"The movement of the troops under Lieutenant-general Sir Thomas Graham, and their possession of Gamarra and Abechuco, intercepted the enemy's retreat by the high road to France. They were then obliged to turn to the road to wards Pamplona; but they were unable to hold any position for a sufficient length of time to allow their baggage and artillery to be drawn off. The whole therefore of the latter, which had not already been taken by the troops in their attack of the successive positions, occupied by the enemy in their retreat from their first position on Arunez and on the Zadora, and all their ammunition and baggage, and every thing they had, were taken close to Vittoria. I have reason to believe that the enemy carried off with them one gun and one howitzer only.

"The army under Joseph Bonaparte consisted of the whole of the armies of the south and of the centre, and of four divisions, and all the cavalry of the army of Portugal, and some troops of the army of the north. General Foix's division of the army of Portugal was in the neighbourhood of Bilboa; and General Clausel, who commands the army of the north, was near Logrono, with one division of the army of Portugal, commanded by General Topin, and General Vandermasen's division of the army of the north.

"The sixth division of the allied army, under Major-general the Honorable Edward Pakenham, was likewise absent, having been detained at Medina del Pomar for three days, to cover the march of our magazines and stores.

"I cannot extol too highly the good conduct of all the general-officers, officers, and soldiers of the army in this action. Lieutenant-general Sir Rowland Hill speaks highly of the conduct of General Murillo, and the Spanish troops under his command; and of that of Lieutenant-general the Honorable W. Stewart, and the Conde d'Amarante, who commanded divisions of infantry under his directions. He likewise mentions the conduct of the Honorable Lieutenant-colonel O'Callagan, who maintained the village of Sabijana de Aľavá against all the efforts of the enemy to regain possession of it; and that of Lieutenant-colonel Brooke, of the adjutant-general's department; and Lieutenant-colonel the Honorable Alexander Abercromby, of the quarter-master-general's department.

"It was impossible for the movements of any troops to be conducted with more spirit and regularity than those of the respective divisions of Lieutenant-general the Earl of Dalhousie, Sir Thomas Picton, Sir Lowry Cole, and Majorgeneral Charles Baron Alten. These troops advanced in echelons of regiments, in two, and occasionally three lines; and the Portuguese troops, in the third and fourth divisions, under the command of Brigadier-general Power and Colo

1813.

nel Stubbs, led the march with a steadiness and BOOK X. gallantry never surpassed on any occasion. "Major-general the Hon. C. Colville's brigade, CHAP. VI. of the third division, was seriously attacked, in its advance, by a very superior force, well formed; which it drove in, supported by General Inglis's brigade of the seventh division, commanded by Colonel Grant, of the 82d. These officers, and the troops under their command, distinguished themselves.

Major-general Vandeleur's brigade of the light division was, during the advance upon Vittoria, detached to the support of the seventh division; and Lieutenant-general the Earl of Dalhousie has reported most favorably of its conduct. "Lieutenant-general Sir Thomas Graham particularly reports his sense of the assistance he received from Colonel Delancy, deputy-quartermaster-general, and from Lieutenant-colonel Bous verie, of the adjutant-general's department, and from the officers of his personal staff; and from the Honorable Lieutenant-colonel Upton, assistant-quarter-master-general, and Major Hope, assistant-adjutant, with the first division; and Major-general Oswald reports the same of Lieutenant-colonel Berkeley, of the adjutant-general's department, and Lieutenant-colonel Gomm, of the quarter-master-general's department.

"I am particularly indebted to Lieutenantgeneral Sir Thomas Graham, and Lieutenantgeneral Sir Rowland Hill, for the manner in which they have respectively conducted the service entrusted to them since the commencement of the operations, which have ended in the battle of the 21st, and for their conduct in that battle; as likewise to Marshal Sir William Beresford, for the friendly advice and assistance which I have received from him upon all occasions during the late operations.

"I must not omit to mention, likewise, the conduct of General Giron, who commands the Gallician army, who made a forced march from Orduna, and was actually on the ground in readi ness to support Lieutenant-general Sir Thomas Graham.

