Histories of the Light Division have tended to be incomplete, being
based on memoirs of a few well known diarists, principally from the 95th
Rifles. The authors of this book, the first volume of two, have sought
memoirs from across the division, including the artillery, the King's
German Hussars and others to complete a broader history of Wellington's
elite division.
Light infantry was not new a concept in 1803, but at Shorncliffe Camp
Sir John Moore developed a progressive ethos, set of tactics and
training for the newly converted light infantry regiments. With the 95th
Rifles they were melded into a brigade that was to form the basis of the
incomparable Light Division.
From the outset of the Peninsular campaigns in 1808 they delivered
results way beyond their scant numbers, but it was during the epic
winter retreat to La Corunna that they showed their metal. Returning to
the Peninsular months later, the irascible Brigadier Craufurd led the
Light Brigade in terrible march to reach Wellington at Talavera; heavily
laden and in the heat of summer.
Over the winter of 1809/10, Craufurd's battalions, now elevated to the
status of a division, provided the army's outposts. This was work that
Craufurd excelled in and actions abounded, including the Combat on the
Côa, where the division fought hard to escape Marshal Ney's trap.
In 1810, with Wellington withdrawing to the Lines of Torres Vedra, the
Light Division played a significant part in the battle of Buçaco Ridge,
while the following year they drove Marshal Masséna's army back into
Spain having fought almost daily actions en route.
This history of the Light Division is not simply a series of set piece
battles but provides a wider picture of campaigning and what it was to
be a light infantry soldier.
