- 926 
my fall. Coming to myself a few 
seconds after, aud finding my br eath- 
ing not affected, I remounted, and 
never have quitted the battalion 
since; my side is inflamed and 
bruised, but it is of no consequence 
whatever. The spur of my right 
heel was shot away a few minutes 
before, without doing me any mis- 
chief. The loss of the battalion, in 
killed and wounded, amounts to 92; 
I fear, by the doctor’s report, that 
one half of the wounded are mor- 
tally. It is, however, astonishing 
how few we lost, considering the 
very heavy fire under which we 
were during the whole of the action. 
I shall subjoin a list of all the of- 
ficers that wére in the engagement, 
and of the killed and wounded, 
with their descriptions. We have 
had, since the action, very fatiguing 
marches, and severe weather, with. 
out any covering but the canopy of 
heaven: neither this, nor the ef- 
fects of my wound, have, however, 
affected my health in the least de- 
gree, nor prevented me from as- 
suming the active command of the 
battalion. 
The experience of this action will 
contribute, in an eminent degree, 
to confirm a sense of the necessity 
and yalue of strict discipline in 
officers and men ; and I may safely~ 
assert, that if the battalion may be 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
said to have gained reputation on 
this occasion, they are now muck 
better prepared to add to their lau- 
rels, than they were to obtain them 
in the first instance. The day after 
‘the action exhibited the eflects of 
war in the most horrid colours : 
the number of killed and wounded 
on the enemy’s side, who were 
found in the fields and in the woods, 
much exceeded what we had any 
conception of, whilst it made mani- 
fest the excellent direction of our 
fire. 
The next opportunity I shall have 
the pleasure of communicating such 
other circumstances as have been 
here omitted ; in the mean time, if 
you discover that the impression of 
our conduct, at head-quarters, is 
sufficiently favourable, 1 am anxious 
that you should put the question of 
our being made a light infantry 
corps, a distinction I have ever been 
anxious to obtain for the battalion. 
(Signed) 
P. M‘Clcod, lieutenant-colonel.. 
P.S. IT must not forget to men- 
“tion, that the 78th fought in their 
*complete. Highland garb, which is 
supposed to have excited no smal 
degree of terror in our immediate. 
antagonist, the 42d regiment, which, 
by the bye, | now find were a corps 
of grenadiers. 
NATURAL 
