The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95thCope, William Henry
History
The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95th
Cope, William Henry
Great Britain. Army. Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
On that day they arrived at Celorico, and hutted themselves by
cutting down branches of the trees in a wood. Here, on August 4,
Craufurd’s Division was divided into two brigades; one under Colonel
Sidney Beckwith, consisting of the right wing of the 95th, the 43rd
and the 3rd Portuguese Caçadores; the other, under Colonel Barclay
of the 52nd, consisting of his own regiment, the left wing of the
95th and the 1st Caçadores. The Battalion remained at Celorico until
August 5, when it was ordered to the front to support cavalry; and
for about a fortnight or three weeks it was constantly on the move,
the latter part of the time in heavy and continuous rain for three
or four days. Early in September the army began its retreat, being
covered by the Battalion and the other regiments of Craufurd’s
Division as a rear-guard. On the 20th they marched before daylight
from Celorico, and crossing the Mondego by a ford, fell back by the
road from Viseu to Coimbra. On the 23rd, the enemy’s advanced guard
pressing the cavalry of the rear-guard, Lord Wellington, who was
present, ordered Craufurd to retire by the road leading to Busaco.
This was effected during the two following days; on both of which
the French pressed the rear-guard, composed of some companies of
Riflemen and the 52nd and of some cavalry, with cavalry and infantry
skirmishers intermixed, and some light guns; but the retreat was
effected in good order and with little loss. The Battalion on both
those nights threw forward picquets to support the cavalry.
On the 25th, when about a league and a half from Busaco, the enemy
pressed the British cavalry so hard that the rear company of the
Battalion had to face about and check them; and soon after the
left wing of the Battalion was halted in a fir-wood, behind the
village of Mora Morta, and effectually stopped them until the Light
Division drew into the Sierra of Busaco, where the rest of the army
were at this time assembled in position. This was an important and
well-performed service; for Craufurd had kept his Division too long
in an advanced position; and it was not without some difficulty that,
protected by these four companies of Riflemen, he moved the Division
into its position on the heights.
The right wing of the Battalion under Beckwith was halted in the
village of Sula, at the foot of the hill of Busaco, where they were
smartly cannonaded from the opposite heights, but without loss; and
at night they were withdrawn from Sula, leaving a picquet in that
village, and stationed among the rocks on the face of the hill, right
and left of the road leading to Coimbra.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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