The American Sharpe Page 14
The next day, the 10th, Marshal Soult with the hope of compelling the right to retire from the Adour (and by the British troops occupying a bank of that river, his principal means of transport for the right of his army which was by boats down that river, was stopped) and supposing also that our left had been much weakened in order to enable our right to move on, collected 50,000 men and made a desperate attack on our left which was not however attended than with a partial and temporary success, he drove in the picquets of our division & of the 1st and 5th and followed us to the position on which we were to stand. He looked at us there for three days and retiring from our front on the night of the 12th, marched his troops to the right during the night and on the morning of the 13th made an equally desperate and more unsuccessful attack on General Hill. Finding his efforts on all points unsuccessful he retired to his old positions and General Hill is still on the Adour. Soult has since that been quiet, but his situation on the bank of such a river as the Adour and with a fortress & the sea on his right, put it in his power to manoeuvre with very little danger as he was able to weaken his right flank to strengthen his left without fear of a counter attack being made on that point; and he can also at any time collect a force and make an attack from that point.
January 1814
1st Blank
2nd On the centre inlying picquet.
3rd On the centre outlying picquet I had some conversation today with two French officers, on the picquet opposite to me to whom I gave two books containing all the bulletins (from different allied generals and from Lord Cathcart10 & Sir C Stewart11) of the last campaign.
There have been signals passed from the right, that the enemy are moving in that direction.
4th Was informed at daybreak that the division was to march to the right & that the picquets were to wait until relieved by some other division & then follow our own division. The enemy in our front did everything this morning as usual, they manned their entrenched camp and remained under arms until about 9 o’clock when they dismissed & went into the town, their conscripts were drilling just as usual. When they saw such a great number of our troops moving to the right they turned out about 400 men & piled arms in column to the left of the road. I hear that Soult yesterday attacked the 3rd Division relieved by the 85th and marched and joined the division at Ahetze. Our division marched this morning at daybreak and relieved the picquets of the 4th Division who had closed to their right. The 5th Division, Lord Aylmer’s12 Brigade, who closed to their right also relieved in the first place our picquets at Bassussarry and afterwards the picquets formerly of the 4th Division that our division retired this morning. Soon after we joined the division at Arrauntz, we were cantoned at Herauritz. It is said that the enemy has retired from the point they were threatening on our right.
5th Marched at about 10 o’clock, crossed the Nive at Ustaritz by a pontoon bridge & encamped on the right bank of it, on the ground occupied last night by the 4th Division who have marched to the right. If we move at all it is to be to Hasparren to support the 3rd Division, about 2½ leagues from this. The country about here is very beautiful, the Nive is a fine clear river, rather rapid but not deep. The enemy retired last night but have again shown a force on the right. They have it is said crossed the Joyeuse with two divisions and occupied [La] Bastide [Clairence], Lord Wellington intends to attack them, which he would have done yesterday, but they were moving a force on their extreme right.
6th Marched about a league & a half to a ground occupied last night by the 4th Division (which is on the Grande route from Bayonne to St Jean de Pied de Port, where the enemy have a garrison of 500 men) who have gone with the 3rd & 7th Division to attack the enemy on this side of the Joyeuse. Fine day.
7th Rainy. Packed up & accoutred at day break. We received an order about 9 o’clock that we were to stay here 3 hours. We are I hear to take up the cantonments lately occupied by the 4th Division. As soon as these divisions (the 3rd, 4th & 7th) made their appearance, the enemy gave up Bastide & recrossed the Joyeuse. Marched towards evening & got to our cantonments (in Arraute [Charritte]) at dark. Terrible night. The 2nd Brigade whose cantonments (the same we occupied previous to the change made on the 23rd November) are a long way off, encamped this night.
8th We have very fair quarters, we (our company) are close on the river.
9th The tide affects this river very much, there are both sea & fresh water fish caught in it.
10th – 11th Blank
12th There was a report today the 6,000 men of the enemy had come out of Bayonne today & then gone back again.
13th Blank
14th On picquet today, our brigade only gives three companies for picquet now & they are relieved daily. The 6th Division’s picquets are on our right & the 5th (our old Bassussarry picquets) on our left. There was a working party from our brigade damming up a canal in front of our picquets today, a French picquet opposite fired several shots at them which however did no damage, nor did it make them discontinue; two officers with cocked hats came up to the picquet & it was ordered to discontinue firing. Rainy.
15th Relieved this morning, rainy day. We have another month’s pay just issued, which brings us up to the 24th July.13
16th Very rainy.
17th Bad day.
18th – 19th Bad day.
20th Fair.
21st Blank
22nd On picquet, fair day. The enemy have retired from their entrenched camp & from Anglet, which is now neutral ground, fine day.
23rd Frosty cold day. It is said that Prince Schwarzenberg14 has entered France at Besancon & that he has possession of Lyons.
24th Ditto, snowy. It is said that Soult has detached 3 divisions to join Bonaparte.
25th Ditto.
The battalions of the 95th were reassigned following the return of Colonel Wade, and the 1st Brigade then marched with Wellington’s army in pursuit of Marshal Soult towards Toulouse.
