After South Africa, the regiment returned to England as the Amiens peace was ending. Once back in England, the regiment began recruiting and eventually had enough men to bring the battalion up to full strength as well as for a reserve battalion. The 2nd battalion of the regiment was formally embodied on 15 October 1803 at Mills Bay Barracks in Plymouth under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Knight. Under the initial plan, the 1st battalion would be for universal service while the 2nd battalion would be kept for home service in the British Isles. As such, in 1804, the 2nd battalion was stationed in Ireland, initially at Kinsale, but later moved to Cork. In 1805, the 1st battalion was assigned to Lieutenant General Sir James Craig's expeditionary group. The 1st battalion participated in the invasion of Naples, but then retreated to Sicily once word of the Napoleon's victory at Ulm was received.