History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 1

by William Francis Patrick Napier

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

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BOOK I.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction	Page [1]
CHAPTER II.
Dissensions in the Spanish court—Secret treaty and convention of Fontainebleau—Junot’s army enters Spain—Dupont’s and Moncey’s corps enter Spain—Duhesme’s corps enters Catalonia—Insurrections of Aranjuez and Madrid—Charles the fourth abdicates—Ferdinand proclaimed king—Murat marches to Madrid—Refuses to recognise Ferdinand as king—The sword of Francis the first delivered to the French general—Savary arrives at Madrid—Ferdinand goes to Bayonne—Charles the fourth goes to Bayonne—The fortresses of St. Sebastian, Figueras, Pampeluna, and Barcelona, treacherously seized by the French—Riot at Toledo, 23d April—Tumult at Madrid, 2d of May—Charles the fourth abdicates a second time in favour of Napoleon—Assembly of notables at Bayonne—Joseph Buonaparte declared king of Spain—Arrives at Madrid.	[12]
CHAPTER III.
Council of Castile refuses to take the oath of allegiance—Supreme junta established at Seville—Marquis of Solano murdered at Cadiz, and the Conde d’Aguilar at Seville—Intercourse between Castaños and sir Hew Dalrymple—General Spencer and admiral Purvis offer to co-operate with the Spaniards—Admiral Rossily’s squadron surrenders to Morla—General insurrection—Massacre at Valencia—Horrible murder of Filanghieri.	[32]
CHAPTER IV.
New French corps formed in Navarre—Duhesme fixes himself at Barcelona—Importance of that city—Napoleon’s military plan and arrangements.	[45]
CHAPTER V.
First operations of marshal Bessieres—Spaniards defeated at Cabeçon, at Segovia, at Logroño, at Torquemada—French take St. Ander—Lefebre Desnouettes defeats the Spaniards on the Ebro, on the Huecha, on the Xalon—First siege of Zaragoza—Observations.	[62]
CHAPTER VI.
Operations in Catalonia—General Swartz marches against the town of Manresa, and general Chabran against Taragona—French defeated at Bruch—Chabran recalled—Burns Arbos—Marches against Bruch—Retreats—Duhesme assaults Gerona—Is repulsed with loss—Action on the Llobregat—General insurrection of Catalonia—Figueras blockaded—General Reille relieves it—First siege of Gerona—The marquis of Palacios arrives in Catalonia with the Spanish troops from the Balearic isles, declared captain-general under St. Narcissus, re-establishes the line of the Llobregat—The count of Caldagues forces the French lines at Gerona—Duhesme raises the siege and returns to Barcelona—Observations—Moncey marches against Valencia, defeats the Spaniards at Pajaso, at the Siete Aguas, and at Quarte—Attacks Valencia, is repulsed, marches into Murcia, forces the passage of the Xucar, defeats Serbelloni at San Felippe, arrives at San Clemente—Insurrection at Cuenca, quelled by general Caulincourt—Observations	[74]
CHAPTER VII.
Second operations of Bessieres—Blake’s and Cuesta’s armies unite at Benevente—Generals disagree—Battle of Rio Seco—Bessieres’ endeavours to corrupt the Spanish generals fail—Bessieres marches to invade Gallicia, is recalled, and falls back to Burgos—Observations	[101]
CHAPTER VIII.
Dupont marches against Andalusia, forces the bridge of Alcolea, takes Cordoba—Alarm at Seville—Castaños arrives, forms a new army—Dupont retreats to Andujar, attacks the town of Jaen—Vedel forces the pass of Despeñas Perros, arrives at Baylen—Spanish army arrives on the Guadalquivir—General Gobert defeated and killed—Generals Vedel and Darfour retire to Carolina—General Reding takes possession of Baylen—Dupont retires from Andujar—Battle of Baylen—Dupont’s capitulation, eighteen thousand French troops lay down their arms—Observations—Joseph holds a council of war, resolves to abandon Madrid—Impolicy of so doing	[112]
BOOK II.
CHAPTER I.
