they had had
leisure to heat their shot, no artillery, in the open country
could have long stood before the fire of even a gun-brig, armed
as this was for the occasion with long thirty-two pounders. Each
boat-load of soldiers, likewise, drew up the moment they stepped
on shore, forming line without any regard to companies or
battalions; whilst parties were instantly dispatched to
reconnoitre, and to take possession of every house, as well as to
line every hedge, in front of the shore where their comrades were
arriving. But these preparations, though no more than common
prudence required, were unnecessary; since there was not only no
opposition to the landing, but, apparently, no enemy within many
miles of the place.

So much time was unavoidably expended in establishing the
different regiments on the ground allotted to them, in bringing
up the hospital and commissariat stores, and arranging the
materiel, that when all things were ready, the day appeared too
far spent to permit an advance into a country, of the nature and
military situation of which we were of course ignorant. The
afternoon was accordingly devoted to a proper distribution of the
force; which was divided into three brigades, in the following
order:--

The first, or light brigade, consisted of the 85th, the light
infantry companies of the 4th, 21st, and 44th regiments, with the
party of disciplined negroes, and a company of marines, amounting
in all to about eleven hundred men; to the command of which
Colonel Thornton, of the 85th regiment, was appointed.

The second brigade, composed of the 4th and 44th regiments, which
mustered together fourteen hundred and sixty bayonets, was
intrusted to the care of Colonel Brooke, of the 44th; and the
third, made up of the 21st, and the battalion of marines, and
equalling in number the second brigade, was commanded by Colonel
Patterson, of the 21st. The whole of the infantry may,
therefore, be estimated at four thousand and twenty men. Besides
these, there were landed about a hundred artillery-men, and an
equal number of drivers; but for want of horses to drag them, no
more than one six-pounder and two small three-pounder guns were
brought on shore. Except those belonging to the General and
staff-officers, there was not a single horse in the whole army.
To have taken on shore a large park of artillery would have been,
under such circumstances, absolute folly, indeed, the pieces
which were actually landed,