[839] 120th Line of Lamartinière.
[840] 2nd Léger of same, which suffered heavily at Vittoria while under Sarrut.
[841] 20,957 to be exact.
[842] Not only the Afrancesados but some of the Army of the North troops withdrawn from the Biscay garrisons had a poor record, and had disgusted Foy in his recent Tolosa fight. These were high-numbered battalions, recently made up from the Bayonne conscript reserve.
[843] The best proof of the efficiency of the bulk of Villatte’s corps is that when Vandermaesen’s and Maucune’s divisions were cut to pieces in the battles of the Pyrenees, Soult made up a new brigade for each of them out of the Reserve. Joseph’s French Guards fought splendidly at San Marcial. The Germans were very steady veteran troops.
[844] Vidal de la Blache, i. p. 160.
[845] See above, [p. 533]. Jourdan to Joseph, July 5. The memorandum had been made over to Soult. Cf. Clere, Campagne du Maréchal Soult, p. 46, and Vidal de la Blache, i. p. 182.
[846] One asks oneself why Soult did not give Reille the Maya attack, saving him two-thirds of his journey, and send D’Erlon to join Clausel at St. Jean-Pied-du-Port, by a march much shorter than Reille was asked to make.
[847] It is said that persons acquainted with the country told Soult to send the whole column round by Bayonne, on account of the artillery, but that he refused. As a matter of fact, Lamartinière’s division and some of the guns did go that détour, owing to the broken bridge.
[848] Wellington to Graham, July 22. Dispatches, x. p. 559.