Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2017 15:41:51 +1300
From: arthur carkeek <artcart65@gmail.com>
Subject: drummer boy chapter 8

DRUMMER BOY
CHAPTER 8
BOOK 2
BY ARTHUR

CONTACT AUTHOR:
artcart65@gmail.com

Thomas and those around him knew that Somosiera would not be an easy nut to
crack. As an Andalucian Estaban knew most of its previous record and did
not hesitate to relate to Thomas what had happened only a few years earlier
when Napoleon desired to take Madrid for the second time.

It was late in November of 1808 and the Spanish army was then only a shadow
of its former self. The then Cortes had sent General Benito de San Juan
with twenty thousand men to try to stop the forty five thousand that
Napoleon had. Most of the remnants of the Spanish force were made up of
what remained of their standing army and the rest were hastily recruited
Irregulars, most of them coming from Andalucia; it was for this reason that
Estaban especially wanted some revenge.

After a hard fought holding action at the gateway to Somosiera called
Sepulveda where only three thousand irregulars managed to push back some of
Napoleons best and oldest brigades; the Spanish then used the night to
retreat back to Somosiera for what they hoped would be a final attempt to
stem the flow of the French to take Madrid.

It was believed by Benito de San Juan that his sixteen heavy guns would
hold the French in the narrow and steep sided pass and therefore save
Madrid from the invading French. This belief in his own ability led Benito
de San Juan to not only lose the pass but also many lives of the defenders
and some three thousand of his last troops were to be captured.

Benito de San Juan's demise had come through what was to be called one of
the most valiant attacks of the peninsular war by the enemy. It was later
revealed that on the first attack, only a total of some 125 Polish Cavalry
charged the waiting guns which were set in four batteries and believed by
San Juan to be devastating in the narrow pass; it was only the determined
charge of the Polish Chevau-Legers that managed to take the first two
batteries and they were then joined by other Cavalry units to take the
other gun batteries one after the other and open the way for the Infantry.

With the four batteries overrun it was then much easier for Napoleon to
send in his Infantry under the command of Marshal Ruffin for the final
stage and to mop up those few left in the pass.

It was for this reason that the men and boys from Andalucia wanted to at
least cause as much damage to Somosiera and the French forces holding it as
they could even though they could not really retake the town or pass and
hold them.

For twenty four hours Thomas and his scouts watched the pass and carried
out small scouting missions to see what they had to work with. The use of
the heights for his guns looked to be out of the question as their sides
were steep and rock strewn as well as large clumps of juniper and small
oaks that made it difficult for the guns to be positioned with any hope of
being effective.

It did not take long for the watchers to see they would have to come up
with something new if they wished to carry through their attack and not
turn it into another Olivenca.

Major Oliver Perrin came up with an idea which was soon taken up by Major
Craven Morgan. As the other Officers listened to the two men discussing the
situation it soon became apparent that they may just have created a new
plan for future use as well as what they needed immediately.

The idea was discussed in detail and the more they heard the better the
outlandish idea seemed possible. Carven Morgan would set his twenty guns in
two ranks on the flat area at the bottom of the pass and some seven hundred
yards from the town. They would have to be set during the hours of darkness
and in silence so any French night pickets would not see or hear them.

Oliver Perrin was going to take one of the Infantry corps up the steep
sides of the pass during the night and they would then make use of ropes in
the darkness to swing down from above the town and take a position close to
the eastern edge of the town. Craven and his gunners, when given the signal
by Thomas, would begin to fire salvos by rank.

After each shot the guns would be raised a quarter turn in elevation so the
next fall of shot would be about ten to fifteen paces ahead of the
last. Craven mentioned, with a small smile that they could call it a
creeping shot fall and the remaining Infantry Corps would follow closely
behind the barrage as it crept into the sleeping town.

Estaban's Cavalry units would wait until the fall of shot was right inside
the town before he would bring all three of his troops into play and then
use them as a backup for the advancing Infantry as they would have to work
their way through the narrow lanes and streets with care.

It would be the responsibility of Oliver Perrin to decided when or if he
should bring his other corps of Infantry into the battle once he could see
the plan of defence of the French garrison or if they were going to try to
escape past where Oliver would have his men set at the eastern end of the
pass.

Lorenco would set his sharpshooters low on the ridge just above the town
and use their skill to pick off any targets they could see both during the
barrage and afterwards as the Infantry and Cavalry entered and worked their
way through the town.

It was quickly decided that Thomas would stay back with the guns and not
take any chances in entering the town until everything was over; his six
close guards would stay by his side at all times and were also under orders
from Carmelo to not let Thomas enter into the fight at any cost. Thomas was
not happy about it but at the same time could see the reasoning behind it
after what had happened at Olivenca.

The loud crash of the first rank of ten guns filled the early morning
stillness like a clap of thunder and continued to roll in an echo down the
narrow pass as though it was a live entity. Close behind the first barrage
the fifth battery of rockets sent their own salvo of sixteen rockets into
the dim light of dawn.

