Fuentes de Onoro
The Light Division
by Raymond P. Cusick, UK
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Battle of Fuentes d'Onoro - May 5th, 1811. All the new light regiments were much valued by the Duke of Wellington that led him to create from the initial regiments, the 95th, 52nd and 43rd the Light Brigade. Later with the addition of two battalions of Portuguese Caçadores and strengthened on occasions with cavalry including the lst German Hussars, and a troop of the Royal Horse Artillery became the Light Division. The Light Division was on the 5th May 1811, at Fuentes de Oñoro after their successful attack at Sabugal disrupting Massena’s carefully planned withdrawal. This was acknowledged by Wellington with special mention of Colonel Sydney Beckwith of the 95th who steered the attack, no thanks to Erskine who galloped away off into the mists chasing Spanish windmills and not the French. Massena’s retreat from Sabugal now left Almeida isolated and to its own resources. The temporary command of Major General
William Erskine was over, Major General
Craufurd had, after 3 months leave in England,
rejoined the Light Division only the day
before the division was about to be given a
special and difficult task. [18]
Chosen by Wellington
because he knew he could trust Craufurd
and trust the quality of the troops that he
led. It was to be Craufurd’s last action in the
field before Ciudad Rodrigo.
Massena’s, ‘Army of Portugal’, the same
that Marshal Massena, Prince of Essling,
promised would drive Wellington into the
sea when he entered Portugal, had lost control
of all that he had conquered, its fate was
sealed at Torres Vedras. All that remained
of Massena’s conquest was the fortress
town of Almeida that lay just on the east
side of the frontier and was in sore need of
fresh supplies.
South of Almeida and the key to
Wellington’s position was the straggling village
of Fuentes de Oñoro that stood in the path
of Massena’s force that was attempting to
relieve Almeida. Wellington was determined
that the village should be held. [19]
Fuentes with its maze of narrow twisting lanes, and ominously,
many dead ends, was, and still is only
just wide enough for a donkey and cart and
was to witness on 3rd May intense bloody
street fighting. [20] All art and skill lost in the
mayhem of viscous killing by sword, bayonet
and butt of rifle and musket, the back street
brawls of Cork, Dublin, Glasgow and London
had been good training.
The village was held by 2,600 light
troops made up from 28 battalion light companies
from the 1st and 3rd Divisions, except
Stopford’s Guards Brigade. There were 13
British, 4 Portuguese and 6 German, with
skirmishers from the K.G.L under Major Aly
of the 3rd Line Regt, and five companies of
German marksmen from the 5th battalion of
the 60th Regt, there were also 3 companies of
riflemen from the 3rd/95th. All the light
troops were under the command of Lt. Colonel
Williams the commanding officer of the
5/60th. [21]
In the early afternoon Massena ordered
Férey’s Division of VI Corps (Loison’s) to
attack the village whilst the IInd Corps
(Reynier’s) made a feint against Wellington’s
left near Fort Conception.
The fighting was frantic with the action
seesawing back and forth with the French
attacking with 4,000 men, fording the Dos
Casas that at this time was unusually knee
deep. Eventually the allies were driven back
beyond the church, additional support was
thrown in with the 71 at (Highland) light
Infantry, the 1/79th Line, (Cameron Highlanders),
and the 2/24th Line (Warwickshire),
Regts, where especially the 71st led by Lt.
Colonel Cadogan made a shock bayonet
charge diving the French back over the Dos
Casas. By evening the village west of the Dos
Casas was in allied hands. [22]
Wellington’s casualties were 259, and
Massena’s were 652.
The Light Division were familiar with the
frontier from early 1810 when they covered
the Coa area with patrols and vedettes. They
often passed through Fuentes getting to know
many of its inhabitants from their sojourn the
previous year. The abandoned Fort Conception
just over the frontier on the Spanish side
was used as a base during their numerous
scouting patrols.
On that morning of 3rd May
they were on outpost duty when the French
made moves towards the 6th and 5th divisions
to the north. Wellington sent the Light Division
to cover these moves but as it became
obvious that it was a feint by the French the
Light Division was recalled.
On the 4th the morning began with a
thick mist that lay across the low-lying
Fuentes. When the mist lifted sporadic firing
sprung up across the Dos Casas but did not
last long as the time came to parley and a truce
was agreed so that they could exchange the
wounded and clear the dead, and small groups
took the opportunity to talk and barter food,
wine and tobacco.
Simmons recalls a French officer speaking to him by the Dos Casas,
“This place is appropriately named the
‘Fountain of Honour’. God knows how many
of our friends on both sides have drunk deep
of its waters, and with tomorrows dawn most
likely many more will do so.”
Massena was now aware that Fuentes de
Oñoro was too strongly defended to be taken,
and importantly, held. He considered alternative
plans, Massena being cautious this time
ordered a reconnaissance.
Wellington redeployed some of his forces
but kept the 5th and 6th Divisions and
Barbecena’s Portuguese cavalry blocking all
access to Almeida. Almeida was not to be
relieved. Massena had declared in his customary
manner that he was going to relieve Almeida
and drive Wellington across the Coa.
Wellington was determined that neither would
happen especially a retreat across the Coa as
that had echoes of Craufurd’s mad scramble
the previous year.
Wellington also saw French movements
to their left and realised that on the 5th Massena
would attempt to swing round his flank
and attack the ridge at the south end. Wellington
had expected this move earlier and decided
to stop the French advance with as much distance
as possible. The only force on the plain
was Don Julian Sanchez’s [23]mixed force of
Spanish irregulars at Nave de Haver. Wellington
ordered the 7th Division of Major-General
Houston to move to Poço Velho three miles
south of Fuentes where it could cover the crossing
of the Dos Casas and deny it to the French.
Allied cavalry would support this move that
had extended his front to 12 miles.
At first light on the 5th May, under cover
of a thick mist the main body of French cav-alry
swung round Poço Velho making for
Nave de Haver and surprised Don Sanchez’s
force consisting of horse, foot and some light
artillery pieces. The Spanish piquets posted
were nervous and created confusion when
they mistook Sanchez’s lieutenant as a
Frenchman as he rode in front of the French
taunting them and gesticulating; he was mistakenly
shot by one of his own guards.
Sanchez in a state of fury ordered a retreat.
They took off at speed and headed for Freneda
and took no further part in the action. At the
same time the cavalry of the Guard attacked
the 7th Divisions outposts in the scattered
woods at Poço Velho driving in two of
Houston’s battalions, the 85th (Bucks) Light
Infantry and the 2nd Caçadores but not before
receiving some withering fire.
A squadron of the 16th Light Dragoons and another of the 1st
German Hussars K.G.L. who presented a front
but were eventually driven in with some loss.
Two French infantry divisions of Marchant
and Mermet stormed Poço Velho driving back
the 7th Division in some disorder forcing them
to withdraw with cover given by the German
Hussars. Major-General Houston realised that
his division was in a very precarious position
and almost isolated at one point, when Wellington
sent a galloper with orders for it to fall
back northwards and the Light Division would
cover its retreat.
Fuentes de Onoro Light Troops in Action
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By 1808, as Sir Arthur Wellesley and in command
of British forces in Portugal he had come to
terms with beating the French tactic of assault by
intimidating column. He kept his lines in dead
ground during the opening softening up artillery
barrage, moving them forward as two deep lines,
(which became de riguer) to meet the column with
a heavy front of rifle marksmen to kill off the
French officers and gunners and throw forward
skirmishers to thwart the disrupting attempts of the
voltigeurs. The new light regiments acted like a
sharp edge to blunt and wound the French advance.