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WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA
BY
G. A. HENTY
Author of "With Cochrane the Dauntless," "A Knight of the White Cross,""In Freedom's Cause," "St. Bartholomew's Eve," "Wulf the Saxon," etc.
TERENCE FINDS THAT THE _SEA-HORSE_ HAS BEEN BADLY MAULEDBETWEEN-DECKS.]
WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY WAL PAGET
PREFACE
From the termination of the campaigns of Marlborough--at which time theBritish army won for itself a reputation rivalled by that of no other inEurope--to the year when the despatch of a small army under Sir ArthurWellesley marked the beginning of another series of British victories asbrilliant and as unbroken as those of that great commander, the opinionhad gained ground in Europe that the British had lost their militaryvirtues, and that, although undoubtedly powerful at sea, they could havehenceforth but little influence in European affairs. It is singular thatthe revival of Britain's activity began under a Government which was oneof the most incapable that ever controlled the affairs of the country. Hadtheir deliberate purpose been to render nugatory the expeditionwhich--after innumerable vacillations and changes of purpose--theydespatched to Portugal, they could hardly have acted otherwise than theydid.
Their agents in the Peninsula were men singularly unfitted for theposition. Then the Government divided the commands among their generalsand admirals, sending to each absolutely contradictory orders, and when atlast they brought themselves to appoint one to the supreme command, theychanged that commander six times in the course of a year. While lavishingenormous sums of money, arms, clothing, and materials of war upon theSpaniards, who wasted or pocketed them, they kept their own armyunsupplied with money, transport, or clothes. Unsupported by the homeauthorities, the British commanders had yet to struggle with thefaithlessness, mendacity, and inertness of the Portuguese and Spanishauthorities, and were hampered with obstacles such as never beset aBritish commander before. Still, in spite of this, British genius andvalour triumphed over all difficulties, and Wellesley delivered Lisbon andcompelled the French army to surrender.
Then again, Moore, by his marvellous march, checked the course of victoryof Napoleon and saved Spain for a time. Cradock organized an army, andWellesley hurled back Soult's invasion of the north, and drove his army, adispirited and worn-out mass of fugitives, across the frontier, and inless than a year from the commencement of the campaign carried the warinto Spain. So far I have endeavoured to sketch the course of these eventsin the present volume. But the whole course of the Peninsular War was fartoo long to be condensed in a single book, except in the form of historypure and simple; therefore, I have been obliged to divide it into twovolumes; and I propose next year to follow up the adventures of my presenthero, who had the good fortune, with Trant, Wilson, and other Britishofficers, to attain the command of a body of native irregulars, acting inconnection with the movements of the British army.
Yours sincerely,
G. A. HENTY.
CONTENTS
CHAP.
I. THE MAYO FUSILIERS
II. TWO DANGERS
III. DISEMBARKED
IV. UNDER CANVAS
V. ROLICA AND VIMIERA
VI. A PAUSE
VII. THE ADVANCE
VIII. A FALSE ALARM
IX. THE RETREAT
X. CORUNNA
XI. AN ESCAPE
XII. A DANGEROUS MISSION
XIII. AN AWKWARD POSITION
XIV. AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND
XV. THE FIRST SKIRMISH
XVI. IN THE PASSES
XVII. AN ESCAPE
XVIII. MARY O'CONNOR
XIX. CONFIRMED IN COMMAND
XX. WITH THE MAYOS
XXI. PORTUGAL FREED
XXII. NEWS FROM HOME