A Narrative of the Campaigns of the British Army ... under Generals Ross, Pakenham, and Lambert ... By the author of 'The Subaltern' [i.e. G. Gleig] . Second edition

Front matter

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 THE AUTHOR OF "THE SUBALTERN." SECOND EDITION. SUPF.RANDA OMN1S FORTUNA FF.RENDO EST.— /.rg. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. MDCCCXXVI. LONDON : PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLEY, DORSET STREET.

ADVERTISEMENT.

. The folloAving Letters were not the produce of mere recollection, but were formed from the substance of a journal kept, with consi derable care, during the progress of the events which they record. Some of these were, indeed, too striking to have been easily forgotten, as to their general character ; but for the detail of minute circumstances, which, it is hoped, will be found to possess some degree of interest, memory alone would not have been a secure or sufficient guide. The introductory and final forms of epistolary writing have been purposely omitted ; but for all the particulars, however extraordi nary, 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 war. A NARRATIVE §c. 8sc. 8$c.

Letter I

H. M. Ship May 31st, 1814. Here we are, at anchor in the Garonne, and waiting for a favourable breeze to prosecute our voyage. That America is our destination we all knoAV ; but whether we 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, however, is one which cannot long be kept, because a few weeks will bring us so far on our Avay, as to enable every man to judge for himself. I shall not, therefore, weary your patience by idly guessing at what must so soon be a certainty, but shall rather endeavour, in the mean time, to amuse you with 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 white 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 were naturally employed in speculations as to their future destiny.

This employment, you wdl perceive, was the necessary consequence of the want of better. We saw, that where we were, at least, there was no longer any occasion for us, and many began to an ticipate with dismay, the prospect of immediate reduction. There was, however, one chance left, and that depended upon the continuance of the Avar with America. England, it was argued, is now at peace with all the world, except this her most implacable enemy, against whom she has the just est cause of irritation ; nor is it at all probable that she Avill let slip an opportunity so favourable of se verely chastising her, for her perfidy and ingratitude. It was 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 with vigour, and that no terms of accommodation would be listened to, except such as a British general should dictate in the Republican Senate House.

It has been often remarked, and not with greater frequency than justice, that men are extremely ready to believe what they wish 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, was pronounced, first the most proper, and then the most likely thing in the world to be followed up ; and the sole subject of inquiry soon was, which regiments might expect to be allotted for this service, and which would return home. For my own part, I from the first laid my account with being sent out, because the corps to which I belong had not suffered so much as many others in the war which was just closed. Nor, in the end, did I find myself deceived. There was a time, indeed, in which I began to waver, and though my doubts did not continue long in existence, it is nevertheless proper that I should say where they originated.

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

Our hopes, however, or fears, or perhaps, more properly speaking, a mixture of the two, did not last long, for we proceeded no further than a distance of fifteen miles before we halted ; nor had Ave continued in that position many days, when an order arrived for us to retrace our steps, and to make the best of our Avay towards Bourdeaux. I need not observe that the promulgation of this order was a full confirmation of our first opinion ; and that we, Avho had begun to dream of the society of fathers, sisters, wives, and friends, now looked forward with equal, if not greater satisfac tion, to a renewal of the hardships and enjoyments of active warfare. It was on the evening of the fourteenth that the route was received, and on the following morning, at day break, we commenced our march. The country through which we 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 was the sea, a boundary different it is true in kind, but certainly nut less grand and sublime. Excepting these two extremities, however, 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, which various tales and melo-dramas had taught us to associate, in our OAvn minds, with the land of the vine.

Regarded, hoAvever, in ' connexion with past events, the scene was indeed most interesting ; though to a stranger fresh from England, a man, we will suppose, of retired and peaceful habits, I can readily imagine that it would have been pro ductive of much pain ; and that it would have drawn from him many ejaculations against the barbarities of war, and the cruelty of men towards one another. On each side of the road, in what ever direction we cast our eyes, and as far as our eyes could reach, we beheld cottages unroofed and in ruins, chateaux stripped of their doors and windows, gardens laid waste, the walls demolished, and the fruit-trees cut down ; whole plantations levelled, and vineyards trodden under foot. Here and there likewise, a redoubt or breast-work pre- B sented itself; while caps, broken firelocks, pieces of clothing and accoutrements scattered about in profusion, marked the spots where the strife had been most determined, and where 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 thoroughlygutted, (to use a vulgar but most expressive phrase,) but for the most part were rid dled with cannon-shot. Round some of the largest, indeed, there" was not a wall nor a tree which did not present evident proofs of its having been con verted into a temporary place of defence, while the deep ruts, in what had once been lawns and flower-gardens, showed," that even their beauty did not protect them from being destroyed by the rude passage of heavy artillery. Immediately beyond the village of Bedart, such spectacles were particularly frequent. It was here, you will recollect, that in the month of December last there was fighting for four days together; and I do assure you, that the number of bttle hfl locks Avithin our view, from under most of which legs and arms were peeping up, as well as the other objects Avhich I have attempted to describe, sufficiently attested the obstinacy with which 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 feebngs exceedingly painful ; in ours, however, such feelings Avere overborne by others much more powerful. If we gazed with pecubar in terest upon one hovel more than another, it was because some of us had there maintained ourselves ; if we endeavoured to count the number of shot holes in any wall, or the breaks in any hedge, it was because we had stood behind them, when " the iron hail ' fell thick and fast around us. Our thoughts, in short, had more of exultation in them than sorrow; for though now and then, when the name of a fallen comrade was mentioned, it was accompanied with a " Poor fellow !" the conversa tion soon returned again to the exploits and hair breadth escapes of the survivors.

