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THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL Sir Harry Smith BART., G.C.B.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL Sir Harry Smith BART., G.C.B.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL Sir Harry Smith BARONET OF ALIWAL ON THE SUTLEJ G.C.B. EDITED WITH THE ADDITION OF SOME SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS By G. C. MOORE SMITH, M.A. WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 1903 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES....
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The Life of Sir Harry Smith here offered to the public consists of an Autobiography covering the period 1787 to 1846 (illustrated by notes and appendices), and some supplementary chapters contributed by myself on the last period of Sir Harry’s life (1846-1860). Chapter XXXI. carries the reader to the year 1829. This, it is interesting to remark, is a true turning point in the life of the great soldier. Till then he had seen warfare only on two continents, Europe and America (the Peninsula, Franc
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BOOKS USEFUL FOR REFERENCE IN CONNEXION WITH SIR HARRY SMITH’S LIFE.
BOOKS USEFUL FOR REFERENCE IN CONNEXION WITH SIR HARRY SMITH’S LIFE.
An Authentic Narrative of the Proceedings of the Expedition under ... Craufurd until its Arrival at Monte Video, with an Account of the Operations against Buenos Ayres.... By an Officer of the Expedition (1808). Sir William F. P. Napier : History of the War in the Peninsula . Sir H. E. Maxwell : Life of Wellington . Sir William H. Cope : History of the Rifle Brigade (1877). Edward Costello : Adventures of a Soldier (1852). A British Rifleman (Major George Simmons’ Diary), edited by Lt.-Colonel W
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On the Cover.
On the Cover.
Arms granted to Sir Harry Smith in 1846. They are thus described by Sir Bernard Burke:— Arms—Argent, on a chevron between two martlets in chief gules, and upon a mount vert in base, an elephant proper, a fleur-de-lis between two lions rampant, of the first: from the centre-chief, pendant by a riband, gules, fimbriated azure, a representation of the Waterloo medal. Crest—Upon an Eastern crown or, a lion rampant argent, supporting a lance proper; therefrom flowing to the sinister, a pennon gules,
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CHAPTER I. MONTE VIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES. 1806-7.
CHAPTER I. MONTE VIDEO AND BUENOS AYRES. 1806-7.
Written in Glasgow in 1824. — H. G. Smith. I was born in the parish of Whittlesea and county of Cambridgeshire in the year [1787]. I am one of eleven children, six sons and five daughters. Every pains was taken with my education which my father could afford, and I was taught natural philosophy, classics, algebra, and music. [5] In 1804 the whole country was en masse collected in arms as volunteers from the expected invasion of the French, and being now sixteen years of age, I was received into t
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CHAPTER II. WITH SIR JOHN MOORE—BATTLE OF CORUÑA. 1808-9.
CHAPTER II. WITH SIR JOHN MOORE—BATTLE OF CORUÑA. 1808-9.
I stayed in this happy land of my sires for two months, when I was ordered to join. The Regiment was then quartered at Colchester. Although there were many subalterns present who were senior to me, I had given to me, for my exertions abroad as Adjutant, the command of a Company. This was the act of my kind and valued friend Colonel Beckwith, whom I shall have occasion frequently to mention in these memoirs, but never without feelings of affection and gratitude. The Company was in very bad order
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CHAPTER III. BACK TO THE PENINSULA UNDER SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY. 1809.
CHAPTER III. BACK TO THE PENINSULA UNDER SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY. 1809.
In two months I rejoined the Regiment at Hythe. From Hythe we marched for Dover, where we embarked for Lisbon [25 May] to join the Duke’s [12] army. Having landed at Lisbon, we commenced our march for Talavera. On this march—a very long one—General Craufurd compiled his orders for the march of his Brigade, consisting of the 43rd, 52nd, and 95th, each upwards of 1000 strong. These orders he enforced with rigour (as it seemed at the moment), but he was in this way the means of establishing the org
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CHAPTER IV. CAMPAIGN OF 1810—THE 1ST GERMAN HUSSARS.
CHAPTER IV. CAMPAIGN OF 1810—THE 1ST GERMAN HUSSARS.
In the winter of this year [12 Dec. 1809] we marched towards the northern frontier of Portugal. We marched towards Almeida, and were cantoned in villages to its rear—Alameda, Villa de Lobos, Fequenas, not far from the Douro. Here too was good shooting and coursing; but I was not permitted to be idle. We moved into Spain [19 Mar. 1810], and at Barba del Puerco had a most brilliant night attack, in which Colonel Beckwith greatly distinguished himself. At Villa de Ciervo a detachment of one sergean
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CHAPTER V. CAMPAIGN OF 1810—BATTLE OF THE COA.
CHAPTER V. CAMPAIGN OF 1810—BATTLE OF THE COA.
