The United Service Journal and Naval and Military Magazine

the troops advanced in all directions, clearing the streets and batteries with their bayonets, and overturning the cannon. The 40th regiment with Colonel Browne followed; they also missed the breach, and twice passed through the fire of the batteries, (with the loss of Major Dalrymple,) before they found it. The 87th regiment was posted near the north gate, which the troops who entered at the breach were to have opened for it; such, however, was the ardour of the men, that they could not wait, but scaling the walls, they entered the town as the troops within were approaching to admit them. By day-light, the British were in possession of everything, except the citadel, which made a show of resistance, but soon surrendered at discretion. The total British loss was about 600 men. In the breach alone, 386 were killed and wounded. At the storming of the place, 800 Spaniards were killed, and 500 wounded. The governor, Don Pasquil Ruis Huidobro, with upwards of 2000 officers and men, were made prisoners; and about 1500 escaped in boats or secreted themselves in the town. The thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted to Brigadier-General Sir S. Auchmuty, Brigadier-General the Hon. W. Lumley, and to the several other officers of his Majesty's forces, for their gallant conduct on this occasion.

March 6th. Major-General Frazer, with a force of 5000 men, embarked at Messina, by directions from Lieut.-General Fox, and sailed for Egypt with orders to take possession of the port of Alexandria. On the 16th he anchored before it, but with less than half the troops which had set sail with him; the remainder, on board 19 transports, having parted company† on the voyage. Learning, however, that reinforcements to the garrison were speedily expected, the General did not hesitate. On the 16th and 17th a landing was effected. The General, finding his situation now, from the increased height of the surf and appearance of the weather, to be very precarious, both with respect to getting provisions or stores on shore, or having a regular communication with the transports, determined, at all hazards, to force his way to the western side of the city, where he could receive supplies from Aboukir Bay; at the same time to advance from the town with the small force he had, and push his way, if possible, into the forts that commanded it. He therefore moved forward about 8 o'clock in the evening of the 18th. On their route the British forced a palisadoed entrenchment, with a deep ditch in front of it, that had been thrown up as a defence against the Mamelukes and Arabs on the western side, stretching from Fort des Bains on its right

said he, "but now or never is the moment, our ammunition will not hold out another day's siege! We must make one bold effort, or abandon South America!" Colonel Vassall replied with laconic intrepidity, "Sir, I will lead my regiment to the breach." And this answer, which seemed to inspire all his hearers with confidence, was re-echoed by every commander in the little army. When the 38th was drawn up at 2 o'clock the following morning, preparatory to the assault, Col. Vassall, after making known to his men the service in which they were about to be engaged, added,—“ I am unused, 38th, to making a long speech, but I am convinced that every man of you will do his duty, and show the enemy what we are made of; not one firelock must be loaded, on any account, without orders to that effect. You will respect old men, women, and children; but in every man with arms in his hands, you see an enemy, and must bayonet him." The orderly. serjeant of this excellent officer, and who was witness to his bravery, and the gallant manner in which he acquitted himself on this occasion, thus describes the events:-" On our approach to the wall, we missed the breach: the grape and musketry flew so hot, it drove the men into confusion, and would have made numbers of them retreat, but for his (Colonel Vassall's) exertions. When he observed any of the men stoop or flinch, he cried out as loud as possible, Brave 38th! My brave men, don't flinch! Every bullet has its billet! Push on,-follow me, 38th!' He rallied them repeatedly in this manner, until he got them inside the breach. He immediately directed a party to take possession of the corner battery next the sea, which was done in a few minutes; and another, under the command of Major Ross, to advance to the great church; and he was advancing himself to the main battery on the right, when a grape-shot broke his left leg; and as soon as he fell he cried out, Push on! somebody will take me up. My good soldiers, charge them! never mind me, it's only the loss of a leg in the service.' He sat up, and helped to tie on a handkerchief to stop the blood; and cried out all the time of the action, I care not for my leg, if my regiment do their duty, and I hope they will.' As soon as the town surrendered, he heard the men cheer, he joined them with as great spirit as if nothing had happened, and called to me to have him carried to the head of his regiment. I feel to the heart for his family. I could wish to have fallen with him, sooner than part with a man who was so good a friend to me. At half-past three on the morning of the 3d he received his wound, and at one o'clock on the morning of the 7th he departed; and at eight o'clock the same evening he was interred at the entrance of the great church, with all military honours."

Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, having thus possessed himself of the stronghold of Monte Video, employed himself in making preparations for further movements against the arrival of reinforcements expected from England. At length, on the 10th May, Lieut.-Geueral Whitelocke arrived, and took the command of the army. And on the 14th June, Brigadier-Gen. Craufurd, with a further reinforcement arrived, and thus raised the army to an effective condition for an immediate movement and operation upon Buenos Ayres.-(See June.) On the 19th March, a detachment of the army under Lieut.-Colonel Pack, took possession of Colonia del Sacramento, without loss. The following is the return of the killed, wounded, and missing, from the 16th January, the day of landing at the Puerta de Caretas, during the siege, and at the assault:-1 major, 4 captains, 3 lieutenants, 2 serjeants, 6 drummers, 126 rank and file killed; 2 lieut.-colonels, 2 majors, 6 captains, 10 lieutenants, 5 ensigns, 4 staff, 20 serjeants, 6 drummers, 366 rank and file wounded; 8 rank and file missing.

On the night of the 17th, the Apollo frigate, with 19 transports, out of 33 which conveyed the troops, parted company; and the other 14, with the Tigre, came to an anchor to the westward of Alexandria.

The French Consul was endeavouring to prevail upon the government to admit a body of Albanians to assist in the defence of the place.

dank, mounting thirteen guns. This they effected with very little loss, though under a heavy fire of cannon and musketry, and proceeded within a few yards of Pompey's Gate, where they found the garrison prepared to receive them; the gate barricaded, and the walls lined with corps. This, added to the smallness of the British force, not much exceeding 1000, determined the General to proceed to the westward. On the morning of the 19th, the troops occupied the position on which the British army under Sir Ralph Abercromby had, six years before, fought the memorable battle of Aboukir; and on the 21st,-a day never to be forgotten as the anniversary of that celebrated victory, and of the fate of Abercromby,-the place was surrendered by capitulation. The garrison of Alexandria, before its surrender. amounted to 467 men. The loss of the British was,-1 officer, 6 rank and file, killed; 1 serjeant, 8 rank and file, wounded. The transports which had parted company came to anchor in Aboukir Bay on the morning of the 20th, and Sir John Duckworth's squadron arrived there on the 22d. The names and services of the following officers were particularly mentioned in Major-General Frazer's dispatch:-Major-Gen. Wauchope, the Hon. Brigadier-Gen. W. Stewart, Col. Oswald, Lieut. Col. Airey (Dep.-Adjt.-Gen.), Capt. Green (Dep.Quarter-Master-General), Capt. Pym, royal artillery, Capt. Burgoyne, royal engineers, and Lieut. Hunter, 20th light dragoons. In consequence of a strong representation of Major Missett, the British Resident at Alexandria, that the inhabitants ran a risk of being starved unless Rosetta and Rhamanie were taken possession of by the British troops,-Major-General Frazer, with the concurrence of Rear-Admiral Sir John Duckworth, detached the 31st regiment, and the Chasseurs Brittaniques, under Major-General Wauchope and Brigadier-General Meade, for that purpose. On the 31st, our troops took possession of the heights of Abourmandour, which commands the town of Rosetta, without any loss; but Major-General Wauchope, instead of keeping his post there, penetrated with his whole force into the town, without any previous examination of it, when our men were so briskly fired on, and otherwise annoyed from the windows and tops of houses, without ever seeing their enemy, that after a severe loss in killed and wounded †, they retired to Aboukir, from whence they were directed to return to Alexandria.

