1808: The Road to Corunna
Page 26
Sir John restrained him, “I had rather it go out of the field with me.”
His nephew nodded.
“Sharp, give us a hand. Each of you, pick up the blanket together.” Eight of us held the blanket holding the battered and broken body of the great leader. “Now together by the right.”
As we walked from the field we did so in silence. Sir John, who miraculously was still conscious, kept speaking all the way down. “I fear I shall be a long time in dying.” Stanhope looked at me and I nodded encouragingly. He needed to hold it together for his uncle. “It is a great uneasiness. It is great pain.”
I leaned in as we walked, “Should I get you some brandy, Sir John?”
He shook his head, “I have always wished to die this way.”
As we reached the headquarters I wondered if I should be so calm when my time came. We gently laid him down and he nodded his head. He closed his eyes and I wondered if the end had come.
Every time anyone entered the room he said, “Are the French beat yet?”
Finally as dawn began to break Sir Edward came in and said, “Sir John, the battle is won. You have a great victory and the French are defeated.”
He nodded and, looking at his nephew said, “I hope the people of England will be satisfied.”
I said, “They will Sir John, they will.” Those were the last words he said although he tried to take off his sword. I reached down and unbuckled it. He was so close to the end that he could not speak but his eyes went to his nephew. I handed the sword to him and Sir Moore nodded. A few minutes later, just before eight o’clock, Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore died. I have no shame in telling you that all of us wept for he was a great man and a kind man.
We carried his body out of the headquarters building and found a piece of earth close to the Corunna bastion. There we dug his grave and, wrapping his body in his cloak, buried Sir John Moore. As the French cannon began to fire at the fleet we hurried to our ships and left Corunna. As I stood on the quarter deck of the transport with Sir Edward and the general’s nephew I knew that we would return. Sir John had saved the army and his legacy would be that we returned and freed Iberia.
Epilogue
They were five sad days on board the ship. We had much to reflect upon. The authorities refused to allow us to land in daylight. It was bad enough that we had lost a popular general. The last thing the government wanted was for people to see the pitiful condition of its army. We were landed at Ramsgate. I took my leave of Lieutenant Stanhope first as Sir Edward oversaw Sir John’s papers and belongings.
“Sir, I want to thank you for all that you have taught me. I believe I will be a better officer.” He clutched at his uncle’s sword. “And I will do honour by this weapon.”
“Your uncle was a great man, Lieutenant, you have much to live up to.”
“I know.” He saluted and left.
Sharp gathered our belongings and led his horse from the ship. She had been one of the few horses we had saved. Sharp would not have left Maria and I could not see him leaving this one either? “I will go and hire you a horse, sir.”
“Thank you Sergeant Sharp.”
Sir Edward came down the gangplank. He held out his hand. “It has been a pleasure to serve with you Major. My brother spoke highly of you and I can see why. I would deem it an honour if you would serve as an aide to me when I am given my next command.”
“And that in itself is an honour, my lord, but I am a cavalryman. If this campaign has taught me nothing else it has taught me that we are lucky in this country; we lead the bravest soldiers in Europe and I would continue to do so.”
He nodded, “That is a good answer but I hope to serve with you again, Major Matthews.”
“And you too General Paget.”
We rode into the barracks at ten o’clock. The sentries snapped to attention as we entered. Perhaps word had been sent ahead of our arrival, I do not know, but the troopers who had served with me and left a week earlier all stood with their horses and saluted. Colonel Fenton and the major walked up to me and shook my hand.
“Major Matthews you are a credit to this regiment and to the army.”
“Thank you, sir. Sir John was a great man.”
“He was and now that Sir Arthur has been exonerated perhaps he can take Sir John’s place.”
“Perhaps. And now sir, if you don’t mind I would like to change. I have worn these clothes for almost three weeks and even I cannot stand my own smell.”
“Of course.”