Soon after this the French invested Ciudad Rodrigo, and regularly commenced the siege. The Light Division (into which fell the three regiments 43rd, 52nd, and two Battalions of Rifles, 1st and 3rd Portuguese Caçadores, the latter under Elder, a most brilliant Rifle officer), 1st Hussars, 14th Light Dragoons, 16th Light Dragoons occupied Gallegos, Exejo, etc., our advanced post being at Marialva, on the road to Ciudad Rodrigo. During the whole siege our alerts were innumerable, and at Marialva we
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CHAPTER VI. CAMPAIGN OF 1811.
CHAPTER VI. CAMPAIGN OF 1811.
I found the army in hourly expectation to move, and the Captain of my Company—Leach—was gone sick to the rear, so I said to my Colonel, “I must be no longer A.D.C., sir. However grateful I am, my Company wants me.” “Ah, now you can walk a little, you leave me! Go and be d——d to you; but I love you for the desire.” Off I started, and the very next day we marched [6 Mar. 1811], Massena retreating out of Portugal, and many is the skirmish we had. My leg was so painful, the wound open, and I was so
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CHAPTER VII. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO.
CHAPTER VII. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO.
As the winter approached we had private theatricals. The Duke appointed so many days for horse races, greyhound matches, etc., and the very day they were to come off, which was well known to the French army, we invested Ciudad Rodrigo, namely, on the 8th of January, 1812, and that very night carried by storm the outworks called Fort San Francisco, up to which spot it took the French several days to approach. We broke ground, and thus the siege commenced. When the detachments of the Light Divisio
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CHAPTER VIII. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: THE STORMING OF BADAJOS—HARRY SMITH’S MARRIAGE.
CHAPTER VIII. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: THE STORMING OF BADAJOS—HARRY SMITH’S MARRIAGE.
At this period of the year (February, March) the coursing in this part of Spain is capital, and by help of my celebrated dog Moro and two other excellent ones, I supplied the officers’ mess of every Company with hares for soup. We had a short repose, for the army moved into Estremadura for the purpose of besieging Badajos. We Light, 3rd and 4th Divisions, thought, as we had taken Ciudad Rodrigo, others would have the pleasure of the trenches of Badajos, but on our reaching Elvas [17 Feb., 1812]
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CHAPTER IX. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: BATTLE OF SALAMANCA—OCCUPATION OF MADRID—RETREAT TO SALAMANCA.
CHAPTER IX. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: BATTLE OF SALAMANCA—OCCUPATION OF MADRID—RETREAT TO SALAMANCA.
But to the thread of my narrative. Hardly had we reached the frontier of Portugal [24 April, 1812], our old haunts, Ituero, Guinaldo, etc., when our army moved on again for Spain, and fought the Battle of Salamanca. Before this battle we had an immense deal of marching and manœuvring. The armies of Marmont and Wellington were close to each other for several days, so that a trifling occurrence would have brought on a general action, and we were frequently under cannonade. My wife could not ride i
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CHAPTER X. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: RETREAT TO THE LINES OF TORRES VEDRAS—WINTER OF 1812-13.
CHAPTER X. CAMPAIGN OF 1812: RETREAT TO THE LINES OF TORRES VEDRAS—WINTER OF 1812-13.
The army concentrated again under the dear Duke of Wellington, and took up its old victorious position on the Arapiles [14 Nov.], but not with the same prospects. Soult, an able fellow, had nearly double our force, and so soon as our rear was open the army was in full march on Ciudad Rodrigo. It rained in torrents, and the roads rose above the soldiers’ ankles. Our supplies were nil , and the sufferings of the soldiers were considerable. Many compared this retreat with that of Coruña, at which I
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CHAPTER XI. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: BATTLE OF VITTORIA.
CHAPTER XI. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: BATTLE OF VITTORIA.
At Guinaldo we soon saw it was requisite to prepare for another campaign, and without any previous warning whatever, we received, about twelve at night, an order to march, which we did at daylight [21 May, 1813], and marched nineteen successive days without one halt. I commenced this campaign under very unfortunate circumstances as far as my stud was concerned. I had five capital horses, and only two fit for work. Tiny, my wife’s noble little horse, had received a violent injury from the pulling
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CHAPTER XII. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: ADVANCE TO VERA.
CHAPTER XII. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: ADVANCE TO VERA.
The night before we reached Pamplona [24 June], the enemy, rather unexpectedly to us, drove in the picquets of my Brigade in a very sharp skirmish, although we were as ever prepared, and the Division got under arms. This convinced us that the whole army, except the garrison at Pamplona, was in full retreat into France. It is a peculiar custom of the French unexpectedly to put back your picquets when they are about to retire; that is, when the ground admits no obstacle of bridge, river, or villag
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CHAPTER XIII. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: IN THE PYRENEES etc.
