The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-11-14 00:00:00

""`"......1,3117,191

sourm AMERICA.

pi

Loner /rotor %Merchant in Buenos Ayres, containing a true
Account at the Proceadior of the Forces of His Catholic
Maieoy, smaller the command of Don St. IMO Lution end
Stormont. Viceroy, C.ollCrirOg ant Capiiiio.Gemost M
dos
Prositt:es of the River Li l'ltta.titd those of the Fore a
His Owaiinie Maietta, under the command of Lieuteiwri-
Geueral John Whacisitke. tioin lierin4 of thei:do•ein•
barketion to attaric the said Capital, until their surrender
on the 7th of July,
" BUENOS AVILES, Jut .v 16, Iflo7.
14 The unfortunate attacks upon Coionia and Ar-
royo de :inn Pedro, joined to the intelligence which
reached us. that a numerous convoy belonging to
the enemy had arrived in the river. led tie to con-
clude that they would lose no time is carrying into
execution the attack with which we bad been threat-
mad. Under this iosoression, reinforcements were
sent to the poste of Kil saes amid °hero. these being
the points most move:merit for diseathat king. Ad-
vice was soon after received of a number of vessels
hem; seen from Point de Predtas, whose proceed-
tv.!re suspicious ; and their numbers continuing
t,i.,:rease, we were convincea that their operations
ocie drefled against this capital. Accordingly,
on the morning of the 27th of lone, we beheld in
front of the place, about ninety or more vessels. suf-
ficient to strike terror into the inhabitants of a town
oat aectrstomed to a sp.aacle so terrific ; but, so tar
from producing tits efle&, nothing was to be heard
but concurs of music in all quarters, in which di-
version they passed the night, full of spirits, and
talmly erpetti ig an oprrtunity of coming to ac-
tion. lice. the arms, without doubt, dreading the
ofiea of the fire of oar batteries. took the desperate
measure of disembar thug at Arroyo del Pilot*, sear
Enseneict.l d- liartazan, where. in faa, en the fol-
lowing d. v. they made good their landing, without
orpcG Con, to tie number of 9,700 troops of
the line; and, dor-ming their force ti.ta several co-
limns, they directed mile match tow:lids darrac-
suritiounting, %roil inexpressible labour and
constancy, tE:ulties of drat marshy tract of
=[ nand.
"There con; I rat have been a more favourable
situ ri..n for attacelag thkm ; but as. fee th:s put-
pOSC, is *.e01t..1 have been heosesary to diminish our
force, b) at I..ast one-third, and as our Neold
have arrived in a ass i,ied curdit era. from. to. Length
and fatigre or the march, and the en •rny thereby
Lave had orret-dr.ry et re-embarprig, ia de-
fiance of ali our pas:, it was drtermtreJ to send
ono pirtier of svelte, to catty off into the Waite
all the cattle, vas! every thing that could be of any
use, and .a harass die enemy is their :moth. The
cavalry ex :cued this laborious task, in the face of
every danger, and amidst the toil of passing over
brooks and marshes of the most difficult access ;
and, under these circumstances, the enemy. as the
Ist of July. reached the town of Karnes. The de..
tachmeat which occupied it, with the artillery be-
logging to the battery there, had previously re.
ceived orders to fall back to the east-ead of die
bridge of Barracess.
4' Advice being received if this event, our army
began to march from the city, and oa reaching the
same place. drew up in order of battle, with the
right thrown back a tittle, in an oblique direlliou, to
adapt itself to the nature of the ground. TIN tr*lrt
wing was commanded by Colonel Don -Cram Bel
biani, with a red lag ; the left by Colonel Den
Bernardo de Vclasco, Governor of Paraguay. with 1
a white flag; and the centre by Colonel Don Xavier
Elio, with a blue flag. The, light artillery, eon-
sitting of 44 piece', was distributed at diffesent
parts of the line. ao.d the heavy ortiliery, fortnui
Into two divisions, of from six to eight canauns and
two howitzers, composed a snood line of reserve
on the left. Se:gnier Liniers was, at the moment
of attack, to place himself at the head of the right
division; the Naval Captain, Don Joan de la Con-
cha, was to charge the enemy at the head of the
left division. in this situation, they passed the
whole of this day in expectation of the approach of
the enemy. The night was dreadfully cold and
stormy, with heavy tails of rain, which our troops
endured with the greatest constancy ; the Officers
who went the rounds, bearing on all sides nothing
but expressions of confidence and alacrity during
thenight. The enemy passed the night in Use village
of Santo Domingo.
as At day-break, on the 2d, the army were is t'ie
same position. As the morning advanced, the
light cavalry, who watched their ruct:ioas, gave
notice that the *elvers, army bad resumed their
march. The mural conviaion was, that they in-
ended to attack us. Our General. Oerefoie. rode
along the line, and, animating his soldiers with the
mock-word a Saint Jago and viaory,' assured them,
that they were that instant marching to certals tri-
umph. They replied with acclamations, which left
note nientenet doubt of their being villorious. Bat
General Whieelocke, for the first time, eluding our
expernations. filed of by bis left. in the direaion of
the little passed Burcos. Our army followed him
in column, and. a second time. offered him
battle. advancing at a right angle, and having
left the seeps of reserve to guard the bridge;
but. for the second time, the enemy frustrated
our measures. and direßed their march with the
Seeming intention of passing the Diachuelo more to
the westward, which they accordingly accomplished,
without any opposition. They prosecuted their
march with such celerity, that in a very short space
tat time, their advanced column, consisting of 1000
men, pissed over four lames of ground, and
reaching the enclosures of ?discrete, opened their
fire on a detachment of the battalion of Vim:aims
amid Arribenos, which, under the command of Seig-
nior Unites, h.d pushed forward is order to cut of
their line of match. The latter sustained die at-
tack with conr:derabls bravery; has, from the in.
equality of their force, and the darkness of the
night, were finally compelled to retire with the hoes
of three pieces of cannon. and several Nom killed
and wounded. In this petty affair. it lies dote bees
ascertained. that the enemy lost upwards of 300
men. The enemy 'succeeded is eassentratisg his
force in the above-mentioned indorses% strait oar
•td by "irchir along the circuitous
&psalm ; so
...a- way, and the
molar formation,
sad all was

