History of the British Legion and War in Spain, from personal observations and other authentic sources, containing a correct detail of the events of the expedition under General Evans ... With an appendix, containing every Officer's name, rank, and service ... and a portrait of Lt. Gen. Sir G....

Front matter

yy -dew. AAL/ QA. JZi€> 323oa^/ d?/z^y/zj e§.4. y &Tmu6 J£. 4. Gb . HISTORY - Tl.ii BRITISH LEGION, AND WAR IN SPAIN, FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES, CONTAINING A CORRECT DETAIL OF THE EVENTS Or THE EXPE- DITION UNDER GBNEBAL EVANS. ITS MORAL, POLITICAL, A\"D MILITARY CHARACTER, ITS SUCCESSES AND REverses in the engagbments fought, a\d hardships suffered.. wtth numerous anecdotes ok individuals, etc., etc, etc. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING EVERY OFFICER'S NAME, RANK, AND SERVICE, THAT WAS IN THE EXPEDITION, And a Portrait of Lt. Gen. Sir George De Laeg Evans, M. P. G. C. St. F. and K. C. B. BY ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE LONDON: PUBLISHED BY JAMES PATTIE, BRYDGES STREET, CATHERINE STB.EET, STRAND. 1839. LONDON: PRINTED BY J. H. STARIE, Museum Street. DEDICATION. To the Officers and Soldiers of the late British Auxiliary Legion of Spain, Gentlemen and Comrades, However imperfectly I may have executed the self-imposed task of writing an account of our much misrepresented services, I am confident that from all of you I shall receive a larger measure of approbation than of blame.

The faults and the me rits of the work I leave to yourselves and the public to judge of; but allow me with every sentiment of respect to offer it for your perusal and correction, and subscribe myself, as I esteem it a honour to be, Your obedient Servant, THE AUTHOR.

Preface

. The readers of this work will perhaps observe, but if not they must be informed, that it was written and published at intervals extending over ten months, and that consequently the matter is in some respects, incorrectly arranged. The Author commenced with the intention of confining himself to the engagements fought by the Legion in order to prove that these were equal to the battles of other armies in proportion to the numbers engaged; but as he proceeded, he was led to take notice of individuals and circumstances, other than those which he intended writing of at first The rule of narrative being therefore broken through, he has gone on to sketch those oc currences which appeared most worthy of notice, without con fining himself to narrative. To the fastidious, it is necessary to apologize for such irregularities; but to those who read for information, instead of criticism, he makes no apology : the fidelity with which he has filled his sketches, he presumes to think, will be more acceptable than mere correctness of form without fidelity ; and he has only again to observe, that situated as he was, in the manner of publishing, accepting often, and substituting communicated matter, for that which he would have published from his own p3rsonal knowledge, it became impossible to observe order in its arrangement.

Some notices of individuals have appeared, which, had the work to be written again, the author has no hesitation in saying he would omit. His object was not to give offence to in dividuals either by unjustly depreciating one, or unduly ele vating another ; his object was not, even to offend by telling the truth, where that related to personal character, and did not aflect the reputation of the general body ; but as the highest

PREFACE.

. VI military authority of the day— the Duke of Wellington— has said (see his letters recently published,) that " every man is not a hero that wears a uniform," as the Duke declared this of his famous army, only two or three] days after Waterloo, the author was the more willing to do justice to those officers in the Legion, who were heroes by exposing the misconduct of those who were not. He is aware, and regrets that public feeling has such a tendency, that to mention an act of dishonour re lative to the Legion, is to make his reader or listener believe, that the whole were dishonourable, but having such a great authority for saying, that all are not heroes that wear uniforms, he has ventured to speak freely of the Legion's officers, trusting that allowance will be made for the many good ones, as was done in former armies, even in spite of the great exceptions made by the Duke of Wellington.

In a few instances, the reader will find the subject interfered with, by wood engravings, of which the author has only to say, that he is greviously ashamed. The Artists employed, were supposed competent to the work, and being treated with, in the usual way, the author is at a loss to account for the ap pearance of such abortions ; he has only to assure his subscri bers, and those into whose hands, the work may afterwards come that the greater portion of the profits of the work has been swallowed up by those attempts at illustrations ; and if the reader is offended with their appearance, the author is not less so. It has been frequently suggested that the work should either not have been called a " History" or if so, it should have accorded more than it does, with the common style and design of histories.

