From theLondon Gazetteof July 10th, 1689.Ran away out of Captain Soames’ Company, in his Grace the Duke of Norfolk’s Regiment, the present Holy Boys, the 9th, a Barber-Surgeon, a little man, with short black hair, a little curled, round visage, fresh coloured cloth coat, with gold and silver buttons, and the loops stitched with gold and silver, red plush breeches, and white hat; he lived formerly at Downham Market, Norfolk, and his mother sold pork. Whoever will give notice to F. Baker, agent to the said regiment, so that he the Barber-Surgeon may be secured, shall have two guineas reward.“God Save the King.”
From theLondon Gazetteof July 10th, 1689.
Ran away out of Captain Soames’ Company, in his Grace the Duke of Norfolk’s Regiment, the present Holy Boys, the 9th, a Barber-Surgeon, a little man, with short black hair, a little curled, round visage, fresh coloured cloth coat, with gold and silver buttons, and the loops stitched with gold and silver, red plush breeches, and white hat; he lived formerly at Downham Market, Norfolk, and his mother sold pork. Whoever will give notice to F. Baker, agent to the said regiment, so that he the Barber-Surgeon may be secured, shall have two guineas reward.
“God Save the King.”
OUTLINE OF THE LIFE OF FIELD-MARSHALTHE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, K.G.
I will now venture to give a sketch of the life and military achievements of that distinguished General, Wellington, under whom the British Armymet and conquered the terror of Europe, Napoleon. Wellington, as most of my readers are perhaps aware, was a native of the Emerald Isle, whose sons have for many years been the pride of our Army and Navy, and have gone shoulder to shoulder with the sons of Albion upon many a hard fought field; and here I would remark that the very man whom Her Most Gracious Majesty and the nation at large now delights to honour, the present Lord Wolseley, is a native of that Isle. Wellington was born 1st May, 1769, (the same year that Napoleon was born); and the following are the dates of his various promotions:—
He had plenty of friends in high places to lift him up the ladder of promotion, so that in eight short years he was in a position to reap all kinds of honours.
From 1799 to 1815, his career had been one continual string of victories—from Seringapatam to the Field of Waterloo.
After the Fortress of Seringapatam had been carried by storm, our young hero, then in his 30th year, was appointed its Governor, 6th May, 1799. The inhabitants of Central India and Calcutta soon acknowledged his services by presenting him with a sword of the value of £1,000, 21st February, 1804; and the Officers that had served under him at Assaye,23rd October, 1803, presented the conqueror with a service of plate, embossed with “Assaye, 26th February, 1804.” He was appointed by the then King, George III, Knight Companion of the Bath, for his valorous services in India, 1st September, 1804. Thanked by his country in Parliament for the first time, 8th March, 1805, he now returned to England, and in April, 1807, was sworn in a Privy Councillor. He was appointed Secretary to Ireland, 19th April, 1807. He was at the capture of Copenhagen, 5th September, 1807, and his conduct there again brought forth the thanks of Parliament, 1st February, 1808. He shortly afterwards sailed for Portugal, to measure his victorious sword with the best of Napoleon’s Generals, and there the Officers who had the pleasure of serving under him could see his worth as a General, and presented him with a piece of plate to commemorate the battle and glorious victory of Vimiera, 21st August, 1808. He was thanked, for the third time, by his country assembled in Parliament, for his victory over the Legions of France at Vimiera, 27th January, 1809. He was next appointed to command our Army in Portugal, 2nd April, 1809; and was appointed Marshal-General of the Portuguese Army, 6th July, 1809. He again met and rolled up the Legions of France on the memorable field of Talavera, 27th and 28th July, 1809; and was thanked, for the fourth time, by Parliament for this victory, 1st February, 1810, while a pension of £2,000 per annum was voted to him and his two succeeding male heirs, 16th February, 1810. He was again thanked by Parliament for the liberation of Portugal at the point of the British conquering bayonet, directed by his master-mind; and was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword of Portugal by its Prince Regent, 26th October, 1811. We next find him at Ciudad Rodrigo, which, after a desperate resistance, he took by storm, 19th January, 1812. For this he was created by the Regencyof Spain, Duke of Ciudad-Rodrigo, January, 1812; and he was thanked for the sixth time by his country in Parliament for this victory, 10th February, 1812. He was now advanced in the British Peerage by the title of Earl Wellington, 18th February, 1812; and £2,000 more was voted in addition to his former grant, 21st February, 1812. He was, shortly after this, under the walls of Badajoz, which was carried by storm at the point of the queen of weapons. Here our men disgraced themselves under the influence of liquor; the desperate resistance that the enemy had made had wrought our men up to a state of madness, and, once an entrance was forced, the scene baffles all description, on that terrible 6th April, 1812. The great military historian Sir W. Napier, may well say of that night, “Oh, horror of horrors! pen refuses to record the horrible fiend-like deeds of our poor deluded half-mad countrymen.” Our hero was thanked by parliament, for the seventh time, for Badajoz, 27th April, 1812; the order of the Golden Fleece of Spain was conferred upon him by the Regency of that unhappy country, July, 1812; he was appointed General of the Spanish Armies 12th