The Napoleonic Library

Eyewitness Accounts by Soldiers of Wellington's Army, 1808–1814

Ian Fletcher

• Publisher: Frontline Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781848328044
• eBook ISBN: 9781473884793
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 19th Century History
• Index: History

The Peninsular War was one of the most successful campaigns ever fought by the British Army. Between 1808, when British troops landed in Portugal, and 1814, when Wellington's Army advanced into the south of France, British soldiers were involved in countless battles and sieges against Napoleon's vaunted French veterans. Drawing on rare letters, diaries and memoirs, Ian Fletcher presents a superb insight into the daily lives of British soldiers in this momentous period and evokes such key battles and sieges as Vimiero, Talavera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria and San Sebastian. Ian Fletcher's skillful compilation of accounts, placed in context by important background detail, make this the story of the Peninsular War in the words of the men who marched, fought and triumphed with Wellington. Although there have been many accounts of soldiering in Wellington's army, Voices from the Peninsula throws new light on the experience of Napoleonic warfare and brings to life what Wellington called 'the finest military machine in existence'.

CHAPTER ONE

ROLIÇA AND VIMEIRO

The first battle of the Peninsular War for the British Army was, by later standards, more of a skirmish. The action, fought on 17 August 1808, saw Wellesley’s men flushing some 4,500 French troops, under General Delaborde, from the villages of Roliça and Columbeira where they had been barring the road to Lisbon. Having seen the French drawn up on a low ridge at Roliça, Wellesley divided his force into three, in order to launch an enveloping movement against Delaborde’s centre and around his flanks. The wily French commander spotted the move long before it was completed and skilfully drew his men back to a much stronger position along the top of some steep hills to the south of Columbeira. Once again, Wellesley employed the pincer movement, but before he could complete it Colonel George Lake, commanding the 29th Regiment, mistook the sounds of skirmishing as the signal for the main attack in the centre to begin and led his men up a gully, straight into the heart of the French position. Lake was unfortunately killed, and his men badly mauled, but the rest of the British infantry stormed forward, driving Delaborde from his position and causing some loss as the French tried to pass through a defile to the rear. Wellesley’s victory was achieved with the minimum of fuss, and with fairly light casualties, losing 485 men compared with 600 French killed and wounded.

Sergeant Stephen Morley fought at Roliça with the 5th (Northumberland) Fusiliers. He had previously seen service with the regiment during Whitelocke’s disastrous attempt on Buenos Aires in 1807. His regiment had landed amidst heavy surf at the mouth of the river Mondego on 1 August 1808 and, sixteen days later, was taking part in the first action of the war. His memoirs, entitled Memoirs of a Sergeant of the 5th Regiment of Foot, were published in Ashford, Kent, in 1842. The book covered Morley’s services in South America and the Peninsula. He was taken prisoner during the retreat to Corunna, but managed to escape, and was badly wounded at Salamanca. He was also slightly wounded at Roliça, as he later recalled:

On the 17th, marched, and soon after, heard firing again. The men’s spirits were exhilarated and we passed through Obidos, the firing not only continuing, but getting nearer to us, while we, as we quickly marched on, were greeted with “viva les Ingleses!” nor did the young ladies forget to cheer us by waving white handkerchiefs from the windows; refreshments were also offered, but we could not then partake of them.

When we had got about a mile from the town, we saw the enemy, by their fires, posted to great advantage.

We rapidly approached the field of battle, and found a difficulty at first in getting within range. The hills on which the enemy was posted were high, and too perpendicular, to attempt a direct ascent.

Our staff officers, however, discovered certain chasms or openings, made, it should seem, by the rain, up which we were led. As soon as we began our ascent, Colonel McKenzie who was riding on a noble grey, dismounted, turned the animal adrift, and sword in hand, conducted us onwards until we gained the summit of the first hill; the enemy playing upon us all the time. Having gained the crest, we rushed on them in a charge; whoever opposed us fell by the ball or bayonet. We then proceeded towards another hill, where the enemy had formed again; but as one route lay through vineyards, we were annoyed by a destructive fire. Our Colonel, whom no impediment could intimidate, said, “charge” we did so, but I could go no further, having received a wound in my leg. It turned out be only a flesh wound, but it bled so profusely, that I became faint; a surgeon of the regiment tied it up, and I then followed and arrived just in time to see the enemy in full rout, after one of our regiments had received and repulsed a charge in the most gallant style by a reserved fire, when every shot seemed to tell.