On the whole, therefore, our march was" one of deep interest and high excitement, feelings which did not entirely evaporate when we halted, about two hours after noon, at the village of Anglet. As I am well aware, from experience, that persons who live quietly at home can form no correct notions of the state of a country which is, or has lately been, the seat of war, I am inclined to flatter myself that you will pardon the tediousness of the above detail ; and I am like.vise willing to persuade myself, that a Uttle 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 MARCH TOAVARDS BOURDEAUX. 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 mfli tary 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 a plan, in Avords, of the city itself, with its defences and out-works ; 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, where you will find it much better told, than, with 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 Avill take the village of Anglet, the place where we this day pitched our tents, and which, during the continuance of hostilities, was a post of vital importance.

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

On each side of the road, again, where the ground gradually rises into little eminences, Avere erected redoubts and batteries, from which a heavy flanking fire might be kept up;. whilst eA-ery house in the village itself, Avhich, by the way, are built in a straggling manner, and at considerable distances from one another, was loop-holed, and converted into a temporary fortress ; the church, in parti cular, being on higher ground than the other buildings, was 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 which some pieces of light artillery showed themselves. The walls of the edifice itself Avere strengthened by an embankment of earth to the height of four or five feet, above which narrow openings were made, in order to give its defenders an opportunity of levelling their MARCH TOAV'ARDS BOURDEAUX. muskets ; whilst Avithin, the pulpit was filled with barrels of gunpowder, 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 well to every village, hamlet, or cluster of houses, within the compass of what are called the lines. On this side, you will perceive, there was 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 within their works, and to cut them off from all communication with the surrounding country. But where troops are every moment in danger of being attacked, as must be the case with all besieging armies, the slightest cover and the most trifling defence is of importance. You may, therefore, figure to yourself what appearance a countrymust present, Avhich, to the extent of fifteen or twenty mfles round, is thus treated ; where every cottage is fortified, the most valuable timber cut down to form abattis, every eminence crowned with more regular works, and every place SAvarming Avith armed men.

Such was its aspect during the day, whilst at night it exhibited a spectacle not less striking. Then, in whatever direction you might turn your eyes, they would 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 witness chairs, tables, bedsteads, or any other pieces of household furniture which laynearest at hand, thrown on, with all the indifference in the world, to increase the blaze. The condition of the inhabitants of this district was, as you may suppose, exceedingly wretched. 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 were certainly treated with all the humanity possible, under such circumstances, it must be con fessed that their sufferings were great.

In the first place they were necessarily deprived of all the comforts of home ; their houses were filled with soldiers, and if one little apartment were assigned to the Avhole family, they might consider them seh-es as extremely fortunate. In the next place they were compelled to Avitness the destruction of their property, and to bear with patience many insults from the common soldiers. I need not say that no British officer was ever guilty of insulting them, and that, whenever a complaint was made of one of the privates, the matter was fully examined into, and if the story was found to be correct, the soldier was instantly punished. But I believe 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 whom they should bring to punishment.

Besides these two inconveniences, they must have lived in a constant state of terror and alarm. In case of a successful sortie from the town, they knew that they would be put to death by their own countrymen, for remaining in their houses to receive the English ; whdst upon their present protectors they could not rest implicit confidence, seeing that they were 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 was taken from them, without their receiving in lieu of it considerably more than its full value; and it is hkewise true that Avhen they became better acquainted with the intruders, theyr were frequently invited to partake of the soldier's messes ; but these were trifling advantages, and by no means sufficient to compensate for the mischiefs by which they were accompanied.

I am not one of those avIio love to evince their sensibflity by mourning over unavoidable evils; neither, indeed, would it be consistent with my present views and profession so to do ; but in truth I cannot help observing, that war, when stripped of its parade and excitement, and softened down MARCH TOAVARDS B0URD1AUX. 13 by all the alleviating circumstances of which it is capable, is a fearful thing. One experiences no regret at seeing the most splendid mansion con sumed to ashes, provided it be set on fire by our own shells, and to dislodge the enemy ; one has no reluctance in treading down 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 when this has died away, and the calmness of repose returns, he who can look Avith indifference upon the ravages which 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 I am going into a strain of prosing. Nature has not gifted me Avith any great turn that way, and if she had, I at present Avant the inclination to exercise it. One only remark, however, I beg leave to make, a remark which has been often made by much Aviser men, that old England, if she were but properly aware of it, has more cause of sincere thankfulness than any nation in Europe. It is true that our countrymen have suffered, and are stfll suffering in their purses ; and it is unquestionable, that to part Avith our money, and to deny ourselves luxuries to which we have ab* our lives been accus tomed, are, in themselves, no slight grievances. But if they who complain so bitterly of taxation, could but experience for a short time the real misery of having a war brought home to their own doors, I am mistaken if they would not desire to buy it away 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 ofthe two 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 renew my journal, Avith more facts and fewer observations, in my next letter. BAYONNE.

