History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 5 — John Shaqi
History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 5Napier, William Francis Patrick
History
History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 5
Napier, William Francis Patrick
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
* * * * *
Since writing the above a second article has appeared in the same
review, to which the only reply necessary, is the giving of more
proofs, that the passages of my history, contradicted by the
reviewer, are strictly accurate. And to begin, it is necessary to
inform him, that a man may be perfectly disciplined and a superb
soldier, and yet be a raw soldier as to real service; and further,
that staff officers may have been a long time in the English service,
and yet be quite inexperienced. Even a quarter-master-general of
an army has been known to commit all kinds of errors, and discover
negligence and ignorance of his duty, in his first campaigns, who
yet by dint of long practice became a very good officer in his line,
though perhaps not so great a general as he would pass himself off
for; for it was no ill saying of a Scotchman, that “some men, if
bought at the world’s price, might be profitably sold at their own.”
Now requesting the reader to observe that in the following quotations
the impugned passages of my history are first given, and are followed
by the authority, though not all the authority which might be adduced
in support of each fact, I shall proceed to expose the reviewer’s
fallacies.
1º. History. “_Napoleon, accompanied by the dukes of Dalmatia and
Montebello, quitted Bayonne the morning of the 8th, and reached
Vittoria in the evening._”
The reviewer contradicts this on the authority of Savary’s Memoirs,
quoting twice the pages and volume, namely vol. iv. pages 12, 40, and
41. Now Savary is a writer so careless about dates, and small facts,
as to have made errors of a month as to time in affairs which he
conducted himself. Thus he says king Joseph abandoned Madrid on the
3d of July 1808, whereas it was on the 3d of August. He also says the
landing of sir Arthur Wellesley in Portugal was made known to him,
before the council of war relative to the evacuation of Madrid was
held at that capital; but the council was held the 29th of July, and
sir Arthur did not land until the 1st of August! Savary is therefore
no authority on such points. But there is no such passage as the
reviewer quotes, in Savary’s work. The reader will look for it in
vain in pages 12, 40, and 41. It is neither in the fourth volume nor
in any other volume. However at page 8 of the second volume, second
part, he will find the following passage. “L’Empereur prit la route
d’Espagne avec toute son armée. Il arriva à Bayonne avec la rapidité
d’un trait, de même que de Bayonne à Vittoria. Il fit ce dernier
trajet à cheval _en deux courses_, de la première il alla à Tolosa
et de la seconde à Vittoria.” The words “deux courses” the reviewer
with his usual candour translates, “_the first day to Tolosa, the
second day to Vittoria_.” But notwithstanding this I repeat, that the
emperor made his journey in one day. My authority is the assurance
of a French officer of the general staff who was present, and if the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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