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MIST&BXVMm ES € OBB S
9^
GENERAL ORDERS.
' , HORSE-OUAJtDS,
Ist Januart/, 1636.
His Majesty has been pleased to command that,
with the view of doing the fullest justice to Regi-
ments, as well as to Individuals who have dis-
tinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action
with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of
every Regiment in the British Army shall be pub-
lished under the superintendence and direction of
the Adjutant-General ; and that this Account shall
contain the following particulars, viz.: —
The Period and Circumstances of the Original
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 Achieve-
ment it may have performed, and the Colours,
Trophies, &c., it may have captured from the
Enemy.
The Names of the OflEicers, and the number of
Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates Killed or
Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the place and
Date of the Action. >'^
h
11
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 Regi-
ment 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 Honorable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Commandiv^'in- Chief.
John Macdonald,
Adjutant- General.
( iii )
in con-
itorious
r, have
• other
PREFACE.
e Regi-
and the
Devices,
^e been
Chief.
iALD,
Wal.
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 honorable career,
are among the motives that have given rise to the
present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed,
announced 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
a 2
/
\s
PREPACK.
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 Com-
manders, and the 0£Scers and Troops acting under
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 prac-
tice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of
the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep
regular records of their services and achievements.
Hence some difiiculty has been experienced in obtain-
ing, particularly from the old Regiments, an au-
thentic account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in coivsequence
of His Majesty having been pleased to command
that every Regiment 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
PREFACE.
J entitled,
arliament
the Com-
ng under
of thanks
itimonials,
overeign's
;he soldier
n the prac-
in some of
nts to keep
ievements.
in obtain-
ts, an au-
it services.
)i\sequence
command
a full and
)road.
le country
difficulties
P those who
at Britain,
devoted to
mufactures,
lave, for so
long a period, being undisturbed by the presence of
wary which few other countries have escaped, com-
paratively 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 country derives from the industry and the enter-
prise 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 beneflts 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 Continental warfare by the irresistible
spirit with which they have effected debarkations in
spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the
gallantry and steadiness with which they have main-
tained 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
VI
|>REFACB.
i
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 ; and while the perusal of them can-
not fail to be useful and interesting to military men
of every rank, it is considered that they will also
afford entertainment and hiformation 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 served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit
de Corps — an attachment to everything 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 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 un-
shaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war, — victories so complete and sur-
prising, gained by our countrymen, our brothers,
PREFACE.
VII
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
distinguished 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 Regiment, as testify-
ing 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 num-
ber, so that when the whole shall be completed, the
Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
/
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE INFANT 11 Y.
The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been
celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness,
and the national superiority of the Britisli troops
over those of other countries has been evinced in
the midst of the most imminent perils. History con-
tains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery,
that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which
are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that
the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is
Intrepidity. This quality was evinced by the
inhabitants of England when their country was
invaded by Julius Cajsar with a Boman army, on
which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into
the sea to attack the Boman soldiers as they de-
scended from their ships ; and, although their dis-
cipline and arms were inferior to those of their
adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing
intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, in-
cluding Caesar's favourite tenth legion. Their arms
consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons
of rude construction. They had chariots, to the
l! >
h
X INTRODUCTION
axles of which were fastened sharp piecei of iron
resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long
chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and
fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit
or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off
with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were,
however, unavailing against CsBsar's legions: in
the course of time a military system, with dis-
cipline and subordination, was introduced, and
British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted
to the greatest advantage; a full development of
the national character followed, and it shone forth
in all its native brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted
principally of infantry: Thanes, and other men of
property, however, fought on horseback. The
infantry were of two classes, heavy and light.
The former carried large shields armed with spikes,
long broad swords and spears ; and the latter were
armed with swords or spears only. They had also
men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and
javelins.
The feudal troops established by William the
Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Intro-
duction to the Cavflry) almost entirely of horse ;
but when the warlike barons and knights, with their
trains of tenants and vassals, took the Aeld, a pro-
portion of men (appeared on foot, and, although
these were of inferior degree, they proved stout-
hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipen-
diary troops were employed, infantry always con-
stitute < I a considerable portion of the military force ;
TO THE INFANTRY.
