The Journal of an Army Surgeon

by Boutflower, Charles

  Genl. Hill is here at present, and in addition to his Corps has taken under his command the Light 3rd & 4th Divisions; the latter is coming from the Escorial into this Neighbourhood; this change is said to be in consequence of some movements of Soult who appears to be threatening the Capital.

  13th. I quitted Madrid yesterday & found my Brigade at Pinto, a large village distant three leagues from the Capital. The demonstrations of Soult were the means of making Genl. Hill concentrate his force; at present, it is supposed, that Soult has taken a direction towards Valencia for the purpose of concentrating with Suchet.—Burgos still resists all our efforts; the Outworks however at length have been all carried, and nothing remains but the Castle. The Enemy made a Sally a few Evenings since upon our Trenches, & were immediately driven in; in a short time they sallied a second time with an increased force, and succeeded in driving our People from their work; and, before the Covering Parties could repel them, they had knocked off the Trannions of one of the only heavy guns we have there; in this last Service Majr. Cocks of the 79th, an Officer of very great promise, was unfortunately killed; it is said our total loss since the commencement of the Siege amounts to fourteen hundred men. Lord Wellington is expected at Madrid as soon as Genl. Paget shall have arrived at Burgos to take the command of that part of the Army.

  25th. Since my last date, having been Gazetted to a Staff Surgeoncy, I am at present at Madrid waiting the result of an application of Genl. Cole, who has written to the Inspr. of Hospls. to request I may be appointed to this Division; should it fail, I shall go immediately to Burgos. On the 23rd I bade adieu to the 40th Regiment, after having been with them nearly eleven years; they are unquestionably one of the finest Regiments in the Army, and will always have my warmest wishes for their welfare.

  On the 21st the 4th Division moved from Valdemoro & Pinto to Villages near Aranjuez, and the 3rd Divn. marched the same day to occupy the quarters vacated by the 4th Divn. On the 22nd I rode over to Aranjuez, which has ever been esteemed the favorite Royal residence in this Country. The Palace is by no means equal in point of magnificence to that at this place; it stands immediately on the Tagus; the gardens have been very beautiful & tasty, but latterly have been suffered to run to decay. The chief curiosity at Aranjuez is a small royal residence called the Casa del Labrador; it is exquisitely beautiful. The day I was at Aranjuez there was an unusual bustle; the Enemy in front were making demonstrations of advancing on that Road, & on our part every precaution was making; all the heavy Baggage, Forge & Forage Waggons &c. &c. were moving to the rear for the purpose of crossing the River, and the several Bridges were mined and ready to be blown up. On the following day however it was ascertained they had taken a direction to their right; had they come on by the Aranjuez Road, they would have had to encounter a most superb position, which, I doubt not, would have proved to them another Busaco; it is situated about five Leagues from hence, & two from Aranjuez. This Morning it is said our Troops are again all in Motion in the direction of Alcala, which is to our left, as the Movements of the Enemy indicate an intention of endeavouring to penetrate to the Capital, by the road of Guadalaxara. The intrusive King is said to have reached Cuenca, which looks as though he had really hopes of again possessing himself of this place. In the midst of all these movements it is a subject of much regret that, in the event of a general Action here, there is no certainty of our having Lord W. to preside over it. Our last Accts. from Burgos are to the 20th. It appears that on the evening of the 19th another unsuccessful attempt was made to storm; on the 20th the Enemy shewed every disposition to advance & relieve the place; Massena had assumed the command; Lord W. withdrew all the Troops from before Burgos, with the exception of the First Divisn. & was determined to give Battle if the Enemy offered it; under all these circumstances much & very important matter may be expected to take place in a few days; there is some little panic here, but it is not general; one Portugueze regiment only is left at this place.

  28th. The Enemy are in force at Aranjuez, but it is not known that they have as yet passed the Tagus, though the Fords are all practicable. A general Action is expected in a day or two, and nothing is heard of Lord W. The Spaniards in particular are in despair on the occasion, & augur nothing but defeat from his absence; it is yet to be hoped he may arrive in time.

  The Enemy made a strong reconnoisance in front of Burgos, with fifteen Squadrons of Cavalry & about ten thousand Infantry; Lord W. attacked them & immediately repulsed them with loss. Since that he has entirely raised the siege, & our army is said to be in position about two Leagues on this side of Burgos.

