In the summer of 1800 the King's Own were encamped on Swinley downs, near Windsor, where they were reviewed by King George III. They passed the succeeding winter and summer at Winchester; in September, 1801, the first and second battalions proceeded to Horsham barracks, and the third battalion to Lewes. This year the cocked hats were replaced by caps.

In the mean time great alterations had taken place in the affairs of Europe; while several states which in former periods had nobly fought for their civil and religious liberties, were seen crouching beneath the iron rule of republican despotism, the British troops had triumphed in Egypt and the West Indies, and the conditions of a treaty of peace were taken into consideration. The men of the King's Own having been engaged to serve only during the war, they were offered a farther bounty to enlist for unlimited service, and upwards of nine hundred volunteered an extension of their services, and were constituted the first battalion.

In April, 1802, the second and third battalions proceeded to Portsmouth, and in May the first was removed to Chatham. The treaty of Amiens having been concluded, the third battalion was disbanded at Portsmouth on the 24th of May, and the second at Winchester in October of that year. In November the regiment marched to Dover Castle.

The short respite from the horrors of war ceded to Europe by the treaty of Amiens proved, like the calm which precedes a storm, the harbinger of a mighty struggle which shook the basis of the constitution of the states of Christendom. The ambitious designs of Bonaparte, first consul of France, were ripening for execution, and hostile preparations were secretly made under the deceptive cloak of pacific designs. The conditions of the peace were evaded, and, while Britain was reducing the numbers of her land and sea forces, and cultivating amicable relations, Bonaparte was preparing, under the pretence of colonial purposes, a gigantic naval and military power with which he designed to crush, by one mighty effort, the British people, who appeared as a barrier to his schemes of aggrandizement, and were ever ready to oppose his progress.

The formidable preparations carried on in the ports of France and Holland, pending the discussion of an important negociation, occasioned the British government to adopt means of preservation, and King George III., actuated by a concern for the security and welfare of his subjects, exercised the power vested in him by act of parliament, and issued on the 11th of March, 1803, warrants for calling out and embodying the MILITIA. The establishment of the regiments of the regular army was also augmented, the amount of levy money for recruits was increased, and vigorous measures were adopted for completing the numbers of the several corps. In May the negociations with France terminated, the King's ambassador was recalled from Paris, hostilities recommenced, and Bonaparte made public declaration of his intention to invade this kingdom, and assembled an army near Boulogne which was insultingly termed, L'armée d'Angleterre.

This proceeding was met by the British government with suitable measures; the SUPPLEMENTARY MILITIA was embodied; an Act was passed to enable his Majesty to assemble an additional military force, called the Army of Reserve; also an act for indemnifying persons who might suffer in their property from the measures it might be found necessary to adopt; and an Act to enable his Majesty more effectually and speedily to exercise his ancient and undoubted prerogative in requiring the military aid of his liege subjects in case of invasion of the realm, called the Levy-en-masse Act. The captain-general of the army, Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of York, was also active in making the necessary preparations. The country was divided into military districts; general and staff officers were appointed to each district, and arrangements were made, and regulations issued, for the conduct of all ranks in the event of an invasion taking place.

The moment the enemy landed, all the regulations of civil government and restraint of forms were to cease in that part of the country, and everything was to give way to the supplying and strengthening of the army; the troops were directed to move in the lightest manner, and without baggage; the enemy was to be attacked at the moment of landing, and when his numbers became too great for any chance of success, the troops were to withdraw a short distance to give time for the forces of the country to assemble; correct intelligence was to be circulated; the inhabitants were to withdraw with their cattle, horses, and provision; and all provision tardy in its removal was to be destroyed; the roads were to be broken up, and the country driven and abandoned on the line of the enemy's route.

As soon as the invading army quitted the coast, the troops were to hover on its front, flanks, and rear; it was to be obliged to fight for every article of sustenance; advantage was to be taken of the intricate and enclosed nature of the country; every inch of ground, every field, was to be to a degree disputed even by inferior numbers; should the enemy enter the strong woodland countries, trees were to be felled on the roads for miles around to impede his progress; incessant attacks were to be kept up by night with corps of various description and strength; the men were never to fire but when they had a good mark and a decided aim, and to use the national weapon, the bayonet, as much as possible, while every individual with a pike or pitchfork in his hand was required to unite his efforts to overwhelm and extirpate the unprincipled invaders, who, spurning at those generous modes of warfare established between civilized and rival countries, openly avowed their design to be the utter destruction of Great Britain as a nation. Against such an enemy the people were called upon to become more ferocious than himself, and their indignation being raised to the highest pitch would hurl back upon him that terror which he had struck into weak and degraded nations which had not the same liberty, renown, and constitution to contend for as Great Britain.

