Star. — London, England, 1812-12-07 00:00:00

FRENCH PA P.EI:S. PAM% DECEMBER t. ,ARMY OF PORIDGAL. NXTRACT OF .% LETTER .VRIIL"IEN TO 11151.1GELT.ENC1' ltiZ 411NIsTER AT WAR, BY tit:NI:IIAL COUNT sOCIIAM. " Torckbi ;0 , .% 1. MONSEIONEVn—When I arriyed at the army of Portugal to take the command of it, it occupied cantonments between the right bank of the Ebro and Breviesca.—Wishing to Force the enemy to raise the siege of Burgos, whiCh the English army covered, I ordered the army to unite, preparatory to advancing ? On tire 18th October, it pup itself in motion, and was followed by a corps of infantry and cavalry, belong ing to the' Army of the North, under the orders of General CaTirelli. head-quarters were esta blished at 13reyiesca. The advanced guard of the aptly occupied the villages of Quentanovedes and Santa Ololla, which the enemy had been forced to evacuate, and we took a good number of prisoners from him. Here follows a detail, not materially differing from the Marquis of Wellington's account. It concludes thus— 44 The loss of the enemy in these different com bats is ;000 prisoners, all English or Portuguese ; a great parr of them cavalry. lu ibis number we i reckon a Colonel, a Major, two Lieutenant-Cplonels, and twenty-five Officers. " The English army has lost 600 hotse3. Its loss in killed and wounded inay, without exaggeration, I:te estimated at 2,500 men.—The Spanish Genetal)l Alava, has been dangerously wounded.—Our loss amounts to 300 men, killed or wounded." [Here follows an eulogium on Generals Clause], caffarelli, and otl:er Officers]. f 4 Your Excellency will remark, that Lord Wel- I lington, in his retreat from Burgos, has made,doy marches thrice as tong as dip Ant y of PorturA • did, 'when it retreated from Salamanca to the 6: st said city. The truth is, that the English have never rested at the positions which were indicated to them On their march. They have always been forced in their positions, and were obliged to gp to bed three or four leagues 1 - n1;11er - off. 46 It results frcm t►he acknowledgments of the Eng- , lish themselves, that during the siege of the fort . t)ht Burgos, they had 2,.400 Alen rendered unfit for ser vice, which makes the total lop of the English army, in their expedition against Burgos, amount to 7,000 itlen, and 600 horses. 44 Annexed I have given a paiticular Tepo►t of the Pfficers who have particularly distingu►shed them •'elves in the different combats which have taken place daring the march of ti.e army, and until its arrival on the Douro. " I most particularly demand of your I:xcellency the rank of General if Brigade for Colonel Shee, and the cross of the Legion of Honour for Captain Huz, pf the Engineers, attached to my division, and for ;fly Aide-de-Camp, Captain Dumas." (Signed) " Count Sputum." Maniteur, Dec. 1. ARMY OF THE NORTH OF SPAIN. T.,..NTRitST OF A LETTER TO HIS EXcELLENCY THE NfINI - STER AT Wa Tt, ynom onEnAL Cut NT CA1'V414419 • comiwippt oy NORTII. gurges Np•. B. " 1 have the honour to address to your Excellency the report of the Siege of Burgos, which has been transmitted to me by General llubrcton. I add col it a statement of the Officers, Subaltern Officers,l and soldiers, who ;host pirticularly distinguished I themselves, and whom I conceive deserving ot his Majesty, I invoke for them all the solicitude of your Excellency. " From the first days of the siege the garrison found itself expoied m one of the most fearful of wants, that of water, It had no shelter l the I; 4 d weather 1 . 00(4 Jib) be always in mud or humidity. sopported every thing with a firmness and pa tience of which Ohe Officea set it 'an example ;—but it IS especially to tl,e gicat zeal of Generil Diihreton at that constancy in the defence which has been exhibited •is due. ." Major St. Hilaire, who performed the functions of Chief of the Staff, perfectly well, seconded Gene ral Dubretoo ;as did also {'loot, Chief Of the Battalion of Artillery. The latter multiplied the ;means of defence, and created new anes-7—he was every where, at ad times and at•every moment. He conducted himself perfectly well, and I inlicit for • him the favour of your Excel ency, I most also gives a par) of the well-merited praise to M. llehon, Can Lain of Engineers, whp constructed die place. The artillery, commanded by M. Maerciy, Captain of the 7th regiment, H C;IIIVIllely well served, and did purch damage to the enemy. It has proved that the good disposition of the atmy is still preserved, and clis t rlays itself. in a splendid spanner cox difficult occasions. 