The American Sharpe Read online

  After the debacle of the previous year, no one was looking forward to besieging Burgos castle again. But to everyone’s surprise the French set off a huge mine underneath the walls, reducing much of the castle to rubble and raining huge chunks of masonry on the city below and the French troops as they marched away. For the British troops, there was no better sight.

  13th We heard an explosion this morning at about 6 o’clock and as it has been reported among the peasantry that Burgos would be blown up, I hope it is done. Received orders to be ready to march at 8 but not to pack baggage or fall in till ordered. Marched at about 9 a mile in front of the village and halted. Lord Wellington came in from the front, Burgos is entirely destroyed by the explosion heard this morning. Marched through Isar & Villanueva de Argano to Tobar, about 4 leagues, the whole road through the above mentioned valley. I was told today by one of the German Hussars that the business of yesterday was on the part of the enemy. The[re] was a complete scene of confusion that Lord Wellington [who] was making a reconnaissance & stumbled on them unexpectedly & that he says himself if he had brought us down to the bridge they must all have been taken. Graham has been all this time moving direct on the Ebro.

  14th Marched this morning (after having been delayed a long time by Ponsonby’s Brigade of cavalry) right in front. Got out of the valley, at the commencement of the march into the most miserable a country I have seen in Spain, rocky, hilly and entirely uncultivated, passed the villages of Ruyales de Paramo, Huermeces & Quintanilla Sobresierra, to a wood near Quintanapalla, a very long march, the morning was bitter cold, and the day very hot.

  15th Marched at the usual hour, left in front, through the same miserable barren country & crossed the Ebro at Puente Arenas near which we bivouacked. The bed of the river is very far below the level of the country through which we have been marching, consequently the pass down to the river is very steep, it is the most formidable (with the exception of Barba del Puerco) I ever saw. The valley through which the river runs, which opens to the view in descending the pass now was the most beautiful I ever saw. It is abundantly plentiful in fruit, corn, vegetables & everything & is such a contrast to the barren mountains & precipice which surround it, for there are most terrible heights on both banks of the river, that it is the most heavenly spot I ever saw. There is a great quantity of fresh butter selling hereabouts, every species of provision is very cheap here, our mess bough[t] 7 loaves of bread for 4 vintems & 3 Quartos each. An officer of the 2nd Battalion told me he bought 3 sheep & a 4 pound loaf of bread for 2 dollars.

  16th Marched this morning at ½ past 3 o’clock right in front, left of battalion leading through Bisjueces & Aldea de Medina to the neighbourhood of Medina [de Pomar] where we encamped on the left bank of the River Nela. Crossed another river, the Trueba before coming to Medina by a bridge of old appearance with a gateway at each end. The pass up the heights on this bank of the river is most beautifully grand, it runs for some way along the bank of the river, the mountains through which it winds are thickly wooded and every hundred yards presents a fresh view of the most majestic nature. On ascending a fine little valley opened to view in which the 5th Division were encamped and finally on reaching the top a beautifully rich & extensive plain is seen, surrounded by mountains & plentifully wooded. In this valley is situated Medina, the fields in this valley are surrounded by hedges and ditches & it more resembles England than any part of Spain I ever saw. But the best ensemble of the scene that surpasses any part of England I know, is this valley being surrounded by beautiful mountains. There is near Medina a large convent called Santa Clara. There is a bridge of 6 arches over the Nela.

  17th Marched left in front at 6 o’clock this morning through La Cerca to the neighbourhood of Rio de Losa & encamped in heights above it. The country through which we passed very mountainous and at the same time exceedingly beautiful, particularly the latter part, the mountains in this part of the country are all plentifully wooded and the vallies [sic] richly cultivated. Towards the latter end of the march there was a great deal of pine wood among the mountains and what I never observed in Spain before, fine beech trees. I also some [sic saw?] as fine English oaks as ever I saw in England.

