Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/569

WELLINGTON 549 on the 17th defeated Lahorde at Rolica, and on the 21st repulsed Junot at Vimeiro. After the convention of Cintra and the French evacuation of Portugal, he returned to England, and in January, 1809, resumed his seat in parliament. In April he went to Lisbon as commander-in- chief of the Peninsular forces, the Portuguese regency also making him marshal general of its army. The British had suffered severe reverses. The French occupied a large part of Spain; in Portugal, Soult at Oporto held the N. part, and the E. part was menaced by Victor at M6rida and by King Joseph at Ma- drid. Beresford marched against Soult, and on May 12 captured Oporto, the French re- treating across the mountains into Spain. On July 27 and 28 Wellesley, with 22,000 British troops and the undisciplined Spanish levies commanded by the incapable Cuesta, defeated 50,000 French at Talavera; but he was unable to follow the retreating army, the blunders of Cuesta compelling him to fall back, and the French reoccupied the place. The British army was suffering for want of supplies ; dys- entery was epidemic ; 5,000 men died in hos- pital; and of the whole force but few were fit for duty. Falling back to the Portuguese frontier, Wellesley began his triple line of in- trenchments at Torres Vedras, which, with the naturally strong ground, was to give him a de- fensive position 30 m. in extent, flanked on one side by the Tagus and on the other by the At- lantic. On Sept. 4 he was raised to the peer- age as Baron Douro of Wellesley and Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Somerset. By the close of the year Napoleon had sent 365,000 men across the Pyrenees, and Soult with one army overran Andalusia, while Massena with another marched against Wellington. The British still held their posts on the borders of Spain, and neither the capture of Ciudad Eodrigo nor the investment of Almeida could tempt Wellington from his position. On Aug. 4, 1810, he ordered the people of all that part of Portugal which he could not protect to evac- uate their homes, drive off their cattle, and de- stroy such stores as they could not carry. The army then fell back upon Torres Vedras, ac- companied by crowds of fugitives, some of whom took refuge in Lisbon, while the rest fled to the provinces far from the scene of war. Massena, following, found the country laid waste and destitute of supplies. On Sept. 27 Wellington repulsed him at Busaco, and oil Oct. 8 entered the lines of Torres Vedras. On the 10th Massena was in front of these works, which mounted 600 guns. The British fleet in the Tagus reenforced the defenders, and by the end of the month there were nearly 100,- 000 allies within the lines. In November Mas- s6na retreated, Wellington followed him across the frontier, invested Almeida, and went to confer with Beresford near Badajoz, which had surrendered to Soult. Massena turned to attack the allies in their leader's absence ; but Wellington came back in time to repel the as- saults, May 3 and 5, 1811, at Fuentes de Onoro, and soon after Almeida fell. Portugal could now organize troops, but before making of- fensive movements Ciudad Rodrigo and Bada- joz must be recovered. The first Wellington carried by assault, Jan. 19, 1812, for which ho was made earl of Wellington, Spanish duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, and Portuguese marquis of Torres Vedras ; and on the night of April 6 Badajoz was taken. To prevent Soult from joining Marmont or Joseph Bonaparte, Wel- lington destroyed the bridge over the Tagus at Abnaraz, and moved against Marmont, who fell back till the Douro was between them. On July 21 both armies crossed the Tonnes, and on the next day was fought the battle of Salamanca. Marmont, to cut off Wellington from Portugal, extended his left toward Ciu- dad Rodrigo. Wellington made a rapid change of front to the right; this Marmont mistook for a retreat, and further extended his left to intercept the British. Wellington strengthen- ed hia right, fell on the French in front and flank, crushed their left wing, drove back their centre, and completely routed them in a short, sharp action, which a French officer described as " beating 40,000 men in 40 min- utes." The results were the evacuation of Madrid, which the allies entered on Aug. 12, the raising of the siege of Cadiz, and the free- ing of Andalusia and Castile from military occupation. Wellington's investment of Bur- gos to open a northern line of operations was a failure. Soult had joined Joseph Bonaparte, Marmont had reenforced and reorganized his army, and Wellington retreated toward Portu- gal, finally halting on the banks of the Agua- da. The failure before Burgos and the evacu- ation of Spain called out the severest censure ; but the prince regent made Wellington a mar- quis, parliament gave him 200,000, large re- enforcements, especially of cavalry, were for- warded, and in 1813 he resumed the offensive with 200,000 men. The French, with a little larger force, stretched across Spain from Va- lencia to Galicia. Wellington moved against their centre on the Douro, forced Joseph Bo- naparte across the Ebro, and then changed his base to the N. coast of Spain, suddenly ap- pearing on the flank of the retreating French. In the battle of Vitoria, June 21, the British attacked the enemy at several points simul- taneously, which resulted in a disorderly flight of the French toward Pamplona, and the cap- ture by the victors of an immense quantity of plunder, baggage, supplies, and artillery. The main French army was driven into the Pyre- nees, and all Spain except Catalonia and Ara- gon was free. For this Wellington was made a field marshal. Soult now commanded the French army, with the advanced posts of St. Sebastian and Pamplona; and while Graham laid siege to the former place and O'Don- nell's Spanish force to the latter, Wellington covered both operations by pushing his main body between them to the passes of the Pyre-