[533] The forlorn hope was again led by Dyas of the 51st.
[534] For details see Houston’s orders on pp. 77-9 of Jones’s vol. i.
[535] French observers in the fort noted one attempt made by men of their own nationality, from the Chasseurs Britanniques. A young officer, calling ‘Je monte, suivez-moi,’ got to the top of the ladder with two or three of his soldiers, ran some feet forward up the lip of the breach, and was then bayoneted. This must have been Lieutenant Dufief of the C.B., the only officer of the corps returned as hurt in the storm. See Lapéne’s Campagne de 1810-11 dans le Midi de l’Espagne, p. 210.
[536] The losses were, according to the report:—
| Killed. | Wounded. | Missing. | ||||||
| Offs. | Men. | Offs. | Men. | Offs. | Men. | Total. | ||
| 51st | 1 | 23 | 2 | 31 | — | — | = | 57 |
| 85th | 1 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 1 | — | = | 20 |
| Chasseurs Britanniques | — | 8 | 1 | 13 | — | 2 | = | 24 |
| Brunswick Oels | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | — | — | = | 7 |
| 17th Portuguese | 2 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 1 | — | = | 30 |
| Engineers | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | = | 1 |
| Total, 54 killed, 81 wounded, and 4 missing | = | 139 | ||||||
[537] Lamare, p. 179.
[538] Lapéne, p. 212. Cf. Lamare, p. 203.
[539] See Burgoyne’s Diary, i. p. 135: ‘There is an account current that his Lordship says if he undertakes another siege he will be his own engineer. Whatever faults were committed at Badajoz I suspect he was not aware of them, and I think it very doubtful whether he even knows them now. It appears to me probable that he did say so, by the mystery affected about our [the engineer] head quarters respecting the siege.’ Burgoyne, an engineer with his feelings hurt, under-values Wellington’s intelligence.
[541] These figures, given by Marmont in his Mémoires, iv. pp. 40-1, are borne out by the official states.