44 M. Fondousse, Colonel. of the 34:h regimept, .M. Pontenay, chief of the battalion of the 130th, lrehavtd as the chiefs of corps ought to do ; the for mer, especially, is a distinguished officer, Tbe second Company of pioneers, commanded by Captain Nou ailles, has conducted itself perftctly well. " What was found in the fort of the Paris guard has been attached tp the service of the artillery.— This small troop of excellent solditrs, who have con stantly given proofs of their good Condact, merits particular mention. (Signed a covsT CAPTARELLI." EXTRACT OE 4OURNAI. OF THE OPERATIONS OF DEFENCE OF THE FORT OF runi.A)s. • 1 ' September 18, 1812. 1 4 The French .army, under the orders of General Clause), which was encamped on the 17th before Burgcs, began its march on the 18th to continue its I retreat ; the enemy having follow& 4 this movement, ! the fort was surrounded. The garrison was °petiole,' i in forming barracks in the different exterior works, it had begun the demolition of the hpuses adjoining the fort, equally with a view to prevent the enemy from pbt,iining advantageous positions, as to procure ma terials ; but the enemy having occupied the to% n with Sharpshooters, this work could not be contiaticd, Iv) that the garrison is without shelter, and under the necessity of bivouacking. 41 The fort not being in a state of siege, the gar- Xison has beer; employed in constructing the ii oat pressing works, to put it in a state detente. Pon §i. Mi4o Ilias been armed, the imperfect 41 . . ate otrt was such, that it . could not be toted to defelld against a nuitunous and enterprising enemy.' o To obseryp his movements, we blast it small rcd,tn, upon the pelt point of the work of St r fitlictiael, l for the purpose of keeping a small post thert, which should be able to keep the enemy away from eoverf that favoured his march on this work, and even allow him to apino+ch the salient angle of the left demi. bastion, at ten toises, without being seen., A similar redan has been begun with the same objcetkin.advance of the work. These two posts have been occupied by the company of grenadiers of the 130th regiment. 64 The palisading of the gorge of the work of St. Michael not being finished, it has been cooti lime d. a We began Fo coyer the doors of the powder magazine. 46 The garrison has attempted to form same steel, ter upon the ground'•that each corps is to defend. The batteries of Von de la Blanca have been put in condition ; some works have been constructed ; to cover the artillery-men, as well as the sally-gates, which are extremely great. These works are form led, in default of other materials, with biscuit barrels, filled swith earth. The batteries of the lower enclosures have fired upon the reconnoitring parties of the enemy.—[Here follow long details of the events which took place on the 19th, 20th, and 21st.] " 22d Da y—Grcat movements have been perceived among the enemy's troops in the vicinity Ot thefort, The enemy has brought transports of gabions and fascines. He has continued with great activity to complete his communications, both in the interior and on the right branch of the works of St, Michael. He has fortified the curtain of the hornwork with a fresh twelve-pounder, to carry to a further distance than the rest of this battery. The enemy's works 114vc been retarded by a vigorous fire from the bat wry Napoleon, and of all those in front of the attack. We have commenced a small. communication with the chuich de la Blanca. 44 Night between the 224 and 234.—At eleven P.M. the enemy fell on the entrenched camp with ladders and a numerous body of troops, intending to take it by main force. He undertook this enterprise in two columns; the one on the side of the town, and the seooad by the front of the road of St. Andero.