1812
In the meantime, the efforts made by Great Britain to enable the Spaniards and Portuguese to deliver themselves from the power of Napoleon, began to assume a favourable prospect, and sanguine hopes of final success were anticipated. To aid the cause of Spanish independence, a small army was sent from Sicily to the eastern coast of Spain, and the first battalion of the Tenth was destined to take part in this service. The battalion left Messina in January, 1812, embarked at Melazzo, for Palermo, and was in quarters in that part of Sicily until June, when it joined the expedition which sailed for Spain.
Approaching the coast of Spain towards the end of July, the armament appeared off Palamos, in Catalonia, but the town was too strong to be attached by so small a force, and the fleet sailed for Alicant, in Murcia, where it arrived at a critical moment, the Spanish troops in that quarter having been defeated by the French. The Anglo-Sicilian troops landed and advanced a few stages to Elda, but afterwards withdrew; the Tenth marching to Palermo, where they passed the winter, the soldiers being much disappointed at the state of inactivity in which they were detained.
In November, the grenadier company of the second battalion embarked from Sicily, and joined the army on the eastern coast of Spain.
1813
On the 16th of February, 1813, the second battalion embarked from Sicily, against the island of Ponzo, on the coast of Naples, which capitulated on the 26th of that month, when the battalion returned to Sicily.
In the spring of this year, the distresses of the Spanish troops near Alicant, which could only be relieved by enlarging their cantonments, induced the British commander, Lieut.-General Sir John Murray, to make a forward movement. The Tenth formed part of the fourth column, which advanced by Xixona upon Alcoy; some fighting occurred, and the cantonments were enlarged. On the 18th of March, the regiment crossed the mountains to Ibithe, and on the 20th went into cantonments at Castalla.
The French army under Marshal Suchet advanced in the early part of April, and attacked the outposts on the 12th, when Lieutenant Thompson of the Tenth regiment, deputy-assistant quartermaster-general, was killed by a cannon-shot. The Anglo-Sicilian army took up a position three miles from the pass of Biar; the Tenth having left their cantonments at Castalla, took post in the line.
On the 13th of April, the enemy cleared the pass of Biar, and the battle of Castalla was fought, when the French were repulsed and driven back through the pass: the Tenth did not sustain any loss on this occasion; on the day after the battle they marched to Alcoy, and, on the 19th of April, to Castalla.
About this period, the grenadier companies of the first and second battalions returned to Sicily.