Military General Orders. The commander in chief has received the King's commands to notify to the army the splendid victory obtained by his troops in Spain, under the command of Lieutenant-General the Right Hon. Sir Arthur Wellesley, on the 27th and 28th of last month, at the battle of Talavera de la Reyna. His Majesty is confident that his army will learn with becoming exultation, that the enemy, after escaping by a precipitate retreat from the well-concerted attack with which Sir Arthur Wellesley, in conjunction with the Spanish army, had threatened him on the 24th of July, coucentrated his force, by calling to his aid the corps under the French Gen. Sebastiani and the garrison of Madrid; and thus reinforced, again approached the allied army on the 27th of July; and, on this occasion, wing to the local circumstances of its position, and to the deliberate purpose of the enemy to direct his whole efforts against the troops of his Majesty, the British army sustained nearly the whole weight of this great contest, and has acquired the glory of having vanquished a French army double their numbers, not in a short and partial struggle, but in a battle obstinately contested on two successive days (uot wholly discontinued even throughout the intervening night), and fought under circumstances which brought both armies into close and repeated combat. The King, in contemplating so glorious a display of the valour and prowess of his troops, has been graciously pleased to command that his royal approbation of the conduct of the army serving under the command of Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley shall be thus publicly declared in general or ders. The commander in chief bas received the King's commands to signify, in the most marked and special manner, the sense his Majesty entertains of Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley's personal services on this memorable occasion, not less displayed in the result of the battle itself, thian in the con summate ability, valour, and military resource, with which the many difficulties of this ardous and protracted contest were met and provided for by his experience and judgment The conduct of Lieut.-General Sherbrooke, second in command, has entitled him to the King's marked approbation. His Majesty has observed, with satisfaction, the manner in which he led on the troops lo the charge with the bayonet, a spe cies of combat, which on all occasions so well accords with the dauntless character of British soldiers. His Majesty has noticed with the same gracious approbation, the conduct of the several general and other officers. All have done their duty; most of them have had occasions of eminently distinguishing themselves, the instances of which have not escaped his Majesty's attention. It is his Majesty's command, that his royal approbation and thanks, shall be given in the most distinct, and most particular manner, to the Don-commissioned officers and private men, In no instance have they displayed with greater lustre their native valour and characteristic energy, nor have they on any former occasion more decidedly proved their superiority over the inVelerate enemy of their country. Brilliant, however, as is the victory obtained at Talavera, it is not solely on that occasion that Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, and the troops under his command, are entitled to his Majesty's applause. The important service effected in an early part of the campaign by the same army, under the command of the same distinguished general, by the rapid march on the Duero, the passage of that river, the total discomfiture of the enemy, and his expulsion from the territory of one of his Majesty's ancient and most faithful allies, are circumstances which have made a lasting impression on his Majesty's mind; and have induced his Majesty to direct, that the operations of this arduous and eventful campaign shall be thus recorded, as furnishing splendid examples of military skill, fortitude, perseverance, and of a spirit of enterprize, calculated to produce emulation in every part of his army, and largely to add to the renown, and to the military character of the British nation. By order of the Right Honour able the Commander in Chief, HARRY CALVERT, Adjt.-Gen. Horse-Guards, 18th August, 1809. From the London Gazette, Satur day, September 9. Dispatches, of which the follow ing are copies and extracts, were this day received at the office of Viscount Castlereagh, one of majesty's principal secretaries of state, from Lieut.-Gen. Viscount Wellington, K. B. Trurillo, August 30, 1809. My Lord-I wrote some days ago a letter to the French Commander-in-chief, which I sent to him by Lieut.