ITS GLORIOUS SERVICES. 267 they occupied the important position of Hougoumont, and held it against the desperate assaults of the French for nearly eight hours. Wave upon wave of armed men broke in vain upon their stronghold. In the space of half an hour, 1,500 men were killed in an area which did not exceed four acres. The loss of the enemy was enormous. The division of General Foy alone lost about 3,000; and the total loss of the French, in their attack upon this position, has been estimated at 10,000 killed and wounded. 'Above 6,000 men of both armies perished in the farm of Hougoumont; 600 French fell in the attack on the château and the farm; 200 English were killed in the wood; 25 in the garden; 1,100 in the orchard and meadow; 400 men near the farmer's garden; 2,000 of both parties behind the great orchard. The bodies of 300 English were buried opposite the gate of the château; and those of 600 French were buried at the same place.' In the Crimean expedition, the three regiments of 'the Guards' were brigaded under Major-General Bentinck, and attached to the 1st division, commanded by H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. They fully maintained the prestige of their corps at the Alma, at Inkermann, and in the deadly trenches before Sebastopol. But the recollection of those great days of battle is still present with us. England has not forgotten the stately advance of her favourite soldiers under the murderous fire of the redoubt that crowned the Kourgané Hill, nor the unquailing intrepidity with which, in the deep gloom of the raw November morning, they opposed themselves to overwhelming masses of the Russians. The glory of their actions is still fresh and green, and we recognise in the men who did them the worthy successors of the heroes who fought under the Black Prince at Creçy, under Marlborough at Blenheim, under Wellington at Waterloo. And well we know, that should the blast of the trumpet once more summon our warriors to the field, their courage will be as brilliant, their devotion as unquestioning, their patriotism as ardent, as that of the true brave men of old; and the fame, power, and influence of England be upheld to the death, as the precious heritage and eternal pride of her sons! Booth's Narrative. APPENDIX. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF EMINENT ENGLISH GENERALS. 1.-ABERCROMBY, SIR RALPH. RALPH ABERCROMBY was born at Menstrie, in Scotland, on the 7th of October, 1733. He does not appear to have given in his early youth any promise of the splendid talents which illumined his later years, and one who knew him in his childhood describes him as 'a douce solid lad, no muckle gien to daft-like jinks, and liken weel to roam about by his lane.' Nor does it seem necessary that genius should invariably astonish the world with premature or precocious indications of its powers. It is not always the brightest dawn that heralds a glorious summer day, and these flashes and gleams of youthful talent are too frequently followed by a dull and insensible mediocrity. Abercromby passed from a village school to the celebrated establishment at Rugby, and from Rugby to the University of Edinburgh, whence he was removed to Gottingen, in Germany. Having thus acquired a comprehensive acquaintance with the usual branches of an English gentleman's studies, without subjecting his mind to the injurious influence of exclusively professional knowledge, he was the better fitted to discharge his duties as an English officer. For in England it is not enough that an officer should understand his duties, and have fathomed the depths of military science. He must be a civilian, as well as a soldier, and be as capable of sharing in the pursuits of society or the counsels of statesmen, as of marshalling his hosts upon the battle-field. Abercromby entered the army in March 1756, as a cornet in the 3rd Dragoon Guards. He was promoted to a lieutenancy in 1760; to a captaincy in 1762. He received his majorate in 1770, and became a lieutenantcolonel in 1773, serving with the Carabineers in Ireland for several years. He next received the rank of brevet-colonel in the 103rd Foot, but on the disembodiment of the regiment in 1783 was placed upon half-pay. A general promotion took place in September 1787, which raised our fortunate soldier to the dignity of major-general; and in 1790 he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the 69th Foot. In April 1792 he was removed to the 6th Foot; to the 7th Dragoons in November 1795; and to the Scots Greys in November 1796. There is little to interest the reader in this arid catalogue of dates. But as Abercromby possessed no powerful patrons, and but little political influence-he represented Kinross in Parliament from 1774 to 1780-we may fairly consider this steady promotion as a proof of the esti NOTICES OF ENGLISH GENERALS. 