Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

246 THE FRASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
His promotion had caused him to be transferred to the second battalion,
then at home, but in consequence of this offer, so creditable to him, the light
companies of the first brigade of Guards were placed under his orders, a
command which he retained to the end of the war.
The first division, composed of the two brigades of Guards and one of
Germans, together with the fifth division, marched on the 15th of February
to the heights above Anglet, preparatory to forcing the passage of the river
Adour, which they accomplished on the 23d and 24th. Sir John Hope, who
was in command, at once proceeded to invest the Citadel of Bayonne, and the
brigade of the First Guards, haviug driven the enemy out of the village of St.
Etienne, formed the right of the besieging line, the Convent of St. Bernard,
overlooking the Adour, being made into a strong post and occupied by Lord
Saltoun and his light companies, as it protected the bridge of boats over the
river. This part of the army was thus employed in the important service
of blockading Bayonne, while Wellington, with his other forces, pursued his
victorious career in the south of France.
On the 1 4th of April the French garrison made a vigorous effort to destroy
the lines of the besieging force, in which they were for a time successful, but
were soon driven back again, though not without severe loss on both sides ;
and in a letter of the 15th Lord Saltoun thus told of the encounter : —
" Since I wrote last we have had a very sharp affair, and one that has
fallen very severely on the Guards. The enemy made a most desperate sortie
on the morning of the 14th, about 3 o'clock, and were not driven in without
very great loss on our side. They got through the piquet line near the
Bordeaux road, and the night was so dark that it was impossible to tell
friends from foes. Sir John Hope very imprudently rode to the front during
the dark, met with a party of the French, whom he mistook for Germans, and
in endeavouring to get away, his horse was shot, and himself wounded in two
places and taken prisoner. He was endeavouring to rally a piquet that had
given way, which would have been a very proper place for a Lieut.-Colonel,
but was a very improper one for a Commander-in-Chief. General Hay was
killed, General Stopford wounded, poor Sir Henry Sulivan and Captain
Crofton killed ; Captains White and Shifner dead of their wounds ; Colonel
Collier, Captains Burroughs and Woburn very severely wounded, and in all