HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



183 



In the mean time Sir Arthur 

 Wellesley, after his return from 

 the pursuit of marshal SouU, had 

 remained long inactive in the vici- 

 nity of Lisbon ; not by any means 

 from his own disposition, which 

 was full of activity and ardour in 

 the cause, and forward and adven- 

 turous in quest of personal repu- 

 tation. He was as anxious as pos- 

 sible to strike some decisive blow ; 

 but before this should be at- 

 tempted, it was necessary that 

 some plan should be concerted of 

 co-operation between him and the 

 Spanish generals, particularly ge- 

 neral Cuesta. Sir Arthur was not 

 more desirous of having the co- 

 operation of general Cuesta, than 

 solicitous that the Spanish general 

 should not make any attempt of 

 importance without that of the 

 English army. Sir Arthur soli- 

 cited and obtained the promise of 

 Cuesta, that he would suspend his 

 operations till the English army 

 had reached the Tagus. It ap- 

 pears from the correspondence be- 

 tween the marquis of Wellesley 

 and secretary Canning, above 

 quoted, that Sir Arthur VVellesIej' 

 had to encounter many obstacles 

 in managing and coming to a clear 

 understanding with the central 

 junta, and that the junta found as 

 much difficulty in calling forth the 

 means and energies of the coun- 

 try ; in guiding general Cuesta, 

 who was a crusty old gentleman, 

 of undoubted bravery and decision 

 of character, but who was consi- 

 dered by most military men as not 

 fitted in any other respect for the 

 command of an army. He was a 

 friend to a kind of harassing war- 

 fare, and not very willing to run 

 the risk of any great and decisive 

 battle. At length, however, a 



plan of operations was concerted 

 between the British and Spanish 

 generals, and both began their 

 march towards Madrid. A com- 

 plete junction of their armies was 

 effected on the 20th of July, and 

 immediate measures were taken 

 for carrying into effect the plan of 

 operations agreed on. Sir Robert 

 Wilson, who commanded a corps 

 of Portuguese to the number of 

 three or four thousand men, which 

 he had brought into a state of ex- 

 cellent discipline, was ordered to 

 proceed to Escalona on the river 

 Alberche; and the corps under 

 Venegas advanced to Argonda. 

 The main strength of the allied 

 army marched on towards Ollala, 

 where the enemy was posted. 



After the junction and march of 

 the allied armies up the valley of 

 the Tagus towards the French 

 under Victor, when an engage- 

 ment began to be daily expected, 

 prayers for their success were of- 

 fered up at the cathedral church 

 of Seville, at which the central 

 junta assisted in a body. 



On the 26th of July, general 

 Cuesta's advanced guard was at- 

 tacked near Torrijos, and obliged 

 to fall back to the left bank of the 

 Alberche. The French army re- 

 mained still at Ollala, thereby in- 

 dicating an intention to try the 

 result of a general action. For 

 this the best position appeared to 

 Sir Arthur Wellesley to be in the 

 neighbourhood of Talavera del 

 Reyna, a town half way between 

 Placentia and Madrid, and about 

 sixty or seventy miles distant from 

 both ; and general Cuesta having 

 consented to take up this position, 

 on the morning of the 27th the 

 British general, Sherbrooke, was 

 ordered to retire with his corps to 



its 



