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Thread: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent (COMPLETED)

  1. #1
    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent (COMPLETED)

    The Journals of John MacDougal
    War Correspondent
    London Times



    Introduction Video **HERE**

    Almost fifty years ago, in the early 19th Century, I was a journalist for The Times of London. I was assigned to cover the devastating first Napoleonic War, and was attached to Lord Strathmere's army during his Spanish campaign in 1805.

    I was present at Orleans on December 14th, 1806, when Napoleon Bonaparte, the self-styled Emperor of Europe, was killed in battle. I took leave of my job for several years following that battle, traveling to the Americas, as I had seen as much murder and destruction to last me five lifetimes in that war.

    Being one of the few living witnesses to that battle, and in my old age, indeed, to that war, many journalists, historians, and often the casually curious, have asked for my account of those years and events. I have been loathe to share it, as those who have not witnessed war on such a scale will often romanticize it, believing it to be full of glory interspersed with moments of unpleasantness. For myself, I have tried, with little success, to forget those times, and my youthful enthusiasm that accompanied them.

    For posterity, or perhaps even some vanity, I will share my account of the Battle of Orleans, and the events to its leading.

    - Sir John MacDougal, 1859
    TO BE CONTINUED...

    Journal Entry Index [thx luckylewis ]:
    #2: Summer 1805 and the Battle of Toledo
    #3: The Pursuit of Diaz and The Battle of Pamplona, 1806
    #
    4: The Battle of Pamplona (continued), 1806
    #5: The Death of Bonaparte, 1806 (final journal entry)


    Basic Info
    Main Mod: none yet, but using small mods for sound, blood, tracers, flags and battle speed (thx scivian, mech, johan, radius, JFC)
    Faction: Great Britain
    Difficulty: H/H
    Description: War Correspondence
    Index of Videos:
    - Introduction
    - Battle of Toledo
    - Battle of Pamplona, Part 1
    - Battle of Pamplona, Part 2
    - Death of Bonaparte
    NEW!! Debts of Honour (a TW movie)...based on these journals
    Last edited by Nanny de Bodemloze; April 11, 2010 at 10:49 PM.

  2. #2
    ♔GrinningManiac♔'s Avatar Centenarius
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Woah
    Epic trailer, my man

  3. #3
    Lord Tomyris's Avatar Cheshire Cat
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Pretty awesome vid!


    Ex-Quaestor of TWC: Resigned 7th May 2004

  4. #4
    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    (from the Journals of John MacDougal...)


    Summer 1805 and the Battle of Toledo


    ----------Toledo Battle Video **HERE**
    ---------


    I left Portsmouth in May of 1805 aboard the
    Agincourt in Admiral Nelson's fleet. He was escorting a convoy of trade ships as far as Gibraltar, where they would then continue to the Americas or beyond. Nelson's main task was to transport reinforcements to Wellington, who was busy relieving the pressure on our Prussian allies by opening a front in Spain, and providing the push towards France that Portugal could not do on its own. After an uneventful three week journey, we arrived in Gibraltar at the port of Algeciras.

    I traveled north with the 12th Foot to reinforce Wellington (the 28th, while on board the Spartan, caught the measles and could not make the journey north), who was camped at Toledo on the south bank of the Tajo, about 30 miles south of Madrid. He was blocking all trade on that route, and threatening the Spanish capital. A large Spanish force was north of the river and Wellington, his force diminished and with no mortars or siege artillery, had chosen to wait and draw out General Diaz's Madrid army and fight on ground of his choosing. With Spain's south cut off for weeks, Diaz finally obliged.

    In the meantime, the 12th Foot and the supply wagons I was accompanying were ambushed near Ciudad, on the road north to Toledo. The regiment scattered, and I fled north with eleven other survivors. We eventually arrived at Wellington's camp at the Tajo, 10 days later. Disappointed in the loss of his scarce reinforcements, Wellington dug in and awaited the arrival of Diaz's army.

    His scouts had returned and reported the approach of a large Spanish army, with a mix of light infantry, irregulars, 9 lber artillery, and heavy cavalry. Wellington had fewer numbers, but a superior position, south of the city, with time forcing the Spaniards to cross at either the only bridge in the city or a ford about 2 miles to the east at the village of Azucaica.

    On the eve of June 10th, I was introduced to Wellington himself. In my youthful enthusiasm, I ensured him that I would not make him look bad in the Times. He smiled and told me that if Diaz broke through our line on the morrow, what I wrote wouldn't make a stick of difference. The next morning, a Major in the 8th Foot presented me with a Charleville
    musket, and ordered me to report to him as a runner for his regiment. When I explained to him that I had only rudimentary musket training while aboard the Agincourt, he insisted that my slight appearance, civilian dress, and abundance of writing materials might mislead the Spanish to believe me a spy rather than a journalist in the event of my capture. After a few moments consideration of the consequences of such a mix-up, I complied, donned a tall hat, and set about to practice loading and cleaning my musket for two hours. As things turned out, I never had to fire it.

