('/if/cr-jin/ C232 PBINTED BY JOHN EDWARD TAYLOE, LITTLE QUEEH" STBEET, Lincoln's INN FIELDS. HENRY MORSE STEPHEUt ac TO MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY BENTINCK, THE OFFICEBS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICEES, AND SOLDIERS OP W$z Brtjjaoe of r who had at- tempted a return to their homes during the occu- 53 pation of the enemy, were absolutely starving ; they had been robbed of all they had, and every violence had been done them. If the result of the advance of the French into Portugal was calamitous, the scenes witnessed on their retreat were deplorable. Destruction, incen- diarism, violation, and murder, in short, desola- tion, marked their course. Their steps were traced by the conflagration of towns, villages, and quin- tas. From the mountain-heights might be seen to rise the smoke from the valleys, where the habita- tion of the peasant and mansion of the noble were alike consumed. If the enemy could not exist in the country, they had determined that nothing should be left for others. Well might Lord Wellington, at this time, write as follows to Lord Liverpool, in reply to financial objections for supplying the necessary men and materials to prosecute the war in the Peninsula. He says, under date of Santa Marinha, 23rd of March, 1811 : " I shall be sorry if Government should think themselves under the necessity of withdrawing from this country, on account of the expense of the con- From what I have seen of the objects of the French Government, and the sacrifices they make to accomplish them, I have no doubt that, if the British army were for any reason to withdraw from the Peninsula, and the French Government were relieved from the pressure of military operations 54 PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY. on the Continent, they would incur all risks to land an army in his Majesty's dominions. Then, indeed, would commence an expensive contest; then would his Majesty's subjects discover what are the miseries of war, which, by the blessing of God, they have hitherto had no knowledge of; and the cultivation, the beauty, and prosperity of the country, and the virtues and happiness of its in- habitants, would be destroyed, whatever might be the result of the military operations. God forbid that I should be a witness, much less an actor in the scene ! and I only hope that the King's Govern- ment will consider well what I have above stated to your lordship ; will ascertain, as nearly as is in their power, the actual expense of employing a cer- tain number of men in this country, beyond that of employing them at home, or elsewhere ; and will keep up their force here on such a footing as will, at all events, secure their possession, without keep- ing the transports, if it does not enable their com- mander to take advantage of events, and assume the offensive." The French being unable longer to occupy Por- tugal, Massena declared he would render it not worth living in ; and, as far as lay in his power, he kept his word. On the 9th our Division moved by Torres Novas, through a bleak and dreary country, in bad weather, and did not reach Pialva, where we halted for the night, till ten o'clock p.m. On the 10th, again, through bad weather and AFFAIR OF REDINHA. 55 worse roads, we followed in the enemy's track to Cacarcs. On the 11th, after being on the march from half-past six in the morning until ten o'clock at night, wc bivouacked in the vicinity of Pombal. Being sent to communicate an order to one of our other brigades, I met in the dark, in an olive grove, a heavy dragoon of ours who had lost his way. He asked me where he " could find head- quar- ters ;" the cavalry-man, to my surprise, had an Eng- lish officer, in the uniform of his regiment, tied to his back. This was Lieutenant , an Irish Ca- tholic, belonging to the th regiment, who had not long before deserted to the enemy, and had been re-taken in the skirmish at Pombal that morning, and was now being conveyed a prisoner to Lord Wellington. It was proved, afterwards, that the man was insane ; and we had the satisfaction never to hear anything more of him. From the 11th to the 15th there were very sharp affairs daily between the enemy and the Light,, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Divisions, at Pombal, Redinha, Condexa, Miranda, Foz d'Aronce, and the Ceira river. The commencement of that at Redinha was fine in the extreme. The day was clear and bright, the mountainous tract of country beautiful, and the ground on which we deployed and moved forward under fire of the enemy's guns, was extensive in space and grand in view. The Light Division were hard at work, as they always were, skirmishing with activity ; the curling smoke 56 RETREAT OF THE FRENCH. rising from the hollow ; the sharp rattle of mus- ketry ascending from the woods and the valleys beneath our front; the booming of cannon-shot through the air, and the echo of the whole from the distant hills ; the solemn advance of our sup- ports in three lines, by division, backed by co- lumns, oh ! it was a noble and gallant sight to look upon, more like some pleasant movement of troops in review, than the deadly and destructive reality of strife ; but, as we gained ground, the re- sults, though favourable, left behind their marks of mischief. We marched past the dead, the dying, or the wounded, to that success which, at the time, made those casualties less heeded by the unharmed ; but, like some rattling leap taken in a fox-chase, it did not do in sober mind to look back on what you had gone over. The day was gained, the fatigue was passed, and rest at a merry bivouac fire re- freshed the weary for the coming day and contest. They both came, but that of the morrow was not so exciting. The enemy, believing a larger force was on the north bank of the Mondego than merely Wilson and Grant's outposts, and having made some ineffectual attempts to pass the bridge at Coimbra, and some fords where they met resist- ance, abandoned their idea of retreating in that direction: and as the Third Division now hung on their left flank, they took the road from Con- dexa to the Puente de Murcella, burning Condexa as they passed through it. 57 CHAPTER IV. CASAL NOVA. THE NAPIERS. REPULSE OF* NEY. WANT OF PROVISIONS. SABUGAL. COLONEL WATERS. CONDUCT OF THE MINISTRY. ENTRY INTO SPAIN. ALMEIDA. MASSENA'S ADVANCE. BATTLE OF FUENTES. ANECDOTES. The following day was the affair of Casal Nova. Early dawn brought with it an intense fog, which lasted for some time after sunrise ; our chief having no taste for blindman's buff, we remained on our ground, unable to move ; gradually the mountain- tops began to show their heads, looking like so many islets swimming in the sea of fog beneath. At length the dense mass of mist rose, like a great curtain, from the valleys below, when was displayed to our longing eyes the glorious sight of the whole French rear-guard in martial array, in position, with the sun brightly glittering on their arms. It was a sight enough to make a dolt a soldier ! We moved the same scene of sharp contest ensued the Light Division ever gallantly sticking to them, and carrying all before them \ driving the enemy from hill to hill, across ravines, over streams, from 58 CASAL NOVA* valley to mountain, as we kept moving on in sup- port, occasionally halting, and then again nioving rapidly forward. The Light and Fourth Divisions had turned the enemy's left ; our Division, and the Fifth and Sixth, the heavy cavalry and artil- lery, moved on their centre. The French retreat at last became more rapid than regular ; confusion ensued amongst them ; but they gained the Pass of Miranda, burnt the town, and passed the Ceira that night. Their army was now compressed and crowded into one narrow line, between the high sierras and the Mondego river : they destroyed part of their baggage and ammunition, and left Mar- shal Ney to cover the passage with a few batta- lions. We passed over the ground gained by our gal- lant light troops : the wounded who could not move to the rear were with the dead, lying as they fell. Among the former were to be found three brothers those noble fellows, the Napiers. Wil- liam and George, of the 43rd and 52nd, were ly- ing, severely wounded, not far from the roadside ; and Charles, who commanded the 50th, came up at this moment and joined his brothers, not being himself quite recovered from the wound he had re- ceived at Busaco. Here, then, were three of one family met together, each bearing on his person the most emphatic mark of having done his duty to his country ! They are now all general officers and Knights of the Bath, and have well earned THE NAPIERS. 59 their distinctions*. Sir Charles, previous to this, had been left for dead on the field of Coruria, and was so returned in the list of casualties : he had been found, however, by a Spanish peasant, and taken to his house, recovered, and, by the kindness of Marshal Soult, was liberated. On his return home, he found his family had been in mourning for him. His after career and services, in annex- ing Scinde, by conquest, to our Indian empire; and his brother William's merits as a soldier, and as the historian of the Peninsular war, are too well known and appreciated to need any remark from the writer of these pages ; he may be allowed how- ever to express his admiration of the talents of this distinguished family, who from, and long be- fore, the days of the great inventor of logarithms, Napier of Merchistoun, whether by sea, by land, or in diplomacy, serve their country to advantage, and never lose sight of their family motto, "Ready, aye ready." Near the Napiers, among others ly- ing wounded, was Captain Jones, a Welshman, and an acquaintance of mine : surgeons were scarce, which is generally the case when troops are skir- mishing over a wild, broken, and extensive country, in extended order. Jones was badly hurt, and, at my suggestion, our Colonel allowed our assistant- surgeon to look at him, on condition of the doc- tor's immediate return, as we \wiv hurrying on, and knew not how soon we might want his assist- * Sir Charles since this was written is dead. 60 REPULSE OF NEY. ance. I believe this medical officer aided the Na- piers in their necessity, as well as Captain Jones ; and if so, to this hour they know not who sent him. The following day, the enemy having retired in the night, we did not come up with them till four o'clock p.m. They had been cooking when our ad- vanced guard reached them. Lord Wellington ar- rived; and, casting a rapid glance at their strong position, ordered an instant attack. The Light and Third Divisions advanced immediately, and rather disturbed their culinary occupations, which were found in matured preparation, kettles and all on the fires. The visit of our advanced troops be- ing too sudden to give them time to carry off their provisions, our people appropriated these to them- selves, and followed the foe, the Light Division and Packers Portuguese attacking their right flank, on rough and rugged ground, the Third Division their left, which rested on the village of Foz d'Aronce. The Horse Artillery, galloping forward to a rising ground, opened their fire with a sudden and great effect. Ney's left wing was surprised, and fled in great confusion, rushing down to the bridge and ford, and were crushed to death or drowned in considerable numbers*. We had a rapid scamper of two miles at double-quick after the enemy this evening across the country, through muddy lanes, encumbered with asses and mules, which, incapable of further moving, had been hamstrung, and were * See Napier. CONTINUED RETREAT OF MASSENA. 61 thus maimed, poor brutes, to render them useless to us. Through thick pine-woods, without being able to see anything, we followed au pas accelere, direct toward our front, where the usual music pre- vailed; but in spite of all our efforts, we arrived only in time for Nightingale's brigade of our Di- vision to take a share in the fray, which was a suf- ficiently heavy one. Darkness now prevailed, and was increased by the gloom of the pine-forest ; the firing still continued, and we could see the flicker- ing of musketry between the trees, throwing un- certain and indistinct light on the objects around. The Light Division had driven the French rear- guard across the Ceira river with great loss. In the dark, one French brigade fired into another ; they blew up their spare ammunition, buried some guns, destroyed their baggage, lost an eagle, and suffered severely in killed and wounded in this ac- tion. Massena retired behind the Alva, yet Ney maintained the left bank of the Ceira until their remaining encumbrances passed. Thus terminated the first part of the retreat from Santarem. After this we took some five hundred more prisoners, who had been on a marauding excursion. Our Divi- sion had been in support of Picton's. Our bivouac was in the pine-wood; we were ordered to make no fires, we had no provisions, our baggage was not allowed to come up. It rained hard throughout the night, but we were directed to make ourselves as comfortable as we could. Next day some of us 62 THE MISERIES OF WAR. got a portion of donkey-flesh, cut from the corpses of those respectable animals left behind by the enemy, but minus salt, biscuit, or other addenda ; however, it was something, which was better than nothing. For the rest, we had been successful; for the result of these operations was, that Coim- bra and Upper Beira were saved from the enemy's ravages, and they were obliged to take for their retreat the road by the Ponte de Murcella, which enabled the Portuguese Militia, under Wilson and Trant, to manoeuvre on the right bank of the Mon- dego, which they had already prevented the enemy from passing, and they further continued to act se- verely on their flank, while the Allied Army still pressed on their rear. They had no provisions ex- cept what they plundered on the spot, and carried on their backs ; they still continued burning and destroying all they passed through of towns, vil- lages, quintas, and houses. While halting for further supplies from our Com- missariat, near the banks of the Alva, I found in a roofless house, which had been destroyed by the flames, a poor old man, lying on his own threshold, shot through the body ; a young woman, apparently enceinte, suspended by the neck to a beam ; and a child of tender age, lying at her feet, with its throat cut. And this was "glorious war" as carried on by the French army in Portugal, anno Domini 1811 ! Lord Wellington, about this date, writes on this subject as follows to Lord Liverpool : CRUELTY OF THE FRENCH ARMY. 63 ' ' I am concerned to be obliged to add to this ac- count, that their conduct throughout this retreat has been marked by a barbarity seldom equalled, and never surpassed. Even in the towns of Torres Novas, Thomar, and Purnes, in which the head- quarters of some of the corps had been for four months, and in which the inhabitants had been invited, by promises of good treatment, to remain, they were plundered, and many of their houses destroyed, on the night the enemy withdrew from their position ; and they have since burnt every town and village through which they have passed. The convent of Alcobaca was burnt by order from the French head-quarters ; the bishop's palace, and the whole town of Leyria, in which General Drouet had had his head -quarters, shared the same fate ; and there is not an inhabitant of the country, of any class or description, who has had any dealing or communication with the French army, who has not had reason to repent of it and to complain of them. This is the mode in which the promises have been performed, and the assurances have been fulfilled, which were held out in the proclamation of the French commander-in-chief; in which he told the inhabitants of Portugal that he was not come to make war upon them, but with a powerful army of 110,000 men to drive the English into the sea. It is to be hoped that the example of what has oc- curred in this country will teach the people of this and of other nations what value they ought to place 64 WANT OF PROVISIONS. on such promises and assurances ; and that there is no security for life,, or for anything which makes life valuable, excepting in decided resistance to the enemy." " Gallis fidem non habendam; hominibus levi- bus, perfidis, et in ipsos Deos immortales impiis/' said Cicero some two thousand years ago ; and so might the Portuguese people have well said of the descendants of these very Gauls. We crossed the Sierra de Moita, and moved down to the banks of the Alva ; here, having no further commissariat resources, we were obliged to halt, to await their arrival. To save land-transport, and to have our munitions nearer, they were sent round from the Tagus in transports to Mondego Bay. We had outmarched our provisions, in addition to which the Portuguese Government had, as usual, failed in supplying their own troops, who were then obliged to be furnished by our Commissariat; added to this, some of the new and tardily-expedited re- inforcements from England (which regiments ought to have reached us before we left Cartaxo), on their way up, against every order to the contrary, seized the commissariat supplies intended for us, and at this critical moment we were left without the means of following the enemy. Our Division had in con- sequence to halt, from the 19th, when we reached Sarzadas, to the 25th of March. On this occasion Lord Wellington wrote as follows : " In the night the enemy destroyed the bridge on the Ceira and SURRENDER OF BADAJOS. 65 retreated, leaving a small rear-guard on the river. The destruction of the bridge at Foz d'Aronce, the fatigues which the troops have undergone for seve- ral days, and the want of supplies have induced me to halt the army this day." Again he writes, under date of Gouvea, March 27th : " When I found that the enemy retired with such celerity from Moita, I continued the pursuit of them with the cavalry and Light Division, supported by the Third and Sixth Divisions; and I was induced to halt the rest of the army till the supplies came up." We all shared alike in commons so short, and were glad, when we could get it, to have an addi- tion of bullock's liver by way of a luxury. Neither Indian corn, bread, nor biscuit, was to be seen; and I remember giving a dollar for a ship's bis- cuit to a sergeant of the 42nd, who was coming up from the rear. During this recess from fighting, we heard from Lord March (who complained that nothing was going on) of the battle of Barossa, and, as a counterpoise to this, of the loss of Ba- dajos, surrendered by the Spaniards on the very day after the governor had received Lord Welling- ton's assurance that he should be relieved. It was thought that the commandant had his price; for, except a small breach, the defences were entire, and the guns still mounted. Had Romana lived to be there, this surrender, in all human proba- bility, would not have occurred. We now hutted ourselves during our halt; and being refreshed, 66 PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY. provisioned, and washed in the river Alva, where our battalion was daily marched down for the pur- pose of ablution, we once more moved in advance from Sarzadas and Moita on Celerico. On the 29th, the Third, Sixth, and Light Divi- sions again advanced, to attack the enemy in the strong mountain position of Guarda. The wings of these Divisions were supported, on the one side, by the Portuguese Militia, on the other, by the Fifth Division; while ours and the newly-formed Seventh moved on the enemy's centre. The French, being thus turned on either flank, re- treated in confusion from this formidable post without firing a shot. On the 1st of April we moved toward the Coa : Wilson and Trant passed it below Almeida to our left ; the cavalry crossed the upper Coa on the right ; the Light Division were ordered to ford a little below; and the Fifth, with the artillery, to force the bridge of Sabugal. Our Division and the Seventh were in reserve, except a battalion sent to the bridge of Seceiras. It was conjectured that, after the enemy had quitted the position of Guarda without firing a shot, and had passed the Coa, they would continue their retreat without attempting to resist the passage of the river, especially as both Wilson and Trant, and our cavalry, had already passed it on both their flanks. On the 3rd, in anticipation of our Division oc- cupying Sabugal, I was sent forward with our bri- COLONEL WATERS. 67 gade-major to take up quarters for my regiment. We met Colonel Jackson*", quarter-master-general of our division, who informed us we might save ourselves the trouble of proceeding further, as the French were still in possession of the town ; and that, in consequence of the fog, Colonel Waters had just been taken by the enemy's light cavalry. This being reported to Lord Wellington, he said, f ' Ah ! they have caught him, but they will not keep him." The prognostication showed how well he knew those under him. Waters, on being made prisoner, which occurred in the haze of the morn- ing, from mistaking in the mist a French patrol for Portuguese troops, was conducted before Mar- shal Massena ; who examined him very closely con- cerning our movements and intentions but gained very little information for his pains. The Mar- shal then offered him his parole, which Waters re- fused to accept : he was allowed however to retain his horse, a famous mare he called the Bittern ;f and, under a cavalry escort, was marched a clothe prisoner to Ciudad Rodrigo. On reaching this town he happened to be quartered, or rather con- fined, in the room of a house, the proprietor of which he had formerly known; he seized an op- portunity, and requested the Spaniard to get the * Of the Guards ; afterwards General Sir Eiehard Jackson, Commander-in-Chief in Canada. f Many years after, this man was turned out to grass by the Duke of Wellington in Strathfieldsaye Park, where she died and WM buried. 68 COLONEL WATERS. rowels of his spurs sharpened, which was accom- plished without the suspicion of those who guarded him. Soon after this, he was conducted from Ciu- dad Rodrigo on his way to Salamanca between two gendarmes ; while thus situated, at the head of one column of infantry, and in the rear of another, one of the gendarmes halted and dismounted to tighten his horse's girths, when Waters also obligingly pulled up his horse, apparently to wait for him ; but at the same time, turning his mare's head toward the large wood which skirted the road, he plunged the spurs in his steed's side. She bounded forward, clearing all difficulties, and in the full gallop of a well-bred English hunter, bade adieu to all follow- ers and defiance to all obstacles : although instant chase was given, and shots fired after the fugitive, he gained the wood, adroitly threaded its intrica- cies, and escaped in broad day from his cavalry escort and the columns of French infantry ! In a week after his capture, he presented himself once more at head-quarters. On seeing Waters, Lord Wellington remarked, " Ah ! I said so ; they might catch him, but I knew they would not keep him." But to return : by some blunder of a staff officer, the attack on the enemy this morning was made too soon, none of the divisions of the army having reached their destined points ; it ended however in the defeat of the enemy, by the gallantry of the Light and Third Divisions passing the river, and forcing them to retire. This was a very sharp af- QUARTERS AT ST. ANTONIO. 69 fair j our two divisions, the First and Seventh, took no share in it, but were planted for three hours with piled arms in ploughed ground, and in heavy rain, hearing (for it was too thick weather to see anything) the rattling fire sustained at no great distance. The affair lasted only an hour, but Lord Wellington said that this was one of the most glo- rious actions the British troops were ever engaged in. In this affair my poor friend Gurwood was se- verely wounded. After waiting thus unpleasantly and provokingly, we at length moved four leagues to our left, and got under cover at Angira de St. Antonio, a village more sonorous in name than accommodating in size; however, we were under shelter, and five of us, including the A. Q. M. General of the division, were stowed away, or con- fined, in a space about the size, colour, and appear- ance of a respectably-proportioned coalhole in the neighbourhood of Berkeley-square. Next day, the 4th, we halted in our delectable abode, having passed the night in as close relation to the poor inhabitants as sealing-wax to a letter : the worst was, that these inhabitants had inhabi- tants, who would not keep their distance, maugre our all lying in our clothes : it rained too hard to bivouac, and we could not conveniently cut off the communication of our too great proximity. Many sage and useful reflections suggested themselves to us, as to the advantage individually gained by young men travelling thus to see the world, and 70 PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS. the knowledge of facts obtained by riding and walking through a new and wild country, without too frequently inhabiting houses, sleeping in beds, injuring our digestion by repletion, etc. After all, we were the best disciples of Epicurus, for the true Way to know the value of anything is to feel its want : the contrast from rough to smooth being transcendent, the enjoyment was in proportion. We had been able to calculate to a nicety the difference between the burning rays of a southern sun, and the winter bivouac amoug snowy mountains; be- tween food and its want, thirst without beverage, and fatigue without rest ; so we made ourselves happy, smiled at good fortune, and grinned and bore the bad; and, in opposition to every rule of arithmetic and calculation, made by the most cele- brated actuary of the most respectable life assur- ance company, still persevered in the desire and intention to engage and beat the enemy wherever they might give us an opportunity. The Peace Association might possibly consider these dark re- flections from a coalhole, but they were the best we could make from such an abode ; and we hope for forgiveness, in consideration of the real love we had for our country, and the ardent desire we had to serve it disinterestedly. On the 5th, as our brigade formed column to march, a dragoon of the First German Hussars brought forth a beautiful mare, which he was lead- ing with one hand, while in the other he held his AFFECTING SCENE. 71 pistol; she moved with difficulty on three legs; the fine creature had, the day before, received a musket-shot in her fetlock joint; the wound was incurable, and she was condemned by the veteri- nary surgeon to be shot. The hussar informed us that, by her dexterity and speed, the poor animal had more than once saved him from death or a prison in France ; and as he spoke of her merits, the tears ran down his hardened, weather-beaten and moustachioed face. He conducted his fated charger to the rear of our column; we saw that once or twice the poor fellow raised the loaded pis- tol to the creature's head, and then, looking sadly at her, took it down again. At length, in an agony of grief, he dashed the pistol to the ground, and covering his face with his hands, wept aloud ! He could not perform his duty, which one of our men was obliged to accomplish for him. We moved from Angira de St. Antonio, passed the Coa, through Sabugal, and over part of the ground on which the action of the 3rd took place, to a village called Nave. Next day we marched to Aldea Velha, and as our column, soon after day- break, was moving through the town of Alfyates, we saw Lord Wellington, who had apparently just risen, and was lounging out of window, looking gaily at us as we passed. He seemed in high spi- rits and well pleased, as well he might be; for the previous action at Sabugal had driven the last Frenchman out of Portugal, with the exception 72 CONDUCT OF THE ministry. only of the garrison of Almeida and such as were his prisoners. Thus gloriously and satisfactorily were vindicated Lord Wellington's views, and his capability of de- fending Portugal. This defence, long planned and well digested, was now effectually executed ; a large party in the English Cabinet had been strongly averse to the undertaking, and I cannot do better than show, from the best authority, in what way and by whose decision Wellington and his army were allowed to save Portugal and to remain in the Peninsula. Many years after the war, I was dining with Lord Maryborough, when he related that his brother, the Duke of Wellington, communicated in detail to the Government his plan for the defence of Portugal. These proposals were laid before the Cabinet. It so happened, that the Ministers were nearly divided in opinion, and came to no decision on the subject. Eventually however they agreed to submit the question to the King in Council, al- though the Prime Minister, Mr. Percival, did not incline to a continuation of the Peninsular war. When the King was informed of the circumstances, he determined this important matter in the fol- lowing concise manner : " Eh ! what, what ! Lord Wellington is a very obstinate man, I suppose he must have his way." In these few words was decided one of the most serious and eventful questions in the policy of our country; for it determined not only the fate of CONDUCT OP THE MINISTRY. 73 England, but it had a most powerful effect on that of all Europe. It was only one year after this that the poor old King was placed in confinement ; at the time, his Majesty at least showed more sense than about one-half of his Cabinet. Later, how- ever previously they had opposed or subsequently ill- supported these measures, the dissentients took credit to themselves for the successful result, and willingly would have had the nation believe that it was " all their own thunder." Secret expeditions, descents for inadequate ob- jects on unhealthy coasts in the worst possible sea- son, were more congenial to the understanding of such would-be statesmen. Had the troops sent to Walcheren reinforced Lord Wellington in Portu- gal, the saving of life would have been great, the expense not greater, and the result quite different. All these miscarriages in our military policy at a critical moment in an eventful war, were engen- dered by the idea of creating a " diversion " in fa- vour of somebody. Our Government certainly suc- ceeded, as most people laughed, except those who caught the Walcheren fever. Lord Porchester's* motion in the Commons for "inquiry into the origin and conduct of this expedition to our op- posite coasts," sufficiently showed, as far as the "origin" went, the prevailing excesses of small minds in great places; and as to the "conduct of the expedition," the well-known lines * Lord Porchester, afterwards second Earl of Carnarvon. 74 LOSS OF MULES. " The Earl of Chatham, with his sword drawn, Stood waiting for Sir Richard Strachan ; Sir Richard Strachan, ' longing to be at 'em,' Stood waiting for the Earl of Chatham," leave no further description of this melancholy his- tory necessary. From Aldea Velha we moved on to Forcalhos (a frontier village of Portugal) . Here we experi- enced very cold weather, with a fall of snow. Out of thirteen horses and mules belonging to diffe- rent officers, and enclosed for the night in one yard, some thrifty fellow, of more good taste than morality, stole the two mules I had purchased of Lord March just before we moved from Cartaxo. However much, on some occasions, it is desirable to be an object of preference, I could have dis- pensed with the advantage now ; and had I been acquainted with Oriental sayings in those days, I should have expressed a wish that the purloiner of my mules might for ever have " a jackass sit on his grave." A year after I discovered that the culprit was a Spanish muleteer, and I recovered one of the animals. My loss in horse and mule flesh since my arrival in Portugal amounted to one hundred pounds, besides the risk, on this oc- casion, of being obliged to leave my baggage be- hind an inconvenient idea to reflect on. * How- ever, by the obliging assistance of our battalion surgeon and the commissary of our division, it was conveyed till I could provide myself with fresh beasts of burden. THE ARMY ENTERS SPAIN. 