TALAVERA.—Fought, July, 27th and 28th, 1809, between the English and French and Spanish armies.—“After the campaigns of Marlborough, the English army acquired little distinction in the field for more than a century. The battles of Dettingen (1743), Fontenoy (1745), and Minden (1759), were affairs in which England was involved by her Hanoverian alliances, and in which small bodies of English troops were engaged, with little glory, and with but trifling results. It was not until the next century had opened, and the talent and ambition of one of the world’s greatest conquerors had almost reached the climax of universal dominion, that England, for her own preservation, and for the rescue of the Spanish[342] peninsula from his grasp, was compelled to send an army into Spain; which, under the guidance of one of the most consummate Generals that the world has ever seen, chased the armies of France over province after province, from Lisbon to Biscay, and ultimately drove them over the Pyrenees. The peninsular campaigns of the Duke of Wellington commenced with the brilliant affair of Vimiera; but we cannot dignify that engagement with the name of a great battle, in which the forces on either side, did not exceed thirteen or fourteen thousand men; and the fruits of which were snatched from the victor’s hands by the sudden arrival of a superior in command. It was on Sir Arthur Wellesley’s second appearance in Portugal, in the year following the battle of Vimiera, that the contest really began; and the three great battles which distinguished its successive stages, were those of Talavera, Salamanca, and Vittoria. The first exhibited the power of Napoleon in Spain fairly grappled with; the second showed that power defeated; the third closed the struggle by its absolute downfall and expulsion.
After his supercession in 1808, on the very day of Vimiera, Sir Arthur Wellesley had returned to England; but, happily, the indignation felt by the English people at the convention of Cintra, by which the results of that victory had been thrown away, warned the British government that it was needful in times of great emergency to depart from the rule of seniority, and to select a Commander mainly on the ground of known and proved talent and ability. Hence the victor of Vimiera was again called into the field, and, on the 22nd of April, 1809, Sir Arthur Wellesley a second time landed in Portugal.
“The unexpected arrival of a victorious Commander,” says Sir W. Napier, “created the greatest enthusiasm:—the Regency nominated him Captain-General; the people hailed his presence, and an undefined but powerful sentiment that something great would be achieved, pervaded the public mind.” Still, somewhat surprising, and rather overweening, was this confidence; for Sir Arthur Wellesley commanded only 26,000 English and German troops;—the Spanish and Portuguese armies were of little worth, and the French Emperor had at that moment in the Peninsula, a force of two hundred and seventy thousand men.
Sir Arthur lost no time in bringing his troops into action. On the 12th of May he crossed the Douro, in the face of the French army, and carried Oporto. Soult had entered it two months before with 25,500 men; he quitted it with 19,500, having lost by the sword and by sickness,[343] by assassination and capture, 6,000 good soldiers. He had marched into Portugal with 58 pieces of artillery, he quitted it without a gun! Yet Soult was perhaps the greatest of all Napoleon’s Generals. Sir Arthur’s next object was, and indeed it seemed a necessity of his position, to seek the French armies, and to fight them with the least possible delay. The demand of the English, and of the Portuguese also, was to be led against the foe. To raise the spirit of the people of Spain and Portugal, and also of the governments of both countries, it was necessary to show that there was an army and a General in the field, and that neither the army nor the General were afraid of meeting the French.
At this period the Spanish Generals and the Spanish Ministers had not fully proved their entire inefficiency. They still boasted of their power to “drive the French out of Madrid, and out of Spain;” and if the English General had refused to co-operate with them, he would have been charged with cowardice or with treachery. On the 27th of June, 1809, therefore, Sir Arthur, at the head of 22,000 British troops, and with 30 guns, entered Spain, and began his march on Madrid. The Spanish General Cuesta, with an army of 39,000 men, was to co-operate with him.
