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diff --git a/old/50434-0.txt b/old/50434-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index effa9de..0000000 --- a/old/50434-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9928 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Story of Wellington, by Harold F. B. Wheeler - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Story of Wellington - -Author: Harold F. B. Wheeler - -Release Date: November 11, 2015 [EBook #50434] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF WELLINGTON *** - - - - -Produced by Shaun Pinder, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: (front cover)] - - - - - THE STORY OF - WELLINGTON - - - - -_Uniform with this Volume_ - - -THE STORY OF NAPOLEON - - By HAROLD F. B. WHEELER, - F.R.Hist.S. With 16 full-page Illustrations. - - THE STORY OF NELSON - By HAROLD F. B. WHEELER, F.R.Hist.S. With 16 full-page - Illustrations. - - FAMOUS VOYAGES OF THE GREAT DISCOVERERS - By ERIC WOOD. With 16 full-page Illustrations. - - THE STORY OF THE CRUSADES - By E. M. WILMOT-BUXTON, F.R.Hist.S. With 16 full-page - Illustrations by M. MEREDITH WILLIAMS. - - STORIES OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER - By Mr and Mrs WILLIAM PLATT. With 16 full-page Illustrations - by M. MEREDITH WILLIAMS. - - -[Illustration: The Duke writing his Waterloo Despatch - - _Fr._ Lady Burghersh -] - - - - - THE STORY OF - WELLINGTON - - _BY_ - HAROLD F. B. WHEELER F.R.Hist.S. - - MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION - JOINT-AUTHOR OF - ‘NAPOLEON AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND’ ETC. - AUTHOR OF - ‘THE MAXIMS OF NAPOLEON’ ‘THE MIND OF NAPOLEON’ - ‘THE STORY OF NAPOLEON’ AND ‘THE STORY OF NELSON’ - - - ‘_For this is England’s greatest son, - He that gain’d a hundred fights, - Nor ever lost an English gun_’ - - TENNYSON - - - LONDON - GEORGE G. HARRAP & COMPANY - 3 PORTSMOUTH STREET KINGSWAY W.C. - MCMXII - - - - - _Illustrations by Ballantyne & Co., Ltd., London_ - _Printed by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ - - - - - DEDICATED TO - C. ALFRED HAMILTON, ESQ - MY LIFE-LONG FRIEND - - “_Vera amicitia sempiterna est_” - - - - -Foreword - - -In this, the last of a trio of volumes dealing with three great -contemporary men of action, I have attempted to tell the story, in its -main lines, of the crowded life of Wellington. The narrative provides -as substantial a view of Wellington as is possible within the limits of -my space, but I hope that readers of my book will be so interested that -they will go on to the perusal of its companions, for the careers of -Napoleon, Nelson, and Wellington should be studied together. They are -the three sides of a triangle of which Napoleon is the base. - -The Duke’s career, when compared to the others, is “a plain, -unvarnished tale,” not altogether devoid of romance, certainly not of -adventure, but lacking in many of the qualities which have endeared -less notable men. It would be obviously untrue to state that Wellington -lacked humanity, but he was certainly deficient in that attractive -personal magnetism so evident in Nelson. Speaking broadly, he did not -repose that confidence in his subordinates which was one of the great -sea-captain’s most marked characteristics, and he often said hard -things of the men under him. Nelson is “the darling Hero of England”; -Wellington will always be known as the Iron Duke. If it ever became -the fashion to canonize military and naval men, Nelson’s nimbus would -be of rosemary, Wellington’s of steel. The mob never broke the windows -of Merton Place, but it shattered every exposed pane in Apsley House. -The incident arose from his conscientious opposition to reform, and -occurred in 1831, sixteen years after the battle of Waterloo. A little -over a decade later, an immense mob cheered him as he proceeded up -Constitution Hill. His acknowledgment was to point to the iron shutters -of his house when he reached Hyde Park Corner. They had been put up -after the bombardment by brickbats, and were never taken down during -his lifetime. - -In a way, Wellington is the typical John Bull of our fancy. He gloried -in an open-air life, he enjoyed sport, he was a man wedded to duty, -stern and uncompromising once his mind was made up. We love to imagine -that the average Briton displays the same characteristics, although -we know at heart that he does not do so, and that the secret of our -material success as a nation is our extraordinary power of absorption, -of “setting our sail to every passing breeze,” of compromising provided -we get the best of the bargain. - -This is how the Duke appeared to a foreigner, the Duchesse de Dino, -Talleyrand’s niece: “He has a very exact memory, and never quotes -incorrectly. He forgets nothing, and exaggerates nothing, and if his -conversation is a little dry and military, it attracts by its fairness -and perfect propriety. His tone is excellent, and no woman has ever -to be on her guard against the turn that the conversation may take.” -In later years Wellington’s memory failed somewhat. He was invariably -precise, always a soldier, and never given to what is generally known -as small talk. In a word, he commanded. - -A more intimate and less familiar view of Wellington is afforded us in -the diary of Benjamin Robert Haydon, who painted the Duke’s portrait -at Walmer Castle in the autumn of 1839. During breakfast, he tells us, -“six dear, healthy, noisy children were brought to the windows. ‘Let -them in,’ said the Duke, and in they came, and rushed over to him, -saying, ‘How d’ye do, Duke? How d’ye do, Duke?’ One boy, young Grey, -roared, ‘I want some tea, Duke!’ ‘You shall have it if you promise not -to slop it over me, as you did yesterday.’ Toast and tea were then in -demand. Three got on one side, and three on the other, and he hugged -’em all. Tea was poured out, and I saw little Grey try to slop it over -the Duke’s frock coat. Sir Astley [Cooper] said, ‘You did not expect to -see this.’ - -“They all then rushed out on the leads, by the cannon, and after -breakfast I saw the Duke romping with the whole of them, and one of -them gave his Grace a tremendous thump. I went round to my bedroom. The -children came to the window, and a dear little black-eyed girl began -romping. I put my head out and said, ‘I’ll catch you.’ Just as I did -this the Duke, who did not see me, put his head out at the door close -to my room, No. 10, which leads to the leads, and said, ‘I’ll catch ye! -Ha, ha, I’ve got ye!’ at which they all ran away. He looked at them and -laughed and went in.” - -That is a very human picture of the grim warrior when the sword had -been put aside for ever and the smoke of battle was cleared. “I hit -his grand, upright, manly expression,” Haydon adds. “He looked like an -eagle of the gods who had put on human shape, and had got silvery with -age and service.... His colour was fresh. All the portraits are too -pale.... ’Twas a noble head. I saw nothing of that peculiar expression -of mouth the sculptors give him, bordering on simpering. His colour was -beautiful and fleshy, his lips compressed and energetic.” - -From this passive scene in the evening of his days let us turn to the -more stirring days of the storming of Badajoz for our final portrait -of the Duke, for it is in the field that we like to remember him. -The glimpse is afforded us by Robert Blakeney, one of the boy heroes -of the Peninsular War. “I galloped off,” he writes, “to where Lord -Wellington had taken his station: this was easily discerned by means of -two fireballs shot out from the fortress at the commencement of the -attack, which continued to burn brilliantly along the water-cut which -divided the 3rd from the other divisions. Near the end of this channel, -behind a rising mound, were Lord Wellington and his personal staff, -screened from the enemy’s direct fire, but within range of shells. One -of his staff sat down by his side with a candle to enable the general -to read and write all his communications and orders relative to the -passing events. I stood not far from his lordship. But due respect -prevented any of us bystanders from approaching so near as to enable -us to ascertain the import of the reports which he was continually -receiving; yet it was very evident that the information which they -conveyed was far from flattering; and the recall on the bugles was -again and again repeated. But about half-past eleven o’clock an officer -rode up at full speed on a horse covered with foam, and announced the -joyful tidings that General Picton had made a lodgment within the -castle by escalade, and had withdrawn the troops from the trenches to -enable him to maintain his dearly purchased hold. Lord Wellington was -evidently delighted, but exclaimed, ‘What! abandon the trenches?’ and -ordered two regiments of the 5th Division instantly to replace those -withdrawn. I waited to hear no more, but, admiring the prompt genius -which immediately provided for every contingency, I mounted my horse.” - -I shall not attempt to enumerate the lengthy list of authorities I -have consulted in writing this volume, but special mention must be -made of Professor Oman’s monumental “History of the Peninsular War,” -which corrects Napier in many important points. Four volumes have now -been published, and I am under obligation to the eminent scholar whose -name appears on the title-pages for his kindness in allowing me to -use without reserve the labour of many years. The “Cambridge Modern -History” (vol. ix.), Rose’s “Napoleon,” Croker’s “Correspondence and -Diaries,” Siborne’s “Waterloo Letters,” the “Lives” of Wellington by -Sir Herbert Maxwell, W. H. Maxwell, Gleig, Hooper, Yonge, and many -others have been laid under contribution, as well as contemporary works -by soldiers who fought with the Iron Duke. As I have endeavoured to let -Wellington speak for himself whenever possible, Gurwood’s “Dispatches” -have been frequently consulted, and for sidelights I have had access -to a large number of volumes of correspondence, autobiography, and -biography in which he plays a part, however insignificant. - -Finally, I must express the hope that my readers, as they progress over -the field which I have endeavoured to open up to them, will share the -love of the strong, silent Man of Duty which has grown upon me as I -have become more intimate with the story of his life. - - _The path of duty was the way to glory. - His work is done. - But while the races of mankind endure, - Let his great example stand - Colossal, seen of every land._ - - HAROLD F. B. WHEELER - - NORTHWOOD, MIDDLESEX. - - - - -Contents - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. THE FOOL OF THE FAMILY (1769-93) 17 - - II. WELLINGTON’S BAPTISM OF FIRE (1794-97) 28 - - III. THE CAMPAIGN OF SERINGAPATAM (1797-1800) 35 - - IV. WAR WITH THE MARHATTÁS (1801-3) 47 - - V. LAST YEARS IN INDIA (1803-5) 58 - - VI. SERVICE IN ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND DENMARK (1805-7) 68 - - VII. THE FIRST BATTLES OF THE PENINSULAR WAR (1808) 76 - - VIII. VICTORY ABROAD AND DISPLEASURE AT HOME (1808-9) 90 - - IX. SIR ARTHUR’S RETURN TO PORTUGAL (1809) 99 - - X. TALAVERA (1809) 110 - - XI. WELLESLEY’S DEFENCE OF PORTUGAL (1809-10) 119 - - XII. THE LINES OF TORRES VEDRAS (1810) 128 - - XIII. MASSÉNA BEATS A RETREAT (1810-11) 137 - - XIV. THE SIEGE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO (1811-12) 154 - - XV. BADAJOZ AND SALAMANCA (1812) 165 - - XVI. THE CLOSING BATTLES OF THE PENINSULAR WAR (1812-14) 181 - - XVII. THE PRELUDE TO THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN (1814-15) 200 - - XVIII. LIGNY AND QUATRE BRAS (1815) 210 - - XIX. WATERLOO (1815) 218 - - XX. WELLINGTON THE STATESMAN (1815-52) 236 - - INDEX 253 - - MAPS-- - - (1) WELLINGTON’S CAMPAIGNS IN INDIA 37 - - (2) WELLINGTON’S PENINSULAR CAMPAIGNS 77 - - (3) THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO 219 - - - - -Illustrations - - - PAGE - - THE DUKE WRITING HIS WATERLOO DISPATCH - (_Lady Burghersh_) _Frontispiece_ - - ARTHUR AND THE MARQUIS DE PIGNEROL (_George W. Joy_) 20 - - “THE FULL FORCE OF THE BLAST” (_Thomas Maybank_) 32 - - “HE WAS HURLED DOWN BY THE DEFENDERS” (_Thomas Maybank_) 54 - - SIR HARRY SMITH AND THE SPANISH PATRIOT - (_Thomas Maybank_) 82 - - THE GALLANT PIPER AT VIMIERO (_Thomas Maybank_) 92 - - “YOU ARE TOO YOUNG, SIR, TO BE KILLED!” - (_Thomas Maybank_) 128 - - THE RETREAT FROM COIMBRA (_Thomas Maybank_) 138 - - WELLINGTON AT BADAJOZ CONGRATULATING COLONEL WATSON - (_R. Caton Woodville_) 168 - - THE END OF BREAKFAST (_Thomas Maybank_) 172 - - CHARGE OF PAKENHAM’S THIRD DIVISION AT SALAMANCA - (_R. Caton Woodville_) 178 - - FLIGHT OF THE FRENCH THROUGH VITTORIA (_Robert Hillingford_) 190 - - THE FRENCH RETREAT OVER THE PYRENEES - (_R. Caton Woodville_) 198 - - FARM OF MONT ST JEAN } - } - CHÂTEAU OF HOUGOUMONT } - } (_Photographs by C. A. Hamilton_,} - LA BELLE ALLIANCE INN } _Hornsey_) } 222 - } - FARM OF LA HAYE SAINTE } - - THE DESPERATE STAND OF THE GUARDS AT HOUGOUMONT - (_R. Caton Woodville_) 226 - - Charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo - (_R. Caton Woodville_) 234 - - - - -The Story of Wellington - - - - -CHAPTER I - -The Fool of the Family - -(1769-93) - - “_I don’t know what I shall do with my awkward son Arthur._” - - LADY MORNINGTON. - - -Gathering clouds, dark and ominous, obscured the political horizon in -the year 1769. The habitués of London coffee-houses discussed one of -three things--“The Letters of Junius,” the most remarkable series of -political exposures ever penned; the election of the notorious John -Wilkes for Middlesex; and the rebellious conduct of the North American -colonists. On the other side of the Channel the Duc de Choiseul was -skilfully planning ways and means of fanning into a fierce outburst -the flames of discontent now flickering in the West. To heap coals of -fire on the country which, during the Seven Years’ War (1756-63), had -enforced her claims to Canada and India, would be a triumph worthy -of the statesman who had banished the Jesuits from the hereditary -possessions of Louis XV. - -Had the people who lived in those stirring times been gifted with the -power of penetrating the future, their eyes would have turned in the -eventful year of 1769 from the larger stages to the comparatively -insignificant islands of Corsica and Ireland, for the former was the -birthplace of Napoleon and the latter of Wellington, and both were born -in 1769. - -There are other remarkable coincidences connected with the childhood -of Napoleon and Wellington. Their respective fathers were easy-going, -unpractical men, their mothers were women of marked force of character, -left widows early in life with large families. In addition, the hero of -Austerlitz was the fourth child of Letizia Bonaparte, his conqueror at -Waterloo the fourth son of the Countess of Mornington. - -A certain amount of obscurity is associated with their juvenile days. -Although the date of the entrance into the world of “the little -Corporal” is now fairly well established, it was long before historians -ceased to discuss it. There is still much uncertainty as to that of -Wellington. The Duke was always vague on the point, and celebrated -his birthday on the 1st May, which is the day following that on which -he was baptized at St Peter’s, Dublin, presuming the parish register -to be correct.[1] Lady Mornington announced that Arthur was a Mayday -boy, but her nurse as stoutly maintained that the event took place on -the 6th March. Dangan Castle, West Meath, and Mornington House, Marion -Street, Dublin, contest the honour of being his birthplace. The witness -for the country home is the afore-mentioned nurse; a prescription of -the physician who attended Lady Mornington about the period was sent -to a chemist in Ireland’s capital, and attests the claim of the town -mansion. The matter is not of prime importance, but serves to show the -somewhat casual habits of a less practical generation than our own. -The real family name of the Westleys, Wesleys, or Wellesleys--the -different forms were all used--was Colley or Cowley, but the Duke’s -grandfather inherited the estates of his kinsman, Garret Wesley, on -condition that he assumed that surname. He became Baron Mornington in -1747. It was the son of this fortunate individual, also a Garret, who -was created the first Earl of Mornington in the year previous to his -marriage to the eldest daughter of Viscount Dungannon. They became the -parents of the future Duke of Wellington as well as of several other -children. - -Of Arthur Wellesley’s scholastic career little can be ascertained -with certainty. We know that he spent a little while at a preparatory -school in Chelsea, then a very different place from what it is now, and -that he and his eldest brother, Lord Wellesley, who had succeeded his -father on his sire’s death in 1781, were at the same house at Eton. -Unfortunately the two rooms which they occupied are now demolished. -While it would be incorrect to call Arthur a dull boy, he certainly -displayed little interest in learning. Indeed, his mother was so -cynical regarding his ability, or want of it, that she called him “the -fool of the family.” - -The dictum that Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton may have -been true so far as other officers were concerned, but the younger -Wellesley showed not the slightest interest in games. He preferred the -fiddle to cricket, for he inherited his father’s passion for music. -“I was a player on the violin once myself, sir,” he mentioned to an -acquaintance in after years, “but I soon found that fiddling and -soldiering didn’t agree--so I gave it up, sir! I gave it up!” He was a -great admirer of Handel’s compositions. - -One precious anecdote regarding his life at the famous public school -has been spared to posterity, and appropriately enough it is a record -of his first serious fight--not with a sword, but with fisticuffs. -Robert Smith, brother of Sydney Smith, the witty divine and essayist, -happened to be bathing in the river when Wellesley was passing. -Prompted by some evil or jocular spirit the latter picked up a handful -of small stones and began to pelt his fellow student. Smith yelled -that he would thrash him if he did not stop. Wellesley defiantly dared -him to do so. The enraged “Bobus” promptly waded out and accepted the -challenge, which he regretted before many rounds had been fought. - -Although Wellesley was by no means of a pugnacious disposition, a -second fight, in which he was not victorious, took place during a -holiday spent at the Welsh home of his maternal grandfather, Lord -Dungannon. His opponent was a young blacksmith, named Hughes, who lived -to hear of the mighty exploits of the Iron Duke. He was never tired of -telling how he once conquered the vanquisher of Napoleon. It was his -one title to fame. - -[Illustration: Arthur and the Marquis de Pignerol - -George W. Joy] - -After leaving Eton, Wellesley was taken to Brussels in 1784 by his -mother, who found the many attractions of London society a heavy tax -on a slender purse, for she had removed to the Metropolis on the -death of her husband. As her son seemed to take little or no interest -in anything but the army, and as that service was then considered a -desirable alternative to the Church for the fool of the family, Lady -Mornington accepted the offer of some friends to provide for his -military education. Whatever ability her fourth son displayed seems to -have been less obvious to her than to others, as frequently happens. -“They are all,” she writes with reference to her family, “I think, -endowed with excellent abilities except Arthur, and he would probably -not be wanting, if only there was more energy in his nature; but he is -so wanting in this respect, that I really do not know what to do with -him.” However, the youth whom she described as being “food for powder -and nothing more” was packed across the frontier to Angers. She herself -returned to London in 1785, Wellesley proceeding to the quaint -old town associated with King John of England. Here he had his first -encounter with the French, and there is a celebrated picture showing -him in conversation with the Marquis of Pignerol. - -Pignerol, who presided over an Academy, not exclusively devoted to the -training of would-be soldiers as some writers have assumed, was an -engineer officer, and did his best to initiate the Irish lad into some -of the mysteries of the science of war. As his pupil only remained at -Angers for about twelve months, he cannot have learned more than the -rudiments, but he assimilated French with comparative ease. Unlike -Napoleon, who was never happier than when he was poring over military -books at Brienne, Wellesley enjoyed much good society. He made the -acquaintance of the Duc de Brissac, who seems to have been a delightful -foster-father of the scholars, for he frequently entertained them at -his château. The Duc de Praslin, the Abbé Siéyès, later one of the -French Consuls, D’Archambault, Talleyrand’s brother, Jaucourt, who -afterwards became Secretary for Foreign Affairs under Louis XVIII, -were all on his visiting list. It is quite probable that among his -schoolmates was Chateaubriand, destined to fill an honoured place in -the world of letters, but of this, said the Duke, he was not absolutely -certain. - -The British army was not then the skilfully organised fighting-machine -it has since become. Entrance into its ranks as an officer was not -difficult, provided one had financial support and influence. This -explains the rapid promotion of Wellesley. At the age of seventeen he -began his military career as an ensign in a Foot regiment, his gazette -being dated the 7th March 1787. Nine months later he was promoted -lieutenant into the 76th. By successive steps he rose to be captain -(1791), major (1793), lieutenant-colonel (1793), and colonel (1796). A -colonel at twenty-seven is beyond the dreams of mortal men to-day, and -this advancement contrasts oddly with the slow progress of Nelson, -Wellesley’s great naval contemporary, who had to depend upon his own -unaided merits for promotion. In 1793, six years following his first -appointment, he was placed in command of the 33rd Foot, after having -experience of the cavalry by serving in both the 12th and 18th Light -Dragoons. - -A little influence went a long way in those casual times; there was -nothing so valuable as “a friend at court.” Unlike many aristocratic -nobodies who secured high position, Wellesley afterwards proved his -worth, but he scarcely would have ascended the military ladder with -such astonishing quickness had not his brother Richard held office -under the younger Pitt. Lord Westmorland, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, -also took a fancy to him and made him one of his _aides-de-camp_. - -In 1790, when he was still in his twenty-first year, he entered the -Irish House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Trim, County Meath, -a “pocket borough” of the Wellesley family. We are told by Sir Jonah -Barrington, who made his acquaintance some three years later, that -the young soldier “was then ruddy-faced and juvenile in appearance, -and popular enough among the young men of his age and station. His -address was unpolished; he occasionally spoke in Parliament, but -not successfully, and never on important subjects; and evinced no -promise of that unparalleled celebrity and splendour which he has -since reached, and whereto intrepidity and decision, good luck, and -great military science have justly combined to elevate him.” The same -authority then proceeds to introduce us to Lord Castlereagh, and adds: -“At the period to which I allude, I feel confident nobody could have -predicted that one of those young gentlemen would become the most -celebrated English general of his era, and the other one of the most -mischievous statesmen and unfortunate ministers that has ever appeared -in modern Europe.[2] However, it is observable that to the personal -intimacy and reciprocal friendship of those two individuals they -mutually owed the extent of their respective elevation and celebrity: -Sir Arthur Wellesley never would have had the chief command in Spain -but for the ministerial manœuvring and aid of Lord Castlereagh; and -Lord Castlereagh never could have stood his ground as a minister, but -for Lord Wellington’s successes.” - -Another contemporary tells quite a different story of Wellesley’s -ability, and as he also heard him in 1793 it is printed here in order -that the reader may not be prejudiced by Barrington’s opinion. So -much is determined by the point-of-view of the witness. The occasion -was a debate on the perennial question of the Roman Catholics. -Captain Wellesley’s remarks, we are told, “were terse and pertinent, -his delivery fluent, and his manner unembarrassed.” Gleig, who was -intimately acquainted with the Duke, says that he “seems to have -spoken but rarely, and never at any length. His votes were of course -given in support of the party to which he belonged, but otherwise he -entered very little into the business of the House.” He mentions but -one incident connected with this period, namely, Wellesley’s attachment -to the Hon. Catherine Pakenham, an acknowledged Society beauty and a -daughter of Baron Longford. His Lordship, possessing a keen eye for the -practical affairs of life, objected to the match on the score of lack -of money, but there is little doubt that the couple came to a mutual -understanding. - -That Wellesley took more than a casual interest in his military -duties is evident, and if he did not display the inherent genius of -Napoleon he certainly went about his duties in a highly commendable and -workmanlike manner. For instance, he had scarcely donned the uniform -of his first regiment before he entered into calculations regarding -the weight of the accoutrements, ammunition, and other paraphernalia -carried by a private when in marching order. For this purpose he -ordered a soldier to be weighed both with and without his trappings. - -“I wished,” he says, “to have some measure of the power of the -individual man compared with the weight he was to carry and the work -he was expected to do. I was not so young as not to know that since I -had undertaken a profession I had better endeavour to understand it.” -He adds, “It must always be kept in mind that the power of the greatest -armies depends upon what the individual soldier is capable of doing -and bearing,” a maxim which still holds good, notwithstanding the many -changes effected in the course of a century and a quarter. However -excellent the gun, it is the man behind it which determines the issue. - -It was not until 1794 that Wellesley underwent the hardships of active -service. Before that phase of his career is detailed we must make a -hasty and general survey of the wide and scattered field of action. -The occasion was the second year of the great strife which occupied -the attention of Europe, with little intermittance, for over twenty -years. The gauntlet had been flung down by France in 1792, when war was -declared against the Holy Roman Empire, with which Prussia made common -cause. The campaign was an eye-opener to all Europe, for although -the Prussians and Austrians began well they did not follow up their -advantages, particularly when the road to Châlons and Paris lay open -to the former. At Valmy the Prussians were defeated, and subsequently -withdrew across the frontier in a deplorable condition of dearth and -disease. Dumouriez then invaded Flanders, and was victorious over the -Austrians at Jemappes, a success followed by the fall of Mons, Malines, -Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp, and Namur, while smaller towns, such as -Tournay, Ostend, and Bruges welcomed the victorious troops with open -arms as the heralds of a new era. - -In Savoy the scanty Sardinian forces were routed by Montesquiou, and -the country annexed, as was Nice by Anselme. With the dawning of 1793 -Belgium shared a similar fate, and the occupation of Dutch territory -was decided on. This latter was an extremely foolish move, as events -soon proved. - -England and Holland became involved in the second month of the new -year, when the French Convention announced hostile intentions to -both Powers. Previous to this, Great Britain had maintained a strict -neutrality. She now commenced proceedings by sending 10,000 troops to -Holland under the incompetent Duke of York, where they united with a -similar force of Hessians and Hanoverians, whose expenses were met by -English gold, a plentiful supply of which also found its way into the -coffers of other Powers. The Island Kingdom and Russia had already -allied themselves, although the Czarina’s designs on Poland precluded -immediate co-operation, and during the next few months Sardinia, Spain, -Naples, Prussia, the Holy Roman Empire, and Portugal joined in mutual -support. - -Dumouriez duly appeared on Dutch territory, but was compelled to -retreat on Flanders by the defeat of the general engaged in besieging -Maestricht. On resuming offensive operations he himself lost the -battle of Neerwinden. Within a fortnight the French had abandoned all -their conquests in Belgium, which again passed into the possession of -Austria. Dumouriez took refuge in the camp of the Imperialists after -negotiating with Coburg, the commander of the “White Coats,” to place -the frontier fortresses into his hands and to unite the two armies. -Neither arrangement was carried through, for the defeated general -found it more prudent to fly the country.[3] Mayence, on the Rhine, -was invested by the Prussians, to whom it eventually capitulated, and -Valenciennes and Condé were successfully besieged by the Austrians and -British. All three fortresses fell during July 1793. - -The tide was beginning to turn even in France, for Toulon and Lyons -openly revolted, and civil war broke out in La Vendée. Had the Allies -made a concerted effort, the defeat of the Republican cause could -scarcely have failed to follow, but they quarrelled amongst themselves -instead of following up their advantage. They squandered their strength -by dividing their army into detachments, and much precious time was -wasted by the diversion on Dunkirk made by the English, Hanoverian, -Hessian, and some of the Austrian forces, about 37,000 strong. - -The Revolutionary Government, augmenting its fighting body, instructed -General Houchard to attack the enemy before the historic seaport. As -a sequel to this movement the Duke of York was forced to retreat and -abandon forty guns and much of his baggage. Houchard’s triumph was -short-lived. He met with disaster at the hands of the Austrians, and -paid the price of failure with his head. With the Convention defeat -spelt death. Professing the Cause of Humanity, it refused to be -humanitarian. - -By the middle of September all the important fortresses which blockaded -the way of the Allies to the Capital had fallen, with the exception -of Maubeuge. The victory of Jourdan, the successor of Houchard, over -the covering force at Wattignies saved the situation, and on the -17th October the French marched into Maubeuge. On the Upper Rhine -the Allies found themselves in possession of Metz only, at the end -of 1793. In the south-west of Europe the campaign made no further -progress, and the Republican cause gained fresh impetus by the crushing -of the royalist risings at Lyons and Toulon. It will be remembered -that Napoleon won his first laurels in helping to subjugate the great -arsenal in the south of France, and in forcing the withdrawal of the -British fleet under Hood which had gone to support the rebellious -inhabitants. - -These facts, dry as dust though they may be, are essential to a correct -understanding of the part played by Wellington in the early days of the -Great War detailed in the following chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -Wellington’s Baptism of Fire - -(1794-97) - - “_I learnt what one ought not to do, and that is always something._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -The pages of military romance teem with references to the disappointed -lover who seeks to assuage his sorrow by active service. In actual -life one doubts whether such things often happen, but it appears that -it was true of Arthur Wellesley. He asked his eldest brother to use -his influence with Pitt to persuade Lord Westmorland to send him “as -major to one of the flank corps,” his own regiment being “the last -for service.” The request was refused, and the young officer had to -wait until May 1794. Orders were then issued for the 33rd to proceed -on foreign service as part of a contingent under Lord Moira which was -urgently required to reinforce the Duke of York. - -The Allies had not only experienced a series of defeats, but Prussia -had withdrawn many of her forces on the Rhine for service in Poland, -the dismemberment of which seemed to offer more tangible advantages -than the protracted warfare against “armed opinions.” As a member of -the Holy Roman Empire she had of necessity to supply 20,000 troops--a -mere handful--and she announced her intention of merely fulfilling -this obligation. Again British gold came to the rescue, and Prussia, -by a treaty signed on the 19th April 1794, agreed to keep 62,000 men -at the disposal of the Allies in return for a handsome subsidy. The -unfortunate Austrian general, Mack, was then given command of the new -campaign. The fatal mistake was repeated of dividing the army, with -the result that while the Imperialists under Clerfait were forced to -retreat on Tournay, the Duke of York, aided by Prince Schwartzenberg, -secured an advantage at Troisville. A series of actions around -Tourcoing followed on the 16th to the 18th May, during which his -Highness narrowly escaped being made a prisoner, owing partly to his -having been left isolated by the cutting off of his communications, -and partly to a praiseworthy determination to hold the positions his -troops had gained. At Pont-à-chin, near Tournay, the repeated attempts -of Pichegru to secure the village ended in disaster. On the 26th June -the Austrians, in their endeavour to relieve Charleroi, which had -surrendered to the growing forces of the French under Jourdan a few -hours before, were forced to retreat from the plains of Fleurus. “The -loss of Flanders,” says Alison, “immediately followed a contest which -an enterprizing general would have converted into the most decisive -triumph.” The Duke of York, having sustained a reverse at Oudenarde, -was also retreating, intent upon covering Antwerp and Holland. - -Wellesley arrived at Ostend with his regiment in June 1794, from whence -he was sent to Antwerp, on which the Duke of York and the Prince of -Orange shortly afterwards fell back, while Moira marched to Malines. -The Colonel held that his senior officer would have been better advised -had he and his troops proceeded up the Scheldt or the Maes in boats, an -opinion subsequently confirmed by events. - -After settling necessary matters Wellesley carried out his instructions -and reached the Duke of York several days before Moira was in touch -with him. It was a moral victory for the young officer, and doubtless -served the very useful purpose of stimulating his ambition. - -For three months the Duke of York and the Prince of Orange remained -at Antwerp. The Commander of the Dutch troops then retired towards -the Rhine, and the former moved towards Holland. During the march -General Abercromby was told to secure the village of Boxtel, captured -on the previous evening by one of Pichegru’s divisions. A desperate -affray ensued, and notwithstanding the intrepid bravery of the British -infantry, cavalry, and artillery, it ended in disaster. It is extremely -probable that the entire force would have been annihilated but for -Wellesley’s promptitude in covering the retreat. No opposition was -offered until the British were passing through a wood, when a masked -battery opened fire. A little later there was considerable confusion, -and a body of French Hussars charged forward only to meet Wellesley’s -battalion drawn across the road. They were repulsed, thanks to the -valour of the young commander. - -Throughout an extremely severe winter the British were continually -pressed by the ardent Republicans. From October to January 1795 -Wellesley held a post on the Waal, and the arduous nature of his duties -is described by him in letters written at the time. “At present,” he -says on the 20th December 1794, “the French keep us in a perpetual -state of alarm; we turn out once, sometimes twice, every night; the -officers and men are harassed to death, and if we are not relieved, -I believe there will be very few of the latter remaining shortly. I -have not had the clothes off my back for a long time, and generally -spend the greatest part of the night upon the bank of the river, -notwithstanding which I have entirely got rid of that disorder which -was near killing me at the close of the summer campaign. Although -the French annoy us much at night, they are very entertaining during -the daytime; they are perpetually chattering with our officers and -soldiers,[4] and dance the _carmagnol_ upon the opposite bank whenever -we desire them; but occasionally the spectators on our side are -interrupted in the middle of a dance by a cannon ball from theirs.” - -It is a genial, good-natured message, but Wellesley always held his -feelings well under control. In the above he chose to reveal the -humorous aspect of the long-drawn-out agony. There was plenty to -complain about had he desired. The food supply was deficient; the -wounded had to bear their agonies with the patience of Stoics, because -the stock of medicines ran short; and the general privation was -terrible. A pitiful lack of foresight characterised the whole campaign. -What could be expected of a Commander-in-Chief who gave preference to -the pleasures of the table if a dispatch arrived during a meal, and -contemptuously remarked, “That will keep till the morning”? During the -time of his sojourn on the Waal, Wellesley “only saw once one general -from the headquarters,[5] which was old Sir David Dundas.... We had -letters from England, and I declare that those letters told us more of -what was passing at headquarters than we learnt from the headquarters -ourselves.... It has always been a marvel to me how any of us escaped.” - -That “old Sir David Dundas” thought very highly of the young officer’s -conduct is evident. When he succeeded as Commander-in-Chief of the -British forces, on the recall of the Duke of York in the following -December, Wellesley was appointed Brigadier and given command of the -rear guard. By a series of retreats the tattered army eventually -reached Bremen. It embarked for England early in 1795. - -In summing up Wellesley’s first experience of field service, Earl -Roberts states that it was, “no doubt, extremely valuable to -Wellington in after years. It must have taught him that soldiers even -of the best quality, well drilled, disciplined and equipped, cannot -hope to be successful unless proper arrangements are made for their -supply and transport; and unless those who direct the operations have -formed some definite plan of action, and have sufficient zeal and -professional knowledge to carry it out. If the French generals had -taken full advantage of the opportunities which the incapacity of the -English and German commanders threw in their way, the British force -must have been annihilated.” - -One is inclined to doubt whether the troops were “well drilled, -disciplined and equipped” at this period. The gross incompetence of -many of the highest officers is abundantly proved, and continued lack -of success speedily reduces the vital strength of any regiment. - -As already noted, the commissariat was execrable. We have it on the -authority of one who was present that during the retreat hundreds of -invalids succumbed, “whilst the shameful neglect that then pervaded -the medical department, rendered the hospitals nothing better than -slaughter-houses for the wounded and the sick.” - -[Illustration: “The full force of the blast” - -Thomas Maybank] - -Shortly after Wellesley reached England he decided to leave the Army. -The cause is unknown, but it seems highly probable that either his -recent experience had disgusted him with the service as constituted, or -he wished to obtain more remunerative employment so that he might be -in a position to marry the lady of his choice. He also owed money to -his brother, who had made advances for his promotion. This sum could -be repaid by the sale of his commission. Although Wellesley was always -scrupulous in money matters, the reason seems scarcely credible. We -are therefore forced to accept one of the other alternatives, perhaps -both, for mention is made of the miserable state of the Army in -his letter to Lord Camden[6] regarding the desired appointment. He -consulted Mornington on the matter, and it was decided that a position -under the Revenue or Treasury Boards would serve his purpose. “If your -Excellency,” he writes to the Viceroy, “is of opinion that the offices -at these boards are too high for me, of course you will say so; and -as I am convinced that no man is so bad a judge of a claim as he who -makes it, I trust you will not believe that I shall feel otherwise -towards you than as I have always felt, with sentiments of the greatest -regard.... You will probably be surprised at my desiring a civil -instead of a military office. It is certainly a departure from the line -which I prefer, but I see the manner in which the military offices are -filled, and I don’t want to ask you for that which I know you cannot -give me.” - -Research has failed to discover what answer, if any, was vouchsafed -this communication. Wellesley remained in the Army. In October 1795 -he and his regiment sailed from Southampton as part of an expedition -against the French settlements in the West Indies. The vessels -encountered a terrible gale, still known as “Christian’s Storm,” after -the name of the admiral who commanded the fleet. While it might be -untrue to say that the ships were in an unseaworthy condition, their -sanitary state was deplorable, for they had but recently returned from -a long voyage as hospital and prison transports. Scarcely forty-eight -hours after they had sailed, and when they were off Weymouth, the full -force of the blast struck them. One vessel foundered with all hands, -half-a-dozen or more were totally dismasted, and hundreds of soldiers -went to their death in a battle with the elements against which all the -drill in the world was ineffectual. Fortunately Wellesley escaped, but -when he received orders, in April 1796, to embark his men for India he -was too ill to accompany them. However, he set sail for Calcutta in -June, and overtaking the 33rd Regiment at the Cape of Good Hope, duly -reached his destination in February 1797. “The station is so highly -advantageous to him that I could not advise him to decline it,” says -Lord Mornington.[7] The good-natured Earl little knew what advantage, -both to Wellesley and the Empire, was to accrue as the result of the -failure of his brother’s civil ambitions. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -The Campaign of Seringapatam - -(1797-1800) - - _India, “a country fertile in heroes and statesmen._” - - CANNING. - - -The proverb to the effect that “History repeats itself” is not strictly -true. The further we study the subject, the more we find that like -causes do not necessarily bring about similar effects. The ill success -which attended the expedition to the West Indies, ere it left the -English Channel, has a fitting parallel so far as its practical utility -is concerned in the force placed at General St Leger’s disposal to -attack Manilla, the Philippine Islands then being in the possession of -Spain, with whom Great Britain was now at war. Fortunately it did not -meet with disaster, but neither expedition reached its destination. -Wellesley accepted the offer of Sir John Shore, the Governor-General -of India, to command a brigade, and the troops were embarked. They had -not proceeded farther than Penang before an order was issued for their -recall owing to troubles brewing in India itself. - -Shortly after his return to Calcutta the Colonel was placed in command -of the forces in Madras. He also heard that his eldest brother -had been offered the extremely responsible and difficult post of -Governor-General in succession to Sir John Shore. It was now his turn -to feed the flames of Mornington’s ambition. He writes: “I strongly -advise you to come out. I am convinced that you will retain your -health; nay, it is possible that its general state may be improved, -and you will have the fairest opportunity of rendering material -service to the public and of doing yourself credit.” Mornington lacked -self-confidence, and a thousand and one doubts and fears possessed his -mind. The Colonel reminded him that if he refused so advantageous a -position on account of his young family, “you forego both for yourself -and them what will certainly be a material and lasting advantage.” - -Mornington accepted, and arrived at Calcutta with his youngest brother, -Henry, as private secretary in the middle of May 1798. He speedily -found an antidote for home-sickness in endeavouring to unravel the -tangled skein of affairs in Mysore, where Tipú Sultan was intriguing -with the French Republic for assistance in attacking the possessions -of the East India Company in Southern India. The pugnacious character -of the son of Hyder Ali was typified by the tiger’s stripes on his -flag. He possessed the fanaticism and barbarity of the Oriental at his -worst, and when opportunity occurred would feed a beast of prey with an -English prisoner. - -[Illustration: WELLINGTON’S CAMPAIGN IN INDIA.] - -To secure either the friendship or the neutrality of the Nizám, -whose territory abutted that of the bloodthirsty Tipú, now became of -paramount importance. His army was officered by Frenchmen, which was -proof positive that in the event of war it would assist Britain’s -enemy, although the Nizám had a distinct leaning towards the English. -As it happened, the native troops mutinied against their officers, -and, seizing his opportunity, the Nizám dismissed them. They were sent -to England as prisoners, and subsequently allowed to return to their -own country, a most humane consideration, for which Mornington was -largely responsible. The military positions they formerly occupied -were promptly filled by our own officers. A new treaty was made to -preclude the Marhattás from allying themselves with Tipú, and a force -of 6000 British troops was maintained by the Nizám at Hyderabad. - -Meanwhile Wellesley had proceeded with his regiment to Madras, and, -owing to the death of the senior officer, was placed in temporary -command of the troops. In communication with Lord Clive, the Governor -of the Presidency, and General Harris, the Commander-in-Chief, he -busied himself with the multitudinous arrangements necessary for -an advance upon Seringapatam, the capital of the Mysore Dominions. -Horses, bullocks, and elephants had to be provided for the purpose of -transport; forts equipped and provisioned; the siege train properly -organized. He drew up a plan of campaign, and bent himself to the task -with exacting energy. Notwithstanding the preparations for war, he -still hoped that a resort to arms would prove unnecessary. Those who -are apt to think that all military men delight in strife for the mere -love of it will do well to remember this fact and judge less harshly, -for Wellington is the typical representative of the British Army. But -he believed in being ready, and hated nothing so much as “muddling -through.” - -There was still a possibility, though scarcely a probability, that Tipú -would repent. He had received word that Napoleon, then on his famous -Egyptian expedition, was coming to his aid with an “invincible army.” -So far he had refused a definite statement of policy. Not until it was -abundantly evident that the protracted negotiations of the Sultan of -Mysore with the Government were merely to gain time, was a declaration -of war issued on the 22nd February 1799. According to Wellesley, -General Harris “expressed his approbation of what I had done, and -adopted as his own all the orders and regulations I had made, and then -said that he should mention his approbation publicly, only that he was -afraid others would be displeased and jealous. Now as there is nothing -to be got in the army except credit, and as it is not always that the -best intentions and endeavours to serve the public succeed, it is hard -that when they do succeed they should not receive the approbation which -it is acknowledged by all they deserve. I was much hurt about it at the -time, but I don’t care now, and shall certainly do everything to serve -General Harris, and to support his name and authority.” - -Wellesley never feared to speak his mind, as his voluminous dispatches -abundantly testify. In a letter to Mornington he admits that he had -“lectured” the Commander-in-Chief because he allowed the Madras -Military Board too much license in the matter of appointments. On the -other hand, he had “urged publicly to the army (in which I flatter -myself I have some influence) the necessity of supporting him, whether -he be right or wrong.” In his opinion it was “impossible” to hold the -General “too high, if he is to be the head of the army in the field.” - -Harris certainly compensated Wellesley to some extent by placing him -in command of thirteen regiments, including the Nizám’s contingent, -with the rank of brigadier. The strength of this force was about 16,000 -men, that of the whole army 35,000, excluding 120,000 camp followers, -the bugbear of the old-time commander. The Bombay corps under General -Stuart attacked a portion of the enemy, commanded by the wily Tipú, in -the vicinity of Sedasser, on the 6th March. This success augured well, -for the Sultan was forced to retire. - -Harris’s first serious engagement took place near Malavelly on the -27th, Wellesley advancing to the attack and turning Tipú’s right flank. -After an engagement lasting three hours the enemy withdrew, with the -loss of some 2000 men by death or wounds against the British 7 killed -and 53 wounded. Tipú was a skilful soldier, and had not neglected to -throw up a line of entrenchments before Seringapatam, into which city -he now withdrew. To drive in the advanced outposts before definitely -besieging the place was Harris’s first object. This duty was intrusted -to Wellesley and Colonel Shaw respectively, each having charge of a -detachment. It was the task of the former to carry a tope, or thicket, -and a village called Sultanpettah. He failed, for reasons explained in -the following letter: - -“On the night of the 5th, we made an attack on the enemy’s outposts, -which, at least on my side, was not quite so successful as could have -been wished. The fact is, that the night was very dark, that the -enemy expected us, and were strongly posted in an almost impenetrable -jungle. We lost an officer, killed, and nine men of the 33rd wounded, -and at last, as I could not find out the post which it was desirable -I should occupy, I was obliged to desist from the attack, the enemy -also having retired from the post. In the morning they re-occupied it, -and we attacked it again at day-light, and carried it with ease and -with little loss. I got a slight touch on the knee, from which I have -felt no inconvenience, and I have come to the determination never to -suffer an attack to be made by night upon an enemy who was prepared -and strongly posted, and whose posts had not been reconnoitred by -daylight.” It should be added that twelve soldiers were taken prisoner -and executed by the brutal method of nails being driven through their -heads, and that Wellesley had previously given it as his opinion that -the projected attack on the thicket would be a mistake. The operation -undertaken by Colonel Shaw was successful. - -The siege now proceeded in earnest, but a breach was not made in the -solid walls surrounding Seringapatam for three days. On the 4th May the -place was stormed by General Baird. General Sherbrooke’s right column -was the first to ford the Cauvery River. His men speedily scaled the -ramparts, and engaged that part of the Sultan’s 22,000 troops stationed -in the immediate vicinity. The defenders fought with the fatalistic -energy and determination so characteristic of the natives of India. The -left column followed, but found the way more difficult. Tipú, mounting -the ramparts, fired at the oncoming red-coats with muskets handed to -him by his attendants. It was his last battle; his body was afterwards -discovered in a covered gateway, together with hundreds of others. -Wellesley, with his corps, occupied the trenches as a first reserve. - -“About a quarter past one p.m.,” says an eye-witness, “as we were -anxiously peering, telescope in hand, at the ford, and the intermediate -ground between our batteries and the breach, a sharp and sudden -discharge of musquetry and rockets, along the western face of the -fort, announced to us that General Baird and the column of assault -were crossing the ford; and immediately afterwards, we perceived our -soldiers, in rather loose array, rushing towards the breach. The -moment was one of agony; and we continued, with aching eyes, to watch -the result, until, after a short and appalling interval, we saw the -acclivity of the breach covered with a cloud of crimson,--and in a -very few minutes afterwards, observing the files passing rapidly to -the right and left at the summit of the breach, I could not help -exclaiming, ‘Thank God! the business is done.’ - -“The firing continued in different parts of the place until about two -o’clock, or a little afterwards; when, the whole of the works being -in the possession of our troops, and the St George’s ensign floating -proudly from the flagstaff of the southern cavalier, announced to us -that the triumph was completed.” - -On the 5th, Wellesley took over the command from Baird, who had -requested temporary leave of absence, and without delay began to -restore some kind of order among the British troops, whose one object -after victory was plunder, in which matter they showed little delicacy -of feeling. The city was on fire in several places, but the flames -were all extinguished within twenty-four hours, and the inhabitants -were “retiring to their homes fast.” Having stopped, “by hanging, -flogging, etc.,” the insubordination of the troops and the rifling of -the dead by the camp followers who had flocked in, Wellesley proceeded -to bury those who had fallen. - -During the four weeks of the siege the British lost 22 officers and -310 men, and no fewer than 45 officers and 1164 men were reported as -wounded and missing.[8] The Commander mentions that jewels of the -greatest value, and bars of gold, were obtained. As the prize agents -assessed the treasure taken at £1,143,216, the wealth of Seringapatam -must have been astounding. Wellesley’s share came to about £4000.[9] -Hundreds of animals were required to carry the rich stuffs, plate, -and richly-bound books from this city of opulence. A little humorous -relief to so much sordidness is afforded by Wellesley’s difficulties -regarding some of the late Sultan’s pets. “There are some tigers here,” -he writes, “which I wish Meer Allum would send for, or else I must give -orders to have them shot, as there is no food for them, and nobody to -attend to them, and they are getting violent.” Tipú’s 650 wives gave -less trouble than the wild beasts. They were removed to a remote region -and set at liberty. - -Wellesley’s next appointment was as Commander of the Forces in Mysore. -He proved himself to be particularly well fitted for the post, which -obviously required a man of infinite tact, who could be lenient or -severe as circumstances demanded. It was Wellesley’s testing-time, and -he did not fail either in administration or the rough and tumble of -the “little war” so soon to fall to his lot. He had already served on -a commission appointed to go into the question of the partition of the -conquered Dominions, a small part of which was made over to the Peshwá, -and larger shares to the Nizám and the East India Company respectively. -The dynasty overturned by Tipú’s father was restored. As the new -Rájá of Mysore was only five years of age, he was scarcely able to -appreciate the fact that his territory was so greatly diminished. - -We now come to a story worthy of a place in the Arabian Nights. It -concerns an adventurer who, later, assumed the truly regal title of -King of the World. Dhoondia Waugh, to give him the name by which those -who were unfortunate enough to make his acquaintance first knew him, -was the chief of a band of robbers whom Tipú had captured and thrown -into prison. Recognizing in him a brave man, the Sultan remitted the -sentence of death and gave him a military appointment, thus turning his -acknowledged abilities into a less questionable channel, for a thief -must needs be fearless and daring if he is to succeed. For some reason -not altogether clear, Dhoondia Waugh was again imprisoned, and he did -not regain his liberty until the fall of Seringapatam, when he was -liberated, together with a number of other gaol-birds. The old thieving -instinct reasserted itself, and as he encountered no difficulty in -collecting a band of the late Tipú’s cavalry, he speedily resorted to -means and measures which alarmed the inhabitants of every place he -visited. When pressed by the troops sent after them the horde took -refuge in the territory of the Peshwá, the nominal head of the Marhattá -confederacy. There they received anything but a cordial welcome, -although it seems probable that reinforcements were obtained among -the malcontents. However that may be, Dhoondia Waugh duly appeared -near Savanore. Having the safety of the Mysore Dominions very much at -heart, for he had supreme civil and military control, Wellesley started -in pursuit of the freebooter. Several fortresses held by Dhoondia’s -unlawful bands were stormed, his baggage taken, and a number of guns -captured. - -An affray which took place near the Malpurda River at the end of -July 1800, not only reduced the chief’s forces, but caused many of -his followers to forsake the cause, although their strength in the -following September was considerably more than that at Wellesley’s -command; in actual figures, some 5000 against 1200. The operation on -the 10th of that month, which proved decisive, was extremely difficult, -for the enemy was strongly posted at a village called Conahgull. The -Colonel charged with such cool daring and so determined a front, that -after having stood firm for some time the enemy made off, closely -pursued for many miles by the British cavalry. A dire and just -retribution was exacted; those who were not killed “were scattered in -small parties over the face of the country.” The King of the World had -fought his last battle. He was found among the slain. - -It is frequently asserted that Wellesley held but a low opinion of -the troops which he commanded, and he certainly passed harsh judgment -on those who shared his later campaigns. Not so in this particular -instance, however. In the dispatch detailing “the complete defeat and -dispersion” of the forces of Dhoondia, he expressly remarks on the -“determined valour and discipline” of the soldiers, the patience and -perseverance displayed in “a series of fatiguing services,” and the -excellent organization of the commissariat department. - -Wellesley also showed that a kind heart is not necessarily the -attribute of a weak nature. With a humanity entirely worthy so great -a man, he had Dhoondia’s “supposed or adopted son” cared for, and -afterwards placed £400 in the hands of trustees for his future -use.