CHAPTER XIII. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: IN THE PYRENEES etc.
Just before we reached Vera, my dear friend and General, Vandeleur, was moved to a Cavalry Brigade, and General Skerrett, a very different man, was sent to us, with a capital fellow for an A.D.C.—Captain Fane, or, as usually designated, “Ugly Tom.” I, who had been accustomed to go in and out of my previous Generals’ tents and quarters as my own, and either breakfast or dine as I liked, was perfectly thunderstruck when it was intimated to me I was to go only when asked; so Tom the A.D.C. and we l
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CHAPTER XIV. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: COLONEL COLBORNE—SECOND COMBAT OF VERA.
CHAPTER XIV. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: COLONEL COLBORNE—SECOND COMBAT OF VERA.
In our Division, generally speaking, the officers of each Company had a little mess of their own, an arrangement indispensable, so much detached were we on picquets, etc. Some of us lived most comfortably, and great interchange of hospitality existed. We all had goats, and every mess had a boy, who was in charge of them on the march and in quarters, and milked them. On the march the flock of each Regiment and Brigade assembled and moved with their goat-herds, when each drove his master’s goats t
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CHAPTER XV. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: BATTLE OF THE NIVELLE.
CHAPTER XV. CAMPAIGN OF 1813: BATTLE OF THE NIVELLE.
Our Division was soon after pushed forward to our right on a ridge somewhat in advance, and fully looking upon the enemy’s position. His right extended from St. Jean de Luz, his left was on the Nivelle, his centre on La Petite Rhune [40] and the heights beyond that village. Our Division was in the very centre opposite La Petite Rhune. One morning Colonel Colborne and I were at the advance vedette at daylight, and saw a French picquet of an officer and fifty men come down to occupy a piece of ris
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CHAPTER XVI. COMBAT OF THE 10TH DECEMBER—HARRY SMITH’S DREAM AND THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER.
CHAPTER XVI. COMBAT OF THE 10TH DECEMBER—HARRY SMITH’S DREAM AND THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER.
The following day we moved into a most beautiful country, intersected with hedgerows, and the finest and sweetest second crop of hay I ever saw, which our horses rejoiced in. We took up our posts in front of Arbonne [15 Nov.], and the following day had a sharp skirmish at our advanced posts. We halted here a day or two, and then moved on to a line more approaching Bayonne. The first Brigade occupied the Chateau d’Arcangues [17 Nov.], of which Johnny Kincaid recounts some anecdotes; the second th
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CHAPTER XVII. CAMPAIGN OF 1814: BATTLE OF ORTHEZ—ANECDOTE OF JUANA SMITH.
CHAPTER XVII. CAMPAIGN OF 1814: BATTLE OF ORTHEZ—ANECDOTE OF JUANA SMITH.
From the Chateau of Castilleur we moved more into the mountains to the rear and to our left of Ustaritz, where we never saw the enemy [Jan. 1814]. Our time was spent in shooting, and exploring the mountains. While we were in this position forage was very scarce, and we chopped up the furze-bushes very small by way of hay. It is astonishing how it agreed with the horses. The natives use it in the same way for their cattle. We remained in this position until the end of February, when we moved, rea
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CHAPTER XVIII. CAMPAIGN OF 1814: AT GÉE, NEAR AIRE—BATTLE OF TARBES—BATTLE OF TOULOUSE—END OF THE WAR.
CHAPTER XVIII. CAMPAIGN OF 1814: AT GÉE, NEAR AIRE—BATTLE OF TARBES—BATTLE OF TOULOUSE—END OF THE WAR.
On our advance [9 March, etc.], we were for some days at a village called Gée, near Aire, where the 2nd Division, under Sir W. Stewart, had a brilliant little affair. But I must first interpose an anecdote. One of his A.D.C.’s, his nephew, Lord Charles Spencer, a Lieutenant of the 95th Regiment, was mounted on a very valuable horse which he had paid more for than he could afford, contrary to the advice of Sir William. In driving the French through the town, Lord Charles’s horse was shot on the b
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CHAPTER XIX. HARRY SMITH PARTS FROM HIS WIFE BEFORE STARTING FOR THE WAR IN AMERICA.
CHAPTER XIX. HARRY SMITH PARTS FROM HIS WIFE BEFORE STARTING FOR THE WAR IN AMERICA.
My happiness of indolence and repose was doomed to be of short duration, for on the 28th of August I was in the Battle of Bladensburg, and at the capture of the American capital, Washington, some thousands of miles distant. Colborne, my ever dear, considerate friend, then in command of his gallant Corps, the 52nd, sent for me, and said, “You have been so unlucky, after all your gallant and important service, in not getting your Majority, you must not be idle. There is a force, a considerable one
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CHAPTER XX. VOYAGE TO BERMUDA etc.
