 | War |  |
WAR: BOOK VI.
The Argument.
The French in Canada, (like a man wash'd from a wreck at sea, and striving to gain the shore:) emerging from the wreck of fifty-nine, as if resolv'd on conquest; and to perform something greatly memorable. Their armament in the spring of sixty, and march towards Quebec; join'd by the savage people in league with them. General Murray, with our other heroic commanders, and troops, rousing to battle. The disposing of our troops, and by whom headed. The closing of the battle. Major Dalling's behaviour. Him and his officers wounded, and his men rushing on without them, driving the enemy, first broken to their main corps, and after to the rear of their army. The French attack on our right. Captain Ince distinguish'd, with Otway's, and the French twice bravely sustain'd and repuls'd! the left dipossess the enemy from two redoubt's. The reserve brought into action. Rousillon's regiment marching up, and penetrating. General Murray's retreat. Due distance kept by the French. The friendly, (daring) action of an Irish serjent of Bragg's, left wounded on the Field of battle, to preserve an English volunteer from being scalp'd by six Indians. He kills three, and the other three flee. A French officer endu'd with humanity; defends him from the other savages; and that they may not kill them as they threaten'd, he sends both into Quebec. The French attack Quebec, but in vain. The gallant defence made by our troops. The arrival of Commodore Swanton, and the Captains, Schomberg, and Dean. Their attack of the French frigates, &c. above the town, and destroying them. The French desert their trenches, and leave ammunition, baggage, field pieces, mortars, tools, &c. &c. &c. A savage nation joins in league with Great-Britain.
Wash'd from a wreck, incircled round with death:
Who plunging on, amid the surging roar;
Rais'd on a wave, beholds the welcome shore.
The land he views, with eager longing eyes!
With efforts strong, each nerve he nimbly plies;
More briskly swims, as if before untir'd,
In hopes to gain the landing place desir'd:
But soon depress'd, beneath a boist'rous wave;
He slacks, despairs, and seeks a watry grave!
So Gauls, emerging from the dreadful wrack
Of fifty-nine, advanc'd towards Quebec.
As if forgetting, what they'd lately felt;
The veng'ance, Amherit, Wolfe, and Saunders dealt!
Resolved seemed at first, the war to wage,
As if inspir'd with new heroic rage!
But recollecting Wolfe! and fifty-nine!
They soon grew cool, and quitted their design.
With eager speed, towards Quebec advance.
And to the war, (from wild Canadia's lands;)
They drew the fierce, the savage scalping bands;
Their near approach, our garrison alarms!
And Murray, Fraser, Burton, rous'd to arms!
Burton! whose zeal burst forth in flaming glow!
Midst piercing cold! midst chilling frost, and snow;
Active t' infatuate, and counteract the foe;
The brave Macdonald, march'd the foe t' engage;
Who rescu'd Peyton from Canadian rage.
With these, bold Ince, and Dalling, sally'd forth;
Pleas'd with the war; and full of martial worth;
Scotch, English, Irish, by these heroes led;
Most bravely fought and for their country bled!
Fraser the brave! in war's dread science skill'd!
And Highland troops, and Townshend's to the field.
Lascelles's, and Kennedy's with Fraser came;
In quest of death, or else of deathless fame!
These the left wing compos'd, and gain'd a glorious name!
The daring Murray, (with a stern delight,)
His troops surveys, and ruminates the fight;
Alert they stood, with animating glow;
(Unshock'd at death; and wont to beat the foe;)
They numbers scorn'd; and onward march'd elate;
As if they'd out face death! and ravish mighty fate;
Serenely brave; each soldier seem'd to know
'Tis courage aims, and strikes the conq'ring blow;
Quebec's great conq'ror, Murray's bosom fir'd;
And Wolfe tho' dead, each warrior's soul inspir'd!
So from the flaming nest, old poets sing,
Another phoenix, stretches on the wing.
Where Dalling's corps, conspicuously engag'd;
Fiercely the French the British charge sustain;
Till backward forc'd, (like chaff,) they spread the plain.
Onward the soldiers rush, unaw'd by fear,
And leave their wounded leaders in the rear;
Chace as they flee; advance as they retire;
Oppose the French main corps, and take the gen'ral fire;
Again they rally, charge, again retreat
Back to the rear, and own the rout compleat.
