1808: The Road to Corunna

by Griff Hosker

  “Sir.”

  “You can go back to your regiment now!”

  It was the fastest exit I had ever had. As I made my way back to the ship I worked out why. Knowledge was power. By telling his lords and masters his news his status improved and his influence widened. I shook my head. There were politics in every army. I was just glad that most of my time would now be spent with troop. I suddenly stopped and turned around. I headed to Piccadilly. I, too, could use this knowledge to my advantage. If there was to be war in Portugal then my regiment would be sent there. I went to see Mr Fortnum and order goods which might be useful to me in a hot clime and I decided to order another uniform. I had no doubt that the rigours of Portugal would soon wear one out and besides one was on board my ship heading for Sicily.

  I had forgotten the extent of the trade in wine. Mr Fortnum became quite concerned when he heard of the fall of Portugal. I was not giving away anything which would not become common knowledge soon enough.

  “You have done me a huge favour, Captain Matthews. There will be a shortage of port and fine wines soon enough. Prices will rise and a wise businessman will hang on to his goods until the prices rise.”

  I realised that I was benefitting from the power of knowledge for my bill was discounted by a grateful merchant.

  I reached the ship at noon. Jonathan had returned too. His experience was much the same as mine and his star was also rising higher. “I fear I shall have to relinquish the ‘Black Prince’. Their lordships wish me to have a brand new thirty gun frigate. They have been pushing for some time but I had resisted. I think that Colonel Selkirk will need a new messenger boy.”

  “How does that work Jonathan? Will you lose your crew?”

  “Not necessarily. When I transfer to my new ship I will take my officers and skilled sailors such as the top men. The rest can choose to come with me.”

  I smiled. I knew how popular he was. His crew contained at least ten different nationalities and they were all totally loyal to Jonathan. They were a polyglot bunch of pirates but they were Jonathan’s pirates. “Then the new ship will have the old crew. And now we must leave you and get back to the regiment.” I had sent Sharp to hire two horses; one for me and one for our luggage. I was anxious to get back to the regiment. I knew that I would be arriving back at the quietest of times. Most of the officers would choose to be on leave over Christmas with their families. I had no family, not in England, at least. I would enjoy the peace of the barracks.

  We waved goodbye to Jonathan and set off towards our barracks. There was little chance we could reach it in one journey and we decided to break it at a coaching inn on the way.

  We rode up to the barracks at the start of the second week in December. It was the first time we had been home since well before the summer. It all looked the same but it was what went on below the surface which counted. I recognised the trooper and sergeant who stepped out from the guard house.

  “Captain Matthews! You are a sight for sore eyes. I dare say you have some exciting stories to tell.”

  “A few, Sergeant Harrison. Is the Colonel around?”

  “No sir. It is just the Major and Lieutenant Stafford. The rest have taken Christmas leave, sir.”

  “Thank you, sergeant.” We rode to the offices and I handed the reins of my horse to Sharp. “See to the horses and then start unpacking.”

  “Sir!”

  “Sergeant Major Jack Jones was poring over papers. He looked up, ready to snarl if I had been a trooper. As it was his face broke into a grin. “Captain Matthews! Good to have you back, sir. It is dull here without you and your adventures to enliven the evenings. Where was it this time, sir?”

  I tapped the side of my nose, “I shouldn’t really say Sarn’t Major but Denmark and Portugal.”

  “You do get about. And are you back for a while sir?”

  “Hopefully. Is the major in?”

  “Yes sir and he will be glad to see you too. He had hoped for a leave himself.”

  “I am back now and I can pull my weight again.”

  Major Lucian Hyde-Smith was also poring over lists. “I’m back, sir!”

  “The best news I have heard in a long time!”

  “And if you want to go on leave sir, I am more than happy to hold the fort.”

  His face brightened then fell, “That’s dashed good of you Robbie but it should really be a senior officer who stays. A major or a colonel.”

