the meantime I hint to yourself only, that if your father can engage to get a certain number of recruits for the regiment, you are to be left on the recruiting service." That is how they did jobs a hundred years ago. My uncle, like his father, did not stay long in the army. He, too, married young, and early began to become the father of a large family. I am told that at this time he obtained an appointment for three years to superintend arrangements for saving the lives of shipwrecked sailors on the Lancashire coast. I gather that this must have been in connection with the lifesaving rockets invented by Sir William Congreve, from the fact that it was through the influence of Sir William Congreve and Mr Macpherson that he was appointed Consul at Cadiz in 1823. This was one of the consulates whose holders were not permitted to trade. Lord Beaconsfield thus describes him in a letter to his father dated Cadiz, July 14, 1830: "The English Consul here maintains a very elegant establishment, and has a very accomplished and amusing family. He prides himself on making all English of distinction dine with him every day. Fortunately his cook is ill, for being French and a very good one, I should have sunk under it. But Mrs Brackenbury receives every evening, and whenever one is at a loss, it is agreeable to take refuge in a house which tures, where the daughters are all is literally a palace covered with picpretty and sing boleros."1 My uncle had always been led to consider himself the heir to his uncle Robert's property, but the latter, late in life, married a young woman, and when the will was read everything was left to her for her life, and the reversion only to my uncle. At her death the property had deteriorated; the reversion had, I expect, been mortgaged to pretty nearly its full value, and the property had to be sold. In 1845 he was made a knight of the Hanoverian Guelphic order.2 He died in 1847, leaving, besides daughters, three sons, all now dead: Robert, rector of Brocklesby, domestic chaplain to Lord Yarborough, and private chaplain to the Duke of Cleveland; John Macpherson, who succeeded him as Consul at Cadiz; and William, who, after a short spell of service in the navy, entered the consular service, and died when Consul at Vigo. The first two left no issue; the last was the father of RearAdmiral John W. Brackenbury, C.B., C.M.G., now second in command of the Channel Squadron, and Colonel Maule C. Brackenbury, C.S.I., R.E., now manager of the North-Western Railway of India. 1 Home Letters written by the late Earl of Beaconsfield in 1830 and 1831. London: John Murray. 1885. 2 He had a particular objection to his name being misspelt or mispronounced as Blackenbury," which it frequently is, and is credited with having said to his friend Admiral Rous, who was a constant sinner in this respect, "Rous, I warn you that if you take that liberty with my name again, I shall take the same liberty with yours." Edward Brackenbury, the 61st Regiment. The few letters second of my father's brothers, of his which I possess are and the writer of the letter written either to his father or from Salamanca, inherited the mother, and are mostly on subSkendleby property from his jects of no interest outside the uncle Edward. I remember family circle. I find him, howhim well, a fine, tall, soldier- ever, writing from Guernsey in like figure. He married twice. August 1808, and endeavouring He sold out in 1847, and lived to persuade his father to purthenceforward on his property. chase for him a lieutenancy in On his death in 1864 he left the 12th Regiment, which was two sons, the eldest of whom for sale. But the money for was in the Royal Horse Ar- the step was not forthcoming, tillery, and served in the and he writes in September to Zulu campaign, but retired his mother, explaining the diffifrom the army and sold Sken- culties he labours under, with dleby. only his pay to live on; and says, "But never mind, I am happy and contented." The services of my uncle Edward are thus described in Hart's Annual Army List' for 1859: "Lieut.