Reminiscences of Captain Gronow | Page 6

Soult's army. We found the soldiers' huts very comfortable;
they were built of branches of trees and furze, and formed squares and
streets, which had names placarded up, such as Rue de Paris, Rue de
Versailles, &c. We were not sorry to find ourselves in such
commodious quarters, as well as being well housed. The scenery
surrounding the camp was picturesque and grand. From our elevated
position, immediately in front, we commanded a wide and extensive
plain, intersected by two important rivers, the Nive and the Nivelle. On
the right, the lofty Pyrenees, with their grand and varied outline, stood
forth conspicuously in a blue, cloudless sky; on our left was the Bay of
Biscay, with our cruisers perpetually on the move.
We witnessed from the camp, one night about twelve o'clock, a fight at
sea, between an English brig and a French corvette, which was leaving
the Adour with provisions and ammunition. She was chased by the brig,
and brought to action. The night was sufficiently clear to enable us to
discover distinctly the position of the vessels and the measured flash of
their guns. They were at close quarters, and in less than half an hour we
discovered the crew of the corvette taking to their boats. Shortly
afterwards the vessel blew up with a loud explosion. We came to the
conclusion that sea-fighting was more agreeable than land-fighting, as
the crews of the vessels engaged without previous heavy marching, and
with loose light clothing; there was no manoeuvring or standing for
hours on the defensive; the wounded were immediately taken below
and attended to, and the whole affair was over in a pleasingly brief
period.

THE UNIFORM AND BEARING OF THE FRENCH SOLDIER
The French infantry soldier averaged about five feet five or six in
height; in build they were much about what they are now, perhaps a
little broader over the shoulder. They were smart, active, handy fellows,

and much more able to look after their personal comforts than British
soldiers, as their camps indicated. The uniform of those days consisted
in a schako, which spread out at the top; a short-waisted,
swallow-tailed coat; and large, baggy trousers and gaiters. The clothing
of the French soldier was roomy, and enabled him to march and move
about at ease: no pipeclay accessories occupied their attention; in a
word, their uniforms and accoutrements were infinitely superior to our
own, taking into consideration the practical necessities of warfare.
Their muskets were inferior to ours, and their firing less deadly. The
French cavalry we thought badly horsed; but their uniforms, though
showy, were, like those of the infantry, comfortably large and roomy.
I have frequently remarked that firearms are of little use to the mounted
soldier, and often an incumbrance to man and horse. Cavalry want only
one arm - the sabre. Let the men be well mounted and at home in the
saddle. It requires great knowledge in a Commander-in-chief to know
when and how to use his cavalry. It has been my misfortune to witness
oft-repeated blunders in the employment of the best-mounted regiments
in the world. I consider the French generals had more knowledge of the
use of cavalry than our own, when a great battle was to be fought.

MAJOR-GENERAL STEWART AND LORD WELLINGTON

If the present generation of Englishmen would take the trouble of
looking at the newspaper which fifty years ago informed the British
public of passing events both at home and abroad, they would,
doubtless, marvel at the very limited and imperfect amount of
intelligence which the best journals were enabled to place before their
readers. The progress of the Peninsular campaign was very imperfectly
chronicled; it will, therefore, be easily imagined what interest was
attached to certain letters that appeared in the Morning Chronicle which
criticised with much severity, and frequently with considerable
injustice, the military movements of Lord Wellington's Spanish
campaign.
The attention of the Commander-in-Chief being drawn to these
periodical and personal comments on his conduct of the war, his
lordship at once perceived from the information which they contained
that they must have been written by an officer holding a high command

under him. Determined to ascertain the author - who, in addressing a
public journal, was violating the Articles of War, and, it might be,
assisting the enemy - means were employed in London to identify the
writer. The result was, that Lord Wellington discovered the author of
the letters to be no other than Sir Charles Stewart, the late Lord
Londonderry. As soon as Lord Wellington had made himself master of
this fact, he summoned Sir Charles Stewart to head-quarters at Torres
Vedras; and on his appearance, he, without the least preface, addressed
him thus: -
"Charles Stewart, I have ascertained with deep regret that you