"While on the right this was going on, the village of Fuentes was again attacked by a body of the Imperial Guard, and, as on the 3rd, the village was taken and retaken several times. At one time they had brought down such an overwhelming force that our troops were fairly beat out of the town, and the French formed a close column between it and us. Some guns which were posted on the rise in front of our line, having opened upon them, made them change their ground, and the 88th Regiment (Connaught Rangers) being detached from our division, led on by the heroic General McKinnon (who commanded our right brigade), charged them furiously, and drove them back through the village with great slaughter.
"Some time previous to this, General Picton had had occasion to check this regiment for some little plundering affair they had been guilty of, and he was so offended at their conduct that, in addressing them, he had told them they were the greatest 'blackguards' in the army. But, as he was always as ready to give praise as censure, where it was due, when they were returning from this gallant and effective charge, he exclaimed, 'Well done, the brave 88th!' Some of them who had been stung at his former reproaches cried out, 'Are we the greatest blackguards in the army now?' The valiant Picton smiled, and replied: 'No, no, you are brave and gallant soldiers; this day has redeemed your character.'
"At one time during the contest, when the enemy had gained a partial position of the village, our light troops had retired into a small wood above it, where they were huddled together without any regularity (a French officer, while leading on his men, having been killed in our front), a bugler of the 83rd Regiment (now 1st Battalion Irish Rifles) starting out between the fire of both parties, seized his gold watch; but he had scarcely returned, when a cannon shot from the enemy came whistling past him, and he fell lifeless on the spot. The blood spurted out of his nose and ears, but with the exception of this, there was neither wound nor bruise on his body--the shot had not touched him.
"The phenomenon here described has been the subject of much discussion among medical men; some attribute it to the shot becoming electrical, and parting with its electricity in passing the body, while others maintain that the ball does strike the individual obliquely, and although there is no appearance of injury on the surface, there always exists serious derangement of the system internally.