70 On the 9th we entered Spain, and occupied the frontier village of Almadilla. A brother Sub. and I were quartered in the entrance-room of a cot- tage, which served for parlour, kitchen, and all ; we were doubled up with the inhabitants, six or seven poor Spaniards, who were cooking and eating, at various hours of the day, a mixture of oil, cab- bage, and garlic, with a small piece of hog's flesh. An earthern pot (called a pinella) containing this mess was constantly simmering over a small fire of damp straw and a few sticks. When wanted, it was turned out into a large earthen dish placed on a stool ; when the partakers, sitting around on the floor, or on low three-legged seats, drew out their long knives from their waistbands, and proceeded to business with much solemnity and good breed- ing, without any appearance of hurry or too great an appetite. One of them would commence by cutting slices from the large loaves of their most excellent bread (the sight of which was a novel luxury for us to look upon); and after distributing these, they dipped their bread, knives, and fingers into this garlic-smelling mixture, and bobbed for the morsel of bacon, on catching which each con- tented himself by rubbing it on the bread, and then returning it into the dish. In this common hall for cooking, eating, sleeping, and exit to the street, there was no chimney ; the smoke escaped by a few tiles removed from the roof, which by no means sufficiently answered the purpose; the con- 76 DISCIPLINE OF THE ARMY. sequence was, that our eyes and organs of respi- ration suffered considerably. It did not however affect these poor people, who seemed, like their own bacon, to be smoke-dried. As it may be sup- posed, we fed not with them, but cooked our own rations in our own way and at our own time. We were much struck at finding, that whatever atrocities the enemy had committed on the towns, villages, and people of Portugal (encouraged as they were by their chief), their conduct was quite altered on entering Spain. We found everything here in a tolerably good state, the enemy having resumed their sense of discipline, a point by far the most difficult to return to when once aban- doned. This change was as sudden as it was re- markable. In our army Lord Wellington's seve- rity and discipline originated as much in a feeling of humanity as that of the love of order and jus- tice. He used to introduce everywhere the idea of duty, into small as well as great things, and instilled these principles throughout his army. When later he entered France, he wrote : " I will not have the French peasants plundered ." And again on another occasion he says : "I do not mind commanding a large or small army, but, large or small, it must obey me, and, above all, it must not plunder/' Lord Wellington now invested Almeida, and it was thought that it would not hold out for want of provisions. Massena fell back to Salamanca, WANT OF SUPPORT AT HOME. 77 on Marshal Bessieres' Army of the North: our chief went southwards, to superintend the opera- tions of Marshal Beresford's corps. Now that Por- tugal had been freed of the enemy, the great ob- ject of the war was to maintain it so. The next important point was the possession of Almeida; after this, to be able to take the initiative, and carry the fortresses of Badajos and Ciudad Ro- drigo from the enemy. These frontier strongholds, once gained, would prove an obstruction to any future attempts of the French on Portugal, while it would give us every facility for a forward move- ment into Spain. In spite of Lord Wellington's signal success, through good and evil report or estimation, still he could not, even at this time, depend on support from the English Ministry. The Opposition too, understanding as little as the Government of the nature or necessities of the war in which the country was embarked, gave loud vent to their discontent. Certainly the expenses were onerous, but the necessity was undoubted : some field was wanting on which to make a substantial war, and it was found in Portugal, not by the foresight of English statesmen, but by the forecast and abili- of an English soldier. People in England really understand very little or nothing about military matters. They are very patriotic, ener- getic, admire brilliant actions, and exact success; but, in the manner or means of attaining such a 78 WANT OF SUPPORT AT HOME. result, or the strategy and tactics necessary to ac- complish it, they are as simple-minded as people not bred to the trade can well be. Macaulay, in his essay on Hallam's f Constitu- tional History/ says : " The jealousy with which the oligarchy of Venice and the States of Hol- land regarded their generals and armies induced them perpetually to interfere in matters of which they were incompetent to judge." This was very applicable to England and its statesmen of the years 1810 and 1811. The people at this time were led to believe that Lord Wellington and his army were " in a scrape." This idea was engen- dered about the time of our retreat to the "Lines," of the surrender of Badajos, and was even con- tinued long after. It is reported that a Spanish officer of distinc- tion said to Lord Wellington, in allusion to these adverse circumstances, "Why, this is enough to put you into a fever." He quietly answered, ' ' I have acted to the best of my judgement, and care neither for the enemy before me nor anything they may say at home." The truth was, with the exception of the expedition to Egypt, which was something more resembling a substantive war, our good Government had always been employing small expeditions on partisan principles, with great supposed secresy; in short, making little wars at great expense, and small imbecile descents on the coast of an enemy or supposed ally. WANT OF SUPPORT AT HOME. 79 Paisley's l Military Policy of Great Britain ' was not published till the year 1808-9, and was soon out of print. A second volume, promised and announced, never made its appearance; but, after that badly conceived, and worse executed, ex- pedition to Walcheren, we had no more of these "secret little wars." Whether this was the re- sult of their bad success, Lord Wellington's ex- emplification of good success, or Paisley's book enlightening the stupid, is difficult to determine ; but certain it was, we had no more of that which was poetically alluded to in a famous song of the well-known Captain Morris : " I sing of Holland's gin ; Not the gin that Dutchmen trade in, But I sing of the gin They catch men in Who go about crusading." On the return of the late Duke of York from one of those Dutch expeditions, he was on his arrival visited by Sir T. S , one of his house- hold, a well-known character ; who, after congra- tulating his Royal Highness on his good looks and his safe return, said, " And I still further con- gratulate the country in not having had to ransom you." The English Government, when it threw an army into Portugal, little fancied that it was about to change the face of the world. All this was due to Wellington; for, ill supported as he 80 CAPABILITIES OF THE SPANIARDS. was, and with inadequate means, he created an army, and knew how to use it. In a corner of Europe, alone and in silence, he began operations which, by his success, and the example he gave to other nations, resulted in the overthrow of the French empire. He himself said, at Toulouse, on the conclusion of this war, that he " had an army that was ready to go anywhere or do anything." We were now left, during the absence of Lord Wellington in the Alemtejo, under his second in command, Sir Brent Spencer, a zealous, gallant officer, without any great military genius; anxi- ous and fidgety when there was nothing to do, but, once under fire, looking like a philosopher solv- ing a problem, perfectly cool and self-possessed, which befriended the exercise of his best abili- ties. Our army was cantoned along the sources of the Azava and the river Dos Casas ; the Light Division at Galegos and Espeja. For ease, our cantonments were extended ; and we were sent on the 17th of April from Almadilla to Puebla de Azava, a better village, affording more room. Here we began to remark the superiority in appearance of the Spanish over the Portuguese peasants. These Spaniards certainly were anything but good soldiers, but they undoubtedly possessed all the attributes to render them so. The peasantry are capable, on small nutriment, of supporting great fatigue; they are long-enduring and hardy, with no want of courage, and only require to be SPANISH PEASANTRY. 81 well officered and well organized. The Portu- guese, without the same amount of these desira- ble qualities, made much better troops ; and thus proved what may be done by the advantages of discipline. They, poor creatures, were at this time suffering next to starvation in their ranks (so ill supplied were they, that on one occasion, on Massen a^s retreat, they were left for four days without food !) by the misconduct of their own Government, who, with combined ignorance, lazi- ness, and roguery, left their own army in the last necessities, in hopes, perhaps, that we should take the burden on ourselves; and partially we were forced to do so. At Puebla we were constantly kept on the qui vive, in readiness to march at the shortest warning; and on the 27th of April moved again to our left, and returned to Almadilla. Hearing that Massena and Marshal Bessieres' forces had united, and were in motion again to- ward the Portuguese frontier, Lord Wellington left the Alemtejo, and arrived with us again; on the 30th of April, accompanied by Sir Brent Spencer, Picton, and his staff, he came to Alma- dilla, and returned shortly after to head-quarters at \ 'ilia Formosa. Massena, having collected his army in the neighbourhood of Ciudad llodrigo, was only waiting for the subsiding of the waters of the Agueda to pass that river and advance. A sudden order reached us on the 2nd of May, and we commenced a night march by the light of a 82 lovely moon ; our movement was directed on Nave d'Aver, to close on the rest of our army there assembling. As soon as we sniffed the morning breeze, and the early summer dawn broke, we be- gan to examine our neighbourhood and reconnoitre our neighbours : we found, at no great distance, plenty of friends, which was pleasant, as we knew that we had a much greater number of enemies in our vicinity. The French army under Massena recrossed the Agueda on the 2nd of May, with the view of relieving the garrison of Almeida. To prevent this, Lord Wellington concentrated his army in position on some gently rising but exten- sively open ground, above and in rear of the vil- lage of Fuentes d'Ofior. On the same day the Cavalry and Light Division, after a skirmish with the enemy, retired from Gallegos and Espeja on the Dos Casas. On the morning of the 3rd, the First and Third Divisions took up a position at about a cannon's shot distance, in rear of the pretty village of Fuentes d'Onor, and we lined some stone walls. About nine a.m. the enemy's force was discernible; and shortly after they commenced a cannonade on our left, and an attack on the village, which was gallantly defended by the light troops of the Third Division under Lieut. -Colonel Williams* of the 60th, and the light infantry of the Third Di- vision, supported by Dick of the 42nd, the light * Afterwards Sir William Williams. BATTLE OF FUENTES d'oNOR. 83 infantry of the 92nd, and the 5th battalion Ger- man Legion belonging to our Division*. At two p.m. we moved to our left by a road leading to the rear. At a little before five, our Division reinforced the Third with the 24th, 71st, and 79th regiments, and were sharply engaged in the town and among the stone walls around it, contesting every inch of the ground. This affair ended only at dusk, with the village still remaining in our possession. We lay on our arms all night, and stood to them an hour before daylight, expecting, by break of dawn, not " coffee and pistols for two," but cannon and musketry for 32,000 infantry, 1200 cavalry, and 42 guns of the allied arms ; whilst our opponents furnished 40,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry, and 30 pieces of artillery. But, instead of attacking us on the 4th of May, they seemed as pacifically in- clined as Quakers, or as the Peace Societv now arc when in council assembled at Exeter Hall. Thus the early morning passed; the heat of the day approached, with all its Spanish intensity ; lay on a dusty, sandy plain, unshaded and un- shaved; the summer furnace of a southern tem- perature was, as the sun declined, succeeded by a beautiful calm evening; the gentle slope of our position (dipping down to the Dos Casas and the village of Fuentcs, and rising on the other side to- ward that of the enemy) formed a kind of ravine, * Dick of the 42nd, afterwards Major- General Sir Robert Dick, killed at Sobraon. 84 PARADE OF THE FRENCH ARMY. the bottom of which was of a rocky nature and divided the two armies, the outposts of each lining the banks of the little river. The enemy's main force occupied a plateau of rising ground on one side of this ravine, as ours did of the other. From our position we could plainly see all that passed in theirs. In the cool of the evening a parade took place of the cavalry and infantry of the Imperial Guard. In their rear and on their left flank were consider- able woods of cork-trees and of the ilex or south- ern oak ; in front of these our enemy stood out in strong relief and martial array, their bands play- ing as they passed in review before Marshals Mas- sena and Bessieres. It was a noble sight to behold within our reach these armed men, our nation's foe, surrounded by "all the pomp and circum- stance of war/' and induced the " Stern joy that warriors feel In foemen worthy of their steel." On our side we had no reviews ; the bands of the German Legion (belonging to our Division) raised their strains in answer to the French, and gave back note for note, as on the morrow we did shot for shot. The moon rose, the bivouac fires were trimmed, the cigar smoked, and our soldiers sank to rest. On the 5th, long before day broke, we were to be found in our ranks, arms in hand, anxious for some exploit, and ready for any necessity. Mute DANGER OF MASQUERADING. 85 and still, we rested in expectation of daylight and what it might bring. The cold previous to early dawn seems in adverse ratio to the intense and broiling heat of the day; the dew in these lati- tudes falls heavy after sunset, and the chilliness is greatest at the point most distant from the pre- vious day, and immediately before the dawn of the next. We stood shivering and anxious, quite long- ing for light, and heat, and movement. Move- ment came before daylight, for I was ordered to join a detachment sent to reinforce the piquets of our brigade on outpost duty. The chief of our Division accompanied this detachment; and, as we arrived at the point of ground destined for us, dawn began to break. At some eighty yards' distance, and immediately between the enemy's ve- dettes and our own, we saw two French horsemen advancing on our sentries, one of whom turned round and gesticulated to the enemy in an incom- prehensible manner, then again moved toward them, but at last directed their course toward us. Sir Brent Spencer ordered one of our sen- tries to fire, which he did with good effect, and brought down the cavalier; while the other fellow galloped into our lines in no small alarm. We then found that they belonged to Don Julian San- chez' guerilla corps, who, not long previously, had taken a convoy of French clothing, and had bedi- zened themselves out in these false colours. This valiant gesticulator was Don Julian Sanchez' own 86 lieutenant, who, by some mistake, in the dark had ridden between our piquets and those of the enemy: seeing himself so near the foe and so well backed by our infantry, in bravado he began to play antics and defy them, and us also, as we thought. This folly cost him his life. Sir Brent Spencer was greatly annoyed at the mistake, as it occurred in consequence of his own order. Lord Wellington came down to the outposts ; and the chief of our Division, in making his report, expressed his deep regret at the occurrence. Lord Wellington, seeing it was a case for which there was no remedy, said, "Nevermind, Spencer ; it is only a Spaniard!" Don Julian however was furious, although it was entirely the fault of the lieutenant ; who had no business to be where we found him, or in the uni- form which occasioned the unhappy error. Soon after this we were recalled, and rejoined our bri- gade on the summit of the plateau, where we had passed the night and still remained. The enemy, hi the early part of the morning of the 5 th, were quiet; but an hour or two after daylight, they moved some heavy columns and the greater part of the cavalry to their left. We broke into co- lumns, and made a parallel movement along our heights to our right. About nine o' clock a.m. of this sultry morning they commenced a heavy cannonade on us from their left and centre. On reaching the gently-ris- ing ground, eventually destined for our part of the COMBAT WITH THE ENEMY. 87 position, we witnessed a brilliant and animating sight. Looking toward our right flank, across a plain terminated by the thick cork wood, we be- held dense masses of men engaged in strife, and enveloped in dust and smoke. At first, little was clearly discernible; by degrees however, coming out from this confusion, were developed forms and shapes horsemen charging artillery, with their horses at full speed, thundering forward with an impetus that forced a way through the enemy and the Light and Seventh Divisions coming forth from the chaos, and coolly retiring en echelon of squares, exposed alternately to the fire of the enemy's guns and the menaces of their cavalry, which were met and checked by our numerically weak squadrons. Here Brotherton of the 14th particularly distinguished himself; and the present Lord Londonderry* (then General Charles Stew- art) took Colonel La Motte, of the 13th Chas- seurs, in single combat, by dragging him by the neck from off his horse. In this melee Felton Hervey of the 14th, who had previously lost his right arm at Oporto, was ridden at by a French officer of the 13th Chasseurs a Cheval, who raised hifl sword to cut him down; when, perceiving that his enemy had but one arm, he dropped his weapon to the salute, and passed on ! George Fitzclarence also was wounded in this affair; but llamsey of the artillery, by his prompt skill and intrepidity, # He has died since tliis was written. 88 CHARGE OF FRENCH CAVALRY. saved his guns, and at timely moments presented his enemies with their contents. The steady and soldier-like manner in which the Light and Seventh Divisions seemed to rise out of this apparently in- extricable confusion, and the way they repulsed the enemy's efforts, were really most admirable. At this moment an incident which befell our Chasseurs Britanniques excited us much and added to the interest of the scene. They were in line when charged by French cavalry; their commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Eustace (now General Sir Wil- liam Eustace), did not attempt to alter his position, but coolly received them in that formation. When within some fifty yards of his bayonets he poured in a murderous volley, which settled the difficulty, and induced those of the enemy left in their sad- dles to seek shelter in their rear from so rough a treatment. After this retrograde flank movement of the Light and Seventh Divisions, they were con- centrated in rear and in support of our right. The enemy's second and eighth corps and their cavalry turned the wood and village of Poco Velho, which obliged Lord Wellington to throw back his right flank; the Seventh Division crossed the Turones, the Light Division retired over the plain, and the remainder of our Division not detached, together with the Third and the Portuguese, withdrew to the rising ground we had previously occupied. In consequence, our Division held the right of the position. Eight of the enemy's guns were now ad- CHARGE OF FRENCH CAVALRY. 89 vanccd to within convenient range, and we soon began to feel the effects of the fire from these and their light troops. The guns of our Division in our immediate front were commanded by Captain Lawson ; they opened their fire with effect on the enemy, which, together with our Light Infantry and Rifles, covering our right flank (for we were en potence),* and our piquets skirmishing in advance, guarded our front against any sudden predatory attack. About this time Lord Wellington rode up ; and seeing that the fire of the enemy's round shot, shells, and sharpshooters was beginning to tell on the front line of the Division, he ordered us to lie down. There was an animated and cheery look about him as he gave the order, which announced his certainty of success, and strengthened our in- tention to carry it into effect. Our further orders were to remain on the ground until the enemy ap- proached in columns to within some thirty yards, then to rise, fire a volley, and charge bayonets : but their masses of infantry never advanced. A piquet of the Guards, skirmishing with the enemy, was attacked by cavalry, but resisted them with success. They were suddenly charged a second ' time from behind a rising ground, under cover of which the cavalry had approached unperceived. The horsemen dashed at once on them while in extended order, and took them in flank and rear, cut down the men in detail, and carried off many 90 RETREAT OF THE ENEMY. prisoners. Out of a hundred rank and file and five officers, only thirty of the former and one of the latter escaped unwounded ; one of the remaining three being killed and two taken. At this mo- ment part of Lawson's guns under Lane opened with grape on the French cavalry and mowed them down, destroying, at the same time, many of our infantry, mixed up as they were in this melee with the French cavalry. Their reception from our guns being more warm than pleasant, the enemy preci- pitately vanished. Many of the remainder of this piquet came in wounded ; and Captain Hervey of the Coldstream, after resisting bravely, was cut down and ridden over, but escaped and rejoined his ranks*. The second officer who escaped was Captain Home of the Third Guards. He had a rencontre with three of the enemy's horsemen : in trying to take him one of them seized the string of a bottle hanging by his side, which broke, and the cavalry man carried it off as a prize ; another grasped his epaulette, which was torn from his shoulder ; and the third, finding he would not sur- render, attempted to cut him down. Home was a powerful man, and, although on foot, lunged with his sword and then closed with the trooper, seized him by the neck and attempted to drag him to the earth : the struggle was a fierce one, but the Frenchman, finding he was likely to be worsted, turned his horse sharp round and galloped off, * This officer was afterwards killed afc Burgos. CAPTAIN MELLISH. 91 leaving in the hand of his enemy his cross of the Legion of Honour, which Home brought back tri- umphantly to his corps. From Home's muscular appearance and well-known courage and determi- nation he was very likely to have brought in both man and horse, had not the trooper made a timely escape. The 42nd Highlanders, under Lord Blantyre, were also at the same time charged by cavalry, but gave the enemy no encouragement to make a se- cond attempt on them. Here an anecdote was current of Captain Mellish, of sporting and New- market fame, and at the time in the adjutant-ge- neral's department. He came into the field that morning mounted on a very woe-begone and sorry hack, a regular Rosinante, looking as if it had lived much too long on air and exercise. Some ridicule was elicited by this turf hero and great judge of horseflesh possessing so curiously infra difj. a specimen of cattle : one said that Lord Wel- lington had sent for a pack of hounds, and advised him by no means to ride near the kennel ; another suggested that it was unfortunate no knacker was to be heard of in the neighbourhood ; a third of- fered him five shillings for his charger. Mellish took all in good humour, and said he would bet any man 10 that before the day was out he would get 625 for him. After some jeering the bet was taken. The firing in the village of Fuentea being heavy, he availed himself of the first opportunity 92 THE CAMERONIANS. to convey an order there, and rode right into the thick of the musketry : his horse was shot under him : he claimed, as losing a second charger, value 25, and thus he won his bet. A severe struggle was now enacting at the foot and key of our posi- tion in the village of Fuentes. Here, among others, three battalions of our Division were carrying on an intense combat with the enemy for its possession. The 79th, or Cameronians, commanded by poor Cameron (who fell on this occasion) , instead of co- vering themselves by the walls and houses, chose to stand on the top of the former, and were con- sequently knocked down very rapidly by the ene- my. Cameron and other officers did their best to stop this most inartistical mode of carrying on such a warfare, but with little effect ; as the High- landmen exclaimed, " that they would rather stand at the top of a wall, and be shot like men, than bide behind it, and be killed like dogs." The 24th and 79th, in contest with an enemy, were prac- tising light infantry movements for the first time in their lives*. The 71st, under Cadogan, knew their work, were au fait at it, and consequently were useful to them- selves and friends, and much more formidable to their enemies. After all, in our part of the posi- tion, we had but a tiresome day of it, being occu- * The folly of not accustoming our regiments at home to light infantry drill occasioned in this affair not only a great disadvan- tage, but the loss of many valuable lives. STRAY SHOTS. 93 pied in playing Wall to something harder than the enemy's Moonshine ; for, notwithstanding our re- cumbent position, our line received plenty of fire, but returned not a single shot during the whole day. This was trying to the patience and worry- ing to the temper of our men. I may here ven- ture to name a few trivial circumstances incidental to our situation, which may be explanatory to the peaceable, or of interest to the uninitiated in such scenes. A man of our company fell fast asleep, and amused his comrades much by snoring loudly : poor fellow ! a cannon-shot fell on his neck, just between his head and his knapsack : instant death ensued, without consciousness, and probably with- out pain. His own particular friend and comrade immediately requested to have his shoes ! "Whether this was induced by affection for his friend, or the necessities of his feet, remains to this day unex- plained. The whistling of a shell, and its striking amongst us, next occurred : the felt of a cap flew in the air. Thinking, of course, that the cap and head had gone together, I turned to see who it was, when I beheld, amidst the titter and laughter of his comrades, the great, broad, good-humoured countenance of an Irishman named M'Culloch : he was sitting upright, a queer figure, with half his cap cut off close to his head. I asked him if he was hurt : the fellow replied, with a grin, " No, plase your honour; only a bit dizzy!" which an- swer amused the company, who seemed to take Mr. 94 BATTLE OF FUENTES D^ONOR. M'Culloch's escape for a good joke. (This poor fellow was only spared for a short time ; during the subsequent siege of Ciudad Rodrigo he was crushed by the beam of a falling house.) Many other men were harmed in various ways ; and my inseparable companion, a favourite Portuguese dog, alarmed at the bursting of a shell near us, set up a loud cry, and disappeared never to return. We next had an alarm of the approach of ca- valry, and rose to receive them ; but they changed their mind, and swept off to our left, and we once more sank behind the slight ridge which covered our front. We had scarcely however been a mi- nute on our legs, when three of the men of oar company were knocked down. Shortly after a shell passed through the tumbril of one of our guns that was in action in our front, and in its transit lit a portfire : the agility and rapidity with which the artillery-driver detached his horses from the shafts were admirable : he risked himself, but saved them. The tumbril immediately after exploded, driving the splinters of the wheels, boxes, and shafts in all directions, by which some of our artillery were wounded. In the hollow in our rear, sinking to- ward the Turones river, was placed our support, be- longing to the second line of our Division, com- posed of part of General Howard' s* brigade, the 92nd Highlanders, together with a brigade of the German Legion. All the missiles lighting on our * Afterwards Lord Howard of Effingham. NARROW ESCAPE. 95 heights, bounded on en ricochet, and fell among our reserve. I remember one shot particularly, which, after striking close to our people, plumped amidst a group of staff and field officers assembled together in the bottom, taking off the head of Ge- neral Howard's horse, traversing the carcase of that of his aide-de-camp Captain Battersby, car- rying off the leg of Major Stewart of the 92nd, and, knocking down two rank and file of that re- giment, went hopping on like a cricket-ball, as if it had done nothing, although this shot may be fairly said to have done its duty. Felton Hervey, who in the morning had escaped from the sabre of the preux chevalier Frenchman, had, while riding in our front, another narrow escape toward the close of the day. A round shot struck his horse, and hitting his sabretash, traversed the animal's carcase ; and passing between Hervey's legs, came out on the opposite side, close to his knee, inflict- ing on it a severe contusion, and throwing him, horse and all, to the ground, on the armless side of his body. He was much shaken and hurt, but would not leave the field. As the enemy began to withdraw from before us, their fire slackened: their guns first retired, then their tirailleurs retreated, and we rose from our earthy bed to witness some beautiful practice from Lane's portion of Lawson's troop of artil- lery. To cover their retreat, some heavy columns of the enemy's cavalry advanced to within six or 96 A PARTING SALVO. seven hundred yards, and began closing up, bent, no doubt, upon mischief, when Lane opened three guns on them with spherical case-shot : the prac- tice was excellent, the shells bursting within a hundred to a hundred and fifty yards from the head of their columns, creating chasms in their ranks, destroying and rolling over horses and ri- ders, and drilling openings in their masses as if cut down with scythes. The fourth shot sent them to the right about ; and galloping off, they escaped the storm of lead and iron from our guns. This was the parting evening salvo; the enemy's fire with us ceased soon after five o'clock p.m. ; in the village it lasted longer ; but eventually the lower part of Fuentes was abandoned by both sides, our people holding the upper portion, and the enemy retiring to some distance from the little river Dos Casas, which now once more separated the two armies. The casualties in our brigade from a seven hours' cannonade and fire of musketry, including the killed, and wounded, and missing among the skirmishers, amounted to one hundred and thirty- six men and five officers. This number would have been much greater had not Lord Wellington economized us by his order to lie down. In the field he was ever most chary of his men ; following that sound principle of war- fare which inflicts as much injury on, and receives as little from, an enemy, as the facilities of ground, the nature of a position, and the adaptation of his REST AFTER BATTLE. 97 troops to it would allow. The general loss of the al- lied army in this action was 1500 men and officers killed, wounded, and missing ; that of the French was considerably greater, besides their attempt to relieve their garrison in Almeida having been frus- trated. The sense of success was pleasing to us, and the greetings of the unharmed as sincere and cordial, as was our regret for those less fortunate than ourselves. Once more assembled round the bivouac fire, we began to think of the " creature comforts," which were not less acceptable from their scarcity; the piquets were thrown out, the moon rose, we wrapped our cloaks around us, and slept away the fatigue and heat of the day, many losing themselves in the happiest of all English soldiers' dreams that of England, friends, and home. 98 CHAPTER V. HANOVEEIAN HTTSSAES. FBENCH CHAEACTEE. POETTTGTTESE GOVEBNMENT. DIFFICULTIES OF THE CAMPAIGN. OFFICEES. THE ENGLISH CABINET. BATTLE OF ALBUEBA. The stars were still bright in the heavens, and the dawn of day from the east had not yet appeared, when we were again on foot, trying to descry through the dark some object that might lead to an idea of the enemy's further intentions. We saw nothing but their watchfires, and all was in repose. As morning broke, our telescopes were in requisition : the enemy lay still before us the day began its broiling course the dead, and the car- cases of horses, lay strewn about the field in front, where they had fallen. A flag of truce was sent, and a mutual agreement come to that we should bury our dead. Brotherton carried the flag. He was requested by Hervey to seek out the chival- rous young French officer who had respected a dis- abled foe, by saluting instead of cutting him down, and present to him, in his name, a pair of English pistols which he always carried in his holsters. On OUTPOSTS. 