As Sharp and I turned to head to my quarters I saw a huddle of civilians. Annie Macgregor stood there with her two children. They were clean, smartly dressed and had some flesh on their bones. In her arms was Baby Martin.
I smiled as I walked up to her. She looked like a new woman. I could now see that she was barely twenty years old. “I am glad to see you well Annie.”
“And it is down to you sir. Joe told me what you said and did and I am much beholden to you. I have a job in the laundry!”
She seemed excited.
“And I am pleased that you look well and how is Baby Martin?”
“He is healthy and well but he is no longer Baby Martin, sir. We had him baptised and he is Robert Matthew Martin, by your leave.”
She looked at me as though I might be offended. I smiled and stroked the baby’s head. “I am honoured and you will always have a home here.”
“Thank you sir.”
As I walked to my quarters I reflected that life went on. Sir John had died and this young child was being raised in an army barracks. Who knew just what he might achieve? My mind was eased a little but that night, when alone in my room, I drank a toast and shed a tear in memory of Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, the saviour of our army.
The End
Glossary
Fictional characters are in italics
Cesar Alpini- Robbie’s cousin and the head of the Sicilian branch of the family
Sergeant Alan Sharp- Robbie’s servant
Cacadores- Portuguese light infantry
Captain Robbie (Macgregor) Matthews-illegitimate son of the Count of Breteuil
Colonel James Selkirk- War department
Colpack-fur hat worn by the guards and elite companies
Crack- from the Irish ‘craich’, good fun, enjoyable
Joe Seymour- Corporal and then Sergeant 11th Light Dragoons
Joseph Fouché- Napoleon’s Chief of Police and Spy catcher
Lieutenant Jonathan Teer- Commander of the Black Prince
Middy- Midshipman (slang)
musketoon- Cavalry musket
Paget Carbine- Light Cavalry weapon
pichet- a small jug for wine in France
Pierre Boucher-Ex-Trooper/Brigadier 17th Chasseurs
Pompey- naval slang for Portsmouth
Prefeito – Portuguese official
Roast Beef- French slang for British soldiers
Rooking- cheating a customer
Snotty- naval slang for a raw lieutenant
Tarleton Helmet- Headgear worn by Light cavalry until 1812
Windage- the gap between the ball and the wall of the cannon which means the ball does not fire true.
Maps
This work is in the in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
The Battle of Vimeiro-courtesy of Wikipedia
Battle of Roliça August 1808
British losses- 441 killed wounded or captured including 190 dead from the 1st/29th
French losses- 600 killed wounded or captured, 3 guns
Battle of Vimeiro August 1808
British losses- 134 killed, 534 wounded, 51 missing (the majority of those killed came from the 20th Light Dragoons)
French losses- 1,500 killed and wounded. 300 captured including 4 French generals and 12 guns
Battle of Corunna Janu
ary 1809
British losses-137 killed 497 wounded
French losses- 1,400 killed and wounded, 163 captured
Historical note
The 11th Light Dragoons were a real regiment. However I have used them in a fictitious manner. They act and fight as real Light Dragoons. The battles in which they fight were real battles with real Light Dragoons present- just not the 11th.
The books I used for reference were:
Napoleon’s Line Chasseurs- Bukhari/MacBride
Napoleon’s War in Spain- Lachouque, Tranie, Carmigniani
The Napoleonic Source Book- Philip Haythornthwaite,
Wellington’s Military Machine- Philip J Haythornthwaite
The Peninsular War- Roger Parkinson
Military Dress of the Peninsular War 1808-1814
The History of the Napoleonic Wars-Richard Holmes,
The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data book- Digby Smith,
The Napoleonic Wars Vol 1 & 2- Liliane and Fred Funcken
The Napoleonic Wars- Michael Glover
Wellington’s Regiments- Ian Fletcher.
Wellington’s Light Cavalry- Bryan Fosten
Wellington’s Heavy Cavalry- Bryan Fosten
The buying and selling of commissions was, unless there was a war, the only way to gain promotion. It explains the quotation that ‘the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton’. The officers all came from a moneyed background. The expression cashiered meant that an officer had had to sell his commission. Promoted sergeants were rare and had to have to done something which in modern times would have resulted in a Victoria Cross or a grave!