CHAPTER XX. VOYAGE TO BERMUDA etc.
That afternoon, after seeing my horses off, I embarked in a boat, and I and all my personal property, my one portmanteau, reached the Royal Oak , at her anchorage a few miles below, about eight o’clock. I found General Ross had not arrived, but was hourly expected. We soldiers had heard such accounts of the etiquette required in a man-of-war, the rigidity with which it was exacted, etc., that I was half afraid of doing wrong in anything I said or did. When I reached the quarters, the officer of
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CHAPTER XXI. HARRY SMITH ONCE MORE IN ENGLAND etc.
CHAPTER XXI. HARRY SMITH ONCE MORE IN ENGLAND etc.
Wainwright and I started from the George Inn, Portsmouth, which I well knew, with four horses at five o’clock. I do not know what he considered himself, but I was of opinion that, as the bearer of dispatches to Government, I was one of the greatest men in England. Just before we started, our outfit merchant and general agent, tailor, etc., by name Meyers, who had been very civil to me going out to South America, begged to speak to me. He said, “I find the Iphigenia is from America, from the Ches
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CHAPTER XXII. SAILS WITH SIR EDWARD PAKENHAM ON THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS etc.
CHAPTER XXII. SAILS WITH SIR EDWARD PAKENHAM ON THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS etc.
We soon reached our frigate, and oh, so crowded as she was!—Sir Edward Pakenham and all his Staff, the Commanders of the Engineers and Artillerymen with their Staff, and about thirty passengers! The most of us slept in cots in the steerage. Young D’Este, the real Duke of Sussex, [59] was a fund of great amusement, the most gentlemanlike, kind-hearted young fellow possible, affable to a degree, and most unpretending; but he had a thirst for obtaining information, I never beheld before. Consequent
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CHAPTER XXIII. CAPTURE OF FORT BOWYER etc.
CHAPTER XXIII. CAPTURE OF FORT BOWYER etc.
After the Army was somewhat refreshed, an attempt on Mobile was resolved on, for which purpose the fleet went down to the mouth of Mobile Bay. Here there was a wooden fort of some strength, Fort Bowyer, which some time previously had sunk one of two small craft of our men-of-war which were attempting to silence it. It was necessary that this fort should be reduced in order to open the passage of the bay. It was erected on a narrow neck of land easily invested, and required only a part of the arm
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CHAPTER XXIV. HARRY SMITH AND HIS WIFE START TOGETHER FOR THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN etc.
CHAPTER XXIV. HARRY SMITH AND HIS WIFE START TOGETHER FOR THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN etc.
My wife and I and my brother Charles were to start in a chaise at three o’clock the next morning. I never saw my poor father suffer so much as at thus parting from three of us at once, and feeling that his companion, my wife, was lost to him. He said, “Napoleon and Wellington will meet, a battle will ensue of a kind never before heard of, and I cannot expect to see you all again.” We reached Harwich in the afternoon, found West, his horses, and all our things right, and went to the Black Bull, f
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CHAPTER XXV. JUANA’S STORY.
CHAPTER XXV. JUANA’S STORY.
When the troops had moved forward on the morning of the 18th June, I, as you directed, got on my horse and went to Brussels, intending to await the result of the pending battle. On arrival I found my baggage and servant in the great square, and an order had just arrived for the whole of the baggage of the army to move on the road towards Antwerp, and afterwards to cross the canal about five miles from Brussels, at a village on the Antwerp side. On reaching the village I dismounted, the baggage w
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CHAPTER XXVI. MARCH TO PARIS etc.
CHAPTER XXVI. MARCH TO PARIS etc.
Our march to Paris was unaccompanied by anything to relate except that I had a gallop round Mons and a good look on Malplaquet, but could picture to myself no position, while I felt as a soldier standing on the classic ground of the gallant achievements of my country and our former army of heroes (for I regard Marlborough and Wellington as the greatest men England or the world ever produced). But the latter days of Wellington are as conspicuous for ability and energy as the days of his youth. Po
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CHAPTER XXVII. CAMBRAY, 1816-1818 etc.
CHAPTER XXVII. CAMBRAY, 1816-1818 etc.
Soon after our establishment at Cambray, I received a note from one of His Grace’s Aides-de-Camp. “The Duke desires you will come to him immediately, and bring with you the sheet of Cassini’s map of the environs of Cambray.” Fortunately I had this map. I asked myself what in the name of wonder the Duke could want. Off I cut. “Well, Smith, got the map?” I opened it. “Now, where is my château?” “Here, my lord.” “Ah, the coverts are very well shown here. Are there foxes in all these?” “Yes, my lord
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CHAPTER XXVIII. RETURN TO ENGLAND (1818) etc.
CHAPTER XXVIII. RETURN TO ENGLAND (1818) etc.