August, 1812, and advanced in the British Peerage by the title of Marquis of Wellington, 18th August, 1812; again advanced by the Regent of Portugal to the title of Marques de Torres Vedras, 12th September, 1812. His forethought in throwing up those formidable works at this place struck the French commanders with awe, and none dared attack them. He again struck a terrible blow on the plains of Salamanca, and routed the Legions of France, with all their martial pride, from the field, 22nd July, 1812; and was again thanked by Parliament, for the eighth time, for this crushing defeat he inflicted upon the enemy, while a grant of £100,000 was voted by Parliament for the purchase of an estate for our hero, 7th December, 1812. He inflicted another terrible blow on the proud Legions of France on the plains ofVittoria, 21st June, 1813; for this he was raised by the Regent of Portugal to the title of Duke of Vittoria, 18th December 1813, he was elected a Knight of the Garter, and thanked by Parliament, for the ninth time, for his glorious victory of the 21st June, 1813. The Field-Marshal’s baton of Marshal Jordan was captured on this field and was sent home to the Prince Regent, and in return the Prince sent out to his conquering General the baton of a Field-Marshal of England. San Sebastian was carried by storm, and a number of minor operations were conducted to a successful issue, for which our hero was, for the tenth time, thanked by Parliament. On the 4th March, 1814, the Prince Regent granted permission to the Marquis of Wellington to accept and wear the following Orders or Grand Crosses:—the Imperial and Royal Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa, the Imperial Russian Military Order of St. George, the Royal Prussian Military Order of the Black Eagle, the Royal Swedish Military Order of the Sword. Napoleon kept continually changing Wellington’s opponent Generals, but our hero beat them all in detail. Marshal Soult, or the Duke of Dalmatia, was Napoleon’s favourite General. He had been tried upon nearly 100 fields, and now he was to measure his sword against Wellington, who had by this time immortalised himself, and had beaten all who came in his way. Soult got a warm reception, for on the field of Orthes, 27th February, 1814, the Legions of France, under Napoleon’s pet General, were again routed by the Allied Armies under our hero, who was again thanked, for the eleventh time, by the Parliament and the Prince Regent for the victory. Our hero was next advanced in the British peerage by the title of Marquis of Duoro and Duke of Wellington, 3rd May, 1814, and a grant of £400,000 was voted by Parliament, in addition to all former grants, 24th June, 1814. Other battles were fought in the Peninsula but all opponents hadto go down before the never-failing, conquering British bayonet, led by our invincible son of the Emerald Isle. Peace was now for a time purchased by the blood of thousands of the best of the sons of Britain; and, on the 5th July, 1814, our hero was sent as Ambassador to France. On the 11th April, 1815, he again took command of the British Forces on the Continent. Napoleon the disturber of the civilized world, was again in the field, and at Waterloo, 16th, 17th, and 18th June, 1815, threw down the gauntlet at our hero’s feet. It was hard pounding, but Wellington said, “let’s see who will pound the longest.” Napoleon had collected an army of veterans, and was determined to measure his conquering sword upon such a fair field with the despised Sepoy General, as he was wont to call his Grace. The greater portion of the Army that won Waterloo consisted of recruits; but, as His Grace said afterwards, had he had with him the Army that fought Vittoria, he would have charged the whole of the proud Legions of France from the field, long before our Allies the Prussians came up, but most of these veterans were then across the Atlantic. His Grace exposed himself on this field until he was remonstrated with, and when requested to go to the rear, his answer was, “I will when I see those fellows off,” pointing to the grim-faced veterans of the Guard that had decided almost every field that Napoleon had fought. On every field that Napoleon commanded in person, his old Guards were with him, and when called upon on the field of Waterloo to surrender, the answer was: “The Guard may die but not surrender.” Such, were the men that our Foot Guards and 52nd routed from the field. Our hero was again, for the twelfth time, thanked by a grateful country in Parliament for Waterloo, and a grant of £200,000 was voted by Parliament, in addition to all former grants, 6th July, 1815. He was created Prince of Waterloo by the King of the Netherlands, 18th July, 1815, and on the22nd October, 1815, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies of occupation in France. On the 15th of November, 1818, he was appointed a Field-Marshal in the Austrian, Russian, and Prussian Armies. His Grace had exhausted all the honours that a grateful country could heap upon one of its citizens. He became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, 22nd January, 1827, and on the 13th February, 1828, First Lord of the Treasury. On the 20th January, 1829, he was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and was elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford, 29th January, 1834. No other man ever lived to attain the honours that His Grace the Duke of Wellington did. But in spite of all the gifts that a grateful Sovereign and country could heap upon him, he had to die and leave them behind. His remains were accorded a State funeral, and rest in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, where a fitting monument records the esteem and admiration with which he was justly regarded by his fellow countrymen.
