A Narrative of the Campaigns of the British Army at Washington and New Orleans, under Generals Ross, Pakenham and Lambert, in the years 1814 and 1815 ... By an officer who served in the expedition

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A NARRATIVE OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF THE BRITISH ARMY AT WASHINGTON AND NEW ORLEANS, UNDER GENERALS ROSS, PAKENHAM, AND LAMBERT, IN THE YEARS 1814 AND 1815; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE COUNTRIES VISITED. By AN OFFICER, WHO SERVED IN THE EXPEDITION. SUPE11ANDA OMNIS FOHTUNA FEIIENDO EST. Vil'g. LONDON . JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. 1821. London: Printed by C RoworLli, Bell-yard, Temple-bai.

ADVERTISEMENT.

. The folloAving Letters Avere not the produce of mere recollection, but Avere formed from the substance of a journal kept, Avith considerable care, during the progress of the events which they record. Some of these AA*ere, indeed, too striking to have been easily forgotten, as to their general character ; but for the detail of minute circumstances, Avhich, it is hoped, Avill be found to possess some degree of interest, memory alone Avould not have been a secure or sufficient guide. The introductory and final forms of epistolary Avriting have been purposely omitted ; but for all the particulars, hoAvever extraordinary, the Author is thus enabled fairly to pledge his credit. The Letters will, perhaps, obtain the more attention, as conveying the first detailed account of this concluding ex pedition of the Avar. A NARRATIVE, 8$c. S)C SeX.

Letter I

H. M. Ship May 31st, 1814. Here avc are, at anchor in the Garonne, and Avaiting for a favourable breeze to prosecute our voyage. That America is our destination Ave all knoAV ; but Avhether Ave are to proceed to Canada, or against some part of the United States, none but those at the head of affairs can tell. The secret, hoAveA^er, is one Avhich cannot long be kept, because a feAV Aveeks will bring us so far on our Avay, as to enable every man to judge for himself. I shall not, therefore, Aveary your patience by idly guessing at Avhat must so soon be a certainty, but shall rather endeavour, in the mean time, to amuse you Avith an account of our motions since the peace, particularly of our march through the southern parts of Gascony to our present floating quarters. B THE GARONNE. As soon as the Avhite flag had been displayed from the citadel of Bayonne, the customary salutes fired by the garrison and the besieging army, and matters so far arranged as to permit a relaxation of the blockade, the thoughts of all Avere naturally employed in speculations as to their future destiny.

This employment, you will perceive, Avas the necessary consequence of the Avant of better. We saAV, that Avhere Ave Avere, at least, there Avas no longer any occasion for us, and many began to an ticipate Avith dismay, the prospect of immediate reduction. There Avas, hoAvever, one chance left, and that depended upon the continuance of the Avar Avith America. England, it was argued, is noAV at peace with all the Avorld, except this her most implacable enemy, against Avhom she has thejust est cause of irritation; nor is it at all probable that she will let slip an opportunity so favourable of se verely chastising her, for her perfidy and ingratitude. It Avas the general opinion, therefore, that a large proportion of the Peninsular army would be trans ported to the other side of the Atlantic, that the war Avould there be carried on Avith vigour, and that no terms of accommodation Avould be listened to, except such as a British general should dictate in the Republican Senate House.

It has been often remarked, and not Avith greater frequency than justice, that men are extremely ready to believe Avhat they Avish to be true. A plan of operations, THE GARONNE. 3 therefore, so completely in consonance with the desire of those who trembled at the prospect of half-pay, Avas pronounced, first the most proper, and then the most likely thing in the Avorld to be followed up ; and the sole subject of inquiry soon Avas, which regiments might expect to be allotted for this service, and Avhich Avould return home. For my oavii part, I from the first laid my account with being sent out, because the corps to which 1 belong had not suffered so much as many others in the Avar Avhich Avas just closed. Nor, in the end, did 1 find myself deceived. There Avas a time, indeed, in Avhich I began to Avaver, and though my doubts did not continue long in existence, it is nevertheless proper that I should say Avhere they originated.

