The Reverend Joseph WHARTON – Sir Richard Keats’ chaplain is also in charge of coordinating the gathering of intelligence, performing for the admiral the same role undertaken for Lord Wellington by Ezekiel Baynes.
Colonel William WHEATLEY – One of the brigade commanders in Graham’s division.
The French and their Allies
Giuseppe BAVASTRO – A Genoese privateer who operated under a letter of marque from Napoleon and was both praised and decorated by the Emperor. From 1810, he commanded a squadron of small raiding vessels operating from ports along Spain’s southern coast.
Major Emile BERTRAND – An engineer officer serving with Massena.
KING JOSEPH Bonaparte – As Napoleon’s older brother, Joseph has reluctantly been moved from the comfort of his kingdom in Naples to Spain, where he finds himself less welcome. A man of strong literary and philosophical tastes, he has done his best to win popularity. Recently he has lifted a ban imposed on bullfighting by the chief minister of his Spanish predecessor.
Private KAMINSKI – Polish soldier in the garrison of Sohail Castle. He has previously served in the Russian artillery.
Marshal Andrea MASSENA – Prince of Essling, Duc de Rivoli. Born at Nice in 1758 (which was then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and not in France), Massena was the son of a shopkeeper and served in the ranks of the French army for fourteen years, but did not become an officer until the Revolution. From then on, his rise was rapid, and he was a general by 1793. He served with great distinction, particularly in a succession of campaigns fought in Italy. Napoleon dubbed him the ‘spoiled favourite of victory’ and was willing to trust him with independent commands. In 1809 he helped to stave off utter defeat at the Battle of Aspern-Essling. The rigours of campaigning and an unhealthy lifestyle made him appear even older than his sixty-one years, and Massena hoped to retire to the comfort of his estates. Alongside his reputation as a soldier, he had earned another as a rapacious plunderer, and loot had supplemented official rewards to make him an extremely wealthy man. Although perhaps past his best by the time he came to Spain, Wellington had immense respect for Marshal Massena’s skill. After capturing Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, he has advanced deep into Portugal.
Marshal Michel NEY, Duc d’Elchingen – Born in 1769, the red-faced Ney was the son of a barrel-cooper in the Saar country on the border with the German states. He enlisted in the ranks of a hussar regiment, and was another gifted leader who was rapidly promoted after the Revolution. In four years he rose from sergeant major to general. His courage was never in doubt – Napoleon would later dub him ‘the bravest of the brave’ – but his judgement was less certain. He was certainly experienced and at times showed great skill. Yet he was also readily offended, and inclined to lose his temper or sulk, and proved a difficult subordinate. He commands a corps in Massena’s army.
General Andoche JUNOT – Born in 1771, Junot was a law student who volunteered to join the revolutionary army in 1793. He caught Napoleon’s eye at the siege of Toulon, and received successive promotions in the years that followed. Prone to outbursts of temper, he proved less capable when made a general and given charge of the invasion of Portugal in 1807, and was defeated by the British at Vimeiro a year later. He commands a corps in Massena’s army.
Capitaine Jean-Baptiste DALMAS – A former schoolteacher, Dalmas was conscripted into the army and took readily to the life of a soldier, serving in most of the Emperor’s great campaigns and winning promotion. Since 1808 he has served as a supernumerary ADC to Marshal Ney and proved himself to be both a brave and an intelligent officer. The only blemish on his career has been his failure to seize a bridge so that the French could outflank Sir John Moore’s British army as it retreated towards Corunna. On that occasion he was repulsed by a ragtag band of stragglers led by Hamish Williams. In 1810 he was tasked with capturing or killing Hanley. The British officer escaped, but during the pursuit Dalmas uncovered the vulnerability of General Craufurd’s Light Division and helped Marshal Ney drive the British back across the River Côa.
General LEVAL – Divisional commander in Marshal Victor’s corps, Leval has already encountered British troops at Talavera.
Captain MLOKOSIEWICZ – Officer commanding the company of the 4th Regiment of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw garrisoning Sohail Castle. He was subsequently decorated with the Cross of the Legion of Honour for his part in the siege.
Marshal MORTIER – Born in 1768, Mortier became a soldier early in the Revolution and saw extensive service in the years that followed. He belonged to the marshals promoted when the Emperor created the rank in 1804. In Spain he commands the V Corps and is subordinate to Soult.
General RUFFIN – Divisional commander in Marshal Victor’s corps, Ruffin has already encountered British troops at Talavera.
