448 LIEUT.-GENERAL THOMAS DYNELEY, C.B., B.A. 
LETTER XII. 
(To His Brotuer Joun). 
Nava pz Serrovai, July 25th, (812. 
Though I wrote to our dearest mother the day before yesterday, my 
dear John, I do not think it at all improbable this may reach you as 
soon, but before either Ietter, you will have received his Lordship’s 
despatches, which would tell you we had at length come up with Signor 
Marmont and given him a pretty good dressing. It certainly was 
done in a very superior style and was a most beautiful sight. Our troop 
was stationed upon a height from which we could see nearly every man 
of the two armies, and I really flatter myself that never did artillery 
make better practice than our six guns on that day. We fired 492 
rounds, very few of which did not go into the heart of their columns. 
Baynes will tell you it was not any joke for them whenever we played 
upon them for a considerable time with “ round seven ”! and canister at 
800 yards, and most fortunate fellows we were to get at them at all, for 
our division (the 7th) did not firea single shot. The light, 1st and 7th, 
were not at all engaged, therefore you may suppose how our fellows, 
that were, must have fought to have driven the scoundrels before us 
the way they did. 
On the day of the battle after a very few minutes fighting, an order 
from his Lordship came desiring me to get my guns upon a height 
to receive an attack the enemy were about to make. The order I 
received had certainly a very awkward signification: “His Lordship 
desires you will get your guns up that height and wishes you to defend 
it as long as you have a man left to your guns. In the event of your 
being obliged to retire, you will spike your guns and leave them and 
the General officer commanding has most positive orders that he sup- 
ports you to the last; in fact,” his Lordship says, “he must have the 
hill kept.” 
From these orders I made sure of an “ex “dis”’—tinguish. I 
got my guns up with the assistance of a ae of the Ath regiment, 
unloaded my limbers and sent them and my gunners’ horses to the 
rear, as I thought, if we had to run for it, my men should get away as 
fast as the infantry. On arrival on the hill I had some satisfaction in 
finding my friend General Cole in command, knowing there was not 
any run in him. But the enemy never put us to the test, and his 
Lordship came up about three hours afterwards and turned the tables 
by sending for the other four guns and attacking the hill from whence 
we had expected to be attacked.’ 
The hill we attacked was exactly the same height and size as our 
own and distant 700 yards. As soon as the enemy discovered we were 
a3 
1 At this date there were two kinds of case shot used with field guns, viz., “heavy” and 
‘light.’ With light 6-prs. the former contained twelve 8% oz. balls and weighed 7 Ibs. 3 ozs., 
the latter contained thirty-four 33 oz. balls and weighed 7 Tbs. 7 ozs. It is probable the heavy 
aecup Hien WwW eek called “round seven,” and sometimes grape. See ‘‘ Pocket Gunner’’ for 1813, pp. 
9 and 344,— 
2 These hills were the two Arapiles, positions which had considerable influence on the fortunes of 
the day.—Ed. 
