great means of attack were entirely confided to him, and he sailed from
the Spanish coast with a squadron of forty sail of the line and three
hundred and fifty transports, carrying an army of thirty thousand men;
but this immense armament failed to achieve its object, and O'Reilly
was compelled to bear away for Spain, humiliated and mortified, and
landed his discomfited troops at Barcelona, on the 24th of August in
the same year.[17] Though this unfortunate result was much against his
reputation as a general, it did not lessen his favour with the king,
who placed him at the head of a military school which was established
in Avila, at Puerto de Santa Maria, on the Adaga, in Old Castile.
Soon after this, O'Reilly was named Captain-General of Andaluzia and
Governor of Cadiz. In these important posts he displayed the talents
of a skilful soldier and able administrator; but he fell into complete
disgrace on the death of Charles III., in 1788, and lived afterwards
in a quiet retreat in Catalonia. Despite his many enemies at court,
who rose into power with Charles IV., O'Reilly maintained his high
military reputation in the Spanish army, and on the death of General
Ricardos in 1794, the government knew of none so able as he to direct
the war against the invasion of the French republican armies. He was
accordingly named General of the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, and was
on his way to assume that high command when he was seized by a sudden
illness, and died in his sixtieth year.
O'Reilly was fortunate, perhaps, in escaping thus the misery caused to
Spain by the mistakes of the Conde de la Union, and the misfortunes
consequent to reverse and defeat. His age would not have permitted
him to sustain the fatigue of a war so active; and though he was the
instructor of Blake and others who were esteemed the best officers
of the Spanish army, as a foreigner he had many envious enemies, and
all his ability as a soldier, with the sweetness and insinuating
flexibility of his manner, was no guarantee to him among such a people
as the Spaniards, who are ever cool and averse to strangers.
His pupil, Joachim Blake, afterwards Captain-General of Aragon and
four other provinces, was the son of an eminent Irish merchant who had
settled at Velez, near Malaga, and was descended from an ancient family
in the county of Galway. His mother was the daughter of a wealthy
Spanish banker named Joyes.
At an early age young Blake manifested an ardent predilection for
the profession of arms--a predilection inherent in his race, which
had given Ireland many proofs of high valour during two centuries.
While yet a boy he applied himself to the science of mathematics with
great success, and was soon appointed Superintendent of Cadets in the
military school established by Count O'Reilly, at Puerto de Santa
Maria. In 1773, Blake commenced his military career as a volunteer in
the Regiment of America, for it has long been an established principle
in the Spanish armies that candidates for commissions must learn
the art of war in the ranks; and for some years subsequent to this
he served as lieutenant and adjutant to the battalion, so great was
the progress he had made in his profession, and so intimate was his
knowledge of regimental economy. At the beginning of the war waged
by France against Spain, he was appointed Major of the Volunteers
of Castile, without serving the intermediate rank of captain; a
favour never before granted to any officer, even to a Spaniard. In
this capacity he led his battalion with distinguished bravery during
the campaigns of 1793 and 1794, in Roussillon and Catalonia, and
was wounded when storming the heights of San Lorenzo de la Maga. He
was appointed colonel in 1802, without passing through the grade of
lieutenant-colonel, and obtained command of a newly-raised battalion,
styled _Los Volontarios de la Corona_--the Volunteers of the Crown;
and from thenceforward he bore a prominent part in all the warlike and
political broils of Spain.
After the peace in 1802, Blake was made brigadier or Mariscal de
Campo, by Charles IV., and on his volunteer regiment being numbered
with the Spanish line, he was further confirmed in command of it. This
position he occupied until the invasion of Spain by Bonaparte and the
imprisonment of the king; after which ensued the great contest known
as the Peninsula War, during which, by the unanimous voice of the
Galicians, he was summoned to the chief command of their valuable and
extensive province.