General SEBASTIANI – Like Napoleon himself, Sebastiani hailed from Corsica. He became closely associated with the future Emperor early on. In his career he has mixed diplomatic with military posts, but has proved a capable if unexceptional soldier. He has also acquired a reputation as a voracious plunderer.
Marshal Jean-de-Dieu SOULT, Duke of Dalmatia – Born in 1769, he served in the ranks of the Royal Army before rising rapidly in the revolutionary army, and was a general by 1799. He served in Italy and on the Rhine, and was chosen as one of the first batch of marshals in 1804. He played a distinguished role at Austerlitz, Jena and Eylau, before being sent to Spain. He led the pursuit of Sir John Moore’s army, but was evicted from Portugal by Sir Arthur Wellesley later in 1809. In 1810 he led the invasion of Andalusia, and has been placed in command of the French armies in the south.
Marshal VICTOR, Duke of Belluno – Victor originally served in the ranks of the artillery, and then won rapid promotion during the Revolutionary Wars so that within three years he led an entire division. He has fought and beaten the Austrians, Prussians, Russians and recently the Spanish, and is a capable, if extremely aggressive, commander. At Talavera his divisions gained some success, but were eventually repulsed by the British of Lord Wellington and he is eager to gain revenge.
Sergeant ZAKREWSKI – An NCO in the 4th Regiment of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw who took charge of the two heavy guns in Sohail Castle.
The Spanish
General Joaquín BLAKE – One of many descendants of Irish exiles to rise to high rank in the Spanish army, Blake commands the army in Murcia. He is also a member of the Regency Council. Although his commitment to the cause is unquestioned, there is less confidence in his military ability.
Don Juan BUERA – The successful leader of a band of guerrilleros.
General Rafael MENACHO – The experienced and energetic commander of the garrison of Badajoz.
El PASTOR – ‘The shepherd’, leader of a small band of guerrilleros.
Don Manuel La PEÑA, Captain General of Andalusia – The senior Spanish officer at Cadiz had a poor military record and was considered more of a politician than a soldier.
Marquis de la ROMANA – An experienced soldier, Romana proved more capable than many of his peers at concerting his operations with his British and Portuguese allies. In 1808 he commanded a division of the best Spanish regiments stationed by Napoleon in the Baltic, but with the aid of the Royal Navy was able to bring the bulk of his men back to Spain. He commands the Spanish army supporting the fortress of Badajoz.
RAMIREZ – Partisan expelled from El Blanco’s band for looting.
RAMON – Partisan serving with El Blanco’s band.
Don Julián SANCHEZ García/El CHARRO – One of the most famous of the guerrilla leaders, El Charro operated from Ciudad Rodrigo. A former soldier who had served in the ranks of the Spanish army, over time his band has developed into a regiment of irregular lancers.
Lieutenant VEGA – Officer originally from Fuengirola sent with Hanley and Williams on a mission to the partisans in that area.
Carlos VELASCO – Former surgeon in the Spanish navy, he now serves as a lieutenant in the partisan band of his cousin, Don Antonio.
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Don Antonio VELASCO, El Blanco – The leader of a band of partisans in the mountains around Ronda, Don Antonio’s nickname comes from his white hair.
Paula VELASCO – Wife of Don Antonio, she and her sister ride and fight with his partisans.
Guadalupe – The younger sister of Paula, she was living in a convent when it was stormed by the French and the inhabitants killed or raped. Saying little, she fights the invaders with a cold hatred.
El LOBO (aka Pedro the wolf) – A former bandit turned partisan. He is not popular with the other guerrilleros.
Colonel (later General) WHITTINGHAM – British officer serving in the Spanish army. He commands the cavalry with La Peña’s force.
XAVIER – A priest who has set aside his robes and his calling to fight in Buera’s band of partisans.
Also by Adrian Goldsworthy
FICTION
All in Scarlet Uniform
Send Me Safely Back Again
Beat the Drums Slowly
True Soldier Gentlemen
NON-FICTION
Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor
Antony and Cleopatra
The Fall of the West: The Death of the Roman Superpower
Caesar: The Life of a Colossus
In the Name of Rome:
The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
The Complete Roman Army
Cannae: Hannibal’s Greatest Victory
The Punic Wars
Roman Warfare
The Roman Army at War, 100 BC-AD 200
Copyright
A Weidenfeld & Nicolson ebook
First published in Great Britain in 2014
by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
This ebook first published in 2014
by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Copyright © Adrian Goldsworthy 2014
The moral right of Adrian Goldsworthy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 0 2978 7185 9
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Run Them Ashore Page 43