The force now only had four rockets per launcher and so would try to make
as best use of them as they could, once all were fired the rocketeers would
join those at the guns and help where they could. It was acknowledged that
the rockets would probably not do a lot of damage but they all hoped it
would add to the confusion in the dim light of dawn.

Ten seconds after the first rank had fired the second rank followed suit
while Craven Morgan watched in the dim light for the fall of the first
shots. Craven knew his aiming had to be correct to the inch if he did not
want to kill any of their own who were waiting in the dim light close to
the edge of the town.

The first ten rounds fell well within the margin Craven had expected and
his order for the second salvo a few seconds later would become his fire
order for the rest of the barrage as the gunners raised their elevation a
quarter turn at a time.

For all of those watching from the darkness it was like watching a field
being ploughed. The huge geysers of stone and earth flew high into the air
only yards from the edge of the town; the four sleepy sentries that were
sitting around a small table at the entrance to the town never stood a
chance as the heavy shot rained down on them. The next salvo dropped five
yards inside the town and was the signal for those waiting outside the town
to start to move forward.

In the lightening sky of dawn the bright flashes and the loud bangs of the
exploding rockets above the town added to the surprise. Thomas watched
through the dawn light as his 2nd Corps of Infantry under the command of
Major Bently Trent began their advance with the three troops of Cavalry
close behind; one troop ranked behind the other in a massed front.

The stillness of the dawn was now a raging echo of crashing guns and even
louder explosions of the rockets above. The fall of the shot was wrecking
havoc inside the town and Thomas could only try to imagine what the
sleeping French thought of the rude awakening. The Barrage continued to
creep forward as the Infantry and Cavalry followed as closely behind the
line of shot as they dared; at this early stage there was little for them
to do but keep a sharp watch for any French who wanted to make a stand in
the chaos.

With the fourth salvo fired and followed by the last of the rockets there
was now only time for one more salvo each from the guns before they would
have to cease fire; the Infantry and Cavalry were now inside the town and
taking care of any French soldiers still standing or trying to fight after
the ravages of the heavy guns.

There turned out to be very little resistance from the terrified French
garrison; they had been caught completely by surprise and their numbers
were soon decimated by the rolling barrage of heavy shot as it tore into
the buildings and down on the narrow streets of the town. For the French
Garrison there seemed to be nowhere that was safe from the unexpected
attack.

Collapsing walls of shops and houses were doing as much damage as the shot
itself and it soon became apparent for the French that they had only one
thing they could do. An escape to the east was now the only thing most of
the garrison could think to do and any thought of staying to defend the
town was thrown into disarray as salvo after accurate salvo tore into the
unsuspecting and sleepy garrison.

The hopeful escape was soon cut short as the first panicked troops broke
through the eastern end of the town and looked out into the lightening sky
of dawn; what they saw waiting for them only brought cold shivers down the
spines of those close enough to make out what was waiting.

Across the narrow road that led east stood three solid ranks of well armed
troops; each carrying what looked like a double barrelled musket. Suddenly
from both sides of the road came the sharp sound of sharpshooters already
picking off the early morning targets from well concealed positions above
the road; the three solid ranks in front of the escaping French did not
open fire but their intent was obvious. Come within range and they would
open fire; unfortunately for the hapless French escapees they had never met
troops who had made a habit of double charging their muskets for extra
range.

A Junior French Officer saw what was waiting for them less than sixty paces
away and began to call his troops to form ranks and prepare to attack the
waiting ranks of black clothed soldiers as more and more of the garrison
arrived in the hope of escape; they were to find they had far less time to
form lines than they thought.

Oliver Perrin had brought all his men safely over and then down the steep
side of the valley which many would have thought impossible in that day and
age. The loud order went out to fire by rank.

The French could not quite believe their eyes or ears when they heard the
order to fire; surely the troops in black had made a mistake, perhaps the
dim light had deceived them as to the range that the French were at; the
first volley of the strange muskets soon put paid to that thought. The
front rank of fifty fired their first barrel and then only seconds later
the other barrel. One hundred lead balls flew with unerring accuracy into
the forming lines of the French; the result was devastating but the French
had little time to think as the second rank of black clad troops took their
place at the front and fired while the first rank stepped back to reload.

The third rank never had to fire a shot as those French troops left
standing or those sitting and lying in the road with wounds, suddenly
dropped their muskets and raised their hands. Those French still trying to
exit the town were at first confused with what they saw in front of them
but the sudden sound of massed cavalry coming from their rear and the
shouts of more musket wielding black clothed soldiers advancing on them
soon had them also dropping their weapons.

The reprisal battle for Somosiera had lasted less than twenty minutes and
the French losses were out of all proportion to the shortness of the
fighting. The smouldering and burning town of Somosiera looked as though it
would never rise again as the first strong rays of the early morning sun
finally shone down to reveal the true cost to the French.

