Massena had now regained his original base of operations, and his retreat may be said to have terminated; but he was far from wishing to re-enter Spain, where he could only appear as a baffled general, and shorn of half his authority; because Bessieres commanded the northern provinces, which, at the commencement of the invasion, had been under himself. Hence, anxious to hold on to Portugal, and that his previous retreat might appear as a mere change of position, he formed the design of throwing all his sick men and other incumbrances into Almeida, and then, passing the Estrella at Guarda, make a countermarch, through Sabugal and Pena Macor, to the Elga; establishing a communication across the Tagus with Soult, and by the valley of the Tagus with the king. [Sidenote: General Pelet’s Notes. See Vol. xxi. Victoires et Conquêtes des Français.] But now the factions in his army had risen to such a height that he could no longer command the obedience of his lieutenants; Montbrun, Junot, Drouet, Reynier, and Ney were all at variance with each other and with him. The first had, in the beginning of the retreat, been requested to secure Coimbra; instead of which he quitted Portugal, carrying with him Claparede’s division; Marcognet’s brigade was then ordered for that operation, but it did not move; finally, Montbrun undertook it, and failed in default of vigour. Junot was disabled by his wound, but his faction did not the less shew their discontent. Reynier’s dislike to the prince was so strong, that the officers carrying flags of truce, from his corps, never failed to speak of it to the British; and Ney, more fierce than all of them, defied his authority. To him the dangerous delay at Pombal, the tardiness of Marcognet’s brigade, and, finally, the too-sudden evacuation of the position at Condeixa, have been attributed: and it is alleged that, far from being ordered to set fire to that town on the 13th, as the signal for a preconcerted retreat, that he had promised Massena to maintain the position for twenty-four hours longer. The personal risk of the latter, in consequence of the hasty change of position, would seem to confirm this; but it is certain that, when Picton was observed passing the Sierra de Anciao by a road before unknown to the French, and by which the second corps could have been separated from the army, and the passes of Miranda de Corvo seized, Ney would have been frantic to have delayed his movement.