Attempted twice, and twice were driven back;
The great soul'd Murray, deigns this truth to own!
There Otway's fought, brave Ince distinguish'd shone;
Amherst's American's, were there dispos'd;
With Anstruther's, and Webb's, these the right wing compos'd;
Stood firm as fate, (unshock'd,) when twice the battle clos'd;
Mean while the left, with emulating glow,
From two redoubts, they dispossess'd the foe,
Indians, Canadians, Regulars repel;
Victorious chac'd; or vanquish'd, bravely fell;
The center, and reserves, their station chang'd,
Advanc'd and wheel'd, in diff'rent order rang'd.
Our little army, none inactive knew;
Each felt the shock, as warm the battle grew;
Ten thousand French, by savages sustain'd,
Three thousand Britons charg'd, and long the sight maintain'd.
Both parties toil'd, to fix the doubtful fight.
The English troops, (to battle much inur'd,)
The oft repeated charges firm endur'd:
With minds resolv'd, call'd all their ardent forth;
And made the Frenchmen feel their warlike worth;
The wounded dropp'd; another straight appear'd,
Sent leaden fate, or else a broad sword rear'd!
Pierc'd like a wedge, and bore the Britons back.
As growling lions, on Arabia's plain,
Hunters, and dogs, in slow retreat sustain;
So Murray and his troops, by might born down,
March slowly off, and fierce defiance frown!
As slow the French advanc'd, (as if in fear,)
Due distance kept, nor dar'd to charge the rear:
Dear bought experience, made their forces feel,
Th' effect of bay'net fight, and Highland steel.
Six scalping plun'rers, thither bent their way.
Th' Hibernian rous'd, the savages drew near,
To seize, and scalp, an English volunteer.
Like gallant Peyton , in the barb'rous strife,
To save his friend's, brave Ochterlony's life;
His weapon launch'd, transfix'd two Indians thro';
Like Jove's own bolt, askance, the halbert flew!
The second blow, another savage slew;
Tho' thrice his number, still unwounded stood,
The sanguin'd halbert, chill'd their vital blood;
They cow'r'd beneath the blow, (with abject fear;)
As Turnus, when Æneas launch'd his spear;
And leave th' Hibernian conq'ror on the field.
Perchance there stood, within th' Hibernian's call,
A gen'rous great soul'd foe; a humane Gaul;
Who with his corps, (quite void of hostile wrath;)
Travers'd the field of carnage, blood, and death,
To him he call'd; and begg'd he'd save their lives,
From savage rage, and Indian scalping knives;
In anxious sort, to him, his arms he rear'd
Who turn'd, and saw, and touch'd with mercy heard,
As Sol's bright blaze, dispels the shades of night.
He frown'd, forbid, turn'd human brutes to flight.
Blest with a soul compassionate and mild;
He smooth'd his brow, and full of pity smil'd;
To make the act compleat, he stopp'd not here,
But order'd dressing, and a decent care.
And then, to make the savage threat'ning vain,
(Who vow'd revenge for scalping kinsmen slain,
From chosen Gauls, (the savages to check,)
Murray receiv'd them safely at Quebec.
Had Richlieu been like him, politely brave!
Orphans at Zell, had scap'd a flaming grave!
'Gainst which the foe, (with hard earn'd conquest fir'd,
Indians, Canadians, and the well train'd Gauls,)
With vain attempt, ply'd useless bombs, and balls;
Murray commanded there; and Britons mann'd the walls!
English, and French, engag'd with mutual hate;
And guns, and mortars, belch'd alternate fate:
With hardy troops, Quebec was amply stor'd;
And on the ramparts, six score cannon roar'd!
All stand the test, like links, in one great chain,
Ward off the threaten'd fate, and well the siege sustain;
Brought Murray joy! but terrors to the Gauls!
Ready for war, with wonted naval glow,
And great vivacity, they sought the foe.
With English speed, above the town they glide;
Their souls anticipate the rapid tide;
And fascination flies from each portended side;
When Britain's flag beyond the walls appear'd,
With pannic struck, the dastard Frenchmen fear'd.
Like wax their hearts became, or melting snow,
And shipwreck chose, rather than fight the foe.
Brave Swanton, Schomberg, Dean, each active tar,
Roll'd on astern, in gloomy thund'ring war!
In pistol shot, next board and board, they came;
And hurl'd Great Britain's fierce destructive flame!
