A Brigade of French Dragoons moved forward to the heights of Carpio this morning. Our cavalry piquets retired towards Espeja, followed by a squadron. The 1st Brigade, Light Division, moved in front of the town, and skirmishers (Rifle Men) fired upon the French. They retreated, and our cavalry reoccupied their post at Carpio, beyond the Azava.
16th
Lord Wellington left the headquarters at Valermosa and went to visit Marshal Beresford, who had commenced the siege of Badajoz.
Accounts of a sanguinary battle having been fought there on May 16th arrived. Marshal Beresford had marched from before Badajoz to Albuera, where he encountered, with the British, Portuguese, and two Divisions of Spaniards, under Blake and Castaños, the French army, commanded by Marshal Soult, and eventually, after sustaining repeated attacks, drove it back. On the night of the 17th the French moved off, and Badajoz was again invested on the 19th. My brother Maud, Lieutenant, 34th Regiment, commanded a company, his captain being killed early in the action.
Letter No. XII
Espeja, Spain, 18th May 1811.
My dear Parents—This very wet morning, being disengaged, I feel great pleasure through the medium of this sheet to impart my adventures since I last wrote from Celorico on 26th March, which I am well aware will be gladly received by my dear mother when she finds her son has always had the good-fortune to be engaged in every affair with his regiment against the enemy. After halting one day at Celorico, we marched towards the Coa, first driving the French from the strong position at Guarda. In a skirmish at Freixeda we lost a valuable officer, shot from a window. Our men were so enraged at the circumstance as to be with difficulty prevented killing some rascals we took. The Light Division moved near Sabugal on the 2nd of April—a very bad day. I was with half our company on piquet, our sentries within pistol shot of the enemy, and being a very rainy and stormy night, it was necessary to be much upon the alert for fear of surprise. By the bye, the enemy have been so severely handled in five or six attempts to surprise piquets of the Light Division in the night as to make them very cautious how they attempt such manœuvres. I smoked my pipe to keep me warm, and had an immense wood fire, round which our lads sat joking and passing the night with the greatest cheerfulness.
Early the next morning the piquets were called in, and Lieutenant-Colonel Beckwith's Brigade ordered to cross the river and attack the enemy. The river was rapid and at the ford took me to the waist. I fully expected the enemy would have greeted our approach with grape-shot and shells, but they suffered us to pass unmolested. As soon as the Rifle Men crossed, they extended and moved up the steep hills, covered with mountain heath and brushwood. On approaching the summit of the first chain of heights, the enemy commenced skirmishing. By this time the 43rd Light Infantry and Caçadores had joined us. The enemy were driven from one chain of hills to another for two miles, when suddenly, on gaining the top of a third chain of hills, our whole line in skirmishing order came in contact with seven columns of French.
The company I was leading on pounced upon a column, and, owing to the situation of the ground, came literally within twenty yards of it before we could see it. Guess my astonishment! The most hideous yelling assailed my ears (the same in every direction of our line), the French drumming, shaking their bayonets, and calling out "Long life to the Emperor Napoleon." Luckily the ground was thinly patched with stout trees, which afforded our men good shelter in retiring. Nothing could intimidate our brave fellows, retiring and keeping up a hot and destructive fire upon the enemy's close column so as to annoy them very materially. I now began to think we were always to have ill-luck on the banks of this infernal river, but fortune, under many circumstances, favours the brave. Colonel Beckwith rode along the line in the most cool and gallant style, cautioning the men to be steady, knowing well that if we maintained our ground for one hour or so we should have two or three Divisions of our army to our support, and that if we did not keep our ground the whole Brigade would be drowned or bayoneted. As our Division had so recently driven about 500 French into a river and drowned them, the same way of retorting to the joke would have been delightful to the enemy. We retired very steadily about fifty yards into a deep valley, the French firing from a great number of cannon, throwing grape and shells, which splintered the trees and naturally killed several men. Finding the enemy did not advance farther, the Colonel formed part of the 43rd Regiment, our little line of skirmishers moving up at the same time and making a desperate attack upon a gun that was keeping up a very destructive fire. Every one near the gun was bayoneted or shot. We were driven back, attacked again, but were again obliged to retire, when luckily the other part of our Division moved up, and the gun was ours. Colonel Beckwith on the second attack, had his horse's side pierced by a grape-shot; a bullet hit him slightly on the eyebrow; as he wiped the blood away he called out, "My brave lads, I am no worse; follow me." General Picton's Division advancing now upon our left, the enemy moved off in the greatest confusion. This battle was the most trying and glorious I ever beheld. They must (from their numbers alone) have annihilated us, but fearing some trap was laid, Johnny durst not move on. Our loss this day was severe. The carnage on the enemy's side was dreadful; the most handsome men I ever saw were biting the dust. The enemy on every occasion oppose us with their picked and best troops; their officers are certainly prodigal of life, often exposing themselves ridiculously. One French officer came capering on, to show off to his regiment what a fine fellow he was, and actually made a cut from his horse at one of our men, who shot him. Occurrences of this nature frequently happen. One lieutenant of ours had his head dashed to pieces by a cannon shot—a very brave young soldier.
The enemy now retired by one forced march over the Agueda, leaving a garrison in Almeida, which was directly invested, our Division establishing their piquets on the same ground they occupied last year. A party of men was sent (I was one of the number) to attempt the destruction of the enemy's bullocks that were sent out to graze under the walls of Almeida. The enemy threw a number of shot and shells at us. The bullocks were so near the garrison as to render it impossible to kill the animals without losing a number of them, and the object gained not being worth the risk, the party were ordered to join the regiment. Our piquets and the enemy's were frequently skirmishing, the result always terminating in our favour.