— This last made the assault with resolution, and was vigorously received by five companies of the 2d bat talion of the 3 tth regiment of the line. Ihe first as sailants penetrated into the parapet, but were over thrown, and the rest put to flight, partly the fire of musketry, and partly' by loaded obusses, which were set on fire; and thrown into the ditch. The column which attacked on the town side was received with the same vigour, and could not descend the counter scarp. The enemy retired into the next houses, from whence he kept up a very brisk fire on all the points rlr whence they had sallied out. nose who attaupted to salt; dtc point of the second enclosure with lad, ders,wereetceived with the same vigour, which caused then; lilwwise to miscarry. f‘ It Atas solely at the attack of the• breach where the enemy placed his best troops, that he was for a moment successful, as nth only that of the second enclosnie was carried, but the enemy motmted , through it, into the body i the place, into which a i number of English had already penetrated. Never theless, the battle soon took another face, and the enemy VAS overthrown, with cries of Long live the :Ettoeror I" after having seen massacred in the breach, and the interior, the bravest of those who had pene trated there, $, Among the officers killed and left in the hreach, was found an Hanoverian Major.—Our loss consist ed in 41 men, of whom 1 I were killed. The action continued abotit an hour." [Here follow some unimportent details to the 22d]. 22c1 Pay.--About half- an hour before day break, an explosion was heard_ from the enemy's works at Fort St. Michael. The fire of muske try having ceased at nearly the same time, at the different pints of attack, it was discovered at day. bleak that he had evacuated them, and that he had set fire to the arsenals of the city, where a great num ber of articles had been lett since the retreat of the army. Two companies ot selected men were imme, diatel:y sentinto the town, with a detachment of pio neers, to stop the flames, in which they sqcceeded by sacrificing one wing of the building, and made a few prisoners. 66 At ten o'clock the head of the French van-guard appeared in Villa Frias, and at eleven it was recogni. zed, and entered the city. " This is a faithful narrative of the eyents which took place during the siege, which lasted 35 days, during which time the enemy sprung tour mines, made four breaches, as much through that means as by his cannon, and made five assaults, in only one of which he wa.; successful. The loss of the enemy has been upwards of 2000 men ; ours, in killed and wounded, consists of 16 offi cers, 607 sub-officers and soldiers; of the latter 304 men have been killed or are dead of their wounds. (Signed) DUBIIETO N. Castle of Burgos, October 23, 1812." MALTA AND CADIZ MAIL& MESSINA, OC I'OBER s. We learn from undoubted authority, that the British Government has contracted with some respectable merchants for a prodigious quantity of corn trorn the Levant, for the support of the Engli,ll armies in the Mediterranean and the Peninsula, and that a portion is expected every day to arrive at Malta. PA! 4RMO, OCTOBER 2. . . where he could see the fort, and in revenge he was It is with the greatest satisfaction we congratulate galled by our obusses and our cannon, He has suf. the Public on the intelligence, that the health of his fered greatly in this action, and left in the ditches Royal Highness the Hereditary Prince o f t h e T WO about forte dead, among which are three o ffi cers, and Sicilies, and Vicar-General, is so tar restored, th at likewise the ladders he brought. He must have he h enabled to resume his daily occupation in the at carried off a great numbsr of wounded, if we are to fairs of State.' judge from the works abandoned on the points where MADRID, NOVEMBER 11. e made his attacks. The rest of the night was em- General Bassecourt yesterday entered this capital ; , ployed in keeping up a vigorous fire. a•in the evening his cavalry arrived, and to-mo rro w . ••- Our loss during these 24 hours, consists in one !horning his infantry will enter. The Zmpecin u clo Officer and eight men killed, and one officer and and Medico are also here. [twelve mep wounded. On the '23el day, at day-light, CADIZ, NOVEMBER 19. we perceived the erection of a battery : the artillery of the place ruined it in a very short time. His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Eng land has consented to the appointment of the Mar- I to request permission to carry off his dead and bury 44 At noon the English General sent a flag of truce, I quiso . f Wellington as General in Chief of th e Spa n i s h them. The Commandant gave orders to have theta, f arm i e s. Novette9t 24.