Under Wellington\'s Command

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"This little watercourse will give capital cover to your advanced
line, and they cannot do better than occupy it. Lying down, they
would be completely sheltered from the French artillery and, if
attacked, they could line the bank and fire without showing more
than their heads. Of course, you will throw out pickets along the
face of the slope in front of you.

"Do you, Bull, march your battalion down to the foot of the hill
and take up your post there. The ground is very uneven and broken,
and you should be able to find some spot where the men would be in
shelter; move a couple of hundred yards back, then Macwitty would
flank any force advancing against you. The sun will set in a few
minutes, so you had better lose no time in taking up your ground.

"As soon as you have chosen a place go on, with the captains of
your companies, across the valley. Make yourselves thoroughly
acquainted with the ground, and mark the best spots at which to
post the men to resist any force that may come along the valley. It
is quite possible that Victor may make an attempt to turn the
general's flank tonight. I will reconnoitre all the ground in front
of you, and will then, with the colonel, join you."

The position Terence had chosen was a quarter of a mile west of the
spur held by Donkin's brigade. He had selected it in order that, if
attacked in force, he might have the assistance of the guns there;
which would thus be able to play on the advancing French, without
risk of his own men being injured by their fire.

Bull marched his battalion down the hill and, as Terence and
Herrara were about to mount, a sudden burst of musketry fire, from
the crest of the opposite hill, showed that the French were
attempting to carry that position. Victor, indeed, seeing the force
stationed there to be a small one; and that, from the confusion
among the Spaniards on the British right, the moment was very
favourable; had ordered one division to attack, another to move to
its support, while a third was to engage the German division posted
on the plain to the right of the hill, and thus prevent succour
being sent to Donkin.

From the position where Terence was standing, the front of the
steep slope that the French were climbing could not be seen but,
almost at the same moment, a dense mass of men began to swarm up
the hill on Donkin's flank; having, unperceived, made their way in
at the mouth of the valley.

"Form up your battalion, Macwitty," he shouted, "and double down
the hill."

Then he rode after Bull, whose battalion had now reached the valley
and halted there.

"We must go to the assistance of the brigade on the hill, Bull, or
they will be overpowered before reinforcements can reach them.

"Herrara, bring on Macwitty after us, as soon as he gets down.

"Take the battalion forward at the double, Bull."

The order was given and, with a cheer, the battalion set out across
the valley and, on reaching the other side, began to climb the
steep ascent; bearing towards their left, so as to reach the summit
near the spot where the French were ascending. Twilight was already
closing in, and the approach of the Portuguese was unobserved by
the French, whose leading battalions had reached the top of the
hill, and were pressing heavily on Donkin's weak brigade; which
had, however, checked the advance of the French on their front.
Macwitty's battalion was but a short distance behind when, marching
straight along on the face of the hill, Bull arrived within a
hundred yards of the French. Here Terence halted them for a minute,
while they hastily formed up in line, and Macwitty came up.

The din on the top of the hill, just above Bull's right company,
was prodigious, the rattle of musketry incessant, the exulting
shouts of the French could be plainly heard; and their comrades
behind were pressing hotly up the hill to join in the strife. There
was plainly not a moment to be lost and, advancing to within fifty
yards of the French battalions, struggling up the hill in confused
masses, a tremendous volley was poured in.

The French, astonished at this sudden attack upon their flank,
paused and endeavoured to form up, and wheel round to oppose a
front to it; but the heavy fire of the Portuguese, and the broken
nature of the ground, prevented their doing this and, ignorant of
the strength of the force that had thus suddenly attacked them,
they recoiled, keeping up an irregular fire; while the Portuguese,
pouring in steady volleys, pressed upon them. In five minutes they
gave way, and retired rapidly down the hill.

The leading battalions had gained the crest where, joining those
who had ascended by the other face of the hill, they fell upon the
already outnumbered defenders. Donkin's men, though fighting
fiercely, were pressed back, and would have been driven from their
position had not General Hill brought up the 29th and 48th, with a
battalion of detachments composed of Sir John Moore's stragglers.
These charged the French so furiously that they were unable to
withstand the assault, although aided by fresh battalions ascending
the front of the hill.

