A history of the Peninsular War . long in a remarks, the enemy retreated at first in admirableorder, taking advantage of the many good positions which thecountry offered him. The losses, however, which he sustainedin the continued attacks of our troops, and the danger withwhich he was threatened by General Hills movement, soonaccelerated his pace, and the retreat at last became a flight, withhis troops in the utmost confusion1. This is well borne out byFrench narrators, Before reaching the high road the troops,obliged to use narrow muddy by-paths, or to strike acrosscountry
A history of the Peninsular War . long in a remarks, the enemy retreated at first in admirableorder, taking advantage of the many good positions which thecountry offered him. The losses, however, which he sustainedin the continued attacks of our troops, and the danger withwhich he was threatened by General Hills movement, soonaccelerated his pace, and the retreat at last became a flight, withhis troops in the utmost confusion1. This is well borne out byFrench narrators, Before reaching the high road the troops,obliged to use narrow muddy by-paths, or to strike acrosscountry, with all arms mixed up, and the enemys guns thunder-ing in their rear, experienced a crisis of disorder. The confusionwas augmented when it became known that Hills corps waspressing up the high road. The moment was critical, the hurrygrew more urgent, and the army experienced a long period ofdisunion and disorder which nothing could prevent2. In this1 Dispatches, xi. p. 537. 2 Lapene, p. 266. BATTLE OF OKTHEZ. FEBRUARY 27T 1814. 1814] FLIGHT OF THE FRENCH ARMY 371 condition it poured across the plateau and down the high road,towards the all-important bridge behind it at Sault de and Villatte brought up the rear, making intermittentstands; the van was led by the disbanded battalions of Foy andTaupin, which had never been properly rallied since their defeaton the Dax chaussee. The only serious fighting was at the villageof Sallespisse, when the disordered French troops coming downfrom the plateau passed into the high road. Some of Villattesmen made an obstinate attempt to hold the village, and had tobe evicted by the Black Watch, who were leading the advanceof the 6th Division, not without considerable loss to theattacking party1. For the last three miles towards the bridge of Sault, theFrench army had become a mere hurrying crowd. That itsuffered no greater damage than it did from the British cavalrywas due to the character of the country—cultivated fields
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