SD81. Samuel Moulton-Barrett (uncle) to Edward Moulton-Barrett (father)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 308 (in part).
Blasenburgh
1 September. [1807] [1]
My dear Edward
This is already the fourth attempt I have made to finish a letter to you, but they have all hitherto proved unsuccesful, by the constant marches & countermarches in which we are continually engaged. At present, from our state of comparative inactivity, I have strong hopes of finishing one, and hope & fervently pray, that the Gods will be so propitious to my prayers as to give me one single hour to myself, that I may be enabled to describe as well as my memory will allow me the various scenes in which I have been engaged since the 26 of August. It is almost unnecessary in me to tell you, that I have left the Goliath, when I date my letter from Blasenburgh, a small village situated about twenty miles in the interior towards the South. But as a book, particularly a romance is worth little without a preface, so is a tour without a setting out. I therefore left the Goliath on the 25 of August, after having taken an affectionate leave of my good friend the Captain, and the Lieutenants, and arrived on the same day, at Sir A. Wellesley. On the 26th we left Brunsborg the Generals old residence and arrived on the same Evening about seven at Roeskilde Kroe, with a Brigade composed of the 92nd 43d rifle corps, & two squadrons of cavalry, besides a few artillery, we were then in pursuit of a strong detachment of the enemy, who had been sent into the interior for the purpose of strengthening their force and of with drawing our attention from the Siege of Copenhagen. Early the next Morng we left Roeskildé Kroe and marched forwards to Roskildé, which is about 8 miles, we there stopped, understanding that the enemy had marched forward to Kioge, we consequently returned in order to be more in the centre, so as to be able to act with some quickness in case we obtained any certain information of the operations of the Danes. There was such an apparent unsteadiness on the part of the Danish Generals that our positions & all our arrangements were continually changing, and what was decided upon one moment, the next moment saw almost directly the reverse put into execution. On the 29th we left Roeskilde Kroe and very early set forward to Keoge. Sir A. had not as yet (I believe) gained any certain information respecting their route, and he merely followed the direction he was then, from a supposition that it was likely he would attempt to retreat towards Copenhagen. He was fortunately right in his conjecture, and about two miles distant from Kioge, a scouting party of the Cavalry, informed us, the enemy were in sight. We were all delighted at the idea, and rejoiced that such a speedy prospect of again returning, presented itself. As the Brigade under Sir A. was devided into two heads, one under Sir A. and the other under General Lensacan, we waited a short time in hopes of been [sic] joined by him, and sent two letters to him desiring him to join us, but the Danes would not allow us to wait long enough for this reinforcement. For their Artillery began firing upon our advanced party and we in return saluted them. Sir A. then ordered all the artillery to advance, and to keep them in play, whilst he was drawing up the infantry and cavalry in a line composed of the 92nd, 52nd 43d and the German Legion flanking them. The firing from the enemy then began, and shells & grape shot flew into all directions, but fortunate for us, did not do the least execution. At the commencement of the firing, we had shot one of the artillery horses, and the canon, fell into our possession. We advanced into a compleat line, the 92nd to the left; the 43d to the right, and the German Legion flanking the last regiment. The artillery retired behind the line. I cannot give you the faintest idea of the grandeur of the whole scene. All advancing at ordinary time, and not the least symptom of confusion visible. Shells bursting over their heads and Canon Balls throwing the dirt up in all directions. Upon our approaching another two hundred yards of the enemys works, about 4 hundred Danish Cavalry issued from the Town, on our left facing the 92nd The artillery were then commanded to come forward and play upon them with their Pounders, and body of Cavalry, stationed to prevent their charge upon our infantry. Had the Danish Cavalry the least spark of Bravery, this last arrangement, would have been absolutely necessary, but as it happened it was unnecessary. The second shot from us, put them all to flight with the greatest confusion, and all of them retreated into the Town, without any order; Their precipitate flight, put the infantry into confusion, so much so, that they were only able to maintain a heavy firing of musquetry, for about 5 Minutes, when a thorough route took place, and every one of them dispersed in different directions, led on by no guide, but their own cowardly fears. Will you believe when I tell you, that our force, which was only 5 & twenty hundred, put to flight an army of upwards of 14 Thousand men, commanded by the reputed best General in the Danish Service. So great a force so thoroughly beaten by so small a force, was I believe never known, and what increases still more the real magnitude of the victory, we lost very few men: 12 men killed, 45 wounded and about seven missing, is the outside of our loss, whilst we have got 16 hundred prizoners, & the number killed, wounded, & missing is incalculable. It was a disgusting sight to see them laying dead in all directions, and to see the general massacres which every way prevailed. We have taken besides the prisoners One General, & 60 officers, 14 pieces of canon, 3 Standards, and ammunition in immense quantities, stored in all places. I almost forget every thing that happened during the heat of the action, what with the novelty, of the |Jacnes| which every where presented themselves. The daring, bravery, and cool courage which ever prevailed on our side, and the folly, cowardice, and fear on the part of the Danes, that I was unable to receive strong impressions, and the different scenes as quickly effaced as they succeeded each other. We left Kioge on the 31st and on the 31st we arrived at Blasenburg, where we now are, waiting for orders from the commander in chief. This day the Bombardment of Copenhagen begins, and tomorrow will decide whether Copenhagen is to surrender or hold out. The latter is generally expected, if so, one month will not see our labors at an end. I am thinking of continuing my route to Sweeden and If possible of going forward to Russia, whether this is possible, time will shew, certainly there can be no danger till Lord Lawson |Jounes| leaves Petersburgh. Do not be astonished if you see me during some part of the winter at Coxhoe. I wish much to return, and if it was not for the fear of being considered as wavering and undesided as the wind, I would pack up, and be with you in less than a fortnight. I shall however certainly go through Sweeden before I decide upon returning. I have not as yet see Rham, to know what he has done respecting the contracts for Beef. If he has done, what he said he intended doing, I shall go on by myself and shall in that case, hasten my march and return to you about the latter end of September, or the beginning of October.
