If possible, pause here and complete the rest of the tour the following day, but you may have enough daylight to visit the southern defences along the Tejo if you have made good time. Travelling south along the lines you may spot occasional signs of small redoubts and forts, but bear in mind that detours will almost always take longer than expected and should only be attempted if time permits. The southern end of the line started at Alhandra on the Tejo, which is the first destination. Travelling east along the N9, join the N10 just above Vila Franca. Driving through Vila Franca you may see the famous Hercules statue standing on a tall column on the hillside. The statue is white and stands out against the hillside, but binoculars or a telescope may be necessary and the buildings along the route only allow the occasional fleeting glimpse. The exit is just after the town of Alhandra when travelling towards Lisbon, but can be very difficult to find. The turning is marked with two signs for Solbanhino and Palacio. Road atlases are likely to be inadequate for the small lanes now encountered and the best course is to drive up the hillside watching closely for a small yellow sign reading ’Linhas de Torres des Monumentos’. It is unfortunate that the Portuguese fail to provide the numerous signs that most countries place to mark sites of historical interest, especially with the wealth of interesting locations. This one is easy to miss and instinct and perseverance may have to be relied upon. The area is heavily wooded and contains a large quarry with industrial buildings, meaning some areas are restricted. Most of this applies to limiting access to various roads, some of which are blocked with large boulders. The Portuguese are generally very easy going, but quarry workers around here may challenge you if you stray off the paths.
The Hercules statue is imposing and has two plaques commemorating Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Fletcher, considered the main designer and creator of the Lines of Torres Vedras, along with the general British and Portuguese input into Wellington’s vast and farsighted project. The column base is inscribed ’NON ULTRA’, meaning ‘No Further’ in Latin. The statue stands on the site of a redoubt, but all traces of this have been removed. It is a very good position for a fort with extensive views out over the Tejo and the estuary. British gunboats would have ranged even further east than this point, adding to the formidable nature of the defence.
The more adventurous could follow the rough tracks to view the remains of smaller fortifications north of this point. Retracing your route to the fork in the road before the statue, travel uphill along the narrow and rough track. Following the crest of the ridge you will see the well-preserved remains of a redoubt to your right. Walking into the structure you will find that it is wedge-shaped, terminating in a triangular point facing eastwards. There are four stone-faced embrasures and a small powder store still exists in the centre. However, this small redoubt is heavily overgrown on the inside, limiting photographic possibilities. The sides of the redoubt have been faced with stone to preserve them and, if you are determined to get good photographs, it is possible to clamber down the steep, overgrown hillside and shoot up at the structure. Be extremely careful here and wear long trousers, since gorse and thorn bushes cover the area. The redoubt is very well positioned with good views down the precipitous slopes. Observing it from five hundred yards further on it was hardly visible on the hillside despite its good state of preservation. This would have presented a formidable obstacle to the French considering it was one amongst many mutually supporting structures.
Driving further you will encounter a small battery site, which is again stone-faced on both the wall and the gun embrasures. Sadly it is now used as a rubbish tip for the local foresters, but it is still worth a look. It is situated in the woods that now cover the slopes and ridge and the quarry is now to your rear. Though it is difficult to tell with the trees, this structure would almost certainly have been able to support the previous redoubt. The track continues along the ridgeline but it is advisable to leave vehicles here and walk since it is extremely rough. A 4×4 vehicle would be preferable if you wish to explore in this direction and remember to carry sufficient water if you intend to walk. Using a telescope from various vantage points, there seem to be further forts along the line of this ridge if you have the time to seek them out.
FINAL POINTS
It is of course possible to save yourself time and effort by going on an organised coach tour to some of these locations. These are usually well organised and informative. However, those determined enough to undertake this kind of journey themselves should find it rewarding and far cheaper in comparison. With hindsight, an air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle is advisable for some areas and a week is only just long enough to visit this many locations. It is advisable to book hotels along the route well in advance and they are usually very good quality, but bear in mind that most travel agents will be unwilling to make this many bookings and you may have to do it yourself using the internet. Travelling over the ground still gives an insight into the problems Wellington and Massena faced, with several areas being unspoilt and a pleasure to photograph. Good quality optics and cameras are a must for this trip and, depending on the time of year, sufficient drinking water is imperative to prevent dehydration. Good luck to those with the courage to attempt such a venture!
