nd all his forces
prisoners of war, to the amount of two thousand men, including three
lieutenant-generals, one major-general, one brigadier, with all the
colonels and officers of the respective regiments. He was greatly
censured for having allowed himself to be surprised; for if he had
placed a guard upon the neighbouring hills, according to the advice of
general Carpenter, he might have received notice of the enemy's approach
in time enough to retire to Cifuentes. Thither he had detached his
aide-camp with an account of his situation on the appearance of the
Spanish army; and Staremberg immediately assembled his forces. About
eleven in the forenoon, they began to march towards Brihuega; but the
roads were so bad that night overtook them before they, reached the
heights in the neighbourhood of that place. Staremberg is said to
have loitered away his time unnecessarily, from motives of envy to the
English general, who had surrendered before his arrival. The troops lay
all night on their arms near Villaviciosa, and on the twenty-ninth were
attacked by the enemy, who doubled their number. Staremberg's left wing
was utterly defeated, all the infantry that composed it having been
either cut in pieces or taken; but the victors instead of following up
the blow began to plunder the baggage; and Staremberg with his right
wing fought their left with surprising valour and perseverance till
night. Then they retired in disorder, leaving him master of the field of
battle and of all their artillery. Six thousand of the enemy were killed
on the spot; but the allies had suffered so severely that the general
could not maintain his ground. He ordered the cannon to be nailed up,
and marched to Saragossa, from whence he retired to Catalonia. Thither
he was pursued by the duke de Vendome, who reduced Belaguer, in which he
had left a garrison, and compelled him to take shelter under the walls
of Barcelona. At this period the duke de Noailles invested Gironne,
which he reduced notwithstanding the severity of the weather; so that
Philip, from a fugitive, became in three months absolute master of the
whole Spanish monarchy, except the province of Catalonia, and even that
lay open to his incursions. Nothing of consequence was achieved on the
side of Portugal, from whence the earl of Galway returned to England by
the queen's permission. The operations of the British fleet, during this
summer, were so inconsiderable as scarce to deserve notice. Sir