Kentucky Gazette And General Advertiser

LONDON, Sept. 3.

A SET-OFF AGAINST AUSTERLITZ,
OR,
A VICTORY IN ITALY.

The Gazette of the 7th inst. contains a long and very interesting official account of a complete victory obtained in Calabria by the British troops under General Stuart, over the French troops under General Regnier. The former consisted of 4795 soldiers, and marched to the attack; the latter of 7000, placed in an excellent position. The rival nations seemed fairly put at issue before the world, and the result was glorious to the British arms.

A battalion under Col. Kempt, was directly opposed to the French favourite regiment 1st Légère. The two corps, at the distance of about one hundred yards, fired reciprocally a few rounds, when, as if by mutual agreement, the firing was suspended, and in close compact order and awful silence they advanced towards each other, until their bayonets began to cross. At this momentous crisis, the enemy became appalled. They broke and endeavoured to fly, but it was too late: they were overtaken with the most dreadful slaughter.

The enemy, after being broken on their left, made an effort on their right to retrieve the day. At this instant a fresh British regiment had landed from Sicily and joined in the attack. This was the last feeble struggle made by the enemy, who now, astonished and dismayed by the intrepidity with which they were assailed, began precipitately to retire, leaving the field covered with carnage. About seven hundred bodies of their dead have been buried upon the ground. The wounded (among which are general Compère, and prisoners already in our hands and an aid de-camp, the lieut. col. of the Swiss regiment, and a long list of officers of different ranks) amount to above one thousand.

There are also above one thousand men left in Monteleone and the different posts between this and Reggio, who have mostly notified their readiness to surrender whenever a British force shall be sent to receive their submission, and to protect them from the fury of the people. The peasantry are hourly bringing in fugitives, who dispersed in the woods and mountains after the battle. In short never was the pride of our presumptuous enemy more severely humbled, nor the superiority of the British troops more gloriously proved than in the events of this memorable day.

The total loss occasioned to the enemy by this conflict cannot be less than four thousand men.

I am now beginning my march southward, preparatory to my return to Sicily, for which station I shall re-embark with the army, as soon as his Sicilian majesty shall have arranged a disposition of his own forces to secure those advantages which have been gained by the present expedition.

The scene of action was too far from the sea to enable us to derive any direct co-operation from the navy.

The British had 45 killed, and 282 wounded.

The commencement of the campaign in Calabria has been as honourable to the British character, as important in its immediate effect.

The following is a summary of the proceedings of the army.

The principal disembarkation took place on the morning of the 1st of July, in the bay of St. Eufemia. A strong corps which pushed forward to reconnoitre, encountered a detachment of the enemy, consisting of four hundred men, about a mile and a half from the shore, which they defeated and routed taking above one half of them prisoners. At the same time the landing was made at St. Eufemia, an attack was made by Sir Sidney Smith on the castle of Amantea which was carried without the smallest loss on our part. By the 4th gen. Regnier had collected all the French troops in that quarter and advanced towards the bay of St. Eufemia, with an intention to attack the British. In this he was anticipated by the vigorous and active gallantry of general Stuart, who attacked and entirely defeated him, with the loss of upwards of two thousand men in killed and wounded, and prisoners; general Compère, with several other officers of rank, fell into our hands.

The loss of the British was one officer (capt. Maclean of the 20th foot) and fifty men killed; and eleven officers, and two hundred and fifty men wounded.

The force of the enemy was computed at seven thousand infantry, and three hundred cavalry. We are not able to ascertain the number of troops under general Stuart, it was stated in the slight notice in the French paper, to be from six to nine thousand men—perhaps it might be half the latter number.

The British have been joined by some thousands of brave Calabrians. If the inhabitants of the other subjugated countries of Europe had manifested the same brave and patriotic spirit of resistance as the Calabrians have done on the present occasion, the victories of Bonaparte would have been confined to a much smaller circle than they are at present.

The Tower and Park guns were fired yesterday for the victory in Calabria.

Several proclamations which honour humanity, have been issued by General Stuart and the king of Naples.

Calabria and Apulia, in the Neapolitan territory are in a complete state of insurrection.

It was clear that our troops in Naples could not withstand the immense French force which could be collected and brought against them. There is no doubt therefore, but they have returned to Sicily: but as we are masters of the sea, the dangers of our expeditions will keep 50,000 French soldiers in Naples on the alert.

The career of Massena is everywhere marked with blood. It is constantly stated, that all prisoners in every action, received military judgment on the spot; by which we suppose it is meant, that they received no quarter in the heat of battle, and were shot in cold blood.

...PROCLAMATION.

Of Sir F. Stuart, knight of the grand imperial order of the crescent, and commander in chief of the troops of his Britannic majesty, landed in Calabria.

I have been informed, that since the battle of the 4th inst. some of the persons attached to the French cause, and supported by some detachments of their troops, have been guilty of the most atrocious enormities, in plundering the villages and assassinating the inhabitants under the pretext of punishing them for their demonstrations of attachment to their legitimate sovereign.

I have also learned, that the enemy under the same pretext, has subjected the district of Cotrone, to military chastisement; and that at the French head quarters, the same intention has been declared with respect to the whole of the country which they may have occupied in their flight.

Wherever the British army has advanced, submission has always been recompensed by protection, I have forbidden any animadversions to be cast upon past opinions. I have prohibited all private animosities, and to encourage the peasants to behave with humanity towards the French soldiers (who since their last defeat have been dispersed in the woods and mountains) I offered a liberal reward for every prisoner who should be brought unhurt to the British camp, and by these means I have preserved the lives of many hundred men.

In return for this, plunder and devastation have marked the retreat of the enemy; and it was a crime in the peasants to have witnessed the discomfiture and dishonor of his arms.

On this subject it therefore becomes necessary for me to appeal to the recollection of the French commanders, and to state not only that many of their declared and known partisans, are in my power, but that the signal success of the army under my command, has placed in my hands above three thousand prisoners. If, therefore such violences are not put an end to in future, I shall not only deem myself justified, but even compelled by my duty, to have recourse to the severe, but indispensable law of reprisals.

(Signed)
J. STUART.

Head quarters at Bagnaro,
July 18, 1806.