HLI Chronicle 1914 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRONICI.E. 165ever more beloved than Lord Hill and the Hon.William Stewart (who commanded the seconddivision). They studied the comfort of thesoldier, and gave him no unnecessary trouble,and won the soldier's affections by humanemeans. I will state one or two instanceswhich will point out the humane dispositionof General Stewart. Towards the end ofSlImmer the weather became intensely coldupon the mountain tops. We were oftenvisited by terrible thunder-storms, accompaniedby hail and snow. On theRe occasionsthe General ordered everyone under hiscommand-man, woman, and child-an extraallowance of liquor. "Let them have it;it will warm the poor fellows after such a coldnight." On the day before the battle mywife was at the watering-place outside thecamp washing some linen fOl the officers.She had our daughter with her, a little thing,playing beside her. General Stewart, ridingby, stopped his horse and inquired of my wifeif the child was hers. She told him she was.He then asked what regiment she belonged to.She told him. He mused for EL little, and,putting ris hand in his pocket, took out adollar, and, throwing it at the child, said­"Here. Cause your mother to get you something."And turning to his Aide-de-Camphe said-" The poor women and childrenare miserable these times." Such was thenatures of the two Generals-in-Chief I hadthe honour of serving under.L. The passage of the River Nive upon the9th of December was the.commencement ofa series of battles. That fought upon the13th of December was the hardest. Theweather was bad; it rained incessantly; andwe were huddled together into any place thatcould afford shelter. The women and baggagewere accordingly ordered to the rear. Themorning of the 14th arrived. and we preparedonce more to meet the enemy. At that timemy wife was in a state that required thekindest treatment, and previous to the movementof the column I asked and obtained permissionfor half-an-hour to accompany her ashort way, the column having to pass partof the way we were going. Time winged itscourse, the column was passing, and we mustpart--perhaps for ever. My poor wife anddaughter clung to me, wept, and would notpart from me until I was obliged to tear myselfaway. It aroused the finest feelings of ournature. It almost unmanned me. It forsome time blasted courage and witheredresolution. Such was my state of mind atthis time that I entertained the foolish ideathat I was certain to fall. I forgot that theall-protecting arm of Him who preserved mcheretofore was still able to guard me in thebattle I was about to enter. About twentyminutes after parting from my wife a cannonball struck down the left-hand man in theCompany in front of me and carried away hishead above the ears. He fell on his face,drew up hi.~ limbs, and instantly expired.This scene was ill-calculated to cure me inmy then state of mind. We soon came intocontact, and after five hours of mutual destructionwe drove the enemy from the field ofbattle. I escaped unhurt, but lost the Lieutenantof my Company and many good friends.We were huddled into our former quarters,where we remained for some time in consequenceof the inclemency of the weather.My wife, along with several others, had goneto the village of Cambo, about five or sixmiles distant from the field of battle, andsituated upon the left bank of the River Nive.The poor inhabitants had fled, and it wasformed into a military depot, and by thistime was filled with the wounded of the lateaction. I had heard from my poor wife,and I asked and obtained liberty for forty.eight hours, got a bit of money from myCaptain, and set out. On arriving at CamboI found her as comfortable as circumstanceswould admit, and she made me a present ofa young daughter. The church and manseof Cambo, as well as all the houses in thevillage, were converted into hospitals. Thekitchen of the manse was occupied by sickand wounded, among whom was my wife.