-By all accounts of prisoners, and from my own observations, at least two divisions of the enemy were engaged. Their loss in killed and wounded has been very great, and we have above one hundred prisoners. The enemy's line of retreat seems to have been by the right bank of the Adour, with the exception of some part of their force, which being cut off from the river by our rapid advance to this town, retired in the greatest confusion in the direction of Pau. These troops have left their arms in every direction.

I cannot omit this opportunity of expressing to your lordship the gallant and unremitting exertions of Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir W. Stewart, and the general and other officers of the 2d division; of Major-General Fane's brigade of cavalry, and Captain Bean's troop of horse artillery, throughout the whole of the late operations; and I must, in justice, mention the gallant charge made yesterday by Maj.-General Barnes, at the head of the 50th regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Harrison, and the 92d, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron, in which he was ably seconded by his Staff, Brigade-Major Wemyss and Captain Hamilton.

Major-General Byng's brigade supported the movement of MajorGeneral Barnes, and decided the advantage of the day.

Capt Macdonald, of the horseartillery, distinguished himself much in attempting to rally the Portuguese troops.

I trust our loss, considering the advantageous position occupied by the enemy, has not been severe; but I have to regret the loss of a

WAR DEPARTMENT.

Downing-street, March 11. Dispatches, of which the following are copies, were received last night from General Sir Thomas Graham, K. B.

Head-quarters, Calmhout,
March 10, 1814.

My Lord,-It becomes my painful task to report to your lordship, that an attack on Bergen-op-Zoom, which seemed at first to promise complete success, ended in failure, and occasioned a severe loss to the Ist division, and to Brigadier-Gen. Gore's brigade.

It is unnecessary for me to state the reasons which determined me to make the attempt to carry such a place by storm, since the success of two of the columns, in establishing themselves on the ramparts, with very trifling loss, must justify the having incurred the risk for the attainment of so important an object as the capture of such a fortress.

The

The troops employed were formed in four columns. No. 1, the left column, attacked between the Antwerp and Water Port Gates. No. 2, attacked to the right of the New Gate. No. 3, was destined only to draw attention by a false attack near the Stenbergen Gate, and to be afterwards applicable according to circumstances. No. 4, right column, attacked at the entrance of the harbour, which could be forded at low water, and the hour was fixed accordingly at halfpast ten p. m. of the 8th instant.

Major-General Cooke accompanied the left column. Major Gen. Skerrett and Brigadier-Gen. Gore both accompanied the right column; this was the first which forced its way into the body of the place. These two columns were directed to move along the rampart so as to form a junction as soon as possible, and then to proceed to clear the rampart and assist the centre column, or to force open the Antwerp Gate.

An unexpected difficulty about passing the ditch on the ice, having obliged Major-Gen. Cooke to change the point of attack, a considerable delay ensued, and that column did not gain the rampart till half-past eleven.

Meanwhile the lamented fall of Brigadier-Gen. Gore, and Lieut.Colonel the Hon. George Carleton, and the dangerous wound of Major-General Skerrett, depriving the right column of their able direction, it fell into disorder and suffered great loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners. The centre column having been forced back with considerable loss by the heavy fire of the place (Lieutenant-Col. Morrice its commander, and Lieu

tenant-Colonel Elphinstone commanding the 33d regiment, being both wounded), was re-formed under Major Muttlebury, marched round and joined Major-General Cooke, leaving the left wing of the 55th to remove the wounded from the glacis. However, the guards, too, had suffered very severely during the night, by the galling fire from the houses on their position, and by the loss of the detachment of the 1st guards, which, having been sent to endeavour to assist Lieutenant-Colonel Carleton, and to secure the Antwerp Gate, was cut off, after the most gallant resistance, which cost the lives of many most valuable officers.

At day break the enemy having turned the guns of the place, opened their fire against the troops on the unprotected rampart, and the reserve of the 4th column (the Royal Scotch) retired from the Water Port Gate, followed by the 33d. The former regiment getting under a cross fire from the place and Water Port redoubt, soon afterwards laid down their arms.

