[275, June 1813]

CHAPTER XVIII

HE long-expected battle was now imminent, nor were the sides unequal.  The Allies had present about 60,000 Anglo-Portuguese sabres and bayonets, of whom about 22,000 were British (for the Sixth Division, 6500 strong, was left at Medina-de-Pomar).  They had 90 guns, and the Spanish auxiliaries numbered 20,000.  The French had about 70,000 men, all veteran soldiers superior to the Allies except the British, and 150 pieces of cannon.

The plain of Vittoria is almost surrounded by hills, and is intersected from east to west by two rugged ridges, which formed strong positions for the French.  There was also the River Zadora, which ran west of the city, and by the Pass of Puebla, to join the Ebro at Miranda, being joined by several mountain streams by the way.  It was spanned by seven bridges, which, though the enemy had neglected to destroy them, were very susceptible of defence.  The Bayas River flowed from the mountains to the left of the allied position into the Ebro above Miranda.  Hill’s Corps was, on the evening of the 20th, between these rivers near the village of Puebla.

The right of the French occupied the heights in front of the Zadora, above Abechuco, covering Vittoria from approach by the Bilbao Road; their centre extended along the left bank of the Zadora, from Arinez to Puebla de Arlanzon, and fronted the defile of Puebla.  A detached corps secured the road to Pampeluna, and Foy was stationed in the valley of Senorio towards Bilbao.

Wellington, having reconnoitred the enemy’s position, made his dispositions for an attack.  Sir Thomas Graham, on the extreme left, with the First and Fifth Divisions, Lonja’s Spaniards, and Anson’s and Bock’s cavalry—in all about 20,000 men, with 18 guns—was to make a circuit by the Bilbao Road, and fall upon the extreme right of the French under Reille, force the bridge at Gamarra Mayor, and intercept the enemy’s line of retreat.  The centre attack, directed by Wellington in person, consisted of the Third, Fourth, Seventh, and Light Divisions of infantry, with most of the artillery and cavalry,.  numbering in all about 30,000 men.  Sir Rowland Hill’s Corps, about 20,000 strong, was composed of the Second British Division,.  Morillo’s Spaniards, Sylveira’s Portuguese, with some cavalry and artillery.  They were destined to force the passage of the Zadora at Puebla, to assail the troops on the heights beyond, to pass the defiles of Puebla, and to enter the basin of Vittoria; thus turning the French left, and securing to Wellington the passage of the Zadora at the bridge of Nanclares.

 [276, June 1813] Battle of Vittoria

Early on the 21st June the troops moved from their camps on the Bayas; the centre of the army passed the ridge of the Morillas in its front, and slowly approached the Zadora.  Hill, having seized the village of Puebla, passed the river there.  The First Brigade of Morilla’s Spaniards led up the ascent, their Second Brigade ascended half-way so as to connect the first with the British below; a stubborn fight was maintained on the heights, and Hill, with the rest of his corps, threaded the long defile of Puebla, and won the village of Subijana de Alava on the other side.  Having connected his right with the troops on the mountain, he maintained his position, in spite of the efforts of the enemy to dislodge him.

Meanwhile, Wellington had brought the centre divisions down to the Zadora, where they waited till all were ready to attack, when they crossed, not without fighting.  By one o’clock, Hill’s assault of Subijana de Alava was developed; the smoke and distant sound of artillery far off to the left showed that Graham’s attack had also begun.  The Third and Seventh Divisions were rapidly moving down to the bridge of Mendoza; the enemy’s artillery opened on them, and his light troops commenced a vigorous fire of musketry, while the British riflemen, who had crossed by another bridge, were between the French cavalry and the river, and were engaging their light troops and gunners so closely that the British artillery, from the other side, were unable to distinguish them in their dark uniforms from their foes.  This gallant episode enabled part of the Third Division to pass the bridge, while the rest, and the Seventh Division, forded the river higher up.  The French abandoned the ground in front of Villodas, and the battle, which had slackened, revived with extreme violence.  Hill pressed the enemy on the right, the Fourth Division passed the bridge of Nanclares; the sound of Graham’s advance became more distinct, and the banks of the Zadora presented a continuous line of fire.  King Joseph, finding both his flanks in danger, had given orders to retire by successive masses, and these orders had shaken their confidence, but the Allies were too close for a regular retrograde movement to be made.  The Seventh Division and a brigade of the Third Division were engaged with the French right in front of Margarita and Hermandad, and at the same time Wellington sent forward the rest of the Third Division.

