The Reign of George VI/Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
The enterprising disposition of George, would not suffer him to defer opening the campaign the moment he was able: in the beginning of April[1], the Duke of Grafton sailed from Hull with sixty ships of the line, and thirty-five frigates, to the mouth of the Baltick; he soon learned that the Russian fleet was not even collected: thirty sail of the line were anchored off Stockholm, in expectation of being joined by twenty more from Petersburg, when they were to rendezvous at Copenhagen, where twenty sail were ready for the sea. The Duke no sooner gained this intelligence, than he immediately entered the Baltick, and steering towards Stockholm, designed to fall on the Russian fleet before they had advice of his approach. He executed his scheme with all imaginable success. In a dark night, he sent in six fire ships among their squadron. The effect was terrible, and fatal to the enemy; eleven ships of the line were burnt, and seven frigates; four sunk, and seven taken: the rest were greatly damaged and totally dispersed.
This decisive blow, which at once disabled the enemy from appearing at sea during the war, was a thunderbolt to Peter, who was then with his army, over-running Denmark, which had rebelled against him. However, rather to make a parade of power, than in hopes of retrieving the misfortune, he gave orders that the loss should be instantly repaired; and all endeavours seemed to be directed to raising his navy, but it was in vain: the Duke of Grafton following his blow, sailed to Petersburg; he bombarded the city three days, to the utter ruin of every thing but the fortifications: and by a bold and well conducted attempt, he landed three thousand men to attack the fort that defended the bason; it was carried in a moment; and this glorious expedition ended with burning the whole Russian fleet of twenty sail, after a defence, indeed which did great honour to the enemies courage. After two such decisive strokes, the presence of the duke was no longer necessary in the Baltick; he left it, and setting sail for England, anchored at Hull with his victorious fleet.
The King with his own hand wrote a most friendly letter to the Duke, thanking him for his great and eminent services, particularly in this signal success: he soon after ordered him to sail for the coast of Spain, and gave him orders to annoy the enemy in whatever manner should seem best to himself; he was limited only to the coast of that kingdom: his Majesty before he left England, gave orders for a fleet of ten sail of the line, and eight frigates, to sail for the West Indies, to prosecute the war in that part of the world; they were to convoy transports with three thousand infantry on board, who were designed to attack Mexico, under General Cannon; they were to land at New Orleans: the fleet was commanded by Admiral Newport. Another squadron was ordered to be got ready with all expedition for the East Indies, to attack the Spanish possessions in that quarter; under Admiral Clinton. The preparations of the King had been prodigious; yet ships were still wanting; and were fitting out every day. It was indeed surprising how this active Monarch could give his attention equally to every object of such a prodigious extensive war.
Before the Duke of Grafton had destroyed the Russian fleet, George was landed in France; he carried with him eight regiments of foot, and three of dragoons, who had been but lately raised. He found the Duke of Devonshire drawing his troops out of their winter quarters, and collecting them near Nevers; this business the King hastened with all expedition, for he designed to take the field before the Spanish army under the Duke de Lerma had joined Philip; it consisted of fifty thousand men, and was in full march for France. Philip himself had spared no pains to augment his troops: he had thrown strong garrisons into all his fortresses, and his army designed for the field, amounted to seventy thousand men; which he was collecting with all expedition. The King of England by the latter end of April, found himself at the head of sixty thousand conquering troops; he had besides twenty thousand in garrisons, twenty thousand in Flanders under Sommers, and five thousand encamped near Saintes, commanded by General Young, who watched ten thousand of Philip's troops, that had been detached to penetrate into Orleanois, but without effect.
Dijon, Mascon, and Bourg, were the only places in Burgundy, in the possession of the French. George detached ten thousand men under General Cleveland, to reduce those fortresses, which it was expected would prove an easy task, as the two first were cut off from all communication with Philip's army; after performing this service, he was to join the King in the neighbourhood of Lyons. His Majesty the third of May left Nevers, and marched to Moulins; the Governour du Roquet, deserted it at his approach; the King leaving a garrison in it, directed his march to Bourbon, with design to reduce all the places on the Loire; and joining General Cleveland lay siege to Lyons, which he made no doubt would draw Philip to a battle, as the loss of that city would be fatal to his affairs[2]. This excellent plan showed the genius of the King, and the execution was equal to the design. By a happy expedition, which always threw his enemy into confusion, George became master of Digoin, Semeur, Boissy, and a strong fort which commanded an important pass at Jarare, which opened to him the road to Lyons. General Cleveland had met with equal success in his expedition. Philip detached two thousand men to oppose him, but the English General, by making a flying march, deceived him, and conquered the three towns almost as soon as he had attacked them: having thus performed the chief end of his expedition, he marched to join his master with little or no opposition; and effected it with as little loss. The French were but spectators of their enemy's success.
