The town being completely invested, some inconve nience was at first apprehended from the enemy cutting the Dyke : our trenches were, in many parts, made useless, and the platforms of some of the batteries were partly overflowed. The batteries, however, with the exception of one which was called the seamen's battery, was mounted with artillery on the 13th of August, and, at noon, a tremendous fire commenced on the devoted town. A flotilla of bomb vessels and gun boats were stationed on each side of the town, under the orders of Captains Cockburn and Owen, to assist in the bombard ment. The artillery was pointed with the sole view of destroying the houses, magazines, and other buildings. The commanding general, (Sir Eyre Coote,) however, being doubtful of the success of the bombardment, and alarmed at the progress of the inundation, which now began seriously to impede our operations in the low ground, determined to carry forward the attack along the dykes on both flanks of the place. In the evening, therefore, a lodgement was made on the right of the line, on the sand hills, between the dyke of the Nolle, and the body of the place ; and operations were also projected for a nearer approach on the left of our position. During the whole of the night, an uninter rupted fire was kept up from the batteries, and, on the morning of the 14th, the seamen's battery being added to the rest, and the line of battle ships being enabled to advance, the attack was carried on with still greater fury. At the same time, a breaching battery was marked out in such a position, that had it been completed, its fire, in the course of a few hours, would have laid the rampart open, and exposed the enemy to an immediate assault. At four in the afternoon of the 14th, the firing was suspended, and the Earl of Chatham directed the commanding general to make an offer of terms to the garrison; but as General Monnet refused to surrender, at nine o'clock in the evening the fire of the batteries recomtnenced. and the bont',ardment was furiously rc hewed. At one o'clock in the morning of the 15th, the French made offers of a capitulation, which were im mediately negotiated and signed ; the garrison, in num ber 5803 men, laid down their arms, and were to be sent as prisoners to England. When our army entered Flushing, the dreadful effects of the bombardment were discovered ; more than 247 private houses, and several public buildings, were in ruins, many hundreds of in offensive citizens, and women and children had lost their lives, and a far greater number were wounded. The French garrison had suffered little. In the dock yard there were found a line of battle ship, a frigate, and a brig, in a forward state of euostruction.
Before the attack on Flushing had commenced, the divisions of the Earl of Roslyn and the Marquis of I lunt ly- had landed, and occupied cantonments in South Beve land. From this time the Earl of Roslyn took the com mand of the island, and established his head-quarters at Ter Goes. On the 15th, a capitulation was entered into with the islands of Schouwen and Duiveland, by the Earl of Roslyn and Sir P.. Keats, and a detachment was sent to occupy the capital of the former island. On the morning of the 16th, ten frigates which had forced the passage of the West Scheldt, anchored in front of Bathz, a fortified position at the south-east extremity of the isle of South Beveland, which was of the utmost importance to the ulterior object of the expedition.
But, however unprepared the enemy had been at our first arrival, their situation and defences were soon for midably improved. Large reinforcements of their troops had arrived. On both banks of the Scheldt batteries were erecting to prevent the farther advance of our ships, and a boom chain had been already fixed across the river, between Forts Lillo and Liofkcnshock. .Mca sures had been taken to cut the dykes of Tholen, and thus overflow the country between that place and Bergen-op-Zoom. General Bernadotte had arrived at Antwerp, and as French and Dutch troops continued to pour into that town and Bergen-op-Zoom, it became doubtful whether (setting aside the question of a siege) we had a sufficient disposable force, after the fall of Flushing, to cope with the enemy in the field. While yet the extent of the difficulties must have been fore seen, the movements of our forces, for a time, strongly indicated a determined view upon Antwerp. Soon after the British troops had entered Flushing, a division of line of battle ships proceeded up the West Scheldt towards Bathz. Corps of troops were passed from Waleheren, and divisions were re-embarked on board transports, and ordered to rendezvous, with the rest of the army, at Bathz. Horse transports, store-ships, gun-boats, fire-ships, all were concentrated to this point. Eight days and a half after the surrender of Flushing, head-quarters were established at Bathz. On the 25th, the earl of Chatham held conferences with several of the general officers of the army. On the 26th and 27th, councils of war were held ; and it was soon understood that the ships of war and transports would immediately retire, and that south Beveland would be evacuated without any farther attempt or demonstration. Sir John Hope was entrusted with the final evacuation of South Beveland. The islands of Schouwen and North Beve Iand were also evacuated ; and, on the 4th of Septem ber, the rear guard of the reserve was embarked on board a squadron of frigates, under the command of Lord William Stuart, which sailed at once for the lower part of the West Scheldt. The line of battle ships, and other armed vessels, with all the transports, had taken their departure, so that, after the 4th Of Septem ber, Walcheren was the only island in the province of Zealand which remained in our possession. It is much to be regretted, that the evacuation of South Beveland was not decided upon, as it might have been, im mediately after the fall of Flushing. It was evident the enemy's fleet in the Scheldt could not then be at tacked with any hope of success ; and if that part of the army which was not necessary for the defence of Walcheren had been sent to England, we should not only have been spared the mortification of an inglorious retreat, but we should have saved the lives of a number of gallant soldiers.
About the middle of August, the disease incidental to the climate began to spread, and many of our men were sacrificed, in Beveland, to its effects. Not less dreadful were the ravages of the disease in Walchcren. In the course of two months we lost 1700 men ; and towards the middle of September, the average number of deaths was from 200 to 300 men a week.