“Come on, my ragged rascals!” cried Picton, who commanded them, as they doubled across the front of both armies to seize an important hill in the centre.  General Cole, with the Fourth Division, advanced, and the heavy cavalry galloped up and formed between Cole’s right and Hill’s left.  The French threw out clouds [277, June 1813] of skirmishers, and fifty guns played with astonishing activity, being answered by several brigades of British artillery.  Both sides were surrounded by smoke and dust, and under its cover the French retired to the second ridge, but still holding Arinez on the main road.  Picton’s troops plunged into that village under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry, and captured three guns; but fresh French troops arrived, and this important post was disputed with terrible obstinacy, till at last the British emerged victorious from the strife.  At the same time a conflict was going on at Margarita, till the French guns were driven away and the village carried.  The village of Hermandad was also won, and the whole army advanced fighting.

Meanwhile the French left, hard pressed in front and flank, retreated towards Vittoria; but the courage of the French soldiers was not quenched, they took advantage of the broken nature of the ground to renew the contest at every favourable point.  Reille maintained his post on the Upper Zadora, while more than eighty guns massed together shook the hills and “streamed with fire and smoke, amidst which the dark figures of the French gunners were seen bounding with frantic energy.”[1]  This terrible cannonade kept the Allies in check, and the battle became stationary.  The French generals commenced drawing off their infantry, covered by their resolute cavalry.  Joseph, finding the royal road to Bayonne blocked by carriages, indicated the road of Salvatierra as the line of retreat, and the action resolved itself into a running fight and cannonade.  The French reached the last defensible height, a mile in front of Vittoria, about six o’clock; “behind the city thousands of carriages and non-combatants, men, women, and children, were crowding together in all the madness of terror, and, as the British shot went booming overhead, the vast concourse started and swerved with a convulsive movement, while a dull and horrid sound of distress arose, but there was no hope, no stay, for army or multitude.”[2]

The foregoing account of the general events of the battle is taken from Napier’s History, but as this work is the history of the Gordon Highlanders, I will now relate more particularly the part taken by their First Battalion in this great victory, as described by an officer who commanded a company that day, a sergeant who was also present, and others.

It has been remarked that people seldom get their fill of food and fighting on the same day, and when the dawn ushered in the morning of the 21st of June, there was less appearance of breaking fast than of breaking heads, for the bread was hardly baked when the battalion was ordered to be ready to march at a moment’s notice; but fortunately they were ordered to fall out for two hours, [278, June 1813] when they again stood to their arms, and marched along the road to Puebla.  They still knew not whether they were to be engaged in pursuing or fighting the enemy, but now all doubt was removed, for the French held the heights above, and they found that they were within three miles of the main body.  A smile of satisfaction played on the soldiers’ faces—the veterans encouraged the juniors by telling of former fights, some calculated the numbers of the foe, :and all made sure of victory.  At a halt, arms and ammunition were closely inspected, and while the captain of the First Company was engaged in this duty, a little incident occurred which shows how the natural fear implanted in most natures may be overcome.  A young lad, who had never been in action before, told him he was so unwell that he would be obliged to fall out.  The captain asked what was the matter, and received for answer, “A sair wame, sir.” The captain walked him up to Colonel Cameron, who, divining his real complaint, took the sick man by the shoulder, and causing him to face the heights of Puebla, pointed to some French sentries on their summit, and asked if he saw them.  He replied in the affirmative, “Well, my man,” said the colonel, “those fellows are the best doctors in the world for complaints like yours”; and raising his voice, he continued, “and, by Heaven, if I live you shall consult them this day!” The poor fellow rejoined his companions covered with shame, but during the action was one of the keenest spirits in the fray, and ever after his captain had more difficulty in restraining his courage than he had in rousing it at Vittoria.  The officer remarks that young soldiers in going into action for the first time should be mixed with old ones, and taught to subdue bodily fear by moral courage, for had this lad been allowed to retire he would ever after have been an unhappy coward, instead of a gallant and respected soldier.