-Col. Walters, to request his care and attention to the wounded officers and soldiers of the British army, who had fallen into his hands, in return for the care and attention which I had paid to the French officers and soldiers, who had fallen into my hands at different times; and that he would allow money to be sent to the offcers; and that officers, who should not be deemed prisoners of war, might be sent to superintend and take care of the soldiers, till they should recover from their wounds, when the officers should be sent to join the British army. I received a very civil answer from Marshal Mortier, promising that every care should be taken, and every attention paid to the British officers and soldiers who were wounded; wounded; but stating, that he could not answer upon the other demands contained in my letter, having been obliged to refer them to the commauder in chief. Since the receipt of this letter, Mr. Dillon, the assistant commissary, has arrived from Talavera, having been taken prisoner near Cevolla on the 27th of July, 'previous to the action, and having been allowed to come away. He reports that the British officers and soldiers, who are wounded, are doing remarkably well, and are well fed and taken care of; indeed, he says, preferably to the French troops. I propose to send Colonel Walters with another flag of truce, tomorrow morning, and a letter to the commander in chief of the French army, requesting that a sum of money which I shall send may be given to the officers; and I shall endeavour to establish a cartel of exchange, as soon as possible. -I have the honour to be, &c. ARTHUR WELLESLEY. Lord Viscount Castlereagh, &c. &c. Truxillo, August 21, 1809. My lord-When I marched from Talavera on the 3d inst., with a view to oppose the French corps which we had heard had passed through the Puerto de Banos, and had arrived at Placencia, Sir Robert Wilson was detached upon the left of the army, towards Escalona; and before I marched on that morning, I put him in communication with the Spanish general Cuesta, who it had been settled was to remain at Talavera. I understood that General Cuesta put Sir Robert in communication with his advanced guard, which retired from Talavera on the night of the 4th. Sir Robert Wilson, however, did not arrive at Valada till the night of the 4th, having made a long march through the mountains; and as he was then six leagues from the bridge of Arzo Bispo, and bad to cross the high road from Oropesa to Talavera, of which the enemy was in possession, he conceived that he was too late to retire to Arzo Bispo, and he determined to move by Venta St. Julies and Centinello towards the Tietar, and across that river towards the mountains which separate Castille from Estramadura.c He Some of Sir Robert Wilson's dis patches having missed me, I am not aware by which of the passes he went through the mountains, but I believe by Tornavacas. arrived, however, at Banos on the 11th, and on the 12th was attacked and defeated by the French corps of Marshal Ney, which, with that of Soult, returned to Placencia on the 9th, 10th, and 11th, that of Ney having since gone on towards Salamanca. I enclose Sir Robert Wilson's account of the action. He has been very active, intelligen', and useful, in the command of the Portuguese and Spanish corps with which he . was detached from this army. Before the battle of the 28th of July, he had pushed his parties almost to the gates of Madrid, with which city he was in communication; and he would have been in Madrid, if I had not thought proper to call him in, in expectation of that general action which took place on the 28th of July. He afterwards alarmned the enemy on the right of his army; and, throngh-! out the service, shewed himself to be an active and intelligent partizan, well acquainted with the country in which he was acting, and possessing the confidence of the troops which he commanded. Being persuaded that his retreat was not open by Arzo Bispo, he acted right in taking the road he did, with which he was well acquainted; and although unsuccessful in the action which he fought, (which may well be accounted for, by the superior numbers and description of the enemy's troops,) the action, in my opinion, does him great credit. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) ARTHUR WELLESLEY. The two hundred Spanish infantry in advance of Aldea Neuva, continued, under the direction of Colonel Grant and their officers, to maintain their ground most gallautly, until the enemy's cavalry and chasseurs a cheval, in considerable bodies, appeared on both flanks, when they were obliged to retreat. The enemy's chasseurs a cheval® and cavalry advanced in great numbers in every direction, and pushed to cut off the legion posted between Aldea Neuva and Banos; but, by the steady conduct of officers and men, the enemy could only advance gradually, and with a very severe loss from the commanding fire' thrown on them." The Merida battalion, however, having given way on the right, a Miranda de Castenar, Aug. 13, road was laid open, which cut be 1809. Sir-I have the honour to acquaint you, that I was on march yesterday morning on the road of Grenadelia from Aldea Neuva, to restore my communication with the allied army, when a peasant assured us, that a considerable quantity of dust, which we perceived in the road of Placencia, praceeded from the march of a body of the enemy. Fimmediately returned and took post in front of Banos, with my picquets in advance of Aldea Neuva, selecting such points for defence as the 'exigency of the time permitted. The enemy's cavalry advanced ou: the bigh road, and drove back my small cavalry posts; but a picquet of Spanish infantry, which I had concealed, poured in on the cavalry a steady and well-directed" fire, that killed and wounded many of them. hind our position, and I was obliged to order a retreat on the heights above Banos, when I was again necessitated to detach a corps, in order to scour the road of Monte Major, by which I saw the enemy directing a column, and which road turned altogether the Puerto de Banos, a league in our rear. At this time, Don Carlos Marquis de Estragne came up with his battalion of light infantry, and, in the most gallant manner, took post along the heights commanding the road to Banos, which enabled me to send some of the Merida batta-* lion on the mountain on our left commanding the main road, and which the enemy had tried to ascend. The battalion of light infantry,' the detachment of the legion on its right continued, notwithstanding the enemy's fire of artillery and musketry, to maintain their ground; but, at six o'clock in the evening, three columns of the enemy mounted the height on our left, gained it, and poured such a fire on the troops below, that longer defence was impracticable, and the whole was obliged to retire on the mountains on our left, leaving open the main road, along which aconsiderable column of cavalry immediately poured. The battalion of Seville had been left at Bejar with orders to follow me next day, but when I was obliged to returu, and the action commenced, I ordered it to Puerto Banos, to watch the Monte Major road, and the heights in the rear of our left. When the enemy's cavalry came near, an officer and some dragoons called out to the commanding officer to surrender, but a volley killed him and his party, and then the battalion proceeded to mount the heights, in which movement it was attacked and surrounded by a column of cavalry and a column of infantry, but cut its way and cleared itself, killing a great many of the enemy, especially of his cavalry. The enemy is now passing to Salamanca with great expedition; I lament that I could no longer arrest his progress, but, when the enormous superiority of the enemy's force is considered, and that we had no artillery, and that the Puerto de Banos on the Estremadurau side, is not a pass of such strength as on the side of Castille, especially without guns, I hope that a resistance for nine hours, which must have cost the enemy a great many men, will not be deemed inadequate to our means. I have to acknowledge the services rendered me on this occasion by Colonel Grant, Major Reimas, Don Fermen Marquis, adjutaut major of the dragoous of Pavia, Captain Charles and Mr. Bolman; and to express the greatest approbation of two companies of the Merida battalions advanced in front, and of the Commanding officer and soldiery of the battalions of Se ville, and the Portuguese brigade. I have already noticed the distinguished conduct of Don Carios, and his battalion merits the highest encomiums. I have not yet been able to collect the returns of our loss. From the nature of mountain warfare, many men are missing who cannot join for a day or two, but I believe the enemy will only have to boast that he has achieved his passage, and his killed and wounded will be a great diminution of his victory. I have the honour to be, &c. ROBERT WILSON. Sir A. Wellesley, &c. &c. Truxillo, Aug. 21, 1809. General Cuesta moved his head, quarters from the neighbourhood of the bridge of Arzo Bispo on the night of the 7th instant, to Peraleca de Garbin, leaving an advanc ed-guard, consisting of two divisions of infantry, and the Duke D'Alberquerque's division of ca valry, for the defence of the pas sage of the Tagus at this point. The French cavalry passed the Tagus at a ford immediately above the bridge, at half-past one in the afternoon of the 8th, and surprised this advanced-guard, which retired, leaving behind them all their cannon, as well as those in the batteries constructed for the defence of the bridge. The |