The Life and Correspondence of Sir Isaac Brock by Ferdinand Brock Tupper

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THE LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE

OF MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK, K.B.

INTERSPERSED WITH NOTICES OF THE CELEBRATED INDIAN CHIEF, TECUMSEH;

AND COMPRISING

BRIEF MEMOIRS OF DANIEL DE LISLE BROCK, ESQ.; LIEUTENANT E.W. TUPPER,
R.N., AND COLONEL W. DE VIC TUPPER,

"What booteth it to have been rich alive?
What to be great? What to be glorious?
If after death no token doth survive
Of former being in this mortal house,
But sleeps in dust, dead and inglorious!"

SPENCER'S "Ruins of Time."

EDITED BY HIS NEPHEW,

FERDINAND BROCK TUPPER, ESQ.

_LONDON_: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & Co.
_GUERNSEY_: H. REDSTONE.

1845.

PREFACE.

In the early part of last year, a box of manuscripts and the trunks
belonging to Sir Isaac Brock, which had remained locked and unexamined
for nearly thirty years, were at length opened, as the general's last
surviving brother, Savery, in whose possession they had remained during
that period, was then, from disease of the brain, unconscious of passing
events. With that sensibility which shrinks from the sight of objects
that remind us of a much-loved departed relative or friend, he had
allowed the contents to remain untouched; and when they saw the light,
the general's uniforms, including the one in which he fell, were much
moth-eaten, but the manuscripts were happily uninjured. On the return of
the Editor from South America in May last, he for the first time learnt
the existence of these effects; and a few weeks after, having hastily
perused and assorted the letters and other papers, he decided on their
publication. Whether this decision was wise, the reader must determine.
If, on the one hand, part of their interest be lost in the lapse of
years; on the other, they, and the comments they have elicited, can now
be published with less risk of wounding private feelings.

It has been the Editor's study to avoid all unnecessary remarks on the
letters in this volume, so as to allow the writers to speak for
themselves. But he has deemed it a sacred obligation due to the memory
of Sir Isaac Brock, to withhold nothing descriptive of his energetic
views and intentions, and of the obstacles he experienced in the
vigorous prosecution of the contest--obstacles which his gallant spirit
could not brook, and which necessarily exposed "his valuable life" much
more than it would have been in offensive operations.[1] He regrets,
however, that in the performance of this duty, he must necessarily give
pain to the relatives of the late Sir George Prevost, of whose military
government in Canada he would much rather have written in praise than in
censure.

Brief memoirs are inserted, at the conclusion of the Appendix, of one of
Sir Isaac Brock's brothers, the bailiff or chief magistrate of Guernsey,
and of two of their nephews, Lieutenant E.W. Tupper, R.N., and Colonel
W. De Vic Tupper, of the Chilian service. The premature fate of these
two promising young officers is, to those who knew them best, still a
source of unceasing regret and of embittering remembrance.

The notices of the celebrated Tecumseh interspersed throughout the
volume, and the connected sketch of him near its close, can scarcely
fail to interest the reader; that sketch is drawn from various and
apparently authentic sources, and the Editor believes that it is more
copious than any which has yet appeared of this distinguished Indian
chief. A perusal will perhaps awaken sympathy in behalf of a
much-injured people; it may also tend to remove the films of national
prejudice, and prove that virtue and courage are not confined to any
particular station or country, but that they may exist as well in the
wilds of the forest, as in the cultivated regions of civilization.

GUERNSEY, January 15, 1845.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: See pages 275-280, 298, 304, 305, 315-317.]

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Parentage and birth--Boyhood--Enters the King's
Regiment--Trait of determination of character--Becomes
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 49th--Campaign in Holland, in
1799--Russian troops in Guernsey--Battle of Copenhagen, in
1801--Notice of John Savery Brock, Esq.

CHAPTER II.

