168 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



2 majors, 5 ca|itaiiis> 6 lieutenants, 

 11 ensigns, 20 ^erjeants, 6 (Irum- 

 mers, 45*2 rank and file, wounded; 



3 Serjeants, y6 rank and tile, mis- 

 sing. 



St. Sever, March 4, 1814. 



My Lord, — The rain which fell 

 in the afternoon of the 1st swelled 

 the Adour, and all the rivulets fall- 

 ing into that river, so conside- 

 rably, as materially to impede our 

 further progress, and to induce me 

 on the next day to halt the army 

 till I could repair the bridges, all 

 of which the enemy had destroyed. 

 The rain continued till last night, 

 and the river is so rapid that the 

 pontoons cannot be laid upon it. 



The enemy had coUectfd a corps 

 at Aire, [)robably to protect the 

 evacuation of a magazine which 

 they had at that place. Sir Row- 

 land Hill attacked this corps on 

 the 2nd, and drove them from their 

 post with considerable loss, and 

 took possession of the town and 

 magazine. 



1 am sorry to have to report that 

 we lost the Hon. Lieut.'Colonel 

 Hood on this occasion, an officer 

 of great merit and promise. In 

 other respects our loss was not se- 

 vere. 



I enclose Sir Rowland Hill's re- 

 port, which affords another in- 

 stance of the conduct and gallantry 

 of the troops under his command. 

 I have, &c. 

 (Signed) Wellington. 

 Thfe Earl Bathurst. 



^yre,iliarcA 3, 1814. 

 My Lord,— in pursuance of 

 your lordship's instructions, I yes- 

 terday advanced with the troops 

 under my command upon the road 

 leading to this place on the left 

 bank of the Adour. 



Upon the arrival of the advanced 

 guard within two miles of this 

 town, the enemy was discovered 

 occupying a strong ridge of hills, 

 having his right flank upon the 

 Adour, and thus covering the road 

 to this place. 



Notwithstanding the strength 

 of his position, I ordered the at- 

 tack, which was executed by the 

 2nd division under Lieutenant-Gen. 

 the Hon. Sir W. Stewart (which 

 advanced on the road leading to 

 this place, and thus gained posses- 

 sion of the enemy's extreme right), 

 and by one brigade of the Portu- 

 guese division under Brigadier- 

 General La Costa which ascended 

 the heights occupied by the enemy 

 at about the centre of his position. 

 The Portuguese brigade succeed- 

 ed in gaining possession of the 

 ridge, but were thrown into such 

 confusion by the resistance made 

 bj' the enemy, as would have been 

 of the most serious consequence, 

 had it not been for the timely sup- 

 [)ort given by the 2nd division untier 

 Lieutenant-General Sir W. Stew- 

 art, who having previously beaten 

 back the enemy directly opposed 

 to him, and seeing them returning 

 to charge the Portuguese brigade, 

 ordered forward the first brigade of 

 the 2nd division, which, led by 

 Major-General Barnes, charged the 

 enemy in the most gallant style, 

 and beat them back, throwing 

 their column into the greatest con- 

 fusion. 



The enemy made various at- 

 tempts to regain the ground, but 

 Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir 

 W. Stewart, having now been 

 joined by Major-General Byng's 

 brigade, was enabled to drive them 

 from all their positions, and finally 

 from this town. 