"The Quarter-master-general, Major-general George Murray, in the late operations, and in the battle of the 21st, gave me the greatest assistance. I am likewise indebted much to Lord Aylmer, the deputy-adjutant-general, and to the officers of the adjutant and quarter-master-general's departments respectively, and to Lieutenantcolonel Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Lieutenant-colonel Campbell, and the officers of my personal staff; and to Lieutenant-colonel Sir Richard Fletcher, and the officers of the royal engineers,

"Colonel his serene highness the hereditary Prince of Orange was in the field as my aide-decamp, and conducted himself with his usual gallantry and intelligence.

BOOK X.

1813.

"Mareschal-del-campo Don Louis Wimpfen, and the Inspector-general Don Thomas O'DoCHAP. VI. noju, and the officers of the staff of the Spanish army, have invariably rendered me every assistance in their power in the course of these operations; and I avail myself of this opportunity of expressing my satisfaction at their conduct, as likewise with that of Mareschal-del-campo Don Miguel de Alava, and of Brigadier-general Don Joseph O'Lawlor, who have been so long and so usefully employed with me.

"The artillery was most judiciously placed by Lieutenant-colonel Dickson, and was well served, and the army is particularly indebted to that

corps.

"The nature of the ground did not allow of the cavalry being generally engaged; but the general officers, commanding the several brigades, kept the troops under their command respectively close to the infantry to support them, and they were most active in the pursuit of the enemy after they had been driven through Vittoria."

The forward movements of Lord Wellington equally astonished his friends and enemies; in fact, his lordship, astonished his most sanguine partizans. It was anticipated by every one of them, in the first place, that the French would have made a stand upon the Douro; and that having possessed themselves, and strongly garrisoned the towns of Toro, Zamone, Tordesillas, and Valladolid, they would not have abandoned such strong ground without some struggle. It became a matter, therefore, of some interest, to inquire by what means the Marquis had at length effected, without difficulty, what it was the vain labour of the greatest part of the last campaign to attempt.

The first consideration is, What was the situation of the French upon the opening of the campaign? It was briefly as follows: The French corps were all assembled and concentrated upon the line of the Douro, between Zamora and Valladolid; that is to say, they possessed all the strong points on the northern bank of that river. This bank, according to the report of the engineers, is rough and precipitous, and commands all the lower ground of the opposite bank. It was generally considered, therefore, that it was the purpose of the French to make their stand upon this high ground; and it certainly would have been a point of very great difficulty to have forced it. The marquis, therefore, with a very prudent dexterity, endeavoured to elude the necessity of this laborious and perilous effort; and with these intentions, instead of crossing the river directly opposite to the enemy, he marched higher

up towards its mouth, and crossed it in Portugal. By these means he at once surprised the enemy, and compelled them to withdraw. The marquis presented himself on a road where no one expected him, and therefore found no opposition to his advance. On the contrary, as he was upon the rear of the enemy, they were compelled has tily to abandon all the positions which they had been so long in fortifying. This was the first advantage.

The next consideration is, what was the subsequent line of operation adopted, and evidently intended, by the Marquis Wellington. Having thus passed the Douro, and eluded the necessity of forcing the strong ground on the northern bank of that river, the marquis pursued the same course of operation with respect to the next river upon his road of advance. He crossed the Ebro as he had crossed the Douro. Instead of forcing a pas sage, he eluded, by the exertion of his masterly skill, the necessity of forcing it, and effected the passage over it with as much ease, and as little opposition, as if he had passed the Tagus in Por tugal. It was by these means, therefore, which appeared very simple after the thing was done, but which no one would have thought of, till they had been instructed in the event-it was by these means that the Marquis Wellington effected an operation which must be considered as one of the most splendid in the whole history of the war, and which will not sink in comparison with the bestimagined and best-executed manœuvre of modern

times.

The Marquis of Wellington received, for this victory, the unanimous thanks of both houses of parliament; and the glorious results of it were thus, in a short but emphatic compass, recorded in the Corunna papers, dated July 4:

Valencia is evacuated!-Pamplona besieged! -Barcelona invested!-Tarragona taken!-Wel lington marching to cut off Suchet!-and the British flag unfurled in France!!!

