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University of California. 
 
 KROM IHK I.IIiKARY OK 
 
 DR. FRANCIS LIEBER, 
 
 I'rofossor uf History ami Law in Columbia College, New yi;rk. 
 
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 THi; GIFT OF 
 
 MICHAEL REESE, 
 
 Of San Fraiu'isia. 
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MILITARY MEMOIRS 
 
 FIELD MARSHAL 
 
 THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, 
 
 CAPTAIN MOYLE SHERKR. 
 
 at TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. L 
 
 ROBERT DESILVER, 110, WALNUT STREET. 
 
 1886. 
 

 d^^ 
 
 i/^4 $^\ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Seventeen years have passed since, upon the plain of 
 Waterloo, the illustrious subject of this memoir crowned 
 his military fame ; and, by one surpassing victory, closed 
 his vast, various, and splendid services in the field. 
 
 Of all the wars in which he was engaged, peace, " the 
 mother and the nurse of all that is good for man," was the 
 blessed end ! 
 
 The difficulty of doing any justice in such narrow 
 limits to the development of a military character so emi- 
 nent and unrivalled as that of the Duke of Wellington, 
 has been severely felt by the Author. To produce a 
 closely digested narrative of his achievements, suitable 
 for the general reader, is the object of these volumes. 
 
 The task has been laborious ; for the Author had to 
 read, compare, and reconcile many and various relations 
 of the events which he describes ; and to extract and con- 
 dense the facts which they contain. He owes full acknow- 
 ledgments to the Histories of Colonel Jones, Mr. Southey, 
 and Colonel Napier ; and especial thanks to some private 
 friends, for the kindness with which they have afforded 
 him information. 
 
 For the opinions, military or political, which may be 
 expressed or implied in these volumes, as well as for their 
 general style, the Author alone is responsible. 
 
 The work being of a professional nature, that inter- 
 ference which is generally understood to fall within the 
 province of an Editor, has not, in the present instance, 
 been exercised by Dr. Lardner. 
 
 London, June 23, 1832. 
 
CONTENTS OF VOL. I. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington's first Appointments. — His first Service in Flan 
 ders. — The Retreat from HoUancl. — Observations upon that Campaign. 
 — On the British Army. — The Duke sails for India Page 7 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 Military Aspect of India. — Political State. — ^The War with Tippoo Sul- 
 tan. — Assembly of the British Army. — Charge of Colonel Weilesley. — 
 March of the Array. — Afiair of Malavelly.— Aflair of Posts on invest- 
 ing Seringapatam 13 
 
 CHAP. HI. 
 Siege of Seringapatam.— The Storm and Capture.— Colonel Weilesley 
 appointed Governor ^ 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Colonel Wellesley's Service against Dhoondia, a Leader of Predatory 
 Horse. — Is promoted to the Bank of General. — Takes the Field against 
 the Mahrattas. — Various Operations. — ^The Battle of Assaye. — Peace. 
 — Leaves India '30 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 Sir Arthur Weilesley returns to England. — Accompanies the Expedition 
 to Copenhagen. — Napole<Mi. — His Designs on Spain and on Portugal. — 
 His Measures 44 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 Tlie Rising of the Spanish People. — Scenes at Madrid and in the Prov- 
 V inces 53 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 The Affairs of Spain. — Her first Reverses in the Field. — ^The Rising in 
 Portugal. — ^The Expedition under Sir Arthur Weilesley 60 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 Sir Arthur Weilesley lands in Portugal. — Operations of his Army. — Com- 
 bat of Roli^a.— Battle of Vimeiro.— Convention of Cintra 66 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Sir Arthur Weilesley returns to England to attend the Court of ln(]uiry. 
 — Pnueeds again to Portugal the following Spring. — His Reception at 
 Lisbon.— Retrospect of Spanish Affairs Tl 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The Campaign of Sir John Moore 86 
 
 A 2 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 C!orunna and Ferrol surrender to the French. — Notice of Romans. — 
 Soult marches to invade Portugal. — His Operations on the Frontier. — 
 Combats with the Spaniards. — Combats with the Portuguese. — Cap- 
 ture of Oporto. — Retrospect of Transactions in Portugal. — Defeat of 
 the Spaniards in La Mancha. — Second Siege and Fall of Zaragoza 98 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 Notice of the War in Catalonia. — Transactions in Portugal and the South 
 of Spain. — The Portuguese Army placed under a British Commander. 
 — The Spaniards defeated at Medellin and at Ciudad Real 109 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley marches against Soult. — Passes the Douro. — Re- 
 takes Oporto. — Delivers the Northern Provinces of Portugal from the 
 Presence of the French , 119 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 State of the War in Gallicia and the Asturias. — Position of \'ictor. — Sir 
 Arthur Wellesley marches to the Tagus. — Encamps at Abrantes. — 
 Advances into Spain 127 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 The Battle of Talavera.— The Arrival of Soult at Plasencia.— The 
 Movements of Sir Arthur Wellesley. — The Spaniards beaten at Arzo- 
 bisko. — Venegas defeated at Almonacid 136 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Observations on the Campaign of Talavera. — ^The Retreat of Sir Arthur 
 Wellesley to the Frontier of Portugal. — The Dispatch of Lord Welles- 
 ley concerning this Movement. — 1'he Army cantoned near the Guadi- 
 ana. — The Sickness of the Troops. — The Spaniards beaten at Ocana 
 and Alba de Tormes. — Remarks upon their Disasters. — The Guerrillas. 
 — Notice of Lord Wellington's Movements. — The Army breaks up 
 from the Guadiana 149 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 Lord Wellington is appointed Marshal-general of the Lusitanian Forces. 
 — Progress of the War in Spain. — Opinions in England concerning the 
 Defence of Portugal. — Position of the Allies. — Conduct of Lord Wel- 
 lington. — Assembly of the Army of Invasion under Massena 161 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 The Advance of Massena. — ^The Siege and Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo. 
 — The Invasion of Portugal. — The sudden Fall of Almeida. — The Dis- 
 positions of Wellington. — The Battle of Busaco 171 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 Massena turns the Position of Busaco. — Retreat of the Allies. — ^The In- 
 habitants on the Line of March retire with the Troops. — Massena 
 halts before the Lines of Torres Vedras. — His Hospitals at Coimbra 
 are taken. — He falls back upon Santarem. — Lord Wellington ad- 
 vances , 181 
 
MBLITARY MEMOIRfi ^ 
 
 THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 THE DUKE OF Wellington's first appointments. — his first service 
 
 IN FLANDERS. — THE RETREAT FROM HOLLAND. — OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON THAT CAMPAIGN — ON THE BRITISH ARMY. THE DUKE SAILS 
 
 FOR INDIA. 
 
 The honorable Arthur Wellesley, now field-marshal of Eng- 
 land, and duke of Wellington, a younger son of the late earl 
 of Mornington, and a brother of tlie present marquis Wellesley, 
 received his first commission as an ensign of infantry in 1787. 
 He was then in his eighteenth year, and had been regularly 
 educated for the profession of his choice. He studied for a time 
 at the military academy of Angers in France, whither, at an 
 early age, he was prudently removed from Eton, where science 
 is not taught. 
 
 As subaltern and captain he served both in the cavalry and 
 infantry, and enjoyed the rare advantage of an early acquaint- 
 ance with the field duties of botli those arms. 
 
 In the spring of 1793 he was promoted to a majority in the 
 33d regiment, and was advanced to the lieutenant-colonelcy of 
 that corps, by purchase, in tlie autumn of tlie same year. 
 
 A young man, in tjie command of a fine regiment, ho sailed 
 upon his first service from the Cove of Cork in the month of 
 May, 1794. 
 
 The corps landed at Ostend in the latter end of June, and 
 was already in garrison, when lord Moira (witli the troops 
 originally destined for a chivalrous but unwise attempt m 
 Bntany) arrived at that place, to hold it as a point of support 
 for the allied army in Flanders. 
 
 The enemy, however, was already in possession of Ypres on 
 the one side, and of Bruges on tlie otlier. Near the former 
 place the Austrian general, Clairfait, had just sustained three 
 successive defeats, and had retired wpn Ghent : — Walmoden, 
 the Hanoverian commander, being thus compelled to evacuate 
 Bruges, had marched to join him. 
 
8 MILITAUy MEMOIRS OF 
 
 That brave prince, the duke of York, whose misfortune it 
 was to have a command so ill-defined, that it would have per- 
 plexed a much older and a far more experienced leader, was, 
 as a consequence of these defeats, driven from his position at 
 Tournay, and placed in circumstances very critical and dis- 
 heartening. 
 
 In this state of aifaics lord Moira called a council of war ; and 
 it was there agreed, that the mere defence of Ostend, to which 
 object his orders confined him, was not of so great importance 
 as the immediate succor of the duke of York. Ostend was 
 evacuated on the 29th of June. With about eight thousand 
 men lord Moira marched by Bruges (from which place the 
 French retired on his approach) to Ghent. On the same day 
 the garrison under colonel Vyse embarked with such order 
 and expedition, that the town was clear both of troops and stores 
 before sunset. • This brigade proceeded to the Scheldt, and, 
 disembarking on the banks of that river, jomed the camp of the 
 duke of York before Antwerp. 
 
 It was here that lieutenant-colonel Wellesley, who accom- 
 panied his regiment by sea from Ostend, first saw an army in 
 the field. It was at this moment, and upon this theatre of war, 
 where there was no sound but of reverses, and no prospect 
 but one dreary with expected disappointments, that the con- 
 queror in so many battles made his first essay in arms. 
 
 Here he received his first lessons in practical warfare, and 
 here obtained that early notice and early praise, which bestow 
 confidence, and which animate ambition. 
 
 In the formal and stationary camps, and in the confined and 
 chilling operations of this defensive campaign, there were few 
 opportunities of distinction ; yet some occurred, and they were 
 eagerly improved. Lieutenant-colonel Wellesley commanded 
 the 3.3d regiment in every affair in which it was engaged. 
 On the river Neethe ; in a warm afiair near the village of 
 Boxtel ; and in a hot skirmish on the Waal, it did good service. 
 
 The allied army was not in strength to face the weighty 
 masses of the French in battle ; but the British posts were oc- 
 casionally disturbed ; and to secure and preserve their commu- 
 nications some fighting was necessary. In the affairs alluded 
 to, our young commander was not unobserved. At the close of 
 the campaign he was selected by general David Dundas to cover, 
 with the brig£ide to which his regiment was then attached, the 
 memorable retreat from Holland: no mean distinction; for 
 Dundas was an officer of high reputation, a strict disciplinarian, 
 and an intrepid soldier. 
 
 It was in the middle of Januarj' that this movement was de- 
 cided on ; for two months previous the service had been trying. 
 Botli officers and soldiers were exhausted by continual fatigues ; 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 9 
 
 they had tx» support the rigors of winter, and long nights of 
 ceaseless watching, without the clothing or the comforts suited 
 to that cold climate and to the inclement season. 
 
 The sufferings on the retreat were yet more severe. The 
 route from the frozen banks of the Lech to those of the Yssel 
 lay through the dreaiy and inhospitable provinces of Gueldro- 
 land and Over- Yssel. The way was over desert and flat heaths 
 there were but few houses on tlie route, and these scattered 
 singly or in small villages, or in mere hamlets, affording a set 
 dom and insufficient cover for the troops. It was a hard frost : 
 the wheel-tracks were covered with snow; and bitter winds 
 and blinding storms of sleet blew keenly from the north-east, 
 directly meeting them as they marched. If tlie fatigued soldier 
 reposed too long, drowsiness would steal over him ; and if not 
 roused and urged forward on his road, he slept the sleep of 
 death. Such casualties were numerous. Under these circum- 
 stances no common zeal and activity were necessary in covering 
 the retreat The command of the rear-guard was a post of 
 honor : it was filled with credit, and stamjwd lieutenant-colonel 
 Wellesley then as a man of promise. Such was the rude expe- 
 rience of his first campaign ; a campaign, however, pregnant 
 with useful lessons. It had been carried on by councils of war, 
 — divided councils ; — a campaign where the talents and cour- 
 age of the generals were paralyzed for want of men, materiel, 
 and money, and no less for want of well-defined commands, and 
 full powers of action. Clairfait, the Austrian, was both able 
 and brave ; Walmoden of Hanover was a man highly consider- 
 ed ; and the British prince, though young and of no experience, 
 was full of ardor and spirit, and was not without firm and intel- 
 ligent advisers. 
 
 But in this war, from the moment that Prussia entered Poland, 
 the motives of all the continental allies became suspected, and 
 the popularity of their cause in the Netherlands soon expired. 
 When the inhabitants clearly saw the inability to protect them, 
 they became at first fearful, then wearied, and at length hostile ; 
 a consequence that in no theatre of war should ever cause sur- 
 prise, and is rarely a theme for any just reproach. For the ir- 
 ritated feelings of a retiring and mortified soldiery some allow- 
 ance may be made ; but the abuse poured out in England, at 
 that pcrial, upon the people of Flanders and Holland was bitter 
 aad unmerited. 
 
 Notliing but a sacred love of liberty, or a love for tlie existing 
 government so strong as to supply, if ptissible, its place, or such 
 a dread and hatred of the invader as prompts all sacrifice for liis 
 exDulsion, will ever engage the peaceful dwellers in towns and 
 villages in the toil and peril of a present and protracted warfare. 
 Under all governments the smith plies his anvil, the rustic fol- 
 
10' MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 lows his plow, the citizen opens his shop in'the morning and 
 counts his gains in the evening ; and all these ask but to per- 
 form their daily tasks, and eat their daily bread in peace. They 
 ask individual liberty, and personal repose. It is true that the 
 people of the Netherlands had shouted round the state coach of 
 the emperor that very spring at Brussels. The pageantry of 
 the mauguration of a duke of Brabant had amused their eyes, 
 and cheated them of a few cheers; but events soon showed the 
 weakness of their CiEsar, and in the moment of trial they for- 
 sook him. The Dutch had more to contend for, and were, at 
 first, in earnest ; but they, too, felt their own weakness ; they 
 saw that of the allies ; and they were hopeless of any effectual 
 resistance. Moreover, as a maritime nation, they had always a 
 jealousy of the English, and this prevented the cordiality of a 
 generous co-operation. The French, for which they may thank 
 the coarse policy of their enemies, were all imited : they had 
 numbers and energy ; and, flushed with the triumph of Fleurus, 
 they were not to be resisted by a motley army of jealous allies, 
 acting amid a people indifferent to their success. The English 
 evacuated Holland, execrating the inhabitants ; and the Hol- 
 landers saw them depart with no equivocal expressions of their 
 dislike. 
 
 Notwithstanding all their sufferings, the English soldiers re- 
 turned home in good heart ; satisfied that they had maintained 
 the national character for true valor on every occasion that of- 
 fered for its display. 
 
 They returned, too, with a feeling about the bonnets rouges 
 and sans-culottes of republican France, diifering little from the 
 prejudice of their forefathers against the wooden shoes and soup 
 maigre of her monarchy. Well for England that they did. 
 By this feeling, conspiring with the old national antipathies, and 
 combined with the good sense and right judgment of the re- 
 flecting, the pestilence of the licentious and infidel sentiments 
 which, at that period, poisoned the whole atmosphere of France, 
 was stayed within the confines of her own conquests. 
 
 That English spirit was the safeguard of the people from the 
 
 corrupting and inflammatory language of those very levellers 
 
 who were soon after trodden under foot by the iron heel of a 
 
 iflitary despot ; an idol of their own raising, and the object of 
 
 a slavish though splendid worship. 
 
 That spirit enabled England to carry through, with perse- 
 verance and patience, a long and glorious war ; — a war, not as 
 many perversely contend, for the weak cause and the weak 
 house of Bourbon, but for her own sacred institutions. 
 
 Somewhere the battle must have been fought ; and if Spain 
 and the Netherlands had not furnished fields for the contest, it 
 must sooner or later have been fought upon her own green hilla 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 11 
 
 at home ; and the pendants of her gallant fleets, instead of fly- 
 ing in constant triumph upon the far ocean, must have been 
 drooping on the dull watch in sight of her own shores. That 
 spirit in her fleets and armies, under the guidance of such in- 
 struments as Grod gave us in their leaders, has raised England 
 to that pinnacle of power, wealth, and influence, to which she 
 has now attained, ajid from which nothing but suicidal folly can 
 cast her down. 
 
 But we return to the steps of one who has been honored, 
 above all other instruments, individually, in bringing about these 
 great results : — be it remembered, too, not as an aspiring usurper, 
 but as the free-bom general of a constitutional army, as the 
 loyal subject of an English king, and the faithful servant of the 
 English people. 
 
 ouch was the aspect of our continental relations at the period 
 just mentioned, that, for a time, the British soldier could see no 
 field in all Europe whereon to display his enterprise and win 
 renown. 
 
 Short, however, as was this campaign in Flanders, though 
 there was no battle, and but little fighting, it had shown to 
 Wellesley a something of war upon the grand scale ; for it was 
 in an army of sixty-eight battalions, and eighty squadrons, that 
 he had served. He had seen troops of various nations, differing 
 in tlieir discipline, their habits, their costume, and their aspect. 
 He had heard those grand soimds with which he was to have 
 so long and so glorious a familiarity in after-life : the distant 
 boom of the hostile gun ; the nigh thimder of batteries of can- 
 non ; the rolling of musketry ; the tread of columns ; the 
 trampling of stiuadrons, and the voice of the trumpet There 
 was yet another sound he had heard, — the dauntless cheers, the 
 loud hurrah of tliose soldiers whom, under happier auspices, and 
 on a more glorious tlieatre of action, he was so often to lead 
 against the enemies of his country, and to guide to victory and 
 glory. 
 
 While he had witnessed the excellent spirit and brave bear- 
 ing of English soldiers, he had also marked their defects, and 
 listened, probably, to the complaints made agamst their disci- 
 pline, interior economy, and temper, by their Austrian allies, 
 with no light or inattentive ear. The Austrians in that cam- 
 paign reproached the British for being disdainful ; admitted that 
 they were brave, and ready for all great occasions, but com- 
 plamed that they were indolent, negligent, and indiflferent in 
 the discliargc of all those minor calls, — those labors, fatigues, 
 and pickets, in which the duties of a prolonged warfare mainly 
 consist. High courage was, at that time, as always, the great 
 distinction, the brilliant merit of our soldiery ; but the system 
 of our regimental economy was comparatively bad ; all our 
 
12 BIILITABY MEMOIBS OP 
 
 military institutions were defective and vicious; few depart- 
 ments of the army were conducted with intelligence, some with 
 a known want of integrity : the commissariat and medical de- 
 partments were notoriously incapable ; nor were the talents and 
 acquirements necessary for the prompt and intelligent discharge 
 of their important duties commonly tbund even among oflBcers 
 of the general staff 
 
 Too much praise can never be assigned to the wise regula- 
 tions by which the late duke of York labored for years, at a 
 subsequent period, to remedy these sad evils, and great was the 
 improvement he effected ; but it is to the preparatory system 
 and discipline of a Dundas, a Cathcart, and a Moore, and to the 
 large and practical application of their principles by a Welling- 
 ton, that we owe the present character, efficiency, and, above 
 all, the present &me of the English army. 
 
 On the return of the troops from HoUand, the 33d regiment, 
 as soon as it was reported fit for service, was ordered upon 
 an expedition then fitting out against the West Indies, and 
 sailed, early in 1795, with the fleet under the orders of admiral 
 Christian. 
 
 The fleet made several attempts to put out to sea, but was 
 repeatedly driven back by adverse winds. Owing to these 
 delays, the 33d was countermanded, ordered to land, and sailed 
 again in April, 1796, for the Cape and India. Thus a star 
 which might have set early in the West in obscurity, and per- 
 haps death, arose in the East with life and brightness. 
 
 Lord ilomington, the present marquis Wellesley, beinof ap- 
 pointed governor-general of India in 1797, the interests of his 
 brother were not foi^tten. Lieutenant-colonel Wellesley was 
 promoted to the rank of coloneL 
 
 During his voyage to India, it is yet remembered by one of 
 his fellow-passengers, that he passed much time in his cabin 
 diligently reading, to prepare himself for command and conduct 
 in that country. Distinguishable from young men of his age 
 and station by 'no affectwl singularities, he was quietly laying 
 the foundation of his renown. Birth and high connexion had 
 given him quick promotion and early advancement to responsible 
 command,— but they could do no more. Men grow not to 
 greatness by accident, but by those personal endowments, which 
 are, in the first place, the gifts of Providence ; and after, by a 
 constant improvement of them, by steady preparaticHi, strong 
 win, and undiverted resolva 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTON. 13 
 
 CHAP. n. 
 
 MILITARY ASPECT OF IJfDIA. POLITICAL STATE. — THE WAR Wmi 
 
 TIPPOO SULTAN. ASSEMBLY OF THE BRITISH ARMY. CHARGE OF 
 
 COLONEL WELIJ3LEV. — MARCH OF THE ARMY. — AFFAIR OF MALA- 
 VELLY. — AFFAIR OF POSTS ON INVESTING SERINGAPATAM. 
 
 MnjTART services in the East rarely obtziin that notice to 
 which they are justly entitled. The sctme in which they are 
 acted is remote ; and the laurels of our brave men from India 
 have always lost a something of their freshness before we gaze 
 on them at home. Moreover, it is an effort of the imagination 
 to realize the aspect of Asiatic warfare, and to many readers 
 such efforts are at once painful and vam. 
 
 They content themselves with considering that the enemies 
 in India are black. They draw some distinction, indeed, be- 
 tween the black of Africa and of Asia ; but, so far as bodily 
 power and personal prowess are concerned, it is in favor of the 
 former. The Asiatic is thought an effeminate and silken slave, 
 whose nerves tremble at the report of a cannon, and whose 
 prancing horses are only used for security or flight This is no 
 fancy picture ; Englishmen accounted intelligent thus spoke of 
 India fifty short years ago ; and to this hour, except among 
 those interested in Indian affairs by the course of their studies, 
 by connexion with the services or commerce of that coimtry, or 
 by that large and active spirit of inquiry which an attachment 
 to the cause of schools and missions has awakened, a like igno- 
 rance obtains, and a like apathy in the concerns of India is al- 
 ways manifest 
 
 Before the period, however, of which we are about to speak, 
 the attention of England had been a little roused by the talk 
 of bloody and severe combats in the East, in whicli the superi- 
 ority of her arms, though triumphantly maintained, had not 
 been undisputed. 
 
 It required all the energy of lord Comwallis, and the utmost 
 efibrts of his brave officers and gallant men, to reduce the 
 strength, and humble the pride, of Tippoo, the sultan of Mysore. 
 This prince inherited, from a warlike father, a kingtlom, usurped 
 by violence and enlarged by conquest, and with it tlie cherished 
 spirit of that stem and bitter hatred to the English which Hyder 
 Ali had always manifested in life, and recommended in death. 
 The names of Ilyder and Tippoo had sounded on the English 
 ear as those of foemen not to be totally despised ; and a vague 
 notion of what Mahometan fierceness, guided by French coun- 
 sels and French discipline, might effect, caused them to estimate 
 
 Vol. I. B 
 
14 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 anew, though still imperfectly, both the dangers and the glory 
 of Indian service. The fact is, Tippoo had a traLaed infantry, 
 a numerous artillery, expert gunners, and an active courageous 
 cavalry. In the discipline and instruction of his infantry and 
 artillery he was aided by adventurers from France. These men 
 were greatly encouraged and richly rewarded. 
 
 Although Tippoo was undoubtedly by far the most formidable 
 enemy of England among the native princes, yet neither were 
 the Mahratta chieftains mere leaders of predatory horse. In the 
 army of Scindia,* there were seventy-two battalions of foot, 
 under French officers, organized in ten brigades, to which were 
 attached no fewer than four hundred and sixty pieces of can- 
 non. To this force must be added vast numbers of irregular 
 infantry armed only with a matchlock, or with sword and 
 shield, or with the spear. Many thousands of these last were 
 composed of Patans or Rohillas, men of a fierce and desperate 
 courage, robust and hardy, patiently enduring fatigue, and never 
 appalled by fire. 
 
 With regard to the Mahratta horse, little if any discipline 
 was ever successfully established among them. The best Mah- 
 ratta horsemen serve by tenure of land, either personal, or under 
 a chief landholder ; otliers come as volunteers, to be enrolled 
 for pay ; or they are the hired riders of the horses of others 
 again, who receive all the pay themselves. The volunteers are 
 numerous, and consist of such individuals, floating loose on the 
 surface of Indian society, as have by any means possessed them- 
 selves of a horse and arms ; but they are all of the military cast, 
 that is, born, bred, and exercised to the use of arms. India 
 abounds with martial and warlike figures. 
 
 These horsemen are not cowards ; they fear not death, they 
 fear not the point of the spear or the edge of the sabre. Hence, 
 if prey, or baggage, or vengeance, be their object, they will 
 hover near, they will invite tlie skirmish, they will challenge 
 the personal encounter, they will ride up even to the very muz- 
 zles of your muskets. But to excite them to this, there must 
 be the stimulus of a golden hope, or of a bitter hate ; for other- 
 wise, as warfare is their condition of life, they are not eager m 
 action. Above all things they dread the exposure or loss of 
 their horses, which are at once the sources of their subsistence, 
 their titles of service, their treasure, and their pride. It may 
 be readily understood that these men abhor the irksomeness and 
 restrairit of all exercise or discipline. They sweep wide prov- 
 inces by rapid and desolating marches. Terror tells of their 
 coming ; tears and famine, silence and blood,- show where they 
 have passed. Whenever they venture as a body to draw up 
 
 * The most considerable of those chiefs 
 
.rtJSDUKE OP WELUNGTON. 16 
 
 euid await a disciplined cavalry, they become an easy conquest 
 They have no good formation; their very crowds encumber 
 them ; the fronts presented by regular and well-trained squad- 
 rons, and rapidly changed or wheeled at the blast of a trumpet, 
 confound and perplex them ; they are scattered like a flock of 
 sheep, and sabred as they fly. In any contest, however, where 
 infantry are thinned by fire, or broken by any accident, or diffi- 
 culty of ground, these horse, who scramble anywhere, will 
 pour among them with fury, and with lance and sword do terri- 
 bly the work of death. A large host of them, seen from afar, 
 presents a brilliant appearance : they have turbans and garments 
 of many colors; the horses of the chiefs, and of all such as can 
 afford it, are showily caparisoned ; and, in particular, the breast- 
 plates glitter with silver : every neck is curved by a standing 
 martingale; and their many neighings come down upon the 
 wind loud and lordly. Their horses are, for the most part, tall, 
 bony, and vicious ; the poorest of these Mahrattas, however, are 
 mounted on low lean cattle, and their equipment is of a corre- 
 spondent mearmess. They have, also, some of tliem, a beautiful 
 kind of pony, handsome and spirited, rising above thirteen hands, 
 and prized even by their chiefs, but not for battle. 
 
 Such are Indian armies ; and the reader should possess the 
 picture, to be enabled to follow, with a livelier interest, the ser- 
 vices of colonel Wcllesley in the Fast. He should be told also 
 that India is a country where the roads are difficult, and some- 
 times, from the nature of the soil, for whole days and weeks 
 impassable : — that on the plains they are broad tracks ; in the 
 mountainous country, narrow and rocky passes, requiring im- 
 mense labor in the transport of artillery ; and tliat every river, 
 nay, at some seasons, every stream, is a serious obstacle. A few 
 of the large fortresses of the native powers are armed and 
 defended, though imperfectly, yet much after the European 
 manner ; but the many are lofty and difficult of access ; con- 
 structed of solid masonry, with double and winding gateways ; 
 having walls of a terrific height, without any ramparts and 
 round towers at the angles. It is quite fearful to stand upon 
 some of the walls our soldiers have mounted in hot blood, and 
 carried by escalade in our Indian wars. 
 
 Exposure to sultry suns; long marches; the endurance of 
 fatigue, thirst, and hunger, and the experience of liard fighting, 
 — these things make honorable veterans; and all Englishmen, 
 who served in India from the year 1780 to 1804, had their full 
 share of such hardships, and have large titles to honor. 
 
 We have now to relate an interesting struggle, and shall give 
 the stories of the war of Mysore, and that in the Deccan, with 
 a brief, plain fidelity. 
 
 When tlie marquis Wellesley arrived in India lo succeed lord 
 
16 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Teignmouth in the government of that country, he found the 
 British interests menaced by the secret designs of many ene- 
 mies. The most formidable and inveterate of these was the 
 sultan Tippoo, ruler of Mysore. He had entered into secret 
 correspondence with the French ; had sent ambassadors to the 
 local government in the Isle of France ; and, by them, letters 
 to be forwarded to the executive directory in Europe. Both by 
 his envoys and his letters he invited the alliance of the French 
 government, and their aid in officers and men, having projected, 
 as he told them, a war with the English, which he only awaited 
 their assistance to commence : at the same time he declared to 
 them that his object was to drive the English out of India. 
 
 It was also known that he had sent accredited agents to the 
 court of Zemaun Shah, king of Cabul and Candahar, prompting 
 him to invade our territories from the north : — moreover, he was 
 suspected of an intrigue with the Mahrattas, Vv'hom he was 
 inviting to make common cause against the British. 
 
 The state of our alliances in the Deccan was apparently des- 
 perate: French influence was paramount at the court of the 
 nizam. The court of the peishwa* at Poonah was at the mercy 
 of Scindiah, who lay near with an anny, and dictated all its 
 measures. French officers possessed the ear of Scindiah. The 
 rajah of Berar was known to be secretly hostile to the English ; 
 and the adventurous chief, Ilolkar, always ready for war and 
 plunder, would not be slow to join tlie league. 
 
 A proclamation issued by the governor of the Isle of France 
 reached Bengal early in June, 1798. No sooner was this made 
 known, than the Carnatic, alarmed and despondent, began to 
 dread immediate invasion, and a renewal of all those horrors of 
 which she had before tasted the bitterness and misery. The 
 fourth paragraph of this proclamation distinctly stated, that 
 Tippoo oidy awaited the moment, when the French should 
 come to his assistance, to declare war against the English, — all 
 of whom he ardently desired to expel from India. 
 
 The authenticity of this document was at first doubted ; but 
 was soon confirmed by good testimony, and by tlie fact, that a 
 French vessel arrived at Mangalore on the coast of Malabar, 
 and landed one hundred men and several officers for the service 
 of Tippoo, by whom they were instantly received. 
 
 The marquis Wellesley immediately decided upon a war; 
 but, until his measures of preparation were complete, he de- 
 layed the open declaration. He ordered the armies of Coro- 
 mandel and Malabar to be immediately assembled ; but so bad 
 
 * The considered head of the Mahratta powers, and the real sovereign of 
 the Poonah state, though nominally only the chief minister of the rajah of 
 Sattara, a mere cipher. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. V7 
 
 and inefficient was the state of the former, that this could not, 
 at the moment, be done. 
 
 To improve and strengthen our alliance with the nizam was 
 the next object. This prince had a corps of fourteen thousand 
 men in his service, commanded by French officers. Tliese offi- 
 cers had acquired an ascendency so considerable at his court, 
 that his nominal alliance was, to us, not only useless but dan- 
 gerous. Marquis Wellesley boldly and without delay negotiated 
 for the augmentation of the British force at Hyderabad, and for 
 the dismissal of the French officers serving with the nizam. 
 These great objects were most happily attained. By a new 
 treaty, an addition was made to the British subsidiary force of 
 4400 men. To fulfil these engagements at once, troops, which 
 had been held in secret preparation, were assembled by general 
 Harris with such promptitude, that, although the treaty was 
 only ratified at Fort William on the 18th of September, our 
 troops reached Hyderabad on the 10th of October, and, assisted 
 by tlie cavalry of the nizam, tliey surrounded the French force 
 on the 22d, disarmed tlie sepoys, and arrested the European 
 officers. All this was effected without bloodshed. A mutiny 
 against their officers had broken out in the French camp; a 
 state of things which, of course, prevented any effectual resist- 
 ance. The body disarmed was about 11,000 men. Captain 
 James Kirkpatrick, the resident, captain John Malcolm, and colo- 
 nel Roberts, conducted this affair, in tlieir various relations, with 
 great address and uncommon firmness. The zeal and courage 
 of captain Malcolm were, from circumstances, most conspicu- 
 ous. This master-stroke of policy was hailed by the British at 
 both presidencies as an augury of*^ a good and vigorous admin- 
 istration. 
 
 The marquis now came to Fort St. George to advance the 
 preparations for war by his presence. As soon as all things 
 were ready, he addressed a remonstrance to Tippoo Sultan on 
 his late conduct. Tliis not being replied to, ho directed the 
 advance of the army on the 3d of February. On the 13th there 
 came a short, unsatisfactory letter from Tippoo ; his reply to 
 which lord Wellesley dated on the 22d, affixing tlie saane date 
 to a declaration of war, which was made in the name of the 
 English and their allies. 
 
 It has been argued by some that this war was forced upon 
 Tippoo, and that lord Wellesley was not justified in tliese 
 measures. The fact is, it was not war tlint was forced upon 
 Tippoo, but the time of commencing it War was already in 
 his heart He never would, he never could, have rested in 
 amity witli us. His attitute of peace was treacherous ; it waa 
 but the couching of the tiger preparatory to its spring. As the 
 hunters go forth from an Indian village to destroy the terror of 
 B2 
 
18 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 their herds, seeking him in his own lair, so the British, that her 
 trembling subjects in the Carnatic might sleep in security, 
 marched to assault this dangerous and dreaded enemy in his 
 own capital. 
 
 The preparations for this campaign were made upon a large 
 scale, and manifested the intention of the government to destroy 
 the power of Mysore. As little as possible was left to what is 
 called the fortune of war. It is a sound principle in war, that 
 by taking the field strong, campaigns are rendered short as well 
 as decisive. There is always, therefore, in the end, a saving of 
 treasure, and of what is a million times more valuable, of human 
 life : — a principle, by the way, to which in Europe English 
 ministers have rarely if ever attended. The army of the Car- 
 natic, including the subsidiary force from Hyderabad, and three 
 thousand of the nizam's own infantry, amounted to thirty thou- 
 sand combatants. Six thousand native horse belonging to the 
 nizam, and not included in the above statement, marched with 
 this army. This cavalry was led by Meer Allum, a general of 
 the nizam's. The charge of colonel Wellesley in this force 
 was considerable : he commanded all the infantry of the ni- 
 zam, to which his own corps, the 33d, had been attached ; and 
 he made this campaign at the head of eleven battalions. 
 
 The assembled force encamped upon the frontier of Tippoo's 
 territories on the 4th of March: the day following, general 
 Harris dispatched lord Wellesley's letter to the sultan, declared 
 war, and commenced hostilities. His advanced corps of infantry 
 marched upon some hill forts in front : tliey surrendered with- 
 out resistance, or were abandoned as the troops approached 
 them. 
 
 When the army of the Carnatic passed the eastern frontier 
 of Mysore, that of the western coast, amounting to 6400 men, 
 was also marching upon Seringapatam. This last force had 
 been assembled at Cannanore under general Stuart, and was 
 destined to combine its operations with those of general Harris. 
 
 Tippoo's first movement was easterly, as if to oppose the ad- 
 vance of Harris ; but he suddenly broke up from his encamp- 
 ment at Seringapatam, and taking with him the flower of his 
 infantry, marched swiftly upon the division coming from Can- 
 nanore. He encamped near them on the 5th. Some of the 
 tents were observed by general Stuart; but from the nature of 
 the countr}', which is full of jungle, or tall thick underwood, 
 that officer could not ascertain his numbers ; neither was he 
 aware that the sultan himself was present in the camp. The 
 disposition of Stuart's force was as follows : — Three native bat- 
 talions, under colonel Montresor, were posted in advance at 
 Seedaseer. After tlie appearance of the enemy on the 5th, 
 they were reinforced by another battalion. The rest of the 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 19 
 
 troops, with the park and provisions, were encamped at Seeda- 
 poor and Ahmootenar; the first were eight miles, the latter 
 twelve, in rear of tliis position. The country here is covered 
 w^ith wood, and favorable for concealed movements. Between 
 the hours of nine and ten on the forenoon of tlie (ith, the enemy, 
 having penetrated the jungle with great secrecy, came suddenly 
 upon the brigade of Montresor, and attacked him in front and 
 rear, at the same moment, with fierce impetuosity. 
 
 The assailed battalions, though pressed by superior numbers, 
 behaved with all steadiness, and defended tliemselves with reso- 
 lute bravery. It was five hours before general Stuart could 
 arrive to their support ; and even then, tliat division of the ene- 
 my, which was in the rear of Montresor, still for half an hour 
 resisted his advance ; but at last they gave way, and retired on 
 all sides in confusion. The sultan had more than 11,000 men 
 in action at Seedaseer, and lost about 1.500. I'he brave brigade 
 of Montresor lost only 140 men. This action is worthy of re- 
 mark, as on both sides the combatants were natives of Hindos- 
 tan. The sultan remained m his camp at Periapalam till the 
 11th, without molesting Montresor or Stuart again, and then 
 marched once more upon the nrniy of the Carnatic. On the 
 14tii of March this army encamped in sight of Bangalore. Four 
 thousand of the enemy's best cavalry came forward to recon- 
 noitre it, and after receiving a few shot from the field-pieces of 
 the advanced guard, drew off quietly. From the neighborhood 
 of Bangalore, before which fortress he made no delay, three 
 roads lead to Seringapatam : general Harris took the southern, 
 by Kaunkaunhully. The march was tedious in the extreme: 
 his army was five days in accomplishing the same distance 
 traversed by lord Comwallis with a battering train, eight years 
 before, in tw^o. The equipments, provisions, and stores were 
 not more than sufficient, nor were they, for an Indian army, 
 more cumbrous than usual ; but they required large means of 
 transport ; and though there was carriage enough to meet the 
 want on the returns, yet was there at the moment some disap- 
 pointment as to the quantity of bullocks, still more as to their 
 quality, and rate of marching. The evil originated witii tlie 
 native contractors, who, finding themselves, by some new regu- 
 lations, abridged of tlieir customary and fraudulent gains, mi- 
 pcded the movements in a manner which no prudence could 
 foresee, and no exertion, no anger, no punishment could avail 
 to rectify. The provoking immobility of feature, and the stub- 
 bom purpose, which a native of that class exhibits, when gain 
 or revenge is his object, can alone be conceived by those who 
 have witnessed it. The impatient and active spirits on the staff 
 of that army were continually enjraged in fruitless endeavors to 
 move these sullen contractors. That this vexatious experience, 
 
20 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and the insight it gave him into the native character, and com- 
 missariat arrangements, were not lost upon colonel Wellesley, 
 his rapid and unimpeded marches in the Deccan, at a subsequent 
 period, abundantly testify ; and it is remarkable that the British 
 army has never had a general so minutely attentive to the com- 
 missariat department, to his means of transport, his depots and 
 supplies, as this great commander. 
 
 To return. General Harris encamped at Kaunkaunhully on 
 the 21st. The sultan offered no opposition to these movements ; 
 he even retired from the strong heights on the eastern banks of 
 the Maddoor river, without disputing the passage. On the 27th, 
 however, general Harris found the enemy halted, and drawn 
 up on the high ground beyond Malavelly. They fired upon the 
 army, and manifested an intention to prevent their encamping. 
 A disposition was, therefore, made to compel them to fight or 
 retire. The 33d regiment, and the troops of the nizam, under 
 colonel Wellesley, formed and advanced upon the left, supported 
 by the regular cavalry under general Floyd. The right moved 
 forward under the more immediate direction of general Harris. 
 The pickets of the army were for a time considerably annoyed 
 by the rockets of the enemy, and their cannonade ; but as soon 
 as the formations were completed, their fire was answered by 
 such field-pieces as could be brought up ; the line advanced ; 
 the affair became general along the whole front, and tliey were 
 driven from the field. In this engagement some of the sultan's 
 troops manifested great courage. Two thousand of the best 
 trained of his turbaned infantry advanced firmly upon the British 
 33d, and came within sLxty paces before delivering their fire. 
 The 33d, led by colonel Wellesley, charged these Cushoons, and 
 overthrew them with the bayonet. The horses of general 
 Floyd were soon amidst their broken ranks, and tliey fell fast 
 before the sabres of his men, whose red horse-hair plumes shook 
 over them fierce and pitiless.* 
 
 General Harris crossed the Cauvery at Sosilay, where there 
 is an easy ford : this movement was unexpected by the sultan, 
 and was effected without loss or interruption. On the 2d of 
 April, Tippoo reconnoitred the British for some hours while 
 taking up their ground from a hill in their front, and on the 
 4th he had again a full view of the whole line as it passed along 
 the higli grounds about four miles from his capital. 
 
 On the .5th of April the army finally took up its position be- 
 fore Seringapatam for the siege. The camp was formed oppo- 
 
 * The British dragoons in India, at that period, were of the bravest ; but the 
 habit of encountering men who gave no quarter caused them to be savage in 
 the hot moment of tlio melee. Their helmets were surmounted by thick 
 plumes of red horsehair, which fell over their right cheeks, and gave them a 
 eteru look. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTON. 21 
 
 site the west fece of the fort, at tlie distance of 3500 yards. 
 The right was on commanding ground, — the left flank was 
 doubly secured by an aqueduct and the river Cauvery. This 
 aqueduct served in many places, in its winding course, as a 
 strong intrenchment, and several deep and difficult ravines in 
 the rear of the encampment gave it protection from any sudden 
 irruptions of the enemy's enterprising horse. This pleasant 
 camp was strong, secure, and abundantly supplied with fine 
 water ; in addition to these advantages, there were in the lines 
 five large topes : the feathery cocoa, and the tall and slender 
 areca, and thick clusters of the graceful bamboo, adorned them. 
 But the advantage here was not their beauty or their shade : 
 they furnished those materials for carrying on the works which 
 have generally to be fetched witJi much labor, and, if an 
 enemy be strong in cavalry, with much interruption, from a 
 distance. 
 
 The position, however, was- found to be in part exposed to 
 some little annoyance from the enemy's advanced posts, espe- 
 cially from tlieir rocket-men. An attack was directed upon two 
 of these posts the same night, under colonels Wellesley and 
 Shaw : it failed ; colonel Shaw, indeed, got possession of a 
 ruined village, and, sheltered by the cover of its walls, was 
 enabled to hold it throughout the night The column of colonel 
 Wellesley, when it entered the txipe on which it was directed, 
 was suddenly a.ssailed by a hot fire of musketry and rockets : it 
 was thrown mto confiision and withdrawn. Such is tlie frequent 
 fate of a night-attack, in which, if the assailants do not actually 
 surprise the foe, and create a panic, however brave the men, 
 however able the leader, without a certain and confident know- 
 ledge of the ground, and light enough to distinguish both it and 
 their opponents, they are moving they know not where, and 
 fighting they know not what The uncertain footing of a mere 
 walk in the dark upon strange ground belongs to every man's 
 experience. The following day general Harris made fiiller 
 dispositions with a view to drive in the whole line of the ene- 
 my's outposts. He directed three simultaneous attacks on their 
 right Hank, their left, and their centre, and tliese attacks were 
 to be made under cover of guns previously posted ; moreover, 
 the attacking columns were stronger. Colonel Wellesley again 
 commanded the attack upon the Sultan-pettah tope, and it waa 
 carried with skill and resolution. 
 
 The attacks of colonel Wallace on the right, and colonel 
 Shaw on the left, were alike successful. These assaults secured 
 a connected line of posts within 1800 yards of the fort, extend- 
 ing two miles in length, from the river on the letl to the village 
 of Suitanpet on tlie right. 
 
39 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAP. in. 
 
 SIEGE OF SERINGAPATAM. — THE STORM AND CAPTURE COLONEL 
 
 WELLESLEY APPOINTED GOVERNOR 
 
 The fort or city of Seringapatam is situated on a small island 
 formed by the river Cauvery, which breaking against the rocky 
 bank disparts its stream into separate but wide channels : the 
 waters flow sluggishly along, till they meet about three miles 
 below. 
 
 The city is built at the upper end, and the arms of the river 
 at that point embrace the walls. The island has a naked, dreary 
 appearance, and is about a mile in width below the city. The 
 place is fortified in the old Indian fashion. Obstacles are clum- 
 sily multiplied, and, especially at the south-west angle, wall 
 rises above wall in complicated obstruction. Many of the bas- 
 tions are square, but there are a few of the regular European 
 form ; they are connected, however, by walls, long, lofty, and 
 straight, after the manner of the Hindoos. The north-western 
 angle was that selected by the general as the point of attack : 
 the river at that season was low, its bed wide, and filled with 
 rocks and fragments of granite. 
 
 The Bombay army, under Stuart, from the western coast, and 
 general Floyd, who had been detached with the cavalry to cover 
 their advance, joined on the 14tli. The sultan's horse had 
 hovered close and constantly upon their line of march, and been 
 very active in their annoyance. The progress of the works was 
 now rapid : on the 17th the Bombay troops were established and 
 well covered witliin a thousand yards of the western angle of 
 the fort ; and the bed of a watercourse on the southern side, 
 within a like distance, was seized at the same moment. 
 
 On the 20th, in the evening, the enemy was dislodged from 
 an advanced intrenchment with considerable loss, and a parallel 
 was opened on the spot within seven hundred and eighty yards 
 of the fort. 
 
 On the 22d a column of 6000 infantry, with Lally's corps of 
 Frenchmen, made a furious sally upon the Bombay army : they 
 were received with steadiness ; and after many times repeating 
 their fierce efforts, were compelled to retire with the loss of six 
 or seven hundred men. 
 
 On the evening of the 26th some intrenchments of the enemy 
 behind the bank of a watercourse within 380 yards of the place 
 were assaulted and carried. Of these attacks colonel Wellesley, 
 who commanded in the trenches, had the immediate direction. 
 Their success was rendered complete by the spirited and timely 
 support of colonel Campbell. The fighting was obstinate, and 
 our loss considerable. 
 
 ^■' 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 23 
 
 On the morning of the 3()th a breaching battery opened on 
 the bastion ; at sunrise on the 2(1 of May another battery opened 
 upon the curtain to its right ; these and tlie supporting batteries 
 kept up a loud thunder, and beat weightily upon the walls. A 
 magazine of rockets* blew up in the fort, and threw its ruinous 
 and terrific firework far up into the war-clouded sky; salvo 
 upon salvo lodged ponderous shot upon the shaken walls. A 
 practicable breach was soon made in the fuusse braye wall, and 
 on the evening of the third the main rampart was a heap, and a 
 yawning ruin. Scaling-ladders, fascines, and otlier materiel for 
 the assault, were sent to the trenches after sunset the same 
 evening. When the sun rose on the morrow, the brave battal- 
 ions destined for the storm were already concealed in the 
 trenches. 
 
 Two thousand five hundred Europeans and one tliousand 
 eight hundred natives were appointed to this service, under 
 major-general Baird. The hour for the assault was well cho- 
 Ben ; it was that sultry hour of early afternoon, which is through- 
 out the east a season of profound repose ; when lassitude is felt 
 in all its enervating power ; when, after the meal at noon, all 
 natives compose themselves to sleep or rest Hot, panting, 
 breathless for the signal, men from the far north and west, that 
 had left tlieir thresholds at home fair flaxen-headed youths, lay 
 by their native comrades looking up to the fierce sun, and well- 
 nigh as swart as they. 
 
 The sleepy silence which hung over the city, and the awfiil 
 stillness in the trenches, were suddenly broken by the voice of 
 Baird : — " Come, my brave fellows ! follow me, and prove your- 
 selves worthy of the name of Britisli soldiers," was the brief 
 appeal, with which, springing out of the trenches, sword in 
 hand, he summoned the bold men to the overthrow of a king- 
 dom. He was answered by the quick and forward rush of the 
 " forlorn hope" as they broke past him ; and was close followed 
 by the columns under colonels Sherbrooke and Dunlop. The 
 summit of the breach, after a short struggle on the slope with 
 a few gallant Mysoreans, who started out on the instant, was 
 crowned in six minutes ; a British color was there displayed by 
 the brave sergeant f of the "forlorn," who as he gave the shout 
 of triumph, and felt the hot throb of honors already won, fell 
 dead by a shot from within the fort. 
 
 The face of tlie wide breach was soon crowded with men ; 
 and when collected in sufficient force to enter upon tlie ram- 
 
 • A city in India h«'»in(tP(I prowntH niglit nflor nJRht n siihlimo njicrtorle to 
 the besieKcrii. fruin the largo nii.t fri.-<|iirnt iiiu< niiidc by Indiana nf Miio-liRhta 
 and other lircwurks, Ix-siden rockntn which arc thrown in great quautiticii, and 
 &n very troublcaouic and deitructive. 
 
 tUis name waiRraham 
 
24 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 part, they filed off to the right and left, driving the enemy 
 before them, who fled particularly on the right, with unresisting 
 panic* Numbers threw down their arms and rushed out of the 
 fort. One body of fugitives effected their escape by lowering 
 themselves with the long folds of their unrolled turbans, from 
 the lofty wall at the south-western angle ; but of these the more 
 inactive and irresolute were dashed to pieces upon the rocky 
 bottom of the ditch. Upon the left, however, the column of 
 colonel Dunlop, who had himself been wounded in a personal 
 conflict with one of Tippoo's sirdars, on the slope of the 
 breach, was vigorously opposed. The enemy took jwst behind 
 the traverses which they had constructed, and defended them, 
 one after the other, with such resolution as frequently to bring 
 our front to a stand. Nor would this difficulty have been easily 
 surmounted, had the detachment of the 12th regiment, British, 
 failed in passing the ditch between the exterior and inner ram- 
 part. A narrow strip of ground left for the passage of the 
 workmen was by happy chance discovered ; the rampart was 
 climbed ; the detachment advanced along it, flanked these for- 
 midable traverses, and cleared them by their fire. In this quar- 
 ter the sultan himself had hitherto fought in person, firing from 
 behind a traverse like a common soldier, his attendants aver 
 with such steadiness and effect, that he brought down many of 
 the assailants. 
 
 But when on all sides the English were gaining ground; 
 when those of the right attack were seen in their crimson uni- 
 forms, over the eastern gate ; when on all the works the dis- 
 mayed Mysoreans were resigning the contest, and abandoning 
 their posts, Tippoo retired along the northern rampart. 
 
 Coming up with one of his horses he mounted, complaining 
 of fatigue, and of the aching of a leg, in which he had been 
 formerly wounded. He now rode slowly, with what object none 
 can tell, not away, out of the city, as he might have done, but 
 to a bridge that crossed the inner ditch, and led by a covered 
 gateway into the town. As he was entering this gateway he 
 received a wound from a musket-ball. The place was soon filled 
 with fugitives, both from without and within : for on both sides 
 the British were now advancing. The archway was so choked 
 with people that he could not pass through the crowd ; and the 
 cross-fire of the conquerors soon made it a heap of the dead 
 and the dying. His horse sunk under him, wounded ; his palan- 
 quin was at hand, and his attendants disengaged him from the 
 saddle, and placed him upon it. This was their last service — 
 removal was impossible. In a few minutes English soldiers 
 
 * A captain Molle of the Scotch Brigade pursued them with such ardor that, 
 unsupported, he gained a cavalier, and raising his bat on his sword summoned 
 bis men to take possession of it. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 25 
 
 pressed into the gateway. One of them, attracted by the glit- 
 tering of the golden buckle, snatched at the sultan's sword-belt. 
 Tippoo, with such strength as yet remained to him, made a cut 
 at the soldier, and wounded liim in the knee. The man drew 
 back, raised his piece, and sliot the sultan deliberately througli 
 the temple, little knowing that it was the stern unyielding king, 
 who fell back upon the litter dead. In the hot searcJi for plun- 
 der, the body was thrown out of the palanquin, and lay liidden 
 for a time beneatli a heap of slain. While Tippoo, in tlie con- 
 sciousness that his kingdom was departed from him, provoked 
 the fate lie probably desired, all was alarm and terror in the 
 palace. Baird, who liad been formerly, for three years, the fet- 
 tered and captive tenant of a lothesome hovel in this very city, 
 now stood before the palace-gates as a victor. 
 
 After some anxious parley between major Allan and the kille- 
 dar, the palace, which was crowded with armed men, surren- 
 dered ; the gates were opened, and the youthful princes* were 
 led to the presence of tlie injured conqueror. They came trem- 
 bling : they knew his story ; they knew his wrongs ; and they 
 knew that Europeans taken during the siege had been murdered 
 in torture by their father : but as they drew near, and met the 
 eyes of Baird, that brave man was sensibly affected at the sight ; 
 his violent and excited anger was suddenly resolved into the 
 generous emotions of a fatherly pity ; he calmed their fears, and 
 dismissed them with expressions of regard and promises of pro- 
 tection. 
 
 From the information gathered at the palace, Baird proceeded 
 instantly to the northern gateway in search of the sultan. The 
 shadowy arch was filled with slain ; and from the dim obscurity 
 of the place the features of the dusky dead could not easily be 
 distinguished. Body after body was dragged out and examined 
 without success. Torches were now liglited, and tliey went in 
 to carry on the search with better ex})edition : the corpse was 
 at last found beneath a heap of the killed, and recognized by 
 many. Turban, jacket, sword, and belt were gone ; of defence 
 or ornament nothing remained to the king ; still, however, bound 
 upon his right arm, was the trusted amuletf which he always 
 wore. Despite three wounds in the body, and one in the temple, 
 the countenance was not distorted, and it wore an expression of 
 stem composure. The eyes were open, and the body so warm, 
 that, as colonel Wellesley, tlien present, and major Allan, felt 
 it, tliey thought, for a minute, tliat the sultan yet lived ; but it 
 
 * They were youths of leventecn and fifteen. 
 
 t The taliiman cnntainod. acwed up in picct^a of fine-flnwercd silk, an amu- 
 let of a brittle metallic lulmtance, of ilx! color of silver, and gome inanugrriptR 
 in magic, Arabic, and Persian cliaractiTR, the purport of which, hnd there 
 been any douht, would have fully ascertaineil the identity of the sultan's 
 body.— Ilr*T«oK. 
 
 Vol. I. C 
 
26 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 was not so. They felt the pulse again, and it was still : the 
 haughty heart and it had ceased to beat. 
 
 Above eight thousand of his troops had fallen. The carnage 
 in and around the principal mosque was very great ; for here 
 was the last deadly and desperate resistance of the true mussul- 
 mans, who would neither fly nor surrender. All violence ceased 
 with the conflict ; and, in comparison with captures by assault 
 generally, few, very few, of the inhabitants suffered. Such 
 females as had not fled the city, gathered in veiled and trem- 
 bling groups in the open spaces, and found their best protection 
 in this defenceless and pitied exposure. On the morning of 
 the .'jth of May, colonel Wellesley was appointed to the perma- 
 nent command of Seringapatam. In the attack, he had been 
 in charge of the reserve, and was only an eager and animated 
 spectator of the storm. The rank, the reputation, the age of 
 Baird, and, above all, the peculiar circumstance of his long 
 captivity in the dungeons of this very city, gave him a right to 
 the honor of leading the assault ; and the impatient victor, in 
 the furious battle of Assaye, had but to see this conflict, and to 
 hear the shouts of the conquerors. His immediate attention on 
 the morning of the 5th was directed to the re-establishment of 
 order and security. He made a few necessary examples of 
 plunderers ; went in person to the houses of the principal in- 
 habitants, and soon inspired a general confidence in the people. 
 Such as had fled away to the open fields returned ; and three 
 days after the capture, the main street and the bazaar were 
 crowded with a busy population, and presented the appearance 
 of a fair. 
 
 On the evening of the capture, the remains of Tippoo were 
 conveyed to the palace. On the morning after, Abdul Khalik, 
 his second son, came in and surrendered himself: he asked to 
 see the body, but viewed it with apparent unconcern. Not so 
 the younger princes ; they displayed a feeling and lively sor- 
 row. Youth is youth, and father has still a cherished place in 
 the breast and heart of boyhood, whatever be the country, how 
 troubled soever be the scene. Tippoo was buried with the usual 
 ceremonies, and with as much of pomp as circumstances ad- 
 mitted ; all these things being cared for and provided, with the 
 utmost delicacy and judgment, by colonel Wellesley himself, as 
 commandant of the city. Four flank companies of Europeans 
 attended as a guard of honor; and minute-gufe were fired 
 during the interment. As the procession passed through the 
 street, a keeraut, or charitable donation of five thousa.nd rupees, 
 was distributed to the fakirs and the poor. The kauzee chanted 
 the usual verses from the Koran, and the attendants gave the 
 loud response. The streets were lined with inhabitants, and 
 many persons prostrated themselves before the bier. Thus 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 27 
 
 Tippoo was laid in the tomb of a king, and with the body of his 
 father. He was brave ; and he died a soldier's death. He was 
 a favorite with all classes, during the lifetime of his father, but 
 his reign disappointed all expectations. Nevertheless, in the 
 sight of his mussulman subjects, he had many redeeming quali- 
 ties ; nor did they attribute to him, but to his minister, Meer 
 Sadduck, the oppression which they endured. This they marked 
 by the cruel, indecent, and foul indignities with which they 
 treated the naked corpse of Meer Sadduck, who was killed 
 during the assault, it is believed, by the Mysoreans themselves. 
 Tippoo was generous, though capricious, and supported an im- 
 mense number of dependants. " These people are fed by God," 
 he would say, ." not by me ; " and he would never hear of any 
 reductions in his establishment which might dismiss superfluous 
 servants to destitution. He was strict in all observances of his 
 religion ; and his edicts against the offences prohibited by the 
 law of the prophet, especially that against the use of wine, 
 were severe and inflexible. He was a despiser of all Europeans, 
 even of those whom he employed. He was a persecutor of all 
 infidels, of the Nazarene in particular. Yet it is recorded of 
 him that, on the very day on which he met his deatli, he made 
 large oblations* to the briihmin priests, and performed ceremonies 
 by them enjoined to avert misfortuna These priests had ap- 
 prized him that the 4th of May would prove an inauspicious day 
 to him ; and whatever prompted tlie strange augury, it was, 
 though with little of mystery or wonder, fiilfillod. When he 
 sent to them his offerings, he asked tlieir prayers. Such was 
 the fear with which this intrepid warrior regarded the approach 
 of misfortune, or, perhaps, the terrible law of death. Such 
 was his doubt of that providence and mercy in which, as a 
 good mussulman, he affected to place a simple and implicit re- 
 liance. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the predictions of the priests, and his 
 own misgivings about the last event and issue of the war, the 
 storm of Seringapatam he never contemplated for one moment ; 
 and on the morning of the day when it was made, he could not, 
 to the last, be made to believe that it was intended. He was at 
 dinner, sitting under a pandal,t near an old gateway, in the 
 
 * To the SbiiMsee of Chenapntam hr> gnve an elephant, n ba); of oil aeeda 
 (of the sort naiiM tul), and two lmn(trr<t rupees. To liitrerrnt brahmins be 
 gave a black bullock, a milch buO'alo, a male bulTalo, a black shegoat, a jacket 
 of coane black cloth, a cap of the xame material, ninety ru|)ee8, and previoui 
 to the delivery of this last article he held his head over the pot, for tlic purpoae 
 of seeing the ima{(c of his fhce; a ceremony nued in Ilindostan to avert mis- 
 fortune, lie thitn di8mi8tic<l the brahmin!), and d<!8ire<l they would pray for 
 the profi(iority of hi* ^vernmcnt. which was the more remarkable, the sultan 
 being a bigoted Mahometan. — Dkatson. 
 
 t A thatebed sbed, 
 
28 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 northern face, when the alarm was given. He hastily washed 
 his hands, and called for his arms. While buckling on his sword, 
 a messenger came running to tell him, that Syed Goffar, his 
 best officer, was killed. 
 
 " Syed Goffar was never afraid of death," was his first and 
 only exclamation : " let Mahommed Cassim take charge of his 
 division." And with these words he went hastily forth to meet 
 the assault. The fortunes and the character of this prince are 
 of sufficient interest to have demanded this long notice. 
 
 As soon as it could be conveniently arranged, the commis- 
 sioners, appointed by the governor-general, assembled in Serin- 
 gapatam. Colonel Wellesley was a member of this commission. 
 Their first proceeding was to grant life-pensions to the chief 
 sirdars of Tippoo's army who had survived the struggle. This 
 measure of conciliation being effected, their next was to remove 
 lirom the country the families of Hyder Ali and the late sultan, 
 as a preliminary to the new settlement of Mysore. The details 
 of this delicate office were left to colonel Wellesley ; and, by 
 various concurring testimonies, the duty was performed with 
 great judgment, and the most considerate humanity. 
 
 It was resolved by the marquis Wellesley to restore the 
 ancient rajahsliip of Mysore. lie apportioned for it a larger 
 territory and a better revenue than the former rajahs had ever 
 possessed. The remainder of Tippoo's kingdom, being the 
 after-conquest of his father, was divided between the English 
 and the nizam ; a portion being reserved as an offering to the 
 peishwah, with a view of cementing our alliances in that quar- 
 ter. The child, who was the lineal descendant of the ancient 
 rajahs of Mysore, was discovered, with his fallen family, in deep 
 ]>overty and humiliation. His state excited a most compassionate 
 interest in those first deputed to communicate the intended ele- 
 vation. The commissioners were received by the young rajah 
 in the mean apartment of a mean abode. He was surrounded 
 by his male relations ; while the ranah and the females of his 
 house were only concealed from the visitors by a sorry cloth or 
 curtain : every thing marked tlie extreme of indigence and 
 neglected obscurity. 
 
 The young prince, a delicate and timid child, about five years 
 old, was at first alarmed ; but the kindness of the commissioners 
 soon reassured him. 
 
 The brahmins fixed upon the SOtJi of June as an ^auspicious 
 day for the enthronement. The inauguration took place in the 
 old town of Mysore. The ancient Hindoo musnud had been 
 discovered at Seringapatam, and was used upon this occasion. 
 Under a royal salute from the fort, and three volleys from the 
 troops, the young rajah, conducted by general Harris and Meer 
 Allum, took seat upon the throne of his fathers, received their 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 29 
 
 homage, and was presented in due form with the seal and signet 
 of the rauje. The deportment of the child, throughout this 
 imposing ceremony, was so becoming, so free from all restraint 
 and embarrassment, as to surprise and interest all the British 
 officers who were present. Tippoo had always designated the 
 Btate as Khodadad Sircar, i. e. " The Government, God given ;" 
 or, " The Gift of God." The designation, though Mahometan, 
 and no longer used, struck many as singularly applicable to tlie 
 advancement of the young rajah ; for he had literally lain among 
 the pots,* and was now set up as a prince of the people. The 
 brahmin Pumeah, who had been the finance minister of Tippoo, 
 accepted an offer to become the dewan of the present govern- 
 ment, and was appointed accordingly. Thus happily was this 
 important conquest settlcd.f 
 
 It is impossible to close the story of tliis war without remark- 
 mg two things : — first, that, contrary to all reasonable expecta- 
 tions, the British army was compelled rather to creep than to 
 march to the scene of its after-triumphs. Next, that, if in con- 
 sequence of this delay Seringapatam had been defended as it 
 might and ought to have l^en, and as there was reason to 
 expect from the character of Tippoo, the number of his troops, 
 and the abundance of its materiel, it would have been, the siege 
 must have been tedious and harassing, and the success doubtful. 
 Nay, had the breach been cut off by a retrenchment, and de- 
 fended with as much spirit as the traverses on the left, it would 
 certainly not have been carried as it was ; because an obstacle 
 would have been presented insurmountable by the brave assail- 
 ant!?. 
 
 Before and throughout the siege the mind of Tippoo was con- 
 fused, and his heart depressed by the shadow of a coming ca- 
 lamity. On the evening of his funeral the sky gathered black 
 with clouds. There was a great tempest, tliunder and light- 
 ning, and so heavy a rain that the river Cauvery rose greatly in 
 the course of one night ; and this change of weather would, of 
 itself, have greatly interfered with our operations, had we been 
 still in the trenches. In the camp of the Bombay anny two 
 British officers were killed, that evening, by the lightning. 
 
 All here related, and much more, was witnessed by colonel 
 Wellesley, and forms a part of his military experience as a sol- 
 dier, and his moral experience as a man. 
 
 • There wa« a pottcr'n heap clo«e ti) liii late wrcltliod abixte ; moreover, 
 ■tntnge as it may Bnunil. the younft prince and liig family were originally of 
 the potter cn»t, which, thoiiKh not vile, is by no nieanaa hiph one. 
 
 t The (tarrison of Seringapatam during tlie tiiege wag near 22,r00. Two 
 hundred and righty-w'vi'n guns were mounted on tin- fort ificationR, and nearly 
 7(10 piece* of ordnance were found In the four arfiennlg ; there were also in the 
 city two founderiffl for cannon, and eleven armories for small arms. Tlie 
 British loM during the tkege and in the assault was about i:00 killed an4 
 wounded, of wtaom 07 were ofBcers. 
 
 C2 
 
30 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 He now became the permanent commandant of Seringapatam, 
 and in that office was, of necessity, charged with many duties, 
 and various arrangements, of a nature totally distinct from the 
 ordinary routine of mere military service. To these new duties 
 he rose in a manner that gained him much influence and in- 
 creasing respect. 
 
 It is remembered, that he early prepared a paper upon the 
 state of the coinage in Mysore, in which it was shown that he 
 had studied the subject, and was not less able to project a mea- 
 sure of finance in the closet than to guide a column in the field. 
 To tliis hour, indeed, the memory of all these services, and 
 more particularly of those which he rendered to the terrified 
 and desolate natives in the moment of our triumph, and their 
 distresses, is cherished by the aged inhabitants of Seringapatam 
 with a grateful feeling, with which we are unwilling to discon- 
 nect the after-successes of colonel Wellesley's life. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 COLONEL wellesley's SERVICE AGAINST DHOONDIA, A LEADER OF PRE- 
 DATORY HORSE. IS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF GENERAL. TAKES 
 
 THE FIELD AGAINST THE MAHRATTAS. VARIOUS OPERATIONS. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF ASSAYE. PEACE. LEAVES INDIA. 
 
 The tranquillity of the new conquests, and the quiet submis- 
 sion of the country, was for a while delayed by the enterprise of 
 an adventurer, named Dhoondia Waugh. 
 
 This individual, born in the kingdom of Mysore, of Mahratta 
 parents, had been a private horseman in the cavalry of Hyder, 
 and served afterwards in the army of his son with some petty 
 command. Being a restless, ambitious man, and disappointed 
 of promotion to the extent of his hopes, he deserted the sultan's 
 service, during the war with lord Cornwallis, and, putting him- 
 self at the head of a few predatory horse, he plundered the coun- 
 try north of the Toombudra. His maraud, however, was checked 
 and chastised by the court of Poonah, whose troops, under their 
 chief Ghokla, overtook and defeated him. Induced by a fair 
 offer of Tippoo, who promised both forgiveness and employment, 
 he returned to Mysore, at the head of two hundred followers. 
 The treacherous sultan immediately threw him into prison, and 
 invited him to turn mussulman. Whether this was to secure 
 his allegiance, or to increase the number of the faithful, may 
 not be confidently said ; but the tyrant circumcised his Hindoo 
 prisoner by force, and subjected him to very cruel and rigorous 
 treatment throughout a long confinement. At the capture of 
 Seringapatam, amongst the prisoners hastily set at liberty, with- 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTOX. 31 
 
 out due examination and inquiry, was Dhoondia Waugh. No 
 sooner were his fetters knocked off tlian his feet were again in 
 the stirrups. Many of Tippoo's horsemen, men of desperate 
 fortunes, without a country, a service, or a master, became his 
 willing followers. With these people lie ravaged the rich coun- 
 try of Biddenore ; and it became necessary to send after him 
 two strong detachments of the army, under colonels Stevenson 
 and Dalrymple. Six hundred and fifty of his followers, horse 
 and foot, were cut uj) by lieutonant-colonel Dalrymple; by 
 whom, and by colonel Stevenson, he was soon driven across the 
 Toombudra, into tlie territory of the jieishwah. Here hiis old 
 conqueror Ghokla came upon him, luid being stripped of guns, 
 tents, and baggage, elep'iants and bullocks, he fled north, with 
 the very few horse which, after this Inst dispersion, ren-.ained to 
 him, and for a time totally disappeared. 
 
 Nothing is more remarkable in India than the magic growth 
 of a predatory force. A single adventurer, with no purse, no 
 possession, but horse and sword, if he has once rode at the head 
 of a body of freebooters, and got a name for activity and for- 
 tune, is sure to be sought out and followed by all whose feet are 
 "swift to shed blood, and to divide the spoil." The speck, 
 scarce visible or noticed in tlie far distance, approaches ; and, 
 behold, a heavy cloud black with the menace of destruction. 
 Thus, in 18(X), Dhoondia rode south again with GOC'O horse, and 
 threatened the frontier of ]\Iysore. Against tliis enemy a force 
 was immediately ordered to take the held, and colonel Welles- 
 ley was appointed to the command. The colonel crossed the 
 Toombudra with his troops on the 24th of June ; anotiier body 
 under colonel Bowser marched upon the same service, to co- 
 operate with and under liim. On the I29th, from intelligence 
 he received, colonel Wellesley found that if he halted for colo- 
 nel Bowser he might lose the chance of striking such a blow at 
 Dhoondia as would cripple him. He tlierefore pressed forward 
 with his cavalry only. At Malovvny on the Malpoorba he found 
 a detached camp of this chieftain ; rode into it ; cut up or drove 
 into tlie river all the combatants he found there ; took animals, 
 baggage, &c., and closed the affair by making a party of his 
 European dragoons swim across the river and seize a boat. By 
 this means he contrived the same evening to possess himself of 
 their guns, which had been safely transjwrted to tlie opposite 
 bank before his arrival. After various tbrce<l and fatiguing 
 marclies, and many able movements conducted witli persever- 
 ing activity and judgment, colonel Wellesley found himself 
 within a few miles of Dhoondia's main force on the niglit of 
 the 9th of September. Bad wcatlier and jaded horses compelled 
 him to a short halt Luckily, the chief, misled by the previous 
 manoeuvres of Wellesley, and misinformed by his spies, was 
 
32 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 ignorant of the near approach of the British troops. After a 
 night of anxious impatience, colonel Wellesley bade sound " To 
 horse !" rode forward with his eager squadrons, and soon came 
 in presence of " the king of the two worlds."* His army, con- 
 sisting of at least 5000 cavalry, for he had been strengthened 
 since his arrival in the south, was drawn up in a very strong 
 position near the village of ConaguU. His people put on a good 
 bold countenance, and looked firm. The colonel most rapidly 
 formed the British dragoons and native cavalry ; and in one 
 resolute charge, led by himself, the fdte of this lawless horde 
 was decided. They were cut up or dispersed, every thing in 
 their camp taken, and Dhoondia himself, " king of the two 
 worlds," was slaui. His body was recognized among the dead : 
 it was immediately lashed upon one of the galloper guns attach- 
 ed to the 19th light dragoons, and brought by the soldiers, with 
 no small exultation, to the English camp. It is impossible to 
 read the letters to Sir Thomas (then major) Munro, lately pub- 
 lished in the correspondence of that able and esteemed man, in 
 which colonel Wellesley describes these operations, without the 
 liveliest interest. The pursuit and overthrow of this formidable 
 freebooter are related with a flow of joyous good-humor like the 
 story of a successful hunt ; and the phrases, the " king of the 
 world" and "his majesty" are repeated with a playfulness, 
 which shows the extreme pleasure Wellesley felt at his suc- 
 cess, and the utter insignificance in which he held the peril or 
 the glory of such a combat. At the same time it will be seen 
 how much of thought and foresight ; what clear arrangements 
 for supply ; what prompt decision on routes ; what skill in 
 movement; what unwearied perseverance, were exhibited in 
 the effectual performance of this service. With colonel Wel- 
 lesley duty was never a trifle. It mattered not how small or 
 great the object to be attained. He gave to all orders that he 
 received his fixed intelligent attention ; and to the execution of 
 them, for the time being, all his mind. 
 
 Let the youthful officer consider well this feature in the char- 
 acter we place before him. He will find it distinctive of the 
 whole career of Wellesley. 
 
 The service just performed was of considerable importance, 
 and checked in time the growth of a vast horde of pindarries, 
 and other great disorders. Thus was tranquillity again restored 
 to the territories lately acquired by the British, and also to many 
 fertile districts immediately beyond their frontier. The peace- 
 ful peasants could again sow and irrigate their pleasant fields in 
 security; and, in "the places of drawing water," the timid 
 
 * An assumed title. It is thus in the history of India that any bold adven- 
 urer founds a dynapty. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 33 
 
 women of the Indian villages were again delivered from their 
 fear. 
 
 Shortly after this service, colonel Wellesley was appointed to 
 accompany general Baird on an expedition projected by the 
 marquis VVelleslcy against Batavia, and he quitted his command 
 in the Mysore. This expedition, owing to some misunderstand- 
 ing between the admiral commanding in the Indian seas and 
 the governor-general, as to tiie extent of the power which the 
 latter was authorized to assume, was abandoned by tlie marquis. 
 The force under general Baird was ordered to Egypt, and 
 colonel Wellesley was remanded to the government of Serin- 
 gapatam. 
 
 It seems to have been the intention at home that colonel 
 Wellesley sljould have proceeded to Egypt with the contingent 
 furnished by the Indian army ; for ho was actually gazett^ to 
 the local rank of a brigadier-general in tliat country. A scene, 
 however, of very active and important operations was just about 
 to open upon his prospects in India ; and, witli a separate and 
 independent command, ho soon gave to the name of Wellesley 
 that splendor which did ever after increase, till at last it shone 
 out, eftulgent in meridian glory, over the field of Waterloo. 
 
 It may readily be supposed that the Mahratta chiefs had 
 viewed the late successes of the British in Mysore with an evil 
 eye. In the policy which had suggested the destruction of 
 Tippoo's kingdom, and in the power wliich that prompt, vigor- 
 ous, and decisive measure had exliibited, they saw, or suspected, 
 the danger of then- own states. The British government, de- 
 sirous to establish such an alliance with the peishwah as might 
 preserve the general tranquillity, made offer to that prince of a 
 portion of the territories conquered from Tippco, and such other 
 proposals as indicated a sincere desire to preserve with that 
 court relations of the most strict amity. The territory was re- 
 fused, and the proposals were rejected. The secret of this re- 
 fusal lay in the simple fact, that Scindia, with a large army, and 
 almost the whole of his French brigades, continued at Poonali, 
 and controlled every action of the court. 
 
 In June, 1802, intelligence of the peace of Amiens reached 
 India, which was thus reopened to PVench atlventurers end 
 French intrigue. Fortunately, at this very moment, the two 
 chiefs, Scindia and Ilolkar, were at variance. The latter, a 
 fierce man, always in his element when in the work of devas- 
 tation, was laying waste the country of the other ; that part of 
 it, at least, whicli lies north of the Nerbuddah. If, however, 
 aa was probable, Scindia should obtain, by the defeat of his rival, 
 the sole ascendency in the Mahratta empire, the English fore- 
 saw tliat the weight of its military resources would assuredly, 
 sooner or later, be directed against themselves. There couM 
 
34 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 be little doubt, from the constitution of his army, and from the 
 influence of his French officers, that he might, and would, es- 
 tablish a military power in the heart of India, by which the very 
 existence of the British government in the East would be en- 
 dangered. The country of the peishwali had been now the 
 scene of continual conflict for years, and was greatly exhausted 
 by the constant influx of fresh and hungry hordes of horse, who 
 came to fight, under one banner or another, for the sovereignty 
 of the Mahratta empire. It was evident that these lawless 
 crowds, if not impelled by their natural thirst for plunder, must 
 soon be driven to invade our territories, or those of the nizam, 
 our ally, from the mere want of food. 
 
 In the autumn of 1802, Holkar came down upon Poonah in 
 great strength, and compelled Scindia to battle. The peishwah 
 was under an obligation to join Scindia with his troops, and 
 promised, moreover, his personal presence in the field. On the 
 day of battle he mounted his elephant, indeed, and took seat in 
 his war howdah ; but nothing was further from his intention 
 than risking his person among the spearmen of Holkar. He 
 therefore lingered near the walls of the city, ready alike for 
 flight or congratulation. Holkar won the day, and, upon the 
 very earliest report from the scene of conflict, which showed 
 clearly to which side victory inclmed, the peishwah, whose 
 cunning was as notorious as his cowardice, fled away. He pro- 
 ceeded to Bassein, in Guzerat, and here very readily concluded 
 a treaty with the British ; whereby he consented to receive a 
 subsidiary force, to cede territory for its subsistence, and to dis- 
 charge all French and foreign adventurers from his service. 
 The Madras army, under the command of general Stuart, ad- 
 vanced to the banlvs of the Toombudra to support this treaty. 
 Colonel Wellesley, in the spring of 1802, had been promoted to 
 the rank of major-general ; and in that rank he now again took 
 the field. He was, upon this occasion, detached with a select 
 corps in front of general Stuart, and directed to march on 
 Poonah, to drive away the troops of Holkar, and make safe the 
 return of the peishwah, who was already on his way again to 
 take possession of his capital. In co-operation with the subsid- 
 iary force of the Deccan, which moved under the orders of 
 colonel Stevenson, he advanced rapidly. On his route, intelli- 
 gence reached him that Amrat Rao, a relation of Holkar, and a 
 chief, liad threatened to plunder the city before he departed 
 north. General Wellesley, with that promptitude and perse- 
 verance which have always marked his discharge of duty, broke 
 up instantly, performed a march of sixty miles in thirty hours, 
 and entered Poonah with his cavalry on the 20th of April : the 
 Mahrattas fled at his approach, and the city was saved. The 
 climate and season considered, this was a prodigious exertion 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 35 
 
 for the European part of liis force ; indeed, for all. It is remark- 
 able, however, but true, that, for a brief campaign, the Europe- 
 ans in India, from their pride and energy, and from a certain 
 vigor of original constitution, will endure hardship, exposure to 
 the sun, and fatigue, better than the majority of the natives ; 
 but, afterwards, alas ! they pay the heavy price of their exer- 
 tions. When the moral excitement has passed away, they often 
 sink into supineness ; disease invades them, and the gallant fel- 
 lows wither into yellow and bloodless men ; and, while yet scarce 
 at mid-age tliemselves, so die. It is well to mark these things; 
 for thousands upon thousands of soldiers, in all armies, and in 
 all countries, sink down into early graves, which their own 
 services have dug, without the eclat of battle, — without one 
 leaf of laurel to mingle with the unwelcome cypress. 
 
 Happily the noble subject of these memoirs was gifted with 
 a frame well calculated for the sustaining of all fatigues, and a 
 sound, vigorous constitution. General Wellesley was a little 
 above the middle height, well limbed, and muscular ; with little 
 encumbrance of flesh beyond that which gives shape and manli- 
 ness to the outline of the figure ; witli a firm tread ; an erect 
 carriage ; a countenance strongly patrician, both in feature, 
 profile, and expression ; and an appearance remarkable and dis- 
 tinguished : few could approach him on any duty, or on any 
 subject requiring his serious attention, without bein^ sensible 
 of a something strange and pcnetratuig in his clear light eye. 
 Notliing could be more simple and straightforward than the 
 matter of what he uttered ; nor did he ever in his life afl^ect any 
 peculiarity or pomp of manner, or rise to any coarse, weak loud- 
 ness in his tone of voice. It was not so that he gave expression 
 to excited feeling. 
 
 It may be here with propriety observed, and it is important 
 to the younger oflUcers who may read this, that general Wel- 
 lesley was a man temperate in all his habits ; using tlie table, 
 but above its pleasures: and it is not to be found on record, that 
 he was ever the slave of any of those frailties, without an occa- 
 sional subjection to which few men pass the fiery ordeal of a 
 soldier's life. He was, however, much in camps ; and a camp 
 is 80 truly the nursery of manly virtues, that few officers ad- 
 vanced in life can look back upon days so unoffending, or nights 
 of such light rejxjse, as those passed in tlie ready field. To sum 
 all up, he was a British nobleman serving his king and country 
 with heart and hand ; and while British noblemen continue to 
 do thus, may their lands be broad, tlicir mansions wide, and their 
 names honored ! 
 
 The pcishwah again entered Poonah, aed was again enthroned 
 upon his own musnud, on the 13th of May. The defensive alli- 
 ance with him having been thus peaceably effected, it was hoped 
 
36 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that Scindia would return quietly to liis own country. This 
 hope was vain. Scindia and the rajah of Berar, who were 
 together in the field, made a menacing movement towards the 
 frontier of our ally, the nizam. Explanation of this conduct 
 was immediately demanded : the replies were evasive. Informa- 
 tion was just at this time received of a secret and active cor- 
 respondence between Scindia and Holkar ; and it was privately 
 known that a league hostile to the British was on the very 
 eve of being concluded. 
 
 Under all these circumstances, tlie marquis Wellesley, with 
 that large and comprehensive wisdom which sees when and 
 where to delegate authority, invested the officers in command 
 of the armies of Hindostan and the Deccan with full civil and 
 political powers ; for, in the upper provinces of the Bengal gov- 
 ernment, as well as in the Deccan, our troops were in the field. 
 The army of Hindostan was commanded by lord Lake. 
 
 To major-general Wellesley, however, in particular, was sent 
 a specific authority to conclude peace or to engage in hostilities, 
 as his judgment, guided by his knowledge of the objects of gov- 
 ernment, might suggest to be most advantageous for the public 
 interests. The major-general immediately demanded of Scindia 
 that he should separate his army from that of the rajah of Berar, 
 and retire across the Nerbuddah. He promised, on his own part, 
 that the British troops should resume their ordinary stations the 
 very moment that tliis requisition was complied with. 
 
 Oriental diplomatists are grand masters in all the little arts 
 of evasion and delay, deceit and falsehood. Seldom, however, 
 was a man born better calculated to deal witli such diplomatists 
 tlian general Wellesley. He saw through them, and had a 
 straightforward method of dealing, and a bold and fearless 
 decision, which at once confused and confounded them. 
 
 They continued their professions of good faith, and they re- 
 peated proposals already rejected, till it was evident to the gene- 
 ral that time enough to perfect their plans and to prepare the 
 hostile combinations was their sole object. The general, with 
 his forces, awaited the issue of the negotiations in a camp near 
 Walkee, no gTcat distance from the city of Ahmednuggur, a 
 strong fort belonging to Scindia, and situate about eighty miles 
 from Poonah. It was on the 6th of August he learned that his 
 political agent, colonel Collins, acting up to the true spirit of his 
 instructions, had quitted the camp of Scindia. There had just 
 been a heavy fall of rain ; and, from the state of the roads, which 
 immediately near him lay over soft cotton ground, it was not 
 possible for him to mo^^ on the 7th, but on the morning of the 
 8th he broke up the epcampment, and marched to Ahmednug- 
 gur. The town, or pettali of this place, is defended by a very 
 lofty wall of masonry, without any ramparts, and flimked at 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLTNGTOX. 37 
 
 every angle or bend by a tower. This pettah was garrisoned 
 by a regular battalion of Scindia's infantry, supported by a body 
 of those brave mercenaries, the Arabs, who are often found in 
 the fortresses of the Deccan. A body of horse was encamped 
 immediately behind the town, in the open space between it and 
 the fort. General Wcllesley directed the a.ssault of tlie pettah 
 the very moment lie came before it. The place was gallantly 
 carried by escalade, with the loss of 118 killed and wounded. 
 The suffering was principally from the Arabs, who, both on the 
 towers and in the streets, offered a brave but ineffectual resist- 
 ance. Lieutenant-colonels Harness and Wallace, and captain 
 Vesey, with the flank companies of the 78th, the 74th, and 1st 
 battalion 3d native infantry, performed this service rapidly, and 
 in a daring and dauntless style. On the 10th the general opened 
 a battery against the fort The killedar proposed to treat, and 
 requested that the fire might cease while the terms were under 
 discussion. The general expressed his readiness to treat, but 
 the guns continued to play upon the fort. On the 11th the 
 killedar sent out vakeels to offer a surrender ; but it was not 
 till five in the evening that liis hostages arrived in the Britisli 
 camp, nor till that very hour would the general allow his bat- 
 teries to cease their fire for a moment, save to cool the guns. 
 On the 12th the killedar and a garrison of 1400 men marched 
 out He was permitted to take away his own private property, 
 and that of the inhabitants was also preserved to them. This 
 fortress secured the communication with Poonah, afforded a safe 
 dep6t, and was the centre and the capital of a district yielding 
 634,000 rupees. 
 
 On the 24th general Wellcsley crossed the Godavery, with 
 the whole of his force, and reached the large and noble city of 
 Aurungabad on the 29th. There are pleasant breaks in tlie hot 
 toils of marching and campaigning in India, when a place is 
 approached that rewards the gaze, as riding slowly up, dome, 
 cupola, and tall minar rise grandly in the distance; — objects 
 singularly noble and picturesque in themselves, but doubly so 
 with the adjuncts of the palm-tree and feathery cocoa-nut, and 
 that sunset sky, where long dark stripes, of the very blackest 
 purple, divide the deep, the glowing vermilion, after a manner 
 that no painter either could or would dare to copy. These 
 things, and a soowarree,* perhaps, coming on tlie way with 
 huge elephant, and camels, and long-maned horses, fretting 
 handsome under tlieir weighty housings, and their turbanea 
 riders, and all the historic associations that crowd up to culti- 
 vated minds at tiie sight; — these are thobeguilements of Indian 
 marches ; and are, after different mannens and degrees, delight- 
 
 * A train, tbe retinue of a neat man. 
 Vol- I. D 
 
38 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 fill alike to the march-worn soldier, and to the thoughtful leader 
 riding in the van. 
 
 As soon as the enemy heard of the arrival of general Welles- 
 ley at Aurungabad, they moved from Jalna to the southvk^ard and 
 eastward, menacing a march upon Hyderabad. The general 
 marching eastward, along the left bank of the Godavery, frus- 
 trated their design effectually; and, by the same movement, 
 covered the safe advance of two important convoys coming up 
 from Moodgul. The enemy now returned to the nortliward of 
 Jalna. Colonel Stevenson attacked and carried that fort on the 
 2d of September : upon the night of the 9th he surprised a de- 
 tached encampment of the enemy, created no small disturbance 
 and alarm, and caused them much loss. The confederate chief- 
 tains had hitherto been marching solely with their cavalry, sup- 
 ported by a few thousand of the irregular foot, armed with 
 matchlocks. They were now joined by sixteen battalions of 
 regular infantry, and a large train of artillery, imder the com- 
 mand of French officers. The whole of these forces were 
 collected at Bokerdun, and lay between that place and Jaffi- 
 erabad. 
 
 On the 21st of September, general Wellesley and colonel 
 Stevenson met and conferred at Budnapoor, They here ar- 
 ranged a combined attack of the enemy for the morning of the 
 24th. Stevenson was detached by the western route, the gene- 
 ral himself taking the eastern ; in order that by this division of 
 the force they might be enabled to effect the passage of the 
 defiles in one day, and by occupying both prevent the enemy 
 from escaping to the southward ; — a mancEuvre by which they 
 might otherwise have avoided the encounter of our army at that 
 time, and, perhaps, altogether. The common hircarralis of the 
 country reported the enemy to be at Bokerdun ; and, according 
 to the information which he had received about roads and dis- 
 tances, the general directed his march, so as to encamp within 
 twelve miles of that place on the 21st. When on the morning 
 of that day he arrived at the proposed halting ground, he learn- 
 ed, to his surprise, that he was only six miles from Bokerdun. 
 At the same time intelligence was brought, that the cavalry of 
 the Mahratta camp were already in movement to the rear, and 
 that the infantry and guns were preparing to follow. The 
 general determined to march upon the infantry, and engage 
 it. He sent a messenger to Stevenson, then about eiglit miles 
 to his left, to apprize him of this intention, and to direct his 
 advance. 
 
 The camp colors were plucked from the ground, and the lit- 
 tle army of Wellesley marched on. With the 19th light dra- 
 goons, and three regiments of native cavalry under colonel 
 Maxwell, the genersd himself advanced to reconnoitre. The 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 39 
 
 infentry followed. After a march of about four miles, from an 
 elevated plain in front of their right he beheld the Mahratta 
 camp. A host of near 50,000 combatants, horse, foot, and artil- 
 lery, lay strongly posted behind the river Kaitna. A smaller 
 stream, called the Juah, flowed past their rear ; and its waters 
 joined those of the Kaitna at a point considerably beyond their 
 left, leaving there a vacant peninsulated piece of ground of 
 some space. The line of the enemy ran east and west along 
 the northern bank of the Kaitna. The infantry lay upon the 
 left, and all tlie guns. The position of this wing was a little 
 retired upon the Juah, having its point (Tappui on the village 
 of Assaye, which leaned upon that river. The right consisted 
 entirely of cavalry. The north bank of the Kaitna is high, 
 rocky, and difficult ; the front, for the most part, unassailable. 
 
 Upon his bay Arabian sat Wellesley, just opposite the ene- 
 my's right, then distant about a mile and a half, and presenting 
 to his view, in one magnificent mass, 30,000 horses. The 
 cavalry under Maxwell formed up their brilliant line, and re- 
 mained steady. Wellesley with rapid glance surveyed the 
 ground. From beneath the thick plumes of red horse-hair, 
 which drooped over their bronzed cheeks, the manly eyes of the 
 bold 19th dragoons looked on severely. The general resolved 
 for battle. That this was the calm decision of a consulted 
 judgment is not probable ; but " there is a tide in the affairs 
 of men :" he felt it swelling in his bosom, and took it at the 
 happy ebb. 
 
 A body of the enemy's horse moved out, advanced to within 
 half a mile of the British cavalry, and threw out skirmishers, 
 who fired a few shots. Some British troopers were ordered to 
 drive back these skirmishers, and all again was quiet The 
 general, observing a spot with a few houses beyond tlie left of 
 the enemy, where tliere was probably a ford, and which he saw 
 they had neglected to guard, resolved to pass the Kaitna at that 
 point ; to throw his small force entire upon that flank ; to attack 
 tlieir infantry and guns ; and thus to neutralize the presence of 
 their vast cavalry, or compel them to bring it into action under 
 very confiising disadvantages, and on a more confined field. A 
 bright and bold conception. 
 
 The general, bidding Maxwell keep his present ground for a 
 time, went back, and brought up tlie infantry in person. With 
 these last, in steady columns, he now moved down upon the 
 river. They marched silent and firm, every man in his place. 
 It was to be the triumph of discipline. The courage of the 
 heart was to be aided by the quick eye, the obedient ear, and 
 the keeping calmly in the ranks. A cannonade played upon 
 their line of march as they approached the ford : it was distant, 
 and without effect As they passed up out of the river, and the 
 
40 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 head of the column gained the clear ground above, a field bat- 
 tery, within range, opened upon them hotly. It was at this tlie 
 anxious moment of directing with care the formation of the 
 lines for battle, that the orderly dragoon, riding close to the 
 general, had his skull torn away by a cannon-ball. The horse, 
 feeling the relaxed bridle and collapsing limb of his rider, fell a 
 trembling, and kicked and plunged franticly, till he got quit of 
 the corpse. An incident not worth the notice, but for the mo- 
 ment of its occurrence, and the trouble it caused to those imme- 
 diately near. 
 
 Under this cannonade general Wellesley formed up his people 
 in three lines ; two of infantry, the third of his cavalry ; which, 
 as soon as the columns had crossed the ford, rode smartly down 
 from their position, and took battle station in reserve. As a 
 watching check upon the enemy's right, were left the Mysore 
 horse and some cavalry of the peishwah's which marched with 
 our army ; but, though useful here, they could not be ventured 
 in the fight. 
 
 The order of battle being thus skilfully changed, the infantry 
 of Scindia was compelled to present a new front. They did so 
 with greater ease than was expected. The line they now 
 formed rested with its right upon the Kaitna, and its left upon 
 the village of Assaye and the Juah. The front now presented 
 by the enemy was one vast battery, especially towards the left, 
 so numerous and weighty were the guns, and so thickly were 
 they disposed immediately near the village. 
 
 The fire was rapid, furious, and terrible in execution: the 
 British guns, few in number, opened as the line advanced, but 
 were almost on the instant silenced. Their gunners dropped 
 fast, and the cattle fell lacerated or killed beside them. With 
 the fierceness of the struggle and the fearfulness of the hazard, 
 the undaunted spirit of the general rose. He at once aban- 
 doned the guns, and directed an advance with the bayonet : 
 with the main body he soon forced and drove the enemy's right, 
 possessing himself of their guns by a resolute charge. 
 
 During this movement, the pickets and 74th regiment were 
 losing men so fast by the fire from Assaye, tliat a body of Mah- 
 ratta horse, which, hastening to that flank, had moved round the 
 village, charged them, and with severe effect; though the 
 heart, or centre, of the 74th still held gallantly together. Max- 
 well, with his dragoons, rode swiftly to their rescue, and spur- 
 ring hard upon their assailants, drove them, with great slaughter, 
 across the Juah. Amid a shower of musketry and grape, this 
 leader and his cavalry rode on through the enemy's left : the 
 gallant remnant of the pickets and 74th pressed on, and the 
 battle was already won. The sepoys of the main body, pos- 
 sessed in great part the very ground on which the enemy had 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTOX. 41 
 
 stood, and the guns which he had fought to the last, the gunners 
 in many mstances actually suflering themselves to be bayoneted 
 at their posts, in others lying detul, as it seemed, under their 
 carmon. These sepoys rushed on in pursuit. Their officers 
 could not control their elated ardor; but, happily the 78th 
 British, upon the left of all this early exultation, stood firm and 
 steady, with unbroken ranks. A cloud of the enemy's horse 
 hung dark upon the hill above, ready to burst, like a torrent, 
 upon the brave coniusion, but they durst not dash and break, as 
 they must have done, upon that rock. 
 
 Some of Scindia's routed battalions clustered confusedly near 
 Assaye, where numbers of the infantry and gunners, who had 
 cast themselves upon the earth, to avoid the sabres of tlie cav- 
 alry, by feigning death, started up, and joined them. This body 
 attempted a new formation ; again opened the guns ; and re- 
 newed the battle. 
 
 A large column of the enemy, already in full retreat, rallied 
 at the hopeful sound, turned, and formed again. These the 
 brave Maxwell checked by a gallant charge, and in this good 
 service closed his honorable life. Among the last efforts of a 
 day of efforts was a second attack of the formidable artillery 
 near the village of Assaye. This general Wellesley led up in 
 person, at the head of the 78th and 7th native cavalry. The 
 enemy fled without awaiting the shock ; but as the general was 
 advancing, his horse, struck by a cannon-shot that carried away 
 its leg, fell under him. A field, flowing with bloo<l, black with 
 abandoned cannon, and covered with slain, remained in posses- 
 sion of the British. It was near dark when the firing ceased. 
 That night Wellesley lay down, and slept upon the field of bat- 
 tle. For a time, this day, " the die had spun doubtful ;" but the 
 secret impulse which prompted him to give the battle, did still, 
 through all its thunder, wiiisper in his ear, " Victory ! " The 
 t*jss and fiery tramp of his favorite Arab were stilled in death, 
 but the spur of the rider was not cold. A favoring Providence 
 had shone kind on his bold hopes, and covered his head in bat- 
 tle. This success involved mighty consequences. " Never," 
 says Dr. Southey, "was any victory gained under so many dis- 
 advantages. Superior arms and discipline have often prevailed 
 against as great a numerical difference ; but it would be de- 
 scribing the least part of this day's glory to say, that the num- 
 bers of the enemy were as ten to one : they had disciplined 
 troops in tlie field under European officers, wJio more than 
 doubled the British force ; they had a hundred pieces of can- 
 non, which were served with perfect skill; and which the 
 British, witliout the aid of artillery, twice won with the 
 bayonet"* 
 
 * Quarterly Review, vol. liii. p. S2S. 
 D? 
 
45 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 The loss of his little band was a third killed and wounded : 
 the sepoys had vied with the Bi'itish in ardor; and the native 
 cavalry had rode stirrup to stirrup with the heroes of the 19th 
 dragoons. Of the enemy, twelve hundred were found dead 
 upon the field ; their wounded were countless, and scattered 
 over all the immediate neighborhood. 
 
 Scindia now wrote, by a minister, to general Wellesley, art- 
 fully inviting him to send an officer to the Mahratta camp to 
 treat. This the general of course refused ; but expressed his 
 readiness to receive, in his own encampment, any person duly 
 empowered by the confederates to negotiate terms of peace. 
 Operations were continued. Burhanpoor surrendered to colonel 
 vStevenson on the 16th of October, and the strong fort of As- 
 seerghur capitulated on the 21st. On the 11th of November, 
 Scindia, with little sincerity of intention for peace, sent an am- 
 bassador to the British camp. After various conferences a truce 
 was agreed upon between Scindia and the British in the Deccan 
 and Guzerat. The principal conditions were, that Scindia's 
 people should occupy a position forty miles east of Ellichpoor, 
 and that the British should not advance farther into his terri- 
 tories. This truce was concluded the 23d of November. While 
 it was going forward, general Wellesley had descended the 
 Bajoorah pass to co-oi^erate with colonel Stevenson, whose corps 
 he had directed upon Gawilghur, a fort belonging to the rajah 
 of Berar, witli whom there had been no cessation of hostilities. 
 Upon the 28th of November the general came up with a large 
 body of Scindia's horse in company with the army of Berar. 
 Taking a just and ready advantage of the non-fulfilment of the 
 conditions of the truce, he resolved to attack them. He there- 
 fore marched forwards to Parterly, where he was joined by 
 colonel Stevenson. The day was sultry hot, the troops were 
 fatigued, and he designed no further movement till tiie evening; 
 but the enemy's horse appeared in his front very strong, and 
 skirmished with the cavalry. of Mysore. The general supported 
 the Mysoreans by pushing forward the pickets of infantry, and 
 went out in person to reconnoitre, and take up ground for his 
 camp. To his joy he found the confederates drawn up on the 
 plains of Argaum in order of battle. Scindia's horse formed 
 one heavy mass upon the right ; upon their left were the Berar 
 infantry and guns, fianked by their own cavalry ; while, on 
 Scindia's extreme right, hovered a vast cloud of pindarries and 
 light troops. The united forces occupied a front of five miles, 
 having the village of Argaum, with its gardens and inclosures, 
 in their rear, and a plain, intersected by watercourses, in their 
 front. Scindia and Munnoo Bapoo, brother to the rajah of 
 Berar, commanded this force in person. General Wellesley 
 moved down on them in one compact column, and rapidly formed 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 43 
 
 his lines of attack ; the first composed of infantry, the second 
 of cavalry. The Mogul and Mysore horse covered his left, aod 
 protected his rear. As the British line advanced, a large body 
 of Persian soldiers, in the pay of Berar, rushed upon the 74m 
 and 78th regiments, and maintained a short and des[)erate con- 
 flict at close quarters. They were destroyed. At the same 
 time, tlie cavalry of Scindia made a fierce and crowded charge 
 upon a battalion of native infantry (the 2Gth). They were re- 
 ceived witli steadmess, and repulsed with a loss so hea'.y, that 
 they fled in confusion. Victorious on all points, the British line 
 pressed forward ; the enemy gave way in every direction, and 
 abandoned eight-and-thirty pieces of artillery to their conquerors. 
 The cavalry pursued by moonlight, and captured their elephants 
 and baggage. 
 
 The army marched instantly to mvest Gawilghur, a strong 
 fortress upon a lofty and rocky height, fortified by such walls, 
 ramparts, and towers, as look inaccessible. The heavy ordnance 
 and stores were dragged, by hand, over a most difficult country. 
 On the night of the 12th, colonel Stevenson broke ground, and 
 erected two batteries against the north face of the fort ; wliile 
 general Wellesley, on his part, upon the steep side of a moun- 
 tain, that looked on the south defences, constructed another 
 battery, with a view to breach the wall near the south gate ; or, 
 at all events, to cause a diversion. On the 13th these batteries 
 opened. On tlie night of tlie 14th tlie breaches in the walls of 
 the outer fort became practicable ; at ten the next morning the 
 place was carried by assault. The columns on the north stormed 
 the breaches, and tlie troops on tlie south side entered by esca- 
 lade. Afler this blow tlie rajali of Berar sent in an ambassador, 
 and proposed peace. 
 
 The negotiations were opened on the 16th of December, and 
 concluded the following day. The general now communicated 
 to Scindia tliat he should consider the truce at an end from De- 
 cember the 27tl), and should act accordingly. On tlie 28th of 
 December general Campbell dispersed a Pindarrce force of 
 10,000 men at Moodiaiioor. On the 29tli Scindia's vakeels 
 closed with the terms of general Wellesley ; and a treaty of 
 peace between their humbled master and the Britisli govern- 
 ment was ratified and signed. 
 
 The conduct of this war would of itself liavc conferred a 
 deatliloss fame on general Wellesley. It was glory enough for 
 a single life ; and would have secured for him a niche in history. 
 
 A monument in memory of the battle of Assaye was erected 
 at Calcutta. The inhabitants of that city presented him witli a 
 sword ; and his own officers testified tlicir attachment and admi- 
 ration, by the gift of a golden vase. 
 
44 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 In England, the thanks of parliament were voted him, and he 
 was made a knight-companion of the Bath. 
 
 Of all the honors paid him, none was more affecting than the 
 parting address of the people of Seringapatam. They implored 
 " the God of all castes and of all nations to hear their constant 
 prayer ; and wherever greater affairs than the government of 
 them might call liim, to bestow on him liealth, glory, and hap- 
 piness :" — a prayer by which the integrity and mildness of the 
 British government were recognized in the person of its calm, 
 firm representative. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 GIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY RETURNS TO ENGLAND. ACCOMPANIES THE 
 
 EXPEDITION TO COPENHAGEN NAPOLEON. — HIS DESIGNS ON SPAIN 
 
 AND ON PORTUGAL. HIS MEASURES. 
 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley returned to England in 1805, and 
 was received with honor and regard. In the November of this 
 same year he sailed for Hanover, in command of a brigade in 
 the army of lord Cathcart. In consequence of the fatal battle 
 of Austerlitz, this army returned to England in the February 
 following, without any opportunity of service. He was now 
 appointed to the command of a district at home ; and, upon the 
 death of marquis Cornwallis, was made colonel of the thirty- 
 third regiment, a corps in which he had served long, and with 
 distinction. In 1806 he first took his seat in the house of com- 
 mons, as member for Newport in the Isle of Wight. In the 
 same year he married tlie honorable Catherine Pakenham, sis- 
 ter to the earl of Longford. 
 
 His experience in Lidian affairs enabled him at this time to 
 expose to ministers the absurdity of a project then contemplated, 
 namely, the employment of negro troops in the East Indies, and 
 of sepoys in the West. The negroes were to have been substi- 
 tuted for British soldiers in the East, and the sepoys in the 
 West. 
 
 This plan, conceived in utter ignorance or total misappre- 
 hension of its impracticability, — a plan, if practicable, pregnant 
 with consequences the most fatal, — was, at his masterly and 
 maiily remonstrance, abandoned. His high estimate of the 
 British soldier, and the sentiments of good faith towards the 
 sepoy which breathed throughout this remonstrance, must have 
 produced no common impression of respect and reverence for 
 the integrity of the writer. 
 
 In 1807 he was appointed chief secretary in Ireland, under 
 the duke of RicJimond ; and, among other measures, established 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 46 
 
 a police for the city of Dublin. This step was censured, abused, 
 and, by some, violently opposed ; but the measure was happily 
 carried in spite of all resistance ; and experience has proved its 
 great use and importance. 
 
 In the summer of this year, Sir Artliur a^in embarked for 
 foreign service ; and sailed, with the expedition under lord 
 Catlicart, to Copenhagen. 
 
 No armament ever sailed from the British shores, in which it 
 was so painful to serve. Nothing does more clearly prove that 
 England was fighting for her political existence, than her being 
 compelled to attack Denmark. With this power she was at 
 peace up to the very moment tliat twenty-seven sail of tlie line, 
 and a powerful armament of troops, appeared before her capital, 
 and demanded the surrender of her fleet. " You cannot," said 
 our diplomatist, " defend it from Napoleon, who will employ it 
 against our nation : surrender it to us, in pledge, until the con- 
 clusion of a general peace ; we will restore it fiiithfully : re- 
 ject our proposal, and wc must take it by force of anns." The 
 spirit which hatl tamely yielded to such proposals had been, in 
 very deed, unpruicely ; the crown-prince threw down the gaunt- 
 let Nor was it, till the troops of his unprepared government 
 had been beaten in the field, and, from amid the flaming edifices 
 and blood-stained streets of Copenhagen, the cries of a suffer- 
 uig and terrified population awoke him to a clear view of the 
 sure issue of the contest, that he consented to a measure as 
 humiliating as was ever yet proposed to a sovereign or a pa- 
 triot There might have been greater moral and true Christian 
 dignity in the prince, had he calmly weighed all circumstances, 
 foreseen the vainness of resistance, and sacrificed his scruples 
 and his pride to the necessity which so imperiously dictated our 
 course, and might have excused his quiet submission ; but with 
 a crown on the head, a swonl by the side, and bhxxl in the 
 veins, this was scarcely to be expected from the ruler of any 
 kingdom. The preventive policy of the British ministers was 
 only to be justified upon the ground of an absolute necessity : 
 such it was. The armament was on a large and wise scale ; 
 and the operations of it were conducted with vigor. In the 
 only action of any importance which took place, Sir Arthur 
 Wellosley commanded. The only body of Danish troops which 
 ventured to contest a jXMition, near Kioge, was attacked by him, 
 driven from it, pursued to a strong intrenchment in tlieir rear ; 
 from tiience, again driven by a-ssault forced into the town, and 
 tliere routed witli very considerable loss. Sir Arthur then 
 moved towards Uio centre of the island, to quiet and disarm tlje 
 iohabitanta Ho was not present at the terrible and melancholy 
 bombardment of the city. He was sent for, however, the mo- 
 ment the enemy showed a disposition to treat ; and was appoint- 
 
46 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 ed, conjointly with Sir Home Popham and colonel Murray, to 
 fix the terms of the capitulation. In diplomacy, as in war, Sir 
 Arthur was ever prompt and decisive: the terms were dis- 
 cussed and settled in one night ; the ratification was exchanged 
 in the morning after; the objects of our government were 
 unconditionally accomplished ; and the gates of the capital, the 
 citadel, and the dock-yards, were the same evening in our pos- 
 session. 
 
 Even at this distance of time, we cannot record without a 
 pang, the bombardment of Copenhagen. We reflect, with no 
 little pleasure, upon the fact, that, during the whole of the ar- 
 duous war conducted by Sir Arthur in the Peninsula, no city 
 was ever laid in ruins by bombardment ; and important as in 
 one particular instance was the speedy reduction of the fortress 
 besieged by him, he would not resort to that extreme measure, 
 but preferred all the inconvenience and anxiety of a delay, 
 which greatly interfered both with tlie plan and prosecution of 
 his projected operations. We are not supposing that the bom- 
 bardment of Copenhagen was avoidable by the lords Cathcart 
 and Gambler : without it, the success of their attempt had been 
 doubtful ; and they only acted in obedience to the orders of a 
 government, which must have calmly considered that painful 
 step, and commanded it. Bombardments should, in these days, by 
 a compact among civilized nations, be for ever abolished. We 
 shudder as we read of women and children, old men and infants, 
 slain by the sword ; and exclaim loudly against the barbarities 
 of ancient warfare. The allowed practice of bombardment re- 
 alizes the same cruelties; for, though the soldier does not exactly 
 see his victims, and flesh his sword, yet, as through the long 
 and wakeful night he serves in the batteries, which throw shells 
 among human habitations, he knows well what a scene of blood 
 and lamentation lies beyond the wall, lofty to hide, but vain to 
 protect, the miserable sufferers. 
 
 We are not supposing that Sir Arthur would have hesitated at 
 the execution of those orders any more than lord Cathcart, or 
 that he disapproved the measure ; only it is a subject of honest 
 rejoicing to his biographer, that he was not employed in that 
 painful operation. At this period of his life it is necessary, 
 before passing on to tlie relation of his next service, to sketch 
 the position of that wonderful man, that implacable enemy of 
 England, and of all liberty. Napoleon Buonaparte. 
 
 " This child and champion of democracy" had long thrown 
 off the mask : never had ambition a more stern unyielding vo- 
 tary than Napoleon ; never had tyranny a more imposing, splen- 
 did, and dazzling aspect than it wore in him. To be a figure 
 among ciphers was his aim and pride ; but for the events, of 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 47 
 
 which Spain became the glorious theatre, he would liave pro- 
 duced the decay of an age, and the degradation of a world. 
 
 As the map of Europe lay spread before him, and the crossed 
 swords upon Austerlitz, Jena, and Friedland, told silently of 
 defeated armies and subjugated kingdoms, he turned dissatisfied 
 away; there was a "precious isle .set in tlie silver sea," which 
 disfigured that map ; for it disputed his title and defied his power. 
 The means to assail and to destroy that kingdom occupied all 
 his thoughts ; and his appetite for conquest was unsated while 
 England remained free, and while her navies rode on every sea 
 triumphant. 
 
 Buonaparte's attempt on Spain was the lightest crime and 
 the greatest error of his public life. A degraded and distracted 
 court displayed to him its weakness, and invited his inter- 
 ference : the throne was the only one on the continent of Eu- 
 rope on which a Bourbon was still seated, and that Bourbon was 
 an incapable monarch, and an imbecile father : a fine country 
 thus governed was, to his eye, like a sword resting ingloriously 
 hi its scabbard, in the dwelling of a dotard, who could neither 
 draw nor wield it. 
 
 With the population of Spain in his armies, and the ports of 
 Spain in his possession (a vast line of coast for the training and 
 supply of mariners), England might yet, he thouglit, be reached. 
 His pursuit of her was steady and unwearied, and woe to Eng- 
 land if she had found no foreign field on which to meet him. 
 Woe to her, if the arrayed hosts of all Europe, guided by this 
 powerful but evil genms, had with imdivided strength and 
 energy been directed upon her shores. Of a truth, deep was 
 the ^loom that overspread the political horizon at. the peace of 
 Tilsit : the black eagle of Prussia drooped in a fetter-lock, the 
 eagles of Austria and Russia, with stained breasts and torn 
 plumage, had flown back enfeebled and tamed to their own 
 eyries, while the golden eagle of France soared above her vic- 
 torious legions, high and alone, like the fiibled bird of the 
 heathen god. 
 
 France, Flanders, Italy, and Switzerland, obeyetl the call of 
 the imperial edict : from the corn-field, the vineyard, and the 
 mountain-pasture, millions, that might have lived and died in 
 peace, were dragged to perish in the wars and fightings born of 
 those lusts ambition breeds. We say not, that all were dragged 
 reluctantly. France stood a-tiptoe, astonished at her own ele- 
 vation ; she exulted in her chief; ran the career of conquest 
 with delight ; and, but that he rode the willing steed too hard, 
 would have pranced proudly under such a rider as Napoleon to 
 this very hour. It was not, however, to be : there was a hope 
 for the enslaved continent among its miserable nations — a hope 
 buried and hidden from all view or expectation. 
 
48 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Spain had long been the submissive ally of France. The 
 word of Buonaparte was law with Charles IV. The Spanish 
 government was corrupt ; tlie whole bcxly politic was diseased 
 to the very core ; the court was profligate. " Peace with Eng- 
 land, and war with all the world," is a political proverb in 
 Spain. They were now at peace with France and the submis- 
 sive world, and at war with England. The contest of Spain 
 with the republic of France had terminated in a disgraceful 
 peace, and placed a yoke upon her neck. Hostilities with Eng- 
 land followed of course ; and, as a consequence, the interruption 
 and ruin of all her commercial relations, and the destruction of 
 her navy. The treasure of her American possessions under the 
 flag of Portugal was yet suffered to reach her, and was largely 
 drawn upon by the demands of her burdensome ally. With 
 embarrassed finances, and with a low public credit, she lay the 
 deplorable and helpless victim of treachery the most base, and 
 incapacity the most despicable. The moment was at length 
 come, when Buonaparte found leisure to attempt what he had 
 long designed ; what he might 'have found a better pretext for 
 doing before, and might have done in an open, nay, a justifiable, 
 maimer, viz. the dethronement of the Bourbons. At the break- 
 ing out of the war between France and Prussia, Godoy had 
 corresponded secretly with the court of Berlin, and issued a 
 proclamation at Madrid, which looked like the first step towards 
 throwing off the grievous yoke of a troublesome alliance. The 
 battle of Jena supervened and confounded this effort, which 
 Napoleon might justifiably have resented. 
 
 It is the opinion of many, that, in open and authorized war 
 thus waged, and with the avowed object of dethroning the 
 reigning family, and taking the land into possession, Spain, as a 
 nation, would not have offered any strong resistance, but would 
 have received the conqueror and hailed liim as king. Not so : 
 the Spaniards are a people attached with an ignorant and super- 
 stitious reverence to accustomed names and sounds. They 
 would bear much before they would dethrone a native prince ; 
 more before they would resist the will of the cliurch; and 
 would undergo any thing rather than receive a foreigner to be 
 their king. Oppressed by their government they might be ; 
 roused to turn upon the ministers with violence, and even a 
 momentary ferocity : but interfere between Spaniard and Span- 
 iard, and, like man and wife, they drop their feud, and unite to 
 drive away all interposers in their quarrel. 
 
 Napoleon evidently thought that there would be a general 
 and united resistance if he went openly to war, either by a 
 direct attack upon the whole royal family, or by taking advan- 
 tage of the unnatural quarrel between father and son, and sup- 
 porting one against the otlier in open and active hostility. The 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 49 
 
 whole of the intrig^ue by which he sought to gain his end was 
 mean, and beneath the character of that brave ambition of which 
 lowliness had not been hitherto the ladder. In virtue of his 
 alliance with Spain, he a.sked a contingent of troops to aid him 
 in the North, and having thus withdrawn the flower of the 
 Spanish army under Romana, sent tiie greater part to Denmark. 
 His next measure was the secret treaty with Charles IV, for 
 partitioning Portugal : one third was to form a princedom for 
 Godoy ; a third for the queen of Etruria ; Lisbon and the lion's 
 portion for himself. 
 
 While planning this treachery, he was negotiating with the 
 weak prince of Brazil for a renunciation of the British alliance, 
 the seizure of British property, the imprisonment of British 
 residents, and the adoption of the continental system. 
 
 Meanwhile, the treaty for dividing this little kingdom was 
 ratified at Fontainbleau, on the 29th of October, 1807. Portugal 
 was to be immediately invaded and taken possesion of by the 
 united armies of France and Spain. 28,000 French soldiers, 
 and 27,000 Spaniards, were assigned for tliis service ; while 
 40,000 French troops were to be assembled at Bayonne, as a re- 
 serve, in case any expedition from England, or any rising of the 
 people of Portugal, should make it necessary to support the in- 
 vasion with reinforcements. 
 
 Junot, to whom the operation was intrusted, immediately 
 traversed Spain : everywhere the inhabitants saw him pass with 
 sullen and unfriendly eyes. There was a vast number of con- 
 scripts in his corps ; and Junot would have gladly made a halt 
 at Salamanca to organize his army. By an ortler from Paris, 
 he was directed to go forward instantly, and march rapidly to 
 his destination. 
 
 He crossed the brown and barren hills of Beira, the latter 
 end of November, and did not find one pass occupied, nor the 
 slightest preparation to oppose him. The Spanish contingent 
 joined him on the frontier of Portugal : his march to Lisbon 
 was rapid, in tjie hope that he might secure as captives that 
 house of Braganza, which, by the dictum of the gentle " child 
 and champion of democracy, had " ceased to reign." 
 
 The British factories were expelled ; the British minister dis- 
 missed ; British property confiscated ; and the ports were closed 
 against the British flag, as soon as the march of Junot was 
 known. Upon these submissions of a weak and terrified prince, 
 the English admiral and ambassador looked on witli regret and 
 contempt ; but, aware of the great importance attached to the 
 withdrawing of the royal family, they continued to urge their 
 embarkation to tiie very last moment. 
 
 Irresolute and timid, the prince lingered on till the French 
 were witliui a few hours' march of Lubon, and then, frightened 
 
 Vol. f. E 
 
50 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 at reading in the Moniteur, " that the house of Braganza had 
 ceased to reign," he sent to Sir Sidney Smith and lord Strang- 
 ford, the English admiral and ambassador, and accepted the pro- 
 tection of the flag against which he had just closed his port. 
 He embarked on the 27th of November, and sailed on the 29th : 
 in a few hours after, the bold Junot, with a weak column of 
 exhausted grenadiers, was at the gates of his capital. The 
 people were, by these measures, delivered up bound and de- 
 fenceless by a prince, who, having first had the meanness to 
 submit without any show of resistance, now fled from the con- 
 sequences of that very invasion which he had tamely suffered. 
 
 Taken as it were by surprise, and disgusted with the conduct 
 of their prince, they remamed apparently still and indifferent to 
 their fate. 
 
 There was a slight tumult in Lisbon when Junot took down 
 the arms of Portugal, and put up those of the emperor, but it 
 was immediately quelled. The French general was peacefully 
 busied in the labors of his command, and preparing himself for 
 any attack or descent from England. 
 
 Of the population, a few of the upper class were fraternizing 
 with their new masters ; but the many were paying their con- 
 tributions with smothered curses, and holding their breath till 
 the day of loud and free utterance might return. His eagles 
 planted upon the towers of Lisbon without resistance, and Junot 
 neither wanting nor asking succor. Napoleon had but a slender 
 pretext to move forward his army of reserve. They were, how- 
 ever, already advancing into the very heart of Spain in two 
 formidable bodies under Dupont and Moncey ; while a corps of 
 12,000 men under Duhesme had penetrated through the eastern 
 Pyrenees, and obtained possession of Barcelona and other strong 
 places, by artifices of a nature so treacherous, that war in its 
 dignity disdains their practice ; and officers and troops are alike 
 dishonored and insulted by such employment. The fortresses 
 of the north, and the main roads from France to Madrid, were 
 occupied by French troops. 
 
 The royal family of Spain, during these dangerous and insult- 
 ing movements, were occupied in a manner that nothing but the 
 crowded and concurring testimonies of the writers of all sides 
 and parties can induce the reader to believe possible. Ferdi- 
 nand, the prince of Asturias, was soliciting the honor of a matri- 
 monial alliance with the house of Napoleon, and asking aid 
 against his father. Cliarles and Godoy were inviting his help 
 against the treason of Ferdinand. The emperor was silent to 
 both : his troops were quietly and steadily gaining ground. 
 
 The court of Spain was, at this period, at Aranjuez ; and, a 
 sudden fear possessing them, they resolved on flying to America, 
 and prepared immediately to retire upon Seville. On learning 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 51 
 
 these intentions, the party of Ferdinand broke out with violence, 
 and the populace of Aranjuez, roused by their example, sur- 
 rounded the palace, and demanded, in tumultuous and angry 
 tones, that the royal family should not move ; nor were they 
 pacified, till a distinct assurance was given, that the court would 
 not depart from Aranjuez. The day following, there was a riot 
 in Madrid, and the house of Godoy was broken into and plun- 
 dered. On the next, he was himself assaulted at Aranjuez ; his 
 life saved with difficulty by the timely protection of the royal 
 guards ; and he was placed in arrest. 
 
 Charles IV., terrified by these scenes of violence, and alarmed 
 by the accounts from Madrid, abdicated the throne. On the 20th, 
 Ferdinand was proclaimed king at Madrid, amid the shouts and 
 rejoicings of a vast and excited multitude. 
 
 Murat, the grand-duke of Berg, who at this moment was 
 commander-in-chief of all the French forces in Spain, had his 
 head-quarters at Aranda de Duero, and hearing of these things 
 marched without loss of time upon Madrid. He disposed 30,000 
 men in a position surrounding it, and entered it in person at the 
 head of 10,000 on the 23d of March. He here received a mes- 
 senger from Charles IV., stating that his abdication was not of 
 free will, therefore invalid. Wlien Ferdinand entered Madrid 
 on the 24th, Murat refused to recognize him as king. Ferdi- 
 nand presented the French general with the swonl of Francis I., 
 a proud trophy of other days. The grand-duke of Berg accepted 
 this gift, sullied alike by the hand which under such circum- 
 stances gave and that which received it, but still declined the 
 act of recognition : a matter of such moment required, he said, 
 the fiat of his master the emperor. 
 
 Napoleon, vexed at the hasty atlvance of Murat, and tlie un- 
 necessary occupation of Madrid before his plans were ripe, sent 
 Savary, on whose address he could depend, to rectify the error, 
 Savary found Ferdinand in all tlie perplexity of a man proclaimed 
 and hailed a king by the popular voice, but pronounced a rebel 
 and usurper by his father, and surrounded by 40,000 soldiers in 
 the service of that ally, upon whose recognition he deemed all 
 the security of his title to depend, — a recognition as yet with- 
 held. 
 
 The artful agent of a faithless master pointed out to Ferdi- 
 nand that a journey to Burgos to meet Napoleon would concili- 
 ate his immediate fevor, and counteract all the plots of his father 
 and Godoy. 
 
 The weak prince set forth on his foolish and fatal journey 
 witli the subtle Savary for his companion. The emperor was 
 not at Burgos, nor at Vittoria, whither lie \vns persuaded to pro- 
 ceed. The distance to Bayonne was short, it was but just within 
 
52 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 the confines of France ; and Savary suggested that the confi- 
 dence thus reposed in his master would flatter and delight him. 
 The populace of Vittoria, in fear for their prince, clamored 
 against his departure. They were in such earnest as to cut the 
 traces of his carriage ; but blinded by fear, or by a hope born 
 of folly, he insisted on proceeding. He reached Bayonne, dined 
 at the table of Napoleon, and was visited the same evening by 
 the companion of his journey, who, with a countenance changed 
 in its expression, but with a forehead unabashed, informed him 
 tlaat he was a prisoner, and that the Bourbon dynasty would 
 rule in Spain no longer. By an arrangement, wliich required 
 so little finesse that Murat effected it, Charles, the queen, and 
 Godoy, took the same journey, and shared the same fate of de- 
 gradation in a lighter form ; if, indeed, there were not more 
 dignity in being a guarded captive, which was the case with 
 the prince of Asturias. Charles accepted a safe retreat in soft 
 and luxurious Italy, with a pension. Godoy was also pensioned 
 and dismissed, to share the exile of the profligate queen, and 
 her cajoled and contemptible husband. Napoleon was, to all 
 appearance, master of Spain. His troops garrisoned all those 
 fortresses on the frontier which are the strong-holds and keys 
 of the kingdom. From the citadels of St. Sebastian, of Pam- 
 peluna, and of Figueras, from the forts of Monjuic, and the 
 walls of Barcelona, French sentinels looked down upon the 
 still and astonished people. The splendid cavalry of the impe- 
 rial guard, which had accompanied the grand-duke of Berg to 
 Madrid, paraded its streets, confident in their strength and secu- 
 rity ; the dangers, of which both Talleyrand and Fouche had 
 warned the emperor, seemed already past : war had not broken 
 out, and yet all which he desired was accomplished. The 
 Spanisli Bourbons had signed away their birthright ; Spain was 
 his; and the contempt with which the court had inspired him wels 
 transferred to the nation. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 THE RISING OF THE SPANISH PEOPLE. — SCENES AT MADRID AND IN THE 
 PROVINCES. 
 
 There was a moral dignity in the Spanish people, of which 
 Napoleon appears to have been incredulous. The two most pow- 
 erful principles of human feeling lived warm in their hearts, — 
 they were patriotic and religious : their patriotism was not a 
 vanity ; neither was their religion a name. They loved their 
 country, and all that nature and habit had connected with it ;— 
 their mountains; their rivers; their language; their music; 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 53 
 
 and those fragments of their old canqionero, which in every 
 village some were yet found to sing, and many to listen to. 
 Again, — they loved their faith. The Spanish Christians, for 
 500 years, had struggled for it against the Moors; and the 
 memory of that struggle is not yet dead. The rigid orthodo:re 
 of the Spanish people has been quite independent of the inqui- 
 sition and its fires : their fear of God ; their reverence for his 
 altars ; their deep and warm devotion, laid them prostrate at the 
 feet of a crafty priesthood ; and a haughty hierarchy, leagued 
 with a heartless sovereign, weighed them down. 
 
