The National Register. — London, England, 1813-09-19 00:00:00

TIM. NATIONAL REGISTER. I cannot sufficiently applaud the conduct of Mariscal de Campo Don Manuel Freyre, the Commander in Chief of the 4th Spanish army, who, whilst he made every disposition which was proper for the troops ender his command, set them an example of gallantry, which having heen followed by the (kn. Chiefit, and other Officers of the regiments, ensured the success of - the day. In his report, in which I coneur,• the General expresses the diffienly which 1w finds of selecting particular instances of gallantry, in a ease in wl:ich all have conducted themselves so v ell ; but he has -par ticu'arly mentioned Gen. Mendizable, who volunteered his assistance and e. mmanded on the heights of San Marcia' ; Mariscal de Campo Losiolo, who commanded in the centre, and was w4unded ; Mariscal de Campo Jose Garcia de Paredes, the commanding officer of the artillery ; Brigadiers I)on Juan Diaz Porlier, Don Jose Maria I:•pdtta, Don St. nislas Sanchez Salvador; the Chief of the Staff. of the fourth army, and Don Antonio Roselly : and Cols. Fuentes Pita, the commandin ,, Engineer, Don Juan Loarte, of the regiment nde la Const ittu n, a nd Don Juan Uarte Mendia. Major.-Gen. Inglis, and the regiments in his brigade of the seventh division, conducted themselves remarkably won. The regime:es, under Cul. Mitelial, and the GBth, under Lient.-Col. Hawkins, e,vered the change of position by the troops from the heiahts he: ween the Bidasso and Lezaca, to thOse ofSan Antonio; and these corps were distinguished. Throughout these operations- I have received every assistance from tl:e Adj.-Gen. Major.-Gen. Pakenham, and the Quin...Mast.- Gen. Major.-Gen. Murray, and all the officers of the- staff, and of my own staff. I transmit thii dispatch by Major Hare, Acting Assist. Adj. Gen with this army, attached to Lient.-Gen. Sir T. Grallam; whom I beg leave to recommend to your Lordship's protection. I have the honour to be. &c. IV E LLI GTO N. P. S. I inclose a return of the killed and mounded in the opera rhfani of the 314 ult. and Ist instant ; and returns of the loss before San Seba-tian front the 23th of July to the :31st of Angnst. Oyarzim, Sept. 1. 1813 My Lord.— ol:elience to your Lordship's (inters of 11w pawed int; day to at Lek and forma lidgernelit on the breach of St. Schas ti •ii, which now extended to the left, so as to embrace the outer too.t tower, the CAI and front of the curtain immediately over the left bastiol, as well as the faces of the bastion itself. the assault took place at ek %en o'clock a. in. yestet day ; and I have the houoor to rept.rt to your Lord-hip, that the heroic perseverance of all the trorps concerned was at tat l'il•Wlted with suree..s. The column aat tiwk was formed of the second brigade of the fifth tiivision, cowm.inded by :`,liljor General Robinson. with an im mediate support of letacliments as permargie, and having in reserve the remainder of the filth division, consistirg of Major• General ti;!rye's Portuguese hi igildr, and the first brigade under General Hay, a, also the fifth h.ittalion of Cacadores of General Bradford's brigade ' wider i\Lijnr Hill ; the whole under the &ice Con of Lieutenant General Sir James Leith, commanding the fifth ills: lons _ _ Having arranged every thing with Sir J. Leith, I crossed the tramia to the Iritterie, of the right attic k, where every thing cculd be most distinctly seen, and from whence the orders fir the tire of the batteries, according to circumstances, could be immedi ately given. The column, In filing out of the right of the trenehcq, was as be fore exposed to a heavy fire ofshells mid grapeshot, and a mine was exploded in the left angle of the conntersearp of the horn-work, winch did great damage, but did not check the ardotir of the troops in advancing to the attack. There was nevrr ;illy thing so 011 4 as the external appearance of the breach ; witirent some des cription, the almost insuperable ditlicultiei of the brrach cannot be estimated. Notwith , tanding it, great extent, there was but one point M , here it was possi:le to enter, and there by sintzle files. Ail the inside of the wall to the of the curtain ftnintd a perpendi cular scarp of at Teat '2O feet to the level of the. streets : so that the narrow ridge of the curtain itself. formed by the bre:l6..llg of its end and frott, was the only accessible point. During the ;oven sion of the operatiwis of the siege, from want of ounnonition, the enemy had prepared every means of defence which art coold • One H u ndred and fifty volunteers of the light division, coin manded by Lieutenant-Colonel Hunt, of the 5241 regiment ; hundred of the first division (consi-ting of two Hundred of the bri gades of guards, under Lientenant-Coloncl Cooke of one hundred of the light battalion, and one hundred of the line battalions of the King's German Legion), Under Maior Robertson ; and two hun dred volunteers of the fourth disfision, wider Major Rose, f the loot. devise, so that great immix rs of men