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expected from a plan so weak, and Whitelocke himself occupied an ad. indeed ludicrous. Our troops mor. vanced post on his centre. But ing forward in the appointed order, these advantages had cost about with their unloaded muskets and 2,500 men in killed, wounded, and iron crows, were assailed by a heavy prisoners. This was the situation and continued shower of musketry, of our army in the morning of the hand-grenades, bricks, and stones, 6th of July, when general Linieres from the tops of the windows of addressed a letter to the British the hoases, the doors of which were 'commander, offering to give up all barricadoed in so strong a manner,

bis prisoners taken in the late aflair, as to render it almost impossible to together with the 71st regiment, force them. The streets were in. and others taken with brigadier. tersected by deep ditches; and can general Beresford, on the condition

. non planted on the inside of these, of his desisting from any further poured vollies of grape-shot on our attack on the town, and withdraw. advancing columns. They were sia ing his majesty's forces from the luted also with grape-shot at the river Plata; intimating, at the same corners of all the streets. Every

Every time, that, from the exasperated householder, with his negroes, de. state of the populace, he could not fended his own dwelling, which answer for the safety of the prison, was in itself a fortress. Yet, in ers if he persisted in offensive ope. the midst of all this as-ailance, and rations. General Whitelocke, influ. while the male population of Buenos enced by this consideration (which, Ayres, by the means of destruction he says, he knew from better aus just mentioned, was employed in its thority to be founded in fact), and

, defence, sir S. Auchmuty, after a reflecting of how little advantage most spirited and vigorous attack, would be the possession of a coun. in which his brigade suffered much try, the inhabitants of which were from grape-shot and musketry, so absolutely hostile, resolved to made himself master of the Plazá forego the advantages which the de Toros, took 82 pieces of can. bravery of his troops had obtained, non, an immense quantity of am

and acceded to a treaty of peace, munition, and 600 prisoners; which on the basis that had been proposed served as a place of refuge to some by the Spanish commander. other regiments that were overpowe Ata general court-martial, held ered by the enemy. Brigadier-gene. at the hospital of Chelsea, on the ral Craufurd with his brigade, being 28th of January, 1808, and conti. cut off from all communication with nued by adjournments until the any of the other columns, was 18th of March, lieutenant-general obliged to surrender : so also was John Whitelocke was tried upon lieutenant-colonel Duff, with a de. the following charges : tachment under his command. Still, First charge. That lieutenant-gehowever, the result of this day's neral Whitelocke, having received action left general Whitelocke in instructions from his majesty's prin. possession of the Plaza de Toros, cipal secretary of state, to proceed a strong post on the enemy's right, for the reduction of the province of and the Residentia, another strong Buenos Ayres, pursued measures post on his left; whilst general ill calculated to facilitate that con. 3

quest:

quest: that when the Spanish commander had shewn such symptoms of a disposition to treat, as to express a desire to communicate with major-general Gower, the second in command, upon the subject of terms, the said lieutenant-general . Whitelocke did return a message, in which he demanded, amongst other articles, the surrender of all persons holding civil offices in the government of Buenos Ayres, as prisoners of war: that the said lieu tenant-general Whitelocke, in making such an offensive and unusual demand, tending to exasperate the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres, to produce and encourage a spirit of resistance to his majesty's arms, to exclude the hope of amicable accommodation, and to increase the difficulties of the service with which he was intrusted, acted in a manner unbecoming his duty as an officer, prejudicial to military discipline, and contrary to the articles of war. Second charge.-That the said lieutenant-general Whitelocke, after the landing of the troops at Eusenada, and during the march from thence to the town of Buenos Ayres, did not make the military arrangements best calculated to ensure the success of his operations against the town; and that, having known, previously to his attack upon the town of Buenos Ayres, -upon the 5th July 1807, as appears from his public dispatch of 10th of July, that the enemy meant to occupy the flat roofs of the houses, he did nevertheless, in the said attack, divide his force into several brigades and parts, and ordered the whole to be unloaded, and no firing to be permitted on any account, and under this order, to march into the principal streets of the town

unprovided with proper and suf cient means for forcing the barr cadoes, whereby the troops we unnecessarily exposed to destruc tion, without the possibility making effectual opposition: conduct betraying great profess onal incapacity on the part of th said lieutenant-general Whitelock tending to lessen the confidence the troops in the judgement of the officers, being derogatory to th honour of his majesty's arms, con trary to his duty as an officer, pre judicial to good order and militar discipline, and contrary to the a ticles of war.

Third charge. That the sai lieutenant-general did 'not make although it was in his power, an effectual attempt, by his own per sonal exertion or otherwise, to co operate with, or support the differ ent divisions of the army under hi command, when engaged with the enemy in the streets of Bueno Ayres, on the 5th of July, 1807 whereby those troops, after having encountered and surmounted a con stant and well directed fire, and having effected the purpose of their orders, were left without aid and support, or further orders; and considerable detachments, under lieutenant-colonel Duff and briga. dier-general Craufurd, were thereby compelled to surrender: such conduct on the part of the said lieute tenant-general Whitelocke tending to the defeat and dishonour of his majesty's arms, to lessen the confidence of the troops in the skill and courage of their officers, being unbecoming and disgraceful to his character as an officer, prejudiciai to good order and military discipline, and contrary to the articles of war.