To this the author can only answer, that though the faults may be numerous, he cannot come to the conclusion that it is improper to call the details, even the most trifling, a part of history. Let it be understood, that he makes no pre tenee of his having conceived and executed his views perfectly ■ circumstances that controlled his materials, and perhaps his

PREFACE.

. VII want of ability, added to his want of experience, would not permit him to do so ; but he is still of opinion, that a " His tory" would be imperfect, however correct in style — philoso phic in reflection, or eloquent in language, were it to neglect the persons of whom it treated. In this case, it has been the object of the Author to bring the details before the reader, which most other writers have overlooked when writing on similar subjects. How much he may improve when the honour of submitting a second edition to the public, has given him further experience in authorship, he cannot at pre sent pretend to say, but he hopes to have an early opportunity of allowing the public to judge. On another subject he has a few observations to make, and these he trusts will be of sufficient interest to warrant their being made here.

The personal character of an author who comes forward in his own person to publish his opinions of others, is at all times worth being enquired into; more especially is it necessary for an author to set himself right with his readers when he knows that his personal character has been made the rule of leading people to read, or keeping them from reading his work, much more than the merits of the work itself have been. It has for instance, been supposed that because the author had at one time been proved, or was supposed to have been pro . ed to be a disobedient soldier, — that he must therefore be unfit to write fairly and freely on those duties which it appears he was himself incapable of performing. Now it so happens that he possesses the highest testimonials from officers of various ranks as to his exact performance of duty and unvarying sol dierlike conduct in the Spanish service.

He has it also in his power to prove that while serving in the 2nd Dragoons ( Scots Greys) where it was supposed he so much misconducted himself that he was altogether unfit to be a soldier afterwards — that there he did not commit a breach of discipline, as that has generally been represented in the newspaper .>p'irti.cularly PREPACE. in a paper called the Weekly Dispatch. From the period when that paper succeeded in dragging him into notoriety for its own peculiar purposes up to the present, he has looked with regret and shame on the position in which they placed him. Ha ving secured him, according to their own words, to themselves, they proceeded to make a monopoly of their agitation, notwithstanding the frequent remonstrances from him, praying them to abide by moderation, or at most by truth.

They did not do so ; and when the supposed disobedient soldier would have proved beyond question that he had honourably performed his duty, he was prevented from doing so by two drunken law yers who conducted his case ; who having fought, torn each others clothes — broken the furniture of their hotel (for which, by the by, part of the " subscription for Somerville" had to pay) one of them proceeded to the Court of Inquiry, bullied the Judge Advocate, and sunk into drunken stupidity, during which some of the principal evidences in behalf of Somerville were examined ; and seeing which, Somerville declined calling the most important of all his witnesses. He might here add much more of the causes that led to his being maligned by the Weekly Dispatch ; he might tell of how he was asked to give his name to a series of articles " cutting up the gentlemen of the army" (their own words) which articles they were to find a person to write ; but how he indignantly declined to be made such a hack of; he might tell of the Weekly Dispatch Public House which was to be taken and managed for him, but which he declined ; he might tell of twenty other causes of their mis-representations which shall shortly be told, but which do not properly belong to this work.

At present however, it is necessary to say, that as a man and a soldier, he has been vilely misrepresented by that newspaper for its own purposes 5 and he considers a passing notice at least, to be necessary, he having the strongest confidence notwithstanding, to earn and retain the good opinions of the public,, when he shall have shewn the source and the quantity of the misrepresentations issued by the Weekly Dispatch. CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Introductory Remarks on the Object of this Work — the moral character of the Legion — Origin of the War — Laws of the Northern Provinces —Remarks on the recent Debate in the House of Commons .....

Chapter II

Reasons for postponing the first nine months' History of the Legion to a future part of the Work — Action of the 5 th of May at San Sebastian — Its commencement — the first Line of Fortifications taken — the different Brigades described — Charges repulsed by the Carlists from behind their Fortifications — The second Line of Defences taken — Arrival of the Phœnii and Salamander War Steamers with two fresh Regiments from Santander — the Phœnix opens a Fire on the Carlist Fort of Lugariz — the 4th and Sth land and are marched into the Fight at its greatest heat — a Breach made in the Redoubt of Lugariz — the 4th and Sth enter — Dreadful slaughter on both sides — Gallant behaviour of Captain Allez of the 4th — He falls — Reckless conduct of Corporal Oakley of the Sth, Private Smith, and others — the Westminster Grenadiers — their Charge — Adjutant M of the 8th a Coward — Gallantry of Smith, he is mortally wounded — Captain Shields wounded — Oakley shoots a Carlist Officer — Charging on the enemy — Running over wounded Carlists — the White House taken — Plundering it — the Chapelgorris kill the Carlist Prisoners and the English try to save them — Numerous personal Anecdotes X CONTENTS. 13 4*. 78 collected after the Engagement— Killed, wounded and missing —Remarks on the Engagement— the General's Despatches, &c. &c.

