Chapter IV: Part 4

Intelligence was here received of the enemy’s approach towards Madrid; the division was in consequence put in motion across the Guadarama mountains on the 27th of November towards Villa Castin, at which place Lieut.-General the Honorable John Hope, in consequence of the information he received of the enemy’s movements, made a night march to the left, by Avila and Peneranda, and finally proceeded to Alba-de-Tormes, where a junction was formed with a detachment from the army under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, then at Salamanca. The army under Sir John Moore was shortly afterwards put in motion towards Valladolid, and subsequently to the left, to effect a junction with Lieut.-General Sir David Baird’s division, which had landed at Corunna.

Previously to this period, the Spanish armies under General Blake, near Bilboa on the left, General Castanos in the centre, and General Palafox lower down the Ebro on the right, had been completely defeated; Lieut.-General Sir John Moore consequently made arrangements for a retreat on Portugal by Ciudad Rodrigo, but it having been represented to him that Madrid held out against the French, he was induced to form a junction with Lieut.-General Sir David Baird, in order to make a diversion in favour of Madrid, by attacking Marshal Soult on the river Carion.

The British force, twenty-nine thousand strong, joined at Toro on the 21st of December, and on the 23d of that month Sir John Moore advanced with the whole army. The cavalry had already met with that of the enemy, and the infantry were within two hours march of him, when an intercepted letter informed the British commander that Napoleon, who had entered Madrid on the 4th of December, was then in full march for Salamanca and Benevente. A retreat on Corunna, through Gallicia, was immediately decided on, that through Portugal being then impracticable.

Accordingly the several divisions marched towards the Esla, the greater part crossing by the bridge of Benevente on the 26th of December, when, after a day’s halt, the cavalry, under Lieut.-General Lord Paget and Brigadier-General the Honorable Charles Stewart, had an engagement with some of the Imperial guards that had forded the river Esla under General LeFevre, who was made prisoner with several of his men.

At this period the situation of the British army was dispiriting in the extreme. In the midst of winter, in a dreary and desolate country, the soldiers chilled and drenched with the heavy rains, and wearied by long and rapid marches, were almost destitute of fuel to cook their victuals, and it was with extreme difficulty that they could procure shelter. Provisions were scarce, irregularly issued, and difficult of attainment. The waggons, in which were their magazines, baggage, and stores, were often deserted in the night by the Spanish drivers, who were terrified by the approach of the French. Thus baggage, ammunition, stores, and even money were destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy; and the weak, the sick, and the wounded were necessarily left behind.

[Sidenote: 1809.]

On the 5th of January 1809, the troops took up a position at Lugo, where they remained bivouacked in order of battle until the 9th of that month, when they marched in the night, and arrived at _Corunna_ on the 11th of January. The British army, having accomplished one of the most celebrated retreats recorded in modern history, repulsing the pursuing enemy in all his attacks, and having traversed two hundred and fifty miles of mountainous country under very disheartening circumstances, accompanied by severe privation, was not destined to embark for England without a battle.

Marshal Soult, Duke of Dalmatia, having taken up a position above the town of _Corunna_, made arrangements for attacking the British army as soon as the troops should commence their embarkation. The sick men, the women, and baggage having been conveyed on board ship, preparations were made for embarking the troops on the 16th of January 1809. The French instantly descended from the heights, and advanced, about two o’clock, to attack the British position in front of _Corunna_; a sanguinary action ensued, and before dark the French were defeated in all their attacks. Lieut.-General Sir John Moore was killed, and the battle was scarcely ended, when, wrapped in a military cloak, his remains were interred in the citadel of Corunna, over which Marshal Soult, with the chivalrous feeling of a true soldier, erected a monument.

This victory enabled the British troops to be embarked without further molestation. In this battle the first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH was posted on the left of the British line.

During the retreat to _Corunna_, and its services there, the battalion had Lieutenant John White wounded, and one serjeant and two rank and file killed; one serjeant, three drummers, and one hundred and fifty-three rank and file, were taken prisoners.

In commemoration of this battle, and of the conduct of the battalion during the expedition, the THIRTY-SIXTH, in common with the army employed under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, received the Royal authority to bear the word “CORUNNA” on the regimental colour and appointments.[18]

The army also received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament “for its distinguished discipline, firmness, and valour in the battle of CORUNNA.”

On the 17th of January the battalion embarked at Corunna for England; portions landed at Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Deal, but the several divisions were assembled at Battle, in Sussex, during the month of February.

Immense preparations had been made by the British Government to fit out the most formidable armament that had for a long time proceeded from England. The troops amounted to forty thousand men, commanded by Lieut.-General the Earl of Chatham; the naval portion consisted of thirty-nine ships of the line, thirty-six frigates, and numerous gun-boats and bomb-vessels, and other small craft, under Admiral Sir Richard Strachan. The object of the expedition was to obtain possession of the islands at the mouth of the _Scheldt_, and to destroy the French ships in that river, with the docks and arsenals at Antwerp. The first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment received orders to prepare itself for this service, and on the 16th of July embarked at Portsmouth for _Walcheren_, under the command of Colonel Burne. The expedition sailed from the Downs on the 28th of July, and on the morning of the 1st of August the THIRTY-SIXTH and other corps were landed, and on the same day the troops advanced to the investment of _Flushing_, which operation was warmly contested by the enemy.

By the 13th of August, the preparations for the attack on the town were completed, and on the night of the 14th one of the enemy’s batteries, advanced upon the sea dyke in front of Lieut.-General Alexander Mackenzie Fraser’s position, was most gallantly carried at the point of the bayonet by detachments from the THIRTY-SIXTH, Seventy-first, and the light battalions of the King’s German legion, under Lieut.-Colonel Denis Pack, of the Seventy-first, although opposed to great superiority of numbers; the troops took forty prisoners, and killed and wounded a great many of the enemy. _Flushing_ capitulated on the 15th of August; the garrison becoming prisoners of war.