99 inquiry, it unfortunately was found that this gal- lant young Frenchman had fallen in the action of the previous day. During these few hours of civil intercourse, many of us, like schoolboys released, rushed down to the Turones river to swim, no slight luxury in hot weather, and in the absence of everything but one shirt, which, being washed, was left to dry on a rock, whilst we disported in the water. On this and the following day both armies remained in the same position. We were occupied in throwing up breastworks and making trous de hup in defence against their powerful cavalry. On the 7th they made a reconnaissance on our right, to have a nearer view of these works. Very strong piquets were thrown out, and these were strengthened after dark. It happened, on the night of the 7th, that I was on outpost duty ; Almeida was still held by the French, and, uncertain of Mar- shal Massena's intentions, Lord Wellington (who, the whole of this time, lay on the ground near us) exacted great alertness in the out-piquets, and an immediate report of the slightest movement in our front. About midnight I patrolled, in advance of our sentries, down to a vedette of the 1st Hano- verian Hussars. On communicating with him, he told me, in his own peculiar English, that " She move" (meaning the enemy). I asked him his rea- son for thinking so ; he answered, " Listen ! you hear vaggon and gun moves on de road." On pla- cing my ear to the ground, I found this was the 100 MOVEMENTS OF THE ENEMY. case. I then asked in which direction he thought they were moving ; he answered, " From de left to de right." I demanded why he thought so. " Be- cause leetle ting (shadows) pass bivouac fire from der left to der right, so dey go dat vey." Having, for my own satisfaction, ascertained the correctness of his intelligent observation, I re- ported the circumstance to my supporting piquet and the field-officer of the night. Lord Welling- ton immediately came down, and advancing to the outpost, asked, " Who reported that the enemy were in motion?" He was informed of the fact, as well as the grounds for the belief that they were moving in our front to their left. Lord Welling- ton reconnoitered himself, and being satisfied of the truth, said, in allusion to the Hussar's report, " A d d sharp fellow that ; I wish I had more of them." For the rest of the night Lord Welling- ton remained in his cloak on the high ground of the position in our rear. In the morning we found that the enemy had withdrawn from immediately before us. On the 10th they repassed the Agueda, and withdrew al- together, moving on Salamanca, where Massena was relieved from the command of his army, and was succeeded by Marmont. Thus ended these movements, and the battle of Fuentes d'Ofior. The Duke has been accused of want of sympa- thy for individuals, and of having an insufficient sense of the services of his army. He certainly Wellington's estimation g;f his aiuiy. 101 was not demonstrative ; his habitual reserve often concealed feelings that he was chary of display- ing ; but he was always fair and just when circum- stances did not involve a compromise of system, or interfere with his sense of the public advantage. In a letter of condolence to old General Cameron, on the death of his gallant son (who received his death- wound in command of the 79th), he says : " I am convinced that you will credit the assur- ance which I give you, that I condole with you most sincerely upon this misfortune. . . . You will always regret and lament his loss, I am convinced ; but I hope you will derive some consolation from the reflection, that he fell in the performance of his duty, and at the head of your brave regiment, loved and respected by all who knew him, in an ac- tion in which, if possible, the British troops sur- passed everything they had done before." With regard to an insufficient sense of the services of his army, I will here relate an anecdote exempli- fying his estimation of them, and characteristi- cally truthful of himself and those he commanded. After the battle of Toulouse the Adjutant-General of Cavalry, Colonel Elley*, dined at head-quarters. * Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Elley, of the Royal Horse Guards (Blue), entered that Regiment as a private soldier, served in the cam- paign in Holland under the Duke of York in that capacity, and after- wards as an officer on the Staff throughout the Peninsula and at "Wa- terloo. By prudence, good conduct, sagacity, and courage, he mounted through every grade of the army to the rank of Lieutenant-Geueral, K.C.B., and M.P. for Windsor. 10? T1VENCH CH^KACTER. The Duke was in unusually high spirits : he had received the announcement of Buonaparte's abdi- cation ; the war was at an end, and none seemed more rejoiced at its termination than the Duke himself. Sir John told me that he had never seen him in higher spirits or more communicative. The conversation turned on the late immediate movements of the two armies, when the Duke ex- claimed, " I will tell you the difference between Soult and me: when he gets into a difficulty, his troops don't get him out of it; when I get into one, mine always do." Looking on the action of Fuentes d'Onor as an epoch which finished a particular period of the war on the northern frontier of Portugal, I may be al- lowed to indulge in some slight reflections on the French, our army, and the Portuguese Govern- ment. The enemy's conduct to Portugal had been not only foolishly faithless and unjust, but in every way most atrocious. Talleyrand said, in allusion to the commencement of the Peninsular war, "C'est le commencement de la fin ;" and later, diplomati- cally observed, " C'est plus qu'un crime, c'est une faute." However, the restless spirit of their re- sentment resembled virtue in one respect, as to do its work at a palpable loss, and thus to become its own reward. Individually, the French possess emi- nently good qualities* : it must be confessed that, * See the uncontrolled possession of Paris by the lowest rabble in 1830 for three whole days, without the slightest tendency to plunder, FRENCH CHARACTER. 103 as a nation, although capable of good and great actions, they are often so trifling in serious mat- ters, and so serious in trifling ones, that one never knows exactly when the sublime begins or the ri- diculous ends. I do not coincide with an Hibernian friend of mine (a good hater, but whose hatred was tempered by the propensities of a bon vivanf), who used to declare that, for his part, he would only " just lave enough of them alive to cook, and cultivate the vines ! " I differ from my friend suf- ficiently to be able to render them full justice. I know them to be a clever, intelligent, and agree- able people ; and, in spite of their misconduct, we could not help admiring their powers of endurance, under every possible species and extremity of pri- vation, and their continued gallantry and good hu- mour under the most adverse circumstances. We were bound to acknowledge them a brave and wor- thy foe. No army but a French one could be ca- pable of such a strain on order and discipline as to afford a nine months' sanction of marauding and laxity, and then rapidly at once to return to obe- dience and regularity. Whatever virtues are possessed by an English army, woe be to the commander who relaxes dis- cipline with them! The Duke's own orders and many living witnesses are sufficient to prove, that such liberties must not be taken with an army extortion, or violence, beyond the open contention with political ad- 104 BLOCKADE OF ALMEIDA. which, while under control, make the very best troops in Europe. The conduct of the Portuguese Government at this time was so tiresome, dishear- tening, and unjust toward their own army and their allies ; their correspondence with Lord Wel- lington so prevaricating, imbecile, and dishonest ; that we might well apply to our dear ally what Duke Cosmo of Florence said of his friends, (( That we read in Scripture, we ought to forgive our ene- mies ; but that we nowhere read, we ought to for- give our friends ." On the 11th of May, the enemy having recrossed the Agueda, with the exception of one brigade left in front of Ciudad Rodrigo, our army resumed its cantonments on the banks of the Azava and Agueda, and we returned to our former quarters at Puebla and Almadilla. Having been for ten days deprived of our baggage, which had been sent to the rear during the foregoing operations, it was no small luxury to be once more restored to servants, horses, clean linen, and razors. The Sixth Division, after the action, resumed the blockade of Almeida -, but, in spite of the defeat of the far superior force brought by Massena against Lord Wellington at Fuentes d'Ofior, and that by this result the relief of the French garrison of Almeida was for the time baffled, Lord Wellington, to his no small mortifica- tion, found that between the night of the 1 1th and the morning of the 12th the garrison of Almeida, after blowing up a portion of the works of the town, ESCAPE OF THE FRENCH GARRISON. 105 escaped. This was occasioned by the dilatory com- pliance of a general officer with the orders he re- ceived from Lord Wellington ; on their receipt, it was said that, instead of promulgating them imme- diately, the General put them into his pocket and forgot them. The consequence was, that the troops destined to cover a point in the line between the Agueda and the fortress of Almeida, arrived too late to prevent their escape ; and again, those who followed the flying garrison with inadequate force, attacked them (with more courage than prudence or military skill) when they had passed the river and had arrived within reach of support. Two di- visions and a brigade had been left, to prevent the escape of 1400 men under Brennier ; every neces- sary instruction was given by Lord Wellington, but all miscarried by the failure of a prompt obedience to orders. In writing to Lord Liverpool, Lord Wellington says on this point : "Possibly I Jiave to reproach myself for not having been on the spot. However, it is that alone in the whole operation in which I have to reproach myself, as everything was done that could be done in the way of order and instruction. I certainly feel every day more and more the difficulty of the situation in which I am placed. I am obliged to be everywhere ; and if absent from any operation, something goes wrong. It is to be hoped that the generals and other officers of the army will, at last, acquire that experience which will teach them that 106 DIFFICULTIES OF THE CAMPAIGN. success can be attained only by attention to the most minute details, and by tracing every part of every operation from its origin to its conclusion, point by point, and ascertaining that the whole is understood by those who are to execute it." Those who were witnesses of Lord Wellington's many difficulties, can attest that that of making the inattentive or incompetent comprehend his views and obey his orders, was not the slightest among them. No really good school, to form superior officers, had existed (India alone excepted). Since the days of Marlborough, no English army had been let loose on the continent of Europe to make substantial war ; island Generals, half fish, half flesh, with transports at their backs, like snails and their shells, were employed to carry out some great effort of military strategy, begotten in the brain of some most unmilitary Minister ; ' ' creating diversions," cutting Dutch sluices, or consigning men to die at unhealthy seasons in pestilential Flemish bogs. One great Minister, who shall be nameless, had a brother a General, to whom it was said he submitted all his plans ; but as the Minister was really a man of ability, although not military, and the other was a military man without any such advantage, the civilian, in imparting his military lucubrations to the soldier, did not reap the same benefit as Moliere did when he read his plays to his cook. All necessary requirements for so op- posite and enlarged a game of war as was now to DIFFICULTIES OF THE CAMPAIGN. 107 be played in the Peninsula, had to be created by the chief who commanded. Commissariats, depots, hospitals, transports, munitions of war, bullets, clothing, beef, gunpowder, and shoes, had to be conveyed, received, and distributed. All such de- tails, at a distance from our naval resources, had to be thought of and provided for; and even down to the feeding and condition of cavalry horses, and the avoidance of sore backs, Lord Wellington had to remark and give instructions upon, besides the discipline of the army, the tactics of war, the cul- tivation of the good feeling of the natives, and the diplomatic relations with their Government. He writes to Colonel Gordon, from Quinta de Granicha, June 12th, 1811 : " In addition to embarrassments of all descriptions, surrounding us on all sides, I have to contend with an ancient enmity between these two nations, which is more like that of cat and dog than anything else; of which no sense of common danger, or common interest, or any- thing, can get the better, even in individuals. Our transport, which is the great lever of the Commis- sariat, is done principally, if not entirely, by Spa- nish muleteers; and, to oblige Mr. Kennedy, they would probably once or twice carry provisions to a Portuguese regiment ; but they would prefer to quit us and attend the French, to being obliged to perform this duty constantly." Lord Wellington had few to aid him in all this. With some bright exceptions, those sent out in the 108 CHOICE OF OFFICERS. higher grades were anything but what was wanted, failing in all bnt personal conrage. Like Lord Collingwood's supply of officers after the battle of Trafalgar, political interest, personal favour, and partiality out-balanced capability, activity, and fit- ness in those sent to fill up the vacancies created by death, wounds, or sickness. It was then from the junior ranks of the army that Lord Welling- ton made his officers : ' c the young ones," to use a sporting phrase, " will always beat the old ones/' particularly when the last are without experience. The young brigadiers, colonels, lieutenant-colonels, majors, and captains were those he looked to and made efficient ; many, even of the last rank in staff situations, in the artillery and engineers, gained, by their intelligence, well-bought reputations for themselves, and often added to those above them approbation and honour which they did not al- ways quite deserve, but which they accepted, being satisfied (however little their own promptness or. discretion might have contributed to it) that suc- cess was the test of merit. It was quite wonderful how the Chief could work with such tools ; and had he not created others of a sharper description to act as Mentors, failures and blunders would have been more frequent than they were. The most remarkable position of Lord Wellington was that in this army, which he continued to command for so long and with such brilliant success, he had not even the power of making a corporal : he might CHOICE OF OFFICERS. 109 recommend for promotion officers who distinguished themselves, but that was not always attended to or complied with. An instance of this, not a singular one I fear, was that of Ensign Dyas of the 51st regiment, who twice volunteered to lead storming parties on the outwork of San Cristoval at the first siege of Badajos in 1811. His name was men- tioned in despatches, and Lord Wellington recom- mended him for promotion ; yet he never obtained it till after the return of the army from the Penin- sula in 1814, and then only by an accidental meet- ing with an influential person (the late Sir Frede- rick Ponsonby), who once more brought his ser- vices before the Horse Guards. Besides neglect or forgetfulness, there existed much jealousy of re- commendations which interfered with home pa- tronage. Lord Wellington, writing in August 1810*, to the then military secretary at the Horse Guards, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Torrens, remonstrates at the ill- success his recommendations met with, for promo- ting officers for services in the field. He says: " I have never been able to understand the prin- ciple on which the claims of gentlemen of family, fortune, and influence in the country, to promotion in the army, founded on their military conduct, character, and services, should be rejected, while the claims of others, no better founded on military * See * Selection of Wellington Despatches,' No. 425, by Gar- wood. 110 CHOICE OF OFFICERS. pretensions, were invariably attended to. I, who command the largest British army that has been employed against the enemy for many years, and have npon my hands certainly the most extensive and difficult concern that was ever imposed upon any British officer, have not the power of making even a corporal ! ! It is impossible this system can last. It will do very well for trifling expedi- tions and short services ; but those who are to su- perintend the discipline, and to excite and regulate the exertions of the officers of the army during a long-continued service, must have the power of re- warding them by the only mode in which they can be rewarded, that is, by promotion. I would also observe that this practice would be entirely con- sistent with the unvaried usage of the British army. I must say, that the public can have no greater interest than in the conduct and discipline of an army employed against the enemy in the field ; and I am thoroughly convinced that, whatever may be the result in my hands, a British army cannot be kept in the field for any length of time, unless the officers composing it have some hope that their exertions will certainly be rewarded by promotion ; and that to be abroad on service, and to do their duty with zeal and intelligence, afford prospects of promotion not afforded by the mere presence of an officer with his regiment, and his bearing the King's commission for a certain number of years." Our Chief ends the above communication by saying, Wellington's sense of duty. Ill " I would not give one pin to have the disposal of every commission in the army." It was the prin- ciple, for the public good, he advocated ; not the patronage, that he desired to engross. In creating the efficiency of his army against in- numerable adverse circumstances, disparaged at home, condemned by an influential portion of the press, contradicted by the Opposition, ill supported by the Ministry, and thwarted by our allies, the devotion Lord Wellington displayed to his duty and to his country's interests, overcame all diffi- culties and vanquished all opposition. This perse- vering and unwearied spirit of contention against obstacles, by its heartiness roused the self-esteem of others, and stimulated their faculties to aid and assist him in his objects. At the same time, no sacrifice of personal feeling on his part was too great to submit to, for what he deemed the public good \ in proof of which I will quote a letter he wrote, on a previous occasion, to his brother the Marquis Wellesley, wherein he alludes to some disagreeable annoyances he had been subjected to by those in power. " You will see," he says, " how much the resolu- tion" (the cause of his annoyance) "will amioy me; but I never had much value for the public spirit of any man who does not sacrifice his private views and convenience when it is necessary." In further exemplification of how perfectly he acted up to this principle, it will only be necessary 112 THE ENGLISH CABINET. here to quote letters written at the time by persons in official situations (to be found in Napier' s l Pe- ninsular War'), which, together with his own de- spatches, demonstrate at once the ill support of all Lord Wellington's views by our own and all the Governments concerned, and his want of necessary means to carry them out; thus subjecting him, not only to the sacrifice of his private " views and convenience," but endangering the vital cause in which England, Portugal, and Spain were engaged. Napier says : " The inefficient state of the Eng- lish Cabinet may be judged of by the following extracts : u < jip r n } 1810. I hope by next mail will be sent something more satisfactory and useful than we have yet done in the way of instructions. But I am afraid the late O. P. riots have occupied all the thoughts of our great men here, so as to make them, or at least some of them, forget more dis- tant but not less interesting concerns.' 'jp r n y 1811. With respect to the evils you allude to, as arising from the inefficiency of the Portuguese Government, the people here are by no means so satisfied of their existence as you who are on the spot. Here we judge only of the results ; the details we read over, but, being unable to re- medy, forget them the next day ; and in the mean- time, be the tools you have to work with good or bad, so it is, that you have produced results so far beyond the most sanguine expectations entertained DIFFICULTIES OF LORD WELLINGTON. 113 here by all who have not been in Portugal within the last eight months, that none inquire the causes which prevented more being done in a shorter time ; of which indeed there seems to have been a great probability, if the Government would have stepped forward at an earlier period with one hand in their pockets, and in the other strong energetic decla- rations of the indispensable necessity of a change of measures and principles in the Government.' " Sept. 1811. I have done everything in my power to get people here to attend to their real interests in Portugal, and I have clamoured for money ! money ! money ! in every office to which I have had access. To all my clamour and all my arguments I have invariably received the same an- swer, ' that the thing is impossible/ The Prince himself certainly appears to be a la hauteur des cir- constances, and has expressed his determination to make every exertion to promote the good cause in the Peninsula. Lord Wellesley has a perfect com- prehension of -the subject in its fullest extent, and is fully aware of the several measures which Great Britain ought and could adopt. But such is the state of parties, and such the condition of the pre- sent Government, that I really despair of witness- ing any decided and adequate effort on our part to save the Peninsula. The present feeling appears to be, that we have done mighty things, and all that is in our power ; that the rest must be left to all-bounteous Providence ; and that, if we do not i 114 THE ENGLISH CABINET. succeed, we must console ourselves by the reflec- tion that Providence has not been so propitious to us as we deserved. This feeling, you must allow, is wonderfully moral and Christian-like * but still, nothing will be done until we have a more vigo- rous military system, and a Ministry capable of directing the resources of the nation to something nobler than a war of descents and embarkations. A more perfect picture of an imbecile Adminis- tration could scarcely be exhibited ; and it was not wonderful that Lord Wellington, oppressed with the folly of the Peninsular Governments, should have often resolved to relinquish a contest that was one of constant risks, difficulties, and cares, when he had no better support from England." We remained in observation in the frontier vil- lages of Spain, but the Third and Seventh Divisions were now ordered to the Alemtejo, to join Beres- ford, who was carrying on operations against Bada- jos. Spencer was left in the north, in command of the First, Fifth, Sixth, and Light Divisions, and the cavalry. On the 15th, Lord Wellington left us for the Alemtejo ; but before he reached it, the battle of Albuera had been fought. This action took place on the 16th of May. Soult having rapidly advanced from the south, in force, to raise the siege of Ba- dajos, Beresford met him at Albuera, and a bloody action ensued. Our people gained the victory in a brilliant manner, but this was not accomplished BATTLE OF ALBUERA. 115 without considerable and severe loss. Much more mischief would certainly have ensued had not Har- dinge (now Lord Hardinge, commanding-in-chief the army, but then one of those young staff-officers to whom I have alluded) rendered timely and good sendee by his moral as well as personal courage, taking upon himself that day a responsibility of no ordinary kind, which mainly contributed to the successful result of the action. Lord Wellington writes as follows to Spencer, from Elvas, under date of the 22nd May : " I went yesterday to Al- buera, and saw the field of battle. We had a very good position, and I think should have gained a complete victory in it, without any material loss, if the Spaniards could have manoeuvred, but unfor- tunately they cannot. The French are retiring, but I do not think it clear that they are going beyond the Sierra Morena. As I know you have plenty of correspondents, I do not give you any details of the action here, or of our loss." Lord Wellington, writing to Admiral Berkeley, under date of May 20th, says: "The fighting was desperate, and the loss of the British has been very severe; but, adverting to the nature of the contest, and the manner in which they held their ground against all the efforts the whole French army could make against them, notwithstanding all the losses which they had sustained, I think this action one most glorious and honourable to the character of the troops." 116 SIEGE OF BADAJOS RESUMED. After this action the siege of Badajos was re- sumed under the same disadvantages with which it had been first commenced : insufficient mate- rial, no adequate battering train, inefficiency of implements, and tools of bad quality*, no trained sappers and miners, a scarcity of ammunition, and great difficulty of transport. Everything imme- diately necessary to accompany or supply our army was conveyed on mule-back ; the badness of the roads, the ill construction and scarcity of the Por- tuguese and Spanish bullock-cars, and the slowness of wheel-conveyance drawn by oxen in a moun- tainous country, rendering them less available and more cumbersome. Another consideration was, the facility with which animals, carrying loads on their backs, can move on byepaths, crossroads, and over the open country, disembarrassing easily the main communication when wanted for the opera- tions of the army. (For this reason, in Belgium, previous to Waterloo, the Duke ordered all bag- gage to be conveyed as in Spain and Portugal.) The interest of the war now turned toward the Alemtejo and the southern frontier of Portugal. We were still left, however, under Spencer in the north, to watch Marmont at Salamanca, the garri- son of Ciudad Hodrigo, and some few outposts in the Agueda. One night I was on piquet : patrol- ling before daylight along a pathway in our woody and hilly neighbourhood, we perceived in the twi- * The quality is not much better at present. A FORCED MARCH. 117 light two French soldiers on a marauding excur- sion from their own outposts. Before they saw us we indulged in a slight detour, came suddenly on them, and made them both prisoners. One of these men told me that 20,000 of the enemy were moving from Salamanca, by the other side of the Sierra de Gatta, towards Badajos. I sent my pri- soners in, with this intelligence, to be further ex- amined at head-quarters. The next day Don Julian Sanchez came over to our quarters, and confirmed this fellow's story, that the enemy in front were moving. In consequence of this report, and what had occurred in the Alemtejo, Sir Brent Spencer deemed it necessary to move some of the divisions under his command to Lord Wellington's support, and ours was ordered to direct its line of march toward the south. This was considered so pressing and urgent, that we left Puebla on the 25th, at two o'clock p.m., and did not halt till one o'clock a.m. of the 26th, and then only until four a.m. We reached Penamacor at six p.m. the same evening, having marched (through bad roads and over a mountainous country in the summer heats) fifty-six miles in twenty-seven hours, with only three hours' halt. On our arrival we found that we were not wanted in the south, but might be so in the north, and we received orders to march T)ack again. General Howard's brigade only, with the Portuguese, continued to move on to the Alemtejo, and we returned to Puebla, through Argira de San 118 TRAITS OF WELLINGTON. Antonio, Sabugal, Soita, Alfyates, Aldea de Ponte, and Almadilla. This was very pretty exercise, kept ns in good wind and condition, and indulged us in the habit of stretching our legs ; but it wore out that important part of a soldier's kit on service, the men's shoes. Lord Wellington, who thought of everything, would scarcely have failed to communicate his wishes, had he wanted us. Certainly, Beresford's lighting at Albuera as he did was, to say the least of it, an inconvenient work of supererogation and a waste of life, which did not assist in any way Lord Wellington's plans. Badajos could not have been taken with the inadequate means in our possession, and the defence of such operations was not worth a general action. A timely withdrawal from the siege, without encountering the enemy, would have embarrassed Soult, economized our troops, and avoided a fearful risk, without the chance even of obtaining any adequate advantage. It is dangerous to trust with discretionary powers men who possess great courage and small perspicacity. Napier says, C( Practical study may make a good general, as to the handling of troops and the designing a cam- paign ; but the ascendancy of spirit which leads the wise, while it controls the insolence of folly, is a rare gift of nature ;" and even that, with all its in- fluences, is not always successful in making others do right. But Lord Wellington, not having the attributes of Sir Boyle Roche's bird, "could not GOOD FEELING OF THE SPANIARDS. 119 well be in two places at once;" he wrote how- ever, after the battle, that " the enemy never had such superiority of numbers opposed to the Bri- tish troops as in this action." One of our Chief's greatest merits was, that the great ' ' master never found fault with his tools." Whatever private strictures or intimations he might have made on mistakes, failures, and blunders, his public ones were never condemnatory. On all occasions, in this way, he displayed the utmost patience and forbearance to faults which required, from their consequences, the utmost exercise of these virtues. Our return to the Spanish village, after our rapid run over the mountains at the back of the Serra d'Estrella, was greeted by the inhabitants with welcome and good feeling. Since we had been in Spain (the people finding that we paid for everything we wanted, and put them to as little inconvenience as we could help) our supplies and resources became more abundant, and our inter- course with the natives agreeable. They were a fine race to look upon, and much superior, in this respect, to their neighbours the Portuguese. Poor Portugal, desolated and ground down as it had been by the iron hand of aggressive war, did not at this period show in favourable contrast with the less oppressed Spaniards, about whom there was always a staid manner and a dignity of deportment very prepossessing. On the 30th of May, being the birthday of his 120 BULL-FIGHT AND BALL. Spanish Majesty King Ferdinand the Seventh, a bull-fight and a ball, to which we were all invited, was given at Fuente Guinaldo by Don Julian San- chez (formerly a respectable butcher in Ciudad Ro- drigo) and the officers of his guerilla corps. ' Duty prevented me from availing myself of this oppor- tunity to witness this truly national amusement; I heard however from my comrades, that much patriotism, with cold kid and fried fish, was dis- played upon the occasion, and the annoyance cre- ated by one of our corps having killed Julian's lieutenant at Fuentes d'Ofior seemed forgotten. The soothing influence exercised by the presence of many pretty Spanish women softened all rude or contentious feelings or recollections. In return for this pleasant intercourse and hospitable treat- ment, we determined to give these ladies and the guerillas a dance, on the 4th of June, the birthday of our own Sovereign. There being no ball-rooms at the village of Puebla de Azava, we constructed a very pretty bower of leaves, lighted up with pa- per lamps, and wreathed round with flowers ; the English colours formed an ornament at the upper end, or place of honour, of this temporary apart- ment; a band from the German Legion set the swimming dance in motion; we had waltzes, bo- leros, and fandangos, dark eyes, favourable glances, agreeable smiles, white teeth, charming figures, and graceful movement. We actually began to feel a little humanized; in short, to us it was "una ABRUPT ANNOUNCEMENT. 