A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 2, Jan.-Sep. 1809

by Charles Oman

[750] For Wellesley’s answer to Canning see his reply to his brother on Sept. 5, containing his ‘Observation on Mr. Secretary Canning’s Dispatch of Aug. 12,’ combined with the reference to his own dispatch of Aug. 24, which (as he writes to Castlereagh on Sept. 4) ‘gives the government my opinion upon all the points referred to in Mr. Canning’s dispatches.’ The quotation above comes from this last-named document of Aug. 24.

[751] The French force at Almonacid stood as follows:—4th Corps; Sebastiani’s division 6,000 men, Valence’s 4,000, Leval’s 3,000, and corps-cavalry (Merlin) 1,000. Milhaud’s dragoons had 2,200 men present; the King had brought up 600 horse and about 4,800 foot of his guards and of Dessolles’ division. The total therefore was about 3,800 cavalry and 17,800 foot.

[752] This remark I find in the narrative of General Bouligni, the commanding officer of engineers in the Army of La Mancha [Arteche, vi. 370]. Venegas was aiming his sneer at Castaños and at La Romana, who had got the nickname of ‘Marquis de la Romeria’ from his perpetual strategical movements to the rear.

[753] But see General Arteche’s calculation in vi. 392 of his Guerra de la Independencia.

[754] Soult to Joseph, Aug. 18, from Plasencia.

[755] Ney to Jourdan, from Salamanca, Aug. 22.

[756] See Joseph to Clarke, Aug. 22, and Napoleon to Clarke, Sept. 7.

[757] For a presentment of Joseph’s case see Chapter xii. of Jourdan’s Mémoires.

[758] Though named from Olivenza these regiments were actually raised in Northern Beira, with head quarters at Lamego, Olivenza having been ceded to Spain in 1801 at the treaty of Badajoz.

[759] Ces passe-ports devaient être délivrés aux noms supposés de Dupont et Garis, d’après les déclarations d’Argenton lui-même, du m^al Soult, du g^al Ricard, &c. L’un de ces passe-ports devait être utilisé par le cap^e Favre, aide de camp du g^al Lefebvre, qui voulait rentrer en France pour démissionner. L’autre devait servir à un officier supérieur qu’Argenton ne nomme pas, qui devait aller rendre compte de la situation à l’Empereur.