Star. — London, England, 1811-05-29 00:00:00

SPAIN. , . CADIZ, MAY 7. The General in Chief, ad interim, of the first army, under the date of the 12th of April, addressed to the Council of Regency, gives the following particulars : " EXCELLENT SIR--I have the honour and indes cribable satisfaction of communicating to your High ness, that the fortress of S. Fernando de Figueras is in the power of our king and Lord Don Ferdinand VII. The enclosed copy which I send to your Ex cellency, will inform you of the authors of this impor tant success. The place fell into our hands by a stra tagem conceived borne days before, and for the exe cution of which the divisibn of Ampurdam was em ployed, under the orders of Don J. A. Martines. " I cannot give your Excellency similar informa tion relative to Barcelona, although my soldiers gained the scarp of the wall of Monjui ; but Figueras IS of much greater importance by its military situation. " The Lieutenant Colonel of the Granada regi ment of dragoons, Don. N. Chacon, belonging to the Chief Staff of this army, proceeds to congratulate your Highness; and at the same time inform you of the event, and the enthusiasm which reigns throughout this army and province, from which fresh triumphs may be expected." 'IARRAGONA, AIIRII. Is. The General in Chief, ael interim, has received the following official dispatch from Baron D'Ecoles: " EXCELLENT Stn—On the 9th, I received in Mar torell the order of your Excellency to march with my section and join the division of the reconqueror of St. Fernando, Brigadier Don J. A. Martinez. Now, at seven in the morning of the 13th, I have the satisfac tion to announce to you, that the forts which the ' enemy had constructed in Castelfullet and Olot &re in my power, with 530 men and 16 o ffi cers, who gar risoned them, all French ; I have also taken 61 oxen and a large quantity of provisions. " The details of these events I will transmit to your Excellency from the Castle of S. Fernando, whither lam going to march. The infantry are marching to Vich. I will divide the produce of the oxen among the soldiers of the section, to indemnify them for the fatigues they have suffered, and the remainder of the provisions I will place under chai,ze of the Commis sary at War, D. J. J. de Ibero. May GOD preserve your Excellency many years. " Olot, April Is, 1811 ." "To the Marquis of Campo V erde." "D. LCOLES." I 1 FROM T'llE LISBON GAZETTE, MAT 16. COPY •F A LETTER FROM HIS EXCELLENCY THE MARSHAL GEN ERA L TO HLS EXCELLENCY MARSHAL BERESFORD. 11 Excellent Sir—l have the honour to inclose to your Excellency a copy of the letter I wrote General BACELLAR, ordering that the division of Militia, and oilier troops under his command, should cross the Douro, and return to the provinces to the north of ' that River. I recommend your Excellency to insert this letter in the Order of the Day, and request your Excellency will take that opportunity of expressing my sentiments in respect to the services done to their country by the different corps of Militia, Volunteers and Ordivanzas, who garrisoned the works constructed between the Tagus and the sea: They are as follows: , s The Regiments of Tondella, Branco, Cavibia, Tdanha, Feira, Leiria, Thamar, San- I ta,.em, Setubal, illeatr, Torre: Vedrae, Eastern and • Western Lisbon, the Battalion of Sharpshooters, the Artillery of the Eastern and Western Lisbon Batta lions, the different companies of the Ordinanza Ar tillery organized in the neighbourhood of the same woi ks, to Col. J. L. BRANDAO DE ALMEIDA, and all the garrison cf the fortress of Abrantes. But it is necessary, at the same time, to point out the conduct of those individuals, officers as well as soldiers, who left their corps at the time when their country Was in danger. i ‘ I beg of your Excellency that the names, espe cially bf the Officers, be published throughout the whole kingdom, and that those men who have not returned to their regiments, conformably to the pro clamation lately issued by Government, may be laid bold of and punished according to the laws of the country.