From the 8th to the 15th of August the THIRTY-SIXTH had three rank and file killed; Major Alexander Mackenzie was dangerously wounded; two serjeants and seven rank and file were wounded.

An epidemic disease of a fatal character broke out among the troops, and the following officers and men of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment died of fever:--Captains Waddle, C. Douglas, and Alexander Barbor, Lieutenant McDermott, Assistant-Surgeon James McFarlane, fourteen serjeants, two drummers, and two hundred rank and file.

On the 10th of December 1809 the first battalion embarked for England, and arrived at Woolwich on the 22d of that month; it subsequently returned to Battle in Sussex.

[Sidenote: 1810.]

During the year 1810 the first battalion was stationed at Battle.

The second battalion was moved from Worcester to Kidderminster in the spring, and in the summer to Cirencester, and subsequently to Horsham.

[Sidenote: 1811.]

The first battalion occupied the barracks at Battle until January 1811, on the 28th of which month it embarked at Portsmouth under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Basil Cochrane on board His Majesty’s ship “Victory,” and landed at Lisbon on the 5th of March. The battalion immediately joined in the pursuit of Marshal Massena from Santarem, and was in position at the expulsion of the enemy from Guarda on the 29th of March.

The battalion was next employed in the blockade of _Almeida_, and Marshal Massena, having concentrated his forces, crossed the Agueda on the 2d of May for the purpose of relieving the place. This movement led to the actions at _Fuentes d’Onor_ on the 3d and 5th of May. In the battle of the 5th the battalion was in position, but was not actively engaged. The French were defeated, after a prolonged contest, and Marshal Massena left _Almeida_ to its fate. The place was evacuated by General Brennier at midnight of the 10th of May, when the enemy blew up the works, and the greater part of the garrison succeeded in effecting its escape during the night.

On the 11th of May, when the garrison of _Almeida_ effected its escape through the corps on duty, Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Basil Cochrane, with about half of the first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, had the good fortune to come up with the French at the bridge of _Barba del Puerco_; and, in conjunction with the Grenadier company of the Fourth foot under Captain Thomas Burke, caused them considerable loss. Many were killed and wounded, and three hundred were taken prisoners, but the rest escaped.

The remainder of the battalion took another road in the pursuit, under the orders of Brigadier-General Robert Burne, Lieut.-Colonel of the THIRTY-SIXTH, and intercepted many stragglers, whom they made prisoners.

The casualties under Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Basil Cochrane were two killed;--Lieutenant Charles Moody and eight rank and file were taken prisoners.

Early in June 1811 the battalion commenced its march for the south of Portugal, and continued at the camp of Arronches until the 18th of July, when it again returned to the north, and was in cantonments at Barquilla, in Spain, during August and September; on the 25th of September it was in position at the affair of _Especha_, when the enemy advanced to relieve _Ciudad Rodrigo_, which was blockaded by the Allied army. The battalion was likewise in position at the subsequent affair near _Ronda_ on the 27th of September.

On the 30th of September the British army went into cantonments, the THIRTY-SIXTH occupying the village of Pinziu. There Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Basil Cochrane found his health so much on the decline that he was compelled to apply for leave to return to England; and on the 13th of October he quitted the corps for that purpose, the command of which then devolved on Major William Cross.

On the 24th of November the battalion marched to Gallegos, in Spain, with the view of intercepting a convoy of provisions intended for the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo, but the incessant rain had so flooded the rivers that it was found impossible to cross at the points intended, which circumstance enabled the convoy to reach its destination.

The battalion commenced its march to new cantonments at Mongualda on the 27th of November, which it reached on the 3d of December.

[Sidenote: 1812.]

On the 14th of January 1812 the battalion was moved from Mongualda, by forced marches, to assist in the siege of _Ciudad Rodrigo_, which, however, was taken on the night of the 19th of January by the troops under Viscount Wellington, just as the THIRTY-SIXTH were on the point of leaving Nava d’Aver, within ten miles of the scene of operations; the battalion remained at Nava d’Aver until Ciudad Rodrigo was secured against a _coup de main_, and then marched into cantonments at Meda, which it reached on the 3d of February.

Major-General Henry Clinton arrived and assumed the command of the sixth division on the 11th of February. On the 20th of that month the battalion marched for the south of Portugal, reached Estremos on the 6th of March, and remained there until the 14th, on which day it proceeded to Borba, and on the 15th to the camp at Elvas, where the army was assembled. On the following day it marched to aid in investing _Badajoz_, and from thence proceeded with the covering army, under Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch), which, after the affairs of Usagré, Llerena, Berlonga, and Asuaga, effected the expulsion of the enemy from Spanish Estremadura, and then returned to support the attack on _Badajoz_. The battalion reached Albuhera on the 6th of April, on the night of which Badajoz was stormed and carried.

The enemy being thus thwarted in all his views against the south, in which the principal part of the British troops was assembled, made a sudden invasion of the north of Portugal, and advanced as far as Castello Branco. The sixth division was in consequence moved with the utmost rapidity in that direction, but on its approach the enemy retired, and the division again returned to the south, the THIRTY-SIXTH taking up cantonments at Castello de Vide on the 30th of April.

On the 5th May 1812, Lieut.-Colonel Lewis Davies arrived, and assumed the command of the THIRTY-SIXTH; towards the end of the month Major William Cross, who had been in very bad health for several weeks, proceeded to join the second battalion in England.