Field-marshal Wellington's head-quarters were, before this battle, at Orcayen, not far to the south-east of Pamplona, in which place a gar rison of 1,200 men was closely besieged. The hero was proceeding to Jaca, in order to inter cept Suchet, and thus clear the Peninsula of the only remaining force in the country, which retained any thing like the appearance or consist ency of an army. Jaca is the capital of a district in Arragon, and about forty-five miles from the renowned city of Saragossa, in a direction almost due north; so that the allied army marched from Pamplona across the country, almost parallel with the Pyrenees..

THE separation of 18,000 Prussians from the French army, in consequence of the treaty of D'York with the Russiaus, (mentioned in chap. 5,) rendered the latter formidable enemies to Bonaparte at the commencement of the year.

It has been intimated in our third chapter, that the Emperor Alexander endeavoured to prevent the escape of the enemy, and great expectations were entertained by the Russians of taking Bonaparte prisoner, as appears by the following orders and description of his person:

"It is hereby commanded, to all the generals of corps, all the chiefs of Cossack regiments, and also, all the partisans who act round the remains of the French grand army, under the orders of the Emperor Napoleon in person, to redouble their activity and attention in the execution of their duty, that nothing may escape of the ruins of that army. After the inmense losses which it has sustained for more than six weeks, during which our light troops have taken from one to six thousand men a day; after having seen a great part of their cavalry destroyed; and, above all, after the glorious day of the 6th (18th) of this month, when General Benningsen completely defeated the King of Naples, with a loss of a part of his artillery, and such ruin to his cavalry, that it has since never dared to shew itself before us; it would be a shame to our army and our light troops, if a single man of the enemy was ever to return to France, and not pay with his life, or his captivity, the guilty insolence of having dared to follow, into the heart of the Russian provinces, that black aggressor who makes a sport of the blood of his people. The reinforcements of cavalry that have lately come up, amount to 20,000 men, among whom are twenty-six regiments of Cossacks of the Don, who every day take a number of pieces of canuon from the rear of the enemy, which weakened, harassed, and worn down, is now reduced to the most deplorable situation, and employs all its efforts to evade our vigilance and escape our attacks. With these decided advantages, we repeat, that no Frenchman should ever see his country again; but we lay it more than all upon the responsibility of the commandants and chiefs of the Cossack regiments, and on all our detached parties, so to watch round the French army, that the Emperor Napoleon may not personally escape. For this purpose, we add

his description to this order of the day. This description is equally to be acted upon by all the chiefs of districts, all authorities, civil or military, all post-masters, &c. If this order is strictly executed, artillery, ammunition, equipage, every thing must fall into our hands. We shall also recover, as we have already done in part, the consecrated spoils which this sacrilegious profaner, renewing the Vandalism of the revolution, has plundered from our temples.

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Description of his Majesty the Emperor Napoleon.

"The figure short and compact, the hair black, flat, and short,-the beard black and strong, shaved up towards the ear, the eyebrows strongly arched, but contracted towards the nose, the nose aqueline, with perpetual marks of snuff, the countenance gloomy and violent, the chin extremely projecting,-always in a little uniform without ornaments, generally wrapped in a little grey surtout, to avoid being remarked, and continually attended by a Mameluke."

After the disastrous retreat of Bonaparte, the Russians captured 41 generals, 1,298 officers, 167,510 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, and 1,131 pieces of cannon.

The fate of Wilna was happily decided by the hasty flight of the trembling invaders. On the 1st of January, (new style,) the Russian guards entered the city, under the command of his imperial highness the czarewitch and grand-duke, and universal joy prevailed. The presence of the Emperor Alexander increased this satisfaction. His imperial majesty was met seventy wersts from Wilna, at the village of Michalischek, by the field-post inspector, Doliwa Dobrowolskij, and at the last station from hence, at the village Jaswa, by Colonel Tschernosubow, with a regiment of Cossacks, amid the joyful acclamations of a great concourse of people, who had arrived from every quarter, and who accompanied him to this city. At the same station, the Jewish congregation of Wilna had likewise the happiness of welcoming his majesty, with bread and salt, amid the shouts of "Long live the great monarch, Alexander the First."

His imperial majesty, on his arrival at Wilna, was pleased to appoint General Field-marshal'

4. That the land-owners and citizens who have furnished men to the militia, shall be exempted from this levy.

5. That the levy shall be commenced in each government within two weeks, and ended within four, from the publication of this order.