The Asturian deputies received with enthusiasm in England—-Ministers precipitate—Imprudent choice of agents—Junot marches to Alcantara, joined by the Spanish contingent, enters Portugal, arrives at Abrantes, pushes on to Lisbon—Prince regent emigrates to the Brazils, reflections on that transaction—Dangerous position of the French army—Portuguese council of regency—Spanish contingent well received—General Taranco dies at Oporto, is succeeded by the French general Quesnel—Solano’s troops retire to Badajos—Junot takes possession of the Alemtejo and the Algarves; exacts a forced loan; is created duke of Abrantes; suppresses the council of regency; sends the flower of the Portuguese army to France—Napoleon demands a ransom from Portugal—People unable to pay it—Police of Lisbon—Junot’s military position; his character; political position—People discontented—Prophetic eggs—Sebastianists—-The capture of Rossily’s squadron known at Lisbon—Pope’s nuncio takes refuge on board the English fleet—Alarm of the French	[136]
CHAPTER II.
Spanish general Belesta seizes general Quesnel and retires to Gallicia—Insurrection at Oporto—Junot disarms and confines the Spanish soldiers near Lisbon—General Avril’s column returns to Estremos—General Loison marches from Almeida against Oporto; is attacked at Mezam Frias; crosses the Douero; attacked at Castro d’Año; recalled to Lisbon—French driven out of the Algarves—The fort of Figueras taken—Abrantes and Elvas threatened—Setuval in commotion—General Spencer appears off the Tagus—Junot’s plan—Insurrection at Villa Viciosa suppressed—Colonel Maransin takes Beja with great slaughter of the patriots—The insurgents advance from Leria, fall back—Action at Leria—Loison arrives at Abrantes—Observations on his march—French army concentrated—The Portuguese general Leite, aided by a Spanish corps, takes post at Evora—Loison crosses the Tagus; defeats Leite’s advanced guard at Montemor—Battle of Evora—Town taken and pillaged—Unfriendly conduct of the Spaniards—Loison reaches Elvas; collects provisions; is recalled by Junot—Observations	[155]
CHAPTER III.
Political and military retrospect—Mr. Fox’s conduct contrasted with that of his successors—General Spencer sent to the Mediterranean—Sir John Moore withdrawn from thence; arrives in England; sent to Sweden—Spencer arrives at Gibraltar—Ceuta, the object of his expedition—Spanish insurrection diverts his attention to Cadiz; wishes to occupy that city—Spaniards averse to it—Prudent conduct of sir Hew Dalrymple and lord Collingwood—Spencer sails to Ayamonte; returns to Cadiz; sails to the mouth of the Tagus; returns to Cadiz—Prince Leopold of Sicily and the duke of Orleans arrive at Gibraltar—Curious intrigue—Army assembled at Cork by the whig administration, with a view to permanent conquest in South America, the only disposable British force—Sir A. Wellesley takes the command—Contradictory instructions of the ministers—Sir John Moore returns from Sweden; ordered to Portugal—Sir Hew Dalrymple appointed commander of the forces—Confused arrangements made by the ministers	[169]
CHAPTER IV.
Sir A. Wellesley quits his troops and proceeds to Coruña—Junta refuse assistance in men, but ask for and obtain money—Sir Arthur goes to Oporto; arranges a plan with the bishop; proceeds to the Tagus; rejoins his troops; joined by Spencer; disembarks at the Mondego; has an interview with general Freire d’Andrada; marches to Leria—Portuguese insurrection weak—Junot’s position and dispositions—Laborde marches to Alcobaça, Loison to Abrantes—General Freire separates from the British—Junot quits Lisbon with the reserve—Laborde takes post at Roriça—Action of Roriça—Laborde retreats to Montachique—Sir A. Wellesley marches to Vimiero—Junot concentrates his army at Torres Vedras	[187]
CHAPTER V.
Portuguese take Abrantes—Generals Ackland and Anstruther land and join the British army at Vimiero—Sir Harry Burrard arrives—Battle of Vimiero—Junot defeated—Sir Hew Dalrymple arrives—Armistice—Terms of it—Junot returns to Lisbon—Negotiates for a convention—Sir John Moore’s troops land—State of the public mind in Lisbon—The Russian admiral negotiates separately—Convention concluded—the Russian fleet surrenders upon terms—Conduct of the people at Lisbon—The Monteiro Mor requires sir Charles Cotton to interrupt the execution of the convention—Sir John Hope appointed commandant of Lisbon; represses all disorders—Disputes between the French and English commissioners—Reflections thereupon	[207]
CHAPTER VI.
