HLI Chronicle 1909 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

.HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRONICLE. 47right, left, and centre. -His left columnadvanced against the village of Elvina, drovebaok our picquets from there,andthen, splittingin two, attempted to force in Baird's frontand flank at the same time. Moore, peroeivinghis intention, ordered up Paget'sreS&l'Ve from the centre to the right to turn theflank of the French column penetrating up thevalley, ana threaten the great battery; atthe same time he ordered Fraser to supportPaget. Then, throwing back the 4th Regiment,which fO,rmed the right of Baird's line,to meet the flanking French column, he openeda.h~avy.fire on them, while the 50th and 4~ndmet the remaind~r of the column adyanomgout of Elvina.The ground here was muchcut up by walls and hollow ro"ads, and a aesperatestruggle ensued, the two regiments,iplally hurling the French column backthrough the village. A ,Battalion . of t~eGuards was now brought up to fill the gap IIIthe line caused by the advance ~f th,e 42nd and60th, but o'\Ving to a misunderstanding ,the42nd fell back from the village, and the enemyrenewed the fight beyond the village, whichbecame the scene of a second sanguinarystruggle. Moore, observing the withdrawalof the 42nd, hastened thither, and, addressing8. few animating words to them, launchedthem again into the fight, and the village wasonce more cleared. At the same time Pagetand the 4th Regiment had been successful inchecking the flanking attack of the French.In the meanwhile the centre and left of theline had become hotly engaged, and a furiousaction raged along the whole front, in thevalley, and on the hill. Sir David Baird wasseverely wounded in the left arm, which hadafterwards to be amputated. The attack inthis quarter, however, bf'mg entirely a frontalone, the British line Wa& never in real danger,and the greatest importance of the actioncentred round the village. of Elvina."Sir .John Moore, whilst earnestly watchingthe result of the fight about the village ofElvina, was struck on the left breast by acanl'on shot; the shock threw him from hishorse with violence; yet he rose again in asitting posture, his countenance unchangedand his steadfast eye fixed upon the regimentsengaged in his front-no sigh betraying asensation of pain. In a few moments, whenhe saw the troops were gaining ground, hiscountenance brightened, and he allowed him~self to be taken to the rear. Then was seenthe dreadful nature of his hurt. The shonlderwas shattered to pieces, the arm hanging by apiece of skin, the muscles of the br~st tor~into long strips, interlaee.cl by theIr re~OlIfrom the dragging ot the shot. As the soldIersplaced him in a blanket his sword got entangled;and the hilt entered the wound.Cartain Harding, a staff officer, attemp~dto take it off, but the dying man stoppea hlI~,saying 'It is well as it is. I had rather Itshould go out of the field with me.' And ill,that manner, so becoming to a soldier, Moorewas borne from the fight."*In spite of- 'the irreparable loss sustainedin the fall of their heroic commander, the troopscontinued to hold their own all along the line.Paget's Reserve drove all before them in thevalley, and, turning the French left, b~gan tothreaten -the great battery on' the ~IlL Onthe left the British carried the vIllage. ofPalavia Abaxo, while in the centre the strugglefor possession of Elvina terminated in fav~urof the British who at 'nightfall held a hneconsiderably i~ advance of the position theyhad occupied' in . the morning.. If Fraser'sDivision had been brought up' III support ofPaget the French could hardly ,have escape~a serious disaster. Soult had httle ammumtionleft the river Me-ro was in full floodbehind hi~, and the only line of retreat opento him was across the bridge at El Burgo.On the other hand, the British had little togain by continuing the fight, while the disorderof the enemy would afford time to carryout the embarkation of the rest of the armycomparatively unmolested. Sir .John Hope,upon whom the command of the army haddevolved, after- both Moore and Baird werewounded, decided to ship the army under coverof darkness, and so complete wer~ the arrange·ments that no hitch or confUSIOn occurred.The picquets kindled fires to cover the retreat,and were themselves withdrawn at daybreakunder cover of Hill's Brigade, which took postclose under the walls of Corunna.The 71st, being posted on the extreme leftin support of Hop-e's line, did ~ot take a veryactive part in the actual fightmg, the hottestof which took place round the centre andElvina. In the "Vicissitudes" it says-" Itso happened we had little to do wit~ the ?ngagement,only four of our c?mpames bemgengaged, and those but partIally. Tow~rdsthe close of the day we were ordered to rehevesome of the regiments whioh had sufferedmost. ~n marching across a road to. effectthis we. saw Sir .John Moore carned by.. Napier. _.