Images de page
PDF
ePub

seize the most auspicious moment for a decisive blow. His orders should be clear and precise, and be conveyed by intelligent and trustworthy Staff officers. An order carelessly delivered by an Aide-decamp, may cause the loss of a battle.

The commanders of the second line and of the reserve ought to possess the qualities of promptitude, vigour, and discernment, for they may often be called upon to act solely by their own judgment, to strengthen victorious troops, to reinforce or replace such as are driven back, to turn the flank of the enemy-in short, to take advantage of any success, or to remedy the disastrous effects which might attend a repulse. Seniority alone ought not to confer this important post on an officer who is devoid of talents and merit.

Although you may have the good fortune to break through the advanced line of the enemy, do not imagine that the battle is gained; pause not an instant, but, firm and united, charge the second line even with more vigour; and, vanquishing that also, permit not your troops to slacken their exertions, but continue steadily to drive the enemy before you; for the first line may have rallied in the rear of the second, or may have been reinforced by a powerful reserve. The rout being general, and victory certain, let a portion of the conquerors pursue the enemy, to complete his entire defeat and destruction. "Il faut penser comme César et Turenne, et croire n'avoir rien fait tant qu'il reste quelque chose à faire. Il n'y a que les sots qui fassent des ponts d'or de l'ennemi."

It is scarcely possible that troops armed and disciplined according to my proposed system, can be conquered by others armed and organised in the present manner, provided the former are properly commanded; supposing, however, that such a misfortune should occur, all the exertions of the General, when he feels assured he cannot retrieve the lost glory of the day, ought to be directed to the best mode of preventing a total defeat, by taking advantage of the most favourable time for his retreat, and by retiring with celerity and in good order to the post or defile, which he had selected previous to the engagement, in order judiciously to be prepared for every emergency that might take place. Should he have fought with a river in his rear, he will of course have prepared several bridges, and have correctly calculated the time required to arrive at the intended post, marching very rapidly, if at a considerable distance from the victorious troops, but slowly and cautiously if they are near, and within range of cannon. If the enemy's infantry, by an equally rapid march, advance within gun-shot, his troops must slacken their pace, and deliver their fire should the enemy open a discharge of musketry; and if the advanced guard of the enemy prepares to charge, his troops must, without hesitation, courageously and firmly bring their pieces to the charge, and dash forward on the advancing foe. Similar movements must be executed when pursued by cavalry, troops so much dreaded at the present period, the cause of which, as we have before manifested, is to be attributed to the imperfections of our arms; but the best cavalry in the world would in vain attempt to retard the retreat, or to penetrate divisions, armed as we have proposed.

Whether the retreat is commenced by the second line, or by alternate divisions or wings, a body of fresh troops must be ordered to cover U. S. MAG., No. 189, Aug., 1844.

2 N

it; in doing which, every position that may be advantageous, and capable of checking the enemy, should be occupied, stratagems should be used, roads and bridges should be rendered impassable, abattis should be thrown up-in short, no precaution ought to be neglected that may tend to the security of the retreat. Thus, even after having lost the battle, you will retain your honour, and prevent your troops being depressed at their want of success. "Enfin, si la tête ne tourne point, l'on peut se mettre bientôt en état de prendre sa revanche, ou du moins de réduire l'ennemi à l'absurde, et de lui arracher tout le fruit de sa victoire."

MY FIRST SMELL OF GUNPOWDER, OR THE CAPTURE OF

ANHOLT.

BY THE OLD MAN-O'-WAR'S MAN.

(Concluded from No. 188, page 418.)

THE Captain now left the deck, and was shortly after followed by most of the officers, while the First Lieutenant, calling the Boatswain's Mate, ordered him to pipe the yawlers away, in order to carry the women on shore.

"Turn them all up, Goff, and be smart about it, for we have not a minute to lose. Sullivan and his Corporals will assist you in rousing them on deck."

"And no more than need, in faith, if you knew them as well as I do," growled the great hulk of a fellow to himself, as he slowly walked forward, preparing his pipe for a powerful blast; "for, however well I may contrive to come on with the men, d-n me if I can make anything of the women worth speaking of. They've so many bewitching ways about them, and can gammon a fellow so easily with their fine sparkling eyes, musical honied tongues, and merry ivories, that they not only completely shut my pan, but put my pipe out altogether. However, dang it, here goes!" He then applied his pipe to his mouth, and made the air ring again, as he sung out, "Away there, yawlers! All the women away! D'ye hear, there, forward!" bawled he, as he descended to the main-deck, and bent his way to that favourite resort of the ladies, the galley, "D'ye hear the news, my beauties! Not another minute for a petticoat on board! So bundle up, bundle up, you little devils! On deck with every soul on ye! You can there give your palls a buss and a promise, and then ashore you go to the soldiers! Hurrah!" he sung out, running right in amongst them with extended arms and a wild mischievous eye, made the half-frightened, love-larking damsels instantly jump to their heels, like a covey of startled hares, and seek refuge below, within the precincts of their various messes.