    Not wishing to march into the sun, Diaz waited until mid-day to move from the town. The dust was swirling across the flats, and only the cooling breeze near the river made the heat and dust bearable. Wellington, waiting for Diaz to commit his main force to either the bridge or the ford, split his force and placed three dragoon regiments in the middle, ready to react wherever the main force crossed.

    Wellington led the west bridge defense, taking with him the 14th and 15th Foot, the German Light, and the 18th and 19th 6 lber artillery. General Strathmere lead the Azucaica Ford army with the 8th and 9th Foot, the 19th Light, and the 21st and 22nd 9 lber artillery. At both locations, barricades had been erected in an attempt to slow down the Spanish cavalry. These were hastily erected during the night, as the previous day the Spanish artillery has sighted the crossings, and were within range. The Spain buglers signaled their advance sometime after noon, and three regiments advanced towards the ford in an apparent feint. While the artillery opened up on us at the Azucaica Ford, through the dust it was clear that the main force would hit the bridge.

    I was with the army at Azucaica and witnessed the battle there, but I spoke to a reliable and perceptive artillery ensign after the Toledo bridge battle and received a detailed account of events to the west.


    The Azucaica Ford

    The Spanish artillery, with elevation and cover in the town, bombarded our lines ahead of their infantry. Heavy rains two days before had swelled the river, and the Spaniards faced a perilous crossing in waist-deep water. General Strathmere, knowing the vulnerability of anyone crossing at that point, had created a killing zone, with the river at the out-limits of his grape-shot. The barricades, crude as they were, helped funnel their infantry on the north shore. Our lines held under their barrage, and when their troops were within range, our 9 lbers opened fire with roundshot. They reached the north shore, and began to cross en masse. The order for our lines to fire was withheld, for maximum effect, but this worked only in theory. In truth, the pressure to hold fire under artillery barrage is usually too great for the average foot soldier. Sporadic musket fire lead to a full exchange of fire, although it seemed that our artillery did most of the damage.

    The result was murderous. A few brave souls actually made the crossing to our south bank, but were felled nearly to a man by small arms fire. Many stood in the water, firing defiantly at our lines, but the feint was not designed to penetrate. These men were to occupy our force at the ford long enough to give their main army a chance for success at the Toledo Bridge. The engagement lasted only 10 minutes. Most of our casualties were the result of their cannon, which ceased with their retreat as their guns were redeployed closer to the Toledo Bridge.

    What I remember most was the noise. The ambush at Ciudad weeks before had been a two-minute affair, with no artillery and no cavalry involved, so I was completely unprepared for the unsettling and disorienting effect that cannon fire, both ours and theirs, would have on me. The very ground shook beneath me, and my brain felt rocked by the impact of roundshot hitting the muddy river bank. The musketfire around me, from our own lines, was so deafening that it drowned out the sound of our own cannonfire. In fact, I rarely heard the cannon above the muskets. When four men beside me literally disappeared from the impact of a 9 lber, I don't think I heard anything above the ringing in my ears. My mind would not work, and I'm sure I could not have loaded my musket if my very life depended upon it at any part of the battle. But the noise that has haunted me for so long was the screams of the horses as bouncing roundshot would blow the very legs out from under them. The cries of wounded and dying men were horrific to be sure, but those screaming horses...I do not know why, but that is a sound I never forget. It is a noise created to torment our souls.

    As in a trance, during battle, I watched a soldier who stood about 10 paces from me, on the left wing of our artillery battery. The repetition of his method, of loading and firing, with all hell breaking loose around him. I was mesmerized, clearly stunned by the barrage, acrid smoke, and the surrealness that comes with one's first battle experience. This soldier, clearly with much experience, never left his routine, and in fact did not even seem to be aiming his rifle (simply pointing it in a general direction). He would open the prime, smoothly pick a cartridge out of the giberne, bite the tip, prime the musket with a bit of powder, close the prime, empty the power down the barrel, ram the cartridge down with the ramrod, cock, point, shoot. I watched him repeat this, perhaps 7 or 8 times, before my attention returned to the carnage around me. I could pick out his face in a crowd if presented with an opportunity, even now, fifty years later. But I never saw him again after that battle, and I do not know what became of him.

