army, including my regiment, had been all this time actively
employed at Salamanca, Madrid, and Burgos, and after going through
many long marches and retreats, had again formed at Salamanca, up to
which place the enemy had closely followed them. But owing to the
season being too bad now to carry on the war, both sides felt more
disposed to remain inactive for the remainder of 1812, so Lord
Wellington determined on putting his army in cantonments; and in
proceeding to carry out that design, for the enemy had now abandoned
following up his retreat, he touched at Ciudad Rodrigo, which afforded
a fine opportunity, which I willingly took, of rejoining my regiment.

I found that our regiment had taken at the famous battle of Salamanca
a splendid drum-major's staff from the enemy, which was stated to be
worth at least L50, and it must have come in very useful, for ours was
terribly worn and knocked about, being very old, having been itself
taken from the French in Holland, during the commandership of the Duke
of York.

Soon after I rejoined, we crossed the Agueda into Portugal again, to
take up our winter quarters in that country. Although it was not many
leagues from Ciudad Rodrigo to where our cantonments were to be, yet
that small march seemed to be almost going to knock me up, for my leg
did not seem altogether strong enough to bear much marching, both of
the slug shots having entered the sinew under the knee, and while we
were engaged in this march it was kept constantly on the move.
However, after we had settled down for about three weeks, I began to
feel more like myself, and was therefore enabled to take my regular
amount of duty.

But after we had been in cantonments some four or five weeks, I was on
sentry one day, when to my great surprise, a comrade came to relieve
me some time before my usual time had expired, which made me think
something must be wrong: so, of course, wishing to know something of
the matter before I felt disposed to leave guard, I asked the man what
it was all about, and he told me that I had been made a corporal in
the seventh company. I would at the time have much rather remained a
private in my own company than be made a corporal and be transferred
to the seventh; it was certainly better as far as pay went, for I
received seventeen pence, whilst before I had received only thirteen
pence per day; but I was far from feeling at home in this company, as
I lost all my old companions; and not on