XI
of iron iM
in long J|
ited and S
, pursuit 11
drove off ;J
ons were, M
;ion8 : in i
with dis- m
3ed, and M
8 exerted ^
>pnient of j
one forth .1
consisted j
jr men of i
jk. The 1
nd light. 1
th spikes, ^
tter were
had also |
•axes and 1
v3
lliam the |
the Intro- i
of horse ;
vith their j
!ld, a pro- ^
although i
'ed stout-
an stipen- J
ways con- m
ary force ; 1
and this arme has since acqui d, in every quarter
of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the
armies of any nation at any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the
several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows
and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various
kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour
was worn on the head and body, and in course of
time the practice became general for military men
to be so completely cased in steel, that it was
almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the
destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the
fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms
and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and
arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but
British archers continued formidable adversaries;
and, owing to the inconvenient construction and im-
perfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced,
a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow
from their youth, was considered a valuable acqui-
sition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth
century.
During a great part of the reign of Queen Eliza-
beth each company of infantry usually consisted of
men armed five different ways ; in every hundred
njen forty were " men-at-arms" and sixty " shot ,•"
the " men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle-
axe men, and thirty pikemen ; and the " shot" were
twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty
harquebusitTS, and each man carried, besides his
principal weapon, a sword and dagger.
t'r,4IH tniu-i)M.
'1
Xll
INTRODUCTION.
Companies of infantry varied at this period in
numbers from 150 to 300 men ; each company had
a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation re-
commended by an English military writer (Sir John
Smithe) in 1590 was : — the colour in the centre of
the company guarded by the halberdiers ; the pike-
men in equal proportions, on each flank of the
halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank of
the pikes ; half the archers on each flank of the mus-
keteers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were
much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal
proportions on each flank of the company for skirmish-
ing.* It was customary to unite a number of com-
panies into one body, called a Regiment, which
frequently amounted to three thousand men: but
each company continued to carry a colour. Nume-
rous improvements were eventually introduced in the
construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found
impossible to make armour proof against the muskets
then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without
its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was
gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seven-
teenth century : bows and arrows also fell into dis-
use, and the infantry were reduced to two cla.sses,
viz.: musketeers, armed with matchlock muskets,
A company of 200 men would appear thus : —
20 20 20 30
Harquebuses. Arclien. Muskets. Pikes,
2|o
. Halbirds. Pi
30 20 20 20
ikes. Muskets. Aichers. Harquebuses.
The musket carried a ball which weighed ,^th of a pound ; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed j^th of a pound.
TO THE INFANTRY.
XIU
swords, and daggers ; and pikemeUy armed with pikes
from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the
strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the
gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in
flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each contain-
ing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and
carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment
into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division
of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of form-
ing four regiments into a brigade ; and the number
of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each
regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that
his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated
Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers ; and his
armies became the admiration of other nations. His
mode of formation was copied by the English,
French, and other European states ; but so great
was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that
all his improvements were not adopted until near a
century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-
service, styled the Admiral's regiment. In 1678
each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30
pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with
light firelocks. In this year the King added a com-
pany of men armed with hand grenades to each of
the old British regiments, which was designated the
"grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived
as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets.
xlv
INTRODUCTION
similar to those at present in use, were adopted about
twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by
order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and
was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot).
This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did
not carry pikes
King William III. incorporated the Admiral's
regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised
two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the
war in this reign, each company of infantry (ex-
cepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14
pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried
pikes ; lieutenants, partisans ; ensigns, half-pikes ;
and Serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the
Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again
formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.*
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were
laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed
with a musket, bayonet, and sword ; the grenadiers
ceased, about the same period, to carry hand gre-
nades ; and the regiments were directed to lay aside
their third colour : the corps of Royal Artillery was
first added to the Army in this reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion
companies of infantry ceased to carry swords ; during
* The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of
Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under
Admiral Sir peorge Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and
in its subsequent defence in 1704 ; they were afterwards employed at
the siege of Barcelona in 1705.