  I smiled, “It is funny you should say that sir.” I went on to give him a sanitized version of my trip to Portugal and my appointment. I told him what Colonel Selkirk had said. “So you see sir, technically, I am both.”

  He laughed, “I know that what you told me isn’t the whole truth just the parts you could tell me but it is damned good news.” He went to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of whisky. “Let’s celebrate!” He poured two generous glasses. “Colonel Matthews!”

  “Cheers sir. And I think it means we might have regimental action next year.”

  “Portugal?”

  “I am guessing so but if it is true then we will lose many horses. The roads are little more than tracks.”

  “So long as we have action. The men are becoming indolent.”

  “And now I shall pack.”

  “Er sir, Sharp and I hired two horses. If you wish you could use them to return to London. They are paid for.”

  “I will take you up on that. I hate taking Arthur into London. They have no damned respect for horses there.” He stood and shouted, “Sarn’t Major Jones.”

  Jack’s head appeared around the door, “Sir?”

  “I am going on leave and Captain Matthews will be in command. You will let him know his duties eh?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  That evening there was just myself and Lieutenant Stafford in the mess. Everyone else, the doctor and vet included, were all on leave. William was a keen Lieutenant. He came from a family of moderate means and would not have the money to buy himself a promotion. He had served in another regiment and was quite experienced. I had no doubt that he had volunteered to stay in the barracks to better himself and to save a little money.

  I quite enjoyed the silence of the empty mess. The life of the regiment was always one I enjoyed for it was the one place I could be myself without worrying about a knife in the night or being discovered. I knew that my fellow officers knew of some of my activities but not the true extent of them. Certainly my French father was still my secret as was the fact that I was the illegitimate heir to a French estate.

  After the meal was over we retired to the lounge for brandy and cigars. I noticed, when I opened the box, that we were down to just ten. I had meant to buy some when in Portugal but I had not managed to do so. It gave me something to do the next day. It would cost more but I would buy some in the town.

  Before I left I checked in with Sergeant Major Jones. “How many men do we have on roll this year?”

  “Just four hundred. A number of men have retired and a couple ran.”

  That surprised me. “Really?”

  “A bit bored, I think sir. I heard that two of them fancied going to the Americas. There is more action over there.”

  I nodded, “And is Christmas organised?”

  “Yes sir but if you are expecting anything grand then I am afraid you will be disappointed.”

  “I take it the Sergeants’ Mess will have a fine celebration?”

  He grinned, “Oh yes sir!”

  “Then I shall take Sharp with me to town and see if I can make it special for Mr Stafford and myself.”

  “Do you need any funds sir? The Major left me some petty cash.”

  I remembered the largely unused bag of coins I had received from Colonel Selkirk. He had not asked for its return and I would put some of it to good use. “No, Sergeant Major, I will take care of that.”

  I went to the stables. As I expected Sharp was there with his new horse. “Sir, do I have to dock her tail?”

  “It is your mount
, Sharp. Do as you please but I have not docked Badger’s.”

  That was the way I had been brought up. French cavalry did not dock tails. For some reason the British army thought it was neater. It was however cruel as, in hot climates, the poor animal could not swish the flies away. “Anyway, mount up and we’ll have a ride into Canterbury. We need to buy some supplies for Christmas.”

  As soon as we set off I knew that it was not a good day for a ride. The wind whistled from the east and it was below freezing. Badger, however, did not mind. He enjoyed being ridden again. He had been exercised during my time away but it was not the same as being ridden. Partly because of the cold and partly because the horses enjoyed it, we galloped for part of the way. Maria was a good horse. The French Brigadier who had ridden her had trained her well. Both horses managed to build up a healthy sweat by the time we reached the ancient city of Canterbury.

  There were other places we could have shopped but Canterbury had the widest range of shops and I liked the old place. We dismounted and led our horses through the streets. As we passed close to the Cathedral I saw some beggars. The majority would be ex-soldiers and sailors. The navy and the army had little use for those crippled by war and abandoned them as soon as possible.