The battalion, having crossed the Zadora, followed the high road leading to Vittoria, till at a turn it first beheld the dark masses of the enemy in order of battle, and our advanced cavalry two or three hundred paces from those of the French.  It was a grand spectacle that presented itself.  On the right bank Wellington’s troops moving to their stations, on the Highlanders’ right hand the Spaniards climbing the steep heights of Puebla, on which the former could see the French posted, supporting strong bodies of infantry, and some artillery in a clump of trees near the base of the hill.  Immediately on their front stood the village of Subijana de Alava, in which, and on a height to its right, were the centre divisions of the opposing army, which, with numbers of cannon, literally covered the country.  As the French battalions successively appeared, the sight, instead of damping the courage of the soldiers, seemed to make them more and more delighted, as “with [279, June 1813] drums beating and music playing, we advanced as if we were going to a common parade or field-day.” At about ten o’clock the sound of musketry on the heights announced to 150,000 warriors that the conflict had begun-first a few shots, then more continued firing, followed by volleys, accompanied by the British cheer or the French “Vive l’Empereur!” Morillo’s Spaniards had acted for some time in conjunction with Hill’s Corps, and were considered superior to almost all the other Spanish troops, and nearly equal to the Portuguese; they had, however, little confidence in many of their officers, but Morillo was a brave man and capable general, and when he commanded, as on this occasion, they behaved with great spirit; but the superiority in ground, and latterly in numbers, would have given the French a decided advantage, had not the 71st Highland Light Infantry and the Light Companies of the division, both under Cadogan, arrived to their support; yet the fight was doubtful.  Morillo was wounded, but did not quit the field; and Colonel Cadogan was turning to cheer his followers, and had just repeated, “Well done, well done, brave Highlanders,” when he fell from his horse, mortally wounded, into the arms of Captain Seton, commanding the Light Company of the 92nd.  He was a brave officer, of high promise, and beloved by his regiment.

An’ green be our Cudogan’s grave
Upon thy field, Vittoria![3]

The position being most important, Villatte’s Division was sent to succour the French, and so well did they fight that the Allies could hardly hold their ground, till Hill sent the 50th and 92nd to their assistance; but when they had almost gained the top they were ordered back.  They had descended half-way when they were again stopped, and the battalions separated; the 50th proceeded to its original destination on the summit, while the 92nd moved across the face of the hill to drive back a body of 1000 French infantry, which had advanced to form a link in the chain of communication between the troops at the clump of trees and those who were to capture the heights, about 7000 in number.  The soldiers of the 50th and 92nd did not much relish this separation, but there was no help for it, and the former clambered up and proceeded along the ridge till they reached the brink of a ravine which ran across the hill, above and to the left of the column which the 92nd were to attack.  Here the Spaniards and 71st lay along the face of the hill, engaged in exchanging fire with the enemy’s light troops.  The 92nd descended a few hundred yards, and directed their march towards their opponents posted on a ridge.  They had [280, June 1813] to pass through fields of wheat taller than the men, over ditches so thickly lined with briars and thorns that blood trickled down many of the soldiers’ legs before they arrived at the base of the ridge.  On crossing the last ditch at the foot of the hill, the battalion loaded, the colonel rode along the line, cautioning his followers both in Gaelic and English to be firm and steady, and on no account to throwaway their fire.  He urged them to be silent till the order to charge was given, and then to join in the good old British cheer.

