by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XI: VALENCIA
While occupied in preparing for his advance, the general sent letterafter letter to Valencia, bidding the citizens to keep up their courage,and promising to hasten to the relief of that city. Ordering Jack tocontinue the correspondence in his name, so as to delude both friendsand foes that he was still at Castillon, he took post secretly andhurried away back to Tortosa to see after reinforcements. He stilldoubted whether the Spanish troops, which the king had promised shouldbe at his disposal for the campaign in Valencia, had got into motion,and in case they had not done so he determined to post to Colonel Willsand bring up that officer with his brigade.
At Vinaroz he found that the Spanish troops had already enteredValencia, and that some of the militia of that province and of Cataloniawere also in motion to join him. He therefore concentrated his littleforce at Castillon, to which place he returned as rapidly as he hadleft it. When it was assembled it consisted of a thousand horse and twothousand infantry, being one English and three Spanish battalions ofregulars. Besides these were about three hundred armed peasants, whomthe earl thought it better not to join with his army, and thereforequartered them at Almenara.
Although he had accomplished marvels, there was yet much to do. The Dukeof Arcos had succeeded the Conde de las Torres in the chief command, thelatter having been superseded after his signal failures. The duke hadten thousand men placed under his orders, of whom some thirty-fivehundred were in possession of the strong town of Murviedro, whichcovered the approach to Valencia, while with the main body he marchedupon Valencia and commenced the siege of that city. The magistrates,knowing that they could expect but little mercy should the town betaken, made vigorous preparations for defense, and dispatched somemessengers to Peterborough imploring him to come to their assistance. Hewas now in readiness to do so, and on the 1st of February marched fromCastillon with his army.
Having unlimited powers, the earl, before starting, presented to his twoaides de camp commissions as captains, as a reward for the services theyhad rendered.
Although so inferior in numbers the little army advanced toward Valenciawith an absolute confidence of victory. The successes gained by theirleader with a handful of cavalry over an army of seven thousand men hadbeen so astounding that his troops believed him capable of effectinganything that he undertook. They had seen him ride off from San Matteowith his little body of horse upon what seemed an impossible enterprise;they had met him again after having conquered half a province; and if hehad accomplished this with such scanty means, what was not possible nowwhen he had three thousand men at his disposal?
But the earl trusted fully as much to his talents in the way ofdeceiving the enemy as to his power of defeating them by open forcein the field. His eccentric genius appeared to revel in the mendaciousstatements by which he deceived and puzzled both friend and foe; andalthough the spreading of a certain amount of false news for the purposeof deceiving an enemy has always been considered as a legitimate meansof warfare, Peterborough altogether exceeded the usual limits, andappeared to delight in inventing the most complicated falsehoods fromthe mere love of mischief. At times Jack was completely bewilderedby his general, so rapid were the changes of plans, so changeable hispurposes, so fantastic and eccentric his bearing and utterances. Thathis military genius was astonishing no one can for a moment question,but it was the genius rather of a knight errant than of the commander ofgreat armies.
As a partisan leader Peterborough is without a rival in history. Whetherhe would have succeeded equally well as the commander of great armies hehad never an opportunity of proving, but it is more than doubtful. Rapidchanges of plan, shifting and uncertain movements, may lead to wonderfulsuccesses when but a small body of troops have to be set in motion, butwould cause endless confusion and embarrassment with a large army, whichcan only move in accordance with settled plans and deliberate purpose.
It must be said, however, that this most eccentric of generals provedupon many occasions, as at the siege of Barcelona, that he was capableof adapting himself to circumstances, and it is possible that had heever been placed in command of a great army he would have laid aside hisflightiness and eccentricity, his love for theatrical strokes and hairbreadth adventures, and would have exhibited a steadfast military geniuswhich would have placed his name in the annals of British history on apar with those of Wellington and Marlborough. Never did he exhibithis faculty for ingenious falsehood more remarkably than at Murviedro,where, indeed, a great proportion of his inventions appear to have beenprompted rather by a spirit of malice than by any military necessity.
