PRIVATE JOHN CORBETT: SCHEDULE OF MOVEMENTS AS SHOWN BY MUSTER RETURNS.
SERVICE WITH THE SHROPSHIRE MILITIA.
Quarter or period ended and returned from:
24.9.1812 PLYMOUTH JC joined unit 11.9.12, having been paid by the Officer in charge of Recruiting Parties up to
10.9.1812. Accordingly, JC was enlisted at some time previously and marched with other recruits to Plymouth from his place of enlistment).
24.3.1813 PLYMOUTH JC present on duty.
24.5.1813 LIMERICK JC present on duty until
8.4.1813 when he volunteered for the 85th Foot. (The Shropshire Militia had clearly rotated to Ireland at some time between 8.4.13 and 24.5.13).
SERVICE WITH THE 85TH FOOT.
Quarter or period ended and returned from:
24.6.1813 AT SEA ON BOARD TRANSPORT ‘ISABELLA’ JC present in 8 Company, having been received as a volunteer from the Shropshire Militia on 9.4.1813. Paid enlistment bounty of Seven Guineas. Rate of pay One Shilling per day. Received the sum of Three Pounds, Seven Shillings and Six Pence as 77 days pay.
24.9.1813 AT CAMP NEAR ANDAYE, FRANCE JC present.
24.12.1813 ON BOARD WARSHIP HMS THAMES JC is not recorded in this return which appears to show the names of men of only one of the 10 companies of the 85th Foot. Accordingly, JC sailed from France with his company on another transport and the embarkation return has not survived.
24.3.1814 BERMUDA JC present.
24.6.1814 BERMUDA JC present in 10 Company
24.9.1814 ROCHESTER JC present on board transport ‘Golden Fleece’. It is clear that some elements of the 85th Foot were on passage from North America.
24.12.1814 CHATHAM JC present on board ‘Golden Fleece’.
24.3.1815 ROCHESTER JC on board “Golden Fleece” during January and February. Rejoined March.
18.5.1815 HYTHE JC on board transport ‘Mirulas’.
24.6.1815 CHATHAM JC present on duty. Granted furlough from 7th-24th June.
24.9.1815 CHATHAM JC present in 9 Company.
24.12.1815 WINCHESTER JC present, but engaged on a detached duty at SHEERNESS during November.
24.3.1816 WINCHESTER JC present.
24.6.1816 WEEDON BARRACKS JC present.
24.9.1816 WEEDON and NORTHAMPTON JC present.
24.12.1816 CHESTER JC present.
24.3.1817 CHESTER JC present.
24.6.1817 CHESTER JC present.
24.9.1817 CHESTER JC present.
24.12.1817 GLOUCESTER JC present.
24.3.1818 PLYMOUTH DOCK. JC engaged on a detached duty at PONTYPOOL whole quarter.
24.6.1818 PLYMOUTH DOCK JC on detached duty at CHARD during April: otherwise present.
24.9.1818 PLYMOUTH DOCK JC present.
24.12.1817 PLYMOUTH DOCK Discharged 20.11.1818. (Battalion in process of reduction).
PONTYPOOL FREE PRESS, 1OTH FEBRUARY 1872
THE CAMPAIGNS OF JOHN CORBETT, A PENINSULAR VETERAN
Many of the Pontypool people will remember old John Corbett, who was for many years a nailer employed by Messrs. Davies and Sandbrook, and who died April 1st 1871, at the ripe age of 82 years. Many of them will probably read with interest the following yarns of the old man, who had in his younger days seen many moving perils “by flood and field”. The account was taken down from the veteran’s lips by Mr. Elias Vaughan, who has been good enough to hand it to us for publication, and we think we may suitably do that in the columns of The Free Press.
