THE SERVICES OF LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 499 
f< I cannot express how much I feel myself obliged to you and the 
troops under your command, in repulsing with so much spirited bravery 
so great a body of the enemy. I own it was just what I expected from 
you and them, and am convinced under your command they always 
will behave in such a manner as to do honour to you, themselves, their 
country, and their King, and I must beg of you to express my thanks 
and gratitude to them in the strongest manner.” 
“ General Medows has the highest satisfaction in communicating so 
flattering a letter from the Commander-in-Chief to the troops under 
his command, and begs leave to mark to the officers and men his great 
admiration of their gallantry and good conduct in the affair of the 
18th inst., he feels too much to be able to add more than that at the 
head of such troops he must be pleased to live and ready to die.” 
December 20th .—This morning very early we discovered to our 
right a body of the French seemingly going from the wood at the foot 
of the Morne Fortune. We imagined they had been out'during the 
night endeavouring to find an accessible road up to our head quarters, 
or to see if they could occupy the hills about the Cul de Sac where 
our shipping are. The force consisted of their marines and grenadiers 
and appeared to number about 800 men. They were sent by d^Estaing 
the day their army landed and had been poking about the woods ever 
since without being able to do anything against our posts. Last 
night and this whole day has passed without any popping from either 
side. Their army remains in the same position as before. They are 
very busy landing provisions, tents and other things, and are either 
mending the roads or are raising some kind of works on their emin¬ 
ences. We hear that on the 18th, Comte d'Estaing commanded the 
right, the Marquis de Bouille the left, and Comte Lovendahl (who it 
is said was mortally wounded) the left of the French army. Their 
fleet is as quiet and inoffensive as lambs. 
Every night and day that we have been on shore on this horrible island 
has been excessively windy and rainy, I never saw a part of the world 
a tenth so bad as this. The whole Island is a jumble of ragged 
mountains thrown upon one another with the utmost irregularity. 
Our troops go through inconceivable fatigue in transporting provisions 
etc. from the shipping. 
December 21st .—Everybody quiet last night. Wind and rain as 
usual. I have now been seven days on shore, have not had my clothes 
once off, and have been wet through every day and night. The 
French army and fleet remain as usual. They landed a small body of 
men in a bay to leeward, with the intention, we imagine, of possessing 
themselves of the hills surrounding the Cul de Sac where our shipping 
are. 
General Medows issued the following order to day :■— 
“ Whenever the pickets are attacked the drums to beat to arms, 
and the lines to be manned immediately. As soon as our gallant and 
generous enemy are seen to advance in great numbers, the troops are 
