Star.
London, England, 1813-09-24 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

On Wednesday we announced the receipt of letters
from the army, for only the latest of which have we
yet been able to find room in our columns. The sub-,
joinedethough not so recent as accounts that have al-1
-ready been laid before our Readers, are too impor-
tant to be withheld from our Military Readers :
66 CAMP, BEFORE ST.SEBASTIAN'S, SEPT. I.
66 Though volunteer parties were allowed to come
from the Ist, 4th, and Light Division for the storm-
ing of this wicked place, yet the gallant 6th had the
merit of doing the thing at last. Our gallant leader,
Sir JAMES Liaru, for whom we have been long look-1
ing out, arrived the day before it was to take place,
mid then we all felt sure of success. All our Gene-
rals, except old HAY, were wounded. History does
re I contain any thing like the undaunted courage
and firm heroism displayed by our brave fellows in
the stiirming—they absolutely remained an hour in
the breaches, numbers falling every moment, whose
places were instantly filled by those behind, who
moved forward. The French were astonished, and
could hardly believe what they saw ; having repulsed
us by their numbers and their formidable defences,
it was expected that our men, as is usual in such a
case, would be drawn off from the breaches—but no,
they remained determined to enter, or, one and all, be
buried there- Acre is perhaps.the nearest to it that
we have any account of. The French and their
friends, the inhabitants, were so confident that if we
brought 20,000 men we could not enter, that they
went ..bout, at the commencement of the assault, at
their ease, going to their coffee-houses for coffee.
46 Tie French and the inhabitants behaved most
infamously to our poor fellows who were taken priso-
ners on the 25t Is. They behaved cruelly to the Por-
tuguese who fail into their hands, stabbing many after
they were prisoners. They made the English sol-
diers work at their works and submit to indignities.• -
but we hate taken ample revenge ; the. plunder is
great, far exceeding that either at Badajoz or Ciudad
Rodrigo : but it is to the castle that the French have
carried then gold and all their plunder, and there the
Frenchtnec! inhabitants have lodged all their most
~:e ettects. It is to the castle that our brave
fellows look for some recompense for their perils.
";But the capture of St. Sebastian's was not tits
only -memorable event of the 31st of August. On
that day Sorer mustered the whole of his army,
made a general attack on the tt bole of the line of the
Allied Army, .•,”:d was every where beaten, being
obliged to retreat into France, with the loss of 6000.
66 There is a feature in this le t victory that makes
it of much greater importance than any of our former
victories in the Peninsula, greater than that of Vit-
toria, or even of the Pyrenees. The Spanish troops
were brought to meet alone the French ; they stood
their attack alone : they did more, they attacked in
their turn, and with the bayonet they charged and re-
pulsed the French, taking some of them prisoners, but
killing many more. The effect of this upon the
cemmon cause may be very great ; it may terminate
the war. Once brought to stand up to the French,
and fight like the Portuguese and Lnglish, they will
do. We may now expect very great reinforcements
of Spaniards. That part who so gloriously beat the
French are Gallician,and have been for a considerable
time attached to General Gratin:es corps ; the Hero
of Barrosa has infinite credit in Laying brought, them
to effect what they have done. they are under the
immediate command of General GIRON, an enter-
prising young officer : of 8000 French who crossed
;Le' li,dassoa, they made 1000 lick the dust."

=TRACT CM A LETTER FROM AN OFFICER OF RANK,

EMPLOI ED IN VIII SIEGE CP ST. SEIIASI

" St. Sebastian, sth Sept. 1813.

" The first attack of the British at these works was
the elusive duty of the 2J Brigade, sth Division,
constsiing of the 4th, 47th, and .50th regiments.
" The 4th led ; and perhaps in the whole history
of war, theie cannot be found a stringer insmcckol
courage and obedience to orders ; for the instructions
were, to make a lodgement on the breach only, there
to wait support. The lodgement was effected, under
the most tremendous fire of grape and musketry that
can be imagined, and our loss was dreadful—that of
the 4th only is 12 Officers, 17 Serjeants, and 250 rank
and file, killed and wounded. The other regiments
emulated the 4th, and called forth the acclamations
of the Generals, and thousands who were looking on.
It was not until after three hours hard fighting that the
lodgement was certain ; after which, by the prema-
ture springing of one of the enemy's mines, the town
'was soon carried.

