A British Rifle Man: The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of WaterlooSimmons, George
History
A British Rifle Man: The Journals and Correspondence of Major George Simmons, Rifle Brigade, During the Peninsular War and the Campaign of Waterloo
Simmons, George
Peninsular War, 1807-1814; Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815
Proceeded to Lecumberri, and afterwards moved into a wood, and encamped
across the high road from Pamplona to Tolosa, about five leagues from
both, supporting the left of General Hill's corps.
[Sidenote: 31st]
Marched to Loyza and encamped.
[Sidenote: 1813 Aug. 1st]
Soult having been worsted in all his attacks upon the British, was
now in full retreat, having suffered very considerably in killed and
wounded and prisoners. The Light Division made a forced march this day
by Zubieta, along a mountain track on the left bank of the Bidasoa to
the bridge of Yanzi (the distance about eight leagues), the greater
part of the day under a burning sun, which sadly exhausted the men,
but they cheered up on seeing the enemy, and made the attack with such
real pluck that the latter was soon scampering across the bridge in the
greatest hurry. This body of the enemy had merely occupied the bridge
to protect the march of a column moving from Sumbilla. Our 1st and
3rd Battalions took possession of some houses near the bridge, and a
tiralade was kept up until dark, the enemy's force being so formidable
from the beginning, that it was not deemed advisable to push on. I lost
this little affair by being ordered to remain at Loyza a sufficient
time to try by court-martial, Sergeant Hayes. It came on dark before
I got up to the Battalion. I got bewildered in the mountains and lost
my way. The enemy's fires and ours appeared all round me before I gave
up the attempt to find the Battalion, so I tied my horse to a tree,
pulled him some leaves and loose grass, and lay down near him until
daylight. My horse was ill, so the other two officers who had been on
the court-martial were obliged to leave me before dark.
[Sidenote: 2nd]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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