WELLINGTON AND NAPOLEON.
Waterloo was a terrible fight; and the following are a few extracts from some of His Grace the Duke ofWellington’s letters to his friends, written shortly after the battle, and which will prove of much interest:—
From “Garwood,” Vol. XII.
To Marshal, Prince Schwarzenberg.Ioncourt, June 26th, 1815.Our battle on the 18th was one of giants, and our success was most complete, as you perceive. God grant I may never see another (and He did grant it), for I am overwhelmed with grief at the loss of my old friends and comrades.WELLINGTON.
To Marshal, Prince Schwarzenberg.
Ioncourt, June 26th, 1815.
Our battle on the 18th was one of giants, and our success was most complete, as you perceive. God grant I may never see another (and He did grant it), for I am overwhelmed with grief at the loss of my old friends and comrades.
WELLINGTON.
The following extracts will prove the early and complete conviction of the Duke that all had been decided at Waterloo:—
To General Dumouriez.Nivelles, 20th June, 1815.You will have heard what I have done, and I hope you are satisfied. I never saw such a battle as the one the day before yesterday; and never did I gain such a victory. I trust it is all over with Buonaparte. We are in hot pursuit of him.WELLINGTON.
To General Dumouriez.
Nivelles, 20th June, 1815.
You will have heard what I have done, and I hope you are satisfied. I never saw such a battle as the one the day before yesterday; and never did I gain such a victory. I trust it is all over with Buonaparte. We are in hot pursuit of him.
WELLINGTON.
To General, the Earl of Uxbridge.Le Chateau, 23rd June, 1815.My opinion is that we have given Napoleon his death-blow. He can make no head against us. He has only to hang himself.WELLINGTON.
To General, the Earl of Uxbridge.
Le Chateau, 23rd June, 1815.
My opinion is that we have given Napoleon his death-blow. He can make no head against us. He has only to hang himself.
WELLINGTON.
To Marshal, Lord Beresford.Gonesse, July 2nd, 1815.You will have heard of our battle of the 18th. Never did I see such a pounding match. Both were what the boxers call gluttons. Napoleon did not manœuvre at all. He just moved forward in the old style, in columns; and was driven off in the old style, in line. I had the infantry for some time in squares; and we had the French cavalry walking about us as if they had been our own. I never saw the British Infantry behave so well.WELLINGTON.
To Marshal, Lord Beresford.
Gonesse, July 2nd, 1815.
You will have heard of our battle of the 18th. Never did I see such a pounding match. Both were what the boxers call gluttons. Napoleon did not manœuvre at all. He just moved forward in the old style, in columns; and was driven off in the old style, in line. I had the infantry for some time in squares; and we had the French cavalry walking about us as if they had been our own. I never saw the British Infantry behave so well.
WELLINGTON.
The following will prove that our hero had no animosity towards Napoleon:—
To Sir Charles Stuart, G.C.B.The Prussians think the Jacobins wish to give him over to me, believing that I will save his life; Blucher wishes to kill him, but I have told him that I shall remonstrate, and shall insist upon his being disposed of by common accord. I have likewise said that, as a private friend, I advise him to have nothing to do with so foul a transaction, that he and I had acted too distinguished parts in these transactions to become executioners, and that I was determined that, if the Sovereigns wished to put him to death, they should appoint an executioner, which should not be me.WELLINGTON.
To Sir Charles Stuart, G.C.B.
