The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-07-28
TWENTY. EIGHTH OF JULY.

ieh ATmiees c0mmanoe0 Dy A0fo Weiuneso"
and General Cuests,. and the French troops,
commanded by Marshsls Jourdan and Victor,
and King Joseph fBonaparte.1
Sir Arthur WELLESLEY twhom we shall call
Lord Wellington, though he had not been Gre
a,ed Peer at the time we write off, arrived
at Lisbon, bringing with him powerful rein
forcements, which, added to 5000 troops al
ready there, under the command Of Sir John
Craddoch. formed very formidable force. At
,ha, time Marshal Soult was lying at Oporto,
with %, 600 men. 1t was the FIRST care Of Wei.
lington to get rid of these troops. who might
cut him of from his communications, being on
his left flank, as he pursued the design which
he formed Immediately Of landing, of marching
into Estramadura, forming junction with Gu
esta, and attacking Victor, who was in that
province with $500 men. The operation
against Soult has been considered one of the
most brilliant ever performed by the English
General. The Douro was passed in great
style, and the French Marshal, completely
SURPRISED, narrowly escaped being cut of, and
surrounded by forces whom it would have
been impossible to have resisted. He extrica-
ted himself with great difficulty and loss, and
fell back upon Ney, who was at Lugos. We'll
lington, having cleared his flank, marched
from Oporto to Abrantes, on the Tagus, and
made preparations to cooperate with Cuesta,
in advancing through Estramadura upon Ma
drid.
At this time, the three corps of Ney, Soult
and Mortier, forming an aggregate OF 50,O00
men, lay in the Northwestern portion OF Spain,
around Astorga and V alidolid, on the flank OF
Wellington, and much nearer the Tagus than
that General was to MADRID. Victor, against
whom he was preparing to operate, lay before
him, in Estramadura, to the East, with 81 900
men. Upon his left. in La Mancha, lay the
corps of Sebasdani, likewise 81 900 strong,
and in the rear of The whole, at Madrid, lay
King Joseph. The enemy to be attacked,
then could unite so or 10000 men in a few
days, while there was great danger that as
many more, under Ney, Soult and Mortier,
would descend upon his communications as
he was advancing, cut off his retreat, and &C.
stroy his army at their leisure. To undertake
this rash movement, Wellington had under his
orders % 600 English troops, while the Span
iards, under Cuesta, numbered $4,000 men,
Twenty FIVE thousand more, under the Span
ish General Venegas, were in La Mancha, and
were ordered to advance by Toledo, to form a
junction with the two main armies. Every
thing being in readiness, early in July, the
British forces began to move in the direction
of Estramadura, by Castelbranco, Cora and
Placentia, while the Spaniards, who were on
the South side of the Tagus, crossed at Alma
rez and Arzobispo. Victor. who was immedi-
ately in front of Wellington, falling back as
the latter advanced, the two armies succeeded,
without difficulty, in forming junction, on the
Goth July, at Oroposo. At the same time
Sir Robert Wilson, with his famous Lusitanian
neuvring on the left of Wellington, advanced
as far as the mountains fthe Esurial, only
few leagues from Madrid, and actually put
himself in communication with that capital
Beresford, with Is, 600 Portuguese, established
his head quarters in the neighborhood of Gu.
dad Rodrigo, to protect the frontier.
Joseph was excessively alarmed by the ap-
proach of these forces in the direction of his
capital. He sent immediate orders to Ney,
Soult and Mortier to unite to fall upon the
rear of the advancing enemy at Placenta, and
by intereepting his commune atoms. to divert
his attention from Madrid. He ordered Sc
bastiani to join Victor, who had fallen back
from Talavera to Toledo, whittier he himself,
in company with Marshal Jourdan, repaired at
the head of 10000 men. His; forces being
concentrated on the 25th of July, he found
himself, nominally, at the head of $4,000,
really about $4,000 veteran troops. Contrary
to the advice Of Jourdan, he resolved to attack
the allied army. That Marshal earnestly en-
treated him to wait for the arrival of Ney
Soult and Mor,ier. He was of the opinion
that until that event. which might be made de-
eisive ofthe campaign, should happen, it was
the policy of the King to remain inactive-l,
choose strong position, and fortify it agains
the enemy's attack-if il should become ne
cessary, TO retire before him, so as TO draw hin
further from his resources; and by getting him
entangled in the interior, render his defeat, and
the destruction of his army certain and com.
plete. The King would not listen to this nd
vice, preferring the counsel of Victor, who was
IN favor OF immediate attack. Accordingly, on
the goth, after driving 10 the advanced posts o
Cuesta. they came in sight Of the whole allied
army. Its position was admirably chosen, ane
Immensely strong. On the right, the Span
iards, whose flank was protected by the Tia
gus, occupied Taiavera, the front of which wa,
covered by olive woods, their formidable artil
iery commanding all the avenues to il. Or
the left stood the British forces, on rugged and
uneven ground, in front of which was a deep
rayine, through which flowed little brook.
called the Portina, which emp,ies into the
iagus at Talayera. Their extreme left ex
tended toa ridge which forms the commence
ment Of the Sierra de Mou,alban. The French
were on an opposite range Of heights. eo,a,,v
strong, from which i, would have been ;mno.
sibla to drive them, had they chosen 10 A., on