Marshal Macdonald, after the defection of Generals D'York and Massenbach, was closely pursued by Wittgenstein, whose advanced-guard took possession of Konigsberg, the antient capital of Prussia, without resistance, on the 6th of January. Here the Russians took 1,300 prisoners, besides 8,000 sick, and thirty pieces of the battering cannon employed at Riga. The French directed their flight towards the Vistula, pursued by Wittgenstein, On the 12th, the Russians, under Tchitschagoff and Platoff, entered Marienwerder, from which the viceroy, Beauharnois, and Marshal Victor, narrowly escaped. They after wards occupied Marienburg and Elbing; and crossing the Vistula and its branch, the Nogat, they pursued the French in different directions. The Cossacks, under Platoff, pushed on to the suburbs of Dantzic, and cut off all communication between that city and the surrounding country. Previous to this, however, the garrison of this city had received a very large reinforcement. Macdonald having conducted his troops to this place, transferred the command to General Rapp, who had been appointed governor of Dantzic, and returned to France.

In the mean time, operations were carrying on against the Austrians and Saxons. General Saeken marched against Regnier, who was at the head of the Saxon troops, and proceeded along the bay to Grannym; and General Wasillchikoff, reinforced by a body of Cossacks, obliged Prince Schwartzenberg, with the Austrians, to retreat along the Narew to Pultusk.

At this period, the situation of Prussia was singular and critical. Its capital was possessed by a French garrison, while the inhabitants, looking out for the arrival of the Russians as their de

liverers from an odious yoke, displayed their hatred of their oppressors by frequent popular insurrections against the French, who were at length constrained to keep within their barracks.

A regency was established at Konigsberg in the name of the king, which issued a proclamation, calling upon the inhabitants of Prussia to come forward for the rescue of their king and country from French bondage; and a number of young fien obeyed the call, and joined the troops under General D'York, who had been declared commander-in-chief of the patriotic army. Indeed, it is probable, the King of Prussia himself had now made his determination as to the part be meant to act. He withdrew in the end of January from Potsdam, where he felt himself entirely in the power of the French garrison of Berlin, and suddenly removed to Breslau, in Silesia. On his arrival at that city, he issued proclamations, summoning his subjects to take up arms in de fence of their king and country, but without declaring against whom they were to be employed. Eugene Beauharnois, however, who was now commander of the French armies, (Murat having resigned, in consequence of an article that appeared in the Moniteur, reflecting on his conduct, and returned to Naples,) and at this time in Ber lin, comprehending the purpose of these levies, forbad the recruiting in that capital.

After the arrival of the Russian forces at Ko nigsberg, the fortress of Pillau was summoned by them in such a manner, January 28, as to prevent all communication from the outside. The enemy endeavoured to send off a consider. able quantity of ammunition from thence to Dantzic, but was prevented by the Russian de tachments. A convoy of provisions, which was going to Dantzic, was likewise taken, together with its escort, consisting of one company.

On the 29th, Adjutant-general Massiltschikow, with his detachment, took possession of Ostrolinska; and Count Michael Woronzow took Bromberg, with its valuable magazines.

On the 2d of February, a detachment of Cos sacks, which preceded the columns of the grand army, and marched before the van-guard, entered Plozk, and immediately passed the Vistula, in further pursuit of the enemy.

A considerable magazine was found at Plozk in which, among other things, were 500 korez of oats, 6,000 centners of flour, 800 barrels of salt, &c. &c. A party detached by Adjurant general Baron Winzingerode had taken posses sion of Kowaki, and there found a small maga zine established by the enemy.

The Russian forces continued to advance, the Emperor Alexander being at the head of the main army. They spread over a large extent of country, and carried on a variety of operations at once, which might have been regarded as im prudent, had they not relied upon a general insurrection in their favor.

