Chapter 37

Salamanca
June-July 1812
See Battle Plan

For some time after Marmont’s retreat to Salamanca, Wellington remained at Fuente Guinaldo assessing his future strategy. Finally, on 7th May he ordered Hill who was still in Estramadura covering Badajoz, to attack and destroy the bridge at Almarez since it was the main communication available to the French across the Tagus River. At the same time, Graham was to take two Divisions south of the Tagus to provide support for Hill if necessary. Hill’s expedition was a complete success and the bridge was destroyed on 19th May, after which he retreated by two forced marches to the safety of Truxillo. Wellington then ordered the allied bridge at Alcantara which had been destroyed in 1809, to be repaired. This was completed by the end of May. On June 13th once Wellington had gathered his army together, he marched into Spain with all 7 Divisions via Ciudad Rodrigo in three columns. The left column consisted of Graham's 3rd Division, Pack and Bradford's Brigades and Anson's Brigade of cavalry. They advanced via San Munoz, Robliza and Calcadilla, where they were ordered to cross the Tormes river below Salamanca at the ford of El Canto on the morning of 17th June and take up position on the heights opposite to the gates of the fort of San Vincente. Pack was cantoned for the next 10 days in the villages of Villa Major, Villares de la Reyna, Castellanos de Morisco and villages to the left of the road to Toro.
	The inhabitants gave Wellington a hero’s welcome. There were three forts on the south west corner of the city – San Vincente, San Cayetano and La Merced. Trenches and batteries were immediately constructed, but the siege equipment was too lightweight and insufficient to be effective. Wellington positioned his army north of Salamanca on the slopes of San Christobel. Marmont had at first retreated before finally concentrating his army at Fuente Sauco but on the 20th June was formed up so close that Wellington had to assume his battle position with 5 of his Divisions and the 2 Independent Portuguese Brigades. The order from right to left was 1st; 7th; 4th; Light; 3rd; Pack; Bradford. At dusk the French occupied the village of Castellanos de Morisco in front of the right centre and then advanced and attacked Morisco which was at the foot of the hill and occupied by the 68th Regiment who successfully defended their position. The French didn’t press home their attack and only skirmishing took place over the following
days. On 23rd June Wellington ordered San Cayetano to be stormed but it was unsuccessful with a loss of 6 officers and 120 men. However, on the 26th June a convoy arrived from Almeida with the heavy siege guns and equipment and that same afternoon the attack on the forts continued. The effect, particularly of red hot shot on the wooden roofs of San Vincente was devastating. The bombardment continued on the following morning of the 27th June and Wellington ordered the forts to be stormed again but both San Cayetano and San Vincente surrendered first, without a fight.
Once it became apparent to Marmont that the Salamanca forts had fallen he immediately retreated north across the Douro towards Valladolid where he had his depots. On 1st July he was at Rueda close to the Douro. Wellington followed Marmont north and by the 7th July the 2 armies were facing each other across the Douro on a line of some 15 miles. Wellington’s left consisted of the 3rd Division, Pack’s and Bradford’s brigades, Carlos de Espana's Spaniards, and Marchant and Bock’s heavy dragoons lay near the point where the Trabancos river falls into the Douro near the ford of Pollos. The Light, 4th, 5th, and 6th Divisions forming the right wing lay opposite Tordesillas with Rueda and La Seca behind them. The reserve, of the 1st and 7th Divisions were quartered at Medina del Campo ten miles to the rear. It is worth noting that on 28th June Wellington’s brother in law Edward Packenham took command of the 3rd Division following General Graham’s return to England with an eye
infection. Wellington was now without some of his most senior and trusted officers – Crauford was dead and Picton and Graham invalided. On 10th July, less than a fortnight later, Lt Colonel John Gomersall was transferred from the 16th Regiment in Pack’s brigade to command the 21st Portuguese Regiment which formed part of Power’s Brigade, attached to the 3rd Division under Packenham, still part of Wellington’s left wing. On 15th July Marmont ordered two Divisions on his
	right to cross the Douro opposite Wellington’s left wing, threatening to advance on Salamanca. However, this was only a feint and on the night of 16th/17th he ordered the same two Divisions back over the bridge which was afterwards destroyed. At the same time, the rear of the army (Clausel & Maucunes Divisions) was ordered to cross the Douro at Tordesillas on Wellington’s right which he had moved west to meet what he thought was Marmonts move on his left. After much movement and skirmishing, Wellington finally on the 18th July, assembled on a strong defensive position between Castrillo on his left and Vallesa on his right with his centre at Canzil behind El Olmo. [John Gomersall's 'Statement of Service refers to him commanding at Toro prior to Salamanca. Presumably this is reference to Marmont's attack across the Douro at Toro on the 15th July which was in fact a feint and caused Wellington to move the 3rd Division, in which John Gomersall now commanded the 21st Regiment, further to the west near Castrillo. On the
morning of the 19th the two armies, each of approximatelty 50,000 men, faced each other across the Guarena river. However, at 4 pm the French army fell into column and moved off south until it lay between Tarazona and Cantalopiedra. Wellington then made a parallel move. On the 20th the French continued their march south, Marmont trying to turn Wellington’s left wing and cut his communications, in his turn Wellington continued to march south in parallel. Wellington had his troops in three parallel columns, the first nearest the French being the 1st, 4th, 5th and Light Divisions; the second being the 6th, 7th, Pack and Bradford’s Brigades; with the 3rd Division and Espanas Spaniards formed a reserve farthest from the enemy. By the end of the next day Marmont was at Babila Fuente quite close to the ford over the Tormes river at Huerta. Wellington was on the heights above Cabeza Vellosa and in danger of having his right turned. On the 21st he withdrew his whole army to the heights above San Christobal while the French crossed the Tormes river at Huerta and higher up at La Encina. Wellington allowed his army to rest and then in the afternoon crossed the Tormes himself at the fords of Cabrerzos and Santa Marta leaving the 3rd Division on the north of the river to cover his rear.
On the 22nd, Marmont was under the impression that Wellington was about to retreat and despite the fact that he was unable to see the position of all Wellington’s troops thought he was in a position to cut off his rear Divisions and as a consequence proceeded to march his army across Wellington’s front. Edward Packenham and the 3rd Division (which included John Gomersall commanding the 21st Regiment) who had just marched through Salamanca and crossed the Tormes that morning was as it turned out, on a collision course with Marmont’s vanguard. At around 4pm, Wellington, spotting Marmont’s weakness in stretching out his forces too far across his front, famously threw away a chicken leg he was eating and rode the two or three miles over to Edward Packenham, ordering him to advance with the 3rd Division, attack Thomieres Division and ‘drive all before him’. Then the 5th Division was to attack Maucune’s Division followed by the 4th and Pack’s Brigade. The heavy cavalry joined in and soon Maucune’s and Thomieres
Divisions were completely broken and in retreat. The 6th and Light Divisions were also launched on the French right. The result was a complete victory for Wellington taking 7,000 prisoners and 20 guns with 7,000 French casualties against 5,000 British. Marmont was forced to retreat rapidly northeast towards Arevalo where they were only able to muster 20,000 effective troops. Wellington followed in pursuit across the fords at Alba de Tormes and La Encina on the following day with Anson’s and von Bock’s Dragoons followed by the 1st and Light Divisions. When they reached Garcia Hernandez, they caught up with two squadrons of French dragoons and two infantry battalions resulting in a spectacular victory for the British dragoons with over 1,100 French casualties or prisoners. That night the vanguard and headquarters was in Flores de Avila, they gave up the pursuit on 25th and moved the headquarters to Arevalo on the 27th and Olmedo on the 28th. Wellington crossed the Douro on the 29th at Boecillo at which the French evacuated Valladolid and retreated to Lerma, Torqemada and Santa Maria del Campo. [John Gomersall was commanding the 21st Portuguese Infantry Regiment which was part of Power’s Portuguese Brigade attached to Packenham’s 3rd Division. So although John Gomersall's 'Statement of Service' is correct in placing him in command at Salamanca, he was commanding the 21st not the 16th Regiment.]

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