121 ticrra de los duendes*." We were very attentive and careful in refreshing the sedentary duennas, those Cerberuses of young hearts, with ample por- tions of punch, wine, and cake, and with as good a cold supper as the facilities of the neighbour- hood afforded. We even extracted from Ciudad Rodrigo (although in the enemy's keeping) many sweetmeats and donas hermosas, to adorn our bower and deck our table. All was in good keeping and good taste gay, lively, animated, happy when, about three o'clock in the morning, some fellow, of ill-omened voice and stentorian lungs, thrust his ugly warlike head through an aperture of our bower, and hallooed out, "March directly \" Had a mine exploded among our peaceful, happy group, more sudden or greater confusion could not have been occasioned; hurry-scurry instantly ensued amidst officers, servants, guerillas, and ladies ; the latter cried out, " Los Franceses ! los Franceses ! " although we had very good reason to believe that they did not dread them half so much as their bro- thers and fathers, that is, with the exception of the old ladies, whose nerves were more delicate than those of the younger portion of the sex. Then came a scrambling and inquiry among the servitors after plates, knives, forks, and spoons; the ladies and guerillas calling for their horses; the drums beating the generate, men moving down to the company alarm-posts, batmen saddling mules and * Fairyland. 122 MARCH TO ALMADILLA. horses ; in short, great excitement and more regret at leaving so suddenly many agreeable, but too re- cently made acquaintances; at last however, like good soldiers and light-hearted Christians, we sub- mitted to the consolatory French maxim, "C'est la fortune de la guerre." Our column being formed, we moved on Alma- dilla, where we awaited further orders. No one about us seemed to understand what these move- ments meant, > and if ignorance is bliss, we were left to its utmost enjoyment. At last intelligence reached us that the enemy, under Marmont, had made a show of passing the Agueda with some ca- valry and a column of infantry. Sir Brent Spen- cer, brave as a lion in personal courage, was sensi- tively nervous in that moral portion of the virtue, the responsibility of command. Much vacillation ensued. Brigadier-general Pack precipitately de- stroyed the recently repaired works at Almeida; our army was somewhat disjointed in relative con- nection to the different Divisions ; our movements seemed of an uncertain nature, and our baggage was somewhat widely dispersed over the coun- try. "In this state the Adjutant-general Pack- enham observed that the French did not advance as if to give battle that their numbers were small their movements more ostentatious than vigo- rous, and probably designed to cover a flank move- ment by the passes leading to the Tagus. He therefore urged Spencer to assume a position of RETKEAT TOWARD THE COA. 123 battle, and thus force the enemy to discover his numbers and intentions, or march at once to Lord Wellington's assistance. His views were sup- ported by Colonel Waters, who, having been close to the French, said they were too clean and well- dressed to have come off a long march, and must therefore be part of the garrison of Ciudad Ro- drigo; he had also ascertained that a large body was pointing toward the passes*." At three o'clock a.m. of the morning of the 6th, we moved from Almadilla on Soita, where we again halted from eight till twelve. The whole of our corps d'armee was now in movement in three columns of divisions, the First from Almadilla, Aldea de Ponte, and Villa Major; the Light from Espeja; the Fifth from Nave d'Aver, and Sixth from Almeida, Villa Formosa, and the surround- ing villages, in full retreat toward the Coa. Some skirmishing and a cannonade ensued between the advance guard of the enemy and our Light Divi- sion and cavalry, in which Captain Purvis of the Royals distinguished himself. In the night, as the Light Division, with their arms piled, were in bivouac, a sudden alarm took place in consequence of some fellow roaring out, " French cavalry ! " There was no doubt that a charge was made on the sleeping troops, trampling over the men and their arms, hurting some of the former and knocking down the latter. On rising to seize their mus- * See Napier. 124 A MIDNIGHT CHARGE. kets, our people discovered a drove of some fifty unruly bullocks, who, led by one more hungry and adventurous than the rest, had departed from their line of march, trotted off from the roadway in search of food, and, in spite of their drivers, scam- pered over a part of the 43rd and 52nd regiments. In the confusion thus created, some fellow suddenly aroused from sleep, who had possibly dreamed of the enemy, seeing a dark body of galloping qua- drupeds, called out, " French cavalry ! " totally for- getting that outposts had been set to guard against such an unpleasant intrusion. On the 7th we passed the Coa, and took up a position in its rear: there we remained till two o'clock p.m. of the 8th, when, Packenham and Waters' s surmises of the intentions of the enemy proving correct that their advance was meant to cover a flank movement, and they having retired again, we received orders to march to Mimao, on the road to Penamacor, en route for the Alemtejo; thus keeping a parallel movement with Marmont's corps. The Light Division headed our march, leaving Penamacor to our left. Our movement was directed to the passage of the Tagus at Villa Velha by Pedragao, Escalhos de Ceima, Sarnardas, and Atalaya ; the heat was something awful, par- ticularly to our poor men, each of whom, under the weight of nearly seventy pounds* (including * It is to be hoped that in future campaigns this load may be lightened. OVERPOWERING HEAT. 125 great-coat, blanket, knapsack, arms, and accoutre- ments), was moving, sometimes in the hottest part of the day, through deep valleys covered with the shrub of the gum-cistus, emitting a powerfully aro- matic and sickening effluvium. Thus surrounded and closed in by hills, the sun struck with intense force into these deep valleys, which, together with the dust raised by the movement of large columns of men, and a want of circulation of air, was most distressing and overpowering. I have seen a man's havresac wet with perspiration through his thick red coat, as if it had been dipped in water. Our men however bore this well, and few, if any, were left behind. One poor fellow was struck down by a coup de soleil. After the first day or two, Sir Brent ordered us to march at one o'clock a.m., so as to reach our halting-place before the heats be- gan. It is no joke to be exposed to the sun in Spain or Portugal in the middle of a summer's day, when the thermometer stands between 80 or 90 of Fahrenheit. When the enemy kept at a respectful distance, Lord Wellington always made us march in the night, so as to reach our bivouac or camp in the morning, before the sun's power prevailed. On the 14th we passed the Tagus between two precipitous hills. The stream here is rapid, and its width more than a quarter of a mile ; there were but two boats, each of which could transport only two hundred men at a time, so our transit was slow, 126 PORTALEGRE. and the passage of the guns and baggage slower. Poor Johnstone of the Artillery was drowned on this occasion; he was much esteemed by all, and looked upon as a fine fellow and good officer. Al- though young, he had served in the campaigns of 1808-9-10-11, and had escaped unharmed till now. Here, my cattle failing, I purchased another mule of Joyce of the 60th Rifles. On the 15th we bivouacked near Niza, and on the 16th reached Portalegre, refreshed by rain, which cooled us ; and, after an absence from our baggage of two days, we entered our quarters, which comforted us. The siege of Badajos had now been raised, and Lord Wellington wrote that "the quantity of 241b. shot, we understand, that could be sent from Lisbon was 480, which we fired in about two hours ! " Picton said we had been " suing Badajos in forma pauperis" Portalegre was, with the exception of Lisbon, the first entirely undamaged town that I had as yet seen since entering Portugal, and, consequently, the only one that gave any notion of the original national ha- bits or peaceful employments of the people. It was a large well-built city, with the advantage of being neither dilapidated nor deserted, which was so far favourable as to give it (in comparison to what we had recently seen) a busy and somewhat thriving appearance. The Bishop's palace was a spacious building; the houses were good, with shops and other industrial indications of human- ANECDOTES OF CRAUFURD. 127 ity. The Light Division, being in advance of ours, reached it two days before us. General Craufurd, who was in command, took up his quarters at the Bishop's palace; Spencer, commanding-in- chief the whole of this wing of our army, sent on to take up his quarters in the said palace. His aide-de-camp, Captain Browne, found Craufurd in possession, and having announced Sir Brent's wishes, and his in- tention to occupy it, Craufurd, ill to manage and of fiery temper, did not like to vacate so comfort- able an abode, and insinuated that he considered himself divested of military rank, and wished that his superior officer would consider himself so, and further mentioned something about the posses- sion of pistols, and other small matters concerning eight paces, which intimation he desired might be conveyed to Sir Brent, as a hint of the manner in which he meant to resist the intended ejection. This was so strong a step against the rules of order and discipline, that Spencer was obliged to report it to Lord Wellington; and thus the Chief had, among other more serious occupations of mind and time, to administer corrective advice to his fiery- dispositioned lieutenant. Both Spencer and Craufurd were men of tried and well-known intrepidity, and such differences were ill-timed, foolish, and detrimental to the ser- vice. Certainly, on this occasion, the junior, to say the least of it, was rather too demonstrative of the want of estimation in which he held his senior. 128 THE INSULTED COMMISSARY. Without vouching for its correctness, I may mention another anecdote of Craufurd, which was current at this time. He had some cause for dis- content with a Commissary attached to his divi- sion, who was displaced. On the appointment of another, the General formed his division into a square, and introduced the Commissary; when, addressing his men, he animadverted on the mis- conduct of the former officer holding that position, who had not, he conceived, been sufficiently active in supplying the Division ; and added, that if the present Commissary did not do his duty better, they might hang him, for what he cared ! This uncourteous announcement did not suit the commissioned dignity or personal feelings of the purveyor of provisions, who took the matter much to heart, and quite au pied de la lettre. Un- der this impression, and being perfectly unappeas- able, he repaired to head- quarters, to make a for- mal report of what had occurred. Lord Welling- ton, happening at the time to be very much en- gaged, could not see him. He waited, and sent in a second time to say that he was in attendance. At last he was admitted ; when Lord Wellington asked, c ' Well, what do you want ?" The unfor- tunate complainant, with much circumlocution, related his injuries. Lord Wellington could not bear a roundabout story ; conciseness, alacrity, and energy were the elements in which he lived. He liked all that was to be done or said brought to a SMALL MEANS, BUT A BOLD FRONT. 129 point clearly and quickly ; and when the Commis- sary ended the history of his sorrows by saying that the General had declared " they might take me and hang me/' Lord Wellington replied, " Did he, by G ? You had better take care ; he is sure to be as good as his word/' On the 19th we left Portalegre, and it was with regret that we moved from so unusually good a quarter. Marmont, with the army of Portugal, directed his march by the Puerta de Banos, to join Soult. The whole French combined force of these two Marshals, amounting to some 80,000 men, was now concentrated in our front. Lord Wel- lington writes from Elvas, under date of the 17th of June, 1811: "Under these circumstances I should, and shall, avoid a general action, if I can ; but I must put a countenance upon the state of affairs, and matters must be risked till provisions be placed in Elvas/' With this view our Chief visited the position of Albuera, and ordered entrenchments to be thrown up to strengthen this ground. Elvas, which had been perfectly neglected by the Portuguese Govern- ment (although their only stronghold of conse- quence in the Alemtejo), was now, at the oft-re- peated demand of Lord Wellington, being provi- sioned and armed; and this at the eleventh hour. Some of the guns were so useless, and the ammu- nition so scant, that a detachment of French ca- valry were allowed to pass over the glacis of the K 130 A FLAT RESULT. fortress without a single gun being brought to bear upon, or even a shot fired at them. Our Division on the 23rd moved from Azumar to St. Olaya, where we hutted ourselves. The same day, " the French cavalry having passed the Guadiana in two columns, one by the bridge of Badajos, the other by the fords below the con- fluence of the Caya; the former drove back the outposts, yet, being opposed by Madden' s horse- men and the heavy dragoons, retired without being able to discover the position on that side. The other column, moving towards Villa Viciosa and Elvas, cut off a squadron of the 11th Dragoons; and the second German hussars escaped from it to Elvas with great difficulty. One hundred and fifty men were killed or taken in this affair, and the French aver that Colonel Lallemand drew the Bri- tish cavalry into an ambuscade. The rumours in the allied camp were discordant, but no more fight- ing occurred ; and a fruitless attempt to surprise the English detachments at Albuquerque ended the demonstrations. The French Marshals then spread their forces along the Guadiana from Xeres de los Cavalheiros to Montijo, and proceeded to collect provisions. A great and decisive battle had been expected; and though the crisis glided away quietly, the moment was one of the most dangerous of the whole war*." * See Napier. 131 CHAPTER VI. CAMP OP ST. OLATA. FEVER. SIR B. SPENCER. AN ESCAPADE ANTIQUATED- NOTIONS. EFFECT OF A HOT CLIMATE. A DUEL. ADVANCE OF THE FRENCH. GALLANT RENCONTRE. EL BODON. FUENTE GUINALDO. RETREAT OF BOTH ARMIES. Lord Wellington wrote from the Quinta de San Joao under date of the 30th June : "As nothing is believed in England that is written by persons in authority in this country, it is not believed that the generals commanding the French armies have no communication with each other, and that they are entirely ignorant of all that is passing around them ; and that they have, in fact, no information, excepting what they derive from deserters from the foreign regiments in our service, of whom there are, I am sorry to say, too many, and from the prisoners occasionally sent back to them, in exchange for some of our officers and soldiers. Adverting to the superiority of the enemy's numbers over the allied British and Por- tuguese armies, and to the inefficiency of the Spa- nish troops, I attribute the success which wc have 132 LETTER TO DUMOURIEZ. had hitherto in a great degree to the want of in- formation by the enemy's general officers. At this moment, though the whole army are within a few miles of them, they do not know where they are ; but, if disabled prisoners are to be sent to them, they will get all the information they require, if not directly from themselves, from their friends in the French interest at Lisbon, from Portuguese or English newspapers" etc. And further to show the state of affairs at this period, it may be as well to quote other short ex- tracts from a letter of Lord Wellington's to Ge- neral Dumouriez, under date the 5th July, from the same Quinta. " II y a presque trois ans, a present, que je con- duis les operations de la guerre la plus extraor- dinaire qu'il y eut jamais. . . . Je crois que ni Buonaparte, ni le monde, n'ont compte sur les difficultes a subjuguer la Peninsule, etant oppose par une bonne armee en Portugal. II a fait des ef- forts gigantesques, dignes de sa reputation et des forces dont il a la disposition; mais il n'en a pas fait assez encore; et je crois que Tancien dictum de Henri Quatre, que ' quand on fait la guerre en Espagne avec peu de monde, on est battu, et avec beaucoup de monde, on meurt de faim/ se trou- vera verifie de nos jours; et que Buonaparte ne pourra jamais nourrir, meme de la maniere Fran- caise moderne, une armee assez grande pour faire la conquete des royaumes de la Peninsule, si les CAMP OF ST. OLAYA. 133 allies ont seulement une armee assez forte pour arreter ses progres. . . . Vous verrez quelle est Fespece de guerre que nous faisons. II faut de la patience, de la grande patience, pour la faire," etc. We remained in our hutted camp in daily ex- pectation of the enemy's movement in advance. The heat was excessive, our shelter from its in- tenseness inadequate ; large plains, dotted and in- terspersed with olive-trees, afforded more dust than shade ; our hut3 were not constructed of the best materials to defend us from the sun's scorching blaze ; soon after daybreak they became little hot- houses, or rather ovens, from whence came forth for parade an almost baked battalion. At this place our brigade was considerably strengthened, by a reinforcement of detachments from our dif- ferent regiments at Cadiz. Here also his Royal Highness the Prince of Orange joined us, as aide- de-camp to Lord Wellington. He was accompa- nied by his friend, Henry Johnson"*, acting as his equerry and aide-de-camp. On this occasion Lord Wellington reviewed the whole army, to show it to his Royal Highness. To be sure, we were not so numerous as the combined corps of the two French marshals in our front ; but what there was of us, together with the Germans, improved by past experience under Lord Welling- * Now Sir Henry A. Johnson, Bart., of Gresford Lodge, Den- bigh. 134 GUADIANA FEVER. ton's guidance, was tried good stuff. At the same time our ranks were a motley group of all nations, British, Hanoverians, Brunswickers, Chasseurs Bri- tanniques (composed of French royalists and de- serters), Portuguese, and , Spaniards. We were in appearance like Joseph's many-coloured garment ; whilst our enemy formed one compact army, under French chiefs, with the advantage of one discipline and one language. In our ranks sickness began now to prevail to a considerable extent. Our vici- nity at this season to the banks of the Guadiana was anything but healthy : fever existed on the low and extensive plains surrounding the river. We were not sorry to find, therefore, that the enemy had withdrawn from before us. After provisioning Badajos, " Marmont covered Soult's retrograde operations and retired gradually ; he quartered his army in the valley of the Tagus, leaving one division at Truxillo." We were thus relieved from the French when we had most reason to expect, if not an attack from them, at least one from the Guadiana fever. Indeed, the latter had already made some progress ; but we were now spared a further contest with both, and the incon- venience of a longer residence in an unwholesome vicinity. Want of provisions and the pestilent neighbourhood induced the enemy to decamp. Marmont so placed his force on the Tagus as to act on the flank of any movement of ours against Soult and towards Andalucia ; his central position SIR BRENT SPENCER. 135 covered Madrid, and lie could in a short time col- lect 70,000 men against any incursion Lord Wel- lington might have contemplated in that direc- tion; but after all, the concentration by the two French Marshals of 80,000 men did not result in a renewal of an attempt to invade Portugal. We therefore regarded each other with contemplative curiosity, our chief waiting and watching like a tiger for a spring upon his prey. On the 2nd of July we broke up from our camp, and marched, via Azumar, to Portalegre. Here Lord March left head-quarters on sick leave for Lisbon, and Sir Brent Spencer left for England. The latter had frequently been good enough to no- tice me ; and, on taking leave of him, he informed me that, in consequence of Sir Thomas Graham's appointment to this army as second in command (having held that high position himself for so long), he could not reconcile to his feelings to accept a lower post, such as remaining in command of the First Division, which had been offered him by Lord Wellington. He had therefore determined to resign and return to England; that he men- tioned this to me, as he had intended to have ap- pointed me his aide-de-camp, had I liked to serve on his personal staff; and that, should he be em- ployed elsewhere, he would keep the appointment open till he heard from me. I thanked him for hifl kind intentions, and the estimation in which he was good enough to hold me ; and replied, that 136 BUOYANT SPIRITS. should he hold any command on active service, I would most readily accept his offer, but that in any other case I should be loth to leave this army, as I conceived it to be the duty of every young officer to serve where he could most profit in the know- ledge of his profession. He was good enough to approve my views, and so we parted, and the mat- ter ended; for he did not succeed to Sir George Prevosfs command in America, as was at the time contemplated. During the few days we halted at Portalegre, a young, gallant, and hilarious major-general (who was quartered in the Bishop's Palace, near the church) had, as usual, a few officers at dinner. The company was composed of youthful and buoy- ant spirits like himself; the weather was very hot, and the wine very plentiful. After a somewhat late sitting, it was proposed, in consequence of the tempting vicinity of a wardrobe full of canonicals, to attire ourselves in priestly garments, and to march forth with long candles in our hands; this was put into effect, chaunting, in grave procession, as we went, most unintelligible music, interrupted by bursts of laughter. Luckily, it was late and the inhabitants were at rest ; or otherwise disagreeable consequences would in all probability have ensued. A report of this effervescence of wine and reckless spirit reached head-quarters ; and, considering the sacred ceremonies it imitated, the prejudices it waged war against, the high military rank of the CANNONS, NOT OF THE CHURCH. 137 person engaged in it, and the consequent bad ex- ample to others, this escapade was severely rebuked by Lord Wellington. He who was the promoter of the fun and folly will now perhaps smile as he recognizes the scene of past thoughtlessness (should its relation meet his sight), for he still lives*; and but lately, at St. Paul's, I saw him shed abundant tears of regret on the bier of him who recalled the too lively young general to a sense of his position. Thus was settled this great candle and surplice question, which unfortunately in these days cannot be so easily settled at home ! Lord Wellington then turned his mind to other cannons, not of the Church, but of those in the mouth of which " man seeks the bubble, reputa- tion." "He caused the battering train of iron guns and mortars, just arrived from England, with their gunners, to be re-embarked ostentatiously at Lisbon as if for Cadiz, but had them shifted at sea into smaller craft; and while the original vessels went to their destination, the train was secretly landed at Oporto, and carried up the Douro in boats to Lamego. From thence they were brought to Villaponte, near Celorico, without attracting attention; because Lamego and Celorico, being great depots, the passage of stores was constant. Other combinations deceived the enemy and facili- tated the project, before the troops commenced their march for Beira. . . . The bringing sixty - * I am sorry to say that he has died since this was written. 138 PORTUGUESE DIFFICULTIES. eight huge guns, with proportionate stores, across fifty miles of mountain was an operation of mag- nitude. Five thousand draft bullocks were re- quired for the train alone, and above a thousand militia were for several weeks employed merely to repair the road*." At about the same time all our field-guns, ex- cept those of the Horse Artillery, were exchanged for others sent out at Lord Wellington's request. We found the French eight-pounder guns over- powering against our sixes, nice light little things, fit only for short and sweet Lilliputian boating expeditions, but not made to contend with the heavier calibre of metal the enemy brought to bear upon us. Lord Wellington, immediately after the battle of Albuera, had sent Beresford to Lisbon to orga- nize the restoration of the Portuguese army. No man was more fit and capable for the execution of this object than Lord Beresford, as demonstrated by the organization, the discipline, and eventual state of the Portuguese army, which had hitherto been paid by England, and three-fourths of them supplied from our commissariat ; but still the Por- tuguese Government left the remaining fourth to starve. " The disputes between Lord Wellington and the Portuguese Government were also becom- ing unappeasable ; he drew up powerful expositions of his grievous situation, sent one to the Brazils, # Napier. CONFIDENCE IN WELLINGTON. 139 and another to England, declaring that if a new system was not adopted he could not and would not continue the war*." The successful results of the conduct of the campaigns in the Peninsula by Lord Wellington's prudence, activity, and fore- sight, seem at length to have inoculated the Mi- nistry in England with more confidence in his views and somewhat less in their own. Luckily, at this moment no Cabinet Minister happened to be affected with that serious and cruel disorder, a strategetic expeditionary mania to any other part of the new or old world ; so we began to be more effectively supported with men and material, al- though money was still wanting in our military chest. This change for the better did not occur till after the army had been engaged in this war for nearly three years ; and, in spite of all the re- presentations made by Lord Wellington, Mr. Per- cival still remained inimical to his views, and either would not or could not understand this great con- centrated effort towards one grand and worthy end. The Spaniards would not consent to be offi- cered by us ; and at this moment were, as far as their armies went, really of little or no use. Lord Wellington writes to his brother on this subject as follows: " You will then say, what is Great Britain to do? I answer, persevere in the contest, and do the best she can ; while she endeavours to prevail * Napier, 140 ANTIQUATED NOTIONS. upon the Spaniards to improve their military sys- tem We have already, in some degree, altered the nature of the war, and of the French military system. They are now, in a great mea- sure, on the defensive, and are carrying on a war of magazines. They will soon, if they have not already, come upon the resources of France ; and as soon as that is the case, you may depend upon it the war will not last long. We may spend ten millions a year in this country, but it is a very erroneous notion to suppose that all that expense is incurred by the war in the Peninsula. Our es- tablishment which we have here would cost very near half that sum if they were kept at home, and the surplus only should be charged as the expense of this war. I do not mean to say that that ex- pense is not great, but it must be borne as long as the Spaniards and Portuguese can hold out, or we must take our leave of our character as a great country." The military departments at home also seemed in happy ignorance of the nature of the requisites essential for an army established in continuous warlike operations on the continent of Europe. Pig-tails, pipe-clay, stiff stocks, powder, tight breeches, long gaiters, and eight hundred lashes before breakfast, were the costume and discipline of that day and the old time before it. These antiquated notions began to be loosened, through the practical knowledge and necessities of the war. SIR THOMAS GRAHAM. 141 We ourselves were in a normal school of education under him, who lived to see and assisted to make great and advantageous changes and improvements. Lord Wellington, having changed the artillery of the army to a larger calibre of gun, and received reinforcements of some cavalry and infantry from England, once more set us in motion for the north of Portugal, having obtained intelligence that Ciu- dad Rodrigo was straitened for provisions. On the 31st, accordingly, our Division moved from Portalegre to Alpahao; on the 1st reached Niza ; and on the 2nd passed the Tagus on a pon- toon bridge another most requisite material for an army, and now for the first time only in our possession. In descending from the north, the fly- ing bridge of two old crazy boats was the dilatory and only mode of transit over the Tagus. (Here, by moonlight, after so many hours' exposure to the sun, sundry of us took a most luxurious swim in the Tagus.) On the 7th our new chief of division, Sir Thomas Graham*, joined us as second in command of the army. He was a fine, gallant-looking old man, who began his military career somewhat late in life, by raising, at forty years of age, a regiment, of which he became at once the colonel, and in this rank commenced his services. We continued to move by Sarnadas and Castello Branco to Escalhos de Ceima, where we had a * Afterwards Lord Lynedoch. 142 WELLINGTON AT SERINGAPATAM. day's halt j then on to San Miguel, Pedragao, Val de Lobo, and finally to Penamacor, where we halt- ed. The Light Division took np their old quarters between the Agueda and Dos Casas, at Gallegos and Espeja. Lord Wellington left General Hill with 10,000 men in the Alemtejo to watch Soult, and cover any attempt on Lisbon from that quar- ter; Hill's front being covered again with some Spanish corps. It was remarkable that he was the only one of his generals, after the battle of Al- buera, to whom Lord "Wellington confided, for any length of time, the command of a separate corps ; and well did General Hill merit the confidence placed in him. No man however was more fair and considerate towards a first failure of others in a military at- tempt than Lord Wellington. A staff-officer, at- tached to head-quarters, informed me he had heard him declare that a man failing once (under certain circumstances) should not preclude his being tried again; and on one occasion he added, " Where should I have been had I not had a second trial at Seringapatam ?" Marmont was drawn to the north by our move- ments ; and although our advance arrived too late to prevent some small supplies reaching Ciudad Rodrigo, still the enemy made no attempt to mo- lest any of our corps on their march, except by some French dragoons from Plasencia, who " cap- tured a convoy of mules loaded with wine, got EFFECT OF A HOT CLIMATE. 143 drunk, and in that state falling on some Portu- guese infantry, were beaten, and lost the mules again*." On this march, the weather being very hot, most of us preferred bivouacking to sleeping in the filthy cottages, with their too numerous inhabitants. One of my horses knocked up, and I left him, poor fel- low ! on the top of a mountain, at his own discre- tion, to sustain himself as best he could on some sorry-looking leaves and grass. I had no choice in the matter, or he either: he could not move further. It was no longer possible for him to carry me ; and, as it did not occur to me to parry him, we parted, wishing each other well, no doubt. I lightened his back of the saddle, which I placed On my own till the day's march was over. Priva- tions and hot weather render men anything but amiable. It requires much forbearance and good feeling in such positions to ' ' love your neighbour as yourself;" besides, perhaps the fiery sun may add to fiery tempers ; for which reason there gene- rally is more squabbling in India than elsewhere ; in short, people get bilious, if they are not ' ' born so." I [eaven knows, as far as indulgence in comes- tibles went, we had neither profuseness nor luxury to generate dyspepsia. But, be this as, it might, it did not prevent two field-officers of our brigade from coming to loggerheads. One of them esta- blished himself at the village of Pedragao, in some * General Ilarvey's Journal, MS. See Napier. 144 A DUEL. hovel, more convenient-looking than ordinary. The other, of senior rank, arrived later, but, on doing so, turned out the first possessor. Warm expres- sions passed in consequence; and the following day, while on the march, the ejected party rode up to, and remonstrated with, the ejector. The latter coolly assured him that, "so far from relinquish- ing his right to what he had done now, he should continue to act in the same manner on all future occasions." The other replied that, in such a case, he "sheltered himself under his rank as a supe- rior officer, to be guilty of a dirty and ungentle- manlike action." This, of course, was a closer to the conversation at the time. After some little delay, these two men went out; the junior fired at the senior, the senior at the junior, and so ended this stupid and ill-con- ditioned dispute. Most people thought that, as the French were so near, it was a pity these gentle- men should have had occasion to try to shoot one another ; by only going a little distance the enemy would, in all probability, have done it for them with the greatest possible pleasure, and in a much more soldierlike and professional way. Our sub- ordinate rank precluded us from entering into the indulgence of such luxuries : we belonged to that happy portion of his Majesty' s service who were in the full enjoyment of what sailors call "monkey's allowance," tha,t is, of "more kicks than half- pence." With the alacrity of youth, however, the BLUNDERS OF THE NEWSPAPERS. 