  There were three of them. Two of them wore the faded rusty uniforms of the infantry. One was a one legged man and the other had lost an arm. However it was the third man who intrigued me the most. He was dressed in rags and had an olive complexion. He, too, had lost his left hand and his left eye.

  I reached into my bag of coins. I handed over a shilling to each of them. Their eyes widened. The soldiers had been given a shilling to join up and it was the equivalent of a day’s pay for a soldier. I had given them more than they would beg in a week.

  They chorused, “Thankee, sir.” The delight on their faces was more than enough reward for me. It was a better use of the Colonel’s money than he had intended.

  I was about to walk on when the beggar with the olive complexion knuckled his forehead. He was a sailor. “Thank you for your kindness, captain.”

  The two soldiers gave me a salute and the two of them headed off for the nearest inn. I think I had just given them drink money for a day or so. I did not blame them. I was interested in this man who did not look English and yet spoke like one.

  “Are you a sailor?”

  “I was sir.”

  He had a slight accent. “Which ship?”

  “The ‘Royal Sovereign’, sir. Admiral Collingwood and Captain Rotherham. I got these at Trafalgar.” He tapped his stump and his eye patch.

  “I met Admiral Nelson once. I liked him, he was a fine man.”

  He rolled up the sleeve of his right arm with his stump. There was a crude tattoo, ‘Our Nel’ with hearts around it. “He was the best officer I ever knew and he only had one eye and a stump.”

  There was pride in his voice which made me smile. “What is your name?”

  “I was born Jorge but my messmates couldn’t pronounce that and I answer to Georgie now.”

  “You aren’t English are you?”

  “I was born Portuguese sir but I was pressed when I was fourteen years old, sir and I served in the Navy for twenty years. I feel English.”

  I turned to leave but paused, “Where do you sleep, Georgie?”

  He pointed behind him with his stump. “In the cathedral if the priests are in a good mood.”

  I reached into the bag of money and pulled out another shilling. “Buy yourself some decent clothes and replace those rags.”

  “Thank you, sir. You are a gentleman.”

  As we continued into Canterbury Sharp said, “He’ll spend that money on ale, sir. It’s a waste.”

  “Not him, Sharp. The other two headed directly for the pub but he did not. He intrigues me and I have an idea in my head. If he is still there when we leave then Fate has put him in our way for a purpose.”

  We purchased some cigars and I ordered food for Christmas day. I ordered a goose, good cheese and some fine claret. We had some Alpini wine but I enjoyed claret especially with goose. The rest of the Christmas feast would be provided by the mess. I knew that they made plum puddings. There would be but two of us for Christmas dinner.

  We rode along the icy streets. I saw women with fur coats and muffs and men wrapped in thick woollen coats. They contrasted with the rags worn by the beggars. Georgie still huddled close to the Cathedral and was still dressed in his rags.

  We halted. “Why did you not buy yourself some warm clothes Georgie?”

  “I will sir but there are still people coming by. Look.” He held out his hand and I saw my two shillings and an additional six copper coins.

  I made my mind up. I would use my temporary position as Commanding Officer to do some good. It was Christmas in six days and I would do a Christian act in an unchristian world. I put my hand down. “Jump up behind, Georgie. I will get you some clothes, a hot meal and you shall be warm. At least for tonight.” He hesitated, “Come on man! You have served this country well and I am repaying a debt which should have been paid by others.”

  He took my arm and I pulled him behind. I need not have worried about Badger. The man was all skin and bones. As we rode back to the barracks I asked, “What did you do on the Sovereign?”

  “Top man, sir.”

  That explained his small stature. Top men had to scurry up the rat lines to the highest part of the mast. They were also amongst the most skilled. It was however a dangerous job. A top man could be pitched to his death in a storm.

  When we reached the gate we dismounted. “This chap is with me.”

