The Journal of an Army Surgeon

by Boutflower, Charles

  AUGUST

  Aug. 2nd. Yesterday we marched three Leagues, & encamped on the same River as the preceding day; our march this day is only two Leagues, and we are again in bivouac on the banks of the Ceja. The last few days, we have enjoyed the luxury of Trees, having marched constantly in an extensive wood; the soil however is very sandy, & extremely painful to the Troops in marching. The weather, as may be supposed, is most oppressively hot. Our present bivouac is about two miles from an old fortified Town called Cuellar, where Head Quarters at present are.

  It is uncertain whether the enemy took the direction of Burgos or Aranda, but it is reported the former; in which case I see no reason whatever why we should not march immediately upon the Capital. There are no Troops between Madrid and us, excepting the twelve or fourteen thousand men with Joseph: these latter are said to have quitted Segovia yesterday, having previously levied a contribution of one million & a half of Dollars on the unfortunate Inhabitants.

  6th. We remained in our bivouac upon the Cega till this morning, when we marched 3 leagues in the direction of Segovia. We are encamped on the River Piron, near the Village of Mudriar, and about six Leagues distant from Segovia. Our Cavalry entered that City on the day before yesterday. There does not appear any obstacle to our marching to the Capital, should such an arrangement be the intention of Lord W. The Army of Joseph is composed in great measure of Juramantados who are said to be deserting in great numbers.—The Army of Marmont has not yet recovered from its panic; there is little or no doubt that he himself died on the 30th, & Accts. have been received of five other Generals having also died. Our wounded General Officers are doing remarkably well, as are the wounded in general. The 6th Division with Genl. Clinton remain at Cuellar for the present; four regiments [which] lately joined the Army, & are suffering very much from sickness, are also with him; Head Quarters have been at Cuellar the last five days, but we know not if they have moved from thence to-day or not. Cuellar is a very old Town, possessing a most spacious Castle, in which was an Armoury; it has been however totally destroyed by the French.

  7th. Our march this day was 3 Leagues. We are bivouacked near the Village of Yenques, on the river Eresma, and distant from Segovia three leagues; it appears the Enemy have left a Garrison in the Castle there, for the reduction of which some heavy Guns are moving with us.

  The Country we have reached is much more plentiful than any we have been accustomed to for a very long period of time; Geese, Turkeys, Ducks &c. &c. are now to be procured at a reasonable price. The Costume of the Peasantry in this neighbourhood is altogether different from any I have before seen, & considerably resembles the Chinese dress. As we pass thro' the several Towns & Villages, the acclamations of the People are unbounded.

  10th. On the 8th we marched near four Leagues & bivouacked at el Palacio del Rio frio, about a league from Segovia. This place takes its name from a Royal Palace built not many years since for the accomodation of the Court while hunting in this Neighbourhood; it is an immense square building & has fifty one windows on each face; it has nothing remarkable except the Stair Case which is very handsome and worthy of a Royal residence. On the 9th we remained in the same bivouac; this gave us an opportunity of visiting Segovia. We were misinformed when we were told that there was a French Garrison in that city; it having been entirely abandoned several days since by the Enemy. It is a very ancient town, and is well worthy of observation. The Castle is known to every one who has read the History of Gil Bias, as having been the place of his Confinement, when he fell into disgrace; on one of the Apartments is marked, " Here the celebrated Gil Bias was confined." The Cathedral is a very fine building, but will not bear the test of comparison with that of Salamanca. There is also a fine Aqueduct, and amongst other curiosities we were shewn King Joseph's Apartments in the Bishop's Palace; in his bedroom is a Table & Chair where he sat with his head leaning on the former, from whence his Ministers could not prevail upon him to go for the space of three days, after he heard of the defeat of his Army; he quitted Segovia on the first Inst. Head Quarters were at Segovia on the 7th, & at San Ildefonso on the 8th and 9th. This latter is estimated as one of the finest Palaces in Spain.—This day we marched four Leagues, & are bivouacked near the village of Espinal. We are now only nine Leagues from the Capital; it appears to me very probable that Lord W. purposes entering it on the 12th, being the birthday of the Prince Regent; we have not heard that any Opposition is expected on the part of the Enemy.—The Country we have entered to-day is mountainous, & forms a pleasing contrast to the insipid flats we have so long been marching through; the heat is in consequence infinitely less oppressive.