Homes and shops were now not much more than piles of broken rubble with
fires and smoke filling the air. The cries of the wounded; many buried
under the rubble by the heavy barrage of shot could also be heard as a
strange silence descended over the town. Of the French Garrison there
remained only four Officers and the unwounded numbered less than eighty.

Thomas saw the raising of the red and gold banner above the town and got
ready to enter along with his six man guard; he gave orders to Craven to
make his guns ready for the march and to start back to Vimeiro. The guns
now had less than four shots each left and no rockets; they would have to
rearm before they could once again go out after the French.

With Craven taking care of his guns for the return march; Thomas set off on
his horse towards the waiting town where his men were keeping a sharp watch
not only on their prisoners but also into every nook and cranny that may
hide a possible threat from the French allies within the town.

Thomas rode slowly through the rubble strewn main street of the town; his
ever alert guards close by the side of the horse with their sharp eyes
watching in every direction for any possible threat. The French prisoners
had been herded into the centre of the town and sat in a huddled under the
barrels of both the Infantry and Cavalry; it was plainly obvious there was
no escape and now the French forces had to worry about their own future.

Estaban sat on his horse with his eyes swivelling back and forth; he had
detailed ten of his men to keep the French Officers separate from the men
and under a direct threat from the muskets. Estaban among other
Andalucian's now felt a new sense of satisfaction; the defeat of 1808 had
been repaid in full and it now remained only for their Patron to decide the
fate of the many prisoners.

Thomas had taken his time in wending his way through the damaged town; the
heavy smell of burnt gun powder and lost blood was still heavy in the air
and occasionally he could hear a whimper or cry from some of the wounded
still buried inside the rubble. Thomas had grown hard over the last four
years and had he even thought about it at the time; he was also becoming
inured to the suffering of the French. The losses of Olivenca were still
too fresh in his mind to have pity for their enemy.

When Thomas arrived in front of the small group of Officers he did not miss
the surprised looks on their faces. While none of the Officers had ever
seen the face of the rebel El Toro they did not need much thought to
realise who their early morning attacker might be. The black uniform and
youth of the newly arrived Officer told its own story of the means to their
present defeat.

In his rough French, Thomas asked.

"Who is your Senior Officer?"

A Major stood up carefully and with one eye on the muskets trained on him
and replied to Thomas.

"I am Major Languard and am now the Senior Officer and you Monsieur I
presume are the notorious rebel El Toro or are my assumptions incorrect?"

"They are correct Major Languard, you and your men are now prisoners of
Spain and it will be your actions that decide your fate."

"How do you mean Monsieur?"

"I am going to give you and your men one hour to find and tend to any
wounded and then leave Somosiera but first you will order your men to
dispose themselves of all weapons and equipment as well as their jackets;
they may keep their boots. Any Frenchman we find within the town after the
one hour is up will be put to death. The time is running Major so I suggest
you move quickly."

"You cannot do that! You say we are prisoners of war and yet you make
threats. This is the actions and words of a barbarian."

"Yes Major just like the French at Abrantes; your time is running Major so
I suggest you start quickly, many of my men are from Andalucia and have
little patience and will not hesitate to shoot those still here when the
time is up."

Thomas sat on his horse and looked down at the Major with what appeared to
be little concern or even the faintest of empathy for those still trapped
under the rubble of the town.

Major Languard had little option but to do as the young Rebel asked; his
men were under the massed muskets of a far superior force and there was no
other way out of his dilemma. Major Languard turned to his troops still
sitting in the rising sun and gave the order to disarm completely and
disrobe their jackets; it then became a rush for those who could to try to
find and give aid to the trapped and wounded.

For every French soldier that went to find their comrades there were four
of Thomas's men armed and watching closely. The French had been given no
time to see to their dead and had barely enough time to watch over the
living as the hour ran down. It was a sad and sorry looking force of
Frenchmen that began to wend their way out of the town of Somosiera as the
time passed; they were closely escorted by Estaban's Cavalry as they set
their direction towards the nearest French held town for relief.

The nearest town to Somosiera was on the other side of the mountains at the
eastern end of the pass. Thomas estimated that in the conditions the French
would have to face it would take them a long two or three days to make it
to Tamajon and he knew that he and his men would be well on the way back to
Vimeiro long before the alarm could be raised and their attack known of.

As the last of the French left the town, Thomas signalled for the men to
make ready to leave the town and turn towards Vimeiro; Estaban and his men
would shadow the French retreat until they were certain the enemy would not
turn back and then follow after Thomas. With their horses they would soon
make up the distance and rejoin the small army to retire to Vimeiro; it
would be a welcome break once they were back in their home valley to rest
before once again going out after their hated enemy.

Once again the small army had to move with stealth and care; they were deep
in enemy territory and could not take the chance of being found out now
that their supplies were low. The days were once again spent in hiding and
the nights were filled with fast travel. Everyone pushed themselves to
their utmost during the hours of darkness and avoided every town or village
along their route of march. Rations were now at their lowest but the men
and boys did not stop their way west.

