[162, Jan 1809]

CHAPTER XI

y the death of Lieut.-Colonel Napier the command of the 1st Battalion devolved upon Lieut.-Colonel Lamont.[1]  Owing to the death of Moore, and Sir David Baird being wounded, Sir John Hope had assumed command of the army.  Colonel Lamont had been sent for by Sir John, and Sergeant Robertson accompanied him as orderly.  He says—”We received orders to keep our post till five o’clock in the morning to deceive the enemy, and then to make the best of our way to the ships.  It was dusk, and Colonel Lamont and I lost our way, and, before we were aware, found ourselves amongst a French picket.  They were busy killing a bullock, but we did not wait to partake of it, and made the best of our way to our own picket.” At 5 a.m.  on the 17th January the pickets started for the beach as fast as they could.  They were observed and pursued by cavalry, but having little more than a mile to go, they reached the boats just in time.  About mid-day the French established a battery on the heights of San Lucia, which fired on the shipping, causing confusion and disorder among the transports; the merchant seamen, not bargaining for this sort of thing, went below and left the soldiers to do seamen’s duty as best they could.  Some masters cut their cables, and four vessels went ashore.  They were burned, and men-o’-war’s boats removed the troops, while the Victory brought her guns to bear on the battery and silenced its noise.  Beresford’s Brigade kept possession of the citadel till the 18th, when, the wounded being all on board, his troops embarked and the fleet sailed for England.

The death of Colonel Napier was a great grief to the regiment, which he had joined as senior captain when it was raised.  He had commanded the I st Battalion since Colonel Erskine was killed in Egypt in 1801, and both battalions for a time after the 2nd was raised.  Strict without nagging, just without harshness, and considerate without weakness, he was a worthy successor to such excellent commanding officers as Huntly and Erskine.  His best epitaph is in the words of one of his n.c.  officers, who described him as one “whom every man in the regiment adored, and to whom he was more like an affectionate father than a commanding officer.”  The regiment lost, besides Lieut.-Colonel Napier, Lieutenant Archibald MacDonald, who died of his wounds shortly afterwards; two rank and file were killed, and four wounded.[2]  The whole army lamented the death of the good and gallant Sir John Moore, under whom the Gordon Highlanders had served so constantly, [163, Jan 1809] both in peace and war.  They had peculiar reasons to love and respect him, and the officers changed the blue line in their lace to black,[3] which is still worn in his memory.  After speaking of his mother, and his “satisfaction to know that we have beaten the French,” his last words were, “I hope England will be satisfied; I hope my country will do me justice.”

The touching scene of the burial of Sir John Moore, as described both in prose and poetry, will ever live in the hearts of his countrymen.  “The loss of the British army at Corunna was never officially returned, but was estimated by Sir John Hope at about 800.  The French loss I have no accurate account of.  I have heard from French officers that it was above 3000 men.”  This number Napier thinks exaggerated, but that it certainly was very great.  He attributes it to the arms of the British being new, and their ammunition fresh, and that “the physical strength and coolness of the men render the fire of the Englishmen at all times the most destructive known.”  “The nature of the ground also prevented any movement of artillery on either side, hence the French columns were exposed in their attacks to a fire of grape, which they could not return, because of the distance of their batteries.”

The misfortunes of the British were, however, not over.  A severe gale scattered the transports; some of them were wrecked on the shores of England, and others ran to the nearest ports; so that the inhabitants of the towns along the Channel who had seen the successive expeditions which composed Moore’s army embark with all the pomp and circumstance of military display, were struck with horror and dismay when they beheld them return, reduced in numbers, with haggard faces and ragged clothing.  As the news spread throughout the country, the fate of these gallant men became a subject of general commiseration, and the hopes of the nation, which had been raised by the victories at Roliça and Vimiera, and the early successes of the Spaniards at Baylen and Saragossa, were changed to despondency by the late disasters.  A cry was raised that Great Britain could never contend with France except at sea; and this, though in every regular engagement her troops had defeated the veterans of Napoleon, and had only retreated because their numbers were quite inadequate to the task required of them.

But notwithstanding the misfortunes which attended the campaign, it was even more calamitous to the arms of France.  One whole corps d’armée had capitulated, and surrendered the kingdom [164, Jan 1809] of Portugal, which was still held by the British; another had surrendered to the Spaniards at Baylen.  The spell was broken, Continental nations discovered that the French armies were not invincible, and Austria prepared to renew the struggle.  By drawing Napoleon to the northern extremity of Spain, Moore gave time to the southern provinces to restore their army and strengthen their fortresses, and thus to prepare the way for the campaigns of Wellington, which Great Britain supported with a determined tenacity of purpose not hitherto exhibited by the nation in her Continental expeditions.

