第2章 BATTLE OF CORUNA AND DEATH OF MOORE 拉科鲁尼亚之战和莫尔爵士之死

January 17, 1809.

As the troops approached Coruna, the General's looks were directed towards the harbour; but an open expanse of water painfully convinced him that to Fortune, at least, he was no way beholden: contrary winds still detained the fleet at Vigo, and the last consuming exertion made by the army was rendered fruitless! The men were put into quarters, and their leader awaited the progress of events.

Three divisions occupied the town and suburbs of Coruna, and the reserve was posted near the neighbouring village of El Burgo. For twelve days these hardy soldiers had covered the retreat; during which time they had traversed eighty miles of road in two marches, passed several nights under arms in the snow of the mountains, and been seven times engaged with the enemy. They now assembled at the outposts, having fewer men missing from the ranks than any other division in the army.

The town of Coruna, although sufficiently strong to oblige an enemy to break ground before it, was weakly fortified, and to the southward was commanded by some heights close to the walls. Sir John Moore therefore caused the land front to be strengthened, and occupied the citadel, but disarmed the sea face of the works.

The late arrival of the transports, the increasing force of the enemy, and the disadvantageous nature of the ground, had greatly augmented the difficulty and danger of the embarkation; and several general officers now proposed to the commander-in-chief that he should negotiate for leave to retire to his ships upon terms. Moore's high spirit and clear judgment revolted at the idea, and he rejected the degrading advice without hesitation.

All the encumbrances of the army were shipped in the night of the 15th and morning of the 16th, and everything was prepared to withdraw the fighting men as soon as the darkness would permit them to move without being perceived. The precautions taken would, without doubt, have insured the success of that difficult operation; but a more glorious event was destined to give a melancholy but graceful termination to the campaign. About two o'clock in the afternoon a general movement along the French line gave notice of an approaching battle…

Sir John Moore, while earnestly watching the result of the fight, was struck on the left breast by a cannon shot. The shock threw him from his horse with violence; but he rose again in a sitting posture, his countenance unchanged, and his steadfast eye still fixed upon the regiments engaged in his front, no sigh betraying a sensation of pain. In a few moments, when he was satisfied that the troops were gaining ground, his countenance brightened, and he suffered himself to be taken to the rear.

Then was seen the dreadful nature of his hurt. The shoulder was shattered to pieces; the arm was hanging by a piece of skin; the ribs over the heart were broken and bared of flesh; and the muscles of the breast were torn into long strips, which were interlaced by their recoil from the dragging of the shot, As the soldiers placed him in a blanket, his sword got entangled, and the hilt entered the wound. Captain Hardinge, a staff officer who was near, attempted to take it off; but the dying man stopped him,saying,“It is as well as it is.I had rather it should go out of the field with me;”—and in that manner,so becoming to a soldier,Moore was borne from the fight.

Sir John Hope, upon whom the command of the army now devolved, resolved to pursue the original plan of embarking during the night. This operation was effected without delay. The arrangements were so complete that neither confusion nor difficulty occurred. The piquets, kindling a number of fires, covered the retreat of the columns; and being themselves withdrawn at daybreak, were embarked under the protection of General Hill's brigade, which was posted near the ramparts of the town. This done, Hill's brigade embarked from the citadel; while General Beresford, with a rear guard, kept possession of that work until the 18th, when, the wounded being all put on board, his troops likewise embarked. The inhabitants faithfully maintained the town against the French, and the fleet sailed for England.

From the spot where he fell, Sir John Moore had been carried to the town by a party of soldiers. His blood flowed fast, and the torture of his wound was great;yet such was the unshaken firmness of his mind, that those about him, judging from the resolution of his countenance that his hurt was not mortal, expressed a hope of his recovery. Hearing this, he looked steadfastly at the injury for a moment, and then said,“No; I feel that to be impossible.”Several times he caused his attendants to stop and turn him round, that he might behold the field of battle; and when the firing indicated the advance of the British, he discovered his satisfaction, and permitted the bearers to proceed.