 But the virtue of the Spaniards had been outraged and in- 
 sulted by the conduct of a wicked court, their loyalty abused 
 by enonnous and criminal imposts, and their pride wounded by 
 an alliance with the French, to whom tlie most disgraceful con- 
 cessions had been made ; by whom daily and increasing sacri- 
 fices were demanded, and who were at all times hateful to the 
 Spaniards. They had been murmuring over their abject condi- 
 tion for many months. The surface of society was agitated, 
 and heaving witli liidden but fierce fires, which threaten^ some 
 speedy and violent eruption. Their reverence for royalty in the 
 person of Charles could not keep them in observance of a like 
 respect for his mcapable and guilty minister, Grodoy. They 
 lothed the man, liis faction, and his measures, and were re- 
 solved to get rid of them. Popular commotion broke out at last 
 in many parts of the kingdom. When it was found that Charles 
 was determined upon going all lengths with his adviser, the 
 people rose in fierce tumult, menaced the minister's life, wel- 
 comed the abdication of tlie terrified and weak father, and hailed 
 the elevation of the unknown and foolish son. The abdication 
 of Charles and the fall of Godoy appeased them for the moment 
 They saw in the elevation of Ferdinand to the throne a remedy 
 for every grievance. 
 
 When the public mind was in a tumult of joy at the acces- 
 sion of Ferdinand, whom an indignant nation had summoned to 
 the throne, Murat entered Madrid with a French army. He 
 would not, of course he could not, recognize the king who had 
 been chosen. The people, as they stood cliilled in tlieir hopes, 
 and suspicious for the future, anxiously asked what did he there 
 at all ] Tliis they asked each other in those squares and streets 
 where their pride was wounded, and tlicir jealousy awakened 
 by the irritating presence of the brilliant and haughty soldiery 
 of France. Of a sudden they heard of the departure of Fer- 
 dinand for Riyonne, a journey imdcrtaken before tliey had time 
 to prevent it : then they heard of the flight of Charles, and the 
 escape of (Jfxloy; next they saw Murat appointetl member of 
 the governing junto, and they found French troops on all sides 
 advancing. Muleteers from the north had brought intelligence 
 E 2 
 
54 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 that their frontier fortresses had been treacherously seized. 
 The peasants that came into market lingered to warm their 
 hate of the foreigner before they returned to their expecting 
 children; and the women, who kneel in long crowds by the 
 banks of the Manzanares, invoked the Virgin and St. Isidro ; 
 and as they thought on those dear to them, they paused and 
 sighed in their labors : not a sound was there of the customary 
 laughing and loud merriment. 
 
 As early as the 23d of April, there was a serious riot at To- 
 ledo ; but by the timely advance of Dupont's division, tlie city, 
 which is not a large one, was restored to order ; and the peas- 
 ants who had flocked into it to assist in the commotion were 
 dispersed. 
 
 On the morning of the 2d of May a crowd was gathered m 
 front of the royal palace at Madrid round an old-fashioned 
 Spanish carriage, which, it was rumored, was to convey don 
 Antonio, the last Spanish prince remaining still in Madrid, to 
 Bayonne. Some discontent might have been perceived, and 
 some angry ebullition of popular feeling might have been looked 
 for ; but few could have foreseen that whirlwind of vengeance 
 which was then nigh. Mighty and momentous consequences 
 for the hopes and happuiess of all Europe hung upon the move- 
 ments of that swart and surly crowd. 
 
 The report of the destination of the carriage was unfounded 
 in fact ; but as it was uttered so it was received ; and the mob 
 manifested their indignation by cutting the traces and forcing it 
 back into the yard, with furious curses upon the French. Colo- 
 nel la Grange, an aide-de-camp of Murat's, came to learn the 
 cause of the disturbance. They immediately assailed him with 
 abuse and menace ; and he was saved only by the intervention 
 of Spanish officers and authorities. The colonel went away, 
 and returned witli a party of soldiers : the mob fell upon tliem 
 instantly ; and the war of Spain may date its commencement 
 from that hour. 
 
 In every quarter of the city the people rushed upon the as- 
 tonished soldiery, of whom many were walking about the streets 
 in pleased and idle wonder at the novelties this capital presented ; 
 some indeed without their arms. 
 
 But when human passion has once the mastery, its actings, 
 though brave, are, especially in revenge, ferocious and pitiless. 
 They slew the soldiers with whatever weapons or means of 
 destruction came first to hand. Gun, pistol, sword, dagger, 
 clasp-knife, and stones, were all used in this sudden onset 
 From the windows and roofs of houses shots were fired, and 
 weighty missiles hurled down upon the aghast and bewildered 
 Frenchmen. This was not a plotted assault on the part of the 
 people. It was the sudden burst of indignation no longer to be 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 55 
 
 repressed. Neither was there, on the part of the Spaniards, 
 any ignorance of the immediate and certain consequences: 
 these might not have been thought of at the moment ; but, as 
 soon as tiiey were, they were contemplated fearlessly and con- 
 temptuously. 
 
 In the same spirit war was waged by Spaniards to the very 
 last : all the details of their defeats and disasters, their panic 
 and runnings, are known, and have been visited with a full 
 perhaps a useful, exposure ; but the fact of a valiant, constant 
 resistance to the legions of France, on the part of the Spanish 
 people, for five years, stands out from the page of history in 
 bold and glorious relief; and here it began. This was tlie de- 
 claration of war by Spain against Napoleon ; and it was written 
 and sealed in blood. 
 
 Among tlie many incidents of this memorable day was an at- 
 tack upon tlie French hospital, of which Southey, jealous for 
 the honor of the Spaniard, and chivalric in his own generous 
 conceptions of the scene, speaks with natural horror and indig- 
 nation ; but a military man knows that the attendants, orderlies, 
 and convalescents of a military hospital, are capable not only of 
 defence but of active hostility. The military historian Napier 
 accordingly relates it without any such feeling against the 
 Spaniards. The Spanish troops in Madrid remained sliut up in 
 their barracks, and under tlie close control of their officers 
 throughout the whole of this strange contest No Spanish 
 soldiers took any part in the struggle, except two officers of ar- 
 tillery, on duty at the arsenal, named Daoiz and Velarde, and 
 a detachment of invalids under their orders. These officers 
 hearing the sounds of the combat, and being told tliat a French 
 column was advancing in tiie direction of their jxist, brought 
 out guns to defend the approaches to tlie arsenal, and loaded 
 them with grape ; being resolved to resist any assault of the 
 arsenal by force. As soon as the enemy came in sight tliey 
 opened upon them with these guns, and continued to fight them 
 till they fell. Velarde was shot dead by a musket-ball. Daoiz 
 was wounded in the thigh ; but he sat up on the ground, and 
 continued to give orders until, under three more wounds, he ex- 
 pired. Velarde was a fine young man of five-and-twenty. 
 Daoiz was a man of thirty. 
 
 It has been said, that, as military men, they were not justified 
 ui acting as they did, without express orders. We think other- 
 wise. They haid charge of tlie arsenal : they already knew the 
 fate of the Spanish fiirtresses in the north ; and tlie moment 
 was come wlien they had a right, as Spaniards^ to choose their 
 course of action. They well knew that an unarmed mob, even 
 had they been assisted bv the few Spanish regiments in garri- 
 son, could not long and cfTectually resist the bayonets and 
 
56 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sabres of 25,000 choice troops ; but they cast in their lot with 
 the people ; they saw the consequences ; for Spain they were 
 willing to fall, and with a devotion alike hopeless and heroic 
 they did fall. It has been said by an eye-witness that they were 
 under excitement from the wine they had just drunk at a 
 dejeiine a fourchette. It is customary to drink wine at that 
 meal on the continent ; and it is not improbable that the quan- 
 tity usually taken at that hour, falling u|X)n hearts full of their 
 country's wrongs, may have given to their manner a passionate 
 and (to the eye of a calm observer) an extravagant warmth ; 
 but we believe they acted from a principle of pure patriotism, 
 and that they seized the offered opportunity to act bravely, what 
 they thought nobly. The column spoken of alwve soon gained 
 possession of the arsenal, passing over the bodies of Daoiz and 
 Velarde. The French cavalry, pouring into the city, charged 
 through the streets, slew numbers, and made many prisoners. 
 After nightfall the peasantry of the neighborhood came armed, 
 and in crowds, to the city gates : they were repulsed with great 
 loss by the French guards ; and in the morning again they were 
 charged, trampled down, and dispersed by the enemy's cavalry. 
 Of the prisoners taken in Madrid, alx)ut 100 were tried by a 
 French military commission, and shot in the Prado.* The stain 
 of this cold and criminal execution attaches not, according to 
 Bome authorities, to Murat, but to Grouchy, and to a colonel of 
 the imperial guard. Murat, who had ordered their trial, and 
 confirmed their sentence, forbade the execution of it, at the 
 prayer of the municipality. His earnestness to save their lives 
 was not exhibited by any extraordinary efTbrt in person. The 
 loss of lives in this rising of the people was not very great: the 
 casualties of the French amounted to about 700 ; those of the 
 Spaniards are estimated at 200 ; but accounts so contradictor}', 
 so exaggerated, and so interested, were published by both parties, 
 that the best and calmest estimates may be far from correct : 
 though it is certain that the rising was not premeditated, yet 
 was it something more than accidental. The public mind was 
 charged with matter fiercely combustible : it is of little moment 
 to inquire when or from whence the igniting spark fell. 
 
 Murat had been forewarned of the temper of the people. He 
 took no precautions. He was a man of lofty, contemptuous 
 courage ; respecting no enemies who were not in uniform, and 
 good soldiers to boot ; and as he looked around upon the troops 
 whom he had so often led to victory, he regarded the idea of 
 any rising upon them by the mob of a third-rate capital as an 
 event of impossible occurrence ; when, therefore, the burst 
 actually came, all was confusion. French soldiers, as they 
 
 ♦ A public walk and place of pleasant recreation for the citizens of Madrid. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 57 
 
 stood or walked unarmed, were mobbed and massacred, and ran 
 about wild, helpless of defence, and hopeless of resistance. 
 Many fell beneath the knives of their pursuers, before the 
 troops in or near the city received any orders. Murat caused 
 them to beat " the general," and put himself at the head of as 
 many men as he could collect in the square of the palace. 
 With these, and with two pieces of artillery loaded with grape, 
 he stood on the defensive, firing upon the people, until, at last, 
 from the north and south gates, columns poured into the town. 
 The cavalry of the imperial guard galloped up the streets Al- 
 cala and San Geronimo, which debouched upon the Puerta del 
 Sol, and there established themselves upon the open space, 
 while a strong column of 1500 men filled the street of San 
 Bernardo, near the arsenal. The effusion of blood in many 
 parts of the city continued till the Spanish authorities, and 
 French generals, rode through the streets together waving 
 white handkerchiefs, and inviting the people to submission and 
 peace. The first fruit of tranquillity was the military tribunal, 
 and the second an order of the day, directing that all groups of 
 Spaniards seen in the streets, exceeding eight in number, should 
 be fired upon ; that every village in which a French soldier was 
 slain should be burned; and that all authors, publishers, and 
 distributers of papers, or proclamations, inciting to revolt, should 
 be led out and shot forthwith. He also went instantly to the 
 junta of government, tlien sitting, and took on him the office of 
 president. Murat is in his grave. He lived to wear a crown : 
 he survived a hundred battles and combats, in which he bravely 
 led tlie imperial cavalry of France ; but he lived on only to fiUl 
 at last by the muskets of a small guard of executioners in the 
 mean hall of a petty town in Calabria. 
 
 At the news from Madrid all Spain arose and rushed to arms. 
 The insults and injuries heaped on her by France had maddened 
 her, and she was drunk with the spirit of revenge. The Span- 
 iards are not a dark and designing people : they are frank and 
 open, sudden and rash ; in the moment of suspicion, jealous and 
 credulous ; in the act of vengeance, fiery and cruel. 
 
 It is not a matter of wonder, though certainly a subject of 
 reproach, that, in many places of Spain, they disgraced the 
 cause of patriotism, by the unreasonable tests they demanded 
 of sincerity, by their reatly credulity at the fatal cry ^^Traidor T* 
 and by t!ie summary punishments and instant massacres that 
 followed. The thing is not new : — so much is it in the natural, 
 though melancholy, course of events, in times of political trou- 
 ble and confusion, that all nations would exhibit bursts of fury 
 and of crime, not very dissimilar, under like circumstances. 
 The Spaniards, being natives of a southern climate, arc quick, 
 impassioned, imaginative, easily excited, and as suddenly de- 
 
58 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 pressed by melancholy, and repentant of excess. Their national 
 character is directly contrasted to the gay, cold, witty, prosaic 
 Frenchmen. They are "good haters,"* and firm friends; they 
 cannot smile even with complacency on those whom they dis- 
 like ; with them the mean of frigid indifference is unknown : 
 if truly attached, they exhibit all tlie extravagance of fond 
 admiration, and, alas ! where they act their hate, they become 
 barbarous and bloody. 
 
 At Cadiz, Seville, Carthagena, and in many other cities, the 
 French and all Spaniards supposed partisans of Godoy and of 
 Napoleon were put to death by the excited populace: many 
 liberal-minded, innocent men thus perished. It was a moment 
 when reason was asleep, and diseased suspicions were awake ; 
 when a beaten and vindictive groom, or a ridiculed and scorned 
 monk, was master of the noblest life, and could hunt an enemy 
 to death by the simple word " traidor." Thus fell Solano at 
 Cadiz, and Conde d'Aguilar at Seville. In Valencia, one Bal- 
 thazar Calvo, an ecclesiastic and a canon, at the head of a fanatic 
 mob, began and continued the bloody work of deliberate mas- 
 sacre for twelve days. A hundred victims bled beneath the 
 knives of the assassins in his train : many families were made 
 fatherless ; but tlie cup of fiiry was presented to his own lips in 
 turn : the wretcli himself, with two hundred of his followers, 
 were imprisoned, and strangled, by the miserable and disabused 
 people. Filanghieri, the governor of Corunna, an Italian by 
 birth, was put to death, under circumstances of cruelty horrible 
 in the extreme, by the very troops he commanded. When Na- 
 poleon received the news from Madrid he was alarmed, and 
 vexed. — "Murat va mal et irop vite" was his exclamation. 
 But when he considered that he had 80,000 men in Spain, 
 exclusive of the corps of Junot in Portugal ; that all the frontier 
 fortresses were in his possession ; his main force occupying a 
 position in the very heart of the country ; the communication 
 with France secure ; that Spain was not only without a govern- 
 ment, but without one single great or loiown character ; that, 
 of an army of one hundred and twenty thousand, fifteen thou- 
 sand of the best were in Holstein with Romana, twenty thou- 
 sand in Portugal, thirty thousand merely nominal, being a local 
 militia never called out; and that the remainder, witli the 
 exception of eleven thousand Swiss and Walloons, mercenaries, 
 were without oflficers, system, interior economy, or discipline ; 
 that Spain, in fact, had not only no army, but not even the 
 frame- work of one to begin upon; he cast away all doubts as 
 to his success, and pursued his combinations as calmly as if they 
 
 * Dr. Johnson was wont to say he liked a good hater ; and though it sounds 
 not very Christian, we can understand the expression. 
 
THE DUKE OF WEUJNGTON. 59 
 
 had never been, even for a moment, disturbed. It has been said, 
 that the French anny had some points of weakness in its com- 
 position. Its conscripts were of different nations, — Germans, 
 Swiss, Italians, and Poles. A great portion of the born French 
 were from the last conscription, a raw levy of young men ; but 
 the first elements of drill are .soon completed, and in no troopa 
 so soon as in the French. Their infantry regiments were formed 
 upon excellent skeletons ; good non-commissioned officers were 
 present to instruct them ; good officers to command them, and 
 always a sprinkling of old soldiers to lead them into fire under 
 the same eagles beneath which thoy had themselves earned 
 their cheverons of service, and won tlieir decorations. So that, 
 with respect to the last point of weakness, viz. the youth and 
 inexperience of many of the French soldiers, the difference 
 between them and Ihe Spanish levies was enormous. With 
 regard to the first imputed defect, viz. that men of different 
 nations served in the French ranks, little importance can be at- 
 tached to it. Napoleon's was a good service for a mercenary ; 
 and the foreign conscripts soon became reconciled to it. As to 
 the cause for which they fought, they neither knew nor cared 
 any thing about it " very few," observes Sir Walter Raleigh, 
 in his discourse of war in general, " of the infinite number 
 thus untimely slain, were ever masters of the grounds of the 
 dispute for which tiiey suffered, or the true reason of their being 
 led to battle." — " What deluded wretches," tiicn he adds, " have 
 a great part of mankind been, who have either yielded them- 
 selves to be slain in causes which, if truly known, their heart 
 would abhor, or been the bloody executioners of otlier men's 
 ambition ! " It is a reflection of tiiis sort that enables one to love 
 and esteem the soldiers of an army as individuals, whom as a 
 body we designate by tlie harshest epithets, and act against with 
 severity and vigor. 
 
 In most of the cities and towns in Spain, as soon as the first 
 effervescence of public feeling had a little subsided, provincial 
 and local juntas were formed for the conduct of public affairs : 
 these juntas levied money and troops. At the sea-ports they 
 opened an immediate intercourse with the English fleets upon 
 their coasts, and sent deputies to England to ask aid in arnts, 
 clotliing, and treasure, and to request the support of a British 
 army. The joyous cries throughout all the land were. Viva 
 Fernando Septimo I Gnerra con la Franqia ! Paz con Inghil- 
 terra! Guerra con el Mondo ! Paz con Inf^hiltFrra .' While 
 the people of Spain were thus manifesting their true sentiments, 
 the council of Castile, the municijiality of Ma<lrid, and tJie gov- 
 erning jimfa, at the intimated desire of Napoleon, elected 
 Joseph Buonaparte king of Spain. Canlinal Bourbon, primate 
 of Spain, first cousin of Charles IV., and archbishop of Toleda 
 
60 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 not only acceded to this arrangement, but actually wrote a let- 
 ter to Napoleon, testifying his contentment with the new order 
 of things. 
 
 Joseph Buonaparte, late king of Naples, reached Bayonne on 
 the 7th of June : on the 15th the assembly of notables, com- 
 posed of ninety-one Spaniards of condition, met in that town, — 
 received Joseph as their king, — discussed the constitution pre- 
 pared for them by Napoleon as a matter of form, and accepted 
 it as a matter of course. Joseph now journeyed to Madrid, 
 under escort of his brother's troops, and was proclaimed " Kino 
 OF Spain and the Indies," with the usual solemnities, amid a 
 silent and sullen population, in a capital that bristled with 
 French bayonets, and trembled to the salutes of French artil- 
 lery. It proved an uneasy crown. 
 
 CHAP. VIL 
 
 THE AFFAIRS OF SPAIN. HER FIRST REVERSES IN THE FIELD.— 
 
 THE RISING IN PORTUGAL. THE EXPEDITION UNDER SIR ARTHUR 
 
 WELLESLEY. 
 
 Such was the beginning of the war in the Peninsula. Span- 
 ish hands were early, and constantly, armed in this glorious 
 contest. Spanish hearts beat warm and true to the very last : 
 a thousand narrow and nameless rivulets that run among the 
 hills of Spam, and water her valleys, were crimsoned with the 
 life-blood of her sons. " That mighty stream of battle which, 
 bearing the glory of England in its course, burst the barriers of 
 the Pyrenees, and left deep traces of its fury in the soil of 
 France,"* but for the indomitable and persevering spirit of the 
 Spanish nation would never have rolled over the rocky frontier 
 of Portugal. 
 
 The great mind, the great individual agent, guided by whose 
 genius the army of England, the only true and efficient army 
 in Spain, did finally and fully triumph, was allowedly the duke 
 of Wellington. All England, all Europe, have acknowledged 
 this; nay, the very children of Spain have sungf it in the 
 streets. 
 
 * Vide Napier. Preface, p. ix. 
 
 t What officer, or what soldier, that has served with the array of the Penin- 
 sula but has heard, and can easily recall to mind, the chorus-repetition of the 
 words, 
 
 " Valorosos valorosos los Ingleses, 
 Valoroso milord Wellington ?" 
 The very voices, and the very tones, and the tune, return as we write the 
 words, and for a second of time we are carried back to gpain. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 61 
 
 That the deliverance of Spain was the sole work of tlieir 
 own hands has not been universally asserted by Sjjaniards : cer- 
 tain it is, it has not been believed by tiie world. 
 
 On the 30th of May two SjKinish noblemen brought informa- 
 tion to London, that the province of Asturias had risen " en 
 masse" and that forty thousand men were embodied, witli the 
 intention of repelling tlie French. 
 
 In the south of Spain the patriots were early in communica- 
 tion with Sir Hew Dalrymple at Gibraltar, and lord Collingwood 
 on tlie eastern coast, and received encouragement and aid from 
 those officers. 
 
 On the 6th of June, tlie French squadron at Cadiz surren- 
 dered to the patriots. A peace was on tlie instant concluded 
 between England and Spain. The Spanisli prisonei's were im- 
 mediately sent back. Tlie English people warmly sympathized 
 with the population of that country ; and in proportion as they 
 had been depressed, by contemplating the triumphs of Napoleon 
 in the north of Europe, so were tiiey now most extravagantly 
 elated by the ignorant expectation of liis immediate overthrow 
 in the south. At this time tlie Frencli force in Spain and Por- 
 tugal was 120,000 men : they pos.«essed all the fortresses of the 
 latter kingdom, and many of those considered the most import- 
 ant in Spain ; they liad a reserve at Bayonne, and an army of 
 400,000 veterans in Fnmce, upon the Rhine, and in Germany. 
 
 It has been tlie fasiiion in England to rate military talent low, 
 and hence generals have been viewed as persons secondary, and 
 not requiring tlie same capacity as those called to fill political 
 offices, and to be the advisers of the crown. It may be with 
 safety affirmed, that this mistake, though not without its use in 
 a free country, has often subjected the operations of our armies 
 in war to the guidance and control of men alike incompetent 
 to originate, to follow out, or fully and intelligently to sustain 
 them. To the very opportunity now offered, the English cabi- 
 net, though willing, could not effectually and promptly rise : a 
 fine and ample theatre for effort and exertion lay open before 
 them, but they knew not how to wield the military strength of 
 Britain. They could have commanded a disposable force of 
 70,(KX) men : they employed 30,000 ; and these divided and sub- 
 divided to provide for distant and different objects. 
 
 The alarum had spread through Catalonia. The French 
 general Duhesme commanded in Barcelona, a city which had 
 been early and treacherously seized, as also Monjuic and Figue- 
 ras. The Siwinish soldiers of the betrayed garrisons quitted 
 their ranks, and flocked to the patriotic standanl in Murcia and 
 Valencia. All the insurrections of the Spanish provinces took 
 place at nearly tlie same moment ; and the early hostile move- 
 ments of the French divisions were nearly simultaneous. — 
 
 Vol. I. F 
 
62 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Marshal Bessieres attacked, and of course worsted, the patriots 
 of Navarre and Biscay, who merely rose armed, and declared- 
 themselves, but had neither leaders nor points of union, nor any 
 combination. He dispersed many of their assemblages, and 
 took away their arms : they always offered resistance, but it 
 was vain. The division of Verdier beat them at Logrofio, and 
 put their leaders to death after the combat. The cavalry of 
 Lasalle fell upon a body of Spaniards at Torquemada, and put a 
 vast number to the sword, after which exploit they burned the 
 town. There was something like a Spanish force at Segovia : 
 general Freire defeated it, and took thirty pieces of artillery. 
 At Cabe^on there was a battle between the Spanish troops 
 under Cuesta and the French divisions of generals Merle and 
 Lasalle. Here again the Spaniards were beaten, lost their ar- 
 tillery, were broken in upon by the brigade of cavalry under 
 Lasalle, disarmed of some thousands of muskets, and a vast 
 number of tliem were cut to pieces. By these active operations, 
 and by the unpitying and unsparing severity with which the 
 French used the sword, these provinces were awed, and for 
 a while stilled ; and the powerless and unhappy peasants saw 
 the fierce horsemen of the enemy ride about to raise money, 
 and collect provisions, which they furnished in fear. Cuesta, 
 however, undismayed by his defeat, collected anotlier army and 
 his fugitives at Benevente ; was joined by Blake, from Astorga ; 
 and, advancing with 2.5,000 infantry, a few hundred cavalry, 
 and from twenty to thirty pieces of artillery, took up a position 
 at Rio Seco, and again ventured on a battle. Here he was at- 
 tacked by marshal Bessieres, at the head of 15,000 men, with 
 thirty guns. The marshal had two divisions of infantry ; one 
 of light cavalry ; and his reserve was composed of four battal- 
 ions, and a small body of horse grenadiers, all of the imperial 
 guard. The Spaniards were signally defeated ; but they were 
 not disgraced. When their front line was down, and dead bodies 
 strewed the field, Cuesta fell upon the French with his second 
 line, and with his right wing broke in upon the enemy's (victo- 
 rious already over half his army), and took from him six gims ; 
 but the Spaniards, though brave to fight, could not manoeuvre, 
 even had Cuesta been capable of moving them. The French 
 check was soon repaired ; the Spaniards were overpowered, 
 and, after many brave rallies, driven from tlic field, and pursued 
 by a superior cavalry, who, as usual, shone in the work of 
 slaughter. 
 
 It was the disaster of this day which had opened the gates of 
 Madrid to the intruder. In the province of Arragon the insur- 
 rection was organized by Don Jose Palafox, a patriotic noble, 
 the captain-general of the district. The French general Lefe- 
 hre Desnouettes, marched upon Arragon with 400O infantry. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 63 
 
 800 cavalry, and his field artillery. At Tudela, the people 
 broke down the bridge over the Ebro, and disputed the passage 
 over that river. Lefebre forced it, and put to death tlie leaders 
 of the rude levy by which he had been opposed. Palafox, with 
 10,000 raw troops, waited for him on the Huecha. The Span- 
 iards were beaten. They ventured a second combat on the 
 Xalon ; they were again beaten. Upon the 15th of June the 
 French columns halted before the city of Zaragoza. Of the 
 siege we shall give no detail ; — suffice it to say, Zaragoza was 
 not a fortress ; but it contained forty or fifty thousand inhabit- 
 ants, witli hearts stronger than any bastions. For two months 
 tlie citizens, aided by a few troops, sustained all the efl!brts to 
 reduce them which the talents and courage of their enemy sug- 
 gested.* Palafox, in the course of the first month, went forth 
 and collected a few thousand men, and fought a battle to relieve 
 them ; but he was signally defeated at Epila. After this he 
 re-entered the city, the investment of which had never been 
 complete, and directed their efforts for its defence. A man of 
 the people named " Tio''' t Jorge, or Groodman George, as colo- 
 nel Napier happily translates it, was ever at his right hand ; nor 
 is there any doubt that he exercised a most powerful influence, 
 not only over the populace but over Palafox himself, who was a 
 man of a less firm and unyielding resolution than he has been 
 generally regarded. The solid houses, and the walled convents, 
 were battered, bombarded, and the half of them won by the 
 assailants ; still the people resisted. The French penetrated to 
 the very heart of the city, and stood already upon the Cosso ; t 
 but on the opposite side the people still breathed defiance, ana 
 maintained the struggle. The wives and daughters of the de- 
 fenders, the betrothed virgins of the youth of Zaragoza, behaved 
 as became them. At length tlie baffled enemy retired. 
 
 Meantime the Catalan had so well obeyed the call of the 
 somaten, which rung out upon his hills, that the peasants of 
 eight di.strict8 were in arms. These men beat the French gene- 
 ral, Swartz, early in June, at the pass of Bruck, where they 
 had taken post among the rocks, and afterwards drove before 
 them the division of Chabran, pursuing him with shouts and a 
 dropping fire to the very walls of Barcelona. General Duhesme 
 assaulted Gerona ; the weak garrison and tiic willing citizens 
 repulsed him. 
 
 In an attack upon Valencia, marshal Moncey was defeated ; 
 but he afterwards beat the Spaniards under Serbelloni at St. 
 
 *TIk division of Vcrdier waa lubsequently attachml to Lefubro with a 
 train of heavy guns. 
 
 \ IiiteiaUy, " uncle." | A wide itraet to uuned. 
 
64 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Felippe, and took post at St. Clemente. Cuenca rose, but gen- 
 eral Caulaincourt pat that city down. 
 
 In Andalusia, matters looked brio-ht and promising, Dupont, 
 who had passed the barrier of the Sierra Morena, had taken and 
 plundered Cordova, sacked Andcjox in a yet more deliberate 
 and cruel manner, and alarmed the wliole province, Seville in 
 particular. After a series of blunders as great as his offences, 
 Dupont capitulated in the open field with 18,000 French troops 
 to the Spanish forces under Castaiios and Reding. The battle 
 of Baylen wos a battle of movements, and not of hard fighting; 
 and neither did the French soldiers show their usual spirit, nor 
 the French general any of that talent which he was thought to 
 possess. Dupont, in his early operations, had been rash ; and 
 the rashness that is not attended with success is often very 
 quickly changed for affright. There was some suspicion of 
 treachery: Napoleon was furious at the disaster; while the 
 Spanish exultation knew no bounds. 
 
 The spirit abroad in Spain soon fired the Portuguese. Irri- 
 tated by the pride, the caprice, and the exactions of the French; 
 afl'ronted by their levities, and insulted by their violence ; the 
 Portuguese in the country began to stir themselves, and to ex- 
 hibit their hatred in the only way in which they could — by 
 secret assassinations. The first open blow was struck at Oporto. 
 When the news from Spain reached general BeDesta, com- 
 manding the Spaniards in that city, he made the French general 
 (Quesnel) and his staff prisoners ; and leaving the Portuguese 
 to take their own course, marched away to Gallicia. Insurrec- 
 tion soon broke out at 0)X)rto, and spread along the Douro to 
 Minko, as also in the valley of the Mondego, and penetrated 
 the hills of Beira. Junot promptly, bravely, and with little 
 bloodshed, disarmed the division of Spaniords near Lisbon, and 
 placed them in confinement on board the ludks in tlie Tagus. 
 
 The insurrection was now so general and open, that the di- 
 vision of Loison in the north was twice regularly attacked, and 
 greatly harassed by the Portuguese ; there was a rising at Villa 
 Vi^iosa in the south, but it was soon put down. Tlie town of 
 Beja also arose. Colonel Maransin, with the troops driven just 
 before from the Agarves, marched there ; routed tlie patriots 
 with slaughter ; pillaged the town, and set many houses on 
 fire. There was an action at Leria similar to that at Beja in 
 its character and issue ; but the people of Thomar and Alco- 
 ba^a, places not very distant, were not alarmed, and boldly 
 declared themselves : at both places they were quieted and put 
 down. 
 
 Loison, being recalled by Junot, left a garrison in Almeida ; 
 and on his march suffered great annoyance from the opposition 
 of the peasantry on his route, which lay through a country 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 65 
 
 difficult and rugged. There was fighting both at Guarda and 
 Atalaya. 
 
 There was also a battle near Evora, in the south, where the 
 Portuguese insurgents under general Leite were supported by 
 a division of Spaniards under Moretti. The French, of course, 
 beat them, slew vast numbers, and sacked the city. Coimbra 
 was held by the insurgents from Oporto in strength : the bishop 
 of Oporto was chief of the junta in that city. He claimed tlie 
 assistance of England, and asked arms, ammunition, and clotli- 
 ing for 40,000 infantry, and 8000 cavalry, a demand implying 
 thereby a power of raising and organizing such a force, — an 
 inflated folly or an interested deception. English agents, how- 
 ever, were sent to him, and to all the provinces of Spain : sup- 
 plies were granted upon every idle representation ; and treasure 
 was squandered, and stores were scattered, with an improvident 
 folly and an uncontrolled profusion. 
 
 It is not the least singular feature of the commencement of 
 this war in the Peninsula, that the division of tlie British troops 
 which first ap[)eared in tlie field had been assembled for an ex- 
 pedition to Soutli America, with a view to conquest there, in 
 direct hostility to old Spain. Tlie 9000 men collected for that 
 object were now disposable : tliey were placed under tlie orders 
 of Sir Arthur Wellesley, and he embarketl with them from the 
 harbor of Cork. When the fleet bearing the expedition had 
 made a few days' sail, he took a run in a frigate to Corunna, to 
 confer with the junta of Gallicia. Tlie news of the lost battle 
 of Rio Seco was here told him, the disaster softened, and the 
 trutli glossed after a manner alike natural and excusable. It is 
 not likely that their account im[K)8ed greatly upon a man so 
 sure to weigh their statements as Sir Arthur, and so qualified 
 to estimate them aright 
 
 There is nothing wonderful in the pressing desire of this 
 junta to receive for their Gallician levies arms and gold, which 
 they knew to have been so largely and loosely proflfercd by the 
 generous and elated English ; neither were a brave people to be 
 at all despised for imagming themselves as equal as they cer- 
 tainly were willing to fight tlicir own battles with their invaders. 
 Though the circumstance was not known at Corunna, it was at 
 this time that a body of 18,000 Frencli troops, with their eagles, 
 had laid down their arms to Spanisli troops. Let it be also 
 rememl)ered, that the character of the British soldier upon the 
 continent was not looked upon by the S|xiniards witli much 
 respect. It is, nevertheless, a mark either of fatuity or insin- 
 cerity, that the junta of Gallicia should not only have rejected 
 the assistance of British troops, but, recommending their de- 
 barkation in the nortli of Portugal, sliould have promised to aid 
 them by sending a Spanish division to Ojwrto, while they must 
 F2 
 
66 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 have known, or oug'lit to have known, that they were not them- 
 selves, at the moment, hi a condition to defend their own prov- 
 ince from any serious attack. 
 
 Sk Arthur next proceeded to Oporto, saw the busy and war- 
 like bishop, listened to his plans, looked at the paper state of his 
 army, but learned its real number and condition from colonel 
 Browne. Informed of the true state of things by this officer, 
 who had been placed there to collect intelligence and distribute 
 supplies, he decided on not landing at this ])li>ce. He now 
 (having stipulated for the co-o))eration of 5000 Portuguese on 
 tlie Mondego) took liis people to the mouth of that river, and 
 there disembarked them. He had previously consulted with Sir 
 Charles Cotton upon a descent at the mouth of the Tagus, — a 
 measure that the ministers at home had strongly recommended, 
 but which appeared to these officers on the spot, for many and 
 good reasons, unadvisable. In like manner Sir Arthur decided 
 against proceeding southward towards Cadiz, — a plan that would, 
 he saw, mvolve him in negotiation and delay. 
 
 A dispatch fi-om general Spencer having announced that he 
 was at St. Miiry's, near Cadiz, disengaged from any connexion 
 with the Spaniards, Sir Arthur sent for his division. The ap- 
 pointment of Sir Hew Dalrymple and the sailing of the arma- 
 ment under Sir John Moore were communicated to him off the 
 Mondego. This vexatious intelligence resolved him to make an 
 immediate descent upon the coast with such troops as he had, 
 and to commence operations. With only 9000 men he threw 
 himself into a country occupied by a well-discipUned French 
 army, mustering more than double his numbers ; out with this 
 force were the fortunes of Caesar. 
 
 CHAP. vni. 
 
 SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY LANDS IS PORTCGAL. — OPERATIONS OF HIS 
 
 ARMY. COMBAT OF ROLICA. BATTLE OF VIMEIRQ. — CONVENTION 
 
 OF CINTRA. 
 
 The disembarkation of the troops in Portugal took place near 
 the little fort of Figueras, taken from the French in the early 
 part of the insurrection by one Zagalo, a student in the univer- 
 sity of Coimbra. Here the English first landed upon a service, 
 the duration and the issue of which no one living, however pre- 
 scient and sagacious, could have at all anticipated. Tlie landing 
 began on the 1st of August ; but though the weather was favor- 
 able, the difficulties were so many that it was not completed till 
 the 5th. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 67 
 
 At this moment general Spencer arrived. As soon as he had 
 learned the surrender of Dnpont, he sailed with his division for 
 the Tngns, and was directed by Sir Charles Cotton to the Mon- 
 Aego. The united forces amounted to 12,300 men. It was the 
 desire of general Freire, who commanded oil the Portuguese 
 then in arms, that Sir Arthur should abandon the const, march 
 up into the heart of Beira, and open an offensive comjKiion ; and 
 he promised large supplies of provision. Sir Arthur declined 
 this meusure. He gave Freire 5000 stand of arms, and the 
 necessary ammunition for his troops, which did not exceed COOO 
 of all arms effective; and these by no means in a state to give 
 real assistance in any severe trial. Sir Arthur, however, though 
 resolute not to abandon the line of communication which he had 
 chosen, nor to move to any great distance from his ships, did, at 
 the earnest desire of Freire to save, according to his report, a 
 magazine of provisions collected for tlie British, march upon 
 Leria. The English advanced guard moved from their ground 
 upon tlie Mondego on the 9th of August, and was followed on 
 the 10th by the main body of the army. Upon this wide theatre 
 of fierce and sanguinary warfare was now first heard the careless 
 whistle and the cheerful laughter of tlie English soldier. He, 
 stranger alike to the violent and vindictive feelings which ani- 
 mated the invader and the inhabitant, marched gaily forward, 
 looking for a combat as for some brave pastime ; and panting to 
 prove at home that the favored jacket of blue covered not bolder 
 hearts than those that beat proudly under his own crimson uni- 
 form. 
 
 The British advance entered Leria on the 10th ; and the 
 magazine collected for them was seized by the Portuguese 
 under Freire, who there joined the English, to whom no distri- 
 bution was made. This first movement cut the line of commu- 
 nication between the divisions of general Ijoison coming from 
 Abrantes, and Laborde, who was marcliing from Liston, with a 
 view to unite their forces at Leria: to effect their junction, 
 Loison was now compelled to circuitous and forced marches. 
 
 As serious hostilities closely impended, the Portuguese began 
 to fear the risk of an action, and the con w(iuences of defeat: 
 French troops were thougiit invincible: of Enolish nothing was 
 known, and not much was expected. Tiie junta of 0|K)rto and 
 Freire understood each otiier. The Portuguese general not only 
 resolved not to advance beyond TiCria, but, having already appro- 
 priated the store of provisions whicli had been avowedly des- 
 tined for the British by the bisliop of Oporto, who had promised 
 to feed them, he asked a supply from the English commander. 
 This demand was met by a strong remonstnince ; but it was in 
 vain tliat Sir Arthur Wcllesley, who readily penetrated th« 
 
68 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 secret* of Freire's reluctance, urged him to act by the side of 
 the EngHsh in the expected battle. Neither an appeal to his 
 honor, nor an imputation against his patriotism and spirit, had 
 any effect upon his resolve. At last, however, by an earnest 
 and conciliatory tone. Sir Arthur induced him to follow the 
 British line of march, and to be guided in his future course by 
 the issue of the first engagement. Freire also consented, at 
 the desire and by the counsel of colonel Trant, a military agent, 
 who had great influence over the Portuguese, to place 1400 
 infantry, and 250 cavalry, under the orders of Sir Arthur. The 
 political importance of their co-operation, and their presence in 
 the first battle fought upon their own soil, will be readily under- 
 stood. Junot, the French commander-in-chief, quitted Lisbon, 
 with his reserve, on the 15th ; and on the 17th, pushing on in 
 person, and leaving them to follow, he joined Jjoison at Alco- 
 entre. In the mean time Sir Arthur Wellesley had arrived in 
 presence of Laborde. On the 15th a French post at Brilos was 
 attacked, and their pickets driven out of Obidos. The riflemen 
 of the l*5th and 60th had the honor of this first brush with the 
 enemy i and were so eager in pursuit, as to be well-nigh cut oflT; 
 but general Spencer saved them. Two officers and twenty-seven 
 men were killed and wounded in this skirmish. On the mor- 
 row Sir Arthur surveyed the strong position of Laborde. 
 
 The romantic village of Roli^a, with its vines, its olives, and 
 quiet gardens, stands upon an eminence at the head of that val- 
 ley, in the midst of which, distant about eight miles, rises the 
 insulated hill of Obidos. In front of Rolica, upon a small plain, 
 on the table land, the division of I^aborde was drawn up in 
 order of defence. The favorable points upon the hills on either 
 side, and in the valley below, were occupied by his posts. 
 Behind him, one mile to the rear, the steep and difficult ridge 
 of Zambugeira offered a second position, parallel to the first, 
 and of uncommon strength. The mountains, which rose tower- 
 ing beyond, are of that chain which stretches from the bank of 
 the Tagus to the shore of the Atlantic, and terminates in the 
 naked and lofl;y rock of Cintra. The valley leading from the 
 old Moorish fort of Obidos to the pleasant village of Rolica is 
 walled in on the left by rude heights, rising each above the 
 other, till they are finally lost in the dark summits of the Sierra 
 de Baragueda. To preserve his communication with Loison, 
 and to avoid exposing the line of Torres Vedras and Mafra, 
 Laborde was compelled to await in this position the assault of 
 the British troops. His force was only 5000, but it was advan- 
 
 * If the Eritis]i were defeated, as lie thouglit they mifilit Ix;, he would not 
 stand committed, and might make terms for himself If they conquered, he 
 could, by remaining unconnected with tlie English army, better aid the views 
 of the junta of Oporto, who aimed at the supreme authority. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 69 
 
 tageously posted, — aware of ibe importance of the position as 
 of its strength, confident in the talent of their general, and their 
 own couruge. 
 
 Early upon the 17th the English moved out of Obidos, and 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley disposed tliem in tliree columns of attack. 
 That ou tlie left was conducted by genernl Ferguson along the 
 lower ridges of the Sierra de Riraguedn, and destined to turn 
 tlie rigiit of Laborde's position, and interpose between him and 
 the division Loison expected from Rio Mnyor to his support 
 Six guns, forty horsemen, and 4S0O bayonets, moved under 
 this general. 
 
 One th()Ui=and Portuguese infantry and fifLy of their cavalry 
 formed a little column on the right, wliich, moving through the 
 village of St. A\nios, menaced the left flank of the enemy. This 
 body was led by colonel Trant. 
 
 Nine tliousand men marched up tlie valley directly upon the 
 enemy. The brigades of gener.ils Hill, Niglitingalo, Cotton, 
 Craufard, and Fane, witii 150 British light hoi'sc, '250 Portu- 
 guese cavalry, and 400 liglit troops of that nation, composed 
 this formidable column. With this, the main body of his little 
 army, rode Sir Artiiur Welleslcy. lie extended the riflemen 
 of Fane's brigade among tlie lulls to the left, ns the troops ad- 
 vanced, and drivi ag away the French skirmishers connected the 
 column of Fergi>son with iiis centre. From liis first position 
 on the plain, near Rolica, Labordc was soon driven. The brisk 
 attack of the brigades of Hill and Nightinaale, supported hy 
 the cavalry and guns, and rendered easy by the skilful disposi- 
 tions which had caused both the flanks of the enemy to bo men- 
 aced at the same moment, determined his retreat. Laborde, 
 covered by liis steady cavalry, moved ra[)i(]ly, and in order, to 
 his second line of defence, the ridge of Zamhugcira, one of 
 great strengtii, and not a uiile in extent. 
 
 The like dispositions of attn.ck were continued. Generals 
 Ferguson and Fane marched on among the mountaiiis upon the 
 enemy's right flank, colonel Trant still moving in menace of 
 tlieir left. Tlie front of their strong po'sition was a";iilod by 
 the brigudcs of Hill and Nightingale. The fico of those heights 
 is rugged, and their .smnmilonly to be gai\icd by steep and diffi- 
 cwlt pathways, v/bicli wind among rocks and brici-s, in those 
 rude ravines, by wliich in winter the watcis rush down their 
 precipitous sides to the vales below. The quick fire of our 
 advoncing skirmishers rung and rattled among those i-ocky 
 hollows; and the goatherds looked (lown in wonder from the 
 fiir Sierras, uiwu the while clouds of battle, which hid from 
 their view the shouting combalanls. wliilc the brave arniy of 
 the reserve, the scarlet in'iibrins, and tlie unaccustomed battle- 
 cries, told them tliat their oppressors had met a foe, and that 
 
70 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 their bleeding villages had found a friend. Laborde drew back 
 a little upon his left as the English advanced, but held his right 
 with obstinate courage, hoping every instant for the appearance 
 of Loison. 
 
 The 9th and 29th British pushed up two of these ravine 
 pathways with such eager rapidity, that they reached the sum- 
 mit of the ridge before the flanks of the enemy were shaken. 
 The head of the 29th regiment, in particular, issued from the 
 ravine, in that narrow and loose order in which men of neces- 
 sity come forth from such ground. Before they had time to 
 form, a French battalion, covered by a screen of the wild shrubs 
 which clothe these passes, had poured in its fire, and was among 
 them with the bayonet, l^ake, the colonel, a brave officer, was 
 slain, with many of his men ; and the major and some fifty or 
 sixty naore of tlie same wing were made prisoners : but it was 
 not because their advanced wing had been thus taken at a dis- 
 advantage by a prepared and posted enemy ; it was not because 
 they saw a field-officer and numbers of their men prisoners, and 
 had to press over the bodies of fallen comrades to re-establish 
 the battle, that the gallant 29th hesitated : the rally was imme- 
 diate ; the remnant of tliis brave corps being joined by the 9th 
 won back their dead and wounded, and sustained the repeated 
 and fierce assaults of Laborde's division with unshaken con- 
 stancy, till, being supported by other troops from the rear, they 
 had the proud joy of seeing-Laborde, now, too, menaced on his 
 flank, again retire. The French general conducted his retreat 
 with great firmness and judgment. He attempted to stand 
 again near the village of Zambugeira, but was too weak to sus- 
 tain the weight of the British attack, and leaving three guns 
 upon the field, and the road to Torres Vedras open, he retired 
 by the narrow pass of Rufia, marching all night to gain the 
 position of Montechique. The loss of the French was 600 killed 
 and wounded: among the latter was Laborde himself! Two 
 lieutenant-colonels, and 500 killed, wounded and prisoners, was, 
 the loss on tlie part of the British. It was not possible, from the 
 nature of the gTound, that the English could avail themselves 
 of their superior numbers. Scarce 4000 men were actually 
 engaged with the enemy. This day should be long and honor- 
 ably remembered by every British soldier ; for it was the first 
 action of the memorable war in the Peninsula, in which British 
 forces encountered the legions of Buonaparte. 
 
 Lnmediately after the engagement, which closed about four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, Sir Arthur took up a position a little 
 in advance of the field of battle. It was reported to him the 
 same evening, that the divisions of generals Anstruther and 
 Ackland were off the coast ; he therefore moved the next day 
 to Lourinham, on the road to which his right had rested through 
 
THE DLTfE OF WELLINGTON. 71 
 
 the night. He moved on the 19th to Vimeiro, with a view to 
 favor the landing of general Anstruther, and from thence he 
 detached troops to cover the march of that general's brigade. 
 Owing to these precautions the junction was securely effected, 
 and the menace of a large body of French dragoons gave little 
 interruption ; but the enemy's strength in cavalry enabled him 
 to confine the English to their lines; and no certain information 
 of the dispositions and movements of Junot could be obtained. 
 His force in the field was estimated at about 14,000. On the 
 night of the 2()th the brigade of general Ackland was also put 
 on shore. 
 
 The landing of these troops in the bay of Maceira was at- 
 tended with great risk and difficulty ; and witli officers less 
 skilful than those of the British navy, and men less brave and 
 energetic than British seamen, could not have been effected. 
 The beach of Maceira is open and sandy, and the Atlantic 
 breaks upon it in a heavy surf. Many of the boats were swamp- 
 ed, and some of the men perished. 
 
 Reinforced by generals Anstrutlier and Ackland, Sir Arthur 
 Wellesley had now 16,000 eflective men, and eighteen pieces 
 of artillery. He resolvefl, by a forced march on the 21st, to 
 turn the position of Torres Vedras ; to push a strong advance 
 to Mafra, and, seizing the strong heigiits within a short distance 
 of that place, intercept the French line of march to Monte- 
 chique. It was only a march of nine miles to Torres Vedras, 
 and there was a roml which led to it from the sea-coast. It was 
 by this line Sir Arthur would have advanced : he had communi- 
 cated this project to Sir Harry Burrard in writing, and had, at 
 the same time, recommended that the division of general Sir 
 John Moore should disembark at the Mondego, and march to 
 Santarem. These letters Sir Harry Burrard found on his arri- 
 val at the Mondego; but, disapproving this plan, which pro- 
 posed a double line of operations, he continued his course south- 
 ward, and arrived in the bay of Maceira, in a frigate, on the 
 eve of Sir Arthur's projected blow against Junot. lie received 
 the report of that general, wlio went on board the vessel the 
 moment she arrived to represent the state of the armies, and to 
 urge the adoption of the offensive. Sir Harry Burrard would 
 hear of no such movement until the arrival of Sir John Moore 
 and the concentration of tlie whole force. Sir Artiiur returned 
 to the camp in disappointment ; but a day of glory was nearer 
 than he at the moment thought it. At midnight he was a\vakcn- 
 ed to hear the rcjwrt of a German officer of dragoons, who had 
 come in with anxious haste to announce the approach of Junot 
 with 20,0(K) men, and stated him to be within a league of the 
 camp. 
 
 Tne general sent out patrols, directed increased vigilance 
 
72 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and alertness on the part of all pickets and guards, but Would 
 not disturb his line. 
 
 It may be remarked, in passing-, that no general ever received 
 reports with such calm caution as Sir Arlhiu- Wellesley. Sud- 
 denly awaked, he would hear an alarmino- account from the 
 front with a quiet, and, to many a bustling, intelligent officer, a 
 provoking- coldness, and turn again to his sleeji as before. Few, 
 if any, are the instances during- the war of liis putting- the 
 troops under arms by night, or disapf ointiug- tliem unnecessarily 
 of one hour of repose. An liour before dawn, tlie British, 
 when near an enemy, are always under arms. Tiie sun rose 
 upon them on the 21st of August, but discovered no hostile 
 force in motion. 
 
 Vimeiro, a pretty village in a lovely and peaceful valley, 
 through wliich the little river of ]\Iaceira gently flows, was the 
 principal place in the British lines, and occupied by the park, 
 the commissariat, and that noisy crowd of animals and followers 
 which mark the presence of an army. It stands at tbe eastern 
 extremity of some mountain heights which screen it from the 
 sea, and west of it, sepax-ated from them by a Ceep ravine, lie 
 other heights ; over these last the road passes to liOurinliara. 
 The cavalry and Portuguese lay behind the village on a plain, 
 upon a plateau, on a steep insulated height; the brigades of An- 
 struther and Fane, with six guns, were immediately in front of 
 Vimeiro. The right of the latter rested upon one extremity of 
 this hill just above the river Maceira, and the left of Anstruther 
 occupied a church and chm-ch-yard at the other. Here passed 
 a road leading to the village. On the mountain that, com- 
 mencing at the coast, rose to the right and rear of this plateau, 
 and which at long range commanded it, were placed eight guns 
 and five brigades of infantry. The range of lieights to the 
 west having no water was only occupied by pickets ; but the 
 right of these also commanded the plateau, and the road passing 
 over its extreme edge. 
 
 About eight o'clock the enemy showed a picket of horse on 
 the heights, towards Lourinham, and pushed forward his scouts; 
 nearly at the same moment he was seen in all his strength, and 
 in full march upon the road leading from Torres Vech-as to 
 Lourinham, and Iiis object was evident. Four brigades from 
 the mountain on the east crossed instantly in rear of the village, 
 and crowned the lieights on the west. As soon as two of them 
 were formed, being disposed at right angles, v/itli Anstruther 
 and Fane in two lines facing to the left, the battle began. The 
 brigade of Hill still remained upon the mountain in reserve ; 
 and one brigade and the Portuguese w^eve placed upon a return- 
 ing bend of the western heights at their extremity, thereby pro- 
 tecting the left and rear of the w'hole force. The French had 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 73 
 
 14,000 men, and twenty-three pieces of artillery. The infantry 
 were in three divisions under Loison, Laborde, and Kellerman ; 
 general Margaron commanded 1300 horse. The principal 
 column of the enemy, led by Laborde, advanced against the 
 position in front of the village with the fuiy and the loud out- 
 cries of men resolved for victory : in vain the British guns 
 poured death into their ranks: they moved on with a steady 
 rapidity, and crowned the summit of the hill. Before a cool 
 volley from the SOtli, within twenty paces, their front rank fell ; 
 and as their column faltered with the shock, the firm bayonets 
 of that brave regiment were already in tlic miJst of them, and 
 they were driven down with great bloodshed. 
 
 The brigade of Fane, which was attacked at the same 
 moment, bravely repulsed the assailing column. Upon this 
 body, as it retired in confusion, the v/eak squadron of the 20th 
 light dragoons, under colonel Taylor, made a lively charge, and 
 completed their disaster ; but the few English horsemen were 
 in turn set upon by the strong cavalry of Margaron, and cut to 
 pieces, their gallant colonel HilUng slain in the melee. There 
 was a fierce struggle between tlie grenadiers of Kellerman'a 
 column of reserve and the British 43d, in a Jict skirmish among 
 the vineyards near the church: they drove back the advanced 
 companies of that corps; but it rallied instantly, and, tiirowing 
 itself upon the head of die column in a narrow ravine, it broke 
 and routed them witli the bayonet, sustaining itself a heavy loss. 
 The discomfiture of these attacks in the centre was complete ; 
 but no army can be destroyed, however beaten, that has got 
 protection for its fugitives in a superior cavalry. Had two of 
 the regiments of the dragoons then kept idle in tiie barrack- 
 yards at home been present, the march to Torres Vedras would 
 have been made, and Lisbon been our own. Brennier, who was to 
 have attacked the British left, found their position inaccessible, 
 owing to a deep and difficult ravine at its base, which he was 
 not aware of, and in which he got disordered and delayed. 
 Meanwhile general Solignac, with a brigade of I/)ison's divis- 
 ion, turned this ravine, and fell upon the English left. He was 
 met by the regiments under Ferguson, who bore down upon 
 him with a close and heavy fire of musketry, and at last with 
 the weapon of victory, the bayonet 
 
 They drove Solignac, and took six guns. General Ferguson 
 was pressing his broken columns with some corps, wliile two of 
 his regiments were halted near the capture*! gims. Brennier, 
 meanwliile, came suddenly out of the ravine, which he had just 
 cleared, and succeeded for a moment in repossessing himself' of 
 them. But the regiments did not retire far ; only to a near van- 
 tage-ground, from whence, pouring in a hot fire, they again 
 charged, and again the guns were taien. Brennier was wounded 
 
 Vol. I. G 
 
74 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 and made prisoner. Ferguson, who had separated the two 
 French brigades by his able and spirited movements, would 
 have taken more than half the brigade of Solignac, if an order 
 to halt had not arrested him in mid-career. The French re- 
 formed instantly under cover of their cavalry, and retired in 
 very tolerable order. It was the wish of Sir Arthur Wellesley 
 to press Junot closely with the five brigades on the left, while 
 those of Hill, Anstruther, and Fane, should march upon Torres 
 Vedras, push to Montechique, and intercept all access to Lisbon- 
 All the artillery of Junot that yet remained to him, and many 
 thousand prisoners, would have been the probable fruit of this 
 movement ; but the heart, big with accomplished victory, and 
 granted desires, and swelling with new and bold hopes, and the 
 head clear in its discernment, and strong in its decision, were 
 now subjected to the commands of another. Sir Harry Burrard, 
 who was present during the action, and had, from generosity 
 and approbation, forborne all interference with the arrangements 
 of the battle, now assumed the command, and, considering the 
 proposed advance hazardous, directed the halt. All those cir- 
 cumstances of difficulty, which weigh upon a cautious and 
 objective mind, decided Sir Harry not to peril the certain and 
 solid advantages just gained upon the, to him, doubtful chance 
 of the complete and anticipated triumph. The enemy, he said, 
 were strong in cavalry ; the English had none ; the artillery 
 carriages were shaken to pieces, and might not stand the roads ; 
 while their horses were few and bad, and scarcely able to drag 
 them forward. The French rallied quick, and had, perhaps, 
 fresh troops among the woods and hollows in front. Upon dis- 
 tant heights, indeed, a body had been discovered by general 
 Spencer. It appeared to him a risk, and though a brave and 
 honorable officer, yet being no longer a young man, he decided 
 against the onward march upon fair military reasons. Bitter as 
 was the disappointment of Sir Arthur Wellesley, still he was 
 consoled by the thought that his own skill, seconded admirably 
 by the courage of his soldiers, had achieved a brilliant victory. 
 A second time the imperial troops had been met, and, after 
 efforts the most resolute and heroic, had been fairly and signally 
 beaten, leaving thirteen guns, their wounded, and a vast number 
 of prisoners. The charm which had palsied the hearts and arms 
 of all Europe was now doubly broken. In the Peninsula, Napo- 
 leon had found a people who hated without fearing him, and in 
 the English, his soldiers had encountered enemies who repelled 
 their fiercest attacks or assailed their strongest posts with equal 
 ardor and success. On the morning after the battle, Sir Hew 
 Dalrymple arrived, and assumed the chief command ; a most 
 excellent and judicious officer; but, perhaps, it was scarcely 
 possible for man to be placed in circumstances more difficult and 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 75 
 
 trying. We record with irritation this quick and clumsy suc- 
 cession of commanders. The French, in safe possession of the 
 unassailable position of Torres Vedras, and having the capital 
 in tlieir immediate power, as well as the fortresses of- Almeida 
 and Elvas, though beaten in the field by Sir Arthur Wellesley, 
 and hated by an insurgent people, were certainly in a condition 
 to propose terms that should save to them their liberty and their 
 arms. The general, Kellerman, presented himself at the British 
 head-quarters ; demanded a cessation of hostilities, and stated 
 the readiness of Junot to evacuate Portugal upon a fair and 
 honorable convention. Sir Hew Dalrymple acceded to this 
 proposition; and Sir Arthur concurred in the policy of now 
 gaining by treaty those advantages which, tlie golden opportu- 
 nity having passed, force of arms could no longer effectually or 
 speedily secure. Upon the expediency of some of the articles 
 of this convention the commanders differed, but upon the gene- 
 ral principle of the measure they agreed. While the conven- 
 tion was going forward, the reinforcements under Sir John 
 Moore landed in Maceira Bay. The feature of the treaty most 
 remarkable to the future historian and to posterity will be this, 
 that the nation to whose cause we had brought our succors was 
 not in the person of any of its autliorities, or of its public offi- 
 cers, military or civil, at first, either considered or consulted. 
 The convention went distinctly to recognize that the French 
 were the conquerors of Portugal, and, as such, had been entitled 
 to exercise all the rights of conquest. The Portuguese, by the 
 fiflh article of this notable treaty, saw the plunder of their 
 country secured to their rapacious and cruel invaders, and they 
 remonstrated against the terms of the convention with violence 
 and anger. By the sixth article, all traitors and timeservers 
 were to be protected from political persecution on account of 
 their late conduct, and were left to hatch new treasons when- 
 ever the French should again return. 
 
 General Freire, and the bishop and junta of Oporto, sought 
 to disturb these arrangements by open remonstrance and much 
 secret intrigue, which it were alike uninteresting and tedious 
 to detail. Emissaries from Oporto urged the populace of Lis- 
 bon to rise upon the French, who were now concentrated in 
 tliat city, but lay there constantly upon the alert, as in the midst 
 of enemies. The judge of the people issued an inflammatory 
 addres.s, calling for a suspension of tlie treaty, and the Monteiro 
 Mor, at the head of a levy of peasants, on tlie south bank of the 
 Tagus, published a protest against the convention. Happily 
 Sir John Hope, being appointed to command Lisbon, took pos- 
 session of the citadel on the r2th of September, and by judg- 
 ment and firmness calmed the tumults and repressed those dan- 
 gerous and terrible disorders which in the moment of vindictivo 
 
76 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 confusion and total anarchy prevailed. The first division of the 
 French army sailed on the 15th, and was followed by the second 
 and third as soon after as transports could be provided. In the 
 midst of all the angry excitement of the people of Lisbon, and 
 though endeavors had been made to direct their indignation 
 against the English, as friendly to the French, and indifferent 
 to the losses tliey liad sustained, and the sufferings they had 
 undergone, the British troops were received with great warmth 
 and cordiality. They viewed them as having avenged their 
 wrongs in the blood of a battle, and hailed tliem as deliverers 
 and friends. 
 
 After the departure of the French, the bishop of Oporto, and, 
 at his instigation, the junta of that city, sought to possess them- 
 selves of the supreme power in Portugal, and were desirous 
 tliat the seat of the government should be established at Oporto. 
 This was most wisely and firmly resisted by Sir Hew Dalrym- 
 ple. A regency was established at Lisbon, and that capital and 
 the country were at length restored to a state of confidence and 
 tranquillity. 
 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley, Sir Harry Burrard, and Sir Hew Dal- 
 rymple, were now recalled to England, where the public had 
 been so clamorous against the convention, that a formal investi- 
 gation of the matter was directed by the king ; and a board of 
 general ofncers was assembled at Chelsea for that purpose. 
 
 To the fifth article, especially, Sir Arthur WelJesley object- 
 ed ; but the French, by plausible explanations and fair assurances, 
 overruled these objections; and the manly integrity of the 
 British generals made them incredulous of the extent of French 
 cupidity and crime, till their shuffling evasions and impudent 
 abstractions, on the eve of their departure, shamed and disgusted 
 the honorable men of their army as much as the commissioners 
 of our own. It is a real pleasure to be able to state, that there 
 were French generals with this very army, wlio, in tlie last mo- 
 ments of their stay, when popular exasperation was loose against 
 the troops, and wlien the language of abuse was fierce, and the 
 threats of murder loud, could walk the streets in perfect safety, 
 saluted and honored by the people. The names of Travot, 
 CJiarlot, Erennier, and many others, are on this honorable list. 
 
 The convention of Cintra was odious to the Portuguese peo- 
 ple, and could not be otherwise, till, relieved of the presence 
 of the French army, they had leisure to discover the solid ad- 
 vantages accruing from tlie treaty, and to ponder on the violence 
 W'hicli the enemy minht have exercised before they retired 
 from Lisbon, liad they been driven to desperation by the rejec- 
 tion of their terms. 
 
 The last division of the Frencli troops embarked amid the 
 cufses and execrations of the people. From the decks of their 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON; Tt 
 
 vessels they heard the songs of triumph ; and the blaze of the 
 illuminated city, shining far out upon the harbor, surrounded 
 them with a light by which to read in each other's faces their 
 vexation. There was yet some troublesome hesitation on the 
 frontiers. This was owing entirely to the intrigues of the 
 bishop of Oporto, and the obstinate interference of Calluzzo, 
 the Spanish general, who refused to acknowledge the conven- 
 tion, and invested fort La Lippe. At length, however, the diffi- 
 culty was removed. The forts of Elvas, La Lippe, and Almeida, 
 were evacuated : not a Frenchman was left in Portugal. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 SIR ARTHUK WELI.ESLEY RETURNS TO ENGLAND TO ATTEND THE COURT 
 OF INQUIRY. — PROCEEDS AGAIN TO PORTUGAL THE FOLLOWING 
 
 SPRING. — UI9 RECEPTION AT LISBON. RETROSPECT OF SPANISH 
 
 AFFAIRS. 
 
 The ability and prowess of Sir Arthur Wcllcsley in the bril- 
 liant actions which preceded the convention of Cintra had so 
 confirmed and established him in favor with the people of Eng- 
 land, that nothing tended more to allay the irritation of the 
 public mind at that measure than the circumstance of his being 
 one of the parties concerned. When they heard him give it as 
 his deliberate opinion, that the convention was from the relative 
 state and position of the two armies a measure expedient and 
 wise, the reflecting paused in their hasty objections, and soon 
 dropped the mistaken and indignant tones of their first censure. 
 Some, incapable of calmly examining or truly judging any 
 question of a military nature, railed on. Justice, however, and 
 moral feeling, had received so severe a blow in the triumph of 
 rapine and of cunning, that perhaps the honest hearts through- 
 out all England felt a painful regret at these proceedings. It 
 will yet, and perhaps for ever, remain a question, whether this 
 course, in which from a consideration of its expediency on the 
 evening of the 22d Sir Arthur (with two officers senior to him 
 in the camp) concurred, would have been by himself adopted 
 under tlie same circumstances, had the entire control of mea- 
 sures, and the sole daring of attempt, and the sole glory of suc- 
 cess, and the sole responsibility for failure, rested with him. It 
 is true that the French army on the evening of tlic 2*2'1 had a 
 formidable position between the British and Lisbon. They had 
 the means of retiring .from tliat position to others in front of 
 that city, and, finally, of crossing the Tagus into Alemtejo, with 
 n view to Uie occupation in strength of the forts of Elvas, La 
 Lippe, and eventually Almeida. The position at Santarem 
 G3 
 
78 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 never having been occupied as proposed by Sir Arthur, there 
 were no means to prevent, and no increase of numbers could 
 have prevented, them from effecting these objects. They were, 
 however, in a very embarrassed state ; they would not have re- 
 mained lontr at Lisbon, but they might have lingered a day too 
 long. A trip, a blunder, a false step, and they might yet have 
 been exposed to defeat and ruin. Though there never was a 
 leader who more warily calculated all probabilities, and more 
 happily adjusted the weight assignable to each, than Sir Arthur 
 Wellesley, yet neither was there ever a man more prompt and 
 ready for the peril of a throw. But he was always for fluttering 
 the Volscians alone: "alone I did it," was the reflection he 
 ever coveted. Of the members of the court of inquiry, four 
 approved, and three disapproved, of the convention. 
 
 It was not till the month of April in the following year, that 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley again landed in Portugal. He was re- 
 ceived at Lisbon with the greatest enthusiasm. The very sight 
 of a man who had already fought and conquered the enemies of 
 Portugal upon the soil of Portugal animated all ranks with 
 hope and joy : the regency nominated him the marshal-general 
 of their army ; the soldiers gazed upon him with confidence ; 
 and the people followed him wherever he appeared with shouts 
 and vivas. The spirit of war and resistance was alive all over 
 the Peninsula, and the genius given in this our age, to direct it 
 to the great end of a final and full deliverance, stood again 
 among its brave inhabitants. 
 
 To make the difficulties of Sir Arthur Wellesley apparent, 
 and the story of his achievements complete, it is necessary to 
 relate the events which had befallen the countries of Spain and 
 Portugal during his absence from the theatre of war. In look- 
 ing back upon the struggles of Spain, and thinking upon her 
 powerful opponent, her disasters excite no surprise. Southey 
 has observed with truth, that during revolutions, discipline is 
 the last tiling which a soldier learns. Certainly, during a 
 revolution, where a soil is half covered by invaders; where 
 " the whole structure of society is shaken to pieces ;" where 
 there are no officers of experience ; no non-commissioned officers 
 of authority ; no generals ; no staff; that he should learn it, is 
 impossible : how is he to be instructed ? where can be his place 
 of security for his school of discipline ? and where his leisure 
 to attain it ] If the reader will picture to himself a vast body 
 of local militia suddenly assembled in England, with officers of 
 unspeakably less intelligence than those of an English local 
 militia, and quite as little experience ; with a system of move- 
 ment old, formal, cumbrous, and slow ; men half-clothed, half- 
 armed, and commanded by proud and obstinate generals of no 
 experience ; he will see many of such armies as actually met 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 79 
 
 in battle the disciplined and brave conquerors of Germany under 
 the guidance of leaders alike distinguished by their talents and 
 their exploits. 
 
 Upon the victory of Baylen, Joseph Bonaparte abandoned 
 Madrid, taking with him, as king of Spain and the Indies, the 
 valuables of the palace and the jewels of the crown. A central 
 and superior junta now assumed the government, and was es- 
 tablished at Aranjuez. The patriotic troops all over Spain were 
 either assembling or moving, at the will of their Respective 
 generals, without any defined object,, or the least combimition: 
 12,000 men under Llamas marched from Murcia to Madrid. 
 St. Marc with his Valencians, and the baron de Versag^ with 
 his Arragonesc, did, however, unite their forces, and moved to 
 Zaragoza. Verdier and Lefebvre broke up the siege on their 
 approach, and retired to Tudela. The Spaniards followed them, 
 and occupied that place. 
 
 The army of Andalusia was a clothed, and, in so far, equipped 
 and efficient body of 30,000 men, with artillery. It was a month 
 before a division of this force entered Madrid: the other divis- 
 ions lay behind it, at Toledo, in La Mancha, and in tlie Sierra 
 Morena. It had been kept idle and delayed by the provincial 
 junta of Seville, and, thus distributed, it was now to be fed. 
 The infantry army of Estramadura was a raw levy ; there were, 
 however, 4000 horse in this province. Galluzzo, the governor, 
 would not part with this body of cavalry, or suffer it to join Cas- 
 tafios at Madrid. The army of Blake, defeated at Rio Seco, lay 
 behind the mountains of Astorga : to his old reserve he had 
 added a now levy ; and 30,000 men, the greater part peasants, 
 in peasant clothing, mustered round him. Cuesta, with 1500 
 horse and 8000 peasants, was at Salamanca, quarrelling witii the 
 provincial jtmta, and Blake was quarrelling with him. The 
 generals of the different armies, and the juntas of the different 
 provinces, were disputing with each other for influence and 
 precedency, and each occupied with their own plans. At this 
 time 3000 French horsemen were sweeping the rich and fertile 
 banks of the Douro for corn and money ; while Joseph Bona- 
 parte was at Vittoria, at the head of 50,(XX) of those French 
 troops, of wiiom Napoleon had said, " The whole of the Spanish 
 forces are not capable of beating twenty-five thotisand French 
 in a rea.sonable position." The truth of which strong remark 
 any officer who may have seen at that period, or at a much 
 later, one Spanish battalion in movement, (for we speak not of 
 the simple, though more difficult, combinations of brigade and 
 division,) can well understand. 
 
 The supreme junta, which had entered Madrid, were at once 
 pompous and weak ; prcsinnptuous and timid. They projected 
 a military board to regulate the operations of their armies, and 
 
80 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 chose Castanos for a president, his seat to be taken " when thu 
 enemy was driven across the frontier." While they vainly con- 
 sidered this " driving across the frontier " to be the certain con- 
 sequence of the effort, by no foresight, by no exertion, did they 
 lay the foundation of such a result. The troops were naked, 
 and the soldiers left, oftentimes after long and severe marches, 
 " to feed upon their own high thoughts," a diet better suited to 
 the shadowy and lean knight of La Mancha than to men des- 
 tined for the rude shock of battle with the grenadiers of France. 
 To crush these brave, betrayed, and unhappy levies, was the 
 object of Napoleon. We transcribe his preparations from the 
 pages of the historian Napier, in his own vigorous language. 
 
 " Sudden and prompt in execution, he prepared for one of 
 those gigantic efforts which have stamped this age with the 
 greatness of antiquity. 
 
 " His armies were scattered over Europe. In Italy, in Dal- 
 matia, on the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe ; in Prussia, Den- 
 mark, Poland, his legions were to be found. Over that vast 
 extent, above 500,000 disciplined men maintained the supremacy 
 of France. From those bands he drew the imperial guards, the 
 select soldiers of the warlike nation he governed, and the terror 
 of the other continental troops. The veterans of Jena, of Aus- 
 terlitz, of Friedland, reduced in number, but of confirmed hardi- 
 hood, were collected into one corps, and marched towards Spain. 
 A host of cavalry, unequalled for enterprise and knowledge of 
 war, were also directed against that devoted land, and a long 
 train of gallant soldiers followed, until 200,000 men, accustomed 
 to battle, had penetrated the gloomy fastnesses of tlie western 
 Pyrenees. 40,000 men of inferior reputation, drawn from the 
 interior of France, from Naples, from 1'uscany, and from Pied- 
 mont, were assembled at Perpignan. The march of this multi- 
 tude was incessant; and as they passed the capital. Napoleon, 
 neglectful of nothing which could excite their courage and 
 swell their military pride, addressed to them one of those nervous 
 orations that shoot like fire to the heart of a real soldier. In the 
 tranquillity of peace it may seem inflated, but on the eve of 
 battle it is thus a general should speak : — 
 
 " ' Soldiers ! after triumphing on the banks of the Vistula 
 and the Danube, with rapid steps you have passed through Ger- 
 many. This day, without a moment of repose, I command you 
 to traverse France. Soldiers ! I have need of you ! the hideous 
 presence of the leopard contaminates the Peninsula of Spain and 
 Portugal. In terror he must fly before you. I.>et us bear our 
 triumphal eagles to the pillars of Hercules ; there also we have 
 injuries to avenge. Soldiers ! you have surpassed the renown 
 of modern armies, but have you yet equalled the glory of those 
 Romans, who, in one and the same campaign, were victorious 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 81 
 
 upon the Rhine and tlie Euphrates, in Ulyria and upon the Ta- 
 g\is 1 A long peace, a lasting prosperity, shall be the reward of 
 your labors. A real Frenchman could not, ought not, to rest 
 until the seas are free and open to all. Soldiers ! all tliat you 
 have done, all that you will do, for the happiness of the French 
 people and for my glory, shall be eternal in my heart' 
 
 ♦' Thus saying, he caused hSs troops to proceed to the frontiers 
 of Spain." 
 
 There was a campaign in Spain, however, before the emperor 
 with the greater part of these forces entered that country. In 
 the latter part of September the French army on the Ebro, 
 having received some reinforcements, amounted to upwards of 
 90,00() men present under arms. Three Spanish corps, denomi- 
 qated the armies of the right, the centre, and the left, were op- 
 posed to this force. They amounted in all to 75,000, ill armed 
 and ill provided. Palafox commanded that of the right on the 
 Arragon river ; Blake, with that of tlie left, was posted at Rey- 
 nosa, near the sources of the Ebro ; Castanos commanded the 
 army of the centre. 
 
 The Spaniards were ill posted. Tliey were acting without 
 concert ; their wings were widely separated ; and eillier flank 
 was exposed to the attack of superior numbers, from an enemy 
 quick in movement, much stronger in cavalry, and having the 
 chord of the half circle for their line of operation. Blake, 
 with the army of the left, commenced this campaign, by break- 
 ing up from Reynosa on the 17th of September. His object 
 was to raise the provinces of Biscay and Guipuscoa. One of 
 his divisions succeeded in penetrating to Bilbao; but, by the 
 great force and rapid combinations of tlie enemy, he was al- 
 most immediately compelled to retire. On the il2th of Octo- 
 ber Blake again attacked Bilbao with 1-5,000 men, and drove 
 the enemy up the valley of Durango as far as Zomosa, who 
 being there reinforced by tlie division of Verdier checked the 
 pursuit. On the 9th of this month the veteran division of 
 Spanish troops from the Baltic landed at St. Andcr, under the 
 marquis of Romana, and marched to join the army of Blaka 
 The Asturians destined to act with tlie army of the left halted 
 at Villarcayo, and Blake held the position at tlie head of that 
 valley between Friaa and Valmaceda. 
 
 The columns of the grand army destined by Napoleon for 
 the subjugation of Spain now began to cover the road from 
 Bayonne to Vittoria. During the quick and quiet concentration 
 of tliose mighty forces, Blake was never di.sturl)f'd ; Romana'a 
 battalions were moving up slowly to Bilbao; tlie Estremadurana 
 were marcliing upon Burgos, and, animated by a hope which 
 prudence should have discouraged, Blake reaofved to advance 
 and attack S^noaa, He took with him 17,000 men. The 
 
82 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 French general Merlin abandoned the town on the 24th, and on 
 the 25tli fell back to Durango. By his strange, faulty, and 
 presumptuous dispositions, Blake found himself with this half 
 of his army in a position about five miles beyond Zornosa on 
 the 31st, without any artillery, in the presence of 25,000 French 
 led by the duke of Dantzic. He could not resist its onset ; he 
 could not reply to its artillery ; his troops, soon thrown into con- 
 fusion, were driven (but never without disputing the ground 
 and leaving upon it pale dead) from one position to another, and 
 at last retired in haste and disorder to Bilbao. The next day 
 Blake was in position at Nava, behind the Salcedon. On the 
 4th, learning the danger of Acevedo's division, which was inter- 
 cepted in its push for the river Salcedon by the French general 
 VUlatte, Blake was again in the field, and had a severe combat' 
 with Villatte, who retreated, leaving a gun and much baggage 
 in the hands of the Spaniards, and having sustained a severe 
 loss of men. 
 
 Blake now once more resolved to attack Bilbao, and to at- 
 tempt a junction with Palafox and the army of Arragon in the 
 rear of the French forces, — a wonderful instance of obstinacy 
 and infatuation. His soldiers were, at this time, bivouacking 
 among the cold mountains without cloaks, without shoes or san- 
 dals, without any regular supplies, and seldom obtaining a 
 ration of bread, wine, or spirits. While their brave but blun- 
 dering commander was leading them in this condition towards 
 Bilbao, two corps of French, amounting to 50,000 men, were 
 marching upon liis front, and a third, having turned his right, 
 was already on his rear. The Spanish general fell in with the 
 advanced guard of the fourth corps of the French army, and 
 had a warm action with it ; and learning here more of the ene- 
 my's movements, he retired two marches upon Espinosa. Here 
 he was attacked on the 10th by the corps of marshal Victor. 
 On this day Romana's infantry was beaten from its ground ; but 
 being reinforced by another division, rallied and continued the 
 fight with spirit. The wood, however, and the ridge of hilla 
 where these troops were engaged, remained at night-fall in pos- 
 session of the French. The Spanish right contended with more 
 vigor and better success, and were gaining ground, when dark- 
 ness put an end to the combat. The Spanish generals St. Ro- 
 man and Riquielme received their death-wounds on this day. 
 The next morning Blake was again attacked. The French fell 
 with fresh forces upon the first division of his own troops and 
 upon the Asturians. The rapid succession of casualties among 
 the generals of the Asturian brigades (for three fell at the very 
 opening of the battle) was fatally confusing. The Asturians 
 fled : the first division soon gave way ; and the centre and right, 
 after a short show of resistance, being seized witli the contagious 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 83 
 
 panic, broke and hurried across the Trueba in disordered 
 crowds. His artillery and baggage lost, his army routed and 
 dispersed, Blake himself reached Reynosa with the wreck of 
 his force, a body of only 700() men. Numbers were slain, num- 
 bers made prisoners : among these last, the greater part of Ro- 
 mana's troops, who were sent immediately hito France. These 
 men being already familiar witli the north of Europe, not 
 having been in Spain at the exciting moment when the patriots 
 rose, and viewing the French military service with no particular 
 dislike, enlisted under the French eagles, and were marched 
 northwards again. The bulk of the peasantry of the late levies 
 threw away their arms, and returned to their homes dishearten- 
 ed and desponding. 
 
 Upon the 13th the enemy again fell upon Blake : he received 
 and resisted their attack with courage, and made good his re- 
 treat with 5000 men to Arncdo, in the mountains of Asturiaa 
 Here the marquis of Romana joined him, and took command 
 of the brave unfortunates who yet rallied around the patriot 
 standards, the feeble remnant of the anny of the left. The 
 Spanish army* of the conde de Belvedere, amounting to 11,000 
 infantry, 1150 horse, and thirty pieces of artillery, and encum- 
 bered rather than assisted by 7000 or 8000 armed peasants 
 without any organization whatever, was attacked and over- 
 thrown. Of tliis action it is enough to say, that two veteran 
 divisions of French infantry were in the field under the gene- 
 rals Mouton and Bonnet, as also a brigade of light cavalry vmder 
 Lasalle, and all the heavy cavalry under Bessieres. 2500 Span- 
 iards were slain, twenty guns, six pairs of colors, and 900 men, 
 were taken on the field. There was present in this battle a 
 battalion of students, volunteers from the universities of Sala- 
 manca and Leon.t " The youths whom patriotism had brought 
 to the field could not be frightened from it by danger. They 
 fell in their ranks, and their deaths spread mourning tlirougn 
 many a respectable family in Spain." Peace to them : they 
 are gone into " a world of order." 
 
 Napoleon had from Vittoria directed all these grand move- 
 ments. The remains of Belvedere's army rallied in tlie pass of 
 Somosierra. 
 
 The army of the centre under Castanos, reduced in numbers 
 and ill disciplined, was the next marked for destruction. On 
 the heights above Tudela this army was drawn up for battle, 
 and, of course, for defeat It numbered 45,000 men, with up- 
 
 • Some old rpiriments and Roinp Spanish and Walloon innards were with 
 thii army, but lli<-y had none of tliem. when compared to the troops of France, 
 any thing that dedcrrcs tlx: name of dixciplinc. 
 
 t Sir Walter Scott. Life of Napoleon. 
 
84 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 wards of forty guns, and occupied a position on a range of low 
 hills ten miles in extent ; Tudela forming the right, Taranzona 
 the left of the ground they had chosen. They lay in sepa- 
 rate bodies witliout intermediate posts. Marshal Lasnes ap- 
 peared in front of this weakly-posted force on the morning of 
 the 23d of October with 30,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry, and sixty 
 pieces of artillery : he immediately attacked them. The Arra- 
 gonese upon the heights above Tudela fought so stoutly with 
 the division of general Morlot, as to check and force it back at 
 the commencement of this battle ; but the centre of this long 
 and feeble position being forced by general Maurice Mathieu, 
 and Lefebvre following him witli his numerous cavalry, the 
 right was turned, disordered, and could resist no longer. Pala- 
 fox with his Arragonese and the centre made for Zaragoza with 
 all speed. The three divisions at Taranzona had not been en- 
 gaged, when La Pefia, who had behaved most handsomely, was 
 forced back upon them with his division. All four began to 
 retire in tolerable order, but the enemy v/ere soon on them with 
 their fire and with cavalry : a tumbril in their ranks blew up : 
 amid the confusio)i and cries of Treason ! a panic spread among 
 them, and the field of battle was on all sides abandoned ; thirty 
 pieces of artillery, and 8000 killed, wounded, and prisoners, 
 remaining with the French. Luckily 15,000 got clear away to 
 Zaragoza ; and Castailos himself rallied more than two divisions 
 at Calatayud on the second day after the battle. The heart is 
 sick in recording successes, that, being without glory, excite no 
 admiration, and defeats wliich, being without disgrace, move 
 neither wonder nor indignation. 
 
 The only barrier now between Napoleon and Madrid was the 
 pass of Somosierra; and a small encampment at Sepulveda 
 covered the road leading to Segovia. At this last post the Span- 
 iards beat back the French who attacked, and caused them an 
 admitted loss of fifty or sixty men ; but after the affair, being 
 panic-struck, they abandoned the post they had just successfully 
 defended, and fled to Segovia. This was not unaccountable : — 
 the truth is, they had been so often deceived, betrayed, beaten ; 
 had so often, in the moment of a fancied success, found their 
 positions turned, and their commanders out-manceuvred, that 
 their confidence in every thing, but their own individual hearts 
 and arms, when, man to man, tliey could actually meet their foe 
 at no real or suspected disadvantage, was shaken; that this 
 hour they would fight and the next fly, and the next fight again, 
 as their confidence in present circumstances rose or fell. To- 
 day they were running, terrified like cowards, to-morrow the 
 very same men were fighting like heroes. The strong pass of 
 the Somosierra was held by 10,000 men under general St. Juan. 
 They were well posted, and had sixteen pieces of artillery, 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 85 
 
 commanding and sweeping the road, which ascended the moun- 
 tain. Three French battalions attacked the right, three the left 
 of this position, and a strong column marched along the road 
 with six guns. The infantry pushed up the sides of the moun- 
 tain right and left, keeping up a hot and lively fire. The 
 infantry on the roa<l, checked by the Spanish guns, were making 
 little progress: a thick fog and the smoke of the fire hung upon 
 the ascent Napoleon was present : observing this, and know- 
 ing how great was the dread that in all the late battles hia 
 cavalry h^ inspired among the raw and unsteady soldiers of 
 Spain, he directed the Polish lancers of his guard to charge up 
 the causeway, and take the Spanish artillery. The foremost 
 squadron lost several men and horses by the first fire they re- 
 ceived, but, rallied by their commander Krazinski, covered by 
 the smoke and fog, and in part by the ground over which they 
 moved, they rode boldly forwards, came upon the guns sword 
 in hand, and seized the battery. They were galled a little as 
 they went up by tiie musketry of the infantry, posted right and 
 left, but effected this gallant exploit with a dauntless valor. 
 Cavalry upon them had always, hitherto, been the signal to the 
 Spaniards that they were already turned, and to be sacrificed to 
 the sabres of the horsemen in their confusion. It operated even 
 upon this strong ground just as it had elsewhere. The same 
 aspect of things brought up the same associations, and the whole 
 force was shamefully beaten, and ran away at the wild charge 
 of a regiment of horse. 
 
 Madrid was in alarm and anarchy, desirous to resist but inca- 
 pable of defence, when the emperor appeared before the city, 
 preceded by three heavy divisions of cavalry, and followed by 
 a mass of infantry and a numerous artillery. His first sum- 
 mons of tlie city, at noon, on the 2d of December, was treated 
 with defiance. His second, at midnight, had no better success. 
 The French infantry now carried some houses by assault : a bat- 
 tery of thirty guns opened upon the Retire; another threw 
 shells from the opposite quarter. Villatte's division stormed 
 the Retire the next morning, carried it, and established them- 
 selves in all the advantageous posts near. The town was now 
 summoned a third time. Morla and another offic«r came out to 
 treat He returned with Napoleon's decision — Madrid must 
 surrender or perisli. The poor and the peasantry would still 
 have resisted, and the firing on both sides still continued. At 
 last Morla and Castel Franco prepared a capitulation. Castellar, 
 the captain-general, refused to sign it, and withdrew with his 
 troops and guns, (6()00, and sixteen pieces of artillerj-,) by the 
 side of the place not then invested. Morla was neither a bravo 
 nor true Spaniard ; but whether lie conducted the surrender of 
 Madrid treacherously or not, the city could not have resisted. 
 
 Vol. I. H 
 
86 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 On the morning of the fourth it surrendered. Orders were 
 issued by Napoleon to preserve the strictest discipline among 
 the troops ; and a soldier of his own guard was shot in the great 
 square of Madrid for plundering. The Spaniards were disarm- 
 ed and the city silenced. Napoleon now exercised all the right 
 of conquest. A body of nobles, clergy, and the public authori- 
 ties of Madrid, waited on him at Chamartin, and presented an 
 address. To this he replied in one of those orations, so emi- 
 nently characteristic of him. There was a deal about England ; 
 and among other matter, a promise to drive the English armies 
 from the Peninsula. His own, at this period, in Spain amount- 
 ed to 330,000 infantry and 60,000 horses, 200 pieces of field 
 artillery, and an immense reserve. Such was his muster-roll, 
 after deducting sick, detachments, garrisons, and posts of com- 
 munication ; and after providing nearly 80,000 men for Catalonia 
 and the siege of Zaragoza, he had 180,000 men and 40,000 
 horses disposable for any plan of operations he chose. The 
 Spanish armies were already overthrown : a few thousand men, 
 in the most wretched order, were v^ith the duke of Infantado at 
 Cuenca. Five thousand of a new levy were in the passes of 
 the Sierra Morena. Galluzzo wtih 6000 men had just been 
 defeated at Almaraz, and driven from the defence of the Tagus. 
 Romana was near Leon with 18,000 men, of whom only 5000 
 were armed at all, and none in a state of discipline or efficiency 
 for the field. 
 
 A British army, numerically feeble, and neither supplied, 
 supported, or informed, was the only hostile body of true soldiers 
 still in the field, and these had been only at a late and unhappy 
 moment brought forward. 
 
 The English ministers tardUy and doubtingly made the ven- 
 ture of an effort in the north of Spain. That which, done earlier, 
 and with decision, might have been, at least, hopeful in its 
 results, if not brilliant, directed at the time it was, no talents 
 and no courage could possibly have conducted to a happy con- 
 clusion. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN OF SIR JOHN MOORE. 
 
 It was upon the 6th of October that Sir John Moore first 
 received the order of the English ministers to enter Spain. 
 
 An army of 35,000 men was to be placed under his command. 
 Of these, 25,000 were to be immediately taken from the troops 
 already in Portugal, and 10,000 were to be sent from England 
 to the coast of Gallicia direct. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 87 
 
 In twenty days from the receipt of his instructions, the gene- 
 ral had completed his arrangements ; the columns were already 
 on their march, and the head-quarters had quitted Lisbon. When 
 it is considered that supplies and transports were to be provided, 
 equipments completed, the corps selected, and the army organ- 
 ized anew in divisions and brigades, and all this in Portugal 
 and among the Portuguese, it will be seen that nothing but the 
 most ardent zeal and the greatest possible exertion, could so 
 soon have accomplished this important object. Had the like 
 zeal and the like exertion, informed by clear views and directed 
 to great aims, been manifested at home, 60,000 British soldiers 
 should at that hour have been descending from the mountains 
 of Gallicia, or traversing the plains of Leon. 
 
 With the main body of his army. Sir John Moore marched to 
 Salamanca by Almeida ; and it being reported to him that the 
 roads on that route were impracticable for artillery, he sent his 
 guns, his cavalry, and a small column of infantry, under Sir 
 John Hope, by the valley of the Tagus. They were to move by 
 Talavera de la Reyna, and to join him by the royal road which 
 traverses the Guadarama mountains. He afterwards made the 
 mortifying discovery, by personal observation, that his artillery 
 could have accomplished the march by Almeida. But it is one 
 of the trials of an English general, that a good military survey 
 of the intendetl theatre of war is never to be found or furnished 
 fix)m any public office at home. England has no department or 
 bureau to help a general in these matters : he must know every 
 thing, and do every thing, unassisted ; even without money he 
 must provide food and contentment, and see botli the troops and 
 the followers of his army in long arrear. 
 
 Sir John Moore entered Salamanca on the 13th of November- 
 Sir David Baird, with 10,000 men, was moving from Corumia 
 to join him ; and tlie column of Sir John Hope was pursuing its 
 devious route with the same object. 
 
 The 23d of November arrived before the successive divisions 
 of Sir John's own corps were concentrated at Salamanca. This 
 army, in a high state of health and efficiency, of a discipline 
 not often surpassed, and of a spirit to be daunted by no enemy, 
 arrived upon the soil of Spain, burning with desire for battle, 
 and in all the confidence of victory. They enjoyed for a while 
 their rest in Salamanca, deeming it but an allowed refreshment 
 necessary to tlie present concentration of the force, with a view 
 to future operations in the field. While they were thus joyous, 
 careless, and full of hope, their leader was weighed down and 
 oppressed by the many and severe perplexities of his situation. 
 No plan of operations had been given him ; and such informa- 
 tion as had been forwarded with liis instructions relative to the 
 state of Spain, and of her armies, he soon discovered to be 6Jse, 
 
88 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 In a few points, indeed, it had been founded on the slender sup- 
 port of a little truth ; but the state of affairs, never one-tenth so 
 bright or promising as it had been represented, was at the actual 
 moment changed very materially for the worse. He had come 
 to support the armies of Blake and Belvedere : they were already 
 destroyed. He had come expecting to find a people of one heart 
 and will, enthusiastic in their own cause, and full of all the 
 noble energy of action : — he foimd a people in the plains of 
 Leon impoverished and depressed. 
 
 He found among the upper classes of society the timid, the 
 interested, and the vain ; some fearing to lose, others eager to 
 gam, and a few, and those miserably qualified, ambitious to 
 shine. He found the common people an ungovernable race of 
 wilful men; now going forth to fight, and now dispersing to 
 their homes, just as the caprice of the hour affected them. Ava- 
 ricious dealers and contractors, meddling priests and petty au- 
 thorities, full of ignorance and trickery, many of them double- 
 faced intriguers, were not wanting. To control these discordant 
 elements, there was not one leading or master mind in the whole 
 kingdom, nor one powerful and acknowledged council to unite 
 them wisely, either in fear or affection, to one end. Some were 
 distracted by the duties of their callings, some by their treasure 
 or their faniilies ; and human nature was exhibiting itself in all 
 those strange and contradictory varieties, which times of help- 
 less trouble and bewildering confusion always elicit. 
 
 Sir John Moore found no armies to support, no generals with 
 whom to concert measures, no government with which to cor- 
 respond, no intelligence on which he could rely : in addition to 
 these perplexities, he was witliout magazines, and (thanks to 
 ministers) without money in the military chest to form them. 
 
 In Leon and the two Castiles, the people, though patriotic in 
 heart, were, from the open nature of their country, defenceless, 
 and had, consequently, less activity, because they had no chance 
 of effectually protecting tlieir naked villages from the cavalry 
 of t!ie enemy. They could, and did furnish men to the armies 
 in the field ; tliey gave money ; they gave prayers for Spain ; 
 and, when the cavalry of the enemy rode into their open market- 
 places, tljey yielded up their corn with eyes that scowled, and 
 lips that closed in curses. 
 
 The general found himself and his army reproached and vili- 
 fied by the ignorant population of Salamanca and its district. 
 " Why," said they, " why don't you advance, and fight the 
 French, as the Spaniards have done 1 " And the very men who 
 fled from the fields in which their armies had sustained defeat, 
 amid the mortifications of flight, still retaining the memory of a 
 front offered to the foe, and of a short though vain contention, 
 held the same tone of reproof. They had witnessed the courage 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 80 
 
 of the French troops, and the skill of the French generals, and 
 judged that the English were held in inactivity by fear, or by a 
 secret design of abandoning the cause of Spain- 
 
 From the moment that the eyes of Moore were opened to 
 the actual state of the Spanish people in these provinces, and to 
 the fate of their armies, he knew that, sooner or later, retreat 
 would be inevitable ; and his judgment told him that the line 
 of his retreat should be by Ciudaxl Rodrigo upon Portugal, and 
 that to effect it in good order the movement should no longer be 
 delayed. It is to be regretted that, having deliberately formed 
 this judgment, he did not at once act upon it. He might have 
 issued a proclamation to the Spaniards, declaring to tliem the 
 naked truth, concerning the fate of their own armies, and set- 
 ting forth the wisdom and the necessity of his present retreat, 
 with a view to render them more effectual assistance at a future 
 period. For this he would no doubt have had to endure a storm 
 of reproaches, furious but not lasting ; for the prudence of the 
 wise leader is never long confounded with the irresolution of a 
 weak capacity, or the timidity of a failing heart. 
 
 Mr. Frere, the English minister, was his only medium of 
 communication with the supreme junta, which then directed the 
 afiairs of Spain. The authority of this junta was nowhere ac- 
 knowledged beyond the precincts of the city where they sat ; 
 neither was it deserving of any influence, seeing the little which 
 it exercised was for evil and not for good. The British envoy, 
 deceived himself, was unconsciously representing matters as 
 they were not, and urging movements in advance as a duty ; 
 while the prescient mind of Moore could see notliing in such a 
 course but disaster and destruction. Never, perhaps, was a 
 general placed in a position of greater difficulty, or in circum- 
 stances more perplexing and harassing to a noble spirit. 
 
 The people of England had their eyes fixed upon him, with 
 expectations of a nature to the full as extravagant as those of 
 the Spaniards themselves ; and Sir John well knew that an ap- 
 peal to the reason of excited and misjudging enthusiasts would 
 be, in the first moment of disappointment, vain. He had al- 
 ready found it so in the case of Mr. Frere the minister, a man 
 of wann temperament and ardent hopes, but of utter inexperi- 
 ence in all mditary afiairs. Here, wiiere he should have found 
 the solid support of a grave, calm, deliberative wisdom, he was 
 fretted by inconsiderate proposals, worrying importunities, and 
 indelicate remonstrances. His generous spirit was overwhelmed ; 
 and his harassed and unhappy state of mind is tJuis evidenced in 
 a letter to his brother: — "Pray for me," says the general, 
 "that I may make right decisions: if I make bad ones, it will 
 not be for want of consideration." He at one moment conceived 
 the heroic notion of throwing himself into the heart of Spain, 
 H2 
 
90 MlLITAr-Y MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and rallying upon his small army that of Castaiios and the 
 wrecks of that of Belvedere ; but this course became, after the 
 battle of Tudela, too hazardous, he thought, to be risked. 
 
 Early in December general Sir John Hope-, after a march, the 
 latter part of which, from the movements of the French, was 
 rendered difficult and insecure, but which was conducted with 
 a most happy union of prudence and vigor, reached Alba de- 
 Tormes in safety. An intercepted dispatch from Bcrthier to 
 Soult first acquainted Sir John Moore with the fall of Madrid ; 
 and then it was that he hastily conceived the design of striking 
 a blow at the corps of Soult, which lay apart and exposed at 
 Saldanha on the Carrion. Sir John Moore had already made 
 a forward movement to cover the advance of his stores, and the 
 march of Sir David Baird from Astorga, when the dispatch al- 
 luded to was brought to his head-quarters at Alaejos, on the 14th 
 of December. • The cavalry of lord Paget was at Toro, witli 
 two brigades of infantry; general Hope was at Torrecilla; 
 general Charles Stewart's cavalry was at Rueda. At this place 
 a squadron of the 18th hussars surprised a French post of in- 
 fantry and horse, on the night of the 12th of December. Some 
 were sabred, some taken, and a few effected their escape. 
 
 On the 18th the British head-quarters were at Castro Nuevo ; 
 from that place Sir John Moore apprized Romana of his intend- 
 ed movement against Soult, and requested his co-operation. On 
 the 20th all the British troops were concentrated — the infantry 
 at Mayorga, the cavalry at Melgar Abaxo. This arm distin- 
 guished itself greatly on the march. They skirmished boldly 
 with the enemy's horse, and took upwards of a hundred prison^ 
 ers. With perfect confidence the smallest patrol of British 
 cavalry would charge a body double its strength. The total of 
 the English army, as now united, was 23,600 men, with sixty 
 pieces of artillery. Of this force 2278 were cavalry. Soult's 
 corps of 16,000 infantry and 1200 horse lay upon the Carrion. 
 Of these, more than 12,000 could be readily assembled to op- 
 pose the British : the main body of foot was at Saldanha, and 
 the dragoons of general Debelle were at Sahagun. Sir John 
 Moore, who well knew that the British army would become the 
 immediate object of the emperor's attention, and that the ene- 
 my's masses were everywhere in motion, and would doubtless 
 be directed at once upon his communications, felt all the danger 
 of his attempt. But it was a solace to make some effort. 
 He relied upon his own ability and promptness, and marched 
 forward. 
 
 Upon the morning of the 21st lord Paget, at the head of 400 
 of the 15th hussars, came in presence of a line of 600 French , 
 dragoons, at Sahagun, and, after a few skilful manoeuvres, 
 charged and overthrew them. Many were sabred on the spot,, 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTO>r. 91 
 
 and thirteen officers and one hundred and fifty men made pris- 
 oners. The English infantry occupied Sahagun. Romana, who 
 had only 6000 men, and those in a miserable condition, remained 
 at Mansilla ; nor did he venture to advance. Sir Jolm Moore 
 was forced to halt the 22d and 23d for his supplies; but he 
 planned a march during the night of the 23d, and an attack 
 upon the French troops at Saldanha on tlie morning of the 
 24th. Alremly in the chill night were the Englisli columns in 
 motion towards the Carrion, warmed and cheered by the promise 
 of battle, when such intelligence was brought to tlie general of 
 the enemy's movements as compelled retreat. 
 
 Napoleon had been informed of Moore's advance on the 21sL. 
 On the evening of the 22d, 50,000 men, under his immediate 
 orders, were already at the foot of the Guadarama pass. The 
 French troops at Talavera were also in full march to act upon 
 the English army. It was only by twelve hours that Moore 
 saved the passage of the Esla, and evaded the prompt manoeu- 
 vre whereby Napoleon, in person, had hoped to intercept him. 
 The retreat to this point was conducted in masterly order. 
 General Hope moved by the road of Mayorga ; general Baird 
 by that of Valencia San Juan. Romana engaged to hold the 
 bridge of Mansilla. The light brigades and tlie cavalry re- 
 mained to the very last at Sahagun ; and, to cover these move- 
 ments, patrols of British horse were pushed boldly to tlie very 
 lines of the enemy. The column of general Hope, and the re- 
 serve and light brigades, under the commander-in-chief, follow- 
 ing in succession, crossed tlie bridge of Castro Gonzalo on the 
 26th. On the same day general Baird passed the Esla, at Va- 
 lencia, by the ferry and the fords. Lord Paget, just as he had 
 marched through Mayorga with the rear-guard, discovered the 
 advanced horsemen of marshal Ney's corps. A body of them 
 w^as drawn up on a rising ground flankinnf tlie road, and ready 
 to act upon the line of his retreat. He directed two squadrons 
 of tlie 10th upon them. At the head of his brave men, colonel 
 Leigh spurred up the hill, and, despite the vantage-ground and 
 their great superiority of numbers, rode in upon the enemy, 
 broke them, sabred many, and took a hundred prisoners. From 
 Mayorga lord Paget marched to Bencvente. On tlie 27th the 
 bridge of Castro Gfonzalo was destroyed. The communications 
 with Astorga being now recovered. Sir John Moore lialtcd the 
 army for two days at Benevente, to clear out his magazines, 
 after which he continued his retreat upon Astorga. For the 
 greater part of liis stores he could procure no transport, and 
 tliey were destroyed. Upon the 29th all the infantry had al- 
 ready quitted Benevente; the cavalry alone remained in the 
 town, having their pickets ujwn the fine plain in front The 
 fords of the Esla were watched by these parties. Early on this 
 
93 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 morning general Lefebvre Desnouettes crossed the river at a 
 ford near the bridge, with six hundred horsemen of the imperial 
 guards, and advanced upon the pickets. They retired, steadily 
 skirmishing, till, being joined by a small party of the third Ger- 
 man hussars, they repeatedly charged the enemy and checked 
 his advance. Colonel Otway commanded these pickets till 
 general Charles Stewart took charge of them. Handsomely 
 disputing their advance, the general slowly gave ground before 
 the French, till he drew them well forward mto the plain. Tlie 
 10th hussars were formed quickly by lord Paget under cover of 
 some houses near the town ; and when the favorable moment 
 arrived, they rode out smartly, and joining the pickets, the whole 
 charged with such vigor that the imperial guards fled at speed 
 to the fords, and re-crossed the river. They lost from fifty to 
 sixty cut down on the field ; seventy prisoners, including their 
 general ; and had seventy more wounded, who escaped. The 
 loss of the British was fifty. It is said that Napoleon, whose 
 head-quarters were at Valderas, on the opposite bank, witnessed 
 this combat. Soon after this period the emperor quitted the 
 army, and returned to France. 
 
 From the moment that the retreat commenced, discontent and 
 disorder possessed the soldiers; and here in Benevente their 
 angry devastations began. The fine castle of Benevente, a 
 stately monument of the age of chivalry, — of such spacious 
 grandeur as to afford in its vast halls and magnificent galleries 
 lodging for two entire regiments, and a train of artillery that 
 stalled its horses below, — was rudely dismantled by its guests. 
 Fires were lighted on its tesselated pavements, and blackened 
 its jasper columns, while the pictures were torn down from the 
 walls of its rich chambers, and heaped as fuel upon the flames : 
 and as the soldiery served this palace, so did they many a goodly 
 mansion, and many a peaceful cottage on their route to the 
 coast. They were already murmuring and disobedient; they 
 moved along the weary roads dejected and sullen ; broke their 
 ranks on the smallest pretences; and their looks and words 
 were alike insubordinate. Upon entering Astorga they found 
 Romana's troops, who had just been driven from Mansilla and 
 Leon. A scene of confusion arose. Romana had promised not 
 to cross the British line of march ; but with all good-will, and 
 all honest intention, Romana had no power to keep his promises, 
 whether they regarded the taking part in hostile operations, or 
 the observing of separate and regular lines of movement. In 
 common with Sir John Moore, Romana himself had been left 
 again and again without any information, or deceived by false 
 intelligence ; like him, too, he had suffered all those inconve- 
 niences and obstructions which the local authorities were per- 
 petually imposing. He had been often compelled to counteract 
 
THE DUKE OP WELUNGTON. 93 
 
 by force the frauds and the evasions of the rapacious and the 
 interested. The picture of his wretched army at this period is 
 thus given by colonel Jones : — 
 
 " The soldiers under arms little exceeded in number the sick 
 borne on cars or mules ; and as they slowly passed along, ema- 
 ciated and enfeebled by disease, tlie procession had much more 
 the appearance of an ambulatory hospital in need of an escort, 
 than of an army to defend the country." 
 
 From Astorga to Lugo the English line of march was a scene 
 of great suffering and incredible disorder. If any one thing had 
 been a source of pride to Sir John Moore, beyond all other, it 
 was the high, tiie unequalled discipline of the fine army which 
 he had led forward into Spain. I'he men were steady, clean, 
 and obedient ; robust, hardy, and brave. Discipline had now 
 vanished ; their attachment to their general was gone ; their 
 respect sliaken. The length of the marches, the severity of the 
 weather, and the wretched state of the roads, — here mud, there 
 snow, — the want of supplies, and, above all, the dispiriting 
 effect of a retreat, made them careless, irregular, and insolent; 
 they quitted their ranks in search of food and liquor; they 
 plundered ; they wantonly destroyed property ; they broke open 
 stores of wine ; they drank and loitered, and lay stupid in the 
 road& At Bembibre some hundreds, who sallied out from tlie 
 plunderetl wine-vaults when the French cavalry appeared be- 
 fore it, were taken or sabred on the road, as they vainly sought 
 to run, staggering after the rear-guard. At Villa Franca the 
 soldiers were again busy at the work of plunder, and the gene- 
 ral caused one of tlie marauders to be shot as an example: 
 moreover, he issued the severest orders to the army. At Calca- 
 bellos on the Guia tliere was an affair between the British 
 reserve and the enemy's advanced guard, consisting of six or 
 eight squadrons. Not until many of these brave horsemen had 
 fallen under the fire of the English riflemen were they sup- 
 ported by any of the French infantry ; but at length they were 
 strengthened by a body of Voltigeurs. In tliis combat about 
 two or tlirec hundred on both sides were killed and wounded. 
 Among tlie first slain was the French general Colbert, a fine 
 man,* and a gallant soldier, whose daring valor hr.d been so con- 
 spicuous as to attract the notice and atlmirntion of his English 
 foes. His name was of great note in his own army, and many 
 a battle-plain in Germany had seen him lead up into tlie hottest 
 fire the decisive charge. In this petty affair he fell. 
 
 The face of the country from Villa Franca to Lugo is moun- 
 tainous and rugged. The cavalry, therefore, preceded the in- 
 
 * He was a man of «o fine a form, that Canova the Kulptor considered him 
 u a perfect modrl. 
 
94 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 fiuitry, by ^vhom they, in turn, were now covered. From the 
 commencement of the campaign, the resolute and undaunted 
 bearing of the British cavalry had been an honor to the army. 
 The rear-guard reached Herrerias on the 5th of January; and 
 here Sir John Moore abandoned the intention of embarking at 
 Vigo, and, from the reports of his engineers, selected Corunna, 
 as offermg a more favorable position to cover his embarkation. 
 
 The division of general Baird was at Nogales ; those of gen- 
 erals Hope and Fraser near Lugo Sir John having resolved to 
 rally his army at Lugo, and to offer battle to the enemy, sent an 
 order to the leading division to halt at that place. This order 
 was carried to Sir David Baird by an aide-de-camp. That gene- 
 ral most imprudently forwarded it by a private dragoon : the 
 man got drunk, and lost the dispatch. In consequence, general 
 Fraser's division had a severe and toilsome march, and retraced 
 tlieir steps by a painful countermarcli, an operation which lost 
 to it 400 stragglers. The passage of the bridge at Constantino, a 
 spot which offered such advantages to the pursuing enemy that 
 a great loss had been anticipated, was most skilfully and happily 
 efiected by the reserve without any. General Paget with two 
 regiments made good an excellent formation on the other side, 
 and, though repeatedly assailed by the enemy, held his ground 
 firmly till nightfall. On the 7th Sir John Moore drew up his 
 army in a position near Lugo, in order of battle. As by magic, 
 tlie organization of liis disorderly battalions was again complete. 
 Neither severity of rebuke, nor even the example of a summary 
 execution, had hitherto availed to clieck the wide and fearfiU 
 insubordination ; but when it was known that the colors of their 
 regiments were planted in bivouac on a line of battle, to the joy 
 and the pride of their officers, the men came hurrying to the 
 ranks ; and as tliey examined their locks, fixed their flints, and 
 loosened in the scabbards those bayonets which the pouring 
 rain had rusted fast in the sheaths, they again looked to their 
 officers with the regard of a ready obedience and a brave de- 
 votion. 
 
 As soon as marshal Soult arrived before the British position, 
 he made a strong reconnaissance first on the English centre 
 with four guns and a few squadrons, and afterwards upon the 
 left witli a heavy column of iiffantry and artillery. From the 
 centre he was driven off by the cannonade of fifteen pieces, 
 and on the left his column, after pushing in the British outposts, 
 was charged by the light troops under the immediate direction 
 of Sir John Moore, and very rudely handled. The enemy lost 
 400 men. Throughout the whole of the 8tli the two armies lay 
 in presence of each other, in order of battle, but Soult declined 
 the attack. The English general, satisfied with having rallied 
 his own troops, and brought his pursuers to a stand, decamped 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 05 
 
 in the night, and continued his retreat, leaving the fires burning 
 bright upon his position, to deceive the enemy. 
 
 In silent order tlie troops retired, commencing their march 
 about ten o'clock ; but in spite of all the precautions taken to 
 mark the right tracks, which led from the different parts of the 
 position to the high road, the marks were destroyed by rain and 
 tempestuous wind. Two divisions were completely bewildered, 
 and were still near Lugo in the morning. Fatigued, depressed, 
 and foundered for want of shoes, they straggled onwards through 
 the mud, chilled by a falling sleet ; and in a few hours the firm 
 battalions, which had stood in position the day before, ready and 
 eager for battle, were a mob of fugitives and marauders. The 
 reserve, under general Edward Paget, was the only body which, 
 throughout this long and disastrous retreat, maintained its dis- 
 cipline and efficiency — a fact signally honorable to that officer. 
 In justice, however, to the other troops, it should be allowed, 
 that in the reserve, the minds of men were engaged by duties 
 which interested and animated tliem ; for, as the rear-guard, 
 they were constantly in the presence of the enemy. 
 
 Between Saliagun and Lugo the casualties of the army, in- 
 cluding those who fell in action, amounted to 15()0. The loss 
 of men between Lugo and Betanzos was yet more considerable. 
 Here Sir John Moore halted, and assembled all his force. Di»- 
 cipline was again, in some degree, restored by great exertions, 
 and the columns marched from hence to Corunna in very tolera- 
 ble order. 
 
 As soon as the general reached Corunna, where tiie transports 
 had not yet arrived, he made all the necessary dispositions for 
 covering his embarkation. The land-front of this weak fortress 
 was strengthened, and the sea-face was dismantled. In all the 
 labor of these preparations, the Spaniards of the city worked 
 freely, tendering the British all possible assistance witli heart 
 and hand, although they well knew the object and end of our 
 operations ; an act of itself sufficient to stamp the character of 
 the Spaniard with nobility. 
 
 A magazine of 4000 barrels of powder, upon a hill, three 
 miles from the city, was fired on the 13th. The explosion was 
 terrific; the earth trembled; the waters were agitated; and 
 every body stood, for a short and awful pause, breathless and 
 grave. 
 
 The horses of the cavalry which had survived the march, 
 were brought out and shot ; for the ground near Corunna not 
 l)eing practicable for tliat ann, they could not have been used 
 in action ; and it was humanely resolved that they should not 
 be left in their miserable plight to fresh sufferings. 
 
 The assembling of the French army in his front, made it 
 
96 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 necessary for Sir John Moore to select a position on which to 
 meet them. 
 
 On the evening of the 14th, the transports from Vigo entere(- 
 the harbor, and the embarkation of the sick, the artillery, ano 
 the dragoons commenced ; eight British and four Spanish guns 
 were retained on shore. 
 
 During the night of the 15th, and on the morning of the 16th, 
 all the baggage and all encumbrances were put on board ship ; 
 and it was intended to withdraw the army after dark that even- 
 ing. About two o'clock in the afternoon the French beat to 
 arms, and prepared to attack the position of the English. Half 
 a league from Corunna, the English army, 14,500 strong, was 
 drawn up on a low range of hills ; the only position which their 
 numbers and their object allowed them to occupy. A loftier 
 range of rocky heights encircled and commanded it within can- 
 non-shot, and on these the French had already taken post. 
 
 Marshal Soult had 20,000 men under arms. From the lighter 
 guns along his front, and from a battery of heavier calibre on 
 his left, he opened a smart cannonade, and under cover of the 
 fire moved down in three weighty columns to the attack. The 
 first of these, throwing out its voltigeurs, and driving in the 
 pickets, attacked the British right, assailing the front and flank 
 of general Baird's division. The second column marched upon 
 the British centre. The third, with less of earnest intention in 
 the character of its attack, moved upon the British left, where 
 the troops were commanded by Sir John Hope. 
 
 Tlie horse of the commander-in-chief stood saddled for him 
 to visit the outposts just as the alarm was given. He rode 
 thankfiil to the field. The thunder of the guns and the rolling 
 of the musketry was already begun as he galloped to the sum- 
 mons with a grave joy. 
 
 The battle was most furious near the village of Elvina, on 
 the British right. In this quarter of the field Sir David Baird 
 was severely wounded ; and here, while earnestly watching the 
 progress of the stern combat in Elvina, Sir John Moore himself 
 was struck upon the left breast by a cannon-shot : it threw him 
 from his horse ; but, though the laceration was dreadful, it did 
 not deprive him of his mental energy ; he sat upon the ground, 
 and watched the battle. His eye was stedfast and intent, and 
 it brightened as he saw that all went bravely and well. The 
 soldiers now put liim in a blanket to carry him to the rear ; as 
 they did so, the hilt of his sword struck upon his wound, and 
 caused him a sudden pang. Captain Hardinge v/ould have taken 
 oif the sword, but the general stopped him, saying, "It is as 
 well as it is : I had rather it should go out of the field with me !" 
 With these words he was borne from the battle. It was a long 
 way to tlie town, and the torture of the motion was great ; but 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 97 
 
 the expression of his countenance was calm and resolute, and 
 he did not sigh. Several times he made his attendants stop, and 
 turn him round, that he might gaze upon the field of battle. 
 
 After he was laid down upon a couch in liis lodgings, the 
 pain of his wound increased. He spoke with difficulty, and at 
 intervals. He often asked how the battle went ; and being at 
 last told that the enemy were defeated, he said instantly, " It is 
 a great satisfaction to me to know that we have beaten the 
 French." He was firm and composed to the last ; once only, 
 when speaking of his mother, he betrayed great emotion. 
 " You know," said he, to his old friend colonel Anderson, " that 
 I always wished to die this way ! " The bitter agony of spirit 
 which he had long endured was thus mournfully evidenced. 
 " I hope," he exclaimed, " the people of England will be satis- 
 fied ! — I hojx) my country will do me justice ! " These precious 
 sentences were among the last he uttered ; his sufferings were 
 not long ; he expired with the hand of colonel Anderson pressed 
 firmly in his own. 
 
 We shall not further describe the action than by saying, that 
 when darkness put an end to the work of battle, not only had 
 the French been rej)ulsed at all points, but the line of the Eng- 
 lish was considerably advanced beyond the origmal position. 
 The loss of the French was, by their own admission, 3000 ; that 
 of the British was about 800 killed and wounded. 
 
 The brigade of general Hill and that of general Beresford 
 remained on shore the 17th, to cover the embarkation of the 
 army, which began soon after the close of the engagement. 
 By night the victorious troops filed down from the field of battle 
 to tlieir boats, and embarked. There was a moon, but it gave 
 only a wan and feeble light ; for tlie weather was misty and 
 chill. Soon after night-fall, the remauis of Sir John Moore 
 were quietly interred in the citadel of Corunna. Soldiers dug 
 his grave ; soldiers laid him in the earth. He was buried in 
 his military cloak, and was left asleep, and alone, upon a bastion 
 — a bed of honor well chosen for a hero's resting-place. Tliia 
 last duty done, the officers of his personal stJiflT went on sliip- 
 board, " in soldiers' sadness, the silent mourning of men who 
 know no tears." 
 
 Sir John Moore had signalized his name in the West Indies, 
 in Holland, and in Egypt His life was spent among the troops ; 
 among the troops he died ; and, to this hour, it is a distinction 
 to any officer to have learned his duty under tlic eye and the 
 voice of Moore. We admire Ins character ; wo glory in his 
 warrior-death ; we consider his fame hallowed by his end ; — 
 but we think tliat, with the deep knowledge of human nature 
 he possessed, the state of Spanish society, under tlie actual cir- 
 cumstances of peril and bewilderment, ought not to have sur- 
 
 VOL. I. I 
 
98 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 prised him, far less to have irritated him to the extent to which 
 it certainly did. That time was lost at Salamanca, is a matter 
 of fact, and a subject of regret. The value of a day, or of an 
 hour, in war, is great. It is vain to ask what might have been 
 the consequences of a movement into the heart of Spain, 
 which was never made, and which, according to able and acute 
 men, never should have been contemplated ; but it is certain 
 that between that measure and a retreat on Portugal, Sir John 
 Moore wavered long in his decisions. War, we are told, and 
 truly, by all good officers, is a science ; and we are shown how 
 accurate and profound are, and ought to be, the calculations of 
 a commander ; yet, " nothing venture, nothing have," has passed 
 into a proverb with mankind. 
 
 In all undertakings, we must leave something in a state too 
 incomplete to command the certainty of success. We must 
 exercise our trust in Providence, whatever be our aim and end ; 
 for " the lot is cast into the lap, the whole disposing thereof is 
 of the Lord ; " and, undoubtedly, with a righteous cause, we 
 may look hopefully for help. We are not of the number of 
 those who dare to speak lightly of the spirit of Moore ; for we 
 know the help of Heaven was that to which he looked ; and we 
 believe that it was an act of conscientious self-denial, which 
 made him hesitate to risk the lives of so many thousands on the 
 desperate hazards of a chivalric effort. 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 CORUNNA AND FERROL SURRENDER TO THE FRENCH. — NOTICE OF 
 ROMANA. SOULT MARCHES TO INVADE PORTUGAL. HIS OPERA- 
 TIONS ON THE FRONTIER. COMBATS WITH THE SPANIARDS 
 
 COMBATS WITH THE PORTUGUESE. CAPTURE OF OPORTO. RE- 
 TROSPECT OF TRANSACTIONS IN PORTUGAL. — DEFEAT OF THE SPAN- 
 IARDS IN LA MANCHA. SECOND SIEGE AND FALL OF ZARAGOZA. 
 
 The inhabitants of Corunna maintained their weak walls 
 with honor and good faith until the fleet of England was fairly 
 at sea. 
 
 On the 19th of January they formally surrendered the place, 
 and the French took possession. With the means found here, 
 Marshal Soult immediately proceeded to the attack of Ferrol, a 
 regular fortress, well armed, and provided with a sufficient gar- 
 rison. It was disgracefully yielded up to him on the 26th of 
 January. The helpless and indignant citizens were betrayed 
 by their chiefs ; but there were serious commotions in the city 
 before the surrender was effected. Aided by tlie artillery, the 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 99 
 
 ammunition, and the stores of Ferrol, the French soon overran 
 
 Gallicia. 
 
 .We return for a moment to that period of the English retreat 
 when the miserable band of Romana crossed the line of its 
 march at Astorga. In the woful plight already described, it 
 was led by its noble commander towards the valleys of the Syl 
 and the Minho. The rear division of these sick and disorganized 
 fugitives was cut up by the cavalry of general Franceschi, who 
 had been directed to pursue and disperse them. Romana placed 
 Mendizabal with a small body in the Val des Orres, furnishing 
 a post, at the strong point of Puente de Bibey, to cover the ap- 
 proaches to Orense. He himself collected from two to three 
 thousand men at Toabado, about twenty miles from St. Jago, on 
 the 15th of January. The position of Mendizabal was attacked 
 and carried by a division of French infantry under general 
 Marchand (detached for that object from the corps of Ney) upon 
 the 17th. The overthrow and dispersion of the troops with 
 Mendizabal completed the distresses of Romana. Many of his 
 men now threw away their arms, and returned to their homes. 
 The general hunself, with his few and faithful cavalry, and such 
 of the infantry as had not disbanded, retired to Oimbra, a village 
 on the frontier of Portugal near Monterey. At this place was 
 a small magazine, originally collected for the use of Sir John 
 Moore's army. Here, therefore, with a spirit depressed but not 
 subdued by disaster, Romana used every exertion to reassemble 
 and reorganize a division. Here it was that Blake, his col- 
 league, in a fit of surly wilfulness, deserted him, taking away 
 those officers who were his own more immediate followera 
 Amid all these vexations, Romana, with a buoyant and a noble 
 spirit, still manifested zeal and hope, and continued his prepara- 
 tions for the field. 
 
 Upon the capture of Ferrol, Soult fixed his head-quarters at 
 St Jago de Compostella, repaired his equipments, refreshed his 
 army, and, after a halt of only six days, put himself again in 
 motion on the 1st of February, to march, in obedience to the 
 orders of Napoleon, upon Oporto. With nineteen thousand in- 
 fantry, four thousand horse, and fifty-eight pieces of artillery, 
 this active and able commander moved rapidly to the Minho. 
 This river, from Melga^o to its mouth, is the line of the frontier 
 of Portugal in that quarter. It is guarded by a few old walled 
 towns, in a dilapidated state, to which fortresses on the Spanish 
 side, of like strength and in like condition, correspond. These 
 could not have arrested the march of Soult for a day ; but the 
 river itself was a serious obstacle. It was broad and swollen, 
 and ruslied along rapid in its wintry strength. All the boats 
 had been removed, and the peasantry and militia of Portugal 
 were in arms upon the southern bank. The energy and uo 
 
100 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ingenuity of the French were here exhibited in a very remark- 
 able manner. They transported some large boats from the har- 
 bor and fort of Guardia to Campo Saucos, overland. This ope- 
 ration they effected with infinite toil and labor ; dragging these 
 boats, and also some heavy guns, by the help of rollers, over two 
 miles of difficult and hilly ground. A whole division of the 
 army was thus employed for four days. 
 
 Soult attempted the passage of the Minho on the 15th. In 
 the night, 300 soldiers were embarked ; and the boats, manned 
 by French marines, dropped down the Tamuga into the Minho ; 
 but they did not succeed in crossing before the dawn of day. 
 The moment the foremost party had effected a landing, the 
 mUitia and peasantry fell upon them with vigor, and they were 
 immediately destroyed. Those who remained in tlie boats in 
 the rear, seeing the attempt now hopeless, pulled back ; and the 
 French army, from the heights on the Spanish side, where they 
 stood in array, eager to cross, and from which their own cannon 
 were thundering on the southern bank, saw their chosen com- 
 rades defeated and slain, and the bold project of their general 
 baffled. Soult now changed his line of operations, and on the 
 18th marched up to the river towards Ribidavia. His cavalry, 
 keeping the bank of the Minho, was galled by musketry from 
 the opposite side : they twice, however, broke the bands of 
 Spanish peasantry whom they encountered in their front as they 
 advanced, and they burned two villages on their route. 
 
