Well-performed retreat of the French after the battle of
Salamanca—Progress of the English troops—Description of the
Spanish plains and towns—Custom of the _Siesta_—Movements of
Joseph Bonaparte—Bivouac at Olmedo, and ball given there by
Lord Wellington—Advance of the British army, and entry into
Valladolid—A swimming adventure—Illness of the author, and
his removal to the town of Cuellar—Timorous conduct of the
Portuguese dragoons—The English army enters Madrid—Incidents
attending the author's further removal as an invalid to
Salamanca—General position of affairs on the Continent—Operations
of Sir R. Hill—Re-capture of Valladolid—Unsuccessful siege of
Burgos—Various movements of the forces.
A great portion of the French army had marched more than twelve
leagues[41] in thirty-six hours, (advancing and retreating from the
field of battle,) and had also been engaged in hard-fighting six hours
out of that time; therefore, until the night of the 23d, they had
hardly made a halt for any considerable time during two days and a
night, and I think I may venture to assert, that the rapidity of their
movements, before and after the action, and their ultimate escape
under Gen. Clausel from the very jaws of destruction, are equally
astonishing.
Early on the morning of the 24th of July, we passed Pena-Aranda, from
whence the inhabitants sallied out, loaded with bread, wine, and
liquors, and rent the air with their acclamations in praise of the
glorious victory that we had won over the French; and even the little
boys straddled out their legs and bent forward their heads in derision
of the enemy's soldiers, to represent to us to what a state of distress
and exhaustion they were reduced. As we passed onwards, numerous
objects of commiseration, lying by the side of the road, reminded us of
the miseries of war in all its horrors: many of the French soldiers lay
dead, exposed to the scorching rays of the sun, which had so blistered
their faces, and swelled their bodies, that they scarcely represented
human forms, and looked more like some huge and horrible monsters, of
gigantic dimensions, than any thing else. It is impossible to convey
an adequate idea of such spectacles, or of the sensations they must
have endured during their last agonies. These, now inanimate, objects
had marched over sandy plains, without a tree to shelter them, while
suffering from fatigue, sore feet, and want of water; then crowding
into the battle, covered with dust, and under a scorching sun, they
had received severe wounds, and were finally dragged, or carried
on rudely-constructed bearers, from the scene of action, during
excruciating torture, and ultimately left to perish by the side of the
roads, or on stubble land, with their parched tongues cleaving to the
roof of their mouths, and (to complete their miseries) before breathing
their last sigh, to behold, with glazed and half-closed eyes, the
uplifted hand of a Spanish assassin, armed with a knife, to put an end
to their existence. These dreadful fates awaited the defeated French
soldiers in Spain; it was impossible to gaze on the mutilated bodies
of these our enemies without feelings of deep commiseration for our
fellow-creatures, who, a day or two previously, had been alive like
ourselves, and perhaps the admiration of their comrades.
The vast _campos_ in Leon, the two Castiles, and other parts of
Spain, are apparently interminable sandy plains, covered with corn or
small stumpy vines. In summer, many of the principal rivers become
very shallow, and numerous tributary streams are dried up, leaving
their winding beds, or indentures, filled with pebbles. In many parts
there is not a tree, a hedge, or a shrub to mark private or public
boundaries, nor a drop of water to be procured. The shapeless roads, or
beaten tracts, are ancle-deep in sand, and in some places fifty yards
wide; at other spots branching off into three or four paths, which
again join at a given point. During the excessive heat of the day a
solemn silence frequently pervades these immense plains; and the high
steeples of churches, or the venerable turrets of monasteries of _las
villas_, or _pueblos_, alone present a land-mark, and direct the weary
footsteps of the traveller.
The towns are constructed of ancient massive buildings of stone or
dingy brick, (the lower windows barred with iron,) intermixed with
innumerable churches, convents, and religious edifices of the most
ancient construction.
During the middle of the day all shops are closed by a pair of unwieldy
doors, and the inhabitants enjoy their middle sleep or _siesta_.
At this hour the streets may be traversed without meeting a single
person, and the great monastic edifices stand in solemn grandeur as
monuments of that superstition exercised by the monks at the time of
their foundation in the darker ages. As soon as the scorching heat has
somewhat subsided, the doors are thrown open, and towards evening the
streets are thronged by merry dancers and songstresses; the tinkling of
the guitar is heard from the casements, balconies, and verandas; the
servant maids go chatting and laughing to the fountains; the muleteers
lead their animals to water; the peasant girls bring in cans of goat's
milk, and the shopkeepers sit at their portals without coats, having
their shirt sleeves tucked up, and smoking cigars.
