(A.) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BRITISH INFANTRY OF THE LINE. July, 1809.

N.B.—The star * affixed to a battalion’s station means that it had just returned from Sir John Moore’s Corunna Campaign.

No. of Regiment.Territorial or other Designation.Establishment. Officers and men.Station of 1st Battalion.Station of 2nd and other Battalions [if any].
  1stRoyal Scots4926West Indies2nd East Indies; 3rd Home* [went to Walcheren]; 4th Home
  2ndQueen’s Royal 906Home* [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
  3rdThe Buffs1610Peninsular Field ArmyHome
  4thKing’s Own2031Home* [went to Walcheren]Home [went to Walcheren]
  5thNorthumberland Regiment2031Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
  6th1st Warwickshire1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
  7thRoyal Fusiliers2031Nova ScotiaLisbon [later Gibraltar]
  8thThe King’s Regiment1610West IndiesHome [went to Walcheren]
  9thEast Norfolk2289Home* [went to Walcheren]Peninsular Field Army
 10thNorth Lincoln1610SicilyHome [went to Walcheren]
 11thNorth Devon2031Madeira [later Peninsula]Home [went to Walcheren]
 12thEast Suffolk 941East Indies[Raised a 2nd battalion in 1813]
 13th1st Somerset1126West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 14thBucks Regiment[A]2290East Indies2nd Home* [Walcheren]; 3rd Sicily
 15thEast Riding Regiment1400West IndiesHome
 16thBedfordshire[333] 406West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 17thLeicestershire1151East IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 18thRoyal Irish1669West IndiesWest Indies
 19th1st York, North Riding 930East IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 20thEast Devon 930Home* [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
 21stRoyal North British Fusiliers1820SicilyHome
 22ndCheshire 941East Indies[Raised a 2nd battalion in 1814]
 23rdRoyal Welsh Fusiliers2079Nova ScotiaHome* [went to Walcheren]
 24th2nd Warwickshire2031Cape of Good HopePeninsular Field Army
 25thKing’s Own Borderers1400West IndiesHome
 26thCameronians1610Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 27thInniskillings3448Sicily2nd Battalion Sicily; 3rd battalion Garrison of Lisbon
 28thNorth Gloucestershire2031Home* [went to Walcheren]Peninsular Field Army
 29thWorcestershire1126Peninsular Field ArmyNo 2nd battalion raised
 30thCambridgeshire2242East IndiesGibraltar [late Lisbon]
 31stHuntingdonshire2079MaltaPeninsular Field Army
 32ndCornwall1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 33rd1st West Riding 941East IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 34thCumberland1845East IndiesHome [later to Peninsula]
 35thSussex1820SicilyHome [went to Walcheren]
 36thHerefordshire1610Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 37thNorth Hants 706West Indies[Raised a 2nd battalion in 1811]
 38th1st Stafford1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 39thDorsetshire1820MaltaPeninsular Field Army
 40th2nd Somerset1820Peninsular Field ArmyHome
 41stNone 696Canada[Raised a 2nd battalion 1814]
 42ndBlack Watch2031Home* [went to Walcheren]Peninsular Field Army
 43rdMonmouth2031Peninsular Field Army*Home* [went to Walcheren]
 44th1st Essex2030SicilyGibraltar
 45thNottinghamshire1610Peninsular Field ArmyHome
 46thSouth Devon 496West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 47thLancashire2242East IndiesHome [later Cadiz]
 48thNorthamptonshire2251Peninsular Field ArmyPeninsular Field Army
 49thHertfordshire 906CanadaNo 2nd battalion raised
 50thWest Kent1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 51st2nd West Riding 906Home* [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
 52ndOxfordshire2079Peninsular Field Army*Home* [went to Walcheren]
 53rdShropshire2242East IndiesPeninsular Field Army
