The party
consisted of about a hundred and fifty men from the guards, the light
infantry and the 80th regiment. Never have I seen a more spirited or
dashing affair. Away they went, nor stopped till they had surmounted
the enemy's works, which were found to be occupied by French troops,
upwards of a hundred of whom were bayoneted. Eleven guns were spiked
and in five minutes they were back again within our lines with the loss
only of twelve killed and wounded. Scarcely anything took place in the
garrison with which the enemy were not made acquainted. The general,
therefore, never allowed any of his intentions to transpire till the
moment of execution. It was therefore without much surprise that I
heard at midnight that boats were in readiness to convey the troops over
to the Gloucester side, and that the seamen were to keep up as heavy a
fire as we could, to deceive the enemy. When the troops had passed over
we were to make a rush for the boats and get across to follow them as
best we could. What was then to be done we were left to divine. The
sick and wounded and prisoners, and our guns and stores, were of course
to be abandoned. Scarcely had I heard of the proposed plan before I
found that the embarkation had commenced. The night had been
threatening, and now a storm with wind and rain, thunder and lightning,
such as I had not often witnessed, commenced and increased in fury. It
made our work easier in deceiving the enemy, though our artillery seemed
but a mockery of the thunder of the skies. Our gallant seamen felt that
the safety of the army depended on their exertions, and in spite of the
showers of shot and shell falling among us all night, most nobly did
they stand to their guns. The time was approaching when I expected to
receive orders to call them off from the lines, that we might commence
our retreat. O'Driscoll was engaged in the embarkation of the troops.
He was to come when they had crossed, to assist me in managing the
retreat of the seamen. At length I heard his voice in my battery.

"All right," I exclaimed. "One shot more and we'll make a run for it."

"Not at all right," was his answer. "The plan has failed, and if the
enemy discover our condition we are done for. I came to stop you from
leaving your guns."

"What has happened?" I exclaimed.

"The larger part of the army were got across in safety when the gale
increased so much that I began to doubt the possibility of passing over