On the 25th we made a halt to enable the stragglers and stores of the
army to come up. On the same day El Rey Joseph had arrived at Blasko
Sancho, near Arevalo, with a reinforcement, principally composed
of Spaniards, for the purpose of joining the Duke of Ragusa; but
on gaining intelligence of the defeat his troops had sustained at
Salamanca, he countermarched in the evening towards his capital,
leaving a picquet of cavalry behind at Blasko Sancho, who were all
taken prisoners, while carousing in a wine-house, by a corporal's party
of the 14th light horse. About this time General Sir R. Hill had moved
with the second division on Zafra, in Estremadura, to observe a French
force in that quarter.
On the 28th our division bivouacked round the ancient town of Olmedo,
where the Earl of Wellington gave a ball, with a general _invite_
to all those officers who liked to attend. The Alcalde selected the
different ladies as usual, whose merry hearts and supple forms were
always ready for the dance.
The following morning, an hour before daylight, we advanced, and it was
a droll sight to see the officers sleeping as they rode along after
the fatigues of the previous night, still dressed in their ball attire,
such as crimson, light blue, or white trowsers, richly embroidered with
gold or silver, velvet and silk waistcoats of all colours, decorated
in a similar manner: dandies ready alike for the dance and the fight;
most of them had received a wound, and others more, nor can I call to
mind one of the officers present at this time, including the senior
officer, who had reached twenty-five years of age. Owing to the heat of
the weather, it was the fashion of the times to wear the jacket open,
which was the only particle of dress left to denote to what nation we
belonged; as to any other uniformity for the officers, it was quite
out of the question: the fantastical dresses of those days would have
confounded the most ancient or modern disciplinarians.—The enemy still
continued their flight across the Douro through Valladolid, which city
the Marquis of Wellington entered on the 30th, at the head of a large
body of horse. The country on the banks of the Douro is remarkably
sandy, and highly cultivated with vines; we forded to the left bank
of the river on that day within two leagues of Valladolid. While
our baggage was crossing, a batman and pony got out of their depth,
and were carried down the stream a considerable distance; and so
determined was the soldier to hold on, that he disdained, at the risk
of his life, to quit his charge, and continued swimming until a rope
was thrown to him, by the assistance of which he conveyed the little
animal and his master's portmanteaus safe on shore.
We had no sooner heard of the large town in the vicinity, than we
began to prepare for the visit; however, it struck me that it would be
very refreshing to enjoy a swim first, and also wishing my horse to
participate in the luxury, I stripped myself and mounted its back, and
together we plunged into the stream; but, as ill luck would have it,
for a moment, the provoking animal hardly made any exertion, so down
he went, and thinking there was no time to be lost, I sprang from his
back; but owing to his plunging I received a slanting kick on my chest,
such as most probably would have proved fatal, had the full weight of
the blow struck me direct. The animal, however, soon recovered itself,
and swimming with the current, it was with considerable difficulty I
succeeded in getting it on shore.
Valladolid is a fine old city, (with a spacious square,) the
inhabitants of which were glad to see us, but evinced none of those
rapturous and warm expressions of delight displayed by those of
Salamanca.
The next morning we crossed the river, and branched off in the
direction of Madrid. Having halted a day or two, we again became in
motion, and struck on an excellent road, leading to the capital. Many
exclaimed, "Is this the road to Madrid? are we really going to the
capital of Spain, the centre of romance"? My mind was filled with all
sorts of illusions, and various anticipations of pleasure; my rest
was disturbed, and my dreams were of Madrid; every day's march was
counted, every object brought something new, and I made up my mind to
dance every night when I should arrive. Continuing our route, we had
reached within two days' march of the city of Segovia, in the kingdom
of old Castile, and occupied a pine wood. On seeing an officer pass,
who was likely to give me every information relative to the movements
of the army, I issued from my small Portuguese tent, and entered into
conversation with him, which lasted a considerable time. Being without
my cap, I felt the top of my head extremely hot from the rays of the
sun, and was about to withdraw several times for a covering, which
unluckily I failed to do. When the dinner-hour arrived, composed of
rice and boiled beef, (without any bread or biscuit,) my appetite
failed, and I laid me down, in hopes that a few hours' sleep would
restore me. At daylight, the following morning, we were again _en
route_, and had just cleared the sandy wood, enveloped in dust, when
a sudden giddiness seized me, and I fell from my horse. On recovering
my senses, I found myself supported by an officer. There was no water
to be procured, and, on overtaking the division, I was advised to ride
gently on to avoid the dust.
