surrendered, Craufurd fell back on July 16 to Junça, about a mile and a half from Almeida, in Portugal, and on the right bank of the Coa. At daybreak on the 21st the Battalion, with Ross’ battery, advanced towards the Turon to support the cavalry who were driven from Val de la Mula and across the Turon by an advance of the enemy in great force. On this advance the mines which our engineers had formed under Fort Concepcion were fired. The two companies of Riflemen posted there, under Captain O’Hare, proceeded to rejoin the Battalion, and had not long left their position when the work fell with a tremendous explosion. On the 22nd Craufurd fell back to near Almeida, his left protected by the guns of that place, and his right resting on the Coa. During the night of the 23rd the Division was exposed to a violent storm of thunder, lightning and torrents of rain. Day had just begun to dawn on the morning of the 24th, and the troops, which had assembled at their alarm posts, were expecting an order to retire, as all seemed quiet, when the crack of the rifle of one of the advanced sentries announced the approach of the enemy. Marshal Ney, with an overwhelming force, was advancing by the road from Val de la Mula, and attacked and drove in the outlying picquet under Captain the Honourable Keith Stewart, which occupied that road. In resisting this attack, and falling back on the supports, Lieutenant M’Cullock, who was on this picquet, was sabred, and, with several men, taken prisoner.[78] O’Hare’s company were at once ordered in support, and he disposed them behind some walls. Here they waited till Stewart’s picquet, slowly retreating and disputing their ground, came in upon them, followed by a swarm of French tirailleurs. A wing of the 43rd were about a hundred yards in the rear of these Riflemen; and at this moment a shell from Almeida, thrown of course at the French, burst close by, and killed and wounded several Riflemen. O’Hare’s company was now ordered to retire. Half the company did so; the remainder, under Lieutenant Johnston, were still engaged with the French advanced troops, when a troop or squadron of the enemy’s hussars, whom our men, on account of the similarity of the uniform to that of the German hussars, had not noticed, swept round their left flank, and galloping between the Riflemen and their support the 43rd, sabred and rode down many, and caused great confusion. [Illustration: ACTION ON THE COA 24^{TH} JULY 1810. _Drawn by Lieut. G. Goodall, R.E._ _E. Weller, lith., London._ _London: Chatto & Windus._ ]