The battalion marched to Azumar on the 8th of May, and on the 13th to Arronches, from which it moved towards the end of the month to Puebla, in Spain, then to Badajoz, where it halted five days, thence to Castello de Vide for two days, from which it marched through Castello Branco in the direction of Salamanca, which it reached on the 17th of June, and operations were then immediately commenced against the Forts at Salamanca by the light companies of the division under Colonel Samuel Venables Hinde, of the Thirty-second regiment. They were attacked without success on the 23d, and carried on the 27th of June by a party under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Davies, of the THIRTY-SIXTH, with a loss to the battalion of Lieutenant George Mackenzie and eleven rank and file killed, and Captain Paul Minchin Hobart and twenty-five rank and file wounded. Captain Hobart, who was promoted to the brevet rank of Major on the 23d of July 1812, died of his wounds.

The battalion then occupied different villages in the neighbourhood, and on the 22d of July it took a considerable share in the battle of Salamanca. The change of the allied position and various manœuvres occupied the day without any close engagement, excepting on the left for the possession of the Arapiles; the battle of _Salamanca_ did not commence in earnest until after three o’clock, when the French left, having been very much extended by the advance of the division of General Thomières, with the light cavalry and fifty pieces of artillery, along a range of heights parallel with the British line, to cut off the right of the allies from the Ciudad Rodrigo road, the third division was ordered to advance in four columns, supported by cavalry to turn the French left. The evolutions of this great battle are too varied to be clearly described with brevity. The sixth division under Major-General Clinton, of which the THIRTY-SIXTH formed part, was placed at first in reserve, but at a critical period in the action it was ordered up to relieve the fourth division, and the battle was soon restored to its former success.

The enemy’s right, reinforced by the troops which had fled from his left, and by those which had by this time retired from the Arapiles, still continued to resist; and while other corps were directed to turn the right, the sixth division, supported by the third and fifth, attacked the front. It was dark before this point was carried by the sixth division, and the enemy then fled through the woods towards the Tormes.

Lieut.-General Sir William Napier, in his History of the Peninsular War, thus sums up the account of this victory:--

“The battle of Salamanca, remarkable in many points of view,
was not least so in this, that it was the first decided victory
gained by the allies in the Peninsula. In former actions the
French had been repulsed, here they were driven headlong, as it
were, before a mighty wind, without help or stay, and the results
were proportionate.”

The THIRTY-SIXTH had Captains William Tulloh and Alexander Middleton, Lieutenants Arthur Parker and Richard Barton, one serjeant, and fifteen rank and file killed. Brevet-Major John Fox, Lieutenants Walter Ewart, and David Price, Ensigns Richard James Bourchier, William Wainwright, with four serjeants and seventy rank and file, were wounded. Lieutenant Ewart subsequently died of his wounds.

Lieut.-Colonel Davies obtained the medal issued for the victory gained at Salamanca; and the THIRTY-SIXTH subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “SALAMANCA” on the regimental colour and appointments, in commemoration of the gallantry displayed in that battle.

On the 23d of July the battalion was employed in pursuit of the enemy by the route of Alba de Tormes, and in August went into cantonments at Cuellar; towards the end of that month it marched again, and encamped before _Burgos_, which the Marquis of Wellington (that title having been conferred upon him after the victory at Salamanca) ordered should be forthwith invested.

Major Molyneux Smith, of the THIRTY-SIXTH, died on the 21st of August 1812, and Brevet-Major John Fox was appointed his successor on the 1st of October following. The battalion took an active share in all the operations against Burgos, from which the British army retired on the 21st of October. The THIRTY-SIXTH, during the siege, had seven rank and file killed and eleven wounded.

After this most harassing retreat, rendered so by the severity of the weather and the dreadful state of the roads, as well as by a numerous and active-pursuing enemy, the battalion, early in December, reached Falgosa de Medelina, in Portugal, where it halted for some weeks.

[Sidenote: 1813.]

In February 1813 the battalion marched from Falgosa de Medelina to Toraish, where it remained until May. There Lieut.-Colonel Davies, in consequence of ill-health, left the corps for England, when the command devolved on Brevet Lieut.-Colonel John Ward.

On the 14th of May the allied army again advanced, crossed the Douro on the 19th, and halted on the 20th at Toro de Monte Corva; on the 24th reached Malhadus, and halted until the 27th, and on the 29th entered Spain by crossing the Corsa, near Murga, where the troops, of which the THIRTY-SIXTH formed part, halted until the 31st. On the 1st of June they crossed the Esla by a pontoon bridge, and continued the march until the 19th, when they halted at Madina to observe General Clausel’s corps, and cover the British stores and ammunition.

The battalion reached _Vittoria_ on the 22d of June, the day following the victory gained there by the Marquis of Wellington, and halted at that place during the 23d and 24th, still observing General Clausel. On the 26th the battalion marched to Mondragoa, and afterwards retrograded to Montinca, whence Clausel was pursued to the bridge of Lagosa, where the battalion arrived on the 30th of June; and, marching again on the 1st of July, it encamped near _Pampeluna_ on the 5th of that month.

There the battalion halted until the 13th of July, and on the following day it marched to Lanz, where it remained until the 22d; and on the 23d it crossed the Low Pyrenees to the valley of San Estevan; on the 27th the battalion re-crossed the Pyrenees to Torrossa.

On the 28th of July the battalion was in position near _Pampeluna_, and was warmly engaged, the light company under Captain William Campbell being detached in smart skirmishing. On the following day both armies remained quiet; but on the 30th of July the battalion was again engaged early in the morning, the light company being, as before, detached, under Captain Campbell, to expel the enemy from the village of _Sorauren_. About eight o’clock Major Martin Leggatt arrived, and assumed the command, when Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Ward immediately proceeded to join the light company in Sorauren. Marshal Soult was however foiled, and about two o’clock in the afternoon the enemy was in general retreat, being pursued by the whole army.