 A body of 800 Gallicians attempted to check the French 
 army, by disputing the passage of the Morenta and the Noguera, 
 two inconsiderable rivers, but at that season impassable. The 
 bridges being barricadoed, the cavalry of the French advanced 
 guard was easily repulsed ; but on the following morning a 
 brigade of infantry, of Heudelet's division, forced the passage, 
 and, driving these Gallicians before them to Ribidavia, found 
 a body of 10,000 peasants posted on a strong hill whicli covered 
 the town. As soon as marshal Soult had got up a division of 
 infantry and a brigade of cavalry, he drove away these Spaniards. 
 The efficiency and the organization of tliis force of the patriots 
 may be judged from the fact, that the bodies of twenty priests 
 were counted among the dead. There had been a brave resist- 
 ance, for the slain were numerous. On the one side, priests and 
 peasants : on the other, a marshal of France and the conquerors 
 of Austerlitz. All these aflairs occurred within a short month 
 afler the embarkation of the British at Corunna. 
 
 The French entered Orense on the 19th, and seized the 
 bridge over the Minbo. Soult made Tuy a place of arms ; left 
 in it his artillery and all heavy encumbrances; appointed a 
 garrison for its defence ; and, taking sixteen light guns and six 
 howitzers, abandoned for the time all communication with Gal- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 101 
 
 licia, and marched against Oporto. The province of Entre 
 Minho e Douro was occupied by a force composed principally 
 of ordenanzasr* and militia, with a few regulars, all of a fierce 
 spirit, but without order, discipline, or confidence in their chiefs. 
 General Freire commanded this lawless body, and had his head- 
 quarters at Braga. In the province of Tras os Montes, general 
 Silveira had charge of a smaller force, composed of the same 
 unmanageable materials, and in the same insubordinate state. 
 Romana, having again about 9000 men collected round him, 
 occupied Oimbra and Monterey. The head-quarters of Silveira 
 were at Chaves. These two generals were in communication 
 with each other, and, agreeing to act in concert, they formed a 
 first line. Their combined forces amounted to about 16,000 
 men, and their line extended from Monterey to near Chaves, a 
 distance of fifteen miles. 
 
 The second line was held by general Freire, who was at 
 Braga with fourteen guns, and 25,000 men. Of these, only 
 6000 were armed with muskets: pikes, spears, goads, and a 
 few old fowlinof-pieces, were tlie weapons of the remainder. 
 Baron Eben, a German in the English ser\'ice, commanding the 
 second battalion of the Lusitanian legion, was associated with 
 Freire in this charge. The third line was an intrenched posi- 
 tion, covering Oporto, and occupied by the mob of that city, by 
 a rude levy of tJie bishop's, and a very few regular troops — if, 
 at that time, any troops in Portugal could be so designated. 
 
 Soult attacked Romana at Monterey, on the 6th of Marcii, 
 with three divisions of infantry and one of drtigoons. The Span- 
 iards abandoned their positions on his approach, spiked the guns 
 of Monterey, and, after a short skirmish, retired on Puebla de 
 Sanabria. They were so closely pressed by Franceschi, that a 
 body of about 3000, finding itself assailed in the rear by the 
 French infantry, and headed by their horsemen, halted on some 
 rough ground, and formed a large weak square. Against each 
 face of this square Franceschi directed a regiment of cavalry : 
 tlieir charge was simultaneous; the dismayed Spaniards were 
 immediately broken, trampled down, and sabred without mercy. 
 They left ujwn the fatal spot 1200 dead. 
 
 Romana, with his main body, was at some distance when this 
 bloody allair took place. He nastily retired, with 6000 men, by 
 Bragiinza and Puebla de Sanabria, and regained the valley of 
 the Syl. Meanwhile Silveira was beaten at Villaza, lost his 
 guns, and retreated to a strong position behind Chaves. Three 
 thousand of his men, disregarding the plans and orders of their 
 chief, threw themselves into this place. On the 13th, after 
 keeping up a noisy and harmless fire for two days, they surren- 
 
 * Feaaantry enrolksd and called out by rcgulotion. 
 12 
 
102 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dered it to the French. Marshal Soult made it a place of arms ; 
 established his hospital in that town ; and then proceeded to 
 Braga, in front of wliich place his people were all collected on 
 the 18th, after a troublesome and disputed marcli througli the 
 long and difficult defiles of Venda Nova, Ruivaens, and Sala- 
 monde. On the 20th, after driving from their strong post the 
 tumultuous and savage mob which had just murdered their poor 
 general Freire, at the instigation of a faction hostile to that 
 leader, he entered Braga. General Franceschi, pursuing the 
 fugitives closely, came up with 3000 Portuguese at Falperra. 
 They fought hard, but were beaten, and the greater part of them 
 were slain on the spot. In the combats of this day the Portu- 
 guese lost all their artillery, and above 4000 men, of which 
 number only 400 were made prisoners. 
 
 After some fierce fighting on the Ave, the French effected 
 the passage of that river, and were concentrated before Oporto 
 on the 27th. 
 
 In the intrenched camp in front of this city were 40,000 men. 
 The hopes of the people were extravagant ; they attributed the 
 defeat of Silveira, and that of the force at Braga, to treachery. 
 There were constant tumults in Oporto, and many worthy but 
 wretched individuals became the victims of a blind suspicion 
 and a jealous fury. 
 
 The mob considered their intrenchments impregnable : their 
 lines were armed witli 200 pieces of cannon, and they maimed 
 the works with all the alacrity of a vain and secure confi- 
 dence. 
 
 Soult made a feint upon the left of these intrenchments on 
 the evening of the 28th. In the night the Portuguese were 
 disturbed by a false alarm ; they fancied that tlie French were 
 advancing to the assault : they rushed to their guns, and opened 
 a tremendous fire, which they kept up with little intermission 
 till near day, when, instead of a field of slain and wounded, and 
 the aspect of discomfiture, they beheld three dark and steady 
 columns of attack. The French stormed these formidable lines, 
 and carried tlie intrenchments, all the redoubts, and the guns, 
 at the point of the bayonet. Two battalions broke through the 
 barriers of the city, poured into the streets, and penetrated to 
 the bridge, driving before them a terrified and helpless crowd 
 of men, women, and children. These unhappy fugitives rushed 
 wildly on the bridge. The nearest boats gave way to the pres- 
 sure, and simk with their wretched burden. The cries of these 
 poor creatures were stifled by the waters ; and the spectacle 
 was so fearful, that the Frenchmen in pursuit paused in the 
 work of death, and exerted themselves to save as many as they 
 could. In other parts of the city the carnage was terrible. 
 Two hundred Portuguese took post in the palace of the bishop. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELXINGTON. 103 
 
 and made an effort to defend it. Tliey were all put to the 
 evvord. I^ong after resistance ceased, the shrieks of women, 
 and the cries with which the murdered die, might be heard in 
 every street It is computed that in the battle and in the city 
 no fewer than 10,000 of the Portuguese were slain The exer- 
 tions of Soult and of his officers, and of the more generous and 
 compassionate of his men, to stop the slaughter, were great; 
 but the soldiery, liarassed by their late toils, and exasperated by 
 the cruel fate of such of tlieir comrades as had fallen into the 
 hands of the peasants, gave no quarter, made no distuictions, 
 but glutted their appetite for vengeance. The wliole of this 
 campaign only cost the French 1000 men ; of these, 500 fell at 
 the assault of Oporto. But while the French marshal had ac- 
 complished the object of Jiis march, by the capture of this city 
 and by the dispersion of all tlie Portuguese forces that had ven- 
 tured to oppose a front to his advance, Silveira witli fresii rein- 
 forcements had gathered about the walls of Chaves, and the 
 small garrison which Soult had left there, together with 1200 
 sick, had surrendered to that active and patriotic leader. 
 
 We must here take a review of the transactions in Portugal 
 from tlie moment of Sir John Moore's advance into Spain. We 
 shall notice with brevity those struggles and reverses of the 
 Spaniards in various places which were simultaneous with the 
 retreat of Sir John Moore, and with the periods immediately 
 subsequent to that event ; after which we shall hasten to the 
 subject of the present memoir, who, within seven days of his 
 landing at Lisbon, was on horseback for the Douro. 
 
 After the convention of Cintra, the regency of Portugal was 
 established. The frontier fortresses were garrisoned by tlie 
 English, and two British regiments were sent to Oporto. This 
 last place was in a very unsettled state. Owing to the bishop's 
 faction, the public mind tliroughout the whole land was more or 
 less disturbed ; nor was there wanting a French faction at Lis- 
 bon to stir the trouble. Nevertheless, the people in general, 
 regarding England as the old and faithful ally of their country, 
 felt no jealousy of British influence; acknowledged the regency; 
 and openly expressed tlieir desire for the guidance of British 
 leaders and the assistance of British troops. 
 
 While the ill-timed court of inquiry detained Sir Arthur 
 Wellesley at home, and wiiile Sir John Moore was on the plains 
 of Leon, Sir John Cradock was charged witli the command in 
 Portugal, and proceeded to that country. On reaching Oporto, 
 he found the faction of the bisliop busy with intrigue, and the 
 people of tliat city ready for any work of violence or blood 
 to which tlie promoters of discord might desire to excite them. 
 Sir John Cradock had touclied at Corunna in passing ; and, 
 having found the Lavinia frigate there witli treasure to the 
 
104 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 amount of 1,500,000 dollars, had brought away 800,000, pro- 
 posing to leave some at Oporto, and to take the remainder to 
 Lisbon, that Moore, whose intention to retreat upon Portugal 
 was then known, might not want money for his troops. 
 
 A body of thirteen hundred men had been organized at 
 Oporto by Sir Robert Wilson, under the title of the Lusitanian 
 Legion. Of this force the regency was jealous, because the 
 formation of it was originally a project of the bishop's faction. 
 Sir John Cradcek left 300,000 dollars at Oporto; directed the 
 two British regiments in that province to march to Almeida ; 
 and, advisinff Sir Robert Wilson to move into Tras os Montes 
 with his legion, in accordance with the desire of the regency 
 to assemble a force in tliat province, he departed for Lisbon. 
 Sir Robert Wilson, however, preferred another course, and 
 marched to Almeida. 
 
 The regular army of Portugal at this period amounted to a 
 force of twenty thousand nominally, but only ten thousand of 
 them had arms. They had no discipline, and no officers ; and 
 the militia and ordenanza were but a violent and unruly rabble. 
 The English troops scattered over the kingdom did not amount 
 to ten thousand men, including the sick. Of thirteen battalions 
 four were in the north, two at Abrantes, one in Elvas, and six 
 at Lisbon. Of the four battalions in the north. Sir John Cradock 
 appointed three to reinforce Sir John Moore ; and two battalions 
 from the south were directed to advance by Castcllo Branco 
 and Ciudad Rodrigo with the same object. He was now to pro- 
 vide for the frontier of Portugal on the line of the Tagus ; and 
 this, at a time when the fourth French corps had just passed 
 tliat river at Almaraz, and menaced Badajos. To effect this 
 object, he had only seven battalions of infantry and three hun- 
 dred horse. At this moment Mr. Frero, the central junta, the 
 junta of Badajos, and the regency of Portugal, were pressing 
 Sir John Cradock to march into the south of Spain. As soon, 
 however, as the communication with Sir John Moore was cut 
 off, as it was towards the end of December, Cradock halted the 
 British, proceeding under general Richard Stewart to reinforce 
 Moore at Castello Branco. He also sent instructions to general 
 Cameron at Almeida to collect the convalescents of Moore's 
 army ; to unite them with the two British battalions there ; and, 
 if possible, to make his way to the army in Spain ; but, if he 
 judged the hazard too great, to retui-n to Lisbon : in either case, 
 to send his stores and sick to Oporto. 
 
 Sir John Cradock, feeling no confidence either in the troops 
 or the government of Portugal, directed general Stewart to de- 
 stroy the bridges of Villa Velha and Abrantes, and to retire 
 upon Sacavem, a position near Lisbon, in which he had resolved 
 to concentrate his troops, and which he proposed to defend as 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, 105 
 
 long as possible. At this period, when a column of infantry 
 and two thousand horse, — ^the advanced guard of the fourth 
 corps of the French army, — and when, in fact, thirty thousand 
 Frenchmen were in full march for Lisbon, the advance of Sir 
 John Moore caused Napoleon to arrest the movement of the 
 fourth corps, and Portugal was relieved from all present fear of 
 invasion. In the north, general Cameron made an effort to join 
 Sir John Moore by the Tras os Montes ; but, hearing of the 
 retreat to CJorunna, he halted on the 9th of January, and would 
 have marched back to Almeida. The troops of the French 
 general Lapisse were, however, already at Zamora. He now 
 retired to Lamego, and wrote to Sir Robert Wilson, whom he 
 had left at Almeida, recommending him to retreat upon the 
 same placa; but Wilson, rejoicing, amid these scenes of con- 
 fusion, in a command that was entirely independent, held his 
 ground upon the frontier, and exhibited such enterprise and ac- 
 tivity in the neighborliood of Ciudad Rodrigo, that he aroused 
 the sinking spirits of all around, and, gathering about him 
 Spanish reinforcements, the peasantrj' of Portugal and the 
 straggling convalescents of the army of Moore, he rendered a 
 service at the moment invaluable. 
 
 The regency of Portugal having promised Sir John Cradock 
 to assemble native troops at Thomar, Abrantes, and Villa Velha, 
 he halted the brigade of Stewart at Santarcm ; a British regi- 
 ment still remained at Elvas. 
 
 We turn now towards Spain. The central junta which had 
 retired hastily to Seville, when the line of the Tagus was 
 menaced, being urged by Mr. Frere to order some movement of 
 the Spanish troops, whereby a diversion might be caused of the 
 French forces pressing upon the army of Moore, directed the 
 duke del Infantado, who commanded a levy of nearly 20,000 
 men at Cuenca, to advance against the enemy. A levy of 5000 
 men, under the marquis del Palacio at Carolina, was to move 
 forwards at the same moment. Infantado advancing by Ocana 
 and Aranjuez, and uniting this division with his own force, was 
 to push for Madrid. The condition of his army was deplorable. 
 A large proportion was without arms, a still larger without 
 clothing: they were without pay, and they had no discipline. 
 The military art was, of a truth, either unknown or forgotten : 
 what little system they had either of organization, interior 
 economy, or field discipline, was out of date ; and, in as fiir as 
 it haih engaged their prejudices, stood greatly in the way of their 
 improvomont. In martial qualities Uie Spanish soldiers were 
 not (leliciont: they were hardy, patient under privation, en- 
 during of fatigue, abstemious, and sober ; and they marched 
 with readiness into battle, and tliat, too, after much and sad ex« 
 perjence of defeat 
 
106 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 The duke del Infantado, projecting a movement on Toledo, 
 quitted Cuenca on the 10th of January, and reached Horcajada 
 on the 12th, with 10,000 men ; Venegas, with the remainder of 
 his army, was at Tarancon. This last officer with general 
 Senra had been detached from Cuenca some time previously, to 
 surprise the French cavalry at Aranjuez and Tarancon : in this 
 object they had totally failed ; Senra had halted at Horcajada 
 without fulfilling his part in the operation ; and Venegas, instead 
 of surprising the enemy, was himself surprised : however, the 
 enemy had retired immediately afterwards, and left him in Ta- 
 rancon. On the 13th, Infantado marched onwards to Carascoza, 
 and was met by the fugitives from the division of Venegas, who 
 told him of their disaster at Ucles. On that morning, Victor, 
 with a division of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, had found 
 Venegas unexpectedly at Ucles, had fallen upon him, and driven 
 him in confusion towards Alcazar; here Ruffin's division had 
 already artived by mistake and not design. The Spaniards 
 were thus intercepted in their retreat, and routed. Some laid 
 down their arms, some dispersed ; only one small body, under 
 general Giron, made good its passage by the road of Carascoza, 
 and rejoined the duke del Infantado. Many of the Spaniards 
 fled wildly across the fields ; and, of two bodies which attempted 
 to preserve a formation, one coming upon the French park of 
 artillery was received with grape, and the other fell in witli 
 Victor, by whom they had been already beaten earlier in the 
 day. Their discomfiture and destruction were completed. The 
 prisoners taken in this confused business were marched to Mad- 
 rid ; and such as fell out from fatigue and exhaustion were shot 
 by the way-side. The old town of Ucles was plundered with 
 the aggravation of many circumstances of galling insult ; and 
 those violent and barbarous tilings were done, of which the 
 baser part of mankind, when excited to havoc, are always 
 guilty ; no doul)t to tlie horror and shame not only of the officers 
 but of the greater part of the French soldiers themselves. 
 
 From La Mancha we pass to Arragon ; there, after the defeat 
 of Tudela, tlie first object of the French was the reduction of 
 Zaragoza. Their preparations were proportioned to the import- 
 ance of that object ; and those of the Zaragozans to defend their 
 city were the utmost that the resolute energy of a people taught 
 by experience, and now assisted by scientific officers, could pos- 
 sibly effect : they were ready to sacrifice property, to pull down 
 their dwellings, to make the convents, forts, and the churches, 
 barracks. The streets were barricadoed and intrenched : every 
 strong building was fortified ; the doors and windows of private 
 houses were built up, and the whole front of them pierced with 
 loop-holes. The people gave themselves and all they possessed 
 to the v.ar. The jwpulation was one vast garrison, and the 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 107 
 
 " city was all fortress." Even the women were regularly en- 
 rolled in companies to serve the sick, and to aid the combatants 
 in those many ways in which the help of woman is not only the 
 sweetest succor but the most powerful encouragement. The 
 bread which they brought had a strengthening nourishment for 
 the heart ; and the cartridges which they distributed carried a 
 charm to make steady the aim of the husband and the father. 
 The countess Burita, a lady most feminine in person, and most 
 heroic in heart, commanded tliese devoted females. 
 
 The inhabitants themselves, all combatants, were supported 
 by a garrison of '30,000 troops. A body of excavators, formerly 
 employed on the canal, were enrolled as sappers and miners 
 there was a strong force of cannoneers ; and thirteen officers of 
 engineers superintended the many and vast works which had 
 been constructed as the regular external defences of the city. 
 
 With only 35,000 men the French advanced to the siege of 
 Zaragoza, while certainly not fewer than 50,000 men, willing 
 to fight and die in its defence, lay reatly within its walls ; but it 
 must be remembered, again, that these 35,000 were the con- 
 querors of all those warlike troops in Germany and the north of 
 Europe, of whose discipline and prowess the page of modem 
 history is full. 
 
 The marshals Moncey and Mortier (and afterwards Lasnes) 
 were intrusted with the reduction of this important place. The 
 French sat down before it on tlie 20th of December, attacked 
 the Monte Torrero the next morning, and penetrated by a sud- 
 den assault into the suburb. The Torrero was carried ; but the 
 attack of the suburb, not being simultaneous with tiiat on tlic 
 fort, signally failed. 
 
 On the 24th of December, Zaragoza was completely invested 
 on both sides of the river. General Lacoste, a chief of the corps 
 de Genie, and aide-de-camp of the emperor, directed tlie siege. 
 In the progress of it, this distinguished officer was slain. The 
 description of it we shall not attempt, because we cannot aflTord 
 space to detail tlie heroic story. It has many times been told ; 
 nor does the relation of it belong ftirtlicr to this memoir, than as 
 it is important to mark throughout the vviiole work what and 
 how great were the efforts of the Spaniards themselves in work- 
 ing out that deliverance for their country, which, but for the 
 genius of Wellington and the prowess of British soldiers, had, 
 perhaps, never been effected at all, or only, after very long and 
 sad sufferings, by a course of sullen and universal but ill-com- 
 bined resistance. The trenches against Zaragoza were opened 
 on the night of the 29th of December, but the French did not 
 obtain possession of its sacred ruins till the 21st of February. 
 liOng after the walls of Zaragoza fell, the city itself resisted. 
 The stem contest was continued from street to street, and from 
 
108 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 house to house. In vault and cellar, on balcony and in chamber, 
 the deadly warfare was waged without any intermission. By 
 the slow and sure process of the mine the assailants worked 
 their terrific path, and daily explosions told loudly of their 
 onward way. Meantime the bombardment was fierce and con- 
 stant, and the fighting incessant. Every house was a post : the 
 crash of falling buildings was continual. Three thousand pounds 
 of powder were placed beneath the University, and with a dire 
 explosion the once peaceful building fell. While the struggle 
 was yet fierce and alive, came pestilence into those vaults and 
 cellars where the aged, and the women and the children, lay 
 sheltered from the storm of shells. They sickened in vast num- 
 bers, and died there where they lay. The survivors left them 
 in their tomb ; or, if charitable hands carried the corpses out to 
 the door of some ruined church, there they lay unburied, in 
 large and fearful companies, and rotted and dissolved. The 
 bones of more than 40,000 persons, of every age and sex, lay 
 all about, above and belov/ the earth, horrible to the hasty tread. 
 Some 12,000 sickly and feeble men survived to lay down those 
 arms which tliey could scarce support. 
 
 The defenders of Zaragoza were of three distinct classes. 
 The enrolled troops ; the peasants of the neighborhood, who 
 had flocked within the walls ; and the citizens. Among the two 
 last parties there was generated a system of terror that punished 
 all cowardice : and, regarding even lukewarmness as treason, 
 punished it, also, with summary execution on a gibbet ; a cir- 
 cumstance that a little shadows over the brightness of the resist- 
 ance. To tlie plebeian leaders, the principal of whom were 
 slain during the siege, the city is chiefly indebted for the glory 
 of her long and wonderful defence. 
 
 Palafox, a name that was once and long a kind of hallowed- 
 spell, was not the man we fondly thought and would fain have 
 found him. To say that he was not sincere as a patriot, and that 
 he did not exhibit spirit as a man, would be greatly to wrong 
 his memory. The warm part which he took, when at first he 
 aroused Arragon to resistance ; the language of those procla- 
 mations, which were read and listened to with a burning eager- 
 ness all over Spain, and all of which Palafox himself penned ; 
 and the presence of this chief in many scenes of blood and 
 peril ; prove that he was sincere as a patriot, and brave as a 
 man : but 
 
 "Worth and fame, to be secure, 
 Must be in death enshrined." 
 
 The foundation of the heroic character was wanting ; there 
 was no moral deptli, no living principle of action. He grew 
 weary of the fearful and never-ending contest. He detested 
 the fierce men of the people, and their system of terror. He 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 109 
 
 fell sick ; and in a city where half the very combatants, daily 
 fighting in the streets, were sick also, for the last month of 
 the siege he never came fortli from a secure and vaulted build- 
 ing. In this recess, while the death-shower of shot and shell 
 was pouring its destruction upon the exposed, and while pale 
 pestilence was walking about the mute and melancholy cham- 
 bers of thousands of his fellow-citizeris, the habits of a former 
 life returned upon him, — and Palafox is reported to have passed 
 the period of his seclusion in sensual indulgence. Let the reader 
 sigh with us over this humiliating fact, and let him lay to his 
 heart the mournful lesson which it offers. Such and so weak a 
 thing is man ! 
 
 Honors were decreed to Zaragoza by the patriotic government 
 of Spain ; and the decree contained an especial promise, that 
 whenever Palafox should be restored to liberty, tlie nation would 
 confer upon him that reward which might seem most worthy of 
 his unconquerable constancy and ardent patriotism. Palafox, 
 however, died in captivity. His name will ever be identified 
 with the heroic defence of Zaragoza : it was long a watchword 
 in all the camps of Spain ; and enough of glory will yet remain 
 upon it to make men turn gladly away from tlie contemjd^iSr, jp _,— 
 of those disappointing features, and those moral iiiiling^jm^nf *^ -^4 
 now lie " nailed in his chest." //V ^ ~ '' < ^ 
 
 CHAP. XU. 
 
 NOTICE OF THE WAR IN CATALONIA. TRANSACTIONS IN rOB^rafLCtUfblfiM 
 
 AND THE SOUTH OP SPAIN. — THE PORTUOUESE ARMY PLACED UNt 
 
 A BRITISH COMMANDER. THE SPANIARDS DEFEATED AT MEDELLIN 
 
 AND AT CIUDAO REAL. 
 
 CATAiiOMA, from the very commencement of the war, resist- 
 ed the invader with vigor, constancy, and success. Many of 
 her towns had been pillaged, many of her villages burned, but 
 where their feet rested, there alone, and oftentimes not even 
 there, the troops of France found tliemselvcs, and but for the 
 moment, masters. Mongat was taken by Duhesme, and Gerona 
 was twice bcsiege<l. Slongat was soon retaken by the co- 
 operation of the British. The assault on the castle of Mongat 
 was concerted with lord Cochrane, and the crew of the Impc- 
 rieuse were engaged in tliat action. The siege of Gerona was 
 twice raised. The second time this was effected in a very bril- 
 liant manner by the count dc Caldagues with about 6000 men, 
 whom the arrival of the marques del Palacio from the Balearic 
 Isles, with a reinforcement of 5000 regular troops, left disposa- 
 ble for that important service. 
 
 Vol. I. K 
 
110 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 At the end of August, 1808, the French having been on all 
 sides defeated, and on some occasions not without disgrace, only 
 held Barcelona, Figueras, and Mont Jouy. From the rugged 
 summits of their native mountains, the courageous and hardy 
 Catalans bade defiance to the legions of Napoleon. By the 
 marques Palacio new levies were organized with great activity, 
 and tlie regular army was strengthened by reinforcements from 
 Majorca, Minorca, and by 4000 troops recently arrived from 
 Portugal. The chief object of Palacio was the recovery of 
 Barcelona; and with this view he collected magazines at va- 
 rious points on the Llobregat, and took up an intrenched posi- 
 tion at San Boy. The French came out of Barcelona, and drove 
 him away, after a severe engagement ; in which they carried 
 the position of San Boy, and captured three guns, together with 
 several magazines of provisions, clothing, and other military 
 stores. The Catalans, however, were not disheartened by this 
 check, and Palacio, taking up a new position on the mountains, 
 effectually guarded all the roads which debouche from the plain 
 of Barcelona, and established a strong blockade. At this criti- 
 cal juncture general Gouvion St. Cyr entered Catalonia at the 
 head of 18,0(X) men. His first object was the town and fort of 
 Rosas, the possession of which was important, and under their 
 circumstances mdispensably necessary, to the secure holding of 
 Barcelona. The siege of this place was a service allotted to 
 general Reille, and his corps was strengthened by the Italian di- 
 vision of Pino. The works of Rosas were bad ; but the spirit 
 of the garrison was excellent; and a small British squadron, 
 lying then in the bay, some marines, and fifty seamen, were 
 thrown into the citadel and Fort Trinidad to assist in the 
 defence. Reille, contrary to his expectation, found himself 
 compelled to lay regular siege to a place which he had designed 
 to carry by a sudden assault. On the 16th an attack was made 
 on Fort Trinidad ; it failed. The town was attacked on the 
 night of the 27th. It was defended by 500 men ; tliey fought 
 stoutly, but were at last overpowered ; only fifty of them es- 
 caped, and these entered the citadel. A battery was opened on 
 the citadel ; and Fort Trinidad had already been breached, when 
 lord Cochrane arrived in the Imperieuse, and with eighty sea- 
 men and marines threw himself into the fort. On the 13th, the 
 French stormed the breach of Fort Trinidad, and were repulsed; 
 but on the 5th of December, the citadel having a wide breach, 
 and being no longer tenable, consented to surrender ; and 2000 
 men laid down their arms, and were made prisoners of war. 
 Lord Cochrane, seeing all further resistance to be vain, blew up 
 the magazine of Fort Trinidad, withdrew his people, and put 
 to sea. 
 
 While the French were before Rosas, general Vives, by 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. Ill 
 
 whom Palacio had been superseded, was foolishly occupied in 
 making preparations for the siege of Barcelona. The very day 
 after the capitulation of Roeas, St Cyr was in full march for 
 the relief of that city. He was at the head of 15,000 foot, 
 and 1500 horse. The army of Catalonia under Vives amounted 
 to 30,000 men. The French general, after a bold and difficult 
 march, conducted with consummate skill and resolution, was 
 met near Llinas by Vives, who with 10,000 men had come out 
 to oppose him, and took up a strong position in his front. 
 
 St Cyr, who had been forced to send back his artillery to 
 Figueras, resolved instantly to attack the Spaniard, although 
 twelve guns were distributed along his line. He did so ; direct- 
 ing his attacks to be made in columns without any deployments. 
 The only brigade which disobeyed this order was beaten back 
 by tlie division of Reding ; but a fresh disposition being made, 
 and a reserve column brought up, the battle was restored. In 
 a few minutes the Spanish line was broken ; and all its guns, 
 together with 2000 prisoners, were in the power of St. Cyr : 
 only one column of the Spanish army quitted the field in good 
 order ; this Reding led across the Llobregat to Molino del Rey. 
 Vives escaped over the mountains on foot ; and embarking at 
 Mataro, hastened to Tarragona. During the absence of Vives, 
 Duhesme sallied from Barcelona against the besieging force 
 under Caldagues. He was bravely met and repulsed ; but Cal- 
 dagues, when he heard of the defeat at Llinas, abandoned the 
 magazines and withdrew behind the Llobregat. On the 17th 
 St Cyr entered Barcelona. On the morning of the 2l6t he 
 succeeded in bringing the Spanish army behind the Llobregat 
 to action, and gave it a complete discomfiture, taking all their 
 artillery and about 1200 prisoners : the rest fled across a coun- 
 try most favorable for fugitives, and about 15,000 were after- 
 wards collected at Tarragona. St Cyr pushed his cavalry to 
 the very walls. In this place Vives was deprived of a command, 
 with which, from his total incapacity, he should never have 
 been intrusted. lie was, moreover, thrown into prison, and 
 saved with difficulty from the bloody vengeance of the people. 
 Reding was by the public voice immediately appointed to suc- 
 ceed him ; a measure which soon restored confidence tliroughout 
 the whole province. 
 
 The system for a time pursued by Reding was admirable. 
 He employed all the irregular force of the province in a desul- 
 tory warfare with the Frencli posts and detachments, and con- 
 fined his |)ersonal attention to improving the discipline of his 
 organized battalions. The character of Reding stixxl high in 
 Catalonia : he was beloved by the soldiery, and respected by 
 the authorities. The Catalans, however, soon exhibited the 
 same vain character which had, in otiier provinces, caused the 
 
112 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Spaniards to overrate their own strength, and, feeling impatient 
 of the presence of their invaders, they clamored to be led to 
 battle. The brave and faithful Reding was assailed by anony- 
 mous ^vritulgs, accusing him of cowardice, incapacity, and trea- 
 son : he had not fortitude enough to resist the popular cry. The 
 army under Reding, which contained a few Swiss battalions, 
 and many regular Spanish regiments, was already considerable ; 
 and by a new levy, which demanded the services of every fifth 
 man in the province, it was augmented to a body of 28,000 
 men. Abandoning the prudent course he had hitherto pursued, 
 he now projected offensive operations against St. Cyr. The 
 Spanish troops occupied posts upon a line of sixty miles, which 
 traversed a rugged country, and formed a lialf circle round the 
 French army. The Catala,ns were put in motion upon the 14th 
 of February ; but on the 16th St. Cyr marched upon them ; 
 pierced their centre; separated their wings; threw back the 
 right of Castro's force upon Capellades ; and on the follov/ing 
 day drove it in confusion through Igualada, thus defeating a part 
 of the left wing, and possessing himself of all their principal 
 magazines, which had been collected at that place. St. Cyr 
 now posted generals Chabot and Chabran at Igualada, to keep 
 the beaten troops of Castro in check, and marched upon the 
 18th against Reding, whose extreme left was at St. Magi. He 
 forced the position of St. Magi the same afternoon, and the fol- 
 lowing day marched to the abbey of Santa Creus. No sooner 
 did Reding hear of the disaster of his left wing under Castro, 
 than taking a Swiss battalion, 300 horse, and six pieces of light 
 artillery, he set out and liastened by the Pass of Cabra to join 
 and rally the scattered force, and to conduct it to Tarragona ; 
 thus their roads lying on different sides of Santa Creus, Reding 
 and St. Cyr passed each other, each unconscious of the other's 
 \'icinity, pursuing his own movement. Reding was joined by 
 the troops which were retreating from the Col de Christina, and 
 by a body of 1200 men who had bravely defended themselves 
 at the abbey of Santa Creus. He proceeded to St. Colonna de 
 Queralt, effected a junction with Castro, and was immediately 
 at the head of a respectable body of 10,000 men. Here he re- 
 ceived intelligence that Vals was occupied by the enemy, and 
 the line of his retreat menaced. He held a council of war, 
 and determined to retire by the Col de Riba, upon Tarragona. 
 In passmg near Vals, the army of Reding was attacked by the 
 division of Souliam. That general allowed the advanced guard 
 of the Spaniards, and the half of their main body, to pass 
 quietly before he made his assault ; but he was bafHed by the 
 ability and tlie courage of Reding, and beaten off with consid- 
 erable loss. Tlie French, however, followed them on the line 
 of their retreat to Tarragona ; and, being strongly reinforced, 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. I Iff 
 
 they overtook the Spaniards, and compelled them to engage. 
 The Spanish position was carried ; but tlie troops retired with 
 steadiness for some distance. At lengtli, being seized with a 
 sudden fear, tliey broke and fled in confusion, leaving artillery 
 and baggage to the victors. They all made for Tarragona ; and 
 the greater part, under cover of the darkness, gained that city 
 in safety. Tlie noble-hearted Reding received several wounds 
 in tliis action. He arrived at Tarragona on tlie night of tlie 
 battle, and from thence he wrote his dispatches. He never 
 mentioned his own wounds, but of those wounds he died. Reding 
 was not an able general, but he was courageous and faithful, 
 and a man of distinguished humanity ; but he had lost a battle ; 
 and while he lay disabled by his wounds in Tarragona, it is 
 recorded that tlie populace, who always attributed a defeat to 
 the treachery of the general, would in their fury have extin- 
 guished with rude liands the flame of that bright life which was 
 even then expiring. At the death of Reding, general Blake was 
 appointed to the command of his anny, and nominated captain- 
 general of the " Coronilla ;" an expressive title, whereby the 
 2iree beautiful provinces of Valencia, Arragon, and Catalonia, 
 when united, are often designated. 
 
 At this time Junot, who commanded the French in Arragon, 
 falling sick, returned to France, and was succeeded by Sucliet. 
 Before the retirement of Junot, Blake obtained an important 
 success over his troops. A French detachment of 1()00 men 
 was cut off between Monzon and the river Cinca, and surren- 
 dered to the Spaniards under Perena and Baget. Soon after 
 this, Blake advanced ; and driving back the French posts upon 
 his line of march, possessed himself of Alcanitz. 
 
 Suchet, however, liad now taken command of the French. 
 He found them discontentetl and disorderly; long harassing, 
 perpetual exposure, the consciousness of the curse upon their 
 cause, and tlie hourly experience that they were objects of 
 hatred to an afflicted and vindictive people, had destroyed tlieir 
 spirit 
 
 Suchet collected 8000 infantry and 700 horse, and marched 
 them against Blake, whom he found in position at Alcanitz with 
 about 12,(MK) men. Suchet's dispositions for attack were most 
 able ; but his troops were beaten by the Spaniards, and fairly 
 fled down into the plain. Here the marshal rallied them, and 
 at night-fall he led them off* quietly: but the quaim of fear visit- 
 ed French hearts upon this occasion ; for, tliough not pursued, 
 the rear column was seized with a jmnic, and became a mob of 
 frightened fugitives, ' 
 
 This action reflected rare honor upon Blake and the troops 
 which iie«commanded ; and it was a subject of universal rejoic- 
 ing tliroughout Spain. The army of Blake was daily strengtli- 
 K2 
 
114 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 ened by fresh recruits and volunteers ; and turning his whole 
 attention towards Arragon, he resolved, if possible, to retake 
 Zaragoza. 
 
 We return to the transactions in Portugal and the south. In 
 December, 1808, the English ministers directed Mr. Frere to 
 negotiate with the supreme junta for the admission of a British 
 garrison into Cadiz ; and 4000 men were embarked at Ports- 
 mouth, under Sir John Sherbrooke, for that object. At the same 
 time they sent Sir George Smith to Cadiz, with a direct a,ppli- 
 cation to the governor, to the same pui-pose ; giving Sir George 
 no instructions to communicate with Mr. Frere. Sir George 
 found Cadiz helpless; and having satisfied hnnself that the 
 inhabitants would receive an English garrison, he WTOte to Sir 
 John Cradock for troops. Sir John sent the 40th regiment, by 
 the route of Seville, from Elvas, and dispatched 3000 men by 
 sea, under general Mackenzie. Tliat officer reached Cadiz on 
 the 5th of February. His arrival, with an object different from 
 that express one for which Mr. Frere was negotiating, did either 
 really alarm the supreme junta, or was used by tliem as a con- 
 venient pretext for jealousy and objection. After much cor- 
 respondence and discussion, and many idle propositions for the 
 employment of this force, which they would not suffer to gar- 
 rison Cadiz, general Mackenzie was recalled to Lisbon by Sir 
 John Cradock, and returned thither on the 12th of March. 
 
 A French army was again at Merida, threatening Lisbon by 
 the line of the Tagus. Elvas and Almeida were no longer gar- 
 risoned by the British, and general Cameron had returned from 
 the north of Portugal to Lisbon. Sir Robert Wilson, having 
 sent his guns to Abrantes, lest tliey should encumber him, still 
 maintained himself in the neighborhood of Ciudad Rodrigo, and, 
 in conjunction with a Spanish detachment under Don Carlos 
 d'Espana, he kept alive the war on that frontier, by marches 
 and skirmishes, which engaged fully the attention of the French 
 advanced posts. Sir John Cradock, however, fearing that he 
 should soon be pressed upon by the overwhelming forces of the 
 enemy, which he judged to be now disposable, and fancying that 
 it was the intention of the government at home to abandon 
 Portugal, began to make such preparations for embarking with 
 safety, when the moment of necessity should arrive, as very 
 greatly, and not unnaturally, exasperated the population of 
 Lisbon. The English became, for a time, suspected and insult- 
 ed. From the Minho to the Tagus there was but one burning 
 desire, — that was, to resist the invasion of the French. Nor, 
 while they were daily murdering such of their own countrymen 
 as they suspected either of belonging to the French party cr 
 being lukewarm in that of the nation, is it a matter of any sur- 
 prise that they should have outraged an ally, whom they re- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 115 
 
 garded as forsaking them in the hour of their need. Ac- 
 cordingly, English officers were insulted in those very streets 
 in which they had been so often followed witli the shouts of 
 admiration. 
 
 While matters were in this turbulent state in Portugal, the 
 British cabinet, happily not subdued by tlie late disasters in the 
 Peninsula, resolved to reinforce the army ; and tlie Portuguese 
 •goveniment was induced to offer the command of its native 
 forces to an English general with full powers to organize and 
 discipline all tlieir regiments anew. With this offer tlie cabinet 
 of England wisely closed, subsidized and armed all their regular 
 forces, and the military strength and power of Portugal became 
 for a season their own, — a weapon of fine temper, that general 
 Beresford was allowed to polish, and that Sir Arthur Wellesley 
 soon wielded with equal address and courage. 
 
 Tlie Portuguese government had expressed a wish that Sir 
 Arthur Wellesley himself should be the commander of their 
 forces. The English cabinet offered him that post, which he, 
 of course, declined. Many officers of rank and talent sought the 
 appointment : it was bestowed upon major-general Beresford, 
 a man of great interest, and possessing some few qualifications 
 that eminently fitted him for the stubborn labors of military 
 reform. 
 
 General (from henceforth marshal) Beresford landed at Lis- 
 bon early in March ; received his commission, and commenced 
 that salutary reform in the Portuguese regiments by which he 
 did most certainly organize for the field a steady, efficient, brave 
 army. He had to encounter many prejudices and great diffi- 
 culties, not so much with the men as with the officers and the 
 government ; but he was of a stern character, and not without 
 a great deal of good judgment in all matters of discipline and 
 command, so that he finally and fully triumpiicd over all obsta- 
 cles. Moreover, from the very hour tliat Sir Arthur Wellesley 
 took the chief command in Portugal, he had tlie firm and wise 
 support of a mind that deeply appreciated the importance of his 
 labors. 
 
 English officers were introduced into the Portuguese regi- 
 ments as instructors ; and afler a time almost all the corps were 
 really, though not avowedly, under Briti.sh commanders ; a mea- 
 sure of necessity to the well-being of the army, and heartily 
 consented to by many native Portuguese colonels, who were 
 glad to hold the nominal honor of command, while they suffered 
 their English major to conduct all the details of regimental 
 economy and field exercise, without venturing, or even desiring, 
 to interfere. The privates became greatly attached to tlieir 
 English officers, because they found them considerate, patient, 
 and firm ; full of integrity, in all matters concerning tlie pecu- 
 
116 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 niary interests of the soldier ; full of care, in all tliat concerned 
 his comfort ; full of intelligence, in all that concerned his in- 
 struction ; full of zeal for his honor ; and always setting a brave 
 example in the field. We speak rather in anticipation, for as 
 yet marshal Beresford, who had fixed his head-quarters at Tho- 
 mar, was only laying the foundation of that solid and imposing 
 structure which he at last succeeded in raising. 
 
 The return of general Mackenzie's brigade from Cadiz, and 
 the arrival of general Sherbrooke's division, increased the army 
 of Cradock to 14,000 men. The kingdom of Portugal was at 
 this hour menaced by 50,000 French. Victor, with 25,000 men, 
 having defeated Cuesta at Medellin, threatened the Alemtejo. 
 Lapisse, with 9000 men, lay at Salamanca and Ledesma, his 
 movable columns continually hovering about Ciudad Rodrigo ; 
 and Soult was at the same moment upon the banks of the Minho. 
 These three corps were designed and directed by the emperor 
 to combine their movements with a view to occupy Oporto and 
 Lisbon. PVightened by the advance of Soult, the junta of 
 Oporto sent to Lisbon, and were clamorous for aid. The re- 
 gency wished Sir John Cradock to move to the succor of Oporto; 
 but that officer, feeling the greater importance which attached 
 to the defence of the capital, refused to march, and determined 
 to cover Lisbon and the Tagus. Thus Oporto, being left to its 
 fate, both by Sir John Cradock and Sir Robert Wilson, fell, as 
 has already been described. 
 
 While Soult was employed in most ably and boldly perform- 
 ing his part in the combined attack of Portugal, marshal Victor, 
 with 25,000 men, lay ready in the valley of the Tagus, to ope- 
 rate upon the Spanish army of Cuesta, posted on the southern 
 bank of that river. He commenced his movements on tlie 15th 
 of March, on which day he sent a division of infantry and a 
 brigade of cavalry across the Tagus at Talavera. On the 16th 
 he crossed himself with the main body of his army at the bridge 
 of Arzobispo; and he sent his artillery, with a battalion of gren- 
 adiers, an escort of horse, and a raft bridge, to Almaraz. At this 
 point they were to pass the river, when the columns of the army, 
 already on the other side, should have advanced and possessed 
 themselves of the heights opposite. General Henestrosa was 
 posted on the Spanish left, with 8000 men, to defend the bridge 
 of Almaraz. The Spanish right was posted behind a mountain- 
 torrent called the Ibor. They had a strong camp at Meza d'lbor 
 on a mountain. It was attacked by the division of general La- 
 val, and, after a very hot but short contest, the Spaniards fled to 
 Campillo, having lost 800 killed and wounded, 1000 prisoners, 
 and seven guns. That the Spaniards did, for a time, show a 
 good countenance, is proved by the French loss : they had 570 
 killed and wounded. A smaller body of Spanisli troops were 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 117 
 
 beaten from Frenedoso by the division of Villatte, with the loss 
 of 300 prisoners. On the 18th, Henestrosa retired iiastiiy be- 
 fore Laval ; the same night the raft bridge was thrown across 
 the Tagus ; and on the morrow the dragoons and artillery passed 
 the river, and the entire force marched towards Merida. There 
 was an affair of cavalry at Miajarlas, in which the light cavalry 
 of the French under Bordesoult were drawn into an ambush 
 by the Spaniards ; and, being set upon by very superior num- 
 bers of Spanish horse, extricated themselves with difficulty, and 
 with the loss of 170 killed and wounded. Cuesta retired to 
 Medellin. Victor halted in Truxillo, having his advance at 
 Miajadas ; but, on the 27th, he was again in motion, and march- 
 ad upon the enemy, lie heard, the same evening, that Cuesta 
 had been joined by Albuquerque, and lay ready for battle on the 
 table land of Don Benito beyond Medellin, and he resolved to 
 attack them. He had 14,000 infantry, 2500 cavalry, and forty- 
 two gims. The Spanish army mustered 25,000 foo^ 4000 horse, 
 and twenty pieces of artillery. 
 
 The French, proud of past successes, and in all the confi- 
 dence of victory, filed over the long and narrow bridge on the 
 Guadiana, by which the old city of Medellin is approached ; 
 and the light horse of Jjasalle, and the dragoons of liitour-Mau- 
 bourg, debouched upon the wide plain beyond ; the light cavalry 
 moved forwards upon the left, the dragoons upon the right, and 
 *he piquets of Spanish horse retired slowly before them to the 
 high ground above : the Spanish infantry was not seen. The 
 divisions of German and French infantry were scarcely formed 
 in the plain, before the Spanisli line advanced over the swelling 
 ground which had concealed it, and descended for the battle. 
 Victor placed his army so as to describe the arc of a circla 
 His left was on the Guadiana, his right leaned upon a difficult 
 ravine, planted witli trees and vineyards; tlie German infantry 
 was stationed in the centre ; the divisions of Villatte and Ruffin 
 were in reserve ; the Spaniards, in a long weak line, came 
 rapidly and resolutely down ; the mass of the Spanish cavalry, 
 under the duke del Parque, was on their loft ; and the duke of 
 Albuquerque, witli a few squadrons, flanked the Spanish right; 
 the whole moving in a sort of crescent, that enveloped the 
 French left. La.salle was compelled to give way under the 
 pressure, and continually refusing his own left, brought his op- 
 ponents close up to the main body of the French infantry, near 
 Medellin. Upon the French right, the Spanish foot boldly ad- 
 vanced : they were oliarged by two regiments of Latour-Mau- 
 bourg's dragoons, but they repulsed them with loss ; the Ger- 
 man infiintry wit!» crrcat difficulty sustained the furious onset of 
 some Spanish battalicjns. But the success of the Spaniards was 
 of no long continuance ; tlic French, though sliaken, wore soon 
 
118 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 rallied, and though they had lost a battery of guns, they soon 
 brought up more. Marshal Victor reinforced L^tour-Maubourg 
 with fresh guns, and two columns of infantry ; and thus 
 strengthened, that general beat down the Spanish foot with 
 quick discharges of grape, and, rushing upon their disordered 
 ranks at the charge, overthrew them, recovered all his ground, 
 and, still advancing, crowned that part of the heights from 
 which the Spanish left had at first descended. In an eager dis- 
 jointed manner, the Spanish right was still pushing forwards, 
 and the Frencli were compelled to fall back into their ranks, 
 before fierce and daring skirmishers. With loud and haughty 
 sliouts, these Spaniards threatened their enemies, saying, that 
 the plain of Medellin should be the bloody bed of the French 
 army. Even as they tlms spoke, their own graves were making 
 ready. Lasalle's cavalry took ground to its left, and held the 
 important space between the French infantry and the river ; 
 Latour-Maubourg, already victorious on the right, poured down 
 upon the Spanish rear ; the French infantry advanced in front 
 with a murderous fire, and the light cavalry of Lasalle charged 
 the best lancers of Albuquerque, who fled in a sudden and wild 
 panic. Whence come these qualms of fear, that change in a 
 □rief moment the character of a combatant, and the face of a 
 battle"! Cuesta, a brave old officer, galloped to rally them, but 
 in vain — the day v/as lost. Right and left the Spanish cavalry 
 were flying from the field ; Cuesta himself was thrown from his 
 liorse, and well-nigh taken, but rescued by his two nephews 
 and his staff. General Frias, who commanded the SpanisJi in- 
 fantry of the centre, was severely wounded, and fell into the 
 hands of the enemy. At this moment, while the Spanish regi- 
 ments on the right might yet have been withdrawn in columns, 
 and preserved, Eguia would not give the necessary orders him- 
 self, nor suffer Abuquerque to do so. The Spanish troops, per- 
 plexed, broken and dismayed, fell beneatli the swords of the 
 French horsemen in such numbers, that the savage work of 
 slaughter is spoken of as a severe labor, that quite exhausted 
 the victors. The infantry of the French, following hard after 
 their cavalry in the pursuit, gave good help in this slaughter 
 with their bayonets; and a French officer, who was present, 
 has observed, that " the vengeance of the soldiers fell chiefly 
 upon such of the Spaniards as were without a military uniform." 
 Here again, as in all other of the Spanish battles, the patriot 
 peasants lay down in their dress of toil, after new and unaccus- 
 tomed labors, to take a rest more deep than the sweet siesta. 
 More than half of the Spanish forces lay stretched upon the 
 field, and several thousands were made prisoners. 
 
 In La Manclia the army of La Carolina was defeated at Ciu- 
 dad Real, with the loss of its guns, 1000 or more slain, and 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 119 
 
 8000 taken prisoners. The Spaniards were commanded by 
 Cartoajal, and amounted in number to 12,000 : 10,000 French 
 troops under Sebastiani attacked them. There is nothing to be 
 observed upon this: the Spaniards were, of course, beaten. 
 They fled by Almagro, and never halted till they felt their feet 
 firm upon the mountains of the Sierra Morena, to the foot of 
 which barrier the French cavalry closely pursued them ; but 
 amid these hilly fastnesses the fugitives rallied, and, collecting 
 again in considerable numbers round the villages of that district, 
 resolved upon other trials of their arms. The combat of Ciudad 
 Real was fought on the 27th of March ; and the horsemen of 
 Sebastiani's corps are said to have handled their sabres with 
 little of mercy. 
 
 CHAP. xin. 
 
 SIR ARTHUR WELLB3LEY MARCHES AGAINST BOULT PASSES THE 
 
 DOURO. — RETAKES OPORTO. DELIVERS THE NORTHERN PROVINCES 
 
 OF PORTUGAL FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE FRENCH. 
 
 Upon this scene of doubt, difficulty, and distraction, Sir Ar- 
 thur Wellesley appeared, resolved for action and confident of 
 success. He instantly decided upon offensive movements, and, 
 after satisfying himself that no concert or communication could 
 possibly exist at that moment between the armies of Victor and 
 Soult, determined to fall upon the latter general, and dislodge 
 him from Oporto. A few marches would carry the British to 
 the scene of action; and as soon as the north of Portugal 
 should be delivered from the presence of the enemy, he medi- 
 tated a prompt return to the Tagus, and an attack upon the 
 corps of Victor. In the mean time it was necessary to provide 
 for the calmness of Lisbon, though there was little to apprehend 
 as to its real security ; for Victor was eighteen marches from 
 that capital. As a mca.sure of precaution, however, and with a 
 view to impede and delay Victor, should he attempt a rapid rush 
 upon Lisbon, two British battalions, two regiments of British 
 cavalry, and 8000 Portuguese troops wore disposed along the 
 ri^it bank of the Tagus ; the flying bridges at Abrantes and 
 Villa Velha were taken up, and a militia regiment and part of 
 the Lusitanian legion were posted at Alcantara, under the or- 
 ders of colonel Majme, with instructions to blow up that noble 
 bridge, should the advance of the enemy compel him to retreat. 
 The whole of these troops were under tlic command of general 
 Mackenzie. Having made this disposition on the line of the 
 Tagui?, he communicate<l to Ciiosta his own plan of operations, 
 and urged upon that leader the prudence of his remaining 
 
120 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 strictly on the defensive until he could bring back the British to 
 his support, and, by a combined attack upon tiie corps of Victor, 
 insure success. 
 
 The liead-quarters of the British army now quitted Lisbon ; 
 halted at Porabal on the 1st of May, and reached Coimbra or 
 the 2d. Here, again, shouts of welcome, crowds of gazers, illu- 
 minations and bonfires greeted the advancing army ; and. Sir 
 Arthur Wellesley, in particular, was received with passionate 
 enthusiasm. Popularity like this is, to the ear of a leader, ar 
 the music of a coming triumph ; nor is any heart so calm anc 
 governed as to remain untroubled by those throbs which are the 
 presages of victory. The allied army was concentrated at 
 Coimbra on the 5th of May. It was distributed into seven 
 brigades of infantry of the line, two brigades of German infan- 
 try, one brigade of guards, and one of light cavalry. In the 
 organization of this force, four of the best Portuguese battalions 
 were incorporated with British brigades. Marshal Beresford 
 retained under his personal command a body of six thousand 
 Portuguese. The force of Trant was on the Vouga, that of 
 Silveira on the Tamega, and Sir Robert Wilson was posted with 
 some Portuguese troops (not his legion) at Vizeu. 
 
 The position of Soult at Oporto was difficult and critical ; he 
 commanded the ground on which his troops reposed ; but in his 
 front, on his rear, on all sides were enemies, and, strange to say, 
 in his very camp there were conspirators and traitors, and those 
 of no mean rank, and of an influence to create no small alarta 
 for the safety and subordination of his army. These conspira- 
 tors were republicans : their project was to make a truce with 
 the English army, to elect a chief, and, leading their discon- 
 tented soldiers back into France, to curb or overthrow tlie 
 emperor, and change the French government. D'Argenton, an 
 adjutant-major, was one of the principal of these discontented 
 men, and he contrived two visits to the British head-quarters. 
 He had an interview with Sir Arthur Wellesley at Lisbon, and 
 again at Coimbra ; but Sir Arthur, suspecting both the extent 
 and importance of tlie conspiracy to be greatly exaggerated, and, 
 m.oreover, disliking the intrigue, and, with the exception of the 
 unfortunate d'Argenton, despising the malcontents, refused all 
 favor to their project, and regulated his operations without any 
 reference to their proceedings. 
 
 The plan of his movements was already completed, when 
 intelligence was brought that the bridge of Amarante had been 
 forced, and that Silveira was driven over the Couro. The posi- 
 tion of Amarante was most important ; for while held by Sil- 
 veira, the most favorable road for the retreat of the French was 
 closed against them. Soult directed Laborde and Loison to gain 
 it at any price. This post, though daily assaulted, was main- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 121 
 
 tained from the 18th of April to the 30th with bravery and 
 firmness. Colonel Patrick, a valiant and zealous officer, serving 
 with the Portuguese troops, was killed in this gallant defence ; 
 but Soult, bringing forward a strong reinforcement in person, 
 carried it upon tlie 2d of May, and Silveira was compelled to 
 retire. 
 
 This news reached Coimbra on the 4th of May ; the measures 
 of Sir Arthur Wellesley were of necessity changed, but he was 
 not slow to adapt them to circumstances as they arose. Upon 
 the 6th of May, he directed marshal Beresford to march with 
 6000 Portuguese, two British battalions, five companies of 
 riflemen, and a squadron of heavy cavalry, by Vizeu upon 
 Lamego. 
 
 Upon the 7th the advanced guard of the main army was in 
 motion upon the Oporto road : it was followed by tlie whole 
 force, which amounted to about 14,500 infantry, 1500 cavalry, 
 and twenty-four guns, of which six were J^-pounders. The 
 troops were organized in four divisions: one of cavalry, and 
 three of infantry ; they marched in two columns, — one of which, 
 consisting of a division of foot under general Hill, moved upon 
 Aveiro ; while the stronger column advanced directly upon the 
 Vouga. 
 
 These corps halted on the 8th to give marshal Beresford time 
 to gam his point upon the Upper Douro, before the combined 
 attack should be made. Upon the night of the 9th, the main 
 force, with Sir Arthur Wellesley, was upon the line of the 
 Vouga. 
 
 Upon the same evening general Hill embarked at Aveiro 
 upon the lake of Ovar, with one brigade of his division ; and as 
 soon as the astonished fishermen recovered from their surprise, 
 and understood the object for which their boats had been seized, 
 they manned them with such readiness, and worked so heartily, 
 that the troops were landed at Ovar by sunrise, and the right 
 flank of the enemy was already turned. 
 
 That same day, marshal Beresford having united tlie corps of 
 Wilson with his own, drove Loison to Amarante, and turned 
 the French left- 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley in person meditated the surprise of gen- 
 eral Franceschi on the morning of the 10th at Albcrgaria Novbl. 
 The plan was perfect ; but, by petty delays, trifling accidents, and 
 difficulties of ground, the combination was frustrated, and the 
 opportunity lost. Our cavalry came upon JVanceschi in broad 
 daylight, and found him steady in position; his horsemen in a 
 ready line, with their flank resting on a wood full of tirailleurs. 
 As soon as Sir Arthur came up with general Pagct's division 
 of infantry, he disUxlged the French infantry from the wood ; 
 but Franceschi, though briskly pursued, made good his retreat 
 
 Vol. I. L 
 
122 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 to Oliveira without any serious loss; and marching all night 
 joined Mermet the next morning at Grijon. Here the French 
 were drawn up in position, on a range of steep hills across the 
 road : they occupied a wood on their right flank, their left was 
 not protected ; the ground in their front was sufficiently strong. 
 The 16th Portuguese regiment drove their infantry out of the 
 wood on their right ; the German infantry marched upon the 
 left, and turned it without a check. The head of the British 
 column was already engaged with them in front ; but, as soon 
 as their position was fairly turned, they drew off" to the rear, 
 and being closely pursued by two squadrons of cavalry under 
 brigadier-general Stewart, they lost a few killed, and had about 
 a hundred taken prisoners. They halted again for a short space 
 upon the heights of Carvalho, but, as soon as the British infantry 
 came up, they continued their retreat. This flying combat 
 ceased at dusk. The British columns passed the night in re- 
 pose ; the French, under cover of the darkness, crossed the 
 Douro, and destroyed the bridge. 
 
 Marshal Soult made his arrangements for evacuating Oporto, 
 under an impression that general Loison still maintained him- 
 self on the Tamega ; and that, if any effort was made by the 
 British to cross the Douro, vessels would come round by sea, 
 and the passage be attempted below the city. All tlie boats on 
 the river were moored upon the northern bank, which was vigi- 
 lantly patrolled. The artillery and baggage moved off leisurely 
 on the road to Amarante ; and Soult, feeling liis retreat secure, 
 determined on halting in the city another day, that all things 
 might be conducted with good order and regularity. Easy about 
 all above the city, he took up his own station in a house which 
 commanded a fine view down the river, and fixed his personal 
 attention upon that quarter, not a little interested, in all proba- 
 bility, to see what the maritime English would do. From the 
 convent of Sarea the hero of Assaye was looking down upon 
 tliat large volume of waters which the Douro rolls swiftly to 
 the sea in a bed of three hundred yards wide, even at Oporto 
 itself, where the stream is confined between high and rocky 
 shores. By eight o'clock in the morning, the British columns 
 were assembled at Villa Nova, in the rear of the convent of 
 Sarea, and concealed from the enemy by the height on which 
 it stands. With hearts and arms all ready for the fray, they lay 
 thoughtless on the groimd, little dreaming of any trouble, while 
 their great captain, with that moral courage which is his pre- 
 eminent distinction, was deciding upon one of those actions 
 which great men alone attempt. " Let a boat be found," was 
 his anxious demand to the officers of his staff! Colonel Waters 
 was the active and enterprising man, whose fortune it was to 
 find a little skiff" which had crossed from the city in the night. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 133 
 
 It lay among the bushes just at a spot where there is a bend in 
 the course of the river, concealed at that point by wood, at the 
 distance of about a mile and a half from the city. Standing 
 near the skiff was the prior of a convent, and three or four 
 peasants. Colonel Waters leaped into the little boat, and per- 
 suaded these peasants to accompany him: they evaded the 
 French patrols, and returned from the opposite bank with three 
 or four barges. In the mean time guns were brought up to the 
 convent of Sarea, and planted in battery: and major-general 
 Murray was directed, with his column, to march to Ifarca de 
 Avintas, three miles higher up the river, and, availing himself 
 of any transport which he could find there, to effect a passage. 
 
 It was about ten o'clock in the day when the report was made 
 to Sir Arthur that one boat was brought to the point of passage 
 which he had selected. " Well, let the men cross," was his 
 brief order ; and an officer and twenty-five soldiers of the Bufis 
 passed over to a large unoccupied building called the Seminary, 
 just opposite Sarea, and, without even a stir of alarm, took quiet 
 possession. They were speedily followed by two other boats ; 
 m one of which was general Paget, an intrepid ofiicer, whose 
 youthful heroism in Egypt had already won him a name, and 
 who now threw himself, with only three companies of foot, upon 
 the line of a French army. 
 
 These last had scarce leaped upon the bank and gained the 
 Seminary, before the drums and trumpets of the enemy were 
 sounding alarms ; troops hurried out o( the city in masses 
 hastily assembled, and advanced with eager fury to destroy the 
 small but resolute band, which, from the Seminary walls, was 
 to brave their fierce assault Their attack was violent, and 
 their fire heavy ; but the little party maintained itself stoutly, 
 and was, at every return of the boats, now receiving a small 
 accession of strength and confidence. As he stood upon the 
 roof of the Seminary, general Paget was struck down by a 
 severe wound very early in the engagement ; but general Hill, 
 a man of the same firm courage and the same devoted zeal, was 
 at hand, and immediately took his place. The enemy's numbers 
 were very great ; tlieir musketry sharp and hicessant ; and tlieir 
 artillery began to play upon the building. But the English 
 batteries from the convent of Sarea swept the bank on either 
 flank of the Seminary ; and the French assault was of necessity 
 confined to the area and gateway in the front The struggle 
 was obstinate ; and, as yet, there was no appearance of the 
 troops of Murray from the side of Avintas. It was so anxious 
 a moment, that Sir Arthur himself would have crossed to the 
 Seminary but for the earnest remonstrance of those about him. 
 He saw, tot), that Hill, one of those gallant and steady lieuten- 
 ants upon whom the commander of an army may always rely. 
 
124 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 maintained his post with signal heroism, and had now gotten 
 the Buffs, 48tli, 66th, and 16th Portuguese under his command. 
 While this the great combat of the day was going forward with 
 a stern loudness and much bloodshed, the division of general 
 Slierbrooke, which had advanced, at the moment the passage of 
 the river first began, to that part of the bank where tlie old 
 boat-bridge had been cut away, was hailed by the citizens from 
 the windows and walls of Oporto, with the lively gestures and 
 vehement shouts of invitation. 
 
 They readily brought boats across to transport tlie British to 
 the right bank, and, as the guards and 29th were ferried over, 
 the wall, which runs along the river, was lined with people 
 waving their caps and handkerchiefs, and vociferating " vivas " 
 with a mad exultation. The same was their reception in the 
 streets, up which they hastened to form upon the enemy's right 
 Every balcony was animate with smiles, and noisy with wel- 
 come. 
 
 The appearance of Sherbrooke's division on the French right, 
 and the head of Murray's columns descending upon their left 
 from Avmtas, decided the contest. The French were defeated ; 
 and, being pursued by heavy volleys from the battalions of Hill, 
 and from the leading corps of Sherbrooke's division, they passed 
 along the Vallonga road in haste and confusion, escaping far 
 too easily from the column led by general Murray : but general 
 Charles Stewart and major Hervey, with two squadrons of cav- 
 alry, pressed forward from this column with a laudal)le impa- 
 tience, and charged the enemy's rear guard. In this melee Her- 
 vey lost an arm. The dragoons had the satisfaction of falling 
 upon the enemy with some effect more than once, but they were 
 not supported, and were soon recalled. Thus the engagement 
 closed. The French were in full march to the rear, the English 
 slept upon the ground they liad so gallantly taken ; and thus 
 was the passage of the Douro won : an exploit worthy alike of 
 the leader who projected and of the troops who achieved it. In 
 this action, of which it is recorded that Napoleon, the very mo- 
 ment he heard of it, pronounced Wellesley a great general, the 
 British loss was only 120 killed and wounded: such is tlie 
 reward of boldness and decision. That of the French amounted 
 to 500; and five pieces of artillery were taken on the field. 
 Much ammunition and fifty guns were found in the arsenal ; and 
 the French hospitals fell into the victors' hands. The city of 
 Oporto was illuminated the same night, and the sounds of re- 
 joicing echoed through the streets ; yet, in many places, they 
 were slippery with blood, and lamps were shining upon the 
 naked dead. In the course of the day there had been figliting 
 in the suburbs, and tlie French who had fallen were left dead 
 where tliey lay. To protect the French prisoners from the 
 
The doke of wellihgtoh. 125 
 
 vindictive fury of a revengeful people, was the first act of Sir 
 Arthur Wellesley. He issued a proclamation to the inhabitants 
 of Oporto the very next morning, calling on them to be forbear- 
 ing and humane to all such of the unfortunate individuals as 
 might be taken captive in these operations. 
 
 Upon the evening of the capture, tlie British head-quarters 
 were established in the very house whicli marshal Soult had oc- 
 cupied ; and a dinner in preparation for him was served up at 
 the table of Sir Arthur,— one of those trifling occurrences in 
 warfare, which exliilarate not only the chance partakers of spoil 
 so innocent, but which, as an anecdote mirthful to the soldiery, 
 spread pleasure very widely through the lines. Tiie following 
 day was principally employed by Sir Arthur in arrangements 
 for pursuit General Murray's Germans were sent forward in 
 the morning of the 13th upon the road of Amarante ; and upon 
 the 14th the wliole army was again in motion. The contem- 
 porary operations of marshal Beresford had been eminently suc- 
 cessful ; although, certainly, the conduct of general Loison, his 
 opponent, was marked by a timidity so unusual, as to savor 
 strongly of a disobedient and indiflerent supineness, if not a 
 designed treachery. He fell back to Mezamfrio on the 10th, 
 suffering himself to be driven by Beresford, and to be followed 
 by Portuguese patrols. On the 11th, he continued his retreat, 
 Beresford skirmishing with his rear. On the l'2th, he allowed 
 his outposts, in front of Amarante, to be forced in ; and upon the 
 13th, he abandoned that most important position, and took the 
 route of Guimaraens ; thus criminally exposing the main body 
 under Soult witliout an eflbrt. 
 
 Of tliese events Sir Arthur was yet in ignorance. It was 
 doubtful whether Soult would retire on Gallicia by Ponte de 
 Lima, Valen^a, and Tuy, or upon Leon by Chaves. To provide 
 for either course, general Murray was directed upon Penafiel, 
 and the rest of tlie army followed the lower road towards Va- 
 len«ja. Upon the 15th, Sir Arthur obtained good intelligence 
 tliat tlie French had destroyed botli stores and artillery at Pena- 
 fiel, and were pushing to Chaves, He himself quickly chtinged 
 his plan, and, abandoning the lower road, advanced to Braga, 
 and reached it the same day. Beresford, anticijating the orders 
 which had in fiict been dispatched to him, was already near 
 Chaves, and had moved Silveira towards Salamonde, that he 
 might occupy the passes of Ruivaens and Melga^i. But, at 
 this very time, Soult was fifteen miles in advance of Braga, 
 liaving saved his army by a retreat of most adventurous and 
 hardy efforts, along mountain-paths, and across mountain bridges. 
 Tliese la.st, though guarded by Portuguese, were surprised bv 
 one of ids chosen officers and a few grenadiers witli tliat still 
 
126 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and steady bravery which asks yet firmer nerve than the sliock 
 of battle. 
 
 About four o o'clock on the evening of the 16th, Sir Arthur 
 came up with the rear-guard of Soult, which remained at Sala- 
 monde to cover the passage of the army over the bridges Ponte 
 Nova and the Saltador: they were well posted, but, nevertheless, 
 they would not stand ; and after one discharge abandoned their 
 position to general Sherbrooke's division, and fled to the Ponte 
 Nova. They were, for a time, concealed by the nature of" the 
 ground and by the direction of their retreat, and they attempt- 
 ed a fresh formation : but the English guns were soon up ; and 
 opening upon them in that confused and bewildered state, 
 they fell in great numbers. The bridge was choked with lace- 
 rated bodies ; the rocks around were covered with dead ; and 
 wounded men and horses were tumbled headlong into the gulf 
 below. 
 
 The scene in the morning, through which the pursuers pass- 
 ed, was dreadful. The French soldiers, harassed, mortified, and 
 knowing tliat they were hated by the peasants, plundered the 
 villages as they passed along ; oftentimes set them on fire also ; 
 and murdered many of the inhabitants. Their stragglers were 
 in turn sacrificed by the enraged peasants with inventive cruel- 
 ties and fearful execrations. 
 
 As soon as it was ascertained that Soult had turned off from 
 Montalegre towards Orense, Sir Arthur Wellesley determined 
 to relinquish the pursuit ; a resolution in which he was con- 
 finned by learning, upon the' night of the 17th, that the French 
 in Estremadura had a large detachment moving towards Alcan- 
 tara. The four brigades at Braga were ordered instantly to 
 march back to Oporto ; and all those in advance, and with the 
 head-quarters, were soon halted and countermarched in the 
 same direction. Soult crossed the frontier at Allaritz on the 
 18th, and on the 19th he reached Orense, without guns or stores, 
 and with the loss of six thousand men. He had quitted that 
 place ten weeks before with 22,000 good soldiers, and had been 
 further reinforced by 3500 from Tuy. Cannon, equipment, bag- 
 gage, and one-fourth of his army, was lost ; but that 19,000 men 
 were brought off in safety, and reserved for future service in 
 the war, was entirely owing to the firmness and the energy of 
 their able and unyielding general. 
 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley, having made full arrangement for the 
 defence of these northern provinces, now turned his horse's 
 head towards tlie Tagus, and bent his mind upon a struggle 
 with Victor. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 127 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 STATE OF THE WAR IN GALLICIA AND THE A8TURIAS. POSITION OF 
 
 VICTOR. SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY MARCHES TO THE TAGUS. — 
 
 ENCAMPS AT ABRANTES. ADVANCES INTO SPAIN. 
 
 The defeat of Romana at Monterey did not affect that noble 
 man further than to stimulate him to new and increased exer- 
 tions. Having zealously repaired his losses, and being rein- 
 forced by 3000 men from Castile, he surprised a French post at 
 Villa Franca del Bierzo upon the 17th of April. In this affair, 
 which was planned and conducted with secrecy, expedition, and 
 boldness, Romana captured eight hundred effective French sol- 
 diers ; and the disposition of his own force was so good, that he 
 only lost 100 men killed and wounded. It may be here noticed, 
 that a part of those very men who were defeated in the Val dee 
 Orres in January, collected again between Tuy and Vigo, and 
 formed a part of the insurgent force of peasants to which the 
 latter place surrendered on the 27th of March. The British 
 frigates the Lively and Venus assisted in this capture ; Captain 
 Mackinlcy of the Lively, and Don Pablo Murillo commanding 
 the Spanish soldiers, negotiated the terms. One thousand three 
 hundred prisoners, upwards of 400 horses, sixty covered wagons, 
 some stores, and the military chest of the second corps, contain- 
 ing £5000, were the solid fruits of tliis merited success. Mean- 
 while, all over Gallicia, the patriots were acting upon the French 
 communications with vigilance and vigor; their movable 
 columns were daily sustaining severe losses ; they had no re- 
 pose, and, except where they were assembled in large bodies, 
 no security. 
 
 Afler the loss at Villa Franca, they advanced to Lugo, and 
 Romana entered the Asturias. At Navia de Suama, he quitted 
 his army. Leaving it in charge of Malii, he proceeded in per- 
 son to Oviedo, to make inquiry into the conduct of the Asturian 
 junta, whose shameful and corrupt practices were an oppression 
 to tlie people, and a hindrance to those in arms. By virtue of 
 his authority as captain-general of the province, he dismissed 
 tlie unworthy members, and appointed others upon whose probity 
 and zeal he could rely. While Romana was thus usefully en- 
 gaged in reforming abuses and restoring the confidence of the 
 people, the French, by whom an individual like Romana, of 
 public integrity, tried courage, and unabated zeal, was viewed 
 with mingled sentiments of respect and fear, turned all tlieir 
 attention to this province. Marshal Ney planned a combined 
 movement, upon a very extensive scale, to destroy the army of 
 Romana and the Asturian levy. In this last force, which 
 amounted to 15,000 peasants, was included the active band of 
 
128 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 guerrillas, led by Porlier the marquisetto. This force, com- 
 manded by Ballasteros, held Infiesta to the cast of Oviedo, and 
 Castropol upon the coast ; to execute the movement resolved on, 
 Kellerman with about 9000 men was to march upon Oviedo ; 
 general Bonnet was to advance from St. Andero against the 
 Asturian levy, and Ney was to direct in person the attack upon 
 the army under Mahi. ' During the absence of marshal Ney, 
 general Marchand was to provide for the war in Gallicia : three 
 battalions were left at St. Jago, three at Corunna, one at Ferrol, 
 three, with a regiment of cavalry, at Lugo ; with the marslial 
 himself were twelve battalions and three regiments of horse. 
 As he advanced upon Mahi, that general retired by his left from 
 Navia de Suarna, and, declining the contest, threw himself into 
 the valley of the Syl. Ney pushed forwards to Oviedo with 
 such rapidity, that he was within a march of that city before 
 Romana, who had only one regiment with him, knew of liis ap- 
 proach. Nevertheless he gained a little time, by checking the 
 enemy at the bridge of Pefiaflor, though of course sufficient 
 only to preserve the regiment and secure liis own safety. These 
 few men he sent to Infiesta, and embarked on board an English 
 vessel himself at Gihon. On the 18th of May they entered 
 Oviedo, and were joined by Kellerman. Troops were sent in 
 pursuit of Romana, but happily in vain. When Bonnet march- 
 ed from St. Andero, Ballasteros, by a bold and happy movement, 
 threw liimself upon tliat unguarded place, and retook it from 
 the French, making prisoners the garrison and hospital, in all 
 1100 men. There were some small French craft in the port, 
 on board of which the staff and sick officers attempted to escape ; 
 but the Amelia and Statira British frigates, arriving off the 
 harbor at this time, captured these vessels, and intercepted their 
 ffight. 
 
 While Ney was absent in the Asturias, the Spanish general 
 Carrera, and with him Murillo, attacked the French force near 
 St. Jago de Compostella, under Maucunc, and totally routed it. 
 The French lost six hundred men and their guns, and fled in 
 terror to Corunna. At the same time Mahi, as soon as Ney had 
 marched onwards to Oviedo, came forth from the valley of the 
 Syl, and closely invested the force under general Foumier, at 
 Lugo, on the 19th of May. 
 
 This uneasy state of the French in Gallicia was a little re- 
 lieved by the return of Soult from Portugal, who marched in- 
 stantly upon Lugo. Mahi fell back upon the 22d to Mondonedo, 
 and Lugo was occupied by the marshal on the 23d ; Ney, re- 
 turning into Gallicia by the coast road, joined marshal Soult on 
 the 30th. At Mondonedo, Romana, having disembarked at 
 Ribadeo, again took command of his troops, and, after a most 
 skilful march, he led them across the royal road a little above 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 129 
 
 Lugo, placed them once more in the valley of the Syl, and was 
 soon again in active communication with the Spanish leaders at 
 St. Jago de Compostella and at Vigo. Bonnet retrieved the 
 misfortune of St Ander soon after this, by the total defeat of 
 the troops of Ballasteros on the 11th of June, and by the release 
 of all the prisoners taken from his own division, as well as those 
 captured at Villa Franca by Romana : Ballasteros himself es- 
 caped on board an English ship. 
 
 It is impossible to record all these efforts of the Spaniards, 
 and especially tliose of that best and noblest among them, La 
 Romana, without sincere and warm admiration. And when we 
 consider the state of Romana's corps in January, tuid the short 
 time he ever had of repose to organize tlie rude levy by which 
 he was surrounded, and the generals and the troops to whom he 
 was opposed, we feel his reputation to have been greatly won, 
 and deserving of all praise. 
 
 After his triumph at JMedellin, Victor had established his 
 head-quarters at Merida, but had refused to advance upon Por- 
 tugal, unless the division of Lapisse, from Salamanca, was 
 directed to join him by Alcantara. Nevertheless, he made an 
 eflbrt to ]X)ssess himself of Badajos by opening an intrigue with 
 some of the richer inhabitants of that place, who, either from 
 weariness or timidity, were disinclined for any further resist- 
 ance, and willing to betray the city. This effort proved abor- 
 tive : the traitois were discovered and arrested, and their nefa- 
 rious design was baffled. In tlie beginning of April, general 
 Lapisse, who had remained idle with ten thousand men at Le- 
 desma and Salamanca from January to March, advanced towards 
 Bejar; but finding the passes already occupied, he threw him- 
 self suddenly to the right upon the Lusitanian legion, drove it 
 under the guns of Ciudad Rodrigo, and, having summoned that 
 place, took up a position behind the Aguctla. lapisse had been 
 again ordered by the king to advance to Abrantes, in pursuance 
 of Napoleon's instructions for the combined movements against 
 Portugal : disregarding these orders, that general abandoned all 
 connexion with the corps of Soult, to whose operations and fate 
 he had shown tlie most wilful indifference, and marched by the 
 pass of Perales and Alcantara to join Victor at Merida. A body 
 of Spaniards attempted to stop him at Alcantara, but he routed 
 them, and plundered the city. Sir Robert Wilson, with Don 
 Carlos d'EsiMiria, and with a great crowd of volunteer pea.santry, 
 followed close upon his steps; and a post under colonel Mavne, 
 OS has been already notice*!, was established in that place. The 
 recovery of Alcantara was now ordered by the king, and Victor 
 moved down from Merida with that objwt. Colonel Mayne, 
 who had two thousand Portuguese infantry, a few horsemen, 
 and si.x guns, made a very handsome resistance, and sustained 
 
130 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a considerable loss. lie then retired in good order, failing, how- 
 ever, in his attempt to destroy the bridge. The French crossed 
 it, and pushed their patrols into Beira, in the direction of Cas- 
 tello Branco ; but, finding that general Mackenzie was on the 
 alert, and had come forward to Sobreira Formosa, and hearing 
 also that Soult was in retreat, they crossed the Tagus again, 
 abandoned Alcantara, and marched to their old ground at Me- 
 rida. The castle of Merida, in which Victor had left a detach- 
 ment, was attacked, during his absence, by Cuesta ; but, as the 
 French again appeared, the Spaniards repassed the Guadiana, 
 and took jxtst at Zafra. On the other side, the Spaniards in the 
 valley of the Tagus began to be so formidable as to alarm Vic- 
 tor for tiie security of his communications. He therefore sent 
 a division to Almaraz to watch the bridge, and fixed his head- 
 quarters at Torremocha. Colonel Mayne again took possession 
 of Alcantara. 
 
 By the 7th of June, Sir Arthur Wellesley had brought his 
 troops from the Douro, and they encamped upon the southern 
 bank of the Tagus ; but although they had been brought up with 
 care, and by easy marclies, they were sickly, and were daily 
 losing men. The army remained stationary at Abrantcs till the 
 latter end of June ; and Sir Arthur had the mortification of see- 
 ing day after day roll by, the full value of which none could so 
 well estimate as ho, without the power of advancing into Spain. 
 But it was not possible to move without money. He could nei- 
 ther obtain the supplies of the country, nor could lie command 
 means of transport, either by land or water, for such stores as 
 our commissariat had already in possession. His men were 
 without shoes ; his officers and soldiers totally without pay, and 
 distressed for common necessaries ; and his hospitals were full. 
 Though he had been reinforced by 5000 men since his opera- 
 tions on the Douro, he had only 22,000 men effective, present, 
 under arms. He must have felt the inadequacy of this force to 
 great and extended operations ; but that of which he had now 
 to complain was, that, small as were the military means placed 
 at his disposal, even of these, owing to a negligent misman- 
 agement at home, he had not the free use. With an empty 
 military chest, nothing could be undertaken. This great and 
 shameful irregularity in providing for the pay of the troops, the 
 followers of the army, and for the vast and necessary demands 
 of the commissariat, obtained frequently throughout the war. 
 Who were interested in the delay of these remittances, it is not 
 for us to say : to ascribe it to indolence and mal-arrangement 
 does not account to us for the fact of so frequent a repetition of 
 the same neglect. We dwell upon this, because it fettered and 
 hampered the illustrious subject of our memoir on the present 
 occasion, and because, as he was a man of great public integ- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTOX. 131 
 
 rity, and with the strictest notions concerning probity and good 
 faith in all his dealings With tlie inhabitants of tlie Peninsula, 
 and in all engagements made with followers ; and desirous, both 
 as their protector and commander, tiiat his soldiers, for the sake 
 of justice and discipline, should be regularly paid, we know that 
 the neglect here spoken of, weighed often and heavily, through- 
 out the war, upon his firm and elastic mind. 
 
 It is true that an excellent spirit prevailed in the army at this 
 time, as at all others : there were no murmurs, no complainings 
 in the ranks; no doubts as to the final and just settlement of all 
 their claims. The men had a confidence in their commander's 
 honor, a trust in his talents, a belief in his fortune, and an ad- 
 miration of his courage. Hence they would have endured any 
 hardship, have borne any privation, and have faced any danger, 
 if they only saw Wellesley in the camp. It was the conscious- 
 ness of this noble feeling in his troops that made him more 
 keenly alive to the unnecessary privations and distresses to 
 which, from the want of pay, they were not unfrequently sub- 
 jected. Althougli we may seem to be anticipating by this last 
 observation, still we are glad to place it in the fore-front, for 
 the benefit of those (we hope few) readers who think that a 
 military commander lias nothing to do but order a drum to 
 beat, and an army marches ; and to order another to beat, and 
 it fights. 
 
 We return to the camp of Abrantes. The Spaniards were 
 most importunate for offensive operations, and for the advance 
 of the British ; but no Spanish general could be so eager to tread 
 the onward road as he who had already commencetl his career 
 witli an achievement, which not one upon the same scale in the 
 annals of European warfare, had hitherto surpassed. After 
 much correspondence with Cuesta, commanding tlie Spanisli 
 army in Estremadura, a general brave and true, but old, with- 
 out talent, bigoted to his own antiquated notions, and with the 
 obstinacy of age stout in his own opinions. Sir Arthur Wellesley 
 prevailed with him to adopt that line of operations which seeme<l 
 to him most promising for successful results. 
 
 At the end of June, Sir Arthur commence<l his march into 
 Spain by the northern banks of the Tagus, with a view to join 
 the army of Cuesta on the Tietar, and to combine with him an 
 offensive movement on Madrid. The Spanish forces in the 
 south at this period e.xcectled sixty thousand. The corps of 
 Cuesta amounted to thirty-eight thousand, tliat of Vanegas to 
 twenty-five thousand effective. In the English camp on the 
 frontier were twenty-two thousand good soldiers ; and it was 
 known to their commander, that a reinforcement of eight thou- 
 sand was at Lisbon. The number of French troops disposed 
 for tii3 protection of Madrid was, at the lowest, fifty thousand. 
 
132 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 On the 27th of June, the English army marched from Abrantes 
 to Spain. The army moved by both banks of the Tagus. Upon 
 the 10th of July the divisions were all united at Plasencia, and 
 were jouied by a regiment of cavalry and two of infantry from 
 Lisbon. The French force under marshal Victor, which had, 
 previous to this advance of the British, retired from Torremo 
 cha, had now taken post at Talavera de la Reyna, and the Span- 
 iards under Cuesta were at Almaraz. The position of the Brit- 
 ish army, and its line of march up tlie valley of tlie Tagus, were 
 not free from considerable danger : for beyond the mountains, 
 on its left, lay the French corps of Soult and Ney ; and although 
 the intercepted letters of those marshals drew so strong a pic- 
 ture of tlieir difficulties, that it was scarcely probable they 
 could attempt any offensive movements upon his flank, still that 
 which was possible demanded attention ; and Sir Arthur made 
 tlie very best arrangements in his power to provide a security 
 against any sudden irruption from the north into the valley of 
 the Tagus. He instructed Beresford to look carefully to the 
 defence of Puerto Pcrales ; and with great difficulty prevailed 
 on the Spanish generals to make a detachment for the occupa- 
 tion of Bejar and of the Puerto de Bancs, as also to furnish a 
 second for the pass of Peralea 
 
 Before, however, the arrangement for the Spaniards occu- 
 pying Bejar and Bafios could be concluded to his satisfaction, 
 he proceeded to confer with Cuesta, and to concert with him 
 offensive operations. 
 
 This conference lasted two days ; but it was at last arranged 
 that the British and Spanish armies should march against Victor 
 on the 18th ; that Vanegas, with his body of Spaniards, should 
 advance through La Mancha to the Upper Tagus, directing his 
 march upon Fuente Duenas and Villa Maurique, to engage the 
 attention of Sebastiani, and prevent him, if possible, from unit- 
 ing his corps to that of Victor. 
 
 The path of duty in Spain was not one easy to be trodden by 
 a British general. Previous to his advance into Spain, Sir Ar- 
 thur Wellesley had sent forward commissaries to all the neces- 
 sary points, to arrange for the supply of his troops, and to pur- 
 chase mules for transport. From the supreme junta he had 
 received full assurance that he should be well supplied with 
 every thing his soldiers could need ; and the junta dispatched 
 an officer of rank and authority, Don Lonzano de Torres, inten- 
 dant-general, to fulfil the promises which they had made, and 
 upon the faith of which Sir Arthur Wellesley had come out of 
 Portugal with few means of transport, and without magazines. 
 Before, however, he had made five marches from Castello Bran- 
 co, it was discovered that these promises were good for nothing. 
 The British could neither procure means of transport nor obtain 
 
THE DUKE OP WELXJNGTON. 133 
 
 supplies ; neither did the Spanisli local authorities use any exer- 
 tion to aid the Britisli commissaries in tlieir efforts to provide 
 them. Moreover, upon the part of the inhabitants there was 
 manifested a degree of suspicion and ill-will towards the Eng- 
 lish, very provoking, not difficult to be accounted for, but not 
 easy to be overcome. 
 
 The difficulty of subsisting his army was so great, that as 
 early as the 16th of July Sir Artiiur wrote to inform Cuesta of 
 his distress ; and stated his resolution not to proceed beyond tlae 
 Alberche, unless the wants of his army were supplied, although 
 ready to advance to that river according to the plan already 
 concerted between them. 
 
 Li pursuance of tliis plan the British army from Plasencia was 
 to pass tlie Tietar at the Venta de Bazagona, and to march upon 
 Oropesa. Sir Robert Wilson, with his Lusitanian legion, a few 
 dragoons, and two Spanish battalions, was to gain possession of 
 the passes of Arenas which lead upon Avila, and of the pass of 
 San Pedro Bernardo, which leads upon Madrid. 
 
 The English troops did not break up from the camp at Pla- 
 sencia, till the 17th. Upon the 2Uth they reached Oropesa, and 
 were halted there for one day. Upon the 21st, Cuesta with the 
 Spaniards passed tlirough Oropesa, and marching forwards, unit- 
 ed his wliole force at Velada. On the same day Victor called 
 in all his detachments and foraging parties, and took post behind 
 the Alberche with two divisions of infantry, leaving a strong 
 rear-guard at Talavera. 
 
 On the 22d the allies advanced ; and Cuesta marching along 
 the high road to that place came up witn 2000 French dragoons 
 under general Latour-Maubourg, drawn up on the table land 
 of Gamonal. The French general checked the leading column 
 of the Spaniards; and maintamin^ a good countenance, compelled 
 general Zayas to halt, and to show all his people without any 
 necessity. It was always easy to make tlie Spaniards commit 
 those absurdities. 
 
 Until tlie head of tlie British columns appeared upon his 
 right, Latour-Maubourg did not move ; and tlien retired in the 
 best possible order, supported by infantry, behind the Alberche, 
 marching most leisurely, and sustaining no loss, although in the 
 presence of many batteries and 60(X) Spanish liorae. We name 
 this only for the purpose of showing with what description of 
 force the British were allied in these operations, and how little 
 was to be expected from them : because, knowing, as we do, 
 what French dragoons are, and what this Spanish cavalry was; 
 knowing wliat an officer Latour-Maubourg was ; and tliat the 
 Simnish horse was under tlio onlcrs of tliosc who witliout hia 
 talent or experience were also without any confidence in the 
 discipline, skill, or steadiness, of tlieir own unformed cavalry ; it 
 Vol. L M 
 
134 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 would have been a matter of surprise to us, if 2000 of Napo- 
 leon's dragoons, supported by infantry, had not effected a quiet 
 and orderly retreat on this occasion. 
 
 We would here remark, that when, upon the 10th of July, 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley visited the camp of Cuesta near the Col 
 de Mirabete, that general drew out his forces for the inspection 
 of the British commander. 
 
 The guides who were conducting Sir Arthur and his adjutant- 
 general lost their way ; and they did not arrive at the Spanish 
 encampment till it was already dark. The troops, however, 
 who had been four hours waiting, were still under arms with 
 the veteran Cuesta at their head. Sir Arthur was received 
 with a general discharge of artillery ; and a number of large 
 torches being lighted up, he passed the entire Spanish line in 
 review by their red and flaring blaze. In this manner he passed 
 about 6000 cavalry drawn up in rank entire, and not less than 
 twenty battalions of infantry. They were all remarkably fine- 
 looking men ; but many of them were extremely young, too 
 young for service ; in fact, raw recruits of a boyish age : yet 
 were they well made, stout, and to all appearance hardy. With 
 the exception of a few battalions, they were very ill appointed ; 
 not clothed in uniform ; and were, in general, in want of shoes. 
 It was immediately seen from their position under arms, and 
 from the awkwardness with whicli they handled their firelocks, 
 that they were a raw undisciplined levy. Some corps there 
 were of regularly appointed effective soldiers; such as the 
 Irish brigades, the marine battalions from Cadiz, and the pro- 
 visional battalions formed out of the wreck of those brave 
 grenadiers who had fought so well, and fallen in such numbers 
 in the early part of that fatal battle at Medellin. To speak 
 generally, however, the army was little better than a crowd of 
 peasants disposed in battalions after the rule of military organi- 
 zation; armed, indeed, partially like soldiers, but unacquainted 
 with a soldier's duty. Again, their cavalry was well mounted, 
 but very ill disciplined ; ignorant of the most common move- 
 ments and formations ; and, with the exception of a very few 
 corps, miserably equipped, and not fit to take the field. The 
 artillery was numerous, and not a bad artillery for fire ; but the 
 order and arrangements of this arm were all after the old sys- 
 tem : their movements were encumbered and slow ; they were 
 brought into action with difficulty ; and, if retreat became ne- 
 cessary, were seldom saved. Such was this Spanish army ! 
 such in character were they all ! seldom one so good, many 
 greatly inferior. We are as sure as if we had been by the side 
 of Sir Arthur, that as he rode down the Spanish line, and saw 
 the swart Iberians in the red light of the torches which were 
 held aloft as he passed along, and as he listened to the noisy 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTON. 1 35 
 
 welcomes of the cannon, and the loud confusion of sounds, when 
 battalion after battalion shouldered to receive him, he was 
 forcibly reminded of India, and of all tlie noisy parade of those 
 half-disciplined hosts which are found in pompous array before 
 the elephants of the native princes. It is not improbable that 
 the memory of the inefficiency of oriental troops was awakened 
 at the sight; and tliat as he lay down upon his pillow, he felt 
 more than ever how entirely he must depend upon his own 
 steady legions, and his own unshaken resolve. 
 
 When upon the 2l8t of July Cuesta passed through Oropesa, 
 Sir Arthur in turn drew out the British army ; and the brave 
 old man (for with all his faults, prejudices, and obstinacy, he 
 was brave as an aged lion), looked upon the firm battalions of 
 the English with an admiration he could not repress. 
 
 Victor, after being joined by his rear-guard under Latour- 
 Maubourg, showed no disposition to quit his ground on the Al- 
 berche. He was in position behind that river witli only 20,000 
 men. The stream was fordable, and both his right and centre 
 ky open to attack. Sir Arthur Wellesley was eager to avail 
 himself of the advantage offered by this strange temerity. An 
 attack was agreed upon for the morning of the 23d ; but when 
 the English general came to the quarters of Cuesta to arrange 
 the details of the attack, the old man was gone to bed, and not 
 to be disturbed. At three in the morning the British columns 
 were under arms, but Cuesta was not to be spoken with till 
 seven o'clock, and then refused to join in tlie attack ; offering, 
 among other reasons, his objection to fight upon a Sunday ! — a 
 strange objection, which even the sound sense of a converted 
 chief in one of the islands of Polynesia not many years ago 
 forbade him to entertain ; as if a struggle on the sabbath day 
 against those who had desecrated the altars of Spain, and 
 stained her heartlis with blood, was not a permitted alid a sacred 
 duty. 
 
 Tliroughout tlie whole of the 23d Victor remained quiet It 
 has been thought tliat he maintained a secret correspondence 
 with some traitor in tlie Spanish camp, and was thus advised 
 that no attack would take place. 
 
 Cuesta, however, was prevailed upon to agree to an attack 
 for the morning of the 24th ; and, having proposed to the Eng- 
 lish general to make a reconnoissance of the French position, 
 the old gentleman arrived in a cumbrous coach and six at the 
 appointed place, to the surprise of Sir Arthur and of his active 
 stafT 
 
 The allies were in motion before the dawn ; but, when they 
 reached the Alberche, not a French soldier was to be seen : 
 Victor had retired in the night on the Toledo road to Torrijos. 
 'I'iie direction of his retreat, and his abandonment of tlie Mad 
 
136 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 rid road, was probably decided by the movements of Sir Robert 
 Wilson, who had reached Escalona on the 23d ; a town only 
 eight leagues from Madrid, and in rear of Victor. 
 
 There is, however, no doubt that he would have declined 
 engaging under such disadvantageous and dangerous circum- 
 stances at all events ; and it is certain that he was fully informed 
 on the evening of the 23d of the intention to attack him. 
 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley was mortified but not surprised to find 
 that the enemy had decamped. He knew that to jmrsue an 
 army determined on retreat, and resolved upon declining battle, 
 was never wise without the situation of the pursuer was such 
 that he could command supplies and resources, and be enabled 
 to maintain every step in advance which might be taken : — he 
 was not supplied — he was leagued with an obstinate and intrac- 
 table old man ; fearless, indeed, in his own person of the shock 
 of battle, but as ignorant of the conduct of war as one of his 
 own mules. 
 
 Now, therefore. Sir Arthur repeated his former declaration, 
 tiiat beyond the Albercke he would not move, and, moreover, 
 threatened, that if his wants, representations, and suggestions 
 for the public good were thus continually disregarded by the 
 supreme junta, and the authorities of Spain military and civil 
 to whom he was referred, he would withdraw from Spain alto- 
 gether. 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF TALAVERA. — THE ARRIVAL OF SOULT AT PLASENCIA. 
 
 THE MOVEMENTS OF SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY. THE SPANIARDS 
 
 BEATEN AT ARZOBISKO. VAXEGAS DEFEATED AT ALMONACID. 
 
 Intelligence reached Madrid on the 22d of July that the 
 allies were at Talavera, in front of Victor, and_^that a body of 
 thBTn,""under"Sir Robert Wilson, had penetrated "loTSicalona, 
 Joseph sent instantly to Soult, who had already "assembled his 
 army in the vicinity of Salamanca, and directed him to march 
 upon Plasencia ; a plan recommended and urged by Soult him- 
 self, and originated, by Napoleon. Ttwill be seen how much 
 Wellesley and his army were in the thouglits of the Emperor, 
 by the fact of his having written a private dispatch to marshal 
 Soult from Ratisbon, the imperial head-quarters, directing him 
 to concentrate the second, the fifth, and sixth corps, to assume 
 the command of them, and to act with vigor against the English 
 army. " Wellesley," said Napoleon, " will probably advance by_ 
 theTagiis against Madrid.: \in that case, pass the'fhourilains, 
 fall upon his flank and rear, and crush him." It is worthy of 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 137 
 
 remark, that Napoleon foresaw the line of Wellesley's opera- 
 tiQQS ; now, if it was fkulty, how came he to regard it as proba- 
 ble that the man whose ability and decision had already extorted 
 his admiration would adopt that line ? Because he felt, we say 
 he intuitively felt, that it would have been his own ; because he 
 knew that Wellesley could not possibly calculate upon the 
 French making so large a sacrifice of territory in the north, and 
 giving up so much ground as they must do, to act against hira 
 from that quarter in any formidable mass ; and because the con- 
 centration of three corps of tlie army, under the supreme com- 
 mand of_Soulti was not a measure to be expected, without, as 
 was the case, an express authority from the emperor ; finally, 
 .4- bpcftug g it was the only promising line of-Ofleagive operatiops 
 then op en; and who so sure to adopt the offensive, as the man 
 who haJ lately thrown himself across the broad Douro, in the 
 face of a hostile army ] On the 10th of July the British ad- 
 vance to Plasencia was made known to Soult, and he then 
 directed Ney to marcli upon Zamora, with the sixth corps, leav- 
 ing the dragoons of general Fournier to cover Astorga and Leon. 
 The marshal at this time projected the immediate siege of Ciudad 
 Rodrigo, having satisfied himself that Sir Arthur Wellesley 
 meant to operate by the line of theJTftgus, and this plan he 
 strongly urged upon the king. It vras approved by the king, 
 but not assisted ; for he could not meet those demands of Soult, 
 a compliance with which was imperatively necessary to the 
 undertaking. Upon the other hand, he rather inclined to the 
 wish that Soult would detach 10,000 men to strengthen Keller- 
 man and Bonnet, and enable them to seize and maintain the 
 Asturias. Against this division of force Soult remonstrated. 
 He ])ushed back the duke del Parque upon Ciudad Rodrigo, and 
 thus found that Sir Arthur VVellefiley had already reached Pla- 
 sencia. He now¥roiight Mortier with the fifth corps to Sala- 
 manca, and, at the very time that Sir Arthur Wellesley was 
 crossing the Tiotnr, to adv ance iip on Talav f^m fiOOOO ihph 
 were already Collcctid by Soult to " pass the mountains, to fall 
 upon his fl;ink, ami inisli him" — but he was not crushed. 
 
 When kirtjif .losipii had sent permission to Soult to advance 
 upon Plasencia, li- (juitted Madrid with his guards and the 
 reserve to join Victor. Sebastiani, who had been watching 
 Vanegas near Damyel, easily blinding tliat general, returned 
 to Toledo by forced marches ; lefl 3000 men there to engage 
 the attention of Vane^; and marched with the main body of 
 his coriw to join the kmg and Victor. Their junction was suc- 
 cessfully efi(!cted on the morning of the 26th of July. The 
 French force thus concentrated behind the river Guadarama, 
 I mounted to near 50,000 combatants, and ninety pieces of artil- 
 lery. 
 
 M2 
 
138 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 When, upon the 24th, Victor had retired from the Alberche, 
 Cuesta pursued him ; but the old man, who had turned a deaf 
 ear to the admonitions of Sir Arthur Wellesley, discovered, 
 upon the 26tli, that the French had notliing farther from their 
 thoughts than flight. Sir Arthur, though resolute not to pass 
 the Alberche with his army, had^oreseen the probable course 
 of affairs, and had sent general SlTEfbroolce, with the whole of 
 the cavalry and two divisions of infantry, across that river, 
 directing him to march to Cazalegas. From this point he could 
 effectually support the Spaniards on their return, and could 
 communicate with the troops under Sir Robert Wilson at E&- 
 calona. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 26th, on the morning of which day 
 Cuesta had commenced his retreat, the French dragoons passed 
 the Guadarama, drove the Spanish horse from Torrijos, and pur- 
 sued them to Alcabon. Here they found a division of Spanish 
 infantry with guns, under general Zayas, drawn out upon the 
 plain ; and the Spanish cavalry, to the amount of 2000, took 
 post by their side in order of battle. Latour-Maubourg, with 
 his steady dragoons, was already advancing upon them, regard- 
 less of their cannonade, when a column of French infantry 
 coming up, the Spaniards broke suddenly, and fled in confusion 
 towards St. OUalla. The duke of Albuquerque arriving upon 
 the field at this moment of disorder, with 3000 Spanish horse, 
 checked the pursuit of the French dragoons ; and it is more 
 than probable he thus saved the Spanish army from one of those 
 signal defeats, which were the common result of such a panic as 
 had then possessed one division, and might soon have infected 
 others. The troops of general Sherbrooke marching out of Ca- 
 zalegas took up a position to favor the retreat of the Spaniards ; 
 and behind those firm battalions the Spanish divisions recovered, 
 in some degree, their lost order. Sir Arthur Wellesley, already 
 in the front, saw plainly that the French were resolved upon a 
 battle ; and he implored Cuesta to retire to Talavera, and take 
 up the strong and defensive part of that position, in which he 
 thought to give the enemy a meeting. The old Spaniard, brave, 
 proud, and obstinate, refused ; said he would not go back one 
 mile further, but fight where he was. At this very time his 
 army was heaped together in a low, flat, indefensible, piece of 
 ground. They had lost that very morning, in killed, wounded, 
 and above all, in missing, near 3000 men ; and they lay a 
 ready prey to the imperial eagle. Most happily for them, the 
 French halted at St. OUalla ; and their cavalry, exxept a few 
 pickets, came not in sight of the allies until the morning of the 
 27th. Cuesta now yielded to the earnest representations and 
 anxious entreaties of Sir Arthur ; and is said to have toasted 
 to his staff, that " he had first made the Englishman go down 
 
THE DUKE OF VVELLINGTOV. 1 39 
 
 upon his knees ;" thus characterizing the warm solicitations of 
 the English general. The old Spaniard wanted discernment to 
 perceive that it was the condescension of a strong mind to a 
 weak one ; it was the pleading of the skilful physician with the 
 moody patient. 
 
 The position chosen by Sir Arthur Wellesley for the battle 
 ■'^vhich he saw was at hand had a peculiar -end remarkable adap- 
 tationJ;oJhe^character of. the, forces which^COJCRP^ed the allied 
 army. 
 
 The town of Talavera is built close to the river Tagus : in 
 front of it are many olive-grounds and inclosures, alike calcu- 
 lated to cover the troops appointed to its defence, and to conceal 
 tlieir dispositions. 
 
 With the town, then, as the fixed point on his extreme right, 
 the British general took up a line which extended about two 
 miles, and was terminated on the left by a commanding hilLi 
 The lialf of tliis line was confided to the Spaniards: — they lay* 
 securely disposed ; their right leaning on the river, and their 
 left resting upon a large mound where a field-work had been 
 commenced but not completed. Their front was protected 
 thoroughly by the difficult nature of the ground ; by ditches, 
 embankments, mud walls, and other obstacles, which make a 
 position v/ell-nigh impregnable. To defend this front, they 
 were drawn up in two close lines with their own cavalry in re- 
 serve; while, at no great distance behind the mound was a 
 brigade of Britisli cavalry. The right of the British infantry 
 touched tlic Spanish left, and stretched its bold array along the 
 naked and open country to the hill on the extreme left ; beyond 
 this hill there was a deep valley, which separated it from a 
 mountain of the Gata cliain; and in front of it was a difficult 
 ravine. 
 
 The division of general Campbell was on the British right ; 
 next to him stood Sherbrooke ; then came Mackenzie's ground, ■ 
 held for a while by part of Sherbrooke's division; and the 
 height upon the left named above as tlie key of tlie position was ' 
 observed by general Hill. Part of tlie British cavalry at this 
 period was with general Mackenzie in advance. The division 
 of tiiat general was posted in the wood near Casa des Salmas j 
 and a brigade of light cavalry on the plain near him. 
 
 About tliree o'clock on the afternoon of the 27th, the French 
 light infantry who headed the march of the enemy came 
 through the wood so suddenly upon the British posts at this 
 1 place that they were surprised. The hostile coliimns following 
 ft close upon their voltigeurs, attacked one brigade of gener^ 
 WL Mackenzie's division with so great impetuosity, that they were 
 B[ thrown into disorder, driven from tiieir ^und, and separated 
 ^f. from the other; but this last formed with such rapidity and 
 
 r 
 
140 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Steadiness, that the enemy was soon checked ; and, covering 
 the retreat of the other corps, this brigade fell back over the 
 plain, supported by two of cavalry in the finest order, and took 
 up ground in the main position. The British cavalry now took 
 post on a rising ground in the valley upon the extreme left, 
 being a little retired to the rear. In the affair at the Casa de 
 Salinas, Sir Arthur Wellesley had a very narrow escape of be- 
 ing made prisoner ; he being in the Casa at the moment of the 
 surprise. 
 
 The French, following up their movements, advanced in 
 strength to the left of our position : they took up ground on a 
 hill over-against that which was afterwards the post of general 
 Hill, but was at the moment occupied by the brigade of general 
 Mackenzie's division, which, under the command of colonel 
 Donkin, had just made so fine a retreat. The enemy opened a 
 cannonade upon colonel Donkin, and there was a partial action 
 along the whole front of the line. The French sending their 
 light cavalry, supported by voltigeurs, to feel out the true posi- 
 tion of the Spaniards, alarmed them into a loud, general, and 
 useless discharge of musketry, in the very midst of which, a 
 body of about 5C)00, for no discoverable reason, broke their ranks 
 and fled to the rear, without having been attacked at all, and 
 without being pursued. The greater part of them, however, 
 were rallied, and brought back to the position which they had 
 deserted during the night, and Cuesta executed several officers 
 and men of this division after the battle, selecting them by lot 
 — a punishment alike barbarous and useless. As the shades of 
 twilight fell upon the two hosts and clouded the field, the 
 French, who had only been trifling with the Spaniards, made a 
 sudden and fierce assault upon that height on the left, which 
 has been already spoken of as the key of the position, and 
 which was held at the moment by the brigade of colonel Don- 
 kin. The colonel repulsed them in front ; but liis brigade was 
 too weak to defend all points ; and they succeeded in turning 
 him on the left, and crowning the summit behind him. 
 
 General Hill was moving up to reinforce colonel Donkin, and 
 was giving orders to the colonel of the 48th regiment, when he 
 was fired at from this summit ; and not doubting that the shots 
 proceeded from some British stragglers, who mistook the direc- 
 tion of their fire, he rode smartly up, accompanied by his bri- 
 gade-major, Fordyce, to stop them. These two were instantly 
 surrounded by the enemy : Fordyce was killed on the spot ; and 
 the hand of a French grenadier was already on the bridle of 
 Hill's charger ; but the general spurred his horse hard, broke 
 away, and galloped off. Directing the wounded beast down- 
 wards, he met a part of the 29th ; and turning, led them up 
 with uncalculating courage to the charge. The old 29th did 
 
» 
 
 THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 141 
 
 not disappoint liim : they won back the summit at the point of 
 the bayonet. But scarcely had the general placed the 29th, 1st 
 battalion 48th, and 1st battalion of detachments in position by 
 the side of colonel Donkin's brigade, ere a heavy mass of French 
 infantry again advanced ; and a violent attack, of which the 
 first was but a prelude, burst upon them. The fire flashed red 
 upon the night ; and was delivered so close, that the combatants 
 discerned each other's formation within a few paces. The 
 British having poured in their deadly volley, rushed on with 
 their bayonets, broke the dark column and drove it down. 
 While this attack was going forwards, a false one, but of some 
 liveliness, was made against the German Legion. The loss of 
 the British in the affair at Salinas amounted to about 400 ; and 
 the combat upon the hill at dusk must have cost full 400 more, 
 besides many valuable officers. The British lay upon their arms 
 all night : the dragoons by their saddled steeds ; and the infantry 
 either close to the pile of arms, or with the trusty firelock in 
 the hand. It was a night of watchfulness and alarm, and of 
 Budden and random firings, especially in the Spanish lines. 
 About dawn the enemy again made dispositions to assault the 
 hill. From a corresponding height opposite they opened a 
 furious fire of artillery, which bore not only upon tlie jwint of 
 attack, but on the whole British line ; many of the guns being 
 pointed towards the centre and right of it Under cover of 
 this terrible fire two strong columns were formed and led against 
 the British left. They advanced rapid and firm, and ascended 
 the steep and rugged face of the hill with a bcaruig the most 
 resolute. Again and again they pressed to within a few paces 
 of the summit, and struggled hard for a footing, but as often 
 were they repulsed by the close volleys and quick charges of 
 the gallant regiments under Hill ; and at last they retreated al- 
 together, leaving the ground on which they had fought covered 
 with slain. The loss of the English was very considerable ; 
 and general Hill himself was severely wounded. Tiiere was 
 a pause in the work of death ; for three hours after this repulse 
 the enemy made no movement ; the troops on both sides reposed 
 and refreshed. The British fared scantily enough. Durmg 
 this pause the wounded were removed to the rear; and it is not 
 unworthy of mention, that at a brook, which ran between the 
 two armies, soldiers of both went down to drink, and looked 
 each other in the face friendly, with that mutual admiration 
 which the brave feel towards those foes who valiantly withstand 
 them. 
 
 Soon after mid-day, the FVench infantry again stood to their 
 arms, their cavalry mounted, and their troops were everywhere 
 in motion. By two o'clock the di8jx>sitions of the French gen- 
 erals were completed ; and four columns of attack, destined to 
 
142 MILITARY MEMOIKS OP 
 
 bear with all their power upon the English army alone, were 
 assembled at their allotted stations. Eighty pieces of artillery 
 opened their dread thunder upon the British line, and lacerated 
 the firm ranks which ever as they did so closed upon the chasms. 
 Under this fire, the French columns, with clouds of skirmishers 
 in their front, pressed forwards to the battle. One of these feU 
 upon the division of general Campbell, which joined the Spanish 
 left. It was received with such steadiness, that until close to 
 the English regiments not a shot was fired on it; but then came 
 the volley, fatal and true, followed by the firm charge, by which 
 they were effectually repulsed. Campbell took from them ten 
 guns in battery, which they attempted to recover, but they 
 were charged in flank with great spirit by a regiment of Spanish 
 horse. Two Spanish battalions assisted general Campbell in 
 the repulse of this attack with much zeal and bravery. Thus 
 the British right was victorious and secure. Upon the left, a 
 division of the enemy's infantry, supported by cavalry, advanced 
 up the great valley to turn the hill, already so fiercely disputed. 
 Beyond it, another body was marcliing to occupy the mountain. 
 For this last movement Sir Arthur was already provided, having 
 obtained from Cuesta in the morning a division of Spanish in- 
 fantry, to be posted there in observation. The principal part 
 of the British cavalry being at the head of the valley, he sent 
 orders to general Anson's brigade, composed of the 23d light 
 dragoons and the 1st regiment King's German Legion, to charge 
 the French infantry, and check their advance. The orders 
 were promptly and bravely, but not intelligently, obeyed. 
 Neither was the true moment taken by this brigade, nor was 
 it kept in hand as it advanced ; so that coming upon the brink 
 of a ravine, which lay between the assailants and the assailed, 
 the formation of the squadrons was broken, and the 23d, being 
 in full career, plunged down into the ravine, receiving as they 
 did so t!ie murderous fire of tlie French squares, and fell over 
 each other in wild disorder ; but the gallant men, whose horses 
 yet kept their feet, spurred strong up the opposite bank, and 
 major Frederick Ponsonby rallied and led them onwards, nothing 
 daunted by this perilous mischance. They passed between the 
 French squares under a hot fire, and fell upon a brigade of 
 French chasseurs ; but their combat was not with these alone, 
 for some Polish lancers and Westphalian horse rode also against 
 them ; and the heroic 23d, leaving more than half their num- 
 bers on the field, efiected the escajje of their brave remnant by 
 passing again at speed through the intervals of the French 
 columns, and making for the foot of the mountain, where the 
 Spanisli division of Bassecourt was in observation. Neverthe- 
 less, though these bold horsemen were overpowered, yet was 
 their heroism rewarded ; for the enemy desisted from their at- 
 
► 
 
 THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 143 
 
 tempt to turn the British left. Wliile these things were going 
 forward, the hill had also been again attacked in front, but in 
 vain. 
 
 The two French columns which assailed the English divisions 
 in the centre, had a momentary success ; for though they were 
 at first resolutely met, and beaten back, yet the guards followed 
 them too hastily, too far, and with too little order. The enemy 
 saw this, faced about, and drove the guards in turn, pressing 
 their exposed flank most sorely, while, at the same moment, 
 the German Legion was most roughly handled and gave ground. 
 From the hill upon the left. Sir Arthur had seen the loose ad- 
 vance of the guards, and he ordered down a regiment to their 
 support. The 4Sth regiment, commanded by colonel Donellan, 
 performed this serv'ice with that steadiness which is the triumph 
 of discipline. The guards and Germans rallied like brave men. 
 A brigade of cavalry was moved rapidly up from tlie second 
 line, and came opportunely to their support. The British artil- 
 lery played fast and fierce upon the enemy's flanks ; and now, 
 upon all sides, they drew off" and gave up the battle. They 
 had e.xhausted all their efforts. They had made no impression 
 on the British line of battle, and their slain lay spread along its 
 gallant front in fearful numbers. Their retreat to their position 
 was covered by their cannon, and conducted in good order. 
 About six in the evening, the firing ceased ; scarcely a dropping 
 shot was to be heard ; and the hostile armies lay each upon the 
 ground which they had occupied in the morning. The loss of 
 the British exceeded 60(K) men, including those who fell in the 
 combats of the 27th. Tiie loss of the French was computed by 
 themselves at 10,(KK) but otiiers again reduce it below eight, 
 and they left seventeen guns to the victorious English, taken at 
 the point of the bayonet The Spaniards returned 1200 killed 
 and wounded, and such of them as were engaged behaved ad- 
 mirably. Two Spanish gims upon our left were excellently 
 served. The two battalions which fought upon tlie right of 
 Campbell's division did their duty with ardor ; and, at the same 
 point, one of their cavalry regiments charged with gallantry 
 and success. But, nevertheless, the character, and connx>sition 
 of the Spanish army, as a whole, and the weakness of the 
 British, which was not only thinned by death, but feint with 
 exhaustion from want of proper and sufficient food, and without 
 any supply or means of transport for a for\Kartl movement, ren- 
 dered pursuit impossible. The BritisTT'passSr the damp and 
 chilly night upon the field, where they had fought, amid the 
 dead ana the tlying. As many of the woundeff as tliere had 
 been time to remove were put into hospital in the convents of 
 Talavera. 
 
 A melancholy scene was presented soon after the close of the 
 
144 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 action. In one part of the field where the wounded lay thick, 
 the dry grass took fire, and the flames spread with such fierce 
 and terrific swiftness, that many of the brave men, who lay 
 helpless, and wet in their own blood, perished by fire. On the 
 following morning, the British army was joined by general 
 Crawford's brigade, from Lisbon, consisting of those excellent 
 regiments, the 43d, 52d, and 95th. They had accomplished 
 sixty-two miles in twenty-six hours, in the hottest season of the 
 year, burdened with their knapsacks and ammunition. It ia 
 well observed by colonel Napier, " that had the historian Gib- 
 bon known of such a march, he would have spared his sneof 
 about the delicacy of modern soldiers." During the 29th, 30th, 
 and 31st, the enemy disappeared. 
 
 There were not wanting cold men in England to deny that 
 their countrymen who fought at Talavera had won a victory. 
 The truth is, it was a very great and a very important victory. 
 The future fate of the war hung upon the issue ofthairKtniggle. 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley, on that great and mcnnorable day, think- 
 ing calmly amid the thunder of the battle, saw on every side 
 what was wanted, and where, and when ; and superadding to 
 the dauntless bravery of his men his own moral courage, he 
 achieved a great success, and won at his sword's point the coro- 
 net which his king bestowed. 
 
 We have always regarded this action as one that saved the 
 cause, and prolonged the struggle. The time gained by this 
 severe blow against the French was the invaluable and precious 
 consequence of the battle ; but for it, Portugal would have been 
 uavaded that year, and could not have been defended. 
 
 We must turn, however, to the consideration of those circum- 
 stances, which, by their unhappy and vexatious workuig, shadowed 
 over for a time the glory of this success, and colored the affairs 
 of the Peninsula with a gloom whicli begat despondency in 
 many bosoms. First, then, the battle of Talavera, ably directed, 
 bravely fought, and nobly won, weis barren of immediate results 
 favorable to our arms, and was, in fact, followed by much dis- 
 tress and perplexity. It is Imown, indeed, tliat the king was 
 greatly alarmed for Madrid, and that Victor was. -greatly dis- 
 turbed by the reappearance of Sir Robert Wilson at Escalona, 
 who during the action had moved near to Cazalegas ; but they 
 were frightened with very little reason : the British could not 
 pursue them. It was with great difficulty that Sir Arthur could 
 procure nourishment and assistance for his wounded ; and, after 
 all, scarce sufficient to supjxjrt them. 
 
 On the 30th information was received by Sir Arthur that 
 12,000 rations had been ordered for a French corps on the road 
 from Alba de Tormes towards Bejar. This road traverses the 
 mountains to Plasencia by the Puerto de Bancs ; a pass which 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 145 
 
 Sir Arthur had thouglit effectually secured before he advanced 
 from Plasencia. But under actual circumstances the news was 
 embanassing ; nevertheless, the general trusted that the troops 
 in the Puerto might make some defence if the enemy actually 
 advanced ; and was not, indeed, without hope that the intelli- 
 gence of his success against Victor and the king might deter 
 5iem from prosecuting tlieir movement Still lie urged Cuesta 
 to send a Spanish division of some strength to that point with- 
 out loss of time. Cuesta refused, and proposed that Sir Robert 
 Wilson should march there ; though he was sensible how very 
 important was tlie presence of that officer at Escalona. 
 
 it was not till tiie morning of the 2d that Sir Arthur could 
 prevail witli his obstinate ally to detach general Bassecourt witli 
 a division towards Banos. On that same day intelligence ar- 
 rived tliat the enemy had entered Plasencia ; and tliat the mar- 
 quis de la Reyna, whose two battalions only consisted of 600 
 men, with twenty rounds of ammunition, had abandoned the 
 pass of Banos without firing a sliot ; and had hastened on from 
 Plasencia to Ahnaraz, announcing his intention to remove the 
 bridge. 
 
 Cuesta now proposed to Sir Artlmr that half of the army 
 should march to the rear to oppose the enemy, while the other 
 half should niaintain tlie post of Talavera. The general re- 
 plied, that if by half the army he meant half of each army, to 
 such an arrangement he could not consent ; that he would eitlier 
 go or stay with the whole British army, but would not divide 
 the force witli whicJi he had been intrusted. 
 
 On the 3d of August, tlierefore. Sir Arthur marched from 
 Talavera to Oropesa, intending to unite with Bassecourt's divis* 
 ion, and to fight the enemy at Plasencia, whom he estimated at 
 15,000 men. 
 
 At five o'clock on the evening of this day he heard that the 
 JVench had advanced from Plasencia to Navalmoral, and were 
 between the allies and the bridge of Almaraz. An hour after- 
 wards came letters from Cuesta, to say, that from intercepted 
 dispatches addressed to Soult, it appeared that marshal was at 
 the head of a mucli larger force than Sir Arthur imagined ; 
 that the French were again advancing in his front, and that 
 he should break up from Talavera that evening, and march 
 to join the British, tliat he might aid them in the approacliing 
 contest 
 
 This sudden abandonment of the British hospitals exceedingly 
 distressed Sir Arthur Wellesley. He wrote instantly to entreat 
 Cuesta to hold his ground till tJie morrow at all events, that the 
 British wounded might if poesible be removed ; but Cuesta was 
 already on his way. 
 
 The position of the allies was now perilous: on the one side 
 
 Vol. I. N 
 
146 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 were 30,000 French troops barring up the valley of the Tagus ; 
 on the other, no doubt, as sr)on as Cuesta's retreat was known, 
 Victor would again press onwards; and, pfter allowing for his 
 late losses, and for a corps of 12,000 detached to observe Vane- 
 gas, he could still muster 25,000 combatants. A battle fought 
 with these armies on two distinct days, and in two separate 
 fields of action, might, mdeed, bring deliverance; but to do so, 
 both must be successful ; for the loss of either would be imme- 
 diate ruin, there being no retreat. 
 
 Now, could any confidence have been placed in the Spanish 
 troops, notwithstanding the exhaustion and fatigue of the Brit- 
 ish, this would doubtless have been the boldest course, and suc- 
 cess would have proved a surpassing triumph; but for this 
 there was need of steadier discipline and sterner stufi" than the 
 Spanish camp could furnish. Accordingly, Sir Arthur came to 
 the resolution of passing the bridge of Arzobispo, and taking up 
 a line of defence behind the Tagus, before the French could 
 seize the Col de Mirabete, and cut off the road to Truxillo and 
 Merida. 
 
 This plan Cuesta (who embodied in his own person all the 
 obstinacy and contradiction which writers of comedy have im- 
 agined) as usual opposed, and vapored about fighting at Oropesa. 
 The British general told him that he miglit act as ho judged 
 best; but the British army should not be sacrificed: accordingly, 
 orders were immediately issued for the marcli of the British. 
 He led them across the Tagus by the bridge of Arzobispo on 
 the 4th, and conductuig them by Toralida and the pass of Meza 
 d'lbor to Deleytosa, there halted them in a position favorable for 
 the defence of the passage of Almaraz, and having a clear line 
 of retreat to the frontier of Portugal. 
 
 By great exertions, and by tlie sacrifice of much baggage. 
 Sir Arthur Wellesley got together about forty cars ; and with 
 this aid about 2000 of the wounded were brought off" from 
 Talavera, while about 1500 of the worst cases, whom under no 
 circumstances it would have been safe or humane to move, 
 were left in the hospitals, and recommended to the care and the 
 attention of the enemy. 
 
 Cuesta did not cross the river till the 5th ; established hun- 
 self with the main body at Peralada de Garben, and left a di- 
 vision of infantry at Arzobispo, together with all the cavalry of 
 Albuquerque. Six thousand French horse and a brigade of 
 infantry forded the river about two o'clock in the day upon the 
 8th; and surprising these Spaniards took five pieces of artillery 
 and about 400 prisoners, and drove away the whole force in 
 very shameful confusion. Tlie Spanish foot made for the 
 mountains. 
 
 On the 11th the British head-quarters moved to Jaraicejo. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 147 
 
 TWO divisions occupied Almaraz and the Puerto do Mirabete. 
 The main body of the army was cantoned in the villages round 
 the head-quarters ; and the cavalry were sent for the sake of 
 their horses to the city of TruxUlo. At the same time the 
 Spaniards established their head-quarters in Deleytosa, and oc- 
 cupied Meza d'Ibor and Campillo. Thus the allies had a good 
 defensive line upon the Tagus : and holding as they did the 
 impregnable passes of Meza d'Ibor and the Col de Mirabete, 
 the mere power of passing the river gave the enemy no advan- 
 tage whatever ; for by these mountain barriers their move- 
 ments must have been confined to the narrow space upon its 
 banks. 
 
 At this time marshal Bcresford with a considerable body of 
 Portuguese troops was in position near Zarza Mayor; and 
 general Catlin Crawford, with four British regiments, wtis in 
 communication with the marshal from Castello Branco. 
 
 This general was prepared to arrest upon the frontier any 
 French corps which should attempt a passage into Portugal. 
 The confidence of Beresford and the quietness of the French 
 in Plasencia, permitted Sir Arthur Wellesley to repose without 
 any anxiety in his present position. 
 
 Of the JVench corps from the north all that at this time waa 
 accurately known was, that they occupied Plasencia in strength, 
 sending jKitrois and fiiraging parties to the vicinity of Coria; 
 and that a division had mcjved to the Puerto de Bafios to inter- 
 cept Sir Robert Wilson. That officer, falling lack from Esca- 
 lona upon the British left, and being too late to retire on Arzo- 
 bispo, had now penetrated to Bafios, through the mountains by 
 tlie pass of Tomavacas, and he awaited this attack. Being 
 witiiout artillery, and his force weak in numbers and exliaustea 
 by long and severe fatigues, he was defeated and driven from 
 the pass by the French of Ney's corps, who afterwards continued 
 their march to Salamanca. 
 
 Sir Robert Wilson had rendered himself most useful in the 
 command of the Portuguese and Spaniards with which he had 
 been detached throughout this campaign. Before the battle of 
 Talavera he had pushed his parties almost to the gates of Mad- 
 rid, and been in communication with that city. In fact, he 
 would have entered Madrid, if it had not been necessary to re- 
 call him when the general engagement was expected. He was 
 a zealous officer, well acquainted with the country in which he 
 was acting, and possessing tlie confidence of the troops which 
 ho commanded. 
 
