Delaware gazette and peninsula advertiser. [volume], June 07, 1817, Image 2

About Delaware gazette and peninsula advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1814-1820

Image provided by: University of Delaware Library, Newark, DE

                
H
in
I
A private Soldier's uccount
OF THE
Battle of Waterloo.
Copy of a Letter from Johu Lewis, a
private in the 95th regiment rifl.
corps, to his parents at Axminster.
France and not only that, hut in Paris,
July 8, 1815.
thank God.
Hear Father A Mother,
1 make no douUthul you have heard
of the glorious news, and I suppose
you thought I was killed or wounded,
but yesterday is the first day we have
halted since the beginning of the bat
tle on the 8th of June, and my hands
are swelled so with walking day and
night, that l scarce can hold my pen.
I do nut know w hart he English neivs
ahout tlie liattle, hut,
papers say
thank God, I am living, and was an
eye witness to the beginning of the
buttle—to the end of it ; but my pen
cannot explain to you, nor twenty
sheets of paper would not contain,
what I could say about it; for thank
God, I had my strength and health
more on the days we were engaged
than I had in my iil'e; so what 1 am
going tn tell you is the real frnth ;
bat I think my brother Tom. as lie is
such a scholar, if lie was to look in
the newspapers, lie might see what
officers was killed and wounded of the
93th regiment ; we have hut six com
panions in the country, and after the
battle we were only 255 privates; 3
colonels, 1 major. 15 officers, 11 ser
jeants, and 1 bugler were killed ; my
first rank man was wounded by part
of a shell tlier-igh his foot, and he
drop! as we was advancing ; I cover
ed the next man 1 saw, and had not
walked twenty steps before a musket
shot e.inie sideways and took his nose
clean off; and then I covered another
man, which was the third; just after
that the man that stood next to me on
my left hand Ind his left arm shot
away by a nine pound shot just above
his elbow, and lie turned round and
caught hold of me with his right
ha.t.i, ..ad tin* Blood run all over my
trousers; w- w-is advancing and lie
dropl liicci-tly. After this, was or
dered to extend in front of all our
large guns, an I small arms was firing
at the British lines in our rear, ami J
declare to God, with narguns and the
French guns firing over our heads,
my pen cannot explain any thing like
it; it was not -Mill yards from the
French lines lo our British fint -, and
wo was about 150 yards io fi, mit of
ottr*s, so we Was about 25 > yards
from the French and s .ncti ties rot
1 >0 yards, so 1 leave you to judge if !
hati nut a narrow escape of my life :
as f just said, we notv extended in
front ; Honey's imperial horse guards
all tdoliied in armor, made a charge
at us; we saw them coming, and we
s I closed in an i formed a square ju»i
as tin > came within ten y ids of us
am! they fourni ihn could do no gooti
with us; they fired v.iih their carbine
on us, and mint* to the rightabout di
rcr.lly, and at that moment the man
on my right hand w is shot through
the hotly, ami tin; Idood can out at hi
helly ami buck like a pig stu. k in the
throat; he dropl on ills side; i spoke
to hi n, he just said, Lewis. 1 am
done j'' and died directly Aii this
time we kept U p a constant fire at. tin
ittiperi I guards as they retre.; cd. hut
I hey often came to tiie right about
ami fired; and, as l was loading my
rifie. one ol* their » nfs came at d
r
,
sti ie k my rifle, not two inches above
try left hand ns I was ramming doive
tit» ball with my right hand,and broke
the stm k, and bent the barrel in SU' It
a manner th ,( J could not get (lie hall
down; just at that time tie extended
again, and nty rill" was no use. tome ;
a nine pound shot came and cut the
serjeant of our company right ia two,
he was not above three files from me,
so I threw ilutvii my rille and went
and turn. Ids rifi", as it. was not hurt
at the time.—Wc hod lost both our
col oui Is, major, and two eldest
tains, an ! only a y„ui
command of its ; as for colon,i Wade
he was sent to England about three
weeks before the battle,
had lost so many men and all our com
manding officers, my heart began to
fail, ami Boner's guards made another
1 barge on ns; hut we tirade them re
treat as before, und while we was in
square the second time the Duke of
Wellington and his staff came up to
us in all the fire, and saw wc hail lost
cur comm.Hilling officers;
himself, gave the word of command :
the words lie said to
cap
captain to taki
our regiment
were this. "95th unfix your swords,
left face ami extend yourselves once
rnot'p, we shall soon Iiave them over
the other hill;"—and then he rode
»way on our right, anti how heeseap
ed being shot God only knows, for all
tbal time the shot was flying like hail
stones. This was about four o'clock
on the 18th June, when lord Welii*g.
t u rode away from our regiment ;
and when we advanced like Britons,
but we could not go five steps without
S'u'ing
a
all
he,
walking over theJfcfttHMMl wounded ;
Ind Honey's horses of Ä*e imperial
guards, that the men was feillcu, Wfts
running loose about in all directions.
