The light troops, after a severe struggle, succeeded in driving back the enemy, but were repulsed themselves in turn. Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace with the utmost coolness, took two men from each of his battalion companies, and placing them under the command of Lieutenant Mackie, reinforced the advance, and thus for some time again kept the French in check; at length, however, they were compelled to retire before the overwhelming force that pressed upon them. The situation was in the highest degree critical, and demanded decision and coolness; the French light troops were rushing on with loud shouts, closely followed by a column of infantry; General Picton was not within reach at the instant, and the Eighty-Eighth was without orders. At this moment Colonel Wallace addressed his men.
“The time so long wished for by you and by me is at length arrived; you have now an opportunity of distinguishing yourselves. Be cool, be steady, but above all, pay attention to my word of command—you know it well. You see how these Frenchmen press on; let them do so; when they reach a little nearer us I will order you to advance to that mount—look at it lest you might mistake what I say. Now, mind what I tell you; when you arrive at that spot, I will charge, and I have now only to add, the rest must be done by yourselves—press on them to the muzzle—I say, Connaught Rangers! press on the rascals!”
This animating address was received by the men, not with shouts and hurrahs, but still better, with a deep and silent attention, indicating firmness of decision and earnestness of purpose.
The regiment was drawn up in line, and many men had already fallen; the colours carried by Ensigns Joseph Owgan and William Grattan, were pierced by numerous bullets, and three of the colour-serjeants were wounded, when Captain Dunne returned, and reported to Colonel Wallace, that besides the mass in his front, which was only the advance of a column about to assail him, a body of riflemen had occupied a cluster of rocks on the right of the regiment, and the main body of the enemy was moving towards an open space which separated the Eighty-Eighth from the Forty-Fifth regiment. Cool and unruffled amongst the dangers that surrounded him, Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace asked Captain Dunne if he thought half the battalion would be sufficient to do the business. “No,” was the reply, “you will want every man you can bring forward.” “Very well,” said Colonel Wallace, “I am ready—Soldiers; mind what I have said to you—I have nothing more to add—it now rests with yourselves.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace then threw the battalion into column right in front, but had scarcely reached the rocks, when a murderous fire was opened upon him; without losing his presence of mind for a moment, he filed the grenadiers and two battalion companies out of the column, ordering them to carry the rocks at all hazards, while with the remainder of the battalion he pressed on against the main body of the enemy.
The Eighth Portuguese regiment had not yet opened its fire; it was too distant: four companies of the Forty-Fifth were engaged in an unequal combat, bravely but ineffectually disputing every inch of ground with a far superior force by which they were assailed: their brave commander, Major Gwynne, had already fallen, and these companies were on the very brink of being annihilated, when the Eighty-Eighth rushed to their assistance, and the two corps precipitated themselves into the midst of the French column, consisting of their Second, Fourth, and Thirty-Sixth regiments, and Irish brigade, and forming the advance of Reynier’s division; they received one dreadful discharge of musketry, but only one; before a second could be thrown in, they had passed through the French column, and completely overthrowing it, drove it down the mountain side with a mighty clamour and confusion, covering the ground with the dead and dying, even to the bottom of the valley.
In the mean time, the three companies of the Eighty-Eighth which had been detached to drive the French riflemen from the rocks on the right, had been engaged in a severe and desperate struggle. In the advance they were exposed to the deliberate aim of practised marksmen ranged amphitheatrically rank above rank, and protected by the rocks of which they had just taken possession; arrived at the point of contest, both officers and men were soon engaged in a hand-to-hand fight. The French defended themselves with more than usual desperation, for they were aware that escape was out of the question, and that they had no alternative between repelling their assailants and being slain on the spot, or hurled headlong down the precipitous rocks on which they had established themselves. Twenty minutes, however, sufficed to decide the question, and to teach the heroes of Marengo and Austerlitz[7] that, with every advantage of position on their side, they must yield to the Rangers of Connaught.
During this short but arduous conflict Captain Dansey was severely wounded, and Captain Dunne had a hair-breadth escape of swelling the return of killed. He had made a cut with his sabre at one of the French riflemen, but struck short, the man being above the reach of his weapon; the Frenchman’s bayonet, on the other hand, was within a few inches of Captain Dunne’s breast, and his finger on the trigger; one word was shouted by Captain Dunne—it was the name of a serjeant in the regiment, “Brazel!” He heard the call through all the din of battle, and rushing forwards, although he fell upon his face in making the lunge, buried his halberd in the Frenchman’s body, and rescued his officer from certain death.
Lord Wellington, who had been a near spectator of the achievements of the Eighty-Eighth, bestowed the warmest encomiums on the regiment. He galloped up to it, and taking Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace by the hand, said, “Wallace, I never saw a more gallant charge than that just now made by your regiment.” In his public despatches he repeated the expressions of approbation which he had used during the heat of the combat, as the following extracts will show:—
“One division of French infantry arrived at the top of the ridge, when it was attacked in the most gallant manner by the Eighty-Eighth Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace.”... “In these attacks Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, &c. &c., distinguished themselves.”... “I have also to mention in a particular manner, the conduct of Captain Dansey of the Eighty-Eighth Regiment.”... “And I beg to assure your Lordship, that I never witnessed a more gallant attack than that made by the Eighty-Eighth, Forty-Fifth, and Eighth Portuguese regiments, on the enemy’s division which reached the ridge of the Sierra.”