After passing through the hands of the drill sergeant with my friends
Dashwood, Batty, Browne, Lascelles, Hume, and Masters, and mounting
guard at St. James's for a few months, we were hurried off, one fine
morning, in charge of a splendid detachment of five hundred men to join
Lord Wellington in Spain. Macadam had just begun to do for England
what Marshal Wade did in Scotland seventy years before; and we were
able to march twenty miles a day with ease until we reached Portsmouth.
There we found transports ready to convey a large reinforcement, of
which we formed part, to Lord Wellington, who was now making his arrangements,
after taking St. Sebastian, for a yet more important event in the history
of the Peninsular War - the invasion of France.


DEPARTURE FOR AND ARRIVAL IN SPAIN


We sailed under convoy of the Madagascar frigate, commanded by Captain
Curtis; and, after a favourable voyage, we arrived at Passages. Our
stay there was short, for we were ordered to join the army without loss
of time. In three hours we got fairly into camp, where we were received
with loud cheers by our brothers in arms.

The whole British army was here under canvas; our allies, the Spaniards
and Portuguese, being in the rear. About the middle of October, to
our great delight, the army received orders to cross the Bidassoa.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 15th our regiment advanced through
a difficult country, and, after a harassing march, reached the top of
a hill as the gray light of morning began to dawn. We marched in profound
silence, but with a pleasurable feeling of excitement amongst all ranks