190 SWABEY DIARY. 
horses that have died in it sufficiently proves that it is absolutely use- 
less to send old horses on this or any other service. Rainallday. The 
service at Badajos must be exceedingly hard. 
22nd March.—Rain all day. Many detachments of sick coming from 
the front, and many marching to join their regiments. ‘There were at 
least 300 applications for rations made to us by men who had had none 
‘for some days. In this respect the commissariat management is very 
defective, there being no intermediate place for supply between Badajos 
and the front, and in these towns, as in all other places in Spain and 
Portugal, nothing’ is to be purchased to furnish an Englishman with 
food. We obliged the Alcalde or magistrate to kill some goats for their 
use, but this was scarcely worth their acceptance. 
23rd March.—Heavy rains. Dyneley’s goat was missing and traced 
to a goatherd’s hut where the blood was seen at the door; the servants 
went and burnt the hut, and carried away a flitch of bacon after giving 
the man a very handsome castigation. 
24th March.—Received a route for Villalva, but went to Azeuchal 
in consequence of the former place being too full of troops to contain 
us. Azeuchalis an excellent town, and has more business than any 
other I have passed through ; there are even curtains in the windows, 
tapestry on the walls, and matting on the floors. The bed I slept in 
had a counterpane of green flowered satin with broad edging of silver 
lace and fringe ; fleas turned out to be the luxurious inhabitants of it, 
_and they tormented me all night. 
25th March.—Karly in the morning a man came with an order to 
march from Captain Macdonald, who had gone on to Villa Franca the 
night before and with much difficulty persuaded General Graham to 
allow us to come forward. We started at about 8 o’clock and got 
to Villa Franca by 4. I regretted very much that my time would not 
allow of examining the town; there is a fine church and tower, but our 
_order was to proceed to Usagre, which we reached at 10 o’clock, and 
there found orders to halt 2 hours and push on by the Llerena Road, 
it being intended to surprise 8500 French in that town. At 12 o’clock, 
leaving the howitzer and heavy carriages, we marched with only the 
_ five six-pounders and overtook General Graham, with the Ist, 6th, 
and 7th divisions, at half-past two o’clock. 
26th March.—At half-past two the army was formed on the Llerena 
" Road in three columns; the right, consisting of the 43rd regiment, was 
to make a circuit to the right, round the place, and the 7th division light 
_ troops were to take the same direction, but to form an inner circle; the 
centre column, composed of the 1st and 6th divisions, was to enter the 
town; the cavalry, viz., the 4th, 3rd and Ist Dragoons, and the 3rd and 
’ 5th Dragoon Guards, with Bull’s troop, under Sir Stapleton Cotton, being 
- on their left flank, whilst all baggage was ordered to stop at Usagre. 
- We were attached to the Ist division and were to force the town and 
- gates. - In this order we advanced just before daybreak, sanguine and 
certain of success. Unfortunately, numbers of led horses and all the 
staff got to the front, and the enemy’s patrol firing, they galloped back 
