Night coming on, the firing died away. Thus ended a battle which bore on the destinies of Europe, by showing the decline of French power in Spain, and leaving the British army for the first time free to pursue their enemy at pleasure. It lasted six hours.—Our line continued its movement. A French cavalry picquet fired on us at ten; the ruse de guerre would not do[40]. We continued to advance until midnight; and bivouacked round a village.
The Duke of Ragusa was carried off the field by a company of French grenadiers. He had manœuvred well, from the 19th till the battle, and had moved round our flank on a half circle.
As morning dawned on the 23rd, the light division advanced, supported by the first division, and crossing the ford, near Huerta, formed en masse in a valley, while the heavy German dragoons ascended the hill, moving on the left of the enemy. After some time we debouched. The Germans made a brilliant charge, and broke the French rear guard, formed on the side of a hill near La Serna. They suffered much. The whole of the enemy had not formed square. I observed five hundred stand of muskets on their left, lying on the ground in line, as if they had been piled and knocked down, and the owners had shifted as well as they could; the muskets were not grounded to the front, but lying sideways. The enemy only formed two squares. I saw a man and horse dead, the rider still in his saddle. They must have received their mortal wounds at the same instant.
On mounting the hill, the enemy's army were in full view, in one great mass. Our horse artillery threw some shot into them. The troops soon halted, and the enemy were seen no more.
[33] Now Lord Combermere.
[34] The company was formed up, and fronting the right flank of our dragoons. We, therefore, had an admirable view of the space between the combatants. The soldiers of the company had made ready, holding their firelocks horizontally, or rather at the charging position, but to have fired would have been rather unchivalric, and would probably have destroyed the valiant French officer, who, though our enemy, was an honour to his country.
[35] Six companies of the second battalion of rifles joined us on the retreat, just arrived from England.
[36] During this campaign only a few Spaniards were attached to each British regiment in our division.
[37] The third division did not pass through Salamanca, when they descended from the hill of Cabrerizos. They forded the Tormes, and passed within a mile in rear of us.