Thus matters remained till the afternoon; the 1st and 3rd Battalions suffering, but a little, from the fire of the enemy’s mountain guns. About three o’clock three companies of the 1st Battalion with part of the 43rd, crossed by the bridge of Lezaca, and proceeded along the heights above the river, in a direction parallel to the French; they were afterwards followed by the remainder of Kempt’s brigade, and moved from hill to hill, in the evening occupying a height above Lezaca where they remained for the night. But a picquet was left on the heights of Sta. Barbara, with orders, as soon as it was relieved by a Spanish regiment, to follow the Battalion across the Bidassoa. But this was no easy matter. For a tremendous storm of wind, thunder and lightning came on; and it was extremely difficult for the picquet to thread their way by mountain paths along the hill-side.
The rain also fell in torrents. And as is always the case in these mountains every rill rapidly became a torrent, and the Bidassoa rose and ere long became unfordable. That portion of the enemy to the left of the British position had, on being defeated, recrossed the river. But General Clausel’s force, which was nearer to Vera, was unable to do so. Clausel himself, indeed, with two brigades, did repass the river early in the evening, leaving General Vandermaesen with the other divisions on the left bank. Then the Bidassoa rose rapidly, and night set in. Some of his troops attempted to ford the angry river, but were swept away and drowned. Then the only chance was to force the bridge of Vera. Here Cadoux’s company and part of Hart’s company of the 2nd Battalion were posted under command of the former, in a loop-holed house about thirty yards from the bridge, having double sentries posted on the bridge itself. Thomas Smith, the Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion, having reported to General Skerrett that the bridge was held by this detachment, Skerrett sent his Brigade-Major, who was sleeping in the same room with him, to Cadoux, desiring him to evacuate it, probably in consequence of Vandermaesen’s overwhelming numbers. This Cadoux refused to do; saying that he could hold the bridge-house. Meanwhile, about two o’clock in the morning, the French, silently drawing near the bridge, made a rush. The two sentries on the bridge snapped their rifles to give the alarm; but the priming was wet from the heavy rain, and they were at once shot down or bayoneted. Cadoux, by his fire from the bridge-house, kept the head of the advancing column in check. At this fatal moment General Skerrett sent a fresh order to Cadoux, and in such terms as he could not disobey, to leave the bridge-house and join his Battalion. He of course complied; but with the memorable words that ‘but few of his party would reach the camp.’ Even so it was. They at once became exposed not only to the fire of the troops on the bridge, but to a cannonade from the guns of the French reserve on a height near Vera. Cadoux was killed; 2 sergeants and 14 rank and file were killed; and Captain Hart, Lieutenants Llewellyn and R. Cochrane, 9 sergeants and 34 rank and file were wounded. So that every officer present was either killed or wounded besides 11 sergeants and 48 rank and file, out of a total strength of about 100 men. And it is to be noted that until the party left the bridge-house Cadoux had not lost a man, except the double sentries on the bridge.[128] The opposition being thus withdrawn the French crossed the bridge, and returned to their position. Whereas had Skerrett not only left Cadoux at the bridge-house, but supported him with the remainder of the Battalion, or with the 52nd, who were close at hand, not a man of Vandermaesen’s division could have recrossed the Bidassoa. One company of the 3rd Battalion indeed and some Portuguese troops came up about daylight, but it was then too late, and the passage had been effected.[129]
For this neglect and for the sacrifice of Cadoux and his gallant band General Skerrett has been greatly and deservedly blamed; in which censure Sir William Napier (though apparently not fully aware of Skerrett’s fault) concurs.
Drawn by Captn H. M. Moorsom, Rifle Brige E. Weller, lith., London.
London: Chatto & Windus.
ACTION
NEAR
VERA
7TH OCTOBER 1813
Besides the great loss of Cadoux’s party at the bridge-house, Lieutenant Nicholas Travers, who commanded the company of the 3rd Battalion which came up at dawn, was also wounded; and 2 men of it were killed and 10 wounded.