Chapter III

Remarks on the honours conferred on the officers and men — Adjutant M Anecdotes of his flogging— The morning of the 28th of May— Grand Cannonade— The town of Passages described— taken by Lord John Hay— Artillery taken from the Carlists— A bridge made by the British sailors over the Urimea— Remarks on Cordova — The 2nd Lancers in a critical situation — gallantly rescued by Major Martin— Extracts from the private journals of three different soldiers relative to the foregoing engagements — their treatment in the hospital &c .

Chapter IV

The scenery and localities around San Sebastian — The duty of the Legion at this time — The morning of the sixth of June — Objects of the attack — Its commencement — The l=t regiment's sentries shot, and piquet driven in — The 1st retreat — General Chicbester taken by Carlists— cuts down those who take him — TheChapelgorris andChapelchurris — Dreadful fighting between them, and awful atrocities — Alza retaken— General and severe fighting — Two priests leading on the Carlists in their canonical robes — One of them shot — Remarkable bravery of Oakley — Cowards hiding in a ditch — The 4th English regiment fires by accident on the 8th Scotch — Charges led on — General retreat of the Carlists — Great slaughter — Houses taken — Plundering — the Inhabitants flying — Remarkable anecdotes of Individuals — The dead — The wounded — Mounting piquet in a ivood among the dead bodies — Retrospective view of the whole ......

Chapter V

Notes from a Journal — Piquets before the enemy and desertions Court Martials and punishments — Narrow escape of one falsely accused — Anecdote — Fleas — Tailors in trouble — General Evans and the Royal Marine Officers — Evening of the 10th CONTENTS. XI Page. of July — Getting under arms— Morning of the 11th March — to Fontarabia — Attack on the Carlists — The engagement des cribed — Retreat from Fontarabia and Return to Passages — Desecration of the Church— Author meets a Carlist spy— &c. 97

Chapter VI

Mutiny in the 8th Scotch — Paraded before General Chichester — The result — General Shaw makes a speech to them — Mutiny in the Lancers— Sixty of them prisoners, guarded by the 1 Oth Irish — The Sth arm themselves, and rescue the Lancers — Sth and 9th sent to Santander — Twenty-five of the Scotch sent prisoners on board the Castor Frigate — Mutiny still continues — Payment of the Arrears — Riot and Intoxication — Flogging — Half of the regiment lay down their arms, and refuse to serve at Santander — The Gth do the same at San Sebastian, and are imprisoned in the Castle, &c. &c. 133

Chapter VII

State of the Legion after the Mutiny — Commencement of the Attack on the 1st of October — Turning out — Hurried Preliminaries, &c Marching within shot of the Enemy — A Cannon Ball goes through the Sth in close column — Coolness of Col. Apthorpe, and others — Jokes on the occasion — Another 32 pounder from the Carlists does extraordinary execution — Col. Colquhoun of the Artillery — Tremendous disasters among the Carlists from his shot and shell — The Carlist Cannon on the Ametza dismounted — Gallant charges of our Lancers — The 6th engaged— The Sth, &c— Rifles, 9th, 10th, and the English Regiments — General Evans wounded — Rockets — Officers of our Rocket Brigade killed — Proposal to take the Ametza Hill, and remarks thereon — The Carlists fall back at night — Burying the dead — Getting into Quarters — Anecdotes &c, &c. . 153

Chapter XI

The drumming of Casey, a private of the 7th out of the Legion — His subsequent fate— Flogging of a Lancer, named Nash ; his death in consequence — An officer's description of Brevaisca — The Author's description of the same place — Affecting narrative of the death of James Ritchie — his dis-interment by the Spaniards, &c. — Notices of Dr. Jenner and others at Brevaisca. . . . . . .221

Chapter XII

Extract from an officer's Journal relating to Mr. Wilkinson. — Extract from Wilkinson's letter in the Morning Herald of 1 1th March, 1S36 — Quotation from his pamphlet exposing the real state of parties in Spain — Career of Zumalacarregui — his death — Intrigues among the priests — Don Carlos and character of writers, &c. &c. &c. .... CONTENTS. XIII Page.

