Fire and Sword (84 page)
Authors: Simon Scarrow
‘Yes, sir, I did.’
‘As we know, there was no such attempt. Did Burrard offer you any explanation as to why he did not order a pursuit?’
‘Yes, sir.’
There was a short pause before Dundas sighed. ‘Would you be kind enough to explain his reasoning to the inquiry?’
‘Sir Harry was of the opinion that we had insufficient intelligence about the enemy’s strength and his dispositions. Therefore it would be prudent to await the arrival of General Moore and his men in order to ensure that we had the advantage in numbers before continuing our advance.’
‘Did you agree with his opinion?’
‘No, sir, I did not.’
‘Why?’
‘We had beaten General Junot. The information I had from my Portuguese allies was that Junot’s army was the only enemy army between Vimeiro and Lisbon.Therefore it was my belief that we could have pursued him to destruction, before turning to liberate Lisbon.’
‘As it was, the enemy was allowed to escape.’
Arthur hesitated a moment. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘Do you feel you were responsible for their escape?’ Dundas asked in a very deliberate tone.
‘No, sir. I urged Sir Harry Burrard, and Sir Hew Dalrymple when he arrived to take command, to march at once against General Junot. If they had, the French would have been defeated, and there would have been no armistice, and no treaty of Cintra.’
‘And no inquiry,’ Dundas added with a faint smile. ‘Let us turn our attention to the armistice.You signed it.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Did you draft the agreement?’
‘No, sir. It was drafted by Sir Hew and the French representative, General Kellermann.’
‘So why did you put your name to it?’
‘I was ordered to, sir. By General Dalrymple. My signature is a mere form.’
‘I see. And did you agree with the terms of the armistice, as ratified at Cintra?’
Arthur swallowed nervously, but strained to keep his face calm, and his voice unflustered. ‘There is no simple answer, sir. The object of the campaign was to capture Lisbon and eject French forces from Portugal. The treaty achieved that with no loss of life. To that extent I approved of the treaty.’
‘However?’ Dundas prompted.
‘However, I contend that we should have accepted a few more casualties and pursued and destroyed Junot’s army, and thereby damaged wider French morale and inspired our allies. In addition, I think the terms agreed were over-generous to our enemy and have damaged the reputation of Britain. Having defeated Junot, it was absurd to permit his army to be returned to France, rather than be taken into captivity.’
Dundas narrowed his eyes. ‘You are a master of understatement, General Wellesley. However, I feel it only fair to inform you that Sir Hew Dalrymple is unequivocal in ascribing the blame for the treaty to you.’
Arthur felt a cold chill of anger grip his heart.‘I fail to see how I can be held to account for the treaty. If General Dalrymple refused to heed any of my advice in the conduct of the campaign, I am certainly not answerable for the consequences.’
Dundas looked away and conferred quietly with the other panel members, making a few more notes on the papers before him.At length he turned back to Arthur and continued questioning him on more precise details for the next hour, after which Arthur was permitted to leave.
For the next week other officers were called before the inquiry, and then the panel retired to consider the evidence and write their report.As Arthur waited, he made preparations to return to Dublin with Kitty and the children to resume his civilian duties at the castle, but he could not help considering his prospects.At best, he would be cleared of any blame, but he knew that the stigma of the Cintra treaty might stick to his name for many years to come, unless he had the chance to fight again and win a victory that would expunge his part in the armistice.At worst, he faced public censure and would be stripped of his post of Chief Secretary, with no hope of achieving high office at any future date.
Kitty and the boys went back to Dublin, but Arthur lingered in London, feeling he was in a peculiar state of limbo. His friends and acquaintances remained slightly at a distance, as if he had some kind of illness, and yet inside he felt certain that he would not be censured by Sir David Dundas and his colleagues.The fact that it had been a military inquiry, rather than a parliamentary one, was a considerable source of comfort in such politically partisan times.
The wait dragged by, and Arthur’s spirits settled lower and lower, until three days before Christmas. He was taking breakfast, alone, when he heard a loud knock at the front door. A moment later a footman opened the door. There was a short, muffled exchange, then footsteps pounded down the hall and the door to the dining room burst open. William stood on the threshold, breathing hard, eyes wide with excitement.
‘Good God,’ Arthur exclaimed. ‘What on earth is the matter with you?’
‘Just . . . come . . . from my club.’ William struggled to catch his breath, and swallowed before continuing.‘One of the others . . . brought news of the inquiry.They’ve just published.’
Arthur froze, knife and fork poised over his lamb chops. ‘Well?’
‘They’ve approved the treaty . . . six votes to one. There’ll be no action taken against you or the others.’
Arthur nodded slowly. Inside he felt no joy or sense of vindication, only a sudden heavy weariness. It was over, then. Dundas and the others had decided to close ranks and protect their fellow generals, and the radical press and politicians would howl with protest that they had been denied their prey.
‘You’re in the clear,’ William continued. ‘You must show your face around London, and in Parliament. There’s a reputation to rebuild. So what do you intend to do?’
‘Do?’ Arthur replied calmly. ‘I intend to finish my breakfast. Then I shall complete my arrangements to re-join my wife and children in Dublin.’