The 1st Battalion landed at Portsmouth on the 26th of January, and arrived at Weely in three divisions on the 13th, 14th, and 15th February.  The following extracts from letters and journals will give an idea of the difference between the arrival of troops from foreign service in those days, and the comforts which now await them on return to their native land.

Mr Innes, who was, with about 100 of the 92nd, along with other troops, on a ship which ran aground, but was got off again, writes from “In sight of the Isle of Wight, January 23rd, 1809,—I am in perfect health and spirits, but in rags.  I lost almost everything”

Captain Seton, at Portsmouth, January 25th, after mentioning “A passage most dreadful.  We are strange figures, all dirty, and the most of us almost naked.  I had not a change of clothes since I was at Lugo on the 6th till last evening, when I bought a shirt and some other things,” in a later letter says, “Our men are in a dreadful state”; again, “They have got a bad typhus, which has carried off a number since our return.  Our total loss in Spain and Portugal is 190;[4] many regiments have suffered more and few less.”

Sergeant Robertson says—”When we landed at Portsmouth I had neither shoes nor stockings, but had to walk along the streets barefooted; the condition we were in with regard to clothing and cleanliness beggars description.  When we came to our billets about six miles from Portsmouth, the inhabitants would not allow us to sleep in their beds, nor sit by the fireside, on account of the vermin that infested us; cleaning ourselves was out of the question.  When we reached Weely Barracks, where our heavy baggage was lying, I got a suit of clothes I had left, and soon divested myself of my filthy raiment and reduced it to ashes, with the exception of [165, Jan 1809] the Highland bonnet and feathers, which I preserved.”[5]  “Soon after our arrival at Weely, our regiment, along with others that had been in Spain, were seized with typhus fever; so prevalent was this fatal malady, that an order came from the War Office that we should be relieved from duty till further orders, that every article of clothing be burned, and that we should be supplied with everything new.  There was also £2 given to each of us to provide necessaries.  The Lords of the Treasury ordered another £2 to each man who was sickly to purchase anything the doctor thought proper.”

On January 30th, Mr Innes writes from Colchester:—”We are now on our march to Chelmsford in Essex, a route of about 100 miles, which I find will be extremely expensive.  We were landed a parcel of half-starved naked soldiers.  You will laugh, perhaps, at the title of ‘half-starved,’ but believe me it is the case.  Our embarkation was so rapid that we had no time for providing comforts, and previous to our embarkation we had lain six nights in the fields, feeding on spoiled ship’s biscuits and salt beef.”  On February 16th, having arrived at Weely, he is “just about to inspect a company, some dressed in kilts, some in pantaloons….We make certainly a very grotesque figure, but ere long we shall again become quite smart….Our marching in England was extremely pleasant; all people glad to see us….I fell in with some strange adventures.  Perhaps at a future opportunity I may relate them….My mother inquires after some men.  Glassan, Hay, and Patterson, as like wise Forbes, are quite well and safe in this barrack; as to Andrew Fotheringham, I am afraid he is taken prisoner, being absent before we came to Lugo.”[6]

An Order by Lieut.-General the Hon.  Sir John Hope, dated H.M.S.  Audacious, January 18th, 1809, of which the following is an extract, was published to the battalion at Weely:—

“The irreparable loss that has been sustained by the fall of the Commander of the Forces, and the severe wound that had removed Lieut.-General Sir David Baird from his station, renders it the duty of Lieut.-General Hope to congratulate the troops on the successful result of the 16th inst.  On no occasion has the undaunted valour of the British troops been more magnificent.  At the termination of a severe and fatiguing march, rendered necessary by the superiority of numbers which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered.  They have all been surmounted [166, Jan 1809] by the troops themselves, and the enemy has been taught that whatever advantages of position or numbers he may employ, there is a natural bravery in the British officers and soldiers that knows not how to yield, that no circumstances can appal, and that will ensure victory when it is to be obtained by any means whatever.