  11th. This day we came through the celebrated Pass of the Guadarrama. The ascent to it is beautiful, but its summit was not so difficult as we had been led to expect. From the top, had the morning been clear, we should have had a distinct view of Madrid, but the haze prevented us seeing any distant object. At the Village of Guadarrama a few of us turned off for the purpose of visiting the well known Palace of the Escurial. I had expected so much from it, that I must confess I was greatly disappointed. The Palace itself is as far destroyed as it well could be, the enemy having entirely stripped the regal Apartments of everything that decorated them; notwithstanding we were much gratified by our visit, the Mausoleum, the Church, and the Library, each being worthy of observation. In the former are deposited the remains of a great number of the Kings & Queens of Spain; amongst them is the body of Charles the 5th. The Coffins are all of the finest marble in separate niches of four, one above the other: there are twelve of these Coffins still unoccupied; the Mausoleum is called the Pantheon, and is certainly a very splendid & beautiful edifice—the Church is also particularly elegant; the Ceiling is beautifully painted; the subjects are Scriptural, & the Day of Judgment is the chef d' Oeuvre.— The Library is also a large painted Room; the subjects illustrative of the different Arts & Sciences. Not a Book however remains in it; the French with their accustomed rapacity have taken them all; a pair of Globes, & an Orrery alone have been spared from the grasp of these merciless Robbers. By ascending a hill & looking down upon the Escurial, the form of a Gridiron in which it was built is perceived; it was erected by Philip the 2nd in commemoration of Saint Lorenzo; who is said to have suffered Martydom by being burnt to death on that Instrument.

  We are at present six leagues from Madrid, and had flattered ourselves we should have taken quiet possession of it; it is likely however we are deceived, as while I am writing a heavy Cannonade can be distinctly heard in that direction; there can therefore be no doubt that they yet maintain themselves in the Retire, & from the strength of it we may have a good deal of trouble in dislodging them from it.

  21st. A long period has elapsed since my last date, from my time having been too fully occupied to allow of my bringing up my Journal. The firing heard on the Evening of the 11th proceeded from a severe skirmish which took place with the Enemy about two Leagues on this side of the Capital. Genl. D'Urban with near a thousand Portuguese Cavalry was in front with a Brigade of English Horse Artillery, supported about a half League in their rear by the Brigade of Heavy German Cavalry. Towards Evening some enemy's Cavalry shewed themselves, when a slight skirmishing took place, the Enemy retiring on Madrid. At length they appeared in considerable force; and made a disposition to charge the Portugueze; the latter instantly fled in the most shameful manner without attempting any resistance; the consequence was that the Guns were left unprotected, and three of them were taken. At the same time, from the rapid flight of the Portugueze, the Germans had not sufficient time to get under arms, before the Enemy was amongst them; the few who were prepared made three most gallant charges on an infinitely superior force, and consequently sustained a severe loss; about fifty Men & seventy Horses. This event, so unexpected, threw a general gloom over the whole Army; Lord W. was said to be more annoyed by it than by anything that had ever happened; they were the first British Guns the Enemy had taken since the commencement of the Peninsular war. Fort
unately something occurred to prevent the French from keeping possession of them, as they were found the following day spiked near Madrid; they have since been put again into a state of Service.

  On the 12th we bivouacked about three Leagues from Madrid, and on the same day Lord W. & Headquarters entered the Capital. Nearly the whole of the population came out to meet him, old & young, rich & poor; it was with difficulty we could get into the Town, so excessive was the joy of the People. On the 13th at daylight our Division marched towards Madrid, & bivouacked in a wood about a mile from the City, & close to the King's Country House. I was in the town about eight o'Clock, & at this time the concourse of People was immense. The approach to Madrid within two miles of it was very fine, the Town itself is the most beautiful I ever saw; there are an immense number of Palaces, & other fine houses, and the Streets are wide and well built; it far exceeds the expectations of every one.—On the Evening of the 13th the Constitution as framed by the Cortes was proclaimed; the sight was truly affecting; the Houses of the Streets through which the procession passed were ornamented with silks of various colours; & the windows filled with remarkably fine women; everything bore the appearance of the most unsophisticated Joy. At length the Constitution was proclaimed amid the acclamations of thousands, who once more respired the air of liberty, after having for more than four years endured the galling Chains of the most odious Slavery. The rejoicings continued for three days, and for the same number of nights the town was most beautifully illuminated. In the midst of all this gaiety the preparations for carrying on the operations against the Retiro were carried on with vigour. On the night of the 13th the Outworks were stormed and taken, and on the following Morning at ten o'Clock a number of Troops deemed sufficient for the purpose were selected from the 3rd Division to storm the remainder of the works. Just as they were about to move off for the purpose, a flag of Truce issued from the Fort; the result of the conference, which lasted some time, was the surrendering up the Fort and all it contained to the Allied Army. The surprize excited by this most unlocked for event was so great, that it was with difficulty believed. At four o'Clock in the Afternoon the Garrison marched out with the honors of war, to the amount of two thousand; they were nearly all in a state of intoxication, and their gestures and language was very violent; they exclaimed that they were sold, and that their Officers ought every one to be burnt alive. For my own part I shall never cease to believe, that the Governor yielded to the "Auri sacra fames" tho' such an opinion is very assiduously scouted at Head Quarters; at all events it may very fairly be inferred that that Gentleman will never break his Parole.—In the Fort were found 190 pieces of Cannon, 20,000 Musquets, Ammunition in proportion, and immense Magazines of every description.