The chances of running into a French patrol in the hours of darkness were
very slim but it still did not mean the men could take chances; there were
still French sympathisers among the general populace and it would take only
one accidental meeting for them to be found out and the French given the
time to create a trap for them.

The order of march was very similar to other times. Lorenco sent out his
Sharpshooters to act as a van guard and to watch the trail ahead an hour
before the guns left. Next came the guns at a fast trot. The guns would be
followed by the two Infantry Corps once the French had been sent off and
would travel at double time until they caught up with the guns.

Estaban and the three Cavalry troops would follow along after the enemy had
been set well on their way and would then catch up to Thomas and the
Infantry Corps and take station on either side with one troop at the rear
guard position. By midday the small army had come together near San
Ildefonso and Thomas thought they had pushed themselves enough in the
daylight hours; it was time to find a hiding place until dark.

Ahead of the retiring small army there were possible heavy French
patrols. The attacks to their north and ahead at Medina del Campo would
have the countryside in an uproar and the last thing he needed was for them
to walk right into a large French force unprepared.

During the rest of the daylight hours, Thomas and his men lay in hiding in
a long narrow and easily defended ravine; while he waited for nightfall he
planned out the next nights march. It would not be long before they came to
a river crossing on the Carrion, normally they would have used a common
ford but with the country on full alert they would have to find another
means of crossing.

Thomas and his friends made the plan for the crossing of the Carrion to
take place in the last hours of the next day. It would be west of Segovia
and in an area with little or no population; only a stray Patrol could or
would see them if they were unlucky. As they would need some daylight to
make the crossing it was timed to make the river bank just before dusk;
once over they would immediately have the long hours of darkness to make
their escape without being seen.

Their final hurdle would be the crossing of the River Tormes; this would
have to take place at the narrow section between Alba de Tormes and
Salamanca, not a place to make and error with a large French force close at
hand in both towns. Once across the Tormes they would push hard through the
night and try to make the River Agueda and then cross into Portugal and
safety just east of Almeida.

For the rest of the travel to Vimeiro they could then take the day light
hours and be able to move faster and far more safely; if their luck held
out they should be back in Vimeiro within eight to ten days.

Thomas's force had not got away completely unscathed. During the entry into
the rubble strewn town, the men of the Infantry Corps had needed to take
precautions as they leap frogged from one pile of debris to another in
their search for the French. The results of their advance had left them
with three musket ball wounds, one sprained ankle, two dislocated fingers
and other sundry scrapes, bruises and cuts.

It was fortunate that the three musket ball wounds were not too serious but
it did mean that the young man with the thigh wound had to be given a place
on one of the caissons as he would not have been able to keep up the pace;
the same was done for the lad with the sprained ankle.

The other two musket wounds were far luckier, one had been grazed just
above the ear where he would now have trouble growing any hair and the wide
scar would be with him for life and the other was a flesh wound in the
upper arm; Thomas and his men had been very lucky in their attack and the
French losses more than made up for the few wounds he had suffered amongst
his own men.

The next night they had skirted Segovia to the south and then force marched
through the open plain to the banks of the River Carrion where they found a
camp well before day light; they would cross the river in the dim light of
dusk later that day.

Once across the River Carrion it was two more nights of travel before they
came to the banks of the River Tormes and had to thread the needle between
Alba de Tormes and Salamanca; another day was passed in hiding to wait for
dusk before they could cross the river.

For the duration of their march they had the need to be as silent as they
could. Daylight observations had shown the marked increase in French
patrols all over the region; one slip and they would more than have their
hands full of angry French troops.

The biggest worry was over the guns. Twenty guns and caissons made a lot of
noise and the pace had to be kept at a slow trot to keep the rattle of
fittings and the creaking of leather to a minimum as everyone knew that
sound travelled twice as far at night than it did during the day. By the
time they were at the banks of the River Tormes the guns had no grease left
for the axels and they would now have to hope for the best and pray that
none of the axels would need greasing before they made it across the River
Agueda.

Although every precaution was taken to keep his men and equipment safe;
Thomas still worried every inch of the way west. Just one slip up and they
could very easily be sacrificial lambs to the slaughter of French patrols
or worse yet, a full Brigade of French troops.

Nine days after the sudden and devastating attack on Somosiera, Thomas led
his small army across the River Agueda and into Portugal; he was sure he
could hear the sigh of relief from every man in his army as they climbed
the western bank of the Agueda. The safety of Vimeiro was now only four or
five days away and they could now return to travelling during the day.

With his whole army across the river Agueda and after they had travelled a
little more than two miles; Thomas called a halt for the rest of the
night. They could now rest after their harrowing escape and would begin the
march for Vimeiro the next day with the full light of the sun to guide
them.

The date was the 4th of March; little did Thomas know that in only a few
weeks Viscount Wellington would attack in force at Badajoz and that
Thomas's disruptions to the north would allow the Viscount to have a
decisive victory before turning back north to meet Marshal Marmont at
Salamanca in June of that year.

