Boys of the Light Brigade: A Story of Spain and the Peninsular War

The Light Brigade was the name given to the first British Brigade of Light Infantry consisting of the 43rd Light Infantry 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifles which were trained together as a war-brigade at Shorncliffe Camp in the years 1803-1805 just a century ago by General Sir John Moore the Hero of Corunna.. These regiments subsequently saw much service together in various quarters of the globe; they were engaged in the Expedition to Denmark in 1807 the Campaign in Portugal in 1808 under Sir Arthur Wellesley including the Battle of Vimeiro and the famous Corunna Campaign under Sir John Moore.. In July 1809 The Light Brigade consisting of the same three corps was re-formed under the gallant Brigadier-General Robert Craufurd (afterwards slain at their head at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo in 1812) at Vallada in Portugal and it was in the same month that it made the forced march famous in all history as the March of the Light Division of some fifty miles in twenty-four hours to the battle-field of Talavera. In June 1810 when at Almeida in Spain The Light Brigade was expanded into The Light Division by the addition of Ross's Chestnut Troop of Horse Artillery the 14th Light Dragoons the 1st King's German Hussars and two regiments of Portuguese Caçadores.. We were the Light Regiment of the Light Division and fired the first and last shot in almost every battle siege and skirmish in which the army was engaged during the war.. In stating the foregoing however with regard to regiments I beg to be understood as identifying our old and gallant associates the Forty-third and Fifty-second as a part of ourselves for they bore their share in everything and I love them as I hope to do my better half (when I come to be divided); wherever we were they were; and although the nature of our arm[-] generally gave us more employment in the way of skirmishing yet whenever it came to a pinch independent of a suitable mixture of them among us we had only to look behind to see a line in which we might place a degree of confidence almost equal to our hopes in heaven; nor were we ever disappointed. There never was a corps of Riflemen in the hands of such supporters!. The story deals with a period full of interest to Englishmen. Napoleon having overrun Spain with some 250000 men swept away and defeated all the Spanish armies and occupied Madrid had set his hosts in motion to re-occupy Portugal and complete the subjugation of Andalusia. At this critical moment in the history of Spain Sir John Moore who had landed in the Peninsula with a small British army only about 30000 strong conceived the bold project of marching on Salamanca and thus threatening Napoleon's line of communications with France—whence he drew all his supplies and ammunition. The effect was almost magical. Napoleon was compelled instantly to stay the march of his immense armies whilst at the head of over 80000 of his finest troops he hurled himself on the intrepid Moore. The latter thus assailed by overwhelming numbers was forced to order a retreat on his base at Corunna a movement which he conducted successfully despite the terrible privations of a rapid march in mid-winter through a desolate and mountainous country with insufficient transport and inadequate staff arrangements. Thrice he turned to bay and thrice did he severely handle his pursuers. Finally at Corunna after embarking his sick and wounded he fought the memorable battle of that name and inflicted on the French such heavy losses that his army was enabled to re-embark and sail for England with but little further molestation. The gallant Moore himself was mortally wounded and died the same night.