Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

242 THE FRASERS OF PH1LORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
Graham, which was to advance on a line to the northward of that pursued by
the force under the immediate command of Lord Wellington, were issued
about the middle of May ; but owing to the terrible loss sustained by the
Guards from sickness, it was decided to leave their first brigade at Oporto for
some time longer.
On the 1 4th May Lord Saltoun wrote : " Lord Wellington has, however,
determined not to move us for the present, and they say it will be a month
before we begin our march. We are certainly much better, and the men begin
to look something like soldiers again, but it is shocking to think that since
the month of December last we have buried 800 out of 2000."
After a delay of six weeks the welcome order came for the first brigade of
Guards to join the main army, which after the glorious battle of Vittoria had
advanced to the Pyrenees, and on the 29th of June the brigade left Oporto,
and passing up the right bank of the Douro to Toro, from thence through
Palencia and Durada, came up to the front on the 18th of August, and were
encamped near Iran, to cover the siege of St, Sebastian, which was carried on
by the fifth division.
In a letter of the 2d September Lord Saltoun gave the following account
of the fall of that place, and other operations : —
"The place was carried by storm at 12 in the day, on the 31st. Our loss
was very great ; they rate it, as well as it can now be got at, to be about
1500 men. The place was stormed by detachments from different divisions
of the army, and by the fifth division, under the command of Sir J. Leith,
who is wounded. We sent a detachment of one lt.-colonel, two captains,
four subalterns, and 200 men, fifty of whom have returned. Of the officers,
Burrard was mortally wounded, and died yesterday ; he is son to Sir H.
Burrard, the second he has lost in action in the regiment. Ensign Bridgeman
slightly wounded, and Chaplin, who belongs to the Coldstream Guards,
severely ; he is shot in the breast, and his thigh broken so high that they
cannot amputate.
" On the morning of the storm Soult made a general attack on our line,
with an intention to relieve the place. The ground in our front is very strong,
and defended by the Spaniards of the Gallician army under General Frere.
" The French attacked an hour before daylight, and carried a small height,