Wellington's Peninsula Regiments 2

Wellington's Peninsula Regiments (2) The Light Infantry

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

3

THE EVOLUTION OF LIGHT INFANTRY

5

• lHlh n:'lllun COlltillental armil', • Expcriclln' in l'orth ,\mcrica • I Ill' Rl'\oluuonan \\'ar.. - Frl'llch lank,MIKE CHAPPELL com.s lrom .n AIde...hot f.mlly wtIh British Army connaoeUons str.tchlng back .....e .. 1 generations. He enUsted .s • t_~ priv.te In the Roy.l H.mpshlre R81Jlment In 1852. o...er the next 22 y..... of Infantry soldiering, m.ny of !hom spent with ttoe GIouc. .ter Regiment, 1M held e.... ry ..nk .nd INIny regimental appointments up to W01 .nd R81JI....nt.1 Sergeant Major. He retired in 1874, as RSM of th.e 1st Battalion The W..... Regiment IRlfle Volunteenl, aner seeing . .rvlceln Malaya, CyPNS, Swaziland, Libya, Germ.ny, Ulster and hom. garrisons. He bet.n painting military sUbJects In 1~8 and since then h.s g..lned worldwide popularity ., • mlllt.ry Ilhnt..lor, Mike has written .nd lIIustr.ted m.ny books for Osprey,

I\ri,.lill·' lIIl'ICl.'llan rl'g:iml'lll'>

BRITISH LIGHT INFANTRY 1800-1808

10

• rhl' lil~1 l.ig:ht Illl;Hlln reg:ill1l'llh • luhn ~IO(lIl' .mel Kt'IHIt'lh ~1,IClo..t'llIit' • Thl' ~It()rndilk ~\ ..ICJll - offin,.-.;tr.tin ofMindcn. Qut:bt:c. Alexandria and $al,nll.lIlC3 I}\ marking their anni\·ers.1.ries \\;Ih parades and feasting. There arc episodes. howc\cl: \\hcll thc achk...·cmcnl'i of !hll1.ielilar Ilritish annies so shine from the pages of hi!>IOI"\ th.lt the\ Gill onh be described as glorious. Perhaps tht., IIne"t of Ihese \\';IS Ihe Peninsular War of 180i-H \\·hen. led b\ Sir Arthur Wellesle\. I:ller lSI Duke of Welliugton. a small British force lighting bc!>ide Ponuglle!>C and Spanish allies drove from the Iberian Peninsula the numericalh SU!>CI;or forces of :-"apolcon's Ft"anee. It was a \\"ar of hard lighting mer difficult terrain, ill \\Ilidl both sides suffered terribly from PI;\~ltioll. exhamting marches and an inhospitable climate. As it dC\'c\oped it lied down hundreds of lhous:lIlds of ~apoleon's troop" - wrch needed d'iCwhcre. particularly after the disastrous failure of the emperor's Russian campaign of 1812 - ill altempts to ...uppn'ss ell(' ilHIlITeetion of the peoplc of Spain and to dekat lhe British-Allied force!>, Evcntually thc French were drhcll acro:-s the Pyn~nees anti well into lhe south of their hOIlll'land hefore Napoleon, under pressure dst:wllt:rc by thc combincd forces of Russia, Prussia alld Austria, accepled derc.H, abdicatcd alld went il110 his first exile, Oil Elba, in tIlt.' spring of IHlt!. While ncver aspiring \0 Napoleon's vi~ioll,111' genius, unleashed br the emperor's ah:-ollltt: political pO\\'cr. in terms of professional ~oldicring Wellington \\,;\S argllablv the best commander of his limes; amlulltlcl his leadership the British regimenl'i in the Peninsula aellit'\ cd a SllCcessioll of SHInning \;ctories until it secmed that. wi III him at lheir head. l.he\ were invincible. Mam reaSUll!> Il.I\'e been eU\Te, shoulder to llhoulde-r, in columnar fonnauons, before deplming inlo linc 10 confrolll the enelll\ .....ith rolling ,·o\ll.")'S of muskeu.... in the ensuing siaugiller of such fireflghts ,iClon' - according Iu theon - went to the ~idc \\'hich could continue 10 mailllain formation as enenH lire look its toll. while itself keeping up sLCad, and regular fire, War wa. in the 1110S1 t.:ommodioLls manner'. III addition to Lltt' regulars of the 60th. bodies of '1~lIlge...;· wert' r.lised from among tht' Inc,,) colonisls. 1 • Like LIlt, Austrian Empire, Ilritain 100 had a regioll of hilb ;md mOlllllains poplliated by l1erce, hardy and independent \\len versed in anllS. It Wo\,'er as it could mllSlCI' \\';"LS dispersed around the globe in places as di\'erse as the l\lediteffillle;III, U1e West Indit.."S and India, .....ith a large force guarding Ireland from a LhrC:llened invasion by the French, The Frellch Arm\' had developed ne\\' and potelll l..acLics since the RC\'olution. gre;nl" incre'iSing the strength of light infant~' in order 10