Old John’s story runs as follows:
Born at Roden in Shropshire in 1792, at nine years of age I was apprenticed to a nailer; I ran away from my employment at the age of 14 and came into Wales in 1805. I there joined the local militia in Cardiff, and got two guineas bounty. I left Wales in 1808 and returned to Shropshire. While passing through Ludlow, I met a recruiting sergeant, and enlisted in the Shropshire Militia, with ten guineas bounty, and marched to join the regiment at Plymouth. I served six months in the militia, and then volunteered for life, with sixteen guineas bounty, into the 85th Regiment (the Duke of York’s Own Infantry), under the command of Colonel Saunton. There were staying at Plymouth, six militia regiments and they all volunteered for different regiments. I marched to the town of lie in Kent; when I arrived I was rigged out with regiment clothes, and the next morning I was had out for drill: the bugle sounded the “rouse” at four in the morning, and we had to wash ourselves at the pump; after this we had to use the dumb-bells for an hour and learn to salute the officers. In a short time we formed the regiment, and I was transferred to Capt. Cottingham’s company. We went through field-days, and on the last field-day we went through drill with ball-cartridge, and we wounded three men, who had to be taken to hospital. Soon after we had to march for Dover. When we got there, we were put on board ship, and sailed for the Downs, where we dropped anchor for three days, to get in our luggage, and then set sail for Spain. We arrived at a place called Passage, near to San Sebastian. When we got into harbour, new clothes were served out to us, and we were then put ashore. We there commenced to dig entrenchments and erect batteries and put outlying pickets. The first caution I received was from the example of a corporal who got drunk on duty. He was tried by Court-Martial, and was sentenced to three-hundred lashes. In a short time after, two others were tried by Court Martial for losing ammunition. One had a boil about the size of an egg. This came into contact with the tree that he was tied to; it burst, and he had to be taken to hospital. The other was sentenced to three hundred lashed but had to be taken to the doctor before the punishment was completed. We laid siege to San Sebastian, and seven companies of our regiment went out in boats, near the castle, to draw the attention of the French. The storming party took the town; part of the 38th Grenadiers were blown up by an undermine, and the French surrendered with the honours of war. They were sent off to England, guarded by some Portuguese. We marched from San Sebastian to the banks of the River Irhonet?), which runs between the Pyrenees mountains. We went close to the river, and a council of war was held by the Duke of Wellington, the result of which was that a fatigue party was ordered to bring the guns up on to the heights. They were drawn up by twenty four mules. In a day or two afterwards, we were ordered to ford the river, as the bridge had been burned down by the French. We had to load while crossing the river, but we drove the enemy from the opposite side by the help of the artillery on the heights, and we chased them for six miles onto a plain. Here we made a halt. Part of our company was ordered to the rear as a fatigue party to the river. We made a bridge of the boats to bring the artillery over, and went through the river about a dozen times. After the guns were over, we were ordered to join the regiment. We lay in our wet clothes all that night. We remained on the plains for three weeks. The colonel came up one evening and told the company to fall in, as he expected they would be engaged the following morning, and he hoped every man would do his duty for his country. The sergeants were called to the front and received orders that if any man fell out of the ranks he was to be shot on the spot. We were ordered to be in readiness three hours before daylight.
On the approach of daylight we got up an advanced within a few yards of the outlying picket, and we saw the French Cavalry advanced post in a village. The signal gun was fired, and we rushed upon the enemy, and drove them out of the village. We occupied the place, and found that the streets were full of hogsheads of stones, etc. The pioneers were ordered to the front to clear these, in order to bring forward the artillery. We found, on occupying the village, some ovens red-hot to bake the French bread, and bakers were ordered from the different regiments to bake the bread which the French had left in their flight. I got a 2 lb loaf, which I thought a good treat, having eaten nothing but biscuit for some time previously. The enemy was firing on the village the whole day, and in the night they came down upon us, all drunk, when they came on the verge of the hill, we gave them a volley, and they retired without any further resistance. We laid in a church during the night. One of our men had plundered a bag of money, but was caught by the Provo-Marshal and brought before the Colonel. By order, some of our men took him into the Church and tied him to a pillar, and flogged him the next morning. We pursued the enemy till they came to Juan de Lis. There we caught them on the bridge crossing the river in time to prevent them burning the whole of it. They left sufficient for us to put planks upon, but most part of the army had to ford it. We crossed the river and followed them till we came to another village in France; from thence we pursued them to Bayonne. We then retreated back to our cantonements and left the Fifth Division to hold the ground. Next morning the enemy sallied out of Bayonne and drove the division back on the village. The bugle sounded an alarm, and the 