Murviedro was the Saguntum of the Romans, one of the strongest citiesin Spain. The force there was commanded by Brigadier General Mahony, anofficer of Irish descent. He had under him five hundred regular cavalryand a battalion of eight hundred trained infantry; the rest of his forceconsisted of Spanish militia. The town itself was fairly strong andcontained a large population. It was separated from a wide plain by ariver, on the banks of which redoubts mounted with artillery had beenthrown up.
Here the Valencian road wound through a pass, above which, on thecrest of a lofty overhanging hill, were the ruins of ancient Saguntum.Peterborough had no artillery save a few Spanish field guns; the enemy'sposition was formidable both by formation and art, and his force wasaltogether inadequate for an attack upon it. So hopeless did the attemptappear to be that Peterborough's officers were unanimous in the opinionthat it would be better to make a wide circuit and avoid the place, andto march directly upon Valencia and give battle to the Duke of Arcosunder its walls. Peterborough, however, simply told them to wait and seewhat would come of it, and in the mean time he continued to bewilder hisfoes by the most surprising romances.
His agents were for the most part a few sharp witted dragoons, and somepeasants whose fidelity was secured by their families being held ashostages. He had already contrived to bewilder the division of LasTorres before it reached the main body under the Duke of Arcos. A spyin his pay had informed the Spanish general that the British were closeupon him, and he had accordingly at once broken up his camp and marchedall night.
In the morning the spy again presented himself and stated that theBritish were pushing on over the mountains to his left to occupy animportant point and to cut off his retreat to the Valencian plains. Asit seemed absolutely impossible that they could have pressed forwardso quickly, Las Torres refused to credit the story. The spy, as ifindignant at his truth being doubted, pledged himself at the hazard ofhis life to give proof of the assertion to any officer who might be sentto ascertain it.
Two officers in plain clothes were accordingly sent with him in thedirection where he stated the English to be; but when they stopped forrefreshment at a village on the way they were suddenly pounced upon bya picket of English dragoons, who had been sent there for the purpose.After a time the spy pretended to the two officers that he had made theguard drunk and that they could now make their escape, and leading themstealthily to the stable showed them two of the dragoons lying in anapparently drunken sleep. Three horses were quietly led out of thestable, and the three men rode off, some of the dragoons making a showof pursuit.
This incident, of course, established the credit of the spy. Las Torreswas convinced that his retreat was really threatened, and hurried onagain with all speed, while all this time the English army was reallymany miles away near Murviedro. Other dragoons were induced to feigndesertion, while some permitted themselves to be taken prisoners, and aseach vied with the others in the extravagance of his false information,the Spanish generals were utterly bewildered by the contradictory natureof the lies that reached them.
While Las Torres was hastening away at full speed to join the Duke ofArcos, Peterborough was occupied in fooling Mahony. That officer was adistant relation of Lady Peterborough, and the earl sent to demand aninterview with him, naming a small hill near the town for the purpose.When the time for the interview approached the earl disposed his armyso as to magnify their numbers as much as possib
le. Some were postedas near the town as they could venture along the pass; others were keptmarching on the lower slopes of the hills, their numbers increased inappearance by masses of the armed peasantry being mingled with them.
Mahony having received the earl's word for his safety rode out to theappointed place to meet him, accompanied by several of the principalSpanish officers. Peterborough first used every persuasion to induceMahony to enter the service of King Charles, but the Irish officerrefused to entertain the tempting offers which he made. Peterboroughthen changed his tone, and said with an air of kindly frankness:
"The Spaniards have used such severities and cruelties at Villa Real asto oblige me to retaliate. I am willing to spare a town if under yourprotection. I know that you cannot pretend to defend it with the horseyou have, which will be so much more useful in another place if joinedwith the troops of Arcos to obstruct my passing the plains of Valencia.I am confident that you will soon quit Murviedro, which I can as littleprevent as you can hinder me from taking the town. The inhabitantsthere must be exposed to the most abject miseries, and I can in no waypreserve it but by being bound in a capitulation, which I am willing togive you if I have the assurance of the immediate surrender of the placethis very night. Some cases are so apparent that I need not dissemble.I know you will immediately send to the Duke of Arcos to march to theCarthusian convent and meet him there with the body of horse under yourcommand."
