The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-12-23 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL ST kNDARD.

, .
and we began to perceive that the number of cur (A Petnie-s (14
decreased considerably. At-the moment when we were .brgak:-,
ing up this bivnuack, the Arabs and Klabyles,.asnsuali 4141114;1
the rear-guard, with the hope of terci:lgit-to abandon soute..of,
its baggage or wounded men but theAfrimn Chasseuys,inade;
a brilliant' charge, in which Captain de ht!Tour-,Ditpuroily,
aide-de-camp, and Lieutenants Dree and .Baichts. 111. Y 9rllgflY,.
officers, took'a distinguished part. Captain Merrice, ,oif
Chasseurs, who commanded one of the squadrons. anti W. 114.11114
in previous instances made himself remarketi,..left: ha4f ,of,tbc
blade of his sabre in the body of an Arab. , •-•- •
On the 27th we had to pass the difficult defile which leads• to
the pass of Raz el Akba, and I ordered: Colonel de. Ranc4. to
open the mit-eh at the head of two squadrons. . The cavalry
executed this difficult task with the utmost courage and ability,
crowning the crests of the hills, and repulsing or keeping ,at a
distance the cavalry of the Arabs. 'We at length passed the
gorge of Raz el Akha, and at that point the Arabs ceased to
follow us, and disappeared altogether. The kabyles, having
endeavoured to close this passage on us, were charged at the
summit of the gorge by the Saphis, and many of the former
were soon put hors de combat; they were afterwards dislodged
by the infantry from the woods in which they had taken up a
position to the right and left of the path traced by us, and were
compelled to make a precipitate retreat. On this occasion Cap-
tain Macinahon, aide-de-camp to his Royal Highness, and
Lieutenants Baichis anti Bertrand, my orderly officers, behaved
most nobly. The latter had his horse killed under him. We
encamped at the foot of the hill on the right bank of the Sey-
bouse.
• • • • a • •

I have not yet been able to collect the reports furnished by
the commanders of corps; but as soon as they shall have,reached
my hands, I shall make them the subject of a second despatch,
which I shall have the honour of addressing you, by the next-
courier, directinge, your attention to those who, among so great a
number, merit being particularly designated. I shall at the
same time make known to you the number of killed and
wounded. To conclude, the various corps of the expedition di-
rected their march upon Constantine without having any act of
hostility to repress. During fifteen days they suffered under
fevers at Bona, which detained 1,81 K) men in the hospitals; and
near and around Constantine they were overwhelmed by rain,
snow, hail, and mud. The loss was inconsiderable from the fire
of the place and the enemy when they followed .us upon Razel
Akba ; whilst the Kabyles, who -pre,eitted themselves in order
to oppose our return, had more than. 400 killed. The various
corps brought back all their artillery and ammunition „waggons
which were not broken-up ; all the soldiers, whether entealed,
sick, or wounded, were assisted or transported along; .and, in
shOrt, a garrison has been established at Guelina; where every-
thing necessary for another expedition may be collected toge-
ther previous to its being... Carried into, execution., I have given
orders to the Commandant de Rance to,coininuoicate to you all.
the details which the limits of this report,. do. not,permit rue to
enter on ; and I particularly direct my aid-de-cam.p to describe.
'to his Majesty. the manner in which the Duke de Neinours par-
took of the fatigues and dangers of,the turny,and the lively and
enlightened solicitude he expressed for our soldiers under the,
painful and difficult circumstances in which we found ourselves.
I have the honour to be, Monsieur .le Ministre, your very
humble and obedient servant, .
Marshal CLAUSEL,
Governor-General id' the Possessions in the
North of Africa. ,
Fromthe-National.)
BON A, Dec. I—The steamer Chimera, which is conveying to,
France the intelligence of our disastrous expedition against
Constantine, will also bring you this letter, which has. been
written under the impression or the disasters of onr poor army.
The journals -must have informed you that the advanced
guard, under the orders of General de Rigny, had left Bona en
the Bth. On the 13th the army commenced its march. We all
remarked that there was very little order in the disposition of
our columns, much confusim in the convoys, very few means
of transport—such as waggons or beasts of burden, but particu-
larly a scanty supply of provisions. Imagine only 15 days'
rations to undertake an expedition 40 leagues in th.. interior, in
an unexplored country, and for the conquest of a city whose
resources and state of defence were completely unknown.
In the evening of the 14th the bad weather began. A very
cold wind set in from the north-west, which was soon followed
by a heavy rain, accompanied with hail and snow; in a few
hours we were up to our knees in the mud. These were the
first fatigues our troops had to encounter.