On the 9th of March a very tired, dusty and hungry army came into sight of
the town of Vimeiro. It was noticeable that even the horses seemed to be
happy to be in familiar territory and their ears perked up and heads raised
as the terrain became more and more familiar.

The guns were now in bad need of greasing and there could be heard many
squeaks as almost dry axels heated under the strain and dust of the long
journey. It was decided that the army would stop in Vimeiro so the wheels
could be greased and the men rested before they made the last two hour trek
into the home valley; they were all safe now and there was no need for
haste any longer.

With the dry axels finally greased by the time late afternoon arrived,
Thomas called his men to get ready to head for home; they should arrive
just before dark and were all now looking forward to hot meals and soft
beds although most of them; especially the Infantry would forego the meals
if they had to decide between one or the other.

Dusk was falling just as the long, dusty and tired column entered their
home valley. Those who had stayed behind had already been warned of their
approach by the sentinel on guard at the head of the passage into the
valley.

It was a relief for everyone of the column to not only smell the fresh food
cooking but also to see that the four large cauldrons used for heating
water were sitting atop well built fires and there was steam rising from
within. A hot bath was as much needed as a hot meal and the pace
unconsciously increased as the new arrivals saw what was waiting for them.

It was as though the weary troops had silently agreed that the troops who
had had the hardest time during the march to the valley could have first
use of the hot water. The three brothers led their Cavalry towards the far
end of the valley where their horse lines had been set up. There were long
pole stands built there for them so they could tie their horses up and
unsaddle and groom them before releasing them to roam free and to drink
from the stream and eat from the large piles of freshly cut grass.

The gunners were turned towards what was now considered the Armoury so they
could set to work on the much needed maintenance of the guns and carriages
and unhook the harnesses of their own horses.

The Infantry wasted no time in going to their barracks to gather their
personal wooden pails after divesting themselves of their equipment which
would be cleaned after their ablutions. The pails would be half filled with
hot water and the troops would use them for bathing. Most times the men
would share one pail between two of them and then use the second pail for
clothes washing; especially their underclothes, shirts and hose.

Thomas and his Officers turned towards their own houses where they knew a
hot bath would be ready and waiting for them. While Sergeant Fairley
watched over Thomas it would be those scullery boys not needed in the
kitchens at that moment that would attend to the others.

It was not long before the sounds of laughter filled the valley as those
taking their ablutions also turned it into something of a game as they
splashed each other in between trying to wash the grime and dust from their
bodies. In the distance there were the sounds of harnesses being taken off
the tired and sweating horses along with light hearted banter among the men
as the final realisation that they were safe at home began to take effect
from the long tension that had been built up during the march.

Thomas got down from Santana and the horse was quickly taken away by one of
the scullery boys to be unsaddled and groomed. Thomas looked tired and worn
as he limped towards the door of his house; his limp had increased with his
tiredness and it was quickly noted by the ever waiting Fairley. Thomas did
not miss the frown on Fairley's face but ignored it as he walked inside and
headed for the first chair he saw.

To one side of the front room was a large tin bath with steam rising from
its depths; had Thomas not needed to relieve himself of his weapons he
would have been tempted to just drop into the inviting bath and go to
sleep; he had not realised how much the forced march had taken out of him
until the moment of walking in the door.

Thomas glanced up at the worried look on Fairley's face and sighed; he
almost knew what was coming as he asked his batman.

"Ok Sergeant, say your piece and then I can get on with a bath."

"Nothing to say Sir; if you don't know what you're doing to yourself then
there is little I can do about it Sir."

"Fine, then there is no need for you to say anything later. Don't say I
didn't give you a chance to nag at me. Now then help me get this stuff off
so I can make use of that hot water. A good drink would also be nice if you
can see your way to finding one for me while I soak."

Fairley gave a thin smile before he left the room after helping Thomas to
undress and then Fairley carried away the dirty underclothes, shirt and
hose; they would be washed while Thomas soaked in the tin tub.

Fairley did not return with Thomas's drink for another ten minutes but when
he did, the first thing he saw was Thomas lying in the hot water with his
eyes closed; the soft sound of snoring coming from Thomas told Fairley that
it had all been a little too much for his General. Fairley did not hesitate
to lightly shake Thomas on his naked shoulder but the reply was a mumbled
grunt and Thomas only seemed to settle further into the welcoming embrace
of the warm water.

Fairley gave himself a small smile as he took up the wash cloth and began
to use it to clean Thomas as best he could; the heavy smell of the lye soap
soon filled the small front room as Fairley worked away. It was during the
washing of Thomas's hair that he suddenly came awake and realised where he
was. Fairley stopped his washing when he saw Thomas open his eyes and
become aware of what was around him and what was going on.

"You can take over now Sir, your drink is beside the tub. I shall go and
get some more hot water; by the look of the dirt that has come off you so
far you will need more."