were covered by intrench. mints and traver-mvs, in the horn-work, on the ramparts of the curtain, and inside of the town opposite to the breach, and ready to pour a most destructive fire of m u sketry 'on both flanks of the approach to the top of narrow ridge of the curtain. Every thing, that the mast determined bravery could attempt was repeatedly tried in vain by the troops, ho were brought forward from the 'medics in succession. No man outlived the attempt to gain the ridge ; and though the slope of the breach afforded shelter from the enemy's musketry, yet still tl.e natine of the stone rubbish prevented the great exertions of the engineers and working parties from being able to form a lodgeleent for the troops, expo sed to the shells tied grape from the batteries of the castle, as was tidy directed, in obedience to your Lordship's instruction : all events, a secure lodgment could never have been obtained occupying a part of the curtain. In this almost desperate state of the attack, after consulting with Colonel Dickson, commanding the royal artillery, 1 ventured to or der the guns to be turned against the curtail.. A heavy fire of ar tiliery was directed against it; passing only a few feet over the heads of our troops on the breach, and was kept up 'a ith a pre cision of practice beyond all example. Meanwhile I accepted the offer of a part of Major-General Bradford's Portuguese brigade to fiird the river near its month. The advance of the Ist bath:* lion, intli regiment, under Major Sliodgrasa, over the open beach, and across the river ; and of a detachotent of the st regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel M'llean, in support, was made in the handsomest style, under a very severe lire of grape. Major Shod; grass attacked, and finally carried time small breach on the right of the great one, and Lientenaet-Cidoeel M'Bean's detachment occupied the right of the great breach. I ought not to omit to mention, that x similar Wit r was made by the tat Portuguese reel mcot _of Brigadier-General Wilson's brigade, tinder Lientenaut-Col one! Fearon ; and that both Major-General Bradford, and Briga dier-General Wilson, had, from the beginning, urged most anxi ously the employment of their respective brigades in the attack, as they had so large a share in the labour and fatigues of the right attack. Observing row the effect of the admirable fire of the batteries against the curtain, though the enemy was so much covered, a trcat effort was ordered to be made to gain the high ridge at all ha- zards, at the same time that an attempt should be made to storm the horiework. It now fell to the lot of the ed brigade of the f: . .11 division, tin der the command of Colonel the Honoorahle Charles Get:vine, to move out of the trenches for this pnrpo,e, amid the 3 , 1 battalion of the Royal Sects, under Lientenant-Colonel Barnes, supported by the Wile under Lieutenant-Colonel Miles, furtnnately arrived to assault the breach of the curtain, abort the time when an emit°. shut on the rampart of the curtain (occasioned by the fire of the ar tillery) created some confusion among the enemy. The narrow pass was gained, and was maintained, after a severe conflict, and the troops on the right of the breach having about this time suc ceeded in forcing' the barricades on the top of the narrow line wall fomind their way into the horses that joined it. Thus, after an as sault which lasted above two hours tinder the most trying circum stances, a firm footing was obtained. It was impossible to restrain tl:e impetuosity of the troops, and in an hour mole the enemy wet c driven from all the complication of defences prepared in the street , , suffering a severe loss ou their retreat to the t astle, and leaving the whole of the torn in our po , scssion. Tilont:li it must be evident to your Lordship, that the troops ,very all animated vvith the most enthusiastic and devoted gallantry, amid that AI are entitled to the !dullest commendation ; yet, I ant sure, your Lordship will wish to be ieformed more particularly conceriming those, who, from their situation:;, bad opportunities of gaining pGettliar distinction ; as the distance I was at myself does not enable me to perform this act of justice front personal ob servation, I have taken every pains to eolluct information from the superior officers. Lientenant-General Sir James Leith justified, in the fullest the contimltlice ri posed in his tried judgment mid distinguished gallantry, conducting and directing the attack, till obliged to be reluctantly carried off, alter receiving a most severe contusion on the breast, and having his left arm brol.en. Major-Gen. Hay succeeded to the command, and ably conducted the attack to the last. Licht.-Geie Sir J. ith exp! esses his great obligations to Major-Gees. Hay and Rot/insole, (the latter was obliged to leave the field from a severe %mind in the face), and to Licht.-Cols. Berkeley and Gomm, Assist.-Adjt.-Gen. and Assist, QuarelklasteGen. of the 3th division, for their services during this at SEPT. 19. 603