SWABEY DIARY. 125 
The escort marched them all like a flock of sheep into the church at 
Sabugal. One could not help pitying their situation ; asa specimen, one 
officer of Engineers was stripped of his boots and obliged to walk all 
the way to Lisbon barefooted. Their cruelty to the Portuguese, and 
in this instance, their having totally ruined the place, can alone justify 
their being robbed. It is singular that many of them that had even 
their coats torn from their backs had money. 
The sick and wounded, making the whole amount up to 1600, have 
gone by another route. The garrison, at the period of our investing it, 
consisted of 2000 men. A courier passed for head-quarters, said to 
have despatches announcing some signal success of General Hill’s, 
reports go so far as to say that he has taken Badajos . . .. . 
23rd January.—Heard further particulars of the events of the siege, 
by which it appears that there were two breaches ; the main one was 
stormed by the light and 3rd division, the 4th stormed the small one, 
and some regiments entered by escalade. The resistance was not very 
determined, and only at the large breach. The stormers had each a 
sack of grass to throw into the ditch to break their fall. The most 
resolute opponents were some deserters from the 52nd and 43rd, 40 
rascals in all were found in the place, one villain stood in the breach 
calling for Lord Wellington. Our troops, as soon as the breach was 
gained, more eager for plunder than their duty, broke and ran, in de- 
fiance of their officers, for plunder and committed shameful excesses, 
disgraceful to the whole army, not a soul that was not rifled, and 
the dead were scarcely cold when they were inhumanly stripped. 
Let me say something for the English character: no intentional 
murders were committed, though some of the men were so drunk 
that they fired promiscuously in the streets and killed many of 
their comrades! ‘The Governor,” instead of defending his charge 
and setting an honourable example by being forward in the breach, 
was taken by Lieutenant Gurwood eating his dinner. ‘The same officer 
led the forlorn hope, and Lord Wellington presented him with the 
Governor’s sword. The latter had the impudence to ask Lord Welling- 
ton if he had not made a noble defence; Lord W. bowed in silence. 
The Governor complained that it was contrary to the usage of war not 
to have summoned the place before storming it, and went so far as 
to talk in a very contemptuous manner of the Spaniards, till Lord 
Wellington was obliged to silence him. As he was sent down to 
Lisbon without horses or attendance, certainly no very honourable 
opinion was entertained of his defence. I fear, likewise, that it was an 
understood thing between Lord Wellington and Don Carlos d’Hspaiia 
that the place was to be plundered on account of the perfidy of the 
inhabitants who favoured the French. The Governor’s papers brought 
much in this way to light, and a correspondence of Marmont’s at 
1 The same characteristic is recorded of the soldiers at Badajos. ‘‘ Nor did the great loss the 
troops sustained from the well prepared efforts of their antagonists render them vindictive ; on gain- 
ing the ascendancy not a Frenchman implored mercy in vain. Scenes of plunder and drunkenness, 
such as are inseparable from an assault prevailed to a great extent, but strong measures were 
immediately adopted to restore order.” ‘‘ War in Spain and Portugal.” J.T. Jones, p. 239. 
2 <« Baron Barrier, General de Brigade. 
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