Soon after the action the British forces moved off, and crossed to the Isla, except the 3rd Battalion, which was left on the field to protect the wounded, and to give notice of any return of the enemy. But none appeared; and after dark Major Ross, who had succeeded to the command on Barnard’s being wounded, moved the Battalion across the field, thickly strewn with dead and wounded of both armies, and formed it into square on a sand-hill on the beach, where they rested on their arms during the remainder of the night. It was severe service which fell to the lot of this young battalion; a march of sixteen hours in the preceding night; three hours’ manœuvring, and half of it hard fighting; and all this without food; remaining under arms on the field till dark; and now only resting on their arms. General Rousseau, who had been made prisoner, badly wounded, died in the course of the night, and was buried on the beach by the 3rd Battalion. In his pocket they found a leave of absence to return to France on account of ill-health, which his appearance clearly indicated, but of which this brave soldier had not availed himself. Towards morning Ross moved off his weary and famished Battalion; and passing by the beach and over the Santi-Petri river, they returned to their former quarters in the Isla de Leon. Here they remained till June 30, when, embarking at Cadiz, they reached Lisbon (after an unusually slow passage) on July 19, and marched up the country to join Lord Wellington’s army. They arrived on August 21, and were attached to the Light Division, then cantoned in villages near the Agueda. At the same time the company of this Battalion which had been attached to Sir Brent Spencer’s division was withdrawn from it, and joined the Battalion.[91] [Illustration: Plate II. THE 95^{TH}] FOOTNOTES: [65] This return will show the actual numbers: _Return of 95th, May 10, 1809._ +-------------+------------+-------------+---------+------+-----+------+ | | Effective | | | | | | | | April 1, | Volunteers | | | | | | | previous |from Militia |Remaining| |Left | Grand| | | to Militia +-------+-----+ in | Total| in | total| | |volunteering|English|Irish|Portugal | |Spain| | | +------------+-------+-----+---------+------+-----+------+ |1st Battalion| 799 | 641 | None| 8 | 1448 | 88 | 1536 | |2nd Battalion| 863 | 641 | None| 37 | 1541 | 38 | 1579 | +-------------+------------+-------+-----+---------+------+-----+------+ Thus leaving an excess of more than eleven hundred men, after completing the two Battalions to a thousand men each. This excess formed the 3rd Battalion. [66] For twenty years and upwards after the end of the war, every officer of the Regiment was required to learn and to know these standing orders.