after the enemy to
Panella, where it was joined by another, under General Nightingale,
and on the enemy seeing how closely they were followed they retreated
from Miranda de Corno, setting fire to that town also. We again fell
in with them on the banks of a river near the village of Poz de Aroce,
where a brisk attack was made on them by the British, and they were
driven from the river in great confusion with a loss of some four
hundred men or more. It has been reported that numbers were even
killed by their own side, through the darkness of the night and the
confusion arising from their not having expected an attack then.

We encamped there one day, and then again pursued the enemy, coming up
with them where they were posted behind the river Alva. There they had
sent out four or five hundred foragers in search of provisions: and
indeed they must have wanted them badly, for even we that had come
from the land of plenty at Torres Vedras were at that time in great
want. We did not, however, let them stay there long enough for the
suppliers to return, for we opened fire on them, and forced them to
retreat to Moira, leaving their foraging parties to the mercy of the
English and Portuguese, most of them sooner or later falling into our
hands. We crossed the Alva on a floating bridge and halted near Moira,
as the enemy had now retreated to Celorico; but here Lord Wellington
was obliged to stay the pursuit through want of provisions.

On hearing of the state of Badajoz he had already determined to send
reinforcements to that place, so our division and one of the
Portuguese under General Hamilton, with a brigade of cavalry, were
directed to march southward again and invest Badajoz before that
place's defences could be repaired by the enemy. Accordingly, on the
17th of March, our divisions crossed the Tagus at Tancos, whence we
advanced to Portalegre, halting there for about two days.

Here I think I ought to relate an incident just to show that the
English often committed depredations on the inhabitants almost as bad
as the enemy. We are often too prone to see other people's and
nations' faults, whilst if our own had but the light thrown on them,
they would often come up to, if not exceed, those of our adversaries.

We, at least my company, were billeted in a chapel, at night lying on
straw, which in the morning had to be rolled up neatly in our blankets
so as to make the place look comfortable during the day, a separate
lot