176 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



to penetrate the Frencli centre ; 

 which efforts were continued for 

 the space of three hours in vain. 

 Such was the intrepidity and firm- 

 ness of the French battalions to 

 whose lot it fell to sustain their 

 repeated shocks. General O'Don- 

 nel finding all his attempts to cut 

 through the centre of the line 

 useless, made a desperate effort 

 to turn at the same time both 

 flanks of the French. This ma- 

 noeuvre was also in vain. At 

 every point the Spaniards met 

 with effectual resistance in their 

 attempt to turn the right of the 

 French. At this place and pe- 

 riod of the engagement, General 

 Souhara received a wound in one 

 of his temples, which occasioned 

 his loss of an eye. He was car- 

 ried out of the field of battle to 

 have his wound dressed, and in 

 his absence his place of comman- 

 der in chief was abij' supported by 

 Augereau, a General of Brigade 

 in Souham's division. As soon as 

 General Souham'swoundwasdress- 

 ed, he returned to the command 

 of his brave troops, and remained 

 with them the whole of that day. 

 The attempt to outflank the 

 French on the left of their line 

 was made by a column of infantry 

 supported by the whole ofthecaval- 

 ry. But the column of infantry, all 

 of them Swiss, was cut off by a re- 

 giment of dragoons and another of 

 horsemen. The Swiss, to the num- 

 ber of 1 ,000, laid down their arms, 

 and gave up two standards. This 

 double effort to turn the wings of 

 the French army having failed, the 

 Spaniards gave way at everypoint, 

 and were pursued with great 



slaughter, as far as Maga. The 

 ground, the whole vay, was be- 

 strewed with arms and the bodies 

 of dead and wounded men. Those 

 who escaped owed their safety to 

 the vicinity of steep and rugged 

 mountains. Ofthe Spaniards, 3,500 

 were either killed or wounded, 

 and 3,250 sent prisoners to France, 

 In the mean time, while General 

 Souham was engaged with General 

 O'Donnel, the Italian troops form* 

 ing the blockade of Hostalrich 

 were attacked by a host of insur- 

 gents from all parts of the moun- 

 tains. But they were soon de- 

 feated and dispersed, with not a 

 little slaughter; and, at the same 

 time, an attack was made by 2,000 

 Spanish troops ofthe line, 1,500 

 Miquelets, and 200 cavalry, the 

 whole commanded by a Swiss 

 Colonel, on a French post at Bes- 

 sola, but they were driven back 

 with the loss of 300 men beyond 

 Olot.* It appears, even from 

 the French accounts, that the Spa- 

 niards, in the battle of Vich, 

 fought with the greatest bravery 

 and resolution : yet it is stated in 

 Augereau's dispatch, that the 

 loss of the French in all the ac- 

 tions of that day, viz. those of 

 Vich, Hostalrich, and Ressola, 

 did not exceed H8 killed, and 

 273 wounded ! There was no 

 other means used for taking the 

 castle of Hostalrich than a strict 

 blockade, which was made closer 

 and closer. On the night between 

 the 2nd and 3rd of May, a bold at- 

 tempt to throw both provisions 

 and a reinforcement of troops into 

 the castle was frustrated by the 

 vigilance and military skill and 



• Letter from Augereau to the Duke of Feltre, minister at war. Gerona, 28th 

 February, 1810, 



