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 Coru?a 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

部隊漸漸接近拉科魯尼亞，將軍徑直望向海港。眼前蒼茫的海水痛苦地提醒著他，至少，他是沒有責任的。艦隊被大風滯留在比戈，上一次敵軍猛烈的阻擊毫無建樹。部隊已經(jīng)駐扎在此，他們的首領(lǐng)正等待著事態(tài)有所進展。

三個師的部隊已經(jīng)占領(lǐng)了拉科魯尼亞的城鎮(zhèn)和郊野，儲備也放置在鄰近的埃爾武爾戈村。過去的12天中，這些勇敢的將士們分為兩隊行軍，撤退了128公里。期間，他們帶著武器翻越了眾多雪山，并且七次與敵人相遇。他們?nèi)缃窬奂谇吧冢绕渌筷牭年犃卸几玫乇４媪吮Α?

拉科魯尼亞鎮(zhèn)雖然足夠抵抗敵軍在它前方開辟陣地，但防守相對薄弱。約翰·莫爾爵士因此加強了陸上的防守，占領(lǐng)了要塞，但解除了靠海方面的工事。

運送物資抵達的推遲，敵軍火力的增強，此地的自然缺陷，都大大增強了登船的困難與危險。眾多主要將領(lǐng)都向他們的主將提議，他應該同大家商議，以撤回船只。但莫爾爵士的進取心和清晰判斷力使他堅決反對并拒絕了這一提議。

所有部隊的裝備都在15日夜里和16日凌晨裝運上船。為了能讓戰(zhàn)士們趁敵人察覺不到而盡快在黑暗中撤離，一切都準備好了。毋庸置疑，為了保證這一困難行動的成功，預防措施也已做好。但另一件更光榮的事件注定會讓這一行動終止。大約下午2點鐘，法國沿岸的一次行動帶來了一場戰(zhàn)斗。

在焦慮地觀看戰(zhàn)事結(jié)果時，約翰·莫爾爵士的左胸被炮彈射中。他從馬背上猛地摔了下來。但他立即又恢復了坐立的姿勢，表情絲毫未變，眼神剛毅地盯著他前方的戰(zhàn)場，甚至沒有一聲因為疼痛而發(fā)出的嘆息。當最終滿意地得知他的部隊占領(lǐng)了陣地時，他的表情又一次明朗起來，他才允許將自己抬到后方。

接下來人們看到了他的傷勢有多可怕。肩膀已經(jīng)碎裂，胳膊只由一層皮膚連接著懸掛在那里，心臟上方的肋骨已經(jīng)斷了，甚至都露出了肉，胸部的肌肉被撕裂成一條一條，因為炮彈的襲擊而相互交錯。戰(zhàn)士們用毯子裹住了他，他的劍已經(jīng)纏繞彎曲，甚至插進了他的傷口。一位在附近的軍官——哈丁格上尉試圖將碎片取出，但奄奄一息的莫爾爵士阻止了他：“就這樣待著吧。我寧愿它們隨我從戰(zhàn)場上一起出去。”一位親歷這一刻的戰(zhàn)士說道：莫爾爵士在戰(zhàn)斗中獲得了重生！”

約翰·霍普爵士如今掌管了部隊的指揮權(quán)。他決定堅持夜間出發(fā)的最初計劃。行動立即得以執(zhí)行。事先的安排如此完備，沒有任何困難發(fā)生。部隊的撤退，由哨兵點燃的大火掩護完成。這支部隊在黎明完成撤退，其間駐扎在鎮(zhèn)中要塞的希爾將軍的軍團提供了保護。這一步之后，希爾將軍的軍團也從要塞出發(fā)。同時，貝雷斯福德將軍在后方部隊的掩護下，占據(jù)了這一要塞，直到18日。在所有傷員都成功登船之后，他的部隊也同樣出發(fā)了。艦隊出發(fā)前往英格蘭，當?shù)鼐用裥攀牡┑┑匾獜姆▏耸种斜Ｗ℃?zhèn)子。

從他受傷的地方出發(fā)，莫爾爵士被一隊戰(zhàn)士拉到了鎮(zhèn)子上。他血流不止，傷口疼痛難忍。但他的意志依舊堅忍，從他堅定的表情可以判斷，這個傷口可能不是致命的。大家都盼望著他能夠康復。他堅定地看了傷口一會兒，說道：“不，我覺得不可能。”他好多次讓隨從停下來，把他抬回去，這樣他能看到戰(zhàn)場。當獲悉英國部隊又前進了，他才滿意地允許戰(zhàn)士們繼續(xù)前進。

把莫爾爵士抬到他的屋子之后，軍醫(yī)檢查了他的傷口。希望全無。疼痛在滋長，他說話都費力了。他不停地詢問，法國是否已經(jīng)戰(zhàn)敗。他對他的老朋友安德森上校說：“你了解，我一直想這樣死去。”然后他又一次問敵軍是否已戰(zhàn)敗。當?shù)弥Y(jié)果時，他說：“得知我們戰(zhàn)勝了法國，我很滿足。”他的表情依舊堅定，思維依舊清晰。只有一次，當他說到自己的母親時，他變得異常激動。他還經(jīng)常詢問他的朋友、部下是否安全。此時此刻，他甚至沒有忘記推薦讓幾個因優(yōu)秀品質(zhì)而著名的將士得到提拔。

他的力氣消退得很快，生命也幾乎停止。當他的神智幾乎紊亂時，他說道：“我希望英格蘭人民能夠滿意，我希望我的祖國充滿正義。”幾分鐘之后，他去世了。戰(zhàn)士們將他的尸體包裹在一件軍大衣里，埋葬在拉科魯尼亞的要塞。敵人的槍支為他的葬禮帶來了榮光。帶著對他的勇敢的崇敬，人們?yōu)樗麡淦鹆艘蛔o念碑。

約翰·莫爾爵士的事業(yè)就此終結(jié)。他的純凈美德支撐著他的超凡能力。他無私的愛國情誼在一個偉大國家的初始階段，甚至超過了在它的繁盛時期。在嚴厲的反對聲中，他能夠堅定地堅持正確的決定。這增加了他天才的聲譽。他的名字，對于他兇殘的敵人，意味著讓人痛恨的罪惡；而對他堅定的朋友，則意味著值得稱頌的美德。因此，他可謂他的祖國最忠誠的仆人。

——W.內(nèi)皮爾爵士