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touche boxes, caps, bayonet-scabbards, and the carcases of men lay strewed in helpless confusion, and awfully betokened the deathstruggle which had here ensued.

From thence I visited the castle; the gate which led from it to the town was still partly barricaded with stones, and the other part was riddled with bullets, both parties having fired through it, as their only means of getting at each other. On passing from thence I met the servant of my friend B-, of the 4th Regiment; the man told me his master had been very severely wounded in the storming, a grape shot from a twenty-four pounder having passed through the calf of his leg. I immediately went in quest of my poor friend, and found him in the room of a good-looking house. In this room another officer of the same corps had also been carried, after our people had entered the town; during the night previous to my visit the latter had died from the mortification of his wounds, and his body was still lying in the bed, as there were no hands or no time to remove it. Although suffering much, and greatly pulled down from loss of blood, B-was delighted to see me. After inquiries concerning his present state and an attempt on my part to hold out hopes of his speedy recovery, he detailed to me the share his corps had taken in the storming. He had commanded the Grenadier company of his regiment, which had been very severely handled in the fray; as he described his share in the scene of that eventful night, he seemed to forget the result of it to himself, and became very animated until his relation reached that point where he was disabled, by his wound, from taking any further part in the adventurous work. His feelings then overpowered him, he sank back on the mattress and became silent, for he was fully aware of the dangerous nature of his wound, and had a wife and children dependent upon him. He was an honest good soldier, who had seen much service, but had no hope of promotion beyond what merit, not money, might afford. I did all in my power to console him, but what are words against such ugly facts? they have as much chance of being heard as Jenny Wren's musical intonations against thunder. On my parting from him, poor fellow, he was much affected-and we never met again.

On the next day (the 14th), in continued torrents of rain, our Division re-crossed the Guadiana and once again entered Portugal, directing our line of march on Castello Branco, by Campo Mayo, Arronches, Portalegre, Garfete, and Niza, once more passed the Tagus at Vilha-Velha, and so by Ovadeos to Castello Branco, which we reached on the 22nd of April, and continued our movement by Escallos de Cima to Medellin. This march was made to meet Marmont's movements in the north of Portugal, where he was making a diversion in favour of Badajos, during Lord Wellington's siege of it, which proved no diversion at all to the unfortunate Portuguese inhabitants of these provinces, and was anything but convenient either to them or us. The Spaniards at Ciudad Rodrigo, and the Portuguese at Almeida had done, according to their custom, as little as they could possibly help to put these fortresses in safety from a coup de main. Indeed the culpable

negligence of the Spanish and Portuguese Governments, left these strongholds in manifest peril. When Trant was assured that Marmont's direction would be Ciudad and not Oporto, he advanced from Lamego, followed by Wilson, intending to take post on the Lower Coa. While in march he received * Mesurier's despatches, which induced him to make a forced march with one Brigade to the Cabeça Negro mountain, behind the bridge of Almeida. His design was to break down the restored part of that structure, and so prevent the enemy from penetrating to Pinhel where there was a magazine; his march was well timed, for two French Divisions were then driving Carlos d'España over the plain beyond the Coa. It appeared that Marmont having come close to Ciudad Rodrigo on the 30th, the Spaniards and Victor Alten's 600 German cavalry fell back from the Yeltes before him. Carlos d'España with 800 infantry retreated across the plain of the Cima de Coa to Fort Conception, and Alten continued his retreat as far as Castello Branco, and even passed the Tagus with his cavalry at Vilha-Velha.

