With Moore at Corunna

WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA
BY
G. A. HENTY
Author of "With Cochrane the Dauntless," "A Knight of the White
Cross," "In Freedom's Cause," "St. Bartholomew's Eve," "Wulf the
Saxon," etc.

[Illustration: TERENCE FINDS THAT THE SEA-HORSE HAS BEEN
BADLY MAULED BETWEEN-DECKS.]

WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY WAL PAGET

PREFACE
From the termination of the campaigns of Marlborough--at which time
the British army won for itself a reputation rivalled by that of no other
in Europe--to the year when the despatch of a small army under Sir
Arthur Wellesley marked the beginning of another series of British
victories as brilliant and as unbroken as those of that great commander,
the opinion had gained ground in Europe that the British had lost their
military virtues, and that, although undoubtedly powerful at sea, they
could have henceforth but little influence in European affairs. It is
singular that the revival of Britain's activity began under a Government
which was one of the most incapable that ever controlled the affairs of
the country. Had their deliberate purpose been to render nugatory the
expedition which--after innumerable vacillations and changes of
purpose--they despatched to Portugal, they could hardly have acted
otherwise than they did.

Their agents in the Peninsula were men singularly unfitted for the
position. Then the Government divided the commands among their
generals and admirals, sending to each absolutely contradictory orders,
and when at last they brought themselves to appoint one to the supreme
command, they changed that commander six times in the course of a
year. While lavishing enormous sums of money, arms, clothing, and
materials of war upon the Spaniards, who wasted or pocketed them,
they kept their own army unsupplied with money, transport, or clothes.
Unsupported by the home authorities, the British commanders had yet
to struggle with the faithlessness, mendacity, and inertness of the
Portuguese and Spanish authorities, and were hampered with obstacles
such as never beset a British commander before. Still, in spite of this,
British genius and valour triumphed over all difficulties, and Wellesley
delivered Lisbon and compelled the French army to surrender.
Then again, Moore, by his marvellous march, checked the course of
victory of Napoleon and saved Spain for a time. Cradock organized an
army, and Wellesley hurled back Soult's invasion of the north, and
drove his army, a dispirited and worn-out mass of fugitives, across the
frontier, and in less than a year from the commencement of the
campaign carried the war into Spain. So far I have endeavoured to
sketch the course of these events in the present volume. But the whole
course of the Peninsular War was far too long to be condensed in a
single book, except in the form of history pure and simple; therefore, I
have been obliged to divide it into two volumes; and I propose next
year to follow up the adventures of my present hero, who had the good
fortune, with Trant, Wilson, and other British officers, to attain the
command of a body of native irregulars, acting in connection with the
movements of the British army.
Yours sincerely,
G. A. HENTY.
CONTENTS
CHAP.

I. THE MAYO FUSILIERS
II. TWO DANGERS
III. DISEMBARKED
IV. UNDER CANVAS
V. ROLICA AND VIMIERA
VI. A PAUSE
VII. THE ADVANCE
VIII. A FALSE ALARM
IX. THE RETREAT
X. CORUNNA
XI. AN ESCAPE
XII. A DANGEROUS MISSION
XIII. AN AWKWARD POSITION
XIV. AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND
XV. THE FIRST SKIRMISH
XVI. IN THE PASSES
XVII. AN ESCAPE
XVIII. MARY O'CONNOR
XIX. CONFIRMED IN COMMAND
XX. WITH THE MAYOS

XXI. PORTUGAL FREED
XXII. NEWS FROM HOME

ILLUSTRATIONS
TERENCE FINDS THAT THE SEA-HORSE HAS BEEN BADLY
MAULED BETWEEN-DECKS
TWO FRENCH PRIVATEERS BEAR DOWN UPON THE
SEA-HORSE
"I SHOULD NOT HAVE MINDED BEING HIT, FATHER, IF YOU
HAD ESCAPED"
"I AM TOLD THAT YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO ME, GENERAL"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, TERENCE?... WE WOULD HAVE
THRASHED THEM OUT OF THEIR BOOTS IN NO TIME"
"POOR OLD JACK! HE HAS CARRIED ME WELL EVER SINCE I
GOT HIM AT TORRES VEDRAS"
TERENCE RECEIVES A PRESENT OF A HORSE FROM SIR
JOHN CRADOCK
"IN THE NAME OF THE JUNTA I DEMAND THAT
AMMUNITION," SAID CORTINGOS
"THE FRENCH CAVALRY RODE UP TOWARDS THE SQUARES,
BUT WERE MET WITH HEAVY VOLLEYS"
"MACWITTY WAS STANDING COVERING THE TWO
BOATMEN WITH HIS PISTOLS"
TERENCE BIDS GOOD-BYE TO HIS COUSIN, MARY O'CONNOR
"WHO ARE YOU, SIR, AND WHAT TROOPS ARE THESE?" SIR

ARTHUR ASKED, SHARPLY

[Illustration: Sketch Map of NORTHERN PORTUGAL.]

WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA
CHAPTER I
THE MAYO FUSILIERS
"What am I to do with you, Terence? It bothers me entirely; there is not
a soul who will take you, and if anyone would do so, you would wear
out his patience before a week's end; there is not a dog in the regiment
that does not put his