At the end of a tedious night march, the division bivouacked in the morning on a rising ground, about a mile from Alcala, watching the right bank of the river Henarez, and the cross-road leading from Arganda; the enemy, however, did not make their appearance, and at night we entered the town. The troops lay on their arms under the piazzas, which run through nearly all the principal streets; the inhabitants were so fearful that we might become engaged in the streets, that they illuminated the town for three successive nights.
On the 30th we crossed the Jarama at a bridge near St. Fernando, which was already mined to blow up, and continued our retreat on Madrid. A slight affair also took place more to the right, at Puente Largo, between the van of the enemy and our troops, who had formed a junction with us from Cadiz. The General-in-chief, on the same day, made a movement to his left towards Ruêda, on the left of the Douro, causing the bridges to be destroyed, right and left, on that river, to guard his flanks, to enable him to keep open his communication with his right wing at Madrid, and to cover its rear and left flank while retrograding from that place, through Arevalo to Salamanca.
Towards nightfall, as we approached Madrid, a slight rain fell, and when within a league of the town, the whole of the dismounted cannon taken from the enemy in the Buén Retiro were blown up with a tremendous explosion, which quite convinced us that a retreat was decided on. We hastily traversed, by column of companies, the long walks of the Prádo, which reverberated with the tramping of the soldiers' footsteps, and on passing the last gate of the town without a halt, we observed the bright fires of a portion of our army in bivouac on the distant hills, on the road leading to the Guadarama, which sight completed the gloomy thoughts of many who had formed attachments, and had, until this moment, cherished hopes of once again passing a short time in the society of the fair objects who had captivated their hearts in Madrid. We filed to the summit of the comfortless bleak hills, and as our baggage did not reach us until two hours before daylight, we passed a tolerably uncomfortable night.
At nine o'clock in the morning, with gladdened hearts, we received orders again to advance on Madrid, but our anticipations were of short duration, as we merely halted without the walls to cover the troops who had been marching all night from the direction of Arganda and Aranjuez.
Many of the ladies came on the walks to take their last farewell, and just as we were moving off, forming the rear guard, in the afternoon of the 31st, a beautiful girl, lightly clothed, refused to leave her lover, an English officer in the Portuguese Caçadores, who dismounted, tied his silk handkerchief round her neck, and placed her sideways on his horse. Towards evening the wind blew keenly, and I saw her enveloped in a soldier's great-coat. Many females left their homes in a similar manner with the French officers, and travelled about with the army, on horseback, and astride, clad in uniform of the Polish lancers, or hussars, splendidly embroidered, with crimson trowsers, made very wide, in the Cossack fashion. The ladies of Spain frequently ride astride, with pantaloons and hessian boots, with a habit buttoning up before and behind, and, when they are on horseback, it is unfastened and hangs down on each side, to conceal their legs from view.
On the 1st of November we bivouacked in the park of the Escurial, where two wild boars galloped through the lines, and caused great confusion; a soldier of the 52d was overturned by one of them, which bounded over him without doing any further damage.
During the retreat the enemy did not press us, nor were our marches unusually long; in fact, every thing went on so regularly, that several days' march passed with merely the usual incidents. The whole army from Burgos and Madrid were now in junction, the left marching on the heights of St. Christoval, to cover Salamanca, and the right on Alba de Tormes, to take up a line of defence on the right bank of the Tormes.
On the evening of the 7th, our division reached within a league and a half of Alba, where it drew up until temporary defences were constructed, to resist the enemy at that small town. The country was perfectly open, without a house or tree to be seen, and I was contemplating the dreary prospect, and regretting the loss of my blanket, placed under the saddle of my horse, which I had sent to the rear, sick, on the previous morning. As the night closed on us, the rain began to pour down in torrents; we were without food, or a particle of wood to light fires.
Before daybreak we stood to our arms, looking out for the enemy: what a moment for an engagement, our clothes completely soaked through! At about eleven o'clock, the order came to retire, when we filed through the narrow streets of Alba, and crossed the bridge, where we found sappers hard at work, mining, and laying barrels of powder to blow up the centre arch, if necessary. The river Tormes had swollen considerably, owing to the torrents from the mountains: therefore the fords became difficult and uncertain. Continuing our march on the left of the river, we entered a dripping wood, half-way to Salamanca, when we found our baggage waiting for us. The division being dismissed, all the trees were filled with soldiers, cutting and tearing down huge branches to build huts.
In a short time great fires blazed up in every direction, while the soldiers encircled them with joyful countenances. Having been disencumbered of our drenched clothes, and rations having been served out, we set to work making dumplings; before dark the canteens were laid with smoking tea, rum, hot puddings, and beef. This was, indeed, a relishing and luxurious meal. The whole of the spirits having been exhausted, a heavy slumber (under a tottering hut) put an end to our carousal.