Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-10-16
Battle of Corunna.

There is scarcely any person who reads at all,
who has not read of of Sir John Moore, and the
Battle of Corunna.
Far more important battles than that of Co.
runna, have passed almost from the memory of
mankind far more distinguished names than
that of Moore have either perished along with
the memory of the deeds which gave them mo-
mentary importance or are buried so profoundly
beneath the rubbish of history, that no antigua
ran thinks it worth the trouble to disinter them
But Moore's memory is embalmed in the verse
that immortally saves" 1t will live as long as
the noble ballad ia which it is preserved shall
exist; and that will probably be as long as the
language in which it is written continues to be
spoken. There is a romantic interest attached
to this story, and wild grandeur connected
with the manner OF his burial, which too pecul-
arly adapted them to the use of the poet.
On the 10Th of January, 1909, Sir John Moore
was killed in the battle of Corunna, and at the
dead of the night, was buried upon the ram
parts of that ancient city, rendered forever clas
sica for the events which took placein its neigh
borhood at that time.
In the autumn of 1908, Sir John Moore was
placed in the command of the British army in
Portugal, and received orders from England to
advance into Spain and yield every possible as
distance Il the Spaniards, wto had ceiisotsA
mense armies at several points, and appeared de-
termined to resist to the last drop of blood the
appropriation of their kingdom which had been
made by the Emperor Napoleon. A French ar
my had already been captured in the South Of
Spain, and the spirit of the people was, to all
appearance, fairly reused. In the meantime
however, Napoleon was not idle. He directed
immense forces to assemble in the Northern part
of Spain, and leaving the conferences at Effort,
passed rapidly through Paris and arrived about
the middle Of November at Victoria. He i'm
mediatey set his immense armies in motion, and
they moving through the entire breadth of Spain
in its northern portion, swept the Spanish forces
before them like chaff before the wind. On the
fifth of December he entered Madrid in person
with seventy thousand men the Spanish armies
having been entirely annihilated, and no portion
of the whole country offering resistance, except
the heroic city of Saragossa. At this point he
gathered his forces, and was preparing for de-
scent upon the Southern provinces, which must
have resulted in their entire subjugation when
his attention was suddenly called to the North
of Spain,
Ignorant Of the utter dispersion of the Span
ish armies, and continually urged by the British
; Minister in Spain, Sir John Moore had early in
December, advanced as far into that country as
Salamanca. Napoleon had heard of this at Ma
Q drid but never dreaming that Moore could be g
uorant of his success, he presumed that he would
retreat into Portugal, and regain his ships which
were lying at Lisbon.
f While he was preparing to proceed to the
South, he received q communication from Mar
q shal Soult,who was at Carron with about twelve
= thousand men, that the British army instead o
n retreating had advanced, and that he expected
to be assailed in his position by a force morC
= than double as large as his own Moore in fac
after he had learned the destruction of the Span
:, sh armies had taken the bold steps of advancing
into Spain, turning Napoleon's attention upoI
, himself, and by drawing him off from the South
ern provinces, giving the Spaniards time to a
), rouse from the shock, and again prepare for {
defence of their independence. He propose,
! further to Napoleon dance through the province
:. Of Gallicia, to embark at Corunna, and conve,
his army to the South of Spain, The FrencI
Emperor did not hesitate a moment to relinquis
his design upon the South He wrote instant
ly to Soult to receive the attack Of Moore an
, to retreat, carrying him as far into the nterio
as possible, so that he might get him between
two other French armies while Soult was il
= front, and he himself was advancing to close u
the rear, and cut him off completely from Gal
:, licia.
The French army was Immediately set in mo
ton. So eager was Napoleon to grasp tn
~ prize, that in the midst Of violent storm o
'' snow, rain and seet, over roads almost mpassi
BILE, he urged forward fifty thousand men wit
nS two hundred pieces of cannon, with such rapid
lty that they passed over the ground at the rat
ey OF twenty miles day. The suffering wa
of course immense, and great numbers died
lis, cold and fatigue; but the soldiers did not mn,
ge muir, for they saw their mighty leader on foo
lite marching through the impossible road at the
hat head defying wind and weather, occasional
the stopping and Sezing handspike to pry the gu,
'llc out of the deep mud and doing himself the d.
bis ty of dozen soldiers.
] Urged on by his fiery zeal, they pushed 70