    While only about 10 minutes long, the battle exhausted me both physically and mentally, and strangely, though we could hear the battle raging up river, I believe I could have napped beneath a tree soon after but for the work that follows such a thing. The wounded had to be helped, and until the battle at the bridge was resolved, we had to remain ready for a retreat, a second assault, or an order to provide assistance.


    The Toledo Bridge

    Wellington's force took the brunt of the Spanish assault, and it was there where we took most of our casualties. Under a wicked barrage, their infantry held fast for a time on the bridge, using the rails as cover looking down upon our foot regiments. Eventually, however, our grapeshot was simply too much to resist, and they fled the field. While retreating, their General lead a valiant charge of three cavalry regiments across that bridge. Their horses, slipping on the blood of so many of their dead, managed to keep composed, much to the awe and admiration of our men. Like demons or men possessed, their horsemen pressed on, coming within 3 or 4 paces of our infantry lines before finally breaking. Very few retreated...they died nearly to a man. Ensign Wood, of the 18th Artillery, told me of how a single officer, clearly unaware that all of his comrades had fallen, charged on towards our line. When he saw all muskets trained upon him, he must have realized the futility of his action just before his death. His body marked the farthest the Spanish were able to push south of the Tajo river.

    Their artillery continued to pin our men, well after the outcome of the battle was determined. Wellington ordered the dragoons to remount. At the outset of the battle, they had raced west to reinforce his army. Now, those dragoons were sent east to our position at the ford where they crossed and routed the Spanish batteries from the flank. The Spanish were driven from the field, and I would estimated their losses at around 1500 dead and wounded. Our casualties were considerable with around 400 dead, wounded or missing. We entered Toledo proper, brought many of our wounded to the beautiful Santa Maria cathedral, and set about to prepare for the inevitable march to Madrid.

    - Sir John MacDougal, 1859


    (to be continued...)
    Last edited by Nanny de Bodemloze; March 03, 2010 at 01:29 PM.

  5. #5
    LuckyLewis's Avatar Loutre
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Nice AAR +rep

    Your videos are really good, especially your latest one, I'm very impressed
    Muh signature is so out of date all muh pictures died.

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    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Quote Originally Posted by Luckylewis View Post
    Nice AAR +rep

    Your videos are really good, especially your latest one, I'm very impressed
    ty sir!! I'm following your AAR...you take 'em in the north, and I'll drive up from the south...see you in Paris!

  7. #7
    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    (from the Journals of John MacDougal)
    The Pursuit of Diaz and The Battle of Pamplona, 1806
    -------- Pamplona Battle Video, Part 1 **HERE**----------

    I spent much of the time in late 1805 under the care of the camp surgeon. A wood splint thrown through the air in an explosion had entered my right thigh, and while it was immediately removed, it had become infected within weeks. This occurred during a minor battle, north of Madrid, a few weeks after the Spain capital was seized...a stray cannon shot to be sure, because I was far back from the front line. The infection was bad enough that the surgeon had designs to amputate. But after seeing too many men go through that grizzly experience, I begged him to hold off. Begrudgingly, and with the resigned experience of a man who had long given up arguing with a patient, he left me to my fate. Thankfully, the wound did heal, but it is that wound that left me with the pronounced limp I have today.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    While I remained in hospital, Wellington's army had been cleaning up resistance throughout central Spain, going back as far as Gibraltar to chase down some stray Spanish regiments before they could threaten the southern ports. General Diaz had survived the battle of Toledo, and had retreated back across the Ebro River to the north-east so he could winter in the safe confines of Pamplona. He did not remain idle. He spent the winter traveling throughout northern Spain, raising militias and organizing his remaining regulars. He also continued to receive considerable help from France in both monies and supply.

    Successful as he was in central Spain, Wellington knew that he could not lead an assault on Diaz in Pamplona without resupply and reinforcements from England. He sent word to London of his intent, and his plans for the summer campaign of the following year, along with his requests for men and goods. Over the next months, a steady stream of fresh troops and equipment was flowing from Gibraltar.

    By January, my wound had almost completely healed, and I was able to resume the duties of my assignment. I spoke extensively with Wellington's senior officers, and they displayed incredible patience at my amateurish knowledge of warfare and what had to seem like naive questions on my part. First, I was unprepared for the slow speed at which armies move, learning over the campaign that without steady supply, an army is just a large gathering of bored and hungry men. The logistics these officers had to manage was staggering to me, with many of them providing the most up-to-date figures of men and supply in incredible detail. The exact location of every well in the region. The number of pigs and chickens on hand. The number of sick and precise knowledge of each soldiers state of recovery. It was during this time that I learned that warfare was about so much more than the battlefield, and eventually I understood a flippant remark I overheard from Wellington the previous year, that the battle is won or lost "long before we ever see the enemy".