TO THE INFANTRY.
XV
1 gre-
aside
the reign of George II. light companies were added
to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of
General Officers recommended that the grenadiers
should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had
never heen used during the Seven Years' War. Since
that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been
limited to the musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British Troops have
seldom differed materially, since the Conquest, from
those of other European states ; and in some respects
the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed to
be inferior to that of the nations with whom they
have had to contend ; yet, under this disadvantage,
the bravery and superiority of the British infantry
have been evinced on very many and most trying
occasions, and splendid victories have been gained
over very superior numbers.
Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like
champions who have dared to confront a host of
foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any
arms. At Crecy^ King Edward III., at the head of
about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August,
1346, Philip King of France, whose army is said to
have amounted to 100,000 men ; here British valour
encountered veterans of renown : — the King of Bo-
hemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and
nobles were slain, and the French army was routed
and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward
Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black
Prince, defeated, at Poiciiers, with 14,000 men,
a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry,
and took John I., King of France, and his
son
XVI
INTRODUCTION
M
it
II
II
Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415,
King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000
men, although greatly exhausted by marches, pri-
vations, and sickness, defeated, at Agincourt^ the
Constable of France, at the head of the flower of
the French nobility and an army said to amount to
60,000 men, and gained a complete victory.
During the seventy years' war between the United
Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish mo-
narchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated
in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the
States-General were celebrated for their uncon-
querable spirit and firmness;* and in the thirty
years' war between the Protestant Princes and the
Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the ser-
vice of Sweden and other states were celebrated for
deeds of heroism.f In the wars of Queen Anne,
the fame of the British army under the great
Marlborouqh was spread throughout the world;
and if we glance at the achievements performed
within the memory of persons now living, there is
abundant proof that the Britons of the present age
are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities
* Tho bravo Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed
in 1590, observes:—"! persuade myself ten thousand of our nation
would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field,
let them bo chosen where they list.' Yet at this time the Spanish
infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For
instances of vulour displayed by the British Infantry during the
Seventy Years' War, sco the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or
nutfs.
f FiV/e I liP llisiorlcal Record of (he First, or Royal Regiment ol
Foot.
TO THE INFANTRY.
XVll
which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds
of the brave men, of whom there are many now
surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the
brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army,
which had been vainly styled Invincibkf to eva-
cuate that country ; also the services of the gallant
Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Penin-
sula, under the immortal Wellington; and the
determined stand made by the British Army at
Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had
long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain,
and had sought and planned her destruction by
every means he could devise, was compelled to
leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to
place himself at the disposal of the British Govern-
ment. These achievements, with others of recent
dates, in the distant climes of India, prove that the
same valour and constancy which glowed in the
breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt,
Blenheim, and Bamilies, continue to animate the
Britons of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust
and muscular frame, — intrepidity which no danger
can appal, — imconquerable spirit and resolution, —
patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obe-
dience to his superiors. These qualities, united with
an excellent system of order and discipline to regu-
late and give a skilful direction to the energies and
adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selection
of officers of superior talent to command, whose
presence inspires confidence, — have been the leading
causes of the splendid victories gained by the British
b
XVIU
INTRODUCTION
arms.* The fame of the deeds of the past and
present generations in the various battle-fields where
the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered,
surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory;
these achievements will live in the page of history to
the end of time.
The records of the several regiments will be found
to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character,
connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gallant
exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the
world where the calls of their Country and tho com-
mands of their Sovereign have required them to
proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in
I :
I i
* Under tho bloiiing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes
the BucoeMOS which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to
that doterminod bravery which is inherent in Britons ; but His Majesty
desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the considera-
tion of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of
order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to
the nativo valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert
the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncom-
monly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty." — General
Orders in 1801.
