Pre-Napoleonic wars history
The Napoleonic Wars
In 1804, the United Kingdom's nemesis,
Napoleon Bonaparte (known as 'Boney' to the British), became Emperor of the French. The following year the
Third Coalition was formed against France and the
1st Battalion took part in the expedition to
Hannover in 1805 at a time when Napoleon's armies burnt across the continent. In 1806 the
Fourth Coalition against France was created and the following year the
1st Battalion took part in the second
Battle of Copenhagen in
Denmark, an expedition intended to prevent the Danish Fleet falling into the hands of the French. A combined British and Hannoverian Army under General
Lord Cathcart besieged the Danish city while the Royal Navy bombarded the city. The operation was a success and the Danes surrendered their fleet of eighteen warships to the British.
In 1809 the
Fifth Coalition was formed against France, though was much smaller than the previous coalitions, consisting of just
Austria and the United Kingdom. That same year the
1st Battalion made their way to the
Iberian Peninsula where they were to take part in the Peninsular War in
Portugal and
Spain, a war that had begun in 1808 . On the 12 May, the
1st Battalion took part in the crossing of the
River Douro, an operation that ended so successfully that the French Army were in full retreat to
Amarante after the actions in
Oporto and its surrounding areas.
In late July, the
3rd Foot Guards took part in the
Battle of Talavera, one of the...
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