THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
GIFT OF
COMMODORE BYRON MCCANDLESS
HISTORICAL RECORD
THE FOURTEENTH,
OK,
THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REGIMENT
FOOT:
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,
AND OF
ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1845.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,
MILITARY LIBRARY, WHITEHALL.
M.DOCC.XLV.
LONDON :
ON AND Co., PRINTERS,
MARTIN'S LANK.
THE FOURTEENTH,
OR
THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
REGIMENT OF FOOT,
BEARS ON ITS REGIMENTAL COLOUR,
"TOURNAY" CORUNNA" WATERLOO"
" JAVA"" BHURTPORE,"
AND
THE ROYAL TIGER SUPERSCRIBED "INDIA,"
IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS DISTINGUISHED SERVICES ON THE
CONTINENT OF EUROPE, AND IN THE EAST INDIES.
The Regiment also bears 011 the Caps of the Grenadiers and Drum-
mers, THE WHITE HORSE, with the motto Nee aspera terrent.
CONTENTS.
Year Page
1685 Formation of the Regiment .... 9
Names of the Officers ..... 10
1689 Proceeds to Scotland 13
1 692 Embarks for Flanders ....
Returns to England
Forms part of an expedition against the coast of
France
Proceeds to Ostend 14
1693 Battle of Landen . . . . .
1694 Forms part of the covering army during the
siege of Huy 16
1 695 Operations against the Fortress of Kenoque .
Siege of the Fortress of Namur . . . 17
1696 Returns to England 20
1698 Embarks for Ireland
1715 Proceeds to Scotland 22
Battle of Sheriffmuir 23
1719 Action at Glenshiel 24
Returns to England 25
1727 Defence of Gibraltar ..... 26
1742 Returns to England
1745 Embarks for Flanders . . . . 27
Returns to England 28
Marches to Scotland . . .
1746 Battle of Falkirk . . . . . . ,
Culloden . . . . . 29
1751 Uniform and Colours of the Regiment . . 31
VI CONTENTS.
Year Page
1752 Returns to England . . . . . 31
Embarks for Gibraltar .....
1759 Returns to England 32
1765 Alterations in the Clothing .... 33
1766 Embarks for North America ... 34
1771 Proceeds to the West Indies ....
Employed against the Caribbees
1773 Returns to North America ....
1775 Detachment employed against the entrenchments
at Great Bridge 35
1777 Returns to England 36
1782 Embarks for Jamaica ....
Styled the Bedfordshire Regiment . . . 37
1791 Returns to England 38
1793 Embarks for Holland . 39
Engaged at Famars
Siege of Valenciennes 40
Siege of Dunkirk 42
1794 Attack on the village of Fremont ... 43
Siege of Landrecies ..... 44
Battle of Tournay 47
Forms part of the garrison of Nimeguen . 50
1795 Action at Gueldermalsen . . . 51
Returns to England ..... 53
Embarks for the West Indies, but returns to port 54
1796 Resumes the voyage to the West Indies
Capture of the Islands of St. Lucia and St.
Vincent 55 & 57
1 797 Capture of Trinidad .... . .
Forms part of the Force destined to act against
Porto Rico .
1803 Returns to England . . . ... 60
1804 A Second Battalion added . . . 61
1805 The First Battalion embarks for Hanover
1806 Returns to England . ....
CONTENTS. Vll
Year Page
1806 Proceeds to Ireland . . ... . 62
1807 The First Battalion embarks for India . .
1808 Expedition against Tranquebar . . .
The Second Battalion embarks for Spain . 63
1809 Battle of Corunna . . . . .. 64
The Second Battalion returns to England . 65
County Title changed from "Bedfordshire" to
"Buckinghamshire" ....
The Second Battalion proceeds to Walcheren .
Siege of Flushing .....
Battalion returns to England ... 66
1810 The Second Battalion embarks for Malta .
Capture of the Isle of France V . . 67
1811 Capture of Java 70
1813 Attack on the piratical state of Sambas on the
western coast of Borneo . ... 72
A Third Battalion added . . ' .
1814 The Second Battalion forms part of an expedition
against the north-west coast of Italy . . 73
The Second Battalion stationed at Genoa
1815 The Third Battalion embarks for Flanders . 74
Battle of Waterloo . f . . ;'
Attack on the Citadel of Cambray . .'' :c . 77
The Second Battalion leaves Genoa and proceeds
to France . . . . . .
The Second Battalion proceeds to Malta . 78
The Third Battalion returns to England
1816 The Third Battalion disbanded
The Second Battalion embarks from Malta for
the Ionian Islands ....
1817 Capture of the fortified town of Hatrass . 79
The Second Battalion proceeds to Malta . 80
returns to England .
disbanded
Employed against the Pindarees ...
Vlll CONTENTS.
Year Page
1825 Capture of Bhurtpore . . . . 83
1830 Returns to England 87
1832 Proceeds to Ireland ..... 88
1 836 Embarks for the West Indies ...
1841 Proceeds to Canada 89
1845 The Conclusion 90
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
1685 Sir Edward Hales, Bart 91
1688 William Beveridge 93
1692 John Tidcomb
1713 Jasper Clayton
1743 Joseph Price 95
1747 The Honorable William Herbert
1753 Edward Braddock 96
1755 Thomas Fowke
1756 Charles Jefferies 97
1765 The Honorable William Keppel . . . 98
1775 Robert Cunninghame .....
1787 John Douglas 99
1789 George Earl Waldegrave .... _
George Hotham ..... 100
1806 Sir Harry Calvert, Bart., G.C.B. .
1826 Thomas Lord Lynedoch .... ]Q5
1834 The Honorable Sir Charles Colville, G.C.B. .
1835 The Honorable Sir Alexander Hope, G.C.B.
1837 Sir James Watson, K.C.B. ... 1Q6
PLATES.
Colours of the Regiment ... to face 9
Uniform of the Regiment . . . ,,90
HISTORICAL RECORDS
THE BRITISH ARMY.
GENERAL ORDERS.
HORSE-GUARDS,
1st January, 183G.
His MAJESTY has been pleased to command,
that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regi-
ments, as well as to Individuals who have distin-
guished themselves by their Bravery in Action with
the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every
Regiment in the British Army shall be published
under the superintendence and direction of the
Adjutant-General ; and that this Account shall con-
tain the following particulars, viz ,
The Period and Circumstances of the Ori-
ginal Formation of the Regiment ; The Stations at
which it has been from time to time employed ; The
Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations, in
which it has been engaged, particularly specifying
any Achievement it may have performed, and the
Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from
the Enemy.
The Names of the Officers and the number
of Noil-Commissioned Officers and Privates, Killed
or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the PJace and
Date of the Action.
iv GENERAL ORDERS.
The Names of those Officers, who, in con-
sideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious
Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have been
distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of
His Majesty's gracious favour.
The Names of all such Officers, Non-Com-
missioned Officers and Privates as may have specially
signalized themselves in Action.
And,
The Badges and Devices which the Regiment
may have been permitted to bear, and the Causes
on account of which such Badges or Devices, or any
other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Com mandiny-in-Chief.
JOHN MACDONALD,
A djutant- General.
PREFACE.
THE character and credit of the British Army must chiefly
depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter
into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the
highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the
spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions
are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of
this desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds
with which the Military History of our country abounds.
To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the
youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the
meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their
honourable career, are among the motives that have given
rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, an-
nounced in the " London Gazette," from whence they are
transferred into the public prints : the achievements of our
armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence,
and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which
they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses
of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the
Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under
VI PREFACE.
their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for
their skill and bravery? and these testimonials, confirmed by
the high honour of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute
the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice
(which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Con-
tinental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular
records of their services and achievements. Hence some
difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly
from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin
and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His
Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regi-
ment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its
services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will
henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and
privations which chequer the career of those who embrace
the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a
number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of
agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these
pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the
presence of ivar, which few other countries have escaped,
comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active
service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even
during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part
of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the
PREFACE. vil
country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the
agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be
supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the
soldier and the sailor, on their sufferings, and on the
sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits
are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and
endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying
difficulties ; and their character has been established in Con-
tinental warfare by the irresistible spirit with \vliich they
have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable
opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which
they have maintained their advantages against superior
numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Com-
manders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant
exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their
services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully
given in the Annals of the various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under
His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON,
Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office j and while
the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting
to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will
also afford entertainment and information to the general
reader, particularly to those who may have served in the
Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have
Viii PREFACE.
served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps
an attachment to eyery thing belonging to their Regiment ;
to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps
cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the
actions of the great, the valiant, the loyal, have always
been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people.
Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in mo-
ments of danger and terror, have stood, " firm as the rocks
of their native shore ;" and when half the World has been
arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their
Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a
record of achievements in war, victories so complete and
surprising, gained by our countrymen, our brothers, our
fellow-citizens in arms, a record which revives the memory
of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will
certainly prove acceptable to the public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distin-
guished Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their
respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which
have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regi-
ment, as testifying the value and importance of its services,
will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each
Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when
the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up
in numerical succession.
14th Regiment
HISTORICAL RECORD
OS
THE FOURTEENTH,
OR
THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REGIMENT
OF
FOOT.
IN the summer of 1685 England was in a state of tran- 1685
quillity; the minds of men were not, however, at ease
respecting the religion of their king, James II., but they
put the best construction on his conduct, and manufac-
tures and commerce were flourishing; when suddenly
James Duke of Monmouth invaded the western shores
with a few followers, and asserted his claim to the sove-
reignty of the realm. The din of hostile preparation
instantly resounded throughout the kingdom, and thou-
sands of His Majesty's subjects laid aside the pursuits
of industry, and arrayed themselves under the royal
standard, to oppose the invader and his adherents. At
this juncture SIR EDWARD HALES, Baronet, of Wood-
church, in the county of Kent, stood forward in the
support of the Crown, and raised a company of one
hundred musketeers and pikemen, for the king's service,
at Canterbury and in its vicinity. Companies were also
raised by the following loyal gentlemen ; Boyn-
ton, Esq., Robert Middleton, Henry Vaughan, Richard
14. B
10 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1685 Brewer*, William Broom, John Gifford, Thomas Gif-
ford, Mark Talbot, John Chappell, and Rowland Wat-
son, and these companies were constituted a regiment,
of which SIR EDWARD HALES was appointed colonel,
Boynton lieutenant-colonel, and Robert Middle-
ton major, by commissions dated the 22nd of June,
1685; and the corps thus formed now bears the title of
the FOURTEENTH REGIMENT OT FOOT. The general
rendezvous of the regiment was at Canterbury; two
companies had their rendezvous at Rochester and Chat-
ham, and others at Sittingbourne and Feversham.
While the formation of the regiment was in progress,
the rebel army was defeated at Sedgemoor, and the
Duke of Monmouth was captured and beheaded. SIR
EDWARD HALES'S regiment was, however, one of the
corps which the King resolved to retain in his service;
the establishment was fixed at ten companies of sixty
men each, and in the middle of August the regiment
was encamped on Hounslow-heath, where it was re-
viewed by His Majesty; it afterwards marched to
Gravesend and Tilbury, detaching two companies to
Jersey, one to Guernsey, and two to Windsor.
1686 On the 1st of January, 1686, the establishment was
estimated at the following numbers and rates of pay,
viz.:
SIR EDWARD HALES'S REGIMENT.
Pay per Day.
STAFF. s d.
The Colonel, as Colonel - - - - 12
Lieut .-Colon el, as Lieut. -Colonel - - - 070
Major, as Major - - - 5
Chaplain - ... o 6 8
Chimrgeon, iv'., one mate ii". vi d . - - - 6 6
Adjutant - - 4
Quarter Master and Marshal - - - 4
252
* Afterwards Colonel of the Twelfth Foot.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 11
1686
THE COLONEL'S COMPANY.
Pay per Day.
a. d.
The Colonel, as Captain - - - - - 8
Lieutenant - - - - - -040
Ensign - - - - 3
2 Serjeants, xviii d . each - - - - 3
3 Corporals, xii d . each - - - 3
1 Drummer - - - 1
50 Soldiers, at viii d . each - - - 1 13 4
Total for 1 Company
Nine Companies more at the same rate -
Total per day
Per annum 10,922 12s. Gd.
The regiment was again encamped on Hounslow- 1687
heath in the summer of 1687, and a grenadier company
was added to its establishment. At this period the fol-
lowing officers were holding commissions in the regi-
ment, viz.:
Captains. Lieutenants. Ensigns.
Sir Edw. Hales, (Col.) Thomas Butler Dudley Van Burgh
G. Barclay, (Lt.-Col.) Robert Seaton Austin Belson
John Gifford, (Major) Richard Boucher Thomas Heyward
John Chappell Gaven Talbot Philip Overton
Rowland Watson James Nicholnson Dudley Van Colster
Thomas Weld Bryce Blair Clifford Brexton
George Latton William Carew George Blathwayt
Richard Brewer Nicholas Morgan Edward Hales
Thomas Gifford Edward Gifford Edward Pope
George Aylmer Augustin Gifford Caesar Gage
Chaplain, Nicholas Trapps. Adjutant, James Nicholson.
Chiruraeon, John Ridley. Quarter- Master, Edward Syng.
After passing in review before the King and Queen,
and other members of the royal family, the regiment
12 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1687 struck its tents and marched to Plymouth, where it was
stationed during the winter.
1688 From Plymouth the regiment marched to London
in June, 1688, and took the duty at the Tower until the
middle of August, when it was relieved by the Royal
Fusiliers, and marched to Canterbury, and in Septem-
ber to Salisbury.
In the mean time the measures adopted by King
James II. to establish Papacy and arbitrary government
had filled the country with alarm. Among other pro-
ceedings the King claimed the power of dispensing with
the oaths, required by law, on appointment to office;
the colonel of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, SIR ED-
WARD HALES, had espoused the Roman Catholic reli-
gion ; he, therefore, could not take the oaths, and was
not eligible for his commission ; he was prosecuted and
convicted at Rochester assizes; but he moved the case
into the Court of the King's Bench, and had judgment
in his behalf; eleven of the twelve judges taking part
with the King against the law. Many of the nobility
solicited the Prince of Orange to aid them in opposing
the measures of the court, and when the Prince arrived
with a Dutch army, the King assembled his forces at
Salisbury. The result may be told in a few words :
the English army refused to fight in the cause of Papacy
and arbitrary government ; the King, accompanied by
Colonel Sir Edward Hales, and Quarter- Master Edward
Syng, of this regiment, attempted to escape to France
in disguise ; but they were apprehended on board of a
Custom-house vessel at Feversham, and Sir Edward
Hales was afterwards confined in the Tower of Lon-
don. The King made a second attempt, and arrived
in France in safety. The Prince of Orange issued
orders for the regiment to occupy quarters at Waltham,
in Hampshire, and conferred the colonelcy on William
Beveridge, an officer of the English brigade in the
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 13
Dutch service, by commission dated the 31st of Decem- 1683
her, 1688.
The accession of William Prince of Orange and his 1689
consort to the throne was opposed in Scotland, and in
the spring of 1689 the regiment was ordered to march
towards the north ; it was stationed a short time at Ber-
wick, where it was inspected on the 14th of June by the
commissioners for re-modelling the army : in August it
received orders to march to Edinburgh.
The regiment was employed in various services in 1690
Scotland and the north of England until the insurgent
clans had lost all hope of success, and in 1691 they ten- 1691
dered their submission to the government of King
William III.
In the spring of 1692, the regiment embarked for 1692
Flanders, to take part in the war in which the British
monarch was engaged, to preserve the liberties of
Europe against the ambitious projects of the court of
France. Scarcely had it arrived at the seat of war, and
taken post in one of the fortified towns of West Flan-
ders, when the French monarch assembled his army
near La Hogue, and prepared a fleet to convey the
troops to England, for the purpose of replacing King
James on the throne. The regiment was immediately
ordered to return, and having landed at Greenwich in
the early part of May, it was held in readiness to repel
the invaders, should they venture to land on the British
shores; but while the menace of invasion was producing
considerable alarm in England, the French fleet sus-
tained a decisive defeat off La Hogue, and the danger
instantly vanished: the hopes of the Jacobites were
frustrated, and the ascendancy of Protestant principles
insured. The regiment was afterwards encamped near
Portsmouth, and it formed part of an expedition under
the Duke of Leinster, afterwards Duke Schomberg,
against the coast of France; but the French naval force
14 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1692 having been nearly annihilated at the sea-fight off La
Hogue, Louis XIV. expected a descent, and had drawn
so many troops from the interior to the coast, that the
Duke of Leinster did not venture to land. After menac-
ing the French shores at several points, to produce a
diversion in favour of the confederate army in the
Netherlands, the fleet sailed to the Downs, from whence
it proceeded to Ostend, where the troops landed: they
took possession of and fortified the towns of Furnes and
Dixmude, and several regiments afterwards returned to
England.
On the 14th of November Colonel William Beve-
ridge was killed in a duel with one of the captains; and
King William afterwards conferred the colonelcy of the
regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel John Tidcomb, from
the Thirteenth Foot.
1693 The FOURTEENTH was one of the regiments which
remained in Flanders, and it took the field in May,
1693, to serve the campaign of that year with the con-
federate army, commanded by King William in person,
who took possession of the camp at Parck, near Lou-
vain, to prevent the designs of Louis XIV. on Bra-
bant.
After taking part in several movements, the regi-
ment was in position at Landen, on the morning of the
19th of July, when the French army, of very superior
numbers, commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, ad-
vanced to attack the forces under King William. On
this occasion the FOURTEENTH Regiment had its first
opportunity of proving its prowess in action with the
enemy, and it gave presage of that gallantry for which
it afterwards became distinguished. The French com-
menced the action with great spirit, but were repulsed
several times ; their superior numbers enabled them to
bring forward fresh troops, and they eventually carried
the village of Neer-Winden. The King ordered a re-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 15
treat, which was executed with difficulty, and was at- 1693
tended with serious loss.
The FOURTEENTH Regiment had Captains Van
Burgh, Cassin, and Henriosa, and Lieutenant Worley,
killed ; Lieutenant Nicholson died of his wounds ;
Captains Devaux and Stanwix, Lieutenants Campbell,
Forbes, and Pettitpiere, Ensigns Revison and Perrott,
wounded; Lieutenant-Colonel Graham taken prisoner:
the number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers
of the regiment, killed and wounded, has not been
ascertained.
In the autumn, when the army separated for winter
quarters, the regiment marched into garrison at Bruges;
at the same time parties were sent to England to pro-
cure recruits, to replace the losses sustained during this
campaign.
When the army took the field in the spring of 1694
1694, the regiment was left, with several other corps,
under Brigadier-General Sir David Collier, encamped
near Ghent, to form a guard for the artillery, which
was conveyed by water to Malines. The regiment
joined the army at the camp near Louvain, on the 4th
of June, and on the 6th it was reviewed by His Ma-
jesty, who was pleased to express to Colonel Tidcomb
his high approbation of its appearance. The regiment
was afterwards employed in several movements, arid it
formed part of the splendid body of troops encamped
at Mont St. Andre, near the village of Ramilies, where
the forces of the confederate states were assembled
under King William III., and presented a magnificent
spectacle of war.
The FOURTEENTH was one of the corps which
attempted, by a forced march, to pass the enemy's
fortified lines, and penetrate French Flanders ; but by
extraordinary exertions the French gained the pass
first, and thus preserved their country from an in-
16 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1694 vasion. The regiment was subsequently encamped
near Rousselaer, forming part of the covering army
during the siege of Huy. The vicinity of the camp
was infested by detachments of the enemy, and on.
one occasion the waggons conveying the bread to the
army were attacked, when a detachment of the FOUR-
TEENTH, forming part of the guard, was engaged, and
the regiment had Captain Sacheverel mortally wounded,
who was the only British officer killed by the enemy
during this campaign.
Having to remain in the field during cold and wet
weather, the soldiers erected huts of wood and straw,
and on the 1st of October the huts of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment were accidentally set on fire, and
destroyed : the Second Foot Guards had experienced
the same misfortune a few days previously. The for-
tress of Huy having surrendered, the army separated
for winter quarters, and the regiment returned to Bruges
in the second week in October.
1695 From Bruges, the regiment marched, in May, 1695,
to Dixmude, where it pitched its tents, and remained
several days. The Duke of Wirtemberg took the com-
mand of the troops assembled at this point, and ad-
vancing to the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals,
encamped before the fortress of Kenogue, upon which
an attack was made for the purpose of drawing the
French army that way, for the protection of their lines
in West Flanders. The FOURTEENTH Regiment took
part in this service; its grenadier company was engaged
in driving the French from the intrenchments and
houses near the Loo canal, and in repulsing the attempts
of the enemy to regain possession of them. A redoubt
was afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected in the
works at the bridge, in which services the regiment had
several men killed and wounded. This demonstration
having produced the desired effect, the strong fortress
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 17
of Namur was exposed to an attack from the main 1695
army., and it was accordingly invested, and the siege
commenced.