The earl further offered, in the same apparent spirit of frankness, toshow Mahony all his troops and artillery, as well as the large resourceshe had upon the sea, which was only six miles off. Mahony was entirelydeceived by the manner of the man he regarded as a relative, andlaughingly acknowledged that he had, in case of necessity, intended tofall back with his cavalry upon the Duke of Arcos. The interview endedby Mahony retiring to the town, agreeing to send back an answer in halfan hour. At the end of that time he sent out a capitulation by a Spanishofficer.
Had Peterborough's scheme ended here he would not have exceeded thebounds of what is regarded as a fair method of deceiving an enemy,but his subsequent proceedings were absolutely indefensible, and are,indeed, almost incredible on the part of the man who in some respectscarried the point of honor almost to an extreme. His notion, no doubt,was to paralyze the action of the enemy by exciting suspicions oftreachery among their leaders, but the means which he took to do so werebase and unworthy in the extreme.
He began with the Spanish officer who had brought the capitulation,giving him a garbled account of his interview with Mahony, and thenendeavoring to bribe him to desert to the Austrian cause, insinuatingthat he had succeeded by this means with Mahony. As the earl expected,he failed to induce the Spaniard to desert, but he succeeded in hispurpose of filling his mind with suspicions of treachery on the part ofMahony.
Mahony had conducted the negotiations in a manner worthy of a loyaland skillful officer; he had stipulated not to leave the town till oneo'clock in the morning, and that Peterborough should not pass the riveruntil that hour.
This he had arranged in order to allow the Duke of Arcos time to reachthe plains, where he was to be joined by the horse from Murviedro. ButPeterborough's machinations had been effectual; the Spanish officer, onhis return, informed his countrymen that Mahony had betrayed them, andthe troops and populace became enraged against the unfortunate Irishmanand threatened his life. Peterborough, who, in spite of his pervertednotions of honor, would not on any account have passed the river beforethe time stipulated, heard the neighing of horses in the town andsupposed that some of the troops were leaving it. In order, therefore,to create suspicion and confusion among the enemy, he ordered a bodyof men near the river to fire straggling shots as if small parties wereengaged at the outposts.
Mahony hearing these sounds sent word that whatever collision might haveoccurred it was the result of no breach of the terms of capitulationon his part, and that, depending implicitly on the honor of an Englishgeneral, he could not believe that any foul play could take place.Peterborough sent back his compliments by the officer who brought themessage, with expressions of gratification at the good understandingwhich prevailed between them, and at the same time he proposed thatMahony, for the security of the inhabitants of Murviedro, and to preventhis troops being molested as they retired from the town, should permita regiment of English dragoons to cross the river and to form a guardat the gates, offering at the same time to deliver up a number of hisofficers as hostages to the Spanish for the loyal fulfillment of theterms.
In an evil hour for himself Mahony consented to the proposal. Whenthe Spaniards saw Peterborough's dragoons advancing without oppositionthrough the difficult pass, and up to the very gates of the town, theirsuspicions of the treachery of their leader became a certainty. TheSpanish officers each got his company or troop together as quickly aspossible and hurried across the plain to the camp of the duke, wherethey spread a vague but general panic. The officers accused Mahonyof treachery to the Spanish general, and the national jealousy offoreigners made their tale easily believed; but Peterborough had takenanother step to secure the success of his diabolical plan against thehonor of his wife's relative.
He made choice of two Irish dragoons, and persuaded them by bribesand promises of promotion to undertake the dangerous part of falsedeserters, and to tell the tale with which he furnished them. Theyaccordingly set out and rode straight to the camp of the Duke of Arcosand gave themselves up to the outposts, by whom they were led beforethe Spanish general. Questioned by him, they repeated the story they hadbeen taught.