This co-operation, however, proved to be nothing but hindrance and a source of vexation. The two armies marched forward, Sir Arthur grieved, day by day, by some failure of supplies, means of transport, or other necessary aid. On one occasion a delay of two whole days was created by the Spanish General’s obstinacy. On the 24th of July Sir Arthur wrote to Lord Castlereagh, “I am not able to follow the enemy as I could wish; having found it impossible to procure even one mule, or a cart in Spain; ... My troops have been in actual want of provisions for the last two days.” Meanwhile the Spanish Government took care of its own troops, and left the English to shift for themselves. “The French,” writes Sir Arthur, “can take what they like and will take it—while we cannot even buy common necessaries.”
Joseph, the nominal King of Spain, was apprized of the approach of the English and Spanish forces, and marched out of Madrid with 25,000 French veterans, commanded by Marshals Jourdan and Victor, to meet them. The two armies came into the neighbourhood of each other about the 22nd of July, 1809. Sir Arthur and Cuesta had agreed, on that day, that Victor’s corps, which had been found detached from the rest of the French army, should be attacked on the following day. But when the English troops were getting under arms the next morning, the[344] old Spaniard was not up, and finally, he objected to any attack that day. The fact was, that the French General had contrived to corrupt some of Cuesta’s staff, and thus difficulties were constantly thrown in the way.
Victor, whose discomfiture would have been easy on the 23rd, had now escaped, and had joined Sebastiani and King Joseph. The whole French army now amounted to 56,122 men, and, confident in their strength, the Commanders resolved at once to march upon Talavera, and to attack the Anglo-Spanish army.
Two or three minor engagements preceded the general battle. On the 27th, in the afternoon, Victor’s advanced guards came upon the British outposts, and immediately attacked them. The English troops, some of whom then saw fire for the first time, were thrown into some confusion, and Sir Arthur himself narrowly escaped being made prisoner. A body of 10,000 Spanish which was posted near, took such an alarm, that they broke and fled, giving out that “all was lost.” Sir Arthur, with some difficulty, restored order, brought up fresh troops, and the French were finally driven off. Yet such was the effect of this panic among the Spanish troops, that they went into action the next day with 6000 men less than their previous number.
That same night Victor, encouraged by the effect of the surprise thus narrated, made an attack after sunset on a hill which was the key of the English position. For a moment the French attack succeeded, but General Hill brought up the 48th regiment, and at last expelled the French from the ground which they had gained. The British lost 800 men, and the French 1000, in this affair, which was not ended until long after dark.
As soon, however, as the day dawned, the French renewed the attack.
Once more they ascended the hill, and struggled hand to hand with the English infantry. General Hill was wounded, and many officers fell around him. But the French never gained the upper hand. After a severe contest, they fell back; and the English pressed down the hill, after them, until the whole of the attacking column got into confusion, and finally rushed down the declivity in headlong rout. This single attack, which lasted only forty minutes, cost the French nearly 1500 men.
A consultation was now held in the French camp, as to the expediency of immediately risking a general battle. Jourdan strongly urged the taking up a position behind the Alberche, and there awaiting the approach of Soult, who, with another army, was expected to menace the[345] English on their flank and rear in a few days. Victor was more confident, promising to carry the hill on the English left, if Sebastiani would attack the centre and right at the same moment. He added, “If such a combination can fail, it is time that we gave up war.”
King Joseph hesitated; when, at that moment, a despatch arrived from Soult, stating that he could not reach the neighbourhood in less than a week. This decided the matter, and orders were given to attack.
Meanwhile, many discouragements prevailed in the English camp. Provisions were scarce, and the men suffered from hunger. Among the Spaniards all was confusion and distrust. Such alarm was created by Cuesta’s conduct, that in the very midst of the battle, his own countryman, the Duke d’Albuquerque, sent one of his staff to warn Sir Arthur Wellesley that “Cuesta was betraying him.” Sir Arthur received the message while seated on the hill, intently watching the movements of the French. He listened to it without even turning his head; and coolly replied to the officer who brought him the message, “Very well, you may return to your brigade;” and then quietly resumed his survey.
