Historical Record of the Sixty-first, or the South Gloucestershire Regiment of Foot: Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1758, and of its subsequent services to 1844.Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Sixty-first, or the South Gloucestershire Regiment of Foot: Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1758, and of its subsequent services to 1844.
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 61st (South Gloucestershire) -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 61st -- History
Marshal Soult concentrated the French troops under his command in a
fortified position at _Toulouse_; and on the morning of the 10th of
April, the SIXTY-FIRST Regiment was in motion with the fourth and
sixth divisions, under Marshal Beresford, to turn the enemy’s right
flank. The regiment being halted beyond the river Ers, while Lord
Wellington and his staff reconnoitred the enemy, Lieut.-Colonel
Coghlan took that opportunity to address the officers and men in
a short and animated speech, which made a great impression on
their minds. Immediately afterwards the regiment advanced; it
crossed the river Ers, and marched along the left bank exposed
to the enemy’s cannonade. On arriving at its destined point, the
brigade was wheeled into line by Major-General Lambert, who
led it forward to attack a formidable height occupied by French
troops. The enemy descended with loud shouts to meet the advancing
line, and opened a heavy fire of musketry; the SIXTY-FIRST rushed
forward without firing a shot, the officers animating the men by
their example, and answering the French shouts with a loud and
confident huzza! They carried the height with fixed bayonets, but
sustained severe loss. Many of the officers having outrun their
men, who were retarded by the weight of their knapsacks, entered
a French redoubt at the moment the defenders were quitting it,
when a number of French soldiers turned round and fired with fatal
effect: of the SIXTY-FIRST, Lieut.-Colonel Oke, Captain Charleton
(who was calling to the enemy to surrender), and Lieutenant Arden,
were wounded,--the latter mortally. The regiment advanced along
the height until it was ordered to halt under an earthen fence,
which partially sheltered it from the enemy’s guns. Early in the
action its gallant commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan, was
mortally wounded[6]. In the afternoon the regiment, much reduced
in numbers, supported the attack of the Scots brigade on a range
of redoubts, from which the enemy was driven with loss: and the
SIXTY-FIRST were directed to occupy one of the captured redoubts.
The French advanced to recover the redoubts; when Major-General
Lambert directed a division of the SIXTY-FIRST to cross the road,
which was commanded by the enemy’s fire, and reinforce the troops
in another redoubt. This was a perilous movement; but Captain
CHARLETON, whose wound was dressed in the field in time to enable
him to rejoin and command the regiment in its second attack,
placed himself in front of the division, exclaiming, “I will show
the way!” Serjeant _Fraser_ stepped to follow his captain, and,
encouraged by this example, the division made the movement at a
running pace; several officers and soldiers were, however, hit by
the French marksmen. The regiment defended the post committed to
its charge, and the French were driven from their works, and forced
to take refuge in the suburbs of the city of Toulouse. At the
termination of the action, the surviving men of the regiment were
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account