The Sun. — London, England, 1812-01-29 00:00:00

Tag LONDON GAZETTE. EXTRAORDINARY, TUESDAY, JAN. 28, 1212. WAR DEPARTMENT. Downing-street, Jan. 28, 1812. Captain O'Donoghue, Acting Aide-de•Camp to Colonel Skerrett, has arrived this morning at Lord Liverpool's Office with dispatches from M..jor-Gen. Cooke, of which the following are copies. MY LORD, I beg to congratulate your Lordship upon the Complete failure of the enemy's expedition against Tarifa, and to refer you to the inclosed copy of my lt-tter to General Loid Wellington, convey tog Co lonel Skerretes repotts of the French having been iepulsed with great loss ii. asiaulting the breach 'Which they had effeCted in the wall, and of their heavy artillery, and a quantity of stores on the ground, Your Lordship will see that Colonel Skerrett, and the brave troops under hiS command, hare tho roughly done their duty. He has ex essyd his sense of the effectual co-operation of the Sp tnish troops under General Copons, who in his report, gives his full approbation of the conduct of Colonel Skerrett, a nd the British troops under his orders, upon this, !s he has done upon former occasions, dining the last Zhree months. Captain O'Dotroghtte,. of the 47th Regiment, a - mg Aide-de-camp to Colonel Skerrett, has charge of this dispatch, and will give your Lordship any details telative to the late events at Ttrila. I have the houour to be, &c. (Signed) GEO. COOKE, Maj. Gen. The Earl of Liverpool, &c. WIN , LORD, • , Cadiz, fan. to, 13,2. 1 last night received a dispatch fiom Colonel Skerrett, da'ed the Ist inst. ul which I have the ho nour to transmit a copy, reporting the defeat of a itrong column of the evenly on the day before, in an assault of the breath, which they had made in the wa n of Tarifa. I received at the same time intelligence from l' ie ut• Gen. Campbell, th.it the French had broke b i P from b e i ore th e I .l:ce the.night of the 4th, I ' yin; their artiller; , , &c. and retiring by a pass of Lallena2 under the tire of the navy. , have this morning received Colonel Skerrett's report of that most satisladory event, by his Aid -CriV, Capt. O'Donoitue, and I beg leave to refer your Lordship to the copies of them. I have, &c. (Signed) GEORGE COOKE, AlJj.Gen. ten, Lord Vis. Wellington, Sce. SIR, Tarifa, fan. r, iSiz. e my last I had the honour to state that the I .) 'enlY commenced to batter in breach on the -29th 1 ecember, since which pi riod until yesterday he e •P t ul) a hea' y fire of cannon on the breach, and of shells on the town, causeway , and eight o'cl oc k on th e mornif , g of the 3 s I December, b st rong column was seen rapidly advancing to the t itch;- our musqueity 3everal .- timt s checked the enemy ; and the firm front and intrepid behaviour 1 , the troops, in less than an hour, gained a corn - ' tele victory. The most b id of the enemy fell near e f oot of the breach, and the mass of the col um n ti clt: a precipitate retreat. 'the situation of the enemy's wounded, with and the g roun d was ce.:ered between his battery • 1 4 nd our fire, where they must inevi'ably have induced me, from Moti , es of minpassion, to hoist afltg of truce to carry them oft. Some were br ought., into the place over the breach , but from "s" eX t reme difficulty attending tl)is, '1 allowed the ,netry to carry the remainder away. 'General Leval, l i oe French Commander in Chief , express'ed his _ac 'nowledgenient for the conduct of the British and Spanish nations on 'this occasion in the ino,t feeling and grateful terms. We, have made prisoners ten ffierrs, and t went) , or thirty soldiers ; the enemy's I t'lss has been very severe. The column that at tacked the breach was two thousand [nen, corn posed of all the grenAdicrs and voltigeurs of the ar my. The enemy invested this town o n the 20th t 1 a-cember, since which period , one thousand tritish and seven or eight hundred Spanish troops, ith only the defence of a walh - which appears to flue been built as a defence against atchery, and befor e the use of gunpowder, have resisted an army, of ten thousand men, with