The measures of the government were nobly seconded by the people; the British spirit was roused; a sudden burst of patriotic enthusiasm pervaded the country; it animated the nobility, gentry, yeomanry,—all orders and conditions of men,—all felt alike on this momentous occasion; the danger was great, and it was met with corresponding resolution and exertions; the whole country, from the throne to the cottage, was animated with a determination to crush the French army, if it should dare to invade the British territory;—the Act for the LEVY-EN-MASSE was rendered unnecessary by their spontaneous zeal; the designs of the government were anticipated; voluntary associations were formed; loyal meetings took place in the metropolis and in the principal towns throughout the country; and large subscriptions were raised to bear the expenses of the volunteer corps. The unanimity and harmony which pervaded all ranks were astonishing; every city, town, and village, from the Lands-end to the Orkney Islands, poured forth its volunteer legions in defence of their country, and of their king; it was difficult to say, whether the people were more liberal in offering their persons, or their property, in defence of a country and constitution so dear to their affections; and the British monarch stood in a situation glorious and unexampled on the surface of the earth: he was not defended by mercenaries always sparing of their blood, not supported by tributary states impatient of their yoke, not assisted by allies envious of his prosperity, (Europe stood aloof leaving Britain to her own resources at the time of her utmost need); but in the moment of danger, his Majesty saw himself protected by the united efforts of all his people, by the persons of those who were able to wield a weapon, by the prayers of the aged and of the sick, by the purses of the rich, and by the hearts of all: the people knew for whom, and for what, they were preparing to fight; they knew they were not conscripts driven in chains to be sacrificed on the altar of an ambitious leader, but loyal subjects voluntarily engaging to encounter danger for a beloved sovereign, for the preservation of that limited monarchy which they viewed as the primary source of all the blessings they enjoyed as members of civil society. They were not preparing to fight from the base motive of desire to plunder other men's property, but to defend their own; not to fight ingloriously to subvert the liberties of others, but to prevent the yoke of slavery being fastened round their own necks; not in contempt of national character, in despite of the civil order of the world, in derision of religion, or in mockery of heaven; but to preserve their happy land from atheism, despotism, and anarchy, from that moral contamination of principle and practice which outrages the very nature of mankind. Actuated by such sentiments the aged, who had become indifferent to professional emolument and to professional ambition, appeared with renewed vigour ready for active service; and the youth stood forward in crowds ready to shed their blood for the good of their country. Thus exertions unknown in the history of this country, and unprecedented in the most illustrious nations of antiquity, were made, and Britain exhibited to the world the glorious spectacle of a nation rising simultaneously to assert its freedom and independence.

While the din of hostile preparation resounded throughout the country, the regiment which forms the subject of this memoir had the honour of forming part of an advanced-corps to the forces selected to cover the coast opposite Boulogne where Bonaparte was expected to land; for this purpose it was encamped at Shorncliffe, and was brigaded with the fifty-second, fifty-ninth, and seventieth regiments and five companies of the rifle corps, under the command of that distinguished officer, Major-General (afterwards Sir John) Moore. This corps was conspicuous for a high state of discipline; and the officers and men felt a degree of honest pride at being selected to commence the attack of the invaders whenever they appeared.

The noble attitude which the nation assumed, the strength[29] and energy it evinced while breathing defiance to the gigantic military power by which it was menaced, caused the spirit even of Napoleon to quail, and his legions did not venture to cross the British channel.

Thus the daring project of subjugating Britain, a project suited to that spirit of enterprise and ambition which characterized the martial leader of the French nation, was defeated by the vigour and promptitude of the government, and of the people, at the only period when it was likely to prove successful. If Bonaparte could have assembled in the ports of France and Holland a naval armament for the transport of one hundred thousand men across the channel, before the British fleets had been manned, the militia called out, and the people arranged in military array, the mischief he might have effected is incalculable. The immense preparations which were made on the opposite side of the Channel, particularly at Boulogne, the assembling of a large army in that quarter, the construction of vessels calculated to cross the Channel and approach near the shore, and his utter disregard of the loss of men, so that he accomplished his designs, prove beyond doubt Bonaparte's determination of invading the British territory; but the unanimous and glorious resolution evinced by the people to preserve their country, their freedom, and their privileges from the contamination of republicanism, and to shed their blood in the defence of what they valued above life, deterred him from carrying the threats he had so often repeated into execution.