P.'ntlng by E,D.ya of • m.mlMr of the lliht com~ny of the 2nd Foot Gu.rd., 17112; com~'" ttd. ~dter of the COld.t....'" wtti'\ PI.te . of brigands. wilh alarming rl'\'ohnionan id(·a!>. and certainl\" no modd to be aped by Ur;tbh Mlldicrs. A J> gained lhe titJe of9jlh or Rille Regiment: and lhe hl'Sl units of the Line were brought to Shorndi(fe 10 be lr.lined and cOll\ertcd inlo Light Inrant!.... rq.,';mcnl..s, 'I h(" cOlnmander-inuggl'sled that his 0\1'11 regiment, the :,2I1d (Oxford~hire), mighl bt, tht' linn, achising thaI il ,hould be traim:d w act ill the Ught role whell required to do so, while ret;tilling its abilit)' to fight a~ a rq;:il1lellt of tlte l.ine, Thlls, the Ill'W Light Infallll"y n:gilllellL' \\'ere 1101 10 plar a wholly separ~lle part on lhe ballletil'ld, hut to ha\'e a dual purpo.'>e, \Ioore, \\110 ha.lo passed illlo history as the founding father of the nrili~h light regimclllS. had enuugh conscn,.li"lll in hi.. make-up 10 draw back from copying compleleh lite example oflhe French Iigll1 inf:lllin . • s.. w.riot ." 115l1_r1l.S

8nlzJh ~

An Ilh,•• tr1ltion trom _ 01 the m,ny light lnl,nlry INInu'lt, In Ihlt e'. . d,tlng fTom t804. It thows , "ltem,n pel10nnlng In. mo"ementt to get trom the

'-.dY'nc:e ,rmt' to the 'trllll

'nn". (AutlKl..... eollectlonl

11

The 'N_ und Pattern Ught Infantry Musket'. Of the ...me uUb,.. a. the India Pattern-

0.751" - the Light In'.ntty' mll5ket ,••tured • browrMod (dulled) tJ.rrel, • notclted bKbight, and • tcrolled trtn-r lIuard In the shoal" of • ~loI "rip. All of the. . _AI IIYP'POM'd

to ,"harte. accurxy end make It • auperiot' _spon tor .....lnnisl'llng, a role in wt\k:h Indivkll.lal INIMI_Mhlp ••• much !nOn Impon.nt 1M" In Ilnnf tKtle.. Although It . . . . ~ In 1803, u-.ulnty persists ove. when the ",.apon actually caltMl Into . .rvk:•• (National Amw Musevm)

