Marshal William Carr Beresford. Marcus de la Poer Beresford

now faced two further problems. The first of these concerned Spanish officers released on parole who disappeared, thus breaking that parole. There was little that could be done once they had absconded.45 The second problem, the desertion of some of his own troops, was met head on by Beresford. The force brought from the Cape and St Helena included a number of German and Spanish mercenaries, some of whom deserted. Beresford had already demonstrated his capacity to ensure discipline in Egypt and he was later to be recognised for his great organisational and administrative abilities. Here in Buenos Aires he showed those same qualities. Four Spanish deserters from the St Helena regiment were ordered to be given 500 lashes and one of those died in the process. However, when a Spanish cadet was sentenced to death on 17 July, Beresford reprieved him at the request of the Bishop of Buenos Aires, even though the latter was not well disposed towards the British. Two days later Beresford decreed that those assisting men to desert would be liable to the death penalty, a move that may have been inspired by the efforts of some of the clergy to persuade soldiers who were their fellow Roman Catholics to desert. Many of those targeted were Irish, and some reportedly deserted in late July and early August having been offered land and in some cases employment. Following the battle of Perdriel, a German deserter who was recaptured was given the death penalty, a not infrequent punishment at the time.46

      At the end of July, Beresford was faced with an insurrection led by Juan Martin de Pueyrredón at the head of a force of perhaps 1,000–2,000 mostly mounted horsemen.47 Pueyrredon had initially appeared well disposed to the British on their arrival, but he subsequently left the city to gather troops to resist the invaders. This force was put to flight in twenty minutes by Beresford at Perdriel on 1 August, with Colonel Pack and a force of 500 men from the 71st regiment assisted by six pieces of artillery.48 A lack of cavalry prevented any pursuit and Pueyrredón escaped, fleeing to Colonia de Sacramento in modern-day Uruguay, where he joined another force being raised by Santiago de Liniers, a Frenchman who served for most of his life as a military officer in the service of Spain. In 1788 he had been promoted to Captain and put in command of the flotilla guarding the Rio de la Plata, and at the time of the British invasion he obtained sanctuary in the convent of San Domingo in Buenos Aires before escaping to Montevideo, where the governor authorised him to raise an army to resist the invasion.49

      Popham had naval patrols in the Rio de la Plata to both report on and attempt to prevent the transfer of any force from the north to the south bank of the river. Some of the marines used in the initial capture of Buenos Aires were taken from the garrison to give teeth to these patrols. However, on the night of 4/5 August under cover of a storm, de Liniers managed to cross the river with a force of in excess of 2,000, augmented by further adherents as he advanced on the city. Arriving before Buenos Aires on 10 August, which itself was now in a state of unrest, he called on Beresford to surrender, reminding him that he was vastly outnumbered. Rather than surrender, Beresford determined to try and extract his forces, now reduced to about 1,300 men, but only succeeded in getting the sick and the wounded onto Popham’s fleet before hostilities began in earnest on 11 August.50 A running battle ensued over two days during which the British force suffered 45 deaths with 100 injured and a further 9 missing; while the enemy reportedly sustained some 700 losses.51

      Beresford had insufficient forces to hold the city and initially sought to maintain himself in the fort, the Retiro barracks and a few other outposts including the Recova.52 Indeed he could spare just fifteen men for the defence of the Retiro which only fell to the Spanish force when all but two of the fifteen defenders had been killed. The British drew back to the Plaza Mayor on 12 August, having been forced to abandon the Recova, where Beresford’s secretary, Captain Kennett, was killed at his side. Beresford had placed riflemen in the steeple of the cathedral, but this position was also abandoned when the decision was made to retreat to the Plaza Mayor.