The King of France, who was guided in all his military operations by Marshall Siletta, was terrified at the sudden approach of his victorious enemy. The Duke de Lerma had not yet entered France; he was perplexed what course to take: determined not to hazard a battle, he was in great fear of the King's attacking Lyons: there was in that city a garrison of eight thousand men, yet he depended but little on their defence. If he encamped under its walls, he knew it would be safe, but then it would be in George's power to cut off his junction with the Spanish army. On the contrary, if he marched towards Spain to join it, Lyons he gave up as lost, and perhaps other places of great importance might partake its fate. Thus confused between different opinions, he at last was guided by his General, who urged him to entrench himself strongly under the walls of Lyons; as George he supposed through his impetuosity, would aim at taking him and his army prisoners; and would neglect to cut off his communication with Spain.
George, whose camp was near Boissy, immediately perceived the oversight of the enemy; he took no time to spend in tedious consideration, but seeing that the whole fortune of the war depended on his preventing the junction of the French and Spaniards; he determined to exert every effort to cut off all their communications. There was the greater necessity for expedition, as the Duke de Lerma had entered France, and was arrived at Foix. The scheme was difficult to execute, for all the country before him was full of strong towns with garrisons in them. His plan was to march to St. Flour, but Riom, Clermont, and Issiorre, lay so near his road, that it would be extremely difficult to pass, without reducing them; without losing a moment's time, therefore, he made a flying march to Riom, and presenting himself before it, required the governour to surrender immediately at discretion. Terrified at George's approach, he surrendered without firing a gun; but his cowardice however cost him dear, for he was afterwards shot for his behaviour, by the command of his master. George throwing a garrison into Riom, he marched with no less expedition to Clermont, and expected the same speedy success, but the Prince of that name being Lord of the town, commanded in it, and returned a haughty answer to George: his Majesty immediately surrounded the town, and at night about ten o'clock, made three violent attacks on it in different quarters: never was action more obstinately fought, but some scaling ladders breaking at the principal attack, and the bravery of the French, throwing his men into confusion, he was obliged to draw off his troops with the loss of two thousand five hundred men. The King, who expected that Philip would march with all expedition to join the Spanish army in time; resolved to lose none, and quitting the attack on Clermont, determined, as Riom was in his possession, to pass on without it. His Majesty using the same expedition, advanced to Issiorre, which to his utter astonishment, he found deserted; pursuing his march therefore, he arrived at Flour, and was hardly in sight of the town, before he ordered it to be attacked; the fury of this attack, which was made at once in five places, only seemed to raise the courage of the Governour; but nothing could resist the English: after four hours hot action, they carried it by storm.
This celebrated march, which was one of the most expeditious ever known, was performed in eight days; a rapidity that was astonishing. The King, by such prodigious celerity, however, prevented the two armies of French and Spaniards from joining. He expected indeed, that Philip would take a different course as fast as possible to effect the junction: but herein he was mistaken; Philip, or rather Siletta, no sooner saw how far George had got the start of him, than he perceived the extreme difficulty of joining the Spaniards; and knowing that the operation of the whole campaign must be greatly retarded by waiting for the Duke of Lerma, he determined to make a resolute push, to recover the capital, and the northern provinces of his kingdom: the attempt must necessarily be attended with great difficulty, but he was nevertheless determined in his resolution.
Had it been possible, he would have taken the straight road to Paris, but the English possessed a multitude of garrisons in his way, that rendered such a march impracticable; therefore breaking up his camp with very little noise, he took the route of Bourg, designing to make a great detour through Franche Compté and Champagne. Bourg surrendered without a blow; from thence he marched with great expedition to Dole; his plan in this march was the same as that of George in his southern one; he determined to leave every town behind him that made any great resistance; the governour of Dole refused to surrender, and Philip despairing of taking it by storm, passed on to Langres: the officer who commanded there, had not the same courage, but left the town an easy conquest to the French; Sezane gave him as little trouble; from whence, after a very rapid march, he arrived at Paris, which was never able to resist an army.