Major-General Cooke then despairing of success, directed the retreat of the guards, which was conducted in the most orderly manner, protected by the remains of the 69th regiment, and of the right wing of the 55th (which corps repeatedly drove the enemy back with the bayonet) under the Major-General's immediate direction. The General afterwards found it impossible to withdraw these weak battalions, and having thus, with the genuine feelings of a true soldier, devoted himself, he surrendered to save the lives of the gallant men remaining with him.

I should

I should wish to do justice to the great exertions and conspicuous gallantry of all those officers who had the opportunities of distinguishing themselves. I have not as yet been able to collect sufficient information.

Major-General Cooke reports to me his highest approbation generally of all the officers and men employed near him, particularly mentioning Colonel Lord Proby, Lieutenant-Colonels Rooke, commanding the Coldstream Guards, Mercer, of the 3d Guards, commanding the light companies of the brigade (the latter unfortunately among the killed), Majors Muttlebury and Hog, of the 69th and 55th, as deserving of his warm praise. He laments, in common with the whole corps, the severe loss to the service of those distinguished officers, LieutenantColonel Clifton, commanding the 1st Guards, and Lieutenant-Col. the Hon. James Macdonald, of that regiment. These officers fell, with many others, at the Antwerp Gate, all behaving with the greatest intrepidity; and LieutenantColonel Jones, with the remainder of the detachment, was forced to surrender.

The service of conducting the columns was ably provided for by Lieut.-Colonel Carmichael Smyth, of the Royal Engineers (he himself accompanied Major-Gen. Cooke, as did also Lieutenant Colonel Sir George Wood, commanding royal artillery), who attached officers to lead each column, viz. Captain Sir George Hoste, and Lieutenant Abbey, to the left; and Lieut. Sparling to the right; and Captain Edward Michell, royal artillery, who volunteered his services, to

the centre column, each having a party of sappers and miners under his command.

Lieutenant Abbey was dangerously wounded, and Captain Michell was covered with wounds, in the act of escalading the scarpwall of the place, but I trust there are good hopes of his not being lost to the service.

Your lordship will readily believe, that though it is impossible not to feel the disappointment of our ultimate failure in this attack, I can only think at present with the deepest regret of the loss of so many of my gallant comrades.

I have the honour to be, &c. THOMAS GRAHAM. Earl Bathurst, &c. &c. &c.

P. S. Returns will be transmitted as soon as they can possibly be received; meanwhile I send the most correct nominal list that can be obtained, of the officers killed, wounded, and prisoners.

Bergen-op-Zoom, March

10, 1814.

Sir, I have now the honour of reporting to your Excellency, that the column which made the attack on the Antwerp side got into the place about eleven o'clock on the night of the 8th, by the clock of this town; but at half-past eleven, by the time we were regulated by, a delay having occurred at Bourgbliet, occasioned by my finding it necessary to change the point of attack, on account of the state of the ice at the first intended spot. Every exertion was made by Lieutenant-Col. Smyth and Capt. Sir G. Hoste, of the royal engineers, in getting on the ladders and planks requisite for effecting

the

the enterprise, and in directing the placing them for the descent into the ditch, the passing the feet in the ice, and ascending the ramparts of the body of the place; during which operation several men were lost by a fire from the rampart. After we were established on the rampart, and had occupied some houses, from whence we might have been much annoyed, and had sent a strong patrole towards the point to which MajorGeneral Skerret and LieutenantColonel Carleton had entered, I detached Lieutenant-Colonel Clifton with part of the 1st guards, to secure the Antwerp gate, and to see if he could get any information of the column under LieutColonel Morrice. Lieut.-Colonel Clifton reached the gate, but found that it could not be opened by his men, the enemy throwing a very heavy fire upon a street leading to it. It was also found that they occupied an outwork, commanding the bridge, which would effectually render that outlet useless to us. I heard nothing more of this detachment, but considered it as lost, the communication having been interrupted by the enemy.