-1 have the honour to be your Excellency's most obedient servant, (Signed) WELLINGTON. " To Marshal Sir W. C. Bereslord." COPY OF A LETTER FROM HIS EXCELLENCY MARSHAL GENERAL LORD WELLINGTON TO IllS EXCELLENCY L/EUTENANT•GENERAL MANUEL PINTO BACELLAR. Excellent Sir—l entreat your Excellency to carry into execution the, dispositions made with respect to the division under the command of Colonel Wilson, and likAvise the change of head-quarters of your Ex cellency, which this morning I communicated to your Excellency. I take advantage of this opportunity to congratulate your Excellency in consequence of the evacuation which the enemy has just completed of this country, and at the same time to offer your Ex cellency my thanks for the aid and co•operation which I have received from your Excellency in the opera tions carried on during the year, and which have been brought to the present state. 1 also beg your Excel lency will transmit my thanks to General Silveira, Colonels Trant and Wilson, for the assistance I re ceived from them, for the zeal which they have mani fested in the cause, and the skill with which they con ducted themselves in the different situations in which they have been individually employed. " I in, like manner entreat your Excellency to ' t r ansmit, on my part, to the Officers, Non-commis sioned Officers, and soldiers, who have served under slur direction of your Excellency, and the immediate command of General Silveira, Colonels Ti ant and Wilson, the expressions of high esteem which I en tertain for their beaveiy and discipline as soldiers, and their patriotism and loyalty to their Sovereign ; and of my assuratne of confidence in the last, and the happy result of the cause for which we so justly con tend ; and that I have no doubt that under similar . circumstances they will coptinue to make similar ef fort, • and conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the ancient reputation of this country. As Marshal :;ir W. C. Beresford is at a distance from me, I make this communication, of which I will transmit a cor responding copy direct to your Excellency.—GOD preserve your Excellency. (Signed) • " WELLINGTON." • • FRENCH PAPERS. - • three grand squares. Our caviar y having reached this point. fell vigorously on the squares. and broke them .-"'-'"'''-• ly ~„ .. _ PARIS, MAY 15. AU. • 1 then took up a position opposite the enemy's NEWS . FROM THE ARMIES OF SPAIN k PORTUGAL. line. Before our infantry eould arrive, the enemy had had time to cover the summit of the level with 'eve- ARMY OF PORTUGAL. " I have the honour to inform you r Hi g hness, that rat lines of English infantry and a numerous artillery; on the 2d of May, at day-break, I ordered the body of the army to pass the Agu e d a, at the bridge of Rodrigo, and to proceed, the 2d upon Marialva , th e F u entes d'Onoro, and they threw flesh troops into strengthened also Villa Formosa on their right. The divisions o f Ferey and Cia p arede attac ked Fuentes Bth and 9th upon Carpi°, with the reserve of cavalry , d'Onoro vi g oiceisly, and drove the enemy several the 6th upon Espeja, with the rest of the cavalry. — times from it ; but as soon as.they reached the sum- The movement was effected with m uch order, the mit, they were overwhelmed by the artillery. The advanced posts of the enemy w ere driven in, and the English _ troops incessantly considerable reinforcements preparations which they had made to defend the de- of their best p . , and attacked over the rocks that 1 files of Mai ialva were rendered u seless b y the p assa g e were upon their right flank ; they lost 500 prisoner!, more than 800 killed, whom are several andamong lof the Azava at Carpio. This op eration was execu- Officers, and Scots. ted without much obstacle from the ene m y , and their ss The ardour of the soldiers was unparalleled. „ The army o n i advanced guard of 14 squadrons of cavalr y , suppor this day, n which the whole ha ted by some hundreds of infant r y , with artillery, was remained with them, took 1000 men warmly pursued to beyond Gallegos. The army "lour of arms , Lieutenant Co. took the tollowing position : the 2,1 corps in the rear, from the enemy, amongst whom _lare a . and to the right of Gallegos ; a division of the Bth on lonel, and a great number of T orcers, and killed and the left of that village, which was occupied by the wounded upwar sof 2 . The overthrew and de feated their right wing, and gained more than a league advance posts; the 6th in the rear of Espeja, and the ' of ground from it. The enemy passed the night after 9th in reserve before Carpio. the battle in entrenching