Nothing could raise the spirits of his subjects more than this stroke; he expected to be soon master of all the northern provinces, as he depended on the Duke of Lerma's finding the King of England employment in the south; but we shall leave him here a little while, to take a view of the operations between George and the Spaniards. The Duke had advanced to Thoulouse, and hearing that Philip was marching to Paris, he exclaimed against this perfidy of the French in the highest terms. He reproached them with breaking their engagements, as they were to join him, and to act in concert with his army. The Spanish minister was no less loud in his complaints; but it was too late for Philip to change his plan: and the Duke with all possible caution advanced to Thoulouse: he knew the genius of the man that commanded against him, and was determined to leave nothing to fortune; to hazard no action of consequence; but to keep advancing, and find the King of England in employment, while Philip was over-running the northern provinces. His plan was the most prudent he could have chosen, and he had a genius proper to execute it. When he arrived at that city, he learnt of George's being at Mende, upon which, he still advanced to Alby and Rodez, and from the situation of the King, was in hopes of being able to make a flying march, and yet join Philip.
But the King of Great-Britain knew it was impossible for the Duke to take advantage of his motion, from the situation of his out posts, the passes of which were all in his command. Lerma was at Espalion, and just as his army was beginning to move, one of his Aides de Camp brought him intelligence, that the King was at Albrac, in his front, but four miles from him. Alarmed at this news, and dreading a battle, he instantly ordered his troops to arms, and they moved forming into their camp, at the same time receiving orders to raise new entrenchments and redoubts. The King had made this sudden and rapid motion with design to bring on a battle, judging it a favourable opportunity when the Spaniards were on the march: however, finding that the Duke was taking every precaution that was possible, he gave over the design, and the two armies continued in the same position a week, during which time, George was incessantly attacking the out parties and convoys of the Duke, and trying to provoke him to a battle; but it was in vain, for the cautious Spaniard kept close in his camp, and very quietly saw the King victorious in every skirmish.
But this petite guerre was the King's aversion, though he understood it well; he loved hazardous actions in which fortune played a part; he was tired if a continued series of battles; rapid marches, or towns stormed, did not succeed quickly to each other; never more pleased, or more calm, than in the midst of all. It may be supposed this disposition made him long for an engagement with the Spaniards, and form a variety of projects to bring one about, but knowing the prudent enemy he had to deal with, he determined to surprise him by night. Previous to the execution of his project, he had detached parties to secure all the country round him. The Earl of Bury, with twenty thousand men had taken Orilac, Figiac, Cahors, and Ville Franché, so that all the country behind him was secure; and the enemy possessed the route by which they advanced. Having prepared every thing, by calling in all his detachments, the better to deceive the Duke, he gave out, that he should march immediately to succour Rouen, which was besieged by the French King; he accordingly provided a vast quantity of baggage, ammunition, and artillery waggons; pressed all the horses of the country into his service, and in short, gave directions in such a manner, that every one fully believed he was on the point of departing.
When the day came on which he meditated the attack, (the 23d of June) the troops were all directed to wait for orders; and it was expected that the next morning they would begin their march; but about ten o'clock they were all drawn up in order of battle; and George dividing them into two bodies, placed one under the command of the Duke of Devonshire, and headed the other himself; the Duke was to make a little detour of a mile and a half, through some woods, which led to the French camp, while the King himself took the same direction through the plain: both parties were to meet and make the attack in concert. Nothing could be executed in a better order; the troops to their great surprise, filed off without beat of drum, or sound of trumpet; and by half an hour after eleven arrived at the very verge of the enemies camp.
The King joining his forces, and giving orders to the Duke, the Earl of Bury, and General Young, who were to command the three attacks, while himself overlooked all, at the head of a chosen body of troops; directed them to advance, with orders not to fire a musket, till they were in the midst of the camp. The three divisions moved at the same instant; and had advanced a considerable way in the camp before they were discovered, the Spaniards being all asleep in their tents: a grenadier attempting to knock down a Sentinel, was resisted, where upon he fired at him; and the noise immediately roused some contiguous tents, who upon this, spread a general alarm, and ran half naked to their arms, but found the English advancing to the very centre of their camp; they attempted to resist, but were broke and dispersed in an instant: the Duke of Lerma himself, by this time was at the head of a confused party, and attempting to form them; but five and twenty field pieces, which the King had brought with him, were placed so advantageously, that every attempt of such a nature was ineffectual. The Duke flew like lightening through his camp, to bring his men to some order; all the Spanish Generals exerted themselves, but their stand was momentary; terror stalked before the English wherever they moved—nothing could resist the impetuosity of their attacks; all was one scene of horror and confusion, the enemy were every where dispersed in the utmost confusion about their camp, and cut to pieces in regiments: to complete the carnage, the Earl of Bury turned the cannon of three redoubts on the flying troops, mowed down in squadrons. By break of day the action was over, the whole Spanish army was totally dispersed, with incredible slaughter; and the loss of their General, who was killed, in the confusion that necessarily attended such an action.
