Part 4

=Laswarree.=--The decisive defeat of the Scindiah's army at Laswarree on November 1st, 1803, might be called the crowning glory of Lake's life, for the battle was a particularly desperate one, fought against great odds, and with a tenacity which had not characterised any previous battles, hard-fought though they had been, the enemy contesting the ground inch by inch. The Mahratta force comprised 9,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, with 72 guns, and of this fine army 7,000 were left dead on the field of battle, while 2,000 were taken prisoners; the British force, numbering only 4,000, had 172 killed and 652 wounded. The British regiments present were the Royal Irish Hussars (8th); the 27th and 29th Light Dragoons; and the 76th Regiment, which lost heavily in the battle, but covered itself with glory after a night march of nearly 25 miles; indeed, the whole of the British army had been under arms for sixteen hours. General Lake, who it was said had "carried bravery to the very verge of rashness," was created Baron Lake of Delhi and Laswarree.

=Argaum.=--The battle of Argaum, fought on November 29th, 1803, broke the Mahratta power, Wellesley routing the enemy, who abandoned 38 pieces of cannon and all their ammunition. In this battle the 74th and 78th Highlanders were particularly praised by Major-General Wellesley for repulsing and practically destroying a body of Persian or Arab cavalry. The other infantry regiment present was the 94th, and the only British cavalry regiment the 19th Light Dragoons.

=Gawilghur.=--Pressing on, Wellesley arranged with Colonel Stevenson to besiege the fort of Gawilghur, the event taking place on December 15th, 1803. This was only possible after considerable hardships and endurance on the part of the army, which had to make roads along which it could drag its guns by hand. Their labours, however, were rewarded by a comparatively bloodless victory for themselves, in which the enemy lost a large number of men during the storming, among them being Killadar and Bery Sing. Two days later the treaty of peace between the Rajah of Berar and the Honourable East India Company was ratified, and the Scindiah also ratified a treaty of peace on January 5th, 1804, and thus a campaign of five months' duration was brought to an end by the astuteness and daring of Lake and Wellesley. The 74th and 78th Highlanders, and the 94th Foot (then the Scotch Brigade, now 2nd Battalion Connaught Rangers) were the only British regiments present at Gawilghur.

=Defence of Delhi.=--Holkar yet remained to be dealt with, and a series of unfortunate circumstances made him somewhat bold, so he set about besieging Delhi, which was held by Indian troops and four companies of Europeans under British officers, who, numbering only 2,500, had to defend a city 10 miles in circumference from the attacks of an army of 70,000 men with 130 guns. Meanwhile General Lake, learning of the trouble, marched rapidly up from Agra, and reached the city on October 18th, 1804. Holkar thereupon raised the siege, crossed the Jumna, and proceeded to lay waste the land.

=Battle of Deig.=--Lake, however, with his usual daring, made after him with his European cavalry and artillery, accompanied by the Delhi garrison. General Frazer was detached to march on Deig, where in the battle outside he was mortally wounded. In this battle the 76th (the only British regiment present) again distinguished itself, and drove the left flank of the enemy into the morass, where many were drowned. Besides the 76th the H.E.I. Co.'s 101st (Bengal Fusiliers) and the Bengal Native Infantry took part. During this action, in which the Mahrattas lost about 2,000 men, Holkar was closely pursued by General Lake, and was ultimately compelled to fly with a few adherents before the surprising onslaught of Lake, who, finding that the Bajah of Bhurtpoor had assisted with his cavalry in the battle of Deig, and not only sheltered Holkar's retreating troops but had fired on their pursuers, determined to act promptly and firmly.

=Capture of Deig.=--On December 13th he invested the fortress, but not until the night of the 23rd was the assault made--ten days having been occupied in making a breach--and then within one hour the place was taken after a short but desperate resistance; the citadel, however, still remained in the hands of the enemy, who evacuated the town and citadel on Christmas Eve 1804, and fled to Bhurtpoor, whither Lake resolved to pursue their army. The British regiments present at the capture were the 8th and 29th Light Dragoons, and portions of the 22nd (the Cheshire Regiment) and the 76th Foot. The H.E.I. Co.'s 1st European Regiment, 6th Light Cavalry, and 8th Native Infantry were also present.

