452 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



major Blake, in pursuit of the ene- 

 my, and destroyed many and took 

 many prisoners. 



On the night of the 1 1 th the ene- 

 my crossed the Douro, and destroy- 

 ed the bridge over that river. 



It was important, with a view to 

 the operations of marshal Beres- 

 ford, that I should cross the Douro 

 immediately; and I had sent major- 

 gen. Murray in the morning with a 

 battalion of the Hanoverian legion, 

 a squadron of cavalry, and two six- 

 pounders, to endeavour to collect 

 boats, and if possible to cross the 

 river at Ovintas, about four miles 

 above Oporto ; and I had as many 

 boats as could be collected brought 

 to the ferry, immediately above 

 the towns of Oporto and Villa 

 Nova. 



The ground on the right bank of 

 the river at this ferry is protected 

 and commanded by the fire of can- 

 non, placed on the height of the 

 Sierra Convent at Villa Nova, and 

 there appeared to be a good posi- 

 tion for our troops on the opposite 

 side of the river, till they should 

 be collected in sufficient num- 

 bers. 



The enemy took no notice of our 

 collection of boats, or of the em- 

 barkation of the troops, till after the 

 firstbattalion (the Buffs) wereland- 

 ed and had taken up their position 

 under the command of lieut.-gen. 

 Paget, on the opposite side of the 

 . river. 



They then commenced an attack 

 upon them, with a large body of 

 cavalry, infantry, and artillery, un- 

 der the command of marshal Soult, 

 ■which that corps most gallantly 

 sustained, till supported, successive- 

 ly by the 48th and 66th regiments, 

 belonging to major-general Kill's 

 brigade, and a Portuguese batta- 



lion, and afterwards by the &rst 

 battalion of detachments belonging 

 to brigadier-gen. Riqhard Stewart's 

 brigade. 



Lieut.-gen. Paget was unfortu- 

 nately wounded soon after the at- 

 tack commenced, when the com- 

 mand of these gallant troops devolv- 

 ed upon major-gen. Hill. 



Although the French made re- 

 peated attacks upon them, they 

 made no impression, and at last 

 major-gen. Murray having appear- 

 ed on the enemy's left flank on his 

 march from Ovintas, where he had 

 crossed, and heutenant.-gen. Sher- 

 brooke, who by this time had avail- 

 ed himself of the enemy's weakness 

 in the town of Oporto, and had 

 crossed the Douro at the ferry be- 

 tween the towns of Villa Nova and 

 Oporto, having appeared upon the 

 right with the brigade of guards, 

 and the 29th regiment, the whole 

 retired in the utmost confusion to- 

 wards Amaranthe, leaving behind 

 them five pieces of cannon, eight 

 ammunition tumbrils, and many 

 prisoners. 



The enemy's loss in killed and 

 wounded in this action has been 

 very large, and they have left be- 

 hind them in Oporto 700 sick and 

 wounded. 



Brigadier-general the honoura- 

 ble Charles Stewart then directed 

 a charge by a squadron of the 14th 

 dragoons, under the command of 

 major Hervey, who made a suc- 

 cessful attack on the enemy's rear 

 guard. 



In the different actions with the 

 enemy, of which I have above 

 given your lordship an account, we. 

 have lost some, and the immediate 

 services of other valuable officers 

 and soldiers. 



In lieutenant-gen. Paget, among 



the 



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