1809.] 7 
Fraser, marched to, M:jorga. - I sent Sir D. 
Baird with hig division to pass the river Val- 
mira and followed Lieut.-Gen. Hope on the 
25th with the reserve andthe Light Brigades, 
by Majorga, Valderas, to Benevente. The 
cavalry under Lord Paget followed the reserve 
onthe 26th; both the Jatter corps entered this 
place yesterday. We continued our march on 
Astorga, Generals Hope and Fraser are al- 
ready gone on; Sir D, Baird proceeds to-mor- 
row from Valencia; andI shall leave this with 
the reserve at the same time ; Lord Paget will 
remain with the cavalry to give us. notice of 
the approach of the enemy; hitherto their in- 
fantry have not come up; but they are near, 
-and the cavalry is round us in great numbers; 
they are checked by our cava! Iry, which have 
obtained ‘by their spirit and enterprise an as- 
cendancy over that of the French, which no- 
thing but great superiority of mumibers en 
their part will get the better of. 
The diversion made by. cur march to Sa-_ 
hagun, though at great risk to ourselves, has 
been complete ; it remains to be seen what ad- 
vantage the Spaniards in the South will be 
able to take of it; but the march of the French 
on Badajoz was. stopped when its advanced | 
guard had reached Talaveira de la Reine, and 
every thing disposeable is now turned in this 
direction, 
The only part of the. army which has hi- 
therto been engaged with the enemy, has been 
the cavalry, and is it impossible for me to say 
too much in their ptaise. I mentioned to 
your Lordship in my letter of the 16th, the 
success Brigadier-General Stewart had met 
with in defeating a detachment of cavalry at 
Rueda. Since that, few days have passed 
without his killing or taking different parties 
of the French, generally superior in force to 
those which attacked them. On the march to 
Sahagun, Lord Paget had information of six 
er seven hundred cavalry being in that town. 
He marched on the night of the 20th from 
some villages where he was posted In front of 
the enemy at Majorga, withthe 10th and 15th 
Hussars. The tenth marched straight to the 
town, whilst Lord Paget with the 15th endea- 
voured to turnit. Unfortunately he feli in with 
a patrol, one of whom escaped and gave the 
‘alarm. Bythis means the French had time to 
form on the outside of the town before Lord 
Paget got round. He immediately charged 
them, beat them, and took trom 140 to 150 - 
prisoners, amongst whom were two Lieu- 
tenant-Colonels and eleven officers, with the 
loss on our part of six or eight men, and ie 
haps 20 wounded. 
There have been taken by the cavalry from, 
4 to 500 French, besides a considerable num- 
ber killed; this since we begun our march 
from Silanwankal On his march from Sahagun, 
on the 20th, Lord Paget, with two squadrons 
of the 10jh, attacked a detachment of cavalry 
at Majorga, killed 20, and took above 10V 
prisoners. Our cavalry is very ‘superior in 
MontTuLty Mac., No. 184. 
Retreat of the English Army in, Spain. 
-Guard), and two Captains. 
nearly 50 men killed and weunded. 
St 
quality to any the French have; and the right 
spirit has been infused into them by the ex- 
ample and instruction of their two leaders s 
Lord Paget and Brigadier-Gen. Stewart. 
Astorga, Dee. 31. 
Tarrived here yesterday. Major-Gen. Fra- 
ser, with his division, will be at Villa Franca 
this day, and will proceed on Lugo. Lieut. 
Gen. Hope, with his division, stopped yester- 
day two leagues from this, and proceeds this. 
morning, followed by Sir D. Baird. The two 
flank brigades go by the road of Penferada. L- 
shali follow, with the reserve and cavalry, to 
Villa Franca, either this night or to-morrow 
morning, according es] hear the approach of 
the French, The morning I] marched from 
Benevente, seven squadrons of Bonaparte’s 
Guards passed the river at a ford above the 
bridge. They were attacked by Brizadier- 
Gen. Stewart, at the head of the piquets of 
the 18th and 3d German light dragoons, and 
dfiven across the ford. Their Colonel, a Gea 
neral of Division, Lefebvre, was talon, toge- 
ther with about 70 officers and men. 
‘The affair was well contested. The nume 
bers with which Brigadier-Geh. Stewart ate 
tacked were inferior to the French; it is’ the 
corps of the greatest character in the army3 
but the superiority of the British was, Iam 
told, very conspicuous. IT enclose, for your 
Lordship’s satisfaction, Lord Paget’s Report of 
i 
Benevente, Dec. 29. 
Srn—I have the honour to inform you, that 
about nine o’clock this morning I received a 
report that the enemy’s cavalry was in the act 
of crossing the river near the bridge. Limme- 
diately sent down the piquets of the night, un- 
der Lieut.-Colonel Otway, of the 18th. 
Having left orders that the cavalry should re- 
pair to their alarm posts. J’ went forward to 
reconnoitre, and found four squadrons of Im- 
perial Guards formedand skirmishing with the 
picquets and other cavalry inthe act of passing. 
Isent for the 10th hussars, who having arri- 
ved, Brigadier-Gen. Stewart immediately 
placed himself at the head of the picquets, 
and with the utmost gallantry attacked. The 
10th hussars supported in the most perfect ors 
der. 
Theresult of the affair, s so far as Ihave yet 
been able to collect, is about 30 killed, and 
25 wounded, 70 prisoners, and aban the: 
same number of horses. 
It is impossible for me to avoid speaking in 
the highest termsof all those engaged. Lieut.- 
Colonel Otway and Major ‘Bagwell headed 
the respective night picquets. ‘Phe latter is 
slightly wounded. The utmost zeal was con- 
spicuous in the whole of my staff; and I had 
many volunteers from head-quarters, and . 
other officers of your army. Amongst: the 
prisoners isthe General of Division Lefebvre 
(who commands the cavalry of the Imperial 
Our loss is Ifear 
I will 
iM A Beng 
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