269 mation in which his talents, services, and character were held by his superiors. The great war with revolutionary France-provoked by the apprehen. sions of the middle classes of England as much as by the excesses of the French Jacobins-broke out in 1793, and was destined to draw many a splendid intellect and heroic spirit from cold obscurity. A career was unexpectedly opened to Abercromby, and he, who otherwise would only have been known in his generation as a careful and conscientious officer, was enabled to make his mark upon the time, and bequeath to the gratitude of England a name and a memory. Though as yet his sword had not received what the French significantly term 'the baptism of fire,' he was selected to accompany the expedition despatched to Flanders, under the Duke of York, as a general of division. This first adventure of British soldiers upon the Continent was not a fortunate one. It was ill-designed and ill-conducted, and while it brought into striking relief the endurance, courage, and steadiness of the British infantry, it not the less conspicuously displayed the incapacity and military ignorance of those who led them. For the conduct of the different operations which marked this disastrous campaign Abercromby was not responsible, and where opportunities of distinction were afforded he eagerly seized them. In December 1794, the Duke of York returned to England, leaving the British army in Holland in a desperate condition. Inferior in force to the French, and inadequately supplied, its difficulties were further increased by the undisguised hostility of the very people with whom it was intended to cooperate; nor did it derive much assistance from its new commander-inchief, Count Walmoden, a Hanoverian nobleman, who conducted war on the old principles, and was utterly unfitted to cope with the vigorous movements of the French leaders. In the retreat which ensued, the rearguard of the British was commanded by Abercromby, and it was only his skill, energy, and heroism that saved the army from total ruin and indelible disgrace. He covered the retreat with indefatigable zeal, though an inclement winter and a disorganised commissariat weakened his ranks at every step. Deventer was reached on the 27th of January, 1795, but the appearance of the veteran battalions of Pichegru, nearly 70,000 strong, compelled the weary British to resume their seaward route. They maintained, however, so resolute an attitude that the French commander did not think fit to hazard a general attack, and Abercromby's shattered troops reached Bremen in safety, embarked on board the British fleet, and were landed in England towards the close of the month of April. Abercromby was soon recalled to active service. England having determined to attempt once more the expulsion of the French from Holland, and the restoration of the Stadtholder to his legitimate throne, and for this purpose assembled an army of 25,000 British and 17,000 Russians, under the Duke of York, early in June, 1799, the appointment of second in command was bestowed upon Sir Ralph, to whom, moreover, was entrusted the charge of the 1st division, intended to effect a landing and occupy a strong position on the Dutch coast. With 12,000 foot, guns, and a few hundred sabres, he reached Holland on the 21st of August, his transports having been conveyed by a squadron under Admiral Mitchell, who was directed to take possession of the Dutch fleet in the Texel. On the 29th Abercromby landed his men at the Helder Point, drove back a powerful French force, and bivouacked that night among the sand-hills of that dreary coast. The Batavians and their allies thereupon fell back, and the English next morning pressing forward, captured the fortress of the Helder, and took up a secure position in which they could wait for reinforcements from England. Meanwhile, Admiral Mitchell accomplished the difficult passage of the Texel, and seized the whole of the Batavian fleet. Abercromby, largely reinforced, now advanced as far as the Zyper, where, as the French were still vastly superior, he commenced intrenching himself. Brune, the French general, determined to attack him in his lines, and at dawn, on the 9th of September, pushed forward his troops in three solid columns, the left composed entirely of French, the centre and right of Dutch. They advanced with steadiness and precision, but, attempting to deploy, were broken up by the rapid and well-sustained fire of the British, and flung into deplorable confusion. Though rallied by their leaders, their after attacks were wanting in firmness and solidarity, and before the noon-day sun shone upon the disordered plain they had commenced a swift and disastrous retreat. Scarce 200 English, more than 1,500 French, fell in this decisive action. The Duke of York arrived on the 13th with 5,000 men, and assumed the chief command. On the following and succeeding days he was joined by the Russian auxiliaries, and found himself at the head of a well-appointed force of 35,000 men. As it was known that large reinforcements were marching to the aid of General Brune, the Duke of York, without giving the Russians any time to recover from the effects of a sea-voyage, or to amalgamate with their new allies, resolved to assume the offensive. The French general had taken up a very strong position, strengthened by redoubts