Marshal Suchet and the Siege of Valencia

By Dominique Contant, Robert Ouvrard, and Jonathan Cooper

Letter from Marshal Suchet to Prince Berthier, Major General.

From the Headquarters at Valencia, 12th January 1812

Monseigneur,

On the morning of 10 January, the garrison of Valencia defiled in front of a part of the army; the procession lasted until nightfall. Commanding General Blake had asked permission to exit among the first and to be conducted to Murviedro; he is a man of sixty years, well-preserved and quite tall; he appears to be gifted with good sense, and was considered, with reason, as the leading military organizer of Spain. One can believe that he truly has no love for the English.(17)   He opposed as well as he could the influence which they seek to take in all the affairs of Spain; his loss will be keenly felt by the Spaniards. I had him taken to Pau, where he shall await the orders of Your Serene Highness as to the place of his residence. He left this morning with six of his aide-de-camps, under a good escort, accompanied by the Neapolitan Colonel P�p�. The other Generals will leave on the 13th; I will take care to make known to His Excellency the Minister of the Police my opinion on those which most particularly deserve to be watched. The Spanish officers provided with passports left for Alicante and Cadiz, in order to arrange the delivery of the French prisoners who are to be exchanged.

I directed about seven thousand prisoners upon Terruel, under the escort of four battalions; General Count Pannetier covers this march with four other battalions, four hundred hussars and four guns. Another column of about four thousand prisoners together with all the generals left for Tortose. Because the countryside is thoroughly exhausted in this direction, I ask that General Count Caffarelli support the march of this column until it reaches France, whether via Jaca or via Navarre. Two thousand five hundred prisoners are directed upon Alcira, in order to be exchanged.

In order to know exactly the number of prisoners, I had them pass a rigorous review, in order to then seek in Valencia those who might have been avoiding my orders. However I believe I can ensure that there will enter into France seven hundred officers and from eleven to twelve thousand soldiers and non-commissioned officers, (18)  without counting those who were directed upon Alcira with one hundred officers.

I have set in motion the disarmament of the militiamen. The leaders, the culpable (because in consenting to article II of the capitulation, I had no other aim than to be finished quickly) (19) will be detained, and all the assassins will be punished.

I have named General Robert as commandant of the city, who I know for his balance, talent and firmness; (20) he entered here on the 9th, with several elite units, to establish order. The Chief of the Supply Service of the army, the superior officers of the Artillery and the Engineers, and the Central Receiver [of Taxes] are charged with taking possession of the magazines and the specie holdings. I intend not to enter into Valencia with the troops until the 14th , so as to prevent any disorder, and to manage the resources that the bombardment may have spared.(21)

Today, at ten o'clock in the evening, an officer form the Army of Portugal delivered to me a dispatch from General Montbrun, who wrote to me from Almanza on the 9th, in order to inform me of his arrival, and of the formal orders that he had received from the Duke of Ragusa to return between the 15th and the 20th. The operations at Valencia being completed, I hastened to make known to him that, in conformance with his orders, he could rejoin the Marshal.

I have sent General Harispe's division to Saint-Philipe, with two cavalry regiments. General Habert has moved to the Xucar; he occupies Alcira, Cullera and d'nia, where I intend to construct a base. General Musnier's division will occupy from Valencia to Tortose, close in upon P�niscola which I intend to bombard. The Italian divisions and Bourke's brigade remain temporarily at Valencia, and send many detachments into the countryside to collect contributions in money and, most especially, in food , because it is not without real concern that I see the long span of time which must pass until the new harvest; the food shortage is equally felt everywhere, and I again request from Your Serene Highness permission to order grain products from France.

I am with respect, Sir, etc.

Marshal of the Empire, Commandant-in-Chief of the Army of Aragon,

Notes:

(17)Suchet was not unaware that Blake was a Catholic of Irish origin, his family having fled their country due to English persecution. But this did not prevent Blake from collaborating closely with the English.

(18) Many documents in the departments of south-western France record the stay of these prisoners. Even if their fate was not enviable, the majority being detailed as laborers, at least they were not confined on prison hulks, nor abandoned on desert islands.

(19) This was a surprising justification, and one which has intrigued certain historians, including Oman.

(20) When General Boussart has partially recovered from his wounds, Suchet will appoint him as the military administrator of the city. He will be called by the inhabitants "The Honest Walloon". It is by these judicious choices that Marshal Suchet will earn his reputation as a peace maker.

(21) This was a wise precaution: the majority of the troops of III Corps had endured the terrible siege of Saragossa. The heroic resistance and the valor of the Spaniards had yielded only at a price of 54.000 dead : the bodies of civilians - old men, women and children - strewn through the streets. Lannes, well accustomed as he was to war, was moved to say to Napoleon "Sire, it is a war which has become a horror."

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