Thomas was just too tired to bother making a remark about Fairley's lack of
respect but he knew also that the young Sergeant had only his best
interests at heart. Thomas reached for the glass of brandy beside the tub
and took a deep swallow before taking up the wash cloth and began to clean
off the rest of the dirt accumulated during the forced march.

Half an hour later and Thomas was ready to get out of the cooling water;
Fairley was close by with clean clothes ready for him as he towelled
himself dry; his glass of brandy had long since been emptied and now all he
wanted was a good hot meal before looking for his bed, any business for the
army would wait until the next morning.

Thomas was not alone in his need for rest as the valley began to quieten as
the troops found food and then their beds; everything that could be done
for that day was completed and now it was time for their bodies to rest
before any more plans could be made.

When Thomas awoke the next morning, the sun was higher in the sky than he
thought it would be; with a soft groan he tested his tired body and then
swivelled around so he could get out of the bed; as expected his clean
uniform was laid out for him and his boots had been cleaned and shone with
a new coat of polish and his weapons were laid out on top of the cabinet.

The fresh smell of his normal early morning cafe filled his nostrils as he
pulled his boots on; Thomas wondered if Fairley ever actually slept; his
batman always seemed to be about when needed and Thomas could not think of
the last time he had seen the young Sergeant resting.

Thomas went outside to the small round table that was always set up for him
on the narrow patio outside his front door; Fairley had his cafe ready and
waiting and was just in the process of setting out the cutlery for his
breakfast which was sitting on the table in a steaming platter.

"Morning Sergeant! Do I have to test this for poison?"

"Not today Sir but perhaps tomorrow it might be a good idea."

"You are full of joy Sergeant. Now is there anything I should know about
for today?"

"Yes Sir, the three Colonels would like to see you when you are ready and
Major Jones has news for you about the young Lieutenant Morgan. Also Sir,
Major Smithson would like to see you when you have time."

"Thank you Sergeant, can you let them all know I will be available just as
soon as I have eaten."

"Yes Sir."

Fairley turned and left Thomas in peace so he could at least get one good
hot meal into him before the problems of running a small army filled his
days. Thomas could not understand how he could be so hungry as he almost
shovelled the large platter of food into his mouth; the only thing that
somewhat spoilt the breakfast was the odd twinge in his left shoulder as he
lifted his arm.

When Thomas had finished eating, he looked down at the almost empty
platter; he had eaten enough for two men and his stomach now felt boated
and he burped loudly as he loosened his jacket and sat back to ease the
fullness. A small smile came over his young face as he suddenly remembered
what his father used to say about his eating habits.

"Son, your eyes are bigger than your stomach; you need to slow down before
you look like a bloated sow."

Thomas suddenly felt a little homesick as the stray thought came to him; he
would need to let his family know that he was alright and still fighting;
with so much going on the last few months it had slipped his mind and now
he had time to think it had come to the fore. Thomas put the thought aside
as he got ready for the upcoming meetings with his Officers.

Fairley had brought him his second mug of cafe and he was just starting to
sip it when Carmelo, Estaban and Lorenco arrived with broad smiles on their
faces; it was time to get down to business. Thomas noted that Estaban now
had the sleeve of his jacket folded back over to cover the place where he
had lost his hand. During battle Estaban had worn a thick leather cuff made
with a metal spike attached which he wore.

Due to the loss of his hand, Estaban had found it difficult to reload his
musket and pistols and so now carried not only his musket but also a pair
of heavy Dragoon pistols mounted on his saddle, his double barrelled Purdy
under his arm and another brace of medium pistols in his sash. With his
sword now hung on the opposite side for ease of use and the new extra spike
in place of his hand; Estaban often looked like a walking armoury all on
his own.

The three colonels sat down and were soon served with hot cafe's by
Fairley, once they had taken the first sip they all got down to
business. Thomas began the meeting.

"Carmelo, how are the men?"

"Many are in need of rest and I think they should have two days for
themselves, Patron."

"Yes I agree Carmelo, they have done well and we will need them well rested
before our next attack. Make a note of it and we'll tell them at the
meeting later today. Estaban, what of your Cavalry?"

"Patron, they are now working on their equipment but also I think like my
brother Carmelo, the men need rest and so do the horses if we want to get
the best out of them."

"Agreed so we will tell them later today that there is to be no work for
two days and the next five are only to have light work. Lorenco what about
your Scouts?"

"As always Patron, they are ready when needed."

"Good then we will take a couple of weeks to make sure everyone is well
rested before we move on Molina and Villaviciosa. We will have to ask Major
Smithson what he has for maps of the area; hopefully he had time to get the
details he needed while we were further north. Do any of you have concerns
we should know about?"

All three shook their heads in the negative as they sipped their cafe's;
for now it was a time of rest and for the three Colonels that also meant
their Patron would also rest even if he was not aware of their plans for
him.

"Well let's call for Major Smithson and see what he has for us."