In approbation of the conduct of Major Leggatt, Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Ward and Captain Campbell on the three last-mentioned days, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of His Majesty, was graciously pleased to present each of them with a medal for the battles of the Pyrenees, and to promote Captain Campbell to the brevet rank of Major.

The THIRTY-SIXTH subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear on the regimental colour and appointments the word “PYRENEES,” in commemoration of the services of the first battalion in the actions which occurred there, and which have been designated the “_Battles of the Pyrenees_.”

On the 1st of August the battalion reached Bargetta, and halted there until the 3d; on the following day it pursued the enemy to the valley of Alduides; and on the 5th and 6th the battalion was in position;--on the 7th it marched and encamped in the valley near Maya, and on the 8th moved to the camp at the Pass of Maya, where the battalion remained until the 9th of September.

Major William Cross arrived at the camp of Maya on the 10th of September, and resumed the command of the battalion.

The battalion was present in the affair of _Urdax_ on the 7th of October, and had forty-six rank and file killed and wounded.

The British army was put in motion at an early hour in the morning of the 10th of November, and advanced to attack the enemy in his fortified position on the _Nivelle_. In the battle which ensued, it was the proud lot of the sixth division, of which the THIRTY-SIXTH formed part, to charge and carry the enemy’s breastwork and principal redoubt on the heights of _Ainhoa_, with the loss of one drummer and five rank and file killed.

The Marquis of Wellington, in his despatch of the 13th of November, thus alluded to the conduct of the THIRTY-SIXTH on this occasion:--

“I had the pleasure of seeing the sixth division under
Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, after having crossed the
Nivelle, and having driven in the enemy’s piquets on both banks,
and having covered the passage of the Portuguese division under
Lieut.-Colonel Sir John Hamilton, on its right, _make a most
handsome attack upon the right of the enemy’s position behind
Ainhoa, and on the right of the Nivelle, and carry all the
entrenchments, and the redoubt on that flank_. Lieut.-General Sir
John Hamilton, supported with the Portuguese division, the sixth
division on its right, and both co-operated in the attack of the
second redoubt, which was immediately carried.”

In this battle the THIRTY-SIXTH had Captains Robert Blakeney and William Gillam, Lieutenants Thomas L’Estrange and William Tunstall, Ensigns James McCabe and John Skerry, one serjeant and fifty-eight rank and file, wounded.

Major Cross, for his services on this day, was promoted to the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and was with Brevet-Major Campbell honoured with the medal for the battle of the Nivelle.

The THIRTY-SIXTH subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “NIVELLE” on the regimental colour and appointments, in commemoration of the gallantry of the first battalion in that battle.

After this victory the battalion was in cantonments at Usteritz, on the river _Nive_, observing the enemy,--who was in force on the opposite side,--until the 9th of December, when the passage of the river was forced, and the battle of the _Nive_ ensued. In the passage of the Nive the THIRTY-SIXTH had only three rank and file wounded.

The enemy having failed in all his attacks, with his whole force, on the British left, withdrew into his entrenchments on the night of the 12th of December, and passed a large force through Bayonne, with which, on the morning of the 13th, he made a most desperate attack on the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill; the Marquis of Wellington, in expectation of this attack, had given orders that the Lieut.-General should be reinforced with the sixth division, which crossed the Nive at daylight on that morning. The THIRTY-SIXTH were accordingly in position at _Bidart_, but Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill defeated the enemy with the troops under his own immediate command on the 13th of December, with immense loss, before the arrival of the reinforcement, although the march of the sixth division afforded him great facility in making his movements.

In commemoration of the operations connected with the passage of the river _Nive_, the THIRTY-SIXTH subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “NIVE” on the regimental colour and appointments.

On the 14th of December the THIRTY-SIXTH occupied cantonments at Ville Franque, and commenced the severe duty of the blockade of _Bayonne_.

[Sidenote: 1814.]

The battalion was employed on this duty until the 21st of February 1814, on which day the army advanced, the THIRTY-SIXTH being selected by Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, K.B., for the important duty of protecting the artillery of the division from an apprehended attack upon it by the enemy’s garrison of St. Jean Pied de Port, which the dreadful state of the roads obliged it nearly to pass. This obstacle fortunately surmounted, by forced marches the THIRTY-SIXTH rejoined the army on the 26th of February, and shared in the battle of _Orthes_ on the following day.

On the day previous to the battle the third division forded the river Gave de Pau, and a pontoon bridge was afterwards laid at Bereaux, by which the fourth and sixth divisions crossed on the morning of the 27th, at which time the third division was already posted with skirmishers thrown out close upon the left centre of the French position. The sixth division, of which the THIRTY-SIXTH formed part, was placed on the right between the third division and the river, and the light division on its left in rear as a reserve. During the whole morning there had been occasional skirmishing by the third division, but the real attack commenced at nine o’clock by the third and sixth divisions on the French left centre, and the fourth and seventh divisions on their right, which last was intended to be the principal point of attack; but it having been found, after three hours’ hard fighting, that the enemy was there too strongly posted, the Marquis of Wellington ordered an advance of the third and sixth divisions, with the Fifty-second regiment, from the centre upon the left centre of the French position, which they carried, and thus secured the victory; while Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, with the second division, had crossed the river above _Orthes_, and nearly cut off the only line of retreat open to the enemy, who then retired from the field, but without confusion, and constantly resisting the advance. The allies followed, keeping up an incessant fire and cannonade, but lost many men, particularly of the third division, which was the most strongly opposed; this continued until the French nearly reached the Luy de Bearn river, when their retreat became a flight, and they effected their escape by the fords and one bridge, which they destroyed, having lost four thousand men and six guns.

In commemoration of this victory, the THIRTY-SIXTH subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “ORTHES” on the regimental colour and appointments.