In the General Orders iuued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (after-
wards Lord Hopotoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result
of tho Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated :— <'On
no occasion hoi the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more
manifest. At tho terminotion of a severe and harassing march, ren-
dered necessary by tho superiority which the enemy had acquired, and
which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disad-
vantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by
the conduct of tho troops themselves : and the enemy has been taught,
that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there
is inherent in the British ofliccrs and sokMers a bravery that knows not
how to yield, — that no circumstances can appal, — and that will ensure
victory, when it is to be obtained by tho cxertipn of any human means."
TO THE INFANTRY.
XIX
active continental operations, or in maintaining colo-
nial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.
The superiority of the British Infantry has been
pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries,
and admitted by the greatest commanders which
Europe has produced. The formations and move-
ments of this armSf as at present practised, while
they are adapted to every species of warfare, and, to
all probable situations and circumstances of service,
are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military
tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific
principles. Although the movements and evolutions
have been copied from the continental armies, yet
various improvements have from time to time been
introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by
which the superiority of the national military cha-
racter is maintained. The rank and influence which
Great Britain has attained among the nations of the
world, have in a great measure been purchased by
the valour of the Army, and to persons who have the
welfare of their country at heart, the records of the
several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.
h'2
L ^
HISTORICAL liECORD
or
TUE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT,
THE ROYVL W^LSH FUSILIERS;
OONTAININO
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE BEGIMENT
IN 1689,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICE* •
TO 1860.
OOHPILBD BT
RICHARD CANNON, Esq.
A0JIITANT OKNIKAl's OmCK, HOMB GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING CROSS.
1850.
„ m
I; >
'■ *
mm^
LONDON ; PBINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFOUD STUEET,
FOB HER majesty's STATIONERY OFFICE.
THE TWENTY-THIED REGIMENT,
OB,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS,
BEABS ON THE REGIMENTAI^ COLOUR
The Device of the Prince of Wales, namely, Three Feathers issuing
out of the Prince's Coronet, with the motto, " Ich Dien," in the
centre : —the Rising Sun in the upper sinister corner ; — the lied
Dragon in the lower dexter corner ; being the badges of Edward the
Black Prince.
ALSO,
The White Horse upon a mount, with the motto" Nee aspera terrent,"
underneath, in the lower sinister corner.
The word " Minden," in commemoration of the gallantry displayed
in the battle fought at Minden on the Ist of August, 1759.
The word " Egypt," with the " Sphinx," in commemoration of its
services in the expulsion of the French Army from Egypt in the year
1801.
The word "Martinique," as a testimony of the distinguished conduct
of the First Battalion in the capture of the Island of Martinique on
the 24th of February, 1809.
The word " Corunna," as a testimony of the gallant services of the
Second Battalion on the 16th of January, 1809.
The words " Albcheba," " Badajoz," " Salamanca," " Vittoria,"
"Pyrenees," " Nivelle," "Orthes," "Toulouse," and "Peninsula,"
in commemoration of the services of the First Battalion during the
Peninsular War from 1810 to 1814.
and
The word " Waterloo," as a lasting testimony of the distinguished
services of the Regiment at the memorable Battle of Waterloo on the
18th of June, 1815.
""IRIflS
( XXV )
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT,
w,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
Yefir Page
IG88 Tub Revolution I
FlightofKing James 11. to France . . 2
1089 Acc«Mion of the Prince and Princess of Orange
to the Throne, as King William III. and
Queon Mary
—— Expedition of King James to Ireland
— — Formation of the twenty-third, and other
regiments ..•.,. —
— — Henry, Lord Herbert, appointed Colonel of the
Regiment 3
— — The colonelcy conferred on Colonel Charles
Herbert
Settlement ofaffhirs in Scotland . . . -
— — 8iege of Londonderry by King James , . -
— — The Duke de Schomberg sent to Ireland with
reinforcements 4
— - Embarkation of the Regiment for Ireland 6
Encamped at Dundalk . . . . -
1690 Arrival of King William III. in Ireland .
- IUtTLS Of THE liOYNE . . . . -
— — Flight of King James to France ... 7
.r^,
-m
■.^M
M
i
•:ri-*
XXVI
Ye«r
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
169'J SuTTender of Drogheda . . . .
