Masséna's Retreat

On Saturday we were in Porto, where Wellington removed Soult who had taken Porto as part of the Second French Invasion of Portugal in the Peninsular War. 

After time in Spain at Talavera, and time back in Britain where he becomes Viscount Wellington he is ready when Masséna begins to move through Portugal in the Third French Invasion while Wellington goes South towards Lisbon until they meet at the Battle of Bussaco which we saw in details yesterday.

Today, we jump in a Tardis (or at least a coach) and move forward to March 5th, 1811, when the events of  October 13th 1809 to November 14th 1810 have taken place. We are to focus on those events tomorrow. So, far today we follow, in reverse order, as that is the way we are driving, the March Events when Masséna tries to beat a managed retreat out of Portugal, with Wellington and his army always on his tail. 

This artist's drawing of the skirmish at Pompel, the first of the interactions between the two army can set the scene for today, even though it will be the last place we visit today. 

Early Morning

I get up at 4am, I guess Drew is right it was a tiring day yesterday! He felt it last night and I this morning. 

I began yesterday's blog post and was astounded at how busy we had been in retrospect. 

Missing from our hotel rooms for the last three nights have been kettles or coffee machines, so what a delight that the Palace Hotel at Lousã has both. So that, when Drew wakes at 6am feeling refreshed, we have a cup of tea each, Breakfast Tea from the tea bags brought from the Holiday Inn in Lisbon. Then two espressos each from the coffee machine, it is a great way to start the day.

Breakfast

As with most of the hotels on this trip breakfast begins at 7.30am, so we are there when the doors open.

Drew begins with bacon, scrambled egg and a lovely cherry tomato dish with herbs and garlic. They certainly aren't afraid fo the garlic here. 

I have yogurt and the best selection of seeds and nuts I've seen this holiday. Crunchy, tasty good, I'll be glad to get back to my oatmeal with seeds and nuts at home, but Greek yogurt is a good alternative.

Drew, keeping his energy levels up, opts for a piece of cake. A sponge cake with meringue and fruits, there is no indication of a portion size, until, after he had taken his slice, he walked past one of the staff whose eyes widened in surprise. A number of our fellow travellers from the tour also stopped and remarked on the generosity of the portion. Drew just smiled and ate on. 

I went with salad and three cheeses, a gouda style cheese, a queso fresco and a cottage cheese, though with a dryer texture than much of the cottage cheese you see in the UK, it was sliced rather than scooped. 

Masséna's Retreat

As usual our departure time was 8.30am and Mark, our historian, provided us with a map of the three invasions by the French to set the scene for today.

Our focus is on the route in this map, which after breaking his army in an attempt to attack Torres Vedras, the Green Towers, Masséna looked to return to the safety of Spain though a managed retreat, which in the end was not as well managed as it could be.

Background 

Following the victory at Bussaco, both armies took different routes on their way to Lisbon. What Masséna didn't know and Wellington did is that the Torre Vedras were set as his trap for Masséna and his army. Masséna, tried, tried and tried again, but could not break through, he finally headed back north. Which is what we will be looking at throughout the day today.  

Beaten by the ravages of cold and famine, Masséna abandoned Santarém on  March 5th 1811 and began a retreat back to Spain and the safety of Ciudad Rodrigo to the northeast. Masséna's plan was to follow the same route that he had taken in July 1810, to the north of the river Mondego, passing through Coimbra and he split his force of 49,000 into two columns to make foraging easier. So the retreat became two armies with Ney taking 35,000 people as a rearguard and Reynier having 14,000. 

Masséna had left many injured troops in Coimbra and hoped to collect those fit enough for the return journey. Masséna was told in Condeixa. Thar new troops had arrived at Mondeo Beach, as happened earlier in the engagement, there were no new British Troops, he was told that a famous Portuguese General, General Silveira, who had 20,000 men was holding the Bridge at Coimbra, in fact General Trant was there with 5,000 troops.

This false news got Masséna to redirect his route from the one he knew, to the steeper one that Wellington was familiar with. Which in the end harmed him and his men immensely.

Foz de Aroche

The second skirmish in Masséna's Retreat from Torres Vedras took place where we are stopping this morning 8.50am 

Wellington's army of 43,000 had decide to chase Ney, not Reynier, and know the route he was likelty to take by good reporting by exploring officers and scouts. 

A serious action took place here on March 15th 1811. It was here that the Light Division under Erskine, together with Picton's 'Fighting 3rd Division', surprised the French as they made camp on the near side of the Ceira river. 

For the third time since the start of the retreat, Wellington had caught up with Ney and his troops. 

This is the bridge with the line of sight being what the French, left on this side of the river, will have seen from their camp.

This memorial marks the events of the day. It has an interesting order of priority, the Portuguese defenders, the French invaders and the 'supporting armies' are listed. 

The bridge looks calm and unflustered, but not so on that March afternoon. Panic set in among the French with the allies on their tail. And they dashed for the partly-destroyed bridge which collapsed under their weight with many French men falling into the river. The total French losses amounted to 250, the majority died through drowning whilst attempting to ford the river. 

The night after this Wellington overnighted at Vila Seca and then in Lousã, at the palace of the Viscountess of Espinhal, where Masséna had slept the night before, this palace is the hotel where we stayed last night.

Wellington's dispatch of the 16th March 1811, came from the palace, which was not then an hotel. He reports that: "Animals, ammunition and baggage was being burnt or hamstrung by Ney as his men who couldn't cope with them any more. Many of the mules were starved, with bones being visible under flesh." 

