We must now turn to the affairs of the peninsula. In December, 1812, the French main army, now under the command of Drouet, was in the neighbourhood of Sala manca and Valladolid, occupying various posts on the line of the Tagus. Joseph Bonaparte was at Madrid, and Soult had his head quarters at Toledo. Thus all the central parts of Spain were in the power of the French. Lord Wellington was at Freynada, uu the frontiers of Portugal, about the middle of March ; nearly all the French troops were withdrawn from La Mancha, and the army of the south was concentrated between Talavera, Madrid, and To%do, Joseph Bonaparte having quitted Madrid. These movements, and others connected with them, indicated that their plan was to retire from the central provinces, and take strong positions in the north and north-east. In the south-east of Spain, Suchet had been obliged to quit Va lencia, in consequence of some successes gained by the Anglo•Sicilian army under Sir John Murray. In April, the main French army was still occupied in moving from the Tagus to the Douro ; hut their force was much weak ened, as during February and March, nearly 25,000 men had been sent into France, to assist Bonaparte in his Ger man campaign.
These movements an indications of the French, deter mined the plan of Lord Wellington. On the loth of May, he fixed his head quarters at Salamanca. Here a slight skirmish took place. His army afterwards continued to advance to Toro, the French persevering in their plan of evacuating the central provinces. On the 7th of June, Lord Wellington crossed the Carrion, and soon after recon noitered a strong position which the French occupied at Burgos. This, however, they did not defend, but retired with their whole force in the night, marching towards the Ebro, on the road to Miranda. On the 14th and 15th Lord Wellington crossed that river, and continued his march towards Vittot ia.
Joseph Bonaparte was now the nominal commander of the grand French army ; but the actual command was vested in Marshal Jourdan. The army consisted of the whole of the armies of the south and the centre, of four divisions, and all the cavalry of the army of Portugal, and sonic troops of the army of the north. On the 19th of June, it took up a position in front of Vittoria. On the 20th Lord Wellington's army halted, and his Lordship re connoitered the French. On the 21st he attacked them, and gained a most signal and glorious victory. The retreat of the French was so rapid, that they were unable to draw off their baggage and artillery, the whole of which fell into the hands of the victors. The French retreated by the high road to their own country, first to Pampeluna, and on the 25th by the road of Roncesvalles into France ; a brigade of the army of Gallicia, under General Castanos, driving them across the Bidassoa, the boundary river, over the bridge of Iron.
Marshal Suchet was still in the southeast of Spain, whese Sir John Murray was employed in besieging Tarra gona. As the relief of this place was of the utmost im portance, the Marshal collected about 20,000, and advanc ed towards it. Sir John Murray, not deeming himself sufficiently strong to meet his opponent, reimbarked with so much precipitation, as to give rise to much complaint and censure of his conduct.
In the mean time, though the main French army had actually evacuated the Peninsula, and entered their own country, part of their troops still maintained themselves in the valley of Basta'); of which, on account of its richness and strong positions, they seemed resolved to keep pos session. Against them, therefore, a detachment of the British were sent, who succeeded in dislodging them. It was now supposed, that the French would retire quietly before their conquerors ; but Bonaparte, notwithstanding his reverses in the Peninsula and Germany ought to have taught him the necessity of confining himself to one ob ject, still persevered in his resolution to recover Spain, if possible. For this purpose Soult, certainly his best gene ral, and who had greatly distinguished himself in the south of Spain, was appointed, by an imperial decree, com mander in chief of the French army in Spain and the southern provinces of France. He joined the troops on the 13th of July, and on the 24th collected at St Jean the right and left wings, all to Zo,ono or 40,000 men ; with whom, on the subsequent clay, he attacked tl• British forces that were posted at floncesvalles : Having turned their position, they were obliged to abandon it On the same and the following days, to the end of the month, Soult repeated his attacks ; while, on the 300-:, Lord Wellington became the assailant, and obliged the French to abandon a position, said by his Lordship to be " one of the strongest, and most difficult of access, that he had yet seen occupied by troops." The result of all these operations was, that though the French at first succeede in driving in part of Lord Wellington's army, yet on the night of the 1st of August it occupied the same positions which it had done on the 25th of July. Soult was now posted behind the Puerto. From this position Lord Wel lington resolved, to dislodge• him, by a combined move ment of three advanced divisions. One of these, howeve•, being first formed, commenced the attack by itself, and actually drove the two divisions of the enemy from the heights which they occupied. Thus this part of the Spanish frontier was entirely freed from the presence and occupation of the French.