strongly the summit of the " The information I had relative to the enemy stated level. They p I lamed also epaulments on the ravine , that they occupied with 40 or 50,000 men a tine line of battle behind the brook of Onoro , on a bill whose and behind the rocks. In fine , they b arricadoed the left, of difficult access, was supported by fort Concep- summit of the villages of Fuentes d'Onoro and Villa Formosa, drawing to their assistance all the r e s eurces Lion ; the right, more accessible , was at Nave d'Avez ; the head-quarters, at Villa Form osa. Yet this p osi- of fortification against an attack b y main force. " In order to be able to profit by the ad vanta g es ticn of the enemy was not without dan g er to them, since they had behind their front the rock y bed of the of this day, I intended to approa ch Almeida. , CO2, and but a single carriage com munication, suffi- "Our loss has been 400 killed and wo unded.— ' i• Officers, Generals, and soldiers, all fulfilled their duty ciently difficult, by Castel Born. i with devotion and bravery. General of Division " On the 3d in the morning the army marched for- Montbrun, commandingthe army, dis ward, the 2d corps forming still the ri g ht and p ro- the cavalry of manoeuvres on the sth, extreme skill in the manceuvs ; cooling upon Alameda ; a division of the Bth Pon the a skill calculated to make the most pf the intrepidity left of that village ; and the 16th, with the cavalry, marched from Espeja upon Fuentes d ' Honoro. M y of the regiments under his orders. Ge,terals Four nier, Waltier, Lorcet, Maucune, Vicyey, and Colonel plan was to proceed in force upon the right of the ene my, and to seize the communicat ion of- Castel Born. ed Ornaro, of the 2oth dragoons, particularly distinguish themselves. In consequence, and whilst the 2d and 7th corps and " I shall have the honour to make known t o you the division of the Bth kept the center of the enem y in signali zed the sth. M. de s particularly the acts that check, I proceeded toward the right, with the 6th corp s Septeuil, your Highness's Aide-de-Camp, had his leg pursuing their rear-guard, the greater part of which carried away by a can . non-ball This brave and in was warmly repulsed in Fuentes d'Onoro. This village teresting young officer was at the head of a charge of is hidden by the nature of the ground, and placed in dragoons.. He suffered amputation with much cool part on the foot of the little hill which the enemy pos- ' ness, and is out o . f danger.—l am, with respectful sessed. I hoped to carry it, and keep it : I attacked it, and it was soon occupied. The English General, devotion, your Highnets's, &c. (Signed) " Marshal Prince of Essemo. who saw a part of his line cut off by the occupation ‘ „, ' Camp of Fuentes d'Onoro, May 7 , 1511 . " of this important post, did not c ease to throw in fresh troops, and he got possession of it. DISTRICT OF THE ARMY OF THE SOUTH. The division Fcrey, which was alone employed General Latour Mabourg, commanding the sth in this attack, had soon driven the enemy from the corps of the army, reconnoitred on the 7th of April, village. It lost it in its turn ;in fine, having . seen it early in the morning, the advanced posts of Beres taken and re-taken, I supported the division with four ford's army below Juramenha : an English squadron battalions of reserve of the division of Marchand, was surprised. General Veilande took 100 prisoners with the 6th corps; and the greater part of the vil- mounted, among others a Major; all of the 13th lage remained in our hands during the night. In the English regiment. mean time they exchanged some cannon-shot in the 1 Badajoz is armed and provisioned for several centre, and they disputed feebly some small pOsts ; months : Olivenza, not being armed, the garrison re the village of Alameda remained with us. , • tired at the approach of the army of Beresford, which . 