The Army reviewed by King William at Finglass
— ^ Surrender of Waterford
■ of Fort Duncannon
Siege of Limerick
-— Skirmishes with the " Rapparees "
1691 King William proceeded to Holland
• Progress of the war in Flanders
- ' ' Mons surrendered to the French
Retard of King William to the Hague
General the Baron de Ghinkel appointed Com
mander-in-chief in Ireland .
Siege and capture of Ballymore
■ Passage of the Shannon at Athlone
Capture of Athlone
Battle op Aghkim .
— — Death of Colonel Charles Herbert .
Lieut.-Colonel Toby Purcell, appointed Cglonel
of the Regiment . . •
Siege of Banagher Castle
Occupation of the Pass of Portumna
Siege and capture of Galway
• Galway occupied by the twentv-third and
other Regiments ....
■ Embarkation of the Regiment for England
Surrender of Limerick, and termination of the
war in Ireland ....
Return of King William from Holland .
1692 Embarkation of King William for Holland
> Sir John Morgan, Bart., appointed Colonel of
the Regiment
•— Capture of Namur by the French
Battle of Steenkirk
' Capture of Fumes and Dixmude
Decease of Colonel Sir John Morgan
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
XXVll
Yoor
1693 Lieut.-Colonel Richard Ingoldsby at>pointed
Colonel of the Regiment .
Forcing the French lines at />' Otignies .
Battle op Landen, or Neer-Winden
1694 The twentt-third, and other Regiments
embarlced for Flanders
■ Capture of Huy from the French .
1695 The French lines reconnoitred by King William
Attack on Fort Knocque
Siege of Namur by King William .
Progress of the siege ....
Attack on the Porte-de-Fer .
Surrender of Dixmude and Deinse.
Capitulation of the town of Namur
Siege of the Castle of Namur
The Regiment marched to the relief of Brussels
Return of the Regiment to Namur.
The grenadier Company engaged in the attack
on the counterscarp of the Terra Nova .
— <— Capitulation of the Castle of Namur
1696 Plot in favour of King James II. .
French expedition against England
The TWENTY-THiRD and other Regiments
reviewed at Bellera ....
Proceeded to Appels ....
' Bruges ....
1697 Peace of Ryswick ....
Conditions of the Treaty
Embarkation of the Regiment for Ireland
1700 War of the Spanish Succession
Occupation of the Spanish Netherlands by the
French ......
1701 The Regiment embarked for Flanders
The Army reviewed on Breda Heath by King
William III. .
I'ugu
13
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
2G
27
28
29
30
31
I
ir;
I i: i
!i;
XXVlll CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
Year
1701 Death of King James II., at St. Germains
Recognition by Louis XIV., of tlie Pretender
as King of Great Britain and Ireland .
1702 Decease of King William III.
—— < War declared by Queen Anne against France
and Spain .....
• Siege of Kayserswerth
—^ Skirmish at Nimeguen
Surrender of Kayserswnrth . . .
The Earl of Marlborough assumed the command
of the confederate forces .
Siege and capture of Venloo .
Capture cf Stevenswaert and Ruremonde
• Occupation of Liege ....
Capture of the Citadel of Liege .
— — Surrender of the Chartreuse, . .
Effectives of the Regiment '.
• Marched into Holland for winter quarters
1703 Siege of J3o»ra . . . .
■ Action near Tongres ....
. Surrender of Bonn ....
. March of the Army towards Tongres
Capture of Huy ....
Limburg ....
Marched into winter quarters . Brabant.
1704 Proceeded to Germany
, Battle of Schellenbero
Occupation of Donawerth , . .
■ Siege and capture of Sain .
• • Siege of Ingoldstadt ....
%, Battle of Blenheim
. Siege of Ingoldstadt abandoned
Occupation of Ratisbon, Augsburg, Meningen
and other towns ....
i Surrender of Ulm ....
