History. 
—\— 
A.D, 1814 
Buttle of 
Orthes. 
662 
ition within four miles of the French forces under 
Soult, poe ip in ers pala lt 8. 
_——< ition of the Fren eral was very 
strong, his oh tern al thrown back, edt both his flanks 
advanced on very commanding heights, Lord Welling- 
ton resolved to attack him, His plarwas, that Marshal 
Beresford should turn the right of Soult’s army,. while 
the third and sixth divisions attacked his left and centre; 
but the fourth division, to which the attack on the right 
was entrusted, meeting with = opposition, and being 
unable to possess itself of the heights, on which the ene- 
my was placed, Lord Wellington changed his plan, and 
turned the third and sixth divisions against the right of 
the French; and thus forced him to abandon the heights, 
lest he should be completely surrounded. We have 
been thus more than usually particular ‘in describing 
the manceuvres of the British during the battle of 
Orthes, as they afford a striking proof of the charac- 
teristic rages and decision of Lord Wellington’s 
mind. While these operations were going on in this 
part, Soult found his centre attacked and his left threat- 
ened, by the British division of Sir Rowland Hill ha- 
ving carried a position on which it appuyed: Here, 
however, the French having a numerous artillery, made 
a vigorous and formidable resistance, but the two points 
of the base line of his position, (for it was in the form 
of a triangle,) being hard pressed by flank-attacks, and 
the centre at the same time yielding to the British, he 
gave orders for a retreat. At first his troops retreated 
without confusion ; but soon disorder spread among 
them, and they dispersed and made the best of their 
way, in the same manner as they had done in the battle 
of Vittoria. In the night they retired across the Adour, 
the British being so much exhausted that they could 
not pursue them to any considerable distance that night. 
On the 24th, however, they continued the pursuit to 
St Sevre, where General Beresford having crossed the 
Adour, advanced to the chief town in the department of 
the Landes. At first Soult retreated in the direction of 
Bourdeaux, but being defeated by Sir Rowland im an 
attempt to defend his magazines at. Aireon the Adour, 
he changed:his route, and retreated in the direction of 
Toulouse, The main British army followed him, while 
Sir John Hope be; the siege of Bayonne. Such 
was the battle of Orthes,—certainly one of the most 
general and hard fought in which Lord Wellington 
had been engaged since the commencement of the Pe- 
ninsular war; and it may be added, that not only in the 
positions which Soult fixed on, but in his condnis du- 
ring the engagement, he fully made out his claim to 
talents and perseverance as a military man. 
The e of the south of France, notwithstanding 
all the efforts to represent the =e as even worse 
than the Cossacks, received Lord Wellington and his 
army as friends; treating them with the utmost confi- 
gence and kindness, and evidently shewing that they 
dreaded more from their own soldiers than from them, 
But though they openly expressed their wish to receive 
back the Bourbons, Lord Wellington could not pro- 
claim or support their cause, as the negociations for 
se with Sosenetl were still going on. As soon, 
wever, as the city of Bourdeaux, which had suffered 
dreadfully from the revolution, and éspecially from: the 
measures of Bonaparte against commerce, and in which 
FRANCE . 
issued by the mayor; deputies were sent to Louis XVIII, History, 
and the British were im 
protect it against the forces of 
ton accordingly gave directions for 
march thither; and the Duke of 
been for some time with him, though not acknowledged 
or received publicly, hastened to shew himself to the 
citizens of Bourdeaux.’ The reception both of the Bri- 
tish and of the Duke was most flattering, not only in the 
town, but in the country throagh which 
In order to bring the affairs of this part of France to 
a conclusion, we shall proceed with our narrative of 
them, premising that about this time Bonaparte had 
been forced to abandon the government of France, 
and Louis XVIII: had been owledged king. In- 
telligence of these events had been immediately trans- 
mitted to Lord Wellington and Soult, but it unfortu. 
nately did not arrive in sufficient time to prevent anos 
ther battle, Soult had taken up a strong position neat 
Toulouse ; on the 8th of April, part of Lord Welling- 
ton’s army moved across the Garonne; between this 
river and the canal of were the fortified 
heights, that formed the chief strength of the French 
position: his Lordship resolved at once to storm these 
in front, and to turn the right of the enemy, while a 
lete du pont, which they formed on the onal protect 
their left, should be threatened. The 9th ‘of) April 
was spent in preparing for these attacks ; and on the 
10th they were orniéd into execution. ‘They were in 
all points so well planned, and so admirably executed, 
that at the close of the day, the French were ‘com+ 
* 
of his army to 
ro Soles hdl 
‘ 
pletely hemmed in, the allies having established them- Battle of 
selves on three sides of Toulouse, and the road to Car- Toulouse. 
cassone being the only one left open. In the night of 
the 11th, Soult drew off his troops by this road; and 
Lord Wellington entered ‘Toulouse in triumph the fol- 
lowing morning. The close of the campaign in the 
south of France was marked by one unfortunate event : 
Before Bayonne, which Sir John H invested, the 
French had a fortified camp, from which made 
a sortie at three o'clock of the morning of the 13th of 
April, The nee of the British army were driven 
in, and Sir John Hope, in his gallant attempts’ to su 
ort them, came: une ly on part of the French: 
his horse, which was shot dead, fell upon him ; and in 
. this situation he was made prisoner. , 
Although the allies in the north and east of France 
had at different times, since the commencement of the 
campaign, reached within a short distance of Paris, yet 
they had always been obliged to fall back, in consequence 
partly of a want of concert, and partly of the wonderful 
rapidity of Bonaparte’s movements, who, with a force de- 
cidedly inferior, contrived to pass from one point to ano- 
ther, so quickly and unexpectedly, as sometimes to de- 
feat, and almost always to retard the plans of the allies, 
As soon; however, as Austria began to act ina more de- 
cided manner, he was rendered sensible that his fate 
could not be much longer protracted, unless he had re- 
course’ to some desperate expedient, and that expe- 
dient completely succeeded. On the 23d of March, 
the army of Prince Schwartzenberg directed its route to 
Vitry, which was in possession of the Prussians. 
“ naparté also marched on the same place, for the’ pur- 
pose’ of uniting with Ney and Macdonald, who were 
there were many merchants descended from British 
families, learned that Lord Wellington had’ entered 
France, that Soult was entirely defeated, and that his 
retreat was towards Toulouse, it determined to declare 
for the Bourbons. A proclamation to this effect was 
advancing from St Dizier; but the’ Austrians having Bonspate 
reached the place before the French, he threw himself’ .¢ into the 
into their rear; while he formed a communication with rear of the 
the army of Blucher. Perhaps at the time Bonaparte Allies. 
found himself obliged to adopt this measure; perhaps 
Bourdeaux 
declares for 
the Bour- 
bons. 
