185 
ID) aE IN, 1a SE 
LIEUTENANT W. SWABEY, R.H.A., IN THE 
PENINSULA. 
EDITED BY 
COLONEL F. A. WHINYATEHS, late R.H.A. 
(Continued from p. 130, No. 8, Vol. XXT1.), 
Cuaprer V. 
“H” Troop joms the covering army for the 3rd siege of Badajos. Affair 
at Llerena. Siege and storm of Badajos. Return to Portugal. 
24th February.—This morning came an order to march for the 
Alemtejo which is much sooner than we expected, and I had no horses 
to move my carriages with, all the old ones, of which I had many, 
being dead. We contrived, however, without detachments, to get 
horses enough, and march to Caria where I was well put up. Little 
or no forage for the horses but corn. 
The troop marched with the Ist, 6th and 7th divisions of infantry 
and two brigades of cavalry, which, under the command of 
Lieut.-General Graham, together with the force under Lieut.- 
General Sir R. Hill, a total of 30,000 men, were to compose 
the army to cover the siege of Badajos, and were stationed, 
the former about Llerena, the latter in and about Almen- 
dralejos (see Napier, Vol. IV., p. 399). 
25th February.—Marched to Capinha,' part of the road being very 
hilly, we got in, however, by 4 o’clock. Green forage was all we could 
procure. 
26th Hebruary.—Marched by a good route to Atalaya. Still green 
forage. We halted on the road for about ten minutes by a rye-field, 
the men were ordered to cut forage, and in that time filled sacks 
enough for 160 horses. 
_ ath February.—Marched to Alkains, which is the best town and 
the least destroyed I have hitherto seen. Horses on rye. I must not 
omit that Major Downman was here on the 26th and lost his grey- 
hounds. I had the luck to find them, which I record because the 
person in whose house they were shut up, though of some consideration 
in the town, had the impudence, after having tried to make a prize of 
1 The spelling of Spanish and Portuguese names in different maps and books varies so much 
that it is difficult to be correct, but throughout these pages pains has been taken to be as accurate 
as possible, in many cases a competent Spanish authority has been consulted, 
4, VOL. XXII, 
