Intelligence was here received of the enemy’s approach towards Madrid; the division was in consequence put in motion across the Guadarama mountains on the 27th of November towards Villa Castin, at which place Lieut.-General the Honorable John Hope, in consequence of the information he received of the enemy’s movements, made a night march to the left, by Avila and Peneranda, and finally proceeded to Alba-de-Tormes, where a junction was formed with a detachment from the army under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, then at Salamanca. The army under Sir John Moore was shortly afterwards put in motion towards Valladolid, and subsequently to the left, to effect a junction with Lieut.-General Sir David Baird’s division, which had landed at Corunna. Previously to this period, the Spanish armies under General Blake, near Bilboa on the left, General Castanos in the centre, and General Palafox lower down the Ebro on the right, had been completely defeated; Lieut.-General Sir John Moore consequently made arrangements for a retreat on Portugal by Ciudad Rodrigo, but it having been represented to him that Madrid held out against the French, he was induced to form a junction with Lieut.-General Sir David Baird, in order to make a diversion in favour of Madrid, by attacking Marshal Soult on the river Carion. The British force, twenty-nine thousand strong, joined at Toro on the 21st of December, and on the 23d of that month Sir John Moore advanced with the whole army. The cavalry had already met with that of the enemy, and the infantry were within two hours march of him, when an intercepted letter informed the British commander that Napoleon, who had entered Madrid on the 4th of December, was then in full march for Salamanca and Benevente. A retreat on Corunna, through Gallicia, was immediately decided on, that through Portugal being then impracticable. Accordingly the several divisions marched towards the Esla, the greater part crossing by the bridge of Benevente on the 26th of December, when, after a day’s halt, the cavalry, under Lieut.-General Lord Paget and Brigadier-General the Honorable Charles Stewart, had an engagement with some of the Imperial guards that had forded the river Esla under General LeFevre, who was made prisoner with several of his men.