In their retreat the French, instead of going straight down the
hill, bore away to their right and, although some fell to the fire
of the Portuguese, the greater portion passed unseen in the
darkness.

The firing now ceased, and Terence ordered Bull and Macwitty to
take their troops back to the ground originally selected, while he
himself ascended to the crest. With some difficulty he discovered
the whereabouts of General Hill, to whom he was well known. He
found him in the act of having a wound temporarily dressed, by the
light of a fire which had just been replenished; he having ridden,
in the dark, into the midst of a French battalion, believing it to
be one of his own regiments. Colonel Donkin was in conversation
with him.

"It has been a very close affair, sir," he said; "and I certainly
thought that we should be rolled down the hill. I believe that we
owe our safety, in no small degree, to a couple of battalions of
Spaniards, I fancy, who took up their post on the opposite hill
this morning. Just before you brought up your reinforcement, and
while things were at their worst, I heard heavy volley firing
somewhere just over the crest. I don't know who it could have been,
if it was not them; for there were certainly no other troops on my
left."

"They were Portuguese battalions, sir," Terence said quietly.

"Oh, is it you, O'Connor?" General Hill exclaimed. "If they were
those two battalions of yours, I can quite understand it.

"This is Colonel O'Connor, Donkin, who checked Soult's passage at
the mouth of the Minho, and has performed other admirable
services."

[Illustration: 'You may as well make your report to me, O'Connor.']

"You may as well make your report to me, O'Connor, and I will
include it in my own to Sir Arthur."

Terence related how, just as he was taking up his position for the
night along the slopes of the Sierra, he heard the outbreak of
firing on the front of the hill and, seeing a large force mounting
its northern slope, and knowing that only one brigade was posted
there, he thought it his duty to move to its assistance. Crossing
the valley at the double, he had taken them in flank and, being
unperceived in the gathering darkness, had checked their advance,
and compelled them to retire down the hill.

"At what strength do you estimate the force which so retired,
Colonel?"

"I fancy there were eight battalions of them, but three had gained
the crest before we arrived. The others were necessarily broken up,
and followed so close upon each other that it was difficult to
separate them; but I fancy there were eight of them. Being in such
confusion and, of course, unaware of my strength, they were unable
to form or to offer any effectual resistance; and our volleys, from
a distance of fifty yards, must have done heavy execution upon
them."

"Then there is no doubt, Donkin, Colonel O'Connor's force did save
you; for if those five battalions had gained the crest, you would
have been driven off it before the brigade I brought up arrived
and, indeed, even with that aid we should have been so outnumbered
that we could scarcely have held our ground. It was hot work as it
was, but certainly five more battalions would have turned the scale
against us.

"Of course, O'Connor, you will send in a written report of your
reasons for quitting your position to headquarters; and I shall,
myself, do full justice to the service that you have rendered so
promptly and efficaciously. Where is your command now?"

"They will by this time have taken up their former position on the
opposite slope. One battalion is extended there. The other is at
the foot of the hill, prepared to check any force that may attempt
to make its way up the valley. Our line is about a quarter of a
mile in rear of this spur. I selected the position in order that,
should the French make an attempt in any force, the guns here might
take them in flank, while I held them in check in front."

The general nodded. "Well thought of," he said.

"And now, Donkin, you had better muster your brigade and ascertain
what are your losses. I am afraid they are very heavy."

Terence now returned across the valley and, on joining his command,
told Herrara and the two majors how warmly General Hill had
commended their action.

"What has been our loss?" he asked.

"Fifteen killed, and five-and-forty wounded, but of these a great
proportion are not serious."

Brushwood was now collected and in a short time a number of fires
were blazing. The men were in high spirits. They were proud of
having overthrown a far superior force of the enemy, and were
gratified at the expression of great satisfaction, conveyed to them
by their captains by Terence's order, at the steadiness with which
they had fought.

[Illustration: Plan of the Battle of Talavera.]