 54thWest Norfolk 706West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 55thWestmoreland 706West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 56thWest Essex2301East Indies2nd battalion East Indies [raised a 3rd battalion 1813]
 57thWest Middlesex1610Gibraltar [later Portugal]Home
 58thRutland1820SicilyGarrison of Lisbon
 59th2nd Nottinghamshire1290East IndiesHome* [went to Walcheren]
 60thRoyal Americans4847West Indies2nd battalion West Indies; 3rd battalion ditto; 4th battalion ditto; 5th battalion Peninsular Field Army; 6th and 7th West Indies
 61stSouth Gloucestershire1820Peninsular Field ArmyHome
 62ndWiltshire1610SicilySicily
 63rdWest Suffolk1610West IndiesHome [went to Walcheren]
 64th2nd Staffordshire 916West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 65th2nd Yorks, North Riding 731East IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 66thBerkshire2031East IndiesPeninsular Field Army
 67thSouth Hants2031East IndiesHome
 68thDurham 716West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 69thSouth Lincolnshire1337East IndiesHome
 70thSurrey Regiment 706West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 71stGlasgow Highlanders1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 72ndHighlanders1600East IndiesHome
 73rd2nd Royal Highlanders1180Sailing to N.S. WalesHome [only formed in 1809]
 74thHighlanders 696Home [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
 75thHighlanders 696HomeNo 2nd battalion raised
 76thHindostan Regiment1126Home* [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
 77thEast Middlesex 696Home [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
 78thRosshire Buffs1885East IndiesSicily [later Home]
 79thCameron Highlanders1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 80thStaffordshire Volunteers1151East IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
 81st2nd Loyal Lincoln2079SicilyHome* [went to Walcheren]
 82ndPrince of Wales’ Volunteers1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 83rdNone2461Cape of Good HopePeninsular Field Army
 84thYork and Lancaster2276East IndiesHome [went to Walcheren]
 85thBucks Volunteers 716Home [went to Walcheren]No 2nd battalion raised
 86thLeinster Regiment 731East Indies[Raised a 2nd battalion 1814]
 87thPrince of Wales’ Irish Fusiliers2299Cape of Good HopePeninsular Field Army
 88thConnaught Rangers2031Peninsular Field ArmyLisbon [later Gibraltar]
 89thNone2031Cape of Good HopeGibraltar
 90thPerthshire Volunteers1610West IndiesHome
 91stHighlanders1390Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 92ndGordon Highlanders1820Home* [went to Walcheren]Home
 93rdSutherland Highlanders1126Cape of Good Hope[Raised a second battalion 1814]
 94thScotch Brigade 696HomeNo 2nd battalion raised
 95thRifles2283Peninsular Field Army*2nd Home* [went to Walcheren] 3rd Home [only just raised]
 96thNone1400West IndiesHome
 97thQueen’s Germans 907Peninsular Field ArmyNo 2nd battalion raised
 98thNone 906BermudaNo 2nd battalion raised
 99thPrince of Wales’ Tipperary 696BermudaNo 2nd battalion raised
100thCounty of Dublin 696CanadaNo 2nd battalion raised
101stDuke of York’s Irish 906West IndiesNo 2nd battalion raised
102ndNew South Wales 906New South WalesNo 2nd battalion raised
103rdNone 486CanadaNo 2nd battalion raised
Total.1st Battalions.2nd Battalions.3rd and Junior
Battalions.		Total.
At Home25[334]42[335]3[336]70
Peninsula11[337]15   2   28
Sicily and Malta10   3  1   14
East Indies21   2  0   23
West Indies21   2  4   27
Cape of Good Hope5  0  0    5
Canada and Nova Scotia6  0  0    6
New South Wales2  0  0    2
Gibraltar and Madeira2  2  0    4
Total0  0  0   179 

A consideration of the prefixed table of “establishments” shows the following results. Putting aside the regiments with many battalions (the 1st, 14th, 27th, 60th, 95th), the remainder fall into two-battalion and single-battalion corps.

