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Expedition to Copenhagen.

take advantage of any opportunity that might offer for a sudden irruption into that country.

The British government having kept an attentive eye upon these transactions, determined to frustrate them by sending to sea a powerful military and naval armament, consisting of about twenty-seven sail of he line, with 20,000 men; and such had been the secrecy attending the whole preparation of this expedition, that it was at sea before either its destination or its force was known to the public.

The command of the troops was given to Lord Cathcart, and Sir Arthur Wellesley accompanied him on the service; and the naval part of the expedition was under the command of Admiral (now Lord) Gam-. bier, assisted by other gallant officers.

On proceeding to sea one division of the fleet, under the immediate superintendence of Commodore (now Sir Richard) Keats, was detached to the Great Belt, with instructions to allow no military force of any description to enter the island of Zealand; and this enterprising, yet prudent officer having conducted his squadron through an intricate and difficult navigation, stationed his vessels in such a manner as completely to fulfil the orders entrusted to him. The British army was conducted by, the main body of the fleet to the Sound, when the operations commenced with the greatest vigour.

A proclamation was immediately issued by the Commander-in-Chief, declaring the circumstances under which they were obliged to proceed to this debarkation; that the deposit of the Danish ships of the line was the sole object of their enterprise, which was undertaken in self-defence, merely to prevent those who had so long disturbed Europe, from direct, ing against Great Britain the resources of Denmark that the most solemn pledge had been given, and was now renewed, that if the demand should be acceded to, every ship should be restored in the same condition as when delivered up; that Zealand should be treat

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British army landed.

ed by the British forces, while on shore, on the footing of a province of the most friendly power of Great Britain; the strictest discipline being observed, and persons and property held most scrupulously sacred; that the innocent blood which must be shed, and the horrors of a besieged and bombarded capital, must fall on those only who advised resistance to a measure thas dictated by imperious circumstances, and that the Commanders-in-Chief were still anxious to proceed with reason and moderation, if the Danish government were inclined to come to an amicable ; arrangement.

On the 18th of August 1807, the reserve of the army landed at five in the morning with the ordnance of a light brigade, and occupied the heights of Hellerup, before Copenhagen; and in the course of the day additional troops were landed. A flag of truce was then received from Major-General Peyman, Commander-in-Chief in Copenhagen, requesting passports for the two Princesses of Denmark, neices of his Danish Majesty, to leave Copenhagen, which were granted; and in the evening the army marched by their left in three columns and lay upon their arms in advance. At day-break the whole army marched in three columns to invest the town and every arrangement was made for that purpose in the course of the day. About noon hostilities actually commenced by the picquets towards the left being attacked, whilst the Danish gun-boats rowing out of the harbour cannonaded the left of the line with grape

and round shot.

The picquets soon drove in and pursued the enemy, and resumed their posts, being supported by the advance of part of the line; and the British gunbrigs and bombs, having been towed as near the harbour as they could be, opened a fire, though at a conşiderable distance, upon the Danish gun-boats forcing them, after a long and heavy cannonade, to retire into the harbour.

On

Advance of the army.

On the succeeding day (the 18th) the attack of the gun-boats were renewed upon the light British vessels in advance; but a brigade of artillery on shore being brought to infilade them, they were forced to retire, as well as part of the garrison which had come out in advance upon the road. In the course of the day the engineering and entrenching tools were landed, and every thing was prepared for commencing the siege in form.

At three in the morning of the 24th, the army was under arms; the centre advanced its position to the height near the road which runs in a direction parallel to the defences of Copenhagen, on to Fredericsburg, occupying that road, and some parts beyond it. The guards at the same time occupied the suburbs on that side, flanked by a detachment of the 79th; and there they dislodged a picquet of the enemy who in their retreat concealed thirteen three pounders which were afterwards found.