During the second operations of Marshal Bessières (Duke of Istria)
in Spain, the army of Blake--twenty thousand strong--united with the
ten thousand Castilian recruits of old Don Gregorio de la Cuesta, at
Benevente in July, 1808, for the purpose of opposing him; but they soon
disagreed; for, contrary to the wishes of Blake, whose fiery energy
consorted ill with the indolence of Cuesta, that officer left a strong
division to protect stores at Benevente, and led only twenty-five
thousand infantry, a few hundred horse, and thirty pieces of cannon,
towards Palencia, in the beautiful Tierra de Campos. _Contrary to his
judgment_, a battle was risked (14th July, 1808) at Medina del Rio
Seco, against the French under General Lasolles.
There, on that day, so fatal to Spain, notwithstanding all the energy
of Blake, General Lasolles, with fifteen thousand men and thirty
cannon, routed the soldiers of Castile and Galicia, with the loss of
seven thousand two hundred of their number, killed, wounded, or taken;
and the survivors fled with such absurd precipitation, that the French,
in crossing the bed of the Sequillo in pursuit, and finding it dry and
stony, exclaimed: "Diable! Why, Spanish rivers run away, too!"
The generals of the two Juntas separated in anger; but Blake had
discovered such talents in the lost battle, that he was appointed
Governor and Captain-General of the Kingdom of Galicia, and President
of the Royal Audience.
He retreated towards the mountains, and Bessières then entered the city
of Leon.
Meanwhile the Junta of that province and of Castile sided with Blake,
to whom Marshal Bessières sent twelve hundred of the prisoners taken
at Rio Seco; and believing it to be a favourable opportunity to tamper
with their leaders, he wrote urging them to obey the act of abdication,
and acknowledge Joseph Bonaparte, in whose name he offered Blake high
rank and honours if he would enter the French service, like Colonel
O'Meara of the Irish Brigade, Clarke the Duc de Feltre, General
Kilmaine, Marshal MacCarthy, and other Irishmen; while to Cuesta he
very _liberally_ offered the Viceroyalty of Mexico; but both the
Spanish cavalier and the Irish soldier of fortune repelled his offers
with disdain.
On the 17th September the latter advanced against the enemy with six
columns, each five thousand strong. Descending from La Montana towards
the Upper Ebro, he sent one division to menace the French in the Castle
of Burgos, and turn the flank of Marshal Bessières; he left another
at Villarcayo to preserve a communication with Reynosa and cover his
retreat. He received supplies from General Broderick, who in his
despatches complained bitterly that Blake treated him with hauteur, and
declined to afford any information as to the nature of his intended
operations. The French having abandoned Bilbao, it was regarrisoned by
Marshal Ney; and after various evolutions, it was attacked on the 12th
October by Blake, at the head of eighteen thousand men. Merlin, with
three thousand French, abandoned the fortress and retreated, fighting
every foot of the way until he reached Zornosa, where he was succoured
by General Verdier, who checked the fury of Blake's pursuit. The winter
was now approaching, and his troops began to be in want. Seldom have
soldiers endured greater privations than those suffered by the poor
Spaniards of Blake. They were destitute of caps, boots, and stockings,
and had been constantly in the open air for months, without tents or
proper food; yet not a murmur escaped them, nor a wish was uttered but
to conquer for their country.
While the well appointed forces of France were hourly increasing,
Blake, fearing neither difficulty nor danger, boldly ascended the
valley of El Darongo to assail two divisions of the Fourth corps
(Lefebre, Duke of Dantzig's), which occupied the neighbouring villages.
Full of hope, he advanced, and anticipating, if successful, to capture
Marshal Ney's corps of sixteen thousand men, fearlessly, with only
eighteen thousand Spaniards, and almost without artillery, he hastened
to engage twenty-five thousand Frenchmen of all arms!
Favoured by a dense mist, the Spaniards entered the valley, and for
a time nothing was heard but the shots of their skirmishers ringing
between the mountain peaks, till Vilatte's corps suddenly fell on
Blake's vanguard, and hurled it back upon the third division at the
bayonet's point. Then, on came the dark columns of Sebastiani and
Laval, each looming in succession through the mist, while a fire of
round and grape-shot from their artillery (to which Blake could not
reply) swept through the rocky vale, heaping his ranks against each
other, and strewing them on the grass.