H our Tom had been a little behind
in the rear, he might iiave oatehed
horses enough to have had a troop or
two like sir .John Delapole. Lord
Wellington declared to us this morn
ing that it was the hardest battle that
he had ever seen fought in his life;
but now, thank God, all is over, and
we are very comfortable in Paris, anil
I hope we shall remain here and have
christmas dinner in Puris^f
London cannot compare to it; 1 hard
ly knew how to spare time to write
this, for I want to go about the city,
for it is four o'clock anil the letters
go ofT at five ; hut 1 must say a little
more on the other side:—We was all
very quiet in quarters till 15th June,
when the order came all at once, it
twelve o'clock at night, for every man
to he ready in one hour, and march
at one o'clock: there we was all in a
hustle, and off we goes, and it was not
light, there was no moon : the order
was, that the French was making dif
ferent movements on our left, about
twidlty-two leagues from us; mind
the day of the month,—T sav this
day, the 'Kith, we inarched till eleven
o'clock that night which was twenty
(wo hours march for us the first day.
and we walked thirteen leagues in
that time, or thirty-nine English
miles; being dark, general Clinton
ordered us to lie down on the road
side for two hours; so we halted,
and every man.got hair pint of real
rum to keep up his spirits; weselotF
again at ten o'clock in the morning
ou the seventeenth day of June, anil
marched nine leagues, about four
o'clock in the afternoon;—then we
was in front of the enemy, hut the
rain fell su hard that the oldest sol
dices there never saw the like in their
life; I really thought that heaven
and earth was coming together. There
was a few shots tired on both sides
that night, hut the guns would not go
ulf. \\ c was on one long hill, and (he
French on another, facing us ; there
a
or
our
an
;
is
in
the
the
3
my
he
not
on
and
French on another, facing us ; there
was a large wood behind us. and lord
Wellington told us to get wood, and
make us large fires, and dry ourselves,
and get our guns fit by day, as the
enemy could not hurt us. So we made
large tires ami they was about four
miles in length ; and when the French
saw il. they did the same, ami it was
me of the most beautiful sights ! ever
saw ; ami Mie next morning as
it was light we went at it ding-dong,
und druvi all before us. till yesterday
Mie 7ih July, that we entered Paris';
hut ever since the loth June, till 7th
July, we have only laid down on lia
ground with our clothes on; so leave
you to judge if I am not fatigued mu.
Biuctier rode by the side of I..
Wellington yesterday, tilt-niv
d Paris; As we was on toe
.filer the French*artny.
•ve came lo. the people was all i<<- !
i'aris, and had taken a wav whit i
■ as
> a.
,1
ev
r odd ; ami British, Prussian ai
■insstan army, broke their houses
>pen and plundered wlmt was most
mid, and .set tire to some. Wine was
oore plentiful than water, for all their
eliai's was lull of wine, the same ««
, ticker's is fall of cyder, und (let
was tit" H»st. place tli" soldiers broke
»pen. I have often been in cellars,
and w hat wine tie could not drink and
•■any away, broke in the hc.o.s of the
casks and let it run uliout.
Mittr-lird through towns as large
Exeter, und in t a person l
but all locked up and window shut
ters fastened. There is at this time,
upwards of 790,01)0 soldiers in
We
HS
:
ton.
Parts
and the suburbs; Init as for Honey
>ml his army, it is gone, God knows
where. \\ hen 1 have my answer to
this, shall write yon again. Hope to
sleep sound to-night, so no mote front
your uifeclionale. sort,
JOHN LEWIS.
From the Liverpool Courier, April lfi
The lieforniers.
Popular reason, it has been oltserv
mudness.
corro
ei), »an alone cure popular
— The truth of til is position is
berated by the evidence of history. B>
the nostrums of knavish demagogues,
a great proportion of the lower das
" o> the propl ■ of this country has
bc»n precipitated into a most violent
»hd unnatural phrenzy. \\ hilbt the
mania rages with vehemence, all at
tempts to restore tlie imliappy patient
to sanitykv ill he in ilectual : "it is only
by watching its intermissions, anil
rightly improving the opportunities
which they afford of reasoning with
tint unfortunate stillerer, that we
aid in curing him of his malady, Wc
flatter ourselves that the British pe -
pie have passed the crisis of ihcirdis
order, and coincide with the hope ex
pressed by Lord Sidrunutli, in his let
ter of thanks to the Boron»h
; Ae. of Manchester, that « the public
tranquility will not agaio he endan
gered."
