4\2 SWABEY DIARY. 
truly like an English village embosomed in woods and deeply secluded 
in a beautiful valley. It almost seems to have escaped the notice of 
the savage Marmont, as if bearing a semblance to our land of liberty, 
there was a spell that protected it. 
24th September.-—This tract of country owed its ruin to the battle of 
Talavera. After the French advanced from thence they spared nothing 
that came in their way, and as we now draw all our supplies from the 
country, we sent to-day as far as Plasencia for corn; and the prospect 
of want was so great that Lefebure wrote to represent the barrenness 
of our cantonments. ; 
zoth September.—A route to Calsada de Oropesa, six leagues of a 
tolerable pull. I went on to search for quarters and took care that a 
requisition I made for a day’s corn and bread was complied with, 
not without some wry faces from the Alcalde. Our friend Captain 
Thorn being Quarter-Master-General at this place, he took good care 
we should have no occasion to boast of our quarters. We shall to-mor- 
row leave the clutches of these infantry harpies, whom I hope never to 
see again till the day of battle. We passed on our road Oropesa, 
where is a beautiful and perfect Moorish castle, the property of the 
Knights of Oropesa, an order that was established after some heroic 
achievement performed at this place by the Spaniards against the 
Moors, but which is now like all other monuments of their chivalry, 
little attended to, though the order is not extinct. 
This order like many others of the Spanish military ones, is now 
embodied with the Knights of Calatrava! During the struggle 
against the Moors, in conjunction with others they supported armies, 
and finding them generally serving with the troops of the Bishop of 
Plasencia, I conclude this country was the scene of action. La Borde 
does not mention the castle. 
26th September.—After a march of eight leagues through a devas- 
tated country, we arrived at Talavera de la Reyna, famous for the action 
fought there. That was a memorable day for the British army, for 
they only were attacked though the Spanish force was in position; the 
French had at least 40,000 men and Sir Arthur Wellesley but 18,000. 
Owing to the length of the march I had only time to take a distant 
view of the position. I examined the principal height which was 
attacked and carried by the enemy, but retaken by General Hill’s 
brigade. 
The city of Talavera de la Reyna is larger, better built, and has 
more trade than any I have yet met with, the bridge over the Tagus, 
destroyed by Cuesta’ is a fine ruin and is so repaired as to be passable, 
one arch only being cut away. 
1 Knights of Calatrava, a Spanish military order, instituted by Sancho III. King of Spain, about 
the year 1157 4.D., to commemorate the gallant defence of the city of Calatrava against the Moors. 
The statutes of the order, framed by the chapter-general of the Cistercian monks, were sanctioned 
by the Bishop of Toledo in 1164, and afterwards by the Pope.—Chambers’ Encyclopedia. 
2 General Don Gregorio Cuesta, commanded the Spanish armies associated with Wellington in 
the earlier part of the Peninsular War, he resigned the command in August 1809, in consequence 
of a paralytic stroke which deprived him of the use of his left leg.—See Wellington’s Despatches, 
Vol. V., p. 42. 