Blasenberg. 11th
We are still here, nor have we any immediate prospect of returning towards Copenhagen for these few days. Although Copenhagen is not given into our possession by the terms of the agreement, yet we have possession of the citadel & the Naval Arsenal, which from their elevated situation, commands the town in all places, & in case of necessity would lay both the Crown Batteries & the Town into a heap of ashes. By the articles of the agreement, we took immediate possession of the Citadel, Naval Arsenal & the whole of the fleet, & we are obliged in the space of 6 weeks, to disembark all our Troops, & the whole of the Fleet to be taken away. When we think seriously of it, it is a most fortunate event for us. To have acquired so valuable a possession as the Danish Fleet, which consists of upwards of 16 sale of the line besides several small ships of war & to have met with so inconsiderable loss, as a … fortunate than the justice of our cause deserved, Had our expedition been one of those excursions which were returned … last expedition, the Danes would have been thoroughly prepared & most likely would have met with the same termination that the expedition commanded by the Duke of York into Holland. I hope for the future that Ministers seeing the good success of this expedition has met with, will be more decisve [sic] in their operations & that their plans will be put into speedy execution. If it was not contrary to the principles of the constitution, I should think it advizable in Governments to delay obtaining the sense of the people, till the execution of their plan, by these means, secrecy (so absolutely necessary) will be strictly preserved, & the Enemy, against whom they are to act, being ignorant of their destination, no great resistance can be expected from them, & you may imagine with good reason, calculate upon success: Although I can not suppose I shall meet with your approbation to … so unconstitutional yet the advantage which it … the other with regard to its secrecy, is certainly evident, & had we always to attack such places as Zealand, it would 8 times out of ten succeed. Cronberg castle which is situated about 1 mile and 1/2 from Elsinore, commanding the mouth of the Sound has been ordered by the Governor of Copenhagen to surrender to us. We have not as yet received an answer although we expect its immediate delivery, yet there are some fears, from his being an obstinate old fool, that he will still hold out: in that case certain annihilation will be his fate. It is strongly fortified on all sides, & has no height to command; in storming it we shall certainly meet with great loss, but the advantage derived from this possession, will far exceed any losses we shall meet with. About the latter end of next week I shall recommense my travels through Sweeden; & shall most likely, on account of the advanced season of the year, remain during the Winter at Stockholm. I have obtained several letters of introduction to some of the most respectable inhabitants, & should the Nobles remain quiet (which is now expected) I hope to spend a very pleasant time. It is now too late to advance towards Russia; the travelling would be truly unpleasant, both on account of the extreme cold, & the badness of the accomodation at most or all of the Inns. Independent of this, I find a great want of French, & until I am master of that, I will not proceed to a Capital, where French is amost the language of the … country. The news at present from Sweeden is, that the Nobles, discontented with … who they declare to be a compleat Madman … published a Placard, declaring that all obligation … formerly subsisting between them, are now done away. French politics prevail much in Sweeden, & they … differ from the French in this respect, that they act … they profess with regard to liberty. I heartily pity … being surrounded on one side by his mortal face |foe| Bonap<arte> … on the other by his own subjects, who are in reality his most dangerous ememies. In all their civil wars occasioned by the Nobles discontent, what excesses have not the Sweedes been guilty of & to what length have they not carried their excesses? Fortunately for him the lower order of people are generally attached to him, & in case of a civil war would fight bravely in his defence. But can the King expect a happy termination when France leagued with the Nobles is decidedly against him, Russia willing to join them, & Denmark jealous of her Neighbour & desirous of finding so good an opportunity of commencing hostilities? I wish you to get the |mace| in good condition for me, that I may have some house to hunt upon my return. I see by one of the Papers that Lord Nelson has not bought the house in Suffolk. I am glad of it, as you will have an opportunity of purchasing to your mind. Tell Mary I have got her some beautiful furs, which I shall contrive to send over by my friend Stanhope. I shall be able perhaps to get her some better ones at Stockholm. I shall not send this off till I reach … Cronberg– The Governor has refused to give … But contrary to what I believe was originally determined by the Commander in Chief, no attempts are to [be] made against it, as it is now found that the embarkation of the troops will not be in the least impeded by that strong fortress been [sic] in the hands of the Danes. I was yesterday in Copenhagen. It is indeed distressing to see the effects of the strong cannonading. 