Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A History of the British Army, Vol. 4: Part II, 1789-1801
One small body of men, however, which has been for some time withdrawn from our ken, must now be recalled to notice. It will be remembered that it was the declaration of war by Spain against Eng land that had caused Pitt to withdraw the ?eet from the Mediterranean, and to evacuate Corsica in the autumn of 1796. Immediately afterwards Spain, under the in?uence Of the French Directory, threatened Portugal with invasion in order to compel her to close her ports to the British; and Portugal appealed to England for help. Thereupon, the Govern ment decided to send at once five thousand men to Lisbon under General Charles Stuart, with instructions to place himself under the command of the Portuguese Commander-in-chief, and to act in concert with him whether for the Offensive or the defensive.2 Dundas's idea appears to have been to transfer the garrison, which had lately been removed from Corsica to Elba, at once to Lisbon; but it has already been explained how, through the blunders of the War O?ice, the troops were kept at Porto Ferrajo until April 1797. However, in due time they arrived at Gibraltar, and after a month 5 delay reached the 1797. Tagus on the 213t of June, where Stuart was waiting June 21 to receive them. The British regiments, namely.
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