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Article MONTHLY CHRONICLE. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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Monthly Chronicle.
side of Tourmier , and nearly at two miles distance from it , at the habitations oi Boutillier and St . Laurent . It was necessary to dislodge them from these positions . Colonel De Peyster was therefore detached to Boutillier , from which , ¦ with his usual gallantry and good conduct , he drove the enemy . The post of St . Laurent was more obstinately defended , and by the unfortunate loss of Major Pouchet , who was killed in leading on the Jeremie troops , they were thrown into confusion ; nor was the post taken till a greater force , with cannon , appeared against it .
' The delay occasioned by the defence of St . Laurent induced Colonel Dessources , to pospone the attack of the battery till the next day : and that intelligent Officer employed the remainder of the night in making such preparations as were necessary to assure the success of this enterprize . ' The defence of the Cui de Sac was entrusted to ' the Baron Montalembert , who made a considerable detachment to the pass where the road from Leogane by Grenier enters the plain . This detachment was skilfully conducted by Major O'Gortnan . It attracted the notice of considerable bodies of the enemy , and , en its return to the Croix des Bouquets in the evening , was attacked on ail sides , by small parties , who were repulsed .
' Toussaint entered the plain in the course of the day , and marched to the side of the Croix des Bouquets , actuated , as it is said , by some vague report of that important post being to be abandoned on his first appearance . His cavalry fell in with the advanced posts of the Baron Montalembert s cavalry , under ( he command of Captain Comte Manoux . That officer , collecting his troops , immediately charged the enemy with great vivacity , when they fled , and withdrew , with the utmqst expedition , to the mountain . f In the mean time Captain Couchet of his Majesty ' s ship Abergavenny , with armed vessels off
some , proceeded Leogane , which place has been effectually blockaded since my arrival at Port-au-Prince , and made various demonstrations to draw the enemy ' s attention to that , side . I am happy in this opportunity to express how much I am beholden to the zeal and promptitude with which Captain Couchet has assisted me in promoting his Majesty ' s service . ' On the morning of the 17 th Colonel Dessources , haying made his dispositions , marched in two Columns , the . eft d , redly to Grenier , under the direction of Co 7 lonel De Peyster , in which was the British detachment , commanded by Major Clay . The right column , under the direction pf Colonel Viscomte D'Alzune , descended from St . Laurent .
' Upon the division of the left arriving in the bottom , which separated the post of Grenier frpm the enemy ' s battery , it turned to the right , and joined the column that had marched from St . Laurent . The fog and haze in the bottom pre vented the enemy from seeing this movement . It was also concealed by the judicious manner in . vvhiph , Ca , ptaiu Spicer , of the . Royal Artillery , threw shells from the heights of Fonrnier from an howitzer and carronade , directing them against the various ambuscades and drfences which tbe enemy had thrown up to protect their battery from any attack in its front or on its right .
'On the junction of hisdjvison into one column , Colonel Dessources proceeded ' through a most difficult and almost inaccessib ' e country , to turn the left of the enemy ' s battery , and the , works which supported it , having left troops on the heights of St . Laurent , to secure his retreat , and Major Clay to protect him from any attack that plight be made by the road from Leogane . ' As the Colonel approached the flank of the battery , and that of the breastwork which defended it , he successively broke his troops into divisions , which kept the enemy ' s force in check and suspenceuntil another divisiontinder Ihe
, , command of Lieutenant-Cplonel Dessources , had , to their great surprise , possessed themselves of the heights , considerably beyond them , when , after an ineffectual resistance , they fled on all sides , and left Colonel Dessources in possession pf their battery , the work pf several months , and of a gun , which they had , in the preceding night , withdrawn from it , for the defence of their breast-work . This critical enterprize , I am happy to say , was effected with but little loss , and , by its success , I was freed from any apprehensions from the junction of the enemy ' s armies .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Monthly Chronicle.
side of Tourmier , and nearly at two miles distance from it , at the habitations oi Boutillier and St . Laurent . It was necessary to dislodge them from these positions . Colonel De Peyster was therefore detached to Boutillier , from which , ¦ with his usual gallantry and good conduct , he drove the enemy . The post of St . Laurent was more obstinately defended , and by the unfortunate loss of Major Pouchet , who was killed in leading on the Jeremie troops , they were thrown into confusion ; nor was the post taken till a greater force , with cannon , appeared against it .
' The delay occasioned by the defence of St . Laurent induced Colonel Dessources , to pospone the attack of the battery till the next day : and that intelligent Officer employed the remainder of the night in making such preparations as were necessary to assure the success of this enterprize . ' The defence of the Cui de Sac was entrusted to ' the Baron Montalembert , who made a considerable detachment to the pass where the road from Leogane by Grenier enters the plain . This detachment was skilfully conducted by Major O'Gortnan . It attracted the notice of considerable bodies of the enemy , and , en its return to the Croix des Bouquets in the evening , was attacked on ail sides , by small parties , who were repulsed .
' Toussaint entered the plain in the course of the day , and marched to the side of the Croix des Bouquets , actuated , as it is said , by some vague report of that important post being to be abandoned on his first appearance . His cavalry fell in with the advanced posts of the Baron Montalembert s cavalry , under ( he command of Captain Comte Manoux . That officer , collecting his troops , immediately charged the enemy with great vivacity , when they fled , and withdrew , with the utmqst expedition , to the mountain . f In the mean time Captain Couchet of his Majesty ' s ship Abergavenny , with armed vessels off
some , proceeded Leogane , which place has been effectually blockaded since my arrival at Port-au-Prince , and made various demonstrations to draw the enemy ' s attention to that , side . I am happy in this opportunity to express how much I am beholden to the zeal and promptitude with which Captain Couchet has assisted me in promoting his Majesty ' s service . ' On the morning of the 17 th Colonel Dessources , haying made his dispositions , marched in two Columns , the . eft d , redly to Grenier , under the direction of Co 7 lonel De Peyster , in which was the British detachment , commanded by Major Clay . The right column , under the direction pf Colonel Viscomte D'Alzune , descended from St . Laurent .
' Upon the division of the left arriving in the bottom , which separated the post of Grenier frpm the enemy ' s battery , it turned to the right , and joined the column that had marched from St . Laurent . The fog and haze in the bottom pre vented the enemy from seeing this movement . It was also concealed by the judicious manner in . vvhiph , Ca , ptaiu Spicer , of the . Royal Artillery , threw shells from the heights of Fonrnier from an howitzer and carronade , directing them against the various ambuscades and drfences which tbe enemy had thrown up to protect their battery from any attack in its front or on its right .
'On the junction of hisdjvison into one column , Colonel Dessources proceeded ' through a most difficult and almost inaccessib ' e country , to turn the left of the enemy ' s battery , and the , works which supported it , having left troops on the heights of St . Laurent , to secure his retreat , and Major Clay to protect him from any attack that plight be made by the road from Leogane . ' As the Colonel approached the flank of the battery , and that of the breastwork which defended it , he successively broke his troops into divisions , which kept the enemy ' s force in check and suspenceuntil another divisiontinder Ihe
, , command of Lieutenant-Cplonel Dessources , had , to their great surprise , possessed themselves of the heights , considerably beyond them , when , after an ineffectual resistance , they fled on all sides , and left Colonel Dessources in possession pf their battery , the work pf several months , and of a gun , which they had , in the preceding night , withdrawn from it , for the defence of their breast-work . This critical enterprize , I am happy to say , was effected with but little loss , and , by its success , I was freed from any apprehensions from the junction of the enemy ' s armies .