In January 1803 his ideas I,'ere approved. Bv now there "'lS no shorL.'tge ofpubliCiuions on Ihe lmining of light inf.-mtr.'. for in addition 10 Baron de Ronenburg's manual there ,.ere Jilrn's hu/me/iOIlS (ona.,.."illg tlv Dlllm of Ligh' Infimtr')' '" Ih, Fi,ItI. and l\lanninghalTl's own Ivgula/jom jor Rifl, C0I1)$. Ttl, for thc 52nd adapled to this paltem, hut tll(' regimclltal historv records them to havc been 'defcetiyc', ami thc)' Wt'n.' replaced in 1806 bv a new loct 01 arms 'made on an impro\ed plan'. Whatever the pattern, these wcapon.; \\'('I"C 'imooth-IXlre muskcts firing the ~tandard ball ammunition, [I i'i knol\'n that Illulti,shot arl1lllllllition wa~ ll:-ed with gre;ll cllect at sllort I~lngt: b)' certain irregulars: tltat the Uniled SlaieS Arm)' had a combined ball-'lIl(l-bIlCk.'\hol cartridge by the 17Ws: thal the Frcnch used a ,l{1'aPCShOI 'salXlt' in l1luskeL~; and that shot \\~lS cOIlll1lonl)' uSt:d for shooting Wlllle world-wide - nevcrtheless, no c\idencc exists that TllultipkY;llot atlllllllni, ion \"~IS llicd or used by thc Ikitish Army other than in anillcr}'- Its mlu(.' ill light infamr)' skirmishe~ \lenl unproved. The skirmishing line

14

Skinnishing \'':IS the main pllfJXht: of light infantl."" and \\",1.'> extcllsi"e1)' pmctised b)' MackenLic's men. From a baltaliOIl ill line one or morc companies would mO\'e forward to form a fighting line of pairs or 'fiIcs', each lJlall covering the OtilCI' "hill" he reloaded, never firing himself lIntil his co\'ering file was once more read)' to firc. Unlike the musketI''' of lhe Une, \lhich simph produced a rolling screen of missiles in front

of a regiment, lhat of the skirmish line was aimed fire, each light illl~lIltn'll)all cardully seleCling his target and shooting at it \'1th care, Behind the engaged skit"mish line the rest of the battalion remained in reserve - r;....c1y le:;s than half the LOtal strength. The deploymellt of the skirmishers \,"ould depend upon the cO\'er a\..Hable, with best usc being made of hedgerows, ....·QO(ls, buildings and embankments, Ordel1i werc passed to them bv voice, bugles and ....,histles. Bugle sounds wert' complicatcd ,lIId m,lIIy, and ....·ere preceded by regimental and compam calls. It took much timc and much sounding-off b~ bugh~11i until C\'cn'olle in a battalion could reCOb>11isc ordel1i issued in this .....1\'. The aim of skinnishing was. of COUfsc. to neutralise the light troops of the enell1\' and to harass his line. Describing a banle of 1813. a subaltern of the 85th l.ight Infant.., .......OIe: 'Troops scm OUltO 'ikimlish. adv,mce or retin': in filc'i: e,lch file of men keeping about ten \b8bty when .11 0.,...

...,lmenb we... MrvW>g ......... WellJ~on,

(N.tlonel Amty

MUMum)

. 15

of a }"ill with a .'>(:"r.;o: tllu... kt,! at ,I greater r;lI1ge. \\'e 111.1\ dcducc, l1wrd(Jf(~, that firellghl." bClw('t.'1l t:ing recalled to England to face a COtirt of enquiry. while command of the Bdti~h Ann)' in Ponug'loore, bringing the strength of his :mny to 25,000 men. With il he admnccd deeper into Spain in SCil1"C!t of the French; bUl he found to his dismay that an enemy army 200,000 strong, led by the Emperor Napoleon himself, had defeated the Spanish, elllercd Madrid, and was now marching upon him. Ill' decided 10 fall back on his base at Corunna, intent on embarking his army and rCLlIllling il to POrll1gal. The retreat W'IS conducted in fearsome \\;nter weather. over almost impassable mOlullain roods, ....;th the pursuing French Gwal ..... kept al b.."l\ b\ !.he rearguard prO\;dcd bv !.he Reserve Di\;sion. (nlis included Craufllrd's l-lank Brigade as far as lloorillas, from where it marched \\;th other light trOOps 10 Vigo and embark::nion.) An incident that occurred on the nighl of 26 Decemher exemplifies the ha7d"lrds of rear-guard dudes. Two pJi\"eIr being ob. ...-d to the ~. He w •• certainly 'OftUnflt. to be 1I1.. the eltcenenl .-g1_1s th.t formed lit. com.... nd•• and wtllcll .uffered no dbocemitM drop In .tand.rd. aner Ill. pa. .lng. IAuttlor's collection)