1 15 necessity of obedience to those numerous grades above us, and the inutility of resistance, I do not remember any instance of a duel among the sub- alterns ; although I have seen men turned out, not only of quarters, by those immediately above them in seniority, but even from under the scanty shade afforded by an olive-tree. At that cheery age we bore all, laughed at all, and were ready for all. We left it to those of higher rank, and more ma- tured ill-temper, of less good feeling, or absence of good breeding, to set so bad an example when on service before an enemy. The English newspapers of the 15th July reached us here, and kindly communicated to us that we had all retired to our lines at Torres Vedras* ! On the 28th of August however we moved from Pcnamacor, and closed up to our advanced divisions on the frontier of Spain, passing through Val de * As illustrative of the ill-omened reports and opinions exist- ing at home at this time, I may venture to quote an anecdote from Moore's Diary, with a note of Lord John Eussell's on it. " Sheridan always maintained that the Duke of Wellington would succeed in Portugal ; General Tarleton the reverse. It was a matter of constant dispute between them. Tarleton, who had been wrong, grew obstinate ; so on the news of the retreat of the French, Sheridan, by way of taunt, said, 'Well, Tarleton, are you on your high horse still ?' ' Oh, higher than ever ! if I was on a horse before, I am now on an elephant.' ' No, no, my dear fellow ; you were on an ass before, and you are on a mule now.' " Lord John goes on to say, " I remember that, having been at the lines of Torres Vedras, Sheridan was much pleased with my sanguine account of the position. Ed. of Moore's Letters and Diary." L 146 REINFORCEMENT OF THE FRENCH. Lobo, Sabugal, to Nave 6 Aver. Ciudad Rodrigo was now surrounded by the piquets of the Light Division, which were extended to the Salamanca side of the town, cutting off the communication between the garrison and the surrounding country. Marmont was at Plasencia, and Dorsenne, with 20,000 men, in the north; their communication with each other was sustained through the passes of the Sierra de Francia, " where, early in Sep- tember, Marmont pushed a detachment from Pla- sencia, and surprised a British cavalry piquet at St. Martin de Trabejo, and this opened his com- munications with Dorsenne." Ciudad Rodrigo could not be besieged in the face of these com- bined corps, and even the blockade must be raised if they united and advanced. Our Spanish allies were at this moment of small, or rather, of no use to themselves or us. From the reports of re- inforcements arriving to the French in Spain, the formation of depots at Burgos, etc., and, lastly, that Napoleon himself meant to head an army to drive us from Portugal, Lord-Wellington was in- duced to order the lines on both banks of the Tagus around Lisbon to be again strengthened, and many additional labourers were employed in their further improvement and completion. The garrison of Rodrigo now again became short of provisions; Marmont had been reinforced from France, and had 50,000 men. He now entered on a combined operation with Dorsenne, to succour 147 the garrison of the above place. Marmont passed the mountains, and collected a large convoy at Be- jar; Dorsenne and Souham collected another con- voy at Salamanca, and came down to Tamames on the 21st. This was a far superior force to any that we could front them with ; and although Lord Wellington was nnable to fight beyond the Agueda, he would not retreat till he had seen the French army, lest a detachment might relieve the place, instead of their being obliged to bring their whole force to effect that object. The operations which followed MarmomVs ad- vance it is neither my province nor my intention to detail, further than to afford some general idea of what occurred. In our extended position, co- vering the different roads and their wide range leading into Portugal, personal observation of si- multaneous events, beyond our own immediate lo- cality, was out of the question. I can only nar- rate, therefore, the occurrences to the different corps and to individuals, as they came to my know- ledge after the events. Marmont' s specific object was the maintenance of Ciudad Rodrigo, hitherto surrounded by our outposts, to regarrison it with fresh troops, and to supply it amply with food and military munitions. Situated as we were, this object could not be prevented, except at the risk of a general action against a superior force ; which, having no sufficiently adequate object to attain, Lord Wellington did not contemplate. 148 POSITIONS OF THE ALLIED ARMY. On the 23rd the advance guard of the enemy's corps d'armee made their appearance from the hills, and descended into the plains surrounding the for- tress, but they soon after withdrew. Our divisions were distributed as follows: the Light Division at Vadillo, near Ciudad, well posted to watch the enemy's advance ; the Third Division at El Bodon and Pastores, supported by the Fourth in the neighbourhood of Fuente Guinaldo, which place was Lord Wellington's head-quarters; the Sixth, with Anson's cavalry, at Espeja and Campillo; the First, Fifth, and Seventh being in reserve at Payo, Almadilla, and Nave d'Aver: the last was our post, where we were held in immediate readi- ness to support either our front, our right, or any divisions needing our collate?*al assistance. The baggage was despatched to our rear and to the other side of the Coa ; our movements were thus left disembarrassed from encumbrances either in " highways or bye-ways." On the 24th a corps, under General Montbrun, again advanced, and crossed the Agueda with 6000 cavalry, four divisions of infantry, and twelve guns. At daybreak on the 25th the enemy made a recon~ naissance, to mask the introduction into Ciudad Bodrigo of their convoy of provisions and a fresh garrison. With this intention they passed the Lower Azava with fourteen squadrons of cavalry of the Imperial Guard, and with a corps d' elite, the Lanciers de Berg, Murat's own favourite regiment. FIRST PASSAGE OF ARMS. 149 We early heard the popping in our front to our left, and inclined to hope that our Division might soon have some nearer participation in what was passing ; but it did not so happen. Like the pa- tients of foreign pathologists under a medecine ex- pectante, we were not too patiently awaiting the result, but were hoping for a further early seance or consideration of our present position from our French leeches. Sir Thomas Graham commanded our wing of the army, of which our division formed the left centre and reserve, the Sixth Division and Anson's cavalry being to our left and in front ; one squadron of the 14th, under Brotherton*, and an- other of the 16th, under Hay and Major Cocks (considerably in advance of their supports), were on the right bank of the Azava. The first passage of arms, which occurred that morning, arose be- tween these troops and the enemy. The Lanciers de Berg, about 900 strong, advanced most rapidly, and gallantly, in order to cut off all preparatory impediments of skirmishing. The lance and sword were their weapons, they being only partially armed with carbines. The distance our advance was from its reserves, the serried phalanx of su- perior numbers armed with new, formidable, and hitherto unencountered weapons, induced our ad- vance post of cavalry to retire, on the principle de reenter pour mieux sauter. They frequently * Now Lieutenant-General Brotherton, C.B., late Inspector of Cavalry. 150 THE FRENCH REPULSED. however formed up and checked the too rapid ad- vance of their foe ; and then again, in compliance with orders, retired on their own brigade. At length the enemy were encountered by our three squadrons, were charged, and promptly checked; they attempted to rally and return, when, to their no small astonishment, they received a well laid-in volley from the Light Infantry of Hulse's Brigade of the Sixth Division, composed of the light com- panies of the 11th, 53rd, and 61st regiments, under Major John Mansel. These had been placed, by Sir Thomas Graham, under cover in a cork-wood on the flank of the rallying Lanciers de Berg, of whom sixty were rolled over by the fire of the 61st light company and the charge of cavalry. Among the prisoners was Lieutenant-Colonel O'Flyn, an Irish Catholic in the French service, who, after surrendering, attempted to escape, and was killed. He evidently was of the genus Dandy, for, in stripping the body, they found that under his boots the Colonel wore silk stockings. The dra- goon who served as valet on the occasion offered his epaulettes to the officer of the 14th, command- ing his troop, who rejected the proffered trophy, but made particular inquiries concerning Colonel O'Flyn's sudden demise, which being satisfactorily accounted for, no more was said on the subject. Another officer also was here taken; his name I forget, having made no note of it, although on ar- riving at Nave d'Aver he dined where I met him. GALLANT RENCONTRE. 151 He was gay, good-looking, light-hearted, and reck- less, and with so happy a disposition that he drank and sang, seeming careless, or at least unwilling to show annoyance, at being made prisoner. In one of the melees of this day a sous-officier of the enemy left his ranks, and singling out Brotherton, charged him. A trial of skill with the sabre en- sued, each showing good knowledge of the weapon he wore. Matters thus remained equal, till the Frenchman suddenly drew a pistol from his holster and shot Brotherton' s horse through the head; it fell instantly. Brotherton quickly disengaged himself from the fallen charger, and the French- man was about to follow up his advantage, when another officer of the 14th, as pistols were resorted to in preference to swords, shot the Frenchman dead. The horse from which Brotherton had been dismounted by the pistol-shot was a trooper, his own having been killed or wounded the day pre- viously; and, singular to relate, the poor wounded troop-horse recovered its consciousness, rose, trot- ted back, replaced himself in the rank of his troop, and fell down dead ! The above gallant rencontre and its results were witnessed by those engaged, and many are still living who remember the facts. After the charges made by the squadrons of the 14th and 16th on the Lanciers de Berg and the French advance guard, the latter were driven across the Azava, and our people once more re-oc- cupied the ground of their original outposts of the 152 THE HEIGHTS OF EL BODON. morning at Carpio. On our right other matters were transacting, which I cannot better explain than by referring to a short paragraph from Lord Wellington's despatch, under date of the 29th September, 1811, from Quadraseis. He says : " But the enemy's attention was principally di- rected during this day to the position of the Third 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, and twelve pieces of cannon, from Ciu- dad Rodrigo, in such direction that it was doubt- ful whether they would attempt to ascend the hills by La Encina or by the direct road of El Bodon towards Fuente Guinaldo, and I was not sure on which road they would make their attack till they actually commenced it upon the last." From our post at Nave d'Aver our attention and our telescopes were turned to these objects. We plainly saw the advancing masses of the French approaching the heights of El Bodon, where, with a small advanced guard, Lord Wellington com- manded in person. We witnessed the salute the enemy received from our guns, and marked the curling smoke rising in clouds from their brazen mouths, echoing and resounding again and again from their crested height over plain and wood and far intervening space. At once, and suddenly, it ceased; a closer struggle and confusion ensued; DEFENCE OF THE HEIGHTS. 153 then once again the destructive booming recom- menced, and thus went on: now the undulating ground or elbowed point of some small promon- tory intercepted sound and sight together, then the kind of hogVback formation of hill on which the operations were transacting gave us but a par- tial and uncertain view of what was really passing. After about an hour's uncertainty and investment of the promontory by the enemy's numerous ca- valry, at length (by force of numbers and dashing courage) we saw they had reached the ascent and gathered on its summit. Next in their turn the enemy's guns opened, and we beheld our people, surrounded by clouds of cavalry, retiring in co- lumns and squares. After this we could no longer see distinctly what took place, but what did occur is pretty much as follows. Marmont advanced with his columns of cavalry, directing their march to the height, on which four battalions of infantry, a brigade of Portuguese guns, and three squadrons of cavalry were posted under Lord Wellington in person. They formed part of the Third Division, consisting of the 5th and 77th British, and the 9th and 21st Portuguese regiments, the guns under Aivntschild, and the German Hussars under Victor Alten. "This height was convex towards the enemy, and covered in front and on both flanks by deep ravines." Marmont, surrounded by his staff, advanced to the foot of this height and halted immediately beneath it, until the closing up of his 154 INTREPID CHARGE. infantry columns. Lord Wellington was posted immediately above this spot, and the chiefs and head-qnarter staff of the two armies were not two hundred yards distant from each other. On look- ing over the height, every movement of the French marshal and his staff could be distinctly seen. From their proximity, as the voices ascended, the conversation carried on below could almost be overheard. The enemy, on the contrary, could neither see what force occupied or what move- ments were occurring on the hill above, and had therefore no notion of what they should meet with on reaching its summit. Lord Wellington now ordered the guns to open; with good effect and unerring aim they sent their destructive messen- gers into Montbrun's columns of cavalry in the plain beneath ; they had scarcely done so however, when a sweep of French horsemen, like a whirl- wind, stormed the rocky height, charged the guns in flank, cut down the gunners at their posts, and took two cannon. Major Ridge, commanding the 5th Regiment, a prompt and intrepid soldier, im- mediately brought down the bayonets of his batta- lion to the charge, and storming the dashing cap- tors, drove them headlong from the rocky heights, and retook the guns. Lieutenant-Colonel Harvey*, attached to head-quarter staff, promptly seized the occasion, and ordered the draft mules to the front ; * In the Portuguese service at the time, now General Sir Robert Harvey, K.C.B. THE HEIGHTS CARRIED BY THE FRENCH. 155 the guns were limbered up, and by the quick and gallant decision of Ridge and the ready energy of Harvey, these two guns were not only at the mo- ment saved, but the enemy felt later the inconve- nience of their being so. While this was going on with the 5th, the 77th Regiment, under Lieutenant- Colonel Broomhead, were attacked in front by an- other body of the enemy's cavalry, which they re- pulsed by an instant advance and charge of bayo- nets. Again and again did the enemy storm these heights with their horsemen, but in spite of the great numerical superiority of their cavalry, they were manfully maintained by the oft-repeated and almost constant charges delivered by Victor Alten's three squadrons of the 1st German Hussars and 11th Light Dragoons. At length the enemy made a great and simultaneous effort from two opposite points at once, and, rising from the valleys beneath like some vast wave, they rushed up, and with weight and force irresistible reached the crowning plateau. It was not until the hill had been carried by su- perior numbers of the enemy's cavalry, and that a division of their infantry were fast closing up for an attack, their artillery already being in action, that Lord Wellington thought proper to order the small body of troops he commanded at this post to retire on Fuente Guinaldo, where he had previously thrown up some redoubts and fieldworks. A bri- gade of the Fourth Division had been ordered up 156 NARROW ESCAPE OF WELLINGTON. from Guinaldo, and the remainder of the Third Division from El Bodon, except that part of it at Pastores, which was too distant. The French ca- valry, on reaching the summit, dashed on among its defenders; assailants and assailed, with the chiefs and the staff of the contending armies, seemed in the sudden melee to be thrown together in inextricable confusion. Lord Wellington was greatly exposed at this moment, and had a narrow escape amidst the rush of French horsemen: though at first surrounded by the friendly few, he suddenly was now enveloped by the inimical many. A few yards only separated him from the charging enemy ; I think it was poor Gordon"*, his aide-de-camp, who was said to have first pointed out the proxi- mate danger of being captured, before Lord Wel- lington thought proper to turn his horse and canter off. The enemy, on reaching the height, seemed astonished at the paucity of the defenders they had so stoutly contended against, but, odd to say, pro- fited little, as our casualties were few, and they scarcely took a single prisoner. The two weak battalions of the 5th and 77th were now thrown into one square, supported by the 21st Portuguese in solid formation of close column. The enemy's cavalry immediately rushed forward, and obliged our cavalry to retire to the support of the Portu- * Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. Sir Alexander Gordon, of the 3rd Guards, aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, fell at Waterloo. ADMIRABLE RETREAT. 157 guese regiment. Much hard galloping ensued : the 5th and 77th were charged by the French horse- men on three faces of their square; when thus brought to bay, they halted, receiving the attack with cool, steady, and gallant bearing, repulsed it, then rose from their bristly formation, and, in pha- lanxed order and admirable discipline, once again moved on. For six miles across an open country, in face of this superior force, did these small co- lumns, in square, continue their march, menaced and surrounded on all sides by their enemy, and exposed to the fire of the French artillery inflict- ing chasms in their ranks ; they quietly closed up, maintained their formation, although with dimi- nished front, and once more moved towards the position destined for them by their great chief. In their retreat, a shell fell into the solid column of the 21st Portuguese, and burst in its centre, destroying numbers; they opened out, left the dead or wounded, closed in again, and moved on. The Quartermaster-General, Colonel Murray*, rode up to this regiment to give them an order, but neither the commanding nor any other officer who happened to be present, understood English suffi- ciently to enable him to communicate his orders to them. Captain Burgoynef, of the Engineers, be- * Afterwards tin* Right Hon. Lieutenant-General Sir George Murray, G.C.B., M.P. + Now Lieutrna nt -General Sir John Burgoyne, G.C.B., In- spector of Fortifications. 158 ANECDOTE OF LORD C. MANNERS. ing at hand, offered his services as a linguist, and was ordered to remain with this battalion, and di- rected to communicate to them the instructions to be conveyed during the remainder of these very brilliant and creditable movements. Our infantry, thus surrounded, conducted themselves in as cool and orderly a manner as at a field-day ; those pre- sent declared they never saw a more beautiful sight. Such is the worth of steady discipline ! The French cavalry were now galloping in for- ward movement all over the field, out-flanking our cavalry and infantry, pressing on our rear, and in all parts became inconveniently disturbing and ob- trusive. To sportsmen, and the many home-bred seekers of action and excitement, I may here re- late an episode of adventure, midst more serious matters of the kind, which occurred that morning. Lord Charles Manners, extra aide-de-camp to Lord Wellington, in a most sportsman-like man- ner escaped from being made prisoner. By hard work his horse had been knocked up, and he rode to the rear, where he had posted his fresh one, to get a remount ; on returning, he met an officer of artillery, who informed him where he would find Lord Wellington (this was on the hill immediately above them, over which he was retreating with our troops) ; the artillery officer, however, advised him by no means to go in a direct line, as he must, in such case, throw himself and his newly -remounted charger right into the range of fire of three French ANECDOTE OF LORD C. MANNERS. 159 howitzers which had just opened upon our retiring columns. On this, Lord Charles took a slanting direction, and turned the hill, instead of going directly up it, but on rounding a small declivity he came plump upon two squadrons of French Chasseurs a Cheval ; he instantly drew up his horse (a capital hunter) from a canter to a walk, and at that pace quietly proceeded on to reconnoitre. On arriving within some thirty yards of the enemy, however, the French General, Dejean, commanding these troops, accompanied by four orderlies, had stationed him- self at their head in advance, and called out, " Que cherchez-vous, Monsieur?" The gallant Aide-de- camp replied, " Milord Wellington." The General immediately made a signal with his sword, point- ing out Lord Charles to his orderlies, who galloped forward to take him, but he turned his horse ; and, knowing the country, led them across a difficult part and towards a nasty wide yawning water- course, still keeping the direction in which he be- lieved Lord Wellington to be. The pursuing four pressed on, and when within hopeful distance of catching the pursued, to their astonishment they saw his horse flying in the air over the vast chasm, which, becoming to them an impassable barrier, brought them up to a stand-still. Alava, on the hill above, seeing the pursuit, and what was pass- ing beneath, not knowing the confidence placed in his horse by Lord Charles, sent down some Spanish 160 craufurd's obstinacy. guerillas, who soon induced the baffled pursuers to return hastily under cover of their numerous friends; whilst Lord Charles, in a quiet canter, continued his course and joined Lord Wellington. Some of the rest of the Third Division had now joined, and also forming squares, the whole conti- nued to retire. Soon after they were met by the Fourth Division advancing to their support : under the fire of the enemy's artillery, and environed by their cavalry, they still continued their retreat to the ground near Fuente Guinaldo. Here Lord Wellington had already caused two redoubts and some fieldworks to be thrown up : orders had been sent to the Light Division to retire from Vadillo, with which that gallant but unmanageable Chief of Division, Craufurd, did not think proper to com- ply. With or without reason, he really liked fight- ing, and never threw away a chance of bringing a " scrimmage" about ; he always held to his own ideas, and loved to see his name in the Gazette. i With many sterling and soldier-like qualities, he was the sublime of the refractory and provokingly useful. The consequence of all this delay created much inconvenience and no small danger to Lord Wellington, who had taken up the position at Gui- naldOj and awaited Craufurd's joining him. The deployment of Marmonfs forces towards this point became threatening ; but, at all events, Lord Wel- lington would not and could not move further to the rear until assured of the safety of the Light CRITICAL POSITION. 161 Division. Separated, and at a distance, Craufurd's procrastination to obey orders very nearly occa- sioned him to be cut off from the rest of our army; and he had to make a considerable detour and a night-march to retrieve himself, and regain his communication with Lord Wellington. Here again was exemplified the necessity of prompt obedience to the chief in command, whose designs and rea- sons the commanders of separate corps may not at the moment be able to comprehend. In the mean- time Lord Wellington, having regained his en- trenchments about four o' clock p.m., the enemy, whose activity in favouring the retreating columns with round shot and shell had been excessive, halted and ceased firing. While this was going on upon our right, the advance of the left wing of the army, under Graham, was ordered to fall back on our division at Nave d'Aver, leaving cavalry out- posts on the Azava, and thus we passed the night. On the 26th, in the morning, Lord Wellington still held his post at Guinaldo with only the Third and Fourth Divisions, some cavalry, and guns ; in all about 14,000 men. No news of the Light Division had as yet reached Lord Wellington ; he therefore held his ground, deploying his troops to make them look more numerous than they were, in short, making as imposing an appearance to his enemy as he could. The concentrated and over- whelming numbers of the enemy had been brought to bear on this one single point of the extended M 162 ANECDOTE OF WELLINGTON. divisions of our army. Sixty thousand Frenchmen, with great superiority of cavalry and 100 guns, stood immediately before, and their sentries and vedettes in actual and immediate contact with those of the two Divisions commanded by Lord Wellington in person. This certainly was a most anxious and critical moment : all eyes were turned to the front, in momentary expectation of a crushing attempt being made on our small force, when Lord Wel- lington, seemingly tired of waiting, and feeling drowsy, told one of his aides-de-camp to call him if anything was the matter, wrapped himself in his cloak, lay down in the broiling sun, and slept very composedly and soundly for more than two hours'*. For some unknown reason, Marmont made no at- tack this day; he did not seem to know the po- sitions of our different divisions, was deceived by the appearances displayed by our Chief, and was otherwise mystified. Of the operations of the 27th, Lord Wellington writes as follows : " It had Jeen the enemy's intention to turn the left of the position of Guinaldo, by moving a co- lumn into the valley of the Upper Azava, and * The greatest general of antiquity possessed a similar power of sleeping when he would, or rather when he could. Livy (xxi. 4) records of Hannibal, " Vigiliarum somnique nee die, nee nocte discriminata tempora. Id quod gerendis rebus superesset quieti datum : eaque neque molli stratu, neque silentio arcessita. Multi ssepe, militari sagulo opertum, humi jacentem inter custodias sta- tionesque militum, conspexerunt." A SKIRMISH. 163 thence ascending the height in the rear of the po- sition by Castillejos; and from this column they detached a division of infantry and fourteen regi- ments of cavalry to follow our retreat by Alber- gueria, and another body of the same strength followed us by Forcalhos. The former attacked the piquets of the cavalry at Aldea da Ponte, and drove them in ; and they pushed on nearly as far as Alfyates. I then made General Pakenham at- tack them with his brigade of the Fourth Division, supported by Lieutenant- General the Hon. L. Cole and the Fourth Division, and by Sir S. Cotton's* cavalry; and the enemy were driven through Al- dea da Ponte, back upon Albergueria, and the piquets of the cavalry resumed their station. But the enemy having been reinforced by the troops which marched from Forcalhos, again advanced about sunset, and drove in the piquets of the ca- valry from Aldea da Ponte, and took possession of the village. Lieutenant- General Cole again at- tacked them, with a part of General Pakenham's brigade, and drove them through the village ; but night having come on, and as General Pakenham was not certain what was passing on his flanks, or of the numbers of the enemy, and he knew that the army were to fall back still further, he evacu- ated the village, which the enemy occupied, and held during the night." There had been this day some very heavy skir- * Now Lord Combermere. 164 BOTH ARMIES RETIRE. mishing at Aldea da Ponte; and in this sharp affair, among others, Captain Prevost, son of Sir George, and aide-de-camp to Sir Lowry Cole, was killed. On this night, the 27th, I was on piquet in front of Nave d'Aver, when, about ten o' clock, an order came to withdraw the outposts. Our division made a night march of six hours, and halted at Bismuda, in rear of Villa Major. On the 26th the army were all concentrated in a very strong position on the heights behind Soito, having the Sierra de Mesas on their right and Hen- do on the Coa on our left. A loop of the river co- vered both flanks ; and, in addition, rough, rocky, and woody ground impeded the advance of the enemy in front. The most singular circumstance was, that the enemy commenced their retreat at the very same time that we did, and we were each moving away from one another ! It is not my intention to enter into the merits of the tactics displayed on this occasion, for much superlatively fine military criticism has been be- stowed upon these movements. One strategic cen- sor thinks that the position on which Lord Wel- lington meant to retire, and perhaps fight, with a river in his rear, was objectionable ; another, that his contempt for his enemy led him into a hazard- ous imprudence; and a third, that if Marmont had done this, and if he had done that, neither of which he did do, why, something else would have probably resulted. These suggestions may or may MILITARY CRITICISMS. 165 not be sound : the movements may not have been upon military principles strictly correct; but the argument of what might have happened, but which did not happen, is like entering into that compli- cated point, that if your aunt was not your aunt, she might have been your uncle. The fact was, that Lord Wellington on this occasion placed him- self hors de regie, and acquired the knowledge he wished to obtain, while the enemy had no know- ledge of him; his own quickness, and the excel- lence of his troops, rendered such a liberty at least warrantable. All movements depended upon sup- ply. He knew that the enemy wanted means to support an army together for any length of time. Ignorant as Marmont was of the precise where- abouts of Lord Wellington's divisions, he perfectly well knew that if a successful action had been fought, it would scarcely have led him into Portu- gal ; where there was as little to be found to sustain life, as poor James Macdonald of the Guards dis- covered when he opened an economical General's cupboard, and found two lean mice contemplating, with tears in their eyes, a hard crust of bread ! Lord Wellington was master of his circumstances, was aware of his enemy's ignorance, knew no se- rious attempt could at that moment be made on Portugal by Marmont ; he therefore put on a bold front, made an imposing appearance, and gained his object without any great loss. I find the fol- lowing paragraph in an old letter of mine, written 166 MILITARY CRITICISMS. just before these movements, and dated from Nave d'Aver, the 24th of September, 1811, addressed to a general officer in England : "The enemy are advancing with a convoy for Ciudad Rodrigo. Report also says, that they are in movement in the Alemtejo; but I will make two bets. One is, that whatever force the French can bring (and Marmont is reported to have 60,000 men in our front), they will not attempt to enter Portugal ; and the next is, that if they try, we shall not fight till we reach a position on the Coa. God knows what will be the result; I do not mean the result in case of fighting, for that we are all confident about, but the result of their ad- vance. By the bye, it is said that the Duke of Leinster, Lords Delawarr and Clare, and Henry Fitzgerald* have landed at Lisbon, and are all on their way up to see the army. A very nice time they have chosen for their trip ! No baggage, much movement, short commons, and no respect of personages. Adieu ! I am called away." The first part of this letter was perfectly verified by what I have related in the foregoing pages. * Afterwards Lord De Eos. 167 CHAPTER VII. AMATEURS. TEMPORARY INACTION. THE DUKE AND THE GUARDS. SICKNESS. AMUSING CHARACTERS. DISCIPLINE. THE ENEMY SURPRISED. A WINTER MARCH. SCARCITY. AN ELEGY. A FAMILY MANSION. SECRET PREPARATIONS. During this campaign we had many amateurs, or T. G.s as they would, be called in modern phraseo- logy, whose curiosity far exceeded their cognizance of military position; one of these found himself suddenly one fine morning in the midst of a French instead of an English out-piquet. Although arri- ving early, and quite unexpectedly, he was politely requested to remain and make a sojourn with them ; he pleaded his non-combative qualities, protested " qu'il n'etait pas du tout, du tout militaire," laid great stress upon his love of the peaceful, the beau- tiful, the picturesque ; that he was a mere wanderer to sec the country and the war, and assured the French officer he was "purement un amateur." He who had charge of the Gallic outpost, however, was incredulous and uninfluenced by such sophistry, and could not understand such a fine-drawn dis- 168 AMATEURS. tinction in so doubtful a predicament ; besides, our unlucky countryman had adopted a military cos- tume, a blue coat, cocked hat, and sword, which rendered his belligerent appearance more complete, and his peaceable pretensions less credible. Al- though later in life (tempora mutantur !) he might have declared himself one of "Bright and Cob- den's own," at the time all his protestations were in vain. To the head-quarters of the enemy's army he was sent a prisoner. Not long previous to this, a French lieutenant- colonel had been taken by some of our people. When our unfortunate traveller reached his desti- nation, a flag of truce was sent to Lord Welling- ton from the French Marshal, saying that they had taken a prisoner, calling himself an amateur ; that the Marshal did not clearly comprehend what that name implied, as they had none such in their army ; but if Lord Wellington would exchange him for the lieutenant-colonel lately taken from them, the Marshal would return the amateur. Lord Wel- lington is stated to have answered, that he was " much obliged to the French commander for the proposition, but he begged he would keep him." I do remember however an amateur whose tho- rough English feeling led him, at Waterloo, into the thick of the fight ; and whose activity, useful- ness, and gallantry were conspicuous throughout the whole of that eventful day. In a plain blue coat, and round hat, he had ridden that morning TEMPORARY INACTION. 