But now the battle began. The allied army was posted near Talavera, having that city and the Tagus on its right, a hill already referred to on its left, a sort of ravine and water-course in front; and looking towards the Alberche,—a river which flows into the Tagus,—in front of which lay the whole French army. “The British and Germans,” says Sir W. Napier, “were somewhat above 19,000 sabres and bayonets, with 30 guns. The Spaniards were 33 or 34,000 men, with 70 guns. The French advanced with 80 guns, and nearly 50,000 men. But what a difference in the quality of the troops! The French were all hardy veterans; while the genuine soldiers of the allied army did not exceed 19,000.”
Before one o’clock the French soldiers were seen to gather round their eagles, and the rolling of drums was heard along the whole line. Half an hour later, King Joseph’s guards, the reserve, and the fourth corps were descried in march; and soon the table-land and the height on the French right were covered with dark and lowering masses. Victor gave the signal for battle, and 80 pieces of artillery sent a tempest of bullets before the light troops, who came on with all the swiftness and violence of a hailstorm, followed by the broad black columns in all the majesty of war.
“Sir Arthur Wellesley from the hill viewed the whole field of battle. He saw the fourth corps rushing forwards with the usual impetuosity of[346] French soldiers and falling upon Campbell’s division, which held the right centre, with infinite fury; yet that General, assisted by Mackenzie’s brigade and two Spanish battalions, withstood their utmost efforts. The British regiment met the advancing columns with loud shouts, broke their front, lapped their flanks with fire, and at last pushed them back with a terrible carnage. Ten guns were taken; but as Campbell feared to break his line by a pursuit, the French rallied, and made head for another attack. Then the British artillery played vehemently upon them; a Spanish regiment of cavalry charged their flank; they retired in disorder, and the victory was secured in that quarter.”
This was on the right of the English line. On the left, two different columns of French were seen advancing towards the hill, the key of the position. Sir Arthur sent forward an English regiment of cavalry, and the 1st German hussars, to charge the heads of these columns. A hollow cleft, not before perceived, stopped the Germans; some of the English leaped it, in twos and threes, and in desultory manner fell upon the French infantry. Some Polish lancers charged them while thus disordered, and the regiment was broken, and lost 207 officers and men.
Meanwhile, one of the French attacking columns was actually contending for possession of the hill; and at the same time a powerful mass of infantry, crossing the ravine, pressed hard upon the English centre. The French attack was at first driven back; then the English Guards, in the excitement of success, rushed after them with reckless ardour. The French reserves charged them; the Guards, disordered, were broken; the German Legion, adjoining, got into confusion, and for the moment the English centre seemed to be shaken and in disorder.
But when the Guards had made their rash charge, Sir Arthur, foreseeing the issue of it, had ordered up the 48th regiment; and had also sent for Cotton’s light-horse. The French came on, pushing before them the disordered foot-guards. Sir Arthur charged them with the 48th, brought them to a stand; the Guards and the German Legion speedily recovered their ranks; and at last this terrible attack was defeated, and the French were pushed back over the ravine, carrying with them their general, Lapisse, mortally wounded.
Meanwhile their attack on the hill had failed; while on the Spanish part of the army, safely posted behind redoubts in Talavera, they had made no assault. And so closed the battle of Talavera. Both sides remained in the position of the morning when night closed upon them. But at day-break the French began their retreat; and before six o’clock[347] their whole army was safely encamped behind the Alberche. That day, too, Sir Robert Crawford joined the British army, bringing with him the 43rd, the 52nd, and the 95th regiments; which troops immediately relieved the rest of the army of the outpost-duty.
The loss of the English in this terrible contest was 6268; including in the reckoning all the attacks, both on the 27th and the 28th. The loss of the French was 8794, according to their own returns. They lost also 17 guns, some tumbrils, and several hundred prisoners.
Sir Arthur Wellesley, as we have said, was obliged to fight this battle. Had he refused to advance, the Spanish government and people would have deemed his presence useless, and would have upbraided him with want of courage. And having advanced, the French Marshals very naturally looked upon him as their prey; and attacked him, deeming his defeat certain.
