'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 13, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE NAPOLEONIC WARS group.

"The Spanish Ulcer" - The fall of Saragossa to the French under Lannes:

"Lannes had captured a smoking ruin in which 54,000 people had perished. The survivors of the military garrison numbered a pathetic 8,000 men - of whom 1,500, including Palafox, were sick. Lannes had lost 4,000 killed in action, with another 6,000 men cut down by fever. Thousands of non-combatants had also fallen and about a third of the city had been completely destroyed.

Although ultimately defeated, the defenders of Saragossa had once more covered themselves with glory and had given the invader a demonstration of fanatical, national resistance. It was a demonstration the French army was never to forget and, at Gerona and elsewhere, it was to inspire Spaniards to maintain replica struggles that have few parallels in the history of war."

Second Siege of Saragossa, 20 December 1808-20 February 1809:
https://www.historyofwar.org/articles...

Betsy wrote: "I agree that is quite a call to arms. It was 'war to the knife' as Scott pointed out. Even a military genius must have been amazed to find himself in such a war, or to find his marshals having to f..."

Very good point about the style of warfare the French expected and preferred when fighting regular armies, Betsy.

Great posts Scott & Betsy!

Scott, if this isn't a call to arms and a bloody one at that then I don't know what is:

" ... Therefore, fellow countrymen, let us hunt these creatures; let us pursue them day and night by sea and on land through many years of blood and fire until we rid the universe of this barbarous, brutal, lascivious and libertine people, along with its wicked leader, until we are purified of this damnable race of monsters so noxious to the human species."

"The Spanish Ulcer" - The fighting around Medellin and the very effective French cavalry again:

"The French infantry - deployed in square to protect them against possible cavalry attack - had been in serious danger from Del Parque's advance, but Latour-Maubourg's troopers now galloped in to crush the threat. The long thin lines of Spanish foot soldiers were an easy target for the dragoons and, in a trice, half a dozen battalions were hacked down or routed. Soon, Cuesta's entire left wing had ceased to exist and, leaving their victims lying in gruesome, bloody heaps, the frenzied Imperial cavalry squadrons dashed off in search of new prey.

At the sight of his colleague's success in the west, Lasalle, bored with standing idle, also roused his squadrons into action and suddenly counter-attacked. His chasseurs easily overthrew the Spanish lancers before them and then, followed by the Imperial infantry, bore down on Albuquerque's isolated division. Simultaneously, Latour-Maubourg - returning with one of his brigades from the pursuit of Cuesta's routed horsemen - assailed it from the rear. It would be difficult to imagine a more adverse set of conditions for foot troops to be caught in and, indeed, attacked in front by infantry, and on their flanks and read by cavalry, Albuquerque's helpless soldiers were exterminated where they stood."

The Battle of Medellin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...

https://www.historyofwar.org/articles...

Scott wrote: "The Fatal Knot: The Guerrilla War in Navarre and the Defeat of Napoleon in Spain

Th..."

Spanish fortress taken by snowballs - great story!

I just ordered a copy of this book, that follows on from the Napoleonic Wars; "No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One" by Andrew D. Lambert.

No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One by Andrew D. Lambert
Description:
How, for just over a century, Britain ensured it would not face another Napoleon Bonaparte--manipulating European powers while building a global maritime empire
At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent's borders were redrawn, and the French Empire, once a significant threat to British security, was for now cut down to size. But after decades of ceaseless conflict, Britain's economy was beset by a crippling debt. How could this small, insular seapower state secure order across the Channel?

Andrew Lambert argues for a dynamic new understanding of the nineteenth century, showing how British policymakers shaped a stable European system that it could balance from offshore. Through judicious deployment of naval power against continental forces, and the defence strategy of statesmen such as the Duke of Wellington, Britain ensured that no single European state could rise to pose a threat, rebuilt its economy, and established naval and trade dominance across the globe.

This is the remarkable story of how Britain kept a whole continent in check--until the final collapse of this delicately balanced order at the outset of World War One.

Reviews:
https://www.naval-review.com/book-rev...

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...

"The Spanish Ulcer" - When cavalry is used correctly and against unprepared formations:

"Soult soon encountered Belvedere's Spanish divisions, drawn up across the highway at Gamonal, and, using a large wood for cover, moved forward 5,000 cavalry and two infantry brigades. Taken completely by surprise, Belvedere's right and centre were engulfed by the enemy horse before they could form square. Five of the Iberian battalions were trampled down immediately and the rest were swept from the field. General Lasalle then wheeled his troopers into the rear of the Spanish left wing, while Mouton's infantry charged their front. Assailed by the converging Imperial units, that formation, too, was utterly broken and fled down the road in the wildest confusion. In this short but sanguinary episode, Belvedere's army was effectively destroyed; losing over 2,500 dead and wounded, 1,000 prisoners, twelve standards and al its ordnance. Soult's casualties totalled a few dozen men."

The Spanish Ulcer: A History of Peninsular War by David Gates

Great posts Betsy and Scott!

Navarre does sound somewhat unique province for Spain - those elements would appear to have the potential to make fighting in that region a bit like Hell!

"The Spanish Ulcer" - The first siege of Saragossa:

"Thus concluded the first siege of Saragossa, In the murderous struggle for control of the city, the Imperial army had sustained no less than 3,500 casualties, and the fact that all their efforts were in vain constituted a major blow to their prestige and martial reputation, However, the Spaniards' victory was brought at enormous cost. 7,500 levies survived the ordeal, while the regular units and the innumerable small detachments that slipped through the French cordon from time to time also suffered appalling casualties. Needless to say, there were hundreds of civilian dead and wounded, too.

