The allied army under the command of Lord Wellington was, at this period, on the frontiers of Spain, and the Fourth Dragoon Guards, after halting three weeks at the royal barracks at Belem to refresh the horses, received orders to march up the country and join Major-General Le Merchant's brigade of heavy cavalry. Leaving Belem on the 1st of September, the regiment proceeded by Villa Franca and Santarem, to Abrantes—a romantic-looking town situate on the summit of a lofty precipice on the right bank of the Tagus.
After occupying Abrantes and the adjacent villages a few days, the regiment resumed its march, and proceeded by Niza, and Villa Velha, to Castello Branco, where it was reviewed by Lord Wellington, who expressed his entire approbation of the appearance and discipline of the corps, and of the excellent quality and condition of the horses, and ordered twenty of the lightest to be transferred to the regiments of light dragoons. In October the regiment marched to Bismula, subsequently to Fundão, and from thence to Santa Combadão, and after the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo was raised, it proceeded into quarters for the winter at Fundão.
1812
When the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo was resumed, the regiment moved forward and formed part of the force employed in covering the operation; and whilst engaged in this service a scarcity of forage was so severely experienced, that the condition of the horses was much deteriorated. After the capture of this fortress by storm on the 19th of January, 1812, some changes took place in the cavalry brigades, and this regiment was removed to Major-General Slade's brigade, which consisted of the Third and Fourth Dragoon Guards and First Royal Dragoons. This brigade marched to Santa Combadão and adjacent villages; and subsequently proceeded to the Alentego to join the southern army, and cover the siege of the important fortress of Badajoz. Marshal Soult advanced with a strong French corps to relieve the town; but it was taken by storm (6th April) before his arrival. He then retired, leaving a strong rear-guard at Llerena, towards which place the Fourth Dragoon Guards, and other cavalry corps, advanced; and the French troops at this place were attacked and defeated on the 11th of April, by the British cavalry.
The brigade, of which the Fourth Dragoon Guards formed part, was afterwards attached to the army of the south under the command of Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, and was employed in all the operations and movements performed by that body of troops.
After the important victory gained by the main army under Lord Wellington, on the 22nd of July, at Salamanca, the army of the south advanced upon Madrid, in which city the Fourth Dragoon Guards were stationed for several days; at the same time Lord Wellington was engaged in the siege of Burgos. A powerful French army under General Clausel having advanced to raise the siege, while another army under Marshal Soult, and a third under Joseph Bonaparte (who had been elevated by his brother to the throne of Spain), were advancing upon Madrid, Lord Wellington found himself unable to cope with the combined forces thus assembled to attack him, and he commenced retreating upon Salamanca. At the same time Sir Rowland Hill's corps withdrew from its forward position, and after a long and toilsome retreat the whole army was concentrated near Salamanca. The French afterwards crossed the Tormes at Alba de Tormes, and Lord Wellington retreated across the Agueda and entered Portugal. During this movement the troops suffered severely from the inclemency of the weather and the want of provision: the rain fell in torrents almost the whole of the time; and the bad condition of the roads, added to the scanty supply of forage, was particularly injurious to the cavalry, and occasioned the death of many horses of the Fourth Dragoon Guards, and other corps. The regiment was ordered into quarters at Zarga Maior; from whence it marched, towards the end of December, into cantonments at Brozas.
Several alterations were this year made in the clothing and appointments of the regiment: the men's coats were altered to short coatees, with blue collar and cuffs, and white bar lace with a blue cord across the breast; the cocked hat and white feather were discontinued, and a brass helmet, having the crest surmounted with long black horse-hair, was adopted. The horse appointments were changed from black to brown leather; the leather saddle-bags to a cloth valise; and sabretaches were introduced.
1813
Strenuous exertions were made during the winter to render the regiment particularly efficient for the ensuing campaign: men, horses, clothing, and appointments, arrived from England, and the corps was brought into the most perfect condition for the field; when an order was given for four regiments of cavalry to transfer their horses to the other corps and proceed to England; and to the extreme regret of the officers and men, who panted for an opportunity to distinguish themselves in action with the enemy, the Fourth Dragoon Guards was one of the regiments ordered to return home,—the other three were the 9th, 11th, and 13th Light Dragoons. The commanding-officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sherlock, used his utmost endeavours to have the order rescinded, and to obtain permission for the regiment to remain on foreign service, but without avail; and the only St. Patrick's Day the Royal Irish Dragoon Guards ever hailed with sorrowful feelings was the one which brought the order for the surrender of their horses to other corps, and for their ceasing to form part of the army under Lord Wellington's command.
Having transferred 220 horses to the First Royal Dragoons, and 110 to the Third Dragoon Guards, the dismounted men proceeded to Lisbon, where they embarked for Portsmouth, and after their arrival marched to Hilsea barracks. On the 3rd of June they re-embarked at Portsmouth, and proceeded by sea to Hull, and from thence to York, where the four depôt troops and heavy baggage joined under the command of Major Ogilvie, from Canterbury.