Chapter XIII

The miseries of the women following the Legion — Death of an Irishwoman and her child — Anecdote of Zumalacarregui — Description of the pass of Pan Corbo — A guerilla shot by a boy named Maxwell near the pass — An extraordinary meal round the piquet fire — Descriptive narrative of some of the officers of the 10th regiment, Lieutenant H ington. Ensign Q 11, Lieutenant J ce. Colonel Ebsworth, Major Shaw, Count Kalling, with King Bernadotte of Sweden's treatment to him, Captain De B — ce, Colonel O'Connell 's behaviour, the British Commissioners engagement with him and address to the Legion — Denial of that engagement by Lord Melbourne — proof of it by a letter from Colonel Hogg — Personal sketch of General Evans. ...... 259

Chapter XIV

The imprisonment of eighty soldiers at Santona — Letter to the Courier Newspaper, in answer to Deputy Commissary General Black — Remarks on other documents published by Mr. Black — Statement of Major Stewart sent to General Evans — Reply to that Statement — Remarks on Major Stewart's character as impugned by General Evans 278

Chapter XV

Remarks on General Evans and Sir Hussey Vivian's Memoranda — Dr. Gruthrie's regulations, remarks thereon — General inspections in Vittoria — Disgusting spectacle in the streets — A funeral — Description of the common appearance of the convalescents — Anecdotes of several individuals, of various kinds — Pedro Hamilton's duel, and Pedro Hamilton cudgeled, &c. 301

CHAPTER XV

!. Duelling anecdotes continued — Major Macduff and Captain Maturin, with original remarks — Mr. Gannon and Captain Chadwick — Surgeon Barret and Assistant- Surgeon Mackay — Two Sergeants of the Lancers, &c. — Defence of the conduct of General Evans in a matter where he has been falsely accused of the misappropriation of money— -The building of batteries CONTENTS. Page, 319 339 356 — Occurrences on the outposts — Burning piquet houses and destruction of a family, &c. &c. ....

Chapter XVII

The 9th Regiment— Captain Mackay's wound, and its treatment by Surgeon Mahoney, alias, Dirty Jack— Officers leave the Hospital in consequence of Captain Mackay's death, and thereby affront Dr. Gannon — Lieut. O'Connor of the 9th, his mysterious disappearance on the 5th of May, his sword, cloak, and cap lost, his cowardice discovered, the order of San Fernando bestowed on him, &c. — Lieut. Keogh's cowardice, he runs away from the fight, escapes censure through the friendship of General Fitzgerald — Remarks on Fitzgerald's conduct—Ensign Bezant, his ill treatment, his general good conduct, bravery and death — Captains Cotter, Thompson, Allez, Lieut's. Thornton and Stack, on the 5th of May, and conduct of the light company of the 9th — Mr. Street, of the same regiment — History and character of General Fitzgerald — Other extraordinary characters, Owen Kelly and a Carlist officer, Kelly's quarrel with Major Lister — Kelly's conflict with the Spanish guard, in the streets of San Sebastian, &c. &c .

Chapter XVIII

The 3rd regiment — Colonel Churchill, his general character — The 3rd engaged at Arlaban, and incidents relating thereto — Major K of the 3rd, abas the Hero of Rathcormac, his conduct at Arlaban, and death in Vittoria — The deserters Richardson, Johnson, Mahoney, and Salmon — Ensign Chadwicke, his bravery, and death — Captain Jackson, and his son Lieut. Jackson — Adjutant Keevil disgraced on the 6th of June — Major Maclaine — Colonel Churchill making Corporal Brown an officer — Lieut. M'Intosh— General Shaw and Mr. Wilkinson.

