History of the Peninsular War, Volume 6 (of 6) by Robert Southey

Author:Robert Southey [Southey, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, New Age, Religion & Spirituality, History, Fiction & Literature
ISBN: 9781465632661
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Published: 2019-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

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CHAPTER XLV.

OPERATIONS OF THE ANGLO-SICILIAN ARMY. THE ALLIES ENTER FRANCE. PASSAGE OF THE BIDASSOA, THE NIVELLE, AND THE NIVE. TREATY BETWEEN BUONAPARTE AND FERDINAND, AND CONSEQUENT PROCEEDINGS OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT.

1813.

The remains of Romana’s army return from the North.

During the siege of S. Sebastian’s, some few hundred men, the remains of Romana’s army, who had not been able to effect their escape from the North, when their magnanimous general and their comrades went to take part in their country’s struggle, and most of them to perish in it, returned to Spain. The resistance to Buonaparte’s tyranny, which the Spaniards and Portugueze had begun, had prepared the way for the deliverance of the continent, and thus eventually restored them to their native land.

Lord W. Bentinck invests Tarragona.

The Anglo-Sicilian army had no sooner returned to Alicante from its ill-conducted expedition against Tarragona, than every exertion was used for enabling it to take the field, and profit by the retreat of the enemy from Valencia. Lord William Bentinck entered that capital on the 9th of July, and leaving General Elio to observe Murviedro, proceeded with his own troops, and such of the Spaniards as he could August. find means of providing with subsistence, for in this essential point there was the greatest difficulty. Having arrived at Vinaroz, he detached a corps under Lieutenant-General Sir William Clinton by sea to Tarragona, in the hope of preventing the enemy from dismantling that fortress, if such should be their intention. When the fleet arrived off Tarragona, a French force was discovered in its vicinity; but there were no indications of any such purpose. The detachment, therefore, landed at the Col de Balaguer; and there, Lord William, having crossed the Ebro at Amposta on flying bridges, joined him with the advance of the army, some cavalry, and artillery; the whole then moved forward to the village of Cambrils, and on the first of August they invested Tarragona: that operation was well performed, and cover was obtained three hundred yards nearer than the most advanced point which had been occupied during the previous attack. Preparations were now observable in the place for its destruction; but it was evident that the Col. Jones’s account, V. 2. 201. garrison could not effect this in the presence of the allied army, unless Marshal Suchet came in force to cover the operation. That general was at Barcelona; his troops were at Villafranca and at Villanova de Sitges, being thus divided to lessen the difficulty of subsisting them; and his advance was at Arbos and at Vendrell: sometimes he seemed to be menacing a movement against the allies, and sometimes preparing for a farther retreat. Lord William, with such an enemy in such force so near, would not expose himself to a failure like that of Sir John Murray; and he deferred beginning the siege and landing his heavy artillery, till the Duque del Parque’s army should come up, and Sarsfield with his Catalan troops. The Duque joined on the third;

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