There is another memorial on the hill above the town, which we visited, largely it seems to get our legs pumping for the day ahead.

After this event Masséna sacked Ney and took control of the rearguard. 

Ney, on his return to Paris, blackened Masséna's name, so after the battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May, another failure, Masséna played no more part in the war, though later he became Chief of the Military Police in Paris and later Governor of Paris.

Reversals

At Casal Novo on March 14th 1811, Erskine, Commander of the Light Regiment, advanced his men along the main road in fog without proper scouts. When the fog suddenly cleared, his leading elements found themselves facing elements of Jean Marchand's division deployed in line with artillery support. This carelessness cost the Light Division 155 killed and wounded, while Marchand lost only 55 men. 

Rabaçal

On March 14th, Masséna was very nearly captured as he was taking lunch under a tree near the hamlet of Fonte Coberta with his mistress. 

It is a rural idyll 

Where the Camino de Portugal makes its gentle way to Santiago de Compostella. 

A patrol of the King's German Legion hussars surprised him, but were seen off by a few Grenadiers and a handful of French dragoons. A close run thing.

Here I am getting back on the coach after this visit.

Condeixa 

Leaping back through time again we leave Rabaçal and come to Condeixa. 

Here Masséna's aide de camp Marbor writing in his memos about it says: 

After this (dusk) Masséna marches through the night with Madame H. 

Her horse fell over in the dark and rolled over her. She was saved by a cavalry soldier pulling her into the back of his horse before her horse fell on her.

The night before the picnic dinner Masséna ate here. 

This place was the house of minor Portuguese aristocracy who were French supporters. Hence this building. Is one of the very few not torched when the town was left by the French. 

The worse burning by the retreating French in 1811 took place in Condeixa. Ney, when he left Condeixa torched the town. The palace and church and most of the houses were burnt. It is said the French were so annoyed with the Portuguese for not supporting them that they killed and destroyed everything. 

Lunch

We stop in Condeixa for lunch at the Café Conímbriga.

I have Tosta Mista Alentejana - ham and cheese toastie on rustic bread

and Drew a Tosta Kebab with kebab meat, cheese, shoestring potato and pita sauce)

which we washed down with a agua com gas and Coke Zero and an espresso each - or Dois espresso as they say here.

Redinha

After lunch we move on to Redinha, again leaping back in time to a location where a skirmish took place on the 12th of March 1911. 

We stand on the highland where Coles forth division is located on the map. 

Ney makes a similar error to that he will do in a few days time in Foz de Aroche, where we were earlier. 

Mermet is on one side of the river Ancos and Marchant on the other. Mermet and his soldiers was pushed to the bridge, which got backed up. The town was set on fire by the enemy to avoid the advance. But they came in a tangle to the bridge with many of them falling or being pushed off the parapet of the bridge. 

227 French lost, but the allies lost 205. A costly engagement for both. 

Pombal 

One more leap back in time, to the 11th of March 1811 in the town of Pombal, with its huge castle.

Ney placed Mermet's division on the heights behind the town and left a single battalion holding the ruined castle. Wellington ordered the 3rd battalion of the Portuguese Caçadores to charge across the bridge and occupy the town, supported by two companies of the 95th Rifles. They fought their way up the narrow streets and stormed the castle, only to be beaten back by Ney himself, at the head of four battalions. He then set fire to the town and retreated north after dark. This pattern of burning for burnings sake did nothing for the Portuguese reaction to the French after this time. The painting depicted at the top of this post shows Wellington looking down at the burning town.

The third of the bridges to play a part in the events we saw today.

Motorway Stop

With the toilets in Pompal under reconstruction we made a stop soon after leaving the village at a Motorway service station, a BP one at Nazaré

Hotel Dolce CampoReal

We arrive at the picturesque hotel Dolce CampoReal at 5.30pm.

 

From here we can look up to the top of the mountian called Wellington's Eagle Nest, as he rode to the top of the mountain early each day during the siege of Torres Vedras to look out at the French below. But much more, I suspect, much, much more about this tomorrow when we will be visiting the sites of Torres Vedras for most of the day.

Dinner

We were down for dinner at 7.30pm and enjoyed a delicious Creme de abóbora assada com suas sementes i.e. roasted Pumpkin soup which had pumpkin seeds on top. It was rich and full flavoured.

Our next course was Supremo de frango recheado com requeijão e espinafre batata gratinada e espargos, that is Chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and spinach, potato gratin and asparagus. Depending on your perspective, mine or Drew's I was either: 'deep in discussion with other travellers about some of the niceties of various holiday destinations' or 'pontificating so much that he didn't have time to photos his food.' Either way, it means we don't have a photo of the chicken. It was nicely roasted as was the potato, but the asparagus was a little limp and was sadly cold.

There are two birthdays among our group today. A 70s something Cork man, who was an Orthopedic surgeon called Michael and a 28 year old Aussie called Conor. Choclate Birthcake was served in their honour.

Drew managed mine and his own and was delighted by it.

However when the real dessert, Tarte de maracujá merengada i.e Passion fruit meringue tart, arrived Drew managed his own but couldn't manage mine too - Connor, a 6 foot 4 incher, was pleased to consume it as part of his dinner celebrations.

At 9.30pm we go back up to our room and at 10.15pm to bed. Drew has a bad cough, which seems to be air-con related as it disappears in the daytime, but he sounds very hoarse indeed at night. Let's hope he is feeling better in the morning.