Proceeds to Canada with the 49th--Suppresses a mutiny at Fort
George--Returns to Europe, and recommends the formation of a
Veteran Battalion for Upper Canada--Re-embarks for Canada, and
succeeds Colonel Bowes in command of the troops there--Letters
to Lieut.-Colonel Gordon, Right Hon. W. Windham, the
Adjutant-General, Mr. President Dunn, and to Lord
Castlereagh--Arrival of Sir James Craig

CHAPTER III.

Is made a Brigadier--Letters to his family--Proceeds to Upper
Canada--Letters from Colonels Baynes and
Thornton--Lieut.-Colonel Murray--Baroness de Rottenburg

CHAPTER IV.

Letters to and from Lieut.-Governor Gore--from Colonels Kempt
and Baynes--to Sir James Craig and Major Taylor--from Colonel
Vesey--P. Carey Tupper, Esq.

CHAPTER V.

Is made a Major-General--Sir James Craig returns to England;
his character and administration--Letters from Major-General
Vesey and Colonel Baynes--Duke of Manchester--Arrival of Sir
George Prevost--Letters from Lieut.-General Drummond and
Lieut.-Colonel Torrens--to and from Sir George Prevost

CHAPTER VI.

Origin of the American war--Letters to and from Sir G. Prevost
and Colonel Baynes--Meeting of the Legislature--Letter to
Colonel Baynes relative to Detroit and Michilimakinack,
&c.--Letters to Lieut.-Colonel Nichol--from Sir James
Saumarez, Major-General Le Couteur, and Sir John Dumaresq

CHAPTER VII.

Description of the boundaries, military posts, and lakes of
Upper Canada--of the Michigan territory, Detroit, and
Michilimakinack

CHAPTER VIII.

War declared--Major-General Brock's proceedings--Force under
his command--Letters from Colonel Baynes, and to and from Sir
George Prevost--American newspaper.

CHAPTER IX.

General Hull invades Upper Canada--His proclamation, and that
of Major-General Brock in reply--Letters to Sir G. Prevost and
from Sir T. Saumarez--Meeting of the Legislature--Critical
state of the Province

CHAPTER X.

Capture of Michilimakinack--Letters to and from Sir G.
Prevost, from Colonels Baynes and Bruyeres

CHAPTER XI.

Occurrences in the Western District--Tecumseh--Major-General
Brock proceeds to Amherstburg--Voyage described--General
Order--Indians, and notice of Tecumseh--Summons to General
Hull, and his answer--Surrender of Detroit, and its
consequences--Anecdotes of Tecumseh--Country about
Detroit--Indian war in 1763.

CHAPTER XII.

Letters relative to Detroit, to and from Sir G. Prevost, to
Earl Bathurst, from W.D. Powell, Esq., Chief Justice Sewell,
General Maitland, Major-General Burnet, from Major-General
Brock to his brothers, and from Lieut.-Colonel Nichol--General
Hull's reception at Montreal

CHAPTER XIII.

Major-General Brock returus to the Niagara
frontier--Armistice--Proposed attack on Sackett's Harbour
prevented--Letters to and from Sir G. Prevost and
Major-General Van Rensselaer--from Colonel Baynes--to Colonel
Proctor and to J.S. Brock--Wrongs of the Indians, and speech
of Tecumseh

CHAPTER XIV.

Rival forces on the Niagara frontier--Capture of brigs Detroit
and Caledonia--Letters to Sir G. Prevost and Colonel
Proctor--Battle of Queenstown, and death of Sir Isaac Brock,
with remarks on his funeral and character--Description of
Queenstown Heights, &c

CHAPTER XV.

Sir R. Sheaffe and armistice--Further remarks on Sir Isaac
Brock--Americans obtain the command of Lake Ontario--Capture
of York--Attack on Sackett's Harbour--Colonel Proctor's
proceedings near Detroit--Defeat of British squadron on Lake
Erie--Retreat and surrender of Major-General Proctor's
army--Capture of Fort George, and surprise of the American
troops at Stoney Creek--Attack on Michilimakinack--23 British
deserters--Peace--Sir G. Prevost's death and
character--Inscription on monument to--Colonel
Tupper--Connected notice of Tecumseh

CHAPTER XVI.

