General Cordova, and on the same day, the 18th, occupied the heights above Anjudar,* and prepared to attack the French who were holding that town, while Reding was to fall on them in the rear. Dupont, who felt all the danger of his position, left Andujar, hoping to reach Baylen, and not knowing that it was held by the enemy. But, having learned, while on the march, that Wedel had withdrawn from Baylen, and that his means of communication with that General were cut off by Reding, he saw no means of escape but by forcing his way through the lines of the latter. He resolved on attacking him between Andujar and Baylen, on the 19th of July, before dawn, and cutting his way through. The attack began at three in the morning. The French troops did not belie their ancient reputation; the Spaniards were several times forced to yield, and their lines were broken more than once,† yet victory was still undecided, and the French had already lost more than 2000 men. It was noon. General Dupont seeing his army exhausted by the night march and the great heat of the day, harassed on the Andujar side by Castaños who had sent a detachment under General Peña to attack the French on their rear, and unable either to advance or to retreat, despaired not only of victory but of holding out until the arrival of General Wedel, on whom he had reckoned to keep Reding in check. In this terrible extremity, he thought himself bound solely to save his troops from utter destruction, and he offered to capitulate. A truce of a few hours was at first agreed upon, and the negotiation ended in a complete capitulation. The following were its principal conditions: The entire French army was to lay down its arms; the Spaniards undertaking to send it back to France in ships which they would supply for the purpose at Cadiz, and promising besides to provide the neccessary passports for the passage; officers and men would be allowed to retain their baggage.‡ *They are called Los Ojos de Cindujar. † See the account given by General Reding in the Gazetta de Madrid, page 988. The principal honours of the day evidently belong to General Reding. Castaños may have contrived the plan of the battle, but he was not on the field. Yet he alone is mentioned in all the accounts of the event. The reason is that Reding was a Swiss and a Spanish name was required. APPENDIX TO CHAPTER VIII. 265 General Wedel's division, which had taken no part in the engagement and which had not yet arrived on the field of battle, was included in the treaty, and it was stipulated that it should share the fate of the army corps to which it belonged. The conferences were held in a field on the left of the high road from Andujar to Baylen, at about three or four miles from the latter town. The capitulation was signed by General Dupont, and by General Marescot, who had joined the army on his return from a special mission with which he had been entrusted. He was quite apart from the command, and had nothing to do with the events of the day, but he would not desert General Dupont, who on his side attached great value to the signature and recognition of an officer who was highly respected, and whose opinion would have great weight in the judgment that should be passed upon the capitulation. On his return to France, General Marescot paid dearly for his generosity,* While this negotiation was taking place on the field of battle, where the two armies had just been engaged, General Wedel, who had begun his march in the morning in order to come to the assistance of General Dupont, reached the heights of Baylen. On his way he had defeated the troops left behind by Reding, to watch his movements, and had even taken 600 prisoners. His men were still fresh, and his presence might have changed the fate of the day, and caused Reding to repent of the bold step he had taken, but the General arrived too late. He has been blamed for having made a halt of two hours between Guaroman and Baylen, and for not having quickened his march when he heard firing. Whatever may have been the cause of this delay, it is certain that the disasters of the day are in great measure attributable to it. General Wedel incurred the fate of the rest of the army, and surrendered himself as prisoner. This was a strange decision! Was he to consider himself bound by a capitulation in which he had taken no part? Was it not in his power to withdraw, and to regain La Mancha, and from thence reach Madrid? Could the Spaniards have prevented his retreat? Was he obliged to yield * He was deprived of his command after a long imprisonment. to these hard conditions, in order to save General Dupont's already disarmed troops, who should, it was threatened, be put to the sword, if General Wedel hesitated about surrendering. None of these questions are settled. This event is therefore of an extraordinary character, and as remarkable for the singular circumstances by which it was attended as for the importance of its results. I am far from believing that there was any treason in the matter, though this was insinuated at the time, and the accusations of the French Government against Generals Dupont and Marescot, together with the severe treatment which they underwent in France, were calculated to substantiate the charge. Nothing could be more unlikely; and in default of any other, proof, the rigour with which the Spaniards treated the French prisoners would be a sufficiently strong one to refute such a theory. But that great blunders were committed cannot be denied, and if the pillage of Cordova and the desire to retain such ill-gotten gains were the origin of the faulty military measures that were taken in the first place, and afterwards led to a surrender being preferred to any other line of conduct, that is a sufficiently grave subject for reproach, without having recourse to the odious imputation of treason, which was then so foreign to the character of French generals. The capitulation of Baylen, whatever was the motive that led to it, did not put an end to the disasters of the French army. After having defiled before the Spanish army on the 22nd and 23rd July to the number of 8,000 men, the remains of Dupont's corps, and 10,000 men of Wedel's division, it was subjected to every humiliation which a people prompt to exaggerate its advantages, and to exercise them with arrogance, could inflict on a defeated enemy-one hitherto dreaded and invincible. The recollection of the conduct of the French at Cordova was, besides, it must be owned, too recent and too exasperating not to have stifled the feelings of compassion which are generally aroused by a brave and unfortunate enemy. Thus, everywhere on the passage of the French, they were insulted and abused. A rising of the mob took place at Puerto-Santa-Maria, as the French troops were embarking on the vessels that were to take them to Cadiz. Their APPENDIX TO CHAPTER VIII. 267 baggage was plundered by the populace, on the pretext that some vases taken from a church at Cordova had been seen to fall from one of the chests. Lastly, the army of prisoners were not sent on to France as had been stipulated. Their departure from Cadiz was delayed on various pretences, and, two years later, when Cadiz was besieged by the French, the greater number of the prisoners were still on the hulks where they had been placed. General Dupont protested against the infraction of the treaty, and complained loudly of the ill-usage to which his troops were subjected. His protests were unavailing; but they occasioned a correspondence between himself and General Morla, the commandant at Cadiz, in the course of which the latter makes use of such severe expressions and such abusive recrimination, that it is evident the Spanish Government of the day shared the feelings of the people, and was quite as ungenerous towards a fallen foe. CHAPTER XI. Capitulation of General Junot in Portugal.-The French army leaves the line of the Ebro and falls back on Vittoria-The Emperor arrives at that city on the 7th of November-He deeply offends Spanish pride by the insulting violence of his language He orders his numerous troops to advance, and follows them on the 10th of November-Marshal Soult's victory over the army of Estramadura opens the gates of Burgos to the French, and the Emperor removes his head-quarters thither on the 11th-Frightful ravages committed by the French army on its march-King Joseph's indignation and grief affect his health-The good understanding between the brothers is again impaired, Napoleon looking upon Spain as his own conquest, and allowing no authority there except his own-The Author advises Joseph to relinquish the crown of Spain, but is not listened to-Marshal Lannes having beaten the troops of Castaños, near Tudela, the Emperor removes his headquarters to Aranda de Duero-Engagement at Somo-Sierra -The King, who constantly follows the Imperial Headquarters, at last joins Napoleon at Chamartin, near Madrid, the inhabitants of which place seem resolved on its defence-Retiro is attacked and taken-Madrid capitulates and the French take possession of the town-The Emperor continues to exercise the sole sovereign authority, and the King retires to Prado-Numerous confiscations are ordered by Napoleon-The Austrian armaments, and the march of |