VI. 1811. 29. on both Such was the battle of Albuera, one of the most glori- CHAP. ous in which the British arms had ever been engaged, and in which the merits of the island warriors and their ancient rivals in military fame were most signally tried. It Results of was extremely bloody on both sides; more so, indeed, the battle than any battle of any nation during the whole Peninsular sides. war. The loss on either part was immense. Out of 7500 British troops engaged, 4158 were killed, wounded, or prisoners; the Portuguese lost 389, and the Spaniards 1980-in all, 6527. The French lost still more their casualties were no less than 8000 men. The instances of daring and heroic courage exhibited by the British in this battle never were exceeded. Beresford showed a noble example. "During the hottest of the action," says Sir Charles Stewart, "he exposed himself with a degree of intrepidity which could hardly fail of spreading an example of heroism around. He repeatedly dragged the Spanish officers from their ranks, compelling them to lead their men forward, and show them the way; and when individually charged by a Polish lancer, he grappled his adversary by the throat, and threw him from his saddle." 1 "Our artillery was admirably served; its fire Lond. ii. was very destructive, and the men stood to their guns till many of them were sabred; indeed, there was not an officer or soldier in any department of the army who failed this day in doing more than his duty. The bravery of the 57th and 31st fell in no degree short of that of their comrades the fusiliers. These regiments, having ascended the height, stood their ground nobly against all the efforts of a column of French grenadiers. The enemy's fire thinned their ranks, but never once broke them; for, at the close of the action, the dead and wounded were found in two distinct lines upon the very spots which they had occupied whilst alive and fighting. They fought, too, in every imaginable order which infantry can be called upon to assume. They resisted cavalry in square, deployed again into line, received and returned repeated 139. VI. 1811. CHAP. Volleys whilst a few yards only divided them from their opponents, and at last carried everything before them by a charge with the bayonet. All this could not, of course, be done without a prodigious slaughter on both sides; indeed, the killed and wounded lay in masses so compact that full 7000 bodies occupied the space of a few hundred feet; and our artillery, when advancing towards the close of the day, were compelled to pass over them, deaf to their cries, and averting their gaze from the brave fel1 Lond. ii. lows thus laid prostrate in the dust." All the guns taken were regained before the close of the battle, except one howitzer, and four of the standards lost were wrested from the enemy. 137, 138. 30. to Llerena, ford resumes the siege of Over. Badajos. If any doubt could have existed as to the party entitled Soult retires to claim the honours of this hard-won fight, it was soon and Beres dispelled by the conduct of the French after it was On the day following, the British, though not half of those who had fought on the preceding day, displayed their standards planted in the ground, as so many trophies, on the summit of the hill where so many brave men on both sides had fallen, and the French did not venture to disturb them. On the 18th Soult retired to Solano, a considerable distance to the rear, and in two days after he marched to Llerena, where ample pasture was to be found for his horses, abandoning all thoughts of disturbing the siege of Badajos. Upon this Beresford sent back Hamilton's Portuguese division, which had suffered very little in the battle, to observe that fortress on the south, while he himself, with the remainder of the army, took post at Almendralejo, to watch the enemy. Matters were in this state when Lord Wellington, with his whole staff, arrived at Elvas on the 19th, and received full and authentic accounts of the desperate shock which had taken place between the two armies. Though much concerned at the serious loss which had been sustained in the English ranks, which was the more to be regretted as the weak numbers and inefficient condition of the Portuguese May 19. VI. 1811. able of moving, they could not change their front to meet CHAP. the flank French attack; but they stood firm on their ground, and, if they had had the shelter of the rudest field-works, they might perhaps have held it. As it was, however, after a rapid exchange of volleys for a few minutes, they were obliged to retire, which they did in tolerable order. This success, however, was very im-1 Lond. ii. portant to the French, for it not only made them masters Brial. ii. of the heights on the right, which were the key of the Beresford Allied position, but it laid bare the only good road, that to Wellingto Valverde, by which the Allies could retire, and ex- 18, 1811; posed them to the risk of being hemmed in between Albuera stream and the enemy's columns, with no of retreat practicable for artillery.1 132, 133; 393, 394; ton, May Gurw. vii. the 574, note; Joseph, vii. line 399, 400. 