The Army Prepares to March into Spain

Abstract

The first letters from Lord William Bentinck, whom Dalrymple had sent to Madrid, reached Lisbon a few days before Moore took over command of the army. Bentinck reported that the views of General Castanos and other Spanish generals coincided precisely with those of General Dalrymple. The meeting of minds was not unexpected and followed directly from the sequence of questions which Bentinck was instructed by Dalrymple to put to the Spanish generals and civil officials. Lord Bentinck first asked Castanos and others if a march into Spain by a British army would be acceptable to the Spanish. He was assured that it would give general satisfaction. Bentinck next asked, “Upon general principles does General Castaños think it preferable that the British army should remain concentrated or that it can be more advantageously employed in being detached into the Asturias, or Catalonia, or elsewhere?” Castaños replied that the British army ought to remain concentrated, “without losing sight of assisting Catalonia.” Castaños also gave it as his opinion that, “The English army should direct its march through Ciudad Rodrigo and to Burgos,” ² which was exactly what Dalrymple had contemplated originally. It almost goes without saying that Castaños was not asked to give his opinion on the merits of the plan proposed by Castlereagh. Supported by the opinions of Castaños and other Spanish Generals, Sir John Moore energetically prepared his army for the long march into Spain. Ensign Blakeney of the 28th Regiment noted that the Commander of the Forces “appeared to be continually riding through our ranks or inspecting the different regiments.” ³ The effort to assure himself that the rank and file were fit was paralleled by an equally tireless but less obvious effort on the part of the General to weed out officers who were not competent to command on such an arduous campaign as he intended.