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    The Overpowering Event Of The Week, Is T...

    _single charge , in encountering which Dhoondiah fell . The corpse of "his Majesty" being recognised , was la shed to a galloper gun and carried back to the British camp , but a certain item of the spoil deserves more particular mention . Among the baggage was found a boy about four years old , who proved to be the favourite son of Dhoondiah . Colonel Wellesley took charge of the child himself , carried him to his owm tent , protected him through his boyhood , and , on quitting India , left a sum of money in the hands of a friend to be applied to his use .

    Colonel Wellesley was next stationed at Trincomalee in Ceylon , and was to have commanded an expeditionary force sent to take the French in Egypt in the rear ; but ultimately General Baird was appointed , and Colonel Wellesley returned to Mysore . Shortl y after the famous Mahratta war broke out , and General Wellesley was invested with full powers to commence active operations against the Mahratta forces in the Deccan . The force at his command for these purposes consisted of about 10 , 000 men of all arms , Europeans and natives , including the 19 th Dragoons and 74 th Regiment of Foot . He had desired that his old corps , the 33 rd ,

    should be attached to his division , but circumstances prevented the arrangement . The duty of co-operating with his movements devolved on Colonel Stevenson , an excellent officer , who commanded for this purpose the subsidiary force of the Nizam , which , hy the addition of the 94 th Regiment , had been raised to about the same strength as General Wellesley ' s division . The plan of the campaign was novel and masterly . Selecting a season when the rivers were not fordable , he turned this feature of the country to the advantage of the British by preparing boats and pontoons , with which he knew the enemy would be unprovided . His

    despatches contain the most minute instructions for the fabrication of these bridges and boats , for the establishment of particular ferries , and for their protection by proper guards . Aware that a native army relied on the superior rapidity of its movements , he _Tiad been indefatigable in improving the breed of draughtbullocks by the aid of Tippoo ' s famous stock ; and he had resolved , wben occasion came , to discard the traditional rules of marching and halting . The forts , he observed , were strong enough , if well defended , to give serious trouble , and too numerous to be besieged in form . He gave orders , _therefore , by « way of conveying an adequate idea of British prowess , that one or two of

    them should be carried by simple escalade , and that an example should be made of the garrison in case of any desperate resistance . These tactics were completely successful . A Mahratta chief wrote to his friend as follows : — " Those English are a strange people , and their general a wonderful man . They came in here this morning , looked at the Pettah wall , walked over it , killed all the garrison , and returned to breakfast . Who can withstand them ? " The result was that the strongest forts in the country wero afterwards taken with little or no loss of life on either side . Having dropped all negotiations , he compelled tho Mahratta chiefs to unmask their intentions and endeavoured to bring them to a decisive battle .

    After some wearisome manoeuvres he at length learnt that , the enemy was on the north bank of the Godavery , meditating a swoop on Hyderabad . " If the river , " he now wrote , " does not become fordable six weeks sooner than usual , I hope to strike a blow against their myriads of horse in a few days . " This was on tho 30 th ° f August . On the 21 st of September , having received more particular information , ho concerted measures with Colonel Stevenson that one should take a

    western route and the other an eastern , and both fall together from opposite quarters on the enemy ' s camp _^ f . V on the 24 th . The next day the two ' divisions diverged accordingly , and pursued their respective routes , w | KM- ou _j . ; , 2 ; jra ( i ( , . mi Wellesley learnt J'jmi his spies tbat the Mahratta cavalry had moved ° »» hut that the infantry were still cnciinped at about _»« milos distance . Pushing on with his dragoons , he presentl y descried not onl y tho infantry , but the entire _jUl"y of the Mubrattas in Ibe Deccan , numbering at _« - ; _>«»< 50 , 000 combatants , and strongly posted , with 100 pieces of cannon before tho fortified village of Assaye . At

    < bis critical moment of bis fortune .-, the force wInch General Wellesley bad in band , including the 'ulantry which was coining np , did not _exceed 4 , 500 J """ ; his lew light guns were utterly unable to make J "'« d against the tremendous batteries of tbe Mahrattas , J >« J hin draught cattle , notwithstanding the pains he " expended on them , wen : sinking under lho severity 0 the campai gn . _Ilin resolution , however , was taken once , « m | without measuring thc relative proportion , thn , VVo » rmics , or waiting for Colonel Stevenson to " _'"''" ' l _» _' ils and glories of tho field , h- gave instant U ( 'IH iiH' the attack . Owing to a _miaupprehension of H 'i actions , his precautionary directions for avoiding w most menacing points of tho Mahratta _portion

    The Overpowering Event Of The Week, Is T...

    were disregarded , and the battle was won with a terrible carnage by the bayonet alone , exactly like some of the actions recently witnessed with the Sikhs . This was the crowning stroke of the war , and since that time British supremacy has never been disputed with any chance of success . It was in the month of September , 1805 , that Sir Arthur Wellesley—after an absence of nine years , during which his services in the East had earned him

    a Major-Generalship , the Knighthood of the Bath , the thanks of the King and Parliament , and a confirmed professional reputation—landed once more on the shores of England . Between this period and his departure on those memorable _campaigns with which his name will be immortally connected , there elapsed an interval in the Duke ' s life of nearly three years , which a seat in Parliament , an Irish Secretaryship , and a Privy Councillorship , enabled him to turn activelv to account .