Lord Lake made the one mistake in his Indian warfare when he sat down before Bhurtpoor, because _matériel_ necessary to a successful issue was lacking. After several unsuccessful assaults, Lake deemed it advisable to withdraw, and on the 24th took up a position 6 miles off, there to await fresh supplies of stores and ammunition. On April 9th he renewed operations, and by the 21st had settled accounts with the Rajah. The Scindiah, having joined Holkar, was pursued by Lake, and on November 23rd, 1805, a treaty was ratified with him; later Holkar was also glad to sign a treaty, whereby the peace of Hindustan was secured for twelve years, and here we must leave for a period the tale of Indian wars, which went unrewarded until April 1851--forty-eight years after the battle of Allighur--and take up the thread with the war in Nepaul.

=Maida, 1806.=--The first official war medal for military service was awarded to the seventeen superior officers who were engaged in the decisive and brilliant victory of Sir John Stuart--then Major-General--at Maida in Calabria, on July 4th, 1806, when the French were defeated, leaving about 700 dead on the field. The order for striking the medals was issued in 1808. On the obverse is a laureated head of King George with the legend GEORGIVS TERTIVS REX, and on the reverse the figure of Britannia hurling a spear with the right hand, while guarding herself with a circular shield whereon the Union Jack is delineated, and just underneath this the inscription ~MAI DA IVL. IV MDCCCVI.~ Above is a small flying figure of Victory, crowning her with a wreath of laurel, and behind, the ancient symbol of Sicily--the triguetra, or triple leg--like the Manx arms; in the exergue are two crossed darts tied with a knot. This medal, 1½ in. in diameter, framed and glazed, was worn from the button-hole of the uniform, suspended by a claret-coloured blue-edged ribbon from a gold swivel and loop. The names and rank of recipients are inscribed on the edge; it was cut by Pidgeon. The medal illustrated facing page 20 was awarded to Lieut.-Gen. Henry Edward Bunbury, Bart., K.C.B., who was Under Secretary of State for War, 1809-16. It was kindly photographed for use in this book by his grandson, Sir Henry Bunbury, Bart.

THE PENINSULAR WAR

Napoleon, having by a series of brilliant battles gained supremacy over Central Europe, issued a decree against all commercial intercourse with Great Britain, but having lost any semblance of maritime power by the crushing defeat of Trafalgar (October 21st, 1805), this was a somewhat idle procedure. Portugal declining to carry out his Imperial decrees, Napoleon alleged that the house of Braganza no longer held power, and by cajoling the Spaniards into a false security led them to believe that they would participate in the spoils of Portugal; consequently they permitted an army under Marshal Junot to over-run Portugal, but Napoleon's ulterior object was to place his brother Joseph, King of Naples, on the throne of Spain, and in order to effect this purpose the weak-minded Charles IV and his son Ferdinand were induced to go to Bayonne, where Napoleon extracted from them the renunciation of the throne of Spain; meanwhile the Royal family of Portugal had fled to Brazil. On July 20th, 1808, Joseph Bonaparte entered Madrid, but the high-spirited Spaniards refused to accept him, and established a "junta" at Seville, declared Ferdinand VII king, and drove Joseph out of Madrid within a fortnight. The Spaniards, however, felt unequal to dealing with the usurper, and appealed to England, and not in vain--for an army of 10,000 men was speedily dispatched, under Sir Arthur Wellesley, who fought his first successful battle against the French in Spain on August 17th, 1808.

=Roleria.=--This was the battle of Roliça, erroneously called Roleria through a mistake in dispatches, and maintained on the colours ever since, when General Laborde was driven from the position he held. The following regiments took part in the battle--5th, 6th, 9th, 29th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, 40th, 45th, 60th, 71st (known with the 43rd as the "Glasgow Light Infantry," owing to the number of Lowland Scots in the regiments), 82nd, 91st, and the Rifle Brigade, which, as Wellesley stated in his dispatch, had just been formed, but the brunt of the fighting fell on the 5th, 9th, 29th, Riflemen of the 60th and the 95th, and also the flank companies of Major-General Rowland (afterwards Viscount) Hill's Brigade. Meanwhile Marshal Junot, the French Commander-in-Chief, decided to brook no delay, and advanced to attack Wellesley, who was at this time at the Vimiera heights near the Maceria River.

