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The Life of Lord Hill, G. C. B.,
Commander of the Forces. By the
Rev. Edwin Sidney, A. M., Author
of the Rev. Rowland Hill, and Sir
Richard Hill, and Chaplain to the
Viscount Hill. London, 1845.

side, devours the adventures of the daring voyager, though he has, perhaps, no pui. pose of ever straying from his own home.

It has long been a proverbial truth, that no teaching possesses equal force with the teaching by example; and this is precisely the biographer's method of teaching. The due execution of his task may therefore be a matter of much delicacy, where foibles THERE are few departments of litera- or vices, having been interwoven dangerture which are more pleasing and instruc- ously with great talents and virtues, require tive than biography. Especially in perus- to be carefully separated from them, and ing the Life of any man who has been to be made the subject of faithful warning gifted with great qualities by nature, and and reproof. But the duty is less arduous, exposed, in his career, to difficulties and as well as more agreeable, when a biogradangers which he has braved and sur-pher is so fortunate, as Mr. Sidney has mounted, we experience an emotion of the liveliest kind. It may be that the distance is a wide one between the subject of the biography and the reader, both in rank and in habits and education. But all these adventitious circumstances avail not even to diminish the deep interest of the reader, arising from that strong sympathy which knits together the whole family of man: and thus it is, that the peaceful civilian hangs in breathless suspense over the fate of the soldier in battle, though he himself expects never to see war but in description; and the student, by his fireVOL. VI.-No II.

10

been, in the choice of his subject, and when his chief aim becomes merely that of giving to his countrymen such a delineation of an amiable and noble character, that the nation-and especially the generous youth of the nation-may admire as they read, and unconsciously prepare themselves, when called on, to imitate what they admire.

We think this has evidently been the aim of Mr. Sidney, and that to a very considerable extent he has succeeded. No one can read his volume without being impressed at the close of it, with

equal respect and admiration for the discovering this disaster, he flew to one of character of Lord Hill. But we cannot the regiments who had been thus betrayed, help feeling, that a narrative, embracing and who were burning to wipe off the disso many scenes of adventure, and so many grace, and with that regiment, supported great achievements, would have yielded by some other troops, he retrieved the more instruction and entertainment to the wavering battle by a bold and vigorous student of Lord Hill's Life, if a fuller state-charge, headed by himself. All this we ment had been generally given of his indi- learn from Colonel Napier, writing the vidual concern in the chief of these. We general history of the war and all this, at observe, indeed, that Mr. Sidney, in his least, should have been contained in any preface, appears to refer to official des- biography which was to do full justice to patches, as containing the particulars of Lord Hill, and to show the British army Lord Hill's military exploits. But these with what intuitive promptness he could do not, in our estimation, supersede the meet those sudden emergencies in which necessity of exhibiting in the life of Lord the indecision of a moment might have Hill, at least the more interesting details cost the loss of a battle, and with what of his own personal share in the great cam- varied resources both of prudence and darpaigns in which he played so conspicuous ing he could bear up against apparently a part. Nor do we conceive that Mr. overwhelming dangers, until at length he Sidney himself viewed them in that light. compelled reluctant Fortune to his standYet we fear he has trusted more than ard, and snatched a brilliant victory, as it enough to this supplementary reading; or were, out of the very jaws of defeat. else he is unconscious how unsatisfactory Upon this memorable battle there are is the meagre representation which he but a few sentences bestowed by Mr. Sidney gives of some of the most interesting pas-(p. 267) which intimate, indeed, that Soult sages in the life of Lord Hill, in which his made a desperate attack, and that he was achievements may be said to have been gallantly repulsed by Lord Hill, and suffered catalogued by his biographer, rather than narrated.

severely; but which tells us little more than this. It is from other sources that the adTake, for instance, the important battle mirers of Lord Hill must gather those parof the Nive or St. Pierre. The battle was, ticulars which justly entitle Napier to say, by the common consent of both the French in concluding his observations on this and the English armies, one of the most battle, after having narrated not merely bloody of the whole war. It was also one of its result, but Lord Hill's personal share the most glorious to Lord Hill, who fought in achieving the victory, that it was gained and gained it with his own troops alone, by him "after a manner that, in less eventagainst one of the ablest of the French ful times, would have rendered him the commanders, Soult, who vigorously assailed hero of a nation.' him with a force of nearly thrice his numbers. The events of the day were full of vicissitude, and were repeatedly ominous of disaster, calling forth all Hill's talents, not merely as a skilful general, but also as a brave soldier. In any circumstances, it must have been a most arduous task to sustain the eager attacks of the French, confident in their valor, their numbers, and their leader; but, unhappily, the astonishing misconduct of two British colonels, in different parts of the field, who withdrew their respective troops from action at the most critical moment, unexpectedly aggravated the difficulties of Hill's position to such a degree, that, with an inferior leader, all would have seemed irrecoverably lost. He had stationed himself on a mount, in the rear of his troops, from which he could descry the movements of the contending forces. In the instant of