 Talavcm was now again in the possession of Victor; and it is 
 gratifying t) record of iiim, that he treated the British wounded 
 with great attention and hnnmnity. 
 
 On the 12th of August Cuesta was recalled from the com- 
 
148 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 mand of the Spanish army, and it devolved upon general Eguia. 
 This was well pleasing to Sir Arthur ; for a more obstinate, in- 
 tractable, incapable old man than Cuesta could scarce be found. 
 He never agreed to any thing without demurring, and to few 
 things at all. He was never willing either to help the British 
 wants himself, or to aid them with his authority while making 
 their own exertions. He saw our wounded without transport ; 
 and though the Spanish army was encumbered with carts and 
 conveyances, yet did he only furnish seven cars to their hos- 
 pitals when they were in such necessity at Talavera. He 
 thwarted Sir Arthur Wellesley on every occasion ; and refused 
 those very favors which a soldier and a patriot should have felt 
 himself honored in bestowing : as, for example, when at Tala- 
 vera Sir Arthur applied to him for ninety artillery horses or 
 mules to supply the place of those killed in the action, Cuesta, 
 on the very field of victory, refused them ; while at the same 
 time whole trains of cumbrous cars, drawn by fine cattle, were 
 in the Spanish camp. In fact, there never was a man less quali- 
 fied than Cuesta to command an army ; nor could one among 
 all the Spanish leaders be found of a temper less suited to act 
 in concert with an ally. Nevertheless, in parting from this 
 crabbed veteran, it should be added, there were about him re- 
 deeming qualities. He was brave, faithful, and true ; he loved 
 Spain; he hated her enemies; and, unhappily, his prejudices 
 agamst all foreigners were so strong, that England and her 
 officers came in for their share of his suspicion, jealousy, and 
 mistrust. Moreover, he had the pride and wilfulness of age, 
 and bristled up not only at every attempt to control his move- 
 ments, but even from the silken leading-rein of persuasion he 
 would start and break away. 
 
 We turn to Vanegas : — his army, both before and after the 
 battle of Talavera, was kept in a state of shamefiil inaction. 
 Their part of the concerted movements against Madrid was 
 never fulfilled. Vanegas was perplexed by orders and advice 
 of the most contradictory and irreconcilable nature ; but, obey- 
 ing the secret orders of the junta, he delayed iiis march, and 
 changed its direction. On the 29th he was at Ocana, with his 
 advance at Aranjuez ; having a division under Lacy in front of 
 Toledo, which was wasting powder and time in a useless and 
 harmless cannonade with the garrison. His posts at Aranjuez 
 were attacked by the enemy on tlie 5th of August, and success- 
 fully maintained. Vanegas, after this, retired towards the Sierra 
 Morena ; but suddenly and most imprudently changing his pur- 
 pose, he returned towards Toledo, and concentrated his army at 
 Almonacid on the 10th, with the design of attacking the French 
 upon the 12th : on the 11th, however, Sebastiani was already in 
 front of his position, and became the assailant. The action 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 149 
 
 lasted some hours ; there was a great deal of sharp fighting ; 
 and many of the Spanish regiments, both flxit and horse, be- 
 haved in a manner that merited success : but the discipline and 
 the nionctinvrcs of the warlike brigades of France did of course 
 prevail. The moment came, when broken formations on the 
 one side, and changes of direction on the other, required that 
 the SiKiniards should manoeuvre as well as fight. Confiision of 
 necessity ensued ; the disorder could not be repaired ; they 
 broke and dispersed ; and again the sabres of French horsemen 
 ran red witli the blood of Spain. Sebastian! purchased this 
 victfjry witli the loss of 1500 good soldiers. That of Vanogas 
 amounted to 7(MHt slain and captured; and he led away his dis- 
 comfited battalions to a position of strength and security in the 
 Sierra Morena. 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 OBSEKVATiONS O.N THE CAMrAIGX OF TAI.AVERA. — THE RETREAT OF SIR 
 
 ARTHUR VVELLESf.EY TO THE FnONTlER OF POPTt'GAL. THE I>IS- 
 
 PATCH OF LORO WELt.ESI.EY CONX'ERN/\G THFS MOVEMENT. THE 
 
 ARMY CAN-^ONE') NEAR THE GUADIANA. THE SICKNESS OF THE 
 
 TROOPS. — THE SPANIARDS BEATEN AT OCANA AND ALBA DE TORMES. 
 REMARKS UPON THEIR DISASTERS. THE GUERRILLAS. — NOTICE 
 
 OF LORD Wellington's movements. — the army breaks up from 
 
 THE GUADIANA. 
 
 Had the army of Cuesta been in the state of efficiency re- 
 presented t(j the English general, — had Cuesta been a cordial 
 ctadjutor. — had tiie supreme junta been single in their aim, 
 zealous in tlieir service, and wise in their arrangements, — and 
 liad Vanegas licen permitted to fulfil his part in the concerted 
 oi)crations against Madrid, at what period of the war was there 
 so bright and so hopeful a prospect as tliat which shone out 
 upon the columns of the British army when they marched back 
 from the north (>f Portugal to the banks of the Tagus, to ope- 
 rate offensively against Victor I We say, that even a Fabius at 
 that moment might have felt the advance prudent and of good 
 promise ; that there was all hope to marcii victoriously to the 
 gates of Mmlrid. Kut we have seen, first, that the British leader 
 was delaycil at Abrantes for want of money in his military 
 chest; next, that lie found but a weak support in the troops of 
 Cuesta, and in the man himself a stumbling-block hi the path 
 of victory; airnin, tiiat the supreme junta neutralized the power 
 of Vanegas ; and, fhially, tliey left the British army to starve 
 amid toils and condiats tliat demandeil the incessant exercise of 
 all tlie pliysicol energy it possessed. Reverse the picture from 
 wliat it was, and where would have been tlie danger upon Sir 
 N2 
 
150 MILITARY MEMOinS OP 
 
 Arthur's flank 1 and, if menaced, how strongly and effectually 
 might the passes between Salamanca and the Tagus have been 
 guarded ! The men, who beat Soult at Oporto, and Victor, or 
 the king, at Talavera, would have fought their road gaily to the 
 capital : and if, under such circumstances, Soult had again in- 
 vaded Portugal, a district of that land might perhaps have been 
 traversed and laid desolate ; but with a hostile and victorious 
 army in the heart of Spain, with a fresh impulse and a fresh 
 strength imparted to the Spanish people, the French could not 
 have remained in Portugal, where all hearts were against them; 
 moreover they would have been wanted elsewhere. Nay, even 
 as matters actually fell out, could Sir Arthur Wellesley have 
 commanded two full days' rations for his men, he might, and 
 probably lie would, have advanced to the capital ; and though 
 Soult should have filled the valley of the Tagus with troops as 
 he did, the line of La Mancha would, at all events, have been 
 open. But the want of provisions, and the want of transport, 
 weighed down the wings of our British eagle, and he could not 
 soar as he aspired to do. From the time when the Spanish and 
 British armies joined, on the 22d of July, the English had often 
 no ration, but meat without salt, and flour or grain instead of 
 bread ; and even of it a most scanty portion, amounting only to 
 the third, or at most the half, of a full ration. The horses sel- 
 dom or never received a regular delivery of forage ; and the 
 cavalry had to pick up what they could, going for it to a great 
 distance. As a consequence of these privations, the loss and 
 the sickness of the English horses was so great, that in the 
 middle of August the six cavalry regiments wanted one thou- 
 sand horses to complete them ; and the artillery had but few 
 cattle, and those so feeble they could scarcely draw the guns. 
 
 As another consequence of the severe wants of the army, the 
 officers and men (for all fared alike) fell sick in great numbers ; 
 and being without salt to season their tasteless food, and with 
 no other drink than water, they were almost all affected with 
 dysentery; meanwhile, nevertheless, they all lay out in the 
 damp and dewy nights, and continued, in despite of their weak- 
 ness, to perform all the duties required of them. In considera- 
 tion of all these untoward circumstances. Sir Arthur Wellesley 
 resolved to retire towards the frontier of Portugal ; and with 
 that view he broke up from Jaraicejo, on the 20th of August, 
 and marched upon Truxillo. In communicating this step to the 
 ministers at home, the general further stated, that he had never 
 been able to procure means of transport since his arrival in 
 Spain ; that he was obliged to employ the largest proportion of 
 the carts of the army, whether they carried money or ammuni- 
 tion, to convey the wounded soldiers to the hospital at Elvas : 
 that he was obliged to lay down a quantity of ammunition at 
 
THE DUKE OF WEI.LIXGTOV. 151 
 
 Meza d'Ibor and Deleytosa, wliicli was delivered to the Spanish 
 general ; that the few carts remaining with tiie army were re- 
 quired to move the sick he then had ; that he iiad been obliged 
 to leave behind him his reserve ammunition, which lie had like- 
 wise given to the Spanish troops ; and that if he liad waited 
 longer, he could not have moved at all witliout leaving his sick 
 behind : but he observed, that from the dispersed state of the 
 French armies, and the losses they had sustained, the Spanish 
 troops were not likely to suifer any inconvenience from the ab- 
 sence of their allies ; and that upon the frontier of Portugal he 
 iiopcd to supply his distressed soldiers with every thing they 
 might want. 
 
 The corps of the enemy which had been engaged in the late 
 operations were at this moment distributed as follows : Victor 
 held Talavera, and had troops in La Mancha ; Sebastiani was 
 in JjL Mancha; Mortier occupied Oropesa, Arzobispo, and 
 Naval Moral; the head-quarters of Soult were at Plasencia; 
 those of Ney at Salamanca. From this distribution of the 
 enemy's force. Sir Arthur inferred that it was obvious they did 
 not intend at that time to undertake any offensive operationa 
 Soult, indeed, had projected the invasion of Portugal from Pla- 
 sencia, desiring that Ney should assist in this expedition, by 
 advancing from Salamanca with the same object. This plan of 
 operations he proposed to the king ; but Joseph, guided by the 
 judgment of marshal Jourdan, rejected this proposal. Indeed, 
 the prudence of it was very questionable, and Ney, an officer 
 of great experience, strongly discouraged it The truth is, a 
 straighttbrward, unobstructed march upon Lisbon was not feasi- 
 ble. Inefficient as was the Portuguese army under marshal 
 Beresford, it would Iiave rendered good service among the 
 mountains of Beira. The heart of the whole nation was against 
 the invader; and his corps would have been followed by the 
 British army. This plan being rejected, Soult projxised that at 
 all events Ciudad Rodrigo should be immediately besieged ; but 
 this project, thougii undeniably a wise measure, obtained no 
 better reception at the French head-quarters, where it was 
 already resolved to defer the invasion of Portugal till the spring 
 of the following year ; and to employ their disposable force that 
 autumn and winter in subjugating the south of Spain. Sir Ar- 
 thur Wellesley had it in view at first, after passing south of the 
 Tagus, to act against the French at Plasencia, for which pur- 
 pose he had ordered materials to be collected for repairing the 
 oridge called Puente de Cardinal. But when he abandoned the 
 idea of any such movement, he sent a detachment to break 
 down another arch of the Cardinal's Bridge, tliat no movable 
 column of the enemy might disturb him. 
 We should have before noticed, that the central junta ex- 
 
152 MILITARY MEMOinS OF 
 
 pressed its sense of Sir Ariliur Wereslcy's services, by appoint- 
 ing Iiim a captain-general in the Soan'Sii service, and presenting 
 him with six Andalnsian liorses in the name <if kinif Ferdinand. 
 He accepted the horses and the appointment also, (submitting 
 this acceptance to the pleasure of the king of England,) but 
 with a becoming disinterestedness, and a consideration for the 
 finances of Spain, he declined the pay attached to the rank 
 which was conferred on him. In England, as soon as the news 
 of the victory arrived, he was raised to the peerage by the titles 
 of baron Douro of Wellesley, and viscount Wellington of Tala- 
 vera and of Wellington in the county of Somerset. 
 
 A few days after the battle of Talavera, marquis Wellesley 
 landed at Cadiz to supersede Mr. Frere. The reception of the 
 marquis, both at Cadiz and Seville, was very flattering ; and 
 manifested most clearly their warm attachment and real grati- 
 tude to the Britisli nation. But, while charmed with tlie ])eople, 
 he soon discovered the incapacity, the meanness, and the in- 
 triguing spirit of the junta. As soon as he was in communica- 
 tion with Sir Arthur, and was made acquainted with the state 
 of matters in the field, he seconded the remonstrances of the 
 British general with all the weight of his station and his talents. 
 His efforts were vain : the government was, indeed, lavish of 
 promises, and sent Don Lorenzo Calvo, a member of their own 
 body, to arrange for the supply of both the armies; but the 
 English army was in no respect better supplied, and remained 
 without either sufficient or wholesome sustenance till Sir Ar- 
 thur Wellesley broke up from Jaraicejo, and commenced his re- 
 treat. Sir Arthur Wellesley halted at Merida; and he here 
 received a dispatch from the marquis Wellesley, some para- 
 graphs of which I transcribe. 
 
 " Although M. dc Garay and his government must have been 
 prepared to expect the early notification of your return to Por- 
 tugal, from every communication which I had made since my 
 arrival at Seville, and especially from your recent dispatches 
 (which I had regularly put into M. de Garay's Jjands), the most 
 violent emotions of alarm and consternation seemed to be ex- 
 cited by the near approach of on event so long foreseen. 
 
 "lam aware that the absolute necessity of the case is the 
 sole cause of a movement so entirely contrary to your inclina- 
 tion. 
 
 " I am also fully sensible not only of the indelicacy, but of the 
 inutility of attempting to offer to you any opinion of mine, in a 
 situation where your own judgment must be your best guide ; 
 and where no useful suggestions could arise in my mind, which 
 must not already have been anticipated by your own expe- 
 rience, comprehensive knowledge, and ardent zeal for the pub- 
 lic welfare. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 153 
 
 " Viewing, however, go nearly the painfiil consequences of 
 your immediate retreat into Portugal, I have deemed it to be 
 ray duty to submit to your consideration the possibility of adopt- 
 ing an intermediate plan, which might combine some of the ad- 
 vantages of your return into Portugal, without occasioning 
 alarm in Spain, and without endangering the foundations of the 
 alliance between this country and Great Britain. 
 
 " But it would be vain to urge these considerations beyond 
 the extent in which they may be approved by your judgment. 
 It will be sufficient for me to receive an early intimation of your 
 opinion, and to be enabled to state it distinctly to this govern- 
 ment, which looks to your decision on the present occasion as 
 the final determination of its fate, and of the existence of the 
 Spanish nation. That decision I am persuaded will be founded 
 on the same principles of wisdom, justice, and public spirit, 
 which have already obtained the respect, esteem, and confidence 
 of the Spanish nation ; and it will be my duty to endeavor to 
 satisfy this government (whatever may be the exigency of the 
 crisis) that no change has taken place m the sentiments or mo- 
 tives of action which have so cordially engaged their affection 
 and admiration." 
 
 Wo have quoted these copious extracts from the dispatch of 
 the marquis Wellesley, and placed tliem in the body of this 
 memoir, because they show what was the true and deliberate 
 estimation of the value of British aid, both with the government 
 and tiie people of Spain ; and because they show (after the 
 fullest allowance for all the dignified courtesies of expression 
 which abound in diplomatic correspondence) how great was the 
 reverence and respect with which the marquis Wellesley re- 
 garded the character of his brother ; how entirely he deferred 
 to his military judgment ; and how persuaded he was of the 
 plain immovable decision with which that judgment would be 
 formed, and parried out into action. The plan suggested by the 
 marquis Wellesley was, that the British and Siianish armies 
 should take up a defensive position on the left bank of the Gua- 
 diana ; thus covering the Alentejo and defending Seville. To 
 this lord Wellington objected ; for the line of the Guadiana was 
 weak, the river fordablo in many places, and the ground on its 
 banks aflbrdod no position which could possibly have been held 
 by the Spanish troops against the French. The Spaniards, in- 
 deed, could not be better placed at the moment than they were : 
 in fact, by occupying, as they did, the strong line of the Tagus, 
 and remaining on the defensive at Doleytosa and Almaraz, they 
 effectually covered the Guadiana, and that, too, in a position al- 
 most impregnable. As a measure of incrensctl precaution, lord 
 Wellington advised them to take up the bridge at Almaraz, and 
 67nd the pontoons to Badajos. To this last place be inarched 
 
154 MILITAKV MEMOIRS OF 
 
 himself in the heginning of September, and there established 
 his head-quarters. 
 
 It is hardly to be believed, tliat at this time the supreme junta 
 were not urging a renewal of offensive operations, to be under- 
 taken by the British and Spanish forces united ; the English 
 general, however, had determined to co-operate with the un- 
 disciplined levies of Spain no longer. Nevertheless, he did 
 consent to remain for a time upon the Spanish territory ; and 
 accordingly he cantoned the greater part of his force in the 
 towns and villages of Estremadura, contiguous to the frontier 
 of Portugal. 
 
 Upon the march from Jaraicejo to Badajos, lord Wellington 
 was for two days so unwell that he was obliged to travel in a 
 carriage ; but he battled with the malady, and shook it off. In 
 the cantonments now occupied by the British troops they had 
 both rest and food ; but there came upon them an enemy more 
 terrible and resistless than any human foe — fiery fever and chill 
 ague stole upon the gallant bands who had upheld the glory of 
 England on the bloody field of Talavera. la a few weeks 
 many thousand men were in hospital, in a few more some thou- 
 sands were in the grave. In one of these autumnal months the 
 deaths were 700, in another 13(KI; and brave young men, in the 
 very prime and heyday of their lives, moaned their last in pains 
 that tire;], and shiverings that humbled them. The fever gen- 
 erally assumed the intermitting form. This domestic terror 
 always appears in Estremadura during the autumnal season, and 
 its dreaded visit has passed into a proverb.* Unhappily wine 
 and spirits could not be procured in sufficient quantities to make 
 regular issues to the army. The hospitals, indeed, were sup- 
 plied, but even here there was a great lack of medical officers ; 
 and such was the scarcity of bark, that in the regimental hos- 
 pitals many perished for the want of it. During his stay at 
 Badajos, lord Wellington himself had a slight attack of the in- 
 termittent, and Cffisar (despite his will) trembled ; but to the 
 joy of all, the fever soon left him. It was remarkable, but in 
 some degree comforting, that while the sick in the general hos- 
 pital at Elvas were dyuig every day in fearful numbers, the 
 wounded were all doing well, and recovered fast. 
 
 At this period nothing could be more gloomy than the antici- 
 pations generally indulged in by the officers of the army ; es- 
 pecially by those who had been present through the campaign 
 of Talavera, and had witnessed the lamentable inefficiency of 
 all Spanish co-operation. It was commonly expected by the 
 many that the British troops would evacuate the Peninsula 
 
 * " In mesa de Setiembre 
 
 Toda la Estremadura tierable." 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTOV. 155 
 
 within six months. Amid all these trials and discouragements, 
 lord Wellington never for one moment atlmittcd into his bosom 
 any feeling of despondency : confident that, in spite of all the 
 disasters in Spain, he could make good the defence of Por- 
 tugal, he directed all the powers of his mind, and all the re- 
 sources of his genius, to that one object ; and how his noble 
 constancy was rewarded the events of the next campaign will 
 show. 
 
 We would here remark, that lord Wellington, whose opinions 
 concerning the Spanish government and tlie Spanish armies 
 had been mithfully and firmly given in the able and interesting 
 correspondence between himself and tlie marquis Wellcsley, 
 had here the opportunity of seeing, as indeed might have been 
 seen anywhere throughout the land, that the people of Spain 
 were true to themselves. The Estremadurans were most vio- 
 lent and loud against the supreme junta ; they suspected and 
 accused them of treachery by the very placards* on the walls 
 of Badajos ; they acknowledged that the British commander had 
 been most justly disgusted with their government, Neverthe- 
 less, with the wavering caprice of on unhappy nation, tossed to 
 and fro by tliosc buffets of misfortune whicli, in tiie defeat and 
 dispersion of those armies where lier sons were bleeding, they 
 continually received, after the fatal days of Ocana and Alba de 
 Tormes, they again railed at the Englisii ; began to tire of their 
 presence, and to ask, with an angry and an ignorant insolence, 
 why the British stayed in the rear ] why they remained upon 
 the soil of Spain at all, suffering Spaniards to fight their bat- 
 tles 1 Miserably, indeed, would those battles have been fought, 
 if the contest had been committed to Spanish generals and 
 Spanish armies. With a strange infatuation and with a blind 
 temerity, the junta once more resolved to act upon the offensive 
 in \a Manclia. They apix)inted Areizaga to command a force 
 of 50,000 men, placing Albufjuerque, who had nine or ten thou- 
 sand men in Estremadura, under the orders of this incapable 
 and inexjierienced young man. By this arrangement they over- 
 looked Castanos, Romana, and Albuquerque, three of the best 
 officers tliey had. No doubt, however, under these, if the junta 
 had commanded a general action, the army would have e<iually 
 sustained defeat ; but by their better talents it would have been 
 preserved from the signal discomfiture and utter ruin which 
 
 * Among otliere appeared this :— 
 Paz entrc In Francia 
 
 Y la Junta Central: 
 
 Artitulo^. 
 EI Tnjn nhnndonnilo, 
 El InglcM ilisitutailo, 
 El eiorrito i«.'riIito, 
 
 Y Badajos vciidito. 
 
156 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 ensued. On tlie 3d of November, Arcizaga, at the head of 
 43,000 infantry, 6600 horse, and sixty pieces of artillery, ad- 
 vanced from the Sierra Morena into the plains of La IWancha. 
 He drew up and offered battle at Ocana, in one of the most 
 open positions he could have chosen. lie placed a wing- of his 
 army on each side of the town ; stationed his second line close 
 to his first ; arrayed his cavalry in four lines upon his right, and 
 put his guns in battery upon his two flanks. 
 
 Thus situated he was attacked by two French corps. Mortier 
 commanded them, with Sebastiani for a second. Need tlie con- 
 sequence be told ! The Spaniards were routed with an immense 
 loss in prisoners, and four thousand slain. Only fifteen of their 
 guns were saved. The Spanish artillery had been well served 
 in this action, and some battalions fought very bi-avely ; but in 
 vain. A regiment of guards and a regiment of Seville left the 
 greater part of their officers and men upon the field. 
 
 The defeat of the Spanish army of La Mancha was followed 
 by the discomfiture of that under the duke del Parque. This 
 nobleman had obtained a very creditable success against a con- 
 siderable French corps under Marchand, on the 18th of October, 
 at Tamames. His position was a very strong one, and was 
 very stoutly defended. The French were there repulsed with 
 a loss of near three thousand men. Emboldened by this achieve- 
 ment, the duke ventured down into the open country of Castile, 
 and, afler some rash and foolish movements, was forced by Kel- 
 lerman to fight a battle at Alba de Tormes. In this action the 
 Spanish cavalry fled before the French dragoons without raising 
 a sword ; and the right flank of the foot being thus uncovered, 
 was charged, and, after a short but ineffectual resistance, broken. 
 The Spanish infantry on the left three times repulsed the 
 French horse, and retired under cover of the night in good 
 order ; but, in the morning, the very same men, finding a small 
 party of the enemy's cavalry in their rear, were stricken with 
 a sudden panic, and dispersed, throwing away their arms and 
 knapsacks ; and this too in sight of Tamames, where a m.onLh 
 before they had fought so well. The Spaniards lost five thou- 
 sand killed and taken, and all the artillery of their right wing. 
 In recording an action so disgraceful as this, we can only say, 
 that the Spanish soldiers had no confidence in themselves wlien 
 they were arrayed for battle against the French troops in an 
 open country. It has been acutely observed by the historian 
 Napier, in speaking of the French under Soult, and their wea- 
 riness and discontent, that "the mind shrinks from perpetual 
 contact with death."* Now, if this be true, as it is with all 
 
 * We well remember hearing a brave officer of a very distinguished British 
 regiment observe upon an occasion where the corjis had behaved nobly, and, 
 as usual, sustained a heavy loss, — " It is almost time that our old hands should 
 
THE DUKE OP WELUNGTON. 1 57 
 
 troops too often led against an enemy, although they should be 
 always victorious, in how great a measure will it be found so in 
 men familiar only with defeat ; formed only to be broken, fight- 
 ing only to be slain 1 For so it was : and let it be remembered, 
 that death in the onward path is not invested with any of those 
 terrors with which it meets its miserable victim, 
 
 " In the lost battle borne down by the flying." 
 
 Napoleon well knew what he was about when lie supplied 
 the French generals in Spain with such large and seemingly 
 disproportionate numbers of cavalry. Before the trampling of 
 his numerous and warlike squadpons, the hearts of the Spanish 
 soldiers, who had no confidence in their own discipline, no power 
 of formation and movement, and for a long time no ofliccrs 
 capable of instructing them, too often became fear-broken ; and 
 the glittering of French sabres was like the gleam of the ax 
 and the signal of execution. 
 
 The frequent and melancholy experience of their inefficiency 
 in regular warfare drove numbers of the dispersed, but not 
 disheartened, patriots to adopt a new mode of hostilities, which 
 harassed and distressed the French to an incredible degree. 
 
 They collected in small bands ; they chose leaders of a ready 
 intelligence and a daring courage ; and tliey commenced a sys- 
 tem of war in detail, wliich gratified their thirst for the invaders' 
 blood, and suited well with their melancholy fortunes. The 
 French had never found any difficulty in defeating the Spanish 
 armies t — "troops" says a French officer, "hastily raised, with- 
 out skill to manoeuvre, and embarrassed by tlie very numbers 
 which should have been their strength." 
 
 But now they were engaged with the nation; — tliey stood 
 side by side in the market-places with men who were marking 
 them for a prey. The peasant was seen plowing peaceably in 
 his field ; but in one of the furrows lay his long Spanish gun, 
 ready to give aid in any chance contest between the partidas, 
 or guerrillas, and the passing detachments of the enemy. • Not 
 a mountain pass in the romantic land but there lay among the 
 
 be tent home ; they have hail too much of this : they were as steady as usual, 
 but not in such vond humor as the men who last came out ; a few more such 
 victoric'fi would sicken them." We 9|«'ak from memory, an<l at a distance of 
 nearly ninetwn years; but a more zealous and a more gallant oflirer than be 
 who made the observation could not have been found among British 
 grenadiers. 
 
 t We deny that they ever had an army, though we use the word ; they had 
 levies of armed men, liut no armies. " What the Spaniards cali armies," is the 
 expression nf Sir John Moore ; and the duke of Albuquerque, speaking of the 
 army of (^ii'sla, says, " On our marches \vc stop to repose like a flock of sheep, 
 without takJMj; up any pn^ition; and airuin, we march as if it were on a pil- 
 grimage, without any regard to distance, order, or method." Although these 
 remarks of the diiko's apply to tlio incompetency of Cucsta, thoy picture fliith- 
 (blly the mnrchus of Spanish armies. 
 
 Vol. I. O 
 
158 MILITARY MEMOIRS OB 
 
 rocks and bushes a group of these fierce and formidable men, 
 awaiting the expected convoy or the feeble company. Even in 
 the plains the posts of correspondence were compelled to fortify 
 a belfry, or tower, or house ; and the sentinel kept his vigilant 
 look-out from a scaffolding of planks, that he might see all that 
 passed in the fields around ; nor could any of the soldiers ven- 
 ture beyond the inclosure thus fortified, for fear of assassination. 
 To lead these guerrilla bands, the priest girded up his black 
 robe, and stuck pistols in his belt — the student threw aside his 
 books, and grasped a sword — the shepherd forsook his flock — 
 the husbandman his home. 
 
 One of the most celebrated of the guerrilla chiefs, thus sim- 
 ply tells the commencement of his military life : — 
 
 " I was born at Idozin, a village of Navarre, on the 17th of 
 June, 1781. My parents were John Stephen Espoz y Mina, 
 and Mary Terese, Ilundain y Ardaiz, honest farmers of that 
 province. 
 
 " As soon as I had learned to read and write, I devoted myself 
 to the labors of husbandry ; and when my father died I took 
 charge of the little farm, which constituted the patrimony of 
 my family. In this manner I lived till the age of twenty-six 
 years. 
 
 " My patriotism being then excited by the treacherous inva- 
 sion of Spain by Napoleon in 1808, after having done all the 
 harm I could to the French in my own village, I abandoned it, 
 and enlisted as a soldier in Doyle's battalion, on the 8th of Feb- 
 ruary, 1809. 
 
 " Having joined, a short time after, the guerrilla commanded 
 by my nephew Xavier Mina, I continued still as a private sol- 
 dier, when this guerrilla being disbanded, in consequence of 
 the capture of my nephew, seven of the men named me their 
 chief, and with them. I began to co7nmand." 
 
 Such was the origin of this famous guerrilla chief, and such 
 his first rank and service. Similar was the origin and service 
 of many others, who never rose to the distinction obtained by 
 this brave, enterprishig, and fortunate individual. 
 
 The number of these armed bands was very great, and some 
 few of the self-elected chiefs, or of those chosen by smugglers 
 and robbers to be their leaders, became a terror to the villages 
 which they visited, and committed great oppressions, plundering 
 friends as well as enemies : but even these were keen after the 
 invaders' blood ; — while the good and true patriots, who were 
 led by good and true men, met on all sides assistance and en- 
 couragement, and were in constant communication with the 
 inhabitants of every town and village in which the French 
 troops were cantoned. 
 
 The stratagems of the leaders of these bands were infinitely 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 1 59 
 
 varied ; and the very nature of their service, demanding at one 
 moment the greatest secrecy and address, and admitting at 
 anotlier a display of heroic energy, had about it a wild charm 
 that fascinated all gallant and enterprising spirits. 
 
 The principal cliieftains of these partidas, were the two Minas 
 and Renovales, in Navarre and Arragon ; Porlier, named the 
 Marquisetto, and Longa, in the Asturias and Biscay; Juan 
 Martin, or El Empecinado, in New Castile ; Juan Paladea, or 
 El Medico, in La Mancha; the curate Mermo and others, in 
 Castile ; the friar Sapia, of Soria ; Juan Abril, of Segovia ; the 
 doctor Rovera, in Catalonia ; and Julian Sanchez in the neigh- 
 borhood of Salamanca ; and a long list of names of lesser note, 
 well known in the vicinity of those places where they acted 
 against the enemy. There were not less than fifty thousand of 
 these irregular combatants in Spain at one period of the war, 
 and many of them were actuated by very noble motives and the 
 true love of their country. It were a waste of words to insist 
 upon the injury which these parties inflicted on the French ar- 
 mies, or upon the very material advantage derived by Spain, by 
 Portugal, and by the British aiiny, from their active and perse- 
 vering exertions. We know that, in an after-period of the 
 war, lord Wellington himself appreciated their important ser- 
 vices most highly. 
 
 We may here observe that some of the British wounded, 
 taken in the hospitals at Talavera, effected their escape in the 
 autumn, and found their way back to the British cantonments, 
 being fed and assisted on their route by the inhabitants of the 
 country. It is true, we know it is true, that tlie people of Tal- 
 avera, and of many other places, hoarded up their grain, and 
 would not produce it, either for the British or the Spanish ar- 
 mies. They had become selfish from hard necessity. The 
 owners of tlie grain feared the loss of their store without any 
 remuneration ; and the poor of the towns and villages, dreading 
 scarcity and want, would not divulge the secret of the existence 
 of such stores, or of the places of deposit. " My children can- 
 not eat gold," was the reply of a peasant upon one occasion of 
 great scarcity in Spain, when an officer, in a hunger he could 
 scarcely endure, oflered a doubloon for a loaf of bread. It was 
 the invariable custom of the Spaniards during the war to bake 
 by stealth ; and the goal wives would move about their dwell- 
 ings, while the important business was going on, as if they 
 were engaged in some guilty matter and feared detection. 
 
 Lord Wellington went to Lislwn on the 8th of October, and 
 returne<l to Ikdajoz at the end of the month. Important was 
 the object of this visit : it was upon this occasion tliat he made 
 a personal reconnaissance of the country in froHt of Lisbon, and 
 resolved upon the construction of those famous lines of Toires 
 
160 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Vedras, which enabled him to stay the tide of French invasion, 
 and triumph over a numerous and formidable host with forces 
 very inadequate to the deadly struggle of the field. Of this 
 intention nothing was said, nothing whispered, at the time. He 
 returned to his head-quarters full of spirit and animation ; and 
 upon the 1st of November he again quitted Badajoz and rode 
 to Seville. About the middle of the month he again appeared 
 at head-quarters, having, during his absence, accompanied lord 
 Wellesley to Cadiz, on the embarkation of that nobleman for 
 England. Things now began to look better : there were sup- 
 plies in abundance ; clothing had come up for the British regi- 
 ments, of which they stood in the greatest need ; the weather 
 became cold and frosty ; and, although the hospitals were full, 
 from the cantonments the intermittent fever now disappeared, 
 and the men at their duty enjoyed good health. Lord Welling- 
 ton was much occupied in his bureau, and for the sake of 
 health, and diversion of the mind, went out daily with his 
 fowling-piece upon the plains. He had one day of princely 
 sport in the royal park of Villa Vi^iosa, a hunting-palace of the 
 kings of Portugal. Upon this occasion one wild boar and twenty- 
 five head of deer were heaped upon the sward as the trophy 
 of the day. He was always gay and good-humored with those 
 about him, and inspirmg others with the confidence which he 
 evidently felt himself 
 
 Upon the 15th of December he broke up from his canton- 
 ments on the Guadiana, and led his army (with the exception 
 of Hill's corps, which was left to observe the Alentojo,) to the 
 neighborhood of the Coa. The preparations of the French for 
 the invasion of Portugal had now assumed an intelligible char- 
 acter ; and Ciudad Rodrigo, a Spanish fortress immediately 
 upon the frontier, and not very distant from Almeida, was al- 
 ready menaced. While his columns were crossing the Tagus, 
 and pursuing their march to the new line of cantonments ap- 
 pointed for them, lord Wellington again visited Lisbon. He 
 now made another reconnoissance of the positions near that 
 capital, and gave his final orders for the works to be erected. 
 He again rode over the range of hills to select his line of de- 
 fence. He fixed the principal points, marked the great outline, 
 and leaving the detail and execution of this great work to 
 lieutenant-colonel Fletcher, an able and meritorious officer 
 worthy of all confidence, he rejoined his army, and established 
 his head-quarters at Vizeu. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 161 
 
 CHAP. XVIL 
 
 LORD WELLINGTON IS APPOINTED MARSHAL-GENERAL OF THE LU8ITA- 
 
 NIAN FORCES. PROGRESS OF THE WAR IN SPAIN. OPINIONS IN 
 
 ENGLAND CONCERNING THE DEFENCE OF PORTUGAL. POSITION OF 
 
 THE ALLIES. CONDUCT OF LORD WELLINGTON. — ASSEMBLY OF 
 
 THE ARMY OF INVASION UNDER MASSENA. 
 
 By a royal decree published at Lisbon on the 23d of Novem- 
 ber, 1809, and dated at Rio Janeiro in the July preceding, lord 
 Wellington was appointed marshal-general of the forces of Por- 
 tugal. The regency were commanded to invite liim to all their 
 sittings, and to consult with him on all projected measures of 
 importance. This appointment invested lord Wellington with 
 an authority in all military affairs supreme; and gave him a 
 voice in all civil arrangements and financial regulations, which 
 could not be heard witliout attention and respect. Already it 
 was well and widely known in Portugal, tliat they had to do 
 with a nobleman of liberal disinterested views, and of a straight- 
 forward integrity. This wise confidence of the court of Portu- 
 gal was bestowed upon one who felt the honor and the value of 
 80 great a trust : nor can there be one individual . found in that 
 country to stand forward and say, that the power and influence 
 which it gave was in any instance abused. 
 
 It is a great pleasure to know that we write the memoir of a 
 general, who, although his commands have been many and con- 
 siderable, and the tlieatre of his services has been oflen varied, 
 was never yet charged with one act of rapacity or of cruelty ; 
 that we find no stain of severity upon his hand, no dirt of plun- 
 der adhering to his honorable sword, no tears of desolated prov- 
 inces to dim the lustre of his laurels. 
 
 With a calm and cheerful resolution lord Wellington took 
 ujx)n himself the heavy charge and the high respcn.sil)ility of 
 defending this little kingdom against the most formidable mili- 
 tary power in Europe; and secure in tlie bravery of his few but 
 faithful Britons, and in tlie willing devotion of tlie Portuguese 
 Boldicry, he looked onwards to the impending fitruggle without 
 dismay, lie enjoyed the confidence of the council, of the army, 
 of tlie people of Portugal. Whatever suggestions he oflered 
 were cordially adopted ; and the absence of^ the court (tliough 
 friendly) kept at a distance all those low jealousies and petty 
 intrigues which might otlierwise have thwarted and perplexed 
 him. 
 
 Tiie men of the Portuguese army rapidly improved in ap- 
 pearance and discipline, and gave good promise of efficient aid 
 m the approaching contest But there was one branch of that 
 army full of evil, stubborn, and intractable ; its commissariat 
 02 
 
162 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 was inefficient for the troops, and oppressive to the people. 
 Here reformation was opposed by all the cunning and intrigue 
 to which self-interest and avarice so eagerly resort. There is 
 no canker which does so surely eat out the heart of patriotic 
 exertions as the sin of covetousness : by this the success in 
 Spain was ever much impeded ; and by this the difficulty of the 
 defensive war in Portugal was greatly increased : but by the 
 close and earnest attention of lord Wellington, many abuses 
 were swept away, and others diminished. 
 
 The exertions of marslial Beresford were indefatigable ; and 
 certainly it was no light labor to reform an army so long and 
 so shamefully neglected. Cleanliness, regularity, attendance at 
 all drills and parades, and prompt obedience to all orders, were 
 rigidly enforced both upon officers and men. Equal justice was 
 administered to the private soldier ; and the fidalgo officer was 
 taught to respect the rights, the character, and the person of the 
 meanest peasant in the camp. Thus the dirty, indolent, and 
 slovenly soldiers of the weakest and most perverted govern- 
 ment in Europe soon learned that respect for themselves which 
 drew all fear out of their hearts, and enabled them to contem- 
 plate the war, not only without alarm, but with the hope of 
 victory. 
 
 It is a difficult task to reform and correct abuses, without ex- 
 citing ill-will in the breasts of many ; and, thankful to marshal 
 Beresford for what he did, we must not complain unreasonably 
 concerning that which he failed to do. It was his aim to inspire 
 awe into all beneath him. The wisdom of this aim we question; 
 it frightened only his worst officers, and discontented many of 
 his best. His manners v/ere harsh and unpopular, and formed a 
 great contrast to the patient good-humor and quietness of lord 
 Wellington. 
 
 The British head-quarters were established at Vizeu on the 
 I2th of January, 1810 ; and the divisions of the army were so 
 disposed as to hold the strong and rugged line of the Beira 
 frontier, while at tlie same time they were distributed in can- 
 tonments where their health, equipment, and discipline might 
 be carefully improved. We turn for a few pages to look upon 
 tlie affiiirs of Spain. When, after the battle of Vals and the 
 death of Reding, Blake was appointed commander-in-cliief of 
 Catalonia, Valencia, and Arragon, his first operations at Monzon 
 and Alcaniz were successful. 
 
 Encouraged by the smile of fortune, he projected the re- 
 covery of Zaragoza ; and he marched against the corps of mar- 
 shal Suchet, which lay near tliat famous city. Blake was so 
 unskilful in the plan of his attack, and so slow in his formations, 
 that Suchet anticipated him and struck the first blow : never- 
 theless Blake defended himself well, and repulsed the assault 
 
TIIE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 163 
 
 upon his left win^ with fimmese ; but the marshal making fresh 
 dispositions, attacked him in turn with great vigor and overthrew 
 the Spaniards with slaughter, taking from them gims and colors, 
 and driving them away in disorder. Blake nillied his troops 
 tlie next day ; and upon the 18th of June drew up on a range 
 of hills near Belchite, and offered battle. Suchet attacked him 
 here witli twenty-two battalions and seven squadrons ; but, to 
 the bitter mortification of Blake, his men, with tlic defeat of the 
 14tli sticking in their minds, broke at the very commencement 
 of the action, and fled. His artillery was taken, and in the 
 pursuit the French made 40(X) prisoners. 
 
 We find consolation for this in contemplating the glorious de- 
 fence of Gerona; that heroic city sustained a siege of six 
 montlis with unshaken constancy. Don Mariano Alvarez, a 
 veteran of noble character, was the governor of this fortress. 
 From the middle of September to the day of the capitulation, 
 which was finally agreed to on December the 10th, three wide 
 breaches in its battered walls lay constantly open to the assail- 
 ing columns. When first practicable, they were twice fiercely 
 stormed, and fearlessly defended ; the enemy was repulsed with 
 so severe a loss, and so greatly discouraged, that the French 
 officers judged it unwise to renew the attempt, and it was re- 
 solved to reduce the brave defenders by famine. Now came 
 the dreatl trial of enduring courage. The garrison and the 
 citizens fed hard and scantily ; — they ate the flesh of liorses 
 and mules, and handfiils of unground corn, which they pounded 
 between stones. Fever and flux soon appeared among them ; 
 and they sickened, and wasted, and died in great numbers. The 
 way to the burial-place was never vacant, and the deaths aver- 
 aged from thirty to forty daily. Amid all this disease and weak- 
 ness thoy had no rest ; for the bombardment was continued day 
 and night, and ever in the niglit with great violence. Tliere 
 was scarcely a building wliich had not been injured ; the houses 
 lay in ruins, and the people slejit in vaults and cellars, or made 
 them holes and caves amid the rubbish ; the very wounded were 
 killed as tliey lay in hospital : still they not only held these 
 breaches, whicli had been open for weeks without repair, but 
 they made a sally to relieve the only two remaining outposts ; 
 and they effecte(i their object in so sudden and resolute a man- 
 ner that they only lost forty men. This was their last exertion. 
 The sickness increased so dreadfully, that the deaths in one day 
 sometimes amojinted to seventy. On the 4th of December Al- 
 varez, the governor, was seized witli a nervous fever, and in a 
 few days became delirious and incapable of command. A 
 council was now held of the two juntas, military and civil, and 
 they deputed Don Bias de Furnas, a distinguished soldier, to 
 treat for a capitulation. The most honorable terms were freely 
 
164 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 accorded by marshal Augereau, in a spirit that does infinite 
 credit to his memory. The whole of tlie 10th was employed in 
 adjusting the terms ; and while this was going on, the French 
 soldiers ran eagerly to the walls with provisions and wine for 
 the brave men who had so long and so firmly opjwsed them. 
 Humanities like these redeem the character of the imperial 
 army ; and we forget willingly for a season, that they were the 
 instruments of the most insatiable and merciless ambition which 
 ever cursed the world. 
 
 The emaciated garrison marched out with the honors of war ; 
 and as the decorated victors of Austerlitz looked upon the pale 
 and patriot band, they might well have envied them the greater 
 glory of that mournful triumph. Mariano Alvarez was led 
 away in his captivity to Figueras, where soon after he died ; 
 but his name will live till old Gerona be a heap, and Spain a 
 solitude. 
 
 We pass from Catalonia to the centre and south of Spain. 
 Marshal Soult had in the previous October been appointed ma- 
 jor-general and chief of the staff" to king Joseph, in the place 
 of Jourdan, who was recalled to Paris. This appointment gave 
 activity and union to all the French operations ; and some of 
 the successes which immediately ensued have already been 
 told. 
 
 The central junta after the rout of Ocana exhibited no energy, 
 and were unwilling to contemplate the coming dangers, because 
 they had no abilities to meet them. They had lost the confi- 
 dence and respect of the nation : they made an effort to recover 
 their ground by offering to Romana, who had exposed their in- 
 capacity and disclaimed their authority, the command of Arei- 
 zagas's broken army: this offer he declined. There was no 
 reasonable prospect of defending the Sierra Morena with sucli 
 a mob of undisciplined fugitives. Such little liope as remained 
 to them rested on 12,000 men in Estremadura, commanded by 
 the brave and zealous duke del Albuquerque ; but of him they 
 were jealous, and they looked upon all sides witli doubt and 
 hesitation. 
 
 They now announced their intention of removing from Seville 
 to the Isle of Leon ; a resolution which immediately excited 
 loud murmurs among the people. The citizens saw they were 
 to be abandoned ; and, though certainly most unequal to the 
 task, there was a mad desire to defend Seville. Meanwhile the 
 king, at the head of three French corps directed by the able 
 Soult, was marching upon Andalusia. They passed the Sierra 
 Morena, encountering but little resistance ; and upon the 21st 
 of January their head-quarters were established at Baylen, the 
 very place where the troops of Dupont at the commencement 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 165 
 
 of the struggle had laid down their arms in dejection and dis- 
 grace. 
 
 It was in vain that the junta tried to hold out false hopes to 
 the people ; it was in vain they admonished them to be calm, — 
 all was in confusion ; and the extinction of the power of this 
 weakest and most unfortunate of councils was at hand. They 
 were completely at a loss how to act ; they sent instructions to 
 Albuquerque at one moment which by the next courier they 
 contradicted. These orders directed him to march on Cordova ; 
 an arrangement so foolish that it could scarcely be referred to 
 treachery. Tiie French had already passed the Sierra Morena; 
 Albuquerque, therefore, with a wise and prompt decision, led his 
 division direct upon Cadiz ; and thus was a city saved, the secu- 
 rity of which was of the last importance to the future conduct 
 of the war. 
 
 When Victor arrived from Seville he found Albuquerque with 
 8000 men already in the Isle of Leon, and the approaches 
 guarded. The rest of Andalusia was speedily overrun. Se- 
 ville was for a time the head-quarters of the intruder. French 
 horsemen rode in at the gates of Jaen unresisted ; French 
 trumpets sounded their proud notes in the startled halls of 
 Grenada ; and, after a few useless shots in their defence, Malaga 
 yielded up the cellars of her famous wine to the armed pur- 
 veyors of king Joseph. 
 
 The unpopularity of the supreme junta had reached its height 
 before they left Seville. While they were hastening their de- 
 parture for Cadiz, the people of Seville had risen in tumult and 
 deposed them : and when they arrived in Cadiz and discovered 
 the strength of the public feeling against them, they formally 
 resigned ; but they did so with a becoming and deliberate dig- 
 nity. They nominated a regency, and transferred to it their 
 authority, making provision tliat it should be only retained till 
 the cortes were assembled. After this tliey published a fare- 
 well address to the people, in which they set forth all their ex- 
 ertions, vindicated their measures, and maintained their faith- 
 fulness in duty and their purity in intention. It must be freely 
 admitted, that they had a task whicii might have proved too 
 arduous for any statesmen upon earth. The government of a 
 fierce, haughty, suspicious people, united indeed in one senti- 
 ment, viz., hatred to the invader ; but, ujwn most questions 
 which arose, separated into as many factions as there were 
 provinces ; consulting only interests that were local ; moved 
 only by dangers that were near; having no system in any 
 thing; and averse from thn introduction of any regulations that 
 were new, however rational and useful. Neither was it in all 
 the hurry and agitation of a present warfare that these evils 
 could possibly be corrected. Neitlier wa-s tliere one single mas- 
 
166 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ter-mind to which the nation could look as to a beacon ; nor 
 one beloved person, dear to tlieir hearts, round whom their 
 affections could cling. Therefore it was, that each province 
 and each army had attachments and prejudices distinct, and to 
 be reconciled for the general good by no man, or council of 
 men, to be found in all Spain. 
 
 They were a people disturbed and broken in upon by war and 
 all its train of troubles ; and not a town or village in the king- 
 dom but found all its petty authorities placed in situations so 
 new, and exacting services and duties so strange to them, that, 
 but for the melancholy consequences of their inexperience, and 
 their unteachable obstinacy, if Spain hath, in any nook or cor- 
 ner of her land, a Cervantes living, he would find as rich mate- 
 rials for his pen in that period as she once furnished to that 
 great master of tlie smile, and a moral to the full as mournful 
 as he gave. 
 
 In their choice of the regents the junta selected the very 
 fittest persons, a tacit proof of their own integrity ; but many 
 of their own body, after its dissolution, were persecuted with 
 great rigor and cruel indignity, not by the regency, but by the 
 junta of Cadiz and the people. 
 
 In the dangers now imminent that city looked anxiously to 
 England : supplies of all sorts were most liberally furnished 
 from Gibraltar ; and there being no longer any objection to re- 
 ceive British troops in garrison, a division of 6000 men, in- 
 cluding- a contingent furnished by Portugal, were landed upon 
 the Isla de Leon, and lieutenant-general Graham was sent from 
 England to command at that important station. But such no- 
 tice of their operations as may be required to illustrate this 
 memoir we will take in another place, and return at present to 
 Portugal. 
 
 It is interesting to inquire, while so many and so great anxie- 
 ties were pressing upon the mind of lord Wellington, how far 
 he was strengthened from home by the support of the ministry, 
 and how far he was encouraged by the voice of his countrymen. 
 A more animating spectacle can scarcely be contemplated by a 
 nation alive to its glory than that of its chosen champion gird- 
 ing up his loins upon the appointed arena, and standing strong 
 and steady to meet the enemy of his native land, and to main- 
 tain the cause of a weak and trembling ally. But what was 
 the fact ? In the British senate speeches were made and print- 
 ed, with the double view, one should imagine, of encouraging 
 the French and depresshig the British armies. 
 
 Our extracts shall be few, but they bring out the character 
 of lord Wellington into bold relief, and will fix in the mind a 
 right estimate of his talent and of his courage. 
 
 " It was mournful and alarming," observed one gentleman, 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 167 
 
 "to hear that lord Wellington had said he could defend Portu- 
 gra\ with 50,000 men, provided 30,000 were British ; for, if the 
 French were in earnest in their designs upon that country, 
 before three months lord Wellington and his army would be in 
 England." 
 
 In a memorable debate in the house of lords, a great and 
 gifted nobleman, upon whose opinions able men have always set 
 a high value, after remonstrating against the useless defence of 
 Portugal, broke out with the following interrogatory : — " Was 
 there any man that heard him, who in his conscience believed 
 that even the sacrifice of tlie whole of that brave British army 
 would secure the kingdom of Portugal ] " — " If," said he, " I 
 receive from any person an answer in the affirmative, / shall be 
 able to judge by that answer of the capncily of such a person 
 for the government of this country, or even for the transaction 
 of public business in a deliberative assembly." — ^Next came an 
 earl, who was a general, or rather a soldier, and a brave one, 
 but luckily not the commander of our army in Portugal. He 
 said, that " this attempt to defend Portugal was the climax of 
 error ; that we should be allowed to retain Portugal under our 
 present system just so long as Bonaparte thought proper." 
 
 In fact, the counsel of the despondent party, both in the 
 houses of parliament and among the people of England, was 
 this : — " Break your faith ; desert the SjKiniards ; desert the 
 Portuguese ; have nothing to do with tlicse terrible legions of 
 Napoleon, you can neither resist them nor him ; bring the army 
 back; and, unless the French come to the shores of old Eng- 
 land to look for it, let it never fire another shot." It was 
 melancholy to see how many fine minds, how many excellent 
 hearts, were blinded and deceived, and bowed down before the 
 very name of Napoleon. Not even the consciousness tliat they 
 were reading only a splendid and fabulous narration prevented 
 their thrilling admiration of his bulletins. Neither did the 
 coarseness of his tyranny in one country, nor the meanness of 
 his policy towards another, awaken tliem to his true character. 
 While the mothers of France, bereaved of their sons, of all 
 their sons, sate lonely in their homes, and cursed Iiim ; while 
 every new project of his ambition brought with it some new 
 call upon the scanty resources of tlie industrious citizen of 
 France, Englislimen wore found to worship before his throne, to 
 stand before it with sealed eyes in a trance of wonder, and to 
 fill their moutiis with his praise. Strange tliat such things 
 *' should drivel out of human lips," " o'en in the cradled weak- 
 ness of the world." 
 
 In both houses ministers were triumphant in these various 
 debates; and the necessary supplies were vot'-d for the Portu- 
 guese troops. But yet th - """r« timid and cautious in all 
 
168 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 their measures ; they made no such exertions as the emergency 
 required ; they sent no British reinforcements ; they bade lord 
 Wellington risk nothing, and hold himself always free for a 
 safe and early embarkation ; and it was seen plainly, from the 
 whole tenor of their instructions, that if disaster befell him he 
 must bear all the responsibility, and sink alone, not looking to 
 be supported by them : but he had a heart, and a mind, and a 
 courage, and a capacity, to sustain the weight of these diffi- 
 culties which were heaped upon him. 
 
 Around him lay those brave battalions with which he had al- 
 ready achieved a triumph ; and in them he again found, as he 
 had always found, his ready and best support. Disease had 
 wholly disappeared ; they were again hale, efficient, and ready 
 for the field. His own head-quarters, as we have before stated, 
 were at Vizeu. His advance division lay in front of Almeida, 
 and patrolled as far as Ciudad Rodrigo. His cavalry, with the 
 exception of the brigade furnishing relief for the outposts, lay 
 in good cantonments in the rear ; while the other divisions of 
 infantry were so disposed, tliat the two great roads which pierce 
 the mountainous region of Beira were effectually guarded ; and 
 these divisions were placed, moreover, in so close and judicious 
 a connexion, that they could readily be assembled at any point 
 which the enemy should seriously menace, or which tlie general 
 himself might choose for a demonstration on the frontier. The 
 park of artillery was at head-quarters. All these troops were 
 comfortably quartered, the weather was favorable, and provisions 
 wholesome and abundant. While lord Wellington, with the 
 main body of his forces, observed all the country between the 
 Douro and the Tagus, general Hill was posted south of this 
 last river, with a division of infantry and another of Portunuese, 
 to watch the corps of Mortier and of Regnier, who held the 
 upper Estremadura, having their head-quarters at Merida, and 
 patrolled in force towards the frontier of Alentejo. Romana, 
 who, witlidrawing from Seville when the French passed the 
 Sierra Morena, had thrown himself into Badajoz, just in time 
 to save it from the corps of Mortier, was still in that place, and 
 in regular communication with Hill. Elvas was respectably 
 garrisoned; but though general Hill kept his liead-quarters 
 usually at Portalegre, having a battalion advanced towards Al- 
 buquerque, and patrolling to the Spanish frontier, yet his main 
 position was at Abrantes. 
 
 The head-quarters of marshal Beresford and of the Portu- 
 guese army was at Thomar. The Portuguese troops now con- 
 sisted of twenty-four regiments of the line, six of light infantry, 
 and ten of cavalry, together with a due proportion of artillery. 
 Their effective strength was about 31,()00; of this number, 
 many regiments were not yet sufficiently trained to act with the 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 169 
 
 anny, and remained therefore in garrison. Such brigades as 
 were in the highest and most efficient state of discipline were 
 placed in British divisions ; where, among English corps, it was 
 rightly judged they would feel a greater confidence, and a more 
 noble emulation. I^ord Wellington's personal activity, both of 
 mind and body, during the long period in which the troops lay 
 still and undisturbed, was incessant. Early in February, having 
 visited his advancetl divisions, he went again to Lisbon, and 
 again examined his lines witli care. Ten thousand laborers 
 were at work on them. lie returned about the middle of Feb- 
 ruary, in high health and spirits, spoke not a word about the 
 lines, only there went forth a report, which was not of course 
 discouraged by the general, that the idea of forming these lines 
 had been altogether abandoned, as the position was too exten- 
 sive, and capable of being turned. Tlie enemy about this time 
 made various demonstrations against Ciudad Rodrigo and Bada- 
 joz. Upon the side of Alentejo, whenever the enemy moved 
 down from Merida, and showed the heads of his columns, Hill, 
 in pursuance of his instructions, put himself in motion, and 
 marched a little forward ; but, in Beira, lord Wellington never 
 moved at all, nor could they ever tempt him to betray his dis- 
 positions or disconnect his divisions, and these he had so posted 
 that he knew they could not be troubled or disturbed in that 
 stage of the campaign. Meanwhile the guerrillas from Navarre 
 and Biscay sent reports of the entry of large reinforcements 
 from France ; and as the spring advanced, the plot, as had been 
 expected, thickened. During this period, lord Wellington was 
 much and closely occupied in his bureau. There he worked 
 alone, with simplicity and with the common secrecy of reserve; 
 but without the slightest ostentation ; no solemn mystery ; no 
 pomp of concealment ; and never one look of importance. He 
 commanded the corps of Hill, with as much minute attention to 
 the very detail of its movements as if it had been under his 
 own eye, though it operated far away from him in the soutli. 
 In like manner he directed every movement throughout the 
 land, north as well as soutli ; looking upon every road, and everj 
 stream, and every strong sierra, frcfm the still observatory of his 
 mind ; while, as he bent over his maps and plans, he considered 
 the correspondence and reports submitted to him. He answered 
 all important communications with his own hand, and conveyed 
 his instructions with that minute clearness which precluded the 
 possibility of his being misunderstood. In tlie month of March, 
 1810, the British troops effective in the field did not amount to 
 22,000 combatants. 
 
 In this month the enemy were already assembling in force 
 upon llio Tonnes. One corps destined to form a part of the in- 
 vading army was, as a preliminary operation, directed to possesB 
 
 Vol. I. P 
 
170 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 itself of Astorga. This ancient city is walled, and capable of 
 defeating any sudden assault, but not defensible against a regu- 
 lar attack. Santocildes, who had repulsed an attempt of the 
 enemy upon this place in the September preceding, was still the 
 governor, and had a garrison of from two to three thousand men. 
 Junot marched upon Astorga with 12,000 men, invested it in 
 due form on the 21st of March, did not open his batteries till 
 the 20th of April ; and having breached the place, and again 
 vainly summoned it, attempted to carry it by storm. After a 
 fierce struggle he was repulsed, with the loss of 1500 men ; but 
 for all this signal success, Santocildes, being without stores or 
 ammunition to continue the defence, made terms for the un- 
 happy citizens, and obtained the honors of war for the garrison. 
 After this conquest, which cost him 2.500 men, Junot marched 
 into old Castile, and joined tlie corps which had already com- 
 menced their operations against the frontier of Portugal ; having 
 their advanced post upon the Agueda ; upQnwhich river, and 
 between it and the Coa, were those of the British light division 
 under gener al Crawfurd. 
 
 That the^campaign would open with the siege of Ciudad 
 Rodrigo, was the general expectation ; nor was it thought by 
 any that Ciudad could make a long or an effectual defence. 
 Nevertheless its old walls and imperfect defences had been put 
 into a respectable condition, and the garrison was very amply 
 supplied with stores and ammunition : but, as the place is com- 
 manded from many points, as its outworks would in the end 
 materially assist the besiegers; and as there was no protection 
 either for the soldiers or inhabitants from shells, it was not 
 deemed a serious obstacle, or considered as giving promise of 
 any long delay to the enemy's advance. Nevertheless, don 
 Perez de Herrasti, the governor, though an old, was a tried 
 man ; and had been formerly the friend and comrade of Mariano 
 Alvarez. 
 
 Within the Portuguese frontier, the fortress c^ f Almpifln was 
 put in an excellent state of defence. A British cSTBhel, with 
 a garrison of 5000 Portuguese, was appointed governor ; and 
 the most sanguine expectations were formed concerning the 
 stout resistance it would offer. 
 
 At the same time it was within the bounds of possibility that 
 the enemy, who had now collected upon the Tormes and the 
 Agueda one of those vast armies with which they had so often 
 swept along the path of victory with the rush as of a whirlwind, 
 might now attempt one of those sudden and fierce irruptions 
 which, if successful in its opening burst, would roll forwards 
 with a rapid and terrific strength to be stayed by no human 
 effort. 
 As early as the month of May, three corps d'armee were 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 171 
 
 united under the command of Massena, with the title of the 
 army of Portugal. 
 
 It was generally believed that this favorite child of victory 
 was chosen by his imperial master to consummate a long career 
 of skill, exertion, and valor, by the conquest of this kingdom, 
 and would be assuredly rewarded by its crown. Neither was 
 he meanly provided for this resolved achievement A host of 
 more than 70,000 experienced and intrepid soldiers were mar- 
 shalled beneath the eagles of Napoleon, and stood ready in array 
 awaiting only the signal to advance ; but Wellington lay among 
 the hills, and the British lion was in the way. 
 
 CHAP. xvni. 
 
 THE ADVANCE OF MASSENA. — THE SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF CIUDAD ROD- 
 
 RIGO. THE INVASION OF PORTUGAL. — THE SUDDEN FALL OF ALMEIDA. 
 
 THE DISPOSITIONS OF WELLINGTON. THE BATTLE OF BU8AC0. 
 
 The reputation of Massena, the strength of the army of Por- 
 tugal, and the knowledge that a body of the imperial guards had 
 already crossed the P3rrenees, elated the French soldiers. 
 
 The campaign for which they were assembled was thus in- 
 vested with a character of high importance; and they were 
 animated with the hope, that on tlie day of battle they should be 
 commanded by the Emperor in person. This last expectation 
 was somewhat strengthened by a delay in the commencement 
 of operations, and was still entertained by the men long after it 
 had been dismissed from the minds of their officers. 
 
 But the delay had other causes. The fields of Roli^a, Vi- 
 meiro, and Corunna, the passage of the Douro, and the battle of 
 Talavera, had satisfied Napoleon that tlie British troops and 
 their general were to be duly respected; therefore Massena 
 WBs instructed to proceed warily and by rule. With 50,000 
 men he formally invested the fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo, upon 
 the 4th of June, 1810. The communications of tlie besiegers 
 were immediately secured by bridges thrown across the Agueda, 
 both above and below the town. The French broke ground on 
 the 13th, upon a ridge called tlie Greater Tcson, which over- 
 looks the walls of Rodrigo at a distance of 600 yards. In the 
 night of the 22d, the fomous partisan Julian Sancnez, who, with 
 200 horsemen, had been suddenly shut into the place by the 
 cavalry of the investing army, led his people out silently, cut a 
 way through the French posts, and joined the advanced division 
 of the allieid army without loss. 
 
 Upon the i'jtli the French batteries, mounting six-and-forty 
 guns and all directed upon one point, opened a heavy fire, to 
 
172 iMILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 which the besieged replied with great vigor and effect. Upon 
 the 27th the place was summoned by Massena; but the gov- 
 ernor had no thought of surrender, and the siege was continued. 
 The suburb of San Francisco, on the north-east, and tlie con- 
 vent of Santa Cruz, on the north-west, formed natural and con- 
 venient outworks to the city. These were now attacked by the 
 French troops, and, after a most gallant resistance, by which the 
 French suffered a very severe loss, were finally carried. This 
 done, the besiegers established their batteries upon the Lesser 
 Teson, a lower ridge rising in front of the Greater, but only 
 150 yards from the ditch. 
 
 These batteries opened, on the 9th of July, with a furious and 
 weighty fire: in twenty-four hours the Spanish guns were 
 silenced; many houses were in flames; the counterscarp had 
 been blown into the ditch by a mine ; and a way into the place, 
 wide and easy, lay open to the besiegers. The French columns 
 mustered immediately for the storm : they waited only for the 
 word "advance," when the white flag was hoisted upon the 
 walls, and the city surrendered. 
 
 During tliis siege, so creditable to the garrison and the citi- 
 zens, lord Wellington was often and strongly urged by the 
 Spanish government to relieve the place; and Romana came 
 from Badajos to press the solicitation in person. Had such a 
 measure been possible, consistently with that high duty to 
 which he stood pledged as the defender of Portugal, lord Wel- 
 lington had needed no other voice to prompt such an effort, than 
 the sound of that distant cannonade, which daily told him that 
 Herrasti, the governor, was a true man, and the Spaniards were 
 faithful. He transferred his head-quarters, during the siege, to 
 Alverca, a village half-way between Almeida and Cclerico, in 
 the faint hope that the enemy, by making some large detach- 
 ment or false disposition, might afford him an opportunity to 
 strike a sudden blow. The opportunity, however, was not 
 given. Massena would have decoyed the British forv.'ard, if 
 possible ; but the mind's eye of Wellington looked in upon his 
 councils ; his various feints were seen through ; and, in the 
 face of 60,000 French soldiers, well commanded, it had been to 
 invite destruction, if, with onlj'^ 25,000 British and Portuguese, 
 the latter as yet untried, the English general had advanced into 
 the plain. 
 
 During all the operations of the French preparatory to and 
 pending the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the country between the 
 Azava and the Coa was covered and protected by tlie light divi- 
 sion of the British army under general Robert Crawfurd. The 
 bold countenance and perfect discipline of these troops were the 
 admiration of both armies ; and the ability with which general 
 Ciawfurd had commanded them for three months, in their im- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELUNGTON. 173 
 
 portant and arduous duties in advance, was a theme of constant 
 praise. 
 
 This begot, perhaps, in the mind of the general a natural de- 
 sire of yet higher distinction, which brought on a very useless 
 action upon the Coa. 
 
 As early as the 4th of July, the enemy, considering the fiill 
 of Ciudad Rodrigo near, assembled a strong body at Marialva, 
 crossed the Agueda in force, and obliged Crawfurd's advance to 
 fall back upon Almeida. 
 
 The British retired in good order, and the movement was 
 covered by brilliant skirmishing. The first German hussars and 
 the third Portuguese ca^adores were particularly distinguished ; 
 a troop of the former, under captain Krauclienberg, checked a 
 column of French horse by a most gallant charge; and the 
 Portuguese battalion under Lieutenantrcolonel Elder displayed 
 such steadiness near Almeida as gave good promise of the effi- 
 ciency of our allieSi. 
 
 There was another affair of posts upon tlie 11th, in which 
 colonel Talbot, of the 14th light dragoons, was slain, in a brave 
 but vain attempt to break in upon a small square of French in- 
 fentry. These various skirmishes were conducted, on both 
 sides, with a dashing and emulous spirit Crawfurd now took 
 up a position near Almeida, waitmg the enemy's further move- 
 ments ; but, having the express command of lord Wellington to 
 pass to the left bank of the Coa, without fighting, the very mo- 
 ment the enemy advanced in strength. 
 
 This order, with an ambition that blinded his judgment, gene- 
 ral Crawfurd di«)beyed. 
 
 He remained in position till Ney with a complete corps of the 
 French army was upon him ; and to this overwhelming force he 
 had only 5(K)f) men to oppose. A severe action was fought upon 
 the 24th of July, in which no single object was gained. The 
 British had to cross the Coa under every possible disadvantage ; 
 but they made good the left bank and the bridge, and from Siis 
 last position inflicted a very heavy loss upon the enemy. 
 
 They are said to have had KKX) men killed and wounded, 
 and the allies about 320, including from forty to fifty of the 
 Portuguese. 
 
 To the regiments of the light division this engagement was 
 highly honorable. 
 
 With this action the invasion of Portugal opened. It did not, 
 however, retard the investment of Almeida for one day. GJene- 
 ral Crawfurd only held his ground till nightfall, and then 
 witlidrew. 
 
 While these things were passing in the north of Portugal, 
 general Hill commanded a corps in the Alemtejo, composed of 
 a division of Britisli and one of Portuguese infiintry, with 1000 
 P2 
 
174 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 horse, — in all about 14,000 men, — and carefully watched the 
 movements of the French corps under Regnier in Spanish 
 Estremadura. 
 
 At last, upon the 10th of July, Regoiier marclied from Merida, 
 leaving a rear-guard for a few days in occupation of that city, 
 to cover his intention ; and, moving swiftly towards the Tagus, 
 crossed that river at Alconete and Almaraz. By a rapid paral- 
 lel march, Hill effected the passage of the Tagus at Villa Velha, 
 in time to reach Castello Branco by the 21st. At this place 
 general Hill was reinforced by a brigade of Portuguese cavalry, 
 under general Fane. Keeping his advance at Castello Branco, 
 he formed his encampment at Sarzedaz, and thus communicated 
 with Guarda by the road over the Estrella, and covered all the 
 avenues through soutliern Beira. 
 
 A reserve of 2000 British, lately arrived, and 8000 Portu- 
 guese troops, were assembled at Thomar, under general Leith ; 
 and these troops, holding the line of the Zezere, lay ready 
 either to support Hill, or march northward, as circumstances 
 might arise. The main body of the army, under the personal 
 command of lord Wellington, including the light division, did 
 not exceed 28,000 men. 
 
 From the day of Crawfurd's action the situation of Welling- 
 ton became anxious and critical. It seemed doubtful whether 
 Massena would lay siege to Almeida. He invested it ; but his 
 further intention was not soon manifest. In Ciudad Rodrigo he 
 was already provided with a place of arms : he was known to 
 have collected large stores of provision. He had an army very 
 superior in numbers generally, and overpoweringly strong in 
 horse ; and with him, therefore, lay the choice of routes and 
 operations. Lord Wellington maintained his advanced position 
 for some days, intently watching his adversary, then gradually 
 withdrew the greater part of his infantry behind the Mondego; 
 but, with the fourth division, he still held Guarda. Thus hi? 
 retreat was secure and easy ; and the most admirable arrange- 
 ments were made to rid the army of all encumbrances, and keep 
 its line of march free and open. 
 
 Upon the 4th of August the British general issued the memo- 
 rable proclamation, commanding the inhabitants of all that por- 
 tion of the country which the military means at his disposal 
 were not able to protect, to evacuate their homes, to remove 
 tlieir goods, to drive their cattle, and to destroy all stores and 
 provision for which they had no transport. 
 
 The magistrates and authorities in the villages and towns 
 were advised, that if, after receiving the order to remove from 
 tlie military officers who would be charged with the delivery of 
 it at the proper moment, they remained to receive the invaders, 
 they would be considered traitors, and punished accordingly. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 176 
 
 Already the inhabitants of many places upon tlie frontier, 
 who, confiding in the promises of protection and friendship an- 
 nounced by the proclamation of Alassena, had staid peaceably in 
 their houses, were lamenting their credulity amid scenes of 
 plunder, violation, and blood ! 
 
 The events of war hang ever upon Providence ; and, when 
 human wisdom has done its best, and human courage is ready to 
 do its utmost, a spark blown by the wind is sufficient to baffle 
 both. Almeida was a fortress regularly constructed ; the garri- 
 son consisted of 4000 Portuguese, with colonel Cox, an English- 
 man, for the governor. It was well provided, and was expected 
 to offer so long a resistance, as might delay the advance of the 
 invaders till tlie falling of tlie autumnal rains. IVIa-ssena broke 
 ground before the place on the night of the 15th of August : on 
 the morning of Sunday the 26th, his batteries opened their fire 
 from sixty-five pieces of cannon. The same evening, after 
 dark, the great magazine in the centre of the town, fired by a 
 shell, which fell upon some ammunition at the door, suddenly 
 exploded. The noise was loud as thunder, and most terrific 
 The destruction was appalling : many hundreds both of the gar- 
 rison and the inhabitants were killed ; solid buildings shook and 
 fell ; ponderous cannon were thrown from their place. 
 
 The governor, however, beat instantly to arms, and, with a 
 few courageous gunners, hurried to the ramparts, and opened 
 fire upon tlie enemy from such pieces as were not dismounted 
 by the shock. The sudden assault, naturally apprehendrd, was 
 not given ; for the besiegers were too much surprised themselves 
 to profit that night by the confusion which prevailed. The next 
 day they demanded the immediate surrender of the place. Col- 
 onel Cox, the governor, after vain and earnest eflbrts to coun- 
 teract tlie fear of the mutinous opposition of his lieutenant-gov- 
 ernor, and betrayed by the very officer wiiom he had sent to the 
 enemy's camp to demand terms, was compelled to yield up the 
 fortress. The only conditions granted were, that tlie regular 
 troops should be prisoners of war, but tliat the militia should re- 
 turn home and serve no more. 
 
 in contempt of this agreement, Massena forcibly detained 
 the militiamen, and embodied them as pioneers: moreover, by 
 false representations and threats, he induced or compelled the 
 regulars to enrol themselves in the French service. These 
 men were placed under the command of some Portuguese rene- 
 gades, who, with the Marcjues de Alorna for a leader, accom- 
 panied tlie head-quarters of marshal Massena. 
 
 Lord Wellington, being deeply skilled in human nature, and 
 understJinding the difficulties of tliese ignorant, oppressed, and 
 deluded sohhers, contrived to let tliem feel assuretl of a ready 
 welcome without reproach ; and, in consequence, nearly all of 
 
176 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 them returned to the allied army, and rejoined the standard of 
 Portugal. 
 
 When the French commenced their operations against Al- 
 meida, lord Wellington moved up the Portuguese troops that 
 were two or three marches in the rear, and recrossed the Mon- 
 dego, in full strength, to observe and support the defence of that 
 fortress. 
 
 The early fall of Almeida broke many of liis hopes and many 
 of his combinations. Even as it was, had Cox succeeded in 
 gaining two or three days' time, lord Wellington might, and 
 probably would have brought off the garrison. The silence of 
 their fire, and the shattered appearance of the town, told him on 
 the 27th, that the explosion of the preceding evening had proba- 
 bly reduced them to a difficult condition. Upon the morning 
 of the 29th, he ascertained, in a personal reconnoissance, by the 
 help of' his glass, that the French were already in possession of 
 the place. 
 
 The British general now once more withdrew his forces be- 
 hind the Mondego ; fixed his cavalry at Celerico, placed posts 
 at Guarda and Trancoso, and established the head-quarters at 
 Grouvea. The forward march of the enemy might now be 
 hourly expected, thougli the line of it was not at all as yet indi- 
 cated by the movements either of Massena himself, or of the 
 left corps under Regnier. After the tall of Almeida, the in- 
 vader lay for a time inactive, and his plan was yet to be devel- 
 oped. It was necessary to watch the heads of all his columns 
 with great jealousy. 
 
 At tills most anxious and trying period, the firmness of lord 
 Wellington was the rock upon which all the best and the most 
 honorable hopes of the army were built. 
 
 It was very generally suspected that he was but feebly sup- 
 ported by ministers at home : it was known that recent changes 
 in the government of Portugal rendered it less zealous and ef- 
 ficient than heretofore. Defeat, discomfiture, flight to our ships, 
 and abandonment of our allies, were the daily prophecies of 
 certain English newspapers, and were reprinted by Napoleon's 
 press, to reconcile France to a war that was dishonoring and 
 devouring her best soldiers. 
 
 Some minds yield so passively to what is impressed upon 
 them by the papers which they habitually read, that, in the very 
 camp, brave and intelligent officers were found to entertain the 
 same views, to reiterate the same croakings, and to color all 
 their correspondence with the like dismal hue. Many were the 
 mischievous and desponding letters written from the anny, not 
 only to friends in England, but to acquaintances at Lisbon and 
 Oporto. Some letters to this last place excited the utmost 
 alarm and consternation at a moment when it was especially de- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. ITT 
 
 sirable to keep that city tranquil. Lord Wellington reproved 
 these ignorant and indiscreet letter-writers in a general order, 
 which was worded with such forbearance and dignity, and con- 
 veyed so keen a sarcasm on the offenders, as very effectually 
 reclaimed most of them from their perverse folly. 
 
 It was provoking and mortifying to a great commander that 
 such things should be done by the very officers who fought under 
 his orders, of whom he well knew tliat tliey would readily shed 
 their blood for the honor of the British arms ; and, professionally, 
 would consider his praise as their highest reward. But Wel- 
 lington had neither the disposition nor the time to dwell upon 
 mortifications : he had something to do. In the middle of Sep- 
 tember, Massena marched in three columns on Viseu, and lord 
 Wellington retired along the left bank of the Mondego. The 
 French army was assembled at Viseu on the 22d ; and Welling- 
 ton, leaving the light division and the cavalry at Martagoa, on 
 the Criz, withdrew behind the Alva. 
 
 It was now evident that the French marshal had selected for 
 his line of march a road upon the north of the Mondego, which 
 traverses the Serra de Busaco to Coimbra. The Serra de 
 Busaco is a branch of that range of mountains in the north 
 which bounds the valley of the Vouga : it terminates with a fall 
 almost perpendicular, upon the Mondego ; and, on the opposite 
 bank of that river, a mountain range, called the Serra de Mur- 
 cella, continues the line of Busaco. The city of Coimbra is 
 distant from Busaco about three leagues. 
 
 The choice of the enemy, who had now evidently given up 
 those routes leading by the Estrella and the mountains of Castef- 
 lo Branco, upon Abrantes and the Zezere, lay between two 
 roads, the one traversing the Murcella range, on the south of the 
 Mondego, the other Busaco, on the north, and both leading into 
 Portuguese Estremadura. 
 
 The corps of Hill, and the reserve under I^ith, lay guarding 
 the line of the Tagus and tlie Zezere to the very last moment 
 in which any doubt could be admitted as to the direction of the 
 enemy's march. General Hill's columns were already in mo- 
 tion, anticipating tlie summons of lord Wellingtt^n, when it ar- 
 rived ; so entirely had general Hill been placed in the con- 
 fidence of his chief, and so great had been his own vigilance 
 and good success in obtaining information. 
 
 No sooner had Wellington ascertained the direction of Ma»- 
 sena's march (by tliat marshal passing tlio (Viz in strength on 
 the 223(1), tiian he tlirew himself, witli nearly his whole force, 
 from the soutli to the nortli of the Mondego, and occupied 
 Busaco. 
 
 Here, by his own admirable combinations, and by the rapid 
 and well-regulated movements of general Hill, and of the r^ 
 
178 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 serve under general Leith, his whole army was, at the required 
 moment, concentrated in a battle position, and one eminently 
 favorable for the first great trial of the Portuguese levies. 
 
 As the enemy advanced into Portugal, the militia and Orde- 
 nanza closed upon his flank and rear. Upon the 20th of Sep- 
 tember, colonel Trant, with his division, came upon the escort 
 of their military chest and reserve artillery, and very briskly 
 attacked it. He took two officers and one hundred men prison- 
 ers, and caused great confusion ; but a force was rapidly brought 
 to bear upon him, and the chest and the artillery were saved. 
 
 The French abandoned their communication with Almeida in 
 pursuance of Massena's plan : his object was one and undivided. 
 He gathered his forces in one solid host ; issued to every soldier 
 a supply of biscuit for fifteen days ; and calculated on pene- 
 trating to Coimbra before Wellington could collect an army 
 strong enough to oppose his march. 
 
 The Serra de Busaco covers Coimbra: it extends from the 
 Mondego in a northerly direction about eight miles ; it is a lofty 
 ridge ; the face of it very steep ; here, covered with short coarse 
 grass, there, rugged with huge stones ; and its summit, to the 
 east, is in many places pointed with sharp rocks. But it is in- 
 tersected by a few gorges and defiles, up which flocks are driven 
 and mules traveL At the loftiest summit, about two miles from 
 its northern extremity, is a lonely convent of barefooted Carmel- 
 ites, situated in a woody garden or desert. Here Wellington 
 fixed his head-quarters ; and from hence he saw the dust and 
 glitter of those vast and formidable columns which, far as the 
 eye could reach, covered the country in front with the invaders 
 and their train. 
 
 General Hill crossed the Mondego, by a short movement to 
 his left, on the morning of the 26th, leaving colonel Le Cor, 
 with a Portuguese brigade, on the Serra de Murcella, and gene- 
 ral Fane, with his division of Portuguese cavalry and the 13th 
 light dragoons, in front of the Alva. Thus, the right of the 
 army was covered, and the movements of the enemy's horse 
 upon the Mondego were observed and held in check. All the 
 divisions of the allied infantry were formed upon the Serra de 
 Busaco ; and the main body of the cavalry lay in observation 
 upon the plain in rear of the British left, and watched the road 
 which leads from Mortagoa to Oporto, through a mountainous 
 tract, which connects Busaco with Caramula, a serra that ex- 
 tends, in a northerly direction, beyond Viseu, and separates the 
 valleys of the Mondego and the Douro. Upon the evening of 
 the 26th, the army of Portugal, a dark and dense multitude, re- 
 posed in massive columns at the foot of tlie allied position, which 
 rose abruptly above them to an elevation of from two to three 
 hundred feet 
 
THK DUKE OP WELLINGTON, 179 
 
 The French numbered near 70,000 combatants, formidable for 
 their discipline, famous for their valor, and filled with the proud 
 memories of many a field of glory. TJiree marshals of France 
 commanded these legions, and the chief of them was renowned 
 by a life of great successes. 
 
 Five-and-twenty thousand British soldiers, and a like number 
 of Portuguese, lay upon the backward slope of the serra, by the 
 rocky ridge of which their disposition and immbers were con- 
 cealed. This was a great advantage; for the position was so 
 extensive, that 50,000 men did but thinly garnish it; an evil 
 compensated for by a smooth and easy communication from right 
 to left. 
 
 Here it was that lord Wellington first showed to the Portu- 
 guese levies the array of their invaders ; and here allotted to 
 them, for their first essay in arms, the hopeful duty of repulsing, 
 by the side of British soldiers, one of those haughty and rash 
 assaults which his knowledge of the French character, and his 
 observation of Massena's recent movements, encouraged him to 
 expect. 
 
 As early as two in the morning of the 27tli, the sentinels on 
 their piquet posts could hear the stir of preparation in the 
 French camp ; and the British line stood silently to arms. In 
 tlie order of battle Hill occupied the right, with Leith upon his 
 left, and the Lusitanian legion in reserve. Next in order stood 
 the tliird division under Picton. The first division was formed 
 near the convent, with the brigade of Pack posted considerably 
 in advance on the descent. The light division was formed on 
 the left of Pack; and, in like manner, upon the descent from 
 that lofty culm where the convent stood, and nearly half a mile 
 in front of it A swell of earth and rock concealed their line 
 from the enemy ; while at some distance behind tlieir post, a 
 brigade of German infantry stood exposed to the fiiU view of an 
 advancing enemy, and was, apparently, the only body opposed to 
 them. The fourtJi division, under general Cole, held tlie extreme 
 left of the ridge, covering tlie road which led across to Milheada, 
 where, in the flat country, the British cavalry were drawn up 
 in reserve. The British and Portuguese artillery was distributed 
 along the front, at those points where it could be employed with 
 tlie best effect. The three rugged roads, whicii ascend and 
 traverse the serra to Coimbra, were especially provided for in 
 the general disposition. 
 
 The gray mist of early dawn hung yet upon the mountain, 
 and it was but a doubtful light when the enemy advanceil to the 
 attack. Two columns, under Rcgnier, presse<l up to the assault 
 of the third division; and three, under Ney, moved rapidly 
 against the convent These points of attaClT^'ere about tliree 
 miles asunder. The firing hrst opened in front of Crawfurd's 
 
180 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 division ; but, despite its earnest loudness, at the first iaint re- 
 port of guns from the right, Wellington, anticipating the object 
 of Massena, rode thither, and found, as he had expected, tliat 
 the main effort of the enemy was to possess themselves of the 
 road which traverses the Busaco, from St. Antonio de Cantara, 
 and to turn his right. They were ignorant of the presence of 
 generals Hill and Leith, and considered themselves engaged 
 with the extreme right of the British. But, from the summit 
 of that rocky brow, which they had ascended through a storm 
 of opposing fire with astonishing resolution, and for which they 
 were still contending, though vainly, with the brave division of 
 Picton, they beheld the strong and steady columns of those gen- 
 erals moving swiftly to the scene of action. The right of the 
 third division had been, in the first instance, borne back : the 8th 
 Portuguese had suffered most severely ; the enemy had formed, 
 in good order, upon the ground which tliey had so boldly won, 
 and were preparing to bear down to the right, and sweep our 
 field of battle. Lord Wellington arrived on the spot at this mo- 
 ment, and aided the gallant efforts of Picton's regiments, the 
 fire of whose musketry was terrible, by causing two guns to 
 play upon the French flank with grape. Unshaken even with 
 this destruction, they still Iield their ground, till, with levelled 
 bayonets and the shout of the charge, the 45th and 88th regi- 
 ments British, most gallantly supported by the 8th Portuguese, 
 rushed forwards, and hurried them down the mountain-side with 
 a fearful slaughter. 
 
 There was yet another column of the enemy, which had 
 gained possession of a summit beyond the line of Picton's divis- 
 ion. Upon these, colonel Barnes's brigade of general Leith's 
 corps, headed by the 9th regiment, under colonel Cameron, 
 marched eagerly ; and they were borne over the rocks, though 
 defending themselves with a fierce fire of musketry to the last, 
 by the bayonets of the brave 9th. 
 
 The able dispositions of general Crawfurd in fi-ont of the con- 
 vent rendered the assault of his post another liopeless effort 
 They advanced, indeed, with great ardor, disregarding tlie mus- 
 ketry of the light troops, and the bullets of tlie artillery, which 
 caused great havoc in their columns as they ascended the steep 
 heights ; but they had as yet no footing on the swellmg ridge 
 which masked the line formed by the 43d and 52d regiments, 
 when, at the given word, those brave regiments ran upon them 
 at the charge step, overthrew their column with the bayonet, 
 and, halting, pursued them with a close, steady, and murderous 
 fire, which strewed the line of their retreat with the dead and 
 the disabled. 
 
 The loss of the French in this engagement exceeded 500Q 
 killed and wounded ; among the former was a general named 
 
THE DXJKB OP WELLINGTON. 181 
 
 Grraindorge : a general Simon, and about 300, were made prison- 
 ers. The general was wounded, as were many of tliose taken. 
 The loss on the part of the allies was near 12(K», whereof 578 
 were Portuguese — being then- fair and full proportion of honored 
 sufferers. 
 
 The conduct of the Portuguese was worthy of their ancient 
 fame. By the victory of Busaco they were inspired witli a 
 confidence in Wellington, and with a pride in their own mili- 
 tary character, which never afterwards forsook them. Their 
 bearing upon tliis field was, to marshal Beresford especially, and 
 to all the British officers serving under him, a very high honor, 
 and a well-merited reward. 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 HABSENA TURNS THE POSITION OF BUSACO. RETREAT OP THE ALUES. 
 
 THE INHABITANTS ON THE Lite OF MARCH RETIRE WITH THE TROOPS. 
 
 MASSENA HALTS BEFORE THE LINES OF TORRES VEDRAS. — HIS HOSPITALS 
 
 AT COIMBRA ARE TAKEN. HE FALLS BACK UPON SANTAREM. LORD 
 
 , WELLINGTON ADVANCES. 
 
 The pride of France hatl been checked, and the heart of 
 Portugal had been cheered ; but it was not by the ridge of Bu- 
 saco that the strong tide of invasion could eflfectually be stayed. 
 It was not here that the kingdom could be defended. Severely 
 taught by tlie battle of the iiTtli, Mast-ena did not venture to re- 
 new his assault upon so strong a position; and proceeded to 
 compass that end by manoeuvre, which he haJd failed to effect by 
 force. On the morning of tlie 28tli, and tliroughout the day, 
 there was a little skirmishing on different points of the line. 
 
 Towards evening, Massena put several columns in motion to 
 his right ; and it was ascertained before midnight tliat tlie whole 
 army was on its march to turn the British left. 
 
 Before dawn on the 2(9lh, the position of Busaco was evac- 
 uated. The corps of Hill recrossed the Mondcgo, and marched 
 upon Thomar, and the divisions of the main body of tlie allied 
 force defiled to tlie rear by convenient routes with perfect order 
 and regularity. But lord Wellington had other foes to contend 
 witJi besides Massena. 
 
 Upon his first appointment to the high station of marshal- 
 general of Portugal, all his suggestions for the more effectual 
 defence of that kinijtlom had been readily adopted by tlie local 
 government. Nevertheless the nicniliers of that goveniment 
 were disunited, and their private jealousies and divi-wn^ f.-i>,ii. 
 nated at last in the dissolution of the ministry, 'i 
 ya8Minasrcsi£Ti«lj.aniLfcur_new members were ; m) 
 
 'Vol. I. Cr 
 
182 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 the regency. One of these members, the ^Principal Souza, in 
 every possible way obstructed the measures of Wellington ; and 
 the patriarch, formerly bishop of Oporto, a man of restless ambi- 
 tion and great influence, supported Souza in this mean and em- 
 barrassing hostility?! 
 
 These two opposed, as openly as they dared, and thwarted, as 
 constantly as they could, those admirable measures which the 
 British general recommended, and by which, imperfectly as they 
 were adopted and enforced, Portugal, the attempted defence of 
 which had been deemed Quixotic and vain, was at last delivered 
 from her invaders. However, in the jna i n, the _voiceii£jhe Por- 
 tugjie§e nation wagwith WellingtonTc^'he^eople, the^cT^rgy, 
 the yoiiBg£r-ofiicersof~-tlie^9rti?^^nd me soldiers, were hearty 
 and enthusiastic in the cause\ But it could not be expected tliat 
 the dignitaries and nobles ofthe kingdom should view, without 
 jealousy and apprehension, an authority as supreme as that of a 
 sovereign, exercised by a foreign general. Nor is it to be denied 
 that few persons, even among those most friendly to the cause, 
 could comprehend with clearness, or entertain with calm sub- 
 mission, those vast designs, which a bold genius was alone capa- 
 ble of conceiving ; a firm and mdomitable spirit alone capable 
 of compelling them, despite fear, prejudice, and indolence, to 
 adopt^ 
 
 One part of the plan of lord Wellington, and a very import- 
 ant one, consisted in requiring all the people upon the line of 
 the invaders' advance to abandon their towns and villages, to 
 remove or destroy all their property, to lay waste their fields, to 
 drive their flocks and herds, to destroy their mills, and to leave 
 to their hungering enemies a barren desert. 
 
 When we consider of whom the general required this fearful 
 sacrifice, and that absolute force was never actually employed 
 by the government to make the inhabitants obey the proclama- 
 tion, it is rather a wonder that so many were found to devastate 
 their own lands, and to abandon tlie pleasant places of their 
 birth, than that some should hesitate before they laid waste their 
 farms, and linger by them to the last. Thus, many delayed the 
 destruction of their little store till the vicinity of tlie foe alarmed 
 them into that flight which looks not behind ; and others, from 
 apathy, fi'om vain hope, or dull despair, resolved to abide all the 
 consequences of remaining by their property, or at most to run 
 only to a near hiding-place in tlie mountain or the wood, till the 
 storm of the invasion should sweep past their cottages, and they 
 could return to the wreck of their possessions. Human nature 
 clings with a fond tenacity to home : be it of marble or of straw, 
 the roof that has sheltered us all our lives is dear. JMoreover, 
 in a country like Portugal, the inhabitants of towns and villages 
 are not accustomed to travel beyond the hills or streams which 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 183 
 
 bound the valley of their birth ; and little shrines and crucifixes 
 in their eyes sanctify their dwellings, and make the affection 
 which they feel for their hearths partake of the reverence de- 
 manded by their altars. Nevertheless, to speak generally, the 
 great body of the people did listen to the warnings and com- 
 mands of Wellington. It will remain as a lasting monument 
 of his genius, and as a great triumph of his character, that he 
 elicited from a nation, unwarlike, slothful, and covetous, a spirit 
 of resistance, of exertion, and of devotedness, very seldom ex- 
 emplified in the annals of history. 
 
 As the allied army pursued its leisurely and orderly march 
 from tlie Mondego to the lines, it found the villages deserted ; 
 the mill in tlie valley motionless; the mountain cottages open 
 and untenanted ; the bells of tlie monastery silent ; the white 
 churches empty. The flanks of the British columns, during the 
 three or four last marches, were literally covered witli the flying 
 population. A few of the richer fugitives, but a very few, still 
 retained cabriolets. and mules for their service. Those who had 
 bullock cars, asses, or any mode of transporting their families 
 and property, looked contented and grateful; for respectable 
 men and delicate women of the middle classes might be seen, 
 on every side, walking slowly and painfully on foot under heavy 
 burdens. The weather happily was fine, for tlieir flight was in 
 the season of the vintage ; the cheerful labors of which light and 
 pleasing harvest, misery had suddenly broken in upon and sus- 
 pended. 
 
 This ma.ss of fugitives took two different directions when the 
 army reached its fortified position; — a part passing before it, 
 through the lines, to seek shelter at Lisbon ; and another cross- 
 ing to tlie south bank of the Tagus, and entering tliose districts 
 which were safe from the enemy, and had not hitlierto been 
 seriously menaced. 
 
 The allies now entered tlie lines by divisions, and each gene- 
 ral was met, on the last day of the retreat, by tlie officer ap- 
 pointed to conduct his troops to those points of the position with 
 the defence of whicli he was charged. 
 
 The march from Busaco, a distance of 200 miles, was per- 
 formed witliout loss or irregularity, save one scene of alarm and 
 confusion in tlie narrow streets of Condeixa ; where, however, 
 by the exertions of the officers and the disciplme of the troops, 
 order was soon restored. 
 
 In proportion as the French had advanced, tlie allies had re- 
 tired leisurely before them in echellons of divisions, by the two 
 roads of hlspinhal and of Leyria, to tlio banks of tlie Tagus and 
 Torres Ve<lraa There was no affair during these movements 
 of greater importance than a few skirmishes of horse. Massona, 
 upon entering Coiiabra, and finding it abandoned to him witliout 
 
184 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a struggle, made a halt of three days, and suffered his sddiere 
 to commit great disorders ; he then pursued his march, leaving 
 5000 sick and wounded in that city. Tliree days afterwards 
 colonel Trant, an officer of a most enterprising spirit, appeared 
 before Coimbra with a body of Portuguese militia, and captured 
 the whole of the French hospitals, together with a company of 
 the marines of the imperial guard left there to protect the sick. 
 By these men little resistance could be made. 
 
 Other bodies of militia and of organized peasantry, under 
 colonels Miller and Wilson, acted also upon the enemy's rear in 
 co-operation with Trant. By these various corps, every town or 
 post which the French evacuated as they advanced towards Lis- 
 bon, was taken immediate possession of Nevertheless, Massena 
 marched forward, coufident in the expectation that tiie English 
 were going to their ships, and would look to notiiing but the se- 
 curity of their embarkation ; or, if further, only to make the 
 best terms possible for those helpless allies whom they could no 
 longer eftectually support. An easy success, and a rich reward, 
 seemed already secure. 
 
 When, therefore, upon the 10th of October, his cavalry and 
 his advanced guard drove the allies out of Sobral, and his eye 
 rested upon the formidable works that barred liis progress ; and 
 from his own roconnoissance, and the reports brought to liim, he 
 ascertained the stupendous fact, that a strong defensive position, 
 extending thirty miles, flanked upon its right by the broad 
 Tagas,^-and_oa. its-left by tlie rough Atlantic, ha^Ssen&isii^ed 
 aii4jirixiiid_mt4i-periact-art,-layish expense, and incredible labor, 
 his astonishmeat-was-'OTi^'exceeded by his mortification. 
 
 After an interval of three days, he made a most strict recon- 
 noissance of the right of these lines ; and, having satisfied his 
 judgment that tliey could not be assailed with any Jiope of suc- 
 cess, he disposed his three corps in bivouac, and sat down quietly 
 before them. This examination of the lines caused a little sharp 
 skirmishing on the 14th of October, on «'hich day there v/as a 
 brilliant affair near Sobral, where a redoubt, held by the 71st 
 regiment, was fiercely attacked by a strong body of the enemy. 
 They were instantly beat back, pursued with the bayonet, and 
 driven from a field-work en their own grounJ. The conduct of 
 the 71st was very gallant ; and Cadogan, their ardent command- 
 er, in a personal encounter, received a cut upon his sword, 
 wliich passed several inches through his Scotch bonnet. The 
 British loss here was nearly 100 killed and wounded. After this 
 demonstration, no part of the British position was again attacked. 
 
 Indeed, it was rather a mighty and impregnable fortress than 
 a camp. Here the face of mountains was scarped — there rivers 
 dammed to make defensive inundations ; wliile upon the lines of 
 defence a triple chain of redoubts was most skilfully disposed, 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 185 
 
 From these, and other batteries, 600 pieces of cannon swept all 
 the approaches, and commanded or enfiladed every more open 
 point The right of these lines was moreover flanked by a di- 
 vision of British gun-boats on the Tagus. The communications 
 within the works were excellent, and all the roads and positions 
 free for the movement of tlie troops. Two Spanish divisions 
 under Romana joined the British at this period. Large bodies 
 of native militia and ordenanca were collected witliin the lines; 
 a very fine corps of English marines lay in reserve near Lisbon, 
 and a great fleet was in th^ liarbor ; and these vast means of 
 defence had been prepared and provided, and were now applied 
 by one master mind. While Massena maintained his position in 
 front of the allies with such a countenance as kept tlie troops in 
 the lines constantly upon tlie alert, his own army endured great 
 sufferings. Colonels Trant and Wilson were acting upon his 
 rear with unceasing activity ; provision was daily becoming more 
 scanty ; the country, whicli he covered with his bivouacs and 
 ravaged witli his foragers, was exhausted ; sickness was in his 
 ranks ; there was disunion and discontent among his ofhccrs. 
 
 Under all those depressing circumstances, the fortitude of the 
 French general did not fail him Planting liis eagles on the 
 towers of Lisbon was a dismissed dream ; but he looked realities 
 stedfastly in the face, and made tlie best of them. Mis cavalry 
 patroled in strength up tlie right bank of the Tagus, and a divi- 
 sion of infantry was detached to bear ujwn Thomar: thus he 
 gained a wider range for his foraging parties, and more effectu- 
 ally kept in check those numerous irregular forces, which, from 
 Abrantes on the river to Peniche upon Uie ocean, surrounded the 
 invailing force by an elastic chain of posts, closely adapting itself 
 to every change of its position, and strictly circumscribing its 
 power to the ground upon which it stood. 
 
 Massena was now enabled to collect a few boats upon the Ze- 
 zere and near Santarem, and to form a few rafts at those places, 
 and at the same time to sweep up every tiling convertible into 
 food. Tliese provisions were carefully stored at convenient de- 
 pdts, princi[)ally at Barquina, near the moutli of the Zezere, and 
 at Santarem. This done, marshal Ney was directed to establish 
 the head-quarters of his corps at Thomar; having his left upon 
 the Zezere, and establishing posts beyond Ourem. Montbrun, 
 with the main body of the cavalry, marched to cantonments near 
 liCyria; tlie commander-in-chief moved to Torres Novas; and 
 the hospitals and stores of the army were place<l in security at 
 Santarem. The preparations being completed, Massena broke 
 up from before the British in very aidmirable order. In tlic night 
 of tlie 14th of November, tlie division of general Clauscl with- 
 drew silently from Sobral ; and on tlic morning of the irjth, the 
 whole of tlic 8th corps of the French army passed througli the 
 Q2 
 
186 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 defile of Alemquer, under the cover of a strong rear-guard, and 
 marched upon Torres Novas. The 2d corps of the French army 
 broke up from Alhandra at the same time, and retired upon 
 Santarem. 
 
 These movements were planned with great ability, and con- 
 ducted with the most cautious secrecy ; and they were greatly 
 favored by the state of the weather, which was too foggy for re- 
 connoissance. As soon as lord Wellington found that the enemy 
 had disappeared from Alhandra and Sobral, he put two divisions 
 in motion to follow them on the roads to Santarem and to Alem- 
 quer ; but he relaxed naught of his vigilance, and kept the main 
 body of the army steady and alert within the lines, for twenty- 
 four hours longer. lie knew tliat the French had collected 
 transports at Santarem, as if to menace the Alemtejo ; he Imew 
 that Massena was in daily expectation of reinforcements from the 
 north, and that they were actually in motion to join him ; there- 
 fore it was not clear that this retrograde movement might not 
 be a wily mancsuvre of Massena to put his jealousy for the lines 
 asleep, by a feigned retreat, while, by a rapid and forced marcJi 
 to Torres Vedras, he poured the main strength of his army upon 
 the right of the lines, and set his all upon that desperate cast. 
 It was certainly not probable that a general, whose hopes and 
 calculations had been so grievously disappointed and deceived 
 by the result of the action at Busaco, would commit so rash an 
 act; but it was possible; and in the conduct of this memorable 
 campaign, Wellington left nothing indolently to providence, but 
 tliat for which no human wisdom or ibresight could provide. 
 Well it were for all those who hold the doctrine of a particular 
 providence, if they did, nevertheless, at all times so earnestly 
 and severely labor, as if all depended upon themselves. 
 
 At the request of lord Wellington, all the boats of the fleet 
 proceeded up the Tagus, under the command of admiral Sir 
 Thomas Williams and captain Beresford, that troops might cross 
 to the left bank, and oppose the design of the enemy, if it should 
 prove to be directed against the Alemtejo. 
 
 It was soon discovered that nothing was intended against the 
 lines, and that the French army was marching in two distinct 
 and heavy columns ; but whether their retreat was directed to- 
 wards Spain by the Zezere, or the Mondego, nothing as yet in- 
 dicated witli any clearness. All the allies were now put in 
 motion. About 400 French prisoners were taken by our ad- 
 vanced guards. They were for the most part weak and sickly 
 stragglers, with a few hardy marauders, who had ventured too 
 wide of their line of march, and delayed too long. From these 
 men no information was obtained. It was reported to lord Wel- 
 lington from the left bank of the Tagus, and from the advanced 
 squadrons, that the enemy was in full retreat, and had only left 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 187 
 
 a rear-guard in Santarem. It was known that Massena had cast 
 two bridges over the Zezere ; and it was now believed that he 
 designed to retire from Portugal altogether, and by that route. 
 General Hill was immediately sent across the Tagus to push for 
 Abrantes, if these reports should be confirmed ; and, upon the 
 19th, lord Wellington, giving some credit to them, prepared to 
 assault the heights of Santarem, occupied, as it was thought, by 
 nothing but a strong rear-guard. 
 
 Santarem is a city on a hill, which rises abniptly from the 
 Tagus ; this hill, stretching about a league to the north, furnishes 
 a steep and diificult position. The walls of Santarem form tlie 
 left of it ; in front of tliis important height, a range of lower emi- 
 nences, covered by the streams of the Rio Mayor, mask the main 
 position, furnishing excellent outposts. The ground between 
 these and a hostile force advancing by the great road from Lis- 
 bon, is a naked open flat, traversed for the last 600 yards by a 
 raised causeway. By this alone Santarem can be approached ; 
 as on one side of the Ponte Seca is a deep wet marsh, quite im- 
 passable ; and on the other, which extends to the Tagus, it is 
 covered with reeds and sedges, and deep water cut.s, so as to 
 make the passage of it extremely difficult for either horse or foot, 
 and impracticable for guna 
 
 Upon the 19th of November, Wellington made dispositions to 
 attack this formidable post, still impressed with the hope that he 
 should find only a rear-guard to resist him. No sooner were the 
 troojis fonned, and in motion, and the skirmishers engaged, than 
 the military eye of Wellington, never to be long deceived, pene- 
 trated, with a quick and disappointed glance, the true nature of 
 the resistance to be oflfered, and tlie powerful means by which 
 the success of that resistance was secured. His glass showed 
 him long lines of abatis, and of outworks and intrcnchments, 
 clearly defined by the color of the earth newly turned up ; and, 
 not doubting any longer the real intentions of his opponent, after 
 a long and steaily demonstration, which gave him full leisure 
 f()r the most patient and attentive reconnoissance, he withdrew 
 the troops. Ilia own great lesson was not lost upon his adver- 
 sary. A defensible jX)sition was selected with consunmiate judg- 
 ment, and strengthened by art, — a measure, by which alone 
 Massena could have maintained himself in the country a fortp 
 niglit longer, and by tlje adoption of which he was enabled to 
 support tlio war, and prolong the struggle throughout the winter 
 months. During this periotl he well knew that, owing to the 
 heavy rains and the dimcult roads, Wellington could not make 
 any march to turn the jxieition of Santarem ; and it was in front, 
 as has been already shown, unassailable. 
 
 The allied trooiw were now placed in cantonments at Cartaxo 
 (where the head-quarters were established), at Alcoentrc, Alem- 
 
188 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 quer, and Villa Franca. Thus the routes leading upon the lines 
 were held secure, while the position of Torres Vedras itself was 
 occupied in strength, and effectually protected from any sudden 
 attack by the road, which passes to the north of the Monte Junta. 
 The corps of general Hill was so disposed upf)n the left bank of 
 the Tagus, that the enemy could not effect a passage into the 
 Alemtejo, without a formidable opposition, while its communica- 
 tions with the ferry opposite Alhandra were (by floating bridges 
 over all the rivers) so well established, that a retreat to its old 
 position in the lines was always open. 
 
 The anchorage of Lisbon is commanded on the southern side 
 from the heights of Almada, from whence, indeed, the city itself 
 is exposed to bombardment. Tiiis promontory was, in conse- 
 quence, retrenched with all possible care, lest the enemy, sup- 
 ported by the co-operation of their army of the south, should pour 
 into the Alemtejo, and extend their operations to that quarter. 
 
 The armies on both sides remained now, for a season, quiet 
 The head-quarters of marshal Massena were at Torres Novas. 
 He had a strong post at Punhete in his rear, with a bridge across 
 the Zezere. He had collected a number of large boats there 
 and at Barquina, with a view to resuming the ofl^ensive when re- 
 inforced ; — and, upon his right and to his rear, he foraged far 
 and successfully with his numerous cavalry, supported by mova- 
 ble colunms detached upon that service. Unhappily, in the 
 towns to the eastward of Santarem the population had disre- 
 garded the proclamations which commanded them to leave their 
 homes : being removed from the scene of immediate danger, they 
 had fancied themselves safe ; and so few had obeyed the injunc- 
 tion of the government, that when the French horsemen came 
 among them, they lud neither the means nor the time to remove 
 any thing. Reaped com was found in large quantities; and 
 maize upon the stalk, very little injured by the weather, covered 
 many valleys and plains in tlie district now occupied or visited 
 by the French columns. 
 
 The situation of the army of Portugal had been early repre- 
 sented at Paris ; and general Foy, who was sent by Massena to 
 make his statement, conveyed at the same time orders to general 
 Gardanne, commanding on the Agueda, to march forward with 
 a convoy of stores and ammunition for his supply. Gardanne, 
 with an escort of 5000 men, brought his convoy within four 
 leagues of the French posts on the Zezere, when, meeting with 
 some little opposition from a party of the ordenanca under colonel 
 Grant, and alarmed by a false report that the French had retired 
 from the Zezere, and that British troops were already in Abran- 
 tes, he hurried back with undue precipitation. As a consequence 
 of this blind haste, he lost his baggage, the greater part of his 
 convoy, and many hundred men, being harassed by the anned 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 189 
 
 peasantry till he reached the frontier. General Drouet, who 
 commanded the 9th corps of the French army upon the Coa, now 
 decided upon advancing with 10,0()0 men to open the communi- 
 cations with Massena ; and reaching Leyria without encounter- 
 ing any check, he took post upon the right flank of the grand 
 army. Upon his advance he had left the division of Claparede 
 at Guarda, to secure the line of retreat to the frontier, from the 
 numerous and active bodies of militia which were spread over 
 Berra. One body of these troops, consisting of several regiment.^*, 
 ventured upon a trial of their arms witli the soldiers of Clapa- 
 rede at Tramosa; but sustained a severe defeat, and was driven 
 across the Douro. The confidence of these irregulars was thus 
 60 greatly shaken, tliat tliey did not again render any service to 
 be comjKired with tlieir earlier efibrts. The admirable ofRcers 
 by whose judgment and spirit of enterprise so much had been 
 hitlierto effected, and so well, Bacellar, Wilson, Trant, and Mil- 
 ler, who died soon after this period, still, however, made head 
 against the invaders, and were a trouble to them, although after 
 tlie defeat of Silveira at Trancosa, little was or could be hazarded 
 in the open field. 
 
 The aspect of affairs in Portugal at the close of the year 1810, 
 bright as in truth it was, compared to the gloomy promise of the 
 summer when Almeida fell, and the invading army moved on- 
 wards in a strength that seemed to defy resistance, was far other 
 than it would have been, had lord Wellington been duly sup- 
 ported. The French had not driven the lien cf England from 
 the soil of Portugal ; they had failed in tlieir beast. The eagles 
 of Napoleon were not glittermg upon the towers of Lisbon. 
 They had been foiled in their great objects ; they had sustained 
 heavy losses in battle, by privation, and by sickness ; but these 
 losses had been already supplied by reintbrcement.e, and they 
 still held ground in the very heart of the country. The English 
 general had received but a small accession of force from home 
 to an army still inadequate to any offensive undertaking. By 
 the jealousy and the intrigues of the local government in Portu- 
 gal, his efforts to call forth tlie resources of the state, and to in- 
 nise a due activity into all departments of tlie executive, were 
 continually thwarted. But the man Wellington stood there 
 strong and alone ; — looking ever to the posible ; — doing always 
 the utmost that could be done ; and then calm as to the event 
 
 While in the preceding spring he lay upon the frontier, and 
 the forces of Massena were gathering in his front, he had writ- 
 ten to a friend in England: — "I suppose the people at homo 
 think me in a scrape. I do not think' so myself; but if I am, I'll 
 
 fet out of it." So now, in like spirit, and witli like indifference, 
 e read of all the early exultationtiftnd the absurd hopes, of the 
 good people in England, when they heard of MaBsena'a retro- 
 
190 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP WELLINGTON. 
 
 grade movement ; and with unerring sagacity he predicted the 
 censures that would follow when they found the work of war at 
 a stand ; — no movements in either host ; no lists of killed and 
 wounded ; and no trophies of victory. The raised expectations 
 of the people produced one great fruit — a reinforcement Early 
 in January a body of troops, for which Wellington had vainly 
 solicited the timid and distrustful ministry before, was disem- 
 barked at Lisbon. 
 
 Upon the 19th, a very few days after they landed, the enemy 
 drove in the British outposts from Rio Mayor, and made a strong 
 reconnoissance. On this occasion Junot, who commanded the 
 French, received a severe wound. 
 
 No attack followed ; and the two armies remained, as before, 
 quiet, and for the most part under cover : both generals were 
 thoroughly informed of each other's situation ; and neither was 
 able to venture upon the offensive. 
 
 The opposition in England, whom the battle of Busaco, the 
 capture of the French hospitals at Coimbra, and the calm main- 
 taining of the lines, had, for a while, disconcerted, again raised 
 their inauspicious voices, and predicted the sure though delayed 
 discomfiture of the allies. " The campaign," they said, " would 
 be renewed in February, with such an accumulation of force on 
 the part of the enemy, as must make the protection even of 
 Lisbon hopeless, much less the deliverance of the Peninsula." 
 
 " It would be just as rational for the French to strive to cope 
 with us by sea, as for us to enter the lists with them by land." 
 Thus was the English leader encouraged ; thus were his troops 
 heartened to their high duties. Had the counsels of the oppo- 
 sition been followed, Spain and Portugal would have become 
 tributary provinces of the gigantic empire of Napoleon. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
MILITARY MEMOIRS 
 
 FIELD MARSHAL 
 
 THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, 
 
 CAPTAIN MOYLE SHERER 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. n. 
 
 ROBERT DESILVER, 110, WALNUT STREET. 
 1886. 
 
CONTE 
 
 I 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Proceedings at Cadiz.— The Spanish Government accepts the Aid of 
 British Troops.— State of the War in the Provinces.— The Assembly 
 of the Cortez.— Their Acts.— Progress of the French Arms.- Death 
 of Romana Page 7 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Masaena breaks up from Santarem and retires from Portugal. — Lord 
 Wellington pursues the French army closely, and re-establishes his 
 Head<^uarter8 upon the Frontier 15 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Badajos and Campo Mayor taken by the French. — Beresford drives them 
 from Campo Mayor. — Moves to Elvas. — Passes the Guadiana. — Pre- 
 pares for the Siege of Badajos. — Lord Wellington visits this Corps of 
 the Army. — Examines the Defences of Badajos. — Is suddenly recalled 
 to Beira. — Affairs of Cadiz.— Battle of Barrosa.- War in Catalonia 24 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Massena reappears suddenly in the Field. — The Battle of Fuentes de 
 Honor. — The French evacuate Almeida. — Beresford lays Siege to Ba- 
 dajos. — Soult advances to succor that Fortress. — ^The Battle of AI- 
 buera 33 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Second Siege of Badnjos. — French Armies of the North and South unite 
 for its Relief. — The Allies retire into Portugal. — Lord Wellington offers 
 Battle on the Caya. — French Armies separate. — Wellington marches 
 to the Agueda. — Menaces Ciudad Rodrigo. — Marmont and Count Dor- 
 ■enne advance to relieve if. — The Affair of El Bodon. — Fucnte Gui- 
 naldo. — Retreat of Marmont. — Affairs of Estremadura — Movements 
 of General Hill. — He surprises and captures a French Brigade at Ar- 
 royo de Molinoe 41 
 
IV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Military State of Spain. — ^The Guerilla Sptem. — Progress of the War 
 in Catalonia — In Andal usia — In Valencia 55 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 The Sieges and Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo and of Badajos 69 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 Lord Wellington directs General Hill to destroy the Enemy's Bridge at 
 Almaraz. — General Hill takes Forts Napoleon and Ragusa, and bum» 
 the Bridge. — Lord Wellington advances to Salamanca. — Takes the 
 fortified Convents in that City. — Manoeuvres on the Douro. — Beats 
 Marmont in Battle. — Marches to Madrid > 83 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 The Position of the Allies. — Lord Wellington marches North, and be- 
 sieges Burgos. — The French Armies of the North, South, and Centre, 
 combine their Movements. — Lord Wellington withdraws the Allies 
 from Madrid, breaks up ftom before Burgos, and concentrates his 
 Army upon the Tormes. — Is followed by the Enemy's United Force. — 
 Retires into Portugal. Takes up WmCer Cantonments. — Visits Cadiz 
 and Lisbon. — Returns to the Army 94 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Aspect of Affkirs in tlie Spring of 1813. — Lord Wellington opens the 
 Campaign in May. — Advances. — Turns the Line of the Douro. — ^Turns 
 the Line of the Ebro. — Brings the Enemy to Battle at Vittoria. — De- 
 feats them. — Drives them out of Spain. — Encamps upon the Py- 
 renees 107 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 Marshal Soult is sent suddenly from Germany to take Command of the 
 French Army on the Frontier, and to attack the Allies. — Lord Wel- 
 lington blockades Pampeluna closely, and lays siege to St. Sebastian. 
 — The advance of the French Army. — ^The Battles of the Pyrenees. — 
 The French are again driven into France 117 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 The Operations against St Sebastian renewed. — ^The City taken by 
 Storm. — Soult's last Effort for its ReUef. — Admirable Conduct of the 
 Spanish Troops at San Marcial. — Notice of the Movements on the 
 Eastern Coast of Spain during the Spring and Summer of 1813. — Lord 
 Wellington crosses the Bidassoa, and advances the Position of his Left 
 Wing. — The Surrender of Pampeluna 130 
 
CONTEOTB. ▼ 
 
 CHAP. xm. 
 
 Lord Wellington invades France. — Drives Soult from his first Line of 
 Defence. — Takes a Position in front of St. Jean de Luz. — And places 
 his Army in Cantonments. — Takes the Field in the middle of Decem- 
 ber, to extend his own Position, and to circumscribe that of Marshal 
 Soult. — Soult's powerful Attacks on the Left and Right of the Allies 
 — Defeated in both. — Brilliant Victory of Sir Rowland Hill on the 13ih 
 of December. — Lord Wellington remains in Cantonments till Febru- 
 ary. — Passage of the Adour 141 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 The Battle of Orthez.— The Retreat of the French.— The Combat of 
 Aire. — Lord Wellington marches his Left Wing upon Bordeaux. — The 
 Reception of the Duke of Angouleme in that City. — State of Affairs 
 in France. — The Movements of Soult. — Lord Wellington's Manoeu- 
 vres. — ^The Battle of Toulouse. — Soult defeated. — The Sortie from 
 Bayonne. — The Abdication of Napoleon. — Ferdinand's Return to 
 Spain. — The Restoration of the Bourbons in France 156 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington visits Paris and Madrid. — Takes leave of the 
 Array, and returns to England. — His Reception. — Repairs again to 
 Paris as Ambassador. — Proceeds to the Congress of Vienna as Pleni- 
 potentiary. — The State of France. — The Return of Bonaparte. — The 
 Renewal of HostiUties. — The Campaign in Flanders. — The Victory of 
 Waterloo 174 
 
 A2 
 
MILITARY MEMOIRS 
 
 or 
 
 THE DUKE OF AVELLINGTON. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS AT CADIZ. THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS THE AID 0» 
 
 BRITISH TROOPS. STATE OF THE WAR IN THE PROVINCES. THE AS- 
 SEMBLY OF THE CORTEZ. — THEIR ACTS. — PROGRESS OF THE FRENCH 
 ARMS, — DEATH OF ROMANA. 
 
 Cadiz, tlie last asylum of the Spanish government, was saved 
 from the sword of the intruder by the wise and prompt decision 
 of the duke of Albuquerque. 
 
 Marshal Victor followed the Spanish general by rapid marches, 
 and appeared before Cadiz upon the 5th of February. He waa 
 eix-and-thirty hours too late. The soldiers of Albuquerque were 
 already upon the walls of Cadiz, and were manning the defensive 
 works upon the Isla de Leon, by which that important fortress 
 and the noble harbor are covered. 
 
 The troops of Albuquerque were in a miserable condition. 
 The citizens were in confusion and alarm ; the streets were 
 crowded with fugitives; and the defences both of Cadiz and the 
 Isla de Leon had been indolently neglected. Had the exact 
 state of things been known to victor, he would probably have 
 attempted to possess himself of the Isla de I^eon by a sudden as- 
 sault; for the line of defence waa so extended, and the garrison 
 so weak in numbers, and so disheartened by past reverses, that 
 such an enterprise might have been crowned by success. But 
 the zeal, the energy, and the talent of Albuquerque, to whom 
 the command of the forces was immediately intrusted, were so 
 far blessed in tlieir exertion, thiit the French marslial, deceived 
 as to the strength of his preparations, disposed his divisbns 
 around the bay, and established a regular blockade. 
 
 His line of contravallation extended twenty-five miles. His 
 three main positions were Chiclana, Puerto Real, and Santa 
 Maria; and these were fortified with care, and connected by 
 intrenched camps. Cadiz, for so long a period the seat of a 
 government, which had to deliberate for the interests of a king- 
 dom, and to rule wide provinces, under the sound of hostile 
 cannon, it is necessary to describe. 
 
8 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 At the mouth of the river Guadalete there is an insulated 
 tract of land, triangular in form : two sides of this island are 
 washed by the sea, and it is separated from tlie main land by 
 the river Santi Petri. This is the Isla de Leon ; its left shore 
 is on the open sea ; its right looks on the harbor ; and these two 
 sides meet at a point, from which a narrow tongue of land, five 
 miles in length, connects the island with Cadiz. 
 
 The Santi Petri is a natural cliannel separating the upper 
 harbor of Cadiz from the open sea ; it traverses a marsh that is 
 crossed by many small water-courses, and varies in breadth 
 from one to three miles. The Isla de Leon can only be ap- 
 proached by the bridge of Zuazo, and by a firm causeway which 
 crosses the marsh. Upon this island is one large town and a 
 smaller where public buidings and barracks are erected for the 
 use and service of Cadiz, the great arsenal of Spain, and the 
 principal rendezvous of the Spanish navy. 
 
 Cadiz is built upon naked rocks : its highest point is about 
 200 feet above the level of the sea ; and it is washed on all 
 sides by the ocean, with the exception of one narrow isthmus, 
 which connects it with tlie isla. It is a beautiful city, and its 
 harbor one of the noblest in the world, being a vast calm basin 
 from ten to twelve leagues in circumference. 
 
 Here tlie seat of the regency, whicli had been appointed by 
 the junta before it submitted to resign its authority, was hap- 
 pily fixed, and here the cortez, which they had convoked, were 
 instructed to assemble. Thus, while the French were nominally 
 masters of Spain, a secret and sacred spirit of resistance was 
 everywhere cherished, by the knowledge tliat a government 
 still existed which defied the intruder. 
 
 The vast importance of maintaining Cadiz reconciled the 
 Spaniards to the admission of British troops. A division of 6000 
 men, including a strong Portuguese regiment, soon arrived, and 
 were landed to assist in its defence. This auxiliary force was 
 commanded by Sir Thomas Graham. By his indefatigable ex- 
 ertions, the line upon the Isla de Leon, which, extending as it 
 did near ten miles, had, in the first instance, shown many weak 
 points to an enterprising enemy, provided with boats or rafts for 
 passing the Santi Petri, soon presented a strong impregnable 
 front. 
 
 Secured by all the skilful and laborious improvement of her 
 defences, and by the increased strength of her garrison, the city 
 of Cadiz resumed her mirth and her music; and the orators of 
 her deliberative assemblies harangued at length and in safety. 
 A municipal junta had been formed in the city, composed of 
 merchants elected by ballot ; this was intended to supply her 
 need at the moment that the central junta was deposed at Se- 
 ville. Of this municipal junta, Albuquerque, on his first eu- 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. fg 
 
 trance into Cadiz, was elected president But he found it a 
 painful post, and very heartily despised the incompetent, and 
 
 iret ambitious men, with whom he was associated. Neverthe- 
 ess, the junta triumphed for a time, botli over the heroic virtue 
 of Albuqueniue and the acknowledged regency. The press 
 was under their direction, and they were supported by the popu- 
 lace. Albuquerque was sent ambassador to England, and died 
 in that country of a broken heart The regency, though feeble, 
 had yet influence enou^li to arrange tor the quiet reception of 
 ttie British auxiliaries. Thus, despite the intrigues, the venality, 
 and the tyranny of this junta, elected by the popular voice, and 
 upheld by the popular club, or knife, Cadiz was saved. 
 
 One of tlie first acts of the British general, Stewart, who ax- 
 rived at Cadiz in the middle of February, was to recover and 
 reoccupy a most important insulated outwork, called Fort Matar- 
 gorda; which, though it seriously impeded tlie works of the 
 blockading force, had been dismantled and abandoned by the 
 Spaniards. A detachment of 150 men, composed of soldiers, 
 seamen, and gunners of the artillery, under the command of 
 captain M'Lean of the 94th, was sent across to this fort, in thick 
 rough weather, and effected a secure lodgement The cannon 
 of the enemy played heavily upon them the whole of the next 
 day, but they stood firm ; and they held this little fort for fifly- 
 five days, under the fire of the French, which was frequently 
 directed against them. M'Lean could only bring seven guns to 
 bear upon the enemy ; but he was supported upon the flanks of 
 his small fort by a Spanish man-of-war, and a flotilla of gunboats. 
 At dawn upon the 21st of April, the French opened upon this 
 work, from batteries which mounted forty-eight guns and mor- 
 tars of the largest size. Red-hot shot were tired ujwn the ship 
 and the boats, and drove tliem away. The parapet of tlie fort 
 was soon destroyed by the weight and vigor of the fire ; half 
 the little garrison fell ; and, afler a stout and resolute defence, 
 boats were sent off to withdraw tlie survivors, and Matagorda 
 was evacuated. 
 
 Notwithstanding the indolence and apatliy of tlie citizens of 
 Cadiz, and all the frivolous contentions between the local junta 
 and tlie regency, by which the public service was hourly im- 
 
 Eded, Sir Thomas Graham, looking steadily upon his duty, la- 
 red incessantly to improve tlie defences of Cadiz. Ma[rshal 
 Soult now limited his operations to fortifying and securing the 
 French cantonments, that fewer trooj)8 might suffice for the 
 blockade. There was only one of his batteries, which, from 
 huge mortars, did occasionally, but at long and very uncertain 
 ranges, cast a few shells into the town. During the spring he 
 cleared and subjected the provinces of Murcia and CJranada by 
 his movable columns, establishing the temporary reign of the 
 
10 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 intruder by the most unwarrantable edicts, and by the most se- 
 vere and savage executions. The Spaniard was told in these 
 edicts, that if he was not a regular soldier he might not raise 
 his arm tc defend his dwelling or his family. Death and the 
 exposure of his body upon the highway were the penalties in- 
 curred by every patriot taken in arms. But from the blood of 
 these unhappy victims there sprung up a sudden growth of armed 
 men ; and the guerrilla bands, which rapidly increased through- 
 out the land, dealt out upon the enemy a full measure of re- 
 venge. 
 
