Code: PA80-15
- Britain: 27th Regiment of Foot
These 3 molds can cast a Officer, Trooper and Drummer.
Until 1805, the 27th was a 2 battalion regiment,
but during the last part of that year a third battalion,
nicknamed "the Young Inniskillings" was formed
in Scotland. It was this newest battalion which was
to have the most active part in the Peninsula campaign.
The Battalion reached Corunna in October 1808 and was
sent south to join forces with the army of Lieutenant
General Craddock which was protecting Lisbon against
threatened French attack. The attack failed to materialize
but after news reached Craddock of the British defeat
at Corunna 10/01/1809), the 3rd Battalion, the Inniskillings
was sent as part of a strong brigade under Mackenzie
to Cadiz to help the Spanish to defend the city against
the French. Contrary to the friendly reception that
he expected, the city refused entry to the troops and
after a month of fruitless negotiations, the waiting
troops were recalled to Lisbon and in February 1810
the 3rd/27th was incorporated into Anson's brigade which
formed part of the famous 4th division commanded by
Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole.
The regiment took part in the battle of
Busaco 27/09/1810, but were hardly engaged and lost
only two men. The rest of the year was spent in Portugal
behind the fortified lines of Torres Vedras with the
bulk of Wellington's army. In March 1811, the French
army under Messena, plagued by lack of supplies, decided
to withdraw into Spain. The 4th division took part in
the first phase of the pursuit but was then ordered
by Beresford who was investing the frontier fortress
of Badajoz. The division reached the fortress in early
May just in time to take part in preparations for the
siege. The forces available were not enough for such
a task and although the 3rd/27th fought with distinction,suffering
10 dead and 170 men wounded, the siege was raised on
12th because of the immanent approach of the French
General Soult from the south. After the raising of the
siege the 3rd/27th was left to protect the commissariat
which was removing stores and so missed the battle of
Albuera by one day.
The battalion was involved in the last
stage of the the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (January 1812)
but was hardly involved in any serious fighting and
suffered no casualties.
In March 1812 the 4th division, together
with the 3rd and light divisions took part in the third
siege of Badajoz, this time under the command of Wellington
himself. At last the walls in the south-eastern corner
of the city were breached and on 6th April a general
assault was launched. The 4th division was directed
to a breach in the La Trinidad fort and although the
assault started well the troops lost their bearings
in the noise and confusion and attacked the unbreached
part of the wall. They found themselves separated from
the correct attacking point by a deep chasm with defenders
pouring down musket fire upon them. To make things worse,
troops from the light division had also made the same
mistake and elements of the two divisions found themselves
hopelessly mixed up. After two hours of confusion the
attack faltered, but refusing to retreat, the remnants
of the attackers remained in the ditch under heavy fire,
until finally ordered to do so by Wellington himself.
The survivors were formed into a second
assault group, whose next attempt met with success.
A diversionary attack was mounted on the San Vincente
bastion in the French rear, which caused the French
commander to remove some of the defenders from those
points under attack from the second assault group. When
the renewed attack occurred the 3rd/27th were in the
thickest of the fighting, losing 5 officers and 37 men
dead, and 11 officers and 132 men wounded. After the
fighting, in which Badajoz was finally taken, it was
discovered that only 10 officers and 414 men were fit
for duty (out of an original total of 920).
After Badajoz the Battalion was rested
until June when the 4th division was on the march once,
this time directed towards Salamanca. After a week of
marching and counter-marching by both French and British,
Wellington managed to smash marshal Marmont's army in
a two hour engagement. Anson's brigade was involved
in all the important phases of the battle, but the 3rd/27th
suffered little during the combat losing only 1 officer
and 7 men wounded.
After Salamanca 3rd/27th marched with
the rest of Wellington's army to Madrid and entered
the City on the 12th August 1812. After some rest and
recuperation, the battalion took part in an unsuccessful
campaign against Marshal Soult and rejoined the rest
of the army only after a near disastrous retreat from
Burgos.
In the spring of the next year, 1813,
the 3rd/27th, together with the rest of Wellington's
army advanced once more into Spain from its winter quarters,
and engaged and defeated the army of Joseph Bonaparte
at Vitoria, a battle which signaled the end of the Napoleonic
presence in Spain. The main French forces were driven
over the Pyrenees leaving only the troops of marshal
Soult on Spanish soil, on the eastern coast. Soult attempted
to counter-attack the British in the Pyrenees but failed
opening the way for Wellington and his army to finally
cross the French border on the 7th October. |