=Vimiera.=--In this battle (August 21st, 1808) Wellesley gave some indication of that power in organising defence which was to prove so valuable at Waterloo. The French attacked with considerable spirit, but the British retaliated with equal vigour and drove them off. In this battle the 50th, known as the "Blind Half Hundred" owing to ophthalmia having attacked the men, and as the "Dirty Half Hundred" owing to the black coming off their cuffs when rubbing their faces, made brilliant and determined charges, which, with those made by the 43rd and the 71st, compelled the French to retreat. In this battle a piper of the 71st, being wounded in the leg, sat upon his knapsack, and declared as he placed his pipes to his lips, "Diel hae me, lads, if ye shall want for music." There were no Victoria Crosses in those days, or George Clark would have had one. Wellesley, who had been superseded in the command by Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Dalrymple and Sir Harry Buzzard, now returned to England, disgusted, it is said, with the Convention of Cintra, by which the French army was permitted to evacuate Portugal and leave Lisbon in September for Brittany, from whence it soon proceeded to re-enter the Peninsula by way of the Pyrenees. Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, who arrived in Spain after the battle of Vimiera, was placed in command of the troops, consequent upon the recall of Sir Hew Dalrymple and the resignation of Sir Harry Buzzard. His glorious death at Coruña, after a brilliant retreat, is an imperishable memory.

=Sahagun.=--The story of the advance against Marshal Soult is marked by many brilliant episodes, among them the daring charge of the 15th Hussars on December 20th, 1808, at Sahagun, where, unexpectedly finding a broad ditch to pass, they leapt it in "a true fox-hunting spirit," and put the enemy to flight, with the loss of ten colonels and 160 men prisoners. As a result of this action, Sir John Moore established his headquarters at Sahagun. Though the 10th Hussars also took part in the affair, the 15th is the only cavalry regiment which won the right to carry the name on its battle-roll; the 7th, 18th Hussars, and the 3rd Hussars of the King's German Legion, were also present, and were later deemed worthy of the bar, likewise two batteries of Horse Artillery. It is noteworthy that only fifteen bars for Sahagun were issued, those who took part in the battle of Benevente as well, receiving a single bar inscribed with the two names.

=Benevente.=--On December 24th Sir John Moore thought it advisable to retire from Sahagun, and on the 28th reached Benevente in very inclement, snowy weather, where another brilliant cavalry affair took place on the 29th, when the 10th Hussars, under General Lord Paget, made a most dashing charge against the cavalry of the Imperial Guard, led by General Lefebvre-Desnouettes, who, together with 70 cavalrymen, were made prisoners. The English cavalry lost 50 killed and wounded, and the French 150 killed. Dr. Payne points out that the single bars for this and the previous battle, as well as the bar SAHAGUN-BENEVENTE, were issued so indiscriminately that it is difficult to distinguish to which bar the recipient was entitled. There is a medal with the single bar BENEVENTE in the Chelsea Hospital.

=Retreat to Coruña.=--Then began the awful yet masterly retreat to Coruña. Through rain and snow, and over almost impassable roads, the British army of about 19,000 retreated with the French army of about 60,000, with 91 guns, hanging on without daring to do more than press the retreat, which became so demoralising to Moore's army, that not only had baggage to be abandoned, but guns and treasure to the amount of £25,000 were thrown over a precipice near Nogales to prevent any possibility of their falling into the hands of the enemy. And so, with his army of comparatively raw troops, Sir John Moore resolutely and defiantly made his way to Coruña, pursued by the veterans, under Ney and Soult, only to find on arriving at the port that the transports which were to bear them to England had not arrived! There was nothing to be done but to accept battle, and this he did in such a splendid manner that it makes his death in the hour of victory an imperishable memory, while the recollection of the valour of his much-tried and distressed soldiers will last as long as men respect courage, especially that which triumphs in the face of adversity. Sir John Moore was buried on the ramparts of Coruña by his staff officers and a few men of the Black Watch and other regiments he loved, but--

"No useless coffin enclosed his breast, Nor in sheet nor in shroud we wound him; But he lay like a warrior taking his rest, With his martial cloak around him."

