A further reinforcement of two companies (Captains Duncan’s and Ferguson’s) left England in May 1812, and landed at Lisbon at the latter end of that month. They joined the army in July, shortly before the battle of Salamanca, and were attached to the Light Division. At Salamanca and during the advance to Madrid the four companies of this Battalion were commanded by Major Wilkins; but soon after they reached Madrid, Colonel Wade arrived from England with the Staff of the Battalion, and took command. And on the retreat from Madrid, the other two companies (Cadoux and Jenkins’), which had been in Andalusia with Skerrett, having, as we have seen, joined Lord Wellington’s army early in November, the strength of the 2nd Battalion in the Peninsula consisted (as did the 1st Battalion) of six companies until the close of the war. I have thus brought down the details of the movements of this Battalion to this period, because being enfeebled by the results of the disastrous Walcheren campaign, they were enabled only to join the army in the field by single, or at most by two, companies at a time, as their numbers were recruited and their health was restored. Its marches, its actions and its glories will henceforward form part of the general history of the Regiment, as will that of the 3rd Battalion, which, until its junction with the other Battalions, I will now proceed to particularise. But I will in as far as record or other information enables me to do so, distinguish the feats of arms and the losses of each Battalion. The 3rd Battalion on its formation in 1809 was stationed at Brabourn Lees; and the drill and discipline of this new levy were carried on so vigorously and effectively that it was able early in 1810 to send three companies to Cadiz. And on July 11 in that year two more companies and the head-quarters, under the command of Colonel Barnard, embarked at Portsmouth on board the ‘Mercury’ frigate, and landed at Cadiz on the 29th. Cadiz was at this time besieged by the army under command of Marshal Victor; who occupied all the surrounding towns and villages except Cadiz itself and the Isla de Leon, their advanced posts being pushed forward to near the river Santi-Petri, except near the bridge of Zuazo, the only communication with the mainland. Here the English picquets were thrown forward beyond the bridge and on the road to Seville, which forms a causeway across the marshy plain intersected with saltpans. And so well was it defended by our picquets, that, as Ford observes, this bridge was the _pons asinorum_ of the French; for they never could get over it.