On reaching Calais I could not avoid calling to memory the British possession of that celebrated fortress, for so many years the bone of contention and strife. All was bustle and embarcation. We embarked in a small vessel [31 Oct.?], and the wind obliged us to go to Ramsgate. The London Custom House had provided for baggage to be examined at Ramsgate as well as at Dover, and nothing could be more liberal and gentlemanlike than the Custom House officers (of course acting under instructions). My w
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CHAPTER XXIX. GLASGOW (1819-1825) etc.
CHAPTER XXIX. GLASGOW (1819-1825) etc.
Glasgow at this season of the year, October, is a most melancholy, dirty, smoky city, particularly the end in which the barracks are placed; and such was the state of the city, my wife had to live in barracks and we were again shut up in one room, as during the war. When matters approached the worst, I sent my wife to Edinburgh, where she received every kindness and hospitality. There was living there then Mrs. Beckwith, who had campaigned with her husband in Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick’s time
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CHAPTER XXX. 1825-1828: HARRY SMITH ACCOMPANIES HIS REGIMENT TO NOVA SCOTIA etc.
CHAPTER XXX. 1825-1828: HARRY SMITH ACCOMPANIES HIS REGIMENT TO NOVA SCOTIA etc.
Shortly after this, my Corps was ordered to embark at Belfast [30 July] for Nova Scotia on board three transports, the Arab , the [ Speke [89] ], and the Joseph Green . I had the command of two Companies and a half in the last ship. When we arrived on board, with the quantity of baggage, etc., the ship was in a wild-looking state. The Captain and the agent came to me and said, “We are ordered to go to sea to-morrow, but this is impossible from the state of the ship; it is of no consequence, if y
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CHAPTER XXXI. AFTER STAYING THREE WEEKS AT NASSAU, HARRY SMITH AND HIS WIFE SAIL FOR ENGLAND etc.
CHAPTER XXXI. AFTER STAYING THREE WEEKS AT NASSAU, HARRY SMITH AND HIS WIFE SAIL FOR ENGLAND etc.
We sailed in that, to appearance, heavenly climate with a fresh sea-breeze, and as the magnificent Blue Mountains of Jamaica receded, the appearance of an island towering from the sea into the very heavens became as it were a speck on the mighty ocean. On our way to Nassau we passed New Providence—the first land discovered by Columbus, the joyful realization of his anticipations and the fruit of his wonderful perseverance. The transparency of the water in all the harbours of these islands is ver
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CHAPTER XXXII. VOYAGE TO THE CAPE etc.
CHAPTER XXXII. VOYAGE TO THE CAPE etc.
The stormy element, as if to atone for the violence with which it treated us on our voyage from Nassau, now behaved most moderately. We had a strong breeze across the Bay of Biscay, but as it was abaft the beam we did not feel it, and our whole passage was one of fine and moderate weather. This was very fortunate, as the brig was so heavily laden, that at the beginning of the voyage her main chains were positively under water. We were well found in everything, and had the whole after-cabin to ou
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CHAPTER XXXIII. OUTBREAK OF A KAFIR WAR etc.
CHAPTER XXXIII. OUTBREAK OF A KAFIR WAR etc.
The Kafir tribes, which for many months had been greatly agitated and excited, at length burst into the Colony in what was for the moment an irresistible rush, carrying with them fire, sword, devastation, and cold-blooded murder, and spoiling the fertile estates and farms like a mountain avalanche. Such were the reports received from the Civil Commissioners and the Commandant of the troops. His Excellency Sir B. D’Urban determined to dispatch me immediately, with full powers civil and military t
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CHAPTER XXXIV. HARRY SMITH CHIEF OF THE STAFF UNDER SIR BENJAMIN D’URBAN etc.
CHAPTER XXXIV. HARRY SMITH CHIEF OF THE STAFF UNDER SIR BENJAMIN D’URBAN etc.
My duty now, although not of so directly responsible a nature, was laborious and active in the extreme in conformity to the General Orders which follow:— “Colonel Smith will, for the present, resume his duties as Deputy Quartermaster-General and acting Deputy Adjutant-General of the forces, and, in this capacity as Chief of the Staff, will take charge of the organization of a force to be prepared for active operations; for carrying which into effect he is hereby authorized to make requisitions u
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CHAPTER XXXV. OVER THE KEI INTO HINTZA’S TERRITORY etc.
CHAPTER XXXV. OVER THE KEI INTO HINTZA’S TERRITORY etc.
From the Poorts of the Buffalo we marched up to the Kei, the right bank of which was the great chief Hintza’s territory. Every overture of a pacific character had been made this chief, but no satisfactory, nor indeed decided, answer could be obtained. It was, in the first instance, ordered that we should cross the river without committing any act of hostility, but our sentries and picquets were to be most watchful and vigilant, our avowed object being to recover the cattle which had been so trea
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CHAPTER XXXVI. MARCH ACROSS THE BASHEE TO THE UMTATA AND BACK TO THE BASHEE etc.