  The sergeant saluted but I saw him sniff at the man’s smell. He was pungent but he was still a man and had his dignity. “Sergeant Sharp, take Georgie to my quarters and let him bathe. Let him have the suit of clothes I took to Portugal. I know they will not fit him but we can have them tailored.”

  “Sir.”

  The poor sailor look mystified. I needed to see the Sergeant Major. I wanted more than one meal for the Portuguese sailor.

  “Back already sir? I thought you and Sharpie would be in a boozer for the day!”

  “Don’t judge us all by your standards, Jack.” He grinned. “Now tell me, Sergeant Major, do we have civilians who work in the barracks?”

  “Yes sir. We have laundrymen and women; dishwashers. In the summer we have gardeners. That’s about it.” I could see that his curiosity was piqued. “Why sir? What is on your mind?”

  “Do any of them stay at the barracks?”

  He shook his head. “No sir, most of them come from the villages around here. One or two are soldiers’ wives and they live close by too.”

  That decided me. “I have found a one armed, one eyed sailor and I want to give him a job. I also want him to be able to sleep in the stables. It is warm there.”

  He did not seem surprised. “But why sir? I know that you are in charge and you can make the decision but I am interested.”

  “I know you can keep your mouth shut, Sergeant Major and that what I am to tell you will go no further.” He nodded, “We will probably be sent to Portugal in the next six months. The sailor was pressed in Portugal almost twenty years ago. I intend to have him teach me Portuguese.”

  He began to laugh, “You are, sir, the most complicated officer I have ever met. You are always looking at things differently. I think that is a clever idea. Heaven knows we can all do with the skill to speak to the natives. But can you trust him? He comes from Portugal and you know what these foreigners are like.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “He was wounded at Trafalgar and he served in the Navy for almost twenty years. What do you think? Besides, it is Christmas and I think that this act is as Christian an act since the baby Jesus was born in a stable.”

  The reference to the baby Jesus did it. “I think you are right, sir. If you bring him along I will get the paper work done. We might as well do this properly.”

  I went to find Lieutenant Stafford. He was on the pa
rade ground with some of the sergeants drilling the troops. I watched for a while. Soon I would have to get back into the swing of training but, for the moment, I had other matters on my mind.

  “Lieutenant, a word please.”

  The earnest lieutenant was always keen to please and he looked worried at my words. “Have I done something wrong, sir?” I could see him running through his mind all of his recent actions.

  “No, William. I am going to learn Portuguese. It might come in handy. Would you like to have a go too?”

  “Why yes sir. It sounds grand. Have we hired a tutor?”

  “You could say that, lieutenant.”

  Chapter 6

  By the time the other officers returned from their Christmas leave, Georgie had settled in remarkably well. Every tar was naturally hard working and Georgie seemed especially determined to prove that I had been right to extend a charitable hand to him. He worked in the kitchens as a dishwasher and proved to be a good asset, despite the one hand. Some of the troopers seemed to get on well with him and they built him a lean-to close to the stables. He seemed happy enough there. The cooks made sure he was well fed and he began to put on some weight to cover his bones. The biggest difference was that three of us began to learn how to speak Portuguese. Sharp and I were the most accomplished as we both spoke other languages but even Stafford had made strides.

  Surprisingly, the one who had gained the most in all of this was Georgie himself. He was needed once more and had purpose in his life. He was not receiving charity, he was earning his money. I ensured that he received money for his tutoring. I hoped that, one day, he would be able to live a relatively normal life. He was frugal and he did not waste his money. I knew that he was saving and that was a good thing.

  Colonel Fenton was a little bemused by my actions but as he said to me, “Nothing about you surprises me anymore. I am just pleased to have you back.”

  The next few months had more urgency about them as we sent recruiting parties out to secure more men. We did pay better than the infantry but the recent debacles in the Low Countries and in Sweden had made the army less attractive. The Navy was far more popular. Trafalgar and Nelson had ensured that.