Servant--Letters from the Duke of York--J. Savery and Irving
Brock, Esqrs. and Mrs. Eliot--Introduction of four Indian
chiefs to George the Fourth, at Windsor--Destruction of
Monument, and "gathering" on Queenstown Heights--Intended
obelisk--Notice of Sir Isaac Brock's brothers, sisters, and
nephews

APPENDIX A.

SECTION I.--BRITISH AUTHORS.

1. Letter from Lord Aylmer--2. Dispatch from Captain
Roberts--3. Extracts from Letters of Veritas--4. Sir G.
Prevost's general order--5. Brief extracts from various
authors--6. Council of condolence--7. Monument in St. Paul's
cathedral--8. A Huron chief's surprise on seeing this
monument--9. Address of the Commons of Upper Canada to the
Prince Regent--10. Re-interment described--11. Dickens'
American notes

SECTION II.--AMERICAN AUTHORS.

1. Jefferson's correspondence--General Hull's revolutionary
services--Letter from Captain Wool--Battle of
Queenstown--Hull's army at Detroit

APPENDIX B.

Daniel De lisle Brock, Esq

APPENDIX C.

Lieutenant E. William Tupper, R.N.

APPENDIX D.

Colonel W. De Vic Tupper, Chilian service

* * * * *

CHAPTER I.

The Guernsey family of BROCK is probably of English origin, but we have
been unable to ascertain the period of its first establishment in the
island. The parochial register of St. Peter-Port extends only to the
year 1563, soon after which time it contains the name of Philip Brock.
By "Robson's Armorial Bearings of the Nobility and Gentry of Great
Britain and Ireland," eight families of the name of Brock appear to bear
different arms, one of which was borne by all the Brocks of
Guernsey--viz. azure, a fleur de lis or, on a chief argent a lion pass.
guard. gu.--crest, an escallop or[2]--until the death of Sir Isaac
Brock, when new and honorary armorial bearings were granted by the
sovereign to his family. Brock is the ancient Saxon name for badger,
and as such is still retained in English dictionaries. Froissart,[3] in
his Chronicles, makes mention of Sir Hugh Brock, an English knight,
keeper of the castle of Derval, in Brittany, for his cousin Sir Robert
Knolles, who was governor of all the duchy, and resided in Brest, during
the absence of the duke in England. The French overran Brittany at this
period, and leaving 2,000 men near Brest, so as to prevent its receiving
succours, sat down with "great engines" before the castle of Derval, to
the siege of which came the constable of France, the Duke of Bourbon,
the Earls of Alencon and of Perche, and a great number of the barony and
chivalry of France. The castle being sore oppressed, Sir Hugh Brock was
at length constrained to agree to surrender it at the end of two months,
if not relieved by that time. Sir Robert Knolles, hearing this, also
began to treat with the French; and while at the head of 30,000 men, he
was afterwards defeated by Bertrand du Guesclin. These events occurred
in the reign of Edward the Third, about the middle of the fourteenth
century, when the English were driven out of France; and as Guernsey is
in the direct course between Brittany and England, may not one of Sir
Hugh Brock's family, on his passage across the Channel, have visited the
island and settled there?

The common ancestor of the present Guernsey family of the name of Brock
was William Brock, Esq., a native of the island, who died in the year
1776, and was the grandfather of the subject of this volume. He had
three sons and one daughter, who became connected by marriage with some
of the principal and most ancient families of Guernsey; namely, William,
married to Judith, daughter of James De Beauvoir, Esq.;[4] John, married
to Elizabeth De Lisle, daughter of the then lieutenant-bailiff of the
island; Henry, married to Susan Saumarez, sister of the late Admiral
Lord de Saumarez; and Mary, wife of John Le Marchant, Esq[5]

