Sgt. Robertson's Memoirs
of the Corunna Campaign

The Terrible Sufferings
of the Army

by Sgt. Robertson

HAVING had nothing to eat for two days, we were now very weak. Some of the men having found a quantity of apples in the farm-house, we devoured them very greedily although a more substantial sort of food would have been more acceptable to our craving appetites. In the evening we got our beef served out; but having neither bread nor salt, it made rather an unsavoury morsel. Although the weather was frosty and very cold we slept very comfortably by the side of several large fires, which we had kindled in the open

We remained in this position till the evening of the 8th, and about seven o'clock we made great fires and left small picquets at them, in order to deceive the French, while the main body of the army formed on the highway leading through Lugo. We marched all night along a very bad road, and next morning about daybreak it came on a dreadfirl storm of wind and rain. It fell to my lot, along with other three sergeants -to be entrusted with the care of the colours that day, but scarcely any of us were able to carry them, being so exhausted and fatigued from hunger and cold.

With very great difficulty we managed to keep up with the rest of the army, until we came to the end of the stage, where we arrived about noon the following day and formed line on a black heath. Soaked to the skin with rain, we lay down cold and comfortless; for having nothing to cook, we did not light any fires. I offered a good price to any of the soldiers who would give me the least crumb of bread, but all in vain, as there was not a morsel among the whole of us. Evening at length came on and we resumed our dreary march. I was ordered forward to take up quarters somewhere on the main road.

The men had now become so unmanageable from fatigue and hunger, that neither promises nor threats could induce them to go on. Some of the men, breaking through all restraint, went off to the fields and lay down and slept till daybreak, when the French came up and made them prisoners. Those that did come on had their feet so sore blistered and swollen, that they must have marched under excruciating pain.

By daylight I reached Botanson, and so ravenously hungry was I, that I ate the frosted turnips by the roadside. When I came to the end of my journey I procured some bread and wine which I devoured with a very craving appetite. Having secured the quarters for the regiment I went out to meet it; and while on the way met with a number of the officers, some ofwhom were riding fast asleep, and when I asked at them about the regiment they could not tell anything of it, not having seen it since twelve o'clock at night. At last, about two in the afternoon the stragglers began to come in.

What might now be called the regiment consisted of the Commanding Officer, the colours, and about twenty men to act as a guard. As an encouragement to those who came in along with the colours they were ordered a double allowance of rations and liquor; but the difficulty was to get men to distribute them when issued. The worn-out soldiers had lain down and fallen asleep, and could not be roused up, till at length by a strange contrivance, we mustered as many as were required to carry the provisions from the store, which we soon got cooked in the houses where we lodged for the night. Our shoes being now literally worn off our feet we were obligated to take pieces from the hides of the cavalry horses which had been shot, and tie them on like sandals.

Next morning we continued our retreat and were not so closely.pressed, as we had stolen a march an the enemy during the preceding day. When we left Botanson the men were so lame that they could scarcely creep along the road. There were several of the non-commissioned officers placed in the rear of each company carrying knives in their hands; and when any of the men fellbehind their knapacks were cut off and thrown away and the men were left with nothing to carry but firelock, pouch, and bayonet.

On account of depredations having been committed some days before, the Commander-in-chiefwas under the disagreeable necessity of making an example of some of the perpetrators. One of the 50th was hanged on a tree by the roadside, and all the army marched past the place of execution; but even this severe punishment had but little effect in deterring others from committing like crimes. Shortly after this, the sergeant-major of the gznd was detected in the act of plundering a house on the highway, and was taken up and ordered to be shot; but General Hope, on account of his wife and family, interceded for him and his sentence was commuted to eight hundred lashes. A number of the guards were also punished at the same time for a similar offence. In fact, a part of every regiment in the army was guilty ofthe same outrages and suffered a like infliction of punishment.

After enduring all sorts of hardships, we at length reached a village within a mile of Corunna, where we took up our quarters for the night. No ships had arrived to take us on board, and this vexed us very much, being in such a deplorable and broken-down condition that we did not think ourselves capable of fighting, even although we should be attacked. When the gznd were mustered, it was found that there were no less than 197 deficient of the roll that turned out on Christmas day.

Of this great number a few afterwards came up and joined us as we were going on board; but with the exception of a few that made their way into Portugal, and attached themselves to the army under Sir Arthur Wellesley, the majority either fell by the shot of the enemy, or being exhausted and overcome by the severity of the weather and other hardships during our march, lagged behind and were taken prisoners by the French as they came up.

More Spanish Adventures

Part 1: Sgt. Robertson's Memoirs of the Corunna Campaign

Part 2: Daniel Nicol's Memoirs with First Battalion of Detachments

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