Of the 61 double-battalion regiments—

9 were at a strength of 2250 or thereabouts.[338]
17 were at a strength of 2031 or thereabouts.[339]
16 were at a strength of 1820 or thereabouts.[340]
12 were at a strength of 1610 or thereabouts.[341]
7 were at a strength of under 1600.[342]

All the regiments on the two higher establishments (with one exception) had both battalions on active service in 1809, either one in the Indies and one in Europe, or both in Europe. Hence it was necessary to keep them at a very high figure.

Those with 1820 or 1610 men were nearly all regiments which had one battalion on active service and one on home service, though a very few had both overseas (such as the 18th, 34th, 39th, 62nd); in such cases the 2nd battalion, though on service, was very weak.

The two-battalion corps with under 1600 men were almost invariably regiments which had one battalion in the Indies, worked down to very low numbers by disease, and had failed to keep up its strength (the 15th, 25th, 96th in the West, the 59th, 69th in the East Indies).

The 37 single-battalion regiments stood on the following establishments—

6 were at a strength of 1126 or thereabouts.[343]
13 were at a strength of 940 or thereabouts.[344]
15 were at a strength of 700–730 or thereabouts.[345]
3 were at a strength of under 600.[346]

Those corps on the two higher establishments are either actually serving, or are designated for immediate service abroad, and have therefore their establishments fixed high. Those on the lower establishments (730 or under) fall into two classes: either they are regiments in the East or West Indies which have died down to a low figure [e.g. 16th, 37th, 46th, 54th, 55th, 65th, 68th, 70th, 86th] or they are battalions quartered in peaceful stations and not expected to be sent on active service, [e.g. 41st, 99th, 100th, 103rd, in Canada and Bermuda] or at home [74th, 75th, 77th, 85th, 94th]. All the last-named five, on home service, were raised to a higher establishment and sent to the front in 1810–12.

It will be noted that of the one hundred and three 1st battalions, or single-battalion regiments, a great many were not available, viz. twenty-one in the East Indies, twenty-one in the West Indies (including Bermuda), eleven in the Mediterranean Garrisons, five at the Cape of Good Hope, six in Canada, two in (or bound for) New South Wales. There were only twenty-five 1st battalions at home, and of these twenty had served under Moore in the Corunna retreat and then went on the Walcheren expedition, so that in 1809 they were unavailable. Three more battalions which had not served under Moore had shared in the same descent on the Scheldt (74th, 77th, 85th). There were actually only two single-battalion corps which had neither gone to Corunna nor to Walcheren and were available at home (75th and 94th).[347] In the way of the strongly organized first battalions, therefore, there was absolutely nil to send to Wellington in 1809 save Craufurd’s three Light Infantry battalions, which though they had been with Moore in January were back in the Peninsula by July (1/43rd, 1/52nd, 1/95th).

It is easy to see, therefore, that there was the greatest possible difficulty in finding battalions with which Wellesley’s Peninsular Army could be reinforced. Of troops which had not gone to Walcheren there were left in Great Britain only the 75th and 94th, with twenty-eight 2nd (or junior) battalions which had not joined in the expedition to the Scheldt. These were almost without exception very weak units, the first battalions of ten of these were in the Indies, then of five more already in the Peninsula, all their strength was used up in keeping their senior battalions full, of the remaining thirteen only two (2/5th 2/34th, 2/38th), were strong enough to be sent to Portugal. The reinforcements which Wellington was given in the autumn of 1809 and the summer of 1810 were largely scraped up from foreign garrisons—the 1/7th from Nova Scotia, the 1/11th from Madeira, the 1/57th from Gibraltar. But in 1810 Walcheren battalions began to come out, such as the 3/1st, 1/9th, 1/50th, 1/71st, 1/79th, and to load Wellington’s hospitals with ague-stricken convalescents. For later reinforcements see Chapter VII.