85th were ordered to the front. We fought the foe the three days – on January 9th, 10th and 11 th – before they retreated into Bayonne. During the whole of these three days we were without food. On the fourth day the biscuit arrived, but were only served with half allowances. The French had occupied a wood before the town. We drove them out of the wood into the town, which we surrounded. Three men belonging to our regiment, who were on picket, were found drunk on their advanced post. They were tried by Court Martial and sentenced to three hundred lashes each. They were flogged on the Sunday morning, our regiments reading church prayers. The French perceived our condition and opened fire upon us, and we were forced to retire for one and a half miles to finish flogging the culprits. We stayed around Bayonne for a considerable time. One morning the enemy sallied out, about two o’clock, and drove us back, when daylight appeared we surrounded them. Sir John Hope, commander of the First Division, was wounded and taken prisoner by the French; Lord Hay was killed the same morning. We laid here till peace was made. Several regiments passed us and went up the country and fought a battle at De Lewis. We marched through Bayonne, after peace was concluded, and made our way for Bordeaux. We were put in prison outside Bordeaux to prevent plundering in the night. Next morning we marched for Bordeaux camp. From there we marched for Cognac, from which place we went on an expedition to America on board the Diadem troopship of sixty guns. We sailed out of Cognac harbour, under the command of General Ross. The force at his disposal numbered only 8,500 men. The first port we put into was St. Michael’s, occupied by the Spaniards. The Spanish ladies and gentlemen came on board and danced with the officers. We weighed anchor from thence in a calm, consequently we were on short rations and water. One of the soldiers stole some water out of the tank, and was reported by one of the marines on duty. Next morning, he was brought up the Captain, and received seventy-two lashes by the boatswain’s mate. Our colonel stood by, looking on and never spoke a word. We sailed on till we came to Bermuda. There the vessel got on a rock. We were put on board the Fleece transport, and sailed for America. We arrived in the Chesapeke River. They landed us at a place called Benedicite. From there we marched for Nottingham, and from Nottingham to Malbury. We found a field of potatoes of about one-and -half acres, and we were only an hour digging the whole up with our bayonets. My portion was a haversack full. I entered a house close by, and found a ham of bacon, and we made a good mess. We marched from the last place to Bladenburgh, and took post here, the Americans being in force. The English were far less numerous, but were men who had fought under Wellington in the Peninsula. On a bridge over the Potomac were planted fourteen pieces of cannon. We marched down the village at the bottom, the Americans never attempting to fire a shot. One of the Americans came over to our Colonel on horseback. He was ordered to dismount and go to the rear. Upon this the Americans opened fire. On our side of the bridge was a storehouse with provisions. Our Colonel ordered us to shelter in the building, and there we filled our canteens with whiskey. We had orders to take the bridge. In doing so, we suffered severely from the American batteries; but we advanced and drove the enemy into hopeless confusion. They fled towards Washington. Col. Saunton was severely wounded; also Colonel Brown and Colonel Wood, and several distinguished officers. Other regiments advanced on the same evening and entered quietly into Washington. Our regiment was ordered to remain behind to take refreshment. We were all around an old Scotch farmer’s house. There we put out sentries in case we should have an attack. We received a few shots from the wood. I and my comrade and a few others were ordered to scour the woods, I refused to go. For that, the sergeant reported me to the superior officer. The officer came and asked me the reason why I did not go. I told him I was quite wiling to go on condition that my comrade should stay and mind the mess that was then on the fire. He consented to this, and blamed the sergeant for reporting it. We had not gone far into the wood before up jumps an American out of a ditch and prayed for mercy. A corporal that was with us raised his gun, and shot him dead. The officer justly called the corporal a d d coward. The murdered man turned out to be the Scotch farmer’s son. Orders came that the regiment must advance on the city as quickly as possible. We put the old farmer on horseback as a guide, but he refused to go, saying the Americans would hang him. The aide-de-camp told him that if he would not consent to go he would hang him himself. Twenty-four men were ordered to fall out and run him through with their bayonets. Upon this, the old farmer consented. His services were not required, for when we got a little further on we saw Washington in flames. We could see for miles around. The farmer was dismissed and sent back. We entered the city, and saw the Parliament House, the Presidents residence, and the bridge over the Potomac were destroyed. General Ross had orders to destroy or hold to ransom all public buildings. He offered to spare the national property if a certain sum were paid to him, but the Americans declined his proposal. Thence the ruin. The navy yards and arsenal were destroyed by the Americans themselves. The President’s house was pillaged by the soldiers before it was burned. These devastations were effected in obedience to peremptory orders from the British Government (August 24th 1814). We retired the same evening to Bladenburg.
