300 SWABEY DIARY. 
taken. Marmont lost an arm! and Bonnet and another general were 
wounded. Our loss is estimated at between 3000 and 4000 men. 
General Le Marchant was killed at the head of his brigade, General 
Victor Alten of the cavalry, Marshal Beresford, and Sir Stapleton 
Cotton are wounded. 
The charge on a solid square of infantry of the enemy’s rear guard 
on the 24th, was one of the most gallant actions of the war.2 The 
prisoners say the French army is dispirited and discontented. 
30th July.—A General Salute was fired in honour of Lord Welling- 
ton’s success, and we have intelligence of 3000 more prisoners being 
taken making 9000. 
Joseph’s army coming up to re-inforee Marmont, had its advanced 
guard driven in, and when this account came away, he was in full 
retreat. 
We all remained in camp this night, General Hill having ordered a 
double ration of spirits to be issued to the men to drink Lord Welling- 
ton’s health. We gave him repeated cheers, but every individual 
accompanied them by wishing a parallel opportunity to occur to us. 
Ist August.—We were permitted to return into quarters this morning 
a change very agreeable to us all. 
2nd August.—Confound all dilatory and spiritless Generals! We 
were this morning under arms at 3 o’clock and having returned to 
quarters and unharnessed, about 9 when I was in bed, came an alarm 
and turn out. This was occasioned by the Hussars being attacked in 
Ribera, into which place though occupied by us, the French had 
actually sent and ordered rations, promising to come for them. 
The Alcalde had consequently prepared them, for which piece of 
service had I my will I should certainly hang him for not giving us 
information, notwithstanding that the French whenever they had 
possession of the place, which is one that must change masters every 
day, would undoubtedly serve him the same way had he done so, yet 
justice should be vigorous and the Alcalde is at liberty to fly whenever 
the enemy advances, then his house and property are burnt, neverthe- 
less I would hang him to intimidate others. 
1 Marmont in his memoirs tome 7, page 116 describes as follows mecting with the Non-Commis- 
sioned Officer, then Quartermaster Sergeant J. Wightman, who caused his wound. “ Before leaving 
Ghent in 1815, previous to Waterloo, { wished to sce a company of English horse artillery which 
was there. The English material is so different from what we used formerly, that the comparison 
was curious. I therefore examined it in detail, and I admired the simplicity of the construction, 
since adoptedin France. This visit caused a singular incident, they presented to me the Maréchal 
des logis, who, on the 22nd July 1812, had laid the gun whose discharge had broken my arm an 
hour before the battle of Salamanca. There could be no mistake; this fatal wound had been caused 
by asingle gunshot, fired at a certain time at a known spot.’’ I gave this under officer a good recep- 
tion. Since then I saw the same man at Woolwich where he was-a store keeper, [ Lieut. Invalid 
Artillery] when I was there in 1830, to visit that magnificent arsenal. Then however he had only 
one arm, having lost the other at Waterloo. In condoling with him I said, “my good fellow each 
has his turn.” 
2 The charge was made by the heavy cavalry of the K. G. Legion under Major-General Bock. 
“ Bock was near sighted, and not being aware of the proximity of the enemy, when Lieut.-Colonel 
May, R.A., brought him the order to charge, added, after expressing his readiness to comply ; but 
you will be good enough to show us the enemy.” ‘To this request Colonel May readily assented, 
and gallantly accompanied the first squadron in the charge, where he was severely wounded. When 
afterwards relating the circumstance, the gallant Colonel was wont jestingly to add: “That is what 
I got by playing the dragoon, and leading the Germans.’’ History of King’s German Legion, 
Vol. II, page 82. 
