Part 4 (1/2)

The Troops, whichthe Foot of the Mountains, arriv'd two Hours before Day under the Hill of _Monjouick_, not a Quarter of a Mile froranted, whatever the Design hich the General had propos'd to hiht; but the Earl of _Peterboroas now pleas'd to inform the Officers of the Reasons why he chose to stay till the Light appear'd He was of opinion that any Success would be impossible, unless the Enemy came into the outward Ditch under the Bastions of the second Enclosure; but that if they had ti no Palisadoes, our Men, by leaping in upon theht drive 'e theht force them, under that Confusion, into the inward Fortifications

Such were the General's Reasons then and there given; after which, having pro'd their Duty well, a Lieutenant, with thirty Men, was order'd to advance towards the Bastion nearest the Town; and a Captain, with fifty Men, to support him After the Enemy's Fire they were to leap into the Ditch, and their Orders were to follow 'em close, if they retir'd into the upper Works: Nevertheless, not to pursue 'em farther, if they made into the inner Fort; but to endeavour to cover thee of the Bastion

A Lieutenant and a Captain, with the Like Number of Men and the same Orders, were commanded to a Demi-Bastion at the Extremity of the Fort towards the West, which was above Musket-Shot from the inward Fortification Towards this Place the Wall, which was cut into the Rock, was not fac'd for about twenty Yards; and here our own Men got up; where they found three Pieces of Cannon upon a Platform, without many Men to defend them

Those appointed to the Bastion towards the Toere sustain'd by two hundred Men; hich the General and Prince went in Person The like Number, under the Directions of Colonel _Southwell_, were to sustain the Attack towards the West; and about five hundred Men were left under the Command of a _Dutch_ Colonel, whose Orders were to assist, where, in his own Judgment, he should think most proper; and these were drawn up between the two Parties appointed to begin the assault My Lot was on the Side where the Prince and Earl were in Person; and where we sustain'd the only Loss froh quite expos'd, and though the Glacis was all escarp'd upon the live Rock, went on with an undaunted Courage; and immediately after the first Fire of the Enemy, all, that were not kill'd or wounded, leap'd in, _pel- thus boldly attack'd, and seeing others pouring in upon 'ereat Confusion; and some one Way, soe Port in the Flank of the principal Bastion, towards the North-East, and a cover'd Way, through which the General and the Prince of _Hesse_ follow'd the flying Forces; and by that Means becareat Stones in the Gorge of the Bastion, for the Use of the Fortification; hich we made a Sort of Breast-Work, before the Enemy recover'd of their Amaze, or made any considerable Fire upon us from their inward Fort, which commanded the upper Part of that Bastion

We were afterwards infor but one Attack, had call'd off the Men from the most distant and western Part of the Fort, to that Side which was next the Town; upon which our Men got into a Demi-Bastion in the ot Possession of three Pieces of Cannon, with hardly any Opposition; and had Leisure to cast up a little Retrenchment, and to make use of the Guns they had taken to defend it Under this Situation, the Enemy, when drove into the inward Fort, were expos'd to our Fire from those Places ere possess'd of, in case they offer'd to ainst us Thus we every Moainst any Effort of the Garrison And as they could not pretend to assail us without evident Hazard; so nothing re up our Artillery and Mortars

Noas that the General sent for the thousand Men under Brigadier _Stanhope's_ Command, which he had posted at a Convent, halfway between the Town and _Monjouick_

There was al under Cover The General was in the upper Part of the Bastion; the Prince of _Hesse_ below, behind a little Work at the Point of the Bastion, whence he could only see the Heads of the Enemy over the Parapet of the inward Fort Soon after an Accident happen'd which cost that gallant Prince his Life

The Enemy had Lines of Communication between _Barcelona_ and _Monjouick_ The Governor of the for frooons on Horseback, under Orders, that two Hundred dis should reinforce the Garrison, and the other two Hundred should return with their Horses back to the Town