The statement was that they had been sitting drinking wine togetherunder some rocks on the hillside, close to where the conference washeld, and that Peterborough and Mahony, walking apart from the others,came near to where they were sitting, but did not notice them, and thatthey saw the earl deliver five thousand pistoles to Mahony, and heardhim promise to make him a major general in the English army, and to givehim the command of ten thousand Irish Catholics which were being raisedfor the service of King Charles. They said that they were content toreceive no reward, but to be shot as spies if Mahony himself did notgive proof of treachery by carrying out his arrangements with the earl,by sending a messenger requesting the duke to march that night acrossthe plain toward Murviedro to the Carthusian convent, where everythingwould be arranged for their destruction by a strong ambush of Britishtroops.
Scarcely had the men finished their story when an aide de camp gallopedin from Mahony with the very proposition which they had reported thathe would make. Arcos had now no doubt whatever of Mahony's treason,and instead of complying with his request, which was obviously the bestcourse to have been pursued, as the junction of the two armies wouldthereby have been completed, the duke broke up his camp without delayand fell back in exactly the opposite direction.
This was exactly what Peterborough had been scheming to bring about.Mahony, with his cavalry, having delivered over the town, marched to theCarthusian convent, and there, finding themselves unsupported, rode onto the spot where the duke had been encamped, and finding that his armywas gone, followed it. On overtaking it Mahony was instantly arrestedand sent a prisoner to Madrid.
It is satisfactory to know that he succeeded in clearing himself fromthe charge of treachery, was promoted to the rank of major general, andwas sent back with Las Torres, who was ordered to supersede the Duke ofArcos.
The success of the earl's stratagem had been complete. Without the lossof a single man he had obtained possession of Murviedro, and had spreadsuch confusion and doubt into the enemy's army that, although more thanthree times his own force, it was marching away in all haste, havingabandoned the siege of Valencia, which city he could now enter with histroops. The success was a wonderful one; but it is sad to think thatit was gained by such a treacherous and dastardly maneuver, which mighthave cost a gallant officer--who was, moreover, a countryman and distantconnection of the earl--his honor and his life.
The next day the earl entered the city of Valencia in triumph. The wholepopu
lation crowded into the streets. The houses were decorated withflags and hangings. The church bells pealed out their welcome, and amidthe shouts of the people below and the waving of handkerchiefs from theladies at the balconies, he rode through the streets to the town hall,where all the principal personages were assembled, followed by thelittle army with which he had performed what appeared to have been animpossible undertaking.
After their incessant labors during the past two months, the rest atValencia was most grateful to the troops. The city is celebrated asbeing one of the gayest and most delightful in all Spain. Its situationis lovely, standing within a mile and a half of the sea, in a rich plaincovered with vines, olives, and other fruit trees, while beyond theplains rise the mountains, range after range, with the higher summitscovered with snow. The people, at all times pleasure loving, gavethemselves up to fetes and rejoicings for some time after the entranceof the army that had saved them from such imminent danger, and all viedin hospitality to the earl and his officers.
King Charles, astonished and delighted at Peterborough's success,appointed him captain general of all his forces, and gave him the powerof appointing and removing all governors and other public servants, ashe might consider necessary for the good of the cause, while from Londonthe earl received a dispatch appointing him plenipotentiary at the courtof King Charles.
Here as at Barcelona the earl entered with almost boyish animation intothe gayety of which he was the center. With the priests and ladies hewas an especial favorite, having won the former by the outward respectwhich he paid to their religion, and by the deference he exhibitedtoward themselves.
Valencia prided itself on being one of the holiest cities in Spain, andno other town could boast of the connection of so many saints orthe possession of so many relics. The priesthood were numerous andinfluential. Religious processions were constantly passing throughthe streets, and in the churches the services were conducted with thegreatest pomp and magnificence.
