The Battle of the Dunes

Fought 14 June 1658 as part of the Franco-Spanish War, with Royalists fighting in the Spanish army, and a Parliamentarian corps fighting with the French. So, probably this battle can be considered as the last battle of the English Civil War.

In the Digitales Archiv Marburg a nice copper engraving of the battle. The Spanish army is at the top, and the French army at the bottom of the engraving. The English Royalist regiments are on the Spanish right wing in the first line of battle (near 2, who is the Duke of York). Several of the Parliamentarian regiments are on the French left (F, who is Sir William Lockhart), thus facing the Royalists.



Several English regiments fought in this battle, on both sides, which would form the basis of the Restoration Army of 1660-61.

British Brigade in Portuguese Service 1662 - 68

Following the Restoration of Charles II as monarch of England and his marriage with Catharina of Braganza, the alliance between England and Portugal was given stature by forming a brigade for
service in Portugal in 1662 to fight in the Portuguese War of Restoration.

The brigade consisted of two infantry regiments, each 1,000 men, and a cavalry regiment, also 1,000 men. The infantry was raised from three New Model regiments in Scotland that still were not disbanded, and the cavalry was raised from volunteers, the Dunkirk garrison and a Cromwellian troop in Scotland. Charles II was to raise and equip the brigade, and they would be paid by the Portuguese crown once in Portugal.

The brigade arrived in Portugal by August 1662. It was broken up by mid 1668, with 1,000 men remaining in total. About half of the men were incorporated in the Tangier garrison, and the remainder was shipped back to England and discarded.

The British regiments proved their worth in the various battles fought during the Portuguese War of Restoration, and made a more serious impression on the Spanish than the other troops in the Portuguese Army. However, the troops suffered terribly because of these battles, and also sickness accounted for a great deal of wastage. To add to this, the Portuguese treated the British with contempt, not the least because of their religion. Nevertheless, as said before, the British were the more reliable component in the army and they fought well.

The lineage of the three regiments is a little complicated to compile. The regiment of horse was usually just designated as the regiment of horse, and not by the name of the colonel. It's first colonel was Murrough O'Brien, 1st Ear of Inchiquin, who also commanded the British Brigade. Late 1662 he was succeeded, as colonel, by the Count of Schomberg, the future 1st Duke of Schomberg; in 1663 Schomberg would also command the brigade. In the field, however, the regiment was commanded by Michael Dongan, and later by Lawrence Dempsey and finally by Meinhardt von Schomberg, a son of the Count of Schomberg.

The first infantry regiment was commanded by Henry Pearson. He was, however, absent most of the time and the regiment was effectively led by the lieutenant-colonel or major.

The second infantry regiment gives rise to some trouble. Some sources indicate that James Apsley was the colonel, whereas other mention Francis Moore as colonel. According to sources claiming Apsley was colonel, he was succeeded in 1665 by the Count of Schomberg, but actual command of the regiment befell to William Sheldon.

Information on the internet is hardly available. One site dedicated to the Portuguese War of Restoration has a page devoted to the English regiments. Other sources consulted so far:
Hardacre (1960): The English Contingent in Portugal, 1662-1668, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, volume 38 pp.112-125
Childs (1976): The Army of Charles II