,n

brigadicr-gellcl~ll.

Wellington had begun the construclion of a \'asl fonilication before Lisbon known as Ihe Lines of Torres \'cdm~. inlU \\'hich he intended to wilhdraw if lhr('al('I1('d Iw a superior Frellch force. In the llLl'alllillle he hdd lhe li'olllier of Portugal with the Lighl,Di\'i,ion pushed well forward, The role or Craufurd'~ cOlllmand was 10 obsel"\'lc" and repol"l. falling back upon Wellington's main position in the l'\'Clll of an enelllyadvance. l.illll' happened llntil.lllly 1810 when. in Ihe fact· of a French 011'11I)" a(h~ll1cing on the border fortfes!> of Alnleicla. the Light Division was ordered 10 fall back arro~s lhe River Coa. Exhibiting either ,llap,e ofjlldgelllcllI or a surfeit of confidence, Cfaufunl failed to do sO ullLil the enemy 1\~IS upon him. and he was faced I\;th the problem of getting his baH'llions 10 s:.lfet' o\"er a single bridge. 'Then Ihe Briti~h regiments. with singular illlclligcnce ;'lnd discipline, exuiC:llcd thcllIsches from this perilous situalion. Falling back slowh and stopping 10 fight whene\"er oppol"lllnil' offered - the' retrealing troops

"" ,.

Officer'. shako, 43rd Light Infantry, c.1814. An Inleresting

.umpl. 01 the laler pattern 'stovepipe' shako with. leather top, this cap has had II number of Itema added, including a green turban and cords, ehlnsealea and bosse'. and II

rosette _ the l,tter Is a leather rank-snd·flle hair omament of the type disellrded in 1808. (National Anny Museum)

20

approached the rh'cr - but the left Willg', haret pressed and hadng the shortest disl'U1CC, arrin:d while the bridge was cfO\,"dcd I\,jlh anillery and cavalry - I\l'tior fo.ladeocl of the 4~rd instantly rallied foufcompanies orhis rcgirnt:l\l 011 a hill to CO\'(,I" the line of passage. lie was joined by some riflemen, ;Ind al 'he same time the [brigade] m:tiol Rowan pO~Lnl two companies 011 a hill to til(' left - the French. gathering in great llllmbers, made a rush, forcillg lhe I\rilish companies back - bm fo.lacleud - tumed his hurse, called on the lroops to follow, waved his cap and rode with a ~houl lowards the cnemy - Ihe soldiers rushed after him, cheering and charging as if a whole army had heen al their hacks; Ihe enerny's skirlllbhers - stopped short, and before their surprise was over the 52l1C1 passed the river. and 1\lac1eod follmn;d at speed: il was a fine exploit!' Dis;Lsler had bcen an:ned, 'General CnHlfurd wanted glory, so he Slopped on the wrung side of the river, and llOW Ill' is knocked O\'cr 10 Ihe right side,' quippol in Itle lIIte 19t~ cernl.KY. lhOW ",,_I tile town w_ called 'WeIlIngton~' and ~ n~ alterlllll-.nout 'fIcton..: one ouch w,," 'Bad...,. 8 ..... ""~1' As a omaU lx>y lhe present author remembers being told thaI ~ was a plece 01 tile Army's t1<sl.,..,. best forgan"". Some 130 yeers after It>I evenl, moIiIary follCh aelJonll. (Author" collection)