The attack on Kenoque was then desisted in; the
FOURTEENTH Regiment was one of the corps with-
drawn from West Flanders, and joined the covering
army, under the Prince of Vaudemont, at Wouterghem.
From Wouterghem, the regiment marched towards
Namur, to take part in the siege of that important
fortress, which was deemed nearly impregnable, and
was defended by a numerous garrison, under the cele-
brated Marshal Boufflers. On arriving before Namur
the regiment pitched its tents at Templeux, from
whence it advanced and took its turn of duty in the
trenches.
On the 8th of July, the regiment was on duty
before Namur, and it was ordered to support the attacks
to be made that evening on the covered-way near the
hill of Bouge: the storming party was commanded by
Major-General Ramsay. About seven o'clock in the
evening, the signal for the attack was given, and the
storming party rushed forward with the most distin-
guished heroism. The FOURTEENTH moved forward to
support the attack, and mingling with the combatants
evinced signal intrepidity. The soldiers rushed up to
the enemy's palisades, and placing the muzzles of their
muskets between the staves, fired a volley, which put
the French into some confusion. The palisades were
afterwards broken; the supporting corps joined in the
assault, the second covered-way was carried, and the
French overpowered, driven from their works, pursued
among the batteries on the brow of the hill, and many
of them were killed in the stone pits in which they took
refuge. This post having been thus captured, the
FOURTEENTH Regiment retired, and being relieved
from duty in the trenches, it returned to its camp at
18 HISTORICAL. RECORD OF
1695 Templeux, a league and a half from Namur. Its loss
was severe: Lieutenant Ravisson was killed; Captain
Carew and Ensign Perott died of their wounds ; Cap-
tains Pope, Jackson, and Forbes, and Ensign Cormach,
were wounded, but afterwards recovered.
The regiment quitted its post at Templeux, took
its station in the lines of circumvallation, and mounted
guard in the trenches, on the 10th of July; it was again
on duty in the trenches on the 16th of July, when it
had Captain Forbes and several private soldiers killed.
A detachment of the grenadiers of the regiment was
engaged, on the 17th of July, in an attack upon the
counterscarp; the assault was made about five o'clock
in the evening; the French disputed the post with great
bravery, defending the glacis for some time ; but they
could not withstand the prowess of the British grena-
diers, who effected a lodgment, and obliged the enemy
to abandon the counterscarp. Lieutenant Williams of
the grenadier company of the regiment was killed, and
Captain Devaux was wounded with the working party.
The regiment was again on duty in the trenches on
the 19th and 24th of July. On the following day the
town surrendered, the garrison retiring to the castle.
After the surrender of the town of Namur, the
regiment quitted the lines of circumvallation, and
joined the covering army under the Prince of Vaude-
mont, which encamped, on the 8th of August, near
the village of Waterloo, and afterwards took up a
position near Namur. A numerous French army com-
manded by Marshal Villeroy advanced to raise the
siege of the castle, but the covering army occupied a
position which was deemed too formidable to be at-
tacked, and the French Marshal withdrew without
hazarding an engagement.
A detachment from the grenadier company of the
regiment quitted the covering army, and was engaged,
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 19
on the 20th of August, in assaulting the breaches of the 1695
Terra Nova and Coharne, under the command of Lord
Cutts. This proved a desperate service, particularly
the assault of the Terra Nova, where the British grena-
diers were engaged, and a serious loss was sustained in
consequence of the regiments ordered to support the
attack not advancing in time. The FOURTEENTH
Foot had several men killed and wounded, and Lieu-
tenant Sewell, who commanded the detachment from
the grenadier company, was also wounded.
Preparations were made for a second assault, when
Marshal Boufflers agreed to surrender on honorable
terms, which were granted. Thus was captured this
important fortress, which the French had boasted might
be restored, but could not be taken; and the achieve-
ment reflected great credit on the confederate arms; it
was the most important event of the war.
After the surrender of the castle of Namur, the
regiment remained a short time in the field, and subse-
quently marched into cantonments in the villages near
the Bruges canal.
The French monarch not only found his career of 1696
conquest arrested, by the efforts of the sovereign of
Great Britain, but the towns he had captured were also
being re-taken, and it became a point of great import-
ance to him to detach England from the confederacy,
which could only be accomplished by re-placing King
James on the throne. For this purpose measures were
privately concerted for exciting a rebellion in England;
the Duke of Berwick, and several other English officers
in the French service, were sent across the Channel in
disguise, and through their persuasions a number of
men were prepared to rise at a moment's notice; at the
same time a conspiracy was formed in London to assas-
sinate King William, and fifty men were engaged and
prepared with arms to commit the diabolical act: a
20 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1696 French naval and land force was also held in readiness
for a descent on the English coast, and King James
was at Calais prepared to embark. At this juncture,
the FOURTEENTH, and a number of other regiments,
received orders to return to England, and they arrived
at Gravesend in March, 1696. The conspiracy was,
however, discovered; a British fleet was sent to blockade
the French ports, and the designs of the King of France
being thus defeated, King William was left at liberty to
prosecute the war for the security of the civil and
religious liberties of the nations of Europe. Several of
the corps which had arrived from Flanders returned to
the seat of war immediately; but the FOURTEENTH was
one of the regiments selected to remain on home ser-
vice; it landed at Gravesend on the 22nd of March,
and proceeded to Canterbury and Feversharn, from
whence it was removed to London in November, and
took the duty at the Tower.
1697 I n 1697, King William saw his efforts for the pre-
servation of national independence attended with suc-
cess; the French monarch was humbled, and the treaty
of Ryswick fixed the balance of power in Europe.
1698 Soon after the restoration of peace, the regiment
received orders to proceed to Ireland, and it landed at
Belfast and Cork in March, 1698; at the same time it
was placed upon a peace establishment.
1701 King James died in France in 1701, when Louis
XIV. proclaimed the Pretender King of Great Britain
by the title of James III.; this event, with the elevation
of the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., to the
throne of Spain, in violation of solemn engagements,
was followed by a sanguinary war with France and
Spain, during which the continent of Europe, and the
peninsula of Portugal and Spain, became theatres for
the display of British valour, but the FOURTEENTH
Regiment was selected to remain in Ireland. The
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 21
proclamation of the Pretender, and the death of King 1702
William III., in March, 1702, revived the hopes of the
partisans of the Stuart family, who were conspiring to
elevate the Pretender to the throne, and Queen Anne
deemed it expedient to detain a few trusty corps, of
approved devotion to the Protestant interest, in Ire-
land.
Although the honorable distinction of being selected 1703
to remain in Ireland, prevented the regiment acquiring
laurels in the field, yet it sent several drafts of men on
foreign service,' who had opportunities of distinguishing
themselves. In the autumn of 1703 it furnished a
draft of fifty men to complete Lord Montjoy's, and
another draft of the same strength for Colonel Bru-
denePs regiments, (afterwards disbanded,) on their em-
barkation to accompany the Archduke Charles of Austria
to Portugal. The regiment was in garrison at Dublin
from the 7th of August to the 31st of December, 1703.
In the autumn of 1704, and the spring of 1705,1705
additional detachments were sent to Portugal, to serve
under General the Earl of Galway; they were con-
ducted thither by Captain Laffit, Ensigns Schackford
and Blount, and three Serjeants, whose expenses,
amounting to 70/. 19s. 4^d., were directed to be paid
by a warrant dated the 5th of July, 1705. In August
of the same year the regiment furnished a captain,
lieutenant, ensign, two Serjeants, and fifty rank and
file towards completing the regiments of Charlemont,
George, and Caulfield, (afterwards disbanded,) on their
embarkation with the expedition under General the
Earl of Peterborough, who captured Barcelona, and had
astonishing success in Catalonia and Valentia.
The regiment was quartered at Dublin from March 1706
to November, 1706, and the private soldiers received a
penny a day in addition to their pay, granted by King
William III. in 1699, to all regiments employed on
.22 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1706 duty at Dublin. The FOURTEENTH had, however per-
formed the duty of two regiments for some time, and
the allowance was extended to all detachments, in con-
sideration of the good conduct of the corps.
1707 The FOURTEENTH Regiment remained in Ireland
during the whole of the war, continuing to send detach-
1712 ments abroad from time to time, particularly to Por-
tugal and Spain, and its excellent conduct on home
service occasioned it to be held in high estimation
by the Government.
1713 On the 14th of June, 1713, Lieutenant-General
Tidcomb died at Bath; and Queen Anne conferred the
colonelcy of the regiment on Colonel Jasper Clayton,
from the half-pay of a newly-raised corps which was
disbanded a short time previously.
1714 The decease of Queen Anne, and the accession of
King George I., in 17 14, was followed by renewed
efforts on the part of the partisans of the Pretender to
procure his elevation to the throne; these exertions
began to assume an alarming appearance in the summer
1715 of 171 5, when the well-known attachment of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment to the Protestant succession, occa-
sioned it to be recalled from Ireland, and ordered to
Scotland, where the Jacobites were numerous, and it
landed at Saltcoats in Ayrshire early in the summer.
In the autumn the Earl of Mar assembled his
vassals, erected the standard of the Pretender in the
Highlands, and summoned the clans to take arms.
The royal forces in Scotland were encamped at Stirling
under Major-General Wightman; the FOURTEENTH
Regiment joined the camp in October, and the Duke
of Argyle assumed the command; but his Grace had not
four thousand men to confront ten thousand under the
Earl of Mar.
"When the rebel army advanced towards the Firth,
the King's troops quitted the camp at Stirling and pro-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 23
ceeded towards Dumblain; and on the morning of the 1715
13th of November the hostile forces confronted each
other on Sheriffmuir: the FOURTEENTH foot were
posted in the left wing of the royal army. The rebels
advanced to commence the engagement, and at that
moment it was deemed necessary to make some altera-
tion in the position of the royal forces; as the left wing
was taking up the new alignment, it was attacked by a
body of the clans of very superior numbers, and put into
some confusion : at the same time the right wing of the
royal army overpowered the left wing of the rebel host,
and drove it from the field; each commander having
one wing triumphant and one wing defeated. The
FOURTEENTH, and several other corps on the left,
resisted the charge of the clans a short time, but being
attacked in the act of forming, and engaged by very
superior numbers, they fell back a short distance; they
thus became separated from the remainder of the army,
and retiring beyond Dumblain, took possession of the
passes to prevent the clans penetrating towards Stir-
ling. Both armies retained their position during the
day, and the rebels, being defeated in their design of
penetrating southward, afterwards retired; when the
King's troops returned to their camp at Stirling.
The FOURTEENTH Foot had one lieutenant and six
rank and file killed; fourteen rank and file wounded;
Captain Barlow, Lieutenant Griffin, and several private
soldiers were made prisoners.
The Pretender arrived in Scotland soon afterwards,
and his presence appeared to give new life to his adhe-
rents.
Additional forces joined the army under the Duke 1716
of Argyle: the FOURTEENTH was formed in brigade
with the Third, Twenty-first, and Thirty-sixth regi-
ments, under Brigadier- General Morrison; and in
January, 17 16, the royal troops advanced, marching
24 HISTORICAL RECORD OP
1716 through snow, over ice, and exposed to severe weather,
when the Pretender retreated, and losing all hope of
success he escaped, with the leaders of the rebellion, to
France: the Highlanders, finding themselves deserted
by their commanders, dispersed. After pursuing the
insurgents some distance, the FOURTEENTH was quar-
tered a short time at Dunkeld.
The rebellion being suppressed, the regiment was
stationed in garrison at Fort William, which was built
in the reign of King William III., in a plain, on a navi-
gable arm of the sea called Loch Eil, near the influx of
the Lochy and Nevis, in the shire of Inverness. At this
1717 place the regiment was stationed during the year I7l7>
171 8 and in 1718 it marched from thence to Perth, and
afterwards to Inverness, where it remained until June
of the following year.
1719 In the mean time Scotland had not enjoyed a state
of tranquillity; but the minds of the people had been
constantly agitated by the projects of the friends of the
Pretender. When the Earl of Mar's rebellion was sup-
pressed, the King of Sweden made preparations for a
descent in favour of the Pretender; and when that pro-
ject failed, the King of Spain fitted out an armament to
place the Pretender on the throne. The Spanish fleet
was dispersed by a storm; but two ships arrived on the
coast of Scotland, in April, 1719, and four hundred
Spaniards, with about a hundred Scots and English
gentlemen, landed at Kintail, on the main within Skye,
and encamped opposite the castle of Donan, where they
were joined by about fifteen hundred men of the clans.
To oppose this force the FOURTEENTH left Inverness
on the 5th of June, and being united with three troops
of the Scots Greys, the Eleventh and Fifteenth Regi-
ments, under Major-General Wightman, arrived about
four o'clock on the afternoon of the 10th of June at
Glenshiel, when the Spaniards and Highlanders retreated
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 25
and formed for battle on the romantic mountain scenery 1719
of the pass of Straichell. The King's troops advanced,
and at five o'clock the signal for battle was given, when
the infantry climbed the rocky crags and opened a sharp
fire of musketry, which was re-echoed in the hollows
beneath; at the same time the Greys charged along the
road to force the pass; The enemy returned the fire,
but soon gave way, and were chased from rock to rock
for some time; on gaining the top of the hill they made
a momentary stand, but the King's infantry sent forward
a shower of bullets and advanced at a running pace to
charge with bayonets, when the Spaniards and High-
landers fled in every direction. The soldiers passed
the night in the hills; the Spaniards surrendered on
the following day; the Highlanders dispersed; and the
Marquis of Tullibardine, the Earl of Seaforth, and other
rebel leaders, fled to the continent.
After this service the regiment marched to the
castle of Bran, near Kainloch-Benchven, Inverness-
shire; and in 1721 it proceeded to Edinburgh. 1721
The regiment quitted Scotland in May, 1722, and 1722
marched to Hungerford : in the summer it was en-
camped, with several other corps, on Salisbury-plain,
where it was reviewed by King George I. on the 30th
of August, and afterwards returned to Hungerford.
Early in 1723 the regiment marched to Reading 1723
and Windsor; it was subsequently encamped in Hyde-
park, and in the autumn marched to Bristol.
In May, 1725, the regiment commenced its march 1725
for Berwick; in July, 1726, it was removed to Lan- 1726
cashire; and in January, 1727? it marched to Canter- 1727
bury, from whence four companies were detached to
Dover, Ashford, Sandwich, and Feversham.
At this period the Spaniards had commenced the
siege of Gibraltar, which fortress had been captured by
a British and Dutch armament in 1 704, and had been
14. c
26 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1727 ceded to Great Britain at the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713.
The colonel of the FOURTEENTH,, Jasper Clayton, was
Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar; he proceeded thither
in January, 1 72 7> and took the command of the garrison,
which opened its fire on the Spanish troops on the 21st
of February ; and in March the regiment embarked to
take part in the defence of that important fortress,
where it arrived on the 21st of April, together with a
battalion of Foot Guards, and the Governor, General the
Earl of Portmore. The regiment landed immediately,
and it had the honor to take an active share in the
successful defence of this valuable entrepot to the Me-
diterranean. The Spaniards continued the siege until
many men had perished in the attempt, and the tre-
mendous fire of their artillery had produced little effect
besides the bursting and damaging of their own cannon.
In the early part of June the fire slackened, and on the
18th of that month hostilities ceased.
The regiment was afterwards selected to form part
of the garrison of Gibraltar, where it was stationed
during the following fifteen years. Previously to quitting
England, two companies were added to its establish-
ment; these companies remained on home service;
1729 they were stationed in the south of England until 1729,
when they were disbanded.
1739 War between Great Britain and Spain was resumed
in 1739; and the claims of the Elector of Bavaria on
the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, which were at-
tempted to be enforced after the death of the Emperor,
1740 Charles VI., in 1740, involved Great Britain in hostili-
ties with France and Bavaria. King George II. resolved
to support the House of Austria; the garrison of Gib-
raltar was reinforced, and the FOURTEENTH Regiment,
having been relieved from duty at that fortress, arrived
1742 at Portsmouth in September, 1742. After reposing a
few days in barracks at Portsmouth, the regiment
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 27
marched into quarters in Yorkshire, the head-quarters 1742
being at York.
In the summer of this year, His Majesty sent an 1743
army to Flanders to support the House of Austria, and
on the 16th of June, 1743, the colonel of the FOUR-
TEENTH Foot, Lieutenant-General JASPER CLAYTON,
who was employed on the staff of the British army in
Flanders, was killed at the battle of Dettingen ; he was
an officer of distinguished merit; his fall was regretted
by the King and the whole army, and his remains were
interred, with great solemnity, in the Chapel of Prince
George of Hesse. The King conferred the command
of the regiment on Colonel JOSEPH PRICE, from the
Fifty-seventh, now Forty-sixth Foot, by commission
dated the 22nd of June, 1743.
From Yorkshire the regiment marched into Nor- 1744
thumberland, and was stationed at Berwick; in 1744, it
marched to Dunstable and afterwards to Colchester.
Immediately on the receipt of the news of the loss 1745
of the battle of Fontenoy, on the 30th of April, 1745,
the regiment received orders to proceed to Flanders, to
join the allied army commanded by His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cumberland; it embarked at Tilbury, on
the 15th of May, landed in West Flanders, and joined
the camp on the plain of Lessines, before the end
of the month. The regiment took part in several
operations ; it was encamped at Grammont, and after-
wards on the Brussels' canal, in order to cover Dutch
Brabant; but the French had so great a superiority of
numbers, that it was found impossible to prevent their
capturing several fortified towns.
In the mean time, Charles Edward, eldest son of the
Pretender, had arrived in Scotland, and being guided
by desperate and designing men, and joined by a
number of the clans, he resolved on the romantic
enterprise of attempting to dethrone a beloved mo-
C2
28 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1745 narch, to overturn the constitution of a brave and free
people, and to establish the authority of a dynasty
which had been removed for arbitrary attacks on the
established religion and laws. The FOURTEENTH was
one of the regiments ordered home on this occa-
sion; it arrived in the north of England, and formed
part of the army assembled by Field-Marshal Wade, at
Newcastle, to prevent the rebels penetrating into South
Britain ; and, in the second week of November, it was
detached to Berwick, where it arrived in time to pre-
vent the rebels capturing that town. The regiment
afterwards marched to Scotland, and when the clans
made a precipitate retreat from Derby, back to Scot-
land, it took up its quarters in the city of Edinburgh.
1746 The young Pretender was joined by some new
levies, and he procured a supply of artillery and ammu-
nition, which enabled him to commence the siege of
Stirling Castle : and Lieutenant-General Hawley, who
commanded the King's troops at Edinburgh, resolved
to attempt to raise the siege. For this purpose, the
FOURTEENTH, and several other corps, advanced from
Edinburgh on the 13th of January, 1746, under Major-
General Huske, and drove a body of the rebels out of
Linlithgow ; on the following day another division
marched to Borrowstounness ; and on the 16th of
January, the army encamped near Falkirk.
About mid-day on the 17th of January, the rebel
army was seen moving towards some high ground on
Falkirk-moor, and the King's troops quitted their
camp-ground to engage the clans. Passing some
rugged grounds, the soldiers diverged on the moor, and
formed two lines; the Fourth and FOURTEENTH
Regiments constituted Brigadier-General Cholmonde-
ley's brigade, and were posted in the first line. As the
King's troops advanced to battle a tremendous hurri-
cane, with a heavy shower of rain, beat violently in
their faces, and nearly blinded them; at the same time
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 29
it beat on the backs of the clans, and caused them 1746
little annoyance ; the soldiers could not see to take aim,
very few muskets would give fire, and, under these
circumstances, some confusion took place, and several
regiments quitted the field; but the Fourth and FOUR-
TEENTH Regiments under Brigadier-General Chol-
mondeley made a determined stand, and they with-
stood the fury of the charging Highland host with
astonishing firmness, evincing the most heroic valour
under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty.
They were joined by the second battalion of the Royals,
the Third and Forty-eighth Regiments ; Major-General
Huske assumed the command ; and these five corps
repulsed one wing of the rebel army, and maintained
their post, on the field of battle, until night, when no
enemy could be seen, and the soldiers being wet, and
the night cold and stormy, they retired.
The King's troops retreated to Edinburgh, where
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland arrived,
and assumed the command, and on the 31st of January
the army again advanced, when the rebels raised the
siege of Stirling Castle, and made a precipitate retreat
towards Inverness. The royal army pursued the rebels
as far as Perth, where it halted in consequence of severe
weather; the march was resumed on the 20th of
February; but heavy rains occasioned the army to
make another halt at Aberdeen. The troops were
again in motion in the early part of April, and on
the 16th of that month, as they advanced in three
columns towards Inverness, the rebel army was dis-
covered in order of battle on Ctdloden-moor, when the
royal forces formed three lines, the FOURTEENTH Foot
taking post in the centre of the first line, under Lieut.-
General the Earl of Albemarle. After a sharp can-
nonade, several clans rushed forward, with loud shouts,
to attack the King's troops sword in hand; but they
30 HISTORICAL RECORD OP
J74(3 were assailed by a destructive fire of musketry, received
on the point of the bayonet, and driven back with
severe loss. The royal cavalry galloped forward, com-
pleted the rout and discomfiture of the clans, and
pursued them with great slaughter several miles. This
victory transformed the young Pretender from an
imaginary monarch to an humble fugitive, and after
wandering for some time in disguise in the isles, arid
among the mountains, he escaped to the continent.
