Star. — London, England, 1811-07-15 00:00:00

~~- . FRENCH PAPERS. • Ilm••••••M• PARIS. JUNE 9. OFFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FROM THE ARMIES IN SPAIN. IMPERIAL ARMY OF THE SOU' iG OF THE SIEGE OF BADAJOZ. The Duke of Ragusa, Commander in Chief of the Army of Portugal, was in motit n the beginning of June, for the purpose of driving beyond the Coa that part of the English army which Wellington (when he set out for the siege of Badajoz) bad left upon the frontiers before Ciudad Rodrigo. On the sth June, the Duke of Ragusa arrived at Ciudad Rodrigo with his advanced guard, and a body of 2000 horse ; the enemy did not think proper to wait for the arrival of the army ; he retreated during the night. At day-break the uke sent his cavalry in pursuit ; they only met with some of the division of General Craufurd, who were driven into the Coa, under the ruins of Almeida ; several prisoners were made ; the English divisions forced their retreat into the mountains of Sabugal and Alfayatcs to get to the Tagus. The Duke of Ragusa having, without striking a blow, succeeded in the plan of removing the enemy from that frontier, immediately directed the march of his army towards the Tagus. General Regnier took the command of the advan ced guard, and on the 9th arrived at Placentia. On the 12th, two divisions passed the Tagus at Almaras, the bridge of which was solidly established, and covered by strong batteries : numerous supplies of provisions and ammunition had for some days ar rived at the important point. The Duke of Ragusa received there also a grand equipage for bridges, which he carried, with the remainder of the army, in the direction of Merida. overthrown, killedor put to a disorderly flight. The' flying were pursued, and at this moment the column of Colonel Bourgeois arrived on the right ; the enemy were completely routed and driven under the walls of the upper town—we entered the bastion of Saint Domingo, between the town and the fort ; 1.50 Spa niards were killed, and we remained masters of the bridge, which must ensure the possession of all the rest. At the same time the column of the Commandant Fondaelski had penetrated into the suburb, breaking down the barricadoes, and making every thing fly be-1 fore them, whilst the fifty grenadiers, proceeding by the sea-breach, attempted to reach the head of the jetty. But there a reserve of Sarsfield's had been plated to stop us, and a warm and unexpected firing made the attack falter on a sudden. The general dis position of the attack prescribed the entrenching oar• selves in the houses, and defending ourselves in them, it the enemy opposed too much fire and too great a resistance. This proceeding was not even necessary. The Colonel of the 117th, ho commanded the right, advanced immediately by the sea-beach at the head of the reserve, composed of the marksmen and grena diers of the 9th light, 42d, 114th, 115th, and 121st. His presence alone restored the battle. The enemy, intimidated and unable to retreat, were driven to the sea and the mole ; a frightful carnage succeeded ; every thing was done by the bayonet; nothing escap. ed in the suburbs, the port, the houses, ditches, and even to the walls of the town, where Major Douarch and Captain Derigyn, with a handful of brave men, pursued in their precipitate retreat the last fugitives that escaped from our blows. _ In the mean time the Army of the South under the Duke of Dalmatia had received large reinforce ments, 12,000 men under the orders of Count Erlon arrived the Bth at Cordova, and followed the movements of the Duke of Dalmatia, who moved upon Santa Martha, and occupied by his right Al. mendralejo, ready to communicate with the Duke of Ragusa. Wellington, whose army was much fatigued by the scarcity of provisions and diseases, drew back successively his troops round Badajoz , but feeling himself pressed, he resolved to try a grand effort to carry the place before the two armies united. After a dreadful fire of artillery, a first assault was made,' but the breach was defended by Frenchmen—•6oo English remained on the place. A second assault had the same result—so that the English lost more than 1200 men in these fruitless attacks. Wellington was about to make a desperate effort, when, on the 16th, the Duke of Ragusa arrived at Merida, and joined the Duke of Dalmatia. The two armies marched upon Badajoz, the siege of which Welling. ton raised precipitately, re-entering'Portugal