242 
INGILBY DIARY. 
1810. 
Sept. 23rd. 
, 25th. 
■ 20th. 
> 27th. 
Pombal, and on tlie 24th. reached Coimbra. It is situated on the 
Mondego, and we found the reserve parks of ammunition and commis¬ 
sariat depots of the Army here. 
Hearing from some wounded soldiers we met early in the morning 
the armies were in presence of each other, and that a battle was 
expected, leaving one officer to conduct the detachment, we pushed on 
that day and reached Malheada da Surda where I found my Company; 
it was attached to a Brigade of six 9-prs., the largest calibre of 
British Artillery in the Army, the other Brigades and the Troops of 
the Horse Artillery having but 6-prs. 
I was introduced by Captain Lawson to Sir B. Spencer, who com¬ 
manded the 1st Division of the Army. 
Heard musketry as we approached the bivouac of the Army, and 
presently after met three wounded Hussars. 
The Brigade marched before daylight. It was a continual ascent 
until we reached the top of a very high ridge, and here we found the 
Army already formed in line. 
Our guns were placed at the most commanding point of the position, 
near the walls of the Convent of Busaco, and gave us a most exten¬ 
sive view of the country, which appeared as an immense plain before 
us, for many leagues. 
Columns of the French were opposite, upon the edge of the plain, 
but much lower, and the valley which ran between their columns and 
the foot of the ridge of Busaco, on which Lord Wellington had taken 
up his position, was deep and rugged, and difficult to pass from the 
steepness of both its sides. 
At a considerable distance we could perceive other Corps of the 
French advancing, and, as they successively arrived in the evening, 
the advanced posts engaged. 
We fired a few rounds with good effect; a sergeant of the Company 
was wounded in the head by a musket ball, but not dangerously. 
The routes by which the French marched, as far as the eye could 
discern, by the villages on fire and still smoking. A finer situation 
could not be imagined to behold the first armies I had ever seen. 
The French advanced in three columns to force our position, but 
were defeated. We commanded their whole attack with the Artillery 
and caused them an immense loss in killed and wounded ; 300 prisoners 
were taken, and amongst them was a General Officer. Firing was kept 
up until night, and recommenced next day from the Artillery and 
advanced posts of both Armies, but the French did not renew their 
attack seriously. 
In the evening their columns seemed to be moving off to their right 
and at 10 o’clock at night we quitted our position and began to des¬ 
cend the hill of Busaco, our left being threatened to be turned. The 
road was bad, and passing through a wood, the excessive darkness of 
the night obliged us to use torches, and the heads of the columns of 
infantry were provided in the same manner. We had not proceeded 
far, when suddenly the drag chains of a gun gave way, and, the descent 
being very steep, the two wheel horses were not a match to keep the 
gun back, and the force of its weight was rapidly hurrying the whole 