33

Rank-and·tlle .hOl.llder belt plale ('b,....tpl.I.') Of the 43rtl Light

lnlantfy, INIrty t9ttl century.

tAllttIor'8 collection)

The banle began on lhl' morning of 21 JUlie with the Light Di,;~ion in the Cellln: of \\'ellington 's line, within 200 >~\f{1s of the bridges of Villodas and Tres Puellles. The skirmish lines of both sides \,'ere active. with the riflemen of the Light Division keeping up a telling fire on the French guns cm'ering the bridges, At about midd:n, hearing that the Tn:s Puentes bridge was then unguarded. Wellington ordered Kempt's Brigade of the Light Di\;sion to SCilC il. to cross the ri\·er. and to deplo\ before the French cemre. Shonh aftel'wards Vandeleur's Brigade of the Light Division nLShed the Villodas bridge. crossing behind Kempt'ain - unfairh'. it was thought b\ somc - and kept it hard at work dUting the e;:lI"h months of 1813 ulltil he was read~ to adv:lt1((' \ct again. In ('ad\' ~Ia\' th(' 51st were 011 the march. and on 21 JUIIC fought in the great battle at Villoria, There the 7th Dhisiotl attackt·c! the French light in front of the \"illag('s of ~Iarglember 1808 the 68th n:cei\t~d orden. to comert to .lIId train as a light infantn baltalioll '\dth all practicable di:.patch', Then :.t.lljolled at Ilull, the regiment marched south to the barracls at Ur:.lboullle Lee~. Kent, \\here it w.\.:> trained in i.... lIe\\ role under the direction of Col de I{ollenbllrg, Even so, the training was far from completc beforc the 68th \\l'rc :.cm to Wa1cheren inJuh 1809. In a report. de ROl!cnburg thought that the men had made 'con:.iderilble progrc!t!>' but that the olliccrs 'I'cqllirc a grcat dcal of imal'uction vel'; the abscnce of 20 011 recl'lliting duties call1lot han: helped. Like the 51st, the 68th returned to England with the melancholy 1l.'K:lcy of a 'Walcheren rq~il1wnt' - one lhal was to haw up to half its men in hospital with reculTing hOLltS olle\'er at any !{;V{'ll time, It was to take llntilthc summer of 1812 bcli)rc the regiment \\~IS (oplimisticall}') (,oll~idered free frolll lilt' i1ftl'r..dlccL~ of malariil, wll()~(' c"\l~e and cure \\ere thell unknown. lIo\\e\(~1, b\ the spting 01 ISII tIlt' 68lh \,'crc judgcd '''cn' S well' performcd with celt-rit·... and pred~ion, and the men are pcrfectl'" acquaimcd \\ith the sounds orthe bugle', The regiment cmbarked for the Peninsula in June, h.l\ing left i.... Colo....,. ;It its depot in England - 'all i1tTangcmem not IlIlu~lIal ill light infatltJ"\', Disembarking ,II Li:.bon. the 68th marched up to the alll1\' to join the units fonning lip as the 7th Di\ision. On fl'lper 808 I>trollg. the 68th was brigade; there, Oil 2i Februal1'. the regimcnt chaq.;:ed with other units to restorc an allack which had fahercd. \\lith lhc firs! alxlicati011 ofN;lpolcOlI the n'!{il!ll'lll m;,rched to its port of embarkation and passagc to Ireland. It had been 011 sen'icc for just ovcr three rl'ars, ill which limc'. although ncver a baualion slrong in tlumbers, it had IO~1 nearly 500 ollicers and men killed in ;,ctiutl or died lit wOllnds 01' disease. The baltic honours of the 68th (Durham) l.ight Infantry - PENINSULA, SALAMANCA. VITORIA, PYRENEES, NIVELL£ and ORTI IES - had been hard eal'lled.