-Col. Sir Edward Brackenbury served with the 61st Regiment in Sicily, in Calabria, at Scylla Castle, and at Gibraltar in 1807-8. In the Peninsula from 1809 to the end of that war in 1814, including the battles of Talavera and Busaco, Lines at Torres Vedras, pursuit of the French from Portugal, battle of Fuentes d'Onor, storming and capture of Badajoz horse shot in advancing to the attack; battle of Salamanca-took a piece of artillery from the enemy guarded by four soldiers close to their retiring column, without any near or immediate support; retreat from Burgos, actions at Villa Muriel and Osma (horse shot), battle of Vittoria, siege, two assaults, and capture of San Sebastian, passage of the Bidassoa, battles of the Nivelle and the Nive, actions in front of Bayonne near the mayor's house, on the 10th, 11th, and 12th Dec. (slightly wounded and horse shot), blockade of Bayonne and repulse of the sortie. Has received the war medal with nine clasps; is a Knight of St Fernando of Spain; a Knight of the Tower and Sword, and a Commander of St Bento d'Avis of Portugal." Then there occurs a gap in the correspondence. My father must have been sent from the 2nd battalion to join the 1st battalion, which embarked at Gibraltar for Portugal on 9th June 1809. He was present at the battle of Talavera on 28th July of that year, and was severely wounded, being shot between the shoulders. The battalion had 13 officers and 236 soldiers killed or wounded in the battle. The army then retreated. In the official Historical Record of the Regiment, it is stated that "on the advance of the enemy, the Spaniards abandoned Talavera, and the wounded officers and soldiers of the 61st fell into the hands of the French"; but I think my father must have accompanied our retreating army, for I never heard of his having been a prisoner in French hands, and it is scarcely possible, had he been so, that it should never have been mentioned in my My father, too, entered the presence. On the 5th July 1810 I find him writing from Milford, on his way to join the 2nd battalion at Fermoy, and in July 1811 he writes from Newry. The next letter shows that he had again gone out to join the 1st battalion in Spain. It is dated Castello Bianco, 2nd June 1812, and is to his father. "My last letter," he says, "dated at Albuera camp, was addressed to my mother. Since that time our movements have not been either considerable or necessary, although sometimes very fagging. We are now on the move to join Lord Wellington, it is supposed, in active movements in the north of Spain. We expect to advance into the interior. The French force, it is said, is not very efficient. I am sorry I cannot give you a good account of my health; a continual pain in my side (from the Talavera wound) and a cough are by no means favourable indications. I am tired enough of this country. Had I known that hard marching, bad living, and no fighting would be my fate, I never would have left Ireland. We heard the other day that Perceval is shot. I wish individual interest or revenge may prove the murderer's intention," His wish for fighting was soon enough to be gratified, as the following letter, to which the above is but the preface, will show. Let me once more say that the letter is by my uncle Edward, then commanding one of Beresford's Portuguese regiments, that the postscript in it is by my father William, and the note as to the loss of officers by my uncle John : "SALAMANCA, 24 July 1812. "MY DEAREST PARENTS,-I have but a moment to write a few lines which I hope may be in time for the you Post for England as should you see the before papers receive this you will be naturally in a state of uneasiness. The Almighty has been pleased once more in the midst of the most Imminent danger to spare the life of both your sons. My dear brother William is wounded, but under my care; and with good surgical attendance is doing well: You will see by the papers he is severely wounded, but let me assure you my dear parents that there is no danger. I must now in duty describe to you his wounds, which he received when having grasped the Colours of the 61st Regt within 25 yards of the French Column. He received the first ball through the Left foot, which passed through the bone, but as it has neither touched the ankle Joint, nor the Joints of his toes, his foot is safe, nor will he (I hope) be lame in consequence the second ball he Received in the of it, although the cure may be tedious: left side of his Face which broke the Jawbone; it is now setting; the wound is suppurating, He converses freely and takes nourishment without much pain. His noble and manly spirit surpasses anything I ever witnessed, and he is patient to a degree beyond what I can describe, which is a great cause of his being quite free from fever, he thinks nothing of his sufferings. I dress his wounds for him, and shall be able to remain with him some days longer. "So Glorious and Compleat a Victory has never been achieved by British Arms we had a general action in which the French were defeated, and worsted in every part, our army is following them up and whole Regts of the Enemy throwing down their Arms and endeavouring vainly to escape: what their loss is morning stated it at fifteen thousand, I know not but a proclamation this Lord Wellington says 3,500 will cover our loss; we think the French cannot stand this side Madrid this is my idea also; but take care what we write never appears in Public. The 61st left *21 officers killed and wounded out of 26 who entered the action, the remaining Five with 75 men only gained the Hill they were destined to take and destroy the enemy. I fought with my Portuguese Regt. who behaved well and bayonetted a Column of the French, you will scarcely believe how I could have Escaped, when I assure you I was cutting away in a Solid Column with my Common regulation Sword: but Providence protected me as it did at Badajos, when I mounted the Ladder at the Head of my Regt. Bill will write a postscript, believe me my dearest Parents your ever dutifull son, 24. "EDWD. BRACKENBURY." *"N.B.