DUKE OF WELLINGTON WAR-DATE LETTER SIGNED (LS)
JANUARY 26TH 1812 AT GALLEGOS

AFTER AN INITIAL WARM EMBRACE OF THE BRITISH TROOPS BY THE PORTUGUESE IN 1809, BY 1812 WAR WEARINESS AND THE REMOVAL OF THE IMMINENT THREAT OF INVASION HAS BROUGHT FORTH MANY WAR CLAIMS. HERE WELLINGTON WRITES TO HIS FRIEND AND POLITICAL ALLY, SIR CHARLES STUART, TO ADDRESS THE CLAIMS OF THE HOSPITAL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA. THE BODY OF THE LETTER IS IN THE HAND OF FITZROY SOMERSET, WELLINGTON'S MILITARY SECRETARY, AND LATER, FIELD MARSHAL LORD RAGLAN OF CRIMEAN WAR FAME.

A LOVELY PIECE WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY TWO OF ENGLAND'S PRE-EMINENT FIELD MARSHALS AND DATELINED AT AN IMPORTANT PLACE AND DATE IN THE PENINSULAR WAR - A WEEK AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO

THIS DOCUMENT IS COVERED BY OUR WRITTEN, SIGNED AND SEALED
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Transcription:
 

Gallegos January 26th 1812

Sir
     Referring to the Correspondence which has already taken place on the subject of the Claims of the Hospital of the University of Coimbra I have the honour to inclose a letter which has been received from the Purveyor to the Forces stating that the Managers of that Establishment had refused to receive payment for the provisions furnished to the British Soldiers in 1809.

     As an application for the payment of Bedding so taken away by the Soldiers at the same period was lately transmitted by you for my consideration with a request from the Portuguese Gov't that the amount might be immediately discharged. I am at a loss to understand the meaning of the refusal of the Managers to receive the money which has been offered to them and I therefore beg you to inform me what it is wished to have done upon this subject.

I have the Honour to be Sir
Your most obedient
Humble Servant
Wellington

Charles Stuart, Esq

This signed letter by Wellington is addressed to Sir Charles Stuart K.G.C.B.(1779-1845), British statesman and one of the ablest diplomats of his day, the body of the letter is in the hand of his Military Secretary, FitzRoy Somerset, later known as Field Marshal, Lord Raglan, General of the Army, during his legendary Crimean War exploits.

By 1812, with the direct threat of invasion by the French having passed, the Portuguese are dealing with war weariness and supplies that were freely given in the earlier days are now the subject of claims and restitution. This signed letter by Wellington was written from Gallegos near Ciudad Rodrigo. While Wellington is justifiably known for his military acumen, he was also a consummate diplomat who often worked with Sir Charles Stuart to manage the difficult administrative, logistic and political issues that were vital to the maintenance of the British Army in the field.  In this letter Wellington addresses the claim of the Hospital of the University of Coimbra for bedding taken by British Troops in 1809. Here again Wellington demonstrates his detailed command of the logistical, economic and political aspects of keeping an Army in the field in a foreign country.

As an example of the initial welcome offered by the Portuguese in 1809 and then 1810 when the French threatened to capture Lisbon and Portugal see the following excerpts:

Recollections of a Peninsular Veteran - Chapter VI by Lt.-Colonel Joseph Anderson, C.B., Knight of Hanover, of the 78th, 24th, and 50th Regiments, Chapter V:

[After the Battle of Talavera, Wellington retreated back to Portugal to avoid being cut off by Marshall Soult] "We were now in Portugal, and by the kindness and hospitality of the inhabitants were made truly comfortable. We felt this change, for in Spain we were always received coolly, and got nothing in the way of food from the inhabitants upon whom we were quartered, whereas in Portugal we were received and welcomed with open arms by every one; whether rich or poor, these good people upon whom we were billeted always shared their food with us, and gave us freely of the best of every sort of provisions they had. Towards the end of this year (1809) the army was again in motion for the north of Portugal, and after a variety of marches and changes of quarters my division halted at Vizeu, Mangualde, Anseda, Linhares, and Celorico; at each of these places we had abundance of provisions and supplies and were, by the kindness of the inhabitants, most comfortable."

By 1810 with General Masséna advancing into Portugal and the British and Portuguese retreating to the Lines of Torres Vedras, Wellington initiated a scorched earth policy to remove potential supplies from the advancing French. While this tactic ultimately proved to be decisive from a military point of view in that Masséna had to withdraw, the cost and suffering of the local populace was immense and began to change the popular climate that had previously been so welcoming. Kincaid: Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, Chapter II:

"We proceeded next morning to join the army; and, as our route lay through the city of Coimbra, we came to the magnanimous resolution of providing ourselves with all manner of comforts and equipments for the campaign on our arrival there; but when we entered it at the end of the second day our disappointment was quite eclipsed by astonishment at finding ourselves the only living things in a city which ought to have been furnished with twenty thousand souls.  Lord Wellington was then in the course of his retreat from the frontiers of Spain to the lines of Torres Vedras, and had compelled the inhabitants on the line of march to abandon their homes and to destroy or carry away everything that could be of service to the enemy. It was a measure that ultimately saved their country, though ruinous and distressing to those concerned, and on no class of individuals did it bear harder, for the moment, than our own little detachment, a company of rosy-cheeked, chubbed youths, who, after three months feeding on ship's dumplings, were thus thrust, at a moment of extreme activity, in the face of an advancing foe, supported by a pound of raw beef drawn every day fresh from the bullock, and a mouldy biscuit."

