time to the Peninsula, and it embarked from Deal for Lisbon on the
24th of September. Since its embarkation at Corunna, in January,
1809, great events had occurred in Spain, and the French had obtained
possession of Corunna, Bilboa, and all the important places on the
northern coast of that country. Saragossa, after a gallant defence,
had also fallen, and Marshal Soult having overrun Gallicia, marched
into the northern provinces of Portugal, and obtained possession of
Oporto. The small British force which had been left in Portugal, when
Lieut.-General Sir John Moore advanced into Spain, was concentrated
by Lieut.-General Sir John Cradock for the defence of Lisbon.
The British Government resolved to make another effort to save
Portugal from invasion, and also to assist the Spaniards in their
struggle for independence. Accordingly in April 1809, Lieut.-General
Sir Arthur Wellesley was sent with reinforcements to Portugal, and
was appointed to the command of the British army in the Peninsula.
His first object was to dislodge Marshal Soult from Oporto. The
famous passage of the Douro led to the fall of Oporto, and the French
Marshal was compelled to retreat. The Spanish General Cuesta having
been defeated, with great loss, by the division of the French army
under Marshal Victor, Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley was obliged
to desist from the pursuit of Marshal Soult.
In the beginning of July, the British army advanced into Spain, and
a junction being effected with General Cuesta, the combined forces
occupied a strong position at _Talavera_. Here they were attacked
on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809, and the French army, commanded
by Joseph Bonaparte in person, was defeated; for which victory
Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley was raised to the peerage by the
title of _Viscount Wellington_.
After this victory it was deemed necessary to make a retrograde
movement on Badajoz, information having been received that Marshals
Soult, Ney, and Victor had united their forces, and were advancing to
fall on the rear of the allied army.
Viscount Wellington now became occupied with the defence of
Portugal. The French armies in Spain had been reinforced during
the winter of 1809-10 with troops from Germany, peace having been
concluded between France and Austria; and in April, 1810, the Emperor
Napoleon espoused the Archduchess Maria Louisa, daughter of the
Emperor of Austria.
Spain having been reduced to French domination, Napoleon resolved to
subjugate Portugal, and Marshal Massena, Prince of Essling, assumed
the command of the “_Army of Portugal_” in May. Ciudad Rodrigo and
Almeida were captured by the French, who were, however, gallantly
repulsed at the _Sierra de Busaco_ on the 27th of September, 1810,
after which Viscount Wellington occupied the strong position of
Torres Vedras, about thirty miles from Lisbon.
This was the state of affairs in the Peninsula when the NINETY-SECOND
arrived in the Tagus. On the 8th of October, the battalion landed,
and the necessary camp equipage, on taking the field, was immediately
issued.
[Sidenote: 1811]
The NINETY-SECOND, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel John Cameron,
marched from Lisbon to join the army under Viscount Wellington, then
in the fortified lines of Torres Vedras, and arrived at Cruzandera
on the 15th of October, where the battalion remained until the 15th
of November. At this period it was attached to the first division of
the army, and was brigaded with the _fiftieth_ and _seventy-first_
regiments, under Major-General Howard.
Marshal Massena having abandoned his position in front of the
British, and retired upon Santarem, the NINETY-SECOND advanced on the
15th of November, and occupied the village of Almostal on the 19th of
November, moving on the 28th to Alcantrinha, the enemy occupying a
strong position at Santarem, immediately in front of the British army.
At the commencement of the year 1811, Lisbon was the point on
which the interests of the British nation in foreign affairs were
concentrated, and the question whether Portugal should remain
independent, or become subject to France, was to be decided by the
two great armies posted near Lisbon, the one for attack, the other
for defence.
The difficulty of supplying his troops with necessaries in a
devastated country, and the impracticability of forcing the fortified
lines of Viscount Wellington, at Torres Vedras, at length compelled
Marshal Massena to consult the safety of his army by a seasonable
retreat.
During the night of the 5th of March, the enemy broke up from his
position near Santarem, and retreated in the direction of Almeida.
Viscount Wellington immediately pursued Marshal Massena by Thomar,
Pombal, Redinha, and Espinhal, at each of which places some sharp
affairs took place, honorable to the British arms, as well as at
Sabugal on the 3rd of April, immediately after which the French
continued their retreat into Spain.
