This is directly contradicted by Burgoyne's statement, which

is

"About 100 yards in extent was effected during the night, with a loss of ten or twelve of the workmen. Nothing could have been better than the conduct of the men on this occasion."

He adds that at daybreak the parallel was occupied, and such a fire kept up from it as prevented the enemy from making any effectual reply. The completion of a hundred yards of parallel by a working party of a hundred men, could not fairly be described as "very little progress.'

We seem to discover the feeling that dictated the criticism in the next passage:

"On the second night of the siege, the small party of sappers was employed in addition to the troops of the line. By the assistance of these few men the officers of engineers were enabled to regulate their working party to so much advantage that before morning they had completed a parallel of 200 yards in extent."

It is quite clear that Pasley's object was to show the value of his newly-trained corps; but this might well have been done without underrating the work of others. The real state of the case, as regards what was done afterwards, is thus given by Burgoyne:"February 10th. By evening the remainder of the officers of Engineers and the two companies of Sappers joined. At night we completed the four batteries. A brigade of Sappers, relieved at midnight, and assisted by thirty workmen of the line added by sap about 200 yards to the parallel."

Thus it will be seen that the 200 yards spoken of by Pasley were added on the third night, when the whole of the two companies were on the spot. On the second night the only work done was the commencement of the batteries, the completion of which Burgoyne records above.

The batteries were armed and ready early on the 11th, when General Lambert summoned the fort. After some negotiation the defenders capitulated, and on the following day marched out 400 strong, and grounded their arms on the glacis as prisoners of war. The story is thus told by Duncan:—

"After a short parley its Governor surrendered, begging, however, to be permitted to defer its evacuation till the next day, as so many of his men had got drunk. This was agreed to; but the gate of the fort was immediately given over to a company of British infantry, and the British flag was hoisted."

The fort was evacuated on February 12th, 1815, and on the 13th the news arrived that the war was at an end, peace having been signed at Ghent on December 24th of the preceding year.

CHAPTER XVI.

1814-1830.

Joint British and Prussian Expedition to Holland-Lieutenant Sperling's Journal-Attack on French Fleet at Antwerp-Its Failure-Scheme for Assault of Bergen-op-Zoom-Sperling's Account-First Success and Subsequent Failure-Peace of 1814-Return of Napoleon from ElbaBattle of Waterloo - Sperling's Account-Oldfield's Account - Misbehaviour of a Company of Sappers-Wellington's Description of the Battle to Jones-Burgoyne's Memo.-Capture of Péronne-Engineer Equipment-Close of War-Jones and the Netherland Fortresses-His Mission to Holland in 1830-Bombardment of Algiers in 1816-Burgoyne's and Whinyates' Accounts.

THE disasters encountered by the French army in the retreat from Moscow, and the consequent necessity to concentrate as far as possible all the outlying Imperial forces to create the nucleus of a fresh army, led to the reduction of the French garrisons in Holland. The Dutch were not slow to take advantage of the opportunity thus afforded them to revolt against the alien Government under which they had so long been writhing, and to recover their national independence. In this they were only partially successful. The open country fell into their hands, and the French were driven into the various fortresses. They were, however, utterly unprovided with any organized force, and so long as there remained spread over their land a number of fortified posts of greater or less importance, garrisoned by the enemy, it was impossible for them to maintain their newly-acquired liberty. To support their efforts, and to endeavour to recover their fortresses, an expedition was sent from England in the winter of 1813 to act in conjunction with a Prussian corps under General Bulow. The British force was placed under the command of Sir Thomas Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch), and under him were Major-Generals Cooke, Mackenzie, and Skerret. The Engineers who were attached to the troops were Lieutenant-Colonel Carmichael Smyth, C.R.E., Captains Sir George Hoste and Thompson (the latter of whom commanded the Fourth Company of the Second Battalion of Royal Sappers and Miners,

having Sub-Lieutenant Adamson under him), Lieutenants Abbey (Adjutant and Quartermaster), Sperling, Hayter, White, Cooper, and Eyre.

The force arrived off Helvoetsluys on December 15th, 1813, and was landed on the 18th at Williamstadt. The Engineers were rapidly pushed to the front by Steinbergen to Tholen. Sperling's journal says:—

"Our party consisted of Captain Thompson, Abbey, Cooper, and self. Tholen, where Sir Thomas Graham and Colonel Smyth were, was our destination. The resting-place for the night was Steinbergen, about ten miles distant. Rain had set in; the road which lay along the dyke was in a wretched state from the previous traffic; the horses frequently could scarcely walk from the depth of mud. We had some difficulty in tracking our way, from our ignorance of the country, and the peculiar arrangement of the roads following the dykes. Night overtaking us added to our perplexities. We were delighted at length to find ourselves in a town.