[10] “Had you and your regicide army been out of the way,” writes -Sir Thomas Munro to Wellesley, “Dhoondia would undoubtedly have become -an independent and powerful prince, and the founder of a new dynasty of -cruel and treacherous Sultauns.” - -This short campaign likewise furnishes us with one of the secrets of -the success of our national military hero. Just before he set out on -the long chase after the King of the World, he was offered a position -particularly rich in prospects, namely, the military command of an -expedition for the surrender of the Dutch island of Batavia. The sole -condition was that Lord Clive, the Governor of Madras, to whom he was -responsible, could spare him. A man who was moved by purely personal -ambition would have had no hesitation in bringing all his influence to -bear on the Governor in order to secure so good an opening. Wellesley, -however, recognizing that he had already begun preparations for the -running to earth of the bloodthirsty and cruel Dhoondia--an end much -to be desired--asked Clive to accept or decline for him as he thought -best. He neither pleaded for nor against, although he hoped that if -Admiral Rainier were not starting at once he might be able to join him -when the work on hand was finished. “I am determined that nothing shall -induce me to desire to quit this country, until its tranquillity is -ensured. The general want of troops, however, at the present moment, -and the season, may induce the Admiral to be desirous to postpone the -expedition till late in the year. In that case it may be convenient -that I should accompany him....” - -The Governor of Madras refused his permission, and there the matter -ended. Months afterwards, when there seemed a probability of operations -in the Marhattá Territory, Wellesley wrote a lengthy Memorandum on -the means of carrying such a campaign to a successful issue. “The -experience,” he notes in his opening remarks, “which has been acquired -in the late contest with Dhoondia Waugh, of the seasons, the nature of -the country, its roads, its produce, and its means of defence, will be -of use in pointing them out.” - -Thus it will be seen that the knowledge gained by Wellesley during -the performance of an individual duty was stored up for future use. A -march or a campaign was not simply carried out and then dismissed. It -was a lesson learned and to be remembered. In military matters he was -to a very appreciable extent self-taught. No drill-book in existence -can furnish skill or assure victory, and genius itself is valueless -on the battle-field without a clear perception based on things -ascertained--“the experience which has been acquired” referred to in -the above communication. Napoleon, against whom Wellesley was to fight -in the years to come, early recognized the supreme importance of this -principle. “The adroit man,” he says, “profits by everything, neglects -nothing which can increase his chances.” - -The “Sepoy General” was such a man. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -War with the Marhattás - -(1801-3) - - “_We must get the upper hand, and if once we have that, we shall - keep it with ease, and shall certainly succeed._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -That disappointments are frequently blessings in disguise had already -been proved by Arthur Wellesley. Unfortunately, it is easier to forget -such a precept than to practise it, and each apparent failure to climb -another rung of ambition’s ladder is apt to be regarded as a definite -set back. It was so with Wellesley, and a time of trial and perplexity -followed the campaign of Seringapatam and the defeat of Dhoondia. - -He eventually weathered the storm of depression which pressed upon him, -as he weathered many another, but it must be admitted that he bent -before it. It came about in this way. The French army in Egypt was -still very active, although Napoleon had long since left it. He was -now First Consul, and gradually preparing himself and the nation for -the assumption of the Imperial crown. The Governor-General, henceforth -to be known as Marquis Wellesley,[11] was of opinion that a small -expedition should be sent either to Batavia or the Mauritius, or to -assist Sir Ralph Abercromby in his attempt to drive the French out of -Egypt. - -With one of these desirable objects in view his brother Arthur was -given 5000 troops. He at once set off for Trincomalee, in the island -of Ceylon, the headquarters of the little army, intent on personally -superintending the arrangements. Shortly afterwards instructions came -to hand from the Home Government that 3000 men were to be sent to -Egypt. Colonel Wellesley was informed of this decision, and determined -to lose no time in forwarding the project. Without receiving official -word to do so, and still believing he held the premier post, he -embarked the men and sailed for Bombay, where he had ordered an ample -supply of provisions to be ready. - -When off Cape Comorin, Wellesley received a letter from his brother, -stating that he had appointed Major-General Baird to the command of the -troops destined for the island of Batavia, which made it clear that the -Governor-General had not then received the dispatches of the Secretary -of State. Knowing that some at least of the troops on the transports -would be required for Egypt, he proceeded on his way, and wrote to -Baird of his intention. A little later a further letter came to hand -from another source; but the fleet was in want of water, some of the -troops had died, and “I was induced to adhere to my original plan.” - -Baird, who, on arriving at Trincomalee, found “the cupboard was -bare,” was deeply incensed at Wellesley’s high-handed behaviour. The -“culprit’s” feelings as to the Governor-General’s new appointment were -also far from pacific. That he acted in perfect good faith is evident -from the preceding, which is borne out in a lengthy dispatch in which -he sought to justify his action in the eyes of his brother. - -“I have not been guilty of robbery or murder,” he writes to Henry -Wellesley from Bombay on the 23rd March 1801, “and he has certainly -changed his mind; but the world, which is always good-natured towards -those whose affairs do not exactly prosper, will not, or rather does -not, fail to suspect that both, or worse, have been the occasion of my -being banished, like General Kray, to my estate in Hungary.[12] I did -not look, and did not wish, for the appointment which was given to me; -and I say that it would probably have been more proper to give it to -somebody else; but when it was given to me, and a circular written to -the governments upon the subject, it would have been fair to allow me -to hold it till I did something to deserve to lose it. - -“I put private considerations out of the question, as they ought and -have had no weight in causing either my original appointment or my -supercession. I am not quite satisfied with the manner in which I have -been treated by Government upon the occasion. However, I have lost -neither my health, spirits, nor temper in consequence thereof. But it -is useless to write any more upon a subject of which I wish to retain -no remembrance whatever.” - -Baird would have been scarcely human had he not felt hurt by finding -himself head of a force which had disappeared, especially as the -Colonel had already superseded him as Governor of Seringapatam. But -he forgave, if he did not forget, and so did Wellesley. Some thirty -years afterwards, when Baird’s days of active soldiering were over, he -remarked, during the course of a chat with Sir John Malcolm, who had -himself done good service in India: “Time’s are changed. No one knows -so well as you how severely I felt the preference given on several -occasions to your friend Wellesley, but now I see all these things from -a far different point of view. It is the highest pride of my life that -anybody should ever have dreamed of my being put in the balance with -him. His name is now to me joy, and I may almost say glory.” - -It is satisfactory to know that Arthur Wellesley was not foolish enough -to allow the iron to enter into his soul to such an extent as to -prevent him from co-operating with Baird, into whose hands he placed a -“Memorandum on the Operations in the Red Sea,” accompanied by a letter -acknowledging “the kind, candid, and handsome manner in which you have -behaved towards me.” When the expedition was ready, Arthur Wellesley -was laid low with a fever, consequently the Commander-in-Chief -was obliged to sail without his lieutenant, not altogether to his -discomfiture one would surmise. - -An attack of the dreaded Malabar itch did not tend to a speedy recovery -of the invalid, but he was sufficiently well in May 1801 to resume his -former duties at Seringapatam, where he had been reinstated by his -brother. By living moderately, drinking little or no wine, avoiding -much medicine, taking exercise, and keeping his mind employed, he -eventually recovered. As Baird saw no fighting, his rival lost nothing -by remaining in India. - -Sir Herbert Maxwell[13] assumes that Arthur Wellesley’s fever -was caused by disappointment, but as the latter expressly states -that Baird’s “conduct towards me has by no means occasioned this -determination (namely, to resign the appointment), but that it has -been perfectly satisfactory,”[14] the statement is obviously based on -a surmise that the Colonel was diplomatically lying. Everybody fully -appreciates the influence of mind over matter, and thwarted desire may -have weakened Wellesley’s health, but surely the facts of the case -scarcely justify so definite an assertion. - -Colonel Wellesley remained in Mysore for nearly two years, during -which he did his work both wisely and well, showing favour to none and -justice to all. It was in February 1803 that the future Wellington, -now a Major-General, received news that he was required for active -service against the Marhattás. The war-like intentions of this powerful -confederacy, which alone could challenge British supremacy, had not -escaped the notice of Government. The nominal head of the five native -princes who constituted it was Baji Rao, the Peshwá of Poona, the -others being Daulat Rao, Sindhia of Gwalior; Jeswant Rao, Holkar of -Indore; the Gaikwár of Baroda, and the Bhonsla Rájá of Berar. Sindhia -was the most powerful, and possessed a fine army drilled by French -officers and commanded by Perron, a deserter from the French Marine. - -Holkar had at his disposal no fewer than 80,000 splendidly-equipped -men, mostly cavalry, likewise organized by European soldiers. Intense -rivalry existed between these princes, and when, in October 1802, the -latter invaded Poona, the armies of Sindhia and the Peshwá met with -disaster. The Peshwá sought refuge with the British, and forthwith -entered into an offensive and defensive alliance with Lord Wellesley -as the only means of saving his territory. The chief clauses were that -6000 British troops should be kept at Poona, the expense being met by -the assignment to the East India Company of certain territory; that the -Peshwá would not make war with the other princes or allow them to prey -on each other without the consent of Government; and that he should be -reinstated in his capital. This arrangement, known as the Subsidiary -Treaty of Bassein, soon had the effect of drawing together the -remaining members of the Marhattá confederacy, cementing a friendship -between Sindhia and Holkar, and an alliance between Sindhia and the -Bhonsla Rájá. It is clear that the continued acknowledgment of the -Peshwá as head of the confederacy, now that he was under the ægis of -the British, would have been to admit the supremacy of the conquering -Power they so much resented. Lord Wellesley had already signed a -defensive alliance with the Gaikwár of Baroda, and in order to be ready -for eventualities, men from the armies of the three Presidencies, -namely, Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, were concentrated at various -points, the first for operation on the north-west frontier of Mysore, -the second for action about Surat and Broach, and the third for the -occupation of Cuttack. A large force was also ordered to assemble at -Cawnpore under General Lake, the Commander-in-Chief in India, while -three corps were held in reserve. Major-General Wellesley was placed in -command of a detachment of some 10,600 troops, to which must be added -the Nizám’s contingent of 8400 men under Colonel Stevenson, making -19,000 in all. His orders were to secure Poona, now held by a small -garrison of Holkar’s soldiers totalling not more than 1500. He was -already on the march when he heard of the intention of the Governor, -acting on Holkar’s instructions, to burn the town on the approach of -the British. - -“We were within forty miles of the place”--Wellesley himself tells -the story[15]--“when this resolution of Holkar’s lieutenant was -communicated to me. My troops had marched twenty miles that day under -a burning sun, and the infantry could no more have gone five miles -farther than they would have flown. The cavalry, though not fresh, -were less knocked up, so I got together 400 of the best mounted among -them, and set off. We started after dark on the night of the 19th of -April, and in the afternoon of the 20th we got close to the place. -There was an awful uproar, and I expected to see the flames burst out, -but nothing of the kind occurred. Amrut Rao--that was the Marhattá’s -name--was too frightened to think of anything except providing for his -own safety, and I had the satisfaction of finding, when I rode into the -town, that he had gone off with his garrison by one gate as we went in -by another. We were too tired to follow, had it been worth while to do -so, which it was not. Poona was safe, and that was all I cared for.” -In the following month the Peshwá returned to his capital. - -Sindhia and the Rájá of Berar now busied themselves with gathering a -large army at Burhanpur, ready to threaten the Deccan, Holkar retiring -to Indore. Wellesley was no less active at Poona; his experience in -Holland had taught him the all-important lesson that an efficient -organization is a powerful ally. In addition, he was busy endeavouring -to come to terms with Sindhia and the Rájá, for which purpose he had -been given chief command of the British forces in the Marhattá states, -with the fullest political authority. Similar powers were vested in -General Lake in Northern India. After wasting as much time as possible -in the negotiations so as to gain it for military preparations, -Wellesley anticipated the inevitable. “I offered you peace on terms -of equality,” he writes on the 6th August 1803, “and honourable -to all parties: you have chosen war, and are responsible for all -consequences.” On the following day hostilities were declared against -Sindhia and the Rájá of Berar. - -The stone-built fortress of Ahmednuggur, the capture of which would -safeguard his communications with Poona and Bombay and prevent -reinforcements from Southern India reaching the enemy, was his first -object of attack. The main body of Sindhia’s men was threatening -Hyderabad, but the place was well garrisoned and so solidly constructed -that it looked as though it would defy whatever artillery could be -brought to bear on it. Wellesley said that with the exception of -Vellore, in the Carnatic, it was the strongest country fort he had -ever seen. However, he began operations against the outworks on the -8th, after having made proposals for its surrender without favourable -result. “The Arabs,” we are told, “defended their posts with the -utmost obstinacy,” but towards evening were forced to quit the wall. -On the following day the ground in the neighbourhood of the fort was -reconnoitred and a commanding position seized, on which a battery -of four guns was constructed for use during the attack. The first -shots were fired on the 10th at dawn, and the storming party speedily -began its work. Three times an officer ascended a scaling ladder -propped against one of the walls, and thrice he was hurled down by the -defenders. The fourth attempt was successful, and, followed by some of -his men, the gallant soldier literally hewed a way into the town. The -remaining troops, pressing on, took the place of those who fell. At -length the Commander of the enemy’s forces surrendered, “on condition -that he should be allowed to depart with his garrison, and that he -should have his private property.” His fourteen hundred men marched out -of the fort, and Wellesley’s troops took possession. - -[Illustration: “He was hurled down by the defenders” - -Thomas Maybank] - -On the 23rd September the General found himself and his small -contingent of some 8000 soldiers face to face with the whole combined -army of Sindhia and the Rájá of Berar, a state of affairs brought -about by unreliable information, causing the separation of Wellesley -and Stevenson. At least 50,000 of the enemy were posted in a strong -position behind the river Kaitna, near the village of Assaye. As -Wellesley had received no reinforcements, and had only 17 guns compared -with 128 commanded by skilful French officers at the disposal of the -Marhattás, the disproportion of the forces was sufficiently obvious. -To a general less experienced or daring the situation would have been -considered sufficient cause for an instant retreat; even he called -the attack “desperate.” The problem for him to settle was, should he -wait a few hours for Stevenson, or begin immediately with the scanty -resources at his disposal? Although only 1500 of his men were British, -the Commander-in-Chief decided on the latter alternative, ignoring the -information vouchsafed by his guides that the river was absolutely -impassable. Yet it was only by crossing the stream that he could take -advantage of the opportunity to attack. Here Wellesley’s native wit -and acute intelligence--he himself called it “common sense”--assisted -him. His telescope merely revealed a village on either side of the -stream. This fact suggested the probability of a neighbouring ford. -On investigation such proved to be the case, and if the passage was -difficult the General was at least fortunate in being able to carry -out the operation without severe molestation by the enemy, who had -foolishly neglected to guard this point. They repaired the omission so -far as was possible by firing upon the oncoming army as it slowly waded -across, but the losses were comparatively trivial. “All the business of -war,” Wellesley once told Croker, “and indeed all the business of life, -is to endeavour to find out what you don’t know by what you do.” - -The battle began well by the routing of some of the infantry and -artillery by the Highlanders and Sepoys. This advantage was almost -immediately counterbalanced by the mistaken zeal of the officer -commanding the pickets, supported by the 74th Regiment. He foolishly -led his men against the village, thereby exposing them to the -concentrated fire of the enemy’s artillery and musketry stationed -there. Had he taken a less direct route, this could not have happened, -but his enthusiasm overruled his caution. Men dropped down like -ninepins in a skittle-alley when the ball is thrown by a skilful -player. They fell by the dozen as they came within the zone of fire. -Their comrades filled up the tell-tale gaps and continued to push -on with a dogged tenacity entirely worthy their intrepid commander. -Meanwhile what few British guns remained pounded away, and were -silenced one by one as the men who worked them fell dead at their post. -The enemy’s cavalry then proceeded to decimate the already sorely -depleted ranks of the 74th. - -At this moment the 19th Light Dragoons, under Colonel Maxwell, were -hurled at Sindhia’s troops. The charge turned the fate of the day. -What remained of the 74th rallied under the support thus given, and -when Wellesley led the 78th into action the village fell. An attempt -was made by the enemy to rally, but it was too late. Men who, with true -Oriental cunning, had fallen as though killed in order to avoid the -oncoming British cavalry as they charged, and had escaped the iron-shod -hoofs of the horses, rejoined the ranks, only to find that the day -had been lost. The whole body was soon flying helter-skelter from the -blood-stained field towards Burrampur, abandoning artillery, baggage, -ammunition--everything that precluded swift movement. Twelve hundred of -the Marhattás breathed their last on this memorable day. - -In fighting this battle--“the hardest-fought affair that ever took -place in India”--o’er again in the twilight of his days, the Duke -of Wellington made light of the indiscretions of the officers at -Assaye and remembered only their bravery. “I lost an enormous number -of men: 170 officers were killed and wounded, and upwards of 2000 -non-commissioned officers and privates;[16] but we carried all before -us. We took their guns, which were in the first line, and were fired -upon by the gunners afterwards, who threw themselves down, pretending -to be dead, and then rose up again after our men had passed; but they -paid dearly for the freak. The 19th cut them to pieces. Sindhia’s -infantry behaved admirably. They were in support of his cannon, and we -drove them off at the point of the bayonet. We pursued them as long as -daylight lasted and the exhausted state of the men and horses would -allow; and slept on the field.”[17] - -Wellesley himself, although not wounded, lost two horses. An -eye-witness has recorded that he had never seen “a man so cool and -collected as he was the whole time.” Stevenson arrived on the -following evening, and set out almost immediately to follow the enemy, -Wellesley being forced to remain owing to his lack of transport for the -wounded, whom he refused to leave. The Colonel seconded Wellesley’s -magnificent victory by reducing the fortress of Burrampur on the -16th October, and that of Asseerghur on the 21st. Wellesley covered -Stevenson’s operations and defended the territories of the Nizám and -the Peshwá. “I have been like a man who fights with one hand and -defends himself with the other,” he notes on the 26th October. “I have -made some terrible marches, but I have been remarkably fortunate: -first, in stopping the enemy when they intended to press to the -southward, through the Casserbarry ghaut; and afterwards, by a rapid -march to the northward, in stopping Sindhia, when he was moving to -interrupt Colonel Stevenson’s operations against Asseerghur; in which -he would otherwise have undoubtedly succeeded.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -Last Years in India - -(1803-5) - - “_Time is everything in military operations._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -Bhonsla Rájá now became the immediate object of Wellesley’s attention. -While proceeding in quest of him the General received envoys from -Sindhia requesting an armistice. This was granted on the 23rd November -1803, the principal condition imposed by Wellesley being that the -enemy’s army should retire forty miles east of Ellichpúr. This clause -was not fulfilled, the cavalry of the wily Sindhia encamping at -Sersooly, some four miles from the position occupied by Manoo Bappoo, -brother of the Rájá, ready for immediate co-operation. Having again -united their divisions, Wellesley and Stevenson pushed towards them. “A -confused mass” about two miles beyond Sersooly proved to be the enemy’s -armies on the march. A little later the General made out “a long line -of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, regularly drawn up on the plains -of Argaum, immediately in front of that village.” - -“Although late in the day,” says Wellesley in describing the events -of the 29th November, “I immediately determined to attack this army. -Accordingly, I marched on in one column, the British cavalry leading in -a direction nearly parallel to that of the enemy’s line; covering the -rear and left by the Mogul and Mysore cavalry. The enemy’s infantry and -guns were in the left of their centre, with a body of cavalry on their -left. Sindhia’s army, consisting of one very heavy body of cavalry, -was on the right, having upon its right a body of pindarries and other -light corps. Their line extended above five miles, having in their rear -the village and extensive gardens and enclosure of Argaum; and in their -front a plain, which, however, was much cut by watercourses, etc. - -“I formed the army in two lines; the infantry in the first, the cavalry -in the second, and supporting the right; and the Mogul and Mysore -cavalry the left, nearly parallel to that of the enemy; with the right -rather advanced in order to press upon the enemy’s left. Some little -time elapsed before the lines could be formed, owing to a part of the -infantry of my division which led the column having got into some -confusion. When formed, the whole advanced in the greatest order; the -74th and 78th regiments were attacked by a large body (supposed to be -Persians), and all these were destroyed. Sindhia’s cavalry charged -the 1st battalion, 6th regiment, which was on the left of our line, -and were repulsed; and their whole line retired in disorder before -our troops, leaving in our hands 38 pieces of cannon and all their -ammunition. - -“The British cavalry then pursued them for several miles, destroyed -great numbers, and took many elephants and camels and much baggage. The -Mogul and Mysore cavalry also pursued the fugitives, and did them great -mischief. Some of the latter are still following them; and I have sent -out this morning all of the Mysore, Mogul, and Marhattá cavalry, in -order to secure as many advantages from this victory as can be gained, -and complete the enemy’s confusion.... The troops conducted themselves -with their usual bravery....” - -One of the bravest deeds performed during the battle of Argaum was -that of Lieutenant Langlands, of the 74th. Wounded in the fleshy -part of the leg by a spear, he promptly pulled out the weapon and -thrust it through the body of the Arab who had thrown it. A Sepoy who -witnessed this extraordinary display of self-possession, forgetting all -discipline, rushed from the ranks and patted the young officer on the -back, yelling in his native tongue, “Well done, sir; very well done!” - -Wellesley next marched on the mountain fort of Gawilghur, strongly -garrisoned by the Rájá’s troops. This defence consisted of an outer and -inner fort, the former protected by strongly-built walls, and the whole -by ramparts and towers. Admittance was gained only by three gates, all -extremely difficult of access by an invading army owing to the roads -leading to them. That to the south, communicating with the inner fort, -was long and steep, and could only be negotiated on foot; the second -was exposed to the guns mounted on the west side and was extremely -narrow and scarped by rock; the third, or north gate, communicated with -the village. Wellesley chose the last as being the most practicable for -his purpose, although he did not blind his eyes to the fact that “the -difficulty and labour of moving ordnance and stores from Labada would -be very great.” - -From the 7th December, when the corps under Wellesley and Stevenson -marched from Ellichpúr by different routes, till the 12th, “on which -Colonel Stevenson broke ground near Labada, the troops in his division -went through a series of laborious services, such as I never before -witnessed, with the utmost cheerfulness and perseverance. The heavy -ordnance and stores were dragged by hand over mountains, and through -ravines, for nearly the whole distance, by roads which it had been -previously necessary for the troops to make for themselves.” - -On the night of the 12th, Stevenson erected two batteries in front of -the north face of the fort, and Wellesley one on the mountain, “under -the southern gate.” Although firing was begun on the following morning, -the breaches in the walls of the outer fort were not sufficiently -large for practical purposes until the 14th. Next day, while the -storming party was getting to work, Wellesley made two attacks from -the southward so as to draw the enemy’s fire upon himself as much as -possible. The north-west gate was carried, and a detachment entered -without difficulty. Captain Campbell, with the light infantry of the -94th, then succeeded in fixing ladders against the wall of the inner -fort. They “escaladed the wall, opened the gate for the storming party, -and the fort was shortly in our possession.” In a later communication -Wellesley mentions that he never knew a place taken by storm which -was so little plundered, “and it is but doing justice to the corps to -declare that in an hour after having stormed that large place, they -marched out with as much regularity as if they had been only passing -through it.” - -Bhonsla Rájá had already sent his vakeel[18] to sue for peace. This -was granted by his ceding to the Company the province of Cuttack, with -the district of Balasore, and dismissing the European officers who -had played so important a part in the drilling of his army. Sindhia -also “began to be a little alarmed respecting his own situation,” and -shortly afterwards concluded hostilities, handing over all the country -between the Jumna and the Ganges, and several important fortresses. -These happenings did not relieve Wellesley from active service. -Several bands of freebooters, “the terror of the country,” consisting -mainly of fugitive soldiers from the defeated armies, were carrying -on lawless practices in the West Deccan. After crossing the Godavery, -he and some of his troops marched many weary miles along bad roads, -often at accelerated speed, in order to attack them, only to find -that the enemy had received intelligence of their approach, probably -from a traitor in Wellesley’s own ranks. With set purpose the General -continued to follow where the marauders led, and eventually broke up -the bands, securing the whole of their guns, ammunition, and baggage, -thus depriving them of their means of warfare: “they have lost every -thing which could enable them to subsist when collected.” Wellesley -afterwards asserted that his chase of the freebooters was the greatest -march he ever made. - -Towards the end of May 1804 Wellesley received instructions from the -Governor-General to break up the army in the Deccan, the task of -running to earth Holkar, the sole remaining enemy of the confederacy, -being given to Lake. In the following month he relinquished his -command, and after a short visit to Calcutta returned to Seringapatam. -He had already requested that he might be allowed to leave India “when -circumstances will permit it,” and the Commander-in-Chief had given him -the necessary permission. He was dissatisfied because he had not been -promoted since he became Major-General, “and I think that there appears -a prospect of service in Europe, in which I should be more likely to -get forward.” In addition, he was suffering from rheumatism, “for which -living in a tent during another monsoon is not a very good remedy.” He -sailed for the Homeland on the 10th March 1805, after six years of hard -work, and still harder fighting, in the interests of British rule in -India. - -The following contemporary pen-portrait of “the Sepoy General,” -sketched for us by Captain Sherer, will enable us to visualize him as -he appeared at this time: - -“General Wellesley was a little above the middle height, well limbed, -and muscular; with little incumbrance of flesh beyond that which -gives shape and manliness to the outline of the figure; with a firm -tread, an erect carriage, a countenance strongly patrician, both in -feature, profile, and expression, and an appearance remarkable and -distinguished: few could approach him on any duty, or on any subject -requiring his serious attention, without being sensible of a something -strange and penetrating in his clear light eye. Nothing could be more -simple and straightforward than the matter of what he uttered; nor did -he ever in his life affect any peculiarity or pomp of manner, or rise -to any coarse, weak loudness in his tone of voice. It was not so that -he gave expression to excited feeling.” - -To what extent did the Governor-General influence his brother’s career -in India? First of all we must understand the position of the Marquis -Wellesley. It was naturally one of tremendous power and responsibility. -The glamour attached to the post was sufficiently evident to the -general public. There it ended, for it was glitter rather than gold to -its holder. The Directors of the East India Company, ever on the side -of rigid economy and large dividends, expressly forbade the costly -system of conquest and annexation, yet this was necessarily the sheet -anchor of Wellesley’s policy, as former chapters have shown. When -pacific measures were tried and failed, it would have been disastrous -to continue them. As it usually took over three months[19] for a -communication from India to reach England, it follows that the same -period was necessary for a reply. The consequences of indecision on -the part of the Viceroy, of waiting for advice from home in matters -requiring urgency, were therefore fraught with dire peril. On the -other hand, if he showed too despotic tendencies he ran a grave risk -of incurring displeasure. Indeed, this is exactly what happened, for -Lord Wellesley was recalled in 1805 and censured by the Court of -Proprietors. When, after thirty years, it became evident that his -administration had been wise and not foolish, that he had carried -out what would have had to be done eventually to establish British -influence, the Directors relented and voted him a grant of £20,000. - -Fortunately there was “a barrier state” in London between the -Governor-General and the Directors in the person of the President of -the Board of Control, the said Board consisting of Cabinet Ministers. -This position had been occupied since July 1802 by Lord Castlereagh, -who, on taking office, found that Wellesley had come to the conclusion -that resignation was better than humiliation. He did much to smooth -over the difficulties, and from that time until Wellesley’s return to -England Castlereagh loyally supported the Viceroy on every possible -occasion. For instance, when the reduction of the Indian establishment -to 10,000 troops was seriously mooted by the Directors and the Cabinet -at home, notwithstanding the threatening attitude of the Marhattá -confederacy, it was largely due to Castlereagh’s support of Lord -Wellesley’s demands that so absurd a policy was prevented. - -The President of the Board of Control never interfered in the matter -of patronage, knowing full well that the Governor-General on the spot -was better able to recognize merit for the special requirements of the -service than a man thousands of miles away. This brings us back to our -proper subject. - -We have noted how Lord Mornington discerned the opportunity awaiting -his brother in India, and how that brother reciprocated when the former -was diffident in the matter of accepting the chief official post there. -It is true that Wellesley was made Governor of Seringapatam over the -head of Baird, his senior officer, but whether this appointment was due -to the fact that Mornington influenced General Harris in the matter of -his choice is not sufficiently evident. There is a strong suspicion -that it was,[20] because Arthur Wellesley had only served as commander -of the reserve, whereas Baird was the leader of the assault, and as -such military tradition unquestionably favoured his appointment. - -Again, in the matter of the Batavian expedition, the Governor-General -offered Wellesley the appointment as military commander: “The King -has given me the power of selecting the persons who are to conduct -this expedition; ... and a conscientious sense of duty induces me -to think that you are the most fit person to be selected for that -service, provided you can safely be spared from Mysore for the period -of the expedition....” In Mornington’s opinion, “the expedition will -be very advantageous to the naval and military commanders.” On the -other hand, we know that when the project was abandoned for a diversion -on the coasts of the Red Sea, he superseded his brother. One wonders -what would have happened when Wellesley set off for Bombay without -instructions, had he not been closely related to the Governor-General. -The Marquis certainly did not minimize Arthur’s successes to those at -home. Writing to Addington, then Speaker of the House of Commons, in -October 1800, he says, “My brother Arthur has distinguished himself -most brilliantly in an expedition against an insurgent, who had -collected a great force of predatory cavalry--the wreck of Tippú’s -army.” Three years later, when Addington was Prime Minister, he again -drew attention to his brother’s achievements, as follows:-- - -“My public duty will not permit me to be silent respecting -Major-General Wellesley. His march from Mysore to Poona, his able -conduct of the measures adopted for restoring the Peishwah, for -conciliating the feudatory Mahratta chiefs who maintained their -allegiance to the Peishwah, for preserving the dominions of the -Nizám, and our interests at Hyderabad, combined with his sieges of -Ahmednuggur, Burrampur, and Asseerghur, his glorious and splendid -victories at Assaye and on the plains of Argaum, with the entire ruin -of Sindhia’s French troops and powerful artillery in the Deccan, -must place the name of General Wellesley among the most bright and -distinguished characters that have adorned the military history of -the British power in India. He is now employed in reducing the main -fortress of Perar, and in negotiating, with the utmost judgment and -skill, the conditions of peace. I leave his merits to your justice, and -to the judgment of his King and country. The pride and honour of being -allied by the nearest ties of blood to such an officer cannot absolve -me from the obligations of my public station, as the representative -of the supreme civil and military authority in India; and I cannot, -therefore, omit this testimony to the merits of General Wellesley -without a positive violation of my duty.”[21] - -Whatever may be thought of such glowing praise from a brother on the -score of good taste, it evidently achieved its purpose, for before he -left India, Arthur Wellesley was appointed an extra Knight Companion of -the Bath and received the thanks of the King and Parliament. - -Earl Roberts,[22] in summing up this phase of the future Duke’s career, -remarks: “On his arrival in India he found himself in a country where -in almost every matter the power and influence of the Governor-General -were supreme, and the Governor-General being his brother, he was -quickly placed in a position of responsibility, which gave him the -opportunity of developing his talents as a soldier and statesman in -the best of all schools--the school of practice. It cannot be denied -that in early life Wellington owed much to family influence,[23] and -to a system of promotion which would now be stigmatized as jobbery. -On the other hand, he took full advantage of every chance that was -thrown in his way, and by his industry and capacity fully justified the -exceptional favour with which he was treated.” - -With this conclusion the present writer heartily agrees; whatever Sir -Arthur gained from his relative’s assistance was amply repaid in his -achievements. British India owes much to the brothers Wellesley. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -Service in England, Ireland, and Denmark - -(1805-7) - - “_I am not afraid of responsibility, God knows, and I am ready to - incur any personal risk for the public service._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -When, in 1803, the short-lived Peace of Amiens came to an end, and -Great Britain and France again resorted to the sword, Napoleon’s first -feat of arms was the conquest of Hanover. Thus, at the very beginning -of the second phase of the Great War, George III found himself not only -minus his hereditary continental possessions, but deprived of a very -useful base for those futile military excursions so beloved of the -British Government. - -That His Majesty received the tidings of his loss “with great -magnanimity, and a real kingliness of mind,” may or may not be true. -His ministers asserted that such was the case; considerations of policy -would have precluded them from saying otherwise. - -However this may be, two months after Sir Arthur Wellesley landed in -England, that is to say, in November 1805, he was given the command of -a brigade in an expedition to Hanover about to be undertaken by Lord -Cathcart. The object was to rout the comparatively few French troops -left to garrison the country, and to co-operate with Russian, Swedish, -and Danish troops in ridding Germany of the common enemy. The surrender -of Mack at Ulm, and Napoleon’s wonderful victory at Austerlitz, -although it followed within a few weeks of Nelson’s signal triumph at -Trafalgar,[24] completely shattered this desirable object, just as -the negotiations that followed put an end to the ambitious hopes of -the Third Coalition. The recall of the troops before they had been -able to carry out any of the objects of the diversion, beyond gaining -some thousands of adherents to the rank and file, therefore became -imperative, and was duly effected. - -Sir Arthur Wellesley now spent a short time in command of his brigade -at Hastings, and he was gazetted colonel of the famous 33rd Regiment, -which post had become vacant on the death of the venerable Marquis -Cornwallis, his brother’s successor in India. The next important -event in his life, if not in his career, was his marriage to the Hon. -Catherine Pakenham, thus consummating a romance begun many years -before,[25] and his single ambition apart from the Army. The ceremony -was performed in Dublin on the 10th April 1806, the bridegroom being -nearly thirty-seven years of age. One wishes it were possible to add -that “they lived happy ever after.” Biography, the twin sister of -History, tells us that it was not so, and Gleig suggests that a broken -engagement with a second suitor, of which Wellesley was not informed -on his return from India, was partly the cause.[26] Two days after the -wedding Wellesley was elected Member of Parliament for Rye, his main -object in seeking political distinction being that he might defend -his brother’s administration in India, where his system of making -recalcitrant States subsidiary to England, whilst retaining their own -rulers, was the subject of an embittered attack. The “high crimes and -misdemeanours” alleged against Lord Wellesley were referred to from -time to time, but on the 17th March 1808, the following motion was -carried by 182 votes against 31: “That it appears to this House that -the Marquis Wellesley, in his arrangements in the province of Oude, -was actuated by an ardent zeal for the service of his country, and an -anxious desire to promote the safety, interests, and prosperity of the -British Empire in India.” This did not altogether end the unsavoury -affair, for another unsuccessful attempt to incriminate the statesman -was made some time later. - -Sir Arthur was by this time Chief Secretary for Ireland, having -been appointed in the previous year. Once again we see two members -of this distinguished family holding prominent appointments, for -Henry Wellesley became one of the Secretaries to the Treasury in the -newly-appointed Portland ministry. - -Barrington, whose acquaintance we have already made, relates an -interesting anecdote of the soldier at this time. He met Lord -Castlereagh, accompanied by a gentleman, in the Strand. “His lordship -stopped me,” he writes, “whereat I was rather surprised, as we had not -met for some time; he spoke very kindly, smiled, and asked if I had -forgotten my old friend, Sir Arthur Wellesley? whom I discovered in his -companion, but looking so sallow and wan, and with every mark of what -is called a worn-out man, that I was truly concerned at his appearance. -But he soon recovered his health and looks, and went as the Duke of -Richmond’s[27] secretary to Ireland, where he was in all material -traits still Sir Arthur Wellesley, but it was Sir Arthur Wellesley -judiciously improved. He had not forgotten his friends, nor did he -forget himself. He said that he had accepted the office of secretary -only on the terms that it should not impede or interfere with his -military pursuits; and what he said proved true....” - -Obviously his duties in Ireland bear no comparison with those he so -successfully undertook in India, but following his own maxim, “to do -the business of the day in the day,” he got through a vast amount of -routine labour, frequently important, sometimes trivial. Under the -former head we must put his investigation of the military defences of -the island. It must not be forgotten that although the invasion of the -United Kingdom by Napoleon was no longer a standing menace, there was -always a likelihood of its resurrection, and Ireland was the danger -zone. - -The Peace of Tilsit, signed between France and Russia on the 7th July -1807, and between France and Prussia on the 9th of the same month, -was a most serious blow to British interests. By a secret treaty the -Emperor Alexander undertook to aid Napoleon against England if that -Power refused to make peace within a certain period, to recognize the -equality of all nations at sea, and to hand back the conquests made by -her since 1805. As a bait--it really savoured of insult--Great Britain -was to be offered Hanover. Should she refuse these terms the Autocrats -of France and of Russia agreed to compel Denmark, Sweden, and Portugal -to join them in a vast naval confederacy against Great Britain, and -to close their ports against her. In addition, the reigning monarchs -of Spain and Portugal were to be deposed in favour of the Bonaparte -family. For his connivance in the matter Alexander was to be handsomely -compensated in the Ottoman Empire and by territorial acquisitions in -Western Europe. - -Fortunately, or otherwise, according to the point of view, the British -Cabinet was put in possession of certain facts regarding these -plans. Canning, who was Minister for Foreign Affairs, realizing the -responsibilities of his unenviable position, as also of that of his -country, determined to forestall the plotters. He felt that some kind -of arrangement with Denmark was essential, especially as the Prince -Regent of Portugal had communicated news to the effect that Napoleon -purposed to invade England with the Portuguese and Danish fleets. -Canning suggested to Denmark that her fleet should be put in the safe -custody of England until peace was restored. In addition, he promised -a subsidy of £100,000, and the assistance of troops should Denmark be -attacked. Mr F. J. Jackson was sent to open negotiations; the Prince -Royal promptly vetoed them. “I stated plainly,” says Jackson, “that I -was ordered to demand the junction of the Danish fleet with that of -England, and that in case of refusal it was the determination of His -Majesty to enforce it.” - -Lord Cathcart was put in command of an army of 27,000 troops, the -naval portion of the expedition being placed in the hands of Admiral -Gambier. No sooner had Sir Arthur Wellesley heard of the project than -he communicated with Castlereagh, then at the War Office and ever his -staunch supporter, for an opportunity to take part. He was given charge -of a division. On the 3rd August a formidable array of twenty-five -sail-of-the-line and over fifty gunboats and transports appeared off -Elsinore. Gambier and Cathcart were told by Jackson “that it now -rested with them to carry out the measure prescribed by the British -Government.” In a letter to his brother the diplomatist adds, “The -Danes must, I think, soon surrender, for they are without any hopes -of succour, are unfurnished with any effectual means of resistance, -and are almost in total want of the necessaries of life, as far as I -could learn or was able to see for myself during my few hours’ stay -there.[28] There were no droves of cattle or flocks of sheep; no -provisions of any sort being sent in the direction of the city. No -troops marching towards the town; no guns mounted on the ramparts; no -embrasures cut, in fact, no preparations of any sort. What the Danes -chiefly rely on is the defence by water. They brought out this morning -several _praams_[29] and floating batteries, and cut away one or two of -the buoys. - -“The garrison of Copenhagen does not amount to more than four thousand -regular troops. The _landwehr_ is a mere rabble, as indeed all _levées -en masse_ must be. - -“The people are said to be anxious to capitulate before a conflagration -takes place, which must happen soon after a bombardment begins, when, -not improbably, the fleet as well as the city will become a prey to the -flames.” - -Jackson’s prophecy came true, but against his statement that the army -disembarked at Veldbeck “in grand style,” we must set that of Captain -Napier: “I never saw any fair in Ireland so confused as the landing; -had the enemy opposed us, the _remains_ of the army would have been on -their way to England.”[30] Wellesley’s first affray--it can scarcely -be termed a battle--took place at Roskilde. Like almost everything -connected with the expedition, Jackson has something to say about -it, and that “something” in this particular instance is anything but -complimentary. “Sir Arthur Wellesley,” he tells his wife, “has had an -affair which you will probably see blazoned forth in an extraordinary -_Gazette_. With about four thousand men he attacked a Danish corps of -armed peasantry, and killed and wounded about nine hundred men, besides -taking upwards of fifteen hundred prisoners, amongst whom were sixty -officers. One was a General officer. I spoke to him this morning, -for he and his officers are let off on their parole. The men are on -board prison ships, and miserable wretches they are, fit for nothing -but following the plough. They wear red and green striped woollen -jackets, and wooden _sabots_. Their long lank hair hangs over their -shoulders, and gives to their rugged features a wild expression. The -knowing ones say that after the first fire they threw away their arms, -hoping, without them, to escape the pursuit of our troops. In fact, -the _battle_ was not a very glorious one, but this you will keep for -yourself.”[31] - -Wellesley himself afterwards referred to the event as “the little -battle at Kiöge,” and mentioned that “the Danes had made but a -poor resistance; indeed, I believe they were only new raised -men--militia.”[32] - -The bombardment of Copenhagen began on the 2nd September 1807, and -concluded three days later, when an armistice was granted in order -that terms might be discussed. On the 7th, Copenhagen capitulated. -The conditions imposed by Sir Arthur Wellesley, Sir Home Popham, and -Lieutenant-Colonel Murray were that the British should occupy the -citadel and dockyards for six weeks, and take possession of the ships -and naval stores. Their troops would then evacuate Zealand. “I might -have carried our terms higher ... had not our troops been needed at -home,” Wellesley writes to Canning. The various clauses were carried -out, and fifteen sail-of-the-line, fifteen frigates, and thirty-one -smaller vessels of the Danish fleet, as well as 20,000 tons of naval -stores, were escorted to England. “That the attack was necessary,” says -a recent historian, “no one will now deny. England was fighting for her -existence; and, however disagreeable was the task of striking a weak -neutral, she risked her own safety if she left in Napoleon’s hand a -fleet of such proportions. In Count Vandal’s words, she ‘merely broke, -before he had seized it, the weapon which Napoleon had determined to -make his own.’”[33] Dr J. Holland Rose disapproves, and points out -that “In one respect our action was unpardonable: it was not the last -desperate effort of a long period of struggle: it came after a time of -selfish torpor fatal alike to our reputation and the interests of our -allies. After protesting their inability to help them, Ministers belied -their own words by the energy with which they acted against a small -State.”[34] - -Canning’s hope for an alliance with Sweden, in order to keep open the -Baltic, was destined never to be fulfilled. Sir John Moore was sent to -assist Gustavus in his efforts to resist the attacks of Russia, but -the nation deserted the King, deposed him, and joined Napoleon. War -speedily broke out between Sweden and Denmark, and also between the -latter and Great Britain. The Czar’s overtures to England on behalf of -France, as arranged at Tilsit, came to nothing. He was not anxious for -them to have any other ending, so enraptured was he with Napoleon’s -grandiloquent schemes. Enraptured? Yes, but only for a few short years. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -The First Battles of the Peninsular War - -(1808) - - “_In war _men_ are nothing: it is a _man_ who is everything._” - - NAPOLEON. - - -On his return from Copenhagen, Wellesley, never happy unless his mind -was fully occupied, resumed his duties as Chief Secretary for Ireland. -Special mention of the services he had rendered to his country was made -in the House of Commons, and there was some talk of a second period in -India, where affairs were far from settled. Before long, however, it -became increasingly evident that his knowledge and ability would be -required nearer home. - -[Illustration: WELLINGTON’S PENINSULAR CAMPAIGNS.] - -Portugal, our old ally, had been forced by Napoleon to declare war -against Great Britain on the 20th October 1807. Bent on pursuing -the rigid restrictions on trade imposed by his Continental System, -he had also peremptorily ordered the confiscation of the property -of the British merchants. Fortunately for those most concerned, the -Prince Regent remembered past friendship and may have discerned future -possibilities. He temporized, and this enabled many of the English -residents to settle their affairs and sail for home before the Dictator -could enforce obedience. The sequel was the overrunning of the -kingdom by French troops under the intrepid Junot, who met with no -resistance, and the desertion of their subjects by the Royal Family, -who sailed for Brazil. - -Although this plan was carried out at the earnest request of the -British Government, as represented by Lord Strangford, the Ambassador -at the Portuguese Capital, it cannot be regarded as a pleasing example -of patriotism on the part of the House of Braganza. - -In October 1807, Junot, in command of the French Army, and strengthened -by a few regiments of the Spanish corps placed at Napoleon’s disposal -for the dismemberment of the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, -began his march on Lisbon. He concluded it on the 30th November with -only 1500 troops, the remainder following slowly by reason of the -terrible sufferings they had endured during a forced march made at -Napoleon’s urgent behest. - -Here it should be mentioned that the presence of the Spanish troops -was due to the infamous Treaty of Fontainebleau, signed the previous -October. In this arrangement the Emperor had promised Godoy, the -real ruler of Spain and an intensely ambitious man, a large slice of -territory in the country about to be conquered in return for favours -rendered. It is more than probable that Napoleon never intended this -particular clause to be taken seriously by anyone but his dupe; the -gift was so much dust thrown in the eyes of the favourite for the -purpose of securing the entry of French troops into Spain.[35] In this -he was pre-eminently successful. Once in Lisbon Junot speedily removed -any fear of the national army by breaking up many of the regiments and -sending the remainder on service outside the kingdom. The flames of -rebellion were not yet kindled. So far so good. - -Unhappily the chief prizes which the Emperor had hoped to secure at -Lisbon were beyond his reach. Even the squadron which was to have -seized the Portuguese and British shipping in the harbour was held in -check by the hated English. - -Napoleon, pretending to be the friend of Spain, was in reality her -worst enemy. He merely used her as a useful tool to pick Portuguese -locks, and then pursued the same course with his friend’s lockers. -He began his unwelcome attentions by seizing the important frontier -fortresses of Pampeluna, Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Figueras, and -invading the country by a force which speedily numbered 116,000 men, -mostly conscripts, for he thought the country easy prey. Murat entered -Madrid as Junot had entered Lisbon. By the most unscrupulous methods, -namely, the enforced abdication of Charles IV and his son Ferdinand, -the Emperor secured the throne, permanently as he fondly imagined, for -his brother Joseph, King of Naples. - -In July 1808 the eldest Bonaparte was proclaimed King, and entered his -capital. Within a month he found it desirable to retire behind the -Ebro; his subjects had not only broken into open revolt, but a French -army of over 17,000 troops under Dupont had been forced to capitulate -at Baylen, in Andalusia. Riots, assassinations, and massacres made it -evident that the Spanish temper was considerably more dangerous than -that of the Portuguese; it soon became obvious, moreover, that the -people had employed some of their time in organizing, on a necessarily -rough and ready principle, such forces as they possessed. - -The inhabitants of the Asturias, in the north, were the first of the -provincials to apply the torch to the tinder of revolt, after a riot in -Madrid on the 2nd May 1808, and its Junta General called into being a -levy of 18,000 men to protect the principality. It sent two deputies to -England for assistance, which was readily given in money and military -stores. Other provinces likewise selected Juntas, and Galicia also -dispatched representatives to plead its cause in London. Galicia, -adjoining the Asturias on the west, lost little time in following the -warlike example of its neighbours, and the arsenals of Coruña and -Ferrol, made memorable by the Trafalgar campaign, threw in their lot -against Napoleon and contributed no fewer than thirty-two battalions of -regulars and militia to the general forces. Leon and Old Castile also -rose in rebellion, though with less energy. There were too many French -in the Basque Provinces and Navarre for much to be attempted there. -Coming still farther to the east, Catalonia sheltered 16,000 regulars -and many irregular levies, but Aragon, Valencia, and Murcia were very -weak. Andalusia, in the extreme south of the country, was almost as -fortunately placed with regard to troops as Galicia, and the remains of -the French fleet which had escaped Nelson and Collingwood were taken as -they rode in Cadiz harbour. - -There was nothing approaching united action, provinces and towns often -vieing in more or less friendly rivalry. They did not understand, or -if they understood they did not realize, that patriotic cliques do -not make for strength. They fought for themselves rather than for the -nation as a whole. Throughout the struggle we find a lack of cohesion. - -When we come to look at the earliest available statistics[36] of the -various Spanish armies which formed the front line, we find that their -total strength in regulars, militia battalions, and newly-raised corps -was 151,248. They were divided into five chief armies, namely, of -Galicia, Aragon, Estremadura, the Centre, and Catalonia, under Generals -Blake, Palafox, Galluzzo, Castaños, and Vives respectively. The troops -of the second line numbered about 65,000, and included the Army of -Granada, under Reding, the Army of Reserve of Madrid, commanded by San -Juan, the Galician, Asturian, Estremaduran, Andalusian, Murcian and -Valencian reserves, and the 3000 odd men in garrison in the Balearic -Isles. - -The gross total of the French Army of Spain at this period dwarfs the -above figures for all their brave show; it reached 314,612. From this -must be deducted 32,643 detached troops and 37,844 in hospital or -missing, making the “effective” no fewer than 244,125. Of the eight -corps, Victor commanded the 1st, Bessières[37] the 2nd, Moncey the -3rd, Lefebvre the 4th, Mortier the 5th, Ney the 6th, St Cyr the 7th, -and Junot the 8th. There were also Reserve Cavalry and Infantry, the -Imperial Guard, troops marching from Germany, and National Guards -inside the French frontier.