a regUlar battering train of artillery, and have at last defeated and re pulsed them. The wall of the town has the additional disad vantage of being commanded within half-musket s tint, and flanked or taken in reverse in almost every p ar t. he conduct of all•the troops has been admira ble, and that of Lieutenant Colonel •Gough, and the Id battalion of thel37th regiment, exceeds all praise. .tqual credit is idue to the indetatigahle exertions of Captain Smith's royal engineers, to whom much of our success is due. I have on all occasions received tile greatest assistance from the military experience, 1, 4 tfl the great exertions of Lieuten ant Colonel Lord .troby, second in command. We have to regret the loss of two officers, killed, Longley, Royal Engineers, and Lieutenant Mall, 47th Regiment. I have, &c. (Signed) J. B. SKERRETT, Col. To Major General Cooke, &c. Return of killed, wounded, and missing. in the Aaion at Tatifa, on the 31st Dee. 1811. Royal Engineers—x Lieutenant killed. 111 Batt. 47th Reg.-1 Lieutenant, t rank and file, killed ; Lieutenant, 2 rank and file, wounded. 2 d Batt. 87th Reg.-5 rank and file kilted; t Lieutenant, Ensign, 2; rank and file, wounded. ad Ban. 95th Reg. t rank and file killed ; t rank and file wounded. Total-2 officers, 7 rank and file killed ; 3 officers, rank and file, wounded. Names of Officers killed and wounded. Royal Engineers— Lieutenant Longley, killed. 24 Batt. 47th Reg --Lieutenant Hall, killed ; Lieutenant Hill, slightly wounded. Zd bait. 87th Reg.-- Lieutenant M. Carroll and Ensign Walter, slightly wounded. (Signed) T. BUNBUR V, Bcigade- Major. SIR, Tarifa, lan. 5, 'Six. In my letter of the Ist instant, I had the honour to relate the particulars of our proceedings here, and of our victory at the 13G - each. Since that period, the enemy has kept up a paitial fire, and the breach was for a space of tv.er.). yesterday elmpletely open five or thirty yards. From the movements of the enemy last night, I was induce:l to suppose he intended another as sault. and the garrison waited in eager expetiation to give him anotler proof of.. British valourN_Tn our astonishment, this morning at day-light the .columns of the enemy were already at a distance, having taken advantage of a dark and stormy night to make a precipitate retreat, leaving. in .our pos•ession all his, artillery, ammvnition, stores, &c. I immediately ordered Major Broad, with , a part of the 47th regiment, to follow the enemy ; he took possession of his artillery, waggons, and a quantity of stores, time enough to save them from !he flames, the enemy having set tire to them. We have made some pt is mers. From the number of dead found on the ground the enemy occupied, his loss on the whole wust have been very great. Marshal Victor was present in the French camp to give orders for the retreat. We have thus seen the greatest effort the French are capable of making, frustrated by eighteen hun dred British and Spanish troops, with only the de fence of • a paltry wall ; and an army of ten thou sand men, commanded by a Marshal of France, re treating from them silently in the night, after hav ing been repulsed and detected, leaving behind all their anti;lrry aod stores, collected at a great ex pence and by immense eiceiiinns. I inclose a return of atilt:l - y and stores taken from the enemy. The unremitting vigilance and exertion, the zeal and intrepidity of every individual of this gallison, is above praise. . „. have- the honour to dispatch this by my Ading Aid-de-camp, Capt..f.YDonogline, of the 47th regi ment, who is in possession of every information re lative to my proceedings at this place, an officer of great Merit and considerable lenw h of set have the honour lo be, &c. (Signed) J: B. SKERRETT, Cul. To Major-A.:corral Cooke, &e. Tarifa, Januarys, 1312. • Return of Ordnance, Ammunition, and Stores, kit by the Enemy before Tarifa, on the sth January, 1812. 2 brass eight and a hall-inch howitzers, 5 brass sixteen puntlers, 2 twelve do„ with travelling carriages complete. 