Run Them Ashore (41 page)

Captain MILLER – An officer from the 95th Foot on detached service as liaison with the partisans in Andalusia.

Lieutenant General Sir John MOORE – One of the most widely admired British commanders of the era, Moore had been sent with an army into Spain in the autumn of 1808. As the Spanish armies were overpowered by strong French forces led by Napoleon in person, Moore was eventually forced to retreat through the mountains to Corunna. He was mortally wounded in a battle fought outside the city, but his army was able to embark without serious interference from the French.

Mr Daniel MUDGE
– Confidential clerk to Lieutenant General Campbell, the governor of Gibraltar.

Sergeant MUELLER
– Veteran NCO serving in the rifle company of the Chasseurs.

Captain MULLINS – Brigade major in the force landed at Fuengirola.

Captain SAMSON – British officer operating with the partisans.

Major James SINCLAIR
– A Protestant Irishman, Sinclair holds a commission in the Chasseurs, a corps formed from enemy deserters and prisoners. Little is known about him or his former military experience, but he has spent much of the year with the various bands of partisans along the coast. Not always popular, the Spanish have nicknamed him ‘Sinclair the bad’.

Captain James STANHOPE – Guards officer currently serving on General Graham’s staff. He produced a journal which has survived and recently been published.

Major General Lord TURNEY (formerly Jack Stevenson)
– An experienced officer given command of the expedition to take Malaga. Well into his forties, Lord Turney remains an active man and attempts to look younger than his years. He has a reputation for bravery and as something of a rake.

Lieutenant General Viscount WELLINGTON – After several highly successful campaigns in India, Wellesley returned to Britain and several years of frustrated ambition before being given command of the expedition to Portugal. He managed to win the battles of Roliça and Vimeiro before being superseded. Along with his superiors, Wellesley was then recalled to Britain following the public outrage at the Convention of Cintra, which permitted the defeated French to return home in British ships. Cleared of responsibility, Wellesley was given command in Portugal and honoured with a title for his victory at Talavera.

The Reverend Joseph WHARTON
– Sir Richard Keats’ chaplain is also in charge of coordinating the gathering of intelligence, performing for the admiral the same role undertaken for Lord Wellington by Ezekiel Baynes.

Colonel William WHEATLEY – One of the brigade commanders in Graham’s division.

The French and their Allies

Giuseppe BAVASTRO – A Genoese privateer who operated under a letter of marque from Napoleon and was both praised and decorated by the Emperor. From 1810, he commanded a squadron of small raiding vessels operating from ports along Spain’s southern coast.

Major Emile BERTRAND
– An engineer officer serving with Massena.

KING JOSEPH Bonaparte – As Napoleon’s older brother, Joseph has reluctantly been moved from the comfort of his kingdom in Naples to Spain, where he finds himself less welcome. A man of strong literary and philosophical tastes, he has done his best to win popularity. Recently he has lifted a ban imposed on bullfighting by the chief minister of his Spanish predecessor.

Private KAMINSKI
– Polish soldier in the garrison of Sohail Castle. He has previously served in the Russian artillery.

Marshal Andrea MASSENA – Prince of Essling, Duc de Rivoli. Born at Nice in 1758 (which was then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and not in France), Massena was the son of a shopkeeper and served in the ranks of the French army for fourteen years, but did not become an officer until the Revolution. From then on, his rise was rapid, and he was a general by 1793. He served with great distinction, particularly in a succession of campaigns fought in Italy. Napoleon dubbed him the ‘spoiled favourite of victory’ and was willing to trust him with independent commands. In 1809 he helped to stave off utter defeat at the Battle of Aspern-Essling. The rigours of campaigning and an unhealthy lifestyle made him appear even older than his sixty-one years, and Massena hoped to retire to the comfort of his estates. Alongside his reputation as a soldier, he had earned another as a rapacious plunderer, and loot had supplemented official rewards to make him an extremely wealthy man. Although perhaps past his best by the time he came to Spain, Wellington had immense respect for Marshal Massena’s skill. After capturing Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, he has advanced deep into Portugal.

Marshal Michel NEY, Duc d’Elchingen – Born in 1769, the red-faced Ney was the son of a barrel-cooper in the Saar country on the border with the German states. He enlisted in the ranks of a hussar regiment, and was another gifted leader who was rapidly promoted after the Revolution. In four years he rose from sergeant major to general. His courage was never in doubt – Napoleon would later dub him ‘the bravest of the brave’ – but his judgement was less certain. He was certainly experienced and at times showed great skill. Yet he was also readily offended, and inclined to lose his temper or sulk, and proved a difficult subordinate. He commands a corps in Massena’s army.

General Andoche JUNOT – Born in 1771, Junot was a law student who volunteered to join the revolutionary army in 1793.
He caught Napoleon’s eye at the siege of Toulon, and received successive promotions in the years that followed. Prone to outbursts of temper, he proved less capable when made a general and given charge of the invasion of Portugal in 1807, and was defeated by the British at Vimeiro a year later. He commands a corps in Massena’s army.

Capitaine Jean-Baptiste DALMAS
– A former schoolteacher, Dalmas was conscripted into the army and took readily to the life of a soldier, serving in most of the Emperor’s great campaigns and winning promotion. Since 1808 he has served as a supernumerary ADC to Marshal Ney and proved himself to be both a brave and an intelligent officer. The only blemish on his career has been his failure to seize a bridge so that the French could outflank Sir John Moore’s British army as it retreated towards Corunna. On that occasion he was repulsed by a ragtag band of stragglers led by Hamish Williams. In 1810 he was tasked with capturing or killing Hanley. The British officer escaped, but during the pursuit Dalmas uncovered the vulnerability of General Craufurd’s Light Division and helped Marshal Ney drive the British back across the River Côa.

