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

by Charles Oman

Of the officers at the Madrid Deposito de la Guerra, whose courtesy I have mentioned above, I must give special thanks to Captain Emilio Figueras, from whom (just as these pages are going to press) I have received some additional figures relating to the Army of Estremadura in 1809.

Finally, as in my first volume, I must make special acknowledgement of the assistance of two helpers in Oxford—the indefatigable compiler of the Index, and Mr. C. E. Doble, whose corrections and suggestions have been as valuable in 1903 as in 1902.

C. OMAN.

All Souls College,
June 20, 1903.

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CONTENTS

SECTION IX
After Corunna (Jan.-Feb. 1809)
Chapter		PAGE
[I.]	The Consequences of Moore’s Diversion: Rally of the Spanish Armies: Battle of Ucles	[1]
[II.]	Napoleon’s departure from Spain: his plans for the Termination of the War: the Counter-Plans of the Junta: Canning and Cadiz	[15]
SECTION X
The Autumn and Winter Campaign in Catalonia
[I.]	The Siege of Rosas	[37]
[II.]	St. Cyr relieves Barcelona: Battles of Cardadeu and Molins de Rey	[58]
[III.]	The Campaign of February, 1809: Battle of Valls	[76]
SECTION XI
The Second Siege of Saragossa (Dec. 1808-Feb. 1809)
[I.]	The Capture of the Outworks	[90]
[II.]	The French within the Walls: the Street-fighting: the Surrender	[115]
SECTION XII
The Spring Campaign in La Mancha and Estremadura
[I.]	The Rout of Ciudad Real	[143]
[II.]	Operations of Victor and Cuesta: the Battle of Medellin	[149]
SECTION XIII
Soult’s Invasion of Portugal
[I.]	Soult’s Preliminary Operations in Galicia (Jan.-March 1809)	[170]
[II.]	Portugal at the moment of Soult’s Invasion: the Nation, the Regency, and Sir John Cradock	[196]
[III.]	The Portuguese Army: its History and its Reorganization	[208]
[IV.]	Combats about Chaves and Braga: Capture of Oporto (March 10-29, 1809)	[223]
[V.]	Soult’s halt at Oporto: Operations of Robert Wilson and Lapisse on the Portuguese Frontier: Silveira’s defence of Amarante	[250]
[VI.]	Intrigues at Oporto: the Conspiracy of Argenton	[273]
SECTION XIV
Wellesley’s Campaign in Northern Portugal (May 1809)
[I.]	Sir Arthur Wellesley: the general and the man	[286]
[II.]	Wellesley retakes Oporto	[312]
[III.]	Soult’s Retreat from Oporto	[343]
SECTION XV
Operations in Northern Spain (March-June 1809)
[I.]	Ney and La Romana in Galicia and the Asturias	[367]
[II.]	The French abandon Galicia	[390]
[III.]	Operations in Aragon: Alcañiz and Belchite (March-June 1809)	[406]
SECTION XVI
The Talavera Campaign (July-Aug. 1809)
[I.]	Wellesley at Abrantes: Victor evacuates Estremadura	[433]
[II.]	Wellesley enters Spain	[449]
[III.]	Wellesley and Cuesta: the interview at Mirabete	[463]
[IV.]	The March to Talavera: Quarrel of Wellesley and Cuesta	[483]
[V.]	Concentration of the French Armies: the King takes the offensive: Combats of Torrijos and Casa de Salinas	[494]
[VI.]	The Battle of Talavera: the Preliminary Combats (July 27-28)	[507]
[VII.]	The Battle of Talavera: the Main Engagement (July 28)	[527]
[VIII.]	The Retreat from Talavera	[559]
[IX.]	The end of the Talavera Campaign: Almonacid	[599]
APPENDICES
[I.]	The ‘Army of the Centre,’ Jan. 11, 1809. The Spanish Army at the Battle of Ucles	[621]
[II.]	The Garrison of Saragossa	[622]
[III.]	The French Army in Spain, in Feb. 1809	[624]
[IV.]	The Spanish Army at Medellin	[627]
[V.]	The Portuguese Army in 1809: organization and numbers	[629]
[VI.]	Papers relating to the intrigues at Oporto, April-May 1809	[632]
[VII.]	Strength of Wellesley’s Army, May 6, 1809	[640]
[VIII.]	Soult’s Report on Galicia, June 25, 1809	[642]
[IX.]	Suchet’s and Blake’s Armies, May and June 1809	[643]
[X.]	Papers relating to the Talavera Campaign: strength and losses of the British, Spanish, and French Armies	[645]
[XI.]	The British Royal Artillery in the Peninsula, 1809	[654]
[XII.]	Venegas’s Army of La Mancha in June-July 1809	[655]
[INDEX]		[657]

MAPS AND PLANS
PAGE
[I.]	Ucles and Rosas	To face	[54]
[II.]	General Map of Catalonia: Battle of Valls	”	[88]
[III.]	Saragossa, the Second Siege	”	[134]
[IV.]	Medellin	”	[166]
[V.]	Braga (Lanhozo) and Oporto	”	[248]
[VI.]	Northern Portugal, showing Soult’s and Wellesley’s Campaigns of 1809	”	[360]
[VII.]	Alcañiz and Maria	”	[426]
[VIII.]	Talavera	”	[550]
[IX.]	Central Spain, showing the localities of the Talavera Campaign	”	[596]

ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Joseph Palafox, Equestrian Portrait by Goya	[Frontispiece]
A Portuguese Cavalry Soldier, 1809	[212]
A Portuguese Infantry Soldier, and a Man of the Ordenanza	[222]
The Douro above Oporto, the locality of Wellesley’s crossing	[336]
Coins struck in Spain during the Peninsular War	[478]

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