[112] ‘Bientôt viendrait le moment où on serait forcé de se jeter sur l’une ou sur l’autre rive; et alors on pourrait trouver les têtes-de-pont entourées par une contrevallation de l’ennemi, ou bien l’armée se verrait forcée à recevoir bataille avec un fleuve au dos, en voulant se porter sur la rive droite.’ Masséna to Berthier, March 6.
[113] It is interesting to see from Masséna’s dispatch of March 6 that he was aware of the existence both of the Setubal and the Almada fortifications.
[114] Foy, present at the council, where he was asked to comment on the Emperor’s last orders, which he had brought himself, renders Masséna’s decision in his diary as: ‘Que faut-il donc faire? Tenir ici le plus longtemps que nous pourrons: voir d’ici là ce qui se passera dans l’Alemtejo: puis, si rien n’est changé, nous transporter sur le Mondego, en laissant un corps d’armée à la rive gauche de cette rivière.’ [Vie Militaire, p. 131.]
[115] This comes from Masséna’s dispatch to Berthier of March 6th.
[116] For details as to this see Foy’s narrative quoted above.
[117] Journal of Noël of the Artillery of the 8th Corps, p. 137.
[118] For general statements as to the miserable state of the material of the army see Masséna’s dispatch to Berthier of March 6, 1811.
[119] This plan comes out in full in the diary of Beresford’s Chief of the Staff. D’Urban writes under the 23rd February: ‘The Marshal tells me that Lord Wellington means to attack, and his (Beresford’s) own share is that he must turn and force the French left, when the reinforcements should arrive. Some of them are already on their march up from Lisbon. On their arrival Lord Wellington will attack the French right, on the Rio Mayor, while Marshal Beresford crosses the Tagus at Abrantes, and attacks the force on the Zezere at the same time. Orders to inquire how far, in attacking the corps at Punhete, Amoreira can be turned, and the heights of Montalvão gained, with consequent advantage of ground in coming on the enemy upon the Zezere.’ The local reports were prepared by D’Urban on the 25th. The only allusion to the plan in the Wellington dispatches is in the last paragraph of the letter to Lord Liverpool of February 23rd, in which the phrase occurs, ‘I cannot venture to detach troops [to Estremadura] even after the reinforcements shall arrive: and if the weather should hold up a little I must try something else-of greater extent but more doubtful result.’
[120] The Chasseurs Britanniques had landed very early in February, and a wing of the 51st on the 25th of that month. But the bulk of the transport fleet from England only was reported at the Tagus mouth on March 4th, and began to land men next day—the critical day of Masséna’s retreat. The ships with the German light brigade had sailed late, and came in even later in proportion.
[121] Most of these orders will be found in the early (6 a.m.) dispatch of March 5th to Beresford. The rest are mentioned as having been ordered to take place on the 5th in the dispatch to Beresford of the 6th.