  On the 18th our Division marched & bivouacked on the same ground we occupied on the 12th. On the 19th it reached the Escurial, where we still remain; I did not leave Madrid myself till the 19th and arrived here just at the same time with the Division. I will confess I never left a place with more sincere regret, having passed there a most delightful week. On the day of my arrival there I was particularly fortunate in being introduced to a Family of the first rank, and of the most amiable manners; from them I received attentions and kindnesses I can never forget; the father is an old General Officer, and in the time of Charles the 4th held the situation of Minister at war, and a Privy Counsellor of the Empire.

  The principal curiosities of Madrid are the Royal Palace (which in point of magnificence is said to be unrivalled in Europe), the Museum, and the public walk called the Prado; in the Palace & Museum are some Chef d'Oeuvres of Rubens, & Titian, and other great Masters, in the latter are to be found collections of every Beast, Bird, Fish, Mineral, precious Stones, &c. &c. in the world, besides an infinite variety of Curiosities from every part of the Globe. The Prado is said to be the finest public walk in Europe.—The Churches in Madrid have nothing extraordinary in them; the principal one is dedicated to San Isidro, but it is very inferior to the Cathedral at Salamanca; there are two Theatres tolerably good, but the performers are very indifferent, the principal Actors having gone off with the intrusive King. The two great inconveniences we sustained at Madrid were the excessive heat (by far greater than I have ever before experienced it) and the hardness of the pavement, so much so that there was a general complaint of sore feet.—What most particularly strikes a stranger in Madrid is the elegance of the Women, the beauty of their dress, and their inimitable walk.

  There are at present concentrated in the Escurial, the 1st 4th, 5th, & 7th Divisions of Infantry, & Generals Pack's & Bradford's Brigades of Portugueze; the 3rd Division remains at Madrid, with Head Quarters; the Light are still at Valverde, & the 6th have moved from Cuellar to Olmedo. I know not where are the Head Quarters of the Cavalry.

  In the meantime the French have again occupied Valladolid & the neighbouring places, but it is not apprehended they will march upon Salamanca, as such a movement could not be performed without risk. From the extreme heat of the weather a season of rest is most devoutly to be wished, but it is very little to be expected.

  24th. Nothing has occurred to induce us to expect we shall quit this place soon; Head Quarters remain in Madrid with the Light & 3rd Divisions; the 1st, 4th, & 7th are here; the 5th marched Yesterday Morning to Arevallo, to be in communication with Genl. Clinton.

  King Joseph, who was supposed to be going to Valencia, is said to have changed his direction, & is gone towards Aragon; it is certain there have been great disturbances in his Army between the French & Spanish troops, & much blood has been shed; many of the Families who left Madrid in his train have returned to their houses, preferring to be tried by some Court established for the purpose to remaining with him.

  SEPTEMBER

  Sept. 15th. On the 25th Ulto. I went to Madrid, and after being there a day or two was attacked with remittent Fever, from which I have only just recovered; I returned yesterday to the Escorial, where my Division alone remains; Lord W. left Madrid on the 1st inst. & took the direction of Valladolid; he has with him the 1st, 5th, 6th, & jib. Divisions, & Genl. Pack's & Bradford's Brigades of Portugueze. It is conjectured they are by this time near Burgos, the Siege of which place, or rather of the Castle there, is determined on. By the last Accts. it was supposed the French Army would not make a stand in that neighbourhood. In the meantime the French have raised the Siege of Cadiz; this most important event took place on the night of the 24th Ulto. It appears to have been done with much precipitation, as they left a vast quantity of stores behind them, and it is said Artillery to the Amount of fifteen hundred pieces. This movement must have been the consequence of our possession of the Capital, by which the communication between the Armies of Soult & Suchet was threatened. By the last Accts. Soult had arrived at Granada, on his way, it was supposed, to Valencia. On the whole, everything goes on most prosperously, & it is not too much to expect that before Christmas there will not be a Frenchman on this side of the Ebro.

