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TRIAL AT LARGE

OF

LIEUT. GEN. WHITELOCKE,

LATE

COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE FORCES

IN SOUTH AMERICA,

BY

A GENERAL COURT MARTIAL,

HELD AT

CHELSEA HOSPITAL,

On Thursday, January 28, 1808,

AND CONTINUED BY ADJOURNMENT TO TUESDAY, MARCH 15.

TAKEN BY

BLANCHARD AND RAMSAY,
Short-Hand Writers to the Court,

AND PUBLISHED FROM THEIR NOTES:

WITH

A CORRECT COPY OF THE DEFENCE,

As delivered into Court,

AND

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE JUDGE ADVOCATE'S REPLY.

ALSO,

ALL THE DOCUMENTS PRODUCED IN EVIDENCE.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR R. FAULDER AND SON, NEW BOND STREET; R. LEA, COMP.
TON STREET; WILKIE AND ROBINSON, PATERNOSTER ROW;
J. ASPERNE, CORNHILL; SCATCHERD & LETTERMAN,

AVE MARIA LANE; AND J. BELL,

OXFORD STREET.

E6195

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Gen. the Right Hon. Sir W. Lt. Gen. DUNDAS.

MEDOWS, K. B. President.

Gen. the Hon.CHAPEL NORTON.

Viscount LAKE.

HULSE.

OGILVIE.

CUYLER

Ross.

PIGOT.

Sir GEORGE NUGENT,
Bart.

LOFTUS.

WILFORD.

Lt. Gen. the Rt. Hon. H. E. Fox.
Sir JAMES DUFF, Knt.
HARRIS.

Viscount CATHCART.

GARTH.

LLOYD.
STAVELY.

Sir JOHN MOORE, K. B.

The Warrant for holding the Court, together with the charges against General Whitelocke, were read by the Judge Advocate.

GEORGE R.

WHEREAS it hath been most humbly represented unto us, that the following charges have been exhibited against Lieutenant-General John Whitelocke, Colonel of our Eighty-ninth Regiment of Foot, viz. FIRST CHARGE.-That Lieutenant-General Whitelocke, having received instructions from his Majesty's principal Secretary of State to proceed for the reduction of the province of Buenos

B

Ayres, pursued measures ill calculated to facilitate that conquest: that when the Spanish Commander had shown such symptoms of a disposition to treat, as to express a desire to communicate with Major-General Gower, the second in command, upon the subject of terms, the said Lieutenant-General Whitelocke did return a message, in which he demanded, amongst other articles, the surrender of all persons holding civil offices in the government of Buenos Ayres, as prisoners of war: that the said Lieutenant-General Whitelocke in making such an offensive and unusual demand, tending to exasperate the inhabitants of Buenos Ayres, to produce and encourage a spirit of resistance to his Majesty's arins, to exclude the hope of amicable accommodation, and to increase the difficulties of the service with which he was intrusted, acted in a manner unbecoming his duty as an officer, prejudicial to military discipline, and contrary to the Articles of War.

SECOND CHARGE.-That the said Lieutenant-General Whitelocke, after the landing of the troops at Ensenada, and during the march from thence to the town of Buenos Ayres, did not make the military arrangements best calculated to ensure the success of his operations against the town, and that having known, previously to his attack upon the town of Buenos Ayres upon the 5th July 1807, as appears from his public dispatch of the 10th of July, that the enemy meant to occupy the flat roofs of the houses, he did nevertheless, in the said attack, divide his forces into several brigades and parts, and ordered the whole to be unloaded, and no firing to be permitted on any account; and, under this order, to march into the principal streets of the town unprovided with proper and sufficient means for forcing the barricadoes, whereby the troops were unnecessarily exposed to destruction, without the possibility of making effectual opposition; such conduct betraying great professional incapacity on the part of the said Lieutenant-General Whitelocke, tending to lessen the confidence of the troops in the judgement of their officers, being derogatory to the honour of his Majesty's arms, contrary to his duty as an officer, prejudicial to good order and military discipline, and contrary to the Articles of War.

THIRD CHARGE.-That the said Lieutenant-General did not make, although it was in his power, any effectual attempt, by his own personal exertion or otherwise, to co-operate with, or support, the different divisions of the army under his command, when engaged with the enemy in the streets of Buenos Ayres on the 5th of July 1807; whereby those troops, after having encountered and surmounted a constant and well directed fire, and having effected the purport of their orders, were left without aid and support, or further orders, and considerable detachments under Lieutenant-Colonel Duff and Brigadier-General Cranfurd were thereby compelled to surrender; such conduct on the part

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