The Prussians think the Jacobins wish to give him over to me, believing that I will save his life; Blucher wishes to kill him, but I have told him that I shall remonstrate, and shall insist upon his being disposed of by common accord. I have likewise said that, as a private friend, I advise him to have nothing to do with so foul a transaction, that he and I had acted too distinguished parts in these transactions to become executioners, and that I was determined that, if the Sovereigns wished to put him to death, they should appoint an executioner, which should not be me.
WELLINGTON.
LOSS OF THE REGIMENTS AT WATERLOO.
Strength of the British Army on the 16th of June, 1815, and the loss of the different Regiments in killed, wounded, and missing, on the 16th, 17th, and 18th.
Regiments.StrengthexclusiveofOfficerson themorn of16th.Loss on theNo. ofOfficerskilledon theFields16th and 17th18th JuneOfficersNon-Coms.andmen.OfficersNon-Coms.andmen.1st Life Guards26321846522nd Life Guards235....21551Royal Horse Guards Blue2542849811st Dragoon Guards571....1124671st Royal Dragoons428....1419652nd Royal D. (Scots Greys)442....1519976th Inniskillen445....721727th Hussars40844610150210th Hussars452....894211th Hussars438..3673112th Hussars427....5111313th Hussars449..110108115th Hussars447....1179316th Hussars434....632218th Hussars444..22102..23rd Hussars347..667211st Foot Guards, 2nd Battalion106682851115341st Foot Guards, 3rd Battalion1122926273436Coldstream Gds. 2nd Battalion1045....1330843rd Foot Guards, 2nd Battalion1063..71523971st Royals, 3rd Battalion671102182214474th Regiment, 1st Battalion670....10134114th Regiment, 3rd Battalion630....236..23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers741....12104727th Inniskillen750....14104228th Regiment, 1st Battalion63167514177330th Regiment, 1st Battalion68685112228632nd Regiment, 1st Battalion699819620174333rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion682710615185740th Regiment, 1st Battalion862....12219242nd Highlanders, 2nd Battalion71718288649444th Regiment, 2nd Battalion61812138664251st Light Infantry619....242..52nd Light Infantry1148....10199169th Regiment, 2nd Battalion6969155485571st Highlanders929....17202373rd Regiment, 2nd Battalion55445620280879th Highlanders6442620491751092nd Highlanders708202868116795th Rifles, 1st Battalion48266412156495th Rifles, 2nd Battalion655....15246195th Rifles, 3rd Battalion202....5501Royal Artillery 1st Battalion49723283347610
The total loss of 11,950 Includes—Belgians, King’s German Legion, Hanoverians, Brunswickers, and Dutch Troops. It may not be generally known that, although the whole of Europe was banded together against Napoleon, not a man, so to speak, could any of the Nations put into the field, without the help of the needful from England. This short Campaign cost us £110,000,000 sterling; England was the universal Pay-master.
The Allied and Prussian Armies entered Paris on the 7th July, and were followed next day by Louis XVIII. Before the end of the month the armies of Europe congregated in and around Paris, amounted to the enormous number of nearly a million of men in arms.
Napoleon in the meantime had left the Capital, and surrendered himself to Captain Maitland of theBellerophon, on the 15th July, 1815; and by a decree of the Allied Powers, he was sent to St. Helena, where he died, 5th May, 1821.
Since these events nearly seventy years have passed over us, and peace between the two greatest nations of the globe, England and France, has been uninterruptedly maintained. We have fought shoulder to shoulder on more than one hard-fought field, both in the Crimea and China; and long may we continue to act together, to the honour of those whose blood on the field of Waterloo purchased this friendship, and to the lasting happiness of the civilized world.
NAPOLEON AND THE FRENCH PRESS.
Talk about two faces under one hat! The following will help the reader to see how many faces our gallant neighbours the French have.
When Napoleon escaped from the Isle of Elba, whither he had been sent as a sort of state prisoner, the French newspapers announced his departure and progress until his entry into Paris, as follows:—
March 9th.—The Anthrophagus has quitted his den.March 10th.—The Corsican Ogre has landed at Cape Juan.March 11th.—The Tiger has arrived at Gap.March 12th.—The Monster slept at Grenoble.March 13th.—The Tyrant has passed through Lyons.March 14th.—The Usurper is directing his steps towards Dijon, but the brave and loyal Burgundians have risenen masseand surrounded him on all sides. And Marshal Ney, “the bravest of the brave,” has gone forth to meet him, and has sworn to bring him to Paris in an iron cage, and present him to our beloved King.March 18th.—Buonaparte is only sixty leagues from the capital. He has been fortunate enough to escape his pursuers.March 19th.—Buonaparte is advancing with rapid steps, but he will never enter Paris alive.March 20th.—Napoleon will to-morrow be under our ramparts.March 21st.—The Emperor is at Fontainebleau.March 22nd.—His Imperial and Royal Majesty yesterday evening arrived at the Tuilleries, amidst the joyful acclamations of his devoted and faithful subjects.