 It is fair to record, that all the cruel and violent proceedings 
 by which the French sought to establish the throne of Joseph 
 Buonaparte did not originate with him. He was an indolent, 
 self-indulgent, easy man, not formed for public life ; disliking his 
 position, but not at liberty to resign it. Perhaps no one felt the 
 slavery of Napoleon's service more bitterly than this king and 
 brother. 
 
 In May the blockading force before Cadiz received a rein- 
 forcement of near 2000 men, in a singular manner. A body of 
 French soldiers, confined on board prison-ships in the harbor, 
 took advantage of a heavy gale, which drove upon the French 
 side of the bay, cut the cables, and, under a fire from the 
 Spanish batteries and the fleet, let the hulks drift to shore. 
 These prisoners had been taken, with Dupont, at Baylen 
 
 It was every day more apparent that nothing could be at- 
 tempted against Cadiz ; but in other quarters the French arms 
 had better success. Although nothing could exceed the zeal 
 and activity of the Spanish general, O'Donnel, in Catalonia; 
 although many of his enterprises were rewarded by good for- 
 tune; and all his combats were fought with the most ardent 
 valor, especially that of Vich, in February, 1810, yet fortress 
 after fortress fell. 
 
 The garrison of Hostalrich, after patiently sustaining ten 
 weeks' bombardment and four months' blockade, and consuming 
 their last ration of food, made a bold sally and a resolute effort 
 to break a way through the French force. Of 1400 many were 
 slain; Julian Estrada, the brave governor, was wounded and 
 taken, together with 300 men; but the larger number made 
 good their attempt and reached Vich. The next day the islands 
 of Las Medas, a maritime port of great importance, were sur- 
 prised and captured by the French. 
 
 In Arragon, Suchet besieged Lerida, breached the walls by 
 five days' heavy fire, and carried it by storm on the sixth day 
 after opening his batteries. The carnage in the streets was 
 very great ; little quarter was given ; and the French com- 
 mander next proceeded against Mequinenza, a place of some 
 consequence at the junction of the Segre with the Ebro. This 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 11 
 
 fort, situate on a lofty rock, was ignobly surrendered by the 
 governor after a very faint show of resistance for five short days. 
 These successes, in the months of May and June, 1810, com- 
 pensated to Suchet for his grievous failure in March at Valencia, 
 against which place he had unadvisedly marched in the ill- 
 founded presumption tliat he might take it by a coup-de-main. 
 But here the very Sjmniards who had fled from the field of Bel- 
 chite stood up again manfully under Ventura Cora ; and though 
 the marshal penetrated to the gates of Valencia, and encaunped 
 in that celebrated and fertile spot called the Huerta, or garden 
 of Valencia, he was soon compelled to retire without efiecting 
 his object. He had reckoned upon treason or panic, but neither 
 served him : for the traitors were discovered ; the populace rose 
 in arms ; neither intrigue nor menace availed to move them ; 
 he was too weak to force their intrenchments, and returned to 
 the Ebro. 
 
 This event diffused great joy, and awakened a hopeful 
 spirit in all the eastern provinces; but Suchet soon repaired 
 lus ill fortune, as has been related above, by the conquest of 
 Arragon. 
 
 During the year 1810, the guerrillas became very numerous : 
 and the convoys and detachments of the enemy were continu- 
 ally assaulted on their march. It is true that no military move- 
 ment of any important bearing upon the issue of a Qampajfm 
 was effectually provontod hy these lianas ; but m mamtammg 
 their communications, and procuring their supplies, the difficul- 
 ties of the French were largely increased. Not a letter could 
 be sent even a small distance without a strong escort of dra- 
 goons; and the courier to France was accompanied through 
 certain districts on the route by two or three battalions of in- 
 fantry. 
 
 Such was the state of Spain when her national Cortez were 
 assembled. The rule by which the members were chosen was 
 formed for the occasion by the supreme junta. 
 
 All persons of twenty-five years of age, whose incomes were 
 not derived from place or pension under the government, who 
 were not debtors to the state, and who were of sound body and 
 good moral repute, were eligible to a seat in this fiimous assem- 
 bly. All cities which had sent members to the last cortez were 
 now to elect the same number. Every provincial junta return- 
 ed one deputy, and the provinces were represented in the pro- 
 portion of one member for every 50,000 inhabitants. Twenty- 
 six members chosen from natives of Spanish America, resident 
 in tlie mother-country, reprcsenttMl the colonics. 
 
 As of necessity in some of tlie provinces of old Spain now 
 strongly occupied by the French, the elections could not have 
 free course, and as tlie representatives sent from otliers were 
 
12 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 many of them taken by the enemy on their way to Cadiz, sixty- 
 eight supplementary deputies were chosen in Cadiz, and in 
 other districts, with which tlie communications were yet se- 
 cure ; and from this list all vacancies were filled. 
 
 It had been the intention of the supreme junta to have insti- 
 tuted a higher chamber of the grandees and dignitaries of the 
 church as a wholesome check upon the cortez, but this design 
 was abandoned ; liowever, nobles and secular priests were ad- 
 mitted as candidates for the great national assembly. 
 
 The eyes of Spain, of England, and of all Europe, were fixed 
 upon the meeting of this great council. It took place on the 
 24th of September, 1810, with the solemn and customary forms. 
 
 Their first act was a decree, by which the style and title of 
 majesty was conferred upon their own body, and the inferior title 
 of highness was given to the executive. Moreover, they de- 
 creed that no member of the cortez should accept of any pen- 
 sion, honor, reward, or favor from the executive. 
 
 The liberal members of this assembly, though not at first the 
 most numerous division, were by far the most wordy and vehe- 
 ment debaters. The freedom of the press in all matters not re- 
 ligious WELs very soon proclaimed ; a great blessing to any coun- 
 try, but not exactly their first great want at that moment. 
 
 Spain was full of armed enemies, while tJie constitutional hall 
 of the cortez rung with tlie loud acclamations, with which ab- 
 stract principles oi iioeny weic icoolvod, and sppnnlative theo- 
 ries for enlightened government were discussed and lauded. 
 
 Meanwhile, amid the pauses of their stormy eloquence, might 
 be heard the boom of some solitary gun from the lines of con- 
 travallation, occupied by the French ; and many an elderly 
 Frenchman in those lines had heard better speeches and fairer 
 theories in Paris, twenty years before, and had survived the 
 hopes and the rapture with which he listened to them. 
 
 About this time the duke of Orleans, then an exile at Paler- 
 mo, who had previously offered his services to the central junta, 
 presented himself in Spain on the invitation of the regency. 
 He first landed at Tarragona, and thence sailed round to Cadiz, 
 where he was received with great honor, and invited to a high 
 command in the northern provinces by the regency. This ap- 
 pointment the cortez would not sanction, nor does any blame 
 attach to them for their refusal. 
 
 However, their jealousy of the executive soon evinced itself 
 by dissolving the regency and appointing another. Of this, 
 Blake, the general, was president, and Pedro Agar, a naval 
 commander, and Gabriel Cisgar, the governor of Carthagena, 
 were members. Blake and Cisgar being absent, the cortez ap- 
 pointed two substitutes provisionally. The marquis del Palacio, 
 one of these .substitutes, being desirous, out of a conscientious 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 13 
 
 reganl to the oath of his allegiance to Ferdinand, to qualify that 
 which he was now called upon to take to the cortez, was imme- 
 diately displaced and persecuted, and held up as an object for 
 the popular suspicion and hatred. 
 
 Though the constitution had been most carefully worded in a 
 republican spirit, the acts of the cortez were soon as despotic 
 and capricious as those of the various provisional governments 
 whicli liad preceded them. It is true that, for a season, a new 
 impulse was given to the nation, and " Long live the cortez !" 
 " Long live tiie new constitution !" was tor a time shouted by 
 the people. But the popularity of these new senators soon de- 
 clined. 
 
 The common people in Spain have strong prejudices in favor 
 of old institutions and ancient customs. They rank themselves 
 among the families of the earth as one of old renown and lofty 
 fame ; therefore, as soon as tlie work of innovation began, when 
 they saw old establishments suppressed, old forms violated, and 
 the clergy openly assailed, they soon became surly and discon- 
 tented. 
 
 Moreover, this vain assembly, while busied with popular ha- 
 rangues and legislative enactments, neglected tlie weightier 
 matters of organizing levies throughout the kingdom, and di- 
 recting all the energies of the people to the expulsion of their 
 enemies. 
 
 Most embarrassing propositions were entertained by them. 
 They acknowledged, by a majority, the hereditary claim of 
 Carlotta, princess of Brazil, to the Spanish succession, and to 
 the immediate possession of supreme control over tlie country ; 
 and, if lord Wellington had not Interfered, she would have been 
 proclaimed regent. 
 
 The affairs of the Spanish colonies were administered, at this 
 important period, with so little of wisdom, good faith, and com- 
 mon decency, by tlie government of old Spain, tliat the Ameri- 
 can provinces — not sorry, perhaps, to find cause and opportunity 
 — threw off the yoke of their oppressors, and openly defended 
 their rights in arms. 
 
 Such was the state, and such were the proceetlings, of a gov- 
 ernment, whose debates were carried on in a city blockaded by 
 the enemy. 
 
 The only cxpetlition ventured against the French at this time 
 from the neighborhood of Cadiz was a small one, composed of 
 Bntisii and Spanish troops, directed against the castle of Fran- 
 girola, near Malaga. The small force employe*! consisted of a 
 British battalion, a detachment of foreign deserters, and one 
 Spanish regiment, under the command of L(jrd Bkyney. These 
 troops landed near Frangirola, but for want of heavy metal, they 
 made no impression on the place ; Sebastiani. commandimr in 
 
 Vol. II. B 
 
14 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Malaga, marched against them ; and an affair took place, which 
 was so unfortunately conducted, that Lord Blayney and 200 
 men, with their officers, were taken prisoners; several were 
 killed, and the remainder were compelled to retire to their ships. 
 
 We turn for a moment to consider the operations of that corps 
 of the enemy in Spanish Estremadura, which, while the allied 
 army was fully engaged in the defence of Lisbon, succeeded in 
 wresting from the feeble arms of the Spaniards a very important 
 conquest. 
 
 Towards the end of December, Soult, assembling a force of 
 13,000 men at Seville, advanced into Estremadura, compelling 
 the Spanish divisions under Ballasteros and Mendizabal to retire 
 rapidly before them. The French presented themselves before 
 the gates of Oliven^a on the 11th of January. Mendizabal had 
 left in this place seven battalions, and a brigade of field-artillery ; 
 with what object it is not easy to comprehend, the fortress being 
 weak in all its defences, and without any stores. It surrendered 
 to general Girard on the 22d of January, the Spanish soldiers 
 being without food. Soult instantly made Oliven^a a place of 
 arms, to facilitate his movements for the reduction of Badajos, 
 which fortress was invested by the corps of marshal Mortier on 
 the 26th. 
 
 Upon the 23d of this month, the marquez de la Romana, who 
 commanded the Spanish forces acting with the army of Wel- 
 lington, died at Cartaxo, the British head-quarters. These troops 
 lord Wellington had already detached to support Mendizabal ; 
 giving minute instructions as to the very position they should 
 occupy — a post so happily chosen that, as long as it was main- 
 tained with a prudent patience, it proved a constant source of 
 anxiety to the besiegers, and of confidence to the besieged. It 
 lies north of Badajos ; the river Gevora protecting it in front, 
 and fort St. Christoval sheltering the right. From this strong 
 and secure position, which kept open the communications with 
 the town, and covered the introduction of its supplies, Mendizar 
 bal allowed himself to be moved by the annoyance which a few 
 shells, thrown from the opposite bank of the river, caused in his 
 encampment. The night after the Spanish general changed his 
 ground, Mortier crossed the Gnadiana by a flying bridge above 
 the town; and a column of 6000 men fording the Gevora at 
 daylight, the dispositions to attack the Spanish army were com- 
 pleted. The morning was thick and foggy ; but, when the mist 
 cleared up, the Spaniards beheld their force exposed on every 
 side to assault ; while a Frencii brigade was already drawn up 
 between their ground and fort Christoval. Without support, 
 without formation, without one directing mind, or one governing 
 voice, the Spaniards, offering many of them, individually, a very 
 gallant resistance, were soon and completely beaten. Three 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 15 
 
 thousand poured over the bridge into Badajos. Their cavalry 
 fled ; and the Portuguese horse, under colonel Madden, despite 
 aU his efforts to rally them, followed. About 50() were led off 
 in some order by don Carlos de Espana to Elvas ; the rest were 
 taken or slaughtered. Thus, in a few hours, was a Spanish 
 army of more than 10,000 men destroyed. Mendizabal escaped- 
 One pang was spared to the noble and unfortunate Romana, 
 TJiat upright man was already in his grave, before this sliameful 
 disaster on the Gcvora occurred. " In him," said the French 
 officers, when they learned his death, — " in him t!ie Spaniards 
 have lost the only general in their service wortliy of his rank." 
 — " In him," said lord Wellington, in a dispatch reporting upon 
 his decease, — " in him the Spanish army have lost their bright- 
 est ornament — his country its most upright patriot — and the 
 world the most strenuous and zealous defender of the cause in 
 which we are engaged ; and I shall always acknowledge with 
 gratitude the assistance I have received from him as well by his 
 operations as by his counsel, since he had been joined with this 
 army." 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 UASSENA BREAKS UP FROM SANTAREM AND RETIRES FROM PORTUQAL. — 
 LORD WELLINOTO.N PURSUES THE FRENCH ARMY CLOSELY, AND RE-ES- 
 TABLISHES HIB HEAD-QUARTERS UPON THE FRONTIER. 
 
 It has been already stated, that the corps of general Hill oc- 
 cupied cantonments upon the loft bank of the Tagus, to observe 
 and defend the pas.sage of that river, to provide for the safety of 
 Abrantes, and, in the event of Massena's retning over the Ze- 
 zere, to be early in motion on the lino of liis retreat General 
 Hill, to the deej) regret of his division, went home sick in De- 
 cember, and marshal Beresford succeeded to his fine command. 
 
 With a view to the relief of Badajos, Wellmgton was already 
 about to direct tlie march of this corps southward, when certain 
 indications of a movement on tlie part of Massena induced him 
 to alter this disposition. Bsresfbrd was ordered to advance to 
 Abrantes, and to push forward a detachment of his corps upon 
 the enemy's posts at Puniiete. A brigade, under major-general 
 the honorable William Stewart, was actually tlireatening Pim- 
 hete, and feeling its way upon tJieir rear, when suddenly, on 
 tlie night of the oth of Alarcii, the French corps withdrew from 
 their strong [xwition at Santarem. The head-quarters of tlie 
 allies were in tliat city on tlie following day ; and Wellington, 
 completing all the necessary arrangements with his wonted 
 promptitude, was already in full pursuit; but tlie preparations 
 
16 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 for this retreat of the French were so perfect, and their conduct 
 of it so masterly, that very seriously to embarrass them was not 
 easy. 
 
 Massena preferred that route which ascends the left bank of 
 the Mondego to Guarda and Almeida. To guin this line with 
 security, he made a demonstration with one corps d'armee from 
 the neighborhood of Leyria, as if he would again advance, 
 while with the main body he fell back upon Thomar, detaching 
 Loison, with one division, upon his flank, by the road of Espinhal. 
 
 Wellington caused Beresford to move all his people up the left 
 bank of the Tagus on the 5th, and at break of day on tlie Gth he 
 passed through Santarem himself to pursue the enemy. 
 
 It was at first thought that Massena designed to assemble and 
 unite his forces at Thomar, for his boats at Punliete were not 
 destroyed till the Gth. Under this impression, the greatest part 
 of Beresford's corps crossed the Tagus at Abrantes, and moved 
 by Punhete upon Thomar, crossing the Zezere by a boat bridge 
 brought down the river from Abrantes. 
 
 Three divisions of the army, and two brigades of cavalry, 
 marched also by Golegao upon Thomar. Here, however, the 
 true direction of the retreat was ascertained ; and it appeared 
 that the French columns were pointing their marches upon 
 Pombal. 
 
 Upon the 9th, Massena halted in front of this place in posi- 
 tion. Upon the 10th, Wellington brought up, with all possible 
 expedition, as many troops as he could collect, and had assem- 
 bled six divisions and the cavalry in front of his adversary. In 
 the niglit Massena retired through tlie town of Pombal. He 
 was here closely pursued by the light division ; and there was a 
 hot skirmish near the castle of Pombal, from whence the enemy 
 were driven away by so brisk and resolute an attack, that they 
 had no time to destroy the bridge, though it was already mined. 
 
 Upon the 12th, Ney, who covered the retreat of the main 
 body with some thousands of the choicest troops, drew up this 
 fine rear-guard in front of Redinha, upon ground so favorable, 
 and disposed them with such skill, that it was not possible to 
 discover whether the position was not about to be disputed by a 
 very large force. 
 
 Lord Wellington having attacked the wooded heights upon 
 Ney's right flank, with a brigade of the light division under Sir 
 William Erskine, directed Picton to ascend those upon the 
 JVench left. These two points were seized upon with great 
 vigor in a short time ; but Ney continued to hold his ground with 
 a most resolute countenance, till Wellington, bringing forward 
 a great mass of troops in battle order to assail him, he withdrew 
 rapidly by the village, bridge, and ford of Redinha ; covering his 
 movement by the smoke of his musketry, and effecting it without 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 17 
 
 further loss tlian tliat which had been already sustained in fair 
 combat. Many hours were thus gained for the sick, the baggage, 
 and the main body of the French, wliich had retired upon Con- 
 deixa ; whitlier Ney, with the rear-guard, now followed them. 
 About 21K) men fell on either side in this affair. 
 
 Animated by the determination to prevent, if possible, Mas- 
 eena's passage of the Mondego, — a line of march that would have 
 thrown his opponent into a country, the supplies of which were 
 unexliausted, — Wellington pressed forward upon tlie 13th, and 
 found the main body of the French in a {xsition of great strength 
 near Condcixa. JMontbrun, who had marched with a strong re- 
 connoissance upon Coimbra, fijmid, upon the evening of tlie 11th, 
 by his patroles, that the bridge of Coimbra was broken down, 
 and the city occupied, as lie thought, in strength. They ex- 
 amined the bridge and fords again upon the 12th ; but the gal- 
 lant bearing of colonel Trant, with a few hundred of the militia, 
 and some guns, opjwsed then: passage, and saved tlie city When 
 this state of things was reported to ^Massena, he decided on re- 
 tiring by the Ponte Murcella. To secure his communications 
 witli tlie eighth corps, and with Loison, he moved the division of 
 Clausel to Ponte Coberta, about five miles on his left ; while the 
 position of Condelxa, unassailable in front, was held by the troops 
 of Ney. 
 
 It was about ten in the morning when Wellington came be- 
 fore it ; and judging that Alassena considered his position too 
 secure to be disturbed, till his arrangements for continuing his 
 retreat should be completed, he resolved to dislodge him. Ac- 
 cordingly, he sent the third division, under Picton, by a circuit- 
 ous and difficult path across the mountains to the eastward, to 
 menace the only road open in his rear: no sooner were the 
 advanced files of Picton's column of march discovered at a point 
 already beyond the French left, than, alarmed by this bold and 
 brilliant manoeuvre, the i^ench broke up in haste, and pushed 
 for Casal Nova, followed by the British as fast and close as tlie 
 prepared obstacles on the road and the flaming fires of C!ondeixa 
 would suffer them to move forward. Nevertheless, the enemy's 
 rear was pie.srfcd so closely, that the advanced guard got be- 
 tween the troops at Ponte Coberta, where Massena had fixed his 
 head-quartersi, and the main body ; as Ney would make no effort 
 ta drive back the British skirmishers, and recover tlie point 
 where the roada from Anciao and Miranda de Corvo unite, Mas- 
 sena was very near taken, and had to scramble over the moun- 
 tains by night to rcgaui Uie army. 
 
 At daybreak on the 14t}i, the light division, under Sir William 
 
 Erskinc, marched in pursuit, led on by tJiat officer without orders, 
 
 and without due precautions: the consequence was, tliat the 
 
 leading regiment, the 52d, advancing under a tliick niiiit, in cd- 
 
 B2 
 
18 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 umn of march, came suddenly witliout support upon the face of 
 the heights occupied by the army of the enemy, and was imme- 
 diately engaged. Thus was such a combat as interfered with 
 the designs of lord Wellington forced upon him, and the whole 
 of tlie light division was toon extended and engaged with a thick 
 cloud of the enemy's skirmishers. It had been the original in- 
 tention of lord Wellington to turn the enemy's left, and accord- 
 ingly, when this was accomplished by the movements of the 
 tliird and fourth divisions under Picton and Cole, the main posi- 
 tion, on the slope of which this useless combat had been stoutly 
 maintained, was at once abandoned. Ney drew off in fine order, 
 retiring by echellons of divisions, and disputing every favorable 
 bridge and position, till (though hurried in tlie afternoon by the 
 close pursuit of the artillery and the light troops in advance) he 
 gained the pass of Miranda de Corvo with a trifling loss. In 
 this position lay the main body of the enemy, and here Mont- 
 brun, returning from his unsuccessful march to Coimbra, re- 
 joined tliem. 
 
 Lord Wellington, by his vigorous and skilful movements, had 
 now succeeded in confining the army of Massena to one narrow 
 line of retreat between the mountains and the river Mondego. 
 Here the French general destroyed much ammunition and bag- 
 gage. Ney, -who covered the movements of the main body with 
 a strong rear-guard, had halted upon the left bank of the Ceira, 
 in a rugged and defensible position near the village of Fons 
 d'Aronce. Here lord Wellington found him late in the after- 
 noon, and amusing his riglit with a feint attack, vigorously 
 charged his left with the third division, while a battery of horse- 
 artillery being advanced rapidly to a favorable point opened hotly 
 upon his dismayed battalions, and they were driven upon the 
 river in such confusion, that m.any were drowned in attempting 
 to discover the lords, and many were trampled to death on the 
 bridge. In this panic the French lost at the least 500 men : the 
 casualties of the allies were trifling. In the night, Ney blew up 
 the bridge and retired ; and upon the 16th the entire army of 
 the enemy had passed the Alva, and occupied the bold and formi- 
 dable line of mountain behind that river. Upon the 16th, lord 
 Wellington was constrained to halt. Upon the night of the 13th 
 he had heard of the disgraceful surrender of Badajos, and re- 
 solved instantly to reinforce the corps of Beresford, which he 
 had already halted at Thomar, and sent back to the Alemtejo, 
 with the fourth division, and a brigade of heavy cavalry. These 
 last troops had been detached immediately after the aflair of the 
 14th at Casal Nova ; and it was the desire of lord Wellington 
 that Beresford should take instant measures for the recovery of 
 Badajos. But these matters on the Alemtejo frontier may be 
 related in another place. In the night of the 16th a bridge upon 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 19 
 
 trestles was thrown over tlie Ceira by the staff corps, and on the 
 morning of the 17th the army passed onward in pursuit. Wel- 
 lington found his antagonist at rest, and expecting secure repose 
 behind the Alva, Jiaving destroyed the bridges upon that river at 
 Pombeiro and Ponte Murcella. So satislied was the French 
 marslial of a long breathing time, that he sent out his foragers 
 in some strength to procure supplies; — but Wellington disturb- 
 ing him upon tlic lower Alva by a strong demonstration and a 
 lively cannonade, menaced his left by marching three divisions 
 over the mountains. These movements compelled Massena to 
 concentrate his forces in tlie strong position of the Serra de IMoita, 
 out of which he was soon forced by the brilliant manoeuvres of 
 his opponent. Two divisions of the allies passed the wide and 
 swollen Alva by a flying bridge, between Pombeiro and Ponte 
 Murcella, while the right wing threatened Massena by Arganil, 
 and upon the north bank of the Mondego, a body of militia, un- 
 der those indefatigable leaders Trant and Wilson, harassed his 
 flank. Thus preyed, he again destroyed all such stores and 
 baggage as encumbered his march, left his scattered foragers as 
 a sure prey to the allies, and pushed for Celerico and Guarda. 
 The main body of the French was at Celerico on tlie 21st, under 
 Massena, whose cavalry instantly communicated with Almeida, 
 Meantime, Regnier with the second corps had occupied Guarda. 
 Thus holding the defiles of Guarda open, Massena calculated 
 upon maintaining himself in that strong country for some time, 
 and avoiding the mortification of a forced retreat into Spain. 
 The pursuers outmarched their supplies, and suffered great priva- 
 tions. The Portuguese troops, whose commissariat was wretch- 
 ed, were almost starving, and tlie means of transpxjrt were un- 
 equal to keep the men fed during the exigencies of this rapid 
 advance: therefore, a short pause was unavoidable. Massena 
 considered the pursuit at an end ; and moving Regnier with the 
 second corps to Bclmonte, jxxsted the sixth corps at Guarda, and 
 the eighth and the cavalry in the valleys to the eastward. Du- 
 ring these operations, Iilassena and Ney had quarrelled. Mas- 
 sena had desired to march by his left through tl;c Estrella to 
 Coria in the valley of the Tagus, and thus to establish a com- 
 munication with the armies of the south and the centre. To this 
 Slan Ney had violently objected, and had, in disobedience of or- 
 crs, marched in tiie aircction of Almeida. Thus tlie design of 
 Massena was crossed; and thougli he superseded Ney in his 
 command, and sent him to Paris, tlie moment for the operation 
 had gone by. Nevertheless, in his present position at Guarda, 
 he still calculated on being able to keep ojien a communication 
 with Soult, and by his co-operation to maintain himself in Portu- 
 gal till he could resume the offensive. 
 This dream of security was dissipated, on tiie morning of the 
 
20 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 29th, by the sudden and simultaneous appearance of five columns 
 of attack ascending the Guarda mountain by five different roads 
 or paths. This position, one of the strongest in Portugal, was 
 abandoned by the French with the utmost precipitation : without 
 one effort for its defence, they hurried down the only open road, 
 and crossed the Coa. Upon tliis river tlie enemy halted till the 
 8d of April ; having the sLxth corps at Rovina, the eighth at Al- 
 fayates, and the second upon the heights behind Sabugal, at 
 which point the stream takes a sudden turn. Massena thus held 
 command of some passes to the south beyond Alfayates ; com- 
 municated with Almeida ; guarded tiie bridges and fords on the 
 Coa ; and presented two strong fronts, covered by a river, and 
 connected by the strong and convenient }K)int of Sabugal. At 
 daylight on the 3d, Wellington manojuvred to turn the left of 
 the second corps, and, by a well-combined movement, to envelop 
 and cut it oft! To this end the light division was to cross the 
 Coa several miles above Sabugal at a ford ; the third division at 
 another a little to the left ; while the cavalry under Slade passed 
 the river at another upon the extreme right ; the fifUi division 
 was to force the bridge at Sabugal ; the sixth was to observe 
 the enemy at Rovina ; and the remaining divisions were in re- 
 serve. 
 
 The morning was dark and misty. A brigade of the light di- 
 vision, under colonel Beckwith, was, by some error in the calcu- 
 lation of a staff officer, ordered to the attack before the other 
 troops were in motion on their respective points. 
 
 Colonel Beckwith forded the river with four companies of the 
 29th (the rifles), and with the 43d regiment. The riflemen led 
 up the heights in extended order ; the 43d followed in column. 
 The riflemen drove in the enemy's piquets, but were almost in- 
 stantly forced back upon the 43d by a strong reserve, and, the 
 fog clearing, Beckwith found himself in the presence of Reg- 
 nier's wliole corps. He instantly charged and repulsed the 
 French column, and gained the brow of the height ; but here he 
 was directly exposed to the fire of two guns loaded with grape 
 within one hundred yards ; and was forthwith assailed in front 
 and upon both flanks by very numerous forces, of which some 
 were horsemen. The heroism of Beckwith and his men was 
 only equalled by his ability and tlieir steadiness. He took ad- 
 vantage of a small stone inclosure, and made it good ag'ainst all 
 assaults, with desperate resolution. The fighting was furious, 
 and the fire of the 43d deadly; and in the midst Beckwith 
 charged out upon the enemy, and took from them a howitzer 
 withm fifty yards of the low stone wall which he was defend- 
 ing. The other brigade of the light division now came up to 
 their support, and tlie combat was continued with equal spirit by 
 the 52d. In vain did Regnier bring forward fresli and stronger 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 21 
 
 columns, in vain did cavalry fall in upon the skirmishers of the 
 52d, and cause a momentary confusion ; the fierce efforts of the 
 enemy were all firaily repulsed, and tlie brave light division 
 kept the howitzer, and still crowned the liill. In this short and 
 blootly strugj^le the Frencli left more tlian 300 dead bodies upon 
 the ground, and their wounded were v«ry numerous. The allies 
 had only 200 killed and wounded. 
 
 Regnicr, maddened by this repulse, was collecting all his re- 
 serves for one more ellort, when the fitlli division carried the 
 bridge of Sabugal, and a column of the third appeared on his 
 right flank. He now retired hastily ujwn Alfayates, and lie was 
 joined tit Rondo by the sixtli corps. The next day, Massena 
 took the road of Ciudad Rodrigc, and on the 5th of April entered 
 Spain. Thus terminated the memorable invasion of Portugal. 
 The light division had tlie high honor of seeing it recorded in 
 the dispatches of lord Wellington, that the affair at Sabugal was 
 " one of the most glorious actions that British troops were ever 
 engaged in." 
 
 Upon the 2.8th of March the army was joined by considerable 
 reinforcements from England, which were organized as a seventh 
 division. These troops had been embarked in January ; but, be- 
 ing detained by contrary winds, did not anchor in the Tagus till 
 the 2d of Marcli. Had they arrived a month sooner, the expul- 
 sion of Massena would not have been so long delayed ; for, with 
 the aid of these 7(KX) men, Wellington could have acted upon 
 the offensive, before the French general, yielding to a stem 
 necessity, broke up from his position at Santarem. By the want 
 of wholesome and sufficient food, by consequent sickness, and by 
 relaxed discipline, his army had very severely sufibred : it had 
 wasted down to 40,0{K) combatants. He had, with a wise and 
 denying economy, kept rations sufficient for a long marcii in 
 store ; and these, being issued at the moment they retired, kept 
 his men well together, and in good spirits ; and, in fact (owing 
 to the scarceness and badness of tlie transport of tlie allies), tliey 
 were far better supplied during tlie retreat than tiieir pursuers. It 
 will 1)0 seen that both the retreat and the pursuit were conducted 
 with consummate ability and skill. The positions of the enemy's 
 rear-guard were, in general, chosen with a fine judgment, and 
 maintained with steadiness to the latest moment. When, how- 
 ever, it is considered tliat lord Wellington pursued his adversary 
 with a force various in composition, not even in tlie early part of 
 the advance superior in numbers, and from the lltli greatly in- 
 ferior, — that the enemy wore turned or driven from every jxwi- 
 lion wlicre they attempted to delay him by skilful mano uvre or 
 vigorous assault, — that, from Condeixa onwards, they were com- 
 pelled repeatedly to destroy carriages, stores, ammunition, and 
 means of transport, — that they suffered, in \'ariou8 affairs, a 
 
22 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 severe loss in killed and wounded, and lost, including the fora- 
 gers upon the Alva, near 2000 prisoners ; and, when all these 
 results of the campaign are set in contrast with the haughty and 
 boastful proclamations of Massena eight months before, the reader 
 will have little difficulty in deciding which was the greater cap- 
 tain of the two, — the " spoiled child of victory," or the firm and 
 illustrious warrior wJio delivered Portugal. Nevertheless, those 
 public men and public prints at home, whose patriotic care it 
 was to disparage the exploits of Wellington, and to exalt the 
 generalship of the French, described the retreat of Massena aa 
 " a mere change of position from the Zezere to the Agiieda" 
 — as a manoeuvre to lead the allies to a distance from their re- 
 sources, and to approach his own. Thus spoke the Opposition, 
 both in and out of parliament; but the people of England held 
 very different language : they read of the sufferings of the in- 
 habitants of Portugal witli a deep sympathy, and of the ferocious 
 atrocities of the French with honest and undisguised indigna- 
 tion ; tliey rejoiced in the triumph of Wellington ; they were 
 proud of the conduct of tlie British troops ; and they were made 
 sensible of the blessing of that happy locality, and that admirable 
 constitution, wJiich saved them from the fearful visitations of 
 foreign and tlie unnatural ravages of civil war. Of a truth, the 
 aifiictions of the Portuguese were very heavy. A wide and 
 spacious district of the land had been for months occupied by a 
 hostile army, and abandoned by all those inhabitants who had 
 listened to the counsel of lord Wellington and the orders of their 
 government. The condition of these fugitives was pitiable 
 enough ; but the fate of those who, from indifference, indolence, 
 or incredulity, either lingered in their homes to take their 
 chance of events, or fled at the latest moment to some hiding- 
 place not far from their abode, never has been, never can be, 
 fully ascertained. Suffice it to say, that during their occupa- 
 tion of that district the French troops suffered grievously for 
 want of fooil ; that their discipline was gone ; that they foraged 
 for themselves ; that all the evil spirits among them had oppor- 
 tunity for crime. He who knows how intimate is the connex- 
 ion between animal wants and animal ferocity, and how, in 
 such connexion, cruelty the most abominable may consist with 
 infidel civilization, will require no details of the conduct of the 
 French army. A large proportion of the officers and of the men 
 of that army looked with horror upon the atrocities committed, 
 and with contempt upon tliose orders of their general whereby 
 tlie crimes of ruffians who disgraced the name of soldiers were 
 approved and sanctioned. 
 
 By express orders from the Frencli head-quarters, tiie city of 
 Leyria, and the church and convent of Alcoba^a (which last, 
 says Mr. Southey, are to the Portuguese as Westminster Abbey 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 23 
 
 and the Bodleian to an Englishman), were given to the flames 
 The whole line of their retreat was marked by fire, desolation, 
 and blood. " The cruelties perpetrated cannot and ought not to 
 be described." — " Every horror (says Colonel Napier) that could 
 make war hideous attended this dreadful march." In the dis- 
 trict of Coimbra near 3(XX) persons were murdered by the 
 French, as they passed it on their retreat. In those provinces 
 where tlie French were cantoned during their partial occupa- 
 tion of the country, t!ie sufferings of tlie people were dreadful. 
 Thousands hid themselves in the woods and mountains; but 
 even here, the marauders of the enemy, prowling like wolves 
 for footl, found tliem, — some in large and trembling companies, 
 some caverned in lonely fear ; and, seizing their little stores of 
 maize or pulse, slew them : at times, in cruel favor, sparing the 
 women. 
 
 Prepared by such actions, they became the ready agents of 
 destruction and cruelty, at tlieir general's call ; and the retreat 
 of Massena was marked by " a barbarity seldom equalled, and 
 never surpassed." Yet it is but just to repeat the observation, 
 that countless enormities may be the work of but a small num- 
 ber of villains ; and that of 40,000 French soldiers, a large and 
 gallant majority may have viewed these acts and orders with 
 abhorrence. 
 
 The last body of the enemy which passed the Agueda, after 
 the combat of SabugaJ, was a brigade of French mfantry of the 
 9th corjjs, which had been detached on a particular service, near 
 Almeida, and was actually in motion to attack Trant and his 
 militia (then watching that fortress), when the cavalry and 
 horse artillery of the aUies fell hotly upon it This brigade re- 
 tired in fine order, across open ground, sustaining a close can- 
 nonade, and being menaced on £)tli flanks by tlie British cav- 
 alry. It lost near 300 men, killed, wounded, and prisoners, in 
 this movement ; but at last, gaining a stronger country, made 
 good its retreat across the Agueda, by Barba del Puerco. 
 
 Not a French soldier was now left in arms upon the soil of 
 Portugal, save the garrison of Almeida. This fortress was im- 
 mediately blockaded. The head-quarters were established at 
 Villa Formosa; the troops were cantoned in advance; and 
 Wellington, relieved from any present apprehension for the 
 frontier of Beira, suddenly left the army, and rode, by long 
 journeys, to the Alemtejo, to visit the detached corps under 
 marshal Beresford. 
 
24 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 BADAJOS AND CAMPO MAYOR TAKEN BY THE FRENCH. BERESFORD DRIVES 
 
 THEM FROM CAMPO MAYOR. MOVES TO ELVAS. PASSES THE GUADIANA. 
 
 PREPARES FOR THE SIEGE OF BADAJOS. LORD WELLINGTON VISITS 
 
 THIS CORPS OF THE ARMY. EXAMINES THE DEFENCES OF BADAJOS. 
 
 IS SUDDENLY RECAIJ:.ED TO BEIRA. — AFFAIRS OF CADIZ. BATTLE OF 
 
 BARROSA. — WAR IN CATALONIA. 
 
 The defeat of Mendizabal, on the Gevora, has been already 
 recorded. It was witnessed from the walls of Badajos. Three 
 thousand of the routed soldiers entered that fortress by the 
 bridge, and joined the garrison, which was thus swelled to 9000 
 men. Many of the uihabitants had fled to avoid the perils and 
 privations of an expected siege, therefore food was abundant. 
 They had military stores in plenty ; the weather was severe, 
 and the rains heavy. Every thing favored the besieged — every 
 thing was against the besiegers. However, on tlie evening of 
 their victory, the French, witli their wonted activity, immedi- 
 ately broke ground before the place. Don Raphael Menacho, 
 the governor, was a resolute and excellent officer ; the troops 
 had great confidence in his measures ; the sallies were bold 
 and frequent ; the fire of the besieged was true and weighty ; 
 and all appearances justified the expectation that Badajos would 
 be most successfully defended. The French had pushed their 
 approaches to the covered way, and were making preparations 
 to blow in the counterscarp, when, upon the night of the 2d of 
 March, Menacho led a vigorous sally against their nearest bat- 
 teries, spiked their guns, and destroyed a great deal of their 
 late work. For this advantage the Spaniards paid incalculably 
 dear — Menacho was slain, and the heart of their hopes was 
 struck. One Imas succeeded to the command; the French 
 made rapid progress; the ditch was gained, and the rampart 
 was breached ; upon the 10th of March, the governor was 
 sternly summoned to surrender the place, or abide tlie conse- 
 quences of a refusal. 
 
 Menacho, before his death, had retrenched the streets, and 
 shown sufficiently his intentions. Imas was a man of another 
 sort. He had received clear and correct information of the 
 state of affairs on the Tagus ; he knew of Massena's retreat ; 
 he knew that a very strong corps of British and Portuguese was 
 advancing to his relief; the breach was as yet narrow, imper- 
 fect, and difficult ; he had 8000 soldiers within the walls, whOe 
 the camp of the besiegers contained only 14,000 men. Yet 
 Imas, upon this summons, immediately surrendered the place. 
 The garrison were made prisoners of war ; and, as if to amuse 
 themselves with his dishonor, the enemy suffered his grenadiers 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 25 
 
 to march out by a breach, which his own workmen had to en- 
 large tliat they might do so. As Imas obtained his own liberty, 
 and gave tlie French all the intelligence of which he was in 
 possession, of his treachery there can be little doubt This dis- 
 graceful business was a severe mortification to lord Wellington, 
 whose plans were thus of necessity disconcerted. 
 
 As soon as Badajos fell, Soult, alarmed by the recent opera- 
 tions of the British at Cadiz, returned to Seville. Mortier, pur- 
 suing his directions, marched upon Campo Mayor with his in- 
 fantry, and summoned that place, while his cavalry under La- 
 tour Maubourg seized uix)n Albuquerque and Valencia d' Alcan- 
 tara, making a few hundred prisoners in those towns. Mortier 
 looked for the instant surrender of Campo Mayor, for it is a 
 weak place, commanded, at tlie distance of 400 yards, by a low 
 hill ; and it was only defended by 200 men and five mounted 
 guns. But these means of defence were under the orders of a 
 brave and able man, a major Tallaia, an officer of engineers in 
 the Portuguese service; and Mortier was compelled to open 
 trenches, to batter in breacli, to bombard the place, and to ad- 
 vance to the crest of the glacis by the regular process of the 
 sap. When the breach was made, and the place was again 
 summoned, tliis faitlaful Portuguese demanded of his enemy 
 twenty-four hours, to see if it were possible that he could be 
 succored. Mortier granted this honorable demand, and, at the 
 expiration of the time agreed upon, the gallant Tallaia surren- 
 dered his charge. 
 
 This conquest, however, the enemy did not long retain ; for 
 already Beresford was advancing at tlie head of 22,000 men, 
 with instructions to repair the (lisasters in this quarter, by re- 
 lieving Campo Mayor, and laying siege to Badajos. 
 
 Upon the morning of the 26th, Beresford's advanced guard, 
 consisting of 2000 horse, and a strong detachment of infantry 
 under Colonel Colborne, came upon the place just as tlie enemy 
 were hastily moving out Then- battering train of thirteen 
 guns, escorted by three battalions, was in march upon the road 
 to Badajos, accompanied by 1200 cavalry, with horse-artillery. 
 The allies pursued them. Colonel Colborne, with his infantry 
 on tiie right, and at some distance ; Colonel Head, with the 13tli 
 Light Dragoons, supported by two squadrons of Portuguese, 
 was upon the left, close in with them. The fine brigade of the 
 British heavy cavalry was in reserve. The ground was an open 
 plain, and fiivorable for the operations of horse all tlie way to 
 Badajos. Some French hussars charged out upon the 13th and 
 die Portuguese, to favor the march of their infantry and guns, 
 and pain time for them to push onward ; but they were driven 
 off. instantly. Four regiments of "French dragoons now drew 
 up and presented a very formidable front ; but the l',i\h British 
 
 Vol. II. C 
 
36 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 with great spirit charged through them ; galloped forwards ; cut 
 down the French gunners upon the road, who were conducting 
 the heavy train ; and, pursuing their success, headed the French 
 column of march. Some of them formed far in front of- it, 
 while others, more hot and uncontrollable, carried on a running 
 and irregular combat with the fugitive horsemen of the enemy, 
 several of the British dragoons being actually at last taken at 
 the very gates of Badajos. The French pursued their march 
 without further interruption. They had about 300 killed and 
 wounded, and lost one howitzer. Colonel Clamorin, a distin- 
 guished officer of French dragoons, was slain in this afiair. 
 
 Marshal Beresford made no use of his heavy cavalry, so that 
 Colborne's detachment of infantry could not of course be brouglit 
 to bear upon the enemy's line of march, and they got safe into 
 Badajos, having very narrowly escaped destruction or captivity. 
 
 The marshal now placed his troops under cover at Elvas, and 
 in tlie towns and villages convenient to that fortress, in which 
 all the necessary stores for his future operations were to be col- 
 lected. The enemy had placed a garrison of 3000 men in Ba- 
 dajos, and 400 were left in Olivenza. Beresford's troops, who 
 had been harassed witli severe marches ever since the begin- 
 ning of the month, were greatly in want of shoes, and needed 
 some refreshment and repose. 
 
 Captain Squires of tlie engineers was directed to prepare, 
 with all possible expedition, the means of passing the Guadiana, 
 at Jurumenha ; and a bridge laid down upon trestle piers, and 
 connected by some large boats, was ready by the 3d of April ; 
 but, in the night, the river rose and carried away the trestles. 
 
 This difficulty was met by constructing a bridge upon pon- 
 toons and casks, strong enough for the passage of infantry, and 
 with the boats forming flying bridges tor the cavalry and guns. 
 
 By the evening of the 6th of April the whole force had 
 crossed the river, and taken up a position upon the left bank. 
 While these things were doing by the allies, general Phillipon 
 was busily engaged in restoring the defences of Badajos ; and 
 Latour Maubourg, who had succeeded to the command of Mor- 
 tier, was sweeping up all the supplies of Estremadura with 
 movable columns and cavalry, to provision it for a siege. There- 
 fore the passage of the Guadiana, owing to the employment al- 
 ready on their hands, was not looked to by the French till it 
 was actually effected ; and Latour Maubourg did not move to 
 oppose it till the 7th, when he came in front of the allied position 
 with 3000 infantry and 500 horse. In the night the enemy, 
 passing undiscovered between some Portuguese videttes, sur- 
 prised and captured a squadron of the 13th Liglit Dragoons : 
 nor was this all. Some of them penetrated into tlie village, 
 where head-quarters were established, and were fired upon by a 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 27 
 
 Serjeant's guard. From this strange and successful adventure 
 they returned without furtlier molestation than the alarm, which 
 they had at once shared and caused, when they found them- 
 selves fired u{)on in the village. 
 
 Beresford now advanced, and summoned Olivenza. The of- 
 ficer in command of the place returned the answer to be ex- 
 pected ; and the marshal, sending for heavy guns, after a halt 
 of two days, moved forward himself, and letl general Cole with 
 the 4th division to reduce the place. Upon the 14th of April, a 
 battery of six twenty-four pounders wjis opened upon Olivenza. 
 It was breached in one day, and surrendered on the next 
 
 Beresford, now desirous to pusli tlie French out of Estrema- 
 dura, advanced witli a view to clearing ground for his subsequent 
 operations against Badajos, as far as Zafra. Upon the way up, 
 the advanced guard came upon two regiments of French hus- 
 sars, at the village of Los Santos de Maunona. They were im- 
 mediately charged, driven, and pursued, losing men, killed or 
 taken, every hundred yarda More than seventy of the 4th 
 and KHh French hussars were captured. The allies had not a 
 man killed or wounded. 
 
 The troojjs lay for a few days collected at Zafra and the towns 
 near : meanwhile great exertions were made at Jurumenha to 
 construct strong bridges; and a position was marked out and 
 intrenclied upon the left bank, to admit of their being defended 
 by a strong force of infantry, should circumstances arise to en- 
 danger the coimnunication. Lord Wellington reached Elvas on 
 the 21st, and proceeded on the 22d to reconnoitre Badajos, pass- 
 ing the Guadiana below the mouth of the Caya with a strong 
 escort of German and Portuguese cavalry. This reconnoissance 
 was so Iiappily managed that the governor was made to sally out 
 and show the strength of his garrison. Tlie convoy, which tlie 
 allies hatl threatened, and for which he was properly jealous, 
 reached the town. The loss on eitlier side was inconsiderable. 
 Before Badajos was invested, lord Wellington assured himself 
 of the co-operation of the Spanish generals, and of tlieir consent 
 to follow the plan of operations which he laid down. It was ar- 
 ranged, and justly, that the general commanding the largest 
 portion, and the best disciplined luid most elTective of the troops, 
 whose movements were to be now combined, should command 
 the whole. Castanos, tlie senior general of the Spaniards, met 
 this proposal with a very ready and generous consideration. 
 Lord Wellington foresaw tlie probability that Soult would ad- 
 vance to raise the siege ; and giving Beresford permission to 
 fight a battle, if circumstances admitted of his doing it witli 
 prudence, he named Albuera as the point of assembly for the 
 Spanish and Britisli forces, and tlie best field of battle. Tlie 
 Guadiana rose agaut on the 24tli to the height of ten feet, and 
 
28 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 carried away the bridge at Jurutnenha. Thus, for a short time, 
 Merida became of necessity the line of communication with 
 Portugal, though the detour was considerable. By this serious 
 difficulty the commencement of operations against Badajos was 
 again delayed. Until the bridge was re-established, it was, of 
 course, impossible to bring forward the engineer and artillery 
 means required for the siege. In addition to this obstacle great 
 inconvenience arose from some angry misunderstanding between 
 the Portuguese and Spaniards, originating in some excesses 
 committed by the latter at Fernando in Portugal. These bitter 
 differences Mr. Stuart at last succeeded in composing. Before, 
 however, the Spanish generals had given their full and final 
 assent to the siege of Badajos being actually undertaken by a 
 force composed of English and Portuguese troops, lord Welling- 
 ton received a summons from the general commanding the main 
 army in his absence, and returned hastily to Beira. Thus mar- 
 shal Beresford remained in a difficult command alone, — with a 
 city to besiege, and Soult for an opponent in the field. Before 
 we follow the steps of Wellington to the north, the operations 
 of the allies at Cadiz, in the beginning of March, deserve a par- 
 ticular notice. While Soult was engaged in Estremadura, gene- 
 ral Graham and the Spanish general La Peiia, concerted an ex- 
 pedition for raising . the blockade of Cadiz and destroying the 
 French works in front of the Isla de Leon. Anxious that the 
 attempt should be mide, and hopeful of its success, Graham, 
 looking only to the good cause, consented to act under the orders 
 of La Peiia. There were not more than 10,000 troops in the 
 French lines, — there were no less than 20,000 in Cadiz and the 
 Isla. Towards the close of February, about 12,000 of tlie allies 
 were embarked at Cadiz for Tarifa. This force was destined to 
 act upon the enemy's rear at Chiclana, while general Zayas, 
 commanding in the Isla de Leon, was to throw a bridge over the 
 Santi Petri near the sea-mouth, and with the troops from tlie 
 Isla was to support the attack. 
 
 A gale of wind carried the transports past Tarifa, and they 
 were forced to land in Algesiras Bay. From hence they marched 
 to Tarifa, while the guns, there being no road for artillery, were 
 shipped in launches, and towed back to that point by the hard 
 and hearty exertions of the seamen. On the 27th the whole 
 force was assembled at Tarifa, and Graham was joined by the 
 28th regiment, and the flank companies of the 9th and 82d. 
 Upon the 28th La Pefia advanced. On the 2d of March he 
 carried an outpost of the enemy at Cassa Viejas, which they had 
 intrenched two days before ; and on the 3d he drove them from 
 Vejer de la Frontera, another of their detached posts. Zayas 
 had fulfilled his part by throwing a bridge over the Santi Petri 
 on the 2d, and had cast up an intrenchment to protect it. On 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 29 
 
 the nights of the 3d and 4th, the enemy made attacks upon the 
 bridge, but without success. Upon tlie morning of the 5th the 
 allies reached the low ridge of Barrosa. Those heights are 
 about four miles from the sea-mouth of tlie Santi Petri. To 
 open the communication with the Isla was La Pefia's first object 
 He sent forward general Lardizabal, with his division, to effect 
 this. Lardizabal attacked the French posts, which interposed 
 at that point, and after a very severe affair, conducted on his 
 part with great spirit, and with considerable loss of men, he 
 carried the enemy's intrenchments, and gained the bridge-head. 
 The junction with Zayas was thus effected. I^ Pena now 
 moved witJi the main body of the Spaniards to tlie heights of 
 Bermeja, and sent orders to Graham to follow in support. The 
 line of Graham's march was not far from the coast ; the direction 
 was nearly parallel with it, and the road lay through a rough 
 plain, thickly wooded. While the general was advancing across 
 this ground to the Bermeja height, distant about three miles, he 
 discovered a French division upon his right flank, only a few 
 hundred yards from the wood, and another ascending the Barrosa 
 ridge, whicli he had just quitted, and where he had only left a 
 weak rear-guard of British and two Spanish battalions. Tiie 
 French corijs was commanded by marshal Victor in person. 
 Graham saw all the danger of his situation, and decided upon 
 striking the first blow, trusting to valor and a gooil cause for the 
 issue. He countermarched his small force ; directed the right 
 brigade, under general Dilkes, against the Barrosa height ; and 
 the left, under colonel Wheatly, against the division beyond the 
 wood upon the plain. The rear-guard having no power to resist 
 the enemy's occupation of the Barrosa hill, had retired, as they 
 marched up, and the division of Ruffin was now formed upon its 
 summit Tiiat of Laval, ujwn the plain, was the first reached 
 by the British. Ten guns, under major Duncan, opened upon it 
 with a most true and destnictive fire; and colonel Wheatly gal- 
 lantly advanced, tlie French division meetinor him most readily. 
 The musketry soon began to roll heavy and deadly ; while the 
 riflemen and Portuguese, under colonel Barnard, wiio had been 
 tljrown out on colonel Wheatly's left at tlie commencement, 
 gradually gained ground. At last, Wheatly ordered a charge ; 
 and the first line of tlic French, despite a valiant resistance, was 
 driven ujKin the second : but tlie bayonets of the 87th, and some 
 companies of tlie Coldstream, were in the midst of them, before 
 they had time to reform, and they were driven from their ground 
 in confusbn, leaving an eagle with the B7th regiment While 
 this was passing on the left, Dilkes marched upon the Barrosa 
 height, and on me lowest part of the brow Ruffin met his attack 
 with eagerness. The fighting was very fierce, and tlie carnage 
 great, but tlie struggle was not long ; and the French hurried 
 C2 
 
30 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 from the hill, leaving three guns and a field of dead with the 
 British. The beaten divisions inclining towards each other as 
 they retired, as soon as they met attempted a new formation ; 
 but the British artillery poured upon them so terrible a fire, 
 that to recover from their confusion was impossible, and they 
 crowded fast away, in tumult and disorder. These bloody com- 
 bats lasted little more than an hour ; but in that short time 1200 
 British and 2000 Frenchmen were struck down, slain, or wounded. 
 Two French generals were mortally wounded ; 400 prisoners, 
 six guns, and an eagle, remained with the victors. 
 
 General la Peua, who had not made a single movement in 
 support of the British, while thus terribly engaged with very 
 superior numbers, when the field was won, and the French were 
 retreating without order, and with a lost heart, would undertake 
 nothing against them, and suffered a glorious opportunity of doing 
 good service to pass without one effort to improve it. This dis- 
 gusted Graham. While Victor, with Ruffin and Laval, had 
 attacked Graham, he left Villatte, with 3000 men, to cover the 
 French works, and to watch the Spaniards at Santi Petri and 
 on the Bermeja height ; yet La Pena, with 12,000 Spanish in- 
 fantry and 800 horse, under his immediate orders (for Zayas had 
 joined him), would strike no blow. The day after the battle, 
 therefore, Graham led back the British to the Isla de Leon. The 
 Spanish general remained for several days without ; but he did 
 nothing against the enemy's works, and refused acting, unless 
 Graham and the British would co-operate. While thus he sat 
 idle in his camp, admiral Keats, with his seamen and marines, 
 was actually destroying several of the enemy's batteries and 
 stores at different points of the harbor, before his eyes. At last 
 the French, wondering at their own fortune, returned. Garri- 
 sons had, indeed, been left at some of the strongest points of 
 their line, but the rest of the troops Victor had drawn off". Find- 
 ing, however, that he was not followed, and his lines not attack- 
 ed, he came back with a bold face ; La Peiia passed into the Isla 
 de Leon, and destroyed the bridge, and the blockade of Cadiz 
 was re-established. 
 
 With far different support, with irregular forces under their 
 orders, and with no such brilliant opening of fortune as that just 
 recorded, the Catalan chiefs maintained the unequal struggle 
 against tlieir able enemies, with a constancy and vigor which 
 gilded then: very disasters with glory. Wherever the French 
 moved, wherever they halted, how strong soever the fortresses 
 and towers which they garrisoned, from flie line of march, from 
 the bivouac, from the bastions, their scouts and sentinels saw 
 hostile forms on every commanding rock, and bands of sandalled 
 peasants were moving upon the mountain tops in arms. The 
 British flag, indeed, flow encouragingly upon the coast ; and no 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 31 
 
 opportunity was ever lost by tlie zealous navy a[ England to 
 support the enterprises of tlus true and faithful people, or to 
 menace tlie communications and harass the movements of the 
 French : but here, in Catalonia, where a strong division of Brit- 
 ish troops might have saved the province, not one soldier was 
 sent till the moment for any wise or hopeful effort was gone by, 
 and the kingdom was already lost. 
 
 As early as July, 1810, Suchet commenced his preparations 
 lor the siege of Tortosa, a point upon t!ie Ebro of the first mili- 
 tary importance. In tliis operation, marshal Macdonald, who 
 had succeeded the fierce and severe Angereau in command of 
 Catalonia, was to assist ; but for a time he had his own hands 
 full of constant and vexatious employment in Upper Catalonia. 
 Amid so active and brave a population as the Catalans, it was 
 no light labor to establish magazines at the necessary dejidts ; to 
 provide for tlie supply of Barcelona, and to free it from the in- 
 conveniences of a perpetual blockade. Macdonald effected these 
 objects, but not without the active opposition of the Sjianish 
 general O'Donnel. Barcelona, however, having been effectually 
 relieved, Macdonald took jxist at Cervera, as a central position, 
 whence he might at the same time cover tlie operations against 
 Tortosa and menace tlie line of the LlobregaL The troops of 
 Suchet were already in the environs of Tortosa, and he intrench- 
 ed Mora and Xerta ; the one as a tete de pont upon the Ebro, 
 the otiier as a dep6t for his siege stores. 
 
 While marshal Macdonald lay in position at Cervera, O'Donnel 
 suddenly quitting Tarragona, in force, marched upon Mataro. 
 His guns were conveyed by sea. He arrived at Alataro on the 
 10th of September, and upon the 14th he surprised the brigade 
 of general Schwartz, at Bisbal, and, after a short and ineffectual 
 resistance, the general and his men were made prisoners. At 
 St. Feliu, at Palanios, and in the little castle of Calonge, the 
 detachments from this brigade were captured by the column 
 under colonel Fleyres. In all, 1100 good French soldiers were 
 taken ; many fell in the act of resistance ; and a very complete 
 success crowned the happy enterprise, and skilful movements, 
 of O'Donnel. Tiiis sadly disconcerted the French marshal, who 
 was soon obliged to move again into Upper Catalonia, and to 
 take with him his whole force, to give escort to a convoy assem- 
 bled at Gerona, for the provision of Barcelona. This duty per- 
 formed, the marshal, who had now received considerable rein- 
 forcements from France, returned to tiic Ebro at the head of 
 15,090 men. The absence of the corps of Macdonald, and tlie 
 inconvenient but unavoidable delay in his projected siege of 
 Tortosa, was most embarrassing to Suchet ; but he maintained 
 his position resolutely, though subjected to the frequent attacks 
 both of the Catalan and Valenciaa forces, as also to tlie sorties 
 
32 MILITARY MEiMOIRS OF 
 
 of the garrison. In all tliese partial engagements the French 
 were quite successful ; and especially in one, near Vineros, the 
 Valencian army, under Bassecourt, was severely beaten by gen- 
 eral Musnier, and lost from 2000 to 3000 men. At length, on 
 the 15th of December, Tortosa was closely invested on both 
 sides of the river, and Macdonald took post at Perillo, to cover 
 the operations of the siege on the side of Tarragona. Upon the 
 18th, the French established themselves on the heights, in front 
 of Fort Orleans, and dug their first parallel the next night, on 
 the low ground between that fort and tlie river. As the works 
 of the besiegers proceeded, the sorties of the garrison were fre- 
 quent, but had no success. The covered way was crowned on 
 the seventh night ; nor had the French, as yet, opened a single 
 battery. On the afternoon of the eighth day, as they were 
 bringing their guns into the batteries, the Spaniards made a 
 furious sally, in very great strength ; gained the trenches ; over- 
 powered the guard, and filled in a portion of the sap, with one 
 column, while another body rushed upon the artillery ; but these 
 last were bravely checked, till a heavy reinforcement was 
 brought up, and the Spaniards were instantly driven back, leav- 
 ing 400 men killed and wounded in the hands of tlie besiegers. 
 After seventeen days of open trenches, the place was laid open 
 to assault. The counterecarp was blown in ; there were two 
 good breaches, and the troops were assembled for the storm. 
 The count de Alaclia, after vainly attempting to obtain better 
 terms, surrendered at discretion ; and tlie garrison marched out 
 7500 strong, having lost 1500 men during the attack. Tlie force 
 of the besiegers amounted to 10,000, and they did not lose 500. 
 The siege was under the able direction of the baron Rogniat ; 
 and to liis skilful attack the speedy and comparatively bloodless 
 triumph of the French is due. The fort on the Col de Balaguer 
 was surprised and taken the very next morning. 
 
 Among the many eSjrts made during the siege to disturb the 
 enemy, one by a party of British seamen, under Captain Fane, 
 most gallant and successful at the first, terminated in disaster. 
 They landed on the 13th of December, at Palamos, attacked 
 and drove away a French battalion, and captured a convoy of 
 eleven vessels laden with provisions, which lay under the guns 
 of the Mole. Their work done, they neglected to keep together, 
 and being scattered about the town, the French troops rallied, 
 returned, and fell briskly upon them. The sailors, thus taken at 
 a disadvantage, could make no efiectual resistance. They 
 fought in a brave, disjointed manner: 122 were killed and 
 wounded ; Captain Fane and 86 men were made prisoners. 
 
 By tlie fall of Tortosa, the gallant Catalans were left without 
 any hope of aid from the neighboring provinces. On the side 
 of Arragon, the capture of Lerida and Mequinenza had *<efore 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 33 
 
 straitened them ; this last blow shut them out from all commu- 
 nication with Valencia. No succor could reach them now 
 otherwise than by sea. The fortress and port of Tarragona yet 
 remained, but the eye of the invader was already on them ; and 
 the bare-bosomed peasant well knew that the last dreary cita- 
 dels of Catalonia would be the rocky summits of her naked 
 mountains, at the foot of which lay tlie blackened and roofless 
 walls of desolated homesteads. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 MASSENA REAPPEARS SUDDENLY IN THE FIELD. THE BATTIJ: OF FUENTK8 
 
 DE HONOR. THE FRENCH EVACUATE ALMEIDA. BERESFORD LAYS SIEOE 
 
 TO BADAJOS. — SOULT ADVANCES TO SUCCOR THAT FORTRESS. THE BAT- 
 TLE OF ALBUERA. 
 
 There is no feature in tlie military character of the French 
 more admirable than that ho})eful elasticity of mind with which 
 they cheerfully apply themselves to repair losses and misfor- 
 tune. Within a little month tiie discomfited army of Portugal 
 was organized anew ; was reinforced by the army of the north, 
 and by two divisions of the ninth corps; and Massena was 
 again in the field at the head of 40,0(X) infantry and 4(MK.' horse. 
 To this force tiie allies could only oppose 1500 horse and 32,000 
 infantry. Wellington was no sooner apprized of tlie early and 
 unexpected concentration of so formidable a French armj', than 
 he returned rapidly from the south, and reached Villa Formosa 
 on the 28th of April. 
 
 The relief of Almeida, where the French garrison was close- 
 ly blockaded, was an object that deserved the best cflbrts of 
 Massena ; for it was the sole acquisition of his long and disap- 
 pointing campaign. 
 
 Almeida stands on the right bank of tlie Coa : the banks of 
 that river are mountainous and difficult, and the points of pas- 
 sage are few. There is a bridge at Almeida, another at Castel- 
 lo-boim, seven miles higher up, and a third at Sabugal, near 
 thirty miles above the fortress of Almeida. The bridge at Sa- 
 bugal forms the great military communication between Ciudad 
 Rodrigo and Guarda. 
 
 Lord Wellington could not submit to see Almeida relieved ; 
 and as soon as Massena advanced, he resolved, though both the 
 ground and the circumstances were unfavorable, to accept the 
 mvader's challenge, and give him battle. Wellington had not 
 only an inferior force, but a jwrilous position ; he had to fight 
 with the Coa in the rear, and to provide in his arrangement for 
 the two distant points of Almeida and Sabugal. 
 
34 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 In front of the Coa is a small river, which also runs northerly, 
 and nearly in a parallel direction. A fair village, called Fuen- 
 tes de Honor, is situate on the left bank of this small stream, 
 which is named the Duas Casas. The ground behind the Duas 
 Casas is high and open. This table-land was selected for the 
 field of battle. The divisions of generals Spencer, Picton, and 
 Houston, were collected in ix)sition behind Fuentes de Honor ; 
 and the village itself, a most romantic spot, and a strong military 
 feature, was occupied by a body of light infantry, under the 
 command of lieutenant-colonel William Williams. In the 
 same line, with these divisions upon the lefl, at some little in- 
 terval, those of generals Crawfurd and Campbell were drawn 
 up behind the village of Alameda, at which place there is a 
 bridge over the Duas Casas. General Pack, with a brigade, 
 shut in the garrison of Almeida most closely ; and the great 
 road leading to it, which crosses the Duas Casas by a ford under 
 Fort Conception on the extreme left, was guarded by the di- 
 vision of Sir William Erskine. The guerrilla horse of don Julian 
 Sanchez were posted two miles beyond the British right in ob- 
 servation, at the village of Nava de Aver. 
 
 Upon the 3d of May the enemy took up their ground on the 
 opposite bank of the Duas Casas, menacing Almeida with their 
 right, and Fuentes de Honor with their left. Towards evening, 
 under cover of a hot cannonade from the ridge of their position, 
 they made a resolute and fierce assault upon Fuentes de Honor. 
 Colonel Williams, with a battalion of light companies, sustained 
 this attack in a manner worthy of liis well-tried zeal and of his 
 choice command. The low parts of the village were defended 
 for a while ; but the French guns played upon them with such 
 fury, and the assailing column was so strong and violent, that 
 the British withdrew to the upper, and confined their defence to 
 a few houses and a chapel, that stood upon the rocky summit of 
 tlie ravine through which the river flows. Here the struggle 
 was very fierce, and could not Iiave been maintained but for the 
 opportune support of a brigade sent down from the line above. 
 The French, in like manner, fed their assailing troops with rein- 
 forcements ; but the 71st, 79th, and 24th regiments fought so 
 stoutly, that they won back every foot of ground which had 
 been yielded of slieer necessity, and drove the French quite out 
 of the village, and across the river. 
 
 During this angry contest, in many instances the French and 
 English soldiers met in the main street of the village, at the 
 very bayonet's point; a very rare occurrence. Colonel Wil- 
 liams was severely wounded in this honorable affair. The light 
 companies were withdrawn after sunset, and the village was 
 held through the night in quiet by the regiments already named, 
 under tlie command of Colonel Cameron of the 79th. Colonel 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 35 
 
 Cadogan of the 71st regiment, who never omitted any possible 
 occasion of standing foremost in the ranks of honor, very greatly 
 distinguished himself when he led up the first support, by 
 which the light battalion was succored. 
 
 Massena, foiled in this effort to pierce the British front, passed 
 the next day in reconnoissance, and lord Welluigton anticipated 
 his dispositions. The division of general Houston was extended 
 to Nava d'Aver, and with its right supjwrted don Julian San- 
 chez; while the left occupied a wood and a village called Pozo 
 Velho, about half-way between Nava d'Aver and Fuentes. It 
 should be observed, that the ravine of the Duas Casas loses 
 itself above the village of Fuentes in easy slopes, and disappears 
 in the wood of Pozo Velho. On the morning of the 5th, as 
 early as three, the enemy's columns were in motion to their 
 left; and the entire corps of Junot, with the whole of the 
 French cavalry, were assembled in front of Pozo Velho. The 
 light division under general Crawfurd, the cavalry, and a troop 
 of horse-artillery, were sent to support Houston ; and the divis- 
 ions of Picton and Spencer were moved a little to the right 
 
 About six o'clock, a heavy body of French infantry attacked 
 and carried the village of Pozo Velho, from wiiich the ailvanced 
 brigade of general Houston's division retired in good order. 
 The French cavalry, under general Montbrun, now passed Pozo 
 Velho ; and, marching against the hill of Nava d'Aver, drove 
 away don Julian Sanchez, who fell back at once, and uncovered 
 the right of Houston's division, which was thus turned. The 
 British cavalry moved up to support Houston's foot, but the 
 French horse, charging upon their weak squadrons with over- 
 powering numbers, forced them out of the front, and they took 
 refuge behind the light division of infantry. At this moment 
 Wellington executed a very anxious change of position; — 
 abandoned all communication with the bridge of Sabugal, and 
 took up a new line at rigiit angles with his original formation. 
 His left rested still upon the Duas Casas, and Fuentes was 
 stoutly held : — his right upon a lofty knoll near Frenada, on the 
 left bank of another small stream, which runs parallel with the 
 Dua.s Casas between it and the Coa. 
 
 To execute these movements, the seventh and light divisions 
 had to retire for nearly two miles in the face of a formidable 
 and intrepid cavalry. So rapid and bold were the French horse- 
 men, that, but for the uncommon steadiness and gallantry of the 
 Cliasscurs Britaimiques, the division of general Houston would 
 not have gained time for the formation of their squares. 
 
 The enemy at first mistook the intention of Wellington; and, 
 viewing this movement as a general retreat, prcpsetl on with the 
 confidence of victors. They hatl at one period actually sur- 
 rounded tlie horse-artillery of captain Ramsay ; but that officer, 
 
36 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 trusting to his fine cattle and liis brave gunners, broke a way 
 through their astonished squadrons, and brouglit off his battery 
 in safety. They continued to follow the squares of the light 
 and seventh divisions till these troops were again in line of 
 battle ; and, seizing the opportunity offered by some little confu- 
 sion, as the new alignement was taken up, (owing to the cavalry 
 passing througli the intervals, and a regiment of the Guards 
 changmg front,) Montbrun directed a general charge ; but he 
 was met by so heavy a fire of artillery, and such close, steady 
 volleys of musketry, that he hastily drew off, leaving the ground 
 covered with fallen horses. Afler this disaster, no other attempt 
 was made on the new line than by cannonade. 
 
 While all tliese things Jiad been passing on the British right, 
 the village of Fuentes de Honor was the scene of a bloody and 
 incessant struggle. Colonel Cameron was mortally wounded 
 early in the combat ; and the three brave regiments posted in 
 the village were, as in the case of yesterday, driven from the 
 lower parts by columns of overwhelming strength, and at one , 
 time lost the chapel also ; but it was recovered by the brigade of 
 colonel Mackinnon. From either side the battle in P'uentes 
 was fed with strong reinforcements ; nearly the whole of the 
 sixth corps of the French army was engaged in these assaults ; 
 but the defenders, though outnumbered, were never entirely 
 driven from the village. Some of the enemy did, at one time, 
 penetrate quite through it, and attempted a formation beyond ; 
 but they were immediately attacked and driven back again by 
 the 88th, 74th, and 83d regiments, and confined to the defence 
 of the streets. This obstinate fighting continued till dark, when 
 the French recrossed the Duas Casas, leaving the lower village 
 to the silent occupation of the dead, and the upper buildings and 
 the chapel to the resolute defenders. 
 
 These brave men were now relieved by a brigade of the light 
 division. A renewal of the struggle was looked for on tlie mor- 
 row, and lord Wellington tlirew up sonic works in the upper 
 village, and upon tlie position behind it ; but they were never 
 assailed. The enemy remained quiet throughout the 6th and 
 7th ; upon the 8th, withdrew from their ground ; and upon the 
 10th, the army of Portugal was again upon the Spanish bank 
 of the Agueda. Both sides laid claim to the victory ; but Mas- 
 sena's object was not attained; he fought to relieve Almeida, 
 and he was repulsed. The allies lost nearly 2000, and the ene- 
 my near 5000, men in this battle. Massena, foiled in his efforts, 
 sent orders to Brennier, the governor of Almeida, to evacuate 
 that fortress, thus resigning the only fruit of his invasion, and 
 his only hold on the country of Portugal. These orders were 
 conveyed by a private soldier, who, eluding the allied posts, with 
 great presence of mind, reached the place safely. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 8T 
 
 Wellington, thoroughly prepared for some such enterprise on 
 the part or Brennier, made such clear and admkable arrange- 
 xnents that, had they been attended to, the French garrieon must 
 inevitably have fallen into his hands ; but a delay in the trans- 
 mission of his orders for one corps, attributed to a general officer 
 since dead, left a passage of the Agueda unoccupied. Brennier, 
 having done all possible injury to the works of Almeida, sallied 
 from it in the night of the 10th; opened a way through the 
 piquets witii his bayonets ; and pusliing on at a rapid j)ace, m 
 silence and in compact order, gained the Agueda at Barba del 
 Puerco, and passed it, with the loss of many killed and wounded, 
 and about 300 taken, but he carried his main body in safety to 
 the French camp. Lord Wellington now detached two divisions 
 to the Alemtejo, to reinforce Beresford ; and learning, upon the 
 16th, that Soult was in motion for Estremadura, he hastened 
 thither. 
 
 After the failures recorded, Massena resigned the command 
 of the army of Portugal ; and was succeeded in that charge by 
 marshal Marmont, who, having recovered the garrison of Alme- 
 ida, retired to Salamanca, and placed his troops, for a short re- 
 pose, in cantonments. 
 
 As soon as ever the Spanish generals in Estremadura gave 
 their assent to the plan of lord Wellington, and the difficulties 
 spoken of in the last chapter were overcome, the bridge commu- 
 nications on tlie Guadiana were restored, and marshal Bereeford 
 invested Badajos. 
 
 Upon tlie 4th of May, at early dawn, the columns of tlie 
 second division, under general William Stewart, crowned all 
 the little eminences near Badajos, upon the left bank of the 
 river, and formed a regular investment of the place on that side. 
 Upon the 8th, general Lumley approached Fort Christoval, ujwn 
 the right bank of the Guadiana ; and formally shut in tlie garrison 
 with a brigade of general Cole's division, a Portuguese battalion, 
 and some troops of Portuguese cavalry. 
 
 U{)on the night of the 8tli of May, ground was broken against 
 the detached works of Picurina and Pardaleras, and before St 
 Christoval. The ground being rocky, tlie work could not pro- 
 ceed fast The fire of the garrison was incessant; and upon 
 the 10th they made a vigorous sally on the side of Christoval, 
 but were driven back by the besiegers. Nevertheless, tlie ene- 
 my were pursued with so little discretion, and so close to the 
 walls, that tlie allies lost 4(X) men, killed and wounded, witliout 
 the slightest necessity for their exposure. A battery to breach 
 Christoval opened at daylight on tJic Uth; but in a few hours 
 it was silenced by the heavy and well-directed fire of tlic place. 
 
 The real attack was intended to be made against tlic castle ; 
 and utwn the lOtb the marshal and the commanding cmrinecr had 
 
 Vol. II. D 
 
38 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 resolved upon commencing their operations on that point A 
 report of the advance of Soult induced Beresford to wait another 
 day before he broke ground. The intelligence from the front 
 was contradictory ; and it was doubted whether Soult had col- 
 lected all his forces, and was coming forward in full strength. 
 Therefore, Beresford opened his trenches before the castle on the 
 12th. As soon as it was dark the work began, and 1400 men 
 had nearly covered themselves by midnight; but at this hour 
 the labor was suddenly suspended. The men were withdrawn ; 
 and upon the instant the preparations for raising the siege were 
 commenced. The intention of Soult was no longer doubtful : 
 he was in full march to relieve the place. Upon the 14th the 
 main body of the allies moved upon Valverde ; and there it was 
 concerted between Beresford and the Spanish generals that they 
 should unite their forces at Albuera, and offer battle. By great 
 and admirable exertions the siege artillery and stores were safely 
 passed over the Guadiana by noon on the 15th, and the flying 
 bridge was drawn ashore. These operations were covered by 
 the fourth division and a corps of Spaniards. Upon tiie 15th the 
 rear-guard drew off": the garrison made a sally, and Jiandled a 
 battalion of Portuguese very roughly as it retired. The siege 
 was now raised. At about five in the evening of the 15th the 
 allied infantry from Valverde reached the field of Albuera : here 
 they found their cavalry had already taken post., and the advanced 
 piquets of the enemy were in front. 
 
 The village of Albuera is a street of mean houses, with a 
 church ; situated on a little river, from whicli it is named. This 
 village is traversed by the high road leading from Seville to Bad- 
 ajos ; which, about two hundred yards to the right, crosses the 
 river by a handsome bridge of stone. Immediately to the left 
 of Albuera, and just below the rough and rising ground on which 
 it stands, there is another bridge, of unhewn stone, old, narrow, 
 and incommodious. The river, in summer, is not above knee- 
 deep. Its banks, to the left of the old bridge, and directly in 
 front of the village, are very abrupt and difficult; but to the 
 right of the main bridge the passage of the stream is easy for all 
 arms. 
 
 Upon a gentle elevation, about three quarters of a mile beyond 
 the Albuera, is one of those extensive open woods peculiar to 
 Spain. The wood, immediately beyond the Frencli left, liad a 
 bend, and approached close to the very banks of the stream, at 
 a point in like manner beyond tlie riglit of the allies. A rivulet, 
 called the Feria, flowed, in an oblique direction, along the left 
 flank of the French, and joined the Albuera in front of their 
 left wing. 
 
 The wood between the two streams was not occupied by 
 either force at sunset on the 15th, The whole of the space 
 
THB DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 39 
 
 between the banks of the Albuera and tlie skirt of the wood 
 occupied by the French troops is open. Ground more favorable 
 to a general preparing an attack cannot be conceived. This 
 wood efi'ectually concealed his numbers and disposition ; and was, 
 at the same time, so open and unencumbered witli underwood, 
 that his cavalry might march through it in columns without 
 trouble. Here marshal Soult had collected a body of 20,000 in- 
 fentry and 4000 horse, with fifty guns. 
 
 On the side of the allies, although the ground rose in swelling 
 eminences, still there was notliing that could be called a height; 
 no part of the field, upon the British right, up which horsemen 
 and guns could not move with ease : there was not a tree, not a 
 ravine, not a rock, to impede their movements. 
 
 In the night of the 15th the Spanish army joined the British ; 
 and early on the morning of the 16th general Cole brought 
 up tlie fusileer brigade, and one of Portuguese. Thus the allies 
 mustered for the battle 29,000 men ; but of these only 2000 cav- 
 alry of all nations, with thirty-eight pieces of artillery. Of this 
 force only 7(M)0 of the foot were English. Beresford placed the 
 Spaniards on tlie right, in two lines : their left; touched a road 
 which diverges at the great bridge from that of Seville and Bad- 
 ajos towards Valverde. Upon tlie eminence above the main 
 bridge stood the second division, under Sir William Stewart, 
 with its left upon the road to Badajos: beyond this point the 
 Portuguese division of general Hamilton was drawn uj), on tlie 
 extreme left, having its front strongly covered by the broken 
 banks of the Albuera. The village was occupied by two battalions 
 of German riflemen, under general Alton. General Cole formed, 
 with his two brigades, a second line, supporting Stewart 
 
 The allied cavalry was concentrated in rear of the centre, and 
 placed under tlie orders of general Lumley, who was expressly 
 taken from the command of his infantry brigade for tliat purpose. 
 About eight o'clock on the morning of tlie 16th a heavy 
 column of French infantry, preceded by artillery, flanked by 
 cavalry, and supported by a reserve, issued from the wood oppo- 
 site Albuera. They directed tiieir march towards the bridge, 
 under a smart cannonade, to which tlie guns of the allies, from 
 the eminence above the village, replied ; but there was not either 
 rapidity or earnestness enough in tliis attack to deceive : it was 
 soon apparent that the enemy's main effort would be ujion tlie 
 right. Accordingly, an order was sent to the Spaniards to form 
 front to their right, to meet the attack that was expected, and 
 was soon develofied. 
 
 Blake, surly and .self-opiniated, would not execute this change 
 of front till tlie jH'rw)nal remonstrance of Bercsfonl, and the 
 appearance of tlie French columns on tlie riglit, compelled him. 
 
 The Spanish troops were not a little perplexed between tho 
 
40 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 various commanders who directed their movements. They are 
 ill disciplined, and manoeuvre with great slowness; and it re- 
 quired no common exertion to get them tbrmed at all in time to 
 meet the attack. The main body of the French infantry, witli 
 the great mass of their cavalry, moving far upon their left, was 
 now advancing upon the right of the allies, in columns of attack. 
 The order of battle was thus already changed. All the move- 
 ments were originated by the French marshal, and Beresford 
 had to oppose manoeuvre to manoeuvre ; and an army, various in 
 nation and in disciplme, to legions who formed and moved with 
 precision and celerity ; the grammar of whose tactics was tlie 
 same, and whose confidence in the science of their leader was 
 the firm support of a lofty courage. 
 
 The soldier, Beresford, was ready and able for any fight, how 
 tliick soever might be its perils ; but the responsible commander 
 was startled by the perplexities of his most difficult situation. 
 
 Tiie resistance of the Spanish troops, though gallant, was short ; 
 tliey were overpowered, and driven from their post. The enemy 
 was now formed upon a vantage-ground ; from whence, with a 
 numerous artillery, he raked the whole of the allied position. 
 
 In this posture of aflairs it became necessary, at any price, to 
 retake the hill which they had gained. The first brigade of the 
 division of Stewart mo\ed on it in double quick time, led by that 
 general, and by colonel Colborne, its immediate commanding' 
 officer. These troops were precipitated into action in a thick 
 rain, and under a heavy fire. They were led close to the enemy, 
 in column, before they deployed ; and tlie corps did so, in suc- 
 cession, and hastily advanced at once upon the French infantry. 
 But amid this obscurity and confusion, a body of Polish lancers, 
 and some squadrons of the enemy's hussars, galloped round upon 
 Uiese exposed battalions, and overthrew them with great slaugh- 
 ter, driving some hundreds before them into the French lines, 
 who were there made prisoners. Of the regiments composing 
 tliis brigade, the 31st, not having deployed, was the only one 
 which escaped this misfortune : with this Colborne maintained 
 himself, till Stewart brought up the brigade of general Hough- 
 ton, and re-established the battle ; being speedily supported by 
 tiie British artillery under major Dickson. 
 
 The musketry rolled fierce and fearful : cannon thundered in 
 quick discharges from the French batteries; and the massive 
 columns of their infantry stood up valiantly against volleys, 
 which forbade them to deploy, and embarrassed their crowded 
 ranks with the dying and the dead. The soldiers of Houghton's 
 brigade fought like men, who were willing to be destroyed, but 
 would not be defeated. 
 
 Houghton, the general, fell covered with wounds ; colonel 
 Puckworth was shot dead : all the field officers, and the greater 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 41 
 
 part of all the otJier officers, were slain or disabled, and not a 
 third of the men were standing. Their heroism was not vain. 
 This was an anxious crisis of the battle, for the enemy had lodged 
 a column of their left well forward upon the very brow of the 
 position. Marshal Beresford might well have doubted whether 
 he should be justified in continuing a battle which looked hope- 
 less, and in which defeat, with his Spanisli allies in company, 
 would be ruin. At this important moment, general Cole led 
 forward a British brigade against the enemy's left. This move- 
 ment was suggested by colonel Hardinge, who was with Cole at 
 the time, and saw from that point the strong necessity. The 
 marshal observed this gallant and well-timed advance, and made 
 immediate dispositions to support it. It was under desperate 
 circumstances that tlie fusileer brigade, under Sir William 
 Myers, and the remaining brigade of Stewart's division under 
 colonel Abercrombie, were brought hastily into action. Already 
 was a French column established in advance upon the right of 
 Houghton's weak and exhausted brigade ; already had the allies 
 lost three guns by a charge of Polish horse ; when general Cole, 
 witli his fusileers, supported by Harvey's Portuguese brigade, 
 and a battalion of the Lusitanian legion, under colonel Hawks- 
 hawe, pressetl forward upon the right of Houghton's diminished 
 line, won back the cannon, and was immediately engaged in a 
 combat, not differing in severity or sternness from that which 
 Houghton had sustained. Ujwn tlic left of Houghton's line, 
 Abercrombie's brigade advanced in the finest and firmest order, 
 at the same moment that the fusileers were re-establishing the 
 battle on its right The French columns were resolute, and tlie 
 struggle was bloody and stubborn. The gallant Myers was 
 slain : general Cole, and all his staflT, and almost all tlie field 
 officers, of tlie fusileers, were wounded ; and the men dropped 
 fast: for all this, tlie brigade gained groimd foot by foot, and 
 made it good. They fought for victory ; to the heavy fire of the 
 frowning masses in their front, fast and steady were tlieir stern 
 replies ; till, at last, the hostile columns, confused by carnage, 
 entangled witli each otlier, and thoroughly disheartened, broke 
 and fled away, leaving to their conquerors a field covered with 
 pale bodies of dead, and stained witli the blood of many tliousands 
 of their bravest soldiers. 
 
 The French artillery covered the confused flight of tlieir 
 broken masses; and tJie numerous squadrons of their horse, 
 against which, tlic allied cavalry, commanded tliroughout tlie day 
 witii tlie finest judgment by Lumley, could attempt notliing, 
 gave such protection to the fugitives, that none but the woundol 
 left upon the ground were taken. 
 
 There was a sharp contest at the village and bridges througlv- 
 •ut tlic battle ; uiul tliis jvart uiis skilfully protected by tlio Gc»- 
 
42 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 man light infantry, under general Alten. Here, and every- 
 where, the firing soon ceased. The discomfited battalions of 
 tlie enemy filled tlie wood, and their piquets and videttes took 
 post as in the morning. 
 
 A victory was won. The annals of time have not recorded 
 any thing more heroic than the conduct of the two British 
 brigades, led by Myers and Ilcugiitou, upon this field. 
 
 Each of these brigades lost HiOO men, and neither of them 
 mustered more than 14C0 bayonets when they marched into 
 the battle. Against weighty masses they fought fearless in line : 
 they were never thrown into confusion ; and the standards of 
 these battalions flying all nigh to each other, in the centre of 
 their weakened lines, as the enemy fled from their front, was a 
 sight as noble as a field of victory did ever show. 
 
 The entire loss of the allies was above 6000 ; the Spaniards 
 losing near 2000; the Portuguese only4C0; and the German 
 light infantry 120. Thus, out of 7000 English soldiers engaged, 
 3500 lay upon the ground. The Spaniards behaved witli admi- 
 rable courage, but their want of discipline, and very especially 
 their unwieldiness in taking ground right or left, was severely 
 felt early in the day. The French lost 9500 men ; they carried 
 off with them a few hundred prisoners, taken from the most 
 advanced regiment of the first brigade, when that body was 
 hurried on precipitately by the orders of the brave general 
 Stewart, and they took four colors from the battalions of that 
 brigade. But the bodies of many of the soldiers (especially of 
 the 66th regiment) lay pierced by lances in that part of the 
 field, and fixed by death, in the frightful postures of brave, des- 
 perate, and imyielding conflict with the horsemen above them. 
 In the evening after the battle, the allies were reinforced by the 
 British brigade of General Kemmis, which, being employed on 
 the right bank of the Guadiana, near Christoval, had to make 
 the long detour by Jurumenha before it could join its division 
 (the 4th) upon this ground. The enemy remained in tlieir old 
 position till the 18th, when, destroying the contents of their 
 tumbrils and ammunition wagons, to furnish conveyance for 
 their wounded, they leisurely retired, and the allies slowly pur- 
 sued. On the 19th, Wellington arrived from the north and rode 
 over the field of battle. He is said to have regretted that the 
 battle was fought ; and that, as it was, the precaution of strength- 
 ening the position by field-works had not been adopted, as a 
 little ground thrown up on the naked eminences on the right 
 would have done a great deal for their security. 
 
 It falls not within the limits of a memoir such as this, to offer 
 observations upon the battles recorded. The responsibility of a 
 ■general in command is a weighty matter ; and military talent of 
 ft high order must be possessed by liim who professes rigidly t» 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 43 
 
 examine the strategy and tlie tactics of a commander, by the 
 precedents ami tlie practice of warfare, and by the strict rulea 
 of military science. An examination of nine kittles out of ten, 
 fouorht by the ablest men, will exhibit many and compelled de- 
 partures from rule ; many instances where ordinary rules could 
 not be appliei ; some where the temptation to violate them was 
 strong. l)is(X)3ition3 are often pronounced erroneous or otlier 
 wise, because in one cose a toe iixs seized upon a ]mrt of a posi 
 tion and displayed its value; in another, he has assailed a part 
 where no one expected him, and has made it iiis patli to victory. 
 It is undeniably true, that tlie army engaged at Albuera was 
 dissatisfied with marslial Bercsford. Even in the days of their 
 first exultation at the glory of their achievements, tliey mur- 
 mured loudly at tlie loss of standards, and at the expenditure of 
 human life. Tiie living wall of many a regiment, save a mourn- 
 ful fragment, had been beaten down entire, and lay in the dust 
 of death. Marshal Beresford's occupation of the field of battle 
 has been spoken of as the cause of all his disasters ; but it is by 
 no means clear tliat if the Spaniards had been posted on the left, 
 Soult would not have forced the village and bridge, and uncov- 
 ered the road to Badajos. There were many anxieties on the 
 mind of the marshal in this terrible battle ; first, his own vast 
 responsibility; next, the knowledge tliat he was weak in cavalry, 
 and ill provided with guns ; third, a mistrust of Spanish troops. 
 Thus, in the most desperate crisis of tlie battle, though awed by 
 apprehensions for the safety of his troops, he continued the 
 struggle, and a memorable triumph was the result From the 
 day of his arrival on the Guadiana to that of the battle, he liad 
 met witii many crosses and vexations, and his situation had been 
 most trying. Jiord Wellington met Bercsford on the 19th at 
 Albuera; directed him to tbllow the enemy with caution; re- 
 turned instantly to Elvas himself; and caused Badajos to be 
 forthwith investe<l on the right bank by tlie two divisions, which 
 had arrived in Alemtejo from the nortli. Beresford meanwhile 
 advanced and occupied Almendralejos. Here he found a small 
 hospital of French wounded left to his protection ; but the ene- 
 my carried to Seville all those whose hurts suffered them to 
 march, or who were in a state to be transported with safety, and 
 their number fell little short of 41K)(). On the 2otli the cavalry 
 of the allies under Lumloy came upon the enemy's horse near 
 Usagro. The general, by a retrograde movement and skilful 
 disposition, drew forward a brigade of French heavy dragoons ; 
 and tlicn, directing Madden's I'ortugiicse to .support the charge 
 in flank, he rode hard at them in front with the .'^1 and 4th dra- 
 goon guardH, and in a moment overtlirow tlicm. They dispersed 
 in confasion, and near *2(M) were sjibrod or taken. Abtjut thi» 
 time general lliJl, who had always commanded tlio detached 
 
44 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 corps, returned to the army ; and, to the joy and contentment of 
 the troops, resumed that post. Beresford went back into Portu- 
 gal to the important charge for wliich he was so eminently 
 qualified, and in which he had rendered a service to tlie common 
 cause of Europe never to be mentioned without respect. Ad- 
 mirable as a second in command, skilful to organize a new-raised 
 army, a good aid in battle, and personally intrepid, tlie marshal 
 with all this was not popular ; and tlieretbre, perhaps, it is that 
 the censures of his conduct in this battle have been so constantly, 
 and with so little abatement, reiterated. However, despite all 
 censure, his name will go down to posterity associated for ever, 
 and that too in the relation of commander, with those uncon- 
 querable soldiers who upheld the fame of England upon the 
 bloody field of Albuera. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 SECOND SIEGE OF BADAJOS. FRENCH ARMIES OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH 
 
 UNITE FOR ITS RELIEF. THE ALLIES RETIRE INTO rORTUOAL. LORD 
 
 WELLINGTON OFFERS BATTLE ON THE CAVA. FRENCH ARMIES SEPARATE. 
 
 —WELLINGTON MARCHES TO THE AGUEDA. MENACES CIUDAD RODRIGO. 
 
 MARMONT AND COUNT DORSENNE ADVANCE TO RELIEVE IT. THE AF- 
 FAIR OF EL BODON. FUENTE G0INALDO. RETREAT OF MARMONT.— 
 
 AFFAIRS OF ESTREMADURA. MOVEMENTS OF GENERAL HILL. HE SUR- 
 PRISES AND CAPTURE3 A FRENCH BRIGADE AT ARROYO DE MOLINOS. 
 
 The repulse of Massona at Fuentes de Honor, and the dis- 
 comfiture of Soult at Albuera, enabled lord Wellington to main- 
 tain, for a short time, a superiority of force upon the Guadiana, 
 and to make a second attempt upon B;idajos. But it was clear 
 tliat Marmont, who now commanded the army of Portugal, 
 would be soon again in motion ; and tliat Soult and that marshal 
 would make early and earnest efforts to save to the Frencli arms 
 60 important a place as Badajos ; tlierefore, whatever was done 
 against that fortress must be rapidly effected. It was not pos- 
 sible, however, to recommence the siege under eleven days. 
 The plan of the former attack was again followed, and with all 
 the means that Elvas could supply. But to divide the attention 
 of the place, it was resolved, that the attacks of Fort Christoval 
 and of the castle should be commenced at the same time. A 
 corps of investment under general Hamilton, had again sliut in 
 the garrison on the left bank of the Guadiana, as early as the 
 19th of May. Upon the 25th, major-general Houstoun, with 
 the seventh division, invested Badajos upon the right bank ; and 
 on the 27th, the third division, under general Picton, forded the 
 river above the town, and joined the besieging force on the left 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 45 
 
 bank. The working parties broke ground on the night of the 
 30th. That before the castle worked, without discovery or in- 
 terruption, and completed their parallel by break of day. That 
 before Fort Christoval had not the like good fortune. Tiiey had 
 to labor on a rocky soil, from the surface of which, since the last 
 siege, the French had scraped away all the eartli, and many of 
 tijc besiegers were killed and wounded in the early part of the 
 night. The necessary precaution of providing the workmen 
 witli stufled gabions for their defence, had not been omitted ; but 
 the fire from the garrison, both of cannon and musketry, was 
 heavy and effective. However, by perseverance and spirit, the 
 batteries on both sides of the river were completed by the 2d of 
 June, and at daylight upon the M they opened. Before evening 
 the outer wall of the castle was beaten down, and a very un- 
 welcome and difficult obstacle to the speedy forming of a prac- 
 ticabfe breach was thus discovered. The wall, it seems, liad 
 been originally built against a natural bank of clay, and this 
 " peeled oft' in perpendicular sections," under the fire, and re- 
 mained a scarp almost as regular as the wall itself Moreover, 
 as the guns in battery were for the most part brass, and very 
 soft, the fire could not be kept up with sufficient rapidity and 
 weight, to hasten the fall of ao large a quantity of the bank, as 
 might form a good ramp. 
 
 The breach of Fort Christoval was examined in the night of 
 the 5th of June, and reported practicable : it was assaulted on 
 that following. The advance descended into the ditch in perfect 
 order ; but they found tlmt, between night-fall and the hour of 
 attack, the enemy had removed the rubbish from the foot of the 
 breach, and seven feet of wall stood clear before them. An at- 
 tempt was now made to force in by escalade. The ladders were 
 applied to almost every face and flank of the work, and tlie effort 
 was perseveretl in, with the most resolute spirit, under showers 
 of shells, hand-grenades, stones, &c., till 1()2 men, out of 180, 
 fell, and the remainder of the stonning party retired. 
 
 Upon the evening of the 9th of June, the breach being much 
 widened, and again consideretl practicable, it was again stormed. 
 Again tlie assault failed. Nothing could be more determined 
 than the conduct of the assailants. The various means of de- 
 fence prepared at the breach were well supjwrted by a strong 
 and stcatly garrison ; the face of the breach was covered witS 
 rolling shells; combustibles of all sorts were exploding at its 
 foot ; and the storming party could not force its way. Tlio es- 
 calading party secured almost all tlieir ladders, and rapidly as- 
 cended them ; but not a man coulil crown the jxarapet. All who 
 reached it were bayoneted, and the ladders were thrown down. 
 Others wore quick to rear tJiem again, and renew tlie attempt, 
 but they shared the same fate ; and hand-grenades and bags o*^ 
 
46 THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 
 
 powder, were thrown down upon them without intermission. 
 Of two detachments, each 100 strong, 140 were killed and 
 wounded ; and the survivors, disappointed and reluctant, were 
 ordered to retire. It was now evident that Christoval could not 
 be taken without regularly advancing to the crest of the glacis ; 
 and, till Christoval had fallen, the breach at the castle could not 
 be stormed, even when the difficulties of making it practicable 
 should be overcome. 
 
 On the 10th of June, lord Wellington decided to raise the 
 siege. This was effected in good order on the night of the 11th. 
 The loss of the besiegers amounted to 500 killed and wounded, 
 in all, from the commencement. 
 
 This attempt on Badajos was rather a venture upon fortune, 
 than any justified expectation of success. Wellington had nei- 
 ther good nor sufficient means ; nor had he time for regular and 
 certain operations. Marmont and Soult were rapidly approach- 
 ing when the siege was raised. 
 
 The British divisions lefl in the north of Portugal, under the 
 command of Sir Brent Spencer, were led south by that officer, 
 under instructions from Wellington, as soon as ever Marmont 
 put himself in motion for the Tagus. When the French mar- 
 shal crossed that river, Spencer passed into the Alemtejo, and 
 marched to the Guadiana. Soult, meanwhile, having collected 
 all the troops which could possibly be spared from Andalusia, 
 and being reinforced by 8000 men, under Drouet, from Toledo, 
 advanced to Merida on the 18th, and established his communica- 
 tions with Marmont. 
 
 The corps of Sir Rowland Hill retired from Almandralejos on 
 the very day on which the siege of Badajos was raised ; and 
 bivouacked, upon the 14th and 15th, in the position of Albuera. 
 Here Wellington had taken post, to cover Badajos ; and here, 
 had Soult ventured to advance, without awaiting the junction of 
 Marmont, he would have been received and checked. 
 
 Upon the IGth, a division of Spaniards, under Blake, was de- 
 tached along the right bank of the Guadiana, with instructions 
 to cross the river, enter the country of Niebla, and alarm Soult 
 for those posts, the garrisons of which he had so much weakened 
 for his present effort. Upon the 17th, the intentions of Marmont 
 and Soult being evident, their junction easy, and not to be pre- 
 vented, lord Wellington withdrew his people by the fords of the 
 Guadiana, and fixed his head-quarters at Elvas. Upon the 19th, 
 the French advanced guards entered Badajos. On the same 
 day, the allies were placed in position upon the banks of the 
 Caya ; and were joined, on the 20th, by the nortliern army, 
 under Spencer. 
 
 The combined force, under Marmont and Soult, mustered 
 62,000 inl^intry and 8000 horse ; while that of Wellington did 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 47 
 
 not exceed 56,000 men, including his cavalry ; in which arm lie 
 was so deficient that he could only collect 3500 horsemen, Brit- 
 ish and Portuguese. It was a severe trial to lord Wellington to 
 be constantly cramped in his efforts by the want of cavalry ; for, 
 with a superior cavalry, no general can ever be fully beaten ; 
 and, without it, he can never so follow up a victory as to make 
 considerable captures, and obtain large successes. Nevertheless, 
 having a favorable and improvable jxisition on the Caya, he re- 
 solved to fight a battle upon tlie frontier ; and made immediate 
 preparations for tlie expected struggle, by strengthening with 
 field-works and batteries the position he had selected. Head- 
 quarters were established at Vicente as early as the 19th ; and 
 the troops were placed in bivouac in the woods and among the 
 gardens near the Caya. Disposed of in Campo Mayor and other 
 cantonments, or in camps, from whence they could be most 
 readily assembled for battle, lay abnost all the divisions of the 
 allied army. Sir Rowland Hill was on the right, at Torre de 
 More ; Picton on the left, behind Campo Mayor : Spencer was 
 in reserve. 
 
 Upon the 22d of June, Soult and Marmont made a close recon- 
 noissance, on tlie side of Campo Mayor, with a very large body 
 of horse, and some batteries of light artillery. The allies were 
 immediately collected in rear of the position in heavy masses, 
 and lay upon their arms waiting for tlie battle. The French 
 marshals, however, could not induce their opponent to show them 
 his dispositions ; and after halting till evening within two gun- 
 shots of the position, they withdrew. On the same day, another 
 body of French cavalry passed the Guadiana in reconnoissance, 
 and moved upon Elvas. A piquet of the 11th light dragoons, 
 recently arrived from England, mistook these horsemen, for Por- 
 tuguese ; and, before they were aware of their error, the French 
 rode past them in strength, and the picjuet was taken. 
 
 An action was generally expected on the 23d, and great e& 
 forts were made through the night to prepare and strengthen 
 the position. Tlie enemy, however, did not risk an engage- 
 ment Nevertheless, from the 22d to the 26th, workiug parties 
 were regularly employed; and what at first were mere em- 
 placements for guns, were at last converted into strong redoubts. 
 Soult and Marmont remained together in Estremadura for 
 nearly a month longer, commanding the Spanish plain with 
 their numerous squadrons, and eating up all the supplies that 
 province could furnish ; after which, they separated witliout at- 
 tempting any tiling against the allies. Soult retiretl upon Se- 
 ville ; and Marmont returned nortli, crossing the Tagus on the 
 23d of July. Wellington niove<l again, by correspondine 
 marches, to the north-eastern frontier of Beira ; and his head- 
 quarters, by the 10th of Augiist, were establislied at Fucnte 
 
48 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Guinaldo. Hill, with his old command of 14,000 men, was left 
 in the Alemtejo. With this exception, the whole of the allies 
 were again cantoned upon the line of the Agueda, under Wel- 
 lington. Between the 19 th of July and the end of September, 
 more than 50,000 men were sent from France, to reinforce the 
 armies in Spain. These were, for the most part, veteran troops, 
 and included 9000 cavalry familiar with war. Four divisions 
 of these reinforcements crossed the Ebro, and joined Marmont: 
 a considerable body also marched through Biscay to the army of 
 the north. This acted as an independent corps, under the orders 
 of count Dorsenne, overawed the Asturias, and held Gallicia in 
 check. But although the command of count Dorsenne and mar- 
 shal Marmont were independent of each other, tliey were in- 
 structed to concert operations, and to combine their forces when- 
 ever an opportunity should offer for striking a blow at tlie Brit- 
 ish army. Marmont did not remain long at Salamanca and its 
 neighborhood ; but, leaving a weak garrison in that city, march- 
 ed into the valley of the Tagus. Meanwhile, Dorsenne ad- 
 vanced in force upon Astorga, and compelled the Spanish army 
 of Gallicia to seek refuge in the strong defile of Villa Franca. 
 These movements, and the leaving Salamanca defenceless, were 
 designed to lure Wellington to advance to that city ; but they 
 failed to move him. The recovery of Ciudad Rodrigo was his 
 sole, undivided object. Immediately after raising the siege of 
 Badajos, lie had sent his battering train and stores from the 
 Tagus to the Douro ; and he watched Rodrigo with close and 
 jealous attention. This fortress was situated four marches from 
 the ordinary cantonments of the French at Salamanca ; nor did 
 the intermediate country admit of their being cantoned nearer : 
 neither could it subsist a large force in the field for any length 
 of time. Thus the French garrison of Rodrigo, with a hostile 
 country around them, could only be fed by convoys from the 
 army of Portugal ; and, wjiile the allies lay upon the frontier, 
 these convoys would require an army for their escort. This 
 state of things was vexatious and embarrassing to the French. 
 They dare not detach and employ forces on distant services, for 
 fear Ciudad should be suddenly besieged ; and if they would not 
 lose it by blockade, they must soon revictual it. For this ob- 
 ject they collected, from the valley of the Tagus, from the north, 
 and from Navarre, every battalion and squadron that could be 
 mustered for the field. 
 
 Upon the 22d of September, Marmont, count Dorsenne, and 
 Souham had united their forces ; and the French head-quarters 
 were at Tamames. This formidable army amounted to 60,000 
 combatants, of whom 6000 were cavalry. Tlie allies could only 
 oppose to this host a body of 40,000 men ; and of these, including 
 the Portuguese, not 4000 horse. Therefore Wellington with- 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 49 
 
 drew all his detachments from the plain of Ciudad Rodrigo. 
 Upon the 24th, an immense convoy was seen defiling into tlie 
 city, wliile the enemy covered all the country around with their 
 numerous columns. 
 
 The allies were now so distributed that their advanced corps 
 closely observed the enemy ; while a defensive position had been 
 prepared at Fuente Guinaldo, in which they might, if pressed, 
 be securely collected by the enemy. The right of the army 
 was near Martiago, and leaned upon those mountains which are 
 upon the right Ixink of tlie Agueda, and divide Castile and Es- 
 tremadura. The left of the anny was on the lower Azava ; the 
 cavalry was upon the upper Azava. One division in rear of 
 the right observed the road leading from Perales; one remained 
 at Guinaldo; and one, the third, was posted well in advance 
 upon tlie heights of El Bodon. The Spaniards of don Julian 
 and Carlos d'l'ispafia watched the lower Agueda. 
 
 Upon the morning of the 2oth of September, tlie French ad- 
 vanced upon the position of El Bodon with thirty squadrons of 
 horse, and a heavy column of infantry. The heights occupied 
 by the third division were naked, and of great extent; the 
 brigades were distant from each othpr, and did but thinly cover 
 them. . 
 
 To tlie left, and in advance of El Bodon, lord Wellington 
 posted the 5th and 77th regiments — two weak battalions, mus- 
 tering between them about 700 bayonets. The height on 
 which they were drawn up commanded the road from Ciudad 
 Rodrigo to Guinaldo, by which the enemy were advancing. 
 Upon the crown of it, in front of the two battalions, was a 
 brigade of Portuguese artillery, supported by a few troops of 
 tlie 1st German hussars, and the 11th light dragoons. 
 
 Tliore was a ravine in front of this Portuguese battery within 
 point-blank distance : the ground, both on the heights, and on 
 the face of the ascent, was nevertheless perfectly practicable 
 for horse, though it was rough and rocky. Confident in their 
 numbers, ' their courage, and their kindled zeal, Montbrun led 
 iward his cavalry in hot and eager mood, and came upon the 
 ; Msition long before the French infantry could reach it lie im- 
 mediately sent ten s<iuadrons against the guns. They spurred 
 across tlie ravine, and pressing fiercely up, imder a heavy and 
 destructive firo of grape and canister poured upon them to the 
 latest moment by tiie Portuguoso gunners under Arentschild, 
 they took tlie battery, and cut down the Portuguese at tlieir 
 guns. But these victorious squadrons were now to see a new 
 Uiing. A weak battalion of infantry came steadily up against 
 them in line, firing as they advnnced ; and when close, charged 
 bayonets, retook the guns, and drove Uicm fairly off, pursuing 
 them with a volley as they fled. 
 
 Voi. ir. E 
 
50 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 The British regiment thus distinguished was the 5th, under 
 major Ridge ; and the honor of the TTth regiment, commanded 
 by colonel Bromhead, will be for ever associated with that of 
 the 5th, and with the memory of that remarkable day. For 
 these two corps, taking with them the guns, retired across the 
 open plain in presence of all the French cavalry, supported by 
 horse-artillery. Montbrun rode furiously upon them ; but vain 
 were the haughty efforts, though again and again repeated. In 
 silent and steady square, the British soldiers received and repuls- 
 ed these fierce charges : the gallant horsemen of France falling 
 on three sides of their square, at the very bayonet's point. As 
 each repulse was given the march was resumed, and they re- 
 tired with perfect regularity. Having effected tlieir junction 
 with the 83d British, and the 9th and 21st Portuguese, the re- 
 treat was continued under the command of general Colville, in 
 the finest order ; the Portuguese, especially the 21st, distin- 
 guishmg themselves greatly. The great mass of the French 
 dragoons* still covered the plain, and accompanied their move- 
 ments, every moment menacing an attack. But the gallantry 
 and steadiness of the allies enabled them to effect their object 
 with little loss, save from the French artillery. The right 
 brigade of the third division, composed vof the 45th, 74th, and 
 88th, had a more protected line of retreat ; much of their road 
 lying at first among vineyards, and across broken ground : but 
 as soon as it cleared these covers, it came out upon a wide open 
 flat, and had to march six miles, accompanied the whole way by 
 the enemy's cavalry, and losmg many men by the fire of the 
 French guns. 
 
 General Picton conducted his division upon this trying day 
 with the stem and cool courage, which can alone, under such 
 circumstances, inspire confidence and insure safety. The few 
 squadrons of the allied horse in the field did whatever could be 
 done in the way of countenance and check during such oppor- 
 tunities as were afforded them. In the presence of such a mass 
 of cavalry, this, of course, was little. But the 16th British 
 light dragoons was greatly distinguished in a gallant and suc- 
 cessful cliarge on the famous lancers of the imperial guard. 
 
 When the division of Picton reached the position of Guinaldo 
 it was halted, and the enemy took up ground in front. This 
 position was on a lofty ridge. The Agueda flowed immediately 
 
 * Lord Wellington was very near taken, during the operations of this day, 
 from the perplexing resemblance of the English and French cavalry— in dress. 
 He was always exceedingly averse to the changes which had been adopted at 
 home in the uniform of the British cavalry, and to the broad-topped caps, 
 "At a distance, colors," he would observe, "are nothing; the profile and 
 shape of cap, and general appearance, guide the eye. And it is a great ad- 
 vantage to those who look at long lines of posts opposed to each other, that 
 there should be a marked diflerence in their appearance." 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 61 
 
 past the right : the left was about three miles from the right, 
 and was bounded by the extremity of the ridge, which there 
 terminated abruptly : below was a spacious plain. Only two di- 
 visions occupied this position — those of Picton and Cole. The 
 tcmjKJrary object, for which it had been retrenched, was attained. 
 The whole of the French army had been brought forward and 
 shown, and was in front Lord Wellington now issued orders 
 for the troops to retire furtlier to a battle position of great 
 strength, already selected upon the Coa. But this intention was 
 frustrated by a sudden and not a slight embarrassment. General 
 Crawfurd did not receive his orders in time ; and misapprehend- 
 ing both the movements and disposition of the enemy, he thought 
 it hazardous to ford tiie Agueda at Robleda, and decided to join 
 lord Wellington by a circuitous march across tiie mountains. 
 Now Perales and Gata were occupied by French troops, of 
 which Crawfurd was ignorant. Therefore orders were imme- 
 diately dispatched to him, to retrace his steps and march by 
 Robleda. By this circumstance lord Wellington was conijielled 
 to remain in an indifferent position, where only two divisions 
 could be allowed for the front : for it was necessary to provide 
 a large force in rear of the left flank on the plain, lest tlie enemy 
 should march by that flank on the rear of his position : and it 
 was necessary to place a division in observation u)X)n the Ague- 
 da higher up than Guinaldo, lest the enemy should penetrate by 
 the pass of Perales, and so turn his right. Pre-eminently 
 furnished is the illustrious subject of this brief and meagre 
 memoir, with the firm resolve and the moral courage necessary 
 in such an anxious and perilous position. 
 
 Ujjon the morning of the 26th, Marmont assembled 35,000 
 infantry, including twenty-tv.o battalions of tlie imperial guard, 
 and his numerous and superb cavalry, directly in front of the 
 position. 
 
 Lonl Wellington formed his two weak divisions for battle, 
 and undauntedly looked on while the French general, prepara- 
 tory as it was thought to an attack, very leisurely reviewed his 
 splendid host, at the distance of a gun-shot Meanwhile, the 
 English soldiers piled their arms, and lord Wellington sat cool 
 and (juiet on the ground. 
 
 It was at this moment that a SiMinish general, remarkable for 
 his zeal and gallantry, and a great favorite of Wellington's, 
 observed to him, — " Why, here you are with a couple of weak 
 divisions in front of the whole French army, and you seem quite 
 at your ease ; — why, it is enough to put any man in a fever." — 
 " I have done, according to the very best of my judgment, all 
 that can be done," said Wellington ; " therefore I care not either 
 for the enemy in front, or for any thing which they may say at 
 home." Here was the golden secret of his calm unalterable 
 
52 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 demeanor. Duties were his, and he did them. Events were 
 not his, and to the great Disposer of all he left them. It was no 
 fault of his that he was thus dangerously exposed. He could 
 not and would not abandon his liglit division, without such a 
 struggle as might and must have ensued, had the French attack- 
 ed. But Marmont, who was remarkably fond of iiandling troops, 
 and handled them well, — passed several hours in display and 
 manoeuvre. During the time thus lost, the light division was 
 in full march, crossed the Agueda, and joined the army. At 
 night Wellington withdrew the troops, and marched upon Al- 
 fayates. Before sunset on the 26th, the infantry of Marmont 
 were augmented to 60,000, and he had 120 pieces of artillery 
 on the field. On the 27tii, two of the French columns foUowal 
 the allies, and attacked their rear-guard at Aklea de Ponte. 
 TJiey twice carried tlie village, and were twice driven out of it 
 again by the division of general Cole. The same night the 
 allies entered the selected position on the Coa, near Sabugal ; 
 and, on the morrow, Wellington offered battle to his opponent. 
 At the point chosen, the Coa makes so favorable a curve tliat 
 both flanks of the allies were effectually protected. Marmont 
 declined the challenge, and retired. Count Dorsenne returned 
 to the north ; the army of Portugal moved, a part to Salamanca, 
 and a part, by the Puerto de Banos to the valley of the Tagus. 
 The allies were now put into good cantonments, being distributed 
 far to the rear ; and head-quarters were fixed, for a season, at 
 Frenada. 
 
 While these movements were passing in the north, the force 
 imder general Hill was covering the Alemtejo. That officer, 
 disposing liis troops in convenient quarters in front and around, 
 remained with a strong reserve at Portalegre. By means of his 
 own advanced troops, and by the officers, constantly on the 
 reconnoissance, he kept a strict eye not only on the garrison of 
 Badajos, but on the whole province of Estremadura ; and no 
 assembly or march of the enemy escaped his vigilance. 
 
 Supported by tlie vicinity of Hill's corps, Castaiios had estab- 
 lished himself at Caceres with the wreck of the Estremadurau 
 army, and was endeavoring to recruit his weak battalions and 
 organize them anew. To disturb this arrangement Soult sent a 
 division of infantry and a numerous detachment of horse, under 
 general Girard, with orders to scour the province in every direc- 
 tion, to drive away all levies he might hear of, to seize upon all 
 supplies, and to intimidate the peasants. Girard crossed the 
 Guadiana at Merida, in pursuance of these instructions, and pro- 
 ceeded to insult and forage the northern district of Estremadura 
 at his ease. The Spaniards retired or dispersed wherever he 
 came ; and he reckoned not upon any serious interruption from 
 the allies, whose plan was apparently limited, for a season, to 
 
THE DtTKE OF WELLINGTON. 53 
 
 the defence of the Alemtejo. But Hill had no sooner reported the 
 
 f>resence of this movable column in Spanish Estremadura, than 
 ord Wellington directed him to advance and drive it away. 
 Upon the 22d of October, the general assembled a considerable 
 part of the force under his orders at the village of Codiceira, on 
 the frontier ; and the next morning he marched forwards upon 
 this duty. As soon as general Hill reached Albuquerque, and 
 learned with wfiat security and carelessness his enemy was 
 moving, he resolved by all possible efforts to overtake him. On 
 the 25th, the Sjjaniesh horse under the conde de Penne Villemur, 
 came up with tiie French cavalry at Arroyo del Puerco. The 
 enemy immediately fell back upon Malpartida, and retired from 
 that place the saine night. Hill reached Malpartida at daylight 
 on the 26tli, ascertained that Girard had quitted Caceres, and 
 halted his troops till he obtained correct information of the route 
 which the enemy had taken. It was no sooner found that Girard 
 had marched on Torre Mocha, than the general moved the allies 
 by the shorter route of Aldea del Cano and Casa de S. Antonio ; 
 but Girard moved from Torre Mocha to Arroyo de Molinos in 
 the morning of the 27th, and posted his rear-guard at Albala. 
 
 This information reaclied general Hill upon the line of march. 
 He had brought his columns from Malpartida that morning; he 
 led them, by a forced march, that same evening, to Alcuesca, 
 within four miles of Arroyo. Satisfied that the enemy was igno- 
 rant of his vicinity, and had no suspicion of danger, the general 
 made such dispositions for the morning as would bring Girard to 
 action, and with all the suddenness of a surprise. To favor this 
 design, tlie allies lay upon their arms all night, without fires. 
 At two in the morning, the columns were again put in motion, 
 and defiled silently, by a narrow and bad road, upon Arroyo. 
 The division did not clear the defile till half past six o'clock. It 
 was halted about half a mile frorn the town, and formed in col- 
 umns of attack, under cover of a rising ground which effectually 
 concealed them. Hero the most clear and distinct instructions 
 being quietly delivered to the leaders of columns in the general's 
 presence, he immediately gave the signal to advance. The 
 three columns, under favor of rain and mist, diverged from this 
 point of formation to tlie concerted attack. The first brigade 
 moved directly upon tlie town : this column was led by lieuten- 
 ant-colonel Stewart. The second brigade, followed by one of 
 Portuguese, made a rapid circuitous march to the rigfit of Ar- 
 royo, to intercept the enemy's retreat on the rond to Mcdellin : 
 major-general Howard commanded tifis column; colonel Wilson 
 leading with the British, and colonel Ashworth, with his Portu- 
 guese, supporting them. The Spanish horse and the cavalry of 
 the allies moved in the centre, between tlie two columns of 
 attack, ready to act as occasion might require. 
 E2 
 
64 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 The enemy was already forming upon the road to Medellin in 
 rear of Arroyo, preparatory to his march, when the first brigade 
 under Stewart rushed into the town, and fell upon the rear-guard 
 with the bayonet. Some few were taken ; and the rest, hurry- 
 ing out, were closely followed by the 71st and 92d regiments, 
 supported by the 50th, with three pieces of Portuguese artillery. 
 
 The French readily formed into two squares : what cavalry 
 they had took post upon the left ; while the squares opened fire 
 upon Stewart's column, and compelled him to form up tlie 92d 
 in line, to post the 71st behind a wall on their left, and to can- 
 nonade them with a couple of Portuguese guns. These dispo- 
 sitions completed, Stewart was about to charge them with the 
 92d, when the brigade of Colonel Wilson, composed of the 28th, 
 39th, and 34th regiments, came up, under cover of the fog and 
 rain, within a tew yards of the Medellin road, directly upon the 
 enemy's left and rear. At this moment, the Spanish, supported 
 by a few of the allied cavalry, galloped upon the French horse. 
 These not being sufficiently numerous to maintain any posture 
 of defence, were sabred or dispersed, and fled. About 200 
 yards to the right of the French infantry, rose the Sierra de 
 MontancRes ; a range of rocky and precipitous heights, traversed 
 by no roads, but a few narrow difficult paths known only to the 
 goat-herd and the peasant. Tlie French, seeing one British 
 brigade advancing in their front, and another rapidly closing at 
 double quick time upon their exposed flank, and already masters 
 of the only road by which they could retire, suddenly broke their 
 ranks, and rushing to the mountain scrambled up the pathless 
 side in confused crowds. The brigade of Wilson followed ; and 
 the 34th regiment, which led, was soon mixed witli the enemy. 
 Very few of them fired a shot, or attempted any resistance, but 
 as soon as they were overtaken, broke or threw down their arms, 
 and surrendered. General Girard, with a very small remnant 
 of his brigade, escaped across the mountains to Serena ; being 
 pursued for many leagues by a few British and Portuguese, and 
 by a corps of Spaniards under Murillo. The pursuers found 
 most of their knapsacks, and many of their arms, upon the path 
 by which they fled. 
 
 In tliis affair, so honorable to general Hill, the loss of the 
 British did not exceed sixty-four. That of the Portuguese was 
 very trifling ; the Spanish infantry were not engaged, and their 
 horsemen suffered little. The enemy left 1500 prisoners, three 
 guns, and all their baggage, in the hands of Hill. Among those 
 taken were general Brim; the duke d'Aremberg, colonel of. 
 chasseurs ; and a chief of the staff". The first brigade of Gi- 
 rard's division had marched at five in the morning, under gene- 
 ral Remond, and thus escaped being surprised under the same 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 55 
 
 circumstances, and subjected, as tliey must have been, to the 
 same confu.siun and panic. 
 
 The trtK)j)s tal^en at Arroyo were all fine men and old soldiers. 
 Among them was a battalion of tJie French 34th, taken chiefly 
 by the leading companies of the 34th. British. Tlie brass drums 
 of tliat corps, and tlie baton of their drum-major, with " Auster- 
 litz" and the eagle engraven on it, are still with tlie English 
 34th, as tlic treasured tropliies of tliat joyous day. 
 
 General Ildl returned to Portalegro with the highest satisfac- 
 tion a commander can enjoy. He had executed a very able 
 march; — had obtained a brilliant success in a masterly style ; — 
 and brought back to his cantonments full numbers. His troops 
 e.xulted at liis fortune, and lord Wellington felt increasing satis- 
 faction in his able and zealous support 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 MILITARY STATE OF SPAI.V. — THE GUERILLA SVSTE.M. — PROGRESS OF THE 
 WAR IN CATALONIA IN ANDALUSIA IN VALENCIA. 
 
 All the efforts of the French to establish and maintain them- 
 selves in Portugal had signally failed. They had employed in 
 tliese efforts, at tlie lowest calculation, 100,000 of tlieir clioicest 
 troops. 
 
 Wlien it is considered that the efTective strength of the Brit- 
 ish army did, at no pcricxl of 1810, exceed 2f),{K)0 men, did never 
 in 1811 amount to 34,000, and fell below that number very consid- 
 erably atlcr the battles of Fucnte d'Onor and Albuera, the reader 
 will be assisted in forming a right estimate of tlie genius, the 
 judgment, and tiie firmness with which tliat army was com- 
 manded. 
 
 It is not undervaluing the wortiiy spirit or the brave service 
 of the l\irtiiguese soldiers, to say that the small army which 
 represented the lion heart of England was tlie rock of resistance 
 round which they rallied, and to which tliey clung ; tliat the 
 directing mind of one great man, providentially given to tlieir 
 need, was tlie stay of their confidence, and the star of tiieir 
 liope. In every cottage in Portugal tlie name of Wellington 
 was a household word. " Napoleon saw tliesc things with aston- 
 ishment and anger. The military spirit of England was awa- 
 . kened ; her vast resources were developed ; the martial qualities 
 of the British soldier had been shown uixjii the open field ; and 
 tlie charm of French invincibility was gone. 
 
 Throughout tlie length and breadth of Spain, the successful 
 defence of Portugal gave heart and hoiX3 to tlie jjatriots. They 
 were not idle. The French corjis in Spain, though largely 
 
56 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 drained for the army of Portugal, still counted, upon the soil of 
 Spain, a strength of nearly 150,000 men, independent of that 
 army. Nevertheless, their stations in the interior, or central 
 provinces, were not very numerous, and the corps holding them 
 were for the most part weak. 
 
 Bodies of guerillas, which had sprung up and rapidly multi- 
 plied on every side, assailed and harassed these weak divisions 
 by an incessant warfare of posts and detachments. Whether in 
 cantonments or on the march, tlie French never knew how soon 
 or how suddenly they might be attacked. No convoy of grain 
 or provisions could move without a strong detachment for its 
 protection ; and the escort of every courier was, by a general 
 order, never to consist of less than 250 men, to be composed both 
 of cavalry and infantry, and to be kept by its commander always 
 ready for battle. Such was the regulation upon the line of cor- 
 respondence between Valladolid and Bayonne. 
 
 South of the Ebro, in the autumn of 1811, there were not less 
 than 10,000 guerillas; while, to the north of that river, the 
 celebrated Mina and Longa headed corps of 5000 or 6000 men, 
 and achieved many brilliant successes. The extent to which 
 Mina troubled and irritated the Freucli may be gathered from 
 the fact of their hanging or shooting every officer and soldier of 
 Mina's corps who fell into their hands, and setting a price upon 
 his head. In the Asturias, Porlier, called El Marquisito, sur- 
 *prised tlie regular garrison of St. Ander. The famous Juan 
 Martin el Empecinado was constantly descending from the Gua- 
 dalaxara mountains, and spreading terror and alarm among the 
 Frencli garrisons. In one of these marches he surprised and 
 captured three battalions in Calatayud. The intrusive king 
 dared not to sleep beyond the gates of Madrid. Every village 
 occupied by a French detachment was intrenched, and made 
 otherwise defensible. Don Julian Sancliez gave the Frenchmen 
 in Old Castile no repose ; he was always in the saddle, and con- 
 tiimally surprising detachments and making prisoners. On one 
 occasion he drove away the cattle from under the walls of Ciu- 
 dad Rodrigo, and, disposing an ambush with very happy skill, he 
 succeeded in capturing and carrying off the French governor 
 v.'ho sallied out to chastise him. 
 
 These were the more celebrated chieflains ; but there were 
 many others, who, by their activity and address, obtained great 
 distinction in the provinces where they acted. These were 
 known by t?ie admiring natives under some familiar appellative, 
 indicating their ordinary calling, as El Medico, El Pastor, El 
 Frayle ; or some accident which made their persons remai'kable, 
 as El Manco. Thus every province was provided with its hero, 
 and the market-places were busied with their fame. 
 