25. tack of division. Upon this, Beresford, after having made the most gallant efforts, though in vain, to bring back the Spaniards Gallant atto the charge, ordered up General William Stewart's divi- Stewart's sion to the right, to endeavour to regain the heights. These splendid troops passed in close array through the throng of the retreating Spaniards, and having at length gained room to deploy, the first brigade, consisting of the Buffs, the 66th, the 2d battalion 48th, and 31st, under Colonel Colbourn, advanced in line up the hill to dislodge the enemy, who were still in column on the summit. "Their advance," says Sir Charles Stewart, "was spirited, and their fire admirably directed; but before they could approach within charging distance, the enemy's cavalry broke in upon their right. One wing of the Buffs was now directed to be thrown back." But before the movement could be completed, the Polish lancers were upon them, by whom they were violently driven backwards on Houghton's brigade, which was in support. Unfortunately, it was in the act of deploying when this was done, and at first, in consequence, could afford no adequate assistance. The consequence was that Stewart's brigade "suffered terribly, as well by a tremendous fire of grape which was poured upon them as from the CHAP. 1811. 32. Description be thrown out, infinitely superior to that which we could bring against it." The large and fortified town of Badajoz," continues the same author, "stands upon the left bank of the Guaof Badajos. diana, having one-fourth of its enceinte washed by the river, which varies from about 300 to 500 yards in width, and secures all the space which it embraces from insult. Towards the land side its defences consist of eight regularly constructed fronts, connected by a good covered-way and glacis. The ravelines are, however, unfinished; but the fronts possess whole revetments, and the escarpe of the bastions is thirty feet in height, though that of the curtains is considerably lower. In advance of these fronts are two detached works-namely, the Pardaleras, a crown work, about 200 yards distant; and the Pecurina, a strong redoubt, 400 yards removed from the glacis. On the northeast side again, where an angle is formed by the junction of the river Revellas with the Guadiana, there is a hill measuring perhaps 120 feet in height, the summit of which is crowned by an old castle; and the walls of that castle, naked, weak, and only partially flanked, form part of the enceinte of the place. It was against this point that our engineers determined to conduct one of their 145, 146. attacks, and it was here that they seemed to possess the best, if not the only, chance of ultimately succeeding." 1 Lond. ii. 33. Fort St Christoval. "On the opposite bank of the Guadiana, and in a direct line with this ancient building, stand the heights of St. Christoval, which measure in altitude little less than the hill of the castle itself, and may, from the peculiar shape and bearing of the latter eminence, be said completely to command it. The castle hill, it will be observed, forms a sort of inclined plane, which eases itself off towards the edge of the water; and hence a spectator from the summit of the heights of St Christoval is enabled to see with perfect accuracy anything which may happen to be going on within the walls of the castle. To hinder an enemy from availing himself of this advantage, a square fort of CHAP. VI. 1811. above 300 feet per face has been constructed. It is strongly and regularly built, with a stone scarp twenty feet in height; and it is capable, from the rocky nature of the ground on which it stands, to offer a stout resistance, even when methodically besieged. Between it and the town, however, the communication is far from being good, inasmuch as it is carried on entirely by means of a long bridge, subject to be enfiladed, or by the still more precarious and insecure instrumentality of boats. Against this fort was the second attack directed; and the obstacles to be encountered soon proved to be as serious as, from the general appearance of the place, might have been ex- 146, 147. pected." 1 1 Lond. ii. ment of the All things being in readiness, so far as the limited means 34. at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief would permit, Commenceground was broken before both the castle and Fort St siege. Christoval on the night of the 31st May, Wellington May 31. commanding in person. The former operation passed undiscovered, and the men were under cover before they were detected by the enemy; but the latter were detected almost immediately after it began, and an incessant fire of round-shot and grape was kept up in the direction of the river. The working parties, however, bravely stood the storm, and by morning four distinct batteries, at different distances from the place, were marked out, and in part completed. On the 3d the guns opened, and a heavy fire was kept up on both sides for several days without intermission, or any sensible advantage being gained on either side. By the continuance of this fire several guns, and nearly all the howitzers, were rendered unserviceable, without any perceptible effect being produced on the walls of the castle, except that they were a little shaken. Two bastions, however, at length fell on the side of Fort Christoval, and filled the ditch with their ruins. Various reasons concurred to induce Lord Wellington to hazard an assault June 6. without delay on this fort; for reports were coming in from all quarters as to the enemy moving in great force to the |