| Administrative History | The Peninsular War (1808-1814) was fought between the combined forces of Britain, Portugal and Spain, commanded by Sir Arthur Wellesley, Lord Wellington, and the French forces under the command of Napoleon. McGrigor was appointed Chief of the Medical Staff of the Peninsular army in late 1811, arriving in Lisbon on 10 January 1812, and remained in post until the end of hostilities in 1814.
On his arrival he proceeded to inspect the medical facilities at Lisbon, paying particular attention to the departments of the purveyor and apothecary, and sent a report of his findings and recommendations to Wellington. He then travelled from Lisbon to Castello Bom to meet with Wellington and join the main army, inspecting the hospital stations on route (Journal no.1). |