4 Lars for conveying 'wavy ordnance, - la ammunition wag.. gons, I gin, t forge cart ; various other carts, limbers, spare carriages, &c. several thousand shells, round and grape-shot for the above ordnance. Great quantities of powder, hand grenades, rockets, rope, iron, small stoles, and implements of all descriptions; also entrenching tools fur live hundred men. (Signed) 1). I. HUG 11ES, Captain command ing Royal Artillery. C. sMII tl, Capt. Royal Engineers. (Signed) 1. B. SKEKRI FT, Colonel. (True copy.) (Signed) EDW. GROVE. SIR, Tarifa, fan. 9, iSit. In my letter of the .sth instant, I omitted to mention the unremitting exertions, and the great assistance al - larded to this place ior a c msiderable time past by Captains Dickson, Searle, Pal, and Carroll, of his Majesty's navy, the last of whom commanded the division of gun-boats, and has on many occasions materially annoyed the enemy, alio impeded his progress in bringing up wins fat th aiege, in which service he has been ex, used 10 con siderable danger, which I request may be added to my report. I have the honour to be, &C. (Signed) J. B. SKEItitETT, Cal. To Major-Lit...lei - 4 Cooke, &c. &c. 6.1 c. WAR DEPARTMENT. Downing sheet, Jan. 28i 1812. A Dispatcti ut which the following is an ex tract, has et en this morning received- at Lord ,Li verpool'. Wier, addressed to his Lordship by Lieu. tenant-Generai Cainpbell, dated Gibraltar, ,3d nuary,l 812. An incessant fire of cannon and musketry at in iervals, continued at Tarifa on the 30th ultimo, and during that night. Oa the 31st, between eight and nine o'cloek in the morning, the enemy (having effected a breach in the east wail of, the town) advanced with two thousand picked men, grenadiers and light infant tp assault the place. Eight companies of the 87th' regiment, under the orders of Lieutenant-Culonel Gough, were stationed on the walls in that &stria of the town. The enemy was received by them when near the breach, with three cheers, under a steady discharge of musketry. From the spirited behaviour of this corps, aided b. a well cire6ted fire from two field-pieces mounted on the north-east tower, under the command of Captain Mitchell, of the royal artillery, which flanked the column as it advanced, the enemy was broken and dispersed,with great slaughter. Contrasting our lass with that of the enemy in the defence of the town, it appears that ours amounts to two officers killed, three wounded, se ven non-commissioned officets and privates killed, and twenty-four wounded ; whilst the enemy have lost, from the best reports, at the smalle , t caleoh, lion, three hundred men in killed and wounded, be sides ten officers prisoners, many , dt serteri, and a great number of stck,which are lett without ilCCOM inociation. Fifty deserters reached Aigesirds yester day in the most deplorable stale, and they assure us that many would come in but for the difficulty which they experience. . Admiralty-Office, Jan. 28, 1812. Copy of a Letter from the Honourable Rear-Admiral Legge, to Bohn Wilvn Croker, Esq. dated on board the Reven6e, in CadiL bay) lull inst. SI R, I have great satisfaBion in informing their Lord ships of the retreat of the enemy from before Tarifa, leaving their guns, stores, and ammunition, after an unsuccessful assault on the breach, in which they were most gallantly resisted, and sustained an im mense loss. 1 understand the forces un der Colonel Skerrett had two officers and seven men killed, and between V 0 and 30 wounded. _ I inclose copies of twu stets I have received from Captain Dickson, of his M tjesty's ship Stattly, who commanded the naval t urces before Tarifa, whose condud in the many trying situations he has been placed in merits my v.armest acknowledg ments. He speaks in the highest terms of that of the officers and men under him, in the arduous du- . ties they had to perform, incr,-ased by the badness t:f the weaiher they bad to contoad with in that ex posed and dangerous anchorage. I havt the honour to be, &c. A. K. LEGGE. His Majesty's ship, Stately, Tatifa Day, 4th, jatittaty, 1812. SIR, I had the honour to write to you by the Dart (cutter) o the 30th ult., and informed you that the enemy had summoned the town to surrender. I have now the satisfadion to acquaint you thit on the 31st ult. they made a breach and desperate at tack with two thousand men and voltigeurs, and were repulsed with immense loss, leaving in our pos session- eight officers and several men, and the valley by which they made the attack, covered with their wounded. Our loss is most most trifling ; two of ficers killed and a few men. They ,soon after re quested permission to bury their dead, which was granted them. The extreme bad weather we have had, with the deluge of rain that has fallen, has, much impeded the enemy, and- they are dying in their trenchei by cart-loads with wet and cold.— The ships and vessels of war and transports under my orders, I have the pleasure to say, all are safe; the Druid, Thunder, and convoy are shelteted in Sandy Bay . ; the flotilla of gun-boats art.! here . with me. Lieutenant Jenkins has been most aEtive in placing the Desperate in every dire&ion to annoy the enemy, and if you can possibly spate him, Sir, to return, he may be of ei4entiai service. The Basilisk has had letters for you this week past, and has been repeatedly driven back with westerly gales, but lam not without hopes of getting her ta' . Cadiz in a day or two. The enemy are de serting to us in great numbers. . I li ive, &c. The Hon. A. K. Legge. G. S. DICKSON. His Majesty's Ship, Stately, Tarifa Bay, SIR, I.m. s, 1312. I h d the hottour to state to you in my letter of yesterday's date, that the enemy. had made a breach and desperate attack with two thousand men and voltigeurs, and had been most gallantly repulsed with great loss, and some prisoners. I have now the pleasure to inform you, that-the whole of the enemy's army were observed this morning making a most precipi!ate retreat to the westward, leaving behind them in therr trenches the whole of their artillery, consisting of nine pieces of cannon and two mortars, with an immAise quantity of shot and shells, and inttenchong tools. And as the intention of the expedition has now been so happily fulfilled, and the presence of his Ma jesty's ships and vessels under my command being no longer necessary here, I propose joining you im mediately, leaving his Majesty's ship Druid at Ta rifa with the trtnsports, to follow, with such pro portion of the army as Colonel Skerrett shall deem proper to embark. I have now the pleasing task to state to you, Sir, that during the whole of this little siege, the exer tions of Captains Searle, Pell, Everard, and Carton, with the several Lieutenants, conmianding mortar brigs, and gun-b. at viz Jenkins, Rook, Style, Rittrey, Cotb, and Bisdeo, in Ming up positions, and t heir t - ,Ktleme perseveance io remaining at their ditfereut aneho•ages, during the most tempestuous we,:ther, to the great annoyance of the enemy to currying_ their operations, and giting counte nance to our little army on shore, has been must meritorious, and demands of toe toy warmest ac knowledgments, as also - Commodore Penrose's First Lieutenant, Julian, who h indsomely volun teered his services in the San Juan's pinnace. I should be wantitig were I not to recommend to you, Sir, my First Lieutenant Davis, fur his inde fatigable exertions with a patty of seamen, in assi,t ip.g army in getting up guns and holding stores; anti iodeed, the very great cheerfulness with which every °Ulcer and seautan I have had the honour to Omman:l has borne the privations naturally at tendant on the extreme tempestuous weather we have had fo uorritend with, has been Most praise worthy. I have the honour to be, &c. (S:gned) E. S. picKsoN, Capt. The lion. A. K. Legge, &c. 4thnirally.Office, Jan. 28, 1812. Copies of two Letters from Commodore Penrose to John Wilson Croker, Esq. SIR, San ;tun, Gibraltar 1, rEzi a. In continuation of my letter by the Conqueror, of the 30th ult. I reqwsi you to inform their Lord ships that the same wind VAliCh took that ship wit of the Streights, enabled Captain Diakson to attempt to re t ain his station but a strong