    In May, 1806, Wellington's massive force left Madrid and marched north to Zaragoza to cross the Ebro. I was heartened to be out of the city, but the heat was suffocating, and I did not yet have the stamina for long marches. Wellington met little resistance on the road to Zaragoza, and while his troops seemed encouraged by their relative ease of travel, the General knew better. His scouts, commanded by a dashing figure named Colonel Bertrand "Buck" Wilford, had been carefully monitoring Diaz's movements for months, and had kept Wellington appraised of a massive Spanish force rallying in Pampalona. Wellington knew that his ease of movement was attributed to Diaz's wish to hit our armies with a single massive blow. On June 2nd, the British army, over 3000 strong with 10 infantry regiments, 5 artillery battalions, and nearly 500 cavalry and dragoons, crossed the Ebro and turned west.

    Diaz, well aware of our presence, was busy picking a spot along our route most suitable for his defense and most necessary for our travel. On the morning of July 3rd, Wellington's army was camped 4 miles from a village called Monreal, only 10 miles itself from Pamplona, when Wilford's scouts returned with word that they had spotted Diaz's army only 3 miles ahead. The officers were gathered, maps were examined, a plan was drafted, and by late morning, the army began the march out of camp to meet the enemy. The fate of Spain would be determined near that sleepy village, in what is now known as the Battle of Pamplona.

    - Sir John MacDougal, 1859


    (to be continued)

  8. #8
    LuckyLewis's Avatar Loutre
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    I commented on youtube about the video itself, fantastic as usual.

    I love the story about how the wound was picked up.
    Muh signature is so out of date all muh pictures died.

  9. #9
    Mueller's Avatar Foederatus
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Your AAR is very unique and well written! I really enjoy the video element of it. You are quite an excellent storyteller!

  10. #10

    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Great videos and AAR!

    Keep them coming!

  11. #11
    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    thanks guys! Its heartening to know that someone out there is reading this Part II of the battle is coming soon...but you know Hollywood and production delays...my director is stoned half the time, the lead actor wants more money, and the producer forgot to get a permit!

  12. #12
    ReD_OcToBeR's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Awesome videos. I always thought about your concept of using them, but never did carry out my thoughts. Excellent AAR.

  13. #13

    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    fantastic AAR m8, I love how your going in the same way wellington did it back then. +rep, and which software do you use for the movies?

  14. #14
    LuckyLewis's Avatar Loutre
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Yeah, his videos are excellent.

    Nanny, just a suggestion, why don't you wrap your videos with the youtube tags instead of just a simple link? Maybe it's personal taste but I think It would make your AAR look much more attactive.

    example using your latest video:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Last edited by LuckyLewis; March 06, 2010 at 05:08 PM.
    Muh signature is so out of date all muh pictures died.

  15. #15
    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    ya I used to do that but I don't like the small picture...gotta GO BIG! LOL (btw...I like that front pg index idea Lucky...I may steal that one from ya

    I use FRAPS for capture, and Vegas 9 to develop.

    cheers all!

  16. #16

    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    I love the style of your writing, and those videos are totally awesome. Please keep doing what you are doing good Sir!
    Suum cuique

  17. #17
    B-DizL's Avatar TGW Lead Modeller
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    So judging by your latest update are we to believe war correspondents in 1805 had handheld digital video recorders... j/k I really like the style of the third video it really makes you feel you are in the battle
    amongst the troops

    I prefer the way you are doing it now(without youtube tags) i think it looks more classy

    Excellent all around! Keep it coming! +rep

  18. #18

    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Damn! That is one sweet AAR!

    I love your video for the Toldeo battle! Watch 3:36 and look behind the officer... the way that cavalryman dies is so epic... and with blood... and in slo-mo! I also love in your last vid how you put in bagpipe sounds when the camera was on the Highlanders! Excellent work.

    Congrats, that's some cool work. Have some rep.
    Last edited by The Gallant Forty-Twa; March 07, 2010 at 02:25 PM.

  19. #19
    Domesticus
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    you have to be one of the best aar writers on this forum

  20. #20
    Nanny de Bodemloze's Avatar Treason is just dates
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    Default Re: [NTW AAR] Journals of John MacDougal, War Correspondent

    Thanks so very much for the encouragement! Helps get me through the slogging of finishing Pamplona Part II I should have an update tomorrow!

    Quote Originally Posted by The Gallant Forty-Twa View Post
    I also love in your last vid how you put in bagpipe sounds when the camera was on the Highlanders!.
    ...that's my own little bagpipe mod

    cheers everyone!

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