April. Apprehensions of famine being still strongly declared by Major Missett and the Chief Magistrate, in the name of the people, unless Rosetta was occupied, Major-Gen. Frazer detached another corps, under the command of the Hon. Brigadier Gen. Stewart and Colonel Oswald. On the 9th, this force took post opposite the Alexandrian Gate of Rosetta, and after ineffectually summouing the town to surrender, batteries were commenced. Frequent skirmishes took place on the left of the army; and on the 10th, a more general demonstration was made, on which occasion the dragoons and the 78th regiment repulsed the enemy with much spirit on the left, while a rapid advance of the light infantry on the right compelled them to retire within the town. BrigadierGeneral Stewart was led to expect the co-operation of the Mameluke Beys, and their arrival hourly being looked for, Lieut.-Colonel Macleod was sent with a detachment to seize an important post at the village of El Hammed, for the purpose of facilitating a junction with the expected succour; but after an expectation of many days, no intelligence of any was received. Early on the morning of the 224, from 60 to 70 vessels were seen sailing down the Nile, which proved to be a reinforcement sent to the enemy from Cairo. Orders were immediately sent to Lieut. Colonel Macleod to retreat from his position to the main body; but the dragoon bearing the dispatch was unable to penetrate to the post, and the detachment was completely cut off. No time was to be lost in breaking up from the position before Rosetta. The piquets remained in their fleches until the field train, the wounded, and the stores were assembled in the plains under the charge of the 78th and De Rolle's regiment, which formed a square round them. "The brave 35th (says the dispatch)"then retreated, followed by the piquets. The enemy, sallying from the town in all directions, surrounded our square, but the bold front which the 35th regiment, under the command of Captain Riddle, and the flanking position of the light infantry battalion, under Major O'Keefe, on the heights of Abourmandour, prevented him from making any impression. Nothing could surpass the steadiness of the troops. The 35th fired by its wings and platoons retiring; and the 78th, with its front rank kneeling, as during the movements of a field-day." The casualties during this retreat did not exceed 50 killed and wounded; but the loss in this unfortunate enterprise was nearly

Killed-1 major-general, 2 captains, 1 lieutenant, 6 serjeants, 5 drummers, 170 rank and file. Wounded-1 brig.-general, 1 brigade-major, 5 captains, 10 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 11 serjeants, 1 drummer, 251 rank and file. Major General Wauchope was killed, having received three wounds before he fell; and the second in command, Brigadier-General Meade, severely wounded in the eye. : We were able to carry but few of our wounded with us; those remaining were barbarously butchered by the Turks, whose cavalry came out and deliberately cut off the heads of our poor helpless comrades.-[Private letter of Major Nicholas.]

The force consisted of a detachment of the royal artillery, detachment of the 20th light dragoons, detachment of seamen, light infantry battalion, 1st battalion 35th regiment, 2d battalion 78th regiment, and the regiment De Rolle, amounting in the whole to about 2500 men.

This rash enterprise was deeply regretted when it was afterwards found that the apprehensions of famine were altogether groundless. There was no scarcity of provisions at Alexandria. Great quantities of rice,-so great was the plenty,-had lately been exported; while, at the same time, a quantity equal to a year's consumption of rice, and six months of wheat for the inhabitants, six months for the army, and four for the navy, remained on hand. Indeed, while the Britsh garrison remained in Alexandria (see September) provisions of all kinds became every day more and more plentiful,

1000 in killed, wounded, and prisoners-12th . Mutiny at Malta, in the regiment of Froberg, consisting entirely of foreigners in British pay ‡.

June 27th. The troops (see Note February) in South America, now under the command of Lieut.-General Whitelocke, anchored at Ensenada de Barragon, a small bay 30 miles eastward of Buenos Ayres.-28th. The landing commenced at daylight, without opposition, or even the appearance of an enemy. The whole army was landed by the evening, and took up a position for the night on a ridge of heights in the neighbourhood.-29th. Major-General Leveson Gower having the command of the right column, moved about four miles forward; the main army, under the Commander-in-Chief, continuing in its position on the heights.-30th. Major-General Gower pursued his march towards the village of Reduction, having under his orders four companies of the 98th; the light battalion under Brigadier-General Craufurd; the 36th and 88th regiments under Brigadier-General Lumley; four 6, and two 3-pounders, and some dismounted cavalry. Lieut.. General Whitelocke ordered the dismounted part of the 17th light dragoons, and the 40th regiment, to remain on the heights under Colonel Mahon, to escort the artillery, when it should come up. He then moved forward four miles with the main body, and took his position at three farm-houses, about two miles distant from each other. The advanced guard, under Major-General Gower, having proceeded about nine miles, and therefore being five miles ahead, took up a position for the night about seven or eight miles from the river Riochuelo, which crossed his line of march, and from which he was separated by very flat and marshy grounds. The artillery this day reached the heights, but the seamen and horses were too much fatigued to bring it forward.

(To be continued.)

Boeken

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