20 John M his me repel h Sir J to Souli Lugo. think t probab surer g velope their r WH resting receive dated. cembe deavo vernm secur of re milita dresse "that ed to. like had b Rodri ro, a tempo falling glowi siasm thing to de whiel. their the ex tifyir: ment Frêre. ber. ok advantage f had been 20 **e army, bere of the gr in read, ess Zaures were o " near Th મમતા I final result of the contest, Sir John Moore's plan of operations, and its execution, actually saved Spain from complete subjugation at that time. He drew Buonaparte from the south to the north; ruined his equipments, diminished the number of his army, and so harrassed his troops as to prevent the possibility of making any progress for several months. The breathing time afforded by these means, and by the Austrian war, was employed by the Spaniards in recovering from their terrors. In the weak defence made in parliament by Mr. Canning for Mr. Frêre, whom he had so injudiciously selected as the British minister plenipotentiary in Spain, and clothed with such extravagant powers, some dark insinuations were thrown out against the conduct of the general. The hint was instantly seized by some of the hirelings of administration, who, after an eager search for a fault in the conduct of the campaign, pretended that he ought to have defended the passes of Gallicia. But those who possess the slightest knowledge of military affairs, by casting their eyes on the map, will see at once, that had this been attempted, Buonaparte, by his numerous corps, would easily have sent detachments round into the rear, blocked up the communication with the sea, and thus have surrounded the British army. appears that exclusive of small passes and mule paths, there was a practicable road for the French not 30 miles distant from that which the English had taken. Under these circumstances, Sir John Moore knowing that another road was open which he did not dare to occupy *, as it would have been dangerous to have divided so small an army, did not delay an hour more than was absolutely necessary, the retreat of the army. And it is a fact, that a Spanish battalion made good their way through small passes or mulepaths, on their march to join the Marquis of Romana. Besides, this province of Spain is so destitute of provisions, that though Sir David Baird, in conformity to the orders repeatedly sent him by Sir John Moore when he first entered Gallicia, attempted to form magazines; little more could be collected than what was required for the daily subsistence of the troops; and the country was quickly so exhausted, that some hundreds of the Marquis of Romana's men were actually famished in the neighbourhood of Astorga. From this dearth, chiefly, Sir John Moore was compelled to detach from his small army, General Crauford with three thousand men; and to send them to Vigo by Orense. Unless then, the troops could have subsisted upon snow, it was impossible for them to remain in that country; we have not heard of any military man maintaining the propriety of an attempt to make a stand at the passes of Gallicia, except Colonel Charmilly. While General Moore was conveyed in the manner above-mentioned from the field, Captain Harding observing that his sword incommoded him, attempted to un Count Cherbot, and several other English officers travelled this very road during a heavy fall of snow, on the 2d, 3d, and 4th of January. C 4 buckle British were engaged, of whom about 7 or 800 were killed or wounded. The French engaged in this battle were estimated at 20,000, and consisted, in part, of the regiments sent back from Portugal to the ports of France nearest to Spain, by the convention of Cintra: their loss was reckoned at about two thousand. General Hope, on whom the chief command devolved, took advantage of the success which had been obtained to embark the army, before it should be overwhelmed with the increasing numbers of the enemy. The boats were all in readiness, and the previous measures were so well concerted, that nearly the whole army were embarked during the night. Though the French had no disposition to renew the engagement, when the morning of the 17th rose, and they saw that the British troops were gone, they pushed on their light troops to the heights of St. Lucia; in the forenoon they got up some cannon to a rising ground near the harbour, and fired at the transports. Several of the masters were so much frightened, that they cut their cables, and four ships ran aground. The troops of these ships were put on board others, and the stranded vessels burnt. The rest of the fleet quitted the harbour. At two o' clock, General Hill's brigade, which had been stationed as corps of reserve on a promontory behind the town, began to embark under the citadel; and during that night, and the following morning, General Beresford, who commanded the rear-guard, of about 2000 men, for covering the embarkation, sent off all the sick and wounded whose condition admitted of their being removed :-Lastly, the rear-guard itself got into the boats; and the whole of the embarkation was completed by the 18th of January, 1809, without interruption *. In this retreat the British army lost all its ammunition, all its magazines, above 5000 horses, and 5 or 6000 men. But still above 20,000 were computed to have been re-landed safely in England. Thus Sir J. Moore, by a rare union of natural sagacity, military skill, firmness of mind, vigilance and circumspection, decision and promptitude of action, extricated the British army with great glory, and with far greater loss than was to be expected, from a situation in which the imprudence of both the British and Spanish governments, the puerile and frantic interference of some individuals, and the treachery of others had involved it :-Whatever may be the The report of Lieutenant General Hope to Lieutenant General Sir D. Baird, off Corunna, Jan. 18, 1809---Appendix to Chronicle, 423. This is one of the most beautiful, that is, the most simple, clear, intelligible, and interesting compositions of the kind that we have ever seen from the pen of any modern commander, and may even bear to be compared with those of Julius Cæsar. Most, nay almost all military officers of all nations, by attempting to describe every thing, describe nothing in a satisfactory manner. Their descriptions are crowded with such a number of subordinate