British Light Dragoon (Napoleonic Horseman Book 3) Page 12

“Capital idea. But do be sharp or you may get a whiff of grapeshot up your arse!”

  “Ready men. As soon as this gun fires the captain will limber up and then it will be up to us to hold up the enemy.”

  The day was fading fast and I hoped that we could withdraw before dark. I suddenly noticed that Lieutenant Von Doren was next to me with his men. “I thought you went with the Brigadier?”

  “He doesn’t need me. If I don’t fight now I may never get another chance.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That was our main army you saw retreating. The French have my country. There is just this little strip from here to Pomerania that we hold. Our war has not lasted very long has it?”

  I felt sorry for the lad. “You can always bring your men back to England with us. I am sure the rest of your army will try to get there. I mean where else is there for them to go?”

  “You are right.“ He brightened. “I shall go to England.” He drew his gun which was an old musket. “But first I shall kill a Frenchman or two.”

  The French cavalry had filled the land. They were in a line ten men wide and eagerly leaning forward. I dare say they were anticipating us fleeing. They must have been bemused to see just eighty men facing them and not moving.

  “Ready lads! Fire! Fall back!”We did not wait until we saw the results of our shots. The smoke hid them from us in any case. We had just cleared the gun’s barrel when it went off. The double shotting made it even louder and many of the trooper’s horses reared.

  I reined in Badger and looked down the road. It was carnage. There were horses and men lying as far as the eye could see. Dying horse’s legs jerked in the air and I saw troopers dragging themselves away from them. Already our guns were being limbered. I hoped that Seymour had reached the major.

  “Reload and fall back once the gun has moved. Keep your eyes on the French.” I was not particularly worried. The French cavalry would be warier now. They had been bitten twice.

  Captain Johnson’s cheery voice came to me, “See you at the bridge!”

  I heard hooves from behind me and turned to see the major and the other troop. He took the scene in quickly. “I see you have been busier than we have.”

  “Yes sir. We are the rearguard. The 5th should almost be at the Elbe by now and the guns have just gone.”

  “Right, you chaps get along. We will keep the Frenchies occupied.”

  “I don’t think that they will be rushing sir. They have lost a lot of men and horses. It is the infantry I would worry about.” I pointed down the main road where the column had reformed and was marching resolutely across the bridge.

  “Off you go.” He turned to his sergeant, “Form the men into two lines. Lieutenant Jackson, go on the right hand side.” The men quickly formed up and prepared their carbines. “Number 8 Troop, on my command, fire.” He waited until they were just fifty yards away and shouted, “Fire!” The smoke rippled along their front and, before it had hidden them I saw half a dozen men and as many horses fall. Take out your pistols! Fire!”

  “Come on Quartermaster Sergeant Grant let’s go.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Chapter 9

  We had a clear road all the way to the Elbe. The 5th were already lined up on either side of the bridge and the two guns were unlimbering. The Northumbrians gave us a cheer as we trotted across. The Brigadier gave me a questioning look, “The major will be along shortly sir. Where would you like us?”

  “If you would be so kind as to place your men on the right then I will be happier. Lieutenant Von Doren, your countrymen have headed north towards Rostock would you make sure that the road is clear for the next fifteen miles. When we leave I don’t want to have any unpleasant surprises.”

  “Sir.” The cheery Hanoverian trotted off with his escort.

  I made sure that the men dismounted when we reached the end of the line. Our horses had been ridden hard and the day was not yet over.”Percy, make sure they have all loaded their guns and feed them if you can.”

  Just then I heard a deep voice behind me, “Glad you made it sir. Is Major Hyde-Smith safe too?”

  “Good to see you too Sergeant Major Jones. Yes he is just delaying the French and will be along shortly. All the equipment in one piece? “

  “Yes sir I sent it back to the port with the men. The farrier sergeant can handle that. I thought I would be more use here.” He glanced down the line. “You didn’t lose too many troopers then sir?”

