The Death Of
Major General Robert Craufurd
An Account by His ADC
Annotated By Jane Craufurd Hoyle
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The main claim to fame of Sir James Shaw Kennedy, as he later became, was that together with Brevet Major Campbell, he wrote the Light Division Standing Orders, commissioned by Robert Craufurd. The last edition that I have been able to find was published in the 1880s, quite a tribute to all concerned. Shaw Kennedy was one of Robert Craufurd's few friends/close associates in the Peninsula. He was a complex and lonely man. .
BATH, June 13th 1861
Sir
[He starts by referring to one of the enclosures with the letter, Lord Fitzclarence's work on out post duties which contains a detailed diary of the operations of the Light Division prior to the first siege of Ciudad Rodrigo. [3]]
Ciudad Rodrigo was stormed on the 19th January 1812. There were two breaches reported practicable on that day: the greater, destined to be assaulted by the 3rd Division, commanded by General Picton; the lesser by the Light Division commanded by General Craufurd.
The 3rd Division was in the trenches, and the Light Division and Pack's Brigade were ordered to march from the village which they occupied [4] to take part in the assault. For this purpose the Light Division crossed the Agueda by a ford three miles above Rodrigo, [5] and marched from that ford by a considerable circuit to approach the place. From the ford, I was sent forward by General Craufurd to report to Lord Wellington the approach of the Division and to ask his orders as to how the Division was to approach the place, and as to the position it was to keep up.
I found Lord Wellington and Staff near to the Convent of San Francisco, and asked for his Lordship, whom they pointed out sitting near the convent at some distance and alone, but they said I could not speak to him as he was writing the Orders for the assault.[6]
But this I had nothing to do with, and went immediately up to him and informed him of the order which I had received from General Craufurd. He stopped writing, listened attentively to what I said, gave the most clear and distinct orders as to the Division, and then resumed writing.
This anecdote is characteristic of Wellington. Here we find him totally alone, sitting in the open air, within range of the guns of the place, unassisted by maps or plans or any person to refer to - and at the last stage of the operation, when the assault was about to be made - writing a full, clear, and distinct order for an assault involving considerable complication. His delaying writing the order till the last moment, evidently had the advantage of his giving the most detailed and precise orders when the actual circumstances up to the very time of the assaults being made were before him. But it shewed great coolness and self-possession, great confidence in himself, and it being done in so masterly a manner, shewed that he was thoroughly master of the subject.
Craufurd having placed the Light Division according to Wellington's orders, - near to the Convent of San Francisco, made his dispositions for the Division's assaulting the Lesser Breach at 7 o'clock pm. About that hour the Division advanced to the assault in the following order.
Three companies of the Rifles moved to the right to enter the ditch between the Greater and Lesser Breaches and the main column consisting of the 43rd and 52nd regiments and part of the Rifles, marched directly for the Lesser Breach, preceded by a forlorn hope under Lieutenant Gurwood, and 300 men as a storming party under Major Napier. The 43rd and 52nd regiments were formed in columns of sections and were abreast of each other. The 43rd formed the right hand column of sections, the 52nd the left hand column of sections. The 43rd column of section was formed right in front, the 52nd left in front. The 43rd was ordered on entering the breach to proceed in its column of sections along the rampart towards the Greater Breach, the 52nd in the opposite direction towards the Salamanca Gate. Thus the 43rd when it wheeled to the left, and the 52nd to the right when on the rampart would form line facing the town.
The leading sections of the 43rd and 52nd regiments, it will be observed, were abreast of each other. They were led respectively by Lieutenant Colonel Macleod and Lieutenant Colonel Colborne the commander of these regiments who in their advance followed up closely the storming party.
