The American Sharpe Page 5
14th Through Alcaceres [Alcains?] to Lardosa where we dined and after dining went on to Alpedrinha, when I passed through this place on our way to Badajoz I thought the situation beautiful, but it is now that the trees are in full leaf, doubly so.
15th Wishing for variety sake to halt in towns we had not been in before and having heard that Covilha was a good town, Leach and myself set off this day for that place. Alpedrinha is situated on the side of a sierra which is a branch of the Sierra de Gata, the road from it to Covilha is very beautiful especially that part which runs over the sierra. It is thickly wooded with principally chestnut trees, also wild cherry and other trees. We passed through a [straggling?] village12 of which I forget the name about half way down the sierra on the other side and Fundao, a good town, at the bottom of it. We halted and dined at an uninhabited quinta about 3 leagues from Alpedrinha and after dinner went on the Covilha, we got an excellent billet on a house outside the walls of the town.
On this day but unknown to James he became a First Lieutenant in the 95th Rifles vice Croudace,13 killed in action.14
16th We halted all this day in this place. Covilha is situated on the side of the Sierra d’Estrella, its situation is exceedingly beautiful, the entrance to it particularly so. It has formerly [been] a fortified town, it has still a wall all round it and the remains of an old castle in the highest part of it. But there are a great many houses outside the walls inhabited principally by Jews (for this place is noted for abounding in Jews) and which are far the best houses. Covilha is renowned for its cloth manufactories, inside the town are many good shops well supplied with everything. The country about it is exceedingly beautiful and it is by far the nicest place I have seen in Portugal.
The Portuguese tell some curious stories about a lake situated on the top of the Sierra d’Estrella which in the 1st place, they say is bottomless and communicates with the sea, and which has the power to turn wine into vinegar almost immediately. The French were in this place for two days when they entered the country during the siege of Badajoz.
17th We passed through Caria this day to Sortelha an old Moorish fortress. I thought when we passed through this place in February last, that it was a very nice place but the houses are very poor and all the country about is miserably barren. Its situation and appearance are notwithstanding very romantic, there are one or two pretty good quintas outside of the town, in one of which we were billeted.
18th Went on this day to Sabugal, but it being a poor place and much crowded, as soon as we drew our rations we went on to Vila Boa about a league further15. There are a great number of beggars in all these villages, reduced to this state I suppose by the last invasion of the French during the absence of the army from this part of the country while employed at Badajoz.
19th Through Nave and the outside of Aldea da Ponte to [La] Albergueria which is in Spain, we dined here and went on in the evening to Fuenteguinaldo16. This is not the direct road, but it being an old quarter of ours, we made this detour to see some old friends. From various circumstances and for various reasons I felt a sort of melancholy pleasure on entering this place again that I shall never forget.
20th We dined here and after dinner went on to El Bodon.
21st Went to Ciudad Rodrigo, drew rations and went on to Sancti Espiritus. Overtook Grey & Travers17 here also Duncan Stewart18 who is marching a detachment. The breaches of Rodrigo are not half finished nor the forts either. The inhabitants are the sulkiest, most uncivil set I ever saw. Although it is six months since the siege I saw unburied human skulls and bones lying in the streets contiguous to the breaches. Catillejo de [blank - Yeltes].
22nd To [Huebra?] 3 leagues where we dined and went on in the evening to Castro [Enriquez], the road hitherto from Rodrigo has been woody but as we drew near Castro the country became one open corn country.
23rd To a village called Calzada de Don Diego where we dined and in which we overtook Worsley and Wilkinson of the 43rd19 and after dinner went on to La Rad20, a place consisting of 3 houses, we passed through fine corn country this day, saw a great many peasants ploughing and there is throughout this part of the country every appearance of industry and tranquillity.