  Chapter 10

  San Millan

  As Wellington’s troops marched inexorably towards Vitoria, the French troops hastily retired. Occasionally units of each side literally bumped into each other as their paths criss-crossed through the hills. One such incident centred around the village of San Millan. Here the lead brigade of Maucune’s division was discovered resting and was instantly attacked very ferociously by Vandeleur’s Brigade. As the French were reeling under the close pursuit of the 52nd Foot, the second brigade accidentally emerged from a narrow defile in rear of the 52nd but was quickly forced to retire by the 95th who were following up.

  The 52nd now turned round and charged back whilst the 95th continued to press on their rear. Maucune’s 2nd Brigade finding itself assailed from both front and rear, broke and fled into the surrounding hills. This tactic worked, indeed all but about 300 Frenchmen escaped capture and the 2nd Brigade reformed when the men met Reille’s troops in a neighbouring valley.

  18th Received orders to march this morning at 4 o’clock with a squadron & an half of hussars in front of the 1st Battalion 95th Regiment which is to form the advanced guard. The 1st Battalion is to be, I hear, at Villanueva [de Valdegovia], one league in front of the rest of the division which is to be at San Millan [de Zadornil]. We are to take with us our mule & the tent mule for a company, the rest is to be left at San Millan. Marched accordingly through El Boveda and nearby Tobillas (the country hereabouts is still more beautiful than anything I have hitherto seen. I can scarcely conceive a landscape more heavenly than that in which Tobillas is situated. It puts me in mind, even the village itself, of pictures of Italian scenery).

  On coming near San Millan we halted and soon after heard shots firing, and soon after several hussars came in with some of the 3rd French Hussars prisoners, there were several wounded on both sides.1 Soon after [we] understood that there were two regiments of cavalry & some infantry in San Millan, our battalion was ordered to go on, supported by the 3rd and attack them if these regiments proved to be part of a division of 2 brigades (Maucune our Salamanca & Burgos friend) & these regiments in the village were the head of the division, consequently the other brigades were (as their line of march joined ours at St Millan) in our rear. St Millan is in a valley or ravine through which a small river, the Omecillo, the road runs along the valley through Gurendes & Villanueva.

  According to the orders we received part of the regiments moved down direct on the village in skirmishing order, while the rest moved along the hills at the foot of which winds the road, to turn the village and at the same time command their flank as the[y] retired along the road. This movement made them quit the village and they retired as fast as they could go through the above villages (& we after them still keeping [to] the heights as far as Villanueva where we were ordered to halt) leaving the other brigade to shift for themselves, which brigade we saw a league in our rear just as we formed up & all the rest of the division were on the road to cut off their retreat, they seeing this, fled away into the mountains on their right, leaving all their baggage which fell into our hands. General Pignolé who commanded the brigade we attacked & his aide de camp are killed, the number of killed, wounded & prisoners I do not know. We have not lost many, we have only one officer wounded & he is the only one in the division. Our battalion as I said above, formed up in rear of Villanueva & our company was sent on there as a picquet to look out. We saw the enemy formed up on a field by the road side at 2 miles in our front & while we were there we saw them attacked2 & retire shortly after we moved on & then returned again to Villanueva where the division encamped. Rained a little.

  19th Marched this morning left in front through Villanane, Villamaderne, Tuesta (from which we saw on our right Espejo a good looking village) & Salinas de Anana [or Anana Gesaltza] a good village wh
ere there are an impressive number of salt pans. (The houses in these villages are of a better appearance than any village houses I have seen in Spain, they are generally built 3 or 4 stories high). About 2 miles after passing through the last village we halted for some time, soon after moved on a little, the 4th Division were all this time engaged at a pass near, some of the cacadores of our division were sent up a mountain above it & killed a great number. Encamped on this ground, very rainy.