The bishop and junta of Oporto aim at the supreme power; wish to establish the seat of government at Oporto; their intrigues; strange proceedings of general Decken; reflections thereupon—Clamour raised against the convention in England and in Portugal; soon ceases in Portugal—The Spanish general Galluzzo refuses to acknowledge the convention; invests fort Lalippe; his proceedings absurd and unjustifiable—Sir John Hope marches against him; he alters his conduct—Garrison of Lalippe—March to Lisbon—Embarked—Garrison of Almeida; march to Oporto; attacked and plundered by the Portuguese—Sir Hew Dalrymple and sir Harry Burrard recalled to England—Vile conduct of the daily press—Violence of public feeling—Convention, improperly called, of Cintra—Observations—On the action of Roriça—On the battle of Vimiero—On the convention	[236]
BOOK III.
CHAPTER I.
Comparison between the Portuguese and Spanish people—The general opinion of French weakness and Spanish strength and energy, fallacious—Contracted policy of the English cabinet—Account of the civil and military agents employed—Many of them act without judgment—Mischievous effects thereof—Operations of the Spanish armies after the battle of Baylen—Murcian army arrives at Madrid—Valencian army marches to the relief of Zaragoza—General Verdier raises the siege—Castaños enters Madrid—Contumacious conduct of Galluzzo—Disputes between Blake and Cuesta—Dilatory conduct of the Spaniards—Sagacious observation of Napoleon—Insurrection at Bilbao; quelled by general Merlin—French corps approaches Zaragoza—Palafox alarmed, threatens the council of Castille—Council of war held at Madrid—Plan of operations—Castaños unable to march from want of money—Bad conduct of the junta of Seville—Vigorous conduct of major Cox—Want of arms—Extravagant project to procure them	[269]
CHAPTER II.
Internal political transactions—Factions in Gallicia, Asturias, Leon, and Castile—Flagitious conduct of the junta of Seville—Mr. Stuart endeavours to establish a northern cortes—Activity of the council of Castile, proposes a supreme government agreeable to the public—Local juntas become generally odious—Cortes meet at Lugo, declare for a central and supreme government—Deputies appointed—Clamours of the Gallician junta and bishop of Orense—Increasing influence of the council of Castile—Underhand proceedings of the junta of Seville, disconcerted by the quickness of the Baily Valdez—Character of Cuesta, he denies the legality of the northern cortes, abandons the line of military operations, returns to Segovia, arrests the Baily Valdez and other deputies from Lugo—Central and supreme government established at Aranjuez, Florida Blanca president—Vile intrigues of the local juntas—Cuesta removed from the command of his army, ordered to Aranjuez—Popular feeling in favour of the central junta, vain and interested proceedings of that body, its timidity, inactivity, and folly, refuses to name a generalissimo—Foreign relations—Mr. Canning leaves Mr. Stuart without any instructions for three months—Mr. Frere appointed envoy extraordinary, &c.	[292]
CHAPTER III.
Political position of Napoleon; he resolves to crush the Spaniards; his energy and activity; marches his armies from every part of Europe towards Spain; his oration to his soldiers—Conference at Erfurth—Negotiations for peace—Petulant conduct of Mr. Canning—160,000 conscripts enrolled in France—Power of that country—Napoleon’s speech to the senate—He repairs to Bayonne—Remissness of the English cabinet—Sir John Moore appointed to lead an army into Spain; sends his artillery by the Madrid road, and marches himself by Almeida—The central junta impatient for the arrival of the English army—Sir David Baird arrives at Coruña; is refused permission to disembark his troops—Mr. Frere and the marquis of Romana arrive at Coruña; account of the latter’s escape from the Danish Isles—Central junta resolved not to appoint a generalissimo—Gloomy aspect of affairs	[315]
CHAPTER IV.
Movements of the Spanish generals on the Ebro, their absurd confidence, their want of system and concert—General opinion that the French are weak—Real strength of the king—Marshal Ney and general Jourdan join the army—Military errors of the king exposed by Napoleon, who instructs him how to make war—Joseph proposes six plans of operation—Observations thereupon	[342]
CHAPTER V.
