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, and 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
0114 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 Hundred 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 musketry '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

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