Chapter VI: January to September

Torres Novas, Jan. 4 221

Coimbra, Jan. 10 222

Gallegos, Jan. 20 223

Elvas, March 6, _extract_ 226

Elvas, March 18 229

Camp before Badajos, March 20 234

Camp before Badajos, March 29-(April 3), _extract_ 235

Camp before Badajos, April 2 236

Badajos Camp, April 7 241

Camp before Badajos, April 10 247

Nava, on the road between Sabugal and Alfaiates, April 24 248

Fuente Guinaldo, May 20, _extract_ 252

Fuente Guinaldo, May 28 254

Salamanca, June 17 258

Salamanca, June 25 262

Villa Escusa, Province of Toro, June 30 269

La Seca, Province of Valladolid, July 7 274

La Seca, July 10, _extract_ 278

La Seca, July 13 279

Salamanca, July 24 284

Salamanca, July 27 292

Salamanca, Aug. 29, _extract_ 295

(?) Salamanca, Sept. 2, _extract_ 297

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS

1807.
Nov. French Conquest of Portugal.
Nov. 30. Junot occupies Lisbon.
Portuguese Royal Family fly to Brazil.

1808.
May. Napoleon makes Joseph Buonaparte King of Spain.
Outbreak of Spanish insurrection.
June. French invade Valencia and Andalusia.
Siege of Saragossa.
July 14. Battle of Medina del Rio Seco.
” 20. Capitulation of Baylen.
Aug. 1-4. Landing of British army in Portugal.
” 17. Combat of Roliça.
” 21. Battle of Vimiero.
” 30. Convention of Cintra.
Oct. Napoleon’s invasion of Spain.
Oct. 6. Sir John Moore takes command of British troops in
Portugal.
Nov. 13. Moore at Salamanca.
” 23. Battle of Tudela. Spaniards defeated.
Dec. 4. Napoleon arrives at Madrid.
” 15. Soult with 15,000 men at Saldaña.
” 20. Moore reaches Mayorga; junction with Baird.
” 21. Combat of Sahagun.
” 22. Napoleon’s pursuit of Moore begins.
” 23. Avanilla, near Sahagun, 5½ leagues from Saldaña,
half-past 5 P.M.—orders to march on Saldaña, 6
P.M.; news received about 7 P.M. of Napoleon’s
advance; Moore resolves on and orders retreat.
” 28. Benavente.
” 29. Astorga.
” 31. Bembibre.
Napoleon leaves the pursuit to Soult and returns to
France.

1809.
Jan. Retreat of Sir John Moore’s army continued.
Jan. 2. Bembibre.
” 3. Villa Franca.
” 6. Rearguard finds army at Lugo in position.
” 8-9. Lugo evacuated.
” 9-10. Betanzos.
” 11. Corunna—no transports.
” 14. Transports arrive.
” 16. Battle of Corunna.
” 17. Embarkation completed.
” 18. H.M.S. _Barfleur_ sails from Corunna.
” 23. Arrives Plymouth.
Feb. 20. Fall of Saragossa.
Feb. (end). Beresford appointed to command Portuguese army.
March (early). Beresford arrives at Lisbon.
March 10-20. Soult’s operations in Portugal; capture of Oporto.
” 29. Battle of Medellin—Spaniards defeated.
April 22. Sir A. Wellesley arrives in Lisbon.
May 12-22. Oporto retaken; Soult’s retreat to Orense and Lugo.
June. Advance of British army from Abrantes.
July 27-28. Battle of Talavera.
Aug. 4. Wellesley retires on Badajos.
Oct. 18. Battle of Tamames—French defeated.
Nov. 19. Battle of Ocaña—Spaniards defeated.
” 29. Battle of Alba de Tormes—Spaniards defeated.

1810.
Jan. Lord Wellington retires into Portugal.
Jan. and Feb. The French invade Andalusia.
Feb. 1. King Joseph enters Seville.
Siege of Cadiz.
” 12. Badajos summoned by Mortier.
March to April 22. Siege of Astorga.
May to July 9. Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.
July 24. Combat of the Coa.
July to Aug. 27. Siege of Almeida.
Sept. 16. Masséna advances into Portugal.
” 27. Battle of Bussaco.
Oct. 1-9. Wellington retires within the lines of Torres Vedras.
Oct. to Nov. Masséna before the lines.
Nov. 14. Masséna retreats to Santarem.
Dec. 21. Soult moves northward to support Masséna.

