The National Register.
London, England, 1812-12-06 00:00:00

prC. n.

foil, wed the ni r.h (t the troops tecer my corn cant!. I eon, lude
diet tee tw corps w ill unite, which, in eoneequence of threituatteo
cf the Dettro, I could nDt pi event.
Chula! Rodrigo, NGV 19.
The troops under the command of Lieutenant .C)eneral s:r Row.
laui 11 1: rossed the Tormes. at Alba, on the Btit io:Ntam, and those
wider 47; . erumnd took their position on he iieights of St. Christoval
de is Cuesta oil the same dey ; Ilrigedier Generel Peck's brigade oc-
eurentg Ahica Leneua, and Brigadier-General Br elford's Cabrerizes
on the right ; at.' the British cevalry eoverieg our front I had de-
er- leetneoant-General Sir R owland Hill to occupy the town and
ca• t AF)e, with Major-General Howarit's brigaleot the 21 d;vi
von. eiving Lieuteuant-General Hamiltoe's Pertuguese d‘vise,n on
the Ice of the Tonnes to support those troops ;• while the 2d divi-
tier posted in the neignb -urhood ot the fords of Encinas and
Th- ; a;'d the 3d and- 4th divisions remained at Calvarassa de
Ariba reserve,
On the 9th, the enemy drove in the picqeets of Major.Gereral
Corgis brigade of cavalry, in front•of Alba ;
,and Major-Genies! Long
MIS obliged to withdraw his troops through Alb] on the morning ot
the leth. In the course of .t he day, the enemy's whole army ap-
proncled (set- positions on the 'formes, and they attacked the troops
n Alba with 20 pieces of cannon, and a considerable body of infantry.
They male no impression on them, however, and withdrew the.can-
eon, and the ereater part of the troops on that nieht, and this attack
teas never renewed.
I enclose Lieutenant• General Hamilton's report to Sir Rowland .
Pill of the treesactions at Alba, which were -highly creeitable to the
mop. employed.---From the 10th tili ehe 14th, the time was pissed
in serious recoenoissances, as well of the ferds of the 'formes as of
the position which the troops under my eomtrand occupied or. the
tight of thet river, ie front of Salamanca; and on the 15111 the client,
cooed that river in force, at three tools near Lucivas, about two
jeaeues above Al-ba.
I kneneliatelv broke tip from St. Christoval, and ordertd the troops
to move towards Arapiles o- and as soon as I hed.ascerteined the direc-
tion of the enemy's march from the terds, I moved with the 2,1 di
sin of infantry, and all the cavalry 1 could collect, to attack them ;
leaving Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill with the 4th, and Lieu-
tenant-General Hamilten's divisions, in front of Alba, to protect this
movement ; and the 11 divisicn in the reserve on the A rapiles, to se-
cure that possession of that position.
The enemy, however, were already too numerous, and too strongly
posted at Mozarbes, to he attacked; and I confined myself to a
cannonade of their cavalry, under cover of which I reconnoitred their
position.
In the evening I withdrew all the troops from the neighbourhood
cf Alba to the Arapiles, leaving a Entail Spanish garrison in the castle,
and having destroyed the bridge. In the course ot the night, and
following morning, 1 owed the greatest part of the troops through ,
salamanea, and placed Lieutenant-General Sir Edward ,Paget orth '
the Ist division of infantry on the right, at A Idea Tej it, order to
act ire that pessage for the troops over the Zungneto in ca'c the move-
meats of the enemy on our right flank should render it necessary
for me to make chOice either of giving up my communications with
Ciudad. Rodrigo or Salamanca.
On the 15th, in the morning, I found the enemy fortifying their
position at Mozarbes, whreli they hal taken up the night before ; at
the •;:tme time that they were moving bodies of cavalry and infantry
towards their own left, and to our contmunicatems with Ciudad Ro-
drigo. It was obvious that it was the euemy's in to act upon
our communications; and as they were too strong, and too strongly
posted for Me to think of attacking them, I determined to move upon
Ciudad Rodrigo. I therefore put the army in. march in three co-
lumns, and crossed the Zetaguen, and then passel the enemy's left
dank, and encamped tint night on the Vainusa. We continued our
march successively on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and this day, whe.i pert
(lithe army crossed the Agueda, and the whole will cross that liver
to-morrow.
The enemy followed our movement on the 16th with a large body,
Probably the whole of the cavalry, and a considerable body of in-
!entry, but they did not attempt to press upon our rear. They took
advaltage of the ground to cannonade our rear sward, cousisting of
the li!ht divisions, under Major-General Charles Alton, on the 17th,
oil its passege of the Hueba at San Munoz, and occasioned some loss.
The troops have suffered considerably from the severity of the wea-
ther, which, since the 15th, has been worse than 1 have ever known
it at this seasen of the year.
I am sorry to add, that we have had the misfortune to lose Liente-
eant-General Sir Edward Paget, who was taken prisoner on the 17;h.
He commanded the centre column, ant the fall of rain having ereatly
Injured the roads and swelled the rivulets, there was an interval be
tween th- sth and 7th divisions of infaetry. Sir Edward role to the
rear alone, to discover the cause of this inverval, and, as the road
passed through a wood, either a detachment of the enemy's t avany
Rot upon the road, or he the road, and fell into-their hands
in the wood. I understand Sit Ed ward was not weueded, but 1 can-
not sufficiently regret the loss of iii; assistance at this moment.
In ms disoatch of. the 4th instint, I communicated to your Lord-
ship my opinion of the etreegth of tlyienemy, as tar as I could judge
IS it from the reports I had mere; and tIOM what I bad seen.