96 PREPARATIONS TO DEFEND ZARAGOZA. [A.D. goza, and entered the city pêle-mêle with the fugitives, the battalion penetrating even to Santa Engracia; but they were perfectly appalled when they perceived the preparations made to receive them. Although there was great confusion, there was a unanimous spirit of resistance, and the regular troops could not stand against the shower of missiles which poured upon their heads. The General, seeing that he could effect nothing in the narrow streets of this old town without artillery of greater calibre than the light 4-pounders which he had brought with him, ordered his troops to fall back. The apparent retreat of the enemy added to the universal enthusiasm of the citizens, and Palafox made new dispositions to take every advantage of the circumstance. In order to gratify the impatience of the defenders, he placed himself at the head of as many as he could get into form, and quitted the walls to endeavour to make for the open near Belchite, where he also collected some of the scattered soldiers. He now heard that a corps of 3,000 or 4,000 Arragonese were advancing on the road from Catalayud, and he sent to Colonel Versaquis, who was in command, to join him, but he found that they had already marched in another direction, to threaten the communications of the French with Tudela. They were, however, encountered on the 23rd by Lefebvre-Desnouettes, who drove them back on Catalayud, sorely diminished in number, and with the loss of their 3 guns. As soon as Palafox heard this, he re-entered Zaragoza on the 1st of July, well convinced that he should do better against the enemy behind stone walls than in the open country. Meanwhile, the French were preparing vigorous measures, and a siege train was forming at Pampeluna and Bayonne, with which General Verdier came up to Zaragoza on the same day, and took the direction of offensive operations. He had, however, but 8,000 men with which to undertake the siege, and therefore contented himself, at this time, with investing the city, which, by seizing the Monte-Torrero, and throwing a bridge over the river, he was enabled to complete by the 12th of July. By the end of May, General Duhesme found himself completely shut up in Barcelona. He, nevertheless, in compliance with reiterated orders, sent out General Chabran with his division to lend a hand to Marshal Moncey. The insurgents kept vigilant watch over every movement of Duhesme's force to cross the Llobegret, and secure Montserrat. On the 5th, he sent General Schwarz with this object, who crossed that river, and reached the village of Bruch; but on a sudden the tocsin sounded, and armed multitudes covered the sides of the hills with marksmen, barricaded the villages, broke up the roads, and destroyed the bridges. The General could not stir a yard without a contest, and returned back to Barcelona on the 7th, with his men exhausted by fatigue. General Duhesme felt the essential necessity of exerting the high hand, and on the 10th put himself at the head of his troops, and cleared the country; thence having carried death and destruction among the insurgents, he returned to Barcelona, where the population, though somewhat awed, were by no means disposed to remain quiet. 1808.] GENERAL BLAKE ASSUMES THE SPANISH COMMAND. AFFAIR AT CABEZON. 14. INSURRECTION IN LEON To return to the north. Marshal Bessières had his headquarters at Burgos. The insurrection in the Asturias and Galicia had already attained consistency, and Napoleon had ordered the military possession of Santander, to restrain its progress. General Merle was sent there on the 2nd of June, but, on reaching Reynosa on the 5th, he was recalled in haste, for Valladolid was in a ferment. Bessières thought it of greater moment to hold this city, the seat of the Captain-General's government, and the stronghold of the priesthood of Spain, than a military post in the north, and, accordingly, had ordered General Lasalle to march with a division, which reached Torrequemada on the 6th, at nightfall. Here is a long bridge over the Pisuerga; and, while the French were going along it, a fire of musketry opened suddenly from every side; a passage was forthwith forced, and the bridge and city captured, pillaged, and burned. The effect of this severity was, that on the 7th, at Palencia, which Lasalle next entered, the inhabitants, headed by the Bishop, implored pardon. At Valladolid, in the meanwhile, affairs had become serious. Don Miguel de Cevallos had retired thither with some new levies from Segovia, whence the French had driven out a body of insurgents; but a suspicion of treason having been raised against the distinguished patriot, he was seized and murdered as he entered the city. This had such an effect on General Cuesta, the Captain-General, that, though unwilling to take the lead against the French, he now found himself constrained to head the insurrection. He accordingly collected 5,000 or 6,000 men, with some guns, and on the reported advance of General Lasalle to Merle, he sallied out of the city, and took up a position at Cabezon, two leagues in front of the city. Very stupidly, however, instead of forming up on the left bank of the Pisuerga, with the bridge across the river before him, he placed himself on the right bank, with the bridge behind him. The two French divisions in this district had effected a junction on the 11th, at Dueña, and were now sent forward to summon Cuesta to give way before them and lay down his arms. The poor Captain-General could not venture to surrender, and yet was in the very worst condition to fight. Accordingly, on the 12th, at early morning, Lasalle moved forward, and, with very little difficulty, forced his way into the city of Valladolid, Cuesta retiring with what troops he could collect on the road to Benevente, where he posted himself to collect fugitives and peasants behind the Esla. The province of Gallicia was already the depôt of the arms, clothing, and accoutrements which had been sent out from England with Lieut.