[38] - -When we consider that on the 31st May 1808 Napoleon had only 116,000 -men in Spain and that within six months he had found it necessary to -more than double that number, the desperate nature of the undertaking -becomes plain. - -To enter fully into the doings of the various armies throughout the war -would deflect us far out of our proper course, but we shall hear of -them whenever Wellesley was involved. - -If you would know the ferocious spirit of the patriots, the hate they -cherished for Napoleon and the French, you have only to turn to any one -of the many Memoirs of men who fought in the Peninsular War. Captain, -later Sir Harry, Smith, who was with Sir John Moore in 1808 and -remained with Wellesley until March 1814, gives many instances in his -vivacious “Autobiography,”[39] but the following must suffice. Smith’s -guide happened to be the owner of the house in which his wife and -baggage were quartered in the village of Offala: - -“After I had dressed myself,” he relates, “he came to me and said, -‘When you dine, I have some capital wine, as much as you and your -servants like; but,’ he says, ‘come down and look at my cellar.’ The -fellow had been so civil, I did not like to refuse him. We descended by -a stone staircase, he carrying a light. He had upon his countenance a -most sinister expression. I saw something exceedingly excited him: his -look became fiend-like. He and I were alone, but such confidence had we -Englishmen in a Spaniard, and with the best reason, that I apprehended -no personal evil. Still his appearance was very singular. When we got -to the cellar-door, he opened it, and held the light so as to show -the cellar; when, in a voice of thunder, and with an expression of -demoniacal hatred and antipathy, pointing to the floor, he exclaimed, -‘There lie four of the devils who thought to subjugate Spain! I am a -Navarrese. I was born free from all foreign invasion, and this right -hand shall plunge this stiletto in my own heart as it did into theirs, -ere I and my countrymen are subjugated!’ brandishing his weapon like -a demon. I see the excited patriot as I write. Horror-struck as I -was, the instinct of self-preservation induced me to admire the deed -exceedingly, while my very frame quivered and my blood was frozen, -to see the noble science of war and the honour and chivalry of arms -reduced to the practices of midnight assassins. Upon the expression -of my admiration, he cooled, and while he was deliberately drawing -wine for my dinner, which, however strange it may be, I drank with -the gusto its flavour merited, I examined the four bodies. They were -Dragoons--four athletic, healthy-looking fellows. As we ascended, he -had perfectly recovered the equilibrium of his vivacity and naturally -good humour. I asked him how he, single-handed, had perpetrated this -deed on four armed men (for their swords were by their sides). ‘Oh, -easily enough. I pretended to love a Frenchman’ (or, in his words, -‘I was an Afrancesado’), ‘and I proposed, after giving them a good -dinner, we should drink to the extermination of the English.’ He then -looked at me and ground his teeth. ‘The French rascals, they little -guessed what I contemplated. Well, we got into the cellar, and drank -away until I made them so drunk, they fell, and my purpose was easily, -and as joyfully, effected.’ He again brandished his dagger, and said, -‘Thus die all enemies to Spain.’ Their horses were in his stable. When -the French Regiment marched off, he gave these to some guerrillas in -the neighbourhood. It is not difficult to reconcile with truth the -assertion of the historian who puts down the loss of the French army, -during the Spanish war, as 400,000 men, for more men fell in this -midnight manner than by the broad-day sword, or the pestilence of -climate, which in Spain, in the autumn, is excessive.” - -[Illustration: Sir Harry Smith and the Spanish Patriot - -Thomas Maybank] - -That there was considerable cause for complaint on the part of the -Spaniards is also borne out by other eye-witnesses. Napier records that -a captain and his company came across a peasant’s hut and demanded -provisions, as was their wont. The father explained that his children -were half-starving, and he had but little food left. He was told that -he would be hanged to a beam. Should he give a sign that he repented of -his decision he would be cut down, but not otherwise. He was strung up -without further ado. Then the cries of his wife and children overcame -his noble act of self-sacrifice, and he was released. The soldiers -then took every scrap of food in the miserable dwelling and departed. -A similar method was adopted by a second body of plunderers, and -when they could find nothing they spitefully killed the poor fellow, -doubtless on the charge that he was hiding his stock. - -Robert Blakeney, in noticing that most writers have referred to the -Spanish army as “ragged, half-famished wretches,” cautions us that -the men themselves must not be blamed for their unkempt appearance. -“The scandal and disgrace,” he writes, “were the legitimate attributes -of the Spanish Government. The members of the Cortez and Juntas were -entirely occupied in peculation, amassing wealth for themselves and -appointing their relatives and dependents to all places of power and -emolument, however unworthy and unqualified; and although it was -notorious that shiploads of arms, equipments, clothing, and millions -of dollars were sent from England for the use and maintenance of the -Spanish troops, yet all was appropriated to themselves by the members -of the general or local governments or their rapacious satellites, -while their armies were left barefoot, ragged and half-starved. In -this deplorable state they were brought into the field under leaders, -many of whom were scarcely competent to command a sergeant’s outlying -piquet; for in the Spanish army, as elsewhere, such was the undue -influence of a jealous and covetous aristocracy, that, unsupported -by their influence, personal gallantry and distinction, however -conspicuous, were but rarely rewarded.”[40] The same officer, who -joined the 28th Regiment as a boy of fifteen and saw much service in -the Peninsular War, assures us that “Courage was never wanting to the -Spanish soldiers; but confidence in their chiefs was rare.”[41] - -An expedition against the American colonies of Spain had been mooted -several times by the British Cabinet, and Sir Arthur Wellesley had -reported on ways and means. The scheme had developed sufficiently for -some 8000 troops to be assembled at Cork preparatory to embarking for -the voyage. It was finally decided that the troops should be used for -a descent on Portugal, with the immediate intention of expelling the -French and raising the enthusiasm of the population against Napoleon. - -The force sailed on the 12th July 1808 with Wellesley, now a -Lieutenant-General, in command. - -John Wilson Croker, who served his country as Secretary to the -Admiralty from 1809 to 1830, dined with Sir Arthur and Lady Wellesley -in Harley Street on the evening before the General set out for Cork. -After settling some business connected with Ireland, Wellesley “seemed -to lapse into a kind of reverie,” his guest informs us, “and remained -silent so long that I asked him what he was thinking of. He replied, -‘Why, to say the truth, I am thinking of the French that I am going to -fight. I have not seen them since the campaign in Flanders, when they -were capital soldiers, and a dozen years of victory under Buonaparte -must have made them better still. They have besides, it seems, a new -system of strategy, which has out-manœuvred and overwhelmed all the -armies of Europe. ’Tis enough to make one thoughtful; but no matter: -my die is cast, they may overwhelm me, but I don’t think they will -out-manœuvre me. First, because I am not afraid of them, as everybody -else seems to be; and secondly, because if what I hear of their system -of manœuvres be true, I think it a false one as against steady troops. -I suspect all the continental armies were more than half beaten before -the battle was begun. I, at least, will not be frightened beforehand.” - -Wellesley made the voyage to Portugal in a fast frigate, and landed -at Coruña on the 20th July 1808, ahead of his troops. This gave him -sufficient time to make a preliminary study of the situation at first -hand, and to be ready for immediate operations on the arrival of his -men. - -The first news he received was not encouraging, for it told of the -battle of Medina de Rio Seco, which Bessières had won against the Army -of Galicia on the 14th July. A little relief was afforded by rumours -of success elsewhere, and “the arrival of the British money,” speedily -renewed the flagging spirits of the patriots who were fighting under -such adverse conditions. - -The Junta of Galicia, while keenly appreciative of gold, ammunition, -and arms, showed no disposition to avail themselves of the Commander’s -services, and suggested his landing in the north of Portugal as -the government of Oporto was collecting native troops in that -neighbourhood. “The difference between any two men,” Wellesley writes -on the 21st July, the day before he sailed from Coruña, “is whether -the one is a better or a worse Spaniard, and the better Spaniard is -the one who detests the French most heartily. I understand that there -is actually no French party in the country; and at all events I am -convinced that no man now dares to show that he is a friend to the -French.” - -To sum up the situation was not an arduous task for Wellesley. He came -to the conclusion without further ado that the only reasonable way to -assist the Spaniards was “to get possession of and organize a good army -in Portugal.” He proceeded to the fleet off Cape Finisterre, spent a -few hours there, and then went to Oporto, where he had an important -conference with the Bishop, who was also head of the Portuguese Junta, -and a number of military officers. It was eventually decided that about -5300 troops, chiefly infantry, stationed at Coimbra under Bernardino -Freire, should be used to co-operate with Wellesley, and that the -remaining forces, namely, 12,000 peasants, should either be employed -in the neighbourhood or in the province of Tras os Montes, where a -French attack seemed probable. Finally a spot in Mondego Bay was chosen -as the most suitable point for disembarkation, especially as it had -the additional advantage of being near Coimbra. On the 1st August the -business commenced, tiresome, and not unattended by danger because of -the heavy surf. - -Wellesley had much to think about while this was proceeding. He had -just received the amazing news that he had been superseded by Sir -Hew Dalrymple, with Sir Harry Burrard as second in command, that Sir -John Moore was on his way with 10,000 men, and that he (Wellesley) and -Lieut.-Generals the Hon. J. Hope, Sir E. Paget, and Mackenzie Frazer -were to command divisions. Whatever agitation the new arrangements may -have occasioned Wellesley, he did not allow it to shake his purpose or -lessen his enthusiasm for the cause he had now so much at heart. He -writes to Castlereagh, “Whether I am to command the army or not, or -am to quit it, I shall do my best to insure its success; and you may -depend upon it that I shall not hurry the operations, or commence them -one moment sooner than they ought to be commenced, in order that I may -acquire the credit of the success. The Government will determine for -me what way they will employ me hereafter, whether here or elsewhere.” -He then goes on to sketch a campaign suitable for an army “of 30,000 -Portuguese troops, which might be easily raised at an early period; and -20,000 British, including 4000 or 5000 cavalry.” - -“The weather was so rough and stormy,” writes one of the soldiers of -the 71st Regiment, “that we were not all landed until the 5th. On our -leaving the ship, each man got four pound of biscuit, and four pound -of salt beef cooked on board. We marched, for twelve miles, up to the -knees in sand, which caused us to suffer much from thirst; for the -marching made it rise and cover us. We lost four men of our regiment, -who died of thirst. We buried them where they fell. At night we came to -our camp ground [Lugar], in a wood, where we found plenty of water, to -us more acceptable than anything besides on earth. We here built large -huts, and remained four days. We again commenced our march alongst -the coast, towards Lisbon. In our advance, we found all the villages -deserted, except by the old and destitute....” - -On the night of the 8th, General Spencer and his corps of 4500 men -joined Wellesley from Cadiz, where he had landed at the request of -the Junta of Seville. By the 11th the whole army had arrived at -Leiria, and on the following day it was augmented by 2300 of Freire’s -Portuguese troops, their commander refusing point blank to march with -his remaining forces unless certain impossible demands were met. “My -object,” writes Wellesley, “is to obtain possession of Lisbon, and to -that I must adhere, whatever may be the consequences, till I shall have -attained it, as being the first and greatest step towards dispossessing -the French of Portugal.” - -Meanwhile, Junot had sent instructions to Generals Loison and Delaborde -to effect a junction and attack Wellesley. This was prevented by the -timely arrival of the British troops at Leiria, for the former was -some sixteen miles to the south-east and the latter about the same -distance to the south-west. Wellesley was consequently between them. -This necessitated Loison’s return to the southward if he wished to join -Delaborde, and the British General determined to prevent the operation. -On the 14th, Wellesley was at Alcobaço, from whence the French had -retreated but a few hours before. - -Although a small engagement took place near Obidos, Wellesley did not -offer battle until two days later because his whole force had not yet -come up. The conflict occurred at Roliça, where Delaborde’s army was -awaiting him on a hill. We know that the allied force totalled 15,000; -the strength of the enemy is uncertain, Wellesley believing it to be -6000, while Professor Oman[42] gives the figure as “about 4350 men,” -basing his conclusion on known official returns previous to the fight -and making allowance for probable losses by sickness. - -“On the morning of the 17th,” says the eye-witness already quoted, “we -were under arms an hour before day. Half an hour after sunrise, we -observed the enemy in a wood. We received orders to retreat. Having -fallen back about two miles, we struck to the right, in order to come -upon their flank, whilst the 9th, 29th, and 5th battalion of the 60th, -attacked them in front. They had a very strong position on a hill. The -29th advanced up the hill, not perceiving an ambush of the enemy, which -they had placed on each side of the road. As soon as the 29th was right -between them, they gave a volley, which killed, or wounded, every man -in the grenadier company, except seven. Unmindful of their loss, the -regiment drove on, and carried the entrenchments.[43] The engagement -lasted until about four o’clock, when the enemy gave way. We continued -the pursuit, till darkness put a stop to it. The 71st had only one -man killed and one wounded. We were manœuvring all day, to turn their -flank; so that our fatigue was excessive, though our loss was but -small.” - -Such was the battle of Roliça, Wellesley’s first victory over the -French. He was perfectly satisfied with the fighting and moral -qualities of his men as displayed in this engagement. - -“I cannot sufficiently applaud the conduct of the troops throughout -this action,” he tells Castlereagh. Although he had a superiority of -strength, the number of soldiers “actually employed in the heat of the -action,” namely, 4635, was, “from unfavourable circumstances ... by -no means equal to that of the enemy.” The returns showed 479 British -killed, wounded, and missing, and the French about 600. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -Victory Abroad, and Displeasure at Home - -(1808-9) - - “_From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step._” - - NAPOLEON. - - -With a mere handful of soldiers, Junot, big with ideas of a future -kingship, and underestimating the strength and fighting powers of the -enemy, left Lisbon and entered the field against Wellesley, whose -troops were now encamped at Vimiero to cover the landing of 4000 -additional men under Generals Anstruther and Acland. Having joined -forces with the unfortunate Loison and Delaborde and thereby brought up -the total strength of his army to 13,056 men, the Marshal prepared to -attack. - -Wellesley, who had over 18,000 troops, including 2000 Portuguese, was -well prepared, nay eager, for the encounter, but, unfortunately for -him, Burrard arrived on the evening of the 20th August. When Wellesley -explained to him his scheme of operations he showed no disposition to -fall in with it. Wellesley had wished Sir John Moore to proceed to -Lisbon by land in order to cut off Junot’s retreat, but the less-active -Burrard would have none of it, and ordered him to wait until Moore’s -arrival. “Whether we advance or not,” replied the General, “we shall -have to fight. For the French will certainly attack us if we do not -attack them.” - -This prophecy was fulfilled about 8 o’clock on the morning of the -21st August 1808, when squadrons of the enemy’s cavalry appeared. An -attack was made on the British advanced guard. The French were driven -back at the point of the bayonet, while other troops, stationed in the -churchyard of Vimiero, prevented them from reaching the village of that -name, and Acland’s brigade attacked them in flank. “A most desperate -contest” was necessary before the enemy recoiled in confusion, during -which they lost heavily in killed and wounded, and in _material_ -seven pieces of cannon. Other French troops, supported by a large -body of cavalry, turned their attention to the heights on the road to -Lourinhão, where Ferguson’s brigade was stationed. The latter charged -with praiseworthy coolness, and again there was a tale of disaster to -tell when the enemy fell back, while half a dozen guns were captured. -An attempt to recover part of the lost artillery resulted in the French -being obliged to retire “with great loss.” - -Burrard, who had slept on the vessel which had brought him out, did -not arrive on the field till late in the day, and took no part in -the direction of the battle until Wellesley wished to pursue the -enemy to Torres Vedras and cut them off from Lisbon. “Sir Harry,” he -said, “now is your time to advance, the enemy is completely beaten, -and we shall be in Lisbon in three days.” This his senior officer -absolutely forbade. Had the former been allowed to follow his own -wishes he believed that, “in all probability, the whole would have -been destroyed.” As it was, at least 1800 of the enemy were rendered -_hors de combat_, including 300 or 400 troops who were made prisoners. -The British lost in killed and missing 186 men, and 534 were wounded. -The General was again delighted with the behaviour of his men, and in -communicating with the Duke of York, he averred that “this is the -only action I have ever been in, in which every thing passed as it was -directed and no mistake was made by any of the Officers charged with -its conduct.” - -One splendid incident, one altogether human touch, affords relief -to the story of the battle of Vimiero. A piper of the gallant 71st -Highlanders, severely wounded in the thigh and deeply in need of -surgical aid, continued to blow his pibroch for the encouragement of -his colleagues, until exhaustion finally conquered his determined -spirit. Seated on the ground he declared that “the lads should nae -want music to their wark,” and went on with his weird music as though -parading within the walls of Edinburgh Castle. - -“I afterwards saw him,” relates Lieut.-General Sir William Warre, “in -a hovel, where we collected the wounded ... both French and English. I -shook him by the hand, and told him I was very sorry to see so fine a -fellow so badly hurt; he answered, ‘Indeed, captain, I fear I am done -for, but there are some of those poor fellows,’ pointing to the French, -‘who are very bad indeed.’” - -Such coolness, typified in successive instances, although not always -under such conditions,[44] has made our Empire what it is to-day. The -“common” British soldier, sowing the highway with his bones, enables a -later generation to reap a golden harvest. - -[Illustration: The Gallant Piper at Vimiera - -Thomas Maybank] - -It is due to the French to record that they were not without men -equally as cool as Piper Mackay. A typical example is furnished by -Major Ross-Lewin, who fought in the 32nd, and it occurred immediately -after the battle of Vimiero: - -“An officer of my regiment,” he relates, “happened to pass near an old -French soldier, who was seated by the roadside, covered with dust, -and desperately wounded; a cannon-shot had taken off both his feet -just above the ankles, but his legs were so swollen that his wounds -bled but little. On seeing the officer, the poor fellow addressed him, -saying, ‘_Monsieur, je vous conjure donnez moi mes pieds_.’ and at the -same time pointed to his feet, which lay on the road beyond his reach. -His request met with a ready compliance. The pale, toilworn features of -the veteran brightened up for an instant on receiving these mutilated -members, which had borne him through many a weary day, and which it -grieved him to see trampled on by the victorious troops that passed; -and then, as if prepared to meet his fast-approaching fate becomingly, -by the attainment of this one poor wish, he laid them tranquilly -beside him, and, with a look of resignation, and the words, ‘_Je suis -content_,’ seemed to settle himself for death.” - -Many years afterwards, when in a reminiscent mood, the Duke of -Wellington recapitulated the events of the 21st August 1808. “The -French,” he told his guests, “came on at Vimiero with more confidence, -and seemed to _feel their way_ less than [smiling] I always found them -to do _afterwards_. They came on in their usual way, in a very heavy -column, and I received them in line, which they were not accustomed to, -and we repulsed them there several times, and at last they went off -beaten on all points, while I had half the army untouched and ready to -pursue; but Sir H. Burrard--who had joined the army in about the middle -of the battle, but seeing all doing so well, had desired me to continue -in the command now that he considered the battle as won, though I -thought it but half done--resolved to push it no further. I begged very -hard that he would go on, but he said enough had been done. Indeed, -if he had come earlier, the battle would not have taken place at all, -for when I waited on him on board the frigate in the bay the evening -before, he desired me to suspend all operations, and said he would do -nothing till he had collected all the force which he knew to be on the -way. He had heard of Moore’s arrival, but the French luckily resolving -to attack us, led to a different result. I came from the frigate about -nine at night, and went to my own quarters with the army, which, from -the nearness of the enemy, I naturally kept on the alert. In the dead -of the night a fellow came in--a German sergeant, or quartermaster--in -a great fright--so great that his hair seemed actually to stand on -end--who told me that the enemy was advancing rapidly, and would be -soon on us. I immediately sent round to the generals to order them -to get the troops under arms, and soon after the dawn of day we -were vigorously attacked. The enemy were first met by the (50th ?), -not a good-looking regiment, but devilish steady, who received them -admirably, and brought them to a full stop immediately, and soon drove -them back; they then tried two other attacks ... one very serious, -through a valley on our left; but they were defeated everywhere, and -completely repulsed, and in full retreat by noon, so that we had time -enough to have _finished them_ if I could have persuaded Sir H. Burrard -to go on.” - -On the day following the battle of Vimiero, Dalrymple arrived. -While pondering over the situation he received a proposal for an -armistice from Junot, which developed into the Convention of Cintra, -preliminarily signed on the 30th August 1808. The most important -conditions were--the surrender of all places and forts in Portugal -occupied by the French troops, the evacuation of the country, and the -transport of the army, its munitions and “property,” to France in -British ships. By a strange oversight the important question of future -service was overlooked, consequently there was nothing to prevent an -early return of the troops to the Peninsula should Napoleon think fit -for them to do so. - -We have now to consider Wellesley’s part in this much discussed -transaction. The Convention was definitely signed on the 30th August -1808, but previous to this a meeting of the General Officers was -called to deliberate upon it. “The result of the meeting,” Wellesley -writes on the 29th inst., “was a proposal to make certain alterations, -which I acknowledge I do not think sufficient, although the treaty -will answer in its amended form.... At the same time I must say that -I approve of allowing the French to evacuate Portugal, because I see -clearly that we cannot get them out of Portugal otherwise, under -existing circumstances, without such an arrangement; and we should -be employed in the blockade or siege of the places which they would -occupy during the season in which we ought and might be advantageously -employed against the French in Spain. But the Convention, by which they -should be allowed to evacuate Portugal, ought to be settled in the -most honorable manner to the army by which they have been beaten; and -we ought not to be kept for 10 days on our field of battle before the -enemy (who sued on the day after the action) is brought to terms. - -“I am quite annoyed on this subject.” - -Wellesley signed the preliminary Memorandum at the request of -Dalrymple, but had nothing to do with the final settlement. “I lament -the situation of our affairs as much as you do,” he writes on the 5th -September, “and I did every thing in my power to prevent it; but my -opinion was overruled. I had nothing to do with the Convention as it -now stands; and I have never seen it to this moment.... I have only to -regret that I put my name to an agreement of which I did not approve, -and which I did not negotiate: if I had not done it, I really believe -that they would not have dared to make such a Convention as they have -made: notwithstanding that that agreement was never ratified, and is -now so much waste paper.”[45] - -His letters at this period teem with allusions to the unfortunate -treaty. He tells Castlereagh that “It is quite impossible for me to -continue any longer with this army; and I wish, therefore, that you -would allow me to return home and resume the duties of my office, if I -should still be in office, and it is convenient to the Government that -I should retain it; or if not, that I should remain upon the Staff in -England; or, if that should not be practicable, that I should remain -without employment. You will hear from others of the various causes -which I must have for being dissatisfied, not only with the military -and other public measures of the Commander-in-Chief, but with his -treatment of myself. I am convinced it is better for him, for the army, -and for me, that I should go away; and the sooner I go the better.” - -On the 6th October Wellesley was in London, and at once resumed his -office as Chief Secretary for Ireland. The newspapers teemed with -unsavory references to the unpopular Convention; the caricaturists, not -to be rivalled by their journalistic brethren, produced the grossest -lampoons for the benefit of the indignant public. In one of them -Wellesley and his colleagues are hanging on gibbets, in another the -former is shown urging his troops to glory: - - _This is Sir Arthur (whose valour and skill, began so well, but - ended so ill) - Who beat the French, who took the Gold, that lay in the City of - Lisbon._ - -Windham, writing in his Diary under date of the 16th September, -probably sums up the thoughts of most British statesmen of the time: -“At Chesterford heard report of news; said to be excellent, but without -particulars. Feasted upon the hopes of what I should meet at Hockrill. -Alas! _quanti de spe decidi!_ it was the news of the convention with -Junot. _There never was surely such a proceeding in the history of wars -or negotiations._ There is no bearing the thought of it.” - -A Court of Inquiry was instituted. Dalrymple and Burrard were recalled, -and together with Wellesley, were examined before a board of officers, -which included General David Dundas and Lord Moira, at Chelsea -Hospital. The finding of the Court was non-committal “respecting -the fitness of the Convention in the relative situation of the two -armies,” doubtless because a unanimous “verdict” could not be arrived -at, but the members definitely declared “that unquestionable zeal and -firmness appear throughout to have been exhibited by Lieut.-Generals -Sir Hew Dalrymple, Sir Harry Burrard, and Sir Arthur Wellesley....” -In commenting on the judgment thus expressed, Sir Herbert Maxwell -notes that the two senior officers were never employed again, adding, -“Similar eclipse might have fallen upon Sir Arthur, but for the efforts -of Castlereagh and other powerful friends, whose confidence in their -General was never shaken.” - -In the following January (1809) the House of Lords and the House of -Commons expressed their thanks to General Wellesley for the victories -of Roliça and Vimiero. - -“It is your praise,” said the Speaker in the Commons, “to have inspired -your troops with unshaken confidence and unbounded ardour; to have -commanded, not the obedience alone, but the hearts and affections of -your companions in arms; and, having planned your operations with the -skill and promptitude which have so eminently characterized all your -former exertions, you have again led the armies of your country to -battle, with the same deliberate valour and triumphant success which -have long since rendered your name illustrious in the remotest parts of -this Empire. - -“Military glory has ever been dear to this nation; and great military -exploits, in the field or upon the ocean, have their sure reward in -Royal favour and the gratitude of Parliament. It is, therefore, with -the highest satisfaction, that, in this fresh instance, I now proceed -to deliver to you the thanks of this House....” - -Wellesley’s reply was made in three well-chosen sentences, without the -slightest attempt at rhetoric. In the House of Lords Vimiero was spoken -of as “a signal victory, honorable and glorious to the British arms.” -The resolutions of the peers, which included high appreciation of the -behaviour of the non-commissioned officers and privates, were conveyed -to Sir Arthur by the Lord Chancellor, and acknowledged by their -recipient in a short letter, the most important paragraphs of which are -as follows: - -“I have received the mark of distinction which the House of Lords -have conferred upon me with sentiments of gratitude and respect -proportionate to the high sense I entertain of the greatness of the -honor which it carries with it; and I shall have great pleasure in -communicating to the Officers and the troops the distinguished reward -of their exemplary conduct which their Lordships have conferred upon -them. - -“I beg leave, at the same time, to express to their Lordships my thanks -for the expressions of personal civility with which your Lordship has -conveyed to me the commands of the House.” - -These signs of approval must have been entirely satisfactory to -Sir Arthur after the bitter criticisms of the previous months, but -what he particularly valued was a handsome service of plate, worth -intrinsically £1000, but sentimentally beyond price, presented to him -by the brigadier and field officers who were associated with him in -the victory at Vimiero. They, at any rate, had implicit faith in their -General. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -Sir Arthur’s Return to Portugal - -(1809) - - “_We are not naturally a military people; the whole business of an - army upon service is foreign to our habits, and is a constraint - upon them, particularly in a poor country like this._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -Baron de Frénilly, travelling to Paris in December 1808, notes that -“the roads along which we passed were crowded with splendid troops -who were on their way to find a grave in the Peninsula.” Napoleon, in -the Constitution he granted to Spain, assumes for himself not only -the so-called “divine right of kings,” but the special favour of -Providence. “God,” he says, “has given me the power and the will to -overcome all obstacles.” Frénilly, writing after the Emperor’s death, -merely states an historical fact; Napoleon, at the height of his -stupendous power, regards himself as omnipotent, and proves within a -few years that he is not. - -Yet it must be conceded that the Dictator of Europe--apart from moral -considerations, which never troubled him to any extent--had a certain -right to infer from his past experience that the Almighty was on his -side. It was not for him to foresee that the Peninsula was to prove a -running sore of the Imperial body politic. To be sure, Joseph had not -been particularly successful on the throne of the Spanish Bourbons, -Murat had displayed many foolish qualities, Dupont had surrendered, -Junot had evacuated Portugal, and eleven millions had rebelled either -practically or theoretically against French domination, but there was -still himself, and God was “on the side of the heaviest battalions!” -“I may find in Spain the Pillars of Hercules, but not the limits of -my power.” Thus he endeavoured to encourage his brother, and there is -no reason to suspect that he imagined otherwise. He announced that he -would pour between 300,000 and 400,000 troops across the Pyrenees--he -actually began the new campaign with over 200,000, which compared more -than favourably with the 120,000 ill-organized patriots under Castaños, -Palafox, Vives, Belvedere, Blake, and La Romana, who usually acted -without any idea of the value of co-operation. - -The number of those ready and willing to engage in a guerilla warfare -cannot be given.[46] Statistics fail in such a matter as this. Names -indelibly associated with Napoleon’s greatness were either present or -coming--Victor, Bessières, Moncey, Lefebvre, Ney, St Cyr, Mortier, and -Junot. - -When Dalrymple, Burrard, and Wellesley sailed from Portugal the -British command devolved upon Sir John Moore. This being a biography -of Wellington, Moore’s astounding campaign can only be referred to in -the briefest way, but it is necessary to mention the more important -incidents if we are to understand the various phases of the war. -Leaving 9000 men at Lisbon with Lieutenant-General Sir John Cradock, -and taking with him 14,000 troops, Moore advanced into Spain to -co-operate with the Spaniards according to his instructions. His own -columns reached Salamanca, the point of concentration, in November -1808, but Baird, who, with a reinforcement of 13,000 men, was to -effect a junction with him, found it impossible to do so. There was -much delay in consequence. - -In the first week of the following month the Emperor was at Madrid, and -the Spanish capital once again in the hands of the French. Disaster -after disaster had followed hard in the tracks of the national forces. - -It was Moore’s hope that by slowly retreating northward the enemy would -follow, and thus enable his allies in the south to recover. Having -united with Baird, and learned that Soult, with not more than 20,000, -was near Sahagun, Moore was on the eve of combat when the startling -intelligence reached him that Napoleon was in pursuit. The Emperor had -told the Senate, “I am determined to carry on the war with the utmost -activity, and to destroy the armies that England has disembarked in -that country.” With wonderful promptitude Moore turned towards Coruña, -where he believed the British fleet awaited him. Napoleon, hearing -disconcerting news from Paris, made off for his capital, leaving Soult, -“the Iron Duke of France,” and Ney to pursue the red-coats. - -On the 16th January 1809, the battle in which Moore received his -death-wound was fought. Within twenty-four hours the victorious troops -embarked for the homeland. Not a British soldier, other than deserters -or stragglers, was left in Spain. In the sister kingdom there were -some 12,000, of whom 9000 had been left at Lisbon by Moore when he had -set out for Salamanca; the remainder had arrived from England in the -previous November and December. In addition, Sir Robert Wilson had -succeeded in equipping some 1300 men at Oporto for his Loyal Lusitanian -Legion. - -It soon became evident that war would shortly break out between -France and Austria, thus precluding any thought on Napoleon’s part of -going back to the Peninsula. Castlereagh, notwithstanding previous -experiences, was as enthusiastic as ever. Baird and his ragged troops -were no sooner home than it was remarked that the Secretary for War -and Wellesley were very frequently together. Wiseacres foretold an -early return of the latter to Spain and Portugal. - -Sir Arthur prepared a lengthy Memorandum on the defence of Portugal, -which was placed in the hands of the Cabinet for careful consideration. -“I have always been of opinion,” it begins, “that Portugal might be -defended, whatever might be the result of the contest in Spain; and -that in the meantime the measures adopted for the defence of Portugal -would be highly useful to the Spaniards in their contest with the -French.” - -Wellesley suggested the thorough reorganization of the native -Portuguese troops, part of the expense being borne by Great Britain, -and the employment of not less than 30,000 British troops, including -4000 or 5000 cavalry and a large body of artillery. The entire army -was to be commanded by British officers. Riflemen and 3000 British or -German cavalry should be sent as additional reinforcements as soon as -possible, in addition to a corps of engineers for an army of 60,000. -He perfectly understood that the French would not be caught napping, -for “it may be depended upon that as soon as the newspapers shall have -announced[47] the departure of Officers for Portugal, the French armies -in Spain will receive orders to make their movements towards Portugal, -so as to anticipate our measures for its defence. We ought therefore to -have every thing on the spot, or nearly so, before any alarm is created -at home respecting our intentions.” - -Thanks in no small measure to Castlereagh, Wellesley was appointed -to the supreme command of the new expedition. He left England on -the 14th April 1809, a few weeks after Soult’s vanguard had crossed -the Portuguese frontier, and landed at Lisbon on the 22nd, after -a most eventful voyage, having encountered terrible weather off -the Isle of Wight which threatened to drive his vessel ashore. The -Commander-in-Chief thus sums up the situation in the Peninsula: “At -that time,” he says, “the French had got possession of Zaragoza, -Marshal Soult held Oporto and the northern provinces of Portugal. The -battle of Medellin had been fought on the 29th March; and General -Cuesta was endeavouring to recover from its effects, and to collect -an army again at Monasterio, in the mountains of the Sierra Morena. -The French, under Marshal Victor, were in possession of the Guadiana, -and had their advanced posts as forward as Los Santos. Sebastiani -was at Ciudad Real, and held in check the army of La Carolina, at -that time under the command of General Venegas, consisting of about -12,000 men. Ney was in possession of Galicia; Salamanca was held by a -small detachment of French troops; St Cyr was at Catalonia with his -corps of 25,000 men; and Kellermann, who had succeeded to Bessières -in the command of the 6th corps, was at Valladolid. Mortier, with his -corps,[48] and the Duc d’Abrantès (Junot), with the 8th corps, at -Zaragoza. The Portuguese army was totally disorganized, and nearly -annihilated; and the Spanish troops were scarcely able to hold their -positions in the Sierra Morena. The Marquis de la Romana, who had been -with his corps on the frontiers of Portugal, near Chaves, from the -period of the embarkation of the British army at Coruña, in the month -of January, till the month of March, had moved from thence when Soult -invaded Portugal by Chaves, and afterwards moved towards the Asturias -with his army, and went himself into that province.” - -The greeting the Commander-in-Chief received at the hands of the -populace of Lisbon would have been embarrassing to one possessing -a less cool head, but Wellesley knew perfectly well that applause -to-day is apt to become condemnation to-morrow. He was appointed -Marshal-General in the Portuguese Army, which was now placed in the -capable hands of General Beresford by the British Cabinet, Wellesley’s -one second-in-command being Major-General Rowland Hill. According to -his instructions, “the defence of Portugal you will consider as the -first and immediate object of your attention. But, as the security -of Portugal can only be effectually provided for in connection with -the defence of the Peninsula in the larger sense, his Majesty on this -account, as well as from the unabated interest he takes in the cause -of Spain, leaves it to your judgment to decide, when your army shall -be advanced on the frontier of Portugal, how your efforts can be best -combined with the Spanish, as well as the Portuguese troops, in support -of the common cause. In any movements you may undertake, you will, -however, keep in mind that, until you receive further orders, your -operations must necessarily be conducted with especial reference to the -protection of that country.” - -Of British troops the Commander-in-Chief now had at his disposal -23,455, namely, 18,935 infantry, 4270 cavalry, and 250 attached -to the wagon train; Portugal contributed 16,000 men. Costello, a -non-commissioned officer of the 95th Rifles, and later a Captain in -the British Legion, has nothing good to say of the Portuguese troops. -In his record of the Peninsular War[49] he gives several instances of -their unreliability and treacherous nature. One example must suffice: - -“The sanguinary nature of the Portuguese,” he says, “during the whole -period of the war was notorious. When crossed or excited, nothing but -the shedding of blood could allay their passion. It was always with -the greatest difficulty that we could preserve our French prisoners -from being butchered by them, even in cold blood. They would hang upon -the rear of a detachment with prisoners, like so many carrion birds, -waiting every opportunity to satiate their love of vengeance, and it -required all the firmness and vigilance of our troops to keep them in -check. It was well known that even our men fell in stepping between -them and the French whom they had marked out as victims. Indeed, it was -not unfrequent for our men to suffer from the consequences of their -ferocity, and I myself, while at Vallée, had a narrow escape. I had -crossed the hills to purchase some necessaries at the quarters of the -52nd Regiment, and on my return fell in with several of the soldiers -of the 3rd Caçadores. One of them, a fierce-looking scoundrel, evinced -a great inclination to quarrel, the more particularly as he perceived -that I was unarmed and alone. Having replied rather sharply to some -abuse they had cast upon the English, by reflecting on their countrymen -in return, he flew into a rage, drew his bayonet, and made a rush at -me, which I avoided by stepping aside, and tripping him head foremost -on the ground. I was in the act of seizing his bayonet, when a number -of his comrades came up, to whom he related, in exaggerated terms, the -cause of our disagreement. Before he had half concluded, a general cry -arose of ‘Kill the English dog’; and the whole, drawing their bayonets, -were advancing upon me when a party of the 52nd came up, the tables -were turned, and the Caçadores fled in all directions.” - -Wellesley at once prepared to advance, and had not been at Lisbon a -week before representations were made to him by the Junta of Spanish -Estremadura for aid in behalf of the southern provinces. He replied -that until “the enemy who has invaded Portugal shall have been removed” -he could not hope to lend them the requisite assistance. “The enemy” -consisted of the corps under Soult and Victor. The army of the former, -which had left Coruña and invaded Portugal by Napoleon’s imperative -orders, now occupied Oporto. This, the second city in the kingdom -and the centre of the most prosperous district, fell after a gallant -if unscientific resistance on the part of the inhabitants under the -Bishop. The Marshal took dire vengeance on the insurgents during the -journey from Galicia, perhaps because he had suffered from the guerilla -warfare, now almost universal throughout the Peninsula. Victor’s army -was to take Badajoz and afterwards Seville, while Sebastiani held the -south in check. Wellesley decided to attack Soult, which necessitated -a march of over eighty miles of difficult country. Leaving two small -detachments of his own and of Portuguese troops upon the Tagus to -watch the movements of Victor, he set out with 13,000 British, 9000 -Portuguese, and 3000 Germans--25,000 in all. - -The right column, consisting of 9000 men under Beresford, was sent to -Lamego, on the Douro, so as to be ready to cut off Soult’s retreat, -the left making for Oporto with Wellesley. On the 10th May the cavalry -and advanced guard of the latter crossed the Vouga, hoping to surprise -the French troops at Albergaria and the neighbouring villages, but the -movement was not completely successful, although a number of prisoners -and cannon were taken. - -The advanced guard reached Vendas Novas on the following day, and -drove in the outposts of the French advanced guard. The latter were -vigorously attacked in the woods and village, and defeated with -considerable loss. All this augured well for the ensuing operations, -and on the 12th the vanguard reached the southern bank of the Douro. -The French were stationed on the opposite bank, having taken the -precaution to burn the bridge after crossing, and to withdraw all the -boats they could discover. - -Unfortunate in this matter, Wellesley was favoured in another. His -army was screened by cliffs and a hill called the Serra. This bold -rock was surmounted by a Franciscan convent, where the Commander -posted batteries and made his observations. As the river winds a great -deal, his movements were unobserved by those on the look-out at the -French headquarters, to the left of Wellesley as he peered through his -glass across the wide waterway. He had already perceived an extensive -building, known as the Seminary, surrounded by high walls with but one -entrance on the landward side, and open to the river. This he knew -would be an excellent position to secure, especially as it was almost -opposite to him. - -There was in the army a certain Colonel Waters, a keen-eyed officer -with an infinite amount of resource and a ready wit. He contended that -it was scarcely probable that Soult could have secured every boat, and -interrogated a refugee on the point. He found that the man had crossed -in a small skiff.[50] With the aid of the prior of Amarante, the -fugitive, and several peasants, he heaved the boat out of the mud, and, -crossing the stream, brought back a number of barges. In these three -companies of the Buffs, under Lieut.-General Paget, effected a landing -on the opposite side. This excellent officer was seriously wounded -almost immediately afterward, but the passage of the Douro had been -secured. - -General Murray, who had been ordered to cross at Barca d’Avintas, also -managed to get over, and signally failed to check the retiring columns -after the battle. As additional troops gained the opposite shore the -French made repeated attempts to hurl them back, but were ultimately -obliged to retreat “in the utmost confusion” towards Amarante. -According to a letter from General Stewart to his brother, Lord -Castlereagh, the French fled with such haste that “Sir Arthur Wellesley -dined at their headquarters on the dinner which had been prepared for -Marshal Soult.” - -On the 19th May, Soult was across the frontier, having been compelled -to abandon over fifty guns and his baggage. In making his way across -the Sierra Catalina to escape the pursuing troops, his rear-guard was -defeated at Salamonde, with severe loss. He eventually reached Orense, -in Galicia, minus some 5000 men, including the sick and wounded he had -left behind him in Oporto. - -“The road from Penafiel to Montealegre,” says Wellesley, “is strewed -with the carcases of horses and mules, and of French soldiers, who were -put to death by the peasantry before our advanced guard could save -them. This last circumstance is the natural effect of the species of -warfare which the enemy have carried on in this country. Their soldiers -have plundered and murdered the peasantry at their pleasure; and I -have seen many persons hanging in the trees by the sides of the road, -executed for no reason that I could learn, excepting that they have not -been friendly to the French invasion and usurpation of the government -of their country; and the route of their column, on their retreat, -could be traced by the smoke of the villages to which they set fire.” - -Within a fortnight Wellesley was writing of the defects of his own men. -“I have long been of opinion,” he says, “that a British army could -bear neither success nor failure, and I have had manifest proofs of -the truth of this opinion in the first of its branches in the recent -conduct of the soldiers of this army. They have plundered the country -most terribly, which has given me the greatest concern.... - -“They have plundered the people of bullocks, among other property, for -what reason I am sure I do not know, except it be, as I understand -is their practice, to sell them to the people again. I shall be very -much obliged to you if you will mention this practice to the Ministers -of the Regency, and bid them to issue a proclamation forbidding the -people, in the most positive terms, to purchase any thing from the -soldiers of the British army.” - -The Commander-in-Chief relates the same terrible facts to Castlereagh. -“The army behave terribly ill,” is his expression. “They are a rabble -who cannot bear success any more than Sir J. Moore’s army could bear -failure. I am endeavoring to tame them; but, if I should not succeed, I -must make an official complaint of them, and send one or two corps home -in disgrace. They plunder in all directions.” - -Meanwhile Victor, far from taking Badajoz and marching on Seville as -the Emperor wished, had found it necessary to move in the direction -of Madrid, where he could secure much needed assistance. He therefore -took up his position at Talavera. Wellesley, intent upon crushing him, -arrived at Abrantes about the same time as the Marshal was evacuating -Estremadura and consequently abandoning the fruits of his victory over -Cuesta at Medellin. For Wellesley to have followed Victor with the -relatively few men at his disposal would have been to court disaster, -and he therefore acquiesced in a new plan of operations suggested -by Cuesta, in which the Spaniards were to be given an opportunity -of showing their capabilities or proving their incapacity. This, -says Professor Oman, was “the first and only campaign which he ever -undertook in company with a Spanish colleague and without supreme -control over the whole conduct of affairs.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -Talavera - -(1809) - - “_The battle of Talavera was the hardest fought of modern times._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -The potentialities of the new project were distinctly promising. After -uniting with Cuesta, Wellesley was to follow the course of the Tagus -and cut off Victor’s army of 33,000 troops while the attention of -Sebastiani and Joseph Bonaparte, who had but 17,000 men all told, was -occupied by Venegas. - -When last heard of Soult and Ney were in Galicia busily engaged in -suppressing an insurrection, so no opposition was anticipated from -them. In this matter after events proved the facts to be far different -from the surmise. There seemed every likelihood of a successful issue -provided there was no snapping of individual links of the chain of -operations. Wellesley did not find Cuesta a particularly affable -colleague, but he was not the man to assert his own opinion unless he -thought it imperative. He characterized him as having “no military -genius,” which is certainly more favourable than “that deformed-looking -lump of pride, ignorance, and treachery,” which is the description -given to us by Costello. “He was,” the latter adds, “the most -murderous-looking old man I ever saw.” They came together at Oropesa -on the 20th July, their forces totalling 55,000, of which 35,000 were -Spanish. It was the task of Venegas and his 26,000 men to approach -Madrid from the south, and, by a demonstration in force, distract -the attention of Sebastiani. He proved far too slow, and ere he was -able to interfere, Victor, Sebastiani, and Joseph concentrated in the -neighbourhood of Toledo. On the 26th July the last batch of their -50,000 troops came together. - -Had Wellesley been allowed to attack on the 23rd July, as he wished, -it is probable that he would have crushed Victor, whose reinforcements -did not begin to arrive until the following day. Cuesta had already -shown his incompetency, and some of his advanced guard had been roughly -handled by a French cavalry division. It was Wellesley’s opinion -that the psychological moment had arrived, but the Spanish commander -objected. “Had we fought then,” Wellesley afterwards averred, “it -would have been as great a battle as Waterloo, and would have cleared -Spain of the French for that time.” The formidable task before him was -not made lighter by the knowledge that the commissariat and transport -arrangements had utterly broken down. - -At Talavera, evacuated by Victor, who moved a few miles to the east, -Wellesley was obliged to halt, and even threatened to withdraw from -Spain because of the ill-treatment accorded his famishing troops. “I -have never seen an army,” he says, “so ill-treated in any country, or, -considering that all depends upon its operations, one which deserved -good treatment so much. It is ridiculous to pretend that the country -cannot supply our wants. The French army is well fed, and the soldiers -who are taken in good health, and well supplied with bread, of which -indeed they left a small magazine behind them. This is a rich country -in corn, in comparison with Portugal, and yet, during the whole of my -operations in that country, we never wanted bread but on one day on -the frontiers of Galicia. In the Vera de Plasencia there are means to -supply this army for 4 months, as I am informed, and yet the alcaldes -have not performed their engagements with me. The Spanish army has -plenty of every thing, and we alone, upon whom every thing depends, are -actually starving.” - -After considerable trouble Cuesta consented to Wellesley assuming -supreme command of the combined forces. On the afternoon of the -27th the British General mounted his horse and, accompanied by his -staff, rode out of the town to an old château, known as the Casa de -Salinas. His object was to obtain a bird’s-eye view from the roof of -the movements of the enemy on the Alberche. He apprehended no danger, -because Spanish troops occupied the adjacent woods. In this he was -deceived, for a number of French _tirailleurs_ suddenly appearing, the -troops beat a hasty retreat. The Commander-in-Chief jumped from the -wall and regained his horse not a moment too soon. Had it not been for -the near presence of a body of English infantry, who immediately opened -fire, it is extremely probable that Wellington and his staff would have -been captured. - -At five o’clock the opposing forces were within touch, the French -having crossed the river and driven in the British piquets, who lost -about 400 men. - -One of the finest descriptions of the ensuing battle--or more -correctly, series of battles--is that of Captain M. de Rocca, a French -officer of Hussars, which has the advantage of giving the point of view -of the enemy, and how Wellesley was regarded by one at least of his -combatants. - -“The Spaniards,” he says, “were posted in a situation deemed -impregnable, behind old walls and garden-fences, which border and -encompass the city of Talavera.