We shall make but one other prefatory remark. We regret to observe occasional instances of the bad taste in writing which mistakes the turgid for the sublime; and we must add, that while contemplating the rare modesty and simplicity of Lord Hill's character, we are the less prepared for such a style on the part of his biographer. Indeed the indulgence in that style tends to defeat the laudable object with which it has evidently been adopted, of giving greater force to noble sentiments. When, therefore, it was the praiseworthy purpose of Mr. Sidney to condemn atheism and infidelity in the most forcible terms, he would have succeeded better by the use of language fitted to convey some definite meaning, than he has done in saying that through them "all that is destructive as

* NAPIER'S PENINSULAR WAR, vi., 409.

sumes a giant form of rank luxuriance, ter, that the grateful affection which he poisoning the air and veiling the light, then felt for this amiable lady, continued whence a darkness covers the heavens, an enduring sentiment in after life, and broken only at intervals by the lightningflash and thunder-peal of anarchy and woe."-p. 21.

was repeatedly exhibited after the delicate school-boy had grown up into one of the most renowned warriors of his time.

It is interesting to learn that the same love of horticulture, and the same fondness for pet animals, which characterized him in after life, were already exhibited by him when at school, where his little garden

But we hasten from these few prefatory observations which we have felt it our duty to make, and we shall now give a short sketch of the life of Lord Hill, accompanied with such extracts from the work of Mr. Sidney as appear to be most prospered, and his little favorites throve, interesting.

The late Rowland Lord Viscount Hill, was born at the Hall, in the retired village of Prees in Shropshire, on the 11th of August, 1772, and was thus the junior by three years of Wellington and Napoleon, both of whom were born in 1769. His family was old and respectable. Among his ancestors was that Sir Rowland Hill who was the first Protestant Lord Mayor of the city of London. That worthy gentleman appears to have distinguished his civic career by his charitable munificence, and his shrievalty by a contest with the House of Commons, who committed him to the Tower for an alleged infringement of their authority, in over-zealously asserting the privileges of the city.

At the birth of Rowland Hill, and for a long period afterwards, his father was himself a younger brother, though he ultimately succeeded to the family baronetcy and estate. He had sixteen children, of whom ten were sons. Rowland was the second son. Two of the sons died in childhood. Most of the others entered the army, and their father was spared to see five of the number, all of them gallant men, survive the dangers of the Peninsular war, and the bloody field of Waterloo.

Rowland was first at school at Ightfield, a Shropshire village, and thence, at the age of seven or eight, he was sent to Chester, where he won the affections of his school-fellows in a remarkable degree. This arose not merely from his affectionate and gentle disposition, but from the gallantry with which he was always ready to assist any comrade who had got into a scrape, at the same time that he was himself the least likely to be involved in one on his own account. At this period of life he was of delicate constitution, and he was thus thrown more than usually upon the immediate care of Mrs. Winfield, wife of one of the masters of the school. It is one of the delightful traits of Hill's charac

better than those of any of his companions. But there is another characteristic of his, which comes with something like surprise upon those who have been in the habit of associating the name of Hill so closely with the battle-field.

"His sensibility," says Miss Winfield, “was almost feminine. One of the boys happened to cut his finger, and was brought by Rowland Hill to my mother to have it dressed; but her attention was soon drawn from the wound to Rowland, who had fainted.”

And even after his military career had commenced, when it happened that a prizefight between Humphries and Mendoza was exhibited near the windows of his lodgings, such was the effect produced on him by the brutality of the scene, that he was carried fainting out of his room. So little does there require to be in common, between the most heroic courage and the coarse and vulgar attribute of insensibility to the sight of blood and suffering. He explained afterwards, in reference to the carnage which he had witnessed in war, that he had still the same feelings as at first, "but in the excitement of battle all individual sensation was lost sight of."

