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    Untitled Article

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    Untitled Article

    « , - , «• I I ¦ * ¦ ¦ ¦ • . - » ¦ ' NO . Ill , — THE SlfiOE OF EODBIGO , WXTH ANECDOTES OF PLUNDER . ¦ "' . . ¦ ¦ ¦•/ .- * . ¦ ¦ . . ¦ ' ¦ . ¦ ¦ ... ¦ -

    The siege of Rodrigo is not to be compared with the siege of Badajos ; the sacrifice of life in storming the town was not so great , nor Were the atrocities which were committed , although bad enough , of so aggravated a description . About six o ' clock , on the 19 th January 1812 , our men fell in under the dead wall of a convent near the town , which was occupied ^ byvtbe 40 ( h regiment during tihe principal part of the siegfc . There Was a trench dug leading fydnx the 'convent towards a breach . This was the left breach whieh was to be stormed by the light division , while

    the right breach was to lie assailed by the third division . When fallen in , General Robert Craufurd addre ^ sfed the , men , impressing on the stormerrto kefcp together after they had entered the breach , and to fctear the ramparts of the enemy ,, before they entered the streets . At the signal of a gun from our battery * off

    we started . Poor General Craufurd ! on _ the first violley of grape , or small arms , he received a : mortal wound , the ( bail passing through the arm and body . He died on the 22 nd , and we ^ buried him a few days afterwards in the breaeh . His body was carried by four sergeant-majors—the Duke of Wellington attended the funeral and seemed much affected * - He was a brave soldier , and

    greatly beloved by the light division . The captain of my own company , a gallant young man , whose name was Uniack , here volunteered on the Forlorn Hope ; but being a junior , his wish was not complied tvith , and" a sfeniof officer appointed in his stead . He wak nevertheless * resolved not to be baulked , for he left the

    command of his own companyand joined the stormers just as they were entering the breach . I recollect hirti welL H ^ lai d his hand on my shoulder , ^ as he was forcirig his way up tire breach , and ccrted , « Foltow me l )? Fortunately fbr me I did not ; for hi turned to the right towards' the breaeh whicli the third division was to

    stake , whdir , by accident or design , tie French sprung a mine and : > lew up some hundreds of their own as well as our men . The » ight was dreadful ; theyjall layabout jn beaps ^ The brave UniacK was among the sufferers . I saw fete next moirning— -he was utill living . The righ ^ arm was torn out of the socket ( we could ;<; ee into him ) , abd he had convulsive inotions of tholeft , and was mufterin ^ words which he bad not strength to articulate . He was mrrieii on a stretcher to Gallegos , where he died a few daysafter-« rards . He was deeply lamented , especially by the men of his

    » wvn company . On entering the breach I turned to the left , and stumbling [ gainst a howitzer , rolled over it . I found a French officer , who

    Untitled Article

    9 m The Siege of fiodrtgo . ¦ . r * ¦ ' ¦• » ; - * ¦ - . - [ « , - - , - - ¦ - - .- . ' *„ , : . . ¦ \ ¦ ¦ ; r ¦> , ¦ : : ¦ . -. .. - ,-v > * '

    Untitled Article

    A 'S FRAGMENTS oy SOLDfERLIFE .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 1, 1837, page 346, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1832/page/28/