The reputation gained by the victory was obviously that arising from a fearless meeting of the attack of a fine French army of 50,000 men, led by two celebrated Generals, with an Anglo-German force of 19,000, encumbered with the merely nominal aid of Spaniards. A French critic, General Jomini, thus speaks of the moral result: “This battle at once restored the reputation of the British army, which, during a century past, had declined. It was now ascertained, that the English infantry could dispute the palm with the best in Europe.”
Sir Arthur, too, had now seen, and his troops had seen and proved, the value of the Spanish army; and all illusion on that subject had ceased. Their artillery was well trained, and sometimes rendered good service; but their cavalry was wretched; and their infantry was totally unable to perform evolutions under fire without falling into confusion. The result therefore naturally was, that the English General, retiring into Portugal, commenced plans to be carried out by English and Portuguese forces, in which the Spanish armies bore little or no part.
The merits of the English Commander were promptly recognized by his own government. He was immediately created Baron Douro and Viscount Wellington of Talavera, and of Wellington in the county of Somerset.
There is a remarkable similarity, in all its chief features, between this, the first of Wellington’s great battles, and Waterloo, his last. Doubling the numbers on both sides, the proportions were nearly the same. The French at Talavera had more than 50,000 excellent troops,—at Waterloo they had almost twice as many. The great English General had about[348] 19,000 good troops at Talavera, with the nominal aid of 30,000 worthless ones. At Waterloo, he had about 33 or 34,000 good troops, with the addition of about as many unreliable ones. In both cases alike, the French, confident of success, made the attack; and in both cases they were foiled and driven back by a British force of less than half their number. The one material difference between the two conflicts lay in this,—that in the second great battle, just as Napoleon’s last attack had been repelled, a force of 50,000 Prussians broke in upon the retreating French, and utterly dispersed and annihilated their already-beaten army.”
TARA, BATTLE OF.—This was one of the earliest battles in Ireland in ’98. Fought between the Royal forces, only 400 strong, and the insurgent Irish, amounting to 4000, yet they were completely beaten, and 500 slain, May 26th, 1798.
TARBES, BATTLE OF.—Fought, March 20th, 1814, between the English and French. Marshal Soult was forced from his position, with great loss, by the Duke of Wellington. This engagement shortly preceded that of Toulouse.
TARENTUM WAR.—One of the most celebrated wars in Roman History. Undertaken by the inhabitants of Tarentum, with the aid of the renowned Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, which resulted, after many battles, in their subjugation by the arms of the Romans.
TCHERNAYA, BATTLE OF.—One of the brilliant engagements during the Crimean war. Fought, August 10th, 1854. The enemy, in dense columns of infantry and cavalry, supported by 160 guns, advanced from the heights towards the river, here crossed by two bridges, the larger one being known as the Traktir Bridge. They carried pontoons, and appliances for crossing the stream; and there were also several places in which the Tchernaya was fordable. Favoured by the dim light of early morning, they succeeded in throwing several battalions unobserved across the river, and attacking the division led by General Camon, on the extreme left of the French line. Though taken by surprise, the French made a brave resistance, and the 3rd Zouaves and 50th of the line assisted by the 82nd, which attacked them in the flank, succeeded in repelling them with considerable loss.
In their second attempt the Russians were somewhat more successful. They advanced across the Traktir Bridge. The tête du pont was[349] guarded by the 20th regiment of the line, who were too weak to offer any effective resistance. They bravely disputed the ground, and lost twelve officers before they would give way. The dense masses of the Russians now thronged across the bridge. In their train followed three guns, which were promptly got into position to sweep the road along which the French would advance. The infantry swarmed across the bridge, or waded breast high through the stream. Quickly forming into heavy columns, they advanced in gallant style up the hill in front of the French centre. General Herbillon was fully prepared for the attack, and the enemy was promptly met, and, after a very animated contest, driven back across the bridge by the 2nd Zouaves, the 97th of the line, and one battalion of the foot Chasseurs. The slaughter was terrific; the French and Sardinian guns playing on the retreating mass, and the French pursuing them in a vigorous bayonet charge.
