Hervey 07 - An Act Of Courage (23 page)

Half an hour later, at two o’clock, with the French momentarily checked by Major-General John Mackenzie’s brigade, behind which the Irish had rallied, the Sixth received orders to withdraw to the line of defence. General Cotton’s voice, composed but stentorian, carried to right marker and left flanker alike: ‘Lord George, the Sixth to do rearguard, if you will. Allow me to retire one half of one mile with the Fourteenth. The Sixteenth I have already sent back. Anson’s will be covering the infantry.’

Lord George Irvine touched the peak of his Tarleton to the brigadier. ‘Very well, Sir Stapleton.’ Then he turned to his regiment. ‘Number One and Number Two Squadrons, skirmishers out!’

Sir Edward Lankester and Captain Thomas Lennox, C Troop leader, repeated the order to their squadrons.

Out from the ranks trotted a dozen corporals and dragoons, drill-book fashion –
The Regiment in the Withdrawal
.

‘Flankers!’

Two dragoons from right and left squadrons trotted out a hundred yards to either flank, ready to do the skirmishers’ job there if the enemy worked round unseen.

In ten more minutes, Hervey saw Colonel Anson’s brigade – the 23rd Light Dragoons and the 1st Hussars of the King’s German Legion – coming up from Talavera at a fast trot. Now General Mackenzie’s division (he had command of a second brigade as well as his own) could begin to withdraw.

Ten minutes later, with Anson’s cavalry in a tight masking formation two hundred yards to their front, Mackenzie’s men were marching back towards Talavera. Hervey turned in the saddle to see how far General Cotton and the Fourteenth had got: a quarter of a mile, and retiring very deliberately at the walk. He could not understand why the French made no move, having been so bold in crossing the river in the first place and surprising Donkin’s men.

Not a minute later he understood all too well, as horse artillery began firing from the olive groves where the Sixtieth had stood not an hour before. The shot fell short of Anson’s brigade, half a mile to the right of where the Sixth stood, but not by much.

‘Tricky of them, that,’ said Sir Edward, in a bemused sort of way, and taking out his telescope. ‘They gave no notice with cavalry.’ He searched the entire front. At a range of a thousand yards the damage would not be too great: Anson’s men would be able to see the shot approaching, and evade. It was well, however, that the French had no ‘Monsieur Shrapnel’ to provide them with exploding shot. He frowned. ‘I wonder if we shall see them dare to follow in the open.’

The 6th Light Dragoons now became spectators at a field day, except that it was conducted with shotted guns, and carbines with ball-cartridge. Every officer had out his telescope, and every dragoon strained his eyes to see the evolutions. French skirmishers –
chasseurs à cheval
– came out of the olive groves and began exchanging fire with Anson’s. At three hundred yards they troubled each other even less than the guns troubled the main body. After a quarter of an hour of ineffective cannonading and musketry, the artillery limbered up and trotted out from cover protected by two strong squadrons of
chasseurs
.

‘A fine sight indeed,’ declared Sir Edward, ruefully. ‘And very artfully concealed they were.’

Hervey saw; they
all
saw. This would have been the moment for the British gunners, but every troop had been sent back behind the Portiña.

‘Anson has no alternative but to charge or retire,’ said Sir Edward, searching the olive groves intently. ‘And I’ll warrant there’ll be another four squadrons in yonder trees waiting for him.’

Hervey had not thought of that. He cursed himself, for as soon as Sir Edward spoke it appeared obvious. The cavalryman’s art lay as much in determining what you could
not
see from what you could.

‘I hope he’ll not be tempted,’ added Sir Edward, in a tone that said he might.

But Anson was evidently not to be lured. He turned his brigade about and began following General Mackenzie’s infantry.

‘I think we had better conform,’ said Lord George, lowering his telescope. ‘Fours about!’

The commanding officer’s trumpeter relayed the order: falling crotchets, G, E, C, G, dotted quavers and semis on C then E, and a long C for the executive. The Sixth about-faced, four men wheeling as one the length of the line, with the officers riding round the squadron flankers to take up position again. It was a deal more involved than each man simply turning about, but it kept the proper order of things.

‘Walk-march!’

The trumpeter repeated the command: just six Cs and an E, an easy call.