March 9th.—The Anthrophagus has quitted his den.
March 10th.—The Corsican Ogre has landed at Cape Juan.
March 11th.—The Tiger has arrived at Gap.
March 12th.—The Monster slept at Grenoble.
March 13th.—The Tyrant has passed through Lyons.
March 14th.—The Usurper is directing his steps towards Dijon, but the brave and loyal Burgundians have risenen masseand surrounded him on all sides. And Marshal Ney, “the bravest of the brave,” has gone forth to meet him, and has sworn to bring him to Paris in an iron cage, and present him to our beloved King.
March 18th.—Buonaparte is only sixty leagues from the capital. He has been fortunate enough to escape his pursuers.
March 19th.—Buonaparte is advancing with rapid steps, but he will never enter Paris alive.
March 20th.—Napoleon will to-morrow be under our ramparts.
March 21st.—The Emperor is at Fontainebleau.
March 22nd.—His Imperial and Royal Majesty yesterday evening arrived at the Tuilleries, amidst the joyful acclamations of his devoted and faithful subjects.
A BRITISH AMAZON.
This brave woman was—to perpetrate a “Bull”—an Irishman, or rather was supposed so to be. She served as a foot soldier and dragoon in several campaigns, under King William and the Duke of Marlborough. She gave surprising proofs of courage, strength, and dexterity in handling all sorts of weapons. She was a married woman with two children. Her husband, under the influence of drink, enlisted into the 1st Foot, and was at once sent off to Flanders. Our heroine was determined to find him up, so she cut off her hair, dressed herself in a suit of her husband’s clothing, and enlisted into the 5th Foot, under the name of Christopher Welsh. Shortly after, our heroine joined the army in Flanders, and was present at the Battle of Landen, where she was wounded just above the ankle. To use her own words, “When I heard the cannon play and the small shot rattle about me, it threw me into a sort of panic, not being used to such rough music.” This wound laid her up for two months. Shortly after she was taken prisoner by the French. Here she met her first cousin, Captain Cavenagh, a French officer, but was not recognised. After nine days she was exchanged and returned to the army, and gained the affection of a butcher’s daughter, which led to a duel with a rival lover, aSergeant of the same regiment, who had insulted the lady in question. The Sergeant was wounded; and for this she was imprisoned, the Sergeant’s wounds being mortal. The father of the young lady obtained the release of our heroine, and her discharge; but she managed to escape this love affair, and enlisted again, this time into the Scots Greys, and served during the siege of Namur, 1695. An odd adventure now befell her, for a child was laid to her charge as being the father, and, refusing to expose the perjury of the mother, she defrayed the expense of the infant. In the second attack at Schellenburg she received a ball in the hip, which was never extracted; her sex narrowly escaped detection while in hospital. After the Battle of Blenheim she was sent to guard prisoners, and met with her husband, who was embracing a Dutch woman. She made herself known to him, and the recognition may be more easily imagined than described; his faults were all overlooked, but she resolved to pass as his brother until the war was over, and left him, after giving him a piece of gold. “The pretty Dragoon,” for so she was called, next gained the affections of a young Dutch girl. She was wounded again at Ramillies, and, although she suffered much, yet the discovery of her sex was a greater grief to her. The surprising news spread far and near, and Lord J. Hay declared she should want for nothing. Brigadier Preston made her a present of a handsome silk gown, and the officers all contributed what was necessary to furnish her with proper costume, and she was dismissed the service with a handsome compliment. His lordship hoped she would not continue her cruelty to her husband now she no longer passed under a disguise; there was a new marriage, all the officers being invited, the old practice of throwing the slipper not being forgotten, and a kiss being given to the bride by all on taking leave. She was very useful to the Army as a suttler, and in obtaining information.Whilst at Comtray she won a race with her mare, on which she carried provisions, with Captain Montgomery of the Grenadiers. The officers bet heavily upon her; they both went to the place chosen to run upon, and starting at the beat of the drum, the Captain suffered her to keep pace with him for some time, but all at once she made a furious push at him, flung man and horse into a ditch, and thus won the race; the general and all the officers laughed heartily at her stratagem, except the Captain who had been in the ditch. Many other adventures are related about this singular woman. Her husband was killed at the Battle of Malplaquet, and she found his body and buried it; her grief was great, but she married H. Jones, a Grenadier, about seven weeks afterwards. Her second husband was killed at St. Vincent, and she covered him with her clothes. After the peace she presented a petition to Queen Anne, who said it would be her care to provide for her, and if she was delivered of a boy, she would give him a commission as soon as born. The child proved to be a girl, much to the mother’s vexation; and her Majesty ordered £50 to be given her to defray expenses. Her third husband was a soldier named Davis, who had served with her. At the time of his marriage he was in the Welsh Fusiliers. The Queen had ordered one shilling a day for Mrs. Davis, which the Lord Treasurer reduced to 5d.; but a friend took the matter up, and the King ordered one shilling as originally intended. This heroine marched in the funeral procession of the Duke of Marlborough, as she says, “with a heavy heart and streaming eyes.” She died on the 7th July, 1739, and was interred, with military honours, in the burying-ground belonging to Chelsea Hospital.