One of the earliest and rarest accounts of Roliça was published in a very early biography of Wellington. In fact, the book, The Most Noble Marquis of Wellington, was published just after the retreat from Burgos. The account of Roliça featured here was written by an anonymous officer of the 29th Regiment. He was evidently in the thick of the action, and was actually taken prisoner during Lake’s ill-fated attack on the gully:

The enemy occupied the village of Columbeira, situated on the principle road to Lisbon, and of course necessary for our further operations. After some skirmishing, and under a heavy fire from the surrounding heights, we drove the French from this point; but their principal position was on the heights of Roleia [sic], which overlook and overtop the village. These were our next objective; and, on comparison, Salisbury Craigs, (near Edinburgh,) will give you the nearest idea of them, with the exception of a few passages leading from the top. Our enterprising antagonist, you may be sure, had not neglected these; and, while climbing up through briars and brushwood, plied us successively with grape and musketry. I commanded the right centre company, the fifth from the right; each scrambled up the best way he could; and, on gaining the summit, I found several officers, and about 60 privates of the 29th, who were in front of me; only one of my own company reached the top with me, the rest following fast. Here we lost that distinguished ornament of his profession, my good friend Colonel Lake, and many other gallant officers, long my companions in the regiment. My poor private, the moment he stepped up, was also knocked down by my side; in the agonies of death, he asked leave to shake hands with me; he was a good soldier, and few knew their duty better. Upon advancing, we were immediately attacked by a French platoon of ninety men, whom we repeatedly repulsed; these were, however, joined by another of the same number, who charged us with the bayonet, with whom we sustained the unequal conflict; but our little band being now considerably advanced in front, and reduced to 25, Major Wray, Captain Ford, and myself, and our brave companions, were under the painful necessity of surrendering. Even this, however, did not satisfy the sanguinary enemy, who seemed bent on bayonetting us all. After many narrow escapes, General Brennier at last came up, and with difficulty put an end to the carnage, and to the distressing scene around the dead and dying. I have been oftener than once engaged with French troops, and my former opinion still remains unchanged; upon any thing like equal terms, they have no chance with the British bayonet; so it would have been the case now.

32 year-old Norbert Landsheit was born in Crefeldt, Germany, and had seen service with the Hompesch Hussars before enlisting in the 20th Light Dragoons. His memoirs appeared under the title The Hussar, edited by the Reverend George Gleig, the second edition of which, published in 1844, provides us with the following extract. Landsheit was one of the few cavalrymen serving with Wellesley in the summer of 1808, and although there was little employment for them at Roliça, they were, nevertheless, close enough to witness for themselves the first clash between the two sides, as Landsheit later wrote:

We had watched the progress of the battle for some time, without sustaining any injury, except from a single shell, which, bursting over our column, sent a fragment through the backbone of a troop-horse, and killed him on the spot — when a cry arose, ‘The cavalry to the front!’ and we pushed up a sort of hollowed road towards the top of the ridge before us. Though driven from their first position, the enemy, it appeared, had rallied, and showing a line both of horse and foot, were preparing to renew the fight. Now, our cavalry were altogether incapable of coping with that of the French; and the fact became abundantly manifest, so soon as our leading files gained the brow of the hill — for the slope of a rising ground opposite was covered with them in such numbers, as to render any attempt to charge, on our part, utterly ridiculous. Accordingly, we were directed to form up, file by file, as each emerged from the road — not in two ranks, as is usually done both on parade and in action — but in rank entire. Moreover, we were so placed, that the French officers could not possibly tell what was behind us; and thus made a show which appeared to startle them; for they soon began to change their dispositions, the infantry moving off first, the cavalry following, upon which we likewise broke again into column of threes, and rode slowly after them. But we had no desire to overtake them. They therefore pursued their march unmolested, except by a few discharges of cannon; and we, after seeing them fairly under weigh, halted on the field of battle.

Three days after the action at Roliça, Landsheit was ordered out on patrol to try and find the whereabouts of the approaching enemy force, marching up from Lisbon. His wonderfully descriptive piece conjures up the flavour of those early days in the Peninsula for a British cavalryman.

The patrol, consisting of twelve men and a corporal, besides myself, mounted and took the road as soon as I had received my instructions. These were, to move very slowly to the front, keeping every eye and ear on the alert, till we should reach the Red Chapel — not to engage an enemy’s patrol, should we fall in with one — to hasten back to the piquet on the first appearance of danger — and on no account to trust ourselves beyond the limits which General Fane had marked out. Thus instructed, 1 ordered the men to march; and, as far as silence and an acute observation could go, we obeyed the officer’s directions to the letter. Nor, indeed, would it have been easy, on such a night, and when so occupied, to indulge idle or ribald conversation. The moon shone full and bright, millions of stars were abroad, and the silence was so profound, that the very ripple of the stream could be heard as it wound its tortuous way along the base of the hill down the slope of which we were riding… The world seemed asleep; and we reached the Red Chapel, fully assured that no enemy was or could be within many miles of us. At the Red Chapel we halted, quitted our horses, and, holding the bridles over our arms, applied ourselves to the contents of our haversacks and canteens… My men again mounted, and taking every possible precaution, by sending forward a corporal and a file of troopers to feel the way, we pushed on. At the meeting of the roads the advanced file had pulled up, and once more we were all together; when I directed two men to pass to the right, two to the left, and, with the main body under my own command, I kept the centre. We were to meet in the square or open space round which the village was built, and to communicate each to the other the results of our investigations.

