The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-08-15 00:00:00

f V

FROM The •
GAZETTE EXTILIORDEV:4RY.

DOWNINGATREM AUGUST TS, I.

Dispatelses, of which the following are Copies an I It x-
tracts. were this day
,receive., at rbe Mice of the Lord
Viseount Castlereagh, one of his Majesty's Printipal
cretaries of grate, from Lieatersaot-Geoeral the Right Mi.
miserable Sir Arthur Wellesley, K.B. dated Talavera, 119411
Jul!, 1809. •

Talavera de la Revs% lily g,
MY LORD, 1.09.
General Cutita followed the enemy 's march
his army fres the tilborchi won lbe morning
of lhat glib, as far as Sa►►ta Olatia, and pushed
forward kis advanced 'ward as far an Turrijos.
Fat-the reasons stated to yam Lordship in my

Dispatch of tlov SIN I moles' wily two divisions ul

Wintry and a bligade of cavalry across the Al.
berche to Casaleaos, under the command of Lien.
tenant.Getieral Shetbrooke, with a view to keep
up the comnseoiratiim between General Guests
and me, and with Sir R. Wilsou'a corps at Es.
-corona.

It appears that General Vanegas had not carried
into snliestioso that part of the plan of operations
which related to his corps, and that he was still at
pantie!, in La llarteloa ; and the enemy in the
course of the 25th, 25th, and 26th, collected all
his forces in this part of Spain, between Turrijos
and Toledo, heating but signal corps of 2000 men
:In that place.
ilia united army this conflated of them/pa of
blarahal Victor, of that of Gciperal Sebastiani,
at,,d of seven or eight thousand men the guards of
nonlparte, and the garrison of Madrid,
and
.it um commanded by Joseph Bonaparte,
ailed by blaruhals Jourdan and Victor, and Gc..
neral Sebeatimi.

, On the 28th General Centel advanced guard
was attacked sicar Torrijos, and obliged to Tall
back, and the General retired with his army un
that day to the left bank of the /Marche, Gene.
rat Sherbrooke contiauing it Camelia., and the
enemy at Santa Olalla.
It Na, then olirious that the enemy intended to
try the-result of a general action, for which the
be=t p'►oition appeared to be iWltits neighbourhood
of 'lrlavra, and General Citesta hawing consented
to lake up this position nit t;.t. morning of sho 27th,
I ordered Geiseraeglierbrouktt to retire with his
corps to its btation in the line, leaving General
:Mackenzie with of infantry and a bri-
gade of cavalry as ail-atiruttecd post in the we
o►► the right of -liberate, witich covered our left
flank. ..•

The position taken op by the troops at Talavera
extended rather more than two wilts; the x►ound
MILS open upu;t the left, w here the Btitish army
was stationed, and it was commanded by a height
on which was, in eehellon and in second line, a
division of infantry under tfte order of Major.
General Hill. ►

There was a valley,betweatv'thes 'Wight and ,a
range, Of mountains still further upon the left,
.which valley was unt tit first oecupietli, as. it was
commanded by the height bcforc.neentiutied; and
t ;e range or ninuotlitis appeared for distant to
b • ir any influence upon the tat-weal' Minn.
The righ., consisting of S,smish tritititis, extend.
od immediately in front of theibwit or Talavera
down to the Tacos. This part 'of the ground was
covered by alive tress, aad muck- intersected by
banks and ditches. The high raid-loading frees
the bridge over the tklberchi, watt ditheded by a
lvlrty battery in front of a chorch, which was
occupied by Spanish infantry. All the avenues to
the town were defended in a similar Illasher ; the
town was occupied, and the remainder of the
Spaiiiih infantry was formed in two lines benind
the batiks on the roads which led from the town
and the right, to the left of our position.

In the centre, between the two anuses, there
was a commanding spot of ground, on which we
Lad corn nenced to construct a redoubt, with some
open ground in its rear.

Brigadier General Alevamtler Campbell swap
pod .it this cpot with a division or taintry. ilip-
ported in Isis rear by Gt,ter II Cotton's origasle of
dragoons, and some Spanish catrAl-).

At ahnut two o'Clock on the 97th, the enemy
appeared in strength on the left bank of the Allier.
chi) ael* nd manifested an intention to attack Gen:ral
Alackenzie's

The amid. was wade before the) conl,! be with-
drawn ; but the troops, consi%titig of General
Mackenzie': and Colonel Donkin's bri,t.ose.s, and
General Anion's brigade of cavalry, and sup.
partial by General Payne with the other four re-
giments of cavalry, in the plain between Talavera
and the wood, withdrew in good order., but with
some loss, particularly by the 2J battalioss 87th
regiment, and .2d battalion 31st regiment, In the
wood.

1; pan-this occasion the sleadinasa anj
of the 4341 s regiment, and of the sth battalion
Goti, r,onient, were convie.uons ; and I had por.
*Water reason lot being utibfied .with Ithe madnir
*Neil Major-General Ma kes:tie withdivi it
• ,ard.
, advanced, the csenppoind In
474:30: sea the rligbt of As aibeifte, and

it was obvious that he was advanciabis *tellers'
attack opon the combined army.

