BATTLE OF ALBUHERA. 16th. May, 1811.
Reading edition
Early in May the first siege of Badajoz was commenced by the British, and whilst the operations against that fortress were in progress, Marshal Soult quitted Seville, and advanced to its relief. The portion[42] of the allied army under Marshal Sir William 125Beresford, moved forward to meet him, and took up a position in front of Albuhera.
At nine o’clock in the morning of the 16th. of May, the enemy commenced his attack, and after a strong and gallant resistance by the Spanish troops, he gained the heights upon which they had been formed; meanwhile the division of the Honourable Major-General William Stewart had been moved up to support them, and that of Major-General Hamilton brought to the left of the Spanish line, and formed in contiguous close columns of battalions, to be available in any direction. The Portuguese brigade of cavalry, under Brigadier-General Otway, remained at some distance on the left, to check any attempt that might be made below the village.
Nearly at the commencement of the battle a heavy storm of rain came on, which with the smoke from the firing, rendered it impossible to discern anything distinctly. This, with the nature of the ground, had been extremely favourable to the attacking columns. The right brigade of Major-General Stewart’s division, under Lieutenant-Colonel Colborne, (now Field-Marshal Lord Seaton,) first came into action, and behaved in the most gallant manner, and, finding that the enemy’s column could not be shaken by fire, proceeded to attack it with the bayonet; while thus in the act of charging, a body of Polish lancers, which the thickness of the atmosphere and the nature of the ground had concealed, (and which was, besides, mistaken by those of the brigade when discovered for Spanish cavalry, and therefore not fired upon,) turned it, and being thus attacked unexpectedly in the rear, was unfortunately broken, and suffered immensely. The second battalion of the 31st. regiment, under the command of Major L’Estrange, alone held its ground against all the colonnes en masse, until the arrival of the third brigade under Major-General Hoghton. The conduct of this brigade was most conspicuously gallant, and that of the second brigade, under the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Abercromby, was not less so. Major-General Hoghton, cheering on his men to the charge, fell pierced with wounds.
Although the principal attack was on this point of the right a continual attempt was also made upon that part of the original front at the village and bridge, which were defended in the most gallant manner by Major-General Baron Alten, and the light 126infantry brigade of the German Legion, whose conduct, in every point of view, was reported as “conspicuously good.” The enemy’s cavalry, on his infantry attempting to force the right, had endeavoured to turn it; but the able manœuvres of Major-General the Honourable William Lumley, commanding the allied cavalry, though vastly inferior in point of numbers, foiled the design. Major-General the Honourable George Lowry Cole, seeing the attack, very judiciously brought up his left a little, marched in line to attack the enemy’s left, and arrived most opportunely to contribute, with the charges of the brigades of Major-General Stewart’s division, to force the enemy to abandon his situation, and retire precipitately, and to take refuge under his reserve. Here the Fusilier brigade, consisting of two battalions of the 7th. and one of the 23rd. Fusiliers, immortalized itself.[43] So numerous were the casualties, that Captain Stainforth’s company of the 23rd. Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was commanded, at the 127close of the action, by Corporal Thomas Robinson. The enemy was pursued by the Allies to a considerable distance, and as far as it was considered prudent, with his immense superiority of cavalry, and Marshal Beresford contented himself with seeing him driven across the Albuhera.
Commencing at nine o’clock, the battle continued without interruption until two in the afternoon, when the enemy having been driven over the Albuhera, for the remainder of the day there was but cannonading and skirmishing.
It was observed during this sanguinary battle, that the British dead, particularly the 57th. regiment, were lying as they fought, in ranks, and every wound was in the front. This corps here gained the name of the Die-hards.
