battle for two hours^'f without the enemy daring to molest him. But his own energetic account is too interesting' to be slightly passed over, in v.hich he says, " the 21st of August ina\' be called a day of luimiliation for Abbe, and of ignominy for the soldiers. The garrison of Pampe- luna having arrived to the extrense distress of not having meat for more than one day, or a chip of wood for hre, the governor found himself obliged to repeat the marching out which he made on the 16th, in which he was equally fortunate as in this. At the head of 2500 men he marched from Pampeluna to Zafalla, to collect grain, and having reinforced his column with the garrisons of Tudela and Caparosso, he had about 3000 infantry, supported by 200 horse, with live pieces of cannon ; 1 was returning to ihe capital with four battaliojjs and a regiment of cavalry, and marched to receive him on the high road, and placed them in this form — the first on that part of the road defended by a wood ; the second and third de- ploy e(i upon the ieit ojthe same on a height ; the cavalry divided between the van and rear guards was to march on the high road in such a manner that the fifth bat-r talion should Oi'cu]>y the town of Trelas on the right of tlie same, " On seeing the enemy, the second and third open-^ cd their lire upon their vim guard ; at the sam.e time the first did the same upon t'ne rear guard, and was im- mediately followed by ilie t\i{\i ; our artillery then, acted, which consisted of two pieces, every fire from whi(h, as well as the nuisquetry, told. On ail sides the killed i'el! by dozens, and the groans and clamours of the wounded were heard. The enemy then, re- duced to the last extreniity, soaked with their blood that road which had ko frequently facilitated the con- veyance of their robberies. An accident, which I was not able to i'oresee, enabled ihem to place their artil- lery, and act with it. Cannon balls, grape shot, and tyen grenades, were employed against my columns, •. .but MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 54f > General military moveiucnls. I ' • • • ■ , — but in vain ; because they remained firm and con- stant, notwitlistandino^ the heavy losses which thej continuerl to suffer. Three times my cavalry endea- voured to attack the enemy's ; hut they never dared to separate themselves from their infantry, thus evincing-, at the expense of their pride, their cowardice. Abbe lost a part of the fruits of the robberies, which remain- ed in the hands of my saldicrs, who also loaded them- selves with the enemy's musquets, kna|)sacks, Sec. Abhe was slig-htly wounded, as were likewise Gene- rals Baron de Moosan and Baron de Calsan, who ac- companied him. Tv.o commandants of battalion were killed, and the Spanish renegado Chason : we found in the field 17 officers, and more than 300 dead soldiers. Besides the three generals, there have been ten officers and a g^reat number of soldiers wounded, who with those killed amount to more than 1000. According- to letters received from Paupeluna, the French olHcers in that city eVen say that the fii'e of my soldiers might be compared to that they experi- enced at Austerlitz and Jeii'i. They are terrified; and I am persuaded that nothing* but the distress they suffer for want of provisions could oblige them to re- peat those forlorn attempts. My loss amounts to '29 killed, three officers, and lo7 wounded," kc. &c. Sec. His Lordship's movements towards the nortli were much relieved by intelligence from the southern partsof ^pain ; for though his dispatches from Cadiz had in- formed him of the return to that place of the detach- ment under General Cruz that had been sent to the eastward for the relief of General Ballasteros ; yet they also conveyed him iniormatiun of another expe- dition having' being- innnediately fitted out, and of the troops been landed at Huelva as far back as the i5th, when they had, in fact, met with no oppo- sition, the retiring- enemy having evacuated and de- htroyed the castle of Niebla on the 12th of the mouth. In 542 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE ' •'• ' i-r ■-'•'- ' ' — — — -■ ..» . III,.,. II I ^J,^g^ Alliance between Spain and Russia. V — . . - ■. - ■ ■ -> In the north, General Foy proceeded on his route to Astorga, which phice had actually surrendered some days before to a small Spanish force of only twelve hundred men. although Foy had then advanc- ed as far as Baneza for their relief. The victorious Spaniards, however, were too few to encounter such a force, amounting to as many thousands as they had hundreds ; they accordingly evacuated that place im- mediately, but not without carrying- awr.y the whole French garrison as prisoners. The Marquis now thought it improper to leave such a force unbroken ; and, according'fy, having'order- ed in the latter entl of August that a sufficient num- ber of the allied troops should be collected at Are- valo, he quitted Madrid on the 1st of September, ia order to direct their movements. At this period the garrison of Madrid consisted of the 5th, 43d, 45th, 52d, 74th, SM, 88th, Scotch bri- g'ade, Ross, some Portuguese, and likewise some Spa- nish troops; ail under tlie co'.ntnand of that excellent officer, Earon A!ten : and the general recruiting for the Spanish corps of Don Curios and Don Julian went on briskly ; these leaders being expected to take at least 12,000 men from tlie capital alone ; be- sides which a militia was raised in the city, to consist of horse and foot to a considerable amount. . At this period also a very iniportant event took place, the general ami extraordinary Cortes having jr.ade a treaty of friendship, unioii, and alliance, be- tween that country and Russia, under Jiritish media- lion : and in which it is stipulated that the two high contracting parties, in consequence of the pre(>osed jViendsiiip, shall come to an understnnding without delay, and agree on every thing which may have connection with tlicir respective interests, and with liie hrm intention to prosecute a vigorous war against the Emperor of the French, their common enemy, ^nd engiiging from that date to concur sincerely in every thing- whicli mav be advantageous to the one OF MARQUIS OF WELLINGTOT^. 54$, Good conduct of tlie Portuguese. ' ■ ■ '< ■ or the other party. By this state docimient also, the Russian emperor engaijecl to acknowledg'e the Cortes as a legitimate authority, and to guarantee the con- stitutir.n which they had framed and sanctioned; tQ which it was added that all commercial relation* should be forthwith re-established. if there was any thing- to counterbalance the tide of success at this period in favour of the Spaniards, it was a notification from the consul Amatlar at Cartha- g'ena, to the British i>;overnor of Gibraltar, that about the middle of August he had received informatioi> from the board of Flealth that there were some suspicion!? cases of fever in their hospitals, but that the local go- vernment had taken precautions to guard against the spreading of this horrible infection, which but a few years before had nearly depopulated that ill fated district. On the 4th the Marquis marched from Arevalo, and passed the Douro on the 0th, at the fords of Her- reni and El Abrojo ; previous to which, General Foy having heard of tlie surrender of Astorg^a, returned to the Esla, and marched upon Carvajales, with a view= to sur[>rise and cut off the Portuguese militia already stated to have been employed under Lieutenant-Ge- neral the Conde d'Amarante in blockading Zamora. This General, however, made good his retreat, with- out loss, to the frontiers of Portugal ; and General Foy could do nothing more than carry off the French garrison, which he did on the 29th of August, think- ing their j)osition unsafe, and then marched for Tor- dcsiUas. The good management of the Portuguese general, and the steadiness of his troops on this occa- sion, drew forth great, and, indeed, well merited praise, from the Marquis of Wellington, who observ- ed in his public dispatches that he could riOt avoid drawing the attention of the British govermnent to- the conduct of the Conde d'Amarante, and of the militia under his command, in these operations, and also pointing out the zeal of this militia, pi inci pally drawu ^44 ^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Valladolid abandoned by the French. drawn froni the provinces of Tralos Monies, in thus voluntarily serving' beyond the frontiers of the king- dom, a'service which extended beyond the limits of their agreement. The whole remains of the army of Portugal, being' now collected between Valladolid and Tordesillas, the Marquis found their advanced guard on the 6th of September strongly posted on the heights of La Cisterniga ; and at the same time he had information that there was a considerable body of troops iu and about the former place. As it was late in the day before the allied troops had crossed the Donro, the Marquis thought it im- prudent to move forward before the morning of the 7th; but the enemy did not chuse to await his aj)- proach, retiring from La Cisterniga during the nighty and abandoning Valladolid in the morning as soon aj they saw the British advance, blowing up the bridge on crossing the Pisuerga in oi'der to arrest the pursuit. They were closely followed, however, by the Ho- nourable Lieutenant-Colonel Ponsonby, with a de- tachment of the 12th light dragoons through the town ; but some time having elapsed before the in- fantry could come up, the retiring troops could not be prevented from destroying the bridges, by which means their loss was less than might have been ex- pected . In fact, so great was the terror of the French that we understood that they only fired five guns before tliey hiistiiy fled towards Burgos ;'but it appears that some of our troops reached them, especiaily the ca- valry, and caused them a great loss, the enemy aban- doning their provisions, ammunition, baggage wag- gons, &c. This triumphant entry into Valladolid, although it had been only a few days under the French yoke, now caused tljc most inconceivable joy ; and it has further been mentioned that the Marquis of Wellington, with the most judicious attention to the wants of the poor Spaniard^ MARQUIS OF WELUNGTOX. f^i^ Punuit of ilie enemy. Spaniards had ail the waggons brought into Vallado- lid, laden \*ith the pknidei- of that town and neigh- bourhood ; and permitted the poor iiijiired people, in the most unexpected maimer, to recover their lost property. Such considerate conduct must always operate favourably in support of the British cha- racter. After tliis they retired along the riglit bank of the Pisuerga, and in the evening had got as far as Duenas. Though the Gallician army had retired from Astorga^ as ah'eady mentioned, on the approach of General Foy; yet no sooner had he commenced his retreat oa the Douro, than they again advanced to the Esla ; indeed, the Spanish corps seem now to have gained fresli courage on all sides, for it also appears that the French garrison of Cuenca, which had evacuated that place on hearing of the surrender of the Retiro^ being in fact part of Suchet's army, had immediate- ly afterwards been taken prisoners by General Villa. Campa, to the amount of one thousand men, with two; guns, &c. At this period also the Marquis received intelli gence from Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill, that he had advanced as far as Llerena in pursuit of the troops under General Drouet. The Marquis of Wellington did not, however, give up the pursuit, but continued to follow the enemy with the whole of his troops until the 16th of Septem-* ber, when he was joined at Pampliega by three divi- lions of infantry, and a small body of cavalry, of the army of Gallicia ; his excellency the Captain-Gene- ral Castanos having arrived at head-quarters on the 14th. On the 16th, the retreating enemy had taken a Itrong position on the heights behind Celada del Car- inino, when his Lordship made arrangements for at- tacking them on the morning of the following day; but they thought proper to retire (|uj'i»g the night, M, Hz md ■546 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Occupation of Burgos. and were driven to the heights close to Burgos, through which town they retired during the night of the 17th, leaving behind them some cloathing and other stores, and a large quantity of wheat and bar- ley. After this they retired to Briviesca, where ther ■were joined by about seven thousand conscripts from France, andj as the Marquis was informed, were thereto wait the arrival of Massena, who, as was re- ported, was ordered by the local government of Francft to proceed for the command of the army. It was necessary to pass the river of Arianzon in the vicinity of Burgos ; but the castle of that town commands the passages of the river and the roads com-* municating with them, so completely, that the British army could not cross it before the 19th, when that operation was eifected in two columns, the 5th divi- sion and Brigadier General Bradford's brigade above the town, whilst the 1st division with Brigadier Gene- ral Pack's brigade, and Major General Anson's caval- ry passed below it. The city of Burgos, now, as it may be called, the last refuge of the French, in that part of Spain, is situated in that division of the country allotted to the. army of the north ; and General Caffarelli, who had been there on the 17th, had placed in the castle a garrison of l;he troops of that army, consisting, ai was reported, of two thousand five hundred men. The enemy had taken considerable pains not onljf to fortify this castle of Burgos, but had also occupied with a horn work the hill of St. Michael's, which lias a considerable command over some of the works of the castle, at the distance of three hundred yards. They had likewise occupied other parts of that hill with fleches, and other works for the protection of their picquets and outposts. Assoon as the first division of the allied army cross- ed the river Arlanzon on the l^h of September, th« enemy'* MARQUIS OF ^VELLINGTOxV. 547 ^M ii " ' ■ , ■ , -^=: Assault oi" St. Michael's. y • ■ ■ • ■" ...... , ^ ..■■■■ enemy's outposts were driven in by the light infantry battahon of Colonel Sterling's brigade, under the command of the Honourable Major Cocks, supported by Brigadier General Pack's brigade; and the enemy's outworks on the hiU of St. Michael's, with the ex- ception of the horn work, were occupied by the allied troops, w hich were posted close to the horn work. As soon ns it was dark, the same troops, with the nddition of the 42d regiment, attacked and carried by assault the horn work which the enemy had occu- pied in strength. In this operation, Brigadier Ge- neral Pack, Lieutenant Colonel Hill of the 1st Por- tuguese regiment, Colonel Campbell of the 16'th, Blajor Williams of the 4th Cacadores, Major Dick of the 42d regiment, and the Honourable Major Cocks, of the 75th regiment, commanding the light infantry battalion, distinguished themselves most gallantly. The latter, in particular, who led the attack of the enemy *s post in the morning, also entered the horn work by its gorge at night. In this affair, the allies captured three pieces of cannon, and one captain, with sixty two others, prisoners ; but at the same time, owing to the strength of the work, their loss was very severe, consisting of Major Pierpoint, assistant Quar- ter Master General, and Lieutenants Gregorson and Milne, of the 42d regiment, killed, with four Cap- tains and six Lieutenants wounded, some of whoia died afterwards; the Portuguese lost, of officers, ona Lieutenant, and one ensign killed, besides several wounded. The whole number of killed were, British 47, Portuguese 24; wounded British 242, Portuguese 1)3 : making a grapd total of 71 killed, 323 wounded, with 16 missing. However great this loss, yet the attempt in which it took place was absolutely necessary ; for it was im- possible to ascertain the exact state of the works of tire castle of Burgos, until possession was obtaiiied of the hill of St. Michael's. 3 z ^ On 54R LIFE OP THE MOST NOBLE Burgo- described. On the two days inimeciiHtely following the attackj the allied troops were actively employed in establish- ing" themselves on the hill of St. Michael's, and in constructing" such works as were best calculated to forward theij- future operations. At that period, the •whole of the anny bad crossed the Arlanzon, with the ^exception of the 6th division, and one division of the Spanish infantry; and the siege of the castle of Bur- gos was commenced in form.