[Nov. 1. 
SS4 State of PuMk /ffiairs in October, 
V wv 
©f cannon from Ciudad Rodrigo, in such a 
direceion, as that it was douhttu! whether 
they would attempt to ascend the hill by En- 
cina El Bodon, or by the direct road towards 
Fuente Guinaldo j and I was not certain by 
which road they would make their attack, 
till they actually commencsd it upon the 
last. 
As soon as I saw the direction of their 
inarch, I had reinforced the ‘2d battalion 5th 
regiment, which occupied the post on the 
hill, over which the road passes to Guinaldo, 
by the 77th regiment, and the 23st Portu¬ 
guese regiment, under the command of Ma¬ 
jor-general the Hon. C. Colville, and Ma¬ 
jor-general Alten’s brigade, of which only 
three squ^rons remained which had not 
been detached, drawn from El Bodon j and 
ordered there a brigade of the fourth division 
from Fuente Guinaldo, and afterwards from 
El Bodon the remainder of the troops of xhe 
3d division, with the exception of those at 
Pastores, which were too distant. 
In the mean time, however, the small body 
of troops in this post sustained tlie attack of 
the enemy’s cavalry and artillery. One regi¬ 
ment of French dragoons succeeded in taking 
two pieces of canlion which had been posted 
on a rising ground on the right of our troops j 
but they were charged bv the second batta¬ 
lion nth regiment, under the command of 
JN'lajor Ridge, and tlie guns were immediately 
^e-taken. 
While this operation were going on on the 
flank, an attack was made on the front by 
another leginieot, which was repulsed in a 
similar manner by the 77th, and the three 
squadrons of Major-general Alten’s brigade 
charged repeatedly different bodies of the 
■?nemy, which ascended the hill on the left 
■•t the two regiments of British infantry ; the 
Portuguese regiment being posted in the rear 
of their right. 
At le.ngth the division of the enemy’s in¬ 
fantry, which had marched with the ca¬ 
valry from Ciudad Rodrigo, were brought up 
to the attack on the road of Fuente Guinai- 
do, and, seeing that they would arrii*e and be 
engaged before the troops could arrive either 
from Guinaldo or F.l Bodon, J determined to 
Withdraw our post, and to retire with the 
whole on Fuente Guinaldo. The IM batta¬ 
lion 5th regiment and the 77th regiment 
..vere foi-fiied into one square, and the 21st 
Portuguese regiment into another, supported 
by hlujor-gen. Alten’s small body of cavalry 
sad the Portuguese artillery. 
The enemy's cavalry immediately rushed 
forward, and obliged our cavalry to retire to 
the support of the Portuguese 5 and the odi 
and 77th regiments were charged on three 
faces of the square, by the French cavalry, 
but they halted and repulsed the attack with 
the utmost steadiness and gallantry. We 
then continued the retreat aad joined the re¬ 
mainder of the 3d division, also formed in 
squares, gd. thsir march to Fusate Gohiaido ; 
and the whole retired together in the utmost 
order, and the enemy never made another 
attempt to charge any of them, but were 
satisfied with firing upon them with thcii 
artillery, and with following them. 
Lieutenant-colonel Williams with hla 
light infantry, and the Hon. Lieuc-colonel 
Trench, with the 74th regiment, retired from 
Pastores across the Aguedo, and thence 
marched by Robleda, where they took some 
prisoners, and re-crossed the Agueda^ ani 
joined at Guinaldo in the evening. 
I placed the 3 d and 4th divisions, and Ge¬ 
neral Pack’s brigade of infantry, and Major- 
general Alten’s, Major-general D.e Grey's, 
and Major-general Slade’s, brigades of cavalry 
in the position of Fuente Gainaldo on the 
evening of the 25th, and ordered Major-gen.. 
Crawford to retire with the light division 
across the Agueda j the 7th division to form 
at .Alburgaria, and Lieutenant-gen. Graham 
to collect the troops under his command at 
Nave De Aver, keeping only posts of obser¬ 
vation on the Azava ; and the troops were 
thus formed into an eschelon, of which the 
centre w’-as in the position at Guinaldo j and 
the right upon the Pass of Perales, and the 
left at Nave De Aver. Mareschal del Campo 
Don Carlos D’Espagne was placed on the left 
of the Coa, and Don Tullan Sanchez was de¬ 
tached with the cavalry to the enemy’s rear. 
The enemy brought up a 2 d division of in¬ 
fantry from Ciudad Rodrigo, in the afternoon 
of the 25th, and in the course'of that night, 
and of the 26th, they collected their whole 
army in front of our position at Guinaldo 5 
and, not deemin*; it expedient to stand their 
attack in that position, I retired about three 
leagues, and,o n the 27th, formed the army 
as follows, viz. the 5 th division on the right, 
at Aldea Velha j the 4th, and light divisions, 
and Major-general Alten’s cavalry, at the 
convent of Sacaparte, in front of Alfayatesj 
the 3d and 7th divisions, in second line, be¬ 
hind Aifayates j and Lieutenant-general Gra¬ 
ham’s corps on the left at Bismula, having 
their advanced guard beyond the Villa Ma- 
icr river, and Lieutenant-general Sir Staple- 
ton Cotton’s cavalry near Aifayates on tlie 
left of the 4th division, and having General 
P.ick’s and General M’Mahon’s brigades, at 
Nebulosa, on their left.' I'he piquets of the 
cavalry were in front of Aldea de Ponte, be~ 
yond the Villa Maior river; and thos'e of 
General A.lten’s brigade beyond the same 
river towards Furcaihos. 
It had been the enemy’s intention to tur.a 
the left of the position of Guinaldo, by 
moving a column into the valley of the Upper 
Azava, and thence ascending the heights 131 
the rear of the position by Castillegos j and 
from this column they detached a division of 
infantry and fourteen squadrons of cavalry to 
follow our retreat by Albergaria, and another 
body of the same strength followed us by 
Furcaihos. The former attacked the piquet# 
of the cavalry at Aldea de and drove 
i 