Position and strength of the French and Spanish armies—Blake moves from Reynosa to the Upper Ebro; sends a division to Bilbao; French retire from that town—Ney quits his position near Logroña, and retakes Bilbao—The armies of the centre and right approach the Ebro and the Aragon—Various evolutions—Blake attacks and takes Bilbao—Head of the grand French army arrives in Spain—The Castilians join the army of the centre—The Asturians join Blake—Apathy of the central junta—Castaños joins the army; holds a conference with Palafox; their dangerous position; arrange a plan of operations—The Spaniards cross the Ebro—The king orders a general attack—Skirmish at Sanguessa, at Logroño, and Lerim—The Spaniards driven back over the Ebro—Logroño taken—Colonel Cruz, with a Spanish battalion, surrenders at Lerim—Francisco Palafox, the military deputy, arrives at Alfaro; his exceeding folly and presumption; controls and insults Castaños—Force of the French army increases hourly; how composed and disposed—Blake ascends the valley of Durango—Battle of Zornosa—French retake Bilbao—Combat at Valmaceda—Observations	[361]
BOOK IV.
CHAPTER I.
Napoleon arrives at Bayonne—Blake advances towards Bilbao—The count Belvedere arrives at Burgos—The first and fourth corps advance—Combat of Guenes—Blake retreats—Napoleon at Vittoria; his plan—Soult takes the command of the second corps—Battle of Gamonal—Burgos taken—Battle of Espinosa—Flight from Reynosa—Soult overruns the Montagna de St. Ander, and scours Leon—Napoleon fixes his head-quarters at Burgos, changes his front, lets 10,000 cavalry loose upon Castile and Leon—Marshals Lasnes and Ney directed against Castaños—Folly of the central junta—General St. Juan occupies the pass of the Somosierra—Folly of the generals on the Ebro—Battle of Tudela	[385]
CHAPTER II.
Napoleon marches against the capital; forces the pass of the Somosierra—St. Juan murdered by his men—Tumults in Madrid—French army arrives there; the Retiro stormed—Town capitulates—Remains of Castaños’s army driven across the Tagus; retire to Cuenca—Napoleon explains his policy to the nobles, clergy, and tribunals of Madrid—His vast plans, enormous force—Defenceless state of Spain	[407]
CHAPTER III.
Sir John Moore arrives at Salamanca; hears of the battle of Espinosa—His dangerous position; discovers the real state of affairs; contemplates a hardy enterprise; hears of the defeat at Tudela; resolves to retreat; waits for general Hope’s division—Danger of that general; his able conduct—Central junta fly to Badajos—Mr. Frere, incapable of judging rightly, opposes the retreat; his weakness and levity; insults the general; sends colonel Charmilly to Salamanca—Manly conduct of sir John Moore; his able and bold plan of operations	[425]
CHAPTER IV.
British army advances towards Burgos—French outposts surprised at Rueda—Letter from Berthier to Soult intercepted—Direction of the march changed—Mr. Stuart and a member of the junta arrive at head-quarters—Arrogant and insulting letter of Mr. Frere—Noble answer of sir John Moore—British army united at Majorga; their force and composition—Inconsistent conduct of Romana; his character—Soult’s position and forces; concentrates his army at Carrion—Combat of cavalry at Sahagun—The British army retires to Benevente—The emperor moves from Madrid, passes the Guadarama, arrives at Tordesillas, expects to interrupt the British line of retreat, fails—Bridge of Castro Gonzalo destroyed—Combat of cavalry at Benevente—General Lefebre taken—Soult forces the bridge of Mansilla, takes Leon—The emperor unites his army at Astorga; hears of the Austrian war; orders marshal Soult to pursue the English army, and returns to France	[450]
CHAPTER V.
Sir John Moore retreats towards Vigo; is closely pursued—Miserable scene at Bembibre—Excesses at Villa Franca—Combat at Calcabellos—Death of general Colbert—March to Nogales—Line of retreat changed from Vigo to Coruña—Skilful passage of the bridge of Constantino; skirmish there—The army halts at Lugo—Sir John Moore offers battle; it is not accepted; he makes a forced march to Betanzos; loses many stragglers; rallies the army; reaches Coruña—The army takes a position; two large stores of powder exploded—Fleet arrives in the harbour; army commences embarking—Battle of Coruña—Death of sir John Moore—His character	[473]
CHAPTER VI.
Observations—The conduct of Napoleon and that of the English cabinet compared—The emperor’s military dispositions examined—Propriety of sir John Moore’s operations discussed—Diagram, exposing the relative positions of Spanish, French, and English armies—Propriety of sir John Moore’s retreat discussed, and the question whether he should have fallen back on Portugal or Gallicia investigated—Sir John Moore’s judgment defended; his conduct calumniated by interested men for party purposes—Eulogised by marshal Soult, by Napoleon, by the duke of Wellington	[502]