    But he was inarms again in 1807 , assisting at the siege of Copenhagen ; and this led the way to his future commands in the Peninsula . An expedition to sustain the Spanish patriots was determined on , and Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed to command it . Portugal was the destination of the forces under his command ; and Portugal was held by Junot with fully 25 , 000 men . The force of Sir Arthur amounted to 9000 men , and these he landed in Mondego Bay in August 1808 , and being joined by another small expedition , his command was raised to 14 , 000 men . It was here , on the heights

    of Rolica , he won his first Peninsula victory , defeating the French at the first encounter . Other successes lay promisingly before him , and he again beat the French at Vimiera ; but a rapid change of commanders snatched them from his grasp ; Junot escaped ; and , under the orders of Dalrymple and Burrard , Wellesley signed the disgraceful convention of Cintra . Napoleon had sneered at the " Sepoy General ; " he now saw one of his best Marshals , and some of his finest troops , flying before him . And Sir Arthur Wellesley returned to England in September , with new laurels , to betake himself for a short time to civil duties .

    Napoleon had , however , nearly conquered Spain ; Sir John Moore had retreated on Corunna , and lost his life ; and Spanish independence seemed the vaguest probability . At this juncture the British Government , stimulated by Sir Arthur Wellesley , resolved to try once more to check aggressive France in the Peninsula ; and Sir Arthur , with General Beresford to second him , was once more appointed to command . The British force under Sir Arthur Wellesley ' s command , amounted at this time to about 20 , 000 men , to which about 15 , 000 Portuguese , in a respectable state of _organization , were added by the exertions of

    Beresford . Of these about 24 , 000 were now led against Soult , who , though not inferior in strength , no sooner ascertained the advance of the English commander , than he arranged for a retreat by detaching Loison , with 6000 men , to dislodge a Portuguese post on his left rear . Sir Arthur ' s intention was to envelope , if possible , the French corps , by pushing forward a strong force upon its left , and then intercepting its retreat towards Ney ' s position , while the main body assaulted Soult in his quarters at Oporto . The former of theseoperations ho entrusted to Beresford , the latter lie directed in person . On the 12 th of May the troops reached the

    southern hank of tho Douro ; the waters of which , _^ 500 yards in width , rolled between them and their adversaries . In anticipation of the attack , Soult had destroyed the floating-bridge , bad collected all the boats on the opposite side , and there , with bis forces well iu hand for action or retreat , was looking from the window of his lodging , enjoying the presumed discomfiture of his opponent . To attempt , such a passage as this in face of one of the ablest marshals of France was , indeed , an audacious _strok (!; but it was not beyond the daring of that genius which M . Thiers describes as . calculated only for the stolid operations of defensive war .

    Availing himself of a point whero the river , by a bend in its course , was not easily visible from the town , Sir Arthur determined on transporting , if possible ! , a few troops to the northern hank , and occupying an unlinished stone building , which be perceived was capable of affording temporary cover . Tho _nutans were soon supplied b y the activity of Colonel Waters— -an officer whose habitual audacity rendered him one of the heroes of tbis memorable war . Crossing in a skill" to the opposite bunk . he . returned with two or three boats , and in u

    few _miuufcH a company of the Hulls was established in the building . . Itoinforcenicnts quickly followed , but not without discovery . The alarm was given , and presently tho edifice was enveloped by tho eager battalions of the _l'Yench . Tho British , however , held their ground ; a passage ! was effected at otbi ! r pe > ints during the struggle . ; tho French , after an _ineffectual resistance , wero fain te > abandon the city in precipitation , unel Sir Arthur , after his _uncxamplcel feat of arms , sat down that evening to tho dinner which had boon prepared

    The Overpowering Event Of The Week, Is T...

