482 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



up a smart cannonade for some 

 hours, but were forced to retire by 

 the guns from the fort ; and every 

 thing has since remained quiet in 

 that quarter. Chatham. 



Middlebur^h, Aug. 8. 

 My lord ; Since closing my dis- 

 patch of yesterday's date, the ene- 

 my, towards five o'clock in the 

 evening, in considerable force, made 

 a vigorous sortie upon the right of 

 our line occupied by major-gene- 

 ral Graham's division. The attack 

 was principally directed upon our 

 advanced piquets, which were sup- 

 ported by the 3rd battalion of the 

 royals, the 5th and 35th regiments 

 under col. Hay. Thesecorps, toge- 

 ther with detaclmientsof the royal 

 artillery, the 95th, and light batta- 

 lions of the King's German legion, 

 received the enemy with their ac- 

 customed intrepidity; and, after a 

 sharp contest of some duration, 

 forced him to retire with very con- 

 siderable loss in killed, wounded, 

 and prisoners. In this affair the 

 enemy has had another opportunity 

 of witnessing the superior gallantry 

 of British troops; in no instance 

 has he succeeded in making the 

 least impression throughout our 

 line ; and on this occasion, so far 

 from profiting by his attempts, he 

 has been obliged to relinquish 

 some very advantageous ground 

 where our advanced posts are now 

 established. 1 cannot too strongly 

 express my sense of the unremitting 

 vigilance and ability manifested by 

 maj.-gen. Graham, in securing and 

 maintaining his post against the 

 repeated attempts of the enemy to 

 dislodge him ; and I have great 

 satisfaction in acquainting your 

 lordship, that the major-general 

 mentions, in terms of the warmest 

 approbation, the distinguished con- 



duct and gallantry of the officers 

 and troops engaged on this occa- 

 sion. Chatham. 



[_Here Jbllotvs an abstract re- 

 turn of ordnance, ammunition, and 

 stores, taken Jrom the enemy. '\ 



From the London Gazette, Sep- 

 tember 2. — A Dispatch of tuhich 

 the folloxjoing is a copy, ixias, on 

 the 30th ult„ received at the 

 office of Lord Viscount Castle- 

 reagh, one of his Majesty^ s 

 Principal Secretaries of State, 

 from Lieutenitnt-General Lord 

 Viscount Wellington, dated De- 

 leytosa, 8th August, 1809. 



Deleylosa, Aug. 8, 1809. 

 iMy lord ; I apprized your lord- 

 ship, on the 1st instant, of the ad- 

 vance of a French corps towards 

 the Puerto de Banos, and of the 

 probable embarrassments to the 

 operations of the army, which its 

 arrival at Placentia would occa- 

 sion ; and these embarrassments 

 having since existed to a degree so 

 considerable as to oblige us to fall 

 back and to take up a defensive 

 position on the Tagus, I am in- 

 duced to trouble you more at 

 length with an account of what has 

 passed upon this subject. 



When I entered Spain, I had a 

 communication with general Cues- 

 ta, through Sir Robert Wilson and 

 colonel Roche, respecting the oc- 

 cupation of the Puerto de Banos, 

 and the Puerto de Perales, the 

 former of which it was at last set- 

 tled should be held by a corps to 

 be formed under the marquis de la 

 Reyna, to consist of two battalions 

 from general Cuesta's armj', and 

 two from Bejar ; and that the Pu- 

 erto de Perales was to be taken 

 care of by the Duque del Parque, 



by 