Chapter 52
Napoleon
Madrid, December 1808
‘And there’s another message from his majesty the King of Spain and the Indies,’ said Berthier, holding out a brief note towards the Emperor. Napoleon glanced sharply at his chief of staff, to discern whether Berthier was being ironic. It was out of character for Berthier, but Napoleon wondered if there was a feeling of disrespect for Joseph within the army. Certainly his brother had never shown any desire, or ability, for military affairs. It was possible that as far as the army was concerned the feeling was mutual. That pricked Napoleon’s sense of loyalty to his older brother and he stared suspiciously at Berthier, who was still holding the message out towards him. Napoleon did not reach for it.
‘What does my brother have to say?’
‘His majesty asks to be informed when he might avail himself of the opportunity to enter his capital.’
Napoleon smiled to himself.That sounded precisely like the kind of message Joseph would send. He had trained as a lawyer in his youth and it seemed that the cumbersome turn of phrase of the legal trade had left its mark on him for ever.
Berthier cleared his throat. ‘Do you wish to reply to his majesty, sire?’
‘Yes. Tell him that I am still dealing with the arrangements for his reception here.’ Napoleon paused an instant before continuing. ‘Inform his majesty that I am in the process of reforming the institutions of his kingdom. Once said reforms are operative he may resume his occupation of the throne. Or something like that.’ Napoleon smiled. ‘That should keep him happy for now.’
‘Yes, sire.’ Berthier nodded. ‘But I assume that his majesty’s impatience to enter the capital cannot be assuaged for much longer.’
Napoleon’s expression hardened.‘My brother will wait until I decide that conditions here are appropriate for his return. Before then the government must be reformed, the remaining rebels crushed, and the British chased back into the Atlantic. Now, if that is the last of the morning despatches, I have other matters to attend to.’
‘Yes, sire.’ Berthier bowed his head and backed away two steps before turning and leaving the Emperor’s office. Once the door had closed Napoleon lowered his gaze to the notes on his desk. They concerned the tax system of Spain and had been compiled for him by one of the officials at the treasury. The arrangements were hopelessly complicated and inefficient and it was a wonder that any revenue was ever collected. Napoleon had been making his own notes alongside the official’s to begin with but it was clear that the system was beyond redemption.
Accordingly, he had begun to draft his own system and would have it ready for implementation before Joseph took control of the country again. It was not that his brother lacked the wit to make such necessary reforms, Napoleon reflected, it was just that he lacked the iron will necessary to force such measures through. Given the present intransigence of the people it would be folly to attempt to negotiate the changes. Better to present them as a fait accompli and implement them by force if required. Particularly in view of the other reforms that Napoleon had planned.
The Inquisition was to be abolished, and the number of religious orders reduced, thereby cutting down the financial burden of the Church on the Spanish people. When Napoleon had announced his plans to Joseph’s ministers they had reacted with horror, warning him that the people would not tolerate such changes, even though the reforms would undoubtedly improve the governance of Spain. Napoleon had addressed them firmly. The reforms would be made, and implemented fully. He had spoken.
It had been nearly two weeks since Madrid had fallen and Napoleon had spent most of the time devoting his energies to drafting his plans for Spain. Some eighty thousand men were camping in an arc round the south and east of the capital and another forty thousand were billeted in Madrid itself. Soon General Junot would be joining them, having marched directly from France the moment his troops had been repatriated by the British navy. Once he had attended to the political situation Napoleon would lead his armies in the next, and final, stage of his conquest of Spain and Portugal.There were only two enemy forces to deal with. A Spanish army concentrated around Seville, and the British army of General Moore, which had emerged from its lair in Portugal to interfere with events in Spain.
As December wore on, the temperature steadily dropped and the nights were cold. The troops camped outside the capital had soon recovered from their march to Madrid and now that they were fed and rested they were keen to complete the campaign and return to France. The inhospitality of the climate, the hostility of the people and the scarcity of food to forage and property to loot had combined to undermine the morale of the French soldiers.They had complained to their officers, who had complained to their commanders, who had reported the mood of their men to imperial headquarters.The Emperor had long since discovered the best medicine for such disgruntlement and immediately gave orders for the army to hold a review in the centre of Madrid. That would serve the double purpose of raising the morale of his army as well as impressing upon the Spanish the might of the army they had dared to oppose.
The review was scheduled for the nineteenth of December and the day was overcast and chilly as the first division marched through the streets of Madrid towards the royal palace, where the Emperor and his staff stood watching on a balcony. With regimental colours raised high and buttons and boots polished to a high gleam, the men let out a lusty cheer that echoed back off the palace walls as they passed the Emperor and snapped their eyes to the right. Napoleon raised his hat to acknowledge them, with a smile. Once the entire division was formed up, he descended from the balcony and began a close inspection of his soldiers, stopping regularly to question individuals, and to award medals and other rewards to those who had been singled out for their courage by their superiors.
It was as he was handing a sword to the captain of the first company to enter Madrid that a staff officer came running up to Berthier and muttered something to him in a low voice. Napoleon was aware of the interruption but continued his congratulations to the captain before he passed on, with a brief gesture to Berthier to accompany him.
‘What is the news?’
‘A message from General Dumas, sire. He reports that his scouts have observed elements of the British army advancing towards Marshal Soult.’
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