The loss of the regiment at the battle of Culloden
was limited to Captain Grosette, and one private
soldier killed; Captain Simpson and nine rank and file
wounded*.
After returning from the pursuit of the rebels,
the troops encamped near Inverness, from whence
they advanced in May, and pitched their tents in a
valley, surrounded by lofty mountains, near Fort
Augustus. The FOURTEENTH Regiment was employed
in guarding prisoners taken after the battle, and was
afterwards stationed at Stirling, from whence it was
removed to Glasgow.
1747 In June, 1747 the regiment marched from Glasgow
to Perth, and in September to Inverness.
The colonel of the regiment, Brigadier- General
Price, commanded a brigade in the Netherlands, and
highly distinguished himself at the battle of Val, on the
2nd of July, 1747; he died at Breda in November of
the same year; when King George II. conferred the
colonelcy on the Honourable William Herbert, fifth
son of Thomas, eighth Earl of Pembroke, from captain
and lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot Guards.
1749 The regiment remained in Scotland; in 1749 it was
* The strength of the regiment at the battle of Culloden was, 2
field officers, 7 captains, 14 subalterns, 21 Serjeants, 11 drummers,
and 304 rank and file.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 31
stationed at Fort William; and in 1750 at Glasgow, 1750
from whence it marched to Carlisle and Newcastle.
In 1751 a royal warrant was issued regulating the 1751
clothing, colours, and standards of the several regiments
of the army. In this warrant the first, or King's colour,
of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, is directed to be the
great union: the second, or regimental colour, to be of
buff silk, with the union in the upper canton; in the
centre of the colours XIV. in gold Roman characters,
within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk.
The uniform of the regiment at this period, was
black three-cornered cocked hats, bound with white
lace ; scarlet coats faced with yellow, yellow cuffs and
white lace; scarlet waistcoats and breeches ; white gaiters,
and white cravats; buff belts, and buff pouches. The
drummers wore buff coats faced with scarlet. The
grenadiers wore cloth caps with the king's cipher and
crown in front; the "white horse," with the motto
"Nee aspera terrent" on the flap; and the number of
the regiment behind.
In August of this year orders were issued for the
regiment to march to the south of England, and to fur-
nish detachments on the coast of Sussex, to assist the
officers of the revenue in the prevention of smuggling.
The regiment called in its detachments in the begin- 1752
ning of April, 1752, and marching to Portsmouth, em-
barked for Gibraltar, where it was stationed during the
following seven years.
Colonel the Honorable William Herbert was re- 1753
moved to the Second Dragoon Guards in 1753, and was
succeeded in the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Regi-
ment by Colonel Edward Braddock, from lieutenant-
colonel in the Second Foot Guards.
In 1755, some disputes occurred between England 1755
and France, respecting the extent of the British domi-
nions in America, and Major-General Braddock was
32 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1755 mortally wounded at Fort du Quesne: he was succeeded
by Lieutenant-General Fowke, governor of Gibraltar,
from the Second Foot, by commission dated the 12th of
November, 1755.
1756 War commenced between Great Britain and France
in 1756, when a French armament attacked the island
of Minorca, which was captured in 1708, and ceded to
the British crown at the peace of Utrecht in 1713.
Lieutenant-General Fowke received orders to send a
detachment from Gibraltar, to reinforce the garrison of
Port Mahon ; but he called a council of war, which
passed a resolution against sending the detachment. He
was sentenced to be suspended for nine months, for dis-
obeying the order, and King George II. dismissed him
from the service. His Majesty afterwards conferred the
colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Regiment on Colonel
Charles Jefferies, from colonel-commandant of the third
battalion of the Sixtieth Regiment, who had distin-
guished himself in the defence of Port Mahon.
1759 In December, 1759, the regiment was relieved from
garrison duty at Gibraltar, and embarking for England,
1 760 arrived, in January, 1 760, at Plymouth, from whence it
marched to Canterbury, and in the summer it was en-
camped, with the Nineteenth and Twenty-first Regiments,
on Barham Downs under Lieutenant-General Campbell.
In October the FOURTEENTH struck their tents, and
marched to Dover Castle, where they remained during
1761 the following year.
1762 The regiment marched to Maidstone, and furnished
a guard over French prisoners of war at Sissinghurst in
October, 1762; in December it proceeded to Exeter;
1763 from whence it was removed in March, 1763, to Ply-
mouth.
1764 Leaving Plymouth in March, 1764, the regiment
proceeded to the vicinity of London, and was reviewed
on Wimbledon Common : on the 7th of May it was
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 33
reviewed in Hyde Park by King George III., who was 1764
pleased to express his high approbation of its appearance
and discipline ; after the review it marched to Chatham
and Dover.
Major-General Jefferies died in May, 1765, and the 1765
King conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-
General the Honorable William Keppel, fourth son of
William Anne, second Earl of Albemarle, from the Fifty-
sixth Foot.
At this period, three companies of the regiment were
employed on duty at Windsor and Hampton Court,
and their good conduct attracted the attention of the
King, George III., who was always ready to confer
marks of his royal approbation on corps and individuals.
His Majesty made some alterations in the clothing, and
directed the " white horse," with the motto "Nee aspera
terrent," to be placed on the black bear-skin caps to be
worn by the grenadiers, and on the white caps to be
worn by the drummers*.
Towards the end of May, 1766, the regiment marched 1766
into village quarters near Hounslow Heath, where it
was reviewed on the 4th of June by the King, who was
graciously pleased to express his royal approbation of
its appearance and movements in the field. After the
" 14th October, 1765.
" Alterations in the clothing which is to be delivered in the
" year 1766 to the FOURTEENTH Regiment of Foot, commanded by
" the Honorable Major-General Keppel, and which are approved
" of by His Majesty.
" The breeches to be buff.
" The Grenadiers to have black bear-skin caps, fronted with red,
" the motto and horse white metal.
" The drummers to have white bear-skin caps, with a red front,
" motto and horse white metal.
a By order of the King.
" EDWARD HARVEY
Adjutant-General."
34 HISTORICAL RECORD OP
1766 review the regiment marched to Salisbury and adja-
cents.
In June the regiment embarked at Portsmouth for
North America, and was stationed in Nova Scotia and
1771 Canada until l77l> when it embarked from Halifax for
the West Indies, to take part in reducing to submission
to the British government, the refractory Caribbees in
St. Vincent's.
The island of St. Vincent's was captured from the
French in 1 762, and was ceded to Great Britain at the
peace in 17 63; it was found to contain two tribes of
natives called the red and black Caribs, the former
being the Aborigines, and the latter having sprung
from a cargo of African slaves, who escaped from a
vessel which was wrecked on the island. The Carib-
bees were devoted to the French interest; they were
dangerous and troublesome neighbours to the English
planters, and it was found necessary to restrain their
conduct, and enforce obedience to a few salutary regu-
lations. They were, however, of a determined spirit,
possessed many thickly-wooded fastnesses, and so reso-
lutely resisted all attempts to restrain their roving pro-
pensities and mode of life, that it was found neces-
sary to augment the military force on the island. The
FOURTEENTH Foot were employed against the refrac-
1772 tory Caribbees in 1772 and 1773; numerous skirmishes
1773 occurred among the thickly- wooded parts of the coun-
try, and several soldiers were killed and wounded, in
the bush fighting, which took place daily for some time.
At length the Caribbees were reduced to submission:
and the regiment returned to North America, leaving a
number of sick men and others in the West Indies.
1774 The regiment was stationed at Virginia in North
America, when the misunderstanding between Great
Britain and these prosperous and wealthy colonies, pro-
duced open hostilities. The spirit which the colonists
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 35
evinced in resisting the acts of the British parliament, 1774
for raising a revenue in their country, assumed a serious
aspect in the years 1773 and 1774, and in 1775 hostilities 1775
commenced in the state of Massachusetts. The FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment remained in the state of Virginia for
some time afterwards; it was, consequently, not at
Bunker's Hill; but it lost two promising officers at that
battle, on the 17th of June, 1775, who were attending
Major-General Howe during the engagement: viz.,
Lieutenant and Adjutant Bruce, who was killed, and
Ensign Hesketh mortally wounded.
On the 18th of October, 1775, the colonelcy of the
regiment was conferred on Major-General Robert Cun-
ninghame, from the Fifty-eighth Foot, in succession to
Lieutenant-General the Honorable William Keppel,
removed to the Twelfth Dragoons.
The regiment was stationed at Norfolk, in Virginia,
from whence a detachment of one hundred and twenty
men, under Captain Fordyce, advanced at midnight on
the 8th of December, against the American entrench-
ments at Great Bridge. At day-break the detachment
crossed the bridge, and the grenadiers moved forward
with great gallantry to storm the works, Lieutenant
Batut being at the head of the leading section ; but as
they approached the entrenchments, a body of Ameri-
cans, of very superior numbers, assailed them with a
destructive fire of musketry: Captain Fordyce and
twelve men were killed within a few yards of the breast-
work; Lieutenant Batut and sixteen soldiers were
wounded and taken prisoners, and the remainder of
the detachment retreated across the bridge to a British
fort, garrisoned by a detachment under Captain Leslie.
The Americans buried Captain Fordyce with military
honors.
The American troops afterwards increased in num- 1776
bers so fast, that the royal forces were withdrawn from
36 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1776 Virginia, and the FOURTEENTH Foot proceeded to the
army under General Sir William Howe, at New York,
where they were joined by a detachment which had been
left at Nova Scotia on the embarkation of the regiment
for the West Indies. After arriving at New York, part
of the regiment was stationed on Staten Island, and the
remainder was employed in the general operations of the
army.
1777 The regiment had sustained a serious loss at St.
Vincent's, and being weak in numbers, it was directed
to draft the private soldiers fit for duty to other corps,
and return to England, where it arrived in the summer
of 1777; and active measures were adopted to recruit its
ranks.
1778 During the year 1778 the regiment was stationed in
1779 the south of England; and in the summer of 1779 it
pitched its tents on Coxheath, where a camp was formed
of the Sixth, FOURTEENTH, Fiftieth, Sixty-fifth, and
Sixty-ninth Regiments, with sixteen battalions of mili-
tia, under Lieutenant-General Pierson.
1780 The regiment marched to Gosport in 1780, and
pitched its tents at Stokes-bay, furnishing working par-
ties at Fort Monkton, and a guard over the French,
Spanish, and American prisoners of war, at Forton
prison. In July the regiment embarked as marines on
board the Channel fleet commanded by Admiral Darby,
1781 who, in 1781, relieved Gibraltar, which fortress was
besieged by a combined French and Spanish force.
1782 Having completed its recruiting, and attained a state
of efficiency, the regiment embarked from Portsmouth,
in January, 1782, for Jamaica; it was on board of
transports in the harbour of St. Lucia, during Admiral
Rodney's engagement with the French fleet under
Count de Grasse, on the 12th of April, and afterwards
mounted guard over the Count, when a prisoner on that
island.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 37
The regiment proceeded to Jamaica, and was formed 1782
to receive Prince William Henry, (afterwards King
William TV.,) then a midshipman, on his landing at
Spanish Town, and mounted guard at his quarters du-
ring his stay on the island.
Soon after its arrival at Jamaica, the regiment re-
ceived orders, dated the 31st of August, 1782, to as-
sume the title of the " FOURTEENTH, OR BEDFORD-
SHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT," and to cultivate a con-
nection with that county, so as to create a mutual
attachment between the inhabitants of Bedfordshire
and the regiment, which might, at all times, be useful
towards recruiting the corps.
On the 4th of April, 1787^ Lieutenant-General 1787
Robert Cunninghame was removed to the Fifth Royal
Irish Dragoons, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of
the FOURTEENTH Foot, by Lieutenant-General John
Douglas, who had commanded the Twenty-first Light
Dragoons, which corps was disbanded in 1783.
The FOURTEENTH Regiment attended the funeral of 1788
the Honorable Captain Chetwynd, of His Majesty's ship
"Europa," in November, 1788, at which the Governor
of Jamaica, His Royal Highness Prince William Henry
(then a captain of the Royal Navy), the officers of the
squadron, an da number of gentlemen in carriages, were
present. The regiment marched at the head of the
procession in funeral order, the band playing the Dead
March ; and the remains of this distinguished officer
were interred in the chancel of the church at Spanish
Town.
Lieutenant-General Douglas having been removed 1789
to the Fifth Dragoon Guards, His Majesty conferred
the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Foot on Colonel
George Earl Waldegrave, by commission, dated the
27th of August, 1789. Earl Waldegrave died about
six weeks after his appointment, and was succeeded by
38 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1789 Colonel George Hotham, from captain and lieutenant-
colonel of the First Foot Guards.
1791 Having been relieved from duty at Jamaica, the
regiment embarked on board of His Majesty's ship
Dover, of forty-four guns, on the 9th of April, 1791*
and landed at Portsmouth on the 10th of June. In
the autumn it marched to Chatham, and afterwards to
Canterbury; and on Friday, the 21st of November, it
received their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess
of York, at Dover, on their arrival from the Continent;
the Duke of York having married, a few weeks pre-
1792 viously, Frederica Charlotte Ulrica, Princess Royal of
Prussia.
Early in 1792 the regiment returned to Chatham,
and was brigaded with the Third Foot (the Buffs)
under the command of Colonel Fox ; in June the two
regiments encamped on Bagshot-heath, with several
other corps, under the command of the Duke of Rich-
mond : at this camp the regiment remained three
weeks ; it was reviewed several times by His Majesty,
1793 and afterwards returned to Chatham, where it remained
several months.
In the meantime a revolution had taken place in
France, where a republican party had seized the reins
of government, beheaded their sovereign, and involved
the country in anarchy and bloodshed. Not content
with carrying the horrors of democracy into every part
of France, the republicans endeavoured to propagate
their doctrines in all countries, and to overturn the
constitution of every monarchy in Europe. Under
these circumstances, the British people became in-
volved in war for the defence of the fixed rights of
their sovereign, the preservation of their own civil
and religious liberties, and of their honor as a
nation.
The FOURTEENTH Regiment was one of the first
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 39
corps completed to a war establishment, under the 1793
zealous and judicious arrangements of its excellent
commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel WELBORE
ELLIS DOYLE, who assumed the command on the
arrival of the regiment from Jamaica in 1791; it was
also one of the corps selected for foreign service at the
commencement of the war; and embarking at Dover,
on the 19th March, 1793, for Holland, to aid the
Dutch in repelling an attack of the French, it landed
at Helvoetsluys, in the island of Voorn, on the 25th of
March, being 'the first regiment of the line which
arrived at the scene of war. The success of the allied
arms had removed the theatre of war from Holland to
the confines of French Flanders; and the FOURTEENTH
Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle,
proceeded to Briel, where it embarked for Antwerp,
whence it marched to Ghent, and was removed in canal
boats to Bruges, where it halted a few days. From
Bruges it marched to Tournay, where it arrived towards
the end of April ; and the flank companies, with those
of the Thirty- seventh and Fifty-third Regiments, were
placed under the orders of Major Mathews, of the Fifty-
third, and detached to Marquain, to watch the motions
of the enemy, in which service they were employed
until the 20th of May.
The Duke of York assumed the command of the
British and Hanoverian troops in Flanders, and co-
operated with the Austrian s under the Prince of Saxe-
Cobourg. On the 23rd of May the FOURTEENTH
Regiment was engaged in the attack of the enemy's
fortified camp at Famars, and evinced great gallantry.
Being composed principally of young soldiers, they
rushed up the heights with great impetuosity to attack
the enemy, but did not preserve sufficient order; Lieut.-
Colonel Doyle galloped to the front, halted, and re-
formed the ranks, then bid the band play the tune
40 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1793 "caira," and using a few encouraging expressions to the
men, led them to the attack, when they rushed in com-
pact order upon their opponents, and overpowered all
opposition*. The French retreated across the Scheldt,
and the allied army invested the fortress of Valenciennes.
Lieutenant Charles W. Doyle, who performed the duty
of brigade-major, was thanked for his conduct.
The loss of the regiment was limited to two
Serjeants and seven rank and file wounded; the Duke
of York expressed his approbation of its conduct in
orders.
The FOURTEENTH Regiment was employed at the
siege of Valenciennes, under the Duke of York, and on
the 25th of July, it furnished a detachment to take part
in storming the horn-work. Lieut.-Colonel Doyle
being appointed to the command of one of the attack-
ing columns, obtained permission to place at the head
of his party, one hundred volunteers of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment, and having assembled the corps, he
said, "Soldiers, one hundred volunteers from among
" you are to lead the column that I am to command
" upon a service of the greatest danger; I have thought
" it right to state this before I call upon you; such of
<e you as volunteer this dangerous enterprise, recover
" arms:" when every man brought his musket to the
" recover." The colonel was much affected by this dis-
play of devotion, and said, "Soldiers, I thank you from
" my heart; where all are equally desirous of facing the
" greatest danger, I cannot look, or wish, for volun-
* " The British troops who had this opportunity of distinguishing
" themselves were the brigade of the line, viz., the FOURTEENTH,
" Thirty-seventh, and Fifty- third Regiments, with the battalion
" formed from the Light Infantry and Grenadier companies, under
" the command of Major-General Abercromby ; seven pieces of can-
" non and two hundred prisoners were taken in the redoubts."
London Gazette.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 41
" teers. Officers, call out the first ten men for duty in 1793
" each company."
On the 26th of July the following general order was
issued.
" His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief re-
" turns his thanks to Major-General Abercrombie,
" Colonel Leigh, and Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle, for
" the gallantry they showed on the attack last night."
Having been constantly exposed to the cannon of
the town for seven weeks, the men had acquired great
steadiness under fire, the attack was made with signal
intrepidity and resolution, and the out-works were car-
ried in gallant style.
The regiment had one serjeant and three rank and
file killed; one officer, one serjeant, and fourteen rank
and file wounded; the flank companies also lost seven
men.
Three days afterwards the garrison capitulated, and
this important fortress was delivered up to the Duke of
York.
After the surrender of Valenciennes the British
troops marched towards Cambray, and they subse-
quently separated from the Austrians, taking with them
a few Imperial regiments, for the purpose of under-
taking the siege of Dunkirk. On arriving at Menin, it
was ascertained that the French had driven the Dutch
from Lincelles; that post was recaptured by the British
Foot Guards under Major-General Lake, on the 18th
of August. The FOURTEENTH Regiment was one of
the corps ordered to support the Foot Guards, and was
left in possession of the village, after its capture, until
that post was restored to the Dutch.
The army resumed its march towards Dunkirk on
the following day, and on the 24th of August, the
FOURTEENTH Foot took part in driving the French
out-posts, between the canal of Fumes and the sea, into
14. D
42 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1793 the town, on which occasion the soldiers had to force
their way through strong double hedges, and across
deep ditches full of water. A deep ditch, surrounding
the garden of a chateau, obstructed the progress of the
grenadier company of the FOURTEENTH, when Lieu-
tenant THOMAS GREEN CLAPHAM leaped into the
ditch, where he stood up to his breast in water, that the
grenadiers might pass swiftly over it, by stepping upon
his shoulders, and pursue the French, which they did
with great alacrity. The light infantry company also
displayed distinguished ardour, and captured three
pieces of artillery. Finally the French were driven
into the town, and the siege was commenced. The loss
of the regiment was limited to a few private soldiers
killed and wounded.
On the 6th of September, the French made a sortie
from Dunkirk, in great strength, directing their attack
principally against the right of the besieging army,
when the FOURTEENTH Foot, commanded by Major
Alexander Ross, (Lieutenant- Colon el Doyle being ill)
was ordered forward to support that part of the position.
As they passed the flank of the regiment of Esterhazy,
the Germans cheered the FOURTEENTH, and the gal-
lant soldiers rushed into the fight with great energy,
overthrowing all opposition, and chasing the French up
the covered way. The regiment had one serjeant, one
corporal, and eight private soldiers killed; Captains
Cochrane and Gamier, Lieutenants Mackenzie, Powell,
and Elrington*, Ensigns Smith and Williams, Volun-
* Lieutenant Richard Goodall Elrington received a musket-ball
in the right thigh : after the wound was healed, he returned to his
duty, when an abscess formed in the left thigh from which the ball
was extracted; it having passed, in the flesh, from the right to the
left side of his body, and sunk down the thigh to the spot where the
abscess formed. This officer entered the army as an ensign in 1790;
was promoted from a lieutenantcy in the FOURTEENTH to be captain
in the First West India Regiment in 1795: was removed to the
Forty-seventh Regiment in 1803, and was promoted to the lieut.-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 43
teer McGrath, one serjeant, one corporal, and thirty- 1793
six private soldiers, wounded.
