Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp4.djvu/323

 Lieutenant Lloyd, again a volunteer for land service, was now attached to the naval brigade under Captain William Augustus Montagu, and directed, in addition to his other duties, to communicate the movements of the troops, by telegraph, to the Admiral. During the advance upon Port Louis, he had charge of the guns with the leading column, and the first flag of truce sent out, by Governor-General De Caen, was received by him. The operations on shore are thus detailed by the military commander-in-chief:–

“As soon as a sufficient part of the European force had been formed, it became necessary to move forward, as the first five mites of the road lay through a very thick wood, which made it an object of the utmost importance, not to give the enemy time to occupy it. The columns marched about 4 o’clock, and succeeded in gaining the more open country, without any efforts having been made by the enemy to retard our progress, a few shot, only, having been fired by a small picquet, by which Lieutenant-Colonel Keating, Lieutenant Ash, of H.M. 12th regiment, and a few men of the advanced guard, were wounded. Having halted for a short time during the night, the army again moved forward before day-light, with the intention of not halting till arrived before Port Louis; but the troops having become extremely exhausted, not only from the exertion which they had already made, but from having been almost totally deprived of water, I was compelled to take up a position at Moulin à Poudre, about five miles short of the town.

“Early the next morning, Lieutenant-Colonel M‘Leod, with his brigade, was detached to seize the batteries of Tombeau and Tortue, and open a communication with the fleet, as it had been previously arranged that we were to draw our supplies from these two points. The main body of the army, soon after it had moved off its ground, was attacked by a corps of the enemy, who, with several field-pieces, had taken a strong position, very favorable for attempting to make an impression on the head of the column, as it shewed itself at the end of a narrow road, with a thick wood on each flank. The European flank battalions, which formed the advanced guard, under the direction of Major-General Warde, formed with as much regularity as the bad and broken ground would admit of, charged the enemy with the greatest spirit, and compelled him to retire with the loss of his guns, and many killed and wounded. This advantage was gained by the fall of Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, of the 33rd 