* About this time also the Marquis received intelli- gence from Sir Kowland Hill of his being at Trux- illo on the 14th, and tiiat he was then about putting into execution his orders to be at Oropesa, four days afterwards; also with respect to the Frencii f^rmy in the South, tliat Marshal Soult had rat ieft Granada as far down as the 8th, at which time General Bal- lasteros * To understand these operations better it may be proper to state thqt Burgos, which had long contiiuied to enjoy splendour and pre-emi- Jience, as the Capital of Old Castile, the cradle of the Spanish mo- narchy, has for the last two centuries declined from its prosperity, and is now a gloomy irregular town, containing only about 8 or yOOO inha- "bitants. It is surrounded by walls, and built on a declivity forming the right bank of the river Avlanzon, over which are thrown three stone bridges connectin;^ the town with the pleasant suburb of La Beza. On the brow of the adjacent hill stands an ancient castle which has been repaired and strengthened with works by the French; and beyond this is another small hill called St. Michael's, wherein a horn work had been erected, which we have detailed as taken by storm. The castle itself is a lofty square building of solid masonry, and com- mands the hill of St. Michael's, which in its turn overlooks the outer , defences of the former. Adjoining to the castle is a church, which the French have converted into a fort, and both these are included within the distinct lines of circumvallation, the wiiole forming a fortress of an oblong figure. A 1 these three lines must be successively carried before the castle can be taken. The commander of the fortress is a General who has long acted under CalTarelli; and its importance may be judged of from the fact that wliilst it is occupied by the French, their army may remain in perfect safety at Briviesci, a v.;ilkd city only six leagues distant, and separated from the plain of Burgos by a lofty mountain ; at the next stage beyond which, on the roal towards France, is the tremendous pass ol' Pancorbu which secures the appio^ci to the Ebro. MARQUIS OP WELLINGTON. 5iQ . - i ^ > ■ ' '■ . ■ ' - . . J Progress of Die siege. &■■■■..■.'■■ ■■ . ■ ■ ■ .J, lasteros liad follovved the enemy's movements from tlio Guadalate, and had been very successful, having- ad- vanced as far as Loxa on the 6th, the enemy having then abandoned Andujar and Jaen : whilst the armies of Joseph Buonaparte, and of Suchet were still in Valencia. Though the city of Burgos itself was in possession of the allied forces, yet the head quarters were at Villa Toro in its vicinity ; and the operations were still carrieil on afjainst the castle. On the nisfht of the 22d, the Marquis of Wellington directed an attempt to be made to take by storm the exterior Una of the enemy's works, one of the batteries destined to protect the allied position, when in them, having been in such a state of preparation as to g-ive hopes that it would be ready to open on the morning- of th& 23d. The attack was to have been made by detachment? of Portuguese troops belongiiig to the 6th division, .which occupied the town of Burgo.5, and invested the castle on the southwest side, on the enemy's left, whilst a detachment oi" the ist division, under Major Lawrie of the 79th regiment, should scale the wall in front. Unfortunately the Portuguese troops were sostrong'- ly opposed, that they could not make any progress on the enemy's flank, and the escalade could not take place. In consequence of this the British loss was severe; Major Lawrie was killed, and Captain Fraser, who commanded a detachment from the bri- gade of guards, was wounded. Both these officers, and indeed all those employed on this occasion, exerted themselves to the utmost; but the attack on the enemy's flank having failed, the success of the esca- lade was impracticable. On the 27th the allied batteries were completed, and ready to open on the enemy's interior lines, as soon as the besieging troops could be established with- in the exterior works : "imd the enemy's army of ob- servatioi> 550 LIFE OF THE MOST NOBLE ■ . """ ■ " ■■ -•• - - ■ . _^- Capture of Anliquera. ' ■ ■'■■ ■ ■ ■ ' ■ ■ ■ , ' ■■ ' ■ ■Tr servation at the same period was about Pancorbo, and Miraiida, on the Ebro, with their advanced posts at Eriviesca; but they had hitherto made no movements to impede the operations of the assail- ants. In the south, Marshal Soult now found himself oblig-ed to evacuate Grenada on the 15th of Septem- ber, and to march towards the kingdom of Valencia, in order to form a junction with the armies of Suchet and of the intrusive king -, and General Baliasteros immediately afterwards entered that ancient and in- teresting city. This General on the Sd of September, near Anti- quera, defeated the enem3'^'s corps consisting of 8,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry, and G pieces of cannon* commanded by Generals Villat and Semelet, who covered Soull's rear; he dislodged this force complete- ly from its positiors, pursued it more than a league and a half, and obHged it to leave behind some pri- soners, and two of their pieces of artillery; after, which he took possession of Antiquera which they could no longer defend. , Two days afterwards a part of his advanced guard surprised in Loxa a part of Soult's troops, and madd more than 200 prisoners. About the same period also, General Elio, in command of the troops, lately under the direction of General O'Donnel, took Consuegra by capitula-. tion. On the failure of the proposed assault on the exte- rior lines of Burgos, it was found necessary to pro- ceed by sap ; and accordingly several mines were prepared, one of which being exploded at midnight of the 29th, a breach was effected in the outer wall, which some of the party, destined to attack it, werei rnal)led to storm ; but owing to the darkness of the night; the detachment, who were to support the ad- \iir>C€d party, missed their way, and the advance WAKQL'IS OF WELLINCTOX. 5^ iireaclies stormed. w - . ■ . ■■ ■ ■ . ... ■ _>^ were driven oli the breach before they could be eO'ec- tually supported. The breach,^ as effected by this mine, was not of a description to be stormed, except at the moment of the exj>losion, audit was necessary to improve it bj fire, before the attempt could be repeated. But all endeavours on the part of the assailants, to construct bntteries in the best situation to (ire upon the wall, failed in consequence of the great superiority of the «nemy's tire from the nature of their situation. In the mean time, another mine had been placed tinder the wall, which was ready on the morning- of the 4th of October, and a fire was opened the same morning from a battery constructed under cover of the horn work. The cannonade from this battery improved th« breach first made ; and the explosion of the second mine, at five o'clock of the same evening-, effected a liecond breach : on which both were immediatelj stormed by the 2d battalion of the 2ith regiment, mider the command of Captain Hedderwick, which /ladbeen ordered into the trenches for that purpose; and the allied troops were established witliin the exterior line of the works of the castle of Bur- gos. The conduct of tlie 21th regiment was highly praiseworthy ^ and captain Hedderwick, and Lieu- tenants Holmes and Fraser, who led the two storm- ing parties, particularly distinguished themselves ; and it is pleasing to reflect that tliis operation was effected without suffering any very severe loss. Up to this period of the siege, the enemy's army jtill continued in observation u])on the Ebro, and did not make any attempt to disturb the operations .though they had extended their left as far as Logrono, but with what intention did not appear. In thus bringing down the biography of our gallant Countryman to the siege of Burgos, alter contemplat- ing* the important couiueciiienc©* of tlie battle of Sa- Q lamanca^ 552 LIFE OF THE MOST KOBLE Anecdote of Sir William Beresford. lamanca, the occnpatioti of Madrid, &c. we have closed at a memorable era of his life, establishing- a point from whence its brilliant continuation may be jiaid to take a date ; as far, at least, as reg-ards the war in the Peninsula : for the recent facts which we have