detachment of seamen landed with Lieutenant-General Whitelocke’s army, for the purpose of transporting the artillery
America, orders were despatched to recal him , but these reached him too late: and when the news of his success arrived in England, the strong objections to his plan were drowned in the universal joy at the fortunate result of his operations. The exultation for the capture of Buenos Ayres, which was expected to he followed hy the reduction of the whole of Spanish South America, was, however, of very short continuance. The Spaniards, who had been taken by surprise, no sooner discovered the deficiency in numbers of their invaders, than they were prompted by shame to concert measures for their expulsion. Emissaries from Buenos Ayres excited the country people to arms; and an insurrection being organized in the city, the Chevalier de Linieres, a French Colonel in the Spanish service, crossed the river unobserved in a fog, on the 4th Aug., with a force which, joining that in the city, made an attack on the British troops; and, after a sanguinary conflict in the streets and great square, on the 12th, the latter, to the number of 1,300, were compelled to lay down their arms, with a loss of 165 killed, wounded, and missing. The prisoners, contrary to the terms of capitulation, were marched up the country, instead of being permitted to return to their ships, as had been stipulated.
The squadron continued to blockade the river till the arrival of reinforcements from the Cape of Good Hope, on the 5th and 12th Oct., enabled Sir Home Popham to recommence offensive operations. He attempted first to gain possession of Monte Video, but without success, his ships not being able to approach near enough to batter the walls. A body of troops was then landed at Maldonado, under Colonel Vassal; and the Spaniards having been driven from that place, and from the isle of Gorrite, an encampment for the troops was obtained, and a tolerably safe anchorage procured for the ships. In this situation the British armament in South America remained at the close of the year, receiving successive reinforcements from England and the Cape, and preparing for further, and as it turned out, still more disastrous operations.
In the autumn of 1806, a body of troops was sent out under the command of Sir Samuel Auchmuty, and convoyed hy Rear-Admiral Stirling, who had been appointed to supersede Sir Home Popham as naval Commander-in-Chief on that station [ See p. 406. ]. On his arrival at Maldonado, Brigadier-General Auchmuty found the soldiery in a very destitute and exposed situation, with a corps of the enemy’s cavalry hovering about them. Maldonado itself was evidently untenable; and it became of the utmost importance to secure possession of some place of strength, before any attempts were made for the recovery of Buenos Ayres, the re-capture of which by the Spaniards was not known in England when this reinforcement was sent out. Montevideo appearing to be the only place on the river which could be