To dislodge them from these, their sanctum sanctorum,—and get them on deck, was a labour of some considerable time, and required to the full all the eloquence, as it tried the patience, of both Sullivan and his well-experienced Corporals; for the laughing beauties had their disordered flowing tresses to regulate, their garments to brace up, and some score or two of pins to employ, before they thought themselves

"summat fit to be seen!" Besides, on the score of small-talk and ready elocution they had a decided advantage over their teasing ejectors; and, as the matter happened, they either doled out in dulcet tones their honied compliments, or hurled their vociferous and reckless anathemas on their devoted heads, with an energy and a prodigality that was highly ludicrous. However, they were at length persuaded, and their van showed its slow reluctant front on deck, prepared to descend, after appropriate farewells, to the boats. This was a scene of excellent sport to most of the junior officers, who thronged the gangways to see these masculine women-kind flounder down the lofty vessel's side with all the easy carelessness of so many well-drilled devil-may-cares, and to hear, in answer to their witty remarks, replies either of such humorous irony and light-hearted gaiety as convulsed them with laughter, or of such pungent caustic severity as made not a few of them retire with a blush.

Everything being at length got ready, the First Lieutenant, who in the mean time had been pacing the quarter-deck with great impatience, directly gave the animating word, Loose sails, when the yards were instantly manned with rejoicing topmen, who speedily divested them of their well-blacked gaskets, which they wound up into fancy rolls, and tossed over in front of the yards, while they supported the loosened canvas on the yards with their arms. Let fall-sheet home! was the next command; and the pipes screamed,-the canvas fell,-and trotted to the yard-arms, while the yards ascended to their proper altitude with the persevering exactness of a huge piece of mechanism. "Forecastle there!" sung out the animated officer, "stand by to cast off her bow-lashings, and ease her astern there,-haul aft the jib-sheet!"

These orders were immediately obeyed; and His Majesty's frigate, the saucy Whisk, as if overjoyed at her liberation, directly stood slowly out into the stream of the river, as proudly erect as the snow-white swans in the royal ornamental waters of St. James's gardens. The yards were now braced round to the favouring breeze, and away she went at an accelerated speed on her march to the world of waters. The day was beautiful, and the glorious sun, while he shed his effulgence on the neat and numerous villas, church-spires, and rural hamlets, that skirt the river's banks, and often seem to peep out from their surrounding foliage, like sparkling gems from an emerald sea, appeared to shine out this day with additional lustre, in order to remind the many who were taking their last fond look of some familiar and much-loved quarter, of the happy country they were leaving for a time, and generating in numbers of the more youthful anticipators of future renown those proud and spirit-stirring associations embodied in the poet's exclamation,

"Oh, where is he that would not dare for such a land to fight!"

Having at length got clear of the river, and its numerous retarding craft, the Whisk rapidly made her way to the Nore, and passed through the assembled fleet, and under the Admiral's lee, with an eclat not a little enhanced by her new canvas and fresh paint-work, which, while it made some of the idlers in the guard-ship inquire, "What Johnny Newcome that was?" enabled another disappointed sprig of quality to answer, "Don't you know, Millson? Why, it is old ruffy Maccaw,-he

[ocr errors]

as stands at the capstan, there, as proud, by heavens, as his feathered namesake. A spanking fine vessel, however, the Welchman has got, and the more's the pity, for, to my thinking, he's one of the spooniest, consequential, little morsels of conceit of all God Almighty's creatures." Fortunately for the speaker all this was unheard, and the Whisk and her commander, not a whit the worse, stood swimmingly on till she cleared the outward vessels, when, giving the Admiral a cracking salute, which was as promptly and smartly returned, she quickly pursued her onward way till the Nore and its shipping sank in the horizon, nor did she slacken her rapid career for an instant until she let go her anchor astern of the Admiral's ship in Yarmouth roadstead. Here, while his rejoicing ship's company luxuriated for a few days in a profuse supply of fresh vegetables, from my hospitable Lady's Garden, the Captain learnt the unwelcome news, that he was to head a convoy for the Baltic, which was then assembling from all quarters for that purpose. We repeat that this was unwelcome news; for we firmly believe there is not a more irksome duty in the whole round of the Service which a spirited officer undertakes with more reluctance than the care of a large convoy, which has to navigate for any distance the hostile coast of a bold and warlike enemy; for while, in justice to the underwriters and his own character, he is compelled to use the utmost vigilance in seeing, and even enforcing, the most implicit and ready obedience to those precautionary rules with which he has previously furnished every one of them, he often has the mortification of discovering that all this sedulous care for their welfare is far from conciliating the favour of the major part of the shipmasters under him, whose various vessels often vary as much in their degrees of speed as they do in their external appearance, -some of them bounding away ahead, at the signal to make sail, with all the speed and joyous alacrity of greyhounds newly slipped from the leash, while not a few, with their utmost exertions, would be seen endeavouring to follow, and dropping gradually astern, like so many asthmatic turnspits.