formed, or less timid. proceeded to the attack. Ent,
on the twittery, the latter made a pause. whilst the
Citizens took measures to collea the s:attered
troops, with their artillery, in the Grand Square,
who, far Irons being dejefted by the fatigue
thei• march, offered to sacrifice their Vv..' in defend-
i3g the place, vi•h unparalleled ardour and enthu-
siasm. In fad. the CAhildo being, in the absence
of the General, im.-tessed with the necessity of
taking an adive share in the defence of the City. ex-
erted themselves, during the whole of that night,
in conveying provisions into it. Th sy Also caused
heavy artillery to be planted at the entrances of
the different strews into the square, which they en-
is:lli:lied as well as they were able. They distal.
bated troops nn the tops of the highest flows, and
in the balconies, in every part cf the tmlitil; sent out
piquets is all tjirefli, ns, and stationed ,'parties of
:harp-shonnws to harass ■nd distra& the attention
of the enemy ; add made various other diaPositions,
by means of which, by the dawn cf the nee day.
the city was is a condition to make a visages de-

fence.
" Seigniors Liniers and Velaseo bevies
.pasted
the night in a cottage at some diviner. repaired on
the next day (the id), to the little village of Cole-
4iales. whence Seignior Liniers *rote to the Cahn-
uo, to inform them of his defeat, and ingesting to
know the state cf affairs in the city. The Cabildo
acquainted him with she preparations which had
been made during the preceding gigot ; and in con-
sequence of this commuoication, the General arriv-
ed in the city in the course of the same day. :ski
al:era-ion was made in the plan already adopted;
and the. only addition to it consisted in entrenehing
the approaches to the Grand Square. at a little dis-
tance from the entrances ; in reinforcing the fetiro
and park o! Artillery. with the Marine Corps. the
cormany allician Gre.adiert, and a company
of the Corpir of Patricios ; and a!s, in fortifying
ars entrattLes of tee latter square will artillery,
" Ois the two followiag days, viz. the 3LI and
4th. there occurf •d -nothing cf importance. The
enemy remained conrentred in the intloolree r.f
6::.erere, solely nOcunied in sacking
with iosatiahli:tupilty, the adjacent farm-hi•tp.es
c:r.zagas, :!I**;:itit a great qtyantity:4 goods,
fulnittir,:. and . ¶•-As rf" a:1 kinds, ha !et beer. con-
veyed (1.'73 a!! of hope been de-
str-yed. Tar; irregolait y and
oaceseaged eveo be tboc and proceeding
to an extent hitherto unknown in :h.: art of war,
were productive at o: total rored none, ; for,
w.;k unheard-of et .•y, ant only :.I :fey plunder
the habitations. hut nourd.t O the inhabitants
wherever they fell is th.rt, ; and in lei, unfit.
Innate calamity s:vera: v:-ialen mod ci.ilrirrn were
sufferers. This disi-nder, distr tee.; their at-
teition from their chiet nhj-.1. was abtindantly
chasti.ed by our troc,n, who, divide.. into skirt:Os).
lag parties,. killed or made prisoner, all w..em th y
• Mutat ised in the midst of this vile ',sok ( f pillage,
many of ovbom were is a sate of intosicati is.
" in the sanest of these twig days. General White-
Inherent in two narnmnnses, ostentatiously setting
firth the amount of his force, MA demanding the
surrender' f the place, under the• seemirg pretext of
au honourable cayitulation. An answer was re.
terned.in the negative, in appropriate and energetic
language. Such eerie the archer, enthusiasm, and
vigilance of our volunteers, that, without the neces-
sity of any Chief or Wirer to coal:nand thee, they
