The army remained in the lines of Torres-Vedras till November 15. Leach’s company, which furnished the picquet in front of Arruda on the night of the 14th, discovered at daybreak on the next morning that the French army had fallen back during the night; leaving dummies of straw topped with a shako, and with a pole to look like a musket, to represent their advanced sentries. Soon after this was known at head-quarters the Battalion was ordered in pursuit; but did not come up with the French rear-guard, and halted that night near Alemquer. On the 16th the Battalion continued the pursuit through Villa Nova and Azambuja; and though they never got sight of the rear-guard, they took many stragglers prisoners. They first got sight of the French near Cartaxo, where they found them posted on some rising ground, having a heathy plain in their front. Craufurd, believing that a rear-guard only was opposed to him, was on the point of attacking; but Lord Wellington, who came up at the moment, forbade this attack, a whole Corps d’Armée being, in fact, concealed behind the heights on which the small force visible was posted. The Battalion halted that night in Cartaxo, and before dawn on the 18th again started in pursuit, and came up with the enemy’s rear-guard, which retired before them across a plain to the Rio Mayor, which they crossed by a narrow bridge at the end of a long causeway. A company of the Regiment was pushed on as a picquet near the bridge. The enemy were occasionally exchanging shots with some dismounted dragoons whom the Riflemen relieved; and Simmons, who was on the picquet, taking three men with him, crept on the bridge; and lying down behind a dead mule, which gave them a good rest for their rifles, they took deliberate aim and evidently hit some of their adversaries, who became very chary of showing themselves. As the Riflemen had had a long march and a hard day’s work, they were relieved at night by a company of the 52nd; and retreating to a grove of olive-trees near at hand, for they were to remain as a reserve, they kindled their fires and made themselves as comfortable as a rainy night allowed. But they were not long undisturbed. For Craufurd, fancying or hoping that the enemy were moving off, and ever anxious to be the first in pursuit, took two or three soldiers with him, and walked cautiously along the causeway so far that the French sentry challenged and fired; Craufurd ordered his escort to return it. And this alarmed the enemy; who, fancying probably that the English were crossing the bridge in force, opened a heavy fire, the balls of which rattled among the olive trees where the weary Riflemen were bivouacked, and rudely disturbed their rest. However, at last the uproar ceased; and when day broke on the 19th it was found that during the remainder of the night the French had formidably increased the strength of their position by placing abattis on the causeway and breastworks at the end of it. They had also placed guns on the high ground which rose behind, and which they had also fortified with abattis. The position, in fact, was a very strong one: in front the Rio Mayor, and swampy ground crossed only by the bridge and causeway; on the left the Tagus, with ground rising in bold and hilly eminences; and the considerable town of Santarem about a league in the rear. After bivouacking in a pine-wood near Valle, where, as in the previous night, they suffered from torrents of rain, they were ordered on the 20th to cross by a bridge near Valle to the left of the enemy’s position and to attack his picquets. The Battalion was employed to drive in the enemy’s advanced party, which they effected in fine style, and with but slight loss, though under sharp fire from the French light troops for about two hours. The object of this reconnaissance was to ascertain whether Massena’s whole force occupied the position or only a rear-guard; though, as Beckwith observed in his north-country phrase to a staff officer who asserted his certainty that it was but the latter, ‘It was a gay rear-guard that built that abattis in a night.’
However, it being evident that the whole of Massena’s army held this strong position, the Battalion was withdrawn and placed in houses, cottages and sheds, near the bridge. On it they had double sentries; close to it an outlying picquet of three hundred men; a large inlying picquet close by; and the rest of the Battalion, sleeping always by their arms, were ready, in case of an alarm, to turn out at a minute’s notice.
As the Battalion remained thus posted at Valle, near the bridge to Santarem, during the winter, and there is nothing to record of them for four months, I shall return to trace the services of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions; observing only that General Craufurd at this time went on leave of absence to England, and that Sir William Erskine succeeded to the command of the Light Division during his absence.
We left the 2nd Battalion at Hythe on its return from Walcheren. Its sufferings and casualties there prevented its taking part in any operations of the war for some time. But its losses were supplied with energy; and within a space of five months after its return from Flanders, two companies (Captain Cadoux’s and Captain Jenkins’) embarked on February 12, 1810, and formed part of the force assembled at Tarifa on February 25, under Lieutenant-General Graham, being then attached to Brigadier-General Dilkes’ brigade. They served at Cadiz, and under the command of Colonel Norcott distinguished themselves at the Battle of Barrosa, as I shall more particularly mention when I come to detail the part taken by the 3rd Battalion in that action. Meanwhile, to trace the services of these companies.
One of these (Captain Jenkins’) was detached to act with Ballesteros’ Spanish force, and disembarked at Algeçiras early in September, and marched to Ximena; whence on the 18th they advanced to Alcalá de Gazules, and after some smart skirmishing with a French detachment from Chiclana, retired to Ximena. It remained in the neighbourhood of Algeçiras for two months; and after being constantly engaged with the enemy, it retreated (with Ballesteros’ army) to Gibraltar.[82]
This company subsequently formed part of the garrison of Tarifa.
On December 20 it was engaged in Colonel Skerrett’s attempt to resist the investment of the place, and both companies took part in successfully repelling the assault on the breach which was made on the 31st, when their distinguished gallantry was very conspicuous. On the former of these occasions they lost 2 men killed, and had 10 men wounded. In the fight at the breach 1 man was killed and 1 wounded.
After taking their share in this ‘great and splendid exploit,’[83] this company rejoined the other at Cadiz.
In July 1810, another company (Charles Beckwith’s) embarked at Portsmouth, and, having landed at Lisbon, marched to join the army, then on its retreat from Busaco to Torres-Vedras. It joined at Coimbra, and was attached to the 1st Battalion in the Light Division.
This company thenceforward took part in the movements and actions of the 1st Battalion during the remainder of this and the first half of the following year.