MOORE, Sir JOHN, English gen., born at Glasgow 1761, was eldest son of the preceding. He entered the army as ensign when only 15, and served with distiuction in Corsica as col.; in the West Indies as brig.gen. ; in Ireland during the rebel lion of 1798, and in the expedition to Holland as gen, of staff. He was in Egypt with the army under Abercrotnby, and obtained the order of the bath for his services in command of the reserve. When war again broke out in 1802 Moore served in Sicily and Sweden. In 1808 he was sent with a corps of 10,000 men to strengthen the English army in the peninsula. He arrived in Mondcgo bay Aug. 19, and assumed the, chief command on the return to England of sir II. Burrard. In October he received instructions to co-operate with the forces of Spain in the expulsion of the French from the peninsula. He moved his army from Lisbon, with the intention of advancing by Valladolid to unite himself with the Spanish gen. Romano., and threaten the communications between Madrid and France. But the apathy of the Spaniards, and the successes of the French in various parts of the peninsula, soon placed him in a critical position. Yet lie had determined to make a bold advance from Salamanca to attack Soult, when the news reached him that Madrid had fallen, and that Napoleon was marching to crush him at the head of 70.000 men. Moore's forces amounted to only 25,000 men, and he was consequently
forced to retreat. In December he began a disastrous march from Astorga to Commit!, a route of nearly 250 miles, through a desolate and mountainous country, made almost impassable by snow and rain, and harassed by the enemy. The soldiers suffered intol erable hardships, and arrived at Corunna in a very distressed state. It was impossible to embark without fighting, and Soult was in readiness to attack as soon as the troops should begin to embark. The battle was mainly one of infantry, for the cavalry, after destroying their horses, had gone on board, and the bulk of the artillery, for which the ground was not adapted, had also been withdrawn. On Jan. 16, 1809, the French came on in four strong columns. A desperate battle ensued. While animating the 42d regiment in a brilliant charge in an early stage of the action Moore was struck by a can non-ball on the left shoulder, and died in the moment of victory. The French were defeated with the loss of 2,000 men : and the funeral obsequies of the deceased soldier were performed with melancholy solemnity just before the embarkation of his troops. The British army iu this expedition lost their magazines and 6,000 soldiers. A monument was erected to Moore's memory in St. Paul's cathedral.