Recollections of the eventful life of a soldierDonaldson, Joseph
History
Recollections of the eventful life of a soldier
Donaldson, Joseph
Peninsular War, 1807-1814 -- Personal narratives
In half an hour after they arrived, she again set forward. I had seen
her before at Cadiz; but I did not recollect her features. Every one
has read or heard of her conduct at Saragossa; it will, therefore, be
needless for me to recapitulate it here.
Having remained in camp at Sanguessa a few days, we returned, and
were quartered in a small village, called Olaz, about three miles
from Pampeluna, sending out working parties to the batteries which
were forming against the town.
General Graham having pushed on by the sea side as far as Passages,
and General Hill having dislodged the enemy on the right—the whole
had now retired into France.
We remained in this place until the 25th of August, when Soult
having hastily collected an army of forty thousand men, made a
furious attack on the fourth division. Our division advanced to
their support, but not being able to keep our ground against such
a force as they had brought up, the whole were obliged to retreat
precipitately that night upon Huarte, where a position was taken up
by the army. On the 27th they made a desperate attack on the left of
our line, where we had possession of a hill, which they made repeated
attempts to gain possession of, but without success—for whenever
they drove in our skirmishers, so as to reach the top, the regiments
stationed to defend it came forward, and having poured a volley into
them, charged them down the hill with dreadful slaughter.
On the 28th they again attempted it, but with like success. A
desperate attack was then made on the fourth division, but they
charged with the bayonet, and repulsed the enemy with immense loss.
On the 29th Soult manœuvred to turn our left; but on the 30th, our
army in turn attacked—the seventh division their right, our division
their left, and the other divisions their centre—when they were
defeated and fled in all directions, losing in their retreat many
prisoners, among whom were a number of raw conscripts, who had not
been four months enlisted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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