SWABEY DIARY. 119 
tages over Godinot in his retreat. The French however had 
no idea of leaving Tarifa in possession of the allies, accord- 
ingly General Laval with 10,000 men invested it on 20th 
December, and assaulted it on the 31st, but failed. Colonel 
Skerrett made such skilful arrangement by forming interior 
retrenchments, that the French fearing a second repulse 
retired on the night of the 4th of January, 1812.” “ War in 
Spain and Portugal.” J.T. Jones, p. 192. 
The English and Spaniards at Tarifa, commanded by a Spanish 
officer, are justly condemned for not sufficiently assisting Ballesteros. I 
cannot help wishing that we invariably refused to commit our troops 
to the orders of Spaniards,! but I suppose it is necessary to humour them, 
notwithstanding we suffered at Barossa by this system. 
The failure of the Spanish General to support his ally at the battle 
of Barrosa is referred to, it was thus : 
“Tn the spring of 1811, it was resolved to make an offensive move- 
ment to destroy the French works in front of the island of 
Leon at Cadiz. With this object a force of 12,000 Spanish, 
and 5000 English troops under General La Pina, General 
Graham consenting to act under his orders, was formed at 
Tarifa. From whence they marched along the coast on the 
flank of the French to join the remainder of the garrison of 
Cadiz that was to cross by a bridge thrown across the San 
Pedro river, which separated the island of Leon from the 
main land. On the 4th of March the combined force from 
Tarifa reached Vejer, where it was planned that the Spaniards 
leading should march on Conil, and the Hnglish following 
should there unite with them at night and attack the French 
nextday. On the march, General Graham, in compliance with 
an order from La Pina, while moving from the heights of 
Barossa to those of Bermesa to join his ally, discovered on his 
right flank a French corps of about 8000 men under Marshal 
Victor. Aware that if he continued his march the enemy 
might attack him to the greatest advantage, General Graham 
decided to become the assailant, and after a most severe action 
of one and-a-half hours defeated the French with the loss of 
3000 men, six gunsand aneagle. Although within three miles 
and in sight of the battle, La Pina made no attempt to assist 
his ally, and in consequence, General Graham, feeling he could 
have no confidence in acting under a superior who had ex- 
posed the British division to the hazard of destruction, with- 
drew from his command, and retired with his force into the 
island of Leon, and each army resumed its former attitude.” 
(See “ War in Spain and Portugal.” J. T. Jones, p. 181, 
et seq. 
1<*To induce the Spaniards heartily to co-operate with the British and Portuguese, Lord 
Wellington, in 1811, proposed that whenever the troops of the three nations should act together, 
ee etter haying superior rank should command.” “War in Spain and Portugal,” J.T. Jones, 
p. 163. 
