Narratives of some Passages in the Great War with France, from 1799 to 1810

Preface

. This Volume is composed of two Narratives of transactions with which I had personal acquaintance, and of the outlines of our Military History in Europe during the years which connect the periods of the narratives. The Campaign of the British and Russian armies in North Holland in the autumn of 1799 forms the subject of the first personal Narrative. It is no more than a slight sketch of a great, but unfortunate, undertaking. I was then a very young man ; but as one of the aides-de-camp of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief, I enjoyed opportunities of seeing and hearing much that was unknown to the officers in general of my own age. There is no good account of this campaign, which was projected on a great scale, and from which great results had been anticipated.

PREFACE.

. In the absence of better and more ample informa tion as to the disastrous expedition of 1799, the present account is submitted to the public. The second Narrative relates to the military and diplomatic measures pursued by England on the shores of the Mediterranean from the spring of 1805 to the close of 1810. Of these transac tions I can venture to speak with more authority, because 1 was then at the head of the Quarter master-General's Department, and enjoyed the confidence of successive Commanders of the army. It is with regret that I have felt myself obliged to speak severely, and to condemn some passages in the conduct of two or three brave men, whose reputation has been cherished by their country men ; but I could not tell my tale truly, nor could I show the causes of our failures, without unveiling the weaknesses of these individuals.

The two Narratives were written many years ago ; and a few copies of each were privately printed in 1849 and 1851. The connecting out lines of our military operations have been written more recently ; and I feel it incumbent on me to express my regret that I have not been able to give a more satisfactory account of the Egyptian campaign in 1 801. Brilliant and important as that

PREFACE.

. V brief service was, there are scarcely any docu ments of importance to be found which come from high authority. The first Commander, Sir Ralph Abercromby, was mortally wounded only thirteen days after the landing of his army ; and all the correspondence and papers of Lord Hutch inson, who succeeded to the command, are sup posed to have been lost at sea on their way to England. I had gathered some facts from con versations with military friends in past days, and particularly with Sir John Moore ; and for matters of detail I have had recourse to the two pon derous quartos published in 1802 by Sir Robert Wilson and Major Walsh. For the account which this Volume contains of the Court of Naples and Palermo I offer no apology. That Court was too bad to be repre sented worse ; but there was in it some con sciousness of its want of faith towards the King dom which was protecting by its forces those degraded Sovereigns, and lavishing on them vast sums of money, which were shamefully misapplied.

One instance of the anxiety of the Court that the whole truth should not reach the ears of the British Ministers may be here mentioned. I came to England on my private affairs in VI

PREFACE.

. the autumn of 1809. Just as the packet was sailing from Messina, a messenger from Palermo was put on board. Shortly after my arrival in London, I was surprised by a visit from the Prince Castelcicala, the Sicilian Ambassador, who had received instructions to tender for my accept ance the Order of Saint Ferdinand, or Saint something. The offer was declined with the courtesy which was due to the character of Castel cicala; but with unaltered sentiments as to his Sovereigns and the Court of Palermo. It happened that a few weeks afterwards I was ap pointed Under-Secretary of State for the War Department ; and I continued to hold that Office till it was abolished in 1816. HENRY EDWARD BUNBURY. Barton Hall, June, 1854.