[136] See Diary of Swabey, R.A., p. 428, in Journal of the Artillery Institution, vol. xxii.
[137] The importance of the second evacuation of Madrid is brought out by no historian of the war except Vacani, vi. pp. 188-90. Napier barely mentions it. A curious story of the fate of certain English prisoners of Hill’s army, who were forgotten in prison, and came out again to liberty when the French army moved on, may be found in the autobiography of Harley of the 47th Regiment.
[138] Napier (iv. p. 373) says that Joseph left a garrison and his impedimenta in Madrid—I can find no trace of it in the contemporary accounts, e. g. of Romanos (Memorias de un Setenton) or of Harley who was about the town during the second week of November. Vacani distinctly says that Joseph had to take on even his sick (vi. p. 190). Cf. also Arteche, xi. pp. 309-12.
[139] Napier, iv. p. 373, says that Joseph went by the route of Segovia to Castile. I cannot think where he picked up this extraordinary idea. Jourdan’s dispatch of November 10 from Peñaranda gives all the facts. It was on the 5th, near Villacastin, that Soult told Joseph that Hill was about to be joined by Wellington and that the two might crush him. The King at once sent orders to Drouet to come up by forced marches from Madrid. The Army of the Centre started next day. Palombini did not get off till the 8th (Vacani, vi. p. 190), but the head of the column reached Villacastin that same day.
[140] Wellington to Hill, November 3. Dispatches, ix. p. 532.
[141] His first definite information as to this was from a Spaniard who on November 4 saw 3,000 French infantry marching through Torquemada towards Burgos (Dispatches, ix. p. 544). Even so late as November 8th he did not rely on this important news as correct.
[142] From Rueda, November 5, morning. Dispatches, ix. p. 537.
[143] They had really not the 50,000 on which Wellington speculated (’45,000 men I should consider rather below the number’ (Dispatches, ix. p. 544) ) but 60,000 or very nearly that number. But, on the day when Wellington was writing, their rear had not even started from Madrid, and Soult’s 40,000 men were strung out all along the road.
[144] As a matter of fact, using the best map of 1812 available to me (Nantiat’s), it would seem that the line Rueda-Fuentesauco-Salamanca is about 50 miles, that by Rueda-Nava del Rey-Pitiegua-Salamanca about 55 miles, while the route suggested for the French, circuitous and running in more than one place by country cross-paths, is over 65 miles long, not to speak of its being a worse route for topographical reasons.
[145] An under-estimate by several thousands. Wellington did not know of Aussenac’s brigade from Bayonne, over 3,000 men, which had now been attached provisionally to the Army of Portugal.