4 On the 4th, at day-break, the enemy, extremely entered it on the 15th, and found only 200 sick. uneasy at the occupation of Fuentes d'Onoro, which I Lord Wellington came to reconnoitre Badajoz on opened us a clebouchl in the midst of their line, endea- the 22d. General Philippon made a sortie with two voured in vain to retake it ; they were warmly repul- battalions, and warmly repulsed him. sed ; they then filled with troops the avenues of the , Blake, at the head of 3000 Spaniards, forming the village, the rocks and walls that flanked it ; and ren- ' garrison of Cadiz, debarked at Ayamonte, to act in dered by all sorts of means the entire occupation of concert with Beresford. the upper part of the village very difficult. Hence Il The advanced guard of the reinforcements destined saw that the advantage would cost the army too for the army of the South arrived at Cordova on the dear, and I employed myself i n the dis p ositions ne- 22 d. T he Duke of Dalmatia had at that period united cessary for a fresh attack. I reconnoitred carefully at Seville a reserve of 20,000 men, without having the flank of the enemy which was guarded by the ca- touched the troops besieging Cadiz, and without corn valry and the militia of the country. I found an ac- prising the reinforcements that arrived, nor the Bth cessible ground between Nave D'Aver, and Posobello, corps, which, under General Latour Mabourg, was and I resolved to direct the army thither. The orders on the frontiers of Estramadura, observing the allied were sent off in the evening, and the movements were arm i es . executed during the night. I The French artillery besieging Cadiz has found out On the .sth, at day-break, the army was placed , the secret of firing bombs, which carry 3,025 toises, as follows—the first and second divisions of the 6th burst admirably, and whose fuse keeps extremely well corps in face of Posobello, having the 2d division of . during the whole of its passage. the Bth in reserve ; all the cavalry of the army united The Duke of Treviso, why se health has suffered by' under the orders of General Montbrun, on the left of : the climate of Andalusia, is arrived at Madrid. the infantry. The troops placed opposite the right of j ARMY OF CATALONIA. tie enemy, were destined to turn and overthrow it. I Campo Verde, commanding the insurgents of*Ca. The 3d division of the 6th corps occupying a part of ' talonia, having learnt at Tarragona the success inspi the village of Fuentes d'Onoro, and destined to attack " red by the treason of Figueras, set off with 8000 men, it again, formed the centre with the 9th corps, which I and proceeded against Olot. ' He wanted to raise en mastc all Upper Catalonia, but he did not succeed. was in the rear and in reserve. On the right was the . fid corps, the first division of which leaned upon Ala- : The Miquelets who had surprised Figueras and gar risoned it were the concentration of all the different meda, and the 2d had been placed intermediately be- ' tween that village and Fuentes d'Onorot i bands. Since tit!) , have been surrounded in Figueras " These corps of the army had orders to favour, the most respectable part of the country have had the' by petty attacks, the grand movement of the army, upper hand. This state of things made the insurgents and to manoeuvre in such a manner as to unite with comprehend the necessity of raising the blockade of it in proportion as it gained ground upon the enemy. Figueras and of strengthening the garrison, in order The village of Posobello, and the woods that flank it, to restore those bands to their real service. Campo were full of English infantry ; they were vigorously Verde sent a convoy of provisions on 1200 mules; he I attacked by the first division of the 6th corps, and reinforced himself with 3000 men, and he appeared, carried by the bayonet. .The enemy lost many killed on the 3d of May, at 7 A. M. in the environs of Fi end made prisoners. The three divisions marched in gueras ; a column of 2000 men appeared on the moun close columns by echelons on the village and its flanks. fain north of Figueras, and attacked the advanced In the rear the enemy skewed a line of 20 squadrons, posts of the camp of Liers. The principal corps de supported by several battalions of infantry, and 12 houched on the side of Avignone, and reached the pieces of cannon. General Montbrun manueevred-on first houses of Figueras, announcing the intention to my left, in a manner to gain the sumif.it of the heights : get possession of the town. and the right of the enemy—he bad to sustain several Ger.eral Barraguay d'Hilliers immediately made charges before he could gain it. , his dispositions. He left Colonel Petit to command the camp of Liers, and to repulse the attack of the " As soon as he had reached the summit,he ehar g . id .in columns by regiments the enemy's cavalry, I enemy on that side. He reinforced the garrison of the With the greatest success, and with extraordinary i town and those of the redoubts which supported d* vigour. In spite of the artillery and the infantry con. line of blockade, and he marched to Campo Verde 4 eealed in the rocks, he overthrew succ essivel y these I with 4000 men. 20 English squadrons, and drove them more than a I Whilst the insurgents attacked the town warmly,, league before him. However, the Ist and 2d division ? and were repulsed with enormous lose, General Bars of the 6th corps followed the movement of the ca- quay d'Hilliers attacked them in flank, and threw') valry, in column, and a division of the Bth marched them into disorder. The Chasseurs of the 29th regi in reserve. The 9th corps advanced its left to con- I ment, and a squadron of the 24th dragoons, over nect itself with the grand attack. The 3d division of I whelmed the enemy, and completed their rout. Two the 6th corps attacked the village of Fuentes d'Onoro ! thousand made prisoners, among whom are 120 offi warmly, where the enemy threw in still considerable cers, 3000 killed, four standards taken, and the con force to occupy that debouchi, and cut off the commu- voy destinetito re-victual Fort Fignoras remained in nication between our Centre and left. The enemy had , our power. Such are the results of this affair. Ihis right routed, and the corps that comp osed it fled Durin g the battle the En g lish had disembarked a dispersed towards the centre, where they could unite column on the side of lianas : but this column was again behind the English regiments that were coming kept in check by the garrison of the fort, and em in great haste from the left. The level on which we barked precipitately after the disaster of Campo Verde, had just manoeuvred is narrower in this part. From whose dispirited troops could not rally. We are in the summit descends two ravines, very rocky and hopes that General Suchet, with the army of Arragon, difficult, where the villages of Fuentes d'Onoro and having marched uponTarragona,the wreck of Campo Villa Formosa are ; Lord Wellington filled these ra- Verde's army would not be able to return to that place. i vines with tiralleurs, stationed on the back part a Our loss has been slight. Commandant Beams*, go od deal of artillery, and occupied the summit in ' Colonels Lanorque, &c. distinguished themselves. I FROM LAST NIGHT'S GAZETTE. DOWNING-STFEET, MAT lit. A Dispatek, of which die following Is an Estract, was tLh Oq received at the Earl of Liverpool's °See, addressed to his Lordship by Lieutenant-General Lord Viscount Weihnitou, X, B. dated Villa Formosa, iStis May. Villa Foniaora,May IS. No part of the enemy's army remained on the left of the Agueda on the evening of the 10th instant, excepting one brigade of cavalry close to the bridge of Ciudad Rodrigo. The 2d corps had crossed at Barba del Puerto and the ford of Val d'Espino, and were cantoned in that neighbourhood ; and our ad ♦anced posts were upon the Azava and the Lower Agueda. The 6th division resumed the duty of the blockade of Almeida on that evening, and Major-General Sir William Erskine was ordered to send a battalion to Barba del Puerco to guard the bridge there, which had been previously ordered, and had been posted to observe the passages of the Duas Casas, between Al , dea del Bispo and Barba del Puerco. The enemy blew up some mines which they had constructed in the works of Alraeida a little befcre one of the morning of the 11th, and immediately at tacked the picquets by which the place was observed, and forced their way through them. They fired but little, and they appeared to have marched betweeu the bodies of troops posted to support be picquets and in particular could not have passed far ir;A:l right of the Queen's regiment. Upon the first alarm Brigadier-General Pact:, who WAS at Malpartida, joined the picquets, and continued to follow and to fire upon the enemy, as a guide fu the march of the other troops employed in the block - ade ; and Major-General Campbell marched from Malpartida with a part of the first battalion 36th re giment. But the enemy continued their march in a solid compact • body without firing, and were well guided between the positions- occupied by our troops. The 4th regiment which