HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. [279 



information that a strong party of cavalry were posted at Saha- 

 gun, his Lordship resolved to make an attempt to cut them off. 

 The weather was intensely cold, and the ground covered with 

 snow. Lord Paget began his march at two o'clock in the morning, 

 and before day-light approached the town, and surprised a picquet, 

 but two or three of the men escaped, and gave the alarm. He 

 pushed forward, and discovered the enemy already formed. The 

 ground was particularly unfavourable for Lord Paget, and both 

 parties attempted to flank each other : his Lordship however com- 

 pletely out-manceuvred the enemy, charged, overthrew, and dis- 

 persed them in every direction. The British loss was trifling: 

 the French had many killed, and two lieutenant-colonels, and a 

 number of prisoners, fell into the hands of the English. On the 

 following day the army moved to Sahagun, 12 miles from Saldan- 

 na, the object of attack : Soult was strongly posted behind the 

 Carrion with 18,000 men. Sir John wrote to Romana, who was 

 on the enemy's further flank, to prepare for the united attack on 

 the morrow's dawn. In this state of things, messenger after mes- 

 senger arrived, with intelligence that the French were rapidly ad- 

 vancing on all sides, that Soult had been considerably reinforced, 

 that a corps was advancing from the south ; and, to crown all, an 

 express from Romana announced the advance of Buonaparte in 

 person, with an overwhelming force from Madrid. This informa- 

 tion immediately determined Sir John ; the former orders were 

 countermanded, and immediate preparations made for retreat. 

 This accordingly commenced on the following day, December 24, 

 and on the 25th, the whole army were in full retreat upon Astorga. 

 This retreat, however, was not so precipitate as has been represent- 

 ed ; it was both skilfully and deliberately arranged. On the 29th, at 

 day-break, Sir John followed the divisions of Gens. Fraser and 

 Hope with the reserve, Lord Paget bringing up the rear with the 

 cavalry. But at nine o'clock in the morning, before his Lordship 

 had moved, a party of the enemy's cavalry were observed trying a 

 ford near the bridge that had been blown up, and immediately 

 between 5 and 600 of the Imperial Guards plunged into the river, 

 and crossed over. They were opposed by the British picquets 

 under Colonel Otway, wit', a small party of the 3d dragoons; 

 and the colonel charged them with so much fury that the front 

 squadron broke through, and was for a short time surrounded 

 by the enemy's rear squadron wheeling up. They extricated them- 