Over his soldier's grave the French Marshals placed a plain tomb, while Marshal Soult, who commanded the French, had placed upon a rock near which Sir John Moore fell a Latin inscription recording the fact. He was not allowed, however, to sleep in his soldier's grave, for the Spaniards removed his body to a more conspicuous position, and covered it with a magnificent monument eloquent of his deeds, but hardly in keeping with his simple spirit.

In the battle of Coruña, fought on January 16th, 1809, the 50th Regiment particularly distinguished itself by its use of the bayonet, as did also the 42nd, who made a daring and victorious dash into "the key of the fight," Elvina village--indeed, the battle is said to have been won by Lord William Bentinck's brigade; Sir David Baird's division, consisting of the 4th, 42nd, and 50th, which, as mentioned in general orders issued by Lieutenant-General Hope, "sustained the weight of the attack." The 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers were the last to embark.

The regiments engaged at Coruña also included the Grenadier Guards; 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 14th, 20th, 26th, 28th, 32nd, 36th, 38th, 43rd, 50th, 51st, 52nd, 59th, 71st, 76th, 79th, 81st, 82nd, 91st, 92nd, 95th, and the Rifle Brigade; 7th, 10th, 15th, 18th Light Dragoons; 1st and 2nd Light Battalions King's German Legion, and the 3rd Dragoons of the same corps. Three batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery were also present.

=Martinique.=--This island was taken by the British in February, 1762, and on several other occasions, but a bar was only given for the campaign in 1809, which had been concluded, despite very bad weather, by its surrender to Lieutenant-General Beckwith on February 24th, 1809. The French were under Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse. It was restored to France in 1814. For this campaign a bar was granted when the decision was made to issue the Military General Service medal, commonly but erroneously known as the Peninsular medal, since not only were bars for Guadaloupe and Java included, but also for Fort Detroit, Chateauguay, and Chrystler's Farm in America.

For the capture of Martinique the superior officers were awarded a gold medal, similar to that I shall shortly describe as having been conferred upon the officers who served in the Peninsula.

The following regiments took part in this expedition--60th, 63rd, and 90th; 1st West India Regiment and the flank companies of the 7th Royal Welsh Fusiliers; 8th, 13th Light Infantry, 15th, 23rd, and 25th Regiments.

=Talavera.=--In the spring of 1809, Sir Arthur Wellesley left England to take command of the Anglo-Portuguese army, and, landing at Lisbon on April 22nd, placed himself at the head of 25,000 British and Portuguese, crossed the Douro, drove Marshal Soult out of Oporto, advanced into Spain, and giving battle to the French at Talavera, defeated them after a long-drawn conflict lasting over the 27th and 28th July. The French were commanded by the intrusive King Joseph Bonaparte, assisted by Marshal Victor. The French losses in the first day's fighting were about 1,000 officers and men, the British losing about 800. For the two days the French had a total of 7,394 placed _hors de combat_, including Generals Lapisse and Morlot killed, and Generals Sebastiani and Boulet wounded; the killed numbered 944, and the wounded 6,274, while 150 were taken prisoners. The British losses amounted to 6,268; Generals Mackenzie and Langewith, 857 officers and men being killed; 3 generals, 192 officers, and 3,718 men wounded, 9 officers and 643 men missing. The Spaniards gave their losses as 1,200 killed and wounded. This battle, the victory in which was claimed for both sides, gained for the victorious General the titles of Baron Douro of Wellesley and Viscount Wellington of Talavera, with a pension of £2,000 per annum.

