Chapter XXIV

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Victor retreats across the Tagus 1

Alburquerque proposed for the command in La Mancha 2

Plan of detaching a Spanish force toward Segovia 4

Jealousy entertained of Cuesta 5

Sir Arthur confers with Cuesta 6

He requires that the passages toward the north be occupied 7

Junction of the British and Spanish armies 8

Opportunity of attacking the French lost by Cuesta’s indecision 9

Distress of the British army for means of transport 10

Sir Arthur halts 12

Cuesta advances in pursuit of the French 12

Junction of Joseph and Sebastiani with Victor 13

Cuesta’s vanguard attacked by the French 14

Alburquerque saves Cuesta from defeat 15

Cuesta retreats to the Alberche 16

Sir Arthur prevails on him to cross that river 16

Position of the allies in front of Talavera 17

Sir Arthur nearly made prisoner 18

Battle of Talavera 19

Cuesta decimates some of his troops 29

State of Talavera 31

Movements of Sir Robert Wilson 32

Movements of Soult, Ney, and Mortier 33

Cuesta neglects to secure the passes 33

Intelligence of Soult’s advance 34

Soult occupies Plasencia 35

Sir Arthur marches against him 36

Cuesta determines to follow Sir Arthur 38

Cuesta joins the British 39

They retreat across the Tagus 40

Colonel Mackinnon removes part of the wounded 41

Defeat of the Spaniards at Arzobispo 43

Movements of Marshal Ney 45

Action with Sir Robert Wilson at the Puerto de Baños 46

The French enter Talavera 48

Victor behaves well to the English wounded 49

Murder of the Bishop of Coria 50

Venegas’s army kept inactive before and after the battle of
Talavera 51

His useless attempt upon Toledo 53

He complains of Cuesta 55

The Intruder’s movements after the battle 56

Venegas prepares to fight at Aranjuez 57

Aranjuez and its gardens 59

The French repulsed there 63

Deliberations concerning the army of La Mancha 63

Venegas resolves to attack the enemy 65

The French attack him 66

Battle of Almonacid 67