[51] Their right was defended by the -Tagus, and their left joined the English, near a redoubt constructed -on an eminence. The ground in front of the Anglo-Spanish armies was -very unequal, and intersected here and there by ravines, formed by the -rains of winter. The whole extent of their position was covered by the -channel of a pretty deep torrent, at that time dry. The English left -was strengthened by a conical eminence that commanded the greater part -of the field of battle, and which was separated by a deep extensive -valley from the Castilian chain of mountains. - -“This eminence was thus in a manner the key to the enemy’s position, -and against this decisive point of attack, an experienced general, -possessed of that intuitive glance which insures success, would -immediately have led the principal part of his disposable force, to -obtain possession of it. He would either have taken it by assault, -or have turned it by the valley. But King Joseph, when he should -have acted, was seized with an unfortunate spirit of indecision and -uncertainty. He attempted only half measures, he distributed his forces -partially, and lost the opportunity of conquering while feeling the way -for it. Marshal Jourdan, the second in command, had not that spur of -patriotism in the Spanish war, which inspired him when he fought in the -plains of Fleurus, to achieve the independence of France. - -“The French commenced the engagement by a cannonade and rifle-fire in -advance of their right; and they despatched a single battalion only, -and some sharp-shooters, by the valley, to take the eminence which -defended the English left, never thinking they would do otherwise -than yield. This battalion, however, having to contend with superior -numbers, was repulsed with loss, and compelled to retire. A division of -dragoons, which had gone to reconnoitre Talavera, found the approaches -to that city strongly fortified with artillery, and could not advance. - -“At nightfall, the French made another attempt to gain the hill. A -regiment of infantry, followed at a short distance by two others, -attacked the extreme left of the English with unexampled ardour, -arrived at the summit of the hill, and took possession of it. But -having been fiercely assaulted, in its turn, by an entire division -of the English, just, when having conquered, it was breathless with -exertion, it was immediately obliged to give way. One of the two -regiments, commanded to assist in this attack, had lost its way in a -wood on account of the darkness; the other not getting soon enough over -the ravine, which covered the enemy’s position, had not arrived in time. - -“Both these attacks had miscarried, though conducted with intrepid -bravery, because they had been made by an inadequate number of -troops. A single battalion had been sent, and then one division, when -a great proportion of the whole army should have been despatched. -These unsuccessful attempts revealed to the English what we designed -next day; and still more evidently demonstrated the importance of -the station they held. They passed the greater part of the night in -fortifying it with artillery. - -“The sun rose next morning on the two armies drawn up in battle order, -and again the cannonade commenced. The defence of Portugal being -entrusted to the English army, the fate of that country, and, perhaps, -of all the Peninsula, was now to be decided by this contest. The -veterans of the first and fourth French corps, accustomed for years to -conquer throughout Europe, and always to witness their ardour seconded -by the combined skill of their chiefs, burned with impatience for -orders to engage, and thought to overthrow all before them by one well -conjoined assault. - -“One division alone, of three regiments of infantry, was sent by the -valley to storm the position, of which we had, for a moment, obtained -possession the preceding evening. After considerable loss, this -division reached the top of the eminence, and was just about taking -it. One of the regiments had already advanced as far as the artillery, -when their charge was repulsed, and the whole division was forced to -retire. The English, apprehending by this renewed attack that the -French designed to turn their left by the valley, stationed their -cavalry there; and caused a division of the Spaniards to occupy the -skirts of the high Castilian mountains beyond it. The French receded -to the ground they first occupied. The cannonade continued for another -hour, and then became gradually silent. The overpowering heat of -mid-day obliged both armies to suspend the combat, and observe a kind -of involuntary truce, during which the wounded were removed. - -“King Joseph, having at last gone himself to reconnoitre the enemy’s -position, gave orders, at four o’clock, for a general attack against -the army of England. A division of dragoons was left to observe the -Spaniards in the direction of Talavera. General Sebastiani’s corps -marched against the right of the English, while Marshal Victor’s three -divisions of infantry, followed by masses of cavalry, charged against -their left, to attack the eminence by the valley. King Joseph and -Marshal Jourdan took part with the reserve, in the rear of the 4th -division. The artillery and musketry were not long in being heard. - -“The English Commander, stationed on the hill which overlooked the -field of battle, was present always where danger demanded his presence. -He could survey, at a glance, every corps of his army, and perceive -below him the least movement of the French. He saw the line of battle -formed, the columns disposed for the conflict; he penetrated their -designs by their arrangements, and thus had time to order his plans, -so as to penetrate and prevent those of his foes. The position of the -English army was naturally strong and difficult of approach, both in -front and flank; but in the rear it was quite accessible, and gave -ample freedom to their troops to hasten to the quarter threatened. - -“The French had a ravine to pass before they could reach the enemy. -They had to advance over ground much intersected, very rugged and -unequal, obliging them frequently to break their line; and the -positions they attacked had been previously fortified. The left -could not see the right, or know what was passing there, for the -rising ground between them. Every corps of the army fought apart, -with unparalleled bravery, and ability too, but there was no -co-operation in their efforts. The French were not then commanded by a -General-in-chief, the resources of whose genius might have compensated -for the advantages which the nature of the ground denied them and -yielded to their enemies. - -“The division of Lapisse first passed the ravine, attacked the -fortified eminence, ascended it in defiance of a fire of grape-shot -which mowed down its ranks, but was repulsed with the loss of its -General and a great number of officers and soldiers. In retreating, -it left the right of the fourth corps uncovered, which the British -artillery took in flank, and forced for a moment to retire. The left -of General Sebastiani’s corps advanced under a most intense fire of -artillery to the fort of a redoubt on the right of the English, and -between the combined armies. It was too far advanced, and too soon -forward--it was encountered and driven back by the united corps of the -English right and the Spanish left. Assistance came, and the combat -was renewed. In the centre, Marshal Victor rallied the division of -Lapisse at the foot of the hill, and abandoned all further attempt to -gain possession of it. The French then tried to turn it either by the -right or left. Villatte’s division advanced in the valley, and Ruffin’s -moved to the right of this by the foot of the Castilian mountains. -The cavalry, forming a second line, were in readiness to debouch into -the plain in the rear of the enemy whenever the infantry could open a -passage. - -“Just as the French began to move, the English, with two regiments -of cavalry, made a charge against their masses. They engaged in the -valley, passed onwards regardless of the fire of several battalions -of infantry, between the divisions of Villatte and Ruffin, and fell -with impetuosity never surpassed on the 10th and 26th regiments of -our chasseurs. The 10th could not resist the charge. They opened their -ranks, but rallied immediately, and nearly the whole of the 23rd -regiment of light dragoons at the head of the English cavalry was -either destroyed or taken captive. - -“A division of the English Royal Guards, stationed on the left and -centre of their army, being charged by the French, at first repulsed -them vigorously; but one of its brigades, being too far advanced, was -in its turn taken in flank by the fire of the French artillery and -infantry, sustained considerable loss, and retreated with difficulty -behind their second line. The French took advantage of this success; -they again moved forward, and but one other effort was necessary to -break through into the plain, and combat on equal ground. But King -Joseph thought it was too late to advance with the reserve, and the -attack was delayed till the following day.[52] Night again closed over -us, and the conflict ceased from exhaustion, without either side having -won such a decided advantage as to entitle it to claim the victory. - -“The corps of Marshals Victor and Sebastiani withdrew successively -during the night towards the reserve, leaving an advanced guard of -cavalry on the scene of the engagement, to take care of the wounded. -The English, who expected a new attack in the morning, were greatly -surprised when day dawned to see that their enemies, leaving twenty -pieces of cannon, had retreated to their old position on the Alberche. -The English and Spaniards, according to their own accounts, lost 6,616 -men.[53] The French had nearly 10,000 slain.” - -Wellesley characterizes the battle as “a most desperate one ... we had -about two to one against us; fearful odds! but we maintained all our -positions, and gave the enemy a terrible beating.” Very few of the -Spanish troops were engaged in any real sense, although those who took -an active part behaved well, and one of the cavalry regiments “made -an excellent and well-timed charge.” The majority of them were in a -“miserable state of discipline” and “entirely incapable of performing -any manœuvre, however simple.” There was a sad lack of _morale_, -qualified officers were few, and seemed either unable or unwilling to -follow their allies in the matter of subjecting their men to definite -regulations. When the British soldiers were engaged in removing -the wounded and in burying the dead after Talavera, “the arms and -accoutrements of both were collected and carried away by the Spanish -troops.” - -The exhausted condition of his army prevented Wellesley from following -the enemy, but as Venegas was on the move and threatening Madrid, this -was not regarded as of consummate importance. Of more immediate concern -was the alarming intelligence received by the Commander-in-Chief a few -hours later that Soult’s army was no longer in Galicia, but marching to -intercept the British communications with Portugal. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -Wellesley’s Defence of Portugal - -(1809-10) - - “_If I fail, God will, I hope, have mercy upon me, for nobody else - will._” - - WELLESLEY. - - -Soult, joined by Mortier and Ney, had some 50,000 men with which to -face the victor of Talavera. Had Cuesta guarded the mountain passes as -he was supposed to do, Wellesley would not have found himself in so -awkward a predicament. Both his front and rear were threatened, the -former by Victor and Sebastiani and the latter by Soult. While his -ranks were sadly depleted, those of the French were augmented. By great -good fortune General Craufurd and his celebrated Light Division arrived -on the morning of the 29th July, the day following the conclusion of -the battle. - -Rumour proved on this occasion a powerful ally of the -Commander-in-Chief, for had not Craufurd heard of the supposed death -of Sir Arthur, it is scarcely likely that he would have urged his men, -each loaded with forty pounds weight on his back, to march forty-three -English miles in twenty-two hours. Wellesley made up his mind to -advance against Soult, but was forced to abandon the idea when he -heard that the enemy had entered Plasencia in great force, thereby -severing the British communications with Lisbon. A retreat “to take up -the defensive line of the Tagus” became eminently necessary. “We were -in a bad scrape,” he writes on the 8th August, “from which I think I -have extricated both armies; and I really believe that, if I had not -determined to retire at the moment I did, all retreat would have been -cut off for both.” “Both,” of course, includes the Spaniards, whose -“train of mismanagement,” added to Soult’s advance, were contributing -causes of his withdrawal. - -The Spaniards promised to remain at Talavera to watch the movements of -the enemy and to assist the wounded. No sooner was Wellesley out of the -way than Cuesta felt that the position was untenable, with the result -that many British soldiers, rendered unable to keep up with the Spanish -troops by reason of their wounds, were made prisoners by Victor, who -soon afterwards took possession of the town. - -The Tagus was crossed at Arzobispo, and a rearguard of 8000 Spaniards, -under Cuesta, left to defend the passage. At Almarez the bridge of -boats was broken to arrest Soult’s advance from Naval Moral, no great -distance away, and on the high road. As it happened, the French -Marshal was able to cross the river at Arzobispo by means of a ford. -He promptly defeated the Spanish force there and captured their guns. -Not a few of the defenders fled, throwing away their arms and clothing, -a very usual device. This was followed by the defeat of Venegas by -Joseph and Sebastiani at Almonacid, near Toledo, where several thousand -men were either killed, wounded, or captured, and of a Portuguese and -Spanish column which had been detached from the main army, under Sir -Robert Wilson, by Ney at the Puerto de Baños. - -In the middle of August 1809 the various armies were occupying the -following positions: British, Jaraicejo; Eguia, Deleytosa; Vanegas, La -Carolina; Ney, Salamanca; Kellermann, Valladolid; Soult, Plasencia; -Mortier, Oropesa and Arzobispo; Victor, Talavera and Toledo; -Sebastiani, La Mancha. - -The storm was followed by a lull, for the contesting armies were all -but worn out and required rest. Wellesley made his headquarters -first at Deleytosa, and, when that place was vacated on the 11th, at -Jaraicejo; the Spanish made the former town their headquarters, and the -Portuguese army, under Beresford, withdrew within their home frontier. - -“While the army remained in this position,” namely, Deleytosa, General -Sir George T. Napier records: “We suffered dreadfully from want of -food; nothing but a small portion of unground wheat and (when we could -_catch them_) about a quarter of a pound of old goats’ flesh each man; -no salt, bread, or wine; and as the Spaniards had plundered the baggage -of the British army during the battle of Talavera, there was nothing -of any kind to be procured to help us out, such as tea or sugar.”[54] -These defects the General determined to remedy, for “no troops can -serve to any good purpose unless they are regularly fed,” a maxim -equivalent to that of Napoleon that “an army moves on its stomach.” - -Cuesta resigned his command, which was given to Eguia, but from -henceforth the British Commander placed his sole reliance on his own -forces. The lack of co-operation in the combined army was also evident -in that of the French, for the various marshals had separated, and, to -Napoleon’s disgust, lost a golden opportunity of crushing the hated -English, which was never again vouchsafed to them. “Force Wellesley -to fight on every possible occasion,” was his frequent cry. “Win if -you can, but lose a battle rather than deliver none. We can afford to -expend three men for every one he loses, and you will thus wear him -out in the end.” Wellesley preferred to conserve his energy, not to -squander it. - -After repeated requests for provisions and means of transport, all -more or less evasively answered by the Spanish authorities, Wellesley -carried out his threat and fell back upon the frontiers of Portugal. -Not without a certain suggestion of irony, he was at this time -appointed a Captain-General in the Spanish service, and received six -Andalusian horses “in the name of King Ferdinand the VIIth.” Shortly -afterwards he was notified that he had been elevated to the Peerage, -with the titles of Baron Douro of Wellesley, and Viscount Wellington of -Talavera. From henceforth we shall style him Wellington, a signature he -first adopted on the 16th September 1809. - -“Nothing,” he writes from Merida, on the 25th August, to Castlereagh, -“can be worse than the officers of the Spanish army; and it is -extraordinary that when a nation has devoted itself to war, as this -nation has, by the measures it has adopted in the last two years, -so little progress has been made in any one branch of the military -profession by any individual, and that the business of an army should -be so little understood. They are really children in the art of war, -and I cannot say that they do any thing as it ought to be done, with -the exception of running away and assembling again in a state of -nature.” In his opinion the Portuguese, under English officers, were -better than the Spaniards, but both “want the habits and spirit of -soldiers--the habits of command on one side, and of obedience on the -other--mutual confidence between officers and men; and, above all, a -determination in the superiors to obey the spirit of the orders they -receive, let what will be the consequence, and the spirit to tell the -true cause if they do not. In short, the fact is, there is so much -trick in the Portuguese army....” - -At the beginning of September he was at Badajoz, on the frontier, -the advantage being, as Wellington says, “that the British army was -centrically posted, in reference to all the objects which the enemy -might have in view; and at any time, by a junction with a Spanish corps -on its right, or a Portuguese or Spanish corps on its left, it could -prevent the enemy from undertaking any thing, excepting with a much -larger force than they could allot to any one object.” Here he heard -that there was a likelihood of Soult attacking Ciudad Rodrigo. This -information he obtained from an intercepted letter to Joseph. “The -success of this scheme,” he avers, “would do them more good, and the -allies more mischief, than any other they could attempt; and it is most -likely of all others to be successful.” For this reason he ordered -Wilson to stay north of the Tagus so as to watch Soult’s movements. - -In the middle of the month the Spanish army of Estremadura, stationed -at Deleytosa, was reduced to 6000 soldiers, the remainder, with Eguia, -marching towards La Mancha. About the same time an army of some 13,000 -men, under La Romana, whom Wellington describes as “more intelligent -and reasonable” than most of his countrymen, moved from Galicia to -the neighbourhood of Ciudad Rodrigo. La Romana himself proceeded to -Seville and was succeeded by the Duque del Parque, who marched towards -Salamanca. - -Wellington watched del Parque’s forward movements with dismay, and -ordered magazines to be prepared upon the Douro and Mondego “to assist -in providing for these vagabonds if they should retire into Portugal, -which I hope they will do, as their only chance of salvation.” - -On the 10th October Wellington was at Lisbon to arrange future -operations, and where he studied “on the ground” the possibility of -defending Portugal. This reconnaissance resulted in the defence known -as the “Lines of Torres Vedras,” of which particulars will be given as -the story proceeds.[55] - -By the end of the month he was back at Badajoz, writing endless -dispatches relative to the thousand and one concerns--military, -political and financial--of the two armies. By the beginning of -November del Parque was obliged to retire owing to the arrival from -Estremadura of some 36,000 men under Mortier in Old Castile. Eguia’s -entry into La Mancha from Estremadura two months before had been -followed by the arrival of 30,000 of the enemy’s troops under Victor -in that province, whereupon the Spanish commander had withdrawn to the -Sierra Morena, and the French to the Tagus. - -The Spanish Government now entertained the hope of gaining the complete -possession of Madrid. Two forces were to be honoured with the carrying -out of this ambitious project. The army of La Mancha, now under the -inexperienced General Areizaga, joined by the greater part of the army -of Estremadura, and consisting of 50,000 men, was to march from the -Sierra Morena. Del Parque, with the army of Galicia, 20,000 strong, was -to take Salamanca and then present himself before the capital. Areizaga -met with some temporary success, but on the 19th November some 4000 -of his men were either lying dead or wounded on the bloody field of -Ocaña, within easy distance of Madrid. No fewer than 18,000 were taken -prisoners by King Joseph’s troops. When the distressed General gathered -together the fragments of his shattered army in the Sierra Morena, only -a half of the original number were present, which means that 3000 had -deserted. He must have been sadly deficient in cannon, for the French -had captured over fifty pieces. - -Del Parque was scarcely more successful. He was attacked at Tamames -on the 19th October by troops under Marchand, whom he defeated. Thus -encouraged, he advanced to Salamanca, which the French had occupied, -and taken possession of. In the last week of November he was beaten -at Alba de Tormes, to which he had retreated, with a loss of 3000 -men. Some of his troops retired on Galicia, the remainder on Ciudad -Rodrigo.[56] - -With the object of giving the Spanish Government time to repair their -losses in southern Spain, and surmising that whatever reinforcements -the French might receive would be for use against the British now that -the armies under Blake, Areizaga, and del Parque were scattered, -Wellington prepared to move the greater part of his army north of the -Tagus, towards the frontiers of Castile, but leaving a body of troops -under Lieutenant-General Hill at Abrantes, so that the Lower Tagus -might not be left unguarded. Early in January 1810, Wellington made -his headquarters at Coimbra, on the Mondego, and within comparatively -easy distance of the sea, conceivably a useful ally now that Napoleon -was sending additional reinforcements, and Soult had 70,000 men at his -disposal. - -The passes of Despeña Perros, and Puerto del Rey through the Sierra -Morena, but weakly defended by Spanish troops under Areizaga, were -forced by the French without difficulty. On the last day of January -1810, Seville capitulated. That Wellington anticipated this is proved -by a letter he wrote on that date to Lord Liverpool. Cadiz was saved -from a similar fate by the Duke of Albuquerque, who reached the city -in the nick of time, although Victor’s outposts had been seen on the -banks of the Guadalquivir. Major-General the Hon. W. Stewart was sent -to assist in the defence of the place, and arrived towards the end of -February with some 5000 British and Portuguese troops, while a British -fleet lay in the Bay. - -Meanwhile Wellington was able to report considerable progress in -some of the regiments in the Portuguese army, thanks very largely to -the exertions of Marshal Beresford. Fifteen regiments he had seen -while marching from Badajoz to Coimbra showed decided improvement in -discipline, and he had “no doubt that the whole will prove an useful -acquisition to the country.” They were “in general unhealthy.” The -conduct of his own troops was “infamous” when not under the inspection -of officers. “They have never brought up a convoy of money that they -have not robbed the chest; nor of shoes, or any other article that -could be of use to them, or could produce money, that they do not steal -something.” - -The failure of the Walcheren Expedition[57] not only led to a -duel between Canning and Castlereagh and the fall of Portland’s -administration, but caused the British public to lose faith in things -military. It seemed not at all improbable that the new Ministry formed -by Perceval, in which Lord Wellesley became Foreign Secretary, and -Lord Liverpool Secretary for War and the Colonies, would withdraw the -British army from the Peninsula, especially as Talavera had aroused -little or no enthusiasm, and a retreat was regarded by the man in -the street as scarcely better than a defeat. In this connexion it -is interesting to note that when Wellington was asked what was the -best test of a great general, he gave as his answer, “To know when to -retreat; and to dare to do it.” Aware of the state of public opinion, -he did not press for further reinforcements. - -In a letter to the Rt. Hon. John Villiers, dated Viseu, 14th January -1810, the Commander-in-Chief definitely states “that in its present -state” the army was “not sufficient for the defence of Portugal.” He -anticipated having 30,000 effective British troops when the soldiers -then on their way from England and those in hospital were available: -“I will fight a good battle for the possession of Portugal, and see -whether that country cannot be saved from the general wreck.” - -“I conceive,” he concludes, “that the honor and interests of the -country require that we should hold our ground here as long as -possible; and, please God, I will maintain it as long as I can; and I -will neither endeavor to shift from my own shoulders on those of the -Ministers the responsibility for the failure, by calling for means -which I know they cannot give, and which, perhaps, would not add -materially to the facility of attaining our object; nor will I give to -the Ministers, who are not strong, and who must feel the delicacy of -their own situation, an excuse for withdrawing the army from a position -which, in my opinion, the honor and interest of the country require -they should maintain as long as possible. - -“I think that if the Portuguese do their duty, I shall have enough to -maintain it; if they do not, nothing that Great Britain can afford can -save the country; and if from that cause I fail in saving it, and am -obliged to go, I shall be able to carry away the British army.” - -The war in Spain still continued see-saw fashion. A province would be -apparently conquered by Napoleon’s troops when no sooner did the troops -march on than the trouble began again. This happened more especially -with Suchet in Aragon. In Catalonia the intrepid O’Donnell and his men -flitted about like a will-o’-the-wisp and worked sad havoc whenever -they came across a detached force, though Hostalrich fell and Lerida -surrendered in May, as well as the castle of Mequinenza a little later. - -Napoleon had not been sleeping. In the previous year he had been too -occupied in humbling Austria and annexing Rome and the Ecclesiastical -States to give much attention to the Peninsula. He now placed Marshal -Masséna, Prince of Essling, who by reason of his success was known -as “the spoilt child of victory”--incidentally he was the son of an -inn-keeper--in command of 180,000 troops, for which purpose he arrived -at Valladolid in the middle of May 1810. Within a month the French -forces in Spain were raised to no fewer than 366,000 men of all ranks -and arms. - -Surely “the heir of Charlemagne,” as Napoleon termed himself, was on -the point of crushing the resistance of the Iberian Peninsula, and -with it insignificant Portugal and Wellington? Was it feasible that -60,000 British, Germans, and Portuguese, sometimes aided but more often -hindered by an “insurgent” rabble, and indirectly by the two remaining -Spanish armies in Galicia and Estremadura, could contest with any -likelihood of success more than a third of a million of trained troops? -The law of probability answered in the negative. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -The Lines of Torres Vedras - -(1810) - - “_France is not an enemy whom I despise, nor does it deserve I - should._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -Pasquier, who had the privilege of knowing most of the generals of the -Revolution and of the Empire, says of Masséna that he was “France’s -first military commander after Napoleon.” Neither Pichegru, Moreau, -Kléber, nor Lannes gave the Chancellor “as completely as Masséna, the -idea of a born warrior, possessing a genius for war, and endowed with -all the qualities which render victory certain. His eagle eye seemed -made to scan a field of battle. One could understand, on seeing him, -that the soldier under his command never believed it was possible to -retreat.” - -[Illustration: “You are too young, sir, to be killed!” - -Thomas Maybank] - -Masséna’s first important operation in the Peninsula was the siege of -the Spanish fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo. Although Wellington was in -the neighbourhood he was not to be enticed away from his immediate -objects, which were the defence of Lisbon and the thorough organization -of the army for service when action became absolutely imperative. -Notwithstanding a splendid defence for over two months on the part of -Governor Herrasti, the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo was compelled to -surrender on the 10th July. In August, Masséna crossed the frontier -preparatory to beginning the siege of Almeida, near the river Coa, -next to Elvas the strongest place in Portugal. - -On the 24th July, Craufurd and his famous Light Division--not Light -Brigade as some would have it--had a fierce tussle with Ney’s corps -of 24,000 men. Craufurd, who had only 4000 troops at his disposal, -entertained no wild notion of preventing the investment of the place, -but as he was suddenly attacked he was obliged to fight. Had he been -a more cautious soldier he would have crossed the Coa before Ney came -up, as Wellington had suggested on the 22nd. Indeed, so early as the -11th, the Commander-in-Chief had said, “I would not wish you to fall -back beyond that place (_i.e._ Almeida), unless it should be necessary. -But it does not appear necessary that you should be so far, and it -will be safer that you should be nearer, at least with your infantry.” -He delayed too late, and thereby lost over 300 men. While the last of -the soldiers were crossing the bridge which spanned the swollen river, -for it had rained in torrents the previous night, a lanky Irish lad -of nineteen years, named Stewart, and known by the 43rd as “The Boy,” -positively refused to pass over. “So this is the end of our boasting! -This is our first battle, and we retreat! The Boy Stewart will not -live to hear that said,” he cried, and turning back he slashed at -the oncoming French until he fell dead. Even more courageous was the -conduct of Sergeant Robert M‘Quade, five years Stewart’s senior. He -happened to catch sight of two French soldiers with levelled muskets -awaiting the British to ascend a bank. A boy of sixteen, afterwards -famous as Sir George Brown (Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifle Brigade) was -on the verge of being shot by them when the sergeant pulled him back -from the fatal spot. “You are too young, sir, to be killed,” he cried -as his own body received two bullets and fell in a lifeless heap at the -feet of the youth. - -That Colonel Cox, who was in charge of the fortress, would have stayed -Masséna’s advance for a considerable time is extremely likely, -but unfortunately he was not given the opportunity to display his -prowess. The powder-magazine blew up, almost destroying the town and -necessitating immediate surrender. The pursuit of Wellington, “to drive -him into the sea,” seemed a comparatively easy task until the advance -showed that the British General had caused the country to be stripped -almost entirely of provisions. Thus Napoleon’s policy of making “war -support war” by plundering and raiding the enemy’s country, completely -broke down. “In war all that is useful is legitimate,” he says, and -Wellington had followed the maxim, after having obtained permission -for the destruction of provisions from the Portuguese Regency, which -included Mr Charles Stuart, the British Minister at Lisbon. What -Wellington’s measures meant to Masséna’s army is summed up in a single -sentence by Sir Harry Smith, who carried a dispatch to Lord Hill -through territory occupied by the enemy. “The spectacle,” he says, “of -hundreds of miserable wretches of French soldiers on the road in a -state of _starvation_ is not to be described.” Nor was this all. Not -only did the place resemble a desert in the difficulty of obtaining -means of sustenance, but the majority of the inhabitants had fled, some -seeking the fastnesses of the mountains, others the larger cities such -as Lisbon and Oporto. - -As Masséna advanced so Wellington retreated towards the celebrated -lines of Torres Vedras, upon the construction of which thousands of -peasants, under the direction of British engineers, had been busy for -six months. - -These magnificent defences are thus described by one who knew them.[58] -They “consisted of redoubts and field-works of various kinds; according -to the ground they were to defend, and all connected with each other -by entrenchments, etc., so that, when occupied by the army, it would -almost be impossible to force them. But, even supposing this first line -of defence should be carried by the enemy, there was another, much -more contracted, to retreat upon, where a very small force could hold -out against the French army and cover the embarkation of the British, -should Lord Wellington be at last forced to quit Portugal. I cannot -help considering this retreat to the lines, and the pertinacity with -which he held them in spite of every difficulty, and the remonstrances -of the Government at home, which was seized with alarm, as the greatest -proof of a master mind and genius that could be given, and proved -Lord Wellington to be superior to any general the French had, except -Napoleon; in short, that he was, next to Buonaparte himself, the -first general of the day. And I am further convinced that, had he the -same opportunities that Napoleon had, he would have proved as great a -general, as his capacity and powers of mind would have strengthened and -expanded in proportion to the vastness of his views and the obstacles -to be surmounted.” - -An officer of the 60th Rifles, who served behind them, furnishes a -more detailed pen-sketch. “The line of defence was double,” he writes. -“The first, which was twenty-nine miles long, began at Alhandra, on -the Tagus, crossed the valley of Armia, which was rather a weak point, -and passed along the skirts of Mount Agraça, where there was a large -and strong redoubt; it then passed across the valley of Zibreira, and -skirted the ravine of Runa to the heights of Torres Vedras, which were -well fortified; and from thence followed the course of the little -river Zizandre to its mouth on the sea-coast. The line followed the -sinuosities of the mountain track which extends from the Tagus to the -sea, about thirty miles north of Lisbon. Lord Wellington’s headquarters -were fixed at Pero Negro, a little in the rear of the centre of the -line, where a telegraph was fixed corresponding with every part of the -position. The second line, at a distance varying from six to ten miles -in the rear of the first, extended from Quintella, on the Tagus, by -Bucellas, Montechique, and Mafra, to the mouth of the little river -S. Lourenço, on the sea-coast, and was twenty-four miles long. This -was the stronger line of the two, both by Nature and art, and if the -first line were forced by the enemy, the retreat of the army upon the -second was secure at all times. Both lines were secured by breastworks, -abattis, stone walls with banquettes, and scarps. In the rear of the -second line there was a line of embarkation, should that measure become -necessary, enclosing an entrenched camp and the fort of St Julian.” As -many as 120 redoubts and 427 pieces of artillery were scattered along -these lines. “Lord Wellington had received reinforcements from England -and Cadiz; the Portuguese army had also been strengthened, and the -Spanish division of La Romana, 5000 strong, came from Estremadura to -join the Allies;[59] so that the British commander had about 60,000 -regular troops posted along the first and second lines, besides the -Portuguese militia and artillery (which manned the forts and redoubts -and garrisoned Lisbon), a fine body of English marines which occupied -a line of embarkation, a powerful fleet in the Tagus, and a flotilla -of gun-boats flanking the right of the British line. It was altogether -a stupendous line of defence, conceived by the military genius of the -British commander, and executed by the military skill of the British -engineer officers.” - -Wellington continued to fall back until he reached “Busaco’s iron -ridge,” north of the Mondego. Here he determined to offer Masséna -battle, for three principal reasons. First, there was a growing -discontent amongst the rank and file of his army by reason of lack -of active warfare and the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, and a -victory would put an end to this growing despondency. Second, also a -military consideration, the orders he had given for the laying waste of -the districts about Lisbon were not yet fully carried out. Third, from -a political point of view it was necessary because it would show that -he was not about to lock himself up within the lines of Torres Vedras -because he was incapable or afraid of Napoleon’s legions. In a word, it -would “restore confidence,” a matter of first importance. It is quite -incorrect to term Busaco a “useless battle” as some historians have -done. - -“On the 25th and 26th,”[60] says M. de Rocca, “the French corps -arrived successively at the foot of the mountains Sierra de Busaco, -whose summits they found occupied by the Anglo-Portuguese army. At six -o’clock, on the morning of the 27th, they marched in column against the -right and centre of that army, in the two roads leading to Coimbra, by -the village of San Antonio de Cantaro, and by the convent of Busaco. -These roads were cut up in several places, and defended by artillery. -The mountain over which they pass is besides encumbered with steep -rocks, and is very difficult of access. - -“The French column which attacked the right of the English advanced -with intrepidity, in spite of the fire of their artillery and -light troops. It reached the top of the eminence after sustaining -considerable loss, and began to deploy in line with the greatest -coolness, and most perfect regularity. But a superior force again -assaulted it, and compelled it to retire. It soon rallied, made a -second attack, and was again repulsed. The French battalions, which -advanced against the convent of Busaco, where the left and centre of -the English divisions joined, were also driven back, a little before -they reached that post. General Simon, who had been struck by two balls -during the charge, was left on the height, and a great many wounded -officers and soldiers. - -“The position occupied by the English and Portuguese on the brow of -the hill, formed the arc of a circle, whose two extremes embraced -the ground over which the French had to advance. The allied army saw -the least movements made below them, and had time to form to receive -any powerful body before it arrived. This circumstance materially -contributed to the advantage they obtained.... - -“Marshal Masséna judged that the position of Lord Wellington could -not be carried in front, and resolved to turn it. He kept up an -irregular fire till the evening, and sent off a body of troops by the -mountain-road, which leads from Mortago to Oporto. The English and -Portuguese, in consequence of this movement, abandoned their position -on the mountain of Busaco.” - -The attack on the British left was led by Ney, and it succeeded in -driving in the sharp-shooters. The French had practically reached the -summit, as Rocca states, when Craufurd’s division, concealed in a -hollow, gave them the full benefit of their fire. “The enemy,” says Sir -Charles Stewart, who fought on this memorable day, “unable to retreat, -and afraid to resist, were rolled down the steep like a torrent of -hailstones driven before a powerful wind; and not the bayonets only, -but the very hands of some of our brave fellows, became in an instant -red with the blood of the fugitives. More brilliant or more decisive -charges than those executed this day by the two divisions which bore -the brunt of the action, were never perhaps witnessed; nor could -anything equal the gallantry and intrepidity of our men throughout, -except perhaps the hardihood which had ventured upon so desperate an -attack.” - -Reynier’s two divisions, 15,000 men in all, attacked Picton’s 3rd -division on the right. The troops of Generals Hill and Leith, moving -rapidly to Picton’s aid, decided their fate. “The right of the 3rd -division had been, in the first instance, borne back,” says an -eye-witness, “the 8th Portuguese had suffered most severely; the enemy -had formed, in good order, upon the ground which they 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 moment, 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 held -their ground, till, with levelled bayonets and the shout of the charge, -the 45th and 88th regiments, British, most gallantly supported by the -8th Portuguese, rushed forwards, and hurried them down the mountain -side with a fearful slaughter.” - -“This movement,” writes Wellington, “has afforded me a favorable -opportunity of showing the enemy the description of troops of which -this army is composed; it has brought the Portuguese levies into action -with the enemy for the first time in an advantageous situation; and -they have proved that the trouble which has been taken with them has -not been thrown away, and that they are worthy of contending in the -same ranks with British troops in this interesting cause, which they -afford the best hopes of saving. - -“Throughout the contest on the Serra, and in all the previous marches, -and those which we have since made, the whole army have conducted -themselves in the most regular manner. Accordingly all the operations -have been carried on with ease; the soldiers have suffered no -privations, have undergone no unnecessary fatigue, there has been no -loss of stores, and the army is in the highest spirits.” - -The total British and Portuguese losses, according to the official -figures, were 197 killed, 1014 wounded, and 58 missing. Masséna -reported casualties to the number of 4486 men, including five -generals. Anything but a kindly feeling existed between the French -Commander-in-Chief and Ney previous to the battle; the result merely -deepened their unfriendliness, a pitiful contrast to the cordial -relations of Wellington and his colleagues.[61] - -It is both delightful and pathetic to know that, after the last roll of -the guns had echoed through the valley, the British and the French put -aside their weapons and worked side by side in the humanitarian task of -searching for the wounded. It was the final scene of the tragedy, acted -after the curtain had fallen. It is recorded, as one of the incidents, -that a German officer serving with Napoleon’s colours, who had a -brother in the British 60th Regiment, asked a sworn enemy of an hour -ago if he knew what had happened to his relative? He answered his own -pathetic question by finding the soldier’s corpse. - - _Books may tell of its story, - But only the heart can know - How war is robbed of its glory, - By the brave ones lying low,_ - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -Masséna beats a Retreat - -(1810-11) - - “_There will be a breeze near Lisbon, but I hope we shall have the - best of it._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -Owing to the failure of one of Wellington’s officers to occupy the -Boialva Pass, Masséna was able to turn the British position, with the -result that his advanced guard appeared in front of Coimbra on the -evening of the 30th September. - -When the Commander-in-Chief saw the French army defiling across the -mountains “he seemed uneasy,” according to one who watched him, “his -countenance bore a fierce, angry expression, and, suddenly mounting his -horse, he rode away without speaking.” - -No attempt was made to attack the enemy, Wellington considering it more -prudent to leave the ridge, cross the Mondego, and retreat towards -Lisbon. This resolution was come to on the 28th September, and on the -1st October the last man of the rear-guard had evacuated the town. -“Although I could not save Coimbra,” Wellington writes, “I have very -little doubt of being able to hold this country against the force which -has now attacked it.” - -The place was immediately occupied by Masséna’s famished troops, -who found it not entirely destitute of eatables, as seemed only -too probable judging by previous experience, although much of the -food had been destroyed by Wellington’s orders. They had merely to -help themselves to what they could find, for most of the population -had followed in the wake of the allied army. “The inhabitants -of the country have fled from their houses universally,” the -Commander-in-Chief writes to the Earl of Liverpool from Alcobaço on -the 5th October, “carrying with them every thing they could take away -which could be deemed useful to the enemy; and the habits of plunder -which have been so long encouraged in the enemy’s army prevent them -from deriving any general advantage from the little resource which the -inhabitants may have been obliged to leave behind them.” - -It is the straightforward utterance of a straightforward man. -Wellington seldom indulged in picturesque language; he had neither the -natural ability which commands a delicate choice of language nor the -time for vivid diction. His mind was cast in a sterner mould; he craved -for exactness, for cold, matter-of-fact calculations, for ungarnished -essentials. - -[Illustration: The Retreat from Coimbra - -Thomas Maybank] - -For graphic details we must turn to such an authority as Sir Charles -Stewart, who writes with the fluency of a gifted war-correspondent -permitted to ride with the officers and obtain a view of everything -of importance. “Crowds of men, women, and children,” he says,“--of -the sick, the aged, and the infirm, as well as of the robust and the -young--covered the roads and the fields in every direction. Mothers -might be seen with infants at their breasts hurrying towards the -capital, and weeping as they went; old men, scarcely able to totter -along, made way chiefly by the aid of their sons and daughters; whilst -the whole wayside soon became strewed with bedding, blankets, and -other species of household furniture, which the weary fugitives were -unable to carry farther. During the retreat of Sir John Moore’s army -numerous heartrending scenes were brought before us; for then, as now, -the people, particularly in Galicia, fled at our approach; but -they all returned sooner or later to their homes, nor ever dreamed of -accumulating upon our line of march, or following our fortunes. The -case was different here. Those who forsook their dwellings, forsook -them under the persuasion that they should never behold them again; -and the agony which such an apprehension appeared to excite among the -majority exceeds any attempt at description.... It could not but occur -to us that, though the devastating system must inevitably bear hard -upon the French, the most serious evils would, in all probability, -arise out of it, both to ourselves and our allies, from the famine and -general distress which it threatened to bring upon a crowd so dense, -shut up within the walls of a single city. At the moment there were -few amongst us who seemed not disposed to view it with reprobation; -because, whilst they condemned its apparent violation of every feeling -of humanity and justice, they doubted the soundness of the policy in -which it originated.” - -Leaving a meagre force to guard the wounded and sick at Coimbra, -Masséna started off in pursuit of the enemy as soon as the most -primeval of creature comforts had been satisfied. Six days after -his soldiers had left the place, namely, the 11th October 1810, -Wellington’s men entered the lines of Torres Vedras, but so rapid had -been the French advance that they began to appear on the following -morning. La Romana had crossed from Estremadura with several thousand -Spanish troops, thereby adding to Wellington’s forces, while Portuguese -militia threatened the enemy’s communications. - -Masséna dared not attempt to retreat for fear of incurring Napoleon’s -displeasure. His only hope, as he repented at leisure, was that the -supplies of the defenders might fail, or that the Emperor, in response -to urgent dispatches, would speedily send reinforcements both of men -and of arms. The news that Coimbra, its garrison, and its invalids, -had fallen into the hands of militia under Colonel Trant merely added -insult to injury. As regards “starving out” the British and their -allies, it was far more probable that their own food would run out, for -while Wellington held the Tagus a constant supply of the necessaries -of life was secured from incoming ships. Hunger did indeed eventually -drive Masséna from Santarem, a town some thirty miles from Wellington’s -lines, on which he had been forced to fall back in November. The -place, perched on the summit of a height between the rivers Rio Mayor -and Aviella, was admirably suited for defensive purposes, but after -the surrounding country had been stripped there was nothing to do but -retire. The Marshal was fortunate in finding a district which the -Portuguese had not laid bare. It sounds almost incredible, but it is -recorded that when Masséna succeeded in crossing the frontier his men -were so famished that one of them consumed no less than seventeen -pounds of native bread. The French General awaited with feverish -anxiety the coming of Soult to his relief for nearly four months, but -that worthy was fighting battles and besieging Badajoz, which the -Spaniards surrendered on the 10th March 1811, five days after his -colleague had been forced by sheer necessity to begin a retreat across -the mountains towards Ciudad Rodrigo. - -The author of “The Journal of an Officer,” a reliable eye-witness, thus -describes the town after Masséna had left it: “I have been for some -weeks in view of Santarem, and saw at last with pleasure some symptoms -of the French abandoning it. The first was setting fire to one of the -principal convents in the upper town, and part of the lower town; the -volume of smoke was immense for three days. On the fourth morning some -information to depend on reached us, and the bugle of attack roused us -from our pillows. The haze of the morning clearing up, we could easily -perceive the out sentinels were men of straw, and quite passive.[62] In -fact, a better managed retreat was never executed. Not a vestige of a -dollar’s worth remained. Being at the outposts with the 11th Dragoons -and the 1st Royals, I entered with them, and three miserable deserters, -who had hid themselves with one too ill to move, were the only enemies -to be found. Such a scene of horror, misery, and desolation, scarce -ever saluted the eye of man. Smoking ruins, the accumulated filth of -months, horses and human beings putrefied to suffocation, nearly caused -to many a vomiting. The houses had scarcely a vestige of wood--doors, -windows, ceilings, roofs, burnt; and where the sick had expired, -there left to decay! The number thus left were great. Every church -demolished, the tombs opened for searching after hidden plate, every -altar-piece universally destroyed, and the effluvia so offensive as to -defy describing. - -“In some gardens, the miserable heads, undecayed, stuck up like -scarecrows; in some wells, a body floating. - -“Down a precipice to which we were invited by prospect to look, the -human and animal carcases ... repulsed our senses, and shudderingly -vibrated the soul at the savage, horrible, diabolical acts of a -French army. Greater spirits, better discipline, and more order, -never attended an army than this. But to see the country, is to weep -for the horrors of war. Such horrid excess I never saw before. Every -town, village, or cottage destroyed. The growing nursery and the wild -grove, each havocked for destruction’s sake. The pot that refined -the oil broken, the wine-press burnt, for burning’s sake; the grape -vines destroyed as noxious weeds; the furniture unburnt thrown from -the windows, and with carriages, etc., made a bonfire of; the large -libraries strewed over the land in remnants of paper; the noble convent -in ashes, and the poor, unhappy, aged inhabitants, unable to flee, hung -around as ornamenting the walls, ten or twelve in a place!” - -Wellington, who had now received reinforcements, moved his headquarters -to Santarem on the 6th March, anxious to overtake the enemy with the -least possible delay. He received the usual conflicting accounts of -the direction taken by them and their probable destination. Oporto was -suggested, which the Commander did not believe, “but they are in such a -state of distress, that it may be expected that they will try anything, -however desperate. But I follow them closely; and they will find it -difficult to stop anywhere, for any purpose, till they shall draw near -the frontier.” He detached two divisions under Beresford, hoping that -he might be able to relieve Badajoz, and with five others continued to -keep “close at their heels,” to use his own expression. Unfortunately -the place fell before it was possible for Beresford to reach it. Had -the Governor held out, Wellington was of opinion that “the Peninsula -would have been safe,” and the relief of the south of Spain practically -certain. - -“Affairs” with the enemy were frequent during Wellington’s pursuit, -but by forcing them to evacuate the various positions they attempted -to occupy, such as Pombal, Redinha, Cazal Nova and Foz d’Aronce, -any designs they might have had against the northern provinces were -prevented, notwithstanding the fact that the country afforded “many -advantageous positions to a retreating army, of which the enemy have -shown that they know how to avail themselves.” - -In writing to the Earl of Liverpool, Wellington remarks that “their -conduct throughout this retreat has been marked by a barbarity seldom -equalled, and never surpassed.” He tells a moving story of plunder, -the burning of houses, a convent, and a bishop’s palace. “This is the -mode,” he adds in a burst of indignation, “in which the promises have -been performed, and the assurances have been fulfilled, which were held -out in the proclamation of the French Commander-in-Chief, in which he -told the inhabitants of Portugal that he was not come to make war upon -them, but with a powerful army of 110,000 men to drive the English into -the sea. - -“It is to be hoped that the example of what has occurred in this -country will teach the people of this and of other nations what value -they ought to place on such promises and assurances; and that there -is no security for life, or for anything which makes life valuable, -excepting in decided resistance to the enemy.” - -The difficulties of the chase were many and oftentimes almost -unsurmountable. Boats and bridge-building materials were scarce, and -caused delay in crossing rivers. Shoes wore out rapidly on account -of the bad quality of the leather, and many of them were too small. -Endless trouble was caused by the Spanish muleteers, who absolutely -refused to attend the Portuguese troops, some of whom Wellington was -obliged to leave in the rear owing to the scarcity of provisions. For -instance, two brigades of infantry had to make nine days’ provisions, -consisting chiefly of bread and a little meat supplied by the British -commissariat, last for twenty-four days. “This is the assistance I -receive from the Portuguese Government!” the Commander-in-Chief writes, -and one can imagine his grim face hardening as he pens the words. There -were the usual grievances against the rascally army contractors. The -boots sent out were of bad quality, “in general too small.” We find him -ordering 150,000 pairs of boots and 100,000 pairs of soles and heels at -a time. - -The most serious action during Masséna’s retreat was fought at Sabugal, -on the Coa, on the 3rd April. “We moved on the 2nd,” Wellington says -when giving details of the engagement to Beresford, “and the British -army was formed opposite to them; the divisions of militia, under -Trant and Wilson, were sent across the river at Cinco Villas, to alarm -Almeida for its communication. Yesterday morning”--he is writing on -the 4th inst.--“we moved the whole army (with the exception of the -6th division, which remained at Rapoula de Coa, opposite Loison) to -the right, in order to turn this position, and force the passage of -the river. The 2nd corps could not have stood here for a moment; but -unfortunately the Light division, which formed the right of the whole, -necessarily passed first, and the leading brigade, Beckwith’s, drove -in the enemy’s piquets, which were followed briskly by four companies -of the 95th, and three of Elder’s caçadores, and supported by the -43rd regiment. At this time there came on a rain storm, and it was as -difficult to see as in the fogs on Busaco, and these troops pushed on -too far, and became engaged with the main body of the enemy. The light -infantry fell back upon their support, which instead of halting, moved -forward. The French then seeing how weak the body was which had passed, -attempted to drive them down to the Coa, and did oblige the 43rd to -turn. They rallied again, however, and beat in the French; but were -attacked by fresh troops and cavalry, and were obliged to retire; but -formed again, and beat back the enemy. At this time the 52nd joined the -43rd, and both moved on upon the enemy, and to be charged and attacked -again in the same manner, and beat back. They formed again, moved -forward upon the enemy, and established themselves on the top of the -hill in an enclosure, and here they beat off the enemy. - -“But Reynier was placing a body of infantry on their left flank, which -must have destroyed them, only that at that moment the head of the 3rd -division, which had passed the Coa on the left of the Light division, -came up, and opened their fire upon this column; and the 5th division, -which passed this bridge and through this town [Sabugal], made their -appearance. - -“The enemy then retired, having lost in this affair a howitzer, and I -should think not less than 1000 men. - -“Our loss is much less than one would have supposed possible, scarcely -200 men. The 43rd have 73 killed and wounded. But really these attacks -in columns[63] against our lines are very contemptible. - -“The contest was latterly entirely for the howitzer, which was taken -and retaken twice, and at last remained in our hands. Our cavalry, -which ought to have crossed the Coa on the right of the Light division, -crossed at the same ford, and therefore could be of no use to them. -Besides they went too far to the right. - -“In short, these combinations for engagements do not answer, unless one -is upon the spot to direct every trifling movement. I was upon a hill -on the left of the Coa, immediately above the town, till the 3rd and -5th divisions crossed, whence I could see every movement on both sides, -and could communicate with ease with everybody; but that was not near -enough. - -“We took 6 Officers, and between 200 and 300 prisoners, and Soult’s[64] -and Loison’s baggage.” - -Two days after this affair on the banks of the Coa Masséna crossed the -frontier, having been literally driven out of Portugal. Within a few -hours we find Wellington urging on Beresford the necessity for a strict -blockade of Badajoz preparatory to besieging it. Masséna fell back -upon Salamanca, while Wellington busied himself with the investment of -Almeida, where a French garrison had been left. With Ciudad Rodrigo, -the second and remaining place occupied by the Marshal’s troops, he -felt he could do little at the moment beyond intercepting supplies. -These two forts, which are within comparatively easy distance and -almost parallel, the one in Portugal and the other in Spain, were -extremely important, and commanded the north-eastern frontier of the -former country. - -Incidentally, the British Commander-in-Chief also took the opportunity -to publish a lengthy Proclamation to the Portuguese nation, of which -the following is a brief synopsis. He informs the inhabitants that they -are now “at liberty to return to their occupations,” that nearly four -years have elapsed since “the tyrant of Europe” invaded the country, -the object being “the insatiable desire of plunder, the wish to -disturb the tranquillity, and to enjoy the riches of a people who had -passed nearly half a century in peace.” He then strikes a deeper note -and adds a few words of advice as to the future: - -“The Marshal General, however, considers it his duty, in announcing the -intelligence of the result of the last invasion, to warn the people -of Portugal, that, although the danger is removed, it is not entirely -gone by. They have something to lose, and the tyrant will endeavor to -plunder them: they are happy under the mild government of a beneficent -Sovereign; and he will endeavor to destroy their happiness: they have -successfully resisted him, and he will endeavor to force them to submit -to his iron yoke. They should be unremitting in their preparations for -decided and steady resistance; those capable of bearing arms should -learn the use of them; or those whose age or sex renders them unfit -to bear arms should fix upon places of security and concealment, and -should make all the arrangements for their easy removal to them when -the moment of danger shall approach. Valuable property, which tempts -the avarice of the tyrant and his followers, and is the great object of -their invasion, should be carefully buried beforehand, each individual -concealing his own, and thus not trusting to the weakness of others to -keep a secret in which they may not be interested. - -“Measures should be taken to conceal or destroy provisions which cannot -be removed, and everything which can tend to facilitate the enemy’s -progress; for this may be depended upon, that the enemy’s troops seize -upon everything, and leave nothing for the owner. - -“By these measures, whatever may be the superiority of numbers with -which the desire of plunder and of revenge may induce, and his power -may enable, the tyrant again to invade this country, the result will be -certain; and the independence of Portugal, and the happiness of its -inhabitants, will be finally established to their eternal honor.”