[1018] Some good diarists had been wounded at Sorauren, and fail us after the 28th July.
[1019] One of the French officers killed on August 1, Hutant of the 59th, is registered as ‘tué en défendant l’aigle.’ Now with such absurdly small casualty lists as those shown above, the eagle can only have been in danger if the regiment was ‘on the run.’
[1020] I had immense difficulty in identifying this battalion, which belonged to Barcena’s division, as Wellington mentions in his letter to Lord Liverpool of August 4 (Dispatches, x. p. 598). But Wellington calls it there a cazadore battalion, which it was not, but an old line battalion. The trouble was first to find the composition of Barcena’s division in July 1813, and then to hunt in Spanish regimental histories (those of the Conde de Clonard) for a claim by any of those corps to have been at the bridge of Yanzi on August 1. Alone among all the regiments Asturias makes this claim—but the corps-historian says not one word about its meritorious service—evidently unknown to him.
[1021] Reille says in his report that the order ‘halt,’ issued at the head of the column, was repeated down the column of dragoons and turned in the noise and confusion into ‘demi tour’. Whereupon the rear regiments thought the column was cut off, and galloped back in panic. ‘Halte’ is not very like ‘demi tour’—but there was no doubt about the panic.
[1022] We learn from Lamartinière’s report that it was one of the 118th regiment.
[1023] He declares in his report that he never heard of the trouble until nightfall.
[1024] Report of Maucune, dated August 3.
[1025] Report of Reille.
[1026] Report of the Right Wing—dated that night, August 1.
[1027] D’Erlon complains that he found no French troops whatever facing the bridge—i. e. the 118th and Maucune had disappeared long before his front battalion got up. The battalions engaged were the 5th Léger and 63rd and 64th Line—whose officer-casualties for that day were 1 killed and 8 wounded.