Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-11-23

'aAt " eAsooS~s 80 ~Sei. aAI tAS ASes ~.
Portu suese Css,idorre, and the LIST
md 18th regiments, directed by brig.
gen. Pack, and commanded BY lieut..
col. deSRego Bomto, lieat. col. Hill,
and major Armstrong, Showed grsa
sseadiness and gall@ntry.-.Fh loss 1
sustained by the enemy in his attack
on the 9th, has been enormous.
understand that the general OF division
Merle. and gen. Mancun are wounded,
and general Simon was taken prisoner
by the SD reSim emit, and ) colonies, SO
officers, and $50 mcn.-The enemy
left 1000 killed upon the field of bat.
tie, and I understand from the. prison.
ers and deserters that heloss In woun-
ded is immense. The enemy did not
renew his attack, excepting by The" FIRE
OF his light troops on the oath, but he
moved large body Of infantry and
cavalry from the lef, Of his centre to
the rear, from which I-saw his cavalry
10 march on she road which leads from
Mcrtagoa over the mountains towards
Oporto.
Having thought it probable that he
would endeayor TO turn our left by that
road, had directed Col. 'rrant, with
his division of militia, to march TO Sar-
dao, with the intention thatne should
occupy those mountains, but .unfortu-
nately he was sent round by Oporto by
the general officer commanding In the
North, in consequence of small de-
tachment of the enemy being in pos
session of ST. Pedro de Sur; and not
outstanding. the effort which he made,
to arrive in time, he did not reach
Sardao till the 2sth at night, after the
enemy was in possession of the ground.
Asst was probable that in the course
of the night of the 2e.h the enemy
would throw his whole army upon
that road by which he could avoid the
Sierra de Busaco, and reach Coimbra
by the high road to Oporto, and thus
the army woald have been exposed to
be cut off from that town, or to a
general action on less favorable ground
land as 1 had reinforcements in nay
resr, was inducedte Withdraw from
the Sierra de Basaco. The enemy did
break up in the mountains at II at
night of the 2sth, and he made the
march expected. His advanced guard
was az ,Avelaus, in. the road from O.
porto to Coimbra yesterday and the
whole army was seen in march through
the mountains that under my COM
mand, however, was ALREADY in the
low country, between the Sierra de
Basaco and the sea and the whole
OF it, with the exception guard, is this
day on the left of the Mondego..
Although from the unfortunate cir
cumstances of the delay Of colonel
Trant's arrival at Sardao, / am appre-
hensive' that shall not succeed 10 ef-
fecting the object which had in view
in passing the Mondego, and in occu.
plying Sierra de Busaco, do not re-
greet my having done so. This move
.ment has afforded me favorable op.
portunity of showing the enemy the
description Of troops of which this ar
my IS composed; it has brought the
Portuguese lcvies into action with the
enemy Tor the first time. in an advan-
tageous situation and they have pro-
we'd that the trouble which has been
taken with them, has not been thrown
away, and that they are worthy of con-
tending In the same ranks with Brit
ish troops, in this interesting cause,
which they afford the best hopes of
saving.
Throughout the contest upon the
Sierra, and in all the previous marches,
and in all those which we have since
made, the whole army have conducted
themselves in the most regular man.
mr.. Accordingly all the opera ions
have been carried on with ease, the
soldiers have Uttered DO priyaIions,
have undergone no unnecessary fa-
tigue, there has been no loss Of stores,
and the army Is in the highest spirits.
L have received throughout the service
the greaiest assistance from the gene
rsl and staff officers, Lieut.. Gen. Sir
Brent Spencer has given me the assis.
lance which hisFexperieuce enables
him to afford me, and am particular.
ly indebted to the adjutant and @. NJ.
Gen. a d the officers OF their depart
ments. aud TO lieut.. col. Bathurst, and
the officers OF the personal staG--to