  The weather has lately been hot beyond all precedent, but, heavy rain having set in the last few days, the temperature has become much milder.

  23rd. We still remain at the Escorial; Head Quarters are at Burgos, & the Siege of the Castle at that place has commenced; we do not know the amount of the Force the Enemy has left there; this place is wretchedly stupid, & we are entirely out of the way of all news. Genl. Hill is said to be at Talavera.

  28th. It appears that on the 19th at Night a strong Outwork at Burgos was stormed; our People were repulsed the first attack, but succeeded on the second; our loss was severe amounting to about four hundred & fifty killed & wounded; the Fort was garrisoned by five hundred of the Enemy, of which number only seventy remain who were not bayonetted. On the Evening of the 2nd a second Outwork was stormed, but without success; the loss was not very great; Majr. Laurie of the 79th was killed on the occasion. Genl. Hill's Corps is at Toledo & Aranjuez.

  OCTOBER

  Octr. 6th. Another unsuccessful attack was made at Burgos on the Evening of the
29th, and, as is said, under circumstances not at all creditable to the assailants. After the very distinguished proofs of gallantry performed by the British Army in the Peninsula, it is painful to have to record these several failures, which only required the accustomed Spirit of a British Soldier to have ensured their success.

  I write this at Madrid, to which place I came on the 2nd Inst. I had yesterday an opportunity of witnessing a Bull fight, a spectacle the most delightful there can be to the people of this Nation, but which to a mind tinctured with the smallest degree of humanity cannot be witnessed without horror. On these occasions ten or twelve Bulls & nearly as many horses are sacrificed amid every species of cruelty, & the applauding shouts of an immense Multitude. So concordant is this Spectacle with the ideas of the Spaniards of both Sexes, that many a poor Family, who know not where to get money to purchase a bit of bread to eat, will sell the Clothes they wear, or the Bed they lie on, in order to procure wherewithal to pay for their admittance. The shouts of applause are in an exact ratio with the degrees of cruelty that are practised, and if the unfortunate Bulls are killed without half a dozen Horses & at least one of the Fighters being also Victims the disappointment is extreme. The mode of righting is as follows :— The Animals having for several days previous been goaded by every species of torture into madness are on the day appointed let loose one by one into the Court; two Men on Horseback and ten or twelve on Foot then commence the attack; the former are armed with Spears, and the latter carry a large Cloth in one hand and a dart in the other. On being attacked by the Bull, they throw the c10th over his Eyes, & plunge the dart into his Body. When charged furiously by the Animal, with amazing agility they leap the fence that separates the Court from the Spectators. When the Horse is charged by the Bull, his attack is generally parried by the adroitness of the Rider, who wards it off by plunging the Spear into the Animal. It frequently happens however that the Horse receives the whole vengeance of the Bull, and tho* completely gored even to the protrusion of his Bowels, the Rider is compelled to remain on his Back till he drops. At other times the Horse & his Rider are both knocked over by the strength of the Bull, when, to prevent the Man being killed by the enraged Animal, he is assailed by all the Combatants on foot, on whom he immediately turns, and the Rider again springs into his Seat. At length the poor Animal opposed to such a host of Enemies becomes dispirited, & refuses to combat any longer, when by a refinement of cruelty the darts are armed with crackers and a great number of them are plunged into him; the united powers of agony & terror stimulate him again into madness, but by the violence of his fury he is soon exhausted. A new personage then presents himself called the Matador, splendidly dressed, and holding in his right hand a long straight sword, and in his left a red Flag; he advances boldly to the Animal, & placing himself immediately in front of him, by every irritating gesture at length provokes him to a momentary fury. The Bull makes a charge upon the Matador, who with an extraordinary address plunges the Sword into the Spine of the Animal, & kills him in an instant, amid the tumultous shouts of an applauding Audience. Bands of Music instantly commence playing, & three or four mules richly caparisoned are brought in, to which the carcase of the Animal is attached, and they carry it off in the galop. Another Victim is then immediately driven in, and the same scene of barbarity ensues. Though the number of Bulls for yesterday's Amusement was ten, I could not witness the sufferings of more than one; I had a presentiment of the disgust I should experience, and I can with truth assert that my feeling was never before so completely horrified. The endurance of this barbarous amusement, and the protection afforded to it by the Government, I consider as a stain upon the National Character, but the applause & joy manifested by the people at the sufferings of the poor Animals has given me an idea of their hearts as bad as it is possible to conceive. It is to the credit of the English Character, that scarcely a British Officer has gone to witness it a second time.