French Commanding Officer taken prisoner at Barrosa.

As a postscript to the Battle of Barrosa the following account recorded by the Commanding Officer of the French 2/8th Regiment reveals another aspect of events following the battle. The chef de bataillon, François Vigo-Roussillon (right), described how he was taken prisoner by the 2/87th:

'I remained on the field, amidst the dead and wounded, my sword in hand; an English [probably Irish] Sergeant, who did not see that I was wounded, was doing his best to transfix me with his pike ... a British Officer (Lieutenant Carroll of the 2/87th), seeing me struggling with the man, said to me in French, "You can no longer fight, Sir; you are alone, I beg you to surrender". "Willingly", I said, "and here is my sword; but please tell this devil of a fellow to leave me alone". It was the Sergeant with the pike whom I meant, but when he saw that I was hurt, he expressed his great regrets and, calling up some soldiers, had me picked up and wanted to do all he could for me'.

His surrendered sword is now on display in the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum in Armagh.