The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, K. G. During His Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France: Peninsula, 1809-1813J. Murray, 1834 - Great Britain |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abrantes Almaraz Almeida Areyzaga arrived ARTHUR WELLESLEY artillery Arzobispo assistance attack August Badajoz Believe Berkeley bridge brigade British army Cadiz Captain cavalry Ciudad Rodrigo Colonel Commander in Chief Commissary copy corps Craufurd cross the Tagus Cuesta DEAR SIR defence Deleytosa desirable dispatch Duque de Alburquerque Duque del Parque Earl of Liverpool Eguia Elvas embarkation enemy enemy's England Estremadura expense forage French Frere frontier give head quarters honor of receiving honor to enclose horses infantry instant Jaraicejo Junta Lieut Lisbon LORD Lordship Majesty's Mancha Marshal Beresford means ment Murray numbers obliged officers Old Castille operations opinion Plasencia Portugal Portuguese army Portuguese Government Portuguese troops position probable provisions received your letter regiment respecting Secretary sent Seville Sherbrooke soldiers Soult Spain Spaniards Spanish army Spanish Government Spanish troops supply Tagus Talavera transports Truxillo Vanegas Vice Admiral Viscount Castlereagh Viscount Wellington Viseu
Popular passages
Page 283 - I had the honour to lend you the other night at play; and which I shall be much obliged to you if you will let me have some time either to-day or to-morrow. I am sir, Your most obedient, most humble servant, GEORGE TRENT.
Page 309 - Lestrade, and I shall be very much obliged to you if you will let me hear of any fresh, developments of so singular a chain of events.
Page 67 - ARTHUR WELLESLEY. Lieut. General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, KB, to the Right Hon. JH Frere. ' SIR, ' Talavera de la Reyna, 31st July, 1809. ' I have the honor to enclose the copy of a letter which I have received from Don Martin de Garay, upon which I request of you to convey to him the following observations.
Page 85 - Nothing can be worse than the officers of the Spanish army ; and it is extraordinary that when a nation has devoted itself to war, as this nation has by the measures it has adopted in the last two years, so little progress has been made in any one branch of the military profession by any individual.' . . . . ' I cannot say that they do anything as it ought to be done, with the exception of running away and assembling again in a state of nature.
Page 413 - I will neither endeavor to shift from my own shoulders on those of the Ministers the responsibility for the failure, by calling for means which I know they cannot give, and which, perhaps, would not add materially to the facility of attaining our object ; nor...
Page 85 - Talavera, (not 100 yards from the place where I was standing,) who were neither attacked, nor threatened with an attack, and who were frightened only by the noise of their own fire...
Page 299 - English newspapers, describing the position, the numbers, the objects, and the means of attaining them, possessed by the armies in Spain and Portugal. In some instances the English newspapers have accurately stated, not only the regiments occupying a position, but the number of men fit for duty of which each regiment was composed ; and this intelligence must have reached the enemy at the same time it did me, at a moment at which it was most important that he should not receive it.
Page 251 - The forage given to the horses was picked up for them by their riders, wherever they could find it, and was generally wheat or rye, which are considered unwholesome food ; and the consequence was, that, exclusive of the loss by engaging with the enemy, the army lost in the short period of five weeks not less than 1500 horses.
Page 483 - I have to request that you will be so kind as to give over to the prize agents all the black pepper at present in the garrison stores.
Page 15 - But a starving army is actually worse than none. The soldiers lose their discipline and their spirit. They plunder even in the presence of their officers. The officers are discontented, and are almost as bad as the men ; and with the army which a fortnight ago beat double their numbers, I should now hesitate to meet a French corps of half their strength.