Star.
London, England, 1813-05-11 00:00:00

ARMY OF ARRAGON.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM M. THE DIME VALID- I
FERA TO HIS EXCELLENCY TILE MINISTER OF THE,
WAR DEPARTMENT. " San Felipe, April 17, 1813.
44 My Lord Duke—For a long time past, the pre-
parations made by the English, the efforts of the
Spaniards to recruit their armies, and the reinforce-
ments successively arrived from Sicily, caused me to
foresee a general attack, and which was the more
seriuus, as the enemy had haughtily expressed his
desire of attacking me. In consequence, I determin-
ed, on the 11th of April, to carry by a forced march
16 battalions of infantry, 10 squadrons, and 12 pieces
of artillery, to Fuente de la Figuera. I charged the
General of Division Count Harispe to attack a divi-
sion of 6000 men, of Elio's corps, at Yecla. (1). He
arrived in sight of that town at break of day ;—the
enemy, who were under arms, made some resistance'
at first, and then passed through the town to gain a
strong position, where they were briskly attacked.—
General Harispe directed his van-guard, under the
orders of Colonel Meyer, my first Aide-de-camp, to
the position where the enemy had retired, and who
had quickly formed themselves in squares. They
made a lively resistance, but the valour of our troops
carried the day. The enemy was driven with fixed
bayonets from position to position till the moment
when the Hussars of the 4th could perform a charge,
which, although at first repulsed, was immediately
repeated ; and with the assistance of a picquet of the
24th dragoons, succeeding in penetrating the batta-
lions, and forcing 900 men to lay down their arms.
The 7th regiment of the line, with the Voltigeurs of
the 44th and 116th, completed the defeat of the
enemy, who was pursued for more than three leagues,
leaving in our power • 1500 prisoners, belonging to
four of the
_oldest Spanish regiments, 6b officers,
among whom is a General, and a pair of colours,
taken by Adjutant Sattonay, of the 44th of the line.
Upwards of SOO killed, and 200 wounded, were left
on the field of battle.

Scarcely was this brilliant affair finished, when
I caused ten battalions of the lit and 3d divisions,
with the cuirassiers, to advance on Viliena. Gewrals
Murray and Elio, at the head of 1000 Ent fish horse,
or the King of Sicily's guards, and some infantry,
with field pieces, attempted to arrest me. General
Habert marched towards them, at the same time
that 400 cuirassiers were deploying on their lett wing.
The tirailleurs soon ceased their tire, and I saw the
enemy retire into Valetta • some cannon-shot torced'
the gate, and General Fiabert, with his van-guard,
immediately traversed the town : the enemy's Gene.:
rals had retired on Biar and Sax. On my entrance
into the town, a brisk fire 4.1 f musketry was made
from the fort; I ordered Colonel Esteve to invest it
with his regiment, and Captain Pupau, of the engi.
Jeers, to barricade the avenues to it, which was per-
,ormed immediately, and in a proper manner.
" On tne 12th, at noon, the Ciovernor requested
If me to make a capitulation, -anich I immediately 11
;ranted him. He • dehled out at the head of the
regiment of Vflq Malaga, one of the finest and best

