Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-06-05
Extract Of a letter from lieut.. gen. sir John
Moore to viscount Castlereagh.
SQtrManca, 5th Dee. 1903.

S~atr~ancd, 5M Dee. 1908.
had the honor to address your lordship
on the goth Nov. and to inform you OF the
determination / had come to in consequence
of the defeat of the army of gen. Castanos.
Lieut.. gen. Hope, with the division he COM
mands, marched by Avila to avoid the ST.
perior cavalry Of the enemy in the plain,
and reached Alba de Formes, four leagues
from this, yesterday. His junction is thus
secured, and / am now preparing to fall
back on CT ndad Rodrigo.
The enemy has directed his whole force
towards Madrid, which will probably give.
me time to reach Portugal unmolested.-
Bonaparte is at Amanda de Douros rem
forcements Join him daily.
The French attacked and carried the pass
of Soma Sierra on the 10Th, which opens
to them that of the Guadaramo, and they
are in possession CT Segovia. The few Spa
nish corps opposed to them are fugitiyes
collected from the beaten armies, and they
offer no resistance. have had no commu-
~nication with Madrid, since the seth Nov.
the inhabitants had taken up arms were
barricading the streets, and expressed a de-
termination to die rather than to submit
How long the ~populace of a large town are
likely to persevere in such resolutions, or
how long they will be able to withstand the
formidable attack made against them, | can
not say.
Your lo"dship may believe hat it was
not without much reflection, and extreme
reluctance, that l. determined to withdraw
the army from Spain, and to abandon a
cause, for the success OF which the govern
ment are SO much interested, and tie pub
lie mind SO highly excited.
AS long as there remained an army, and
any hope Of resistance On the part of the
Spaniards, | was determined to persevere,
al all risks, in the junction of the army;
and then, if gen. Castanos had received a
check, or been forced to retreat, it was my.
intention, it nothing better offered, to march
upon Madrid, from whence, getting behind
the Tagus, We should have gwen the Spa
niards an opportunity of r~allying around us,
and have shared their fortunes. This in
teption | mentioned to your lordship in nv
letter OF the Gath, and | impaired it as a
question to Mr.. Frere for his opinion. But
the sudden defeat OF gen. Castanos' army
left me nothing either to aid me or to pre-
vent the further progress Of the enemy.
The British army was at that on
it march TO collect at this place and Aston
ga. General Hope, with the head of his
division, was at Villa Castrin, and from the
collected manner in which it was necessary
for him to march, he could not have Joined
me sooner than he has done. Sir David
Baird's corps could lot be collected at AS
torga before the 18th Of this month; it was
thus impossible for this army to have been
united before the 18th or 18th, and still
later before 1t could be ready to undertake
an offensive movement. This time was
more than sufficient to enable the enemy to
finish the destruction of what little Spanish
force remained, and to turn the greatest
part Of his army against the British, which
when united does not exceed 10000 men,
but which probably he would be able to at
tack whilst dctachedan separated. I con-
slider the British army as standing alone ;
that it's union could not be attempted with
cut great hazard or if Effected, that it
could not withstand the great force that
would be brought against it. 1t was in
vain, | thought, to expect that under such
circumstances it could retrieve the Spanish
cause and though knew the army would
cheerfully attempt whatever I ordered, I
thought my duty called upon me not to ex-
pose it TO a contest in which it's best efforts
could not promise to be successful. 1t may
fairly be said the British army never reach
ed Spain it cannes in the true sense be call
ed an arm until it is united and prepared