The National Register.
London, England, 1812-02-09 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER•

FEB. 9.

nkraßT FROM TIII4 MARSHAL COUNT SUCIIET TO HIS HIGH

NESS THE PRINCE OF WAGRANI, &C.
" Camp before Valencia, Jan. 8, 1812.
" I omitted in my Report of the 29th Dec. to render your Excellency
an account of the attempt made by Blake to retire in the night time
from ValenCia, and regain the open country, for which purpose he
showed himself with 12,000 men. They met a lisely reception from
the brave Poles of the Ist regiment of the Vistula. Nearly the whole
of this column was driven back through the town by the upper bridge;
it was with great difficulty that two or 300:nien were able to gain the
mountains by taking advantage of the obs:turity of the night ; more
than 400 were either killed or drowned in the canals. ' From, this mo-
ment desertion hat made rapid strides among them ; within four days
more than 1500 deserters have presented themselves at our out-posts.
Between the 30th and 31st, the advanced guards of the 4th division
advanced within a short distance of the place; 2000 Spaniards, with,
two pieces of cannote made a sortie to repulse them. General Severoli
immediately brought forward a battalion of the Ist Italian regiment of
the line, who attacked them under the fire of the walls, repulsed them,
and forced them to re-enter. The Chief of battalion, Pouti Provart,
Aide-de-Camp to the Minister of War for Italy, and_Bouilly, Aide
de-Camp to Gen. Severoli, have distinguished themselves; the last
has been wounded in the leg.
" On the e9:11 December the avant guard entered St. Philipe,
fifteen leagues from Valencia, and half of the distance to Abeam,
where it took a million of cartridges, and a great quantity of rice. -The
Inhabitants of this town, which' contains 15,000 souls, came out to
meet us, and conducted themselves wcll. I shall rouse Alcira, situate
on the point of the island of Xucar, it being a very advantageous po-
sition for actual operations ' The troops' escaped from the •environs
of Valencia are attempting toTaliy between Alicant and Alcoy.
" In the night between the Ist •and 2d o'; January, the trenches
were opened by a'ooo men, at eighty toises from the works of St. Vi-
cettte and Oliveto. The 'General Count Paunetier, who had on the
same day arrived at the camp with his brigade, was, •by the rules of
seniority, appointed to the command of the trenches, which were
pushed with vigour, and would have been perfectly sticcesstul, had
not Colonel Henri, of the Engineers, received a mortal wound.. This
superior Officer is regretted by the whole army; in the space of two
years he leis led on the attack at seven different sieges. Notwithstand-
ing the fire kept up by the anerny, our works continued duy andnight
until five o'clock in. the morning. The artillery for raising of five bat-
teries, and for arming of two, within sixty toises of the works, are
already arrived, whilst the. engineers had proceeded' within fifteen toises
of the ditch. The rapid progress of these works, and the astonishing
desertion sustained by the enemy, &tenni:led et eni on abandoning their
lines, fortified as they were, at so much trouble %77.,i expense. At
break of day Colonel Beloti, Commander in the trenches, before Oli-
veto, caused the ditch to be passed, and soon threw three hundred gre-
nadiers into that fort, .where they found twenty pieces of cannon.—
General Montmarie ado, ted the same measures against Sr. Vicente, bypo,sasAng himself of the suburb, and pushing the enemy's posts back'
into the city.
" I made no delay in convincing myself of the whole importance of
the vast works which- the enemy heti ebandoned te• ti. to'ether wi•a
tielea-one tdeces of cannon, and immediately directed 6-enetal Palcea-
hike to possess himself of the Suburb de Quarte and to drive Lie
enemy into the place, which was performed with the greatest promp-
titude. 1 wished to profit by the disorder which such an event ..youid
cause in this great city, and ordered the • boelhaadreent to commence,
which was accordingly dune, and was et a:eaged throughout the whole
of the day.
" On the morning of the 6th, I couthierine that an army -which
had just abundoned works of such strength, mounted with eighty-one
pieces of cannon, and the terrible effects of the bombardment on an im-
mense population, would have called upon Geueral Blake to capitulate,
charged my First Aide-de-Camp, Colonel -Meyer; to be the 'bearer of
Illy proposals, and to express ley desire of laving a great city from
reit, ; but he was neither permitted to enter the city nor to see Genert.l
I;:ake. At noon this day I received the reedy ; this General is-no longer
the master, he is ()tinged to obey-tile detriona of a fanatical Junta,
coineosed of seven persons' five Of which are Franciscan Mbnits and the
other two Butchers of Velencia, 'the saute who about three years ago
ordered the massacre of 400 French families that were driven out of the
country.
" I therefore continue my operations with. vigour against • the place,
' whith, at this ',resew moment, cetants a population of 200,00" souls;
five ofethe pane:pal chiefs Of•.the tinsureents are now within its walls,
with all their property, and whatever Spain possesses of fanatics or
Madmen. ;he engineers will open their works under the walls, the
artillery raises formidable batteries; and notwithstanding the rains, it;
will, in a few days, be able to make a breach in the last enclosure. The
army
is waiting with impatience for the atta k; and it we should hate
to make a storm of houses, as at Saragessa, it will be but short con •
tinuance, by the ability and rapidity of out miners.—l am, with respect,
" Marshal Come SUCHET."
REPORT OF COUNT SUCHET TO THE PRINCE OF NEUFCHA-

