The French army took post on the heights of Santarem; and the Royal Dragoons were stationed at Cazal Diera, Quinta, St. Christol, and Porto de Mugem, from whence they sent out detachments on piquet and outpost duty.
1811
The French Marshal, having consumed his resources and wasted the numbers and physical power of his army, retired from Santarem on the night of the 5th of March, 1811. The Royals were again despatched in pursuit, and in the series of brilliant exploits which followed they took a distinguished part. They had a skirmish with the enemy near Pecoloo on the 7th of March, when they took three prisoners, and had one man and one horse wounded. They had another encounter with the French on the 8th of March, and had two men and one horse wounded. They again came in contact with the enemy on the 11th of March, near Pombal, and took two serjeants and seventy-six men prisoners.
Resuming the pursuit on the following day the allies discovered in their front a body of French cavalry, infantry, and artillery, posted on a high table land near Redinha. Lord Wellington ordered the troops to form in line, and the Royal Dragoons were directed to support the attack of the infantry. Three shots from the British centre was the signal to advance, and suddenly a most splendid spectacle of war was exhibited. The woods seemed alive with troops, and in a few moments thirty thousand men, forming three lines of battle, were stretched across the plain, bending in a gentle curve, and moving majestically onwards, while the horsemen and guns, springing forward simultaneously from the centre and left wing, charged under a general volley from the French battalions: the latter were instantly hidden by the smoke, and when that had cleared away, no enemy was to be seen, the French having made a precipitate retreat to Condeixa.
The British again moved forward in pursuit, and on the 14th of March the Royal Dragoons supported a successful attack of the infantry on a French force posted in the mountains at Casal Nova: they also supported the attack on the French position at Foz d'Aronce on the 15th; and on the 18th they encountered a party of the enemy near Sernadilla, when they took a serjeant and twelve men prisoners, and captured twelve mules: the Royals had only one man wounded on this occasion. They continued hovering near the French army; and on the 26th of March a patrole of the Royals, commanded by Lieutenant Foster, with a patrole of the sixteenth light dragoons, attacked a detachment of French cavalry near Alverca with distinguished gallantry, sabred several dragoons, and took an officer and thirty-seven men prisoners.[56]
The Royals had another affair with a party of the enemy on the 28th of March, when they captured a car laden with officers' baggage near Ardés, and had one man wounded. On the third of April they were posted in reserve during the action at Sabugal; and, on the retreat of the French, they were detached in pursuit, and captured several mules laden with baggage near Alfayates.
On the 7th of April the Royals were sent to the relief of a corps of Portuguese militia, commanded by Colonel Trant, who had taken post near Fort Conception. A brigade of French infantry was within half a mile of the militia, whose destruction appeared inevitable, when suddenly two cannon shots were heard to the southward,—the French formed squares in retreat,—and in a few minutes six squadrons of British cavalry and a troop of horse artillery came sweeping up the plain in their rear. The Portuguese were rescued from impending danger. The enemy, however, contrived to effect their escape, with the loss of about three hundred men killed, wounded, and taken prisoners, and part of their baggage: among the other captures the Royal Dragoons took a drove of fourteen bullocks and a horse.
The French army having been driven out of Portugal, the allies blockaded Almeida. Marshal Massena advanced to relieve that place, and he found the allied army posted on a fine table land, the left at Fort Conception, and the right at the beautiful village of Fuentes d'Onor. The village was attacked on the 3rd of May, and on the 5th a general assault was made on the British army. The French drove in the cavalry out-guards, and by the impetuosity of their attacks gained some advantage; when two squadrons of the Royals, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Clifton, made a gallant and successful charge on the enemy's cavalry, took a serjeant and twenty-three men, and released a party of the foot guards who had been made prisoners by the French. A party of the enemy's cavalry made a gallant charge, and captured two guns belonging to Captain Bull's troop of horse artillery; when a squadron of the Royals dashed forward, routed the enemy, and retook the guns, which they brought back to the British line, with several French prisoners. Finally, the French were repulsed at every point of attack, and forced to relinquish their design of relieving Almeida. The Royal Dragoons had four men and nineteen horses killed; also two serjeants, thirty-four men, and twenty-four horses wounded; and they subsequently occupied their former quarters at Villa de Ceirva.
About midnight on the 10th of May the French garrison in Almeida blew up the works, then rushed in one column out of the town, forced their passage through the blockading troops, and directed their march on Villa de Ceirva; but finding it occupied by the Royals they changed the direction of their march and moved on Barba del Puerco. A party of the Royal Dragoons having been suddenly called out in the night, overtook the rear of the French column, which they attacked, and took a serjeant and nine men prisoners. The fourth and thirty-sixth foot also pursued the enemy; but the main body of the garrison made good their retreat. The regiment had two men wounded on this occasion.