The arrival of the heavy artillery for the siege, and
the naval force intended to co-operate with the army,
in the reduction of Dunkirk, was so long delayed, that
the French had time to convey from every part of
France, by coaches, waggons, and other vehicles, such an
immense body of troops, to the vicinity of Dunkirk,
that the Duke of York had little chance of success.
Another sortie was made by the garrison on the
8th of September, when the FOURTEENTH and Thirty-
seventh Regiments advanced to attack the French ; as
the two corps passed the regiment of Joseph Colloredo,
they were cheered by the Austrians, and they succeeded
in repulsing the enemy: but no chance of final success
remained, and the siege was raised, the FOURTEENTH
Regiment marching by Furnes and Ypres, to Menin.
The regiment marched, in October, to Oudenarde,
where it furnished a guard over two thousand French
prisoners; it was sent forward, several times, to take
the out-post duty, and upon a movement in advance,
by the enemy, upon Menin and Wevelghem, it repulsed
an attack upon the out-post at Vervicke.
Early in 1794 the regiment left Oudenarde for 1794
Wevelghem, and remained on outpost duty until April,
when the army assembled, and was reviewed by the
Emperor of Germany, on the heights of Gateau, where
His Royal Highness William Frederick, Duke of Glou-
cester, was nominated to the command of the brigade
composed of the FOURTEENTH, Thirty- seventh, and
Fifty-third Regiments.
In the general attack on the enemy's positions, on
the 17th of April, the regiment formed part of the
colonelcy in June, 1813 : he continued in command of the Forty-
seventh Regiment until November, 1841, when he attained the nmlc
of major-general. He died in London on 2nd August, 1845.
D2
44 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1794 column under Lieutenant-General Sir William Erskine,
and took part in the attack on the village of Fremont,
and the wood on its left.
The French having been driven from their posi-
tions, the siege of Landrecies was commenced, and the
FOURTEENTH Regiment formed part of the covering
army encamped on the heights of Cateau; this post was
attacked on the 26th of April, by the French under
General Chapuy, who were repulsed, with great slaugh-
ter, by the British cavalry, with the loss of many guns.
On this occasion the light company of the regiment
behaved with much gallantry, and, having advanced to
a wood on the left, kept in check a considerable body of
the enemy, who meditated an attack on the batteries.
On the fall of Landrecies, the British troops moved
to the vicinity of Tournay, where they were attacked on
the 10th of May by a numerous body of French, who
were defeated with severe loss. The FOURTEENTH
Foot lost only one man on this occasion.
At length a combined attack was made on the
French positions, with the view of forcing them to
evacuate Flanders, in which the FOURTEENTH Regi-
ment had another opportunity of distinguishing itself;
it left Tournay on the evening of the 16th of May,
took part in forcing the points of the French position
it was destined to attack in the direction of Lisle, on
the 17th of May, and was successful; but several Aus-
trian columns failed to accomplish their part in the
combined movements. The British troops, having
penetrated the French position, and being left unsup-
ported, became exposed to the attack of the enemy's
very superior numbers. Early on the 18th of May
the FOURTEENTH Regiment was environed and at-
tacked by an overwhelming force, but it stood its
ground, and by firing by wings and platoons with as
much steadiness and regularity as on parade, held its
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 45
assailants in check. Its veteran commanding officer, 1794
Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel BROWNE, became quite ex-
hausted, and sat for some time on a chair behind the
colours. At length an aide-de-camp arrived from Ma-
jor-General Fox, commanding the brigade, with orders
for the FOURTEENTH to retreat; and while performing
this retrograde movement, they preserved an unbroken
formation. Surrounded by enemies, fired upon by in-
fantry and artillery, and menaced by cavalry, the regi-
ment preserved its order with astonishing firmness, form-
ing divisions in' the rear against cavalry, and marching
over ground covered with dead bodies. The road to
Lannoy, by which the regiment had advanced on the
preceding day, was found in possession of the enemy,
with an abbatis and cannon formed across it, and the
first discharge killed several grenadiers, when Major-
General Fox said to Captain Clapham, " I fear we must
lay down our arms." " No, sir," replied the captain,
"the FOURTEENTH can cut through them." At this
moment Corporal GILBERT CIMITIERE*, of the gre-
nadiers, a French emigrant, well acquainted with the
country, stepped forward, and undertook to conduct
the brigade through the inclosures, and the troops
quitted the main road under his guidance, being fol-
lowed and assailed by the French. Lieutenant-Colonel
Browne was shot through the body, and was carried in
a blanket by four grenadiers, but he suffered so much
pain that he requested them to stop, and he and
they were made prisoners. The command of the regi-
ment devolved on Captain Perry, of the light com-
pany, which was afterwards commanded by Lieutenant
Afterwards lieutenant-colonel of the Forty-eighth Regiment.
Mr. Gilbert Cimitiere was appointed to an ensigncy in the Sixth
West India Regiment on 1st July, 1795 ; promoted to a lieutenantcy
in the Forty-eighth Regiment on the 15th June, 1796; in which
he attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel, in 1824. He retired
from the service in 1827.
46 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1794 Graves. This officer, and Lieutenant Elrington, com-
manded the two rear companies of the column, and
formed alternately to repulse the French cavalry. Al-
though every road was fortified, and the hedges lined
with troops, the brigade fought its way through the
inclosures with astonishing gallantry and resolution,
and gained the position at Templeuve, having, how-
ever, lost every piece of artillery with the column, ex-
cepting one of the battalion guns of the FOURTEENTH
Regiment, under Lieutenant Phillott. The guide of
the column, Corporal Gilbert Cimitiere, was rewarded
with a commission.
The loss of the regiment, on this trying occasion,
was one serjeant and thirteen rank and file, killed;
twenty-two rank and file wounded: Lieutenant-Colonel
Browne wounded and taken prisoner ; three Serjeants,
two drummers, and sixty-eight rank and file, prisoners
of war and missing, many of whom were taken ir
consequence of being wounded and unable to continue
the retreat. Lieutenant-Colonel Browne died at Lisle
on the following day, and was much regretted by the
officers and soldiers he had commanded with distin-
guished bravery on many trying occasions. The con-
duct of the brigade was commended by His Royal
Highness the Duke of York, and its gallantry is re-
corded in the histories of the war*.
* " Major-General Fox, with the FOURTEENTH, Thirty-seventh,
" and Fifty-third Regiments, was engaged with the whole of the
" French column which had marched from Lisle, and the different
u corps which had driven the rest of the army back fell upon his
" flanks and rear ; perhaps there is not on record a single instance of
" greater gallantry or more soldier-like conduct than was exhibited
" on that day, by these three regiments. At length General Fox,
" finding that the whole anny had left him, began to think of retreat-
" ing, to effect which it was necessary to get possession of the cause-
*' way leading to Leers; but before that could be accomplished he
" was obliged to charge several battalions of the enemy, who were
" astonished that such a handful of men should presume to give
" them battle, and expected every moment that they would lay down
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 47
The regiment resumed its post in front of Tournay, 1794
and was in position on the 22nd of May, when General
Pichegru attacked the allied army with an immense
body of troops, first assailing the right and afterwards
the centre of the line. The FOURTEENTH being on the
left, were not engaged during the early part of the day;
but in the afternoon, the enemy carried the post of
Pontechin, on the high road from Courtray to Tournay,
and the fortune of the day was evidently flowing in
favour of the French, when the brigade, formed of the
FOURTEENTH, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty- third Regi-
ments, was ordered to the post of honor and danger.
As the FOURTEENTH quitted their post on the left,
under Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay, the Duke of York
addressed them in the most flattering manner, declaring
his perfect reliance on their gallantry. The three
regiments moved at a running pace; though weak in
numbers, they were strong in valour and resolution,
and being conscious of their own prowess, they rushed
upon their numerous opponents fully determined to
conquer or perish in the attempt. The FOURTEENTH
charged along the chaussee, overpowered all resist-
ance, carried the village, re-formed beyond the houses
under a heavy fire*, raised a loud shout, and rushed
forward to storm a battery on a rising ground near a
' their arms ; but with a degree of intrepidity that words cannot describe,
' and is, indeed, scarcely conceivable, they gained the wished-for
' point, and then formed with such regularity that the enemy could
' not assail them : they secured their retreat towards Leers, and the
' next morning joined General Otto's column." CAPTAIN JONES'
Journal.
* While the troops were forming outside the village, a hare ran
across the line, a man named Tovey knocked it down with his mus-
ket, and placed it in his haversack, with surprising coolness, although
under so heavy a fire that it was difficult to form the men, from the
frequent and numerous casualties which occurred; thus exemplifying
that distinguished feature in the character of the British soldier,
" cool and collected in the midst of danger."
48 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1 794 windmill, which the French defended a short time, but
afterwards abandoned it, leaving the regiment in pos-
session of several pieces of cannon. This sudden burst
of British valour, coming like an explosion of thunder,
amazed and confounded the French, who gave way
before the superior prowess of the British soldiers, and
the current of the battle flowed in favour of the allies.
There was, however, a protracted resistance in an
orchard, where the grenadiers and light infantry of the
FOURTEENTH Foot were engaged, and several instances
of individual contempt of danger occurred. A grena-
dier named RYAN refused to avail himself of the advan-
tage of standing behind a tree, saying "They cannot
touch me;" but the next moment he fell forward
apparently dead, when Captain Clapham turned him
over, and said, "Ryan, you are only shot through the
face, you will do well yet;" "Is that all?" replied the
grenadier, and jumping up and commencing loading his
firelock, he added, "Then I will have another rap at
them," and he was with difficulty prevailed upon to go
to the rear *. The French were eventually driven out of
the orchard; the British pressed upon their opponents,
and a victory was gained over the Republican troops, who
were forced to quit the field of battle with severe loss.
The FOURTEENTH Regiment gained great honor on
this occasion ; its loss was one Serjeant and four rank
and file killed; Captain Cochrane, Major of brigade,
died of his wounds; one serjeant and twenty-eight rank
and file wounded ; five men missing. Lieutenant-
Colonel Ramsay's horse was killed, and the Lieutenant-
Colonel received four musket balls through his hat.
The following general order, dated Tournay, 23rd of
May, 1794, was published.
" His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief
* Private Ryan served many years afterwards with deep marks
in his cheeks.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 49
" desires to express his most particular thanks to 1794
"Major-General Fox; to the FOURTEENTH Regiment
" under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay;
" to the Thirty-seventh Regiment commanded by Cap-
"tain Lightburne; to the Fifty-third Regiment com-
" manded by Major Wiseman, and to the detachment
" of artillery attached to them under the command of
e{ Captain Trotter, for that display of intrepidity and
"good conduct, which reflects the greatest honor upon
11 themselves, at the same time that it was highly instru-
" mental in deciding the important victory of the 22nd
" instant.
" His Royal Highness much laments the loss they
"have sustained; but flatters himself they feel it,
" in some measure, compensated by the credit they
" have gained/'
In his public despatch the Duke of York, speak-
ing of the FOURTEENTH, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-
third Regiments, stated, "Nothing could exceed the
11 spirit and gallantry with which they conducted them-
" selves, particularly in the storm of the village of
" Pontechin, which they forced with the bayonet."
Historians have recorded the gallant conduct of the
regiment*; and the royal authority was afterwards
* " The Duke of York detached seven Austrian battalions, and
rt the second brigade of British infantry, (FOURTEENTH, Thirty-
te seventh, and Fifty-third,) under Major-General Fox, who, though
Cl they had lost so many men only four days before, anxiously wished
" to get into action. Nothing could exceed their spirit and perse-
" verance; they stormed the village of Pontechin, and after firing a
" few shot rushed with fixed bayonets into the heart of the enemy,
" and turned the fate of the day once more in favour of the allies.
" The charge was conducted with such skill and activity that it
" immediately threw the enemy into confusion, and forced them
" to give way. At this time the artillery came into action and
" directed their fire so well, and followed it up with such activity,
" the enemy could never be rallied so as to renew the attack, although
" they had fresh troops constantly coming up, but continued to lose
" ground till dark. Such a battle has seldom been fought ; the
50 HISTORICAL RECORD OP
1 794 given for it to bear the word f ' Tournay" on its colours,
to commemorate its distinguished conduct on this
memorable occasion.
Notwithstanding these displays of valour, the enemy
brought forward so great a superiority of numbers that
it was found necessary to retreat, and a series of retro-
grade movements followed, during which little fighting
occurred, and few corps had opportunities of distin-
guishing themselves. Various positions were occupied
for short periods, and after quitting the Austrian Nether-
lands, attempts were made to defend Holland ; but the
people of that country had imbibed the doctrines of
republicanism, and they made little effort to preserve
the United Provinces from the French. In August the
FOURTEENTH regiment was encamped near Antwerp ;
it was afterwards in position in the vicinity of Breda,
from whence it retired to a post beyond Bois-le-duc, and,
subsequently, to Nimeguen : it formed part of the gar-
rison of Nimeguen for a short period, and when that
town was evacuated, the regiment proceeded to Linden
Castle; the army occupying a position beyond the
Waal, for the defence of the passage of that river. To-
wards the end of December the river became frozen,
and a body of the enemy crossed on the ice ; but was
driven back on the 30th of that month.
1795 The frost afterwards became more severe, and on
the 4th of January, 1795, another body of French troops
passed the river on the ice. At this period, the FOUR-
" enemy was in action, uifder an incessant fire of cannon and mus-
" ketry, upwards of twelve hours, and left twelve thousand dead in
" the field, five hundred taken, and seven pieces of cannon.
" The loss of the allies, in this memorable action, amounted to
" four thousand men ; one hundred and ninety-six were British, and
" all, except three, from General Fox's brigade. It is a fact, although
" it appeal's almost impossible, that a single British brigade, and that
" brigade less than six hundred men, on that great day, absolutely won
" the battle; for had it not come up, the allies would have been
" beaten." CAPTAIN JONES' Journal.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 51
TEENTH Regiment was at Linden Castle, from whence 1795
it advanced to take part in a combined attack on the
enemy, under Major-General David Dundas. On the
7th of January it traversed the Rhine on the ice at
Rhenen, and proceeded to Bueren Castle. On the fol-
lowing morning Major-General Lord Cathcart advanced
with the light companies, thirty hulans, and a detachment
of the Twenty- seventh Regiment, to reconnoitre ; and
the FOURTEENTH and Twenty-seventh regiments were
afterwards brought up to attack the enemy at Guelder-
malsen. The FOURTEENTH formed on the ice, on the
left of the dyke, and the Twenty-seventh across the in-
closure on the right, supported by the piquets, hulans,
and afterwards by a squadron of light dragoons ; and the
field pieces were protected by the grenadiers of the
FOURTEENTH under Lieutenant Elrington,who marched
before the guns. Advancing in this order, the troops
drove the French before them, until they arrived at
Gueldermalsen, where a protracted resistance was made.
Lieutenant Elrington, with the grenadiers of the FOUR-
TEENTH, charged the French artillery at the bridge, and
bayonetted the enemy at the gun, carrying the post with
great gallantry. The British battalion guns cleared the
street ; the soldiers rushed forward, and were engaged
from house to house, until they had passed the village,
when they were assailed by the enemy in force. The
FOURTEENTH defended the streets; the Twenty- seventh,
the church-yard; and the Twenty-eighth coming up most
opportunely on the right, threw in a flanking fire, which
compelled the enemy to retire*. The brigade remained
* Every man of the FOURTEENTH was proud of the reputation
which the regiment had acquired, with which he identified himself;
even the recruits possessed the same esprit de corps. After the cap-
ture of Gueldermalsen a young soldier, named Sullivan, struck the
butt-end of his musket against a cask, when the musket went off, and
the ball passed through the soldier's body. He instantly called to
Lieutenant Graves, and said, " I hope, Sir, you will let my friends
52 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1 795 in the village during the night ; it was ordered to retire
on the following morning,, and the three regiments were
thanked in orders for their distinguished conduct: Lieu-
tenant ELRINGTON, of the FOURTEENTH, was thanked
by name for his gallantry at the attack of the bridge
defended by a gun. The regiment had twelve rank and
file killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Hope (afterwards Gene-
ral Sir Alexander Hope,, G.C.B.), Captain Perry, one
serjeant, and twenty rank and file, wounded: Lieutenant-
Colonel Hope lost the use of his right arm from a
wound in the shoulder*. Captain Perry died of his
wounds.
After this action the regiment marched to Cullen-
burg, and was on duty about a week, on. the banks
of the Leek, without house, tent, or any other cover
from the weather, which was particularly severe.
Numerical superiority gave the enemy so decided an
advantage, that a retreat through Holland to Germany
became necessary, which took place in the depth of
winter, and was attended with severe privation and
suffering. On one occasion, after a long march, the
FOURTEENTH Foot found themselves on a dreary heath,
on a dark night, exposed to severe frost, and a snow-
storm; the men^s limbs were so benumbed with cold,
that the most fatal results were apprehended; but the
discovery of a large farm-house, and a barn upon the
heath, proved particularly fortunate to the soldiers.
These hardships were aggravated by the mortifying re-
flection, that the regiment was retiring before an enemy,
whom it had never encountered without proving victo-
" know that I always behaved as became a good soldier," and imme-
diately expired.
* Captain Jones, speaking of the conduct of the FOURTEENTH,
Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth Regiments, at Gueldermalsen,
states in his Journal, " These regiments behaved with their usual
" gallantry, and faced every danger with that cheerfulness and per-
" severance which has peculiarly distinguished them."
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 53
rious. At length the regiment arrived in Germany, 1795
where it obtained repose in comfortable quarters; it
embarked at Bremen-lee on the 9th of April, and landed
at Harwich on the 7th of May.
From Harwich the regiment marched to Hitchin and
its neighbourhood; and when passing through the seve-
ral towns on its route it was hailed with acclamations
by the inhabitants; almost every officer and soldier bore
marks of bullets having passed through his accoutre-
ments or clothing; the colours were perforated in many
places, and were borne by Lieutenants Stuart and
Graves, the two senior subalterns, so many casualties
had occurred among the officers. The achievements of
the regiment had been made known, and it was every-
where congratulated on its gallant exploits.
In June the regiment pitched its tents at Warley,
in Essex, and in July received orders to march to Nust-
haling, near Southampton. On passing through Dart-
ford, the band played the republican tune ca ira (which
it played when the regiment charged the position at
Famars, in 1793), when the inhabitants evinced their
aversion to democracy by throwing stones at the musi-
cians for playing so offensive a tune; but upon an
explanation being given, the people responded with
three cheers to the honour of the brave soldiers of the
FOURTEENTH who fought at Famars.
The regiment afterwards embarked for Quiberon-
bay, to support the French emigrants under M. Som-
breuil, but being detained by contrary winds, it was
directed to disembark and return to Southampton.
At this period an armament was fitting out to com-
plete the deliverance of the French West India islands
from the power of republicanism, and to reduce to
obedience the insurgents of St. Vincent and Grenada.
The FOURTEENTH Regiment joined the expedition, and
sailed with the immense fleet of Indiamen, transports,
54 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1795 and merchant-vessels, under the convoy of a squadron
of the royal navy commanded by Admiral Christian,
which, on quitting the British shores, presented a mag-
nificent spectacle calculated to impress the mind with a
just idea of British power; but the voyage had been
delayed until a very late period of the year, and the
fleet encountered so severe a storm that several ships
foundered at sea, others were wrecked on the western
coast of England, and the greater part returned to port.
The fleet was re-fitted and again put to sea, but, after
encountering severe gales, it returned to Portsmouth a
second time. The " Calypso" transport, having part of
the FOURTEENTH Regiment on board, was nearly run
down during a heavy gale, by the " Charon" of forty-
four guns, and lost the main yard; but this transport
continued the voyage and arrived at Barbadoes in eleven
weeks.
1796 Several of the regiments, which returned to port,
had their destination changed; but the portion of the
FOURTEENTH, which had put back, re-embarked in Feb-
ruary, 1796, and arrived in April at Barbadoes, where
four companies of the Twenty-eighth Foot were at-
tached to the regiment.
The FOURTEENTH Foot constituted part of the
expedition against Sf. Lucia, commanded by Lieute-
nant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby; and sailed from
Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes, on the 22nd of April, for the
rendezvous of the troops to be employed in the enter-
prise, at Martinique, from whence the expedition sailed,
on the morning of the 26th of April, for St. Lucia,
where the head quarters landed on the 27th, near
Pigeon Island, and marched to Choque Bay, to cover
the landing of the remainder of the troops. They con-
tinued in position there a short time, till the batteries
against Morne Fortune were completed, when they were
ordered up to take part in the ulterior operations. Prior
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 55
to landing, three companies were detached, with a force I 1 ! 96
under Brigadier General Perryn, on the side of the
Grand Cul de Sao, to facilitate the investment of Morne
Fortune, and an attempt was made to drive the enemy
from the batteries on the base of the mountain, on
that side ; and Major Donkin's battalion, consisting
of three companies of the FOURTEENTH and four of
the Twenty-eighth, formed part of the force employed
on this service. This battalion supported the Forty-
fourth Regiment, in the column commanded by Colonel
Riddell. On advancing to the attack, the battalion was
checked, at a sudden turn in a winding road cut on the
side of a steep hill, by an abattis occupied by French
troops, when Captain James Graves sprang up the bank
by the aid of a branch, and being assisted by Captain
Henry Cox, and Lieutenant George Morris, he helped
a few soldiers to climb up the side of the hill, who fired
down upon the flank of the troops in the abattis, w'ho
instantly abandoned it, and the FOURTEENTH continued
their advance. On arriving on more open ground, the
fire of the enemy's batteries was heavy; when Captain
James Graves, of the FOURTEENTH, and Captain John
Frederic Brown, of the Twenty-eighth, stormed the
lower battery, called Chapuis, with a few men of the two
regiments. Captain Brown, Lieutenants William F.
Dalton and John Grady, with several private soldiers, fell
wounded in the advance, but thebattery was captured,and
was held by Captain Graves, Lieutenant John Hutchin-
son, and about forty rank and file. The soldiers being
fired upon from a house, it was forced by a few men
under Lieutenant Owen, and all the defenders bayonet-
ted. The firing on the right indicating a retrograde
movement on the part of the British troops at that
point, Serjeant Shaw of the FOURTEENTH was detached
to reconnoitre; he returned wounded, and reported the
retreat of the British, and the advance of a fresh column
56 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1796 of the enemy. Under these circumstances the gun in
the battery were spiked, and the soldiers retired, fight-
ing their way through a woody country, until they
joined the column under Brigadier-General Perryn.
From the failure of part of the attacking force the ope-
rations were not successful.
The loss of the FOURTEENTH was limited to five
men killed; Captain Cox, and one serjeant wounded. On
sending a flag of truce, on the following day, to inquire
for prisoners, the answer received was, " The republicans
" have made no prisoners."
An attack was afterwards made on the north side of
Morne Fortune; a battery opened its fire against the
enemy's works on the 16th of May, and on the 24th the
French desired a suspension of arms, which was followed
by the surrender of the island.
After the surrender of St. Lucia, the FOURTEENTH
formed part of the expedition against the island of St.
Vincent, and a landing was effected on the 8th of June :
the Caribs having surrendered, the French troops
retired, in a body, to the strong fort of La Vigie. It
having been ascertained that the fort was badly provi-
sioned, and worse provided with water, it was clear that
the garrison could not hold out many days ; and the
Commander-in-Chief shortly received information that
they intended to effect an escape, by night, by descend-
ing along the course of a deep ravine, which led from
the town through high and inaccessible rocks. A
party of the FOURTEENTH, consisting of three officers,
and one hundred men, was ordered out to occupy the
pass : they took up a position in the bed of the river,
behind some large stones, over which the men rested
their bayonets. The darkness of the night, and the
position between the woods, precluded the possibility
of seeing anything, and the rushing of the water pre-
vented anything from being heard. The first intima-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 57
tion that the party in ambuscade received of the 1796
enemy's approach, was the fact of their actually pressing
upon their bayonets. Immediately a desultory firing
took place, which ceased only when the enemy were
supposed to have retreated. When daylight broke, a
horrid spectacle of killed and wounded presented
itself. Such of the garrison as succeeded in returning
to La Vigie surrendered the next day. Captain Powell,
who commanded, Lieutenants Gibson and Beavan, and
the whole party, received the thanks of Sir Ralph
Abercromby.
These captures having been accomplished, the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment returned to Barbadoes, where it was
stationed during the remainder of the year.
Spain having united with France in the war against 1797
Great Britain, orders were issued to attack the Spanish
possessions in the West Indies, and in the early part of
February, 1797, the FOURTEENTH Regiment proceeded
to Cariacou, where an expedition was assembled to
attack the island of Trinidad. On the morning of the
15th of February the fleet sailed on the enterprise, and
as it anchored near the shores of Trinidad, the Spaniards
became conscious of their inability to resist, and set fire
to their naval force in the harbour. The troops landed
on the 1 7th of February, and the Spaniards immediately
surrendered, delivering up the island.
From Trinidad the regiment proceed to Martinique,
where it was stationed several weeks.
Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby assem-
bled a small force, in the beginning of April, for the
attack of the Spanish island of Porto Rico, and the
FOURTEENTH were withdrawn from Martinique to take
part in the enterprise. The fleet entered a narrow
channel three leagues eastward of the town, and the
troops landed on the 18th of April; but met with
great opposition by a heavy fire of musketry from the
14. E
58 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1797 Spaniards, who were lodged behind a breastwork on
the beach. The FOURTEENTH were in flat-bottomed
boats, pulled by the Lascars of the Indiamen in which
they had been conveyed. The impetuosity of the men
could not bear delay ; but, leaping out of the boats,
and wading ashore, they soon drove the enemy from
their position, at the point of the bayonet. Lieutenant-
Colonel Burnett was ordered to pursue, with all pos-
sible speed, to endeavour to get possession of the bridge
which led over the river between the town and the
beach. So closely were the enemy pursued by the
FOURTEENTH, and particularly by the Light Company.,
that many threw away their arms and accoutrements,
and fairly ran for it: they succeeded in gaining the
bridge; and, as soon as the men of the FOURTEENTH
approached the tete-de-pont, the Spaniards blew up the
bridge at the moment when many of their own people
were crossing it. The destruction of the bridge obliged
the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Ralph Abercromby, to
change his plan, which had, originally, been to take the
town by a coup-de-main. The next day, therefore, the
army began to erect batteries. The second day after
their completion, the enemy kept up such an incessant
fire, that they succeeded in dismounting two of the
guns of one of the batteries, and otherwise seriously
injuring the works. A strong party was, therefore,
ordered out at night to repair the damage : this party
consisted of three hundred and fifty men, under the
command of Captain Powell, afterwards Lieutenant-
Colonel and Major of the regiment, of which number
one hundred and fifty were to be employed in the
trenches, and two hundred were placed at some distance
from the battery to act as a covering party. The same
night Major Ronald Hamilton, of the FOURTEENTH,
made an attempt to ford the river, with a view of ascer-
taining if it were fordable for infantry ; but, being dis-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 59
covered, he was fired upon by an advanced sentry. 1797
This creating some alarm, caused an irregular fire of
musketry to be carried on all night. Under cover of
this, and of the darkness, a party of five hundred
Spaniards contrived to cross the river higher up, and
then descending along its edge, secreted themselves
among the brushwood between the river and the
battery. At dawn of day a serjeant and twelve men of
the FOURTEENTH, who had been on piquet in the
bushes, were called in, and, at the very same moment,
as if by magic, the whole party of Spaniards rushed, in
one dense mass, into the battery.
Sir Ralph Abercromby, Colonel Hope, the Ad-
jutant-General, (afterwards Lord Niddry) Colonel Mait-
land, with the whole staff of the Commander-in-Chief,
had arrived, about an hour before, to inspect the work,
and were at the moment in the battery. The sudden
inrush of the Spaniards created surprise; and the in-
creased number of persons thus in the battery produced
great confusion. The only British who had arms were
the twelve men from the piquet; but all the Spaniards
were provided with bayonets, or short swords, evidently
intended for the butchery of the whole working party.
For a short time it seemed as if they were to be utterly
at the mercy of the enemy ; but, soon recovering them-
selves, they fell to work with good will with shovels,
pickaxes, and other implements of labour, and that with
such terrible effect, that every Spaniard was either
killed, or taken prisoner, before the covering party
could arrive to assist their comrades. The working
party had five men killed, and seventeen wounded.
Captain Powell, and Lieutenants Gibson and Wren,
received thanks in general orders*.
* Sir Ralph Abercromby entertained a high opinion of the
FOURTEENTH; in the West Indies he always lauded with the flank
E2
60 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1797 From Porto Rico the regiment again proceeded to
Martinique, where it was stationed upwards of three
years.
1800 Towards the end of the year 1800, the regiment
relieved the Seventieth Foot at Trinidad.
1802 On the conclusion of the treaty of Amiens in 1802,
Great Britain gave up the captured possessions of France,
Spain, and Holland. The FOURTEENTH were relieved
1803 from duty in the West Indies in April, 1803, and
returning to England, landed at Gosport, from whence
they marched to Winchester, under Captain Graves,
who had performed the duty of commanding officer
nearly twelve months.
Previously to the arrival of the regiment in England,
the short respite from the horrors of war, granted by the
treaty of Amiens, had terminated; the ambitious de-
signs of Bonaparte, First Consul of France, had involved
Great Britain in another contest, and orders had been is-
sued for augmenting the regular army. Every effort was
made to complete the establishment of the FOURTEENTH
Foot, which was attended with great success, and
when Bonaparte assembled an army for the invasion of
England, the regiment marched to Silver Hill Barracks,
and afterwards to Winchelsea, where it was held in
readiness to repel the legions of France, had they ven-
tured to land on the British coast. At this momen-
tous period the measures of the government were nobly
seconded by the people ; a patriotic enthusiasm pervaded
companies, and the regiment furnished a corporal's guard at his
quarters. "When he was appointed to the command of the troops in
the Mediterranean, with whom he proceeded to Egypt, he wrote to
Captain Graves, stating, " I regret extremely that I cannot take you
" with me, as I intended, having found all my staff appointed when
" I got to London." He afterwards added, with great pleasantry,
'* I also greatly regret that the FOURTEENTH are not on the expe-
*' dition, as I do not think any service can go on well without them."
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 61
the country; and the attitude the nation assumed, with 1803
the strength and energy it evinced, while breathing
defiance to the gigantic military power by which it
was menaced, left no room for doubt respecting the
result of the contest had the French army attempted to
carry into effect the threats of its leader.
In 1804 the French army remainded inactive at 1804
Boulogne, and Great Britain preserved an attitude of
defence. In the autumn of this year a second battalion
was added to the FOURTEENTH Regiment.
The first battalion remained on the Sussex coast in 1805
readiness for active service whenever it might be re-
quired. In the mean time the French nation had con-
ferred on its First Consul, Bonaparte, the dignity of
Emperor, and he was also crowned King of Italy. In
the autumn Napoleon reviewed his army at Boulogne^
and afterwards marched against the forces of Russia and
Austria, to crush the coalition forming against his inte-
rests in Germany. At this period the French troops
were withdrawn from Hanover, which country they
seized on resuming hostilities in 1803. Towards the
end of October, the first battalion of the FOURTEENTH
Regiment embarked for Hanover, where a body of
British troops was assembled under Lieutenant-General
Lord Cathcart. The defeat of the Austrians and Rus-
sians at Austerlitz, established the preponderance of the
French power on the continent for a short period, and
in the treaty concluded at Vienna soon afterwards, it
was stipulated that Hanover should be occupied by the
Prussians. Under these circumstances the troops under
Lord Cathcart returned to England.
The first battalion landed from Hanover in February, 1806
1806, and was quartered in Kent.
On the decease of General Hotham, King George
III. conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-
General Sir Harry Calvert, from the Fifth West India
62 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1806 Regiment^ by commission dated the 8th of February,
1806.
In this year the second battalion proceeded to
Ireland.
The first battalion was encamped at Shorncliffe,
where it was formed in brigade with the Ninth and
Ninety-first Foot, under Major-General Rowland Hill,
(afterwards General Lord Hill) ; this brigade was reviewed
with the Forty-third Regiment by His Royal Highness
the Duke of York, who expressed his high approbation
of the appearance and discipline of the several corps.
In December the first battalion of the FOURTEENTH
Regiment proceeded to Ireland.
1807 After remaining in Ireland five months the first
battalion returned to England, and in June, 1807, it
embarked under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel
James Watson, for the East Indies, where it arrived in
November of the same year, and landed at Fort
St. George, Madras.
1808 The influence of French councils at the court of
Denmark, had involved that country in hostilities with
Great Britain, and in the beginning of 1808 the first
battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment sailed from
Madras with the expedition against the Danish settle-
ment of Tranquebar, situate at one of the mouths of the
Caveri river, in the Carnatic, which surrendered to the
British arms on the 8th of February, when Lieutenant
Colonel Watson, with the head quarters, returned to
Madras, and shortly afterwards to Bengal.
In the mean time important events had occurred in
Europe, which called the second battalion of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment into active service. After reducing
Germany to submission to his will, and forcing Russia
to accede to his decrees, Napoleon was prompted by
his restless ambition to attempt the subjugation of
Spain and Portugal. The Spaniards and Portuguese
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 63
rose in arms to assert their national rights, and in the 1808
summer of 1808 Portugal was delivered by a British
army under Lieuteriant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley.
In the autumn Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore
received orders to advance with a body of British troops
from Portugal, into the heart of Spain, at the same
time several regiments were sent from the United
Kingdom to co-operate in this enterprise. The second
battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel Jasper Nicolls, embarked from
Cork for Spain, and landed at Corunna, forming part
of the force under Lieutenant-General Sir David Baird.
Advancing up the country, the British troops encoun-
tered many difficulties and privations, and the Spanish
armies, with which they were directed to co-operate,
were defeated and dispersed by the legions of Napo-
leon, who had three hundred thousand men in Spain.
To confront this host of veterans, the British general
had not twenty-five thousand men; yet, with that
intrepidity for which he was always distinguished, he
advanced and menaced the enemy's lines. Sir David
Baird's division joined the troops under Sir John
Moore on the 20th of December, at Majorga, from
whence the army advanced to Sahagun, and prepara-
tions were made for attacking the French troops under
Marshal Soult; but information being received that
Napoleon was advancing at the head of an over-
whelming force, the army retreated towards the coast.
In this retrograde movement of two hundred and fifty
miles, along roads covered with snow, over rivers and
mountains, and along narrow defiles, the troops endured
privation and suffering of various kinds; but the ability
of their commander was conspicuous, and the army
arrived, unbroken, at Corunna, in January, 1809. The 1809
soldiers obtained shelter, food, and repose in the town
and neighbouring villages, and their wasted strength
64 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1809 was recruited while they waited the arrival of shipping
to transport them to England.
The French army under Marshal Soult approaching,
the British troops formed for battle on a range of
heights in front of Corunna; the FOURTEENTH were
formed in brigade with the Second, Fifth, and Thirty-
second Regiments, under Major- General (afterwards Lord)
Hill, and were posted towards the left of the position.
On the 16th of January the French troops descended
the mountains and attacked the British position in
three columns; the first column carried the village of
Elvina; then dividing, attempted to turn the right of
Lieutenant-General Sir David Baird's division by the
valley, and to break its front; the second column
advanced against the British centre, and the third
attacked the left at the village of Palavia Abaxo. The
furious onsets of the enemy were met and repulsed with
a firmness and determination which proved the uncon-
querable spirit and excellent discipline of the British
troops. The enemy finding his efforts unavailing on
the right and centre, determined to render the attack on
the left more serious, and succeeded in obtaining pos-
session of Palavia Abaxo, the village through which the
great road to Madrid passes, and which was situate in
front of that part of the line; from this post the French
were, however, soon expelled, by a very gallant attack
of some companies of the second battalion of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
Nicolls*. The enemy was repulsed at all points, and
the lustre of the British arms shone with peculiar
* It is peculiarly incumbent upon the Lieutenant-General to
" notice the vigorous attack made by the second battalion of the
"FOURTEENTH Regiment, under Lieut.-Colonel Nicolls, which
" drove the enemy out of the village on the left, of which he had
u possessed himself." General Orders.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 65
brilliance amidst the most disadvantageous circum- 1809
stances; but the army sustained the loss of its gallant
commander, Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, who
was mortally wounded during the engagement.
Having defeated a French army of superior numbers,
the British troops withdrew on board the fleet. Major-
General HilFs brigade took up a position near the
ramparts, leaving the piquets to keep up the bivouac
fires, to cover the embarkation, which was completed
with little loss, and the army returned to England.
The distinguished conduct of the FOURTEENTH
Foot was afterwards rewarded with the royal authority
to bear the word "CORUNNA" on the colours of the
regiment.
The second battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regi-
ment landed at Portsmouth and Plymouth, from whence
it proceeded to Buckingham; and while stationed at
that place, the county title of the regiment was changed
from "BEDFORDSHIRE" to "BUCKINGHAMSHIRE."
In the summer of this year a very powerful arma-
ment was fitted out and placed under the orders of
General the Earl of Chatham, for an attack on Holland,
and the second battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment
marched from Buckingham to Portsmouth, where it
embarked on this enterprise under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolls. In the beginning of
August it landed on the island of Walcheren, situate
in the German Ocean, near the mouth of the Scheldt,
and was employed in the siege of Flushing, the prin-
cipal port on the island. During the progress of the
siege, the FOURTEENTH evinced the same ardour and
contempt of danger for which they were distinguished
at the battle of Corunna. On the evening of the 12th
of August they were directed to storm one of the Dutch
entrenchments in front of the position occupied by the
troops under Major-General Graham, and a detachment
of the King's German Legion co-operated in the attack.
66 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1809 Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolls led the FOURTEENTH to the
assault with great gallantry, and the soldiers rushed
forward with so much spirit and resolution that they
carried the entrenchments in a few minutes, capturing
one gun and thirteen prisoners, and establishing
a lodgment within musket-shot of the walls of the
town. This was accomplished with the loss of Ensign
C. Harold, and one private soldier, killed; four rank
and file wounded.
On the following day the line of battle ships cannon-
aded the town, which was soon in flames, presenting an
awful scene of destruction; in the evening one of the
batteries was stormed by the Thirty-sixth, Seventy-
first, and light battalion of the King's German Legion,
and on the morning of the 15th of August the garrison
surrendered.
The FOURTEENTH were thanked in general orders
for their distinguished conduct.
Embarking from Flushing, the battalion was pre-
pared to sail up the river Scheldt for an attack on
Antwerp; but the delays which took place^ gave the
enemy time- to prepare additional means of defence, and
an epidemic disease of a fatal character breaking out
among the troops, the enterprise was abandoned, and
the FOURTEENTH returned to England, and were
quartered at Steyning.
The unhealthy climate of Walcheren produced a
serious loss of life among the troops left on that island,
and the soldiers of the FOURTEENTH having recovered
from the effects of the epidemic, embarked a second
time for that station ; they formed part of the covering
brigade when the stores, sick soldiers, &c., were
removed, on the final evacuation of that island.
1810 In March, 1810, the second battalion embarked for
Malta, but on arriving at Gibraltar, it was ordered to
land at that fortress, and two companies, under Captain
.Everard and Captain Ramsay, were detached to Tariffa,
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 67
for the defence of that town against the French: the 1810
two companies returned to Gibraltar in June, and the
battalion continued its voyage to Malta, where it
arrived on the 23rd of that month.
In the autumn of this year the first battalion was
withdrawn from Bengal, to take part in the reduction
of the Isle of France, or the Mauritius, an important
island belonging to France, and situate in the Indian
sea. The battalion sailed to Rodriguez, which was the
appointed rendezvous of the expedition, and on the
28th of November the fleet came in sight of the Isle of
France. The troops landed in the bay of Mapou, and
advanced through a thick wood, skirmishing occasion-
ally with the French. On diverging into the open
country, the British marched direct upon Port Louis,
but the soldiers suffering much from the want of water,
the army halted at the streams at the powder mills, five
miles from the town. Resuming the march on the
following day, the troops were opposed by the enemy
in force, when some sharp fighting occurred, in which
the British soldiers were triumphant. The FOUR-
TEENTH had one man killed, and two wounded, on this
occasion.
Having overcome all opposition, the British con-
tinued their march, and took post in front of the
enemy's lines before the town. On the following
morning the governor, General de Caen, agreed to
surrender the place to the British troops, under Major-
General John Abercromby. This valuable island was
thus added to the possessions of the British crown, and
the FOURTEENTH were thanked in orders for their
conduct on this service.
After the capture of the Isle of France, the first
battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment proceeded to
Madras, where it was stationed several weeks.
In January, 1811, the flank companies of the second 1811
68 HISTORICAL RECORD OP
1811 battalion proceeded from Malta, to the island of Sicily,
under the orders of Captain Ramsay and Captain
Light, to serve under Major-General Lord William
Bentinck.
After the capture of the Isle of France, the British
government resolved to complete its dominion in the
East, by the conquest of the island of Java, of which the
Dutch had held undisturbed possession for more than
one hundred years. The extent of the island, six hun-
dred and forty miles long, and about a hundred broad;
the luxuriant and fertile character of the soil, the moun-
tain districts yielding the vegetables and grain of
Europe, and the plains the delicious fruits and other
valuable productions of the East in abundance, without
the necessity of laborious tillage, 'and to so great an
extent as to occasion it to be sometimes called the
granary of the East; rendered the island of Java a
valuable acquisition to the United Provinces, and its
principal city, Batavia, was the capital of the Dutch set-
lements in the East Indies. Holland having become a
part of that empire which Napoleon was forming to
prepare the way for universal dominion, it became
necessary to deprive the Dutch of the large and fertile
island of Java, and a body of troops was placed under
the orders of Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel Auch-
muty for that purpose. In this enterprise the first
battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment was employed,
and the greater part of the officers and men were re-
embarked in March on board of the men-of-war
ordered to cruise off the island, in which service they
had various opportunities of distinguishing themselves,
in destroying gun-boats, and in other enterprises on the
coast. On one occasion Lieutenant Gillman, who com-
manded a party on board the boats of His Majesty's
ship " Sir Francis Drake," was killed. The conduct of
a detachment under Lieutenant J. H. Heyland, em-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 69
barked in the sloop " Procris," engaged in the boarding 1811
of some of the enemy's gun-boats, was highly com-
mended in the public despatch of Captain Maunsell, R.N.