CHAPTER XXXVI. MARCH ACROSS THE BASHEE TO THE UMTATA AND BACK TO THE BASHEE etc.
I collected my troops, and saw many of my officers look somewhat staggered as to what was to come next, considering that they were such a handful of troops in the heart of a country swarming with people who were now our most avowed enemies. Some of Hintza’s followers were in my hands. These I despatched to their countrymen, to tell them how Hintza’s treachery had cost him his life, and that I should [not?] make war upon them. I called the officers to the front, and some of the influential non-co
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CHAPTER XXXVII. HARRY SMITH LEFT IN COMMAND OF THE NEW "PROVINCE OF QUEEN ADELAIDE" etc.
CHAPTER XXXVII. HARRY SMITH LEFT IN COMMAND OF THE NEW "PROVINCE OF QUEEN ADELAIDE" etc.
Upon my taking the command, my first object was to provide for the security of the various posts established by his Excellency; to facilitate communication by improving roads, fords, etc.; then to endeavour to compel the Kafirs, in conformity with my instructions, to withdraw beyond the Kei and sue for peace. I endeavoured by every means in my power to assure them that peace was within their reach, and that if hostilities were continued, it would be due to them alone. I most assuredly never allo
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. HARRY SMITH’S ATTEMPTS AT CIVILIZING THE KAFIRS etc.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. HARRY SMITH’S ATTEMPTS AT CIVILIZING THE KAFIRS etc.
During the assembly of the chiefs and their great men at Fort Willshire, I had many and long conferences with them. They had become British subjects at their own request, and now each chief was appointed a magistrate in his own tribe and district, with orders to look up to me and report to me as the Governor of the Province. To introduce a new order of things diametrically opposed to their former habits required much consideration; and the success of the undertaking depended on the gradual intro
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CHAPTER XXXIX. LORD GLENELG ORDERS THE ABANDONMENT OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEEN ADELAIDE etc.
CHAPTER XXXIX. LORD GLENELG ORDERS THE ABANDONMENT OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEEN ADELAIDE etc.
In the midst, however, of all I had effected, and all my visions of what I could effect, the most crooked policy ever invented by the most wicked Machiavellians blasted all my hopes for the benefit of the 100,000 barbarians committed to my rule, and the bright prospect of peace and tranquillity for the Colony (for the frontier inhabitants began to be in a state of security which was security indeed). The Minister for the Colonies, Lord Glenelg, an excellent, worthy, and able man, but led by a vi
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CHAPTER XL. VOYAGE FROM CAPE TOWN TO CALCUTTA etc.
CHAPTER XL. VOYAGE FROM CAPE TOWN TO CALCUTTA etc.
On the voyage we encountered terrific gales of wind; one night a squall took us aback, carried away our topmasts, and shivered our sails into shreds in a moment. I never knew or could conceive before what the force of wind was capable of. This excessive violence lasted only twenty minutes, leaving us a log on the water. The gale continued three days, and on the 18th June, 1840, [122] we had staring us in the face a watery grave. It was the anniversary of the day on which I and two brothers escap
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APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XLI. On the Battle of Maharajpore.
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XLI. On the Battle of Maharajpore.
In a letter to Sir James Kempt, dated “Gwalior, 15th January, 1844,” Harry Smith sketches the events which led to the battle, and cites his memorandum of 28th December given above. He continues— “The army did march as described in Sir H. Gough’s dispatches in three columns, each arriving at its designated post in excellent time—which I freely admit was scarcely to be expected, having to disengage itself from a mass of laden elephants, camels, and bullocks and bullock carts, etc., resembling rath
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CHAPTER XLII. AFFAIRS IN THE PUNJAUB etc.
CHAPTER XLII. AFFAIRS IN THE PUNJAUB etc.
Cawnpore, 7th September, 1846. The narrative by way of my history which ceased in 1843 must now be renewed, as it embraces the most important period of my eventful life, as far as public services go. In my capacity of Adjutant-General of Her Majesty’s forces at Headquarters (which in the cold weather moved about on the plains, in the hot enjoyed the cool and bracing atmosphere of the Himalayas at Simla), I had every opportunity of watching the gradually gathering storm in the Punjaub, until it w
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CHAPTER XLIII. BATTLE OF FEROZESHAH (OR FEROZESHUHUR) etc.
CHAPTER XLIII. BATTLE OF FEROZESHAH (OR FEROZESHUHUR) etc.