“The Lieut.-General hopes the loss in point of numbers is not so considerable as might have been expected.  He laments, however, the fall of the gallant soldiers and valuable officers who have suffered.  He knows it is impossible, in any language he can use, to increase or diminish the regret the army feels in common with him for its late commander.  His career has, unfortunately, been too limited for his country, but sufficient for his own fame.  Beloved by the army, honoured by his sovereign, and respected by his country, he has terminated a life devoted to her service by a glorious death, leaving his name as a memorial and example to those who fol1ow him in the path of honour, and it is from his country alone that his memory can receive the tribute that is his due.”

G.O., Horse Guards, February 1st, 1809.—The benefit derived by an army from the example of a distinguished commander does not terminate at his death.  His virtues live in the recollection of his associates, and his fame remains the strongest incentive to great and glorious actions.  In this view the Commander-in-Chief, amidst the deep and universal regret which the death of Lieut.-General Sir John Moore has occasioned, recalls to the troops the military career of that illustrious officer for their instruction and imitation.  Sir John Moore from his youth embraced the profession with the feelings and sentiments of a soldier.  He felt that a perfect knowledge and an exact performance of the humble, but important, duties of a subaltern officer are the best foundation for subsequent military fame, and his ardent mind, while it looked forward to those brilliant achievements for which it was formed, applied itself with energy and exemplary assiduity to the duties of that station.  In the school of regimental duty he obtained that correct knowledge of the profession so essential to the proper direction of the gallant spirit of the soldier, and he was able to establish a characteristic order and regularity of conduct, because the troops found in their leader a striking example of the discipline he enforced on others.  Having risen to command, he signalised his name in the West Indies, in Holland, and in Egypt.  The unremitting attention with which he devoted himself to the duties of every branch of his profession obtained him the confidence of Sir Ralph Abercromby, and he became the companion in arms of that illustrious officer, who fell at the head of his victorious troops in the action which maintained our national superiority over the armies of France.  The life of Sir John Moore was spent amongst [167, Feb 1809] the troops.  During the season of repose his time was devoted to the care and instruction of the officers and soldiers.  In war he courted service in every quarter of the globe, regardless of personal considerations.  He esteemed that to which his country called him, the post of honour, and by his undaunted spirit and unconquerable perseverance he pointed the way to victory.  His country, the object of his latest solicitude, will rear a monument to his lamented memory, and the Commander-in-Chief feels he is paying the best tribute to his fame by thus holding him forth as an example to the army.

By order of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief.
(Signed) HARRY CALVERT,
Adjutant-General.

On the 30th January, Sir David Baird, in a letter to the officer commanding the 1st Battalion 92nd Regiment, sent copies of letters from the Lord Chancellor and the Speaker of the House of Commons, enclosing the resolutions of both Houses of Parliament, containing the thanks of Parliament to the army lately engaged in Spain; and Sir David, in communicating this signal mark of approbation, adds his “warmest congratulations upon a distinction which you and the corps under your command on that day had a share in obtaining for His Majesty’s service.”  The above was communicated to the officers, n.c.  officers, and private soldiers of the battalion for their distinguished conduct and exemplary valour displayed in the battle of Corunna.

The following letter addressed to the Officer Commanding 92nd Regiment, from the Asst.  Adjt.-Gen., Portsmouth, informs him that “The magistrates and bankers of this town having expressed a desire of aiding those women lately returned from Spain who have lost their husbands, and also the children who have lost their parents, a return of each is to be sent to the Town-major’s office with the least possible delay.”

The Commander-in-Chief desires that “the most vigilant care and expedition” may be used in providing every article of comfort and equipment of which they may stand in need, to the regiments from Spain, and suggests coffee as well adapted as a corrective of the maladies which are apprehended, and as the reduced price of that article places it within the soldier’s reach.  The men were particularly warned against intemperance, which, after the privations they have undergone, would be seriously detrimental to their health; great care was taken as to ventilation, sick women and children not to remain in the barrack-rooms, and as cleanliness is the greatest preservative from infection, “the regiment will to-morrow be thoroughly washed with soap and water under the superintendence of an officer of a company.”

[168, February 1809] On February 18th, Major-General Robertson directs that as little duty as possible may be required of the men, and that they shall be exempted from escort duty till the middle of April, and on the 22nd he ordered that the men should do no duty at all, but merely attend to their health and comfort, and by General Order they were not to be charged for necessaries lost before the enemy or ordered to be destroyed.  New greatcoats were also given to all n.c.  officers and men, and new knapsacks were issued, of black canvas in place of yellow, and having the Sphinx and number XCII in Roman characters on the back.