The King's Own remained encamped at Shorncliffe; Martello towers were constructed along the shore, and batteries were raised to command the important points; and the soldiers, imbibing the spirit of their distinguished commander, calmly awaited the arrival of their vaunting adversaries. The Right Honourable William Pitt, who was at this period warden of the Cinque Ports, raised two regiments of a thousand men each; he frequently rode over to Shorncliffe, and Major-General Moore explained to this great statesman all his plans. On one occasion Mr. Pitt observed,—"Well, Moore, but as on the very first alarm of the enemy's coming I shall join you with my Cinque Porte regiments, you have not told me where you will place us?" "Do you see," said Moore, "that hill? you and yours shall be drawn up on it, where you will make a most formidable appearance to the enemy, while I with the soldiers shall be fighting on the beach." Mr. Pitt was exceedingly amused with this reply. On the 28th of November, the King's Own proceeded into the newly-built barracks at Hythe.

In 1804 the preparations for invasion were augmented; the King's Own were again encamped at Shorncliffe, and were brigaded with the forty-third, fifty-second, fifty-ninth, and five companies of the rifle corps, commanded by Major-General Moore. The nation preserved the attitude of defence and defiance to the power of Bonaparte; the several corps were regularly exercised, and inspected, and kept ready for active service; and the King's Own, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Brinley, attained so high a state of discipline and efficiency as to excite the special notice and approbation of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, who reviewed the regiment, with the remainder of its brigade, on the 24th of August.[30] Bonaparte's army remained inactive at Boulogne, consuming his resources; but he obtained from the French nation the dignity of Emperor. Another season passed away without an invasion; and on the 2d of November, the Fourth proceeded to the barracks at Hythe; a second battalion was added to its establishment, and the officers who had eminently distinguished themselves by their zeal and attention to the good of the service, were rewarded with promotion.

The regiment left Hythe on the 9th of March, 1805, for Canterbury, and while stationed at this place Colonel Brinley was appointed quartermaster-general in the West Indies. On his leaving the regiment, the officers evinced their esteem for him by inviting him to an entertainment prepared for the occasion, and by presenting him with a sword valued at fifty guineas.[31]

During the summer of this year both battalions were encamped on Beachy Head, where they were reviewed in brigade, with the twenty-third regiment, commanded by Major-General the Honourable Edward Paget, by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duke of York.

Bonaparte, after having been crowned King of Italy, and having added Genoa to his empire, proceeded to Boulogne and reviewed his army; and immediately afterwards marched against the forces of Russia and Austria, to crush at once the coalition forming against his interests, in which the British cabinet was taking a decided part. At the same time the French troops were withdrawn from Hanover, which country they had seized on soon after the resuming of hostilities in 1803. On the 21st of October the glorious victory at Trafalgar was won by the fleet, which gave Great Britain the uncontrolled sovereignty of the sea: and on the 27th of that month the first battalion of the King's Own embarked at Ramsgate for Hanover. Having landed at Cuxhaven on the 19th of November, it marched up the country and was cantoned at Blumenthal, where it was formed in brigade with the twenty-third and twenty-eighth regiments under Major-General Honourable E. Paget; the British troops in Hanover designed to co-operate with the continental powers being under the orders of Lieut.-General Lord Cathcart. Meanwhile the Austrians had been overpowered by Bonaparte, who had taken possession of Vienna; and the united Austrian and Russian armies were defeated in the beginning of December at Austerlitz, which established the preponderance of French power. In a subsequent treaty concluded at Vienna, it was stipulated, that Hanover should be occupied by the Prussians, and the British troops under Lord Cathcart retreated to Bremen and embarked for England.

The first battalion of the King's Own landed at Yarmouth in February, 1806, and marched to Woodbridge barracks; from whence it proceeded in May to Colchester: the second battalion was quartered at Chelmsford.

The influence of French councils at the court of Denmark, with the expectation that its navy would be employed by Bonaparte against Great Britain, occasioned the British court to resolve to obtain possession of the Danish fleet either by treaty or force, and to retain it until the conclusion of the war. An armament was fitted out for this service, and the first battalion of the King's Own embarked at Harwich on the 25th of July, to form part of the land force under the orders of Lieut.-General Lord Cathcart. The Danish government not acceding to the proposed conditions, the army landed on the island of Zealand, and took up a position before Copenhagen, the King's Own being formed in brigade with the twenty-third regiment, under the orders of Major-General Grosvenor. After a bombardment of three days the city surrendered, and the fleet was given up. The King's Own, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Wynch, occupied the citadel, where Lord Cathcart fixed his head-quarters. On the evacuation of Copenhagen, the King's Own re-embarked, and after landing at Deal on the 6th and 7th of November, marched to Colchester. The second battalion had, in the mean time, proceeded to Jersey.[32]

