HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



173 



the coast. Eleven English flat- 

 bottomed boats advanced for the 

 purpose of transporting the army 

 over a large branch of the Huelva, 

 which intersects the road to Mo- 

 guer, and comes a great way to 

 the south and west of Moguer, 

 into the country. By the passage 

 of the Huelva, in the boats, the 

 march was not retarded a mo- 

 ment. It arrived at Moguer, 22 

 miles from the point of disembark- 

 ation, towards eleven in the fore- 

 noon, August 24). The Spaniards 

 forgetting their fatigues, pro- 

 ceeded immediately to attack the 

 French ; who, not expecting such 

 a visit, were driven from the town 

 almost without resistance. They 

 soon rallied, however, and made 

 several attacks on the advanced 

 Spanish line, in order to recover 

 what they had lost. But the Spa- 

 niards stood firm,and repelled their 

 onsets with the utmost bravery. 

 Captain Cockburn in his dispatch 

 to admiral sir R. G. Keates, com- 

 manding the naval force at Cadiz, 

 speaks in the highest terms of the 

 alacrity and ardour with which 

 the Spaniards sustained the fa- 

 tigue of a march of 22 miles, after 

 three successive nights past with- 

 out repose, and of the firmness 

 and valour they displayed in their 

 engagements with the French. 

 These he says had raised his ad- 

 miration to the highest pitch, and 

 added to the liveliness of his hopes 

 that such a people must ultimately 

 prevail and triumph in such a 

 cause. Of General Lacey he says, 

 that he shewed himself worthy to 

 command such men. The cool- 

 ness of the General, his ability, 

 and active bravery, qualified him 

 in a singular manner for the kind 

 of service on which he was then 



employed. The Spaniards were not 

 less liberal in their praises of the 

 English. In the Regency Ga- 

 zette Extraordinary of Cadiz, 

 Aug. 30, it is said, " The Spanish 

 and English Marines contributed 

 in the most distinguished manner 

 to the fortunate success of the en- 

 terprize ; and our allies, and par- 

 licularly captain Cockburn, ac- 

 quired new claims to the gratitude 

 of the Spanish nation." 



Some artillery, ammunition, and 

 other articles being landed from 

 the vessels on the night of the 

 24th, measures were taken for 

 pursuing the enemy. The next 

 day a division advanced, and took 

 possession of the town of Niebla, 

 about ten miles north east from 

 Moguer, to the great joy of the 

 inhabitants, and all the country 

 round. But General Lacey, ap- 

 prised that the French were on 

 their march in great haste to- 

 wards Seville, having destroyed 

 the magazines and batteries, and 

 spiked the guns of Moguer, re- 

 imbarked his troops,and sent them 

 back to Cadiz, where they ar- 

 rived safely on the 30th of Au- 

 gust. Though both captain 

 Cockburn's letter to the English 

 Admiral, and the Regency Ga- 

 zette Extraordinary represent the 

 attacks made on the first line of 

 the Spaniards as desperate, it 

 seems difficult to reconcile this 

 with the circumstance, that the 

 Spaniards took only 12 prisoners, 

 and that the killed and wounded, 

 left on the field of battle accord- 

 ing to the reportof those prisoners, 

 did not exceed 300. The booty 

 taken from the enemy, in trinkets, 

 valuable effects, and some money, 

 was distributed among the troops 

 of the expedition. 



