The Earl of Peterborough hastened from Valencia with the ROYAL DRAGOONS and a select number of men from the other corps, and on his arrival at the vicinity of Barcelona he found the town invested by a numerous army and a fleet. He immediately took to the mountains with his hardy dragoons and about two thousand foot, and, being joined by numbers of the armed peasantry, he was constantly hovering near the besieging army with his detachments, interrupting the enemy's communications, cutting off their supplies, and attacking their out-guards; and on one occasion he succeeded in throwing a number of men into the town. At length the British fleet arrived with reinforcements; the French admiral withdrew with precipitation, and, Barcelona being thus relieved, the enemy raised the siege on the 12th of May, 1706, and retreated towards Roussillon, leaving behind his artillery, ammunition, stores, and sick and wounded men. A squadron of the ROYAL DRAGOONS and some other cavalry were ordered to pursue the retiring army, and, being joined by hundreds of armed peasantry, they attacked the enemy's rear-guard several times, and took a number of prisoners. The Spaniards killed every man who fell into their hands; but the prisoners taken by the English and Dutch met with good treatment. After the flight of the enemy from before Barcelona, the ROYAL DRAGOONS returned to Valencia, from whence they expected to advance with King Charles immediately upon Madrid, to join the allied army commanded by the Marquis das Minas and the Earl of Galway, which being superior in numbers to the French and Spanish forces on the frontiers of Portugal, arrived at the capital of Spain towards the end of June. King Charles, however, delayed to proceed to Madrid, and being guided by pernicious councils, he eventually went round by way of Arragon. Meanwhile the French and Spanish forces which, after raising the siege of Barcelona, had retired to France, re-entered Spain, and uniting with the forces under the Duke of Berwick, compelled the army of Portugal to retire from Madrid. The ROYAL DRAGOONS marched from Valencia in July, together with Pearce's dragoons, a regiment of Castilian foot, and a regiment of Germans, and on the 8th of August joined the army of Portugal at Guadalaxara, from whence they marched to Chinchon, a town of Toledo, eighteen miles from Madrid, where they remained about a month. The allied army, being unable to make head against the superior numbers of the enemy, retired, and having crossed the Tagus at Fuente Duennas, continued their march through the fine champaign country of La Mancha, and took up their winter quarters in Valencia, extending their cantonments from Requena to Denia. [Sidenote: 1707]