100 - LON 
retaining poffelEon of the capital and other towns in the 
interior of Spain ; the northern provinces, together with 
Navarre and Catalonia; and to complete the conqueft of 
all that iay on the eaft fide of the Ebro, by reducing the 
fortified cities of Saragofi'a and Gerona ; were the objefls 
that Teemed to bound the views of the French in Spain 
during the firft part of the year 1809. 
But^ while holiilities were carried on with alternate 
fuccefs in Afiurias and Bifcay, and feveral important- 
places were taken and retaken by the joint exertions of 
the Spanilh patriots, fupported by Englilh (hips of war, a 
line of which extended from Cape Finifterre to the Ga¬ 
ronne, the French were, at the clofe of June, obliged to 
evacuate both Ferro! and Corunna. St. Jago de Compof- 
teila, the capital of Galicia, fell into tire hands of the 
patriots. Vigo too, garrifoned by 14.00 French, fill-ren¬ 
dered to the Galicians, fuppoi'ted by two Englilh frigates. 
The French were afterwards driven from the towns of 
Tuy and Viana. 
Three armies were formed for afling, it would feem, in 
concert (rather in conjuniftion) with each ether, againft 
the French, and even advancing on Madrid. One of 
thefe armies was commanded by general Cuefta, another 
by general Venegas, and the third, which was the auxi¬ 
liary Britith army, by fir Arthur Wellelley. Cuefta had 
under his immediate orders about 38,000 men, of which 
22,000 were cavalry; the right wing, commanded by Ve¬ 
negas, was 26,000 ftrong; and the left, under fir Arthur 
Wellelley, 30,000, 
On the fide of Portugal, general Beresford, with the 
rank and title of field-marlhal, was appointed generalif- 
fimo, and was employed with great aiftivity and fuccefs in 
organizing and difeiplining a Portuguefe army. Chaves, 
a frontier town of Portugal, in the province of Tra-los- 
montes, a moft important military fiation, and garrifoned, 
it was faid, by upwards of 10,000 French, was befieged 
by a numerous force of Spanilh patriots, under the com¬ 
mand of general Silviera : the citadel of Chaves furren- 
dered by capitulation on the 25th of March. 
On the other hand, a complete viiftory was gained, on 
the 28th of March, by marlhal Viffor over general Cuefta. 
Viiftor, with about 20,000 infantry and 3000 cavalry, was 
drawn up in front of Medellin, a town, on the Guadiana, 
in the province of Eftramadura. The flanks of his in¬ 
fantry were covered by the cavalry ; and in their front 
were raifed fix batteries. Cuelta advanced with great 
lleadinefs and gallantry, notwithftanding the tremendous 
fire from the batteries in front of the enemy. The left 
wing of the Spanilh infantry advanced within piftol-lhot 
of the French. The firft battery was already taken. The 
French cavalry made a charge, in order to regain poffef- 
lion of it. Two regiments of Spanilh cavalry and two 
fquadrons of chafleurs were ordered to oppofe them; but, 
inftead of executing this order, the whole, both cavalry 
and chafleurs, immediately wheeled round, fled before the 
enemy, and threw the left wing of the Spanilh army into 
confufion. General Cuefta did every thing in his power 
for the reftoration of order in his left wing, and to check 
and repel the attack on his centre and right. His efforts 
were in vain: he was obliged to retreat. The French, 
under Victor, immediately entered Merida, where, and be¬ 
tween which place and Badajoz, they remained for a con- 
fiderable time ftationary ; after which they marched from 
the Guadiana to the Tagus; and, having forced the bridge 
of Alcantara, proceeded down the river with their face to¬ 
wards Abrantes and Lilbon. 
Sir Arthur Wellelley, who had arrived at Lilbon on the 
aid of April, proceeded on the 28th to join and take the 
command of the army, whole head-quarters were at Co¬ 
imbra, and advanced againft Oporto. At the lame time, 
marlhal Beresford, at the head of a body of Portuguefe, 
marched to the Upper Douro. Soult, who commanded 
there, knowing how unequal he was to its defence againft 
an Englilh army of fuperior force, the forces under ge¬ 
neral Beresford, and the lpirit of the country, determined 
D O N. 
to evacuate Oporto, and proceed through Leon to join 
the other French corps in Galicia, according to the ge¬ 
neral fyftem of concentration adopted after the certain 
and immediate profpeft of an Auftrian war, as already 
ftated. The marlhal, that he might effect his retreat with 
the leaft danger of being overtaken by the Englilh, adopt¬ 
ed a curious llratagem, which was found not to he alto¬ 
gether unfuccefsful. .While he talked loudly of defend¬ 
ing Oporto to the Iaft extremity, he fent out one detach¬ 
ment of his army after another, on pretence of exerciling. 