  NOVEMBER

  Novr. 1st. The events of the last few days have been of the most painful nature, nor were they at all suspected by any one. On the 20th rumours were afloat in the Morning, that the British Army was about to retreat for the purpose of concentrating with Lord W. Towards the Afternoon an unusual bustle was observed to prevail among the Civil Authorities & their Families, & Equipages were seen severally quitting the Town. On the morning of the 30th the removal of all the sick & wounded and the destruction of the Guns in the Retiro left no sort of doubt that we were going to abandon the Capital; the Shops were nearly all shut, & the greatest agitation evidently prevailed.—I quitted Madrid myself in the Afternoon of the 30th, having previously taken leave of the Family I have before spoken of and for whom I must ever entertain the most grateful recollection. Their situation is peculiarly a painful one; the state of health of the old general entirely precludes his being removed, & from the Family having been always suspected during the time the Enemy were in Madrid before, & their having given constant proof during our stay of their attachment to the British, they will, I fear, have to undergo many hardships & indignities. The most profound grief pervaded them when I bade them adieu, & I can with truth say I participated most warmly in their distresses.

  On the night of the 30th I remained with a part of the Army in Las Rosas, about two & a half Leagues on the Road leading to the Escorial. On that night the Retiro was entirely & most effectually blown up without at all injuring the Town, which was at one time feared would be the case. At Las Rosas I learned from Genl. Pakenham, that the enemy had been secretly able to collect such a force in the North, that there was every reason to fear they would overwhelm Lord W. if brought to action, or otherwise press him so hard as to prevent our forming a junction with him. Yesterday I accompanied Genl. P. to the Escorial, & here we learned that there was every reason to believe that the enemy had occupied the strong Pass of the Guadarrama, & that there was no retreat for us but by the Mountains of Avila, by which it was considered our Sick, Artillery, Stores & Baggage would be all lost; Lord W. was supposed to have been worsted in a general Action, & to have been compelled to retire beyond the Tormes; in short nothing could possibly be more gloomy than our prospects. In the evening Genl. Hill arrived here, & we found that he was in possession of a letter from Lord W. of the 29th & that everything was going on pretty well. The rumour of the French having occupied the Pass proved to be unfounded, nor is there any fear of such an event. It is still supposed probable that, in order to join Lord W., Genl. Hill will be compelled to attack the French Army in his front, unless they decline such a contest by suffering the two Armies quietly to unite. The Enemy had not entered Madrid at a late hour last Night, but it is supposed they are there by this. Head Quarters of Sir R. Hill remain here to-day, & it is probable we shall cross the Guadarrama to-morrow. In the meantime Soult by no means presses us as might be expected from his superiority of Cavalry; there has been but little skirmishing hitherto; the day before yesterday, they attempted to force a Bridge defended by our People, and tho' they attacked it in very superior numbers they were driven back with loss, notwithstanding it is said their Officers made most extraordinary exertions to animate their men—In the North there was a sharp affair in which we sustained a severe loss it is said in Cavalry, particularly the 16th Dragoons; the enemy's Cavalry came on in a manner perfectly wild, & from their numbers drove our P
eople before them; they were at length however checked by the German Light Infantry.

  It is impossible to calculate the consequences of our being compelled to quit the Capital, but it is not unlikely that it will have so great an effect on the minds of the People as to excite a despondency fatal to the liberties of the Country. It is certain that they have not availed themselves as they should have done of the much that has been done, & it may I think be fairly questioned whether in that time, with two thirds of their country unoccupied by the French, they have added ten thousand Men to their Army.

  3rd. I moved yesterday morning with the Head Quarters of Sir R. Hill from the Escorial; we crossed the Guadarrama & halted at the village of Espinar. This morning we marched five Leagues, and are now at a place called Lavajos. Lord Wellington is at Rueda, & the probability that we could not effect a junction with him without an action is now at end; our Force may now be said to have joined him, at least tomorrow such will be the case.—The enemy did not arrive at Madrid till the night before last; they approached it very cautiously with a small party of Dragoons, &, having ascertained that we had entirely left it, they demanded the Keys, & having ordered forty thousand Rations for three days they quitted it, & proceeded to Valdemoro, where they were in force. It is not known whether they have since returned to it, but there is a very general idea that they do not mean to occupy it, but that the present movements of Soult indicate an intention of proceeding down the Valley of the Tagus, & making an incursion into the Alemtejo: such a manoeuvre would oblige Lord W. to detach an opposing force & prevent him from pressing on the Army of the North.—On reaching the Guadarrama Pass, the whole of the Cavalry made a forced March, & now precede the Infantry, they not being required in the Country we are passing thro'. Indeed it does not appear that the Enemy are sending a man after us.

  6th. On the 4th we marched to a village called Villa Nueva de Gomez, and received intelligence in the Afternoon that the Advanced Guard of the Enemy had reached Villa Castin, a place about five Leagues distant. Yesterday we halted at Fontiveros, four Leagues; the Enemy followed us, & remained two Leagues from Sir R. Hill's Head Quarters; a few Shots were in the course of the day exchanged.