169 from Brussels, joined the Duke on the field, and attached himself to him. As the staff of the great hero began to fall around him, and casualties oc- curred to man and horse, he supplied their place, and conveyed orders for the Duke to different parts of the field. This circumstance was well known at the time to all, and ought to be perpetuated, for none more honourably or honestly earned distinc- tion that day than the present Earl Bathurst, then Lord Apsley. May other amateurs, in future wars, emulate so chivalrous and patriotic an example ! But to return from this digression. After the convoy and the fresh garrison had been thrown into Ciudad Rodrigo, Marmont had no object, and Lord Wellington quite as little temptation, to fight. If the French Marshal had accomplished his purpose, the English General had equally ob- tained his end, having acquired, by personal ob- servation, a knowledge of the amount of force the enemy could bring into the field, when the mo- ment should arrive for his contemplated attack on Ciudad Rodrigo. The weather was now cold and rainy ; the 28th would have been a beautiful day for ducks and hackney-coachmen ; had either been in the neigh- bourhood, we certainly should have roasted, beyond a joke, the former interesting absentees, and availed ourselves of the services of the latter in considera- tion of the want of umbrellas in the army ! We moved to Rendo ; on the 29th crossed the 170 MYSTIFYING THE ENEMY. Coa to Gata, and on the 30th reached Val des Ayres, a pretty village situated between Celorico and Guarda, hanging on the slope, and at the foot of a ridge or spur thrown out from the Serra d'Estrella towards the Val de Mondego. This, as far as the picturesque went, was certainly a most beautiful country. The French having retired to Salamanca, Banos, and Plasencia, our outposts were left to watch Ciudad Rodrigo, and Lord Wel- lington established his head-quarters at Frenada. These, our retiring movements from the frontier of Portugal, were intended to lull Marshal Marmont into security, and the belief of our peaceable in- tentions for the rest of the winter ; we therefore arrived at our pretty village in the Val de Mon- dego under the false pretext of making it our win- ter quarters, as the autumnal rains had set in. In the absence of more military or exciting exploits, we were disposed to recognize the truthful philo- sophy of two lines we found written on an old door in an empty house, by some French gaillard : " Heureux, heureux, celui qui, bien loin de la guerre, Goute d'un petit plat et boit dans un grand verre !" Our only difficulty was, as an American would say, "to realize to ourselves" so pleasant a prac- tice. The army was three months in arrear of pay; bills on England were difficult to cash, and at a villainous exchange of six shillings for the dollar, of which the current value was five ; comestibles were difficult to procure ; and luxuries, such as tea, SCARCITY OF LUXURIES. 171 sugar, brandy, etc., to be found only on occasions of the few-and-far-between visits of sutlers who followed the army. One fellow of this calling, an Italian, enjoying the murderous name of Sangui- netti, was the most constant of his kind, and the most extortionate in his constancy; his visits, in their long intervals of uncertainty, bespoke more of the Jew than the angel ; that is, in ministering to our wants he had a lively sense of his own in- terests, his motto evidently being " Con arte e con inganno Si vive mezzo 1' anno, Con inganno e con arte Si yive 1' altra parte." He was however one of those necessary evils on which fellows who rough it, and have no choice, will fall back occasionally. Another battalion of our brigade was quartered at no great distance, at the village of Lagiosa; our interchange of visits and good fellowship was frequent, but our means of hospitality were few ; however, those fellows of our division, the Guards, were accused of " rough- ing it on a beefsteak and a bottle of port," which, no doubt, they always did, like the rest of the army, when they could get it, but never otherwise. Apropos to " the gentlemen's sons," as they were called, I may here narrate an anecdote in allusion to them, although it did not occur till many years after in England. At a supper at Hatfield House, in Hertfordshire, 172 THE GUARDS. Sir John S , Bart., and Colonel H. B , afterwards Lord D , entered into an animated discussion on the respective merits of the Guards and the Line ; they became warm in defence of their individual opinions, and at last appealed to the Duke of Wellington, who was present. " Oh!" he said, " I am all for the Guards all for the Guards." One of the disputants rejoined, " I told you so ; those fellows in silk stockings and shoes have more blood about them, and blood will tell." " Ah !" said the Duke, " I did not mean that ; I meant the non-commissioned officers." The Duke certainly gave strong proof of his estimation of the merits and good conduct of the non-commissioned officers of the Guards; for during the period I happened to serve with the First Division of the army, to which the Second Brigade of Guards be- longed, he recommended for commissions, as adju- tants, quarter-masters, and subalterns in different regiments, no less than fourteen non-commissioned officers of that brigade. The Duke, on this occa- sion, seeing the disputants were heated, probably meant to turn the warm discussion into pleasantry, and availed himself of the merits of the non-com- missioned officers for that purpose; for no man's estimation of the Guards as an entire corps was higher than that of the Duke of Wellington him- self. However possible it may be to meet with a heaven-born Minister of State (although I confess I really never saw one) , he knew right well that in a 173 less exalted situation there were no such things as heaven-born non-commissioned officers : somebody must have created them after their birth. If the commanding officers, adjutants, captains, and sub- alterns did not maintain the discipline, and keep up the system which formed the non-commissioned offi- cers, who else did ? The estimation in which the Duke seemed to hold this small portion of his army- may be gathered from a reference to his general orders, his despatches, and the way in which he always spoke of them as a body. No one could accuse the Duke of being prone to compliment; downright and truthful expression was his forte ; and as he seemed to think the first might deterio- rate from the last, he made no use of it. He was much more given to saying what he thought of things and persons, than some people found it con- venient to hear; and whenever a man desired to deeply impress his own merit upon the Duke, he was pretty sure to have, in return, in terse and con- cise words, the Duke's estimation of him. From this it may be collected that, in like man- ner, when he did speak favourably, it might be relied upon as equally proceeding from the sound conviction of his own mind, and that he considered the interest of truth better served by facts than by fables. Baron Miiffling narrates one of these short expressions of his confidence and reliance, which I will venture to copy here. He states this to have happened between the Duke and himself on the field of Waterloo, in the morning, imme- 174 DEFENCE OF HOUGOUMONT. diately after the action had commenced, and says that he " spoke with the Duke after the battle had begun, about the strength and weakness of his line of battle;" and goes on to state, " not fearing for his centre and left wing, I considered his right wing the weakest point, and Hougoumont, in par- ticular, I deemed untenable in a serious assault by the enemy. This the Duke disputed, as he had put the old chateau in a state of defence, and caused the long garden-wall towards the field of battle to be crenellated ; and he added, ' I have thrown Macdonell* into it/ an officer on whom he placed especial reliance." Lieutenant- Colonel Macdonell, of the Coldstream, commanded the light infantry companies of the Second Brigade of Guards in Hougoumont : the Duke's expression therefore conveys a reliance not only on the officer in command, but on the troops he commanded. None on that day of trial, in conduct, endurance, or discipline, were more severely tested than those who perseveringly held this post against repeated attacks by overwhelming numbers. Credit there- fore must be accorded as due through each grade, from rank-and-file to rank of commander, to those who so well fulfilled the duty expected of them and the confidence placed in them by their great Commander ;f those not in the chateau equally responded to his call, and gained his approbation, * Lieutenant- General Sir James Macdonell, K.C.B., K.C.H., Colonel of the 71st Regiment. f This was afforded at the close of the action by the Duke THE ARMY AT WATERLOO. 175 as all good troops of every corps and every arm did on that day. In a paragraph from his Waterloo despatch he says, " It gives me the greatest satis- faction to assure your lordship " (the Secretary for War and Colonies, then Lord Bathurst), " that the army never upon any occasion conducted itself better. The division of Guards under Lieutenant- General Cooke*, who is severely wounded, Major General Maitlandf, and Major General ByngJ, set an example which was followed by all." As to controversies concerning the merits of individual corps in relation to each other, I confess I condemn them. Where all act well and perform their duty, himself. Baron Muffling goes on to narrate : " I met the Duke in the neighbourhood of La Haye Sainte, holding a telescope in his right hand ; he called out to me from a distance, ' Well ! you see Macdonell has held Hougoumont.' This was an expression of pleasure that his brave comrade had answered his expectations." * Afterwards Sir George Cooke, K.C.B. ; lost an arm at Waterloo. t General Sir Peregrine Maitland, G.C.B., Colonel of the 17th Regiment. X Now General the Earl of Strafford, G.C.B. etc. etc., Colonel of the Coldstream Regiment of Guards. The expression attributed to the Duke, " Up Guards, and at them again!" I have good reason for knowing was never made use of by him. He was not even with the Brigade of Guards in question at the time they rose from their recumbent position to at- tack the Freneh column in their front, and therefore could not well have t hus addressed them. I never heard this story till long after, on my return to England, when it was related by a lady at a din- ner-table; probabU it was the invention of some goodly Botherby. I remember denying my belief in it at the time, and my view lias since been sufficiently confirmed. Besides, the words bear no internal evidence of t Ho style either of thought or expression of him to whom they were attributed. 176 SICKNESS IN THE ARMY. the only cause of emulative dispute should be how to serve their country best by licking her enemies the most. This is the goal to be reached ; the rest is all twaddle. But retournons a nos moutons at Yal des Ayres. The autumnal rains set in, and the weather was very bad. There was at this time a good deal of sickness in the ranks of our army; for example, out of my own company alone, in strength sixty- six rank-and-file and four officers, thirty of the former were sick absent and two sick present, and of the four latter I was the only one doing duty, one being wounded and a prisoner, and two sick at Coimbra. In our battalion there were at this time, of officers, ten sick absent, four sick present, one prisoner, one invalided, and two just dead; and this in proportion was pretty much the same in other corps. I here had a touch of the ague, but a light heart and Lamego wine soon made this enemy retire. At this time too I was much pressed to try and obtain leave to go home on some important family matters; but that I also successfully resisted, although the temptation cer- tainly was great, to see once more friends and home; however, I stuck to my colours and the service, feeling, from the dearth of officers, that I could not be conveniently spared. I did not choose to apply for leave of absence; and being fairly embarked in my profession, it would have annoyed me to have been absent while active and brilliant operations were going on, and we pretty AMUSING CHARACTERS. 177 well knew that our pretended winter-quarters were all a blind. I therefore remained, in failure of others, in command of my company. I had some troublesome although amusing cha- racters to control. Two of them I especially re- member : one an Irishman, M'Culloch, whose cap had been carried off by a shell at Fuentes d'Onor ; the other a Scotchman, by name Campbell. These two fellows were comrades, although quite opposite characters; each retained the unmistakeable type of his nation ; the opposite quality of disposition was soothed by the mutual love of ebriosity. This made the intimacy more piquant. Pat was all blatheremskite, as they called it in his fatherland, with some wit, great good humour, and the small- est possible powers of calculation. Campbell was a clever, long-headed, canny Scot, and well edu- cated, so much so as to have in his knapsack a small well-thumbed edition of Horace. This seemed to him in his soberer hours a great re- source; from it he would quote to his comrades most unintelligible conversation, which, in his hard, dry manner, was most amusingly conveyed. Campbell, through his powers of arithmetic, be- came the honoured homme d'affaires of his friend M'Culloch; and when pay-day arrived, Campbell received the money from the pay-sergeant, and ex- plained the particulars to his friend. The first impulse with both on receiving money was, imme- diately to get drunk ; and, do what one could, by 178 COMICAL SCENE. remonstrance or punishment, this was not to be prevented. When drunk, they were most joy- ously loving friends j but as soon as drunkenness ceased to be drunk, Campbell could never make M'Culloch understand the " spee-dalities" of the account between them, when on the wrong side of his ledger. They were regularly brought up to me to see justice done; I generally first accom- plished this by punishing them both for inebriety, but their wrangling often put to the test all my powers of gravity. The Irishman's real or pre- tended want of comprehension, larded with the most ridiculous expressions and witty remarks, the Scotchman's grave face, cool logic, and au- thentic arithmetic, pushed with keenness to de- monstration, was a never-failing scene served up monthly to my notice. In those days the very in- exclusive mode of recruiting the army brought us acquainted with many ineligible characters; the necessities of the war being great, scruples against enlistment were few, all were fish that came to the net, and all were indiscriminately taken. Many fine, gallant, good fellows enlisted from right and proper motives, and did well ; but still, as ca- sualties by sickness and the sword prevented the supply from keeping pace with the demand, at last anything was taken: even manumitted gaol-birds were admitted as ' ' food for powder." This portion of the British army carried along with it its inconveniences, both in bad example MILITARY DISCIPLINE. 179 and the necessity of its repression. The mainte- nance of discipline on service is a very different affair from managing the system of regularity ac- complished at home or in colonial garrisons. It is to the previous tiresome attention to trifles that is to be attributed the acquired habit of punctu- ality, order, and obedience. The persevering, un- varying system instils into the mind of the soldier at last, not merely the physical, but the moral obligation in the performance of a requisite duty. From such training it is that good soldiers are afterwards made : with the Englishman this takes time, and requires opportunities which do not oc- cur on sendee ; for then different and far greater difficulties arise in maintaining even the ground- work that had been established. Much depends not only on individual character, but on the depth with which that character has been imbued (not to say inoculated) with the proper virus. In a cam- paign an immediate change ensues, a strain upon all former pipeclay ordinances occurs, more dis- cretionary power being left at the disposition * of the soldier in taking care of himself, instead of being taken care of; he is more his own master; necessity then becomes the mother of contrivance ; they have a thousand things to learn for tli which cannot be taught in barracks and garrisons, and arc most essential acquirements to enable men to meet the hardships they encounter. To obtain the knowledge, under all circumstances, to shift 180 MILITARY DISCIPLINE. for themselves ; to make the most out of a little ; to economize rest and food when opportunity af- fords them ; to show invention and adaptation of means to ends, and a conservation and economy of their physical powers ; to maintain a healthy body, sound feet, and a strong stomach, reserving, ac- cording to their means, always something to put into it ; in short, to keep themselves, under diffi- cult circumstances, in good bodily condition ; all this has to be learned by the young soldier and officer. On this point the Duke of Wellington was reported to have said, " that he would rather have one man who had served two campaigns, than two men who had not served one/' While on this subject I may remark, that without food or drink there is no one of Heaven's creation who feels so small as an Englishman ; whether it proceeds from want of habit of abstinence, or construction of sto- mach, the fact was evident. In other nations the early habit of vegetable diet in preference to ani- mal food, the temperament of blood, or the effect of climate, seems to render them better able to support this kind of privation. To make an Eng- lishman march up to his mark, or fight up to his habits, you must feed him : if you do not, he will plunder, for go without it he will not*. I have seen Spaniards, Portuguese, French, and even * As instance of which, I will here give the Duke's opinion, on the authority of Baron Muffling, who says, that after Waterloo, " on the march to Paris, the Prussian army made longer marches SANDALS AND SHOES. 181 Germans, support this species of hardship better than the English soldier ; he and his horse stand training in this way worse than any others. Another material consideration on service is the men's shoes. After the battle of Salamanca a cir- cumstance occurred to the First Division of the army in relation to this. With no immediate means at hand to supply them with others, they had fairly marched their shoes off; they adopted the system of the Spanish muleteers, and resorted to the raw hides of the fresh-killed bullocks, which had been slaughtered for their food. They placed their foot on the warm hide, and cut out a suffici- ency to cover this most vulnerable part of a soldier's person, and making a sandal of it marched on with ease and glee. Afterwards the difficulty was, when French shoes were taken at the surrender of the Retiro at Madrid, to induce the men to quit the easy, well-fitting, and pliant sandal, for the hard and cumbrous leather shoe. Wisely and advantageously than the English ; and when in the morning I made my daily communications to the Duke, I took the liberty of respectfully calling his attention to this, and suggesting that it would bo brt- fcflr if lie kepi the same pace as his ally. He was silent at first, but on my urging bim again to move more rapidly, he said to me, 'Do not press me on this point, for I tell you it won't do. If you were better acquainted with the English army, its composi- tion and habits, you would say thesame. I cannot separate from my tents and tnv supplies. My troops must be well kept and well supplied in camp, if order and discipline are to be maintained. It is better that I should arrive two days later in Paris, than that discipline should be relaxed.' " 182 REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. to palliate and correct the ills that troops in war are heir to, is no easy undertaking. The difficulties are not to be appreciated until officers and men are fairly embarked in the reality of a Continental campaign; endurance of severe privation at one moment, and exposure to temptation at another, are great disturbers of health and discipline. Morally and physically to bear and forbear is the lesson to be learned, this is the real morale en action : to tame down the turbulent, and cultivate a good feeling in the well disposed, are the duties of the officer, amidst want, fatigue, and demoraliz- ing influences. He should have tact and discrimi- nation, and a knowledge of the characters of those under him. Punishments on service will vary as much as those who may deserve them ; and the manner of putting in force what crime may well merit and example exact, is often difficult and some- times detrimental, paradoxical as the case may appear. The main point, however, is to keep up as kindly and good a feeling between all grades as is possible ; and when I talk of punishment, I will not inflict one on my reader by helping him to so somniferous a subject as a treatise on discipline, but shall leave that to those whose duty it may be. All I have to observe in this case is, the immense improvement, since the time of which I write, which has been made in the discipline and moral educational instruction of our army. October 22nd. We heard at this time of a DON JULIAN SANCHEZ. 183 stealthy, clever operation carried out by our friend Don Julian Sanchez, of guerilla fame, who closely watched the French garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo. In the night the enemy were accustomed to send forth from the town their live-stock to feed on the glacis, their custom being to withdraw them within the town again as daylight broke. Julian Sanchez having obtained information of this, laid wait with his horsemen, pounced one dark rainy night upon the supping quadrupeds, killed those in charge of them, and drove off nearly two hundred bullocks from under the very guns of the fortress. This loss being made evident to the Governor next morn- ing, he came out himself, with an escort, to recon- noitre j and, when at no great distance beyond the range of his own artillery, they suddenly received an unexpected and equally impromptu visit from the same guerilla chief, who, having killed and wounded some in the onslaught, took all the rest prisoners, including General Renaud and his two aides-de-camp; but afterwards the two last con- trived to make their escape. The Light, Third, and Fourth Divisions were at this time between the Coa and the Agueda, distantly watching the garrison of Rodrigo. The First, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh, together with the greater part of our artillery, were placed, for the sake of provisions, in an extended order from the frontier to as far back as the Val de Mondego. The rainy season set in with all its wonted 184 UNCOMFORTABLE QUARTERS. vigour : tremendous storms of thunder and wind drove the rain against the barren mountains by which we were surrounded ; these last disgorged what they received in foaming watercourses, de- scending in jumping torrents past dwellings beneath, and rendering both rivers and roads impassable. Few of the cottages we were destined to inhabit could be considered in that state of repair that English architects would considerately pronounce wind, water, or weather proof. However, to be under cover at all in such a season was a luxury which did not last very long. On the 1st Novem- ber we received orders to march next morning to Acores, and from thence to proceed to bivouac near Gata. We commenced our march, and had nearly reached Lagiosa, when we were happily counter- manded, and very thankfully returned to Graciosa and Val des Ayres. From its want of novelty the prospect of bivou- acking in a mist, with spongy ground for a bed, could always be dispensed with by us without re- gret. Such anticipations remind me of a learned acquaintance of mine, of antiquarian propensities, who, in perfect seriousness, on visiting Rome, de- clared he did not think that the interior of the Pantheon looked comfortable ! What my worthy friend meant to predicate by this is not easy to de- termine probably that he found in his temporary visits small " indoor relief," to use a union-house phrase ; while, on the other hand, in bad weather ARROYO MOLINOS. 185 we had a constant lively sense of the inconveni- ences of " the outdoor" system. Soon after our return to our lately left quarter, we heard of General HuTs* successful surprise in the south of General Girard's force at Arroyo Mo- linos. These movements were well planned and equally well executed. A small movable column, under Girard, had been foraging between the Tagus and the Guadiana, in the neighbourhood of Caceres, and preventing our allies, the Spaniards, under Morillo, from supporting his troops from that quarter. Lord Wellington ordered Hill to drive the enemy away, who advanced, on the 26th of October, to Malpertida de Caceres for that pur- pose. The enemy withdrew to Arroyo Molinos, leaving a rear-guard at Albala. Hill saw his ad- vantage, and promptly seized it, by a forced night march on a shorter parallel road, and reached, without their knowledge, Alcuesca, only a league distant from the enemy f. The village of Arroyo was situated in a plain, and behind it a sierra, or ridge of rocks, rose in the form of a crescent. During the night, though the weather was dread- ful, no fires were permitted in the Allied camp, and at two o'clock in the morning of the 28th, the troops moved to a low ridge, only half a mile distant from Arroyo. Behind this they formed into three columns, the infantry on the flanks, the * Afterwards Lord Hill, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, t See Napier. 186 THE ENEMY SURPRISED. cavalry in the centre; and before daylight, on a misty, stormy October morning, which favoured their approach, the left wing moved direct upon the enemy, while the other infantry column and cavalry, with the guns, directed their march to the right, and intercepted the enemy's retreat by flank- ing it, and reached the other side, with the view of entirely cutting off their escape. One brigade of Girard's had marched early in the morning, and were out of harm's way, but the rest, Dambrou- ski's infantry and Bridie' s cavalry, were found in happy ignorance of danger, comfortably prepar- ing for their march, their horses of the rear-guard unbridled and tied to olive-trees, the infantry only gathering to form outside on the Medellin road, and Girard himself in his quarters waiting to mount his horse, when Howard's Brigade, the 50th, 71st, and 92d entered pellmell amongst them, the last two regiments charging down the street, and the Highland pibrochs singing forth the old Jacobite air of " Johnny Cope, are ye rising yet ?" The enemy, that is, those who could escape, after some hard fighting and struggling, were driven to the end of the village, the 50th securing those who had been captured. The remainder of the French formed in squares outside, and co- vered the main body of their horsemen on the left. Cadogan, with the 71st, lined the garden- walls, and opened a galling fire on the nearest square; the 92nd cleared the village, and formed upon the ene- PURSUIT. 187 my's right j the Spanish cavalry skirted the houses, to endeavour to intercept their line of retreat. The guns opened on the French squares; our 13th Dra- goons captured their artillery ; the 9th Dragoons and 2nd German Hussars charged their cavalry, and entirely dispersed it with great loss; Girard was wounded, but still kept his infantry together, and continued his retreat by the Truxillo road ; his men were falling by fifties, and his situation was desperate, but on further retiring he found the road closed by the right column of the Allies, while Howard's Brigade were pressing and coming up fast on his front. Nothing being left for it, the enemy now, sooner than surrender, broke, and throwing away their arms and knapsacks, endea- voured to escape singly by scaling the almost inac- cessible rocks of the sierra, which overtopped the village and the roads. They were pursued even in this attempt, by the 28th and 34th, led by Gene- ral Howard, who followed them step by step up the rocks, and many prisoners were made. Girard, wounded, and Dambrouski and Briche escaped with about GOO out of 3000 men, and after wandering in the Guadalupe mountains, crossed the Guadiana at Orrclano, and joined Drouet. The spoil was, all the French artillery, baggage, and commissariat, together with two generals taken (Brun and Prince d'Arenberg), thirty other officers, and 1300 pri- soners. A private of the 92nd took Prince d'Aren- berg. The loss of the Allies was not more than 188 A WINTER MARCH. seventy killed and wounded ; but Strenowitz of the German Hussars, to whom I have before alluded as having distinguished himself, being on this occasion too forward in the pursuit, was made prisoner. On the application however of General Hill to General Drouet, the latter kindly released him. Lord Hill, speaking of the troops under him in his despatch to Lord Wellington, says : " No praise of mine can do justice to their admirable conduct ; the patience and goodwill shown by all ranks during forced marches in the worst of wea- ther, their strict attention to the orders they re- ceived, the precision with which they moved to the attack, and their obedience to command during the action ; in short, the manner in which every one has performed his duty from the first com- mencement of the operations, merits my warmest thanks, and will not, I am sure, be passed unob- served by your Lordship." On the 24th of November we suddenly received an order to move ; we were to leave our baggage behind at Val des Ayres, and to march directly in advance to the frontier. It was a hard frost, and the weather was severely cold; we left Graciosa about midday, to climb one of those bleak off- shoot ranges of the Serra d'Estrella, the top of which last is, in summer and winter, covered with snow. In our ascent, we faced the iced wind rush- ing down from the mountain's hoary head, which was sufficient to cool the hottest temper, or chill SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS. 189 the warmest heart : keen and piercing were the effects to those exposed to it. Over this wild, barren country, we this day marched six long Por- tuguese leagues, equivalent to twenty-four English miles, and did not reach till midnight the miser- ble village of Regiosa, where we halted. Being very unwell, and only just recovered from an in- flammation of the chest, followed by ague and fever, I remember this day's march right well: great weakness and raging headache were my disagree- able companions in this day's pedestrianism. It was too cold to mount my horse, and I led him. On our arrival we had two companies and three officers of our battalion put under cover at this poor place : it could hold no more, and scarcely even these. The rest were dispersed about in dif- ferent small villages, so as to put our men under roofs, a desirable object, as far as health went, at this season, in these cold and mountainous regions. In thus dispersing the troops, by some blunder- ing our two companies found themselves deserted by the Commissary, and were left without rations. Those men who had the savoir-faire about them, and had economized their prior stock of biscuit, now conveniently discovered it, perhaps at the bot- tom of their haversacks; but those who had not, were left for six-and-thirty hours without food, or any means of procuring it. Luckily I discovered in my portable larder (a fishing basket attached to my horse's saddle) one biscuit and a small piece 190 OBJECT OF THE MARCH. of cheese, which was divided amongst three of us ; then, thanking our stars that we were on the right side of the door of a house, we made in our smoky hovel the best fire we could, stretched ourselves on the ground in our cloaks before it, and slept till daylight roused us once more to renew our march. We moved three leagues to Aldea de Dona, and next day to Nave d'Aver. The occasion of our thus closing up to the frontier, was the assembly, in the neighbourhood of Tamames, of some 14,000 of the enemy, to convey fresh cattle and a com- mander into Ciudad Rodrigo, in lieu of those lately filched from that fortress by Julian Sanchez. Lord Wellington fully meant to cross the Azava and the Agueda, to attack them with his whole force, in their charitable attempt to succour their friends, for which purpose all our divisions had been moved in concentration to between the Coa and Agueda ; but, unluckily, the weather had been so bad, and the rain so abundant, that it rendered the fords of the Azava and Agueda impassable. Taking ad- vantage of this, General Thiebault seized the occa- sion, introduced the convoy and the new Governor General Barrie, and precipitately retired, before we could get at him across these waters. Having previously, in winter, been in the south of Portugal, or the neighbourhood of Lisbon, we were unaccustomed to sharp cold ; and on reach- ing the high plateau of open country, on which Nave d'Aver stands, we felt it more severely. The AN ELEGY. 