178 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



gaining possession of fhese batte- 

 ries, were executed wit!) a prouip- 

 tiiude, precision, and regularity, 

 that would have done honour to 

 the most veteran and experienced 

 troops. The left wing of the Spa- 

 nisii infantry advanced within pistol 

 shot of the French. The first 

 battery was alieady taken. The 

 French cavalry made a charge, 

 in order to regain possession of 

 it. Two regiments of Spanish 

 cavalry and two squadrons of chas- 

 seurs, were ordered to oppose 

 them. But, instead of executing 

 this order, the whole, both cavalry 

 and chasseurs, immediately wheel- 

 ed round, fled before the enemy, 

 and threw the left wing of the 

 Spanish army into confusion. The 

 French, perceiving this, directed 

 their undivided efforts against the 

 right and the center of the Spa- 

 niards. General Cuesta did every 

 thing in his power for the restora- 

 tion of order in his left wing, and 

 to check and repel the attack on 

 his center and right. His efforts 

 were in vain : he was obliged to 

 retreat.— Of this battle of Medel- 

 lin wQ find an account in the ga- 

 zette of king Joseph, dated Ma- 

 drid, April 18. " Ten thousand 

 Spaniards have been killed, and 

 four thousand made prisoners by 

 our light troops ; the rest saved 

 themselves by flight in the best 

 manner they could. Their whole 

 artillery, to the number of twenty- 

 five pieces, with six standards, fell 

 into our hands. The greater part 

 of the upper officers and staff- 

 officers were left on the field. Our 

 loss, in comparison of that of the 

 enemy, appears incredibly small, 

 as this glorious day cost us only 

 three hundred men. The army 

 of Cuesta, and a part of that of 



Andalusia are by this fortunate 

 event annihilated. This victory 

 secures us the conquest of Anda- 

 lusia, the whole of which will be 

 shortly in possession of our troops." 

 Great allowances are to be made 

 for French exaggeration now re- 

 duced to a system ; the proportion 

 of which to the truth some inge- 

 nious men from an accumulation 

 and combination of data have at- 

 tempted to calculate. But it was 

 admitted on all hands, that the 

 loss of the Spaniards in this en- 

 gagement was very great : up- 

 wards of 170 officers were either 

 killed, wounded, or taken prisoners; 

 and the loss in rank and file bore 

 rather a greater than the usual pro- 

 portion to this number of officers. 



The supreme junta issued from 

 Seville a decree, declaring to the 

 Spanish nation that the general 

 of the army of Estremadura and 

 the corps who had withstood the 

 enemy before Medellin, had de- 

 served well of their country. Cu- 

 esta was raised to the rank of 

 captain general ; the officers of 

 his army of whom he reported 

 favourably were advanced one de- 

 gree ; the soldiers were decorated 

 with a badge of honour, and re- 

 ceived for a month from the battle 

 double pay. In this decree no 

 notice was taken of the officers 

 and men to whose misconduct 

 the victory cf the enemy was 

 owing; but general Cuesta, in his 

 general orders, suspended, or, ac- 

 cording to some accounts, ca- 

 shiered three of his colonels, and 

 severely reprimanded the two 

 squadrons of chasseurs, and two 

 regiments of cavalry. The pay 

 of these regiments and squadrons 

 was reduced for the space of a 

 month, and the surplus resulting 



from 