You are perhaps aAvare that on the conclusion of an armistice betAveen the French and British armies, one of the conditions Avas, that the garrison of Bayonne should be permitted to forage to the extent of seven leagues from the toAvn. This of course occasioned a scarcity of food for the horses, and it Avas deemed necessary, in consequence of that scarcity, to move part of the British force a day's march tOAvards the rear. Noav it had so happened that, among the rest of our conclusions, Ave had agreed that the troops destined for America Avould embark at Bourdeaux, those destined for England at Passage. Finding ourselves, therefore, proceeding b MARCH TOWARDS BOURDEAUX. in the direction of the latter place, and not being aAvare of the cause of this movement, we began to suspect that Ave had been premature in numbering ourselves among those portioned off for the trans-atlantic Avar.

Our hopes, hoAvever, or fears, or perhaps, more properly speaking, a mixture of the two, did not last long, for Ave proceeded no further than a distance of fifteen miles before Ave halted ; nor had Ave continued in that position many days, Avhen an order arrived for us to retrace our steps, and to make the best of our way tOAvards Bourdeaux. I need not observe that the promulgation of this order Avas a full confirmation of our first opinion; and that Ave, Avho had began to dream of the society of fathers, sisters, Avives, and friends, now looked fonvard Avith equal, if not greater satisfac tion, to a renewal of the hardships and enjoyments of active warfare. It Avas on the evening of the fourteenth that the route Avas received, and on the folloAving morning, at day break, we commenced our inarch.

The country through Avhich Ave moved, had nothing in itself, unconnected with past events, calculated in any extraordinary degree to attract attention. Behind us, indeed, rose the Pyrenees in all their grandeur, forming, on that side, a noble boundary to the prospect; and on our left Avas the sea, a boundary different it is true in kind, but certainly not less grand and sublime. Excepting these two extremities, hoAvever, there Avas nothing in the landscape on which the eye loved particularly to rest, because the country, though pretty enough, has none of that exquisite richness and luxuriance Avhich I had been led to expect, as characteristic of the South of France. The houses, too, being all in a ruinous and dilapidated condition, reminded one more forcibly of the scenes of violence and outrage which had been lately acted among them, than of those ideas of rural contentment and innocence, Avhich various tales and melo-dramas had taught us to associate, in our OAvn minds, Avith the land of the vine.

Regarded, hoAvever, in connection Avith past events, the scene Avas indeed most interesting; though to a stranger fresh from England, a man, we Avill suppose, of retired and peaceful habits, I can readily imagine that it Avould have been pro ductive of much pain; and that it Avould have draAvn from him many ejaculations against the barbarities of Avar, and the cruelty of men toAvards one another. On each side of the road, in Avhat ever direction Ave cast our eyes, and as far as our eyes could reach, Ave beheld cottages unroofed and in ruins, chateaux stripped of their doors and win dows, gardens laid Avaste, the Avails demolished, and the fruit trees cut doAvn ; Avhole plantations levelled, and vineyards trodden under foot. Here and there likeAvise, a redoubt or breast-AVork preb sensed itself; Avhile caps, broken firelocks, pieces of clothing and accoutrements scattered about in profusion, marked the spots Avhere the strife had been most determined, and Avhere many a fine fel- Ioav had met his fate.

Our journey lay, in short, over a field of battle, so that the houses were not only thoroughly gutted, (to use a vulgar but most expressive phrase,) but for the most part were rid dled Avith cannon shot. Round some of the largest, indeed, there Avas not a Avail nor a tree, Avhich did not present evident proofs of its having been con verted into a temporary place of defence, while the deep ruts, in Avhat had once been laAvns and floAver-gardens, shoAved, that even their beauty did not protect them from being destroyed by the rude passage of heavy artillery. Immediately beyond the A7illage of Bedart, such spectacles were particularly frequent. It Avas here, you will recollect, that in the month of December last there was fighting for four days together ; and 1 do assure you, that the number of little hil locks Avithin our vieAV, from under mostofAvhich legs and arms were peeping up, as Avell as the other objects which I have attempted to describe, sufficiently attested the obstinacy Avith Avhich the fighting had been maintained.