—Upon the recommendation of the carried two hundred wises from the counterscarp by D a detachment from the garrison. This operation Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, the Regency has c o n fer re d brought on a suspension of hostilities for three hours: the command of the 2d, Sd and 4th armies on Seno r the reminder of the day was, according to custom, Castanos,,the S win s the title of General in Chief of the employed in retarding the progress of the enemy's forces of Walks, by means of rie artillery Of the floats attacked. I GRENADA, NOVEMBER it [Here follows an account of the measures taken to It is said that the French have evacuated Valencia. form a mine, and those adopted to prevent diem.] MADRID, NOVMBEIt io. 66 Night between the 27th and 28th.—The enemy ACCOUNT OF THE LATE OCCURRENCFS IN MADRID, EX has commenced having his first parallel on the left, TRACTED AND IN PART ABRIDGED FROM THE CON.. on the heights of St. Michael, and on the left, on the ciso, OF THE 20ru AND 21st NOV. suburbs of St. Pierre. He has carried on the work , On the 99th of October, at two P. M. orders were with extreme activity, in such manner as to be en- I received from his Excellency the Duke of Ciudad tirely covered by day; he has also perfected his Rodrigo, that the whole army on the Tagus sliould works on the right. We have opposed it by a conti- return to Old Castile. It would be difficult to de nual fire of artillery and musketry. Our loss in these scribe the alarm which seemed to have seized all 24. hodrs are two wounded. the officers of Government, without reflecting on "i Night between 29th and 30th.—At half-past the effect which so sudden and inconsiderate an im. one A. the enemy set fire to the furnaces which he pression might produce on llteinhabitants. Nothing had established in the plain ground on the side of the seemed to be thought of but the individual seculity entreached camp, between the traverses and the of their persons, and the Junto having dissolved it. powder ipagazine • but the powder having been phi- self, the Captain G e ne r al, t h e P o li t i ca l Chief, an d the red too low , th e breach was not found practicable, Intendant affixed a notice, in substance purporting, and the enemy, who had presented himself there to that the entrance of the enemy into the capital being Make the assault s was obliged to retire within his at hand, and considering that the sacrifice of their i works; 'Leder a most destructive fire, at the same ' persons would be useless, they had resolved to re time, he caused the froot of. the town to be insulted , move to another place, where they might issue thitir by a' strong coltiarm, but which being vigorously re-' orders with more freedom. ceived, met likewise with very little success ;we pro- On the evening of the 29th it was almost generally kited of the remainder of the night by toiming a ' believed, that the French had broken the lines of the mask of bags of earth on the breach. We had nine allied army • others reported the English army h a d men killed and wounded. suffered a d efeat in Castile ; yet notwithstanding, and [Here follows an extremely long detail of events though on the morning of the 30th, the people were. of minor importance, which took place up to the 18th without government of any kind, and the care of the of October.] prisons and hospitals was abandoned, no robbery ltith Day.