Although the forces of Russia and Prussia had been defeated, and a most humiliating peace concluded at Tilsit, yet Sweden still resisted the power of Bonaparte; and the first battalion of the Fourth, or King's Own, after receiving the thanks of parliament for its conduct at Copenhagen, was selected to form part of a body of troops placed under the command of Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, to support the Swedish monarch. The King's Own, having embarked at Harwich on the 28th of April, 1808, arrived at Gottenburg; but, to the surprise of the troops, they were interdicted landing by the decree of the King of Sweden, who, though desirous of obtaining British aid (like his predecessor, the Great Gustavus Adolphus, who in 1632 had eighteen British regiments in his army), yet he proved so imbecile of mind, and purposed to employ his British auxiliaries in so absurd a manner, that the expedition returned to England.

Meanwhile important events had transpired in the Peninsula. Bonaparte, after reducing to submission to his inexorable will all Germany, and forcing Russia to accede to his decrees, was prompted by his restless ambition to attempt the subjugation of Spain and Portugal. Having resolved to commence with the latter, he compelled Spain to join in the enterprise; and when Portugal was subdued, he seized on the Spanish monarchy. The inhabitants revolted against his authority. A British force, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, proceeded to their aid: and on the return of the King's Own from Gottenburg, they were immediately ordered to proceed to the Peninsula. Having landed in Maceira Bay, in Portugal, on the 25th of August, they advanced on Lisbon, and after the French army capitulated and vacated Portugal, they encamped within two leagues of Lisbon.

When Lieut.-General Sir John Moore was appointed to the command of the British troops in Portugal, and directed to advance to the assistance of the Spaniards, the King's Own, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Wynch, were formed in brigade with the twenty-eighth and forty-second regiments, under the orders of Major-General Lord William Bentinck; the Fourth led the right column in the march through Portugal into Spain, and arrived at Salamanca on the 14th of November. Although the Spanish forces, which were to have co-operated with Sir John Moore, were defeated and dispersed, and Bonaparte had three hundred thousand men in Spain, yet the British general, with that intrepidity which marked his character, advanced with his army into the heart of Spain, braved the numerous legions of the enemy, and produced a diversion favourable to the Spanish cause. When Napoleon directed eighty thousand men and two hundred cannon against Sir John Moore, he marched towards the coast; and by superior skill escaped from the overwhelming numbers by which he was menaced. Great privation and suffering were endured by the troops during this retreat of two hundred and fifty miles, in the depth of winter, over mountains and rivers, exposed to snow-storms and heavy rains, and pursued by an enemy of superior numbers. During the retreat the King's Own preserved their efficiency, and their grenadier company, commanded by Captain Faunce, did not lose a man.

At length the army arrived at Corunna, and the war-worn British soldiers obtained shelter, warm food, and a short repose, at the town and neighbouring villages, where their wasted strength was recruited, and their damaged arms were exchanged for new, while they awaited the arrival of shipping to transport them to England.

The shipping arrived, and while arrangements were making for the embarkation, the British troops, amounting to fourteen thousand five hundred men, were in position on an inferior range of heights in front of Corunna; and the Fourth were on the right of Lieut.-General Sir David Baird's division, behind the village of Elvina.

On the 16th of January, 1809, twenty thousand French troops assembled on the opposite hills; about two in the afternoon a heavy battery opened its fire; and three columns of the enemy, covered by clouds of skirmishers, descended the mountains, and drove in the British piquets. The first column carried the village of Elvina; then dividing, attempted to turn the right of Lieut.-General Sir David Baird's division by the valley, and to break its front; at the same time the second column advanced against the British centre; and the third attacked the left at the village of Palavia Abaxo. The brunt of the battle on the right was sustained by the Fourth, forty-second, and fiftieth regiments, commanded by Major-General Lord William Bentinck, and this brigade resisted the furious onset of the enemy with a firmness which proved the unconquerable spirit and excellent discipline of the troops. The enemy's attempt to turn the right flank by the valley occasioned the right wing of the Fourth to be thrown back, and the regiment opening a heavy flanking fire with terrible effect, it forced its opponents back in confusion; while the forty-second and fiftieth attacked those breaking through the village of Elvina. Sir John Moore watching this manœuvre with care, saw the noble exhibition of valour made by the King's Own, and the repulse of the enemy by the flanking fire, with feelings of exultation, and called out, "That is exactly what I wanted to be done. I am glad to see a regiment there in which I have so much confidence:" but in a short time afterwards this distinguished commander was mortally wounded by a cannon-ball, and died regretted by the army. Eventually the French were defeated on all sides, and they sought refuge on the high ridge of hills from which they had descended. Thus ended a conflict which was glorious to the British arms; the army having repulsed its adversaries, embarked during the night and succeeding day, and returned to England.

