Loyal Lusitanian Legion ( Loyal Lusitanian Legion / LLL , port. Leal Legião Lusitana ), also known as the Faithful Portuguese Legion and the Royal Portuguese Legion ( English Royal Lusitanian Legion ) - a foreign volunteer corps of the British Army, assembled from Portuguese emigrants in England, who participated in the Pyrenees wars .
| Loyal Lusitanian Legion | |
|---|---|
| Years of existence | July 1808 - May 4, 1811 |
| A country |  Great Britain  Portugal |
| Subordination | George III , Juan VI |
| Included in | British army |
| Type of | light infantry , field artillery |
| Number | 3 thousand people |
| Dislocation | Plymouth , later Porto |
| Colors | green |
| Participation in | Napoleonic Wars :
|
| Commanders | |
| Famous commanders | Robert Thomas Wilson |
Content
History
The initiators of the formation of the legion were the colonels of the Portuguese army Jose Maria Moura and Carlos Frederico Lekor , who refused to serve in the Napoleonic Portuguese legion , as well as the Portuguese ambassador to London, Chevalier de Souza. The legion was primarily composed of the Portuguese, although there were also British (including the commander of the legion, Colonel Robert Thomas Wilson) and the Germans.
The Legion was formed in Plymouth in July 1808, and in September of that year made a landing in Porto. From 1808 to 1811, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese army, he fought against the Napoleonic forces in Portugal and Spain, in the battles of Bussaco and Talavera. He was engaged in raids and attacks on individual French troops with the support of the Spanish and Portuguese militias.
It was disbanded on May 4, 1811 : its soldiers were transferred to regular Portuguese troops, and the battalions were transformed into casadore battalions.
Structure
The loyal Lusitanian Legion was organized as a light infantry regiment with an attached artillery battery and included:
- Regiment command
- 1st battalion
- 2nd battalion
- Artillery corps
The battalion consisted of 10 companies, the number of battalion was 1,000 people. The artillery corps was a battery of six field guns and 80 people.
After the legion was disbanded, its 1st battalion was transformed into the 7th Casador battalion, and the 2nd into the 8th Casador. The 9th Casador Battalion was formed from the remaining people.
Uniforms
The soldiers of the regiment wore green uniforms like the British riflemen ; Moreover, this color was the color of the royal dynasty of Braganza , to which the Legion was faithful.
Literature
- RODRIGUES, Manuel A. Ribeiro, Leal Legião Lusitana
- CHARTRAND, René, YOUNGHUSBAND, Bill, The Portuguese Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2) , Osprey, 2000
Links
- 1º Batalhão da LLL , Arqnet (Port)
- 2º Batalhão da LLL , Arqnet (Port)