The right of the French position occupied some low hillocks, defended in front by the river, and by the aqueduct used to supply the Turkish army with water. The Sardinian army was encamped on their right and had manned a very effective battery. General Faucheux was the French commander at this portion of the line, and a considerable body of artillery was under his command. While the Russians were attacking the French centre, as already related, another column of enormous strength advanced across the river and aqueduct, and attacked the French right. The artillery and the rifles of the Sardinians made dreadful havoc in their ranks; but the Russian officers cheered on their men to the advance, and, in defiance of dreadful loss, charged gallantly the French position. The Zouaves, who held the brow of the hill, retired slowly to the main body, which was partially hidden by the nature of the ground, and the enemy came on with loud cheers, imagining an easy conquest. Then the French suddenly formed up into line, and charging forward with an impetuosity that defies description, literally crushed the enemy in their tremendous rush, and hurled them down the hill. Many rolled into the aqueduct and were suffocated; others had their limbs broken by the fall; and the main hotly turned and fled precipitately towards the bridge. As the broken and flying mass poured onwards, the batteries opened upon them, and a scene of fearful massacre ensued. The bridge was choked with the troops endeavouring to pass across, and the river was crowded with the fugitives. Among them poured the iron hail of the Sardinian batteries; and when they struggled into the open ground, hundreds more fell mortally wounded. Never was there a more complete or ignominious defeat.
[350]
The remnants of the infantry withdrew behind the cavalry, and retreated to the hill; the Russian artillery covering them by a heavy fire against the French batteries. Prince Gortschakoff man?uvred his cavalry for some time in sight of the Allies, hoping apparently to draw our dragoons in pursuit among the hills, where a second Balaklava massacre would probably have awaited them. General Scarlett, commanding the English cavalry division, eagerly proffered the services of his splendid warriors, but General Pelissier wisely declined to hazard such valuable troops in such a perilous adventure.
Towards evening the Russians drew off, leaving about 3000 dead upon the field, and their wounded could not have amounted to less than 5000. The French carried off in their ambulances, 1626 soldiers and thirty-three officers, besides 400 prisoners. Among the dead was General Read, a very distinguished Russian officer, upon whose person was found a plan of the attack. The French lost 9 officers killed and 61 wounded, 172 men killed and 1163 wounded, besides 146 missing. The gallant Sardinians, besides the death of General the Count of Montevecchio, sustained a loss of 250 men. The Turkish battalions arrived too late to take any part in the affair.
TEWKESBURY, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 4th, 1471. The very day of the battle of Barnet, Queen Margaret landed at Plymouth. At the news of the defeat of Warwick she sank to the ground in despair; but the arguments of her friends soon awakened her natural courage, and she advanced to Bath. It was there resolved to try to effect a junction with the Earl of Pembroke, who had a large force in Wales; but the people of Gloucester had secured the only bridge over the Severn, and at Tewkesbury it was found that Edward was at hand with a more numerous army. The Lancastrian leaders then drew up their forces without the town; the Yorkists, led by the King’s brother, the Duke of Gloucester, fell on them furiously, and after a short but gallant resistance, the Lancastrians were totally routed. The Queen and Prince were made prisoners; the latter being led into the royal tent, Edward demanded of him what had brought him to England. “To recover my father’s kingdom and heritage, from his father and grandfather to him, and from him to me lineally descended,” replied the undaunted youth. Edward struck him in the face with his gauntlet, and Gloucester, Clarence, and some others despatched him with their swords. Edward then set out for London, and on the evening of his arrival king Henry died in the Tower, of grief[351] as was given out, but there can be little doubt that he was murdered by order of Edward. The guilt of the deed, though without any proof, was afterwards laid on the Duke of Gloucester.
