1 CHAP. VIII. 1812. Thiers, xv. 447; Lond. 7; Cath men in Dantzic, and 32,000 in the fortresses on the Elbe and the Oder, amounted to 62,000. The entire forces of which Napoleon could dispose in the beginning of May amounted on paper to 280,000 men; but those effective and present with the eagles were only 200,000. In addition to this, there were three armies of reserve forming, one in Italy, one at Mayence, and one in Westphalia, but the nearest of them could not be on the theatre of war before the middle of June. Still there were, after making every deduction, 170,000 effective men who might be relied on for the first shock of war on the plains of Saxony, in the beginning of May; and this accordingly is the estimate alike of M. Thiers, Sir Charles Stewart, and Sir George Cathcart, who were on opposite sides, and had access to the best sources of information. The Compare proportion of cavalry in these forces was very small, 440, 444, -much below what is usual; but the artillery, which amounted to 450 pieces, was in first-rate order; and the Guard and old troops in the army were inferior to none in the world in courage and discipline.* cart, 119, 120. * Sir Charles Stewart, soon after his arrival in Hamburg, which he reached on 19th April, wrote to Lord Castlereagh the following account of the position and strength of the contending armies: "DRESDEN, 26th April. "Buonaparte is supposed to have arrived at Erfurth (if not more advanced), and I learn the amount of French force assembled on this side the Rhine is rated at 160,000 men-far superior to the Allies in numbers, but infinitely inferior as to their composition, particularly from want of cavalry. So bad is the description of these new troops, that a French general was heard to say, 'Que ferons-nous avec ces cochons de lait?' "The general position of the Allied army is along the Saale. General Blucher's corps on the left attends to the mountains which bound Saxony on the side of the Thuringian Forest. His headquarters are at Altenberg. Count Wittgenstein is in the centre, with General D'York on the right, about Dessau. To the northward is General Bulow's division, observing Magdeburg. Kutusoff's corps is some miles in front of this place (Dresden); and Milaradowitch forms his advance at Chemnitz. The reserves of the armies are here. Yesterday 15,000 infantry and 8000 cavalry defiled before the sovereign. "The Prussian army amounts at present to about 60,000 or 70,000 men. It is raising to 130,000, besides militia. I doubt, from what I hear, that the Russian force now up comes as high as 60,000. The French extend from Cobourg, in the Thuringian Forest, by Meiningen and Eisenach to Halberstadt, where the vice-king's headquarters now are." On the 27th April Sir Charles had an audience of the King of Prussia, and VIII. 1813. 21. the Allies. The forces which the Allies could accumulate to meet CHAP. this enormous body of men were greatly inferior in point of numbers. The general position and force of the Allied armies when hostilities, after a short pause, were renewed, Forces and were as follow:-The King of Prussia had pushed positions of forward all the regular troops which were disposable to Zwickau, in Saxony, but they did not exceed 25,000 men, under the command of General Blucher. They were in communication with a Russian corps, 15,000 strong, under Winzingerode, which lay between Merseburg and Altenburg, with parties extending to Weimar. The Russian general, Wittgenstein, had formed a junction with the Prussian corps of D'York; and their united force, 40,000 strong, had crossed the Elbe at Dessau, and was moving in the direction of Halle. General Bulow, with 10,000 men, was observing Magdeburg, in which there was a strong French garrison; and Tettenborn, 1 Lond. 5, with a light corps of 4000 foot and 3000 Cossacks, was 6; Cathat Celle, in the neighbourhood of Bremen. Thus the art h whole force of the Allies on the line of the Elbe somewhat under 100,000; but they were so widely tered, and had so long a line of country to defend, it was certain that not more than 70,000 could be as- MS. sembled at any one point for a general battle.1 118; Thiers, was xv. 453; scat- Stewart to Sir Chas. Lord Castle that reagh, April 28, 1813, 22. Bernadotte Besides these forces, however, the Allies reckoned on the support, on their extreme right, of a prince of wide Accession of celebrity, at the head of a powerful army, though much to the Contoo far off to be of any service in the hostilities that federacy. were immediately to commence. This was Bernadotte, Prince Royal of Sweden, who, as already mentioned, had been gained to the Allied cause. It had been agreed that he was to make common cause with the Russians in the war against Napoleon; and it was owing to this convention that Baron Steingel, in the preceding campaign, presented his credentials. Upon that occasion his Majesty expressed the very VOL. 1. CHAP. VIII. 1813. March 13. had been detached from Finland, and brought up to the Dwina to reinforce Wittgenstein. The amicable relations thus established had been since successfully improved by Lord Castlereagh on the part of Great Britain, who, through the able minister at Stockholm, Mr Thornton, arranged a convention by which the forces of Sweden were to be brought forward in an efficient way for the support of the common cause. By this convention, which was concluded at Oerebro on the 13th March, it was stipulated that Sweden was to bring 30,000 men into the field, which were to be reinforced by 20,000 Russians, and the whole were to act in Germany under the command of the Prince Royal. To defray the expense of this armament, England engaged to pay Sweden a subsidy of £1,000,000 a-year, by equal instalments monthly, and to cede Guadaloupe to her. The implied condition of this treaty was the annexation of Norway to Sweden; for though it was not expressly