The National Register.
London, England, 1811-10-20 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL

h• jets which are on the Left of the Agueda, having their ad-
vanced Liu. rd u. der .Lieut.-Coe. at the 60th, on the
be gins ot Pastores, within three miles of Ciudad Rodrigo • the
4t city •oon were at Fuetite Cuihaldo, where I had strengthened
a position with s •nie wo ks; the light division on the right of
the Ag. eda, having their right resting upon the mountains
w h arate ~;.'tile and Estremadtha ; Lieut.• Gen. Graham
corn ule troops on the left of the army, which were
poszeo on th t, •wer Azava; the 6th division and Major-Gen.
rigade of cavalry being at Espeja, and occupying
Ca (4 Mar:alv &c.
Ma-excel:is del. Campo Don Carlos D'Espagne observed the
Lower Agueda wi • hDon Julian sanchez's cavalry and Infantry.
Lieut.-Gen. sir Stapleton Cotton, with Major-Gen. Slade's and
Major Gei'. De Grey's brigades of cavalry, was on the Upper
Azava. in th centre, between the right and left of the army,
wt h General Pack's brigade a Campillo ; and the sth division
were r ob-ervation of the pass of Perales in the rear of the right,
the french t;en, ral Foy having remained and collected a body
of 'mops in Upper i...streinadura, consisting of part of his own
div. lion f, the at my of Portugal, and a division of the army of
the 4. entre; and the 7th division was in reserve at Alarnedilla.
The 4 nervy first appeared in the plain near Ciudad Rudrigo,
on the 23d, and ret red •again in a short time; but on the 24th,
in the morning, they advanced again in consi• erable force, and
entered the plain, by the road . f St. Spiritus and Tenebron, and
before evening they had collected there all their cavalry, to the
amount ot about 6000 men. and four divisions of infantry, of
winch, one division were of the Imperial Guard; and the re-
mainder of the armies were encamped on the Guadapero, im-
mediately beyond. the hills which surround. the plains of Ciudad
Rodrigo.
On the mornir.z of the 25th, the enemy sent a reconnoissance
of c 'yak/ tuwar a the Lewer Azava, consisting of about 14
squad, ons of the cavalry of the Imperial Guard.
They ,drove in our posts on the right of the Agava ; but hav-
ing e...ssed that river, the Lanciers de Berg were charged by two
squ sof the 16th, and one of the 4th Light Dragoons, and
di iv n bve. ; they attenipte; to rally and to return, but were
fire I upon by the Light hinntry of the 61st regiment, which bad
n posted in the wood, on the flank, by Lieutenant-General
Graha ri ;• and Major-General Anson pursued them across the
Maya, and afrerwards resumed his pests on the right o that
river. Lieu .-G. neral Graham was highly pleased with the
c,,nduat of Major. General Anson's brigade; and Major-Gen.
_Anson toarticularly mentions Lieut.-Colonel Hervey and Capt.
Brotherton of the 14th, and Capt. Hay and Major Locks of the
16th.
But the ere-r y's attention was principally dlr. cted during this
day to the position of the 3d division on the hills between Puente
Guinaldo an.l Pal ree. About eight in the morning, they
moved a column consisting of between 30 ands 40 squ.•.drons of
cay..lry and I 4 ha- talions of infantry, and 12 pieces of caution,
from Ciudad Rodrigo, in such a direction, as that it was doubt-
ful hether they would attempt to ascend the bills by Eucina,
El Bodo!), or bit the direct r• ad towards Fuente Guinaldu, and I

was nut certain by which road they would make their attack, till
they actually commenced it upon tiler
As soon as I saw the direction of thcir ir.ttrel, I had reinforced
the 2d battalion sth regiment, which occupied the putt un the
bill, over which the road passes to Guinalkio, by tile rita
regiment' and the, 21st Portuguese regiment, under the com-
mand of Nlajor-General the lion. C. Colville, and Major-Gen.
&ten's brigade, of which only three squadron., remained, which
had not bee detached, drawn from 11 Bodon ; and I ordered
_ . .

there a brigade of the 4th division fr m Fuente Guinaldo, and
afterwards from El !Won the rcnytin6er of the troop of the 3:1
division, with the exception of those at Pastore), which were
to., distant.
In the mean time, however, the small body of troops in this
po t sustained the attack of the enemy's cavalry and :winery.
One re,:iment of French drigoons succeeded in aking two piee.
of cannon which lied been posted on a rising ground on .the
right of our troops; but they were charged by the 2d b:Ataiion
Stu regiment, under the ceammand bl Major Ricl3e, and the guns
Were immediately re-taken
While this operLtion was going ()mon the Bank, an attack was
made on the front by alto her regiment, which was rt l,ui ed in a
similar manner by the 77th regi .ent, and the three squadrons
o, Nlajor-General /then's brigade charged repta•edly different
bod.es of the enemy, which ascended the hill on the left of the
two rtgintentb of British infantry; the Portuguese regiment be.
ing posted in the rear of their right.
At length the .divisiim of the enemy's infantry, which had
marched with the cavalry from Ciudad Rodrigo, were brought
tip to the attack on the road of Puente Guinaldo, and se, ing that
they would arrive and be engaged before the troops could arrive
tither from Guinaldo or El Liodon, I determined to withdraw
our post'and to retire with the whole on Fuente Guinaldo. The
2d battarian sth regiment itad the 77th regiment, were formed