On the 3rd of April the French passed the Agueda at the Caridad, drove Carlos d'España before them, and he reached the Cabeça Negro mountain behind the Coa with only 200 men at the very moment Trant arrived there. The latter, seeing no French cavalry on the plain, and being desirous of concerting his operations with the Governor of Almeida, immediately threw some skirmishers into the vineyards on the right of the road beyond the bridge; then, escorted by some guides, whom he had dressed in red uniforms, he galloped to the glacis of the fortress, communicated with the Governor, received from him a troop of English cavalry which happened to be in the place, and returned at dusk. The Cabeça Negro was immediately covered with bivouac fires, and in the evening Le Mesurier sallied from the fortress, and drove back the enemy's light troops. Two divisions of French infantry had come against Almeida with orders to storm it, but these vigorous actions disturbed them; the attempt was not made, and the General commanding excused himself to Marmont on the ground that the sudden appearance of Trant indicated the vicinity of British troops. In this false notion he marched the next morning up the Coa towards Alfyates, where Marmont met him with two other divisions and eight squadrons of cavalry, having left one division to blockade Ciudad Rodrigo. Trant now sent back the horsemen to Le Mesurier, and marched to Guarda to cover the magazines and hospital at Celorico. He was here joined by Wilson."+

On the 13th two French deserters came in, who were afterwards suspected to have been sent from Marmont's advance posts, on purpose to give false information to Trant and Wilson of the numbers and situation of the French corps in their front; and from the intelligence thus communicated, Trant having consulted Wilson, they projected a plan to surprise Marmont at Sabugal,

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which they were induced to attempt by the report of the French Marshal's small force, his unsuspecting security, want of precaution, and exposed position. Under these circumstances success might attend the undertaking, even with such troops as Trant and Wilson commanded, which were only 6000 raw Militia.

On the following morning (the 14th), they assembled the commanding officers of these Portuguese regiments, and were in the act of imparting to them the proposed enterprise, when a report was brought by Wilson's aide-de-camp that a detachment of the enemy's cavalry had made its appearance at the foot of the Guarda Hill, on the road leading from Sabugal. Wilson immediately proceeded to reconnoitre what was passing in this direction, and shortly verified the fact. Some few cavalry were despatched against the enemy's advance, when they fell back, exchanging a few shots; but shortly afterwards they advanced again in much larger force from the same direction. It was still doubtful, however, whether the object of the movement was a reconnaissance or an attack, and if the latter, the question was whether the strength of the enemy was such as to justify the undisputed abandonment of the position held by Trant and Wilson. Some delay ensued in ascertaining this point; and it was not until the appearance of column after column of the enemy left no further doubt of their intention, that it was decided to fall back on Celorico. Wilson then took charge of the rear-guard, and held the enemy's advance in check sufficiently long to allow the other two divisions to clear the head of the pass leading to the Mondego. But from some misapprehension on the part of the officer acting as Quarter-master-general to Trant's Division, it was found, to the no small surprise of Wilson, that both Divisions, instead of continuing steadily their retreat down the pass of this ticklish position, had been halted, and formed in line on the plateau behind the town, just above a steep zig-zag road descending to the river. By this unaccountable mistake much precious time was lost, the retreat had to be recommenced, and the rear-guard had again to be thrown out to cover the retiring column, which now became hurried in its march. In consequence a small detachment of cavalry was, by the superiority of the enemy's numbers, driven back on the infantry of the Portuguese militia, and they were obliged to open out to allow the cavalry to pass. Torrents of rain continued to fall during these movements, and rendered abortive any attempts of the infantry to discharge their muskets. The rear-guard, however, still held a good front, and continued their retreat in good order until they reached the plain at the bottom of the hill, when the enemy's cavalry, having driven the Portuguese horsemen across the river, and becoming emboldened by the inoperative state of the arms of the infantry dashed forward, and mingled amongst them. Some confusion then commenced; but, singularly enough, it occurred first at the head of the retreating column imparting its influence to the rear like an electric shock. Wilson now formed one of his battalions on the opposite side of the Ponte de Ladrao, and thus effectually checked the enemy's

forward movement, and the Divisions reached Celorico without further molestation. The battalion causing this check to the enemy, and thereby securing the retreat, was noticed on this occasion, in the general orders of the Portuguese army, for its good conduct. At Celorico, with a fresh appointed rear-guard, and a more adequate force of cavalry, Wilson again had charge of the rear-guard, the rest of the Divisions continuing their retreat on the road to Lamego.