with all his troops. We took a part of his besieging artillery, and many sick. On the 21st, the Duke of Ragusa had his head quarters in Badajoz. We are expecting every moment the account of the siege from General Philippa who, as well as the Governor, have covered themselves with glory, for the breach was every where practicable. ISLOCKADE OF FIGUERAS. The works of the blockade are in such perfection that it is impossible any thing can go in or out. — Disease makes considerable ravage in the place; which is nearly destitute of every thing. TO HIS SERENE HIGHNESS THE PRINCE NEUFCHATEL AND After the first moments of violence were over Ge neral Palombini and Colonel Robert, commanding the trenches, made the necessary dispositions to en sure so brilliant a conquest, placed the troops and established the posts. I ordered Generals Rogneat and Vatee, Chiefs of the engineers, and artillery, to go over the ground and the works. Colonel Hervy made the marksmen advance; he made lodgements and communications, perfected the breaches, and profiting by the terror of the enemy, traced and opened, on the same night, a first parallel in front of the upper town, before Fort Royal, supporting his left at the bastion of Saint Domingo, and prolonging his line to the beach. At day-break, we already pre sented a formidable appearance to the garrison, inti midated behind their walls, and to the English use less, but not indifferent spectators of a sight so disas trous to diem and their allies. Considerable maga zines of cotton, leather, sugar, and other English produce, deposited in the lower town, were the victims of pillage or the flames. At sight of this, an impotent rage made them forget our bombs, anti red hot balls, the fear of which had ketlt them at a distance, since we had established our coast batteries. All their vessels and frigates set sail to run down the coast rapidiy, from the heights of Fort Francol . to beyond the port, and, in passing by turns before our flanks, they poured upon us all their broadsides, inundating our trenches, camps, and suburbs with a real shower of balls, which scarcely did harm to any body. The garrison, encouraged for a moment by all this noise, dared present some heads of columns; our soldiers were sheltered in the houses ; in a mo ment they shewed themselves, and were about to precipitate themselves anew upon the enemy, but no thing more was necessary to make the enemy retire. This attempt has been the last, or the only one, to dispossess us of 'the lower town, the loss of which must be fatal to Tarragona. From the following night, General Montmarie and Colonel St. Cyr Nu goes, established, by my orders, batteries towards the sea, and a second parallel was opened at 60 toises, to prepare the attack, and the breaching batteries against the body of the place. The capture of the lower town and its dependen cies has placed in our possession 80 pieces of cannon, of which I subjoin an account ; this makes the number taken 137. The number of prisoners is only 160, among whom are some Officers ; they are the victims escaped by a kind of miracle from the fury of the soldiers, whom each assault irritates and animates more and more. I have been obliged to burn the dead, as at the capture of FnrtOlivo.The amount to this day is 155'3, and every day we discover other bodies. I fear much, y - the garrison wall for the anamfr in their last hold, I shall be forced to set a terrible example, and intimidate for ever Catalonia and Spain by the de :traction of a whole city. Our loss in this hot, but rapid action, is only 120 killed, and 372 wounded. But I must observe to your Highness, that the attack of the suburb, crowned by a triple assault, is to be dated ten days back, in which the engineers and artillerymen have suffered daily losses. Several officers have been killed, a great number wounded. I reckon, during the siege, 2,500 men put hors de combat. The ardour and good spirit that animates the whole army is le doubled, and we aspire to strike a last blow that shall terminate with eclat this long struggle. [Theiletter ends with praises bestowed on particu lar officers.] (Signed) Count SUCHET. Camp before Tarragona, 26th June. CANNON, &C. TAKEN BY ASSAULT 21sT JUNE. Twenty-four 29-pounders Eight 6 pounders Sixteen 9 Four Twelve 2 Three • Howitzers, Mortars, an trots Pieces.... 