Thomas turned his head to see where Fairley was and, as usual the young
Sergeant was close by but not too close to make his Superior Officers think
he was intruding or trying to overhear their plans.

"Fairley! Can you go and find Major Smithson, ask him to bring his latest
maps of the Molina area. When you have found him then go and ask Major
Jones to come and see us."

Fairley saluted and left the veranda to find the men his General
wanted. Thomas and the three Colonels finished their cafe's as they waited
for Smithson to arrive; it did not take long before they saw the Major
approaching with a number of leather rolls under his arm.

As he waited for Smithson to get to them, Thomas looked out on the
valley. In the distance he could make out the men of the Cavalry working on
their riding tack, the two corps of Infantry looked to be setting out their
freshly washed clothes to dry or were cleaning their muskets and other
equipment. On the right hand side of the valley, the gunners were already
sweating over the guns as they stripped them down for maintenance and the
horse handlers were working on the leather traces and metal fittings for
the guns.

The long mess barracks were a hive of activity as the many young scullery
boys set about cleaning and making the mess ready for the midday meal; the
fires in the kitchen behind the mess were sending faint trails of smoke
into the fresh morning air as the cooks worked in the open air on the large
meat pits with what appeared to be a full sized Ox on a long thick metal
spit; two younger boys were on one end and turning it slowly over the
glowing coals.

Thomas turned back to his meeting as Major Smithson arrived with his newest
maps.

"Good morning Major, what do you have for us?"

"Good morning Sir, these are the maps we made as you asked. We have made
some changes and I hope you like them, it should make for easier
identification of the various ground conditions."

"What are they Major?"

"Captain Marking has added colour washes to various parts which denote the
type of ground in that area. If you can give me a second I will show you
what I mean Sir."

Thomas sat looking at Smithson as he unrolled the first map of Molina; it
was not the revelation that they would now have coloured maps but the name
of the person who was making them. Thomas coughed before he asked.

"Ahh...Major, who is this Captain Marking?"

"Oh don't you know Sir?"

"No I don't Major."

Before Smithson could continue Carmelo interrupted and began to explain as
he smiled widely at Thomas.

"I am sorry Patron; I am the one at fault. Sergio and Carlito asked me when
you were so ill, they had no family and wanted to carry your name so if you
did not get well there would be someone that carried your name onward. I
should have mentioned it earlier but with everything going on it had
slipped my mind. I am sure that they would give the name back if you are
not happy with what they have done."

"No...no it's just that I never thought about such a thing, tell them I am
very proud they would think it of such importance and that I am honoured to
have them as my family members. Now then Major Smithson, let's see what you
have there?"

The four Senior Officers waited as Major Smithson unrolled his maps and
then set small stones on the edges to keep them flat. Thomas saw
immediately how good they were, even had they not been colour washed they
would have been better than anything he had seen before.

"These four are of Molina, in the other roll I have five I had to make of
the area around Villaviciosa. If you will allow me I will explain the
colour code that Captain Marking used."

"Thank you Major, please continue."

"It is very simple Sir. The green is grasslands, the brown is for open or
bare ground, the grey is for stone and we have used white for houses and
streets inside the town."

Thomas pointed to an area of brown that had minute spikes of black ink in
the shape of three prongs.

"What are these Major?"

"Ah yes Sir, those are another creation of Captain Marking. His knowledge
of the area was a great help and that area is brown for the time of summer
when it is dry and very firm; Captain Marking though knew that the area
during the winter can turn into a very heavy bog so he put those indicators
there so you would know what it was when the rains came."

"I think it will be a lot easier if you just call the Captain Sergio, it's
beginning to confuse me and will until I get used to having them use my
name. Now then Major, what of these rings and numbers you have spread over
the map?"

"Those indicate the elevations Sir."

"Elevations Major?"

"Yes Sir. If you will look at this one Sir, you will see that it has three
circles inside each other. The general shape shows the outline of the knoll
and the three circles show if it is a gentle slope if they are wide apart
and if it is very steep the lines will be closer together. The number at
the centre shows the height of the knoll and the number at the base tells
us how big the knoll is. If you look over here Sir you can see how the
lines run for some distance and are far closer together, my calculations
tells us this ridge is approximately one mile long and some three hundred
yards high with very steep sides. This small black line that wends back and
forth indicates there is a small goat track that leads up to the top; no
good for guns but men could scale it if needed."

Thomas stood in awe of the detail of the four maps laid out before him; it
was almost like looking at the actual land itself; he would have to spend a
lot of time with Smithson so he could fully understand the new ideas so he
could make best use of them.

"I would like you to pass on my congratulations to the Captain for his
attention to detail as well as your own Major. I must confess I have never
seen maps like them before; it should make our job much easier when it
comes to our planning."

"Thank you Sir I shall pass on your thanks to the Captain as soon as I get
back to the map room."

"Map Room?"

"The war room in your house Sir, we call it the map room now as you will
see if you have not already looked at it."