Notwithstanding this sad prospect, we continued.our march,
and on the Ifith the army, which had already left behind 160
stragglers, arrived at the camp of Clausel; at the distance of about.
21) miles from Bona. The bad state of the roads, and the rain,
detained for a short time a part of the expedition. in that camp,
which had been selected by the Marshal as the point of -depar-
ture. After a great deal of hardship, the-aimy reached:nnahe
18th, the camp of Guelma, distant about. 70 miles from Bona.
We then only had provisions tor 10 days.
In the evening of the 17th an excessive degree of eoldneas
succeeded to the rain, hail at intervals, sometimes snow--rsuch
was the state of the weather. It was not/possible: to commence
the march before the 19th, and on the ak.h..all- the soldiers had,
quitted the camp. Uri to this time tine army.had encountered
no obstacle, excepting what arose from the inclemency of the
weather. Indeed, tribes of natives here and there approached
the troops, bringing ivith them provisions, and- promising, to
remain completely inoffensive. On the 20th and 21st -the army
marched without meeting an enemy, or discovering any trace
of habitation or vegetation ; it was not even possible to get
wood with which to make a fire and boil the soldiers' soup. On
the evening of the '2lst the army bivouacked at the opening of
the defile of Mansour, about.'2o miles distant from the camp of
Guelma, and consequently 110 miles from Bona (upwards of 30
leagues )
.

On the 22d the army penetrated into the defile. All:traces of
the road were now lost. The mud was-Lfrightful, the waggons
every moment sinking in it;' and the surface-was so undulated
that the troops could not see further thaw 10 feet before them.
It was here for the first time that a detachment of about 400
Arabs made their appearance, and began to fire upon the-atol-
diets of our flank, decapitating all who became seottiated -from
the corps. The too great distance of the columns from each
other, the difficulty experienced in marching over ground which
yielded at each step, and the cowardly conduct of a General
Officer, were the first causes of the disaster.
This General, a man of fashion, and not of war, affrighted at
the tight of this destructive conflict, abandoned his position.
Quitting the head of his brigade, he advanced to the_ ambulance
(moving military hospital,) crying nut that the army was being
massacred; that. Achmet was coming up with his troops, and
that it was necessary to return; observing to all who chose to
'listen to him that the Marshal had proved-, himself incapable.
Di an instant the brigade charged with the escort of the convoy,
which consisted of 5U waggons, a great number of mules and
horses, carrying with them 70,000 rations and the ambulance
loaded with the sick and wounded, was thrown into disorder.
"l'he Arabs fell upon the convoy, massacred the men` without
mercy, pillaged the waggons, and thus deprived the army of its
last resource. This took place at 4 o'clock in the afternoon of
the 22d. From that moment the army was compromised. To
return was impossible. The distance from the position then
occupied by the army to Bnna was 35 leagues, and to Constan-
tine only five leagues. Jusseuf, too, had told us that the peo-
ple were waiting impatiently at Constantine to deliver to tie the
keys of the city. The army continued its march with no more
provisions than what each soldier carried with hiui,—that is to
say, four day's portion.
We will here interrupt the regular course of this narrative, in
order to recur to the case of the General who had fled from his
post. When summoned before the Maeshtililse flung himself
at his feet, supplicated him not to notice his conduct in,-the or-
der of the day, and to afford hint an opportunity of,seeking
death in face of the enemy. "Sir," replied the Marshal; "you
gained your epaulettes in the drawing-room : that is still your
raper place, and not the army. You shall he mentioned
with dishonour berme the whole army in to-morrow's order of
the day. Retire."
On leaving the Marshal's presence Colonel Boyer said to this
officer, " Go and let the enema kill you. or blow your own
brains out." This wretched individual, incapable of any cou-
rageous act, went in search of M. Melcion d Arc, and persuaded
him to intercede with the Marshal in his favour." " At your
solicitation," said the Marshal, "the name of the infamous
poltroon shall not be given in full lengt h in the order of the day;"
and in point of fact the order of the day which I happen to have
read only contains the following announcement I am happy
to be able to state, that in this struggle against, the elements
only one man has been guilty of pusillanimity and cowardice.'
heariny conStimed thirty hours in-passing the defile; on the
evening of the 23d all the troops had effected the passage of the
Iron Key. The army then bivouacked. The troops, worn out
with fatigue, enjoyed a short repose. On awakening, the sol-
diers were much astonished to find their coverlets more than
usually heavy. The snow had fallen daring the time the soldiers
-slept, and
,lay upon the groundlo the depth of a foot. Nearly
60: soldiers were discovered to be dead from•cohl, Even the
horses fell victims to the inclemency of the weatfier, and were
cut up by the,soldiers for, fond- , .