    for Soult . Nor did the disasters of the French marshal terminate here ; for , though the designs of the British commander had been partially frustrated by the intelligence gained by the enemy , yet the French communications were so far intercepted , that Soult only joined Ney after losses and privations little short of those which had been experienced by Sir John Moore . This was the first of a series of successes which carried the Britisli flag triumphantly to a bloody victory at Talavera , and Sir Arthur Wellesley 7 became " Baron Douro , of Wellesley , and Viscount Wellington of Talavera , and of Wellington , in the county of Somerset . "

    Napoleon now made tremendous exertions to carry his point . Nine powerful corps , mustering fully 280 , 000 effective men , under Marshals Victor , Ney , Soult , Mortier , and Massena , with a crowd of aspiring generals besides , represented the force definitely charged with the final subjugation of the Peninsula . To meet the shock of this stupendous array , Wellington had the 20 , 000 troops of Talavera augmented , besieles other reinforcements , by that memorable brigade which , under the name of the Light Division , became afterwards the admiration of both armies . In adelition , he had Beresford's Portuguese levies , now 30 , 000 strong , well disciplined , and capable , as events showed , of becoming first-rate soldier _^ , making a total of some 55 , 000 disposable troops , independent of garrisons and detachments .

    Against such hosts as he brought to the assault , a defensive attitude was all that could be maintained , and Wellington ' s eye had detected the true mode of operation . He proposed to make the immediate district of Lisbon perform that service for Portugal which Portugal itself performed for the Peninsula at large , by furnishing an impregnable fastness and a secure retreat . By carrying lines of fortification from the Atlantic coast , through Torres Vedras , to the bank of the Tagus a little above Lisbon , he succeeded in constructing an artificial stronghold , within which his retiring forces would be inaccessible , f nd from which , as

    opportunities invited , he might issue at will . These provisions silently and unobtrusively made , he calmly took post on the Coa , and awaited the assault . Hesitating , or undecided , from some motive or other , Massena for weeks delayed the blow , till at length , after feeling the mettle of the Light Division on ihe Coa , he put his army in motion after the British commander , who slowly retired to his defences . Deeming , however , that a passage of arms woulel tend both to inspirit his own troops in what seemed like a retreat , and to teach

    Massena the true quality of the antagonist before him , he deliberately halted at Busaco and offered battle . Unable to refuse the challenge , the French marshal directed his bravest troops against the British position , but they were foiled with immense loss at every point of the attack , anel Wellington proved , by one of his most brilliant victories , that his retreat partook neither of discomfiture near fear , _llapidly recovering himself , however , Massena followed on his formidable fe > e , anel was _dreaniinir of little less than a second evacuation of

    Portugal , when , te . his astonishment anel dismay , ho found himself abruptly arrested in bis course by the tremendous lines of Torres Veelras . These prodigious intrenchinents _comprisoel a triple line of fortifications one within the other , the _irnuirmost being intended te . cover the cmburcation of the troops in the ! last resort . The main strength * of the ; works hael bee'ii threnvn em the second line ! , at which it hael been intended te _> make the final stand , but even the outer banie : r was founel incflect te _> he so formidable as tei deter the enemy freim all _heipcs of a _successful assault . Thus checked in mid career , the Kreneh marshal chafed anel fume-el in front of these impregnable lines , afraid to utt . uk , yet unwilling to retire .

    He did at length retire , anel was _folleisve'el b y his wary foe . Freim this time to the end of the ! war , Wellington was only enure _seriemsly _cheeked- at Burgeis . _Fxcropting that repulse , he held his own in the teeth of armies _iuuncaised y _superior in _numbc'i _* . He won _Fucnle's d'Oror , took Almeida , was _vie-I . _eir at Salamanca , carried Cuidad _Rodrigei , anel Iludajoz , Madrid , anel Seville ; defeated the _Frene-h at _Vitteiria , and drove Soult through the l ' yrenoe-as . Nupolcon abdicated , and Europe was awhile at peace ; until Waferloe . elosed the reign of a hundred elays , anel Wellington _boe-unie ) the _conquitror of Napoleeai .

    On tbe l * Mh of June , the allies were ! moving in ge _> e > _el order towards _Franec , whie-h _fheiy enU _; re _« _f on the 21 st : and on the 3 rd of duly , _nfte'r some ral _. he'r sharp _e-nceiunters with Hlucdicr , on that , anel tho _prewiems day , Paris was _surreiuelere-el . The _e-ity was oce : upie ! d on fhe Gfb , and em the Ibllenving day , Louis XVI 11 . was replaced on his ( hreau ! . On tho 22 nd of June , Nupe . _hiem luul _abdicated in favour eif his son , the King of Home ; and on the 2 i . th , he ! hael repnircd te » _Iteichefort . On tho 15 th of July , after having made au abortive afteunpt to procuro a passport to America , from Wellington

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• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 18, 1852, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_18091852/page/3/