All the picquets of the garrison now fell back to the lake or inundations in front of the place, the British picquets occupying their ground; and in the afternoon, the garrison having shewed itself on all the avenues leading from the town, as if with a design either to discover ground or to burn the suburbs, the different corps in advance drove them in on all sides, and at the same time seized all the suburbs, on the north bank of the lakes, some of which were only 400 yards distant from the ramparts.

In this affair Sir Arthur was engaged with this division, and General Sir David Baird's division turned, and carried a redoubt which the enemy had been some days constructing, and which was that night converted into a work against them.

In the course of the evening the Danes set fire to the end of the suburb nearest to Copenhagen, the upper part of which was occupied by the guards, and was now defended by them; and this was of little avail, for in consequence of the general success along

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Sir Arthur detached on service.

along the whole line, the works which had been in. tended, and indeed begun, by the British army, were abandoned, and a new line of attack was taken, within about 800 yards of the main body of the place, and even nearer to it on the flanks.

On the 25th, the cannonade was briskly kept up on both sides; and on the 26th it being understood that the Danish General, Castenschiold, had formed on army in the interior of the island consisting of three or four battalions of disciplined troops, besides a number of armed peasantry, it was judged necessary to disperse this force; and Sir Arthur Wellesley was dispatched for that purpose, having with him the reserve of the army, eight squadrons of cavalry and horse artillery, under Major-General Linsingen, the 6th battalion of the line, King's German legion, and a light brigade of artillery. marched to Roskild Kroe,* and on the 27th advanced in two divisions to attack the enemy in front and rear at Koenerup; but finding that Castenschiold had moved up towards Kioge, he took a position to cover the besieging army. On the evening of the 27th, he placed Colonel Redan with a force at Vallens-break, and on the 28th General Linsingen marched towards Roskild, thereby forming on the right of Sir Arthur's main body.

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Sir Arthur Wellesley having had reason to believe that General Castenschiold still remained at Kioge, he determined to attack him on the 28th of August, and arranged with General Linsingen, that he should

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* Roskild is the most ancient town in Zealand, and is situated a branch of the Jisefiord in a valley, whilst the banks of the river form á very striking contrast with its low situation. It has been long in a declining state; but the scenery around it is beautiful in the extreme, with vast forests of oak, through which at intervals various spires and steeples steal upon the view, whilst in its immediate vicinity are innumerable corn-fields, interspersed with cheerful hamlets and detached farm steads. In the town-is the ancient Cathedral and burying place of the Royal family.

Total defeat of the enemy..

cross the Kioge rivulet at Little Sellyas, and turn the Danish left flank, whilst he himself should move along the sea-road towards Kioge, and attack in front.

Both divisions accordingly broke up in the morning of that day, and marched according to the concerted plan. When Sir Arthur approached to Kioge, he found the enemy in force on the north side of the town or rivulet, from whence they immediately commenced a cannonade upon the patroles of hussars iu front of the British troops. At this time, their force consisted of three or four battalions of the line, with cavalry on both flanks, and apparently a large body beyond the town and rivulet. At the time agreed upon with General Linsingen, Sir Arthur formed his infantry in one line, with the left to the sea, having the two squadrons of hussars upon the right; and as there had been some appearance of a movement by the enemy to their left, and he had not had any communication with General Linsingen, and of course was not certain of his having passed the rivulet, Sir Arthur, with his accustomed promptitude, immediately ordered the attack to commence in echellon of battalions from the left, the whole being covered by the first battalion of the 95th regiment, and by a well directed fire from the artillery.

It fell to the lot of the 92d regiment to lead this attack; and they performed their part in the most exemplary manner, being equally well supported by the 52d and 53d.

So warmly were they handled by the British, that the enemy were soon obliged to retire to an intrenchment which they had formed in the front of a camp on the north side of Kioge, and they also made a disposition of their cavalry upon the sands, to change the 92d in flank, as advancing to attack this intrenchment.

By this disposition of the Danish force, Sir Arthur was obliged to move Colonel Redan's hussars

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