[65] - -However “beneficent” the Sovereign--who was a lunatic and out of the -country--might be, Wellington had little that was good to say of its -present rulers. He told them that he would inform the home Cabinet -“that they cannot with propriety continue to risk a British army in -this country unsupported by any exertion of any description on the part -of the Portuguese Government.” The army was lamentably deficient “in -that essential arm, its cavalry,” and the commissariat arrangements -remained hopelessly deficient. - -The blockade of Almeida being “a simple operation, which I do not think -the enemy have the means or inclination to interrupt,” Wellington left -it in the hands of Lieut.-General Sir Brent Spencer in the middle of -April, and set out from Villa Fermosa for Alemtejo to discuss his -future projects with Castaños and also to visit Beresford. He knew that -the French at Almeida would be forced to withdraw or surrender owing -to the scarcity of provisions, but at Ciudad Rodrigo “there is a good -garrison, and we certainly shall not get that place without a siege; -for which God knows if we shall have time before the enemy will be -reinforced. The first object is certainly Badajoz, and, as soon as I -know whether any or what part of our train is required for the attack -of that place, I shall send the remainder to Oporto, and make all the -arrangements for the eventual attack of Ciudad Rodrigo.” - -As Soult was then busily occupied in fortifying Seville, to the south -of Badajoz, the siege of the latter city became imperative, and without -unnecessary delay. Soult might attempt to relieve Badajoz; certainly -his presence at Seville precluded the likelihood of the garrison being -deceived by any feint or actual attack made on that place by the allies -with the object of distracting their attention. - -Although Wellington did not meet Castaños personally during his visit -to the south, he sent him a plan of operations, to be undertaken with -Blake and Ballasteros in co-operation with Beresford, and got through -an immense amount of work in connection with the siege. “The continued -and increasing inefficiency of the Portuguese regiments with this -army,” gave him much cause for concern. On the 30th April 1811, four -days after Parliament had thanked him for the liberation of Portugal, -he tells Beresford that “if some effectual steps are not taken, the -Portuguese force with this part of the army (_i.e._ Wellington’s) will -be annihilated.” He concludes by saying that he must report the matter -to the home authorities, which he did. “The Ministers and the English -public believe that we have 30,000 men for whom we pay, and half as -many more supported by the Portuguese Government. I do not believe that -I have here 11,000, or that you have 5000, and of the number many are -not fit for service.” - -Masséna was not the type of man who easily acknowledges defeat. He -had been busily engaged at Salamanca in getting what remained of his -army into working order. He had lost at least 25,000 of the 70,000 men -who had entered Portugal, but when he decided to go to the assistance -of Almeida he could with difficulty muster only 39,000, some 5000 -more than Wellington could put into the field. Having relieved Ciudad -Rodrigo, Masséna crossed the Agueda, with the fixed intention of -raising the blockade of Almeida. On the 3rd May he was in sight of the -British army, now arrayed at Fuentes de Oñoro. - -The Commander-in-Chief had returned from his travels on the 28th of the -previous month, after having been informed by Spencer of the gathering -of the enemy. “I’ll venture to say,” remarks Kincaid, “that there was -not a heart in the army that did not beat more lightly when we heard -the joyful news of his arrival the day before the enemy’s advance.” On -the 3rd May the British were “warmly but partially engaged,” and “made -no progress in raising the blockade.” - -The real battle began on the 5th, and was, in Alison’s opinion, “the -most critical in which Lord Wellington was engaged in the whole war, -and in which the chances of irreparable defeat were most against the -British army.” He then gives some of Sir Charles Stewart’s reflections -on the fight, which help us to appreciate its difficulties from the -point of view of an actual eye-witness who took a leading part in the -battle. “Masséna’s superiority to us,” he notes, “both in cavalry -and artillery, was very great; whilst the thick woods in our front -afforded the most convenient plateau which he could have desired for -the distribution of his columns unseen, and therefore disregarded. Had -he rightly availed himself of this advantage, he might have poured the -mass of his force upon any single point, and perhaps made an impression -before we could have had time to support it. Had he commenced his -attack with a violent cannonade, it must have produced some havoc, -and probably considerable confusion, in our line. He might then have -moved forward his cavalry _en masse_, supporting it by strong columns -of infantry; and had either the one or the other succeeded in piercing -through, our situation would have been by no means an enviable one.... -Had he thrown his cavalry round our right flank--a movement which -we should have found it no easy matter to prevent--crossed the Coa, -advanced upon our lines of communication, and stopped our supplies, -at the moment when, with his infantry, he threatened to turn us; then -pushed upon Sabugal and the places near, he might have compelled us -to pass the Coa with all our artillery at the most disadvantageous -places, and cut us off from our best and safest retreat. There was, -indeed, a time during the affair of the 5th, when his design of acting -in this manner was seriously apprehended; and Lord Wellington was in -consequence reduced to the necessity of deciding whether he should -relinquish the Sabugal road or raise the blockade of Almeida. But -Lord Wellington’s presence of mind never for a moment forsook him. He -felt no distrust in his troops; to retain his hold over a secure and -accessible line of retreat was therefore to him a consideration of less -moment than to continue an operation of which the ultimate success -could now be neither doubtful nor remote; and he at once determined to -expose Sabugal rather than throw open a communication with Almeida. It -was a bold measure, but it was not adopted without due consideration, -and it received an ample reward in the successful termination of this -hard-fought battle.” - -Wellington’s line was extended on a table-land between the rivers -Turones and Dos Casas. It reached several miles, namely, from Fort -Conception, which covered Almeida (opposite the village of that name -he disposed his centre), to beyond Nava d’Aver, his right being at -Fuentes de Oñoro. Poço Velho, between the latter place and Nava d’Aver, -was also occupied by the left wing of the 7th Division, commanded by -General Houstoun. - -Masséna’s first movement was to attack the Spanish irregulars, under -Don Julian Sanchez, stationed on the hill of Nava d’Aver, which was -neither a lengthy nor a difficult process. - -Major-General Houstoun scarcely fared better, two of his battalions -being routed. The immediate consequence was that Captain Norman -Ramsay’s battery of Horse Artillery, which were supporting Houstoun, -were soon fighting against fearful odds. By means of a magnificent -charge, while the attention of part of the French force was detracted -by the dragoons under Sir Stapleton Cotton, Ramsay made good his escape -with every gun. - -The situation was extremely critical when the squares of the 7th and -Light Divisions were attacked by the enemy’s cavalry, but Wellington -did not hesitate for a moment as to the best course to pursue. He -abandoned Nava d’Aver and closed in his line by a complete change -of front, withdrawing some of his divisions to the heights, and -Houstoun’s men behind the Turones, to a position near Freneda, which -became the British right and Fuentes de Oñoro the left. - -“Montbrun’s cavalry,” we are told, “merely hovered about Craufurd’s -squares, the plain was soon cleared, the cavalry took post behind the -centre, and the Light Division formed a reserve to the right of the 1st -Division, sending the riflemen among the rocks to connect it with the -7th Division, which had arrived at Freneda, and was there joined by -Julian Sanchez. At the sight of this new front, so deeply lined with -troops, the French stopped short, and commenced a heavy cannonade, -which did great execution, from the closeness of the allied masses; -but twelve British guns replied with vigour, and the violence of the -enemy’s fire abated; their cavalry then drew out of range, and a body -of French infantry, attempting to glide down the ravine of the Turones, -was repulsed by the riflemen and light companies of the Guards.” - -Meanwhile a fierce conflict was taking place in the village of Fuentes. -It continued see-saw fashion until the evening, both sides bringing -up reserves and contesting every inch of the ground. Three regiments -were driven from the lower parts of the village, but reinforcements -were at hand, and the higher streets were never abandoned, although a -chapel held by the troops in that quarter was evacuated. At nightfall -the French crossed the river, leaving 400 of their dead in the village. -Wellington averred that the battle “was the most difficult I was ever -concerned in, and against the greatest odds. We had very nearly three -to one against us engaged; about four to one of cavalry; and, moreover, -our cavalry had not a gallop in them, while some of that of the enemy -was fresh, and in excellent order. If Bony had been there we should -have been beaten.” - -As a battle the engagement scarcely could be called a victory for the -Allies, but Masséna had failed to relieve Almeida, while Wellington -had succeeded in covering its blockade. The total casualties of the -British, Spanish, and Portuguese on the 3rd and 5th reached 1800, of -the French nearly 3000, and 210 were taken prisoners. On the morning -of the 8th May the last of the enemy left the field, but three days -later the Commander-in-Chief received bad news. On the previous night -the garrison of Almeida blew up part of the fortress and escaped, -although the force sent by Wellington to blockade it was “four times -more numerous than the garrison.” He characterized it as “the most -disgraceful event that has yet occurred to us.” His correspondence at -this period teems with references to it. - -Masséna was no longer “the favoured child of victory” or Napoleon’s -“right arm,” as the Emperor had called him, and he was recalled, to be -succeeded by Marmont, an excellent artillery officer then not quite -thirty-seven years of age, whereas Masséna was fifty-three and deemed -“too old” by his autocratic sovereign. - -Marmont speedily came to the conclusion when he took up his new -post that without rest the so-called army of Portugal could not -possibly expect to meet Wellington with any likelihood of success. -He accordingly moved his troops to the province of Salamanca, where -we will leave them for a little while to watch the course of the war -elsewhere. - -Beresford had now invested Badajoz, and engaged the enemy in several -sorties, on one occasion suffering severe loss owing to the imprudence -of his troops. Receiving news to the effect that Soult was rapidly -approaching with the determined object of relieving it, he raised the -siege and posted his army on the ridge of Albuera to stop the French -advance. The British Commander had nearly 32,000 men at his disposal. -Of these no fewer than 24,000 were foreigners, including the Spanish -forces of Blake, Castaños, Ballasteros, and Don Carlos d’España, which -had formed a junction with him. The enemy had 23,000 troops. - -As Wellington was not present a detailed description of the battle, -which took place on the 16th May, does not come within the province -of this volume. It was one of the most fiercely contested of the -entire war. So much so that Beresford used up his entire reserves and -lost 4100 British troops, in addition to 1400 Portuguese and Spanish -killed and wounded. The French losses were over 6000, and 500 were -taken prisoners. Had it not been for Colonel Hardinge, Beresford would -have retreated. Following his colleague’s advice he remained and was -victorious. It was at Albuera that the 57th Foot (now the 1st Middlesex -Regiment) won the well-deserved name of “Die Hards” from the fact that -Colonel Inglis shouted to his troops, “Die hard, my men; die hard!”[66] -“It was observed,” writes Beresford to Wellington, “that our dead, -particularly the 57th regiment, were lying, as they had fought, in -ranks, and that every wound was in front.” - -On the 19th Wellington, with two divisions, arrived at Elvas, and on -the 21st he rode to Albuera and surveyed the site of the contest. “The -fighting was desperate,” he writes, “and the loss of the British has -been very severe; but, adverting to the nature of the contest, and the -manner in which they held their ground against all the efforts the -whole French army could make against them, notwithstanding all the -losses which they had sustained, I think this action one of the most -glorious and honourable to the character of the troops of any that has -been fought during the war.” - -Surely a more noble tribute to the “common” soldier was never penned! - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -The Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo - -(1811-12) - - “_The great object in all sieges is to gain time._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -The exacting nature of the campaign was beginning to tell on -Wellington. “I certainly feel, every day,” he had written to the Earl -of Liverpool on the 15th May 1811, “more and more the difficulty of -the situation in which I am placed. I am obliged to go everywhere, and -if absent from any operation, something goes wrong.” “Another such -battle” as Albuera, he informs his brother Henry on the 22nd, “would -ruin us,” and he proceeds to compare the Spanish and Portuguese troops, -to the disadvantage of the former. They often held their ground too -well, there was no moving them in a battle. On the other hand, “We do -what we please now with the Portuguese troops; we manœuvre them under -fire equally with our own, and have some dependence on them; but these -Spaniards can do nothing, but stand still, and we consider ourselves -fortunate if they do not run away.” In his report of the battle -Beresford mentions the Spanish cavalry as having behaved “extremely -well.” - -Some idea of the enormous amount of labour involved may be gained from -the fact that on the day mentioned Wellington either wrote or dictated -at least eighteen dispatches, including two dealing with the loss of -an officer for whose widow and child he was endeavouring to obtain -“favour and protection” at the hands of the home authorities. At the -same time he was actively preparing for the renewed siege of Badajoz: -“The late action has made a terrible hole in our ranks; but I am -working hard to set all to rights again.” He appeared “destined to pass -his life in the harness,” to use his own phrase, and had “a monstrous -quantity of business to settle of different descriptions.” - -Referring to the difference of opinion held by his officers regarding -his policy, he says, “I believe nothing but something worse than -firmness could have carried me through.... To this add that people in -England were changing their opinions almost with the wind, and you will -see that I had not much to look to excepting myself.” The words are -almost those of a broken-hearted man. - -Badajoz was again invested on the 25th May, and the batteries opened -fire on the 3rd of the following month in an attempt to breach the -fort of San Christoval and the castle. Wellington had then made his -headquarters at Quinta de Granicha, from whence he writes, on the 6th -to the Earl of Liverpool, to the effect that if he cannot prevent the -enemy from receiving provisions he will not risk an action because he -has not the means, and out of fairness to his soldiers he cannot “make -them endure the labours of another siege at this advanced season. -Notwithstanding that we have carried on our operations with such -celerity,” he concludes “we have had great difficulties to contend -with, and have been much delayed by the use of the old ordnance and -equipments of Elvas, and of the Portuguese artillery, in this siege; -some of the guns from which we fire are above 150 years old.” The -majority of them were supposed to be 24-pounders, but they proved to -be larger, with the result that their fire was very uncertain. Two -attempts were made to storm the outwork of San Christoval without -success, many brave fellows perishing in the vain effort to escalade -the walls. - -Three weeks had not elapsed before it became eminently necessary to -retire from this scene of activity. During this short time nearly 500 -officers and men had been reported as killed, wounded, or missing, -and fifty-two of the Chasseurs Britanniques had deserted. “I have a -great objection to foreigners in this army,” he informs a colleague -a little later, “as they desert terribly; and they not only give the -enemy intelligence which he would find it difficult to get in any -other manner, but by their accounts and stories of the mode in which -deserters from the French army are treated by us, some of them well -founded, they have almost put an end to desertion.” The reason for the -latter belief was the legend “that the deserters from the enemy are -sent to the West India Islands, and have no chance of ever returning to -Europe.” - -Marmont, having united his scattered units, was about to join -forces with Soult, which meant that when they marched on Badajoz, -as undoubtedly they would do, the French army might number between -50,000 and 60,000 troops. Wellington had been of opinion that it was -possible to reduce the place before the end of the second week of -June. An intercepted dispatch from Soult to Marmont made it abundantly -evident that the enemy were to concentrate in Estremadura, and other -intelligence clearly proved that the destination of the French army -was “to the southward.” Elvas, where supplies were running low, had -first to be replenished, so that it might be in a condition of defence -should the enemy cross the frontiers. Leaving a comparatively small -number of men to blockade Badajoz, and having made arrangements for -the strengthening of Elvas, he marched from that place to Quinta de -St João, where he remained for a considerable period. For nearly a -fortnight the French threatened to attack, and had they done so it -is scarcely possible that Wellington could have held his own in the -field. Soult was the first to withdraw, the immediate cause being the -threatening of Seville by Blake, who retired when Soult approached. -Marmont, feeling unequal to fight alone, marched to the valley of the -Tagus and cantoned his army between Talavera and Plasencia. During the -crisis the two marshals mustered 62,000 troops, Wellington about 48,000. - -The heat and other considerations prevented Wellington from besieging -Badajoz; to relieve Cadiz was out of the question because the forces -of Soult and Marmont would be almost certain to come to the assistance -of the force before the great southern port. He therefore decided to -besiege Ciudad Rodrigo, for four reasons stated in a letter to the -Earl of Liverpool dated the 18th July, namely: “We can derive some -assistance from our militia in the north in carrying it into execution, -and the climate in which the operation is to be carried on is not -unfavorable at this season. If it should not succeed, the attempt will -remove the war to the strongest frontier of Portugal; and, if obliged -to resume the defensive, the strength of our army will be centrically -situated, while the enemy’s armies of the north and of the south will -be disunited.” Shortly after the above dispatch was written he heard -that Suchet had captured Tarragona, which made the proposed operation -“less favorable.” “However,” he tells Beresford on the 20th of the -same month, “we shall have a very fine army of little less than 60,000 -men,[67] including artillery, in the course of about a fortnight; and -I do not see what I can do with it, to improve the situation of the -allies, during the period in which it is probable that, the enemy’s -attention being taken up with the affairs of the north of Europe,[68] -we shall be more nearly on a par of strength with him, excepting we -undertake this operation.” - -Lieutenant-General Hill was entrusted with the duty of watching the -enemy in Alemtejo,[69] and two divisions were left in Estremadura. -The Commander-in-Chief, with some 40,000 men, hastened towards Ciudad -Rodrigo, unaware at the moment that the garrison had been reinforced -and that Napoleon was sending more men to the Peninsula. When these -important facts reached him he contented himself with blockading the -place, and prepared to retire behind the Agueda should necessity -warrant. Marmont sent for Dorsenne, who had taken the command in -Galicia from Bessières, and with 60,000 troops set out toward the end -of September to relieve Ciudad Rodrigo. Wellington then occupied El -Bodon, on the left bank of the Agueda. “The object of taking a position -so near to the enemy,” he says, “was to force them to show their army. -This was an object, because the people of the country, as usual, -believed and reported that the enemy were not so strong as we knew them -to be; and if they had not seen the enemy’s strength, they would have -entertained a very unfavorable opinion of the British army, which it -was desirable to avoid. This object was accomplished by the operations -at the close of September.” - -Early on the morning of the 25th the Marshal drove in the outposts of -Wellington’s left wing, and turned the heights occupied by the right -centre, thereby placing the British Commander in a dangerous position, -from which he extricated himself by hurling his cavalry at the horsemen -and artillery now endeavouring to scale the heights. Two British guns -were captured and retaken at the point of the bayonet. When the French -infantry were brought into action Wellington gradually withdrew in the -direction of Fuente Guinaldo, pursued by the enemy’s cavalry, which -were received by solid British squares and repelled as six miles were -traversed. Marmont again advanced on the 26th, but did not attack. -Wellington retreated until he reached a strong position in front of -Sabugal on the 28th. - -A rear-guard action had been fought on the previous day at Aldea -da Ponte, but Marmont withdrew without offering battle, and, after -supplying much needed necessaries to Ciudad Rodrigo, proceeded to the -Tagus valley and Dorsenne to Salamanca. Wellington renewed the blockade -“in order,” as he says, “to keep a large force of the enemy employed -to observe our operations, and to prevent them from undertaking any -operation elsewhere.” Placing his army in cantonments on the banks of -the Coa, the Commander-in-Chief made his headquarters at Freneda. - -While in their winter quarters both officers and men were able to -recuperate after their previous arduous campaign. Sports, theatricals -and other amusements helped to pass away the time and to cheer up the -army. Even more important was the opportunity thus afforded the many -semi-invalids to recover their health. “We are really almost an army -of convalescents.” Wellington himself rode to hounds occasionally, and -applauded the amateur histrionic efforts of his soldiers, when time -and circumstances permitted him to attend their performances. He was -able to re-establish Almeida as a military post, where he kept his -battering-train to deceive the enemy, to blockade Ciudad Rodrigo, and -to prepare for its investment. - -Meanwhile the guerillas were “increasing in numbers and boldness -throughout the Peninsula,” constantly annoying the French commanders. -“It was their indomitable spirit of resistance,” says Professor -Oman,[70] “which enabled Wellington, with his small Anglo-Portuguese -army, to keep the field against such largely superior numbers. No -sooner had the French concentrated, and abandoned a district, than -there sprang up in it a local Junta and a ragged apology for an army. -Even where the invaders lay thickest, along the route from Bayonne to -Madrid, guerilla bands maintained themselves in the mountains, cut off -couriers and escorts, and often isolated one French army from another -for weeks at a time. The greater partisan chiefs, such as Mina in -Navarre, Julian Sanchez in Leon, and Porlier in the Cantabrian hills, -kept whole brigades of the French in constant employment. Often beaten, -they were never destroyed, and always reappeared to strike some daring -blow at the point where they were least expected. Half the French army -was always employed in the fruitless task of guerilla-hunting. This was -the secret which explains the fact that, with 300,000 men under arms, -the invaders could never concentrate more than 70,000 to deal with -Wellington.” - -In the autumn and winter of 1811 the enemy accomplished nothing of -importance in eastern and southern Spain. In the south-east Suchet -defeated Blake on the 25th October at the battle of Sagunto, “the last -pitched battle of the war,” remarks the above authority, “in which a -Spanish army, unaided by British troops, attempted to face the French.” -Forced into the city of Valencia with part of his motley array, Blake -made a gallant attempt to rid himself of his besieger, an almost -impossible task considering that Suchet had been reinforced while the -unfortunate Spanish commander had been considerably reduced. On the 9th -January 1812 his 16,000 followers laid down their weapons. - -The investment of Ciudad Rodrigo by Wellington had been delayed owing -to a complexity of causes. All the carting had to be performed by -Portuguese and Spanish, and their slowness and the inclement weather -combined precluded the Commander-in-Chief from pushing forward his -operations with any celerity of movement. Empty carts took two days to -go ten miles on a good road. Wellington confessed that he had to appear -satisfied, otherwise the drivers would have deserted. If he succeeded -in his designs he hoped to “make a fine campaign in the spring”; if he -did not, “I shall bring back towards this frontier the whole [French] -army which had marched towards Valencia and Aragon. By these means I -hope to save Valencia.” - -Alas, for human ambition! The capital of the province fell three days -after the above dispatch was written. - -On the 8th January 1812 a start was made, and Ciudad Rodrigo invested. -During the night the palisaded redoubt on the hill of San Francisco, -which the French had recently constructed, was stormed and carried, -but Wellington at once perceived that the enemy had made good use -of their time by strengthening their works and fortifying three -convents in the suburbs. “The success of this operation,” he writes, -“enabled us immediately to break ground within 600 yards of the place, -notwithstanding that the enemy still hold the fortified convents; and -the enemy’s work has been turned into a part of our first parallel, -and a good communication made with it.” Wellington encamped his men on -the southern bank, which necessitated their fording the narrow stream, -although he had built a bridge lower down the Agueda for munitions. -It was no child’s play for the soldiers. Through icy cold water, -across ground covered with snow and frost, and amidst a rain of shot -and shell, these brave fellows went to their work, each division in -succession. Some of them returned, others did not, for “The path of -glory leads but to the grave.” - -The convent of Santa Cruz was captured on the night of the 13th, -followed on the 14th by the fall of the convent of San Francisco and -other fortified posts in the suburbs. By this time batteries were -within 180 yards of the walls. “We proceeded at Ciudad Rodrigo,” he -tells the Duke of Richmond, “on quite a new principle in sieges. The -whole object of our fire was to lay open the walls. We had not one -mortar; nor a howitzer, excepting to prevent the enemy from clearing -the breaches, and for that purpose we had only two; and we fired upon -the flanks and defences only when we wished to get the better of them, -with a view to protect those who were to storm. This shows the kind of -place we had to attack....” Matters now became urgent, for advice had -been received that Marmont was stirring. By the 19th the breaches made -in the ramparts by the artillery were declared practicable. Wellington -had already summoned the Governor to surrender. His reply was that “he -and the brave garrison which he commanded were prepared rather to bury -themselves in the ruins of a place entrusted to them by their Emperor.” -The troops, consisting of the regiments of the 3rd and Light Divisions -and some Portuguese caçadores, marched to the assault in five columns. -“Rangers of Connaught,” cried General Picton to the “Fighting 3rd,” who -were charged with the centre attack, “it is not my intention to expend -any powder this evening; we’ll do this business with the cold iron.” - -It was the task of Picton and his men to assault the great breach, -while the 52nd, the 43rd, and the 95th regiments, assisted by two -battalions of caçadores, assaulted the other. At the same time a -brigade of Portuguese under General Pack was to make a feint at the -Santiago gate, at the southern end of the town, and the light company -of the 83rd regiment with another body of native soldiers were to scale -the castle walls. As the columns advanced the moon, then in its first -quarter, revealed their black outline to the enemy. They at once opened -fire. No reply was vouchsafed by the Allies, who marched with fixed -bayonets and unloaded muskets. It was not part of their plan to return -a greeting made by men who were behind ramparts. - -The Portuguese under Colonel O’Toole were the first to attack, closely -followed by the 5th, 94th, and 77th regiments, the last supposed to act -as a reserve. The Light Division, impatient of delay and not wishing to -be rivalled in prowess, hurled themselves at the small breach without -waiting for the bags of hay which were to be thrown in the ditch to -assist them in crossing. Many of the attacking force literally passed -over the shot-riddled bodies of the vanguard as they attempted to -get through. Major George Napier, while leading his men, had his arm -shattered, but still continued to encourage them; Robert Craufurd, -the intrepid and cantankerous commander of the Light Division, fell -mortally wounded; Major-General Mackinnon was blown up by the explosion -of a magazine. Nine officers and eleven non-commissioned officers and -drummers gave up their lives for their country during the siege and -in the assault from the 8th to the 19th, the total loss in killed and -injured being nearly 1000. The hand-to-hand fighting continued in the -streets, and the town caught fire. - -At dawn 1700 of the enemy surrendered, including the Governor. -Marmont’s battering train, scores of field guns, and a plentiful supply -of ammunition fell into the hands of the victors. Wellington had -“great pleasure” in reporting “the uniform good conduct, and spirit of -enterprise, and patience, and perseverance in the performance of great -labor” on the part of the troops who had been engaged. As for the men -themselves, they got drunk and sacked the place. - -Wellington’s rewards for the capture of Ciudad Rodrigo were numerous. -He became an Earl in Great Britain, a Duke in Spain, and a Marquis in -Portugal. In addition he was granted an extra annual pension of £2000 -by Parliament. Financial offers were also forthcoming from the two -Peninsula Powers, but he declined them. “He had only done his duty to -his country, and to his country alone he would look for his reward.” - -Marmont was in ignorance of the siege until the 15th January. He -then began to make preparations, but when he was ready the fortress -had fallen, and he moved his army to Valladolid, to the north-east. -Napoleon then sent orders to the Marshal that if he could not regain -Ciudad Rodrigo he was to return to Salamanca, cross the frontier, and -advance on Almeida. He foresaw that perhaps Wellington might turn his -attention to Badajoz, which, in the Emperor’s opinion, would be a -“mistake,” and that of necessity he would have to return to succour -the Portuguese fortress: “You will soon bring him back again.” The -British Commander also surmised that another attack on Ciudad was quite -possible. Before setting out on his next bold enterprise he therefore -put the fortifications in thorough repair, and brought up a reserve -supply of 50,000 rations in case it should be besieged. Satisfied that -the place could now offer a bold resistance to the enemy, and having -also repaired the works of Almeida, he marched the greater part of his -army to the valley of the Guadiana, and invested Badajoz, which is on -the left side of that river, on the 16th March 1812. - -Wellington fully appreciated the immense value of time, and if he did -not actually work with his eyes on the clock, he always endeavoured to -fix a definite date for his operations. Thus as early as the preceding -January he had written to his brother from Gallegos, a little to the -north of Ciudad, that it was probable he would be in readiness to -invest the place “in the second week in March.” “We shall have great -advantages in making the attack so early if the weather will allow of -it,” he tells another correspondent. “First, all the torrents in this -part of the country are then full, so that we may assemble nearly our -whole army on the Guadiana, without risk to anything valuable here.[71] -Secondly, it will be convenient to assemble our army at an early period -in Estremadura, for the sake of the green forage, which comes in -earlier to the south than here. Thirdly, we shall have advantages, in -point of subsistence, over the enemy, at that season, which we should -not have at a later period. Fourthly, their operations will necessarily -be confined by the swelling of the rivers in that part as well as -here.” In order to deceive the enemy he remained behind with the 5th -Division as long as possible and gave instructions for a report to be -circulated to the effect that he was going to hunt on the banks of the -Huelbra and Yeltes. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -Badajoz and Salamanca - -(1812) - - “_I shall not give the thing up without good cause._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -Considerable energy was displayed by the troops in the siege -operations at Badajoz, notwithstanding the persistent torrents of -rain which soaked the men to the skin and filled the trenches as they -worked. A bridge of pontoons was carried away and the flying bridges -irretrievably injured by the swollen state of the Guadiana. The place -was by no means an easy one to take, for strong outworks defended it, -and Philippon, the French Governor, was a most able officer in whom his -troops placed every confidence. However, good fortune did not attend -the first sortie made by about 2000 of the enemy on the 19th March. -They were “almost immediately driven in, without effecting any object, -with considerable loss, by Major-General Bowes, who commanded the guard -in the trenches,” to quote from Wellington’s official dispatch. - -On the 25th an attack was made on fort Picurina, an advanced post -separated from Badajoz by the little river called the Rivillas. -Twenty-eight guns in six batteries were brought to bear upon it, and -after dark the place was carried by storm, although it was protected -by three rows of palisades defended by musketry. The garrison of the -outwork consisted of about 250 men. Of these ninety, including the -colonel, were taken prisoners, and most of the others were either -killed or drowned in the swollen stream. An attempt was made to succour -the brave defenders, but the soldiers were driven back before they -could come up to the Picurina. The possession of this outwork enabled -Wellington to place guns within 300 yards of the body of the place, -and on the following day two breaching batteries began their work of -destruction, with the result that on the 6th April three breaches were -declared to be practicable. - -At ten o’clock that night the attempt was to be made, the 3rd Division -under Picton escalading the castle, the 4th Division with General -the Hon. C. Colville attacking the bastion of La Trinidad, the Light -Division commanded by Colonel Barnard the bastion of Santa Maria, -General Leith’s 5th Division the bastion of San Vincente. The attack on -the bastions was to be made by storming the breaches. Wellington stood -on rising ground facing the main breach, accompanied by the Prince of -Orange and Lord March. - -“When the head of the Light Division arrived at the ditch of the place -(the great breach) it was a beautiful moonlight night,” Sir Harry -Smith relates with the authority of a participant in the action.[72] -“Old Alister Cameron, who was in command of four Companies of the -95th Regiment, extended along the counterscarp to attract the enemy’s -fire, while the column planted their ladders and descended, came up -to Barnard and said, ‘Now my men are ready; shall I begin?’ ‘No, -certainly not,’ says Barnard. The breach and the works were full of -the enemy, looking quietly at us, but not fifty yards off and most -prepared, although _not firing a shot_. So soon as our ladders were -all ready posted, and the columns in the very act to move and rush -down the ladders, Barnard called out, ‘_Now_, Cameron!’ and the first -shot from us brought down such a hail of fire as I shall never forget, -nor ever saw before or since. It was most murderous. We flew down -the ladders and rushed at the breach, but we were broken, and carried -no weight with us, although every soldier was a hero. The breach was -covered by a breastwork from behind, and ably defended on the top by -_chevaux-de-frises_ of sword-blades, sharp as razors, chained to the -ground; while the ascent to the top of the breach was covered with -planks with sharp nails in them.... One of the officers of the forlorn -hope, lieutenant Taggart of the 43rd, was hanging on my arm--a mode we -adopted to help each other up, for the ascent was most difficult and -steep. A Rifleman stood among the sword-blades on the top of one of -the _chevaux-de-frises_. We made a glorious rush to follow, but, alas! -in vain. He was knocked over. My old captain, O’Hare, who commanded -the storming party, was killed. All were awfully wounded except, I do -believe, myself and little Freer of the 43rd. I had been some seconds -at the _revétement_ of the bastion near the breach, and my red-coat -pockets were literally filled with chips of stones splintered by -musket-balls. Those not knocked down were driven back by this hail of -mortality to the ladders. At the foot of them I saw poor Colonel McLeod -with his hands on his breast.... He said, ‘Oh, Smith, I am mortally -wounded. Help me up the ladder.’ I said, ‘Oh, no, dear fellow!’ ‘I am,’ -he said; ‘be quick!’ I did so, and came back again. Little Freer and -I said, ‘Let us throw down the ladders; the fellows shan’t go out.’ -Some soldiers behind said, ‘... if you do we will bayonet you!’ and -we were literally forced up with the crowd. My sash had got loose, -and one end of it was fast in the ladder, and the bayonet was very -nearly applied, but the sash by pulling became loose. So soon as we got -on the glacis, up came a fresh Brigade of the Portuguese of the 4th -Division. I never saw any soldiers behave with more pluck. Down into -the ditch we all went again, but the more we tried to get up, the more -we were destroyed. The 4th Division followed us in marching up to the -breach, and they made a most uncommon noise. The French saw us, but -took no notice.... Both Divisions were fairly beaten back; we never -carried either breach (nominally there were two breaches).... There is -no battle, day or night, I would not willingly react except this. The -murder of our gallant officers and soldiers is not to be believed.” - -The attack on the castle was no less furious. Again and again the -ladders were hurled back, but they were always put in place again, -notwithstanding the fearful and continuous fire to which the assailants -were subjected. Great beams of timber, stones, everything calculated to -kill or maim a man were regarded as useful weapons by the defenders. -Nothing came amiss to them in their determined defence. Scores of -soldiers were flung down, when another minute of safety would have -enabled them to secure a footing on the ramparts. They fell in the -ditch, often injuring or killing others besides themselves. At last -Lieutenant-Colonel Ridge managed to place two ladders at a spot which -had not been used before, and where the wall was lower. The officer -scaled one, followed by his men, and reached the rampart. The surprised -garrison was repulsed, and very soon the castle was in the hands of the -British. Poor Ridge did not live to reap his richly-deserved reward. He -was killed before the conclusion of the assault. - -[Illustration: Wellington at Badajos congratulating Colonel Watson - -R. Caton Woodville] - -A little while previous to the successful termination of the attack Dr -James McGregor and Dr Forbes approached Wellington. “His lordship,” -says the former, “was so intent on what was going on, that I believe he -did not observe us. Soon after our arrival, an officer came up with an -unfavourable report of the assault, announcing that Colonel McLeod and -several officers were killed, with heaps of men who choked the approach -to the breach. At the place where we stood we were within hearing of -the voices of the assailants and the assailed, and it was now painful -to notice that the voices of our countrymen had grown fainter, while -the French cry of ‘_Avancez, étrillons ces Anglais_,’ became -stronger. Another officer came up with still more unfavourable reports, -that no progress was being made, for almost all the officers were -killed, and none left to lead on the men, of whom a great many had -fallen. - -“At this moment I cast my eyes on the countenance of Lord Wellington, -lit up by the glare of the torch held by Lord March. I never shall -forget it to the last moment of my existence, and I could even now -sketch it. The jaw had fallen, the face was of unusual length, while -the torch-light gave his countenance a lurid aspect; but still the -expression of the face was fair. Suddenly turning to me and putting his -hand on my arm, he said, ‘Go over immediately to Picton, and tell him -he must try if he cannot succeed on the castle.’ I replied, ‘My lord, -I have not my horse with me, but I will walk as fast as I can, and I -think I can find the way; I know part of the road is swampy.’ ‘No, no,’ -he replied, ‘I beg your pardon, I thought it was De Lancey.’ I repeated -my offer, saying I was sure I could find the way, but he said ‘No.’ - -“Another officer arrived, asking loudly, ‘Where is Lord Wellington?’ -He came to announce that Picton was in the castle. He was desired -instantly to go to the breach, and to request the stormers to renew -their efforts, announcing what had befallen; and immediately Lord -Wellington called for his own horse, and followed by the Prince and -Lord March, rode to the breach.” - -General Walker, leading the assault on San Vincente, experienced -much the same rough treatment as the other divisions, but eventually -succeeded in forcing his way into the town. - -Philippon and a few hundred men managed to cross the Guadiana and found -refuge in Fort San Christoval, only to surrender the following morning. -The price paid by the victors in dead and wounded during the siege was -nearly 5000 men; those of the enemy who laid down their arms numbered -some 3800. The glory of the triumphant army was unfortunately tarnished -by the gross misconduct of the men, and it was not until a gallows was -raised that a stop was put to their evil ways. - -Wellington was now anxious to meet Soult as soon as Badajoz was put in -a state of defence, but when he received the ill news of the defeat of -the French garrison the Marshal promptly retired to Seville. As Marmont -was threatening Almeida and Ciudad Rodrigo the British General had -no alternative but to turn northward. He had to thank the Spaniards -for this. By neglecting to provision the places they had practically -placed them at the mercy of the enemy should he appear in considerable -numbers. They were already blockading the latter place. “If Ciudad -Rodrigo had been provisioned,” Wellington writes to his brother Henry, -“as I had a right to expect, there was nothing to prevent me from -marching to Seville at the head of 40,000 men, the moment the siege of -Badajoz was concluded.” It was, of course, very important that the line -of communication between Marmont and Soult should be impeded as much as -possible, and Hill was given this important task. Failing to surprise -Almarez, the General pushed on to Fort Napoleon, on the other side of -the Tagus, which was captured as well as Fort Ragusa. False information -alone prevented Hill from following up his victories. He was told that -Soult was in Estremadura, and he withdrew to the Guadiana. - -Wellington began his advance, and on the 13th June crossed the -Agueda. On his approach to Salamanca he at once laid siege to three -newly-erected forts, “each defending the other.” Marmont, knowing the -likelihood of such an event, had wisely stored a good supply of food in -them, so that there was a likelihood of their being able to hold out -until he could succour them. The Marshal made one or two demonstrations -to no good effect. He as obstinately declined to begin offensive -measures as Wellington declined to be enticed to leave his strong -position on the heights of San Christoval. - -It took Wellington some time to secure the forts, which were well -built and equipped, but on the 27th they fell into his hands, two -by storm and one by capitulation. The last mentioned was being -attacked when the flag was hauled down and would doubtless have been -captured had not the commander given way before the British made good -their assault. Marmont thereupon retired behind the Douro to await -reinforcements. - -After having destroyed some military works at Alba de Tormes and -garrisoned the castle of Salamanca with Spaniards, Wellington pushed -forward and engaged Marmont’s rearguard on the 2nd July. He took up a -position on the left bank of the Douro, on the opposite side of that -occupied by the enemy, who was shortly afterwards strengthened by the -support of Bonnet’s division from the Asturias. Near Tordesillas, which -with Toro and Tudela was held by the French, the Marshal took courage -and fought an action with Sir Stapleton Cotton, who was in command of -Wellington’s right, on the 18th July. To resist him was impossible, -for he had secured all the bridges and many of the fords. The action -began at dawn, and Cotton gallantly maintained his post, but the enemy -managed to turn the left flank of the British position. “The troops,” -says Wellington in his official report, “retired in admirable order to -Torrecilla de la Orden, having the enemy’s whole army on their flank, -or in their rear, and thence to Guareña, which river they passed under -the same circumstances, and effected their junction with the army.” - -Wellington fell back to within two miles of Salamanca, his left resting -on the Tormes, his right abutting on two hills called Los Aripeles;[73] -Marmont secured the heights of Nuestra Señora de la Peña. - -Many years after the battle of Salamanca, General Alava, a Spanish -officer at the British headquarters, was at Wellington’s breakfast -table at Walmer, and he regaled the company with the story of the great -soldier’s breakfast on the 22nd July 1812. Croker has recorded it for -us, with the comment that the Duke listened “as quietly as if it -related to another person.” - -“The Duke had been very busy all the morning, and had not thought of -breakfast, and the staff had grown very hungry; at last, however, there -was a pause (I think he said about two) near a farmyard surrounded by -a wall, where a kind of breakfast was spread on the ground, and the -staff alighted and fell to; while they were eating, the Duke rode into -the enclosure; he refused to alight, and advised them to make haste; -he seemed anxious and on the look-out. At last they persuaded him to -take a bit of bread and the leg of a cold roast fowl, which he was -eating without knife from his fingers, when suddenly they saw him throw -the leg of the fowl far away over his shoulder, and gallop out of the -yard, calling to them to follow him. The fact is, he had been waiting -to have the French _sighted_ at a certain gap in the hills, and that -was to be the signal of a long-meditated and long-suspended attack. ‘I -knew,’ says Alava, with grave drollery, ‘that something _very serious -was about to happen when an article so precious as the leg of a roast -fowl was thus thrown away_.’” Croker adds that “the Duke sat by with -his head inclined, quite silent, but with a quiet smile which seemed to -say that the narration was a good deal pleasanter than the reality had -been.” - -Wellington was able to seize the nearer hill but the French secured the -other, while another miniature height named Nuestra Señora de la Peña -was the centre of a most desperate conflict, which continued through -the long hours of the day. Marmont made the fatal error of dividing his -army, sending Thomière’s division to turn the British right flank, with -intent to cut off all hope of retreat on the part of Wellington, should -he wish to do so, by means of the Ciudad Rodrigo road. This movement -separated the French left wing from the centre, and this it was that -caused the British Commander to fling away the dearly prized leg of a -chicken. - -[Illustration: The End of Breakfast - -Thomas Maybank] - -After looking through his glass with wrapt attention Wellington -turned to his Spanish colleague with the words, “My dear Alava, Marmont -is undone!” His active brain told him at once of his enemy’s mistake. -Having made his dispositions he ordered Pakenham, his brother-in-law, -to throw the 3rd Division into line and cross the march of Thomière’s -columns. “It shall be done; give me your hand,” replied that energetic -officer. He hurled the Portuguese cavalry, two squadrons of the 14th -Light Dragoons, and the “Fighting 3rd” at the flank and rear of the -French left. Other divisions under Cole, Leith, Bradford, and Cotton -attacked the enemy in front. “No sooner was Pakenham in motion towards -the heights,” says one who took part in the battle, “than the ridge he -was about to assail was crowned with twenty pieces of cannon, while -in the rear of this battery were seen Foy’s division, endeavouring to -regain its place in the combat. A flat space of 1000 yards in breadth -was to be crossed before Pakenham could reach the height. - -“The French batteries opened a heavy fire, while the two brigades of -artillery, commanded by Captain Douglas, posted on a rising ground -behind the 3rd Division, replied to them with much warmth. Pakenham’s -men may thus be said to have been between two fires, that of our own -guns firing over their heads, while the French balls passed through -their ranks, ploughing up the ground in every direction; but the -veteran troops which composed the 3rd Division were not shaken even by -this. - -“Wallace’s three regiments advanced in open columns, until within 250 -yards of the ridge held by the French infantry. Foy’s column, 5000 -strong, had by this time reached their ground, while in their front the -face of the hill had been hastily garnished with riflemen. All were -impatient to engage, and the calm but stern advance of Pakenham’s right -brigade was received with beating of drums and loud cheers from the -French, whose light troops, hoping to take advantage of the time which -the deploying into line would take, ran down the face of the hill in a -state of great excitement, but Pakenham, who was naturally of a boiling -spirit and hasty temper, was on this day perfectly cool. He told -Wallace to form line from open column without halting, and thus the -different companies, by throwing forward their right shoulders, were in -a line without the slow manœuvre of deployment. - -“Astonished at the rapidity of the movement, the French riflemen -commenced an irregular and hurried fire, and even at this early stage -of the battle a looker-on could, from the difference in the demeanour -of the troops of the two nations, form a tolerably correct opinion -of what the result would be. Regardless of the fire of the riflemen, -and the showers of grape and canister, Pakenham continued to press -forward; his centre suffered, but still advanced; his right and left, -being less oppressed by the weight of the fire, continued to advance at -a more rapid pace, and as his wings inclined forward and outstripped -the centre, his right brigade assumed the form of a crescent. The -manœuvre was a bold as well as a novel one, and the appearance of -the brigade imposing and unique; because it so happened that all the -British officers were in front of their men--a rare occurrence. The -French officers were also in front, but their relative duties were -widely different--the latter encouraging their men into the heat of the -battle--the former keeping their devoted soldiers back--what a splendid -national contrast!” - -When the brow of the hill was reached the men were subjected to a -murderous hail of fire from Foy’s division. Nearly all of Wallace’s -first rank, as well as many officers, fell beneath it. But the others, -urged by their commander, pressed on with fixed bayonets, and the -French troops were forced backward. Thomière was amongst the killed, -and many were taken prisoners in the rout which followed. - -“Immediately on our left,” the narrative continues, “the 5th Division -were discharging vollies against the French 4th; and Pack’s brigade -could be seen mounting the Aripeles height, but disregarding -everything except the complete destruction of the column before him, -Pakenham followed it with the brigade of Wallace, supported by the -reserves of his division. - -“The battle at this point would have been decided on the moment, -had the heavy horse under Le Marchant been near enough to sustain -him. The confusion of the enemy was so great that they became mixed -pell-mell together, without any regard to order or regularity, and it -was manifest that nothing short of a miracle could save Foy from total -destruction. Sir Edward Pakenham continued to press on at the head of -Wallace’s brigade, but Foy’s troops outran him. Had Le Marchant been -aware of this state of the combat, or been near enough to profit by -it, Pakenham would have settled the business by six o’clock instead -of seven. An hour, at any period during a battle, is a serious loss -of time, but in this action every moment was of vital import. Day was -rapidly drawing to a close: the Tormes was close behind the army of -Marmont, ruin stared him in the face; in a word, his left wing was -doubled up--lost; and Pakenham could have turned to the support of the -4th and 5th Divisions, had our cavalry been ready to back Wallace at -the moment he pierced the column. This, beyond doubt, was the moment -by which to profit, that the enemy might not have time to re-collect -himself; but, while Le Marchant was preparing to take part in the -combat, Foy, with admirable presence of mind, remedied the terrible -confusion of his division, and calling up a first brigade to his -support, once more led his men into the fight, assumed the offensive, -and Pakenham was now about to be assailed in turn. This was the most -critical moment of the battle; Boyer’s horsemen stood before us, -inclining towards our right, which was flanked by two squadrons of -the 14th Dragoons and two regiments of Portuguese cavalry; but we had -little dependence upon the Portuguese, and it behoved us to look to -ourselves. - -“Led on by the ardour of conquest, we had followed the column until -at length we found ourselves in an open plain, intersected with -cork trees, opposed by a multitude, who, reinforced, again rallied, -and turned upon us with fury. Pakenham, Wallace, Seton, and Mackie, -rode along the line from wing to wing, almost from rank to rank, and -fulfilled the functions of adjutants in assisting the officers to -reorganise the tellings-off of the men for square. Meanwhile the first -battalion of the 5th drove back some squadrons of Boyer’s dragoons; the -other six regiments were fast approaching the point held by Wallace, -but the French cavalry in our front and upon our right flank caused -Pakenham some uneasiness. - -“The peals of musketry along the centre still continued