230 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



which height they maintained 

 themselves with the enemy 

 throughout the day. The posses- 

 sion by the enemy, however, of 

 the more distant of the Arapiies, 

 rendered it necessary for me to ex- 

 tend the right of the army in po- 

 tence to the heights behind the 

 village of Arapiies, and to occupy 

 that village with light infantry ; 

 and here I placed the 4th division 

 under the command of the ho- 

 nourable Lieut.-General Cole ; and 

 although, from the variety of the 

 enemy's movements, it was diffi- 

 cult to form a s>itisfactory judg- 

 ment of his intentions, I consider- 

 ed that, upon the whole, his objects 

 were upon the left of the Tormes. 

 I therefore ordered the honourable 

 Major-General Pakenham, who 

 commanded the 3rd division in the 

 absence of Lieutenant-General Pic- 

 ton, on account of ill health, to 

 move across the Tormes with the 

 troops under his command, includ- 

 ing Brigadier General D'Urban's 

 cavalry, and to place himself be- 

 hind Aldea Tejada. Brigadier-Ge- 

 neral Bradford's brigade of Portu- 

 guese infantry, and Don Carlos 

 D'Espana's infantry, having been 

 moved up likewise to the neigh- 

 bourhood of Las Torres, between 

 the 3rd and 4<th division. 



After a variety of evolutions and 

 movements, the enemy appears to 

 have determined upon his plan 

 about two in the afternoon ; and 

 under cover of a very heavy can- 

 nonade, which, Iiowever, did us 

 but very little damage, he extend- 

 ed his left, and moved forward his 

 troops, apparently with an inten- 

 tion to embrace, by the position of 

 his troops, and by his fire, our post 

 on that of the two Arapiies which 

 we possessed, and from thence to 



attack and break our line ; or, at 

 all events, to render difficult any 

 movement of our'sto our right. 



The extension of his line to his 

 left, however, and its advance upon 

 our right, notwithstant'ing that his 

 troops still occupied very strong . 

 ground, and his position was well de- 

 fended by cannon, gave me an op- 

 port unity of at tacking him, for which 

 I had long been anxious. I rein- 

 forced our right with the 5th divi- 

 sion under Lieut.-Gen. Leith, which 

 I placed behind the village of Ara- 

 piies, on the right of the 4th di- 

 vision ; and with the 6th and 7th di- 

 visions in reserve ; and as soon as 

 these troops had taken their sta- 

 tions, I ordered the honourable Ma- 

 jor-General Pakenham to move for- 

 ward with the Srd division, and 

 General D'Urban's cavalry ,'and two 

 squadrons of the I4th light dra- 

 goons under Lieutenant-Colonel 

 Her^ey, in four columns, to turn 

 the enemy's left on the heights ; 

 while Brigadier- General Bradford's 

 brigade, the 5th division, under 

 Lieutenant-General Leith, the 4th 

 division, under the honourable 

 Lieutenant-General Cole, and the 

 cavalry, under Lieutenant-General 

 Sir Stapleton Cotton, should at- 

 tack them in front, supported in re- 

 serve by the 6th division, under Ma- 

 jor-Gen. Clinton, the 7th division, 

 under Major-Gen. Hope, and Don 

 Carlos D'Espana's Spanish division, 

 and Brigadier-General Pack, should 

 support the left of the 4th division, 

 by attackingthat of theDos Arapiies, 

 which the enemy held. The 1st and 

 light divisions occupied the ground 

 on the left, and were in reserve. 



The attack upon the enemy's left 

 was made in the manner above de- 

 scribed, and completely succeeded. 

 Major-General the honourable Ed- 

 ward 



