[537] Nap. Corresp., 14,525.
[538] I cannot speak for certain as to the moment at which Digeon’s brigade of dragoons, which had been lent to Lannes for the Tudela campaign, rejoined Latour-Maubourg. But probably it came across with Ney, as it was with its division by Dec. 28 (Jourdan’s Mémoires, p. 138).
[539] The latter had taken over Lagrange’s division after Tudela.
[540] This division was incomplete, having left behind in Biscay two Dutch and one German battalions.
[541] The other brigade was astray near Toledo, contrary to the Emperor’s intention: Nap. Corresp., 14,594, orders it to march on Talavera.
[542] 8th Dragoons, 22nd Chasseurs, 1st Supplementary regiment of Chasseurs, and Hanoverian Chasseurs.
[543] Cf. Nap. Corresp., 14,581 (of Dec. 10, 1808, but wrongly dated Dec. 17 in the collection), the rough draft of the dispatch to be sent to Soult, with the full document, which was fortunately captured on its way to Carrion, and fell into the hands of Sir John Moore. It is printed in the original French in James Moore’s account of his brother’s campaign (London, 1809). The documents tally accurately, but Berthier has expanded, as was his wont, Napoleon’s short phrases.
[544] See the statement in the Madrid Gazette for Dec. 12 (p. 1576). It is not in the Correspondance de Napoléon, and contains invaluable details as to the placing of the French army on that day.
[545] ‘Le général Lasalle a pris huit Hanovriens.... Puisqu’il a pris des Hanovriens, cela sent la proximité des Anglais’ (Nap. Corresp., 14,551, Dec. 12). These must have been stragglers from Hope’s division, which had passed Talavera at least a fortnight before. The Germans with it were the 3rd Light Dragoons, K.G.L.
[546] Napoleon seems to have got the knowledge of Baird’s arrival from the London newspapers. An English brigantine, called the Ferret, ran into Santander, under the impression that it was still in Spanish hands. On board were many journals, with details about the Cintra Court of Inquiry, and about the reinforcements for Spain. Long extracts from them were reprinted in the Madrid Gazette for the second half of December. The danger of the press already existed!