GENERAL HISTORY. 



[151 



«>f Lord Wellington to frustrate 

 this purpose. On the 21st the 

 aHied army was concentrated on 

 tlie Tonnes, and the enemy had 

 moved towards the same river. 



Two armies moving in such a 

 confined space of ground could not 

 be long without coming to a ge- 

 neral engagement ; and this result 

 was hastened by the intelligence 

 Lord Welliugton received on the 

 night of the 21st, that General 

 Chauvel had arrived at Polios on 

 the 20th with the cavalry and 

 horse artillery of the northern 

 army, to join Marmont, which he 

 would effect within a day or two. 

 Of the subsequent manoeuvres no 

 exact idea can be formed without 

 plans, and we refer to the gazette 

 account for the particulars. It 

 was evidently the English com- 

 mander's object to find a favour- 

 able opportunity for an attack ; 

 aad this he obtained in the after- 

 noon of the 22nd, by an extension 

 of the enemy's line to the left in 

 order to embrace a post on a hill 

 occupied by the right of the allies. 

 Lord Wellington then, strengthen- 

 ing his right, ordered an attack on 

 the enemy's left, which completely 

 succeeded ; as did likewise an at- 

 tack on the front, in which they 

 were driven successively from 

 height to height. The fate of the 

 battle was for a time suspended 

 by the stand made by a French 

 division, which drove back a di- 

 vision of the allied army, but some 

 troops being brought up in time, 

 success was restored in this quarter. 

 The enemy's right, reinforced by 

 the fugitives from their left, con- 

 tinued to resist, till it was dark, 

 when they at length broke and 

 fled, and the discomfiture of the 

 French army was now complete. 



They were pursued as long as any 

 of them were to be seen together, 

 but the darkness of the night 

 favoured the escape of many. At 

 break of day the pvirsuit was re- 

 newed ; and the cavalry crossing 

 the Tormes, the enemy's rear- 

 guard was overtaken, when their 

 cavalry fled, leaving the infantry 

 to its fate. The pursuit was after- 

 wards continued to Penaranda that 

 night ; and on the 24th the victors 

 were still pursuing the flying 

 enemy. 



Such was the battle of Sala- 

 manca, the most considerable and 

 glorious fought under English com- 

 mand during the present war in 

 Spain. No estimatecould be made 

 of the enemy's loss in the field, 

 which was undoubtedly great. The 

 trophies of victory were returned 

 at eleven pieces of cannon, several 

 ammunition waggons, two eagles, 

 and six colours ; prisoners, one ge- 

 neral, three colonels, three lieu- 

 tenant-colonels, 130 ofiicsrs of in- 

 ferior rank, and between 6 and 

 7,000 soldiers ; and many more 

 prisoners continued to be brought 

 in on the following days. Marshal 

 Marmont was severely wounded, 

 and four French general officers 

 were said to have been killed. 

 The loss on the part of the allies 

 was also considerable, amounting, 

 in killed, wounded, and missing, 

 British and Portuguese, to about 

 5,200. One general officer. Ma- 

 jor-general le Marchant, was killed, 

 and five others were wounded. 

 Of the small share the Spaniards 

 had in this action, fought on their 

 ground, and for their cause, a 

 judgment may be formed from 

 their return of loss, consisting of 

 two killed and four wounded. 

 The victorious army continued 



it« 