Pag*
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
39
40
42
43
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
XXIX
131
}2
Year
1704
Page
43
1705
1706
1707
Siege and capture of Landau
Return of the Regiment to Holland for winter
quarters. ...... —
Occupation of Treves ..... —
Siege and capture of Traerbach ... —
The Regiment stationed at Ruremonde . . —
Lieutenant-General Ingoldsby removed to the
Eighteenth Regiment .... —
Lieut.-Colonel Joseph Sabine appointed Colonel
of the Regiment ..... — ''
The TWENxr-THiED and Twenty-fourth
Regiments reviewed by the Duke of
Marlborough —
March of the confederate Army to the Moselle. 44
Recapture of Huy by the Allies . . . -~-
The French lines at Helixem and Neer-Hespen
forced by the Allies. . . . . 45
Skirmish near the Dyle .... —
Siege and surrender of Sandvliet ... 46
Return of the Regiment to Holland for winter
quarters. ...... —
Arrival of the Regiment at the Camp near
Tongres . . . . . . —
BATTIiE OF RAMILIES .... —
Results of the Victory 47
Siege and surrender of Ostend ... —
• Menin ' , . • —
• ■ Dendermond . ' —
■ ' Aeth .... —
March of the Regiment to Ghent for winter
quarters. . . . . . ^ —
Extract from the Duke of Marlborough's letter
to Lieut.-General Ingoldsby, relative to the
use of partisans by the Twenty-first and
TWENxr-THiBD FusUiers .... 48
111
n
r
m
I
XXX
Your
1707
1708
)!
Hi
1 i
1709
« t
1710
CONTENTS OF TU£ UISTORICAL RECORD.
Opening of the Campaign
Operations ounflned to marcltes and counter
marches
Return of the Ilegiment to Ghent .
Designs of Louis XIV. in favour of the Pre
tender .
Measures talien to repel the French expedition
Return of the Frencli fleet to Duulcirlc without
effecting a landing on the English Coast .
Return to Flanders of the troops, which had
l>een embarked from Ostend for England,
under Brigadier-General Sabine .
March of the Regiment to Brussels.
Ghent and lirugca taken by the French ,
Oudenarde invested by the French. .
Battle of Oupenabdis
Siege of Lisle .....
Progress of tlie siege ....
Battlb of Wynkndalb . . ,
Surrender of tiie town of Lisle . .
Siege of tho Citadel of Lisle
Passage of the Scheldt
Relief of Brussels ....
Surrender of the Cttorfc/ o/'Ziw/e .
Siege and capture of Ghent .
Occupation of Ghent for winter quarters .
March of the Regiment to Lisle
Siege of Tournay • . . .
Surrender of the town • , . .
Siege and capture of the Citadel
March of tlie Allies to besiege Mons
Battle of Malpla^iuet .
Siege and capture of Mons .
Return of tlie Regiment to Ghent .
Marciied to Tournay ....
48
Y
1'
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
57
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
XXXI
Yew I'atft
niO Passage of the French lines at Pont-a- Vendin . 67
- Siege and capture of Douay . , . , —
Casualties of the Regiment during the siege . 58
— — Encamped at Villars Brulin .... —
Siege and surrender of Bethune ... —
' Aire and St, Venant . —
March of the Regiment to Courtray for winter
quarters , , —
1711 Marched to Douay ..... —
— — The successes of Alexander the Greai compared
with those of the Duke of Marlborough . —
Passage of the French " Ne plus ultra" lines
at Arleux . ..... 59
Siege and capture of Bouc/iain ... —
Charles III., the claimant to the Spanish throne,
elected Emperor of Germany, and its effect
upon the War with France
Negotiations for Peace . ,
1712 The Army encamped near Tournay
The Dulie of Marlborough succeeded in the com-
mand of the Army by tlie Duke of Ormond
March of the Allies towards France
■ Siege and surrender of Queanoy
—— Suspension of arms proclaimed
Withdrawal of the British troops to Ghent
— — Occupation of Dunkirk
Peace of Utrecht . ,
Stipulations of the Treaty
1713 The Regiment embarked for England
1714 Stationed in Ireland ,
■ Styled the " Prince of Wales's own Royal
Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers " .
