SWABEY DIARY. 42,7 
9nd Battalion 87th Regiment, Captains Rowan’s and 
Dickson’s companies Royal Artillery. All artillery horses 
and mules (excepting 170 horses) with a due proportion of 
artillery drivers. Wellington Despatches, Vol. IX., p. 415. 
2nd November.—In the evening we turned out and went to the 
heights above the Jarama bridge where there had been all day a 
smart fire, these hills form an excellent position and we thought we 
were certainly intended to fight. The bridge, guarded by the 87th, but 
from the nature of the ground, commanded by the French artillery, 
was charged twice by infantry and three times by cavalry, but they could 
not make any impression. As soon as it was dark, however, we com- 
menced our retreat through Valdemoro, General Cole! having the 
conduct of it. At Valdemoro, there were large vats of new wine open, 
and so little care was taken that 300 men were left behind drunk and 
taken by the enemy. We marched all night. 
[During our march towards Valdemoro the enemy kept continually 
manceuvring to turn our left and passed over at a distance small parties 
of cavalry and light troops at various fords. Our retreat began 
over a bridge across the Jarama,’” which was maintained by the 
87th Regiment in spite of repeated efforts on the part of the enemy to 
gain possession of it. The retreat was continued at night through 
Valdemoro, and here a scene of the most disgraceful character ensued. 
It was at the time of year when the new wine was in open vats and 
there were many at this place. Numbers of men fell out of the ranks 
and surrounded them and I saw with my own eyes many actually 
drowned in the vats! They were baling out the liquor with their caps 
to their comrades till overcome, as much by the fumes of the wine as 
by what they drank, they sank down and expired in their glory. What 
a death for a reasonable being! Whether they were emulous of 
making their exit from this world as famous as that of the illustrious 
“ Prince who was drowned in a butt of Malmsey” I cannot say, but 
undoubtedly they were as “Royal” when they died as was ever the 
unfortunate Clarence. However, it is certain that the army lost in 
this way at least 800 men. In all sober sadness this was as melancholy 
a scene as I ever witnessed. The men being drunk were rather deaf 
to the commands of their officers, and the night was very dark, but the 
disorder was at length put a stop to by staving in the vats]. 
3rd November.—We arrived at the Madrid bridge where we met 
Captain Cleves,’ of the German Legion Artillery, who, having the day 
before destroyed the greater part of the Retiro and all the battering 
train had returned anxious before the French came to blow up one mine 
which had failed. I volunteered going with him. When we went 
1 Lieut-General the Honorable Lowry Cole, Commanding 4th Division. 
2 The Puerte Larga below the confluence of the Jarama and Henares. There was also a bridge 
of boats over the former river close by a little above Bayona. Napier, Vol V., p. 311. 
8 2nd Captain Andrew Cleves commanded a 9-pounder brigade at the battle of Albuera, where 
he was taken prisoner, but escaped on the field of battle. He also commanded a bri ? 
9-pounders at the battle of Waterloo.—F,4A.W, ora 