without -intermission; the smoke was so thick that nothing to our left was -distinguishable; some men of the 5th Division got intermingled with -ours; the dry grass was set on fire by the numerous cartridge papers -that strewed the field of battle; the air was scorching, and the smoke -rolling on in huge volumes, nearly suffocated us. - -“A loud cheering was heard in our rear--the brigade turned half round, -supposing themselves about to be attacked by the French cavalry. A few -seconds passed--the trampling of horse was heard--the smoke cleared -away, and the heavy brigade of Le Marchant was seen coming forward in a -line at a canter. ‘Open right and left,’ was an order quickly obeyed; -the line opened, the cavalry passed through the intervals, and forming -rapidly in our front prepared for their work. - -“The French column, which a moment before held so imposing an attitude, -became startled at this unexpected sight. A victorious and highly -excited infantry pressed closely upon them; a splendid brigade of three -regiments of cavalry, ready to burst through their ill-arranged and -beaten column, while no appearance of succour was at hand to protect -them, was enough to appal the boldest intrepidity. The plain was filled -with the vast multitude; retreat was impossible, and the troopers -came still pouring in, to join their comrades already prepared for -the attack. It was too much for their nerves, and they sank under its -influence, although they bravely made an effort to face the danger. - -“Hastily, yet with much regularity, all things considered, they -attempted to get into the square; but Le Marchant’s brigade galloped -forward before the evolution was half completed. - -“The column hesitated, wavered, tottered, and then stood still! The -motion of the countless bayonets, as they clashed together, might be -likened to a forest about to be assailed by a tempest, whose first -warnings announce the ravage it is about to inflict. Foy’s division -vomited forth a dreadful volley of fire as the horsemen thundered -across the flat; Le Marchant was killed,[74] and fell downright in -the midst of the French bayonets; but his brigade pierced through the -vast mass, killing or trampling down all before them. The conflict was -severe, and the troopers fell thick and fast, but their long, heavy -swords, cut through bone as well as flesh.... - -“Such as got away from the sabres of the horsemen, sought safety among -the ranks of our infantry, and scrambling under the horses, ran to -us for protection, like men who, having escaped the first shock of -a wreck, will cling to any broken spar, no matter how little to be -depended on. Hundreds of beings frightfully disfigured, in whom the -human face and form were almost obliterated--black with dust, worn down -with fatigue, and covered with sabre cuts and blood--threw themselves -among us for safety. Not a man was bayoneted--not even molested or -plundered.” - -The battle still raged with unabated fury; “immediately in front of the -5th Division, Leith fell wounded as he led on his men, but his division -carried the point in dispute, and drove the enemy before them up the -hill. - -“While these events were taking place on the right, the 4th Division, -which formed the centre of the army, met with a serious opposition. -The more distant Aripeles, occupied by the French 122nd, whose numbers -did not count more than 400, supported by a few pieces of cannon, was -left to the Portuguese brigade of General Pack, amounting to 2000 -bayonets. Falsely, though with well-founded reliance--their former -conduct taken into the scale--Cole’s division advanced into the plain, -confident that all was right with Pack’s troops, and a terrible -struggle between them and Bonnet’s corps took place. It was, however, -but of short duration. Bonnet’s troops were driven back in confusion, -and up to this moment all had gone on well. - -“The three British Divisions engaged, overthrew all obstacles, and -the battle might be said to be won, had Pack’s formidable brigade -(formidable in numbers, at least) fulfilled their part--but these men -totally failed in their effort to take the height occupied only by a -few hundred Frenchmen, and thus gave the park of artillery that was -posted with them, full liberty to turn its efforts against the rear -and flank of Cole’s soldiers. Nothing could be worse than the state in -which the 4th Division was now placed, and the battle, which ought to -have been and had been in a manner won, was still in doubt. - -“Bonnet, seeing the turn which Pack’s failure had wrought in his -favour, re-formed his men, and advanced against Cole, while the fire -from the battery and small arms on the Aripeles height completed the -confusion. Cole fell wounded; half of his division were cut off; the -remainder in full retreat, and Bonnet’s troops pressing on in a compact -body, made it manifest that a material change had taken place in the -battle, and that ere it was gained some ugly up-hill work was yet to be -done. - -[Illustration: Charge of Pakenham’s Third Division at Salamanca - -R. Caton Woodville] - -“Marshal Beresford, who arrived at this moment, galloped up to the -head of a brigade of the 5th Division, which he took out of the second -line, and for a moment covered the retreat of Cole’s troops; but -this force--composed of Portuguese--was insufficient to arrest the -progress of the enemy, who advanced in the full confidence of an -assured victory, and at this moment Beresford was carried off the field -wounded. Bonnet’s troops advanced, uttering loud cheers, while the -entire of Cole’s division and Spry’s brigade of Portuguese were routed. -Our centre was thus endangered. Boyer’s dragoons, after the overthrow -of the French left, countermarched, and moved rapidly to the support of -Bonnet; they were also close in the track of his infantry; and the fate -of this momentous battle might be said to hang by a hair. The fugitives -of the 7th and 4th French Divisions ran to the succour of Bonnet, -and by the time they had joined him, his force had, indeed, assumed -a formidable aspect, and thus reinforced it stood in an attitude far -different from what it would have done, had Pack’s brigade succeeded in -its attack. - -“Lord Wellington, who saw what had taken place by the failure of Pack’s -troops, ordered up the 6th Division to the support of the 4th, and the -battle, although it was half-past 8 o’clock at night, recommenced with -the same fury as at the outset. - -“Clinton’s division, consisting of 6000 bayonets, rapidly advanced to -occupy its place in the combat, and relieve the 4th from the awkward -predicament in which it was placed, and essayed to gain what was lost -by the failure of Pack’s troops, in their feeble effort to wrest the -Aripeles height from a few brave Frenchmen; but they were received -by Bonnet’s troops at the point of the bayonet, and the fire opened -against them seemed to be three-fold more heavy than that sustained by -the 3rd and 5th Divisions. It was nearly dark, and the great glare of -light caused by the thunder of the artillery, the continued blaze of -musketry, and the burning grass, gave to the face of the hill a novel -and terrific appearance--it was one vast sheet of flame, and Clinton’s -men looked as if they were attacking a burning mountain, the crater of -which was defended by a barrier of shining steel. But nothing could -stop the intrepid valour of the 6th Division, as they advanced with -desperate resolution to carry the hill. - -“The troops posted on the face of it to arrest their advance were -trampled down and destroyed at the first charge, and each reserve sent -forward to extricate them met with the same fate. - -“Still Bonnet’s reserves having attained their place in the fight, and -the fugitives from Foy’s division joining them at the moment, prolonged -the battle until dark. - -“These men, besmeared with blood, dust, and clay, half naked, and some -carrying only broken weapons, fought with a fury not to be surpassed; -but their impetuosity was at length calmed by the bayonets of Clinton’s -troops, and they no longer fought for victory, but for safety. After a -desperate struggle they were driven from their last hold in confusion, -and a general and overwhelming charge, which the nature of the ground -enabled Clinton’s troops to make, carried this ill-formed mass of -desperate soldiers before them, as a shattered wreck borne along by the -force of some mighty current. The mingled mass of fugitives fled to -the woods and to the river for safety, and under cover of the night, -succeeded in gaining the pass of Alba, over the Tormes. It was 10 -o’clock at night--the battle was ended.” - -Marmont, who was wounded in the early part of the fight, lost 15,000 -men, of whom 7000 surrendered to the British. The victors had nearly -700 officers and men killed, and over 4500 returned as wounded and -missing. Six British Generals, including Wellington, whose thigh was -grazed by a musket ball which had fortunately passed through his -holster before it hit him, received injuries, and Le Marchant, as -already mentioned, was shot. Of the enemy four Generals were wounded -and three killed, sufficient proof of the sanguinary nature of the -long-continued contest. The victory would have been even more complete -had the Spanish garrison at Alba de Tormes remained at their post -instead of withdrawing without informing the Commander-in-Chief of -their intention. As a consequence the enemy were enabled to use the -bridge there and make good their escape. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -The Closing Battles of the Peninsular War - -(1812-14) - - “_In the whole of my experience I never saw an army so strongly - posted as the French at the battle of Toulouse. There ought to have - been an accurate plan and description made of the whole affair as a - matter of professional science._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -Marmont’s army was not the only one in retreat. King Joseph, with -15,000 troops, had left Madrid with the set purpose of joining the -Marshal, but when he received news of the battle of Salamanca he -retreated on Valencia, where Suchet’s army was posted, and peremptorily -ordered Soult to evacuate Andalusia. This would enable him to bring -90,000 men to bear on his victorious enemy. His withdrawal from -Madrid enabled Wellington to enter the capital on the 12th August -1812, Marmont, or rather Clausel, who had temporarily succeeded -him, being driven back upon Burgos. The evacuation of the southern -province was doubtless very gratifying to the Spaniards, but the -threatened concentration of such a vast array of troops placed the -Anglo-Portuguese army in an extremely unhappy position. The force at -Wellington’s disposal numbered 60,000 men, and although an additional -6000 had just landed at Alicante, in Valencia, it was evident that -they would be of little service at the moment. When he became aware -that Soult was about to abandon Andalusia he left part of his army to -occupy Madrid, and with the remainder set out in the hope of being able -to crush Clausel, who was at Valladolid. This he was unable to do, for -the enemy retired from position to position. He followed him to Burgos, -which Wellington entered, the French General meanwhile encamping on the -banks of the Ebro, where he shortly afterwards received substantial -reinforcements under Caffarelli and Souham the latter of whom arrived -as Marmont’s successor. Wellington was also joined by some 11,000 -Spanish troops of the army of Galicia. He at once laid siege to the -castle above the town, which was strongly defended, and although the -troops worked with praiseworthy ardour and four attempts were made to -take it by assault, he was eventually forced to abandon the idea, and -for a very important reason. Soult had joined King Joseph, and the -combined army was on its way to Madrid. He had wasted a precious month, -time which the French had used to full advantage. - -It is related that one of the Irish regiments incurred his displeasure -during the siege, and some of its members asked permission for it to -lead one of the assaults. Their wish was granted, with the result that -nearly all the men laid down their lives in the desperate undertaking. -When Wellington passed a little later, a soldier who had lost both -his legs saluted and cried, “Arrah, maybe ye’r satisfied now, you -hooky-nosed vagabond!” The Commander could not restrain a smile, and -promptly sent assistance. The Irishman ended his days in Chelsea -Hospital. - -Sending word to Hill to abandon Madrid and meet him on the Tormes, -Wellington skilfully withdrew his men from Burgos, and although his -rear-guard was much harassed by Souham’s troops, he formed a junction -with his lieutenant near the battlefield of Salamanca. On arrival -on the Tormes they were almost face to face with the united army, -but divided counsels reigned, and he skilfully eluded the French, -although they turned his position. Aided by a dense fog, Wellington -managed to slip away unperceived. After a sharp engagement at a ford -of the Huebra, the pursuers abandoned the attempt to secure the roads -to Ciudad Rodrigo, which place was reached by Wellington on the 18th -November. Soult retired to Toledo, Souham to Valladolid, and Joseph to -Segovia. - -A pen-sketch of the men during this terrible retreat tells us that -“such a set of scare-crows never was seen. It was difficult to say what -they were, as the men’s coats were patched with grey, some had blankets -over them, and most were barefooted; every step they took was up to -the knees in mud; women and sick men were actually sticking in it.... -A brigade of cavalry, however, which was covering the rear, had left -Lisbon but a short time before, and was in high order. The clothing of -the men scarcely soiled, and the horses sleek and fat, made a strange -contrast with the others, especially the company of artillery that had -served in the batteries before Burgos. We at first took the latter for -prisoners, as they were mostly in French clothing, many of them riding -in the carriages with the sick and wounded, drawn, some by oxen, and -some by mules and horses. I never saw British soldiers in such a state.” - -Wellington and his men then went into cantonments, the former making -his headquarters at Freneda. Much was done to improve the _morale_ of -the troops, who had got into a very insubordinate state. Reinforcements -came to hand, and Wellington worked hard to reorganize the Spanish -army, of which he had been appointed Generalissimo after the battle of -Salamanca. He had also been raised to the rank of Marquis, thanked by -both Houses of Parliament, and presented with £100,000. He paid a visit -to the Cortes, made a speech, and wrote a long letter to one of the -Deputies in which he criticized “the powers that be” in no uncertain -way, adding, however, a number of measures which would “give your -Government some chance of standing, and your country some chance of -avoiding farther revolutions.” The whole communication must be studied -to be fully appreciated.[75] “The Government and the Assembly,” he says -in one passage, “instead of drawing together, are like two independent -powers, jealous and afraid of each other; and the consequence is, -that the machine of Government is at a stand. To this add that the -whole system is governed by little local views, as propounded by the -daily press of Cadiz, of all others the least enlightened and the most -licentious.” “I will fight for Spain as long as she is the enemy of -France, whatever may be her system of government,” he adds, “but I -cannot avoid seeing and lamenting the evils which await the country -if you do not retrace your steps, let what will be the result of the -military operations of the war....” - -He advised the establishment of a permanent Regency, “with all the -powers allotted by the constitution to the King, in the hands of one -person.” He, or she, should be aided by a Council, whose five members -should superintend the Department de Estado, the Interior and Ultramar, -Gracia y Justicia, Hacienda, and of War and of Marine respectively, -each being responsible for the department under his superintendence. He -suggested either turning “the Council of State into a House of Lords,” -or making “a House of Lords of the Grandees, giving then concurrent -powers of legislation with the Cortes; and you should leave the -patronage now in the hands of the Council of State in the hands of the -Crown.” - -In these days of Socialism the following remarks, which occur in -the same letter, are of more than passing interest. “The theory of -all legislation,” he says, “is founded in justice; and, if we could -be certain that legislative assemblies would on all occasions act -according to the principles of justice, there would be no occasion -for those checks and guards which we have seen established under the -best systems. Unfortunately, however, we have seen that legislative -assemblies are swayed by the fears and passions of individuals; when -unchecked, they are tyrannical and unjust; nay, more: it unfortunately -happens too frequently that the most tyrannical and unjust measures are -the most popular. Those measures are particularly popular which deprive -rich and powerful individuals of their properties under the pretence -of the public advantage; and I tremble for a country in which, as in -Spain, there is no barrier for the preservation of private property, -excepting the justice of a legislative assembly possessing supreme -powers.” - -In summing up the result of his operations in the field during 1812, -Wellington tells the Earl of Liverpool on the 23rd November, that -notwithstanding adverse criticism in the newspapers, “it is in fact the -most successful campaign in all its circumstances, and has produced for -the cause more important results than any campaign in which a British -army has been engaged for the last century. We have taken by siege -Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, and Salamanca; and the Retiro surrendered. In -the meantime the Allies have taken Astorga, Guadalaxara, and Consuegra, -besides other places taken by Duran and Sir H. Popham. In the months -elapsed since January this army has sent to England little short of -20,000 prisoners, and they have taken and destroyed or have themselves -the use of the enemy’s arsenals in Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, -Valladolid, Madrid, Astorga, Seville, the line before Cadiz, etc.; and -upon the whole we have taken and destroyed, or we now possess, little -short of 3000 pieces of artillery. The siege of Cadiz has been raised, -and all the countries south of the Tagus have been cleared of the enemy. - -“We should have retained still greater advantages, I think, and -should have remained in possession of Castile and Madrid during the -winter, if I could have taken Burgos, as I ought early in October, or -if Ballasteros had moved upon Alcarez as he was ordered, instead of -intriguing for his own aggrandizement. - -“The fault of which I was guilty in the expedition to Burgos was, -not that I undertook the operation with inadequate means, but that -I took there the most inexperienced instead of the best troops.... -I see that a disposition already exists to blame the Government for -the failure of the siege of Burgos. The Government had nothing to say -to the siege. It was entirely my own act. In regard to means, there -were ample means both at Madrid and at Santander for the siege of the -strongest fortress. That which was wanting at both places was means of -transporting ordnance and military stores to the place where it was -desirable to use them. - -“The people of England, so happy as they are in every respect, so rich -in resources of every description, having the use of such excellent -roads, etc., will not readily believe that important results here -frequently depend upon 50 or 60 mules more or less, or a few bundles -of straw to feed them; but the fact is so, notwithstanding their -incredulity....” - -When Wellington was ready for his 1813 campaign he had 75,000 -British and Portuguese at his disposal, and some 60,000 Spaniards, -in addition to the irregular bands which were the bane of the enemy. -The different French armies totalled some 200,000 troops, but it was -deemed necessary to send 40,000 of these, under Clausel and Foy, to -exterminate the _guerilleros_, which was to Wellington’s advantage, -especially as it was impossible for Napoleon, now deeply involved owing -to the disastrous Russian campaign, to send further reinforcements. -Soult was withdrawn, with 20,000 men, to oppose the Russian advance. -By way of further encouragement, Andalusia, Estremadura, Galacia, -and the Asturias no longer sheltered the enemy. The British left -was under Graham, the right under Hill, and the centre under the -Commander-in-Chief. The first marched upon Valladolid, the French -retreating before him, and was joined near Zamora on the 1st June -1813 by Wellington, followed two days later by Hill. The French were -deceived by these movements, for they expected the main attack to be -made from Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida with the object of occupying -Madrid. This was far from Wellington’s purpose, which was to carry on -the war in the northern provinces, sever the French communications with -the homeland, and force them to withdraw to the Pyrenees. King Joseph -hastily retired from Valladolid and reached Burgos. On the approach of -Wellington to that town, the fortifications were blown up and the enemy -fell back beyond the Ebro. - -“When I heard and saw this explosion (for I was within a few miles, -and the effect was tremendous),” Wellington remarks, “I made a sudden -resolution forthwith--instanter to cross the Ebro, and endeavour to -push the French to the Pyrenees. We had heard of the battles of Lützen -and Bautzen and of the armistice,[76] and the affairs of the Allies -looked very ill. Some of my officers remonstrated with me about the -impudence of crossing the Ebro, and advised me to take up the line of -the Ebro, etc. I asked them what they meant by taking up the line of -the Ebro, a river 300 miles long, and what good I was to do along that -line? In short, I would not listen to the advice; and that very evening -(or the very next morning) I crossed the river and pushed the French -till I afterwards beat them at Vittoria.” - -“We continued to advance,” writes a soldier of the 71st Regiment -who fought in the battle, “until the 20th of June; when reaching -the neighbourhood of Vittoria, we encamped upon the face of a hill. -Provisions were very scarce. We had not a bit of tobacco, and were -smoking leaves and herbs. Colonel Cadogan rode away, and got us half a -pound of tobacco a man, which was most welcome. - -“Next morning we got up as usual. The first pipes played for parade; -the second did not play at the usual time. We began to suspect all -was not right. We remained thus until eleven o’clock; then received -orders to fall in, and follow the line of march. During our march we -fell to one side, to allow a brigade of guns to pass us at full speed. -‘Now,’ said my comrades, ‘we will have work to do before night.’ We -crossed a river, and, as we passed through a village, we saw, on the -other side of the road, the French camp, and their fires still burning, -just as they had left them. Not a shot had been fired at this time. We -observed a large Spanish column moving along the heights on our right. -We halted, and drew up in column. Orders were given to brush out our -locks, oil them, and examine our flints. We being in the rear, these -were soon followed by orders to open out from the centre, to allow the -71st to advance. Forward we moved up the hill. The firing was now very -heavy. Our rear had not engaged, before word came for the doctor to -assist Colonel Cadogan, who was wounded. Immediately we charged up the -hill, the piper playing, ‘Hey Johnny Cope.’ The French had possession -of the top, but we soon forced them back, and drew up in column on -the height; sending out four companies to our left to skirmish. The -remainder moved on to the opposite height. As we advanced driving them -before us, a French officer, a pretty fellow, was pricking and forcing -his men to stand. They heeded him not--he was very harsh. ‘Down with -him!’ cried one near me; and down he fell, pierced by more than one -ball. - -“Scarce were we upon the height, when a heavy column, dressed in -great-coats, with white covers on their hats, exactly resembling -the Spanish, gave us a volley, which put us to the right about at -double-quick time down the hill, the French close behind, through the -whins. The four companies got the word the French were on them. They -likewise thought them Spaniards, until they got a volley that killed -or wounded almost every one of them. We retired to the height, covered -by the 50th, who gave the pursuing column a volley which checked their -speed. We moved up the remains of our shattered regiment to the height. -Being in great want of ammunition, we were again served with sixty -rounds a man, and kept up our fire for some time, until the bugle -sounded to cease firing.... - -“At this time the Major had the command, our second Colonel being -wounded. There were not 300 of us on the height able to do duty, out of -above 1000 who drew rations in the morning. The cries of the wounded -were most heart-rending. - -“The French, on the opposite height, were getting under arms; we could -give no assistance, as the enemy appeared to be six to one of us. Our -orders were to maintain the height while there was a man of us. The -word was given to shoulder arms. The French, at the same moment, got -under arms. The engagement began in the plains. The French were amazed, -and soon put to the right about, through Vittoria. We followed, as -quick as our weary limbs could carry us. Our legs were full of thorns, -and our feet bruised upon the roots of the trees. Coming to a bean -field at the bottom of the heights, immediately the column was broke, -and every man filled his haversack. We continued to advance until it -was dark, and then encamped on a height above Vittoria.... I had fired -108 rounds this day.” - -According to the official figures the British lost 740 men by death -and 4174 were wounded, out of a total strength of 80,000. The captures -included 151 guns, 415 caissons, 14,249 rounds of ammunition, nearly -2,000,000 musket ball cartridges, 40,668 lbs. of gunpowder, fifty-six -forage waggons, forty-four forge waggons, treasure to the amount of -£1,000,000, pictures by Velasquez and other masters, jewellery, public -and private baggage. King Joseph’s carriage, and Jourdan’s bâton. The -last-mentioned was given by Wellington to the Prince Regent, who with -becoming fitness sent the donor a Field-Marshal’s bâton. The French had -65,000 men engaged in the battle of Vittoria, of whom some 6000 were -killed and wounded, and 1000 taken prisoners. - -The defeated army crossed the Pyrenees and marched to Bayonne, where it -was joined by the troops under Foy and Clausel, who had been pursued -by the Allies. “To hustle the French out of Spain before they were -reinforced,” had been Wellington’s object, and he had carried it out -completely. As the garrisons of the fortresses of Pampeluna and San -Sebastian had been strengthened, the former by Joseph and the latter -by Foy, during their retreat, Wellington now turned his attention to -them. Although the army under Suchet was the only one now left in -the Peninsula, it occupied Catalonia and part of Valencia, and might -therefore attack Wellington’s right flank. - -Napoleon was at Dresden when he heard of his brother’s disaster at -Vittoria, and he was in no mood for soft words. He recalled both -Joseph and Jourdan, and gave the command to Soult. “It is hard to -imagine anything so inconceivable as what is now going on in Spain,” -the Emperor writes to Savary on the 3rd July 1813. “The King could -have collected 100,000 picked men: they might have beaten the whole of -England.” He blamed himself for the “mistaken consideration” he had -shown his brother, “who not only does not know how to command, but does -not even know his own value enough to leave the military command alone.” - -[Illustration: Flight of the French through Vittoria - -Robert Hillingford] - -Soult reached Bayonne on the 12th July, and thirteen days later had -marched on Pampeluna with 73,000 troops, bent on relieving one or -other of the fortresses, perhaps both. He attacked the British right -at Roncesvalles and turned the position; Hill was attacked at the head -of the valley of Baztan and was obliged to withdraw. Wellington at -once raised the siege of San Sebastian, which had been carried on by -Sir Thomas Graham, and contented himself by blockading the fortress. -He immediately concentrated his right and centre at Sorauren, near -Pampeluna. The series of fights which took place at this time is known -as the battles of the Pyrenees. On the 27th Wellington arrived, and -a rousing cheer greeted him, which it is said deterred the French -from making anything but a partial attack. Probably the truth of the -matter is that Soult hesitated because he was expecting additional -forces with d’Erlon, for the Marshal was scarcely likely to be overawed -by a greeting. A corporal, unable to restrain his enthusiasm as the -Commander-in-Chief rode along the line, shouted out to the intense -amusement of all, “There goes the little blackguard what whops the -French!”[77] - -Soult was pointed out to the General by a spy. “Yonder,” Wellington -is reported to have said, “is a great but cautious general; he will -delay his attack to know the reason of those cheers; that will give -time for my reinforcements to come up, and I shall beat him.” As a -matter of fact, the 6th Division of infantry, to which Wellington had -referred, did arrive, and “bludgeon work,” to use his expression, took -place on the 28th, the anniversary of Talavera. The reinforcements -had scarcely secured their position, their right resting on Orcain -and their left on the heights overlooking the valley of the Lanz, -than a very determined attack was made by the enemy. They were driven -back, and made an attempt on the hill occupied by the 7th caçadores -and Ross’s brigade of the 4th Division. They obtained possession of -it for a short time until driven down. When the battle became general -the 10th Portuguese regiment was overpowered, necessitating the -withdrawal of Ross. Wellington then ordered two regiments to charge -the enemy on the heights and those on the left, with the result that -the French were “driven down with immense loss.” “Every regiment,” -says Wellington, “charged with the bayonet, and the 40th, 7th, 20th, -and 23rd, four different times.” Of Wellington’s 16,000 troops he lost -2600 killed and wounded, the French 1800 out of 20,000. The Portuguese -behaved “admirably,” and the Commander-in-Chief “had every reason to -be satisfied with the conduct of the Spanish regiments El Principe and -Pravia.” - -By sunset Soult’s attacks had waned, and on the following morning he -began to retreat, although he received reinforcements to the number -of 18,000 troops. On the 30th he attacked Hill to no good effect, and -Wellington forced the French to retire from a strong position they -had taken up. The pursuit continued until the 1st August, when it was -discontinued, for the Allies were in possession of the passes and the -arduous exertion of the troops was beginning to tell upon them. - -Wellington again took up his headquarters at Lesaca. Writing to Graham -he says, “I hope that Soult will not feel any inclination to renew -his expedition. The French army must have suffered greatly. Between -the 25th of last month and 2nd of this, they were engaged seriously -not less than ten times; on many occasions in attacking very strong -positions, in others beat from them or pursued. I understand that -their officers say that they have lost 15,000 men. I thought so; but -as _they_ say so, I now think _more_. It is strange enough that our -diminution of strength to the 31st does not exceed 1500 men, although, -I believe, our casualties are 6000.” It was on the 31st that San -Sebastian fell, the castle capitulating shortly afterwards, and the -day is also noteworthy for Soult’s attack on San Marcial, which was -repulsed by Spanish troops, the enemy retiring across the Bidassoa. -Unfortunately, Sir John Murray made no headway against Suchet in -the east of Spain, and was superseded by Lord William Bentinck, who -besieged Tarragona, which his predecessor had evacuated. Although he -was compelled to retire on the approach of the French Marshal, the city -was eventually occupied by the British troops. Their entry into Villa -Franca was marred by the rout of the advanced guard in the pass of -Ordal, necessitating their retreat towards Tarragona. - -It is obviously impossible to unravel with any approach to detail the -tangled skein of complicated manœuvres which took place at this period, -perhaps the most trying and exacting of the war in the Peninsula. -Gleig, however, gives one picturesque touch to an involved picture -which reveals more of the personality of the great General than many -pages of military movements, and is infinitely more valuable for -the purposes of a life story. “Lord Wellington,” he records, “after -directing a Spanish column to move up a glen towards a specific point, -looked at his watch, and observed to those about him that it would -take the men so much time to perform the journey. He added that he was -tired, and dismounting from his horse, wrapped himself in his cloak -and went to sleep. A crowd of officers stood round him, and among -others some Spanish generals, whose astonishment at the coolness of -their chief was expressed in audible whispers. For the very crisis of -the struggle was impending, and the French being in greater strength -upon the spot, seemed to have the ball at their foot. Now, among the -officers of the headquarters’ staff, there were several who had never -approved the passage of the Ebro. These began to speak their minds -freely, and one, the bravest of the brave, the gallant Colonel Gordon, -exclaimed, ‘I always thought it would come to this. I was sure we -should make a mess of it, if we got entangled among the Pyrenees, and -now see if my words don’t come true.’ Lord Wellington happened to awake -just as Gordon thus unburdened his conscience. He sat up, and without -addressing himself to anyone in particular, extended his right hand -open, and said, as he closed it, ‘I have them all in my hand, just -like that.’ Not another word was spoken. The Spaniards had reached the -top of the glen; Lord Wellington and his attendants remounted their -horses, and the battle was renewed.” - -On the 7th October 1813 Wellington passed the Bidassoa with the left -of his army. Soult was attacked and driven back with the loss of eight -pieces of cannon, taken by the Allies in the captured redoubts and -batteries. The fighting was continued on the following day, after -the fog which obscured the enemy’s position had lifted, when a rock -occupied by the French to the right of their position was carried “in -the most gallant style” by the Spaniards, who immediately afterwards -distinguished themselves by carrying an entrenchment on a hill which -protected the right of the camp of Sarre. Soult withdrew during the -following night, and took up a series of entrenched positions behind -the Nivelle, leaving, as Alison so eloquently puts it, “a vast hostile -army, for the first time since the Revolution, permanently encamped -within the territory of France. And thus was England, which throughout -the contest had been the most persevering and resolute of all the -opponents of the Revolution, and whose government had never yet either -yielded to the victories or acknowledged the chiefs which it had placed -at the head of affairs, the first of all the forces of Europe who -succeeded in planting its victorious standards on the soil of France.” - -On the 10th November, a little over a week after the surrender of -Pampeluna through starvation, for the fall of which he had waited -before resuming offensive operations, Wellington, with an army of -about 90,000 men, attacked the enemy’s position, an exceedingly strong -one, the right extending from the sea to St Jean de Luz, the left from -Bidarray to St Jean Pied de Port, the centre between Amotz and Ascain. -The enemy were driven out of the lines and followed over the river, -with a loss of 4200 men and no fewer than 51 guns, the Allies losing -about 2500 killed and wounded. - -“Our loss,” says Wellington, “although severe, has not been so great as -might have been expected, considering the strength of the positions -attacked, and the length of time, from daylight in the morning till -night, during which the troops were engaged.” The disorders which -followed the battle were so great that with the exception of a single -division Wellington sent the whole of the Spaniards--some 25,000--back -to the Peninsula. - -On the 12th the Marshal was in the entrenched camp at Bayonne, and -six days later the victorious army went into cantonments, where it -remained until the 9th December, when it was ordered to march towards -Bayonne. It forced the passage of the Nive, and a series of engagements -was fought until the 13th, on which date Hill, with one British and -one Portuguese division, fought and won the battle of Saint Pierre. -Wellington came up but refrained from interfering, and when he saw -that his brave colleague had proved victorious, he wrung his hand in a -hearty grip and exclaimed, “Hill, the day is entirely your own.” - -In the battles of the Nive the French lost 5800 killed and wounded, -and three German regiments by desertion to the Allies, whose losses -totalled 4600. Soult had now one of two alternatives, either to be -hemmed in at Bayonne or to retreat. He chose the latter, and marched -in the direction of Toulouse with less than 40,000 troops, Napoleon, -now in desperate plight, having withdrawn 10,000 for the defence of the -eastern frontier of France. - -Leaving Sir John Hope to blockade Bayonne, Wellington followed Soult, -who took up a position at Orthez, on the right bank of the Gave de -Pau. Early on the morning of the 27th February the battle opened by -Beresford turning the enemy’s right, but he was driven back, as was -Picton, who attacked the enemy’s centre. “_Enfin je le tiens!_--At -last I have him!” exclaimed Soult, but Wellington changed his plan, -and at once sent Hill to cross the river by the ford above Souars and -cut off the Marshal’s retreat by the great road to Pau. At the same -time he ordered two divisions against the right of the enemy’s centre, -and Colborne cut off the division which had checkmated Beresford. The -French under Reille were driven from the heights, and at first retired, -in good order, but Cotton and Lord Edward Somerset charged and spread -considerable confusion in the ranks, while Hill marched on Aire and -attacked Clausel. The Portuguese were repulsed, but the British drove -the enemy from the town with great loss. - -Wellington was wounded almost at the end of the battle, which is -perhaps one reason why the pursuit was not so rapid as it might -otherwise have been. However, Beresford was sent with two divisions to -Bordeaux, whose citizens bade them enter, and thereupon proclaimed the -Duc d’Angoulême, eldest nephew of Louis XVIII, who was now with the -British army, as Prince Regent. - -The last battle of the Peninsular War was fought on Easter Sunday, the -10th April 1814, at Toulouse, on which Soult’s army had concentrated. - -A mistake on the part of an engineer as to the breadth of the Garonne -above Toulouse prevented Wellington from crossing at the spot he had -selected because there were not sufficient pontoons. This caused -considerable delay and a march to a narrower but more difficult -place below the town. Sir George Napier says that he never saw the -Commander-in-Chief in such a rage--he was “furious.” On the completion -of the gangway, Beresford, with a portion of the army, passed over, -drove in the French outposts, and remained in front of the enemy. There -they stopped for three days, cut off from the main force and liable to -attack any moment. This unexpected situation was brought about by a -storm which flooded the river and swept away the pontoons. - -Soult is stated to have given this reason for failing to assail -Beresford’s force: “You do not know what stuff two British divisions -are made of; they would not be conquered as long as there was a man of -them left to stand, and I cannot afford to lose men now.” - -When the new bridge was available no time was lost in crossing the -river, and on the 10th Soult was attacked. An eye-witness thus records -the event[78]: - -“The 4th, 6th, and a Portuguese division under Marshal Beresford’s -orders, attacked the great fort on the right of the French, and here -was the brunt of the battle, for the enemy was strongly posted and -flanked by works, with trenches in their front, and their best troops -opposed to ours. But nothing could damp the courage of this column; the -enemy’s guns poured a torrent of fire upon it; still it moved onward, -when column upon column appeared, crowning the hill and forming lines -in front and on the flanks of our brave fellows who were near the -top; and then such a roll of musketry accompanied by peals of cannon -and the shouts of the enemy commenced, that our soldiers were fairly -forced to give way and were driven down again. This attack was twice -renewed, and twice were our gallant fellows forced to retire, when, -being got into order again and under a tremendous fire of all arms from -the enemy, they once more marched onward determined ‘_to do or die_’ -(for they were nearly all Scotch) and, having gained the summit of the -position, they charged with the bayonet, and in spite of every effort -of the enemy, drove all before them and entered every redoubt and fort -with such a courage as I never saw before. The enemy lay in _heaps_, -dead and dying! few, very few, escaped the slaughter of that day; but -‘victory’ was heard shouted from post to post as that gallant band -moved along the crown of the enemy’s position taking every work at the -point of the bayonet. - -“While the work of death was going on here, the centre of the French -position was attacked by the Spanish column of 8000 men, under -General Freyre, who had _demanded_ in rather a haughty tone that Lord -Wellington should give the Spaniards the post of honour in the battle. -He acceded, but took special care to have the Light Division in reserve -to support them in case of _accidents_. Old Freyre placed himself at -the head of his column, surrounded by his staff, and marched boldly -up the hollow way, or road, which led right up to the enemy, under a -heavy and destructive fire of cannon shot, which plunging into the -head of his column made great havoc among his men; still they went -steadily and boldly on, to my astonishment and delight to see them -behave so gallantly, and I could not help expressing my delight to -Colonel Colborne. But, alas! he knew them too well, and said to me, -‘Gently, my friend; don’t praise them too soon; look at yonder brigade -of French Light Infantry, ready to attack them as soon as the head of -their column enters the open ground. One moment more and we shall see -the Spaniards fly! Gallop off, you, and throw the 52nd Regiment (which -was in line) into open column of companies, and let these fellows -pass through, or they will carry the regiment off with them.’ He had -scarcely finished the words when a well-directed fire from the French -Infantry opened upon the Spanish column, and instantly the words ‘_Vive -l’Empereur! En avant! en avant!_’ accompanied by a charge, put the -Spaniards to flight, and down they came upon the 52nd Regiment, and I -had but just time to throw it into open column of companies when they -rushed through the intervals like a torrent and never stopped till -they arrived at the river some miles in the rear. As soon as they had -passed, and I had formed the regiment into line again, we moved up and -took the Spaniards’ place, driving before us the enemy’s brigade, who, -being by this time completely beaten on the right and all his forts and -trenches carried by Beresford’s troops, had retreated into the town; so -that we found the fort on that part of the position which we attacked -quite abandoned, and we entered it without loss. - -[Illustration: The French Retreat over the Pyrenees - -R. Caton Woodville] - -“On our right the 3rd Division, under General Picton, was ordered to -make a false attack on the canal bridge, which was strongly fortified -and formed an impracticable barrier to that part of the town; but -General Picton (who never hesitated at disobeying his orders) -thought proper to change this false attack into a real one, and after -repeated and useless attempts to carry it was forced to give it up, -with an immense loss of officers and men. To our extreme right and on -the opposite side of the river General Hill was stationed with his -corps in order to watch the bridge and gates of the town, and either -prevent any attempt of the enemy to pass over a body of troops during -the action to cut off our communications with the rear, or, should he -show any design of retreating that way, to impede him. However, all was -quiet on that side, and now that every man of the enemy’s army had been -chased from the position the battle was won, and the roar of cannon, -the fire of the musketry, and the shouts of the victors ceased. All was -still; the pickets placed; the sentinels set; and the greatest part of -the army sleeping in groups round the fires of the bivouac.” - -Soult had only been able to bring some 39,000 men into the field, to -so great an extent had his forces been depleted, while Wellington had -less than 50,000 available troops. Of the French, 3200 were killed -or wounded, of the Allies 4600. On the 12th April Soult evacuated -Toulouse, six days after Napoleon the Great had snatched up a pen and -scrawled his formal abdication. A moment before he had been full of -fight, had wanted to rally the corps of Augereau, Suchet and Soult. A -year later he won back more than these. Wellington entered Toulouse -on the day Soult left it, and within a few hours of the receipt of -the news from Paris of the proclamation of Louis XVIII, a monarch as -incompetent as the fallen Emperor was great. History is oftentimes -ironic, and Time’s see-saw seldom maintains an even balance for any -lengthy period. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -The Prelude to the Waterloo Campaign - -(1814-15) - - “_I work as hard as I can in every way in order to succeed._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -“I march to-morrow to follow Marshal Soult, and to prevent his army -from becoming the _noyau_ of a civil war in France.” Thus writes -Wellington to Sir John Hope on the 16th April 1814, when the white flag -of the Bourbons was flying at Toulouse, and forty-eight hours after -Hope had been made a prisoner during a sortie on the part of the French -garrison of Bayonne. Soult extended no right hand of welcome to Louis -XVIII, and positively refused to submit to the new _regime_ until he -had received trustworthy information from some of Napoleon’s ministers. -However, he was speedily convinced of the fall of his former master, -and both he and Suchet acknowledged the Provisional Government. On the -19th April a Convention was signed by each party and Wellington for -the cessation of hostilities and the evacuation of Spain. The British -infantry were sent either to the homeland or on foreign service; the -cavalry traversed France and crossed to England from Calais. - -Wellington’s work was not yet over, although his military career was -closed for a time. He was appointed British Ambassador at Paris, and -while he wrote to a correspondent that recent political and military -events promised “to restore the blessings of peace permanently to -the world,” we must not suppose that he believed the abdication of -Napoleon to be the herald of the millennium. When Castlereagh proposed -the diplomatic post to him Wellington would have been perfectly -justified in declining it, but sufficient of his story has been told -for the reader to appreciate the fact that the Hero of the Peninsula -was as keenly devoted to the service of his king and country as the -Hero of Trafalgar. Whatever egotism he possessed was certainly not -carried to excess. He says that he should never have thought himself -qualified for the work. “I hope, however,” he adds, and here the -sterling qualities of the man are revealed, “that the Prince Regent, -his Government, and your Lordship, are convinced that I am ready to -serve him in any situation in which it may be thought that I can be of -any service. Although I have been so long absent from England, I should -have remained as much longer if it had been necessary; and I feel no -objection to another absence in the public service, if it be necessary -or desirable.” He says much the same thing to his brother Henry: “I -must serve the public in some manner or other; and, as under existing -circumstances I could not well do so at home, I must do so abroad.” - -Those who accuse Wellington of lack of heart will do well to remember -that before leaving Toulouse for Paris he wrote an appealing letter to -Earl Bathurst in behalf of Sir Rowland Hill and Sir Robert Kennedy, the -latter of whom had exerted himself to the utmost in keeping the army -well supplied with provisions, and to write a letter of condolence to -Hope, who was a prisoner and wounded. - -But he found time to join in a few _fêtes_ in honour of the -Restoration, including a magnificent ball given by Sir Charles Stewart, -the British Commissioner to the Army of the Allies, where monarchs were -plentiful and Society beauties abundant. “It was in the midst of this -ball,” the Comtesse de Boigne relates, “that the Duke of Wellington -appeared for the first time in Paris. I can see him now entering the -room with his two nieces, Lady Burgers[79] and Miss Pole, hanging on -his arms. There were no eyes for any one else, and at this ball, where -grandeur abounded, everything gave way to military glory. That of the -Duke of Wellington was brilliant and unalloyed, and a lustre was added -to it by the interest that had long been felt in the cause of the -Spanish nation.” - -He had only been in Paris six days before he set out for Madrid, viâ -Toulouse, “in order to try whether I cannot prevail upon all parties -to be more moderate, and to adopt a constitution more likely to be -practicable and to contribute to the peace and happiness of the -nation.” He had made the proposal, and the Allies had eagerly accepted -it. When he started on his journey he was the Duke of Wellington,[80] -and it was additional cause of satisfaction to him to know that -peerages had been conferred on Beresford, Hill, Cotton, Hope, and -Graham, “my gallant coadjutors.” He stayed at Toulouse for a couple of -days, attending to details connected with the army, and again continued -his journey, writing dispatches, notes of condolence, a letter -requesting permission to accept the Grand Cross of the Order of St -George from the Czar, and so on. - -Napoleon had released Ferdinand VII on the 13th of the previous -March, and the king was now back in his capital. “I entertain a -very favourable opinion of the King from what I have seen of him,” -Wellington writes from Madrid on the 25th May 1814, “but not of his -Ministers.” This opinion of Ferdinand must be taken as referring to -the man and not to his methods, for he had already assumed the part -of a despot to so alarming an extent that civil war was feared, hence -the Duke’s journey. “I have accomplished my object in coming here”; he -says in the same letter, “that is, I think there will certainly be -no civil war at present.” But seven days later he communicates with -Castlereagh in a minor key: “I have been well received by the King and -his Ministers; but I fear that I have done but little good.” - -He left a lengthy memorandum in the hands of his Catholic Majesty, -full of excellent advice, and bereft, as he said, of “all national -partialities and prejudices.” Commerce, the colonies, domestic -interests, and finance are all touched upon in a sane, straightforward -way, obviously with the intention of promoting “a good understanding -and cementing the alliance with Great Britain,” but valuable quite -apart from any motive that might be construed as selfish. As Wellington -says in the preamble, “The Spanish nation having been engaged for six -years in one of the most terrible and disastrous contests by which any -nation was ever afflicted, its territory having been entirely occupied -by the enemy, the country torn to pieces by internal divisions, -its ancient constitution having been destroyed, and vain attempts -made to establish a new one; its marine, its commerce, and revenue -entirely annihilated; its colonies in a state of rebellion, and -nearly lost to the mother country; it becomes a question for serious -consideration, what line of policy should be adopted by His Majesty -upon his happy restoration to his throne and authority.” Had Ferdinand -taken Wellington’s well-intentioned advice to heart, Spain might have -risen from her ashes. The old abuses cropped up, the Inquisition was -re-established in a milder form, and troops were sent across the seas -to perish in a futile endeavour to recover the Transatlantic colonies -of a once glorious empire. - -After returning to Paris to make arrangements for the embarkation of -the British cavalry at Calais, the Duke sailed for England. When he -landed at Dover on the 23rd June 1814, a salute from the batteries of -the Castle welcomed him home. “About five o’clock this morning,” says -a contemporary writer, “his majesty’s sloop-of-war, the _Rosario_, -arrived in the roads, and fired a salute. Shortly afterwards, the -yards of the different vessels of war were manned; a salute took place -throughout the squadron, and the launch of the _Nymphen_ frigate was -seen advancing towards the harbour, with the Duke of Wellington; at -this time the guns upon the heights and from the batteries commenced -their thunder upon the boat leaving the ship; and on passing the -pier-heads his Lordship was greeted with three distinct rounds of -cheers from those assembled; but upon his landing at the Crosswall, -nothing could exceed the rapture with which his Lordship was received -by at least ten thousand persons; and notwithstanding it was so early, -parties continued to arrive from town and country every minute. The -instant his Lordship set foot on shore, a proposition was made, and -instantly adopted, to carry him to the Ship Inn: he was borne on -the shoulders of our townsmen, amidst the reiterated cheers of the -populace.” - -London went wild with excitement when he arrived, and at Westminster -Bridge the mob took the horses from his carriage and dragged it along -in triumph. On the 28th he took his seat for the first time in the -House of Lords. He must have appeared a fine figure as, clad in his -Field Marshal’s uniform under a peer’s robes, he was introduced by -the Dukes of Beaufort and Richmond. The Lord Chancellor expressed -the sentiments of the House, but refrained from attempting to state -the “eminent merits” of his military character, “to represent those -brilliant actions, those illustrious achievements, which have attached -immortality to the name of Wellington, and which have given to this -country a degree of glory unexampled in the annals of this kingdom. In -thus acting, I believe I best consult the feelings which evince your -Grace’s title to the character of a truly great and illustrious man”; -and the Duke replied, in a short speech, attributing his success to his -troops and general officers. A little later a deputation from the Lower -House waited upon Wellington to offer him the congratulations of the -Commons, and he attended in person to return thanks. The whole House -rose as he entered. After a short speech the Speaker made an eloquent -and touching address. - -“It is not ... the grandeur of military success,” he said, “which has -alone fixed our admiration or commanded our applause; it has been that -generous and lofty spirit which inspired your troops with unbounded -confidence, and taught them to know that the day of battle was always -a day of victory; that moral courage and enduring fortitude which, in -perilous times, when gloom and doubt had beset ordinary minds, stood -nevertheless unshaken; and that ascendancy 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 remains only that we congratulate your Grace upon the high and -important mission on which 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 honour and -interests in peace.” - -Wellington was made a Doctor of Laws by the University of Oxford, as -Nelson had been before him,[81] he received the freedom of the City of -London in a gold casket, and a magnificent sword--in a word, he was the -country’s Hero. - -The time at his disposal was short and fully occupied, for he -left London on the 8th August for Paris, travelling by way of the -Netherlands, where he inspected the frontier from Liège along the -Meuse and the Sambre to Namur and Charleroi, and thence by Mons to -Tournay and the sea with a view to determining how Holland and Belgium, -now united into one kingdom, could be placed in an adequate state of -defence for future service should circumstances dictate. He also noted -some of the most advantageous positions, including “the entrance of -the _forêt_ de Soignes by the high road which leads to Brussels from -Binch, Charleroi, and Namur,”--in one word, Waterloo. He realized -that there were more disadvantages than advantages, but “this country -must be defended in the best manner that is possible,” even though it -“affords no features upon which reliance can be placed to establish any -defensive system.”