It is impossible to give effective aid to a colleague whose condition and whose whereabouts are unknown. [203] Compare _Instructions de l’Empereur_ of Jan. 17, with Berthier to Soult of Jan. 21. [204] ‘Il faut croire,’ says St. Chamans, Soult’s senior aide-de-camp, ‘que Napoléon, au moment où il ordonna une pareille opération, était possédé d’un esprit de vertige. Comment pouvait-il risquer, au milieu d’un royaume insurgé, un si faible corps d’armée, sans communication avec ses autres troupes d’Espagne?’ [_Mémoires_, p. 117]. ‘Tout était en erreur,’ says Le Noble, another 2nd Corps writer, ‘dans le projet de soumettre le Portugal en 1809 avec une armée si faible et dépourvue de moyens. L’Empereur a montré une confiance aveugle’ (p. 65). On January 29 the Duke of Dalmatia set to work to reorganize his army for the great expedition that had been assigned to him. It was impossible to march at once, as the Emperor had commanded, because Ney had not yet arrived at the front, and it was necessary to turn over the charge of Corunna and Ferrol to him before departing further south. Moreover, there were many other arrangements to be made: a base hospital had to be organized at Corunna for the thousands of sick and wounded belonging to the 2nd Corps. Its transport had to be reconstructed, for most of the animals had died during the forced marches in pursuit of Moore[205]. A new stock of munitions had to be served out from the stores so fortunately captured at Ferrol. The military chest of the corps had been left behind at Astorga, and showed no signs of appearing: to provide for the more urgent day-by-day needs of the army, the Marshal had to squeeze forced contributions out of the already exhausted towns of Corunna, Ferrol, and Santiago, which had long ago contributed all their surplus resources to the fitting out of Blake’s army of Galicia. These same unhappy places had to submit to a heavy requisition of cloth and leather, for the replacing of the garments and boots worn out in the late marches. But even with the aid of 2,500 English greatcoats discovered in store at Corunna, and other finds at Ferrol, the wants of the army could not be properly supplied; it started on the campaign in a very imperfectly equipped condition[206]. The most dangerous point in its outfit was the want of mules: most of the valleys of inner Galicia and northern Portugal are destitute of carriage roads. To bring up the food and the reserve ammunition pack-animals were absolutely necessary, and Soult could only collect a few hundreds. Even if his men should succeed in living on the country, and so solve the problem of carrying provisions, they could not hope to pick up powder and lead in the same way. When, therefore, the heavy baggage on wheels had to be left behind, the 2nd Corps was only able to carry a very insufficient stock of cartridges: twice, as we shall see, it almost exhausted its ammunition and was nearly