Colonel Selkirk is based on a real spy James Robertson who was responsible for getting Pedro Caro, 3rd Marquis of la Romana to defect to Britain from France with 8000 of his men. They were taken by British ships to Santander where they landed in August 1808. They then went onto harry Napoleon’s forces. The Spanish Army had one success: Baylen 1808. Both Generals proved to be incompetent; the Spanish was less so. Nonetheless it did have the effect of drawing away possible reinforcements for Junot.
The Braganza Royal family did flee Portugal when Junot invaded in 1807. The British urged them to go and provided an escort. The Queen had to be carried screaming to the ship as she was a little paranoid.
The fort at Coimbra was captured by students from the local university which allowed Wellesley to land his forces unmolested. The logistics of landing a fleet from Cork to coordinate and meet up with a force marching from Gibraltar in the days before radios etc is mind blowing.
The quotation about Colonel Trant did come from Wellington. Colonel Lake did lose most of the 29th in a wild charge. He disobeyed Wellesley’s orders. Had he not done so then the British would have lost a mere handful of men. As far as I know the 20th did not scout at this battle and find the French; it was the 95th. However the battle itself normally receives scant attention. The later battle of Vimeiro is seen as far more important for lots of reasons. However I use Major Matthews and the 20th to assist the 95th. It is an invention of the author. The 20th did break a square at Vimeiro but their colonel, Colonel Taylor led them too far and they were attacked by dragoons. Colonel Taylor and half of his men perished at the battle. I have used DeVere instead of Taylor.
The Cintra Convention proved to be a scandal from which Burrard and Dalrymple never recovered. Both the British and Portuguese people were outraged that Junot and his army were repatriated to France on British ships. It was exacerbated by the looting of palaces and churches by the French. Sir Arthur was exonerated. One wonders what might have happened had he commanded along with Sir John Moore. Would the British Army have had the disaster of Corunna? Or perhaps it was like Dunkirk, 150 years later, the spur which would lead the British and her allies to victory.
The exchanges between Moore and Wellesley at Queluz were as reported. It implies that someone else was there as Moore died a few months later. I have used Major Matthews as the witness. The orders were as written as was Moore’s instructions to the troops.
The manoeuvring in December was exactly as described and vital despatches were captured. The information was as Major Matthews reported.
Sahagun and Benevente were two of the best examples of the skill of the Earl of Uxbridge. Trooper Grisdale did, indeed, capture the general. The cavalry of the Imperial Guard were the best in Europe at that time and for them to be beaten by a retreating and dispirited army was nothing short of miraculous. Sadly because of a family disagreement the Earl would not serve again until the Waterloo campaign. Who knows what might have ensued in the Peninsula had he led the cavalry.
The incident with the new born baby actually happened and it was a follower from the 92nd who looked after the child. Many babies were born, and died, during the retreat. Some women were seen crawling along after the retreating army; it must have been a pitiful and dispiriting sight. One officer did pick up a child and wrap it in his coat swearing to have it looked after in England. Robbie’s gesture was not unusual.
The berserk soldier holding up the retreat really happened. He had eaten raw salt fish washed down with rum. In reality he was ridden down and trampled to death by the cavalry.
Wherever possible I have tried to use the words actually used by Wellesley and Moore. All the words used by Sir John Moore at the battle and until he died were spoken by him. I have used author’s licence to add the dialogue of the others. He was a great general. Who know if he was the equal of Wellington. However one thing is certain; he was the only general who could have saved the army in 1808.
Major Matthews will continue to fight Napoleon and to serve Colonel Selkirk. The Napoleonic wars have barely begun and will only end on a ridge in Belgium in 1815. Robbie will be back to the same place he fought his first battles as a young trooper.
Griff Hosker November 2014
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