The first battalion of the NINETY-SECOND regiment entered Spain on
the 9th of April, and was cantoned in Albergaria, where a detachment
of one lieutenant and forty-four rank and file joined from the second
battalion, then in Ireland. At this period, the sixth division of
the British army invested _Almeida_, and a force of British and
Portuguese under Marshal Beresford was employed in the Alemtejo and
Spanish Estremadura, which compelled the enemy to abandon Campo
Mayor. _Olivenza_ was next besieged by Marshal Beresford, and
retaken on the 15th of April, after which he broke ground before
_Badajoz_.
Marshal Massena had reached Ciudad Rodrigo on the 25th of April,
and, having concentrated his forces, crossed the Agueda on the 2nd
of May, and advanced towards the allied army, posted between that
river and the Coa, in order to relieve _Almeida_. On the approach of
the French, the British light division and cavalry fell back upon
_Fuentes d’Onor_, where three other divisions were posted, and in
which Viscount Wellington determined to receive the attack of the
enemy.
The village of _Fuentes d’Onor_ is situated on low ground, at the
bottom of a ravine, with an old chapel and some buildings on a
craggy eminence which overhang one end. In the afternoon of the 3rd
of May, the enemy attacked the village with a very large force,
and was repulsed with loss. On this occasion, the light company of
the NINETY-SECOND distinguished itself. Lieutenant James Hill was
wounded; nine rank and file were likewise wounded.
The main body of the British army was concentrated in the vicinity of
Fuentes d’Onor in the course of the evening and following day. On the
5th of May, the enemy, very superior to the British in numbers, made
an attack on the right of the allied position early in the morning,
and also on the village, which he repeated during the day, and the
action became general. Each of his attacks was successively repulsed,
and towards the evening, the victory being decidedly in favour of the
British, the French retired to their original position.
On this occasion, the first battalion of the NINETY-SECOND regiment,
commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Cameron, was stationed to the right
of _Fuentes d’Onor_, covering a brigade of nine-pounders, and
was exposed to a very heavy cannonade. The light company, and
a subdivision of each of the others in its front, were warmly
engaged throughout the day, and eminently distinguished themselves.
Major Archibald McDonnell, who commanded them, was in consequence
promoted to the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel. Major Peter Grant and
Lieutenant Allan McNab were severely wounded; the latter died two
days afterwards. The battalion had also seven rank and file killed
and thirty-five wounded.
The NINETY-SECOND afterwards received the Royal Authority to bear the
words “FUENTES D’ONOR” on the regimental colour and appointments, in
commemoration of the gallantry displayed by the first battalion in
that battle.
Both armies continued in their positions during the 6th and 7th of
May without any particular occurrence, and on the morning of the
8th, the rear of the enemy’s columns was seen retreating on the road
towards Ciudad Rodrigo. The NINETY-SECOND still remained bivouacked
near Fuentes d’Onor.
The French crossed the Agueda and left _Almeida_ to its fate. That
place was evacuated by General Brennier at midnight of the 10th of
May, when the enemy blew up the works, and the greater part of the
garrison succeeded in effecting its escape during the night.
On the 14th of May, the battalion returned to its former cantonments
in Albergaria, where orders were received increasing its
establishment to twelve hundred rank and file.
Marshal Beresford, in the meantime, was continuing the blockade
of _Badajoz_; but receiving information that Marshal Soult was
advancing from Seville to its relief, he raised the siege on the 15th
of May, and having concentrated his force, marched to meet the enemy.
On the following day, the battle of _Albuhera_ was fought, and the
British gained a brilliant but hard-earned victory. In the night of
the 17th, Marshal Soult left Badajoz to its fate, and commenced his
retreat towards Seville.
Viscount Wellington now gave orders for _Badajoz_ to be again closely
invested. To assist in these operations, the brigade, of which the
NINETY-SECOND formed part, was appointed the first in the second
division of the army, under Lieut.-General Rowland (afterwards
Viscount) Hill, at this time in Spanish Estremadura, covering the
siege of Badajoz.
