ey as far as
Plasencia, little knowing that Soult was about to sweep round his rear,
with 50,000 men, and intercept his communications with Lisbon. On July
10 he held a conference with the Spanish general Cuesta, who insisted on
making an aggressive movement with his own troops only, and met with a
repulse.

[Pageheading: _THE TALAVERA CAMPAIGN._]

On the 27th, the combined armies of Wellesley and Cuesta, numbering
respectively about 20,000 British and 35,000 Spanish, confronted 46,000
French troops, under Victor, in a strong position behind Talavera.[45]
The Spanish forces occupied the right and the British the left of this
position. Joseph was present, and disregarding the counsels of Jourdan,
his proper military adviser, authorised Victor to assume the offensive.
He failed in two preliminary attacks on the 27th, but renewed them on
the 28th, when a general engagement ensued. The whole brunt of the
battle fell upon the British troops, who gallantly withstood a desperate
onset, first on their left and then on their centre and right, until the
French quitted the field in confusion. The Spaniards, posted in
entrenchments nearer Talavera itself, did and suffered comparatively
little. Some of their regiments fled disgracefully, but the rest held
their ground, and Wellesley in his despatch spoke favourably of their
behaviour.[46] Perhaps the part which they played may be roughly
estimated by their losses, amounting to 1,200, as compared with 6,268
British and nearly 9,000 French. Wellesley, after further experience of
Spanish co-operation, made up his mind to dispense with it altogether in
future.

The victory of Talavera won for Wellesley the rank of viscount, to which
he was raised on September 4, with the title of Wellington. Although the
victory revived the respect of foreign nations for the prowess of
British arms, it was otherwise fruitless, and its sequel was fairly open
to criticism. Wellesley found that Soult, with Ney and Mortier, had
circumvented him, and that he must retreat through Esdremadura, on the
south of the Tagus, upon Badajoz. Cuesta, who had advocated bolder
counsels, undertook to guard the rear, and to protect the British
wounded at Talavera. But he soon found it necessary to abandon that
position. Fifteen hundred of the wounded were left behind, and were
humanely treated by the French generals. Wellesley's retreat over the
mountains was attended with great hardship and loss, for want of
supplies