Peterborough, knowing the value of the alliance and assistance ofthe priests, spared no pains to stand well with the Church, revenginghimself for the outward deference he paid to it by the bitterest sarcasmand jeers in his letters to his friends at home. Believing nothinghimself, the gross superstition which he saw prevailing round him wasan argument in favor of his own disbelief in holy things, and he did notfail to turn it to advantage.
With the ladies his romantic adventures, his extraordinary bravery,his energy and endurance, his brilliant wit, his polished manner, hiscourtesy and devotion, rendered him an almost mythical hero; and thefair Valencians were to a woman his devoted admirers and adherents.
But, while apparently absorbed in pleasure, Peterborough's energy neverslumbered for a moment. His position was still one of extreme danger.The force of Las Torres, seven thousand strong, recovering from theirpanic, had, a day or two after he entered the town, returned and takenpost on some hills near it, preparatory to recommencing the siege. Fourthousand Castilians were marching to their support by the road leadingthrough Fuente de la Higuera, while at Madrid, within an easy distance,lay the overwhelming forces of the main army under Marshal Tesse.. Tocope with these forces he had but his little army in the town, amountingto but three thousand men, deficient in artillery, ammunition, andstores of all kinds.
Had Marshal Tesse marched at once to join Las Torres Peterborough'slittle force must have been crushed; but the court of King Philipdecided to dispatch the marshal against Barcelona. FortunatelyPeterborough was well informed by the country people of everything thatwas passing, for in every town and village there were men or women whosent him news of all that was going on in their neighborhood.
It was but a week after they entered Valencia that the earl, happeningto pass close by Jack Stilwell at a brilliant ball, paused for a momentand said:
"Get away from this in half an hour, find Graham, and bring him with youto my quarters. Before you go find Colonel Zinzendorf and tell himto have two hundred men ready to mount at half past one. He is heresomewhere. If you find he has left you must go round to the barracks.Tell him the matter is to be kept an absolute secret. I know," the earlsaid gallantly to the lady on his arm and to Jack's partner, "we cantrust you two ladies to say nothing of what you have heard. It is indeedgrief and pain to myself and Captain Stilwell to tear ourselves awayfrom such society, and you may be sure that none but the most pressingnecessity could induce me to do it."
Jack at once led his partner to a seat and set out on the search forGraham and the colonel of dragoons. He was some time finding them both,and it was already past one when the three issued together from thepalace where the fete was held, and hurried off, the two young officersto Peterborough's quarters, the colonel to his barracks.
The earl was already in his chamber. He had slipped away unobserved fromthe ball, and had climbed the wall of the garden, to avoid being noticedpassing out of the entrance. His great wig and court uniform were thrownaside, and he was putting on the plain uniform which he used on servicewhen his aides de camp entered.
"Get rid of that finery and gold lace," he said as they entered. "Youhave to do a forty mile ride before morning. I have received gloriousnews. One of my partners told me that she had, just as she was startingfor the ball, received a message from a cousin saying that a vessel hadcome into port from Genoa with sixteen brass twenty-four pounderguns, and a quantity of ammunition and stores, to enable Las Torres tocommence the siege. The stores were landed yesterday, and carts werecollected from the country round in readiness for a start at daybreakthis morning. As these things will be even more useful to us than tothe Spaniards, I mean to have them now. Be as quick as you can. I havealready ordered your horses to be brought round with mine."
In five minutes they were in the saddle and rode quickly to the cavalrybarracks. The streets were still full of people; but the earl in hissimple uniform passed unnoticed through them. The dragoons were alreadymounted when they reached the barracks.
"We will go out at the back gate, colonel," the earl said. "Take themost quiet streets by the way, and make for the west gate. Break yourtroop up into four parties, and let them go by different routes, so thatany they meet will suppose they are merely small bodies going out torelieve the outposts. If it was suspected that I was with you, and thatan expedition was on foot, the Spaniards would hear it in an hour. Loyalas the population are here, there must be many adherents of Philip amongthem, and Las Torres no doubt has his spies as well as we have."