Everything was done with the most perfect regularity. My party, having the shortest distance to travel, was the first to reach the village square, though the detachments were not long after us; and we found, on comparing notes, that the same tranquillity had prevailed here which had prevailed elsewhere. Now then, what should we do? I recollected the innkeeper, and thinking it not impossible that he might have acquired more information since General Fane had examined him, I rode to his house, and asked whether all was quiet?

“I am glad you have come,” replied the padrone; “for I have some important news to tell you. My young man came home from Lisbon an hour ago, and passed the whole of the French army on its march; and so close are they by this time, that I expect them in the village in less than half an hour.” I questioned him very closely as to the degree of dependence that might be placed on his report, and he assured me that there could be no mistake in it; adding his advice that I would return to the English camp without delay, and put the General on his guard. I did not think that it would be prudent to neglect the recommendation, so I stated to my comrades how matters stood, and we evacuated the village.

It was not our policy, however, to return to the camp with a vague rumour. We were inclined to believe the innkeeper, certainly, yet we wished to have his tale confirmed; so I halted the patrol as soon as we regained the Red Chapel, and determined to wait the event. I knew that the advance of the enemy, if it did occur, would be made known to us clearly enough by the clatter of their horses’ hoofs when crossing the wooden bridge, by which alone they would enter the village; and being now within my prescribed limits, and having a good half-mile start of all pursuers, the thought of danger never crossed my mind. Accordingly, after placing a couple of vedettes somewhat lower on the slope, in such a situation that they could not be surprised, I directed the remainder to alight, and to keep their ears open. For a while all was still. Not a breeze moved the branches; not a beast or bird uttered a cry; indeed, the only sound distinguishable was the running water, which came upon us most musically. But by and by ‘a change came over the spirit of our dream’. Wheels began to rumble; there was a dead heavy noise, like the tread of many feet over a soft soil; and then, the wooden bridge rang again with the iron hoofs of horses. Immediately the vedettes fell back, according to my orders, to report what they had heard, and to learn from us that we had heard it also; and then, after waiting a sufficient time, to leave no doubt upon our minds as to the formidable extent of the column that was moving, we vaulted into our saddles, and returned at a brisk trot towards the piquet.

There was much challenging, of course, as we drew towards the vedettes, and demanding and giving the countersign; for we rode briskly; and whether we came as friends or foes, our people knew that there must be something in the wind.

There was indeed something in the wind, for another French force, under General Andoche Junot, was barring the way to Lisbon. The Battle of Vimeiro, fought four days after Roliça, was a much harder fought contest. The French, under Junot, numbered 13,000, with 24 guns, which was about 4,000 men fewer than Wellesley’s own force. Once again, the French barred the way to Lisbon but on this occasion it was the British who found themselves on the defensive as Junot sent his men forward into battle. Wellesley’s men were drawn up on two ridges, which lay behind the village of Vimeiro, whilst other British troops occupied the village itself. This lay on some rising ground, which enabled Wellesley to employ for the first time his classic reverse slope position, something which would become a feature of his battles against the French in the Peninsula.

The ensuing battle involved a succession of attacks by Junot’s infantry, supported by cavalry and horse artillery, whose dense columnar formation came face to face with the British line for the first time in the Peninsula. The resulting contest was decided by a combination of a dense British skirmishing screen, combined with artillery fire, and, finally, a two-deep line of British infantry who were kept out of sight on the reverse slope until the final moment, at which they were ordered forward, presented arms and opened fire. Only one of the French infantry attacks seriously threatened Wellesley, and even this was defeated with loss to the French.