 A few of these chiefcains mustered IxKiies of 400 or 500 men. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINOTOK. 57 
 
 but the majority of them led small bands of forty or fifty. The 
 guerillas, however, were to be seen, according to the nature of 
 tlieir service, in parties of ten or of a hundred ; — here patroling 
 on the scout, — there lying close in anibusli at the very gates of 
 a town filled with French soldiers. It mattered not to these pa- 
 triots where tliey moved, or where they halted ; they hsul no 
 baggage, no supplies; any hamlet could feed them for a night, 
 any town could provide them for a week. Every forest was a 
 safe cover ; every rock was a ready citadel. 
 
 By these small bands great evils were inflicted upon the ene- 
 my. In vain did the French march against them : tliey were 
 never to be seen ; or only from afar, moving ujx)n some inacces- 
 sible sierra in cheerful security. Tiie duties of the French sol- 
 diers were doubled ; their toil incessant ; and all their smaller 
 posts and detachments spent their unquiet nights in uneaainess 
 and fear. 
 
 This desultory warfare had its peculiar advantage, was emi- 
 nently suited to the genius and habits of the Spanish peasantry, 
 and should have been watched and encouraged by the govern- 
 ment, or left to grow up into a wide and wild spirit of resistance 
 to the invader, without the control of suspicious and jealous in- 
 terference. But the government began to regulate these irreg- 
 ulars; or rather, they clumsily attempted that which was not 
 possible, and, if it had been, was not wise or advisable. They 
 rewarded men who had made themselves chieftains, made tliem- 
 selves a name, witli a military rank, which, by subordinating 
 them to tlie officers of the regular army, destroyed tlieir inde- 
 pendence, shackled their movements, and froze up tliat fountain 
 of zeal which had fed the torrent of their revenge. 
 
 Under this arrangement the once enterprising guerillas be- 
 came bad, tame, indolent regulars, or they dispersed to their 
 scattered honie.s. Thus many of the lesser bands disappeared 
 and melted away. IMina and Longa, however, being very supe- 
 rior men, and having a genius that way, became eminent com- 
 manders; collected divisions under their orders in the i)rovinces 
 of Aragon and Navarre, and maintained the war with all the 
 guerilla spirit, but witii much professional ability as officers. 
 
 But it wa-s in Catalonia that the true bright spirit of patriots 
 shone wilii the most steady lustre. In a combat at Vals with 
 the Italian division of general Eugene and a brigarlc of French 
 horse, general Sarsfield, at the head of (KKK) Spaniards, gained 
 a very brilliant victory. Eugene himself was slaiu; his division 
 was driven away in disorder, and only saved from utter destruc- 
 tion by the gallant countenance of the Frencli dragoons, who 
 charged the pursuers and checke<l their advance. 
 
 This art'uir gave great vc.\ation to marshal Macdonald. He 
 remained inactive in the very presence oi' Sarslield, and retired 
 
58 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 before him upon Lerida, making his march silently under cover 
 of the night. Macdonald passed two months at Lerida, and, 
 about the end of March, moved upon Barcelona. He took the 
 route of Manresa. Sarsfield got intelligence of his intended 
 march; hastened to the strong country of Montserrat-and Man- 
 resa ; and so skilfully disposed his force, that the advanced bri- 
 gade of Macdonald came unawares upon a large ambush of foot 
 and artillery, and was cut up and driven back by grape and mus- 
 ketry. 
 
 For this irritating check the Italian soldiers took a mournful 
 and fierce revenge : — they set fire to Manresa, and that fair and 
 populous town was totally destroyed. The flames of Manresa 
 were seen from Sarsfield's camp at Montserrat, and through a 
 wakeful night of angry curses, the Spanish soldiers stood gazing 
 upon that scene of ruin ; while from all sides the inhabitants of 
 the neighboring villages came pouring into the bivouac in arms. 
 The next morning the French marched forwards, entered the 
 defiles of the Col d'Avi, and with a brave perseverance forced 
 their way up the mountain, and finally reached Barcelona. But 
 amid the rocks and precipices of this defile they were exposed 
 to so heavy a fire of small-arms, that they were six hours be- 
 fore they completed the passage, and nearly half their numbers 
 were killed or wounded. Of the latter, such as could not walk 
 fell into the power of the Spaniards, and were sacrificed on the 
 spot by the Manresans, who ran after them houseless and frantic. 
 
 Early in this year, the French army of Aragon, by its pre- 
 vious success in that province, was left disposable for operations 
 in the kingdom of Catalonia ; and the Catalan forces could no 
 longer maintain the field. 
 
 The marquis of Camix)verde, who had succeeded general 
 O'Donnel in the chief command, encamped his troops in a 
 strong position, protected by the works of Tarragona, and 
 watched his opportunities of annoyance with vigilance and 
 spirit. Upon the 19th of March he attempted the recovery of 
 fort Montjnic, at Barcelona, by surprise. The undertaking was 
 bold, and the plan was arranged with all secrecy and good 
 promise of success ; but those in whom he trusted betrayed his 
 designs. The French governor was prepared for the assault, 
 and, when the leading battalion of the Spaniards descended into 
 the ditch, the garrison poured down upon it so heavy and mur- 
 derous a fire, Uiat in a few moments it was a confused lieap of 
 slain and wounded men. The remainder of the force precipitate- 
 ly retired ; but, so completely were the French prepared, that 
 their march was intercepted by detachments, which, though not 
 in strength to out off their retreat, caused them a very consid- 
 erable loss, 
 
 However, tlie heq.rt of the Catalans fainted not. A similar 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 59' 
 
 enterprise was attempted against Figueras early in April. Gene- 
 ral Martinez and colonel Rovira, already celebrated as^ mfjst ac- 
 tive and fortunate leaders of Miquelets, were intrusted with the 
 direction of this service. 
 
 To Rovira, indeed, the suggestion of this effort is due ; but 
 his proposal had been hitherto regarded as rash. It was not 
 surprising that any otiicer should so view the matter proftjssion- 
 ally; but Rovira was a leader formed by the times. lie had 
 suddenly cast off his doctor's gown, and left his college and his 
 books for the bivouac and the sword : to him nothing was con- 
 templated as impracticable, that was possible. Tliese leaders, 
 therefore, collecting about 1000 volunteers, stole upon Figueraa 
 by night marches, and lay concealed in the woods by day. 
 
 There were three soldiers belonging to the French garrison 
 in the citadel of Figueras, who were Spaniards. These men 
 , had been won to the interest of Rovira, and with them he had 
 previously established a good intelligence. 
 
 The march of Rovira was accomplished with the most perfect 
 secrecy. In the dead of night all his men were silently ad- 
 mitted into the citadel by the three Spaniards serving in the 
 place. One sentinel was killed before lie could give the alarm ; 
 and the castle of Figueras was in the power of Rovira before 
 the governor and the garrison were awake. They were made 
 prisoners in their very beds. The Spaniards now turned the 
 guns of the castle upon the town, and immediately took posses- 
 sion of it. This brilliant success was hailed by the Catalans 
 vvitli a joy the most lively. Baron d'Eroles marched instantly 
 from Martorel to reinforce Rovira ; and, upon his way, captured 
 tlie .forts of Castelfullit and Olot, making 500 prisoners. 
 
 But Figueras, though once more in the power of its rightful 
 masters, was without provisions in sufficient abundance to admit 
 of its being securely maintained for any considerable period. 
 
 Towards the end of April, tiie marquis of Campovenle col- 
 lected a large convoy, and marched with all the troops which 
 he could muster to its relief. It was already investetl by a corps 
 under general Baraguay d'llilliers. 
 
 Camix)vcrde approached tlie place on the 3d of May, but 
 while endeavoring to force the blockading line, he was assailed 
 by the French in flank and rear: his army was instantly struck 
 with a panic ; it broke and fled in confusion, leaving tlie convoy, 
 ir)(K) prisoners, and several hundreds of killeil and wounded, in 
 the hands of the enemy. 
 
 While these things were passing atFigucnus Suchet marched 
 upon Tarragona, and invested that important fortress, on the 4th 
 or May, with 20,000 infantry and 2(KK) horse. The depicts of 
 Tortosa an<l Iicrida supplied artill(;ry and stores for the siege : 
 his communication with Tortosa was already secured by Fort 
 
60 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Balaguer, and by an intrenched camp at Perillo ; he proceeded 
 to secure that with Lerida, by fortifying a large convent on the 
 heights above Montblanc. 
 
 The direction of this siege did not, of right, belong to marshal 
 Suchet, but to marshal Macdonald, who was the commander-in- 
 chief of all the forces in Catalonia. Napoleon, however, visited 
 the ill fortune of Macdonald in the action at Vals, by selecting 
 Suchet to conduct the attack of Tarragona. 
 
 This important place was the last hold of Catalonia; the 
 works had been examined and repaired ; and it was provided 
 with a garrison almost as numerous as the troops of the be- 
 sieging army. Moreover, a squadron of English men-of-war, 
 under captain Codrington, most effectually secured the free en- 
 trance of the port ; so that reinforcements and supplies might 
 be easily admitted. Under these circumstances, a very obstinate 
 defence was most confidently expected. 
 
 The site of Tarragona is formidable. It stands upon the side 
 of a rocky height, the summit of whicli is crowned by the upper 
 town. To the north, west, and south, tlie rock, wliicli is steep 
 and lofty, has by nature a precipitous fall, and has been scai-ped 
 with care. To the east and south-east the ground slopes gently 
 to the lower town, the harbor, and the Francoli river ; the town 
 being situated between the points where the Francoli and the 
 Graya flow into the Mediterranean sea. 
 
 The principal outwork of Tarragona was the Fort Oliva, a 
 detached work, erected upon a height about 400 toises from the 
 upper town, and at the same elevation. This fort was armed 
 with sixty guns, and surrounded by a deep ditch cut in the solid 
 rock. 
 
 To describe the works of Tarragona minutely, or to give the 
 particular details of this memorable siege, falls not within the 
 limits of this memoir. Enough has been said to convey a gene- 
 ral idea of the strength of Tarragona, and to picture that once 
 fair and pleasant city. 
 
 Fort Oliva was first attacked, a breach was formed, and it 
 was carried by assault on the night of the 29th of May. Fifteen 
 hundred of the garrison of Oliva were bayoneted on the spot. 
 
 The attack was now directed against the lower town, and 
 the advances were pushed forward with great vigor and distin- 
 guished skill. 
 
 The works of the lower town were stormed and carried 
 through two practicable breaches on the 21st of June. In this 
 assault the French soldiers gave no quarter, and more than 2000 
 Spaniards fell beneath their bayonets. 
 
 The works of the upper town were now the last defence of 
 the Spaniards ; and batteries to breach them were soon formed 
 by the besieirers. Before they were finished, a Briti.sJi force 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. Gt 
 
 of 2000 men arrived in the bay from Cadiz. Colonel Skerret, 
 who commanded this succor, immediately landed with his en- 
 gineers to examine the state of the defences. The British en- 
 gineers re;x)rted that, as soon as ever the enemy began to batter 
 m breach, the front attacked must inmiediately be beaten down. 
 Therefore Contreras, the governor, did not invite the British to 
 land, but recommended tJiat they should join tiie field army 
 under Ca-npoverde at Vendrels, about twenty-five miles to the 
 eastward, and act in concert witli that general upon the rear of 
 the besiegers. He at the same time announced to colonel Sker- 
 ret his own intention to abandon the place, as soon as the French 
 opened their batteries in breach, and to force his way through 
 the lines of the enemy with the 7000 regulars which yet re- 
 mained to him, and which would thus be preserved to the cause. 
 Unhappily this design of Contreras became publicly known to 
 the inhabitants, and was treacherously conveyed to Suchet 
 The preparations of the French were hastened ; their batteries 
 suddenly opened at daylight on tlie 28tli of June ; and by ten 
 o'clock m the forenoon, a practicable breach was formed. During 
 the insufferable heat of noon, the fire of the besiegers ceased, 
 and all seemed quiet in the trenchea But soon after, the French 
 trooiw rushed hotly to the assault, and in a few minutes they 
 were masters of the place. They beliaved with terrible ferocity. 
 Many tliousands of the wretched inhabitants were butchered m 
 the streets. The hearths and tlie altars of Tarragona were 
 stained with the blood of the helpless. 
 
 Crowds of fugitives hurried to tlie sea-side, and many of them 
 were rescued by the boats of the British squadron, under tlie fire 
 of the French batteries ; but Uiese bore no jjroportion to the suf- 
 ferera The efforts of the French officers to arrest the savage 
 violence of their men were vain. The frightful massacre waa 
 continued for many hours ; and a licentiousness the most brutal 
 acted all its wanton and heartless atrocities amid flaming edi- 
 fices and bleeding victims. 
 
 Thus was Tarragona taken. According to the official report 
 of Suchet, 4000 men were killed in the streets; 10,000 or 
 12,000 attempted to save tliemselves by getting over the walls, 
 of whom KKK) were sabred or drowned ; and he made 10,0(K) 
 prisoners, including 500 officers, besides 1500 wounded men 
 found in tJie hospitals. 
 
 The vigor and talent with which Suchet conducted the siege 
 gave great satisfaction to his imperial master ; and tlie military 
 severity with which he punished the citizens of Tarragona for 
 defending their own homes, was plainly stamped witli his ap- 
 probation. 
 
 It may be, and doubtless it is, true, that tlie soldiers, in their 
 rage, exceeded tlie measure of chastisement wliich he had 
 
 Vol. II. F 
 
62 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 calmly contemplated, and had previously announced his intention 
 to permit. Thus the general wrote officially to his government 
 before the assault, " I fear much, should the garrison stand the 
 assault behind their last defences, that I shall be forced to set a 
 terrible example, and intimidate Catalonia and Spain for ever, 
 by the destruction of an entire city." — " And thus," said the 
 general, in his official report after the capture of the place, 
 " has tlie terrible example which I predicted ! ! ! taken place ; 
 and it will long be remembered by the Spaniards." Yes, it will 
 be long remembered by the Spaniards — and not by them only ! 
 
 Exulting in his success, and confiding in the terror of his 
 arms, Suchet was not slow to improve the advantages of his late 
 conquest. 
 
 The baron d'Eroles had established himself in the famous 
 convent of Montserrat, on the celebrated mountain of that name, 
 not far from Barcelona. Among the difficult and rugged rocks 
 of this singular mountain, D'Eroles had formed several strong 
 posts and magazines ; from thence commanding a clear view of 
 all the principal roads, he was enabled to direct the movements 
 of his force with security; and he made incursions into the 
 neighboring country, pushing his men to the very gates of Bar- 
 celona, and alarming the garrison. 
 
 On the 24th of July, Suchet, collecting a very superior force, 
 marched against Montserrat, and made various attacks at different 
 points. D'Eroles, not having troops sufficient to offer resistance 
 on all sides, was, of course, beaten. The position was carried 
 by the French columns: D'Eroles himself narrowly escaped 
 being taken prisoner ; and many of his people effected their re- 
 treat by the most intricate passes under cover of the night. 
 
 In the following month, the French recovered possession of 
 Figueras. Martinez, with his gallant Miquelets, sustained a 
 blockade for four rnonths with enduring constancy : at last, pro- 
 visions failed ; the magazines were exhausted ; the last rations 
 were issued ; and the brave Spaniard sallied forth, and attempt- 
 ed to force the French lines. The French were thoroughly 
 prepared for this attack. The sally was made on the night of 
 the 16th of August ; and the Spaniards, to the number of 3000, 
 forced their way to the abatis by which the enemy's line was 
 covered. Martinez found the roads blocked up, ditches cut 
 wide and deep, and obstacles of every kind multiplied to impede 
 his progress. Moreover, these lines were defended by the fire 
 of strong bodies of the enemy, alert and confident. After bold, 
 resolute, repeated eftbrts to effect his object, Martinez, having 
 lost 400 men, returned to Figueras. The next day he capitu- 
 lated ; obtaining from the enemy, as he well deserved, the mast 
 honorable terms. 
 
 Thus all the strong fortresses of Catalonia were again in the 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 63 
 
 power of the French. But under all these reverses the heart of 
 the Catalan was unsubdued. The provincial force^ still found 
 places of strength and refuge among those natur^ fastnesses 
 which abound on their native mountains. Here, upon the rocks, 
 they watched every movement of the invader. Such was the 
 state of the province when general Lacy was appointed to the 
 command of it. His firmness and spirit were well seconded by 
 the enterprise of baron d'Eroles. This leader, with the assist* 
 ance of a British frigate, recaptured tlie islands of Las Medas, 
 — of which mention has already been made. They command 
 the along-shore navigation, and the possession of them is very 
 important to the party holding Barcelona. 
 
 When the French concentrated their main force at Tortoea 
 for further operations. Lacy immediately projected the attack of 
 those detached posts which they had left in the principality to 
 secure their communications with Aragon. Several of these 
 were surprised and wrested from them : thus the town and the 
 fortified convent of Igualada, the city and the fortified university 
 of Cervera, and the town and castle of Belpuig, were succes- 
 sively recovered to the Spanish arms, by the activity and valor 
 of D'Eroles ; while Lacy defeated, in the field, a strong detach- 
 ment that marched to the relief of Igualada, when D'Eroles 
 was before that town, and had shut up the garrison in the con- 
 vent In tliese various affairs the French lost not less than 1500 
 men, whereof the half were made prisoners, besides a convoy 
 which fell into the hands of Lacy. 
 
 The enemy made great efforts to intercept D'Eroles, but in 
 vain. He boldly passed tlie Pyrenees; entered Languedoc; and, 
 afler a well-conducted incursion, returned, with corn, cattle 
 and a contribution in money, to renew his bold exertions in 
 Catalonia. It is recorded to his honor, and that of his gallant 
 band, tiiat not one inhabitant of France was put to death, or 
 treated with personal violence, during this tempting opportunity 
 for severe reprisal. 
 
 Before we follow the march of Suchet to Valencia, we turn to 
 relate the state and progress of the war in Andalusia. 
 
 At Cadiz, nothing, in a military point of view, occurred worthy 
 of note. From the period of the battle of Barrosa there was a 
 great coolness between the British and SjMinish officers. The 
 court of inciuiry, instituted by the cortcz, had supported general 
 la I'ena. Sir 'rhonias Graham had quitted Cadiz for tlie camp 
 of Wellington, and general Cooke had succeeded him in com- 
 mand of the British on tiie Isla dc I/Km. 
 
 The cortez were occu])ied with debates upon questions of 
 a speculative nature, and anmsing themselves, each witli the 
 statement of his own tiieory of government ; wiiile French 
 eoldiers were barracked in the halls of Seville, and the armed 
 
64 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 patriots of Andalusia seeking refuge under tiie guns of Gibraltar. 
 After Massena was driven out of Portugal, some more reasonable 
 Spaniards were found, who proposed that the frontier provinces 
 in that quarter should be placed under the command of lord 
 Wellington. This question was debated in the cortez, and re- 
 jected by a large majority. 
 
 The brightest feature of affairs in the south at this period was 
 tlie spirited and prudent conduct of Ballasteros. This chief, 
 supported by Gibraltar and tlie mountains of Ronda, maintained 
 eo good a countenance witli the troops under his orders, and so 
 menaced and harassed the French, that Soult, in the apprehen- 
 sion that the army of Ballasteros, which amounted to more than 
 8000 men, might grow formidable if neglected, sent Godinot with 
 equal numbers to crush him; but the Spanish general marched 
 and manoeuvred so ably, as to foil this design most efiectually. 
 
 With a view to support Ballasteros, TarifTa was now occu- 
 pied by strong detachments of British and Spanish troops from 
 Gibraltar and Cadiz. 
 
 At the very moment that Ballasteros was prudently taking 
 shelter under the works of Gibraltar, these detachments landed 
 at Tariffa and garrisoned the place. The news no sooner reached 
 Godinot, then he faced about, and marched in that direction by 
 the pass of La Jt'ena ; out nere tne roau is cunnnanueu iioin tne 
 sea, and his columns were received with so hot a fire by the 
 batteries of some British men-of-war, which lay well in shore, 
 that they were compelled to return. As this was tlie only road 
 by which his artillery could have advanced, any aitcriipt against 
 Tarifla was of necessity for the time relinquished. 
 
 Ballasteros, emboldened by the enemy's embarrassment, now 
 ventured to assail and press Godinot, and gained considerable 
 advantages over him on two occasions, by attacking his rear- 
 guard, as he was returning to Seville, with great vigor, and 
 causing him some loss. These successes begot such a confi- 
 dence in the soldiers of Ballasteros, that he projected the surprise 
 of a corps of 2000 men posted at Bornos under general Semele. 
 The French were completely routed ; abandoned their artillery 
 and baggage ; left more than 100 prisoners on the ground, besides 
 killed and wounded ; and fled in great disorder. 
 
 The ill success of his expedition against Ballasteros sunk deep 
 into the heart of Godinot; and, as soon as he reached Seville, he 
 shot himself, and took refuge, from the reproaches which he 
 expected, in the grave. 
 
 Tariffa is not a fortress ; it is surrounded by an uncovered 
 wall, flanked by small projections; but there is an island con- 
 nected witli it by a bridge, which affords a secure point of re- 
 embarkation for a garrison compelled to abandon the town. This 
 island is armed by two batteries and a piartelio tower. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 65 
 
 General Copons and colonel Skerret decided to defend TarifFa ; 
 and, by great exertions, they soon improved the defences, and 
 materially increased their strengtli : 1200 Britisli and 900 Span- 
 iards composed the garrison. 
 
 On the 19th of December, 1811, general Laval appeared in 
 front of the place with 10,000 men and eighteen pieces of ar- 
 tillery. He broke ground on the night of the 24th ; upon the 
 31st he had established a practicable breach. On the morning 
 of the 1st of January, a column of 2000 men advanced bravely 
 to the storm ; and they were so well and steadily received by 
 the garrison, that, after spirited and fruitless efforts, they retired 
 with the loss of 501) men killed and wounded. The artillery of 
 the garrison was admirably served, and the fire of the 87th and 
 47th regiments Britisli was very destructive ; nor could any 
 thing exceed the zeal and the ability of colonel Skerret in the 
 conduct of this service. 
 
 On the night of the 4th of January, Laval buried his artillery, 
 which, owing to the severity of the weather and the badness of 
 the roads, he could not have withdrawn, and retired upon Se- 
 ville, whither he was then summoned by Soult, whom the move- 
 ments of general Hill in Estremadura had effectually alarmed. 
 The siege of Tariffa lasted seventeen days ; and the loss of the 
 French during the operations was very heavy. 
 
 We must now relate their successes in another quarter. To- 
 wards the close of the July preceding, Blake sailed from Cadiz 
 for Almoria with a strong reinforcement for the army of Murcia, 
 and assumed the command of that force. Tlie army of Murcia 
 now mustered 20,000 men : therefore Soult collected all the 
 troops of his command that were disposable, and marched to 
 bring Blake to action. This he effected at Ix)rca, on the 9th of 
 August ; and defeated the Spaniards so complete^ tiiat Blake 
 could not afterwards collect more than 9000 men at Lcbrilla. In 
 time, the dispersed soldiers returned ; reinforcements were sent 
 from Cadiz ; Soult had gone back to Seville ; and Blake, who, 
 amid all his disasters and reverses, still retained the confidence 
 botli of the government and the army, was intrusted witli the 
 defence of Valencia. The command of the forces in that prov- 
 ince being now united to that of his own, he was at the head of 
 more than ;k>,(KH) men; and among them were some divisions 
 of the very host soldiers in Spain. His officers were known 
 and tried commanders ; and every lover of his country turned 
 his eyes witli hop«> to the army of Valencia. 
 
 After tlie fall of Tarragona, marsiial Macdonald was recalled 
 rom Catalonia, and general Dccacn was sent to command that 
 irovince. 'I'hus Suchet was intrusted with a lar^e autliority, 
 and. tlie military resources of the French army in Catalonia 
 were at his control. 
 
 F2 
 
66 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 In the middle of September, Suchet assembled 25,000 men at 
 Tortosa, and advanced into the kingdom of Valencia. He pre- 
 sented himself before Murviedro, on the 27th of September, 
 without artillery, and made a bold attempt to possess himself of 
 that important citadel by escalade. He was repulsed with con- 
 siderable loss. 
 
 It now became necessary to bring up his battering train ; this 
 he could not do without reducing the little castle of Oropesa, 
 which commands the great road coming from Catalonia. This 
 castle, therefore, was regularly breached, and capitulated on the 
 11th of October; and upon the 18tli, his lieavy guns reached 
 Murviedro. 
 
 He now hastily threw up some distant batteries, established a 
 breach, and gave the assault. The attack was spirited and re- 
 solute, but the approach was found difficult ; and it was defended 
 so well, that the French column was driven back, with the loss 
 of 300 men killed and wounded. Instructed by these failures, 
 Suchet condescended to proceed with more regularity. Mean- 
 while Blake advanced to raise the siege. Suchet left a detach- 
 ment of six battalions before Murviedro, to confine the garrison, 
 and marched with his main body to offer battle. He placed his 
 troops in a position, the left of which rested upon the sea in rear 
 of Puzol; while the right stretclied to the mountains beyond 
 the village of Val de Jesus. The Spanish left rested on the vil- 
 lage of Betara ; their right extended to the sea. These disposi- 
 tions were completed on both sides on the evening of the 24th 
 of October. On the mornmg of the 25th, about two hours after 
 daylight, the Spaniards advanced to battle in good heart, and in 
 very fine order. Their right wing, commanded by general 
 Zayas, promotly seized Puzol, and, moving forward with rapidi- 
 ty, carried a%rong height in advance of the village with signal 
 valor. Thus the French left was, for a sliort space, turned ; and 
 Zayas, having pushed forward the brigades on iiis riglit, while 
 he held his left in hand, had already changed his front, and was 
 formed almost at right angles to the line on which he advanced. 
 
 The left wing of the Spaniards obtained a corresponding ad- 
 vantage on the French right. They also carried an in)portant 
 height upon the enemy's right flank, and threatened to turn the 
 right wing of the French. By these movements, Blake had 
 dangerously extended liis wings, and weakened his centre. The 
 fire was, at this time, general along the whole front. The 
 walls and towers of Murviedro were crowded with exulting 
 spectators ; who, as they saw the Spanish wings advance, con- 
 cluded that tlie battle was already won, and their deliverance at 
 hand. But Suchet's strength was yet to be developed. He had 
 so disposed liis reserve, that it could either succor the blockading 
 force, or supjwrt his left. Now, therefore, he brought it forward ; 
 
THE Dl'KE OF WELLIN'GTON. 67 
 
 and, after strongly reinforcing his left, he drew together the re- 
 mainder of his forces into a compact body, and hurrying upon 
 tlie Sjjanish centre at the charge step, immediately overtiircw it, 
 and drove it from the field in the greatest possible disorder. 
 This done, he fell vigorously upon their wings. The left he 
 soon overpowered; the rigiit, under Zayas, fought to tlie last 
 with tlie same constant and valiant spirit which tiicy had shown 
 at the commencement of the action. It was not without a stout 
 struggle that they gave up tiie height which they first gained : 
 they maintained the village of Puzol long after tlie centre was 
 beaten : they again showed a gallant front on the heigiits near 
 Puig; and they finally retired in unbroken order along the 
 coast-road, towards Valencia. Blake attempted to make a stand 
 with the left and centre behind the Betara, but it was of no 
 avail, and ho was compelled to urge forward the retreat of his 
 exhausted battalions, and to pass the Guadalaviar. The loss ot 
 tlie Spaniards in this engagement nearly amounted to 6000 
 killed, wounded, and taken : tliat of the JFrench did not exceed 
 600. 
 
 Murvie<lro capitulated the next day. Blake now posted his 
 army in a very strong jxjsition on the right bank of the Guada- 
 laviar, his right touching the city of Valencia. He broke down 
 some of the bridges ; covered those he suffered to remain with 
 regular tetes-de-ix)nt ; surrounded the villages of Quarte and 
 Mislata in his front with intrenchments ; very strongly fortified 
 those of St. Onofre and Manises on his left ; and strengthened 
 his right by forming inundations, — a mode of defence which the 
 canals covering his right suggested and made easy. Thus pro- 
 tected, Valencia for a time defied the victorious Sucliet. He 
 pushed his advanced posts to the very suburbs, indeed, soon 
 after tlie fall of Alurvicdro; but, having surveyed the formidable 
 pre]).irations of Blake, he halted hin army in jiosition u]xin the 
 letl of the river, covered his front with redoubts, and represent- 
 ing his situation to the major-general of the imjicrial armies at 
 Madrid, and to tiic emperor at Paris, he quietly awaited rein- 
 forcements. For nearly two months nothing could be under- 
 taken ; yet, with a weak force, he caliidy maintained a line, 
 tlie lefl of wliich hold the (Jrao or port, and the centre occupied 
 the Serrano, a suburb of Valencia. 
 
 On tlie 2oth of Decenilier, Sucliet was joined by nearly 10,000 
 men. These reinforcements came for the most part from Cata- 
 lonia. 1 fe had a jxirk of P20 pieces of heavy cannon and mor- 
 tars ; his bridge apiMiratus was complete ; and he resolved to 
 jxiss the (fuadalaviar. During the niglit of the 25th the French 
 laid down three bridges; two about a league above Manises, and 
 a tliird at Mislata. 
 
 Early on the 26th, the main body of the French passed the 
 
68 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 river. Blake's left division of infantry, under general Mahy, 
 held the intrenchments of Manises and St. Onofre : his cavalry 
 were posted on the left, near Ribaroja. This infantry abandoned 
 tlieir posts at once, and hastened beyond tlie Xucar. The cav- 
 alry, after making a very feeble opp©sition at Torrente, gave 
 way also, and fled in confusion from the field. They were be- 
 wildered by the movements of the Frencli general ; and, con- 
 sidering themselves outmanoeuvred and turned, yielded instantly 
 to their apprehensions. 
 
 The divisions which crossed the river between Quarte and 
 Mislata could not penetrate far, for the ground is intersected by 
 canals and ditches, and the Spanish troops in tliis quarter opposed 
 them with success, and forced them back. Harispe, however, 
 upon the French right, pursued the Murcians under Mahy, as 
 far as Cotterroja, on the road to Murcia. Thus he was already 
 upon Blake's rear, and had driven one division of his army away. 
 When Blake found the Murcians cut off, and the French at Cot- 
 terroja, he gave up tlie struggle near Mislata, withdrew his 
 forces, and entered the city. Tlie French closely invested it 
 the same evening. Valencia is not a fortress : it is a large city, 
 with a lofty wall flanked by towers, and upon the soutli side has 
 no natural defences. However, a line of defensive works had 
 been erected since the commencement of the war, to cover the 
 city and the suburbs. Supplies of arms and ammunition were 
 provided for a garrison, however large ; and the artillery collect- 
 ed was sufficient to arm the place most formidably. 
 
 A population of 80,000 inhabitants reposed beliind these in- 
 trenchments, and they were protected by a garrison of 18,000 
 troops. Nevertheless Blake at once perceived that any long or 
 effectual resistance to a besieging force would bo impossible. 
 The defences were weak and extensive ; the city was ill pro- 
 vided with food ; its communication with the sea was cut off; 
 and thousands of fugitives from the country had taken refuge 
 within the city, and swelled a population, before great, so largely 
 as to threaten famine, tumult, and disease. 
 
 Blake, therefore, upon the 28th, made an effort, to sally out, 
 and force a way for his army to the open field. But he was im- 
 mediately driven back with loss ; and discovered that Suchet's 
 line of circumvallation was strong, and not to be penetrated. 
 Upon the night of the 1st of January, Suchet broke ground be- 
 fore the Spanish advanced line, at the distance of 180 yards. Hw 
 directed liis attacks against the works of Mont Olivete, and St« 
 Vicente. In four days the Spaniards abandoned the advanced 
 line, and retired within the walls. 
 
 The French marshal now bombarded the city, and puslied his 
 sap to the very wall. Upon the 8th of January, Blake capita- 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 0§ 
 
 lated, and tlie conqueror of Tarragona became master of Va- 
 lencia. 
 
 In recording these events, it is impossible not to regret Blake's 
 absence of resource and skill ; and we are led unavoidably to 
 contrast the citizens of Valencia and Zura^fossa. 
 
 Blake, an honest and heroic patriot, was eminently unfortunate 
 throughout the whole course of tliis melancholy war ; and tliis 
 was the gloomy close of his disastrous military career. Suchet, 
 the talented, brave, and severe servant of a warlike tyrant, here 
 crowned the brilliant successes of a life of campaigns ; was rn^g 
 warded by a dukedom ; and had his rich portion among the 
 gardens of Valencia. 
 
 CHAP, VII. 
 
 THE SIEGES AND CAPTURE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO AND OF BADAJOS. 
 
 The winter season was now come : tlie allied army lay quiet 
 in cantonments ; a part of it, indeed, in stations remote from the 
 frontier. General officers and others applied to lord Wellington 
 for leave of absence on iheir private affairs, and obtained it; 
 wliile the troops in quarters reckoned upon a long interval of 
 repose before the ne.xt campaign. 
 
 Satisfied by these ajjpearances, Marmont had detached three 
 divisions of infiintry and a body of horse to Valencia; suffered 
 count Dorsenne to move anotiicr to the Asturios ; while a fifth 
 division was ordered to scour the province of Las JMontanae, 
 and the remaining divisions were put into cantonments on the 
 Tagus. 
 
 By the middle of November the works of Almeida, which the 
 French ha^l destroyed, were again in a defensible condition. In 
 tliis fortress a battering train and siege stores were cxpixiitiously 
 collected ; a measure wliich, being represented and considered 
 as neces-sary for tlie armament of Almeida, excited little curiosity 
 eitiier among the inhiibitants or the soldiers. 'J'licir true desti- 
 nation was susj)ected by a low officers of the staff, and of neces- 
 sity confided to otliers. Secrecy and dispatch are the life of 
 enterprise, and the fidelity and zeal of all engaged are necessary 
 to insure success. 
 
 Upon the Agueda there are several fords, but the best is so 
 close to Ciudad Uo<lrigo as to be commanded by musketry from 
 the wall. None of these [xissages, however, are to be depended 
 upon in winter, as the river will otlentimes rise many feet in 
 one night. Therefore a bridge was secretly constructed in the 
 arsenal of Almeida, under the sujieriotendence of major Slur- 
 
70 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 geon, of the staff corps. It measured, on the platform, 400 feet 
 m length; the trestles were eighteen in number, and placed 
 twenty-two feet asunder. 
 
 When this important work was nearly finished, the troops 
 lying nearest to the Agueda received orders to prepare fascines 
 and gabions. 
 
 Upon the 6th of January, all things were ready for the medi- 
 tated attack of Rodrigo ; the bridge was laid down at Salices ; all 
 the stores were up and at hand ; and the place was already shut 
 in by the guerillas. On this day head-quarters moved to Gal- 
 legos. Upon the 7th, lord Wellington rode across the Agueda, 
 by a ford about two miles below the town, and proceeded to 
 reconnoitre its defences. He had no escort, and was only attended 
 by colonel Fletcher and a few staff officers. 
 
 The French, since they had taken possession of Rodrigo, had 
 fortified three convents, — one on either flank of the suburbs, 
 and one in the centre ; and they had placed an infantry post in 
 the convent of Santa Cruz, just beyond the glacis at the north- 
 west angle of the place. Thus the suburbs, which are 300 yards 
 from the town, and inclosed by an earthen retrenchment, were 
 considered secure from a coup-de-main. The French had also 
 erected a small redoubt on the upper Teson, a height distant 
 about 600 yards from the ramparts, on the north side, and thir- 
 teen feet above their level. This redoubt was supported by two 
 guns and a howitzer, placed upon the flat roof of the convent of 
 St. Francisco, at a distance of 400 yards, and a large proportion 
 of the artillery of the place was in battery upon this approach. 
 The weather was severe : from the night of the 1st of January, 
 mucli snow had fallen, and lay deep. -To this fall of snow 
 succeeded gales of wind and sleet. The weather moderated a 
 little on the 5th, and the investment, which had from these causes 
 been a little delayed, was fixed for the Stli. 
 
 Four divisions were assembled for the service of the siege. 
 They had no camp equipage ; and there was no cover in the 
 immediate vicinity of the place. In order, therefore, that the 
 men might suffer as little as possible from exposure at that 
 inclement season, they were cantoned in the nearest villages. 
 
 The duties before the place were taken by the divisions in 
 regular succession; each remaining twenty-four hours on the 
 ground, and furnishing the guards and working parties for that 
 period. 
 
 At daylight, on the 8th, a large train of cars, with engineers' 
 stores, crossed the bridge at Marialva, near Salices, and were 
 parked in a concealed situation about a mile from the fortress. 
 At noon, the light division crossed the Agueda, at the fords of 
 La Caridad, and invested the place. 
 
 At eight in the evening, lieutenant-colonel Colborne, witli 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 71 
 
 three companies of the 52d regiment, stormed the redoubt on tlie 
 upper Teson. It was carried with some loss, and ground was 
 immediately broken upon its flank. The soil was stony ; but, by 
 daylight, the work of the night was already three feet deep and 
 four wide. On the night of the 9th, the first parallel was estab- 
 lished, and the batteries traced out. They were three in num- 
 ber, and traced for eleven guns each. 
 
 One thousand men were employed on the batteries, the 
 approaches, and the magazines. The garrison threw a great 
 many shells, and kept up a well-supported fire of round shot ; by 
 which, so accurate at last was their range, the workmen suflTered 
 greatly, especially in the batteries. They also fired shells filled 
 with powder, and having long fusees, in salvoes : these, falling 
 into the parapets, blew away, in an instant, tlie work of hours. 
 From the vigorous fire of the place, the severity of the cold, and 
 the incessant fatigue of the besiegers, the progress of the work 
 was slow. 
 
 On the night of the 13th, the convent of Santa Cruz, on the 
 right of the attack, was cscaladed and carried ; a lodgment was 
 made in it, and a communication established by tlie flying sap. 
 
 At noon, on the 14tli, during the relief of the divisions, the 
 garrison made a sortie, and succeeded in upsetting most of tlie 
 
 fabions placed, during the preceding night, in advance of tlie 
 rst parallel ; but they were repulsed from tlie batteries by the 
 steadiness of a few workmen under an officer of engineers ; and, 
 on the advance of the relieving division, they retired into the 
 town with little loss. 
 
 Lord Wellington, receiving intelligence tliat Marmont was 
 already in motion, decided upon forming a breach from the first 
 batteries; and upon storming the place, with the counterscarp 
 entire, if he should be pressed by the advance of the enemy in 
 strengtii. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 14th, tlie batteries opened their fire 
 in breach ; but, before it was steady «md correct, darkness 
 obliged them to cease. At night the fortified convent of San 
 Francisco, which flanked the left of the approaches, was carried 
 by escalade. A lodgment was thus made in the suburbs, which 
 were from henceforth held by the besiegers. At daylight, on 
 the 15th, the breacliing batteries resumed their fire with twenty- 
 three 24-pounder8 and two 18-pounders. The main scarp and 
 fausse braie walls were considerably shaken by sunset; and a 
 new battery was marked out, more in advance, for seven 24- 
 j)oundcrs to establish a second breach. So mucli heart was 
 sliown in the exertions of all, of the artillery in [Mirticular, that, 
 by the afternoon of the 19th, two good broaches were established. 
 Ixird Wellington reconnoitred tlicm closely ; and being satisfietl 
 that tiiey were practicable, he directed the fire of the batteries 
 
72 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 to be ^med a^inst the enemy's defences, and decided upon 
 storming the place that evening. Seated upon the reverse of 
 one of the advanced approaches, he wrote the orders for the as- 
 sault ; accompanying them with a clear minute detail of the ar- 
 rangements. The large breach measured 100 feet in front, the 
 lesser thirty. The division of general Picton was to assault the 
 former; the light division, under Crawfurd, the latter: a body 
 of Portuguese, under general Pack, were to create a diversion 
 by threatening to escalade on the opposite side of the city. 
 
 At the appointed hour, the leading columns, preceded by 
 sappers carrying bags filled with hay, to cast into the ditch, ad- 
 vanced to the assault. As soon as the sappers had thus reduced 
 the depth of the ditch, and fixed the ladders on the bags, the 
 brigade of general M'Kinnon descended into the ditch opposite 
 the great breach. As they did so, hundreds of shells, and other 
 combustibles, arranged along the foot of the breach, suddenly 
 exploded: these had been prematurely fired, and rather ani- 
 mated than injured the assailants. They pushed up the breach, 
 and, after a short and severe struggle with the defenders at the 
 bayonet's point, gained a footing on the summit. But, though 
 they crowned the rampart, an entrance was yet to be won, for 
 they found traverses thrown up on either side ; the way before 
 them strongly retrenched, and the enemy defending the passage 
 with a hot fire of musketry. The third division maintained this 
 desperate struggle with an unconquerable resolution. 
 
 While the fight was thus loud and fierce upon the main 
 breach, the lesser was assailed boldly by a brigade of the light 
 division, and, having no interior defences, was carried instantly. 
 These troops, with admirable discipline and good order, had no 
 sooner passed the breach, than they formed up regularly, and 
 were led on in a compact column upon the rear of the garrison, 
 whose main attention was engaged by the defence of their re- 
 trenchment. But, while the light troops were advancing with 
 this object, the gallant third division, having extended their efibrts 
 along the parapet, on both flanks of the main breach, and main- 
 tained themselves stoutly in front of it, the retrenchment was 
 already turned, and tJie enemy hastily abandoned it, exploding a 
 quantity of powder in its ditch, by which the gallant M'Kinnon, 
 and many of his brave men, perished. Thus, nearly at the 
 same moment, both breaches were forced. The garrison now 
 dispersed, each seeking his own safety ; and they were pursued 
 from street to street, and from one refuge to another, till all 
 were made prisoners. 
 
 Very few were put to the sword, for the victorious soldiers 
 behaved to them not only with forbearance but friendliness. 
 But the city shared the common and melancholy fate of all 
 places taken by storm. The captors revelled in tlie license of 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 73 
 
 the hour ; — they drank ; they plundered public stores and private 
 dwellings ; and, in the frenzy of intoxication, they committed 
 many acts of senseless and wajiton destruction. 
 
 The loss of the allies on this memorable service was, of 
 necessity, severe. Nine officers and 217 men were slain, and 
 84 officers and 1000 men wounded. Of these, more than one 
 half fell in the assault. Only six officers were killed in the act 
 of stonnintr; but of this small number, two were generals; tlie 
 one a gallant officer of tlie highest promise, and the other a 
 leader of acknowledged ability and established fame. The 
 names of M'Kinnon and Crawfurd are to be seen upon the walls 
 in that stately dome, where England places votive tablets to tJie 
 memory of her lierocs. At Ciudad Rodrigo they fell. 
 
 The consequences of this victory were most important. The 
 immediate fruits were 1500 prisoners, more than 300 pieces of 
 cannon, a battering train complete, an armory of small-arms, a 
 well-supplied arsenal, and military stores of all descriptions. 
 Marshal Marmont had collected ()0,000 men, and was advancing 
 to tlie relief of the place, nothing doubting of his success, when 
 intelligence was brought him that the British flag was flynig on 
 tlie walls ; that the trenches were filled in ; and the Jjreaches 
 were already in a defensible state. 
 
 Angry and baffled, the Frenchman retired. He had written 
 to Bertliier on tlie IGtiiof January, stating his strength, and the 
 object of Jiis march ; and bade him expect events as fortunate as 
 glorious for the French army, lie had now to report his disap- 
 pointment He did so in a disjmtch ; in which, after stating the 
 shortness of tlie siege, and the success of tlie assault, lie added, 
 " There is something so incomprehensible in this, that I allow 
 myself no observation." 
 
 The capture of Ciudad Rodrigo was indeed a very proud 
 achievement — most honorable to all tlie officers and troops em- 
 ployed ; and an enterprise so secretly prepared for, so suddenly 
 commenced, and so brilliantly concluded, not only astonislied tlie 
 French marshals in SjMiin, but all those freiiciiified politicians at 
 home, to whom it was a constant and a mean delight to disparage 
 the fame of Wellington, and the glory of tiie British arms. 
 
 The news was received at Cadiz witii the most grateful and 
 generous enthusiasm. Tlie cortez conferred upon lord Welling- 
 ton the rank of a grandee of Spain of the first class, with the 
 title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ; the proposal was received by 
 that assembly witli tlie liveliest joy, and carried by acclamation. 
 - In England, the government manifested a due sense of the 
 importance of tliis service. Lord Wellington was raised to an 
 earldom by command of tlie regent, and |)arlianient settled on 
 him 20001. a year for the maintenance of tliat dignity. The 
 army also was honored with a vote of thanks. How well these 
 
 Vou XL G 
 
74 MILITARY MEMOIES OF 
 
 honors and rewards were bestowed, was yet more fully shown 
 in the events which followed. ' 
 
 No sooner was Rodrigo rendered thoroughly defensible, than 
 it was delivered over to the Spaniards, and once more occupied 
 by a garrison and a governor of that nation. Lord Wellington, 
 being now freed from any anxiety for the present safety of this 
 recovered fortress, directed all his thoughts and efforts to the 
 recapture of Badajos. 
 
 It was on the morning of the 5th of March that he made his 
 final arrangements with the Spanish governor, general Vivas, 
 and that he directed lieutenant-colonel Fletcher to give up the 
 charge of the fortifications of Ciudad Rodrigo to the Spanish 
 engineer, general Calvet. It was in the afternoon of this same 
 day that head-quarters commenced their march for the Alemteja 
 
 Several divisions of the army were already in movement in 
 the same direction. On the 11th of March head-quarters were 
 established at Elvas, and the troops from the north were collected 
 in convenient cantonments on the frontier of Spanish Estrema- 
 dura. It had been long confidentially known to the heads of 
 the commissariat, artillery, and engineer departments that the 
 siege of Badajos would be undertaken ; and, on the fall of Rod- 
 rigo, the most active preparations were made for that service. 
 
 As long before as December a secret order was sent to an 
 officer at Lisbon to prepare for service twenty-four pontoons to 
 form a bridge at Abrantcs. Upon the 26th of January, the pre- 
 liminaries for besieging Badajos were most carefully arranged 
 with the commanding engineer by lord Wellington. 
 
 A battering train was embarked at Lisbon in large vessels, 
 which put out to sea ; and there it was received on board small 
 craft ; and being conveyed up the river Caldao to Alcacer do 
 Sul, was there landed, and transported on country carriages 
 across the Alemtejo to the banks of the Guadiana. On the 
 arrival of head-quarters at Elvas, the preparations were found to 
 be in a most forward state. The tools and stores had all "arrived; 
 the bridge apparatus from Abrantes was up and in good condi- 
 tion ; and from 3000 to 4000 gabions and fascines had been pre- 
 pared by the Portuguese soldiers at Elvas, or rather in the woods 
 around. The whole of the ordnance was parked upon the glacis 
 of that fortress. The train consisted of sixteen 24-pounders, 
 twenty 18-pounders procured from Lisbon, and sixteen iron 
 24-pound howitzers brought from Almeida. These vast means 
 being happily collected, and all the minor preparations complete, 
 a pontoon bridge was laid down over the Guadiana on the 15th 
 of March ; and also a flying bridge was established, formed by 
 two large Spanish boats. That evening general le Marchant 
 passed the river with a brigade of cavalry ; and, on the 16th, 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 75 
 
 marshal Beresford crossed the bridge with 12,000 men, and 
 invested Badajos, on tlie souUi side, without any opposition. 
 
 This force consisted of tlie light, third and fourth divisions of 
 the army under lieutenant-colonel Barnard, generals Picton and 
 Colville. The remaining divisions, under generals Graham and 
 Hill, advanced considerably ; occupied Merida, Llerena, and Al- 
 mendralejo ; and thus covered the besieging force, and lay ready 
 in the field observing tlie army of Soult. This marshal had 
 35,000 men under his orders; Marmont a much stronger army; 
 and, as it was their duty to combine operations, and succor 
 Badajos, few expected that the fortress would be allowed to fall 
 without a battle. 
 
 Lord Wellington and the commanding engineer made a close 
 and leisurely reconnoissimce of the place. They discovered that 
 the defences liad been very materially improved and strength- 
 ened. The scarps were many of them heightened, the outworks 
 strongly finished, and a portion of tiie enceinte was covered by 
 an impassable inundation. They had also put tlie castle in such 
 a state of de^nce, that no thought of a regular attack upon it 
 could be entertained. For it should be remembered tlie British 
 army had no miners ; sappers without experience ; no mortars ; 
 and -a very inadequate proptjrtion of guns for tJie siege of such a 
 well armed and well provided fortress, — a fortress wliich tlie 
 governor had twice successfully defended when in a condition 
 less formidable, and with a garrison less select and efficient than 
 that now confided to him. 
 
 To reduce Badajos by a regular attack was not possible for 
 the British commander. He had not the means ; he had not tlie 
 time necessary for so a patient a process. 
 
 The decision of his own mind, tiie boldness of his soldiers, and 
 the zeal of his devoted officers, were iiis resources, and tlicy did 
 not fail him. In llie night between the 17th and 18th of March, 
 under a lieavy and tempestous rain, ground was broken witliin 
 160 yards of a detached fort called the Picarina, and before day- 
 light the a]>proaclies were three feet deep ; nor had the work- 
 men been discovered. 
 
 During the 18th the work went forward ; the weather was 
 wet and windy ; the enemy endeavored to hinder flie progress 
 of the lalwrs by a fire of musketry and fiold-pieces from Pica- 
 rina, and by a cannonade from the ramparts of tlie town ; but 
 tlie casualties were few, and the interru})tion little. 
 
 On the lOtii, the fire of artillery from the town was very 
 heavy ; and in the afternoon the garrison made a sortie with 
 1500 infantry and 40 horse. The working parties were surprised 
 and driven out of the jmrallel for a few minutes, but were soon 
 rallied ; and tlie enemy, being fiercely charged, in turn retired. 
 The French sappers overtlirew a few gabions, and carried cff a 
 
76 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 few intrenching tools, but did very little injury to the parallels. 
 Much confusion was caused among the unarmed men in the 
 engineer's park by the few French cavalry, but no stores or 
 materials were destroyed. 
 
 The loss on this occasion amounted to 150 killed and wounded. 
 
 Colonel Fletcher, the commanding engineer, was unfortunate- 
 ly disabled, by a musket-shot in the groin, from continuing his 
 active personal superintendence: but lord Wellington had so 
 high a confidence in this officer, that the attack was still contin- 
 ued under his direction ; and the commander-in-chief came to 
 his tent every morning, accompanied by a stafl-ofRcer, with the 
 plan of the work executed, and in progress, and concerted with 
 the colonel on the operations for the day. 
 
 The rain fell in torrents on the evening of the 19th, and 
 throughout the night. The same weather continued ; and the 
 duties in the trenches were of necessity very severe, both from 
 the long-continued exposure of the men, and the little progress 
 which could be made in low ground where the trenches were 
 full of water. 
 
 On the 22d, the Guadiana, swollen by the continued rains, 
 suddenly rose and swept away the pontoon bridge, eleven of the 
 pontoons sinking at their anchors. By this misfortune the diffi- 
 culties of supplying the army with provisions and military stores 
 were so great, that some fear was entertained it would become 
 necessary to raise the siege. However, the flying bridges were 
 still enabled to work, though slowly, for the force of the current 
 greatly impeded them. 
 
 The workmen were nearly knee-deep in the trenches, which 
 ever, as they were cleared of water, filled again. Nevertheless, 
 the troops, being full of confidence in the firmness of their leader, 
 persevered in their labors with good heart ; and the sight of their 
 enemies, and the sound of the cannonade, kept their minds inter- 
 ested and engaged. 
 
 In the night between the 24th and 25th of March, six bat- 
 teries were completed and armed. Ten 24-pounders, eleven 18- 
 pounders, and seven howitzers were distributed on these bat- 
 teries; and they opened their fire before neon on the 25th. 
 Two of these batteries bore upon Fort Picarina, and tlie re- 
 mainder were directed against the supporting defences of the 
 place. 
 
 The guns of Picarina were soon silenced, but the defences of 
 the work itself were not otherwise much injured : a few pali- 
 sades were, indeed, broken down in the covered way ; but it 
 was in a state to resist any assault less determmed than that to 
 which it was exposed. 
 
 Lord Wellington directed that it should be taken that night, 
 and charged major-general Kempt with the details of the exe- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 77 
 
 cution. Five hundred men of the third division were appointed 
 to this service. One detachment of 200 men was ordered to 
 pass round the flank of the work, and force tlie gorge ; while 
 another of like strength was to marcli upon the communication 
 from the town, and posting one lialf of its numbers to await and 
 resist the advance of any succor, was to supjxjrt with the re- 
 mainder tlie attack u{x)n tlie gorge. A reserve of 100 men 
 was formed in tlie advanced battery, ready to aid these attacks 
 by escalading the fronL 
 
 At ten o'clock at night the signal Avas given, and tlie troops 
 advanced ; the reserve being formed and ready at its post. 
 
 The fire at the gorge was so heavy, and tlie obstacles so great, 
 that, despite the bravest efforts, it was found im])ossible to force 
 it. Nevertheless, that half of the second detacliment, which, 
 in obedience to its orders, had supported the attack of the gorge 
 by vain attempts to get over the palisades under the enemy's 
 fire, searched round tiie left flank for a favorable place to rear 
 their ladders, ran bravely up, and the foremost men were soon 
 engaged in a hot and very doubtful struggle. 
 
 At tliis moment general Kempt pushed forward the reserve : 
 they escaladed boldly ; many were bayoneted back ; but they 
 fought their way over the parapet, and, after a short and bloody 
 combat within, the work was taken. 
 
 Alarums were sounded in the town ; rockets and lights were 
 tlirown up; a fire opened from every rampart, as if in dread of 
 a coup-de-main ; a sortie was attempted in the direction of Pica- 
 rina, but instantly repulsed. 
 
 Of the garrison, three officers and eighty men were made 
 prisoners; a few escaped ; several were drowned in an endeavor 
 V) cross the inundation, and the rest were slain. Of the reso- 
 lute assailants, 4 officers and 50 men were killed, 15 ofiicers and 
 250 men wounded. 
 
 liord Wellington was tlie man tliflroughly to appreciate the 
 valor of the soldiers employed in tliis aflTiir, and to estimate, as 
 it deserved, tlie calm and admirable coniluct of general Kempt 
 
 The second parallel was now established in front of Picarina ; 
 enfilading and breacliing batteries were erected ; and a fire of 
 g^eat weight was directed u\k>ii the solid walls of Badiijos. Ujxm 
 the morning of the 5t!i of April, tlio breaches were reported 
 practicable ; in the main broach a great extent of wall had 
 fallen ; and the ascent of both was easy. 
 
 Lord Wellington, who began now to be pressed for time by 
 the advance of Soult, and the menacing demonstrations of Mar- 
 mont on the frontier of Beira, was eager for the assault, and 
 desired tfi storm the place that evening ; but, upon a close re- 
 connoiasancc of the two breaciios, he judged that tiiey had in- 
 terior and formidable retrenchinonts, and for twenty-tour hours 
 G2 
 
is Military IviEMoms op 
 
 he deferred the attack. He employed this time by directing the 
 heaviest possible fire to be turned against the old wall of the 
 curtain between the two breaches, so that a third opening might 
 be obtained, whereby their retrenchments could be turned. 
 
 The fifth division of the army, which had been left in Beira, 
 had been lately withdrawn from that province, and joined the 
 besieging force at this period. 
 
 The covering army, under Sir Rowland Hill, retired leisurely 
 before Soult ; two arches of the bridge at Merida were blown 
 up, and that general took jwst at Talavera. 
 
 The masonry of the old curtain being exposed to the guns of 
 all the batteries, soon crumbled under their fire, and a third 
 breach was thus made in one day. Lord Wellington now in- 
 stantly gave orders for tlie assault. It took place at ten o'clock 
 on the night of the 6th of April, at the appointed moment. 
 
 Two divisions, under colonel Barnard and general Colville, 
 were directed to assault the breaches ; general Picton, with his 
 division, was appointed to escalade the wall of the castle ; and 
 general Leith, with his, to scale the bastion of San Vicente at 
 the other extremity of the town. 
 
 The columns moved out of the parallels at the same moment 
 in silent order, and darkness canopied the city. Led by their 
 steady guides, the columns destined to storm the breaches no 
 sooner crowned the glacis, and came upon the ditch, than a light 
 brighter than that of day, but of another sort, illumined all 
 things ; and they could see distinctly the armed walls and tlie 
 ready foe. A line of levelled muskets, and the cannon of the 
 ramparts, already pointed, Aomited forth a deadly fire ; and, amid 
 the lurid splendor of countless fire-balls, war clouds of a pale 
 and leaden hue rose thickly into upper air. 
 
 The men advanced ; they leaped into the covered way where 
 the palisades had been destroyed by the batteries. Bags filled 
 with hay were cast into the ditch; ladders were lowered; and 
 the brave assailants hurried down the counterscarp into the ditch. 
 It was soon crowded with troops. Suddenly an incredible num- 
 ber of fougasses, shells, and other combustibles, which had been 
 laid along the foot of the breach and in the ditch, were fired by 
 the garrison. They exploded with an appalling effect. The de- 
 struction was terrific, and the confusion unavoidable ; yet there 
 was no pause in the attack. The fourth division pressed boldly 
 up a ruinous and unfinished ravelin, mistaking it for the breach- 
 No sooner were they on the summit, than they found that a dif- 
 ficult descent yet separated them from the breach, and they 
 stood exposed, to the very feet, to the small-arms of the garrison. 
 A hot fire was opened on them, which, witliout orders, "they be- 
 gan to return. The head of the light division being led, amid 
 all the smoke and noise, a little too far to the rigiit, here joined 
 
THE DtTKE OF WELLINGTON. 79 
 
 the fourth ; and the officers had great difficulty in restoring order, 
 and leading the men to the true points of attack. 
 
 They did so with a gallantry and zeal never surpassed, and 
 led up to the breaches with devoted heroism. But the main 
 breach was found strongly retrenched : over the greater part of 
 its face, planks, studded with iron spikes like harrows, had been 
 laid down after dark ; and chevaux-de-frise, formed of sword- 
 blades, were fixed strongly along the summit. The boldest 
 hearts, the strongest arms, were unable to force a way past ob- 
 stacles like tliese. The gallant groups, as they came upon these 
 defences, were stayed. Volleys of musketry were showered 
 upon tiiem from the ramparts, and they all fell slain or disabled 
 upon the rubbish. 
 
 Long after the breach was found to be impracticable, and the 
 idea of attempting it was abandoned, the work of destruction 
 went on. The brave men, who could not advance, and would 
 not retire, clustered near the unfinished ravelin, and the traverses 
 in the ditch, and met confused and bloody deaths. 
 
 " Never," says colonel Jones, " probably never, since the dis- 
 covery of gunpowder, were men more seriously exposed to its 
 action. Shells, hand-grenades, every kind of burning compo- 
 sition, and missiles of every hellish variety, were hurled into the 
 ditcii. The roll of musketry was incessant; and the night was 
 now light with the most dazzling fires, and now black with utter 
 darkness." 
 
 Perhaps there was never a moment in the life of Wellington 
 that he more deeply felt for his intrepid soldiers than when the 
 reports were brought to him of this state of things at the 
 breaches. 
 
 About midnight this report was made, and, yielding to the se- 
 vere necessity, lord Wellington gave orders to withdraw those 
 divisions, and to form them again a little before daylight for a 
 fresh effort. It was at this moment that a report came in from 
 general Picton. The castle was taken. The escalade had been 
 obstinately opposed. Ix)gs of wood, large stones, loatled shells, 
 had been arranged along the crest of the parapet, and these 
 were rolled off upon the assailants as tiiey sought to rear their 
 ladders. All the men who first ascended such as were fixed, 
 fell by musketry or the bayonet ; but their comrades boldly and 
 closely followetl, and upon the summit of tlie wall tlie British 
 Ixiyonet proved tlie better weapon, and forced ita way. The 
 castle was taken. Nor was tliis a solitary success. The fiftli 
 division, under general T.eith, ascended the bastion of San 
 Vicente with like intrepidity and like reward. As soon as his 
 first brigade was formed within the bastion, it moved forward to 
 drive the defenders from the breaches; it was soon discovered 
 by a party of the garrison, most briskly assaulted, and driven 
 
80 MlLITAttV MKMOIBfi Of 
 
 tnck, iin/l<;r tJio itufir'-wxiori that a (fr««l f<rt'c« wm iijx/n tbcrn, 
 and tli'ft tJi';y w<;r*j a!r',Twly tiirr»»j<l; l/ul Uii* chf>f;k w«u» »}tf^rt, 
 \ini rniMt^iJi'! «'/'rti rufAiiUul, ar»<J th«; r;i>inl«t rcri'jwjd, A liattaluAi 
 c;f' til'! '"JHUi t'i%un':ui li'vJ (><;';« torid'.'iJ in r'.'W'rrv,' in \hn l«ijrt,i<jn 
 (4 Hi. V)c<jrit<j ; with lliix Icj'iy, '«ily riurnlMrriiij^ yiM) \m.yim':tH, 
 aAoti'tl Nujc-'nt rcciivc"! tli'j cn'ruiy with a K»^rfi<ly vJUjy, ajji] 
 ciiarjfinK Jiomc, itiMAtiily ovjrthrt'W th'jtii. 'i'hc brij^/wJc wav 
 advanc'i'l t/marilx Ih'; JwsujhfM. 'i'f»y French munntVmUAy 
 •bari<lon<;(l Ih'/tn, arul iimif}rti''A Ihroiij^h Ihfj t/;wn ; ori'j IxxJy 
 only, nn'I'jr I'hili|iiK;n Ih'; Kt}\ri;nu)r, rdinwJ ovf-T th«; hri/Jjfc t/j 
 Fyrt (yhri>rt<>vttl fnr th'j ni(<ht, anfJ mirtfJuUinul at «JayIi(fhL 'I'Jie 
 rert of th'j i!ni;my'n mMftrn w<;r«; all imuUi yrmiwr^ in tJt'; city. 
 The fliviwiorw whicli fuxJ «<> (Iroii/Hully Hii(H'r<,"l now rnarch';<J in 
 It Ui'; hr<r4/;h';«, thonj^h it wfw ruA with'^ut (lilliculty that th«fy 
 00ul<J \n'» th<;w.' M/;»;iiinijl/tl/'!<l i)\mUu:\i-M. 'J'h<; third tJivixi/rti 
 had hl')wn o|><!n th<; <;iwtl') s^aUjn, and d<.w;'!tid<;d inW the* t/;wn. 
 
 Bo/Jftj'w w/w tnk'jn, 'rhr<;<j hiitidn;*] and K>:vittiUti;ti t)iYirj:rn, 
 HJJ44 ni'!n, haxl fallijn in th'; iwyiult. Th'; fiMit arwi tli« amxnt 
 of th') main ami »«!f;<Mid hr<;ach wen; h'MfK^l with xlain. In tJic 
 onfiJHi'Hi of the xUtnn, th',* hr<;n/;h in th'; curOtin w i>i never at- 
 t/'inpted ; tlie f^nuUm wi'.r<; |>rol>ahly kill<,'d, and the way wa» 
 tinm"A. 'I'liiJii thi« f;>r«n(dal(le pliw;e wiw f/.trru-A at tlie nxnnent 
 of' tttwHilt, n'>t hy th',* hr<,"i!ch<;>«, hut hy a Ixd'l and Muecewfful 
 (f»fjftta/l<! of two di^Utnt |xjinU» where the deferjce* were ontirc. 
 'J'he w;iI1m of the c»wthj row front eitfht^-en t^i twenty-four /ewt, 
 ttti/l it wttK deeni'i'l w.'cure from ntfjicL 'J'he Uuit-um of Hl 
 Vieenf/! h'til an ew.'ir|t wall twjnty ll-et in p'-rfwridieiilar ; and 
 tli'j i.ri)')\>4, hav I '< d thin, h;id y.-t twelve f<j<'t whieh in- 
 
 clined at an an ; I pirai^t U) xnrnKiiint hy mrramhlinjf. 
 
 IJi^th h'T'! arcJ ., :,,• > . U'; fli" • — ' " (/the Knrr'mm wan 
 
 cwwid'^nihl';, anil the I'l-."* ni' ' .i» trr<*at; tun do the 
 
 animU ui' warfare record any < ^ ■: brilliant than thew 
 
 ifallant ewialad'.'H, In tlcwj e(lorU<, <(<;neral>« I'icttm, Colville, 
 Kemfrt, Walker, and JJ>wi!»wer« w^urwled, LieijUinant-c^lonel 
 Macleod, wmmanlin;^ the 4;kl, and maj<;r O'llara of the U'Tth, 
 were kilhid at the hre'i';h'!i4. 
 
 Th'To \m nothin.'f in'tm deejdy hnmilititinj^ fx) tnan, or morfj 
 ni')rt,ifyin{<; Ui nnlilary jjride, thnn U) i'ltul rohle '|iinliiie« aiul 
 Ikw') |rw;«ion« in th'; ';lo-«e alliiinr;e in which they ar<! Imi oOen 
 found. It m tru',', the Hrilixh wd'lierMdid not Htjiin their Iwyoneti" 
 with tlK) hl'>'>'l of their yieldinjf and cajjtive enei/ii'-n; and out 
 of a e-inlnred tjarrijfon lA' 4'XX) men, few, if a/iy, were put 
 want/jniy f/» th'! nword ; hut they no «fjoner ffoi int/j the place 
 than th'7 hndo the r',*inN of di>«;i|dine; they drank, tJiey plun- 
 der<!il, th"y revdl'j'l in all licentionwieMH ; aiwl tlieir wild orj^iew 
 ofMl franlie isxcitmtim were continued f'jr many Jw^urx iM^-fi^re their 
 iioWo commamier c<;uld jwtwihly control thcju. TUm wttj«, at 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNQTON. 81 
 
 last, done by oxtmonlinary mcnsiirrs nnd sovoro cxuiuplos, nnd 
 by briiij;iii<j t'rrsli ami stoiuly tiXHins into llie town. 
 
 Tlu; prccnutionary ordors ot' \\ olliiijrtou Imil boon udiiiiniblo; 
 nnd liis cxaniplo nnd oxerlions nftor the ouptiiro of tlie city 
 \vt«ri» ijrent, as woro tlioso ot'all llu' ollicors uuJor liis comnianu. 
 Hilt the plnndor of a city tiikon liy nasnnlt aernis to imvo been 
 nmsidt^red, t'mni tiiuo inuncniDrinl, by all yt)ltliors, n privilejje. 
 It is a privilojje dci'ply dislionorablt) to the pmfojiaion ot'nrius; 
 ilooply injurious to j,fi>od di^^•iplino; nnd which is, in our judgf- 
 incnt, tiiis(>Iy roo-anlod a.^ inso|)nrablo from tlio confusion of a 
 storm. It is evident, however, that a Kmjf nml st(>a<ly course of 
 disciidine, obtainin;; <j(Mierally everywhcri! tiiroii<jhout the armed 
 force of a nation, and enforced by the moral |K)wer of a nation's 
 voice, can nlone elfect the imiwrtant object of puttiny; uu cutLto 
 tliis horrid custom. 
 
 The crimes of the deepest dyo committwl on these and like 
 awful ocousions, nro invariably the work of ii few; but the 
 wanton destruction of properly, tiie drinkinjr and the bonlires in 
 the streets, are ollences participated in by hundred.s who rusfi 
 in from a scene of bhxxl and jH'ril drunk w itii slaui,'hter and 
 piddy with success. TJiis we say, ns nccouutiuji for, and not 
 excusinpf, wickedness. May tlie hint of this humble [hmi full 
 u|)on the heart of somo youthful Hriton, destined herenl\cr to 
 lead our armies or to intluence our senate. 
 
 Wo return from this brief diijression, sntisliod timt it is not 
 misplaced in a memoir of that j^reat man whose services it is 
 our hifjh honor to record, and whoso nctivo and humane exertions 
 Uf>on the capture of Si'rin}^n>atan» tlie reader cannot huvo for- 
 gotten. 
 
 lI|Kin tho fall of Ikdajos, Sonlt led Imck the army of the 
 »iulh to Seville, which place a smalI*S|mnish force under tho 
 conde do I'enne Villemur was already menncinif. 'i'he cnxTilry 
 of the allies fiillowcvl Soult's march, and jrained s*.me advnnto^ 
 over his rear-jjuard at Idereiia. U|K)n the llUh of .\pril, Wel- 
 liiiirton was a^'ain in motion with tlic main- body of his army, to 
 drive .Marmont from Ik'ira. 
 
 That marshal hud advanced IVom Snlamnnca while Welliiiff- 
 tou was brsiei,'iii;r iliulajos; liad let\ iiih' division to blockade 
 riudad UtMlrijr»>i "ud had invested Almeida with the remainder 
 of his force. At^'r vainly endeavorinjj to alarm the ijovernor 
 of .Mmeida by the demonstration of a siuMen assault, lio cross- 
 ed the Con nt Sabufjal, dnne awny a Ixnly of militia which 
 would have opi>ostxl his advance, and ivMietmfed t«» Caslello 
 Hrnnco. Hut tl>r the sudden nnd un'\ 11 of Hadajos, 
 
 and the approach of his active and in opiH>nent, he 
 
 would have pushed on to Villa Volhn, to inMioy, il' |H)s.'<ible, tho 
 
82 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 bridge. He now retired into Spain, taking with him the division 
 he had left before Rodrigo. 
 
 The head-quarters of Wellington were again established at 
 Fuente Guinaldo, and the allied army v\;is again cantoned be- 
 tween the Agueda and the Coa. As he had taken care to form 
 all his principal magazines north of tlie Douro, his reduced and 
 exhausted battalions were soon and abundantly supplied ; nor did 
 the irruption of Marmont cause greater loss than the destruction 
 of one depot at Celerico, whicli had been hastily, and without 
 necessity, set on fire when he advanced. 
 
 To invite tlie admiration of the attentive and considerate 
 reader to the energy and genius displayed by lord Wellington, 
 in thus suddenly and vigorously wresting from the enemy the 
 two fortresses of Ciudad liodrigo and Badajos, is unnecessary. 
 Be it remembered, that these successes were achieved in the 
 face of two powerful armies, whose combined strength, had they 
 been directed with an ability and activity akin to his own, must 
 have rendered the triumph of lord Wellington impossible. 
 
 Napoleon was astonished by these events, and he was ap- 
 prized of them by reports which exhibited too plainly the con- 
 fusion and mortification of his chosen generals. His mind was 
 already bent upon a rupture with Russia ; and he had for seve- 
 ral months conducted iiis negotiations with the czar with little 
 sincerity and much reservation. He had counted on very dif- 
 ferent results in the Peninsula. Portugal had been delivered 
 from his armies ; Spain was unsubdued ; and her banners again 
 floated upon two fortresses, which French soldiers had vainly 
 defended against " the hideous leopard." A triumphant march 
 to the northern extremity of Europe had now captivated his 
 imagination. The prospect dazzled his sight, and he became 
 blind. It presented a gratification to his pride not to be foregone ; 
 and he was, for a moment, willing to relax his hold on Spain, 
 that he might pursue the new object of his ambition. 
 
 " France," said Najwleon, in a communication to the English 
 government after the fall of Badajos,—" France shall renounce 
 all idea of extending her dominions beyond the Pyrenees. The 
 present dynasty shall be declared independent, and Spain shall 
 be governed by a national constitution of her cortez." When 
 the precise meaning of these expressions was demanded by the 
 British cabinet, he liaughtily recovered himself, insisted on the 
 recognition of Joseph as king of Spain, and abruptly closed the 
 negotiation. 
 
 Tluis, with a violent and indomitable spirit, he would still 
 hold Spain, although the hand with which he grasped it was al- 
 ready torn and bleeding, while, with the other armed, he was 
 strikuig at the imperial crown of all the Russias. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 83 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 LORD WELLINGTON DIRECTS GENERAL HILL TO DESTROY THE ENEMY's 
 
 BRIDGE AT ALMARAZ. GENERAL HILL TAKES FORTS NAPOLEON AND RA- 
 
 GUSA, AND BURNS THE BRIDGE. LORD WELLINGTON ADVANCES TO SAL- 
 AMANCA. TAKES THE FORTIFIED CONVENTS IN THAT CITV MANffiU- 
 
 VRES ON THE DOURO BEATS MARMONT IN BATTLE MARCHES TO 
 
 MADRtD. 
 
 Heajj-quarters, as was stated in last chapter, were again 
 established at Fuente Guinaldo, and the allies were again can- 
 toned between the Agucda and the Coa ; but their active and 
 indefatigable leader was busied in preparing for them a new 
 field of glory, and for himself a new title to renown. The 
 French armies of the north and south had a constant, ea.sy, and 
 secure connnunication by a bridge of boats upon the Tagus at 
 Almaraz. To destroy this bridge was absolutely necessary be- 
 fore lord Wellington could act oftensively against Marniont with 
 prudence; for that marshal could readily a.ssemble more tlian 
 •50,000 men to oppose him, while in the south marshal Soult 
 commanded a force of .58,000 men. The army immediately 
 under Wellington could only muster 39,000 bayonets and .'JOOO 
 horse ; for it was necessary to leave a strong corps of observa- 
 tion in Spanish Estremadura. This corps consisted of 10,000 
 infantry and 1200 iiorse, under Sir Rowland Hill, and lay at Al- 
 mcndralcjo and its vicinity, patroling towards Seville, and ob- 
 serving the movements of marshal Soult. Lord Wellington, 
 having resolved upon his plan of operations, directed Sir Ilow- 
 land to destroy the bridge at Almaraz. That officer performed 
 the service intrusted to iiim with his customary zeal, vigor, and 
 good fortune. It was known that tlie bridge was defended on 
 both sides of the river by very formidable works and a sufficient 
 garrison. Therefore a considerable equipment of artillery and 
 engineers' means was necessary to the success of the under- 
 taking. These, consisting of si.x 24-pounder howitzers, with 
 the necessary ammunition stores; of six jwntoons ; and of twelve 
 ladders thirty feet in length ; were brouglit up from Elvos to 
 Merida by Montijo. Tiie two arclies of the old bridge at Mo- 
 rida, which, as has been related, had been destroyed, were now 
 hastily repaired witli sucli materials as some ruined buildings 
 near tlio spot supplied ; and, on tlic 12tii of May, tiie infimtry 
 and cavalry destined for this service mnrclicd from Almendralejo, 
 filed over the bridge, and the wliolc force together with its 
 equipment was assembled in that place. 
 
 Tlic works at Almaraz had been constructed with skill and 
 care. On tiie right of tiie river was a redoubt for 400 men 
 called Fort Rogiisa, with a masonry tower of considerable 
 
84 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 height, and loop-holed, in the interior. This work not standing 
 sufficiently close to the bridge, was flanked by a fleche con- 
 structed on the river bank. Upon the left bank of the river the 
 bridge was defended by a strong Vv-ell flanked tete de pont; 
 while upon some heights, rising immediately near, was a re- 
 doubt for 450 men, called Fort Napoleon. This work, like that 
 on the right bank, had a loop-holed tower, twenty-five feet high 
 in the interior. 
 
 The road to Almaraz from the south, crosses a range of diffi- 
 cult mountains, about four miles from the bridge, and descends 
 continually towards the river from one lofty point, marked by 
 the old tower of Miravete. This tower, which stands near the 
 road, the French had fortified ; surrounding it by a lower wall 
 and rampart, and arming it with several pieces of ordnance. 
 Upon the road, at a little distance, stands a solitary inn. This 
 house and the tower they had connected by works into a line of 
 defence so strong, that to force the pass and make a way for the 
 advance of artillery was not possible. Not expecting to find the 
 enemy's preparations at all points so very complete. Sir Rowland 
 Hill had so arranged his movements on tJie evening of the 16th, 
 as to carry the castle of Miravete with one column ; to force the 
 high road witli a second ; and with the third to cross the sierra 
 at the pass of Cueva considerably to Ids right, and descend at 
 the same moment upon Almaraz. 
 
 With these intentions he marched, upon the evening of the 
 16th, from his ground near Jaraicejo; but the column which 
 marched by the pass of Cueva was so delayed that it was broad 
 daylight before it had descended half-way to Almaraz ; it was 
 therefore halted and countermarched. The first and second 
 columns had found both the castle of Miravete and the pass of 
 Miravete in a state of defence which could not justify an attack 
 with any reasonable hope of success ; as the surprise of the re- 
 doubt below was at tliat moment out of the question. The three 
 brigades bivouacked on the mountain the day and night of the 
 17th ; and upon that day and the following the whole range of 
 Miravete was examined with care to find some passage for the 
 guns ; and the castle and road were reconnoitred witli a closer 
 scrutiny ; but not a hope was left of forcing the pass, nor was 
 any spot found upon the ridge where artillery could either be 
 passed or lowered. Sir Rowland Hill, disappointed but not dis- 
 pirited, resolved instantly upon one of tliose bold and dashing 
 efforts, which, though they cannot command success, deserve it. 
 
 At nine in the evening of the 18th, he led a brigade down tliQ 
 sierra, by a goats' path, through Romangorda ; and at daybreak 
 the head of his column was halted in a concealed position, about 
 800 yards from Fort Napoleon. It was nearly eight o'clock be- 
 fore the rear was up and all the troops were formed : but their 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 89 
 
 march, covered by intervening hills, had not been seen, and their 
 vicinity was not suspected. 
 
 The French soldiers were crowded on the parapet of their 
 work, watching the progress of an attack upon Miravete ; which, 
 however, was merely a feint, intended to have been simultaneoue 
 with the escalade. They had no suspicion of an attack till the 
 rush of the assailants, the sight of their ladders and the opening 
 of their firing parties alarmed them, already on the alert, into 
 swift resistance. With a good order, exceeded only by their 
 valor, the 50th regiment, and one wing of the 71st, soon mount- 
 ed the parapet, and the defenders gave way. Their contest for 
 the interior defences was but short : they abandoned the re- 
 trenchment and tower, and fled to the tete de pont. Here was 
 a scene of great confusion ; for the pursuers entered the work 
 with them. They rushed upon tiic bridge; but three of the 
 boats were already cut away by the fugitives who first crossed. 
 Many fell or leaped into the river, and were drowned : about 250 
 were made prisoners. 
 
 The commandant of Fort Ragusa, after firing a few rounds 
 upon Fort Napoleon, the guns of which were already turned 
 against him, evacuated his post in disgraceful haste, and marched 
 away. 
 
 The river was soon passed ; the towers and magazines rn the 
 forts, and in the t6te de pont, were blown up ; the guns thrown 
 into the Tagus ; the palisades, barriers, stores of timber and of 
 tools, the pontoons and their carriages, were consumed by fire, 
 and tlie works utterly effaced and destroyed. 
 
 This important service was effected with the loss of only 15 
 officers and 162 privates, killed and wounded. 
 
 Soult was already in motion, to act upon Sir Rowland Hill's 
 communications with Badajos and Elvas ; while Mamiont was 
 hastening to the Tagus. Upon the 21st of May, Sir Rowland's 
 corps wfis already at Truxillo, on its return. Soult relinquished 
 all hope of intercepting him ; and wiien tJie advanced guard of 
 Marinont readied the banks of the Tagus, they saw notiiing but 
 blackened ruins insteatl of formidable forts ; and a friendly gar- 
 rison in the tower of Miravete, now useless, whom they could 
 not relieve. It was not until the 11th of July following that 
 this isolated detachment, closely watclied by guerillas, and suf^ 
 fering from fiiinine, was released by the advance of a strong 
 doUichment from Toledo. They tiien destroyed the works, ana 
 left the paa-^ open. 
 
 The Ixild conduct and happy issue of the important expedition 
 of geiuTa! Hill gave a security and iiopofidness to the offensive 
 movemontrf contemplated by lord Wellington, which they had 
 otherwise wanted, and without which, he could not have availed 
 himself of any success to penetrate far into Spain. He now 
 
 Vol. II. , H 
 
86 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 rapidly completed his own arrangements for moving forward. 
 A month's provision for the whole army was collected and stored 
 at Rodrigo. Some heavy howitzers and three 18-pounders, with 
 the necessary ammunition, were secretly prepared for a march 
 at Almeida. The bridge upon the Tagus at Alcantara was re- 
 paired to facilitate his communication with the corps of HUl, 
 and, on the 13th of June, he suddenly broke up from his canton- 
 ments. Upon the 17th of June, he appeared before Salamanca^ 
 and crossed the Tormes by fords above and below the city ; as 
 the allies advanced, Marmont slowly retired. 
 
 Salamanca being a valuable post to the French, and contain- 
 ing a very large depot, they had constructed, on the ruins of 
 some convents, three strong torts. These works were garrisoned 
 by 800 men, and were so formidable as to be quite secure from 
 any but a regular attack. They were accordingly besieged by 
 the division of general Clinton in due form. This operation was 
 covered by the whole army, which occupied a position three 
 miles in front of Salamanca, called the heights of ChristovaL 
 The right of the army rested on the Tormes near Cabrarizos ; 
 the left upon a tributary stream of that river near Villares de la 
 Reyna. The besiegers broke ground before the fortified con- 
 vent of St. Vicente on the night of the 17th. On the 19th the 
 artillery battered in breach, but the ammunition was exliausted 
 before a way into the fort was opened. Nevertlieless the de- 
 fences were so much damaged by the fire of the batteries, that 
 an escalade was attempted. The assailants were repulsed with 
 the loss of major-general Bowes, commanding the attack, and 
 120 men killed and wounded. The general, a devoted and gal- 
 lant soldier, was much lamented. 
 
 From the 20th to the 27th, marshal Marmont essayed many 
 manoeuvres for the relief of these forts, and made various de- 
 monstrations of passing the Tormes by his left, and acting upon. 
 Wellington's line of communication with Rodrigo ; but all his 
 manoeuvres and demonstrations were vain. He could not induce 
 the British commander to make one false movement. The allied 
 army was held perfectly in hand ; its front changed ; and its 
 right being placed on the ford of Santa Martha, it was ready to 
 act upon either bank as required ; while only one brigade of 
 cavalry was sent across the Tormes in observation. In the night, 
 however, of the 24th, Marmont passed the river himself at Hu- 
 erta with the greater part of his force. This being known at 
 dawn, two divisions of infantry and a second brigade of cavalry 
 were sent across the ford of Santa Martha, The rest of the al- 
 lied army was collected between Morisco and Cabrarizos ; the 
 advance still maintaining its position at Aldea Lengua. Mamiont 
 pushed on to Calvarassa de Abaxo ; but, finding Graham be- 
 tween that place and Salamanca in order of battle, and observ- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 87 
 
 ing that he might be easily supported and strengthened from the 
 right bank, he halted, and in the evening repassed tlie Tormes 
 at Huerta, and took up his old position at Villares on the British 
 left. During these various movements there was no affair of 
 great moment. 
 
 On the 20th there was a cavalry skirmish in front of tlie posi- 
 tion of St Christoval, and on the night of the 21st the enemy 
 established a post on the right flank of the allies, from which he 
 was driven by the 7th division. A general so calm and skilful 
 as lord Wellington, having the advantage of the central base 
 for his own movements, was not to be disturbed or forced from 
 his resolve. The baflled Mannont sought to communicate with 
 the forts in vain ; and the error which he had committed in 
 shutting up 8(X) men in such a post was discovered when it was 
 without remedy. On the 26th a supply of shot arrived, and the 
 batteries again commenced their fire with hot shot. The con- 
 vent of St Vicente was soon on tire in many places ; but the 
 fires were extinguished by the garrison. The howitzer battery 
 continued to fire hot shot throughout the night ; and by ten 
 o'clock the next morning the convent of St. Vicente was in 
 flames ; and in the gorge of the fort Gayetano there was an open 
 breach. The commandants of these forts hoisted the white 
 flag, but demanded three hours' delay before they surrendered. 
 Lord Wellington limited them to live minutes, at the expiration 
 of which time, no submis.sion being made, the batteries resumed 
 their fire ; the storming parties aidvanced ; and the forts were 
 carried at the iKiyonct's point with very little resistance. Very 
 few of the enemy were slain, but about 7(K) were made prisoners. 
 
 These works were immediately disarmed and destroyed. The 
 guns and all the military stores were given to the Spaniards ; 
 among the latter a large supply of clotliing was found : for, as 
 has been already observed, Salamanca was the grand dep6t of 
 Uie army of Portugal, and hence the labor and expense which 
 had been bestowed upon its defences. 
 
 The siege and capture of these forts cost the allies 36 officers, 
 and 450 men killed and wounded. No sooner did Marmont as- 
 certain the fall of tlie works, than he withdrew the garrison 
 from Alba de Tormes, and retired upon the Douro. On the 2d 
 of July the cavalry of the allies overtook his rear-guard, near 
 Tordesillas, and drove them acro-ss the river in great confusion. 
 Marmont now t<X)k up a jK)sition on the right bank of the Douro, 
 having his right at Polios, his left at Simancas on the Pisuerga, 
 and his centre at Tordesillas. The British line stretched from 
 Iji Seca on its right to PoUoe on its left. Head-quarters were 
 established at Rueda ; and the Douro flowed between the hostile 
 ormie-s. The jiosition of the French was strong : the right bank 
 of the Douro does for the most part command the passage of 
 
88 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that river. The bridges were secured, and they had fortified 
 posts at Zamora and Toro. Moreover, the bend of the river 
 was in their favor ; for it so encircled the position of the allies, 
 tliat nothing but vigilance and prompt manoeuvre "could save it 
 from being attacked on one or other of its flanks at a disad- 
 vantage. 
 
 From the 3d to the 1.5th of July, the hostile conmianders lay 
 watchful but inactive — with the exception of such correspond- 
 mg movement on tiie part of the allies as any change of position 
 on the French line demanded. While Marmont remained 
 stationary behind the Uouro, he was joined by a large reinforce- 
 ment of horse, and by the strong division of general Bonnet, 
 which he had summoned from the Asturias. Soon after this, 
 upon the 15th, Marmont having moved a considerable corps 
 down the river, the allied army was marched to its left, and 
 head-quarters transferred from Rueda to La Nava del Rey. On 
 the 16th two divisions of the French crossed the bridge at Toro. 
 XiOrd Wellington, suspecting this to be merely a demonstration, 
 only moved a part of his force upon Toro, and with the main 
 body took up a strong position on the Guarena, occupying 
 Fuente la Pena and Canizal ; while the 4th and light divisions, 
 under general Cole, were posted at Castrejon on the Trabancos ; 
 which, like the Guarena, is a stream tributary to the Douro. 
 
 On the night of the 16th the two divisions of the enemy re- 
 crossed the bridge at Toro, destroyed it, and again effected their 
 junction with Marmont at Tordesillas. Here the whole force, 
 being concentrated, passed the river ; and, by a forced march of 
 forty miles, was early on the morning of the 18th in presence of 
 the two British divisions on the Trabancos. By this great exer- 
 tion the communication of Marmont with Sladrid, from whence 
 he expected to be joined by the army of the centre, was per- 
 fectly opened, and the two hostile divisions before him were 
 placed in some danger. This advantage the French marshal 
 lost no time in seeking to improve. His cavalry, supported by 
 infantry and artillery, instantly engaged the British horse ; who, 
 being outnumbered, soon began to lose ground in a conflict 
 manifestly unequal. In the distance the whole French army 
 was advancing. The situation of the light and 4th divisions 
 was very critical. Already was the enemy menacing their line 
 of retreat and pressing upon both flanks; when Wellington, 
 quickly advancing a support of cavalry and horse-artillery to 
 check the progress of the French, extricated these troops from 
 their difficulty, and directed their retreat upon the heights of 
 Canizal in their rear. This movement was executed with per- 
 fect order, and with small loss ; although in the presence of an 
 eijemy who pursued so qlosely as to open upon them from forty 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 89 
 
 pieces of artillery as they passed tlie Guarena to join the army 
 now embattled on tiie heights of Canizal. 
 
 No sooner was the main body of the French up, and the hostile 
 armies in presence, tlian Marmont pushed a heavy column across 
 the Guarena to gain a ridge upon the flank of the allies, which 
 would have commanded the Salamanca road, and have turned 
 the Britisii left This effort was hotly repulsed by the division 
 of general Cole, and by a brilliant charge of cavalry. In this 
 affair a French general and 'MK) men were made prisoners. 
 During the operations of this day, the allies lost in killed and 
 wounded from 500 to 600 men, and the French must have suffered 
 a considerable, though not perhaps an equal, loss.* 
 
 Tlie 19th was wliolly passed in manoeuvres ; Marmont mena- 
 cing the ri^ht of tlie allies, and moving several divisions to his 
 left. All these movements were immediately observed and met 
 on the part of lord Wellington by others. The whole of tlie 
 allied army was collected behind the Guarena, and during the 
 night it was disposed in battle order on the plain of Vallcsa. 
 
 At dawn of day on the 20th tiie Frencli army was plainly seen 
 marching to its left along the naked heiglits of the Guarena in 
 perfect order. The allies were on the instant put in motion to 
 their right ; and the two armies marched for several hours in an 
 open country where the heiglits are very mconsiderable, moving 
 in parallel lines within half-cannon-shot of each other, and ready 
 at a word to form the battle front and engage. 
 
 A sight more glorious and more solemn, war does not often 
 present. Ninety thousand combatants marched, side by side as 
 it were, without collision, each host admiring the array of its op- 
 ponents, — all eyes eager in their gaze, and all ears attent for the 
 signal sound ot battle. 
 
 The head of the enemy's columns, having the advance of tlie 
 allies, was enabled to cross the Guarena higher up unopposed, 
 and formed on a range of lieiglits which extended on the lefl 
 flank of the allied force nearly to Salamanca. Wellington 
 merely tlirew back tliat flank, without the sliglitest confusion, 
 and marched in column along the bottom of tliosc lieights in a 
 parallel direction to tiie enemy Upon this line the allied army 
 remained in position tor the night ; but lord Wellington detached 
 one division of infantry and a brigade of cavalry, to Aldea Len- 
 gua on the Tornies, to observe tlie enemy, who occupied, in great 
 strength, Biibila Fuente and Villaruela. 
 
 On tlie morning of the 21st the allied army was again placed 
 upon its old iK)siti()n of St. Christoval. In the afternoon tlie 
 enemy crossed tiie Tonnes witli the greater part of liis tfoojw 
 between Alba and Huerta, and moved by his left towards the 
 
 * Un this day lord Wcllinitloii with liiti utalT was cinsvly pressed by a body 
 of French cavalry, and but for the spi-i-d of his horse would have been taken. 
 
 112 
 
90 militaev memoirs oi* 
 
 roads leading to Ciudad Rodrigo. In the evening, lord Welling- 
 ton, leaving the third division and a brigade of Portuguese 
 cavalry at Cabrarizos on the right of the Tormes, passed the 
 river by the bridge of Salamanca and the fords, and placed his 
 troops in a position of which tlie right was upon one of two rocky 
 and abrupt lieights in the midst of the plain, called dos Arapiles, 
 and the left rested on the Tormes below the ford of Santa 
 Martha. 
 
 The French occupied- the heights of La Pena, and held the 
 village of Calvarasso de Ariba ; and their position was favorably 
 covered and concealed by thick wood. Skirmishing began with 
 the dawn, and a strong detachment of the French soon seized 
 the more distant and strongest of the two hills called the Arapi- 
 les. The right of the allied position was thus rather open to an- 
 noyance ; it was therefore extended en fotence to the heights 
 behind the village of Arapiles, and that hamlet was occupied 
 with light infantry. At the same time the third division and 
 Portuguese cavalry were ordered to cross the Tormes, and 
 posted at Aldea Tejada, as a further support to the riglit. Both 
 Wellington and Marmont at this moment were masters of their 
 respective lines of communication, and free to accept or decline 
 battle as they chose. The French army of the centre was ad- 
 vancing to join the army of Portugal, and was only three marches 
 distant ; and a strong reinforcement of cavalry and artillery from 
 the army of the north was close at hand. 
 
 Marmont was already at the head of 47,000 good troops ; out- 
 numbering the allies by at least 5000 men. If he was strengtli- 
 ened by the junction of the army of tlie centre, Wellington's 
 retreat into Portugal would have been a compelled necessity; but 
 the French marshal sought to alarm liis opponent by attempting 
 to turn his right, and threatening to interpose a force on the line 
 of his communication with Rodrigo. This movement was made 
 by the marshal upon some heiglits, about lialf a mile in front of 
 the Britisli, by the extension of his troops considerably to the left. 
 This manoeuvre was performed with gi-eat display ; with a noisy 
 cannorjp,de, and a cloudy cover of slcirmishers tlirown out on his 
 front and flank. The extension of this infantry was first ob- 
 served through his glass by a staff-officer ; who, being near lord 
 Wellington, reported what he saw. No sooner did Wellington 
 satisfy himself of the error which Marmont had thus committed, 
 than he uttered an exulting exclamation, and made immediate 
 dispositions for the attack. 
 
 Little suspicious of his intentions, the French were engaged 
 in a partial combat with a detachment of guards which held the 
 village of Arapiles, and resisted all efforts to dislodge them. 
 
 Suddenly the 3d division under Packenham, supported by two 
 brigades of artillery and several squadrons under D'Urban, moved 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 91 
 
 upon the enemy's left at a rapid pace ; was formed at once across 
 tlieir flank, and, steadily advancing, drove all before them, out- 
 flanking tliem on all points, where tiiey tried to make a stand, 
 and pursuing tlieni from one height to another, till tJiey made 
 above 3()0{) prisoners. The divisions of Cole and Leith, supprted 
 by those of Clinton and Hope, advanced to the attack of their 
 front nearly at the same time, while Pack led a brigade of Por- 
 tuguese agiiinst that one of the two Arapilcs which tlicy occupied. 
 Generals Cole and Leith made an immediate impression ujwn the 
 enemy's front, and drove his troops before them from one height 
 to another. TJien bringing forward their right as they advanced, 
 they continually gained strength upon his flank. These divisions 
 were gallantly supixjfted by the cavalry under Sir Stapleton 
 Cotton, who executed a most brilliant charge against a body of the 
 enemy's infantry witli complete success. It was here that, 
 charging at the head of his brigade, major-general Le Marchnnt, 
 a noble officer, was slain. 
 
 The very gallant efibrt of Pack upon the Arapiles failed, and 
 thus the enemy were enabled to tlirow some troops on the flank 
 of the 4th division ; while that body, ■which iiad already carried 
 the crests of the heights in its front, was stoutly met and opposed 
 by a reserve divisioji under general Bonnet General Cole him- 
 self was wounded'; and the 4th division, thus severely pressed, 
 was compelled to give way : but the check was of little moment ; 
 the ground was regained by a brigade of the 5tli division in the 
 second line ; which by a skilful change of front took the enemy 
 in flank witii a heavy lire, and drove them again backwards. This 
 judicious movement was directed by marshal Beresfbrd. The 
 left and centre of the enemy were now beaten, and a brigade 
 from the division of general Clinton carried the Arapiles. But 
 the French right was as yet unbroken: it was strengthened 
 every moment by the troops defeated on the left ; and presented 
 a new and stubborn front on a well-chcsen position. Marmont 
 had been wounded, but the zeal and flrmness of general Clause!, 
 who succeeded to the command in this trying moment, and here 
 rallied the disheartened army, deserves all praise. Lord Wel- 
 lington's dispositions lur tiiu attack of this new position were soon 
 made. He found a formidable artillery j)osted along its front ; 
 large bodies of cavalry on either flank ; and the face of the heights 
 waa a clear glacis swept by tlieir guns. 
 
 The let and liglit divisions, with one brigade of British and one 
 of Portuguese from the 4th, were directed to turn tlie right, 
 while general Clinton witii the (Uh division, supjwrted by the 3d 
 and oth, was ordered to assail it in front. These onlers were 
 promptly and heroically obeyc<l. The (ith division advanced 
 under a storm of bullets from a well-served artillery, anc' imdcr 
 a heavy lire of musketry. They sustained a heavy loss with ad- 
 
92 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 mirable steadiness; and no sooner gained the level of their 
 enemies, than they rushed upon them with the bayonet, and, 
 supported by the movement of the 4th division on the flank, they 
 drove back the French troops in the greatest possible disorder. 
 It was already nearly dark : the allies pursued them in the 
 direction of Huerta, and the fords on the Tormes ; but, under 
 cover of the woods and tlie night, a vast number of fugitives, 
 who would otherwise liave swelled the triumph as prisoners, 
 effected their escape. 
 
 A field covered with slain and wounded soldiers of both armies, 
 two eagles, eleven pieces of artillery, and 7000 prisoners, at- 
 tested at once the severity of the contest, and the greatness of 
 the victory. The allies had 5000 killed and wounded. Gen- 
 erals Beresford, Cotton, Cole, Leith, and Alten were among tlie 
 wounded. 
 
 This success, great and glorious as it was, would have been 
 yet fuller in its fruit, had not the Spaniards abandoned the castle 
 of Alba de Tormes, at which point the enemy was enabled to 
 cross the river without delay or resistance. However, the cav- 
 alry of the allies came up with the French rear-guard near La 
 Serna the next morning; and general Bock, commanding a 
 brigade of heavy German dragoons, with unhesitating spirit 
 charged three squares of infantry, broke them, sabred very many, 
 and gleaned 990 prisoners. Such of these battalions as were 
 not cut up or taken threw away their arms, scrambled over the 
 fields, and joined the main body of the retiring army. But tlie 
 enemy was still strong in cavalry, and was joined by a numerous 
 reinforcement in that arm, as also by horse-artillery, two days 
 after the battle. By making forced marches, and being thus 
 covered, they were enabled to effect tlieir retreat to Valladolid 
 without further loss. To this city Wellington pursued them; 
 tliey retired upon Burgos as he approaclied. He entered Valla- 
 dolid on the 30th, but the next day recrossed the Douro; and, 
 fixing Jiis head-quarters at Cuellar, prepared for a movement 
 against the army of the centre. By great exertions supplies were 
 brought up, and he was enabled to march forwards again on the 
 6tb of August. General Clinton's division, and some of the regi- 
 ments which had suffered the most severely, were left to observe 
 the line of the Douro ; while the main body of the army took the 
 route of Segovia and St. Ildefonso to the capital. Tlie intrusive 
 king had already retired upon that point with the army of the 
 centre. Lor.l Wellington reached St. Ildefonso on the 9th of 
 August. On the two following days his victorious troops, defiling 
 by the passes of Guadarama and Naval Serrada, crossed the 
 mountains, and descended to the plains of New Castile. On tlie 
 11th there was an aSair of cavalry at Majalonda, between the 
 horse of the army of the centre and a small body of heavy Ger- 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 93 
 
 man and Portuguese cavalry. The enemy having approached the 
 post of general D'Urban's brigade of Portuguese cavalry, the 
 general l,ed them to charge the advanced stjuadrons of tlie French ; 
 but the Portuguese were not etjual to the encounter. They turned 
 and gave way, — leaving three guns of the horse-artillery to the 
 enemy, and fell back ujwn the Germans in confusion, by whose 
 gallantry, however, the French were soon ciiecked. Tlie infantry 
 of the allies coming in sigiit, they now burned the gun-carriages 
 whicli they had captured, and fell back upon Madrid. 
 
 Joseph Buonaparte retired from tliat city on the night of the 
 11th, accompanied by marshal Jourdan ; and, leaving 2000 men 
 in the fortified post of the Retiro, marched with the rest of his 
 troops u]»n Aranjuez, and crossed the Tagus for security. Upcai 
 the 16th he continued his retreat in the direction of Valencia. 
 
 Tlie reception of the allied army and its illustrious command- 
 er, by the citizens of Madrid, was of itself a bright reward and 
 a joyous triumph. Tliey came forth to meet their deliverers 
 with tiiose shouts and gestures of admiration and gratitude 
 which mark the enthusiasm and sincerity of that impassioned 
 people. 
 
 Lord Wellington rode instantly to reconnoitre tlie defences of 
 the Retiro. That palace, with the walled and extensive gardens 
 from vvijich it takes its name, stands upon an elevation at the 
 eastern e-xtremity of the city. Upon tliis site, where are also to 
 be found a museum, a porcelain manufactory, a circus for bull- 
 fights, an<l a botanical garden, tlie enemy had formed a sjwcious 
 retrenched post It was in fact an extensive citadel, havuig a 
 triple line of defence, but rcciuiring a largo garrison. Welling- 
 ton directed the exterior encthite to be forced on the following 
 evening. On tlie morning of tlie 14tli the arrangements for at- 
 tacking the garrison in its second line of defence being completed, 
 the commandant surrendered. The trcx^ps were made prisoners 
 of war ; and an arsenal, containing 180 pieces of onhiancc, 20,000 
 stand of arms, and military stores of every description, was de- 
 livered into the power of tlic victors. 
 
 On the morning of the IStii don Carlos de Espafia was ap- 
 pointed governor of Madrid, and the new constitution was pro- 
 claimed amid the loud viva.s of exulling crowds. The entire 
 jxipulation poured into the streets and squares; every tongue 
 was loosened ; on all sides were heard the accents of joy ; 
 laurels and flowers deconited the gay scene. Tapestry and 
 carpets were hung from tiie balconies; holiday dresses were 
 put on; lioliday greetings were given; and tlie holiday smiles 
 of inoii, women, and children reimid the army for all its toils. 
 But Wellington was more especially the object of tiieir praise 
 and liDiior: wherever lie upi>earrd, cries rent the air of " 1/jnff 
 live tlio duko of Cimlad Rodrigo !" — "LcHig live Wellington !" 
 
94 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Green boughs, and flowers, and shawls, were strewn before hia 
 horse's feet. Here it should be recorded, that when, upon the 
 22d of August, the new council waited upon him with all the 
 ceremonies of state to offer to him a congratulatory address as 
 duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, conceived in those glowing terms 
 which are fitting towards a deliverer, Wellington replied with 
 simple dignity, and unaffected modesty ; nor did he notice in his 
 reply their proud and swelling enumeration of his great suc- 
 cesses, further than by one line : " The events of war are in the 
 hands of Providence." In this spirit he looked back upon his 
 past achievements; in this spirit he contemplated the severe 
 trials and arduous duties which coming events might yet impose 
 on liim. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 THE POSITION OF THE ALLIES. LORD WELLINGTON MARCHES NORTH, AND 
 
 BESIEGES BURGOS. THE FRENCH ARMIES OF THE NORTH, SOUTH, AND 
 
 CENTRE COMBINE THEIR MOVEMENTS. LORD WELLINGTON WITHDRAWS 
 
 THE ALLIES FROM MADRID, BREAKS UP FROM BEFORE BURGOS, AND 
 
 CONCENTRATES HIS ARMY UPON THE TORJIES. IS FOLLOWED BY THE 
 
 enemy's united FORCE. RETIRES INTO PORTUGAL. TAKES UP WINTER 
 
 CANTONMENTS. VISITS CADIZ AND LISBON. RETURNS TO THE ARMY. 
 
 The objects of lord Wellington's advance upon Madrid were 
 only in part attained. The supports, upon which he had hope- 
 fully reckoned, failed him. The expedition from Sicily did not 
 reach the eastern coast of Spain till Suchet had beaten and dis- 
 persed the armies of Catalonia and Valencia. 
 
 With a weak division of 6000 men, a great part of then! 
 foreigners, general Maitland could not in prudence then attempt 
 any descent in Catalonia; but, learning that the army of 
 O'Donnel had been defeated at Castella, and driven into Murcia, 
 he sailed to Alicante, landed his troops, and preserved that 
 fortress from the fate to which it was thus exposed. Suchet and 
 Joseph Buonaparte were now free to unite their forces in Valen- 
 cia, and Soult was in motion to combine his operations with 
 theirs. All the Spanish forces in the south were at this time 
 under Ballasteros ; but with a low and petulant pride, that vain 
 and jealous Spaniard refused to acknowledge lord Wellington 
 as commander-in-chief of the allies, or to obey his orders : 
 therefore he made no attempt to impede the movements of 
 Soult, although the importance of such effort was obvious, and 
 he had been commanded to make it. We anticipate : — mai-shal 
 Soult had advanced in the month of June against Sir Rowland 
 Hill, at the head of 25,000 men ; but the firm countenance and 
 judicious dispositions of Sir Rowland forbade him to risk a 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 95 
 
 second battle on the field of Albuera, and upon the 23d of that 
 month he liad again retired on Seville. 
 
 During these operations in Estremadura, an tJfair of cavalry 
 occurred on the 11th of June, in which a brigade of British, 
 under general Slade, having pursued some slight advantage too 
 far, fell in with a heavy body of the enemy's liorse in reserve, 
 and was briskly driven back, with a loss of more than 150 sabred 
 or taken. 
 
 One of the first effects of the victory at Salamanca was to 
 free the kingdom of Andalusia from the grasp of Soult He 
 immediately directed the castle of Niebla to be blown up, and 
 that district to be evacuated. At the same time he put Seville 
 so far in a state of defence as to cover his march when he 
 should retire. 
 
 Upon the fall of Madrid, he raised the blockade of Cadiz. 
 Here the French abandoned their lines with such haste, that 
 they could not destroy the lialf of their stores. Thirty gun-boats 
 and 500 pieces of cannon, many of them uninjured, were taken 
 by the Spanish troops. Soult tlien concentrated tlie army of 
 Andalusia in Granada, leaving eight battalions in Seville, where 
 the Cartuxa was occupied as a citadel, that he might hold that 
 important city till the necessity of finally retiring from the south 
 of Spjiin was forced upon him. 
 
 The Frencli force from the lines before Cadiz marched there- 
 fore upon Seville, when they broke up the blockade, and were 
 astonished as they approaclied that city to find it in jxesession 
 of the allies. Conchuling that Sir Rowland Hill had taken the 
 place, they hastily turned upou Carmona, and took tlic route of 
 Granada. But tho troops in Seville were a strong detachment 
 of Spaniards under general Crnz-Morgeon, and a British regi- 
 ment under colonel Skerret. This small force was .sent from 
 Cadiz — landed in the Guadalquivir — and making a rapid march 
 by San Lucar, suddenly seized the suburb Triana on the morn- 
 ing of the 27th of August. The Frcncli in Seville immedi- 
 ately attempted to destroy the bridge between the suburb and 
 tlie city ; but the inhabitants loudly liailing the allies, soon made 
 a passage for them by laying planks across the part which the 
 enemy had broken down. The advanced guard crossed instantly, 
 and made 2(K) prisoners in the town. Sir Rowland Hill had 
 already been sununonod from S^stremadura ; and, by the close 
 of August, he occupied Toledo, Yepez, and Aranjuez; thus 
 covering the right of the main army, and guarding all the roads 
 which led from the south of Simin to Madrid. The situation of 
 Wellington in the capital was now difficult in tJie extreme: his 
 expectations were disappointed ; his projects, for a time, at least, 
 defeated ; and it became evident tiiat the deliverance of Spain 
 must yet, for another season of patience and perseverance, be 
 
96 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 delayed. The military chest was empty, and a few thousand 
 dollars only could be raised. The citizens of -Madrid were not 
 wanting in the spirit of generous devotion, but they were poor. 
 The invader had left them little to bestow upon their allies 
 beyond the ration of the passing day, and the word of blessing 
 and good will. Tlie unexceptionable securities offered by the 
 British general produced a sum so scanty as was totally inade- 
 quate to the pressing wants of the army. 
 
 At this time the cortez were wholly occupied with their new 
 constitution. In the liberated districts no military system had 
 been adopted. The regency, indeed, had decreed the raising of 
 50,000 men to reinforce the Spanish army ; but these were to 
 be obtained by voluntary enlistment, and according to fixed pro- 
 , portions, in each province throughout all Spain. 
 
 Cadiz, Carthagena, and Alicante were, at this very moment, 
 garrisoned principally by the allies ; and upon the allies, in fact, 
 the whole weight of the war was now imposed. 
 
 Independent of the corps of Soult in Granada, nearly 100,000 
 French troops might yet be brought to bear upon the army of 
 Wellington. From all sides Madrid was menaced. General 
 Clausel, with the army lately under Marmont, had again ad- 
 vanced to the Douro, had driven back the Spanish army of 
 Gallicia* — the n)ost efficient yet remaining together, — and had 
 liberated the French garrisons of Zamora and Toro. 
 
 Thus, becoming alarmed for his communications with Portugal, 
 and desirous to open others with the northern coast of Spain, by 
 which he might be more easily supplied from England with 
 such reinforcements and succors as could be spared to him, 
 lord Wellington decided to march in person against Clause!. 
 
 He quitted Madrid on the 1st of September, leaving behind 
 him the two divisions most in need of repose. Sir Rowland 
 Hill was directed to take post on the Jarama, and cover Madrid 
 on that side. Should Soult march direct upon the capital, Bal- 
 lasteros was requested to join Hill ; . should he move towards 
 Valencia, the Spanish general was desired to take post at Al- 
 cazar, and, acting upon his communications, to prevent his 
 junction with the army of the centre ; to these arrangements 
 Ballasteros paid no attention. 
 
 Lord Wellington passed -the Douro on the 6th of September, 
 at the head of four divisions of the allied anny, drove the French 
 from Valladolid, and pursued them by Duenas beyond Valencia. 
 Here he was joined by the Spanish army of Gallicia, — a body 
 of 12,000 men, in very indifferent order. 
 
 As the allies advanced, the French retired. Upon the 17th, 
 Clausel, for the first time, showed his force in position near 
 Burgos. He had about 22,000 men in the field, but retired the 
 same day, and was joined by 9000 infantry, from the army of 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 97 
 
 the north, under Souham. That general assumed the command 
 of the whole, and retired to a position near Briviesca. The 
 allies passed Burgos on the 19th ; 12,000 men invested the 
 castle, in wliich tlie enemy had left a garrison of from 2000 to 
 3000 men ; the remainder advanced to cover the operations of 
 the siege ; and head-cjuarters were fixed at Villatoro. 
 
 The besieging force was composed of the 1st and 6th divisions 
 of infaiitr}', under generals Campbell and Clinton, and of the 
 Portuguese brigades of Pack and Bradford. 
 
 The castle of Burgos stands upon an oblong, conical, rocky 
 hill; and tlie defences, as improved most ingeniously by the 
 French, consisted of three lines. The outer line was an old 
 escarp wall, of difficult access, running round the lower part of 
 the hill. This wall they had modernized with a shot-proof 
 parapet ; and had contrived flanks at the salient and re-entering 
 points. The second line was a strong field-retrenchment, armed 
 with cannon. The tliird was similar to the second ; and, upon 
 the very summit, an ancient keep had been converted into a 
 heavy cascniated battery, and crowned these formidable defences. 
 
 The castle of Burgos was a post very important to tlie enemy ; 
 and Wellington decided, tlierefore, to attempt its reduction with 
 such means, feeble as they were, which he could command. 
 
 At 3(M) yards' distance from the upper works of the castle, 
 and upon a level witli them, but separated by a deep ravine, is a 
 hill, called St. Michael. Here the enemy had a large horn- 
 work. Upon this hill it was resolved to make a lodgment : 
 from hence to batter the lines; and to attempt each by assault 
 successively, when the line preceding was safely secured. This 
 plan, from the very small artillery means at the disposal of the 
 allies, gave the best promise of success; — for the park only con- 
 sistetl of three 18-pounder guns, and five 24-pounder iron 
 howitzers. 
 
 On the evening of the 19th of September, the homwork was 
 assaulted and carried. The storming parties lost nearly 400 
 killed and wounded. Upon this occasion, tlie conduct and ex- 
 ertions of major the honorable W. Cocks were conspicuously 
 gallant. 
 
 Batteries were now erected; — and, on the night of the 22d, 
 an cflbrt was made to carry the outer or escarp wall by escalade. 
 Midnight was the hour chosen for the enterprise. The ladders 
 were reared, and the storming party forced up the wall most 
 gallantly ; but as soon as tlic leading men gained a momentary 
 tooting on the parapet, tliey were l)ayoneted down. The attempts 
 were bravely and often repeated with no better success. The 
 garrison mounted on the parapet, and not only firctl on the as- 
 sailants witli smnll-arms, but threw down heavy shot, and also 
 combustibles, which caused the nicn'.s pouches to explode ; they 
 
 Vol. II. 1 
 
98 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 were at last drawn off, leaving half their numbers killed and 
 wounded ; among the former was major Laurie of the 79th. 
 
 An attempt was afterwards made to breach the wall. Of 
 three guns in battery, two were soon disabled by the more 
 weighty fire of the castle. 
 
 Recourse was now had to the sap and the mine. The former, 
 when pushed near the place, was so exposed, owing to the lofty 
 site of the enemy's defences, and was so destructive to the be- 
 siegers, that it was discontinued. However, a gallery was suc- 
 cessfully carried under the outer wall ; and, on the night of the 
 29th of September, a breach was formed by the explosion of a 
 mine. Arrangements had been made for storming as soon as 
 the mine sliould be sprung. A serjeant and four men in ad- 
 vance of the storming party actually mounted the breach ; but 
 the division which should have followed them missed its way, 
 and as the breacli was but narrow, returned from the wall under 
 the impression that none had been made. The French, who had 
 been at first surprised, seeing the men on the breach without 
 support, charged and drove them down ; and these brave soldiers, 
 three of them being wounded, regained their division. Before 
 daylight the garrison had made this breach impracticable. 
 Another breach was formed on the afternoon of the 4th of 
 October. As soon as ever the mine exploded, the 24th regi- 
 ment rushed up and effected a lodgment. Captain Hedderwick 
 commanded this battalion, and lieutenants Holmes and Frazer 
 led the assault with the greatest regularity and spirit : before 
 the dust of the explosion had subsided, they were in contact 
 with the besieged. About 200 men were killed and wounded 
 in this affair ; among the latter, lieutenant-colonel Jones of the 
 engineers. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 5th, 300 French voltigeurs sallied 
 furiously upon this post ; gained possession, and held it long 
 enough to upset the gabions and destroy the lodgment. In this 
 sortie the allies lost more than 150 killed and wounded. As 
 soon as it was dark, this damage was repaired; and the be- 
 siegers began the formation of a parallel along the glacis of the 
 second line. This was, at last, pushed within ten yards of the 
 enemy's line; but the work was attended with great danger, 
 and very many of the laborers were slain. The garrison kept 
 up a constant fire of musketry, and rolled large sliells down the 
 steep glacis. At this period of the attack only one piece of siege 
 artillery remained serviceable. 
 
 Upon the night of the 8th, the garrison made another fierce 
 sally, and gained possession of the trenches. They maintained 
 themselves long enough to destroy all the latest work, and to 
 carry off the tools. In this sortie above 200 of the besiegers 
 were killed and wounded. Among the former was tlie lionorable 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 99 
 
 major W". Cocks, commanding the 79th. This officer, already 
 well known to tlie army as one of the most zealous and intelli- 
 gent captains that ever led a squadron of British cavalry, here 
 closed his brief but distinguished career. 
 
 An opening was at last made in the second line by the battery 
 of howitzers; and upon the 18tli of October the assault was 
 again given by detachments of the guards and the German le- 
 gion. The assailants carried the breach in the most gallant 
 style. Some of the men even pushed forwards into the upper 
 line. The successful assailants, however, were soon attacked 
 in turn : very superior numbers were brougiit to bear upon them, 
 and they were driven back through the breach witli a severe 
 loss. Major Wurmb, the commander, fell, and nearly all the 
 officers were killed or wounded. The stonning i)arty of the 
 guards had been directed against the breach first formed on the 
 29th of September. They advanced with ladders through this 
 to a part of the second line, and gained the summit of tlie para- 
 pet with great gallantry and good order ; but, when formed in 
 their position, they were soon assaulted by ovcrjxjwering num- 
 bers, and forced back. This was the last serious ctlbrt of a siege 
 of thirty days. The casualties of the besiegers during tliis ar- 
 duous service exceedetl 2000; and tlie loss- of the besieged 
 must of necessity have been considerable. Tlie attack was per- 
 severed in by the allies with a boldness, intrepidity, and skill, 
 highly honorable to the officers and troops employed. The siege 
 failed solely for want of the necessary means of attack. Even 
 with such means as were applied, the resolute cflbrts of the 
 British might have forced success against an enemy less steady, 
 courageou-s and able, than general Du Breton and his garrison. 
 With proper engineer and artillery means, the ca.stle of Burgos 
 must have fallen, and that in a siege^ot occupying one thinl of 
 the time, nor attended with one third of the loss of this tedious 
 but unsuccessful attack. 
 
 Nevertlieless the capture of Burgos was an object of bo great 
 imjwrtance, that the attempt made was necessary; and tha4 
 whicii lord Wellington resolved to undertake at all, if firmness, 
 patience, and perseverance, could have commanded fortune, he 
 would have succeeded in accomplishing. 
 
 Lord Wellington's personal superintendence of all the opera- 
 tions of tliis anluous siege was constant and vigilant The ar- 
 rangements for every aasault were written with his own hand 
 as he sat upon the ground ok^crving tlie point of attack; and he 
 was so much an<l soofVon ex|K)sod t<j fire, that his escajKJ is re- 
 markable. ( )n the nisrht of the 29th of September, he was in 
 such imniinent p<Tsoiuil danger on his return from a close ob- 
 servation of the attack, tliut a field which he had to cross was 
 literally plowed up by grape and musketry as he pa-ssed down. 
 
100 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 In consequence of the menacing movements of the French 
 general, on the 18th of October most of the besieging corps 
 joined the covering army ; and upon the 20th lord Wellington 
 and his staff moved to the front. On the evening of this day, 
 the French drove in the outposts of the allies; but the ground 
 was immediately recovered by a movement of two divisions, 
 under Sir Edward Paget, which lord Wellington directed in 
 person. 
 
 On the night of the 21st of October the siege was raised, a 
 measure which the combined movements of the armies of the 
 south and centre, under Soult and tlie intrusive king, now com- 
 pelled lord Wellington to adopt. Immediately in his front was 
 an army considerably reinforced of late, and having a superiority 
 in horse so great, that the allied cavalry bore no proportion to it 
 in numbers. The commencement of this retreat was a most 
 dangerous and difficult operation ; for not only was it to be per- 
 formed in the presence of a superior army, but the castle of 
 Burgos commanded the high road and the bridges on the Arlan- 
 zon, and the lateral roads were deep in mud. Nevertheless lord 
 Wellington, in one night, threw his whole army, his stores, and 
 his baggage, on the other side of Burgos ; and such were the 
 good order and admirable boldness of his movements, that the 
 first division filed over two bridges within close niusket-sliot of 
 the fort, in a moonlight night, without losing a man. Some 
 other of the troops suiicred a little from the first discharges of 
 artillery, which the enemy, when alarmed, directed on the 
 bridge ; but so uncertain is the fire of artillery by night, that 
 the range and directions of the guns were soon lost, and the 
 casualties were few. So complete was the success of this bold 
 mancGuvre, that Wellington thus gained a march upon the ene- 
 my, who did not overtake him in strength, till noon on the 28d, 
 when the French cavalry pressed his rear-guard closely. The 
 British liorse twice charged and checked them a little ; but as 
 they brought up fresh squadrons every moment, the allied cav- 
 alry was obliged to give way, and fell back in some haste and 
 confusion on the German light infantry under colonel Halkett, 
 That officer threw his men into scjuares and gallantly repulsed 
 them. The same day the army crossed the Pisuerga ; and on 
 the evening of the 24th the whole was in position behind the 
 Carrion, the left at Villa Muriel, the right at Duenas. Here 
 lord Wellington was reinforced by a brigade of guards under 
 lord Dalhousie, which had been disembarked at Corunna. The 
 army halted on the 2.3th. The bridges over the Carrion at Va- 
 lencia, Villa Muriel, and Duenas, and that on the Pisuerg-a at 
 Tariejo, were ordered to be mined. Those at Villa Muriel and 
 Duenas were successfully destroyed ; but those at Palencia were 
 seized by the enemy before any injury was done ; and the mine 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 101 
 
 at Tariejo not being fully prepared was prematurely fired and 
 failed, the bridge remaining passable. The covermg parties at 
 Palencia and Tariejo were overpowered, and tliat at the latter 
 post was taiton by tlie enemy's cavalry, who crossed tiie bridge 
 in force and cut tliem off. The enemy then pushed a corps 
 across the Pisuerga. Ijord Wellington instantly sent a column 
 and drove them back. Ujxjn the lefl of the allies they crossed 
 the Carrion by a ford at Villa Muriel, and took possession of a 
 village on that flank. The Spaniards were ordered to dislodge 
 them ; but the French repulsed the Spanish troops. Tliey were, 
 however, immediately rallied, and led on again by general Alava, 
 an officer wliose heroic example was never wanting in any diffi- 
 culty ; but ho was wounded ; and until they were led by the 
 Brunswick Oel's corps, they made no impression on the enemy, 
 and could not force them from the village : when attacked by 
 the Germans, the French immediately evacuated the post ; and, 
 as the fit\h division of the allies advanced, such columns of the 
 enemy as had crossed the river, withdrew and returned to tlie 
 other bank. On the 26th the army continued its retreat, and 
 crossed the Pisuerga at Cabezon. Here, upon the 27th, the 
 French made an attempt to gain possession of tlie bridge, but it 
 was defeated. On the morning of tlie 28th they tried to pass 
 the river at Simancas, but the bridge was destroyed. On the 
 evening of the same day they entered Tordesillas, but found 
 that bridge also already destroyed. 
 
 From the heights above Valladolid they cannonaded the high 
 road on the opposite bank, on which the baggage of the allies 
 was in march, but with little effect. Lord Wellington retired 
 from Cabezon on the 29th, destroying the bridges there and at 
 Valladolid. He this day passed the whole' army across the Douro 
 at TuJcla and at the Puente del Douro. The bridges were im- 
 mediately mined and blown up: in like manner that at Quinla- 
 nilla, and also those of Toro and Zamora, were destroyed. Tlie 
 French observing that there was only a small guard at the south 
 end of the destroyed bridge at Tordesillas, caused a chosen party 
 of volunteers to swim over in the night and attack it. Thus 
 they disliKlgod the (iermans, and immediately proceeded to re- 
 pair the bridge. Theref()re lord Wellington ttxak up ground in 
 front, placed his army in battle jvisition, and there remained till 
 November the Oth. The bridge at Toro, as well as that at Tor- 
 desillas, being now repaired, he fell back to Torrecilla de la Or- 
 den on the 7th ; and upon the Htli took up his old position of St. 
 Chri.stoval in front of Salamanca. The same day Sir Rowland 
 Hill, who had been in communication witli lord Wellington on 
 the ;M, and had effected his junction on the Oth, crossed the 
 Tormes, leaving in the town oi' Alba de Tonnes a corps of Brit- 
 ish and a division of Portuguese. General Hill liad broken up 
 1.2 
 
102 Military memoirs op 
 
 from the Jarama on the 30th of August, and had retired leisurely 
 before Soult and Joseph Buonaparte, bringing away with him 
 the garrison of Madrid. 
 
 The French armies of the north, south, and centre were united 
 upon the right bank of the Tormes on the lOth of November. 
 Tlieir combined forces amounted to near 90,000 combatants, 
 counting 12,000 good cavahy, and 200 pieces of artillery. The 
 allied army did not exceed 48,000 infantry, and 5000 horse. On 
 the 10th the enemy attacked the town and castle of Alba with 
 infantry and cannon ; but they made no serious impression, and 
 confined the attack chiefly to a cannonade. On the 14th they 
 crossed the Tormes at the fords of Lucinas, considerably above 
 Alba, and took post on the wooded heights of Mozarbes. The 
 same evening there was a little skirmishing and cannonading ; 
 the two armies were in presence, and large bodies of cavalry 
 were shown by the enemy on the plain in front of Mozarbes, 
 On the morning of the 15th, lord Wellington placed his army 
 in battle order near the Arapiles, a field which he had already 
 made famous in liistory by his glorious victory at Salamanca. 
 Soult, who commanded in chief, would not avail himself of the 
 opportunity thus afforded him of bringing the allies to action ; 
 but, manceuvred on tlieir right, and, by threatening their com- 
 munications with Ciudad Uodrigo, compelled lord Wellington, 
 who dared not, under such manifest disadvantages, assume the 
 oflTensive, to retire. 
 