By January 26th of 1812, Wellington had just successfully concluded the siege of Cuidad Rodrigo. With the immediate threat in abeyance, there were now numerous claims for restitution for supplies and damages that earlier in the campaign were freely offered or suffered by the populace. A nice signed letter and dateline showing how war weariness can change the national outlook and how all politics is local. Here Wellington deals with the University of Coimbra, the most esteemed and oldest university in Portugal. While Wellington does not outright deny the claim for reimbursement, he seems frustrated by the change in attitude, not unlike more contemporary military campaigns.

Historical Notes

The University of Coimbra is a Portuguese public university in Coimbra, Portugal. It is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in Europe and the World, the oldest university of Portugal, and one of its largest higher education and research institutions. The university was founded, or ratified, in 1290 by King Dinis, having begun its existence in Lisbon with the name Studium Generale (Estudo Geral). Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis, the royal charter announcing the institution of the University was dated 1st March of that year. It was, however, not to remain in Lisbon for long. In 1308, likely due to problems of emancipation from the Church (relations between the latter and the political power being somewhat strained at the time) and conflicts between the inhabitants of the city and the students, the University moved to Coimbra.

In January of 1812 Wellington besieged and then stormed the garrison at the heavily fortified garrison at Ciudad Rodrigo in what was to prove to be one of the bloodiest engagements of the Peninsular War. It counted among its tragic losses the death of General Craufurd who had been one of Wellington's most able commanders. Gallegos is a small town to the northwest of Cuidad Rodrigo on the Spain-Portugal Border. It is mentioned in one of Wellington's earlier 1811 dispatches.

Wellington's dispatch to the Earl of Liverpool, Secretary of State, Villa Fermosa, 8th May, 1811:

"As my object in maintaining a position between the Coa and the Agueda, after the enemy had retired from the former, was to blockade Almeida, which place I had learned from intercepted letters, and other information) was ill supplied with provisions for its garrison, and as the enemy were infinitely superior to us in cavalry, I did not give any opposition to their march, and they passed the Azava on that evening, in the neighbourhood of Espeja, Carpio, and Gallegos ... The allied army has been cantoned along the river Dos Casas, and on the Sources of the Azava, the Light division at Gallegos and Espeja."

On the Beginnings of the Peninsular War

     Napoleon signed the order to invade Portugal in the Treaty of Fountainebleau on October 27,1807, largely to seize their naval fleet, and capture the Royals and the wealth of Lisbon. In 1808 General Arthur Wellesley was preparing to command an expedition to Venezuela, when the Spanish revolt began the Peninsular War and he was sent to Portugal instead. Wellesley landed at the mouth of the Mondega River in August of 1808 and quickly defeated the French at the Battle of Roliça and the Battle of Vimeiro. Unfortunately, he was superseded in command immediately after the latter battle. General Dalrymple made peace with the French and insisted on associating Wellesley with the controversial Convention of Sintra, which stipulated that the British Royal Navy would transport the French army out of Lisbon with all their loot. Wellesley along with Dalrymple was recalled to Britain to face a Court of Enquiry. He proved that while he had agreed to sign the preliminary Armistice, he had not signed the Convention, and was cleared.
     Later in 1808 Napoleon himself, with his veteran troops, entered Spain to put down the revolt which had now spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula, and the new commander of the British forces in the Peninsula, Sir John Moore, died during the Battle of Coruña in January 1809. Although the war was not going particularly well, it was the one place where the British and the Portuguese (their oldest ally) were managing to put up a fight against France. Wellesley submitted a memorandum to Lord Castlereagh on the defence of Portugal, stressing its mountainous frontiers and advocating Lisbon as the main base because the Royal Navy could make it impregnable. Castlereagh and the cabinet approved the memo, and appointed him head of all British forces in Portugal, raising their number from 10,000 to 26,000 men.
     A reinforced General Arthur Wellesley took the offensive in April 1809. First, he crossed the Douro river in a brilliant daylight coup de main, and routed the French troops in Porto. He then crossed Portugal and entered Spain, joining with a Spanish army under Cuesta. They meant to attack Marshal Victor, but Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, now proclaimed King of Spain, reinforced Victor first, and the French instead attacked, and lost, at the Battle of Talavera. For this victory Arthur Wellesley was ennobled as Viscount Wellington of Wellington. With Marshal Soult threatening their rear, the British were compelled to retreat to Portugal. Deprived of the supplies and military support promised by the Spanish throughout the campaign and not told of Soult's movement, Wellington was reluctant to ever again rely upon Spanish promises or resources.
     In 1810, a newly enlarged French army under Marshal André Masséna invaded Portugal. British opinion both at home and in the army was uniformly gloomy - they must evacuate Portugal. But Wellington first slowed the French down at Busaco and Celorico in September of 1810, then blocked them from taking the Lisbon peninsula by his magnificently constructed earthworks, the Lines of Torres Vedras, brilliantly assembled in complete secrecy, and with flanks guarded by the Royal Navy. The baffled and starving French invasion forces retreated after six months. Wellington followed and, in several skirmishes, drove them out of Portugal for good.
     1812 saw the turning point in the French occupation of Spain. Breaking out of Portugal, Wellington's capture of Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo and Madrid, his victory at Salamanca, and the siege of Burgos, showed the potential of his army. The following year he was to return with a force that was overwhelming. Some thought that it might be possible to bribe French officers to desert. Wellington, however, did not underestimate the enemy that faced him or the qualities he needed in his own troops.
     The French had relieved Burgos in October 1812 and the following spring intended to reinforce its fortifications. Wellington's forces proved too strong and he captured Burgos on 13 June 1813, going on to defeat Joseph Bonaparte at Vitoria on 21 June. The progress of the troops was marked by careful planning, secure support, particularly from the navy, and control of major positions along the coast and through the country. The major towns were captured in a series of actions and Wellington crossed the Pyrenees to defeat the French at Toulouse in April 1814. Accompanying him was Louis XVIII, returning to France as its King. To many in Spain and Portugal, Wellington was a savior.

