Gradually, however, a substantial correspondence has come to light. Beresford later remarked that due to the manner in which he had left Portugal in 1820, he apprehended many of his papers had been lost, though the greater part remained there. It appears that some papers were sold at auction or donated to archives by his step-grandson, Philip Beresford Hope, in the 1890s.8 These have been augmented by documents now lodged in the archives of a number of countries and by papers still held by the family. Beresford’s career was not without controversy, but that should not have discouraged the biographer given the nature and extent of his achievements. He suffered at the hand of William Napier, who had little good to say about Beresford in his monumental History of the War in the Peninsula and the South of France, but the Beresfords were strong supporters of the Tories, whom Napier passionately disliked. It is difficult to conclude that Napier’s criticism of Beresford and other Tory leaders was not motivated, at least in part, by his own political affiliations. It was not just Beresford who engaged in a pamphlet war with Napier, and others resorted even to the courts. Sir Charles Oman, in what remains the definitive history of the Peninsular War, did much to redress the balance. His magisterial History of the Peninsular War rebutted Napier’s assertions in a number of respects. However, neither of these works deal in any length with Beresford’s early career, his rebuilding and reform of the Portuguese army, his active participation in the battles in the Peninsula and France, or his subsequent life in Portugal and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as it had become by virtue of the Act of Union of 1800. In more recent times, the battle of Albuera (Albuhera) has attracted the attention of skilful and eminent historians whose contributions I have sought to acknowledge, even where I have been led to different conclusions.
The current work dealing with Beresford’s métier and relationships is based on an aspiration to fill out the many parts of Beresford’s life that I feel would merit from the telling of an interesting and exciting career. While this is the story of a man who chose the army as a way of life, I have tried to portray a flavour of his relationships with his family and colleagues. This undertaking is not intended to be a move by move account of the major battles and sieges of the Napoleonic wars. There exists now a wonderful array of such books. However, I have sought to address in some detail the events of three battles, because of Beresford’s particular involvement. They are Albuera, where he commanded an Allied army in difficult circumstances, as well as Orthez and Toulouse, where he led the attacks, though under the watchful eye of Wellington. In all three battles the French were commanded by Maréchal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, one of Napoleon’s most able generals.
Beresford did not serve with Arthur Wellesley until 1808, but clearly they knew each other previously. Coming from a similar Anglo-Irish background, it is perhaps not surprising that they allegedly shared some characteristics, though they differed in many ways. A certain reserve, hauteur and even arrogance was attributed by contemporaries, but both were tough, resolute and if necessary pragmatic. The case is not made that Beresford was a military commander comparable to Wellesley, but that great commander recognised his abilities and chose to prefer Beresford rather than doggedly follow the custom and practice of seniority. Beresford clearly respected Wellesley’s great abilities and was happy to be the instrument of their implementation on most occasions. Instances of disagreement are few and far between.
In approaching the task of producing a biography on William Carr Beresford, I have sought to rely on as many primary and contemporary sources as possible. I quote extensively and deliberately from these sources as this helps the reader absorb and understand what the chief protagonists and ordinary men were saying about the issues of the day. Sources relied upon include the correspondence of Beresford, now located in a number of countries in both Europe and the Americas, as well as his Ordens do Dia (Orders of the Day), which are an invaluable source when dealing with the rebuilding of the Portuguese army and its operations. Beresford’s pamphlet war with William Napier in the 1830s is also a useful reference point, though it was written twenty years after many of the events on which it comments and should be treated accordingly. Wellington’s correspondence both published (The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, revised edition 1844) and unpublished is essential to an understanding of the issues and the conduct of the war. These sources are augmented by many other primary sources, including the correspondence of Generals Denis Pack, Rowland Hill, Thomas Picton, Nicholas Trant and other military men.
Beresford was a regular correspondent with a number of family members and this correspondence shows a more humane side of the man than might be commonly supposed, dealing with the life and death of family members as well as his own health and finances. Considerable correspondence exists in particular with his siblings John Poo Beresford, Lady Anne and Lady Elizabeth Beresford. In Portugal, the extensive correspondence between Beresford and Dom Miguel Forjaz, the Secretary for War and Foreign Affairs in the Regency Council established in Lisbon, is a mine of information that I have in no way exhausted. Added to these are numerous diaries and recollections which I have sought to reference throughout the text.
The use of primary documents in no way diminishes the debt I owe to those who have gone before me in writing about these wars and the remarkable men who fought in them or who directed the efforts of the various contestants. Several years into the research for this book I came across two excellent and informative writings on Beresford. The first of these was an unpublished script by the late Professor Harold Livermore, an authority on the history of Portugal and Spain as well as their former American colonies.9 The second was a doctoral thesis by Samuel Vichness presented at the Florida State University.10 These works both prompted me to consider in greater depth certain points and indeed challenged views I had formed on various issues. Had I known of their existence at the outset I might have been deterred from the journey I have followed to produce the current account of Beresford’s life, though I have been fortunate enough to find materials I believe were not available to either Livermore or Vichness.
The thesis of Vichness was part of the extraordinary output from the Florida State University attributable to Dr Donald D. Horward, Director of the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution at that University. Horward’s own works, including his translation of Jean Jacques Pelet’s campaign account of Masséna’s invasion of Portugal in 1810–11, led me not just to Vichness but to another doctoral thesis which has proved helpful; Francisco de la Fuente’s work on Dom Miguel Pereira Forjaz.11 Other accounts providing useful insights on Beresford and his relationships with others include those by Bernardo Almazán, J.D. Grainger, Ian Fletcher, Mark Thompson and a series of essays edited by Professor Malyn Newitt and Dr Martin Robson.12
My love of history was nurtured by my father and later by Dr Norman Atkinson at St Columba’s College and Professor J.G. Simms at Trinity College Dublin. On this current project many people and organisations have given me help and encouragement. To the staff in the National Library of Ireland, the library of Dublin University (TCD), the Royal Irish Academy, the British Library, the National Archives, the National Army Museum, the Hartley Library at Southampton University, the Arquivo Histórico Militar and the Arquivo Nacional da Torre de Tombo in particular I give my heartfelt thanks. Likewise, I owe a huge debt to Raquel Rocha, who while in Ireland taught me sufficient Portuguese to enable me to read documents in that language.
To those with whom I have discussed the project and who have made suggestions I am grateful. In Portugal they include Pedro d’Avillez, Major General Rui Moura, Clive Gilbert MBE, José Ermitão and Professor Paulo Miguel Rodrigues (Madeira). In Argentina, Rogelio Maciel and his daughter, Maria Laura, spent time showing me the sites of the Reconquista in Buenos Aires. In France I received kindness and assistance from the Mayors and others of towns in the Pyrenees, the Pays Basque and the Bearn; sometimes descendants of those who fought for Napoleon. In England my efforts were encouraged and helped by many, including Karen Robson at the Hartley Library Archives, Major Nick Hallidie and Dr Mark Thompson. I remain in awe of the works of Dr Rory Muir, who has also extended me a helping hand and sound advice. I have learnt much from scholarly presentations at conferences run under the auspices of the University of Southampton (The Wellington Congress), The Waterloo Association and The Friends of the British Cemetery, Elvas.
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