The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 18111814 by Tim Saunders;Rob Yuill;

Author:Tim Saunders;Rob Yuill;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History / Military / Napoleonic Wars
Publisher: Casemate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC
Published: 2021-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

Blakiston concludes, despite the Light Division’s lighter touch discipline: ‘I doubt much whether our soldiers could be thus trusted out of their ranks.’

* The Peninsular War: Some Observations on the General Orders of the Duke of Wellington, John Murry, 1834.

At 0600 hours on 19 June the Light and 4th divisions were on the march and encountered Reille’s 14,000 French troops, who were, according to Lieutenant Barlow, ‘posted in some strong passes. Lord Wellington immediately ordered an attack, for which the necessary arrangements were being made when his lordship thought proper to countermand the same, although the 4th Division had already commenced.’

Rather than have the 4th Division heavily committed to a fight, Wellington ordered von Alten to manoeuvre his division so as to turn the French flank, at which the enemy withdrew east at speed to the bridges over the Rio Zadorra. The 4th and Light divisions bivouacked that night on the banks of the Rio Bayas. With the climax of the campaign at hand, Barlow summed up the course of events so far: ‘We are now traversing perhaps one of the strongest countries in Europe; it abounds with defensible positions, but our adversaries have literally had no time to concentrate in any numbers to organise any regular plan of operations.’

Of the 300-mile march from Ciudad Rodrigo to the Rio Bayas, he commented: ‘… victory and so many brilliant results have been only attended with great consumption of shoe leather; this is indeed purchasing it at a cheap rate, for without joking, success hitherto has been as much owing to our heels as to our arms.’

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