(tan
reaves.
a
in
go
South American News.
TranslatedJ'or the »V. F. Ev. Post.
Extract of a letter from the Island of
Trinidad, to a gentleman in this
city, dated the lith of last month.
The affairs of Venezula are every
day assuming a better aspect. By
the official communication of the pat
riotick general Paez. who commands
in Barinas, to Gen. Bolivar, dated the
28lli of February, we have seen that
on the 18th of the same month, the
eoyal army, headed by Murillo, loon
infantry and 800 cavalry strong was
attacked by the republican forces,
commanded by General Paez, coin,
posed of 1300 cavalry. The cavalry
of the royalists were completely rout
ed and the infantry were obliged (o
form in solid column in order to se
cure its retreat to the mountains of
Apure; from thence they continued
their retreat to the hanks of the river
San Fernando de Apure and \imrito.
without the fear of being pursued, as
the patriotic force in that pari was
altogether cavalry. The royal army
lost, in tins engagement 300 horses,
ihrer drums, a quantity of ammmti
tinn, many muskets and carbines, and
an immense number of lances, ninny
irisoners, and some of the baggage of
the s,tiff. The prisoners sdy that this
a as all die force Murillo took from
Sew Grenada. The particular situe,
l ion of the patriot urm.v, and thé re
sources in its power, seems to promise
complete success to the p tiiotic
ause. By the. accompanying bulletins
you will see that our cause is progres
sing by tribes in the east pact ol Ve
nezuela, and liiot having once secured
Giinzrna by nur arms the emancipa
tion of the wanlc country will he the
last result of this painful hut glorious
task.
Copies of several official reports of
the Republican Generals.
From General Piur. commanding in
the province ot Guayana, to Gene
ral Bolivar, supreme chief of the
republic.
I'lte inhabitants of the department
ot Caroni. who till now had taken
ot Caroni. who till now had taken no
part in the war, have hastened lo offer
timttiselvcs from the moment they
could es ape the tyrant. The twenty
nine loans, of which it consists,
decidedly for the cause ofi liberty.
Thisdniiiiti-v presents the most allur
ring |tr.is|.. -is. on account of its a
hunthinc'i
•til
,.f
■
t
■
ant
dies, anil i tin licence ofi the
people. Th» towns are respectable
It'id III» fields well : nltivated—O :r
arms have gained throughout the
aist cxtennwlin. ry renown, and have
procure the utmost re
to cotui-iuc in this province till tlm
whole ul' it he free.
• o to li-ei i t . xll'emily
I w 11 any an,is
e arid teertih'i'i
h.tillages ti'ich are ant a:-t
met with, and iifoiii must a
i'iled w!.' a one.» obtained,
Grm ia, Fcbrcro In,
• -l. I think
l lie enet iy i
'•ii'i
a. -
,ett i
tie
cu i t s itir
t. S i. at .
; Signed)
Mis Ex. the supreme chief.
From the same to the same.
MANUEL pi t»
We arrived yesterday the 230 mst.
ti the Prcg.i, and we only met with
an advanced post
men. tv ho were re
consisting of six
onnoilcring for the
Me took three of them,
who acquainted me with the condition
uul strength of Guayana, and that
the commander. Tnrrâlha was posted
about a league from tl
in
•many.
irre ; I there
upon determined to march to it with
00 men, and destroy the only enemy
who could in any way molest
took the necessary measures to take
I
them by surprise; which although
not entirely successful, owing to the
roughness of the roads, ami two ad
vanced posts ofi the enemy, yet he
however, completely routed; and in
such man er that only seven men
could return to the fortress o(' the
W- took one hundred priso
ners. Upwards of 150 men threw
themselves into a lake, and
u as
lawn.
doubt
whether 50 of them have been saved;
they lead many killed ami wounded,
and the remainder so dispersed in t|„.
IlleUIlt .ins,' tll.lt
-
think it impossible
lor them to return to their respective
regiments. We have taken trom the
enemy (iuo horses, all their equip,
merits und stands of arms, and tin' f,.' w
cattle they had out of the fortress.
All of which 1 have the honor to
communicate to your excellency.