The battalion shared in the affairs of _Vic Bigorre_ and _Tarbes_ on the 19th and 20th of March. The movement of the sixth division under Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton is stated by the Marquis of Wellington, in his despatch, to have been very ably made, and it was completely successful.

During the night Marshal Soult retreated towards _Toulouse_, followed on the 21st of March by the allies, who continued their advance, until on the 26th they arrived in presence of the French army. The town of _Toulouse_ is surrounded on three sides by the Canal of Languedoc and the Garonne; on the left of that river, the suburb, which the enemy had fortified with strong field-works in front of the ancient wall, formed a good _tête-de-pont_. The city itself was only accessible from the south, and its strong though old-fashioned walls had been rendered more defensible by redoubts, and by an exterior line of entrenchments on a strong and rugged range of heights, about two miles in length beyond the canal. On the 28th the enemy’s troops were driven within the suburb of St. Cyprien, and several attempts were made to attack them by crossing the Garonne above Toulouse. Operations were, however, impeded by the floods and rapidity of the river, until the 3d of April, when the third, fourth, and sixth divisions, with three brigades of cavalry, under Marshal Beresford, passed over by a pontoon bridge fifteen miles below Toulouse; but the crossing of the remainder of the army was again impeded by the rising of the river, which caused the removal of the bridges, until the 8th, when the Marquis of Wellington crossed, and advanced within five miles of Toulouse; Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, with two divisions, remaining on the left bank.

In the battle of _Toulouse_, which began about six o’clock in the morning of the 10th of April, it was the good fortune of the THIRTY-SIXTH to commence the attack of the sixth division. The Marquis of Wellington’s plan of attack was for Marshal Sir William Beresford, who was on the right of the Ers with the fourth and sixth divisions, to cross that river at the bridge of Croix d’Orade, to gain possession of Montblanc, and to march up to the left of the Ers to turn the enemy’s right, while Lieut.-General Don Manuel Freyre, with the Spanish corps under his command, supported by the British cavalry, attacked the front.

Marshal Sir William Beresford crossed the Ers, formed his corps in three columns of lines in the village of Croix d’Orade, and immediately carried Montblanc. He then moved up the Ers in the same order, over most difficult ground, in a direction parallel to the enemy’s fortified position, and as soon as he reached the point at which he turned it, he formed his lines, and moved to the attack. The gallant efforts of Lieut.-General Don Manuel Freyre did not meet with success, but they were highly applauded by the Marquis of Wellington. Meanwhile Marshal Sir William Beresford, with the fourth division under the command of Lieut.-General Sir Lowry Cole, and the sixth division under Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, attacked and carried the heights on the enemy’s right, and the redoubt which covered and protected that flank; and he lodged those troops on the same heights with the enemy, who were, however, still in possession of four redoubts, and of the entrenchments and fortified houses.

The badness of the roads had induced the Marshal to leave his artillery in the village of Montblanc; some time elapsed before it could be brought up, and before Lieut.-General Don Manuel Freyre’s corps could be re-formed and led again to the attack. As soon as this was effected, the Marshal continued his movement along the ridge, and earned, with Major-General Denis Pack’s brigade of the sixth division, the two principal redoubts and fortified houses in the enemy’s centre. The enemy made a desperate effort from the canal to regain these redoubts, but they were repulsed with considerable loss; and the sixth division continuing its movement along the ridge of the height, and the Spanish troops continuing a corresponding movement upon the front, the French were driven from the two redoubts and entrenchments on the left, and the whole range of heights were gained by the British.

The Marquis of Wellington, in his despatch, added--

“We did not gain this advantage, however, without severe loss,
particularly in the _brave sixth division_.

“The THIRTY-SIXTH, Forty-second, Sixty-first, and Seventy-ninth
regiments lost considerable numbers, and were highly
distinguished throughout the day.

“I cannot sufficiently applaud the ability and conduct of Marshal
Sir William Beresford throughout the operations of the day, nor
that of Lieutenant-Generals Sir Lowry Cole, Sir Henry Clinton,
Major-Generals Pack and Lambert, and the troops under their
command.

“The fourth division, although exposed on their march along the
enemy’s front in a galling fire, were not so much engaged as the
sixth division, and did not suffer so much; but they conducted
themselves with their usual gallantry.”

By this last paragraph it is shown, that the sixth division, of which the first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment had for some time formed a part, bore the brunt of this hard-fought, but, as it proved unnecessary, battle.

The killed and wounded of the THIRTY-SIXTH were one hundred and fifty-three, of all ranks, out of two hundred and fifty; namely, Ensign James Cromie, three serjeants and thirty-five rank and file killed, Brevet Lieut.-Colonel William Cross, Brevet Major William Campbell, Lieutenants James Prendergast, Thomas L’Estrange, Peter Joseph Bone, William Henry Robertson, and Edward Lewis, Ensigns Thomas M. Taylor, and James McCabe, eight serjeants, and ninety-seven rank and file wounded.

Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Cross was so severely wounded as to oblige him to be carried off the field, and the command of the battalion devolved upon Major Martin Leggatt.

In approbation of the services of Lieut.-Colonel Cross at the battles of the Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, and Toulouse, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of His Majesty, was graciously pleased to confer upon that officer a cross, and to nominate him a Companion of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath; His Royal Highness was likewise pleased to bestow on Major Leggatt a medal for the battle of Toulouse.

The THIRTY-SIXTH subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “TOULOUSE” on the regimental colour and appointments, in commemoration of the distinguished gallantry of the first battalion in that battle; also the word “PENINSULA” in testimony of its services in Spain and Portugal.

During the night of the 11th of April the French troops evacuated _Toulouse_, and a white flag was hoisted. On the following day the Marquis of Wellington entered the city, amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. In the course of the afternoon of the 12th of April intelligence was received of the abdication of Napoleon, and had not the express been delayed on the journey by the French police, the sacrifice of many valuable lives would have been prevented.