In February Captain Grant, Lieutenant Duncan M’Pherson, and Ensign and Adjutant Campbell were ordered to join the 2nd Battalion at Athlone, as were Lieutenants Archibald MacDonald and Gordon as soon as their health would permit.

In February men serving in garrison battalions under the Reserve or Additional Force Acts, on volunteering to extend their service to the line, were allowed, if for unlimited service, a bounty of ten guineas; if for seven years, five guineas.

In March[7] Lieut.-Colonel John Cameron, from the 2nd Battalion at Athlone, joined and took command of the 1st Battalion.  Colonel Cameron was a true Highland gentleman, a soldier of experience, devoted to his profession and to the regiment in which he had served since its formation.

On the 23rd of March a Court of Inquiry, consisting of one field officer, four captains, and four subalterns, assembled “to investigate and report their opinion to the commanding officer on the circumstances attending Sergeant-major Mackay being ordered for execution at Corunna so far as they can be discovered.” Lieut.-Colonel Lamont presided.  The opinion is not given, but the circumstances appear to have been that he was accused of plundering, but that he was released by order of Lieut.-General Hope.  At any rate, he remained sergeant-major till the 25th April, when

“This showeth that I, Sergeant-major Mackay of the 1st Battalion 92nd Regiment, have resigned my situation as sergeant-major from inability of health to go on active service.

(Signed) “ARCHIBALD MACKAY.

“A true copy, Claud Alexander, Lieutenant and Adjutant 92nd Regiment.”

Mackay afterwards became sergeant-major of the 2nd Battalion.

[169, April 1809] Colonel Cameron spared no pains to make the battalion again fit for service.  The officers are to report when they have supplied themselves with such articles of the Highland dress as they lost in Spain.  He desires the officers to explain each man’s accounts to him personally; that no man be sent to drill as a punishment without its being notified to the adjutant for the commanding officer’s information.  “Pay-sergeants are not to act as merchants” as to men’s necessaries, or “women as hucksters” to their companies.  Up to this time there had been no regular breakfast mess.  “Lieut.-Colonel Cameron desires officers commanding companies to establish breakfast messes.  and see that their men breakfast regularly every morning.  The men in future will not dine till two o’clock; breakfast to be at 8.30.  The Lieut.-Colonel approves of the men having coffee or stirabout as they choose.  Officers on duty to visit the breakfast mess and see that it is always plentiful.”[8]

Battalion Orders, April 14th.—Lieut.-Colonel Cameron begs to return his best thanks to the officers for the high order in which he found their barrack-rooms and the good dinner the men had.  He has never seen anything in higher order than Captain Maxwell’s company’s rooms, or better dinners than his men had.

The soldiers’ letters were forwarded by the commanding officer, and he trusts to their honour not to put their names to a civilian’s letter for the purpose of getting it franked.

He is surprised to find gambling in the barrack-rooms, and directs the n.c.  officers to put a stop to it.

This year officers of Fusilier and Light Infantry Regiments, and the light companies of other regiments, were ordered to wear wings in addition to their epaulettes, and in July the following Order for ever relieved the soldier from the tail or club hitherto worn by all ranks; and as the civil population always follow the army in the cut of their hair, the queue was afterwards seldom worn by young men of fashion.

G.O., Horse Guards, February 20th, 1809.—In consequence of the state of preparation for immediate service, His Majesty has been graciously pleased to dispense with the use of queues until further orders.  The hair to be cut close to the head in the neatest and most uniform manner, and to be constantly combed, brushed, and washed.  For the latter essential purpose it is His Majesty’s pleasure that a small sponge be hereafter added to each man’s regimental necessaries.

In order to encourage volunteering from the militia to the line, a War Office Order was issued, 29th April 1809, allowing a proportion of one sergeant and one corporal for every twenty volunteers [170, April 1809] and to be supernumeraries to the establishment until vacancies occur.[9]

On May 13th Captain Archibald Campbell and Lieutenant Angus Fraser were selected for employment in the army of Portugal.  Two or three married men in a company were now allowed to work between parades, “for eight days, when others will have their turn.”

By this time the fever patients had entirely recovered, and the battalion was in good condition and fit for active service; but, however attentive Colonel Cameron was to their comfort, the officers and men found him a strict commanding officer when strictness was required.

R.O., 17th May 1809.—In consequence of the great drunkenness and absence from parade among the men, the lieut.-colonel orders four parades a day instead of two, which he hopes will have the effect of making officers look better after their companies, and the men more careful of themselves.