General Mackenzie continued to tali back gra-
dually upon the left of the position of the cum..
bined armies, where he was placed in the second
lie the roof of 'llse guards, GOonel Dunkin
nilaced in 4lie same situation further neon lihe
left, inihe'rear of the Ring's German Legion.

The enemy immediately commenced his attack
in the dusk of the evening, by a cannonade upon
the left of our pocition, and by an attempt with
his cavalry to overthrow the Spanish infantry post.
rd, as I nave before stated, on the right. This
attempt failed entirely.
Early in the night he pushed a division along the
valley on the left of the height occupied by Ge-
neral Hill, of which he gained a momentary pus.
amino, but Major-General Hill attacked it in.
stantly with the bayonet, and regained it.
This attack was rerouted in the night, but fail.
rd, and again at daylight in the morning of the
28th, by two divisions of infantry, and was re-
pulsed by Major-General Hill.
Alajor.General Hill has reported to me in a par.
titular manner the conduct of the 2.9 th regiment,
awl of the Ist battalion 48th regiment, in these
different affairs, as well as that of Major-General
Tilson, and Brigadier. General Richard Stop-art.
We have.lost many brave officers and soldiers
in the defence of this important point in our posi.
tiun ; among others I cannot avoid to meutioo
Brigade. Major Fordyce, and Brigade. Major
Gardner: and Alijor-General Hill was himsult
wounded, but I am happy to say, but slightly.

Te defeat of this attenuit was followed about
Rutin, by a general attack with the enemy') whok
force upon the whole of that pa►Gof the position
occupied by the British army.
In cc►useglence or lb• repeated •attcml►ts upon
the height on our left by the •alley, I tact placed
two brigades of British cavalry in that valley, sup-
part. it it the rear by the Duc d'Albuquerque's di-
tision of Spanish cavalry.

The enemy then placed light infantry in the
range of 1, otantains ou the left of the valley,
whir . were op; osed by a division of Spanish infan-
try under Licut.mant-General De Basecuurt.
The gener..l attack began by the march of seve-
rai .s of infantry into the valley with a view
t., attack the height occupied by Majur.Gcneral
llill. These columns were immediately charged by
:Le 14 German light dragoons and 23d dragoons,
uncles the command of General Anson, directed by
talent, twit-General Payne, and supported by Ge-
neral !H'ant's brigade of heavy cavalry ; and al.
thOnt; the 23d dragoons suff:rod considerable loss,
the charge had the effect of preventing the execu-
lion of that part of the enemy's plan.
At toe same time he directed an attack upon
Brigadicr.Generai Alexander Campbell's position
an the centre of the combined armies, and on the
right of the British.
This attack was most successfully repulsed by
Brigadicr-Goneral Campbell, supported by the
Kitt;', regiment of Soanish cavalry, and two bat-
talions of S:minisla salaam). ; and Brigadier-General
Campbell took t .e cum) 's cannon.
The Brigadiei -General invidious particularly the
conduct of the 97ca, the 2d battalion 7th, and of
anti' battalion 5.1 d regiments, and 1 was highly
satisiletl.wiili the wanner in which this part of the
pusitiou was defended.

An ai ack uas also mad at the same time upon
Lieutenant-General Sherbrooke's ditision, wind)
was on the left and cadre of the Ist line of the
British army.
This iwack was most gallantly repulsed by a
charge with bayonets, by the whole division, but
the brigade of Guards, which were on the right,
having advanced too far, they were exposed on
their left flank to the fire of the enemy's battery,
and of their retiring columns ; autl the division
was obliged to scare towards the original position,
under cover of the 24 line of General Cotten.4
lorigado of esvotry, Asrich I Ind tooted from the
centre, and of the Ist battalion 48th regiment.
I ILA moved this regi...;:itt from its original po-
sitiun on the height.; as soon as I observed the ad-
vance of the Guards, and it was funned in the
and advanced won the enemy, and covered
the formation of Lieutenant-General Sherbrooke's

.Shortly after the repuiscof this general attack,
in which apparently all the enemy's troops were
employed, he commenced his cetreat across the Al.
berche, which was condo. ted in the most regular
order, and was erected during the night, leaving
in our hands twenty pieces of cannon, ammuni-
tion, taenbrils, and some prisoners.
Your Lott!ship will observe by the inclosed Be-
tern the great lomi uhich we have sustained of va.
limbic officers and Soldiers, in this long and hard.
• fought action, with more than double. our nom..
Wry. Timt of the enemy has been much greater.
I stn' ieformed that entire brigades of infantry have
been destroyed, and indeed. the battalions that ri.!
treated were ninth raleaxl in numbers. By all
illiCtrUHSb ask lust Is ten thousand then. GolW
nerals Lallans, and fitorlutare killodi Generals
Sebastian and Bawled innanded.