John Brock, Esq., born January 24, 1729, second son of the above-named
William, had by his wife, Elizabeth De Lisle, a very numerous family of
ten sons and four daughters, of whom eight sons and two daughters
reached maturity. He died in June, 1777, at Dinan, in Brittany, whither
he had gone for the benefit of the waters, at the early age of
forty-eight years.[6] In his youth he was a midshipman in the navy, and
in that capacity had made a voyage to India, which was then considered a
great undertaking. As he was possessed of much activity of mind and
considerable talent, his death was an irreparable loss to his children,
who were of an age to require all the care and counsels of a father; the
eldest, John, having only completed his seventeenth year. They were left
in independent, if not in affluent, circumstances; but the fond
indulgence of a widowed mother, who could deny them no enjoyment,
tended, notwithstanding their long minority, to diminish their
patrimony.

Isaac Brock, the eighth son, was born in the parish of St. Peter-Port,
Guernsey, on the 6th of October, 1769, the year which gave birth to
Napoleon and Wellington. In his boyhood he was, like his brothers,
unusually tall, robust, and precocious, and, with an appearance much
beyond his age, remarkable chiefly for extreme gentleness. In his
eleventh year he was sent to school at Southampton, and his education
was concluded by his being placed for a twelvemonth under a French
Protestant clergyman at Rotterdam, for the purpose of learning the
French language. His eldest brother, John, a lieutenant in the 8th, the
King's, regiment, being promoted to a company by purchase, Isaac
succeeded, also by purchase, to the ensigncy which consequently became
vacant in that regiment, and to which he was appointed on the 2d of
March, 1785, soon after he had completed his fifteenth year. He joined
in England, and was quartered there in different places for a few years.
Having entered the army at so early an age, he happily felt sensible of
his deficiencies of education, and for a long period he devoted his
leisure mornings to study, locking the door of his room until one
o'clock, to prevent intrusion. In 1790 he was promoted to a
lieutenantcy, and was quartered in Guernsey and Jersey. At the close of
that year he obtained an independent company, by raising the requisite
number of men to complete it, and was put on half pay. He exchanged soon
after, by giving the difference, into the 49th, which regiment he joined
at Barbadoes, in 1791, and he remained doing duty there, and afterwards
at Jamaica, until 1793, when he was compelled to return very suddenly to
England on sick leave, having nearly fallen a victim to the pestilential
effects of the climate, and an immediate embarkation being pronounced
his only chance of recovery. His first cousin, Lieutenant Henry Brock,
of the 13th foot, who was ill at the same time at Jamaica, died of the
fever; and the survivor always thought that he was indebted for his life
to the affectionate attentions of his servant, Dobson, whom he
subsequently ever treated with the kindness of a brother, until he died
in his service shortly before himself, in Canada. The mention of the
following trait of great determination of character may serve as a guide
to other young officers, similarly circumstanced. When Captain Brock
joined the 49th, the peace of the regiment was disturbed by one of those
vile pests of society--a confirmed duellist. Captain Brock soon proved
to his brother captain, who took advantage of being a dead shot, that he
was neither to be bullied nor intimidated, and the consequence was a
challenge from the latter, which was promptly accepted. On the ground,
Captain Brock, who was very tall and athletic, observed that to stand at
twelve paces was not to meet his antagonist on any thing like equal
terms, and, producing a handkerchief, insisted on firing across it. This
the duellist positively declined, and being in consequence soon after
compelled to leave the regiment, the officers were thus relieved, by the
firm and resolute conduct of a very young man, of the presence of one
with whom all social intercourse had previously been difficult and
dangerous. On his return from Jamaica, Captain Brock was employed on the
recruiting service in England, and afterwards in charge of a number of
recruits at Jersey. On the 24th June, 1795, he purchased his majority,
and remained in command of the recruits until the return of the regiment
to England the following year. On the 25th of October, 1797, just after
he had completed his twenty-eighth year, Major Brock purchased his
lieutenant-colonelcy, and soon after became senior lieut.-colonel of the
49th. This was very rapid promotion for one who had not only entered the
army during a period of profound peace, but had been five years an
ensign, and, having no interest excepting that which his own merit might
have procured him, he was generally considered at that time as one of
the most fortunate officers in the service. In a little more than seven
years, he had risen from an ensign to be a lieut.-colonel. Owing to
gross mismanagement and peculation on the part of his predecessor, who
was in consequence recommended privately to sell out, if he did not wish
to stand the ordeal of a court martial, the regiment was sadly
disorganized; but the commander in chief, the late Duke of York, was
heard to declare that Lieut.-Colonel Brock, from one of the worst, had
made the 49th one of the best regiments in the service.