  “Just one man missing, Trooper Bradley.” I waved a hand at the others. “A few of them have cuts from our run in with the Chasseurs and Dragoons but they acquitted themselves well.”

  He nodded, “You can’t beat a bit of real combat to make them into better troopers. You can have all the drills in the world but until you have faced another man who is trying to kill you then you won’t be a real soldier. This squadron will be the best in the regiment now sir.”

  “Don’t tell Captain DeVere that, he will have a fit.”

  We both looked up as the other troop trotted across the bridge. “I’ll go and report to the major sir. Glad you are all in one piece.”

  The French cavalry were hard on their heels as the troop cleared the bridge. I heard Colonel Mackenzie shout, “Fire!”

  The three cannon belched their deadly missiles and then the 5th began volley fire which cleared the enemy from the end of the bridge. They would not try that again.

  “Better get some food organised for the men Sergeant Grant. We don’t know when we will get a chance to eat later.

  ”Sir.”

  “Take charge, Lieutenant Austen. I’ll go and find out what is happening.”

  I walked back. There was no point in riding Badger; it was less than four hundred yards to the bridge. I saw that the infantry had already reloaded and were busy talking about the effects of their volley. It was the first time they had been in action since we had arrived and I knew that they were eager to prove themselves.

  The major was with Colonel Mackenzie. “Ah glad you came. We have a slight problem now. How long do we wait? The Hanoverians were not going as fast as I would have hoped we need to buy them some time.”

  “Yes sir, but at the same time we need to leave ourselves enough time to get to Stralsund.” The major pointed to the redcoats. “Even with a forced march it will take a day at least possibly a day and a half and with no bridges to stop them their cavalry can outflank us.”

  “Quite. Bit of a problem all around.”

  “Could we not blow up the bridge?”

  “A good idea Captain Matthews but it is made of stone and we don’t have enough explosives.”

  “Yes sir, but if they thought that it was mined they would be cautious. It might buy us some time.”

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

  “Well sir, if we pointedly had men putting barrels under the piers of the bridge and running fuses back here they would think we had mined it. They wouldn’t know that the barrels were empty. We leave a handful of men to light the fuses when the enemy begin to cross. They will pull back and by the time they have seen the trick then the rearguard could be well away.”

  Major Hyde-Smith nodded, “It could work but it would have to be the 11th that were the rearguard.”

  “Quite. Well if you think you can do it Captain Matthews…”

  “All we need is some fuse and some empty barrels.”

  Captain Johnson had both and he was delighted with the idea. “Let my chaps do it. They would look more realistic and we can put a little powder in the barrels to make them pop. They will think twice before coming over. Capital idea.”

  I was pleased as it saved me a job. We now watched as the French brought up infantry and their own artillery. Captain Johnson’s men had erected a barrier of logs and they were afforded some protection. As the French guns were being brought up there was an infantry duel augmented by the Royal Horse Artillery’s guns. The range was almost point blank for the cannons and we were delighted to se
e at least two cannon destroyed as they laboured to build defences. It was towards dusk when Lieutenant Von Doren rode in.

  I watched as he spoke with the Brigadier. The bugle sounded for officer’s call and we raced to the temporary headquarters at the bridgehead. He looked at Captain Johnson who said, “The bridge is mined sir and all ready to be lit. They now have cannon on the other side and they have protected them. Come the morning they will be able to fire and I fancy they will have something bigger than horse artillery tomorrow.”

  “We won’t be here tomorrow. At least not all of us. Lieutenant Von Doren has found somewhere to ambush them about twenty miles away. There is a blind summit on the road. If we can lure their cavalry there then my boys can make mincemeat of them. We will begin pulling out now. We will do it section by section. Captain Johnson can you limber up quietly?”

  “Yes sir but if we leave one gun with the rearguard it would aid the 11th.”

  “Quite. Now who is staying to light the fuse Major Hyde-Smith?”

  We hadn’t decided but I knew who it would be. “That would be me sir with half a dozen men.”

