The battles of the world

by J. Douglas Borthwick

Meanwhile their attack on the hill had failed; while on the Spanish part of the army, safely posted behind redoubts in Talavera, they had made no assault. And so closed the battle of Talavera. Both sides remained in the position of the morning when night closed upon them. But at day-break the French began their retreat; and before six o’clock their whole army was safely encamped behind the Alberche. That day, too, Sir Robert Crawford joined the British army, bringing with him the 43rd, the 52nd, and the 95th regiments; which troops immediately relieved the rest of the army of the outpost-duty.

The loss of the English in this terrible contest was 6268; including in the reckoning all the attacks, both on the 27th and the 28th. The loss of the French was 8794, according to their own returns. They lost also 17 guns, some tumbrils, and several hundred prisoners.

Sir Arthur Wellesley, as we have said, was obliged to fight this battle. Had he refused to advance, the Spanish government and people would have deemed his presence useless, and would have upbraided him with want of courage. And having advanced, the French Marshals very naturally looked upon him as their prey; and attacked him, deeming his defeat certain.

The reputation gained by the victory was obviously that arising from a fearless meeting of the attack of a fine French army of 50,000 men, led by two celebrated Generals, with an Anglo-German force of 19,000, encumbered with the merely nominal aid of Spaniards. A French critic, General Jomini, thus speaks of the moral result: “This battle at once restored the reputation of the British army, which, during a century past, had declined. It was now ascertained, that the English infantry could dispute the palm with the best in Europe.”

Sir Arthur, too, had now seen, and his troops had seen and proved, the value of the Spanish army; and all illusion on that subject had ceased. Their artillery was well trained, and sometimes rendered good service; but their cavalry was wretched; and their infantry was totally unable to perform evolutions under fire without falling into confusion. The result therefore naturally was, that the English General, retiring into Portugal, commenced plans to be carried out by English and Portuguese forces, in which the Spanish armies bore little or no part.

The merits of the English Commander were promptly recognized by his own government. He was immediately created Baron Douro and Viscount Wellington of Talavera, and of Wellington in the county of Somerset.

There is a remarkable similarity, in all its chief features, between this, the first of Wellington’s great battles, and Waterloo, his last. Doubling the numbers on both sides, the proportions were nearly the same. The French at Talavera had more than 50,000 excellent troops,—at Waterloo they had almost twice as many. The great English General had about 19,000 good troops at Talavera, with the nominal aid of 30,000 worthless ones. At Waterloo, he had about 33 or 34,000 good troops, with the addition of about as many unreliable ones. In both cases alike, the French, confident of success, made the attack; and in both cases they were foiled and driven back by a British force of less than half their number. The one material difference between the two conflicts lay in this,—that in the second great battle, just as Napoleon’s last attack had been repelled, a force of 50,000 Prussians broke in upon the retreating French, and utterly dispersed and annihilated their already-beaten army.”

TARA, BATTLE OF.—This was one of the earliest battles in Ireland in ’98. Fought between the Royal forces, only 400 strong, and the insurgent Irish, amounting to 4000, yet they were completely beaten, and 500 slain, May 26th, 1798.

TARBES, BATTLE OF.—Fought, March 20th, 1814, between the English and French. Marshal Soult was forced from his position, with great loss, by the Duke of Wellington. This engagement shortly preceded that of Toulouse.

TARENTUM WAR.—One of the most celebrated wars in Roman History. Undertaken by the inhabitants of Tarentum, with the aid of the renowned Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, which resulted, after many battles, in their subjugation by the arms of the Romans.