Biographical Note

Field Marshal His Grace Arthur Wellesley
1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (1769 – 1852)

Arthur Wellesley, the son of the Earl of Mornington, was born in Dublin in 1769. After being educated at Eton and a military school at Angers, he received a commission in the 73rd Infantry. Eventually Wellesley obtained the rank of captain and became aide-de-camp to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. In 1797 Wellesley was sent to India where his elder brother Richard Wellesley had been appointed Governor-General of India. While Napoleon was gaining victories in Egypt, Wellesley was dispatched to deal with Tippoo Sahib of Mysore. As brigade commander under General George Harris he impressed his superiors throughout the Seringapatam expedition and was made administrator of the conquered territory. Wellesley returned to England in 1805 and the following year he was elected as the MP for Rye in Sussex. A year after entering the House of Commons, the Duke of Portland appointed Wellesley as his Irish Secretary. Although a member of the government, Arthur Wellesley remained in the army and in 1808 he was sent to aid the Portuguese against the French. After a victory at Vimeiro he returned to England but the following year he was asked to assume command of the British Army in the Peninsular War. In 1809, following his victory at Talavera in Spain, Arthur Wellesley was made Viscount Wellington. In 1812 the French were forced out of Spain and Wellesley reinforced his victory against the French at Toulouse. In 1814 Wellesley was granted the title, the Duke of Wellington. He was then put in command of the forces which defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in June, 1815. Parliament rewarded this military victory by granting Wellington the Hampshire estate of Strathfieldsaye.

In 1818 the Duke of Wellington returned to politics when he accepted the invitation of Lord Liverpool to join his Tory administration as master-General of the Ordnance. In 1829 Wellington assisted Robert Peel in his efforts to reorganize the Metropolitan Police. In 1828 Wellington replaced Lord Goderich as prime minister. Although Wellington and the Home Secretary, Robert Peel, had always opposed Catholic Emancipation they began to reconsider their views after they received information on the possibility of an Irish rebellion. As Peel said to Wellington: "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger". King George IV was violently opposed to Catholic Emancipation but after Wellington threatened to resign, the king reluctantly agreed to a change in the law.

Document Specifications: Letter is 1 page. This sheet of batonne laid paper measures ≈ 200mm wide x 320mm high or 8" x 12½" and shows a large "GATER 1809" watermark. The body of the letter is written in the hand of FitzRoy Somerset, Wellington's Military Secretary, and later, Field Marshal, Lord Raglan of Crimean War fame, and autograph signed by "Wellington" and dated January 26th, 1810 dateline Gallegos. Letter text on both sides (shown). Condition: Very Fine with several file folds. Light toning to paper. A handsome Wellington Peninsular War Letter linking him with Coimbra University and an indigenous population growing weary of war and a desirable piece written and signed by two of England's pre-eminent Field Marshals and datelined at an important place and date in the Peninsular War.

From the Sir Charles Stuart, Lord Rothesay, Correspondence. Stuart was His Britannic Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal during the greater part of the Peninsular War (10 January 1810 to 26 May 1814). He was a personal friend and confidante of Wellington and Nelson, member of the Portuguese Regency (the only British Subject in the war ever permitted to hold an official position in a foreign government while also representing Britain), and later ambassador to Netherlands & France. The most important foreign diplomat of the Peninsular War, his archive of diplomatic, military and intelligence dispatches are second only to Wellington's Dispatches.

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