SWABEY DIARY. 597 
of whom 100 alone were victims to the artillery fire, indeed 
few fell in any other way, and so shaken were the squares by. 
it that had the regiments moving on the flanks pushed on, 
the whole force might have been captured. 
Lieutenant Brereton, on this occasion a subaltern in “ D” troop, 
writing in 1840, says, “ on this day a remarkable occurrence 
took place, which was often afterwards adverted to by Lord 
Wellington and Lord Fitzroy Somerset; sixteen men were 
killed by one six-pounder shot, they fell in a line per- 
pendicular to our position, each man lying partly over 
another.” } 
28th May.—All the army except ourselves moved to Brandilanes and 
bivouacked. We passed them and went to Fonfria where we got cover 
for our nags but encamped ourselves. Webber Smith’s? troop having 
reached the army, I rode back two leagues to see my old friend 
Hdwardes ; our meeting was enviable. 
29th May.---Marched to Carvajales where by dint of perseverance 
we got in our horses, the rest of the army still being in camp. 
80th May.—lLord Wellington and his staff having crossed a ferry at. 
Miranda del Douro, suddenly appeared amongst us, the influence of 
his presence seemed immediately to give life to every individual, and 
nothing was talked of but crossing the Hsla. Accordingly in the 
morning Gardiner and I rode a league to see the road and the ford 
of Abnendra. We found the current so rapid that I gave up entirely 
the idea of passing and returned with the conviction of its impossibility. 
I then galloped over to dine with Webber Smith and was not a little 
annoyed to be present when he received an order to join and be 
attached to the hussar brigade, as I had been setting my wits to 
work to put our troop in that situation and had induced Gardiner 
to make application by letter for that purpose. 
1 Two other instances of the destructive power of round shot are worth quoting. Brevet-Major 
Stretton, 40th Regiment, writing of Waterloo, says, ‘‘ towards the evening whilst the regiment was 
in open column, a round shot from the enemy took off the head of Captain Fisher near me, and 
striking his company on the left flank, put hors de combat more than 25 men. This was the most 
destructive shot I ever witnessed during a long period of service.” Waterloo letters, p. 401. 
After the battle of Alma, ‘‘ near the bivouac of the light division, there were many dead, among 
them a remarkable group of fourteen or fifteen men who had been killed in retreating by one 
cannon shot from the French artillery, The shot had passed through their bodies near the waist, 
as if a rank of men had push turned and when in perfect covering had been caught in the back in 
that position by the shot, for they all lay partly one over the other with faces downward.” History 
“©” troop, p. 107. 
Apropos to these incidents ; there are some who will remember how in old days the late General 
Sir John Bloomfield, G.C.B., of Peninsular and Waterloo experience, when descanting on events of 
‘«farty years ago,”’ as he was fond at times of doing, was wont to emphasize the opinion that there 
is nothing like a round shot ; in plain truth in the days of defective shells and unreliable fuzes 
there was more soundness in this view than the young and inexperienced hands who listened to 
the old soldier were perhaps willing to admit.—(¥.a.w.) 
= Captain James Webber Smith (Kane’s List No. 877), served at the capture of Minorca, 1798. 
At the siege of Malta, 1800. At the defence of Porto Ferrajo, 1802. In the expedition to 
Walcheren and at the siege of Flushing, 1809. 
In 1818, he embarked when in command of ‘‘F'” troop for the Peninsula, and served with it to 
the end of the war. He was present at the battles of Vitoria, Nive, Nivelles, the passage of the 
Bidassoa, and the siege of St. Sebastian. 
Lieut.-Colonel Webber Smith commanded “F’”’ troop at Waterloo. He received for his services 
the gold cross and 1 clasp, the silyer medal and 2 clasps, and the C.B. Licut.-General Webber 
Smith died in 1853. 
