APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



235 



to bring Joseph Buonaparte to a 

 general action, or force him to 

 quit Madrid. 



Accordingly I moved from 

 Cuellar on the 6th instant. We 

 arrived at Segovia on the 7th, and 

 at St. Ildefonso on the 8th, where 

 I halted one day, to allow the 

 right of the army more time to 

 come up. 



No opposition was made to the 

 passage of the troops through the 

 mountains : and Brig.-Gen. D'Ur- 

 ban, with tlie Portuguese cavah-y, 

 and 1st light battalion of the Kjng's 

 German, and Captain M'Donald's 

 troop of horse artillery, had been 

 through the Guadarama pass since 

 the 9th. He moved forward on 

 the morning of the 11th from the 

 neighbourhood of Galapagas, and 

 supported by the heavy cavalry of 

 the King's German Legion from 

 Torrelodones, he drove in the 

 French cavalry, about two tiiou- 

 sand in number, and placed him- 

 self at Majalahonda, with the 

 Portuguese cavalry and Captain 

 M'Donald's troop, and the cavalry 

 and light infantry of the King's 

 German Legion at Las Royas, 

 about three quarters of a mile 

 distant. 



The enemy's cavahy, which had 

 been driven ofiF in the morning, 

 and had moved towards Naval 

 Carnero, returned about five in 

 the afternoon ; and Brigadier-Gen. 

 D'Urban having formed the Por- 

 tuguese cavalry in front of Maja- 

 lahonda, supported by the horse 

 artillery, ordered the cavalry to 

 charge the enemy's leading squa- 

 drons, which appeared too far ad- 

 vanced to be supported by their 

 main body. The Portuguese ca- 

 valry advanced to the attack, but 

 unfortunately turned about before 



they reached the enemy ; and they 

 fled through the village of Maja- 

 lahonda, and back upon the Ger- 

 man dragoons leaving behind them, 

 unprotected and unsupported, those 

 guns of Captain M'Donald's troop, 

 which had been moved forward to 

 co-operate with the cavalry. By 

 the activity of the officers and 

 soldiers of Captain M'Donald's 

 troop, the guns were, however, 

 moved oft"; but owing to the un- 

 favourable nature of the ground 

 over which they were moved, the 

 carriage of one was broken, and 

 two others were overturned ; and 

 these three guns fell into the ene- 

 my's hands. 



The Portuguesedragoons having 

 fled through Majalahonda, were 

 rallied and reformed upon the 

 heavy dragoons of the King's Ger- 

 man Legion, which were formed 

 between thatvillageandLas Royas. 

 The German cavalry charged the 

 enemy, although under many dis- 

 advantages, and stopped their 

 further progress ; but I am sorry to 

 say, that they suffered considerable 

 loss, and that Colonel Jonqueires, 

 who commanded the brigade, was 

 taken prisoner. The left of the 

 army was about two miles and aa 

 half distant, at the Puente de Ra- 

 tamar, on the Guadarama river; 

 and Colonel Ponsonby's brigade of 

 cavalry, and a brigade of infantry 

 of the 7th division, having moved 

 forward to the support of tlie troops 

 in advance, the enemy retired upon 

 Majalahonda as soon as they ob- 

 served these troops ; and night 

 having come on, they retired upon 

 Alcorcon, leaving our guns at Ma- 

 jalahonda. 



I am happy to report that the 

 officers of the Portuguese cavalry 

 behaved remarkably well, and 



showed 



