XXIV

BRITISH AND PORTUGUESE ARTILLERY
IN THE CAMPAIGN OF 1811

Major J. H. Leslie, R.A., the editor of the ‘Dickson Manuscripts,’ has been good enough to compile and annotate the following list of the Artillery units which served in the various campaigns of the year 1811.

I. ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY

The following Troops were serving in the Peninsula in 1811:—

Troop.Under the command of.Arrived in Peninsula.Designation in 1911.
ACaptain H. D. RossJuly 1809‘A’ Battery, R.H.A.
DCaptain G. LefebureMarch 1810‘V’ Battery, R.H.A.[800]
ECaptain R. MacdonaldAugust 1811‘E’ Battery, R.H.A.
ICaptain R. BullAugust 1809‘I’ Battery, R.H.A.

‘A’ and ‘I’ Troops served with Wellington’s Army during Masséna’s retreat in the spring of 1811, and in the campaign of Fuentes de Oñoro.

In that battle ‘A’ Troop was with the left wing, and did not come into action, but ‘I’ Troop was hotly engaged, and it was whilst in charge of two guns of the Troop that 2nd Captain W. Norman Ramsay performed his celebrated exploit.

‘D’ Troop was with Beresford’s Army and present at Albuera, May 16.

‘E’ Troop did not arrive from England until the autumn, and was then attached to the 7th Division of the Army.

II. ROYAL (FOOT) ARTILLERY

The 14 companies shown in the following tables were serving in the Peninsula in 1811.

Note.—In 1811 there were 10 battalions of Royal (Foot) Artillery, the companies of which were always designated by the names of the commanding officer, whether he was actually present with his company or not.

Battalion.Under the command of.Arrived in Peninsula.Designation in 1911.
1stCaptain J. MayMarch 18092nd Battery, R.F.A.
4thCaptain (Brevet Major) J. HawkerOctober 181072 Company, R.G.A.
7thCaptain G. ThompsonMarch 180918th Battery, R.F.A.
8thCaptain (Brevet Major) A. BredinAugust 180827th Battery, R.F.A.
8thCaptain R. LawsonAugust 180887th Battery, R.F.A.
8thCaptain P. MeadowsOctober 1810Reduced in 1819.

Thompson’s and Lawson’s Companies served with Wellington’s Army during Masséna’s retreat into Spain in the spring of 1811, and in the campaign of Fuentes de Oñoro.

Later in the year—August—Thompson’s Company was withdrawn from the front, owing to continued sickness, and replaced by Bredin’s Company.

Hawker’s Company served with Beresford’s Army. It was present at the battle of Albuera, and at the two unsuccessful sieges of Badajoz (May-June 1811).

Meadows’s Company went to the front late in the year, replacing Cleeves’s Company of the King’s German Legion.

May’s Company (under the command of 2nd Captain H. Baynes, May being employed on the Staff) accompanied the Army, in charge of the Reserve Ammunition.

The other eight companies did not join the Army at the front, except Raynsford’s for a short period.

Battalion.Under the command of.Arrived in Peninsula.Designation in 1911.
5thCaptain F. GlubbMarch 180948 Company, R.G.A.
6thCaptain H. F. HolcombeApril 1811102 Company, R.G.A.
8thCaptain R. T. RaynsfordApril 181178 Company, R.G.A.
5thCaptain H. OwenJanuary 181060 Company, R.G.A.
9thCaptain P. J. HughesJanuary 1810Reduced in 1819
10thCaptain W. RobertsMarch 181068 Company, R.G.A.
10thCaptain A. Dickson[801]April 181021 Company, R.G.A.
10thCaptain W. H. ShenleyApril 181011 Company, R.G.A.

Glubb’s and Holcombe’s Companies were attached during the latter part of 1811 to the siege-train, which was being equipped on the Douro by Major A. Dickson, for the proposed siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Raynsford’s Company took part in the second siege of Badajoz—May 30 to June 10.

The other five companies were stationed in Cadiz and the Isla de Leon.

III. KING’S GERMAN LEGION ARTILLERY

Two of the three companies of the Legion Foot Artillery (Nos. 2 and 4, commanded by Captains Andrew Cleeves and Frederick Sympher), which had been in the Peninsula for the last two years, accompanied Beresford on his Estremaduran expedition, and were present at the battle of Albuera. Cleeves’s was so cut up that it was sent to the rear in June, Meadows’s British Company taking its place at the front. The third company, that of Gesenius, was left at Lisbon.

IV. PORTUGUESE ARTILLERY

(The details are taken from Captain Teixeira Botelho’s Subsidios.)

(a) Five Portuguese field-batteries accompanied Wellington in his pursuit of Masséna and in the Fuentes de Oñoro campaign.

Two of these batteries, brigaded together under Major V. von Arentschildt, came from the 2nd regiment and were attached to Picton’s Division; they were commanded by Lieutenants J. C. de Sequeira and 2nd Lieut. J. C. Rosado.

A third, also from the 2nd regiment, under the command of Captain F. C. Pinto, was attached to Pack’s Portuguese brigade.

One battery from the 1st regiment, under the command of Captain J. da Cunha Preto, was attached to the 5th Division in these campaigns.

Another battery of the same regiment (Captain Pedro de Rozierres) was attached to the 6th Division.

(b) Two batteries, brigaded under Major Alexander Dickson, accompanied Beresford’s Army to Estremadura and fought at Albuera, viz. one from the 2nd regiment under Captain W. Braun, and one from the 1st regiment under Captain S. J. de Arriaga.

(c) For the two sieges of Badajoz in May and June, the 2nd regiment supplied a half-company under Captain F. A. de Sequeira; the 1st regiment a company under Captain F. Pedrosa Barreto; and the 3rd regiment three companies, the captains’ names of which are not preserved, save one, José de Sampayo.

(d) The 4th regiment supplied Silveira with two batteries under Captains F. J. de Mariz and D. G. Ferreri, which were engaged in his combats with Claparéde in the early part of the year.

(e) The half-company which defended Campo Mayor in March came from the 3rd regiment and was commanded by Lieut. J. J. Leál Morteira.