EGISTER.

into one square, and the :else PortugueseF regitti•-nt into another,
supported by Major-General Aleen small body of CAVaIeY and
the Portuguese artillery.
The enemy's cavalry immediately rushed forward and obliged
our cavalry to retire to the support of the Portuguese regiment;
at:d the sth and 77th regiments were charged on three faces of
the square, by the French cavah y ; but they halted and repulsed
the attack with the utmost steadiness and gatianrry. We then
continued the retreat, and joined the rear abider of the 3d divia
sion, also formed in squares, on their march to Fuente Galicia do;
and the whole retired together in the utmost order; and the
enemy never made another attempt to charge any of them; but
were satisfied. with firing upon them with their artillery, and
with fallowing them.
Lieutenant Colonel Williams with I.is Light Infantry, and the
Hon. Lieutenant-Colon el Trench, with the74th regini nt retired
from Pastoree across the Agueda, .and thence marched by Ro-
bleda, where they took some prisoners, and re-trussed the
Agueda, and joined at Guinaalo in the evening.
I placed the 3d and 4th divhd..nis' 'and General Pack's brigade
of infantry, and Major-General Alten's, Major-General De
Grey's, and Nlajor-Gerieral Slade's brigades of cavalry in the
position of Feente Guinaldo on the evening of the 25th, ind
ordered Major-General Crawford to retire with the light divi-
sion across the Agueda; the 7th division to form at Albergaria,
and Lieut -Gen. Graham to collect the troops under Ills com-
mand at Nave D'Aver, keeping only posts of übservatlon on the
Azava ; and the troops were thus formed in an echelon, of which
the center was in the position at Guinaldo; and the right upon
the Piss of Perales, and the left at Nave D'Aver. Mareschal
del Campo Don Cellos D'Espague was placed on the left of the
Coa, and Don Julian Sanchez was deta:lit.d with the cavalry to
the enemy's rear.
The enemy brought up a 2.1 division of infantry front Ciudad
Rodrigo, in the afternoon of the 25th, and, in the course of that
night, and 'of the 26th. they collected their whole army in front
of our pesit:en cr Guinaldo; and not deeming it expedient to
stand their attack it. that I retired about three leagues,.
and, en the a7th, formed the army as follows, viz. the sth
un the right at Aldea Vellaa ; the 4th, and fight divisions,
and Major-General. Alten's cavalry, at the Convent orSaca-
parte, iti front of Allayates; the 3d ;.ad 7th divisions, in second
line, behind Alfayetes e and Lit uteGen. Graham's corpq on the
left at Bismula, having th_ir advat.ced guard beyond the Villa
Mahar River, and Lieut.-Gen. Sir Stapleton Cotton's cavalry
near Affayateson the lett ot the 4th division, and having Gen.
Pack's and Gen. I`.l‘Nieleni's I,riatles, .t•bulosa, on their
left. The piquets cf the cavalry were in trout of Aldea tie
Ponte, beyonte the Villa Majr River; and tjaAte of Crei.eral
Alten's brigade beyond the same rive. tet.ealt:6l
It had been the enemy's intention to tut n the left ot the posi-
tion of Guinaldo, by moving a column into the Valley of the
Upper Azava, and thence ascending the heights in the rear of
the position by Castillegos; and .runtthisxolimin they detached
a division of infantry and leurt ern squadron: of cavalry to fullow
our retreat by Albergaria, and :moth,. r body of the same stittigas
followed us by Furcalhos. Ti.e former Arta-ked the philtres of
the cavalry at Aldea de Polite, and drove them in; and they
pushed on nearly as far as Alfavates. 1 then made general
Packenham attack them with hii brigade of the 4th division,
supported by the flue. Lieeteitaet General. Cole, and the 4th
division ; and by Sir heap tenni Cotton's cavalty ; and the enemy
were driven through Aidea de Ponte, back' upon Albergaria,
and the. piquets of the cavalry resumed their sratton.
iiut the enemy having been rennoreed by the tmops which
marched upon Furcallius, •again advanced about • sun-set, and
drove in the piquets of the cavalry lrorn Aldea de. Yuma; and
took possession of the village.
Lieutenant-General Cote again ar:acked them with a part of
Gen. Pakentiam's brigade, and drove them eloougn the vidage,
btu night having come on, and as General eacke..tiain was net
certain WiAat was passing on his flanks, or of the numbets of the
oniony, and he knew. that the army were to tali hark aid, fetther,.
Ile evacuated the village, which the enemy occupied, atdi held
during the night.
On 'the 28th, I formed the army on the heights behind Saito,
'having the sierra des Mesas on their right, and the left at Rondo
on'the Coa, about. one league in rear tit the positiot: which they
had oceupitet on the 27th. fate enemy also retired troth Aldea
de Point:, and hall their advanced posts at Alheigaria, and as it
appear that they are about to retire from this part of the coun-
try, and as we hay! already had some had ss eetner, midway ex•
pect nwre at the period of the equinoctiai ,ale, 1 proeote to
canton the troops.
1 cannot concolde this report of the occurrences of the last
week, without expressing to your Lordship my admiratiuu of
the conduct oldie troops engaged ie the affair of the r.sth inst.
The conduct or the 2d battalion, sth regiment, commanded
by Major Ridge, in particular, affords a memarable example of
whit the steadiness and discipline of the troop*, and chew WU..