History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France, vol. 5

22 July 1812

Battle of Salamanca

CHAP. III.

Bonet arrives in the French camp — Marmont passes the Duero — Combat of Castrejon — Allies retire across the Guarena — Combat on that river — Obser- vations on the movements — Marmont turns Wellington's flank — Retreat to San Christoval — Marmont passes the 'formes — Battle of Salamanca — Anecdote of Mrs. Dalbiac 147

LIST OF APPENDIX.

Extracts of letters relating to the battle of Salamanca . . . 585

LIST OF THE PLATES,

3. Battle of Salamanca, with a Sketch of Operations before and after

XX ANSWER TO SOME ATTACKS IN

The other point to which I would allude is the battle of Salamanca. Mr. Robinson, with his baton of military criticism, belabours the unfortunate Marmont unmercifully, and with an unhappy minuteness of detail, first places general Foy's troops on the left of the French army and then destroys them by the bayonets of the third division, although the poor man and his unlucky soldiers were all the time on the right of the French army, and were never engaged with the third division at all. This is however but a slight blemish for Mr. Robinson's book, and his competence to criticise Marmont's movements is no whit impaired thereby. I wish however to assure him that the expression put into the mouth of the late sir Edward Pakenham is " ne vero ne ben trovato" Vulgar swaggering was no part of that amiable man's character, which was composed of as much gentleness, as much generosity, as much frankness, and as much spirit as ever commingled in a noble mind. Alas I that he should have fallen so soon and so sadly ! ! His answer to lord Wellington, when the latter ordered him to attack, was not, " I will, my lord, by God !" With the bearing of a gallant gentleman who had resolved to win or perish, he replied, " Yes, if you will

7 September 1812 (26 August Old Style)

Battle of Borodino

XVIII.

Napoleon had notice of Marmont's defeat as early as the 2d of September, a week before the great battle of Borodino ; the news was carried by colonel Fabvier, who made the journey from Valladodid in one course, and having fought on the 22d of July at the Arapiles, was wounded on the heights of Moskowa the 7th of September ! However, the duke of Ragusa, suffering alike in body and in mind, had excused himself with so little strength, or clearness, that the emperor contemptuously re- marking, that the despatch contained more com- plicate stuffing than a clock, desired his war minister to demand, why Marmont had delivered battle without the orders of the king ? why he had not made his operations subservient to the general plan of the campaign ? why he broke from defensive into offensive operations before the army of the centre joined him ? why he would not even wait two days for Chauvel's cavalry, which he knew were close at hand ? " From personal vanity," said the emperor, with seeming sternness, " the duke of Ragusa has sacrificed the interests of his country, and the good of my service, he is guilty of the crime of insubordination, and is the author of all this misfortune."

20–21 May 1813

Battle of Bautzen

PENINSULAR WAR. 531

June. maza stream, his right near Horraillas, his left on the Arlanzan, barring the way to Burgos ; the other two armies were in reserve behind Estepar, and in this situation they had remained for three days and were again cheered by intelligence of Napoleon's victory at Bautzen and the consequent armistice. But on the 12th Wellington's columns came up and the light division preceded by Grant's hussars and Ponsonby's dragoons, immediately turned the French right, while the rest of the troops attacked the whole range of heights from Hormillas to Estepar. Reille, whose object was to make the allies shew their force, seeing their horsemen in rear of his right flank while his front was so strongly menaced, made for the bridge of Baniel on the Arlanzan ; then Gardiner's horse-artillery raked his columns, and captain Milles of the four- teenth dragoons charging, took some prisoners and one of his guns which had been disabled. Meanwhile the right of the allies pressing forward towards the bridge of Baniel endeavoured to cut off the retreat, but the French repelled the minor attacks with the utmost firmness, bore the fire of the artillery with- out shrinking, and evading the serious attacks by their rapid yet orderly movement, finally passed the river with a loss of only thirty men killed and a few taken.

PENINSULAR WAR. 575

Nothing then could be more opportune than Wel- lington's advance on the 12th, because a retrograde defensive sytem is unsuited to French soldiers, whose impatient courage leads them always to attack, and the news of Napoleon's victory at Bautzen had just arrived to excite their ardour. Wherefore Joseph should have retaken the offensive on the 12th at the moment when Wellington ap- proached the Hormaza, and as the left and centre of the allies were at Villa Diego and Castroxerez, the greatest part at the former, that is to say, one march distant, the twenty-six thousand men imme- diately under Wellington, would probably have been forced back over the Pisuerga, and the king would have gained time for Sarrut, Foy and Clauzel to join him. Did the English general then owe his success to fortune, to his adversary's fault rather than to his own skill ? Not so. He had judged the king's military capacity, he had seen the haste, the confusion, the trouble of the enemy, and know- ing well the moral power of rapidity and boldness in such circumstances, had acted, daringly indeed, but wisely, for such daring is admirable, it is the highest part of war.

21 June 1813

Battle of Vitoria

CHAP. VIII.

Confused state of the French in the basin of Vittoria — Two convoys are sent to the rear — The king takes up a new order of battle — The Gallicians march to seize Orduua but are recalled — Graham marches across the hills to Murguia — Relative strength and position of the hostile armies — Battle of Vittoria — Joseph retreats by Salvatierra — Wellington pursues him up the Borundia and Araquil valleys — Sends Longa and Giron into Guipuscoa — Joseph halts at Yrursun — Detaches the army of Portugal to the Bidassoa — Retreats with the army of the centre and the army of the south to Pampeluna — Wellington detaches Graham through the mountains by the pass of St. Adrian into Guipuscoa and marches himself to Pampeluna — •Combat with the French rear-guard — Joseph retreats up the valley of Roncevalles — General Foy rallies the French troops in Guipuscoa and fights the Spaniards at Montdragon — Retreats to Bergara and Villa Franca — Graham enters Guipuscoa — Combat on the Orio river — Foy retires to Tolosa — Combat there — The French posts on the sea-coast abandoned with exception of Santona and St. Sebastian — Foy retires behind the Bidassoa — Clauzel advances towards Vittoria — Retires to Logrono — Wellington endeavours to surround him — He makes a forced march to Tudela — Is in great danger — Escapes to Zaragoza — Halts there — Is deceived by Mina and finally marches to Jacca — Gazan re-enters Spain and occupies the valley of Bastan — O'Donel reduces the forts of PancoTbo — Hill drives Gazan from the valley of Bastan — Observations 548

LIST OF THE PLATES,

8. Battle of Vittoria, with Operations before and after the Action.

PENINSULAR WAR. 519

very appropriately, the march to Vittoria. That April*, march was but one portion of the action. The con- centration of the army on the banks of the Duero was the commencement, the movement towards the Ebro and the passage of that river was the middle, the battle of Vittoria was the catastrophe, and the crowning of the Pyrennees the end of the splendid drama.

BATTLE OF VITTORIA.

BATTLE OF VITTORIA.