The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95th

by William Henry Cope

On December 9 the Light Division was ordered to advance with a view to the troops under General Hill passing the Nive. The 1st and 3rd Battalions drove in the enemy’s outposts, the latter advancing along a ridge in their front. The 2nd Battalion was also actively engaged. A heavy fire was kept up by the French, to which the Regiment was more or less exposed all day. In the evening the Regiment fell back to the cantonments at and near Arcangues which they had before occupied. On the morning of the 10th no immediate fighting was anticipated; so little indeed that the Light Division had orders to fall back to Arbonne about four miles to the rear, and part of the second brigade had already marched; but General Kempt, not being satisfied with the look of things in his front, delayed his movement. The morning dawned with a thick drizzling rain; and the troops, having been as usual under arms at daylight, had turned in, when a sudden order was received to fall in and support the picquets, for the enemy were advancing. The position of Arcangues has been already described: the church, the château, the adjacent houses, the three tongues of hilly land; and there was a table-land, a sort of open common, at the top. The left tongue was occupied by picquets of the 52nd; the centre by those of the 43rd; the right by those of the 1st Battalion; and that near Garrat’s House by those of the 3rd Battalion. As soon as these Battalions turned out, they found the picquets vigorously attacked. The numbers of the assailants were overwhelming, and they had to retire. But though this had to be effected at the double—for there was much ground to get over to reach the plateau in front of Arcangues—and though they moved over bad ground, yet the moment they reached the flat ground at top, these apparently flying skirmishers resumed their formation, and presented a steady and impenetrable front to the advancing enemy. But some of the 1st Battalion retiring from the right-hand tongue were unable to head the enemy, who moving by the ravine, arrived at the plain before them. Some men[133] and one officer, Second Lieutenant James Church, were then made prisoners.

Two companies of the 3rd Battalion were pushed forward to cover the retreat of the picquets; and having done so, they retired gradually as the enemy advanced. This Battalion then lined a coppice at the foot of the high ground on which the church is situated and connecting the church with the château, whence the 1st Battalion, having loop-holed it and strengthened it with abattis and a kind of rude rampart, kept up a galling fire upon the enemy. This tiraillade continued till dark.

In this affair Lieutenant Hopwood of the 1st Battalion, Sergeant Brotherton and Private Patrick Mahon were killed by one ball, which passed through the heads of all three as they were standing one behind the other. They fell near a hedge which the Battalion had defended as they fell gradually back from one defensible point to another. During the day several French soldiers came through the hedge and approached their bodies; but as our men supposed that it was with the intention to plunder them, they shot every man who passed the hedge. For they were unable from the violence of the fire to go out themselves to remove their bodies. At last towards evening a French officer approached through the hedge waving a white handkerchief; and when our firing ceased, he brought out some of his men with spades, who buried Hopwood and the sergeant in one grave.

On this day the losses of the Regiment were: 1st Battalion: 4 Riflemen killed; 2 Sergeants, 1 Bugler and 21 Riflemen wounded; 2nd Battalion: 4 Riflemen killed, 3 Sergeants, 1 Bugler and 24 Riflemen wounded; 3rd Battalion: 1 Rifleman killed, 1 Bugler and 22 Riflemen wounded.

On that night the 1st Battalion continued of course in its occupation of the château d’Arcangues, while the 3rd Battalion bivouacked on the ridge extending from it to the church.

On the 11th the Regiment was not engaged. And on that day some French officers, continuing the good feeling which I have mentioned, and doubtless anxious to show their confidence, brought out some chairs and a table from a house occupied by their picquet; and having carried them into the middle of the adjoining field, within 100 yards of our sentries, placed some wine and glasses on the table, and sitting down saluted the officers of our picquet; bowing and holding up their glasses, as if drinking to their healths.

Yet this security of the outposts was sometimes broken through. For on this night a Sergeant of the 3rd Battalion surprised the French picquet. Taking a few men with him he stole past the sentries and got up to the picquet house undiscovered; and seizing their arms, which he found piled outside, broke them. And while the picquet, utterly surprised, were turning out, he and his companions ran back to their lines. I do not know the name of this daring soldier. He lost an arm at the battle of Toulouse, and was consequently discharged.

On the other hand: some of the 1st Battalion were, in one of the affairs of outposts about this time, ordered to drive in the French picquets in front of them. Lieutenant Gardiner, who commanded the party, observed that he would not shoot the French sentries. So, calling to them to begone, he told them that he was going to attack the post. I have already noted that he spoke French fluently. They retired; but had hardly done so, when the French officer ordered his picquet to fire on Gardiner, who was making his men fall in for the attack. The discharge was ineffectual; and the Riflemen were glad to hear afterwards that the officer in charge of the French picquet was not a real soldier, but one of the national guard.

On the 12th the enemy made a show of strengthening his position; constructing a six-gun battery on the height in front of Arcangues, which however his gunners never could have served; as the Riflemen would have shot them before they could have fired a second round. While therefore our people were strengthening the château of Arcangues by abattis and throwing up a breastwork, the older heads declared that it was all a sham. And so indeed it proved. For though some fighting was anticipated on the 12th, and though in the afternoon the 1st and 3rd Battalions fell in with the supposed intention of driving the enemy’s outposts further back from the ridge in front of Arcangues, yet nothing was done. And in the night between the 12th and 13th, the sentries of the picquets having reported that the enemy’s fires were burning more brightly than usual, the ruse was suspected. And an officer with a patrol, having crept up to their lines, found them almost abandoned. The truth is that Soult had withdrawn his force in front of the Riflemen, to attack General Hill’s force on their right.

In the morning the Riflemen moved forward to the ridge of Bassussari, and had some little firing with the rear-guard, which had not yet cleared off; but one of the known signals being made (an officer holding up his cap on the top of his sword), the firing ceased; and the Riflemen were suffered without any opposition to advance their outposts to the ground they had occupied before the attack on them on the 9th.