My current project (which I actually finished today) is a new talk on the Battle of Barrosa, which took place on 5th March 1811. I have now got a portfolio of 19 talks, details of which can be seen here:
https://rodsmilitaryhistorytalks.home.blog
I am thinking of doing a talk on the Battle of Corunna next.
Rod
Rui, I understood that it was just two companies (the grenadier ones) since the rest of the Regiment was left behind in Cadiz. Those two companies joined 4 companies of the 95th Rifles to form a Flank Battalion under Lt Col Barnard of the 95th. They acted as a skirmish screen for Wheatley’s Brigade, holding off Laval’s Division until the rest of the Brigade could deploy. The Flank Battalion was then supposed to withdraw to the flanks of the Brigade, but unfortunately the Portuguese were slow to do so and suffered heavy casualties.
Considering their hopeless position, alone in front of an advancing division, the Portuguese behaved very well; they held their ground for some time, while their colonel, Bushe, as is recorded by an eye-witness, rode slowly backward and forward behind them with his spectacles on, crying as the balls whistled past, ‘Que bella musica’ to encourage his men. But he was soon mortally wounded, and after his fall the line melted away and drifted to the rear, after having kept a battalion of the French 8th engaged for some minutes (Oman Vol 4, 1911, p. 118)
the companies were in the skirmishing line under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bushe, the regiment commander
Bushe was wounded twice and captured by the french, but afterwards rescued
Bushe died of wounds at Cadiz 2 weeks later, on April 20th, 1811
they had a return of 331 men, similar to the return of the 4 companies of the 95th
they had 11 killed, 38 wounded and 1 missing
proportionately its loss was much the same as that of the Rifles — 50 killed and wounded out of 331 present — almost one man in six. The number in Oman raises to 56 and 332, respectively.
Beresford (Ordem do Dia, May 1st 1811) on recommendation from Graham promotes for good conduct on the battlefield the following:
to major, the captain of the 2nd company, Luiz Diogo Pereira Forjaz;
to graduated captains, the lieutenant of the 5th company, Pantaleão de Oliveira e Sousa, and the lieutenant of the 7th, Estevão Carvajal;
to lieutenant, the ensign of the 4th company, Felix Antonio de Miranda,
and to ensign the sergeants João Antonio Apparicio and Manuel Pereira de Matos.
Graham letter to Liverpool states: "The detachment of this Portuguese regiment behaved admirably throughout the whole affair."