ed. They looked a fine enough set of men, but they
were fit for scarcely anything except to fall into disorder and
confusion, as we had already found when we had taken the field against
some of them at Monte Video, Colonia, and Buenos Ayres, the smell of
powder often seeming to cause them to be missing when wanted, either
from not having been properly disciplined, or else because they had
not good officers to command them; this, of course, now bringing the
brunt of most of the battles on us.

We often passed marks of the enemy's encampments, and even encamped at
or near the same places ourselves, as close as possible to some river
or large supply of water, a small quantity being of little use for the
purposes of a large body of men like our army, accompanied as it was,
too, by horses and wagons and such things. We never caught sight of
the enemy, however, till we got to Talavera, where we came to an
engagement with the French on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809. The
whole of our line there extended for about two miles, and at times the
whole of it was joining in the general engagement, which came more hot
upon us for the reason before described; a great number of the
Spaniards even throwing down their arms and fleeing, for which conduct
their general, Cuesta, ordered them to be decimated; but eventually,
on the entreaty of Sir Arthur Wellesley, only about forty of them were
killed. General Cuesta, however, really wanted quite as much leading
on as his men, as he was often very obstinate, and refused to fight
when called upon by Sir Arthur Wellesley.

After the first day's battle we encamped on the ground we then
occupied, but the French made another and unexpected attack on us at
night, and at one time had almost gained the heights; but we repulsed
them at last, though after that we had to lie on our arms, expecting
every minute to be again attacked. Some little altercation occurred
with the Spaniards very early in the morning, but it only lasted a
short time; however, about five or six o'clock the French columns were
seen in motion towards our left, and very soon afterwards they
ascended the height to attack us, and were only driven back by the
heavy fire of our musketry, leaving the ground strewn with their dead.
At eleven or twelve o'clock in the day the firing ceased, and a period
of truce was allowed for both armies to collect their wounded, and
convey them to the rear, where, as they lay often intermixed, a
frien