[82] - -Wellington had no hours of luxurious ease in Paris. The abolition -of the slave trade, on which Great Britain had at last determined, -occupied much of his attention, and one has only to refer to his -dispatches at this period to understand the many difficulties he had -to contend with in this one particular. Then there were questions of -compensation for private property destroyed or damaged in the late war -to be considered, of American vessels of war and privateers fitted -out in French ports, and what was most important of all, a diagnosis -of the increasing restlessness in Paris to be made. He believed that -the sentiments of the people were favourable to the Bourbon king, “but -the danger is not in that quarter, but among the discontented officers -of the army, and others, heretofore in the civil departments of the -service, now without employment.” - -It would be incorrect to state that Wellington was popular in Paris, -for not a few prominent military men regarded the presence of the -General who had played no small part in tarnishing the glory of France -as a perpetual reminder of the country’s misfortunes. The people even -went so far as to resent his coat of arms, in which there was a lion or -leopard bearing a tricoloured flag. This was construed as the British -lion trampling on the French national flag. There was an eagle on the -Duchess’s arms, which was another cause of offence. “My coach was in -danger of being torn to pieces,” says the Duke, and he was obliged to -have the innocent bird painted out. - -The Congress of Vienna was now sitting, bent on undoing the work of -the Revolution so far as was possible with a view to upholding the -Divine right of kings. This is not to be wondered at considering the -members of the solemn conclave, which included the Czar, the Kings -of Prussia, Bavaria, Denmark and Würtemberg, the Grand Duke Charles -of Baden, the Elector William of Hesse, the Hereditary Grand Duke -George of Hesse-Darmstadt, the Duke of Weimar, and Prince Eugene -Beauharnais (Napoleon’s step-son). The President was Metternich, the -Emperor of Austria’s right-hand man, the first representative of -France was the wily Talleyrand, of Great Britain Castlereagh. A host -of plenipotentiaries came to put their fingers into the political -pie, including those of Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, France, -Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, Switzerland, Italy, the Pope, the -Netherlands, and the smaller German States. - -What with talk of projected attempts on his life and the far from -pacific doings at Vienna, the Earl of Liverpool was of opinion that it -would be advisable to get Wellington out of France as soon as possible. -With this idea in view he was offered the command of the troops in -North America, an offer he bitterly resented. However, Castlereagh -solved the difficulty by asking the Duke to take his place at Vienna. -The proposition was made by the Foreign Secretary in a letter dated -the 18th December 1814. “I do not hesitate to comply with your -desire,” the Duke replies. “As I mean to serve the King’s Government -in any situation which may be thought desirable, it is a matter of -indifference to me in what stage I find your proceedings.” - -When Wellington reached the Austrian capital in January 1815--destined -to be the greatest year in modern European history--he found that the -wolves in sheep’s clothing had almost concluded their deliberations. -Russia, supported by Prussia, was intent upon securing Poland, a plan -bitterly opposed by Great Britain and Austria. France was wishful for -Holland and Belgium. The quarrelling suddenly ceased when, on the 7th -March, Metternich received the most astounding news. Napoleon, King of -Elba, had left his little island state, landed on the French coast, and -was marching in the direction of Paris! Wellington heard on the same -day from another source, and immediately communicated the scanty news -detailed to him by Lord Burghersh to the Emperor of Austria and the -Czar. - -“I do not entertain the smallest doubt that, if unfortunately it -should be possible for Buonaparte to hold at all against the King -of France, he must fall under the cordially united efforts of the -Sovereigns of Europe.” Thus writes the Duke to Castlereagh, but in a -dispatch of the same date, namely the 12th March, he shows that he -entirely failed to appreciate the fascination still exercised by the -name “Napoleon.” “It is my opinion,” he writes, “that Buonaparte has -acted upon false or no information, and that the King will destroy him -without difficulty, and in a short time.” We know that the ex-Emperor’s -reception was at first somewhat lukewarm, but as he marched towards the -capital it assumed the form of a triumphal procession, with Ney and the -6000 men who were “to bring him back in an iron cage” as enthusiastic -followers. The inhabitants of the south alone refused to recognize the -former Emperor of the French. - -Far from Louis XVIII destroying Napoleon “without difficulty,” that -brave monarch left France to its own devices on the 19th March, the -day before his predecessor and successor reached the Tuileries. “What -did he do in the midst of the general consternation of Paris?” asks -the Baron de Frénilly. “He acted. A great crowd saw him in the morning -proceeding in pomp with Monsieur to the Chamber of Deputies; he was -seen to enter and throw himself into his brother’s arms, with the -solemn promise to remain in Paris and be buried under the ruins of the -monarchy; and on the following day the population learnt that he had -fled in the night by the road to Flanders!” Soult, now Minister of -War, apparently under the impression that an Army Order would tend to -dispel any affection the soldiers might feel towards their former Head, -issued the most stupid of nonsensical proclamations. “Bonaparte,” it -reads in part, “mistakes us so far as to believe that we are capable -of abandoning a legitimate and beloved sovereign in order to share the -fortunes of one who is nothing more than an adventurer. He believes -this--the idiot!--and his last act of folly is a convincing proof that -he does so.” - -Without loss of time the Fifth Coalition was formed, Great Britain, -Russia, Austria and Prussia entering into a treaty on the 17th March, -whereby each of them guaranteed to put 150,000 men in the field against -“the enemy and disturber of the peace of the world,” Great Britain, -as usual, financing the Allies, this time to the enormous extent of -£5,000,000. - -With commendable dispatch Napoleon formed a new ministry and began to -marshal his troops, which at first numbered 200,000 and eventually -284,000, excluding a quarter of a million of men for internal defence. -“It was the finest army,” writes Professor Oman, “that Napoleon had -commanded since Friedland, for it was purely French, and was composed -almost entirely of veterans; but it was too small for its purpose.”[83] -Murat, king of Naples, precipitated matters by invading the Papal -States, and failed at the hands of Austria, thereby robbing his -brother-in-law of his only possible ally. But this was finished by the -beginning of May, over a month before Napoleon started for the front, -leaving 10,000 of his none-too-numerous troops to quell an outburst of -royalist enthusiasm in La Vendée, ever the most warlike province of -France and apt to flame into insurrection on the slightest provocation. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -Ligny and Quatre Bras - -(1815) - - “_I go to measure myself with Wellington._” - - NAPOLEON. - - -Napoleon left Paris at dawn on the 12th June, and travelled to Laon. -His troops were divided into the Army of the North, intended for the -invasion of Belgium, which totalled a little over 124,000; the Army -of the Rhine, commanded by Rapp, about 20,000, with a reserve of -3000 National Guards; Le Courbe’s corps of observation, watching the -passes of the Jura, about 8000; the Army of the Alps, with Suchet, -some 23,000; a detachment, under Brune, guarding the line of the -Var, 6000; the 7th Corps, watching the line of the Pyrenees, 14,000, -in two sections under Decaen and Clausel. The Army of the North was -distributed at Lille, Valenciennes, Mézières, Thionville, and Soissons, -under D’Erlon, Reille, Vandamme, Gérard and Lobau respectively; the -Imperial Guard near Paris, and the Reserve Cavalry, under Grouchy, -between the Aisne and the Sambre.[84] Soult was chief of the staff, an -appointment not particularly happy.[85] - -In Belgium there was the nucleus of an army, consisting of some 10,000 -soldiers, mostly British. Wellington arrived at Brussels on the 5th -April, with the formidable task in hand of organizing a substantial -body to oppose the returned Exile. He managed it, but the result was -almost as motley a crowd of fighting men as Napoleon had for his -disastrous Russian campaign. Wellington bluntly called them “not only -the worst troops, but the worst-equipped army, with the worst staff -that was ever brought together.” There were Hanoverians, Belgians, -Dutch, Brunswickers, and Nassauers, as well as men of his own country. -The 1st Corps, under the Prince of Orange, totalled 25,000, with -headquarters at Braine-le-Comte; the 2nd Corps, commanded by Lord Hill, -numbered 24,000, with headquarters at Ath; the Reserve Corps, with the -Duke at Brussels, 21,000; the Cavalry, under the Earl of Uxbridge, -14,000; in the garrisons were 12,000, and the artillery and engineers -reached 10,000--grand total 106,000.[86] The Prussian Army, commanded -by Blücher, reached 124,000 men, some few thousands of whom were -already in Belgium in March. It was made up of four corps stationed -at Charleroi, Namur, Ciney, and Liége, with headquarters at Namur. -Both armies were in touch with each other, although distributed over -a large extent of territory. It was intended that 750,000 men should -be available for the invasion of France, but none of the other allies -was ready. Napoleon acted promptly, his idea being to deal with each -separately and drive them back on their bases before they were able to -concentrate. He would then turn on the Austrians before the Russians -were ready. - -Napoleon succeeded in concentrating the Army of the North without -definite particulars of his movements reaching either Wellington or -Blücher. On the 15th June he was across the frontier and had made a -preliminary success by driving Ziethen, who commanded Blücher’s first -corps, from the banks of the Sambre, gaining the bridges, and securing -Charleroi. The Emperor followed the Prussians to within a short -distance of Gilly, where the French right wing defeated them with the -loss of nearly 2000 men. The enemy then fell back in the direction of -Ligny, and Napoleon made his headquarters at Charleroi. Meanwhile Ney, -who had only arrived in the afternoon, was given charge of Reille’s -and D’Erlon’s corps, and it is usually contended that he had told -Lefebvre-Desnoëttes to reconnoitre towards Quatre Bras, then held by -some 4500 Nassau troops, commanded by Prince Bernard of Saxe-Weimar. - -Lefebvre first encountered the enemy at the village of Frasnes, some -twenty-three miles from Brussels and covering Quatre Bras, where about -1500 men were stationed, who fell back towards Quatre Bras. The French -General occupied the village in the evening after an indecisive action. - -When information reached Wellington from Ziethen, vague because it was -dispatched early in the morning, he ordered the majority of the troops -at his disposal to be “ready to move at the shortest notice,” and a few -only were told to change the positions they then occupied. He issued -his final instructions at 10 p.m., and then went to the ball given by -the Duchess of Richmond, who had invited some of the non-commissioned -officers and privates in order “to show her Bruxelles friends the -_real Highland dance_,” as Wellington afterwards averred. The -Commander-in-Chief was quite easy in his mind, for he had done all that -it was possible for him to do, and his appearance at such a festivity -tended to allay the anxiety of the inhabitants as to Napoleon’s -movements. Surely the capital was safe if Wellington was so unconcerned -as to go to a dance? - - _There was a sound of Revelry by night; - And Belgium’s Capital had gather’d then - Her Beauty and her Chivalry; and bright - The lamps shone o’er fair women, and brave men: - A thousand hearts beat happily; and when - Music arose with its voluptuous swell, - Soft eyes look’d love to eyes which spake again; - And all went merry as a marriage-bell: - But Hush! Hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!_ - - _Did ye not hear it? No: ’twas but the wind; - Or the car rattling o’er the stony street: - On with the dance! let Joy be unconfined: - No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet - To chase the glowing Hours with flying feet: - But, Hark! that heavy sound breaks in once more; - As if the clouds its echo would repeat; - And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before! - Arm! Arm! it is; it is; the Cannon’s opening Roar!_ - -Had Byron pictured the entry of Lieutenant Webster with a dispatch -for the Prince of Orange he would have been more literally, if not -artistically, correct. The nineteen words which the Prince read were -momentous: “Captain Baron von Gagern has just arrived from Nivelles, -reporting that the enemy had pushed up to Quatre Bras.” It had been -written at Braine-le-Comte at 10.30 p.m. No further instructions were -issued by Wellington, for he had already arranged “for a movement -tending to draw the right of his forces in towards the left.”[87] He -therefore remained at the ball until about 2 a.m., on the 16th, and -then went to bed. - -He left the city very early and arrived at Quatre Bras about 10 -o’clock. There he found, according to his own statement,[88] “the -Prince of Orange with a small body of Belgian troops, two or three -battalions of infantry, a squadron of Belgian dragoons, and two or -three pieces of cannon which had been at the Quatre Bras--the four -roads--since the preceding evening. It appeared that the picket of this -detachment had been touched by a French patrol, and there was some -firing, but very little; and of so little importance that, after seeing -what was doing, I went on to the Prussian army, which I saw from the -ground, was assembling upon the field of St Amand and Ligny, about -eight miles distant. - -“I reached the Prussian army; was at their headquarters; stayed there a -considerable time; saw the army formed; the commencement of the battle; -and returned to join my own army assembled and assembling at the Quatre -Bras. I arrived then at Quatre Bras a second time on that day, as well -as I recollect, at about two or three o’clock in the afternoon. - -“The straggling fire there had continued from morning; the Prince of -Orange was with the line troops still in the same position. I was -informed that the army was collecting in a wood in front. I rode -forward and reconnoitred or examined their position according to my -usual practice. I saw clearly a very large body of men assembled, and a -Maréchal reviewing them, according to their usual practice, preparatory -to an attack. I heard distinctly the usual cries: ‘_En avant! en avant! -L’Empereur récompensera celui qui s’avancera!_’ - -“Before I quitted the Prince of Orange, some of the officers standing -about had doubted whether we should be attacked at this point. I sent -to the Prince of Orange from the ground on which I was standing, to -tell him that he might rely upon it that we should be attacked in five -minutes, and that he had better order the retreat towards the main -position of the light troops and guns which were in front, and which -could make no resistance to the fierce attack about to be made upon -us. These were accordingly withdrawn, and in less than five minutes we -were attacked by the whole French army under Maréchal Ney. There was -in fact no delay nor cessation from attack from that time till night. -The reserves of the British army from Brussels had arrived at the -Quatre Bras at this time; and the corps of Brunswick troops from the -headquarters, and a division of Belgian troops from Nivelles, Braine, -&c.” - -Ney did not begin his attack until 2 p.m. He had only Reille’s -corps at his disposal, and he was uncertain as to the movements -of the Prussians. But when a move was made against the farm of -Gémioncourt,[89] the key of the position, the 7000 troops of the Prince -of Orange were speedily driven back, and the wood of Bossu also fell -into the enemy’s hands. It was at this precise moment that Wellington -and reinforcements arrived. Picton with his brave 5th Division, -although exhausted by a long march on a sultry day, were ordered to -retake the wood. It was then that Ney hurled his cavalry at them in a -determined endeavour to save the situation at all costs. - -“One regiment,” we are told, “after sustaining a furious cannonade, -was suddenly, and on three different sides, assailed by cavalry. Two -faces of the square were charged by the lancers, while the cuirassiers -galloped down upon another. It was a trying moment. There was a -death-like silence, and one voice alone, calm and clear, was heard. It -was their Colonel’s, who called upon them to be ‘steady.’ On came the -enemy--the earth shook beneath the horses’ feet; while on every side of -the devoted band, the corn,[90] bending beneath the rush of cavalry, -disclosed their numerous assailants. The lance-blades approached the -bayonets of the kneeling front rank--the cuirassiers were within forty -paces--yet not a trigger was drawn. But when the word ‘Fire!’ thundered -from the colonel’s lips, each piece poured out its deadly volley, and -in a moment the leading files of the French lay before the square, as -if hurled by a thunderbolt to the earth. The assailants, broken and -dispersed, galloped off for shelter to the tall rye; while a stream -of musketry from the British square carried death into the retreating -squadrons.” At length Maitland’s division of the Guards secured -possession of the wood. The French continued to attack with ardour, -but with the close of day Ney fell back upon the road to Frasnes. The -British remained at Quatre Bras. - -Many brave incidents are recorded. A soldier of the 92nd was wounded -in the thigh. After having been attended by a surgeon the medical man -dismissed him by saying, “There is now no fear of you, get slowly -behind.” His reply, unpremeditated and instant, was, “The presence of -every man is necessary,” and calmly went back to his post, from which -he never returned. Another fellow had his knapsack carried away from -his shoulders by a cannon-ball. He caught it by a dexterous movement -before it reached the ground. Wellington happened to be near, and the -incident afforded him considerable amusement. - -The 2nd Battalion of the 69th Regiment of Foot[91] had its flag -captured, the precious symbol being wrenched from the hands of the -officer almost at the same time as the attempted capture of another -colour during a charge of French cuirassiers. The latter was preserved, -although the bearer received severe wounds. Ensign Christie also saved -a flag by throwing himself upon it. As the soldier lay on the ground -a portion of the colour was torn off by the lancer who had made the -attempt, but before the prize could be taken the captor was shot and -the piece recovered. - -Wellington lost 4600 killed and wounded at Quatre Bras, but although -he remained in possession of the field, Ney’s grim determination had -precluded him from sending reinforcements to Blücher, who had been -contesting Napoleon at Ligny, eight miles distant. On the other hand, -the Emperor had ordered his Marshal to assist him at Ligny after having -dispersed the troops at Quatre Bras, which he was far too heavily -engaged all day to do, although it is conceivable that had he begun -his attack earlier he might have carried out his Chief’s instructions. -Napoleon himself delayed his attack because some of his soldiers had -not arrived, and when he was ready to open fire he totalled 20,000 -men less than the Prussian commander. D’Erlon’s troops, forming Ney’s -reserve, were sent for, but before they were pressed into service were -ordered back by Ney to assist him. Had D’Erlon remained, Napoleon would -have won a decisive victory. As it was, Blücher’s losses reached over -20,000, and he narrowly averted capture. He was thrown during a cavalry -charge and badly injured. The Prussians abandoned the field, retiring -towards Wavre, which enabled them to be in touch with Wellington, and -where they later formed a junction with the fresh corps of Bülow. -Napoleon, who had 11,000 men killed or wounded, was convinced that the -enemy would fall back on Namur and Liége, which would enable him to -deal with Wellington alone on the morrow. - -Napoleon was unusually lethargic on the following day, and squandered -much precious time until noon in various useless ways. He then ordered -Grouchy, with 33,000 men, to ascertain the position occupied by the -Prussians, while he joined Ney. Wellington, hearing of Blücher’s defeat -and realizing that every moment was of value, had evacuated Quatre -Bras almost without interference, although Napoleon’s cavalry came -up with the British rear and the situation was saved by a propitious -downpour of rain which soon transformed road and field alike into a -quagmire. Still, Napoleon chased in pursuit to the ridge of Waterloo, -where a heavy cannonade put an end to his advance. The Emperor made his -headquarters at the Caillou farm, retiring to rest only after he had -seen that Wellington’s army was not retreating from the position it had -taken up at Mont St Jean. Unable to sleep, he again satisfied himself -that the army he was bent on shattering had not stolen a march on him, -and when the 18th June dawned he was still gazing in the direction of -Wellington and his men. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -Waterloo - -(1815) - - “_The history of a battle is not unlike the history of a ball. Some - individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great - result is the battle lost or won; but no individual can recollect - the order in which, or the exact moment at which they occurred, - which makes all the difference as to their value or importance._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -The British General had already sent word to Blücher that he was -prepared to fight Napoleon if the Prussian Commander could see his -way to send him one army-corps, the assistance of which he deemed -imperative. He did not receive a reply until the early hours of the -18th, and it was in the affirmative. He promised Bülow’s corps, which -would march at daybreak against Napoleon’s right, followed by that of -Pirch. Those of Thielmann and Ziethen would also be sent provided the -presence of Grouchy did not prevent. As events turned out, Thielmann’s -corps was sufficient for this purpose of defending the Dyle against -the French Marshal. The first report from Grouchy received by Napoleon -on the 18th was sent from Gembloux, and contained news up to 10 -o’clock on the previous night, namely, that part of the Prussians had -retired towards Wavre, that Blücher with their centre had fallen back -on Perwez, and a column with artillery had moved in the direction of -Namur.[92] - -[Illustration] - -From another source Napoleon gathered that three bodies of the -Prussians were concentrating at Wavre, vital information which, for -some inexplicable reason, he did not dispatch to Grouchy until 10 a.m. -We have it on the authority of Foy, who had fought in Spain, that at -daybreak Napoleon was told that the junction of Wellington and Blücher -was possible. This he refused to believe, stating that such an event -could not take place before the 20th. Grouchy was ordered to keep up -his communications with Napoleon, pushing before him “those bodies of -Prussians which have taken this direction and which may have stopped at -Wavre.” In addition, he was to “follow those columns which have gone -to your right.” Dr Holland Rose pronounces these instructions as far -from clear: “Grouchy was not bidden to throw all his efforts on the -side of Wavre; and he was not told whether he must attack the enemy at -that town, or interpose a wedge between them and Wellington, or support -Napoleon’s right. Now Napoleon would certainly have prescribed an -immediate concentration of Grouchy’s force towards the north-west for -one of the last two objects, had he believed Blücher about to attempt -a flank march against the chief French army. Obviously it had not yet -entered his thoughts that so daring a step would be taken by a foe whom -he pictured as scattered and demoralized by defeat.”[93] - -As Houssaye, one of the most painstaking of historians, says, “It -is necessary to walk over the ground, to perceive its constantly -undulating formation, similar to the billows of a swelling sea.” I -have followed his advice for the purposes of the present volume. The -configuration of the land near the ridge, which was at first the right -centre of the Allies, has been altered somewhat by the excavation -of earth for the celebrated but unsightly Lion Mound, otherwise the -field is much the same as it was in 1815. Major Cotton, who fought at -Waterloo, tells us that on the day of the battle there were “splendid -crops of rye, wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, potatoes, tares, and -clover; some of these were of great height. There were a few patches -of ploughed ground.” Exactly the same is true now. The soil which -covers the mouldering bones of many a hero yields a mighty harvest. -Practically every inch of it is either pasture or under cultivation. - -By far the most interesting point is the château and farm-house of -Hougoumont. The buildings were then over two centuries old, and were -erected with a view to defence, the garden being strongly walled -on the south and east sides. In 1815 it was replete with orchard, -outbuildings, banked-up hedges, and a chapel. Additional loop-holes -were made by Wellington’s orders, a scaffold was erected so that the -troops could discharge their muskets over the wall, and the flooring -over the south gateway hastily taken up “to enable our men to fire -down upon the enemy should they force the gate which had been blocked -up.” This strong strategic position before the right flank of the -allied line was admirably defended by the light companies of the second -battalions of Coldstream and Foot Guards. - -The battle began with a protracted but successful attack by Napoleon’s -brother, Jerome, on the Nassauer and Hanoverian troops, which held the -wood in front of the château. Proud of his triumph, and contrary to the -Emperor’s orders, three attempts to assault the grim building were made -and failed. At length Napoleon made up his mind to bombard Hougoumont, -which he did to some effect, the chapel and barn blazing fiercely, but -its brave defenders never surrendered. Four days after the battle, -Major W. E. Frye visited the spot. “At Hougoumont,” he says, “where -there is an orchard, every tree is pierced with bullets. The barns are -all burned down, and in the courtyard it is said they have been obliged -to burn upwards of a thousand carcases, an awful holocaust to the -War-Demon.” - -On one of the outside walls of the little chapel, within which many -gallant soldiers breathed their last, is a bronze tablet erected in -1907, “to the memory of the brave dead by His Britannic Majesty’s -Brigade of Guards and by Comte Charles van der Burch.”[94] The sacred -building has been thoroughly repaired, and the interior white-washed. -The latter is to be regretted, but was incumbent owing to the vandalism -of visitors whose one aim in life apparently is to carve or scrawl -their names upon monuments and buildings. - -Within easy distance is the farm of La Haye Sainte, still used for the -purpose for which it was originally built. If the thick wall which -abuts the road to the Belgian capital is not so strong as it was--and -there are signs of recent repair--the most cursory examination is -sufficient to prove that it offered a strong resistance. La Haye Sainte -was the key of the allied position. It was Napoleon’s ambition to -secure it, together with the farm of Mont St Jean, so that the enemy’s -communications with Brussels and Blücher might be cut off. Wellington -had unwisely left the defence of La Haye Sainte to a mere handful -of men, 376 in all, of the King’s German Legion. The buildings were -attacked on all sides during the eventful day, and it was not until -6.30 p.m., or thereabouts, when ammunition was exhausted, that the -place fell. Professor Oman points out that the Emperor should have sent -the Guard “to the front _en masse_” the moment that happened. This he -did not do, and a golden opportunity was irretrievably lost. - -[Illustration: - - 1. Farm of Mont St. Jean - 2. Château of Hougoumont - 3. La Belle Alliance Inn - 4. Farm of La Haye Sainte - -Photographs by C. Hamilton, Hornsey] - -A little farther up the road, and on the opposite side, is a long, -white-washed building known as the farm of Mont St Jean, the hamlet -of that name being the centre of the position. This was the chief -hospital of the Allies, and once a monastery of the Knights Templar. -Near here the Iron Duke drew up the second line of his reserve, with -three reserve batteries. Napoleon’s headquarters were on the Belle -Alliance height, where he spent the greater part of the day, and where -he kept the Imperial Guard, nick-named “The Immortals,” in reserve -until after 7 p.m. It was not until evening had given place to night -that the French troops were routed. - -When you enter La Belle Alliance Inn you are shown “the historical -chamber of Napoleon.” But let me warn visitors who admire the grotesque -painting of “Wellington Meeting Blücher,” which is nailed to the -outside wall, against believing that this is the scene of the memorable -incident. Mutual congratulations took place before La Belle Alliance -was reached, the Duke turning off the high road leading to the village -of Waterloo to meet the rugged old soldier when he descried him -surrounded by his staff. - -Within a few hundred yards of the inn is a memorial “to the last -combatants of the Grand Army.” It is by far the most artistic and -apposite of the several monuments on the field. With shattered wings -the French eagle guards the tattered standard of “The Immortals” on the -ground where the last square of Napoleon’s famous Guard was cut down. -“It was a fatality,” said the fallen Emperor of the West, “for in spite -of all, I should have won that battle.” - -Having glanced at the chief objects of interest on the field of -Waterloo, we must now turn our attention to the leading features of the -fight. It is not proposed to enter into minute details, or to discuss -the many vexed points which have been raised from time to time. Sir -Harry Smith, who took part in the battle, issued a word of warning -years ago, which we shall endeavour to bear in mind. “Every moment was -a crisis,” he said, “and the controversialists had better have left the -discussion on the battle-field.” - -The morning of Sunday, the 18th June 1815, was dismal, foggy, and wet. -No “Sun of Austerlitz” pierced the low clouds that scudded across the -sky. The state of the weather being then, as now, a universal topic -of conversation and record, we have abundant documentary evidence on -the subject. After this uninteresting, but not unimportant, fact, our -witnesses, to a large extent, break down. It would be much easier to -detail what we do not know about the battle of Waterloo than to put -down in black and white what may be regarded as indisputable truth. -For instance, there is an amazing disparity between the times at which -eye-witnesses assert the first cannon was fired. The Duke says eleven -o’clock, Napoleon two hours later. Alava mentions half-past eleven, -Ney one o’clock. Lord Hill, who used a stop-watch, avers with some -semblance of authority, 11.50 a.m. The Emperor certainly delayed giving -battle. Soult issued an order between 4 and 5 a.m. for the army to be -“ready to attack at 9 a.m.” At 11 o’clock Napoleon stated that the -soldiers were to be “in battle array, about an hour after noon.” Scores -of volumes and thousands of pages have been devoted to the subject -of the conflict which concluded Napoleon’s military career. It seems -fairly reasonable to suppose that after the lapse of one hundred years -any further research, although it may throw valuable sidelights on the -battle, will not solve the problem. We have the Duke’s assurance that -“it is impossible to say when each important occurrence took place, -nor in what order.” To a would-be narrator he wrote, “I recommend -you to leave the battle of Waterloo as it is,” to another, “the Duke -entertains no hopes of ever seeing an account of all its details which -shall be true,” and again, “I am really disgusted with and ashamed of -all that I have seen of the battle of Waterloo.” That being so, it -is not purposed to view it from a critical standpoint, but merely to -detail the leading events of the day as these are generally accepted. - -The ridge on which Napoleon posted his forces in three lines, with a -reserve of 11,000 troops behind the centre, was opposite Mont St Jean, -with the farm of La Belle Alliance, on the high road from Charleroi to -Brussels, in the centre. The number of troops at his immediate disposal -was 74,000, and they occupied a front of about two miles. The spectacle -as the French troops deployed “was magnificent,” Napoleon afterwards -averred, not without a touch of imagination, “and the enemy, who was so -placed as to behold it down to the last man, must have been struck by -it: the army must have seemed to him double in number what it really -was.” - -Just before the conflict began there was scarcely a mile between the -French and Wellington’s 67,000 troops, who were posted across the high -roads leading respectively from Charleroi and Nivelles to Brussels, -just in front of Mont St Jean, where they cross. His right extended to -Merbe Braine, and his left, which he considered was protected by the -advancing Prussians, was to the westward of the high road. The army was -drawn up in two lines, the second of which was composed entirely of -cavalry under Lord Uxbridge. To the left Wellington held the villages -of La Haye, Papelotte, and Smohain; Hougoumont was before his right, -La Haye Sainte in front of the centre, and all were occupied by his -troops. His reserves, numbering about 17,000, were unseen by the enemy -owing to the formation of the ground, and were posted behind his -centre and right. At the rear was the forest of Soignes, through which -he could retreat if necessary. At Hal, nine miles away, the corps of -Prince Frederick of Orange and two brigades of Colville’s division, -some 14,000 men in all, were stationed. They took no part in the -battle. Their presence at so great a distance was due to the somewhat -unnecessary anxiety of Wellington, as after events proved, regarding -the right flank. The Allies’ guns numbered 156, those of the French 246. - -Wellington displayed extraordinary activity, and commanded in person. -Napoleon relied on his subordinates far more than was usual with him, -and seemed to take little direct interest in the fighting. He sat in -a chair; his antagonist rode about throughout the day. “It is hardly -possible,” says Lord William Lennox, one of his aides-de-camp, “to -describe the calm manner in which the hero gave his orders and watched -the movements and attacks of the enemy. In the midst of danger, bullets -whistling close about him, round shot ploughed the ground he occupied, -and men and horses falling on every side, he sat upon his favourite -charger, Copenhagen, as collectedly as if he had been reviewing the -Household Troops in Hyde Park.” - -Although it would be foolish to endeavour to accurately divide the -battle in different parts as one would do a sum, for the simple reason -that fighting was going on all the time and the entire armies of the -combatants were not used in any given moment, there were five more or -less distinct attacks made by the French which may be useful as keys, -viz.: (1) the diversion against Hougoumont, which opened the battle; -(2) the attack against Wellington’s left-centre; (3) the cavalry attack -on the right-centre; (4) a second attempt with infantry and cavalry -having a similar object, and an infantry attack against the enemy’s -left; (5) the charge of the Imperial Guard. - -[Illustration: The Desperate Stand of the Guards at Hougoumont - -R. Caton Woodville] - -The main attack was against the British left and centre, but by way -of diversion an attempt was first made on the wood of Hougoumont, -which was carried after so determined a resistance that Alison, the -historian, afterwards counted no fewer than twenty-two shots in a -tree less than six inches in diameter; fairly conclusive evidence -of the death-dealing shower faced by the Nassauers and Hanoverians -defending the copse and of the vigour of the enemy. The château was -then attacked, contrary to orders, by Jerome Bonaparte, and brilliantly -repulsed by the light companies of the second battalions of Coldstream -and Foot Guards.[95] Several attempts were afterwards made to secure -the place, and dead bodies lay piled in heaps, but those within held -it from the beginning to the end of the battle, although Wellington -found it necessary to reinforce the men who were upholding Britain’s -honour so determinedly. The orchard was captured and regained, -howitzers battered the stout walls, the building was set on fire, -the door of the courtyard was burst open and shut in the face of the -French. These deeds were performed by the fellows of whom Napoleon had -spoken earlier in the day as “breakfast for us!” - -It was not until about half-past one o’clock, when a black, moving mass -was seen on the wooded heights of St Lambert that the Emperor really -bestirred himself. Napoleon looked through his glass in the direction -of the object on which nearly all eyes were strained. Some of his -officers thought it a body of troops, some suggested Prussians, others -Grouchy. “I think,” remarked Soult, “it is five or six thousand men, -probably part of Grouchy’s army.” In reality it was the advanced guard -of Bülow’s troops, and the Emperor shortly afterwards heard from the -lips of a prisoner that at least 30,000 men were approaching to assist -Wellington. However, some light horsemen were sent towards Frischermont -to observe the Prussians,[96] and a postscript was added to a dispatch -already penned to Grouchy, begging him to “lose not an instant in -drawing near and joining us, in order to crush Bülow, whom you will -catch in the very act.” - -Without delay Napoleon launched D’Erlon’s corps in four columns -totalling nearly 20,000 men against the enemy’s left-centre, Ney in -command. They were supported by far too few cavalry. The Emperor’s idea -was to take La Haye Sainte, break through the Allied line, and gain -Mont St Jean. This operation, if successful, would compel Wellington -to abandon his communications with the Belgian capital and change his -formation. In addition, it would place the French between his army and -the Prussians. Bylandt’s Dutch-Belgians, who were nearest to the enemy -and consequently more exposed to the covering fire of seventy-eight -guns and the shots of the skirmishers, took to their heels as D’Erlon’s -divisions, frantically yelling “_Vive l’Empereur!_” approached the -front line.[97] The brigades of Pack and Kempt were at once brought -forward by Picton. They stood firm and poured death into the oncoming -columns, receiving them, as they appeared on the crest of the ridge, -with fixed bayonets. - -The Earl of Uxbridge, who was in command of the cavalry, realizing -that the position was still one of considerable danger, then ordered -Ponsonby’s Union Brigade--the 1st Royal Dragoons, Scots Greys, and -Inniskillings--to charge. It burst upon the French with tremendous -force and decided the issue. - -Several thousands of the enemy were killed or wounded, 8000 taken -prisoners, a number of guns silenced, and two eagles captured. - -The story of how the colours of the French 45th Regiment were secured -by Serjeant Ewart, a magnificent specimen of a man, over six feet -in height, who served in the Greys, is best told in his own modest -language. “It was in the charge I took the eagle from the enemy,” he -says; “he and I had a hard contest for it; he made a thrust at my -groin, I parried it off and cut him down through the head. After this a -lancer came at me; I threw the lance off by my right side, and cut him -through the chin and upwards through the teeth. Next, a foot-soldier -fired at me, and then charged me with his bayonet, which I also had -the good luck to parry, and then I cut him down through the head; thus -ended the contest. As I was about to follow my regiment, the General -said, ‘My brave fellow, take that to the rear; you have done enough -till you get quit of it.’ I took the eagle to the ridge, and afterwards -to Brussels.” - -We have also the record of Captain Clark Kennedy, of the Royal -Dragoons, regarding the capture of the eagle of the 105th Regiment. -“I was,” he relates, “in command of the centre squadron of the Royal -Dragoons in this charge; while following up the attack, I perceived -a little to my left, in the midst of a body of infantry, an eagle -and colour, which the bearer was making off with towards the rear. I -immediately gave the order to my squadron, ‘Right shoulders forward!’ -at the same time leading direct upon the eagle and calling out to the -men with me to secure the colour; the instant I got within reach of the -officer who carried the eagle, I ran my sword into his right side, and -he staggered and fell, but did not reach the ground on account of the -pressure of his companions: as the officer was in the act of falling, -I called out a second time to some men close behind me, ‘Secure the -colour, it belongs to me.’ The standard coverer, Corporal Styles, and -several other men rushed up, and the eagle fell across my horse’s head -against that of Corporal Styles’s. As it was falling, I caught the -fringe of the flag with my left hand, but could not at first pull up -the eagle: at the second attempt, however, I succeeded. Being in the -midst of French troops, I attempted to separate the eagle from the -staff, to put it into the breast of my coatee, but it was too firmly -fixed. Corporal Styles said, ‘Sir, don’t break it’; to which I replied, -‘Very well; carry it off to the rear as fast as you can.’ He did so.” - -Unfortunately the victors were too eager, and instead of returning they -continued until they were in the French lines, thus enabling Napoleon -to “turn the tables.” His reserve squadrons robbed the British ranks -of 1000 brave men, including Ponsonby. More would have fallen had not -Vandeleur’s Light Cavalry Brigade checked the enemy. - -Picton was dead, shot at the head of his men. “When you hear of my -death,” the latter had previously remarked to a comrade, “you will -hear of a bloody day.” He had “fallen gloriously at the head of his -division, maintaining a position which, if it had not been kept, would -have altered the fate of the day.”[98] - -The following account of the magnificent charge of Ponsonby’s Union -Brigade, from the pen of James Armour, Rough-rider to the Scots Greys, -who took part in it, gives some idea of the work performed: - -“Orders were now given that we were to prepare to charge. We gave our -countrymen in front of us three hearty huzzas, and waving our swords -aloft in the air, several swords were struck with balls while so doing; -and I must not forget the piper-- - - _The piper loud and louder blew, - The balls of all denominations quick and quicker flew._ - -The Highlanders were then ordered to wheel back--I think by sections, -but I am not certain: infantry words of command differ from the -cavalry. When they had, and were wheeling back imperfectly, we rushed -through them; at the same time they huzzaed us, calling out, ‘_Now, my -boys--Scotland for ever!_’ I must own it had a thrilling effect upon -me. I am certain numbers of them were knocked over by the horses: in -our anxiety we could not help it. Some said ‘I didna think ye wad hae -sair’d me sae’--catching hold of our legs and stirrups, as we passed, -to support themselves. When we got clear through the Highlanders (92nd) -we were now on the charge, and a short one it was. A cross road being -in our way, we leaped the first hedge gallantly; crossed the road, and -had to leap over another hedge. At this time the smoke from the firing -on both sides made it so that we could not see distinctly. We had not -charged far--not many yards, till we came to a column. We were pretty -well together as yet, although a great number fell about that cross -road. We were in the column in a very short time (making pretty clean -work). We still pushed forward, at least as many as could--a number had -dropped off by this time--and soon came to another column. They cried -out, ‘Prisoners!’ and threw down their arms, and stripped themselves of -their belts (I think it is part of the French discipline to do so), and -ran to our rear. Ay, they ran like hares. We still pushed on, and came -upon another column; and some of them went down on their knees, calling -out ‘Quarter!’ in a very supplicatory way.... - -“We now got amongst the guns, the terrible guns, which had annoyed us -so much. _Such slaughtering!_--men cut down and run through, horses -houghed, harness cut, and all rendered useless. Some, who were judges -of such work, reckoned we had made a very good job of it. Amongst the -guns--I think six or seven in number, all brass--that I was engaged -with, mostly all the men were cut down, and the horses, most of them, -if not all, were houghed. While we were at work amongst these guns, -never thinking but, when we were done with it, we would have nothing -to do but to return from where we came; but I must own I was very -much surprised, when we began to retrace our steps, when what should -we behold coming away across betwixt us and our own army but a great -number of these cuirassiers and lancers, the first I ever beheld in my -life, who were forming up in order to cut off our retreat; but, nothing -daunted, we faced them manfully. We had none to command us now, but -every man did what he could. ‘Conquer or die!’ was the word. When the -regiment returned from the charge mentioned, the troops that I belonged -to did not muster above one or two sound men (unwounded) belonging to -the front rank. Indeed the whole troop did not muster above a dozen; -there were upwards of twenty of the front rank killed, and the others -wounded.” - -Meanwhile the farm of La Haye Sainte, held by a detachment of the -German Legion under Major Baring, had been the object of assault -by a French division detached for that purpose, and the defenders -were driven from the orchard. Reinforcements were sent forward by -Wellington, followed by additional cavalry by Napoleon. The cuirassiers -were met by Lord Edward Somerset’s Brigade, led by the Earl of -Uxbridge, and driven back after a furious struggle for supremacy. -Not until the last pinch of powder was spent and several determined -attempts had been made to secure the place, did the brave fellows -vacate their position to D’Erlon’s infantry, between six and seven -o’clock. - -Towards the close of the afternoon Milhaud’s cuirassiers, supported -by light cavalry and dragoons, attacked the British right-centre. -Wellington at once formed his troops in squares. When the crash came -they stood firm and unbroken. - -The Commander-in-Chief lost not a moment. The heavy brigade of Lord -Edward Somerset was flung against the Frenchmen and drove them from the -ridge.[99] The artillery flamed destruction. Charge followed charge, -thirteen in all, but the British squares remained steady, although -continually reduced. Nearly all Wellington’s cavalry were pressed into -service, and with the exception of a solitary Dutch-Belgian division, -all his infantry reserve was employed. An officer who served in -Halkett’s brigade has left a vivid account of this part of the battle. - -“Hougoumont and its wood,” he writes, “sent up a broad flame through -the dark masses of smoke that overhung the field; beneath this cloud -the French were indistinctly visible. Here a waving mass of long -red feathers could be seen; there, gleams as from a sheet of steel -showed that the cuirassiers were moving; 400 cannon were belching -forth fire and death on every side; the roaring and shouting were -indistinguishably commixed--together they gave me an idea of a -labouring volcano. Bodies of infantry and cavalry were pouring down -on us, and it was time to leave contemplation, so I moved towards -our columns, which were standing up in square.... As I entered the -rear face of our square I had to step over a body, and looking down, -recognised Harry Beere, an officer of our Grenadiers, who about an hour -before shook hands with me, laughing, as I left the columns.... The -tear was not dry on my cheek when poor Harry was no longer thought of. -In a few minutes after, the enemy’s cavalry galloped up and crowned -the crest of our position. Our guns were abandoned,[100] and they -formed between the two brigades, about a hundred paces in our front. -Their first charge was magnificent. As soon as they quickened their -trot into a gallop, the cuirassiers bent their heads so that the -peaks of their helmets looked like vizors, and they seemed cased in -armour from the plume to the saddle. Not a shot was fired till they -were within thirty yards, when the word was given, and our men fired -away at them. The effect was magical. Through the smoke we could see -helmets falling, cavaliers starting from their seats with convulsive -springs as they received our balls, horses plunging and rearing in the -agonies of fright and pain, and crowds of the soldiery dismounted, -part of the squadron in retreat, but the more daring remainder backing -their horses to force them on our bayonets. Our fire soon disposed of -these gentlemen. The main body re-formed in our front, and rapidly and -gallantly repeated their attacks. In fact, from this time (about four -o’clock) till near six, we had a constant repetition of these brave but -unavailing charges. There was no difficulty in repulsing them, but our -ammunition decreased alarmingly. At length an artillery wagon galloped -up, emptied two or three casks of cartridges into the square, and we -were all comfortable.... - -“Though we constantly thrashed our steel-clad opponents, we found -more troublesome customers in the round shot and grape, which all -this time played on us with terrible effect, and fully avenged the -cuirassiers. Often as the volleys created openings in our square would -the cavalry dash on, but they were uniformly unsuccessful. A regiment -on our right seemed sadly disconcerted, and at one moment was in -considerable confusion. Halkett rode out to them, and seizing their -colour, waved it over his head, and restored them to something like -order, though not before his horse was shot under him. At the height of -their unsteadiness we got the order to ‘right face’ to move to their -assistance; some of the men mistook it for ‘right about face,’ and -faced accordingly, when old Major M‘Laine, 73rd, called out, ‘No, my -boys, its “right face”; you’ll never hear the right about as long as a -French bayonet is in front of you!’” - -At Planchenoit, in the rear of the French centre, Lobau and his 10,000 -men were doing their upmost to prevent Bülow with three times that -number of troops from succouring Wellington. The French held the -village for two hours, and then saw it fall into the hands of the -enemy, but only for a time. Some of the Young Guard and three batteries -of artillery had been sent by the Emperor to support Lobau, and when -they arrived the scales again turned in favour of the French. While -this body was held in check, Napoleon’s infantry had suffered near -Hougoumont, but La Haye Sainte had fallen, as already noticed. Had -Napoleon sent reinforcements to Ney he might have won the battle, but -he hesitated to use his remaining reserves. Before anything further was -done, Wellington had made fresh dispositions, and Ziethen’s men, who -had marched by way of Ohain, were on the field. - -[Illustration: Charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo - -R. Caton Woodville] - -Six battalions of the Middle Guard and two battalions of the Old -Guard were at last sent forward.[101] As they crossed the open ground -between Hougoumont and the high road the artillery played sad havoc -with some of them, but behind the crest of the ridge was Maitland’s -brigade of the Foot Guards, led by Wellington, himself. “Up, Guards, -and make ready!” he shouted, and ere the first column was upon them the -British infantry had dealt a deadly fire into its ranks which made it -pause. The second column was caught in flank by Adam’s Brigade. Then -two brigades of British cavalry charged, and although the celebrated -Imperial Guards endeavoured to hold their own they were forced back. -Blücher, who had arrived at a most opportune moment, carried the -position occupied by the French right at Papelotte and La Haye with -Ziethen’s corps. The whole Allied line then advanced, the heights -were carried, and Napoleon’s last army, on the victory of which he -had staked his all, was scattered. The battle of Waterloo was won. -“My plan,” said the Commander-in-Chief, “was to keep my ground until -the Prussians appeared, and then to attack the French position; and I -executed my plan.” - -Throughout the night the Prussians followed up the defeated legions, -which got across the Sambre on the 19th. Some 30,000 of Napoleon’s -men were killed or wounded, and 13,000 of the Allied army, more than -half of whom were British. On the 22nd June 1815, the fallen Emperor -abdicated in favour of his son; on the 7th July the Allies entered -Paris in triumph, and eight days later Napoleon surrendered to Captain -Maitland, of H.M.S. _Bellerophon_. - - _The Desolator desolate! - The Victor overthrown! - The Arbiter of others fate - A Suppliant for his own!_ - - BYRON. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -Wellington the Statesman - -(1815-52) - - “_It is the duty of all to look our difficulties in the face and to - lay the ground for getting the better of them._” - - WELLINGTON. - - -While the good folk of London were listening to the guns of the -Tower and of the Park, which told of the Waterloo victory, and the -joyful news was percolating to the smallest hamlet, Wellington was -fighting a battle in which neither sword nor gun was involved. It was -one of diplomacy, and he proved the conqueror. Blücher, armed with -the Declaration of the 13th March 1815 to the effect that “Napoleon -Bonaparte is put beyond the pale of social and civil relations, and -as enemy and disturber of the repose of the world, he is delivered -over to public vengeance,” was for seizing the fallen Emperor and -shooting him as an outlaw at Vincennes, the scene of the Duc d’Enghien -tragedy.