The capture of Barcelona produced great astonishment throughout Europe, and the splendour of the achievement augmented the reputation of the British arms.
This success was followed by the submission of all the province of Catalonia, and part of that of Valencia; and after a short stay at Barcelona, the Thirty-fourth Regiment was selected to form part of the garrison of the ancient town of Tortosa, situated in a pleasant fertile country, on the left bank of the Ebro, near its influx into the sea. At this town, which was called Dordosa by the Romans, and received municipal privileges from Scipio, the regiment was stationed some time: its services are consequently not immediately connected with the exploits of the Earl of Peterborough in Valencia.
1706
As the operations of the British troops became extended, the regiment quitted its pleasant quarters at Tortosa, and was employed in several movements in the early part of 1706.
King Charles and his counsellors did not make efforts to provide for the defence of the towns which had been gained, nor to obtain the means for future conquests; but spent their time and money in diversions: the breaches of Barcelona and Montjuich were not repaired, and the garrison was unprovided for a siege. King Philip pursued a different line of conduct; he collected forces from various quarters, and assembled a numerous army, with a powerful artillery, for the re-capture of the provinces he had lost, and a formidable French and Spanish force approached the capital of Catalonia by land; at the same time a French fleet appeared before the city. The garrison being weak in numbers, corps were hurried from various places to increase its strength; and the Thirty-fourth Regiment travelled one hundred and twenty miles on mules, on the 30th and 31st of March, and on the 1st of April mounted guard on the works. The regiment had not been two hours on duty when the French approached the place, and made an attack on the outworks of fort Montjuich; but were repulsed by a hundred men of the Thirty-fourth, in gallant style[6]. To the timely arrival of the regiment may be attributed, in a great measure, the preservation of the town: the soldiers repaired the breaches, and made a desperate and resolute defence.
King Charles remained in Barcelona; his presence stimulated the garrison to extraordinary efforts, and British valour was conspicuously displayed in his cause; but the troops were not sufficiently numerous for the defence of so extensive a place. When the garrison, bravely struggling against multiplied difficulties, had become exhausted; its numbers decreased by deaths, wounds, and sickness to about a thousand men, and a practical breach was ready for the enemy to attack the place by storm, the combined English and Dutch fleets approached with reinforcements; the French naval force hurried from before the town, and the garrison was relieved. Losing all hope of final success, and having had five thousand men killed and wounded before the town, the enemy made a precipitate retreat on the 12th of May, leaving two hundred brass cannon, thirty mortars, and immense stores of ammunition and provision, together with the sick and wounded of their army, behind them, and hurrying to France, they thus left the allies at liberty to engage in new enterprises. Barcelona was thus preserved by British skill and valour; and the Thirty-fourth Regiment received, with the other corps in garrison, the thanks of King Charles for its heroic conduct. Its numbers were considerably reduced by casualties during the siege.
An immediate advance on Madrid was resolved upon; and the allied army on the frontiers of Portugal was requested to penetrate boldly to the capital of Spain. The Thirty-fourth Regiment embarked for Valencia to join in this enterprise; and, after landing, it furnished a number of select men towards completing the Earl of Peterborough’s Regiment of Dragoons, which was embodied on this occasion. The advance to Madrid was delayed; pernicious councils, which paid more attention to court formalities than to military operations, retarded the journey of King Charles. This gave time for the French forces to re-enter Spain, and for the arrival of additional troops to reinforce the enemy; and the allied army, after advancing to Madrid, was obliged to retreat to Valencia and Murcia.
1707
After passing the winter in Spain, the Thirty-fourth Regiment, being much reduced in numbers, was directed to transfer its private soldiers fit for duty to other corps, in the spring of 1707, and to return to England to recruit. This took place before the army took the field; and while the officers and non-commissioned officers were waiting for transports, the battle of Almanza was fought, on the 25th of April, when the enemy gained a decisive victory. The embarkation was afterwards delayed a short period; but in the autumn the regiment arrived in England, and commenced recruiting its ranks, in which it had great success.
1708