The National Register.
London, England, 1811-06-09 00:00:00

BATTLE OF ALBUERA.

The following additionalparticulars of this sanguinary action,
which are derived from a sharer in its glory will be read with
Considerable interest :

"After the dispatches were written, it was ascertained that
the force of the enemy did not amount to less than 30,000 men,
and they left on the field of ha tle nearer 2,500 dead than what
•ts stated. Upwards of 700 wounded were left by the enemy,
sand
he is so pressed by our cavalry, that he was obliged to aban-
don many more to their fate. Marshal Soult boasted, in General
'Orders to his army on leaving Seville, that he was going to nicet
and defeat the British, and likewise repeated the eime verbally
to his troops. A copy of this Order was found on General
• Werle, who was killed, and the latter was affirmed by deserters
and prisoners.
" Ihe British in the battle scarcely amounted to eight thou..
.sand—the Portuguese to seven thousand—the Spaniards from
.ten to eleven thousand—making in the whole about twenty-six
. thousand men. The French had a great, superiority in cavalry
aid artillery. When the French drove the Spaniards, at the
commencement of the action, from the height on the right,
there was a shout of triumph, which was heard from one end
of the line to the other. The Sponiards, although driven from
the height, rallied at the bottom of the hill, turned upon the
enemy, and most gallantly checked their career. No action in
which the Spaniards have been engaged proves more Oars the
battle of Aihuera how greatly it is to be lamented that they are
pot taught to manoeuvre by officers of more experience in war
than their own. To a man they evinced the most signal courage.
but, owing to their want of improvement in disciplineelt is diffi- ,
cult and hazardous, lest they should be thrown into confusion,
to move them from the position which they have at first °cep..
pied.
"The immense loss sustained by the French chiefly took
place when the Allies regained the height from which the Spa-
niards had previously been driven.—ln forcing he enemy into
the low grounds towards the rivulet, the carnage caused by our
musketry and Shrapnel shells was immense—whole ranks of
the enemy were mowed down, and had we possessed any thing
like an equality in cavalry, the greater part of the French army
must have been taken or destroyed.
" It is due to the enemy to state, that in the attack, during the
.whole battle, and in the retreat, they manifested great skill and.
sienal courage. When they were at last aware that the battle
was irretrievably lost, they protected their infantry by their ca.,
valry and artillery, and having recovered from the confusion
into which they were thrown when flying from the height, they
.retreated in good order, and formed upon the opposite side of
.the rivulet.
" From 2to 800 of the British, reported to be missing, had
rejoined our army before the dispatches were sent off. .It was
expected.that many more of the missing would escape from the
enemy.
" The reinforcements which Soult was expecting from
ohlassena, consisted of seven battalions, which cannot be esti-
mated at more than $)00 or :3500 men at the utmost. Those.
battalions from part of the 9th corps (which had been broken
up,) and they originally belonged to the army of the South.--e
It was certain that Massena had been recalled to Paris.
" The reinforcements brought by Lord Wellington amounted
to front Sto 9000 men."

In the late battle at Albuera, a Captain of the 57th regiment
was so severely wounded, that he ought to have quitted the
field; but instead of allowing himself to be removed, he directed
his men to lay him on the ground at the head of his company,
where he continued to give his orders, and was observed to urge,
that in firing at the enemy, the musquets might: be levelled
low.
Philipon, the Governor of Bacljoz, had been so certain of
our being defeated, that he had prepared a house for Soult, aad
-in honour of that General's approach with the army which WAS

THE -NATION.

to destroy.us, he had ordered the whole town to be illuminated.
Soult, after the battle, told those of our officers who had been
made pt4soners whas the Polish cavalry broke in upon a
brigade of our infantry, that it had never happened to him to
be present at so desperate t fight, and so sunguinary a con-
Lieutenant H. C. Lofft, kille4 at Albuera, ryas son of Capel
Lofft, Esq. of Troston, in Suffolk.
When the Polish lancers make a charge, a red flag is suspended
st the end of every lance, and that flag is so carried by the rider
as to prevent the horse from seeing any other object. These
red ,fags, in the late action, were not only effective in preventing
tile horses from seeing any other object, but they had such an
street upon the sight of our horses, that it rendered every effort
Impracticable to induce them to meet the charge.
The report that the 3d regiment (the Buffs) were entirely cut
off on the 16th, with the exception of a Lieutenant and three
subalterns, is not true to its full extent. It appears, however,
from the Extraordinary Gazette, that its loss was dreadful,
amounting to 643 killed, wounded, and missing, The Ist hint.
57th, also lost in killed and wounded, and missing, 428 ; Ist
batt. 7th Fusileers, 362 ; 2d batt. of ditto, 349 ; Ist batt. 23d
Welch Fusileers, 339 ; 2d batt. 31st foot, 536; Ist batt. 48th,
430 ; and 2d batt.of same regiment, 264 men.
In the battle of the 16th SOULT was very nearly taken. A
body of British cavalry charged a column commanded by
boo tT, and putting it to the rout, he very narrowly escaped.
Immediately afterwards, our troops were closed upon in the
rear, and facing about, cut their way back. again, leaving half
their men dead on the field.

BOXING.

The match for 100 guineas, and a subscription purse of 50,
between Young Belcher and Silverthorne, took place Thursday
on Crawley Heath, not far distant from Copthorue, where Crib
and Molineux contended. Young Belcher is well known as the
most scientist man on the boxing list ; and Silverthorne had
beat Dogherty and Burn, and from his manner of fighting the
former, his backer again matched him for this combat. He
was considered a game resolute man, but his friends knew him
a novice in science, but his weight and in-fighting, together with
game, was much dwelt on. Betting was 3tol on Belcher. The
seconds were Gully and Jones for Belcher, and Bill Gibbons and
Caleb Baldwin for the Westminster Champion.
After seven very desperate rounds, Silverthorne was beat
by not appearing in time, for on his second attempting to
help him Qff the bottle-holder's knee, he fell prostrate, and was
carried to a post-chaise. Belcher threw a somerset on winning,
and rode to London on the box of a gentleman's baroude ; but
different was the situation of the loser, who was assisted tv bed.
The battle lasted nineteen minutes.
Roikard, oni. of the witnesses against Armitage, was assailed
by the multjtude at Chapel House, near the grace of combat, by
indignant eloithets, and stoned from thence towards Loudon,
without belug admitted to the exhibition.