Lieut.-Colonel Rooke, with part of the 3d guards, was afterwards sent in that direction, drove the enemy from the intermediate rampart, and reached the gate, when he found it useless to attempt any thing, and ascertained that the outwork was still occupied. We were joined in the course of the night by the 33d, 55th, and 2d battalion of 69th regiment, but the state of uncertainty as to what had passed at other points, determined me not to weaken the force now collected, by attempting to

carry points which we could not maintain, or penetrate through the streets with the certain loss of a great number of men, particularly as I heard that the troops at the Water Port Gate, under Lieut.Colonel Miller, were very seriously opposed. I sent the 33d to reinforce him.

The enemy continued a galling fire upon us, and at one time held the adjoining bastion, from the angle of which they completely commanded our communication with the exterior, and brought their guns at that angle to bear against us.

They were charged

and driven away by Majors Muttlebury and Hog, with the 69th and 55th, in a very spirited and gallant style.

Finding that matters were becoming more serious, and being still without any information from other points, excepting that of the failure of Lieut.-Col. Morrice's column near the Nourd Gate, I determined, at the suggestion of Colonel Lord Proby, to let part of the troops withdraw, which was done at the ladders where they entered.

About day light the enemy having again possessed themselves of the before-mentioned bastion, they were again driven from it by Majors Muttlebury and Hog, with their weak battalions, in the same gallant manner. I soon afterwards began sending off some more men, when Lieut. Colonel Jones, who had been taken prisoner in the night, came to me, (accompanied by a Frenc officer, who summoned me to surrender) and informed me that Lieutenant Colonel Muller, and the troops at the Water Port Gate, had been

obliged

obliged to surrender, and were marched prisoners into the town, when I also learnt the fate of Lieutenant Colonel Clifton's detachment, and of Major General Skerrett, Major General Gore, and Lieutenant Colonel Carleton, and that the troops which had followed them had suffered very much, and had been repulsed from the advanced points along the rampart where they had penetrated to, I was convinced that a longer continuance of the contest would be an useless loss of lives, and without a prospect of relief as we were situated. I therefore consented to adopt the mortifying alternative of laying down our arms.

I have now to perform the just and satisfactory duty of conveying to your Excellency my sense of the merits and good conduct of the officers and soldiers in this bold and arduous enterprise: 1 have only a knowledge of what passed under my own observation, and I lament that the loss of Major General Skerrett, from his dangerous wounds, and of the other superior officers employed at the other points of attack, prevents me from giving such detailed praise of the merits of the officers and soldiers, as I have no doubt they deserve.

I beg to repeat my sense of the distinguished conduct of Colonel Lord Proby; Lieutenant Colonels Rooke and Mercer, commanding the 3d guards, and light infantry, distinguished themselves by their activity and bravery; and Majors Muttlebury and Hog, of the 69th and 55th regiments, deserve my warm praise for the conduct dis

played by those corps in the charges I have before-mentioned. I have every reason to know that Lieutenant Colonel Clifton conducted his detachment in the most gallant and officer-like manner, and I have to lament that his death deprives me of receiving bis report of the conduct of Lieut.Colonels M'Donald and Jones, and the officers and soldiers of the 1st guards, under his command.

I am not yet enabled to transmit an exact return of the prisoners taken at different times by the enemy, nor of the numbers taken from them.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed)

J. G. COOKE, Major-Gen. General Sir Thomas Graham.

Head-quarters, Calmhout,
March 11, 1814.

My Lord, I have the honour to inform your Lordship, that General Bizanet, the Governor of Bergen op-Zoom, allowed Lieut. Colonel Jones to come here with letters from General Cooke, in consequence of which I sent in my Aide-de-Camp, Major Stanhope, yesterday morning, with full powers to conclude an agreement relative to an exchange of prisoners; a copy of which I have the honour to enclose, agreeable to which, all but the wounded were marched out from Bergenop-Zoom yesterday, for the purpose of being embarked for England, as soon as the navigation of the river shall be open, and I trust that my conduct in pledging my honour to the strict observance of this agreement will be approved of, and that an imme

diate