29. IMPERIAL ARMY OF ARRAGON. WAGRAM. MONSEIGNEUR—The defence of Tarragona, be come more obstinate in proportion as the attack ad vanced, had only concentrated itself since the taking of the exterior works of Olivo and Franca. ' It was kept up by the succours of all kinds, which a land army cannot intercept from a maritime place without the assistance of a fleet to cwnplete the blockade. The suburbs, or the lower town, which comprehend the tort and the mole, as covered by a front of forti fications strengthened daily by new batteries, and against which I directed all our efforts. I had die honour to give your Excellency an account of the third assault made on the 16th June at the Lunette du Prince, with the same success as the two preceding ones. The capture of this point was a first step into the interior of the lower town. The artillery imme diately transported its breaching battery, and with 10,U(X) sacks of earth, was established on the very ground of the work itself. The engineers pressed more and more the front attacked, opened a third parallel, pushed two debouches upon the salient angle of the covered way of the bastion St. Charles, and on that of the half moon, crowned the top of the glacis, and, in tine, executed the descent of the ditch at the angle of the bastion des Chanoines. On the 21st, an enemy's howitzer blew up the powder magazine ,of our breaching battery, and in an hour it was repaired : all our batteries, by a con tinued and well kept up fire, silenced that of the ene my, and opened three practicable breaches. At foer at night, I ordered the assault, and at seven, all was ready-1590 grenadiers were united with sappers and settling-ladders, and disposed in columns of at tack and reserve. They were followed by a thousand workmen. General Palombini commanded the as sault. I ordered General Montmarie to command a second reserve at the left of the trenches. At seren at night, at . the signal of four bombs at once, five,columns darted against the points marked out, crying v; , vt rEmpereur. Five thousand men de., fended the works attacked and the Lower Town.-- They opposed at first a strong resistance and a very warm fire ; but the irresistible impetuosity of the gre nadiers overthrew all obstacles in a few minutes. Co.' lonel Bouvier, with his coluMn, scaled the breach of the bastion of the Chanoines, and pursued the Spa niards to the extremi•y of the bastion; they tried to stop us lc the passage of the draws bridge, a dreadful, carnage was m. 0.:. and the ditches were filled with I dead bodies. The curtain was next sciled, and we reached the breicl, of Fort Royal, .. here ladders were applied ; the enemy h.w nut time to put in play two, fin 114CCID Untie; ILE salient end of the bastion of Cba noines, Captain Tref:l...tilt having cart i‘d kris small co lumn strain,: to the end of the hali-m..on, loci by that bold moveii.ent forced ihe ppemy t• —b4;144 h ; from thence he joined the first column; the Wave fcllows dashed into the breach of yon, Royal, she peaky vip TO HIS SERENE HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF NEUFCHATEL, MAJOR GENERAL, kc. (6 Monseigneur—l lay at his Majesty's feet the keys of Tarragona, to which, I hope, is attached the speedy submission of Catalonia. " A siege of two, or rather three months, conduct. ed in the space of one month, and five successive as-1 saults, have destroyed a garrison of ) 8,000 men, consisting of the finest troops of Spain, and put into our hands a port from whence the English fed the insurrection of the province in order to preserve a vent for their merchand.ze. By their multiplied succours they prolonged the defence of the place ; at different times they conveyed arms,ammunition, and troops from Valentia, Alicant, and Carthagena. " The fury of the soldiers was increased by the re aistance of the garrison, who every moment expected it; deliverance, and thought to secure success by a general sortie. The fifth assault, still more vigorous than the preceding, made yesterday, in broad-day, on the last fortification, has occasioned a horrible massa ere, with but little loss on our side. The terrible ex ample which I foresaw with regret in my last report to your Highness, has taken place, gad will for a long time be recollected iq Spain. I•••••,- - " Four thousand men have been killed in the city; i from 10 to 12,000 men endeavoured to make their, escape over the walls into the country ; 1,000 have been sabred or drowned ; nearly 10,000, 500 of whom are officers, have been made prisoners, and