The King's Own had their commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Wynch, with Captain John Williamson, Lieutenant Vere Hunt, Ensigns J. P. Jameson and Reardon, wounded; Ensign Reardon died of his wounds. Lieut.-Colonel Wynch was rewarded with a medal; and the distinguished conduct of the regiment procured for it the honourable privilege of bearing the word Corunna on its colours.

Having landed at Portsmouth on the 31st of January, the King's Own marched to Colchester Barracks, where the second battalion, which had returned from Jersey, was also stationed. The militia being again allowed to extend their services to the line, upwards of seven hundred volunteered for the Fourth, and the establishment of the first battalion was raised to twelve hundred, and the second to a thousand men.

An attack on Holland by a body of troops commanded by General the Earl of Chatham having been resolved upon, both battalions of the King's Own,—the first commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Wynch, and the second by Lieut.-Colonel Espinasse, marched for Deal and embarked on the 16th of July; they were formed in brigade with the twenty-eighth regiment, under Major-General the Earl of Dalhousie. This brigade formed part of the reserve under Lieut.-General Sir John Hope, and landed on the 1st of August on the island of South Beveland, where it was stationed during the attack and capture of Flushing, on the island of Walcheren. Some delay taking place in the naval arrangements, the enemy had time to make preparations for a powerful resistance; at the same time a severe epidemic fever broke out among the English troops, and the attack on Antwerp was relinquished.

In September the regiment was withdrawn from South Beveland, and having landed at Harwich on the 16th of that month, returned to Colchester Barracks much reduced in numbers by the Walcheren fever.

The second battalion left Colchester in January, 1810, embarked at Portsmouth for Gibraltar, and was subsequently stationed in garrison at Ceuta.

In the autumn the first battalion was again called upon to transfer its services to the Peninsula, where the war continued to rage, and Marshal Massena was advancing with a powerful army to complete the conquest of Portugal. Having embarked at Harwich on the 24th of October on board the Agincourt, of 64 guns, and Brune frigate, the King's Own, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Wynch, sailed for Portugal; they landed at Lisbon on the 4th of November, and advancing up the country to join the army commanded by Lord Wellington, then in the lines of Torres Vedras, were brigaded with the second battalions of the thirtieth and forty-fourth regiments, commanded by Major-General Dunlop, in the fifth division, under the orders of Major-General James Leith, and were stationed at Alcoentra, from whence they proceeded in December to Torres Vedras.

Colonel Wynch was appointed to command a brigade in the light division; but, unfortunately for the service, and to the deep regret of all who knew him, this excellent and distinguished officer died at Lisbon on the 6th of January following, of a fever, caught in the discharge of his duty at the advanced-posts of the army. Lieut.-Colonel Bevan succeeded to the command of the first battalion, and Major Brooke was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and appointed to the second battalion.

The King's Own remained at Torres Vedras until the French army, having been reduced by sickness and other causes, retreated towards Spain;—the regiment then moved forward in pursuit, and the enemy's rear was harassed and attacked with varied success.

On the 2d of April the Fourth marched through Guarda; on the following day they passed the Coa with their division by the bridge of Sabugal; and the enemy, having been previously attacked by the light division, was forced to make a precipitate retreat, and he fell back upon Alfayates.

The French having retreated on Ciudad Rodrigo, the allied army stood triumphant on the confines of Portugal, from whence the King's Own advanced into Spain, and were cantoned at Aldea de Bispo from the 9th of April to the beginning of May.

When Marshal Massena advanced to the relief of Almeida, the allied army went into position to oppose his progress, and the fifth division taking post near Fort Conception, on the left of the line, was not attacked; the Fourth regiment was consequently not engaged in the action at Fuentes d'Onor.

After the repulse of the French army, the garrison of Almeida lost all hope of assistance, and the commandant made preparations for destroying the works, and for vacating the place. At midnight, on the 10th of May, he exploded the mines, and sallying forth in a compact column, broke through the blockading force; but was followed by a few men collected on the instant, and by the thirty-sixth regiment. Early on the following morning, as the King's Own were on the march to Barba del Puerco, they heard the firing of musketry at a distance, and hastened towards the scene of conflict. The enemy was on the march; but the British soldiers, throwing off their knapsacks, followed at such a pace, that they overtook the rear of the column in the act of descending the deep chasm of Barba del Puerco. Many were killed and wounded, and three hundred were taken; but the remainder escaped. The King's Own had two rank and file killed, and one lieutenant and ten rank and file wounded.