4 thousand houses are burnt down, & one thousand of the inhabitants either buried under the ruins, or killed by the bursting of shells, But this sad spectacle is comparatively nothing to the great & irreparable loss of the survivors, many individuals formerly enjoying all the comforts & blessings of affluency are now reduced to the greatest misery, and the father who 4 short weeks back looked with delight on his young family, and little thinking of futurity, anticipated all the joys he was to derive from them when arrived at manhood, has now to deplore their loss & his own existence. My heart bleeds to see or think of these sad sights, and I fervently wished that I had continued my journey, in that case, I should not have been an eyewitness to scenes so truly distressing. One of the finest churches has been burnt down, and buried in its ruins are several fine pictures, besides monuments of the grandest style of sculpture; The vaults are laying open, & the bones of the dead again brought to light. This last scene struck me with a mixture of awe & horror & I hastily left this sacred monument, deploring the sad effects of Bacons invention. At the end of the Churchyard, sat an elderly woman with a child at her breast, every feature expressed grief, & with eyes & hands frequently turned towards Heaven she appeared to deplore some great misfortune she had suffered. Think not, my dear Brother, I have selected these 3 instances of misery as the greatest; I have only mentioned them, as they fell immediately under my observation. Were I to mention every thing I have heard it would almost surpass belief, at least, I think you would be unwilling to believe that human nature could be brought to so great a pitch of extreme misery.
Tell that dear Sister of mine, that I bought her yesterday 2 Indian Gowns, 1 Plain, the other figured. I have sent them with young Stanhope, who I can rely upon, will send them safe to her. At any other time I should not be able to have got them into England, but sending them with Sir Arthur Wellesley, they are certain of getting safe, as his goods will not be examined by the customhouse officers. If you wish for India Handkerchiefs, let me know, they are to be got here, good & warranted to be India, & besides very cheap. As for you I shall think you very well off if you get a very large fur pelisse which I have bought you. I merely give you this to prevent you from grumbling, & from recking your vengeance upon that hopeful family of yours. I hope to God little Elizabeth is christened, and that she still promises as well as when she was under my direction. Mary allowed she was an Angel, & I thought her so much like her Uncle that I gave my assent. I have been spending a very pleasant time with General Wellesley & his Staff, & I should regret when the time arrives to separate us, were it not that that same time will be a termination to many of the miseries of the Danes. I quite forgot to tell you, that the spoils we have acquired by this successful expedition, are supposed by some to amount, to no less a sum than two million, the sum of money which each officer will get for his prize money, makes him somewhat callous to the distresses of the inhabitants, & should they ever occur to him, he banished them from his thoughts, by saying, we shall get d…’d pretty prize money, happy, happy talisman that can so soon banish such unpleasant thought from the heart, would to God it could dry the Widows tears, & replace the Fathers family. I dine this day with the Countess of Holstein, she is a handsome woman, and appears from what I have seen of her, an amiable woman. She has 3 Children all beautiful. In general the Danish Children are pretty, but as they get older their figures become coarse, (particularly about the feet) & the teeth intolerably bad, I can not account in any way for this deffect [sic], I rather suppose it originates from uncleanliness, & from an improper custom which most Mothers have of giving their Children sweet things. I supped there last night, and her eldest Child who’s only about 6 years old, was allowed to sit up to supper and eat as much as any other person at table. There is one advantage which this early introduction of Children has, that they do not shew that awkwardness in their gait & manners, which ladies who have been confined to their nurseries have when they are introduced publickly. If we could only hit upon the happy medium, we should not be so famous in foreign countries, for that shyness & its natural consequence awkwardness, which allways characterizes the English in General. I have drawn upon Scarlett once or twice, I wish you immediately to inform him of this, & likewise tell him to expect them as I shall be careful not to draw to a greater amount than I have credit for or without Rhams consent. Remember me to all friends, my love to dear Mary & the dear Infants & Believe me ever to remain
Your most affectionate Brother.
17th September– Blasenberg–
Address, on integral page: E. Barrett Esqre. / Coxhoe Hall / near Durham / England.
Docket, in unidentified hand: Copenhagen S. M. B.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
Note: Sealed with armorial crest, in black wax, with initials F. R. S. [?Stanhope] under which name has been written; bene.
1. Year provided by reference to the British naval bombardment of Copenhagen in September 1807.
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