British enter from the south, French from the North.

Reports

Points were allocated 25 for the town, 25 for the hill next to the town and 25 for the hill at the beginning of the British supply line.

The battle of Cadeval opened with the British deploying in strength in order to protect their lines of communications  and the heights behind them. The French decided that the link with Moore was not a concern of theirs and invested the densely populated town of Cadeval and the surrounding heights with 2 divisions leaving the other division and the cavalry to watch over the British. On the right flank the 2nd division under General Tork kept and eye on the French.

The battle grew slowly with both sides being unwilling to move from their positions. The French sent cavalry patrols behind the British lines to ascertain the opposition they were facing as the British pushed slowly forward towards the French lines of communication.

The French and British both received re-enforcements in the middle of the day - the French getting a line brigade they used to shore up their defenses against the advancing British whereas the British got a Veteran brigade that they used to attempt to seize Cadeval - an attack that failed due to French musketry and the density of the mountain town.

Late in the day attempts were made to capture each others lines of communication, the British being successful - the French being stopped by the Portuguese brigade. However the points for the British hill were lost and the French won 25-0 regardless.

French dispatches

A letter from a French Divisional Commander to his brother back in France....

Mon Frere,

I have just been involved in the most peculiar battle against the English in this wasteland called Spain. It started on one bad morning in August (there are no good mornings in Spain) as we turned out from our bivouac to march on the town of Cadeval. The plan as related to me by the Corps Commander was that the Corps would depart our line of communications to move swiftly against the town of Cadeval and the heights to its east. The Corps would arrange itself with the 1st Division on the left against the heights and 3rd Division against Cadeval itself, heavy guns from the Army Reserve were positioned between them. I would be on the right arrayed against the craggy heights dominating the approach to the west of Cadeval. Still further to my right would be the Cavalry Division and the Commander in Chief demonstrating against the English line of communications and the hill protecting it. Any French reserves would be entering to my right as well, on our line of communications.

We had hoped to quickly seize the town and heights which we held as crucial to our success, we would fight a battle there to destroy any attacking English. So crucial in fact that we were willing to allow the English to
move onto our lines of communication to divert their effort as we considered that of secondary importance. The ground in the centre we decided would be the province of English, its broken features being ill suited to our attack columns.

The morning passed in a very strange fashion. The 1st and 3rd Divisions quickly moved onto their objectives and Cadeval was secured without a single English soldier in sight. My Division moved up to the right of Cadeval and stared at that godforsaken rock pile to our front, which (uncharacteristically) seemed to hold no English riflemen what so ever. On my right the Cavalry Division boldly pushed forwards to the heights overlooking English line of communications. In the process they revealed an English Division to the left of the heights.

There was a strange pause at this point. I received orders from the Corps Commander to move onto the rock pile and directed my Division forwards. I was not happy about this order and was very worried at the time as to how I was going to get my guns through that jumble and in the end decided that I would leave them behind if need be. As I made my dispositions the rest of the Corps near Cadeval dawdled while the Corps Commander went on a ride in search of the English. I heard about it later that evening but he was gone the better part of two hours looking for the English before ascertaining that all that was to be found was a single English Division cowering behind the hill to the south of Cadeval. This fit with the normal English practice of hiding behind anything that doesn't move, and boiling and eating everything that does. 

Things were a bit quicker on the right, and as I poked my head out I could see the Cavalry falling back from the hill as two English Divisions boiled out from behind it, joined by the third English Division seen previously.  A lone gun battery that suddenly appeared on the hill crest hinted at more troops skulking there. Meanwhile a single Division, the 4th, from the second Corps had arrived and was moving forwards. As I watched this, new
orders appeared from the Commander in Chief ordering me to move to the right and hold the right flank of the broken ground. At this point it appeared that we had two divisions facing a division on our left, myself in
the rock pile unopposed in the centre and an infantry division and a cavalry division facing parts of four divisions on our right.

