1811.) 
on the 15th instant. The cerps of General 
Blake, though making a forced march to ef. 
fect it, only joined in the night, and could 
not be placed in its position till the morhing 
of the 16th instant, when General Cole’s di- 
vision, with the Spanish brigade under Don 
Carlos d’Espagne also joined, anda little be- 
fore the commencement of the action. Our 
cavalry had been forced on the morning of 
the 15th instant to retire from Santa Martha 
and joined here. In the afternoon of that 
day the enemy appeared in front of us, The 
Next morning our disposition for receiving the 
enemy was made, being formed in two lines, 
nearly parallel to the river Albuera, on the 
ridge of the gradual ascent rising from that 
river, and covering the roads to Badajoz and 
Valverde; though your lordship is aware that 
the whole face of this country is every where 
passable for all arms. General Blake’s corps 
was on the right, in two linés ; its left onthe 
Valverde Road, joined the right of Major- 
general the Hon. William Stewart’s division, 
the left of which reached the Badajoz Road ; 
where commenced the right of Major-general 
Hamilton’s division, which closed che left of 
the line. General Cole’s division, with one 
brigade of General Hamilton’s, formed the 
second line of the British and Portuguese 
army. : 
The enemy, on the morning of the 16th, 
did not long delay his attack ; at eight o’clock 
he was observed to be in movement, and his 
gavalry was seen passing the rivulet of Al- 
buers, considerably above our sight, and 
shortly after he marched out of the wood op- 
posite to us, a strong force of cavatry, and two 
heavy columns of infantry, pointing them to 
our front, as if to attack the village and 
bridge of Albuera; during this time, under 
cover of his vastly superior cavalry, he was 
filing the principal body of his infantry over 
the river beyond our right, and it was not 
long before his in-ention appeared to be to 
turn us by that flank, and cut us off from 
Valverde. Major-general Cole’s division was 
therefore order-d to form an oblique line to 
the rear of our right, with his own right 
thrown back, And the intention of the ene- 
my to attack our right becoming evident, I 
requested General Blake to form part of his 
first line, and all his second, to that front, 
which was done. 
The enemy commenced his attack at nine 
o'clock, not ceasing at the same time to me- 
nace our left; and «fter a strong and gallant 
Fesistance Of the Spanish troops,,he gained the 
heights upon which they had been formed ; 
meanwhile the division of the Hos. Major- 
general William Stewart, had been brought 
Up tosupport them; and that of Major gene- 
ral Hamilton brought to the left af the Spanish 
line, and formed in contiguous close columns 
of battalions, to be moveable in any direction. 
The Portuguese brigade of cavairy, under 
Brigadier-general Orway, remained at some 
» Moytury Maa. No, 214. 
State of Public Affairs in June. 
577 
distance on the left of this, to check any at= 
tempt of the enemy below the village. 
As the heights the enemy had gained, 
raked and entirely commanded our whole po-= 
sition, it became necessary to make every 
effort to retake and maintain them; and a 
noble one was made by the division of Gene- 
ral Stewart, headed by that gallant officer. 
Nearly at the beginning of the enemy’sattack, 
a heavy storm of rain came on, which, with 
the smoke from the firing, rendered it im- 
possible to discernany thing distinctly. This, 
with the nature of the ground, had been ex- 
tremely favourable to the enemy in forming 
his columns, and in his subsequent attack. 
The right brigade of General Stewart's di- 
vision, under Lieutenant-colonel Colborne, 
first came into action, and behaved in the 
most gallant manner, and finding that the 
enemy’s column could not be shaken by firey 
proceeded to attack it with the bayonet; and, 
while in the act of charging, a body of Po- 
lish lancers (cavalry) which the thickness of 
the atmosphere, and thenature of the ground, 
had concealed, (and which was, besides, mis- 
taken by those of the brigade, when disco- 
vered, for Spanish cavalry, and therefore not 
fired upon), turned it; and being thus ate 
tacked unexpectedly in thé rear, was unfore 
tunately broken and suffered immensely. The 
31st regiment being the left one of the brie- 
gade, alone escaped this charge,’and undec 
the command of Major L’Estrange kept its 
ground, until the arrival of the Sd brigade, 
under Major-general Hoghton. Theconduct 
of this brigade was most conspicuously gal— 
lant, and that 2d brigade, under the com- 
mand of the Hon. Lieutenant-colonel Abcra 
crombie, was not less so, Major-general 
Hoghton, cheering on his brigade to the 
charge, fell pierced by wounds. Though the 
enemy’s principal attack was on this point of 
the right, he also made a continual attempe, 
upon that part of our original front at the 
village and bridge, which were defended in 
the rfost gallant manner by Major-general 
Baron Alten, and the light infantry brigade 
of the German Legion, whose conduct was, 
in every point of view, conspicuously good. 
This point now formed our left, and Major- 
general Hamilton’s division had been brought 
up there; and he was left to direct the defence 
of that point, whilst the enemy’s attack cons» 
tinued on our right, a considerable proportions 
of the Spanish troops supporting the defence 
of this place. The enemy’s cavalry, on his 
infantry attempting to force our right, had 
endeavoured to turn it; but by the able mae 
neuvres of Major-general the Hon. Willianz 
Lumley, commanding the allied cavalry 
though vastly inferior to that of the enemy, 
in number, his endeavours Were foiled. Maa 
jor-general Cole, seeing the attack of the 
enemy, very judiciously bringing up his left 
a little, marched in line to attack the enemy's 
left, and artived mosi Opportunely to con. 
trikuce 
