The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-03-22
RICHMOND, FRIDAY. MARCH 22, 1911.

this siege, the head quarters of our army,
under its present commander, Viscount of
Ia'avera, was at Alverca, a small place a
bout 20 miles from Ciudad Rodrigo, our
advanced guard under general Craufurd,
being placed between that city and our head
quarters. On the 4th of July, MasSena
sent forw ard a body ~ troops, at the ap-
proach of whom general Craufurd tell back
into the ~neighborhood of Fort Conception,
which is situated between Ciudad rdrigo
and Almeida, he latter being a strongly
fortified place, one of the frontier towns of
Portugal, and situated 1T about ten miles
from the frontiers Some little skirmishing
took place upon this occasion, in which our
troops and those of Portugal distinguished
themselves.-We must now, Tor want of am
pie details in an official form, have recourse
to those OF a sort OF accredited news paper
authority, it being of much importance that
we conhne ourselves to what mas been as
serted from time to time, by those of our
public Journals, which are looked upon, or,
at least, which Choose 10 look upon them.
selves, as being most iricndly towards the
ministry, and are; therefore, vulgarly called
Ministerial newspapers. BY these prints,
we were told in the latter end of July, that
the French army were oppressed by every
sort OF calamity that they had recently
been beaten IN such a manner by the opani
ards at BANDED, whence four hundred carts
loaded with wounded French had been
sent into Madrid; that a considerable por.
ton of their army had actually deserted
and gone over to the Spapiards, and that
the remainder was full of discomfort. We
were at the same time assured, that the
Portuguese soldiers behaved we'll. and had
displayed great steadiness and courage
The French newspapers, in rcmarking
upon his information, insisted upon it thai
Ut was In,ended to deceive the people cfEn-
gland and added, somewhat sarcastiCally.
that while all these favorable appearances
orthe English existed, the French were
beseiging Ciudad Rodrigo, and the English
quietly looking on, though the cries of the
inhabitants were heard in their camp. In
answer to this, our ministerial news papers
insisted, that it would have been bad policy
IN us to attempr 20 relieve Ciudad Rodrigo
but that the Cause of Portugal was in no
danger whatever; that independently cf
the natural strength of Portugal, there we're
various fortified places, which were AIDE
quately garrisoned, and must be regularly
besieged. among which were Ely5,s, Alme-
Ida, Peniche. st. Julien and Cace;es /; that,
besides, we had complete mill airy possess
on ct the Country, all the resources of which
were at our disposal, and all the people
nearly In our cause and strenuous in their
executions; thai in every part of the Pc
sula, the prospect was fairer than ever, &
IN short, that there appeared to be no doubt
OF ultimate success; aud the superiority of
our troops over those of the French was
confirmed by the dispatch of lord Talavera
giving an account of ~skirmishes with the
enemy.-The former dispatch ofour cor.-
maHder, was, as WI have seen, dated at
Alvcrca. On Inc 11th of July. In his next
dated on the 29th of July, he gave us an
account OF the attack made by the French
upon gen. Craufurd's advanced guard, near
Fort Conception. where he enemy assaIIed
him in his position. overpowered him by
and drove him back with conside-
rable loss.-Coeval with this intelligence
were the assurances of the Morning Post,
and other ministerial prints, that our army
I'm Portugal was full Of confidence, that the
Portuguese soldiers behaved admirably, &
that, in general Craufurd's affair We gave
the enemy an earnest Of 7vhat may be er-
in a general engagement. The next
dispatch of lord Talavera of which the
public in England have any knowledge,
was dated on the 29th of August at Celeri
CO. But we must first see what we had
been told at home in the interval. l. had
been stated 20 US that MasseDa had been
by our commander; that the tor
mer had hoped that we should relieve Ro.
next, that We should make a stand at
Fort Conception, and lastly that we should
risk a battle for the sake of Almeida in all
which hopes the Frenchmen had been diSap-
We were further told, that Mas
sena had made a movement forward with a
view OF turning US, but tina, our comman-
der, Z" with great judgment and prompt
tude, disappointed 1t by throwing back his
which, we were told. made the e.
retreat with all possible speed. 1t was
added at this time that desertions were still
very great in the French army, and that
our Portuguese allies had uniformly conduc-
ted themselves very CALAMITY. After this
appears from the authority before menti
ed. of c%ourse) that the French army be
sorely afflicted with the dysenterv
while our troops were free from that dis
ease that the main body OF them, instead
of advancing, had retreated, perhaps for
want OF provisions that the Portuguese
militia were numerous and fully prepared
to meet the French, whose soldiers were
deserving in all directions that his languid
operations had f~alsified the predictions of
Lords Grenville aHd Grey that lord la
army was in the highest health 6.
spirits that land several inst ances were gi-
ven) the Spaniards and Portuguese were
the French and driving them be-
fore them wherever they came near them
that, at last Massena was in full retreat,
owing to want oil provisions and to constant
desertion, disaffection and sickness and
that Lord Talavera, whose army had plen-
ty of provisions, had certainly once offered
lMassena battle. and that Massena had &c