thus delineated, the pursuit of Joseph, the un- certain and retrog-rade motions of Soult, the disper- sion of the army of Marmont, the occupation of Valladolid, and the gallant and energetic proceed- ings at Burgos, are nothing- more than a continuation, of the consequences of that first brilliant victory, if considered with reference to past events, in the X)e- fence of Spain ; but at the same time form the germ of future history, the point ft-om whence the historian or biographer must set out in describing its Liberation. Waving all further observations, therefore, on these tecent events, we shall take a slight view of the more prominent parts of the character of the noble subject of our biography, as illustrative of, and deducible from, the preceding pages. Perhaps one of the most extraordinary results of past occurrences is the state of energy and activity which his Lordship, aiiled by the brilliant talents,. and active assiduity, of Field-Marshal Sir William Beresford,* has given to the Portuguese army, and would no doubt have imparted long since, and with even greater facility, to the Spaniards, had such a measure been approved of by that government. An intelligent military traveller has offered some, thoughts on this subject, which even now are not in- applicable * This gallant officer, so often mentioned in the preceding narra- lion, is a minor branch of the Waterfoid family, and brother of Cap- tain Beresford, whose naval services are so well known, and have beea. »o often recorded. To trace the military progress of the Marshal •would be to recount almost every event of the past war. — His capture of the Cape of Good Hope, and of Buenos Ayres, his services in Egypt, &c. &c. would of themselves require a volume, and we trust that the fund of military biography will yet be emighed wi-tU » Mjit»« bk r«coi'd of his fame. MARaUlS OF WELLINGTON". 553 Spanisli Principles. applicable. He says, " I am persuaded that the Spaniards never will he conquered. They ^very strongly resemble the English in the frame of their bodies, and even in their undaunted minds. They may be defeated a thousand times, but they will ne- rer be subdued. You are wrouf^- too when yon talk in FJngland that they have nothing to iight lor, and exclaim, Give them a constitution! (jive them li- heriy ! In the first place they have their country to fight for, their soil, their home ; and against foreign- ers and invaders : surely this is something. And as to liberty, they have as much as they want — as much as they are really capable of. With respect to con- stitution you m^-ht as well say. Give them EnxjUsh roast heef! They have no idea of it ; they know no- thing about it ; and therefore neither know the want of it, nor desire it. If you were to offer it to them, if you were to tell them of balanced powers, (Sec. they would decline it. — Believe me, my dear friend, there is a great deal of nonsense in your party refine- ments at home. You know nothing about this peo- ple. They are brave to excess ; but of course can- not stand against veteran and disciplined armies. We will at length remedy this defect. The Spanish ar- mies want organization.'^ It is indeed a well known fact, that of all the ar- mies of Europe that of Portugal, previous to the present war, was of all others the most miserable. To trace the causes of that militarif and civil degene- racy which had so long ]iervaded that country is, however, unnecessary ; it is sufficient to observe that the English example has been powerfully operative in the one case, and it is to be hoped will be permanently so in the other ; whilst in Spain a spirit has been eli- cited, which, if well directed, presents a flattering prospect to the philanthropist. With respect to the gallant Wellington himself it has been well observed, that it is impossible fully to esti- mate the vast talents, the unwearied exertions, and the 24, 4 A jreat 554 I'll^E OF THE MOST NOBLE - • ■ - . . . I . Promptitude of tlie Marquis, great resources of this unrivalled soldier, whose variety of g-enius is only equalled by his deep and excellent judgment. We have seen a recent anecdote which states that at one period of the late battle of Salamanca, a co- lumn of the Britisli was exceedingly pressed by the overbearing' and superior strength of a part of the enemy's line opposed to it ; it gave way, and another column was advancing to support it, when Lord Wel- lington came u^ at the moment and ordered the ad- vancing column to disperse by hies, to liasten round the bill immediately in their rear, and to form be- hind it. The General of Brigade was astonished afc the precipitate retreat of his advancing column, and called a rally, when his men said, " There is Lord Wellington, Sir ; we are obeying him." The French, supposing a general route had taken place, pursued the retiring column, and became dis- ordered as they quickly advanced. Lord Wellington then told the General of Brigade he would find his column formed on the otlier side of the hill, and so he did ; when the enemy, as they rounded the slope, were met by the supposed fugitives, who advanced in their turn, and made a terrible slaughter. Previous to the late distinguished events, which have certainly raised his character as high as his most sanguine friends could have wished, it was well ob- served of hira, that in all his former actions there ■were two or three principal characteristic traits ; an indefatigable activity, a sagacity which sees and de- termines in the moment, and a promptitude which in- stantaneously acts ; an indifference to the mere cir- cumstance of numerical equality, and incomparable readiness in disencumbering himself of whatever is superrtuous ; and an equal readiness in determining what is superfluous, and the exact point of time when it becomes so. Combined with these traits it is wor- thy of notice that Lord Wellington is stated, by those y^'liQ haye the best opportunities of kpowing it, to en- joy MABQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 5.55 Churacter of the Marquis. joy an admirable seli-possession and command of ani- mal spirits and temper under any state of circum- stances, never losing- himself in the moment of vic- tory, coolly weighing" the passing- events where he finds himself checked, and thus ])roving that he would not lose himself even in defeat ! In contemplating the character of a great man, it is natural to compare him with others who have ex- celled in like circumstances; and thus it has been said, that, like the Duke of Marlborough, he possesses a degree of civil talent, which of itself would have raised him into consideration, and which, when united to his military ability,renders the latter doubly effectual. In consequence of this, so well known to ministers at home, the Marquis has long possessed fuller powers than it is generally considered expedient to grant to any military or navai commander. So many spe- cimens, indeed, has he given of his diplomatic skill, that government feel satisfied they may safely repose in his hands, not only the various points of national honour, but even the minuter and more formal deco- nims of national intercourse, whilst his long practice and accurate observation having placed him on a foot- ing with any diplomatist of his time in the knowledge of all necessary forms, and rendered him as expert in the letter as in the spirit of diplomatic negociation. With respect to some parts of his character, in de- tail, we shall first notice his indefatigable activity; of this, indeed, it is unnecessary to bring proofs, for proofs innumerable may be found in the preced- ing pajres ; we may, however, be permitted to il- lustrate it by anecdote, and it is well Iknovvn that his Lordship's rapidity of motion has frequently out- stripped that of his best mounted attendants. On , one of these occasions, having sent couriers in ad- i Tance to order relays of horses, he arrived at a vil- lage alone and unattended: but on asking for a horse he was speedily recognized, when the whole Portu- guese inhabitaats crouded round to ^ce the great 4 A 2 Lord ; 666 U¥E OF THE MOST NOBLE Attention to his soldiers. Lord ; and so strong- was their curiosity, and so affa- ble his Lordship's kindness, that he actually permitted them for some time to examine