Chapter V

Position and strength of the French and Spanish armies--Blake
moves from Reynosa to the Upper Ebro; sends a division to
Bilbao; French retire from that town--Ney quits his position
near Logroña, and retakes Bilbao--The armies of the centre and
right approach the Ebro and the Aragon--Various evolutions--Blake
attacks and takes Bilbao--Head of the grand French army arrives
in Spain--The Castilians join the army of the centre--The
Asturians join Blake--Apathy of the central junta--Castaños
joins the army; holds a conference with Palafox; their dangerous
position; arrange a plan of operations--The Spaniards cross the
Ebro--The king orders a general attack--Skirmish at Sanguessa,
at Logroño, and Lerim--The Spaniards driven back over the
Ebro--Logroño taken--Colonel Cruz, with a Spanish battalion,
surrenders at Lerim--Francisco Palafox, the military deputy,
arrives at Alfaro; his exceeding folly and presumption; controls
and insults Castaños--Force of the French army increases
hourly; how composed and disposed--Blake ascends the valley of
Durango--Battle of Zornosa--French retake Bilbao--Combat at
Valmaceda--Observations 361

BOOK IV.

CHAPTER I.

Napoleon arrives at Bayonne--Blake advances towards Bilbao--The
count Belvedere arrives at Burgos--The first and fourth corps
advance--Combat of Guenes--Blake retreats--Napoleon at Vittoria;
his plan--Soult takes the command of the second corps--Battle
of Gamonal--Burgos taken--Battle of Espinosa--Flight from
Reynosa--Soult overruns the Montagna de St. Ander, and
scours Leon--Napoleon fixes his head-quarters at Burgos,
changes his front, lets 10,000 cavalry loose upon Castile and
Leon--Marshals Lasnes and Ney directed against Castaños--Folly
of the central junta--General St. Juan occupies the pass of the
Somosierra--Folly of the generals on the Ebro--Battle of Tudela 385

CHAPTER II.

Napoleon marches against the capital; forces the pass of
the Somosierra--St. Juan murdered by his men--Tumults in
Madrid--French army arrives there; the Retiro stormed--Town
capitulates--Remains of Castaños’s army driven across the Tagus;
retire to Cuenca--Napoleon explains his policy to the nobles,
clergy, and tribunals of Madrid--His vast plans, enormous
force--Defenceless state of Spain 407

CHAPTER III.

Sir John Moore arrives at Salamanca; hears of the battle of
Espinosa--His dangerous position; discovers the real state of
affairs; contemplates a hardy enterprise; hears of the defeat
at Tudela; resolves to retreat; waits for general Hope’s
division--Danger of that general; his able conduct--Central junta
fly to Badajos--Mr. Frere, incapable of judging rightly, opposes
the retreat; his weakness and levity; insults the general; sends
colonel Charmilly to Salamanca--Manly conduct of sir John Moore;
his able and bold plan of operations 425