Notes
CHAPTER 1 - THE PENINSULAR WAR
1. Glover, Michael, The Peninsular War 1807-1814, London, Penguin Books, 1974, 2001 edition, p22.
2. Stanhope, The Earl of, Life of the Right Honourable William Pitt, Volume IV,London, John Murray, 1867, p369. However, some sources dispute that the indomitable Pitt made this defeatist remark and Donald Grove Barnes claimed that if anything hastened his demise it was the disintegration of the Third Coalition, which had taken him so long to achieve. Grove Barnes, Donald, George III and William Pitt, 1783-1806, New York, Octagon Books, 1939, 1965 edition, p467.
3. For example Joseph Bonaparte was created King of Naples 1 April 1806 and Louis Bonaparte King of Holland 20 June 1806.
4. Glover, op.cit. p25. Lord Melville was the First Lord of the Admiralty in 1814.
5. Ibid. p24.
6. Chandler, David, The Campaigns of Napoleon, London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1967, p598.
7. Ibid. p610.
8. The Times, 10 October 1808, p2.
9. Chandler, op.cit. p617.
10. Ibid. p620.
11. Ibid. p639.
12. The Times, 24 January 1809, p4.
13. Napier, Major-General W.F.P., History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France, 1807-1814, Volume I, London, Frederick Warne & Co., 1876, p311.
14. Fortescue, J.W., A History of The British Army, Volume VI 1807-1809,London, Macmillan & Co. Ltd, 1921, p351.
15. Curling, Henry (Ed.), Recollections of Rifleman Harris, London, Peter Davies Limited, 1929, p114.
16. Esdaile, Charles, The Peninsular War, London, Penguin Books Ltd, 2003, p155.
17. Fortescue, Volume VI, op.cit. p388.
18. The Times, 26 January 1809, p1.
19. The Times, 26 January 1809, p4.
20. Hibbert, Christopher, Corunna, London, B.T. Batsford Limited, 1961.
21. The Times, 24 January 1809, p4. This extract comprises part of a passage quoted in The Times from the French newspaper Le Moniteur.
22. Hibbert, op.cit. p199.
CHAPTER 2 - SON OF THE ARISTOCRACY
23. Guedalla, Philip, The Duke, London, Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1933, p3.
24. Buchan, John Walter, The Duke of Wellington, London, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1914, p10.
25. Keegan, John, The Mask of Command, Penguin Books Ltd, 1988.
26. Guedalla, op.cit. pp36-37.
27. Fortescue, J.W., A History of the British Army Volume IV Part I 1789-1801,London, Macmillan & Co. Ltd, 1915, p322. Walmoden, a Hanoverian General, wrote these remarks in a letter to the Duke of York, detailing the results of the retreat.
28. Guedalla, op.cit. p47.
29. Longford, Elizabeth, The Years of the Sword, London, World Books, 1971, p51.
30. G
uedalla, op.cit. pp55-56.
31. Longford, op.cit. p61.
32. Ibid. p65.
33. Fortescue, J.W., A History of the British Army Volume V 1803-1807, London, Macmillan & Co. Ltd, 1921, pp32-33.
34. Maxwell, Herbert, The Life of Wellington, Volume I, London, Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1900, pp59-60.
35. Longford, op.cit. p141.
36. Guedalla, op. cit. p125. In India the taking of salt symbolised a soldier’s oath of loyalty and is the origin of phrases such as ‘to be true to your salt ’ or ‘to be worth your salt’.
37. Wellington’s Supplementary Dispatches, Volume V, London, John Murray,1860, p33.
38. Green, William, Travels and Adventures of William Green (Late Rifle Brigade),Leicester, W.A. Hammond, 1858, p5.
39. Fortescue, Volume IV, op.cit. p73.
40. Green, op.cit. p6.
41. Fortescue, Volume IV, op.cit. p77.
42. Pool, Bernard (Ed.), The Croker Papers 1808-1857, London, B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1967, p11.
43. Supplementary Dispatches, Volume VI, p90.
44. Fortescue, Volume VI, op.cit. p212.
45. Ibid. p215.
46. Curling, Henry (Ed.), Recollections of Rifleman Harris, London, Peter Davies Limited, 1929, p33.
47. NAM 1964-04-76 Anonymous, Journal of a Soldier of the 71st Regiment.
48. The Annual Register 1809, London, G. Auld, 1811, p61. This is part of an extract from the Board of Inquiry conducted to examine the Convention of Cintra 1808.
