APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



^03 



diatc support of detachments as per 

 margin,* and having in reserve 

 the remainder of the 5th division, 

 consisting of major-general Sprye's 

 Portuguese brigade, and the first 

 brigade under major-general Hay, 

 as also the 5th battalion of Ca9a- 

 dores of general Bradford's brigade, 

 under major Hill ; the whole under 

 the direction of lieutenant-general 

 sir James Leilh, commanding the 

 5th division. 



Having arranged every thing 

 with sir James Leith, I crossed the 

 Urumia to the batteries of the 

 right attack, where every thing 

 could be most distinctly seen, and 

 from whence the orders for the 

 fire of the batteries according to 

 circumstances, could be immedi- 

 ately given. 



The column, in filing out of the 

 right of the trenches, was, as be- 

 fore, exposed to a heavy fire of 

 shells and grape shot, and a mine 

 was exploded in the left angle of 

 the counterscarp of the horn-work, 

 which did great damage, but did 

 not check the ardour of the troops 

 in adraocing to the attack. There 

 was never any thing so fallacious 

 as the external appearance of the 

 breach ; without some description, 

 the almost insuperable difficulties 

 of the breach cannot be estimated. 

 Notwithstanding its great extent, 

 there was but on6 point where it 

 was possible to enter, and there 

 by single files. All the inside of 

 the wall to the right of the curtain 

 formed a perpendicular scarp of at 



least 20 feet to the level of the 

 streets : so that the narrow ridge 

 of the curtain itself, formed by the 

 breaching of its end and front, 

 was the only accessible point. 

 During the suspension of the ope- 

 rations of the siege, from want of 

 ammunition, the enemy had pre- 

 pared every means of defence 

 which art could devise, so that 

 great numbers of men were covei^ 

 ed by entrenchments and traverses, 

 in the horn-work, on the ramparts 

 of the curtain, and inside of the 

 town opposite to the breach, and 

 ready to pour a most destructive 

 fire of musketry on both flanks of 

 the approach to the top of the nar- 

 row ridge of the curtain. 



Every thing that the most deter- 

 mined bravery could attempt, was 

 repeatedly tried in vain by the 

 troops, who were brought forward 

 from the trenches in succession. 

 No man outlived the attempt to 

 gain the ridge: and though the 

 slope of the breach afforded shelter 

 from the enemy's musketry, yet 

 still the nature of the stone rub- 

 bish prevented the great exertions 

 of the engineers and working par- 

 ties from being able to form a 

 lodgment for the troops, exposed 

 to the shells and grape from the 

 batteries of the castle, as was par- 

 ticularly directed, in obedience to 

 your lordship's instruction : and, at 

 all events, a secure lodgment could 

 never have been obtained without 

 occupying a part of the curtain. 



Id this almost desperate state of 



" One hundred and fifty volunteers of the light division, commanded by lieute- 

 nant-colouel Hunt, of the 52nd regiment; four hundred of the first division (con- 

 sisting of two hundred of the b'.igades of guards, under lieutenant-colonel Cooke ; 

 ofone hundred of the light battalion, and one hundred of the line batf»i(ons of the 

 King's German Legion), under major Robertson ; and two hundred volunteers W 

 tke lourth division, xmdcr major Kosc, of the 20th foot. 