The following regiments were engaged in the battle of Talavera, those marked with an asterisk being specially mentioned in dispatches. 1st Batt. Coldstream Guards; 1st and 3rd Batts. Scots Guards; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 2nd Batt. 7th Regiment,* 2nd Batt. 24th, 1st Batt. 29th,* 2nd Batt. 31st,* 1st Batt. 40th, 1st Batt. 45th,* 1st and 2nd Batts. 48th, 2nd Batt. 53rd,* 5th Batt. 60th,* 1st Batt. 61st, 2nd Batt. 66th, 71st, 79th, 82nd, 2nd Batt. 83rd, 2nd Batt. 87th, 1st Batt. 88th, 91st, 92nd, 1st Batt. 97th,* and the Rifle Brigade. 3rd Dragoon Guards, 4th Dragoons, 14th (now Hussars), 16th (now Lancers), and 23rd Light Dragoons; Royal Artillery, Engineers, and Staff Corps; 1st and 2nd Light Battalions, 1st Light Dragoons, and 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th Line Battalions of the King's German Legion.

=Peninsular Gold Medals.=--Following this brilliant victory it was notified in the _London Gazette_, September 9th, 1810, that a gold medal would be granted to commemorate the battles of Roleria, Vimiera, Coruña, and Talavera. It was, however, only given to officers who had taken part in these engagements, or who had participated in any brilliant cavalry affair. It was also decided that the medal to which an officer would have been entitled, had he survived, should be given to his next of kin. The medals vary in size, but are all of the same design. The larger size was conferred upon General Officers, and the smaller ones upon colonels and senior officers. The medal was only given to those who were actually in command during an engagement, or succeeded thereto owing to the commander being killed or placed _hors de combat_.

The gold medal bears on the obverse the figure of Britannia, wearing a rather squat Roman-looking helmet, seated upon a globe, and bearing in her extended right hand a laurel wreath and in her left a palm branch, which rests upon an oval shield bearing the Union Jack; to Britannia's right is the British lion. On the reverse is a simple wreath of laurel, with the name of the battle and the date engraved in Roman capitals. The medal is attached to the ribbon by a simple suspender, and a gold buckle was frequently worn in the middle of the ribbon. General and Commanding Officers were ordered to wear the medal suspended from the neck by means of a red ribbon with blue edges--familiarly known as the Peninsular ribbon--and below the rank of lieutenant-general by the same ribbon from a button-hole of their coat. The senior officers complained that it was very inconvenient to wear a medal dangling from the neck while on horseback, and they were supported in their plea by Wellington. This medal is generally found glazed, to prevent its surface being damaged, the name and rank of the officer being engraved upon the edge of the medal itself.

=Guadaloupe.=--General Beckwith, who had captured Martinique, attacked the West Indian Island of Guadaloupe, and captured it on February 6th, 1810. The French, who lost nearly 600 men, were commanded by General Ernouf (see =Martinique= for regiments engaged).

=Busaco.=--Wellesley's Spanish allies had failed him, as Sir John Moore with his sorry experience had predicted, and so after the battle of Talavera de la Regna he retired into Portugal, whither Napoleon sent Marshal Masséna to "drive the English Leopards into the sea," but the "Sepoy General," as Napoleon had dubbed Wellesley, was alive to the possibilities of the situation, and in face of the overwhelming numbers of the French, decided to prepare the impregnable lines of Torres Vedras, stretching from the Tagus to the sea; but before he could entrench himself he was compelled to check the pursuit of Masséna on the Busaco Sierra on September 27th, 1810, where his army of British and Portuguese resisted all attempts to dislodge them. In this battle both the British and Portuguese troops fought with daring determination, so that it would appear invidious to single out special regiments for notice, but the 38th, 45th, and the 8th Portuguese Regiments were mentioned in dispatches. The 88th Connaught Rangers repulsed a division of French infantry, while the 74th Highlanders did a like service. General Simon, who had bravely led his brigade up the mountain side, was captured by two men of the 52nd Regiment, and the French losses amounted to 2,000 killed and as many wounded. The British losses were 197 killed and 1,072 wounded. Marshals Ney, Masséna, and Regnier commanded the French, the English and Portuguese being under Wellington.

At the battle of Busaco the following regiments took part: the Coldstreams and Scots Guards; 4th, 14th, and 16th Light Dragoons, and three batteries of artillery; 1st Royal Scots 3rd Batt. 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 24th, 27th, 29th, 31st, 34th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 53rd, 57th, 60th, 61st, 66th, 74th, 79th, 83rd, 88th, 97th, and the Rifle Brigade; there were also present the following units of the King's German Legion; 1st and 2nd Light Battalions, and the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th Line Battalions.