PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, By whom Communications (Post-paid) are thankfully received, (Price Fifteen Shillings half-bound.) J. ADLARD, Printers 23, Bartholomew-Gloss, and 39, Duke-Street, Smithfield, N.B. Those Numbers of this Magazine which had become scarce 'having recently been reprinted, complete sets, half bound, or any single Numbers to complete imperfect sets, may now be had of the Publisher, or of any Bookseller in Town and Country. MONTHLY MAGAZINE. No. 230.] AUGUST 1, 1812. [1 of VOL. 34. As long as those who write are ambitious of, making Converts, and of giving their Opinions a Maximum of Influence and Celebrity, the most extensively circulated Miscellany will repay with the greatest Eftet the Curiosity of those who read, whether it be for Amusement or for Instruction.JOHNSON. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, DE EEMING the following interesting account worthy of a less perishable record than the columns of a Newspaper, I transmit it for insertion in your Magazine. It was communicated to me by a mutual friend, as exhibiting a striking pic ture of war in reality, divested of the pride, pomp, and circumstance," of its parade. Su splendid, and yet at the same time so mournful an event, to many milies, as the storming and capture of Badajoz, has rarely occurred in modern Camp before Badajoz, 5th April, 1812. MY DEAR FRIEND, fa I arrived here a few days since, with a detachment, by Villa Franca, Santarem, Thomar, Abrantes, and Elvas. We march ed fourteen days op a hilly country, about eighteen miles a day, without halting The Portuguese behaved tolerably well, but they usually put on a most forbidding aspect when presented with a billet, (looking like some people in England when they receive a lawyer's bill,) yet I met with good accommodations in general, except at Abrantes. An opinion is very prevalent among the common Portuguese that they are under no obligation to us; they therefore make their market of us, and will be sorry whenever the war is finished. The more enlightened think, however, very differently; their soldiers improve much; and we have two fine regiments with us. We expect to storm Badajoz to-night in three separate places, so I shall soon see real service; and it is expected to be very sharp work unless they surrender, which is not likely, as General Philippon is a very determined fellow. The French seem, however, to be short of powder and shot; or perhaps they are reserving it for us to-night. They fire a shell or bomb about every two minutes, while we keep up a constant fire upon the breaches and upon the town. MONTHLY MAG. No, 230. Alvaon, 15th April. I now proceed to give you an account of the storming of Badajoz. At eight o'clock at night, on Monday the 5th of April, we were formed without knapsacks, and in half an hour marched in an indirect line towards the town, under strict orders, that not a whisper should be heard!" Part of the 5th division were to attack the town on the south side, while the third division, to which I was attached, with their ladders were to scale the citadel, and the rest were to assault the grand breach. I procured a soldier's jacket, a firelock, sixty round of ball-cartridges, and was on the right of my company. But, before I proceed, I will give you some information which I have since obtained, to shew you where, and to what, we were going! The governor is allowed to be one of the best engineers in the French service, and he has so proved himself; though our fire was continued at the breach, he had pieces of wood fastened into the ground, with sword blades and bayonets fixed to them, slanting outwards; behind this a chevaux de frieze was chained at both ends across the breach; the beam of it about a foot square, with points on all sides projecting about a yard from the centre, and behind that was a trench four feet wide and four deep. Covering all these, soldiers were planted eight deep, the two first ranks to fire as fast as they could, and those behind to load for them. Thus prepared, he told the men, "if they stuck to their posts, all the troops in the world could not enter." Trenches were also dug about fifty yards round the breach in case we did get in! In short the oldest offi cers say that no place has been defended with so much science and resolution in our times. On the march all was silent, except that our cannon kept up their fire at the breaches, till we got within a quarter of a mile of the town, when there were two or three fire-balls thrown from it in different directions, one of which falling close to us, we silently whispered to each other, "Now it will begin!" As the first B |