191 rivers remained flooded, but the frost was still as hard as in a more northern latitude; the hovels of Nave d'Aver formed but a polite excuse for a covering. We sat, when indoors (for in-windows we could not call it, there being none beyond bro- ken shutters), wrapped in our cloaks, on the family household chests of the poor inhabitants, round a brazarico, or pan of hot ashes, to warm the extre- mities of man ; a joke or a cigar in our mouth, to console the stomach or brush up the intellect ; our drink, when we could get it, some kind of wine or alcohol, to fill the internal portion of human nature's commissariat depot. These, together with a sincere good wish for a better abode, a battle, or anything, in short, that would circulate the blood or interest the mind, formed our desiderata ; though we bore our hardships with the true spirit of well-tried, red-coated philosophers. As I have hitherto depicted our situation in prose, I may now, perhaps, venture to give a poe- tical description thereof, in the shape of &n lElegg, By a Subaltern Officer in Cantonments on the Banks of the Coa in 1811. Tn these dark, wretched, and unfurnish'd cells, "Where many a moping, half-starved hero dwells, And erer-musing Bfelanchofy reigns, What mean lliesc tumults in an ensign's v. Whence come thoe t witchings that invade repose? Is it roast-beef, or shadows cross my nose, 192 AN ELEGY. Which, eager, snuffing up the tainted air, Fancies it feasts on culinary fare? Vain shadows, hence! nor dare to sport with one So sad, so comfortless, so woe-begone, Whose clamorous bowels cease to know good cheer- Hunger in front, starvation in the rear. Night's sable mantle now wraps nature up, Now bucks to dinner go, and cits to sup ; Deep lost in sleep, around, my comrades snore, Whilst I, awake, my adverse fate deplore ; Groan to the night's dull ear my lonely grief, And sigh for England, and her fine roast-beef. Oh ! plenteous England, comfort's dwelling-place, Blest be thy well-fed, glossy, John Bull face ; Blest be the land of aldermanic paunches, Of rich soup turtle, glorious ven'son haunches ! Inoculated by mad martial ardour, Why did I ever quit thy well-stored larder ? Why, fired with scarlet fever in ill time, Come here to fight and starve in this curst clime ? In vision now I only feasts prepare, And, waking, feed like poets, on thin air. My days lag tardily on leaden wings, And night no comfort, no refreshment brings ; For though, oppress' d with toil, I seek for ease, Nature's restorer flies from scoundrel fleas, Who, e'en more num'rous than Arcadia's flocks, Bite from my nightcap to my very socks, And swarm all o'er, and thick infix their smarts, As erst on Gulliver pour'd pigmy darts, When fast by Lilliputian fetters bound, He fumed, and swore, and bellow' d on the ground. Now, while o'er all around uncertain sleep Prevails, alone I my sad vigils keep, Let me, like Philomel, pour forth my sorrow, The sad detail that fresh awaits tomorrow. First, milkless tea presents the morn's repast, MiscalTd a breakfast, but in truth a fast ; AN ELEGY. 193 Harsh, mouldy biscuit, served in portions spare, By niggard Commissary's frugal care ; No butter, no fresh eggs, no mutton-chops, No crisp brown toast, such as spruce waiter pops, In London coffee-house, beneath your beard, When thrice the well-pull'd hungry bell is heard j Not e'en a cup or saucer decks the board, But from the haversack's foul motley hoard A vessel's dragg'd, ten thousand debts to pay, Doom'd to ten thousand uses, night and day. Then dinner ; oh, ye gods! who deign to stoop To mortal's moans, contemplate this our soup. See the smoking bullock's thin lean flanks, Portion' d in morsels through the famish' d ranks j See in camp kettles all we have to dine, Yielding soup meagre that would frighten swine. Such the two sorry meals but two alas ! And these scarce e'en enliven'd by a glass. 'Twere impious to insult the god of vines, Profane his sacred juice, his rosy wines, By calling wine the rank, sour, scanty stuff, Which " special favour" gives, nor gives enough. Can such repasts be meant to feed and drench Great Britain's heroes, sent to fight the French ? Better at home, in some dark cellar vile, Mend shoes as cobbler, than starve here in style ; Or muffins cry, or occupation meek Ply in St. Giles's, for a pound a week. Ye fat rich citizens of London town, Who roll in coaches, and who sleep in down, Upraised by trade, who wallow in your wealth, And snug o'er claret drink " the army's health," Turn here your eye, and give a pitying stare \ Come, and behold how we lank warriors fare. Think not of ball-room strut, or lounging gait In public walks, our military bait To catch your daughters, oft ten-thousand prize, Our gold and scarlet sparkling like their eyes j 194 AN ELEGY. But see the crimson'd coat seam'd o'er with stitches, The torn, degen'rate, regimental breeches ; Behold how pale and worn the once brisk sash is, See the last relics of these spatterdashes. The ci-devant gay suit now alter' d grown, All glare, all brilliancy, all splendour gone. Hail, sweet recruiting service ! pleasing toil, Ball-room campaigns, tea-parties, cards, dice, Hoyle : Ye days when dangling was my only duty, Envied by cits, caress' d by every beauty, Dreaded by mothers, trembling at each glance Shot at their daughters going down the dance. Ah ! how tormenting memory sad reviews Those happy hours when in silk hose, thin shoes, And sprightly scarlet, much the tailor's pride, I lounged and flatter' d at the fair one's side ! Away, curs'd busy fancy ; leave this vision ; Increase not misery by keen derision ! Away, quick hasten from these dreary walls ; Attend soft heroes to their plays and balls ! Pleasure's fled hence, wide now the gulf between us ; Stern Mars has routed Bacchus and sweet Yenus. I can no more ; the lamp's last fading ray Reminds me of parade ere break of day, "Where shiv'ring I must stand, though bleak the morning, Housed by the drummer's hateful warning. Come then, my boat-cloak, let me wrap thee round, And snore in concert, stretch'd upon the ground, Midst all these sleepers, grunting in their nooks ; Oh ! may I dream of frying-pans and cooks, Pots, spits, and larders, and when on viands fall, Guzzle with aldermen of famed Guildhall. And haste the day when I, on Albion's shore, May stuff and cram till I can cram no more : Haste the blest night when deep shall sink this frame In fields of feathers, not in fields of fame. A VIEW OF CIITDAD RODR1GO. 195 The above parody on Pope's 'Abelard* came from Gallegos, the cantonments of the Light Di- vision, and was printed by the perambulating press, established at head-quarters to facilitate the pro- mulgation of Lord Wellington's orders. The few copies struck off fell amongst the personal friends of the author ; some still living may recognize the attempt to turn privations into pleasantries, and to "laugh in care's face." These lines at the time obtained popularity and circulation without the aid even of booksellers or publishers. It was the author of ( The Pleasures of Hope/ I think, who said that he " forgave Buonaparte all his delin- quencies, in consideration of his having, on one occasion, shot a bookseller." This remark surely ought to have come from the author of ' The Plea- sures of Memory.' I may say of the originator of the elegy, that while I leave to others the appre- ciation of the author's fancy, I reserve to myself a sure and lively remembrance of the truthfulness of his facts. The bracing weather had the advantage of driv- ing away my ague. In the absence of our Adjutant, who had departed on a visit to Lord Wellington, at head-quarters, his duties devolved upon me, which increased my occupations ; nevertheless, I contrived to find time to take a gallop with another officer towards Cindad llodrigo, for the purpose of obtaining a sketch of the town and its environs. I passed our outposts, and proceeded three miles 196 GOOD QUARTERS. beyond them, as these only extended as far as the heights of Marialva, near Carpio. We reached the enemy's vedettes, when they sent out a patrole after us, but I had accomplished what I wished before they made their approach. As in the state of the rivers nothing further could now be done with the enemy, we were put en route on the 30th of November for Navas, on our way to Pinhel, which we reached on the 1st of December. This town, though subjected to the frequent dilapidating occupation of the French, was a good quarter, not ill supplied with the re- quisites to render a sojourn there agreeable. Sir Thomas Graham, and the head-quarter staff of our division, took up their abode in one of its chief houses ; and we now began once more to use our best ingenuity to make our men's quarters com- fortable and clean, and to strain our inventive fa- culties towards the same end, in favour of our own abodes. I luckily had, in common with a com- rade, a quarter with the astounding luxury of glazed windows to it : such palatial grandeur sel- dom in these days fell to the lot of a subaltern in that country ; but we were not long destined thus to be framed and glazed. The anticipatory idea of comfort was added to in no slight degree by the hospitality of the Chief of our Division*, at whose table I frequently found myself a guest. However, c ' a change came o'er the * Sir Thomas Graham. A FAMILY MANSION. 197 spirit" of this dream, for I was shortly after sent out of town with my company to the Quinta de Toro, a mile and a half from Pinhel, on the road to Ce- lorico. This had been a fine old chateau, the pro- perty of a Portuguese Fidalgo, who had fled on the French invasion. The enemy had done much da- mage, but there were still remaining some habit- able rooms, with a great deal of fine old tapestry, and many other signs left of the better and happier days it had been witness to. I know nothing more melancholy than to visit a fine old family mansion in a state of half-ruin ; somehow I am apt, in my " mind's eye," to repeople it with its former occu- pants from generation to generation, and fancy all the youthful aspirations of hope, love, and kindly feelings that these chambers had encompassed in bygone days, mixed, no doubt, with fears, disap- pointments, anxieties, or distress, and " all the ills that man is heir to." To my mind there is some- thing in the scenes of past pleasure or pain which sanctifies the spot where they have occurred. Poor human nature had here played its high pranks; the chambers, with the broken remnants of furniture, bore silent testimony to all that once had been, but was no longer. Lodged in the Quinta of a Portuguese noblemen, seated in a park, with the Coa's tributary streams running through it, surrounded with woods, and encom- passed by walls, I began to fancy myself transmo- grified into that beau ideal of English good taste 198 ALMEIDA. a country gentleman. The banished owner (and his (t forbears/' as they are called in Scotland) often came to my thoughts, although I knew them not, or ever did know them; even their names are now for- gotten, although then familiar to me. Foreign in- vasion had sent them forth wanderers from their hearths and home; they fled to Oporto, or else- where, rather than witness or expose themselves to personal insult or the ravages of war. Their forced absence was but an episode in such inroads on their country. We found in these domains some game, and woodcocks in plenty, which afforded us not only the pleasure of exhilarating exercise, but a profit to our table. This was too good to last. On the 17th I was sent, with a detachment of my regiment, on a working party, to the fortress of Almeida. This frontier stronghold was almost in a state of ruin ; hardly a roof was left on any house. The French siege of it in 1810, the explosion of the magazine on that occasion, Brennier's destruction of the works on his abandoning the town in 1811, the precipitate mischief done by Packe on Marmont's advance against Spencer in the summer of the same year, rendered both the town and its fortifi- cations a chaos. Two faces of the scarp and para- pet of this hexagon-formed work (that to the west and south) had been blown into the ditch, and the guns buried in the ruins. The works were now SECRET PREPARATIONS. 199 again undergoing repair, to place them in a state of sufficient defence against a coup de main. Our battering train had also arrived here, composed of seventy-eight heavy pieces of ordnance. A great number of cars were also in course of construction, to facilitate the conveyance of ammunition; and we were occupied in making fascines and gabions, and rapidly preparing, in every way possible, for carrying into effect the immediate siege of Ciu- dad E-odrigo. The dilapidated state of Almeida, and the arrival of our heavy artillery, served as an excuse to the enemy for our operations, which they believed were confined merely to defensive measures of precaution, in preparing and arming this Portuguese frontier fortress. Under this blind Lord Wellington put forth all his and our energies to hasten the preparations for the siege of the Spanish frontier fortress. The Light and Third Divisions were moved nearer to Ciudad Rodrigo; he called together all the ge- neral officers and heads of departments, not as a council, for he was not in the habit of asking other people's opinions on professional matters, but to give them his own. Having acquired the neces- sary information for himself, he admitted of no advice from others ; he well digested and reflected on what he intended to accomplish, and, having made up his own mind, he laid down his instruc- tions and gave his orders to carry them into effect, and on all possible occasions superintended their 200 THE MASTER MIND. execution : he really was a chief on whom all de- pended. What a contrast is this with Baron Muffling' s descriptions of the councils of war, even within the Prussian army itself, in the campaigns of 1813 and 1814; the scenes described between himself, Gneisenau, and others, concerning the movements of their army; the open wranglings, coolnesses, jealousies, and differences in the Allied German Divisions of the same nation ! How, with such a system and want of unity in command, they brought matters to the result they did, is surprising. With us no time was lost in dispute or clashing opinions : one master mind prevailed throughout the whole of our campaigns ; he tho- roughly comprehended and taught others to exe- cute that which he required. This was an im- mense advantage, and resulted (though frequently under most difficult circumstances) in entire suc- cess. Being placed whilst at Almeida under the orders of the engineer officers, we lived entirely with them. After accomplishing our work we once more returned to Pinhel, and to our former country abode of the Quint a de Toro. A mail, ay, news from England dear old England ! a bundle of friendly letters awaited my arrival. No one but those who have experienced long delay and doubtful silence can sufficiently appreciate the pleasure derived from receiving in a distant land letters from home; circumstances at other times of small import then appear matters of deep inte- RESULTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. 201 rest; the slight indisposition of a friend, or the death of some favourite old dog, casts a deeper re- gret, the success, health, or happiness, of those you love, bestows a greater pleasure. In distance and uncertain absence the thoughtful minds and kind hearts whose affections guide their pens, af- ford invaluable testimonials to the longing recipi- ents of them, particularly when one calculates the chance that they come from friends you "ne'er may see again." On again reaching my regiment I found that my comrades, in our absence, had been at work as well as ourselves, although not quite on the same objects. Out of an old room they had constructed a theatre, and had got up amongst them the comedy of ' The Heir at Law/ while we of the working parties to Almeida had been preparing for ' The Tragedy of the Siege and Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo.' The former intended theatrical representation was in a most untimely manner interrupted by the operations requisite for the latter. But before entering on a new year, or commencing another campaign, I may venture, in conclusion, to observe that this was begun on the 6th of March, and might be said to have closed in the December following; that Portugal had been completely liberated from French possession ; and through numerous minor and two general actions and one siege Lord Wellington had established his army on a firm defensive footing on the northern frontier, holding the retaken fortress of Almeida, 202 RESULTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. while Lord Hill's corps was left to cover the south- ern portion of that kingdom. In these manoeuvres and movements, of nine months' duration, our di- vision had marched 849 English miles; without at all looking on such exercise as extraordinary, it was, at least, sufficient to keep our men in good wind, hardy condition, and sound understandings. 203 CHAPTER VIII. SIEGE OF CIT7DAD BODEIGO. POET EENATTD. A COLD NIGHT. CHANGE OF PLAN. WOBKING IN THE TEENCHES. UNWEL- COME VISITOES. THE METHODICAL CAPTAIN. OPENING OF THE BATTEBIES. CEAFFTJED'S ELOQUENCE. STOEMING THE TOWN. LOOKING FOE THE GOVEENOE. STTEEENDEB. In September of 181 1, after Marmont had re- lieved Ciudad Rodrigo, and subsequently replaced the cattle and Governor stolen from it by Julian Sanchez, the French Commander fell back to Sa- lamanca, and eventually to Valladolid, with the greater part of his forces. " At this time also, 17,000 of the Imperial Guards were withdrawn by Napoleon for his Russian campaign, and above 40,000 troops of the enemy, of different arms, had quitted Spain on the same errand. The rest of their armies were spread over an immense extent of country. Marmont, deceived by the seemingly careless winter attitude of the Allies, and for the accommodation of provisioning his troops," and watching the guerilla corps, was at a greater dis- tance from Ciudad than would enable him to as- 204 semble his army with facility to succour and sup- port it on a sndden emergency ; besides, his atten- tion, at this time, was turned towards the opera- tions going on in the east of Spain. Lord Wel- lington, well prepared, seized the opportunity he had long looked for; and, in spite of the incle- mency of the season, suddenly and at once invested the fortress and commenced the siege. It was at daybreak on a bitter cold morning, on the 4th of January, that our division started from their cantonments to take part in this siege, and commence the campaign of 1812. The Light, First, Third, and Fourth Divisions, with Packers Portuguese Brigade, were destined for this service, and were concentrated, in the first days of Janu- ary, in the neighbourhood of our old battle-field, the banks of the Azava and Agueda. Across this latter river a bridge had been thrown at Marialva, by Lord Wellington, Our first day's march, of sixteen miles, towards the scene of our new operations, was bad enough in respect to weather and roads ; but, on reaching the half-roofless houses of As Navas, matters were still worse. He who had a soul for music might possibly view the creeks and crannies of our shel- terless habitations with harmonious intentions, for many were the sites admirably adapted for the in- troduction of the iEolian harp; the less tasteful however, and the unmusical, who felt not the at- tributes of that which ' l soothes the savage breast," DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSPORT. 205 did not appear to have an adequate sense of the pleasures of their situation. In addition to other difficulties, we had to depend, for the transport of food, and all the requisite material for our opera- tion, on our friends and allies, the Spaniards and Portuguese. The way in which this was accom- plished is best shown by Lord "Wellington's own words : in writing to Lord Liverpool, he says : "What do you think of empty carts taking two days to go ten miles on a good road ? After all, I am obliged to appear satisfied, or they would de- sert. At this season of the year, depending upon Portuguese and Spaniards for means of having what is required, I can scarce venture to calculate the time which this operation" (the siege) "will take ; but I should think no less than twenty-four or twenty-five days. If we do not succeed, we shall, at least, bring back upon ourselves all the force that has marched away ; and I hope we may save Valencia, or, at all events, afford more time to the Austrians and Galicians, etc. If we do succeed, we shall make a fine campaign in the spring." On the 6th, head-quarters were moved to Ga- llegos. Lord Wellington, attended by Colonel Fletcher, Chief Engineer, and some officers of the staff, made a reconnoissance of the place; they crossed the Agueda by the fords about two miles below the town; and, unattended by any escort, reached several points from which they obtained a sufficient view of the defences (of the fortress) to 206 COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS. decide on the attack*. Encased, bnt scarcely co- vered, we remained in a state of ventilation within the half- wrecked houses of As Navas till the 8th, when we joyfully moved to Espeja, as a village nearer to the scene of our future operations, and affording better shelter from the frost and snow. Toward sunset we reached the quarters intended for us during the siege; once ensconced in our different cottages, we refreshed ourselves with whatever provisions the Commissary, our own in- dustry, and a few dollars permitted us to obtain. About eight o'clock p.m. we were contentedly sitting round a fire, in the fall enjoyment of cigars and mulled wine, when a sound greeted our ears not of iEolian chords, but the soldier's music the cannon booming forth through the calm frosty air of the night its sonorous eloquence. We went forth into the village street ; the cannonade conti- nued and became heavy; distance, and the wind in an adverse quarter, prevented our hearing any sound of musketry, but we saw, by the flashes from the guns, the horizon lighted far above the woods and undulating ground which intervened between our village of Espeja and the town of Ciudad. A large assembly of officers and men were collected, in order to try to make out results from sound, but to little purpose beyond ascertain- ing that, as the cannonade continued throughout the night, the siege had begun. We thought that * See Jones's ' Sieges.' THE TOWN RECONNOITRED. 207 we should have had the honour of taking the ini- tiative in this affair, but it was commenced by the Light Division in a clever, dashing style, and in the following manner. Here, before inserting a further quotation, let me plead my excuse for so doing. As often as I was not on the spot when some occurrence took place on which the subse- quent narrative turns, I have left the relation of it to the authority either of an eye-witness or of the able historian of these campaigns ; for, were I to describe what I did not see with my own eyes, I might be accused of presumption, and render my- self liable to the rebuke which Hannibal conveyed when he happened to hear a distinguished orator discoursing on the subject of war. He was asked what he thought of it ; Hannibal replied, " that he had heard many absurd things in his life, but never anything half so absurd as this." Would that some could recall to themselves the Italian pro- verb : " Chi non sa niente non dubita di niente \ n It would save many a controversy occasioning loss of valuable time and invaluable patience. But to return from this digression. u During the day, everything was kept as quiet as possible, and an equal examination made of every side of the town, so as to prevent any suspi- cion of an immediate effort, or of the point about to be attacked. The Light Division and Packers Portuguese Brigade forded the Agueda, near Cari- dad, three miles above the fortress ; and, making a 208 FORT RENAUD. circuit, took post, without being observed, beyond the Tesso Grande, a round hill rising gradually from the city, on which the enemy had constructed a redoubt," called after the abstracted Governor, Fort Renaud. This was distant from the fortified Convent of San Francisco four hundred yards, and some six hundred from the artillery on the ramparts of the place. quently asked to dine at head-quarters. I have a lively remembrance on this occasion of passing a pleasant evening in one of the best houses the town of Elvas afforded. The assembled party amounted to some eighteen, among whom were the authori- ties of the town, some ladies, two commanding offi- cers of the regiments of the Guards, other younger and lively characters belonging to Lord Welling- ton's personal staff and the corps en bivouac in the city's neighbourhood. Lord Wellington was in high spirits, and very attentive to two pretty Por- tuguese young ladies, whose names I heard, but have forgotten, although at the time I was intro- duced to them. With great liveliness they pos- sessed good manners, spoke French well, and of course formed the centre of attraction. During 270 A VORACIOUS APPETITE. dinner there was a man, to what corps belonging has escaped my memory, whose appetite exceeded everything but onr astonishment at it, and his own surprise at finding himself surrounded by so many dainties. Certainly, in those days of scarcity, an invitation to a decent dinner was well worthy of attention. The commissaries and some few of the generals, according to their capabilities, might oc- casionally indulge their hospitality. Lord Wel- lington, although personally moderate in all his habits, still, as circumstances permitted, kept the best table going, as he was in possession of a good French cook and a maitre d'hotel. The attention of the latter, as well as our own, was excited in no ordinary degree by the develop- ment of the unaccustomed guest's powers. His youthful passion for pastry made pate after pate disappear, for to the rapidity of a conjuror he added the swallow of a cormorant. He by no means confined himself to such light material however, and shortly proved that he was not purely farina- ceous, by turning his abilities to more substantial fare with equally strong marks of a monopolizing spirit. Like the camel at the spring in the desert, he seemed determined to lay in a stock which should bear him harmless against all coming pri- vation. After having unconsciously occasioned us considerable amusement, in which our great Chief participated with as much zest as the youngest amongst us, and that mirth and wine had suffi- AGREEABLE SOCIETY. 271 ciently circulated, we all rose together with the ladies from table, and retired to the drawing-room. In the course of the evening the two young ladies, under the sanction of their respectable bundle of a maternity, gratified Lord Wellington's taste for music by singing many pretty airs, amongst which a duet so forcibly struck me as to stamp the air in my memory even to this day. The words ran thus : " Lindos olhos matadores Tem a gentil bella Arminda, Tern a gentil bella Arminda. Alvos dentes, boca linda. Gosto della mas porem Tenho medo dos amores j Sao crueis, nao pagao bem, Sao crueis, nao pagao bem." The charms of song and the bright eyes of those who sang shed their soft influence on us. A gal- lant troubadour, Colonel Fermor of the Guards, was so inspired as to indulge the ladies en revanche with several French romances. Thus concluded an agreeable evening, which carried with it some humanizing remembrances ; and as we returned to our Orson-like life in the fields, we thought with regret of these pleasant hours that had but too speedily passed. On the 15th, at about a league from Elvas, a pontoon bridge had been laid over the Guadiana, and by daybreak on the following morning we were on foot again. The successful opening of a cam- 272 INVESTMENT OF BADAJOS. paign always acts favourably on the spirits of a soldiery ; and now Lord Wellington was about to fulfil his promise previously made to Lord Liver- pool, that " if we took Ciudad Rodrigo we should make a fine campaign in the spring." In further- ance of this assurance we crossed the Guadiana on the 16th of March, 1812, to commence movements and operations which lasted, without interruption, until the middle of the November following. On the 16th Badajos was invested by Marshal Beres- ford, who crossed the river, and drove in the enemy's outposts. The Third, Fourth, and Light Divisions, and a brigade of Hamilton's Portuguese, about 15,000 men, were destined for the attack of the fortress. The First, Sixth, and Seventh Divi- sions, and two brigades of cavalry, formed a corps under our divisional chief, Sir Thomas Graham, and our movements were directed by Yalverde and Santa Martha upon Llerena ; Hill moved by Me- rida upon Almendralejos. These corps acted as a covering army to protect the operations of the siege, and amounted to 30,000. The Fifth Divi- sion was on the march from Beira ; and the whole army consisted of about 51,000 sabres and bayo- nets, of which 20,000 were Portuguese*. Soult's army at this time was between Seville and Cadiz, and some movable columns of Drouet's and Dari- cau's, of about 5000 men each, at Villa Franca and near Medellin. Before entering further into notice * See Napier. A CAMP DINNER. 