HLI Chronicle 1909 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRONICLE.were so great that many of our troops lost a.lltheir natural activity and spirits. The ideaof running a.way from the enemy we had heatat Vimiera, without even firing a shot, was toogalling to their feelings. Each spoke to hisfellow, some in common conversation, withbitterness, rage fla.shing from their eyes,some upon the most trifling occasions of disagreement.""The poor Spaniards had little to expectfrom such men as these, who blamed them fortheir inactivity. Everyone found at homewas looked upon as a traitor to his country.'The British are here to fight for the libertyof Spain, and why is not every Spaniard underarms and fighting? The cause is not ours;and are we to be the only sufferers?' Suchwas the common language of the soldiers;and from these feelings pillage and outragenaturally arOS6. The conduct of the men inthis respect called forth, on the 27th, a severereplimand from the Commander-in-Chief." We halted at Benevente for one night.Just as the last division of our army enteledinto the town the drums beat to arms. Everyman was on the alert and at his post in Bninstant, The cavalry poured out of the gatesto meet the enemy; but the French did notlike the manner and spirit that appearedamongst us. They retired from the heights,and we endeavoured to pass the night in thebest manner in our power."*The Regiment remained two days 9t Benevente.On the 27th, the cavalry and stragglersbeing all over the Eela, General Crawfordcommenced destroying the bridge amidsttprrents of rain and snow; half the troopsworked while the other half kept the enemya.t bay from the heights on the left bank.At ten o'clock a.t night a large party of theenemy, following close behind some waggons,tlied to pass the picquets and rllsh the bridge,but were driven off; this failing, a sharpskirmish commenced. Their evident anxietyto interrupt the work induced Crawf.ord todestroy two arches instead of one, and blow* .. .Journal of a Soldier,"up the connecting huttres~, which WaS llAtcompleted until midnight of the ~8t4, wha»the troops descended the heights op tl:!.e lefthank and pasaed silently in single ille ~verplanks laid across the broken arches, &Ilp.gaine4 the other side without loss; this wasan instance of singular good fortune, for thenight was dark and tempestuous, the riverrapidly risjng with a roaring noise, and theenemy close at hand.'):wo days' rest had been gained at Benevente,but for wan"c of transport little ~o~lldbe done to remove the stores, the greater partof which was therefore destroyed. Earlyon the 29th the Reserve and Crawford'sBrigade quitted Benevente, but the cavalryremained guarding the fords. At this'junctureGeneral Lefevre Desnouettes ca~e upwith the French advance guard, and seeing onlya few cavalry posts, as he thought,unsupported,cIOssed the Esla at a ford some 300 yards abovethe bridge "with some 600 horsemen; he continuedto drive the picquets back towardsthe town until supported by part of the 3.dGerman Hussars. At this moment the plainwas covered with stragglers, baggage mules,and followers of the army; distant picquetsand orderlies were seen galloping in; thetown was filled with tumult, and there seemedevery prospect of a considerable disaster.Lord Paget however, waiting until the Frenchhad emerged well into the plain, suddenlylaunched thf' 10th Hussars at them, frombehind some houses at the edge of the town,where they had been concealed, and completelyoverthrew them, and hurled them backinto the river, where the French General washimself wounded and made prisoner. Bvtheir brilliant charge the situlltion was saved,and Lord Paget continued to occupy the lineof the river during that day, thus giving theinfantry time to faU back.This action on the Esla is described in the" Journal" :-" Scaroo was our rearguaJ'dwithin the town ere the alai'm wag sounded.We rushed to our posts, pushing the inhabitantsout of the way. Women and children.crowded the streets, wringing their hands and