On the 15th of June the regiment was stationed at Nava de Aver, in Portugal, where it remained three weeks, forming part of the four divisions of infantry left behind the Agueda to observe the movements of the French army under Marshal Marmont during the time the second siege of Badajoz was undertaken. When the enemy moved southwards, the regiment directed its march by Castello Branco for the Alentejo; and went into position on the Caya, being hutted near the wood and town of Aronches until the 2d of July, when it proceeded to Portalegre.

While at this station the Fourth had the misfortune to lose their commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Bevan, who died on the 8th of July, and was buried with military honours in the castle-yard, all the officers of the division attending. He was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel Brooke, and brevet Lieut.-Colonel Faunce was appointed lieutenant-colonel in the regiment and placed at the head of the second battalion.

The regiment left its quarters in Portalegre on the 21st of July, and was hutted near that town seven days, when it proceeded into cantonments at Castel de Vide. When Lord Wellington moved towards the Agueda with the view of rescuing Ciudad Rodrigo from the power of the enemy, the Fourth crossed the Tagus by the bridge of boats, and proceeding by Castello Branco, entered Spain on the 11th of August at Navas Frias. After passing seven days in huts near St. Payo, they proceeded into cantonments at Pena Parda; but returned to their huts on the 26th of August, and back to quarters on the 2d of September, where they remained until the 26th of that month: meanwhile Ciudad Rodrigo was blockaded, and Lord Wellington's head-quarters were at Fuentes Guinaldo. When Marshal Marmont advanced to relieve this fortress, the Fourth remained with their division at St. Payo, watching the passes from Estremadura. In the subsequent manœuvres they were not brought into action with the enemy; and after the retreat of the French army, they were stationed at Guarda, in Portugal.

The enemy being deceived by the seemingly careless winter attitude of the allied army, left Ciudad Rodrigo to the protection of its garrison; and the British commander, profiting by this omission, commenced the siege of this important fortress in the early part of January, 1812 with four divisions; the King's Own remained in quarters at Bobadela, where they had proceeded on the 7th of December. On the receipt of intelligence that Marshal Marmont was collecting his forces to succour the place, the whole army was brought forward and posted in the villages on the Coa, ready to cross the Agueda and give battle. Ciudad Rodrigo was captured by storm during the night of the 19th of January; and the Fourth were cantoned in the suburbs of that fortress from the 20th of January to the 23d of February.

In consequence of the great difficulty experienced in procuring land carriage for the supplies of the army, many of the regiments had to proceed a considerable distance for their clothing, and the King's Own marched for that purpose from Ciudad Rodrigo to Penacova, where the clothing arrived by water from Coimbra; that in use having been in wear during two years of hard service.

Meanwhile the fifth division was proceeding towards the Alentejo to engage in the siege of Badajoz, and the regiment joined its brigade at Campo Mayor on the 24th of March. On the 30th of that month it proceeded to Elvas; on the 4th of April it bivouacked near the city of Badajoz, and three breaches, which were deemed practicable, having been made, the regiment was formed on the evening of the 6th ready to take part in the storming of this strong fortress. On this occasion the fifth division was directed to make a false attack on the Pardaleras, and a real assault on the bastion of San Vincente; the King's Own, headed by Lieut.-Colonel Brooke, led the assault of the bastion.

The division advanced in silence from its bivouac-ground towards the remote side of the town; the sky was clouded and the air thick with watery exhalations, and as the troops approached the lofty fortress, a low murmur was heard in the trenches, lights were seen passing to and fro along the ramparts, and the loud voices of the French sentinels proclaimed that all was well in Badajoz. The garrison watching from its lofty station the approach of its adversaries, stood prepared with every means of destruction which art could devise, and each soldier had three loaded muskets beside him, that the first fire might be quick and fatal. As the British soldiers approached the fortress with ladders and weapons, the sight of the formidable works and towering walls awakened in their resolute hearts an eagerness for the assault, and they advanced with audacity to meet that fiery destruction which their adversaries were prepared to pour down upon them. Major-General Walker's brigade, led by the King's Own, having gained the bank of the Guadiana, advanced along the margin of the river, and the sound of their footsteps being rendered inaudible by the rippling of the waters, they reached the French guard-house at the barrier-gate of the Olivença road undiscovered; but at that moment an explosion took place at the breach, and the moon emerging from behind the clouds, the French discovered the column and gave the alarm. The glacis was mined, the ditch deep, the scarp thirty feet high, and the parapet lined with bold troops; yet the British soldiers springing forward under a sharp fire commenced hewing down the wooden barrier at the covered way. The Portuguese, being panic-stricken, threw down the scaling-ladders, but others snatched them up again, and having forced the barrier, jumped into the ditch. The guiding engineer was killed, and the ladders were found too short, for the walls were generally above thirty feet high; at the same time a mine was sprung beneath the soldiers' feet, beams of wood and live shells were rolled over on their heads, showers of grape swept the ditch, and man after man dropped dead from the ladders. At length three ladders were reared against a corner of the bastion, where the scarp was only twenty feet high, and one man climbing an embrasure which had no gun, and was only stopped by a gabion, was pushed to the top by his comrades; he drew others after him until many had gained the summit; and although the French opened a sharp fire against them from both flanks, and from a house in front, yet their numbers increased and they could not be driven back. Half the King's Own regiment entered the town to dislodge the enemy from the houses, while the others pushed along the ramparts, and, by hard fighting, won three bastions. Major-General Walker, leading the attack of the last bastion, fell covered with wounds; and several of the soldiers observing a lighted match on the ground, cried out, "A mine." The troops retiring hastily for fear of an explosion, were at that moment attacked by a French reserve, and driven back with great loss as far as the San Vincente, where the pursuing enemy was destroyed by the fire of a battalion of the thirty-eighth, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Nugent, posted in reserve. The storming party rallied, and, returning to the attack, once more charged along the breaches, and were engaged with the enemy.

