Chapter III: Book XV: Chap. I

State of the war in Spain—Northern provinces—State of
Gallicia—Attempt to introduce English officers into
the Spanish service—Trafficked for by the Spanish
government—Repelled by the Spanish military—The English
government encourage the Partidas—Lord Wellington sends
the chiefs presents—His after opinion of them—Sir H.
Douglas succeeds general Walker—Miserable state of Gallicia
described—Disputes between the civil and military—Anomalous
proceedings of the English government—Gross abuses in
the Spanish army—Expedition against America fitted out
in Gallicia with the English supplies intended for the
defence of the province—Sir H. Douglas’s policy towards
the Partidas criticized—Events in the Asturias—Santander
surprised by Porlier—Reille and Caffarelli scour Biscay and
the Rioja—Bonet invades the Asturias—Defeats Moscoso, Paul
Lodosa, and Mendizabel, and occupies Oviedo—In Gallicia the
people prefer the French to their own armies—In Estremadura,
Drouet joins Girard and menaces Hill—These movements parts
of a great plan to be conducted by Napoleon in person 254

CHAP. II.

Conquest of Valencia—Suchet’s preparations
described—Napoleon’s system eminently methodical—State of
Valencia—Suchet invades that province—Blake concentrates
his force to fight—His advanced guard put to flight by the
French cavalry—He retires to the city of Valencia—Siege
of Saguntum—The French repulsed in an assault—Palombini
defeats Obispo near Segorbe—Harispe defeats C. O’Donnel
at Beneguazil—Oropesa taken—The French batteries open
against Saguntum—Second assault repulsed—Suchet’s
embarrassments—Operations in his rear in Catalonia—Medas
islands taken—Lacy proposes to form a general depôt at
Palamos—Discouraged by sir E. Pellew—The Spaniards
blow up the works of Berga, and fix their chief depôt
at Busa—Description of that place—Lacy surprises the
French in the town of Igualada—Eroles takes a convoy near
Jorbas—The French quit the castle of Igualada and join the
garrison of Montserrat—That place abandoned—Eroles takes
Cervera and Belpuig—Beats the French national guards in
Cerdaña—Invades and ravages the French frontier—Returns
by Ripol and takes post in the pass of Garriga—Milans
occupies Mataro—Sarsfield embarks and sails to the
coast of the Ampurdan—These measures prevent the march
of the French convoy to Barcelona—State of Aragon—The
Empecinado and Duran invade it on one side—Mina invades
it on the other—Calatayud taken—Severoli’s division
reinforces Musnier, and the Partidas are pursued to Daroca
and Molino—Mina enters the Cinco Villas—Defeats eleven
hundred Italians at Ayerbe—Carries his prisoners to
Motrico in Biscay—Mazzuchelli defeats the Empecinado at
Cubiliejos—Blake calls in all his troops and prepares
for a battle—Suchet’s position described—Blake’s
dispositions—Battle of Saguntum—Observations 266

CHAP. III.

Suchet resolves to invest the city of Valencia—Blake
reverts to his former system of acting on the French
rear—Napoleon orders General Reille to reinforce Suchet with
two divisions—Lacy disarms the Catalan Somatenes—Their
ardour diminishes—The French destroy several bands,
blockade the Medas islands, and occupy Mataro—Several
towns affected to the French interest—Bad conduct of the
privateers—Lacy encourages assassination—Suchet advances to
the Guadalaviar—Spanish defences described—The French force
the passage of the river—Battle of Valencia—Mahi flies
to Alcira—Suchet invests the Spanish camp—Blake attempts
to break out, is repulsed—The camp abandoned—The city is
bombarded—Commotion within the walls—Blake surrenders with
his whole army—Suchet created duke of Albufera—Shameful
conduct of the junta of the province—Montbrun arrives
with three divisions—Summons Alicant, and returns
to Toledo—Villa Campa marches from Carthagena to
Albaracin—Gandia and Denia taken by the French—They besiege
Peniscola—Lacy menaces Taragona—Defeats a French battalion
at Villa Seca—Battle of Altafulla—Siege of Peniscola—The
French army in Valencia weakened by draughts—Suchet’s
conquests cease—Observations 291

CHAP. IV.

Operations in Andalusia and Estremadura—Description of
Soult’s Position—Events in Estremadura—Ballesteros
arrives at Algesiras—Advances to Alcala de Gazules—Is
driven back—Soult designs to besiege Tarifa—Concludes a
convention with the emperor of Morocco—It is frustrated by
England—Ballesteros cooped up under the guns of Gibraltar by
Sémelé and Godinot—Colonel Skerrett sails for Tarifa—The
French march against Tarifa—Are stopped in the pass of La
Pena by the fire of the British ships—They retire from
San Roque—General Godinot shoots himself—General Hill
surprises general Girard at Aroyo Molino, and returns to the
Alemtejo—French reinforced in Estremadura—Their movements
checked by insubordination amongst the troops—Hill again
advances—Endeavours to surprise the French at Merida—Fine
conduct of captain Neveux—Hill marches to Almendralejos to
fight Drouet—The latter retires—Phillipon sends a party
from Badajos to forage the banks of the Guadiana—Colonel
Abercrombie defeats a squadron of cavalry at Fuente del
Maestro—Hill returns to the Alemtejo 313

CHAP. V.

Soult resolves to besiege Tarifa—Ballesteros is driven
a second time under the guns of Gibraltar—Laval invests
Tarifa—Siege of Tarifa—The assault repulsed—Siege is
raised—The true history of this siege exposed—Colonel
Skerrett not the author of the success 329