For the first time in Spain, I observed a Spanish grandee travelling
in a carriage drawn by eight mules, escorted by fourteen servants,
clothed in long yellow coats, with cocked hats, and all regularly
armed, like horse soldiers. The costume of the peasantry now became
somewhat different; one of that class was walking by my side, with a
sort of spiral cloth cap, and clad in dark brown, who asked me if I did
not admire a little girl passing on the road, whom he called a _Wappa
Chica_; she wore also a stiff spiral cap of cloth, perched on the top
of her head, with round balls of different colours up each side of
it: her hair was plaited on each side of her head, ending in a huge
pig-tail, about eight inches long, and precisely similar to those worn
by British sailors; the jacket was brown, laced up the front; a yellow
petticoat, reaching just below the knee, blue stockings, red clocks,
shoes, and silver buckles. Having travelled some leagues, I came to
a village, where I observed one of the commissaries of our division
standing at the door of a cottage, who remarked that I looked very
ill, and asked me where I was going. I told him "about half a league
farther on, when I intended to lie down under a tree until the troops
came up, as I concluded they would not proceed much farther that day."
He politely begged that I would partake of breakfast with him, as it
was already prepared, which offer I thankfully accepted. My fever
continued rapidly to increase, so that I could scarcely sit upright,
and I soon began to talk very incoherently, which induced him to put
me to bed; the division shortly afterwards filed through the village,
and bivouacked half a league in advance. In the evening, the two other
officers of the company with whom I messed, paid me a visit, and
said, "Why, what is the matter?" when I replied, "That the commissary
had used me very cruelly, and had been smothering me in blankets, to
prevent my going on to Madrid." The assistant-surgeon having felt my
pulse, asked whether I would permit him to throw some water on my head?
which I readily assented to, entreating him to do any thing to make
well. Then, being lifted out of bed, and divested of my linen garment,
I was placed in a chair, while the doctor, standing on a table,
emptied two pitchers of spring water on my crown; which produced a most
painful sensation.
The following morning my companions assured me that I could not
be permitted to proceed; but that, as there was a station to be
established at the town of Cuellar, it would be necessary that I should
go thither, when they felt no doubt that I should speedily recover, so
as to be enabled soon to rejoin them. A car was accordingly procured,
drawn by two fine mules, with a blanket extended over the top as an
awning.
At the expiration of two days' journey, I reached the entrance of
Cuellar, when a soldier came forward, and intimated that no sick could
enter the town until the commandant's permission was obtained; and
we were actually detained nearly two hours roasting in the mid-day
sun, before a free passage was granted us. Much exhausted, and
half suffocated, I at length obtained a most excellent billet in a
gentleman's house, where I received the greatest attention from an
assistant-surgeon belonging to one of the regiments quartered there;
being unable to quit my bed.
At this time the army had possessed itself of the passes of Segovia and
the Guadarama, and had moved forward on the 11th of August towards
Madrid, having, in the course of their march, forced the enemy's
advanced guard of cavalry to retire; but in the afternoon these
again advanced from Malajahonda towards Rosas, to reconnoitre the
Portuguese dragoons, who were drawn up on a rising ground above the
latter village, and made a show of charging, but when they had arrived
sufficiently near to observe the hardened-looking visages of the sturdy
French heavy horse, who displayed their long shining weapons, with
brass hilts, like the Highland broadsword, with the exception of being
one-third longer—at such a sight these our allies simultaneously
wheeled about, and scampered off as fast as their Portuguese horses
could trot and gallop, followed by their unmerciful pursuers, stabbing
and hacking them down, and riding past three pieces of horse artillery
that had been overturned. The heavy dragoons of the King's German
Legion took to horse as speedily as possible, amidst the confusion,
and, after a good deal of savage sabring, the enemy retired, leaving
at night the captured guns behind them. El Rey Joseph had retired with
his followers behind the Tagus, and the following day our army entered
Madrid, where the French had injudiciously left a garrison in the Buen
Retiro, who surrendered themselves prisoners of war, just as part of
the third division, and some other detachments, were about to escalade
the works. A vast quantity of stores, powder, and ball, fell into our
hands, besides one hundred and ninety pieces of cannon, principally
dismounted.
