State of Public Affairs in August, 
171 
1811.] 
in consequence of a shot passing through both 
Iver sides^. with the loss only of one woman 
and child killed out of twelve, w'hich were 
then on board, in addition to her crew. But 
the only casualty of importance which has 
happened in the squadron is that which befel 
the Centaur’s launch on the evening of the 
28th, and I beg to refer you particularly to 
the observations of Captain White, respecting 
Lieutenant Ashv/orth, whose conduct and 
whose misfortune entitle him to every con¬ 
sideration. I have the lionour to be, &c. 
(Signed) Edward Codr in gton. 
Captain Codrington further states, that he 
had received intelligence that General Con¬ 
treras was wounded and made prisoner, and 
that the general personally distinguished hiin- 
selfj that the governor, (Goiizalez,) with a 
handful of men, defended himself to the last, 
and was bayoneted to death in the square, 
near his house ; that man, woman, and child, 
were put to the sword upon the French first 
entering the town, and afterwards all those 
found in uniform, or with arms in their 
houses 5 and that many of the women, and 
young girls ten years of age, were treated in 
the most inhuman way ; and that after the 
soldiers had satisfied their lust, many ofthem, 
it was reported, were thrown into the flames, 
together with the badly wounded Spaniards. 
One thousand men had been left to destroy 
the works j the whole city was burnt to ashes, 
or would be so, as the houses were all set fire 
to. 
The following letter appears also to be 
worthy of record. 
“ Tarragona,'’ says he, was taken by 
Storm about half-past six in the evening of 
June 28th. 1 was on shore the day before, 
and went round the works. Althougli the 
French were then within pistol-shot of the 
wall, it did not appear likely the place would 
have been taken so soon, from the intrepidity 
of the Spanish soldiers, who shewed the great¬ 
est indiiference to the shot which were con¬ 
stantly whizzing past them j and precautions 
had been taken by fortifying a range of budd¬ 
ings which runs in a parallel with the wall, 
by blocking up the streets leading from it 
with wine pipes filled with earth, cutting a 
deep and extensive ditch on the side facing 
the enemy, which formed a barrier as strong 
as the' wall, and would have required new 
works to have breached it. Such was the 
state of wretched Tarragona on Friday the 
28th of June. At half past six in the morn¬ 
ing, the French opened by degreco a very 
heavy fire of great gubs and rnusquetry, the 
Spaniards returning it with equal vigour. It 
had been concerted this morning by the Spa¬ 
nish general, Campo Verde, who was at 
Cambrilla with 10,000 men, that he should 
attaclc the French early next morning, on one 
side, and Colonel SkerriC, who commanded 
about 1,200 Briiish, on another part, while 
the garrison made a sortie. But the gover- 
/ror’5 conduct was so Wavering, that a shdrt 
time af er this agreement, lie sent off to know 
if the British squadron could embark tlie gar¬ 
rison. Captain Codrington, of the navy^ 
pointed out the impropriety of doing so afur 
the above arrangements for anatta:k, and ad¬ 
vised him to hold out. He sent again to say, 
that he would defend the place to the last ex¬ 
tremity 5 that the enemy had made a small 
breach, biitfit was of no consequence. About 
six o’clock in the evening, frotn treachery or 
heinous neglect, on the part of the principal 
officers, the troops stationed to protect the 
Walls were lelt destitute of ammunition. The 
French, always vigilant, took immediate 
advantage of tnis negle.-t, marching coolly up 
to the very gate, forcing it up with hatchets 
and bars, and entering the town. The Spa¬ 
niards on the wall made resistance for some 
time with the bayonet, but were obliged to 
give way to rnusquetry and bayonet com¬ 
bined. A sanguinary tumult ensued. Wo¬ 
men, children, and defeated soldiers, fled—by 
their cries of,‘* th? French are in the towc,” 
spread the panic to those soldiers who were 
able to resist, and the flight became general 
towards the gate opposite to that by which 
the French entered j but it was too sntiall for. 
the multitude to escape the diabolical fury of 
the Fiench, who bad already begun a massa¬ 
cre. Several precipitated themselves from 
the w’alls and were killed. About 40(H) got 
0 It, rushing .^uriously through a body or French 
infairtry, who w re waiting for them outside, 
and continued their flight cn the road leading 
to Barcelona. They had already got out of 
the range of the Frencn musqueuy, and were 
congratulating themselves on their escape, 
when a destructive fire from several field- 
pieces, which the French, expecting the evertt, 
and determined that none should escape, had 
taken the precaution to place' behind a deep 
ditch which '-hey’ cut across the road. The 
miserable Spaniards scupified with terror, at- 
tenipted the heights, but the French were 
equally prepared at all points, and coolly put 
them to death, although defenceless and unre¬ 
sisting. Those that remained, in despair 
threw themselves into the sea, where our boats 
made every effort to save them, and succeeded 
in p oking up about 500, the mangled remain? 
ot 8000 men, women, and children j for the 
French spared neither sex or age ! We lost 
a fine young man. Lieutenant Ashworth, of 
the Centaur, killed, and tw'o or three seamen 
wounded, in saving these unhappy creatures. 
Tliose that remained in the town met with a 
similar fate., as the French, on entering, set 
it un fire in several places, and, shocking to 
relate, an hospital, containing 3000 wounded 
Spaniards, was burnt.” 
Names of the generals who now com¬ 
mand the different divisions of tiie British 
army are as follow : 
Cavalry—Lieut. Gen. Sir Stapleton Cotton, 
bart. and Lieut. Gen, Sir Wiliiam.^rs'kine,^ 
bart, ‘ ■ 
