The public disappointment at the Convention of Cintra was soon counterbalanced by gratifying intel ligence from the Baltic. Bonaparte, whose plan was to subjugate all Europe, by making one nation in strumental in overawing another, had sent the Spa nish regiments in his service into Denmark ; but he could not prevent their receiving intelligence of the rising spirit of their countrymen, and the vicinity of a British fleet happily facilitated their evasion. Ten thousand Spaniards were thus brought off, and car ried, with their arms, stores, and artillery, to join the standard of their country.
Meantime the command of our troops in Portu gal was vested in Sir John Moore, and arrangements were made for moving them forward into Spain. From the badness of the roads, it was necessary to advance in two divisions, one marching due east, and another north-east, while a farther force, arrived from England at Corunna, was instructed to hold a south-east course. Each of the lateral divisions re ceived, in their progress, orders to adapt the direc tion of their march to existing circumstances ; but the result was, that both converged towards the cen tral division, led on by Sir John Moore in person.
In their march, our officers had an ample oppor tunity of witnessing the fallacious and exaggerated impressions entertained in England with regard to the ardour of the Spaniards. They saw a country wretchedly cultivated and thinly peopled ; a nation hostilely disposed, indeed, to the French, but unac customed to exertion, and incapable of combination ; instead of recruits, supplies of provisions, or offers of voluntary service, all was inactivity and stagnation ; and, amidst the general poverty, our Commissariat had great difficulty in obtaining provisions. Another great source of perplexity was the want of informa tion. The natives, whether in the civil or military service, were too ignorant and credulous to be ca pable of detecting exaggeration, or of distinguishing truth from falsehood ; and our officers were obliged to judge for themselves under the most contradicto ry Sir John Moore reached Salamanca on 13th of November, aware that the Spaniards had been de feated at Burgos, and soon after apprised that a French corps was advancing to Valladolid, within 60 miles of his front. k this situation, he received from Madrid the most urgent solicitations to send thither his army, in whole or in part. He knew the ardour of his country for the cause of Spain, and di rected his movements in the plan of complying, as far as should be at all advisable, with the represen tations pressed on him ; but, day after day, the intel ligence became more discouraging. At last, the fall of Madrid, ascertained by an intercepted letter of General Berthier, removed every doubt, and left him no other plan but that of uniting his three divisions, and determining on a retreat ; but, as his army was now augmented to 25,000 men, he determined to strike, if possible, a blow against the detached French army under Soult, stationed at some distance to the north-east. With this view, our troops ad
vanced from the small town of Sahagun towards the enemy, and a partial action, which took place be tween the opposite vanguards, was to our advantage ; but intelligence arriving that Bonaparte was direct ing a superior force on our rear, it became indis pensable to make a prompt and uninterrupted re treat. Bonaparte, forward with his van guard, reached our rear at Benavente, saw, for the first time, British soldiers, and witnessed a cavalry action, in which several squadrons of his guard were very roughly handled, and their commanding officer, Lefevre Desnouettes, made prisoner. Meanwhile, Soult, marching by a different road, hoped to cross our line of retreat at Astorga and the Spaniards having abandoned the position which covered the ac cess to that town, it required both prompt and skil ful exertion to enable our army to occupy it before the enemy. Here, pressed as we were, it became ne cessary to destroy a great part of our camp equipage. Our army was a-head of the enemy, but had before it a long and difficult march over the mountains of Ga licia. The weather was severe, provisions scanty, the inhabitants cold and unfriendly : so many privations and disappointments relaxed the discipline of our sol diers, who called loudly to be led to action, as the close of their distress. Retreat, however, was unavoidable ; and, in this state of suffering and insubordination, the army performed a march of more than 200 miles, our general keeping in the rear to check the French, who followed with their usual audacity. At Lugo, about 60 miles from Corunna, circumstances seem ed to justify our awaiting the enemy, and fighting a general battle. Our soldiers repaired with alac rity to their ranks, but Soult did not accept the challenge, and our retreat was continued. It closed on the 12th January, having been attended with the capture of many men, from disorder, and the sacri fice of many horses, from want of forage, but with out losing a standard, or sustaining a single check in action. On the 13th, 14th, and 15th, the sick and artillery were embarked on board our men of war ; the troops remained on shore, to await the ene my, and to cover the reproach of retreat by some shining exploit. This led to the battle of on that day our position was good on the left, but very much otherwise on the right ; thither, accord ingly, the French pointed their strongest column, and thither Sir John Moore repaired in person. He directed the necessary movements first to obstruct, and afterwards to charge, the advancing enemy. These orders were gallantly executed, and the at tack of the French repelled ; but our lamented gene ral received a wound from a cannon ball, which soon after proved mortal. Subsequent attacks, first on our centre, and next on our left, were equally foil ed ; and, in the evening, we occupied an advanced position along our whole line. Enough having now been done for the honour of our arms, the embark. ation was continued on the 17th, and completed on the 18th, after which the whole set sail for England.