In the meantime, the men of the King's Own who had entered the town, finding the streets empty, the houses illuminated with lamps, and no appearance of opposition, excepting a few shots fired by the Spaniards from underneath the doors, they advanced with bugles sounding towards the great square of the town, capturing in their progress several mules laden with ammunition proceeding towards the breaches. Arriving at the square, it was found empty as the streets, the houses decorated with lamps; a low whispering was heard, and the lattices were occasionally opened and shut, but no troops appeared to be in the buildings. The castle had been won by the British troops; but at the breaches the fight was still raging, and dreadful sounds like the deep tones of distant thunder echoed through the town; the King's Own rushed to the scene of conflict to attack the garrison in reverse, but were assailed by a heavy fire of musketry and forced back by superior numbers. At length the garrison was forced from the breaches, partial actions afterwards took place in various quarters, and eventually the governor, finding all lost, escaped with part of his garrison to the fort of St. Christoval, on the opposite side of the river, where he surrendered.

In the storming of Badajoz the Fourth had Captain H. T. Bellingham and Lieutenant Francis Staveley killed; Lieutenants William Sheppard and Martin Dane died of their wounds; Major Alured W. Faunce, Captains John Williamson, G. W. Wilson, Robert Anwyl, and Thomas Burke, with Lieutenants W. S. L. Alley, J. Salvin, Patrick Conroy, John Browne, John Craster, Hygat Boyd, and Ensigns Robert Arnold and Edward Rawlings, wounded: the regiment also sustained a loss of two hundred and thirteen serjeants, drummers, and rank and file, killed and wounded.

The excellent conduct of the brigade was mentioned in Lord Wellington's despatch; and Lieut.-Colonel Brooke, who commanded the regiment, was also spoken of in terms of commendation.

During the assault, Private George Hatton, of the light company of the King's Own, bayonetted the officer who carried the colours of the regiment of Hesse d'Armstadt, in the French service, and captured the colours, which he had the honour of presenting on the following day to Lord Wellington, who rewarded him with a present of money, and desired that he might be promoted.

The King's Own acquired by its gallantry on this occasion the honour of the royal permission to bear the word Badajoz on its colours.

Shortly after the capture of Badajoz the Fourth marched with the army towards the Agueda; on the 14th of May, the second battalion joined from Ceuta; and the brigade, consisting of the two battalions of the King's Own, and second battalions of the thirtieth and forty-fourth regiments, was commanded by Major-General Pringle; Major-General Walker having returned to England in consequence of his wounds received at the storming of Badajoz.

The Fourth advanced with the army to Salamanca, and this city being rescued from the power of the enemy, exhibited a scene of tumultuous joy and rejoicing; the houses were illuminated, and the people, shouting and singing, welcomed their deliverers; while the army took up a position on the mountain of St. Christoval a few miles in advance; but the Fourth remained behind the Tormes, and the forts which the enemy occupied at Salamanca were besieged. Marshal Marmont advancing on the 20th of June, to succour the forts, the regiment crossed the Tormes and was formed with the army in order of battle on the top of the mountain. After the capture of the forts, the enemy retired towards the Douro, and the regiment descended the heights and followed the French army, which took up a new position near Tordesillas.