  20th Halted here all day, our company was sent to the front on picquet. The place we are in now is a valley, we are encamped at one side, close at the foot of a ridge of very high mountains, the 2nd Battalion & 1st cacadores are on the top of the mountain & to the left of the rest of the division. I rode up to their encampment today, the view from it is most beautiful, the ascent of the mountain is steep on this side but on the other side it is quite perpendicular & between it & another ridge is a narrow valley with a small river running through it. In this valley are the 4th Division encamped and through this valley the enemy retreated yesterday when the 4th Division forced the pass. About a league & ½ in front I saw Vitoria & on this side of it the enemy encamped. The view from this is very extensive, the country hereabouts it, as all this side of the Ebro is beautiful & abundant.

  Here, on the very eve of the Battle of Vitoria, the journal unfortunately ceases for some months and his actions in the great battle are completely lost3. The Battle of Vitoria occurred the very next day 21st June 1813 and the 95th played a significant part in it. The 1st Battalion led the column leaving the village of Puebla on its right and the division formed near the River Zadorra in the centre of Wellington’s battle line. As soon as Lord Hill’s troops advanced, thus opening the battle on the right wing of Wellington’s army, the Light Division moved forward also. By moving along the river a little to its left the Bridge of Tres Puentes was discovered to be fully intact and unoccupied by any French force. The Light Division crossed the river here and surreptitiously formed up on the enemy bank. When the Third Division then sought to storm a bridge a little way to its left, the Light Division advanced rapidly to support this movement and successfully opened up the way for them by driving the French skirmishers back.

  The division now came under heavy fire from French artillery placed on the heights of Arinez, but its rapid advance across the plain caused the French to retire with haste. Soon the French army was in complete rout and the division drove those in front of them past the city of Vitoria. But here it ran into the huge mass of wagons of the French train, coupled with an enormous variety of vehicles being employed to transport the treasure and other valuable goods stolen from across Spain by the French army. Although the officers attempted to maintain discipline within the division, large numbers managed to fall out of the columns to plunder these abandoned wagons. Although efforts were made to prevent such acts by the provost, many soldiers made a fortune that night. Private Costello captured a large sack of gold coins and a mule to carry it, he had at least £500 in coin, much of which he deposited to the trust of his quartermaster. Others sought out foodstuffs and wines and others fine clothing, furniture or paintings; indeed the camp fires that night were a scene of great revelry, with the men selling every treasure imaginable for a pittance, at a fraction of their real value.

  But James was not a witness to these revelries as he lay out on the plain having been struck by a musket ball presumably near the village of Arinez, which severely wounded him in his arm. The following day he would have been picked up by a wagon and transported to a hospital hastily set up in a converted church or convent. However, the wound was not serious enough to be considered necessary for an amputation, which probably means that the musket ball went through the muscle and missed the bone entirely.

  Wellington’s army was encamped along the Spanish fringes of the Pyrenees whilst the last two remaining vestiges of French troops in Spain were dealt with. The garrison of Pamplona was blockaded by the Spanish, whilst San Sebastian was subjected to a formal siege under General Sir Thomas Graham.

  Most of the army believed that the French were now finished in Spain, however Marshal Soult had other ideas. Having hastily refitted his army, Soult launched an attack through the main valleys of the Pyrenees with the joint aim of defeating Wellington’s isolated forces and relieving the garrison of Pamplona. His attack commencing on 25th July did initially catch Wellington’s troops unprepared and despite a vigorous defence of their positions at Roncesvalles and Maya, they were pushed back by overwhelming numbers. This retreat continued until Wellington was able to pull his army together to stop the French advance at Sorauren where battle was joined on 28th and again on the 30th July, Soult’s assaults were heavily defeated before the French retired in great haste.

  The Light Division’s part in these operations was limited. Having been based at Zubieta, the division performed a long forced march but only reached Sorauren on the 31st where it halted, being told to march back! After an incredible forced march back into the Pyrenees, the division did catch up with the French retreat and a thousand or so prisoners were taken, but the men were too exhausted to continue to follow the French and the rest escaped.

  We do not know how long James’ recuperation lasted before he was fit enough to rejoin his battalion in the Pyrenees. However it is certain that he was back with the battalion within a month, as he was present at Sorauren4 and he also travelled to San Sebastian in late August to view the siege operations then underway to capture this strong fortress, and was present to witness its fall by storm on 31st August 1813.