The next day the greatest hurricane occurred that ever was known in these parts. We marched from Bladenburg to Nottingham, and went on board the Fleece, and sailed from thence to Baltimore. There we marched through woods and swamps. We formed three companies of the 4th, 24th, and 21st Regiments. Our company was left in the rear. The others advanced. In a short time the doctor was called for with all speed. Our company advanced as quickly as possible, and came to a large tree, and there found General Ross lying wounded; he expired before morning. He said before he died that if the 85th Regiment had been on the advance guard he would have been saved. We advanced till we came to a plain between two woods. On the top of the wood lay the American army waiting for us. After we had made a halt for half-an-hour we were ordered to surround them. Two companies went through the wood; the rocket brigade sent in a few rockets; the bugle sounded to advance, and we fired as we went on. We cleared a small brook that was near, and when we got to the other side, we, with a yell, rushed at them and drove them close to Baltimore.
The Americans were ready with a force of 2,500 men, encamped on Shooter’s Hill. They lay there for three days without firing a shot. The orders came late in the evening to take the hill at the point of the bayonet. The orders were annulled, and we had to make bonfires at the foot of the hill and retreat. We marched all night, and near the spot where we fought the carcases began to smell. Before dawn of day, the American horsemen were close to our heels, but we fired a volley and then dispersed. We went on board the Fleece, and sailed down the Chesapeke, and made our way to the West Indies.when sailing by the Island of San Domingo, an American privateer encountered us. Both captains tried to correspond by signals. Our men were ordered below and not to show their red jackets, because if the privateer had known what we were he would have stood at a distance and sunk us. Our vessel was only slightly armed and not adapted for sea fighting; while the enemy’s vessel was a man-of-war, well armed. We made our way on for Jamaica, the privateer keeping to windward of us all the morning. At last she bore down upon us. As soonas she came within reach, we leaped on deck, and fired till the Americans were all cleared from the deck. Every man that went to the wheel was shot down.
In company with us was a bomb vessel, and the privateer got entangled in her, but owing to our not having any grappling irons to hold her the American ship got away. That privateer was the greatest tyrant on the coast. She went by the name of Saucy Jack. We made our way for Jamaica and put in at Port Royal. We staid at the last named place for a considerable time and got on board some of all the vegetables the country produced, also spruce beer. At last we weighed anchor and set sail. We put in at North Bay. There our men were brought on deck to see one of the 21st Royal Fusiliers hung on board a troop- ship. His crime arose from a trifling thing, merely purchasing a bottle of rum and his mess of a boat that was passing. On his coming on board the sergeant on duty asked what he had got. The soldier showed it and the sergeant took it and threw it overboard. The man walked away without uttering a sentence, and went below and and took a firelock, loaded it and came on deck, and blew the sergeant’s head clean off his body. He then threw the firelock down, and delivered himself up to the authorities, and was hanged. We made our way from thence to New Orleans, and arrived in due course, and sailed up the lakes as far as we could go and then cast anchor. Shortly afterwards a boat was manned by some sailors, who went to attack some American gun-boats. These made a short resistance, but were boarded immediately. We took all the boats available and rowed up the river, under command of Captain Gordon, of the Seahorse Frigate. There was on board with us an Indian Chief. We went as far as possible with our boats up the small river and landed amidst some bulrushes and bogs. After passing through these for a distance of a mile, I saw some huts with blacks. We made our way till we arrived on a large plain and here we pitched our tents, near the Mississippi River. That night two companies went out on picket. As soon as darkness set in, a sloop-of-war was sent speeding its way down river till it came opposite our camp. It then opened a brisk fire upon us, to the astonishment of the soldier on duty. In short space of time a body of men appeared before us. The usual call was uttered, but no answer was given. The captain ordered us to fall back. We retired in extended order, and were ordered not to fire, but went down between the files and challenged the Americans. Capt Shaw called out and asked if our assailant was Major Mitchell of the 95th Rifles, which had not come up. The American Commander said he would let us know who he was. With that Capt. Shaw retired to our lines and never uttered a sentence. When we perceived whom we had to deal with, we let fly at them and reloaded as fast as possible. My nearest comrade was shot through the head as we were climbing the railing. We kept up the fire till night set in, and then we returned to the camp, and waited for the Rifles to come up. The Americans came down and demanded that we should surrender or they would put us all to death. The Colonel ordered us in a whisper to form single file, that the rifles should unsheathe their swords, and that we should fix bayonets and charge them. That we did in gallant style, taking 300 prisoners. The Americans called us the Indians. We were under arms the whole night and a few rockets were kept in readiness for the morning. We were obliged to keep ourselves under shelter owing to the sloop and a brig which were blazing at us. We put up a few batteries, and left about half a yard of mould before the muzzles of the guns. Then we got some bricks from a sugar manufactory that was near, also some iron bars and railings, and made red hot shot. At dawn of day we cut the mould from before the guns and opened fire on the sloop. The magazine exploded and blew the vessel to atoms. The men cut the cable of the brig and towed her up the river. We sent a few shots after them, but the distance was too far for us to make any effort.
