Advancing into Spain, the FIFTY-THIRD shared in the operations which preceded the battle of _Talavera_, and suffered, in common with other corps, great privation from the want of supplies, the soldiers having no food, on many occasions, excepting corn gathered from the fields. In the action on the 28th of July, two companies of the FIFTY-THIRD particularly distinguished themselves: the other companies of the battalion were in reserve in the first instance; but they were brought forward, and assailing one of the enemy's columns of attack in flank, they greatly contributed to its discomfiture and overthrow, when thirteen pieces of artillery were captured. Sir Arthur Wellesley saw, from a hill at a short distance, the fighting at this part of the field, and sent twice to testify his approbation of the conduct of the brigade. The French were repulsed at all points; and the word "TALAVERA," on the colours of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment, commemorates the gallantry of the second battalion on this occasion: its loss was six soldiers killed; Major Kingscote, Captain Stawell, and twenty-nine rank and file wounded. The following officers were at the battle of Talavera, on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809:-- _Lieut.-Colonel_ G. R. Bingham. _Majors_ W. Thursby and N. Kingscote. _Captains_ H. Parker, John Robinson, O. G. Fehrszen, and J. L. Stawell. _Lieutenants_ J. B. Glew, Charles Ribs, F. H. Fuller, D. Beatty, P. Hovenden, and C. Williams. _Ensigns_ Edward Barlow, George Langton, G. C. Goff, Joseph Nicholson, J. Christie, J. J. C. Harrison, H. Brown, and J. Devenish. _Adjutant_ John Carss. _Surgeon_ J. Sandall. _Assistant-Surgeon_ J. Dunn. _Quarter-Master_--Blackie. The immense superiority of numbers which the French were enabled to bring forward at this period, prevented those decisive results following the victory at Talavera which might have been anticipated: the army withdrew behind the Tagus, and subsequently occupied a position on the Guadiana river, where many soldiers, whose strength had been exhausted by long marches under a hot sun and a scanty supply of provisions, died. In the autumn the battalion went into quarters at Olivença, and in December commenced its march across the country to Guarda in Portugal, where it arrived on the 11th of January, 1810. [Sidenote: 1810]