Today’s elite soldiers look like the Green Berets or the Navy SEALs. But 200 years ago, the elite soldiers were sharpshooting riflemen in the 95th Regiment of Foot. Instead of the usual infantry red coats, the 95th wore green jackets. The unit became legendary during the Napoleonic wars.
Fortress tower
The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte threatened to upset the global balance of power. Napoleon wanted to reshape Europe and the world in the image of revolutionary France with himself in charge. Britain wanted to stop him.
One hotly contested area was the Iberian Peninsula. Spain was under French control with Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, imposed as the Spanish king. Portugal was controlled by the British who helped the Portuguese royal family flee to Brazil.
The 95th Regiment was sent to Portugal where they became famous for their new tactics. Unlike regular British infantry who stood in a long, thin line facing the enemy, the riflemen were mobile. They moved into forward positions between the French troops and the main British line.
As the French advanced, the riflemen aimed at officers and the artillery crews shooting at the main British line. Their rifles allowed them to accurately shoot up to 200 yards. After wreaking havoc, the riflemen withdrew to the main British position where they were used as conventional troops, holding a position in the British line.
Siege of Badajoz
An excellent example of the dual roles of the 95th Regiment can be seen in the 1812 siege at the fortress city of Badajoz, Spain. Badajoz had a medieval wall which had to be weakened in order for the British attack to succeed. But French defenders on the wall could blast the British troops trying to build a trench from which British mortars could pound the walls.
To protect the soldiers digging the trench, the riflemen infiltrated close to the city walls and began picking off the French officers and soldiers who showed themselves on the wall. The defenders were forced to take cover which allowed the British to finish their trench and undermine the wall.
Battle of Badajoz
That set the stage for the next phase of battle known as a forlorn hope. The forlorn hope was the initial assault against the enemy’s position and as the name implies, few participants were expected to live. A modern example of a forlorn hope is the airborne troops that parachuted into France before the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. Seven of ten parachutists were expected to die.
A forlorn hope consisted of volunteers but there was never a shortage because of the potential rewards. Participants could expect past lapses of military rules to be forgiven. Survivors could also expect to move to the top of promotion lists.
At Badajoz, the 95th Regiment was assigned one of the forlorn hopes. Their attack started poorly with many of them dying in a ditch at the base of the wall. The few who managed to climb the assault ladders were killed by French defenders atop of the wall.
95th Rifle enlisted man
While the 95th struggled, the wall was breached nearby and British troops began streaming into Badajoz. That was the other reward for participating in a forlorn hope. Survivors of a forlorn hope had tacit permission to loot a fallen enemy city. Looting was recompense for lousy pay and frequent flogging for minor infractions. Being first meant richer pickings.
What followed was a sickening rampage similar to the Russians in Berlin in 1945. An orgy of looting, murder, drunken rioting and raping ensued in Badajoz. It took three days to restore order. The lack of military discipline outraged the Duke of Wellington and he changed the rules on looting to prevent the excesses at Badajoz.
Gen. Sir Harry Smith
One notable exception to the ugly scenes in Badajoz involved Lieutenant Harry Smith, of the 95th Regiment. He saved the daughters of the de Leon family from the mob. A few days later, he married 14-year-old Juana and she stayed with him at every military posting for the remainder of the war. Decades later when Smith was the Governor of Cape Colony, the city of Ladysmith, South Africa was named in her honor.
Learn more about the tactics and history of the 95th in Wellington’s Rifles, by Mark Urban (2004). For a fictionalized account of the Peninsular Wars, I highly recommend the Sharpe’s Rifles series by Bernard Cornwell. His books include a description of what you’ll see today at the battle sites.
Wellington’s Rifles
If you’d like my blogs sent directly to your inbox, simply click here and sign up today! And we’ll see you next week!