164 ANNUAL REGISTER, ISU. 



on the morning of the 26th, and 

 moved along the high road from 

 Peyiehorade towards Orthes, on 

 the enemy's right. As he ap- 

 proached, Lieutenant-General Sir 

 Stapleton Cotton crossed with the 

 cavahy, and Lieutenant-General 

 Sir Thomas Picton with the 3rd di- 

 vision, below the bridge of Bereus ; 

 and I moved the Gth and light di- 

 visions to the same point, and 

 Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland 

 Hill orcupied tlie heights opposite 

 Orthes, and the high road leading 

 to Sauveterre. 



The Gth and light divisions 

 crossed on the morning of the 'iTth 

 at daylight, and we found the ene- 

 my in a strong position near Or- 

 thes, with his right on the heights 

 on the high road to Dax, and oc- 

 cupying the village of St. Boes, 

 and his left the heights above Or- 

 thes and that town, and opposing 

 the passage of the river by Sir R. 

 Hill. 



The course of the heights on 

 which the enemy had placed his 

 army, necessarily retired his centre, 

 "while the strength of the position 

 gave extraordinary advantages to 

 the flanks. 



I ordered Marshal Sir W, Beres- 

 ford to turn, and attack the enemy's 

 right with the 4th division under 

 Lieut.-General Sir Lowry Cole, 

 and the 7th division under Major- 

 General Walker and Colonel Vi- 

 vian's brigade of Cavalry; while 

 Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas 

 Picton should move along the great 

 road leading from Peyrehorade to 

 Orthes, and attack the heights on 

 which the enemy's centre and left 

 stood, with the 3rd and Gth difi- 

 sions, supported by Sir Stapleton 

 Cotton with Lord Edward Somer- 

 set's brigade of cavalry. Major- 



General Charles Baron Alten, with 

 the light division, kept up the 

 communication, and was in reserve 

 between these two attacks. I like- 

 wise desired Lieutenant-General 

 Sir Rowland Hill to cross the Gave, 

 and to turn, and to attack the ene- 

 my's left. 



Marshal Sir W. Beresford car- 

 ried the village of St. Boes with 

 the fourth division under the com- 

 mand of Lieut. General Sir Lowry 

 Cole, after an obstinate resistance 

 by the enemy ; but the ground 

 was so narrow that the troops could 

 not deploy to attack the heights, 

 notwithstanding the repeated at- 

 tempts of Major-General Ross and 

 Brigade-Gen. Vasconcello's Por- 

 tuguese brigade ; and it was im- 

 possible to turn the enemy by their 

 right, without an excessive exten- 

 sion of our line. 



I therefore so far altered the plan 

 of the action as to order the imme- 

 diate advance of the 3rd and Gth 

 divisions, and I moved forward 

 Colonel Barnard's brigade of the 

 light division, to attack the left of 

 the height on which the enemy's 

 right stood. 



This attack, led by the 52nd re- 

 giment, under Lieutenant-Colonel 

 Colborne, and supported on their 

 right by Major-General Brisbane's 

 and Colonel Kean's brigades of the 

 3rd division, and by simultaneous 

 attacks on the left by Major-Gen. 

 Anson's brigade of the 4th division, 

 and on the right by Lieutenant- 

 General Sir Thomas Picton, with 

 the remainder of the 3rd division 

 and the Gth division under Lieut.- 

 General Sir Henry Clinton, dis- 

 lodged the enemy from the heights, 

 and gave us the victory. 



In the mean time Lieutenant- 

 General Sir Rowland Hill had 