About the 20th of August, a detachment of our regiment, from England,
passed through Cuellar, but, as they had experienced a long march
during the hot months, an enormous number of them died, and the sick
continued to increase from the army in such a ratio, that most of us
were ordered to proceed to Salamanca. Accordingly, on the sixth day
after my arrival, I was placed in a car, drawn by bullocks, to begin
another tedious journey. The sixth division was on parade, having been
left at that station as a corps of observation, and to protect the sick
and the stores of the army.
That night I travelled a short way, and was billeted on a very clean
house, where the _patron_ was most anxious to have all the particulars
of the late battle recounted to him; however, finding that I was not
a sufficient master of the Spanish language to satisfy his curiosity,
he was determined to make up for it by entering into the history of
his own country. It was in vain that I exerted all my patience, and
requested he would have the goodness to leave the room, pleading my
indisposition in excuse for my apparent rudeness. Having maintained
silence for a few minutes, he offered me every thing in his house,
inquired if I was better, and recommenced his volubility to such a
degree, that I almost became distracted, and was under the painful
necessity of calling in my servant, who, in half fun and half earnest,
turned him out of the room by the shoulders.
The next day I reached Arevalo, where the market was filled with fresh
vegetables, a sight only to be appreciated by those who have travelled
over a dry country, devoid of vegetation. A smiling _muchacha_, who
sat by the side of a well-made young Spaniard, jumped up, and handed
me a large bunch of grapes, with a dignified air of affability and
frankness, so peculiar to the lower orders of that country. I obtained
a billet on a very handsome house, situated in a luxuriant garden; and,
on being supported out of the car, I was so weak that I fell down, and
continued in fainting fits for some time, my servant all the while
sousing me with water in imitation of _the Doctor_. The fascinating
_Señorita_ of the house, about seventeen years of age, very kindly
administered every attention; and at night, with a small lamp, remained
in a recess, in readiness to offer me liquids, for which I continually
inquired. My recollection did not entirely forsake me, but my head was
in a bad state, so that I fancied I saw groups of monkeys grinning at
the foot of my bed; and, as I was unable to endure the slender rays
of the lamp, I begged of the young lady to retire. At such a request
her countenance pourtrayed every mark of disappointment: whether she
considered me as one of the deliverers of her country, or whether so
young a girl, residing in so sequestered a spot, fancied me under
her especial protection, I know not; but I do know that her amiable
solicitude and her lovely eyes made such an impression, that she
continued the mistress of my thoughts, and heroine of my fancy, for a
long period afterwards.
Taking my farewell on the following morning, and apologizing to the
little _Señorita_ for my want of gallantry, I proceeded on my journey,
and at the end of four hours reached the middle of an extensive plain,
when one of the bullocks became dead lame, and the enraged driver
declared vehemently that he would go no farther; my servant, therefore,
dismounted from my palfrey, and placed me on its back. We made for
the distant steeple, which skirted the horizon, as the point of our
destination. At the expiration of a toilsome ride, we reached the
_Pueblo_, and there sojourned until the next morning. In two more days
we reached Alba de Tormes; I was quartered at an _apothecary's shop_,
where I lay on the mattress for twelve hours in a sort of stupor; on
recovering, in some degree, my servant fancied that I was dying, and
proposed sending for the Spaniard, which I would by no means consent
to, from the apprehension that he would bleed me to death.
The next day, while quietly passing through a wood, at a lonely spot,
my horse made a sudden start, and, on looking to the right, I observed
a dead man, perfectly naked, placed against a large piece of rock.
He had been killed at the battle of Salamanca. His hair was long and
grey; his beard had grown to a considerable length; and his arms and
legs had been placed in an extended position; in fact, he was in an
exact fencing attitude, in an extraordinary state of preservation, and
presenting, of course, a dreadful spectacle.
I noticed during the period that I was in Spain, that those soldiers
killed in action, who were exposed to the rays of the sun, immediately
became a mass of corruption, but of those, on the contrary, who fell
under trees or in shady places, exposed to heavy dew or rain, the skin
became as hard as leather, and they would remain in that state for a
very considerable period, unless they were devoured by wild animals or
birds of prey. I have often seen vultures feeding on dead horses (that
had been killed in battle) so fat, that they could scarcely take wing,
or raise themselves from the ground.