Being brought to his lodging, the surgeons examined his wound; but there was no hope. The pain increased, and he spoke with great difficulty. At intervals he asked if the French were beaten; and addressing his old friend, Colonel Anderson, he said,“You know that I always wished to die this way.”Again he asked if the enemy were defeated; and, being told that they were, observed,“It is a great satisfaction to me to know that we have beaten the French.”His countenance continued firm and his thoughts clear. Once only, when he spoke of his mother, he became agitated; but he often inquired after the safety of his friends and the officers of his staff; and he did not, even in that moment, forget to recommend those whose merit had given them claims to promotion.

His strength failed fast, and life was nearly extinct, when, with an almost un-subdued spirit, he exclaimed,“I hope the people of England will be satisfied! I hope my country will do me justice!”A few minutes afterwards he died; and his corpse, wrapped in a military cloak, was interred by the officers of his staff in the citadel of Coruna, The guns of the enemy paid his funeral honours; and Soult, with a noble feeling of respect for his valour, raised a monument to his memory.

Thus ended the career of Sir John Moore, a man whose uncommon capacity was sustained by the purest virtue, and governed by a disinterested patriotism, more in keeping with the primitive than with the luxurious age of a great nation. He maintained the right with a vehemence bordering upon fierceness; and every important transaction in which he was engaged increased his reputation for talent, and confirmed his character as a stern enemy to vice, a steadfast friend to merit —a just and faithful servant of his country.

—Sir W. Napier

Words

agitated,moved.

approached,neared.

attempted,endeavoured.

augmented,increased.

capacity,ability.

citadel,fortress.

consuming,exhausting.

convinced,satisfied.

defeated,beaten.

devolved,fell

disadvantageous,unfavourable.

discovered,exhibited.

disinterested,unselfish.

embarking,going aboard.

encumbrances,baggage.

interlaced,entangled.

interred,buried.

melancholy,sad.

precautions,measures.

promotion,advancement.

protection,cover.

reputation,fame.

resolution,firmness.

resolved,determined.

steadfast,firm.

sufficiently,adequately.

transaction,business.

traversed,crossed.

violence,force.

Questions

When was the Battle of Coruña fought? Who was the British commander-in-chief? Why was it necessary to fight the battle? What proposal of some of his officers did he reject? How was he wounded? What was the result of the engagement? When did the embarkation take place? In whom did Moore show much interest in his later moments? What were his last words? What was his character?

1809年1月17日

部队渐渐接近拉科鲁尼亚，将军径直望向海港。眼前苍茫的海水痛苦地提醒着他，至少，他是没有责任的。舰队被大风滞留在比戈，上一次敌军猛烈的阻击毫无建树。部队已经驻扎在此，他们的首领正等待着事态有所进展。

三个师的部队已经占领了拉科鲁尼亚的城镇和郊野，储备也放置在邻近的埃尔武尔戈村。过去的12天中，这些勇敢的将士们分为两队行军，撤退了128公里。期间，他们带着武器翻越了众多雪山，并且七次与敌人相遇。他们如今聚集在前哨，比其他部队的队列都更好地保存了兵力。

拉科鲁尼亚镇虽然足够抵抗敌军在它前方开辟阵地，但防守相对薄弱。约翰·莫尔爵士因此加强了陆上的防守，占领了要塞，但解除了靠海方面的工事。

运送物资抵达的推迟，敌军火力的增强，此地的自然缺陷，都大大增强了登船的困难与危险。众多主要将领都向他们的主将提议，他应该同大家商议，以撤回船只。但莫尔爵士的进取心和清晰判断力使他坚决反对并拒绝了这一提议。

所有部队的装备都在15日夜里和16日凌晨装运上船。为了能让战士们趁敌人察觉不到而尽快在黑暗中撤离，一切都准备好了。毋庸置疑，为了保证这一困难行动的成功，预防措施也已做好。但另一件更光荣的事件注定会让这一行动终止。大约下午2点钟，法国沿岸的一次行动带来了一场战斗。