  “Good! Thank you Captain Matthews. Then let’s be about this. Major Hyde-Smith if you would send a rider to that Mr Whittingham and ask him to make sure that there are enough transports to take us off eh?”

  “Yes sir.”

  I could have asked for volunteers and I would have been inundated. Instead I chose my men. “Corporal Seymour, Bugler Jones, Troopers Sharp, Green and Wilson you are the rearguard.”

  None of them looked unhappy and the rest, including Lieutenant Austen did. He came over, “Sir, let me have the honour.”

  “It is my hare brained scheme and I need you with the troop.”

  Sergeant Major Jones came over, “I’ll keep an eye on the young chap sir. Now you be careful here. These Frenchies can be sneaky.”

  As soon as it was dark the soldiers began to slip away quietly. I wondered if the enemy might try to creep across under cover of night but Captain Johnson had that problem solved, every ten minutes or so he would blast a shot from his one remaining gun across the bridge. He was a clever officer and his timing was not regular. One of his shots caught a party of light infantry who were scurrying across the bridge. Half of them were blown to smithereens and the rest were despatched by the carbines of the 11th. As the false dawn appeared Major Hyde-White led the two troops away.

  “Now be careful and don’t wait too long.”

  “I won’t and I will sound retreat when we do leave. Just in case they come early and the column is still close to here.”

  “I would imagine that the first elements of the 5th will have reached the ambush area by now. Good luck chaps.”

  It suddenly felt very lonely with just one gun crew and my few men. As dawn broke they would see, quite clearly that the red coats had gone. What would they do then?

  We had our answer just before dawn. We heard a huge crack as a French twelve pounder shattered the barricade. Captain Johnson looked at me. “Well Robbie, the game is up.”

  “Get your gun limbered and out of here. We’ll be behind you.” I turned to Jones. “Sound retreat. Sharp, hold Badger for me.”

  I dismounted and made my way to the fuses. I had my flint ready. “Corporal Seymour, tell me as soon as you see them begin to move”

  I was protected by a small barricade. They could see me but not hit me. I heard the cannon gradually demolishing the barricade and I was glad when I heard the sound of the Royal Horse Artillery leaving. There were just my men left now and, as the cannon ceased firing, it seemed eerily quiet. The smoke from the demolished barricades spiralled up in smoke rings towards the emerging sun. I could hear the French officers giving commands. I even heard some of the words, for there was total silence on our side of the river.

  I heard an officer saying that we had left and ordering the light infantry to rush the barricades.

  I lit the fuse just as Corporal Seymour shouted, “They’re coming sir.”

  As soon as I was sure that the fuses had caught I leapt from the barricades like a startled rabbit. The light infantry on the other side and on the bridge popped a few ineffectual shots at me. I reached and mounted Badger quickly. “Sound retreat again and let’s go!”

  As we galloped away I turned in my saddle. I could see the light infantry caught in two minds. Could they reach the barrels before they exploded? Half decided that discretion was the better part of valour while some of the others hurried forwards. I reined in Badger when I was a hundred yards from the bridge. I was intrigued. What would the explosion look like?

  The infantry were just ten yards from the barrels when the first of them popped, crackled and then lit up the sky with an explosion. It looked mightier than it was but the light infantry frantically hurled themselves into the water. The other barrels all went off together and the bridge was covered in a pall of smoke. It was like a giant firework display. They would have to wait until the smoke had cleared and its structure checked before they crossed. I kicked Badger on. I had bought us a precious half an hour. We knew that we could rest when we reached the others but the French did not. Badger’s powerful stride soon overtook the others and we galloped up the road. We caught up with Captain Johnson and slowed down to ride with him.

  He looked at me expectantly, “Well?”

  “An excellent ruse. Even I thought the whole thing would blow up. We have half an hour.”

  “That will be more than enough time. We are almost upon them.”

  He was wrong. We had another five miles to go before I saw a summit which looked to fit the description given by Lieutenant Von Doren. It was not the steepest incline but I could see nothing beyond the ridge and the top of the road. As we crested it I saw the 5th lined up in two lines on either side of the road whilst the middle of the road was filled with the two guns of the artillery troop.

