HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



179 



far as Xerta, which was within 

 two leagues of Tortosa. 



While the French were em- 

 ployed in their preparations, or 

 what, in the language of the French 

 general who commanded, is call- 

 ed "all the preliminary labours of 

 the siege," the garrison of Tortosa 

 did not fail in the months of July 

 and August to make repeatedly 

 the boldest and most vigorous 

 sallies. On the 3rd of August 

 it made a general sally. It ad- 

 vanced on all points at the same 

 time even under the enemy's 

 entrenchments. The French ad- 

 vanced posts were not able to 

 sustain their shock. But the 

 Elite (the choicest troops) of the 

 army being brought into action, 

 the Spaniards were driven back 

 into the fortress with the loss of 

 Bomehundreds of theirmen killed, 

 and about as many prisoners. In 

 thisboldenterprizecountD'Abras, 

 the governor of Tortosa, was dan- 

 gerously wounded. In the end 

 of October and beginning of No- 

 vember, general Villa Campo, 

 who had greatly harassed the 

 posts left for the keeping up 

 Suchet's communications, in the 

 province of Arragon was defeated 

 in two smart actions, in which he 

 lost six field pieces, and a com- 

 pany of light artillery. On the 

 26tli of November, a French 

 division, under the orders of ge- 

 neral Mositier, routed the Valen- 

 cians at Vinaros and took a great 

 number of prisoners — the French 

 say 2,500, but, according to the 

 best tables or calculations that 

 have been made on the French 

 exaggeration, about one third of 

 that number. 



The efforts made by the Spa- 

 nish Guerrillasto cutoff Barcelona 



from provisions, and to reduce it 

 by famine, made it necessary that 

 a very strong convoy should be 

 sent for its relief, and for re-open- 

 ing a communication between 

 that important town and fortress, 

 and other parts of Catalonia. Ge- 

 neral Suchet did not think it ad- 

 visable to commence the siege by 

 the close investment of Tortosa, 

 before thereturn of that force from 

 Barcelona to the banks of the 

 Ebro, for supporting and co-ope- 

 rating with the 3rd corps. But 

 on the approach of this division of 

 the army of Catalonia which was 

 under the command of general 

 Frfere, Suchet marched from Xerta 

 with his army, consisting of twelve 

 battalions, formed into columns, 

 on the morning of the 15th of 

 Dec. on the left side of the Ebro. 

 While a part of the troops carried 

 the position of col. de L'Alba, 

 the rest formed itself by degrees 

 into a semicircle, the extremities 

 of which were supported by the 

 river above and below Tortosa. 

 The enemy was driven into this 

 inclosure. By the evening the 

 investment was complete. From 

 that day nothing could enter or 

 go out of the place. The artillery- 

 was established on the river, at 

 that place ISO fathoms in breadth. 

 A flying bridge was constructed 

 for maintaining a communication 

 between its opposite banks. Dec. 

 18th, all the posts, even the sen- 

 tinels of the Spaniards, weredriven 

 into the fortress. In the night 

 between the 20th and 21st, two 

 thousand labourers favoured by a 

 violent gale of wind and a thick 

 darkness, opened the first paral- 

 lel before the two bastions call- 

 ed St. Peter and St. John: its 

 left extremity at the distance of 

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