Once the ranks had dressed after striking off (it always took longer when they had been standing for any time), Lord George made to keep up with Anson’s brigade, for he was otherwise being left too far forward on an open flank.

‘Trot!’

Repeating quavers doubled the Sixth’s speed. Bits jingled, scabbards clanked, NCOs barked. To Hervey, it was the best of music.

The French began firing again. Hervey glanced left and rear, expecting to see more cavalry coming from the olive groves, but there were none. He saw Anson’s brigade halt and front. Would this unnerve the French, keep them at their distance? Or would Anson’s men have to charge? There were no supports showing themselves yet, but they could remain concealed and still have time to close with the
chasseurs
if Anson did charge. It was a fine judgement, Hervey saw. The trouble was that General Mackenzie’s infantry had half a league and more to march before the Portiña, and they would not be under cover of Sir Arthur Wellesley’s guns for another mile.

‘Walk!’

The order took him by surprise. He flexed the reins late. Jessye obliged but stumbled slightly, putting them two lengths ahead of the quartermaster, bumping Serjeant Strange’s mare. He felt himself colour.

‘Halt!’

He reined rear until he was in line.

The quartermaster scowled. ‘Welcome back, Mr Hervey, sir.’

He deserved the rebuke, he knew. If
he
didn’t keep his attention how could the other ranks be expected to? He saw the nearest dragoons smiling. They enjoyed seeing a cornet checked by the quartermaster. It didn’t matter how aptly an officer did his duty on patrol if he couldn’t keep his place in close order.

‘What do
you
find so amusing, Harris?’ growled A Troop’s quartermaster.

Private Harris wondered how the quartermaster had been able to see from his position in rear. But, then, that was why he was a quartermaster, was it not? ‘Nothing, sir.’ It sounded feeble.

‘Nothing, is it? Well, just think on this, Harris my lad: there’ll be a regiment and more of sabres in those trees yonder, and any minute now they’ll be coming out with the sole intention of sticking one in you. That is if
I
don’t stick mine in your arse beforehand!’

‘Sir!’ Harris sounded chastened.

Hervey reflected on the propriety of humour in the regiment. A quartermaster might make a remark at a cornet’s expense, and for others to hear, but the quartermaster’s humour was the final word; it needed no acclamation from the ranks. In a matter of moments the cornet might in turn have to give the quartermaster an order, perhaps unpalatable, and would have it obeyed without demur; but a cornet would stand rebuked for carelessness for something a trained man would not be permitted without equal rebuke. It did not bear scrutiny, but it worked. He had
seen
it work, and in the most exacting conditions; what was there left to know in the management of men after Corunna?

But why had they halted?

‘Regiment, fours about-face!’ There was an edge to Lord George’s voice now.

The Sixth went through the same evolution as before, but reversed, so that in a minute they were standing exactly as they had prior to the retirement. Hervey quickened: would they charge?

Major Edmonds rode from centre-rear, round the right marker, to where the lieutenant-colonel stood coolly observing the French.

‘I think Anson’s going to have a deuced awkward time of it, Edmonds,’ said Lord George, pointing. ‘Look yonder: there’s another troop of guns coming up on his flank.’

Edmonds saw. ‘Anson’s right to be wary of charging. There’s bound to be twice as many in the woods.’

‘My opinion exactly, Edmonds. I think we had better give him support. Mackenzie’s men are evidently tired, too. Cotton will be home safe shortly.’

‘Indeed,’ said Edmonds, shading his eyes against the sun. ‘Curious there’s no appetite to follow us up. Haven’t they seen we’ve no guns, d’ye think?’

Lord George nodded. ‘I had thought of that. Perhaps they imagine we’re masking them, which is why I think we may be of assistance simply by remaining in line with Anson.’

‘What do you intend if the French break cover?’

Lord George shrugged ever so slightly. ‘We must see, but if there’s opportunity to charge, then I shall take it!’

Anson’s brigade stood their ground in open order for a full ten minutes. One ball alone did damage, striking the head clean off a man’s shoulders as he tried desperately to rein round. But the second gun troop, a thousand yards to the brigade’s right, had now begun unlimbering, so that fire would converge and be the harder to evade. General Mackenzie’s infantry, meanwhile, had managed another half-mile, giving Anson the opportunity at last to withdraw far enough to tempt the French gunners out of range of any supports in the olive groves.

