Under the command of Duke of Wellington, the British forces took up a position towards the right of Talavera, protected on both sides by the River Tagus and the Cerro de Medellin. The 14th Light Dragoons made up part of the 2nd Brigade, headed by Brigadier General Stapleton Cotton, with Colonel Samuel Hawker as the regiment’s Commanding Officer.

The 14th , under the cover of smoke, went across the River Alberche to deal with enemy skirmishers, although the French Division had already crossed and were attacking the 87th and 88th Irish regiments. Wellington, observing the fighting, managed to retreat to Talavera. The 14th were recalled but spent much of 27th engaged with the enemy. Despite this, casualties were low, numbering at two men wounded and nine horses killed.

Throughout the night, and into the morning of 28th, the French continued to press the British and Spanish forces, leaving the exhausted 14th little choice but to continue fighting on foot. As they remained on the defensive, they were unable to mount until midday. The French army received reinforcements from King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, and Joseph launched a full-scale attack, which ended in a stalemate.

Joseph, again, attempted another attack, with the French forcing their way through a gap in the British line, but they were counter-attacked by the 48th Foot (the Northamptonshire Regiment), commanded by Brigadier General Christopher Tilson. The French were in disarray, allowing for the 14th and 16th Light Dragoons to launch a charge against General Pierre Belon Lapisse’s Division. The French were routed, but they could not pursue due to the poor state of their horses, who had had little rest from the previous day.

Overall twenty-one horses and three men were killed, with five officers and six men wounded. This included Colonel Hawker, who was sent back to England to recover. Hawker would retire from command of the regiment on 4th June 1811, having served for eight years.

The British, despite the large number of casualties, and being vastly outnumbered by the French, won the day. The French retreated, and the British returned to Portugal to avoid Jean-de-Dieu Soult and his force of 30,000. The 14th Light Dragoons wintered north of Lisbon.

Colonel Hawker’s relative, Captain Peter Hawker of 14th Light Dragoons, was also severely wounded at Talavera. He returned to England with Colonel Hawker, being forced to leave the army, due to his thigh bone being shattered by a ball. He later became a popular writer on gun sports, and was awarded the Military General Service Medal 1848, due to his actions at Talavera.

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