—The enemy has, since the morning, nor mischief' of any kind was committed. The in-, kept up a vigorous tire from his batteries, to Widen • dignation at the paper left by the Chiefs was indeed ' , the breaches. He played with success till four o'clock great ; but it WAS not manifested by any cries or ex—, in the evening. During the time, he had re-united • pressions which could propagate alarm. eight battalions in his trenches, which he drvided in The two Alcades were among the first to abandon three attacks, to make the assault at. tour o'clock, the people ; the greater part of the Regidors did the, Under the fire of an attack by mine, placed at St. same but there w e re, no t w i t h stan di ng , men o f a Romano, which blew tie the whole of the indented firm character and generous soul, who, far from wall which defended this post ; these three Columns feeling alarm, braved all dancer when the safety of moved forward briskly—the one - against the breach the people was in question. ,Three Regidors alone at St. Romano, the second, carrying scaling ladders remained, Don P. S. de Barnanda, Don. M. de Ri against the point of the second enclosure, in the face vacola and Gen bia, and P. Uriarte, who, having of the traverses of the entrenched camp, and the third called in the assistance of the Regidors and' nomina against she breach on the side of Sc. Michael. The ted of common accord, as Corregidor, ad interim, the company at St. Romano, not being able to stop the Corregidor Duano, Don Pedro Sans de Baranda.— enemy, retreated behind the second enclosure, and 0, n the 31st an e di ct was a ffi xed up in ail public immediately set tire to tine powder which was placed places, calling for resignation and tranquillity. in the church, and which had such effect that it fell On the Ist November, in the morning, when the entirely down at the mument when the enemy well allied troops had entirely departed, an advanced spreading themselves in that direction, and caused ghard of 4.•refich cavalry appeared at the gate of To the destructioe of all those near it. • - redo, with a Colonel at their head, and inquired for " This explosion, and the file ; kept up from the 1 the Justice. They were met by a deputation from half-moon battery, which took the column of attack the Junta, and a notice to the public was issued, sig ht &ink, - cause's them so much dam age iliatakei re. nifying that his Maj est y was a b out to return to the tired in disortter to the ' opuses in the town , fioul capital midi a part o f leh troops, and expected to be received with all the coosi yl d t or hhe a t t ht io; opc vz osm h e i ne ch .teredi ei rs: stances require , and corresponding to the ide ah peace a ti t i l e d e l v r e a t t l e in rn g it o y f with aviic the Municipality was established. On the 3d, the Judges of the Tribunals wer e pointed ; but on the 4th, inconsequence, it is said:, a dispatch receiyed, Souk sreturne d to Old Coati by the gate cf Guadarama, Marshal Jourdan mainingin Madrid with the division of Droue t . On the sth, at eight in the evening, Generalln dan received a dispatch, but it did not transpire fi l whom nor whence, but it is generally agreed i t ca from Old Castile ; and at seven at nooa every di was in motion, and the place entirely evacuated, ;On the 6th, an address to the inhabitan ts , reto mending to them good conduct and orderly ho viour, was issued. O n the 12th, all' t h e s i ck i 4 retnotred. On the same d a y a report was spread d the French had established themselves in the a § bourhood of the Tagus. On the 28th, it was reported a great battle h ,'taken place, and many carts of wounded hail tarried off, but it proved to be false. t-s On the 29th it was reported there had bee n art I battle, but that at night t h e F renc h had passed,' Tagus at two points, and that nothing could pi, their entrance. On the Ist November our guests were eipeo every hour, but did not appear. On the 9d it was announced they would shire fore noon, 'as they actually did, and another n o t, was given that 11:e principal guest wctild immediat e 4oc arrive, ll4. and ord many er. pawns illuminaied w i thou p On The 9th November, it is observed,%oo i n fi to and 6 or 700 bone, commanded by J. Martin Mondiden, entmed, and the Pen* at Matinci, truly Spanigh enjoyed quiet? RUSSIAN miutifir Mart 9 SILENSKA, OCTOBER to, (NOV. 1 ' cg Your Imperial Majesty will have percei ve d' t )t. la mha a ienen t dtnto d oeb i o e wyaub intention 11 ; , m y for go m wilag e a r r4s: c toal o ad,n m i:gdi m soafin u d)dr n eoc i t uceeoanr determined communications, rpes occupy : te ic on p rovinces.eiKimoa Ien e m y I movement