The battle appeared to get even more confusing at this point. On my left I could see the Corps prepare to assault the English on the hill. The 1st Division began moving and then the 3rd Division began shuffling out of Cadeval. Into this attack a single Reserve English Division came swiftly moving across the entire front, marching with bands wildly playing as we stared down from the heights. We were now evenly matched on the left, unopposed in the centre, and outmatched two to one on the right. Suddenly the Corps attack was thrown into disarray and the Corps commander rethought his actions in light of new threat. Considering it prudent to retain control of Cadeval and the commanding heights to its east the Divisions retired back to their positions. Then a most interesting thing occurred, the English on the hill came forwards to unmask their gun battery and stopped there, an entire Division watching like some demented spectators at some sort of sporting match as the English Reserve Division went in against Cadeval. 

The long and quick march must have unhinged the English, for they went into the town in three march columns attempting to screen their right with the Guards in line. One column was driven back before reaching the town and a second one retired after a quick exchange, the third column came apart in shock put managed to stay in contact with the town to try and force an entrance. The 3rd Division responded to this by attacking out of the town with two assault columns, one frontally against the line (which fixed it) and another sweeping from the right flank which cleared the remaining column and then the line from the edge of Cadeval. All of this under the gaze of that English Division on the hill.

Meanwhile I was trying to wheel the 2nd Division westwards to assist the right. I was able to quickly get the gun battery into action as it had not entered the rock pile and it was soon in play against the flanks of the centre English Division, bouncing some rounds into the flanks of its advancing columns. As the 2nd Division struggled through the rock pile I could see the right English division come skirting around the rocks heading towards our lines of communication. It was at about this time the Portuguese Division made its appearance from behind the English hill and started to move against the rock pile. I could now see the Portuguese swinging wide to threaten my flank as I reoriented west as well as three English Divisions pushing hard in column against the 4th Division and the Cavalry Division.

This was not an easy battle to follow, nor explain. As the Portuguese meandered forwards, eventually deploying into line that right English division suddenly halted just past the rock pile and its right most regiment swung into line and began to move against my gun battery. By the time it had advanced to musketry range it had taken a rather serious cannonade into it and I had managed to struggle up a regiment to support the gun. Although shaken by the English fire the battery remained in action and in concert with skirmishers firing out of the rock pile managed to drive the English back. Strangely the rest of the Division remained in column and did little for the remainder of the engagement.

As this was going on a gap developed in the English line and the commander in chief decided to take advantage of it by ordering the Cavalry Division through to the English line of communications, simultaneously unmasking ours. Two regiments and a horse battery poured through and dashed for the hill while the remaining regiment charged an English Guards Regiment that had advanced to within musket range. The Guards broke and were pursued across the battlefield by the victorious Chasseurs, sending another English Regiment into a hasty column. Still the English persisted and we were treated to the sight of a lone English regiment marching in column against
our lines of communications. This caused little concern, as we had steeled ourselves for its loss from the beginning.

The thundering movement of our cavalry however was greeted with far more concern by the English and we could see a ripple throughout their line as they tried to readjust. Eventually the Portuguese abruptly about turned
and began to stream back towards the hill against the Cavalry Division. Here and there the odd officer could be seen running about as the evening twilight began to shroud the field in darkness.

That hill seemed to be important to the English, and while we could not control it, neither could they. Their position on our line of communication was more than offset by the positional advantage given to us by Cadeval and its heights. In the end we spent the night listening to the sounds of the English Army withdrawing through the night as they conceded our advantage.

Frere, it was a most peculiar fight. There were few actual clashes and long periods of waiting as commanders on both sides tried to puzzle out the exact situation in this hill country. In the end it was the swift movement of the Cavalry which unnerved the English although I must say the sight of English anywhere near our supplies in this god ridden country sent a shiver down my spine. For several long moments I thought that I would have to drink Spanish Wine for the duration of the campaign!

General Dermé