him at the door of his inn, and then mounting with a smile, rode off, fol- lowed by their united prayers and commendations. That Lord Wellington sees every thing" himself, and that he may be said to live with his soldiers, it another important trait in his character. He never oiders his army to move without seeing" that the troops are well provided with one or tvfo days' sustenance ; he always puts them in motion at an early hour, in order that they may arrive at their ground for the night in good time ; and he never halts them without taking care that every comfort and facility possible may be afforded to the troops for the preparation ef their repast. To their comfort in cantonments he is equally at- tentive, and also to the hospitals. Latterly, we un- derstand, that the medical department of his army has been ably filled, and faithfully attended to, in all its departments; but we have heard that, in an earlj part of the war, his Lordship's regulations were deemed so oppressive by the then medical people, that^ in a body, they sent in their resignations. To this he is said merely to have answered, '* Gentlemen, I accept your resignations, and shall immediately write home for a fresh medical staff: but, mark me ! until they come out, poii shall remain here, and you shall perform your dufy,'^* Secret to an extreme in his plans, yet Lord Wel- lington has that frankness of communication at his table, that he has been accused of not preserving the proper concealment of his own intentions : this is too V- absurd, however, even to require refutation. But on service he is so precise in his manners, so formal, as we understand, even to his own brother-in-law, that implicit obedience is tlie certain result. Indeed, he trusts so much to his ov.n powers, that he asks the "ppiuioo of no man. Lvcu his stall' are always ig»<>- raat lIARaUIS OF WELUNGTOJT. 55^ Piivatc tbrtunCj &i;. rant of his iuteiitioiiii. At head-quarters all is con- jecture — /if thinks, acts, and succeeds; and so well is he understood and seconded, that scarcely is his plaa formed, before it i« executed. So guarded, in fact, is his secrecy, that we understand he once humourously said, *' If I thought the hair of my head knew my plans I would wear a wig." To undertake all this, much activity of body as well as of mind is absolutely necessary : nor do we think it beneath the dignity of history to record, that at present his Lordship is much thinner from the fatigue he undergoes, but is nevertheless in excellent health : and, we are told, that even to support this he lives but moderately, drinking only a few glasses of wine after dumer, conversing with great frankness, and seemingly unconscious of his own greatness. In no instance whatever does he claim to himself any supe- rior comforts, but simply sleeps on a leathern mattrass, two feet wide, when he can procure shelter : at others lying on the bare ground, surrounded by his gallant othcers and faithful soldier^^ With habits of tliis kind we may naturally suppose that, to him, wealth is an object but of minor consi* deration. In fact his brother, Mr. Wellesley Pole, distmctly stated some time ago, in the House of Conunons, that his whole property did not exceed 40,0001. ; of which 50001. was given to him by the East India Company, for his active services as a Conmiissioncr for settling the affairs of the Mysore; 60001. the anjountof his Seringa!. atam j)rize-money j and 2o,000l. the reward of the Mahratta war. In short, as we understand from, the statement of a friend of his Lordship's, so far from deriving any pro- fit troui his cojumands and appointments, it is a fact perh^ctly well known, that all the emoluments of thesSpain, notwithstanding the smallness of his fortune, he, in 1809, actually declined the pay of a Cap- tain-General, although it would have amounted to -3,0001. a year, and was frequently pressed upon him by the Spanish government. To inherit his titles and to share his fortune, he has ah'cady two sons ; the eldest, CharJesy born the 3d of February 1807, and another born the lOth of January 1808 ; but it is to be hoped, that this modern Marlborough, this military Nelson, will yet be long preserved to his grateful country, to his admiring friends, and to his faithful consort ; and that a nobl6 and a numerous race will hand down his gallant name to latest posterity ! Before we close, it may be proper to say a word of the Spanish chai-acter, which may now be fairly con- sidered as beginning to exfiand itself. The enthusiasm of the Spaniards in favour of our g-allant countrymen may be drawn from the fact, that, upon a recent occasion, when Lord Wellington paid a visit to Ciudad E-odrigo, he was received about a mile from the town, by a picquet of children, from eight to nine years of age, who w ere armed with small n.usquets and side arms ; and on entering upon the bridge he was received in a similar manner, with the addition of an infant band of music ; with which his Lordship was so much delighted that he dismounted, and marched at the head of his juvenile band of lionour into the town, amid the acclamations of the populace. - ■ On arriving at the principal square, a Spanish lady presented his Lordship with a nosegay, l)eaittifuHy embroidered MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 5.59 Anecdotes of Madrid. ombroiclered and surrounded by a border, on which were these words : — " To the ever victorious and im- mortal Wellinirton,Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo : this is offered by a Spanish lady, graleful for the taking of the two bulwarks of Castde and Estremadiua." As every anecdote of one so revered and honoured, particularly when characteristic of men and of the times, must be interesting, we cannot pass over a recent delineation of the circumstances attend in"- the entrance into Madrid ; fully conceiving*, as has been already observed, that they will be perused with in- terest, notwithstanding the length of time which has elapsed since their occurrence. " From the neighbourhood of the Palace of Es- curial, I reached the avenues of this magnificent city on the 12th, at a little before twelve o'clock at noon. For the last league, I was received by the people with loud acclamations ; and on reaching t'le arch leading to the end of the city, in which the royal palace is situated, I found a lane formed by two Spanish regiments of horse, and a brigade of our heavy cavalry. *' Lord Wellington soon arrived, and 1 followed close upon his staff, which was not numerous; and thus, at a few paces from him, witnessed his recep- tion. He was dressed in a plain blue g-reat coat, with his General's hat bound with white ostrich feathers. He looked remarkably well ; but from the plainness of his dress, and the smallness of his retinue, he was not immediately recognized. Still the partv was English ; and from the crowd in the streets we passed, as well as from the balconies and windows of well dressed people, the loud vivas and acclamations caused a sensation of pleasure only e(iualled by their own feelings upon the occasion. But when, by my- self and others in tlie suit, it was explained that the Spaniards now beheld the Duke of Ciudad Rodrig'o, the sensation was indescribable; — handkerchiefs wav- ing" from above — hats thrown in the air — every one pressing' 560 ^IPE OF THE MOST NOBLE Glorious reception of the Marquis. prfessing- forward to mark well the General-in-Chief, amidst a noise that drowned those exclamations of satisfaction and dehght that every mouth uttered ; — men, women, children, embracing' us with marks almost of adoration, welcomed us to their city, with ex}?ressions of the most heart-felt satisfaction. " The Earl with delig-ht turned to the animated groupes, and repeatedly taking off his hat, seemed to thank them for that enthusiastic display of their patriotism. This all passed in a city most strikingly beautiful ; the houses of which, mostly white, are well and regularly built, and on this occasion were orna- mented, even to the upper stories, with silk and muslin draperies of the gayest colours, and of the richest and most costly materials, suspended from the windows ; the balconies being festooned with the same materiajs in the most fanciful manner, occasionally displaying" rich tapestry, and the whole filled with the animated figures of the delighted inhabitants, in whose coun- tenances joy manifested itself in a thousand forms. Nor must 1 omit, that the elegant costume of the Spanish women, as well as their beauty, added to the effect of the whole. " Lord Wellington entered the Town-house, or rather that of the municipality, and I proceeded through the city to a coffee-house, to procure refresh- ment. I passed the greater part of the day in my observations as to the reality of the satisfaction so conspicuous in the appearance of the people, and I feel conHdent that it is general and unfeigned. The city was illuminated last night, and will be so for the two ensuing. The concourse of people in the streets on tliis occasion is immense, and the scene is brilliant and lively beyond description. We are received wherever we (^o with acclamations, and invitations are pressed upon us from all quarters ; in short, we seem to be admitted into the bosom of this people."