THE 85th (BUCKS VOLUNTEERS) LIGHT INFANTRY The 85th "~.tS yet anothcr oftJle regiments which had the misfonune to be ordered to the SchddtlO take pan in tlu" Walcheren campaign of 1809. Tr.:msfollned into light infallll) in 1808, the regimelH received u'3.ining at Brabourtle Lces and \\';:LS ~lationed :1( Hailsham, Sussex, when it received orders inJanuan 1811 for the

39

Anothet" Simkin w.len:oIour, .howlng a corporal .nd • pri¥.te toktlM of the 85th .klrmlllhlng. c.1812. Onc. again the arUsl painting. c.ntury .n.r the .".nl - .howt the men wtth c.p cords and q......cl hair; and atH • pattern 01 knapsack not Introduced untll1823. Not. lhelr f1.l1l m.rchlng ord.r equlpm.nt, wing., and grey trou.e,. o"er Short galte,.. (Shropshire Reglmenlill Mu.eum)

40

Pcninsula_ It i~ intcresting LO note that although tht: paper su"CngJh of thc 85th was 936 oflicers and l11en, onh 27 officel1l alld 459 rank-and-file s:liled for POIlugal, It Illa\ Ix: a.'iSlIlllt-"d lhat most of lh~ left in Eng:land as a 'depot' \\'cre ~uffering the aller-dl"t"cl..s of malaria, ll1t:ll callt:d 'lhe ague'. On al'ri\'al in Portugal tht: 85th joined the 7th Di'lsion on 19 March IRII. and was brig;lded with the 51st ught Infant .... :md the Cha.sseurs Ulltanniqlles. AI Fuentes de Oi10ro the 85th W';.lS kepi in rc~r\"C lIntil ;) ~Ia\', whcn il wa.~ he:wilv cngaged with the Fn:nch ca\';.lll) and inf:1ll11) in the long running llRlll as il fell back wilh olher \llliL~ ofthc ..... 71h Division 10 P()~iliollS ordt'red by W(·lIington. Of the 220 onken; and men at dut\' that d,l' JOI wcre po~ted ,lS killed, wounded or missmg in the lighting - casualties th'l( W('H' ~horth to . II. 11~15. Ii in b",,",,· .'\1 in lh,' I'""",,,,b 17-2-1. .'\3-1. ~i. In

uniform. 81. C. n. HI, S 17 20,2-1.:'19 -II O. 11,4-1.1+-45. lb. 4i Onh.-s, bald" Illl+-63 Ii

liOth (Rnul.\nK"na.lltIl.1wrn...m of 1001.

10, II. H 62'KI (11......1 \",...nunl Ikg.mf'm of FOOl b ~_b.9,

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d'O'-,or. l"'llll,' ot, lilll lO.42

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8MLIJOI ~Cn':lp) ". 37-38. :'19. 11 lIa\,on" ... "ell""l, 181·1 -II IIn",'",;el Od'J;'~c~ 9. 16. 3.~

bugle "l::n"l. I;' bugl,,'" EI. 16 8,lSQ{o. holnl" of. 1810 2O-:!1

lOp) Tor.-"" "'..1""0" of ,J-.10 'l.lClrllll", Ij..",,,n.. nIWIOl1d "':cnn(',h I:!. 12-13. l6. II

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M... k",L 1.leuten,nll-C:A.>lollel ~1.:':'1 M.Hlnd :i~I. :17. :i!J 'I.un"''';''Il. Colol11"1 ~', . .'l6 'I.Ulnll1ghall1. Colon.'1 COOle 11. I:! m~I'lJ.ll\.. n~h;p 9 111...1;0.10 ,n n'''«rll;o.nC'l f3....t,8-9, 11)..11. 46 'I(lnI''''Ulll~'''....-..ISir john (Iibl-lllO!h 84,9.1l-12.12.1&-19.~.H

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(;11""",, ... 8manmq".., 16. "$,"0 ClIlll"a, Cnll'rnlKlll of 18 Ciud.