It must not be supposed that at this period the vice of drunkenness was confined to the army.  Intemperate habits were only toe common in all classes; lords and lairds, statesmen and lawyer constantly got drunk, and were not ashamed, public opinion as yet not attaching any disgrace to the proceeding.  One might almost say that the army was the only profession which adopted a higher standard.

R.O., 17th May.—Sergeant Francis Murray is appointed sergeant-major in room of Sergeant Mackay, who resigned the situation.  Sergeant Kennedy of the Light Company to be assistant sergeant-major, and Sergeant Sutherland, drill-sergeant, to act in the above capacities till further orders.

At this time there seem to have been few, if any, military chaplains, and the regiment attended divine service in the Established Church of England, little importance apparently being attached to particular religious tenets.

R.O.—Officers and men who profess the Catholic religion[10] will attend all church parades in future, but previous to the service commencing, they will be indulged by being allowed to fall out if they wish it, but the commanding officer cannot see the propriety of their doing so.

On the 25th of June a letter of readiness for immediate embarkation was received.  In the summer of 1809 Great Britain had hardly any allies [171, June 1809] Europe, except Austria (and she was soon obliged to join the ranks of the enemy).  Portugal and Spain were indeed on our side, but both were weak, and the latter country was occupied by the French.  Russia was now the ally of France, Denmark was against us, Prussia was conquered by Napoleon, his brother was King of Holland, Flanders and Italy were under his sway.

But the army of France was for the moment fully occupied on the Danube and in the Spanish Peninsula, and the British Government determined to support the Austrian struggle, and to divert the French arms, by sending a powerful expedition to the Scheldt.

Napoleon had seen the great political importance of Antwerp.  He had caused an immense naval arsenal and vast docks to be constructed capable of equipping and containing half the navy of France.  He intended it to be the great naval arsenal of his northern dominions, from which he could at any time threaten the independence of Britain.  As yet, however, the necessary repairs of its formidable fortifications were incomplete, and they were defended by a comparatively small garrison.  The capture of Antwerp was, therefore, the principal object of the British.  But though time was precious, the expedition was delayed till the 28th of July, when the magnificent armament put to sea, consisting of 37 sail of the line, 23 frigates, 33 sloops of war, and 82 gunboats, besides numerous transports, having on board 40,000 troops and two battering trains, all well found and equipped.[11]  Four chaplains were sent to attend to their spiritual wants.

The army was commanded by General the Earl of Chatham (elder brother of the celebrated statesman, William Pitt).  He was a veteran accustomed to the routine of official duty, but without experience as a leader, and without the qualities necessary to the success of an enterprise which demanded decision of character, and activity of mind and body.  His appointment was not popular with the nation, or approved by the army, who would have preferred Sir John Hope.

The fleet was under the orders of Admiral Sir Richard Strachan.  The instructions to the Commander-in-Chief were:—”You are, upon the receipt of these our instructions, to repair with our said troops to the Scheldt, and carry into effect the following instructions, in conjunction with the commander of the naval forces.  This conjoint expedition has for its object the capture or [172, July 1809] destruction of the enemy’s ships either building or afloat at Antwerp or Flushing, the reduction of the island of Walcheren, and rendering the ScheIdt, if possible, no longer navigable for ships of war.”[12]

In order to take part in this expedition the 1st Battalion 92nd marched in two divisions on the 29th of June for Dover, where it arrived on the 6th and 7th of July.  Captain Seton writes from Romford, 2nd July 1809:—”We are so far advanced on our way to Dover, and a great difference between marching in England and Spain.  We go through part of London to-morrow, and cross.  London Bridge to Greenwich.”  “We are still ignorant of our destination.  Lord Chatham is certainly Commander-in-Chief.  He may be a very able statesman, but I am afraid he is a d—d bad general.”  “Sir John Hope (our colonel) is to have a large command in it.”  Again, from Dover, July 11th:—”I wish we were at this moment on the banks of the Danube; I think we would be of the greatest use there.  Our destination, of course, remains a secret.”

The married women who were left behind were accommodated with rooms in barracks, or, if they preferred going to their homes, they received £ 1 1 s.  and 5s.  for each child for the journey.

