The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-26 00:00:00

extremely confused, at least the following recollections
of other officers are directly at variance with his. Co-
lonel Gurwood in his " correct statement" says, " When
I first went up the breach there were still some of the
enemy in it, it was very steep, and on my arrival at the
top of it under the gun 1 was knocked down either
by a shot or stone thrown at me. I can assure you
that not a lock was snapped as you describe, but find-
ing it impossible that the breach from its steepness and
narrowness could be carried by the bayonet, I ordered
the men to load, certainly before the arrival of the
storming party, and having placed some of the men on
each side of the breach, I went up the middle with the
remainder, and when in the act of climbing over the
disabled gun at the top of the breach which you de-
scribe, I was wounded in the head by a musquet shot
fired so close to me that it blew my cap to pieces, and
I was tumbled over senseless from the top to the bot-
tom of the breach. When I recovered my senses I
found myself close to George,* who was sitting on a
stone with his arm broken, I asked him how the thing
was going on, &c. &c."
[The author publishes here two letters, one from
Major-General Sir George Napier, and the other from
Colonel James Fergusson, confirming the previous state-
ment.]
Having thus justified myself from the charge of
writing upon bad information about the assault of the
little breach I shall add something about that of the
great breach.
Colonel Gurwood offers himself as an encouraging
example for the subaltern of the British army in future
wars ; but the following extract from a statement of
the late Major Mackie, so well known for his bravery,
worth, and modesty, and who as a subaltern led the
forlorn hope at the great breach of Ciudad Rodrigo,
denies Colonel Gurwood's claim to the particular merit
upon which he seems inclined to found his good fortune
in after life.

Extracts from a memoir addressed by the late Major

MACKIE to Colonel NAPIER. October 1838.

" The troops being immediately ordered to advance
were soon across the ditch, and upon the breach at the
same instant with the 94th who had advanced along the
ditch. To mount under the fire of the defenders was
the work of a moment, but when there difficulties of a
formidable nature presented themselves ; on each flank
a deep trench was cut across the rampart isolating the
breach, which was enfiladed with cannon and musquetry ;
while in front, from the rampart into the streets of the
town, was a perpendicular fall of ten or twelve feet ;
the whole preventing the soldiers from making that
bold and rapid onset so effective in facilitating the suc-
cess of such an enterprise. The great body of the fire
of defence being from the houses and from an open
space in front of the breach, in the first impulse of the
moment I dropt from the rampart into the town. Find-
ing myself quite alone and no one following, I discovered
that the trench upon the right of the breach was cut
across the whole length of the rampart, thereby opening
a free access to our troops and rendering what was in-
tended by the enemy as a defence completely the re-
verse. By this opening I again mounted to the top of
the breach and led the men down into the town. The
enemy's fire which I have stated had been, after we
gained the summit of the wall, confined to the houses
and open space alluded to, now began to slacken, and
ultimately they abandoned the defence. Being at this
time in advance of the whole of the third division, I led
what men I could collect along the street, leading in a
direct line from the great breach into the centre of the
town, by which street a great body of the enemy were
precipitately retiring. Having advanced considerably
and passed across a street running to the left, a body of
the enemy came suddenly from that street, rushed
through our ranks and escaped. In pursuit of this
body, which after passing us held their course to the
right, I urged the party forwards in that direction until
we reached the citadel, where the Governor and garri-
son had taken refuge. The outer gate of the enclo-
sure being open, I entered at the head of the party com-
posed of men of different regiments who by this time
had joined the advance. Immediately on entering I
wes hailed by a French officer asking for an English
General to whom they might surrender. Pointing to
my epaulets in token of their security, the door of the
keep or stronghold of the place was opened and a sword
presented to me in token of surrender, which sword I
accordingly received. This I had scarcely done when
two of their officers laid hold of me for protection, one
on each arm, and it was while I was thus situated that
Lieutenant Garwood came up and obtained the sword
of the Governor.
"In this way, the Governor, with Lieutenant ' Gar-
wood and the two officers I have mentioned still cling-
ing to my arms, the whole party moved towards the
rampart. Having found when there, that in the con-
fusion incident to such a scene, I had lost as it were by
accident that prize which was actually within my
reach, and which I had justly considered as my own, in
the chagrin of the moment I turned upon my heel and
left the spot. The following day, in company with
Captain Lindsay of the 88th Regiment, I waited upon
Colonel Pakenham, then Assistant Adjutant-General
to the third division, to know if my name had been men-
tioned by General Picton as having led the advance of
the right brigade. He told me that it had, I therefore
took no further notice of the circumstance, feeling
assured that I should be menticned in the way of
which all officers in similar circumstances must be so
ambitious. My chagrin and disappointment may be
easily imagined when Lord Wellington's des-
patches reached the army from England to find
my name altogether omitted, and the right bri-
gade deprived of their just mecd of praise.—
Sir, it is evident that the tendency of this note"
(Colonel Gurwood's note quoted from the despatches)
" is unavoidably, though I do him the justice to be-
lieve by no means intentionally upon Colonel Gurwood's
part, to impress the public with the belief that he was
himself the first British officer that entered the citadel
of Ciudad Itodrigo, consequently the one to whom its
garrison surrendered. This impression the language he
employs is the more likely to convey, inasmuch as to
his exertions and good fortune in this particular instance
he refers the whole of his professional success, to which
he points the attention of the future aspirant as a pledge
of the rewards to be expected from similar efforts to
deserve them. To obviate this impression, and in bare
justice to the right brigade of the third division, and, as
a member of it, to myself, I feel called on to declare,
that though I do not claim for that brigade exclusively
the credit of forcing the defences of the great breach, the
left brigade having joined in it contrary to the intention
of Lord Wellington under the circumstances stated, yet
I do declare on the word of a man of honour, that I
was the first individual who effected the descent from
the main breach into the streets of the town, that I
preceded the advance into the body of the place, that I
was the first who entered the citadel, and that the enemy
there assembled had surrendered to miself and party