—The Gazette' announces J. M. B." "MY DEAR PARENTS, by the description my brother has given you of my Wounds, you will perceive I am severely hit, but God has been graciously pleased to spare us both and I am thankfull I have a Volume to write you of Ned's unparallelled courage, but I must wait until I get a little more Strength. I will thank you to write on receipt of this to my Brother John--to my sister Jemima, and to my Uncle William. I remain my dearest Parents yours by every tie of Affection. "WILLIAM BRACKENBURY, Six reliefs of officers and sergeants were shot under the colours." The colours were actually carried to the top of the hill by Privates William Crawford and Nicholas Coulson. Crawford was instantly promoted to sergeant; the same rank was offered to Coulson, but he answered that he was over rewarded already by the cheers and thanks of his comrades and the approbation of his officers. Those colours are now in Gloucester Cathedral. Now, my dear Blackwood, I ask you to try and imagine what would be said if a regiment were to suffer such losses in these days, when it is the fashion to think that war omelettes can be made without breaking eggs, when the generals who conducted the campaign in Tirah were hounded at because one or two battalions lost a few officers and men, a mere fraction of the losses in this one battalion at Salamanca? Why, the losses in this one battalion were heavier than those in the whole two British brigades at Omdurman. What а howl would now be raised if one regiment were to lose fivesixths of its officers and men Would any It is not my intention to dwell upon the battle of Salamanca. Those who wish to refresh their memories of it have only to turn to Napier's 'Peninsular War.' No other pen will ever write a description more graphic than his. He speaks of the sixth division, to which the 61st belonged, as having "restored the fight" at the crisis of the battle, and says, "The 61st and 11th Regiments won their way desperately, and through such a fire as British soldiers only can sustain." What that means may be gathered from the following in one action! extract from the the Historical general's reputation survive we what would be called such a disaster? But in those days, in spite of such a "Gazette," Wellington was not hounded at and accused of ignorance and folly. What is it that has come over the nation? How are we ever to make war if such a spirit prevails? Mark, too, how my uncle "Take says, care what write never appears in public." How different from the spirit in which the private letters of officers, criticising their generals anonymously, are now published far and wide. Is it all part of that want of respect for authority, that " one-man-is-asgood as another doctrine, which has grown up as а natural consequence of the growth of democracy? How different, too, the tone of these letters to the tone in which sons address their parents now, when "Dear governor" and "Yours ever" have taken the place of "My dear parents" and "Your ever dutiful son" or 66 Yours by every tie of affection"! his comrades of the Peninsular war at Newry, and writes thence more cheerfully. He has met with the congratulations of many of his old companions, and is well pleased at the change. He assures his father he has no intention, as rumoured, of volunteering for America, and had never had an idea of it. "Volunteering," he writes, "is a bad system where a man has not certain prospects of bettering his situation. Besides, I find myself inadequate to common regimental duty at home in consequence of my wound." "Lieut. Brackenbury served in the Peninsula with the 61st, and was wounded between the shoulders at the battle of Talavera; at the battle of Salamanca he was shot through the left foot and left cheek." Three sons survived my father. The eldest, Richard, entered the 61st Regiment, was on Wyndham's staff at Cawnpore, and died, unmarried, of cholera at Poona, just before the regiment came home in 1859. The second, Charles, entered the Royal Artillery, served in the Chestnut troop of Horse Artillery in the Crimean war, and was a MajorGeneral and Director of the |