The King's Own bivouacked in front of Tordesillas from the 2d to the 9th of July, and at Nava del Rey until the 16th; the weather being fine, the country rich, rations regularly supplied, and wine abundant, the soldiers fared luxuriously; but the enemy having passed the Douro and the Trabancos, turned the left of the allies, and marched on the 18th of July towards the Guarena, when the British retired. The two armies directing their march towards the Guarena as to one common goal, and important results depending on which should first pass the stream, a strife of speed arose. Several of the hostile columns, proceeding in parallel lines a distance of ten miles, within musket-shot of each other, marched impetuously towards the stream in perfect order, while clouds of dust arose, and a most interesting spectacle presented itself; for the officers on each side, being strangers alike to malice and to fear, were seen pointing with their swords, touching their caps, or waving their hands in courtesy as they urged their course towards the river. The British gained the stream first; the soldiers being tormented with thirst, many of them drank as they marched, and others halting in the river a few moments, were saluted with a shower of bullets; but they passed on, and the French marshal's designs were frustrated. He, however, passed the river on the 20th of July higher up, turned the right flank of the allied army, and gained a new range of hills; when Lord Wellington made a corresponding movement, and an evolution similar to that on the 18th was repeated, and it ended in the British resuming their position on the heights of St. Christoval. The King's Own forded the Tormes on the following day, and were posted in position with the army near Salamanca.

These bold manœuvres of the enemy were watched by the British commander, who waited patiently for an opportunity to strike a decisive blow, and this occurring on the 22d of July, a sanguinary battle was fought. In the early part of the day the King's Own were posted on the slope of one of the heights, called the Arapiles, where they remained until the afternoon, when they moved to the rear of the village of Arapiles; Lord Wellington having detected a fault in his adversaries' movements, ordered his divisions forward, and the battle commenced. In this action the fifth division, commanded by Major-General Sir James Leith, attacking the enemy in front, distinguished itself; and the King's Own,—the first battalion being commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Brooke, and the second by Major David Williamson—had their share in the glories of the day. During the action the first battalion made a brilliant charge on a considerable body of the enemy, and nobly sustained its reputation. The skill of the British commander was bravely seconded by the resolute valour and discipline of the troops; the action lasted until dark, a decisive victory was gained over the enemy, and eleven pieces of cannon, two eagles, and six colours were captured. The gallantry evinced by the King's Own was afterwards rewarded by the privilege of bearing the word Salamanca on their colours; the commanding officers of both battalions were rewarded with medals; Major David Williamson was also promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel on the occasion. Major Piper, who succeeded to the command of the first battalion during the action in consequence of Lieut.-Colonel Brooke[33] being called upon to take the command of the brigade, was likewise rewarded with a medal and the rank of lieutenant-colonel; and Major Alured Faunce, who commanded the light infantry companies of the brigade, also received a medal. The regiment had Major O'Halloran wounded, and forty-eight serjeants and rank and file killed and wounded.

The troops pursued the flying enemy on the following day, and after numerous marches and evolutions, the first battalion of the King's Own proceeded with the army to Madrid, where the British were received with acclamations of joy. Meanwhile the second battalion was in cantonments at Cuellar, with the sixth division under Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton; but in September the two battalions were united in front of Burgos during the siege of the castle.

When the concentration of the enemy's forces and the failure of the attack on Burgos rendered a retrograde movement necessary, the army withdrew in the night, and the French following in full career, several skirmishes occurred. On the 24th of October the army was in position behind the Carion, and the King's Own were bivouacked near Villa Muriel. The position was attacked on the following day, and a French column having passed the river, took some prisoners at the village and lined the bed of a canal; the brigade under Major-General Pringle's orders was directed to clear the canal, and the Fourth advanced against their adversaries. The French troops were driven back, the village was re-occupied in force, and the canal was lined by the allied troops; but the army withdrew before day-break on the 26th and the retreat was resumed.

The army took up positions from time to time to retard the advance of the enemy; and having crossed the Douro and the Tormes, it was posted behind the latter river until the middle of November; when a further retreat to Ciudad Rodrigo took place. The King's Own having entered Portugal went into winter quarters at the villages of Valdigeen and Saude, in the vicinity of Lamego.

Both battalions having sustained considerable loss during this campaign, the second transferred its private men fit for duty to the first battalion on the 24th of December, and, proceeding to England, was stationed in Colchester barracks, where it was shortly afterwards recruited in numbers by volunteers from the militia.

The second battalions of the thirtieth and forty-fourth regiments being also reduced in numbers were sent to England, and the first battalion of the King's Own remaining in cantonments on the northern frontiers of Portugal, was united in brigade with the second battalions of the forty-seventh and fifty-ninth regiments, under the orders of Major-General F. P. Robinson.