In 1798, the 49th was quartered in Jersey, whence it proceeded, to
England early the following year, to take part in the projected
expedition to Holland, as in 1799 the British Government determined on
sending a strong military force to that country, then in alliance with
the French republic, which force was to be joined by a Russian army. The
first English division, consisting of twelve battalions of infantry,
among which was the 49th, and a small body of cavalry, assembled at
Southampton under Sir Ralph Abercromby, and, having embarked, finally
sailed from the Downs early in August. On the 26th of that month, the
fleet, consisting of fifteen ships of the line, from forty-five to fifty
frigates, sloops, and smaller vessels of war, and about one hundred and
thirty sail of transports, anchored along the coast of North Holland,
from the mouth of the Texel as far as Calants-Oge. Early the next
morning, the flank companies were landed, under the protection of the
guns of the fleet. An engagement commenced as the British were about to
march forward; but being continually reinforced by the arrival of fresh
troops, they compelled the enemy to retreat. This warm engagement lasted
till four o'clock in the afternoon, and cost the British about 1,000
men. Sir Ralph Abercromby, having become master of the point, or
peninsula, of the Helder, completed his landing, entrenched his advanced
posts toward the right, and occupied with his left the point of the
Helder, and the batteries there which had been evacuated. In these
positions he awaited the arrival of the second division, under the Duke
of York, the commander-in-chief, which remained in England until news
were received of the landing of the first on the coast of Holland. These
two divisions were composed of thirty battalions of infantry, of 600 men
each, 500 cavalry, and a fine train of artillery.[7] During this
campaign, Lieut.-Colonel Brock distinguished himself in command of his
regiment, which, on the 2d of October, in the battle of Egmont-op-Zee,
or Bergen, had Captain Archer and Ensign Ginn killed; and Major
Hutchinson, Captains Sharp and Robins, Lieutenant Urquhart and Ensign
Hill, wounded; Lieutenant Johnston missing, and supposed to be killed,
exclusive of nearly one hundred non-commissioned officers and privates
killed and wounded.[8] In this action, Lieut.-Colonel Brock was slightly
wounded, although his name does not appear in the returns; and his life
was in all probability preserved by his wearing, as the weather was very
cold, a stout cotton handkerchief over a thick black silk cravat, both
of which were perforated by a bullet, and which prevented its entering
his neck: the violence of the blow was, however, so great, as to stun
and dismount him. The following letter contains some interesting
particulars relative to this campaign, and the part taken in it by the
49th.

_Lieutenant-Colonel Brock, 49th regiment, to his brother, brevet
Lieutenant-Colonel John Brock, 81st regiment, at the Cape of Good Hope_.

"LONDON, November 26, 1799.

