ABSTRACT
After he had finished his interrupted lunch, Marmont returned to Obelisk Hill. His guns appeared to have subdued the British and all was quiet on the narrow flat-topped crest. He noted that Wellington had taken possession of the village of Arapiles and seemed to be engaged in strengthening his right; then he saw a mighty surge of red-coated ranks southwards and for a few anxious minutes he suspected that the British general, against all expectation, was contemplating an attack. To thicken his defences he hastened forward some additional batteries of artillery to sweep the approaches to Obelisk Hill. He was an old artilleryman himself and had a predilection for that arm.