Full of hope and joy, the line advanced slowly and firmly, every moment expecting to see the enemy.  Not a whisper was heard, till on arriving a short distance from where the foe was originally posted, instead of the expected volley, they found that their antagonists had retired during their advance to another height at some little distance; and with them the hopes of putting the prowess of Frenchman and Scotsman to the test before an audience of 15,000 men had vanished for the time.

Just as they crossed the ridge, General the Hon.  W.  Stewart, commanding the Second Division, arrived.  He ordered the battalion to form column at quarter distance, and two Spanish guns to cannonade the enemy at the clump of trees.  This drew the fire of a French battery, and a sergeant, corporal, and one or two privates were hit.  The General said to Colonel Cameron, “Poor Cadogan is mortally wounded; the French are pushing strong columns towards our right, they must be opposed.” Then waving his hand to his front, “It is on the heights of Puebla the battle must be fought; being now senior officer of the First Brigade, you will instantly proceed thither with your battalion, and assume command on the heights.  Yield them to none without a written order from Sir Rowland or myself, and defend your position while you have a man remaining.” Then, taking a pencil from his pocket, he wrote the order, the shot and shell flying about his head all the time.

Meanwhile Hill had attacked the French in front of Subijana de Alava with the rest of his corps.  He was met with the greatest determination, and the Highlanders from the hill above witnessed the cool bravery of both sides.  The British advancing to the muzzles of their opponents’ pieces before giving fire, their repeated assaults were foiled by the devoted bravery of the defenders, till by praiseworthy perseverance and gallantry they carried their point.  Before the village was taken, the 92nd had arrived on the heights, and touched the summit half a mile in rear of the post held by the 50th behind the ravine, of which the western slope was in their possession and that of the 71st, while the enemy were on the opposite bank.  The enemy was in superior numbers and our position a strong one, but unfortunately the senior officer on the [281, June 1813] heights, after Cadogan’s fall, ordered the 71st to leave it, to cross the ravine and attack the French on the opposite side; and the gallant Light-bobs at once set out on their perilous undertaking.  The enemy had two corps of infantry out of sight of the British, and as the 71st moved round the northern slope, these corps kept moving round the southern slope, till, being nearly in rear of the 71st, hoping to kill or capture the whole battalion, they poured volleys on them, making many officers and men bite the dust; and it required all the good military qualities which that regiment is well known to possess, to extricate them from their dangerous situation.  They were not sparing of their powder, but against such odds all they could hope for was to be able to rejoin the 50th, and this they endeavoured to do; but the French were trying to prevent them, and had partially turned the left of the 71st, when their friends the 92nd arrived to take part in the struggle.

On reaching the heights, the Gordons halted a minute to close up and take breath, and then, in open column of companies right in front, hurried along at the double till within two hundred yards of the 50th, when they formed line on the right centre company without halting.  As soon as the four leading companies had filed far enough to the right for the centre one to have a clear front, Colonel Cameron placed himself on its left, and, telling the men to “be steady and sure and to remember their country” (“Socair chinnteach ‘illean cuimhuichibh ‘ur duthaich”), called to the piper to play “The Camerons’ Gathering,” and to the officer who led it, “ Now push forward double quick and give it them sweetly!”

“During the advance,” says the officer, “a dead silence reigned through the ranks, men’s thoughts being employed in the business they were engaged in.  Animated by the presence of the chief, and the warlike sounds of their favourite bagpipe, the men advanced with a front as firm as the rocks of their native mountains, to meet the foe flushed with a temporary success over their countrymen.”

