History of the Peninsular War, Volume 2 (of 6)Southey, Robert
History
History of the Peninsular War, Volume 2 (of 6)
Southey, Robert
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
♦THEY SAIL FOR GOTTENBURG, AND THERE EMBARK FOR SPAIN. AUG. 18.♦
On the sixth day after their landing Admiral Saumarez arrived,
and in three days more, every thing being ready, the troops were
re-embarked. The arms and horses which they had taken from the Danes
were left in the batteries. Before they departed a flag of truce was
sent to Copenhagen, requiring, on the part of their Commander, that
the regiments which were detained should be allowed to depart. The
vessels from Aarhuus, being manned by Danes, were supplied by the
British Admiral with stores for eight days, and released. Those from
Nyborg were manned from the fleet, and an offer was made to send them
back from Gottenburg with the crews of two Danish vessels which had
been captured, provided the Danes would release an equal number of
British prisoners in exchange. But these measures were not met with
a corresponding temper by the Danish Government, and the convoy was
fired at as it passed the battery of Slipshavn. They reached Gottenburg
in safety; and the Spaniards there received the first intelligence of
the successes which their countrymen had obtained. They were landed,
for the sake of health and comfort, upon the islands in the harbour;
transports from England arrived in a few days, and this little army
then sailed for their own country, full of ardour, ... to lay down
their lives in its defence.
♦1808. SEPTEMBER.♦
♦ROMANA LANDS IN ENGLAND.♦
While the convoy proceeded on its voyage to Coruña, Romana landed in
England, for the purpose of consulting with the British Government. It
was there determined that his force should be disembarked at Santander,
to be incorporated with the Galician army; and to avoid all immediate
difficulty concerning its support, the existing armies in the present
disorganized state of Spain being raised and subsisted by their
respective provinces. Great Britain undertook to pay and feed it for
two months, by which time it was supposed the Central Junta would be
ready to perform this part of its duties. These were troops on whose
discipline and courage entire reliance might be placed; and Romana’s
intention was to triple the infantry, by forming upon each battalion a
regiment of three. And as it was designed that a British army should
advance to bear its part in the first brunt of the great contest, the
intention was, that, if possible, it should act with Romana on the
left flank, and Castaños on its right. With both these officers it
was justly thought the service might proceed in the true spirit of
confidence and good will; the reputation of both stood deservedly high,
and their disposition was even of more importance, when operations were
to be carried on by concert between the generals, not by a paramount
and controlling command. For, ♦ERROR OF THE SPANIARDS IN NOT APPOINTING
A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.♦ by a strange error, the Spanish Government
had resolved to make the commands independent of each other. This
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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