While the column as above described advanced to the assaults, General Craufurd keeping to the left of the column proceeded directly to the crest of the glacis,[7] about sixty yards to the left of where the column entered the ditch, and from that spot, at the highest pitch of his voice continued giving instructions to the column. This brought upon him an intense fire of musketry from the opposite parapet [8] of the fausse braie [9], and rampart, and at a very short distance, for the ditch of the fausse braie was very narrow, and even the main ditch was very narrow, and the place had no covered way. He was thus exposed to a double fire of infantry at a very short distance, the superior slope of the parapet of the fausse braie being in the same line, as the slope of the glacis, he could not remain many minutes where he was without being hit. Accordingly he was struck by a musket ball, which passed through his arm, broke through the ribs, passed through part of the lungs and lodged in, or at the spine:[10] and he not only fell, but the shock was so great, that on falling, he rolled over down the glacis. There was not a soul with him but myself, there was no one even near us. I immediately took hold of him and half dragged and half carried him to where there was an inequality of ground in which he was out of the direct fire from the place.
After lying for a few minutes in this situation, he said to me that he was mortally wounded, and that he felt that he was just dying. I expressed my grief that he had such a feeling and a hope that he was mistaken, in answer to which he reiterated his opinion that he was just dying. I then asked him if I could do anything for him. To this he replied that I could not, as all his affairs were fully settled. I then asked him if he had anything to communicate to Lord Wellington. After considering a little, he said that he did not recollect anything that he had to communicate to Lord Wellington, and that there was only one thing I could do for him, which was to "Say to Mrs Craufurd that he was quite sure that they would meet in Heaven."
After this he lay for some time, quiet and without speaking. Recovering himself in some measure from this quiet he said that he felt a little better. I then proposed to attempt to raise him, and that if possible he should proceed to the suburb. To this he agreed, and leaning heavily upon me he succeeded in getting to the Convent of San Francisco, on our approach to which, we met a medical officer of the Rifles who made enquiries as to the wound and thought that the arm alone was injured, and he pointed out the place in the San Francisco where General Craufurd should be taken for examination.
There he was taken, and examined by some medical officers. During that examination, I had gone to look for a house to which he might be taken, and on my return met one of the surgeons who had examined the wounds. He said that the wounds were so serious as to leave no hope of the General's life being preserved; from the San Francisco he was removed to a house very near it.
General Craufurd was wounded at, say, eight o'clock pm on the 19th and died at, say, ten o'clock am on the 24th. That is, he lived one hundred and ten hours after being wounded, during which time, I regret to say, his sufferings were very great indeed, arising from feverish irritation and great difficulty of breathing. He was not without hope of recovery, but expressed a wish that if death was to be the consequence of his wounds, it might occur speedily, as his sufferings were very great.
By accident I met Lord Wellington at the Salamanca Gate on the morning of the 20th and he asked most anxiously for Craufurd. I gave him an unfavorable report of his state. His Lordship called afterwards and saw Craufurd and they conversed together for some time.
Craufurd congratulated Lord Wellington on the great advantage he had gained by taking Ciudad Rodrigo, to which His Lordship replied something in these words - "Yes - a great blow - great blow indeed."
General Craufurd had the advantage of the opinions of several senior military surgeons, but the case was in charge of, and was managed by Doctor Walker, then Assistant Surgeon of the 52nd Regiment.
The funeral of General Craufurd took place on the 25th, the grave being in the ditch of the place near to the breach. Lord Wellington, Marshal Beresford, General Castaņos and the headquarter staff were present. The ground was ke0pt by the 5th Division. The escort consisted of the whole of the Light Division.
I beg to remain
To Sir William A Fraser, Bart [11]
[1] The engineer in charge of repairing the walls of the city.
Related
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Although this letter about Robert Craufurd's death was written in 1861, the events of 49 years previously must have remained very clearly in Shaw Kennedy's memory as there is much detail in the letter below. A particular point of interest in it, is reinforced by Colonel Jones's [1] account and that is that Craufurd's body was not buried in the wall, but in the ditch at the foot of the lesser breach. [2]