; and besides this, the Portuguese
peasantry mercilessly attacked the French in their retreat, cutting
off great numbers of them. He was followed in his retreat by Sir Arthur
Wellesley, and on the 16th of May he was overtaken at Salmonde, and a
great many of his rearguard were either killed or taken prisoners. More
would have been lost, but night favoured the retreat of the fugitives,
and Soult finally gained the frontier of Spain. Sir Arthur Wellesley
stopped his pursuit at Montealegre, a few miles from the frontier, and
returned by Renairs, Braga, and S. Terso to Oporto. According to his
letters, the rout of Soult was complete. He had lost everything, cannon,
ammunition, baggage, and military-chest. The mountainous road through
which he passed was indeed covered with dead horses and mules, and with
the bodies of French soldiers, who were put to death by the peasantry
before the British could come up to their rescue. The cruelty of the
Portuguese peasantry, however, was provoked by the conduct of the
French themselves. Sir Arthur Wellesley writes:--"Their soldiers have
plundered and murdered the peasantry at their pleasure; and I have seen
many persons hanging in the trees by the sides of the road, executed for
no other reason, that I could learn, excepting that they have not been
friendly to the French invasion and usurpation of the government of
their country; and the route of their column on their retreat could
be traced by the smoke of the villages to which they set fire." These
horrible scenes occurred in all the subsequent retrograde movements of
the French: before them, the countries through which they passed were
lovely as the garden of Eden--behind them they were desolate as the
wilderness.

{GEORGE III. 1809--1812}

FURTHER OPERATIONS IN SPAIN.

On the departure of Soult for Oporto the Spaniards again rose in arms,
and several places in the Asturias and in the Biscayan provinces had
been recaptured. After his return, urged by the importunities of the
Spanish government and generals, Sir Arthur Wellesley determined to
advance into that country against the French. His projected route was by
the way of Plasencia and Almaraz, and his design was to cooperate with
the Spanish general Cuesta, who commanded the army of Estramadura. A
junction was formed between the two armies at Orepesa on the 20th of
July; Sir Arthur's army amounting to about 23,000, and Cuesta's to
30,000 men. At this time the French force