In addition to the above testimonial ci the gal.
larval of the sauce Brigade, its conduct at the battle
(4.• Vittoria was particulary remarked in General
Orders. Extract of General Orders
MAjor.General OswaLo's attack of the village of Gamana
with Alajor-General Roan+ soN'S Brigade, was jtqtly admit ed
by all who witness I. it ; but too much praise cannot be given to
Major-General OSWALD, Major General ROBINSON, and the
troops of his Brigade, colkisting of the 4th, 47th, and 59th regi-
ments; for their perseveting deienee of a post so gallartly won,
against the numerous artillery ;ad great mass(' ut infantry the
enemy employed to retake, iu repealed attacks."

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM AN OFFICER ON BOARD

HIS SIAJESI'Y'S SHIP 11E.VOLUTIONAlltE.

6, At Anchor off Sr. STIA Sept. 6.

" DEAR SIR—A second immensely wide bleach
having been made in the wails of this town, the whole
Division before the place stormed it on the last day
of August ; and it is judged, that greater bravery
was never displayed, on both sides. Out of upwards
-SOOO men, from 12 to 14.00 were killed or wounded,
on our side : Sir Rim tan FLETCHER, Cclollelof En.
sinters, with two other Field Officers, were among
the former; Generals OSWALD and LEITH were among
the latter. Our men were an hour and three quar-
ter* in the breach, before they could gain a footing in
the town, and then it was disputed inch by inch; for
the enemy had so ban icadoed the streets will wails,
and ditches cut behind them, that they were enabled
to fight, and fly from one that was no • longer tenable
to that which was. In two hours and a half we had
possession of the town ; which the enemy set on fire
ib many places, and is still burning.
" It is said that General REY, the Commandant,
wished to give up the place many days since, but the
Second in Command, Colonel Count SONGEOU, would
riot agree to it ; and was seen often cheering his troops
when the assault began, which he had the charge of
repelling, whilst the General retired to. the citadel.—
Wbether this last place will )e attempted by storm,

is, I' believe, undetermined as yet ; but it is certain
that it is strong, very strong, both by -nature and
art ; almost a second Gibraltar. _ _

The conduct of the Portuguese and Spaniards in
the siege and assault of the town, have been the ad-
miration of every one ; and they seemed to vie with
the. English troops, who should be foremost in the
attack : they are a very fine-looking set of Men.
4, Though the breach in the walls was wide enough
to allow an army to enter it in a few minutes, still
there was a descent of many feet to get into the
town, a very narrow passage, and several deep cellars,
the houses of which had been battered down, and it
is supposed we should have been beaten back, had
not the passage been much enlarged, by a mine,
which the French sprung several minutes too early ;
killed but few of our men, but a great number of
their's. Had the train been fired at the time they
meant, the whole of our storming party, (3000 men)
would have been destroyed.
The enemy sent a flag of truce, three days since,
requesting a cessation of arms for fifteen days, and if
SOCLT did not relieve them by that time, (which they
expected daily) they would surrender, with all the
honours of war ; keep all their plunder, and be con-
veyed by us to Fantarabia. \Lid you ever hear such
modesty ? Lord WELLINGTON, who is here almost
every other day, you may be certain, did not listen
to such proposals. Af the same time, they told us
they understood several of their men had been put to
death, after giving themselves up ; that they inten-
ded to enquire into it, and. if correct, they would'
draw oat our prisoners, and shoot every one :—We
replied, if they meant to do so, they should do it im-
mediately, as in three days we would storm the cita-
del, and then put every soldier to death, and their
General at their head.• The day before yesterday,
the enemy had a large magazine blown up in the ci-
tadel, and the castle is now almost a pile of ruins.
66 They are induced to hold out, I believe, with
the hope that SMUT will relieve them ; but of that
there is at present but little prospect, as the Spaniards
have Zlefeated one of his divisions twice within the last
ten days ; but it Is said they have been enabled
through this to throw two months' provisions into
Pampeluna, where they had, a fortnight since, only
three weeks'. One hundred were taken in the town
last night, who, in the retreat, had been ct.rt off, and
had secreted themselves, and whom the Portuguese,
in seeking for plunder, had discovered.
66 I am glad to hear so.good accounts frtm the
North : it will greatly mend the face of affairs in this
quarter. We have lost, it is supposed, about 3000
men before this place.
g 4 P. S. Our last cruize was not very successful, and
the present does not seem to promise much better, as
we are detained here by Sir Games COLO= till the
Citadel falls."