| 1809 | Spring | 95th call for 338 volunteers to make up their numbers (to 1,000 each), get 1282 responses. 3rd battalion formed under Maj MacLeod of 1/95. MacLeod exchanges with Lt-Col Andrew Barnard (of 1st Guards). Maj-Gen Hon W Stewart becomes colonel of 3/95 |
| 2/95 (Lt Col Wade), 2/43 & 2/52 form Stewart's Brigade for the Walcheren expedition. Aim: capture of French ships in the Scheldt, destroy arsenals at Flushing & Antwerp, keep Napoleon busy in N Europe. | ||
| 22 Apr | Wellesley arrives back in Lisbon. Soult's advance south from Corunna has reached Oporto. British troops in Lisbon number 26,000. All of 5/60 present, No official 95th presence, but probably a contingent of odd bods in 1/Detachments. Wellesley's advance is led by a Company of Rifles [Bryant] | |
| 12 May | Battle of Oporto. Soult outflanked, retreats north out of Portugal | |
| 11 Jun | Spanish Govt (Seville Junta) gives permission for British troops to operate against French on Spanish Territory | |
| Jun | Wellesley marches into Spain to link up with Cuesta's forces. "Rifle company" present [Harvey] | |
| 28 Jun | Craufurd's Light Brigade arrives at Lisbon. 1/95 (TS Beckwith), 1/43, 1/52 | |
| 9 Jul | Light Brigade arrives at Abrantes. Craufurd issues his "standing orders". VV strict & initially unpopular, but gradually became highly valued, and the Light Brigade kept them religiously after Craufurd's death. Eventually they were adopted by the entire army. The brigade continues its march to Spain | |
| 28 Jul | AM - Craufurd receives an urgent despatch from AW to bring the brigade on "with all possible speed". The brigade march 42 miles in 26 hours, arriving just after the battle. Immediately sent to relieve outposts. PM - Battle of Talavera (95th represented by "the rifle company") | |
| 3 Aug | Wellesley receives intelligence that Soult is moving to cut him off from Lisbon. Begins the retreat form Talavera. Light Brigade do the outpost duties, sometimes rearguard, sometimes vanguard (securing vital positions). Rifles develop an understanding with the French picquets (reducing unnecessary alarms and deaths.) | |
| 11 Sep | Craufurd and the Light Brigade reach Camp Mayor. Remain there 3 months. Climate & location unhealthy, 300 men of 1/95 die from fever, dysentery and exposure. | |
| 20 Oct | Col Fletcher (chief eng) receives orders to begin secretly constructing the "Lines of Torres Vedras". Security is tight, and the French are amazed by their existence 1 year later. | |
| Dec | Light Brigade transferred to ? | |
| 1810 | End Jan | 325,000 French troops in Spain |
| 19 Mar | Night attack on Barba del Puerco. 600 picked voltigeurs thrown back by 200 Riflemen under Col Beckwith. Glowing praise from Wellington and Black Bob since it was not really a "rifleman's battle". | |
| Apr | Light Division formed by the addition of the Chestnut troop (RHA), 2 regiments of Portuguese Cacadores, & part of the 14th & 16th Light Dragoons. [Harvey talks about all 3 battalions of the 95th, but initially it was only 1/95. Cos of 2/95 & 3/95 serve in Cadiz, and are gradually transferred up to Portugal as the pressure in the south eases.] | |
| Fall of Ciudad Rodrigo to French | ||
| 24 Jul | Combat of the Coa. Craufurd keeps the Light Division east of the flooded Coa for too long with only 1 bridge for retreat. Is attacked by Ney with 24,000 men. Chain of command becomes unworkable, but discipline holds and individual companies get themselves back over the bridge in good order. Last stand east of bridge by 50 ea 1/95 & 1/43. 3 attacks (2 by 66th, 1 by Corps d'Elite de Chasseurs) are beaten back with heavy losses. Chasseurs lose 4 officers/86 men dead, 3 officers/144 menwounded in 10 mins. 66th lose a Colonel & 15 officers in 2nd attack). Wellington praises the officers and men up to brigade level, pointedly omitting Craufurd (who he felt had made an error of judgement). Craufurd tacitly agrees by taking the censure quietly. | |
| Aug/Sep | Withdrawal to Lisbon | |
| 20 Sep | Bulk of army takes up positions on Bussaco Ridge | |
| 22 Sep | Light Division recalled to Bussaco (Craufurd keeps it too close to French van again). Preliminary hard fighting | |
| 27 Sep | Battle of Bussaco. Massena tries a frontal assault on a heavily defended ridge. Rifles heavily engaged. 1/52 & Rifles "avenge the death of Sir John Moore". French advance halted for a while (further delays caused by French soldiers breaking ranks to loot). | |
| Oct | British retire behind the Lines of Torres Vedras | |
| 14 Oct | Massena sees the Lines | |
| Oct/Nov | Light Division in continuous contact with the French, Rifles patrol the French lines (?and beyond). | |
| 15 Nov | Rifle patrol reports that the French have retired, Craufurd (with the Light Division) pursues. | |
| 17 Nov | The Light Division catches up with the French rear-guard. Craufurd orders an attack on the visible French, but Wellington arrives in time to stop him since it would have put him within reach of Junot's Corps (21k) | |
| By this time Portuguese militia have moved down from the north and cut Massena off from Ciudad Rodrigo. The French are hemmed in on all sides, and it takes an entire battalion to get Foy out of Portugal with despatches for Napoleon. | ||
| Graham appointed to command British contingent in Cadiz | ||
| 3 Cos 3/95, 2 Cos 2/95 (Col Barnard commanding) to Cadiz. Graham reports that the 3/95 are raw and 2/95 are sick (Walcheren fever) | ||
| 1811 | 5 Mar | Battle of Barrosa |
| Mar | Massena begins his retreat out of Portugal | |
| Assault on Pombal - Rifles carry the castle, Ney requires 4 battalions to extricate his rearguard | ||
| 12 Mar | Redinha - Ney's right protected by wooded heights, left by River Soure. Rifles thrown in extended order against French right, drive French infantry from the wood. | |
| Casal Nova | ||
| Massena retreats over River Ceira | ||
| Foz d'Arouce - Ney's rearguard defeated. Wellington invites the COs of 43, 52 & 95 to recommend a Sgt for promotion to Ens (2nd Lt) | ||
| 3 Apr | Fording of the Coa, Battle of Sabugal - Beckwith's | |
| Sabugal - Beckwith's brigade forded the chest high river and advanced. Suddenly found themselves facing Reynier's entire Corps. Repulsed 3 attacks from the Corps and then pursued themas they retired.
[Story: Rifleman Flinn was aiming at a Frenchman when a hare started and he immediately changed aim and shot the hare. Rebuked by his officer he said "ah! Your honour, sure we can kill a Frenchman any day, but it isn't always I can bag a hare for your supper."] |
||
| Blockade of Almeida | ||
| 5 May | Fuentes de Onoro - rescue of 3rd Div, retreat of Light Brigade in squares. Rifles cover in loose formation. | |
| 10 May | Massena retreats into Spain |
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Last update 13/2/03