If. oft' Guayana, Feh. 2i, 1817
(Signed) MANUEL 1*1 All.
His Ex. the supreme chief.
1
Report from general Cedcno, acting
under the orders of Gen. Piar, on
llie south of the proviuee of Guay
ana, to gen. Bolivar. J
I hope your excellency will do me
justice to believe, that there is noth
ing I so mut It desire us to see myself
by the side of your exc-lien-v, con
tnbut.ng with all my fort », and co
operating with all the means within
reach io the re-establishment nl
the republic, with all that zeal and
patriotism with which I have always
employed myself in the service of my
country, and upon which I establish
»II my glory. Previous to this time
I have informed your excellency of
the condition of the country in which
I have made war, and of the resour
ces it contains to prosecute it. My
not receiving any communication from
your excellency ou this subject, and
(lie wants which you are in of some
of said resources, as evinced by your
excellency's official letter of the 10th
of January, which colonel Beler put
into my hands, induces me to appre
hend that tiie correspondence lms
miscarried ; in conscqnence whereof
I am obliged to repeat, that in the
department of Cayeara there are at
your excellency's disposal and for the
service of the army, 2.000 tame hor
ses, from 30 to io.ooo wild mares,
upwards of 1000 mules, and many
other valuables, which I have taken
from the enemy, and which now be
long to the republie out of which
your excellency may order to he sent
l;n that quarter, what you may think
necessary. They pass by Tuearagno
Rio dato appears to me the safest:
and it is easier to send the detach
ments from San Diego dc Carhutica
to conduct them, by giving an order
•ilizcn Melian Iiolivar, .-ommand
•of thatdepartmert, tA deliver them,
and facilitate their exportation.
Miink this a powerful aid in the pre
sent circumstances.
May it please your excellency to
accept the homage of my considera
tion.
my
OP
hi
• ■I
1
11. Q. at Alta Gracia, February
to, 1817.
(S'gned)
Mis Ex. the supreme chief.
MANUEL CFDENO.L
In a burlesque descriptive of the
performance of a celebrated actress
on the Edinburgh theatre, when it
was fashionable to extol, with the
ill most exaggerat ion of praise, the
tumid style is finally ridiculed, and
the most austere of our readers will
smooth their brows at the following :
Port Folio.
, about whom
•til the world has been talking, expo
sed Iter benefit adamantine, soft and
lively person, lor the first time, in
the theatre royal, it: the bewitching,
melting, and all tearful character ol'
Isaheila. The house was crowded
with hundreds more than it could hoîtl,
with thousands of admiring specta
tors that went away without a single
sight. Tli is extraordinary phenomenon
,.f tragic excellence, this star of Mel
pomene this comet of the stage, this
■ mi in t lie firmament of the juuscs,
tins moon of the blank verses, this
queen amt princess of tears, this des
,.t of poisoned bowls, this empress
Usty Fusty of the pistol and dagger.
:s eltnos of Shaktqtear this world o r
t reping clouds this Juno ofuotnmantl
•g aspect, this Terpsi.hor- of the
:■ i-i;>in and see rs, this Proserpine
'fi fire and earthquake, this Kitterfel
■ of wonders exceeded expectation,
went beyond belief and soared above
til description. Site was nature ; she
was tin* most exquisite work of art;
■ rt ; she was the very dairy and prim
rose, turtle rose,
•aulilloivcr
Yesterday Mrs
wall llowcr, atni
too, sweet briar, furze
blossom, gilly flower, ami rosemary.
In short she was the very hoquet of
Parnassus. Several fainted before the
uitain drew up—the very fiddlers in
the orchestra blubbered like hungry
children for their bread and butter ;
one. hundred and nine ladies fainted ;
forty six went into tits and ninety live
had strong hysterics,
hardly credit I lie assertion, that f 4
children, five old women, a one han
ded sailor, and six common council
man were actually drowned in the
inur. lation of tears that flowed from
the galleries and boxes to increase
the briny flood in the pit. The water
was three feet deep, and ( lie people,
that were obliged to stand upon the
benches were in that situation, up to
their ancles in tears. Nature, surely,
in 0fle of her smiling days, in one of
iter weeping months, and in one of
her all
The world will
sorrowing years made this
hutiiuu lump of clay perfection.
• «fa
New York, May 27,
Since the 15th March there have
arrived at New York, from foreign
P'O'ts, upwards of two hundred and
lilty vessels, w hielt brought about 1600
passengers.
