On the morning of the nineteenth his army was discovered drawn up in two lines on each side of the town of Ocaña. There were still some 46,000 infantry and 5,500 cavalry under arms despite of the losses of the late week[98]. The oncoming French army was smaller; though it mustered 5,000 horse it had only 27,000 foot--the Germans and Poles of Sebastiani, Mortier with nearly the whole of the 5th Corps, a brigade of Dessolles’ division, the King’s guards, and the cavalry of Milhaud, Paris, and Beauregard[99]. Victor was too far off to be available; having found the flooded Tagus hard to cross, he was on this day barely in touch with the extreme rearguard of Areizaga’s army which was escorting the train. Being nearly twenty miles from Ocaña, he could not hope to arrive in time for the general action, if it was to be delivered next morn. If Areizaga stood firm for another day, Victor would be pressing him from the flank and rear while the main army was in his front: but it was highly probable that Areizaga would not stand, but would retreat at night; all his previous conduct argued a great disinclination to risk a battle. Wherefore Soult and the King, after a short discussion[100], agreed to attack at once, despite their great numerical inferiority. In the open plain of La Mancha a difference of 16,000 or 17,000 infantry was not enough to outweigh the superior quality and training of the French army. [98] Colborne, in a letter dated December 5, says ‘we had 46,100 infantry and nearly 6,000 cavalry drawn out, in a very bad position.’ He was present all through the campaign, but wrote no full report. [99] Viz. Mortier’s Infantry Divisions (Girard and Gazan), twenty-two batts. [one regiment deducted] about 12,000 men Sebastiani’s Polish Division and German Division (under Werlé and Leval) ” 8,000 ” Rey’s Brigade of Dessolles’ Division of the Central Reserve ” 3,500 ” The King’s Reserves, viz. four guard battalions and three others ” 3,500 ” Milhaud’s Dragoons, five regiments ” 1,800 ” Paris’s Light Cavalry, attached to 4th Corps, three regiments ” 1,000 ” Beauregard’s Cavalry of the 5th Corps, four regiments ” 1,500 ” The King’s Cavalry, one regiment of the Guards, one of Chasseurs ” 700 ” Artillery, Sappers, &c. ” 1,500 ” ------ Total about 33,500 men [100] Joseph declared that he urged instant attack when Soult advised waiting for Victor. See his letter in vol. vii of Ducasse’s _Life and Correspondence of Joseph Napoleon_.