NOTE.--There were two battalions of detachments at Talavera. The one composed of the flank companies of the 52nd, 79th, and 91st lost an officer, and 74 men killed and wounded. The other, made up from the 28th, 35th, 38th, 42nd, and 43rd, had 194 casualties.
The Cameron Highlanders lost 9 killed and 28 wounded at Talavera.
At Talavera Wellington realized that he was too weak to cope in the field with the immense forces that France had poured into the Peninsula. His plan of campaign now was to wear the enemy down until he should have organized the Portuguese and Spanish armies. He therefore retired once more into Portugal, and commenced that systematic defence of the kingdom which ultimately led to the destruction of French pretensions in the Iberian Peninsula. By the summer of 1810 Napoleon had 300,000 men in Spain. By that time Wellington had thrown up the famous lines of Torres Vedras, behind the shelter of which the task of reorganizing the Portuguese army proceeded apace. The winter of 1809-10 was passed without any open conflict. It was not until the end of September, 1810, that the next great fight was fought, when Wellington, with 50,000 men, barred Massena's advance at the Ridge of Busaco.
This battle honour has been conferred on the
Royal Scots. Northumberland Fusiliers. Royal Fusiliers. Norfolks. South Wales Borderers. Gloucesters. Royal Highlanders. South Staffords. Oxford Light Infantry. Sherwood Foresters. King's Royal Rifles. Highland Light Infantry. Cameron Highlanders. Connaught Rangers. Royal Irish Rifles. Rifle Brigade.
Our losses are tabulated below. Those of the French amounted to 4,400 killed and wounded, including 5 General Officers.
CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF BUSACO, SEPTEMBER 27, 1810.
+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | |_Officers._| _Men._ | | _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | K. | W. | K. | W. | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Royal Artillery | - | - | 1 | 7 | |14th Hussars | - | - | - | 3 | |16th Lancers | - | 1 | - | - | |1st Royal Scots | - | - | - | 2 | |5th Northumberland Fus. | - | - | 1 | 7 | |7th Royal Fus. | - | 1 | 1 | 22 | |9th Norfolk | - | 1 | 5 | 18 | |24th S. Wales Borderers | - | 1 | - | - | |38th S. Stafford | - | 1 | 5 | 17 | |42nd Black Watch | - | - | - | 7 | |43rd Oxf. L.I. | - | - | - | 7 | |45th Sherwood Foresters | 3 | 4 | 25 | 109 | |50th Royal W. Kent | - | 1 | - | - | |52nd Oxf. L.I. | - | 2 | 3 | 10 | |60th K.R.R. | - | 5 | 3 | 16 | |74th Highl. L.I. | 1 | 1 | 6 | 21 | |79th Cameron Highlanders | 1 | 2 | 11 | 41 | |83rd Royal Irish Rifles | - | 1 | - | 4 | |88th Connaught Rangers | 1 | 7 | 29 | 95 | |95th Rifle Brig. | - | - | 9 | 22 | +-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+