An hour before daybreak, the troops stood to their arms, fully expecting to be attacked. The dark shades dispersed; the sun rose; both armies tranquil, notwithstanding their proximity; the enemy were full in view, without a bush, or any obstacle to prevent close quarters. Their right was thrown back in échelon of divisions. I suppose our General-in-chief wished them to come a little nearer, but the Duke of Ragusa was now cautious, for his army was inferior in numbers.
Our position was covered with uncut corn, which served the cavalry for forage, and the infantry for beds. The contending armies caused great devastation, and trampled down the ripe wheat for miles around. The river Tormes ran about two miles in our rear, with two fords. Our division was now withdrawn from the line, and placed as a column of reserve in rear and centre of the army: it protected the fords in our rear, and might be used as a moveable mass either to resist cavalry, or assist where required.
The Earl of Wellington was stationary from morning till night, watching the enemy, generally alone and on foot, at the crest of the hill, and in the centre of the position. His staff approached him one at a time to receive orders. At night the Earl slept on the ground, wrapped in his cloak.
The troops were much inconvenienced for want of water, as the river was at some distance, and only a few men could be spared, since it was impossible to know at what moment the enemy might not attack. Some Spanish ladies came from Salamanca, and walked through our lines. On the third night the French retired; our division took ground to the right, and were posted on the bare and conical hill of Cabrerizos. It appeared necessary that the forts and the command of the bridge at Salamanca should be secured before we made any forward movement. The Duke of Ragusa evidently wished to gain time, and to continue in the vicinity to succour the forts, also to infuse courage into the little garrisons, until his reinforcements should arrive.
The Earl of Wellington remained on the hill of Cabrerizos the whole day. The sun shone with great brilliancy, and it was burning hot. One of the soldiers of the 43d put up a blanket to keep the rays of the sun from his lordship. Our bivouac presented a droll appearance, as the whole division had hoisted blankets in a similar manner. A Spanish muchacha, with sandy hair, named Agueda, from the pueblo of Fuente de Guinaldo, who preferred the sound of the bugle-horn to her domestic occupations, was the sole female to be seen amid the sun-burnt soldiers, and the brilliant masses, that now covered hill and dale, ready at a moment to deploy in battle array. The breaches at the forts were now considered practicable. At about nine o'clock at night the attack commenced; but after some time the firing became slack, and I saw three rockets thrown up from the forts; they were immediately answered by several rounds of artillery from the French army, on a rising ground two leagues to our right, which instantly satisfied me that the assault had not succeeded, and that it was done as a signal that they were still at hand.
On the morning of the 25th, at daylight, we heard some firing on the other side of the Tormes during a dense fog, which at first prevented the force of the enemy from being ascertained. The Earl of Wellington would not move. The soldiers laughed, and said, "Oh, they are only shaking their blankets on the other side of the water;" for in heavy weather musketry produced sounds such as I have described. As the fog cleared away, a few rounds of artillery took place; and the General-in-Chief sent a sufficient body of troops by the ford in rear of St. Christoval to meet the enemy. When the atmosphere cleared, we saw about a division of the French moving towards Salamanca. They were opposed by our heavy cavalry, which had been placed there to secure the flank and rear of our army.
At seven that evening, the French re-crossed, unmolested, to the right bank of the Tormes, by a ford a league to our right. I did not consider the movement a serious one, but merely as intended to encourage the soldiers in the forts to hold out.
On the 27th, St. Vincente being in flames, the enemy permitted our troops to ascend the breaches without opposition. It was a sort of half assault and half surrender. The troops in the other forts also laid down their arms, having suffered severely; and only marched out three hundred out of eight, their original force, and many of those scorched by the flames, or otherwise hurt.
The army now moved forward. Our division supported the cavalry, and advanced towards Ruêda. On the 2d of July, Captain Bull's horse artillery and the cavalry overtook the enemy's rear guard near that place. Although the country appeared open, it was unfit for cavalry, as it was intersected with small vines, the size of gooseberry-bushes. On entering the town, I observed five of the French killed from the fire of the six-pounders.