24th Went on to a wood about a league from Salamanca where we found the baggage and commissariats of some of the divisions, we here learnt that the French have fortified a convent in Salamanca in which they have left a garrison and some sick, that the 6th Division were in the town besieging this fort,21 that the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th & Light Divisions are in position in front of the town and that Marmont’s army are close to them. We also heard that the 6th Division made an attack on the fort last night and were repulsed with loss. After drawing rations here we crossed the Tormes and went to a quinta on the bank of the river where we dined. At the ford we met the baggage of our division going to the rear. After dinner we sent our baggage to join that of the division, keeping our riding horses and boat cloaks and set off to join the division. We went into Salamanca which is a very fine town, the square and cathedral are beautiful. After staying in the town about half an hour we set off to join the division. We found the army in position on a range of heights called St Cristobal [de la Cuesta]. The 2nd Brigade of the Light Division to which our battalion belongs is detached in front to the village of Aldealengua close to the river. The division is now commanded by Major General Charles Baron Alten22, an officer of the German Legion. The right brigade by Lt. Colonel Barnard & the left by Major General Vandeleur who joined as the division marched through Portalegre on its march from Badajoz.
Chapter 6
Salamanca
James returned to his battalion to find it forming the advance guard of the army covering the city of Salamanca. Marshal Marmont sought to manoeuvre Wellington out of his chosen defensive position, whilst the Duke remained determined to capture the three fortified convents which the French still maintained within the city.
25th The division as is usual on these occasions gets under arms an hour before daybreak. There is an hill near where our brigade is which commands a view of the enemies camp. There is an officer on duty there for an hour at a time with a prospect glass to observe their motions, I was on duty there today. The baggage came up today.
26th Rain. We were last night in consequence of a false alarm given, that our picquets were attacked, obliged to get under arms in the middle of the night.
The forts surrendered and Marmont retired.
27th The convent was set on fire this day by red hot balls being fired into it, whereupon the garrison surrendered. I remarked both yesterday and today that many cannon were fired by the enemy, which as no part of the army were engaged must have been signals to the garrison.
28th The enemy retired last night, we marched this day at about 12 o’clock to Castellanos de Moriscos, a village close in front of the position we had occupied and in which the 7th Division were one day engaged with the enemy, I saw several dead bodies on the road. The other brigade at a village close by called Moriscos. There is a grand ball given to the army this night at Salamanca.
29th Marched to Parada [de] Rubiales about 3 leagues and bivouacked in a wood near the town. There are very curious wine cellars on the outside of this place. It is said that the enemy are retiring in three columns by different roads and that we are following them in the same manner. It was in General Orders when the army broke up from its cantonments on the other side of the Agueda [note by Gairdner – which was on the 11th of this month] that the Light Division & the 1st German Hussars form the advanced guard of the army.
30th Marched to Castrillo [de la Guarena] and bivouacked near the town, we have no cover as in our last bivouack and the [weather] is excessively hot.
July
1st Marched through Alaejos (a good looking town with the remains of an old castle) to La Nava del Rey. The enthusiasm of the people in these two towns surpasses everything I have seen before in the country, the towns themselves are also far superior to what I have hitherto seen in Spain, the enemy passed th
rough there this morning and in La Nava del Rey they ordered 30,000 rations of wine to be produced in the market place at a certain hour, which was nearly arrived when our advanced guard of cavalry appeared in the town and they made off without their wine. I am very unwell with the dysentery. We with the cavalry and General Pack’s Brigade occupied the town. Our company on inlying picquet in the market place, our company’s mess disposes itself here, Lister1 and myself mess together now.
2nd To Rueda when we arrived near the town, we halted and remained there for a long time, at last we marched close to the town where the men bivouacked, the officers got into houses. The enemy are at Tordesillas which is on the other side of the Douro2 and is about two leagues from this.
3rd Marched to some hills opposite Tordesillas and in sight of it, where we halted in contiguous columns of brigades the whole of the day. Observed a cannonading a considerable way to our left which I understand was occasioned [by] some part of the army attempting to force the river in that part and I suppose we were brought up to the ground we occupied the whole of this day to be a check on those of the enemy at Tordesillas, for we could see them very plainly bivouacked on the outside of the town. Towards evening we marched back to our old ground near Rueda and I got into the house I occupied yesterday. There are here besides ourselves, General Pack’s Brigade head quarters, the 14th Light Dragoons & the 1st Hussars K.G.L. and some artillery.
