Anecdotes of the action.

from the right to the left flank, and to throw the 43d into a second line; after which the 93d carried the intrenchment, and forced. the enemy to retreat into the town in great disorder. They were followed immediately, in the most gallant style, by Colonel Redan and his hussars, and by the first battalion of the 95th regiment, and afterwards by the whole line of infantry. Upon crossing the rivulet, it was found that General Linsingen's corps had advanced upon the right flank, and the whole joined in the pursuit.

At this moment, Major-General Oshoken, the second in command of the Danish force, who had joined the enemy on the preceding evening with four battalions, attempted to make a stand in the village of Herfolge: but he was attacked so briskly by the hussars, and a small detachment of the 1st and 95th, that he was compelled to surrender along with Count Wedel Jarisburg and several other officers, and about 400 men. On this occasion the loss of the enemy was very great; many fell during the action, and there were sixty officers and eleven hundred men taken prisoners. In the flight the Danes threw away their arms and clothing, and many stands of the former fell into the hands of the several pieces of cannon.*

pursuers, besides

After

* Some interesting anecdotes of this action have been detailed by an officer who was present, and says-On our arrival before Herfolge, we found the church-yard of the village occupied by a party of the Danish militia, who had retreated from Kioge apparently resolved to defend themselves there. Colonel Alten immediately sent some hussars round the village in order to intercept the retreat of the enemy if they should attempt it. In the mean time, a corporal of the hussars left his horse; and, creeping along under the banks, arrived unseen within a few paces of the church yard, which he reported to be full of infantry, who lay behind the walls prepared to give them fire upon any one who should approach. The Colonel, upon this, brought down two light field pieces of the German artillery, and several rounds were fired at the steeple; the height of the banks on each side of the road being too great to allow a direct fire at the church-yard. The stones and rubbish following with much noise amongst the Danes, most probably alarmed them, as they almost immediately hung out a flag of

truce,

Siege continued.

After the action, it was understood that the reason of General Linsingen's force not being up sooner to co-operate in the attack arose from the Danes having destroyed the bridges in his route, and thereby impeded his advance. On the 30th the batteries. were nearly finished, and two thirds of the ordnance mounted; and on the 31st the enemy attempted a sortie on the right, before sunrise, but were stopped for some time by a picquet of the 50th regiment under the orders of Lieutenant Light. They still persevered, however, until they were repulsed by all the picquets with some loss; and in this affair General Sir David Baird was twice wounded, but did not quit the field.

On the 1st of September 1807, the mortar batteries being nearly ready for service, the place was summoned; but the answer arrived late accompanied

by

truce. Upon this Colonel Alten, putting himself at the head of a party consisting only of fifteen, led them forwards towards the church gate; but, upon turning the corner of a house and coming nearer, they received several musquet shots, by which a corporal and two horses were wounded.

This, however, afterwards appeared to have arisen from some mistake; for at the same moment the gates were opened, and General Oxholme (or Oshokeu) and his party surrender; but whilst the officers were delivering up their swords, some of the hussars exasperated at what they supposed the treachery of the Danes, particularly as two or three additional shots was again fired, galloped into the church yard, and were proceeding to take their revenge, when the interference of General Oxholme and Colonel Alten put an end to all farther hostilities. The Danes were then ordered to bring all their arms without the churchyard, and to lay them down there.

The whole business was finished, when some of the 95th regiment came up and, in searching the steeple of the church, found the colours of the corps that was taken.

A surgeon of the 95th now took care of the wounded in the church yard; and Sir Arthur Wellesley coming up, Colonel Alten delivered to him the swords of the Danish officers, and the prisoners.

Though the officers with great prudence had yielded without opposition, when resistance was in view, yet their people seemed of a different disposition; for even, after the 95th came up, several shots were fired from a house near to the church yard, to which a few of the party had retired.

Surrender of Copenhagen.

by a desire to take the pleasure of his Danish Majesty on the subject, so that no reply could be sent until the following day.

On the evening of the 2d of September, the land batteries, and the bomb and mortar vessels, opened a tremendous fire upon the town, and with such effect, that in the course of a very short time a 'general conAagration appeared to have taken place. The fire' was returned but feebly from the Danish ramparts, and from the citadel and crown batteries.

