An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 31 up with the British before they escaped. Many Irishmen had fought against Moore when he had served in Ireland in '98 and were eager to settle the score - this time on equal terms. Alas, Moore's retreat was so fast, that the Irish battalion were ordered to give up the chase and halt at nearby Burgos. One can almost taste Irish frustra- tion at being unable to engage the old enemy. While the British continued their force march and fought a desperate rearguard action back to the coast, discipline soon broke down. The British army suffered terribly. Many were lost due to the cold and to the snow, or were cut down by French cavalry who had pursued them, biting at their heels, along the march. After three weeks of misery, the remnants of the British army trundled into the coastal town of Corunna, in Galicia, where the Royal Navy were to ship them back to England. Napoleon's Blackguards follows the events of Moore's epic Dunkirk-style retreat to the coast over 200 years ago. Captain James Ryan, a veteran of the 1798 Irish Rebellion and his élite Irish voltigeurs pursue the British through the snow and mountains and finally make battle with him at Corunna. Ryan is obsessed in his quest in catching up with an albino, a Captain Darkford in the 4th Light Dragoons who murdered Ryan's family back home in Ireland. He is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (this medical condition wasn't recognised as such until later on in the century). He doesn't understand why he is having night sweats and why his arms are shaking. He has seen too much horror to come out unscratched. Before Ryan can catch up his nemesis, he has to fight duels, is captured and brutally tortured by Spanish guerrillas and has to lead a mission to retrieve the Irish battalion's cherished battle-standard eagle. Ryan's quest in the pursuit of the evil Dark- ford continues all the way along the difficult snow filled mountain roads and paths to Corunna. Background to the Irish Legion of Napoleon: After a brief period of peace in the Treaty of Amiens, France was again at war with Britain. In 1803, following lobbying by Irish generals in the French Army, Napoleon created a light infantry battalion called La Légion Irlandaise to lead an anticipated invasion of Ireland. They comprised Irishmen who had fled the 1798 Irish Rebellion and Irishmen, or sons of Irishmen, who had served in the Irish Brigade of France under the ancien régime. The Irish light infantry unit was still, at this time, an under-strength battalion and was essentially an officers' unit as it was expected that when they landed in Ireland a local raised cadre would swell their ranks. However, following defeat by a combined Franco-Spanish fleet by the British at Trafalgar in 1805, the anticipated invasion of Ireland was taken off the table. These Irishmen were, of course, too valuable to be wasted, and instead they joined the French army on campaign in the Low Countries, Germany and Spain. The number of Irishmen in the ranks soon dwindled due to battle losses, desertions or disease and their ranks were filled with many different nationali- ties, including many Poles, but they were still led by a tough, hard fighting Irish core. At its peak, the Irish Regiment, as it became to be called, comprised four battalions, with a regiment headquarters, numbering 2,000 men. The Irish Regiment was disbanded after Na- poleon went into exile after Waterloo, drawing to a close a 125-year tradition of Irish service in France. Stephen McGarry is a former member of the Naval Service Re- serve (formerly An Slua Muiri), Cathal Brugha Bks, Dublin. Napo- leon's Blackguards is reviewed on page 37. Map of Battle of Corunna The Peninsular War Regions Stephen McGarry

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