At Dover the battalion received a draft of 220 men from the 2nd Battalion.  It was placed, along with the 20th Regiment, in the 3rd Brigade, commanded by Major-General Sir William Erskine, of Lieut.-General Sir John Hope’s Division or Corps of Reserve.  The battalion mustered 44 sergeants, 20 drummers, 974 rank and file, and so healthy had it become, that at Dover it had not a man in hospital, and the inspecting general remarked that he had hardly ever seen a finer looking body of men.[13]  There were still a number of men absent in Portugal, who had been left for duty when the battalion advanced from Lisbon, and others who had escaped from the retreat; these were transferred to the 2nd Battalion, as well as prisoners of war in Spain and Holland, from which it would appear that some of those taken in 1799 had not yet been released.

Colonel Cameron had been exerting himself to get for his men an allowance from Government  “for tear and wear of tartan in Spain,” and informs them that he now hopes to succeed.  He expresses his “utter astonishment” at learning that some of the companies have scarcely any hose tartan, and thanks Captains Archibald MacDonald and M’Pherson for the care “they appear to have taken of their companies in that respect.”  The commanding officer had previously desired officers commanding companies [173, July 1809] to provide hose tartan sufficient to make gaiters of it for each man for the campaign, but the men “are never to wear their gaiters except on a march, or on escort duty.”

R.O., Dover Castle, 14th July 1809.—Sergeant Ewen Kenedy of the Light Company is appointed sergeant-major till further orders.

On July 14th the 1st Battalion marched to Deal and embarked, Colonel Cameron and the headquarters being on H.M.S.  Superb, 74 guns.  An officer of the regiment gives a touching description of the heartrending scenes and affectionate partings between the soldiers and their wives and children.

The hopes of the whole country were centred on the success of this undertaking; thousands of spectators from all parts visited Deal to see the embarkation of the army.  Gaily dressed ladies crowded the beach; the town was filled to an overflow with officers, sailors, and soldiers of all corps and their relations; the bands on the ships played, the crowds on shore cheered, all was enthusiasm, excitement, and expectation.  This scene of revelry continued tiJI the afternoon of July 27th, when the “Blue Peter” was hoisted, recalling the warriors from the shore.

The fleet weighed anchor on the 28th, and, whitening the ocean with its sails, arrived on the coast of Holland next day.  On the afternoon of the 30th about 20,000 men, among them the 1st Battalion 92nd, were disembarked on the island of Walcheren at a place called Bree-sand.  They landed in flat-bottomed boats, forty men in each boat, and each man carrying sixty rounds in his pouch, with two spare flints, and a good flint in his piece; three days’ bread and cooked pork and an allowance of rum in his haversack; to land in profound silence, and in light equipment.  The regimental colour to be carried in the bow of the centre boat, and boats with the flank companies to be distinguished by a red and white pendant respectively, according to order.

The boats advanced with great regularity till within a short distance of the landing-place, when a cry of “Devil take the hindmost” ran along the line, and each put on a spurt to be first.  Having effected a landing, part of the troops under General Fraser were sent against Fort der Hack, about a mile off, which the enemy evacuated; the general then continued his offensive movement towards Ter-vere, a fortress which commanded a narrow entrance leading into the channel which separated South Beveland.  This place was quickly taken with its garrison of 1000 men.  Goes, the capital of South Beveland, opened its gates, and Sir John Hope, pushing rapidly on, appeared before the gates of Bahtz on the evening of the 2nd of August, and that important fortress was taken by the Guards, who formed the First Brigade of Sir J. Hope’s [174, July 1809] Division.  Sir W.  Erskine’s Brigade occupied Ter Goes, St Arcut’s Kerk and adjacent villages.

At Goes the Gordons were quartered in the Frenchmen’s barracks, with detachments at various places, the garrison of Goes being employed to conduct French prisoners to the place of embarkation.  At Goes there were several regimental and drumhead courts-martial, invariably caused by indulgence in Hollands gin; the prisoners being sentenced to corporal punishment, of which generally only part was inflicted.

R.O., August 10th.—The 92nd to move from present quarters to Capelle and Biesling; the men are not to wear gaiters but on the march or otherwise ordered, and never to wear trousers except on fatigue or night duty.

Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron is much surprised to observe that some of the officers have presumed to alter the regimental bonnet by adding peaks to it, and desires they will not presume to make any innovation on the regimental dress till he thinks proper to order it.

R.O., Capelle, August 11th, 1809.—Volunteer Mr James Hope[14] is to do duty as supernumerary officer in the Grenadier Company, and to be obeyed accordingly till further orders.

