French Retreat. Almeida and The Peninsular War was prosecuted with vigor on both sides throughout the year 1811, and the French forces were greatly harassed by the Spanish guerrilla parties. After a month's inaction, the French army under Marshal Massena fell back into Spain, closely pursued by Lord Wellington; but the French marshal conducted his retreat with such signal ability that the British general could gain no decided advantage Sieges of over him. The main British and Portuguese army under Lord Wellington laid siege to Almeida, while a British detachment under Marshal Badajoz. Beresford beseiged Badajoz. Massena advanced to the relief of Almeida, but was defeated with the loss of three thousand men by Marshal Beresford at Fuentos d'Onoro, May 5, 1811. Massena retreated to Salamanca, where he was soon relieved of his command by Marshal Marmont, Duke of Ragusa. The French army under Marshal Battles of Soult, Duke of Dalmatia, now advanced from Seville to the relief of Fuentos d'Onoro, Badajoz, but was repulsed in an attack on the allied British, Spanish Albuera and Portuguese army under Marshal Beresford at Albuera, May 16, Barossa. 1811, the French losing eight thousand inen and the allies seven thousand. Upon the advance of a strong reinforcement from Salamanca for Soult's army, Beresford retreated into Portugal. In the Southwest of Spain the British under General Graham defeated the French at Barossa. The French under Marshal Suchet took Tortosa, January 1, 1811; Tarragona, June 28, 1811; Monteserrat, August 19, 1811. Suchet gained a victory over General Blake at Murviedro, the ancient Saguntum, October 25, 1811. and French Successes. Spanish Constitution of 1812. Fall of Valencia. In the meantime the Spanish Cortes in Cadiz framed the liberal and almost-republican Constitution of 1812, which was designed to abolish absolute monarchy and the power of the Roman Catholic priesthood in Spain forever. But, in consequence of its exceeding unpopularity, this Spanish constitution was never put in force. The events of the Peninsular War during 1812 were generally unfavorable to the French arms. The last important French victory in the Spanish peninsula was the capture of the city of Valencia, which Capture surrendered to Marshal Suchet, January 9, 1812. Lord Wellington recaptured Ciudad Rodrigo, January 19, 1812, and also took Badajoz Rodrigo and by storm, April 6, 1812. Wellington then advanced into the interior Badajoz. of Spain, and gained a glorious victory over the French army under Battle of Marshal Marmont at Salamanca, July 22, 1812, the French losing of Ciudad Salamanca. eight thousand killed and wounded and seven thousand prisoners. The victorious British general then marched on Madrid, whereupon King Joseph Bonaparte fled from that city, and the next day the capital of Spain was in the possession of the British army. Wellington then marched into the North of Spain and besieged Burgos; but the concentration of the French forces in the Spanish peninsula caused him ton's Retreat. to raise the siege, October 21, 1812, and to retreat to Ciudad Rodrigo, Wellingpursued by a French army of eighty thousand men under Marshal Soult, who was unable to profit by his superior numbers. Upon reaching Ciudad Rodrigo, Lord Wellington went into winter-quarters. King Joseph Bonaparte returned to Madrid, but his authority ceased south of his capital, Seville and Valladolid having been recovered by the British. Late in May, 1813, Lord Wellington marched from Ciudad Rodrigo into the north-eastern part of Spain; and he annihilated the French forces under Marshal Jourdan and King Joseph Bonaparte in the decisive battle of Vittoria, June 21, 1813, the French losing ten thousand men and one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon. The result of this great British victory was that the French were compelled to evacuate the entire Spanish peninsula and to retire into their own territory before the close of the year; and early in July, 1813, Wellington was master of the entire Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Marshal Soult was again sent to oppose the renowned British general, but was driven back after almost a week's fighting in the passes of the Pyrenees, the Battles of the Pyrenees, and was thus forced to retreat into France. Wellington took San Sebastian by storm, August 31, 1813, and Pampeluna by siege soon afterward; after which he pursued the retreating French across the Pyrenees into their own territory. He entered France on the 7th of October, 1813, and on the 10th of November he defeated Marshal Soult on the Nivelle. Bayonne was invested by an Anglo-Portuguese force under Marshal Beresford. Battle of Vittoria. Its Reults. Capture luna and of Pampe San Sebastian. French Driven from Spain. SECTION X.