1811.
Jan. 27. Soult invests Badajos.
March 5. Masséna leaves Santarem.
” 11. Surrender of Badajos; Soult returns to the South.
” 15. Foz d’Aronce.
” 29. The Allies take Guarda.
April 3. Combat of Sabugal.
Masséna leaves Portugal.
” 20. Wellington to the Alemtejo.
May 2. Masséna resumes the offensive.
” 4. Beresford lays siege to Badajos.
” 5. Battle of Fuentes d’Onoro.
” 8. Masséna retreats; is removed from command.
” 10. Brennier escapes with garrison from Almeida.
” 12. Soult raises the siege of Badajos.
” 16. Battle of Albuera.
King Joseph leaves Madrid.
Marmont takes command of the army of Portugal.
” 25. Reinvestment of Badajos.
June 12. Siege raised the second time.
The French retire from Estremadura.
Aug. 8. Wellington blockades Ciudad Rodrigo.
Sept. 21. Marmont advances to relieve Ciudad Rodrigo.
” 24. Action at El Bodon.
” 25-27. The Allies retreat, and take up position covering
the line of the Coa.
” 27. The French withdrawal—Marmont to Talavera, Dorsenne
to Salamanca.
Ciudad Rodrigo again invested.
The British army goes into cantonments on the Coa.
Marmont concentrates near Toledo.

1812.
Jan. 8. Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.
” 19. Taking of Ciudad Rodrigo by storm.
March 16. Siege of Badajos.
April 6-7. Taking of Badajos.
May 18. Hill destroys bridge at Almaraz.
June. Wellington advances into Castille.
June 17. Allies enter Salamanca.
” 27. Forts at Salamanca taken.
July 22. Battle of Salamanca—Beresford severely wounded.
Aug. 12. Allies enter Madrid.
Sept. Siege of Burgos.
Oct. Retreat from Burgos.
Nov. Winter quarters near Ciudad Rodrigo.

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM WARRE

William Warre, the subject of this Memoir, was the eldest son of James Warre of Oporto, and Eleanor, _née_ Greg, his wife. He was born at Oporto, 15th April 1784, and spent most of his childhood there. He was sent to Harrow, but seems to have left early, and to have been placed in the office of Messrs Warre & Co., of which his uncle, William Warre, was the senior partner, in order that he might learn the business which both his uncle and his father desired him to follow.

But his own strong wish was to be a soldier, and, as it turned out, a piece of mischief achieved that which arguments and entreaties had failed to obtain. One day in the office, when letters had to be got ready for the mail, the duty of sealing them, in which, after the fashion of the day much wax, red or black, was consumed, devolved upon the young clerk, who, observing that the pigtail of Pedro Alves, the Portuguese member of the firm, had lapped over to his side of the desk, while the old gentleman was enjoying a peaceful post-prandial slumber, felt moved to play a practical joke, which had momentous consequences. He poured the red wax upon the ribbon of the pigtail, fastening it to the desk, sealed it with the seal of the firm, and fled. Great was the wrath that ensued. No apologies could be accepted. It was the end of his commercial career.

He was then sent to a private tutor at Bonn to learn foreign languages, and to prepare for the Army. On the breaking out of the war between France and Austria, he and another fellow-student joined the Austrians, and went out, as they said, to see the fun. As luck would have it, they were taken prisoners in a skirmish, and were brought before General Custine, who commanded the French force in the neighbourhood. Custine, seeing that they were English and mere boys, scolded them and told them that it was very lucky for them that Marshal Davoust had not arrived to take over the command, “for,” said he, “he would have hanged you without mercy on the nearest tree. Now go back to your books and your tutor, and don’t meddle with affairs which do not concern you.”

Shortly after this William Warre was sent back to England, and on the 5th November 1803, when he was 19 years of age, received his commission in the 52nd Light Infantry, then under the command of Sir John Moore. He served with the 52nd till 25th April 1805, when he was promoted Lieutenant in the 98th, which was then in Canada. He did not, however, proceed thither, having purchased promotion as Captain in the 23rd Dragoons.

He served with this regiment in Ireland until the summer of 1807, when he was sent to the Royal Military College, then established at High Wycombe, to study for Staff employment.

