PENINSULAR WAR Manuscript Journal 'Relative to the several Campaigns/ in Spain and Portugal/ for the year,/1809, 1810, 1811 and 1812. 1813', a detailed account seemingly compiled by a member of Lieutenant Colonel Jackson's Company, 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, beginning 27 December 1808 and continuing at intervals until 26 October 1813, beginning with the voyage and arrival at Lisbon ('...The English who visit Lisbon generally reside in a Quarter of the Town call'd Beunos Ayres where they have every thing in the English Style...'), much detail on weather, billets and many towns visited on the march, entering Olivaria ('...by the road side I saw several dead Bodies cut and mangled in a Shocking manner...'), and Oporto ('...great rejoicings in the town...'), skirmish at Salamonde ('...Brisk Fire ensued for about a ¼ of an hour... the Enemy began then to retreat in great disorder... Several Horses and their Riders had fell from the High Precipices in the Dark and were Laying Dead at the Bottom...'), plunder ('...vast quantity of Baggage and Knapsacks which they left behind... plate, watches, jewels and trinkets...'), crossing the river into Spain ('...I was surprised to see the Difference between the two Countries in so short a distance...'), the battle of Talavera ('...the Enemy made a desperate attack on our left with an Intention to Drive us from a Hill... bravely repulsed... bravely supported by the 24th and 83rd Regiments... this morning... to our Sorrow found the Enemy had Fled from the Field and left us Conquerors...'), much detail on the battle of Bussaco and note of casualties ('...At 6 o'clock the action commenced the Enemy made two different attacks... The loss sustained by the Enemy in his attack on the 27th has been enormous...'), death of Marquis della Romanna, C-in-C of the Spanish troops ('...supposed to be poisoned... his body was carried through the town... accompanied by Lord Wellington...'), at Pombal ('...we were joined by the greatest part of the army which was upwards of 30 thousand...'), skirmish at Condexia ('...the British and Portuguese Army form'd three lines across the plan...a most Beautiful Appearance...'), Fuentes de Onoro ('...a very heavy firing commenced... our Rear line suffered very much... the Enemy's Cavalry made a charge... cut every one down... as the men lay on the ground they cut and mangled them... At night a Flag of Truce was received from the enemy to bury the dead...'), the death of General Crawfurd at Ciudad Rodrigo ('...dangerously wounded and survived but a very few hours afterwards...'), orders to march to Badajos ('...Lord Wellington being Determined to Wrest the place from them...'), action at Salamanca ('...we joined the Light Division they being the advanced guard... frequent skirmishing...'), and much else, the account ending on 26 October 1813, including table of statistics of the killed and wounded at the battle of Tallevara: last 4 pages reversed with ruled tables (including 'Monthly Return of Arms and Accoutrements of Lieutenant Colonel J----'s Company June 1812'; 'Return of Arms and Necessaries...'; 'Monthly State of Lieut Colonel J----'s Company. May 1812' and 'Ration Return of Lieutenant Colonel Jackson's Company May 1812'), each leaf docketed and numbered (pp.45-96), c.100 numbered pages, dust-staining and marks, edges frayed, some small tears, original paper covered boards, worn with loss, spine cracked, folio (300 x 205mm.), Iberian Peninsula, 1809 to 1813 Footnotes: 'THE STREETS WERE LINED WITH DEAD BODY'S AND THE BLOOD RUNNING DOWN IN STREAMS': PENINSULAR JOURNAL INCLUDING EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS OF TALAVERA, BUSSACO AND ACTION AT SALAMANCA. Tables detailing rations, arms and accoutrements and other statistics indicate that the unnamed author of our detailed and fast-moving journal was a member of Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson's company, Coldstream Guards, part of 'The Second Brigade of Guards consisting of the 1st Battalion Coldstream and 1st Battalion 3rd Regiment' who 'received the rout for Ramsgate' in December 1809. The itinerary and key events experienced by the author of this journal, and described in such compelling terms, does indeed follow that of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. The most likely identity of 'Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson' would, at first glance, to be Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Downes Jackson (1777-1845) Assistant Quartermaster-General in the Peninsular from 1808 to 1811 and again from 1813 to 1814. He, however, served with the 2nd Battalion and distinguished himself at the battle of Barrosa on 5 March 1811, of which there is no mention here. There was a Lieutenant James Vaughan Jackson (1790-1871), of the 83rd Foot, who was present at all the events chronicled in this account, but he was not made a Lieutenant-Colonel until 1826, so again could not be our author. Each leaf bears what appears to be a signature, as yet unidentified, and the numbering of each leaf which begins at page 45, suggests this is one volume in a sequence. 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