During the winter the strength of the regiment on foreign service was reduced two troops.
1812
Ciudad Rodrigo was captured in January, 1812; the regiment subsequently proceeded to Spanish Estremadura, and was stationed near Badajoz when the siege of that fortress was undertaken. The Fourteenth subsequently joined that portion of the covering army which was under Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Graham, and when the French army under Marshal Soult advanced, the British fell back upon Albuhera; the Fourteenth were employed in covering the retrograde movement, and they skirmished with the enemy's advanced-guard near Villa Franca. Badajoz having been captured by storm during the night of the 5th of April, the French army marching to its relief fell back.
In a few days after the capture of Badajoz, the Fourteenth were engaged in an enterprise against several regiments of French cavalry. The Regiment moved, on the night of the 10th of April, from Villa Franca upon Usagre, and afterwards along the Road to Llerena; the light brigade skirmished with the French, until the heavy brigade turned their flank; the enemy was then charged, overthrown, pursued, and many prisoners taken. On the following night a party of the Fourteenth, under Lieutenant Edward Pellew, took a piquet of twenty-two French dragoons prisoners. The regiment had upwards of twenty men and several horses wounded; and the conduct of Lieut.-Colonel Hervey was commended in Lieut.-General Sir Stapleton Cotton's despatch.
From Estremadura, the regiment marched towards the Agueda, and it formed the advanced guard of Sir Thomas Graham's column in the march towards Salamanca, near which city it skirmished with a body of the enemy on the 16th of June, and had one serjeant and one trumpeter killed; four private soldiers and five horses wounded.
The enemy retired behind the Douro, and the allies followed to the banks of that river, where the Fourteenth were formed in brigade with the first German hussars, and took the out-posts at Tordesillas. In the middle of July, Marshal Marmont commenced offensive operations and passed the Douro at several points, when Lord Wellington united his centre and left behind the Guarena stream, and the Fourteenth and German hussars covered the retreat from Rueda. The right wing of the allied army and a brigade of cavalry were at Castrejon on the Trabancas, and to cover the retrograde of this force, the Fourteenth and German hussars moved, on the 17th of July, to Alaejos. On the 18th some sharp skirmishing occurred, and the troops at Castrejon fell back behind the Guarena; the Fourteenth retired from the plain near Alaejos under a heavy fire, and took post behind the Guarena at Castrillos. The French army advanced to the opposite side of the river, and General Clausel, sent a brigade of cavalry across under Brigadier-General Carier, supporting it with a column of infantry, and manifesting an intention to press the British left. Major-General Victor Baron Alten led the Fourteenth and first German hussars against the French cavalry, and some sharp fighting occurred, during which General Carier was made prisoner. While the British and French horsemen were warmly engaged, the twenty-seventh and fortieth regiments, supported by a Portuguese brigade, came rushing down the hill and broke the French infantry with an impetuous bayonet charge; the Fourteenth and German hussars had, in the meantime, driven back the French cavalry, and the two regiments charged the broken infantry, and sabred some, and made others prisoners. The regiment had eighteen men and twenty horses killed; Captain Brotherton, Lieutenants John Gwynne, Francis Fowke, thirty-four rank and file, and eighteen horses wounded.
The regiment was actively employed in the operations of the succeeding three days, and occasionally skirmished between the opposing armies.
On the 22nd of July the memorable battle of Salamanca was fought; the Fourteenth skirmished with the enemy's advanced posts at day-break, and afterwards took their station in the line. By several changes of position, the French Marshal endeavoured to turn the right of the allied army and gain the road to Ciudad Rodrigo; Lord Wellington detected a false movement in the opposing army, and instantly ordering his divisions forward, commenced the battle. The Fourteenth light dragoons participated with the third division in its attack upon, and complete discomfiture of, the enemy's left; two squadrons under Lieut.-Colonel Hervey reinforced Brigadier-General D'Urban's Portuguese brigade, which turned the enemy's flank, and the regiment shared in the glorious struggle by which the French army was overthrown and driven from the field with a severe loss.
The regiment had several men and horses killed and wounded; Captain Brotherton, though still suffering from his wound received on the 18th of July, mounted his charger during the fight, and was again wounded; and the gallant bearing of the regiment was afterwards rewarded with the royal authority to display the word "Salamanca" on its guidons and appointments; its commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Hervey, was presented with a gold medal as a mark of royal favour and approbation.
On the following day the regiment pursued the rear of the French army, and two squadrons were sharply engaged and took several prisoners near Penerada. On the 26th, a patrol of three dragoons of the Fourteenth, and four of the German hussars, under Corporal William Hanley of the former corps, detached to Blasco Sancho, captured a party of the enemy, consisting of two officers, one serjeant, one corporal, and twenty-seven mounted dragoons, with one private servant and two mules, for which they received the expressions of the approbation of the Commander of the Forces. The French horses were given to the Fourteenth and German hussars, to complete deficiencies; the amount was divided among the patrol, and a further pecuniary donation was afterwards made to the men engaged in this gallant exploit.