I repeat, that in the bosom of a man of peace, it is very conceivable that all this would have excited feelings exceedingly painful; in ours, however, such feelings Avere overborne by others much more powerful. If Ave gazed Avith peculiar interest upon one hovel more than another, it Avas because some of us had there maintained ourseU*es; if Ave endeavoured to count the number of shotholes in any Avail, or the breaks in any hedge, it Avas because Ave had stood behind them, Avhen " the iron hail " fell thick and fast around us. Our thoughts, in short, had more of exultation in them than sorroAV ; for though noAV and then, Avhen the name of a fallen comrade Avas mentioned, it Avas accompanied Avith a "poor fellow!" the conversation soon returned again to the exploits and hair breadth escapes of the survivors.

On the Avhole, therefore, our march Avas one of deep interest and high excitement, feelings Avhich did not entirely evaporate Avhen Ave halted, about tAvo hours after noon, at the village of Angles. As I am well aAvare, from experience, that persons Avho live quietly at home, can form no correct notions of the state of a country which is, or has lately been, the seat of Avar, I am inclined to flatter myself that you Avill pardon the tediousness of the above detail; and 1 am likewise Avilling to persuade myself, that a little further continuance of such matters, will not be unacceptable. The environs of a beleaguered toAvn, in particular, are very difficult to be conceived without having been seen. It is true that every one understands, or believes b that he understands, Avhat is meant by trenches, lines of circumvallation, and so forth, but these, after all, are no more than general terms, incapable of affording real information to any except a military reader.

In attempting, therefore, to give you some idea of the aspect of things, in the immediate neighbourhood of Bayonne, I shall not pretend to draw apian, in Avords, of the city itself, Avith its defences and out-AVorks ; nor yet of the several posts occupied by the different divisions of the be sieging army. For all this I refer you to the public prints, Avhere you will find it much better told, than, Avith my opportunities of observation, I could possibly tell it. I Avould rather describe to you the condition of a single hamlet, minutely and par ticularly ; because it is exactly in such minute particulars that you must be least informed. For this purpose, I will take the village of Anglet, the place where Ave this day pitched our tents, and Avhich, during the continuance of hostilities, Avas a post of vital importance.

It is distant about a mile and a half, or two miles from the ad vanced Avorks of Bayonne, and stands upon the high road from Madrid to Paris, Avhich runs through the middle of that city. Along this road all the supplies for the left of our army were brought up, consequently a sally made in this direction, and Avith success, might have been productive, to us, of much mischief. To guard against such an occurrence, due care Avas bestoAved upon fortifying and strengthening the post. About one hundred yards in front of the village, felled trees Avere throAvn across the road Avith their branches tOAvards the tOAvn, forming Avhat we call an abattis. Forty or fifty yards in rear of this, a ditch was dug, and a breast-work, thrown up, behind Avhich a party might securely stand and do great execution Avith their fire, upon any body of men struggling to force their Avay through the thick branches.

On each side of the road, again, Avhere the ground gradually rises into little eminences, Avere erected redoubts and batteries, from Avhich a hea\-y flanking fire might be kept up; Avhilst eA*ery house in the village itself, Avhich, by the Avay, are built in a straggling manner, and at considerable distances from one another, Avas loop-holed, and converted into a temporary fortress ; the church, in particular, being on higher ground than the other buildings, Avas completely metamorphosed, from a mansion of peace, into a little citadel. Strong palings, called in military phraseology, stockades, Avere driven into the ground round the church-yard, from openings in Avhich some pieces of light artillery showed themselves. The Avails of the edifice itself Avere strengthened by an embankment of earth to the height of four or five feet, above Avhich narrow openings Avere made, in order to give its defenders an opportunity of levelling their muskets ; Avhilst Avithin, the pulpit Avas filled Avith barrels of gunpoAvder, and the space enclosed by the rails of the altar, used as a magazine for shot and shells.

