The march to Spain Since transport by sea was impossible due to the blockade by the
Royal Navy, the brigade had to march all the way to Spain, a distance of over 2,000 kilometres. The troops first marched to Paris, by way of
Antwerp,
Ghent,
Lille, and
Amiens. Although French authorities had promised support, it turned out that none of the local authorities had been made aware that they were to provide food and shelter. The Dutch quartermaster, O. J. Romar, was often fobbed off by the local French commanders and had to organize victualling himself. This depleted his war chest. Soldiers often had to buy food themselves from their pay (three
stuivers a day), a sum which could not provide adequate sustenance. Hunger and fatigue caused a growing stream of stragglers. The younger officers began to criticise Chassé openly. The remaining soldiers were the stronger men; the march having eliminated the weaker troops. Common experiences had forged a sense of comradeship among the troops. When the brigade entered Spain the brigade had to fend for itself in competition with French and allied units for food and shelter. The brigade leadership for the first time was confronted by the dangers posed by the Spanish
guerrillas (usually called "brigands" by the French), who continually preyed on the French supply lines. Marching to
Bilbao by way of
Irun,
Tolosa,
Mondragon and
Durango; the brigade arrived at Bilbao around the end of October 1808. The infantry battalions, the Nassau regiments, forming the core of the brigade, were assigned to Leval's division and would be the only ones to
carry the honour of the brigade as a fighting unit. Besides the Dutch troops, the division consisted of the Baden regiment, the
Hesse-Darmstadt regiment, a
Frankfurt battalion, a battalion of Parisian guards, and two batteries of artillery. There, the Dutch lit a fire to signal the French center (Sébastiani) and right wing (Leval) to start their advance. General Chassé subsequently led the pursuit of the fleeing Spaniards. In passing, Dutch
voltigeurs slaughtered a flock of sheep, grazing in a wood; they appreciated the meat after going without for a long time. The Dutch troops received much praise for their actions in battle; Chassé was awarded the
Legion of Honour, and five other officers received a medal for
bonne conduite et bravoure (good conduct and bravery). The Dutch cavalry, in particular, had insufficient high quality fodder for the horses, and the horses often lost shoes due to the difficult terrain. Arriving at Bilbao, only 91 of 231 horses were fit for duty. The horse artillery lost so many horses that their
caissons had to be drawn by three, instead of the usual six horses. Because the Dutch infantry used a different type of musket that could not use French ammunition, a shortage of ammunition soon occurred. The younger officers blamed Chassé for being insufficiently forceful in his representations to the French corps command, and they openly showed their displeasure making personal relations with the general difficult. Chassé subsequently removed a number of "difficult" officers, among them the chief-of-staff Vermeulen, who was replaced by Captain Van Zuylen van Nijevelt. To the horror of their own officers, Dutch soldiers also were involved in the carnage. The officers swore that they would never allow things to get out of hand like this again. Apparently they kept their word because as far as is known the atrocities at Arenas are the only ones in which the Dutch troops were involved during the war. After the
Second Siege of Zaragoza had ended with a French victory on 24 February 1809, Marshal Victor decided to attack the Spanish forces on the south bank of the Tagus, giving the German division a lead role in this attack. On 17 March 1809, the division encountered a strong Spanish force at
Mesas de Ibor. General Leval first sent in the Nassau regiment against the ensconced Spaniards, but they were repulsed by heavy Spanish fire. Though the number of losses on the French side was large (2,400 killed and wounded), the Dutch Brigade only lost seven killed and 37 wounded. The allied soldiers managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Spanish infantry, and man-to-man fights ensued which put the Spaniards on the defensive. French artillery prevented the Spanish infantry from rallying, and they broke after Polish lancers took them in the flank. A general Spanish rout ensued, with many Spanish soldiers being killed by French and allied cavalry. Many others were taken prisoner after their flight was cut short by the French 1st Corps, which had not taken part in the battle, but had just crossed the Tagus. More than 14,000 Spanish soldiers surrendered. The German division was praised extensively by the French command. Marshal Sébastiani, in a speech to Chassé, was highly complimentary, especially of the Dutch artillerists. Trip was knighted with the Legion of Honour, and a number of Dutch officers were mentioned in dispatches. The Dutch brigade suffered relatively heavy casualties, with 82 killed and 89 wounded. This march was very distasteful to Chassé and his men, who pitied the poor wretches, but lacked the means to lessen their suffering. Accompanying the transport were several Dutch officers who had been recalled to the Netherlands. Among them was Captain Van Zuylen van Nijevelt who was replaced by the French Colonel Brenot as chief-of-staff. The column arrived to Bayonne on 28 December 1809. in front of the troops in September 1810, at which occasion he reminded the troops that despite the dissolution of the Kingdom and the army, they were still bound (as was he) by their oaths. ==Aftermath==