The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-29 00:00:00

'LONDON GAZETTE EXTR,JuItDi2,ARY:

WAIL DI:PA iTMENT:

•
Doaning-sfrcet, . 28, 1812.
Captain Acting. Aid-de-Cl.l p to Colonel Skei.
tett, has arrived this nasreiog at Lord Liverpool's. Mitre,
with dispatches from Ala jt;r-cieneral Cooke; of *hid the
lowing are copies

Mir Lonn,—l beg to congratulate your Lords iii
upon the complete failure of the enemy's expedition(
against Tarifa, and to refer you to the inclosed copy
of my letter to General Lord Wellington, conveying
Colonel Skerrett's reports of the French having heal
repulsed with great loss in assaulting the breach
which they had effected in the wall, and of their
having retreated on the night of the 4thi !eating their
heavy artillery, and a gwittity of stores on, the
ground. Your Lordship aill see that Colonel Slcer.:
rett, and the brace troops under his command, have
thoroughly done their duty. lie has expressed hid
sense of the effectual co-operation of the Spanish
troops under General, Copons, *1164. In his report,
gives his full approbation of the conduct of Colo iel
Skerrett, and the British troop! under. his ordersi
upon this, as he hat done upo.l Miner oerivions
during the last three months.—Captain
nogliue, of the 47th regiment; actihg Aid-de-Can p
to Colonel Skerrett, Ms charge Of this dispatcli, abdl
will give your Lordship any details illative to the
late events at Tarifa.

I here the bonOui to be, 1&c.
(Signed) GEOIL4E COOKE, lini.-Goft.
/hi. EMI a Liveriaolit, *c. ike.

Tarifa, Jan. 1, 1812.
Sia,—ln my last I
had The honour to state that
theenemy commenced to batter in breach on the t 9th
December, since which period until yesterday to
kept up a heavy fire of cannon on tile breach, and
cf 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 beha-
viour of the troops, in less than an hour, gained a
complete victory. most bold of the enemy fell
near the foot of the breach, and the mass of the co-
lumn made a precipitate retreat. The situation of
the enemy's wounded, with which the ground wan
covered between his battery and our fire, where they
must inevitably have perished, induced me, from
motives of compassion, to hoist a tlag of truce to
carry them off. Some were brought into the place
over the breach, but from the extreme difficulty at.
tending this, I allowed the enemy to carry the re-
mainder away. General Leval, the French C •m.
wander in Chief, expressed his acknowledgment foe
the conduct of the British and Spanish nations on
this occasion, in the most ft•eling and grateful terms.
We have made prisoners ten officers, and twenty or
thirty soldiers; the enemy's losi has been very se-
vere. The column that attacked the breach, was
two thousand men, composed of all the grenadie,%
and ♦oltigeurs of the army. The enemy hives.. d
this town on the '2oth December, since which peilod,
one thousand British and seven or eight hundred
Spanish troops, with only the defence of a wall,
which appears to have been built as a defence deniitst
archery, and before the use of gun-powder, have re-
sisted an army of ten thousand men, wish a regular •
battering train of artillery, and have at last de.
tested and repulsed them. The wall of the
town has the additional disathantage of being
commanded within half musket-shot, and Hark-
ed or taken in reverse in almost every part.-;-
The conduct of all the troops has Won admirable,
and that of Lieutenant-Colonel Gough, and the 94
battalion of the 87th regiment, exceeds all pike.—
Equal credit is due to the indefatigable exertions of
Captain Smith's Royal Engineers, to whom much of
our success is due. I have on all occasio►is received.
the greatest assistance from the military experience,
and the great exertions of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord
Proby, second in command. We have to regret the
loss of two Officers killed, Lieutenant Longley,
Royal. Engineers, and Lieutenant Ball, 47th Regi-
ment.

I hare the honour to be, &e.
(Signed) J. B. SKERRETT, Colonel.
To Major-General Cooke, &c. &c.

Return of Killed, Wounded, and Meninx, In the Aaiun at
• Tarifa, on tie Slat of December, 1811.

Royal Engineers-1 Lieutenant killed.
2d Hatt. 4r th Regiment-1 Lieutenant, 1 rank and file, killed ;
1 Lieu:emit, 2 rank and file, wounded.
Vd Batt, 87th Regiment-5 rank and file, killed; 1 Lirnten.
ant, 1 Ensign, 21 rank and file, wounded.
2cl Ilatt.-Sbtb Regiment-1 rank and file, killed ; 1 rank and
file, wounded.
Total-2 Olken, 7 rank and file, killed; 8 Oaken, 94 rank
and file, wounded.
Names of Officers killed and wounded.
Royal Engineers—Lieutenant Longley, killed.
2d l3au. 47th Regiment—Lieutenant Hall, killed; Lieutenant
Hill, slightly wounded.
I 2d Batt. Kith Regiment—Lieutenant M. Carroll and Eakin
' Waller, slightly wounded.
thigned) T. BONBURY, Brigade-Major.
Tarifa, Jam. 5, 1814.
Sin,—ln my letter of the Ist inst. 1 had the honour
to relate the particulars of our proceedings here, and
of our victory at the breach. Since that period, the
enemy has kept up a partial fire, and the breach was
yesterday completely open for the space of 25 or 30
yards.—From the movements of the enemy last
night, I was induced to suppose he intended another
assault, and the garrison waited in eager expectation.
to give him another proof of British valour. To our
astonishment, this morning at daylight, the columns
of the enemy were already at a distance, having taken
advantage of a dark and stormy night to make a pre-
, climate retreat, leaving in our possession all hit an.
tillery, ammunition, stores, &c. &c. I immediately
ordered Major Broad, with a part of the 47th regi.
meta, to follow the enemy ; he took possession of
his artillery, waggons, and a quantity of stores, time
enough to save them from the flames, the enemy
having set fire to them. We have made some prison.
ers. From the number of dead found on the ground
the enemy occupied, his lees on the whole must have
been very great. Marshal Victor' was present Is
the French camp to give orders for the retreat-,
°We have thus seen the greatest effort the French
are capable of making, frustrated by eighteen hon.
' dred British and Spanish troops, with only the der
fence of a paltry wall ; and an army of ten thousand:
men, commanded by a Marshal of France, retreating
from them silently in the night, after having beet, te•
pulsed awl defeated, leaving behind all their artnierg
. .

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