-NAPOLEON'S AUSTRIAN WAR OF 1809 AND RESULTS. AUSTRIA had always been restive under the humiliating conditions of the Peace of Pressburg, and her anxiety was awakened by Napoleon's arbitrary proceedings in Italy and by his increasing influence in Germany. She had been silently mustering her forces in the meantime until their numbers were more than double those of Napoleon. Finally the Emperor Francis, subsidized by British gold to the amount of four million pounds sterling and encouraged by the military ardor of his subjects, once more resolved to risk the hazards of war with Napoleon. Favorable stances. The moment seemed favorable when the Emperor of the French was Austria's obliged to employ a considerable portion of his forces in Spain to support his brother's precarious throne; when the restrictions upon European commerce were producing universal discontent, and when the deep movement in Northern Germany menaced Napoleon's power in the Her Failure to Unite Fatherland. All these circumstances seemed auspicious for Austria to regain the power which she had lost and to break to pieces the foreign despotism. The Cabinet of Vienna called out the landstrum, and, by means of vehement proclamations full of promises, sought to arouse enthusiasm Germany and popular feeling in Germany; but the magic of the French Emagainst Napoleon. peror's name was too powerful. The princes of the Confederation of the Rhine reinforced the French army with their brave troops, and the soldiers of South Germany shed their own blood for a foreign despot against their own kinsmen. Armies in Battles of and At the beginning of April, 1809, large bodies of Austrian troops marched into Bavaria and Italy and threatened to overwhelm the scattered detachments of Napoleon's army. But the Emperor Francis little appreciated Napoleon's power of swift and decisive action. Upon receiving news at Paris, April 13, 1809, of the invasion of Bavaria by the Archduke Charles, Napoleon hastened to Stuttgart and Carlsruhe, organized the forces of Würtemberg and Baden, and fixed his headquarters at Ingolstadt, April 18, 1809. Marching down the Danube with a considerable force, in five days berg, of severe fighting at Abensberg, Eckmühl and Ratisbon, April 18-22, Eckmuhl, 1809, Napoleon totally annihilated the Austrian army under the ArchRatisbon. duke Charles, driving the shattered Austrian columns across the Inn and compelling them to retreat toward Bohemia, thus leaving the road open for another invasion of Austria. Napoleon then pursued the Austrian army under General Hiller, whom he defeated at Ebersberg, May 3, 1809, compelling him to fall back to Krems, on the north bank of the Danube, thus leaving the Austrian capital to the conqueror's mercy. Оссираtion of Vienna and the Battles of Ebersdorf, and Essling. Napoleon entered Vienna a second time, May 13, 1809. The Archduke Charles defended the north bank of the Danube east of Vienna, where the river is crossed by a number of bridges. The Archduke Charles took up a strong position on the Marchfeld, where the fortunes of Austria and Germany had been decided between Rudolph of Hapsburg and King Ottocar of Bohemia more than five centuries before. When Napoleon attempted to cross the Danube from Lobau, an island in the river, he was repulsed after two days' fighting at EbersAspern dorf, Aspern and Essling, May 21 and 22, 1809, and was obliged to retreat. During those two terrible days the French left twelve thousand men dead upon the field, while eighteen thousand were wounded and taken prisoners. Among the mortally wounded was the brave Marshal Lannes, who had both legs shot off. Lannes was greatly beloved by Napoleon, who manifested the most intense emotion at his afflicting death. This bloody repulse gave the first shock to the belief in Na |