Estimate of the French loss--Anecdote of Colonel Waters--Lord Wellington’s great conceptions explained--How impeded--Affairs in the south of Spain--Formation of the fourth and fifth Spanish armies--Siege of Campo Mayor--Place falls--Excellent conduct of major Tallaia--Beresford surprises Montbrun--Combat of cavalry--Campo Mayor recovered--Beresford takes cantonments round Elvas--His difficulties--Reflections upon his proceedings--He throws a bridge near Jerumenha and passes the Guadiana--Outposts of cavalry cut off by the French--Castaños arrives at Elvas--Arrangements relative to the chief command--Beresford advances against Latour Maubourg, who returns to Llerena--General Cole takes Olivenza--Cavalry skirmish near Usagre--Lord Wellington arrives at Elvas, examines Badajos--Skirmish there--Arranges the operations--Political difficulties--Lord Wellington returns to the Agueda--Operations in the north--Skirmishes on the Agueda--Massena advances to Ciudad Rodrigo--Lord Wellington reaches the army--Retires behind the Dos Casas--Combat of Fuentes Onoro--Battle of Fuentes Onoro--Evacuation of Almeida 489 CHAPTER VI. Lord Wellington quits the army of Beira--Marshal Beresford’s operations--Colonel Colborne’s beats up the French quarters in Estremadura, and intercepts their convoys--First English siege of Badajos--Captain Squires breaks ground before San Cristoval--His works overwhelmed by the French fire--Soult advances to relieve the place--Beresford raises the siege--Holds a conference with the Spanish generals, and resolves to fight--Colonel Colborne rejoins the army, which takes a position at Albuera--Allied cavalry driven in by the French--General Blake joins Beresford--General Cole arrives on the frontier--Battle of Albuera 523 CHAPTER VII. Continuation of the battle of Albuera--Dreadful state of both armies--Soult retreats to Solano--General Hamilton resumes the investment of Badajos--Lord Wellington reaches the field of battle--Third and seventh divisions arrive--Beresford follows Soult--The latter abandons the castle of Villalba and retreats to Llerena--Cavalry action at Usagre--Beresford quits the army--General Hill reassumes the command of the second division, and lord Wellington renews the siege of Badajos.--Observations 542 _Papers relating to the former volumes._ I. Letter from major-general F. Ponsonby 559 II. Note upon the situation of Spain in 1808, dictated by Napoleon 560 APPENDIX. No. I. Returns of the French army in the Peninsula, extracted from the French muster-rolls 567 No. II.