Wellington Against Soult by David Buttery

Author:David Buttery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century
ISBN: 9781473875159
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2016-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

On 8 May, only days before Wellesley’s attack on Porto, Argenton was arrested after attempting to persuade General Lefebvre, on whose staff he had once served, to join the conspiracy. This loyal officer immediately denounced him to Marshal Soult, informing him that Argenton had actually crossed enemy lines and conferred with Wellesley. Initially, the dragoon captain refused to name his associates but a promise to spare his life if he did so persuaded him to betray some conspirators. He accused Colonel Lafitte (his own commanding officer) and Colonel Donnadieu of the 47th Infantry, both of whom had played valiant roles in the First Battle of Porto. Both were arrested and, while Lafitte was permitted to return to his regiment due to lack of evidence, Donnadieu was imprisoned.

Soult was astounded that his own officers were plotting to overthrow him and became understandably paranoid upon hearing this shocking news. While he could rely on the loyalty of men like Heudelet and Franceschi, he knew his relations with some high-ranking officers were strained and he wrote to King Joseph voicing suspicions about Mermet, Loison, Lahoussaye and Quesnel. Although these allegations were never proved, the strange performance of Loison in particular over the following weeks gives some grounds for suspicion.17 The unmasking of the Argenton Conspiracy at this point undoubtedly affected Soult’s performance as a commander. Cut off from support and knowing that he would face an Allied attack within days, he was already contemplating a withdrawal and disloyalty within his own army must have dismayed him.

Napoleon was campaigning against the Austrians between April and July and it was not until 14 October 1809, when the Peace of Schönbrunn ended the conflict, that he heard detailed accounts of events in Portugal. While the campaign was in progress, he was disinclined to take the allegations against Soult seriously. As one of Soult’s detractors claimed, ‘Napoleon, who never liked to have made a mistake, seldom struck at those whom he had raised. In the present case he must either have the marshal shot or laugh at him; unluckily for himself, he took the latter course.’18

Indeed, the emperor and Marshal Berthier made light of the affair, referring to Soult as ‘King Nicodemus’ for a time, unaware that similar taunts would be shouted against Napoleon himself when he fell from power in 1814 (see Chapter 2). Yet, the emperor was concerned enough to send a stern reprimand, ‘Berthier was told to write him a severely-worded warning and order him to stop making an ass of himself … “I am enclosing some proclamations which you will recognise as the style of him born to rule well!” It was one of the neatest snubs ever administered …’.19

At the end of the Danube campaign, Napoleon received Loison and Quesnel, who both expressed their dissatisfaction over Soult’s actions in Portugal. Neither had served Soult well in Portugal and Loison’s relations with his superior had been so acrimonious that he had ample motivation to pour poison in the emperor’s ear, making much of Soult’s alleged ambition to become king.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.