BATTLE OF FEROZESHAH (OR FEROZESHUHUR) 21ST DECEMBER, 1845, AND RESUMED BATTLE OF 22ND DECEMBER—THE ARMY MOVES INTO POSITION AT SOBRAON. Early in the morning of the 19th parties were sent out to bring in the wounded, and our cavalry outposts pushed forward to cover this, as also to enable our artillery to bring in the captured guns, amounting to seventeen. The enemy having made a reconnaissance with a large body of cavalry, which created an alarm in the camp, the troops were turned out and took
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CHAPTER XLIV. SIR HARRY SMITH DETACHED FROM THE MAIN ARMY etc.
CHAPTER XLIV. SIR HARRY SMITH DETACHED FROM THE MAIN ARMY etc.
On the 16th January the Commander-in-Chief sent for me, and told me the Governor-General was desirous that the small fortress of Futteyghur and the larger one of Dhurmcote, both slightly garrisoned by the enemy, should be reduced, as under their cover he was drawing supplies from the left bank and crossing them over. His Excellency said, “A Brigade will be sufficient to send, the 3rd Light Cavalry and some Irregular Horse; but who will you send?” I replied I had rather go myself. Sir Hugh Gough
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CHAPTER XLV. THE BATTLES OF ALIWAL AND SOBRAON—END OF SIR HARRY SMITH’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
CHAPTER XLV. THE BATTLES OF ALIWAL AND SOBRAON—END OF SIR HARRY SMITH’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
Major-General Sir Harry Smith, K.C.B., to the Adjutant-General of the Army. “Camp, Field of the Battle of Aliwal, Jan. 30, 1846. “ Sir , “My despatches to his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of the 23rd [140] instant, will have put his Excellency in possession of the position of the force under my command, after having formed a junction with the troops at Loodiana, hemmed in by a formidable body of the Sikh army under Runjoor Singh and the Rajah of Ladwa. The enemy strongly entrenched himself
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CHAPTER XLVI. (Supplementary.) HONOURS AND REWARDS, AND KNITTING OF OLD FRIENDSHIPS.
CHAPTER XLVI. (Supplementary.) HONOURS AND REWARDS, AND KNITTING OF OLD FRIENDSHIPS.
The news of the victory of Aliwal reached London on 23rd March. [149] It brought a sense of immense relief to the public mind, which had been as much disturbed as elated by the costly struggles of Moodkee and Ferozeshah. The relief was the greater inasmuch as exaggerated reports had already been received of Sir Harry Smith’s rencontre with the Sikhs at Budhowal and the loss of part of his baggage. It was at once decided that the thanks of Parliament should be offered to the victorious General an
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CHAPTER XLVII. (Supplementary) IN ENGLAND ONCE MORE etc.
CHAPTER XLVII. (Supplementary) IN ENGLAND ONCE MORE etc.
( Supplementary. ) Sir Harry Smith was received at Southampton by the General commanding the South-Western District and a guard of honour. Salutes were fired, and bells set ringing, and he landed in the presence of thousands of spectators. The corporation presented an address, and had prepared a civic banquet. Next day he travelled to London in a special train, which was put at his disposal by the South-Western Railway Company. On the 6th May he dined with Her Majesty at Marlborough House; on th
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CHAPTER XLVIII. (Supplementary) SOUTH AFRICA IN 1847 etc.
CHAPTER XLVIII. (Supplementary) SOUTH AFRICA IN 1847 etc.
( Supplementary. ) Much had happened in South Africa since the period 1835-6 of which Sir Harry’s autobiography has given us so full an account, and it was his fortune as Governor to encounter difficulties traceable to the policy of Lord Glenelg of which he had himself seen the short-sighted fatuity at the time when it was adopted. By Sir Benjamin D’Urban’s treaty with the Kafir chiefs of September, 1835, the country between the Fish River and the Keiskamma was to be occupied by those settlers w
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CHAPTER XLIX. (Supplementary) THE QUESTION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN THE CAPE COLONY etc.
CHAPTER XLIX. (Supplementary) THE QUESTION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN THE CAPE COLONY etc.
( Supplementary. ) As early as 1841 the inhabitants of Cape Town had petitioned that their present system of government by a Governor and a Legislative Council consisting of officials and persons nominated by the Governor should give place to a constitution resembling that of the mother-country, to consist, that is to say, of a Governor and an Executive Council, both appointed by the Crown, and a Legislative Assembly composed of representatives freely elected by the people. Lord Stanley, in repl
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CHAPTER L. (Supplementary.) AGAIN IN ENGLAND—LAST YEARS, 1852-1860.
CHAPTER L. (Supplementary.) AGAIN IN ENGLAND—LAST YEARS, 1852-1860.
Before Sir Harry Smith reached England, Lord John Russell’s Government had fallen, one main cause of its fall being a general and perhaps excessive dissatisfaction with Lord Grey’s administration of the colonies. It was widely felt that Sir Harry had been made the scapegoat of the Whig Government, and there was every disposition to give him a warm welcome. The Gladiator reached Portsmouth on the afternoon of Sunday, 1st June, and at seven that evening Sir Harry and Lady Smith disembarked and pro
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APPENDIX I. Diary of the Expedition to Monte Video, etc. 1806-7.