-Colonel Doyle and other British officers, who had arrived there to organise an army. The Captain-General, Don Antonio Filangieri, was old and unfit to respond to the call to arms made by unanimous consent in this province; he, therefore, made way for General Blake, a man of Irish extraction, but of some military experience, and who had recently been promoted by the King to the 98 ADVANCE UPON THE FRENCH ARMY. [A.D. rank of Marechal-de-Campo. A post was immediately assumed at Lago, where a camp was speedily formed, to which all the Spaniards who had been prisoners in England, and had been released, were now sent to be regimented. The Spanish troops, also, which had been sent to the north of Portugal under Napoleon's orders, were now drawn to the camp at Lago. It contained one particular regiment, known by the name of "Los Immemoriales," because its origin dated from the period of Ferdinand and Isabella; and there were other "crack regiments" of the old monarchy. Blake took the command of this army by the end of June, and effected a junction with Cuesta at Benevente on the 6th of July. The Spanish Generals gave out their intention of marching at once upon Valladolid. 15. BATTLE OF MEDINA DE RIO-SECO. Bessières was duly informed of all that had occurred in the north, and determined to anticipate this attack by advancing himself against the Spanish army, and, with this object, he quitted Burgos on the 9th of July, with the reserve of his army. He here united to himself the divisions Mouton, Lasalle, and Merle, forming an army of about 11,500 men, with 1,500 horse and 30 guns, and with this force marched out of Palencia at early morning of the 13th, to meet the enemy. The march was made in the dawn, because of the extreme heat, but at daybreak on that day he formed up his troops in line on the road-side, and went forward to reconnoitre the Spanish army, which was found to be in position at Medina de Rio-Seco, to the number of 30,000 infantry, with 32 guns and a small force of cavalry. This army, though numerically superior to the French, was one newly collected and very imperfectly organised, and it was a rash resolve to bring them into collision with the veteran battalions of France. Blake, indeed, urged his superior officer, Cuesta, to decline a battle and to fall back on the frontiers of Gallicia, where Bessières would not venture to follow them under present circumstances. Cuesta, who had become a patriot against his will, was now unwilling to temporize, and, brave but headstrong, insisted on satisfying the general enthusiasm by advancing against the enemy, so that Blake was obliged to submit. The Spanish first line was formed on some steep hills in front of Medina, having their right towards Val de Nebro, with their cavalry in a narrow valley on their left towards Palacio, but the second line had not yet passed the Rio-Seco, and were composed of the best troops. Bessières, accordingly, determined to crush the first line before the second could come up, and he forthwith sent forward a regiment of cavalry under Lasalle to drive back the miserable force of Spanish horse in the plain, who, giving way and flying rapidly, he came direct upon the left flank of the Spanish front line, which he attacked. After a very slight resistance these gave way and retreated hastily down the scarped road leading into Medina. Here they came upon the second line marching into position, which Cuesta was hastening forward; these stopped and rallied the fugitives, who returned to occupy 1808.] SPANISH RETRIBUTION FOR FRENCH CRUELTIES. 99 the elevated ground, but found it already in possession of the division of General Mouton. The Spanish columns immediately deployed, and a good line was established on the hills, and the cavalry brought back to the left flank. Cuesta now took part with the right wing, and immediately went forward to the attack of the brigade Meunier, who had formed up before him with eight guns. The Spaniards attacked so vigorously that the French were driven down the opposite side of the slope, leaving five guns behind them. But, at the moment of this success, the division Merle penetrated, by the aid of a cattle-path, between the two wings of the Spanish army, and threatened their line of retreat. Cuesta was, accordingly, obliged to withdraw his troops across the Rio-Seco, but he still maintained himself in the enclosed fields and gardens in front of Medina, when Lasalle, crossing the brook with the cavalry, again threatened the line of retreat by the roads to Palazuelo and Villafrescos. Upon this the entire army hastened to get away, pursued and seriously injured by the Frenh cavalry, and at the same time