The National Register.
London, England, 1812-02-02 00:00:00

LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAOILDINf)BY.


TUESDAY, JAN. 28, 1812•

DOWNING-STREET, JAN. 28, 1812:
Captain O'DonOghue, acting aide-de-camp to Colonel Skerrett, has ar•
rived this morning at Lord Liverpool's Office wi.h dispatches from
Major-General Cooke. Two letters from Major-General Cooke,
encloses the following:—
Tare:, Jan. 1, 1812.
Silt—ln my last I had the honour to state that the enemy commenced
to batter in breach on the f..)9th of December, since which period, until
yesterday, he kept up a heavy fire of cannon on the breach, and of shells
on the town, causeway, and island. At eight o'clock on the morning
of the 31st December, a strong column was seen rapidly advancing to
the breach; our musketry' several times checked the enemy; and. the
firm front and intrepid behaviour of the troops, in less than an hour,
gained a complete victory. The most bold of the enemy fell near the
foot of the breach, and the mass of the column made a precipitatetre-
treat.
The situation of the enemy's wounded, with which the ground was
covered between his battery and our fire, where they must inevitably
have perished, induced me, from motives of compassion, to hoist a flag
of truce to carry them off. Some were brought into the place of th•
breach, but from the extreme difficulty attending this, I allowed the
enemy to carry the remainder away. Gen. Leval, the French Com-
mander in Chief, expressed his acknowledgement for the conduct of the
British and Spanish nations on this occasion in the most feeling and
grateful terms.—We have made prisoners 10 officers, and 20 or 30 sol-
diers;--the enemy's loss has been very severe. The column that at-
tacked the breach was 2000 men, composed of all the grenadiers and
voltigeurs of the army. The enemy invested this town on the 20th
Dec. since which period, 1000 British and 700 or 800 Spanish troop s
with only the defence of a wall, which appears to have been built as a
defence against archery, and before the use of gun-powder, have re-
sisted an al my of 10,000 men, with a regular battering train of artillery,
and have at last defeated and repulsed them.
The wall of the town has the additional disadvantage of being com-
manded within half musket shut, and flanked or taken in reverse in al-
most every part.
The conduct of all the troops has been admirable, and that of Lieut.-
Colonel Gough, and the 2d battalion of the 87th regiment, exceeds all
praise. Equal credit is due to the indefatigable exertions of Captaiu
Smith's royal engineers, to whom much of our success is due. I have
on all occasions received the greatest assistance from the military cxpe.
rience and. the great exertions of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Proby, se-
cond in command.
We have to regret the loss of two officers killed, Lieutenant Longley,
royal engineers, and Lieutenant Hall, 411th regiment. I have?_&c.
(Signed) J . B. SKERRSTT, Colonvl.
.Return of Killed, Wounded. aud Missing in the. Action at Tarps, on
the 31st December, 1811.
Total-2 Officers, 7 rank and file, killed; 3 Officers, 44 rank and
file, wounded.

Nantes of Officers killed and wounded.,
Royal Engineers—Lieutenant Longley, killed.---2d Batt. 47th • Reg
Lieutenant Hall, killed; Lieutenant Hill, slightly ~v ou nde d-2d 'Batt
87th Reg. ..Lieutenant M. Carroll, and Ensign Waller, slightly wounded
Tarifa, January 5, 1812.
SIR—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 breath.
Since that period,, the enemy has kept up a partial fire, and the breach
was yesterday completely open fora space of twenty-five or thirty yards.
From, the movements of the enemy last night, I was induced to
suppose he intended another assault, and the gatrtson waited in eager
expectation to give him another proof of British valour. To our asto-
nishment, this morning at day light the coltimns of the enemy were al-
ready at a distance, having taken advantage of a dark and stormy night
to nialce a precipitate retreat, leaving in our possessicn all his artillery,
ammunition, stores, &c. &c.
I immediately ordered Major Broad, with a part of the 47th regi-
'tient, to follow the enemy ; he, took possession of his artillcry, waggons,
and a quantity of stores, time enough to save them front the flames, the
enemy.having set.fire to them. We have made some prisonr•rs. From
the number of dead found on the ground the enemy occupied, his loss
on the whole must have been very great.
Marshal Victor was present in the French camp to give orders fur
the retreat. •
,We..h.avE thus seen the greatest effort the French are capable of mak-
ing frustrated by eighteen 'hundred British and Spanish troops, with
only the defence of a paltry wall; and an army of ten thousand men
eommandeel by a Marshal of France, retreating front them silentli
is
the night. after having been. repu'sed and dew ated, leaving behinc'
ill their artillery and . suites, .collected at a great expense and by im-
mense exertions.
I enclose a return of artillery and stores taken from the enemy.
The unremitting vigilance and exertion, the z and intrepidit y
ev,ry individual of this garrison, is above rube.

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