196 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



by a correspondent movement, 

 placed himself on the right of 

 lord Wellington at Port Alegre 

 and covered that important point 

 in his front, to support general 

 Hill, and on his right to maintain 

 a communication with the line of 

 the Tagus. 



After the fall of Almeida, the 

 plan of Massena began immedi- 

 ately to be unfolded. It was to 

 turn lord Wellington's left. Lord 

 Wellington, to avoid this danger, 

 retreated through the valley of 

 the Mondego, as abovestated, and 

 called the generals Hill and Leith 

 to join him at the strong position 

 of the bridge of Murcelia, on the 

 Alva, where he was determined 

 to make a stand and dispute the 

 passage with the enemy. But 

 Massena, having perceived this, 

 suddenly altered his plan, repassed 

 the Mondego, and threw himself 

 on the road which leads from Vi- 

 zeu to Coimbra, to get possession 

 of the resources presented by that 

 city and the territory adjacent, 

 and to proceed from thence in his 

 march to Lisbon. Lord Welling- 

 ton, penetrating the design of this 

 new movement of Massena, im- 

 mediately determined to cover 

 Coimbra, not with the intention 

 of maintaining this open town as a 

 permanent station. It could nei* 

 ther be defended for any consider- 

 able length of time, nor could 

 have any decisive or material in- 

 fluence on the issue of the cam- 

 paign. But it was cf importance 

 that the inhabitants should have 

 time to retire with their effects. 

 Lord Wellington, therefore, with 

 equal judgment and rapidity, re- 

 passed the Mondego, and threw 



himself between Massena and 

 Coimbra. 



Marshal Massena, on the 19th 

 of September, arrived at Vizeu. 

 " Through ways," says the mar- 

 shal, <' bristling with rocks, we 

 traversed desarts. Not a soul to 

 be seen. Every thing removed, 

 destroyed, or abandoned. The 

 English had the barbarity to 

 order all who should remain at 

 their homes to be shot. Old men, 

 women, and childern — every one 

 fleeing before us."* 



At Vizeu, all the forces of 

 Massena were concentrated on 

 the ^2lst. Here they were ob- 

 liged to hall for three days, in 

 order to give time for bringing 

 up the baggage and park of artil- 

 lery. It was this halt that gave 

 time to lord Wellington to exe- 

 cute the judicious and brilliant 

 manoeuvre of passing from the 

 left to the right of the Mondego. 

 He posted the central division 

 and the left wing of his army on 

 the Sierra Buzaco, which was 

 perpendicular to the course of 

 the Mondego, and covered Co- 

 imbra, leaving at Ponte Murcelia 

 only the corps under general Hill. 

 Massena left that place on the 

 24th, and, on the 26th, arrived, 

 in front of the position of Buzaco, 

 occupied, with the exception just 

 mentioned, by the allied English 

 and Portuguese armies. The 

 British cavalry observed the plain 

 in the rear of its left. 



The Sierra de Buzaco is a high 

 ridge, extending from the Mon- 

 dego in a norlheily direction. At 

 the highest point of the ridge, 

 about two miles from its termina- 

 tion, is the convent and garden of 



* Intercepted letter from Massena to Bertljier. - 



