294: - SWABEY DIARY. 
end July—When on picket last night the army advanced at 2 
o’clock taking me upon its way. At about 7 we passed through Santa 
Martha and stopped for the day, without a Icaf to shade us, and nothing 
to eat till dark, and of course no baggage. 
3rd July.—We left our ground at Santa Martha at 3 o’clock. 
Geneial Hill with the main body marching on Los Santos. Sir 
William Erskine with the brigade of light cavalry including our troop 
under General Long, and Colonel Campbell’s brigade of Portuguese 
cavalry and 2 brigades of light infantry moving on Villalba where 
there were some French cavalry. We advanced with the light cavalry 
rapidly on the place; they however escaped us. We had a great deal 
of sharp skirmishing with their Hussars and Lancers, and our guns had 
a few shots at them; one of my shots killed 2 of the enemy but the 
General officers would not let us go near enough to do much damage. 
After much manceuvring the whole French cavalry having shewn itself, 
we marched (still without anything to eat) along the banks of the river 
Grandajira which passes Villalba till we came to a position in front of 
Feria, the enemy still mancouvring on our left. We then took up astrong 
position. Atabout 4 o’clock some guns fired on the Portuguese brigade, 
and we with our guns took up a position to oppose them, our howitzer 
only being able to reach them. We killed seven horses and some men, 
how many was not ascertained as they were carried off. We fired 
only four shots, and the infantry that we moved to protect being 
moved under cover, the enemy withdrew their artillery. One shot 
only came amongst us, which knocked down a man and horse but was 
so spent that neither were materially wounded. We did not get off 
‘our horses from 2 this morning, or eat till dark. We then retired into 
a wood and I slept soundly in my cloak. 
4th July.—At 3 o’clock was out with two guns on the plain till 4, 
when all our force marched to join General Hill at Los Santos the 
enemy having moved on Usagre. We got to the army at 9 o’clock, 
when I went with the troop to water at Los Santos and was not off my 
horse or at dinner till 11 at night. 
5th July.—At 3 o’clock the army advanced on the Bienvenida road, 
the light cavalry and horse artillery in advance; coming to a wood on 
the road a picket of the enemy’s skirmished and fled before us. Sir 
William Hrskine’s corps now moved to the left on Usagre, where we 
found a large force of the enemy’s cavalry, whom we drove through 
the town after a sharp skirmish. Had the ground been anything but 
very stony, we could have passed the town and cut off many prisoners. 
The troop fired a few shots, and had we beer well placed or permitted 
to use our own discretion we might bave done much execution. The 
enemy retired on Llera, and when we had thrown out pickets, we went 
through Usagre and encamped between that place and Bienvenida at 
about 6 o’clock, after which we had to cook before anything was to be 
had to eat. 
6th July.—Turned out at 3 but did not move. This day we had 
leave to forage and for the first time to take off our harness. 
7th July—The enemy haying retired on La Granja and Azuaga, 
