History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol. 2 / Compiled from the Original Records - Francis Duncan

On Monday, the 31st July, Ter Veer, a village at the opposite end of the island of Walcheren from Flushing, was invested, two guns of Captain Macdonald’s troop and two 8-inch mortars having been landed to assist; and it surrendered the following day. Until the fall of Flushing, Ter Veer was employed as a landing-place and depôt for ordnance stores,—the Balaclava of the Walcheren Expedition. The army then advanced across the island, and proceeded to invest Flushing. During the siege, frequent reinforcements of the French garrison took place, their troops being transported by sea from Cadsand, and the weather being such as to render it very difficult for the English fleet to intercept them. The defence made by the French was very gallant, although the wretched inhabitants were the main sufferers during the bombardment. By Napoleon’s positive order, and notwithstanding the remonstrances of the French Commandant, one of the dykes near Flushing was partly cut, and the sea poured into the English trenches to a considerable extent, increasing the discomfort and difficulties which the heavy and almost incessant rains had already produced.

A.	Field Officers.	B.	Captians.	C.	Subalterns.
D.	Surgeons.	E.	N. C. Officers.	F.	Gunners.
G.	Drummers.	H.	Total.	I.	Officers.
J.	N. C. Officers.	K.	Drivers.	L.	Artificers and Trumpeters.
M.	Total.	N.	General Total.	O.	Horses.

Artillery Embarked for the Scheldt Expedition, under the Earl of Chatham, in 1809.
	A.	B.	C.	D.	E.	F.	G.	H.	I.	J.	K.	L.	M.	N.	O.
Number of Troops and Companies, with Drivers attached; also Ports of Embarkation.	Royal Artillery.								Royal Artillery Drivers.
Portsmouth.
Eight companies	4	16	24	4	104	800	16	968	2	10	90	8	110	1,078	150
River Thames.
One troop: Royal Horse Artillery (now D Batt., A Brigade)	··	2	3	1	13	··	··	100	··	··	54	8	62	162	162
Eight companies	4	16	24	4	104	800	16	968	7	41	308	37	393	1,361	515
With the battering train	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	7	54	500	42	603	608	1,000
Total	8	34	51	9	221	1,681	32	2,036	16	105	952	95	1,168	3,204	1,827

N. B. A few casualties occurred prior to the sailing of the Expedition. About 50 additional horses were embarked, and rather more than 100 men were left behind sick, and for other causes; but these are the numbers prepared from the official returns, both in Record Office and United Service Institution.

The English army was drawn up against Flushing as follows: General Graham’s division on the right, General Grosvenor’s next; then Lord Paget’s at West Zouberg, and General Houston’s at Oust Zouberg. Six batteries were formed, five of which were manned by the Royal Artillery, and one by seamen. The former were numbered and armed as follows:—

No. 1 Battery.—[18]1200 yards from the town.
13 24-prs.	This was evidently No. 5 Battery, accordingto the numbering of the Engineers;vide Jones’s ‘Sieges.’
2 8-in. howitzers
6 8-in. mortars
No. 3 Battery.—2200 yards from the town.
6 10 in. mortars	This was evidently No. 1 Battery in the Engineers’ catalogue.
No. 4 Battery.—1600 yards from the town.
4 10-in. mortars.
10 24-pounders.
No. 5 Battery.—1600 yards from the town.
2 10-in. howitzers.	This was evidently No. 7 Battery in theEngineers’ catalogue.
No. 6 Battery.—1760 yards from the town.
3 24-pounders.
4 10 in. howitzers.

N.B.—Two additional batteries, Nos. 7 and 8, were afterwards armed: No. 7 with 2 10-inch mortars, No. 8 with 6 24-pounders.

These batteries were opened on the 13th August, at 1 P.M. At early morning on the 15th August Flushing surrendered. Including the ammunition expended by the sailors from No. 2 Battery, which was armed with six 24-pounders, and opened on Sunday, the 14th August, the following was the expenditure of ammunition, other than rockets, during the short siege:—

		Rounds.
24-pr.	guns	6582
10-in.	mortar	1743
8-in.	mortars	1020
10-in.	howitzers	269
8-in.	howitzers	380
Total		9994

N.B.—Sir R. Gardiner’s MS. agrees exactly in this particular with Sir J. T. Jones’s ‘Sieges.’