sacrificing half their artillery. Marshal Bessières then brought forward his whole force and formed them in the plain immediately, in front of Medina. The victory was of the first moment at this juncture, for the French General had dispersed the best army the Spaniards had remaining to the patriot cause; and, by the advance he had maintained, the Marshal also protected the road by which the intrusive King Joseph was at this very time making his approach to the capital. Napoleon, on hearing of the victory of Medina de Rio-Seco, clapped his hands with delight, exclaiming, "C'est mon Villa-Vicoza, Bessières a mis Joseph sur le trône.” * 16. CAPITULATION OF GENERAL DUPONT'S ARMY AT BAYLEN. Reverting to Andalusia. As soon as General Dupont had put a stop to the pillage of Cordova, he imposed heavy contributions upon the province for the support of his army; but seeing his isolated position in Andalusia with only 8,000 men, and the impossibility of his keeping down the insurgent spirit with such an insufficient force, he sent back to Madrid to request reinfortements. General Savary had, at this period, succeeded Murat in the Lieutenant-Generalship of the kingdom, and, being perfectly aware of the extent of disaffection throughout Spain, had, before the application could reach him, sent earnest representations to Dupont that he should bring in his division across the Sierra Morena; but neither the one nor the other of these despatches reached their destination. The insurgents held all the roads by which the French general could communicate with the capital, and massacred without mercy every officer who had charge of the intermediate stations. In this way they took possession of the post at Andujar, seized the magazines at Santa Cruz de Mudela, and put to death the sick in hospital at Manzanares. Every species of reprisal was made against the French in retaliation for the cruelties *Alluding to the victory of Marshal Vendôme in the war of the Succession, which placed Philip V. on the throne of Spain. 100 DUPONT AN INEFFICIENT COMMANDER. [A.D. they had inflicted on the country, and an unfortunate General, René, who fell into the hands of the smugglers in the Sierra Morena, was thrown into a bath of boiling water and killed. 400 convaleseents, on march, were fallen upon in the open plain of La Mancha, but were saved by the timely arrival of 500 horse, under General Belair, and safely carried back to Toledo. Dupont pushed forward strong cavalry reconnoissances as far as Carmona, on the road to Seville, but could find no organised force of the insurgents in the plain of the Guadalquivir. On the side of the mountains, however, Echevaria made his presence manifest continually, and by his vigilance rendered the position at Cordova so hazardous that the French general broke up from that city on the 16th of June, and fell back to Andujar, whence he could still command the resources of Andalusia, while he was nearer to the defiles of the Morena. Here he remained inactive and almost in ignorance of all that was passing in the north of Spain, until General Vedel arrived and joined him towards the end of June. This officer brought him news of the return of Murat to France, and the instalment of Savary in his office. In consequence of this information, he now posted his army at Baylen, situated at the foot of the Morena, but yet so as to watch the ferry across the Guadalquivir at Mengibar, near the mouth of the Guadalimar, which flows into the great river down the defile of Linares. Vedel brought with him 5,400 men, which rendered Dupont's army, including the Spanish Swiss, 16,000 strong, and this was increased still further by the junction of the division Gobert, which added 4,700 more infantry and cavalry. Dupont was now, therefore, in respectable force, for he had upwards of 20,000 men, but he could no longer hope for assistance from Madrid or from any other quarter, and was thoroughly isolated amidst a host of enemies, who were rallying against him on every side. His position at Andujar had not been at all comfortable, for, although he had prevented all approach across the bridge by means of an effective téte de pont, yet the hills on both sides of the Guadalquivir were lofty and commanding, and occupied by enemies. Moreover, his 20,000 men now required supplies. He had sent out two successful expeditions to Jaen, under Captain Barte and Brigadier Cassagne, who had put to flight all the insurgents they encountered, and sacked and emptied and burned that town; they had also brought away from the district a considerable supply of corn, fresh meat, wine, and medicine. This last was much needed, for the soldiers were suffering dreadfully from dysentery, in consequence of the unwholesome water of the Guadalquivir, and they especially required vinegar to render it less noxious. But General Dupont, although recognised by the whole French army as a first-rate General in the field, and almost within reach of the bâton of Marshal, was now found wanting in those more precious qualities of vigilance and forethought, and in the moral resolution of commanding others under difficulties and in adversity; nor could he act with that patience, decision, and energy which are necessary to subdue fortune. He was wholly without the wisdom to supply resources, or the genius requisite to devise some plan of |