A disbelief in the truth of this intelligence occasioned much unnecessary bloodshed at _Bayonne_, the garrison of which made a desperate _sortie_ on the 14th of April, and Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Earl of Hopetoun) was taken prisoner, Major-General Andrew Hay was killed, and Major-General Stopford was wounded. This was the last action of the Peninsular war.

A Treaty of Peace was established between Great Britain and France; Louis XVIII. was restored to the throne of his ancestors; and Napoleon Bonaparte was permitted to reside at Elba, the sovereignty of that island having been conceded to him by the allied powers.

The first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment embarked at Pouillac on the 22d of June 1814, and arrived at the Cove of Cork on the 11th of the following month, and subsequently proceeded to Kilkenny.

The second battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH, which had been employed on home duty during the Peninsular War, was disbanded at Plymouth on the 24th of October 1814, and the men fit for service were transferred to the first battalion:--the detachment accordingly embarked for Ireland on the 30th of October.

[Sidenote: 1815.]

The tranquillity which Europe appeared to have gained by the splendid successes over the French in the Peninsula, was again to be disturbed. Napoleon, who had been accustomed to imperial sway, was naturally discontented with his small sovereignty of Elba. Besides, the correspondence kept up by him with his adherents in France gave him hopes of regaining his former power, which were, for a short time, fully realized. Napoleon Bonaparte landed at Cannes, in Provence, on the 1st of March 1815, with a small body of men, and on the 20th of that month entered Paris at the head of an army, which had joined him on the road. This could not be matter of wonder, for the officers and soldiers had won their fame under his command, and gladly welcomed their former leader, under whom they probably expected to acquire fresh honours, which might cancel the memory of the defeats sustained in the Peninsula and south of France.

Louis XVIII., unable to stem the torrent, withdrew from Paris to Ghent, and Napoleon resumed his former dignity of Emperor of the French. This assumption the allied powers determined not to acknowledge, and resolved to deprive him of his sovereignty, by again restoring the ancient dynasty.

Napoleon was finally defeated on the plains of Waterloo on the 18th of June 1815, and the allies advanced on Paris. The first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment embarked at Cork on the 3d of July, and landed at Ostend on the 11th of that month. The battalion marched from thence to Paris.

The THIRTY-SIXTH regiment remained in the neighbourhood of Paris until December 1815, on the 22d of which month it embarked at Calais for England; and, landing at Dover and Ramsgate, it subsequently proceeded to Portsmouth.

[Sidenote: 1816.]

During the year 1816 the regiment was stationed at Portsmouth.

Colonel the Honourable Basil Cochrane, who had been serving as Assistant-Quartermaster-General in Ireland, died on his passage from Newry to Liverpool on the 14th of May 1816. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel William Cross was appointed to succeed him as Lieut.-Colonel of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment on the 23d of May, and Brevet Major William Wright Swain was promoted to the vacant majority.

The word “FIRM” being an old regimental acquirement, it was deemed necessary to apply to Sir George Nayler, York Herald, Inspector of Regimental Colours, for its insertion on the new colours which had been prepared, when the following reply was received:--

“_College of Arms, 6th Jan. 1817._
“SIR,

“From the papers and documents in my possession,[19] relating
to the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, it is clear that the word ‘FIRM’
should be inserted on the colours of that regiment. I would,
therefore, recommend your directing the person who made the new
colours to cause the above word to be inscribed on them.

“I have, &c.

(Signed) “GEORGE NAYLER,

_“York Herald,
Inspector of Regimental Colours._”

“To Lieut.-Colonel Cross,
Commanding 36th Regiment.”

[Sidenote: 1817.]

The regiment embarked at Portsmouth for the Mediterranean on the 29th of July 1817, and landed at Malta on the 27th of September following.

[Sidenote: 1818.]

On the 4th of April 1818 General George Don was removed from the Ninety-fifth (afterwards disbanded) to the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, in succession to General the Honourable Henry St. John, deceased.

[Sidenote: 1820.]

The head-quarters of the regiment, with six companies, embarked at Malta on the 5th of December 1820, and landed in the island of Zante on the 11th of the same month, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Cross, having left four companies at Malta under the command of Major Swain.

[Sidenote: 1821.]

On the 18th of June 1821 the four companies which had remained at Malta embarked for the island of Cephalonia, where they arrived on the 22d of the same month. The head-quarters and four companies embarked at Zante on the 8th of July, and arrived at Cephalonia on the 10th of that month, when Lieut.-Colonel Cross assumed the command; two companies were left detached at Zante under the command of Brevet Major Henry Vernon.

On the 1st of November 1821 a detachment of the regiment, consisting of one captain, three subalterns, four serjeants, two drummers, and one hundred rank and file, was ordered to proceed to the island of Cerigo, under the command of Brevet Major William Campbell, on a particular service.

During the five latter months of the regiment being stationed at Cephalonia, the numbers of sick were very great; so much so, that it was deemed indispensably necessary to establish a convalescent hospital, as also forming a detachment of two subalterns, two serjeants, and eighty rank and file, principally consisting of the most weakly soldiers that could be selected, which proceeded to Fort St. George, a healthy eminence situated about five miles from Argostoli, where the head-quarters were stationed; another hospital was also established there for the reception of the sick of that detachment, under the superintendence of a medical staff officer.

The increase of disease in this island was principally attributed to the unconcentrated position of the barracks, which were small, crowded, and temporary, situated on a marsh in a valley close to the beach, together with the insalubrious atmosphere, which prevailed exceedingly during the time the regiment was stationed there. The loss of the THIRTY-SIXTH by sickness here was sixteen in two months, which consisted principally of the stoutest young men in the regiment.

