The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-26 00:00:00

RETREAT OF SIR JOHN MOORS

(From the Marquis of Londonderry's Interesting Narritls
of the Peninsular War.)
" In the mean while, however, Buonaparte waaadvant:l'
ing with rapid strides from the Escurial. On the o.t'',ll
he had reached Tordesillas with the advance of his tavairt
ikspef
aweginaaasidi
rongg, n
enabled
strong thbraeloenndd2g6taotdthettthrtayleei
ahlttahmt
etaeenrsctt
considerable
enfoisltugi
hielasirsea
obf afl
er t
their
placesesri
rcoVeouiporl Ipfatolrtp anho
oeenapdio
oed
were seen drawn up upon the brow of some rising star,
and apparently:making ready to cut off aey stragglers vvillt,
might lag behind, or wander far from the ranks. LO:
Paget, who was present at Majorga, instantly direct
Colonel Leigh, at the head of two squadrons of the 11P,
Hussars, to dislodge them. Colonel Leigh, forming
little band into two lines, rode briskly forward,
squadron leading, and the other supporting, till be Ita:i
gained the top of the hill. Here the men were commas
to rein up, for the purpose of refreshing the horses 41,1
the ascent ; and they did so under a heavy but not very 'o
structive fire from the French. But the horses had
sooner recovered their wind, than the word was gi t
`;
to charge, and in five minutes the French were overthintt.,l
Many were killed, many more wounded, and upwards
100 taken prisoners.
" The I Oth, however, was not the only cavalry °ll'
which succeeded in distinguishing itself. It was remit
by all, that as often as the French and our people cm".l
into contact, the superiority of the British cavalry st";
shown to a degree far beyond any thing which had het
anticipated. They seemed to set all odds at defiarMer
in no single instance was their temerity punished by deft/
or even by repulse. Matters went so far at last, that CA;
tain Jones, of the 18th, ventured, With no more than lb,it,l
men of his regiment, to attack one hundred French WI;
and he put them to the rout, killing fourteen, and MA
six prisoners.
" Whilst thy cavalry were thus corning into almost A -sl,f
contact with t 1 o enemy, and kept in excellent tpiriti of
their repeated successes, the infantry, covered by t'l3
three light regiments, were marching over miserable rc°,.;:,
and through an exhausted country, exposed to " hard6''''d
more terrible than it has frequently fallen to the PI
British soldiers to endure. The weather was now roajj
severe than it had been since we entered Spain ;
winds blowing, and heavy showers of sleet and ''"j
filling ; and it was not always that the troops could ',To
shelter, even at night, against their influence. The 03_,,0'10
and other animals employed to carry the baggage
began to founder ; or the muleteers, terrified at the I/5,
pect of being overtaken by the French, left them and 'at
In such cases it was found quite impracticable to get
animals along, fi r they would obey no volt% but tbst
their master, and they were consequently abandoned, °.l,
their loads given rip to plunder. Nor were these the °,4'e
evils to which our men saw themselves exposed. t,
Spaniards, whether they were men in authority or lit
either abandoned their houses as the British army Biro
proached, locking their doors, and concealing, as
they were able, the little stock of provisions of which
fac
might he possessed ; or they met our requisitions 0
food and wine with murmurs and complaints, such
they would not have ventured to utter before French
diers. These things not unnaturally increased the jol.
tation under which the troops already laboured. 1...,11
began to view the Spaniards as their worst enemies, `'..00
to treat them as people unworthy of any considerate,
whatever. This was severely retaliated upon them by' !Id,
enraged peasantry ; and the scenes of violence and 1)10',
shed, in which these allies were the actors, proved blr
means uncommon.
" On the 27th of December the column reached /3e_Pt,
vents. Benevente is remarkable for an old baronial WI;
which for many generations has been the property of t
Dukes of Ossuna ; and to which, in point either of IIPLe°,
dour or extent, it would be difficult to find in Eunn,
fellow. Near it runs the little river Eslar, across nrlPece
at sonic distance from the town, a bridge was throwtit;6
which was commanded by some hills, that rise 111,,
ar
abruptly from the opposite bank of the stream.
people had scarcely entered the place, when an *larva to
raised that the enemy were approaching; and it pro"
be so far not without foundation, that troops wertsvell,,'
if in the act of forming, on theheights beyond. • Prctir
tions were instantly made to receive them. The 1;
moats assembled at their several points of muster, and
cavalry rushing through the gates, descended to the levy
country, where they could most conveniently act ; rfbe
neither the one nor the other were called into play. 01
enemy, satisfied with thus disturbing our reposer °col
away, and we returned again to our former quartets 0,
our original occu cations. The best pretautions .flye
however, taken to provide against surprise; the 1317 J;
over the Eslar was broken down, and picket:B'of cali,';
were extended all along the bank, so as to watch t''
fords, and give timely notice of any movement.
" The night of the 27th passed by in quiet; sad
soon as daylight came in the retreat was renewed. ;g
cavalry, however, had not been withdraws, when cert);
movements on the part of the enemy appeared to indiOA
that we should not be permitted to escape thus easily. tit
body of five or six hundred horse were observed, ab°
nine o'clock to try a ford not far from the ruins of ,1,
bridge, and in a few moments after Wards they cr0.07,
and began to form on our side of the river. Instantly the
pickets, which had been appointed to do the duty
rearguard, made ready to oppose them. Thongh ti
mustered little more than 200 men, they boldly adVandert;
under the command of Col Otway, against the most
peatedly charging its leading squadrons, and keeping it fiord,'
in check till Lord Paget and the writer of these pagesalliC •
when the farmer made haste to bring up the lOtli
whilst the latter put himself at the head of the detavo,
meets already in the field. Many charges were now mods
both sides, and the squadrons were repeatedly interrditigw;
whilst the pickets still continued to give ground, ari it ‘li,;
intended that they should. But the 10th were now re R,")
the pickets saw that they had support ; and they tequiv,i
no entreaty to dash against the enemy. One cheer
given, and the horses being pressed to their speed?rEt
enemy's line was broken in an instant. They fled in g,
disorder to the river, and repassed it much more act'l cif
than they had passed it before ; leaving in our int°,,
General Le Fevre their Colonel, with upwards of Wet";
other officers and men. This was, however, the 13,1,1),
serious affair in which we had yet been engaged- Jo;
cavalry opposed to us formed part of the Imperial Guard;
they were all tried soldiers, and they fought in a mile
not unworthy of the reputation which they had earned
the north of Europe. They lost in killed and woundt;
independently of prisoners, about sixty men ; our casuidtl
fell somewhat short of fifty."

