Traduit devant un conseil de guerre le 21 décembre 1809, le capitaine Argenton se retranche toujours derrière les mêmes moyens de défense et produit les mêmes arguments. Il a agi par ordre (verbal, il est vrai), et il a cru servir à la fois les intérêts de l’armée qu’il a sauvée et ceux de l’Empereur. Malgré une plaidoirie très éloquente et très habile de son défenseur Falconnet, qui, pour défendre son client, n’épargne pas le duc de Dalmatie, Argenton est condamné à mort. Jusqu’à la dernière heure, il proteste de la pureté de ses intentions, et maintient qu’il a toujours dit la vérité et qu’il est victime de l’égoïsme de ceux qui l’ont fait agir. Avec une calme résignation, il commande lui-même son peloton d’exécution et tombe sous les balles avec ce courage romanesque qui caractérisait en lui l’homme extraordinaire qui, à Tarvis, fit seul toute une compagnie prisonnière.
VII
MORNING STATE OF THE BRITISH FORCES IN PORTUGAL, UNDER SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY, K.B.
HEAD QUARTERS, COIMBRA, MAY 6, 1809.
TABLE LEGEND:
- A = Officers.
- B = Present.
- C = Sick.
- D = On Command.
- E = Total.
- F = Total Efficients Present, Officers and Men.
| Sergeants, Drummers, Rank and File, &c. | ||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| CAVALRY. | ||||||
| 1st Brigade [Stapleton Cotton] | ||||||
| 14th Light Dragoons | 27 | 628 | 21 | 73 | 749 | 655 |
| 16th Light Dragoons | 37 | 673 | 20 | 35 | 765 | 710 |
| 20th Light Dragoons [two squadrons] | 6 | 237 | 6 | 63 | 312 | 243 |
| 3rd Light Dragoons K.G.L. [one squadron] | 3 | 57 | 2 | 77 | 139 | 60 |
| 1,668 | ||||||
| 2nd Brigade [Fane] | ||||||
| 3rd Dragoon Guards | 25 | 698 | 10 | – | 733 | 723 |
| 4th Dragoons | 27 | 716 | 13 | – | 756 | 743 |
| 1,466 | ||||||
| Total Cavalry | 125 | 3,009 | 72 | 248 | 3,454 | 3,134 |
| INFANTRY. | ||||||
| Brigade of Guards [H. Campbell] | ||||||
| Coldstream Guards, 1st batt. | 33 | 1,194 | 75 | 3 | 1,305 | 1,227 |
| 3rd Foot Guards, 1st batt. | 34 | 1,228 | 79 | 8 | 1,349 | 1,262 |
| 1 company 5/60th Foot | 2 | 61 | 4 | – | 67 | 63 |
| 2,552 | ||||||
| 1st Brigade [Hill] | ||||||
| 3rd Foot, 1st batt. | 28 | 719 | 104 | 50 | 901 | 747 |
| 48th Foot, 2nd batt. | 32 | 721 | 52 | – | 805 | 753 |
| 66th Foot, 2nd batt. | 34 | 667 | 38 | 10 | 749 | 701 |
| 1 company 5/60th Foot | 2 | 61 | 4 | – | 67 | 63 |
| 2,264 | ||||||
| 2nd Brigade [Mackenzie] | ||||||
| 27th Foot, 3rd batt. | 28 | 726 | 134 | 2 | 890 | 754 |
| 31st Foot, 2nd batt. | 27 | 765 | 99 | 6 | 897 | 792 |
| 45th Foot, 1st batt. | 22 | 671 | 125 | 27 | 845 | 693 |
| 2,239 | ||||||
| 3rd Brigade [Tilson] | ||||||
| 5/60th Foot [5 companies] | 14 | 306 | 32 | 2 | 354 | 320 |
| 87th Foot 2nd batt. | 32 | 669 | 88 | 1 | 790 | 701 |
| 88th Foot 1st batt. | 30 | 608 | 143 | 28 | 809 | 638 |
| 1st Portuguese, 1st batt. | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1,659 | ||||||
| 4th Brigade [Sontag] | ||||||
| 97th Foot | 22 | 572 | 74 | 20 | 688 | 594 |
| 2nd batt. of Detachments | 35 | 787 | 221 | 16 | 1,059 | 822 |
| 1 company 5/60th Foot | 2 | 61 | 6 | – | 69 | 63 |
| 16th Portuguese, 2nd batt. | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1,479 | ||||||
| 5th Brigade [A. Campbell] | ||||||
| 7th Foot, 2nd batt. | 26 | 559 | 50 | 3 | 638 | 585 |
| 53rd Foot, 2nd batt. | 23 | 691 | 59 | 3 | 776 | 714 |
| 1 company 5/60th Foot | 4 | 64 | 11 | 1 | 80 | 68 |
| 10th Portuguese, 1st batt. | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1,367 | ||||||
| 6th Brigade [R. Stewart] | ||||||
| 29th Foot | 26 | 596 | 85 | 7 | 714 | 622 |
| 1st batt. of Detachments | 27 | 803 | 169 | 24 | 1,023 | 830 |
| 16th Portuguese, 1st batt. | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1,452 | ||||||
| 7th Brigade [Cameron] | ||||||
| 9th Foot, 2nd batt. | 27 | 545 | 227 | 22 | 821 | 572 |
| 83rd Foot, 2nd batt. | 39 | 833 | 73 | 23 | 968 | 872 |
| 1 company 5/60th Foot | 2 | 60 | 3 | 1 | 66 | 62 |
| 10th Portuguese, 2nd batt. | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1,506 | ||||||
| King’s German Legion Brigade [Murray] | ||||||
| 1st Line batt. K.G.L. | 34 | 767 | 125 | 9 | 935 | 801 |
| 2nd Line batt. K.G.L. | 32 | 804 | 52 | 9 | 897 | 836 |
| 5th Line batt. K.G.L. | 28 | 720 | 101 | 12 | 861 | 748 |
| 7th Line batt. K.G.L. | 22 | 688 | 83 | 10 | 803 | 710 |
| 3,095 | ||||||
| Unattached Troops (Lisbon) | ||||||
| 24th Foot, 2nd batt. | 18 | 750 | 26 | 3 | 797 | 768 |
| 30th Foot, 2nd batt. | 15 | 447 | 49 | 197 | 708 | 462 |
| Independent Light Co. K.G.L. | 3 | 35 | 14 | 4 | 56 | 38 |
| 1,268 | ||||||
| Total Infantry | 703 | 18,178 | 2,405 | 501 | 21,787 | 18,881 |
| ARTILLERY. | ||||||
| British | 31 | 550 | 83 | 499 | 1,163 | 581 |
| King’s German Legion | 18 | 331 | 34 | 134 | 517 | 349 |
| Wagon Train attached | 3 | 61 | 18 | 83 | 165 | 64 |
| Total Artillery | 52 | 942 | 135 | 716 | 1,845 | 994 |
| ENGINEERS. | 12 | 27 | 1 | – | 40 | 39 |
| WAGON TRAIN. | 2 | 65 | 21 | 17 | 105 | 67 |
| General Total | 894 | 22,221 | 2,634 | 1,482 | 27,231 | 23,115 |