General LEVAL – Divisional commander in Marshal Victor’s corps, Leval has already encountered British troops at Talavera.

Captain MLOKOSIEWICZ – Officer commanding the company of the 4th Regiment of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw garrisoning Sohail Castle. He was subsequently decorated with the Cross of the Legion of Honour for his part in the siege.

Marshal MORTIER – Born in 1768, Mortier became a soldier early in the Revolution and saw extensive service in the years that followed. He belonged to the marshals promoted when the Emperor created the rank in 1804. In Spain he commands the V Corps and is subordinate to Soult.

General RUFFIN – Divisional commander in Marshal Victor’s corps, Ruffin has already encountered British troops at Talavera.

General SEBASTIANI – Like Napoleon himself, Sebastiani hailed from Corsica. He became closely associated with the future Emperor early on. In his career he has mixed diplomatic with military posts, but has proved a capable if unexceptional soldier. He has also acquired a reputation as a voracious plunderer.

Marshal Jean-de-Dieu SOULT, Duke of Dalmatia – Born in 1769, he served in the ranks of the Royal Army before rising rapidly in the revolutionary army, and was a general by 1799. He served in Italy and on the Rhine, and was chosen as one of the first batch of marshals in 1804. He played a distinguished role at Austerlitz, Jena and Eylau, before being sent to Spain. He led the pursuit of Sir John Moore’s army, but was evicted from Portugal by Sir Arthur Wellesley later in 1809. In 1810 he led the invasion of Andalusia, and has been placed in command of the French armies in the south.

Marshal VICTOR, Duke of Belluno – Victor originally served in the ranks of the artillery, and then won rapid promotion during the Revolutionary Wars so that within three years he led an entire division. He has fought and beaten the Austrians, Prussians, Russians and recently the Spanish, and is a capable, if extremely aggressive, commander. At Talavera his divisions gained some success, but were eventually repulsed by the British of Lord Wellington and he is eager to gain revenge.

Sergeant ZAKREWSKI – An NCO in the 4th Regiment of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw who took charge of the two heavy guns in Sohail Castle.

The Spanish

General Joaquín BLAKE – One of many descendants of Irish exiles to rise to high rank in the Spanish army, Blake commands the army in Murcia. He is also a member of the Regency
Council. Although his commitment to the cause is unquestioned, there is less confidence in his military ability.

Don Juan BUERA – The successful leader of a band of guerrilleros.

General Rafael MENACHO – The experienced and energetic commander of the garrison of Badajoz.

El PASTOR
– ‘The shepherd’, leader of a small band of guerrilleros.

Don Manuel La PEÑA, Captain General of Andalusia – The senior Spanish officer at Cadiz had a poor military record and was considered more of a politician than a soldier.

Marquis de la ROMANA – An experienced soldier, Romana proved more capable than many of his peers at concerting his operations with his British and Portuguese allies. In 1808 he commanded a division of the best Spanish regiments stationed by Napoleon in the Baltic, but with the aid of the Royal Navy was able to bring the bulk of his men back to Spain. He commands the Spanish army supporting the fortress of Badajoz.

RAMIREZ
– Partisan expelled from El Blanco’s band for looting.

RAMON
– Partisan serving with El Blanco’s band.

Don Julián SANCHEZ García/El CHARRO – One of the most famous of the guerrilla leaders, El Charro operated from Ciudad Rodrigo. A former soldier who had served in the ranks of the Spanish army, over time his band has developed into a regiment of irregular lancers.

Lieutenant VEGA
– Officer originally from Fuengirola sent with Hanley and Williams on a mission to the partisans in that area.

Carlos VELASCO
– Former surgeon in the Spanish navy, he
now serves as a lieutenant in the partisan band of his cousin, Don Antonio.

Don Antonio VELASCO, El Blanco
– The leader of a band of partisans in the mountains around Ronda, Don Antonio’s nickname comes from his white hair.

Paula VELASCO
– Wife of Don Antonio, she and her sister ride and fight with his partisans.

Guadalupe
– The younger sister of Paula, she was living in a convent when it was stormed by the French and the inhabitants killed or raped. Saying little, she fights the invaders with a cold hatred.

El LOBO (aka Pedro the wolf)
– A former bandit turned partisan. He is not popular with the other guerrilleros.

Colonel (later General) WHITTINGHAM – British officer serving in the Spanish army. He commands the cavalry with La Peña’s force.

XAVIER
– A priest who has set aside his robes and his calling to fight in Buera’s band of partisans.

Also by Adrian Goldsworthy

FICTION

All in Scarlet Uniform

Send Me Safely Back Again

Beat the Drums Slowly

True Soldier Gentlemen

NON-FICTION

Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor

Antony and Cleopatra

The Fall of the West: The Death of the Roman Superpower

Caesar: The Life of a Colossus

In the Name of Rome:
The Men Who Won the Roman Empire

The Complete Roman Army

Cannae: Hannibal’s Greatest Victory

The Punic Wars

Roman Warfare

The Roman Army at War, 100
BC-AD
200

Copyright

A Weidenfeld & Nicolson ebook

First published in Great Britain in 2014

by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

This ebook first published in 2014

by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Copyright © Adrian Goldsworthy 2014

The moral right of Adrian Goldsworthy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978 0 2978 7185 9

The Orion Publishing Group Ltd

Orion House

5 Upper Saint Martin’s Lane

London WC2H 9EA

An Hachette UK Company

www.orionbooks.co.uk