An Account of the Campaign in the West Indies, in the Year 1794: Under the Command of their Excellencies Lieutenant General Sir Charles Grey, K.B., and Vice Admiral Sir John Jervis, K.B.Willyams, Cooper
History
An Account of the Campaign in the West Indies, in the Year 1794: Under the Command of their Excellencies Lieutenant General Sir Charles Grey, K.B., and Vice Admiral Sir John Jervis, K.B.
Willyams, Cooper
English West Indian Expedition, 1793-1794; West Indies, British--History; West Indies, French -- History
well-concerted plan was rendered abortive, and the almost total
destruction of our exhausted forces ensued: but it is my business to
detail the events of this unfortunate affair as accurately as the
confused accounts I have received will permit. Brigadier General Symes,
having under his command the first battalion of grenadiers, commanded
by Brigadier General Fisher, and the first and second light infantry,
led by Colonel Gomm, with a detachment of seamen from the Boyne[55] and
Veteran, commanded by Captain Robertson of the Veteran, marched from the
heights of Mascot at about nine o'clock at night, on the 1st of July.
They first descended into a deep ravine thick planted with coffee
bushes, through which there was no road, the seamen bringing up the
rear. The night was uncommonly dark, which rendered their march both
dangerous and fatiguing. After proceeding about a mile they halted on a
road, and were joined by two small field-pieces, which were put under
the charge of Lieutenants Thomson and Maitland, to be dragged by their
seamen. During the halt some people, who were heard to speak French,
were seen near the rear; Lieutenant Wolley endeavoured to secure them,
but they escaped through the bushes, and no further notice was taken of
this. The army moved forward about two miles further, on a road leading
through deep ravines, and made a second halt for about an hour; the
march was then re-commenced, but no orders ever passed during the time:
they now proceeded for some miles without meeting with any obstruction,
when an order came for the seamen in the rear to advance to the attack,
which they did by running as fast as they could for upwards of a mile.
The parties they passed were not in the best order, owing to the
quickness of the march, until they came to the grenadiers, who were
drawn up as a corps de reserve. About this time the bugle horn sounded
to advance, and soon after a heavy firing of round and grape-shot from
Morne Government, and also from several other batteries of the enemy,
commenced, as also from some twelve-pounders landed from the shipping in
the harbour, which were placed in tiers, and entirely enfiladed the road
along which the troops were advancing. After passing the grenadiers, the
seamen were halted for a few minutes to form, they being perfectly out
of order from running; but scarce thirty of them were got together, when
Lieutenant Wolley was ordered to advance with them, and Captain
Robertson remained to form and bring up the rest. The cannonading from
the enemy's guns was the most severe the oldest soldier ever witnessed,
especially from the guns which were on the road; two or three tiers of
which were planted behind each other, from which the enemy were driven
by the bayonets of our gallant fellows, who no sooner had taken one
battery, but another opened on them from behind. The whole now became a
scene of confusion impossible to describe. Instead of any of the heights
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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