The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-04-14 00:00:00

gieß 1333

THE
;.*96N GAZ ETTE EXTRAOqI3IIII.IRY,
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1801.

norning-street, April 12.18'17.
hierarch, of which the following is a Copy.
ived this morning at the office of Viscount
..! -r.1.711, one of His M Ij-sty's P. incinal Score-
r: c' State, from Brigadier-General Auchmuty.
Iti4i't lion. William Windham :
Monte Video, 5, 18n7.
sit-1 have the honour to inform you, that His
j troops, under my comm and, have taken
• assault, and alter a most determined resistance,
e imp fortress and city of .lonte Video
The Ardent. with h•r canvny, arrived A, ,iJo-
in the .sth of January; and 1 IMITIrdi Orly
k ander my orders the troops from the Cape.
„mended by Lieutenant-Coln el Backhnuse. On
. 15th I evacuated that place, vithout.opposition,
ar;ng a garrison on the island • t G striti
pit cnnsulting with Rear-Admiral Stirling, it
as determined to attack Monte Video ; and I
'ed on the morning of the 18th, to the Welt-
ed asi:else Cares*, Roth., lie-m sierall-birretnswe
• miles from the town The enemy were X.
t force, with guns tin the heights. when ae dis-
inherited ; bet !bey did nit advance in oppose us,
Ted me to lake a swell; positim, about a
le Ir .m the shire A trifling cannonade, and
:,-n• firing at the outposts, commenced in the Ater-
...4h an 1 continued a ccasionally during our stay
n that pound.
On the 19th we mewed tots iris Monte Video.
!wrier code nn. under the Honuut able Brigadier-
leneral Lutntry,was early °ppm. J. Ahout 4000
f the enemy's horse occupied two heigl is to his
:rests and right. As we advanced. a heavy fi •of
i.'und and grape opened upon us ; but a s i ited
isarge in tr .nt, frnin the light hattalio . a det
,ietuer, tot-Colonel Brown: iv, dispersed the corps
nosed to him. with the los-. of ag' n. The eve-
r: tin the flank did inn wait a similar ninvem•mt.
but rettiated. They continued is ti ing befote us,
a.'d permitted ns, witliont any further NT/nation,
ric.pt a distant cannonade, to take up a ;ins lion
aseut !wn miles (r m the citadel. Oar atle:U ced
posts necnpred the suburbs, and some small parties
were posted close in the works ; but in the evening
the principal part of the suburbs was evacuated.
The next mortar g the enemy came out 01 the
town, and attacked us with their whole force, ah
set thousand men. and a number of guns. They
advanced in two columns ; the right, consisting et
elvslry, to turn our left flank, while the tither. .4
infantry, attacked the left of our line t this c, lump
pushed in our saran. ed Pus, and pressed si hard
Per es..-picquct, of lour hundred men, th t Col.
)lrevrne,whn coimnandld cm the lett. ordered three
'meanies of the 40th, under Maple Campbell, to
• support s
*,use cotsqL4Tics.fell in with the bend
ut column. and* irCtrfirabilly ch .rg dit ; •he
charge was as gallantly received, and great num-
ber: fel; on hot sues; at length the column be: in
to gee ray, when it was suddenly and irrs pc' eAtsly
• ti in Ronk by The Rifle Corps, and Light Bat.
taken. whin,' I t.ad or tercel .ip and direr t to the
particniar point. The column nrne g lie way on
ad rides, and was pursued, with great slough er and
the loss of a gun, to the town. The right column,
observing the fate of their companions, rapidly re
tired, wallow coming into adirin
The ins, of the enemy was consi lerahle. and has
been estimated at fifteen hundred men ; their killed
might amount to between two and :tree hundred ;
we have t eken the same number of prisoners. but
Si' principal part of the %encircled got back into the
; I :tin happy to Add, that ours was compare.
burly (riding.
The cniisemiencea of this aXiir were greater than
the adion itsef Instead ,n finding narselves sur-
rounded wit). hot os,send a pet y WaTtAre at OUF ?Ott!.
may of the in...Mitants of the eiiuntry separated,
and retired to their several villages, and we e ere
allowed quietly to •et down behTe the town.
From the best information I could obtain, I was
led to believe that the defences of Monte Vid ()weft
weak, cad the garrison by nn means disposed to
mike en obstinate resistance ; but I found the works
truly re:pee/able, with one hundred and airy pieces
or cannon ; and t' ey were ably delnded.
Theesseeny, bruin in possession of the island of
Ram's% commanded the hart:rm. ; and I was aware
that their gunboats would annoy us, as we appre
handed. A two gun battery was construded on the
tad to keep them in check, and our posts were ex-
tended to the harbour. and completely shut in the
purism on the land side. Theis coMmnnieatinn
teas run, however, open by water, and their boats
conveyed to them trilops and provisions: even water
for the garrison was obtained by these means; for
I t':^ wells that supply the town were in our posses-

On the 25th we opened batteries of four twenty-
fftor pounders and two mortars, and all the frigates
and smaller vessels critic in, as close as they could '
tit safety, and cannonaded the town. But findiaig
...at the garrison was not intimidated into a surren-
'i.r, I construtted, r n the Qiith, a battery of saa
sernty-four pounder., within a thousand yards of
he south-cast bastion of the citadel. which I was
.b..tued was in so weak a state that it might bs
breache.l. The parapet was anon in ruins,
•tt lie rampart received little injury, and* I was
,nvincvd that my means were tuarqual to a re-
siege; the only ptospeff of success that pre-
Art kith was, to ered a battery as nett as possible
c a wall by the south gate, that joins the antics to
"C 41* ana endiolv.otr to ',reach it. This was ef-
t0...1 by a six gun hatirry .3 itbin sit htnie.sed yards.
rid thoeps it WAS exposed to a very snpetior fire
mrrl tit^ .nrm7, COO) had hero durieg
e w t..li at the ciez-, a breach was tepnrted ;use-
arable ne tie YJ instant. Many reasnn, induced
J.- not to diAs the Assault, thlugh I was aware the
ocp• moult be exposed to a vrry heavy flre in ap-
14ae..itg ail mounting the breach. Oa stets were