In 1808 General Ferguson selected him as A.D.C., and took him with him to Portugal. There he was present at the combat of Roliça, and at the Battle of Vimeiro, both of which are described in his letters. His health gave way under the hardships of this campaign, and he was detained ill at Lisbon for several months. His knowledge of the Portuguese language enhanced the value of his services, and after his recovery, General Ferguson having returned to England, he was attached by General Beresford to his personal staff, and served with him as his principal A.D.C. until the year 1812.

Captain Warre took part in Sir John Moore’s retreat and, with General Beresford, was the last to embark after the Battle of Corunna, 16th January 1809.

In March 1809, Beresford, with the rank of Field-Marshal, was placed in chief command of the Portuguese Army, and employed Captain Warre, his A.D.C., in the organisation of the national troops. He entered the Portuguese service and was promoted therein to the rank of Major, and appointed first A.D.C. to the Field-Marshal.

After the passage of the Douro, May 1809, Major Warre was sent forward by Beresford to raise the armed peasantry in the province of Minho, with a view to harassing the French forces under Marshal Soult, which were then in full retreat. He succeeded in getting the peasantry to dismantle the bridges of Ponte Nova and the Saltador, but could not get them to destroy their own means of communication. Had this been done the French army was lost. The delay, however, caused by the necessity of forcing and repairing the bridges, cost the French the loss of many men and horses,[1] and of most of the spoil they were carrying off from Oporto. Unfortunately the letters in which these operations were described are wanting. But for the rest of the long campaign up to the battle of Salamanca, with the exception of Talavera, when he was with Beresford in Portugal, and of Albuera, and Bussaco, from which he was absent through illness, his letters are fairly consecutive comments of an actor in the events which occurred during that period of heroic struggle.

On 30th May 1811 he was promoted by Brevet to the rank of Major in the English Army, and to that of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Portuguese Army. At the last siege of Badajos, he was the senior Staff Officer at the summons of Fort Christobal, and had the honour of taking prisoners the Generals Philippon and Weyland, who surrendered their swords to him.

In the battle of Salamanca, 1812, he was with his chief, Marshal Beresford, when the latter was severely wounded, and, as narrated in the letters, carried him into the town, nursed him through his illness, and went with him to Lisbon.

In 1813 Major Warre was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the English Army, and resigned his commission in the Portuguese Army. He received from the King of Portugal medals for his conduct at Vimeiro, at the siege and assault of Ciudad Rodrigo, and for the two sieges of Badajos, also a medal for the four campaigns. He was also made a Knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword, and of the Order of St Bento d’Avis.

In 1813 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope, where he was appointed Q.M.G., a post which he held till 1819.

In November 1812 he had married Selina, youngest daughter of Christopher Maling of West Herrington and Hillton, in the county of Durham. By her he had a family of three sons and two daughters. His youngest son, Henry, born 1819 at the Cape, was afterwards General Sir Henry Warre, K.C.B. His wife died 3rd February 1821.

In November 1820 he returned to England, and in 1821, by reason of ill-health, went on half-pay.

In May 1823 he was appointed A.Q.M.G. in Ireland, and in 1826 was transferred to a similar appointment in England. In 1826-1827 he served on the Staff of the Army sent to Lisbon under the command of Sir William Clinton, G.C.B.

On 22nd July 1830 he became a full Colonel. He served again on the Staff in Ireland till 1836, when he was appointed to the command at Chatham. He held this appointment till his promotion to the rank of Major-General 23rd November 1841. It was during his command that the Review took place which is immortalised by Dickens in _Pickwick_. He was made C.B., and was Knighted in 1839. In 1842 he was placed in command of the North-Western District. Subsequently he was transferred to the Northern District, with his Headquarters at York. Reference is made to him in the letters of Queen Victoria (vol. i., p. 150).

He gave up the command at York in the year 1851, and, liking the place and neighbourhood, remained there in a residence which he rented at Bishopthorpe. His health broke down in 1852, and in the following year he died, and was buried in the churchyard at Bishopthorpe. The church has since been pulled down, and the churchyard, which is adjacent to the gardens of the Archiepiscopal Palace, closed. His tomb is on the south side of the old graveyard, and bears the following inscription:—

SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR WILLIAM WARRE
C.B., K.T.S., K.C., ST BENTO D’AVIS
_Colonel of the 94th Regiment_
DIED AT YORK, 26TH JULY 1853, AGED 69 YEARS.

[1] See Oman, vol. ii., pp. 355-9.

LETTERS FROM THE PENINSULA

1808