The 50th Regiment, commanded by Colonel George Townsend Walker, was one of the most famous British regiments in the Peninsula. Nicknamed ‘The Dirty Half Hundred’ or ‘The Black Cuffs’, on account of their black facings, the 50th put in one of the most memorable performances by a British regiment at Vimeiro. Barely a year earlier, a young subaltern, John Patterson, had joined the regiment and now found himself in the midst of his first real action, for although he had been present at Roliça it had been a mere skirmish compared with the fighting on 21 August. Twenty-nine years later, Patterson put pen to paper to record his experiences in the British Army, his memoirs being titled The Adventures of Captain John Patterson, published in 1837. His book follows his services throughout the entire Peninsular War, and is one of the most enjoyable of Peninsular War memoirs. His description of the Battle of Vimeiro remains one of the best:

At a very early hour, on the morning of the day already mentioned [21 August], some random shots were heard in front of our piquets, which gave us intimation that the French were on the move, and we doubted not that they were about to assist our toilet in the way of brushing; in plain English, it was clear enough that they had it in contemplation to try our metal, and ascertain whether it was a base kind or not. Under these circumstances it was quite natural that we should anticipate their wishes; and measures were accordingly taken to give them a warm welcome.

Very few of us were ever in action before, and as for the smell of gunpowder, all our young hands were perfect griffins in that way. It being our initiatory battle, our minds were under no small degree of excitement. The idea of engaging in deadly strife with the soldiers of Austerlitz and Jena inspired the ambitious hero, escaped from the apron-string, with feelings of emulation well calculated to keep alive the flame of military ardour; and each, screwing his courage to the sticking place, resolved that he would be famed for deeds of arms, and that his name would go down to posterity under an accumulated weight of laurels.

The 43rd, (2nd battalion) 50th, and 95th Rifle Corps were formed into a light brigade, under the command of General (now Sir Henry) Fane, and certainly I never beheld so fine a body of men; the 43rd, in particular, were a most shewy set of fellows, a healthy collection of John Bulls, hot from their own country, and equally hot for a slap at the Frenchmen. The 95th, (now the Rifle Brigade) was commanded by Major Robert Travers, an officer whose bravery, on all occasions, made him worthy of a place in that crack regiment. We were posted on an eminence, to the right of the village; the 50th, being the junior corps, was stationed in the centre, and consequently on the highest part of the hill. From hence, as the day was fine, and the atmosphere quite clear, we had a distinct view of all that was going forward in the front, also a tolerably good prospect in every other direction.

The country was overspread with vineyards, and, the vintage season being at hand, nothing could be more beautiful than the luxuriant foliage. Intermingled with the vines were chestnut and olive trees, while in the parts more distant, were rich and closely planted woods, forming a background in good keeping with the whole of the splendid landscape.

The plot began to thicken about 8 o’clock, when a brisk firing of musketry, among the troops in advance, announced that it was high time to reinforce the piquets, which were commanded by Captain Thomas Snowe, of the 60th Regiment. They were immediately strengthened by the 4th battalion company of that regiment, under Captain Coote. A sharp discharge of small arms was kept up by a cloud of French riflemen, who, gathering round under cover of the vines and cornfields, gave their fire with a degree of activity that certainly did them credit. Our men were at this time exposed in the open field, and scarcely knew from what direction the enemy were coming; but though they were nearly all young soldiers, unaccustomed to gunpowder, they behaved with a degree of steadiness worthy of their corps. Snowe in the meantime, with his party, which had extended to the right, was ordered to close on either flank, to support the centre, when the principal attack was made, and where the enemy, still pressing in, galled us with a peppering that was rapidly thinning the ranks, and made our situation by no means either cool or comfortable. With admirable presence of mind, Coote directed his men to take advantage of every means of cover the place afforded; and, encouraging them by his own example, they kept their ground under a galling and destructive fire, from an enemy whom they were unable to answer or even to see. At this trying moment, while in the act of cheering his little band, and urging them to behave with firmness and courage, a musket-ball struck him in the heart, and reeling back a few paces, he fell, and instantly expired. His fall did not, however, dispirit his followers, on the contrary it excited an indignant feeling, which prompted them to redouble their exertions in order to avenge his deat...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Introduction
• The Peninsular War
• Chapter 1: Roliça and Vimeiro
• Chapter 2: The Corunna Campaign
• Chapter 3: Oporto and Talavera
• Chapter 4: On the Border: The Coa, Agueda and Almeida
• Chapter 5: Busaco and the Retreat to Torres Vedras
• Chapter 6: Massena’s Retreat, Sabugal and Fuentes de Oñoro
• Chapter 7: Albuera
• Chapter 8: The Bloody Sieges: Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz
• Chapter 9: Salamanca
• Chapter 10: Burgos and Retreat
• Chapter 11: Vittoria: The Decisive Campaign
• Chapter 12: The Battle of the Pyrenees
• Chapter 13: The Invasion of France
• Chapter 14: The Nivelle and the Nive
• Chapter 15: The Final Battles: Orthes and Toulouse
• Chapter 16: The Sortie From Bayonne
• Bibliography