I have been thus minute in my description of Anglet, because Avhat I have said of it will apply equally Avell to every village, hamlet, or cluster of houses within the compass of what are called the lines. On this side, you will perceive, there Avas no intention of making a breach, or of storming the place ; nor, indeed, would it have been advisable to attempt it, excepting in one point, and that on the opposite side of the town. The sole object of these preparations, therefore, was to keep the enemy Avithin their Avorks, and to cut them off from all communication Avith the surrounding country. But Avhere troops are every moment in danger of being attacked, as must be the case with all besieg ing armies, the slightest cover and the most trifling defence is of importance. You may, therefore, figure to yourself Avhat appearance a country must present, which, to the extent of fifteen or tAventy miles round, is thus treated ; Avhere every cottage is fortified, the most valuable timber cut doAvn to form abattis, every eminence crowned with more regular Avorks, and every place swarming Avith armed men.

Such Avas its aspect during the day, Avhilst at night it exhibited a spectacle not less striking. Then, in Avhatever direction you might MARCH TOWARDS BOURDEAUX. turn your eyes, they Avould be sure to rest upon parts of a huge circle of fires ; and if you chanced to be standing behind one of them, you might wit ness chairs, tables, bedsteads, or any other pieces of household furniture Avhich lay nearest at hand, throAvn on, with all the indifference in the Avorld, to increase the blaze. The condition of the inhabitants of this district, Avas, as you may suppose, exceedingly Avretched. Most of them, indeed, had fled on the advance of the British, and left their houses and effects to the conquerors ; some, however, remained, and though they Avere certainly treated Avith all the humanity possible, under such circumstances, itmustbe con fessed that their sufferings Avere great.

In the first place they were necessarily depriA7ed of all the comforts of home ; their houses Avere filled Avith soldiers, and if one little apartment Avere assigned to the Avhole family, they might consider them selves as extremely fortunate. In the next place they Avere compelled to Avitness the destruction of their property, and to bear Avith patience many insults from the common soldiers. I need not say that no British officer Avas ever guilty of insulting them, and that, Avhenever a complaint Avas made of one of the privates, the matter Avas fully examined into, and if the story was found to be correct, the soldier Avas instantly punished. But 1 belieAe that they put up with many injuries rather than complain, through a dread of the consequences which might result, from the anger and revenge of the man Avhom they should bring to punishment.

Besides these tAvo inconveniences, they must have lived in a constant state of terror and alarm. In case of a successful sortie from the toAvn, they kneAV that they Avould be put to death by their oavii countrymen, for remaining in their houses to receive the English; Avhilst upon their present protectors they could not rest implicit confidence, seeing that they Avere bound to them by no ties of alliance or kindred. They could never, then, be free from apprehension, of some sort or other, nor is it easy to imagine any feeling more distressing than that of continual dread. It is true that no article of food Avas taken from them, Avithout their receiving in lieu of it considerably more than its full value; and it is likewise true that Avhen they became better acquainted Avith the intruders, they Avere frequently invited to partake of the soldier's messes; but these Avere trifling advantages, and by no means sufficient to compensate for the mischiefs by which theyAvere accompanied. 1 am not one of those Avho love to evince their sensibility by mourning over unavoidable evils; neither, indeed, Avould it be consistent Avith my present views and profession so to do ; but in truth I cannot help observing, that Avar, Avhen stripped of its parade and excitement, and softened down by all the alleviating circumstances of which it is capable, is a fearful thing.

One experiences no regret at seeing the most splendid mansion consumed to ashes, provided it be set on fire by our OAvn shells, and to dislodge the enemy ; one has no reluctance in treading doAvn corn-fields, destroying orchards, and ruining in one day the labour of months, as long as the hurry and madness of a battle continue. But Avhen this has died aAvay, and the calmness of repose returns, he Avho can look Avith indifference upon the ravages Avhich he has himself contributed to produce, must be either more or less than man. I beg, however, that you. will not take fright, or imagine that 1 am going into a strain of prosing. Nature has not gifted me Avith any great turn that Avay, and if she had, I at present Avant the inclination to exercise it. One only remark, however, I beg leave to make, a remark Avhich has been often made by much Avisermen, that old England, if she Avere but properly aAvare of it, has more cause of sincere thankfulness than any nation in Europe.

