least interesting, yet the most critical
in the history of the Peninsular war. Wellington had not escaped
criticism at home for allowing Massena to remain so long unmolested near
Santarem. He described himself in a private letter, written in December,
1810, as "safe for the winter at all events". More he could not have
said, knowing, as he did, that Soult was in force before Cadiz, and
might at any moment join Massena. This, in fact, he did; leaving his
fields of plunder in Andalusia under the positive orders of Napoleon, he
defeated the Spaniards at the Gebora on February 19, and captured
Badajoz, as well as Olivenza. In his absence, Sir Thomas Graham, who
commanded the British troops at Cadiz, sailed thence with La Pena, the
Spanish commander, and a combined force of about 12,000 men, to make a
flank march, and attack the French besiegers, under Victor, in the rear.
A brisk action followed at Barrosa, in which Graham obtained a complete
victory, but the Spanish troops, as usual, remained almost passive; the
beaten army was not pursued, and the siege of Cadiz was not raised.
This city was still the seat of the Spanish national government, but the
feeble junta had been superseded by a national cortes, fairly
representative of the nation, which passed some liberal measures, and
dissolved the so-called regency which assumed to represent Ferdinand.

[Pageheading: _FUENTES D'ONORO AND ALBUERA._]

The two great frontier fortresses of Spain, Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz,
were now in the hands of the French. Massena had regained the Spanish
frontier in March, after frequent combats with the pursuing enemy, and
with heavy losses in men and horses, though he saved every gun except
one. This retreat involved the evacuation of every place in Portugal
except the fortress of Almeida. Wellington's pursuit would have been
still more vigorous, but that his Portuguese troops were half-starved,
and had lost discipline under intolerable privations. His next design
seems to have been the recapture of the fortresses, but he was not
without ulterior hopes--all too premature--of afterwards pushing on to
Madrid and operating in the eastern provinces of Spain. He first
invested Almeida, and, leaving General Spencer to continue the blockade,
proceeded to Elvas in order to concert measures with Beresford for the
siege of Badajoz. Thence he was suddenly recalled northward to repel a
fresh advance of Massena, strongly reinforced, for the relief of