I anticipated the enemy at Maloy viz. A considerable corps of the enemy was, a same time, on the road from Mosbaisk 'to lAt Maloyaroslavitz the enemy was beaten back. then, with the greatest part of my army, went to lh I dyne, where the enemy, in the mean time, was i tained by a body of Cossacks. " 4 The enemy, finding . himself anticipated on i • the rnads, began to retire through Vereya; as a Moshailk road. In consequence of this, I marled • I following disposition :—MT army marched dire 1 upon Viasma ; the carp; of General Miloradovii (which forms nearly the half of my force) fellows ti enemy in a paralksl line, between me and the hi shaisk roads ; and all the troops frivin the Boa he received orders to anticipate the enemy, to dean, all the bridges, to break tip the roads, and to gig him all possible annoyance. " As I was about to dispatch the courier with th communication, I received a report horn &Gem of Cavalry, Platoff, dated 20th October (Nov. 4, while marching, in which he . says :—. This win; at dawn, I attacked, with two brigades, the left xi of the enemy's rear-guard. The alarmed em then continued his retreat; I caused'him to beil lowed on the flanks with Cossacks and anal whilst I threw myself upon his rear with canntaa Cossacks. The enemy several times halted, a spewed against us infantry and cannon ; but, tlim ened in his flanks and rear, he was still - compelled! retreat. He seemed disposed to make a stand lad height near the convent of Kolotzk ; but oared lary, however, obliged him to betake himself will and we took twenty pieces of cannon, In cosi quence of this fortunate attack by the Coss-1.:4a entire battalions were annihilated, and I send ye Excellency their two standards. The enemy'sl l is very considerable, as the Cossacks took both prisoners. To-day, only about a hundred Web brought in. The batch; continues, and I shall ads have to report to your Excellency when it is eadv and I shall send you a list of all those who baia4 tinguished themselves. " , Yesterday Major-General Ilovaiskz cut del more than 500 men. I shall follow the energy, i t make him suffer dreadfully. His rear-guard ii passing Gs idneve. His army may, perhart k 1 I Gschatz this day. On the road from the email Moshaisk, the enemy left more than 500 harWil hind him, and a great number of carts and blotto He must suffer much from want of ptovisiew 81 forage. He even caused his powder wailem st ) 1 blown up.' " The original report of General fletsif 104. and ydur Majesty wilt see, that at the Coat/ Kolotzle the enemy made a stand, but 'ere at and made to fly by General Platof. He ica i t cannons and two standards. The vi rt ol bo o in such haste, that he burned all his hea Y Y " and powder waggons ; and during the nighthi u eo marched his artillery by the light of Worm' . , •Failatacrs FttO * 'PRIV ATE t. MIRA MN ST. " • TERM; Ron. • IS " Petersbarfit Oda% 4 4 The French have again been defeated br: genstein and Stenheil, and St. Cyr's corps is or entirely destroyed. The French erns] is P i t reduced to eat Imrse-flesh. Wittgenstein bow, to his Imperial Majesty, that be hopes !IS:, Frenchman would escape out of Russia. I . t W fellow (Bonaparte) is done for ; and . &beef the country with half his , army lie may P • o! ; stars." "NovE MUM 10.—The news of this day ill the French are marching in three columns ; de toff has had an affair With the first divisienn: and has taken 6000 prisoners, sortie sty VIM others add, 60 pieces of caqpion.. As the earq try to break through from Wilma by Del and Rosloul to the south, which seems his Ischeme, we hear, that to frustrate this plo,. of troops, principally consisting of militia, I rived at Rosloul, under command d Geo tishtsheff. Wittgenstein and Tcbitchagoff are to join in time towards Orcha ; if this be accot I cannot see how Bonaparte-can possibly ee ' is said that General Plata' is created cotta' ... I = sk 1 Its co Ls bo I 'fb the the • lot vat d, bi bet hem 10. pie the his MX POI ICU Wt thal the sad “ Doe, Sou ease the ihip tent RUM cable Hoe • trooj lensi fella 3000 cep they 0711( ea ' day I 14( attacl and t four i 'Frac 64 ( theVi t 2 ca • "1 be: Perld Noye s at tbei Orl ow *Una, ttegn, *ea al arke, I " fr Ursth wi 'on e ba '