- On the morning of the 24th the promised.city wee observable,
and the troops felt fresh vigour at the sight. :Success was con-
sidered to he so certain that the order of the day indicated the
manner-in which the-entry into the city was to be made, and the
precautions which were to be observed for the preservation ot.
property.- To reach- it several furds, where the water reached
up to the horses' bellies, had to:be passed.
On the evening of the 25th all the necessary positions were
taken in view of the city. In order to reconnoitre the gates a
company of sappers, with_artillery, went round the walls under
a shower of balls. Insults uttered in French—shoUts at the fall
of every soldier--such was the reception we Met with from the
inhabitants of Constantine. The city is large, fine, and coma
pletely fortified.. It is defended by nature .en one side, where
projecting rocks, surmounted by a strong and well-built watl,
render it impregnable; on the ,other ante, a -large and deep,
river serves as a fosse to it. A. stone bridge,placed over this.
river had been destioyed. The city is.cmnmantted by a height.
to the left, of a vasty rapid ascent; and theground was so soaked
with rain that ierequired.4B horses to raise up a 127pOunder (a
six-inchhowitzer,) intended tolie weed to.effect a breach. Front
this height-a he whole -interior. of the, city, was
like .obserYable ; it,
Algieriyhttkitin tfie forita' Ofri a,.arephitheetre* -but six or
eight times larger; houses, with roofs of' tiles—in :hurt, a city
quite in the European style. .
The Marshal immediately pereeiaed.thrt't
.a regular siege was
necessary, and that the force he had with himwas far from be
ing sufficient; but before retirtrg. he atets anxious.to.make an;
attempt to carry. the place by stratagem..
A part of.the infantry swam across' the river; and in the night
'Colonel Duvivier burst open the.gate'at the head of a battalion,
and carried the faubourg. It was then, thought. that the troops
would enter the city immediately; btit,a'eeceed 'enclosure was
observed; it was only the harrier'Which had beet) passed, and it
became necessary to retrograde, , lti this soup de main, which
did not last an hour, 120
.men were killed. -General Trezel had
his neck pierced through by a shot. Colonel Duvivier• received
two shots in his face, which prOved mortal. - - • •
On the 26th the number of theaeountled, and sick especially,
increased in a frightful degree, and arrangements were made
for retreating. The reeiMent of the Chasseurs frirrned the van.
In the morning
massacred
of the 27th the Arabs, seeing our matimuvre;
came
saacred the unfortunate 'wounded- soldiers, who
a ia
were left at their mercy. Become 'more bold, the Arabs ap-
proached our sharp-shootere, and, eeizing-them' by their belts,'
flung them down the precipices. Every moinent the trooptavere
obliaed to halt, to form squares, and sustain perpetual attacks.
Fur twenty-four hours the troops had not 'a regular supply even
of horse flesh, and the provisions which they had carried with
them were almost entirely consumed.-
The waggons, full of ammunition, were left behind-, and plun-
dered by the Arabs. On this circumstance being known, a great
The 2d Light Ira antry, then
I(''o°rninfue'ion
d ttoo‘a'ksqllul'lacree,ibnooreuralrtainneksthe shot of the enemy, and thus
saved the remains of the army. From that moment•(27th at
noon) until the 28th in the evening, when the army re-entered
the camp of Guelma, it was no longer a retreat, it was a real
and complete rout
fatigue,el_ him it he had
All those who were unable to follow were mercilessly left be-
hind; the wounded were likewise abandoned. Captain Pexoni
front
seeing a soldier ermineov by
not sufficient strength to proceed asked
Captain,, he replied, ..
an instant toy head will be cut off; but 'take my cartridges, I
would be sorry the enemy had them to fire against yule."
tonished at so much courage, the Captain alighted from his-
horse, placed the poor devil on it,-and brought him to the-cainp
of Guelma, .having walked a distance of seven leagues on foot,
holding his horse barthe bridle.
On the 29th the army-reached the -"cainliof Clauzel;
entered Bona oh the 30th
The l'alarslial re-entered Bons at the head of 1,200 men may,

att4,tlie,giearer wait of these were ill,or suffering under extreme
fatigue euil hunger. The remainder (forming the greater part)
.014,..cties1 sin the road, been taken prisoners, or left at Guelma.