Never victory was more complete; twenty-two thousand Spaniards were killed, and ten thousand taken prisoners; all their camp baggage and artillery were taken; standards, colours, drums, and other trophies without number, besides their military chest. They suffered great loss in their retreat, so that out of fifty thousand who came out, scarce ten thousand returned to their own country. This decisive victory was a fatal stroke to Spain; and almost ruined Philip's affairs: the news of it was as a thunderbolt to him. After gaining so great a victory in such advantageous circumstances, and with the most trifling loss, there was nothing to stop the rapidity of the King's conquests. He divided his army into three divisions, and all Languedoc, Provence, Dauphiné, Gascogné, Guienne, Quercy, Perigort, Limosin, and Saintonge, were conquered; comprehending near four hundred miles of territory. But it is time to take a view of Philip's operations, which will exhibit a very different picture.
He was no sooner master of Paris, than he marched into Normandy, and laid siege to Rouen, expecting to be master of it in a few days; but his hopes of such speedy success were blasted, when he found the brave Governor, General Stanley, returned a haughty answer to his demand of surrendering; but as it was absolutely necessary that that city should be taken before he attempted any thing farther, and as no time was to be lost, he opened nine batteries against it at once, in expectation of obliging the Governor to surrender by the fury of his fire; but after a week's dreadful cannonade, he was not nearer his point than when he first began the attack; with much vexation he was at last obliged to open the trenches: and a slow siege could not but be fatal to his affairs; yet he trusted to the Duke of Lerma's keeping George engaged till he was master of it. In this situation, he continued his approaches for some time, but saw little prospect of his being able to carry the city. At last advice was brought, that the King of England had totally defeated the Spaniards: a terrible blow to Philip: he was at first struck dumb with surprise; but recovering himself, ordered the siege to be raised immediately, and falling back to Paris, entrenched his army under the walls of his capital. Every day brought him accounts of whole provinces over-run by George, and seeing that his affairs were on the brink of ruin, he determined to sue for peace; and accordingly sent two ambassadors to the British Monarch; but he was answered, "That it was now too late for a peace—That France had been the aggressor in the war—and that he must expect no other terms but those his sword procured him."
His Majesty quickly followed this answer with all his forces, he left Rodez the beginning of July, and moved with great expedition towards Paris; in fifteen days he reached its neighbourhood, and encamping at Dampierre, went immediately to reconnoitre Philip's entrenchments. Siletta had done every thing in his power to make them as strong as possible; but their extent rendered them weak, although they contained eighty thousand men, entrenched to the teeth. George drawing nearer,—determined to attack them without delay; he pointed out three places to his Generals, at which to make the principal efforts. One he commanded himself; and the Duke of Devonshire, and the Earl of Bury the other two; the prodigious boldness of the attempt made some advise the King against it; but his ardent temper made him reject their opinion: it was expected, that this action would be one of the bloodiest ever fought. The King made the attack at three o'clock in the morning, of the 24th of July, but it could be hardly called a battle; in half an hour, the whole French army gave way: dispirited by so many defeats, and engaging in expectation of being conquered; instead of fighting like men, they fled like sheep. Philip, with the Dauphin his brother on one side of him, and Siletta on the other, attempted to rally his men, but it was impossible, and in the flight he was taken prisoner by the Earl of Bury, to whom he delivered his sword: the Dauphin was also taken; and Marshal Siletta. The loss of the French amounted to about fifteen thousand men, in killed and prisoners, and the whole army was totally dispersed.
This victory threw the whole kingdom of France into George's possession; he had now no long marches to make, his enemy had no resource. All was lost. From the frontiers of Spain, to the extremities of Holland, the whole territory was in his hands. The King of Spain, or rather his haughty minister, was seised with terror; they repented having provoked a Prince, whom they were in fear would have a severe revenge. All Europe trembled at the name of George; and it was next to evident, that he was now become invincible. But the same success attended his arms in the remotest corners of the world.
We before mentioned the Duke of Grafton's sailing with his victorious fleet to the coast of Spain; his Grace's actions on that station were not so brilliant as those in the Baltick; but almost equally ruinous to the Spaniards. Too weak to face the English squadron, the Spanish fleet kept in port. Thirty sail of the line, besides frigates, and other ships, were at anchor in the harbour of Cadiz. The Duke finding there was no probability of the enemy's venturing out; formed the design of attacking the forts of the city, and burning the Spanish fleet. There was a vastness in all this nobleman's schemes, that showed a great and daring genius. During the reign of George III. Admirals watched the fleets of their enemies, and spent whole months ineffectually, and yet that was a brilliant period. But now in the age of George VI. the British Admirals did not watch, but force the ports of their enemies. The Duke executed his plan with great success; with the loss of only one ship, he burnt nine sail of the line, fifteen frigates, and sixty-four merchantmen. He then entered the Straits, and falling in with a small Spanish squadron, going from Alicant to Gibraltar, to take in their guns, he took four sail of the line, and three frigates, dispersing the rest.
