After the main army had gained a signal victory at _Salamanca_ (for which Lord Wellington was advanced to the dignity of Marquis), the French hastily retired before the troops commanded by Lieutenant-General Hill, who took up a position on the Tagus. The THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS marched by Usagre, Balangur, and Villa, crossed the Tagus at Almaraz on the 19th of September, and occupied Belois: from whence they moved on the 26th, re-crossed the Tagus at Talavera de la Reyna, and arrived at Tombleque, in La Mancha, on the 8th of October; and, on the 21st, occupied some villages on the right bank of the Tagus. The French army opposed to the Marquis of Wellington having been considerably reinforced, his lordship retired from Burgos, and Sir Rowland Hill collected the troops under his command on the Jacamah, from whence he retired upon Anvalo. Having crossed the Manzanarus by the bridge Ponto Largo, near Arranheuse, the army took up a position, on the 27th of October, on the right bank of the river; and the light brigade of infantry was employed during the afternoon in defending the bridge, which had been mined for destruction, but the attempt did not succeed. During the night the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS relieved the infantry at the bridge, two-thirds of the regiment having been dismounted for that purpose. The troops retreating by Madrid, through the Guadarama pass, formed a junction with the army commanded by the Marquis of Wellington at Salamanca, the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS, on this occasion, forming part of the rear-guard. During the retreat the regiment was joined by a remount from England, consisting of four lieutenants, two serjeants, two corporals, twenty private men, and forty-six horses. On the 15th of November the army retired on Ciudad Rodrigo, when the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS were again employed in covering the retreat, and suffered much from the inclemency of the weather, but more especially from the scarcity of forage and provisions. On the 20th they went into quarters at Herquera, and on the 27th proceeded to Membrio, where a remount, consisting of one lieutenant, one cornet, two serjeants, fifty-seven private men, and fifty-horses, joined on the 29th of November. In a warrant, dated the 12th of August, 1812, the facing of the regiment was changed from _white_ to _blue_; cocked hats were replaced by brass helmets; jacked boots and breeches by cloth overalls and short boots; and the skirts of the coats were shortened. [Sidenote: 1813] On the 25th of January, 1813, the six troops on foreign service marched to St. Vincent, where the forage being good and plentiful, the horses soon recovered their condition. On the 5th of March they re-crossed the Tagus at Alcantara, and on the 11th went into quarters at Gigo de Coria, where a draught of ninety-four horses joined from the Fourth Dragoon Guards.