are setting off for France ; nearly 1,000 wounded are in the hos pitals of the city, where their lives were respected in the midst of the carnage. Three Field-Marshals, and the Governor, are among the prisoners ; many others 1 among the slain. i " Twenty stand of colours, 38 pieces of artillery ! mounted, 40,000 balls and shells, 500,000 weight of powder and lead, are in our possession. " I shall immediately forward to your 'Highness correct returns of all that has been found in the place, and the details of the glorious action which has crown ed the efforts of the Army of Arragon, in the province of Catalonia. I shall recommend to •his Majesty's favour those brave men who have so valiantly com : bated. I am, &c. " Count SUCHET. " Head-quarters at Tarragona, June 29." 66 P.S. Captain Antoine, my Aid-de-Camp, is the bearer of this dispatch, which he will convey to you with all expedition. He shared in all the labours of the siege, was among the foremost who mounted to the assault, and can give your Serene Highness all the information you may desire. 66 I particularly recommend him to your kind at tention, and intreat you to obtain for him from his Majesty the rank of Chief d'Escadron. (Signed) 66 Count SUCHET." To the above is annexed a certified return of the prisoners taken on the 28th June. The grand total is 9781, including 497 officers. Among the latter are mentioned Don Juan Imen de Coutrera, Governor- General ; Bascourt, Sub chief of the Staf ; General Courtin, and two Aides-de-Camp ; Cabrer, General of Engineers ; and Brigadier Messina. TO HIS HIGHN/AS THY PRANCE OP NEUFCHATEL* MAJOR. •• I • took the road of Talavera ; the army of the Sonth doe filed by Santa Martha and the Albuera, while a co lumn advanced along the mountains upon the left. The cavalry of the two armies is to-day in reconnais sance upon Villaviciosa, Elves, and in front of Campo Mayor, in order to ascertain the movements and dis positions of the enemy. Upon the report which they shall give, I shall decide with the Duke of Ragusa, as to the ulterior operations which the army of Por ' tugal and that of the South will attempt. , The junction of the two armies on the banks of the Guadiana is one of the most marked events of the war of Spain; it will be in its consequences of the greatest effect for the benefit of the service of the Emperor; its first result has been the preservation of Badajoz; the southern provinces of Spain are also entirely re lieved on the side of Portugal, and tranquillity, which was for a moment disturbed on several pbints, is re establishing. The Duke of Ragusa and mystif meant to give battle to the enemy ; but Lord Wel lington has prudently retired befere we could cothe up with him: yet his forces amounted to 60,000 men. of whom 30,000 were English, comprehending the two divisions of General Spencer, which he bad with -1 drawn from the north, 14,000 Portuguese, and 16,0011 Spaniards: he had in this number 5,000 cavalry. It is vexatious that a general affair has not taken place ; the event would not have been uncertain ; but it is to be hoped that an opportunity will offer itself. I must now give your Highness an account of the situation in which we found Badajoz, and of the glori ous defence of its brave garrison. The General of Brigade Philippon, who commanded as Governor, has had the rare merit of creating for himself means, and of rendering serviceable for its defence all tha; ! there were of Frenchmen in Badajoz ; while with as I vigorous hand he kept down the inhabitants, and ea- planed them even on the works of the fortification:. which were incessantly improving. I shall soon have the honour of sending your Highness a copy of the journal of the siege ; et present I can only notice the principal transactions, and by you to represent to the Emperor, General Philippon as deserving the fruits , of his good opinion. I have the honour to ask for him the title of Count, and a suitable endowment ; I shall also solicit rewards for other military men of all ranks, who have distinguished themselves by brilliant ex ploits. On the 16th of May, the day of the battle which 1 fought with the allied army, at Albuera, nine days had already expired since the trenches were opened by the (enemy before Badajoz, and six days since the fire I against the place had comthenced. On the evening of the 15th the besiegers withdrew all their troops, and united them to their other force at 14Ibuera ; they