Englid.hHofuraotbinaetrttße,mi°rwPhtionraghwada
armed and equipped regiments that I hare seen is
Spain. One thousand men, subaltern officers, and
thenthy etg
chargenr garrison s
foro ts of
theirofobr Villenase:ire:i.inLe
soldiers, 34 Officers, and a pair of colours, wore
added to the results of the day of die 11th. The
out
Generalw
them, marched towards them ; found the village t 4
Biar barricadoed, and repulsed a party which occu-
pied it. I soon after saw the enemy forming on the
flat heights, in several lines, having artillery in Cr
intermediate spaces.
" Colonel Guillemet, at the head of 600 vultigeurs,
was commanded by General Habert to carry t'.e
heights which commanded the enemy's left ; he s:.c-
ceeded in driving them away from them, at the san,
time that the Ist light infantry attacked the English
tine at a running charge, and with great valour.—
This regimen( suffered considerably by the first fire;
but it soon carried the first line, being sustained by
the 14th, which took a glorious share in this affair.
Our columns pushed on successfully, both on the
right and left ; this movement was sustained by five
battalions of the brave Sd light infantry, 114th, and
121st, under the command of Generals Robert and
Lamarque. The English were totally defeated, and
being pursued from position to position, they could
scarce form themselves : before being again come
up with and attacked, they precipitated their retreat,
leaving in our possession two pieces of artillery, and
about a hundred prisoners. They were thus chaced,
until the night closed in, under the entrenchments
and redoubts of Castalla. I placed the ten battalions
which had obtained such 4 signal success, at.the
mouth of the valley of Biar, having determined to
return to my position at Muer.
gi Nevertheless, on the following day, about two
o'clock, I perceived that the enemy occupied an im-
mense mountain, on which Castalla leans. I recol.
lected the sundry dispatches from your Excellency,
and therefore to complete a reconnoissance, which bad
given us so many glorious advantages, I decided that
a column of 600 voltigeurs should reconnoitre the
enemy at the extremity of our right wing, whilst four
battalions, by a false attack, were to menace the left
of the mountain, and complete the reconnoissance is
the event of the success of the right wing permitting
it. Too great impetuosity in our brave troops, and
the impulse of their success on the preceding day,
changed into a real attack, what should only have
been a feint. Four times their force drawn up in
echellon on the rocks, the chasms among which are
so numerous that one can only judge of diem by the
view, determined the Chiefs of the columns which had
gained the summits, to retrograde to the position from
which they advanced. I was in hopes that this recom
noissance would have effectually led me to know the
force of the enemy's army in his positions, or have
forced him to quit them, which would have equally
answered my purpose. In short, in about an hour's
time, I saw the whole English army advance from
behind Castalla, and form itself in two long lines.
" I therefore carried the battalions of the hate
Division, which were formed in echellons, to the
.height of those of the Third. In this position,
awaited the enemy, who, after having shewn a great
resolution to attack us, was deterred by our 3ppear-
ance, and by a dozen pieces of artillery which Gene.
ral Vallee had caused to be brought up, and placed
with great promptitude. A single Eny,l;sh battalion
attempted to steal forward, and attack our left; —I
sent Colonel Meyer thither; me battalion of the 16th
virrously repulsed this attack ; the Captain of Grc.
nadiers, Lacroix, killed with his own hand the officer
who commanded it. The enemy confined his efforts
to this, and in the night quietly returned to his en-
trenchments. lon mi side have re-entered Biar and
Villena without his having followed us.
44 The result of the combats of the 11th, 12th and
ISth is, *hat we have taken from the enemy 2700
prisoners, 11t• officers, and killed upwards of 900
men : two pair of colours and two pieces of artillery
fell into our hands. On the last day, I had left four
battalions of Harispe's division at Villena, Eo obsersie
Sax ; and thus, foot battalions fought against six.
teen, in inaccessible positions. Eleven battalions,
reckoning among them those which had just been en.
gaged, were formed to receive the attack of forty
battalions of English, Hanoverians, Calabrians, and
Spaniards ; whilst the enemy always avoided giving
our cavalry an opportunity of attacking with the
sabre.

a Our total loss consists in 800 men placed ltort
de comtas; among whom are Colonel Arbot kilied ;
Colson, chief of a squadron, and Herenberger, chiet
of battalion, severely wounded. The enemy has
taken 44 prisoners from us.
a I have to bestow great culogiums on the Gene•
rals of Division Harispe and Hubert ; Generals Ro-
bert, Guadin, and Lamarque, for their unremitting
exertions ; and likewise to Colonels Meyer and Guil-
lemet, who led on the van-guards extremely well.—
The Ordonnateur Bondurand was personally every
where, and by his care and foresight, all the wound.
ed were carried off with the greatett promptitude.
" On the next day, being the 14th, I re-entered
my positions in the front of the Xucar, without the
enemy having shown us a single horseman, and after
having blown up the Fort of Villena. I am, Ike.
(Signed) " The Marshal Duke D'ALsurena."
EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE SAME TO THE SAME.