TS[, AND WAGRAM.
cc " Head-quarters, Valencia, Jan. 12, 1812.
Mo N*E;GINEIIII--1 bet your Serent highness to a:ln to hi* vla-

jesty the Emperor, that his orders have been executed—Valencia has
submitted to his arms. -
" The rapid movement 'of the 26th December forced the enemy
to retire into their fortified lines ; the pursuit of the troops which
escaped. from Valencia to St. Philipe deprived Blake of all. hope of
succour. The investment was finished with perseverance. The army,
thirsting for glory, sought dangers, and with the greatest valour re.
pulsed three sortils.
44 The boldness of the engineers, who, in the night of the Ist and
241 Jan. opened trenches within front 70 to Si toises of the enemy's
works, and who in four days and four nights carried their mines within
SO toises of the foss& ; the surprising efforts of the Artillery, who erected
batteries at 60 wises, and which they succeeded in arming notwithstand-
ing the rains anti dreadful roads • the constancy of the infanntry in
sharing all these labours, caused the abandonment of the enemy's lines,
defended by SO pieces of cannon.
"These lines are 6000 toises in extent ; Valencia expended 12,000,000
of reals, and employed some thousands of men for two years in erect-
ing them.
On the sth I commenced the bombardment, and on the 6th offered
a capitulation, which being refused, I redoubled our fire and in three
days and three nights, 2700 bombs were thrown into the city, causing
great explosiOns, and several vast fires.
" The artillery, by a praiseworthy emulation, succeeded in erecting
two batteries. manned with ten 24-pounders each, ready to make a
breach in the interior defence. The engineers, with their usual activity,
had effectel a lodgment in the last houses of the suburbs, and placed
mines under two of the principal gates of the town, when General Blake
f, acing the terrible and near approaches of an assault, accepted the
followint, capitulation, which places in the power (4 the Emperor the
city of Valencia, 374 pieces of artillery, 180,001bs. of powder, 3,000,000
of cartridges, -16,131 prisoners of the line, according to the accompany-
ing statement, delivered by.the General in Chief of the Spanish Staff,
and 1950 sick in the hospitals of Valencia and Valdigna, 1800 cavalry
and artillery horses, 21 stand of colours, 893 officers, 22 General or
Brigadiers ; among which are sayas and Lardizabel, commanding the
expeditionary divisions; 'Miranda, Marco del -Ponte. Command_r of
the Valenriau army • Sea, Commandant of the cavalry,. the Marquis
of Rocca, &c.; eour lieutenant-Generals, six Field Marshals, and
a great number of Colonels, the General in Chief O'Donnel,and Captain .
tkelleral lilak
" On this occasion the Insurgents have experienced an irreparable
lass; lost fifty good artillery officers, formed in the school of Sego.
via, 333. miners and sappers, and 1400 old artillerymen, among which
are four fine companies of horse artillery the disarming of the militia
is proceeded in and will soon he oomple:ed.
44 Vow Serene Highness will perceive by reading the 4th Article
of the capitulation, that I lirrve seized occasion to ft:!fil the beneficent
wislics of the Eniperor in obtaining the speedy return to the army of
2000 French or allies prisoners, and the hope of a still more consider-
able exchange.-1 am, with respect, &c. 44 SUCHET."