"I haven't been inside it yet; too much to do but I will look it over just
as soon as I get done here. Thank you Major for everything you have done so
far; these maps are going to be a great help. Now then I have something
more for you to do when you and your unit have had a chance to rest up."

"We are ready when you need us Sir, what is it you want?"

"It's the Guadarrama pass, we are going to need as much fine detail as you
can get for us; there have been a lot of armies that have failed to take it
due to its difficulty; I'm hoping you can find us something new that we can
use for our attack after Molina."

"How much time do I have Sir?"

"I would like something before the middle of July; we should have returned
from Molina and Villaviciosa by then and I have information that the
English have got plans for around that time to enter Madrid if all goes
well for them after Badajoz."

"Very good Sir that gives us plenty of time to get your details correct; we
won't let you down Sir, of that you can be sure."

"Thank you Major I know you won't. Now then can you ask Major Jones to come
over while you go and see to your men?"

Major Smithson stood and saluted before he turned and left the four
Officers to look over the new maps; there was going to be much for the four
to learn on how to read them correctly and he was going to give them all
the time they needed.

Major Jones arrived with his perennial ledgers under one arm and a file of
papers in his other hand.

"Good morning Major Jones, what have you got for us?"

"Good Morning Sir. I have the pay ledgers for you to look over and the
accounts for the stock purchases by Lieutenant De Silva. There are also
some messages for you to read that Lieutenant Morgan brought back with him
and another from His Highness as well as another from the Cortes which is
more of a report than orders as far as I can make out Sir."

"Thank you Major, anything else we should be made aware of?"

"Just the arrival of more powder for the stores, we may have to ask Major
Carterton to design a new armoury and powder store for us; we have had to
use two of the houses as extra powder stores after the last ship delivery."

"We had a ship delivery Major?"

"Yes Sir, Lieutenant Morgan arrived back on the Avante and they had
captured a small French sloop on their way here; it was filled with French
supplies of powder, shot and weapons. I gave orders to the Captain of the
Avante to make use of the extra muskets for the ship's crew. I hope I did
not overstep my orders Sir?"

"You were the Officer that was there Major and I will back any orders you
gave; besides we have more than enough weapons for our own use as it
is. What are they going to do with the French sloop?"

"The Captain is going to try to have it refitted and use it as part of the
fleet of merchantmen for Marking Shipping Company Sir."

"Well you can get with Major Carterton and see about the new armoury; I
don't have any plans to move against Molina until I have seen the results
of the English attack on Badajoz so the men may like a change from
training; you can tell Major Carterton he can have as many men as he needs
until that time."

"Yes Sir, I will pass that on to him. Is there anything else you need Sir?"

"Not at this time thank you Major. Good work on keeping the valley safe and
well situated while we were away; it's good to know our home is in safe
hands while we are away."

"Thank you Sir, if you will excuse me I will get back to other things."

Thomas nodded and then turned back to the new pile of ledgers and papers on
the table; it was really the last thing he wanted to do but he also
realised it was a necessary part of having a small army and trying to keep
everything together and in order.

Thomas heard a soft cough behind him and turned to see the ever present
Fairley waiting to be told to speak.

"Yes Fairley, how are you going to spoil my day now?"

Fairley seemed to either not hear or decided to completely ignore Thomas's
comment.

"Sir it is after midday and the Kitchen has sent over lunch for you and
your Officers; it is time for you to take a break and rest Sir."

"Fairley, if I did not know better I would think you had been speaking to
my mother; I'm quite alright now you know and I'm certainly not a bloody
invalid for you to order around when you like."

Fairley stood at attention and seemed to completely ignore Thomas's words
as he replied.

"Yes Sir, but lunch has been served and it is time for your rest; I'm sure
your mother would agree Sir."

"Damn it Fairley I'm not a baby for you to molly coddle."

"Yes Sir. Shall I send the lunch back to the kitchen Sir?"

"Do I really have to answer that Sergeant?"

"No Sir, if you wish I can serve it out here for you gentlemen Sir."

"Yes do that Sergeant; I want to look over these maps while we eat."

"And then you will rest Sir?"

"Fairley, you are stretching my patience."

"Yes Sir, I shall go and get the curtains drawn for your rest while you eat
Sir."

Had anyone seen the smile on Fairley's face they would have known he had
won again and even the acerbic words of their Commander could not shake the
care that Fairley took of his General. Thomas turned back to his three
friends and could only raise his eyes to the heavens; they all knew that
Fairley had been right and that Thomas still needed a rest after the last
campaign. While his wounds looked to be healed his body still needed the
extra rest until it was fully back to health and the stresses of the last
outing had taken more out of their General than the young man would let on.

An hour later and the four Officers broke up their meeting and lunch to go
their own way, they had duties of their own to attend to and Thomas was
once again under the caring but stern eyes of Sergeant Fairley. The heat of
the day would be spent in the coolness of his bedroom for Thomas and
Fairley would see to it that he was not disturbed until the day had cooled
a little.


TBC.