A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 4, Dec. 1810-Dec. 1811 : $b Massena's retreat, Fuentes de Oñoro, Albuera, TarragonaOman, Charles
History
A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 4, Dec. 1810-Dec. 1811 : $b Massena's retreat, Fuentes de Oñoro, Albuera, Tarragona
Oman, Charles
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
The loss of the British on this occasion, all in the 13th Light
Dragoons[329], was 10 killed, 3 officers and 24 men wounded, and 22
prisoners; among the Portuguese 1st and 7th cavalry an officer and 13
men killed, 40 wounded, and 55 prisoners--a total of over 150. The
French suffered more--the 26th Dragoons alone had 8 officers[330] and
over 100 men killed, wounded, and taken, the train and artillery had
been dreadfully cut up at the capture of the convoy, and the infantry
had lost 3 officers and many men by the fire of Cleeves’s guns. The
total casualties were over 200[331]. But the moral effect of a combat
is not judged by a mere comparison of losses, and the British officers
were much disappointed. Beresford and his friends held that Long had
by mismanagement wasted 150 precious cavalrymen--Long declared that
if Beresford had not taken the command out of his hands he would have
captured the whole French column. This last claim was absolutely
unreasonable: it is far more likely that he would merely have caused
severe loss to the two heavy dragoon regiments by persisting. The
Marshal and the General were on bad terms from this moment onward, and
the former took the next opportunity given him to remove the latter
from the chief command of the allied cavalry. The most curious comment
on the combat of Campo Mayor is Napier’s statement that ‘the 13th Light
Dragoons were severely reprimanded for pursuing so eagerly. But the
unsparing admiration of the whole army consoled them!’ Pursuing eagerly
is a mild expression for riding seven miles off the battlefield, and
on to the glacis of a hostile fortress. Wellington’s comment was that
‘the undisciplined ardour of the 13th Dragoons and the 7th regiment of
Portuguese cavalry is not of the description of the determined bravery
of soldiers confident in their discipline and their officers. Their
conduct was that of a rabble galloping as fast as their horses could
carry them, after an enemy to whom they could do no further mischief
when they were broken: the pursuit was continued for an unlimited
distance, and sacrificed substantial advantages, and all the objects
of the operation, by want of discipline[332].’ A similar reproof was
published in a General Order, to be read to the cavalry.
[329] Except three wounded in the 3rd Dragoon Guards in
skirmishes with the hussars of the French rearguard.
[330] One killed, six wounded, one prisoner. For names see
Martinien’s lists and supplement thereto.
[331] Belmas says 175, but this is too low.
[332] Wellington to Beresford, from Celorico, March 28
(_Dispatches_, vii. 412). By an odd error Wellington wrote the
1st Portuguese, but it was the 7th which joined in the hunt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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