Madly and bravely Blake, with his infantry and Guerillas, sought to
defend every rock and pass of the valley; but they were driven back
in full flight towards Bilbao, and crossing the Salcedon, took up a
position at Nava, watched by seven thousand French under Vilatte.
After the battle of Gamonal, Soult resolved to make an effort for
ever _to cut off Blake_, who, without cavalry, clothing, or food, had
reached Espinosa with six divisions and only six pieces of cannon,
which he posted in rear of the town at Aguilar del Campo. He had now
only twenty-five thousand bayonets, but strongly and skilfully posted.
His left wing, composed of Asturians, and his old favourite division
occupied the heights above the road to St. Andero; another covered the
road to Reynosa, and Romano's soldiers filled a wood two miles in his
front.
He was attacked at two o'clock on the 10th November by Marshal Victor,
whose soldiers carried the wood at the point of the bayonet, forced
his centre, turned his left flank, and he had the mortification to see
San Romano and Don Luiz de Riquelmé, his two best brigadiers, fall
mortally wounded. His Spaniards were hurled in masses upon each other,
and utterly routed. Romano's corps were all taken to a man; the rest
fled through Castile, Leon, Galicia, and Asturia, carrying everywhere
the tidings of their defeat and the terror of the French name; and poor
Blake, jaded, weary, exasperated, and disheartened, reached Reynosa
on the 12th, with only seven thousand men--his old division--without
artillery, without arms, without spirit, and without hope!
Such was the battle of Espinosa. Blake, in this terrible condition, was
attacked by the vanguard of Soult, and after losing two thousand men,
retired through the vale of Caburniego, and reached Arnedo in the heart
of the Asturian Sierras.
Spain was now nearly prostrate at the feet of France!
In 1809, Blake was appointed Captain-General of the _Coronilla_, or
Lesser Crown; a title given to the union of Valencia, Aragon, and
Catalonia. In the latter he succeeded General Romano. Gathering his
forces in April, restless and indefatigable, he advanced to Alcanitz,
from whence the French retired to Samper and Ixar. On this Marshal
Suchet advanced against him with the third corps, and on the 23rd of
May they fought the battle of Alcanitz.
Blake was skilfully posted in front of the town with twelve thousand
men. The bridge of Guadaloupe was in his rear; a pool of water covered
his left, but his right was without protection; his centre occupied
a hill. With only eight thousand foot and seven hundred horse Suchet
attacked him, but without success. Rendered desperate by reverses,
the Spaniards stood firm, and fought with their ancient rather than
their modern bravery. Suchet was wounded and compelled to retreat:
this retreat became a panic, and in great confusion the French reached
Samper in the night. This small success was a cause for rejoicing all
over Spain. "The victory at Alcanitz," was in every man's mouth, and
the Supreme Junta gave Blake an estate, and added the ancient kingdom
of Murcia to his command. He now hoped to recover the far-famed
Zaragossa, and turning all his thoughts to Aragon, neglected the
defence of Catalonia.
After the late victory his little army was augmented by more than
twenty thousand men, and full of new hope and enthusiasm he marched
with these to Ixar and Samper.
Suchet hovered near Zaragossa, but left a column under General Faber
at Villa Muel, near the Sierra of Daroca, to watch Blake, who, hoping
to cut that officer off, marched through Carinena, so famed for its
vineyards, and sent General Arisayo with a detachment to Bottorio,
with orders to capture a convoy of French provisions on the Huerba.
This movement was successful, and lack of food forced Faber to retreat
towards Plascencia.
The advanced guards exchanged shots on the 14th of June at Bottorio,
and Blake, full of confidence, made a vigorous attempt to surround
the French by pushing a column to Maria on the plains of Zaragossa;
on the 15th he formed his troops in order of battle, but slowly
and unskilfully, as they were raw soldiers, who had but recently
relinquished the vinedresser's knife for the musket and sword.
