142J ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



out of the town, after which he 

 had fixed his own head quarters at 

 Castalla. He liiiewise reported 

 some other partial successes of the 

 aUies. In consequence of his ad- 

 vance, Suchet had quitted Valen- 

 cia, and assumed the command of 

 the troops on the right bank of the 

 Xucar. 



The French were still moving 

 from the Tagus to the Douro in 

 the month of April. It was com- 

 puted that in February and March, 

 there had been drawn from their 

 armies in Spain, and sent into 

 France, above 1 ,200 officers, 6,000 

 corporals and sergeants, and 16,000 

 soldiers. Some conscripts had 

 indeed arrived to supply their 

 places, but the change must have 

 materiallydiminished their strength. 

 Little besides movements of troops 

 occurred about this period in the 

 northern parts of the Peninsula; 

 but from Valencia, sir J. Murray, 

 on April 14th, communicated to 

 the commander-in chief the re- 

 sult of an action of some import- 

 ance. Suchet, it appears, had for 

 some time been collecting all his 

 disposable force, with which, on 

 the 11th, he dislodged with some 

 loss a Spanish corps, posted by 

 general Elio, at Yecla. On the 

 next day be advanced to Villena, 

 and captured a Spanish garrison 

 which defended its castle. He 

 then fell upon the advance of the 

 allied army under colonel Adam, 

 which after a gallant contest with 

 a much superior force, fell back 

 upon Castella, where the main 

 body was posted. On the 13th, 

 Suchet made a general attack upon 

 the allied army, which was drawn 

 up in a long line, occupying a 

 range of hills and other strong 

 ground, protected by batteries. The 



attack was vigorous, but was re- 

 pulsed with equal spirit, and the 

 enemy was foiled at every point. 

 He sustained a severe loss, esti- 

 mated at 3,000 in killed and wound- 

 ed ; but though he was pursued to 

 some distance, he was so well sup- 

 ported by his reserve that no tro- 

 phies were left in the hands of the 

 victors. The loss on the part of 

 the allies in killed and wounded 

 amounted to about 600. Suchet, 

 after the action, retreated to Vil- 

 lena, which he hastily quitted at 

 midnight, to fall further back. 

 He still, however, must have main- 

 tained a superiority of strength, 

 since he was able soon after to de- 

 tach a strong division against the 

 Spanish general Villacampa, who 

 had gained some advantages. 



The French, who had been twice 

 repulsed before the walls of Cas- 

 tro de Ordiales, a port in Biscay, 

 reinvested it on the 25th of April 

 with augmented forces, and on 

 May Ilth carried the place by 

 storm. At length, after long ex- 

 pectation, the delay having doubt- 

 less arisen from the necessity of 

 waiting for the recovery of the 

 numerous sick, the arrival of re- 

 inforcements from England, and 

 the many preparations requisite for 

 opening a campaign, the army 

 under the marquis of Wel- 

 lington moved from its quarters 

 at Freynada, and on May 26th 

 arrived at Salamanca. A division 

 of French infantry with some ca- 

 valry and cannon were still in the 

 town, which they evacuated on his 

 lordship's approach, but not in time 

 to prevent a considerable loss from 

 the British cavalry in their retreat. 

 The troops under sir Rowland 

 Hill came up on the two following 

 days, and were established betv.een 