A similar instance of a female soldier is recorded on a tombstone in the parish Church of St. Nicholas, Brighton, the singular inscription being as follows:—
In memory ofPhebe Hessel,Who was born at Stepney in the year 1713.She served for many yearsAs a Private Soldier in the 5th Regiment of Foot,In different parts of Europe,And in the year 1745 fought under the CommandOf the Duke of Cumberland,At the Battle of Fontenoy,Where she received a Bayonet Wound in the Arm.Her long life, which commenced in the time ofQueen Anne,Extended to the reign ofGeorge IV.,By whose munificence she received comfortAnd support in her latter years.She died at Brighton, where she long resided,December 12th, 1821, aged 108 years.
George the IV. allowed this veteran a pension of half-a-guinea a week, which she enjoyed for many years.
Curious Modes of Recruiting in the “Good Old Days”—Pig Killing—The Late Duke of Kent—Examples of Brevity—Act of Self-devotion—The Piper of the 74th Highlanders at Badajoz—It is better to Leave “Well” Alone—Hard up! Hard Up!—Remarkable Wounds and Hairbreadth Escapes—Introduction of Bayonets into our Army, and the Use our People have made of them since 1672, up to the late go-in in Egypt, at Tel-el-Kebir—Desperate Defence of Colours—Heroic Stands by Small Armies against overwhelming Odds—The 52nd Regiment—The Old Suffolk Regiments, second to none—England not a Military Nation?
Curious Modes of Recruiting in the “Good Old Days”—Pig Killing—The Late Duke of Kent—Examples of Brevity—Act of Self-devotion—The Piper of the 74th Highlanders at Badajoz—It is better to Leave “Well” Alone—Hard up! Hard Up!—Remarkable Wounds and Hairbreadth Escapes—Introduction of Bayonets into our Army, and the Use our People have made of them since 1672, up to the late go-in in Egypt, at Tel-el-Kebir—Desperate Defence of Colours—Heroic Stands by Small Armies against overwhelming Odds—The 52nd Regiment—The Old Suffolk Regiments, second to none—England not a Military Nation?
RECRUITING IN THE “GOOD OLD DAYS.”
When Queen Elizabeth resolved to assist Henry IV., of France, in raising the siege of Calais, besieged in 1596 by the Spaniards, under Cardinal Albert, Archduke of Austria, she commanded some levies to be raised in England for this purpose, and the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London having received a message from the Court commanding them to raise 1,000 men immediately for the relief of Calais, proceeded on Easter Sunday, 1596, to the several Churches, with their constables, fastened all the doors, and selected from the congregation the number of men required; they were immediately equipped and sent to Dover, and from thence to France. So much for the good old days of Queen Bess!
An Act was passed during the early part of Queen Anne’s reign, authorising Justices of the Peace to apprehend all such persons as had no apparent meansof subsistence, and deliver them to the military, on being paid the levy-money allowed for passing recruits. This remarkable Act was revived by George II.
The following is extracted fromLoyd’s Evening Post, published in 1759, and it shows how crime might be condoned by entering the army:—
“Norwich, 4th August.—On Thursday last was committed to the Castle by R. Brown, Esq., John Ludkins or Adkins, being charged on oath of Elizabeth, the wife of W. Williams, victualler of Weybourn, in Norfolk, with robbing her of 30s. He was committed a few weeks since to the City gaol, for defrauding Mr. Thurby of £10, but made his escape out of prison. He was afterwards re-taken, and on condition that he enlisted for a soldier, which he accordingly did, prosecution against him was to stop. He enlisted into the 56th Foot, and afterwards deserted.” We are happy to know that such good-for-nothing scamps would not now be admitted into our service.