The commanding officers of thefe alone were entrufted 
with the fecret orders, to fend back a few companies, by 
way of a blind, but to march the main body, with all pof- 
lible expedition,in an oppofite direction. Thus the rnar- 
Ihal Hole away front Oporto. On the night of May nth, 
his rear guard crofted the Douro, deftroyed the bridge, and 
were clolely purfued by our army, which alio crofted the 
Douro, notwithftanding all the endeavours of the French 
to oppofe if, at the ferry of Ovintas. About four or five 
miles above the towns of Oporto and Villa Nova, out- 
troops, after fuftaining repeated attacks, made their ap¬ 
pearance on both the left and right flanks of the French, 
who then retired, as the difpatch to our government ftates, 
in the uttnoft confufion towards Amaranthe, leaving be¬ 
hind them five pieces of cannon, eight tumbrils of am¬ 
munition, and many prifoners. They were purfued by 
the Britilh to a Ihort diftance, and fome Ikirmilhing took 
place between our advanced guard and the rear of the 
enemy, in which it was ftated we had uniformly the ad¬ 
vantage ; Soult, however, made good his retreat, it would 
appear, with very little moleftation, though it was faid, 
that, in order to render his flight more rapid and fuccefs- 
ful, he was under the neceffity of abandoning the greater 
part of his artillery and baggage. He was purfued by ge¬ 
neral Beresford as far as Orenie. When fir Arthur Wel- 
lefley’s letter to lord Caftlereagh, giving an account of 
thefe and other particulars relpefting the evacuation of 
Oporto, and what had been done by our army, arrived, 
his lordfliip ordered the Park and Tower guns to be fired. 
Sir A. Wellelley, after he gave up the purfuit of Soult, 
immediately commenced his march to the fouth of Por¬ 
tugal, where his prefence had become neceftary to watch 
the motions of Viiftor. 
Mar dial Ney, having evacuated Corunna, at firft took the 
road towards Vigo. Thither alfo a body of Spaniards, un¬ 
der the condede Norona, were on their way, with the two¬ 
fold view of obtaining fupplies, of which they flood great¬ 
ly in need, and occupying an advantageous defenfive po- 
fition. On the 7th of June the oppoftte armies met at 
the bridge of St. Payo, on the fmall river of Soto-major, 
within three leagues of Vigo. The Spaniards were 9000 
in number, whereof 6000 only were armed ; and they had 
fome fmall field-artillery, with two 18-pounders. The 
number of the French was 8000, of which 2500 was ca¬ 
valry; for artillery, they had only five 12-pounders. Af¬ 
ter repeated attacks on the Spaniards, on both the 7th 
and the 8th, the French retreated to St. Payo, from 
whence alfo they were driven back farther, throwing their 
dead bodies in great heaps into pits and wells.—The 
Spaniards, in thele atftions with the French, were very ma¬ 
terially affifted by four gun-boats, fent up the river by 
the Britifti commodore at Vigo. The lofs of the Spa¬ 
niards, in the encounters at the bridge of St. Payo, did 
not exceed no in killed and wounded. 
In the north-eaft of Spain, after the fall of Saragoffa, a 
Spanilh army under the command of general Reding, em¬ 
ployed chiefly in attempts to raife the fiege or ell'e to 
throw fuccours into Gerona, was expofed to the whole 
force of the enemy. Two conflicts were fuftained by the 
Spaniards with great valour. The ftrength and the refo- 
lution of the oppofite armies feemed to be nearly balanced ; 
but the French received a reinforcement of 8000 men, 
which turned the fcale in their favour. Thus encouraged, 
they made a third attack, when the patriots were com¬ 
pletely routed 3 and general Reding, who had received 