^ The general accounts from all parts of the Penin- sula have long" been highly promising; to theSpnnish cause. MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. 561 Anecdotes of llie Guerillas, cause. At Alicaiit, and indeed throughout the wliole pf the south-east part of Spain, as soon as the Sicilian expedition arrived, all the inhabitants shewed them- selves in the best spirits; and evinced tlie greatest conridence, and declared their readiness to meet the enemy, when Mr. Tupper, the English consul resident there, first issued a proclamation, announcing the re- cent glorious events at Salamanca and Madrid, and calling upon the Valencians to rise in a mass, and destroy their invaders in every practicable way. A new coinage was issued at Madrid, in the name of Ferdinand the 7th ; and there the organization of a regular, and it is to be hoped vigorous, government, has been rapidly going on. In fact, we may now see that the Spanish charac- ter, as far as tlieir antipathies to the English were concerned, has been for some time undergoing a change. They have now learned to regard oiir troops in the true light of deliverers, and, no longer distrust- ful of the English heretic, the Spanish Christian is proud of fighting by his side. It is proper to say a word or two of the Guerillas, who have been already so often mentioned; and per- haps their present state may be best described from a letter written on the spot, which observes that, with respect to the Guerillas, MiNA is the most conspicuous of their chiefs ; his army consists of seven or cig'ht thousand men, of whom 2,000 are cavalry. He keeps nearly six thousand with him at his head quarters, which are in the vicinity of Paiupeluna: the remain- der are detached on different services. The whole of these troops are in excellent discipline, particularly the cavalry, and are well clothed, well fed, and re- gularly paid every four days. His positi6n has long been particularly annoying to the French;, as it obliges them to keep a numerous garrison at Papipelnna, ^nd to have almost an army to escort their convoys to and from France. He likewise attacks their foraging parties, and has frequently of late driven them to the '24. 4 B verr 562 I'^FK OF THE MOST NOBLE Anecdotes of Mma. very g-ates of that town. His troops are entirely de- voted to him, and place the utmost confidence in his abilities ; he has coiistantly either led them to victory, or, where opposed by superior force, has withdrawn them with little loss. Although constantly in action, and consequently meeting' with daily losses, still his arkiiy incitases r.i numbers. He has of late received considerable pecuniary assistance from the Spanish government, which, com- bined with the booty occasionally taken from the French, and the revenue raised in that part of the country ^vhich he occupies, enables him, with econo- my, to pay his troops regularly. He, of late, has rarely declined to meet the French on equal terms ; and the enthusiasm and valour of his troops have jus- tified him in so doing ; having almost invariably come off with advantage. These actions cost dear ; but it shews his troops what they are equal to when ably conducted. With respect to the other Guerillas corps it must be confessed, indeed, that they are far inferior, though certainly the men all possess the necessary qualities for making excellent soldiers. Their officers have all risen in the same manner as Mina ; but then they eitiier have not equal abilities, or perhaps have not had the same opportunities of acquiring a knowledge of the military profession : they are, however, willing,' and enjieavour to learn; but their discipline at pre- sent is very imperfect; they do not, consequently, ever venture to meet the French at a charge, or where manceuvring is necessary. The men are be- sides badly clothed, scarcely ever receiving any pay, and, what is worse, are most miserably fed. These various corps are known by the names of their chiefs. Longa has 4,000 men; Bon Gaspar 1500; Reno- vales's, Porlier's, and Campello's corps are estimated as making up the whole 12,000. This forms the army under RIendizabel which has been so long ac- tive in the northern provinces. 9 The* MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. -jQ^ Genera! insecurity ol tlie French. The state of the French army in Spain, even at this period, may be drawn from a communication from a person on the spot, in which he declares that Avithout seeing the various places, it was impossible to conceive its actual state, or the slight tenure by which the enemy held it. In most of the small towns, and in every one which was a post town, there were complete fortifications. This it seems was found ne- cessary, not oidy to prevent surprise from the Gue- rillas, but also to overawe the natives — in all cases, the church or convent, in the centre of the village, with six or eight of the nearest houses, were formed into a place of arms or castle ; and this was generally surrounded by one, two, or three walls, and as many ditches. In the middle of the main street, there were always a wall, gateway, and trenches ; and opposite every avenue to the place, more trenches and logs of wood laid across — and all the walls every where loop- holed. They obliged the inhabitants to work at these walls, and forbade them, on pain of death, going out of, or coming into the village after dark — yet not- withstanding all this, there were few phices where the Guerillas did not attack them. At every post town or village there were 200 men stationed, and by these the mail was always escorted from [)lace to place, in parties of 100 dragoons : yet it must be confessed that it has been stated that the poor inhabitants often dreaded the Guerillas as much as the French, for they levied contributions on them, and plundered them most unmercifully. We shall now close with a recent statement of the whole hostile and allied force in the Peninsula, which has been lately published, and which we believe may be considered as very correct. The existing condition of the concerns of Spain, occasioned by the valour of the allied ai'mies, and the unparalleled skill and activity of their commander, certainly promises the fairest issue to the contest there. 4 B 2 Success 564 I^IFE OF THE MOST NOBLE Force of the British arroj". • ^___^ Success itself is a most operative cause in the produc- tion of success ; and when afiairs have once proceed- ed in a certain train for some time, they will have ac- quired an inclination to continue in that course, — a degree of velocity beyond that imparted to them by the hand of their director,^ — which it is difE.