At daybreak next morning the enemy was seen to be again in motion,
Victor having obtained the king's consent to again try to carry the
hills occupied by the British. This time Terence did not leave his
position, being able to see that the whole of Hill's division now
occupied the heights and, moreover, being himself threatened by two
regiments of light troops, which crossed the mouth of the valley,
ascended the slopes on his side, and proceeded to work their way
along them. The whole of Macwitty's battalion was now placed in
line, while Bull's was held in reserve, behind its centre.

It was not long before Macwitty was hotly engaged; and the French,
who were coming along in skirmishing order, among the rocks and
broken ground, were soon brought to a standstill. For some time a
heavy fire was exchanged. Three times the French gathered for a
rush; but each time the steady volleys, from their almost invisible
foes, drove them back again, with loss, to the shelter they had
left.

In the intervals Terence could see how the fight was going on
across the valley. The whole hillside was dotted with fire, as the
French worked their way up, and the British troops on the crest
fired down upon them. Several times parties of the French gained
the brow, but only to be hurled back again by the troops held in
reserve, in readiness to move to any point where the enemy might
gain a footing. For forty minutes the battle continued; and then,
having lost 1500 men, the French retreated down the hill again,
covered by the fire of their batteries, which opened with fury on
the crest, as soon as they were seen to be descending the slope.

At the same time the light troops opposed to Terence also drew off.
Seeing the pertinacity with which the French had tried to turn his
left, Sir Arthur Wellesley moved his cavalry round to the head of
the valley and, obtaining Bassecour's division of Spanish from
Cuesta, sent them to take post on the hillside a short distance in
rear of Terence's Portuguese.

The previous evening's fighting had cost Victor 1000 men, while 800
British had been killed or wounded; and the want of success then,
and the attack on the following morning, tended to depress the
spirits of the French and to raise those of the British. It was
thought that after these two repulses Victor would not again give
battle, and indeed the French generals Jourdan and Sebastiani were
opposed to a renewal of hostilities; but Victor was in favour of a
general attack. So his opinion was finally adopted by the king, in
spite of the fact that he knew that Soult was in full march towards
the British rear, and had implored him not to fight a battle till
he had cut the British line of retreat; when, in any case, they
would be forced to retire at once.

The king was influenced more by his fear for the safety of Madrid
than by Victor's arguments. Wilson's force had been greatly
exaggerated by rumour. Venegas was known to be at last approaching
Toledo, and the king feared that one or both of these forces might
fall upon Madrid in his absence, and that all his military stores
would fall into their hands. He therefore earnestly desired to
force the British to retreat, in order that he might hurry back to
protect Madrid.

Doubtless the gross cowardice exhibited by the Spaniards, on the
previous day, had shown Victor that he had really only the 19,000
British troops to contend against; and as his force exceeded theirs
by two to one, he might well regard victory as certain, and believe
he could not fail to beat them.

Up to midday, a perfect quiet reigned along both lines. The British
and French soldiers went down alike to the rivulet that separated
the two armies, and exchanged jokes as they drank and filled their
canteens. Albuquerque, being altogether dissatisfied with Cuesta's
arrangements, moved across the plain with his own cavalry and took
his post behind the British and German horse; so that no less than
6000 cavalry were now ready to pour down upon any French force
attempting to turn the British position by the valley. The day was
intensely hot and the soldiers, after eating their scanty rations,
for the most part stretched themselves down to sleep; for the night
had been a broken one, owing to the fact that the Spaniards,
whenever they heard, or thought they heard, anyone moving in their
front, poured in a tremendous fire that roused the whole camp; and
was so wild and ill directed that several British officers and men,
on their left, were killed by it.

Soon after midday the drums were heard to beat along the whole
length of the French line, and the troops were seen to be falling
in. Then the British were also called to arms, and the soldiers
cheerfully took their places in the ranks; glad that the matter was
to be brought to an issue at once, as they thought that a victory
would, at least, put an end to the state of starvation in which
they had for some time been kept. The French had, by this time,
learned how impossible it was to surmount the obstacles in front of
that portion of the allies' line occupied by the Spaniards. They
therefore neglected these altogether, and Sebastiani advanced
against the British division in the plains; while Victor, as
before, prepared to assail the British left, supported this time by
a great mass of cavalry.