Chapter XIX

The Rifles — Lieut. Colonel Fortescue, and Captains Atkyns, O'Rielly, Jeffrey, and other Officers of the regiment on the 5th of May. Corporal Withers, &c. — The 1st of August, the Ametzagana taken and lost, condnct of the Officers on that CONTENTS. XV Page: 375 389 410 441 occasion, Colonel Apthorpe, Major Stewart, Captains Staple ton, Rigg, Harris, and others of the 1st regiment, Captains Atkyns and Brown of the Rifles, their adventures — Anecdote of a Rifle Officer on the 1st of October— The siege of Bilbao by the Carlists, taken by the English Seamen, and British Marine Artileiy — Christmas — Preparations for the general engagement in March, &c. &c. . . . ,

Chapter XX

The morning of the 10th of March — The sight during the day — The mountain on fire at night— The Legion bivouacing — Outrages committed by men of the 4th regiment — Crossing the river on the 12th — Sketches of character and incidents — Attack of the 14th stopped by bad weather — The Carlist military accoutrements contrasted with the English equipments — Extract of a general order relative to cowardice among the Spanish troops ......

Chapter XXI

The Commencement of the Action of the 15th — 1st Regiment and Colonel De Lacey — Remarks on Mr. Alcock, relative to wounded men being left in the enemy's hands — Conduct of the Irish regiments in the engagement — Anecdote of Captain Coyle Taking of the Venta Hill— Preparations of the sanguinary engagement of the 16th, &c, &c.

Chapter XXII

Morning of the 16th of March— and re-commencement of the fight— 1st regiment abandoned by the Spaniards — Rifles, thenfate, bravery of Colonel Fortescue and cowardice of Lieut. Col. Boyd, death of Capt. Fielding &c— 3rd and 4th, Colonel Fitzgerald General engagement— Prisoners taken and slain by the enemy— Colonel Cotter and the 9th regiment, bravery and death of Cotter— Retreat— Rallying— Abandonment of the Venta, &c. &c,— with numerous incidents.

Chapter XXIII

The defeat of the Legion, and its general character compared CONTENTS. Page. with other armies — A few historical parallels from the Peninsular War . . . , . • • 469

Chapter XXIV

Comparison between the battle of Toulouse, fought by the troops of Wellington and Soult, and the battle of Ayetta, fought by the troops of Evans aud the Carlist General Segastibelza — Character of General Saarsfield and more causes for the defeat of Evans at Hernani explained — Narrative of events in the Legion from the 4th of May, 1837, to the evening of the 1 4 th, in which many incidents are related . 5 CHAFsER XXV. Incidents and reflections — Movement to Irun — The attack opens — Disposition of the Regiments — Particulars of the 1 st, Rifles and Royal Irish — Major Macduff killed — Captains Linton and Hornsy wounded by a treacherous flag of truce — Particulars of other parts of the attack and defence — Flag of truce — Cuckoo — Night — Morning— Evans sends a flag of truce to allow the women and children to leave the town — Dreadful cannonade — The fort surrenders, and the towa taken — Descriptive account of the pillage, with numerou^iaeidents, pleasing, fearful, and disgusting. . . . . . 54J

Chapter XXVI

Anecdotes and reflections arising from the capture of Irun Conduct of Col. Arbuthnott — Captain Peirce — A private soldier — Captain Roberts— Chapelgorris and slaughter— Entrance into the houaes— Anecdote of a Fiddler — Reflections—Charlie Scott and the Piano— Drinking Wine—The Priest— Sketch of Capt. Dickson, and other incidents

Chapter XXVII

The disbandment of the Legion— Formation of the new force under Colonel O'Connell, &c, &c., Sec. . . GO '

Chapter XXVIII

Affairs of the new Legion— Slaughter at Andouin, &c. 63 v HISTORY OF THE BRITISH LEGION.

Chapter I

Introductory Remarks on the Object of this Work — The moral character of the Legion— Origin of the War— Laws of the Northern Provinces— Remarks on the recent Debate in the House of Commons. After returning from Spain to Glasgow in August 1837, I wrote and published a work entitled " A Narrative of the British Legion, and the War in Spain, " which being in many particulars so different from any accounts that had hitherto appeared, drew the attention of the public to it in a degree, that the first impression of between tVee and four thousand were sold off in less than a month in the neigh bourhood of Glasgow alone. It would be an unpardonable pre sumption to say its literary merit led to that extensive sale, but being the first work that had appeared giving an unbiassed account of the expedition, and that in a familiar way, wherein the soldier was brought forward in his individual character, and the warfare seen not by Offi cial Returns and Dispatches alone, but by those minute incidents which are omitted in mere dry history — being therefore so written, it became popular ; and for the benefit of other parties than the author sold extensively.