As they approached the 50th, the officers and men of that regiment joined in cheer after cheer, and the Highlanders arrived at the western brink of the ravine just as the French were ascending it.  At once they poured down on them a shower of shot, then re-echoed the cheers of their friends, and rapidly loading, and being joined by the other companies, a second volley was sent into the thickest ranks of the enemy, making them fly precipitately down the brow, the living on their feet, the dead rolling over and over.  This rapid movement secured a safe retreat to the 71st, who now slowly retired to a position on the right of the 92nd.  But the enemy, determined if possible to gain the heights, made another trial; his beaten troops were moved round the western shoulder [282, June 1813] of the hill, and a fresh body of infantry carried round the southern, to renew the assault.  During the interval, rather a remarkable incident took place, a public auction amidst the roar of musketry and artillery! A man named Walsh, whose character was so bad that not a soldier in the company would associate with him, had annoyed his comrades by the abominable language he used during the ascent, and when they arrived near the 50th had shocked them by his blasphemous profanity, when, as the words were in his mouth, and before anyone had heard the sound of a bullet at that point, he fell, shot through the head.  Prepared as they were for sudden but honourable death on the battlefIeld, his comrades were horrifIed at the idea of his being killed in the very act of uttering a torrent of blasphemy; but though they disliked the man, they felt for his widow and children, and while the battalion was resting after repulsing the French, the pay-sergeant of his company, a corporal and private, asked permission to bring the man’s knapsack from the rear, and dispose of its contents for their behoof.  The colonel, pleased with the idea, sanctioned it; the auction began, the bidding was brisk, and £1 11s.  was added to his balance and remitted to the widow.  The good feeling exhibited by this little interlude attracted the admiration of some officers of the 50th who witnessed it.

Shortly after, the head of the French column began to descend the opposite eminence; some skirmishers kept up a smart fire on them, the rest remained in line behind the brink, sitting down with arms sloped to the rear, the colonel explaining that they were to remain in that posture till the enemy were within twenty paces, then to stand up and give them pepper.  His orders were admirably obeyed; not a whisper was heard while the enemy was crossing the ravine or till they arrived close up, when “the silence was broken on our lads resuming their standing position, and giving their first fire.”  The scene which followed was an animated one, and, after a rough encounter, in which the 50th, 71st, and 92nd took part, the French were driven back with considerable loss.  A French colonel commanding part of the attack had dismounted before crossing the ravine; he was a very corpulent man, and when they retreated, his pace downhill was like the waddle of a duck, which could not be expected to carry him out of the clutches of a Highlander.  He was taken, puffing, panting, and perspiring, “and our lads were ill-mannered enough to indulge in a hearty laugh at his expense.  Seeing he was the butt of the group, he good-humouredly joined in the laugh, saying to a 92nd officer as he surrendered his sword, ‘Mon Dieu, mon Dieu! what a fool I was to part with my horse! For want of it I am now your merryman.’”

[283, June 1813] Again the fugitives were withdrawn, and a third column of attack was formed, in order to recover the position which they should never have lost.  Although this column was even stronger than the others, masses of infantry being collected to support them, they did not show the same spirit as in the two former cases, their efforts were comparatively feeble, and they were soon repulsed.  This the British attributed to the state of affairs in the centre, which had now begun to take an active part in the business of the day.

The efforts of the First Brigade and their Allies having been successful on the extreme right, where they now held undisputed possession, and where their presence had a material effect on the issue of the battle, they had leisure to look down on the magnificent panorama presented to their view not far below.  They could dearly see every eminence bristling with the artillery on both sides vomiting fire and death; thousands of infantry marching against each other; they watched with excited confidence the lines of red coats cheering as they charged, the French firmly waiting with the cry of “Vive l’Empereur!” till the British steel was close, when they sometimes, but not always, gave way.  They could see the curling smoke far away to the left, where Graham’s Corps was slowly and with difficulty forcing back the French right, and hear the salvos of their distant guns; with the spy-glasses which some carried, they watched the hussars cross the river, and could distinguish the combatants and the flashing swords in the terrible charges of the heavy dragoons against the equally brilliant French horse.  Gradually they observed, with pride and pleasure, the enemy giving way.  The fields were intersected by ditches and hedges, behind which they extended their line.  “Often,” says the 92nd officer, “during that awful struggle did I witness the British soldiers walk up to the brink of a fence, behind which their opponents were arrayed, and in the most cool and determined manner cross their pieces with the latter before they gave their fire.  On these occasions the combat invariably assumed a sanguinary aspect, for the ditches were generally too deep for our men to cross, and the French kept up a smart fire till artillery and cavalry came to dislodge them.”