"I was pretty constant in my correspondence with you whilst the
regiment was quartered at Portsmouth, and no opportunity
offered from thence direct to the Cape without taking letters
and newspapers from either Savery or myself, and often from
both; but the very active and busy life I have passed since put
an end to all such communications. Knowing, however, that you
will be gratified in hearing from my own pen the various
incidents which have occurred since that time, I proceed to
give you the substance of them. You will have seen in the
public prints that the 49th embarked among the first regiments
under Sir Ralph Abercromby, and that the army, amounting to
about 10,000 men, after beating the seas from the 8th to the
27th of August, effected a landing near the Helder; that the
enemy most unaccountably offered no opposition to our landing;
and that, after a well-contested fight of ten hours, he
retreated, and left us in quiet possession of the Heights,
extending the whole length of the Peninsula. The 4th Brigade,
under General Moore,[9] consisting of the Royals, 25th, 49th,
79th, and 92d, landed to the left, where the greatest
opposition was expected, as it was natural to suppose that so
essential an object as the Helder would be defended to the
last, but, to our utter astonishment, the enemy gave us no
annoyance; on the contrary, soon after the affair on the right
had terminated, he evacuated the town, which we took quiet
possession of the following morning, and with it the whole of
the fleet. The garrison, consisting of 1,600 men, could easily
have been intercepted had it not been for a large body of
cavalry and a number of cannon, which completely commanded a
plain of a mile and a half in breadth, necessary to be crossed
to get to them: as we had neither the one nor the other, it
would have been the height of folly to attempt it. The
regiments which distinguished themselves most on this occasion
were the 23d, 27th, and 55th. The evening of our landing, a
reinforcement of 5,000 men arrived, but could not disembark
until two days after, owing to the badness of the weather.
During all this time the troops lay exposed on the sand hills,
without the least shelter to cover them against the wind and
rain. At length the army moved forward eleven miles, and got
into cantonments along a canal extending the whole breadth of
the country, from the Zuyder sea on the one side to the main
ocean on the other, protected by an amazingly strong dyke,
running half a mile in front of the line. In this position we
remained unmolested until the 10th of September, on which day
the enemy made a most desperate attack in three columns, two on
the right and one on the centre of the line: he could not avoid
being beaten, as it was the most injudicious step imaginable,
and his loss was in proportion very great. The Guards, 20th,
and 40th, acted conspicuous parts in this affair. The 49th was
here again out of the way, with the exception indeed of Savery,
whom nothing could keep from going to see what was doing on the
right, and as it happened he proved of great use to Colonel
Smith,[10] whom he assisted from the field after being wounded.
The French soldier was taught to consider the British troops as
the most undisciplined rabble in the world, and he advanced
confident of conquest; but this affair, and others which
followed, made him very soon change his opinion. Nothing
remarkable occurred after this until the arrival of the Duke of
York with the remainder of the British troops and 16,000
Russians, which increased the army to about 35,000 men.
Continued rain, however, prevented any thing being done before
the 19th, when the whole army was put in motion. Sir Ralph took
12,000, of which the 4th Brigade formed a part, to the left on
the evening preceding, and got possession of the city of Horn
the following morning at daylight, without a shot being fired:
200 prisoners were taken. Horn is a very populous, handsome
city, and evidently in the interest of the Prince of Orange.
Nothing could exceed the joy of the inhabitants at our arrival,
and in proportion as they rejoiced they mourned our departure,
which took place before sun-set, in consequence of a fatal
disaster which had befallen the Russians on the right. They of
course threw the blame off their own shoulders, and wished to
attribute the whole misfortune to the want of concert and a
proper support on the part of the British; but I verily believe
the real fact to be this. After most gallantly driving the
enemy before them as far as Bergen, where it was previously
arranged they should halt, they dispersed for the sake of
plunder;--the French, hearing of this disorder, renewed the
attack, and never gave the Russians an opportunity to form, but
continued driving them with the bayonet until they encountered
a body of English, under General Manners and Prince William,
whose brigades suffered considerably. The Russians were,
however, thus happily enabled to effect their retreat without
further molestation; they were certainly the original cause of
this disaster, but whether the British were sufficiently brisk
in coming to their assistance, is doubted. The Russians in
their persons are rather short of stature, and very thick and
clumsy; they have nothing expressive in their features, but
resemble much the Chinese countenance. I remarked an exception
to this rule in a grenadier battalion, who, with tall, elegant