PIG KILLING.
Officers and men, during the Peninsular War, had a good eye for young pork, and were not at all particular about knocking over a young grunter. Complaints were brought to the late Duke of Wellington, but His Grace’s larder not being short, and not having much compassion for those that were marching night and day, often with nothing to eat, he issued the following Order:—
“G.O. No. 1. Officers and Soldiers are again positively prohibited from pig-shooting. Anyone found disobeying this Order shall be shot.”
“G.O. No. 1. Officers and Soldiers are again positively prohibited from pig-shooting. Anyone found disobeying this Order shall be shot.”
A far different kind of pig-killing is narrated in the following truthful incident, which occurred during the War of American Independence, in 1779. This war inAmerica was rather a species of hunting than a regular campaign. Washington understood it, for he told his men frequently that if they fought with Art they would be sure to be defeated, for they had no discipline and no uniformity. The Americans had incorporated Indians into their ranks, who were very useful to them; they sallied out of their impenetrable forests or jungles, and, with their arrows and tomahawks, committed daily waste on the British. A Regiment of Foot was at this time stationed on the border of a vast forest, and its particular duty was to guard every avenue of approach to the main body. Sentinels were posted pretty thick to keep a sharp look-out upon the different outlets. But these sentinels were continually being surprised upon their posts and borne off, without communicating any alarm to the next sentinel or being heard of after. Not a trace was left as to how they had disappeared; though on one or two occasions a few drops of blood had appeared upon the leaves. Many imputed this unaccountable disappearance to treachery, others to desertion, but it was a mystery to all.
One morning, after they had taken extra precautions, they went to relieve the post, and found both sentinels gone; the surprise was great; they left another man and departed, wishing him better luck. “You need not be afraid,” said the good man, “I shall not desert.” In due course the relief returned, and, to their astonishment, this man was also gone; they searched round the spot, but no traces could be found. It was necessary that the post should be held, and they left another double sentry, and when they came to relieve them, behold, they were both gone. The superstition of the men was awakened; brave men had been lost whose courage and honesty had never been suspected, and the poor fellows whose turn next came to take the post trembled from head to foot. “I know I must do my duty,” one said to his officer, “but I should like to losemy life with more credit.” A man immediately stepped from the ranks and desired to take the post. Every one commended his resolution. “I will not be taken alive,” said he, “and you shall hear of me on the least alarm; at all events, I will fire my piece if I hear the least noise; you may be alarmed when nothing is the matter, but you must take your chance about that.” The Colonel applauded his courage, and told him he would be quite right to fire. His comrades shook hands with him and then marched back to the guard house. An hour had elapsed, and no discharge of musket, when, upon a sudden, the report was heard. The Guard immediately (accompanied by the Colonel) advanced. As they approached the post, they saw the man advancing towards them, dragging another man by the hair of his head. An explanation was required. “I told your honour,” said the man, “that I should fire, if I heard the least noise.” I had not been long on my post, when I heard a rustling at some short distance; I looked and saw an American hog, such as are common in the woods, crawling along the ground, and seemingly looking for nuts under the trees. As these animals are so common, I ceased to consider it for some time, but being in constant alarm I kept my eye upon it, and it gradually kept getting closer to my post. My comrades, thought I, will laugh at me for shooting a pig. I had almost made up my mind to let it alone, just then I observed it give an unusual spring; I no longer hesitated, but took my aim and discharged my piece, and the animal was stretched before me with a groan, which I knew at once to be that of a human creature. I went up to it, and, to my astonishment, found I had killed an Indian. He had enveloped himself in the skin of one of these wild hogs, his hands and feet being entirely concealed in it. He was armed with a dagger and tomahawk. The other animals disappeared as fast as possible, for there were a number of them all around me. We could now account forour sentinels disappearing; the Indians must have got close up to the men, and, at an unguarded moment, sprung upon them, stabbed or scalped them, and borne their bodies away. The Americans, we learnt, gave them a reward for every scalp of a Britisher.
H.R.H. THE LATE DUKE OF KENT LEADING STORMERS AT MARTINIQUE.