None of that edition having gone beyond Scotland, and having been concluded much sooner than it would have, had its publication been conducted to my satisfaction. I now offer my his tory of the Legion, to the people of England. It is not prejudiced by any political bias, and as I served throughout the Campaign with a character unimpeached with any fault moral or military, (which some who have written about the Legion, and who were above me in rank did not sustain,) I can venture to write about individuals JIISTOItY OF THE without the fear of being charged with flattery on the one side, or revenge on the other. As a careful observer of what passed around me, sharing in the varied fortunes of the service, I noted all that is worth knowing. There will be recitalsof misery that may sicken the hearts of some, and there will be those details of horror, that will fill the mind* of those who love the marvellous : but generally the events recorded, will be those that will set the conduct of General Evans — his troop? — and the war in Spain in an unprejudiced light before the British public.

This work will not attempt to prove whether the political interference of England with Spain is right or wrong, and consequently in giving the character of the Chief of the Legion, will say nothing of his side in the British Senate, for political prejudices are commonly so obstinate on all sides, that it would be vain to attempt to break them down. But there is something partly political that cannot be avoided, that is, the reports that have appeared in the newspapers, giving accounts of the different parties in the war, which from their conflicting nature, prove that they are either all untrue, or that if any are true, the others must be grossly false. One side represents the Carlist Army, as a band of mountain robbers supported by plunder, and fighting only for the wor3t of purposes — the perpetration of savage cruelties, and if a tale of horror can be got hold of, it is told to suit a political purpose, by those who are sent out to Spain to cater news for party newspapers.

On the other side, the same partiality of reporting prevails, the Post contradicts the Chronicle, and the Chronicle the Post, and yet, as we found while serving in Spain, no newspaper ever gives facts as they are. It is true, that some of the correspondents to the London Papers were officers in the respective armies, and must have known many facts, but these naturally wrote to suit their own side, and not a few, as was the case in the Legion, were persons who had misconducted themselves — had private animosity towards the General, and some even were cashiered from the service, and immediately set up as " Foreign Correspondents " to the newspapers; that many of the reports that came home, were written by such persons is undeniable. Even while serving with a good character, in the full confidence of, and in daily com rmmicution with General Evans, an officer who held the rank of bri gadier general, betrayed the Chief, and corresponded in a dishonourable way with one of the leading London journals.

It is true this BIUTISH LEGION. ■) officer had to leave the Service with rather an indifferent reputation ; but he only came home to write openly what he had done disgui sedly, and that from the most disreputable motives ; yet the public have believed him. Again correspondents who are sent expressly out, are seldom where they can gtt correct information. The most of the Spanish news are written from Bayonne in France, and the sources of information are always uncertain. Even those who go near the scenes of operation, seldom go near enough. During our two years service, only one civilian as a correspondent of a Newspaper, was known to approach as near as he could witness how the troops were fighting ; and he unluckily got knocked down, and nearly buried by the earth thrown up by a common ball, so that he had the prudence afterwards, like all others, to keep farther back.

But what was the consequence of that accident, a London daily paper, which, from its politics was considered favourable to the military character of the Legion, and for which this correspondent furnished news, contained an account of that single cannon shot, told in such a way as to appear the most it' not the only remarkable thing that happened during the engage ment ; and yet when I come to the details of that engagement, and give the literal facts without any colouring, and facts which will be verified by all who could possibly know their occurrence ; it will be seen how very different some of the conduct of the Legion was to what it has been reported in this country previously. But why try to prove that newspaper reports of the war have been partial, when party politics were mixed up with the military inter ference ?

No party wiil deny it. If the opposition journals, and such members of parliament as Earl Grey and Mr. Whitbread, could stand up in 1809 and denounce the Duke of Wellington and the army that gained those victories that British pride now boasts of, as a commander unfit to command, and as an army sustaining only a series of defeats and disgraces ; if they from opposition could say so then, which they did, may not Sir Henry Hardinge and others repeat the calumny against a whigish expedition now ? It may be supposed the comparison is not good ; but it is perfectly just: for political op position coloured every incident of warfare then, by and for the same means that it does now. It would not only be ungenerous and un national, but it would be highly dangerous for any man who does HISTORY OF THE not wish his head broken, to stand up in an assembly of English men and say, that the armies of Wellington were not the gallant and the brave that all history now admits them to have been ; and yet were they not hurriedly collected and marched to the field (the 79th for instance, with five hundred recruits, went to Holland, and had not been drilled two months) ; were they not all of the same moral materials as soldiers are made of now ?