iai2.] State of Public A fairs in Beccmhev. 
Hussars, who skirmished with his rear-guard, 
i was shortly afterwards informed, that the 
whole of the enemy’s force had lefcCaceres j 
but the want of certainty as to the direction 
he had taken, and the extreme badness of the 
weather, induced me to halt the Portuguese 
and the British troops at Malpartida for that 
night. The Spaniards moved on to Caceres. 
Having received certain information that 
the enemy had marched on Torre Mocha, I 
put the troops at Malpartida in motion on the 
morning of- the 27ch, and advanced by the 
road leading to Merida, through Aldea del 
Cano and Casa de Don Antonio, being a 
shorter route than that followed by th.e ene¬ 
my, and Vhich afforded a hope of being able 
to intercept and bring him to actioii; and I 
was here joined by the Spaniards from Cace¬ 
res. On the march I received information, 
that the enemy had only left Torre Mocha 
that morning, and that he had again baked 
his main body' at Arroyo del Mojino, leaving 
arear-guard at Albaia, which was a satisfac¬ 
tory proof that he was ignorant of the move¬ 
ments of the troops under iny command. 
1 therefore made a forced march to Alcu- 
esca that evening, where the troops were so 
placed as to be out of sight of the enemy, and 
no fires were allowed to be made. On my 
arrival at Alcuesca, which was within a 
league of Arroyo del Molino, every thing 
tended to confirm me in the opinion that the 
enemy was not only in total ignorance of my 
near approach, but extremely off his guard; 
andl determined upon attempting to surprise, 
or at least, to bring him to action, before he 
should march in the morning ; and the ne¬ 
cessary dispositions were made for that pur¬ 
pose. 
I he town of Arroyo del Molino Is situated 
at the toot of one extremity of the Sierra of 
Montanches ; tlie mountain running from it 
to the rear, in the form of a crescent, almost 
every-where inaccessible, tlie two points being 
about two miles asunder. The Truxillo Road 
runs round that to the eastward. 
The road leading from the tov/n to Merida 
runs at right angles with that from Alcuesca, 
and tlie road te Medellin passes between those 
to Truxillo and Merida. The ground over 
which the troops had to manrsuvre being a 
plain, thinly-scattered with oak and cork 
trees, my object of course was to place a 
body of troops so as to cut off the retreat of 
the enemy by any of these roads. 
Tile troops moved from their Blvouack 
near Alcuesca, about two o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing of the 28th, in one column right in front, 
direct on Arroyo del Molino, and in the fol¬ 
lowing order; Major-General Howard’s bri¬ 
gade of infantry, (1st baccalion oOth, 7ist, 
and 921, regiments, and one company of the 
ffOth,) Colonel Wilson’s brigade (1st batta¬ 
lion 28th, 2d battalion 3-4th, and 2d battalion 
S9th, and one company of the 60th), 6th 
Portuguese regime.ut of the line, and 6ch Ca° 
cadores, under Colonel Ashworth, the Spa-, 
nish infantry under Brigadier-general Morillo, 
Major-General Long’s brigade of cavalry, 
(2d Hussars, 9th and l3th Light Dragoons,), 
and the Spanish cavalry under the Conde da 
Penne Viliamur, Tliey moved in this order 
unci! within half a mile of the town of Ar¬ 
royo del Molino, v/hen, under cover of a low 
ridge, the column closed, and divided into 
three columns. Major-General Howard’s 
brigade and three six-pounders under Lieu¬ 
tenant-Colonel Stewart, supoorted by Briga¬ 
dier-General Morillo’s infantry, the left; 
Colonel Wilson’s brigade, the Portuguese 
infantry under Colonel Ashworth, two six- 
pounders, and a howitzer, the right, under 
Major-General Howard; and the cavalry the 
centre. 
As the day dawned, a violent storm of 
rain and chick mist came on, under cover of 
which the columns advanced in the direction, 
and in the order which had been pointed oct 
to them. The left column under Lieutenant- 
Coionel Stewart marched direct upon the 
town, the 7Ist, one company of the 60th. 
and tlie 92d regiment at quarter distance, and 
the .50lh in close column somewhat in the 
rear, with tlie guns as a reserve. 
The right column under Major-General 
Howard, having the 39th regifwent as a re¬ 
serve, broke off to the right, so as to turn 
the enemy’s left; and, having gained about 
the distance of a cannon-shot to that flank, 
it marched in a circular direction u[)ou ths 
further point of the crescent on the mountain 
above-mentioned. 
The cavalry, under Lieutenant-General 
Sir William Erskine, moved between the 
two columns of infantry ready to act in front, 
or move round either of them as occasioa 
might require. 
The advance of our columns was unper¬ 
ceived by the enemy until they approached 
very near, at which moment he was filing 
out of the town upon the Merida road ; the 
rear of his colurfin, some of his cavalry, ami 
part of his bagg.age, being still in it; one bri¬ 
gade of his infancry bad marched for Medellin^ 
au hour before day-light. 
The 71st and 92d regiments charged into 
the town with cheers, and drove the enemy 
every-where at the point of the bayonet, 
having a few of their men cut down by the 
enemy’s cavalry. 
The enemy’s infantry which had got out 
of the town, had, by the time those regL 
ments arrifed at the extremity of it, formed 
into two squares, with the cavalry on their 
left; the v/hole were posted between the 
Merida and Medellin roads, fronting Alcu¬ 
esca, The right square being formed within 
half musket-shot of the town, the garden 
walls of which were promptly lined by the 
71st Light Inranlry, while the 92d regiment 
filed ouc and formed line on their right, per¬ 
pendicular to the enemy’s right flanlc, w'hich 
was 