A quadrate ruin, 'gainst the Gauls conspires;
Rocks, water, tars, and black sulphureous fire!
Resolv'd to strike, a home deciding blow;
The gallant Dean, absorpt in warlike flame;
To shipwreck steer'd, and gain'd a lasting fame.
Or sympathetic fate had rul'd the whole;
The troops on shore, (o'erwhelm'd with mighty dread,)
In silent terror, from their trenches fled;
Precipitate, retrod their former path;
At Jacques, shelter'd from the British wrath;
Field pieces, mortars, powder, shells, and shot;
Provision, baggage, tools were all forgot;
Murray with unexpected joy, survey'd
The camp, with Gallic wealth profusely spread;
And heaps, on heaps, (tenfold,) his former loss repaid !
Such was their speed; such their internal fear;
That Murray cou'd not overtake the rear!
A savage nation, (to our rage expos'd,)
In friendly league, with conq'ring Britain clos'd.
Capt. Macdonald, (a Scotch gentleman,) at the unsuccessful landing at Quebec, was the means of saving Mr. Peyton, (an Irish gentleman,) from about 30 Indians, marching down to scalp him after the battle. See the British Magazine of Jan. 1760, and my siege of Quebec.
Here Major Dalling, and several of his officers were wounded; but his men rush'd on without 'em, and drove the enemy, they first attack'd to the main corps, and afterwards to the rear. For a full account of this, and the whole battle, vide General Murray's letter to Mr. Secretary Pitt, in the Extraordinary Gazette, which contains a perfect account of the whole action, according to the following lines.
N. B. About this time, the third battalion of Royal Americans, from the reserve, and Kennedy's from the center, were brought up to the action. Vide General Murry's letter, and account of the battle.
In the Æneid, 'tis said, Turnus cow'r'd in fear when Æneas launch'd his spear at him, in combat, before the walls of Laurentum in Italy.
This was on Irishman, a serjeant of Bragg's, who had received a shot in the breast, and cou'd not retreat with the rest; who fell'd two of the Indians at one blow, with his halbert; and with a second blow killed a third; as six of them were about to scalp an English volunteer, which lay near him, with a dangerous wound in his leg; and on three being killed, the other three fled. This is by letters from America in the news.
The intrepid behaviour of Captain Ochterlony, and Lieut. Peyton, is mention'd in the unsuccessful landing at Quebec. The whole story may be read at large in the British Magazine of January 1760, and in my siege of Quebec.
After the serjeant had lain three of the Indians dead, and the other three fled; he call'd to a French officer which stood near him, with many of his men, and begged he would be so good as to protect them from being barbarously murdered in cool blood by these barbarians. (For there were several parties still scouting round the field, stripping the dead, and murdering, mangling, and scalping the wounded, according to their usual custom.) The officer very generously protected them and ordered them to a place of safety; and to preserve them from being butcher'd by the savages in the French army, (who with the greatest indignation and cruel wrath, vow'd revenge for their brothers;) the next day sent them under a proper guard into Quebec. A noble instance of French politeness! and hostile generosity!
When first General Murray march'd out with his troops, to meet and oppose the French, marching towards Quebec; in his retreat he left several field pieces behind. But now he found in the enemy's abandon'd camp, so many field, or battering pieces, so much baggage, provision, ammunition, &c. of every sort, as wou'd make almost a tenfold retribution.
Whoever reads the extra Gazette, which contains the letter from General Murry, (governor of Quebec) to Mr. Secretary Pitt, concerning the French siege of Quebec and raising the siege; with the battle between his and their troops; will I believe, on the perusal find, that the encomiums which General Murray was generously pleased to give, to the brave and indefatigable Mr. Burton, Fraser, Dalling, Ince, and Macdonald; and to the bold and active Commodore Swanton, and the Captains, Schomberg and Dean, and to all the troops and tars in general: I say I believe they will find what he there says, to agree with what I have said in my poem of the same. And that the disposition for the battle, was as I have said, under the same leaders, whom he expressly says headed the different corps, or battalions (if I may so call them;) for the regiments were greately thinn'd. And they will find in his letter, that such events happen'd, such attacks, and such repulses, and every other incident, as I have mention'd; except for the Irish sergeant, of Bragg's, and the English volunteer, left wounded on the field of battle; which was in the news, and said to be by letters from America.
| War | |