[102] The bloodthirsty Prussian asked for Wellington’s views -on the matter. He received them without delay, and expressed in such a -way that Blücher must have felt thoroughly ashamed of himself, if only -for a passing moment. “They had both acted too distinguished a part in -the recent transactions to become executioners,” the Duke wrote. This -single sentence reveals the sterling uprightness of the man and his -hatred of unnecessary bloodshed. Even supposing that he had received -authority for the carrying out of such a measure, it is extremely -doubtful whether Wellington would have concurred in his colleague’s -wish. Blücher sneered--and accepted the decision. Wellington also found -himself in disagreement with the Prussian view regarding the bridge -of Jena at Paris, which commemorated the crushing Prussian defeat -of October 1806. Blücher, with true patriotic zeal as it seemed to -him, was for blowing it to pieces. Wellington regarded the idea as -foolish, and he carried his point. It would have been a bitter day for -the Capital had Blücher been allowed to work his will. The Prussian -Commander insisted on levying a contribution on the city of Paris of -100,000,000 francs. Wellington upset the scheme by insisting that the -question was one for the Allied sovereigns to arrange. For the third -time vindictive Blücher had to give in. - -When the Provisional Government appealed to the Duke with reference -to Napoleon’s successor, he bluntly told them that “the best security -for Europe was the restoration of the King,” namely, Louis XVIII, and -that he should be recalled “without loss of time, so as to avoid the -appearance of the measure having been forced upon them by the allies.” - -When the Exile King returned to Paris the enormous demands of -certain of the Powers, particularly of Austria and Prussia, had to -be discussed. Had it not been for the resistance of Castlereagh, -Wellington, and Nesselrode, extensive partitions undoubtedly would -have resulted. As finally settled by the Second Treaty of Paris, -concluded on the 20th November, the territory of France was reduced -to practically the limits of 1790, an indemnity of 700,000,000 francs -was determined for the expenses of the war, and an army of occupation -not exceeding 150,000 troops under the Duke was to garrison the -chief frontier fortresses, including Valenciennes, Cambray, Quesnoy, -Maubeuge, and Landrecy, for a maximum period of five years, the -expense being met by the French Government. The magnificent art -treasures, which Napoleon had gloried in plundering, were to be -returned to their rightful owners. That is why the celebrated bronze -horses of St Mark may be seen on the great Venetian Cathedral to-day, -and the wonderful “Descent from the Cross,” by Rubens, admired in the -Cathedral of Antwerp, from whence it had been taken to find a temporary -resting-place in the Louvre. - -An excellent account of the Army of Occupation is given by a Scotsman -who visited Paris shortly after the battle of Waterloo. There were -comparatively few Austrians, the majority of them being in the south -of France, but those seen by the writer of _Paul’s Letters to his -Kinsfolk_ were “bulky men” who “want the hardy and athletic look of -the British, Russians, or Prussians.” The Russian infantry were “fine, -firm, steady-looking men, clean, handsome, but by no means remarkable -for stature.” The artillery were “in the highest possible order,” -the cavalry “remarkably fine men,” the appearance of the Cossacks -“prepossessing.” The Prussians, while never having been accused of -“gross violence,” succeeded in wrecking the Château de Montmorency, -where a large body of them was quartered. Camp-kettles were boiled with -picture-frames, and the furniture stripped by female camp followers. -Paul notes that the Prussian officers were the principal customers of -the expensive restaurants and theatres, but that many British officers -of rank had gone so far as to decline the quarters appointed them in -private houses. He bestows much praise on Wellington for his discipline -and justice: “The strong sense and firmness for which the Duke is as -much distinguished as for skill in arms and bravery in the field of -battle, easily saw that the high and paramount part which Britain now -holds in Europe, that preeminence which, in so many instances, has made -her and her delegates the chosen mediators when disputes occurred -amongst the allied powers, depends entirely on our maintaining pure -and sacred the national character for good faith and disinterested -honour. The slightest complaint, therefore, of want of discipline or -oppression perpetrated by a British officer or soldier has instantly -met with reprehension and punishment, and the result has been the -reducing the French to the cruel situation of hating us without having -any complaint to justify themselves for doing so, even in their own -eyes.... The soldiers, without exception, both British and foreigners, -conduct themselves in public with civility, are very rarely to be -seen intoxicated, though the means are so much within reach; and, -considering all the irritating circumstances that exist, few quarrels -occur betwixt them and the populace. Very strong precautions are, -however, taken in case of any accidental or premeditated commotion.” - -Wellington threw the whole weight of his influence on the side of -moderation. Prussia was all for partition, for getting her territorial -“pound of flesh,” but the calmer statesmanship of the diplomatists -already mentioned, especially of Wellington, won the day. The Duke’s -policy is clearly outlined in his dispatch of the 11th August, which, -in the opinion of Dr Holland Rose, “deserves to rank among his highest -titles to fame.” - -Wellington states that while France has been left “in too great -strength for the rest of Europe, weakened as all the powers of Europe -have been by the wars in which they have been engaged with France,” -his objection to the demand of a “great cession from France upon this -occasion is, that it will defeat the object which the Allies have held -out to themselves in the present and the preceding wars.” He then -proceeds to detail what were, in his opinion, the various causes which -led to so much bloodshed: “to put an end to the French Revolution, to -obtain peace for themselves and their people, to have the power of -reducing their overgrown military establishments, and the leisure -to attend to the internal concerns of their several nations, and to -improve the situation of their people. The Allies took up arms against -Buonaparte because it was certain that the world could not be at peace -as long as he should possess, or should be in a situation to attain, -supreme power in France; and care must be taken,” he adds, “in making -the arrangements consequent upon our success, that we do not leave the -world in the same unfortunate situation respecting France that it would -have been in if Buonaparte had continued in possession of his power.” - -The Duke then goes on to review the situation. If Louis XVIII were to -refuse the cession of territory, his people would undoubtedly support -him, and the Allies “might take the fortresses and provinces which -might suit them, but there would be no genuine peace for the world, -no nation could disarm, no Sovereign could turn his attention from -the affairs of this country.” If the King consented to the partition, -“which, from all that one hears, is an event by no means probable, the -Allies must be satisfied, and must retire; but I would appeal to the -experience of the transactions of last year for a statement of the -situation in which we should find ourselves.” France was then reduced -to her limits of 1792, and “the Allies were obliged to maintain each -in the field half of the war establishment stipulated in the treaty of -Chaumont, in order to guard their conquests, and what had been ceded to -them.” In France “the general topic of conversation was the recovery -of the left bank of the Rhine as the frontier of France.” Wellington -therefore preferred “the temporary occupation of some of the strong -places, and to maintain for a time a strong force in France, both at -the expense of the French Government, and under strict regulation, to -the permanent cession of even all the places which in my opinion ought -to be occupied for a time. These measures will not only give us, -during the period of occupation, all the military security which could -be expected from the permanent cession, but, if carried into execution -in the spirit in which they are conceived, they are in themselves the -bond of peace.” - -During the remainder of his stay in France, broken by a short visit -to England in 1816, Wellington was far from popular, and one or two -attempts were made on his life. It was scarcely to be expected that -a man who had been pre-eminently successful in the field against the -nation’s armies would be lauded as a popular hero, but, as we have -seen, he had helped to save the country from a bitter and vindictive -humiliation. He finally returned home in 1818, when the Army of -Occupation evacuated France with the consent of the Powers at the -request of its Commander-in-Chief. He never again drew his sword in -warfare, but he maintained a commanding position in the affairs of -Great Britain until the close of his long life. - -His honours and orders were now varied and many. England and foreign -countries honoured themselves by honouring him. Parliament voted him -£200,000 for the erection or purchase of Strathfieldsaye, Hampshire, -and the estate granted to him as Prince of Waterloo by the King of the -Netherlands was valued at £4000 per annum. On his return to England -he became Master of the Ordnance, which entitled him to a seat in the -Cabinet. - -In 1821 Wellington revisited the scene of his most famous battle with -George IV, and afterwards proceeded to Verona to represent, with Lord -Strangford, Great Britain at the Congress about to be held there to -determine the attitude of England, France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia -regarding various matters, including the insurrection in Greece and -the relations of Russia and Turkey in the matter, the evacuation of -Piedmont and Naples by the Austrian troops, the slave trade, and more -particularly the unhappy state of affairs in Spain, which country -was then in a state of civil war. Should the five Powers send armed -assistance to Ferdinand, whom Wellington’s victories in the Peninsula -had replaced on the throne? Answering for his own country the Duke -maintained the principle of non-interference excepting in a case of -necessity. In this matter Great Britain stood alone, and the Duke had -to run the gauntlet of fierce criticism on his return to England. - -His next continental journey was in 1826, when he was sent on a special -mission to Petersburg on the accession of the Emperor Nicholas, with -the object of arriving at a satisfactory settlement of the projected -Russian attack on Turkey over the Greek difficulty. In this he was not -entirely successful, for after events proved that he had only succeeded -in staving off the evil day. - -On the death of the Duke of York in the following year, Wellington -was appointed Commander-in-Chief, retaining his other office, which -controlled merely the artillery and engineers. - -A month later Canning became Prime Minister, and the Duke was asked to -continue as a member of the Cabinet. This request he not only declined, -but surrendered his two important offices as well. Mutual suspicion -seems to have been the cause of this unexpected event, certainly not -jealousy, for Wellington said that he should be “worse than mad if -he had ever thought of it for a moment,” the “it” referring to his -possible appointment as First Lord of the Treasury. Canning did not -live long to enjoy the sweets of office, for he died on the following -August, and was succeeded by “Prosperity” Robinson, otherwise Lord -Goderich, who resigned at the beginning of 1828. - -The Duke, once again Commander-in-Chief, was sent for by George IV, -and requested to form a Ministry. He obeyed with the instinct of a -soldier when ordered by his superior officer, rather than as a keen -politician about to have his highest ambition gratified. Wellington -was a Tory, and the political freedom of the Roman Catholics and the -reform of Parliament were the burning questions of the hour. The -Duke was uncertain as to the practical utility of either, but he was -not prepared to go against the known wishes of the nation so far -as the religious question was concerned. After navigating a sea of -difficulties, the Roman Catholic Relief Bill passed both Houses in -the early days of 1829. One of his opponents, the Earl of Winchilsea, -charged Wellington with “breaking in upon the Constitution of 1688 -in order that he might the more effectively, under the cloak of -some outward show of zeal for the Protestant religion, carry on his -insidious designs for the infringement of our liberties, and the -introduction of Popery in every department of the State.” The Premier -requested an apology, which was not forthcoming, whereupon the former -demanded “satisfaction,” in other words, a duel. Sir Henry Hardinge for -Wellington and Lord Falmouth for Winchilsea were the respective seconds. - -The meeting took place in Battersea Fields.[103] “Now then, Hardinge,” -said the Duke, “look sharp and step out the ground. I have no time -to waste. Don’t stick him up so near the ditch. If I hit him he will -tumble in.” The signal was given to fire. Noting that his opponent did -not level his pistol on the command being given, the Duke purposely -fired wide, and an instant afterwards Winchilsea fired in the air. -The latter then produced a written sheet which he called an apology, -which had to be altered before it met with Wellington’s approval. “Good -morning, my Lord Winchilsea; good morning, my Lord Falmouth,” cried the -Duke as he saluted with two fingers, and, mounting his horse, cantered -off. - -The Duke had a most thankless task during his administration, so much -so that we find him writing, “If I had known in January 1828, one -tithe of what I do now, and of what I discovered one month after I -was in office, I should never have been the King’s Minister, and so -have avoided loads of misery. However, I trust God Almighty will soon -determine that I have been sufficiently punished for my sins and will -relieve me from the unlucky lot which has befallen me. I believe there -never was a man who suffered so much for so little purpose.” - -He had almost as much trouble with the King as had Pitt with George -III, and many of his old supporters were indignant with him over the -Relief Bill. Wellington vehemently opposed Parliamentary Reform in the -face of public opinion, with the result that his Ministry rode to a -fall in November 1830. - -Two months before he had taken part in the opening ceremony of the -Manchester and Liverpool Railway, the first line to cater for passenger -traffic in the British Empire. He rode in one of the two trains which -made the initial journey, and the fact that they both went in the same -direction was the cause of a lamentable accident which deprived one of -Wellington’s friends of his life. The incident occurred at Parkside, -where the engines stopped to obtain a supply of water. While the trains -were at a standstill, Mr Huskisson, formerly President of the Board -of Trade, got out of the carriage in which he had been travelling and -sought Wellington. A minute or two later the train on the opposite -line started. One of the open doors knocked him down, and his right -leg was crushed by the locomotive. The Duke and several others ran to -the injured man’s assistance, but his injuries were such that he only -survived a few hours. - -Wellington was succeeded as First Lord of the Treasury by Earl Grey, -whose Government was speedily defeated by the Reform Bill which it -introduced being rejected by the Lords. Riots broke out in London -and the provinces; William IV “was frightened by the appearance of -the people outside of St James’s”; the celebrated Dr Arnold wrote -that his “sense of the evils of the times, and to what purpose I am -bringing up my children, is overwhelmingly bitter.” The King implored -the Ministers not to hand in their resignation, the House of Commons -carried by a large majority a vote of confidence in the Government, and -the nation showed that it bitterly resented the action of the Lords. -There was an attempt at compromise, but the concessions were so trivial -from Wellington’s point of view that he declined to take part in the -negotiations. After further angry scenes in the following session Grey -resigned on the 9th May 1832. It was during this trying period of our -national history that the window-panes of Apsley House were stoned and -the Duke’s life was threatened.[104] - -Once again the King requested Wellington to form a new administration, -and several meetings were held with that idea in view, but to no -purpose. He had to confess that the task was absolutely impossible: -“I felt that my duty to the King required that I should make a great -sacrifice of opinion to serve him, and to save his Majesty and the -country from what I considered a great evil. Others were not of the -same opinion. I failed in performing the service which I intended to -perform....” Several resident members of Oxford University, including -Professor the Rev. John Keble, impressed by the Duke’s devotion, -raised funds for the purpose of a bust to commemorate his self-denying -conduct. This appreciation of approval greatly pleased Wellington, -who announced his intention of sitting for Chantrey, the celebrated -sculptor, or whoever else the committee might choose, “with the -greatest satisfaction.” When Grey resumed office the Reform Bill was -read for a third time and passed, a number of peers having declared -“that in consequence of the present state of affairs they have come -to the resolution of dropping their further opposition to the Reform -Bill, so that it may pass without delay as nearly as possible in its -present shape.” Wellington quietly left the House. He was no more -kindly disposed towards the Irish Reform Bill, and subjected it to a -fire of criticism which did not, however, preclude it from passing. - -One of the most remarkable events of the Duke’s crowded life occurred -in November 1834. When Earl Grey resigned in July 1834, on which -occasion his opponent made a graceful speech to the effect that -there had been no personal hostility in his opposition, the retiring -statesman recommended Lord Melbourne as his successor. This suggestion -met with the King’s approval, but the reign of the new Administration -lasted only until the middle of the following November. His Majesty -sent for Wellington at six in the morning. The latter refused to form -a Cabinet, and recommended Sir Robert Peel, who was then in Rome. The -Duke promised to carry on the Government during the interim, with the -result that he held the offices of First Lord of the Treasury, Home -Secretary, Foreign and Colonial Secretary, and Secretary at War for -nearly a month. On Peel’s return he appointed his industrious ally -Foreign Secretary, a position he held until the following April, when -the Government resigned. In 1841, in Peel’s second Administration, he -occupied a seat in the Cabinet, without office, and in the following -year he was created Commander-in-Chief for life by patent under the -great seal. - -During the Chartist agitation Wellington was asked who was to command -the forces in London, where a riot was expected. He answered, “I -can name no one except the Duke of Wellington.” He organized the -arrangements with his usual thoroughness, disposing his troops to keep -them out of sight, and taking prompt measures to protect important -public buildings. Fortunately the excitement died down, and armed force -was not required. - -The Duke frequently spent several hours a day at the Horse Guards. -“Speaking from the experience which I had of him,” says General Sir -George Brown, G.C.B., “I should say that the Duke was a remarkably -agreeable man to do business with, because of his clear and ready -decision. However much I may have seen him irritated and excited, -with the subjects which I have repeatedly had to bring under his -notice, I have no recollection of his ever having made use of a harsh -or discourteous expression to me, or of his having dismissed me -without a distinct and explicit answer or decision in the case under -consideration. Like all good men of business, who consider well before -coming to a decision, his Grace was accustomed to adhere strictly to -precedent; to the decisions he may have previously come to on similar -cases. This practice greatly facilitated the task of those who had to -transact business with him, seeing that all we had to do in concluding -our statement of any particular case was to refer to his decision or -some similar one.” - -“Everybody writes to me for everything,” he once remarked to Stanhope. -“They know the Duke of Wellington is said to be a good-natured man, -and so at the least they will get an answer.” The Earl, astonished at -the amount of the Duke’s correspondence, ventured to say that his host -might expect to be allowed some rest and recreation while he was at -Walmer. “Rest!” cried the Duke. “Every other animal--even a donkey--a -costermonger’s donkey--is allowed some rest, but the Duke of Wellington -never! There is no help for it. As long as I am able to go on, they -will put the saddle upon my back and make me go.” - -Georgiana, Lady De Ros, who was a frequent visitor at Walmer Castle and -at Strathfieldsaye, relates an incident which has a direct bearing on -this point. “Wellington,” she says, “would tell a story against himself -sometimes, and amused us all quite in his latter days by the account -of various impostures that had been practised upon him; for years he -had helped an imaginary officer’s daughter, paid for music lessons for -her, given her a piano, paid for her wedding trousseau, for her child’s -funeral, etc., etc. At last it came out that _one man_ was the author -of these impostures, ‘and then,’ the Duke said, ‘an Officer from the -Mendicity Society called on me and gave me such a scolding as I never -had before in my life!’” - -In a book inscribed as “A Slight Souvenir of the Season 1845-6” we find -a delightful little glimpse of “the hero of a hundred fights” as a -country gentlemen. “What can be a finer sight than to see the Duke of -Wellington enter the hunting field?” the author asks. “Not one of those -gorgeous spectacles, it is true, such as a coronation, a review, the -Lord Mayor’s Show, or a procession to the Houses of Parliament--not one -of those pompous Continental exhibitions called a _chasse_, where armed -menials keep back the crowd, and brass bands proclaim alike the find -and finish; but what can be a finer sight--a sight more genial to the -mind of a Briton--than the mighty Wellington entering the hunting field -with a single attendant, making no more fuss than a country squire? -Yet many have seen the sight, and many, we trust, may yet see it. The -Duke takes the country sport like a country gentleman--no man less the -great man than this greatest of all men; affable to all, his presence -adds joy to the scene. The Duke is a true sportsman, and has long been -a supporter of the Vine and Sir John Cope’s hounds. He kept hounds -himself during the Peninsular War, and divers good stories are related -of them and their huntsman (Tom Crane), whose enthusiasm used sometimes -to carry him in the enemy’s country, a fact that he used to be reminded -of by a few bullets whizzing about his ears.” - -Wellington was now the trusted friend of Queen Victoria, who ever held -him in the highest esteem. He was one of the first persons, perhaps -actually the first,[105] outside the Royal family and the medical -attendants to see the baby who afterwards became Edward VII. According -to one account he was met outside Buckingham Palace by Lord Hill, who -was informed “All over--fine boy, very fine boy, almost as red as you -Hill.” - -Two days after the first anniversary of the birthday of Edward Albert, -Prince of Wales, the Queen and the Prince Consort, accompanied by the -Royal children, journeyed to Walmer Castle to pay the Duke a visit. An -even greater honour was reserved for the veteran warrior, for on the -birth of her Majesty’s third son on the 1st May 1850, it got noised -abroad that the infant was to be called Arthur, “in compliment to the -Hero of Waterloo.” The present Duke of Connaught is thus a living link -with Wellington. “I must not omit to mention,” the Queen writes exactly -a year later, “an interesting episode of this day, viz., the visit of -the good old Duke on this his eighty-second birthday, to his little -godson, our dear little boy. He came to us both at five, and gave him a -golden cup and some toys, which he had himself chosen, and Arthur gave -him a nosegay.” - -The day was also that on which the great Exhibition at the Crystal -Palace was opened. “The Royal party,” says Queen Victoria, “were -received with continued acclamation as they passed through the Park and -round the Exhibition house, and it was also very interesting to witness -the cordial greeting given to the Duke of Wellington. I was just behind -him and Anglesey [on whose arm he was leaning], during the procession -round the building, and he was accompanied by an incessant running fire -of applause from the men, and waving of handkerchiefs and kissing of -hands from the women, who lined the pathway of the march during the -three-quarters of an hour that it took us to march round....” - -Although the Duke never courted popularity, seemed indeed to shun it -and to regard the satisfaction shown by some of his colleagues in the -plaudits of the multitude as a sign of weakness, there can be little -doubt that he felt a glow of inward pleasure, however slight, when he -reflected on the good feeling displayed towards him in the closing -years of his long and well-filled life. Apt to be somewhat cynical on -occasion, and to think that the times were “like sweet bells jangled, -out of tune and harsh,” he was neither censorious nor vindictive. -Nelson preached the gospel of Duty, but Wellington lived it and -sacrificed everything to it. - -Brougham, as champion of Parliamentary Reform, was an opponent of -Wellington, but in middle age he took up an independent position, and -has left in his “Historical Sketches of Statesmen who flourished in the -Time of George III” a magnificent testimony of the Duke’s worth. - -“The peculiar characteristic of this great man,” he writes, “and which, -though far less dazzling than his exalted genius, and his marvellous -fortune, is incomparably more useful for the contemplation of the -statesman, as well as the moralist, is that constant abnegation of -all selfish feelings, that habitual sacrifice of every personal, -every party consideration to the single object of strict duty--duty -rigorously performed in what station soever he might be called to act. -This was ever perceived to be his distinguishing quality; and it was -displayed at every period of his public life, and in all matters from -the most trifling to the most important.” - -Regarding the Reform Bill, Brougham says that Wellington’s conduct -“during the whole of the debates in both sessions upon that measure was -exemplary. Opposing it to the utmost of his power, no one could charge -him with making the least approach to factious violence, or with ever -taking an unfair advantage.... After the Bill had passed, the same -absence of all factious feelings marked his conduct.” - -The Duke’s modesty, his good sense, candour and fairness, love of -justice, hatred of oppression and fraud are touched upon by Brougham, -who closes his brief acknowledgment of his subject’s virtues by quoting -a remark made by Lord Denman, “the greatest judge of the day.” It is -that of all Wellington’s “great and good qualities, the one which -stands first, is his anxious desire ever to see justice done, and the -pain he manifestly feels from the sight of injustice.” - -On the morning of the 14th September 1852 the victor of Waterloo had a -paralytic stroke at Walmer Castle. At six o’clock his valet entered the -Duke’s room to call him, but he complained of not feeling quite well -and sent for an apothecary. In the evening he was lying dead on his -camp bedstead. We are apt to use the phrase “full of years and honour” -rather too glibly perhaps, but it is intensely apposite when applied -to the great Duke. He was eighty-three years of age, and as for honour -a glance at the following list of distinctions bestowed upon Arthur -Wellesley will make the fact self evident: - -He was Duke of Wellington, Marquis of Wellington, Earl of Wellington -in Somerset, Viscount Wellington of Talavera, Marquis of Douro, Baron -Douro of Wellesley, Prince of Waterloo in the Netherlands, Duke of -Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain, Duke of Bennoy in France, Duke of Vittoria, -Marquis of Torres Vedras, Count of Vimiero in Portugal, a Grandee of -the First Class in Spain, a Privy Councillor, Commander-in-Chief of -the British Army, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, Colonel of the -Rifle Brigade, a Field Marshal of Great Britain, a Marshal of Russia, -Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands; a Knight of the -Garter, the Holy Ghost, the Golden Fleece; a Knight Grand Cross of the -Bath and of Hanover, a Knight of the Black Eagle, the Tower and Sword, -St Fernando, of William of the Low Countries, Charles III, of the -Sword of Sweden, St Andrew of Russia, the Annunciado of Sardinia, the -Elephant of Denmark, of Maria Theresa, of St George of Russia, of the -Crown of Rue of Saxony; a Knight of Fidelity of Baden, of Maximilian -Joseph of Bavaria, of St Alexander Newsky of Russia, of St Hermenegilda -of Spain, of the Red Eagle of Bradenburg, of St Januarius, of the -Golden Lion of Hesse Cassel, of the Lion of Baden; and a Knight of -Merit of Würtemburg. In addition, Wellington was Lord High Constable of -England, Constable of the Tower and of Dover Castle, Warden, Chancellor -and Admiral of the Cinque Ports, Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire and -of the Tower Hamlets, Ranger of St James’s Park and of Hyde Park, -Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Commissioner of the Royal -Military College, Vice-President of the Scottish Naval and Military -Academy, the Master of Trinity House, a Governor of King’s College, a -Doctor of Laws, and a Fellow of the Royal Society. - -The motto on Wellington’s escutcheon, _Virtutis fortuna -comes_--“Fortune is the companion of valour”--was exemplified in his -long and eventful career, and perhaps the following words, once used by -him in a dispatch, suggest how keen was his sense of responsibility: -“God help me if I fail, for no one else will.” With true British -inconsistency the nation spent £100,000 on the funeral of him whose -habits were of Spartan simplicity, but with more appropriateness the -body of the Conqueror of Napoleon was placed next to that of the Hero -of Trafalgar in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral. - -And so these two great Warriors sleep together. They were worthy of -England; may England be worthy of them. - - - - -Index of Proper Names - - - Abbé Siéyès, 21 - - Abercromby, General, 30, 47 - - Abrantes, 109, 125 - - d’Abrantès, Duc, 103 - - Acland, General, 90, 91 - - Adam, Sir Frederick, 235 - - Addington, Henry, 65 - - Agraça, Mount, 131 - - Agueda, River, 148, 158, 161, 170 - - Ahmednuggur, 53, 66 - - Aire, 196 - - Alava, General, 171, 172, 173 - - Alba de Tormes, 124, 171, 180, 182 - - Alberche, 112, 117 - - Albergaria, 106 - - Albert, Edward, Prince of Wales, 249 - - Albuera, 152, 153, 154 - - Albuquerque, Duke of, 125 - - Alcarez, 186 - - Alcobaço, 88, 138 - - Aldea da Ponte, 159 - - Alemtejo, 147, 158 - - Alexander, Emperor, 71, 75 - - Alhandra, 131 - - Alicante, 181 - - Alison, 29, 149 - - Almarez, 120, 170 - - Almeida, 129, 132, 143, 145, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 159, 163, 164, - 170, 187 - - Almonacid, 120 - - Alps, the, 210 - - Amarante, Convent of, 107 - - America, North, 207 - - Amiens, Peace of, 68 - - Amotz, 194 - - Amrut Rao, 52 - - Andalusia, 181, 182, 186 - - Angers, 20, 21 - - d’Angoulême, Duc, 196 - - Anselme, 25 - - Anstruther, General, 90 - - Antwerp, 25, 29, 30 - - Antwerp, Cathedral of, 238 - - Apsley House, 245 - - Aragon, 80, 127, 161 - - Areizaga, General, 124, 125 - - Argaum, Battle of, 60, 66 - - Armia, 131 - - Armour, James, 230 - - Arnold, Dr, 245 - - Arzobispo, 120 - - Ascain, 194 - - Assaye, Battle of, 54, 56, 66 - - Asseerghur, Fortress, 57, 66 - - Astorga, 185 - - Asturias, 103, 171, 186 - - Augereau, 199 - - Austerlitz, 18, 69 - - Austria, 101, 127, 237, 241 - - Austrians, the, 24, 25, 26, 29 - - Aviella, River, 140 - - - Badajoz, 106, 109, 122, 125, 140, 142, 145, 147, 152, 155, 156, 163, - 164, 165, 170, 185 - - Baird, General, 40, 41, 48, 49, 50, 64, 65, 100, 101 - - Baji Rao, 51 - - Balasore, 61 - - Ballasteros, 148, 152, 185 - - Bappoo, Manoo, 58 - - Barcelona, Fortress of, 79 - - Baring, Major, 231 - - Barnard, Colonel, 166 - - Barrington, Sir Jonah, 22, 70 - - Bassein, Subsidiary Treaty of, 51 - - Batavia, Island of, 45, 47, 48 - - Batavia, Expedition to, 65 - - Bathurst, Earl, 201 - - Battersea Fields, 243 - - Bautzen, 187 - - Baylen, 79 - - Bayonne, 160, 190, 195, 200 - - Baztan, 190 - - Beckwith, 144 - - Beere, Harry, 233 - - Belgium, 25, 205, 207, 210 - - Belle Alliance, La, 223 - - _Bellerophon_, H.M.S., 235 - - Belvedere, 100 - - Bentinck, Lord William, 192 - - Beresford, Marshal Sir W. C., 104, 106, 121, 125, 143, 147, 148, - 152, 153, 154, 157, 178, 195, 196, 197, 198, 202 - - Bessières, 100, 103 - - Bhonsla Rájá of Berar, 51, 53, 54, 58, 61 - - Bidarray, 194 - - Bidassoa, River, 192 - - Blake, General, 80, 100, 125, 148, 152, 160 - - Blakeney, Robert, 83 - - Blücher, 211, 216, 217, 218, 220, 235, 236, 237 - - Boialva, Pass of, 137 - - Boigne, Comtesse de, 201 - - Bombay, 48, 52, 53, 65 - - Bonaparte, Jerome, 221, 226 - - Bonaparte, Joseph, 79, 99, 110, 113, 116, 117, 120, 124, 181, 182, - 187, 190 - - Bonaparte, Letizia, 18 - - Bonnet, 178, 179, 180 - - Bordeaux, 196 - - Bowes, Major-General, 165 - - Boxtel, Village, 30 - - Boyer, 175, 176, 179 - - Bradford, 173 - - Braganza, House of, 78 - - Braine-le-Comte, 211, 213 - - Brazil, 78 - - Bremen, 31 - - Brienne, 21 - - Brissac, Duc de, 21 - - Brougham, 250 - - Brown, Sir George, 129, 247 - - Bruges, 25 - - Brune, Marshal, 210 - - Brussels, 20, 25, 205, 211, 225 - - Bucellas, 131 - - Bülow, General, 217, 218, 227, 234 - - Burghersh, Lady, 202, 208 - - Burgos, 181, 182, 185, 186, 187 - - Burrampur, 56, 57, 66 - - Burrard, Sir Harry, 87, 90, 91, 93, 94, 97, 100 - - Busaco, 134 - - Bylandt, 227 - - - Caçadores, the, 105 - - Cadiz, 80, 88, 125, 132, 184, 185 - - Cadogan, Colonel, 188 - - Caffarelli, 182 - - Caillou, Farm, 217 - - Calcutta, 33, 35, 52 - - Cambray, 237 - - Camden, Lord, 33 - - Cameron, Alister, 166 - - Campbell, Captain, 61 - - Canada, 17 - - Canning, 71, 74, 75, 126, 242 - - Cantabrian Hills, 160 - - Carnatic, the, 53 - - Casserbarry Ghaut, 57 - - Castaños, General, 80, 100, 148, 152 - - Castilian Mountains, 116 - - Castile, 125, 185 - - Castlereagh, Lord, 22, 23, 64, 70, 87, 88, 96, 97, 101, 102, 108, - 109, 126, 201, 207, 237 - - Catalonia, 80, 103, 127, 190 - - Cathcart, Lord, 68, 72 - - Cawnpore, 52 - - Cazal Nova, 142 - - Ceylon, 48 - - Châlons, 24 - - Chantrey, 245 - - Charlemagne, 127 - - Charleroi, 29, 212, 225 - - Charles IV, 79 - - Chasseurs Britanniques, the, 156 - - Château de Montmorency, 238 - - Chateaubriand, 21 - - Chaves, 103 - - Chelsea, 19 - - Chelsea Hospital, 97, 182 - - Chesterford, 96 - - Choiseul, Duc de, 17 - - “Christian’s Storm,” 33 - - Cinco Villas, 143 - - Cintra, Convention of, 94, 96 - - Ciudad Real, 103 - - Ciudad Rodrigo, 123, 124, 128, 132, 140, 145, 147, 148, 157, 158, - 159, 160, 161, 163, 164, 170, 172, 183, 185, 187 - - Clausel, 181, 182, 190, 196, 210 - - Clerfait, 29 - - Clinton, 179, 180 - - Clive, Lord, 38, 45 - - Coa, River, 129, 144, 145, 149, 159 - - Coalition, Fifth, 209 - - Coburg, 25 - - Coimbra, 86, 125, 133, 137, 139 - - Colborne, Colonel, 195, 198 - - Cole, Major-General, 178 - - Collingwood, Vice-Admiral, 80 - - Colville, Hon. C., 166, 225 - - Comorin, Cape, 48 - - Conahgull, 44 - - Conception, Fort, 150 - - Condé, 26 - - Consuegra, 185 - - Cope, Sir John, 248 - - Copenhagen, 73, 74, 76 - - Cork, 84 - - Cornwallis, Marquis, 69 - - Corsica, Island, 18 - - Cortes, the, 183 - - Coruña, 80, 85, 101, 106 - - Costello, Edward, 104, 110 - - Cotton, Sir Stapleton, 150, 171, 173, 196, 202, 220 - - Cox, Colonel, 129 - - Cradock, Sir John, 100 - - Crane, Tom, 248 - - Craufurd, General, 119, 129, 151, 163 - - Croker, John Wilson, 55, 85, 171, 172 - - Crystal Palace, 249 - - Cuesta, General, 103, 109, 110, 111, 112, 119, 120, 121 - - Cuttack, Province, 52, 61 - - - Danes, the, 72, 74 - - Dangan Castle, 18 - - Dalrymple, Sir Hew, 87, 94, 95, 97, 100 - - D’Archambault, 21 - - Daulat Rao, 51 - - Decaen, Count, 210 - - Deccan, the, 53, 62, 66 - - Delaborde, General, 88, 90 - - Deleytosa, 120, 121, 123 - - Denman, Lord, 251 - - Denmark, 71, 72, 75 - - D’Erlon, 210, 212, 216, 227, 228, 232 - - Despeña Perros, Pass of, 125 - - Don Carlos d’España, 152 - - Dorsenne, 158, 159 - - Dos Casas, River, 150 - - Douro, River, 106, 171 - - Douro of Wellesley, Baron, 122 - - Dresden, 190 - - Dublin, 18, 69 - - Dumouriez, 25 - - Dundas, Sir David, 31, 97 - - Dungannon, Viscount, 19, 20 - - Dunkirk, 26 - - Dupont, 79, 100 - - Duran, 185 - - - East India Company, 36 - - Ebro, River, 79, 182, 187, 193 - - Edinburgh Castle, 92 - - Edward VII, 249 - - Eguia, 120, 121, 123 - - Egypt, 47, 48 - - Elba, 208 - - Ellichpúr, 58, 60 - - Elvas, 129, 153, 155, 156 - - d’Enghien, Duc, 236 - - England, 21, 25, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 96, 103, 132, 186, 190, - 241, 242, 252 - - Essling, Prince of, 127 - - Estremadura, 80, 109, 123, 124, 127, 132, 139, 156, 164, 170, 186 - - Eton, 19, 20 - - Europe, 23, 24, 27, 156, 157, 194, 237, 238, 239 - - Ewart, Serjeant, 228 - - - Falmouth, Lord, 243 - - Ferdinand VII, 79, 122, 202, 203, 242 - - Ferguson, 91 - - Ferrol, 80 - - Figueras, Fortress of, 79 - - Finisterre, Cape, 86 - - Flanders, 25, 29, 208 - - Fleurus, Plains of, 29, 113 - - Fontainebleau, Treaty of, 78 - - Forbes, Dr, 168 - - Foy, General, 174, 175, 177, 180, 190, 220 - - Foz d’Aronce, 142 - - France, 24, 26, 27, 71, 94, 101, 113, 128, 194, 195, 239, 240, 241 - - Francis II., Emperor, 208 - - Frasnes, 212, 215 - - Frazer, Mackenzie, 87 - - Freer, 167 - - Freire, Bernardino, 86 - - Freneda, 151, 159, 183 - - Frénilly, Baron de, 99, 208 - - Freyre, General, 197, 198 - - Frischermont, 227 - - Fuente Guinaldo, 158 - - Fuentes de Oñoro, 148, 150, 151 - - - Gagern, Captain Baron von, 213 - - Gaikwár of Baroda, 51 - - Galicia, 79, 80, 103, 106, 108, 110, 111, 118, 123, 124, 127, 158, - 182, 186 - - Gallegos, 164 - - Galluzzo, General, 80 - - Gambier, Admiral, 72 - - Garonne, the, 196 - - Gave de Pau, the, 195 - - Gawilghur, Fort, 60 - - Gémioncourt, Farm of, 215 - - George III, 68, 244, 250 - - George IV, 241, 242 - - Georgiana, Lady De Ros, 247 - - Gérard, 210 - - Germany, 69 - - Ghent, 25 - - Gleig, George Robert, 23, 69, 193 - - Goderich, Lord, 242 - - Godoy, Duke of Alcudia, 78 - - Good Hope, Cape of, 34 - - Gordon, Colonel, 193 - - Graham, Sir Thomas, 186, 191, 192, 202 - - Great Britain, 25, 68, 75, 76, 102, 163, 238, 241, 242 - - Greece, 241 - - Grey, Earl, 244, 245, 246 - - Grouchy, General, 210, 217, 220, 227 - - Guadalaxara, 185 - - Guadiana, the, 103, 164, 165, 169 - - Guareña, 171 - - - Hal, 225 - - Halkett, 232, 234 - - Hampshire, 241 - - Handel, 19 - - Hanover, 68 - - Hanoverians, the, 25, 26, 226 - - Hardinge, Colonel Sir Henry, 153, 243 - - Harris, General, 38, 39, 40 - - Hastings, 69 - - Herrasti, Governor, 128 - - Hessians, the, 25, 26 - - Hill, Lord, 104, 125, 130, 134, 158, 170, 182, 186, 187, 190, 192, - 195, 196, 199, 201, 202, 211, 249 - - Hockrill, 96 - - Holkar of Indore, 51, 52, 62 - - Holland, 25, 29, 30, 53, 205, 207 - - Holy Roman Empire, 24, 25, 28 - - Hood, 27 - - Hope, Sir John, 195, 200, 201, 202 - - Hope, the Hon. J., 87 - - Hostalrich, 127 - - Houchard, General, 26 - - Hougoumont, 221, 225, 226, 232, 234 - - Houssaye, 220 - - Houstoun, Major-General, 150, 151 - - Huebra, River, 164, 183 - - Hughes, 20 - - Hungary, 49 - - Huskisson, Mr, 244 - - Hyde Park, 226 - - Hyder Ali, 36 - - Hyderabad, 38, 53, 66 - - - Iberian Peninsula, 78, 127 - - Imperialists, the, 25, 29 - - India, 17, 66, 69, 70, 71 - - Indore, 53 - - Inglis, Colonel, 153 - - Inniskillings, the, 228 - - Ireland, 18, 22, 70, 71, 76 - - Irish Reform Bill, 246 - - Isle of Wight, 103 - - - Jackson, Mr F. J., 72 - - Jaraicejo, 120, 121 - - Jaucourt, Marquis de, 21 - - Jemappes, 25 - - Jena, Bridge of, 237 - - Jerome, 221 - - Jesuits, the, 17 - - Jeswant Rao, 51 - - John, King, 21 - - Joseph, 79, 99, 110, 113, 116, 117, 120, 124, 181, 182, 187, 190 - - Jourdan, Marshal, 26, 29, 113, 115, 190 - - Junot, General, 78, 79, 81, 88, 90, 94, 96, 100 - - Jura Mountains, the, 210 - - - Keble, John, 245 - - Kellermann, Marshal, 103, 120 - - Kempt, Sir James, 228 - - Kennedy, Captain Clark, 228 - - Kennedy, Sir Robert, 201 - - Kincaid, 148 - - Kiöge, Battle of, 74 - - Kléber, 128 - - Kray, General, 49 - - - Labada, 60 - - La Carolina, 103, 120 - - La Haye, 225, 235 - - La Haye Sainte, 222, 225, 227, 231, 234 - - Lake, General, 52, 53 - - La Mancha, 120, 123, 124 - - Lamego, 106 - - Landrecy, 237 - - Langlands, Lieutenant, 60 - - Lannes, Marshal, 128 - - Lanz, the, 191 - - Lapisse, 116 - - La Romana, Marquis, 100, 103, 123, 132, 139 - - La Trinidad, 166 - - La Vendée, 26, 209 - - Le Courbe, 210 - - Lefebvre, Marshal, 100 - - Lefebvre-Desnoëttes, General, 212 - - Leiria, 88 - - Leith, General, 134, 166, 173, 177 - - Le Marchant, General, 175, 176, 177, 180 - - Lennox, Lord William, 226 - - Leon, 80, 160 - - Lerida, 127 - - Lesaca, 192 - - Ligny, 212, 214, 216 - - Lion Mound, 220 - - Lisbon, 78, 88, 90, 91, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 119, 123, 128, 130, - 131, 132, 183 - - Liverpool, Earl of, 125, 126, 138, 142, 154, 155, 157, 185 - - Lobau, General, 210, 234 - - Loison, General, 88, 90, 143 - - London, 17, 80, 236 - - Longford, Baron, 23 - - Los Aripeles, 171, 175, 178, 179 - - Los Santos, 103 - - Louis XV, 17 - - Louis XVIII, 21, 196, 199, 200, 208, 237, 240 - - Lourinhão, 91 - - Lützen, 187 - - Lyons, 26, 27 - - - Mack, General, 29, 69 - - Mackay, Piper, 92 - - Mackie, 176 - - Mackinnon, Major-General, 163 - - Madras, 35, 52 - - Madrid, 79, 101, 109, 111, 118, 124, 160, 181, 182, 185, 186, 187, - 202 - - Maes, the, 29 - - Maestricht, 25 - - Mafra, 131 - - Maitland, Captain Frederick Lewis, 235 - - Maitland, General Sir Peregrine, 215 - - Malavelly, 39 - - Malcolm, Sir John, 49 - - Malines, 25, 29 - - Malpurda, River, 44 - - Manilla, 35 - - March, Lord, 169 - - Marchand, Jean Gabriel, Comte, 124 - - Marhattás, the, 51, 53, 54, 56 - - Marion Street, 18 - - Marmont, Marshal, 152, 156, 158, 159, 162, 163, 170, 171, 172, 173, - 175, 181 - - Masséna, Marshal, 127, 128, 129, 130, 134, 135, 137, 139, 140, 143, - 145, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152 - - Maubeuge, 26, 27, 237 - - Mauritius, 47 - - Maxwell, Colonel, 55 - - Maxwell, Sir Herbert, 50, 97 - - Mayence, 26 - - Meath, County, 22 - - Medellin, 103, 109 - - Medina de Rio Seco, 85 - - Meer Allum, 42 - - Melbourne, Lord, 246 - - Mequinenza, Castle of, 127 - - Merbe Braine, 225 - - Merida, 122 - - Metternich, Prince, 207, 208 - - Metz, 27 - - McGregor, Dr James, 168 - - Middlesex, 17 - - Milhaud, 232 - - Mina, General, 160 - - M‘Laine, Major, 234 - - McLeod, Colonel, 167, 168 - - Moira, Lord, 28, 29, 97 - - Monasterio, 103 - - Moncey, Marshal, 81, 100 - - Mondego, River, 123, 125, 132, 137 - - Mons, 25 - - Mont St Jean, 217, 222, 225 - - Montbrun, 151 - - Montealegre, 108 - - Montechique, 131 - - Montesquiou, 25 - - Moore, Sir John, 75, 81, 87, 90, 94, 100, 101, 109 - - Moreau, General, 128 - - Mornington, Baron, 19 - - Mornington, Countess of, 18, 20 - - Mornington, Earl of, 19, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 64, 65 - - Mornington House, 18 - - Mortago, 134 - - Mortier, Marshal, 100, 103, 119, 120, 123 - - M‘Quade, Serjeant Robert, 129 - - Munro, Sir Thomas, 45 - - Murat, Marshal, 79, 99, 209 - - Murcia, 80 - - Murray, Lieutenant-Colonel George, 74 - - Murray, General Sir John, 107, 192 - - Mysore, Presidency of, 36, 38, 42, 43, 50, 52 - - - Namur, 25, 218 - - Napier, Major Sir George, 73, 83, 121, 163, 196 - - Naples, 25, 79, 209, 241 - - Napoleon, 18, 20, 21, 24, 27, 38, 46, 47, 71, 78, 79, 80, 81, 94, - 101, 106, 121, 125, 127, 130, 131, 133, 158, 199, 201, 202, - 208, 217, 218, 224, 225, 227, 229, 234, 235, 236 - - Napoleon, Fort, 170 - - Nassauers, the, 226 - - Nava d’Aver, 150 - - Naval Moral, 120 - - Navarre, 160 - - Neerwinden, 25 - - Nelson, 22, 69, 80, 250, 252 - - Nesselrode, 237 - - Ney, Marshal, 100, 101, 103, 110, 119, 120, 129, 134, 135, 208, 212, - 214, 216, 217, 234 - - Nice, 25 - - Nicholas, Emperor, 242 - - Nive, River, 195 - - Nivelles, 213, 225 - - Nizám of Hyderabad, the, 36, 38, 39, 43, 52, 57, 66 - - Nuestra Señora de la Peña, 171, 172 - - - Obidos, 88 - - Ocaña, Battle of, 124 - - O’Donnell, 127 - - Ohain, 234 - - O’Hare, Captain, 167 - - Old Castile, 80, 123 - - Oman, Professor, 88, 109, 159, 222 - - Oporto, 86, 101, 103, 106, 108, 130, 134, 142, 147 - - Orange, Prince of, 29, 30, 166, 211, 213, 214, 215, 225 - - Orcain, 191 - - Ordal, 193 - - Orense, 108 - - Oropesa, 110, 120 - - Orthez, 195 - - Ostend, 25, 29 - - O’Toole, Colonel, 162 - - Oude, 70 - - Oxford University, 245 - - - Pack, General, 162, 174, 178, 179, 228 - - Paget, Sir E., 87, 107 - - Pakenham, Major-General, 173, 174, 175, 176 - - Pakenham, Hon. Catherine, 23, 69 - - Palafox, General, 80, 100 - - Pampeluna, Fortress of, 79, 190, 191, 194 - - Papelotte, 225, 235 - - Paris, 24, 101, 202, 235, 237 - - Parkside, 244 - - Parque, Duque del, 123, 124 - - Pasquier, Duc de, 128 - - Pau, 195 - - Peel, Sir Robert, 246 - - Penafiel, 108 - - Penang, 35 - - Perar, 66 - - Perceval, Spencer, 126 - - Pero Negro, 131 - - Perron, 51 - - Perwez, 218 - - Peshwá of Poona, the, 43, 51, 53, 57, 65 - - Philippine Islands, 35 - - Philippon, General, 165, 169 - - Pichegru, General, 29, 30, 128 - - Picton, General, 134, 162, 166, 169, 195, 198, 215, 229 - - Picurina, Fort, 165, 166 - - Piedmont, 241 - - Pignerol, Marquis of, 21 - - Pirch, 218 - - Pitt, William, the Younger, 22, 28, 244 - - Planchenoit, 234 - - Plasencia, Vera de, 111, 119, 120, 157 - - Poço Velho, 150 - - Poland, 25, 28, 207 - - Pole, Miss, 202 - - Pombal, 142 - - Ponsonby, Major-General Sir William, 228, 229, 230 - - Pont-à-chin, 29 - - Poona, 51, 65 - - Popham, Sir Home, 74, 185 - - Porlier, 160 - - Portland, Duke of, 70 - - Portugal, 25, 71, 72, 76, 84, 94, 95, 100, 102, 103, 104, 106, 111, - 114, 118, 121, 123, 126, 127, 129, 146, 148, 152, 157, 163 - - Praslin, Duc de, 21 - - Prince Consort, 249 - - Prussia, 24, 25, 28, 29, 71, 237, 241 - - Prussians, the, 24, 26, 227, 238 - - Puerto de Baños, 120 - - Puerto del Rey, Pass of, 125 - - Pyrenees, the, 100, 187, 190, 193, 210 - - - Quatre Bras, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217 - - Quesnoy, 237 - - Quinta de Granicha, 155 - - Quinta de St João, 156 - - Quintella, 131 - - - Ragusa, Fort, 170 - - Rainier, Admiral, 45 - - Ramsay, Captain Norman, 150 - - Rao, Amrut, 52 - - Rapoula de Coa, 143 - - Rapp, Count, 210 - - Reding, General, 80 - - Redinha, 142 - - Red Sea, 50 - - Reille, 196, 210, 212, 214 - - Reynier, General, 134, 144 - - Rhine, the, 26, 27, 28, 210, 240 - - Richmond, Duchess of, 212 - - Richmond, Duke of, 70, 161 - - Ridge, Lieutenant-Colonel, 168 - - Rio Mayor, River, 140 - - Rivillas, River, 165 - - Roberts, Earl, 31, 66 - - Robinson, 242 - - Rocca, Captain M. de, 112, 133, 134 - - Roliça, 88, 89, 97 - - Roman Catholic Relief Bill, 243, 244 - - Rome, 127, 246 - - Rose, Dr J. Holland, 74, 220, 239 - - Roskilde, 73 - - Ross, Major-General Robert, 191 - - Ross-Lewin, Major, 92 - - Rubens, 238 - - Ruffin, Count, 116 - - Runa, Ravine of, 131 - - Russia, 25, 71, 75, 241 - - Rye, 69 - - - Sabugal, 143, 149, 150, 159 - - Sagunto, Battle of, 160 - - Sahagun, 101 - - Salamanca, 100, 103, 120, 124, 145, 148, 159, 163, 170, 171, 181, - 182, 183, 185 - - Salamonde, 108 - - San Antonio de Cantaro, 133 - - Sanchez, Don Julian, 150, 151, 160 - - San Christoval, Fort of, 155, 169, 170 - - San Francisco, 161 - - San Juan, General, 80 - - San Marcial, 192 - - San Sebastian, Fortress of, 79, 190, 191 - - Santa Cruz, 161 - - Santa Maria, 166 - - Santander, 186 - - Santarem, 140, 141 - - San Vincente, 166, 169 - - Sardinia, 25 - - Savanore, 43 - - Savary, General, 190 - - Savoy, 25 - - Sax-Weimar, Prince Bernard of, 212 - - Scheldt, 29 - - Schwartzenberg, Prince, 29 - - Scindia, 66 - - Sebastiani, General, 103, 106, 110, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120 - - Sedasser, 39 - - Segovia, 183 - - Seringapatam, 38, 39, 40, 42, 49, 50 - - Serra, the, 107, 135 - - Sersooly, 58 - - Seton, 176 - - Seven Years’ War, the, 17 - - Seville, 106, 109, 125, 147, 157, 170, 185 - - Shaw, Colonel, 40 - - Sherbrooke, General, 40 - - Sherer, Captain, 62 - - Shore, Sir John, 35 - - Sierra Catalina, 108 - - Sierra de Busaco, 133 - - Sierra Morena, 103, 124, 125 - - Simon, General, 133 - - Sindhia of Gwalior, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59 - - S. Lourenço, River, 132 - - Smith, Robert, 19, 20 - - Smith, Sir Harry, 81, 130, 166, 167, 223 - - Smith, Sydney, 19 - - Soignes, Forest of, 225 - - Somerset, Lord Edward, 196, 232 - - Sorauren, 191 - - Souars, 195 - - Souham, 182, 183 - - Soult, Marshal, 101, 103, 106, 107, 108, 110, 118, 119, 120, 123, - 125, 140, 147, 156, 170, 181, 182, 191, 192, 195, 196, 197, - 199, 200, 210, 227 - - Southampton, 33 - - Spain, 23, 25, 71, 78, 79, 95, 99, 100, 102, 104, 127, 160, 190 - - Spencer, General Sir Brent, 87, 147, 148 - - Spry, 179 - - St Amand, 214 - - Stanhope, 247 - - St Cyr, General, 81, 100, 103 - - Stevenson, Colonel, 52, 54, 57, 58, 60 - - Stewart, General Sir Charles, 108, 138, 149, 201 - - Stewart, Major-General the Hon. W., 125 - - St Jean de Luz, 194 - - St Jean Pied de Port, 194 - - St Julian, Fort of, 132 - - St Ledger, General, 35 - - St Peter’s, Dublin, 18 - - Strangford, Lord, 78, 241 - - Strathfieldsaye, 241, 247 - - Stuart, General, 39 - - Styles, Corporal, 229 - - Suchet, Marshal, 127, 157, 181, 190, 199, 200, 210 - - Surat, 52 - - Sweden, 71, 75 - - - Taggart, Lieutenant, 167 - - Tagus, the, 106, 110, 112, 119, 123, 124, 125, 131, 132, 140, 157, - 159, 170, 185 - - Talavera, 109, 111, 112, 115, 119, 120, 121, 122, 157, 191 - - Talleyrand, 21 - - Tamames, 124 - - Tarragona, 157, 192, 193 - - Thielmann, General, 218 - - Thomière, 172, 173 - - Tilsit, Peace of, 71, 75 - - Tipú Sultan, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 65 - - Toledo, 120, 183 - - Tordesillas, 171 - - Toro, 171 - - Torrecilla de la Orden, 171 - - Torres Vedras, 91, 123, 130, 131, 133, 139 - - Toulon, 26, 27 - - Toulouse, 195, 196, 199, 200 - - Tournay, 25, 29 - - Trafalgar, 69, 80, 201 - - Trant, Colonel, 139, 143 - - Tras os Montes, Province of, 86 - - Trim, 22 - - Trincomalee, 48 - - Troisville, 29 - - Tudela, 171 - - Turkey, 241 - - Turones, River, 150, 151 - - - Ulm, 69 - - Uxbridge, Earl of, 225, 232 - - - Valencia, 80, 161, 181, 190 - - Valenciennes, 26, 237 - - Valladolid, 103, 120, 127, 163, 182, 183, 185, 186, 187 - - Vallée, 105 - - Valmy, 24 - - Vandal, Count, 74 - - Vandamme, General, 210 - - Vandeleur, 229 - - Vedras, 91 - - Velasquez, 189 - - Veldbeck, 73 - - Vellore, 53 - - Vendas Novas, 106 - - Venegas, General, 103, 110, 111, 118, 120 - - Verona, 241 - - Victor, General, 81, 100, 103, 106, 109, 110, 111, 115, 116, 117, - 119, 120, 124 - - Victoria, Queen, 248 - - Vienna, Congress of, 206, 207 - - Villa Franca, 193 - - Villatte, 116 - - Villiers, Rt. Hon. John, 126 - - Vimiero, 90, 91, 92, 94, 97, 98 - - Vincennes, 236 - - Viseu, 126 - - Vittoria, 187, 189, 190 - - Vives, General, 80, 100 - - Vouga, River, 106 - - - Walcheren, Expedition, 126 - - Walker, General, 169 - - Wallace, Lieutenant-Colonel, 174, 175, 176 - - Walmer Castle, 171, 247, 248, 249, 251 - - Warre, Sir William, 92 - - Waterloo, 18, 19, 111, 217, 223, 235 - - Waterloo, Prince of, 241 - - Waters, Colonel, 107 - - Wattignies, 26 - - Waugh, Dhoondia, 43, 44, 45, 47 - - Wavre, 217, 218, 220 - - Webster, Lieutenant, 213 - - Wellesley, Henry, 48, 70 - - Wellesley, Lord, 19 - - Wellesley, Richard, 22, 28 - - Wellington of Talavera, Viscount, 122 - - Wesley, Garret, 19 - - West India Islands, 156 - - Westleys, 19 - - West Meath, 18 - - Westmorland, Lord, 22, 28 - - Wilkes, John, 17 - - William IV, 244 - - Wilson, Sir Robert, 73, 101, 120, 123, 143 - - Winchilsea, Earl of, 243 - - Windham, 96 - - - Yeltes, the, 164 - - York, Duke of, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 92, 242 - - - Zamora, 187 - - Zaragoza, 103 - - Zibreira, 131 - - Ziethen, General, 211, 212, 218, 234, 235 - - Zizandre, River, 131 - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] Sir Herbert Maxwell in his “Life of Wellington” (p. 2) suggests -that the confusion arose owing to the then comparatively recent -alteration of the calendar. Supposing Arthur Wellesley was born on the -1st May (new style), that date would be the 18th April (old style), and -the 30th April (old style) the 12th May according to the present way of -reckoning. - -[2] It must be remembered that Barrington wrote from the point of view -of a “patriot,” and that Castlereagh had much to do with the Union of -Great Britain and Ireland. Castlereagh entered the Irish Parliament in -1790, served in the Pitt, Addington, Perceval, and Portland ministries, -was present at the Congress of Vienna, and died by his own hand in 1822. - -[3] Dumouriez was in London from the 12th June until the 22nd, 1793. He -lived in England from October 1803 until his death on the 14th March -1823. - -[4] Similar incidents occurred during the Peninsular War. - -[5] At Arnheim, on the Rhine, less than twenty-five miles distant. -According to the de Ros MS., consulted by Sir Herbert Maxwell, Dundas -paid a visit to Wellesley “about once a fortnight.” - -[6] Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, 1794-8. - -[7] Letter to Sir Chichester Fortescue, dated 20th June 1796, cited by -Sir Herbert Maxwell, vol. i. p. 19 n. - -[8] Sir Herbert Maxwell, p. 35. - -[9] Gleig (p. 26) says £7000, Roberts (p. 11) £7000 in money and £1200 -in jewels. Sir Herbert Maxwell (p. 39) calls attention to a letter, -dated the 14th June 1799, in which Wellesley “gives it as 3000 pagodas -in jewels, and 7000 in money; in all, 10,000 pagodas, equal to about -£4000.” - -[10] In later years Wellington offered to provide for the unfortunate -Spanish general, Alava, and gave him a small house in the park of -Strathfieldsaye. - -[11] Created 20th December 1800. - -[12] The Austrian general, Kray, had succeeded Archduke Charles as -Commander-in-Chief of the army in Germany in the campaign of 1800, but -owing to his ill-success he was superseded in a few months by Archduke -John, hence Wellesley’s reference. - -[13] “The Life of Wellington,” pp. 45-6. - -[14] “Dispatches,” vol. ii. p. 312. - -[15] “The Life of Arthur Duke of Wellington,” by G. R. Gleig, M.A., -F.R.G.S. (London Ed. 1864), pp. 33-4. - -[16] 79 officers and 1778 soldiers were killed and wounded.--Sir -Herbert Maxwell, p. 58. - -[17] Gleig, pp. 37-8. - -[18] Envoy. - -[19] Alison in his “Lives of Lord Castlereagh and Sir Charles Stewart” -(vol. i. p. 175), says that it generally took six months to make the -voyage. When Sir James Mackintosh sailed from Portsmouth for Bombay in -1804 his vessel only occupied three months and thirteen days (see his -“Memoirs,” vol. i. p. 207). - -[20] “His relationship to the Governor-General naturally lent much -weight to his views with Lord Clive and General Harris, but,” Sir -Herbert Maxwell adds (p. 24), “it is remarkable how freely and -frequently the elder brother sought the younger’s advice.” - -[21] “The Life and Correspondence of the Right Honble. Henry Addington, -first Viscount Sidmouth,” by the Honble. George Pellew, D.D. (London, -1847), vol. ii. p. 242. In this connection see also “Wellington’s -Dispatches,” vol. ii. pp. 335-36 n., and “Despatches, Minutes, and -Correspondence of the Marquess Wellesley, K.G.,” vol. iii. p. 543. - -[22] “The Rise of Wellington,” by Earl Roberts, V.C., p. 26. - -[23] “Personal interest was as much recognized in those days as -the chief motor in military promotion, as seniority and merit are -now.”--Sir Herbert Maxwell, vol. i. p. 67. - -[24] Shortly after his return from India Wellesley had his only -interview with Nelson, an account of which is given in the author’s -companion work, “The Story of Nelson,” pp. 113-4. - -[25] See _ante_, p. 23. - -[26] “Personal Reminiscences of the first Duke of Wellington” -(Edinburgh 1904), p. 274. - -[27] Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. - -[28] At Copenhagen. - -[29] Flat-bottomed boats, usually armed with small guns. - -[30] Sir Herbert Maxwell, vol. i. p. 87. - -[31] Wilson is wrong in some of his facts. The Danish troops numbered -some 14,000, and 1100 prisoners were taken. See Sir Herbert Maxwell, -vol. i. p. 87. - -[32] “The Croker Papers,” vol. ii. pp. 120-21. - -[33] H. W. Wilson, B.A., in “Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 236. - -[34] “The Life of Napoleon I,” vol. ii. p. 143. - -[35] See Oman’s “Peninsular War,” vol i. pp. 1-11. - -[36] Oman, vol. i. pp. 631-639. Returns of October-November 1808. - -[37] Succeeded by Soult in November 1808. - -[38] Oman, vol. i. pp. 640-45. - -[39] “The Autobiography of Sir Harry Smith,” 1787-1819. Edited by G. C. -Moore Smith, M.A. (London Ed. 1910). - -[40] “A Boy in the Peninsular War,” edited by Julian Sturgis (London, -1899), p. 313. - -[41] _Ibid._ p. 311. - -[42] Vol. i. p. 235 n. - -[43] The total loss of the regiment was 190, by far the heaviest of -those engaged. - -[44] The case of Peter Findlater at Dargai is almost an exact parallel. - -[45] See also some remarks in “The Croker Papers,” vol. ii. pp. 121-22. - -[46] As to the merits and demerits of national resistance, see some -wise remarks in Arnold’s “Introductory Lectures on Modern History,” pp. -158-64. - -[47] See also some pregnant remarks in Wellesley’s dispatch dated -Badajoz, 21st November 1809. It will be remembered that at the time -of the Russian-Japanese war, newspaper men were wisely precluded from -publishing particulars of proposed movements and similar intelligence -likely to be of service to the enemy. During the recent conflict -between Italy and Turkey the most rigid censorship was exercised by the -former Power. - -[48] “I rather think that Mortier had removed from Zaragoza; but some -time elapsed before he arrived in Old Castile.”--Note by Wellesley. - -[49] “The Adventures of a Soldier,” by Edward Costello. - -[50] Oman, vol. ii. p. 334. This disposes of the often-repeated story -that Waters discovered the little craft in the reeds. Brailmont, for -instance, says that the Colonel “suddenly darted off from the throng,” -and half an hour later the skiff “shot out into the deep” with six men -on board. - -[51] At the approach of the enemy no fewer than 6000 Spaniards took to -their heels and played no part in the battle. - -[52] Napoleon made a similar error of judgment at Waterloo by keeping -the Imperial Guard in reserve until after 7 p.m. (See _post_, p. 222). - -[53] Sir Herbert Maxwell, vol. i. p. 165, says 6268; Professor Oman -(“Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 452) gives 5300, the Spanish -casualties “trifling.” The latter authority states that 7200 Frenchmen -were killed or wounded. - -[54] “Passages in the Early Military Life of General Sir George T. -Napier, K.C.B.” (London, 1884), pp. 111-12. - -[55] See _post_, p. 130. - -[56] “Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 455. This authority gives -the date of the battle of Tamames as the 18th October, but Wellington -states that it occurred on the 19th.--See “Dispatches,” vol. v. pp. 261 -and 350. - -[57] Its object was to destroy the ships and dockyards at Antwerp. - -[58] General Sir George T. Napier, pp. 120-21. - -[59] Really his two reserve divisions, consisting of some 8000 men. See -Oman, vol. iii. p. 432, and _post_, p. 139. - -[60] September 1810. - -[61] On the 27th September 1910, the centenary of the battle, an -anniversary banquet was given at Busaco, which was attended by -Wellington’s grandson. King Manoel--now dethroned--signed a decree -reaffirming the duke’s Portuguese titles of Duke of Vittoria, Marquis -of Torres Vedras, and Count of Vimiero. Celebrations were also held on -the site of the battle. - -[62] The writer is speaking literally. - -[63] The usual French mode of attack. - -[64] Not Marshal Soult, but his nephew. - -[65] The Proclamation is printed in full in Gurwood’s edition of -“Wellington’s Dispatches,” vol. vii. pp. 455-7. - -[66] Lady Butler’s picture, “Steady, the Drums and Fifes,” represents -this regiment drawn up on the ridge. - -[67] He had recently received reinforcements from England. - -[68] Napoleon dominated practically the whole of Northern Europe. -He was then planning a confederacy which was to consist of Sweden, -Denmark, and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. - -[69] Wellington’s instructions to Hill will be found in “Dispatches,” -vol. viii. pp. 180-82. - -[70] “Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 469. - -[71] _i.e._ The province of Leon, in which Ciudad Rodrigo is situated. - -[72] “Autobiography,” pp. 64-5. - -[73] Sir Herbert Maxwell, vol. i. p. 280. - -[74] A monument to the memory of Major-General Gaspard Le Marchant is -in St Paul’s Cathedral. - -[75] It is given in Gurwood, vol. x. pp. 61-66. - -[76] Lützen was fought on the 3rd May 1813, and Bautzen on the 20th -and 21st May. In both battles the Prussians and Russians, who at the -opening of the Leipzig campaign bore all the fighting for the Allies, -were defeated. The only result of the armistice was that Austria threw -in her lot with Russia, Prussia, and Sweden.--See the author’s “Story -of Napoleon,” pp. 296-299. - -[77] “Personal Reminiscences of the Duke of Wellington by Francis, the -first Earl of Ellesmere,” p. 129. (London, 1903.) - -[78] General Sir George T. Napier, pp. 255-260. - -[79] Lady Burghersh. - -[80] Parliament also granted to him the sum of £400,000. - -[81] See the author’s “Story of Nelson,” p. 195. - -[82] The complete Memorandum will be found in Gurwood, vol. xii., pp. -125-9. - -[83] “Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 619. - -[84] “The Campaign of 1815, chiefly in Flanders,” by Lieut.-Colonel -W. H. James, P.S.C., pp. 14-15. - -[85] “Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 625. See also “The Life of -Napoleon I” by J. Holland Rose, Litt.D., vol. ii. p. 455. - -[86] James, p. 27. - -[87] James, p. 100. - -[88] Croker, vol. iii. p. 173. - -[89] This interesting relic still exists. - -[90] Rye. - -[91] Disbanded in 1816. - -[92] Rose’s “Napoleon,” vol. ii. p. 487-8. - -[93] Rose’s “Napoleon,” vol. ii. p. 488. - -[94] Comte Charles van der Burch is the present owner of Hougoumont. - -[95] Now the Grenadier Guards. - -[96] Rose, vol. ii. p. 496. - -[97] “Some of this brigade, particularly the 5th Military, had behaved -with great gallantry on the 16th, at Quatre Bras.”--Cotton’s, “A Voice -from Waterloo,” p. 56. - -[98] General Gascoigne in the House of Commons, the 29th June 1815. - -[99] “Some one asked whether the French Cuirassiers had not come up -very well at Waterloo? ‘Yes,’ he (Wellington) said, ‘and they went down -very well too.’”--Croker, vol. i. p. 330. - -[100] _I.e._ the guns were not removed, the artillerymen working them -till the last moment and then seeking refuge in the nearest square, to -resume their former position when the enemy began to retire. - -[101] “Cambridge Modern History,” vol. ix. p. 639. - -[102] See the author’s “Story of Napoleon,” p. 135. - -[103] Not at Wimbledon, as Mr Asquith said in a speech at the Guildhall -in 1911. - -[104] See Foreword. - -[105] The point is somewhat obscure owing to conflicting evidence.--See -“The Boyhood of a Great King,” by A. M. Broadley, pp. 99-100. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not -changed. Spelling variants in quoted passages were not changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - -Index not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references. - -Page 172: “wrapt attention” was printed that way. - -Page 177: “downright” was printed that way, rather than as “down right”. - -Page 200: Opening quotation mark added before “I march”. - -Page 234: “doing their upmost” was printed that way. - -Footnote 9 (originally on page 42): Missing closing quotation mark -added at the end of the footnote. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Story of Wellington, by Harold F. B. 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