and breastworks, and a network of canals and water-courses. Against this the AngloRussian army advanced in four columns, of which the left was led by Abercromby (September 19th). His assault was fiercely made, fiercely resisted, and fiercely maintained, but, owing to the misconduct of the Russians, the general attack failed completely, and the duke was compelled to retire his mortified troops within the lines of the Zyper. On the 2nd of October a fresh attack was adventured, under the guidance of Abercromby, and after a desperate engagement which endured for twelve hours, Brune retreated, but only to a fortified position on which his troops had laboured for a fortnight. Another fierce fight ensued, and the British again won a barren victory; and the resources of the enemy increasing as rapidly as those of the invaders diminished, the duke opened negotiations with General Brune, and finally evacuated the Dutch territory. Such was the inglorious termination of this second expedition into Holland! Abercromby resumed his command in Scotland, and continued to discharge its duties until summoned, in June 1800, to his final and most glorious sphere of action. He was then placed at the head of 20,000 men, who were assembled in Minorca, and, embarking these on board a fleet of 175 sail under Admiral Lord Keith, he proceeded at first to the coast of Italy, and after some weeks of hesitation on the part of the British Government, to Egypt. But it was not until March 2, 1801, that the expedition gained Aboukir Bay. EMINENT ENGLISH GENERALS. 271 On the 7th, preparations were made to effect a landing, though the enter prise seemed almost desperate in the face of the powerful force assembled by the French General Menou to resist it. As early as two o'clock, however, on the morning of the 8th, the 1st division (consisting of the 40th, 23rd, 28th, 42nd, 58th, the brigade of Guards, Corsican Rangers, Royals, and 54th), led by Major-General Cook, embarked in the boats of the fleet, and though exposed to a terrible fire, rowed slowly and steadily ashore. The men landed. Shot and shell swept them away by scores, but they pressed forward undauntedly, climbed the steep ascent, and crossing bayonets with their enemies drove them headlong before their victorious steel. The French retreated rapidly on the road to Alexandria, and made no effort to impede the debarkation of the remainder of the army. As soon as all had landed, Abercromby led them forward towards Alexandria, their march protected by a squadron of gun-boats, which kept along the coast to support them with their fire. But it was now the 13th of March, and the French had had time to draw in their scattered detachments and prepare for the British attack. The British advanced in three columns, and after a short march found themselves in the presence of the enemy, who, with 5,000 foot, 600 horse, and 32 guns, bravely defended a ridge of sand-hills, offering a strong position. After a gallant charge from the 90th and 92nd, the French retired slowly and in excellent order to the entrenchments they had constructed in front of Alexandria. Here Sir Ralph determined to attack them. But his ignorance of the country led to a singular error. On the right of the enemy stretched a vast plain, covered with a species of nitrous salt, which shone and sparkled in the distance like a sheet of water. Unfortunately, Sir Ralph, who was short-sighted, and his officers made no attempt to ascertain the depth of the supposed lake, but quietly concluded that on this side the French position was impregnable, whereas the plain might easily have been traversed, and the enemy taken in reverse. Sir Ralph, therefore, determined to suspend the attack, though the hostile batteries were mowing down his men by hundreds. After some hours of fruitless inaction he withdrew them to the sand-hills from whence they had driven the enemy in the morning. Reinforcements having been received by General Menou, he determined to attack the British, and attempted to surprise them by a fierce assault early in the morning of the 21st. But Abercromby was prepared. His troops were under arms, and he himself rode rapidly to the front. The main attack of the French was delivered against the British right with singular pertinacity and vigour, but owing to the unparalleled heroism of the 42nd, who fell, almost to a man, where they stood, was successfully repulsed. "Throughout this dreadful contest,' says Mr. Gleig, 'Sir Ralph Abercromby, unattended even by an aide-de-camp, moved about cheering the men, and exerting himself to restore order. He was thus employed when two French dragoons rode furiously at him and endeavoured to lead him away prisoner. The brave veteran would not yield, upon which one of the troopers made a lunge at his breast and passed his sword with great force under the General's arm; though severely bruised by a blow from the swordguard, Abercromby seized the Frenchman's weapon, and, after a brief struggle, wrested it from his hand; he then turned, with equal judgment and magnanimity, to oppose his remaining adversary, but that man was |