History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 6 — John Shaqi
History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 6Napier, 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. 6
Napier, William Francis Patrick
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
In your second publication (page 42) you asserted that colonel
Colborne was not near the scene of action at Campo Mayor; and now in
your third publication (page 48) you show very clearly that he took
an active part in those operations.
You called the distance from Campo Mayor to Merida _two marches_, and
now you say it is _four marches_.
Again, in your first “_Strictures_,” you declared that the extent of
the intrigues against you in Portugal were exaggerated by me; and you
were very indignant that I should have supposed you either needed,
or had the support and protection of the duke of Wellington while
in command of the Portuguese army. In my third and fourth volumes,
published since, I have shown what the extent of those intrigues
was: and I have still something in reserve to add when time shall
be fitting. Meanwhile I will stay your lordship’s appetite by two
extracts bearing upon this subject, and upon the support which you
derived from the duke of Wellington.
1º. Mr. Stuart, writing to lord Wellesley, in 1810, after noticing
the violence of the Souza faction relative to the fall of Almeida,
says,—“I could have borne all this with patience if not accompanied
by a direct proposal that the fleet and transports should quit the
Tagus, and that the regency should send an order to marshal Beresford
to dismiss his quarter-master-general and military secretary;
followed by reflections on the persons composing the family of that
officer, and by hints to the same purport respecting the Portuguese
who are attached to lord Wellington.”
2º. Extract from a letter written at Moimenta de Beira by marshal
Beresford, and dated 6th September, 1810.—“However, as I mentioned,
I have no great desire to hold my situation beyond the period lord
Wellington retains his situation, or after active operations have
ceased in this country, even should things turn out favourably, of
which I really at this instant have better hopes than I ever had
though I have been usually sanguine. But in regard to myself, though
I do not pretend to say the situation I hold is not at all times
desirable to hold, yet I am fully persuaded that if tranquillity is
ever restored to this country under its legal government, that I
should be too much vexed and thwarted by intrigues of all sorts to
reconcile either my temper or my conscience to what would then be my
situation.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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