The French were soon in readiness for the attack. Ruffin's division
were to cross the valley, move along the foot of the mountain, and
turn the British left. Villatte was to guard the mouth of the
valley with one brigade, to threaten Hill with the other, and to
make another attempt to carry it. He was to be aided by half the
division of Lapisse, while the other half assisted Sebastiani in
his attack on the British centre. Milhaud's dragoons were placed on
the main road to Talavera, so as to keep the Spaniards from moving
to the assistance of the British.

The battle began with a furious attack on the British right, but
the French were withstood by Campbell's division and Mackenzie's
brigade, aided by two Spanish columns; and was finally pushed back
with great loss, and ten of their guns captured; but as Campbell
wisely refused to break his line and pursue, the French rallied on
their reserve, and prepared to renew the attack.

In the meantime Lapisse crossed the rivulet and attacked
Sherbrooke's division, composed of the Germans and Guards. This
brigade was, however, driven back in disorder. The Guards followed
hotly in pursuit; but the French reserves came up, and their
batteries opened with fury and drove the Guards back, while the
Germans were so hotly pressed, by Lapisse, that they fell into
confusion. The 48th, however, fell upon the flank of the advancing
French; the Guards and the Germans rallied, the British artillery
swept the French columns, and they again fell back. Thus the
British centre and right had succeeded in finally repelling the
attacks made upon them.

On the left, as the French advanced, the 23rd Light Dragoons and
the 1st German Hussars charged the head of Ruffin's column. Before
they reached them, however, they encountered the ravine through
which the rivulet here ran. The Germans checked their horses when
they came upon this almost impassable obstacle. The 23rd, however,
kept on. Men and horses rolled over each other, but many crossed
the chasm and, forming again, dashed in between the squares into
which the French infantry had thrown themselves, and charged a
brigade of light infantry in their rear. Victor hurled two
regiments of cavalry upon them and the 23rd, hopelessly over
matched, were driven back with a loss of 207 men and officers,
being fully half the number that had ridden forward. The rest
galloped back to the shelter of Bassecour's division.

Yet their effort had not been in vain. The French, astonished at
their furious charge, and seeing four distinct lines of cavalry
still drawn up facing them, made no further movement. Hill easily
repulsed the attack upon his position, and the battle ceased as
suddenly as it had begun, the French having failed at every point
they had attacked.

Terence had, on seeing Ruffin's division marching towards him,
advanced along the slope until they reached the entrance to the
valley; and then, scattering on the hillside, had opened a heavy
and continuous fire upon the French, doing much execution among
their columns, and still more when they threw themselves into
square to resist the cavalry. He had given orders that, should
Ruffin send some of his battalions up the hill against them, they
were to retire up the slopes, taking advantage of every shelter,
and not to attempt to meet the enemy in close contact. No such
attack was, however, made. The French battalion most exposed threw
out a large number of skirmishers, and endeavoured to keep down the
galling fire maintained from the hillside; but as the Portuguese
took advantage of every stone and bush, and scarcely a man was
visible to the French, there were but few casualties among them.

The loss of the British was in all, during the two days' fighting,
6200, including 600 taken prisoners. That of the French was 7400.
Ten guns were captured by Campbell's division, and seven left in
the woods by the French as they drew off, the next morning at
daybreak, to take up their position behind the Alberche.

During the day Crauford's brigade came up, after a tremendous
march. The three regiments had, after a tramp of twenty miles,
encamped near Plasencia, when the alarm spread by the Spanish
fugitives reached that place. Crauford allowed his men two hours'
rest and then started to join the army, and did not halt until he
reached the camp; having in twenty-six hours, during the hottest
season of the year, marched sixty-two miles, carrying kit, arms,
and ammunition--a weight of from fifty to sixty pounds. Only
twenty-five men out of the three regiments fell out and,
immediately the brigade arrived, it took up the outpost duty in
front of the army.

Terence was much gratified by the appearance, in general orders
that day, of the following notice:

"The general commander-in-chief expresses his warm approbation of
the conduct of the two battalions of the Minho regiment of
Portuguese, commanded by Colonel O'Connor. This officer, on his own
discretion, moved from the position assigned to him, on seeing the
serious attack made on Colonel Donkin's brigade on the evening of
the 27th and, scaling the hill, opened so heavy a fire on the
French ascending it that five battalions fell back, without taking
part in the attack. This took place at the crisis of the
engagement, and had a decisive effect on its result."