Detachments consisting of the FOURTEENTH and
Eighty-ninth Regiments, Royal Marines, and seamen,
were landed from His Majesty's ship " Minden," near
Bantam, on the coast of Java, and, in two contests,
defeated five hundred of the enemy's chosen troops,
which had been sent to Batavia to attack them. Cap-
tain Watson, Lieutenants Rochfort, McLean, and
L'Estrange, and Ensign Jennings, of the FOURTEENTH,
and Lieutenant Dunscombe of the Eighty-ninth, par-
ticularly distinguished themselves on these occasions.
The head-quarters sailed from Madras on the 18th
of April, 1811, and landed on the 4th of August, at the
village of Chillingching, about twelve miles east of
Batavia, towards which city the army directed its
march. The French and Dutch troops set fire to the
magazines in Batavia, and abandoned the city, which
was taken possession of by the British.
On the 10th of August the British advanced from
Batavia, and found three thousand select men of the
Gallo-Batavian troops in a strong position, defended by
abattis behind Weltefreden ; and this post was stormed
and carried at the point of the bayonet, many of the
enemy being killed, and the remainder retreating to the
entrenched position at Cornells, between the great
river Jacatra, and the deep aqueduct of Slaken. The
conduct of Captain Stannus commanding the light
infantry company of the FOURTEENTH, and of Lieute-
nant Coghlan, commanding the rifle company, was
highly commended in Colonel Gillespie's report of this
action. The regiment had Ensign Nickisson and three
rank and file Wounded.
In the strong position of Cornells more than ten
thousand Gallo-Batavian troops were assembled, and
they were greatly superior in numbers to the British
70 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1811 force. This formidable position was, however, stormed
on the 26th of August, and the invincible prowess of
the assailants overcame all opposition; the British were
triumphant at every point; nearly two thousand of the
enemy were killed, and about five thousand prisoners
were taken, including three general officers. The re-
mainder of the enemy dispersed, excepting a few men,
who accompanied the Gallo-Batavian commander, Gene-
ral Jansens, in his flight. The FOURTEENTH distin-
guished themselves on this occasion, and the conduct of
their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Watson,
was commended in the official account of the action
given by Colonel Gillespie.
The victory of Cornelis terminated the Dutch
sovereignty of Java; General Jansens was pursued up
the country; and on the 16th of September, the FOUR-
TEENTH were engaged in storming the fortified position
at Jattoo, when the remainder of the Gallo-Batavian
force was routed; General Jansens was afterwards forced
to surrender, and this valuable island was annexed to
the dominions of the British Crown. It was restored
to Holland, at the termination of the war, by the Treaty
of Vienna in 1814.
The loss of the FOURTEENTH Foot at the storming
of Fort Cornelis was Captain Marinus Kennedy, two
Serjeants, and nine rank and file, killed; Major George
Miller, Captain Trevor Stannus, Lieutenants W. H.
Coghlan and Kenneth Me Kenzie, seven Serjeants, and
eighty-three three rank and file, wounded; one rank and
file missing.
Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty stated in
his public despatch, "The superior discipline and invin-
" cible courage which have so highly distinguished the
" British army, were never more fully displayed, and I
" have the heartfelt pleasure to add, that they have not
" been clouded by any acts of insubordination."
The commanding officer of the FOURTEENTH, Lieu-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 7l
tenant-Colonel WATSON, (now Lieutenant-General SIR 1811
JAMES WATSON, K.C.B., colonel of the regiment,) was
rewarded with a gold medal; and the word "JAVA"
was placed, by royal authority, on the colours of the
regiment to commemorate its distinguished services at
the capture of that island, which was the most splendid
acquisition made by the British arms in 1811. The
strength of the first battalion at the capture of Java was
forty-eight officers, and one thousand one hundred and
forty-five non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
After the capture of Java the FOURTEENTH re- 1812
mained on the island for some time. The Sultan of
Mataram, who governed a portion of the interior, trust-
ing to his power, and the strength of his fortified palace,
at Djoojocarta, meditated the expulsion of all Europeans
from the island, and committed aggressions of which it
became necessary to stop the progress. To effect this,
his palace was captured by storm on the morning of the
20th of June, 1812; on which occasion the FOUR-
TEENTH had another occasion of distinguishing them-
selves. Lieutenant- Colonel Watson commanded the
main attack, and the grenadiers of the regiment headed
the assault in their usual gallant style*. Colonel Gil-
lespie, commanding the forces in Java, stated in
orders,
" To Lieutenant-Colonel Watson, who commanded
" the leading column, the commander of the forces can-
" not convey the sense he entertains of his distinguished
" bravery, and of the quickness and celerity with which
(( he conceived and executed the attack.
" The animated style in which Captain Johnstone
" and Lieutenant Hunter crossed the ditch, at the head
" of the FOURTEENTH grenadiers, and escaladed the
* " The gallant FOURTEENTH proceeded to scour the ramparts,
"and the capture of the Sultan rendered the victory complete."
London Gazette.
72 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1812 " ramparts, Under the fire of the east bastion, could only
" be equalled by the order and zeal of their followers."
The conduct of Lieutenant Hill, and of Lieutenant
Me Lean, of the regiment was also commended.
Eight rank and file of the regiment were killed
Lieutenant Me Lean died of his wounds, and thirty rank
and file were wounded.
1813 An expedition was fitted out, in 1813, consisting of
a detachment of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, and of
the troops in the service of the Honourable the East
India Company, and placed under the orders of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Watson of the FOURTEENTH, for the
attack of the piratical state of Sambas, on the western
coast of the island of Borneo, which terminated in the
surrender of the town, after a sharp conflict in which
Captain Watson and Lieutenant Jennings were wounded;
the capture of all the batteries, fortified posts, and
defences of the Sultan, and the complete discomfiture
of Pangerang Anom and his adherents. The first batta-
lion proceeded to Bengal in October, 1813.
In the mean time the war in Europe was pro-
secuted with great vigour; the British troops were
victorious in the Peninsula, and every effort was made
to bring a powerful army into the field. At this period
a third battalion was added to the FOURTEENTH Regi-
ment of Foot; it was raised by volunteers from the
Militia and assembled at Weedon under the command
of Lieutenant-Colonel the Honorable James Stewart,
and was soon in a condition fit for active service.
1814 After a contest of twenty years, the period of the
downfal of that gigantic power, which had sprung out
of the French revolution, arrived ; the snow storms of
the winter of 1812-13, had annihilated the French
army in Russia ; the British army, which had delivered
Portugal and Spain from the tyrannical rule of Napo-
leon, was following up its career of victory in the
heart of France; at the same time the forces of Russia,
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. ^
Prussia, Austria, and other continental states, were 1814
invading France. Thus a favourable opportunity pre-
sented itself; one powerful effort appeared likely to
overthrow Napoleon and his adherents, and at this
important juncture, (the spring of 1814,) the third
battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment received orders
to hold itself in readiness for foreign service, and com-
menced its march for the coast; at the same time the
second battalion was withdrawn from the island of
Malta, to join the expedition, under Lieutenant-General
Lord William Bentinck, against the north-west coast of
Italy. This expedition captured several places, in-
cluding the maritime city of Genoa, once a celebrated
republic, now the capital of a province in the Sardinian
States. The progress of the British arms in Italy was
suddenly arrested by the termination of the war: Napo-
leon Bonaparte abdicated; Louis XVIII. ascended the
throne of France; and the nations of Europe hailed the
event as the great jubilee of Christendom. The embark-
ation of the third battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regi-
ment was countermanded, and after some delay, the
second battalion was placed in quarters at the city of
Genoa, where it remained twelve months.
Towards the end of the year the third battalion was
held in readiness to embark for North America; cir-
cumstances connected with the trade of neutral nations,
during the war with France, having involved Great
Britain in hostilities with the United States. Before
the battalion quitted England, peace was concluded with
the United States^ when the order for its proceeding
abroad was countermanded, and directions were given
for its being disbanded on the 24th of March, 1815.
In the spring of 1815, while the Congress at Vienna 1815
was deciding on the boundaries of kingdoms, and the
people of all countries were looking forward to a pe-
riod of peace, Bonaparte suddenly violated his engage-
14. F
74 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1815 merits, re-appeared in France, and the French army
declaring in his favour, he reascended the throne he had
abdicated. War was immediately declared against the
usurper; the order for disbanding the third battalion of
the FOURTEENTH Regiment was consequently rescinded,
and on the 21st of March, (three days before the date
fixed upon for its being disbanded,) the battalion received
directions to embark for Flanders: it landed at Ostend
on the 31st of March, and formed part of the army com-
manded by His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange.
Additional forces were sent to Flanders, Field
Marshal his Grace the Duke of Wellington assumed
the command, and the third battalion of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
FRANCIS S. TIDY, (Major of the regiment,) was
formed in brigade with the Twenty-third Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, and Fifty-first Light Infantry under Colonel
Mitchel, and constituted part of the fourth division,
commanded by Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir
Charles Colville, K.C.B.
Bonaparte attempted, by one of those rapid advances
for which he had always been celebrated, to interpose
between the British and Prussian armies, and on the
16th of June the battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras were
fought: the British were victorious; but the Prussians
were defeated; and the Duke of Wellington retreated,
on the 17th of June, to the position in front of the
village of Waterloo, to preserve his communication with
Prince Blucher.
On the 18th of June the third battalion of the FOUR-
TEENTH Regiment had the honour to take part in the
memorable battle of Waterloo, the character and import-
ance of which engagement, distinguish it as the greatest
event of the age, and mark it as the brightest era in the
history of the British army. The battalion was composed
of young soldiers, who had never before been under fire,
but their bearing reflected honour on the corps to which
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 75
they belonged. During the heat of the conflict, when 1815
the thunder of cannon and musketry, the occasional
explosion of caissons, the hissing of balls, shells, and
grape shot, the clash of arms, the impetuous noise and
shouts of the soldiery, produced a scene of carnage and
confusion impossible to describe, a staff officer rode up
to Lieutenant-Colonel Tidy, and directed him to form
square; this was scarcely completed when the glittering
arms of a regiment of cuirassiers were seen issuing from
the smoke. The French horsemen paused for a moment
at the sight of the scarlet uniforms of the FOURTEENTH,
and then turned to the right to attack a regiment of
Brunswickers; but a volley from the Brunswick square
repulsed the enemy, and Lieutenant-Colonel Tidy, with
the view of giving confidence to the young soldiers of
the FOURTEENTH, drew their attention to the facility
with which infantry could repulse cavalry The French
cuirassiers rallied, and appeared inclined to charge the
FOURTEENTH, but were intimidated by the steady and
determined bearing of the battalion.
The cavalry attacks on the British line were particu-
larly severe, and were supported by large bodies of troops
of all arms; the infantry pressing forward, while dra-
goons, lancers, carabineers, and cuirassiers advanced in
overwhelming numbers, threatening to bear down all
opposition; masking at times the advance of infantry;
charging the British squares, and when repulsed, quickly
re-forming ; while individuals, spurred on by an ardent
but unavailing intrepidity, were observed searching for
an opening in the British battalions by which to pene-
trate, and usually perishing in the vain attempt.
Repulsed at all points, Bonaparte resolved to make
a last desperate effort, and brought forward his reserve,
consisting of the old imperial guards; but these chosen
bands were overthrown and annihilated ; and the whole
British army rushing forward upon the enemy, com-
F2
76 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1815 pleted the overthrow of the legions of Bonaparte, which
were driven from the field of battle with the loss of all
their cannon, baggage, and the materiel of their army.
Thus was a victory, the most complete and decisive,
achieved by the army under the Duke of Wellington :
the British soldiers halted on the field of battle sur-
rounded by their ensanguined trophies: they had
decided the political destiny of the world, and ensured
national independence to the kingdoms of Europe !
In congratulating the regiments of the fourth bri-
gade, in the share they had in achieving the glorious
victory at Waterloo, Lieutenant-General Sir Charles
Colville observed, "the Twenty-third and Fifty-first
" Regiments fully maintained their former high cha-
" racter, whilst the very young THIRD BATTALION OF
"THE FOURTEENTH, in this its first trial, displayed a
" steadiness and gallantry becoming of veteran troops/'
The loss of the battalion was seven rank and file
killed; Ensign Alfred Cooper, four Serjeants, and
sixteen rank ancl file, wounded.
The royal authority was afterwards given for the
regiment to bear the word "WATERLOO" on its colors,
to commemorate the share it had in gaining this splen-
did victory. Lieutenant-Colonel Tidy was rewarded
with the dignity of Companion of the Bath; and every
officer and soldier received a silver medal, with the
privilege of reckoning two years' service for that day.
The names of the officers of the FOURTEENTH
Regiment of Foot, who received medals, for the battle
of Waterloo, on the 18th of June, 1815, are contained
in the following list:
Major FRANCIS 8. fin?, (Lieut. -Colonel,) commanding the battalion.
Major KEIGHTLEY.
Captains.
Win. Tumor. George Marlay. Richard Adams.
Wm. Ross. Thomas Ramsay. J. L. White.
Christian Wilson.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 77
Lieutenants. 1815
Wm. Akenside. Win. Buckle."" L. Westwood.
Ch. M. Brannan. Geo. Baldwin. Jas. C. Hartley.
Samuel Beachcroft. John Nicholson.
Ensigns.
Geo. Mackenzie. Jas. Ramsay Smith. Richard J. Stacpoole.
Robert B. Newenham. Alfred Cooper. Richard B. Holmes.
Wm. Keowen. Joseph Bowlby. Hon. G. T. Keppel.
John Manley Wood. John P. Matthews. Montague Burrows.
Arthur Ormsby.
Adjutant. William Buckle.
Assistant-Surgeons. Alexander Shannon; Henry Terry.
On the morning of the 19th of June, the British
troops advanced in pursuit of the wreck of the French
army; and on entering France, the Duke of Wellington
invited Louis XVIII. to repair to Cateau Cambresis.
Being desirous of not exposing the King's person, the
British commander directed Cambray to be summoned;
but this fortress refused to surrender, and repulsed the
troops which approached the town on the 23rd of June.
On the following day orders for attacking the place by
escalade were issued, and the third battalion of the
FOURTEENTH, with the Twenty-third and Fifty-first
Regiments, were directed to make a feint attack on the
Paris gate; but the gallantry of the officers and soldiers
turned the feint into a real attack, and they were in
possession of the town before the other brigades of the
fourth division could force an entrance. The citadel of
Cambray surrendered on the 25th of June.
The army continued its advance upon Paris, which
city surrendered in the early part of July, and the war
was terminated with the restoration of Louis XVIII. to
the throne of France.
During this period, the second battalion had re-
mained at the city of Genoa, on the north-west coast of
Italy, from whence it was ordered to Marseilles, in
France, under the command of Major-General Lowe,
8 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1815 and it landed at that port on the 12th of July. At
this period Bonaparte was at Rochefort, endeavouring
to effect his escape to North America ; but being pre-
vented by the British cruizers, he surrendered to Captain
Maitland, commanding the "Bellerophon" man of war,
thus closing his political career. On the conclusion of
the treaties of peace which followed these events, the
battalion embarked from Marseilles for the island of
Malta, where it arrived in January, 1816.
The third battalion remained in the vicinity of Paris
several months; it was present at the reviews of the
army, in the plain of St. Denis and Champs Elysees,
by the Emperors of Russia and Austria, and the Kings
of Prussia and France, and on the formation of the
army of occupation, it returned to England : it was
disbanded at Deal, on the 17th of February, 1816; the
non-commissioned officers and soldiers fit for duty
being transferred to the first and second battalions.
The first battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment
was stationed at the military cantonment of Berham-
pore, from whence it marched, in the beginning of 1815,
and joined the army assembled under Major-General
George Wood, in consequence of the war with the king-
dom of Nepaul. The Nepaulese were soon reduced to
submission, and in April, the FOURTEENTH proceeded
to the military cantonment of Dinapore, situated on the
south bank of the river Ganges, in the province of Bahar,
where they remained until October, when they embarked
in boats, and proceeded to the cantonments near the
ancient Hindoo town of Cawnpore, on the west bank of
the Ganges, in the province of Allahabad.
1816 On the 26th of April, 1816, the second battalion
embarked from Malta, for the Ionian Islands, where it
was stationed during the following seventeen months.
The first battalion remained at Cawnpore during
the whole of this year.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 79
In the mean time the resistance made by a powerful 1817
Hindoo Zemindar, or landholder, who possessed the
town and fort of Hatrass, in the province of Agra, occa-
sioned the regiment once more to take the field in
India, in the beginning of 1817. This Zemindar was
named Dyaram; during the troubles in the province of
Agra, he only paid his rents when threatened with a
large military force, and in the year 1803, when the
country between the rivers Jumna and Ganges, called
the Dooab, was taken possession of by the British, he
expressed himself willing to pay his assessment, but
objected to any interference in what he called his terri-
tory. This was not agreed to, but he was not then
molested. His refusing to acknowledge the authority
of the civil law, afterwards rendered it necessary to
bring him to obedience by force of arms, and he had
the presumption to defy the British power. To reduce
this refractory Zemindar, a body of troops was placed
under Major-General Sir Dyson Marshall, and the first
battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment took part in
the enterprise. The fortified town of Hatrass was
reputed of great strength, and w r hen the troops arrived
before it, in February, 18l7 } some inquiry was made
respecting the depth of the ditch, which a soldier of the
FOURTEENTH, volunteered to ascertain, and fastening
a large stone to the end of a cord, he proceeded alone
after dark, and gained the necessary information, with
a cool intrepidity, exposed to such great danger, as
created great surprise. The fire of the batteries soon
forced the town to submit, when it was taken posses-
sion of by Lieutenant-Colonel Watson, and the FOUR-
TEENTH; but the castle held out several days; at length
the principal magazine exploded, and during the fol-
lowing night the refractory Dyaram escaped at the head
of a hundred horsemen all in complete armour. The
castle was afterwards taken possession of without oppo-
80 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1817 sition; and this was followed by the submission of all
the zemindars of the Dooab. After the performance of
this service the FOURTEENTH returned to Cawnpore,
where they remained several months.
The second battalion embarked from Cephalonia in
the autumn of this year, and proceeded to Malta, where
it remained a few days. The peace of Europe appear-
ing to be established upon a firm basis, a reduction in
the army took place, which occasioned the second bat-
talion to receive orders to return to England for the
purpose of being disbanded; it landed at Portsmouth
on the 24th and 25th of November, and was reduced at
Chichester on the 23rd of December, transferring four
hundred and twenty rank and file to the first battalion.
The aggressions of the bands of Pindarees, who
made incursions into the territory subject to Great
Britain, and committed great depredations, occasioned
the regiment to be again called into the field in Oc-
tober of this year. Colonel Watson having received
the appointment of Brigadier-General, and been nomi-
nated to a command under Major-General Sir Dyson
Marshall, the command of the regiment devolved on
Major Johnstone. The Pindarees were a community
of professed marauders, and they were encouraged to
make ravages in the British dominions in India, by the
Mahratta states. Being all horsemen subsisting by
plunder, the services of the corps employed against
them were of an arduous and trying character : tra-
versing extensive districts by forced marches, passing
rivers and thickets, and attempting to surprise these
bands of plunderers, were duties calculated to exhaust
the strength of European soldiers, when performed
under an Indian sun. The regiment continued actively
1818 employed on these services until April, 1818, when it
proceeded to the military cantonment of Meerut.
1819 At the pleasant quarters of Meerut, situated on an
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 81
extensive grass plain, the regiment was stationed during 1819
the seven following years, and it preserved a high repu-
tation for good conduct in quarters, while employed in
this part of India. Events,, however, occurred in 1825, 1825
which occasioned it to take the field, when it had
another opportunity of gaining laurels in combat with
the enemies of Great Britain, under the following cir-
cumstances :
The Rajah of Bhurtpore, Baldeo Singh, had become
attached to the English government, with which he
formed an alliance, offensive and defensive, and pro-
cured a guarantee for the succession of his youthful son,
Bhulwunt Singh, to the throne; but amongst many of
the rajah's subjects, a strong feeling of hostility to the
British existed, particularly in the army, and his
nephew, Doorjun Sal, was at the head of the party
opposed to the British alliance. After the rajah's
decease his nephew excited a rebellion, gained posses-
sion of the capital, and assumed the sovereign power.
