Chapter III

Operations of the first and fourth corps--General state of the
French army--Description of the valley of the Tagus--Inertness
of marshal Victor--Albuquerque and Cartoajal dispute--The
latter advance in La Mancha--General Sebastiani wins the battle
of Ciudad Real--Marshal Victor forces the passage of the
Tagus, and drives Cuesta’s army from all its positions--French
cavalry checked at Miajadas--Victor crosses the Guadiana
at Medellin--Albuquerque joins Cuesta’s army--Battle of
Medellin--Spaniards totally defeated--Victor ordered, by the
king, to invade Portugal--Opens a secret communication with some
persons in Badajos--The peasants of Albuera discover the plot,
which fails--Operations of general Lapisse--He drives back sir
R. Wilson’s posts, and makes a slight attempt to take Ciudad
Rodrigo--Marches suddenly towards the Tagus, and forces the
bridge of Alcantara--Joins Victor at Merida--General insurrection
along the Portuguese frontier--The central junta remove Cartoajal
from the command, and increase Cuesta’s authority, whose army is
reinforced--Joseph discontented with Lapisse’s movement--Orders
Victor to retake the bridge of Alcantara 208