  I quitted Fontiveros this morning at daybreak and am at present at Penaranda, three Leagues distant. I have not heard what are the movements of the Enemy this day; Sir R. Hill, it is intended, shall have his Hd. Quarters about half a league from hence in front, and with him will remain the Light & 4th Divisions as the rear guard. The weather is not promising, and it has rained a good deal to-day; should it continue it will very much embarrass our movements. The numbers of Sick & the quantity of Baggage and Stores is so immense that they appear to have no end. To cover these the Army has been obliged to make only a short march of only two leagues & a half to-day. This place is four Leagues from the Tormes, which River it is probable the Sick, Stores, & Baggage, will all cross to-morrow. Lord W. remained yesterday morning at Rueda but it is said he has moved.—Every one is ignorant of the intentions of his Lordship, but it is supposed, should Soult follow us with all his force, that his superiority in numbers will be so great as to render the issue of a general Action too hazardous to be risked; in which case nothing appears to remain for us but to retire once more behind the Agueda; the mere possibility of such an event is mortifying in the extreme.

  8th. Yesterday morning we marched to Alba de Tormes, and the whole day was occupied in passing over the Bridge the Sick, Baggage, Stores, &c. &c. Most fortunately the enemy did not press us or the consequences must have been either to abandon them, or otherwise, an Action to cover them. In the Evening the 2nd Division crossed the River, & bivouacked on the opposite side; the Baggage continued to pass the whole Night & this Morning the 3rd, 4th, & Light Divisions crossed, as also the Cavalry, the Enemy shewing no disposition to come after us. Genl. Hill had given directions that his Head Quarters should be this Evening at Calvaraia, a village midway between Alba & Salamanca, but about midday this arrangement was altered, & he determined on remaining here this Night; the 2nd & Portugueze Divisions, with the Brigade of Cavalry that accompanied them from the Alemtejo, recrossed the river and are cantoned here. It is said the enemy are in Penaranda, but I know not whether they are there in force or not; strong picquets of Cavalry & Infantry are gone out on that Road. Hopes are revived in consequence of the 3rd, 4th, & Light Divisions having marched to join Lord W. at Salamanca, that it is his intention to defend the City; a very short time must show what is his policy, as the weather has set in so very bad that it will be altogether impossible to keep the Field many days.

  11th. On the 9th I quitted Alba, & repaired to Salamanca where I received orders to join the 4th Division as Staff Surgeon; on that day nothing particular occurred. Yesterday Morning the Light Division marched into Salamanca, where they were cantoned with the 7th. The 1st, 5th, and 6th were in Position in front of the Town, on the same ground we occupied during the Siege of the Forts at that place; the 3rd & 4th remained in bivouack midway between Alba & Salamanca near to Calvaraia de Amiba, and Genl. Hill at Calvaraia de Baxo with his force with the exception of Genl. Howard's Brigade, who remained in Alba for its defence. Towards the Evening the Enemy in force attempted to dislodge our People from that Town, but failed; we lost about forty men on the occasion. There has been some fire in the same place this Morning, but the result is not known; early to-day also there was a good deal of Musquetry near the Ford of Huerta, which is defended by Genl. Pack; of the issue of this we are likewise ignorant; neither is it known that there has been any change in the Positions of the different Divisions since yesterday; Lord W. has his Headquarters at Salamanca, & it would appear that it is his intention to defend the place. The weather is again very fine, and the River will soon be fordable in many places; this may give a new turn to the movements of the Enemy.

  14th. 5 a.m. There has been nothing done since the 11th, when the Enemy again attempted to get possession of Alba, & at the same time to dislodge Genl. Pack from the Ford at Huerta; in both which attempts they failed. On the 12th everything was remarkably quiet, & yesterday not a shot was exchanged, but their movements during the Afternoon & Evening indicate every probability that there will be an Action this day. They reconnoitred & tried several of the Fords & moved a considerable force upon two or three of them. In consequence we are all upon the alert; it wants but an hour of daybreak, when the intentions of the Enemy will probably be manifested; it is impossible they can remain long inactive; the want of Provisions will compel them either to fight or retire. Their force is not exactly ascertained, but it is conjectured to amount to seventy thousand men; Joseph is said to be with them.

  26th. At Day break on the 14th the Enemy crossed the Tormes above Alba; they passed considerable bodies of Cavalry with some Artillery & Infantry; about 8 a.m. the bridge at Alba was blown up. The 4th Division had taken up before daylight a position on some heights above that Town to cover the retreat of Genl. Howard's Brigade from it; this done the army retired near a League & took up its position. The Troops in position on this side of the River consisted of the Light 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Divisions. The intentions of the Enemy very soon manifested themselves; they moved with rapidity to their left; some skirmishing took place, but before the Evening our right flank was completely turned. Immediately after dusk, the Army was again in motion, we retrograded another League, and a position was taken up upon the Arapiles, the same heights where the battle of the 22nd July was fought; Lord W. had this time the advantage of being able to take possession of both Hills; our left, which was formed by the 4th Division, rested on the village of Calvaraia di Amiba. All this day the enemy continued to move across the river immense Columns of Infantry.