180 



ANNUAL REGI1STER, 1809. 



guard on the left side of llie 

 Douro. When the advanced 

 guard of the British array arrived 

 at Verdas Novas, they fell in with 

 the outposts of the enemy, con- 

 sisting of about 4,000 infantry, 

 and a few squadrons of cavalry, 

 strongly posted in the heights 

 above Grijon, having their front 

 covered by wood and broken 

 ground; but their flank was soon 

 turned by a brigade under the 

 command of general Murray ; and, 

 while their right was vigorously 

 attacked by a Portuguese brigade, 

 their center was driven in by a 

 body of riflemen, drawn from dif- 

 ferent companies under the di- 

 rection of major Way. On the 

 night of May 11th, the rear guard 

 of the French crossed the Douro, 

 destroyed the bridge over that 

 river and were closely pursued 

 by our army, which also crossed 

 the Douro, notwithstanding all 

 the endeavours of the French to 

 oppose it at the ferry of Ovintas. 

 About four or five miles above the 

 towns of Oporto and Villa Nova, 

 our troops, after sustaining re- 

 peated attacks, made their appear- 

 ance on both the left and the 

 right flanks of the French, who 

 then retired, as the dispatch to 

 our government states, in the ut- 

 most confusion towards Ama- 

 ranibe, leaving behind them five 

 pieces of cannon, eight tumbrils 

 of ammunition, and many pri- 

 soners.* They were pursued by 

 the British to a short distance, 

 and some skirmishing took place 

 between our advanced guard and 

 the rear of the enemy, in which 

 it was stated we had uniformly 

 the advantage ; Soult, however, 



made good his retreat, it would 

 appear, with very little molesta- 

 tion, though it was said, that in 

 order to render his flight more 

 rapid and successful, he was un- 

 der the necessity of abandoning 

 the greater part of his artillery 

 and baggage. He was pursued 

 by general Beresford as far as 

 Orense^ 



When Sir Arthur Wellcsley's 

 letter to Lord Castlereagh, giving 

 an account of these and other 

 particulars respecting the evacua- 

 tion of Oporto, and what had been 

 done by our array, arrived, his 

 lordship ordered the Park and 

 Tower guns to be fired. 



Sir A. Wellesley, after he gave 

 up the pursuit of Soult, immedi- 

 ately commenced his March to the 

 south of Portugal, where his pre- 

 sence had become necessary to 

 watch the motions of Victor. 



Marshal Ney, when he eva- 

 cuated Corunna, at first took the 

 road towards Vigo. Thither also 

 a body of Spaniards, under the 

 Conde de Norona, were on their 

 way with the twofold view of ob- 

 taining supplies, of which they 

 stood greatly in need, and occu- 

 pying an advantageous defensive 

 position. On the 7th of June the 

 opposite armies met at the bridge 

 of St. Payo, on the small river of 

 Soto-major, within three leagues 

 of Vigo. The Spaniards were 

 9,000 in number, whereof 6,000 

 were armed; and they had some 

 small field artillery, with two 18 

 pounders. The number of the 

 French was 8,000, of which 2,500 

 was cavalry; for artillery, they had 

 only five 12 pounders. After re- 

 peated attacks on the Spaniards, 



See London Gazette extraordinary, May 2*, App. Chron. p. 509. 



on 



