XII. 1823. 69. obviated by Europe, c. fortune of the expedition, and with it the destiny, for the CHAP. time at least, of the Restoration, was determined by the vigour and capacity of one man (M. OUVRARD)—a great French capitalist, who had concluded a treaty with the which are King of Spain, which secured to him in 1805 the trea- M. Ouvrard. sures of the Indies, and which, after having enabled Napoleon to fit out the army which conquered at Austerlitz, excited his jealousy so violently as for the time occasioned Ouvrard's ruin.1 He stepped forward, and offered—on 1 Hist. of terms advantageous to himself, without doubt, but still more Ixii. 10, advantageous to the public-to put the whole supplies of 13. the army on the most satisfactory footing, and to charge himself with the conveyance of all its artillery and equipages. The necessity of the case, and the obvious inefficiency of the existing commissaries, left no time for deliberation: the known capacity and vast credit of M. Ouvrard supported his offer, how gigantic soever it may have at first appeared; and in a few days a contract was concluded with the adventurous capitalist, whereby the duty of supplying entire furnishings for the army was devolved on him. By the influence of the Duchess d'Angoulême, and the obvious necessity of the case, the contract was ratified at Paris; and although it excited violent clamours at the time, as all measures do which disappoint expectant cupidity, the event soon proved that never had a wiser step been adopted. The magic wand of M. Ouvrard overcame everything; his golden key unlocked unheard-of magazines of every sort for the use of the troops; in a few days plenty reigned in all the magazines, the means of transport were amply provided, and confidence was re-established at headquarters. So serene was the calm which succeeded to the storm, that the discord which had broken out in the Duke d'Angoulême's staff was appeased; vi. 139, 140, General Guilleminot, who had been suspended from his 376; Cap. command, was restored to the confidence of the com- 155; Lam. vii. 201, mander-in-chief; Marshal Victor, relinquishing his duties 205. as major-general, returned to the war-office at Paris;2 * Ann. Hist. vii. 154, CHAP. and the army, amply provided with everything, advanced in the highest spirits to the banks of the Bidassoa. XII. 1823. 70. The preparations on both sides were of the most Forces, and formidable description, and seemed to prognosticate the long and bloody war which Mr Canning's ardent mind both sides. anticipated from the shock of opinions, which was to their dispo sition on set all Europe on fire. The forces with which France took the field were very great, and, for the first time since the catastrophe of Waterloo, enabled her to appear on the theatre of Europe as a great military power. Wonderful, indeed, had been the resurrection of her strength under the wise and pacific reign of Louis XVIII. The army assembled at Bayonne for the invasion of Spain by the Western Pyrenees mustered ninety-one thousand combatants. It was divided into four corps, the command of which was intrusted with generous, but, as the event proved, not undeserved confidence, to the victorious generals of Napoleon. The first corps, under the command of Marshal Oudinot, with Counts d'Autichamp and Borout under him, was destined to cross the Bidassoa, and march direct by the great road upon Madrid. The second, which was commanded by Count Molitor, was destined to support the left flank of the first corps, and advance by the Pass of Roncesvalles and the Valley of Bastan upon Pampeluna. Prince Hohenlohe commanded the third corps, which was to protect the right flank of the first, and secure its rear and communications during the advance to Madrid from the Bidassoa. The fourth corps, under the orders of the Duke of Cornigliano (Marshal Moncey), was to operate, detached from the remainder of the army, in Catalonia; while the fifth, under the orders of General Count Bordesoul, composed of a division of the guard under Count Bourmont, and of two divisions of cavalry, was to form the reserve vi. 374,377. of the grand army,-but, in point of fact, it was almost constantly with the advanced posts.1 1 Ann. Hist. The Spanish forces intended to meet this political cru XII. 1823. 71. ish forces. sade were not less formidable, so far as numerical amount CHAP. was considered; but they were a very different array if discipline, equipments, and unanimity of feeling were regarded as the test. They consisted of 123,000 men, of The Spanwhom 15,000 were cavalry, and a new levy of 30,000, who were thus disposed. In Biscay, opposite to the Bidassoa, were 20,000, under Ballasteros; in Catalonia, under Mina, 20,000; in the centre, 18,000 under d'Abisbal; in Galicia, 10,000; in garrison, in the fortresses, 52,000. The forces on either side were thus not unequal in point of numerical amount; but there was a vast difference in their discipline, organisation, and equipment. On the French side these were all perfect, on the Spanish they were very deficient. Many of the corps were imperfectly disciplined, ill fed, and worse clothed. The cavalry was in great part ill mounted, the artillery crazy or worn out, the commissariat totally inefficient. Penury pervaded the treasury; revolutionary cupidity had squandered the resources of the soldiers, scanty as