His Excellency the Commander of the Forces in the Mediterranean, Lieut.-General the Right Honorable Sir Thomas Maitland, G.C.B., having arrived at this island early in November, and perceiving the debilitated state of the corps, was pleased to direct its removal; six days previously to which the two companies under the command of Brevet Major Vernon arrived from Zante and joined the head-quarters. On the 30th of November the regiment, with the exception of the detachment at Cerigo, embarked for Corfu, where it arrived on the 4th of December, and occupied part of the barracks in the citadel, and the whole of the barracks and quarters in Fort Neuf; the head-quarters and three companies in the latter, and the remaining companies in the citadel; soon after which Lieut.-Colonel Cross, having been a considerable time in a bad state of health, obtained leave of absence; and Major Swain, through domestic calamities, being absent, the command devolved on Brevet Major Joshua Crosse. Here Lieutenant Henry O’Bré died on the 13th of December, about which time Brevet Major Vernon was appointed Commandant of Paxo, where he died.

[Sidenote: 1822.]

Brevet Major Crosse was succeeded in the command by Brevet Major Campbell, on his arrival from Cerigo in the month of February 1822.

In March following Major Edmond Browne arrived from England and took the command of the regiment, he having succeeded to the majority by exchange from the half-pay with Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Leggatt in May 1821.

On the 2d June 1822 Major-General Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B., commanding, was pleased to order the head-quarters and three companies stationed at Fort Neuf to join the remaining companies at the citadel, as well as the regimental hospital to be established there, which was productive of much comfort to the corps, together with the unremitting and unwearied attention of the medical department, as well as at their solicitation to send a portion of the men that had not quite recovered from the diseases contracted at Cephalonia, to the sick depôt formed at Malta, which was acceded to, and they accordingly embarked for that station on the 8th of August, where they arrived on the 13th of the same month. This arrangement was attended with the fortunate result of restoration to their former good health; and, upon the 27th of October following, two serjeants and forty-two rank and file arrived from Malta in His Majesty’s ship “Cambrian;” and at subsequent dates others arrived, leaving only a very few bad cases at Malta; so that afterwards it generally had the fewest sick of any regiment in the Ionian Islands, or in the Mediterranean.

[Sidenote: 1823.]

On the 1st of February 1823, the detachment which was stationed at Cerigo arrived at Corfu, and joined the head-quarters of the regiment.

[Sidenote: 1825.]

In the year 1825, the establishment of the regiment was augmented from eight to ten companies, and formed into six _service_ and four _depôt_ companies, consisting of forty-two serjeants, fourteen drummers, and seven hundred and forty rank and file.

The regiment remained in the Ionian Islands until the 2d of December 1825, when it embarked at Santa Maura for England.

[Sidenote: 1826.]

On the 18th of February 1826, the regiment disembarked at Chatham; in the spring it proceeded to Colchester, afterwards to Macclesfield, Stockport, Manchester, and Bolton.

[Sidenote: 1827.]

During the early part of the year 1827, the regiment remained at Bolton, in Lancashire, and in April it proceeded to Liverpool, from which place it embarked for Ireland on the 14th of that month. The regiment arrived at Dublin on the following day, proceeded from thence to Mullingar, and returned to Dublin in August following, where it was stationed during the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 1828.]

In May 1828, the regiment proceeded from Dublin to Naas, and in October it was removed to Limerick.

[Sidenote: 1829.]

The regiment remained at Limerick until August 1829, when it proceeded to Birr, and continued during the rest of the year at that station.

Lieut.-General Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, Bart., was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment on the 21st of December 1829, in succession to General Sir George Don, G.C.B. and G.C.H., removed to the Third foot, or the Buffs.

[Sidenote: 1830.]

In June 1830, the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment proceeded from Birr to Fermoy, and was formed into six _service_ and four _depôt_ companies. The service companies embarked at Cork on the 11th, 13th, and 14th of October for the West Indies. The depôt companies remained at Fermoy for a short time, and were afterwards stationed at Spike Island.

The service companies disembarked at Barbadoes on the 20th, 21st, and 28th of November.

[Sidenote: 1831.]

The service companies suffered severely during the great hurricane in Barbadoes in 1831, having eleven men killed, and several severely injured.

The depôt companies were removed from Spike Island to Charles Fort, Kinsale, in October 1831, and continued there during 1832.

[Sidenote: 1833.]

The service companies which had, since their arrival in the West Indies, remained at Barbadoes, were removed to Antigua in February 1833. The depôt companies proceeded from Charles Fort to Ballincollig in January 1833; to Cork in February; to Templemore in August, and to Nenagh in October following.

[Sidenote: 1834.]

During the year 1834, the service companies remained at Antigua. The depôt companies were removed in October from Nenagh to Limerick.

[Sidenote: 1835.]

In November 1835 the service companies proceeded from Antigua to St. Lucia. The depôt companies quitted Limerick for Galway in May 1835, and marched for Cork in June following, where they embarked for Plymouth on the 14th of September; during the remainder of the year they were stationed at Devonport.

[Sidenote: 1836.]

During the year 1836, the service companies remained at St. Lucia, and the depôt at Devonport.

[Sidenote: 1837.]

In February 1837 the service companies proceeded from St. Lucia to Barbadoes.

[Sidenote: 1838.]

The depôt companies were removed from Devonport to Kinsale in June 1838.

On the 10th of November 1838, the service companies embarked at Barbadoes for Nova Scotia, and arrived at Halifax on the 8th of December.

The following extract of a letter to the Adjutant-General from Lieut.-General Sir Samford Whittingham, K.C.B., Commanding in the Windward and Leeward Islands, is highly creditable to the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, and is, therefore, here inserted.

_“Head-Quarters, Barbadoes,_
_“14th November 1838._

“The THIRTY-SIXTH regiment was prepared to embark in four and
twenty hours after the arrival of the ‘Hercules,’ but the
embarkation was delayed, in consequence of the captain reporting
that he could not be ready to receive the troops on board till
the 10th.