- ult to stop. Yet must we not believe, even with all these favouring circumstances, that we are beyond the reach or possibility cf sustaining a check in the Pe- ninsula, — that we have so beaten down opposition that it can never again lift the head against us. In truth, such are the comparative numbers of the con- tending' armies in Spain, that if we had never yet met the enemy, and had never given them a proof of our mettle, they might reasonably enough, looking only to their own forces, have supposed themselves able to drive us from the field ; and we verily believe, that Lord Wellington and his army are the only General and troops in Europe, against whom Souk w=^ ild not march with the utmost confidence of success, instead of circuitously skulking " like a guilty thief" through the kingdoms of Granada, Murcia, and Valencia. From the Peninsula a variety of papers have been received, which enable us to throw some light upon the actual state of the allied and of tlie enemy's forces in that quarter, 1. THE BRITISH. Rank and file efTectlv*. British, under Lord Wellington and Gen. Hill 40,000 under General Maitland 0,000 G'drrisons of Cadiz and Carthagena. ... G,000 Total Effective British 59,000 Portuguese Total Eilectives 24,000 Total disposable British and Portuguese 76,000 2. SPANISH M M?QUIS OF WELLINGTON. 5(5/5 Spanish armies. 2. SPANISH ARMIES. The 1st army is stationed in Catalonia, under the general command of General Lacy. This army amounts to 17,000 men; or which number 6000 are in the garrisons of Montserrat, Vich, ]\Ianresa, Car- dona, and at some other parts of less importance. The disposable army, amounting to 11,000 men, is thus distributed : — Under Lacy^s immediate command 3000 Eroles 3000 Sarfseld 3000 Rovira, the Conqueror ol'Figueras 2000 11,000 The 2d army is that of Valenciff ; the od army is the army of Murcia. Both of these were under the command of O'Donnel, who was lately defeated by General Harispe, at Castella. They are now under the orders of Elio, the late Viceroy at Monte Video ; including' Roche's division. These two armies amount to 18,000 men ; of which number 11,000 are disposa- ble and effective. The 4th army is that of Andalusia, and is com- manded by Ballasteros. It amounts to 23,000 men, of which Ballasteros has 1)000 ; there are 14,000 men at the Isla de Leon, at Tariffa, and at Seville. The 5th army is in Estremadura, and is command- ed by Monsaiud, an old Spanish otticer, and Captain- General of the province. Under him are Murillo, the Conde de Penne Villemnr, and Downe; and the total force, including' the garrison of Badajoz, where the head-quarters are, and where General Monsaiud is stationed, is 7000 men. The (ith army is tiie army of Gallicia, and amounts to 12,000 effectives. This includes the force under Porlier and Santocildes, and is nmler the general di- rection of General Castanos. There is also the corps under 566 I^I^ ^^ THE MOST NOBLE Gaeriila force, under the command of Don Carlos D'Espana, which cannot certainly exceed 4000 men. The 7th army is that of Asturias, and is command- ed by Mendizabel, liaving under him Renovales. This force does not, it is believed, exceed 3000 efi'ectives. ABSTHACT, INCLUDING GAKRISONS. 1st Army..-. 17,000 Catalonia. Lacy, Commander 2d and 3d .. 18,000 Murcia and Valencia ..Elio, 4th Ai-my ._ 23,000 Andalusia Baliasteros, 5th Army -. 7,000 Estremadura ..-..«-.Monsalud, '6th Army -- 12,000 Gallicia ....... Castanos, 7th Army .. 3,000 Asturias ....,.-... -.Mendizabfcl, Corps under ) ^ r>r,i\ iv/r i • i -J > 4,000 Madrid. Espana \ Total 84,000 To tbis, let us add the Guerilla parties. Mina ...... 3000 in Navarre. Duraa 2500 Arragon. Montijo (a Grandee) .. 2500 Valencia. Vitlacampa .. . 3000 Arragon. The Empecinado 1000 Guadalaxara^ Martinez 1500 La Mancha. Bassecourt 2000 Cuenca. Don Julian Sanchez . 1500 Total 15,000) 20 000 The detached parties 5,000 >' ^"'""" Add regular troops _...... 84,000 Total Spanish regulars and irregulars 104,(X)0 Add the British and Portuguese 7G,000 Total Allied Armies.... 180,000 The composition of this Ip.rge force is understood not to be equal to its amount ; and the British and Portuguese are alone, perhaps, to be yet depended upon in action with the French. At the same time, many of the ►Spanish corps, both regular and irregu- lar, have displayed great bravery against the French, and must every day improve. 3. THE MARQUIS OF WELLINGTON. .5(^7 French armies. ' i' 3. THE FRENCH. EflTec'ive. 1st. The Army of Soult 45,(>Oi) 2d. The Army of Suchet, amounts to 26,000 Suchet has under his command the provinces of Valencia, Upper and Lower Arragon, and New Arra- gon ; which latter province contains that part of the province of Catalonia, to the westward of Balaguer, Cervera, and Villa Franca ; and includes the cities of Tarragona, and Tortosa, which is Snchet's prmcipal depot, and is strongly fortified. The remainder of the province of Catalonia is annexed to France, and is under the orders of General Decaen, who lately was Governor-General of the Mauritius. Suchet's corps is thus divided : — In Valencia 9,000 Upper Anagon ........ 6,000 Lower Arragon .... . 5,000 New Arragon 6,000 Total 26,000 Of this force 10,000 men are stationed in the different garrisons of Tarragona, Tortosa, and Mecjuinenza, in New Arragon : those of Saragossa, Huesca, Balbas- tro, Benavane, Monson, Benaschi, Jaca, and the Cinco Villas, in Upper Arragon : the garrison of Va- lencia, 400 men only,) and the garrisons of Calatayud, Daroca, Alcaniz, Caspe, Morella, and Teruel, in Lower Arragon. The French in the towns of Sara- gossa, and of Valencia, have demolished the works of the towns, and confine themselves to the citadels, which they have strengthened by ditches and other works : and which they are thus enabled to maintain with a small force. The disposable force under Su- chet is therefore 16,000 men. 3d. The army of Catalonia, under General Decaen, amounts to 20,000 men : of which 13,000 are in the garrisons of Figueras, Bascara, Olot, Rosas, Gerona, Ijabisbal, Palamos, Hostalrich, and Barcelona. But from these Gfarrisons Decaen can, and does, when ne- garrison* 568 LIFE OF MARQUIS WELLINGTON, Conclusion. ■ , ■ * - — ■ ■■ ' ' ■■■■-,■ . — — .--■.,■■■,,■■,., . ■—..._.. ,.», ,,, t m^ cessary, witlKlraw 4000 men, so that bis disposable force may be 11,000 men. 4th. The army in Navarre, which is a separate command, amounts to 9000 men, of which ^5000 are in the garrison of Pampeluna, and other posts. 5th. The army of the North, under CaffarelH, amounts to 9000 men, of which 7000 are eftec- tives. 6th. The remain^ of Marmont's army amount to 30,000, of which 2-5,000 are disposable, and the re- mainder form the garrisons of Burgos, Pancorbo, Vit- toria, and other posts.- 7th. The army under Joseph, lately called that of the " Centre," is certainly 10,000 men, and is com- manded by Marshal Jourdan. ABSTRACT. Soult CSouthotSpain,at > ^^ ( Grrenada at present > Suchet Valencia 26,000 Decaen ..Catalonia ...__. 20,000 Navarre .._ Pampeluna .............. 9,000 CalFarelli Army of the North i. 9,000 Marmont Burgos 30,000 Joseph '.Valencia 10,000 Total 139,000 Of which there are in garrisons 32,000 Total 107,000 So that the French disposable force may certainly be estimated at 100,600 men : this however, under the present circumstances of Europe, it is to be hoped is not so preponderant a force as to jjaralise the allied exert)ons; so that v/e may rationally look for further opportunities o( recording future victories, and of haihng an established Era m the Independ- ence 0^^ THE PeJSINSUXa! THE END. INDEX. A. ABERCROMBY, General, galliiiitry of, 41. Alimednagluir, and its siege, 120. Albuera, battle of, 410. Aldea de Pontc. battle of, 424. Ally Ghur, battle of, 133. Alniarez, gallant attack on, by Sir Rowland Hill, 457. Almeida, capture of, 344 —— blockaded, 399 ; siege, 409. Alost, curious military anecdote of, 34. Anecdotes, of VVellesley family, 25 ; of Marquis of VVellesley, 26 ; of expedition to Brittany, 28 ; of Duke of York, 29 ; of French cruelty, 30 ; of siege of Tournay, ib. of republi- can plunder, 33 ; niilitaty, of Alost, 34; of Colonel Doyle, 35; of gallasit private soldier, 37; of Duke of York, 40; of General Pichegru, 4'J ; of Bom- mel, 44 ; of Dutch inliospltality, 45 ; of the siege of Grave, 43 ; of retreat of the British army, 52 ; of humanity of the Duke of York, 54 ; of General Harris, 66; of Colonel Dunlop, 76 ; of forlorn hop.-, 76; of Tippoo Saib, 81 ; of French republican offi- cers, 84 ; of ancient Princes of Mysore, 95 ; of Scindiah, 108 ; of Monsieur Perron, 110; of Holkar, 112; of tlie assault of AhmednaiJllur, 123; of Lord Lake, 137 ; of Colonel Lake, 138 ; of Lord Calhcart. 