The 2nd Hussars, the 11th, 12th & 16th Light Dragoons are at La Seca about a league from here.3
4th My dysentery still continuing I took some physic [medicine] today. There is an order for one officer per company to lie out with the regiment.
5th – 8th Blank
9th There is an order given out this day, that the Light Division and Pack’s Brigade may come into the town to cook but remain no longer than necessary.
10th Blank
11th The division orders of this day say that the troops need not be under arms at day break and that the baggage need not be sent away at night.
12th Our company for inlying picquets this evening.
13th – 14th Blank
15th It being the turn of our brigade to lie out on the left of the road to Tordesillas yesterday evening, when we were relieved on picquet we joined the brigade and lay out with them. Got under arms before day break, the 1st Brigade, Pack’s Brigade, the 14th Light Dragoons, 1st German Hussars and head quarters moved from here this afternoon. The 2nd Hussars, 11th, 12th & 16th Dragoons moved from La Seca here. It is reported that General Bonnet joined the Army of Portugal on the 8th and that they have made a movement to our left towards Toro & Zamora. The houses occupied by the 1st Brigade were consequently given up to our brigade, we will occupy them tomorrow morning. Sir S. Cotton and staff are here.
News arrived that Marmont had reinforced his army and was now on the advance once again. Marmont however did not seek to take Wellington on directly, but to manoeuvre onto his line of communications, forcing him to retire. This led to days a manoeuvring at very close range across the plains around Salamanca.
16th We lay last night on our original ground outside the town. Got under arms this morning before daybreak and at about 7 o’clock marched into the town & occupied the quarters of the 1st Brigade. I joined Leach’s company’s mess this day. Formed as usual on the old ground at 6 o’clock in the evening, but instead of laying out we were allowed to sleep in quarters but ordered to assemble on the ground before day break. About 9 o’clock there was an order given for the brigade to assemble right in front immediately on the road to Tordesillas, baggage on the reverse flank of the column. Commenced marched at about 10 o’clock, marched all night and halted at about 7 o’clock near a village called Castrejon [de Trabancos], found the 1st Brigade of our division, Pack’s Division & the 4th Division here.
17th Remained here all day, baggage sent to the rear in the evening to Torecilla de la Orden.
Threatened by the numerous French cavalry, Wellington ordered his army to retire in columns or squares to avoid being overrun by them.
18th Soon after day break the enemy’s cavalry commenced skirmishing with ours, the village of Castrejon is situated under a ridge of heights between the ground we occupied and the heights. Our 1st Brigade was sent [to] occupy the heights. I observed a great many infantry crossing a marshy plain in our front and moving to turn our left in a straggling irregular manner, who when they had crossed the plain, formed regularly. Soon after this a very strong force of cavalry and some infantry advanced on our left, some charges then took place between these cavalry & ours, they then brought some horse artillery to our left and commenced cannonading our columns. Lord Wellington rode up and desired us to retire.
We retired accordingly to some heights in front of a village called Canizal, the enemy moved along some heights in a parallel line with us, the whole way cannonading us at intervals but without doing any harm. They took up their position on a ridge of heights opposite those we occupy, there is a small river between us. When we took up this position the enemy wished to possess themselves of part of the ground occupied by the 4th Division. The 40th & 27th charged and defeated them, there was a French general officer taken on this occasion.4 The day is excessively hot and we are badly off for water. At night we moved about five hundred yards to the rear of the ground we at first halted on. Three companies of the 1st Battalion of which ours is one are sent on in front a little way. 2 companies of the 2nd Battalion lately arrived from England joined the division on the march from Castrejon to this position.
The weather was so very hot today and water so scarce that a great number of men, particularly Portuguese, died of fatigue and heat.