Occupying both banks of the Huerba, towards 2 p.m. he extended his left
flank to overlap the French right; but Suchet, who was unexpectedly
joined by Faber's brigade and another from Tudela, paralysed the
movement by a furious attack of cavalry and voltigeurs. Blake's left
fell back at the very moment that he was triumphantly leading on his
centre, and he became involved in a desperate sword-in-hand conflict,
in which the leading columns of Suchet were repulsed. He would have
achieved more but for a violent storm which arose at that moment, and
so darkened the air that the adverse lines could scarcely see each
other, and for a time the action ceased. Blake's position was ill
chosen (according to the memoirs of Suchet); he was surrounded by deep
ravines, and had only one line of retreat by the bridge of Maria, which
crossed the Huerba near his right wing.
Marshal Suchet observed this error, and on the storm lulling, selected
some cavalry and two regiments of infantry, and forming them, all
drenched as they were by rain, in solid column, by a vigorous effort he
broke through Blake's brigade of horse, seized the bridge, and cut off
his retreat!
Undaunted by this fatal event, Blake, at all times brave and decided,
formed his infantry of the left and centre into solid masses, and
fought desperately for victory; but was repulsed with great loss, and
defeated, leaving one general, twenty-five guns, and many colours on
that rough and rocky field, from which he was driven about dusk, when
the darkness was so dense that few prisoners were taken. Suchet had
Harispe wounded and a thousand men slain.
Favoured by the obscurity of the night, Blake's men fled by the ravines
to Bottorio, where he made incredible efforts to rally and remodel
them next day. Then he received tidings that a French brigade, under
Laval, was marching by the Ebro to cut off his retreat. To anticipate
this movement Blake fell back on the night of the 16th, and after
skirmishing with Suchet next day at Torrecilla, _again_ formed line of
battle on the 18th, to meet him at Belchite, a small town in Aragon.
Blake had on this day only fourteen thousand men, dispirited by
recent repulse and the loss of nearly all their artillery. Suchet had
twenty-two battalions and seven squadrons, with a fine artillery corps,
all flushed by recent success, and making fifteen thousand men; thus
the result may be anticipated--a defeat!
He had four thousand of his men taken, with the remainder of his
artillery, all his baggage and ammunition. He had many difficulties
to contend with as leader of an undisciplined army, and stung to the
soul by this second defeat, he reproached the Spaniards with great
bitterness as shameless cowards; and, after demanding an inquiry
into his own conduct, "with a strong and sincere emotion of honour,"
restored to the Junta the estate which had been conferred upon him
after the victorious battle of Alcanitz.
Following up the victory of Belchite, Marshal Suchet sent detachments
as far as Morella on the Valencian frontier; but no man in arms
appeared to meet them, for Blake's dispersion was signal and complete.
His march towards Zaragossa, and his attempt to wrest Aragon from the
foe, were fatal to the Spanish cause in Catalonia, where St. Cyr, with
more than forty thousand men, occupied the country between Figueras
and the city of Gerona, which was blockaded by eighteen thousand
Frenchmen, who pressed with vigour one of the most memorable sieges
suffered by this ancient ducal city, which was bravely defended by its
intrepid Catalans. Blake was ordered by the central Junta of Seville
to succour them, as the garrison were defending half-ruined walls with
a valour and obstinacy which filled the city with a thousand scenes of
horror and distress. He marched accordingly at the head of a weak and
irregular force, which was thoroughly dispirited by the result of the
two last battles; and thus he resolved to confine his operations simply
to supplying the town with men and provisions, rather than risk his
strength by attempting to raise a siege which, if essayed with success,
would save Gerona, and with it all Catalonia.
Collecting two thousand mules laden with flour, he sent them with four
thousand foot and five hundred horse, under Henry O'Donnel and Garcia
Condé, towards this strong and picturesque little city, which they
reached after a furious encounter with the enemy during a dark and
stormy night; but the provisions received did not amount to much more
than eight days' food for the starving Geronese and their garrison,
which was encumbered rather than aided by Garcia Condé's reinforcement.
St. Cyr now resolved to seek out Blake and destroy him for ever; but
rendered wary by misfortune, he retired into the mountains, and thus
ended his first attempt to relieve the city of Gerona.