R.O., Capelle, August 17th, 1809.—Volunteer Mr M’Dougal is to do duty as supernumerary officer in the Company, and to be obeyed as such till further orders.

Meanwhile, the success and rapid advance of the British to within a short distance of Antwerp, had it been followed up by the Commander of the Forces, must have resulted in the capture of that place and of the French men-of-war there, which were the principal objects of the expedition; but he, instead of pressing on, unfortunately wasted precious time in reducing Flushing, a subordinate object, which, however, he prosecuted with vigour and success.  The garrison of Flushing was commanded by General Monnet, who defended himself with gallantry, but the sallies of the French troops were repulsed; on the 13th August the British batteries opened on the land side with fifty-two heavy guns, while seven ships of the line and a flotilla of bomb-vessels silenced the guns bearing on the water, destroying the defences on that side.  The town took fire in various quarters, and the French General was obliged to surrender on the 16th, along with 5800 prisoners and 200 pieces of cannon, besides an immense quantity of gunpowder, military stores, etc.  The Gordons took no part in this action, but they and the inhabitants of the villages where they were quartered viewed the appalling spectacle from the roofs of the churches and windmills. 

[175, Aug 1809] The army and navy now looked for an immediate advance to prosecute operations against Antwerp.  “Language,” says an officer of the Gordons, “cannot express in terms sufficiently strong the severe disappointment which all of us experienced when, instead of being ordered to act a part worthy of the land of our birth, the whole army was kept in cantonments, and in the full enjoyment of inglorious ease, till the troops became so sickly that it seemed a matter of doubt how far prudence would lend the sanction of her name to any further military operations against Antwerp.”

The time lost before Flushing proved fatal to the other objects of the expedition.  The French and Dutch Governments were indefatigable in their efforts to bring up troops; 30,000 men, under the celebrated General Bernadotte, were thrown into Antwerp, the batteries were armed, the ditches filled with water, the fleet was removed to a place of safety above the town, and batteries armed with ships’ guns erected along the approaches to the place.  All this time the splendid British troops were kept inactive in South Beveland, almost within sight of the city which they might have taken.  According to the well-known epigram—

Lord Chatham, with his sword undrawn,
Was waiting for Sir Richard Strachan;
Sir Richard, longing to be at ‘em,
Was waiting for the Earl of Chatham.

About the 20th of August the troops were attacked by fever and ague, and soon it appeared in the ranks of every battalion of the army.  The Gordons were quartered partly in barns, the floors of which were damp (they had arranged to give the farmers the use of the threshing floors six hours a day), and the pestilential vapours, though not hurting natives, were fatal to the health of strangers.  The doctors recommended bathing, but Sir William Erskine advised a “morning glass of brandy on rising, one at breakfast, one after dinner, and another in the evening”; a prescription more congenial to the tastes of many in his brigade, which gave them as high an opinion of his medical as of his military talent.[15]

G.O., August 28th.—Owing to the great increase of sickness, officers are to explain to the men that they must avoid eating unripe fruit, cucumbers, etc., or fishing or wading in the ditches, or sleeping out of doors.  Smoking is strongly recommended at night and early morning and in damp weather.  Battalions and detachments [176, Aug 1809] to be regularly exercised, and full allowance of spirits to be given, and every precaution taken as recommended by the medical officers.

G.O., 21st August.—Each regiment and company will forthwith prepare prize-lists, in which they will comprehend everyone who was present on the day of the first landing effected by the troops.

The Gordons therefore participated in the prize-money.

Under the circumstances it was unanimously decided by a council of war that a further advance was impossible, and the troops were all withdrawn into the island of Wa1cheren, where 15,000 men were left as a garrison to retain possession of that important conquest, and also for the purpose of keeping the large French army now in Antwerp from being used otherwise.  But Austria having been forced to sign a treaty of peace with France in October, and the loss to this garrison by the distemper, since known as the “Walcheren fever,” being very great, there was no longer any advantage in retaining it; and after the works and naval basins of Flushing had been destroyed, the island was finally abandoned before Christmas.  Meanwhile the rest of the army, including the Gordon Highlanders, was embarked in the beginning of September, their return to England being in sad contrast to the pomp which had attended their departure.

The sick who returned at various times to England from Walcheren amounted to 12,863,[16] and many of them suffered from ,its effects long afterwards. 

 

Back to Previous Chapter

Back to Top

To Next Chapter