APPENDIX I. Diary of the Expedition to Monte Video, etc. 1806-7.
1806. Nov. [Oct.?] 9th. —Sailed from Falmouth under convoy of His Majesty’s ship Ardent (Capt. Donnelly), Unicorn frigate, Daphne , 20-guns ship, Pheasant and Charwell , Sloops-of-war, with a fleet of about 25 transports, a store-ship for the Cape of Good Hope, and a merchant ship for the East Indies. The force consists of a Company of Artillery, under Capt. Dixon; three Companies of the 2nd Battalion Rifle Regiment, under Major T. C. Gardner; 17th Light Dragoons, Col. Loyd; 40th Regiment of Foo
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APPENDIX II. Some Family Letters preserved by Harry Smith with Particular Care.
APPENDIX II. Some Family Letters preserved by Harry Smith with Particular Care.
Letter I. Endorsed—“ 7 th May, 1813. From Eleanor on Stona’s marriage.—H. G. S. ” Whittlesea, May 7 th , 1813. My Dear Henry , From the ardent desire which you have long expressed concerning Stona’s marriage, it will, I am convinced, give you pleasure to hear that the nuptials are at last solemnized. The ceremony took place on Tuesday, which was the fourth of May. Mr. Coleman was father, and of course led the bride to church. Stona, Kate, Charles, and Anna Maria followed, and my Uncle Ground’s J
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APPENDIX III. Memorandum addressed to Sir B. D’Urban on the Diet and Treatment of Soldiers in Confinement.
APPENDIX III. Memorandum addressed to Sir B. D’Urban on the Diet and Treatment of Soldiers in Confinement.
D.Q.M. General’s Office, Cape Castle, [2 June?] 1834. Your Excellency having been pleased to submit for my perusal various documents relative to a scale of diet fixed by a Board of Officers, of which the Hon. Colonel Wade, now Commandant of the Garrison of Cape Town, was President, directing me to return them with any remarks which my experience of five years as Commandant of that garrison may enable me to afford, I beg to observe. There are several officers under whom I have served whose exampl
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APPENDIX IV. Extracts from Harry Smith’s Letters to his Wife during the Kafir War, 1835.
APPENDIX IV. Extracts from Harry Smith’s Letters to his Wife during the Kafir War, 1835.
Grahamstown, 30th Jan. 1835. The Kafirs, from the manner in which I occupied all the passes in their rear, had been beautifully harassed, and now fly from the sight of one of our people as rapidly as they flew towards him until I stirred them up a little in their own country. So you recommend shrapnel, grape, howitzers, shells! Well done! We will take your advice: for old Johnstone [253] says true, you are the best general he knows. I am sadly off for officers and assistants in my office. Selkir
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APPENDIX V. Address of Colonel Smith to the Caffer Chiefs, 7th January, 1836.
APPENDIX V. Address of Colonel Smith to the Caffer Chiefs, 7th January, 1836.
Having closely applied myself to become thoroughly acquainted with your wants, I have now lived long enough amongst you, my children, to observe them. Field Commandants, Field Cornets, and Heads of Kraals—the Laws of our Country are rules established by the authority of its King, or Governor, and his Councillors, to direct the conduct and secure the rights of its inhabitants. You have all lately been received, at your own request and humble desire, and in the mercy of his Excellency the Governor
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APPENDIX VI. Extracts from Sir Harry Smith’s Letters from India, to his Sister, Mrs Sargant.
APPENDIX VI. Extracts from Sir Harry Smith’s Letters from India, to his Sister, Mrs Sargant.
Loodhiana, 12th Feb. 1842. You must excuse, dear Alice, my referring you to Sir James’s letter for information as to the tragedy of Cabool, but my labours now are great. He sent me such a character to give Lord Ellenborough. I had also a very handsome letter from dear Lord Fitzroy Somerset, saying his son was with Lord E., and he would thank me “to instil into him some of that chivalrous and gallant spirit which has been your guide in your military career.” Juana unites with me in love to you al
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APPENDIX VII. Sir Harry Smith’s Recall from the Cape.
APPENDIX VII. Sir Harry Smith’s Recall from the Cape.
A. Copy of a Despatch from Earl Grey to Governor Sir H. G. Smith, Bart., G.C.B. Downing Street, January 14, 1852. Sir , I have received and laid before the Queen your despatches of the 5th and 19th of November, reporting the results of the operations of the war since the date of your despatches by the previous mail. 2. I learn from these despatches that another month of this distressing warfare has passed away, and though the force at your disposal had been increased to a very considerable amoun
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