The earl's orders were carried out, and half an hour later the fourparties again assembled at a short distance outside the city gates.Peterborough placed himself at their head and rode directly for the sea.
"The Spaniards are sure to have outposts placed on all the roads leadinginland," he said to Colonel Zinzendorf, "and the Spanish irregulars willbe scattered all over the country; but I do not suppose they will haveany down as far as the seashore."
When they reached the coast they followed a small road running along itsmargin. Two or three miles further they turned off and rode inland tillthey struck a main road, so as to avoid following all the windings ofthe coast. They now pushed on at a sharp trot, and just at four o'clockcame down upon the little port.
Its streets were cumbered with country carts, and as the dragoons dashedinto the place a few shots were fired by some Spanish soldiers belongingto a small detachment which had been sent by Las Torres to act as aconvoy for the guns and stores, and who were sleeping on the pavementor scattered among the houses in readiness for a start at daybreak.The resistance soon ceased. Before entering the place Peterborough hadplaced a cordon of dragoons in a semicircle round it to prevent any onepassing out.
No time was lost; the carts were already loaded, and a troop of cavalryhorses stood picketed by the guns. These were soon harnessed up, and thefew other horses in the place were seized to prevent any one riding offwith the news. The order was given to the peasants to start their carts,and in ten minutes after their entering the place the convoy was on itsway with its
long row of carts laden with ammunition and its sixteenguns.
The cordon of dragoons was still left round the town, the officer incommand being ordered to allow no one to pass for an hour and a half,after which time he was to gallop on with his men to overtake theconvoy, as by that time it would be no longer possible for any one tocarry the news to Las Torres in time for him to put his troops intomotion to cut off the convoy from Valencia. The journey back took muchlonger than the advance, for the carts, drawn for the most part bybullocks, made but slow progress. Three hours after the convoy startedthe dragoons left behind overtook them. When within three miles of thetown, they were met by a small party of the enemy's Spanish militia; butthese were at once scattered by a charge of the dragoons, and the convoyproceeded without further molestation until just at noon it entered thegates of Valencia, where the astonishment and delight of the inhabitantsat its appearance were unbounded.
In a few hours the cannon were all mounted in position on the ramparts,adding very much to the defensive power of the town, which was now safefor a time from any attempt at a siege by Las Torres, whose plans wouldbe entirely frustrated by the capture of the artillery intended for thesiege.
But Peterborough was not yet contented. The junction of the fourthousand Castilians, of whose approach he had heard, with Las Torreswould raise the force under that general to a point which would enablehim to blockade the town pending the arrival of artillery for siegeworks; and no sooner had the earl returned to his quarters, after seeingthe cannon placed upon the walls, than he began his preparations foranother expedition. He ordered Colonel Zinzendorf to march quietly outof the city at eight o'clock with four hundred of his dragoons, and fourhundred British and as many Spanish infantry were to join him outsidethe walls. The colonels of these three bodies were ordered to saynothing of their intended movement, and to issue no orders until withinhalf an hour of the time named. At the same hour the rest of the troopswere to march to the walls and form a close cordon round them, so as toprevent any one from letting himself down by a rope and taking the newsthat an expedition was afoot to Las Torres.
At a few minutes past eight, eight hundred foot and four hundred horseassembled outside the gates, and Peterborough took the command. Hisobject was to crush the Castilians before they could effect a junctionwith Las Torres. In order to do this it would be necessary to pass closeby the Spanish camp, which covered the road by which the reinforcementswere advancing to join them.
In perfect silence the party moved forward and marched to a fordacross the river Xucar, a short distance only below the Spanish camp.Peterborough rode at their head, having by his side a Spanish gentlemanacquainted with every foot of the country. They forded the river withoutbeing observed, and then, making as wide a circuit as possible round thecamp, came down upon the road without the alarm being given; then theypushed forward, and after three hours' march came upon the Castilians atFuente de la Higuera. The surprise was complete. The Spaniards, knowingthat the Spanish army lay between them and the town, had taken noprecautions, and the British were in possession of the place before theywere aware of their danger.
