The King's German Legion

The loss of the British at Talavera, in killed and wounded, was scarcely less than 5000. The two French armies of Victor and Soult were coming up, by forced marches, to cut off the retreat of the british to Portugal. Cuesta would neither march nor fight, and Wellington, more embarrassed than assisted by his stubborn ally, threw himself behind the Tagus. Spain, now left to itself, was instantly overrun by the French, and Wellington, with the eye of genius, saw where the true defence of Portugal was to be made, and, with the heart of a hero, resolved to defend it to the last. In February, 1810, he commenced the design of arming the line of Torres Vedrae. The advance of the French now made the duty of the outposts remarkably active, and the German dragoons, always distinguished for their vigilance, excited so much wrath in the enemy, that the French General commanding the outposts was said to have offered 100 doubloons to any party who would cut down one of the small cavalry picquets. Of course a good deal of skirmishing took place between the outposts. In those affairs a private in the hussars was remarkable for his alertness and dexterity. His skill in horsemanship and the use of the sword made him so conspicuous to the French, that they used to cry out, " Ah, nous voila, Monsieur Schrœder." It has been ascertained that, between the years 1810 and 1812, this brave fellow cut down twelve of the enemy, wounded many, and took twenty-seven prisoners.

The conduct of the cavalry on this day was an object of general admiration. Crawford made a speech to the hussars in German, and praised them in a written order. They received the still higher testimonial of a letter from Wellington, stating his high satisfaction at their conduct, and declaring, that he would take the first opportunity of laying before the King his opinion of their excellent corps. The battle of Busaco, on the 27th of September, followed, which cost the French about 5000 men. On the retreat of the army, the light division and a squadron of the Legion remained on the heights of Busaco, to observe the French movements. Here their exploits were of another, yet scarcely less interesting description.

Early in the morning, large bodies of men were seen in the valley, and the squadron were sent down to ascertain what they were. They found them to be peasants of the surrounding country, who, infuriated by the rapine of the French, had come evidently for the purpose of cutting the throats of all whom they found alivo on the fleld. They had now between three and four hundred wounded men in their hands, abandoned by the extraordinary inhumanity of Massena, and expecting to be massacred every moment. The sight of the hussars gave them new hope ; they implored their protection ; and the honest Germans, procuring some litters, conveyed them from the field to a neighbouring convent, where they were taken care of by the monks. The whole march to Torres Vedras was a continual cavalry fight, and the last exploit, before entering the lines, was a dash of a hussar squadron against the French advance of chasseurs, who were imprudent enough to march at too great a distance from their infantry. The hussars turned on them so suddenly, that they broke, leaving an officer and ninctoen men in their hands. On the night of the 14th of November, Massena commenced that retrograde movement which delivered Portugal ; gave the first turn of the tide to the affairs of Europe ; stripped the French General of his laurels and placed Wellington in the first rank of military fame.

In September, 1811, Marmont, at the head of 54,000 infantry and 5000 horses, marched to raise the blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo. The cavalry action at El Bodón was a conspicuous affair.

The position was a rocky ridge, intersected by strorc defiles, held by three squadrons of the hussars, two of the llth, and the 5? regiment, with some guns, the whole under the command of General Victor Alten. The French, under General Montbrun, amounting to two thousand cavalry, followed by infantry and guns, rapidly advanced in three columns against the front and flanks of the position....

In the retreat towards Rodrigo, on the 15th of November, Victor Alten's cavalry forming the rear-guard, consisting of but six squadrons, the French came on with their old superiority of number, and attacked him with fourteen squadrons. An instance of intrepidity and intelligence of one of the hussars which occurred here, deserves to be recorded. Colonel Waters, well known as one of the most distinguished officers of the British staff, lying sick in a village through which the rear squadron of hussars passed on the retreat, Captain Àly, commanding the squadron, well aware of the loss which the army would sustain by the Colonel's capture, sent a brave soldier, named Etherott, to try to bring him off; the squadron passed on, while the hussar, going to the Colonel's quarters, took him out of his bed, dressed him, got his horse ready, and leading him from the village, made an attempt to join the squadron ; but the French had already intercepted their march, and no resource remained but that of making a long detour.

The Colonel's illness prevented his riding fast, and by the time they reached a village where the hussar expected to find a ford, the French were already at their heels. No ford could be found, and they were obliged to swim their horses over the stream. The enemy were now every where round them, and the Colonel, much exhausted by his fatigue, was unable to go further, and was obliged to be hidden for an entire day, during which the hussar watched him.

At length this anxious journey was recommenced ; but it was not till after several days' travel, and crossing several rivers, during which time they were in perpetual hazard of falling into the hands of the French patrols, that the brave hussar brought his charge in safety to headquarters.

The war was now verging to its close. Wcllington's matchless defence of Portugal had first opened the eyes of Europe. The defeat of a veteran french army of 90,000 men! under one of the most renowned generals of France, Massena, in the field of Bussaco; his being baffled in the march in his final repulse from the position of the British army at Torres Vedras, proved that the enemy had still to learn lessons in war, and that the master who was to teach them those lessons was come at last. Napoleon's retreat from Moscow broke down, by the hand of Providence, a force whose immense superiority in numbers to those of any other Continental power might have long resisted the intrepidity of man. .

At the end of April 1813, Wellington commenced his march from Portugal, perhaps the most extraordinary movement in the annals of modern Europe. Carrying the Allied army in six weeks from the Esla to the Ebro; moving through districts where none but muleteers had ever thought of passing before ; and capturing every position on the way, until he arrived in front of the French grandanny. Then, June 21, attacking it in position at Vittoria; breaking it in centre and wings, killing and taking 6000 men, capturing all its cannon (150 pieces of brass ordnance), four hundred caissons, its ammunition, baggage, and treasure ; and among other spoils, the baton of Marshal Jourdan. This was the true crowning battle of the great war/ There were subsequent encounters in the Pyrenees and_on the soil of France, but Vittoria was the mortal blow. As Vittoria had virtually completed the Spanish war, Waterloo was to put the close to the war of Europe.

page 755