In the spring of 1790, his parents called his attention to the necessity of choosing a profession, and indicated a wish that he should adopt that of the law. His reply, addressed to his mother, has been preserved, in which he states modestly and gently his "dislike to the law," and says, "the profession which I should like best, and hope you and papa will not object to, is the army." This called forth a letter from his father, full of good sense and kindness, which we wish we could extract for the benefit of parents who may be thwarted by a son's disinclination to civil life.

Shortly after this an ensigncy in the 38th regiment was procured for young Hill, who also obtained leave of absence to go to

Strasburgh, where he attended a military academy, and remained till 1791. In that year he obtained a lieutenantcy, and soon afterwards returned to England. In 1792 he was with his regiment, the 53d, in Scotland. In 1793 he raised an independent company, chiefly in Shropshire, and obtained a captain's commission. He was desired to carry this company to Ireland, and Mr. Sidney takes occasion to mention the following rather curious anecdote in connection with his visit to that country.

ment thus raised was the 90th, which was destined afterwards to be most honorably associated with the name of Hill.

In 1796, Hill, now holding the rank of lieutenant-colonel, went with the 90th to Gibraltar, then commanded by his old friend General O'Hara. Whilst here an incident occurred which not only showed the confidence of his commander, in intrusting him with a mission of importance and delicacy, but also the intense ardor with which Colonel Hill devoted his whole energies to the performance of the duty, whatever it might be, with which he was charged for the time. General O'Hara despatched him with a verbal communica

So

"Be

"I remember his telling me, that on going to the house of an eminent literary gentleman, to pass a night, he was shown to his room before dinner, and being about to dress, he look-tion for the British ambassador at Lisbon, ed round for the usual washing apparatus, but could see nothing of the sort. Just as he was on the point of making an effort to obtain these requisites of the toilet, he heard to his great surprise and amusement a creaking in the floor and a trap-door gradually opened, through which ascended, by a steady invisible movement, wash-hand-stand, basin, towels, hot water, and all other due accompaniments. He used to say he never met with a parallel to this, except in the house of a gentleman who had a railroad made from his kitchen to his dining-room, to send in the dishes quick and hot."

This latter sentence points out a new field of utility for railroads, and one which, we will venture to say, has never yet been conjectured even by Mr. Stephenson himself.

announcing expected war with Spain.
rapidly was this anticipation realized, that,
in the words of Colonel Hill himself,
fore I could return, hostilities had com-
menced, and it was with difficulty I got
back to the garrison of Gibraltar-not only
from the declaration of war, but also in
consequence of the illness occasioned by
great exertion to accomplish the duty I was
employed on for my respected general."
The same spirit which prompted Hill, in
the discharge of a most unostentatious
duty, to sacrifice health itself, in order to
accomplish his mission, also animated him
in the camp, on the march, or in the battle-
field, and gives the true key to the secret
of the remarkable success which afterwards
so often crowned his enterprises.

At the siege of Toulon, Captain Hill In 1800 he was raised to the rank of had repeated opportunities of distinguish-colonel, and, with the 90th, he formed part ing himself, which he embraced and im- of the troops who were employed under proved. On one of these occasions he Abercromby in the expedition to Egypt. made a very narrow escape. Having as- During a rendezvous of the troops at Gibcended a tree for the purpose of observing raltar, Colonel Hill, being indisposed, was the movements of the enemy, General forbidden to eat any thing but fresh meat. O'Hara, on whom he was in attendance, And he used to mention afterwards, that had occasion to call him down. His place the price of such meat was at that time so was taken by his brother aide-de-camp, excessively enhanced, that he was obliged Captain Snow, who was immediately shot to give £3, 12s. sterling for a turkey, and in the tree and mortally wounded. Hill £1, 1s. for a fowl. An invalid's impahimself was slightly wounded in the right tience to get well could scarcely fail to be hand, and O'Hara was wounded and made stimulated by the cost of a diet like this. prisoner. But a still more remarkable circumstance,

It was at Toulon that Hill became ac-in connexion with diet, is mentioned as quainted with the celebrated Thomas Gra- having occurred during this expedition. ham, afterwards Lord Lynedoch, who serv- For it appears that, in consequence of ed there as a volunteer, and laid the foun- some freak, apparently by way of burlesque dation of his future renown. In the follow-on the deficiency of provisions, "a pair of ing year, 1794, Graham raised a regiment boots were dressed, boiled, and roasted of infantry, and offered Hill the majority of with lemon, for dinner in the gunroom." it, on condition of his raising a certain Unfortunately it is not stated how much of quota of men, which he did. The regi- this dish was eaten, or whether the guests

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