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The Pursuit by Keith Rocco.
The first days contest at Fuentes de Onoro between Wellingtons 40,000 man Anglo-Portuguese force and Marshal Massenas 50,000 strong French Army of Portugal ended in the darkness of May 3, 1811. Frontal assaults against the Allied lines had made little headway, and as a result, the French commander determined to regroup and pursue another course of action in order to defeat his enemy, and thus lift the British siege of the French held fortress of Almeida. In the morning of May 5th, Massena sent the bulk of his cavalry -- 2,000 Chasseurs, Hussars and Dragoons -- under Count Louis Pierre Montbrun on a swing around the enemy armys right flank. Supporting French infantry and artillery were soon following the horsemen. In the dawns early light Montbrun was able to out-flank and push back elements of the British 7th Infantry Division and some supporting English horse. For the next two hours the British infantry and cavalry retreated, stood, delayed the French, and retreated again. They were soon joined by the Light Infantry Division and a number of cavalry squadrons sent by Wellington to shore up his crumbling line and allow the entire lot to move to new defensive positions. As the struggling British forces neared the new defensive positions Wellington had directed them to, Ramsay rushed to relieve a sister division of his troop. Firing rapidly at the enemy, and his observations of events hidden by the smoke that was more and more limiting visibility, he was just about to limber to the rear with his guns when he spotted French cavalry closing on his left and right as well as rear! The Pursuit captures Ramsays rush to safety as it ascends a rough ridge line with French mounted forces rapidly closing in from three directions. At this point the horse cannoneers are without any friendly assistance and must rely on their own devices. Help for the fleeing gunners fortuitously arrived in the form of a squadron of the 14th Light Dragoons and portions of the Blues. These, as well as Ramsays stout resistance finally cleared the artillerys path to freedom.
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