THE YPRES TIMES
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who was born in 1579. During the great Civil War he returned home to join the
rebel forces, and was promoted Major by Fairfax in 1644, and Colonel of Dragoons
in the following year. He is described by contemporaries as short both in stature
and in manners, and very peremptoryphysically, at least, a typical South Walian.
He served with such distinction that in October, 1645, he became Commander-in-
Chief of the Roundhead forces, captured Chepstow and Monmouth from the'
Loyalists and assisted in the taking of Hereford. From 1651 he served with the
English Republican forces in Scotland as Major-General under Monck, until, on
St. George's Day, 1657, he received orders from Cromwell to take out an Expedi
tionary Force of 6,000 men to Flanders to serve under Marshal Turenne, and so
aid the French against the Spaniards. Thus, like the men of the 38th Division,
he found himself on our familiar battlefield, aiding the same allies against a
different foe. He was practically General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, though
nominally under Lockhart, who was Governor of Mardyke. The parallel between
Morgan's Expeditionary Force and the Welsh Division in the late war is still more
evident when we realize that his contingent consisted almost entirely of newly
raised troopsa sort of Kitchener's Army. He was wounded in the same year
when storming an outwork at the siege of St. Venant, when his inexperienced
troops gained the respect of their French allies and won Turenne's hearty praise
for their courage. On June 2nd, 1658, a great fight took place between the
Franco-British forces and the Spaniards at Dunkirk, called the Battle of Dunkirk-
Dunes. Though on this occasion Lockhart actually commanded in person,
Morgan was again the real leader. In the Third Battle of Ypres, 1917, the Welsh
Division were supported on one flank by the Guards Division. On this occasion,
however, the Grenadier Guards fought in the service of the exiled King Charles II,
and consequently with the Spaniards against Morgan's troops. The Royal Scots,
on the other hand, fought in the service of France. Dunkirk fell, and remained in
British hands until the Restoration in 1660. It was garrisoned by the rest of his
force when Morgan, with three English regiments, continued his service under
Turenne.
The campaign culminated in an attack on Ypres, then held by the Spaniards.
The Anglo-French forces had been only four days before Ypres when news came
that the Prince of Condé, with 15,000 men, was at hand to raise the siege. Turenne
proposed to await this attack and to keep his men practically standing to in
battle order every night, in readiness to fight the relieving army. Morgan, how
ever, protested against the unnecessary strain that would thus be inflicted on his
men, and urged Turenne to assault the outworks of the city immediately and so
put all things out of doubt with expedition." Turenne regarded such bold
advice as madness, since there were three fortified redoubts strongly defended with
artillery and also the town's fortified ramparts playing point blank into the
counter-scarp." But eventually he was persuaded. Six hundred and fifty English
and exactly twice that number of Frenchman were to attack the three redoubts
at dusk and to endeavour to effect a lodgment in the counter-scarp. The English
(they really were English regiments) attacked two or three redoubts, threw the
enemy into the moat and turned his own guns on him. The French, in numbers
twice our strength, cautiously attacked one redoubt and failed to take it. Morgan
came to their help. His men asked, Shall we fall on in order, or happy-go-
lucky?" Morgans reply was, "In the Name of God, go at it happy-go-lucky."
Immediately Morgan and his men attacked and captured the third redoubt. For
the brilliant storming and capture of Ypres the whole credit goes to Morgan and
his gallant little contingent of 650 men who accomplished, in their wonderful
happy-go-lucky way, what Turenne despaired of effecting with them and his
timorous 1,200. Morgan lodged his troops on the counter-scarp, and next day
September 3rd, 1658saw the garrison surrender and march out of Ypres.