The Austrian army gradually retired before General Milaródavitch, abandoning their post

on the Narew; and that commander, on the 8th of February, entered Warsaw, being met at soine distance by a deputation from the different orders of the city, who presented him with the keys. On the same day, the fortress of Pillan surrendered to the Russian arms; the French garrison by a convention being allowed to retire, under an obligation not to act till they should have reach ed the left bank of the Rhme. Thorn as well as Dantzic was invested by the Russian armies; and the Austrians concluded an unlimited truce, and withdrew into Gallicia. The Saxon troops, under Regnier, endeavoured to profit of this circumstance by retiring towards their own country behind the Austrians; But being pursued and overtaken at Kalitch by General Winzingerode, as they were endeavouring to form a junction with a body of Poles, they were attacked, and a gene ral, many officers, and 2,000 privates, with seven pieces of cannon, fell into the hands of the Russians. It is rather singular, that the King of Prussia, at this period, should have endeavoured to mediate between the belligerent parties. On the 15th of February, he made a proposal for a truce, upon the condition, that the Russian troops should retire behind the Vistula, and the French behind the Elbe, leaving Prussia between them entirely free from foreign occupation. Neither party, however, paid any attention to this proposal, which was probably only thrown out for the purpose of a temporary demonstration of neutrality; for on the 224 of February, a treaty of alliance, offensive and defensive, between the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia, was signed, the plenipotentiaries being on one side, Marshal Kutusoff, Prince of Smolensk, and on the other, the chancellor, Baron Hardenberg. Early in March, the two sovereigns had a meeting at Breslau. ..When the Russian emperor and the King of Prussia first met, they embraced each other and wept, without being able to speak a word, and when the emperor joined the royal family, all shed tears of emotion. The monarch took the little princess, his god-daughter, in his arms, and said, "these shall be the last." In the city and suburbs of Breslau, Prussian troops were drawn up in ranks, and when the emperor expressed his surprise at it, the king told him, "These are the prisoners taken by my troops in this war; they have been well-treated the whole time." They were all equipped in the best manner.

The King of Prussia now declared General D'York free from all blame respecting the convention which he concluded with the Russians; and, on the 17th of March, addressed the following proclamation to his people and army:an to my

It is unnecessary to render an account to my good people of Germany of the motives for the war which is now commencing: they are evident to impartial Europe.

1813.

"We bent under the superior power of France. BOOK X That peace which deprived me of half my subjects, procured us no blessings; it, on the con- CHAP. VII. trary, hurt us more than war itself. The heart of our country was impoverished; the principal fortresses were occupied by the enemy; agriculture was neglected, as well as the industry of our cities, which had risen to a very high degree; liberty of trade being interrupted, naturally closed all the sources of ease and prosperity.

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By the most exact observance of the stipu lated treaties, I hoped to obtain an alleviation for my people; and, at last, to convince the French emperor, that it was his own interest to leave Prussia independent: but any intentionsmy exertions to ootain so desirable an object, proved fruitless. Nothing but haughtiness and treachery was the result!

"We discovered, though late, that the Empe ror's conventions were more ruinous to us than his open wars. The moment is now arrived, in which no illusion respecting our condition can remain. Brandenburghers! Prussians! Silesians Pomeranians! Lithuanians! you know what you have suffered during the last seven years; you know what a miserable fate awaits you if we do not honorably finish the contest which is now commencing. Remember former times! Remember the illustrious elector, the great Frederick! Remember the benefits for which our ancestors contended, the liberty of conscience, honor, independence, trade, industry, and knowledge. Bear in mind the great example of our allies the Russians; think of the Spaniards and Portuguese, Small nations have even gone to battle for similar benefits against a more powerful enemy, and obtained victory. Remember the Swiss and the Netherlands.

"Great sacrifices are required from ail ranks; because our plan is great, and the number and means of our enemy not less so. You will make them sooner for your country, your king, than for a foreign regent, who by so many examples Iras proved he would take your last sons and last strength for designs to which you are strangers. Confidence in God, constancy, courage, and the powerful assistance of our allies, will favour our just cause with glorious victory. But, however great the sacrifices that may be required from individuals, they will not outweigh the sacred interests for which they are given-for which we must combat and must conquer, or cease to be Prussians or Germans.

"We are now engaged in the last decisive contest for our existence, our independence, and our property. There is no medium between an honorable peace or glorious ruin. Even this you would sustain for your honor, because a Prussian and German cannot live without it. But we dare confidently trust, God and our firm purpose