190 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



CHAP. XII. 



Plan of Lord WelUngtonJbr the Defence of Portugal, and at the same 

 time sapj)ortingthe Causae of Spain.-— His Army, for near Three Months 

 after his Retreat from l^alavera, hovo stationed. — His Army augmented 

 by Portuguese Troops, disciplined by Field Marshal Beresford.—Hoiv 

 quartered in and after the Month of February. — Their Positions luhen 

 they come nearly m contact luith the Enemy advancing on Portugal — ■ 

 Andtheir Lineof Retreat on strong and impregnable Fortifications near 

 Lisbon — After the Surrender of Almeida, Lord Wellington begins to 

 retreat and concentrate his Forces. — Marshal Massena, at the head of 

 the Fren ch A rmy of Port ugnl, pursues.— Lord Wellington, for impeding 

 as much as possible the Advance if the Enemy into the inferior of the 

 Country, obliges the Inhabitants to quit their Homes, and remove or 

 destroy all that couldbe of use to the Enemy. — The Plan of Massena for 

 turning the left Flank of the Allies, frustrated by Lord Wellington. — 

 Battle nfBiizaco. — The French repidsed in an Attack on the Position of 

 the Allies ; but they turn the Left of the Allies, and advance on Coim- 

 bra, ■whither Lord Wellington, ivilh the main body of his Army, arrives 

 beforehim. — Retreat of Lord Wellington to his Lines at Torres Vedras, 

 ■ — These described. — Difficulties in lohichthe Fienchare involved, being 

 drawn into a Snare by the military Genius rf Lord Wellington. — Their 

 Sufferings, particularly from tvant of Provisions. — Their Positions at 

 frst in front of the Allies. — SMrmishes — Massena hemmed in on all 

 Sides. — His Operations confned to Self defence against the Allies, and 

 against Famine. — Relative Positions of the French and the Allied 

 Army of Portugal at the close of\S\0. 



IT is now time to return to lord ceed no farther than the frontier, 

 Welh'ngton, commander-in- where he should in reality be as 

 chief of the British army, whom serviceable to the Spanish govern- 

 in our last volume* we left at ment, as he should be in the posi- 

 Merida, on his retreat from Tala- tion they had pointed out to him ; 

 vera. The reasonswere then stated nay, and even more serviceable. — 

 why his lordship declined any fur- Pursuant to this plan, the allied 

 ther co-operation with the Spanish army was stationed for near three 

 army at that time. But he was months between Merida and Ba- 

 not pressed by the most urgent dajoz ; from whence he was ob- 

 necessity, nor in extreme haste to liged to retreat beyond the Spanish 

 retire immediately out of Spain ; frontier, by the necessity of de- 

 and if he should retire into Por- fending Portugal. The events of 

 tugal, it was his intention to pro- the war in Old Castile, rendered 



• Vol. LI. Hist. Eur. p. 193. 



