[186] Wellington to Villiers, Jan. 25, 1810.

[187] D’Urban writes, May 4, ‘Such is the poverty, imbecility, and want of arrangement of the Portuguese government, that any regular system of supply is not to be expected. The whole civil branch of the army is in such a state of confusion, that I hold it impossible to carry on active operations for more than a few weeks.’

[188] I note in D’Urban’s diary, when he was making an inspection tour with Beresford at the end of the winter, ‘At Sardão a very good regiment of militia, 1,100 strong, that of Maia.’ ‘Abrantes, two regiments of militia, Lousão 1,035, Soure 1,035, all armed.’ But, on the other hand, ‘Vizeu, Arganil, Trancoso, ordered to be assembled at Almeida, have only—the first 867, the second 600, the last 505 firelocks, and the description of troops the very worst.’ Of course the numbers were somewhat higher by the next August.

[189] These regiments were Lagos, Tavira, Beja, Evora, Villaviciosa, Portalegre, Alcazar do Sul, Setubal.

[190] It may be well to name, once for all, the composition of these Militia Brigades. They were distributed as follows:—

Of Miller’s division, I think, but am not sure, that the last four were those detached under Wilson in September.

[191] D’Urban to Wilson, and Trant to Wilson, after two unfortunate incidents in 1812, when the militia had been more or less under arms for two whole years. The former are in D’Urban’s, the latter in Wilson’s correspondence.

[192] Dumouriez, State of Portugal, page 22. There was, however, one notable combat at Villa Pouca in the Tras-os-Montes where a whole Spanish column of 3,000 men was defeated by the Ordenança.

[193] Unlike the many French writers who content themselves with denouncing Wellington’s inhumanity, Pelet (Masséna’s chief confidant) confesses that the English general’s plan was perfectly logical. In his Aperçu de la Campagne de Portugal, he writes, ‘On a critiqué sans raison son système de guerre. Il était à peu près infaillible contre un ennemi inférieur en nombre. Mais peu de généraux oseront “sauver un pays” d’une telle manière.’