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 readfly 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 princi pally 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 Avith greater accuracy, I confess that my inclination prompted me to embrace that oppor tunity, rather than to hunt for pictures which I eotdd not value, or fatigue my imagination by en deavouring 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 which I acknowledge myself incompetent. Yet to pass it by Avith the observation that it was 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 would desire. I shall therefore endeavour to steer a middle course, by giving you something like a general idea of the whole, avoid ing, at the same time, as much as possible, all technical terms, and prolix details. The city of Bayonne stands, as every body knows, upon the Adour, about six or eight miles from the point where that river falls into the sea.

On the southern or Spanish bank, where the whole of the city, properly so called, is built, the country, to the distance of two or three miles from the walls, 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 upwards likewise from the sea, till you arrive at the pinnacle upon which the citadel is erected, and which hangs immediately over the town. Thus, though the Adour in fact separates the city from the suburbs and citadel, yet as the ramparts of the former extend to the Avater's edge on both sides, and as those of the latter continue the sweep from points immediately opposite, the general appear- BAA'ONNE. 5 ance presented is, that of one considerable town, with a broad river flowing through the middle of it.

You will 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 the 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-works aa hich have lately been added to it. It was along the course of the Adour, you will remember, or rather betAveen the Adour and the Nieve, that Soult formed his famous intrenched camp.

The right of this chain of stu pendous works rested upon the city, the importance of which was consequently much increased ; and as the capture of it would have occasioned, not only the loss of a town, but the turning of the Avhole position, no pains were spared in rendering it as nearly impregnable as possible. To give you iiome notion of the nature of these works, I will describe the aspect Avhich they presented to myself, as I rode from Angles toAvards the city. When c BAYONNE. I had proceeded about a mde 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 would be defended by a cross fire from all the rest.

These were, of course, additionally strengthened by ditches, and felled trees ; but they were open in the rear ; and though very formidable to an assay ing party, yet, when taken, could have been of small service to the conquerors, being themselves exposed to the fire of the second Une. The situation of this second line again, Avas similar in every respect to that of the first, being bke it, open in the rear, and placed under the guns of the town. Thus after having forced two powerful lines of defence, the besiegers would find themselves almost as far as ever from the attainment of their object, being then only arrived at the point, where 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 speeddy reduced to ruins.

It is true that, by destroying the bridge which connects them, all communication between the two places would be BAYONNE. 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 down upon the streets and houses of the city, any attempt to hold out could cause only the destruction of the town, and the unavenged slaughter of its garrison. Of the truth of this the French were, of course, as much aware as their enemies, nor did they, neglect any means Avhich an accurate knowledge of engineering could point out, for the defence of what they justly considered as the key of the entire position. In addition to its own very regular and Avell constructed fortifications, tAvo strong redoubts were thrown up, on two sides of the fort, upon the only spots of ground calculated for the purpose ; both of which, I Avas informed by my guide, were under mined and loaded with gunpoAvder, ready to be sprung as soon as they should fall into our hands.

They had judged, and judged correctby, that if ever the place should be invested, it would be here that the trenches would be opened, and the breaching batteries erected ; and they consequently made every preparation to meet the danger, which 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 walled towns, its streets, with 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, exclusive of the garrison, which 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 to conceive how theyr contrive to find sufficient room, within 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 wharfs, and partly because the Adour, though here both Avide and deep, is rendered unnaArigable to vessels of any size, by a shallow, or bar at its mouth. There was, indeed, a sloop of war close to the tOAvn, but how it got there I am at a loss to conceive, unless it were built upon the river, and constantly kept there, as an additional protection against a sur prise from the water. The shops are, however, good, particularly those where jewellery is sold ; an article 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* with the intention of inspecting the interior of the citadel.

Here, however, I was disappointed, no strangers being admitted within its gates ; but as there Avas no objection made to my reconnoitering it from Avithout, I proceeded towards the point where our trenches bad been dug, and where it had been designed to breach and storm the place. To this I was urged by two motives, partly from the desire of obtaining the best view possible of the fort, and partly that I might examine the ground upon which the desperate affair of the 14th of April took place. You Avill recollect, that some hours before day-light in the morning of that day/, a vigorous and well arranged sortie was made by the garrison, and that it was not Avithout hard fighting* and a severe 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 with the citadel, and not more than half a mile from its walls.