The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-09

| such skill, that Wellington found it inn.
| possible to aSSail him with success. Tax
| ing advantage of every position offered by
| the country, the French Marshal would
| make stand till the main body of the
army and the military wagons passed on.
/ then slowly. and in perfect order fall
| back, still presenting the same adaman-
| tine wall to the foe.
Thus for more than four months in the
dead OF NInter-frOm the middle of Noyem-
ber to the first of May-did Massena
slowly retreat towards the frontier of POr-
| tugai. AT Almeida he made a stand. and
| the two armies prepared for battle. Well
| 1ngton was posted along the nights op-
| posite the town. The French commenced
the assault, and fell with such vehe-
mence on the British that they were
| driven from their position in the village of
| Fuentes d'Onoro. A counter-charge by
| the English retrieved part of the village,
| and night closed the conflict Early next
| morning MaSSena again commenced the
| attack, and IN short time the battle be-
| came general. So severely was Yelling
| ton handled, that he was compelled TO
| abandon his position and take UP another
| on row OF nights in rear of the first In
his retreat he had to cross a plateau four
| miles in breath which was perfectly cur
tanned in with French cavalry. Making
his lett wing pivot, he swung his entire
| right IN admirable order across the plain
to the nights he wished to occupy None
this perIiouS movement
Formed into squares they moved stead
lily forward while the artillery of New was
laundering in their rear and his strong
columns rolling in an unbroken torrent
against them: Those brave squares would
at times be lost to view in the cloud of
the enemy that envelOped them, and then
emerge from the disorder and smoke of
battle, without formation broken steadily
executing the required movement on
whlch the contest hung. Had they given
way, Wellington would have been lost
1t was during this day that three repi-
mentS OF English soldiers met the Imperial
Guard IN full shock, and both disdaininp
to yield, for the first time during the war,
bayonets crossed, and the forest of steel
OF thOSe two formidable masses of in
fantry lay levelled against each others
bosoms. The onset was made by the
British, and so terrible was the shock
That many OF the SteadfaSt Guard were
lifted from the ground, and sent. as if
hurried from catapult, into the air. The
clattei OF the crossing steel and the inter
mlngllng In such wild conflict of two such
bodies OF men, is described as having
been terrible in the extreme.
AT night the English were forced back
from all their positions; but the new
stand Wellington had made was too for
mldable to be assaied, and after remain
ing three days before it, Massena again
commenced his retreat This ended the
pursuit, and the latter fell back to Sala
manca, having lost since his invasion of
Portugal more than u third of his army.
The crueltIeS practiced during this re-
treat have given rise to severe accusa-
tons on the part of the British But it
remains to be shown, before they can he
made good, that these were not necessary
both to save himself and to harass the
enemy. All war is cruel; and the dcsola-
ton and baTenresS that followed in the
track of the French army, wasting the in
habitantS with famine. were a powerful
check on Wellington in his pursuit. The
sympathy of the inhabitants with the
English doubtless made MasSena less
careful CT their wants and sufferings: but
his barbarity has been greatly exaggerated
by Walter Scott and other English his
torians. The track of retreating and
starving army must always be covered
with woe; and one might rs well com plain
OF the cruelty of a beSiceing force because
the innocent women and children of the
invested town die by thousands with
hunger.
In 1915 the old Marshal was accused in
the Chamber of Deputies of plotting a
conspiracy to bring back Napoleon. He
Indignantly and successfully repelIed the
charge, but the blow it gave his feelings
haStened, it is thought his death. and
he died the next year at the age of So
MaSSena had two sons and one
daughter. The daughter married his
favorte Aid Camp, Count Reille The
eldest son having died, the second sue
ceeded to the fathers estates and titles.
(Io be continue