On reaching Salamanca, I obtained a billet, on presenting which, I
was treated with the greatest insolence by the man of the house, who
declared that I might enter, but that he had no accommodation for
my servant; under these circumstances, I was under the necessity of
sitting down in the street, until the soldier went to seek elsewhere
for better success. After some farther delay, he procured me another
on a public notary, where I was civilly received; but in the middle
of the day my _patron_, smelling of tobacco and garlic, came in to
take a _siesta_, in one of the two beds in a large recess. I asked him
if he intended to sleep there; he replied "_Si, Señor_." To such an
arrangement I objected; but he would not give up the point; a struggle
then ensued between us, which lasted some minutes, although eventually
I made him surrender. He was merely a diminutive old man; but I had
become weak from the effects of my fever; and the scene was so amusing,
that his own son, with a smiling countenance, was quietly looking on.
A hospital mate being put in requisition, the first dose administered
to me was an _emetic_, and whenever I complained, the same dose was
repeated; therefore, whenever he visited me, I invariably declared
_that I was better_.
Our army had now occupied the heart of Spain, and the enemy, with rapid
strides, were endeavouring to concentrate in the distant provinces
round our centre, blowing up magazines, and eating up all before
them, like a swarm of locusts. Napoleon was at this period traversing
the wilds of Russia with his grand army, and his magnificent and
highly-appointed Imperial guard. _The banners of Austria, Prussia,
Italy, and the Germanic States, were marching under his control._
The _north_ and _south_ of Europe were in a blaze, and had become
the extreme points of contest, which were ultimately to decide this
mighty struggle for supremacy. The victory of Salamanca had shaken the
combinations of the enemy in all parts of Spain, and put the whole
of them in motion. On the 25th of August they destroyed their works
before Cadiz, leaving behind them stores, heavy artillery, and mortars,
many of the latter having been cast at Seville, by the order of the
Duke of Dalmatia, for the purpose of throwing shells into the town of
Cadiz.[42] Some Spaniards and British immediately advanced from the
lines, and took forcible possession of Seville.
On the 29th of August, Sir R. Hill, with the second division, entered
Illerena, and pushed on to Ayllones, on the borders of Estremadura;
but, finding the French were retrograding on Cordova and Granada,
for the purpose of communicating with Joseph, who, in like manner,
was forming a junction with the Duke of Albufera, intending to make
Valencia the centre and the base of his future operations against
Madrid; Sir R. Hill, thereupon, by a flank movement, marched towards
the city of Medellin, on the left bank of the Guadiana, so as to be in
readiness to act wherever his presence might be required, or to open
his line with the third, fourth, and light divisions, cantoned in the
vicinity of Madrid.
The General-in-Chief no sooner saw a probability of his right
flank being cleared of the enemy, than he set off from Madrid, and
concentrated the first, fifth, sixth, and seventh divisions round
Arevalo, (early in September,) with a force of cavalry and artillery,
passed the Douro, and retook Valladolid, which had been re-occupied by
the enemy for a short time. On the 19th he crossed the river Arlanzon,
and laid siege to the old castle of Burgos, bristled with cannon and
the bayonets of its hardy defenders. Various attempts by escalade,
mining, explosions, and breaching were tried for a month without
success, owing to the want of a sufficiency of battering artillery,
and to the obstinate defence made by the enemy, who firmly lined the
walls, and threw their balls and bullets with deadly aim against the
assailants. The enemy's vanguard was at Briviesca, and his main body
behind the river Ebro, during the greater part of the siege.
In the mean time the second division had moved, in the middle of
September, across the river Guadiana, through Truxillo Jaraceijo,
towards Almaraz, and then crossed the Tagus by a pontoon bridge, and
continuing its movement on the right of that river, passed Talavera de
la Reyna, and arrived on the 30th at Toledo, occupying both banks of
the river Tagus. General Sir Rowland Hill pushed forward his advance
to Yepes and its vicinity, taking the command of the right wing of
the army, composed of the second, third, fourth, and light divisions,
besides cavalry and artillery stationed in the vicinity of Madrid.
[Footnote 41: About forty-eight miles.]
[Footnote 42: One of these mortars was brought to England, and is now
placed on the south side of St. James's Park.]