and who had never served in the field except as a subaltern, now reappeared on the stage as Commanding Officer of Artillery; and an equally old officer, precisely on an equality with the last described, with respect to experience and service, came forth from an office in London as Commanding Engineer. The Horse Guards also sent forth one of its chiefs, aged and deprived of activity and energy by long official employment, to perform the duties of Quartermaster-General. The Admiral in command of the fleet was also old, and far more distinguished for courage than talent, and for rough temper than consideration. Such was the experience and energy brought together to command a force destined to invade the French territory and contend with the most active and intelligent troops the world ever saw." This was the verdict pronounced on the leaders of the Walcheren expedition by a man who, from his position on the staff of the force and from his general experience, was well capable of forming a correct judgment, and who wrote these lines many years afterwards, when the keen sense of bitterness and disappointment at the ill-success of the attempt had had time to be softened. CHAPTER XI. THE PENINSULAR WAR.-1809-1812. Passage of the Douro-Battle of Talavera-The Lines of Torres VedrasRetreat of the British Army-Advance of Massena-Battle of BusacoThe Lines occupied by Wellington's Army-Jones's Reports-Burgoyne's Journal--Division of the Lines into Districts-Destruction of Fort Concepcion-Blockade of Cadiz Death of Captain Lefebure - Battle of Barrossa-Pitts's Journal-Defence of Tarifa-Siege of Ciudad RodrigoIts Capture-Remarks on the Siege by Captain Burgoyne. WHEN Sir John Moore marched from Portugal into Spain with the main portion of the army that had been assembled at Lisbon, he left Lieutenant-General Craddock to hold that city with a small British garrison. Included in this force were the following Engineers-Second Captain P. Patton, Lieutenants F. Stanway and J. A. Williams. The shattered army from Corunna and Vigo arrived in England in the middle of January, 1809, and steps were at once taken to complete and reorganize the regiments, with a view to their prompt. return to Lisbon. This was soon done, and in the month of March they were despatched to their destination. The following Engineers sailed with them :-Lieutenant-Colonel R. Fletcher, Second Captain J. F. Burgoyne, Lieutenants G. Hamilton, C. Boothby, and E. Mulcaster. A fresh division was also sent under Major-General Sherbrooke, with whom went Captains S. R. Chapman and H. Goldfinch, Lieutenant Rice Jones, and Second Lieutenants A. Emmett, A. Thomson, and E. Fyers. Lieutenants W. Forster and R. Z. Mudge also joined in Portugal about this time. Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed to the supreme command of the army, which now numbered some 20,000 men. He arrived at Lisbon on April 22nd, and was named Marshal-General of the Portuguese troops, which had been placed under the immediate orders of General Beresford. From this point commenced that glorious series of campaigns which ended in the complete expulsion of the French from the Peninsula. It is not intended in the following chapters to give a connected sketch of the military operations of the war. Certain events during its course brought the Royal Engineers and their services into prominence; these will naturally be dwelt upon. Beyond this, where accounts of other military operations have emanated from the pens of Engineers, they being eye-witnesses of what they describe, it has been thought well to include such narratives. Thus we have the following account of the passage of the Douro, given by Captain Burgoyne : "May 10th, 1809. The army advance at 7 a.m., and near Villa Nova turn to the right and come by a road down to the Douro, where a few boats come over to them and take over Lieutenant-General Paget and three companies of the Buffs, who get up a high rock of two hundred or three hundred feet by a road, and occupy a large unfinished house called Seminario do Bispo, just above the road and out of the town without resistance; here they were attacked but maintained their post, and General Paget, while encouraging them to advance, was wounded in the arm, which was afterwards amputated. In the meantime, General Hill's brigade were coming over, and the French were gradually forced back through fields with stone walls, and our people occupied more ground, till after about two hours, just as General Stewart had got part of his troops over, the French retired hastily by the road leading to Amarante. On the first alarm, the sentries on the quay where the floating bridge had stood, which they blew up during the last