BIRTHS.
On the 25th inst., at the Rookery, Roeharopton,
lady of Alexander Brymer Belcher, Esq., of a daughter.
Of a son, Mrs. Townsend, of Upper Glower-street•
or
On the 25th inst., the lady of Mr. Charles Beaver,
licitor, of a daughter.
On the 22d inst., at Edinburgh, the lady of J.
Dauhuz, Esq., of a son.

MARRIED.
On the 25th inst., at Christchurch, Surrey, by the 3
Rowland Hill, M.A., William Stone, of Denmark-v,!
Esq., to Mary, second daughter of Thomas Platt, E5lO
Stamford-street, and of Child's-hill, Hampstead.
On the 16th inst., at Hackney- Church, Samuel
ward, Esq., of Clapton, to Miss MCAS, of the same
On the 24th inst., W. G. Rickman, Esq., of VPry
Baker-street, to Eleanor Anne, eldest daughter of the
Anthony Cardon, Esq.
On the 24th inst., at the New Church, St. MUFYlib6#2,
by the Lord Bishop of Durham, John Dorrienllll4
Esq., of Hammerwond Lodge, in the county.of Snistagyoi
Mary Stephana, of Lympsfield Bower, in the ;couritl'el
Surrey, daughter and heiress of the late Lieut--001°_11
Rudsdell, of the 61st Regiment, and Governor of Shr','
ness.

IIIED.
At Bombay, in the Bth of December, in. the 2.0 '
of his age,. Colin Charles Forbes, third sou of Colin Roin''
son, Esq.
On the 17th inst., at Paris, Eliza, daughter of the
Richard Rowehe, Esq., and niece to the late CAtlri
Bowohe, his Danish Majesty's Minister at the Court
France.
On the 13th ult., at Gibraltar, Francis Wastie
Esq.) Deputy Commissary-General, in the 44th yea
his age. ,
On the 24th inst., Mr. Win. Emmott, jun.,. of '"
rester-square. iel
On the 24th inst., Thomas, the infant son of Naths°
Gou
On ld,
the Esq2lth ~ Tav
inst., istock-square.
'tte
at Highgate, in consequence of i.te
rupture of a blood-vessel, George, third son of the
John Farr, Esq., of Cove-hall, Suffolk.
On the 24th inst., at Hornsey, Lydia, the wife of
Richard Goodman, of Aldersgate-street, aged 44. off
On the 24th inst., at Vauxhall, Mr. Thomas
Hull, aged 74.
.stree.
On the 18th instant, Mrs. Mary Keith, of Nortots
Portland-place, aged 77.
On the 18th instant, at Kensington, Thomas lie". 7"
ham, Esq. aged 35.