At eight o'clock a staff officer rode up, with orders for the Minho
regiment to return at once to the pass of Banos, as the news had
come in that the enemy beyond the hills were in movement. Terence
was to act in concert with the Spanish force there, and hold the
pass as long as possible. If the enemy were in too great strength
to be withstood, he was given discretion as to his movements; being
guided only by the fact that the British army would, probably,
march down the valley of the Tagus.

If Soult crossed, "his force," the order added, "was estimated as
not exceeding 15,000 men."

Chapter 3: Prisoners.

On the 31st of July Terence reached the neighbourhood of Banos and
learned, from the peasantry, that a French army had passed through
the town early on the preceding day. No resistance, whatever, had
been offered to its passage through the pass of Bejar; and the
Spanish at Banos had retreated hastily, after exchanging a few
shots with the French advanced guard. The peasantry had all
deserted their villages, but had had some skirmishes with small
foraging parties of cavalry. Several French stragglers had been
killed in the pass.

Hoping to find some of these still alive, and to obtain information
from them, Terence continued his march for Banos; sending on two of
the best mounted of the Portuguese horsemen, to ascertain if there
was any considerable French force left there. He was within half a
mile of the town when he saw them returning, at full speed, chased
by a party of French dragoons; who, however, fell back when they
saw the advancing infantry.

"What is your news?" Terence asked, as the troopers rode up.

"Banos is full of French troops," one of them replied, "and columns
are marching down the pass. From what I can see, I should think
that there must be 16,000 or 20,000 of them."

In fact, this was Soult's second army corps--the first, which had
preceded it, having that morning reached Plasencia, where they
captured 400 sick in the hospitals, and a large quantity of stores
that had been left there, from want of carriage, when the British
army advanced. Terence lost no time in retreating from so dangerous
a neighbourhood, and at once made for the mountains he had just
left.

Two regiments of French cavalry set out in pursuit, as soon as the
party that had chased the Portuguese troopers entered Banos with
the news that a body of infantry, some 2000 strong, was close at
hand. They came up before the Portuguese had marched more than a
mile. The two battalions were halted, and thrown into square. The
French rode fearlessly down upon them, but were received with so
hot and steady a fire that they speedily drew off, with
considerable loss. Then the regiment ascended the hills and, half
an hour later, halted.

"The question is, what is to be done?" Terence said to Herrara and
his two majors. "It is evident that, for once, the information we
obtained from the Spaniards is correct, and that Soult must have at
least 30,000 men with him. Possibly his full strength is not up
yet. By this time the force that passed yesterday must be at
Plasencia, and by tomorrow may be on the Tagus, and Sir Arthur's
position must be one of great danger. Putting Cuesta and the
Spaniards altogether aside as worthless, he has, even with that
brigade we saw marching in soon after we started, only 22,000 or
23,000 men; and on one side of him is Victor, with some 40,000; on
the other is Soult, with perhaps as many more. With starving and
exhausted troops his chances are small, indeed, unless he can cross
the Tagus. He might beat one marshal or the other, but he can
hardly beat the two of them.

"The first thing to do is to send two troopers off, with duplicate
despatches, telling Sir Arthur of Soult's passage. He might not
otherwise hear of it for some time, and then it might be too late.
The peasantry and the village authorities will be too busy carrying
off their effects, and driving their animals to the hills, to think
for a moment of sending information. That is evidently the first
thing to be done.

"Until we see what is going to happen, I don't think we can do
better than cross the Sierra, and encamp at some spot where we can
make out the movements of the French on the plain. At the same time
we can keep an eye on the road to Plasencia, and be able to send
information to Sir Arthur, if any further bodies of French troops
come down into the valley. Our position is evidently a dangerous
one. If the news has reached Sir Arthur, he will have fallen back
from Talavera at once. Victor will no doubt follow on his heels,
and his cavalry and those of Soult will speedily meet each other.
Therefore it will be, in all ways, best to see how matters develop
themselves before moving down into the plain."

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