provided for, it was not obscurely alluded to in the clause of the treaty which provided that England "should not only oppose no obstacle to the perpetual annexation of Norway to Sweden, but should facilitate in that respect the views of the King of Sweden, not only by good offices, but by employing, if necessary, a naval co-operation in concert with the Swedish and Russian troops.' Force, however, was not to be employed, unless the King of Denmark had previously declined to join the alliance. In virtue of this treaty 7000 Swedes had already arrived at Stralsund, and 10,000 more, under the Prince Royal in person, were 1 Martens, shortly expected at the same place, to co-operate with Sup. v. 231; Lond. 6,7; Tettenborn and the Prussian and Hanoverian levies in the Thiers, xv. 453, 454. north of Germany, on the extreme right of the Allied line of operations.1* * Lord Castlereagh was well aware of the objections to the assignment of Norway to Sweden as the price of the latter power joining the Allies, but he vindicated it on its true ground, that of absolute necessity. On the 28th April he wrote to Lord Cathcart in the following terms:-"Neither Russia nor Great Britain (were it even politic) can now break with Sweden without a loss CHAP. VIII. 1813. 23. first steps in Sir Charles Stewart's attention was in the first instance, after landing in Germany, directed to the formation and organisation of the Hanoverian levies. In proportion as the French, in the course of their retreat, withdrew from Sir Charles this country, the inhabitants spontaneously organised Stewart's themselves in battalions to resist the common enemy. Germany. It was at first proposed to concentrate them on one point; but Sir Charles wisely advised that the rudiments, at least, of military discipline should be learned in the parishes where the recruits were obtained, both as less expensive, and as less likely to attract the notice of the enemy, and give him the means of striking a serious blow. His advice was immediately acted upon, and with the happiest effect. His next object was to ascertain from headquarters the real sentiments of Bernadotte, who was hourly expected at Stralsund, and with this view he sent Lieutenant-Colonel Cooke, an officer of zeal and ability, to the Prince Royal's headquarters. At the same time he directed the issue to the Hanoverian levies of 5000 stand of arms, in addition to those already furnished from the British supplies, which had, Lond. 9, an important effect in stimulating the ardour of that 10. brave and loyal people.1 24. surrender bribes. A circumstance occurred at this time not a little curious, as indicating the opposite principles on which offers to the war was about to be carried on by the contending Spandau for parties, and on which occasion Sir Charles Stewart loudly spoke out the sentiments of his Government. Thorn had lately capitulated, with its garrison of 3000 of character; and the only object now is, to render the alliance useful to the common cause. We never have disguised from ourselves the embarrassments of the Norwegian point; but it was an engagement made in the day of adversity, for the preservation of Russia. That it has essentially contributed to save her, and, with Russia, the rest of Europe, cannot be doubted; and this must not be forgotten in the day of prosperity, either for our own convenience, or to conciliate the sentiments of powers that were then seeking their safety in the connection of France. We must have a clear case of good faith on the part of Russia, as well as on our own, or we cannot go to Parliament for subsidy."-LORD CASTLEREAGH to LORD CATHCART, April 28, 1813; Castlereagh Correspondence, viii. 382, 383. T March 13 man had been detached from Finland, and brought up the Dwiza to reinforce Wittgenstein. The amicable relatitos thus established Lad been since successfully improved by Lord Castlereagh on the part of Great Britain, via through the able minister at Stockholm, Mr Thornton, arranged a convention by which the forces of Sweden were to be brought forward in an efficient way for the support of the common cause. By this convention, which was conduded at Cerebro on the 13th March, it was stipulated that Sweden was to bring 50,000 men into the feld which were to be reinforced by 20,000 Russians, and the whole were to act in Germany under the command of the Prince Royal To defray the expense of this armament, England engaged to pay Sweden a subsidy of £1,000,000 a-year, by equal instalments monthly, and to cede Guadaloupe to her. The implied condition of this treaty was the annexation of Norway to Sweden; for though it was not expressly provided for, it was not obscurely alluded to in the clause of the treaty which provided that England "should not only oppose no obstacle to the perpetual annexation of Norway to Sweden, but should facilitate in that respect the views of the King of Sweden, not only by good offices, but by employing, if necessary, a naval co-operation in concert with the Swedish and Russian troops." Force, however, was not to be employed, unless the King of Denmark had previously declined to join the alliance. In virtue of this treaty 7000 Swedes had already arrived at Stralsund, and 10,000 more, under the Prince Royal in person, were 1 Martens, shortly expected at the same place, to co-operate with Sup. v. 231; Lond. 6.7; Tettenborn and the Prussian and Hanoverian levies in the 453, 451 north of Germany, on the extreme right of the Allied line of operations.1* Thiers, IV. Lord Castlereagh was well aware of the objections to the assignment of Norway to Sweden as the price of the latter power joining the Allies, but he vindicated it on its true ground, that of absolute necessity. On the 28th April he wrote to Lord Cathcart in the following terms:-"Neither Russia nor Great Britain (were it even politic) can now break with Sweden without a loss |