HLI Chronicle 1914 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

12£ HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRONICLE.Napoleon's exultation had he been in theMarshal's place on Mont Rave and seenFreyre's· cohorts hurled back in disarraywhile Beresford's column was dragging itsway along through the mud and asking to beattacked in flank. The overthrow of theSpaniards had been so complete and so conspicuousthat the bulk of the defendingtroops on Mont Rave could quite safely havetaken the offensive against the one portionof the attacking host which really threateneddanger. It was sheer hard fighting on thepart of the British infantry forming Lambert'sand Pack's brigades, steadily supported asthey were by the Portuguese and assisted ata critical moment by the rocket detachment,which gained the day for the Allies and whichconcluded the Peninsular War with a signalvictory. With such troops at his commandWellington was no doubt justified in runningthe risks that he did on that memorable day.But in appraising the relative merits of therank and file in the campaign of 1814 inSouth-Western France it must not be forgottenthat the British and Portuguese were for themost part veterans who had conquered inmany a hard-won fight during the previousfour years, while Soult was at the head of anarmy composed mainly of young and inexperiencedsoldiers. At the very momentwhen the Allies were about to advance fromthe Nive the commander of the Frenchforces in the basin of the Adour had beencalled upon to send off his most reliabletroops to help his master on the Marne.And yet, in spite of the discouragementinseparable from continuous retirements andof their making war in what all the moreintelligent amongst them must have felt wasa failing canse, these hall-trained Frenchinfantrymen and cavalry soldiers and gunnersplaced their antagonists in considerablejeopardy at Orthes, beat off Picton andFreyre at Toulouse, and nobly maintainedthe honour of their country throughout,although the odds were all against them.Soult was overshadowed both as a strategistand as a tactician by his illustrious opponent.But from the moment of his arrival amidstthe ruins of the host which had been overthrownat Vittoria he gave evidence of possessingmost of the qualities which, when theyare found in combination, go to make thegreat captain-organising powers of thehighest order, a:mplitude of resource in faceof difficulties, the capacity of winning theconfidence of subordinates, and unshakenfortitude under adverse and dishearteningconditions. We in this country have goodreason to be proud of the achievements of oursoldiers in Gascony and Languedoc, but ourneighbours have no cause to be ashamed ofwhat theirs accomplished on the Adour, theGave de Pau, and the Garonne." Toulouse" was granted as a battlehonour to both the 7lst and 74th. Of thetwo regiments, the 74th were much the moreheavily engaged. The 71st, under Hill, weremainly employed in skirmishing against theenemy, and their losses amounted to onesergeant and three rank and file killed, andsix rank and file wounded.The 74th, as part of the 3rd Division underGeneral Picton, advanced on the morning ofthe 10th of April about six o'clock, and drovein the outposts of the enemy for about threemiles, as far as the Jumeaux bridge over thecanal; this bridge they found to be defendedby a strong palisaded bridge-head, too highto be forced without ladders, and approachableonly across an open flat. Six companies ofthe 74th (three under Bt.-Major Miller andthree under Oaptain Donald M'Queen) wereordered to attack this work, which they didin most gallant style. But it was commandedfrom the opposite side of the canal, and wasimpregnable without artillery; the attackingparty was therefore compelled to retire aftersustaining very severe losses. The Frenchthen occupied the work in increased force, andthe continued efforts of the whole brigadecould not dispossess them of it.Major Alves, who took part in the battlewith his regiment, thus describes in his diarythe part played by the 74th :­"Shortly after daylight the division wasput in motion, with orders to drive all theenemy's outposts before us, and, althoughacting as adjutant, I was permitted by OolonelTrench to accompany the skirniishers. Withbut feeble opposition we drove them before us,until they reached the tete-de-pont on the canalleading into Toulouse, on the right bank ofthe Garonne. On arriving there I mentionedto Oaptain Andrews of the 74th that I thoughtwe had gone far enough, and reconnoitredvery attentively the manner in which it wasdefended by strong palisades, etc. I thenreturned to where the regiment was haltedand mentioned my observations to OolonelTrench, and that nothing further couldpossibly be done wit-hout artillery to break