Napoleon Author:Theodore Ayrault Dodge Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SALAMANCA AND VITTORIA. 1812-1813. Joseph and Napoleon were at odds, and the Russian campaign left the king poor troops and little money. Wellington's positio... more »n was admirable. From Portugal he could debouch upon the French right, centre or left. The only suitable plan for the French was to concentrate and fight, but the troops were dispersed all over the land. In May Wellington advanced, and June 17 laid siege to Salamanca. Marmont handsomely outmanoeuvred him, to relieve the town; bnt in a battle, July 22, Wellington badly defeated him, and Joseph, who had come up to sustain him, retired to Madrid, while Clause!, vice Marmont, wounded, moved back across the Douro. Salamanca was the beginning of the end. From Madrid Joseph retired towards Valencia, whither he also ordered Soult, and Wellington occupied the capital August 12. Glausel reorganized and moved towards the Douro. Wellington vacated Madrid September 1, leaving Hill behind him, pushed back Clausel, and besieged Burgos citadel, but on November 21 fell back, foiled. Meanwhile Joseph returned, with his assembled forces under Soult. Hill retired and joined Wellington November 7 on the Tormes, and on November 11 all the French assembled. With his superiority Soult might well have attacked Wellington, but both armies went into winter quarters. Thus in 1812 Andalusia was lost, hut Wellington cannot be said to have gained much. During the winter the English grew in strength and discipline, and when 1813 opened, the French cause being seriously hurt by the Russian campaign, Wellington was ready to attack more seriously than heretofore. Joseph took up a long line from Madrid to Bayonne, and in May Wellington crossed the Douro, so as to threaten his communications. He largely outnumbered Joseph, who left Madrid for the last time Ma...« less