The battalion, under Lieut.-Colonel Cameron, marched, on the 25th of
May, from Albergaria for the Alemtejo, crossed the Tagus at Villa
Velha, and the Guadiana above Badajoz, and joined the second division
in front of Albuhera, on the 10th of June, about ten days after the
second siege of Badajoz had been commenced. Its effective strength
consisted of fifty-six serjeants, sixteen drummers, and eight hundred
and twenty-five rank and file.
Marshal Marmont, with the French army of Portugal, having effected a
junction with that of the south, under Marshal Soult, they advanced
to relieve Badajoz; Viscount Wellington found it therefore necessary
to relinquish the siege, and to withdraw the allied army across the
Guadiana.
Accordingly, the second division, on the 16th of June, broke up from
its bivouac in front of Albuhera, marched by Valverde, recrossed the
Guadiana, and arrived at Torre do Mouro on the 20th of June, where
the principal part of the British army was drawn up in position, with
its right upon Elvas and the left on Campo Mayor. The division broke
up from the bivouac at Torre do Mouro on the 21st of July, marched
to Elvas, and on the following day went into quarters in Borba, from
whence it marched on the 1st of September, arriving on the 3rd of
that month at Portalegre.
Meanwhile the main body of the army, under Viscount Wellington, had
crossed the Tagus and invested _Ciudad Rodrigo_. Towards the end of
September, Marshal Marmont, having received large reinforcements,
advanced to Ciudad Rodrigo, and, after a partial engagement at El
Bodon on the 25th of September, Viscount Wellington withdrew his army
to his former position on the Coa.
On the 7th of October, a draft of one hundred and ninety-nine rank
and file was received from the second battalion.
The second battalion embarked at Belfast on the 10th of October, and
arrived on the following day at Irvine in North Britain.
General Girard’s division of the fifth French corps having taken post
at Caceres, Lieut.-General Rowland Hill determined to drive the enemy
from thence, and on the approach of the British troops the French
retired, halting at _Arroyo-del-Molinos_.
On the 22nd of October, the first battalion of the NINETY-SECOND
marched from Portalegre to Codesiera; on the 23rd to Albuquerque; on
the 24th to the Sierra de San Pedro; on the 25th to Aliseda; on the
26th to Malpartida; on the following day to Alcuesca, and bivouacked
without fires about a league from _Arroyo-del-Molinos_. During the
whole of this fatiguing march, the weather was extremely severe, with
constant rain.
The British troops, under Lieut.-General Hill, marched about
two o’clock in the morning of the 28th of October, towards
_Arroyo-del-Molinos_, a village situated in a plain at the foot of a
ridge of rocks rising in the form of a crescent, their approach being
concealed by a thick mist with heavy rain. The French infantry were
assembling outside the village to commence their march to Merida,
the baggage was being loaded, and General Girard was waiting at
his quarters for his horse, when suddenly the _seventy-first_ and
NINETY-SECOND regiments charged into the village, capturing much
baggage and many prisoners; at the same time the _twenty-eighth_
and _thirty-fourth_ regiments made a detour, supported by the
_thirty-ninth_, to cut off the enemy’s retreat.
The French formed two squares and commenced retreating. The
NINETY-SECOND attacked, and broke one of the enemy’s squares, which
was formed on the other side of the village, and thereby completed
his overthrow.
In this brilliant affair the enemy lost all his artillery and
baggage; and several officers of rank and consideration, with
about fourteen hundred men, were taken prisoners. General Brun and
Colonel the Prince d’Aremberg were among the prisoners. The ninth
and thirteenth light dragoons, and the second Hussars, King’s German
Legion, also shared in the action.
The NINETY-SECOND had Lieut.-Colonel John Cameron, Captains Donald
McDonald, John McPherson, and Robert Nugent Dunbar (Brevet-Major),
wounded; three rank and file were killed and seven wounded.
[Illustration: Plan of the Action
at
ARROYO DEL MOLINOS
28^{TH} OCTOBER, 1811.
_Madeley Lith. 3, Wellington St. Strand._]
In the evening the battalion marched to San Pedro, and on the 29th of
October proceeded to Merida; on the 31st to Montejo; on the 1st of
November to Campo Mayor; on the 3rd to Arronches; and arrived at
Portalegre on the 4th of November.
Lieut.-General Hill, on the 7th of November, issued the following
General Order:—
“Portalegre, 7th November, 1811.