1715 Disaffection of the Earl of Mar
Rebellion in Scotland in favour of the Pretender 62
—^ Removal of the Regiment to England . . —
60
61
r
xxxn
Ye»f
CONTENTS OF THB HISTORICAL RECORD.
1715 Surrender of the Rebels at Preston
— — Battlb of Siieriffmuir .
Arrival in Scotland of the Pretender
His flight to France ....
— — Suppression of tlie Rebellion . *
1716 The Regiment stationed in the Eastern Counties
of England .....
1717 Designs of the King of Sweden in favour of tlie
Pretender
1718 Formation of the " Quadruple Alliance"
— — > War declared against Spain .
1719 Spanish expedition in favour of tlie Pretender
— — Defeat of the insurgents at Glenshiel
Expedition against Corunna
Capture of Vigo, Hondondella, and Pontevedra
1720 Peace with Spain ....
1722 The Regiment stationed at 'Edinburgh
1723 Marched to London ....
Encamped in Hyde Park .
1725 Returned to Edinburgh
1726 Stationed in England ....
1727 Commencement of hostilities by Spain
Siege of Gibraltor by the Spaniards
— — Cessation of hostilities ....
1728 The Regiment reviewed by King George II" at
Hounslow .....
1729 Treaty of Peace concluded at Seville
1735 George Augustus Eliott, afterwards Lord
Heathfield, the celebrated Governor of Gib
raltar, joined tlie Regiment at Edinburgh
1739 Decease of General Subine . . .
Lieut.-Colonel Newsham Peers appointed Colonel
of the Regiment ....
Spanish depredations in America .
War declared against Spain .
Page
62
63
64
65
yI
11
ll
1
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
XXXUl
Page
62
H Yew
■ 1740
■ 1741
1 1742
63
64
1743
1744
1745
1746
1747
1748
1751
1755
1756
War of the Austrian Succession . ,
The Regiment encamped on Lexden Heath
Reviewed by King George II., on Kew Green
Embariced for Flanders as Auxiliaries
Marched towards the Rhine .
Battlb of Dbttinobn . •
Decease of Colonel Peers
Major-General John Huske appointed Colonel
of the Regiment ....
The Battle of Dettingen compared witit other
British victories ....
Declaration of War against France .
French conquests in the Netherlands
Investment of Tournay by Marshal Saxe .
Battle of Fomtenot ....
Rebellion in Scotland, headed by Prince Charles
Edward. .....
Return of the Regiment to England
Battle of Cullooen ....
Escape of Prince Charles to France «
The Regiment returned to the Netherlands
Battle of Laffeld, or Yal
Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle
Stipulations of the Treaty . . .
Return of the Regiment to England
Regulations prescribed by Royal Warrant, for
establishing uniformity in the clothing,
standards, and colours of regiments, &c.
Embarkation of the Regiment for Minorca
The Seven Yea. s* War ....
French expedition against Minorca
War declared against France
Failure of Admiral Byng to relieve the garrison
of Minorca
Surrender of Minorca to the French
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
75
76
m
XXXIV
CONTENTS OP THE inSTOniCAL RECORD.
li
I
^1^
1756
1758
1759
1760
1761
Eulogiums on the noble defence made by the
garrison of Minorca ....
The Regiment proceeded to Gibraltar
Returned to England .....
Augmentations in the Army ....
The second battalions formed into distinct coriw,
and numbered from sixty-first to the seventy-
fifth Regiment .....
The second battalion of the TWENTV-rniRD
constituted tlie sixty-eighth Regiment .
Descent on the French coast .
The expedition landed at St. Maloes
Returned to Gancale Bay
Proceeded to Cherbourg . .
Returned tr England ....
The Regiment embarlced for Germany .
Joined the allied army under Prince Ferdinand
of Brunswick . .
Marched to Munster for winter quarters .
Battle of Minoen ....
Eulogiums on the British Troops .
Received the Royal Authority to bear the word
MiNDEN on the colours and appointments
The Regiment cantoned in Osnaburg
Marched to Faderborn.
Battle op Warbouhg ....
March of the Regiment to the Lower Rhine to
form part of the Army under the hereditary
Prince of Brunswick ....