persons, possessed remarkably fine, commanding faces. The
officers in general are the most despicable wretches I ever
saw: accustomed, as they have always been, to fight with troops
much inferior to themselves, they thought themselves
invincible. They take the field with an immense number of
artillery, with which they cover their front and flanks, and
thus never dreamed it possible, from their former experience,
for troops to rally after being once beaten. This fatal
security was the cause of the misfortune which befell the
allies on the 19th. After the retreat from Horn, the 4th
brigade took its station on the right, preparatory evidently to
being actively employed; accordingly, on the 2d of October, the
weather not permitting it sooner, the brigade assembled before
daylight at Petten, and formed the advanced guard of a column,
consisting of 10,000 men, which was to proceed along the beach
to Egmont-op-Zee. After every thing had been properly arranged,
it moved forward, supported by 1,000 cavalry, under Lord Paget.
It was intended that the reserve, under Colonel M'Donald,
should cover our flank, and that the column should rapidly
advance to Egmont, in order to turn the flank of the enemy at
Bergen. This was, however, prevented by a strong body of the
enemy, who engaged the reserve the moment it ascended the sand
hills; and although he retreated before the reserve, he
constrained Colonel M'Donald to follow in a different direction
to that intended, thereby leaving our left flank uncovered. But
this did not impede our moving forward, and it was not until we
had proceeded five or six miles that we found the least
opposition. The enemy then appeared in small force, and the
25th was ordered up the sand hills, but, he having increased,
the 79th followed, and it was not long before the 49th was also
ordered to form on the left of that regiment. It is impossible
to give you an adequate idea of the nature of the ground, which
I can only compare to the sea in a storm. On my getting to the
left of the 79th, I found that its flank was already turned,
and that the ground, which we were to occupy, did not afford
the least shelter: my determination was instantly taken. I had
gone on horseback to view the ground, and on my return to the
regiment, which I met advancing, I found the left actually
engaged with the enemy, who had advanced much beyond our left.
I, however, continued advancing with six companies, and left
Colonel Sheaffe with the other four to cover our left: the
instant I came up to the 79th, I ordered a charge, which I
assure you was executed with the greatest gallantry, though not
in the greatest order, as the nature of the ground admitted of
none. The enemy, however, gave way on every side, and our loss
would have been very trifling had the 79th charged
straightforward; but unfortunately it followed the course the
49th had taken, thereby leaving our right entirely exposed. I
detached Lord Aylmer[11] with the grenadiers, who, after
charging different times, totally cleared our right. The 25th
then advanced, and behaved with the greatest good conduct. The
enemy after this never attempted to make a stand, but continued
to retreat, and their loss on this occasion was very
considerable. Nothing could exceed the gallantry of the 25th,
49th, 79th, and 92d. For my own part, I had every reason to be
satisfied with the conduct of both officers and men, and no
commanding officer could be more handsomely supported than I
was on that day, ever glorious to the 49th. Poor Archer brought
his company to the attack in a most soldierlike manner; and
even after he had received his mortal wound, he animated his
men, calling on them to go on to victory, to glory; and no
order could be more effectually obeyed: he is an irreparable
loss to the service. I got knocked down soon after the enemy
began to retreat, but never quitted the field, and returned to
my duty in less than half an hour. Savery acted during the
whole day as aide-de-camp either to Sir Ralph or Moore, and
nothing could surpass his activity and gallantry. He had a
horse shot under him, and had all this been in his line, he
must have been particularly noticed, as he has become the
astonishment of all who saw him. We remained that night and the
following on the sand hills; you cannot conceive our wretched
state, as it blew and rained nearly the whole time. Our men
bore all this without grumbling, although they had nothing to
eat but the biscuits they carried with them, which by this time
were completely wet. We at length got into Egmont, and on the
following day (5th) into Alkmaar, where we enjoyed ourselves
amazingly. Alkmaar is a most delightful city; but the
inhabitants are rank patriots, and none of the higher class
remained to welcome our arrival. The following day another
engagement ensued,[12] in consequence of the Russians advancing
further than they were ordered to do: during this severe
contest we were snugly in church. It is extraordinary that both
parties were so beaten as to find a retreat necessary, as while
we retreated to our old position, the enemy was also in full
retreat. I shall say no more of the expedition to Holland, as
what remains to be added, you will see fully detailed in the
papers. I go to Norwich, where the regiment is quartered, this
evening. Another expedition is talked of, under Lord Moira.
Adieu."

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