      Beresford at one stage may have planned to retire to the docks at Ensenada and embark there but ultimately he fell back on the fortress, reportedly himself being the last man across the drawbridge.53 Later that day (12 August), under a flag of truce, terms for surrender were negotiated. These included the security of person and property of all British subjects; the troops to march out with the honours of war, and a provision for their speedy embarkation for the Cape or England at the expense of Spain. Further, the British troops were not to serve against Spain directly or indirectly until exchanged for Spanish prisoners. Some of the troops at least appear to have been exchanged for Spanish prisoners previously taken by Beresford in June 1806, and on 17 August a number of Popham’s transports arrived off Buenos Aires for the purpose of taking men on board.54

      There seems to have been no doubt at this stage that the terms of the agreement between Beresford and de Liniers provided for the repatriation of the British force, for the appearance of Popham’s transports followed de Liniers ADC visiting Popham on board the Diadem on 16 August under a flag of truce for the specific purpose of embarking the troops and effecting an exchange of prisoners.55 De Liniers however, under pressure from his political masters, ultimately signed the terms on 20 August with the caveat ‘so far as I am able’ (‘en cuánto puedo’). Terms clearly agreed were now rendered uncertain and Beresford immediately protested when there was a failure to release the prisoners with a view to repatriation. To this end he sent back the amended terms to de Liniers via his ADC, Robert Arbuthnot, on 21 August, reminding him that the Spanish version of the treaty had been written by Don Felix Casamayor, the Superintendant of Finances in Buenos Aires. Initially, de Liniers acknowledged the unfairness of this unilateral variation of the terms, which he condemned, and stated he would adhere to the original agreement. Subsequently, he indicated to Beresford that the people of the town were in a state of insurrection as a result of which he wished the British to embark at night from a place out of sight of the crowds. Even that plan was abandoned and clearly under pressure de Liniers denied any knowledge of an agreement in the terms originally reduced to writing.56

      Popham supported Beresford’s protests. He engaged in a vigorous correspondence with the Governor of Montevideo, Ruiz Huidobro, and subsequently Viceroy Sobremente, protesting strenuously at the non-fulfilment of the terms of the capitulation agreed between Beresford and de Liniers. These protests were to no avail as the Spanish authorities determined that de Liniers had no authority to agree the terms, and that in reality the terms had not been signed until after the surrender of the British forces in Buenos Aires.57 Popham castigated the Governor of Montevideo for arguing that the agreement had been intended merely as a private document and not a public treaty, pointing out that it had been agreed in the presence of Casamayor antecedent to the surrender, and if this had not been the case Beresford would not have surrendered the castle. In a burst of righteous indignation, Popham claimed the Spanish conduct was disgraceful and contrary to the law of nations and he contrasted this behaviour with that of Beresford on the capture of Buenos Aires earlier.58

      The treatment of the defeated force was a mixed one. A number of men were abused and even murdered, but alongside such incidents acts of considerable kindness took place.59 In particular, the Bethlemite fathers administered medical treatment to the injured, and this was recognised by the 71st Regiment when it was later repatriated.60 Colonel Pack kept up a correspondence with Don Luis, one of the Bethlemite Friars, for some years afterwards. He expressed his gratitude for the attention paid to the wounded and sent him the gift of a coffee service in English china in 1809.61 Initial developments were far from satisfactory, for instead of release and repatriation the British soldiers were committed to various jails and other strongholds in and around Buenos Aires. Beresford (and other officers) were released on parole and he lodged with the family of Felix Casamayor in the city.62 Casamayor was the official who had transcribed and witnessed the original terms of the treaty whereby Beresford surrendered.

      Following the arrival of further British forces in the estuary of the Rio de la Plata from the Cape at the end of September, as part of the response designed to reinforce Beresford, there was a change of policy and the senior officers were rounded up in mid October and sent under guard to the Cabildo of Luján, the very town from which Beresford’s force had seized the ‘treasure’. Other officers were sent to San Antonio de Areco, Capilla del Señor and various estancias. Parallel with the decision to send the officers to Luján and other locations, the Cabildo dispersed the British troops to a number of inland towns, including Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, San Luis and Córdoba.63 The decision to place them at a distance from Buenos Aires was taken in anticipation