MASTER-GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE IN IRELAND. 285 
more need of a “war of diversion” and never was there a better oppor- 
tunity for it. The road to Madrid from Alcantara lay open to the 
Portuguese army who outnumbered four to one the force under the 
Duke of Berwick—Philip the Fifth’s best General. Madrid could not 
offer any prolonged resistance. The capital, once gained, might be 
held until Barcelona was relieved by the expected English fleet, when 
Peterborough’s army could bring Charles III. in triumph to his 
capital. So eager were Galway and the English officers to march on 
Madrid that the former agreed to the Portuguese troops taking the 
right on all occasions in Spain which before had only been acceded to 
them when in their own country. This important concession, for which 
Galway was afterwards blamed by the House of Lords, induced the 
Portuguese Generals to march into Spain. On arriving at Almaraz, 
half way between the frontier and Toledo, these half-hearted allies 
determined to proceed no further eastward until more reassuring news 
was received from Barcelona. The invading army turned northward 
and laid siege to Ciudad Rodrigo, capturing two Spanish towns on 
the march thither. It is recorded by Boyer that “these two towns 
declared for King Charles because communication with their ice houses 
was cut off!”? When the allies arrived before Ciudad Rodrigo 
Montandre was commanded, with five battalions and some cavalry, to 
possess himself of the mountain pass called Robredillo and so prevent 
a relieving force being thrown into the invested town which capitulated 
in seven days. The very day that this happened news arrived that 
Barcelona was relieved. Once more did Galway press the necessity of 
the march upon Madrid and, on 38rd June, the allies began their 
march to the capital which they reached on June 29th, a few days 
after Philip, titular King of Spain, had fled from it. The allies wasted 
a whole month at Madrid in inaction. Well might Lord Peterborough 
say that this halt was as fatal as Hannibal at Capua. 
The Marquis de Montandre was despatched by Lord Galway from 
Spain to give a relation to Queen Anne of the affairs that had taken 
place in that country. While in England he wrote a memorial to the 
Lord High Treasurer of England to the effect that, as he had a Major- 
General’s command in Portugal, he begged to be promoted to that 
rank in the British army. In this memorial he thanks for the promise 
that had been made him of the Colonelcy of the first English regiment 
that might become vacant. As a reward for his eminent services in 
Portugal and Spain he was promoted Major-General, his commission 
being ante-dated to June Ist, 1706. In November of this year 
Montandre left London for Spain to rejoin Lord Galway. He received 
a handsome present from Queen Anne and was instructed to urge upon 
Lord Galway to continue in his high command in Spain. 
On 8th November Viscount Dungannon, Colonel of an English 
regiment, died at Alicante, and on the news reaching London the 
Marquis de Montandre was given the vacant regiment, his commission 
as Colonel being dated 23rd November, 1706. 
Captain Carleton in his graphic ‘memoirs, says:—“The Marquis 
de Montandre lost the regiment before he had possession, 
