 Harris was soon moving again, sailing to Portugal to participate in the opening actions of the British involvement in the Peninsular War.Harris was at the very first action, a skirmish at the town of Óbidos, where he saw Lieutenant Ralph Bunbury fall, the first British casualty of the war.On 17 August 1808 he was in the hotly contested skirmish line at Battle of Rolica, and saw serious opposition for the first time, reporting it as an exhilarating and terrifying experience.