did not re-appear till the 19th During - their absence, General Philippon razed the whole of the works which they had constructed, aad brought within the fortress the platforms and fascines which he found there ; he even took some convoys from the enemy, who were arranging matters for restoring the works of the siege • but they did not, the second time, open the trenches till i the night of the 30th of May. The fire against the place recommenced on the 3d of June, and continued without interruption till the raising of the siege. On the 6th, three breaches were valready made, one in the body of the place, and two in fort San Christoval ; the first in front of the Castle, between Trinity bastion aid the Guadiana, to the left of the half-moon San Row ; but General Philippon immediately set to work to escarp it, and ordered an entrenchment to be made in the solid ground of the Castle; this last measure was perfectly understood, Ithe enemy made only a false attack on this point. I. At Fort San Christoval there was only one practi. cable breach ia the night of the 7th ; 1,500 English threw themselves into the ditch of the fort, applied Ithe r ladders, and attempted the assault ; thrice they Tin urnea to the charge ; 75 brave fellows, commanded I by Cuptain Chauvin, of the 88th, steadily repulsed them, and inflicted on them very great loss ; we had some soldiers wounded with thrustsef the bayonet on the height of the breach, the success was complete s the dead, the wounded. and the ladders remained ha the ditch. . On the following days, the enemy continued his fire on the fort, and endeavoured to enlarge the breach. In the night of the 10th, two thousand English pre sented themselves anew, to give the assault. Captain Jondiou, of the 21st regiment of light iidantry, coin ' manded at Sin Christoval—his garrison consisted of 1140 men, every soldier had four loaded muskets by his side. General Philippon had ordered to be placed a great quantity of charged bombs on the parapets, of whichSerjeant Brette, of the sth regiment of artillerr. had C'e direction (this soldier had before distinguished hiiiiself at the first assault of San Christoval.) Already the enemy had applied forty ladders, the bead of their column had reached the height of the breach, Ser. jeans Brette calls out o Captain, shall we blow up the first mine ?" The bombs and grenades descend, ex ploding they break the ladders, and spread death and Hadaloz, June 21. dismay among the enemy ; while, with the bayonet, TO HI'S HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF NEUFCHATEL * the garrison drive them down to the bottom of the AIAJOR-GENERAL, &C. breach ; in an instant the ditches were filled with dead MONSEIGNEUE—I hasten to inform your Highness, and wounded, among whom were several English that the fortress of Badajoz is relieved, and that the officers—in this confusion some English Wiens de troops which besieged it have retired into the interior manded succour; the brave Jondiou ordered them to of Portugal, to join the rest of the Anglo-Portuguese refit a ladder, and ascend into the fort, where they and Spanish army, commanded by Lord Wellington, should surrender as prisoners. This was accordingly who has taken the same direction. done. At day-break the enemy's General wrote to On the 12th inst. I set out from Llerena with the General Philippon, demanding 4 truce of three hours, troops of the army of the South, which I had caused .I in order to carry off the wounded, who remained in to be united; General Count D'Erlon, who I knew the ditch or under the fire of the fort. The demand must join me two days after, followed the move- : was acceded to. The loss of the English in this affair ment ; the head of his column arrived on the 13th at !exceeded 600 men—we had not ten men rendered Uaagre, where was the sth corps ; I advanced upon unfit lot service. It was one of the finest military teats Los bantos, where I found myself in the midst of the ; on record. establishments of the enemy's army. On the 15th I The loss of the English is the siege of Badajoz took a position at Fuente del Maestre ; on the 17th may be estimated at 3uoo men at least; the Portu at Almendralejo, horn whence on the 18th I core- , guese and Spaniards have also sustained onte loss. municated with the imperial army of Portugal, of 1 On transmitting to yoor Highness the journal of which the advanced guard had arrived at Merida ;Ithe siege, I shall