Historical Record of the Second, or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in the Year 1661, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1837Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Second, or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in the Year 1661, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1837
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
In January, 1806, the regiment received new colours, on which, in
addition to former devices, were the SPHYNX, and the word
EGYPT, granted to it by his Majesty, in consideration
of its distinguished conduct in that country in 1801, as already
detailed.
[Sidenote: 1807]
In 1807 the establishment of the regiment was 696. In the month
of June of that year it embarked for Guernsey, and remained there
till June of the following year, receiving, during its stay in
that island, 330 general-service men from the depôt in the Isle of
Wight, and above 150 militia volunteers.
[Sidenote: 1808]
In June, 1808, the regiment returned to England, 860 rank and file
strong, and was quartered at Ipswich, until the 18th of July, when
it was brigaded with the Twentieth Foot and a battalion of the
Ninety-fifth Rifles, under the command of Major-General Acland, and
embarked at Harwich for Portugal, to join the forces about to be
assembled in that country.
The peace of Tilsit, which was concluded at this period between
France and other continental powers, gave a more determined
character to the war pursuing between England and France.
Napoleon, who by this time had become sensible of his inability
successfully to invade Great Britain, sought the humiliation of
his rival in excluding, by the above treaty, the manufactures of
England from the markets of Europe. As a part of his scheme for
universal empire, he gained the royal family of Spain into his
power by treachery, placed his brother Joseph on the throne of
that kingdom by force, and effected the conquest of Portugal.
Such acts of tyrannical ambition failed not to rouse the just
resentment of England, and led to the bold determination of
rescuing the Peninsula from the rapacious conqueror. Portugal was
destined to receive the advance-guard of a British army, which,
as in Egypt, was to encounter the victorious legions of Napoleon,
and, as in Egypt, also to triumph. On the 1st of August, 1808,
a body of British troops, commanded by Major-General Sir Arthur
Wellesley, landed near Lisbon, and on the 17th of the same month
they defeated a French force at _Roleia_. At this first meeting of
the great rival powers, a severe struggle terminated in favour of
English valour, and was a faithful precursor of the ability of the
commander, and of the successes which were to accompany the gallant
army on their future career.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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