S '*'P Fame, arrived at
1 iuladelpliiaon Saturday from Giiern
sey, with loo qassengers.
Baltimore, May 30.
A Strawberry which grew in a
garden in this city, measuring three
inches and three quarters in circum
eivnce, was brought by a gentleman
to the federal Gazette Office this
morning.
From the JV*. V. Daily Advertiser.
Monday. June 2. lsir.
Dull Times."
u
In a scasun of universal langur in
(he regions of news and politics, when
there is no European war nor révolu
lions to engage the public attention,
excite its sympathy, or alarm its fears
it is very apparent that news-paper
editors must experience tnuchdiffivu 1 -
ty in making up their papers from day
to day, and from week lo week, with
vigor enough to make them pass
tolerably among their readers. This
difficulty is the more severely felt at
the present time, because the old re
lish for tumult, and blood-shed In
not entirely subsided, hut there is still
to he found amongst mankind a good
deal or anxiety to hear something of
the boisterous and sanguinary charac
ter of the times that are now passed,
and gone.
Uninterestin
even
, ;
however, as the
events of die present times are com
pared with those which we have
lately witnessed, the evil of the :
sent sits more heavily upon the "edi
tors, than upon their readers—for
verily believe that dullness is more
lull to him that prepares it, than to
him for whom it is prepared. Nor
do we think, notwithstanding this is
considered as emphatically the charit
able age, that any great share of that
cheistain virtue is extended to editors.
What an astonishing difference is
there between the present times and
the past ! A few years since, and
tiling was easier than,to fill
paper, even if it was the largest that
was ever published in this country.
Then almost every arrival brought us
a Bulletin or some tremendous battle,
an account of the capture of some cap
ital, the dethronement of some mo
narch, the annihilation of some stale
or nation, the creation of some new
sovereign, some terrible naval battle,
Ac. Ac. On subjects of (his sort, the
public attention is instinctively turned
and fastened with the greatest possi
ble degree of eagei ness and force.—
\L such seasons, newspapers are in
demand, and editors in high repute,
ami however low the slate of taste for
general literature may have become
in the country, it never failed to rise
to (he level of that which is contained
.T
so
pie
vve
no
a news
r
in the publiu gazettes.
»Vow, all is changed. In the room
of bulletins, and battles, »ml ;5on»
parte, we have cutworms, and locusts,
and frosts, and drought, and spots on
the sun, and seasons deranged—hard
winters, cold buck ward springs, prog
nostications'of a barren summer, and
approaching 'famine. If there is any
amusement in all this it must he to
hypochondriacs, who dwell with de
light on such subjects ;—and, indeed,
upon all subjects that are gloomy. A
discouraging. Hut who can calculate
a newspaper fur persons of this tem
per.—who consider it as next to com
milling the unpardonable silt to laugh
and whose music, if prepared by them -
selves, would consist only of a single
tune, and that, would he
We do not wish to mur
Funeral
Thought.
mcr. or repine— résignation would he
a much more useful frame ofi mind,
both in editi rs and readers. Those
of us, indeed, who are naturally dull,
enjoy a real hem fit in the times—we
charge our own peculiar characteris
tic quality to the times. But to those,
fetv who arc of a more lively and bril
liant east of mind, we ran scarcely
conceive of a more trying predicament
than that in which they arc now pla
ced—without one cheerful or enliven
ing subject at home, to call torch the
powers of their minds, or the trea
of their understanding, and
nothing abroad, except the disturban
ce* in Smith America, of which we
know hut little, and that little is lull
as well calculated to depress as to
exalt their spirits, or their genius.
;
;
sures
Cobbett and the Democrats.
From the Albany Daily Advertiser.
We are pleased to find that although
most of our democratic editors had
the arrival of Cobbett, as a powerful
champion in their cause, whose labors
arc to contribute largely to the sup
port anil permanency of democracy •>'•
this country, yet there are others ol
them, who possess too much of the
proud spirit of Americans, to feel
willing to accept the unprincipled
turn-coat us their oracle. We men
tion with pleasure,,' that while the
most of these prints are
lating the public" upon
and singing hosannas to his name, the
American Feoman, published at Brat
tleborough, Vt. and the Saratoga
Courier, are not thus deeply infected
with jacobin madness. The senti
ments of these journals upon the sub
ject, while they betray an honest in
dignation at the obsequiousness ot
their brethren, to the man, who per
haps has abused our country, and
some of our greatest anil best men.
more than any other, arttie same time
breathe n spirit purely American.
The Feumun intimâtes that the lie
a
" congratu
his arrival,