Camp before Badajos, April 2nd, 1812.
My Dear Father,
Since I wrote to you on the 27th the siege has gone on very well indeed, and the weather has been fine though rather too hot, which has in a great measure made up for the very bad weather we had at the commencement, which certainly retarded us two full days. Our men have worked very hard, notwithstanding the very heavy fire from the place, which the enemy have kept up at times, and which our Ricochet Batteries did not prevent much, and some of them even suffered very considerably themselves, particularly No. 5, and No. 6, which is a Howitzer Battery. They are most to our right, and exposed to a commanding fire from the Castle.
Though our loss has not hitherto been very great considering, we have to lament that of some very valuable Officers, amongst others that of Capt. Mulcaster of the Engineers, Lt. Connell of the Artillery, two most promising young men and universally esteemed. On the 29th poor Major Thomson, the Commg. Officer of the 88th, was killed by my side in the 8 gun breaching Battery. We had been walking together in the trenches and went down to see how far the Battery was advanced, and when it would be ready. The enemy kept up a heavy fire of musquetry on it, as it was only 150 yards from their covered way. We were standing up with Major M’Lean of the 1st Caçadores when they fired at us and hit poor Thomson through the head, and M’Lean had his watch broke. I fortunately jumped down in time and escaped, as they hit instead the sandbag I was leaning against, which did quite as well. These escapes are not at all extraordinary in our trenches, as our 2nd parallel is nowhere more than 400 yards from the covered way of the town, and in many (places) much less. The 6 gun breaching Battery is only 200, and a new one, which is constructing, and will be ready to-morrow morning, much less. But notwithstanding the enemy’s fire of shot, shells, grape and musquetry, it is astonishing the little damage they do, or how few men comparatively are hit. The 8 gun breaching Battery opened on the 30th against the flank of the Bastion of St Maria, with considerable effects, but it drew upon it the whole fire of the Place, and suffered a good deal itself. On the 31st the 12 gun Battery of 24 prs. and the 6 gun By. of 18 prs. opened against the right face of the Bastion of La Trinidad, with excellent effect, and though it has proved a very tough one, the old wall is now coming down very fast, and as it is more forward a great deal than that on the flank of St Maria, the 6 gun Battery was also this morning turned against it, and I have great hopes that on the 4th or 5th at furthest it will be ready for the general assault. It will be a glorious night, and I have not a doubt, though there are great disadvantages to overcome, that we shall take the Town, and the enemy will probably retire into the Castle, which is an old Moorish or Gothic one, and from whence they will be forced to capitulate, as well as the adjacent forts.
Our Artillerymen, both British and Portuguese, have fired extremely well indeed, much better than the enemy, whose fire, though at times very brisk, is very ill directed, and their shells do very little harm, though tolerably well thrown, on account of some mismanagement in their fuses. They either burst too soon, or so late that everybody has time to get out of their way. Yesterday and the day before their fire was heavier than I ever have seen it before in the siege, but to-day it has been very slack indeed on their side. We have lost two very good Portuguese Artillery Officers, Captn. Julio Cæsar D’Amoral and Barceiros, both very gallant good Officers, and Capt. Dundas of the British Artillery, and Lieut. Grimes, badly wounded. The former has lost an arm. Major M’Leod of the Engineers is doing well. He is a very zealous and good Officer.
The conduct of the Portuguese Troops during the whole Siege, and under very trying circumstances, has been most exemplary, particularly their Artillery, which is really very good. It is difficult to say which troops, the British or Portuguese, are the most indifferent to danger. In both it is quite remarkable. But John goes to work more steadily and sullenly, while the Portuguese must be well led, and have his joke. They are great wits in their way, and, without the resolution and impenetrable sang froid of the British, which no danger can disturb, they have more patience and subordination under greater privations and hardship. But the Portuguese has not the bodily strength of the former, is naturally lazy, and is not used to our pickaxes and shovels. Therefore on the working parties the British do their work better in half the time. But both seem equally careless of danger. They agree perfectly well together, and amongst the men there is scarce an instance of disagreement or disturbance.
On the evening of the 30th the Enemy made a small sortie with 2 or 300 men against a working party of 200 men of the Algarve Brigade who were constructing a small Redoubt, on the other side of the Guadiana opposite St Christopher’s Fort Napoleon, and who allowed them to come close up to them, gave them a volley, and drove them in a moment back into their works, leaving their Commanding Officer and some men dead on the field, since which they have never ventured to molest them, though they are only 2600 men, Portuguese, and part of the 3rd P. Cavalry without a British Regiment, the 5th Divn. (Leith’s) having marched to Valverde to be ready to join Graham, should it be necessary, which I much doubt, for I hope we shall be in the place before either Soult or Marmont can possibly arrive to relieve it.
With regard to what they are about, we have so many reports, and so different, that I do not know exactly what to believe, but do not think they can collect a sufficient force in time. I think by the 4th or 5th the breaches will be ready for a general assault. We shall lose a great many men, but I have not a doubt we shall take the Place.
General Graham’s expedition against Drouet did not succeed. The enemy had too good information, or were too vigilant, and they could only come up with their rearguard of cavalry, and there was a little skirmishing.