A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 3, Sep. 1809-Dec. 1810 : $b Ocaña, Cadiz, Bussaco, Torres VedrasOman, Charles
History
A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 3, Sep. 1809-Dec. 1810 : $b Ocaña, Cadiz, Bussaco, Torres Vedras
Oman, Charles
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
This shows a loss of over 13,000 men; but on examination the deficit
is seen to be even larger, for two new battalions from France had
just joined Verdier’s division in December, and their 1,000 bayonets
should be deducted from his total. It would seem, then, that the
capture of Gerona cost the 7th Corps about 14,000 men, as well as
a whole campaigning season, from April to December. The attack on
Catalonia had been brought to a complete standstill, and when Gerona
fell the French occupied nothing but the ruined city, the fortresses
of Rosas and Figueras hard by the frontier, and the isolated
Barcelona, where Duhesme, with the 6,000 men of his division, had
been lying quiescent all the summer and autumn. Such a force was too
weak to make detachments to aid St. Cyr or Augereau, since 4,000 men
at least were needed for the garrison of the citadel and the outlying
forts, and it would have been hopeless for the small remainder to
take the field. Duhesme only conducted one short incursion to
Villafranca during the siege of Gerona. In the last months of the
year Barcelona was again in a state of partial starvation: the food
brought in by Cosmao’s convoy in the spring had been exhausted, while
a second provision-fleet from Toulon, escorted by five men-of-war,
had been completely destroyed in October. Admiral Martin surprised it
off Cape Creus, drove ashore and burnt two line-of-battle ships and
a frigate, and captured most of the convoy. The rest took refuge in
the harbour of Rosas, where Captain Halliwell attacked them with the
boats of the squadron and burnt them all[63].
[63] For details, see James’s _Naval History_, v. pp. 142-5.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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