[749] Viz. Villatte’s and Maransin’s divisions, and Gruardet’s brigade of his own army, and Braun’s brigade of the Army of the Centre.
[750] On May 1 the three 2nd Division brigades had shown 7,200 bayonets—they had lost 900 men in action at Vittoria. If we allow for sick and stragglers and other casual losses, they cannot possibly have had 6,000 men in line on July 5.
[751] All these absurd theories are to be found in Gazan’s reports to Jourdan of July 4 and 5. See Vidal de la Blache, i. pp. 106-7.
[752] The troops of the Army of the North which Foy had collected from the Biscay garrisons, the brigades of Deconchy, Rouget, and Berlier of which we have heard so much in a previous chapter.
[753] Foy, Lamartinière, Maucune and Fririon (late Sarrut). There were behind them the King’s Spaniards and the raw Bayonne reserve.
[754] Dispatches, x. p. 512. The total losses having been 124 on all three days, Wellington’s ‘no loss’ means, of course, practically no loss.
[755] The clearest proof of Gazan’s resolute resolve not to stand, and of the complete mendacity of his dispatches concerning his heavy fighting on the 4th-5th and 7th, is that he returned the total of his losses at 35 killed and 309 wounded. As he had six brigades, or 13,000 men at least, engaged, it is clear that there was no serious fighting at all—a fact borne out by Hill’s corresponding return of 8 killed, 119 wounded, and 2 missing in the whole petty campaign.
[756] Cf. Lecestre, Lettres inédites, ii. p. 1037, where the Emperor says on July 3 that he cannot make out what is happening; and that Joseph and Jourdan are incapables.
[757] See, e. g., Joseph to Clarke, p. 336 of vol. ix of his Correspondance.
[758] See vol. v, p. 97.