night, retired, and boats coming over the Guards began to pass in that part. General Murray went up the river to A Vintes and crossed it there with a squadron of dragoons, two guns, and one battalion, and coming across the road by which the French retired, had some skirmishing with them; the dragoons charged right into their infantry, took a great many prisoners, and lost between thirty and forty out of eighty-five men. Hamilton" (R.E.) "had been sent to place some riflemen, and on his return met the dragoons charging down a lane; finding, if he persevered, he must be run over, he thought it better to turn round and charge with them, and got shot through both thighs. I had been sent to collect boats at A Vintes and Arnelas, which having done I was returning, when I heard the firing, and got over the water just after General Hill's brigade had landed. Three guns were taken in retiring, most of the horses being wounded. The French lost a great many men yesterday and to-day, and a great number of prisoners were made; all their sick, &c., left behind." Captain Burgoyne was not at the battle of Talavera, having been sent on a reconnoitring expedition, and only rejoining four days after that event; but in his journal he thus describes it :"Went on to Talavera de la Reina, a town on the Tagus, over which is a bridge; find poor Boothby (R. E.) had lost his leg at the battle, but is in a fair way for recovery. * The extent "August 2nd, 1809." of the line taken up was about two miles; the right was on Talavera, Lieutenant Boothby, after recovery, retired from the Corps, and afterwards took Holy Orders. S which town is immediately on the Tagus, and the left on the steep heights of Madellin; beyond these heights is a valley of about half a mile wide, which separates them from a ridge of rugged mountains which runs nearly parallel to the river Tagus. In front of the heights of Madellin is a gully through which passes in winter a small stream from the mountains, and beyond it the ground is elevated and plain, but considerably lower than the heights. Between Talavera and the heights the ground is low and flat, with a very small rising ground about midway between and rather advanced, on which a redoubt was begun. The British took the left of the line, having their right on the little rising ground; the Spaniards extended from thence to Talavera and the river. The heights and ground in front of them are entirely open, as well as that part of the flat on which the troops were drawn up, but in front and rear of them at a short distance were vineyards and wood, not very thick. General Mackenzie's division of 3,000 or 4,000 men were in advance on the river Alberche, where the enemy came down on July 27th, and taking them by surprise drove them in; they retired quickly, but in good order. In the evening the French army were close in front of our troops, and during the night they made attempts to gain the heights of Madellin, in the first of which they had absolutely got on the summit before it was discovered they were the enemy; they maintained, however, but a momentary possession of them, being driven back by the 29th Regiment with the bayonet. On the 28th, the first attempts of the enemy were directed to gain the heights by determined attacks in column from the valley, in all of which they were repulsed; they then made a general furious attack along the whole British line, which was likewise repelled. At close of day the action ceased, and on the morning of the 29th it was found they had retired beyond the Alberche to their original position, leaving twenty guns in the wood. The Spaniards were scarcely engaged at all, except a few immediately adjoining our right, and most of these behaved so ill that General Cuesta had seventeen executed by lot." "April 3rd, 1810. Captains Squire and Holloway, and Lieutenants Meineke,* Dickenson, Trench, Piper, Tapp, Reid, and Hulme, of the Engineers, arrived at Lisbon on the 28th ult. Lefebure, of the Engineers, with the rank of Majór, and Bird, Nicholas, Wells, &c., are gone to Cadiz." THE LINES OF TORRES VEDRAS. The design and construction of these celebrated lines were so entirely the work of the Royal Engineers, that it is proposed here to give a brief description of them. The original idea of creating a defensive position at this point was due to Lord Wellington himself. The results which sprang from the battle of Talavera had shown him but too plainly that *King's Hanoverian Legion. that in slender leed, at were in able to > defengal was eration. ed, that ence of solutely I opera ken into 'e was a artially The fort of con- line of point of ed as it on the a large f which › on the termiit was enclosed nuch to iderable |