Description
The magnificent original and lengthy Dispatch, signed by Nicholas Trant, to Marshal William Carr Beresford, Commander in Chief of the Portuguese Forces, written on the day of the action: “I have much pleasure in acquainting your Excellency with my having successfully attacked the Town of Coimbra this day with the loss of only a few men killed and wounded …” 5 pp. 10 x 8 inches, in fine condition. From the official papers of Sir William Carr Beresford. Coimbra, 7 October 1810, 8 P.M. Brigadier-General Nicholas Trant (1769-1839) led Portuguese irregular troops in several actions during the Peninsular War. His best known exploits were the recapture of Coimbra from the French in October 1810 and the successful defence of the line of the Mondego River in March 1811. Napier called the seizure of Coimbra “the most daring and hardy enterprise executed by any partisan during the whole war”.Trant’s Dispatch contains a wealth of detail about the tactics and marches leading to the attack and surrender of Coimbra. “I have reason to believe that the Number of Prisoners exceeds 5000, of whom nearly 4000 are marched off to Oporto including an entire .company of the Emperor’s Marine Guard … From the nature of the attack your Excellency will easily conceive how difficult it was to control the Soldiers or prevent the Armed Peasantry, from plundering …I shall conclude this Report by assuring your Excellency that the spirit of the Militia upon this occasion was such as would do credit to any Troops of the Line …”