HISTORY OF EUROPE. 193 



seven, and even five miles of each 

 other. On the same general line 

 with Guarda, but some miles lower 

 down, and nearer the plain, are 

 the towns or villages of Sabugal, 

 Alfaytes, Coa, Monqulada, and 

 Fort La Conception. 



From the heights of Pen-hell, 

 Celerico, and Guarda, our army 

 could every day see, at no great 

 distance, the French lines in the 

 plain of Ciudad Rodrigo. The 

 cavalry changed their position, 

 advancing or retreating according 

 to circumstances. Sometimes they 

 descended quite into the plain; 

 when, of course, there was some 

 skirmishing with the French out- 

 posts. 



Such then were the positions of 

 the British army, and such their 

 line of retreat. For though the 

 course of the campaign rendered 

 it advisable to fall back on Lisbon 

 by the valley of the Mondego and 

 Coimbra, it was, no doubt, lord 

 Wellington's first intention to fall 

 back, not by the Coimbra road to 

 Lisbon, but thatof Abrantes, which 

 presented so many advantageous 

 positions for opposing, harassing, 

 and wearing out the enemy; in 

 some of which positions too he had 

 leftgarrisons for covering theflanks 

 of his army, and securing their 

 retreat. With regard to the posi- 

 tion of the French army, it lay in 

 general in the great plain, at the 

 feet of the mountains on which the 

 English and Portuguese remained 

 in the encampments. In this plain 

 are situated the city of Badajoz, 

 Ciudad Rodrigo, and, at a certain 

 distance, Valencia. The whole of 

 the divisions were not stationed in 

 the plain ; but they were all of 

 them 60 posted that they could 

 effect a junction before they could 



Vol. LIL 



be forced to come to a general 



engagement. 



The great object of the French 

 was, to conquer the Peninsula; 

 that of lord Wellington to pre- 

 serve Portugal, 



The cavalry attached to briga- 

 dier-general Crawford's advanced 

 guard remained in the villages 

 near the fort of La Conception 

 till the 21st of July, when the 

 enemy obliged it to retire towards 

 Almeida, and fort Conception was 

 destroyed. From that day, till 

 July the 24th, general Crawfurd 

 continued to occupy a position 

 near Almeida, within 1,800 yards 

 of the fort ; and his left extended 

 towards Zuma. On the morning 

 of the24;th, shortly after day-light, 

 the enemy attacked him in this po- 

 sition with a body of 7,000 infantry 

 and 3,000 cavalry. It was the ob- 

 ject of the enemy to cut off the 

 division under Crawfurd from 

 joining the main army. The bri- 

 gadier, who had only 4,000 infan- 

 try and 600 cavalry, retired bythe 

 bridge across the Coa. A position 

 close in front of the bridge, was 

 maintained as long as it was ne- 

 cessary to give time to the troops 

 that had passed tc take up one be- 

 hind the bridge and the river; and 

 the bridge was afterwards defend- 

 ed with the greatest gallantry. 

 The enemy made three efforts to 

 storm it; all of which were re- 

 pelled, with very considerable loss 

 on both sides. After it was dark, 

 general Crawfurd withdrew the 

 troops from the Coa, and retreated 

 to Carvelhal ; for it did not enter 

 into the plan on which lord Wel- 

 lington conducted the campaign, 

 to support the fifth corps or divi- 

 sion of his army in its advanced 

 positions. He had formed a plan 



O 