In a few days, nevertheless, the Whisk gave the appointed signal for her convoy, to the number of nearly three hundred sail, to get under weigh, in company with two small gun-brigs and the Nambypamby sloop-of-war. As soon as they were all clear of the roadstead the frigate ran up her anchor and followed them, and after stationing a gunbrig on each wing of the fleet to keep them together, and ordering the sloop-of-war to keep a sharp look-out and whip up the stragglers astern, she ran ahead of the whole, when placing herself in the van, and reducing her sail, she bore away with a fine favourable breeze for the Sound, under easy sail.

We thus proceeded favourably enough until one afternoon the Whisk, with the small island of Anholt on her weather-quarter, thought proper to make the signal for the convoy to close, the weather becoming hourly more gloomy and threatening, and the evening fog increasing rapidly.

"I do not know, gentlemen," said the Captain to his surrounding officers, "whether you will altogether approve of this proceeding, on account of the delay it may occasion; and I well know your most hearty good wishes will hail the hour with joy that frees you from further trouble with them. But I have always found it the wisest plan to take

the hint in time, particularly in foggy weather, and place my convoys in such a position that if they did little good they could do no harm."

There was small objection to this common-place remark, and as the headmost vessels unwillingly shortened sail abreast the island, in obedience to the signal, and the Captain and his officers were arranged on the quarter-deck, surveying the others as they came up, the island and its supposed force gradually became the subject of conversation.

"I've often wondered, Sir," remarked the First Lieutenant, in the course of the conversation that ensued, "how our lynx-eyed authorities have so long overlooked this paltry place, which stands a complete bar to our free passage into the Baltic, besides doing a vast deal of mischief among the traders who have annually to pass it."

"I can give no other answer to your remark, Hardy," replied the Captain smiling, "than the one you have yourself already hinted,-for it certainly is, as you say, a poor-looking place, a complete sand-hill, indeed, that would never pay the expense and trouble its possession would occasion."

"And yet we are told that its possession by the enemy occasions an annual loss of many thousands of pounds, even despite the most careful and vigilant convoy."

"Indeed! Ah, well, gentlemen, that certainly is news to me," went on the Captain, "for I candidly confess to you I have little practical knowledge of these waters, although my theoretical opinions teach me to expect little good of them. However, I am always ready, you all know, to give a useful hint my careful consideration; nor shall you find me wanting, in the present instance, in adopting any measure for the good of the Service your superior experience may suggest."

Here, however, there was a pause, none of the gentlemen appearing to wish even to hazard a hint to their Commander, until the Second Lieutenant, a fine, full-faced, good-humoured gentleman, after scrutinizing the countenances of all around him with an arch smile, suddenly came out with,

"Well, Captain, since you have been so good as give the word, I do not see why you should not be answered, although possibly that duty might have fallen into better hands than mine. It has often been my luck now, Sir, both boy and man, to be off this island, and, generally speaking, always to be pretty similarly circumstanced as I am at present, I mean as respects the accompaniment of a numerous convoy,and upon the whole, Sir, I give you my honour, I consider the plan which Nicholls explained to us the best I have ever heard, and the one which ought to be immediately adopted for the final settlement of every possible disquietude in future. You must see, and every one must see who can form an opinion on the subject, that it every day becomes a question of more and more urgent importance; and I have not the smallest doubt that it will be taken up and acted on soon by some one or other of our spirited Commanders, who will thereby reap a rich and well-merited reward in the applause and approbation of the great mercantile interests of his grateful and admiring country."

"Heyday!" cried the Captain, pricking up his ears, "and what may be Nicholls's plan, which is to effect all this so speedily? I know Nicholls to be a very effective and clever officer,-a gentleman, I mean, who wishes to be useful;-but you must pardon me, both him and you,

« PrécédentContinuer »