188 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



an attack made by the enemy on 

 our position in front of the citadel 

 of Bayonne on the 14th instant. 



Yesterday morning, a consider- 

 able time before day-break, the 

 enemy made a sortie and attack in 

 great force, principally on the left 

 and centre of our position of St. 

 Elienne, in front of the citadel. 

 The left of the position was occu- 

 pied by picquets of Major-General 

 Hay's brigade : the brigade itself 

 had been directed to form in case 

 of alarm near the village of Bou- 

 caut, as it was merely serving pro- 

 visionally on this side of the 

 Adour ; the centre by picquets of 

 the 2nd brigade of guards, and the 

 right by pioqnets of the 1st bri- 

 gade of guards. Major-General 

 Hay was the general officer of the 

 day in command of the line of 

 outposts ; and I regret much to 

 say, was killed shortly after the 

 attack commenced, having just 

 given directions that the church 

 of St. Etienne should be defended 

 to the 1-ast. The enemy, hoWJ 

 ever, by 'great superiority of num^ 

 bers, succeeded in gettinjj in to- 

 wards the left ol" the- village, and 

 got momentary possession of it, 

 with the -exception of a house oc- 

 cupied by a picquet of the 38th 

 regiment, under Captain Forster 

 of tltp.t corps, and wbo maintained 

 himself till the support coming up, 

 Major-General Hinuber, with the 

 2nd line battalion. King's German 

 tegion, under the command of 

 Lieutenant-Colonel Bock, imme- 

 diately attacked and re-teok the 

 village. 



The enemy attacked the centre of 

 oa^ position likewise in great i>um-> 

 btrs, and by btaring i-i gr«at force 

 on Olio ) oiiitj after a sharp re*iist^ 

 ance, thiy succterled in ccnipclling 



one of our picquets to retire, and 

 which enabled him to move up a 

 road in the rear of the line of pic- 

 quets of the centre of the position, 

 and which compelled the other 

 picquets of the 2nd brigade of 

 guards to fall back till the support 

 arrived up to their assistance, 

 when the enemy was immediately 

 charged, and the line of posts re- 

 occupied as before. Major-Gen. 

 Stopford, 1 regret to say, was 

 wounded, when the command cf 

 the brigade devolved on Colonel 

 Guise. In consequence of the 

 enemy having gained temporary 

 possession of some houses which 

 had been occupied by the picquets 

 of the centre of the position, Col. 

 Maitland found the enemy wa^ 

 in possession of ground oa the 

 rear of his left, and immediately 

 advanced against him rapidly with 

 the 3rd battalion 1st guards, com- 

 manded by Lieutenant-Colonel tiie 

 Hon; W. Stewart,' on a ridge of 

 ground which runs parallel with 

 the roads, and Lieutenant-Colonel 

 Woodford of the Coldstream, as- 

 eending the hill at the same time 

 by a simultaneous charge, these 

 two corps immediately dislodged 

 the enemy, and re-occupied all the 

 posts which we had before possess- 

 ed ; and from the time the enemy 

 was dislodged, he did not show the 

 least disposition to renew tlie at- 

 tack. Celohel Maitland expressed 

 his satisfaction at the conduct of 

 both his officers and m«n, and also 

 his obligation to Lieutenant-Col. ' 

 Woodford, for his prompt con- 

 currence in the movements above- 

 mentioned. 



■ It was towards the; right that 

 Lieu tenant-General Sip JoTin Hope 

 was taken. In -endeavouring to 

 bring up some troops to the sii{)- 