It is true that our countrymen have suffered, and are still suffering in their purses ; and it is unquestionable, that to part Avith our money, and to deny ourselves luxuries to Avhich Ave have allourliA^es been accustomed, are, in themselves, no slight grievances. But if they who complain so bitterly of taxation, could but experience for a short time the real MARCH TOWARDS BOURDEAUX. misery of having a Avar brought home to their own doors, I am mistaken if they Avould not desire to buy it aAvay again, at double the price of the present burthens. Depend upon it, that all your grumblers are men devoid either of reflexion or prin ciple ; in Avhich of the tAvo they are deficient, I leave you to judge. But I find that, in spite of my promise to the contrary, I am actually getting into a moralizing strain as fast as I can.

To prevent its continuance I shall here break off, promising to reneAV my jour nal, Avith more facts and feAver observations, in my next letter. BAYONNE. 15

Letter II

June 31st, 1814. As soon as the bustle of encamping was over, and my time absolutely at my own disposal, I took advantage of an offered passport, and proceeded into Bayonne. You will readily believe that I entered this city with feelings very different from those of a common traveller. Having lain before it as a besieger for upwards of two months, its shops, its trade, its public buildings and places of amusement were to me objects of, comparatively speaking, little interest or curiosity. Its fortifications and means of defence were, in truth, what I was principally anxious to examine. Hitherto I could judge of them only from outward appearances and vague reports ; and now that an opportunity was offered of so doing with greater accuracy, I confess that my inclination prompted me to embrace that opportunity, rather than to hunt for pictures which I could not value, or fatigue my imagination by endeavouring to discover fine specimens of architecture, amid heavy and ill-built churches.

But I have already pledged myself, nor do I mean to withdraw that pledge, to attempt no military description of this important city. To do so with BAYONNE. exactness, and at the same time to render the de scription intelligible, and what is still more difficult, interesting to a man of peace, is a task to Avhich I acknowledge myself incompetent. Yet to pass it by Avith the observation that it Avas as strong as the nature of the ground, and the labour of man could make it, is not, I am inclined to believe, what you Avould desire. I shall therefore endeavour to steer a middle course, by giving you something like a general idea of the Avhole, avoid ing, at the same time, as much as possible, all technical terms, and prolix details. The city of Bayonne stands, as every body knoAVS, upon the Adour, about six or eight miles from the point where that river falls into the sea.

On the southern or Spanish bank, Avhere the Avhole of the city, properly so called, is built, the country, to the distance of two or three miles from the Avails, is perfectly flat, and the soil sandy, and apparently not very productive. On the opposite bank the ground rises rather abruptly from the brink of the stream, sloping upAvards likeAvise fromthesea, till youarrive at the pinnacle upon which the citadel is erected, and Avhich hangs immediately over the toAvn. Thus, though the Adour in fact separates the city from the suburbs and citadel, yet as the ramparts of the former extend to the water's edge on both sides, and as those of the latter continue the SAveep from points immediately opposite, the general appear- BAA'ONNE. 17 ance presented is, that of one considerable town, with a broad river flowing through the middle of it.

You Avill perceive, even from this short and im perfect sketch, that its very situation gives to Bayonne a superiority over most cities ; inasmuch as it affords peculiar facilities towards rendering it a place of great strength. On one side there is a plain, always accounted by engineers the most convenient for the construction of fortifications ; on the other an eminence, lofty enough to com mand the surrounding country, and at the same time sufficiently level at the summit to receive the Avails of a fortress, powerful at once from its posi tion and regularity. But the great strength of Bayonne is owing, not more to its original defences than to the numerous out-Avorks Avhich have lately been added to it. It Avas along the course of the Adour, you will remember, or rather between the Adour and the Nieve, that Soult formed his famous intrenched camp.

The right of this chain of stu pendous Avorks rested upon the city, the importance ofAvhicliAvas consequently much increased; and as the capture of it Avould have occasioned, not only the loss of a tOAvn, but the turning of the Avhole position, no pains Avere spared in rendering it as nearly impregnable as possible. To give you some notion of the nature of these Avorks, 1 will describe the aspect Avhich they presented to myself, as I rode from Anglet tOAvards the city. When c BAYONNE. I had proceeded about a mile and a half beyond our advanced posts, I found myself in front of the first line of defence. This consisted of a battery mounting three eighteen pounders, upon the road, flanked by others on each side ; so placed as that whichsoever of them should be attacked, it Avould be defended by a cross fire from all the rest.