On the following day, the enemy drove in the advance posts, and made a semblance of coming on, instead of which, however, they subsequently retired, and Wilson followed their retrograde movement, re-entering Guarda after them. Here, a scene of ruin and desecration presented itself, most painful to witness. Wilson immediately dispatched a dragoon with a note, written in pencil, to General d'Urban, Quarter-master-general of the Portuguese army, giving a brief detail of the operations, and reporting Marmont's retreat upon Sabugal. This information fortunately arrived in time to counteract the alarming intelligence given by a Portuguese officer of one of Trant's regiments, who, flying from the field, spread panic through the country, and, in his consternation, reached even to Lord Wellington's head-quarters. The unfortunate man, whose nervous influences were greater than his martial tendencies, was tried by a court-martial for his misconduct before the enemy, and was sentenced to be shot, which sentence was carried into effect. Several instances of similar misbehaviour having already occurred among these troops, which had been passed over, Marshal Beresford at length found it his bounden duty, for the safety of the service, that an example should be made. Silveira, with 12,000 infantry, and 400 cavalry, who had seen some service, ought to have crossed the Douro on the 5th, but did not choose to do so till the 14th, and then halted at the good town of Lamego. This conduct was severely reflected on at the time. In point of waywardness, he was the Ballesteros of the Portuguese army-never, when he could do so with impunity, acknowledging any will but his own, and that will not the safest for others to calculate upon. Lord Wellington, being desirous of hearing Wilson's account of the Guarda affair, sent for him to Fuentes Guinaldo, and, after receiving the report of the conduct of the rear-guard of Trant's people, and his success in checking the enemy at the Ponte de Ladrao, with approbation, entered himself most fully and freely into the late movements, explaining his own opinions on the subject, and asking Wilson to dine and sleep at head-quarters, ended by saying, in his brief decided manner, that "the position of Guarda was the most treacherous and perilous in the country for a small force."

Marmont having now, in consequence of our movements, retired with his force, amounting to 28,000 men, between the Coa and Agueda, and having re-established his bridge across the latter river, which had been destroyed by the floods from the severe rains, recrossed that stream on the 24th of April, and spreading his troops over the plains of Leon, our army was dispersed, and our

division retired from Medellin to Castello Branco, and eventually recrossed the Tagus, and occupied Niza. I am now reminded, from the amount I have written, that the space to which I have limited myself in this number, is exhausted; at present, it only remains for me to take leave of my subject, and of those readers who may have perused my "Random Recollections." The sugges tion of contributing them to this periodical, is due to Mr. Bentley, the cessation of their appearance for the present to myself; but to those who have been good enough to give the "Recollections" a favourable reception, I may add, that at no distant period, it is possible they may be continued, and will reappear in another and perhaps a more collected form. Considerably more than a generation of mortal life has passed away, since the scenes and events which I have sketched, were acted. On the eve of a war, of which the issues and the duration are alike uncertain, even the echoes of a mighty conflict, such as the Peninsular war, retain a lively interest, and while the entire scale of operations and the intricate mazes of its policy have been represented by the most eloquent of military historians, who himself bore no mean share in the deeds he has so well depicted, there has still been room for this feebler and less perfect record of " Random Recollections."

TO THE MEMORY OF

THE LATE MR. JUSTICE TALFOURD.

OH! thou, of gentle heart, but soaring soul,
Who, struggling up life's hill with love, didst rise
Foe-less to honour's place, and win the prize,
Without one frown from rivals at the goal.
Thou, who with grace of letters didst control
The cares of law, and soften all its ties-

Showing how Themis, deck'd, might still be wise,

Nor, with a laurell'd brow, forget her scroll.

Thou, who, with thy last words, from duty's scat,

Didst plead the love-bonds that should make all one!

Take, take thy rest, where spirits find retreat;
Sleep on, that sleepest after work so done.

Nor dread, when roused from blest fore-shadowing dream,
To meet the summons of the Judge Supreme!

G. D.

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