"But before we could get ourselves quite disentangled from the wood, the troops on the Barrosa Hill were seen returning from it, while the enemy's left wing was rapidly ascending. At the same time his right wing stood on the plain, on the edge of the wood, within cannon-shot. A retreat in the face of such an enemy, already within reach of the easy communication by the sea-beach, must have involved the whole allied army in all the danger of being attacked during the unavoidable confusion of the different corps arriving on the narrow ridge of Bermesa nearly at the same time. "Trusting to the known heroism of British troops, regardless of the numbers and position of their enemy, an immediate attack was determined on. Major Duncan soon opened a powerful battery of ten guns in the centre. Brigadier-General Dilkes with the brigade of Guards, Lieut.-Colonel Browne's (of the Twenty-eighth) flank battalion, Lieut.-Colonel Norcott's two companies of the second Rifle corps, and Major Acheson with a part of the SIXTY-SEVENTH foot (separated from the regiment in the wood) formed on the right. "Colonel Wheatly's brigade, with three companies of the Coldstream Guards, under Lieut.-Colonel Jackson (separated likewise from his battalion in the wood) and Lieut.-Colonel Barnard's flank battalion, formed on the left. "As soon as the infantry was thus hastily got together, the guns advanced to a more favourable position, and kept up a most destructive fire. "The right wing proceeded to the attack of General Rufin's division on the hill, while Lieut.-Colonel Barnard's battalion, and Lieut.-Colonel Bushe's detachment of the twentieth Portuguese, were warmly engaged with the enemy's tirailleurs on our left. "General Laval's division, notwithstanding the havoc made by Major Duncan's battery, continued to advance in very imposing masses, opening his fire of musketry, and was only checked by that of the left wing. The left wing now advanced firing; a most determined charge by the three companies of Guards and the eighty-seventh regiment, supported by all the remainder of the wing, decided the defeat of General Laval's division. "The eagle of the eighth regiment of light infantry, which suffered immensely, and a howitzer, rewarded this charge, and remained in possession of Major Gough,[18] of the Eighty-seventh regiment. These attacks were zealously supported by Colonel Belson with the Twenty-eighth regiment and Lieut.-Colonel Prevost with a part of the SIXTY-SEVENTH. "A Reserve formed beyond the narrow valley, across which the enemy was closely pursued, next shared the same fate, and was routed by the same means.