[p. i]
BY
CHARLES OMAN, M.A.
FELLOW OF ALL SOULS COLLEGE
AND CHICHELE PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
FELLOW OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY
AND CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE REAL ACADEMIA
DE LA HISTORIA OF MADRID
Vol. III
Sept. 1809–Dec. 1810
OCAÑA CADIZ BUSSACO TORRES VEDRAS
WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1908
[p. ii]HENRY FROWDE, M.A.
PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
LONDON, EDINBURGH
NEW YORK AND TORONTO
[p. iii]
This, the third volume of the History of thePeninsular War, covers a longer period than either of its predecessors,extending over the sixteen months from Wellington’s arrival at Badajozon his retreat from Talavera (Sept. 3, 1809) to the deadlock in frontof Santarem (Dec. 1810), which marked the end of Masséna’s offensivecampaign in Portugal. It thus embraces the central crisis of thewhole war, the arrival of the French in front of the Lines of TorresVedras and their first short retreat, after they had realized theimpossibility of forcing that impregnable barrier to their advance.The retreat that began at Sobral on the night of Nov. 14, 1810, wasto end at Toulouse on April 11, 1814. The armies of the Emperorwere never able to repeat the experiment of 1810, and to assume ageneral and vigorous offensive against Wellington and Portugal. In1811 they were on the defensive, despite of certain local and partialattempts to recover their lost initiative. In 1812 they had to abandonhalf Spain—Andalusia, Estremadura, Asturias, La Mancha, and muchmore,—despite of Wellington’s temporary check before Burgos. In 1813they were swept across the Pyrenees and the Bidassoa; in 1814 they werefighting a