Continued rain, however, prevented any thing being done before
the 19th, when the whole army was put in motion. Sir Ralph took
12,000, of which the 4th Brigade formed a part, to the left on
the evening preceding, and got possession of the city of Horn
the following morning at daylight, without a shot being fired:
200 prisoners were taken. Horn is a very populous, handsome
city, and evidently in the interest of the Prince of Orange.
Nothing could exceed the joy of the inhabitants at our arrival,
and in proportion as they rejoiced they mourned our departure,
which took place before sun-set, in consequence of a fatal
disaster which had befallen the Russians on the right. They of
course threw the blame off their own shoulders, and wished to
attribute the whole misfortune to the want of concert and a
proper support on the part of the British; but I verily believe
the real fact to be this. After most gallantly driving the
enemy before them as far as Bergen, where it was previously
arranged they should halt, they dispersed for the sake of
plunder;--the French, hearing of this disorder, renewed the
attack, and never gave the Russians an opportunity to form, but
continued driving them with the bayonet until they encountered
a body of English, under General Manners and Prince William,
whose brigades suffered considerably. The Russians were,
however, thus happily enabled to effect their retreat without
further molestation; they were certainly the original cause of
this disaster, but whether the British were sufficiently brisk
in coming to their assistance, is doubted. The Russians in
their persons are rather short of stature, and very thick and
clumsy; they have nothing expressive in their features, but
resemble much the Chinese countenance. I remarked an exception
to this rule in a grenadier battalion, who, with tall, elegant