:It ;is
,f4k9 stAttchhat almost the whole of the artillery and bag-
.gUr ~,,,Weeff abandoned to the enemy, who from time to time at-
tacitecethe army on its retreat.
( Frain :he French Papers of Monday.)
ne..6:claireur de la Mediterranee states, that the French army
u Africa teetiost 1,500 men, with two pieces of artillery, 13
.tvaggoes, and 'all the implements belonging to the engineering
department, amounting to 1,000 articles. A portion of the hos-
pital apparatus, a large quantity of arms, boxes of rampart
muskets, 50,000 cartridges, and most of the private baggage,
• were likewise left behind.
,M,- de Rattc., sent on a mission to the Minister of War by ,
Marshal Claitsel, and M. de Morny, an aid-de-camp of General
'l'rezel, arrived in Paris on Saturday night. 'rite former was
received on Sunday morning by the King, the Duke of Orleans,
the President of the Council, and the Minister of W ar.--Conr-
tier Francais.
The Council of Ministers held on Sunday lasted until six
o'clock in the afternoon. They hive not, it seems, as vet been
able to come t 4 an understanding on the question of Constan-
tine. It is. the-third time the subject was brought before the
Council without city resnit.—Messager.
The Minister of War received a letter dated the Ist instant
from General de Rignv, in which that officer demands that his
conduct in the expedition against Constantine be investigated
by a conitnittee of inquiry.—.lfeniteur.
It is stated that Admiral Massieu de Clerval has already set
off for Toulon with orders from the Minister of the Marine to
prepare three ships for eon veving troops immediately to Africa,
and which will afterwards be followed ey a much greater body
of forces. We are also informed that orders have been sent to
General Castellane, who has the command of the district of the
Pyrenees Orientates, to embark at Port Vendres for Bona the
Ist Regiment of the Line and the Ist Light Infantry..
The Siecle alludes to a report that Marshal Clause, resigna-
tion of his post has been -offered and accepted. and that the
Government of Africa is reserved for the Duke de -Mortemart.
" The noble Doke," observes the Siecle, " has since his mission
to Ilussie been in high favour at Court, .and the rumour now
circulated, if true, may explain the object of his visit to Algiers."
The. Presse says :—" Since a new expedition against Constan-
tine has been talked of, innumerable applications have been
ntadeto the minister of war by officers of all ranks to serve in
it as volunteers. A strong indication of an. advance towards
conciliation in political parties is found in the fact that among
these applicants there are a certain number of officers who be-
• longed to the Royal Guard, and who have hitherto refused to
,serve under the tricoloured flag."
The Messayer gives the following additional particulars of
Marshal Clausel's expedition to Constantine, particulars which,
according to this journal, have been commenicated by an eye-
wilhees of .the events to which they refer :—The disaster has
forticiately been less severe than was at first apprehended. Se-
veraLof the men who were left behind have successively arrived
at Bone, and accounts from Guelma state, that a certain unto-
her of soldiers have taken refuge in that place. The most ex-
travagant calculations of our losses in men estimate it at not
more than 1,200, including those killed by the enemy's tire.
those who died on the road from cold or want, and, finally,
those massacred by the Arabs. As to the materiel, a:I the equi-
pages. carriages belonging to the administration, and artillery-
waggons. are said to have been lost. Only a portion of our guns
remained on the road. Unfortunately the whole of the expe-
ditionary corps is in a most deplorable state, and nine-tenths of
the men who have returned to Bona or Guelma will, for a length
of time, be incapable of active service. The army displayed
more energy and resignation in its struggle with the enemy, the
inclemency of tha season, and hardships of every description,
than could have been expected from the young soldiers of whom
the expeditionary corps was formed. The veung officers and
non commissioned officers behaved admirably. Every indivi-
dual et Bona renders full justice to the arrangements made by
the marshal during the retreat, and to the zeal, ability, and
firmness which he displayed; but, at the same time, the pre-
vailing impression is, that he was in the wrong to place implicit
confidence in the auxiliaries, and that he ought to have sent ca-
pable men, in whom he could confide, to reconnoitre the posi-
tion of Constantine, its real strength. that of its garrison, &c. It
is even asserted that the staff was furnished with no topoera
phical plan of Constantine. Next to the Marshal, the officer
who most contributed to the safety of the army is Commandant
Changarnier, who, on the second day of the retreat. covered
himself with glory, at the head of his battalion of the second
Light Infantry, and acquired an immense ascendancy. which
he preserved till the last moment; and which he used with the
utmost discernment for the good of the service."