officers and subordinate actions, that the principal lines or features are obscured and lost. We sincerely pity the historian to whom Buonaparte may hereafter give it in charge to write a history of his wars from his bulletins. final result of the contest, Sir John Moore's plan of operations, and its execution, actually saved Spain from complete subjugation at that time. He drew Buonaparte from the south to the north; ruined his equipments, diminished the number of his army, and so harrassed his troops as to prevent the possibility of making any progress for several months. The breathing time afforded by these means, and by the Austrian war, was employed by the Spaniards in recovering from their terrors. In the weak defence made in parliament by Mr. Canning for Mr. Frêre, whom he had so injudiciously selected as the British minister plenipotentiary in Spain, and clothed with such extravagant powers, some dark insinuations were thrown out against the conduct of the general. The hint was instantly seized by some of the hirelings of administration, who, after an eager search for a fault in the conduct of the campaign, pretended that he ought to have defended the passes of Gallicia. But those who possess the slightest knowledge of military affairs, by casting their eyes on the map, will see at once, that had this been attempted, Buonaparte, by his numerous corps, would easily have sent detachments round into the rear, blocked up the communication with the sea, and thus have surrounded the British army. It appears that exclusive of small passes and mule paths, there was a practicable road for the French not 30 miles distant from that which the English had taken. Under these circumstances, Sir John Moore knowing that another road was open which he did not dare to occupy*, as it would have been dangerous to have divided so small an army, did not delay an hour more than was absolutely necessary, the retreat of the army. And it is a fact, that a Spanish battalion made good their way through small passes or mulepaths, on their march to join the Marquis of Romana. Besides, this province of Spain is so destitute of provisions, that though Sir David Baird, in conformity to the orders repeatedly sent him by Sir John Moore when he first entered Gallicia, attempted to form magazines; little more could be collected than what was required for the daily subsistence of the troops; and the country was quickly so exhausted, that some hundreds of the Marquis of Romana's men were actually famished in the neighbourhood of Astorga. From this dearth, chiefly, Sir John Moore was compelled to detach from his small army, General Crauford with three thousand men; and to send them to Vigo by Orense. Unless then, the troops could have subsisted upon snow, it was impossible for them to remain in that country-we have not heard of any military man maintaining the propriety of an attempt to make a stand at the passes of Gallicia, except Colonel Charmilly. While General Moore was conveyed in the manner above-mentioned from the field, Captain Harding observing that his sword incommoded him, attempted to un Count Cherbot, and several other English officers travelled this very road daring a heavy fall of snow, on the 2d, 3d, and 4th of January. C 4 buckle buckle it: "It is as well as it is," said he, "calmy: I had rather it should go out of the field with me." He was so sensible of his approaching dissolution, that he said to the surgeons who offered their assistance, "You can be of no service to me: go to the soldiers, to whom you may be useful. -You know," said he to his friend Colonel Anderson, "that I have always wished to die this way. I hope the people of England will be satisfied: I hope my country will do me justice." The remainder of his moments were consecrated to tender remembrances, and enquiries about the fate of his friends. He was buried in his uniform upon the ramparts of Corunna; where a monument to his memory has been since raised by the Marquis Romana.* A monument also, in consequence of an address to his Majesty by the House of Commons, was ordered to be erected to his memory in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul's, London. His Royal Highness the Duke of York, commander in chief of the British army, which he had raised to a state of the most distinguished excellence, while he was not more attentive to discipline and good order, than to the comfort of the soldiers and the good of their families, in the general order issued by his command, after the return of the army from Spain, bestows on its late commander the following just and elegantly simple praise. The life of Sir John Vide Chronicle, p. 375. Moore was spent among the troops. During the season of repose his time was devoted to the care and instruction of the officer and soldier. In war, he courted service in every quarter of the globe. Regardless of personal considerations, he esteemed that to which his country called him, the post of honour! And by his undaunted spirit and unconquerable perseverance, he pointed the way to victory. His country, the object of his latest solicitude, will rear a monument to his lamented memory. And the commander in chief feels that he is paying the best tribute to his memory, in thus holding him up as an example to the army." It is not to be supposed that this encomium would have been made on Sir John Moore by any commander in chief, at all under the influence, or of the same party with the ministers of the day, froma whom the general had repeatedly met with slights and injustice, and who had discovered and loudly declared, that he had found all things in Spain the very reverse of what the ministry had represented them to be; and, in short, advised them to send no more troops to Spain. The animating breath of justice is to an army what that of liberty is to a state. The Duke of York, therefore, elevated by his royal dignity far above ministerial cabals and interested views, did not hesitate to hold up Sir John Moore, though as it were in the teeth of certain ministers, as an example to the army. It is not necessary to go A very intelligent, as well as gallant, military officer, (the Hon. Captain St-, in his Cursory View of the Late Administration) says: "That the whole of this order is so beautiful, that it deserves to be retained in the memory of every military man. It not |