208 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



bled to turn the the enemy's works 

 for die defence of the other two, 

 the attack of which would besides 

 be connected by the troops des- 

 tined to attack the breach in the 

 curtain. 



This breach was effected in the 

 evening of the 6th, and the fire 

 of the face of the bastion of 

 Santa JMaria and of the flank of 

 the bastion of La Trinidad being 

 overcome, I determined to attack 

 the place that night. 



I had kept in reserve, in the 

 neighbourhood of this camp, the 

 5th division, under Lieut.-General 

 Leith, which had left Castile only 

 in the middle of March, and had 

 but lately arrived in this part of the 

 country, and I brought them up 

 on that evening. 



The plan for the attack was, that 

 Lieut.-Gen. Picton should attack 

 the castle at Badajoz by escalade 

 with the 3rd division ; and a de- 

 tachment from the guard in the 

 trenches, furnished that evening by 

 the 4th division, under Major Wil- 

 son of the iSth regiment, should 

 attack the ravelin of St. Roque up- 

 on his left ; while the 4th division, 

 under the Hon. Maj.-Gen. Col- 

 ville, and the light division under 

 Lieut. -Colonel Bernard should at- 

 tack the breaches in the bastions 

 of La Trinidad and of Santa Ma- 

 ria, and in the curtain by which 

 they are connected. The 5th divi- 

 sion were to occupy the ground 

 which the 4th and light divisions 

 had occupied during the siege, and 

 Lieut.-General Leith was to make 

 a false attack upoi the outwork 

 called Pardeleras, and another on 

 the works of the fort towards the 

 Guadiana, with the left brigade of 

 the division, under Major-General 

 Walker, which he was to turn into 

 a real attack, if circumstances 



should prove favourable ; and 

 Brigadier-Gen. Power, who in- 

 vested the place with his Portu- 

 guese brigade on the right of the 

 Guadiana, was directed lo make 

 false attacks on the tCte-du-pont, 

 the fort St. Christoval, and the new 

 redoubt called Mon-cceur. 



The attack was accordingly 

 made at ten at night, Lieut.- 

 Gen. Picton preceding, by a few 

 minutes, the attack by the remain- 

 der of the troops. 



Major-General Kempt led this 

 attack, which went out from the 

 right of the first parallel ; he was 

 unfortunately wounded in crossing 

 the river Rivellas below the inun- 

 dation ; but notwithstanding this 

 circumstance, and the obstinate re- 

 sistance of the enemy, the castle 

 was carried by escalade, and the 

 8rd division established in it at 

 about half-past eleven. 



While this was going on, Major 

 Wilson, of the 48th regiment, 

 carried the ravelin of St. Roque 

 by the gorge, with a detachment 

 of two hundred men of the 

 guard in the trenches, and, with 

 the assistance of Major Squire, of 

 the engineers, established himself 

 within that work. 



The 4th and light divisions 

 moved to the attack from the camp, 

 along the left of the river Rivellas, 

 and of the inundation. They were 

 not perceived by the enemy till 

 they reached the covered way, and 

 the advanced guards of the two 

 divisions descended without diffi- 

 culty into the ditch, protected by 

 the fire of the parties stationed on 

 the glacis for that purpose ; and 

 they advanced to the assault of the 

 breaches, led by their gallant offi- 

 cers, with the utmost intrepidity ; 

 but such was the nature of the ob- 

 stacles prepared by the enemy at 



the 