When those two Hundred Dragoons were accordingly got into the inward Fort, unseen by any of our Men, the _Spaniards_, waving their Hats over their Heads, repeated over and over, _Viva el Rey, Viva_ This the Prince of _Hesse_ unfortunately took for a Signal of their Desire to surrender Upon which, with tooto the Soldiers following, _They surrender, they surrender_, he advanc'd with near three Hundred Men (who follow'd hi the Curtain which led to the Ditch of the inward Fort The Ene 'e a Discharge upon the rest, ere running back the Way they caht the Earl of _Peterboron fro below When he had just turn'd the Point of the Bastion, he saw the Prince of _Hesse_ retiring, with the Men that had so rashly advanc'd The Earl had exchang'd a very few Words with him, when, froreat Artery of the Thigh, of which he died i down at the General's Feet, who instantly gave Orders to carry off the Body to the next Convent

Almost the same Moment an Officer careat Body of Horse and Foot, at least three Thousand, were on their March from _Barcelona_ towards the Fort The Distance is near a Mile, all uneven Ground; so that the Enemy was either discoverable, or not to be seen, just as they wereon the Hills or in the Vallies However, the General directly got on Horseback, to take a View of those Forces fro left all the Posts, which were already taken, well secur'd with the allotted Numbers of Officers and Soldiers

But the Event will demonstrate of what Consequence the Absence or Presence of one Man reat Occasions; No sooner was the Earl out of the Fort, the Care of which he had left under the Command of the Lord _Charlee, but somewhat too flexible in his Temper) when a panick Fear (tho' the Earl, as I have said, was only gone to take a View of the Enemy) seiz'd upon the Soldiery, which was a little too easily co Officer True it is; for I heard an Officer, ready enough to take such Advantages, urge to him, that none of all those Posts ere become Masters of, were tenable; that to offer at it would be no better than wilfully sacrificing human Lives to Caprice and Huainst Stone Walls, to try which was hardest Having over-heard this Piece of Lip-Oratory, and finding by the Answer that it was too likely to prevail, and that all I was like to say would avail nothing I slipt away as fast as I could, to acquaint the General with the Danger i, I took notice that the Panick was upon the Increase, the general Ru, that we should be all cut off by the Troops that were coain the Hills, or the Houses possess'd by the _Miquelets_ Officers and Soldiers, under this prevailing Terror, quitted their Posts; and in one united Body (the Lord _Charlemont_ at the Head of them) march'd, or rather hurry'd out of the Fort; and were come halfway down the Hill before the Earl of _Peterborow_ ca hi Accident he ood deal of Vehemence, _Good God, is it possible?_ hastened back as fast as he could

I never thought my self happier than in this Piece of Service tobeen therein lorious Successes which succeeded; since iallop'd up the Hill, and lighting when he came to Lord _Charle to the Officers and Soldiers, told them, if they would not face about and follow him, they should have the Scandal and eternal Infa deserted their Posts, and abandon'd their General

It was surprizing to see hat Alacrity and new Courage they fac'd about and follow'd the Earl of _Peterborow_ In a Moot their Apprehensions; and, without doubt, had they met with any Opposition, they would have behav'd thereatest Bravery But as these Motions were unperceiv'd by the Eneain'd, and anew possess'd in less than half an Hour, without any Loss: Though, had our Forces march'd half Musket-shot farther, their Retreat would have been perceiv'd, and all the Success attendant on this glorious Attempt must have been intirely blasted

Another Incident which attended this happy Enterprize was this: The two hundred Men which fell into the Hands of the Enemy, by the unhappy Mistake of the Prince of _Hesse_, were carry'd directly into the Town

The Marquis of _Risburg_, a Lieutenant-General, who co from the Town to the Relief of the Fort, exareeing that the General and the Prince of _Hesse_ were in Person with the Troops that ave iranted, that the main Body of the Troops attended the Prince and General; and that son therefore was on foot to intercept his Return, in case he should venture too far Thus the unfortunate Loss of our two hundred Men turn'd to our Advantage, in preventing the Advance of the Enemy, which must have put the Earl of _Peterborow_ to inconceivable Difficulties

