192 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



4th Portuguese regiment, and by 

 the Spanish regiment of Pravia. 



The troops defended their ground, 

 end drove the enemy from it with 

 the bayonet. Seeing the import- 

 ance of this hill to our position, I 

 reinforced it with the 40th regi- 

 ment ; and . this regiment with 

 the Spanish regiments of EI Prin- 

 cipe and Pravia held it from this 

 time, notwithstanding the repeat- 

 ed eflbrts of the enemy, during the 

 27th and 28th, to obtain possession 

 of it. 



Nearly at the same time that 

 the enemy attacked this height 

 on the 27th, they took possession 

 of the village of Sorausen on the 

 road to Ostiz, by which they ac- 

 quired the communication by that 

 road, and they kept up a fire of 

 musketry along the line till it was 

 dark. 



We were joined on the morning 

 of the 28th by the sixth division of 

 infantry, and I directed that the 

 heights should be occupied on the 

 left of the valley of the Lanz ; and 

 that the sixth division should form 

 across the valley in rear of the left 

 of the fourth division, resting their 

 right on Oricain, and their left 

 upon the heights above-men- 

 tioned. 



The sixth division had scarcely 

 taken up their position when they 

 were attacked by a very large force 

 of the enemy, which had been as- 

 sembled in the village of Sorausen. 



Their front was, however, so 

 well defended by the fire of their 

 own light troops from the heights 

 on their left, and by the fire from 

 the heights occupied by the fourth 

 division and brigadier-general 

 Campbell's Portuguese brigade, 

 that the enemy were soon driven 

 back with immense loss, from a 



fire on their front, both flanks, and 

 rear. 



In order to extricate their troops 

 from the difficulty in which they 

 found themselves in their situation 

 in the valley of the Lanz, the 

 enemy now attacked the height on 

 which the left of the fourth division 

 stood, which was occupied by the 

 seventh Capadores, of which they 

 obtained a momentary possession. 

 They wereattacked, however, again 

 by the seventh Cafadores, sup- 

 ported by major-general Ross, at 

 the head of his brigade of the 

 fourth division, and were driven 

 down with great loss. 



The battle now became gene- 

 ral along the whole front of the 

 heights, occupied by the fourth 

 division, and in every part in our 

 favour, excepting where one bat- 

 talion of the tenth Portuguese re- 

 giment of major-general Camp- 

 bell's brigade was posted. This bat- 

 talion having been overpowered, 

 and having been obliged to give 

 way immediately on the right of 

 major-general Ross's brigade, the 

 enemy established themselves on 

 our line, and major-general Ross 

 was obliged to withdraw from his 

 post. 



I, however, ordered the 27th and 

 48th regiments to charge, first that 

 body of the enem\' which had first 

 establishedthemselves onthe height, 

 and next those on the left. Both 

 attacks succeeded, and the enemy 

 were driven down with immense 

 loss; and the 6th division having 

 moved forward at the same time 

 to a situation in the valley nearer 

 to the left of the 4th, the attack 

 upon this front ceased entirely, and 

 was continued but faintly on other 

 points of our line. 



In the course of this contest, the 