Soon after, still hovering near the French, and threatening them, he
advanced to the position of St. Hilario; and on St. Cyr preparing to
storm the post called Calvary, Blake, from the 20th to the 25th of
September, 1809, made movements as if he meant to force the blockade;
but being incapable of doing so, his whole object was merely to
introduce another convoy; and, watching an opportunity, while drawing
the attention of St. Cyr towards the heights of San Sadurnia, on which
he had posted a column, he sent 10,000 men under Wimphen towards
Gerona. O'Donnel led the vanguard. A dreadful conflict took place on
Wimphen's attempting to force the French lines. He was defeated; and in
the twilight Blake failed to succour him; but Henry O'Donnel, another
gallant Irish soldier of fortune, succeeded in hewing a passage into
Gerona with 1000 men and 200 laden mules. Irritated by Blake's second
attempt to succour Gerona, St. Cyr marched a column to menace his
communication with the citadel of Hostalric, a depôt of magazines on
the Tordera. On this he was forced to retreat, leaving to its fate the
noble little city of Gerona, which, as its heroic captain, General
Alvarez, said, "if not succoured again by all Catalonia, will soon be
but a heap of carcases and ruins."
Again, on the 29th October, we find the unwearied Blake hovering on
the heights of Brunola, watching the siege of Gerona, and while he was
thus occupied, Hostalric was stormed by the French, and 2000 Spaniards,
with all his magazines, were taken therein. On the 10th November Gerona
capitulated, and Alvarez, its brave and veteran governor, died of a
broken heart at Figueras, when on the march towards France, a prisoner
of war. Blake now retired to Tarragona, leaving the remains of his
army under Henry O'Donnel, who drove Marshal Augereau into Gerona, and
received command of the troops at Vich, on Blake being called into
Andalusia.
In May the seaport of Tarragona was besieged, taken, and sacked by
Suchet, in a manner discreditable alike to his talents as a soldier
and his humanity as a man. During the horrors of that affair, which
covered the French with infamy, Blake was in Valencia, having sailed
for that province on the 16th of May, in search for succour; but
Tarragona was lost, and then he assumed command of the Murcian army,
which was 22,000 strong, and had remained inactive ever since General
O'Mahy's appointment. In June, 1811, the firmness and activity of
Wellington formed a strong contrast to the wavering and indolent
demeanour of the Spanish generals, until Blake marched to Condado de
Niebla, on concerting a movement down the right bank of the Guadiana
with the British general, who delivered to him the pontoons lately
used at Badajoz. He marched on the 18th, crossed the Guadiana on the
22nd, at the ancient town of Mertola, where the stream first becomes
navigable: but halted at Castillegos on the 30th, and sent his siege
train to Ayamonte by water. Then, instead of moving his whole force
directly on the great city of Seville, he sent only a small column of
cavalry, under the gallant Conde de Penne Villamur, in that direction;
and, unfortunately, consumed two entire days in besieging the castle
of Niebla--a small fortress, which gave the title of count to the
eldest son of the Duke of Medina, and was garrisoned by 300 Swiss,
who had deserted from the Spanish army at the commencement of the
war, and whom he was most anxious to capture and punish. The absence
of his siege train rendered the attack futile; and Soult, on hearing
of it, sent a detachment from Monasterio to relieve the Swiss, who
defended themselves with great valour, while General Conraux crossed
the mountains by the Aracena road, to cut off all communication between
Blake and his artillery at Ayamonte. Thus he was compelled to abandon
the siege, and by a precipitate march reach a pontoon bridge which was
thrown across the stream for him by Colonel Austin at San Lucar de
Guadiana, from whence he took shelter in Portugal.
Still indefatigable, he projected an assault upon San Lucar de
Barameda; but the sudden appearance of Soult's advanced guard
disconcerted his troops, who retreated to Ayamonte, and from thence
to the Isle of Camelas, where a Spanish frigate and 300 transports
fortunately arrived in time to afford him the means of escape. Early in
July he embarked all his troops, and sailed to Cadiz, as the French had
reinforced San Lucar and taken possession of Ayamonte.
Landing at Almeria, Blake formed a junction with Freire, and proposed
to invest Granada; but deeming it necessary first to visit Valencia,
where the factious Marquis del Palacio was acting most unwisely, he
left his army, now 27,000 strong, under Freire, and before he could
return it had utterly dispersed!