在焦虑地观看战事结果时，约翰·莫尔爵士的左胸被炮弹射中。他从马背上猛地摔了下来。但他立即又恢复了坐立的姿势，表情丝毫未变，眼神刚毅地盯着他前方的战场，甚至没有一声因为疼痛而发出的叹息。当最终满意地得知他的部队占领了阵地时，他的表情又一次明朗起来，他才允许将自己抬到后方。

接下来人们看到了他的伤势有多可怕。肩膀已经碎裂，胳膊只由一层皮肤连接着悬挂在那里，心脏上方的肋骨已经断了，甚至都露出了肉，胸部的肌肉被撕裂成一条一条，因为炮弹的袭击而相互交错。战士们用毯子裹住了他，他的剑已经缠绕弯曲，甚至插进了他的伤口。一位在附近的军官——哈丁格上尉试图将碎片取出，但奄奄一息的莫尔爵士阻止了他：“就这样待着吧。我宁愿它们随我从战场上一起出去。”一位亲历这一刻的战士说道：莫尔爵士在战斗中获得了重生！”

约翰·霍普爵士如今掌管了部队的指挥权。他决定坚持夜间出发的最初计划。行动立即得以执行。事先的安排如此完备，没有任何困难发生。部队的撤退，由哨兵点燃的大火掩护完成。这支部队在黎明完成撤退，其间驻扎在镇中要塞的希尔将军的军团提供了保护。这一步之后，希尔将军的军团也从要塞出发。同时，贝雷斯福德将军在后方部队的掩护下，占据了这一要塞，直到18日。在所有伤员都成功登船之后，他的部队也同样出发了。舰队出发前往英格兰，当地居民信誓旦旦地要从法国人手中保住镇子。

从他受伤的地方出发，莫尔爵士被一队战士拉到了镇子上。他血流不止，伤口疼痛难忍。但他的意志依旧坚忍，从他坚定的表情可以判断，这个伤口可能不是致命的。大家都盼望着他能够康复。他坚定地看了伤口一会儿，说道：“不，我觉得不可能。”他好多次让随从停下来，把他抬回去，这样他能看到战场。当获悉英国部队又前进了，他才满意地允许战士们继续前进。

把莫尔爵士抬到他的屋子之后，军医检查了他的伤口。希望全无。疼痛在滋长，他说话都费力了。他不停地询问，法国是否已经战败。他对他的老朋友安德森上校说：“你了解，我一直想这样死去。”然后他又一次问敌军是否已战败。当得知结果时，他说：“得知我们战胜了法国，我很满足。”他的表情依旧坚定，思维依旧清晰。只有一次，当他说到自己的母亲时，他变得异常激动。他还经常询问他的朋友、部下是否安全。此时此刻，他甚至没有忘记推荐让几个因优秀品质而著名的将士得到提拔。

他的力气消退得很快，生命也几乎停止。当他的神智几乎紊乱时，他说道：“我希望英格兰人民能够满意，我希望我的祖国充满正义。”几分钟之后，他去世了。战士们将他的尸体包裹在一件军大衣里，埋葬在拉科鲁尼亚的要塞。敌人的枪支为他的葬礼带来了荣光。带着对他的勇敢的崇敬，人们为他树起了一座纪念碑。

约翰·莫尔爵士的事业就此终结。他的纯净美德支撑着他的超凡能力。他无私的爱国情谊在一个伟大国家的初始阶段，甚至超过了在它的繁盛时期。在严厉的反对声中，他能够坚定地坚持正确的决定。这增加了他天才的声誉。他的名字，对于他凶残的敌人，意味着让人痛恨的罪恶；而对他坚定的朋友，则意味着值得称颂的美德。因此，他可谓他的祖国最忠诚的仆人。

——W.内皮尔爵士