On this memorable day the loss was very severe, but the French casualties were still greater. About two thousand dead were left by them on the field, and nearly a thousand prisoners were taken. Five of their generals were killed and wounded. The British had Major-General Hoghton, thirty-three officers, thirty-three sergeants, four drummers, and nine hundred and seventeen rank and file killed.[44]
Amongst the instances of the defence and preservation of the colours, the following are remarkable, and more especially that of the 3rd., Buffs, for which a medal was struck. In the accounts of the time, Ensign Walsh, of the 3rd. Foot, was reported to have prevented the colour of the regiment from being taken by tearing, when the staff of the colour was broken by a cannon ball, the colour off and concealing it in his bosom. This statement misled 128the then Chancellor of the Exchequer when he moved a vote of thanks to the army, on the 7th. of June following, for its gallantry in this sanguinary battle. The honour, however, was due to Lieutenant Latham, who preserved the regimental colour from falling into the enemy’s hands in the following gallant manner:—While the Buffs were engaged with the French infantry, they were attacked in the rear by a large force of French and Polish cavalry. Ensign Thomas, who carried the second, or regimental colour, was called upon to surrender; but he replied that could only be with his life. He fell, mortally wounded, a victim to his bravery, and the colour was captured. The first, or the king’s colour, was carried by Ensign Walsh; the sergeants who protected it had fallen in its defence, and this officer was pursued by several Polish lancers. Lieutenant Latham saw the danger of the colour being borne in triumph from the field by the enemy; his soul was alive to the honour of his corps, and he ran forward to protect it. Ensign Walsh was surrounded, wounded, and taken prisoner; but Lieutenant Latham arrived at the spot in time to seize the colour, which he defended with heroic gallantry. Environed by a crowd of assailants, each emulous of the honour of its capture, and his body bleeding from wounds, Lieutenant Latham clung with energetic tenacity to his precious charge, defended himself with his sword, and refused to yield. A French hussar, seizing the flag-staff, and raising in his stirrups, aimed at the head of the gallant Latham a blow which failed in cutting him down, but which sadly mutilated him, severing one side of the face and nose. Although thus severely wounded, his resolute spirit did not shrink, but he sternly and vigorously continued to struggle with the French horsemen, and, as they endeavoured to drag the colour from him, he exclaimed, “I will surrender it only with my life.” A second sabre stroke severed his left arm and hand, in which he held the staff, from his body. He then dropped his sword, and, seizing the staff with his right hand, continued to struggle with his opponents until he was thrown down, trampled upon, and pierced with lances; but the number of his adversaries, impeded their efforts to destroy him, and that moment the British cavalry came up and the French troopers fled. Lieutenant Latham, although desperately wounded, was so intent on preserving the colour, that he exerted the little strength he had left to remove it 129from the staff and to conceal it under him. The Fusilier brigade advanced, and, by a gallant effort, changed the fortune of the day. Sergeant Gough, of the first battalion of the 7th. Royal Fusiliers, found the colour under Lieutenant Latham, who lay apparently dead. The colour, for which so desperate a struggle had been maintained, was restored to the Buffs, and the sergeant was rewarded with a commission, being, in consequence of his gallant conduct, appointed ensign in the 2nd. West India Regiment, on the 14th. of November, 1811. After lying some time on the ground in a state of insensibility, Lieutenant Latham revived and crawled towards the river, where he was found endeavouring to quench his thirst. He was removed to the convent, his wounds dressed, and the stump of his arm amputated: he ultimately recovered. Ensign Walsh escaped from the enemy soon after he had been made prisoner. When recovered of his wounds, he joined his regiment, and made known the circumstance of the colour having been thus preserved by Lieutenant Latham. The officers of the Buffs, with a readiness which reflected great honour on the corps, subscribed one hundred guineas for the purchase of a gold medal, on which the preservation of the colour by Lieutenant Latham was represented in high relief, with the motto, “I will surrender it only with my life.” Application was made to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, by General Leigh, then Colonel of the 3rd. Foot, or the Buffs, for the royal authority for Lieutenant Latham to receive and wear the medal, which was granted, in a letter dated Horse Guards, 4th. January, 1813. The medal was presented to this gallant officer at Reading, on the 12th. of August following. An operation was performed in 1815, by the celebrated surgeon, Mr. Carpue, assisted by Assistant John Morrison, M.D., of the Buffs, to repair the mutilation of Captain Latham’s face, at the suggestion of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, who kindly defrayed the expense of the operation and cure. Captain Latham received, by authority of the royal warrant, a pension of one hundred pounds a year, in consequence of the loss of his left arm, and a further annual pension of seventy pounds on account of his other severe wounds. He continued to serve in the 3rd. regiment until the 20th. of April, 1820, when he exchanged to half-pay, receiving the regulated difference.
Ensign James Jackson carried the regimental colour of the 57th. at Albuhera. Soon after the action commenced, the officer with the king’s colour was severely wounded, and the colour fell to the ground, when Ensign Jackson immediately directed one of the non-commissioned officers to pick it up, and taking it from him, gave the regimental colour to the sergeant, which he retained until an officer was brought to take charge of it. The king’s colour, which Ensign Jackson carried, received thirty balls through it, and two others broke the pole and carried away the top. Nine balls passed through his clothes, of which four wounded—one through the body. During the greatest part of the battle the hostile lines were less than one hundred yards from each other. Brevet-Major James Jackson was placed on retired full pay as captain, 57th. regiment, on the 25th. of June, 1841, and was promoted to the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel on the 28th. of November, 1854.
Marshal Soult retired after the battle to the ground he had been previously on, and during the night of the 17th. he commenced his retreat towards Seville, leaving Badajoz to its fate.
130
Medal for Albuhera.
The medal for the battle of Albuhera was the same as that conferred for other actions of this period, and of which an illustration is given for Talavera; but there appears also to have been one awarded by the Spanish monarch, for in a letter, dated Gonesse, 2nd. July, 1815, addressed to Marshal Lord Beresford, G.C.B., the Duke of Wellington wrote, “You should recommend for the Spanish medal for Albuhera, according to the rules laid down by the King of Spain, for the grant of it. I think it should be given only to those who were there, and actually engaged.” When the silver war medal was authorized, it is almost superfluous to state that a bar was granted for this victory.
131