 The allied army was immediately put in motion ; and, march- 
 ing to its right, gained the roads leading to Portugal in compact 
 and perfect order. These movements were seaBonabiy masked 
 by rain, which fell in torrents, and they were therefore com- 
 pleted without any los^. The French followed the line of re- 
 treat with a strong advanced guard, but they never pushed the 
 allies with earnestness or vigor. They overtook and cannonaded 
 the right column on the 17 th, as it p;i.ssed the Hiierba ; and the 
 cavalry, on this and the preceding day, had some few skirmishes 
 with their horse. 
 
 On the 17th, Sir Edward Paget, who commanded three di- 
 visions, was taken prisoner on the road, in an interval between 
 two of them. A i'ew Polish horse had been pushed forwards 
 through the wood upon the scout ; and, coming down upon the 
 road suddenly, where he rode attended only by his orderly and 
 one officer, they fell upon the unsupported group, and carried 
 him off. 
 
 The sufferings of the army on tliis retreat were severe, and 
 the loss considerable. It rained with little intermission : the 
 roads were deep and miry, and some of the rivers to be forded 
 were breast-high. Tlie ground in the bivouacs was soaked ; and 
 such fires as the men contrived to malce, were smoky and cheer- 
 
TJIE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 103 
 
 less. Many of the divisions had neither bread, biscuit, nor 
 flour ; and the men liad only a ration of lean, over-driven beef, 
 heated upon smoking ashes, and devoured half raw. 
 
 On the 18th, hoad-tiuarlers reached Ciudad Rodrigo; and on 
 the iOth, the main baly of the army crosf^ed the frontier of 
 Portugal, or halted in the villages on the Agueda, while the 
 corps of Sir Rowland Hill was distributed in tlie mountain ham- 
 lets south of the Sierra de Francia. 
 
 As soon as it was ascertained that the French armies had re- 
 tired from the Tormes, the corps of Hill marched by the Sierra 
 de Gata to the province of Coria, placing a [wst in the pass of 
 Bcjar, and at Bafios; while the divisions of tlie main army were 
 thrown back into comfortable and convenient cantonments in 
 Beira, the left resting at Lamego upon the Uouro. 
 
 During this retreat from the neighborhood of Burgos on the 
 one side, and from Madrid on the other, many irregularities were 
 committed by the allied troops ; altliough certainly those in the 
 army retiring from Madrid bcrc no proportion to the excesses 
 of the troops coming from Burgos, till they reached the Tormes: 
 nor is tliis surprising. The troops under Hill liad not sustained 
 the same fatigues, or endured the same disappointments, as tlie 
 soldiers returning from the north. 
 
 From the Tormes, however, to the Agueda, there was a great 
 (leal of misconduct in all divisions of the army, owing to the 
 want of provisions, and the badness of the weather. 'J 'he vio- 
 lence of those who found food, led to marauding, and tlie indif- 
 ference and exhaustion of those who met with notiiing which 
 tempted them to exertion, to lagging behind. Large droves of 
 swine are fe<l in the open and e.vtensive woods which the army 
 traversed : many of the men, quitting their lines after they were 
 halted for tJie night, himtcd and shot these animals for food. 
 The more indolent and weak sunk passively from inanition on 
 the Hue of march, and, as there were no means of transport to 
 preserve them, fell into the hands of their ])ursuors. 
 
 Uixjn the arrival of the army in quarters, lord Wellington ad- 
 dressed a letter to the commanders of brigades and regiments, 
 censuring them, their othcers, and their men, with extreme se- 
 verity. 'J'hcso bitter reproaches were hattily made, and they 
 were received by the army in general with vexation, and by 
 some of the oldest and best disciplined rcgimcnt.s with a mo- 
 mentary feelinij of resentment ; Ibr there were many corps that 
 maintained their discipline perfectly, and whose losses were tri- 
 fling, and clearly accounted for. But when they considered all 
 the diflicultio.'s, disappointments, and vexations of that leader 
 who had .so ably and so often guided them to victory, they forgot 
 their mortification, and promised themselves the noble revenge 
 
104 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of achieving, under his auspicious guidance, yet brighter tri- 
 umphs in the next campaign, than those already won. 
 
 One of the objects for which lord Wellington had advanced 
 to Madrid had been attained most fully. The south of Spain 
 was evacuated. The reasonable expectations of the British 
 commander, as to other objects, were disappointed. How they 
 were disappointed has been told ; on no side did he find co-opera- 
 tion. The British ministry had been tardy with their support ; 
 nor, when it came, was it large or efficient. The military 
 means of Spain were feeble; and where they presented the 
 promise of good and important service, the inability or the 
 obstinate jealousy of the individuals in command of them frus- 
 trated the designs, and forbade the confidence, of a general who 
 had to contend with French armies, mustering, whenever they 
 chose to combine, nearly double the strength of the British and 
 Portuguese forces. Yet, in the face of all these disadvantages, 
 lord Wellington, in one year, wrested from them two fortresses, 
 won a pitched battle, penetrated to the capital, drove away the 
 intrusive king for a season, liberated Andalusia from his power, 
 and shook the throne on which he sate. 
 
 For these services he had been created Marquis by the prince 
 regent, who estimated his achievements with a princely mind, 
 and rewarded them with a princely hand. To enable the mar- 
 quis of Wellington to support this dignity, parliament unani- 
 mously voted a grant of 100,000/. to purchase land. But the 
 conqueror of July was, in November, compelled, by circum- 
 stances beyond his control, once more to seek the friendly and 
 defensive ix)sitions of Portugal. 
 
 The failure before Burgos was no surprise to lord Welling- 
 ton ; he had ventured a siege, and that justifiably, with small 
 means : and he attributed in part to that circumstance, and in 
 part to the ability and gallantry of the governor and his garrison, 
 the defeat of his attempt. When the extensive combinations of 
 the French marshals caused him to break up from before Burgos 
 and retire, the skill of his movements, the firmness of his coun- 
 tenance, his short marches, his frequent halts, evinced the 
 course he was pursuing to be that which he knew was neces- 
 sary, and to which he calmly and deliberately yielded from a 
 conviction of its wisdom. 
 
 That party, however, in England, to which the successes of 
 Wellington and the glory of the British arms gave no pleasure, 
 hailed the retreat from Burgos as a help to their faction. The 
 people of England, easily elated by good news, and soon de- 
 pressed by bad — too sanguine and extravagant in their hopes, 
 and too deepty dejected by whatever may disappoint them — 
 listened eagerly to the noisy clamors, crude opinions, and base 
 sentiments of the violent opponents of the war, and were, for a 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 105 
 
 time, abused into the belief tliat Wellington was rash and in- 
 capable; that the Sjjaniards were indifferent to their fate ; that 
 the name of Englishman was hateful to their ears ; and that the 
 final issue of tlie contest would assuredly be disastrous. Never- 
 tlielcss, in parliament, those voices prevailed which, in the tnie 
 English spirit, resolved to abide that issue ; and when tlie people 
 recovered from the delut-ion into which the language of the op- 
 position betrayed them, they were not only satisfied but eager 
 that England should put furlli all her strength. Therefore rein- 
 forcements of every description, but especially of cavalry, of 
 which there had been ever a deficiency, were now s^nt to the 
 Peninsula. Lord Wellington most busily employed his winter 
 season. lie gave his best attention to the organization and 
 equipment of his army. lie directed tliat the large iron camp 
 kettles should be no longer used ; and that the mules which 
 had hitherto carried them, sliould henceforth be appropriated to 
 the conveyance of three tents a company. Thus the men off 
 duty would always be provided with some cover in the field, 
 winch would save many ca.sualties from sickness. Moreover, 
 expedition in preparing their food, as well as real comfort, was 
 gained, by issuing to the men small kettles, and dividing the 
 companies into small messes. These changes were very great 
 improvements, promoting comfort and health in a manner not 
 before thought uiwn, and necessarily tending to keep the army 
 efilcient in the field. This winter, also, a pontcxjn train was 
 prej^ired to accompany the line of march in the next campaign. 
 While tiiese arrangements were in progress, the niartiuis of 
 Wellington went to Cadiz to communicate in perscn with tlie 
 Spanish government. Ue was received with all that admiration 
 and confidence which his character and exploits liad already 
 obtained for him. lie was, in the first instance, waited ujxin by 
 a deputation from the cortez: when, afterwards, be was solemnly 
 introduced into the hall of tlfe cortez in the Spanish uniform, 
 tlie acclamations were loud and honest; and as he replied to the 
 address made him in tiic Spanish language, their joy and satis- 
 faction was again warmly manifested. His stay at Cadiz was 
 short; but liis visit liud a most admirable efiect in promoting 
 the good understanding and cordial unm\ between himself and 
 the Spaiiisii executive, so essential to the triumph of the great 
 and common cause. They conferred on him the rank and 
 authority of generalissimo of the Spanish f()rces, and they ar- 
 ranged that he sh<jnld have the active cooperation of 50,l)(X) 
 Spanish trfxjps in the next cam|)aign. 
 
 Lord Wellington returned to the army by the way of Lisbon. 
 His rece])tion here was most honorable and distinguished. As 
 he rode tiiniugh the streets, expressions of enthusiasm, gratitude, 
 and praise burst out from the applauding vcjices of the iunuiner- 
 
106 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 able spectatOTs who crowded upon his path. The city was 
 illuminated for three nights. He was received by the lords and 
 regent of the kingdom, in the palace of government, with the 
 highest honors. He was feasted in the palace during his stay ; 
 and, when he appeared in the large theatre of San Carlos, 
 which was crowded to the roof, the thunders of applause, and 
 tlie rapturous acclamations of a delivered and exalted nation, 
 knew no bounds. He had driven the invader from their gates : 
 he had led the husbands and brothers and sons of Portugal to 
 battle and to victory. It was about this period that the prince 
 regent of Portugal conferred on him the rank of duke, with the 
 title of Vittoria, — a remarkable coincidence ; a prophetic an- 
 nouncement of that signal triumph which was yet to come. 
 
 It may here be noticed, that from the beginning of the war 
 in the Peninsula, though the marquis of Wellington received 
 from tlie governments of Portugal and Spain all honorary dis- 
 tinctions which they bestowed ; with a becoming pride, yet with 
 the disinterestedness of a noble nature, he declmed the emolu- 
 ments attached to those dignities ; leaving thus untouched, in- 
 comes that would have arisen from various sources to the sum 
 of 17,000 dollars a year. 
 
 Such was the conduct of a British general, whose pay as com- 
 mander of the forces did not defray his expenses, who had a 
 family to be maintained in England ; and, until the parliament 
 had voted him the income, and the grant to enable him to sup- 
 port the dignities of earl and marquis, was certainly not the 
 richer for having served. At all times, lord Wellington spent 
 large sums in charity ; and during the invasion of Portugal, in 
 1810, especially in the winter of that year, he distributed a great 
 deal of money from his private purse to relieve the distress and 
 necessity around him. 
 
 It gave great pleasure to the army to see such a man ap- 
 pointed (as he was in January, 1813) colonel of the royal horse 
 guards — the Blues — an honor well bestowed, and which added 
 largely to his income. 
 
 This appointment gratified lord Wellington more than any 
 dignity yet bestowed on him ; and he did not expect it. He 
 haxl no time to attend to his own affairs, and he made it a rule 
 to ask for nothing ; considering, with a due self-reverence, that 
 while he was serving the country to the best of his ability, 
 whatever it was expedient or proper he should receive, would 
 be given freely. Nevertheless, so far was he from making a 
 high and vain estimate of his services and claims, that, when he 
 announced his appointment at his own table, he exclaimed with 
 the liveliest joy — "I am the luckiest fellow in the world; I 
 must have been born under some extraordinary planet," 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 107 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 ASPECT OF AFFAIRS IN THE SPRING OF 1813. LORD WELUNGTON OPENS 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN IN MAY ADVANCES TURNS THE LINE OF THE DOURO 
 
 TURNS THE LINE OF THE EBRD BRINGS THE ENEMY TO BATTLE AT 
 
 VITTORIA DEFEATS TIIEM DRIVES THEM OUT OF SPAIN ENCAMPS 
 
 UPON THE PYRENEES. 
 
 The implacable hostility of Napoleon to England was the 
 cause of his rupture with the emperor Alexander in 1812. It 
 was to exclude the commerce of England from the whole con- 
 tinent of fjurope, that this man, blinded by a spirit of tyranny 
 and ambition, led 4()0,0()0 soldiers into the very heart of Russia. 
 For this object he carried war and desolation 300 leagues be- 
 yond the Vistula, and planted his eagles on the towers of Mos- 
 cow. But the stern and patriotic devotion of the Russ suffered 
 him only to possess the ruins of that ancient capital. As he en- 
 tered, flames, kindled by Russian hands, burst out on all sides; 
 and he found himself the baffled master of a silent and aban- 
 doned city, amid tlie ruins of which he for a time sullenly re- 
 posed. He had won, indeed, a victory ; but had grasped a 
 shadow. He was without magazines; without reserves; unable 
 to advance further ; unwilling to retrace his steps. He lingered 
 so long before he retired, tJiat winter broke in all its gloomy 
 terrors upon his march, and his army was overtaken by a tre- 
 mendous vengeance. The vast majority of his gallant troops 
 perished miserably in the snow. Numbers were slain and many 
 taken by their hardy pursuers. Napoleon himself, with a single 
 attendant, fled in a sledge to Poland. A weak, and wretched 
 band of fugitives, the small wreck of one of the largest and 
 finest armies ever arrayed for conquest, was the only body that 
 reached the line of the Elbe. Here, supjxirted by reserves 
 drawn >rjfl6m every quarter liastily, they at last rallied, and the 
 pursuit was stayed. Russia seized the opportunity to tlirow off 
 the yoke of Blionaparto ; — and all the strength he could yet 
 collect was wanted for his struggle in Germany. Under these 
 circumstances, Soult with a considerable body of troops had 
 been summoned from Spain. Nevertheless 150,000 Frenchmen 
 were still dispersed over her provinces; of which a force of no 
 less than 70,(KK) men were disposable to take the field in the 
 spring of 1813, and to mainUiin itself against the efforts of the 
 allies" But the united strength of the Peninsula was now 
 placed in the iiands of lord VVellington. And the deliverance 
 of S])ain was near. .While the allied army remained in canton- 
 ments, no hostile movement of imjwrtancc occurred. The 
 British post at Bejar, in the mountiiins of tliat name, was sud- 
 denly assailed in February, by a French column under general 
 
108 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Foy ; but the garrison got notice of his approach, and he was 
 immediately and vigorously repulsed. After this the tranquillity 
 of the cantonments was never for one moment disturbed, till, in 
 the month of May, the campaign of 1813 was opened by lord 
 Wellington. The Anglo-Portuguese army now consisted of 
 65,000 infantry, and 6500 cavalry. A division of Spaniards 
 under Murillo had lain in Estremadura. Tlie army of Gallicia, 
 under Giron, occupied the frontier of tliat province. A force' 
 was organized in Andalusia under O'Donnel, as an army of re- 
 serve. The duke del Parque commanded a corps of Spaniards 
 in La Mancha ; and general Elio observed the frontiers of Mur- 
 cia and Valencia with another. The French armies of the 
 centre and the south occupied Madrid and Toledo, and were dis- 
 tributed over Castile and the central provinces, for the conve- 
 nience of subsisting them. The army of Portugal had its head- 
 quarters at Valladolid ; and the line of the Douro was strength- 
 ened and guarded with the utmost care. Two divisions of the 
 army of the north were in the provinces of Aragon and Biscay ; 
 and Suchet held Catalonia and Valencia with an army of more 
 than 35,000 men. 
 
 The troops which had accompanied Soult to Germany only 
 amounted to 20,000 ; and the armies of Portugal, the centre, 
 and the south, could still bring 70,000 men into the field. 
 These corps were collected to opix)se the allies; and they were 
 placed under the immediate command of Joseph, with marshal 
 Jourdan for his major-general. Lord Wellington opened the 
 campaign with a grand movement. Having secretly prepared 
 at different points, between Lamego and the frontier, the means 
 of transport, he threw five divisions of infantry and two brigades 
 of cavalry across the Douro ; and directed Sir Thomas Graham 
 to conduct them through the province of Tras os Montes upon 
 Zamora. Lord Wellington himself led two divisions of infantry, 
 a corps of Spaniards, and a body of cavalry, upon Salamanca ; 
 while Sir Rowland Hill brought his corps by the mountains 
 from upper Estremadura, descended upon the Tormes above 
 Alba, and advanced also to the same point. The centre and 
 right of the army were here united on the 25th of May. The 
 French detachment in Salamanca, consisting of 400 cavalry 
 and 3000 infantry, retired before the allies; and, being can- 
 nonaded, and close pressed by the cavalry and horse-artillery, 
 lost about 200 men in killed and wounded, and as many taken. 
 The troops advanced about sixteen miles ; and here the right 
 wing of the army was halted between the Douro and the 
 Tormes ; while the left, under Graham, was gaining tlie enemy's 
 right by Miranda and Carvajales. Tras os Montes is a wild 
 mountainous country, most diflScult for an army to traverse. 
 The roads are bad and narrow ; the ravines of great deptli ; and 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 109 
 
 the ascents from some of the rivers so steep, that, without the 
 aid of drag-ropts, and strong fatigue parties, it is impossible to 
 draw up the artillery. 
 
 By goo<l arrangements, great exertions, and, above all, by 
 hearty good-will, tJiese difficulties were overcome. Sir Thomas 
 Graham reached the frontier on the appointed day, and estab- 
 lished liis communication with tlie army of Gallicia. The 
 French retired from the banks of the Esla as soon as Graham 
 appeared in their front. He passed the Esla by a pontoon bridge 
 on the 31st of May, and advanced towards Zamora. Tliiis was 
 the formidable line of the Douro turned, and the defensive 
 works of the enemy rendered at once useless. They immedi- 
 ately destroyed the bridges at Zamora and Toro, abandoned 
 those posts in haste, and retired upon Morales. Near this 
 place, the hussar brigade under colonel Grant overtook their 
 rear-guard of cavalry, and immediately charged and overthrew 
 it The enemy had several slain ; and being pursued, lost near 
 200 prisoners. The same evening a French piquet at Castro- 
 nufio was surprised and taken by the Spaniards of don Julian, 
 the guerilla. The bridge of Toro being restored, the corps of 
 Hill crossed the river, and the whole of the allied army was 
 united on the right bank of tlie Douro on the 3d of June, 
 
 These brilliant and rapid movements of lord Wellington as- 
 tonished and alarmed the enemy. The passage of the Douro 
 within the frontier of Portugal, and the flank march through 
 Tras OS Montcs, were operations not deemed practicable, and 
 never even suspected. The army at Madrid abandoned tliat 
 capital instantly, and, marching swiftly, passed the river at Pu- 
 ente de Douro, and joined the army of Portugal. 
 
 On the 4th of June, lord Wellington, by marching to Ampui- 
 da, on the north of Valladolid, compelled the French to evacuate 
 that city, and retire behind the Carrion. On the 7lh, the allies 
 crossed ^|pt river at Valencia, and the French withdrew behind 
 the Iloririaza. Ix)rd Wellington still continued to manopuvre to 
 his left ; crossed the Pisuerga in force, and, menacing the 
 enemy's line of comnmnication, forced tliem to retire on Burgos, 
 where they assembled all tlicir forces, leaving a strong corps 
 upon the heights above the village of Ilormaza under count 
 Rcile. Upon tlie 12tii of June, lord Wellington made a strong 
 reconnoissance with the corps of Sir Rowland Hill and all the 
 cavalry ; and dislodging this body, drove it back upon the main 
 baiy. At an early Iiour on tiie tbllowing morning, the castle 
 of Burgos was destroyed by explo<ling tlie defences; and the 
 French army, abandoning Burgos, was already in full march for 
 Miranda, placing a garrison in the lofty and strong castle of 
 Pancorbo, which commands and bars the great road to Navarre. 
 
 Thus, by a succession of the most able movements, tlie enemy 
 
 Vol. II. K 
 
110 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 were driven behind the Ebro, without having been permitted to 
 retain, for a day, one of the many fine and defensible positions 
 which are to be found upon that long route ; for so long a period 
 their main and well secured communication with the north, and 
 with Bayonne. While the French staff, on their part, were 
 wondering that lord Wellington did not appear in pursuit on the 
 great route, he was secretly and rapidly executing one of those 
 brilliant manoeuvres, by which this memorable march from the 
 frontiers of Portugal to those of France was distinguished. .. 
 
 Aware of the difficulty of the Pancorbo pass, and of the strong 
 and well-nigh impregnable positions on the Ebro, to which the 
 enemy was retired, he declined the attempt of forcing the 
 passage of that river in the face of so powerful an army. He 
 now struck suddenly to his left, and conducted his whole force 
 by a route very unfrequented, and thought hitherto impractica- 
 ble for carriages, to the bridges of Sap Martin, Rocamude, and 
 Puente de Arenas, near the sources of the Ebro. By these 
 bridges the whole army, with its guns and wheel carriages, 
 passed the river without seeing an enemy, on the 14th and 15th, 
 Here, as in Tras os Montes, it was only by unequalled exertions 
 that the march was effected ; for the narrow roads wind through 
 low and secluded valleys, and among steep and rugged moun- 
 tains, where an army had never passed in the memory of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 On the 16th, the allies moved to their right through a strong 
 and defensible country, without any opposition. It was not till 
 the 18th that the light division came suddenly upon two French 
 brigades on the marcli to Vittoria. These troops were immedi- 
 ately attacked by the British, and lost near 300 men. This 
 same evening, for the first time, the French head-quarters were 
 apprized that the allied army had passed the Ebro, and were in 
 full march upon their flank. The French staff were confounded 
 with astonishment; and the enemy made a forced march to 
 their rear, by night, in great confusion and alarm. 
 
 On the day on which the light division was engaged near St. 
 Millan, a French corps of observation, suddenly assembled at 
 Espejo, attacked the first and fifth divisions, under Sir Thomas 
 Graham, at Osma, but they were driven back to Espejo. From 
 hence they marched instantly, and took up a strong position be- 
 hind the river Bayas ; having their right at Subijana, and their 
 left on the heights in front of Pobes. Lord Wellington, attack- 
 ing this position in front and on the left, with two divisions on 
 the 19th, turned tlie enemy out of it, and drove them back upon 
 the main body of their army. On tlie night of the 19th, Joseph 
 concentrated all his forces at Vittoria, and placed them in a 
 battle position. During tlie 20th, lord Wellington closed up his 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. Ill 
 
 rear, collected all his divisions, and reconnoitred the position 
 of the enemy. 
 
 The French armies occupied a line nearly eight miles in 
 extent Their extreme left rested upon the lolly heights of La 
 Puebla. Their right was posted upon liigh ground above the 
 villages of Abechuco and Gamarra Mayor. Their centre covered 
 a range of strong hills on the left bank of tlie Zadorra, and com- 
 manded the valley througli which it flows towards tlie south in 
 front of Vittoria. Part of their left wing was drawn up, touch- 
 ing the left centre, on steep and commanding ridges above the 
 village of Subijana de Alava. A strong reserve was posted in 
 rear of tlie centre at the village of Gomecha. Their light 
 troops lined the banks of the Zadorra in front of the centre, and 
 tlie bridges over that river were fortified. A woody space be- 
 tween the centre and right was also occupied by light infantry ; 
 and some field works had been thrown up in front of Abechuco 
 and Gamarra Mayor. Thus posted, the enemy covered the city 
 of Vittoria, and held the three great roads, which, from Lo- 
 grono, Madrid, and Bilboa, unite in tliat city, and thence pursue 
 one line to Bayonne. 
 
 Here, therefore, it was absolutely necessary that the enemy 
 should make a re.solute stand to protect the main road to Bayonne, 
 and to cover the evacuation of their grand depot at Vittoria, as 
 well as the orderly and safe march of those inimen.se convoys 
 which had accompanied them from tlie heart of iSpain. Joseph 
 Buonaparte nominally commanded in person. The armies of 
 Portugal and the south were in the first line, that of the centre 
 and the cavalry in reserve. Thus they had near 70,000 com- 
 batants, and 100 pieces of cannon, arrayed in battle-order. The 
 allies outnumbered them by 4000 or 50(K). All the divisions of 
 the Anglo- Portuguese were present, willi the exception of the 
 sixth, which was detained at Medina in observation; for there 
 was a corps of P2,000 French in the direction of Bilboa, under 
 general Foy ; and general Clausel, with a body of 15,000 men, 
 was at Logrono. 13ut the French, actually ijre.'^ent on the field 
 of battle, could not have been .short of 70,000; and in tlie num- 
 ber given for the allicrf are included tliree divisions of Spaniards, 
 under Giron, Ixinga, and Murillo. 
 
 The sun of the 21st of June rose clear and cloudless. The 
 allied columns stwxl to their arms, and marched from tlieir 
 bivouacs on the Biiyas, in the assured hoj)e of a day of glory. 
 Lord Wellington di.s|KKScd the army in three corps. The right 
 under Sir llowland Hill; the left under Sir Tiiomas Graham ; 
 while the centre, consisting of four divisions formed in two 
 colunnis, received orders more immediately from Jiiinself In 
 the right corps was the allied division under Sir William Stew- 
 art, the Portuguese division under the conde-dc Amarautc, and 
 
1 12 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a division of Spaniards under Murillo. In the centre were the 
 divisions of Sir Lovvry Cole and baron Alien, and those of lord 
 Dalhousie and Sir Thomas Picton. On the left, with Sir Thomas 
 Graham, were the first division and general Oswald's; also two 
 brigades of cavalry, and the Spanish division of Longa. The 
 centre of the enemy's position was so strong, and it was de- 
 fended by such enormous batteries of field artillery, and so large 
 a force, that any attempt to pierce it was not hopeful or prudent ; 
 though the immense extent of line from Abechuco to Puebla 
 would, with a less formidable post for the centre, have favored 
 such an attack. As it was, it became necessary to force back 
 the enemy's flanks, and to delay any assault on the French cen- 
 tre till the right or left corps of the allies should have crossed 
 the Zadorra, and be so well advanced as to give a powerful sup- 
 port in flank to a front attack. The Spaniards of Murillo com- 
 menced the action, supiwrted by the light companies of the 
 second division, and the 71st light infantry under the honorable 
 colonel Cadogan. The Spaniards ascended the steep heights 
 of Puebla with great spirit, and were soon engaged with the 
 enemy, who kept up a very hot fire of musketry on their ad- 
 vance. Murillo behaved admirably; he was wounded, but kept 
 the field, and continued the combat with good countenance, till 
 the support under colonel Cadogan came to his aid. The enemy 
 reinforced this point strongly, and a severe struggle ensued ; 
 but they were at length driven back, though not Avithout having 
 inflicted a heavy loss on the allies. The 71st regim.ent lost 400 
 men ; and Cadogan, tlie heroic commander of that gallant corps, 
 fell mortally wounded at its head : he died upon the field, 
 with his eyes anxiously following its advance. The heights of 
 Puebla thus won, Sir Rowland Hill directed two brigades of the 
 second division to carry the village and heights of Subijana de 
 Alava. The village was immediatelv seized by the brigade of 
 colonel O'Callaghan, witho"* ^«.. Le defensive cannonade 
 from the heights above, tho( i 'i hfca . being ill directed. The 
 enemy, however, soon fUlo '^■i*-^ '" les among the heights 
 above, and a wood to the 1 . rs ^ i i iana, witii a swarm of 
 tirailleurs, and made repeati . .„\,j{ls to recover the village ; 
 but they were stoutly opposed, and the ground was contested 
 hotly. The regiments which skirmished opposite the wood 
 suffered severely from the fire of the French voltiguers, and the 
 combat was maintained here until the head of a column, directed 
 by Sir Rowland Hill to advance along the lofty ridge running 
 from the Puebla mountain, appeared upon the enemy's flank. 
 About this time, the fourth and light divisions under general 
 Cole passed the Zadorra ; the former at the bridge of Nanclares, 
 the latter at that of Tres Puentes. Almost as soon as these had 
 crossed, the column under tlie ear] of Palhousie reacJued its 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 113 
 
 point of attack ; and the third division under Sir Thomas Picton, 
 followed by the seventh under the earl, crossed the bridge on 
 the Mendonza road higher up. These tour divisions formed 
 rapidly on the left of the 2^dorra, and advanced against the 
 enemy's right centre ; while their left centre was immediately 
 exposed to a flank attack by the complete success of Sir Row- 
 land Hill, who now followed up their retreat from Subijana de 
 Alava with his wonted steadiness and vigor. The allied columns 
 vvhicli advanced against the enemy's right centre were furiously 
 engaged. They were received with a most destructive fire; 
 but they moved on in admirable order, notwithstanding the dif- 
 ficulty of the ground. It was not possible for the movements 
 of any troops to be conducted with more spirit and regularity. 
 The advance was made by echellons of regiments in two or 
 three lines, according to the nature of the ground. The brigade 
 of general Colville, in Picton's division, being on the left, led 
 up, and was first engaged, the enemy falling upon it hotly in 
 very superior force ; it not only stoutly held ground against this 
 attack, but, assailing in turn, drove before it this body, and 
 coming on its reserve lines well formed, overthrew them at the 
 bayonet's point and captured their guns. In the village of 
 Arifiez, the enemy fought for a time witli better success ; but it 
 was at last carried by the bayonet As the fourth and light 
 divisions advanced, the French fell back upon Vittoria in good 
 order. So long, however, as tiicy did maintain themselves 
 against these attacks of their centre,* tiie fire of their artillery 
 was terrible: .SO guns were thundering from their position. 
 While the right and centre of the allies were thus vigorously 
 pursuing their success, the left column under Sir Thomas Gra- 
 ham, sup])orted by a Spani-sh division under general Giron, 
 attacked the French right on the heights above the village of 
 Abeclmco, and carried them. This done. Sir Thomas Graham 
 directed general Oswald to assail the post of (Janiarra Mayor, 
 and formed the first division to attack Abechuco. Ik)th these 
 villages having bridges over the Zadorra were strongly occupied. 
 Gamarra Mayor was stormed by a brigade of general Oswald's 
 division, and carried at the bayoiict's ix)int without firing a shot. 
 General Robinson, under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry, 
 led up ids troops to this gallant attack in columns of battalions, 
 with tiie support of two guns of major liawson's brigade of ar- 
 tillery. Sir Thomas Graham now placed two brigades of field 
 artillery in battery against Abechuco; and, under cover of this 
 fire, colonel Halketi with the German liglit battalions, supported 
 
 * Tlii^ li^ii;lit« on which the Frniich cpntre 8ton<l, are by tradition the saiiio 
 on which Ihi^ EnKli^h under Edward the Itlack Prince obtained a complete 
 victory over the army of Henry the Bastard, and sealed don Pedro, the right- 
 ful kinz, on the throne. 
 
 K2 
 
1 14 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 by a brigade of Portuguese infantry under general Bradford, 
 dislodged the enemy by so resolute an assault, that one of the 
 German battalions took two guns and a howitzer on the bridge. 
 While this combat took place at Abechuco, the enemy made die 
 greatest efforts to retake Gamarra Mayor ; but general Oswald 
 defeated them with the same gallantry which had distinguished 
 his first attack. Upon the heights on the left of the Zadorra 
 the enemy still had two divisions of infantry in reserve, posted 
 so strongly that it was not possible as yet for the troops of Sir 
 Thomas Graham to pass the bridges which they had so bravely 
 taken : but they waited eagerly for that moment when the per- 
 fected combinations of lord Wellington should loosen them to 
 pursue ; for already they could hear tlie advancing battle in the 
 centre. No sooner liad the allies passed Vittoria in pursuit of 
 the enemy's centre and left, than Sir Thomas Graham, pushing 
 across the river, took possession of the road to Baycnne. This 
 line of retreat being intercepted, the road to Pampeluna was 
 the only route by which these reserve divisi6ns could retire, and 
 upon this they instantly fell back in great haste and disorder. 
 The entire army of tlie enemy was now not only beaten, but 
 driven back upon one line of retreat ; and in a state so disor- 
 ganized and helpless, that they never rallied, but ran off in large 
 confused masses, abandoning all their cannon, ammunition, and 
 baggage to the victors. They moved so swiftly, that compara- 
 tively few prisoners were made. The infantry could not over- 
 take them ; and from the nature of the ground, which is much 
 intersected by ditches, and otherwise inclosed, the cavalry of 
 the allies could do but little. The French suffered, however, 
 as they fled, some little loss from the bullets and shells of a 
 battery of horse-artillery, which from a commanding eminence 
 were poured upon them, as, crowding towards one point, the 
 different corps were thrown upon each other; and, becoming 
 one dense mob, were somewhat delayed under this fire by the 
 pressure. 
 
 The pursuit was continued till dark ; lord Wellington being 
 in person with his advanced guard. The troops now, being 
 greatly exliausted, were halted for the night. They had been 
 sixteen hours under arms. They had fought and won a battle ; 
 and, independent of their manoeuvres, they had marched three 
 leagues since the morning. But the victory rewarded and 
 
 astonislied them. They had beaten the Fi-ench often before 
 
 but thus never. One hundred and fifty pieces of artillery, 415 
 caissons, the military chest, and more than 8000 carriages, 
 wagons, and cars, laden with stores, treasure, or plunder, lav 
 spread over the conquered field. Among the trophies of this 
 complete victory were a stand of colors and the baton of 
 marshal Jourdan. The loss of the allies did not much exceed 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 115 
 
 700 killed and 4000 wounded. Of the cannon taken, more 
 than ninety were field-pieces, foul-mouthed with recent use. 
 The ground for nearly a square league was covered with the 
 wreck of chests and baggage. Tiie soldiers who got among the 
 carriages and cars ransackod them most thoroughly ; and as there 
 were more than 201) coaches belonging to tlie court, tlie gene- 
 rals, and private individuals in the French interest, the spoil was 
 rich and curious. State robes, embroidered uniforms, court 
 dresses, insignia, jewels, the wardroljes of females, plate, pic- 
 tures, and costly curiosa of an endless variety, the accumulated 
 plunder of inyaded Spain, were here rejoicingly divided by the 
 exulting soldiers. But the spoil which Wellington deserved, 
 and which his admirable combinations, and the intrepid and suc- 
 cessful attacks he directed, entitled him to expect, was a good 
 solid column of prisoners.* A crowning result which must 
 inevitably have been his sure reward, had the enemy made one 
 single attempt at a rally or stand : had they even maintained a 
 military formation. But no army was ever seen to fly in more 
 irregular and headlong confusion. Their loss did not exceed 
 7000 killed and wounded, and tlie prisoners amounted to 1000 
 more. Of all their material and equipment, they only carried 
 off the field one gun and one howitzer. There is no record in 
 history of so vast an army of so well-disciplined and veteran 
 soldiers being tlms broken, scattered, and hunted, like a rabble, 
 from the field. 
 
 It had not entered into the calculations of the British general, 
 for it could not; nor can it ever be said that it was the result of 
 any order of the French generals; that a distant rallying point 
 was deliberately named, and the sauve qui pent authoritatively 
 permitted : it was a disaster never dreamed of, — a disgrace con- 
 sidered imiK>ssible to the French arms. Nor came ever upon 
 men a more sudden reverse of fortune and security than that 
 which overtook the chief officers of state, the courtiers, and 
 tho.se unhappy Spaniards of high rank, who, with tlieir wives 
 and children, alighted from their carriages in terror, and fled on 
 foot These wretched persons, with nothing but the clothes 
 upon their backs, acconqmnied tlie broken colmnns on foot, and 
 were mixed with the soldierj'. 
 
 The French troops reached Pampeluna in such disorder tliat 
 • 
 
 * Thf nritUli Rolilinm nri> iinrivnllril Tor fichlini;; yot in the hut hantc of 
 succuv!), they aro with Rr>'iit ilifliciilty Itvpt in the rnnka. I'hcrvforc it may b<) 
 said with truth, that while nn KnRliith ({''iktuI iiiny count Htirely upon them 
 to win a hnttle. it i» (limhtriil whctlier they iKissestt thoBO less \ .iln.ihli' hut 
 im|iortant qualities which ennhle a Bkilful coniniantler to Ink' 'ice 
 
 of a victory. No man, however, more truly and gratefiill iliu 
 
 uteri ini; worth of hiti solUiero than lord W'ellinjtton. lie fell i mi- 
 
 fldencR in liiH veternuH; and has been heard to *ay, that he woulil rallur liave 
 one uflicer or Holilicr who had served with him one or two cnnipaigns, than 
 two or three who bad not. 
 
116 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 it was necessary to close the gates, and forbid their entrance. 
 The fortress, however, was promptly garrisoned, and the retreat 
 continued. 
 
 The left corps of the army, under Sir Thomas Graham, marched 
 from the field in the direction of Bilboa to intercept the French 
 force under general Foy ; but that officer hastily gained Tolosa, 
 barricadoed the streets, and attempted to make a stand. Graham 
 soon dislodged him, and, forcing into the town, drove him for- 
 wards, — compelled him to pass the frontier, and then destroyed 
 the tete de pont at Irun. While two divisions under Sir Row- 
 land Hill were pursuing tlie enemy on the road to Pampeluna, 
 lord Wellington directed a force to march upon Logrorio, and 
 attack general Clausel, who, approaching Vittoria the day after 
 the battle, and learning its result, had countermarched on that 
 place. At the same time he pushed three divisions to Tudela, to 
 cut off his retreat to France by that road. Alarmed for the safety 
 of his corps, that general moved rapidly on Zaragossa and from 
 thence marched to the pass of Jaca, by which route he entered 
 France. This detour preserved his army ; but he lost all his 
 guns, and left behind him, in a redoubt which barred the road of 
 Zaragossa, a small garrison, which in a few weeks surrendered 
 to Mina: moreover he suffered a little on his way, from the 
 active and harassing pursuit of that zealous chief. 
 
 Upon the first of July the strong castle of Pancorbo, between 
 Burgos and Miranda de Ebro, surrendered to the Spanish army 
 of reserve under O'Donnel : the garrison consisted of 700 good 
 soldiers. Thus, on all sides, successes followed wherever the 
 victory was made known. At Passages, a garrison of 150 men 
 from the corps of Foy surrendered to the Spaniards under Longa ; 
 and a good harbor was here secured upon the left of the line of 
 operations, by which the allies subsequently received all their 
 supplies. The French also evacuated Castro and Gueteria, 
 taking off their garrisons in boats. In every quarter south of the 
 Ebro, their fortified posts were given up to the Spaniards. Upon 
 the 6th of July, marshal Sucliet broke up from Valencia. Upon 
 the 7th of July, the last divisions of the army of Joseph, which 
 had been driven from the fertile and defensible valley of San 
 Estevan by a succession of brilliant manojuvres, passed the Py- 
 renees. Sir Rowland Hill had followed them from Pampeluna 
 through the difficult defile of Lanz, and attacked every positior 
 on which tliey halted ; while lord Dalhousie with the seventh 
 division had moved towards San Estevan, and menaced their 
 right. By these able and vigorous operations, lord Wellington 
 became master of the passes of San Estevan, Donna Maria, 
 Maya, and Roncesvalles, and his sentinels looked down from the 
 rugged frontier of Spain upon the sunny plains of southern 
 France. In five-and-forty days from the opening of this cam- 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTON. 117 
 
 paign, he had conducted the allied army from the frontiers of 
 Portugal to the confines of France ; he had marched 400 miles 
 without check ; defeated the combined forces of his enemy in a 
 general action, taking all their artillery ; had driven them through 
 a country alx)unding in strong positions; and compelled the 
 intrusive king to abandon tlie very soil of Sjmin, in haste and 
 consternation. This was glory : for this harvest, possessing liis 
 genius in all patience, and preparing all the elements of success 
 with labor and prudence, lie had anxiously and hopefully sown ; 
 and the joy came. He stood upon the frontier of anotlier liber- 
 ated land, a victor. 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 MARSHAL SOULT IS BENT SUDDENLY FROM GERMANY TO TAKE COHUAND OF 
 
 THE FRENCH ARMY ON THE FRONTIER, AND TO ATTACK THE ALLIES. 
 
 LORD WELLINGTON BIX)CKADES PAMPELUNA CLOSELY, AND LAYS SIEGE 
 TO ST. SEBASTIAN. THE ADVANCE OF THE FRENCH ARMY. THE BAT- 
 TLES OF THE PYRENEES. — THE FRENCH ARE AGAIN DRIVEN INTO 
 FRANCE. 
 
 The blow struck at Vittoria made itself felt in the camps of 
 Germany. Tliere, Napoleon, by an exertion which had aston- 
 ished all Europe, had again appeared in arms ; and in May of 
 this year liad obtained new successes hi the fields of Lutzen and 
 Bautzen. Profiting by this favorable posture of affairs, he had 
 concluded an armistice with the hostile forces opposed to him, 
 and a negotiation for peace was actually carrying on under the 
 mediation of Austria, when intelligence of the defeat of the 
 army of Spain was received. 
 
 The surprise and disapix>intment of Napoleon were expressed 
 with bitter anger. The thought that "tlie hideous leopard" 
 should be couching upon the mountains which look down upon 
 the "sacred soil of France," was mortifying and intolerable. 
 Moreover, the effect this would produce both in France and in 
 Germany was at a glance discerned. Therefore lie immediately 
 disixitchetl Soult, witli tlie high title and large powers of "lieu- 
 tenant of the emperor," to take command of tlie defeated troops; 
 and gave orders that they should be reinforced and equipped 
 with all possible expedition, and led speedily against the enemy. 
 
 To push back tlie allies fVom the frontier, and, if jxjssible, to 
 re-establish his armies on the line of the Ebro, was an attempt 
 now impenitive upon him. The political state of {»rtics in 
 FVance, esjiecially in the south, wliere all were tired of a mili- 
 tary king, and longing lor peace, made it dangerous to his 
 throne that the peasants of those provinces should see tlie British 
 
118 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 standard floating upon the confines of France, and the crimson 
 uniforms of English soldiers as they watched upon the rocks 
 above them. Lord Wellington knew that great efibrts would 
 be made against him soon; therefore he directed his earnest 
 attention to the fortresses of St. Sebastian and Pampeluna, in 
 whicli places the French had left strong garrisons. As early 
 as the 25th of June, Sir Rowland Hill had closely shut up Pam- 
 peluna : it was at that time the intention of lord Wellington to 
 besiege it; but when, returning from his movements against 
 Clausel, he examined the defences in person, this design was 
 abandoned. The works were found to be in excellent order, 
 and were surmounted by 200 pieces of ordnance. The town 
 was well covered by the citadel on one side, protected by the 
 river upon the other, and garrisoned by 4000 effective men. 
 To reduce it by a siege would have required large means, and 
 have cost many lives ; therefore it was decided to establish a 
 close blockade. The duties of this service were at first con- 
 fided to lord Dalhousie, with the sixth and seventh divisions. 
 It was at the same time ordered that strong field-works should 
 be thrown up on every side of the place, so that the investing 
 force might easily command all the roads and communications. 
 Tiierefore nine large redoubts were raised upon favorable 
 heights, at distances of from 1200 to 1500 yards from the for- 
 tress, armed with the French guns captured at Vittoria, and 
 garrisoned by detachments of the investing force. When the 
 connected defences of the blockading line were completed, the 
 duties of the blockade were transferred to the Spanish army of 
 reserve under O'Donnel, and lord Dalhousie with his corps 
 joined the army in the Pyrenees. 
 
 It was, liowever, fully determined to besiege the fortress of 
 St. Sebastian ; and Sir Thomas Graham with 10,000 men was 
 appointed to conduct the operations. 
 
 This town is built on a low peninsula, running north and 
 south; at the extremity is a rocky height called Monte Orgullo: 
 the base of this rock is 400 yards by 600 ; it rises steeply to a 
 point, wliich is crowned by a small citadel called La Mota. 
 Monte Orgullo is cut off from the town by a defensive line near 
 its foot ; and its southern face is covered with batteries which 
 plunge into the lower defences of the place. 
 
 The defences of the town are, upon the western side, washed 
 by the sea, and upon the eastern side by the river Urumea. 
 This river at high water covers four feet of the masonry of the 
 scarp, but for two hours before and after is fordable and shallow. 
 The works of the land front of St. Sebastian consist of a single 
 front of fortification running across the sandy isthmus on which 
 it stands. 
 
 On the right of the Urumea are considerable sand-hills, called 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 119 
 
 tho Chofre range. From these the eastern wall of the city is 
 seen to its base at low water ; and at those hours troops can 
 marcli along its foot to the extremity near the castle. About 
 700 yards from the land front upon tlie isthmus is the convent 
 of SL Bartolomeo ; tliis, and a small redoubt near it, and a cir- 
 cular field-work on the causeway, were occupied by tlie garri- 
 son as advanced posts. 
 
 It was determined to batter the eastern wall in breach from 
 tlie sand-hills, and to storm the breaches as soon as practicable, 
 by a bold advance along the left of the Urumea at low water; 
 but, in the first instance, to dislodge the enemy from the fortified 
 convent of St. Bartolomeo and the advanced works. 
 
 On the lltli of July the place was invested ; on the 12th, the 
 marquis of Wellington, examined the defences, and the plan 
 given was decided on. The besieging force consisted of the 
 fifth division under general Oswald, and the Portuguese bri- 
 gades of generals Bradford and Wilson. The guns, ammu- 
 nition, and stores were landed at Passages; and, upon the 
 morning of the 14tii of July, batteries were opened agamst the 
 convent of Bartolomeo. The south end of the church was 
 beaten down the next day ; the roof of the convent had been 
 frequently set on fire, and a great part of the building was laid 
 open. A battery of 9-pounders and howitzers was now placed 
 on the opposite side of the Urumea, to fire upon the redoubt 
 adjoining; and, ui)on the 17th of July, the convent and that 
 work w(3re assaulted and carried. The assailants, pusliing on 
 too far in pursuit, suffered from the fire of the place, and were 
 driven back by a body of the garrison marching to support the 
 defence of the convent. The besiegers, however, being estab- 
 lished in that post, the batteries marked out in the sand-hills 
 were completed, and armed with twenty heavy guns and twelve 
 mortars and howitzers. On the 20th they opened ; and on the 
 25th of July, two breaches being practicable, one thirty, the 
 othoil ten yards wide, they were assaulted at the hour of low 
 water. A mine had been formed under the glacis of the front 
 line of works ; this was to be fired as the signal for the assault. A 
 little before dawn on the 2.3th, the columns being assembled for 
 tlie storm, the mine was suddenly explwled ; and the garrison 
 was BO startled and confused, tliat the advances ran to the 
 breach without loss, and crowne<l the summit; but here tliey 
 were immediately exposc<l to so terrible and destructive a fire 
 of grape and musketry from within, and from the towers which 
 flanked tiic breacli, that the soldiers dropped very fast: the 
 ascent of tiie breach, and the rocky sands below, were covered 
 with killed and wounded, and the troojw returned in confusion 
 to tlie trenches having lost 500 killed and wounded, and 100 
 taken. 
 
120 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Lord Wellington, who had upon the 14th left Sir Thomas 
 Graham to conduct the siege, no sooner received the report of 
 the failure of this assault, than he came over from head-quarters 
 at Lezaca; and finding his means of attack, especially in ammu- 
 nition, much exhausted, resolved to suspend the siege for a time, 
 and made arrangements accordingly. 
 
 In the night of this very day, after he returned from St. Se- 
 bastian, the report was brought to him that the enemy had over- 
 powered his troops at two of the passes on the right of the 
 army ; had penetrated into the valleys of the Pyrenees in over- 
 whelming force; and were pressing onwards to Pampeluna. 
 " We must do the best we can to stop them," was his short and 
 calm reply to the officer wlio brought him this bad and perplex- 
 ing intelligence; and he immediately expressed his content- 
 ment with some arrangement of which Sir George Murray had 
 taken the responsibility, by moving a brigade from Echalar to 
 support the second division near Maya. But the difficult move- 
 ments, and severe combats in tlie Pyrenees, which began on 
 this day, and did not terminate till the 1st of August, must be 
 related in order. 
 
 The line of the lower Pyrenees is most hazardous for a de- 
 fending army, because, in many parts, there is no lateral com- 
 munication whatever, and in others it is long and circuitous. 
 Two points must be covered sixty miles asunder, and the inter- 
 mediate passes must be defended. Nor does the nature of the 
 country allow of the concentration of a strong force in any posi- 
 tion in rear of the passes, from whence they may be supported 
 m time, and in sufficient strength to insure their successful re- 
 sistance at any one whicli may be attacked with very superior 
 numbers. Hence, by the loss of any one pass, the defence of 
 the rest is rendered impossible, as the safety of the corps station- 
 ed in them is immediately compromised. 
 
 With a line, tlierefbre, of sixty miles to cover, and having to 
 provide for the siege of San Sebastian, and the blockade of 
 Pampeluna, the allied army was thus posted. 
 
 A brigade of British infantry under general Byng, and a 
 division of Spanish foot under Murillo, were on the extreme 
 right, and held the pass of Roncesvalles. Sir Lowry Cole's 
 division was stationed at Biscaret to support these troops ; and 
 the division of Sir Thomas Picton was in reserve at Olaque. 
 
 Sir Rowland Hill occupied the valley of Bastan, having the 
 brigade of general Walker and the piquets and light companies 
 of general Pringle's brigade in the Puerto de Maya, and the 
 regiments of the last brigade a short league in the immediate 
 rear as a support. The remainder of the second division was in 
 the valley in reserve ; but the Portuguese division of the conde 
 de Amarante, being a part of Hill's corps, was posted in the 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 121 
 
 passes eastward of Maya, about five leagues on the left of Ron- 
 cesvalles. The Portuguese brigade of general Campbell was 
 detached to Los Alduides, a post within tlie French territory. 
 The liglit and seventh divisions occupied tlie heights of Santa 
 Barbara, and the town of Vera, and the Puerto de Echalar ; and 
 from this last point kept the communication with the valley of 
 Bastan. Tlie sixth division was in reserve at San Estevan. 
 
 The Spaniriii troops of Longa communicated from Vera, on 
 their rigiit, with the Spanish division of general Giron upon tlie 
 great road on tlieir Iclt, and witli the corps under Sir Thomas 
 Graham. 
 
 Such were the general dispositions of the allied force. No- 
 tliing can be imagined more bold and grand than the mountain 
 region thus occupied by the troops. The vale of San Estevan 
 has, indeed, an aspect of fertility and beauty ; but it narrows as 
 it rises towards the north, and is soon lost in the gloom and 
 loneliness of the frontier. Mountains are crowded together in 
 all variety of form : here crested with gray and jagged rock ; 
 there rounded and green upon tlieir summits, to which by long 
 and toilsome paths a way is won. On all sides are found ravines 
 and torrents, wild, rugged, and filled with fragments of rock. 
 The roads are narrow and stony ; the fastnesses into which they 
 wind are black and shadowy ; and ho that passes them in soli- 
 tude hears but the dtush of waters and the scream of eagles. 
 Such are tiie general features of the noble barrier placed by 
 Providence between France and Spain; but a barrier which, 
 notwithstanding these strong features, is not easy of defence 
 against numerous, brave, and intelligent assailants, guided by 
 the skill of an experienced and resolute general. 
 
 Such marshal Soult undoubtedly was. lie had been expressly 
 selected by his imperial master, for his high military talents, his 
 stern disipline, and acknowledged boldness. He no sooner as- 
 sumed the command of the armies on the frontier, tiian he issued 
 a reproachful and rousing address to the troops, which he thus 
 closed: — "The present situation of the army," he said, "is im- 
 putable to others; let the merit of repairing it be yours. I have 
 borne testimony to the emperor of your bravery and zeal : his 
 instructions are to drive the enemy from these heights, which 
 enable them proudly to survey our fertile valleys, and to chase 
 them beyond the Ebro. It is on the SiKUii.sh soil that your teiiLs 
 must next be pitclied, and your resources drawn. Let the 
 account of our successes Ikj dated from Vitturia, and tlie birtiiday 
 of his imiicrial majesty be celebrated in that city." In this spirit 
 Soult proclaimed his intentions on the evening of July "J-lth. 
 He had taken command of the army on tlie 13th of July, and 
 organized it afresh in nine divisions of infantry, two divisions of 
 dragoons, and one of light cavalry. He was strongly reinforced, 
 
 Vou II. L 
 
122 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 supplied with a considerable number of guns, and in ten days he 
 was ready for a struggle. His first enterprise was an attempt 
 to relieve Pampeluna. His plan was to attack on the same day 
 the passes of Roncesvalles and Maya, the roads from which 
 converge on Pampeluna. Upon the evening of the 24th of July 
 he assembled a convoy of provisions and stores at St. Jean Pied 
 de Port, and suddenly collected between 30,000 and 40,000 men 
 at that pouit. These consisted of the right and left wings of 
 his army, under count Reille and general Clausel, with one di- 
 vision of his centre, and two of cavalry. At the same time, two 
 divisions of his centre, amounting to 13,000 men, were assembled 
 not far from Espelette, under count d'Erlon. 
 
 On the morning of the 25th, count d'Erlon made some demon- 
 strations against the small passes of Espegue, and Lareta, which 
 are to the right of Maya, and were guarded by the Portuguese. 
 Under cover of these manoeuvres, he brought his main body by a 
 pathway, which, leading from Espelette, enters the pass of 
 Maya from tlie south-east. The entrance from the south-west 
 ascends directly from the village of Urdax, where the enemy had 
 a considerable post encamped, and crosses the lofty range where, 
 upon open ground, the brigade of general Walker was in po- 
 sition, commanded by colonel Cameron, of the 92d. Near a 
 remarkable rock, at the south-east entrance of the pass, was a 
 piquet from general Pringle's brigade ; one mile in rear of the 
 piquet post lay tlie light companies of that brigade, the 34th 
 regiment being two miles and a lialf below, and the other regi- 
 ments yet more removed. The pathway from Espelette is 
 screened by mountains, and especially by one, upon the right of 
 the rock, and a little in advance of it, of large" base and of a 
 rounded summit. 
 
 General William Stewart had gone early in the morning to 
 the passes on the right ; feeling jealous for them, and apprehen- 
 sive that the enemy would attack the Portuguese. His deputy 
 assistant quarter-master-general was left at Maya, and visited 
 the heiglits on rcconnoissance early in the morning; and at a 
 later hour, in consequence of the deserted appearance of the 
 enemy's encampment at Urdax, he patroled a little way round 
 the mountain on the Espelette* pathway. From that point he 
 discerned a small column halted in one of the mountain vales, 
 about three miles distant, and liis suspicions were awakened. 
 As he returned past the piquet post, he did not give his real 
 opinion ;f but as he passed down towards Maya, he ventured to 
 
 * The captain of llio old piquet near the rock had seen a proiip of horses 
 and a column of troops pass along the face of a distant hill at dawn, and 
 disappear. 
 
 t This official reserve led to a very erroneous inference on the part of the 
 captain commanding the piquet, and this circumstance has been related by 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 123 
 
 order up the light companies, and he reported to general Pringle 
 that he thought the enemy meditated a serious attack on the 
 pass. Nevertheless the general, in the absence of Stewart, was 
 apprehensive of ordering his regiments to the heights till the 
 very last moment, as it was yet doubtful wiiat the enemy's posi- 
 tive design was, and general William Stewart had certainly 
 looked for the real attack upon his right : thus some time was 
 lost. Before noon, the enemy filed their columns round the 
 mountain in front of the piquet post at the rock, while they 
 poured a swarm of voltigeurs over the brow and the ridges. 
 
 The piquet and light companies were instantly and very hotly 
 engaged, and disputed the advance of the enemy with great 
 steadiness, — inflicting and sustaiuing.-a heavy loss: but they 
 were at last forced back, by overpowering numbers, to tlie sum- 
 mit of the position, where they were hastily joined by the 34th 
 regiment, under lieutenant-colonel Fenwick, who soon fell, 
 severely wounded, liis captain of grenadiers being already killed ; 
 subsequently the 50th came up to the support of the 34th. 
 These gallant battalions were soon compelled to give way be- 
 fore the formidable numbers which pressed ujwn them ; but, the 
 brave and steady 92d coming to their support, the contest was 
 continued, and with a stubborn courage: one wing of the 92d 
 was nearly destroyed, in a most unequal struggle with a strong 
 column of the enemy. As it was necet^^ary to watch the road 
 from Urdax, some battalions on tJiis range of heights l)ecame 
 separated from others. Meanwhile the enemy's numbers in- 
 creased rapidly. Tiiey covered the mountain with an over- 
 whelming force, and acted well together. Thus the defenders 
 were at last obliged to fiill back to a strong position on the 
 mountain range communicating with Eclialar ; from which pass 
 they were reinforced, about si.x o'clock in the evening, by a 
 brigade of tiie 7th division, under general Barnes. The struggle 
 was now renewed, and maintained witii good success. In these 
 operations general Stewart was slightly wounded, and that part 
 of tiie post which was the key of the position was recovered by 
 Sir Rowland Hill before nightfall. In this affair, the 82d regi- 
 ment, which moved up witli general Barnes's brigade, was 
 greatly distinguished ; and the whole of the troops engaged 
 througiiout the day fought their ground well. The allies lost in 
 these combats lOOl) men killed and wounded, 140 taken prison- 
 ers, and four pieces of cannon. The enemy suffered severely ; 
 nor did they attempt to advance the next day. 
 
 The attack of tJie pass at Koncesvalles was directed by mar- 
 
 him in aiinlliur publication, tiiulir (lie iintiirni iiiipri-vsioii caiiiied by what 
 paKRPd at the liiiiit, ami mi th<! h|m>I, iiihI ofall which he. still has a niniit vivid 
 recollixtiuM ; but, froiii infiiriiiatiuii lately atioriled him, be cannot luo fully 
 . xprL'i>8 hid regret that it should have been so related. 
 
124 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 shal Soult in person, with 35,000 men. His march was known, 
 and his approach seen. General Byng, aware that a road through 
 Arbaicete, a few miles to his right, turned the pass, descended 
 from its summit, and so posted his brigade as to cover that road ; 
 at the same time he detached the Spanish division of Murillo 
 towards Arbaicete. Marshal Soult, making a demonstration on 
 the front of general Byng, pushed a strong column along the 
 ridge of Arola to the left of Ronccsvalles. A part of general 
 Cole's division was on this ridge, and being greatly overpowered 
 by numbers, was forced back, with considerable loss, for a time : 
 but the fusileer brigade coming to their support, a strong posi- 
 tion was taken ; and the enemy, whom from the first onset 
 general Cole had opposed with the greatest spirit, was effectu- 
 ally checked. \ 
 
 Soult now attacked the brigade of Byng in great strength, 
 and with much impetuosity ; but he was most ably and obsti- 
 nately resisted for a long time : at last, by the succession of 
 fresh troops and the weight of numbers, he forced Byng up the 
 mountain, uncovered the road to Arbaicete, and drove back the 
 Spaniards of Murillo upon the division of general Cole. 
 
 Under these circumstances general Cole retired, as scon as it 
 was dark, to Lizoain, izi front of Zubiri. 
 
 The conduct of the brave troops at Ronccsvalles was admira- 
 ble. The 20th regiment behaved with great steadiness and 
 courage ; and the enemy's strong host was arrested for several 
 hours with a countenance the most firm. 
 
 The day following. Sir Thomas Picton, with the third division, 
 joined the fourth, and assumed the command of both. As Soult 
 advanced. Sir Thomas retired before him leisurely, in tlie finest 
 order, and halted on strong ground, from which he again fell 
 back in the night. On the 27tli he again retired, and tcok up a 
 position in battle order to cover the blockade of Pampeluna. 
 As soon as Sir Rowland Hill Mas apprized of the retrograde 
 movement of Sir Lowry Cole, ho withdrew to Irurita, as his 
 advanced position could no longer be maintained. 
 
 Lord Wellington hastened to the contemplated scene of 
 action, the very moment he received information of w^hat was 
 passing; and as lie rode past the several corps on his way, 
 which were all immediately put in motion, he gave clear orders 
 for their guidance. 
 
 He had to think and dictate as he rode swiftly en. Upon the 
 27th, just before he reached the field, he alighted at a little 
 village, which afterwards formed the enemy's right, to pencil a 
 note of orders, and send it to a corps in the rear. Already the 
 French were descending the mountain to take possession of it : 
 he had barely time to write the memorandum. The enemy 
 rushed into the village in the centre while he was riding out at 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 125 
 
 one end, and his aid-de-camp at the other. As soon as Welling- 
 ton came upon the ground tjiken up by Sir Thomas Picton, m 
 anticipation of tlie very order which reached him while making 
 the disposition, the troops hailed him witli loud cheers, the 
 honest expression of their strong confidence in him, and the 
 sure presage of their own triumph. The tliird division was 
 drawn up on tiie rij^ht, in front of Huarte, and extended to the 
 hills beyond Olaz. The left was occupied by the fourUi division, 
 the brigade of general Bying, and the Portuguese brigade of 
 general Campbell. Tliese troops were posted on the heights in 
 front of Villalba, having their left at a ciiapel behind Sorauren, on 
 the road from Ortiz to Pampcluna, and their right resting upon 
 a height which commanded the road from Zubiri and Ronces- 
 valies. Tlie Spanish troops of Murillo and O'Donnel were in 
 reserve, with the exception of two regiments, which occupied 
 part of the liill on the right of the fourth division above the road 
 from Zubiri. 
 
 Tlie British cavalry, under Sir Stapylton Cotton, were placed 
 near Pluarte on the right, tliat being the only ground where 
 they could act at all. 
 
 Marshal Soult fbrmetl his army on the ridge of a mountain 
 opposite to the allies. He placed one division of his left be- 
 yond tlie Zubiri road ; and occupied the village of Sorauren as 
 a detached post on his right The river Lanz flows past tliis 
 village below the road leading to Ortiz. 
 
 On the evening of the 27th, the enemy attacked the hill, on 
 the right of the fourtii division, occupied by one Portuguese and 
 one Spanisli battalion. The French were bravely and steadily 
 repulsed. This jwst was afterwards inmiediately reinforce<l 
 with tlie 4()th regiment British, and the SjKinisli regiment E! 
 Princii)e. The enemy covered their front witli skirmishers; 
 and there was a fire of musketry near Sorauren, and along tho 
 whole line, till dark. 
 
 Beyond the river Lanz there is another range of mountains 
 connected with Lizasso and Marcalain. Early in the morning 
 of the 28th, tiie sixtii division arrived under general Pack. 
 Lord Wellington immediately formed them across the valley of 
 the Lanz, in rear of tlio left of tho fourtli divihion. Thus they 
 restetl their right on Oricain, an.l their left upon the mountain 
 beyond tiie river, and made face against the village of S^'oraurcn. 
 The troops of general Pack hatl scarcely taken up tiieir ground, 
 when tiie enemy assembled in Sorauren advanced rapidly to 
 attack tliem ; but tlic French were soon exposed to a fire upon 
 their front, and on both flanks, and tiiey hastily fell back v,-itli 
 mimease loss. 
 
 At this moment a fresh body of the enemy attacked the left 
 of the fourth division, near tlie chapel, and forced back the 7th 
 12 
 
126 Military memoirs of 
 
 Portuguese ca^adores ; but the brigade of general Ross imme- 
 diately advanced, and drove them down again with a great loss. 
 
 The French now again made an attempt upon the hill on the 
 ricfht of the fourth division, where the 40th regiment and the 
 two regiments of Spaniards were jwsted. They won a footing 
 upon the summit in spite of the Spanish regiments, who, never- 
 theless, behaved with great spirit; but the 40th charged the 
 enemy instantly, and they were again driven down. 
 
 Marshal Soult now made a general and furious assault on the 
 whole front of those heights held by the fourth division. At one 
 point they succeeded in overpowering a Portuguese battalion of 
 general Campbell's, on the right of general Ross's brigade. By 
 this success they established themselves on tlie allied position. 
 General Ross was tlierefore forced to withdraw from his post in 
 the line. Lord Wellington instantly directed the 27tii and 48th 
 regiments to charge the enemy's columns with the bayonet; 
 and general Ross, having formed with the same object, fell upon 
 them at once. 
 
 Never were the valor and superiority of British infantry more 
 brilliantly displayed than in those resolute charges. The enemy 
 broke and fled. The carnage was terrible. Pack's division 
 now moved up the valley nearer to Cole's left. The battle 
 upon this front was at an end, and only a faint firing was con- 
 tinued on distant points of the line. 
 
 In the course of this severe and bloody conflict, the brant of 
 the battle was borne by the fourth division. Every regiment 
 charged with the bayonet ; the 40t,h, 7th, 20th, and 23d, four 
 different times. Their officers set them the e.xample; and 
 general Ross had two horses shot under him. The Portuguese 
 behaved admirably, and the Spanish regiments remarkably well. 
 
 In pursuance of lord Wellington's directions. Sir Rowland 
 Hill had marched by Lanz upon Lizasso; and lord Dalhousie 
 had marched from San Estevan upon the same place. Tiiey 
 both reached their points on the 23th ; and the seventh division 
 came to Macalain. Tlius the lateral road on Pampeluna from 
 Irantsum and Berisplano was covered. Count d'Erlon followed 
 Sir Rowland Hill, and reached Ortiz on the 29th. 
 
 The battle of the day before liaving satisfied Soult that no 
 impression was to be made on tlie allied position in front, he 
 determined to attempt the relief of Pampeluna now, by attack- 
 ing Sir Rowland Hill, and thus turning the letl of tlie allies. 
 
 The mountain on which the principal force of the enemy was 
 formed was so strong and difficult of access, that Soult did not 
 regard it as liable to attack ; therefore he detached one division 
 to reinforce the corps of count d'Erlon, and, on the night of the 
 29th and 30th, he passed a strong party across the Lanz, upon 
 his right, and occupied in strengtli the crest of tlic mountain 
 
THU t)UKE OF WELLINGTON. 127 
 
 Opposite to the sixth and seventh divisions : at the same time he 
 drew in upon his loft tiie troops which had hitherto remained 
 on the heights opposite the third division. Thus the left wing 
 was closed upon the main position on the mountain immediately 
 in front of the fourth division ; while the corps of count d'Erlon, 
 now strongly reinforced, was also connected, by the mountain 
 line on the right of the Lanz, with the strong position occupied 
 by the French left. 
 
 Lord Wellington no sooner saw these dispositions than he 
 immediately penetrated the intentions of his antagonist, and 
 resolved to dislodge the enemy from that main position, which, 
 from its extreme importance, they still occupied in considerable 
 force. 
 
 To this end he directed Sir Thomas Picton, with the third 
 division, to cross the heights on which the enemy's left had 
 stood, and to turn tlie left of the jKisition by tKe road of Ronces- 
 valles ; and lord Dalhousie, with the seventh division, to estab- 
 lish himself on the mountain in his front, and turn the right. 
 The movement of Sir Thomas Picton was made with admirable 
 ability ; and the attack of the seventh division, led by lord Dal- 
 housie, with the brigade of general Inglis, was eminently gal- 
 lant and successful. As scon as lord Dalhousie had driven the 
 enemy from the mountain in his front, the sixth division under 
 general Packenham, who after general Pack was wounded as- 
 sumed the command of it, turned the village of Sorauren. The 
 same division and general Byng's brigade, which had relieved the 
 fourth division on the left of the original position on the road to 
 Ortiz, attacked that village and drove out the enemy. As soon 
 as the movements on the enemy's flanks took effect, general Cole, 
 with two British and two Portuguese battalions of the fourth 
 division, assailed the front of the position. The enemy now 
 gave way, having been dislodged from a mountain position to all 
 aj)pcarance impregnable, by the masterly manonuvres of their 
 opponent, and the irresistible ardor of his brave soldiers. Lord 
 Wellington pursued this corps of the enemy to Olatjue, which 
 place he reached at sunset ; being thus already in rear of those 
 forces with which Sir Rowland Hill had been engaged. 
 
 The enemy had appeared in front of Sir Rowland late in tlie 
 morning, and had immediately commenced an extended manoeu- 
 vre on his left flank. That general, therefore, directed general 
 Pringle to gain the sunmiit of the hill on the left of the read 
 leading to Iji Zarza, and, as the PVcnch extended to their right, 
 to watch and follow their movements on the ridge opposite. 
 (Jcneral Walker's brigade was al.»^ moved to the left of the 
 road ; the Portuguese troops remaining upon tlie heights to the 
 right of it. 
 
 While tlie enemy thus manoeuvred on the left of Hill's po- 
 
128 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sition, they repeatedly attacked it in front, but were always 
 driven back with a heavy loss, and were often charged with the 
 bayonet In these combats the 92d and the 34th regiments 
 were distinguished. Sir Rowland Hill effectually repulsed all 
 the efforts to break his front ; and as he was constantly rein- 
 forced from the right, as the success of lord Wellington's opera- 
 tions enabled him to spare troops for his support, he long main- 
 tained the position which he occupied behind Lizasso. At last, 
 count d'Erlon having filed a large division round his left flank, 
 he leisurely withdrew to another ridge of mountain about a 
 mile in his rear, and maintained his ground throughout the day 
 against every assault. 
 
 The enemy, thus foiled at all points, retired in the night. 
 The allies pursued them the next morning, and came up to two 
 divisions, posted in the pass of Donna Maria, on a very formida- 
 ble position. These troops were immediately dislodged by the 
 second and seventh divisions, under Sir Rowland Hill and lord 
 Dalhousie. Nothing could exceed the ardor with which these 
 divisions ascended the flanks of the mountain. The brigade of 
 general Barnes drove more than double its numbers from one of 
 the mo.st difficult points. 
 
 Lord Wellington had marched in pursuit by the pass of 
 Velate, on Irurita; thus turning the pass of Donna Maria. 
 
 A large convoy going to the enemy was taken by general 
 Byng in the town of Elizondo. 
 
 The pursuit was still vigorously continued on the 1st of Au- 
 gust, in the valley of the Bidassoa, and many prisoners and 
 much baggage were captured. On the evening of this day 
 the posts of the army were again establisiied upon the frontier, 
 in nearly the same positions which they had occupied on the 
 25th of July. 
 
 Thus terminated a series of severe combats and brilliant 
 operations, in which the enemy put forth all his strength, and 
 manifested all his skill and experience, in vain. They lost more 
 than 8000 men. How gi-eat were Soult's expectations of suc- 
 cess, may be gathered not merely from the confident tone of his 
 address to his army, but from his advancing into the Pyrenees, 
 accompanied by a large body of cavalry, and a great number of 
 guns, whicli he did not and could not use in the battle that oc- 
 curred. On tlie night of the 2'3th he sent back his guns to 
 France, which were thus only preserved. On the 28th, the 
 garrison of Pampeluna made a spirited sortie, and obtained 
 I)ossession of several batteries; but they were driven back 
 again by the Spanish division under don Carlos d'Espafia. 
 Although Soult penetrated within one league of the place, and 
 manoBuvred near it for four days, no communication whatever 
 passed between the army and the garrison : they heard the 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 129 
 
 very struggle for relief, — the firing ceased, and Pampeluna waa 
 abandoned to its fate. Never were the abilities of lord Wel- 
 lington more severely tried, or more eminently displayed, than 
 in these important actions; never was a general more devotedly 
 supported by brave and attached soldiers, than he was by all the 
 troops who fought on these memorable days. The loss of the 
 allies amountocl to 6(HX). 
 
 On the 28th of July, the only place where lord Wellington 
 could command such a view of the field as he desired, was on 
 the top of the hill .so frequently assaulted. There he sat upon 
 the ground during tlie whole of the hottest affairs, exposed re- 
 peatedly within close musket range : but here, as at Vittoria, 
 where, in the heat of the battle, he rode through the fire of 
 eighty guns, passing along the front of the tremendous battery 
 jn the French centre — here, as there, God covered his head in 
 battle; not a hair of it was scathed, and he was preserved to his 
 grateful and admiring country. 
 
 Lord Wellington transmitted his dispatches to England by 
 the hands of the hereditary prince of Orange, who had a horse 
 shot under him on this occasion, and who had now accompanied 
 tiie head-quarters of the allied army for nearly two years, to 
 learn that noble art, by which, if they know not to prevail, 
 both princes and nations too often perish. 
 
 The intelligence of the triumph at Vittoria had been received 
 in England witii a feeling that did the nation honor. The re- 
 joicings were sjx)ntancous and general : every village had its 
 bonfires, — all the towns were illuminated. Both houses of par- 
 liament voted their thanks to the victorious army ; and lord 
 Wellington was promoted to tlie rank of field marshal. This 
 dignity was conferred on the illustrious general with very high 
 and particular distinction. The marshal's staff" of England was 
 sent to lord Wellington, accomjmnied by a letter from the 
 prince regent, written with his own hand. Among other ex- 
 pressions of admiration and gratitude, the prince, with a senti- 
 ment becoming his royal station, writes thus: — "I feel I liave 
 nothing left to say but devo\itly to offer up my prayers of grati- 
 tude to I'riividenro that it has in its omnipotent liounty blessed 
 my country and myself with such a general. Vou have sent 
 me among the trophies of your unrivalled fame the staff" of a 
 French nrirshal. I send you in return that of England. The 
 British army will hail it with enthusiasm." 
 
 This they did : and proud they were to prove in the severe 
 conflict.s whi(;li, occurring so soon after tliat victory, showed its 
 unspeakable importance and value, that, under the same great 
 commanrlcr, tliey were ready and able to defeat all tiiose vast 
 and sudden efforts to disturb their conoucst, which tlie lieuten- 
 
130 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ant of the emperor had so resolutely made. The birthday of 
 Napoleon was not celebrated m Vittoria, and the advanced sen- 
 tinels of the British army were now planted upon " the sacred 
 soil of France." 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 THE OPERATIONS AGAINST ST. SEBASTIAN RENEWED. THE CITY TAKEN BY 
 
 STORM. SOULt's last EFFORT FOR ITS RELIEF. ADMIRABLE CONDUCT 
 
 OF THE SPANISH TROOPS AT SAN MARCIAL. NOTICE OF THE MOVE- 
 MENTS ON THE EASTERN COAST OF SPAIN DURING THE SPRING AND 
 
 SUMMER OF 1813. LORD WELLINGTON CROSSES THE BIDASSOA, AND 
 
 ADVANCES THE POSITION OF HIS LEFT WING. ^THE SURRENDER OF 
 
 ^AMPELUNA. 
 
 The siege of St. Sebastieui, which, during these late opera- 
 tions, had of necessity been suspended, was now resumed. The 
 guns, which had been removed, were again landed; and, as 
 the trenches had been guarded by a small blockading force, the 
 besiegers were enabled to reoccupy their posts, without the 
 labor of breaking ground. 
 
 It was decided to renew the former attack with an increased 
 power of artillery ; to establish new batteries on the isthmus, 
 and to continue the breach round the angle of the land front. 
 Upon the 19th of August, transports arrived from England, with 
 a good and sufficient number of heavy guns and mortars. The 
 same transports brought out a company of Royal Sappers and 
 Miners. In addition to this, Sir George Collier landed both men 
 and guns from the squadron to assist in the operations. Some 
 of the batteries were now enlarged, and the formation of others 
 was commenced. At midnight on the 24th the garrison made a 
 sally, and rushed into the advanced part of the trenches. Here 
 they caused a momentary confusion, and took about a dozen 
 prisoners; but they were almost immediately driven away. 
 On the morning of the 26th the batteries opened, by signal, 
 with a salvo from fifty-seven pieces of ordnance ; forty-two of 
 these on the right attack, and fifteen upon the left, on the 
 isthmus. 
 
 On the night between the 26th and 27th the boats of the 
 squadron, with a detachment of infantry, surprised and took 
 possession of the island of Santa Clara, which is situate off the 
 entrance of the harbor, and enfilades the defences of the castle. 
 The enemy had a post of one officer and twenty-four men on 
 this rocky island — they were taken. On the night of the 27th 
 the garrison made a sortie upon the side of the isthmus : they 
 were repulsed immediately with the bayonet, and driven away 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTON. 131 
 
 without effecting tlie slightest mischief. On the 28th tlie be- 
 siegers maintained a direct fire on tlie place from eighty pieces 
 of ordnance. On the 30th the breaches appeared good and 
 practicable, and lord Wellington decided uiwn the assault for 
 the day following. The operation was directed by Sir Thomas 
 Graham in person. The troops engaged in the assault consisted 
 of detachments of volunteers from the first, light, and fourth 
 divisions, of the brigades of the fifth division, under generals 
 Robinson, Hay, and Spry, and of the 5tli Portuguese ca^adores. 
 
 At eleven o'clock in the forenoon, when the tide had av^- 
 ficiently ebbed, the columns advanced to the assault. 
 
 Sir James Leith commanded the division. The brigade of 
 general Robinson led the storm. 
 
 The enemy, as they approached, exploded two mines, which 
 blew down a large portion of the high retaining wall next the 
 sea. Under this the assailants were passing ; but not being in 
 very close order, or very near the wall, not above thirty were 
 buried by its ruins ; and the soldiers gained the summit of the 
 breach without a check. But here tlicy were instantly swept 
 down by a close and deadly fire of musketry from the ruined 
 houses within, which iiad been intrenched and loop-holed. While 
 at the foot of the breach, a flank fire of grape, round shot, and 
 musketry showered death upon the rear of the column. Never- 
 theless, tliey bravely and repeatedly pushed to the summit; but 
 beyond it they could not advance, and on it they could not remain 
 and live. 
 
 To support these desperate attacks, fresh troops were poured 
 out of the trenches ; and, for nearly two hours, persevering at- 
 tempts were continued ; but in vain. A detachment of Portu- 
 guese, under major Snodgrass, forded the Urumea in gallant 
 order, under the fire of St. Elmo and of the infantry on the walls, 
 and assaulted the small breach to the right of the main one ; but 
 the struggle was still without success. Sir Thomas Graham 
 having consulted with lieutenant-colonel Dickson, commanding 
 tlie artillery, the liatteries now commenced firing over the assail- 
 ants at the foot and on the face of the breach ; and the defenders 
 were driven from the curtain and the traverse by the weight, 
 fury, and admirable direction of the fire. At last, a (juantity of 
 combustibles, ranged along the works for tlie closer defence of 
 them suddenly exploded. In the confusion which ensued, the 
 assiiilants made a vigorous rusli, and rendered themselves masters 
 of the first traverse. Animated by this succes.s, they soon, in spite 
 of a fierce resistance, pushed up on tlie liigli curtain in great 
 numbers; and, assisting each other, lowered themselves into the 
 town by the ruina At the same time tin; Portuguese forced in 
 at the small breach to the rigliL The enemy now attempted, in 
 vain, to defend tlie numerous retrenciimcnts in the streets. They 
 
132 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 were, on all sides, impetuously assaulted, and immediately driven 
 back. Seven hundred were made prisoners, and the rest of the 
 garrison took refuge in the castle. 
 
 The horrors of this assault were fearfully increased by an 
 awful storm of thunder, lightning, and rain. At the close, fires 
 broke out in various quarters of the town ; and, as the garrison 
 of the castle was firing down the streets, and the dispersed sol- 
 diers of the allies were drinking and plundering in the houses, 
 it was not possible to extinguish tlie flames. The scene was 
 afflictive and appalling. 
 
 Two thousand men fell in this assault ; and yet the mine (in 
 the chamber of which was found twelve hundred weight of pow- 
 der), by the breaking of a saucisson at the moment of assault, 
 was, happily, never fired. Sir Richard Fletcher, the command- 
 ing engineer, an esteemed and able officer, was shot through 
 the heart during the storm. Generals Leith, Oswald, and Rob- 
 inson were wounded ; and the officers suffered severely, both in 
 killed and wounded. 
 
 Soult made an effort to relieve St. Sebastian on the 531st. The 
 main strength of the covering army consisted of 8000 Spaniards, 
 under general Freyre. These troops were posted on the heights 
 of San Marcial, on the left of the Bidassoa, covering the high 
 road from Bayonne. Their front and left flank were covered by 
 the river; the mountain of Haya supported their right. The 
 first division was in rear of Irun, and the guerrillas of Longa 
 were on tlie mountains of Haya. Thus the position of the Span- 
 iards was strong, and furnished with a good reserve on their 
 left. The enemy were seen in force at Vera on the 30th ; there- 
 fore the brigade of general Inglis was moved to the bridge of 
 Lezaca ; that of general Ross was posted on the left of tlie Haya 
 mountain ; and a Portuguese brigade was ordered to take post 
 on the right of the same mountain, to prevent its being turned. 
 
 On the morning of the 31st, two divisions of the French 
 forded the Bidassoa in front of the Spanish left, and ascended 
 the strong heights with undaunted confidence. The Spaniards 
 remained steady and firm till tlie enemy's column nearly reached 
 the summit, when they suddenly charged bayonets. The French 
 instantly broke, fled down the hill, and crossed the river with 
 such heedless precipitation, that many who missed the fords were- 
 drowned. The French, however, under cover of the heights on 
 their side of the river, were enabled at a favorable bend to lay 
 down a pontoon bridge. This was completed early in the after- 
 noon ; and they passed over in number about 15,000, and made a 
 general attack on the heights of San Marcial. As the enemy 
 were coming on, lord Wellington rode down the Spanish line. 
 The Spaniards hailed him with loud and repeated vivas. And as 
 soon as the French columns were well up the ascent, they rushed 
 
THE DUKE OF AV ELLINGTON. 133 
 
 Upon them with their bayonets ; and the French, terrified at the 
 ardor and fierceness of the charge, immediately turned, and 
 ran for their livea The Spaniards pursued closely; and the 
 French recrossed the river in all the confusion of a panic. Some 
 rushed into the stream where there was no ford, and sank imme- 
 diately; others got safe over by the fords, and vast numbers 
 crowded across the bridge. But at last the pressure upon the 
 bridge became so heavy from the close-wedged fugitives who 
 brouglit up the rear, that it sank ; and most of those passing at 
 the moment fell into Uie water, and rose no more. Lord Wel- 
 lington was delighted with the conduct of the Spanish troops, 
 and bestowed his praise on them< in the strongest language. He 
 spoke of it as ecjual to that of any troops he had ever seen en- 
 gaged. Tliey did nobly, and they had enough to animate them 
 to do nobly. 
 
 During this attempt to force the direct road to St. Sebastian, 
 a second corps of the enemy endeavored to pass to the right of 
 the mountain of llaya, where another road leads upon St. Sebas- 
 tian through Oyarzun. The heights between Lezaca and the 
 Bidassoa not being judged tenable, the Portuguese brigade, sup- 
 ported by that of general Inglis, retired to a rough and lofty ridge 
 near the Convent of St. Antonio: here more troops were soon 
 assembled ; and the enemy, baffled at all points, retreated. So 
 much rain had fallen during the day, that the river was no longer 
 fordable by the time half their force had recrossed ; therefore 
 they had to cross the bridge at Vera, which they could not do 
 without engaging some of the light division. However, they had 
 no alternative ; and effected their passage at that point, exposed 
 to so sharp a fire of musketry as caused them severe loss. Thus 
 ended the la-st effort of the enemy for the relief of St. Sebastian. 
 It cost them two generals of division killed, and a great number 
 of men ; as many, according to some accounts, as 2t)00 killed 
 and wounded. It was a defeat very mortifying to the military 
 pride of the French ; for tlieir main attempt was upon tlie Span- 
 ish line, and the Spaniards had the honor of bravely repulsing 
 them with tiic Ixiyonet. 
 
 It was not until tlie 8th of September that batteries could be 
 raised and armed against tlie castle of St. Sebastian. This castle 
 stands on a rocky promontory, and is built upon tlie cone which 
 rises U(K) feet above the level of the sea; but the whole of the 
 rcxik had l)een formed into one strong jmst. The citadel, or Fort 
 Iai Mota, has such high scarjv*, timt it cannot be assaulted ; and 
 the ma.s)nry is very thick and solid. It is, however, small ; and 
 tlie garrison has but little shelter from bombs. 
 
 Lord Wellington, who had positively refused to expedite tlie 
 reduction of the city by bombardment, on account of the inhabit- 
 ants, gave irmncdiatc orders to bombard the caiitic ; and sliould 
 
 Vol. II. M 
 
134 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 he fail thus to induce a capitulation, he further resolved to breach 
 the main points of the castle defences, and to assault the garrison. 
 Accordingly from the 1st to the 8th of September a fire of mor- 
 tars and howitzers had been maintained against Fort La Mota 
 and the other defences, with great vigor, and such effect, that, as 
 early as the 3d, general Rey proposed to surrender, upon terms, 
 however, not admissible. On the 8th, all the batteries which had 
 been erected upon the works of the town and on the flanks, 
 opened at the same moment a fire of such weight and rapidity, 
 and so admirably directed, that in two hours the governor beat 
 the chamade, and surrendered. The garrison marched out the 
 following morning with the honors of war, and laid down their 
 arms. The prisoners amounted to more than 1800, including 
 officers. Of this number more than 500 were found in hospital. 
 Thus was St. Sebastian taken. It had been most ably and vigor- 
 ously defended ; and the besiegers lost nearly 4000 men in the 
 attack. 
 
 A brief notice of those operations on the eastern coast of 
 Spain, which were conducted during the spring and summer of 
 1813, by Sir John Murray, is here necessary to illustrate the 
 position of the allies. 
 
 During the winter of 1812-13, large reinforcements arrived 
 at Alicant from Sicily : thus the British force consisted of 10,400 
 infantry, and 700 horse. But of this force, not much more than 
 6000 could be confidently relied on. In this last number are 
 included near 2000 of the German legion, troops as noble and 
 faithful as any in the world. But the Italian levy had been 
 raised principally from deserters; and the men passed back to 
 the French in such numbers, that it became necessary to disarm 
 the 2d Italian regiment and embark it : about 8000 Spaniards, in 
 two divisions, under generals Whittingham and Roche, acted with 
 the Anglo-Sicilian army : thus Sir John Murray commanded a 
 force of more than 10,000 foot and 1500 liorse. 
 
 Sums prodigally large had been expended on the equipment 
 of the Spanisli divisions of Whittingham and Roche, and they 
 were in British pay : therefore the men were in good humor. 
 General Whittingham was a most zealous and active officer, and 
 succeeded most happily in the organization of his cavalry ; but so 
 heavy was the expense bestowed upon the two divisions, on that 
 of Roche in particular, that double the number of men might 
 have been clotlied and equipped in a style suitable and efficient, 
 for half the cost of their superfluities and finery. At the same 
 time, all this lavish expenditure of the English nation, while it 
 fattened contractors and distributors, and gratified the vanity of 
 Spanish recruits, who strutted about in scarlet dress pantaloons, 
 gave much umbrage to the less favored troops. Of this, the 
 anonymous writers in the newspapers of Alicant took advantage; 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 135 
 
 and it aided them in their constant efforts to sow distrust and jeal- 
 ousy of the English in the bosom of their countrymen ; and to 
 generate dissensions between general Elio, who commanded a 
 separate Spanish corps of 12,000 men in Murcia, and the British 
 commander. But Elio had too good a spirit to regard these effi)rt8 
 with favor. 
 
 The two commanders, early in March, made a combined forward 
 movement ; Sir John Murray moved into tlie mountainous district 
 of Castalla, drove the French from Alcoy, and placed his advanced 
 posts at Ibi and Biar. Elio, meanwhile advanced to Yecla and 
 Villena, on the plain country to tlie left of the allies. 
 
 In the beginninor of April, Suchet collected his forces for the 
 field ; and on the 11th, general Harispe surprised tlie Spanish 
 division at Yecla ; and tlie French cavalry charging them on the 
 plain as they attempted to retire, about 15(K) were killed or taken. 
 The day following, a Spanish regiment left in the castle of Vil- 
 lena, being without the means of defence, and separated by the 
 French movements from all support, was compelled to capitu- 
 late. On this day, Suchet "marched upon the pass of Biar, and 
 attacked the advanced posts of the allies under colonel Adam. 
 The colonel, in pursuance of his instructions, fell lack upon 
 Castalla in good order, contesting tlie ground handsomely for two 
 hours ; nevertheless, he was forced to abandon to the enemy two 
 mountain guns whicli had been disabled. 
 
 The next day Suchet, having brought up three divisions of 
 infantry and two brigades of honso, attacked the allies. The left 
 of the allied position rested on some rocky iieights in front of 
 Castalla. The centre was near the old Moorish castle, and very 
 difficult of access. The right was thrown back, and covered bv 
 a deep ravine. 
 
 Suchet so disposed his cavalry as to menace and hold in check 
 the right, while he directed a heavy column of infantry to attack 
 the left. This column, preceded by a swarm of light infantry in 
 Bkinnishing order, slowly ascended the heights, opposed as they 
 advanced by tiie musketry of the Spanish f(K)t under Whitting- 
 ham ; but in about an liour they reached the upper slope of the 
 mountain, and came full upon the front of the *27th regiment. 
 This corps gave them a close, steady volley, chargetl bayonets, 
 and drove them immediately down the face of tlie ascent. The 
 Spaniards supported this charge, and joined in tlie repulse, which 
 was so effectual that the enemy, having sustained considerable 
 loss, did not make a second attempt. 
 
 With the (lofile of Hiiir in his rear, Suchet could not have 
 riske<l a genoral attnck without imimidence. lie tlierefore led 
 back his people through llie jxiss of Biar, and retreated by Vil- 
 lena and Fucnte la Hignera on St Felijie. The day after this 
 combat, Sir John Murray marched by the direct route of Alcoy 
 
136 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 upon St Felipe, hoping to reach the Xucar before Suchet, and 
 to intercept him ; but folding, after the first day's inarch, that he 
 was too late to effect this object, he returned to the position of 
 Castalla. The allies lost in this affair 650 men killed, wounded, 
 and missing. 
 
 After these operations, marshal Suchet confined his attention 
 to the strong line of the Xucar. As he could at any moment 
 have occupied this position with a sufficient force both of infantry 
 and horse, the allies could not venture to attack him. Moreover, 
 2000 British troops were just at this moment recalled to Sicily, 
 so that the "armies here remained inactive till May. 
 
 It was a part of lord Wellington's plan for the campaign of 
 1813, that Suchet should be compelled to evacuate the fine prov- 
 ince of Valencia, if not the Lower Ebro as well, and that his 
 attention and his troops should be fully occupied. Therefore he 
 instructed Sir John Murray to embark his army, to convey it to 
 the coast of Catalonia, possess himself if possible of some mari- 
 time fortress, and co-operate actively with the Catalan com- 
 manders. 
 
 In the event, however, of Suchet coming upon him in force 
 before he had succeeded in capturing a strong-hold in Catalonia, 
 he was to embark again with all possible expedition, return to 
 Valencia, and fall upon tlie enemy's strong lines before they 
 could bring back sufficient troops for their protection. The Span- 
 ish troops in Murcia and Granada under the duke del Parque 
 were to approach the line of the Xucar in aid of such an 
 attempt. 
 
 On the 31st of May, the fleet of transports, with Sir John 
 Murray's troops on board, sailed from Alicant ; and they came to 
 anchor off Tarragona at dusk on the evening of the 2d of June. 
 
 The troops were landed the next morning. By the hearty 
 exertions of admiral Hallowell, his officers, and the seamen, the 
 whole force was on shore, and Tarragona was invested, by three 
 in the afternoon of the 3d. 
 
 The garrison, which had been vigilantly observed by a body 
 of Spaniards under general Copons, had received no reinforce- 
 ments, and only mustered 700 men. 
 
 As the only road between Tortosa and Tarragona, practicable 
 for carriages, is commanded by the Fort Balaguer, a place on the 
 coast a few miles west of Tarragona, a brigade under colonel 
 Prevost was appointed to attack this post. It is a small work, 
 standing on the Col de Balaguer, about 1000 yards from thfe sea, 
 and 400 above its level. 
 
 The attack of this fort had difficulties which good-will, hard 
 labor, and the zealous assistance of the English seamen, soon 
 overcame. Supplies even of water ^ere brought from the fleet. 
 Earth for the batteries was carried up to tlie rock from the plain 
 
TUB DUKE OF WELLINGTON^. 137 
 
 beneath. Guns were dragged up by hand. The fire opened on 
 the 6th, and a number of shells were thrown into the work. 
 The next day the fort capitulated, and the garrison, a detach- 
 ment of eighty men, were made prisoners of war. 
 
 The outer lino of Tarragona had been dismantled, and most of 
 tlie works destroyed by the Frencli as soon as ever they became 
 masters of it The defences, heretofore so extensive, and re- 
 quiring so large a garrison, no longer existed. The interior line 
 was alone left, and a few hundred troops were considered suffi- 
 cient for its protection against any sudden or incomplete attack. 
 The governor, however, on the appearance of the allies, hastily 
 repaired and occupied the Fort lloyal, and tiie bastion of San 
 Carlos ; the one a detached work, and both in the outer line. 
 
 On tlie 6tli, general Murray opened two batteries against Fort 
 Royal, and a tiiird on the following day. Upon the 8th, it was 
 practicably breached. It was not, however, deemed prudent to 
 occupy it till the body of the place should be attacked ; but the 
 fire upon it was continued, to prevent the restoration of its 
 defences. On the 11th, two heavy batteries were opened upon 
 the body of the place, at the distance of 4jO yards. But already 
 Suchet was hastening from Valencia. He reached Tortosa on 
 the 9th ; and learning that Fort Balaguer was taken, he left his 
 artillery there, and marched forward with a division of infantry 
 across tiie mountains. At tlie same time a corps under general 
 Maurice Mathicu advanced rapidly from Barcelona. 
 
 When general Murray was informed of- tiie approach of these 
 forces to relieve Tarragona, he raised the siege in haste, and in 
 a manner so irregular and unmilitary, tliat he left nineteen pieces 
 of artillery in the trenches. His infantry was embarked from 
 tlie same point where they hiul landed.* Ilis cavalry and artillery 
 were sent to the Col de Balaguer, that they might be put on 
 board with greater convenience and security. To these strange 
 
 froceedings, especially to the abandonment of the guns, admiral 
 lallowell angrily objected. But !Sir John Murray, not consider- ■ 
 ing himself strong enough, even with tlie aid of Copons, to resist 
 the enemy on the field, would hear of no delay tliat might involve 
 him in any combtit for his artillery ; the preservation of which he 
 would not admit to bo of sucli strong necessity, or so much a 
 point of honor, as the admiral regarded iL 
 
 A |)arty of French cavalry api)roaclied the out-piquets at Col 
 de B.ilaguer as the enemy passed towards Tarragona ; and on 
 the i:Hh, Sir .lolin Murray landed some infantry at that jxjint, 
 to cover the more slow and leisurely embarkation of the cavalry 
 and field artillery. Uinm the 14th he again put his whole force 
 on shore, hoping to cut off a body of the enemy, and strike an 
 ofiensive blow : but tliis was not done, and upon tlie 17th, lord 
 M2 
 
138 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 William Bentinck arrived from Sicily, and assumed the chief 
 command of this army. 
 
 Fort Balaguer was now destroyed ; the troops were embarked, 
 and the expedition returned to Alicant, in pursuance of those 
 instructions which had directed that an attempt should be made 
 upon the enemy's line on the Xucar, in conjunction with the 
 duke del Parque. 
 
 For disobedience to his instructions, and for abandoning his 
 artillery and stores without necessity, lord Wellington preferred 
 charges against general Murray. He was tried, at the close of 
 the war, acquitted of all intentional disobedience, but found guilty 
 of abandoning artillery and stores which he might have em- 
 barked in safety. His conduct was attributed by the court to an 
 error m judgment That Sir John Murray acted to the best of 
 his judgment, no man will doubt ; but in war the consequences 
 of such errors are grievous. He was an officer of unquestionable 
 spirit, and of considerable talents ; but he wanted what, in the 
 commander of an army, or, indeed, in any station, is better than 
 abilities, — sound sense. He was not blamed for raising the siege, 
 nor for embarking, but for leaving behind him his guns and stores ; 
 and upon some favorite and mistaken notions conceiving it as an 
 act fully justifiable. It was subsequently ascertained, that the 
 three generals, Suchet, Maurice Mathieu, and Murray, were all 
 running from each otlier. Suchet Ijnew not of the advance of 
 Mathieu, and was afraid to engage witliout artillery ; Mathieu 
 feared to advance upon the English alone; and Murray, imagin- 
 ing some able and irresistible combinations of the other two, 
 sought safety in his ships. 
 
 On reaching Alicant, lord William Bentinck immediately 
 advanced and jouied the^uke.del Parque; but as a consequence 
 of the important battle of Vittoria, the French posts in Valencia 
 were at once abandoned, and the province was evacuated early 
 in July. Suchet passed into Catalonia, but he left twelve thou- 
 sand men to garrison the fortresses of Denia, Murviedro, Penis- 
 cola, Tortosa, Lerida, Mcquinenza, and Monzon ; of these, some 
 were to the_, south of tlie Ebro. Lord William Bentinck followed 
 the corps of Suchet into Catalonia, crossed the Ebro by flying 
 bridges at Amposta, and invested Tarragona on the 30th of July. 
 Meanwhile tlie Spanish troops blockaded all the fort.resses in liis 
 rear. As soon as lord William Bentinck was joined by the army 
 of the duke del Parque, and the Catalan force under Sarsfield, 
 he landed his ordnance and prepared to besiege Tarragona: this 
 was on the 11th of August; but, before ground was broken, 
 Suchet having formed a junction with general Decaen, and 
 assembled every disposable soldier that Rircelona and the garri- 
 sons could spare, advanced, for its relief, at the head of more 
 than twenty thousand men. A position was taken up in front of 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 1 39 
 
 Tauragona by the allies. As the enemy approached, lord Wil- 
 liam ifentinck, not considering his army equal to a battle witii a 
 force so strong, and comjxjsed of such excellent materials as the 
 corps of Suchct, fell back upon Cambrils. The French marshal 
 immediately destroyed the works of Tarragona, and, taking 
 away the garrison, witiidrcw again behind IJobrcgat lie raised 
 several redoubts on the right bank of this river, constructed a 
 t^te-de-pont at Molinos del Rev, and thus covered Barcelona and 
 communicated with Lerida. The allies now returned to the 
 desolate and ruined city of Tarragona, and, for the convenience 
 of its bay, it tecame the rendezvous of the fleet and store-cihips 
 to the end of the war. In the beginning of September the Brit- 
 ish general moved forward to Villa Franca, and pushed on an 
 advanced corps, consisting of one British, a Calabrian, and three 
 Spanish battalions, to Ordal. This post, which is of considerable 
 strength, commands the high road from Barcelona, and is about 
 ten miles in advance of Villa Franca. The enemy's ix)sition on 
 the Llobregat was about the san)e dit-tance from Ordal ; the 
 advanced corps at Ordal was commanded by colonel Adam. 
 In the night of the l*2th and IJSth of September his piquets 
 were suddenly driven in, and the enemy came upon him in 
 force. The allies, for a time, made a stout resistance ; they 
 had four guns on the road, which they fought well to the last'; 
 but they were overpowered by numbers, tiieir guns were taken, 
 a thousand men were killed, wounded, or taken prifoncrs, and 
 the remainder made their way back in much confusion to tlio 
 main Ixxly. On the day after this disaster, Suchct advanced 
 upon Villa Franca, combining his movements witli those of 
 Decaen, who marched upon the left flank of the allied position 
 from Martorcdl. Lord William Bentinck now retired; an affair 
 of cavalry took place upon the retreat between a regiment of 
 cuirassiers and the Brunswick Hussars, in which the Bruns- 
 wickers behaved admirably. Suchet pursued the allies no farther, 
 but returned to the line of the Llobregat, and the English gen- 
 eral conducted the allied army by Altafulla on Tarragona. 
 
 Soon after these operations, lord William Bentinck returned 
 to his duties in Sicily, and was succeeded in command by g^- 
 eral Clinton. 
 
 About a month elap.sed after the fall of St Sebastian before 
 any movement could be undertaken by lord Wellington on the 
 frontier ; nor, until Pampeluna should surrender, was it possible 
 for him to assume the offensive. However, that he might be 
 enabled to do this with better advantage when the proper season 
 should arrive, he determined to dis|)(>ssess the enemy of an ad- 
 vanced position on the rigiit of the Bidassfm, the key of which was 
 a strong mountain, calletl Iji Rhune, in front of the pass of Vera. 
 At Uirec o'clock on the morning of the 7th of October, tl)e 
 
140 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 troops appointed for this attack stood to their arms. As the object 
 of this movement was to bring forward the left of the allies, 
 and to place it upon such vantage-ground that the descent of the 
 whole army into France might he hereafter at any moment 
 secured, the whole of the left wing was put in motion. The 
 corps of Sir Thomas Graham forded the Bidassoa at low water, 
 in four columns; and the Spanish troops of general Freyre 
 crossed the river at the fords of San Marcial. The light division 
 under baron C. Alton, supported by the Spaniards of Longa, was 
 to assault the strong redoubts of the enemy on the position of 
 Vera ; and the Spanish corps of general Giron was to march upon 
 the intrenchments on the mountain La Rhune. The troops 
 moved to their points in silence. The morning was stormy and 
 very dark ; and the columns advanced to the fords without being 
 heard or discovered. As soon as they passed the river, the French 
 piquets opened on them briskly ; and the French line formed 
 hastily upon its ground. But all the enemy's works and intrench- 
 ments at these points were carried rapidly and well by the fifth 
 and first divisions under Sir Thomas Graham, and by the Span- 
 ish foot under Freyre ; and six pieces of artillery were taken on 
 the field. 
 
 The position of Vera v/as assaulted by the light division with 
 such ardor and resolution, that in a very short time they were 
 masters of every redoubt upon the ascent ; and had taken 400 
 prisoners, and three pieces of cannon. 
 
 The Spaniards of general Giron carried the intrenchments 
 on the lower slopes of La Rhune ; and their skirmishers advanc- 
 ing upon the flank of the Vera heights, facilitated the success of 
 the attack of that post. TIic summit of La Rhune, w-hich is 
 almost inaccessible, was not attempted that evening ; but that 
 post surrendered to general Giron the next morning, after a 
 very feeble resistance ; and, pursuing his advantage, he captured 
 another intrenchmcnt beyond, which they immediately aban- 
 doned. 
 
 By the complete success of these attacks, so ably combined, 
 and so bravely executed, lord Wellington gained ground on the 
 French side of the Bidassoa, and placed his left wing in a com- 
 manding position. In these affairs the loss of the allies amounted 
 to more than 1500 men. 
 
 On the 31st of October, the garrison of Pampeluna, 4000 in 
 number, after a blockade of four months, surrrendered prisoners 
 of war ; and the place was given up to don Carlos d'Espana. 
 But that officer took care to ascertain that the inhabitants had 
 not been subjected to any violence gr ill-treatment during the 
 blockade, before he granted the usual terms. 
 
 The whole of this autumn, from the battles of the Pyrenees 
 to the fall of Pampeluna, had been passed by the greater part of 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 141 
 
 the troops hutted, or under canvas, on the cold and cloudjr 
 summits of the western Pyrenees. They endured very great 
 privations. Their piquet and night duties were incessant, and 
 very harassing ; the weather was severe and wet. The dullness 
 of these camps and bivouacs, the wearisome duties of guard and 
 fatigue, and the sufferings from frost and sleet, tired the patience, 
 and shook the constancy, of the worst soldiers. Oftentimes as 
 the chill mist upon the mountains was for a few hours dissipated 
 by the sun or wind, the plains of France were seen spread below ; 
 and the eye of the longing sentinel, freezing at his post, could 
 discern the smoke of towns and villages, and scattered home- 
 steads, lying in pleasant and warm valleys, all green with verdure, 
 or golden with corn. Thus many an idle rover, without prin- 
 ciple to endure to tiie end, was tempted away, and deserted to 
 the plain below. The crime became so frequent, that it was 
 found necessary to check it by severe examples. As soon as 
 Pampeluna fell, the expectations of the men were again raised. 
 Their hopes awoke ; content and cheerfulness returned. Upon 
 all sides the busy preparations for some important service were 
 seen and understood. Considerable forces were moved to the left. 
 It was known that marshal ^oult had prepared a defensive po- 
 sition on the Nivelle, covered with a most formidable line of 
 works ; and that the attack of this position would of necessity 
 be the first blow of a campaign in France. 
 
 CHAP, XIII. 
 
 LORD WlaXINGTON INVADES FRANCE. DRIVES SOULT FROM IMS FIRST 
 
 LINK OF DEFENCE. TAKES A POSITION IN FRONT OF ST. JEAN I)E LUZ 
 
 AND PLACES HIS ARMY IN CANTONMENTS. TAKES TIIE FIELD IN THE 
 
 MIDDLE OF DECEMBER, TO EXTEND HIS OWN POSITION, AND TO CIRCUM- 
 SCRIBE THAT OF MARSHAL SOILT. — SOULt's I'OWERFIL ATTACKS ON 
 
 THE Lfjrr AND RIGHT OF TIIE ALLIES DEFEATED IN I!OTH.-.-Bll 11,1,1 ANT 
 
 VICTORY OF SIR ROWLAND HILL ON THE 13tII Of DECEMDER, — IXIRD 
 WELLINGTON REMAINS IN CANT0NJ1ENT8 TILL fE^RUARY.i— rABS^GE OF 
 THE A DOUR. 
 
 It was a bright honor and a rich reward to the army of Eng- 
 land, and to its patient and persevering allies, after five years of 
 severe warfare, to carry forward their triumphant standards into 
 the territory of the common foo. 
 
 The spirit in whicli lord Wellington invadeil France was calm 
 and noble. He impressed forcibly on the troops his desire and 
 resolve that the inliubitants siunild lie well treattnl, and that pri- 
 vate property should Ik- rcs])ectcd. "Officers and soldiers must 
 rooollect," said his memorable order to the arniv, "that tbdj 
 
142 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 nations are at war with France, solely because the ruler of the 
 JVench nation will not suffer them to be at peace, and is desirous 
 of forcing them to submit to his yoke." And, after remarking 
 upon the conduct of the French soldiers in Spain and Portugal, 
 and the sufferings and evils resulting to themselves from their 
 ^eat irregularities and cruelties towards the unfortunate inhab- 
 itants of those countries, lord Wellington adds, " to avenge this 
 conduct upon the peaceable inhabitants of France would be 
 unmanly, and unworthy of the nations to whom the commander 
 of the forces now addresses himself" With these honorable 
 sentiments, our great commander, armed strong' in honesty, led 
 forth his victorious troops, and carried the war mto France. 
 
 The enemy had for tliree months been fortifying their position 
 with great labor and care. Their line covered the town of 
 St. Jean de Luz ; in front of which place their right rested upon 
 the sea. From this point the line stretched twelve miles inland ; 
 crossed the river Nivelle, and terminated on a strong height 
 behind the village of Ainhoue. Upon a mountain in front of that 
 vUlage, they had also erected works to protect the approach of 
 their left. The centre was on the left of the Nivelle, as the 
 river there winds far to the north, making a considerable bend 
 in its course. The bridge at Ascain, and that a little below it, 
 were covered by strong tetes-de-pont ; and the space included in 
 the bend of the stream was defended by several inclosed works, 
 and strong lines of intrenchments. The main defence of the 
 centre was on a range of heights behind Sarre, the approach to 
 which was covered by two redoubts, and by the mountain called 
 La Petite la Rhune, which had been retrenched and occupied as 
 an advanced post. The whole of this position was strong by 
 nature, and it had been fortified with skill. In many parts it was 
 impregnable in front, especially on the right, which was covered 
 by several formidable redoubts, and by a strong interior line. 
 The plan of attack was to force the enemy's centre, and turn 
 their right. 
 
 The left wing of the allies was directed by Sir John Hope, 
 with two divisions under generals Howard and Hay, a brigade 
 under lord Aylmer, and two of Portuguese infantry under gene- 
 rals Wilson and Bradford. The centre was divided into two 
 columns. General Charles Alten commanded the left centre, 
 which was formed by the light infantry (his own) division, and 
 by Longa's corps of Spanish infantry. Marshal Beresford directed 
 the right centre, which was composed of the 3d, 4th, and 7th 
 divisions, under generals Colville, Cole, and the Portuguese 
 general Le Cor. The right wing of the army consisted of the 
 second division, under general Stewart ; the sixth, under gene- 
 ral Clinton ; the Portuguese division of general Hamilton ; and 
 the Spanish division of Murillo. This wing was under the 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 143 
 
 conduct of Sir Rowland Hill. The Spanish army of general 
 Giron was in reserve behind the centre ; and the cavalry of the 
 army appointed to support these operations was also formed in 
 rear of the centre, under Sir Stapyllon Cotton. Soon after mid- 
 night, on the morning of the 10th of November, the various 
 columns upon the right wound down the gloomy passes of the 
 Pyrenees in strict silence, lighted by the moon. Along the 
 whole line of the meditated attacks, the columns advanced as 
 close to the enemy's piquets as it was possible to do without 
 discovery. These halted, and, preserving their formation, lay 
 down upon the ground in stillness, waiting for the break of day. 
 At earliest dawn tlie battle opened. The fourth division moved 
 rapidly against a strong redoubt in front of the village of Sarre, 
 and carried it with very little loss. The village, which had been 
 barricaded for resistance, was immediately abandoned by the 
 enemy, without one effort to save it. The attack on La Petite la 
 Rhune was made at the same moment by the light division. 
 These troops immediately rushed over the line of the retrench- 
 ments, forcing the enemy back, and driving them witii such 
 vigor from one defence to another, that the garrisons in tlie 
 redoubts lost all confidence, abandoned them witliout a struggle, 
 and the brow of La Petite la Rhune was soon crowned by a 
 column of the assailants. The advanced posts of the enemy's 
 line being thus vigorously seized, a general attack was made 
 upon the fortified heights in rear of Sarre. The divisions of 
 generals Colville and Le Cor marched steadily upon them, co- 
 vered by their light infantry. The ascent was steep, and tlic 
 wliole face of it was covered witli abatis, and lines of intrench- 
 ment The enemy poured a heavy fire of musketry on tlie as- 
 saulting columns, but they would not be denied, and pressed 
 onwards with such steady resolution that the enemy gave up 
 their ground without furtlier contest, and retired in haste and 
 confusion to the bridge on the Nivellc. On this range of heights 
 only one redoubt offered any serious resistance. Here tlie gar- 
 rison, confiding in tlie strength of a jiost wiiich formed part of a 
 line of intrenchmcnts on very diflicult and strong ground opposite 
 Iji Rhune, held their ground so long, that as the light division, 
 having bravely forced tlioir way over nil obstacles, was toruiing 
 for the assault, marshal Rcresford led a column to intercept tlieir 
 retreat, and they were taken pris<iners: a fine battalion of more 
 than five hundred men. While these affairs were taking jdace 
 in the centre. Sir Rowland Hill advance<l against the heights of 
 Ainliouc in echeilrins of divisions. Tiint of general Clinton led. 
 They marched directly on the right of tlie five redoubts, crossed 
 the Nivelle by a ford, and steadily ascending the position, attacked 
 the troops formed at that jwint. These were soon bontcn, and 
 the nearest redoubt abandoned by its garrison. The sixth division 
 
144 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 pursued and supported general Hamilton's Portuguese in the 
 attack of the other redoubts, which fell without resistance, the 
 garrisons all retiring as they were approached. General Stewart'3 
 division drove the enemy from a parallel ridge in the rear, de- 
 fended by a strong field-work. Sir Rowland Hill now led botfi 
 divisions on Espelette, when the enemy abandoned the advanced 
 works which they still held in front of Ainhoue, and retreated 
 with all haste towards Cambo. 
 
 By these various and able movements, and by the intrepidity 
 and success of the several attacks, the allies were established in 
 rear of the enemy's original position, and had driven back their 
 centre upon their right. The French now concentrated a large 
 force on the heights above St. Pe and Ascain, and drew up in 
 battle order. Against these troops immediate dispositions were 
 made. The third, seventh, and sixth divisions were directed to 
 advance upon this position, marching, two divisions on the left, 
 and one on the right bank of the Nivelle. The enemy defended 
 this ground for a short time with a heavy fire of artillery and 
 musketry, but as soon as the allied columns closed upon them 
 they retired from it in disorder. It was now sunset. By these 
 successes the allies were established in the rear of the enemy'8 
 right, and with the approach of night the firing ceased. 
 
 Marshal Soult was thus manceuvred out of this long-prepared 
 position, and his troops were at all points beaten. The French 
 army had mustered near 70,000 combatants. They were placed 
 m strong ground ; they were covered by intrenchments, and 
 supported by redoubts ; they had all possible advantage which a 
 thorough knowledge of all the roads and paths of communication 
 could give ; and they were contending with an enemy on their 
 own frontier, to save their own country from invasion. Yet they 
 suffered themselves to be dislodged from every point that was 
 assailed, with an absence of spirit which astonished their oppo- 
 nents. The loss of the allies on this proud and memorable day 
 did not exceed 2500 killed and wounded. Fifty guns and 1500 
 prisoners were taken upon the field. 
 
 Under cover of the night, marshal Soult withdrew from that 
 impregnable part of his position which it was no longer jwssible 
 for him to hold, and from which he could not have effected his 
 retreat by daylight without loss and danger. Thus the allies 
 were left masters of the whole line. 
 
 The French now concentrated in front of Bayonne, where an 
 intrenched camp had been prepared to receive them. Lord Wel- 
 lington immediately took up a position within two miles of the 
 enemy, and strengthened it witli a line of defensive outposts. 
 His left rested upon the sea, his right extended to Cambo, and 
 his troops were disposed in cantonments between the Nivelle 
 and the coast. As the weather was cold and wet, and the heavy 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 145 
 
 rains had materially injured the roads, no furtlier operations 
 could be undertaken at Uiis moment, and the army remained quiet 
 and under cover for nearly a month. This was a welcome com- 
 fort and a necessary refreshment to the soldiers, who had endured 
 for many weeks much hardship in their mountain bivouacs. 
 During this period of repose, the space occupied by the allies 
 between the sea and tlie Nive was very confined, while the 
 enemy guarding the right bank of that river, and holding St Jean 
 Pied de Port with a strong detachment, patroled and foraged 
 over a district whicli afforded large supplies. As soon, therefore, 
 as the necessary preparations could be completed, lord Welling- 
 ton suddenly broke up and crossed the Nive. 
 
 Three hours before daylight, on the morning of the 9th of 
 December, the columns which had any ground to move over, 
 preparatory to their formation for the advance, stood to their 
 arms and mj^rched to their respective points of assembly. At 
 dawn, the whole army was put in motion. 
 
 The position of Soult was admirably chosen. Bayonne is situ- 
 ated at the junction of the Nive with the Adour, about four miles 
 from tlie sea. The Adour is a broad navigable river, subject to 
 the action of the tide : the Nive is a mountain stream of no 
 breadth, but, as it approaches Bayonne, rapid, and so deep tiiat it 
 cannot there be forded. The town is strongly fortified, and has 
 bridges over both these rivers. On the left bank of the Adour, 
 a strong bastioned line, of the trace of Vauban, extends in a curve, 
 from the river above to the river below the town, and incloses a 
 large suburb. 
 
 At some distance in front of this line, and nearly parallel to 
 the ramparts, was tlie intrenched camp. Tlie French right rested 
 upon the Adour, and was covered in front by a morass. The 
 centre extended from this morass or inundation, upon wliich it 
 rested its right, to the river Nive. The enemy's left wing was 
 posted between the Nive and the Adour ; guarding tiie former 
 river, and resting upon the latter. The citadel of Bayonne 
 stands upon the right of the Adour, and commands the city and 
 tlie anchorage. The town is only to be approached, on the 
 Spanish side, by two good roatls, — that from St. Jean dc Imz on 
 the coast, and that from St. Jean Pied de Port under the moun- 
 tains. A division of the army of Catalonia was stutionetl at St 
 Jean Pied de Port, and with this corps Soult communicated by 
 strong patroles of cavalry. St Jean de l.uz was the British head- 
 quarters, and the main depot of the allies. All the cross roads 
 leading to Bayonne are bad, and in winter impracticable for 
 artillery. The immediate object of lord Wellington was to extend 
 the cantonments of the allied army, to drive the enemy's ad- 
 vanced posta back upon their camp, and to seize some of tlie 
 strong ground which tliey now occupied between tlie Nive and 
 
 VouII. N 
 
146 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 the Adour. Accordingly, on the morning of the 9th of December, 
 the left wing, under Sir John Hope, advanced by the great road 
 leading from St. Jean de Luz, drove back the enemy's advanced 
 posts, and, with very little opposition, gained the heights above 
 their intrenched camp before noon, and reconnoitred it at leisure. 
 Sir Rowland Hill, with the right of the army, passed the Nive 
 by a deep ford above Cambo. At the same time general Clinton 
 crossed that river by a bridge of boats at Ustariz ; and the French, 
 in front of Hill, fearing they should be cut off by Clinton, retired 
 hastily upon Bayonne. They attempted a short stand at Ville 
 Franche, but, being attacked by the light infantry of Clinton's 
 division, continued their retreat. The day was now at its close. 
 As soon as it was dark, the enemy drew all his posts into the 
 position of Bayonne. Sir John Hope led back the left wing to 
 their cantonments, and the 6th division recrossed to the left 
 bank of the Nive, maintaining their communication with Sir 
 Rowland Hill. That general established his corps, on the 10th, 
 in a position the left of which rested on the heights of Ville 
 Franche above the Nive, the centre at the village of St Pierre 
 on the great road to St. Jean Pied de Port, and the right on the 
 Adour. Tlie Spanish division of Murillo, and a brigade of cav- 
 alry, had been detached in observation ; the former to Urcuray, 
 the latter to Hasparren. The wliole of the allied forces were 
 now disposed on the arc of a half circle. Their communications 
 were either by cross and bad roads, or by none other than they 
 could make at need, and were intersected by a river. The po- 
 sition of the French was central, with short easy communications, 
 and was supported by the guns of a fortress. Therefore Soult 
 could attack the allies with superior forces at any point he chose, 
 before they could assemble equal numbers; and, if he tailed to 
 make an impression, his retreat was secure, and he could not be 
 molested under the walls of Bayonne. Availing himself of this 
 advantage, Soult led out his main body on the morning of the 
 10th, and marched by the road of St. Jean de Luz upon the left 
 wing of the army. Sir John Hope had placed the oth division, 
 under general Hay, on the strong ridge of Barouillet, with the 
 Portuguese brigade of general Campbell on a narrower ridge 
 in front. The light division was about two miles on tlie right of 
 Barouillet at Arcangues, where the ground was high and diffi- 
 cult. No defensive connexion existed between the two divisions. 
 The position of each was strong in itself, and any attempt to 
 penetrate between was hazardous. 
 
 The French marched rapidly forwards. One column attacked 
 the Portuguese brigade, and forced it to fall back on the 5th 
 division : another made a vigorous assault upon the light division 
 in such strength that the allies took post within their intrench- 
 raents. The enemy were now between the two divisions in 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 147 
 
 considerable force, and directed a weighty and violent attack on 
 the right of the 5th division, but they were firmly met; and 
 this brave division, attacked both in front and flank, and sustain- 
 ing a heavy loss of men, resolutely kept its ground. Neverthe- 
 less the enemy did, at one period of the combat, force their way 
 through a wood and orchard on the right of Barouillct, in such 
 numbers as to overpower a body of the brave defenders, and to 
 penetrate beyond the front of the position ; but the success was 
 momentary. The admirable conduct of a Portuguese battalion 
 and of the gallant 9th British, who were skilfully directed upon 
 their rear, compelled them to retreat with a severe loss in killed 
 and prisoners. A fresh column advanced again, and the attacks 
 upon the 5th division were renewed with spirit : but the 5th 
 division, assisted by a brigade of guards, which now joined them, 
 repulsed every assault ; and, as night came on, tlie enemy with- 
 drew.* 
 
 Their efforts against the defences of the light division were 
 many and obstinate ; but they suffered a severe los.s, and made 
 no impression ujwn the intrenchments of those steady soldiers. 
 
 The first division now relieved the fifth at Barouillct; and tlie 
 fourth and seventh were so posted in reserve, as to be ready to 
 support either point on the morrow. 
 
 On the 11th of December, Sir John Hope, judging from the 
 appearance and movements of the enemy that a heavy attack 
 was meditated against the light division at Arcangues, moved a 
 part of his corps to the right, to support that position. Soult 
 now suddenly changed the direction of his columns, and moved 
 rapidly upon Barouillet ; but the troojjs at that point stood readily 
 to their arms; and Sir John Hope instantly brought back the 
 detached column. The enemy molested the march of tliis body, 
 and advanced towards the left wing : but their attack was feeble, 
 and soon repulsed. 
 
 Upon the 12tli they still showed themselves in great force on 
 the ridge in the firont of the left wing ; and in the afternoon 
 there was a hot skirmish Iwtween the light trooj)s and piquets; 
 but no serious movement of attack was ma<le throughout the day. 
 
 As it was most iinixirtant to the enemy, if jKissiblc, to pene- 
 trate to St. Jean de I.uz, and as he had made such bold and per- 
 severing attacks upon the lOth, and still maintained himstdf in 
 the same hostile attitude nnd force in front of the left wing, it 
 was neces.'jary to keep a great portion of the allied troojw closed 
 towards the left. But lord Wellington^ apprehensive that he 
 miglit suddenly change his attack, nnd tlirow the whole weight 
 of nis disposable force on the corps of Sir Rowland Hill, had 
 
 • Sir Julin llii|M! Iind a rruiarknlili- f>»cipi! in thifi combat. Iliti hnt was 
 titriick by nhnl four tiiiicn; bui cliilli''* wcro nbnt Uiroiifih in ninny (ilaccs; two 
 borses were wnundcd uw^r lum ; f\i«l he was Jul both uii the rhuulder and hf. 
 
148 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 given that officer full discretion to order the sixth division across 
 the Nive, whenever he might require their services, without any 
 reference to the commander of the corps in the centre. More- 
 over, with a vigilant suspicion of his adversary's intentions, very 
 early in the morning of the 13th, orders were given for the fourth 
 division, and a part of the third, to be moved towards the right, 
 and held in readiness to cross the Nive if required. 
 
 These precautions were not without reason ; for, during the 
 night of the 12th, Soult passed through Bayonne with his main 
 force ; and, at daylight on the 13th, he poured out of iiis in- 
 trenchments 30,000 men, and directed them in massive colunms 
 of attack upon the position of Sir Rowland Hill. 
 
 The corps of Sir Rowland mustered about 13,000 British and 
 Portuguese. The brigade of general Byng was on the right, in 
 front of the village of Vieu.x Monguerre. It was drawn up on 
 high ground, with tlie Adour upon its right, and several mill- 
 dams on its left. The brigade of general Pringle was posted 
 upon the ridge of Ville Tranche, on the left flank ; the river 
 Nive ran immediately below his left, and in the valley to his 
 right were also several mill-dams. 
 
 The brigade of general Barnes, and the Portuguese brigade 
 of general Ash worth, occupied a range of heights opposite to the 
 village of St. Pierre. A reserve of two Portuguese brigades 
 was formed in rear of Ville Franohe. 
 
 Soult's plan of attack was scx)n developed. He marched in 
 full strength upon the centre, counting, by the united assault of 
 superior numbers, to win the ridge of St. Pierre, carry the great 
 road to St. Jean Pied de Port, and break through the position. 
 