The Body of one Thousand, under Brigadier _Stanhope_, being coiven us by the Eneood Order on this Side; while the Ca the Siege, never ainst it In the mean tih; although our Troops were obliged to a tedious March along the Foot of the Hills, whenever the General thought fit to relieve those on Duty on the Side of the Attack, froiments encamp'd on the West Side of _Barcelona_

The next Day, after the Earl of _Peterborow_ had taken Care to secure the first Caave Orders to the Officers of the Fleet to land the Artillery and Ammunition behind the Fortress to the Westward I whereof, two Mortars were fix'd; from both which we ply'd the Fort of _Monjouick_ furiously with our Bombs But the third or fourth Day, one of our Shells fortunately lighting on their Magazine of Powder, blew it up; and with it the Governor, and many principal Officers ere at Dinner with him The Blast, at the same Instant, thren a Face of one of the sh to take all Advantages, no sooner saw (for they were under the Hill, very near the Place) but they readily enter'd, while the Enemy were under the utmost Confusion If the Earl, no less watchful than they, had not at the saular Troops, and appeas'd the general Disorder, in all probability the Garrison had been put to the Sword However, the General's Presence not only allay'd the Fury of the _Miquelets_; but kept his own Troops under strictest Discipline: So that in a happy Hour for the frighted Garrison, the General gave Officers and Soldiers Quarters,them Prisoners of War

How critical was that Minute wherein the GeneralCommander? a very few Steps farther had excluded us our own Conquests, to the utter Loss of all those greater Glories which ensu'd Nor would that have been the worst; for besides the Sha such an ill concerted Retreat from our Acquests on _Monjouick_, we race of infaht us; but Heaven reserv'd for our General a Scenes both of Glory and Mortification

I cannot here oularity of Life, which will de, if not someorse; when many Years after, to one in Office, who seem'd a little too dead tomy hued this Piece of Service, by which I not only preserv'd the Place, but the Honour of my Country, that _Minister petite_, to mortify my Expectations and baffle ick, return'd, that, in his Opinion, the Service pretended was a Disservice to the Nation; since Perseverance had cost the Government more Money than all our Conquests orth, could we have kept 'ereat Actions thwart the Bent of an interested Will!

The Fort of _Monjouick_ being thus surprizingly reduc'd, furnish'd a strange Vivacity to Mens Expectations, and as extravagantly flatter'd their Hopes; for as Success never fails to excite weaker Minds to pursue their good Fortune, though many times to their own Loss; so is it often too apt to push onnew Conquests, by hazarding too rashly all their foran to make his utmost Efforts; and look'd upon hi or other towards pushi+ng forward the Siege of _Barcelona_ it self, and raising proper Batteries for that Purpose But, after all, itthis prodigious Success that attended this bold Enterprize, the Land Forces of themselves, without the assistance of the Sailors, could never have reduc'd the Town The Commanders and Officers of the Fleet had always evinc'd themselves Favourers of this Project upon _Barcelona_ A new Undertaking so late in the Year, as I have said before, was their utter Aversion, and what they hated to hear of Elated therefore with a Beginning so auspicious, they gave aassistance than could have been ask'd, or judiciously expected The Adot their Element, and acted as General Officers at Land: They came every Day from their shi+ps, with a Body of Men forularly marshall'd and commanded by Captains and Lieutenants of their own

Captain _Littleton_ in particular, one of the most advanced Captains in the whole Fleet, offer'd of hi and Conveyance of the Artillery to the Caour all along, for finding it next to an Impossibility to draw the Cannon and Mortars up such vast Precipices by Horses, if the Country had afforded them, he caus'd Harnesses to be ious Fatigue and Labour, brought the Cannon and Mortars necessary for the Siege up to the very Batteries