Rifleman Edward Costello records an incident involving James Gairdner. ‘Pratt, a fine, young fellow of the 14th Dragoons and a townsman of mine, brought in a French dragoon on his horse. The poor Frenchman, who had lost his helmet and had a severe cut on his cheek, seemed exceedingly chop-fallen, but declared with much vehemence that the Englishman could not have taken him had he possessed a better horse. Lieutenant Gardiner5 of our company who spoke excellent French, repeated this to Pratt.
“Then by Jasus, sir,” Pratt answered, “tell him if he had the best horse in France, I would bring him prisoner – if he stood to fight me.”
The words caused roars of laughter from all but the prisoner who, patting the goaded and smoking steed exclaimed affectionately, “My poor beast has not had his saddle off for the last week.”
And such appeared to be the case because, before the house was sold, the saddle was removed and part of the flesh that had become a sore, came away with the saddle-cloth. In this condition, the animal was sold to Lt. Gardiner for five dollars.’
19th We remained quiet all the morning, we were making batteries in different places. I saw a body of the enemy apparently about 1,000 men moving to our right. About 3 o’clock in the afternoon the enemy got under arms and commenced moving to our right, we moved also, our division occupied a hill to our right and in front of our original position. The enemy were in force on a hill near us with a small valley between. As soon as we advanced to the brow of our hill they commenced shelling and cannonading us, which our artillery not being heavy enough to return, the division retired immediately leaving some men in extended order on the brow of the hill.
Because of their losses, the battalion was reduced from eight companies to six and James joined Captain Leach’s company along with Private Costello when the brigade remained at Getafe for three months.
20th Got under arms before day break. Soon after day break saw the enemy moving to our right. We soon after commenced moving in the same direction. Soon after the commencement of the march we entered a fine wood and saw nothing more of the enemy this day, they were however moving in a parallel line to our left and we heard cannonading in that quarter. In the afternoon we halted for a short time near a village where the following arrangements took place in the 1st Battalion. The 8 companies being ordered into 6, Mc Dermid’s6 & Smyth’s7, the c
ompany I belonged to were broken up. Leach’s company (to which I am now attached) Greys’ & Stewarts’ are attached (with head quarters of the battalion) to the 1st Brigade, the other 3 companies viz Balvaird’s, Crompton’s8 & Beckwith’s remain in the 2nd Brigade. After halting for about an hour here we moved onto another village about a league further on near which we bivouacked. The whole army are here.
21st The army began to move off by divisions last night at 9 o’clock. Our division moved off the last at about 3 o’clock this morning. We arrived at and halted outside of the village of Moriscos (the village the 1st Brigade occupied on the 28th of June when we broke up from the position of St Cristobal) at about 12 o’clock. Weather very hot. At about 5 o’clock in the evening we marched again and crossed the Tormes at a ford near the village of Cabrerizos, halted on the opposite bank, for about 2 hours it commenced raining. Marched on then about a league to some ground where some other divisions were bivouacked, we halted here for the night.
Wellington’s stunning victory over Marmont began with the Duke spotting that the French army was strung out too much on their line of march and vulnerable to be defeated in detail. This is exactly what Wellington succeeded in doing. But the memoirs of the 95th are largely silent about this great victory, because they were hardly involved in this action.
22nd It rained very hard last night with a great deal of lightning and some thunder. Heard a good deal of firing in our front all the morning, at about 11 o’clock we were moved forward and understood then that Lord Wellington had determined to attack the enemy. The attack began about midday, those of our regiment in this brigade viz our three companies and the 5 companies of the 3rd Battalion were detached on the left of the position to watch a part of the enemy [note by Gairdner – General Foy’s Division] that were on a hill opposite to us. Our division was not engaged until the close of the action and then very little. Neither was the 1st Division engaged, those engaged were the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and part of the 7th. The action lasted until dark and the defeat of the enemy was most decisive. We followed them this night to a village nearly opposite to Aldealengua. Marmont has been wounded.