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Blakeney of the Royal Fusileers, Knight of the 27th, Erskine of the 48th, and Captain Leaky, who commanded the 23rd Fusileers, Lieutenant Colonel Ellis having been wounded during the previous operation of the siege.

In the 5th division I must mention Major Hill of the 8th Caçadores, who directed the false attack upon the fort Pardaleras. It was impossible for any men to behave better than these did.

I must likewise mention Lieutenant-Colonel Brooke of the 4th regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable G. Carleton of the 44th, and Lieutenant-Colonel Gray of the 30th, who were unfortunately killed. The 2nd battalion, 38th regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Nugent, and the 15th Portuguese regiment, under Colonel Luiz de Rego, likewise performed their part in a very exemplary manner. The officers and troops in the 3rd division have distinguished themselves as usual in these operations. LieutenantGeneral Picton has reported to me particularly the conduct of Lieutenant Colonel Williams of the 60th, Lieutenant-Colonel Ridge of the 5th, who was unfortunately killed in the assault of the castle. Lieutenant-Colonel Forbes of the 45th, Lieutenant-Colonel Fitzgerald of the 60th, Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable R. Le P. French, and Lieutenant-Colonel Manners of the 74th, Major Carr of the 83rd, and Major the Honourable H. Pakenham, Assistant Adjutant-General to the 3rd division. He has likewise particularly reported the good conduct of Colonel Campbell of the 94th, commanding Major-General the Honourable Charles Colville's brigade, during his absence in command of the 4th division, whose conduct I have so repeatedly had occasion to report to your lordship.

The officers and men of the Corps of engineers and artillery, were equally distinguished during the operations of the siege, and in its close.

Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher continued to direct the works (notwithstanding that he was wounded in the sortie made. by the enemy on the 19th of March,) which were carried on by Major Squire and Major Burgoyne, under his directions. The former established the detachments under Major Wilson, in the ravelin San Roque, on the night of the storm; the latter attended the attack of the 3rd division on the castle. I have likewise to report the good conduct of Major Jones, Captain Nicholas, and Captain Williams, of the Royal Engineers.

Major Dickson conducted the details of the artillery service during the siege, as well as upon former occasions, under the

general superintendence of Colonel Farmingham, who, since the absence of Major-General Borthwick, has commanded the artillery with the army.

I cannot sufficiently applaud the officers and soldiers of the Royal and Portuguese artillery during the siege, particularly that of Lieutenant-Colonel Robe, who opened the breaching batteries; Major May, Captain Gardiner, Major Holcombe, and Lieutenant Bouchier of the Royal Artillery; Captain de Retberg of the German, and Major Tulloh of the Portuguese artillery.

Adverting to the extent of the details of the ordnance department during this siege, to the difficulties of the weather, &c. with which Major Dickenson had to contend, I must mention him most particularly to your lordship.

The officers of the Adjutant and Quarter-Master-Generals' department rendered me every assistance on this occasion, as well as those of my personal staff; and I have to add that I have received reports from the general officers commanding divisions, of the assistance they received from the officers of those departments attached to them the greatest number of whom, and of their personal-staff, are wounded.

In a former despatch I reported to your lordship the dif culties with which I had to contend, in consequence of the failure of the civil authorities of the province of Alentejo to perform their duty and supply the army with means of transport. These difficulties have continued to exist; but I must do Major-General Victoria, the Governor of Elvas, the justice to report that he, and the troops under his command, have made every exertion, and have done every thing in their power to contribute to our success.

Marshal Soult left Seville on the 1st instant, with all the troops which he could collect in Andalusia; and he was in communication with the troops which had retired from Estremadura, under General Drouet, on the 3rd, and he ar rived at Llerena on the 4th, I had intended to collect the army on the Albuera rivulet, in proportion as Marshal Soult should advance; and I had requested Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham to retire gradually upon Albuera, while Lieutenant-General Sir R. Hill should do the same on Talavera, from Don Benito, and the upper parts of Guadiana. I do not think it certain that Marshal Soult has made any decided movement from Llerena since the 4th, although he has patrolled forward with small detachments of cavalry, and the advanced guard of his infantry have been at Usagre.

None of the army of Portugal have moved to join him. According to the last reports which I have received of the

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4th instant, from the frontier of Castille, it appears that Marshal Marmont had established a body of troops between the Agueda and the Coa, and he had reconnoitred Almeida on the 3rd, Brigadier-General Trant's division of militia had arrived upon the Coa, and Brigadier-General Wilson's division was following with the cavalry, and Lieutenant-General the Conde d'Amarante was on his march, with a part of the corps under his command, towards the Douro.

