The horse battery upon the French left opened upon our right, and a sharp cannonade was kept up between the batteries. Our light troops in the wood and orchard made a desperate resistance, but were ultimately obliged to fall back upon the flanks of the buildings. As the French approached the banked-up hedge that masked the loop-holed wall, they pressed up to it, thinking our troops were behind it; but they were suddenly brought to a stand, by an efficacious fire through the loop-holes and from the scaffold over the top of the wall: most of their advance were brought down, and those who followed were staggered, without being able to make out whence the fire came that caused such havock in their ranks; little thinking that a masked battery of muskets was within forty yards of them. They at length perceived whence this well-directed fire came; still they returned with redoubled fury to the attack, in hopes of carrying this important post. Not thinking it prudent to attempt an escalade, they covered themselves, as best they could, by the banked-up hedge and trees, and continued a dropping fire upon the wall, which was so peppered as to lead one to suppose they had an idea of battering it down with musketry, or mistook the red bricks for our red coats. At length some of the more daring, and there were many in their ranks, rushed over the hedge up to the wall, and seized the muskets which protruded through the loop-holes. The enemy were making their way through a gap, out of the wood, into the large orchard, when lord Saltoun charged them with his light troops and drove them back. Our howitzers upon the right of the main ridge began again plying with shells the enemy in the wood: they falling back, and our men moving on slowly, the shells were thrown in another direction, upon some supports. The enemy were again reinforced, and pressed on in a most daring manner.