Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 19, Scripture-SUG

"Spain.
i—v_
SPA. [ 530 ] SPA
17th, when they were alfo with- daunted valour of BrititU troops was never move eon-
fpicuou?.
At daybieak on the 18th, the Englilh convoy was
under fail, and on the 19th it had entirely left the Sgaf-
the morning of the
drawn with fimilar order, and without the movement
having been dilcovered by the enemy.
Bv the miremitted exertion of the captains of the
royal navy, who had been entrufted with the lex vice of
embarking the army, and in confequence of the arrange¬
ments made by the agents fur tranlports, the whole of
the forces were embarked with an expedition which has
been feldom equalled. The brigades under Major-ge¬
nerals Hill and Beresford were deftined to remain till
daylight, in order to watch the movements of the ene¬
my. The brigade under General Beresford, which rvas
alternately to form the rear-guard, occupied the land
in front of Corunna, while that under General Hill was
ftationed on the promontory in the rear of the town by
way of referve.
The enemy pufhed his light troops towards the town,
foon after eight o’clock in the morning of the 17th, and
fhortly after occupied the heights of St Lucia, which
commanded the harbour. But notwithllanding t his cir-
cumftance, and the manifold defeats of the place, there
being no apprehenfion that the rear-guard could be for¬
ced, and the difpolition of the Spaniards appearing to
be good, the embarkation of Major-general Hill’s bri¬
gade was commenced and completed by three in the af¬
ternoon. After having fully explained, to the fatisfac-
tion of the Spanilh governor, the nature of the move¬
ment, and having made every previous arrangement,
General Beresford withdrew his corps from the land in
front of the town foon after dark, and was, with all the
wounded that had not previoully been removed, fafely
embarked before one o’clock of the morning of the
-18th.
In this a£Hon the Britilh troops had come off with
glory, and there can be no doubt, from the repulfe of
the French forces, and their fubfequent inaflivity, that
the honour of the viftory belonged to the Britilh. The
victory had indeed coll them dear. They had loll one
of their bell generals ; and probably nearly 1000 men
had been killed.or wounded during the aflion. It had
been achieved at the termination of a long and haraffing
ferviee. The fuperior numbers, and advantageous po¬
sition of the enemy, not lefs than the adlual fituation of
the Britilh army, did not admit of any advantage being
reaped from fuceefs. The lullre of the Britilh arms
had, however, been maintained under the mod difad-
vantageous circumdances. The army which had enter¬
ed Spain amidtl the faired profpedds, had no fooner
completed its junclion, than owing to the multiplied dif-
afters that difperfed the native armies around it, it was
left to its own refources. The advance of the Britilh
troops from the Douro afforded the bed hope, that the
fouth of Spain might be relieved •, but this generous
effort to fave an unfortunate people, alio afforded the
enemy the opportunity of direfling every effort of his
numerous troops, and concentrating all his principal re¬
fources for the dellruflion of the only regular force in
the north of Spain. T'hefe circumdances had produced
the neceffity of rapid and haraffing marches, which had
diminidred the numbers, exhaudtd the drengtb, and im¬
paired the equipment of the army. Notwithdanding
all thefe difad vantages, and thofe more immediately at¬
tached to a defenlive polition, which the imperious ne¬
ceffity of covering the harbour of Corunna, for a time,
liad rendered indifpenlable to affume, the native and un~
nilh coatls.
Notwithllanding the ill fuccefs which had thus att- SecontU-*.
tended the expedition under Sir John Moore, the Ipiritpedition
of patriotifm which appeared dill to a&uate the fouthernunder Sir
provides of Spain, and the hope that the commen caufe^™^*
might there be fupported to greater advantage, induced 1
the Britidr minidry to fend another military, farce to tho
wedern peninfula of Europe, to co-operate with the pa¬
triots who dill continued in arms. Accordingly a bo¬
dy of about 15,000 forces,, under the command of Sir.
Arthur Weiledey, wbofe bravery and good conduct in
the battle of Vimiera, had recommended him, in a par¬
ticular manner, both to the miniilry and the naiiorfy
was difpatched towards the coall of Portugal, where
Marlhal Beresford dill maintained a Britith force
while General Hill, with about 5000 infantry, and 400
cavalry, failed from Ireland with the fame dedinalion.
General Hill arrived at Lifbon on the 4th of April, and
foon after Sir Arthur landed with the main body. Onf
the 7th of April the army moved forward towards the.
Douro, and eroded that river during the night of the-
1 ith, a little above Oporto. Here they fell in with a>
French detachment from the army of the duke of Dal¬
matia, which they routed and put to flight, after &
fliort but well-conteded adlion.
After this adlion the duke of Dalmatia found it ne--
ceffary to retreat. He paffed through the defiles of Sa-
lamonde, and thus gained confiderably on the Britiflr;
army, though he was obliged to leave behind him part
of his artillery. On the 19th of May he was at Alla-'
ritz, and on the 2oth he continued his retreat aerofs.
the Minho, which he paffed at Orenfe, thus leaving
Portugal once more in poffeflion of the Britilh forces.
Sir Arthur Wellefley, after having remained for
fome time in the Portuguefe territory, to refrelh his'
men after the fatigues which they had undergone, ad¬
vanced into Spain, and effe&eda junction with General
Cuella, who then commanded a confiderable part o£
the remains of the patriotic army. In the latter end of
July, the allied army had advanced to Talavera de la
Reyna, in the neighbourhood of which they were en--
countered by a formidable French lorce, confiding ol a
corps commanded by Marlhal Victor, another under
General Sebaltiani, the guards of Jofeph Bonaparte,
amounting to 8000 men, and the garrifon of Madrid,
This large force was commanded by Jofeph Bonaparte
in perfon, affilted by Marlhals Jourdan and Viftor, and
General Sebaltiani. tp'
On the 27th of July, an attack was made by the French'Battie of
army on that of the allies, who had taken up their po-1 alavera.
lition at Talavera. The attack was vigorous, but was-'
repelled with great fpirit and fuecefs, though not with--
out confiderable lofs on the part of the Britiffn
The defeat of this attempt-Avas followed about noon
of the 28th by a general attack of the enemy’s Avhole
force, on the whole of that part of the pofition which-
Avas occupied by the Britilh army. I he general attack
began by the march of feveral columns of infantry into
the valley, Avith a vieAV to attack the height occupied
by Major general Hill. T hefe columns Avere immedi¬
ately charged by the ill German light dragoons, and