Fourth

Fourth charge.—That the said related to the order, that " columns lieutenant-general Whitelocke, sub- should be unloaded, and that no sequent to the attack upon the town firing should be permitteil on any of Buenos Ayres, and at a time account.” The court was “ anxiwhen the troops under his com- ous that it might be distinctly un. mand were in possession of posts dersiood, that they attached no on each flank of the town, and of censure whatever to the precauthe principal arsenal, with a com. tions taken to prevent unnecessary munication open to the fleet, and firing during the advance of the having an effective force of upwards troops to the proposed points of at. of 5000 men, did enter into, and tack; and did therefore acquit lieufinally conclude, a treaty with the tenant-general Whitelocke against enemy, whereby he acknowledges, that part of the said charge.” The in the public dispatch of the 10th of court adjudged, “ That the said July, 1807, “ That he resolved to lieutenant-general it hitelocke ve forego the advantages which the cashiered, and declared totally bravery of his troops had obtained, unfit and unworthy to serve his and which advantages had cost him majesty in any military capacity about 2,500 men, in killed, wound. whatever." This sentence was od, and prisoners ;” and by such confirmed by the king, who gave treaty, he unnecessarily and shame. orders that it should be read at the fully surrendered all such advan. head of every regiment in his ser. tages, totally evacuated the town of vice, and inserted in all regimental Buenos Ayres, and consented to orderly books, with a view of its deliver, and did shamefully abandon becoming a lasting memorial of the and deliver up to the enemy, the fatal consequences to which officers strong fortress of Monte Video, expose themselves, who, in the dis. which had been committed to his charge of the important duties concharge; and which, at the period fided to them, are deficient in that of the treaty and abandonment, was zeal, judgment, and personal exerwell and sufficiently garrisoned and tion, which their sovereign and their provided against attack, and which country have a right to expect from was not, at such period, in a state officers entrusted with high com. of blockade or siege: such conduct, mands. on the part of lieutenant-general The plan of attack on Buenos Whitelocke, tending to the disho. Ayres adopted by general White. pour of his majesty's arms, and locke, it would appear, was none of being contrary to his duty as an his own contrivance, but one pro. officer, prejudicial to good order posed to him by lieutenant-general and military discipline, and contrary Gower. This was declared by the to the articles of war.

general himself in his defence. And The court-martial found the ge. general Gower admitted, in his evi. Qeral guilty of the whole of these dence, that the basis of the plan

charges, with the exception of that adopted by General Whitelocke was · part of the second charge, which very much like his. Indeed, general

Whitelocke's Trial at Large, p. 541. † Ditto, p. 34.

Whitelocke

Whitelocke appears, from his trial, to have been very undecided and wavering in his conduct, and in that state of mind which reposes on the counsels of others. Towards the

end of the trial, public curiosity was less excited to know its issue, than the interest or means by which general Whitelocke had obtained his important appointment.

General Craufurd, in his evidence, related to the court the following anecdote. The day after he arrived at Monte Video, general Whitelocke proposed to him to walk round the works with him; and in returning through the town, he desired him to notice the peculiar construction of the houses, their flat roofs surrounded by parapet walls, and other circumstances, which, as he observed, rendered them peculiarly favourable for defence, and added, that he certainly would not expose his troops to so unequal a contest, as that in which they would be engaged, if led into so large a town as Buenos Ayres, all the inhabitants of which were prepared for its defence, and the houses of which were similarly constructed to those which he then pointed out to him. In the obvious propriety of general Whitelocke's intentions, general Craufurd most heartily acquiesced. Whitelocke's Trial at Large, p. 116.

CHAP.

CAP. XII.

State of Europe after the peace of Tilsit.-Wur against the Com.

merce of England.-- Decrees of Buonaparte blockading all the Ports of Britain, and the British Dominions, in cvery part of the Globe.--Enforced with greater and greater rigour.-Effects of these on English Commerce.-Counteracted by British Orders of Council... General Christophe, the most powerful chief in St. Do. mingo, a friend to the English-his liberal and wise policy -Capture of the Dutch Island of Curçon.- Transactions in the Easó Indies.- Consequences of the Massacre, and Insurrection, at l'ela lore.Dundie Khun.- Major-general Dickens.---llis unskilfulness, and wanton disregard to the lives of the Officers and Privates under his command.

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and peace

AFTER the battle of: E riedland defence, and that per Luitland Wine

of Tilsit, the its richness and fertility both . continent of Europe lay prostrate vited and facilitated the entrance of before Buonaparte. But the island that army, which had hovered long of Great Britain, mistress of the on its frontier.-It was against the seas, still defied his power, and commerce of England alone, that threatened to harass his extended Buonaparte had now to make war: coasts with never-ceasing aggres. and as he could not do this at sea, sion, which she seemed still able to his fleets having been almost anni. continue by means of the resources hilated, he conceived the extrava. opened by her vast commerce, gant, and almost frantic* design of Sweden and Portugal were willing, doing it at land, by shutting it out, but not able, to maintain their inde. not only from the ports of France, pendence : and Deninark

was,

Italy, and Holland, but from all above all things, desirous of avoid- the ports of Europe. ing the evils of war, either with The idea of opposing power at France, or England, by a strict and land to power at sea, and under. rigid observance of that neutrality mining the naval greatness of En. which had hitherto protected her. gland, by excluding her trade from But, the open country of Holstein the great inlets of Europe, occurred opposed no barriers for its own to the Directory in 1796.

In va. * It was an attempt, in some measure, to wage war with šature, by disputing the prerogatives of the Ocean.-When the fleet of Xerxes was defeated, and destroyed, or dispersed by the Greeks, under the conduct of Themistocles at Salamis, he lashed the Ocean, inhabited and governed, as he supposed, by gods; and seized on all the treasures of the temple of Jupiter, at Babylon ; being offended at the opposition of the god to his schemes of conquest. He melted down the golden images of the deities in the temple, to reimburse him for the expence he had been put to, in an unsuccessful war against Greece.

† Vol. XL. 1798, HISTORY OF EUROPE. chap. xv,
VOL. XLIX.
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rious

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