  Captain Johnson was impressed. “They won’t have a clue. A damned fine spot.”

  Captain Fraser of the 5th waved to the captain. “Brigadier’s compliments and could you ride up the road and set up another ambush. There is a company of our chaps waiting for you with the major.”

  The captain nodded, “Sergeant, do as the captain asked. I think I shall stay here. I have a mind to see the expressions on their faces when we blast them.”

  Captain Fraser looked bemused, “But Captain Johnson the Brigadier asked for you.”

  He dismissed it with a wave, “Nonsense, my sergeant is a good chap and besides I have two of my guns here.”

  He dismounted and led his horse to his two guns. The infantryman shook his head, “Artillery men! Mad as fish the lot of them! Sir if you would join your troop behind our men, I believe your young lieutenant and Lieutenant Von Doren are going to be the bait.”

  I hoped that Percy and Von Doren would not try to outdo each other. We could not afford any glorious deaths. The major and Sergeant Major Jones awaited me. The major saw my expression. “You should not wonder that the boy volunteered. He has been watching you perform such actions since we first landed.”

  “Don’t worry sir. He’ll be alright. He has plenty of sense.”

  I hoped they were both right. I watched as he and half of my troop rode down the road towards the unseen enemy. He had a difficult task ahead of him. He had to appear as though the enemy had surprised them. They would not ride into a trap easily. I assumed that they would have the Chasseurs chasing us with the Dragoons and Light Infantry in close attendance. I knew from experience that the French Light Infantry could almost keep up with cavalry for short distances.

  In the end their general must have decided to keep the infantry with the cavalry for we heard the crack of muskets some two hours after we had arrived. The Sergeant Major of the 5th shouted, “Stand to and await my command!”

  The crest of the ridge was less than forty yards away. That was lethal range for the Brown Bess musket. I knew that the cannon would be loaded with grapeshot and they too would make a mess of an attacker.
Percy’s bugler sounded the retreat and I watched as they thundered over the rise. The two lieutenants were, as I had expected, at the rear of their men. Sabres in hand they whooped over the crest. I saw Major Hyde-Smith grimace. Percy would pay for that frivolity later on.

  The men rode around our left flank and then the horsemen appeared. They had spread into a semi circle to out flank our horsemen and the Brigadier waited until they were almost upon us before shouting, “Fire!”

  The 5th kept firing and reloading and their volleys almost became a continuous wall of fire. After five volleys I heard the command, “Cease fire!”

  Then the major turned to his bugler. “Sound the charge if you please.”

  I drew my sword and we trotted forward through the smoke. As soon as we were clear it was as though we had entered an abattoir. We had not time to take in the grisly sights. We had to hit their survivors whilst they were disorganised. We galloped through horsemen whose ears were still ringing from the firing and were disorientated and confused. Which way was the enemy?

  I stabbed a sergeant as he was turning to organise his men. I saw Sharp’s sabre slice through the arm of a Dragoon like a knife through butter. Suddenly we were through the cavalry and into the light infantry in skirmish order. It was a cavalryman’s dream and we drove them before us. Barely three of them fired before being struck and skewered. Some lay on the ground in the belief that a horse will not step on a prone man. It was a good theory but the horses were not looking down and their hooves crushed many a skull.

  Badger was well ahead of the rest of the squadron and I saw, ahead of me their horse artillery unlimbering and the infantry column deploying into line. “Jones, sound the recall!”

  As the strident notes rang out my men all slowed. Those French men unfortunate to be within sword’s length died where they stood and in some cases cowered but, to my horror, Lieutenant Von Doren and his Hanoverians charged recklessly at the line. The French battalion must have been inexperienced too for they fired far too early. Even so all but two of the Hanoverians fell. I saw Lieutenant Von Doren shout something to his comrade before turning to flee. His companion was shot in the back and fell from his horse. I saw Von Doren’s horse stagger.