Hearing upon his arrival, that Riga was about to be besieged by the French and Prussian forces under Marshals Macdonald and Yorck; and that Rear-Admiral T. B. Martin had gone thither to co-operate with ’the Russian garrison, Captain Willoughby immediately made a tender of his services to that officer, from whom he received a handsome letter in return, acquainting him that there was no immediate apprehension of an attack.
Upon receiving the Rear-Admiral’s answer. Captain Willoughby’s enterprising spirit led him without loss of time to St. Petersburgh, at which court Earl Cathcart was then residing as British Ambassador, and through whom he solicited permission to serve in the Russian army; offering to furnish himself with all necessary equipments, and to continue under the Imperial standard, without pay or compensation of any kind, during the war then recently begun between Alexander and Napoleon.
A short correspondence took place, in consequence of his being an English officer on half-pay; but at length his services were accepted by the Czar, who commanded that he should repair to Riga, and put himself under the orders of General Essen, the governor of that city. While there, we find him living with the commanding officers of the British flotilla, the present Captains Hew Steuart and John Brenton. On the 26th Sept. 1812, Captain Willoughby left Riga, under the command of Lieutenant-General Count Steinheil, who had lately arrived from Finland, with 15,000 troops, supposed to be the finest corps in the Russian service, and whose intention it was to fight his way through Macdonald’s army, for the purpose of joining General Wittgenstein, who was then besieging Polotzk, and also threatening the left flank of the French army at Smolensk. The result of this movement will be seen by the following extracts of Count de Segur’s history:
