The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1848-11-14 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

NARROW ESCAPE OF SIR CHARLES NAPIER BEFORE CORUNNA.—It was a matter of extreme importance to silence an advanced gun which was making great havoc in the English lines, and a shot from which very gun eventually struck down Sir John Moore. Napier, as one of Moore's Majors, par excellence, advanced upon it. The ground was much broken, consisting of walled gardens, and byroads, with deep cuttings. In the heat of the combat, Napier had seized a musket, and gained a position, on which he stood firing and rallying his men, urging them to form a rush upon the gun. Four only of the gallant 50th were able toreachhim, so deadly was the fire to which they were exposed. Finding further attempts vain, and observing that he was cut off from his regiment by a party of the enemy who had concealed themselves in the village, whilst he passed, he called upon his little band to endeavour with him to cut their way through. Three were instantly cut down : the fourth was wounded, and called on Napier to help him. Napier, whilst assisting him, was wounded in the leg, having the fibula fractured by a musket-ball. He now relinquished his musket, and using his sword as a support, endeavoured to regain his regiment. At this moment he felt a wound inflicted in his back by a soldier who had emerged from one of the houses. Turning rapidly round, he seized the musket of his assailant, which having struck upon his spine, fortunately did not penetrate deeply. Whilst struggling, several other soldiers closed in upon him ; but with a degree of activity, almost supernatural, he managed to keep his close antagonist between him and his assailants, never losing hold of the musket. At length the unequal combat was terminated by a French soldier coming up with a short sabre, and felling him to the earth with a blow on the skull, which was supposed to have cleft it in twain. As he lay in this state, he was rifled by the soldiers with such ferocity, that they tore away a portion of his dress with his watch ; and one, conceiving that he perceived some vitality remaining, was about to extinguish it, when he was rescued by the humanity of a French drummer, whose admiration had been excited by his bravery. While the French were carrying Napier to the rear, he in some degree recovered consciousness, and saw Hennessy, an Irishman of the 30th, one of the stragglers who had survived the murderous conflict, deep in the French position, coining all alone with his musket at the charge, towards Napier's escort, with the full intention of rescuing his commander, or being himself killed. Napier at once ordered him to lay down his arms and surrender. " And for what should I snrrindher ?" was the reply. However, the habit of obedience was too strong, and Hennesey merely vented his displeasure by letting the butt of his musket drop heavily on the drummer's legs, and pushing him away from beside Napier, determined, if he could not rescue, at least to carry his commander. Soult, with the chivalric spirit of a great warrior, rewarded Napier's preserver, and treated himself with the greatest kinduesi.—Dublin University Magazine.