December 19th.

Being obliged to resume our route, we prepared our horses and set off for Tholen. We passed near Bergenop-Zoom, still occupied by the French. I fell in with Colonel Smyth, who had been admitted blindfolded into Bergen-opZoom with a flag of truce, to induce the commandant to surrender, who declined, stating he was fully prepared for an attack. He (Smyth) was with Sir Thomas Graham."

The first Engineer operation was the construction of a bridge of boats at Zandwarbreiten.

"December 31st. By the exertions of Abbey, our adjutant, the previous day, enough boats had arrived during the night for stretching across the river. By break of day we were at work, only ceasing with the night. There were five boats and the wherry, which obliged us to place them further apart than should have been done could more have been obtained. The other materials were chiefly procured from Oudenbosch. Considering the preparation of the materials, credit was due to the men for the zeal with which they worked. In the course of the afternoon Sir Thomas Graham passed over first, accompanied by the Colonel (Smyth), who gave me an expression of satisfaction. Afterwards cavalry and waggons followed." †

The next incident of importance was the attempt to destroy the French fleet which had taken shelter within the basin of Antwerp. It was thought that batteries could be constructed, and a sufficient

Lieutenant John Sperling wrote a very detailed journal of all the operations in the expedition in which he was concerned; from this work much of what follows has been extracted.

+ This Bridge is referred to in Pasley's "Elementary Fortification."

amount of fire brought to bear on the fleet to effect its destruction without the necessity of capturing the fortress, an operation quite out of the power of the limited force then available. An advance was made and the place invested by the British and Prussian Corps. Batteries were then thrown up.

Sperling's Journal.--" February 2nd. Having reported myself to Colonel Smyth, he gave me directions for the construction of a mortar battery, and to take the Sappers under my charge with me. I understood that Sir G. Hoste, Capt. Thompson and Cooper had somewhat similar employments elsewhere. On arriving at the place for my battery, I found that spot had been selected because the garrison had commenced a defensive work, which would save us much labour. Ferdinand's Dyke extends from the river nearly to Merxem" (a village in the suburbs of Antwerp), "affording complete cover from the artillery on the side away from the town. To remedy this they were constructing the work which in part now served us for a parapet, and brought us much nearer to the docks than any of the other batteries in progress.'

There were altogether five batteries thrown up-one for six 73-inch mortars (the one referred to above), a second for four 10-inch mortars and two 8-inch howitzers, a third for three 12-inch mortars, a fourth for four 11-inch mortars and two 24-pounder guns, and a fifth for three 24-pounder guns. Most of this ordnance was French and Dutch, picked up in the country, and very inferior.

Sperling's Journal.-"Soon after three o'clock" (on the 3rd) "the batteries opened at the same time on the shipping. The Colonel sent Hayter to assist Capt. Thompson, who was occupied in finishing the battery for the 24-pounders, which was more exposed than the others, the French having constructed a battery in advance of the fortifications, which fired right upon it. I accompanied him. I accompanied him. The battery was in a garden near the house, and there were many trees around. We had not been long here when the scene became not a little appalling, the whiz of the shells carrying death and desolation, the crash upon the houses, the branches of the trees split and falling about. Considering our position very few suffered.”

The bombardment was kept up with great spirit on February 3rd, 4th, and 5th, but on the 6th General Bulow withdrew the Prussian Corps, which was called away to Brussels. The British force being by itself insufficient to support the attack, it was abandoned. Even had this not been done, it is very doubtful whether the object aimed at, viz., the destruction of the fleet, would have been attained, owing to the insufficiency of the artillery power. The vessels, although repeatedly struck, were never

BB

seriously injured, nor was it possible to set them on fire, as the crews were able to extinguish all outbreaks before they could attain strength. Colonel Smyth, in his report on the operation, remarked that in order to destroy shipping by shells it was necessary that such a rapid and extensive fire should be kept up as to prevent the possibility of putting out the flames.

We now come to the most daring operation of the campaign, one which was brilliantly conceived and skilfully executed, and yet which failed in an unaccountable manner on the very eve of success. This was the attack on Bergen-op-Zoom. Sir Thomas Graham having obtained ample information from repeated and

close reconnaissances of the fortress, considered that in spite of its great strength the place could be surprised by a coup-de-main. It was ascertained that where the river Zoom passed through the enceinte, there was at low tide only two feet of water, and that at this point an entrance was practicable; further, that the escarps generally were low, many of the fronts only demirevetted, and three bastions not revetted at all. At this time the water in the wet ditches was all frozen, and it had been found that the ice had only been broken by a narrow cut in the centre, which could be very easily passed upon planks. The frost, moreover, had rendered it impossible for the garrison to