have the honour of presenting you and the same day I concerted with Marshal the Duke 'with the names of those who distinguished them of Ragusa the ulterior movements of the two armies. selves, and who have deserved the fatour of the Em- On the 19th we were informed that the siege of , peror, that you may represent their conduct occur- Badajoz was raised, and that the enemy had abandon.' dingly. ed his position at Albuera, evacuated Olivenza, and The Chief of Battalion Lamarre commanded the was withdrawing his troops to the right bank of the Engineers ; the Chiet of Battalion Cohn, the Anil- Guadiana, on the side of Eine, l a the afternoon of lery ; the latter fell sick during the siege ;he w.s the same day the army made a movement i 1 adv,vc , well seconded by Colonel Gonzales, and the Chief of and I received a letter ton; General Philippon, Go- Battalion Hone, both in the service cm his Cataolic vernor_of Badajoz, *bleb confirmed the retreat el' tstijest. I regret that I cannot, in this first Re i man, the enemy ;on the 20th our troops anived'o the mention the names of all the brave men . 1 Guadiana, before Oliveoza, and A fladajue i the General Philippon praises the firmness of charac army of Portugal manctuvred by the right bank, and ter which M. Theran, the Royal Commissary of the GENERAI 4 2TC. I had the honour of giving an account to your Highness of all the efforts which I had made to place the army in a state for entering the field, and manoeu vring in aid of the army of the south. As I was igno rant of the precise situation of the enemy, I thought it my duty first to approach him, for the purpose of availing myself of circumstances, and also to disguise from him for some time my real intentions. I, there. fore, marched my troops on the road of Rodrigo and on that of Placentia, and I advanced in person on the sth to Rodrigo with the greater part of the cavalry,' and a strong advanced guard. I availed myself of this opportunity to throw into Rodrigo a great quan tity of supplies, and 1 set out in the night in the hope of surprising the division of General Craufurd, which was cantoned three leagues from Rodrigo. A few hours were sufficient for apprising that General of my arrival at Rodrigo, and be immediately put him self in march to retire beyond the Coa, leaving his cavalry in observation, and abandming several ma gazines of provisions. General Montbrnn with his cavalry manoeuvred against the cavalry of the enemy, pushed them with great vigour, and made some pri soners. I learned that Sir Brent Spencer, who corn , manded the army in the absence of Lord Wellington, ' •iad under his orders three divisions, which were marched from the banks of the Coa as far as Castel Branco. I concluded that a part of these troops was destined to cross to the left bank of the Tagus on the first appearance of their being wanted. I re molved open a rapid march ; I sent orders to General Regnier to set out from Puente Roble and Los San tos, where be was with two division% to march upon Banos and Placentia. The bridge-equipage, on which I reckoned in order to cross the Tagus, not having yet arrived from Madrid, my march was delayed; in the mean time, its arrival was a matter of urgency, for all the reports announced' that Badajos was attacked with great vigour ; that three breaches had been made ; that two assaults had' been already given, and that the enemy wished, cost what it would, to make themselves masters of that important city. Whatever were the obstacles which arose from circumstances, we used so much diligence, that my advanced guard arrived at Merida on the evening of the 17th, where it joined the posts of the army of the south. On the morning of the 18th, the Duke of Dalmatia and myself concerted the necessary measures for driving the enemy from his 'entrenched positions at Albuera, and relieving Badajoz • but the enemy retired in all haste, re-crossed the Guadiana, and re-entered Portugal, without its being in our power to come up with him. It is vexatious that he did not dare to await us, for a signal victory would have infallibly marked our arrival in these regions. We entered Badajoz yesterday, where we were able to perceive with our own eyes, what vigeur General Philippon, the Governor, and his brave garrison, had exerted in the defence of that fortress, and how much their conduct was worthy of praise. 1 have the honour, &c.' (Signed) The Marshal Dake of RauusA, _ _ _ 1 i P vi