236 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



showed a good example to their 

 men, particularly the Visconde de 

 Barbacena, who was taken pri- 

 soner. The conduct of the brave 

 German cavalry was, I understand, 

 excellent, as was that of Captain 

 M'Donald's troop of horse artillerj\ 

 The light infantry battalion was not 

 engaged. 



The army moved forward yes- 

 terday morning, and its left took 

 possession of the city of Madrid, 

 Joseph Buonaparte having retired 

 with the army of the center by the 

 roads of Toledo and Aranjuez, 

 leaving a garrison in the Retiro. 



It is impossible to describe the 

 joy manifested by the inhabitants 

 of Madrid upon our arrival ; and 

 I hope that the prevalence of the 

 same sentiments of detestation of 

 the French yoke, and of a strong 

 desire to secure the independence 

 of their country, which first induced 

 them to set the example of resist- 

 ance to the usurper, will induce 

 them to make exertions in the 

 cause of their country, which will 

 be more efficacious tiian those for- 

 merly made. 



I have not yet heard that Astorga 

 has fallen ; but the garrison which 

 the enemy left in Tordesillas, about 

 two hundred and sixty in number, 

 surrendered to General Santocildes 

 on the 5th instant. 



I have received no further re- 

 ports of the situation of General 

 Ballasteros since the 21st of July. 

 I have letters from General Joseph 

 O'Donnell and General Roche, of 

 the 26th July ; and the army of 

 Murcia, under the command of the 

 former, was defeated by General 

 D'Harispe on the 21st of July. It 

 appears that the Spanish troops 

 moved forward to attack General 

 U'llarispe's posts at Castalla and at 



Ybi ; those which attacked the 

 former were repulsed with the loss 

 of two thousand men and two pieces 

 of cannon ; those which attacked 

 the latter, under the command of 

 General Roche, conducted them- 

 selves remarkably well, and cover- 

 ed the retreat of the troops under 

 General O'Donnell, and afterwards 

 effected their own retreat in good 

 order, to Alicante. 



Madrid, August 15. 



I have the pleasure to inform 

 your lordship, that the garrison of 

 the Retiro surrendered by capitu- 

 lation yesterday ; and I have now 

 the honour to inclose a translation 

 of the capitulation. 



We invested the place completely 

 on the evening of the 13th; and in 

 the night, detachments of the 7th 

 division of infantry under the com- 

 mand of Major-General Hope, and 

 of the 3rd division of infantry, 

 under the command of Major- 

 General the Hon. E. Pakenham 

 drove in the enemy's posts from 

 the Prado and the Botanical Gar- 

 den, and the works which they 

 had constructed outside of the 

 park-wall ; and having broken 

 through the wall in different places, 

 they were established in the palace 

 of the Retiro, and close to the 

 exterior of the enemy's works, in- 

 closing the building called La 

 China. 



The troops were preparing in 

 the morning to attack those works, 

 preparatory to the arrangements to 

 be adopted for the attack of the 

 interior line and building, when 

 the governor sent out an officer to 

 desire to capitulate, and I granted 

 him the honours of war, the bag- 

 gage of the officers and soldiers of 

 the garrison, &c. as specified in the 

 inclosed agreement. 



I inclose 



