all came the third brigade, leaving a detachment at
the same distance from the rear of the column, as the advanced
guard was from its front.

In moving through an enemy's country, the journeys of an army
will, except under particular circumstances, be regulated by the
nature of the ground over which it passes: thus, though eight,
ten, or even twelve miles may be considered as a short day's
march, yet if at the end of that space an advantageous position
occur (that is, a piece of ground well defended by natural or
accidental barriers, and at the same time calculated for the
operations of that species of force of which the army may be
composed), it would be the height of imprudence to push forward,
merely because a greater extent of country might be traversed
without fatiguing the troops. On the other hand, should an army
have proceeded eighteen, twenty, or even twenty-five miles,
without the occurrence of any such position, nothing except the
prospect of losing a large proportion of his men from weariness
ought to induce a general to stop, until he has reached some spot
at least more tenable than the rest. Our march to-day was, upon
this principle, extremely short, the troops halting when they had
arrived at a rising ground distant not more than six miles from
the point whence they set out; and having stationed the piquets,
planted the sentinels, and made such other arrangements as the
case required, fires were lighted, and the men were suffered to
lie down.

It may seem strange, but it is nevertheless true, that during
this short march of six miles a greater number of soldiers
dropped out of the ranks, and fell behind from fatigue, than I
recollect to have seen in any march in the Peninsula of thrice
its duration. The fact is that the men, from having been so long
cooped up in ships, and unused to carry their baggage and arms,
were become relaxed and enervated to a degree altogether
unnatural; and this, added to the extreme sultriness of the day,
which exceeded anything we had yet experienced, quite
overpowered them. The load which they carried, likewise, was far
from trifling, since, independent of their arms and sixty rounds
of ball-cartridge, each man bore upon his back a knapsack,
containing shirts, shoes, stockings, &c., a blanket, a haversack,
with provisions for three days, and a canteen or wooden keg
filled with water. Under these circumstances, the occurrence of
the position was extremely fortunate,