We advanced to New Orleans, the defence of which was entrusted to General Jackson. There a canal had been cut and we were enabled to enter in the dead of the night. Consequently we retreated to our camps and awaited the advance of General Pakenham. The reinforcements arrived, and we made another advance. The 44th Regiment was ordered to cross the canal with ladders to scale the batteries; and our Colonel volunteered to cross the Mississippi river and take their flank battery. The sailors drew up the boat and the signal gun was fired, but it was fired too soon. Notwithstanding this, we took all the batteries, and threw the guns into the river. General Pakenham failed in his attempt on the batteries that side, owing to Colonel Williams of the 44th not being with the men to command. Williams was tried by court-martial and was cashiered for cowardice at New Orleans. We retreated from Orleans after several weeks of toil at the batteries and trenches. Then we went down a small river and came to Cat Island. There we landed, and were put on board the American gun-boats and sailed down the river till we came to Dolphin Island, while we were on sentry we heard the cries of alligators. Proceeding to where we heard the cries we found one of these beasts 23 feet long, also one 18 feet long, which we dispatched. We sailed from thence in the Thames frigate, and put in at Havannah, and went from that place to Bermuda. We changed our ship there, and went on board a man-of-war and made our way for England. When we arrived in the English Channel a boat came alongside with newspapers and we learned that Bonaparte was liberated from Elba and was on his way to France. The officers were consequently full of glee, in the expectation of another campaign. On our arrival at Spithead, we were put into an old vessel and sailed around the coast of Dover. Casting anchor, we lay for two nights expecting reinforcements to our depot to send us to France. We then only numbered 100 men. We were put ashore at Dover, and we marched for the Isle in Kent, and from thence to Canterbury; from thence to Chatham; and from thence to Manchester. At Manchester we received our Peninsular prize money. The private’s lot amounted to £2.14s; a sergeant’s to £11. We marched from Manchester to Wolverhampton; from Wolverhampton to Liverpool; from Liverpool to Chester, from Chester to South Wales. Half of our Company were sent to Pontypool, and the other half to Tredegar. During my stay at Pontypool the Chartist riots occurred, and here I received my first American prize money, amounting to £1.4s. We marched from Pontypool to Plymouth, where the reduction in the army took place. They broke up all 2nd battalions, and discharged out of my regiment 300 men, reducing it to 500 strong. I was one of the discharged. Colonel Brown signed my discharge and told me to make the best of my way homewards. My discharge was that my general conduct was good; that I had never been tried by court-martial, and was fit to serve in his Majesty’s Service. (George III) I made my way to Pontypool. My discharge took place in the month of November in the year 1818. I never applied for the second American prize money, but was told by another old veteran that the amount was forfeited in the hospital fund. Since 1818 I have remained in Pontypool.
Peace to thy memory, old John Corbett ! ! !
This is a typed transcript of the military service record of Private John Corbett of Pontypool, Monmouthshire, and also the article taken from the Pontypool Free Press dated 10th February 1872 on the Campaigns of Pte John Corbett – Typed up by Mrs J Dunn of Pontypool Monmouthshire.