“Lieut.-General Hill has great satisfaction in congratulating the
troops on the success which has attended their recent operations
in Estremadura, and in so doing, he cannot but endeavour to do
justice to the merits of those through whose exertions it has
been obtained. A patient willing endurance of forced and night
marches, during the worst of weather and over bad roads, of
bivouacs in wet weather, oftentimes without cover and without
fire, and a strict observance of discipline, are qualities,
however common in British soldiers, which the Lieut.-General
cannot pass unnoticed. Having on this occasion witnessed the
exertion of them in no ordinary degree, he feels that nothing
but the most zealous attention of commanding officers, the
good-will and zealous spirit of the non-commissioned officers
and soldiers, could produce such an effect, and he requests they
will, generally and individually, accept his warmest thanks,
particularly those corps which were engaged in the action of
_Arroyo-del-Molinos_, whose silent attention to orders, when
preparing to attack, and when manœuvring before the enemy, could
not but excite his notice, and give them an additional claim on
him.”
Letters from the Secretary of State, dated the 2nd, and from His
Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, dated the 6th December, were
promulgated, expressive of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent’s
approbation and thanks to Lieut.-General Hill, and the troops under
his command, for their brilliant operations on the recent expedition
in Spanish Estremadura, in having totally surprised and defeated the
enemy under General Girard.
Viscount Wellington having made preparations for the recapture
of _Ciudad Rodrigo_, concentrated the main body of the army in
that neighbourhood, and the troops under Lieut.-General Hill were
therefore ordered to divert the enemy’s attention in the south.
Lieut.-General Hill marched from Portalegre on the 26th of December,
and proceeded on the 29th to a bivouac about a league beyond La Nava,
at which village about three hundred French infantry were discovered
running to their arms upon the approach of the head of the British
cavalry column. They, however, effected their escape to Merida, from
which place they had been that morning detached, and acquainted
General Dombrouski of the approach of the British troops.
On the 30th of December, the NINETY-SECOND and other British troops
entered Merida, the French having retreated during the night, where
they halted during the following day.
[Sidenote: 1812]
On the 1st of January, 1812, the British troops moved upon
Almendralejos, beyond which, and close to the town, the enemy’s
columns were formed, and seen immediately retreating to Azauchal. On
the 3rd, Lieut.-General Hill matched his force to Villa Franca. A
brigade of infantry, and the cavalry, were pushed forward to Fuentes
del Maestre, where a smart affair took place, the enemy retreating
upon Llerena with the loss of some prisoners.
Lieut.-General Hill’s division returned to Almendralejos on the 4th
of January, and the NINETY-SECOND marched on the following day to
Merida, where the troops went into quarters. The siege of _Ciudad
Rodrigo_, which commenced on the 8th of January, being in a state of
forwardness, it was expected that the French would make an effort
to relieve the place. Lieut.-General Hill was therefore directed to
throw a part of his force across the Tagus.
The troops accordingly marched on the 13th of January from Merida
to La Nava; on the 14th to Zogalla; on the 15th to Albuquerque; on
the 16th to Codesiera; on the 17th to Portalegre; on the 19th to
Alpalhao; on the 20th to Niza; and on the following day they crossed
the Tagus at Villa Velha; marched from thence to Sarnadas, and on the
22nd to Castello Branco. During this march intelligence was received
of the storm and capture of _Ciudad Rodrigo_ by the British on the
19th of January.
On the 2nd of February, the NINETY-SECOND and other regiments under
Lieut.-General Hill, were directed to return to Portalegre, where
they arrived on the 5th of that month.
The strength of the first battalion at this period consisted of
forty-three serjeants, sixteen drummers, and seven hundred and thirty
rank and file. On the 4th of March the battalion marched to Alegrete,
and on the following day to Albuquerque.
Previously to this time, a large quantity of artillery stores and the
battering train had been embarked at Lisbon for the Mediterranean
(as it was then reported), but the vessels put into the Bay of
Setuval; the whole being landed at Alcacer de Sal, and conveyed up
the Alemtejo, soon appeared moving on the plains in front and to the
right of Elvas, in one long and continued chain towards the Guadiana.
The army now became aware that the third siege of _Badajoz_ was to
be undertaken.