was ordered to occupy Barba del Puerco. unfortunately missed the road, and did not arrive there till the enemy had reached the place, and commenced to descend the bridge: and at the same moment with the 36th regiment, with Ma. jor-General Campbell, and the light battalions of the sth division, which Major-General Sir William Er. skine had detached horn Aldea del Bispo to Barba del Puerco, as soon as he had heard that the enemy had come out from Almeida. The enemy suffered very considerable loss both in prisoners and in killed and wounded, as well in the march from Almeida as in the passage of the Ague da. It appears that that part of the fid corps which were in St. Felices, formed upon the river to protect their passage as soon as they heard the firing ; and the Hon. Lieutenant Colonel Cochrane of the 36th, who had crossed with a detachment of the 36th and of the 4th regiment, was obliged toretire with some loss. The enemy are indebted for the small part of the garrison which they have saved principally to the un fortunate mistake of the road to Barba del Puerco by the 4th regiment. During the whole period. of the blockade, but particularly during the period that the enemy's army were between the Duas Casas and the Azava, the garrison were in the habit of firing cannon ! during the night ; and the picquets near the place were frequently attacked. On the night of the 7th there had been a very heavy fire of cannon from the place, and the picquets were attacked ; and another ' on the night of the Bth, and the Queen's regiment in particular and the other troops employed in the bloc. kade were induced to believe that the explosion which they heard in the morning of the 11th was of the t same description with those which they had heard on the preceding. nights ; and the Queen's regiment did ; not move at all, nor the other tro o p s, till the cause t,f ! the explosion tad been ascertained. Since the 11th iast. the enemy have continued their retreat towards the Tormes. I enclose a return of the killed and wounded of the troops engaged at Barba del Paerco. Return of Killed, Wounded, and Missing of the Army vr..10 the Command of Lieutenant General Lord V4seosni d'.l:lg. too, K. B. at Barba del Puerco, en the I ith of May. Head Quarters, Villa Formosa, May let Pau. 4th Foot-2 rank and Ale killed ; 1 Lieutenant, Ict rari and Ale wounded; 1 Serjeant, 4 rank and file nthsir.g. Ist Batt. 36th Foot-2 rank and file killed; 5 rank and tie wounded ; 1 Lieutenant, 10 rank and file musing. Total-4 rank and file killed ; 1 Lieutenant, i 5 rark , r.l ale wounded ; 1 Lieutenant, 1 Serjeant, 14 tank and missing. NAMES OF OFFICERS KILLED, WOUNDED, AND UIScING. lit Batt. 4th Foot —Lieuttnant Robert Atlntesh, w our. ded. Ist. Batt. 38th Foot.—Lieutenant Moody, missing. Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Cameron, of the 78th regiment, woes• ded on the Sth May, died on the 13th May. (Signed) CJIARLES STEW ART, Major General and Adjutant General. FOREIGN OFFICE, MAY 28. Dispatches were this morning received at the Office of the Marquis Wellesley from Mr. Stuart, his Ma. jesty's Minister at Lisbon; dated the 1 8 th instan t, b y which it appears, that on the 10t1t, at midnight, the garrison of Almeida blew up the works of that for. tress, and effected a retreat to Barba del Puerto with considerable loss. Marshal Soli broke up from Gillena on the 9th of May, at the head of 15,000 men, and his head quarters were at Zafra on the 13th, where he dr, cted a junction with the division of General Latcur Maa bourg, which increased his numbers to near 22,000 men. General Ballesteros immediately fell back and united his corps with chat of General Blake ; their combined strength moved from Xeres to Barcarotta. On the 13th, Marshal Bcresford and Gener.il COW. nos concentrated their forces in Valverde, where it would appear they have been since joined by Gra ral Blake. • On the 16th Marshal Soult attacked the combined army at Alboera, and, atter an obstinate action, wAs repulsed with great loss, abandoning hi s w ounded, and retiring to a position in sight of ,his British ad vanced posts. The loss on the part of the allies is not specified , but understood to be very severe. Major-Genel al Houghton killed ; Major-Generals Cole and W. Stewart, slightly wounded ; Lieutenant-Colonels Sit W. Myers, and Duckworth, killed.