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London, England, 1810-11-22 00:00:00

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- •
GENERAL CRAUFURD.
ACTION OF JULY 24 .

Marshal Massena. not content with the gross mis- I
impretentations which were contained in his first
offi.ial account of the affair of the 44th of Judy.
near Almeida, has, in a subsequent dispatch. revert.
ed to it m s tone of boasting wholly unjustified by
the circumstances. assuring the War :11mirter that
his whole entity is burning with impstieuee tip teach
the Etugbah army what they taught the division of
Crauford in the affair of Almeida. Brigedier-
General Craufurd has therefore determined to give
this public contradiction to the false arsenious
coatsinell in Menthol Maswena's report of so tic.
tiun, which war not only highly honourable
to the light division, but which positively
terminated in its favour. notwithstanding the
extraordivary disparity of numbers. A cone: of 4000
men remained during a sif hide day in presence of an
anny of 24.000 men ; it performed in the presence
Oro large a force one of the most difficult opera-
time of war. namely, a eeriest from a very hroken
aid extensive position, over one narrow defile ; it de-
fended, Jurist; the whole dry, the tire' defensible
position that was to be found in the neighbourhood
.of the place where the action commenced ; and
in the course of this affair. a corps of 4000 men
Inflicted upon this army of 84,000 men a lose equal
to double of that which it sustained. Such were
the circumstances of the setion which Brigadier-
Geoeral Craufurd'a corm was opposed to the army
commanded by Marshals Masses* and Ney. no the
24th of July; and it is, therefore, isidisputable that
they had the best of it.
From Marshal Masiena's official dispatch, con-
taiaing a statement of the force to which we were
opposed, it appears that the cavalry consisted of
the 3d homers. I.sth chimeric., 10th, 15th, and
2.Sth dee:owls ; awl that the whole of the in-
fantry of Ney's corps was present, except orm
regivneet of tat division of Marchaud. The infan-
try of Ney's corps, according to the intercepted
official returns, amountA at that time to upwerds
of 2t,000 effective.; awl the cay.ilcy regiments
were certainly between six and seven hundred
each. It therefore appears that the force
which Marshals Massena and Ney advanced to
attack the light division. on the morning of the
gale July. consisted of '20,000 infantry be-
tween 3 411 d 4,non cavalry ; to which were opposed
three English battalions (odd. and ts,hi),
Portuguese battalions (lit and 3.1 chasaeurs), end
eight squadrons of cavalry, making in the whole a
force of *boat 9,810 British, and 1,100 l'or;uguese

troops.
Almeida is a small fortress situated at the edge
of the declivity, forming the right back of the valley
of Ilse Cue. which river runs from the south to the
north, and the bridge over which is nearly an
Fugloth mile west of the town. From the 21.1 to
the 21th July. the chain of our cavalry outociata
formed • semicircle in front of Alt:wide, the might
flank being appuy4 to the Co., 11,4 f As Neves,
which is about three miles above the 'dec.., and the
left flank also appuye to the river. near Chico
Villas, which i. about threw miles below the fortress.
The centre of this line was covered by a small
stream; •ad un the principal roads by which it
was expected that the enemy would advance, name-
ly, no the right and centre of this line, the cavalry
ports were supported by pinittlw of infantry.
The only road which our artillery awl the body
of our caveiry could snake use of to retreat to the
Co., was that which leads from Almeida to the
bridge. The nature of the ground mule it slit-
Ocult fur the enemy to approach this road on nor
left, that is to say, no the north side of the town ;
and the infantry of the division was the plse,3l
in a position to cover it no the tight or south side.
having its right Risk appurit to the Coa shore the
bridge. its front 'covered by a deep arid rut ky
and its left in some inrlo.urei near • wind-
mill, which is on the plain &mut 800 yards south
of the tu,vii. The Governor intended to ntount
you Myna 11,14 %MARIO!, end one was actually in it,
but it 11'.14 useless, as it was not mounted : and
another (also dismounted) was lyiug near th,•
These are the two guns which Marshal Masciiii
rays he took in the uction.
On the moriiing of the 24th the ceistie of nit, line
of iliggletS war attacked, insanely, th,,t which nem.
pied the road leading from Almeida to Val de Is
Mule, which village is about four English utiles
eu.t of the fort re... These piquet' were supported
by the 14th light dragoons and two guns ; but
when the bead of a cousidtrable column. with ar-
tillery. presented itself. Red Megan to furor tot the
other side of the rivulet. the *sets were with-
drawn. The enemy then veered the Amite?. • coo-
'innerly took place. mid the enemy formed a line
of fifteen 'quadrates of canal.. at the &rune« o!'
of shoat • mile frees the aliovisonentioneil
twll, with artillery is its front. awl • of
about 7,000 infinity on its right : other troop. were
seen. though not so ilistiectly, advancing u pita our
right.
It being now evident that we wer- opposed to
civil a force as bi retailer it itnpos.ible for lb igarlntr-
Geueral Cranford to prevent the investment of the
Plitevs he determined to crews the Coo. He ordered
the artillery and cavalry to move off br the road
leadirg from the town to the bridge. maid the in-
fantry to follow, reti-ing ormee the vineyard.
wards she bridge. Ile riot cted that the iiifai.try
►hould move Wise ec.;4clon froin the left, it bein4 ne-
cessary to held Cm right tilt th.i last, in auks' to pre.