Tondella, now Tondela, Truxillo, now Trujillo, Vierzo, now El Bierzo, Villaharta, now Villarta de San Juan, Vincente, now Vicente, Vittoria, now Vitoria, Xeres, now Jerez, * Chapter headers and Table of contents have been made consistent. * Footnotes have been renumbered into a single series. Each footnote is placed at the end of the paragraph that includes its anchor. * In p. 49, the anchor placement for footnote 52 is conjectured; no anchor was found in the printed original. * In pp. 202, 398 and 428, paragraphs have been broken at “(1)” for a more natural presentation and an easier reading. [Illustration:_Duke of Wellington_ _From a portrait in the Hope Collection_ (_1813_)] A HISTORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR BY CHARLES OMAN, M.A. FELLOW OF ALL SOULS COLLEGE AND CHICHELE PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD FELLOW OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY AND CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE REAL ACADEMIA DE LA HISTORIA OF MADRID VOL. III SEPT. 1809-DEC. 1810 OCAÑA CADIZ BUSSACO TORRES VEDRAS WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1908 HENRY FROWDE, M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH NEW YORK AND TORONTO PREFACE This, the third volume of the History of the Peninsular War, covers a longer period than either of its predecessors, extending over the sixteen months from Wellington’s arrival at Badajoz on his retreat from Talavera (Sept. 3, 1809) to the deadlock in front of Santarem (Dec. 1810), which marked the end of Masséna’s offensive campaign in Portugal. It thus embraces the central crisis of the whole war, the arrival of the French in front of the Lines of Torres Vedras and their first short retreat, after they had realized the impossibility of forcing that impregnable barrier to their advance. The retreat that began at Sobral on the night of Nov. 14, 1810, was to end at Toulouse on April 11, 1814. The armies of the Emperor were never able to repeat the experiment of 1810, and to assume a general and vigorous offensive against Wellington and Portugal. In 1811 they were on the defensive, despite of certain local and partial attempts to recover their lost initiative. In 1812 they had to abandon half Spain--Andalusia, Estremadura, Asturias, La Mancha, and much more,--despite of Wellington’s temporary check before Burgos. In 1813 they were swept across the Pyrenees and the Bidassoa; in 1814 they were fighting a losing game in their own land. Rightly then may Masséna’s retreat to Santarem be called the beginning of the end--though it was not for a full year more that Wellington’s final offensive commenced, with the investment of Ciudad Rodrigo on Jan. 8, 1812.