Collections - Letters
Letters of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Bevan, 1804-1811.
Letter Number 15
Dated: 28 Sept 1808 from CB at Queluz, near Lisbon
(address not stated) Addressed to: Mrs Impudence
The Pallas Frigate yesterday, my dearest Mary, brought your letter of
the 11th inst. by which I have the happiness of learning that you and
our dear little Boys are quite well I also had the very great
satisfaction to receive a letter from my sister Caroline, the date much
older than yours I thank God for this happy and I confess to me
unexpected news, - I hope they will now be happy and comfortable
together I am glad to hear your Father is so much better and shall be
more so to hear he has left London for Cheltenham, you know I have great
confidence in these waters. I should not have the least objection to be
there with you and our little men, had we the wherewithal Your
opportunity of forwarding your letter was a most excellent one Kennedy
was the Chief Commissary to our Army, I mean by that Sir John Moores;
and a most excellent man. I hear the Pallas is to return to England
immediately and I shall take care that this letter is on board in a few
hours. As to a Lt. Colcy I have given up all hopes and shall shortly
give up all wishes for if I do not get it speedily the rank will be of
no use to me and I had better remain a Major This is hard but I am
pretty well accustomed to disappointments, and what is more there is no
relief. We find by the last papers that you are all very much
dissatisfied at home with the conduct of our Commander-in-Chief Sir H.
Dalrymple I have not however seen any of them and only hear this by
report the only paper I saw was a gazette with three Lt.Colcys given
away (by purchase) and some of the Majors this year younger than myself
Have you lately heard from Mrs Shaw or have you written to her for she
is very particular I will write to her the moment we get into cover
but at present in the continual bustle of Browne and all other people my
head is hardly my own. Col Belson arrived here two days ago Gen Paget
has gone with the Corps under his command to the Frontier we expect to
go into Spain after the wet season- I hope Sir J. Moore will be at the
head of the British Army on all accounts The present system is not a
liberal one Sir A. Wellesley is by this time at home and will if his
character is attacked no doubt speak plainly. We have many sad stories
in loud circulation here For their truth we do not answer since as
we were denied all participation in the glory it is but just that we be
exonerated from all share of censure my wes allude to our Army, which
is explained Oh! My dear Mary I long to embrace you very very much but
I do not wish to come home without a Lt Colcy. for we shall then be more
settled at least comparatively speaking I fear when it does arrive it
will be in some dreadful Corps but Rank is the thing.
I did not understand until your last letter who was with you at Bognor
I am delighted you have with you companions so dear to you My best
love to all, and pray when you write to London say everything for me to
your Father and Mother & to Jemima and James of course God protect my
dear Mary and her children
Always yours
C.B.
I wish you would forward the enclosed with a line from yourself
NOTES BY TRANSCRIBER
i) Kennedy Robert Kennedy was the highly valued Chief Commissary whose
departure was seen as a loss by Wellington who said his wife had lured
him back to England
ii) Moore Sir John Moore took over when Wellesley was recalled with
Dalrymple and Burnand to face enquiry into the unpopular Sintra
Convention. Moore rightly enjoyed a high reputation and was popular with
the Army.
iii) Col Belson arrived to take over command of 1st Bn 28th. Major J F
Browne, evidently unpopular with CB was a year senior to CB and had
commanded the Regiment since Johnson retired sick from Sweden in June
1808. Browne commanded a Bn of Flank Companies at Barrosa and was
commended. He was promoted from Brevet Lt Col to return to command
1/28th in 1816
iv) James Marys elder brother then reaching command of a Frigate in
1812 his Guerriere was famously captured by US Frigate Constitution.
However he survived to reach Admiral in due course
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