In the West Indies, Admiral Newport met with yet greater success: having landed General Cannon, and his men at New Orleans, he sailed to the island of Cuba, and without any assistance reduced it; that immense island once more came under the dominion of Great-Britain, and with it a prodigious sugar trade. The General having collected the troops of the colony of Louissiana, to the amount of fifteen thousand men, began a very long march towards Mexico: but as the country through which he proceeded was tolerably well cultivated, and having the advantage of conveying his artillery, &c. by several noble rivers, he soon entered the Spanish colonies; where the weakness of their government was very visible; he met with no resistance, but proceeding on his march, he arrived at the opulent city of Mexico. It surrendered on the first summons, and in three months he conquered the whole country, together with the isthmus across from La Vera Cruz, to Acapulco: nothing could be more fatal to the Spaniards than the loss of these immense regions: the trade of them was a great and valuable increase to that of Great-Britain; but these operations were performed in concert with another in the East Indies.—The end of Admiral Clinton's expedition was the conquest of the Philippine Islands. This fleet being rendezvoused at Batavia, was joined by fifteen sail of the line, of the company's ships, and ten thousand of their land forces; he proceeded immediately for the object of his enterprise: so great a force in that part of the world could meet with little or no resistance: Manilla was taken after an attack of two hours, and all the islands were successively reduced to obedience. The government of them his Majesty entrusted to the company. The accession of trade was immense, which these distant conquests concurred to command; a vast and open trade which was carried on, almost immediately, from Acapulco to Manilla. In short, all the riches of the Spaniards, or their most valuable riches, their trade, (for the mines of Mexico were exhausted long before) fell into the hands of the English. But events were happening in Europe, which drew the attention of all the world.
The King of Great-Britain no longer seeing an enemy in the field, entered Paris with great pomp, and placed his head quarters in the Louvre; he sent the Duke of Devonshire at the head of forty thousand men to attack Spain, and distributed thirty thousand more in garrisons throughout France, the remainder of his army which amounted to thirty-two thousand, was part encamped in the neighbourhood of Paris, and part distributed in that city: he had besides twenty thousand more in Holland, under General Sommers. He left this army in the same position, on account of the neighbourhood of the Russians; the Czar Peter was yet engaged in a skirmishing tedious war, with small parties of the Danes; whom he found it impossible to quell at once; besides he could use but a small part of his power, for he was at war with the Turks, and finding so much business on his hands, was utterly unable to attack George.
The Duke of Devonshire had no sooner passed the Appenines, than he broke into Catalonia, and over-running the whole province, sat down before Barcelona. All Spain was alarmed: terrified at the attack, the haughty minister himself saw the immediate necessity of appeasing George. He sent Ambassadors to Paris, to sue for peace, who met with no very favourable reception; they made many proposals which the King rejected; at last, George in a memorial, informed their court, that he would make peace on no other terms than the following, 1. That the King of Spain shall cede all the conquests of the English in the East and West-Indies to Great-Britain, as an indemnification for the expences of the war. 2. That the King of Spain shall acknowledge the King of Great-Britain, King of France. 3. That the King of Great-Britain shall relinquish his conquests in Catalonia, in consideration of the King of Spain's ceding the island of Sardinia to Philip of France, which he shall enjoy for ever, with the title of King. For some time the Court of Madrid refused to accede to these conditions, but finding the King's determination fixed; and Barcelona in the Duke of Devonshire's possession, and dreading to see George at the head of his army in Spain; they at last agreed to them. The Czar Peter, and Philip were both invited to accede to the treaty, and the latter had his liberty promised him, and the island of Sardinia if he did; the difference that subsisted between Great-Britain and Russia, did not prove the least obstacle; and Philip tired out with ill fortune, and seeing the impossibility of recovering either his kingdom or his liberty, agreed to the conditions prescribed by George. An English fleet wafted him, his brother, and many of the French nobility to the island of Sardinia, which he took possession of. The King of Great-Britain generously made him a present of fifty thousand pounds to settle his court, and treated him during his captivity, with all the politeness imaginable.—The peace was no sooner signed, than it was proclaimed at London and Paris, and his Majesty was crowned King of France, at Rheims, the 16th of November, 1920, before an immense concourse of British, and French nobility, &c. And leaving the Duke of Devonshire to command in that kingdom; in December, he embarked at Calais, and arrived in England.