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The military life of Arthur, duke of Wellington
The military life of Arthur duke of Wellington Author:Unknown Author Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. VITTORIA. 1813. Spanish politics.—Farewell to Portugal.—March to Vittoria.—Rout of the French.—The battles of the Pyrenees.—Soult's attempt.—St... more ». Sebastian.—Pampeluna. Though apparently idle in winter quarters, the entire close of the year 1812, and spring of the next, was consumed by Wellington in energetic measures to raise the character of the Spanish army so as to make it of some use, and in improving the condition and comfort of his own troops, so as to take advantage of the coming campaign. He certainly did not expect much from the exertions of the Spaniards. "They cried viva," said he, " and are very fond of us, and hate the French; but they are, in general, the most incapable of useful exertion of all the nations that I have known; the most vain, and at the same time the most ignorant, particularly in military affairs, and above all of military affairs in their own country." The utmost that he expected to be able to teach them was how to avoid being beat. No sooner was he appointed by the Cortes to the command of their troops, than he directed his best energies to the reformation, or rather the construction of their armies. He had obtained for himself the most absolute powers as those alone by which any good would be effected, and one of his constant endeavours was to obtain such similar powers for the generals under him, as would ensure their ability to act without the interference of the Cortes and the newspapers. How difficult such a task must have been, will appear from the following description of the Spanish government: To Lord Bathurst. Madrid, 18th August, 1812. " It is impossible to describe the state of confusion in which affairs are at Cadiz. The Cortez have formed a constitution very much on the principle that a painter paints a pictu...« less