There was no attempt at resistance beyond a few hasty shots. TheCastilians were sleeping wrapped up in their cloaks around the place,and on the alarm they leaped up and fled wildly in all directions.In the darkness great numbers got away, but six hundred were takenprisoners. An hour was spent in collecting and breaking the arms leftbehind by the fugitives, and the force, with their prisoners in theirmidst, then started back on their return march. The circuit of theSpanish camp was made, and the ford passed as successfully as before,and just as daylight was breaking the little army marched into Valencia.
The news rapidly spread, and the inhabitants hurried into the streets,unable at first to credit the news that the Castilian army, whoseapproach menaced the safety of the town, was destroyed. The movement ofthe troops on the previous night to the ramparts and the absence of thegreater part of the officers from the festivities had occasionedsome comment; but as none knew that an expedition had set out, it wassupposed that the earl had received news from his spies that Las Torresintended to attempt a sudden night attack, and the people would havedoubted the astonishing news they now received had it not been for thepresence of the six hundred Castilian prisoners.
These two serious misadventures caused Las Torres to despair of successagainst a town defended by so energetic and enterprising a commander asPeterborough, and he now turned his thoughts toward the small towns ofSueca and Alcira. Below these towns and commanded by their guns was theimportant bridge of Cullera, by which by far the greater portion ofthe supplies for the town was brought in from the country. Las Torrestherefore determined to seize these places, which were distant aboutfifteen miles from his camp, and so to straiten the town for provisions.
As usual, Peterborough's spies brought him early intelligence of theintended movement, and the orders issued by Las Torres were known to theearl a few hours later. It needed all his activity to be in time. Fivehundred English and six hundred Spanish infantry, and four hundredhorse, were ordered to march with all speed to the threatened towns;and, pushing on without a halt, the troops reached them half an hourbefore the Spanish force appeared on the spot. On finding the two townsstrongly occupied by the British, Las Torres abandoned his intention anddrew off his troops.
A portion of the Spanish army were cantoned in a village only sometwo miles from Alcira, and a few days later Peterborough determined tosurprise it, and for that purpose marched out at night from Valenciawith an English force of a thousand men, and reached the spot intendedat daybreak as he had arranged. The Spanish garrison of Alcira, alsoabout a thousand strong, had orders to sally out and attack the villageat the same hour. The Spaniards also arrived punctually, but just asthey were preparing to burst upon the unconscious enemy, who were fourthousand strong, they happened to come upon a picket of twenty horse. Anunaccountable panic seized them; they broke their ranks and fled in suchutter confusion that many of the terror stricken soldiers killed eachother. The picket aroused the enemy, who quickly fell into their ranks,and Peterborough, seeing that it would be madness to attack them withhis wearied and unsupported force, reluctantly ordered a retreat, whichhe conducted in perfect order and without the loss of a man.
This was Peterborough's only failure; with this exception every one ofhis plans had proved successful, and he only failed here from trustingfor once to the cooperation of his wholly unreliable Spanish allies.After this nothing was done on either side for several weeks.
The campaign had been one of the most extraordinary ever accomplished,and its success was due in no degree to chance, but solely to theability of Peterborough himself. Wild as many of his schemes appeared,they were always planned with the greatest care. He calculated uponalmost every possible contingency, and prepared for it. He neverintrusted to others that which he could do himself, and he personallycommanded every expedition even of the most petty kind.
His extraordinary physical powers of endurance enabled him to supportfatigue and to carry out adventure, which would have prostrated mostother men. The highest praise, too, is due to the troops, who provedthemselves worthy of such a leader. Their confidence in their chiefinspired them with a valor equal to his own. They bore uncomplaininglythe greatest hardships and fatigues, and engaged unquestioninglyin adventures and exploits against odds which made success appearabsolutely hopeless. The hundred and fifty dragoons who followed theEarl of Peterborough to the conquest of Valencia deserve a place side byside with the greatest heroes of antiquity.