Palafox had rejected Verdier's demand for his surrender with the comment that this was 'War to the knife'. Apart from its sanguinary nature, however, Saragossa epitomised the nationalism that was sweeping across the Peninsula; it underlined that the French were at war not only with an army, but with the entire Spanish population."

First Siege of Saragossa:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_o...

Scott wrote: "At the moment, AR, there is minute detail, but interesting, nonetheless, so I will plough on, excuse the pun.
Except the peasants of Montana used a laya (a fork like implement that the farmer stand..."

Nice one Scott! :)

"The Spanish Ulcer" - Napoleon was not all that happy with Dupont's performance at Baylen (that's putting it mildly):

"Napoleon, of course, was absolutely infuriated by the reverse. 'There has never been anything so stupid, so foolish or so cowardly since the world began,' he complained. 'It is perfectly clear from Dupont's own report that everything was the result of the most inconceivable incapacity on his part.' Irrespective of the causes, however, the defeat of Dupont at Baylen was of great significance. The news spread across the Peninsula and, indeed, throughout Europe; forming a large crack in the edifice of French invincibility and rallying fresh opposition to Napoleon's tyranny."

Battle of Bailén:
https://www.napoleon-empire.org/en/ba...

Scott wrote: "A little slow out of the blocks; however, my book for this month is:

[book:The Fatal Knot: The Gu..."

Sounds like a detailed and well researched account, I hope it doesn't bog down into too much detail!

Betsy wrote: "July and August, 1808, brought new hope to the Spaniards with the victory of Bailen, and the losses by Duhesme and Reille as well as the stout defense of such cities as Gerona and Zaragoza. King Jo..."

Great post Betsy, this quote stuck out immediately; "Victory at Bailen having muffled that message, the future was bleak in the extreme."

"The Spanish Ulcer" - A bit more on the role of the Spanish forces and how they assisted and aided in the final Allied victory in the Peninsula:

"Thus, the Spanish 'nation in arms' presented the French with a host of virtually insuperable political and military problems. They may have lacked the polished professionalism of the British Light Division but, in the long run, they probably inflicted considerably more damage on the French forces than all of Wellington's pitched battles combined. The sieges of Gerona alone cost the Imperial armies over 20,000 casualties and, exclusively from sickness and guerilla raids, the French forces in the Peninsula lost approximately 100 men per day for over four years: a total of some 164,000 casualties. It is, therefore, easy to see how the war in Spain bled the French army white and, whilst the Anglo-Portuguese forces delivered the hammer-blows, it was the civilian populations, particularly the Spanish, that bore the brunt of the suffering."

The Spanish Ulcer: A History of Peninsular War by David Gates

I've not heard of that title Betsy, but I will check it out as soon as I can.

Betsy wrote: "Just 'being there' was certainly an asset for the Spanish; just as 'being there' was a debit for Napoleon when he needed troops elsewhere."

Very true indeed Betsy!

"The Spanish Ulcer" - In the first chapter the author describes the attributes of each of the armies along with their weapons, equipment and tactics. He had this to say about the much-maligned Spanish forces:

"Ironically, the point most often neglected about the Spanish Army was its greatest contribution to the Allied cause. At the outset of the Peninsular conflict there were well over 100,000 men on the service's rolls and by 1812, despite unnumerable calamities, there were still 160,000 regular troops in being. This vast army was larger than the Portuguese and British divisions combined. Admittedly. many of the soldiers had neither the training nor equipment for open combat, but they did prove most valuable in such operations as blockades and sieges; releasing thousands of better troops for the more demanding undertakings elsewhere. Without this support, it is difficult to see how the depleted Anglo-Portuguese field army would have been able to take the offensive and, consequently, victories such as Salamanca would have become impossible.

Furthermore, irrespective of the quality of their men, the Spanish armies constituted a threat that the French quite simply could not ignore. Any sizeable concentration of enemy soldiers had to be engaged, or at least contained, by a sufficiently strong force of Imperial troops; otherwise they were free to go on the rampage with impunity. Consequently, a colossal percentage of the French army was rendered unavailable for operations against Wellington because unnumerable Spanish contingents kept materialising all over the country. In 1810, for example, when Massena invaded Portugal, the Imperial forces in the Peninsular totalled a massive 325,000 men, but only about a quarter of these could be spared for the offensive - the rest were required to contain the Spanish insurgents and regulars. This was the greatest single contribution that the Spaniards were to make and, without it, Wellington could not have maintained himself on the continent for long - let alone emerge triumphant from the conflict."

The Spanish Ulcer: A History of Peninsular War by David Gates

Betsy wrote: "Will be interested to see how it compares to Spanish Ulcer since, like you, I consider that book to be right there at the top."

From what I recall there was a bit more of the politics involved but overall I quite enjoyed it. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Betsy wrote: "My book is The Peninsular War by Charles Esdaile."

That's a good choice Betsy!

For this month's theme read I am thinking of re-reading one of my favourite books on the subject; "The Spanish Ulcer" by Davd Gates. I am still unpacking my library so if I find a book on the subject that I've not read I may change titles.

The Spanish Ulcer: A History of Peninsular War by David Gates