678 The Campaign of the Spanish Constitutionalists. [DEC. 



fire commenced between his two hundred men and the foremost detach- 

 ment of the enemy. Valdes himself behaved with the utmost gallantry, 

 and being most efficiently seconded by his followers, he succeeded in 

 maintaining his station at the bridge of Vera for a long time. But new 

 forces were continually coming in sight, and no human exertions could 

 avail in so unequal a contest. The heights of Vera presented a fearful 

 array, forests of bayonets and other weapons glancing in the sun, threat- 

 ened the devoted band with certain and immediate destruction. Valdes, 

 after an obstinate resistance, was obliged to abandon his place and re- 

 treat still keeping up the fire. At this moment a body of above a thou- 

 sand men was seen advancing to the right with the intention of cutting 

 off the sole direction by which the retreat could be effected. The dan- 

 ger of the constitutionalists was now appalling wherever they turned 

 their eyes they met nothing but fearful numbers of the enemy it seemed 

 as if the crisis of their fate was arrived and that nothing could avert 

 their ruin. 



In this awful moment, Mina's cavalry, that is to say thirty horsemen, made 

 a desperate rush against the division of the enemy that was intercepting 

 the retreat. The attack of this gallant band was so resolute, that despite 

 of the immense inequality of numbers, they succeeded in killing many of 

 the enemy, taking a chief and some men prisoners, and throwing the 

 whole body into confusion. This partial success infused new ardour 

 into the hearts of the patriots, their drooping hopes were revived and a 

 fresh stimulus was added to their exertions. The struggle was continued 

 with obvious advantage on their side, when another division was observed 

 rapidly advancing to support the first. To prolong now the contest under 

 such disadvantages would have argued insanity and folly, and the order 

 was given for a retreat into France. This movement was performed with 

 less disorder and confusion than could have been anticipated from the cir- 

 cumstances of the action. The great majority of the patriots effected their 

 entrance into France, not as flying fugitives, but as soldiers in possession 

 of their arms. The loss which the troops of Valdes and Mina sustained 

 on this occasion amounted to about a hundred men in all, counting the 

 slain, wounded, prisoners, and those who were missing; but it was after- 

 wards found that the loss was not quite so severe, as several men be- 

 longing to the party made successively their appearance in the French 

 territory. 



It seems really strange that a single man should have been suffered 

 to escape. According to the assertion of the prisoners made by Mina's 

 cavalry the forces of the royalists amounted to 5,000, and this without 

 counting other troops which were kept behind and took no part in the 

 engagement. The constitutionalists were nearly surrounded pressed on 

 all sides, and retreating through places which certainly were not very 

 friendly disposed towards them. From this a natural conclusion must 

 be drawn which will prove favorable to the liberals. The event serves 

 to establish the fact that there was an extraordinary exertion of courage 

 and activity on one side, and an equal degree of indifference on the other. 

 The royalist troops merely performed their duty, they did not fight as 

 men who were ardent in the cause they defended, and there is every 

 reason to suppose that had any thing resembling an army been opposed 

 to them, the desertion to the enemy's ranks would have been very great. 

 Another circumstance to strengthen this opinion is that the royalist 

 forces were not made up of militia, guerrillas, or disorderly bands of 



