Head-quarters, half a league from
Pamplona.
My dear M——,
I have repented staying two days at Vittoria. The consequence has been that I fell in with all the fagged division of the army, and found every hole full of troops, and nothing to eat or drink. The roads were poached up knee-deep with clay, and I have almost knocked up both myself and my animals. Yesterday I had no dinner, and to-day no breakfast, and the first day I was twelve hours on the road going six leagues to a place two leagues beyond Salvatierra; from thence I got in thirteen hours more to Orunzun, eight leagues. There my baggage did not arrive in time, and I went to bed without dinner and without anything except the comforts of a Spanish cottage.
I set out this morning for head-quarters. Now we start fair again; to-morrow we march. Pamplona is invested, but I fear that we have little means for a very regular siege; and accounts state that Clausel is, with fifteen thousand men, on his road from Logrono, endeavouring to escape towards Suchet. It is hoped that we may intercept him, or at least his guns; and so we march, though the army is terribly fagged, and the animals also. General Graham is at Tolosa; Mina at Tudela to assist against Clausel. From Vittoria to this place we have constantly passed at first stripped and unburied dead, then baggage and animals without number, but the French have got off to France, and march away like monkeys, scrambling over everything, consequently there are few prisoners. Lord Wellington is in the highest spirits. King Joseph was within two hundred yards of our dragoons, and had a narrow escape. A few more cannon have been taken.
It is one continued pass, or valley, all the way from Vittoria to this place; the road infamous, villages every mile, but much damaged by the French, and the people, from affluence, reduced to misery and distress. Oh war! war! little do you know of it in England. At Orunzun the French had spent much in a blockhouse and fort; they withdrew the garrison for the battle, and the peasants destroyed it immediately.
One league from Sanguessa, Head-Quarters, Casseda, June 29th, 1813.—Thus far we have arrived in pursuit of Clausel and his division, who were at Logrono, on their way to join King Joseph. Had the battle been delayed two days longer, we should have had these fifteen thousand men, in addition, to contend with; for by that time they would have joined the king’s army. As it was, they were in some degree cut off and separated from their friends, and might have been in some danger; for had it not been for the information of some treacherous alcalde (I believe), these men would have proceeded towards Pamplona, and would then have fallen completely into our net. As it is, hearing of our approach, and having the start, there is no chance of doing anything with them, I think; they have full opportunity of joining Suchet, and nothing material in their way, though Mina may harass them much. Our army, by this pursuit, already is terribly harassed and out of sorts.
In marching, our men have no chance at all with the French. The latter beat them hollow; principally, I believe, owing to their being a more intelligent set of beings, seeing consequences more, and feeling them. This makes them sober and orderly whenever it becomes material, and on a pinch their exertions and individual activity are astonishing. Our men get sulky and desperate, drink excessively, and become daily more weak and unable to proceed, principally from their own conduct. They eat voraciously when opportunity offers, after having had short fare. This brings on fluxes, &c. In every respect, except courage, they are very inferior soldiers to the French and Germans. When the two divisions, the fourth and light, passed through Taffalla the day before yesterday, the more soldierlike appearance and conduct of the foreigners, though in person naturally inferior, was very mortifying. Lord Wellington feels it much, and is much hurt.[4]
The 23rd and 11th Portuguese regiments, who behaved in the field on the 23rd as well as any British did or could do, are on the march, though smaller animals, most superior. They were cheerful, orderly, and steady. The English troops were fagged, half tipsy, weak, disorderly, and unsoldierlike; and yet the Portuguese suffer greater real hardships, for they have no tents, and only bivouac, and have a worse commissariat.
I think we shall to-morrow retrace our steps to Pamplona, and give over this pursuit. Lord Wellington, I think, sees it will not do. We had a very long march the day before yesterday to Taffalla. The road was, however, very good on the Canuria Real from Pamplona to Tudela. Thinking that the French were making to Tudela, we proceeded that way by this forced march. The country was very fine. About two leagues from Pamplona was a handsome, plain, elegant aqueduct, of one hundred arches, light and simple. We passed several villages, and, near Taffalla, a quantity of well-managed orchards and garden-ground; the consequence was, fruit and vegetables cheap and good, plenty of cherries about 1d. a-pound, pears and plums, &c.; onions, beans, peas, lettuce, pork, cheap; in short, a most plentiful Spanish market.
Taffalla is a good town, and the people civil and hospitable. They had never seen us before, and gave us a welcome. I should have liked another day there, for both my men and animals were knocked up, and wanted it. The next day, however, we proceeded by a mountain-road over a little sierra to this place (Casseda), changing our direction of march, though the object was the same. Last night, I believe, it was found that the French had much the start of us, and had crossed the Ebro. In short, I presume from this, and from the very harassed and bad state of the men to-day, we halted here; and I suspect to-morrow we shall return.