[769] Same to same, October 17, acknowledging Hill’s proposal made in a letter of October 15.
[770] Apparently 20th Dragoons, 27th Chasseurs, 10th Hussars.
[771] 4th and 10th Line (2 batts. each) from Hamilton’s division, 6th and 18th Line (2 batts. each) and 6th Caçadores from Ashworth’s Brigade.
[772] This was the brigade composed of the remnant of Colborne’s and Hoghton’s old regiments, viz. Buffs, 1/57th, 2/31st, 2/66th.
[773] The remainder of Hamilton’s division, 2nd and 14th Line, and the 5th and 8th Cavalry.
[774] Hill in his dispatch says that the peasantry gave Girard no news of his approach. But in Blakeney’s interesting narrative of this campaign there is a story told that two Afrancesados warned the Frenchman of Hill’s approach, and that he refused to credit them. This was told to Blakeney by his prisoner, Colonel the Prince of Aremberg, commanding the 27th Chasseurs. See Blakeney, p. 236.
[775] The regiments, which were incomplete in July (see Appendix XVIII), had been joined before October by the battalion which each had contributed to the garrison of Badajoz.
[776] Blakeney’s account of his own exploit (pp. 228-9 of his book) is borne out by Hill’s recommendation of him, though he is not mentioned in the formal dispatch of October 30.
[777] This Rheinbund prince had been in great favour with Napoleon, and married Stephanie Tascher, niece of the Empress Josephine. He had raised the 27th Chasseurs at his own cost.
[778] Including 5/82nd, 528 strong, at Almeida.
[779] Including 4/15th and 3/86th, 1,451 strong, at Ciudad Rodrigo.
[780] Including five squadrons, 875 strong, left between Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida.
[781] These two battalions were formed of the fourteen grenadier companies of the 1st and 2nd battalions of all the seven regiments of Laval’s and Ruffin’s divisions, including those of the 16th Léger, absent from the corps. The men are therefore all counted already in their battalions, save those of the 16th Léger, which would probably give 7 officers and 170 men to be added to the above total of 7,170. That these companies of the 16th were present is shown by the fact that two casualties of officers of the regiment are recorded in Martinien’s lists at Barrosa.
[782] Losses of these six companies are included among those of the other grenadiers in the return. They were little engaged, and probably lost only 20 or 30 men.
[783] This officer, Colonel Waters, of the Portuguese Staff, was taken prisoner on the Coa many miles from the battlefield, by the outposts of the French 6th Corps.
[784] These Portuguese figures include the officers.
[785] These Portuguese figures include the officers.
[786] These Portuguese figures include the officers.
[787] The 5th battalion of the 82nd was in garrison at Almeida.
[788] One battalion of the 15th Ligne, 585 strong, and one battalion of the 65th, 265 strong, and the Régiment de Prusse, 526 strong, were left in garrison at Ciudad Rodrigo. The cavalry brigade of the corps, composed of three provisional regiments of dragoons, was guarding communications.
[789] The return of losses is confused, there being mixtures of units, and some errors between officers and rank and file. It seems unlikely that Zayas’s division had 26 officers wounded and none killed. I have endeavoured to reconstruct items as far as possible. For the confused table see Arteche, vol. x. p. 524.
[790] Of this 681 no less than 98 killed and 517 wounded are in the four battalions of the Spanish Guards and Irlanda, which fought so long against Girard’s division. The other five battalions only lost 66 men between them.
[791] The 1/34th, 3/40th, 1/88th, 1/21st Léger, 3/100th were separated from their regiments and garrisoned Badajoz.
[792] The 34th regiment returned, as is clear, all its missing as killed.
[793] The 88th regiment returned, as is clear, all its killed as missing.
[794] This assemblage of Grenadier companies can be identified, as to its units, by the fact that in Martinien’s lists of killed and wounded, we find names of officers of the 45th, 63rd, 95th, and 4th Poles, none of which were present at Albuera. He accounts from these regiments for 4 officers killed and 9 wounded (45th 5 officers, 63rd 2 officers, 95th 1 officer, Poles 5 officers).
[795] Regiment of Hesse-Darmstadt about 1,000 bayonets is detached, on its way to join the Badajoz garrison.
[796] Garrison of Rodrigo (1 batt. each of 26th, 65th, 66th, Légion du Midi, and Regiment de Prusse, making 1,997 men) is included under the divisional figures above.
[797] De Grey’s brigade properly belonged to Erskine’s 2nd Cavalry Division, absent with Hill in Estremadura. But Wellington had called it up to the main army when Le Marchant’s heavy dragoons arrived at Lisbon, and sent the latter to Castello Branco, as part of Hill’s corps.
[798] The artillery and engineer returns, both British and Portuguese, are given in bulk for the whole army, including Hill’s force in Estremadura and units left at Lisbon. Distributing the numbers proportionately, the above figures would result; they cannot be far wrong.
[800] D troop was reduced in 1816, and re-formed in 1900, under its present designation.
[801] This company was actually commanded by Captain R. H. Birch, as Dickson was serving in the Portuguese Artillery.