These Avere, of course, additionally strengthened by ditches, and felled trees; but they were open in the rear; and though very formidable to an assail ing party, yet, when taken, could have been of small service to the conquerors, being themselves exposed to the fire of the second line. The situation of this second line again, Avas similar in every respect to that of the first, being like it, open in the rear, and placed under the guns of the toAvn. Thus after having forced tAvo poAverful lines of defence, the besiegers Avould find themselves almost as far as ever from the attainment of their object, being then only arrived at the point, Avhere the labours of a siege could commence. But the maintenance of Bayonne altogether de pends upon keeping possession of the citadel. As the city lies upon a plain, and that fort stands upon an eminence immediately above it, it is clear that were this taken, Bayonne must either surrender, or be speedily reduced to ruins.

It is true that, by destroying the bridge which connects them, all communication betAveen the two places Avould be BAYONNE. 19 cut off; but the distance from the one to the other being not more than half-musket shot, and the guns of the fort pointing directly doAvn upon the streets and houses of the city, any attempt to hold out could cause only the destruction of the toAvn, and the unavenged slaughter of its garrison. Of the truth of this the French were, of course, as much aAvare as their enemies, nor did they neglect any means Avhich an accurate knowledge of engineer ing could point out, for the defence of Avhat they justly considered as the key of the entire position. In addition to its own very regular and well con structed fortifications, tAvo strong redoubts were throAvn up, on tAvo sides of the fort, upon the only spots of ground calculated for the purpose; both of Avhich, I Avas informed by my guide, Avere under mined and loaded Avith gunpowder, ready to be sprung as soon as they should fall into our hands.

They had judged, and judged correctly, that if ever the place should be invested, it Avould be here that the trenches Avould be opened, and the breaching batteries erected ; and they consequently made every preparation to meet the danger, Avhich great prudence and military skill could suggest. Bayonne, though a populous place, does not cover so much ground as one Avould be led to sup pose. Like most Availed towns, its streets, Avith the exception of one or two, are in general narrow, c BAYONNE. and the houses lofty ; but it is compact, and, on the Avhole, clean and neatly built. The number of in habitants, I should be inclined to estimate at somewhere about thirty thousand, exclusiA'e of the garrison, Avhich at this time amounted to fourteen or fifteen thousand men ; but as most of the fami lies appear to live in the style of those in the old town of Edinburgh, that is to say, several under the same roof, though each in a separate story, or flat, it is not difficult toconce'iA*e how they contrive to find sufficient room, Avithin a compass apparently so narrow.

Of its commerce and manufactures I can say little, except that I should not imagine either to be extensive. I am led to form this opinion, partly from having seen no shipping at the Avharfs, and partly because the Adour, though here both wide and deep, is rendered unnavigable to vessels of any size, by a shalloAV, or bar at its mouth. There was indeed, a sloop of Avar close to the toAvn, but hoAV it got there I am at a loss to conceive, unless it Avere built upon the river, and constantly kept there, as an additional protection againsta sur prise from the water. The shops are, however, good, particularly those where jeAvellery is sold ; an arti cle in the setting and adorning of which the French, if they do not exceed us in really substantial value, undoubtedly surpass us in elegance. When I had taken as complete a survey of the town as I felt disposed to take, I crossed the bridge ST. ETIENNE. 21 Avith the intention of inspecting the interior of the citadel.

Here, however, I Avas disappointed, no strangers being admitted within its gates ; but as there Avas no objection made to my reconnoitering it from Avithout, I proceeded toAvards the point where our trenches had been dug, and Avhere it had been designed to breach and storm the place. To this 1 Avas urged by two motives, partly from the desire of obtaining the best vieAV possible of the fort, and partly that 1 might examine the ground upon which the desperate affair of the 14th of April took place. You will recollect, that some hours before day-light in the morning of that day, a vigorous and Avell arranged sortie Avas made by the garrison, and that it Avas not Avithout hard fighting and a seA'ere loss on both sides, that they were finally repulsed. [Mounting the heights, therefore, I soon arrived at St. Etienne, a little village nearly on a level Avith the citadel, and not more than half a mile from its walls.