  Wellington’s army was no longer threatened by the fortresses in their rear (Pamplona being now close to starvation and its surrender inevitable), now looked to enter France itself.

  Chapter 11

  Into France

  Wellington’s army crossed the Bidassoa River near the sea, which formed the French border at this point, whilst the Light Division passed near Vera on the upper Bidassoa and drove the French from a number of redoubts in the mountains including the capture of the Great Rhune. Here James’ letters and diary resume abruptly as the advance over the Bidassoa was about to be launched.

  To Miss Gairdner

  Camp near Vera, 6 October 1813

  My dear Laura,

  I received your letter the other day for which many thanks. I am happy to hear that you have at last fixed upon an abode in Wales. I look forward to the pleasure of paying you a visit with much delight but when that will be is beyond the possibility of my calculation, my aunt said at the bottom of your letter that she would write in a few days, which letter I have been anxiously waiting for, there are however three packets from England here tomorrow for we have none later than the fifteenth and as it ought not to be longer than seven days passage to this part of the country we calculate on receiving a packet once a week, we shall I suppose have two or three in a lump one of these fine days. Your letter is I perceive dated from Ilfracombe, what brought you there? And why did you not stay at Clifton until the Welsh habitation was vacant and then make one march of it direct? We have been stationary in this position ever since the 2nd of August, and are all most heartily tired of it, for the forage is all eaten up and our animals are nearly starving, I took one trip to San Sebastian for three or four days and was lucky enough to be there when it was carried by storm and saw the whole business which was very gallantly contested on both sides. There are as is usual in camps fifty very different reports every day concerning the probable movements of the army.

  The prevailing report for the last month has been that we were to advance immediately into France, yet here we are still. The report today is that we shall attack in three days but I cannot conceive why we could not have done that just as well three weeks ago as three days hence or why if we are to advance, we have waited so long, for we have more men hereabouts (including Spaniards) than the enemy have. However time will show what is to be done. I sincerely wish we may attack them, or they attack us, anything by way of a change for I am heartily sick
of seeing the same mountains and the same river day after day; for we cannot leave the camp with comfort for a long time for fear of anything being done whilst we are away. Besides the country is so mountainous hereabouts that as our horses have very little to eat we cannot attempt to ride them. James Walker, as you know, was wounded in one of the actions that took place in consequence of Soult’s attempt to relieve Pamplona, he is at Vitoria, I had a letter from him two days ago, he has been very ill of a fever which he brought on himself in consequence of catching cold after he was wounded, but is now doing very well. Murray is quite well and is very fond of the army, my wound has healed up at last and the stiffness of the elbow is a little relaxed, I am in great hopes now that time will bring it entirely about and that it will be as well as ever. I was very sorry to see in the newspaper the death of Mrs Mallet, it must have caused very great affliction among the Gibbon family. Are the Gairdners still at Clifton and what are they about? How do the little Gairdner’s get on, young what’s his name, the eldest boy must be a good sized chap by this time, I must say Laura I think you are a very idle lazy set, you and the old lady and Miss Jane, (since she does not choose to acknowledge the other name), you write a letter of half a dozen lines once a year and think you have done wonders. I know that I am a very bad correspondent, but I have two excuses, which you have not, in the first place I am always almost on the move and in the next place there is nothing that happens here that is at all interesting to you, that you will not see in the papers long before my letters come to hand. Now any and everything that happens on the other side of the Bay of Biscay is interesting to a pack of poor devils shut up in the Pyrenees with nothing to vary the sameness of the day but military occurrences, and military conversation. As to the other two culprits they never make any attempt, I cannot believe that efforts and perseverance of our worthy friend Mr Pepys can have been so entirely thrown away that they cannot write a letter and if I am to judge by yours a very good one. As for Gordon you may tell him that if he does not commence at a very seasonable time I will give him a good licking the very first time we meet.