Meanwhile Ciudad Rodrigo had surrendered; the FOURTEENTH remained in the villages near Fort La Conception until the 21st of July, when the enemy's masses approaching, they fell back to _Almeida_, where Brigadier-General Craufurd halted the few troops under his orders, and, with astonishing hardihood, confronted the whole French army. During the night of the 23rd of July, the videttes and patrols of the regiment were exposed to a heavy storm of wind and rain, and as daylight appeared, they discovered the approach of numerous legions of the enemy: a few shots were fired; the cavalry reserves and guns moved forward, and a skirmish ensued in which the FOURTEENTH had one serjeant killed; Lieutenant John Blachford, one private soldier, and four horses wounded. After opposing the superior numbers of the enemy for some time, the British withdrew beyond the river Coa; and Brigadier-General Craufurd stated in his despatch,--'The retreat of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons from Val-de-la-Mula to Almeida, was conducted in the most regular and soldier-like manner, though opposed to a superior force of French cavalry.' A squadron of the regiment and a squadron of the royal dragoons, on duty at _Frexadas_, were sharply engaged with a superior force of the enemy on the 28th of August, and highly distinguished themselves. Marshal Massena invaded Portugal with such an immense superiority of numbers, that the British commander was under the necessity of withdrawing from the frontiers, and the FOURTEENTH and sixteenth light dragoons, with the first German hussars, had the honour of covering the retrograde movements. On the 24th of September the enemy skirmished with the piquets in front of _Mortagao_, from whence a squadron of the FOURTEENTH under Captain Thomas W. Brotherton, with one of the sixteenth and first hussars, covered the retreat of the light division four miles to some strong ground. The three squadrons repulsed four of French hussars; some of the enemy's dragoons approaching too close, were charged by the squadron of the FOURTEENTH, and overthrown with the loss of about thirty men. On the following morning the cavalry skirmishers exchanged a few shots, and the FOURTEENTH were employed in covering the retreat of the light division to the position of Busaco. During this retreat Captain the Hon. Henry Percy was taken prisoner while reconnoitring the flank movement of the enemy. The FOURTEENTH were in reserve during the battle of _Busaco_ on the 27th of September; and they were subsequently employed in covering the retreat of the army to the strong lines of Torres Vedras.