It would be very desirable that I should have it in my power to strike a blow against Marshal Soult before he could be reinforced but the Spanish authorities having omitted to take the necessary steps to provision Ciudad Rodrigo, it is absolutely necessary that I should return to the frontiers of Castille within a short period of the time. It is not very probable that Marshal Soult will risk an action in the province of Estremadura, which it would not be difficult for him to avoid, and it is very necessary that should he return to Andalusia, I must return to Castille.

I have the honour to enclose returns of the killed and wounded from the 31st of March, and in the assault of Badajos, and a return of the ordnance, small arms, and ammunition found in the place. I shall send the returns of provisions in the place by the next despatch. This despatch will be delivered to your lordship by my aide-de-camp Captain Canning, who I beg leave to recommend to your protection.

He has likewise the colours of the garrison, and the colours of the Hesse Darmstadt regiment, to be laid at the feet of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent. The French battalions in the garrison had no eagles.

I have the honour to be, &c,
(Signed)

WELLINGTON.

The Earl of Liverpool.

XVII.

GENERAL THE EARL OF WELLINGTON, K.B., TO THE EARL OF BATHURST, SECRETARY OF STATE.

Florres de Avila, 24th July, 1812.

MY LORD,-My aide-de camp, Captain Lord Clinton, will present to your lordship this account of a victory which the allied troops under my command gained in a general action fought near Salamanca on the evening of the 22nd instant, which I have been under the necessity of delaying to send till now, having been engaged ever since the action, in the pursuit of the enemy's flying troops.

In my letter of the 21st, I informed your lordship that both armies were near the Tormes; and the enemy crossed that river with the greatest part of his troops in the afternoon, by the fords between Alba de Tormes and Huerta, and moved by their left towards the roads leading to Ciudad Rodrigo.

The allied army, with the exception of the 3rd division, and General D'Urban's cavalry, likewise crossed the Tormes in the evening by the bridge of Salamanca and the fords in the neighbourhood; and I placed the troops in a position, of which the right was upon one of the two heights called Dos Arapiles, and the left on the Tormes, below the ford of

Sta Marta..

The 3rd division, and Brigadier-General D'Urban's cavalry, were left at Cabrerizos, on the right of the Tormes, as the enemy had still a large corps on the heights above Babila-fuente, on the same side of the river; and I consider it not improbable that, finding our army prepared for them in the morning on the left of the Tormes, they would alter their plan, and manœuvre by the other bank.

In the course of the night of the 21st, I received intelligence, of the truth of which I could not doubt, that General Clauzel had arrived at Pollos on the 20th, with the cavalry and horse artillery of the army of the north, to join Marshal Marmont; and I was quite certain that these troops would join him on the 22nd or 23rd at latest.

There was no time to be lost therefore; and I determined that, if circumstances should not permit me to attack him. on the 22nd, I would move towards Ciudad Rodrigo without further loss of time, as the difference of the numbers of ca

valry might have made a march of manœuvre, such as we have had for the last four or five days, very difficult, and its result doubtful.

During the night of the 21st, the enemy had taken possession of the village of Calvarassa de Arriba, and of the heights near it called Nuestra Senora de la Pena, our cavalry being in possession of Calvarassa de Abaxo; and shortly after daylight detachments from both armies attempted to obtain possession of the more distant from our right of the two hills called Dos Arapiles.

The enemy, however, succeeded; their detachments being the strongest, and having been concealed in the woods nearer the hills than we were; by which success they strengthened materially their own position, and had in their power increased means of annoying ours.

In the morning, the light troops of the 7th division, and the 4th Caçadores belonging to General Pack's brigade were engaged with the enemy on the height called Nuestra Senora de la Pena, on which height they maintained themselves with the enemy throughout the day. The possession by the enemy, however, of the more distant of the Arapiles rendered it necessary for me to extend the right of the army en potence to the height behind the village of Arapiles, and to occupy that village with light infantry; and here I placed the 4th division, under the command of Lieutenant-General the Honourable L. Cole: and although, from the variety of the enemy's movements, it was difficult to form a satisfactory judgment of his intentions, I considered that upon the whole. his objects were upon the left of the Tormes. I therefore ordered Major-General the Honourable E. Pakenham, who commanded the 3rd division in the absence of LieutenantGeneral Picton, on account of ill health, to move across the Tormes with the troops under his command, including Brigadier-General D. Urban's cavalry, and to place himself behind Aldea Tejada. Brigadier-General Bradford's brigade of Portuguese infantry, and Don Carlos de Espana's infantry, having been moved up likewise to the neighbourhood of Las Torres, between the 3rd and 4th divisions.

After a variety of evolutions and movements, the enemy appeared to have determined upon his plan about two in the afternoon; and, under cover of a very heavy cannonade, which however did us but very little damage, he extended his left, and moved forward his troops, apparently with an intention to embrace by the position of his troops, and by his fire, our post on that of the two Arapiles which we possessed, and from thence to attack and break our line, or, at

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