Three Paths to Coruña by Woodburn Mark

Author:Woodburn, Mark [Woodburn, Mark ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

The division led by Sir John Moore left the city on December 13 th in the direction of Alaejos, and arrived in Toro two days later. A large crowd gathered to welcome the British. Burning torches were mounted on balconies all around the town’s main square to honour their presence. Though there were available barracks, many private houses opened up to their British guests. The men were well fed on pork, and a few officers took the opportunity to make sketches and paint watercolours of the town’s castle and the river Duero .

The following morning John Moore received two dispatches that were to result in another alteration to his strategy. Captain Dashwood, one of Charles Stewart’s scouts, had rode in disguise into the village of Rueda, halfway between Alaejos and Tordesillas. To his shock, he discovered around eighty Frenchmen comprised of cavalry and infantry. Racing back to Stewart, the general, unable to believe his luck, organised an immediate assault on the village. That evening after surrounding it, he charged in, killing twenty of the enemy and taking over thirty prisoners.

As John Moore read this in the dispatch, he cursed Stewart once again for an arrogant upstart. There was no need to risk lives and worse, to alert the French that a large British force was present. The prize was not worth it.

But as Moore read on, the letter mentioned after the prisoners were interrogated, it was apparent that the French still believed the British were retreating in the other direction to Portugal. They had no inkling of Moore’s change of plan.

This was heartening news, Stewart redeeming himself somewhat. Though Moore could just about hear the boasting that young man would be making of his triumph in his next letter to his half-brother.

So far, his plan was working. The French thought he was heading south west to safety when in fact he was heading directly for them. But even better news was to come. A second letter arrived that afternoon from Stewart and its contents were pure gold.

He had just given the order for the army to leave Toro when the courier brought the despatch to him. A note attached explained that a Captain Waters had bought the information from the villagers of Valdestillos near Segovia, just north of Madrid, for the sum of twenty dollars. A French officer rode into the village and was subsequently murdered by the inhabitants due to his “ haughty and arrogant manner.” He was carrying a sabretache which contained a despatch from Marshal Berthier in Madrid for the attention of Marshal Soult, presently based at the town of Saldaña on the river Carrion .

The captured despatch contained the latest analysis of French dispositions in Spain. But the most significant feature of the letter from Moore’s point of view was mention of Soult’s position. The marshal led two infantry divisions and four cavalry regiments, a force of some eighteen thousand men. With this force, the marshal was ordered by the Emperor to advance on Leon, Zamora and Benavante.

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