49. NAM 1964-04-76, op.cit.
50. Esdaile, Charles, The Peninsular War, London, Penguin Books Ltd, 2003, p101.
51. NAM 7511-31 Anonymous Captain in the British Army – memoirs 24 August–16 September 1808.
52. In 1824 Harriette Wilson wrote her memoirs, which included lurid details about former lovers. Joseph Stockdale, her publisher, approached the then Duke of Wellington with the offer of excluding his name from the manuscript for a monetary consideration. His famous, if not fully corroborated, reply to this blackmail was to: ‘Publish and be damned!’ Wilson’s subsequent revelations were embarrassing, occasionally inaccurate and almost certainly exaggerated.
53. Guedalla, op.cit. p184.
54. Thompson, W.F.K. (Ed.), An Ensign in the Peninsular War, London, Michael Joseph Ltd, 1981, pp51-52. Aitchison wrote this letter on 25 July 1809 from Talavera, before the battle.
55. Ibid. p57. Aitchison wrote this letter on 14 September 1809 at Belem weeks after the battle. The men were ordered to lie down to minimise the effect of the round shot that, bouncing over the ground, was likely to knock down more men if they were standing in line.
56. Stanhope, Philip, Henry, Notes of Conversations with the Duke of Wellington, 1831-1851, London, John Murray, 1889, p9.
57. Supplementary Dispatches, Volume VI, July 1807-December 1810, London, John Murray, 1860, p412. Letter from The Earl of Liverpool to Wellington, 20 October 1809.
58. Oman, Charles, A History of the Peninsular War Volume III, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908, p167.
59. Ibid. pp153-154.
60. Glover, Michael, Wellington as Military Commander, London, Penguin Books Ltd, 2001 – originally 1968, p67.
61. Oman, Volume III, op.cit. p169.
CHAPTER 3 - CHILD OF VICTORY
62. Marshal-Cornwall, James, Marshal Massena, London, Oxford University Press, 1965, p1. Due to his later ties with France, Massena favoured the French spelling of Andrć rather than Andrea. Though many historians and some of his contemporaries spell his name with an accent (Massćna), his birth records refute this. Some sources claimed the family had Jewish origins and that his name was a corruption of ‘Manasseh’, but this assertion has no evidence to support it. The family hailed from a long line of peasant farmers and could trace their heritage back to the fifteenth century.
63. The French would often name armies after the areas they were intending to fight in. This was partially intended as a sign of revolutionary brotherhood implying that they wished to bring the benefits of their new political system to Italy rather than simply conquer the Italian states.
64. Butler, Arthur John (Ed. & trans.), The Memoirs of Baron Thiebault, Volume I,London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1896, pp282-283. Massena had a commanding presence but was slight in build and only 5ft 4in tall.
65. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. p48. This translates as the ‘Sweet Child of Victory’ but accounts differ over the exact wording. Berthier’s report to the Directory recalled it as ‘l’ Enfant Gâtć de la Victoire’ or ‘Spoilt Child of Victory’, which sounds less complimentary in English. It is notable that Wellington would later use this version of the epithet in the Peninsula.
66. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. pp57-58.
67. Ibid. pp86-87.
68. Butler, Arthur John, The Memoirs of Baron De Marbot, London, Cassell & Company Ltd, 1929, p41.
69. Ibid. p48.
70. Butler, Arthur John (Ed. & trans.), The Memoirs of Baron Thiebault, Volume II, op.cit. p42.
71. Chandler, David, On the Napoleonic Wars, London, Greenhill Books Ltd, 1999, p99.
72. Chandler, David (Ed.), Napoleon’s Marshals, London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1987, p282.
73. Butler, Marbot, op.cit. p215.
74. Ibid. p229.
75. Though Massena defended the village of Aspern rather than Essling during the battle, the French referred to the clash as the Battle of Essling at the time, which explains the title.
76. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. p13.
77. Butler, Thiebault, Volume I, op.cit. p308. Apparently Massena said this in a jovial, good-natured manner, although it may appear to be an arrogant statement.
78. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. p117.
79. Ibid. p118. Thiebault also spoke of the camaraderie that existed in Massena’s division during the Italian campaigns: ‘There was not one of us who was not proud of belonging to Massena’s division, nor without pride in the part it was playing could the division have performed such prodigies.’ Butler, Arthur John (Ed. & trans.), The Memoirs of Baron Thiebault, Volume I, London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1896, p318.
80. Butler, Marbot, op.cit. p237.
81. Bonaparte apparently told Massena: ‘I love my brother Louis no less than you your son; but when he was my aide-de-camp in Italy he did his turn of duty like the others, and I should have been afraid of bringing him into discredit if I had sent one of his comrades into danger instead of him.’ Butler, Marbot, op.cit. p239.
82. Butler, Marbot, op.cit. p39.
83. Koch, Gćnćral, Mćmoires de Massena, Volume II, Paris, Paulin et Lechevalier, 1848-1850, p199.
84. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. pp120-121.
85. Lanfrey, P., The History of Napoleon the First, Volume I, London, Macmillan & Co., 1886, p62.
86. Butler, Thiebault, Volume I, op.cit. pp338-339.
87. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. pp67-68.
88. Chandler, David, On the Napoleonic Wars, op.cit. p105.
89. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. p149.
90. Butler, Marbot, op.cit. p246.
91. Marshal-Cornwall, op.cit. p272. Tortured by Josephine’s infidelities, Bonaparte also played the adulterer in Egypt and later as the Emperor. His love for the Polish Countess Waleswska became common knowledge and he is said to have sired children by his mistresses.
CHAPTER 4 - THE KEY TO PORTUGAL
92. Junot, Laura, Memoirs of Madame Junot Duchess of Abrantes Volume IV, London, Richard Bentley & Son, 1893, pp182-183.
93. Ibid. p184.
94. Ibid. p184.
95. Oman, Charles, A History of the Peninsular War Volume III, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908, p208.
96. Ibid. pp208-209.
97. Marshal-Cornwall, James, Marshal Massena, London, Oxford University Press, 1965, p190.
98. Howard, Donald D., Napoleon and Iberia – The Twin Sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, 1810, London, Greenhill Books, 1994, p95.
99. Ibid. pp110-111.
100. Ibid. pp134-135.
; 101. Humble, Richard, Napoleon’s Peninsular Marshals, London, Purcell Books Services Limited, 1974, pp130-131.
102. Howard, Napoleon and Iberia, op.cit. p148.
103. Butler, Arthur John, The Memoirs of Bardon de Marbot, London, Cassell & Company Ltd, 1929, p250. Marbot later claimed that Massena failed to thank him adequately for carrying him out of the line of fire, increasing his resentment of his commander.
104. Howard, Donald D. (Ed.), The French Campaign in Portugal 1810-1811 – An Account by Jean Jacques Pelet, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1973, p74.
105. Howard, Napoleon and Iberia, op.cit. p181.
106. Howard, Pelet, op.cit. p81.
107. Ibid. p80.
108. Craufurd, Alexander Reverend, General Craufurd and His Light Division, Cambridge, Ken Trotman Ltd, 1987, pp123-124.
109. Brett-James, Antony (Ed.), Edward Costello – The Peninsula and Waterloo Campaigns, London, Longmans, Green & Co. Ltd, 1967, p33. Costello managed to crack his captor on the head with his rifle butt and flee but received a bullet in the leg shortly afterwards. With the help of his comrades he eventually managed to cross the bridge and find medical help but came very close to capture.
110. Fletcher, Ian, Craufurd’s Light Division, Tunbridge Wells, Spellmount Ltd, 1991, p113.
111. NAM 6807-461 Lieutenant Colonel Richard Brunton’s papers, then in the 43rd.
112. Leach, Lieutenant-Colonel J., Rough Sketches of the Life of an Old Soldier,London, 1831, pp149-150.
113. Wellington’s Supplementary Dispatches, Volume VI, p563.
114. Ibid. p564.
115. Napier, Lieutenant-General Sir William, The Life and Opinions of General Sir Charles James Napier, London, John Murray, 1857, p139.
116. The Times, Wednesday 29 August 1810, p3.
117.Oman, Volume III, op.cit. p265.
Wellington Against Massena Page 27