494 THE SERVICES OF LIEUT..COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
situated on a high ground, the hill from it down to the bay side being 
almost of a perpendicular steepness. It not only commands all the 
harbour, but also the Vigie, the town and all the ground on that side 
the Careenage. I believe the width of the Careenage to be 600 yards, 
and the distance from the entrance to the town a mile and a half. 
The instant I got to this battery I saw an occasion to use a few car¬ 
tridges I luckily had brought with me to good effect, forcing a column 
of the enemy to retire that seemed inclined to take post in the skirts 
of the town. 
The French army were now in possession of all the range of hills 
from above the town down to the Choc Bay side with a number of 
small cannon placed here and there. We had left the town entirely, 
but we had a post of the 46th Regiment within a hundred yards of it, 
immediately at the bottom of the road from the Morne. We had left 
the town in a violent hurry, for what reason I know not, because if we 
had chose to prevent it, a Frenchman could not live in it, but so it was. 
The Commissary, frightened out of his senses, ran away and left some 
provisions, which were useful to the French. Other people not know¬ 
ing clearly what they were about left a number of boats and canoes in 
the town, though at this time we had not such a convenience to send 
across to General Medows or to do anything else that might be neces¬ 
sary. The enemy, I believe, conceived from our retiring so peaceably 
as they advanced, that we meant not to dispute any ground with them, 
but in this they found themselves egregiously deceived. It was in the 
middle of this night that a body of them silently entered the town, 
proceeded over the bridge and attacked the pickets of the 46th Regi¬ 
ment ; they were soon repulsed with some loss ; we also lost men, two 
killed and six wounded. 
On the 18th, at daybreak, we observed the French army in motion, 
seemingly as if they intended an attack on General Medows. They 
were marching in strong columns from the hills opposite to us through 
the woods to their right, and taking post along the seaside and all the 
ground in our front. About eight o'clock we were convinced of their 
intention, for through the breaks in the wood we plainly saw three 
columns directing their course to the Peninsula. One approached by 
the Choc Bay side, the others proceeding through different roads 
terminating near an old redoubt, between which and Choc is a low 
level piece of ground. It was on this ground the enemy formed from 
their columns before they advanced to the foot of General Medows's 
hill. Five companies of our light infantry were advanced to the re¬ 
doubt, and near it, part of whom narrowly escaped being surrounded 
by the French, who, much favoured by the thickness of the woods, 
had got close up to them before they were perceived, and but for an 
exertion of their usual agility a great many must have been taken. 
As it was Captain Downing, 55th, and another officer and eight men 
were made prisoners. 
The French army in forming on so small a space of ground jumbled 
the right of one column on the left of another, and were in some dis¬ 
order, which was not a little increased by the well directed fire of our 
artillery. However, they soon recovered in some degree, and began 