151 ; of Pakeiibaui family, 153; of the battle of Roskin', 164 ; of the siege of Copenhagen, 166; of Spanish Royal Family, 175 ; of the Prince of Peat e, 181; of in- surrection at Madrid, 182 ; of French massacre at Madrid, 184; 24. of Jiuiot, 191 ; of Lolson, 194; of French atrocity at Leyria, 198 ; of the battle of Roleia, 203; of Colonel Lake, 204; of Sir Harry Burrard, 207 ; of Co- lonel Taylor, 210; of General Ferguson, 211 ; of General Kel- lerman, 214 ; of the Convention of Cintra, 215 ; ofVimiera, &c. 218; of General Palafox, 232; of Joseph Buonaparte, 234; of Marshal Ney, 235 ; of Don Ju- lian, 236; of Sir Jolin Moore, 239, 251; of General Hope, 244 ; of Sir David Baird, 246 ; of Lord Proby, 250 ; of Lord Paget, 258 ; of Buonaparte, 260; of Major Roberts, 261 ; of Ge- neral Stewart, 262 ; of General Anstruther, 263 ; of the death of Sir Joim Moore, and of the bat- tle of Corunna, 269; of Colonel Symes, 270 ; of the battle of the Douro, 281; of Marshal Soult, 284 ; of French plunder, 286 ; of Marshal Victor, 294 ; of Ge- neral M'Kcnzie, 297 ; of Sir Ro- bert Wilson, 307 ; of Sebastiaiii, 327 ; of Augereau, 333 ; of Ge- neral Craufurd, 335; of Reg- nier, 340 ; of General Picton, 350; of General L{ Lieut. Col. 414. Diinlop, an»^cdotesof Colonel, 76. Dutch, unhandsome conduct of, 43,45,33. Enlluisiasm of the Spaniards, 1S6, 231. F. Fall of Dhoondiah, 103. Ferguson, anecdotes of General. 211. Flanders, war in, 29. Forlorn Hope at Seringapatam, anecdote of, 76. French armv, atrocities of, 331 ; &c. 33 1. Frere, diplomatic exertions of Mr. 234. Fuente d'Honor, battle of, 400. FueiiteCuinaldo, battle of, 420. G. Gallantry of thirty third regiment, 41, 50. Gawiighur, siege of, 141. Gerona, anecdotes of, 316, Tihent, plunder of, 39. Girard, surprise of General, at Arroyo de Molino, 429; Graham, anecdotes of General, 376. Crave, siege of, 48. II. JIanoveh, expedition to, 158. Harris, anecdotes of General, 66. Hill, anecdotes of Sir Rowland, 427. Uiiiojosa, gallant affair of Cavalrv at, 499. Jlolkar, anec8 ; of Al- meida, 409; of Badajoz, 410, 416; of Ciudad Rodrigo, 435; of Badajoz, 442 ; of the siege of the forts at Salamanca, 465 ; of the Ketiro at Madrid, 508, 514; of Cadiz raised, 523; of Burgos, 546, Simon, anecilotes of General, 353. Soldier, private, gallantry of, 37. Soult, anecdotes of Marshal, 284. Spain ; conduct of Buonaparte, 174; affairs of the royal family, 175; revolution tiiere, 177; seizure of the royal family, 180; impudent proclamation of Buo- naparte, 185 ; state of the coun- try in 1808, 229; constitutional oaths, 230; central junta, 231; defeats of the patriots in the north, 237 ; advance of Sir John Moore's army, 247 ; operations after the bitile of the Douro, and the junction of the allied ar- mies, 238 ; arrival of the Mar- quis of Wclleslev, 303 ; defence of Cadiz, 329; calling of the Cortes, 330 ;u)ilitary operations in the south, 332 ; increase ot" the Guerilla system, 433 ; their exertions, 496 ; occurrences at Astorga, and in the north, 500 ; addresses to the Jiu'amentados and their effect, 515; successes in the south of Spain, 524; fur- ther successes of tlie Guerillas, 539. Speeches, parliamentary, of Sir Ar- thur, 155, 156. '157, 158, 169, 170, 172; 274. Stevenson, judicious conduct of Colonel, i03. Stewart, anecdotes of General, 262. Sultaunpettah, attack of, 73. Symes, anecdotes of Lieutenant "Colonel, 270, Talavera, battle of, 295, Taylor, anecdotes of Lieutenant Colonel, 210. Thanks of Parliament, debates on, 317. Tippoo Sultaun, politics of, 62. Saib, gallantry of, 76; his fall, 78; his body found, 81 ; anecdotes of, ib. his family re- moved, 86; his' throne, 88; cruelty, 89. Torres Vedras, lines of, described, 371. Tournay, anecdotes of siege of, 30. Treaty concluded with Scindiab, 144'. Tuyl, gallant attack on, 47. V. Valladolid, occupied by the Bri- tish, 496. Victor, anecdotes of Marshal, 294. Villa Garcia, defeat of enemy's cavalry, 452. Viiniera,' battle of, 207. W. War with Holkar, 147. Wellesley, adoption of name, 25. Wellesley Marcjuis, exemplary conduct of, 26; political con- duct in India, 91; arrives in Spain, 26. Wellesley, Maiquis of, charges against, 153. Wkllingtov, Marquis of, an- cestry, 22; birth, 26; entrance into the army, 27 ; military edu- cation, ib. proceeds for Flanders, 31; conduct at Alost, 38 ; ju- dicious conduct at Bo\tei, 41 ; gallant conduct of Melteren, 49 ; covers the retreat, 56 ; arrival in England, 57; proceeds to In- dia, 58; joins Ihe army against Tippoo, 65 ; gallantry at Mai- lavelly, 68 ; services at Seringa- patani, 72; attacks the Sultaun- pettah, 73 ; post at the assaultj 75 ; tinds the body of Tippoo, 81; lakes the command at Se- ringapatam, 85 ; lemoves Tip- j)oo's family, as one of the com* missioners, 8(i ; re-establishes the aiuicnl princes ; appointed go- vernor of Seringapatam, 97 ; proceeds against Dlioondiah Waugh, 101; defeats Dhoomliah, 103 ; destiued for specific ser- vice,- \i INDEX rice, but returns to Seringapa- tam, 104, et seq ; dates of mili- tary rank, 106; engages in the ■war against the Mahratta insur- gents, 113; SaveyPoonah, 116; restores the Peishwah, 117; re* ceives diplomalic powers, 118; advances to Ahinednaghur, 120 ; assaults the Pettah, 121; takes Jalnapoor, 124; advances to Nauhiiah, 126 ; battle of Assye, 127 ; further |)roceedings against the Mahrattas, 139; battle of Argaum, l4l ; siege of Gawil- ghur, 142 ; concludes peace with Scindiah, 144; receives military compliments, &c. 145; pro- ceeds to Bombay, 146; elected knight of the Bath, 143 ; re- ceives numerous complimentary addresses, and leaves India, 149 ; arrives in England, and proceeds to Hanover, 150; returns to England, 151; becomes Colonel of the 33d, 152 ; takes a seat in Parliament, 153; marries Miss Pakenham, ib. vindicates his brother in Parliament, 154 ; ap- pointed Secretary in Ireland, J 58 ; expedition to Copenha- gen, 159 ; detached on separate service, 162 ; defeats the Danes at Roschild, 163; surrender of Copenhagen, 167 ; thanked by the House of Commons, &c. 169; official duties, 170; pro- ceeds to the Peninsulj, 189; lands at Mondego, 195; battle of Roleia, 201 ; battle ot Vimi- «ra, 207 ; superseded by Gene- rals Burrow, and Dalrymple. 213; Convention of Cintrn, 215; returns to England, 216; his vindication, 220 ; et seq : fur- ther parliamentary speeches, &c. 274; his parliamentary charac- ter, 276 ; proceeds again to the Peninsula, 277; defeats Soult and takes Oporto, 279 ; pursues the French army, 287 ; advances towards Talavera, 292 ; battle of Talavera, 295 ; retreat after the battle, 308; raised to the Peerage, 315, 441 ; thanks of Parliament, 317; battle of Busaco, 347; re- tires upon the Imes of Torres Vedras, 361 ; retreat of the French on Santarem, 365, 386 ; blockades Almeida, 399 ; battle of p\iente d' Honor, 400; re- ceives thanks and a sword from the city of London, 408 ; battle of Fuente Guinaldo, 420 ; of Aldea del Ponte, 424 ; foreign honours, 426 ; takes Ciudad Ro- drigo, 435 ; created an Earl, 441 ; has an annuity settled by Parliament', 443; takes Salaman- ca, 462 ; further movements of the armies, 470; defeats the French army near Salamanca, 475 ; created a marquis, duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, and knight of the Golden Fleece, 491 ; ap- pointed Generalissimo of the Spanish armies, 492 ; enters Valladolid, 496; proceeds for Madrid, 497; enters the capital, 506 ; enthusiastic reception, 512; proclaims the Spanish Con- stitution, 514; &c. advances against the French troops in the north, 542; drives them from Valladolid and Burgos, 545 ; and besieges the castle of the latter place, 546 ; furtiier oc- currences of the siege, and Con- clusion, with Character and Copious (intcdotcf). Wilson, anecdotes of Sir Robert, 307,313. Y. York, Duke of, his campaigns, &c. 29, 40, 54, 57. Z. Zenana at Seringnpatam, search of, b7. Directions for placing the Plates. Portrait and Vignette Title-page to face each other. Map of Spain and Portugal to face fii-st page of Introduction. Storming of Seringapatam ' Page 74 Sir Artliur Wellesley discovering the Dead Uody of Tippoo 81 Battle of Assye 130 Plan of the Battle of Vimiera 208 Battle of Vimlera 212 Battle of Talavera 299 Storming of Ciudad Rodrigo 437 Battle of Salamanca 476 Entry into Madrid 50S- CLARKE'S LIFE OF WELLINGTON, WITH Engravings, Plans, and Maps. l'2s. 6d. boards. BOOKS PRINTED POR J. AND J. CUNDEE, IVY-LANE, PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON. 1. 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