TEXEL, BATTLES OF THE.—The vicinity of the Texel has been the scene of some remarkable engagements, among others a battle of three days was fought here, between the English, under Blake and Monk, and the Dutch, under Van Tromp and DeRuyter, when the Dutch were signally defeated and Van Tromp killed, 1653. Again Ruyter was defeated here, August 11th, 1673. The Dutch fleet gloriously vanquished by Lord Duncan, October 11th, 1797. Twelve ships of war and thirteen Indiamen of the Dutch surrendered to Admiral Mitchell, who took them without firing a shot, August 28th, 1799.
THERMOPYL?, BATTLE OF.—Leonidas, at the head of 300 Spartans at this defile withstood the whole army of the Persians, until of the 300 heroes who surrounded him, all were slain but one man; 20,000 Persians perished by the hands of the Spartans, August 7th, 480 B.C. This battle was one of the most celebrated events in the annals of Greece, and effectually, at last, gave a check to the invading Persian army. The following is from Rollin’s Ancient History.
[4]“Thermopyl? is a strait or narrow pass of mount ?ta, between Thessaly and Phocis, but 25 feet broad, which therefore might be defended by a small number of forces, and which was the only way through which the Persian land army could enter Achaia, and advance to besiege Athens. This was the place where the Grecian army thought fit to wait for the enemy: the person who commanded it was Leonidas, one of the two kings of Sparta.
[5]Xerxes in the meantime was upon his march: he had given orders for his fleet to follow him along the coast, and to regulate their motions according to those of the land army. Wherever he came, he found provisions and refreshments prepared beforehand, pursuant to the orders he had sent; and every city he arrived at gave him a magnificent entertainment, which cost immense sums of money. The vast expense of those treats gave occasion to a witty saying of a certain citizen of Abdera in Thrace, who, when the king was gone, said, they ought to thank the gods, that he ate but one meal a-day.
[6]In the same country of Thrace, there was a prince who showed an[352] extraordinary greatness of soul on this occasion: it was the king of the Bisaltes. Whilst all the other princes ran into servitude, and basely submitted to Xerxes, he bravely refused to receive his yoke, or to obey him. Not being in a condition to resist him with open force, he retired to the top of the mountain Rhodope, into an inaccessible place, and forbade all his sons, who were six in number, to carry arms against Greece. But they, either out of fear of Xerxes, or out of a curiosity to see so important a war, followed the Persians, in contradiction to their father’s injunction. On their return home, their father, to punish so direct a disobedience, condemned all his sons to have their eyes put out. Xerxes continued his march through Thrace, Macedonia, and Thessaly, every thing giving way before him till he came to the Strait of Thermopyl?.
[7]One cannot see, without the utmost astonishment, with what an handful of troops the Grecians opposed the innumerable army of Xerxes. We find a particular account of their number in Pausanias. All their forces joined together, amounted only to 11,200 men, of which number 4000 only were employed at Thermopyl? to defend the pass. But these soldiers, adds the historian, were all determined to a man either to conquer or die. And what is it that an army of such resolution is not able to effect?
[8]When Xerxes advanced near the Straits of Thermopyl?, he was strangely surprised to find that they were prepared to dispute his passage. He had always flattered himself, that on the first hearing of his arrival, the Grecians would betake themselves to flight: nor could he ever be persuaded to believe, what Demaratus had told him from the beginning of his project, that at the first pass he came to, he would find his whole army stopped by an handful of men. He sent out a spy before him to take a view of the enemy. The spy brought him word, that he found the Laced?monians out of their intrenchments, and that they were diverting themselves with military exercises, and combing their hair: this was the Spartan manner of preparing themselves for battle.
Xerxes, still entertaining some hopes of their flight, waited four days on purpose to give them time to retreat;[9] and in this interval of time he used his utmost endeavours to gain Leonidas, by making him magnificent promises, and assuring him, that he would make him master of[353] all Greece if he would come over to his party. Leonidas rejected his proposal with scorn and indignation. Xerxes, having afterwards written to him to deliver up his arms, Leonidas, in a style and spirit truly laconical, answered him in these words,[10] “Come and take them.” Nothing remained but to prepare themselves to engage the Laced?monians. Xerxes first commanded his Median forces to march against them, with orders to take them all alive, and bring them ............