The Sixth watched with the keen interest of spectators at a field day as Anson’s brigade turned about. The King’s Germans were unquestionably handier would have been the majority opinion; the Twenty-third had fresher horses, it seemed, for there was a good deal of napping and barging. But the brigade turned tight nevertheless, and sharp though unhurried.

‘Very coolly done, I must say,’ declared Lieutenant Martyn. ‘The brigadier judges it very fine.’

Lord George waited until the nearer gun troop ceased firing and the horse teams came up, then resumed the Sixth’s own progress rear. ‘Regiment will retire. Fours about!’

Round they went again, and tighter this time for the practice.

‘Walk-march!’

And then, after fifty yards, ‘Trot!’

Anson’s brigade had retired a full half-mile in the meantime, before stopping once more to cover the infantry’s last mile to the Portiña. Both troops of French guns followed up quickly and came into action as soon as the brigade formed front again.

‘Halt!’ called Lord George.

The Sixth pulled up from the trot, untidy but fast.

Lord George intended losing no time. ‘Front!’

The squadrons turned like a weathervane when the wind veers suddenly. It was an urgent manoeuvre, and every man knew there must be cause.

They saw the cause as they came full round: the nearest gun troop stood half a mile off, a squadron of
chasseurs
to each flank, and an empty mile and more between them and the olive groves.

‘Singular,’ declared Sir Edward Lankester. ‘They are deuced confident of themselves!’

He spoke the thoughts of his squadron, for every man could see as he did: before, the French had been bold; now they had been rash.

‘Forward!’

The command thrilled through the ranks – so much more welcome to the dragoon’s ear than ‘retire’. And Lord George’s trumpeter sounded the call with relish.

‘Trot!’

The bumping and barging began again, horses extending unevenly to keep with the fast pace Lord George was setting.

In four hundred yards they halted, having wheeled a quarter right without any command but from the sword. Without the pivot it was uneven, but much the faster.

‘Draw swords!’

Five hundred sabres flashed from polished scabbards. The movement was meant to unnerve the enemy, a calculated display, its timing of the essence. These French had dared so much in coming forward with so few supports; Hervey wondered how they would take to this notice of the charge.

‘Forward!’

Lord George would press them for an answer.

‘Trot!’

It was knee-to-knee proper now, stirrups clinking with the next man’s, scabbards bouncing about and clanking without the weight of the sword, shouts of ‘Pull back there!’, ‘Get up on the left!’ It was a sight that awed more at a distance.

The next order would all but commit them to the charge. The guns were a quarter of a mile away, trained off the Sixth’s line of advance at Anson’s brigade. The French had seconds only to decide their course, or it would be decided for them. Hervey could barely contain himself as he saw the
chasseurs
incline to face them.

Lord George did not hesitate. ‘Gallop!’

At last it was come, his first true regimental charge! Four squadrons – eight troops at a good strength, in first and support lines, with the lieutenant-colonel at the fore and every officer in his place. The strangest thoughts came to him: two thousand iron shoes pounded the hard earth, each one but a nail from failing – how the regiment’s farriers held the fortune of them all in their rough and ready hands! He had to check himself: it was not
yet
the charge. It was possible, even now, for Lord George to hold up, the gallop still in-hand, sabres still sloped.

The French did not advance to meet them. Would they turn and run? Hervey felt his gut tighten with every stride. There were two hundred yards to close with the
chasseurs
. When would Lord George give the word?

‘Steady, damn your eyes! Stop your racing! Hold hard there!’ Officers and NCOs alike cursed to keep the lines straight. Hervey saw a horse from C Troop bolt, its rider heaving on the reins for all he was worth. One in front of him stumbled then somersaulted headlong, tumbling the horse next to it and the one right behind. Hervey swore with relief at the near-miss. This was
so
much harder than Sahagun! The ranks were so close – too close? And the approach was so long! Would the French turn?

Now they had the limbers forward, hitching up the guns. Seconds more and they could gallop them safely rear.

One hundred and fifty yards: the
chasseurs
drew their sabres. Hervey swallowed hard. They
would
stand their ground!