26th In consequence of Colonel Wade coming out again, our battalion changes into the 2nd Brigade & the 2nd Battalion comes here. This gives the command of the 2nd Brigade to Colonel Barnard. Marched today & occupied the quarters of the 2nd Battalion at Sare a little to the right of our last cantonments at that place on the 19th November. The first has gone off. Rainy.
27th Terrible day.
28th– 31st Ditto.
February
1st Set out on command for corn today, went to Renteria where I was lucky enough to get cover for myself & party. A terrible bad day.
2nd Attempted in vain to get my corn today, went to Passages, Lord Wellington was there.
3rd Got my corn today at Passages on board of ship after a great deal of trouble & was obliged to hire boats at my own expense to bring it up to Renteria.
4th Set off today to return to the regiment. Slept at Urugne but none of the party came so far.
News of the allied advance into France now gave hope that the war was finally drawing to a close, but there was to be much hard marching and fighting before it did finally end.
5th Returned to the regiment. As I passed through St Jean de Luz, I heard that another packet had arrived this morning. The Duke d’Angouleme, nephew in law of Louis XVIII is at St Jean de Luz, the allies have entered France in great force in different points. Prince Schwarzenberg’s head quarters were by his last account at St Dizie, Bonaparte’s at Epernay. There has been some skirmishing at Vitry. Besides this army there is a Russian army under Barclay de Tolly15, Blucher has crossed the Rhine in three columns, viz. at Coblentz, Mannheim & Cassel. Besides all these armies it is said that 60,000 men will enter by Piedmont to communicate with Lord Wellington. Wittgenstein16 has crossed at Fort Louis17. Besides these are the Wurtemburgers, Bavarians, Saxons &c.
Bernadotte18 has not yet done with the Danes, he insists on their ceding Norway in lieu of Swedish Pomerania and they are to furnish 15,000 men to assist in the reduction of Hamburg. Bulow19 with a Prussian army is in Holland acting in concert with General Graham, they have had an action with
the French at Breda. It appears that the French under General of Division Decaen20 lately from Catalonia fought very well. Affairs are in this glorious fortune, Lord Wellington is very anxious to move on and nothing has prevented it but the badness of the weather. Pontoons were moving up today, also a Congreve Rocket Brigade21, I passed them on the road. This is the first fine day we have had since the 26th. The inhabitants say that this is the rainiest season they ever recollect.
6th Fine day.
7th Rainy.
8th The Congreve rockets are gone to General Hill.
9th – 10th Blank
11th I understand that all the small boats in Passages & St Jean de Luz are embargoed and that materials are collecting for the construction of a bridge over the Adour below the town.
12th There is a report of a battle having been fought between the allies & Bonaparte. General Hill has moved to the right, the 7th Division has taken up his ground. Fine weather.
13th Rainy last night, cloudy day. My patron was sowing wheat today. They strew the wheat on the ground and hough the earth over it. We had a church parade today. I heard some firing in the direction of St Jean de Pied de Port.
14th Lord Wellington went to the right today with his light luggage. Gloomy weather but no rain.
15th Blank
16th Received an order at 4 o’clock this morning to march at day break, marched through Arrauntz, Herauritz and Ustaritz where we crossed the Nive and marched through a very barren country about 16 English miles. Lord Wellington is at Saint Palais.
17th Marched at about 9 o’clock to Labastide on the Joyeuse near which we encamped. The enemy who have always kept Labastide retired from it on the first appearance of Marshal Beresford’s columns and are now on the other bank of the Gave d’Oleron where Soult himself is with 10 divisions. Labastide is a nice village, the people all completely French22 which language they all talk, even to each other. The peasants about here also all talk French, their mother tongue is the Gascon an infinitely more comprehensible lingo than the Basque, it has a good deal of French in it. The inhabitants of this country are not only civil but remarkably good natured and affable, they are very clean and the younger part of them both male & female very handsome. They live apparently to a great age. The inhabitants are very civil indeed and seem very glad that the English are advancing. How ridiculous now appear to us those doubts and fears we had held out to us of the peasantry rising in arms and the impolicy of entering France. We never have been better treated in Spain or Portugal & the further we advance we find them more glad to see us. The weather is very cold, three of our companies are in houses, I am not one of the lucky ones. The 4th Division are at Bidache on the Gave.
18th There was a good deal of firing last night. The 2nd Division had some fighting the day before yesterday before the enemy got over the river. General Pringle23 is wounded. Rode to [Quartier de] Pessarou a village about 2½ miles in front. Very cold.
New clothing arrived for the various regiments at the port of St Jean de Luz and the 1st Battalion 95th was ordered to march back to the coast to be issued with their new uniforms, all of the wagons being needed for transporting more urgent supplies for the army. Because of this the battalion missed the Battle of Orthez.
19th Snowy day. Walked to Pessarou to market. The whole division put under cover this evening received the order this evening to proceed to St Jean de Luz for clothing.
20th Marched to Ustaritz this day where we got good quarters. Snowed & was very cold.
21st Marched to Sare to the quarters we occupied on the 19th November. On the march we met the 5th Division marching to the right to cross the Nive, they got the order suddenly last night. The Spaniards are moving up to their old ground. Marshal Beresford whose head quarters were at Ustaritz moved this morning to Labastide.