273 of movements necessarily connected with my anec- dotical journal, I may mention that Lord Welling- ton, in taking the field, thought proper to inaugu- rate the event by giving a grand fete to Field- Marshal Beresford and his staff, a cordial to his friends, as an introduction to the more inimical operation of the siege of Badajos, thus following the soldier's motto, " Let us be merry today, for tomorrow we die*." Near Badajos there was no house or building within half a mile of the spot selected for Lord Wellington's head-quarter camp. It was a bleak and barren place enough, the only advantage being that, although within range, it concealed by some rising ground from the fire of the fortress. During the siege however two or three shells did fall amongst these canvas resi- dences. The tents for the use of the two Head- quarter Staffs of the British and Portuguese armies brought from Elvas that morning ; they ar- rived at their destination at nine o'clock; the ground was marked out, the tents erected, the kit- chens made, a substantial oven built by transport- ing materials from the stone wal] of a vineyard half a mile off, mortar was concocted, wood for fuel collected, and everything accomplished before one o'clock, at which time that man of celebrity the chef or head cook, reached his scene of glory. * Lieutenant-General Lord Keane, when Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica, had these words written over his dining-room door, I suppose, in compliment to the yellow fever. T 274 GASTRONOMY. Surrounded and within range of all the warlike implements of destruction, this greater than Vatel " a parfaitement conserve son sang-froid dans ses entrees." At half-past two, the elements on which his art depended arrived on foot. The bullocks, poor things ! little thought of the uses to which they were walking, or that their respectable parts (although their forms partook of the greyhound cut) would be so precipitately transubstantiated into joints, gravy, and gelatinous substances. They however were killed, skinned, and cut up ; and by six o'clock were served up to a company of distin- guished men in as many savoury shapes as any party of guests in Grosvenor-square ever sat down to dawdle over, the difference being that air and exercise, and a too great absence of plenty, occa- sioned a somewhat different appreciation of the indulgence, and a keener sense of the value of things. Dryden's recommendation of " Take the goods the gods provide thee" was then turned from a poetical to a practical fact, leaving " lovely Thais" out of the question, unfortunately because nobody had much time to attend to her, poor lady ! It may be seen, from the sudden preparations and rapid accomplishment of this banquet, that in pleasure, as well as business, the grass was never allowed to grow under our feet. Without half the ceremony I have alluded to, and with the slightest possible disguise by cookery, I have often seen a lean, well-travelled bullock killed and eaten in half COVERING ARMY. 275 an hour, his hide and horns alone remaining in demonstration of what he once had been. Having passed the pontoon bridge over the Gua- diana, we entered on immense plains of unwhole- some and malaria-like appearance, producing coarse grass and great quantities of the wild garlic. We followed no road. The First, Sixth, and Seventh Divisions, and two brigades of cavalry, marched in contiguous columns over this wide and tiresome expanse of level. Neither tree nor hill was to be seen. No living thing was visible except innume- rable hares, which sprang up amidst our columns. The men's shouts drove them like shuttlecocks from one to the other, till, bewildered by noise, and surrounded by foes, followed by every yelping cur, galloped after by every officer they approached, they fell a sacrifice in endeavouring to force their way through our ranks. In their endeavours to escape they were almost all killed, and afforded capital sport to the many, and no slight profit to the few. Between forty and fifty hares graced the bivouac fires of our camp this day. The weather in the morning was mild and pleasant, though dark and lowering, but in the evening it became cold and rainy. We bivouacked this night near Valvcrde, a village in a decent state of preservation. This night, for the first time, I felt the genial comfort attached to the proprietorship of a tent. I had thus suddenly become le petit proprittaire in reality, and indulged in the pride of possession : 276 Graham's advance. the more so as it was the first tenement of any- kind that ever really belonged to me, and I has- tened to show a proper sense of the claims of hos- pitality by sharing it with a tentless comrade. En- sconced beneath its cover this tempestuous night, we smoked our cigars, and listened in contemptuous security to the pattering rain driven by the wild wind against its sides. The disagreeable remem- brance of being frequently out on such a night as this, peculiarly recommended to us the advantage of being ivithin. Those happy young fellows lately at Chobham camp had a sufficiency of bad weather probably to make them estimate at a guess the disadvantage of being on the wrong side of canvas, and might possibly have presented to their minds a comparison between the inside seat of a first-class railway carriage and the outside one on a donkey in a storm. It was with grateful feelings towards those kind friends who had sent me this defence against weather, that we drank to them with the soldier's toast, " Here's a health to all absent friends, God bless them \" They, alas ! with many others, are gone, and can no more read the passing record of my gratitude. On the 17th the Third and Fourth and Light Divisions broke ground before Badajos ; but as our corps d'armee, under Graham, advanced towards the south, we knew little and heard nothing in detail of the operations in our rear. We had an enemy in front who was to occupy our attention, and we ZAFRA. 277 wished, in return, to occupy his, by preventing his dwelling too pertinaciously on the operations of the siege that we were destined to mask. In the mean- time we had to feel for the enemy's movable co- lumns, which we knew to be in our neighbourhood, and consequently outposts, patrols, and piquets were in plenty. We moved on Santa Martha ; a small force belonging to Soult's corps retired as we advanced. It was reported that Marmont was at Talavera de la Reyna. We continued our move- ments by La Para to Zafra, an excellent town, which the enemy had left but a few hours before we entered it. The weather was so bad and the Spanish towns so good, that we left off bivouack- ing and were sheltered in most agreeable and ca- pital quarters. We were delighted with this part of Spain, and with the comparatively clean, good houses, their well whitewashed exteriors indent- ed by substantial doors and iron-grated windows, from whence peeped forth the dark houri eyes of the Spanish women, the good-nature and lively manners of these people, their guitars, their song and dance. Though too short our stay, Zafra was to us a pleasant place ; in comparison to the rough life we led, quite an oasis in the desert. Short of labouring on the land, we bad become by living in it the purest of all possible species of agriculturists, for we sojourned entirely in the fields, woods, bogs, and mountains. The roofs which were destined to shelter us in Portugal were widely different and 278 THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH. greatly inferior to those offered us in Spain, and resembled more, with due deference to Hibernian proprietors, an Irish hovel than a human habita- tion. In Spain, although not quit of those hopping vampires the fleas, always to be found in southern climates, the people, the towns, and houses stood us in compensation. Besides, after a man had been some time on service in these countries, his mental as well as his bodily feelings became hardened: the latter by degrees partook of the rhinoceros, and both at length defied the petty stings of fortune and of vermin. Our taste for Spanish towns in- creased with experience ; being already on the road to Seville, we hoped, before we finished our pro- menade, to reach the cities of the south so much lauded in the native tongue. " Quien no ha visto Sevilla, No ha visto maravilla ; Quien no ha visto Grranada, No ha visto nada." Eighteen more years from this period were to elapse before I was to tread the streets and visit the Alcazar of Seville, and enjoy the scenes and the climate of the Yega of Granada, with all the gran- deur of its overhanging Sierra de Nevada, and the beautiful remains of its Morescan palaces. The people of this part of Spain, the middle and lower order, for of the high classes we saw little, and what we did see was by no means prepos- SPANISH CHARACTER. 279 sessing, are a remarkably handsome, fine-looking race/occasionally betraying a tinge of the Saracen blood, mixed with the sangre azul, which spoke in palliation of the Valencian proverb : " Buen cielo, buen tierra, Mai entre tierra y cielo*." Still there was amongst them an assimilation in tastes to their not far distant neighbours the Ita- lians, and the dolce far niente seemed to prevail. When roused to energy they may be induced to act, but, with pompous promises and grandiloquent phrases, postponement and the fear of troubling their lazy intellects predominated. It was always mafiana, but never today, with them. To put off everything, seemed looked upon as the acme of all that was clever ; and never to do that which they could persuade another to do for them, was the per- fection of dexterity. Their whole mind, in short, seemed bent upon doing nothing, and they did it. At the same time there is no want of quickness or intelligence in them. When imperative interest or passion urges, they display all the readiness of resource and acuteness so truthfully depicted in the character of Figaro. On occasion of the movements of some of the enemy's flying columns employed against the Spa- nish guerillas, as our detective police might be * Which may be translated thus : "Fair sky, fair land j All between, nothing grand." 280 TACT AGAINST POWER. against pickpockets, the French marched on a Spanish town to punish it for some real or pre- tended grievance. The people fled, as, innocent or guilty, they well knew the result would be dis- astrous. They left their houses in the night, or, as our sergeant-major, a man of eloquence, used to say, they " surreptitiously and promiscuously took their departure." Of all the inhabitants, two young girls, of considerable personal attractions, alone remained, in a house belonging to one of the autho- rities of the town. Their alarm at such a visit of vengeance may be conceived. They well knew that their good looks were their least defensive quality ; " for beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold." No means of escape presenting itself, the elder di- rected the younger to retire to her bed, which could scarcely be considered the safest place in the house. Militarily, it seemed a false position to assume for a weak garrison intending a resolute defence, but what will address and good tactic not accomplish ? She painted her sister's face a ghastly white, and gave to the apartment all the air of a sick room. These preparations had scarcely been completed when the enemy, arriving from different directions, finding nothing in kitchen or cellar, set about ex- ploring the other rooms. On entering the sup- posed invalid's apartment, the nursing sister, in the deepest apparent affliction, covering her face with a handkerchief, broke out into loud lamentations " Madre de Dios ! la pobrecica tiene una calentura FEMININE INGENUITY. 281 contagiosa la peste*." The French rushed out instantaneously, vacating the quarter even more promptly than they had entered it, echoing the cry as they went ' ' La peste ! la peste ! le diable em- porte la peste I" The obtrusive visit of their would- be conquerors was thus disposed of by these ready- witted beauties. It must be confessed, however, that to the female portion of the community Mes- sieurs les Francais generally made themselves very acceptable ; and although the Spanish women com- plained of them, saying that " Los ladrones Fran- ceses have eaten all our Andalucian bulls, killed our poultry, and knocked from their niches every emblem of the Virgin/' still many of them were sufficiently imbued with the attributes of Christian charity to return good for evil, and not to allow their patriotic prejudices to overcome their perso- nal feelings. In all characters that a Frenchman may be called upon to enact, he is always prover- bially insinuating, gay, and agreeable; and the Spanish women, if there be truth in our experience, seemed well disposed to act up to their national proverb, of " Todo el mundo es un bolero, El que no bayla es un tontof." It was with great regret that on the 21st we left Zafra to occupy Fucntes del Meistro, where * Mother of our Lord ! the poor Utile tiling has a contagious fever (In- plague. f All the world is a ball, and lie is a fool who does not dance. 282 liowev.er we still found good cantonments, the more acceptable as the weather continued very bad. Although this town was fourteen leagues from Ba- dajos, we could distinctly hear the cannonade, as its deep, unfriendly sound came undulating through the air. We here heard that the enemy had made a sortie, in which they lost some men ; that Colo- nel Fletcher, our chief engineer, had been wounded, and that Captain Cuthbert, Picton's aide-de-camp, had been killed ; that some of our batteries were to have opened on this day, and that a breach might be expected to be rendered practicable in about ten days. With regard to our covering corps, the Seventh Division was at Villa Franca, some of our cavalry at Zafra, and the rest at Llerena and its environs. Marmont, report said, was still at Talavera de la Reyna with 36,000 men (which however was doubt- ful) ; Suchet at Valencia. Soult was occupied in collecting his forces, some 20,000, at Seville and its neighbourhood ; and 10,000 more of the enemy were at this time at or near Medellin. We were all full of conjecture. Many seemed to think that a general action would shortly ensue. I remem- ber differing with some of my comrades on this point. I thought that our foes were not likely to attack us unless they could hope to raise the siege, and this they could not do unless they brought down on us their whole force. The distance be- tween their different corps prohibited a combina- OUR MOVEMENTS. 283 tion within a probable time to save the fortress. Without such a hope, it was useless and not to their advantage to fight, as there was nothing to fight for. Marmont was said to display no incli- nation to act in conjunction with Soult, but we subsequently discovered, from intercepted de- spatches, that the Emperor's orders directed him to operate in the north and on the banks of the Coa, threatening an irruption into the province of Beira in Portugal. On further information we found that the delay occasioned by the bad wea- ther, want of materiel, and inefficiency of transport had still further postponed the opening of our bat- teries against Badajos. At the same time Lord Wellington himself said, we were not by 20,000 men so strong on the left bank of the Guadiana as we ought to be. We were uncertain also of Drouet's whereabouts -, he was believed to be in the neighbourhood of Don Benito, with a view to pro- tect the junction of Foy by the bridge of Medellin. Lord Wellington's intention was to move our right ions and the cavalry to Zalamea and Quintana, at the same time that our left division from Alman- dralejo should reach Oliva, and Hill's corps Me- dellin, and thus force back the enemy from their best communications across the Guadiana with Soult, and by thus intercepting them create delay in their conjunctive movements. But we could not hope to maintain this position long, as Soult could move from the south on our right flank, or, 284 HASTY DEPARTURE. if he chose, on our rear. To gain Badajos, there- fore, we were once more fighting against time, as we did at Ciudad Rodrigo. The difference was, that here the task was tougher; the place from natural position as well as art being stronger, its garrison more numerous, and its governor more able. At Fuentes del Meistro, having marched on foot from the northern frontier of Spain, a dis- tance of between three and four hundred miles, I here purchased another mule, although our Ad- jutant, whose duties devolved upon me, had left me his stud during his absence. It was fortunate I did so, as our movements now became much more rapid and harassing. A sudden thought struck the commander of our corps oVarmee ; and on the 25th, without baggage, and at the short- est possible notice, we left Fuentes del Meistro at seven a.m. and proceeded two leagues towards Los Santos, where, having halted for a few minutes only outside the town, we continued our march four leagues further, and reached Bien Venide at five p.m., having accomplished, in ten hours' march, with scarcely a check, six "leguas grandillones," a distance most uncertain, except as to its being a short one. The country was a dead open flat, devoid of trees, and with only occasional culture. We established our bivouac beside a small stream, in some low un- dulating ground, concealed under a gentle slope, and were ordered to consider ourselves au secret. FORCED MARCH AND SURPRISE. 285 The day had been hot, the march rapid and harass- ing, and some rest was requisite. Evening closed in ; the moon rose and seemed to look down in bright contempt on our barren hiding-place. Our divisions were all assembled here, but at ten at night we were on foot again, directing our march on the town of Llercna. We now discovered that this secret and forced march was for the purpose of surprising a small flying column of the enemy, consisting of some 2600 men belonging to Drouet's corps. The operation was an attempted imitation of the Arroyo de Molinos affair, so cleverly exe- cuted by Hill in the previous campaign of 1811. 11,000 infantry, 2000 cavalry, and 24 pieces of artillery, were formed in contiguous columns ; the First, Sixth, and Seventh Divisions in one body, the two brigades of cavalry on our left, and the 24 guns in our front, with some light infantry in ad- vance. Thus massed we moved in close order du- ring the rest of the night. This formation forbade our availing ourselves of the road further than as a line of direction across the country we were tra- \\TMiig. Previous to our leaving our bivouac at Bien Venide, we heard that those we were about to seek were safely in their quarters at Llercna, in perfect ignorance of our stealthy, tiger-like ap- proach. They were sleeping probably, and little dreaming of our intended visit to them at such an unfashionably early hour. Unluckily, no move- ment of any part of our force on the enemy's 286 MOVEMENTS IN THE DARK. flanks, to intercept their retreat, seemed to have been in contemplation, and we moved altogether in a straight line, and in one lump. We had also to take on trust the chance of the prudence and loyalty of the Spanish peasants to their own cause. As they might give information of our approach, we took the precaution of allowing none that we knew of, or could stop, to proceed in the direction of Llerena. In an open country, devoid of hill or wood, it requires rather more address to conceal a body of some 13,000 men, in movement on its sur- face, than for a gentleman of the thimble-rig pro- fession to hide his pea on the downs and heaths of Ascot or of Epsom. The moon had set, the night, though starlight, was dark; we marched in close formation and in strict silence, but still a large body moving over the flat face of mother earth might be detected, and the clink of cavalry sabres, the roll of the wheel- of guns, the tramp of horses, and the heavy sound- ing tread of 13,000 warriors might be wafted through the still night air to a distance, and attract the attentive ears set on watch to ward the approach of coming danger. A dog's bark, a bird's flight, or a hare's course, would create suspicion that some disturbing influence was on foot, and would put on the alert those well versed in outpost duty and war's alarms, thereby betraying the movements of our column. On and on we went, in wearisome darkness and in seemingly interminable space ; half- SURPRISING OURSELVES. 287 asleep and stumbling, our men blundered against each other, then again resumed their order, giving vent to some grumbling exclamation of discon- tent. The night was far spent, but before daylight had dawned we all at once were aroused from our monotonous heavy trudge by coming upon a ca- valry patrol, despatched by the enemy from one of their neighbouring outposts to reconnoitre. They instantly fired on us and galloped off. Had our movements been kept secret till now this ren- contre must have effectively revealed them. The contretemps unfortunately did not end here, in con- sequence of all our divisions having been injudi- ciously ordered to load. When we came upon the enemy, the Sixth Division had on the march gained slightly in advance of the rest, and the Seventh, on receiving the fire of the French patrol, were tempted to return it, and by so doing fired into the Sixth, as the flashes of the enemy's carbines came from that direction. Fortunately, the offi- cers of this last column restrained their men from returning the untoward salute, or, in the surround- ing darkness, we should all have been fighting one another. As it was, a surgeon, a paymaster, and six men were killed and wounded \ and thus, in the most critical moment of an intended surprise, we much surprised ourselves by firing on our own people instead of the enemy, to whom, by all this noise, we gave undoubted notice of our approach. It may be imagined that some excitement ensued. 288 LLERENA. The columns were now closed up, the officers in- stantaneously dismounted and fell into their ranks, leaving their horses to shift for themselves. S , who commanded the company next to mine, did not at all approve of quitting a steed he " ne'er might see again. M I luckily found a little drum- mer, whom, in an unauthorized manner, I pressed into my service, consigning my Eosinante to his charge. My mind, being made easy on that score, was turned in anxious expectation to what would next follow. We still moved forward, marching over some of the bodies that the Seventh Division had slain; at length, at daybreak, we arrived within a short distance of the town of Llerena; and as objects became more visible, we discovered our enemy on the other side of it, quietly marching away, leav- ing us to our reflections. A parting shot or two from our guns, by way of acquainting them with our address, was the only communication that en- sued between us. Our long march, like auld Mees- tress M'Sillygossip's long story, related by the late Mr. Mathews in his ' At Home/ was a wearisome prolixity without a point. A forced march of nearly fifty miles had been accomplished in nineteen hours, by a body of 13,000 men, for the purpose of sur- prising 2600 of the enemy; but as no detached flank movements were attempted to intercept or even interrupt their retreat, they marched out of one end of the town of Llerena as we marched into REPOSE. 289 the other. Had the execution of our movements been supported by strategical combinations, the re- sult might have been different. As it was however, we were so far successful that, by driving back on its reserve this small advance corps of Drouet, we effectually interrupted any immediate communica- tion between him, Daricau, and Soult. The enemy exchanged some few shots with our light troops, when they went their way, and we saw no more of them. After our fatiguing but somewhat futile attempt, we were rewarded by a twenty-four hours' halt in the good town of Llerena. Good towns being as scarce as the opportunities we had of en- joying them, this indulgence was duly appreciated by way of compensation for our disappointments. Next day, our baggage having come up, after a re- freshing rest in our excellent quarters, we moved again four leagues further to a bivouac near Mar- guillas. This village is situated on a plateau be- tween the streams of the Coracha and Matachiel, at the foot and no great distance from one of the spurs, or offshoots, of the Sierra Morena, running down in this direction to the plains beneath. Here, to our astonishment, the German Legion and our brigade remained quiet for a few days : we were in a happy state of uncertainty, although kept in con- stant readiness and expectation to move. The other two Divisions had gone forward ; the Seventh to Asuaga, and the Sixth to Berlenga on our right, in the direction of Seville, on the road leading to u 290 MAKING AN ACQUAINTANCE. the south. Major- General Stopford's Brigade of Infantry was pushed still further forward in the same direction, and as far as Quadalcanal. Vari- ous reports reached us concerning the enemy, but nothing that could be depended on. The breach- ing batteries at Badajos were to open on the 31st, and should the enemy intend to make an attempt to interrupt our operations, or relieve the fortress, they had not a moment to lose. Hill's corps was still in the neighbourhood of Medellin. On the 1st of April we left Marguillas, moving in a retrograde direction on Badajos, by Llera and Usagre to Los Santos. Here our route was changed from that of Fuentes del Meistro to La Para, then to Almandral, and thence to a bivouac in the woods in front of the position of Albuera, where, after a five days' march, all our corps, under Sir Thomas Graham, were again concentrated, ready once more to occupy the old battle-field, if rendered necessary by the enemy's advance. Of them we heard nothing, but surmised, from these movements of ours, that they were approaching. During this march a gay and gallant young Guardsman, aide-de-camp to Sir Rowland Hill, reached us with communications from his chief. A better informed and more agreeable companion and good soldier was not easily found. We were about the same age and standing, and our ac- quaintance, begun here, ripened into great inti- macy in after-life, for I never gambled, borrowed, BIVOUAC OF ALBUERA. 291 or lent him money ! Lively, brave, and warm- hearted, he was, alas ! reckless, thoughtless, and extravagant ; would lend or give you, while he had it, all he had; but could afford to owe you, even to the Greek Kalends, any amount of cash you lent him. I fear it might be said of him that he never paid a debt, except that to nature. His reckless gallantry lost him his life in India, where he fell, much lamented. Peace be to his manes ! I loved him well, in spite of his faults, for he had many good and even great qualities. His name matters not ; it was well known and distinguished in our military annals of the preceding century ; his friends will recognize it but too well in reading this tribute to his memory. In our ilex and cork- wood bivouac, en attendant the expected advance of Soult, our men hutted themselves. From those excellent troops, the Ha- noverian Legion belonging to the Division, our men learned much in this as well as many other useful arts. The Germans displayed great inge- nuity in rural architecture, forming commodious turf-and-leafy dwellings half underground, small sunken snuggeries, very cleverly contrived, and adapted to the nature of their necessities. Serv- ing as a defence against the heats of day, the dews of night, and the rains of spring and autumn, they were rendered more or less substantial or effective, according to circumstances and the probable time of their occupation. Light and simply defensive 292 THE IDLE CLUB. against the elements for a night's lodging, they became more beaver-like when a longer residence was promised. The English generally improve on the invention of others, and, in following so good an example, we even constructed stables and sheds for our horses and beasts of burden. It was always considered one of the greatest camp conveniences, and highly diplomatic, to be well with the quarter-master of the regiment, or on intimate terms with the butcher of the bri- gade. They were the chiefs, the masters of the ceremonies, and distributors of the delicacies of provender (such as oxtails and lumps of suet from the well-marched and hastily-killed cattle) to the numerous hungry applicants. These, on being paid for, might, as a favour, be added to the ra- tions of the officers ; "but what was this amongst so many?" Our good old quarter-master H was a character, a perfect specimen of this class. He had risen by his merit ; and, by weight, rotun- dity, and respectability, he maintained the dignity of his position. Possessed of great matter-of-fact good sense, he was an honest, bright-faced, down- right old soldier. He always had the best fire in all our bivouacs, and had become the oracle of all the ensigns. The " idle club" of the camp would frequently assemble around his merry bonfire, to hear or communicate the current news or reports of the day, yclept in Peninsular language "shaves." Those handicraftsmen of our corps, the pioneers, OUR QUARTERMASTER. 293 were his attendants ; and, under his orders, they were the cutters of wood, the shoers of horses, and dispensers of liquor, when such was received for distribution from the commissaries. The well- known sound of Knock, the cooper, singing out in his shrill, squeaky voice, "Cucks (cooks) for wine*!" may still tingle in the ears and rest in the memories of those who heard them in " auld lang syne ;" and the joyous buzz and commotion created amongst our men by so welcome an an- nouncement, may still be remembered. In Soult's hasty retreat from Oporto in May, 1809, our brigade came suddenly on the enemy's rear-guard near Salamonde, and turned their re- treat into a flight, taking from them baggage and all kinds of material. Two very powerful nags, one black and the other white, such as drag dili- gences in France, fell to the lot of that " tun of man," old H , the quarter-master. He con- trived always to keep these cattle out of compli- ment to himself, I suppose in an unusual state of rotund condition. Unwieldy as he appeared, he was a perfect picture on horseback, for the combi- nation was complete of the " Elephant and Castle," a goodly sign warmly greeted wherever met with. On the march he always headed the baggage of the brigade, and far, far off in the winding distance * The pioneers' duty, under the superintendence of the quarter- < ant, was to distribute the liquor amongst the cooks of the different messes of the men. 294 THE PIC-NIC. might be seen his portly figure, on the milk-white steed, as unlike as possible to (C Death on the pale horse ! M The distributions of camp delicacies from the above cavalier, or from Jones, the butcher, added in no small degree to eke out the rations of the separate messes and pic-nics of the ofiicers. Sel- dom more than two of us messed together, chiefly those belonging to the same company or the one next in line to it. We found from experience that, however well masters might agree, it was difficult to get servants to do so, for which reason I pre- ferred the pic-nic plan, instead of having a mess in common. Two or three would thus club their provender and dine together, each bringing his plates, knives, forks, and drinking cups. I well remember my friend B joined us frequently in this way. He always brought his couvert, as the French call it, but deuce the thing else in the shape of comestible or beverage. When rallied on the absence of these most essential contributions to a pic-nic, and accused of providing nothing, he would reply that we cruelly maligned him, for he always brought his knife, fork, and an excellent appetite. At this bivouac near Albuera, and on the 6th of April, towards evening, a reinforcement of detach- ments from England reached our brigade, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel B , af- terwards D. A., Adjutant- General to our division. THE GUNS OF BADAJOS. 295 The rest of the draft was composed of four hun- dred men, together with two young ensigns, H and R , belonging to our regiment. The first of these made a right good soldier, and was severely wounded later at Salamanca. He now sits in the House of Commons, and is an Irish peer. With this detachment I received an English spaniel, six shirts, and a groom-boy. We made our recruits as welcome and comfortable as we could, by offer- ing such hospitality as the field afforded, and did our best to make them forget the luxuries of beef, porter, iced champagne, and sugar-plums. Their round fresh English faces bore strong contrast to the copper-coloured, weather-beaten visages of our old hands. Recent news from dear England, brought by these blooming fellows, was very ac- ceptable, and was received at all times with plea- sure, whether coming in verbal, printed, or written shape. After sunset, and the convivial hour of the evening meal had passed, most of us in time and due course retired to our tents and to rest. The night was dry, though mild and cloudy; everything w T as still save the customary croaking of frogs, or the low murmur of conversation at some bivouac fire; all but the sentries and camp guards had sunk to sleep; the occasional sound of a distant gun alone broke the silence ; when at once, and as if from a volcano, explosions, like thunder, rent the air of night, and bounded along the surface of the earth. Salvo after salvo in con- 296. THE STORMING OF BADAJOS. tinued succession reached the ear of the sleeping soldier, and roused him in his bivouac lair to the consciousness of the living struggle carried on by his not far distant comrades Lord Wellington was storming Badajos. THE END. JOHN BDWABD TATLOB, PRTNTEB, LITTLE QUEEN STBEET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS. RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMEN TO^^ Main Library * 198 Main Stack LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE NRI t NRLF ALLED AFTER 7 DAYS. 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