 The arrangements of Sir Rowland Hill to repulse this power- 
 ful attack were instantly and ably made. He directed general 
 Byng to leave one battalion at Vieux Monguerre, and hasten 
 with his brigade to the right of the centre. A Portuguese bri- 
 gade from Ville Franche was ordered up on the left of the centre ; 
 and he sent an aid-de-camp to Sir Henry Clinton, desiring liim 
 to move the sixth division to his support. While these various 
 movements were in progress, the French columns arrived upon 
 the slopes which led up to the centre, and hastened up, at a 
 bold rapid pace, in the firmest order. Disregarding the crush- 
 ing bullets of a well-served artillery, the grape, and the musketry 
 of the light troops, they pressed onwards in the spirit and with 
 the bearing of tiieir best days. They established themselves on 
 tlie advance of the jwsition, and were gaining ground on their 
 brave opponents by the force and weight of numbers, when the 
 brigades marching from the flanks arrived at the very moment 
 they weie needed, and joined battle. The xiombat was long, 
 bloody, and stubborn. The attacks, often repulsed, were as often 
 renewed with fury. The French fought with hope, with a 
 
THE DUKE OF VVELLlVGTORr. 140 
 
 knowledge of their strength, and with s city of France looking 
 on. They struggled hard for victory; but they were finally 
 beaten, and driven back with a terrible slaaghter. The regi- 
 ments of general Barnes's brigade behaved nobly ; and the Por- 
 tuguese troops were brave and true. 
 
 Ujxjn the right flank, the enemy at one time during the con- 
 test forced back the battalion and light companies from Vieux 
 Monguerre; but Sir Rowland Ilill ordered them to recover it; 
 and the battalion (the Buffs) rushed instantly upon tlie village, 
 and drove out the enemy. The left, under general Pringle, was 
 no further engaged than by a lively fire of the French light in- 
 fantry, and by cannonade; and the 6th division was not up till 
 the day was already won. 
 
 Soult, having exhausted all his efforts against Sir Rowland 
 in vain, now, upon all sides, drew off; but his conqueror pursued 
 him on the open ground, and did considerable execution on his 
 retiring columns. However, he attempted to make a stand, in 
 great force, upon favorable ground in front of his intrenchments, 
 and occupied a hill upon his left in great strength. This hill 
 was most gallantly assaulted and carried by the brigade of gen- 
 eral Byng, who led up in person, under a heavy fire of artillerj' 
 and mu.sketry. The French infantry were beaten from tiie posi- 
 tion, and two guns were taken. They made a stout effort to re- 
 take this hill, but they were again driven down ; and a brigade 
 of Portuguese being ordered to reinforce Byng, they made no 
 further attempt on the allies. 
 
 This glorious battle was fought and won by Sir Rowland IliU 
 with his own corps, alone and unassisted. I^rd Wellington 
 could not reach the field till the victory was achieved, and as he 
 rode up to his successful general he shook him heartily by the 
 hand, with the frank remark, "Hill, the day's your own." He 
 was exceedingly delighted with Sir Rowland's calm and beauti- 
 ful conduct of this action, and with the intrepid and resolute be- 
 havior of the troops ; and, as lie examined the ground, he ob- 
 served that he had never yet seen so many dead Frenchmen in 
 60 small a space ; a fact which attests the stern severity of this 
 unequalled contest. 
 
 The loss of the Frencii, from the 9th to the 13lh of Deccm- 
 l)er inclusive, was admitted, in their own returns, to exceed i;WO 
 killed, and 4H(K) wounded. That of the allies was also heavy, 
 and amounted to nearly r)(KX) killed and wounded. 
 
 U|X)n the lltii, the' day after Sir John Hope's well-fought 
 combat on the lefl, two Ixittalions of Na.-^sjiu light infantry came 
 over to the allies, and stated their desire to be sent to their own 
 country, which they knew was now freed from the domination 
 of Buonaparte. Alarshal Soult having in these operations made 
 a fair trial of his strength in tiie field, and been deci.><ively de- 
 N2 
 
150 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 feated in every attack upon the allies, withdrew the main body 
 of his force from Bayonne and marched up the right bank of the 
 Adour towards Dax, which he now made his principal depot 
 The weather became very wet, inclement, and wintry ; -the low 
 grounds were all flooded ; the roads were deep and miry ; no 
 further offensive operations could then be undertaken, and lord 
 Wellington placed his troops in cantonments and gave them rest. 
 The British advanced posts were now clase to those of the 
 enemy ; the right of the allied army rested ujwn the Adour, the 
 left upon the sea : in this position they remained quiet till the 
 beginning of February, plentifully supplied and little molested. 
 
 The state of affairs in France was now wonderfidly changed 
 from its proud attitude of superiority and defiance two years be- 
 fore. In every quarter of Europe the French armies had been 
 beaten. The loss of the battle of I^eipzig, and the utter destruc- 
 tion of their forces on that field ; the defection of Saxony and 
 Bavaria; and the decided course of Austria, had brought the 
 armies of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, to the Rhine. Buona- 
 parte, beset on every side by enemies and by dangers, was now 
 calling upon the French nation for more sacrifices and for im- 
 possible exertions. A decree had passed his miserable senate to 
 levy 300,000 men, and to double all the public contributions : 
 but it could not, as he well knew, take eflect to so vast an ex- 
 tent. However, some of the mothers of France had still sons to 
 be offered up on the altar of his ambition, and some of her in- 
 dustrious citizens had yet money of which tliey could be robbed ; 
 therefore, much was done to recruit his ranks, and something to 
 replenish his coffers. But the country groaned under his iron 
 rule, and pined for deliverance and peace ; while, tiierefore, lord 
 Wellington wintered in the south of France, he found the in- 
 habitants not only peaceable and unopposing, but grateful for the 
 protection of his discipline, and for the strict honor with which 
 ajl supplies and services were paid fur and rewarded. They did 
 not entertain any elevated or patriotic attachment to the ruler of 
 France ; they regarded the war as his and not the war of the 
 nation. Hence, thougli they had been encouraged to take up 
 arras against the troops under lord Wellington, and to harass his 
 posts with a guerilla warfiire, such hostility was only shown at 
 first and in a very few instances: they were in general well 
 disposed, and in good liumor with the allies, leaving their own 
 army, wliom they at once feared and hated, to carry on the war. 
 
 At this time, while Buonaparte was busied in trying to arrest 
 tlie progress of the allied nations in the north, by the crafty arts 
 of diplomacy, he attempted to conclude a secret treaty with his 
 prisoner Ferdinand VII. By this it was stipulated, that Spain 
 fihould be evacuated by the troops of France, as well as of Eng- 
 land and Portugal ; and that all prisoners should be given up, 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 151 
 
 whether in the power of England or Spain. Thus he would 
 have gained no small accession of strength by recovering all the 
 troops left in garrison in Catalonia and Valencia, all the prisoners 
 made during the war, and by obtaining tiie immediate service 
 of marslial Suchet's corps, on the soil of France. 
 
 Ferdinand wrote to the Spanish government by the duke Son 
 Carlos, communicating this treaty, and desiring its immediate 
 ratification. 
 
 In a reply, expressive of respect and attachment, the govern- 
 ment inclosed a copy of the decree of the extraordinary general 
 cortes of the Ist of January, 1811, which decided, that no act 
 of his majesty, while under restraint, should be binding on the 
 nation. 
 
 Ferdinand, consulting ill his dignity and honor, wrote again to 
 Madrid by don Josepii Palafox, and again urged the government 
 to ratify tliis treaty ; but the regency evaded the request, and in- 
 formed him, that an ambassador had been sent, in his majesty's 
 name, to a congress of the great European powers then sitting, 
 to treat for a general peiA;e. These unworthy efforts on tlie 
 part of Ferdinand, to induce his government to entertain the in- 
 sidious pro{X)sal of Buonaj)artc, were made in the months of De- 
 cember and January. Aleanwliile, on the 1st of this same Jan- 
 uary, the emperors of Austria and of Russia, and the king of 
 Prussia, passed the Rhine at the head of very powerful armies, 
 to compel Buonaparte to consent to the terms of a general peace, 
 as by them proposed. They disclaimed, for themselves, all ob- 
 jects of conquest or aggrandizement; they pledijed themselves 
 not to interfere in the mtcrnal concerns of the i rench nation ; 
 but they insisted that France should be content with her old and 
 natural boundaries, the Rhine, the Alps, and the Pyrenees. 
 Maddened by these just demands, the plain consequences of 
 those wars of aggression which he had waged hitherto with suc- 
 cess, but which had now brouglit forth the bitter fruits of reverse 
 and disgrace, Napoleon called upon the French to make his 
 cause tiie cause of the nation. AH classes, iiowever, e.xcepting 
 the pensioned veterans, the military in the camps, and the em- 
 ployes of the imperial government, manifested an utter indif- 
 ference to Iiis appeal ; nor, though hostile armies were upon the 
 soil of France, could he arouse a spirit of national resistance. 
 Moreover, those who, in their secret hearts, iiad long clierishcd 
 an attachment to tiie exiled house of Bourbon, now lifted their 
 voice and gave utterance to tlieir hopes; while the republicans 
 of the kingdom reminded the falling emperor that, as he had 
 trampled on personal freedom, public rights, and private prop- 
 erty, during a violent and warlike reign, lie had no claim upon 
 the exertions or even Uie allegiance of the people. Upon all 
 •idea he heard tlie language of a surly resentment, or lie en- 
 
152 MILITARY MEMOIRS Of 
 
 countered the sluggishness of a sullen and immovable apathy : 
 therefore he sent an ambassador to Chatillon to assist at the con- 
 ferences for peace; and that he might negotiate with better 
 grace, he prepared to take the field. 
 
 The last offensive effort of tlie French troops in Spain was 
 made in December. During this movement the town of Mar- 
 torelli was plundered by the corps of marshal Suchet. After 
 this, ten thousand of the best troops quitted Catalonia, and they 
 entered France about the close of January. 
 
 We turn again to consider the operations near Bayonne. 
 When Soult had sustained his last defeat on the 13th of Decem- 
 ber, he disposed the centre of his army along the right bank of 
 tlie Adour to Port de Lanne ; distributed his left along the right 
 of the Bidouse river to St. Palais ; posted two divisions of cavalry 
 cm the left of that place, and occupied St. Jean Pied de Port 
 with a weak division of regulars and a body of national guards. 
 The right wing of the enemy still held the intrenchments under 
 the guns of Bayonne. Count Reille commanded the French 
 right, count d'Erlon the centre, general Clausel the left, and 
 general Harispe the detached division at St. Jean Pied de Port. 
 This last officer, who was a native of the province, and popular 
 with the inhabitants, had been sent for from Catalonia, and quit- 
 ted his charge there to take this command ; but he found it im- 
 possible to organize any thing like a hearty resistance to the 
 allies among the Basques. The army of Soult contained so large 
 a proportion of veteran soldiers, that, at the end of January, Na- 
 poleon called away two divisions of infantry, and one of dragoons, 
 to take the field under himself, supplying their place by levies 
 of the latest organization ; therefore, all the disjwsitions of Soult 
 were defensive. The right of the Adour from Bayonne to Port 
 Lanne, a distance of eighteen miles, was covered with redoubts, 
 and armed with cannon ; and a bridge was laid down at Port 
 Lanne with a strong tete-de-pont. To defend the Pau he re- 
 trenched Hastingues, and formed a tete-de-pont at Peyrel)orade. 
 He caused the passages over the Bidouse, at Guiche, Bidache, 
 and Came, to be secured by like defences. The v.-orks at St. 
 Jean Pied de Port and Navarreins were also strengthened, — his 
 principal depots of provisions and stores were at Port de Lanne, 
 and higher up at Dax, which last place was retrenched. These 
 various labors and preparations had employed the French from 
 the middle of December to the close of January. During this 
 season, lord Wellington was busily engaged in maturing his 
 preparations to resume the offensive. The best speculations con- 
 cerning his plans had commonly proved mistaken; many idle 
 surmises were, as usual, made, but, as heretofore, both in his 
 own camp and that of the enemy, no suspicion existed of the 
 bold conception which he was suddenly to carry into execution. 
 
THE DUKE OP WELUNGTON. 1 53 
 
 About the middle of February, as the weather cleared up, and 
 the cross roads became practicable, lord Wellington commenced 
 a series of manoeuvres to draw Soult from his line of defence on 
 the Adour. He bejran by driving the enemy from the vicinity 
 of St Palais. With this view. Sir Rowland Hill marched 
 against Ilarispe. That general, leaving a garrison in St. Jean 
 Pied de Port, retired with his division upon Hellete; but from 
 tliis position Sir Rowland soon dislodged him. Harispe took up 
 ground for the nigiit on the hills above Meharin, and the next 
 morning fell back to a very strong position to the right of Garris, 
 where another body of the enemy was already posted. 
 
 As this position did not cover the road through Garris, by 
 which their communication with the bridge of St. Palais might 
 possibly be cut off, lord Wellington made instant dispositions to 
 attack them. It was already evening, and he had only one di- 
 vision up, and a body of Spaniards, but the opportunity was too 
 favorable to be lost; therefore he directed Murillo with his 
 Spanish division to hasten on and occupy St. Palais, while he re- 
 solved to assault the enemy in front with the second division 
 under Sir William Stewart. These troops carried the heights 
 with their wonted intrepidity and ardor; but the enemy made 
 many brave eflbrts to recover them. These attempts were gal- 
 lantly continued after it was quite dark ; and the fire was deliv- 
 ereJ lace to fact: ut close quarters, and ninny of the enemy were 
 bayoneted on the ground. At last, finding they could make no 
 impression ujron the firmness of tiie defenders, they retired and 
 passed the bridge at St Palais before the Spaniards had occu- 
 pied tliat important post. 
 
 The next day, Sir Rowland Hill pursued Harisjje, and found 
 him strongly reinforced and well posted behind tlie Gave de 
 Mauleon. The bridge at Navarette was destroyed, but a regi- 
 ment of the second division passed the stream by a ford, under 
 cover of artillery, and quickly drove the enemy from that village. 
 Their advanced post being thus forced, Harispe led off his main 
 body to the rear, and in the night pa.ssed the Gave d'Oleron. 
 
 The centie of tlie army made a corresponding movement on 
 tlie 15th to tin; Bidousc river; but the sixth and eightli divisions 
 were lefl between tiie Nive and the Adour, to watch the enemy 
 in Bay on no. 
 
 As soon as marshal Soult learned that the right of the allies 
 was concentrated behind the Gave de Mauleon, and foimd their 
 centre on the Bidouse, he destroyetl the bridges on the Adour, 
 collecte<l the greater part of his forces in the neighborhood of 
 Sauvotorre, and lefl Bayonne to the protection of its garrison. 
 
 It was a part of lonl Wellington's general plan thnt Bayoimo 
 should 1)0 invested on tlie 2'\t\, according to the arrangements 
 lie had niude with Sir John Hojh; and admiral Penrose. He had 
 
154 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 selected the citadel for his point of attack ; had determined to 
 force the passage of the Adour ; and, about two miles and a half 
 below the town, to fix a bridge on the river. 
 
 At the point selected, the Adour is 300 yards broad, and a 
 bend in its course conceals it, in part, from the view of the gar- 
 rison of Bayonne. The current is rapid, the tide strong, and 
 there is often a heavy swell from the sea, so that no ordinary 
 bridge apparatus could be trusted. Lord Wellington, therefore, 
 decided to substitute for pontoons or boats, decked vessels of from 
 thirty to fifty tons burden. Of such vessels, called chasse ma- 
 rees, many were found in the ports of St. Jean de Luz, Passages, 
 and Socoa. These were hired, and collected at Socoa. Mate- 
 rials were also procured for a good bridge, a portion of which 
 each was to carry ; and spars were obtained to form a flexible 
 boom, which might protect the bridge from any vessels floated 
 down the stream to destroy it. 
 
 On the evening of the 22d of February, the flotilla put to sea 
 from Socoa, protected by admiral Penrose with the Porcupine 
 frigate, Lyra brig, and five gun-boats. 
 
 Captain O'Reilly of the royal navy had the immediate com- 
 mand of the flotilla, and the superintendence of all the nautical 
 arrangements necessary to the successful accomplishment of this 
 diflacult undertaking; the construction and fixing down the 
 bridge apparatus was, of course, the duty of the engineer ofliceris 
 employed. To insure the safe entrance of the vessels into the 
 Adour, and their unmolested anchorage across the stream, it was 
 concerted that some troops should be passed over in the night by 
 rafls made of the pontoons, and should establish a post on the 
 right bank. 
 
 At one in the morning of the 23d, Sir John Hope marched 
 from his cantonments, to direct and support this movement 
 General Stopford's brigade of guards reached their point upon 
 the bank of the Adour at midnight, having moved at an earlier 
 liour. The pontoons were unavoidably delayed by the depth and 
 softness of the sandy road, therefore the design of sending a de- 
 tachment across the river before dayliglit was defeated. How- 
 ever, the attention of the garrison was entirely occupied by the 
 lively demonstrations upon their intrenched camp, and the late 
 and actual operations of lord Wellington on the right had been 
 so completely successful in concealing his intention of passing 
 the Adour below Bayonne, that the enemy directed no thought 
 or attention to that point. Therefore, Sir John Hope determined 
 to commence passing the river as soon as ever a few boats and 
 pontoons could be launched ; for he ascertained that the enemy 
 had only a small piquet of observation upon the right bank, and 
 that no opposition was prepared. Owing to light and baffling 
 winds, the bridge flotilla had not arrived off" the bar. The pen- 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON t5S 
 
 toons from Bidart did not accomplish tlieir march in the time 
 expected ; and at noon four jolly-boats, and five pontoons, which 
 the men took on their shoulders and carried over tlie sand-hills, 
 : were the only means of passage at the disposal of the general. 
 To protect the launch of these boats, some field-guns were moved 
 forward. At sight of the troops the enemy's piquet retired witii- 
 out firing a shot, and walked leisurely away to the citadel. Fifty 
 men were instantly rowed over to the riglit bank. A hawser 
 was stretched across the river; the five jwntoons were formed 
 into rafts; and a detachment of the guards was ferried over. 
 When about 600 men had been put across, the tide flowed so 
 strong, that the rafts could no longer work ; and, save a few sent 
 over in the jolly-boats, tlie jmssage of troops ceased. At this 
 time only six companies of the guards, two of tlie 60th rifles, 
 and a small j)arty of the rocket corps, had been passed to the 
 right bank. All seemed quiet in their front; when, suddenly, 
 about five o'clock in the evening, two columns issued from the 
 citadel to attack this detachment Colonel Stopford drew up his 
 troops in a position that secured his flanks, and enabled him to 
 avail himself of the support of the guns on the opposite bank. 
 His right rested on the Adour, his left on a morass. The artillery 
 could sweep his front with a defensive fire; and he judiciously 
 placed his rocket-men on either flank. The French had nearly 
 1500 men, and advanced to the attack vvitli stime siiow of reso- 
 lution ; when the rockets opened on tlicni, and being well di- 
 rected, swept through their ranks with so rushing a sound, aitd 
 so destructive an effect, that the novelty startled and apjKiUed 
 them. 
 
 They seemed paralyzed with astonishment, and a few quickly 
 following discharges of these ground-rockets drove them back 
 in haste and fear. More men were crossed over in the night at 
 slack water; and on tlie following evening the first division, two 
 guns, and a stpiadron of dragoons, were established on the right 
 bank. 
 
 The flotilla appeared off" the Adour on the morning of the 
 25th, and at three in tlie afternoon, it being then high water, 
 stood for the bar in single file. The wind was fair, and the 
 weather clear and brilliant, but a heavy swell from the west- 
 ward broke upon the bar, and the surf was high. The shores 
 were crowded with trooi)s, in breathless anxiety for the fate of 
 the leading vessel, which most persons expected to |)erisli ; for, 
 in the morning, two of the men-of-war's launches had been 
 swamped and s<jme lives lost She passed safely however, 
 tliough half filled with water, and was close followed by others 
 with like succesji. As they shot up witli the tide, the soldiers on 
 either Iiank gave three loud and exulting cheers of welcome. 
 Thirty-four of these cliasse inarees ran safely over the high surf, 
 
156 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 keeping right before it, and dipping tlieir bowsprits under water 
 as they came in : but three or four of the vessels of this flotilla 
 were driven on shore, swamped, or went to pieces. The chasse 
 marees that entered were now anchored head and stern upon the 
 line chosen, in a most masterly manner, by the naval officers 
 and their brave seamen. The sappers worked hard all night, 
 and by noon on the following day a solid strong bridge was laid 
 down and reported passable. Troops and artillery now filed over 
 it, and the citadel of Bayonne was closely invested. The garri- 
 son were found laboring at an advanced line of defence, and 
 held strong posts in the villages in front of it. Sir John Hope 
 drove them within their advanced line, and seized these villages. 
 The place was now closely blockaded, and the advanced posts 
 of the investing corps were most carefully strengthened, for the 
 garrison amounted to 10,000 men under general Thouvenot, 
 with several gun-boats on the river under his defences. There- 
 fore a boom was stretched across the Adour above the bridge 
 just laid down ; and the troops in reserve, as well as on tlie ad- 
 vanced posts, were held m constant readiness, both night and 
 day, to stand to their arms. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 THE BATTU: OF ORTHEZ. — THE RETREAT OF THE FRENCH. THE COMBAT 
 
 OF AIRE. LORD WELLINGTON MARCHES HIS LEFT WING UPON BORDEAUX. 
 
 THE RECEPTION OF THE DUKE OF ANGOULEME IN THAT CITY. STATE 
 
 OF AFFAIRS IN FRANCE. THE MOVEMENTS OF SOULT. LORD WELLING- 
 TON'S MANCEUVRES. THE BATTLE OF TOULOUSE. SOULT DEFEATED. 
 
 THE SORTIE FROM BAYONNE. THE ABDICATION OF NAPOLEON. FERDI- 
 NAND'S RETURN TO SPAIN. THE RESTORATION OF THE BOURBONS IN 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 By lord Wellington's earliest operations on the right, that 
 flank of his army had been at once cleared, and the enemy had 
 been driven from a country much intersected by rivers, and sin- 
 gularly difficult and defensible. 
 
 The position Soult now occupied at Sauveterre was covered 
 by a broad river, and in other points very advantageous. Lord 
 Wellington made so strong a demonstration upon the front of 
 the line on which Soult now rested, that while tlie attention of 
 the marshal was wholly engaged by the movements in his front, 
 Sir Rowland Hill crossed the Gave d'Oleron at Villenave, with- 
 out any opposition, on the 24th of February, and turned his left. 
 Upon this Soult hastily abandoned his ground, transferred his 
 head-quarters to Orthez, and took up a formidable position behind 
 the Pau. The third and light divisions, under Sir Thomas Picton, 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 157 
 
 had followed the corps of Hill, and passed the Gave d'Oleron at 
 the same spot ; and the sixth division, under Sir Henry Clinton, 
 had crossed also between Montfort and Laas, without meeting 
 any resistance, while marshal Beresford, on the left, kept the 
 enemy close within their tete-de-pont at Pcyrehorade. Lord 
 Wellington, now disposing his force in three columns, determined 
 to attack the position of Orthez. The left, under marshal Beres- 
 ford, forded the Pau about four miles above Peyrehorade, and 
 marching u{) tiie right bank, joined the cavalry and general 
 Picton's division, which liad crossed by a ford below Berenx. Sit 
 Rowland Hill, with his own corps, supported by the sixtli and 
 light divisions, inarched to force the bridge of Orthez ; but the 
 approach was found so strongly guarded by defences and troops, 
 tliat the attempt was countermanded. 
 
 About eight in the morning of the 27th of February, tlie sixth 
 and light divisions were moved down the river (to the spot 
 where Picton had forded on the afternoon of the preceding day), 
 and crossed over by a bridge of boats, which lord Wellington 
 had directed to be laid down for tlic artillery. Tlie corps of Sir 
 Rowland Hill reinained upon the high road to Sauveterre, oppo- 
 site t)ie bridge and village of Orthez. Tlie passage of the Pan, 
 from the depth of the fords and tiie force of tlie current, proved 
 very difficult ; but the soldiers, by supporting each other steadily, 
 surmounted the danger, and crossed without loss. 
 
 Lord Wellington, having carefully reconnoitred the enemy's 
 position, decided to attack it 
 
 Their loft flank rested upon tlie town of Orthez, and their line 
 was posted upon a range of heigiits extending about a mile ia 
 tlie direction of Dax. Their riglit stood on a blufl^, abrupt point, 
 and was covered in front by the village of St. Boes. The centre 
 of their line, owing to the form of ttie hill, stood considerably 
 retired ; and, being thus sheltered by the advanced position or 
 the flanks, was inassailable. A reserve of two divisions of in- 
 fantry and a brigade of cavalry, was drawn up on a very elevated 
 and commanding heigiit upon tiic road toSault de Navailles. 
 
 The dispositions of lord Wellington were soon made. Mar- 
 slial Beresford, with tlie fourth and seventh divisions, and colonel 
 Vivian's brigade of cavalry, were ordered to carry the village of 
 St. Boes on the right, and to assault tlie hill above it Sir Thoniaa 
 Picton was ordered to march with the third and sixth divisions, 
 and a brigade of cavalry under lord Edward Somerset, upon the 
 centre and left of the enemy. The light division, under boron 
 Alton, was directed to advance up a ravine between these two 
 columns, and to give supiwrt where it might be wanted. Sir 
 Rowland Hill was instructed to lend his corjie across tiie river 
 by a fonl about two miles above Orthez, to gain a point in tJie 
 enemy's rear, and cut off his coiiiniunicalion with the town of Pau. 
 
 Vol. II. O 
 
168 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The left wing of the allies began the battle. Sir Lowry Cole, 
 with the fourth division, after a sharp contest, carried the village 
 of St. Boes with spirit. Marshal Beresford now moved forwards, 
 with the division of general Cole still leading, to attack the right 
 of the enemy on the bold hill above. The troops advanced in 
 gallant order, but the approach was along a narrow ridge, with 
 ravines on either side. Upon the summit of this, two lines of 
 French infantry were drawn up to oppose them. It was not 
 possible for the assailants to advance upon the enemy in a line 
 of more than two battalions in front. The ground over which 
 they marched was commanded by a heavy battery of field-artil- 
 lery ; and in the upper part of the ravines upon their flanks the 
 French had posted strong bodies of light infantry. The troops 
 behaved admirably well, and made brave efforts to reach the 
 summit of the position, but in vain. 
 
 They were beaten back by a terrible fire both of artillery and 
 infantry. A Portuguese brigade was so roughly handled, that 
 it broke in confusion, and was only saved by the timely support 
 of a brigade of the light division, which moved up on its flank 
 and covered its retreat. Under these circumstances, lord Wel- 
 lington executed one of those sudden changes of attack which 
 exhibit the ready resource and firm resolve of a bold and able 
 general. 
 
 He directed general Walker, with the seventh division, and 
 colonel Barnard, with a brigade of the light division, to ascend 
 the height by its left, and attack the enemy's right at that 
 bend by which it was connected with the centre. At the 
 same time, he ordered Sir Thomas Picton and Sir Henry Clinton 
 to lead forward their divisions, which had hitherto been waiting 
 the result of marshal Beresford's assault. Thus, suddenly, the 
 fiice of the battle was changed ; for these orders were executed 
 with such rapidity and boldness, that the crest of the position 
 was soon gained, and, after some fierce and desperate fighting 
 on the heights, the enemy suddenly retired, moving off" at first 
 with good order, and disputing their ground as they retreated 
 handsomely. A body of French cavalry, in particular, made a 
 gallant charge upon two corps of tlie sixth division in an effort 
 to seize the artillery of that division, but it failed, and they were 
 repulsed steadily by the 42d foot. All the regiments of the third 
 division fought hard, and were distinguished; and a brigade 
 under general Inglis made a most gallant charge with the bayo- 
 net on the enemy's left flank ; nor could any thing be finer than 
 the advance of the 52d regiment under colonel Colborne, which, 
 after the change of attack, led first up the hill. 
 
 Marshal Soult conducted his army to the rear in regular eche- 
 lons of divisions, and they held the several positions taken up 
 till the allies closed on their front and moved upon their flank ; 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 159 
 
 but, as soon as he found that lord Wellington had sent a corps 
 across the river, and that Sir Rowland was in full march to in- 
 tercept his retreat, he hastened the pace of his columns, till, as 
 Sir Rowland pressed onwards upon a parallel line of march to 
 cut him off from Sault de Navailles, the French broke their 
 formation, and ran for that point with such speed that the great 
 body of them passed it in a crowd. However, nearly two thou- 
 sand prisoners were taken in the pursuit; for, wherever any 
 obstacle checked their hurry, they suffered greatly. Near Sault 
 de Navailles lord Edward Somerset charged them with his cav- 
 alry, and captured a great number of prisoners; and they left 
 several guns to the victors. The French loss in killed, wounded, 
 and taken, exceeded 6(K)0, and some hundreds afterwards de- 
 serted, or rather disbanded, and w ent to their homes. 
 
 In this battle lord Wellington was struck by a spent ball, — 
 happily it did but graze his skin, — nor did he quit his saddle till 
 the day was won ; but he then found himself so lamed and stiff, 
 that he could not ride hi the pursuit. 
 
 The French army retired in the night to Hagetman, where it 
 was joined by the garrison of Dax, and continued its retreat to 
 St. Sever. At the same time Soult directed a considerable body 
 of troops to march upon Aire, and to cover the removal of large 
 magazines collected at that place. 
 
 As the allies advanced, the main body of the enemy at St 
 Sever fell lack upon Agen. The left of the allied army, under 
 marshal Beresford, was now directed on Mont de Marsan ; while 
 the right, under Sir Rowland Hill, pursued that corps of the 
 enemy detaclied to Aire. Unfortunately, the rains set in again 
 on the evening of the battle, and fell so heavily, that the rivers 
 and streams were soon swollen ; the march of the allies was 
 thus greatly impeded, for the enemy destroyed all the bridges 
 in their rear. However, Sir Rowland Hill came up to the enemy 
 on the 2d of March, and found them in position before the 
 town of Aire. They were drawn up on a ridge of hills, which 
 extended across the main road leading to the town, and their 
 right rcstetl upon the Adour. Sir Rowland attacked them in- 
 stantly ; the second division advanced by the road, and a Portu- 
 guese brigade ascended the heights ujxm their left- The columns 
 were conunanded by Sir William Stewart, and the Portuguese 
 were le<i by general de Coeta. The second division, notwith- 
 standing the strength of the position, carried tlie point, which 
 they assaile*! with great steadiness and vigor; but the Portuguese 
 brigade, nllhougli they gallantly won tJie heiglit, were so stoutly 
 resLslod artnrwards, that tlu-ir formation was broken, and they 
 would have l)ron driven off in confusion liaii not general Barnes 
 come promptly to their aid. The success of the srcond division 
 enabled Sir William Stewart to detach tlie brigade of Baiues, 
 
160 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 and thus, just as the French were about to fall upon the Portu- 
 guese with a column well formed and full of confidence, they 
 themselves were charged by the British and beaten off the field. 
 Nevertheless the enemy rallied, and made a strenuous effort to 
 recover their ground ; but the brigade of general Byng, which 
 had been hitherto in reserve, was now brought forward, and the 
 French soon gave up the contest; and, abandoning the position 
 and the town, hastily crossed the Adour in so great disorder, 
 that many were taken prisoners in the pursuit, and a small body, 
 being separated from the main force, fled fast towards the town 
 of Pau. In this affair the allies lost about 150 killed and wounded ; 
 and here the honorable lieutenant-colonel Hood, of the staff, was 
 elain. 
 
 Marshal Soult now conducted his army up the right bank of 
 the Adour, and upon the 3d of -March he had again collected all 
 his forces at Plaisance, Madiran, and Maubourget, in the full 
 impression that liis opponent would follow him ; but lord Wel- 
 lington, finding the road to Bordeaux open, instantly directed 
 his left wing upon that important city, and thus, not only carried 
 the war into the heart of France, but to a province where the 
 memory of the house of Bourbon was yet cherished. The arri- 
 val of the duke d'Angouleme at St. Jean de Luz, two months 
 before this period, had been a circumstance then of some little 
 embarrassment to lord Wellington. The British government 
 had, at that time, taken no ground on which he could venture to 
 recognize that prince at head-quarters in any other character 
 than that of a private individual, volunteering to serve in the 
 common cause against the ruler of France and the enemy of all 
 Europe. However, the course of events, the progress of the 
 allied arms, and the ascertained dispositions of the citizens of 
 Bordeaux, had now brought together many circumstances favor- 
 able to the hopes of the Bourbons, and to the restoration of that 
 ancient and unhappy house. 
 
 The inhabitants of Bordeaux, with a garrison of Napoleon's 
 controlling them, could not of course, as yet, give a free and 
 open expression to their sentiments. Therefore, marshal Beres- 
 ford was instructed to drive out the garrison and take possession 
 of the city. But, before this movement was made, the Spanish 
 reserve under general Freire was brought forward, and all the 
 dispo.sable troops except the three divisions under Beresford 
 closed to the right. Upon the 8th, that general advanced towards 
 the Garonne. 
 
 As early as the 1st of March, the duke d'Angouleme lefl 
 St. Jean de Luz, and rode forwards by easy journeys to join this 
 corps of the army. He was accompanied by the count Damas 
 and a British officer, their grooms, and one orderly dragoon. The 
 duke himself preserved a quiet and retired demeanor well 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 1 6 1 
 
 becoming his position ; however, the old count Damas could not 
 avoid telling the people as he passed who the duke was. For 
 this purpose, he often fell befrind the party, and conversed with 
 such groups of Frenchmen as they passed upon the road. The 
 intelligence was almost everywhere received with a decided 
 expression of satisfaction and respect There were no loud- 
 acclamations, but the good disposition was evident and general. 
 One remarkable exception occurred wortliy to be noticed. At 
 Peyrehorade tlie postmaster recommended that the mayor only 
 should be apprized, as he said, the inhabitants having many of 
 them been enriched by the plunder of the ernigrants were bad 
 spirits. When indeed they discover«l who their illustrious guest 
 was, they ventured no insult, but gazed upon him with more 
 curiosity than attachment. In many parts of the duke's route, 
 the people, hearing beforehand of his approach, crowded to the 
 road-side, were loud in their joy, and showed strong marks of 
 good-will. The utmost cordiality was everywhere manifested 
 by the clergy, and the farther he advanced, the more hearty and 
 fearless was the reception given him by the people. 
 
 From the moment that the hopes of tlie exiled family had 
 recovered ; and before the duke d'Angouleme went to St. Jean 
 de Luz, an agent of the Bourbons had visited Bordeaux, had seen 
 M. de la Roche-Jacquelein, and communicated to him tlie wishes 
 of Louis XVIII. That zealous and courageous royalist immedi- 
 ately exerted himself in the cause of the king, and a disposition 
 was soon evinced among the inhabitants of Anjou and Touraine 
 to renounce their allegiance to Napoleon and restore the ancient 
 line of princes. Of Uie existence of this feeling, Buonaparte 
 was soon apprized, and Savary received orders to arrest M. de la 
 Roche-Jacqucloin as the secret promoter of this dangerous con- 
 spiracy : but, boing privately warned of tiiis while in the country, 
 by an express from M. Lynch of Bordeaux, he escaped thither 
 on the instant, an;l from thence, with some difficulty and danger, 
 to the British head-cpiarters. Mere he made warm rcprescntationa 
 of the state of the public mind in Bordeaux, and expressed his 
 desire to be intrusted with a few hundred men that he might 
 land on the coast of Poitou and rouse the spirit of La Vendee. 
 Lord Wellington listened to M. de la llochc-Jnccjuelcin with 
 interest and respect; but, considered it doubtful wholher the 
 attachment of tlie people to the IViurbons was so decided ns the 
 sanguine wishes of his loyal informant led him to represent it. 
 Moreover, as the allies were then recognizing Buonaparte us the 
 sovereign of France, he was not authorized to entertain any 
 such proposition as was thus made to him. However, tlie cor- 
 rectness of the statement of this ardent royalist as regarded 
 Bordeaux was now confirmed. 
 
 As soon as marshal Beresford approached the city, general 
 O 2 
 
162 MILITARY iMEMOIRS OF 
 
 L'Huillier withdrew the garrison and retired to the right bank 
 of the Garonne. Upon this the entire population of Bordeaux, 
 headed by tlieir civil authorities, came out to greet the allies ; 
 received them as deliverers, and hailed the duke d'Angouleme 
 with the loudest enthusiasm. They all wore the white ccckade, 
 and, upon the entrance of this prince, they destroyed all the 
 badges of the existing government, and proclaimed Louis XVIII. 
 with unhesitating boldness. All this they did upon their own 
 risk, without one pledge or promise of protection, or one stipu- 
 lation in their favor; should the negotiations then pending at 
 Chatillon so terminate as to leave Buonaparte their master by 
 the voice of the allies. This early and decided declaration for 
 the Bourbons lord Wellington had not expected or advised. On 
 the contrary, while glad to have military occupation of a city 
 with such dispositions, he liad recommended patience as their 
 prudent and their proper course till the congress of Chatillon 
 had terminated its sittings, and closed their treaty. 
 
 While these things were passing in the eouth of France, 
 Napoleon, at the head of as large a force as he could assemble, 
 was defending the approaches to his capital with an ability and 
 spirit never in his most fortunate and successful campaigns 
 exceeded. All his eflbrts had only enabled him to collect an 
 army numerically feeble, while upon all sides the allies were 
 advancing from the Rhine in mighty and resistless strength. 
 Yet this man of energy, by the skill of his combinations, and by 
 the length and rapidity of his marches, was opposing alternately 
 the head of every hostile column witli superior numbers. Though 
 they were thrusting him down from the pinnacle of his pride, he 
 was plucking laurels as he fell. Already the allies had penetrated 
 to Laon, and had, though for a time only, occupied Soissons : still 
 fearless, still hopeful, he was making head in the field against 
 the confederated armies of Europe, and struggling in the con- 
 gress for such conditions as would have left him master of many 
 important fortresses beyond the ancient limits of France ; and, 
 as a consequence, enabled him, after a convenient repose, again 
 to march forth as the disturber of all Europe. 
 
 The march directed by lord Wellington upon Bordeaux at 
 such a moment, and the popular movement, produced a remark- 
 able effect all over the South of France, and it extended to the 
 very heart of the country. 
 
 Marshal Soult instantly published an angry and stormy pro- 
 clamation, full of im}X)tent abuse against the English nation, and 
 of mean invectives against the victorious leader of her gallant 
 army. This document showed plainly the full value of that 
 advantage which the allies had gained by the marcli upon Bor- 
 deaux. To counteract this movement, and if possible to bring 
 back Uie allies from the Garonne, Soult suddenly advanced en 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 163 
 
 the 13th of March to Conchez and Viella on the right flank of 
 the allies, drove in the piquets of Sir Rowland Hill, and menaced 
 the corps of that general with the serious attack of his whole 
 force. Sir Rowland immediately disposed his corps with their 
 left at Aire, their right at Garlin, and the little river of Gros 
 Lees in his front; and lord Wellington sent two divisions to 
 Bupport him. 
 
 Soult took post opposite the allies upon a ridge of very strong 
 ground, and displaying great numbers, kept them in doubt as to 
 his own intentions, and thus reckoned on compelling Welling- 
 ton to evacuate Bordeaux. In this he was disappointed ; for, 
 though lord Wellington sent Beresford orders to lead back a part 
 of his corps, he directed that one division should be left in that 
 city. However, the corps of Sir Rowland Hill being already 
 strengthened by two divisions, Soult did not attempt any thing 
 further, but remainetl in presence of the allies the whole of the 
 14th, and judging from appearances that lord Wellington might 
 attack him on the morrow, he drew off in the night. The allies 
 followed him, and found his rear -guard strongly posted at 
 Mascarras, with his main body in position at Burosse. On the 
 approach of the advanced guard, the whole of the enemy retired 
 upon Vic Bigorre. During the 16th and 17th, the allies halted. 
 Upon the 18th, having been joined by some reserve artillery and 
 cavalry, and by the Spanish corps from Irun, the whole army 
 again advanced. Upon tlie lOtli, they marched in two columns 
 upon Vic Bigorre ; the right moving by I.,embege, and tiie left by 
 Maubourget At Vic the enemy's rear-guard being strongly 
 posted among the vineyards in front of the town, held its ground 
 until dislcxlged by the light companies of the tiiird division, and 
 a Portuguese brigade, after a brilliant skirmish. 
 
 The same evening Soult collected his whole army on the 
 right bank of the Adour. Here he placed his troops in position 
 on some favorable heights with his left resting on Tarbes, and 
 his right extending in the direction of Rabastens. 
 
 Upon the 2()th,Tord Wellington directed Jhe corps of Sir Row- 
 land Hill, and the third division, to advance upon the enemy's 
 front, while Sir Henry Clinton, with tlie sixth division, 6up|K)rtcd 
 by two brigades of cavalrj', shoulil cross tlic Adour near Vic, 
 and march to turn his right These manu-uvres were well exe- 
 cuted and completely successful. Sir Rowland drove the enemy 
 to the heights beyond Tarb&s his light troops charging them 
 through the streets of the town ; and, as soon as the French 
 marshal discerned the column of Sir Henry Clinton upon his 
 right, he fell back upon a strong ridge of heights in his rear 
 nearly parallel to his former jxisition, and u[)on which his reserve 
 was already formed. The fresh di.spositions ncces.'iary to attack 
 this poet could not be completed till it was already too late in 
 
164 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 the evening to dislodge him. In the night, however, Soult re- 
 tired by St. Gaudens on Toulouse. Being without encumbrances 
 he marched rapidly, destroyed the bridges in his rear, and en- 
 tered Toulouse on the 24th. The cavalry, under general Fane, 
 came up with his rear-guard at St. Gaudens, and made some 
 prisoners, but he was not further molested. The allies being 
 encumbered with a pontoon train, followed by most of their 
 supplies, and moving over bad roads under heavy rain, marched 
 slowly, and did not arrive before Toulouse till the 27th, when 
 they halted upon the left bank of the Garonne opposite the city. 
 
 Here Soult assembled every disposable soldier, and occupied 
 a position, the local advantages of which he carefully improved 
 by fortifying the approaches with skill, and constructing on the 
 position itself redoubts of considerable strength. 
 
 The city of Toulouse covers a space of ground, about two 
 miles in length from north to south ; and the breadth from east 
 to west is a mile and a quarter. The Fauxbourg St Cyprien 
 stands on the left bank of the Garonne, and is surrounded, like 
 the city itself, by an ancient wall of brick, lofty, of considerable 
 thickness, and flanked by towers. This fauxbourg is connected 
 with the city by a good bridge of stone. 
 
 About two miles below the city the-canal of Languedoc enters 
 the Garonne. This canal and the river surround Toulouse on 
 three sides. On the fourth, or to the south, an open space extends 
 from the Garonne to the canal. To the east of the canal there is 
 a range of heights, and beyond flows a river called tlie Ers. All 
 the roads from the eastward pass over these heights. 
 
 Here was the field position of the enemy. Upon the left and 
 centre five redoubts had been constructed of a very strong pro- 
 file, and they were connected by lines of intrenchment ; but the 
 right of this line, being covered by the river Ers at the distance 
 of half-gun-shot, had no such defences. The bridges on the canal 
 were guarded by tetes-de-pont, and commanded by artillery from 
 the old walls of the city. All the bridges over the Ers by which 
 their right could be, approached were broken down, except one 
 at the village of Croix d'Orade, which they left standing for 
 their convenience, with the intention of destroying it at the last 
 moment. On the side of St. Cyprien, the enemy had thrown up 
 strong field-works in front of the ancient walls, and formed an 
 impregnable tete-de-pont. The south front of the city is not 
 covered either by the river or the canal ; but it cannot be di- 
 rectly approached, owing to the badness of the roads, which are 
 not practicable for artillery, and to those heights upon the east 
 which command them. The width and rapidity of the Garonne 
 completed the security of the enemy's position, and increased 
 the difficulties of the assailant. 
 
 On the 28th lord Wellington attempted to lay down a bridge 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINGTON. 165 
 
 at Portet, a village above the town ; but, when the sheer line was 
 stretched across, the width proved more than the pontoons would 
 cover. Upon the 31st, a passable point was found higher up. 
 It was some time, liowever, before the spot was fixed on. When, 
 after llie difficulty of the 28lh, some officer had expressed an ap- 
 prehension thai it might not be practicable to lay down a bridge 
 till tlie river had fallen, lord Wellington observed instantly, with 
 cheerful animation, but with strong decision, " If it will not do 
 one way, wc must try another ; for I never in my life gave up 
 any thing I once undertook." 
 
 As soon as tlio pontcKins were laid down near Ropues, on the 
 31st, Sir Rowland Hill led his corps across the river; but, from 
 the state of the roads, and the nature of the ccuntrj', which had 
 been soaked with the late rains, he found it impossible to march 
 upon Toulouse from that point. The efforts were, for a time, 
 persevered in ; but the road proving quite impassable, he coun- 
 termarched, and returned to the left bank. On the 4th of April, 
 a bridge was laid down considerably below the city, at a bend in 
 the river, about half a league above Grenade. Here, under the 
 cover of flanking batteries, marshal Beresford, with the fourth 
 and sixth divisions and some cavalry, crossed and established 
 himself on the right bank. These troops were to have been fol- 
 lowed by the Spanish corps under general Freire, and by the 
 light division ; but the river .suddenly rose, and it became neces- 
 sary to take up a part of the bridge instantly, and on the mor- 
 row to remove the whole. Tims marshal Beresforrl was left upon 
 the right bank in a very anxious position, and might have been 
 attacked by a very superior force. However, no attack was 
 made. The river subsided, and, upon the 8lh, the pontoons were 
 again put down, and the Spaniards of Freire crossed to the right 
 bank ; a brilliant afl'nir of cavalry, in wliich the 18tli hussars, 
 led by colonel Vivian, overtiircw a Ixxly of tlic enemy's horse in 
 front of the village of Croix d'Orade, enabled tliat officer to seize 
 the bridge, and tluis secure an approach to the enemy's position 
 of great importjmce. In this skirmish the French were pursued 
 so closely that thoy lost 1(K) pri.^onors. During this period tJie 
 corps of Sir Rowland Hill remained in front of the fauxbourw 
 St Cypricn ; and tiie attention of the enemy was thus diverted 
 from mar.<hal Beresford. On the night of tlio 8tli, the bridge 
 by which that marshal and the Spaniards had crossed tiic Ga- 
 ronne w;iH removed and bro\ight hii>]ier up tlic river, and put down 
 near Ausonne. This could not be effi^cfed yo as to admit of the 
 light division passing, on the 9th, soon enough for a general en- 
 gagement on that day : but, early on the 10th, the light and third 
 divisions crossed the river, and the whole army was in motion, 
 or under arms, to attack the enemy. 
 
 The corps of Sir Rowland Hill observed the Fauxbourg St 
 
166 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Cyprien, and confined the enemy closely within his works. The 
 third division was to make a heavy demonstration against the 
 canal bridge and the town immediately to the right of the river; 
 the light division was to act upon the left of the third, and to ob- 
 serve and shut up the road of Paris. Marshal Beresford was to 
 lead the fourth and sixth divisions across the Ers, seize the vil- 
 lage of Mont Blanc ; and, moving along the left bank of the Ers, 
 till he gained the right flank of the enemy's position, he was to 
 form and attack it. The Spaniards under Freire were to ascend 
 the left of the enemy's position at the same moment that Beres- 
 ford assaulted the right, and push forward upon the heights till 
 they should meet his column. Such were the dispositions for 
 the attack. 
 
 The heights upon the left of the enemy's position, called La 
 Pujade, were guarded by two divisions of infantry, having in 
 their front a brigade of horse. Those of Mont Calvinet, on the 
 right centre, were occupied by one division of infantry; and 
 those of Montaudran, on the extreme right, were held by one 
 brigade of infantry, with a strong body of cavalry in their front, 
 on the road to Bordes. Heavy columns of reserve were posted 
 in rear of the heights. The can^l, from the rear of La Pujade 
 to its junction with the Garonne,""was guarded by strong bodies 
 of infantry. The suburb of St. Cyprien was occupied by a divi- 
 sion ; and that of St. Etienne, upon the eastern side, by another ; 
 and various posts in the fauxbourg and on the walls were de- 
 fended by reserve conscripts and national guards. 
 
 Marshal Beresford opened the battle, by crossing the bridge 
 of Orade, and carrying the village of Mont Blanc. This done, 
 he marched up the left bank of the Ers in three open columns 
 over difficult ground in the finest order. As soon as he had reach- 
 ed a point opposite the extreme right of the enemy's position, he 
 formed his lines of attack, and advanced steadily upon it. While 
 Beresford was engaged in these preliminary movements, general 
 Freire had formed the Spanish foot in front of Croix d'Orade in 
 two lines of attack. A battery of Portuguese artillery was placed 
 on a height near, to cover their movements ; and general Pon- 
 sonby's brigade of cavalry was formed in their rear as a reserve. 
 
 The right and left of the heights occupied by the enemy were 
 now assaulted at the same moment. The Spaniards advanced - 
 boldly, and drove in the first brigade of the French which they 
 encountered ; but, as they closed upon the enemy's works, the 
 fire of grape became so deadly that they lost their formation, and 
 went forward with great irregularity and confusion to a hollow 
 road in front of the enemy's intrenchments, which was sheltered 
 from the guns. The second line of the Spaniards advanced but 
 slowly to their support. The French, seeing the difficulty and 
 irresolution of the assailants, came upon them swiftly, and with 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 167 
 
 such vigor, that, with the exception of one regiment, the Span- 
 ish troops broke, and were driven back upon the Ers with a heavy 
 loss. The general Freire and his best officers exerted themselves 
 gallantly, and to the utmost, to check this disorder, and rally the 
 fugitives. Lord Wellington, always present at the right place, 
 and at the right moment, rallied a small body of tliem at an 
 important point in person. The light division was brought up 
 on the right of the Spaniards, and thus the enemy was checked 
 in his hot pursuit ; the bridge over the Ers was preserved ; and 
 general Freire was enabled to collect his discomfited battalions 
 and form them anew. 
 
 The right of the enemy's position was already in the power 
 of marshal Bcresfbrd. Nothing could exceed the steady gal- 
 lantry with which general Clinton's division advanced up the 
 steep height of Mont Calvinet, carriotl the redoubt which covered 
 the right flank of that hill, and established themselves on the 
 enemy's line. General Cole's division, in like order, but with a 
 smaller loss, marched up the heiglits on the enemy's extreme 
 right, and formed upon the summit : suffering little either from 
 the brigade of infantry in their front, or the cavalry on their left 
 flank. 
 
 At this period of the battle, 10,000 of the allies were drawn 
 up on the same range of heights with the enemy, and marshal 
 Beresford only awaited the arrival of his guns to follow up his 
 success. Without artillery it was not jX)ssible to continue his 
 movements against tlio enemy's centre ; for they still occupied 
 in strength a formidable line of intrenchments, two fortified 
 houses, and four large redoubts. 
 
 Owirig to this state of things, all further attacks upon the 
 enemy were of necessity suspended. Meantime Soult strongly 
 reinforced his cavalry on the heiglits of Montaudran, and drew 
 from the fauxbourg SL Cyprien and the canal as many troops as 
 could be spared to form reserves in the rear of CalvineL By 
 the repulse of the Spaniards, the Frencli had obtained a consider- 
 able advantage ; and, in another part of the field, they had given 
 a severe and bloody check to the brave division of general 
 Picton. 
 
 That officer had been directed to make a false attack on the 
 canal bridge nearest to the Garonne. He exceeded these in- 
 structions, and thus committe<] his division in a real attack upon 
 a formidable work which defended that bridge, and which, by the 
 iiature of its wide ditch, was found inn.ssailable. General Picton 
 was tcinptc<l to tliis effort by a (]u\ck perception of the advan- 
 tage that would have been gained could ho have pushed across 
 the canal when the French drove the Sjviniards from the lieights 
 of La Piijade, and advancwl so far in pursuit of them. As soon 
 as ever he discovered the impracticable nature of the t^te-de- 
 
16s MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 pont, he drew off his division with haste ; but they suffered very 
 severely both from musketry and artillery. 
 
 Upon the left of the .Garonne, Sir Rowland Hill confined the 
 enemy within those works which they had erected in front of 
 St Cyprien, and made such demonstrations as kept them jealous 
 and alarmed for that suburb. 
 
 About noon Beresford got up his guns, and the battle was re- 
 newed. He continued his movements along the ridge at the 
 head of two divisions. The sixth, under Sir Henry Clinton, led ; 
 the fourth, under Sir Lowry Cole, followed ; and both advanced 
 upon the enemy's redoubts in line. Soult determined, instead of 
 waiting for this attack in the line of his works, to anticipate it 
 by a sudden and weighty assault on the sixth division, both in 
 front and flank ; counting, if successful, to overpower them be- 
 fore the fourth division could come into action. He tlierefore 
 ordered the divisions of Clausel and Taupin to attack that of 
 general Clinton in front ; and the brigade of general Leseur, 
 with a regiment of chasseurs and the cavalry of general Berton, 
 to fall upon its flank. The French pushed resolutely out, and 
 met the advancing line in ground where the fire of their redoubts 
 could render them no support. 
 
 The struggle was fierce and bloody, but it did not last long ; 
 and was finally decided by the bayonets of the British. General 
 Taupin was killed, and his division driven back in confusion upon 
 their works. The two principal redoubts, and the fortified houses 
 in the centre of their position, were instantly carried by a bri- 
 gade of the sixth division under general Pack. 
 
 All these things might be seen from the walls and the roofs 
 of Toulouse, which were crowded with anxious and agitated 
 spectators. Animated by the consciousness of this, the French 
 soldiers formed again, and, supported by the reserves on the canal, 
 made a desperate effort to recover these redoubts; but it was 
 vain. In vain did Soult renew the assault with a stubborn and 
 determined spirit ; in vain did he form his weakened divisions 
 upon a new line, in the hope that he might yet hold the works 
 of La Pujade on his left, and cover his right by those of the 
 Pont de Demoiselles on the canal : marshal Beresford pursued 
 his success with ability and vigor. The_ Spaniards, who had 
 been reformed, advanced upon the left of La Pujade, and the 
 g-allant sixth division pushed towards the same point. The 
 French, abandoning the redoubts upon those heights, now rapidly 
 passed the canal ; and the citizens of Toulouse saw the banners 
 of England, Portugal, and Spain waving upon the conquered hill 
 in triumph. 
 
 The victory of Toulouse cost the British and Portuguese more 
 than 4500 killed and wounded, and the loss of the Spaniards 
 exceeded 2000 : the French had two generals killed, and thi-e© 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 169 
 
 wounded and taken. On the side of the allies many superior 
 officers were wounded; and lieutenant-colonels Coghlan of the 
 61st, and Forbes of the 45tii, were killed. Several of the British 
 regiments, especially in the sixth division, lost more than half 
 their numbers, and were distinguished by their valor. 
 
 The French had now but one road open for their retreat : they 
 could not force across the Garonne by the suburb of St. Cyprien ; 
 for Sir Rowland Hill had, during the battle, possessed himself of 
 their e.xterior works in front of that suburb, had shut them up 
 within the ancient wall, and guarded tliat bank of the Garonne 
 closely and in strength. The battle of Toulouse was fought 
 on Easter Sunday ; and, on the day following, the terrified in- 
 habitants saw 30,000 troops within their walls, and busy prepara- 
 tions to defend the city. It is not probable that Soult ever seri- 
 ously thought of such a measure ; though he spoke of defending 
 it to extremity, and burying himself beneath the ruins. He un- 
 derstood his military position too well, and knew perfectly the 
 actual temper of the inliabitantis ; therefore, when he observed 
 the dispositions of lord Wellington to complete the investment 
 of Toulouse, he evacuated the city by night, on the 12th of 
 April, taking the road of Ville-Franche, and retired the day fol- 
 lowing to Coiitolnaudry. 
 
 Toulouse now threw wide her gates to the conquerors, and 
 welcomed them with loud expressions of joy and confidence. 
 Nor is there any reason to suppose they were not sincere. All 
 were suddenly released from very terrible anxieties and fears, — 
 all were desirous of peace, — all hated the military yoke of Na- 
 poleon, and trembled at their own troops. The clergy, and most 
 of those who respected the altar and the throne, still cherished 
 the memory of the Bourbons: therefore they displayed the white 
 flag ; they mounted white cockades ; they shouted " Vive le roi !" 
 and they hailed Wellington iis their deliverer. 
 
 One reflection connecte<l with the victory of Toulouse is 
 mournful : had the actual state of affairs at Paris been communi- 
 cated with the lea.st possible delay, the battle pcrha|)s never 
 would have been fought, and the life-blood of many gallant men 
 might have been sparc^d. It was not till tlie evening of the 13th 
 that dispatciies arrived from Paris with intelligence that Napo- 
 leon had abtlicated, and that the Bourbons were restored. This 
 information was brought by two officers, one of each nation, and 
 immediately communicated to Soult; but tliat marshal demurred, 
 and, refusing to send in his adhesion to the new government till 
 he could iiscertain the real state of public affairs, would only 
 propose a suspension of hostilities. This lord Wellington re- 
 fused, as a course unnecessjiry, and tending to keep up disquiet 
 and alarm in the public mind, and instantly put his army in 
 
 Vol. II. P 
 
170 " MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 motion to follow Soult. As soon as the allies advanced, the mar- 
 shal formally recognized the provisional government of France ; 
 and on the following day, the 18th of April, hostilities ceased, 
 and a line of demarcation was established between the army of 
 Soult and that of the allies. The battle of Toulouse was not 
 the closing scene of this memorable campaign in the south of 
 France. Upon the morning of the 14th of April, the governor 
 of Bayonne made a furious sortie upon the investing corps. The 
 French sallied from the citadel in great strength, and, rushing 
 upon the intrenched village of St. Etienne, dislodged the allies 
 before they could effectually resist or be supported from the 
 rear. Here general Hay, who commanded the outposts for the 
 night, was slain. The allied piquets in the centre were also 
 forced back, and general Stafford was wounded. Nor did the 
 disasters end here. Sir John Hope hastened early to the scene 
 of action ; but he was soon wounded, and his horse siiot under 
 him, and before he could be extricated was made prisoner by the 
 enemy. However, reinforcements were quickly brought up; 
 and the French being driven into the citadel, all the posts were 
 re-established as before. The fighting was very severe, and at 
 close quarters; many bayonet wounds were given, on both 
 sides ; and the opponents only discerned each other's ranks by 
 the flashing of their muskets. The loss of the allies amounted 
 to 800 killed, wounded, and taken ; that of the French was yet 
 greater. 
 
 As the works of the siege had not commenced, as there were 
 no guns or stores upon the ground, and as the state of affairs at 
 Paris had been communicated to the governor the day before, it 
 is difficult to excuse this action of general Thouvenot : it con- 
 sisted not with the necessary or the honorable performance of 
 his duty, and can only be attributed to an expectation that 
 Buonaparte would yet retrieve his affairs, and to a belief that 
 he should again see the star of Napoleon in the ascendant 
 Meanwhile, the fall of his master was at the moment irrecover- 
 able, and had been greatly precipitated by a blind and super- 
 stitious confidence in his talents and his fortunes. He was 
 beaten in a general engagement at Arcis on the 20th of March, 
 and his numbers in the field were reduced to 70,000 men ; yet, 
 by a movement of unexampled boldness, he threw himself with 
 the main body of his army in rear of the vast allied force then 
 collected on the Marne, on the 22d. The congress at Chatillon 
 had broken up on the 19th, and Napoleon's minister had returned 
 with their just and firm decision upon the only terms admissible. 
 Now, therefore,- it was, that, in the hope he should astonish and 
 confuse their generals, as he often had done by an audacity of 
 manoeuvre that would paralyze the confidence of their soldiers, 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 171 
 
 he marched on Vitry and St. Dizier, and exclaimed with a 
 daring vaunt, " I shall be at Vienna before they will be in Paris." 
 The allied commanders were not moved by this desperate act 
 of folly. They only followed his march with cavalry ; and 
 rapidly concentrating their forces at Chalon, they marched on 
 Paris. The weak corps of Marmont and Mortier upon the 
 Marne were driven back into the capital ; and, upon the 29th of 
 March, Paris was invested on the northern side by the grand 
 armies of the allied monarchs. Marmont had more than 15,000 
 regular troops in that city ; the gensdarmerie, the national guard, 
 and retired military, would have more than doubled that amount 
 of armed combatants. However, upon the 30th, after a short 
 combat, the allies established themselves on tlie heights of 
 Belle-vue ; and Joseph Buonaparte the regent having quitted his 
 charge, Paris capitulated. The barriers were given over to the 
 allies the same evening, and'in the night the regular troops of 
 the French retired. According to the stipulation, they marched 
 out with their artillery. The day following the allied sovereigns 
 entered the city, and were received by the inhabitants with 
 cheers and contentment. 
 
 The march of the allies on Paris was discovered by Buona- 
 parte on the 26th, owing to an affair of posts at St. Dizier with 
 the troops that had followed his route. It exceedingly perplexed 
 him. He decided to countermarch on Paris ; but Vitry on his 
 direct road was garrisoned by Prussians, and therefore he had 
 to conduct his army by a circuitous route 150 miles. He trav- 
 elled forwards himself by post, and arrived within ten miles of 
 the capital on the 31st; and there he was informed that it was 
 already in pos-session of the enemy. He hastened back to Fon- 
 tainbleau, and collected at that point all the troops which he 
 could muster. Upon the 3d of April he would have again 
 advanced towards Paris ; but a decree of the conservative senate, 
 passed on the 2d of April, had already decided ujx)n his position. 
 That body, finding that the allied powers would no longer treat 
 with Buonaparte, or recognize him politically as the ruler of 
 Prance, formally pronounced his deposition. By this act tlie 
 nation and the army were nhsolved from the oath of allegiance 
 to their late emperor ; and the confidence of tliose suj)erior 
 officers and civil functionaries, who had to this moment faithfully 
 adhered to him, was at once destroyetl. 
 
 Thus, upon all sides pressed to submit, and plainly deserted 
 by all those whose interests mu.st have been the inevitable 
 sacrifice of any continued attachment to his fortunes, he sullenly 
 acquiesced in the decree of the senate;. 
 
 By a generous arrangement of the allied sovereigns, the 
 island of Elba was secured to him as a place of retreat in inde- 
 
172 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 pendent sovereignty ; and he was accompanied to this little and 
 secluded kingdom by a small body of veteran soldiers, wrhose 
 passion for war, and whose renown and life, seemed only capable 
 of being retained and enjoyed in the presence of their idol. 
 
 The position of all those powers who had thus punished the 
 crimes and confined the ambition of the greatest military despot 
 that ever trampled upon tlie rights of nations and the liappiness 
 of man, was at this moment a proud one : that of England pre- 
 eminently so. Tlic standards of northern Europe were planted 
 in the squares of Paris. The British flag was wavmg in the 
 market-places of Bordeiiux and Toulouse ; and the baimers of 
 Portugal and Spain were floating calmly on the plains of southern 
 France. 
 
 Such were the brilliant results of England's long and honor- 
 able struggle with that stern and tyrannous power which over- 
 shadowed Europe, and by which ' Britain, as the strong and 
 sacred asylum of true liberty, was hated with immitigable 
 hatred. 
 
 To maintain the best interests of England and of the troubled 
 world, the supreme Disposer of human events provided in mercy 
 a mighty champion. With a trust in God and the good cause, 
 Wellington stood early fortii. He contemplated the giant height 
 of the French military power with an unshrinking eye, with an 
 undazzled mind, and with a fearless heart. 
 
 The defence of Portugal was the deliverance of all Europe : 
 for when the nations beheld Wellington, with so small an army 
 of Britons, and with allies regarded hitherto as so despicable, 
 defy, resist, and beat back a host of disciplined and brave French 
 troops, led on by three marshals of France, their hearts swelled, 
 and their tongues were loosened, and they cried out to be led 
 again to battle. With new heart, and with new liope, they 
 seized their arms; and the good cause advanced and prospered 
 till the capital of France was taken, and the tyrant was de- 
 throned. From the moment that Wellington entered France 
 (and his were the first colors planted upon this sacred teriitory), 
 he had contrived with such wisdom and virtue to separate in the 
 minds of his soldiers the hostility tliey might feel towards Napo- 
 leon from those sentiments witli which tlicy were bound as 
 brave men and good soldiers to consider and treat the inhab- 
 itants of France, that he succeeded entirely in restraining by 
 principle, or chaining up by discipline, those natural feeling's 
 of revenge, which, but for their noble and humane commander, 
 the Spaniards and Portuguese might have been tempted to 
 indulge. At Toulouse, therefore, and wherever indeed he 
 moved, lord Wellington was approached by the people with 
 affection, and considered with liigh honor. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 173 
 
 The events in Catalonia and Valencia during the spring of 
 this year were inconseciiient. Sucliet sent another reinforce- 
 ment to tiie armies in France early in March, and was therefore 
 connpellcd to evacuate or destroy several strongholds; but he 
 still maintained a position behind Figueras with the troops 
 which yet remained to him. The Spaniards had recovered the 
 fortresses of J-erida, Mequinenza, and Monzon by stratagem, 
 which their possession of a French cipher, communicated by an 
 officer that dcsortod to them, enabled them (o effect, wilii little 
 difficulty, in tlic middle of February. But the governor of 
 Tortosa escaped their artifice by a wary test, and thus preserved 
 his own fortress and that of Murviedro. However, in the middle 
 of March, Buonnpurte, finding l^p could not detach Spain from 
 her alliance with England through the medium of his royal 
 prisoner and dupe Ferdinand, determined to restore him to his 
 people without ajiy conditions. Ferdinand entered Spain by 
 Catalonia ; and travelled slowly by Gcrona to Zarngossa, where 
 he made a short sojourn, and thence to Valencia, where he abode 
 for some weeks before he pa&sed on to his capital. Everywhere 
 his devoted subjects crowded uixin his path, and flocked to his 
 presence with loud and loyal acclamations. His name had been 
 a watchword and a battle-word for many trying and miserable 
 years. The king cf Spain was now placed in a difficult position. 
 The sceptre swaye<l by the caprice of a multitude proves always 
 an iron rod, with which the best and wisest are oppressed. Injus- 
 tice and oppression are the sure fruits of popular clamor and 
 popular prejudice, whenever they can sj^eak and act by the 
 voice and hand of power. 
 
 The constitution, and its provisions as pnxrlaimed and advo- 
 cated by the cortez, were obno.xious to the great body of the 
 Spanish people. They were not able to value aright the privi- 
 leges conferred upon them ; and they clamored for the disso- 
 lution of the cortez, and for the punishment of its most worthy 
 members. Evil counsellors gathered fast around the re.'^tored 
 monarch, and by flatteries and fal.-;ehoo<ls they cheated his un- 
 derstanding, roused his prejudices, and hardened him to jwrse- 
 cutions which were cruel and most umiuTitod by the unhappy 
 objects of them. However we may condemn this conduct, 
 Jiowever much it is to be deplored, yet the plain truth was this; 
 the speculative men who had framed and advocated all the 
 enactments of the new constitution had, by many and swee|)ing 
 changes, disturbed the habits and offended the prejudices of tlie 
 common people. Those improvements in their |)olitical con- 
 dition which, brought forward gradually, would have elevated 
 and blessed them, they naturally rejected then; because they 
 could not, as vet, understand the value of these proflercd boons, 
 V2 
 
1T4 MILITARY IVIEMOIBS OP 
 
 for wliich they had never asked, and whicli they never therefore 
 had desired. They were not prepared for a government truly 
 free ; and the theorists wlio would liavc bestowed it had outrun 
 their spirit and their wishes, and would have made them turbu- 
 lent and miserable. Under these circumstances, it is not sur- 
 prising that the king and his advisers dissolved the cortez, and 
 that the old despotism of the Spanish crown was fully restored, 
 without one single amelioration for the people, or one softening 
 restraint upon its exercise. 
 
 It will remain, however, to the end of time, an imlelible dis- 
 grace upon the government of Ferdinand, tliat, instead of at 
 once according an amnesty for all acts and opinions done and 
 uttered by those who had so faithfully labored in the cause of 
 Spain, the members of the regency, and many distinguished 
 patriots of the late cortez, were banished, cast into dungeons, or 
 in other modes punished and oppressed. 
 
 A happy and an honorable contrast to this wretched conduct 
 was exhibited by that branch of the Bourbons whom late events 
 had suddenly recalled to the throne of France. The circum- 
 stances and spirit of the two countries were in truth widely dif- 
 ferent; but never, perhaps, was a better or more conciliatory 
 disposition manifested by any man upon ascending the throne of 
 his fathers, than that of Louis XVIII. 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 , THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON VISITS PARIS AND iMADRID. TAKES LEAVE OF 
 
 THE ARMY ANDRETURNS TO ENGLAND. HIS RKCEPTION. REPAIRS AGAIN 
 
 TO PARIS AS AMBASSADOR. PROCEEDS TO THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA AS 
 
 PLENIPOTENTIARY. THE STATE OF FRANCr:. THE RETURN OF BUO- 
 NAPARTE. THE RENEWAL OF HOSTILITIES. IIIE CAMPAIGN IN FI.A.N- 
 
 DERS. THE VICTORY OF WATERLOO. 
 
 The severe labors of his high command being now brought to 
 a glorious conclusion, lord Wellington left Toulouse, on the night 
 of the ;JOth of April, for Paris. 
 
 He reached the French capital on tlie 4th of May, and was 
 
 eceived by the sovereigns, statesmen, and generals then at the 
 
 court of Louis XVIIF. witli great consideration and regard. * 
 
 The fame of his generous conduct in the south of France had 
 preceded him, and the citizens of Paris, wherever he was recog- 
 nized, paid liim great honor and respect. 
 
 His elevation to the dignity of an EnolisJi dukedom was here 
 made known; and it may be remarked, tliat he had already 
 received the insignia of everv distinguished order in Europe. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON 17* 
 
 The duke quitted Paris on the 10th of May, and, passing four 
 days at Toulouse, repaired to Madrid, where Ferdinand con- 
 firmed all the honors which the cortez had conferred upon him, 
 and created Jiim captain-general of Spain. He left Madrid on 
 the 5th of June, reached Bfjrdeaux upon the 10th, reviewed the 
 troops, anl tirade arrangements for their embarkation. Upon 
 tlie 14th of June, the duke of Wellington finally took leave of 
 the army at Bordcau.x. His order of thanks is remarkable for 
 the contrast which it presents to those inflated addresses by 
 which the vanity and the passions of Buonaparte's soldiers were 
 flattered and nourished. We transcribe it — 
 
 "Adjutant-General's Office, 
 " G. O. Bordeaux, 14lh of June, 1814. 
 
 " The commander of the forces, bemg upon the point of re- 
 turning to England, takes this opportunity of congratulating the 
 army upon the recent events which have restored peace to their 
 country, and to the world. 
 
 "The share which the British army has had in producing 
 those events, and the high character with which the army will 
 quit this country, must be equally satisfactory to every individual 
 belonging to it, as they are to the commander of the forces ; and 
 he trusts that the troops will continue the same good conduct to 
 the last 
 
 " The commander of the forces once more requests the army 
 to accept his thanks. 
 
 "Although circumstances may alter the relations in which he 
 has stood towards them for .some years, so much to his satisfac- 
 tion, he assures them he will never cease to feel the warmest 
 interest in their welfare and honor; and that he will be at all 
 times happy to be of any service to those to whose conduct, dis- 
 cipline, and gallantry, their country is so much indebted. 
 
 ^Signed) ' " E. M. Pakenham, A. G." 
 
 The Duke landed at Dover on the 23d of June, under a salute 
 from the batteries, and proceeded instantly to Ix3ndon. 
 
 As his carriage {)a.s.sed up Parliament Street, ho was recog- 
 nized, and the people ran upon his path with shouts of admira- 
 tion and welcome. 
 
 After a short interview with his family, he hastened to Ports- 
 mouth. Here the prince regent received him with every mark 
 of true respect and cordial attection which a prince could bestow. 
 
 These distinctions gave him honor not only before England, 
 but in the face of Europe ; for the emperor of Russia and the 
 king of Prussia were at tjiat periotl the guests of the English 
 Court 
 
176 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Upon the 28th of June, tlie duke of Wellington, for the first 
 time, took his seat in the House of Lords. The peers assembled 
 in great numbers to do honor to his introduction. Upon this 
 memorable occasion the duke appeared in a field-marshal's uni- 
 form, with the insignia of tlie garter, and was introduced to the 
 house by the dukes of Beaufort and of Richmond. 
 
 He had left his native country, five years before, a commoner ; 
 those years he had passed in camps ; and now, at his first appear- 
 ance in the house of lords, his various patents of viscount, earl, 
 marquis, and duke, were read upon the same day. 
 
 The lady Mornington, his mother, was present; the duchess 
 of Wellington was also present. 
 
 He was addressed by the lord chancellor, and received the 
 thanks and congratulations of the house "on his return from his 
 command on the continent, and for the great, signal, and eminent 
 services which he had so repeatedly rendered therein to his 
 majesty and to the public." 
 
 The duke was sensibly affected, and replied under an embar- 
 rassment of feeling he could with difficulty control. Nothing 
 could be more dignified and modest than his reply ; nor did he 
 fail to point attention to the valor and exertions of that army 
 which he had the honor to command. 
 
 The House of Commons also appointed a deputation to wait 
 upon the duke of Wellington with like congratulations; and he 
 attended the house in person to return thanks to that assembly. 
 The 1st of July was fixed for this noble ceremony. When it 
 was stated to the house, that in consequence of their intimation, 
 the duke of Wellington was in attendance, and when the speaker 
 put the question, " Js it the pleasure of the house that his grace 
 be called in ]" a loud and universal " ay !" rung through the hall. 
 On his entrance all the members uncovered, rose, and enthusias- 
 tically cheered him. In his address, as in his reply to the lords, 
 he dwelt forcibly on the zealous co-operation and assistance of 
 his gallant friends, the general officers,* and tlie bravery of the 
 officers and troops of tiic armies. This speech was received 
 with the loudest cheers, and followed by an admirable address 
 from the speaker, of which the following extracts merit very 
 particular attention. 
 
 " It is not," said the speaker, " the grandeur of military suc- 
 cess which has alone fixed our admiration, or commanded our 
 applause ; it has been that generous and lofty spirit which in- 
 spired your troops with unbounded confidence, and taught them 
 to know tliat the day of battle was always a day of victory ; that 
 
 * Upon all these, honors and rewards which they bad well earned were 
 gratefully bestowed. 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. VTT^ 
 
 moral courage and enduring fortitude, which, in perilous times, 
 when gloom and doubt had beset ordinary minds, stood neverthe- 
 less unshaken ; and that ascendency of character, which, uniting 
 the energies of jealous and rival nations, enabled you to wield at 
 will the fate and fortunes of mighty empires. 
 
 " It now only remains that we congratulate your grace on the 
 high and important mission on wliicii you are about to proceed 
 and we doubt not that the same splendid talents, so conspicuous 
 in war, will maintain with equal authority, firmness, and temper 
 our national honor and interests in peace." 
 
 When the duke retired, all the members again rose, uncovered, 
 and warmly cheered him. 
 
 On Saturday, tlie 9th of July, the corporation of London 
 entertained the duke at a grand banquet, prepared with great 
 cost and magnificence, and presented him with the freedom of 
 the city in a gold l)ox, and with a splendid sword. Here, as 
 upon all other occasions, he made grateful allusions to the sup- 
 port of his officers, and the valor and discipline of the troops. 
 When he received the sword, he declared with particular energy 
 his readiness to employ it in the service of his king and country, 
 should it unfortunately happen that the general wish of the 
 nations of Europe for a permanent peace should be disappointed. 
 This faithful pledge he was soon and seriously called upon to 
 redeem. 
 
 His stay in England was short; but it was marked by every 
 expression of hearty admiration, and true attachment, which a 
 people could show. Wherever he went, the streets were throng- 
 ed; the windows were full of animated and smiling faces; boys 
 clustered upon the house-tops; and mothers lifted up their infant 
 eons, that they might look at the man whom the wiiole country 
 honorecl. 
 
 He had already been appointed ambassador extraordinary and 
 plenijxjtentiary to the court of France ; and upon tlie 8th of 
 August he loll town for tlie continent In his way to Paris ho 
 visited the Netherlands, and carefully examined the frontier for- 
 tresses upon that line, in company with the prince of (Irange. 
 On the 24th of August he was presented to I.ouis XVII I., dchv 
 ered his credentials as ambassador, and took up his residence iu 
 Paris. 
 
 The principles and feelings of revolutionized France were of 
 twenty years' growth. The youth of France, it is true, knew 
 little of the revolution or of the republic, hut of the Btiurbons 
 they knew nothing. Th^y had been for the most part educated 
 in military schools; had lived under a martial autocracy, and 
 had imbibed a miliUiry spirit 
 
 There wcro now scattered over the country numbers of dis- 
 
178 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 banded and retired officers and soldiers, who had marched and 
 fought under the imperial eagles. These men, who had been, 
 for the most part, engaged in wars of aggression, amid changes 
 of scene and chances of plunder, were miserable under their 
 new and narrow circumstances. Their habits were roving and 
 reckless, and they could not endure a stationary dwelling and 
 peaceful occupations. With all such of the old army as had 
 been retained under the new government, it was as bad or worse. 
 They looked back upon their stern and warlike emperor as the 
 soldier's friend, and they despised the unambitious and peaceful 
 Louis. They hated the inactivity and the discipline of garrisons 
 and barracks, and they panted for the field and the bivouac. 
 They thought only of the excitement and the rewards of war- 
 fare, not upon its sufferings or its horrors — of victory, not of 
 defeat — of glory, not of the grave. 
 
 It is little to be wondered at, that as a longing for the return 
 of the emperor was cherished by so many, an expectation of it 
 should be widely entertained, and that conspiracies to prepare it 
 should be secretly engendered. At first the initiated affected a 
 sort of mystery, established signals and words whereby the faith- 
 ful Napoleonist might know each other, and wore secret emblems 
 of brotherhood : but, after a time, they grew so carelessly or inten- 
 tionally bold, that they openly spoke and jested about the return 
 of spring and of the emperor. He came. He knew that war, 
 terrible and unrelenting, would be the immediate and melancholy 
 consequence of his return, to France herself, while he as an in- 
 dividual would be the solitary mark and sole object of the gene- 
 ral armament and undivided hostility of all Europe.. He knew, 
 too, that civil war would be another result of his return ; but 
 with all this knowledge, he said, he loved France, and that France 
 was dear to him : tlierefore he welcomed the proposals of those 
 conspirators who paved the way for his reappearance, broke the 
 convention which established him in the sovereignty of Elba, 
 and escaped from that island. 
 
 He landed near Cannes, on the 1st of March, with a detach- 
 ment of his guard, which had accompanied him to Elba, and 
 immediately commenced his march to the capital. An address 
 to the army had been prepared, and was distributed wherever he 
 came. It was a loud clear war-denouncing trumpet, and every- 
 where the excited soldiers, whether old or young, answered the 
 violent and welcome sound, with the well-knov/n war-cry of 
 "Vive I'Empereur!" 
 
 The defection of the army was almost universal, the excep- . 
 tions being confined principally to officers of strict and honorable 
 feeling, who would not violate their oath of allegiance to the 
 king. We speak of superior officers, and men of influence and 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 179 
 
 in authority. The captains and subalterns of the regiments, who 
 had the same conscientious feelinf»-, could only manifest their 
 fidelity by quitting their corps. Tiiat few among them enter- 
 tained such a sentiment and made this .sacrifice of their interest, 
 is notorious. 
 
 In three short weeks, Napoleon was again seated on the im- 
 perial throne ; was again coming forth to review troops, and talk 
 of glory; and those fickle people who had crowded on his path 
 as he quitted France, that they might insult him with impreca- 
 tions, and who had just suffered him to retrace the same route, 
 not only without rcoistance, but with noisy encouragement, were 
 again his abject and his willing slaves. It is not surprising that 
 a man, who had so many reasons for despising mankind as Napo- 
 leon, should have trampled upon their rights and their happiness 
 with an indifference at once contemptuous and selfish. 
 
 While this sudden, magical, and bloodless change of sove- 
 reigns was effected in France, the powers who signed the treaty 
 of Paris were assembled at the congress at Vienna. The duke 
 of Wellington was there as the plenipotentiary for Great Britain, 
 having quitted Paris for that capital, on the 24tli of January, 
 1815. The very moment the ministers of the high allied powers 
 there assembled, obtained information that Buonajxirte had escaped 
 from Elba, and appeared in France, and before the success of his 
 enterprise was known, they made a solemn declaration of their 
 sentiments and intentions. In this document they set forth, that 
 Buonaparte had manifested to the universe, tiiat there could be 
 neither peace nor truce with him, and tiiat ho had placed him- 
 self without the pale of civil and social relations, as an enemy 
 and disturber of the tranquillity of the world. They declared, 
 therefore, that they were firmly resolved to maintain entire the 
 treaty of Paris, of May .'J'Jth, 1814, and that they would employ 
 all their means, and unite all their cff'orts, that the general peace, 
 the object of the wishes of Europe, and the constant purpose of 
 their labors, might not again be troubled. 
 
 The allies supixjrtcd tliis declaration by a million of men in 
 arms. 
 
 Buonaparte was in a palace, and u]>on a throne ; but he felt 
 himself regarded by the kings and courts of Europe as an ad- 
 venturer and an outlaw; and he knew that, by all the better 
 portion of the French people, he wiis rather tolerated than cliosen. 
 His only hope, and all iiis hope, was in the courage of a devoted 
 soldiery; the power of his great genius for war; and that for- 
 tune of his star, in wliich he confided witii a siqwrstition that 
 always imparted a remarkable energy to actions, which he 
 seems often to have jwrformed rather from secret and sudden 
 impulse than from any deliberate e.xercise of judgment. 
 
180 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 He was now again in possession of all the military resources 
 of France ; but there was a French court, and a king of France, 
 at Ghent in the Netherlands, and the insecurity of his position 
 was plain. He saw Europe hastening to arms for the avowed 
 purpose of deposing him. Every thing, therefore, which it was 
 possible for him to say, do, or promise, by which he could recover 
 popularity with those various factions in France which hated his 
 old system, and that great body of the nation which manifested 
 a tired indifference to his rule, was at once thought upon and 
 acted out. He assembled a legislative body, composed of men 
 of all parties, and gave the country a new constitution. It was 
 never designed to last long, but it answered in some feeble man- 
 ner the purpose of the moment. It was something for the people 
 to talk about, something new ; and to make it amusing to the 
 Parisians, it was to be declared, accepted, and sworn to, in 
 solemn assembly, with ceremonies of great splendor. For this 
 purpose, a temporary amphitheatre was erected in the Champ de 
 Mars, capable of containing about 15,000 persons: here a throne 
 was to be raised and an altar. The plain was to be filled with 
 cavalry, troops of the line, and national guards ; eagles were to 
 be distributed, and from the sloping banks around, the people 
 were to be diverted with the spectacle. This great convocation 
 was to be called the " Champ de Mai." 
 
 While the preparations for this pageant were in progress, 
 the undivided attention of Napoleon was constantly directed to 
 the organization of the army. The fortresses were garrisoned ; 
 the arsenals were filled with stores ; and the clothing, equipment, 
 and arming of the now levies were carried on with a prodigious 
 activity. By the first of June, he had 375,000 men under arms, 
 exclusive of a national guard composed of 200 battalions ; and 
 he had remounted a large and admirable force of cavalry with 
 incredible expedition. 
 
 At the grand ceremony of the Champ de Mai, which took 
 place on the 31st of May, Napoleon, w'nen he reviewed the 
 troops, promised to have half a million of men under arms in a 
 few weeks, exclusive of the national guards ; and pledged him- 
 self that if the allies brought 600,000 men against him, he 
 would oppose them with two millions. 
 
 Meantime the allies made great and prompt exertions. From 
 the Vistula, from the Danube, and from Italy, the troops of Rus- 
 sia and of Austria were directed upon the frontiers of France. 
 The advanced corps of Prussia had already entered Flanders ; 
 and an army of English, Belgian, and Hanoverian soldiers was 
 assembled in the Netherlands, under the immediate command 
 of the duke of Wellington. JSut the army of native English 
 was not large ; neither was it to be compared in its composition 
 
THE DUKE OF WELUNGTON. ^J^l 
 
 with that which invaded France in the preceding ^'ear. Many 
 of the finest, most eflbctive, and most experienced mfantry regi- 
 ments of that iymy had been sent to America ; and a large por- 
 tion of the English force now sent to Flanders consisted of young 
 second battalions. However, they were English in heart and 
 spirit ; and were supported by a numerous and noble cavalry, 
 and an artillery not to be surpassed. 
 
 The duke of Wellington had arrived^ at Brussels from Vienna 
 early in April, and inimediatoly concerted his plan of operations 
 with the Prussian general. The Prussian troops were collected 
 on the Sarnbre and Meuse, and occupied Charleroi, Namur, and 
 Liege, TJie line of the Prussian cantonments communicated 
 by its right with the left of the army commanded by the duke 
 of Wellington. Thus they were ready to act in concert, whilst, 
 at the same time, each qpmmander had to provide for a separate 
 line of operations connecting him on one side with England, on 
 the other by the lower Rhine with Prussia. 
 
 To cover Brussels was a great object ; it was also necessary 
 to guard the approaches from France by Tournay and Mons, 
 and to prevent any attack upon Ghent from Lisle. All these 
 roads were carefully examined, and the army of the duke was 
 so disposed tiiat any ollensive movement might be immediately 
 encountered. Whether it would be possible for the troops in 
 advance to keep the enemy in check if he came on at any point 
 with suddenness and force, till tiie allied armies were concen- 
 trated in a position covering Brussels, was the great difficulty. 
 
 France, on the Belgian frontier, was covered with fortresses ; 
 Belgium was naked and defenceless; thus Napoleon had vast 
 facilities for concealing tiie assembly and disposition of his force, 
 of whicli he availed liimself with great ability. In tlie second 
 week in Jime, troops began to collect in and boliind tliesc for- 
 tresses in considerable niunbers. By forced marches Buonaparte 
 suddenly concentrated liis army in three large divisions, close 
 to the frontier, on the night of the 14th of June. Of tliis army 
 Soult was the major-general. It consisted of five corps of in- 
 fantry ; of the imperial guard; of four corps of cavalry; it 
 marched with a field artillery of :Jo() pieces, and it numbered 
 130,000 fighting men. The infantry corps were commanded by 
 generals d'Erlon, Reille, Vandanime, Girard, and Ijobau ; the 
 cavalry corjw by generals Pajol, E.vcelmans, Kellerman, and 
 Milhaud. Marshal Ney commanded in the centre; Jerome 
 Buonaparte on the left; marshal Grouchy on the right. 
 
 The Prussian anny consiste<l of four corps, under generals 
 Ziethen, Bulow, Borstel, and Thielman, conmianded m chief 
 by murslial Bluchcr, and was estimate<l at 100,000 men. The 
 head-(iuarter8 of Blucher were at Namur. 
 
 Vol. II. Q 
 
182 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 The army of the duke of Wellington consisted of Dutch, 
 Belgians, troops of Nassau, Brunswickers, Hanoverians, German 
 legion, and British, and was computed under 80,000. Of this 
 force only 33,000 were English. This army was organized in 
 two large corps of five divisions each ; the first was commanded 
 by the prince of Orange ; the second by lord Hill. The cavalry 
 was under the orders of the earl of Uxbridge. The head-quar- 
 ters of the duke of Wellington were at Brussels. The quarters 
 of the prince of Orange were at Braine le Compte ; those of 
 lord Hill, at Grammont ; the cavalry, under lord Uxbridge, was 
 cantoned in small towns and villages on the right; and the 
 artillery was cantoned principally near Ghent. Quatre Bras 
 was the position chosen by the duke of Wellington as the point 
 at which, should the enemy advance on that side, he was to be 
 held in check till the concentration of the allies. The junction, 
 be it remembered, was most ably and certainly accomplished. 
 Nevertheless, all that could be done to prevent it, by rapidity of 
 movement, skill of manoeuvre, and boldness on the field of battle, 
 was effected by Buonaparte. 
 
 According to his custom, he did not quit Paris till every 
 preparation for opening the campaign was complete, "I go," 
 said this child and champion of democracy, as he threw himself 
 into his carriage, " I go to measure myself against Wellington." 
 It was upon the 14th that he joined his guard ; and dated from 
 the imperial head-quarters at Beaumont one of those addresses 
 of which he was so vainly fond, and which were certainly well 
 suited to inflame the ardor of an army composed of French- 
 men. It was dated upon the anniversary of the battles of 
 Marengo, and of Friedland ; and it reminded them of the victo- 
 ries of Austerlitz and Jena. Of the English, as it could allude 
 to no triumph over their arms, it spoke thus : — " Let those 
 among you, who have been prisoners of the English, detail to 
 you the hulks, and the frightful miseries which they suffered." 
 Thus mortifying their vanity by bringing to their recollection 
 how ofl:en they had been vanquished by Englishmen, and darkly 
 insinuating the horrors of captivity in England, he appealed at 
 once to the highest feeling of the soldier, and to the worst pas- 
 sion of the man. As the prisoners restored to France at the 
 close of the war had been very numerous, and as they were all 
 old soldiers, the ranks of the army now assembled contained 
 many of these old campaigners ; and this sentence of his address 
 was admirably contrived to call fo4h all their courage, and 
 kindle all their revenge. 
 
 At sunset, on the 14th of June, all was quiet upon the fron- 
 tier ; and nothing had been observed at the Prussian outposts. 
 At three o'clock in the morning of the 15th of June, the French 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLING'l'ON. 183 
 
 columns were put in motion ; and the Prussian posts at Thuin 
 and Lobez, on the Sambre, were attacked at daylight. 
 
 A report of this event reached the duke of Wellington in the 
 evening of the same day, and he immediately ordered the troops 
 to hold themselves in readiness for the march. As soon as 
 intelligence from other quarters proved to him that the enemy's 
 movement upon Charleroi was the real attack, he put his army 
 in motion to its left. 
 
 The orders for this memorable march were decided upon in a 
 ball-room at Brussels, where the duke of Wellington was 
 present, and where, towards midniglit, the dispatches confirm- 
 atory of the enemy's true line of operation reached him. The 
 general officers were quietly warned, and quietly disappeared 
 from that assembly, and among them the brave duke of Bruns- 
 wick. Soon after tlie younger officers were summoned from 
 the dance. Tlie troops were already musteriiig; and before the 
 day broke all were marching to the field of honor, and many to 
 an early grave. 
 
 The enemy drove the Pru.'jsiun outposts from the Sambre on 
 the 15th ; and general Ziethen, who commanded the corps at 
 Charleroi, retired slowly and in good order ujxjn Fleurus. Mar- 
 shal Blucher concentrated the Prussian army upon Sombref 
 with all possible activity, and occupied llie villages of St. 
 Amnnd nnd I .igny. in front nf that position. Thn liead-quarters 
 of Buonaparte were at Charleroi on the loth. But the French 
 troops under Ncy continued their march along tiie road to Brus- 
 sels, and on the same evening his advanced guard atfkcked a 
 brigade of the army of the Netherlands under the Prince de 
 Weimar, p<3stcd at Frasnes, and forced it back to the farm-house 
 on the same road, called Jjos Quatre Bras. At this point the 
 roads from (charleroi to Brussels and from Nivelles to Namur, 
 intersect each other. 
 
 The prince of Orange immediately reinforced the brigade of 
 the prince of Weimar with that of general Perponcher; and 
 early in the morning of the Kith recovered part of the ground 
 which had been lost. Thus the communications leading from Ni- 
 velles and Brussels to Bliichcr's position were again cleared. In 
 the mean time the whole army of the duke of Wellington was 
 marching upon Ix-s Quatre Bras. The fifth division, under Sir 
 Thomas Picton, reached this point at about half-jMist two in Uie 
 day, followed by the corps of the duke of Brunswick, and after- 
 wards by the cdnlingciit of Na.«sau. 
 
 The uuke of Wellington was in personal communication with 
 Blucher, at Bry, about five miles to the loft of Quatre Bras, 
 early on the Kith. At that time the enemy was not in strengtli 
 in the immediate front of Quatre Bras ; but they were in force 
 
184 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 between Frasnes and Gosselies, and an attack upon that post' 
 was to be expected. The activity, the skilful combinations, 
 and admirable concert of the allied commanders, are thus evident; 
 but, in war, the value of a few hours is immense, — and this 
 advantage he who originates offensive movements can almost 
 always command. Accordingly, Buonaparte was collecting 
 heavy masses in front of the Prussian position, and was pre- 
 pared to assail it with a great superiority of force before the 
 fourth corps of the Prussian army under general Bulow had 
 joined, and before the duke of Wellington could by any possi- 
 bility afford marshal Blucher the support which he was desirous 
 to give him. Many of the duke's troops, his cavalry in particu- 
 lar, had a long distance to march, and had not arrived ; while 
 such as were up, had to maintain their position at Quatre Bras, 
 where the duke was present, against the violent attack of a large 
 force assembled at Frasnes under marshal Ney. Tlie enemy 
 advanced to the attack, about three o'clock, with two heavj* 
 columns of infantry, a large body of horse, and a numerous and 
 powerful artillery. The scene of action, at Quatre Bras, was 
 among little dales and dips of ground and gentle slopes, covered 
 with wheat and rye, which grows very tall. — It was a fine sum- 
 mer afternoon and a fine evening ! At the commencement of 
 this contest, there were not more than 19,000 of the allies in 
 the field, and of these only 4500 British infantry. These last, 
 and the troops of the Brunswick corps, were long and severely 
 engaged, and fought nobly. The enemy repeatedly charged 
 the British infantry with strong and weighty bodies of cavalry, 
 but was repulsed with the most steady valor. The duke of 
 Brunswick fell gallantly fighting at the head of his own troops. 
 The conduct of the enemy was daring and resolute, and they at 
 first obtained some success over the foreign cavalry ; and their 
 own coming fast upon the infantry before they had time to form 
 squares, a part was forced to retire into an adjoining wood ; but 
 the French were repulsed. 
 
 Soon afler this period, the third division, under general Alten, 
 arrived, and were scarce posted before they were fiercely 
 attacked. The 69th regiment being in square, was, by some 
 mistake, ordered to deploy just as the French horse were coming 
 on. Their approach, owing to the position of the ground and 
 the tall rye, was not discerned till the dragoons were upon them, 
 and they lost one color and many killed and wounded ; but the 
 enemy was driven off without making any prisoners, and, soon 
 afterwards, from all those advanced points upon the left which 
 he had before gained. Being repulsed on the lefl, Ney advanced 
 from the wood of Bossu against the right of the position of 
 Quatre Bras; but, at this moment, the guards under general 
 
THE DUKK OF WELLINGTON. 185 
 
 Cooke came up, and joined battle just as the Belgians were 
 giving way ; and tliis attack was also repelled. Under the di- 
 rection of the duke, general Maitland led his brigade into the 
 wood in the finest and most ardent manner, and the enemy was 
 driven back upon Frasnes in confusion. The fighting on both 
 sides had been desperate, and the loss was severe. 
 
 The 28tli, 4-2d, 79tli, and 92(1 regiments, and the battalion of 
 Hanoverians, were mentioned in the disjiatcli, as very highly 
 distinguished by their conduct on this day. The enemy were 
 very superior in artillery, and had a most powerful cavalry ; and 
 it was only by great exertions that the diikc was enabled to 
 maintain, as he resolutely did, this imjjortant position. Had the 
 French driven the British from Quatrc Bra.s the Prussian right 
 would have been turned, and the armies of the duke and of Blu- 
 cher separated ; but, in tiiis memorable campaign, the line of 
 concerted operations was early occupied by the allied command- 
 ers, and maintained throughout. 
 
 Nevertheless, the attack upon Blucher was so weighty and 
 fierce, and made with a force «j superior, that, after a most bloody 
 and obstinate battle, in which the Prussians beliaved nobly, their 
 centre was forced, the village of Ligny was taken, and a con- 
 siderable body of French cavalry, with a strong corps of infantry, 
 had penetrated to the very heart of the Prussian position. Here 
 Blucher, in person, at the head of his cavalry, made a most 
 heroic effort to re-establish the battle, but it failed, and the French 
 remained masters of Ligny. As the fourth corp^, under Bulow, 
 was not up, and as he had been much weakened by heavy losses, 
 Blucher retired from Sombrof in the course of the night, and 
 determined to concentrate his army upon Wavre; the enemy 
 had suffered severely, and did not pursue him. In fact, the 
 retreat was not known to Buonaparte, for it was dark when the 
 battle ceased. He was still ignorant of the route which they had 
 taken at twelve o'clock on the 17th, and then ordered Grouchy 
 to pursue them with 32,(KX) men. That general could not get 
 his corps in motion before three in the atlernoon, only reached 
 Gemblou.\ that night, and did not arrive belore Wavre till noon 
 on the 18th, where he found and attacked the Prussian corps of 
 general Thielrnan. The loss of the Prussians at Ligny amounted 
 to 14,()00 men and 15 pieces of artillery. 
 
 The retreat of the Pru.ssians and the direction of it were not 
 known to the duke of Wellington until sloven o'clock on the 
 morning of tlie 17th. Marshal Blucher had sent an aid-de-camp 
 to him with that information, but he was unfortunately killed. 
 These things were ascertained by a patrol, which the duke 
 sent out to Sombref at daylight; and which, advanciu"^ beyond 
 that place, and finding all quiet, discovered how little of the 
 Q2 
 
186 MtUTARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 Prusgian position had ever been carried by the French. They had 
 fallen back most leisurely, and their rear-guard had not evacuated 
 Bry till throe o'clock in the morning. The duke of Wellington 
 had, by this time, collected his own army at Quatre Bras, and 
 was prepared to have maintained that position ; but this move- 
 ment of the Prussians made a corresponding one necessary on 
 his part. 
 
 He accordingly retired by Genappe upon Waterloo, aboiit ten 
 o'clock in the morning of the 17th. This march was executed 
 in so leisurely a manner, and in such firm order, that the enemy 
 did not attempt to molest it; but he followed the rear cavalry, 
 under lord Uxbridge, with a large body of horse. As the ad- 
 vanced squadrons of the French debouched from the bridge and 
 village of Genappe, an affair of cavalry occurred, in which a 
 corps of French imperial lancers, having repelled an attack of 
 the 7th hussars, was vigorously checked and severely handled 
 by the first regiment of life-guards, with which corps lord Ux- 
 bridge e.xecuted a very decisive charge. It was late when the 
 troops reached their ground. The weatlier was stormy, with 
 heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and violent gusts of wind. The 
 bivouac was dreary. The men lay upon the wet earth or amid 
 the dripping corn, and longed impatiently for day. It came at 
 last, and broke heavily through clouds. The rain ceased, but 
 there was no sun : no " sun of Austerlitz" for Napoleon to allude 
 to. However, the calm sunshine of good hope, of a good cause, 
 and of high resolve, made it light in the breast of Wellington. 
 The troops were already in position, and had taken up the ground 
 they were to maintain. The whole French army, with the ex- 
 ception of the force under Grouchy, liad followed them, and was 
 now in front, and Buonaparte was commanding it in person. 
 
 The position of the allied troops, under the duke, was about 
 half a league in advance of Waterloo and of the forest of Soig- 
 nies. The right was thrown back to a long ravine near Merke 
 Braine, a small hamlet, separated by an extended plateau from 
 Braine la Leud. This village was also occupied, and a commu- 
 nication thus maintained with a cross road which leads to Brus- 
 sels by Braine le Chateau. Upon this were stationed two brigades 
 in observation, the one British, the other Belgian. 
 
 The left of the allies extended to a height above the hamlet 
 of Ter la Haye, and was protected by a ravine which descends 
 on that side towards Ohain, through which place lay the line of 
 communication with the Prussians at Wavre. From thence Blu- 
 cher had promised to support the duke with as many troops as 
 might be necessary, if he should be attacked. 
 
 In rear of the British centre was the farm of Mont St. Jean, 
 and farther behind, the village of that name. In rear of the 
 
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. tBT 
 
 French centre was the farm oC La Belle Alliance. The centre 
 of the allied position crossed tlie two roads which, from Nivelles 
 and from Charleroi, conduct to Brussels. These roads unite at 
 the village of Mont St. Jean, and thence pursue the same 
 chaussee to that capital. 
 
 Upon the left of the Nivelles road, in front of the right centre, 
 was a Flemish mansion, with a walled garden, having a small 
 wood and a paddock attached to it. This post being at the angle, 
 from which tlie right wing stretched "en potence" to Merke 
 Braine, covered the return of that flank, and was the great key 
 of the position. 
 
 Upon the right of the Charleroi road, immediately in front of 
 the left centre, was a farm-house and yard, which covered the 
 approach to that part of the line. 
 
 The division of guards, under general Cooke, occupied the 
 mansion of Ifougonruont, in front of the right centre, with a de- 
 tachment of three companies, and was drawn up on the rising 
 ground behind and above that post, leaning with its right on the 
 road of Nivelles. The division of general Alten stoc3 with its 
 left flank upon the road of Charleroi, and held the farm of La 
 Haye Sainte, in front of tiie letl centre, with a strong detach- 
 ment of one of tlie light battalions of the German legion. With 
 this division were the Nassau regiments, some in the front line, 
 and one of light infantry detached in the wood of Hougoumont. 
 The Brunswick troops were disposed, a part in the first line, and 
 the main force in reserve with the division of guards under 
 general (y(X)ke. The whole corps was commanded by the prince 
 of Orange. 
 
 The right wing was composed of the British divisions of gene- . 
 rals Clinton and Colville; of two of Hanoverians; and one of 
 the Netherlandcrs, under general ('liausse. This force occupied 
 the right front en potence, and was commanded by lord Hill. 
 
 The left wing consisted of the division of general Picton, 
 some Hanoverian troops and Netherlandcrs, and one British 
 brigade under general Iviinbert. This wing extended from the 
 Charleroi road along a hedge and lane uiHjn the rising ground 
 whicli terminates alxnc Ter la Have. That hamlet, as also 
 Smohain and the farm of Papillotte, which lay on the extreme 
 left, a little advanced in the direction of tlie wood of Fritecher- 
 mont, were occupied by Noi^au troops, under tlie prince of 
 Weimar. 
 
 The whole of the allied cavalry was dispoeed in reserve, or 
 second line, under lord U.xbridge. 
 
 The army of the duke of Wellington mustered about 74,(X)0 
 men ; but of these 5(KH) were in observation on tlie cross road 
 near Braine le Chftteau, and not in the line. The force of Na- 
 poleon then in presence coimtcd upwards of 76,000 combatants. 
 
188 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The array on both sides was magnificent. The infantry of 
 the allies was formed upon the firs^t line, in close columns of 
 battalions. The different batteries of field artillery were dis- 
 tributed between the intervals, or disposed along the front, 
 according to the nature of the ground. The cavalry was drawn 
 up in columns of regiments, by half squadrons, at quarter dis- 
 tance, upon the second line ; a^d they were so skilfully disposed 
 upon the reverse slope of the position, that their distribution was 
 concealed from the enemy. 
 
 At tlie distance of about a mile in front of the allied position, 
 and nearly parallel with it, the French occupied a range of emi- 
 nences rather less elevated, and more undulating. Their right 
 was in advance of Planchenois, and their line crossed the Char- 
 leroi road at the farm of La Belle Alliance, rested its left on the 
 Genappe road, and occupied Mont Plaisir beyond with a detach- 
 ment. But on neither side did the ground anywhere present a 
 strong profile : it was commanding, but open ; good for defensive 
 fire, and the declivities in front so gentle as to be easily ascended 
 by all arms. In truth, it was a noble field : behind the allied 
 position stood the daik forest of Soignies, while beyond tiiat of 
 the French the ground rose considerably, and was skirted by 
 thick woods. Here, in the grand arena of this solemn amphi- 
 theatre, upon slopes of waving corn, in the garden of the retired 
 gentleman, and in tiie yard of the quiet husbandman, was to be 
 fought the great battle of Europe against the great enemy of 
 the happiness and the peace of nations. 
 
 Soon after ten o'clock, a great stir was observed in the French 
 lines. From one particular point, where there was a heavy 
 column of infantry under arms, mounted officers were observed 
 galloping in various directions as with orders, and others were 
 seen riding up to it v.ith reports. This it was soon ascertained 
 was the post of Napoleon, and that column was his famous guard. 
 It was a fine plateau, on the side of the chau^ee, near the soli- 
 tary farm of Rossome. 
 
 The principal post of the duke of Wellington at this moment, 
 and throughout the battle indeed, was near a remarkable tree 
 in the centre of his position. For there were some weak points 
 in his centre, the defence of which it was necessary to watch 
 and provide for with all vigilance, and with a close superintend- 
 ence in person. 
 
 The enemy's masses now rapidly formed in columns of attack. 
 About half an hour before noon a considerable corps made a 
 furious attack upon Hougoumont. They came on, preceded by 
 a cloud of voltigeurs, with loud shouts and hot impetuosity. The 
 Nassau soldiers were unable to defend the wood against this 
 violent attack. The intrepid assailants fought their way into the 
 
THE DUKR OF WELLINGTON. ISQf 
 
 grounds, surrounded the house on three sides, and made desperate 
 efiorts to force it : but it was resohijely defended by the guards, 
 who, from the loopholed walls of the building, and the garden, 
 poured so steady, rapid, and destructive a fire upon the enemy, 
 that all the space about was covered with their killed and 
 wounded, and they were compelled to desist from their brave 
 attempt. Meantime, the duke of Wellington sent fresh troops 
 to recover the wood and garden : and, after a severe combat, 
 and at a great cost of live;?, the Coldstream and tiiird Guards 
 drove out the enemy, and re-established that post. The point 
 was yet again and repeatedly assailed by fresh attacks. Nothing 
 could be more stubborn than the defence of this chateau ; the 
 gate of the yard was at one time half forced in, but the French 
 were bayoneted back again, and afterwards the roof and the 
 upper walls were sst on tire by shells from the French batteries; 
 ^ill, amid the flames, the building itself was heroically defended. 
 The whole of one brigade of guards was employed in relief at 
 Hougoumont in the course of the battle. 
 
 Simultaneously with the attack of Hougoumont, the whole 
 of the enemy's artillery had opened upon the line of the allies, 
 and a skirmish of light troops connnenced on the extreme left 
 at Papillotte. Of this firm, of Smohain, and of the hamlet of 
 Ter la Haye, they soon got possession. This terrible cannonade 
 waa piiiicipally (lirecte.i against the right and centre of the 
 allies, and it was well replied to by the British guns. The ad- 
 vanced l)atterie3 of the centre, in pTrticnlar, made fast and fatal 
 practice with case-shot ujwn the columns which fcd the attack 
 of Hougoumont. Napoleon, seeing that the assault of Hougou- 
 mont had (]uite failed, continued his tremendous artillery fire, 
 and, under cover of it, he directed a weighty and formidable 
 attack u|Km the left centre, witti infantry anii cavalry in such 
 numbers, that it required all the readiness and skill of tlie duke 
 so to post his troops, that they migijt meet it with the best ad- 
 vantage ; and demanded on their part discipline the most finn, 
 and bravery undaunted.. 
 
 A strong column of the enemy, ia two divisions, covered by 
 the fire of eighty pieces of artillery, now advanced, and, ascend- 
 ing at that part where a RMginn brigade was jiosted along a 
 hedge, penetrated at that point, drcjve back the Belgian soldiers, 
 and pushed to the crest of tlie position. But they were not suf- 
 fered to establish theinselve.-^. Cioneral Kempt advanced rapidly 
 upon this massive column with three weak British regiments in 
 line, poured in his fire, and heroically charged it. This brigade had 
 lost 800 men nt Qiiatre Bra.s and it |)erform(;d this valiant action 
 without supiK)rt, and sustaining a heavy loss. At the .sjimc time 
 the brigade of general I'ack from the extreme leflof the position 
 
190 MILITARY MEMOIRS OP 
 
 advanced upon the right division of this column with fire and 
 with the bayonet. Appalled at finding themselves thus boldly 
 met, these strong bodies of the enemy, after delivering their fire, 
 turned and fled down the declivity. It was in this combat that 
 the zealous and gallant Picton was slain : a musket-ball struck 
 his right temple, and passed through his brain, and he fell 
 dead. 
 
 At the moment of this repulse, general Ponsonby, with hig 
 brigade of heavy dragoons, made so vigorous a charge, that they 
 took two eagles, and made two or three thousand prisoners. 
 
 A strong column of French cavalry led by cuirassiers now 
 rushed forward to cover their routed and flying infantry on one 
 flank, while some lancers charged upon the other. The dragoons 
 of Ponsonby's brigade being far on, for they had charged up to 
 the very guns which had covered the infantry, and sabred the 
 cannoneers, were thus immediately engaged in a fierce and un- 
 equal melee ; but they fought with such spirit and ardor, that it 
 was before they retired the Royals took one of the eagles in the 
 conflict. 
 
 In this affair the brave general Ponsonby was come upon at a 
 disadvantage by a party of Polish lancers, as he was crossing 
 some stiff" ground, where his horse stuck, with nobody but his 
 aid-de-camp, and they, nfiver givinff quarter, immediately took 
 his life. 
 
 Notwithstanding the repulse which the enemy's right corps 
 had received, he persisted in a most obstinate attack of the farm 
 of La Haye Sainte, and supported his infantry columns with a 
 division of cuirassiers. Against these last the earl of Uxbridge 
 led on lord E. Somerset's noble brigade of life-guards. The 
 cuirassiers met them sword to sword : the melee was most 
 bloody ; but the weighty cut and strong point of the English 
 troopers carried all before them ; and the cuirassiers, in spite of 
 their defensive armor, were fairly beaten in those contests. 
 
 The enemy's infantry, however, did at last carry the farm- 
 house of La Ilaye Sainte, for the Germans had expended all 
 their ammunition, had nothing but their bayonets left, and were 
 therefore overpowered ; and the enemy getting in gave them no 
 quarter. He was now enabled to assemble the masses of his 
 cavalry close under the allied position, and more sheltered from 
 their guns. 
 
 From this period of the battle to the close. Napoleon exhausted 
 all his means of destruction in attacks, frequently and fiercely 
 repeated, by horse and foot, and supported them by the fire of all 
 his batteries. More than 200 guns roared and thundered upon 
 the allied position. The fire was so deadly, that the duke of 
 Wellington directed his columns to retire beyond the exposed 
 
THE DUKE OF <VELLINGTON. 191 
 
 ridge, and lie upon the ground, till, upon the close advance of 
 the enemy's masses of cavalry, they got the caution to stand up 
 in squares, advance, and receive the charge. Repeatedly did 
 the enemy's cavalry dash up on the very centre of the position, 
 with vain intrepidity and useless devotion. By the steady vol- 
 leys of the British squares, the flower of the French cavalry was 
 destroyed. Nothing could shake the steadiness of these squares, 
 nothing could daunt the valor of their assailants. In vain the 
 French horse sent skirmishers to fire their carbines and pistols 
 at this infantry ; in vain did gallant men ride close up, and round 
 the squares, tempting them to throw away their fire. They 
 heeded nothing but the actual charge, and waiting for the word 
 till the scjuadrons were close up, always repulsed them by their 
 musketry. More than once the French cavalry had possession 
 of the British guns on tiie brow of the position. They were 
 never withdrawn. The horses only were taken to the rear ; and 
 the gunners, having fired them to the latest moment, took refuge 
 in the squares, and were out again and pursuing the enemy with 
 case-shot or bullets, as soon as ever they had been repulsed. 
 Never on any field was an artillery more admirably served 
 throughout tlie day than the British. Numbering little more 
 than half the guns embattled by Napoleon, they answered that 
 heavy fire with a force and rapidity, and a terrible e.xocution, 
 that the havoc in the French colunms most truly declared. The 
 incessant roar of cannon on both sides for so many hours gave 
 to this battle a stern and awful peculiarity, and suited well with 
 the deadly severity of all those combats where the hostile soldiers 
 came in contact. 
 
 The farm of Ia Ilayc Sainte had been taken, about three 
 o'clock, and it was after tliis periotl that the enemy made those 
 repeated attacks on the British position between the two roads. 
 While the contest was still continued at tlic chAteau of llougou- 
 mont, the battle raged upon the plateau above and behind that 
 post, where the guards under general Maitland sustained repeat- 
 ed charges of cavalry, wore e.xixwed to a heavy cannonade, and, 
 pushing forward their squares as tiin Frencli horse drew off, 
 were engaged with the columns of infimtry that supprted these 
 attacks. All along that plateau to the Ciiarlcroi road, the ground 
 was stubbornly contested in the .same manner; the infiintry now 
 retiring a short distance, and lying tlown to avoid tiie terrible 
 fire of the artillery, — now springing up and advancing in echel- 
 lons of s<]nares to re[)ulse tlie cavalry, and occasionally pushing 
 so far down the slojje as to engage the infantry. The cavalry, 
 who had executed brilliant charges during the earlier part of tlie 
 day, were, during these coinbaLs kept for the most part in re- 
 serve ; but, as opportunity offered, they charged all such of the 
 
192 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 enemy's horse as forced througli tlie intervals of the squares; 
 and the earl of Uxbridge, who led almost every attack of the 
 British cavalry, kept an eager look-out. In the midst of this 
 terrible conflict, the duke of Wellington, from his principal post 
 near the tree, commanded every movement, formation, and ad- 
 vance of the enemy, piercing through the smoke of battle with 
 an eagle's eye. From hence he flew wherever a difficulty de- 
 manded him. When the enemy concentrated their artillery in 
 front of La Belle Alliance, and poured so terrible a fire upon our 
 centre, he disposed the squares behind the ridge in shelter, and 
 he, exposing himself to that hot storm, was the first to warn 
 them as the attacking bodies advanced. 
 
 When the cavalry of the enemy took some guns on the brow 
 of our position, he, advancing with a brigade of English and 
 Brunswickers, instantly drove them off, and compelled them to 
 abandon their capture. 
 
 As yet, however, the battle was undecided and doubtful ; not 
 a point of the position, indeed, had been lost, — not a square 
 broken. The enemy had been constantly repulsed, and had suf- 
 fered great losses : but the loss on our part had been horrid, — 
 the ranks were thinned, — for superior numbers and superior 
 artillery had been brought to bear upon the British for many 
 hours. Hitherto the Prussians had not appeared, and it was five 
 in the evening. Accounts had been received, indeed, that the 
 corps of Bulovv had arrived at St. Lambert, and that Blucher 
 was moving up from Wavre with another ; but their march had 
 been delayed by the state of the roads and by the number of 
 their guns, therefore the only diversion they had caused as yet, 
 was by a few weak patrols of horse, which Jiad appeared in the 
 wood of Fritschermont on the right of the French army, and 
 occupied the attention of a brigade of light cavalry detached to 
 observe them. However, a little after five, the fire of Prussian 
 artillery in that quarter was discerned from the British position ; 
 but it soon appeared to retire and cease. It seems that Bulow, 
 who had only two brigades and a corps of cavalry up, had ad- 
 vanced at that time, but was compelled to retire again ; and that 
 a corps of French, under count Lobau, had been directed upon 
 the rear of the French right to hold Bulow in check. 
 
 Between five and six, as a renewal of the attack on the weak 
 part of the position near La Haye Saintc appeared certain, two 
 brigades were brought forward from lord Hill's corps to the 
 centre front. There was on both sides an anxious pause. The 
 artillery still thundered; but the last struggle, — the crisis of 
 the battle, was to come. 
 
 When, at three o'clock. Napoleon had carried the small post 
 of La Haye Sainte, and had placed a mass of troops well under 
 
THE DUKE OP WEIXINQTON. 193 
 
 the BwgHali positi(m, he considered a victory certain, and sent a 
 courier to Paris to announce his success. But when he now 
 found that in five hours' fighting he had not made the slightest 
 impression on the main position, and that Hougoumont, the key 
 of It, was not carried ; — that he had prodigally expended a noble 
 cavalry, and had lost 15,000 fine soldiers of all arms ; — that the 
 Prussians were hurrying to the scene of action, and some were 
 actually already engaging on his flank ; the serenity which he had 
 hitherto preserved forsook him. A fine and orderly retreat was no 
 longer possible. Neither did it belong to the desperate state of 
 things at that moment to entertain such an idea. One last hope 
 remained to him. The guard had as yet made no attack. This 
 noble reserve (of which it used to be his pride in the days of his 
 victorious wars in Germany, when he announced his successes, 
 to say, " La Garde n'a pas donne") he now led forward in person 
 to the foot of the allied position. He here rode a few paces 
 aside under a sheltering swell of ground ; and the resolute and 
 stem column passed on, turning their eyes upon him (for the last 
 time) with something of severity and regret. This was about 
 seven o'clock. They advanced in two columns, leaving four 
 battalions of the old guard in reserve: they were led by Ney. 
 The advance of these intrepid veterans was supportetl by a heavy 
 cannonade ; and at the same time some light troops were pushed 
 on against La Haye upon their right. General Maitland's 
 brigade of guards, and general Adam's brigade from the right 
 corps, were immediately moved forward over the brow of the 
 position to meet this attack by the duke in person. By his ex- 
 press order they were formed four deep, and their line was 
 flanked by artillery. Steady and cool they stood ; and the im- 
 perial guard ascended the slope, under the destructive fire of the 
 guns, in gallant order, with supported arms. The fire of the 
 British infantry now opened with great effect; and was sustained 
 fast, and without the intermission of one second. Within about 
 fifly yards of the English line the guard paused, and attempted 
 to deploy ; but under such a fire it was not possible. Beyond 
 that point they never planted one footstep. The extremities of 
 the Ime opposed to them were enveloping their flanks; they got 
 mixed together in a crowded mass ; their formation was broken ; 
 and giving way, they hurried down the face of the position in 
 utter confusion. During this last effort, at a pouit very near, a 
 body of Brunswickers was driven back by a column of the enemy 
 from the ground where they were posted. The duke was instant- 
 ly at their head ; rallied them, and restored the combat 
 
 However, by the defeat of the imperial guard in their attack 
 on the British, the battle was already decided ; and the duke of 
 Wellington, now seeing the Prussians well up and engaged on 
 
 Vou\l. R 
 
194 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the enemy's right, and their columns sweeping down into the 
 plain from the forest upon the British left, ordered a general 
 advance of the whole line. 
 
 He led and directed this movement in person, with his hat off, 
 at the head of the British guards. The four battalions of the oid 
 guard in reserve had formed squares, flanked by guns and sup- 
 ported by some lancers of the guard and attempted a regular 
 retreat ; but already the whole army was in confusion. " Sauve 
 qui pent" was on all sides the cry ; entire columns broke, threw 
 down then- arms, and ran for their lives; and as our line advanced, 
 this old guard, the only body still preserving a formation, gave 
 way, and the rout, confusion, and terror were complete. Dis- 
 ordered, broke, and trampled down, they fled or fell before their 
 pursuers, wlio, with the wild hurrah of conquest, were hurrying 
 at their heels. 
 
 The British army having crowned the position which the 
 enemy had occupied all day, halted upon the field of battle. 
 The Prussians, being fresh, pursued the French all night, with 
 such vigor that they never rallied a single battalion. As soon as 
 ever Buonaparte saw the repulse of the last attack which he had 
 directed, he rode off the field, and consulted his safety by flight. 
 It was already the last faint light of evening, and clouds of 
 smoke were obscuring all objects when he fled. 
 
 Here the sun of that false glory, by the brightness of whose 
 meridian rays he had dazzled the nations of Europe, set suddenly 
 and for ever in darkness and blood. 
 
 The duke of Wellington and Blucher met at the farm of La 
 Belle Alliance soon afl;er nightfall; and the Prussian veteran 
 embraced him with most hearty congratulations, which were 
 warmly returned. Blucher had rendered great service, and his 
 movements, though retarded by circumstances he could not con- 
 trol, were made with masterly decision. Disregarding Grouchy 
 on his rear, he had pressed on with skilful judgment and hearty 
 good -will to the field of Waterloo. It was now late, and as 
 Blucher undertook to send his last horse and last man in pursuit, 
 the duke of Wellington returned to his head-quarters at Waterloo. 
 He passed back over the waste field of mud and gore where the 
 dead lay in their mournful honor by the light of the moon. Of the 
 British and German Legion alone more than 11,000 men and 
 700 officers had fallen killed or wounded. Most of the duke's 
 personal staff had been struck down. Lord Fitzroy Somerset was 
 severely wounded; the honorable Sir Alexander Gordon was 
 killed ; Picton, so valued in Spain, was dead ; Ponsonby, after 
 doing great things, had fallen cruelly ; the duke of Brunswick 
 slain (at Quatre Bras) ; the prince of Orange and the earl of 
 Uxbridge had been wounded, the latter severely. The corps of 
 
THE DUKE OP WELLINCrON. 195 
 
 lord Hill was not generally en^ged, but he had rendered good 
 service in person with such of his people as were brought into 
 action, and was vigilant for opportunity. After Picton's death, 
 general Kempt commanded on the left for hours with great 
 firmness and skill. 
 
 The loss of tlic enemy cannot be known : it was enormous, 
 and they abandoned all their artillery ; in fact, the whole field 
 was desolate as a shore after a hurricane covered with many 
 wrecks. With this triumph we close the military memoir of the 
 honored and illustrious duke of Wellington. 
 
 The consequences of the victory may be soon told. In one day 
 the strong army of the warlike and ambitious Buonaparte was 
 overthrown, and utterly destroyed ; and his power, always em- 
 ployed upon the work of blood and conquest, was laid prostrate 
 for ever. Peace, the true end of all rightful wars, was restored 
 to England and to all Europe. The allies again marched to 
 Paris ; Buonaparte, after attempting a delusive and conditional 
 abdication in favor of his son, fled ; and finding escape to America 
 impossible, surrendered himself to the English. Thus Louis once 
 more ascended the throne of his ancestors. 
 
 Upon the night of tlic memorable battle, of wliich these were 
 the early fruits, the words and emotions of tlie conqueror will 
 long be remembered by those who sate witii him at supper, after 
 the anxious and awful day had closed. The fountaui of a great 
 heart lies deep, and the self-government of a calm mind permits 
 no tears. But this niglit, Wellington repeatedly leaned back 
 upon his chair, and rubbing his hands convulsively, exclaimed 
 aloud, "Thank God, I have met him." "Thank God, I have 
 met him." And, ever as he spoke, the smile that liglited up his 
 eye was immediately dimmed by those few and big tears that 
 gush warm from a grateful lieart 
 
 Those many and deep anxieties, to which all his late heavy 
 responsibility of necessity gave birtli : his noble desire as a 
 patriot to defeat the most powerful and most implacable enemy 
 of his native country ; his rational doubts of success against a 
 general of experience so great, genius so acknowledged (and by 
 none so truly estimated as by himself), and fortune so singular ; 
 all that cannot be known to any one of the lears and hopes 
 which had been pent up in liis own bosom ; — all these were now 
 resolved, and dissipated by a result sudden, full, and glorious 
 beyond any expectation he could jxjssibly liave formed, or any 
 hope he could have admitted. The foe of England and of liberty 
 was again a fugitive, his power prostrate, his brave and devoted 
 legions destroyed. England, which he had served so faithfully, 
 and loved so well, was placed upon the very pmnaclc of glory ; 
 and her valiant army, wliich he had disciplined to conquest on 
 
196 MILITARY MEMOIRS OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 the battle-fields of Spain, and which upon this day be bad com* 
 manded witfi a moral firmness never surpassed, was the honored 
 instrument of her elevation. Long acknowledged as queen of 
 the sea, she now stood foremost in military fame. This work 
 under the blessing of God was his : he could look around and 
 say, " It is my work." 
 
 The hidden fire of his heart had long been a prayer, and the 
 tears which he now shed were — a thanksgiving. We do not 
 mean such prayer or such thanksgiving as would have flowed 
 from the informed conscience and the impressed aifections of 
 Gustavus Adolphus ; but, we do mean, a secret and silent trust 
 in Providence, and a sincere though brief recognition of its aid. 
 Gustavus, looking above this world, died early, and was ripe for 
 death. The life of the duke of Wellington has been long pre- 
 served, and has been passed upon the exposed summit of human 
 honors. May God long be his " shield," and so teach him, that, 
 in that land, where the ducal crown and the conqueror's laurels 
 caimot enter, he may find, and enjoy, the true and " exoeedimg 
 
 GREAT reward!" 
 
 THE END. 
 
m 
 
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