“I feel much pleasure in stating that the embarkation, the whole
of which I witnessed, was conducted in the most orderly and
soldier-like manner, and I did not perceive a single case of
drunkenness.

“I have the honour to enclose copy of the farewell Order I issued
on the departure of this old and distinguished corps, as also an
embarkation return of it, and a disembarkation return of the
Fifty-second regiment.”

“_Head-Quarters, Barbadoes,
“9th November 1838._

“GENERAL ORDER.

“The THIRTY-SIXTH regiment being about to embark for Halifax,
in obedience to the orders of the General Commanding-in-Chief,
Sir Samford Whittingham takes this opportunity of congratulating
Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, and the officers and non-commissioned
officers of that veteran regiment, on the high state of
efficiency in which it will proceed to America, after a period of
eight years’ service in the West Indies.

“The Lieutenant-General had great pleasure in witnessing, at his
late inspection, the healthy appearance of the men, and their
steadiness under arms.

“It is now upwards of thirty years since the Lieutenant-General
had first the honour of serving with the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment,
then commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Burne; and he has great
pleasure in being able to state, that every succeeding campaign
has crowned with fresh laurels this truly gallant corps.

“The Lieutenant-General begs Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell will
accept, and communicate to the officers, non-commissioned
officers, and men of the regiment he so ably commands, the
expression of his best wishes for their health and happiness; and
his conviction that the oftener they are tried in the field of
battle, the greater will be their accession of glory and honour.

“By Command,

(Signed) “E. R. KING, _Capt._,
“D. A. A. G.”

[Sidenote: 1839.]

In January 1839, the service companies proceeded to New Brunswick, and were stationed during the rest of the year at Fredericton.

The depôt companies were removed from Kinsale to Tralee in April 1839; in November they proceeded to Limerick, and in December to Nenagh.

[Sidenote: 1840.]

During the year 1840 the service companies were stationed at Fredericton in New Brunswick.

In May 1840, the depôt companies proceeded from Nenagh to Clare Castle.

[Sidenote: 1841.]

The service companies were removed on the 7th of July 1841, from Fredericton to St. John’s, New Brunswick. The depôt companies continued at Clare Castle.

[Sidenote: 1842.]

On the 29th of April 1842, the service companies embarked at St. John’s for Ireland, and arrived at Cork on the 28th of May, where they were consolidated with the depôt companies.

In August the regiment proceeded from Cork to Limerick.

[Sidenote: 1843.]

The regiment was removed, in July 1843, from Limerick to Dublin.

[Sidenote: 1844.]

In July 1844, the regiment proceeded from Dublin to Newry.

[Sidenote: 1845.]

The regiment embarked at Newry for Great Britain on the 24th of April 1845; arrived at Whitehaven on the 28th of that month; and proceeded to Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Colonel Archibald Montgomery Maxwell, K.H., died at Newcastle-on-Tyne on the 21st of May 1845, and Major Charles Ashmore was promoted Lieut.-Colonel of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment from the 22d of May. Captain Edward R. King was promoted to the vacant majority.

[Sidenote: 1846.]

In 1846 the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment was augmented to sixty-seven serjeants, twenty-five drummers, and twelve hundred rank and file. It was also ordered to be formed into two battalions of six companies each. In May the regiment proceeded from Newcastle-on-Tyne to Manchester, and in August it was removed to Weedon, where on the 28th of November the regiment was divided into two battalions. While quartered at Weedon the regiment received new colours, which were presented by Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, K.C.B., commanding the northern and midland districts of South Britain.

[Sidenote: 1847.]

The first battalion of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Charles Ashmore, embarked at Gosport in Her Majesty’s troop ship “Resistance” for the Ionian Islands, on the 6th of January 1847; the reserve battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Charles Trollope, who had been promoted to that rank on the augmentation of the regiment, also embarked at Gosport for the Mediterranean, on the 2d of that month, in the “Vengeance” ship of war.

The head-quarters and three companies of the first battalion disembarked at Argostoli, in the island of Cephalonia, on the 8th of February. Two companies were detached to the island of Zante, and one to Ithaca.

The reserve battalion disembarked at Corfu on the 31st of January.

The depôt of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment formed part of the depôt battalion at the Isle of Wight, on the embarkation of the two battalions for foreign service.

[Sidenote: 1848.]

The detachment of the first battalion at Zante proceeded from thence on the 6th of May 1848, leaving one field officer, one captain, two subalterns, four serjeants, and ninety-six rank and file with the head-quarters at Cephalonia, the remainder proceeding to Corfu. The detachment at Cerigo was moved from thence to Corfu on the 13th of May 1848. The head-quarters and five companies of the first battalion proceeded from Cephalonia to Corfu on the 3d of August.

One company of the reserve battalion was detached at Vido from the 24th of March to the 19th of July 1848, and one company at Ithaca from the 15th of July to the 5th of October 1848. The reserve battalion proceeded from Corfu to Cephalonia on the 2d of August 1848. On the 26th of September an attack was made on the town of Argostoli by several hundred armed Villani, which was repelled by Serjeant Luke Dunn and twelve men of the battalion, the resident’s guard on that morning, with the loss of two killed and two wounded. Privates Daniel McNamara and William Elsom killed; privates Thomas Fox and James Lidwell wounded; several others received shots through their caps, clothing, &c.

On the same day a detachment of fifty men, under Major Lorenzo Rothe, Captain James Nugent, and Lieutenant Rickard Lloyd, succeeded in saving the public records at Lixuri, as they were on the point of being destroyed by a party of insurgents, who fired on, and slightly wounded, two soldiers; the detachment returned the fire, wounded some of the insurgents, and drove them from the town.