To fulfil the engagements made with the deceased rajah,
by removing the usurper, and placing the youthful
prince on the throne, a British army was assembled
under General Viscount Combermere, and in November,
1825, the FOURTEENTH Foot, mustering upwards of
nine hundred officers and soldiers, were withdrawn from
Meerut, to join the division assembling at Muttra, for
the purpose of engaging in this enterprise. The most
important part of this war, it was well known, would
consist in the siege of the capital, the fortified city of
Bhurtpore; and great confidence being placed by the
natives in the strength of this place, from which a
British army under Lord Lake had been forced to retire
in 1805, after a short siege, a body of troops was assem-
bled, and a train of artillery brought forward, such as
have seldom taken the field in Indian warfare. The
FOURTEENTH, commanded by Major Matthias Everard,
82 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1825 were formed in brigade with the Twenty-third and
Sixty-third Regiments of Native Infantry, under Lieu-
tenant-Colonel John M'Combe, of the FOURTEENTH,
who had the rank of brigadier-general; Lieutenant-
Colonel W. T. Edwards, of the FOURTEENTH Regiment,
also commanded a brigade, with the rank of brigadier-
general.
On the 10th and llth of December the British army
appeared before the celebrated city and fortress of
BHURTPORE, which contained a garrison nearly equal
in numbers to the besieging force. The Bhurtporees
had cut a sluice into the embankment of a lake near the
town, to fill the ditch round the works with water, but
they were speedily driven from the spot; the sluice was
stopped, the embankment was turned into a military
post, which was intrusted to a company of the FOUR-
TEENTH Foot, and some Sepoys: about eighteen inches
of water, only, had flowed into the ditch, and this sud-
den seizure of the embankment facilitated the progress of
the siege by keeping the ditch nearly empty. The seve-
ral corps took up their ground; the investment became
complete, several reconnoisances were made, and work-
ing parties cut down orange and date trees from the
groves, and converted them into fascines and gabions.
At an early hour on the morning of the 24th of Decem-
ber the fires of two batteries were opened on the town;
additional works were constructed, the batteries became
more numerous, and the siege was prosecuted Avith
vigour; each successive day giving birth to fresh under-
takings, and the progress, though tardy, becoming
hourly more and more perceptible. It was, however,
found particularly difficult to effect practicable breaches
in the singularly constructed walls of Bhurtpore, which
were thickly studded, in many places, with large trees
of a peculiarly tough description of timber, which
resisted shot with remarkable pertinacity. The
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 83
process of mining was adopted, several explosions 1825
took place, and the result soon rendered it evident to
every one present that the horrors of an assault were
drawing near. The Bhurtporees, however, evinced great
bravery and perseverance, exposing themselves to the
fire of the besieging force with singular resolution ; they
built up in the night the works which were knocked
down during the day, labouring under a ceaseless fire,
and evincing a firm determination to persevere in the
defence. The roar of cannon and musketry continued
day and night like a ceaseless peal of thunder; and the
explosions of the mines deafened, for an instant, all who
were near the place.
Considerable progress having been made towards 1826
effecting practicable breaches, the FOURTEENTH Regi-
ment received orders to prepare to lead one of the
attacks at the storming of this celebrated fortress, and
at two o'clock on the morning of the 18th of January,
1826, it marched to the front opposite the left bastion,
to await the explosion of a mine. The FOURTEENTH
and FIFTY-NINTH Regiments had the honour of being
selected to head the two attacks, and they were directed
to wheel as soon as they had entered the breaches, one
to the right and the other to the left, and, continuing
their career round the ramparts, to drive the enemy
before them till they met. Some delay occurred in the
mine, and the soldiers stood seven hours anxiously
waiting for the moment to commence the assault, du-
ring which time the thunder of the artillery was tre-
mendous. General Lord Combermere arrived at the
spot where the FOURTEENTH were formed, and seeing
the mouth of the mine near, he anxiously enquired
if all was safe, to which the engineer replied in the
affirmative. His lordship returned soon afterwards,
and repeated the question, when he was again assured
that all was safe. In a few minutes afterwards the
84 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1826 bastion, beneath which the mine had been formed,
heaved, as if by the power of an earthquake ; the pon-
derous wall rocked to and fro, and then sunk down
again, when, with a sound far exceeding the loudest
thunder, the exploding mine rent the massive bastion
into fragments, forcing stones, logs of wood, guns,
men, and earth, into the air, with a violence which it is
impossible to describe, and filling the atmosphere for a
considerable distance with so dense a cloud of smoke,
dust, and fragments of the ruined bastion, that it was
difficult to breathe. Brigadier M f Combe was stunned,
and several soldiers of the FOURTEENTH were injured
by the falling fragments and bursting mine. As soon
as the tremendous crash was over, the soldiers rushed
through the cloud of smoke and dust, and began to
ascend the breach, led by Majors Everard and Bisshopp ;
they encountered some opposition, but nothing could
withstand the bayonets of the Grenadiers of the FOUR-
TEENTH, their valour soon overpowered all resistance,
and the regiment gained the summit with little loss.
The native corps appointed to support the regiment
not being near, a short pause ensued, when the enemy
opened a heavy fire from the buildings near the breach.
Undaunted by this, the FOURTEENTH dashed forward,
cleared the walls as they went, and, turning to the
right, they drove the enemy from bastion to bastion,
and from tower to tower, with astonishing intrepidity
and success, capturing a colour which was on one of
the bastions. The enemy sprang a mine, which killed
several soldiers of the regiment; the Bhurtpore artil-
lerymen fought with great desperation, and the de-
fenders of the walls evinced much personal bravery,
but they could not withstand the superior prowess and
discipline of the British troops.
As the FOURTEENTH were scouring the ramparts,
and overcoming all opposition in gallant style, they
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 85
arrived at the Anah gate, where they met the soldiers 1826
of the FIFTY-NINTH, who had turned to the left at the
breach, and proved victorious over every opponent ; it
was a moment of intense interest, and a scene of glo-
rious emotions : BHUBTPORE was won ! the stain of a
former repulse was wiped from the British arms, and
they hailed each other with a hearty and cordial
cheer.
The light company of the FOURTEENTH, which
mounted the breach with the grenadiers, pursued, with
other troops, a body of the enemy towards the citadel,
which they nearly entered with the fugitives ; four hun-
dred Bhurtporees were shut out, and bayonetted at
the gate. The citadel surrendered a few hours after-
wards ; the commander-in-chief entered it at the head
of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, which he placed in
garrison, as a compliment to the corps for its extra-
ordinary gallantry : thus was accomplished the capture
of this celebrated city, which was regarded throughout
the East as impregnable, the natives being accustomed
to remark that India was not subdued, because Bhurt-
pore had not fallen. That boast was rendered futile,
and every native prince had a clear evidence that neither
the number of his troops, nor the strength of his for-
tresses, would avail against the superior valour and
discipline of the British forces.
The usurper, Doorjun Sal, was captured while at-
tempting to escape, and was sent prisoner to Allaha-
bad ; the young Rajah, Bhulwunt Singh, was taken to
the palace of his ancestors, and seated on the throne,
in the presence of the FOURTEENTH REGIMENT; and
the other towns of his dominions submitted. Thus
was the cloud which darkened the horizon of British
India dispersed, and the splendour of the British arms
received additional lustre in the East. Lord Comber-
mere stated in his public despatch, " I have the plea-
86 HISTORICAL, RECORD OF
1826 " sure to acquaint your lordship, that the conduct of
" every one engaged was marked by a degree of zeal
"which calls for my unqualified approbation; but I
"must particularly remark the behaviour of His Ma-
jesty's FOURTEENTH Regiment, commanded by
" Major EVERARD, and FIFTY-NINTH, commanded by
"Major FULLER; these corps having led the columns
" of assault, by their steadiness and determination de-
" cided the fate of the day."
In division orders it was stated, " Major-General
" Reynell congratulates the troops of his division, Eu-
" ropean and Native, engaged in the storming of Bhurt-
" pore this morning, upon the brilliant success which
" attended their gallant exertions. It is impossible for
" him to convey half what he feels in appreciating the
" conduct of His Majesty's FOURTEENTH Regiment,
" that led the principal storming column. It has im-
" pressed his mind with stronger notions of what a
" British Regiment is capable of, when led by such
" officers as Major Everard, Major Bisshopp, and Cap-
" tain Mackenzie, than he ever before possessed. The
" Major- General requests that Major Everard will as-
" sure the officers and soldiers of the FOURTEENTH
" Regiment, that they more than realized his expecta-
" tions."
Lieutenant-Colonel W. T. Edwards, of the FOUR-
TEENTH, an officer of high character and lofty promise,
fell at the head of the second brigade, pierced by many
wounds ; Captain Henry B. Armstrong was also mor-
tally wounded while leading his men to victory on the
ramparts. The regiment had likewise two Serjeants,
twenty-nine rank and file, and three Lascars, killed;
Lieutenant-Colonel John M^Combe, Lieutenants Ri-
chard Stack, Robert Daly, and Edward C. Lynch,
Volunteer W. Tulloh, two Serjeants, ninety-eight rank
and file, and three Lascars, wounded.
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 8?
Colonel John M'Combe*, who commanded the first 1826
brigade, and Major Matthias Everard, who commanded
the regiment, were rewarded with the dignity of Com-
panion of the Bath ; and the Royal authority was after-
wards given for the word " BHUBTPOBE " to be borne
on the regimental colour,, to commemorate its gallantry
on this occasion.
The war having terminated, the regiment returned
to the cantonment of Meerut, where it was stationed
upwards of six months.
General Sir Harry Calvert, Baronet, G.C.B., died
in September, 1826, when King George IV. conferred
the colonelcy of the regiment on General Thomas Lord
Lynedoch, G.C.B.
The regiment left Meerut in October; it subse-
quently embarked in boats, and, after a tedious passage
down the river Ganges, arrived at Fort William in the
beginning of 1827; and was stationed at that fortress 1827
twelve months.
Early in 1828 the regiment quitted Fort William, 1828
and proceeded to the cantonment at Berhampore, where
it was stationed during the year 1829. 1829
After performing the important duty of guarding 1830
the colonial possessions of Great Britain in India
twenty-three years, the FOURTEENTH Regiment re-
ceived orders to prepare to return to England ; it left
Berhampore in November, and proceeded to Fort Wil-
liam ; the men who volunteered to remain in India
were transferred to other corps; and in December,
1830, and January, 1831, it embarked from Calcutta 1831
for England. It landed at Gravesend in May and
July, was stationed at Chatham until September,
and at Albany Barracks during the remainder of the
year.
* Colonel John M'Combe died at Calcutta on the 12th October,
1828.
88 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1832 In the early part of 1832, the regiment was sta-
tioned at Haslar Barracks, from whence it proceeded to
Portsmouth, where it remained five months. In the
middle of July it embarked for Ireland, and after land-
ing at Cork, marched from thence to Buttevant.
1833 In 1833 the head-quarters were removed to Ath-
1834 lone; in 1834 to Dublin, and afterwards to Mullingar.
General Lord Lynedoch having been removed to
the First, the Royal, Regiment of Foot, King William
IV. conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Lieu-
tenant-General the Honorable Sir Charles Colville,
G.C.B., G.C.H., by commission, dated the 12th of
December, 1834. This officer was removed to the
1835 Fifth Fusiliers in March, 1835, and was succeeded in
the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Regiment by Lieu-
tenant- General Sir Alexander Hope, G.C.B., who, as
lieutenant-colonel, commanded the regiment in 1795.
The head-quarters were removed to Dundalk in the
summer of 1835.
1836 Five years had not elapsed from the period of the
return of the regiment from India, when it received
orders to prepare for embarkation for the West Indies.
It was divided into six service and four depot compa-
nies; the service companies embarked from Cork in
February, 1836, arrived, in March, at Barbadoes, and
were removed, in April, to the island of St. Kittys.
1837 In February, 1837> the service companies were re-
moved to Antigua.
On the 19th of May, General the Honorable Sir
Alexander Hope, G.C.B., Lieutenant Governor of the
Royal Hospital at Chelsea, died, and was succeeded in
the colonelcy by Lieutenant-General Sir James Watson,
K.C.B., who had commanded the regiment in India,
as lieutenant-colonel, from the year 1807 to 1821, when
he was promoted to the rank of major-general.
In June the depot companies embarked from Water-
THE FOURTEENTH FOOT. 89
ford for England, and, landing at Bristol, proceeded 1837
from thence to Brecon.
During the year 1838, the service companies re- 1838
mained at Antigua.
The distinguished services of the FOURTEENTH
Regiment in India, from 1807 to 1831, having been,
at the special request of Lieutenant-General Sir James
Watson, brought before Her Majesty by the Com-
mander-in-Chief, the Royal authority was given for the
badge of the " ROYAL TIGER," superscribed " INDIA,"
to be borne upon the regimental colour and appoint-
ments, to commemorate its services in that part of Her
Majesty's dominions.
In December* orders were received for the removal
of the service companies from Antigua to St. Lucia,
where they arrived in the beginning of January, 1839 : 1839
in April, 1840, they proceeded to Barbadoes, and in 1840
June to Trinidad. They suffered severely on these
stations from yellow fever and other effects of a tropical
climate.
The depot companies proceeded from England to
Ireland in June, 1840.
The regiment remained at Trinidad until the early 1841
part of 1841, when it was removed to Barbadoes. On
the 27th of April it embarked from Barbadoes for
Lower Canada, and landed at Quebec on the 2nd of
June following.
The depot companies were removed from Ireland to 1845
England, in December, 1844; and the service com-
panies have remained in Canada until the year 1845,
the period of the completion of this Record.
* A brigantine, having on board the head-quarters of the regi-
ment, with six officers, one hundred and eight soldiers, and thirty
women, under Lieut.-Colonel Everard, C.B., K.H., was wrecked on
the rocks off Guadaloupe, before daylight on Christmas day; but the
inhabitants came to their aid in boats, and no lives were lost.
14. G
90 RECORD OF THE FOURTEENTH FOOT.
1845 Among the splendid achievements of valour with
which the annals of the British army abound, the
gallant behaviour of the FOURTEENTH FOOT, on se-
veral occasions, appears conspicuous for those bright
qualities of intrepidity and heroism which distinguish
the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland when
arrayed under the standard of their Sovereign ; and the
conduct of this corps in quarters has been marked by
those excellent features of order, subordination, and
discipline, which adorn the character of the British
soldier, procuring for him the admiration of the in-
habitants of all countries. The inscriptions on the
colour of the regiment bear testimony of the estima-
tion in which its services have been held by its Sove-
reign; and the reports of the general officers, under
whom it has served, have procured for it the confidence
of the Government and the Country.
14th Regiment of Foot.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE FOURTEENTH,
OR
BUCKINGHAM REGIMENT
OF
FOOT.
SIR EDWARD HALES, BAKONET.
Appointed 22nd June, 1685.
THIS officer was the son of Sir Edward Hales, of "Woodchurch,
in the county of Kent, who was a distinguished loyalist in
the reigns of Charles I. and Charles II., and being forced
to flee from England for his loyal attempts during the rebel-
lion, he died in France a few years after the restoration in.
1660.
EDWARD HALES succeeded, on the decease of his father, to
the family estate at Woodchurch, and to the dignity of a
Baronet; and when the Court began to evince a disposition
to favour Papacy, he changed his religion from Protestant
to Roman Catholic. He was in great favour with King
James II., and having raised a company of foot for the
service of that monarch, in June, 1685, he was appointed
colonel of a regiment, which is now the FOURTEENTH FOOT.
He was also constituted a member of the privy council, on&
of the lords of the Admiralty, deputy governor of the cinque,
ports, and lieutenant-governor of the Tower of London.
Being unable, from his religion, to take the required oaths on
appointment to the colonelcy of his regiment, he was prose-
02
92 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
cuted and convicted at Rochester assizes; but he moved the
case to the Court of King's Bench, pleaded the King's dis-
pensation and had judgment in his behalf: eleven out of the
twelve judges being of opinion that the King might dispense
in that case.
SIB EDWARD HALES was in the King's confidence; and
at the Revolution, in 1688, he was employed to make
arrangements for His Majesty's flight to France. On the
night of the ]0th of December, Sir Edward, with the
quarter-master of his regiment, Edward Syng*, quitted
Whitehall Palace with the King proceeded in a hackney
coach to Horse-ferry, crossed the Thames in a boat, and con-
tinued their flight in disguise to Feversham, where they went
on board of the Custom-House hoy, designing to cross the
channel to France; but they were suspected of being Popish
priests, and were apprehended on board the vessel by the
country people. The King being afterwards recognised, he
was induced to return to London; but he subsequently
escaped from Rochester and proceeded to France. Sir
Edward Hales attempted to conceal himself, to escape the
fury of the populace, who were enraged against him for
changing his religion, and at the time he was apprehended at
Feversham the country people were plundering his house,
killing his deer, and wantonly destroying his property in
Kent.
He was detained in custody, and afterwards confined in
the Tower of London for eighteen months; on his release he
proceeded to France, and he was at La Hogue ready to
embark for England when Admiral Russel defeated the
French fleet. His eldest son served in King James's army
in Ireland, and was killed at the battle of the Boyne.
While in France, Sir Edward Hales 'was created by King
James, EARL OF TENTERDEN, in Kent. He died in France
in 1695, and was buried in the church of St. Sulpice in
Paris.
* Vide King James's own account of this circumstance, in
Doctor Clarke's life of that monarch.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 93
WILLIAM BEVERTDCE.
Appointed 31st December, 1688.
WILLIAM BEVERIDGE served under the Prince of Orange
in the Netherlands, in one of the British regiments in the
service of the States-General of Holland; and at the Revolu-
tion, in ] 688, His Highness promoted him to the colonelcy of
the FOURTEENTH Regiment of Foot. He commanded the
regiment nearly four years; and was killed in a duel with
one of his captains, on the 14th of November, 1692.
JOHN TIDCOMB.
Appointed I4tk November, 1692.
THIS officer entered the army in the reign of King James
II., and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Thirteenth
Foot, on the 31st of December, 1688. He served under
Major-General Mackay in Scotland, and displayed great
gallantry at the battle of Killicrankie : he also served under
King William III., in Ireland, and was at the battle of the
Boyne. He returned to England soon afterwards; but ac-
companied the expedition to Ireland, under Lieutenant-General
the Earl of Marlborough, (afterwards the celebrated John
Duke of Marlborough,) and was at the capture of Cork and
Kinsale, and also in- several skirmishes. His excellent con-
duct on all occasions was rewarded with the colonelcy of the
FOURTEENTH Foot, in 1692: he afterwards served in the
Netherlands, was at the battle of Landen, and was engaged
in the siege of Namur. He was promoted to the rank of
brigadier-general, in 1703; to that of major-general, on the
1st of January, 1704; and to lieutenant-general, on the 1st
of January, 1707. He died at Bath, in June, 1713.
JASPER CLAYTON.
Appointed }5t/t June, 1713.
JASPER CLAYTON obtained a commission in the army on
the 24th of June, 1695, and afterwards acquired great cele-
94 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
brity as a gallant and meritorious officer. He served under
King William until the peace of Eyswick, in 1697. He also
served under the great Duke of Marlborough, in the reign of
Queen Anne; and was appointed lieutenant- colonel of the
Eleventh Foot, with which he served in Spain. His regi-
ment suffered severely at the battle of Almanza, in 1707? and
he returned with it to England in 1708, to recruit. In 1709,
he served in Flanders, and distinguished himself at the siege
of Mons, \vhere he was wounded*. He also served at the
forcing of the French lines, in 1710, and was rewarded with
the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment of foot, on the 8th
of December of that year. In 1711 he served in the dis-
astrous expedition against Quebec, and his regiment had three
officers and seventy-one soldiers drowned in the river St.
Lawrence, then called the river of Canada.
At the peace of Utrecht, in 1713, his regiment was dis-
banded; and in June of the same year, he was appointed
colonel of the FOURTEENTH Foot. He served in Scotland
under the Duke of Argyle, during the rebellion of the Earl of
Mar, and commanded a brigade at the battle of Dumblain, ou
the 13th of November, 1715. He was subsequently ap-
pointed lieutenant-governor of Gibraltar; he commanded the
troops in that fortress when it was besieged by the Spaniards,
in 1727, and his conduct in the successful defence of that
important place, called forth the approbation of his sovereign
and country. The rank of major-general was conferred on
this excellent officer, on the 2nd of November, 1735; and
that of lieutenant-general, on the 2nd of July, 1739. In
1743, he served under King George II. in Germany; and
highly distinguished himself at the battle of Dettingen, on
the 16th of June in that year. He was killed as he was
giving orders for the artillery to play upon the bridge as the
French retreated, and his fall was equally regretted by his
sovereign, the officers, and soldiers of the army. He was
interred with military honors in the chapel of Prince George
of Hesse, at Hanau.
Vide the Record of the Eleventh Foot.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 95
JOSEPH PRICE.
Appointed 22nd June, 1743.