they were. Above all, the troops were conscious that the cause they were supporting was not that of the nation. Eleventwelfths of the people, including the whole rural population, were hostile to their cause, and earnestly prayed for its overthrow; and even the inhabitants of Madrid 1 Rapport and the seaport towns, who had hitherto constituted its aux Cortès, entire support, were sensibly cooled in their ardour, now 1823; Ann. that it became a hazardous one, and called for sacrifices 379, 380, instead of promising fortune.1 Jan. 1, Hist. vi. On the 5th April, the French were grouped in such 72. scene at the passage of soa. force on the banks of the Bidassoa, that it was evident Theatrical a passage would be attempted on the following day. The French ensigns had last been seen there on 7th the BidasOctober 1813, when the passage was forced by the Duke of Wellington. In anticipation of this movement, the Hist, of Spaniards had made great preparations.2 A considerable Europe, force was drawn up on the margin of the stream; but § 19. it was not on them that the principal reliance of c. lxxxiii. XII. 1823. The CHAP. their commanders was placed. It was on the corps of French refugees bearing the uniform of the Old Guard, and clustered round the tricolor flag, that all their hopes rested. Colonel Fabvier, however, who commanded them, found the array very different from what he expected. He had been promised a corps of eight hundred veterans of Napoleon in admirable order; he found only two hundred miserable refugees, half-starved, who had been involved in the conspiracies of Saumur and Befort, and found in Spain an asylum for their crimes. They were clothed, however, in the old and well-known uniform, with the huge bear-skins of the grenadiers of the Guard on their heads; the tricolor flag waved in the midst of them, and as the French advanced posts approached the bridge, they heard the Marseillaise and other popular airs of the Revolution chanted from their ranks. moment was critical, for the French soldiers halted at sight of the unexpected apparition, and gazed with interest on the well-known and unforgotten ensigns. But at that moment General Vallin, who commanded the advanced guard, galloped to the front, and ordered a gun to be discharged along the bridge. The first round was fired over the heads of the enemy, in the hope of inducing them to retire; and the refugees, seeing no shot took effect, thought the balls had been drawn, and shouted loudly, "Vive l'Artillerie !" Upon this, General Vallin ordered a point-blank discharge, which struck down several; a third round completed their dispersion, and the passage was effected without further resistance. 1 Lam. vii. Louis XVIII. did not exaggerate the importance of this Ann. Hist. decisive conduct on this critical occasion, when, on the vi. 377, 379; Moniteur, general who commanded on the occasion being presented 1853. to him after the campaign was over, he said, "General Vallin, your cannon-shot has saved Europe."1 206, 209; April 12, This bold act was decisive of the fate of the campaign. The French army having effected their passage, their right wing, after a sharp action, drove back the garrison XII. 1823. 73. On the Progress of the French, cess. of St Sebastian within the walls of that fortress, and CHAP. established the blockade of the place; while the centre, supported by the whole reserve, in all 40,000 strong, I pushed on rapidly on the great road to Madrid. 10th they reached Tolosa, on the 11th Villareal, and on and their the 17th their columns entered Vittoria in triumph, rapid sucamidst an immense concourse of inhabitants and un- April 10-17. bounded joy and acclamation. How different from the ceaseless booming of the English cannon, which rung in their ears when they last were in that town, flying before the bloody English sabres on 21st June 1813! At the same time, with the left wing, Oudinot crossed the Ebro and advanced to Burgos, after having made himself master of Pancorbo; and the extreme right, under Quesada, composed of Spanish auxiliaries, reached Bilboa, which opened its gates without opposition. Every where the French troops were received as deliverers; as they advanced, the pillars of the Constitution were overthrown, the revolutionary authorities dispossessed, and the ancient régime proclaimed amidst the acclamations of the people. The invaders observed the most exact discipline, and paid for everything they required-a wise policy, the very reverse of that of Napoleon-which confirmed the favourable impression made on the minds of the Spaniards. The ancient animosity of the people of France and Spain seemed to be lulled; even the horrors of the late war had for the time been buried in oblivion; three years of re- Moniteur, volutionary government had caused them all to be for- 1823; Cap. gotten, and hereditary foes to be hailed as present de- 155. liverers.1 1 vi. 381,382; Feb. 16, vii. 153, 74. the Duke lême to The main body of the French army, encouraged by this flattering reception, advanced with vigour, and that Advance of celerity which in all wars of invasion, but especially d'Angouthose which partake of the nature of civil conflict, is so Madrid. important an element in success. Resistance was nowhere attempted, so that the march of the troops was as rapid as it would have been through their own territory. |