It was a Brigade of Grenadiers, composed of the following Regiments, 7th R.F., 8th, 13th, 15th, 23rd, 25th, and Flank Companies of the 60th, 63rd, and 90th Regiments, that Her Most Gracious Majesty’s father, then Duke of Kent, when about to storm Martinique, placed himself in front of and thus addressed—“Grenadiers, this is St. Patrick’s Day, the English will do their duty in compliment to the Irish, and the Irish in compliment to the Saint—forward Grenadiers.” The Duke’s aides-de-camp both fell in the storm, and so did Martinique; and for many years, the capture of Martinique was commemorated by a dinner at the United Service Club, on each succeeding St. Patrick’s Day.
EXAMPLES OF BREVITY.
General Sir R. Boyd was remarkable for the brevity of his despatches. Whilst Governor of Gibraltar, he wrote an order to his Agent, Mr. Browne, in England, for his own private stores in three words, namely—“Browne, beef, Boyd,” and the reply which accompanied the stores, was equally good—“Boyd, beef, Browne.”
Sir C. Napier, the conqueror of Scinde, sent the following despatch home to Government, “I have Scinde;” he was requested to hold his own, but to “sin” no more.
ACT OF SELF-DEVOTION.
During the War with America, in 1781, Corporal O’Lavery, of the 17th Light Dragoons, was sent with the bearer of a despatch to Lord Rawdon. On their way they were attacked and both severely wounded. The bearer died on the road, and the corporal, taking the paper, rode on until he fell from his horse from loss of blood. In order to conceal the important secret contained in the despatch, should he be taken by the enemy, he thrust the paper into his wound, which, although not mortal in itself, proved so by this act. When found on the following day, sufficient life was left in him to point to the fatal depository of the secret. He was a native of the county Down, where a monument records his fame, and the gratitude of his commander, Lord Rawdon:—
Nor shall the men of humble lot,Brave O’Lavery and Smith, be forgot.In life and death to honour just,Neither resigned their sacred trust.Such bright examples should be told,Of hearts of more than mortal mould,The youth in rank and martial station,They form the bulwark of the nation.
Nor shall the men of humble lot,Brave O’Lavery and Smith, be forgot.In life and death to honour just,Neither resigned their sacred trust.Such bright examples should be told,Of hearts of more than mortal mould,The youth in rank and martial station,They form the bulwark of the nation.
BADAJOZ AND THE PIPER OF THE 74th.
At the Siege of Badajoz, in April, 1812, when the final attack was made on the night of the 6th April,amongst the foremost in the escalade was John McLauchlan, the Piper of the 74th, who, the instant he mounted the Castle wall, began playing the regimental quick step, “The Campbells are coming,” at the head of the advance along the ramparts, as coolly as if he was on parade, until his music was stopped by a shot through the bag of his pipes. He was afterwards seen seated on a gun carriage, quietly repairing the damage, perfectly unconcerned about the shots flying around him, and presently recommenced his animating tune. The poor piper was afterwards cut in two by a cannon shot at the battle of Vittoria, 21st June in the following year, whilst playing his charming music in rear of the colours of his Regiment.
IT’S BETTER TO LEAVE “WELL” ALONE.
The Governor of Gibraltar, during the siege by the French and Spanish in 1781, was surprised to see certain of the soldiers constantly intoxicated, although the sale of spirituous liquors was strictly prohibited. It was at length remarked that the men were desirous to obtain water from one particular well in the Medical garden, and considering that there must be a reason for the preference, it was resolved to examine it, when the water was found to be strongly impregnated with rum. This circumstance was accounted for by the fact that the Governor had received a quantity of rum, and for its greater security, and to keep it from the knowledge of the soldiers, had it buried near the well mentioned, close to which a shell had exploded; this, tearing up the earth, and bursting the casks, caused the spirit to flow into the well. Another amusing anecdote of a well has been preserved. During the Peninsular War, certain officers at the Mess table were observed to decline the soup, which made the Generalat the head of the table anxious to ascertain the cause, whereupon it was mentioned that a French soldier had been discovered that morning in the well from which the water had been obtained, in a state of decomposition. This did not spoil the General’s appetite, for it is said that he immediately asked for another basin of soup, at the same time remarking that “it would have been much better, and taste the sweeter, if the whole French army, with Napoleon, had been in it.”
“HARD UP, HARD UP, THE DAYS WHEN WE WERE HARD UP.”
During one part of the Peninsular War our people were so hard up for shot that they had to, and did, collect all the French shot that was fired at us, and thus paid the enemy back in their own coin. A letter from the Duke of Wellington to some of his friends at home thus referred to it:—