; 
immediate orders, the greatest praise is due. 
Major-General Hill and Colonel Catlin Cran- 
ford, with their brigades on the leit of the po- 
sition, ably supported their advanced posts. 
The brunt of the actionfell uponthe 4th, 49d, 
50th, and 8ist regiments, with parts aE the 
brigade of guards, and the 26th regiment. 
From Lieut.-Colonel Murray, Quarter Master 
General, and the officers of the General Staff, 
JT received the most marked assistance. I had 
yeason to regret, that the illness of Brigadier 
General Clinton, Adjutant General, deprived 
meof hisaid. I was indebted to Brigadier Ge- 
-neral Slade during the action, for a zealous of- 
fer of his personal services, although the Ca 
valry wereembarked. 
The greater part of the fleet having gone to 
sea lapels evening, the whole being under 
weigh, and the corps in the embarkation neces- 
sarily much mixed on board, it is impossible at 
_ present to lay before you a return of our casu- 
alties, I hope the loss in numbers is not so 
considerable as might have been expected. If 
I was obliged to form an estimate I should say, 
that I believe it did not exceed in killed.and 
wounded from seven to eight hundred ; that of 
the enemy must remain unknown, but many 
circumstances induce me to rate it at nearly 
double the above number. We have some pri- 
.goners, but I have not been able to obtain an 
account of the number; it is not, however, 
considerable. Several Officers of rank have 
fallen or been wounded, among whom I am 
only at present enabled to state the names of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Napier, 92d regiment, 
Majors Napier and Stanhope, 50th regiment, 
‘killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Winch, 4th regi- 
ment, Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, 26th re- 
giment,. Lieutenant-Colonel Fane, 59th regi- 
ment, Lieutenant-Colonel Griffith, Guards, 
Majors Miller and Williams, 81st regiment, 
wounded. 
To you, who are well patie with the 
excellent qualities of Lieutenant-General Sir 
John Moore, I need not expatiate on the loss 
the army and his country have sustained by 
hisdeath. His fall has deprived me of a valu- 
able friend, to wkom long experience of his 
weysth had sincerely attached me. But it is 
chitfy on public grounds that I must lament 
the blow. It will “be the consolation of every 
one who loved or respected his manly character, 
that, after conducting the army through an 
arduous retreat with consummate firmness, he 
has terminated a career of distinguished honour 
by a ceath that has given the enemy additional 
reason to respect the name of a British sol- 
dier. Like the iramortal Wolfe, he is snatched 
. ftom his country at an early period of a life 
spent in herservice; like Wo'te, his last mo- 
ments were gilded by the prospect of success, 
and cheared by the acclamation of victory ; 
like Wolfe also, his memory wil] for ever re- 
main sacred in that country which he sincerely 
Joved, and which he had so faithfully served. 
dt remains for me only to express my hope, 
84 | Battle of Corunna. 
[Feb. 1, 
that you will speedily be restored to the sere 
vice of your country, and to lament the un~ 
fortunate circumstance that removed you from 
your station in the field, and threw the mo- 
mentary command into far Jess able hands. [ 
have the honour to be, &c. 
JouN Hore, Lieut.-Gen. 
To. Lieutenant-General Sir David Baird, Ge. 
The. following copy of a letter from 
the Hon. Michael De Courcy, Rear-Ad- 
miral of the White, to the Hon. William 
Wellesley Pole, Reread on beard his Ma-~ 
jesty’s. ship the Tonnant,. at Corunna, 
the 17th and 18th instant, was Geneve 
at the Admiralty-office, Jan. 24, 1809. 
‘fanuary 17, 1809. 
Str—-Having it‘in design to detach the 
Cossack to Engiand as soon as her boats shall 
cease to be eager ta to the embarkation‘ of 
troops, I-seize a moment to acquaint you, for 
the information of the Lords Commissioners 
of the Admiralty, that the ships of war, as 
per margin®, and transports, under the orders 
of Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and Com- 
missioner Bowen, arrived at this anchorage 
from Wigoon the i4th and 15th inst. The 
Alfred and Hindostan, with some transporcs, 
were left at Vigo to receive a brigade of three 
thousand five haindted men, that had taken - 
that route under the Generals Alten and 
Crawford. 
In the vicinity of Corunna the enemy have 
pressed upon the British in great force. The 
embarkation of the sick, the cavalry, and- 
the stores went on. The night of the 16th 
was appointed for the general embarkation of 
the infantry; and, mean time, the’ enemy 
prepared for attack, At three P.M an action 
commenced; the enemy, which had been 
posted on a "fofty hill, endeavouring to force 
the British on another ‘hill of inferior height, 
and nearer the town, 
The enemy were driven back with great 
slaughter; but very sorry am I to add, that 
the British though triumphant, have suffered 
severe losses. Tam unable to communicate 
further particulars, than that Sir John Moore 
received a mortal wound, of which he died at 
night; that Sir David Bara lost an arm 3 
that several officers and many men have been 
killed and wounded; and that the ships of 
war have received all such of the latter as they 
could accommodate, the remainder being sent 
to transports.. hc - 
The weather is now tempestuous; and the 
difficulties of embarkation are great. ~All ex- 
cept the rear guard are embarked 5 consisting 
perhaps at the present moment of two thou- 
sand six hundred men. ‘The enemy having 
brought cannon to a hill overhanging the 
* Ville de Paris, Victory, Barfeur, Zeas_ 
lous, Implacable, Elizabeth, Norge, Planta. 
genet, 
Mediator. 
i. beach, 
— 
Resolution, Eis dha Sa Lasik 