afted entirely from their owe impulse. They
courted every occasion of insulting the enemy ;
continued, nieilialt a moment's illtetnliblinf). 59 re-
lieve each other tit the balconies, and at the oat.
posts; and shrunk ir:in no duty, however fa-
tiguing. which cool I contribute us the defence of
the place ; but, 01 the contrary, went on with un-
shaken constaw..7, unt'l the sth instant. when they
finally crowned their hereLm and Zuriti-nable ea
16nr. '1 hat glorious day had scarcely begun to
dawn, when the e:terni, dividing his army nesse-
octal columns, :sacked the city at all points. end
at the same instant of time, with inexpressible
trepinity.
" l'he Retiro. which wee occupied by the Marilee
Corps, v .is morticed by upwind' of two thousand,
led on by General Sir Samuel Aoebinoty. The Com-
mandant, Concha. suojaed die five of this division
for three hours and an half, w.ren, havieg Inst a
neither of men, and expended the ammunition
for his artillery.he surrendered hirvo.ll prisoner ut
wus with an ids sttiviv ing Officers troops.
" The other attacks on the cityinoved more for-
Mate for is.. Language does not furnish expres-
siren to convey an idea of the +slow and enthusiasm
Of OUT people. The horror of Ire aad sword 'no.
menterily Lamm ed; whole columns were cut down,
sad numerous parties of soldiers made prisoners ;
and is the costae of five hoses, the barracks were
filled with the prisoners. whfie the streets were co-
vered with the enemy's dead ; the survivors flying
for refuge to the Retina, Providencia. and Santo
Demiago. In the Church belonging to the
Convent of the latter a body of eight hundred men
took shelter, and *a:ll*d the roof, under the com-
mand of General Guider& and the ---Lient.
Col. Dionysius Pack. They put to death one of the
monks, sad wounded another, and plundered every
thing they could find in the church and the cells.
' with this special circumstance. that Gen. Cranford
personally toquired for the most valuable articles.
Under the pretence of a parley, they committed the
infamous atrocity of killing the Naval Lieutenant
Des Belmar Unguera, first aide-de-camp to Seig-
nior Liaises. and also the aide-de-camp ant Isla.
awl de Arco. They, at the same time, wounded
the Captain of 'Artillery Don Jose de Paws, aide-de.
tempt° Seignior Elio.
Seignior Liniers being informed of dime events,
summoned Craufurd to surrender. eiluring him,
that he should not experience the smite condescen-
sion, which, in similar circumstances. had been
sbewn by the Governor of the Canaries, and that he
would immediately proceed to level the convent
with the ground. His answer was full of arrogance,
signifying to the Aid-de-Camp, that far from think-
ing of surrendering, he conceived the latter had
come to solicit a capitulation, and that he was
determined to advance at the point of the bayonet.
' On the receipt of this answer. immediate prepara-
tions were made for an attack in due form. The
artillery was brought up. and the fort began to
play upon the town with such effeift, that seeing Cer►
tain destrtiflion before their eyes, a Lag truce was
Ploysd; ausi Setgaior Lilo Mein pees

troops, fatigued by marching along tbs circuitous
sod meshy roads, underwent a total dispersion ; so
that the Geishas having lost their way, and the
men p•oceediagevrithnut any regular formation,
.•rtry OM was rift to 'Wit for Waft% sad all was
di 44 der and coot uti,c..
.• In this sad and lamentable sitostiao, the City of
Buenos Alieb, on the night of the 9d, found itself
- 23:1;lutalobjuggor,,, if 111 ia-