The assailants slackened their fire on the night of the 3d; and the enemy having supposed that this arose from a want of ammunition, they felt themselves encouraged to more resistance, although in fact it had proceeded solely from the humanity of the Commander-in-Chief who had hoped that the impression already made would induce them to accede to a capitulation. Finding these expectations disappointed, the cannonade and bombardment was resumed on the 4th, with such vigour and effect, that the next day a trumpeter was sent out.

On the evening of the 5th of September, a letter was sent by the Danish General to propose an armistice of twenty-four hours, or prepare an agreement on which articles of capitulation might be found, ed. The armistice was declined, as tending to unnecessary delay, and the works' were continued; but the firing was countermanded, and Lieutenant-Colonel Murray was sent to explain that no proposal of capi tulation could be listened to, unless accompanied by the surrender of the fleet.

On the 6th this basis having been admitted by a subsequent letter, Lord Cathcart sent for Sir Arthur Wellesley from his command in the country, where, as was said in the public dispatches, he had distinguished himself in a manner so honourable to himself and so advantageous to the public service; and he, with Sir Home Popham, and Lieutenant-Colonel Murray,

Danish fleet secured.

Murray, was appointed to prepare and conclude the terms of capitulation.

These officers, with their accustomed energy, having insisted on proceeding immediately to business, the capitulation was drawn up in the night between the 6th and 7th of September, and the ratification exchanged in the course of the morning Lieutenant-Colonel Burrard taking possession of the gates at four o'clock in the afternoon.

The object of securing the fleet having been attained, every other provision of a tendency to wound the feelings, or irritate the Danish nation, was avoided; and although the bombardment and cannonade had made considerable havoc in the town, it is to be remembered that not one shot was fired into it, until after it was summoned, with the offer of the most advantageous terms; nor a single shot after the first indication of a disposition to capitulate.

The British grenadiers with detachments from all the other corps of cavalry and infantry, under the command of Colonel Cameron of the 79th regiments with two brigades of artillery, marched into the citadel, while Major-General Spencer, having embarked his brigade, crossed over in boats, landed in the dockyard, and took possession of the line of battle ships, and of the arsenal; the Danish guards withdrawing when the British were ready to replace. them, and every regulation being made to preserve order, and secure the public property.

As the city of Copenhagen was still in a state of the greatest ferment and disorder, Lord Cathcart willingly acceded to the request that no British troops should be quartered in it, and that neither officers nor soldiers should enter it for some days; and having the command of possession from the citadel, whenever it might happen to be necessary to use it, he made no objection to leaving the other gates in the hands of the Danish troops, together with the police of the place, &c. The re-establishment of

the

Consequence of the Siege.

the post was consented to, and every disposition was made on the part of the British to execute the unpleasant business on their hands, with every regard to the feelings of the unfortunate people.

The Danish navy, delivered up in consequence of this treaty, consisted of sixteen ships of the line, fifteen frigates, six brigs, and twenty five gunboats, besides vessels on the stocks; in the arsenals were found stores sufficient to fit this fleet for sea; and though all the men of war, both English and those captured, were laden with those stores, there still remained enough to fill 92 sail of transports, amounting to upwards of twenty thousand tons.

The loss sustained by the British, in both services, was comparativey trifling; but that of the Danes is computed to amount to about 2000 persons, with the destruction of nearly 400 houses, besides the burning of property, &c.

The damage done by the bombardment was considerable. The number of houses totally dostroyed amounted to 305, and about 600 dainaged. Among the former was the Great Cathedral, the steeple of which fell in with a dreadful crash. All the buildings in the neighbourhood of the cathedral were a heap of ruins, it being chiefly against that quarter that the bombardment was directed, probably as it was said, from a wish to do the least possible injury, that being the worst built part of the town. A great part of the buildings of the university were also destroyed. The number of individuals who perished was reckoned at 600, and nearly as many severely wounded.

In short the distress and confusion in the city was truly horrible; but, after the capitulation, the magistrates and principal inhabitants gave every relief to the unhappy sufferers, who were chiefly of the lowest classes. For this purpose several churches, which had not suffered from the bombardment, were fitted up for their reception; and it is much to the credit of the British Commander-in-Chief, that they offered to

send