542 LIEUT.-GENERAL THOMAS DYNELEY, O.B., B.A. 
style, the troop standing counting the shots on their fingers. As we 
had received orders from his Lordship not to fire at artillery, or any- 
thing but formed columns, which latter did not trouble us much, we 
only expended 140 rounds the whole day and our loss was very trifling, 
only four men wounded. The poor infantry, who were immediately in 
front and directly behind us, suffered dreadfully. When our men were 
not actually firing, I made them get behind some trees near us. How 
I stood it all I know not, for the whole time I was nearly over my shoes 
in water, and every day on horseback from two, three, or four o’clock 
in the morning until an hour or two after dark at night. However, 
Swabey and I lived together in the same tent and managed to get on 
tolerably well. We got one good meal every day, and nothing could 
be more fortunate than the arrival of my mother’s box of biscuits. I 
received it the very night we commenced our retreat, and as for the 
snuft,! oh, ye gods! I literally had taken the last pinch I had not ten 
minutes before I opened the box containing that article. Thanks for 
the snuff-box, hair-brushes, etc., etc. Captain Parker brought them 
up for me, he arrived just in time to return with us. This campaign 
has sickened a great many, but, as for myself, I sit swinging my legs 
in my arm-chair with my pint of mulled wine before me singing 
“ Adieu to the white cliffs of Britain.” I believe I may say I am as 
happy as any man in the army. I am pleased to have the temporary 
command of the troop, but then I have my little grievance which is 
having all the trouble and anxiety to get it into thorough repair 
during the winter, and then in the spring another man will pop up his 
head and take it from me to fight with. 
IT am very sorry for Macdonald, and pity his sufferings from so 
severe a wound and the distress it will cause his family. I have just 
heard from him and he complains sadly of being in a great deal of pain 
during the night; it is, I understand, a dreadful wound, and from its 
being so high up it will be impossible to amputate should it be 
requisite. 
Fancy the luxury of our poor nags in coming off such a march and 
getting into stables with straw to lie upon, and plenty of hay and corn! 
T am in hopes we may be able to save them yet, but have just heard 
that we are to have another week’s march to the rear, which will 
prevent our carrying anything but the boxes of the horses into 
quarters. 
I see by all your letters up to the third November that the papers 
were pretty correct in their accounts of the Shaston election. I wish I 
had had M on the retreat with us, he would most certainly 
have been one of the number left in the mud. 
The army is most dreadfully sickly. No wonder, poor devils, when 
they were for a week or 10 days marching up to their knees, and many 
times up to their elbows, in water. We have 25 now sick with 
the troop, besides double that number in the rear, amongst them 
Mr. Reed, whom I have not heard of for the last month, but I am sure 
1 Captain Dyneley was a great snuff-taker, and it is said he used to put a box at each end of his 
pillow at night, so never to he at a loss for a pinch.—Hd. , 
