23S 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



him one of its best and bravest 

 soldiers, and those who knew him, 

 as I did, a friend most honoured 

 and beloved ; and I trust. Sir, I 

 may be forgiven for considering 

 it a sacred duty I owe to him to 

 •mention here, that whilst his 

 wounds were binding up, and we 

 were placing him on the bearer, 

 which was to carry him off the 

 field, he assured me the wounds 

 he had received in the perform- 

 ance of his duty to his country 

 caused him not a pang; but he 

 felt alone, anxiety for a wife and 

 family dearer to him than his life, 

 whom, in the event of the fatal 

 termination he foresaw, he re- 

 commended to the protection and 

 notice of his Majesty's Govern- 

 ment, and the country. 



Colonel Brook, on whom the 

 command of the army now de- 

 volved, having come up, and the 

 body of our troops having closed 

 with the advance, the whole pro- 

 ceeded forward ai)Out two miles 

 further, where we observed the 

 enemy in force drawn up before us 

 (apparently about six or seven 

 thousand strong) ; on perceiving 

 our army, he filed off into a large 

 and extensive wood on his right, 

 from which he commenced a 

 cannonade on us from his field 

 pieces, and drew up liis men behind 

 a thick paling, where he appeared 

 determined to make his stand. Our 

 field guns anwered his with evi- 

 dent advantage, and so soon as 

 Colonel Brook had made the ne- 

 cessary (dispositions, the attack was 

 ordered, and executed in the high- 

 est style possible. The enemy 

 opened his musketry on us from 

 his whole line, in mediately as we 

 approached within reach of it, and 

 kept up his fire till we reached and 



entered the wood, when he gave 

 way in every direction, and was 

 chased by us a considerable dis- 

 tance with great slaughter, aban- 

 doning his post of the Meeting- 

 house, situated in this wood, and 

 leaving all his wounded and two of 

 his field guns in our possession. 



An advance of this description 

 agamst superior numbers of an 

 enemy so posted, could not be ef- 

 fected without loss. I have the 

 honour to enclose a return of what 

 has been suffered by those of the 

 naval department, acting with the 

 army on this occasion ; and it is. 

 Sir, with the greatest pride and 

 pleasure I report to you, that the 

 brigade of seamen with small arms 

 commanded by Captain Edward 

 Crofton, assisted by Captain Sul- 

 livan, Money, and Ramsay, (the 

 three senior commanders with the 

 fleet) who commanded divisions 

 under him, behaved with a gallan- 

 try and steadiness which would 

 have done honour to the oldest 

 troops, and which attracted the ad- 

 miration of the army. The sea- 

 men under Mr. Jackson, master's 

 mate of the Tonnant, attached to 

 the rocket brigade, commanded 

 by the First Lieutenant Lawrence, 

 of the marines, behaved also with 

 equal skill and bravery. The ma- 

 rines landed from the ships under 

 the command of Captain Robyns, 

 the senior officer of that corps, be- 

 longing to the fleet, behaved with 

 their usual gallantry. 



Although, Sir, in making to you 

 my report of this action, 1 know it 

 is right I should confine myself to 

 mentioning onlv the conduct of 

 those belonging to the naval de- 

 partment ; yet I may be excused 

 for venturing further to state to 

 you generally the high admiration 