In this manner they were spectators of the later battle raging beneath, till, between four and five o’clock, the French divisions whom they had driven back earlier in the day to a new position on the heights, seeing that their troops below were falling back, began a retrograde movement.  The First Brigade and two brigades of Portuguese then stood to their arms and advanced, the enemy quickened their pace till it degenerated into a race downhill, the brigade firing and the men shouting to them to stop, as they gave [284, June 1813] chase; but so superior were the French at that game (for the Allies kept their knapsacks, while many Frenchmen threw theirs away), that in an hour and a half the pursuers entirely lost sight of them.  As a French officer who was taken said to one of the 92nd, “I will back my countrymen against any soldiers in the world in a race of that kind.”[4]

The 92nd continued the pursuit past Vittoria till eleven o’clock at night, when they bivouacked in a wood near the road, four or five miles beyond the town.  The question of supper is the most important one even at the end of so glorious a day.  The road was covered with carriages, baggage waggons, and all the impedimenta of King Joseph’s Court and army.  Hams and provisions of all sorts were to be had for the taking, nor was good wine wanting for a sleeping draught, ere the weary Highlanders lay down that summer night to enjoy their well-earned repose.
Click on photo for larger image

Thus ended the great battle of Vittoria; and never was victory more complete.  Never had such an enormous quantity of military stores and private wealth fallen to the lot of an army.  The accumulated plunder of Spain during the five years the French had occupied the country was here collected, and its amount exceeded anything witnessed in modern times.  More than five millions of dollars were taken in the military chest, but the amount of private wealth cannot be estimated, and Napier, who was present, says that for miles the pursuers may be almost said to have marched upon gold and silver without stooping to pick it up ; but the regiments which followed, and were not so warmed in the fight, were less distinterested, and camp-followers and non-combatants, as well as many soldiers, took enormous spoil, a dishonourable action on their part, depriving others of their fair share of prize-money; and as a Gordon’s journal remarks of a hussar who showed his boots full of gold coin—”He got it without much risk—a soldier should be able to say when he gets home, ‘The wars are o’er and I’m returned, my hands unstained with plunder.’”

Vast numbers of carriages with ladies belonging to the French army, nuns, wives of the generals and officers, actresses—arrayed in the height of luxury and fashion, with their poodles, poll-parrots, and monkeys—filled the roads, which were blocked by guns and waggons whose drivers had escaped with the horses.  Laces and velvets, silks and satins, valuable pictures, jewels, gold and silver plate, cases of claret and champagne, lay scattered in all directions.  Other vehicles were stuck fast in the fields, their occupants in helpless terror; but the British officers and soldiers were very considerate, [285, June 1813] and though they took a share of the provision baskets which most carriages contained, the ladies were treated with respect, many of them being next day forwarded under flag of truce to Pampeluna.  King Joseph’s carriage and sword of state, Marshal Jourdan’s baton, the papers and accounts of the army, were taken, with the whole of their artillery except two guns.  They lost 6000 men killed and wounded, and nearly 1000 prisoners.

The Allies lost 5176 men in killed, wounded, and missing; of these the British were more than double the number of Spaniards and Portuguese put together.  The loss of the 92nd was small, having regard to the very important effect of the part taken by their brigade on the issue of the battle.  The Gordons had 4 privates killed and 1 sergeant and 15 rank and file wounded, of whom 2 privates died of their wounds.
 

KilleD
Private        Robert Grant.
         “          Jas.  Graham.
Private        John Macdonald.
         “          W Walsh.

Died of Wounds
Corporal     T.  Watson.
Private George Gow