William Inglis - Peninsula War - Battle of Albuera

Battle of Albuera

Albuera proved to be Inglis's most famous action. The British Army was led by William Beresford and tactical mistakes resulted in the destruction of the British left by French cavalry early in the action. Forced to face the main French attack with less support than anticipated, the brigade, now led by Daniel Hoghton suffered severely.

The ever present risk from cavalry meant that the brigade to remain in tight formations despite facing a superior number of French soldiers with muskets and the fire from light artillery brought up to enfilade the British line. Hoghton was killed in the action and Inglis struck by a 4 lb grapeshot. The missile penetrated his neck and entered his shoulder and lodged in his upper back, causing massive blood loss and severe pain. Refusing to leave the line during the battle, Inglis was laid behind the 57th by his men and as their numbers dwindled, he could be heard repeating "Die hard 57th, die hard!" as he encouraged his regiment. Eventually the line held and the French driven off, the British left in possession of the field. Inglis's words later became the motto of the 57th Regiment of Foot and its successor unit the Middlesex Regiment which after further amalgamations is now the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.