Lieut.-General Hill’s corps marched from Albuquerque on the 15th of
March, and arrived at La Nava on the 16th;—proceeded on the following
day to Merida, where some officers and men of the enemy were made
prisoners. The division continued its march to Almendralejos on
the 18th of March, where the NINETY-SECOND and other troops were
stationed to cover the siege of Badajoz, before which ground had been
broken on the previous day.
The division proceeded on the 21st of March from Almendralejos to
Merida, and on the 26th advanced towards Medellin and Don Benito,
from which places it forced the enemy to retire. Advices were here
received, that the enemy, under Marshal Soult, was advancing to
Llerena, with a view to relieve Badajoz, to the vicinity of which
place the covering army was directed to retire.
On the 31st of March, the division proceeded towards Merida, where
it arrived on the 2nd of April; it marched on the 5th to a position
near Talavera Real. On the night of the 6th of April, Badajoz was
assaulted and carried by the troops under the Earl of Wellington,
Marshal Soult consequently retraced his steps towards Seville.
The battalion marched into quarters in Almendralejos on the 13th of
April. A French force having made an irruption into the province
of Beira, the Earl of Wellington, with the main body of the army,
crossed the Tagus immediately after the fall of Badajoz.
On the 12th of May, the battalion marched from Almendralejos, and
bivouacked near Merida; on the 13th near Arroyo-del-Molinos; on the
14th near Villa Mesias; on the 15th entered Truxillo, and marched
again about midnight; on the 16th bivouacked near Jaraicejo, and on
the following day proceeded to the mountains near Casas del Puerto.
On the 18th of May, the NINETY-SECOND marched at night to attack
the enemy’s fortifications covering the bridge of _Almaraz_. The
ruggedness of the footpath through the mountains, and the darkness
of the night, presented serious obstacles to a rapid march; it was
consequently daylight before the troops were formed in the Valle de
Canas.
The fiftieth regiment and a wing of the seventy-first were formed
in one column, and were destined to assault Fort Napoleon on the
19th of May; while the NINETY-SECOND under Lieut.-Colonel Cameron,
and the other wing of the seventy-first, were formed in a second
column, ready to support the attack on Fort Napoleon, or to carry the
_tête-de-pont_ at the same moment, both columns being provided with
scaling ladders.
Fort Napoleon was carried in gallant style by the column sent
against it, the enemy flying from it towards the _tête-de-pont_; the
NINETY-SECOND dashed forward and entered with him. The commandant of
Fort Ragusa, on the opposite bank of the Tagus, being seized with
a panic, had cut away the bridge of boats; many of his countrymen
consequently were either drowned or made prisoners.
The attention of all was now directed to the passage of the river.
Some of the NINETY-SECOND immediately leaped in, and swam to the
opposite side, bringing the boats back with them.[14] Thus was
the bridge secured, together with Fort Ragusa, which the enemy
immediately abandoned.
The enemy attached great importance to his establishment at this
place, which secured the only direct communication between his two
armies, and its destruction had the effect of placing them several
days’ march more distant from each other, and over mountainous roads
hardly passable by artillery. The works and bridge at _Almaraz_
having been destroyed, and about five hundred prisoners secured, the
troops returned to Jaraicejo.
To commemorate the gallantry of the NINETY-SECOND in the above
enterprise, the Royal Authority was afterwards received for the word
“ALMARAZ” to be borne on the Regimental Colour and Appointments.
On the 21st of May, the troops marched to Truxillo, where they halted
for two days. At this period intelligence was received that the
French had pressed forward towards Almendralejos.
On the 24th of May, the corps under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill
marched to a bivouac near Villa Mesias; on the 25th proceeded to the
vicinity of Rio del Agua; on the 26th to near San Pedro, and occupied
quarters in Merida on the day following.
The NINETY-SECOND marched from Merida on the 5th of June, and went
into quarters in Almendralejos. On the 12th of June it marched
to Fuentes del Maestre, and on the following day proceeded to
Puebla de Sancho Perez. The enemy having moved from Andalusia in
some force, evinced an inclination to bring on an action in this
advanced position, probably to divert the Earl of Wellington from
his operations upon Salamanca, with which place Marshal Soult had no
direct communication since the loss of the bridge of Almaraz, and
every movement in advance threw him farther from co-operating with
Marshal Marmont.