breeze and heavy sea forced every ship, vessel, and gun boat, to leave Tarifa, and take shelter again in t h is bay. In the middle of the day we had received information that the breach in the walls zqipeared pra6ticabfe, and that the town had been in conse quence summoned, and a proper answer re urned. About 5 P. M. I had the great satistaetion of seeing Lieutenant Cobb arrive with the intelligence, that a storm had been attempted about 8 A. IVI. )e,terday, by about two thousand men, aid the assailants gal lan,ly lepoked with considera`,)le loss, said to be about three hundrrd men, while on our Tart, two officers and thri.-,e men are all who have lost their_ lives in this addition instance of the steady valour of the British troops. I have sincerely to regret, that our ships and b•imb vessels were absent, they would not only have been able to annoy the enemy, but the perseverance, quickness, and skill sitewn by Captain Dickson, and all those who have been put under him, either by Admiral Legge or myself,• merited to share every honour, and participate in the cheerful sight of the enemy's repulse. Not one mo ment has been lost by Captain Dickson, either by leaving Tarita beyond absolute necessity, or in re.. turning with every possibledispatch, when the wind: had again permitted. Two light companies are ordere'd to proceed to assist the brave garrison, who have suffered great hardships' and fatigue, from excessive rains, and I have provided for General Btillester-s making a di. vetsion, which I hope he will attempt when the weather serves, but the rain and squalls at this mo ment are bulb excessive. 3 A. M.—Accounts from Tarifa agree, that the extreme bad wea.her, and incessant rains, hare re duced the French army to great distress, and it is certain that sickness prevails in a great degree, and that they are in great want of bread and wine, but no appearance of retreat had been. yet ind!cated two hundred light troops are now on board the gun boats, which had been driven here by the late gales, and a few boats of the country which have bten hired, and are endeavouring to beat down. G.,re rai B3llasrcros, and one thousand three hunched Spanish grenadiers, are embarked, and waiting the first slant t wind. I have the honour to he, &c. (Signed) C. V. PENROSE. 1. W. Croker, Esq. San Juan, Gibraltar, lan, 4, 1812. I reqnest you to inform their Lordships' tliat,,af ter closing my letter yesterday, I received intelli gence from Captain' 1:otio, that fifty deserters had - come in from the French army in the Course of the preceding afternoon, ,all of whom give accounts of great distress prevailing throughout it ; want of. bread and wine, and great sickness. Accounts from Tarifa in the afternoon stated, the enemy appeared to be about ereEting another bat- - tery,, for the purpose of etfeBing a breach in ano ther part of the wall ; but from the excellent mea sures taken within, I do not think any leari need be entertained of the result of another attempt to storm. I should, indeed, feel, in a state of the most perk& security, if we could get the Spanish . grenadier battalion under Ballesteros all down, in addition to the two light companies which General Campbell has already sent. 4 P. M. Jan. 5.—1 have now the very great satis• fa6lion to request you to inform their Lordships, that I have just received thp 'intelligence that the enemy, after ,making some demonstrations of an as sault during last night, broke up from before Ta rifa, leaving seven brass eighteen-pounders and 'two howitzers spiked, with ammunition waggons, tools, In addition to the gallant repulse which I have before mentioned in the attempt of the French, and the fire from our guns, which have been most' ably worked, both on tie land and from our ships and boats when occasions offered, the enemy has . had to encounter such excessive rains, attended with want of pror;sions and every species of shelter, that it is just to give him great credit for his perse-. vering so long as he did. I cannot speak to the loss of the enemy, or of ont- • own corretly, and this will of course be detailed in the military reports. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) I. W. Croker, Esqs C. V. PENROSE. P. S. Slice the date of Captain Dickson's letter, two other guns have been discovered, which were buried in a house; and from deserters, I apprehend that a twenty-four pounlier is also hid at some little distance. Admiralty- Office, January 28, 1812. Copy of a Letter from Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, Bart. ( .mmander in -Chief of his Majesty's Ships awl Vess, Is 111 tue Mediterpnean, to john Wilson Croker, . Esq. dated 'on board His Majesty's Ship the Caledonia, Port Mahon, 16th December att. Ihav'e the honour to enclose a letter from Re. r Admiral. Freemantle, giving cover. to one from the Honourable Henry Duncan, Captain of his Atrjes ty's ship linperieuse, detailing the particulars of 3 very gAllant service performed by that - ship and the 'Thames, at Palinuro, on the coast of Calabtirr, bn the '2lst . of °Eicher last, aided by a party of the 62d Regiment, under-the Comniand of Major parley. Captain Duncan; on this as on all other occasions, has she% n the greatest judgment snd euterprize; and I have read with great satisfaaion the handsome expressions which he uses.ibtvards Captain Napier and Major Dailey, the officers and men under their orders. I have to regret th's very gall Ant affair has not been performed without loss; and sincerely lament that i he public service has been deprived of Lieu; e rrant P.pon, of the Royal Marines, and Lieutei,aor Kay, of the 62d, killed, and the severe wound of Captain Oldham, of that regiment, on this .occa sion. I have the honour to be, tic. E. PELLEW. J o hn Wilson Croke, Esq. Secretary to the Admiralty, &c. &c. &c. His Majesty's Ship Imperieuse, Melazzo, Nov. 6, 1811, SIR, I have the honour to inform you, that on the :list u:t. the 1 enperieuse and Thames discovered ten of the enemy's gun-boats in the port of Palinuro, with a number of merchant vessels, and a quantity of spars (intended for the equipment of the'Neapo litan navy)--hauled up on the beach; but, / from the strength and situation oft he harbour, I did not think the force I then had sufficient to attack it with a prospett of complete success, I therefore sent the Thames to Sicily to request the assistance of a de tachment of soldiers ; and on the 28t. she rejoi,ed me with two hundred and fifty of the 62d Re.yment, under Major Darley, but unfortunately at.the com mencement of -a S. W. gale, whicti precluded all possibility of landing till the evening of the t.a, • when the trooi.s, together with the marines of both snips, under Lieutenant Pinot), and detachments of seamen under Lieutenant Trovers,, of the Imperi euse, the w hole commanded by Captain Napier, were disembarked from the Thamts at the back of the harbour, and immediately asc,Atcled the heights in a very gallant style, under a heavy fire from the ,enemy, who w ere assembled in force to opp.nse them, and who, soon after dark, endeavoured Co re take their position, but one volley obligedl hem in stantly to retire. . The ImOerieuse had, in the mean time, been endeavouring to occupy the attention of the gun-boits and battery in front, but light and bafiliog. winds prevented our getting nearer than long range during that evening. Next morning, . finding that nothing could be done on the land side against the battery and a strong tower that protetted the.vessels on the beach, and within pistol-shot of whigh the gun-boats were moored, I ordered the Thames to, close; and having directed Captain Na pier to retortion board her, we bore up at the com mencement of the sea:breeze, and running along the line of gun-boats within half musket-shot, obliged -them almost instantly to surrender, and two were sunk. We then anchored dust to the fort, which in about fifteen minutes was completely silenced, and in a quarter of an hour more the colours on the tower were struck to his Majesty's ships, and it was instantly taken possession of by Lieutenant Travers, who, on seeing us stand in, had most gallantly i,ush•