Marmont, when he saw Craufurd filing off next morning, could not believe it: “Diable! voilà Craufurd! ma foi, j’aurais pu deviner cela.” Another time, Lord Wellington said, “Craufurd, you are going into a delicate situation; what orders do you wish for? I will write what you think best.” Craufurd told him his own plan and went away. Whilst Lord Wellington was writing them out, and acting accordingly, Craufurd sent him word that he had done something else. On another occasion, Lord Wellington sent to him to say he should inspect his division, and came accordingly. Craufurd never attended until it was half over, and then said that Lord Wellington was before his time; yet he was very strict with his own division, and would be very exactly obeyed. His division all complained of this, and many officers talked of who should call him out, on one or two occasions, for this. Yet he was so much valued, and the whole division had such confidence in him, that, when he joined them again just before the attack to take the command in the engagement in which he died, the whole division set up a loud shout, so as to frighten a small party of French who were near, who did not know what was the matter, and they ran away. Lord Wellington knew his merits and humoured him. It was surprising what he bore from him at times.
Lord Wellington celebrated the day of the storming of Badajoz with a grand dinner yesterday; only those present at that event were invited. Lord Aylmer had a rival dinner-party, at which was General Murray, &c., where I dined also. If the good news brings peace, what will become of your humble servant and many others here? “Othello’s occupation’s gone!”
General Murray is apparently very clever and clearheaded. In my opinion, he comes next to Lord Wellington, as far as I have seen. We are all full of the news, for a paper of the 22nd has arrived at Oporto several days later than the mail. We now know about Hamburg and Cuxhaven, Berlin, &c. I fear that the French will be driven together into one large body, and may then be more than a match for any one army opposed to them, but they will be considerably cowed and disheartened. When will the Dutch be roused to do anything? Now or never is their time!
CHAPTER V.
News of the French—Castilian Costume—Equipment of the Army—Melancholy Court-martial Case—Wellington in the Battle of Fuentes d’Onore—The Chances of War—Anecdotes of Wellington—His Opinions of the War—The New Mutiny Act—Wellington on “Vetus”—General Murray—Advance of the French.
Head-quarters, Frenada, April 12, 1813.
My dear M——,
From what I hear, if we could only get grass, Lord Wellington would move about the second week in May. There is no immediate prospect of this, as you will perceive, when I tell you that the Military Secretary has sent all his horses nearly a hundred miles off for grass.
The news here is, that some more of the French, about twenty men from every regiment, are ordered home. Some, but I believe no great number hitherto, are actually gone: and about three or four thousand conscripts are supposed to have arrived in Spain to fill up the vacancies of the old soldiers removed. Head-quarters will not now probably move until we march; and, from report, we shall not go to Guinaldo, but stay here quietly until the army is drawn up around us, ready to move.
The clergy, both here and in Spain, are in general, I understand, fortunately of the same opinion as to the Pope’s signing the Concordat, as you say the emigrants are; that he did it from compulsion, or that a different instrument was substituted for his signature. It was feared that artful plan would have assisted Bonaparte in Spain.