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    while his wretched family- —his wife and two daughters—we * 3 lying senseless on the ground , he was- —shall I go on ?— -shot through the body ! It is to be lamented that the memory of an old soldier should be disturbed by such painful recollections I But it is to be

    considered , that the men who besiege a town in the face of such dangers are generally desperate characters ; and when once they get footing within its walls , flushed by victory—hur-: ried on by desire of plunder , and heated with excess of drink-rthey stop at nothing . They are mad , they know not what they do ! I do not say this in justification—I only state what £ have observed human nature on these occasions to be . I now

    determined to leave this scene of horrors , and accompanied by the Frenchman , went in search of another house . We observed one open on the other side of the way , and he having helped me across the street , for my leg much disabled me , we entered it * Here we found a number of our men of the 3 d division , who were drinking chocolate , made , not with water , but with wine . They were more sober and peaceable than those we had

    just left ; but here also , indeed in every house in Badaj 09 that night , the most fearful outrages were committed . For my ownt part , I felt tired and anxious to get some sleep ; I therefore laid down , but fagged as I was could obtain little rest . The next morning , being determined to rejoin my regiment , I left the house accompanied by the Frenchman , who rendered me every assistance in his power . It appeared to me that the town was

    still in a state of great confusion and uproar . In one of the streets I saw the Duke of Wellington giving directions about the erection of gallowses for the punishment of men gtpilty of plunder , or of such atrocities as had been enacted over-night , Poh ! He was surrounded by a number of British soldiers who were drunk , and who , holding up bottles with the necks knocked off , containing wine and spirits , cried out to him , " Nosey ! old

    boy ! will you drink ? The town ' s our own *! Hurrah ! " A little further on I found two carts standing each on end , and a pole running across between them , on which were suspended two halters ; but I am not aware that any one was really hanged . One man of my own company—whose name was Johnny Castles—as quiet a creature as ever lived , was brought out , and being placed under the gallows , was threatened with

    • This exclamation , « The town ' s our own 1 " deserves attention , inasmuch as it explains the notion which all soldiers entertain on entering a town they ft *?* besieged . Not actuated or guided by any reflecting principle , they imagine that every description of property they can seize is truly their onrn , to carry away or destroy . Even the persons of women—no matter whether old or young—they conceive' themselves licensed to outrage t Hence , every house reverberates with shrieks of horror—every hearth reeks with blood . Such , even in tbb bour of victory , * are the characteristic horrors of " glorious war , "— Ed ,

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    Fragmentsof > * aJSomer ' sl 4 f ^ X ? J ^

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 1, 1837, page 171, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1829/page/45/