22nd To St Jean de Luz where we occupied the cantonments of the Guards; there is a great talk here of Sir J. Hope, commencing the operation of crossing the Adour below the town tomorrow. There was a ball at the mayor’s house this evening to which I went, but it was very dull work. Got a very good dinner in the French style at Le Cerf hotel. I left all my baggage at Sare, Don Carlos’s division is in the old cantonments of the 1st & 5th Divisions.
Sir John Hope managed to get a battalion of the Guards across the River Adour below Bayonne and then dug in whilst attempts were made to construct a pontoon bridge to allow further units to cross and to establish a secure bridgehead.
23rd Halted all day. There is a great deal of firing in the direction of Bayonne. There is a bridge to be made below the town by the 1st Division, but there is a French frigate in the river which is what the batteries are now attempting to destroy. Frere’s Spanish Division marched through here this morning.
About 700 Guards crossed the Adour in rafts this evening at 5 o’clock without opposition. The boats to make the bridge could not get in this evening on account of the great surf & the foul wind. The enemy succeeded in towing the frigate under the works. The rockets that were fired at her did not go near her.
James does not mention it, but according to Leach, the new clothing for the battalion was finally issued on 23rd February and the following day the battalion commenced its march to rejoin the army.
24th Marched to the quarters we were in on the 21st ultimo. The Guards were attacked last night by about 1,400 of the garrison of Bayonne who came on with skirmishers in their front, but some Congreve rockets being let at them, they went off bodily. The Guards had only 3 or 4 men wounded. There are more troops crossing; the 16th Dragoons & a brigade of light artillery are over. The wind is fair for the boats to get in, and it is said that the bridge will be finished tonight. There are to be some gunboats above the bridge between it & the boom. We heard a good deal of musketry popping (most likely the Spanish & French picquets) and now and then a cannon shot.
I was on duty today to bring up stragglers of which there were a great number as almost every man in the regiment started beastly drunk.
25th Marched to Ustaritz. The boats got in yesterday evening, it is said that the frigate was nearly destroyed. Fine day, no frost.
26th Through Hasparren to La Bastide de Clairence. The division left this on Monday for St Martin two leagues off. The Gave d’Oleron it is said was crossed yesterday. The inhabitants on this side of the Pyrenees are the handsomest race of people I ever saw. Rained a little; on baggage guard.
27th Through Oregue, Beguios, Luxe [-Sumberraute] to Garris, a nice town where head quarters were same day and not at Saint Palais, a long march with hilly country & bad roads. We heard a good deal of cannonading. The inhabitants say it is in the direction of Orthez which is on the other side of the Gave de Pau where the enemy have a strong position and redoubt. The Gave d’Oleron was crossed with little loss on the 25th at Sauveterre. Near this village are the heights that the 39th Regiment24 were engaged on.
Excellent quarters. The people of the country seem more enthusiastic in favour of the Bourbons & more sick of the war & more glad to see us the further we advance, they do not however attempt outwardly to show it by greeting the troops with huzzas &c.
28th To Saint Palais about two English miles. The 79th Regiment25 was here & ordered not to leave this place until relieved by some regiment marching up from the rear. Each regiment is also to want to be relieved, we accordingly were obliged to relieve the 79th & know not how long we may be detained.
The river was crossed yesterday at Orthez where head quarters were last night & are repeated tonight at Pau. Got excellent quarters, the people hereabouts know how to live. Saint Palais is a good town situated on the Bidouze, there was a very good cattle market today.
March
1st About 60 French prisoners & two officers were marched in here last night by a party of the 74th26, they were taken at Orthez, an officer and party of our regiment are sent on with them.
The people here talk of some proclamation to be made at Pau. There is a college near this. Rather a dull place as almost all the genteel people
particularly the females have gone away.
2nd Rainy
3rd Ditto. On a working party beyond Garris to get a pontoon out of the mud. My old landlord at Garris told me that the French had left Bayonne & retired into the citadel, that when the British entered they turned the guns of the citadel on the town & the British to save it evacuated it.
I went over the ground on which the 2nd Division were engaged on the 16th ultimo. There is a beautiful view from these heights, the country hereabouts is very well cultivated, it is hilly but not mountainous and is very well wooded, there are a great many vineyards, when the country is in full leaf it must be heavenly. The wine here is very good, it has a curious tartness in it, even the oldest of it which is very pleasant, some of the white wine is exactly still champagne.
The bridge of Sauveterre [de Bearn] is carried away by the rains. The heavy German brigade of cavalry are here & at Garris. Had a dance tonight in the justice hall.
4th On guard. An order has come from head quarters for us to join the army & the commissariat is to move off with us. By all accounts there has been a severe battle at Orthez27. It is said that Bonaparte himself ordered that position to be defended. Rain.
5th Rain. The peasants here wear smock frocks like the English & look remarkably clean. Their bullocks too are all clothed.
6th No rain, cold. The bridge is to be finished today, several more prisoners have come in. the cavalry have moved today. We move tomorrow. Had a dance.