before Lieutenant Gurwood came up. ketYerring the
inference which Colonel Gurwood has been pleased to
draw from his own good fortune as to the certainty and
value of the rewards awaiting the exertions of the Bri-
tish soldier, permit me, Sir, in bare justice to myself to
say, that at the time I volunteered the forlorn hope on
this occasion, I was Senior Lieutenant of my own regi-
ment, consequently the first for promotion. Having as
such succeeded so immediately after to a company, I
could scarcely expect, nor did I ask further promotion
at the time, but after many years of additional service,
I did still conceive, and do still maintain, that I was en-

itkd to bring forward my services on that day as a

ground for asking that step of rank which every officer
leading a forlorn hope had received with the exception
of myself."
a The present Major-General Sir George Napier.

NORTH CHESHIRE ANTI-CORN-LAW ASSO-
CIATION.—PUBLIC DINNER TO MR. ARCHIBALD PREN-
TIcE.—A public dinner was given by the members of the
North Cheshire Anti-corn-law Association to Mr. A. Pren-
tice, at the George Inn, Cheadle, on Wednesday, in honour of
the great exertions of that gentleman in promoting the total and
unconditional repeal of the Corn-laws. The large room at the
back of the inn, near the bowling-green, was appropriated to
the use of the guests, and was arranged to accommodate sixty
persons. At the higher end of. the room was a cross table, a
little elevated above the others, and the remaining tables were
disposed of in a quadrangular form. Over the head of the
Chairman was suspended a small crown, in gilt and crimson ;
on the wall immediately behind him was a beautiful representa-
tion of the royal arms, and on his right and left were also two
small silk flags, with the inscription, " Success to Queen
Victoria." At each end of the cross table was placed a small silk
flag, on which were inscribed the Manchester Arms, and " No
Corn-laws." In front of the centre window, in the room, and
over part of the ceiling, was a large white flag, in black and
green letters, bearing the following inscription:—