On this night an untoward event occurred, which gave the officers of the Regiment some annoyance. After dark, a French officer accompanied by two men, approached our position; when the Corporal in charge of the advanced post of the picquet at the abattis took up his rifle and shot the French officer, whom the two soldiers carried into their picquet. It was feared that this would endanger the good understanding of the French outposts with the Riflemen. For it was not known whether they came on a friendly visit, as they sometimes did; or whether it was a patrol sent forward to ascertain if we had withdrawn the picquets pushed forward in the afternoon. If the latter (and the presence of the two soldiers makes it probable that it was), of course those composing the patrol, risked the chances of war. However, no retaliation was attempted, and the outposts continued as friendly as before.
Here the Regiment remained without any other matter of moment worth recording for some weeks, during which they were hospitably entertained by the owners of the château of Arcangues, an aged lady and her grandson.
On January 3, 1814, they were moved to the right; and crossing the Nive advanced a league or two, in order to support some operations of the army on the Adour. These being effected they fell back to the Nive; and were cantoned in the villages of Ustaritz and Aurantz; the 3rd Battalion occupying the latter.
The weather now became very severe; rain, sleet and snow fell; and the roads were knee-deep for foot-passengers, and up to a horse’s girths.
On January 24 the 1st Battalion was transferred to the second brigade of the Light Division, and the 2nd Battalion was placed in the first brigade. This was in consequence of Barnard, commanding the 1st Battalion, being given the command of the second brigade.
On February 16 the Regiment moved from its cantonments, and may be said to have commenced the campaign of 1814. Crossing the Nive at Ustaritz, they moved to within a league and a half of La Bastide de Clarence and encamped on a wild heathy plain. Next day they marched to La Bastide itself, and encamped on a hill beyond it.
On the 18th they were moved into houses in consequence of the weather; which beginning with rain, changed through sleet into snow.
On the 19th the 1st Battalion marched for St. Jean-de-Luz to get their new clothing, for they were almost in rags; and the means of transport were not forthcoming, nor the roads easy for its conveyance. Therefore the Regiment went down to St. Jean-de-Luz, one Battalion at a time, to obtain it. Having received it on the 23rd the Battalion started on the 24th to rejoin the army, and passing though Ustaritz, La Bastide and Garris, arrived at St. Palais on the 28th. Here they were very much disappointed to find that the regiment which occupied it had orders to move to the front, leaving the 1st Battalion at St. Palais till a fresh regiment relieved them. For they had heard firing on the 27th, and now the tidings of the hard fight at Orthez had reached them. Here they remained some days, in a state of great anxiety and excitement, until, as they were trying to persuade some detachments which came up that they were a relieving battalion, an order reached them to move forward. And marching as rapidly as possible, they reached Sauveterre on the 7th March, Orthez on the 8th, and rejoined the other two Battalions at Barcelonne on the 11th.
But while the 1st Battalion was absent for re-equipment in clothing, the two other Battalions had moved from La Bastide to Esturi on February 21st, and to St. Palais on the 22nd, and on the 23rd they encamped near La Chere and Charite. And it was found that the enemy had blown up a bridge over the Bidouze. It was necessary therefore on the 24th to cross two branches of that river by fords. The first, the Gave de Mauleon, they passed at Nabes; and then moving forward to Gave d’Oleron, they found some French cavalry drawn up on the opposite bank to dispute the passage. A small cottage was on the bank; and George Simmons,[134] taking a few Riflemen into it, kept up a smart fire from the windows to cover the passage of the two Battalions through the ford. As it was very deep, they were halted, and made to take off their pouches and strap them on the top of their knapsacks, and then plunge in, Captains Miller and Duncan of the 2nd Battalion leading the way. The water was above the men’s waists, and they were obliged to link themselves together to avoid being swept away; while some of the men clung to the stirrup-leathers and tails of the horses of the mounted officers. On arrival at the opposite bank they found that the enemy had endeavoured to obstruct their mounting it, by drawing harrows with the point upwards to the slope. The cavalry however did not molest them. One man indeed galloped towards the bank, but he was instantly shot down by one of the 2nd Battalion men in the cottage. Under their fire, and that of a couple of guns, brought up to the left bank, they gave way and retired. This ford was near Villeneuve; and having passed through that village the Riflemen halted till the rest of the Division had crossed and formed up. While here George Simmons, being wet to the shoulders and very cold, entered a respectable house, and sitting down by the fire, asked the people to get him some wine and something to eat. Some ran to execute his orders, while the rest watched him with terror and aversion. A little child being present, he took it up on his knee and fondled it, and (as the people refused to be paid for the refreshment he had asked for) he put some money into its hand. On his setting it down a general feeling of relief seemed to pervade the bystanders, who then told him that Soult and his emissaries had informed the peasantry that the English were barbarians, who would carry off and murder their children.
On their march after crossing the Gave d’Oleron, they came in sight of a body of the enemy’s infantry moving parallel to them, and apparently making the utmost haste to escape from them. It was at first proposed to fall on them; but some wiser man having observed that their supports were probably not far off, they were allowed to depart in peace. The two Battalions bivouacked on a bleak exposed common not far from Orion.