JOSEPH PRICE obtained a commission of ensign in a regi-
ment of foot in 1706; and subsequently rose to the rank of
captain and lieutenant-colonel in the First Foot Guards. In
January, 1741, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Fifty-
seventh (now Forty-sixth) regiment, which was then first
raised ; and in 1 743 he was removed to the FOURTEENTH Foot.
He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general on the 6th
of June, 1 745, During the campaign of 1747> he commanded
a brigade of infantry in the Netherlands, under His Royal
Highness the Duke of Cumberland. At the battle of Val,
on the 2nd of July of that year, he highly distinguished
himself. His brigade was posted in the village of Val, and
his gallantry during the action was commended by the Duke
of Cumberland in his public despatch. He died in Novem-
ber of the same year, at Breda, in Holland.
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM HERBERT.
Appointed 1st December, 1747-
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM HERBERT, fifth son of Tho-
mas, eighth Earl of Pembroke, and father of Henry, first
Earl of Caernarvon, was appointed to a commission in the
army on the 1st of May, 1722. He was promoted on the
15th December, 1738, to the commission of captain and lieu-
tenant-colonel in the First Foot Guards; and in December,
1747, to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Foot. In January,
1753, he was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards. He
was subsequently advanced to the rank of major-general : he
was groom of the bedchamber to King George II., and a
member of parliament for Wilton, in Wiltshire. He died on
the 31st of March, 1757-
96 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
EDWARD BRADDOCK.
Appointed }^th February ', ]753.
EDWARD BRADDOCK was appointed ensign in the Second
Foot Guards on the llth October, 1710; lieutenant of the
grenadier company in 1716*; captain and lieutenant-colonel
in 1736; major in 1743; and was promoted to the lieutenant-
colonelcy of the same regiment on the 21st of November,
1745. In 1753 he was appointed to the colonelcy of the
FOURTEENTH Foot; in the following year he was promoted
major-general, and sent with a body of troops to North
America; and in 1755 he was commander-in-chief in that
country. Having completed arrangements for opening the
campaign against the French, who had made aggressions on
the British territory, he took the field with a body of regular
troops, provincials, and Indians; and on the 9th of July,
while marching with twelve hundred men through the woods
towards Fort du Quesne, he was suddenly attacked by a
body of French and Indians, who had concealed themselves
behind the trees and bushes, and his men were put into some
confusion. " He exerted himself to remedy this disaster as
" much as man could do, and, after having had five horses
"killed under him, he was shot through the arm and through
" the lungs, of which he died four days afterwardst."
THOMAS FOWKE.
Appointed l*2th November, 1755.
THIS officer had been upwards of fifty years in the army
when he was appointed to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH
Foot, his first commission being dated the 25th of May, 1705.
After serving the Crown fifteen years, he was promoted to
* On the 26th of May, 1718, lie fought a duel iu Hyde Park with
sword and pistol, with Colonel Waller,
f- London Gazette.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. $7
the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons, by commis-
sion dated the 25th of June, 1720. In January, 1741, he
was promoted to the colonelcy of the Fifty -fourth (now Forty-
third) regiment, which was then first raised; and in August
of the same year he was removed to the Second, or Queen's
Royal regiment. His commissions of general omcer were
dated, brigadier-general, 1st June, 1745; major-general,
18th of September, 1747; and lieutenant-general, 30th of
April, 1754. He was governor of Gibraltar in 1756, when
the island of Minorca, which was then subject to the British
Crown, was attacked by the French; and having disobeyed
the directions, which he received from the Secretary at War,
to send a reinforcement to that island, he was tried by a
general court-martial, and sentenced to be suspended for nine
months; but the King, George II., directed that he should be
dismissed from the service.
CHARLES JEFFERIES.
Appointed ^th September ', 1756.
AFTER a progressive service in the subordinate commis-
sions, this officer was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the
FOURTEENTH Foot on the 12th of September, 1745, and in
February following he was removed to the Thirty-fourth regi-
ment. In January, 1 756, he was promoted to colonel-com-
mandant of a battalion of the Sixty-second Royal American
regiment, now the Sixtieth, or King's Royal Rifle Corps. At
this period he was with the Thirty-fourth regiment at the
island of Minorca, which was soon afterwards attacked by
the French, and he signalized himself in the defence of Port
Mahon, particularly in repulsing an attack on the place by
storm, on which occasion he was taken prisoner. His gal-
lantry was shortly afterwards rewarded with the colonelcy
of the FOURTEENTH regiment. He was promoted to the
rank of major-general on the 27th of June, 1759. He died
in 1765.
98 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM KEPPEL.
Appointed 31st May, 1765.
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM KEPPEL, fourth son of Wil-
liam-Anne, second Earl of Albemarle, was appointed captain
and lieutenant-colonel in the First Foot Guards on the 28th
of April, 1750; and gentleman of the horse to His Majesty
King George II. in December, 1752. On the 21st of July,
1760, he was promoted to second major, with the rank of
colonel, in the First Foot Guards; and in December of the fol-
lowing year, to the colonelcy of the Fifty-sixth Foot. In tho
succeeding spring he proceeded with his regiment on an ex-
pedition against the Havannah, with the local rank of major-
general. In August the Havannah capitulated, when he
took possession of the fort La Punta; and being afterwards
left commander-in-chief at that station, he re-delivered the
city to the Spaniards according to the conditions of the Treaty
of Peace in 1763. He was promoted to the rank of major-
general on the 10th of July, 1762; was removed from the
colonelcy of the Fifty-sixth to the FOURTEENTH Foot in 1765;
and was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general in May,
177^- In 1773 he was appointed commander-in-chief in
Ireland. In 1775 he was removed to the colonelcy of the
Twelfth Dragoons. He was several years a representative in
parliament for the borough of Windsor. His decease occurred
on the 1st of March, 1782.
ROBERT CUNNINGHAME.
Appointed ISth October, 1775.
THIS officer served several years in the Thirty-fifth Foot,
in which regiment he rose to the rank of captain in December,
1752. He was soon afterwards appointed adjutant -general
in Ireland, which office he held for many years. He was pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1757; to that of
colonel in 1762; and to the colonelcy of the Fifty-eighth
Regiment in 1767- In 1772 he was advanced to the rank of
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS, 99
major-general ; three years afterwards he was removed to the
command of the FOURTEENTH Foot; and in August, 1777, he
was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. On the 4th
of April, 1787, he was removed to the colonelcy of the Fifth,
Royal Irish, Dragoons, and he was advanced to the rank of
general in 1793. He died in 1797.
JOHN DOUGLAS.
Appointed April 4th, 1787.
JOHN DOUGLAS was many years an officer in the Scots'
Greys, with which corps he served several campaigns in the
Netherlands previously to the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in
1748-9. He also served with his regiment in Germany,
under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, from 1759 to 1762,
distinguishing himself on several occasions; and on the 14th
of November, 1770, he was promoted to the lieutenant colo-
nelcy of the regiment (the Greys). In 177^ he was appointed
Aide-de-Camp to the King, with the rank of colonel in the
army; in February, 1779, he was promoted to the rank of
major-general; and in April of the same year he obtained the
colonelcy of the Twenty-first Light Dragoons, which corps
was then first embodied. His regiment was disbanded at the
conclusion of the American war in 1783; and in 1787 he
obtained the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Foot; he was also
promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the same year.
In 1789 he was removed to the colonelcy of the Fifth Dragoon
Guards, which he retained until his decease in 1790.
GEORGE EARL WALDEGRATE.
Appointed 2Jth August, 1789.
VISCOUNT CHEWTON was appointed ensign in the Third
Foot Guards on the 10th of May, 1768; lieutenant and captain
on the 12th of August, 1773; and captain-lieutenant and
lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot Guards in 1778. In the
following year he was appointed lieutenant-colonel command-
100 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
ing the Eighty-seventh Foot, then first raised; and in 1782 he
was promoted to the rank of colonel. He succeeded, on the
decease of his father, in 1784, to the dignity of EARL WALDE-
GRAVE; and was also appointed master of the horse to the
Queen, and aide-de-camp to the King. In August, 1 789, he
was appointed colonel of the FOURTEENTH Foot. He died
about six weeks afterwards.
GEORGE HOTHAM.
Appointed 18th November, 1789.
GEORGE HOTHAM procured the appointment of ensign in
the First Foot Guards on the 14th of May, 1759; he was pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant and captain in 17t>5; and to
that of captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1775. In 1781 he
was appointed aide-de-camp to the King, with the rank of
colonel in the army; and in 1789 he obtained the colonelcy
of the FOURTEENTH Foot. His commissions of general officer
were dated, major-general, 28th of April, 1790, lieutenant-
general, 26th of January, 1797, and general, 29th of April,
1802. He died in 1806.
SIR HARRY CALVERT, BARONET, G.C.B.
Appointed 8tk February, 1806.
SIR HARRY CALVERT, Baronet, was appointed second
lieutenant inthe Twenty-third, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, in April,
1778; he was several months at the Royal Military College at
Woolwich, and proceeding to North America in the following
year, he joined his regiment, which was then employed on
the outpost duty of the army. In December, 1779, he
served with his regiment in the expedition, under Lieutenant-
General Sir Henry Clinton, to South Carolina, and was at the
siege and capture of Charlestown. He afterwards served
under the Marquis Cornwallis, and shared in all the diffi-
culties, dangers, and privations, in the campaigns of the
southern provinces, until the siege of York Town, when the
SUCCESSION OP COLONELS. 101
Marquis Cornwallis was forced to surrender, with the troops
under his command, to General Washington. He remained
a prisoner of war from October, 1781, until the peace hi
17^3, when he proceeded with his regiment to New York.
In the early part of 1784 he returned to England, when he
procured permission to pass the remainder of the year on the
Continent. In October, 1786, he purchased the command of a
company in his regiment, with which he did duty until the
spring of 1790, when he exchanged into the Coldstream
Guards. On the breaking out of the war of the French
revolution, in 1793, he proceeded with the brigade of Foot
Guards, commanded by Major- General (afterwards Lord)
Lake, to Holland, and when the Duke of York assumed the
command of the British and Hanoverian troops in Flanders,
Captain Calvert was nominated one of His Royal Highness's
aides-de-camp. After serving in this capacity until the
surrender of Valenciennes, he was sent to England with the
account of that event, on which occasion King George III.
was pleased to confer on him the rank of major. He ob-
tained the rank of lieutenant-colonel in December, 1793, by
the purchase of a company in the Coldstream Guards. He
served with the allied army during the year 1794, and
returned to England on the recal of the British troops early
in 1795. In May of that year he was employed on a con-
fidential mission to the court of Berlin; and in 1796 he
was appointed Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces: he
obtained the rank of colonel in June 1797, find in 1799 he
was appointed to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Sixty-third
Regiment.
On the 9th of January, 1799, His Majesty was pleased
to appoint Colonel CALVERT to the important situation of
ADJUTANT-GENERAL TO THE FORCES, in which capacity he
was enabled to perform important and valuable services
to the crown and to the country, during one of the most
eventful periods in the history of Great Britain. In August,
1800 he was nominated to the colonelcy of the Fifth West
India regiment; in 1803 he was promoted to the rank of
major-general; in 1806 he was removed to the FOURTEENTH
Foot, and in 1810 he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-
general.
102 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
At the period of his appointment to the high and im-
portant station of Adjutant-General of the Forces, the want
of efficient regulations, and of an adherence to a system
founded on principles calculated to promote the advan-
tage of every branch of service, was felt by all persons
called upon to take a part in the concerns of the army, and
serious inconvenience was experienced from the absence of
such a system by His Royal Highness the Duke of York,
who, at two different periods, had to contend against powerful
continental armies, with troops, though eminently brave, and
endued with the true spirit of their profession, yet not formed
upon sound general principles of discipline. His Royal
Highness, being appointed Commander-in-Chief, applied him-
self with great diligence to the correction of abuses, and to
the improvement of the condition of the army in every
particular: and his efforts, which were honoured with the
encouragement and approbation of His Majesty, were ably
seconded by his staff officers, who were judiciously selected to
carry his views into effect; the ultimate accomplishment of
these objects reflected the highest credit on those who planned,
and on those who executed measures which have conduced to
the safety and glory of the United Kingdom and of its
numerous colonial possessions. Among these officers, SIR
HARRY OALVERT held a distinguished station. As Adjutant-
General, the discipline, equipment, and efficiency of the army
came under his superintendence, and to improve and perfect
these, he devoted his best energies and unwearied attention.
The general orders of the army, in the successive editions which
were brought forward from the year ] 799? afford abundant
proofs of the value of his labours, in the numerous and
excellent regulations made fiom time to time for the better
government of the army. In the clothing, messing, equipment,
and every other branch of the interior economy, improvements
were introduced to promote the health and comfort of the
soldier, and the efficiency of corps; and the establishment
of confidential inspection reports facilitated the accomplishment
of these objects, by furnishing the Commander-in-Chief, and
the authorities under him, with the means of forming a cor-
rect judgment of the state of each corps in all its details,
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 103
of correcting what was wrong, of supplying what was de-
ficient, and of ascertaining the merits and capabilities of the
officers. The energies of his mind were also directed to the
improvement of the morale, as well as to ameliorate the ma-
teriel of the army. Being a man of high and sensitive honor
himself, he wished to inspire all his brother officers with the
same sentiments, by impressing them with a just idea of
what they owed to themselves, both as individuals, and as
members of the profession of arms. Conscious that no man
can be truly respectable who does not respect himself, he was
always anxious to uphold and encourage this principle; in
accordance with which, he was particularly careful to afford
every officer charged with misconduct the fullest opportunity
of explanation, and, in conveying disapprobation or censure,
he avoided the use of terms calculated to affect the officer's
personal feelings, or to degrade him in his own estimation: his
verbal intercourse was conducted on the same principle.
Such was the kindness of his look and demeanour, and the
courtesy of his language, that it was impossible to offer him
any personal disrespect; and with whatever sentiments a
gentleman might have approached him in his official ca-
pacity, he could retire with those only of respect and esteem.
To the officers of his own department, who were in daily
intercourse with him, his orders were conveyed in the form
of requests; and the urbanity of his manners, tempered with
self-respect, ensured prompt and cheerful co-operation. Iri
so extensive a branch of the service, the preparation of many
documents was necessarily confided to assistants, and the
alterations which suggested themselves to his refined dis-
crimination, were proposed with delicacy, a trait of cha-
racter grateful to the feelings of his subordinates, and re-
membered with emotions of respect constantly increased by
continued intercourse. In 1807, when the recruiting of the
army was placed under his superintendence, he applied him-
self successfully to the improvement of that branch of the
service. He interested himself in the Royal Military Asy-
lum, and in the establishment of regimental schools; the con-
dition of general hospitals also engaged his attention, he
visited them all in 1814, and suggested many improvements
104 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
in their conduct and management. The invalid and the pen-
sioner found a friend and protector in him, and the repre-
sentations of a discharged private soldier were received and
considered with the same care as those of the higher grades
of the service. In this, and in every other respect, he acted
in accordance with the desires of the DUKE OP YORK, whose
innate goodness of heart, and natural generosity and con-
descension, led him to promote and encourage every species
of kindness to the humblest members of the profession to
which he was so devotedly attached; and SIR HARRY CAL-
VERT was the faithful organ of His Royal Highness's bene-
volent intentions, delighting in the good he was thus enabled
to effect.
Having conducted, in conjunction with the able officers
associated with him in the other military departments, the
details of the British army, when it was on a scale of magni-
tude surpassing anything previously known, and through the
whole course of the most tremendous contest in which the
nation ever was engaged, and having witnessed victory
achieved, by the valour and discipline of the troops under
their matchless chief, with the glorious termination of the
war, he was rewarded with the dignity of BARONET, in
October, 1818; and in the beginning of the year 1820, he
retired from that high situation which he had so long and so
ably filled, carrying with him the cordial good wishes of every
rank. He had previously been appointed lieutenant-governor
of Chelsea Hospital; honored with the dignity of Grand
Cross of the Order of the Bath, and Grand Cross of the Royal
Hanoverian Guelphic Order; and in 1826, he was promoted
to the rank of general. He died suddenly of a fit of apoplexy,
while on a visit with his family at Claydon Hall, in Bucking-
hamshire, on the 3rd of September, 1826.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 105
THOMAS LORD LYNEDOCH.
Appointed 6th September, 1826.
THIS nobleman, whose services, when General Graham,
were of a most distinguished character, was removed to the
First, or Royal, Regiment of Foot, on the 12th of December,
1834, the colonelcy of which corps he retained to the period of
his decease, which took place on the 18th December, 1843.
THE HONORABLE SIR CHARLES COLVILLE, G.C.B.
and G.C.H.
Appointed 12tk December, 1834.
SIR CHARLES COLVILLE, whose distinguished services
during the late war are recorded in the history of Europe,
was removed to the colonelcy of the Fifth Regiment of Foot,
or Northumberland Fusiliers, on the 25th of March, 1835, in
succession to General Sir Henry Johnson, deceased. He died
on the 27th March, 1843.
THE HONORABLE SIR ALEXANDER HOPE, G.C.B.
Appointed 25th March, 1835.
THE HONORABLE ALEXANDER HOPE entered the army as
ensign in the Sixty-third Regiment, on the 6th of March,
1786, and after a service of upwards of thirteen years he was
promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH
Foot, on the 27th of August, 1794. He commanded the
regiment during its retreat through Holland, and in the
attack of the French post at Gueldermalsen, on the 8th of
January, 1795, he received a wound in the shoulder which
deprived him of the use of his right arm. He was appointed
governor of Tynemouth and Clifford's fort, in 1797; lieutenant-
governor of Edinburgh Castle, in 1798; and deputy adjutant-
general to the expedition to Holland, in 1799. He was pro-
14. H
106 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
moted to the rank of colonel in the army, on the 1st of January,
1800; and to the colonelcy of the Fifth West India Regiment,
on the 30th of October, 1806. In April, 1808, he was further
promoted to the rank of major-general. In April, 1 813, he was
removed to the colonelcy of the Forty-seventh Regiment; and
in June of the same year, he was advanced to the rank of lieu-
tenant-general. He obtained the rank of general, on the 22nd
of July, 1830; and the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Regiment,
in 1835. He was constituted a Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of the Bath : he was lieutenant-governor of the Royal
Hospital at Chelsea: he died on the 19th of May, 1837-
SIR JAMES WATSON, K.C.B.
Appointed 24th May, 1837.
LONDON: HARRISON AND Co., PRINTERS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE.
Sut&orttp*
Historical Records of the
British Army ;
A SERIES OP
Narratives of the Services of Regiments from
their Formation to the present Time.
PREPARED BY
Richard Cannon, Esq.,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE.
Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the valiant, the loyal, have always
been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has
produced a race of heroes, who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood " firm as
the rocks of their native shore ;" and when half the world has been arrayed against
them, they have fought the battles of their country with unshaken fortitude. It is
presumed that a record of achievements in war, victories so complete and surprising,
gained by our countrymen, our brothers, our fellow-citizens in arms, a record which
revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will cer-
tainly prove acceptable to the public. Extract from the General Preface.
THE HISTORIES OF THE FOLLOWING REGIMENTS ABE
ALREADY PUBLISHED I
CAVALRY.
Life Guards - * - - - - 12$:
Royal Horse Guards (Blues) - -" '%&< 10s.
First, or King's Dragoon Guards - - 8s.
Second, or Queen's Ditto (Bays] - - Ss.
Third, or Prince of Wales's Ditto - - Ss.
Fourth (Royal Irish) Ditto 8*.
Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales' Ditto 8*.
Sixth Ditto (Carabineers) 8s.
Seventh, or The Princess Royal's - " ~ " 8s.
First, or Royal Dragoons 8s.
HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE BRITISH ARMY.
CAVALRY (continued).
Second (Scots Greys) 8s.
Fourth (The Queen's Own) Ditto - 8*.
Sixth Dragoons (Inniskilling) - Ss.
Seventh, Queen's Own Hussars 8*.
Eighth, The King's Royal Irish 8*.
Ninth, Queen's Royal Lancers 6s.
Eleventh (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars - 6*.
Twelfth (The Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers 6*.
Thirteenth Light Dragoons - 6s.
Fifteenth, The King's Hussars 8*.
Sixteenth, The Queen's Lancers 8*.
Seventeenth Lancers - 10*.
Cape Mounted Riflemen 4s.
INFANTRY.
First, The Royal Regiment 12s.
Second, The Queen's Royal - 8*.
Third, The Buffs - 12s.
Fourth, The King's Own 8s.
Fifth, Northumberland Fusiliers 8s.
Sixth, Royal First Warwick - 8s.
Eighth, The King's 8*.
Thirty-fourth Foot 8*.
Forty-Second, The Royal Highland - 12*.
Fifty-Sixth Foot (Pompadours) 6s.
Sixty-First Ditto ----- 6*.
Eighty-Sixth, Royal County Down - - 8*.
Eighty-Eighth, Connaught Rangers - - 6*.
%* The Records of other Regiments are in course of
preparation.
PUBLISHED AT THE MILITARY LIBRARY, WHITEHALL.
A 000035378 9