Investment of Wesel .....
Action at Campen .....
The siege of Wesel raised . . „ .
The Regiment cantoned in the principality of
XJ.6SSG #••••••
Decease of General Huske .
78
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
CONTENTS OF TUB HISTORICAL RECORD.
XXX7
Ymt
1761
1762
1762
1763
1773
1774
1775
1776
■F I
Lieut.-General the llouurable George lioscawen
appointed Colonel of the Regiment .
SjBveral towns taken by the Alliot • .
Battle of Kirch Dbnkrrn or Fbllinqhausin
Skirmishes in the Electorate of i lanover .
The Regiment quartered in the bishopric of
Osnaburg .....
Tlie French army surprised at Graebenttein
Action of Wilhelmstakl
— — ^ Dtucker-Muhl^ near Amonebourg
Cosset taken by the Allies .
Suspension of hostilities proclaimed
Peace of Fontainebleau .
Stipulations of the Treaty
The thanks of Parliament communicated to the
Army in Germany ....
Return of the Regiment to England
Stationed in Great Britain for ten years .
Embarked for North America
Stationed at Boston ....
War of American Independence .
Action at Lexington ....
Decease of Lieut.-General the Honorable
George Boscawen .....
Major-General the Honorable Sir William
Howe, KB., appointed Colonel of the
Regiment . . . . ,
Battle of Bunker's Hill .
Casualties of the Regiment .
Siege of Boston by General Washington .
Boston evacuated by the British
Embarkation of the troops for Nova Scotia
Sailed for Staten Island
Declaration of Independence by the American
Congress ......
c2
86
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
■y
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XXXVl CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
Year
1776 Operations in Long Island .
Occupation of New York by the British •
Battle of White Plains .
Reduction of Fort Washington
The Regiment stationed in winter quarters on
New York Island ....
1777 Proceeded to Connecticut
Expedition to Danb^ry
The Army proceeded to Staten Island, and
afterwards to New Jersey .
Expedition to the Delaware and Chesapeake
Action at Brandywine . .
■ Occupation of Philadelphia .
•~— Action at Germantown
1778 Return of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir
. William Howe to England
Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton assumed the
command of the army in America .
Evacuation of Philadelphia .
Encamped at Freehold.
— — Action at Monmouth Court-House
Arrival of the British at New York
The Americans received aid from tlie French
The French fleet pursued by Admiral Lord
Howe ......
The Regiment served as Marines .
Gallant conduct while thus employed
1779 The Regiment sailed along the Hudson .
Capture of Fort Lafayette, and of Stony Point
Expedition to Newhaven .
Destruction of the enemy's stores . •
Return of the expedition to New York ,
Projected expedition to the West Indies .
Expedition tc Charlestown .
1780 -Siege and capture of Charlesioton .
Fkge
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
xxxvn
Year ige
1780 The Regiment attached to the force in South
Carolina under Lieut.- General the Earl Corn
wallis ....... 104
Action at Camden ....
— ^ Gallant defence of Polk's Mill by Lieutenant
Guyon of the 23rd Regiment . . . 106
- Toilsome march to Wynesborough . . 107
' Operations for the defence of South Carolina
1781 Action at Cowpens ....
Toilsome march to the Fords of Catawba
Passage of the river ....
The Americans expelled from North Carolina
Action at Guildford Court- House,
March of the British to Wilmington
The General Assembly of the State of Virgin;
surprised by a detachment of the Regiment
Affair near the river James . . .
Defence of York Town
Earl Cornwallis capitulated to the Americans
Preservation of the colours of the Regiment
1782 The Independence of the United States acknow
ledged by King George III.
1783 Abstract of the Treaty of Peace
1784 Embarkation of the Regiment for England
1786 Lieut.-General, the Honorable Sir William
Howe, appointed to the Nineteenth Light
Dragoons . . . . . .117
Major-General Richard Grenville appointed
Colonel of the Regiment ....
1789 The Regiment employed on the King's duty at
Windsor ...... —
— — The French Revolution .... — -
1793 War declared against England by France . —
Spread of republican principles to the French
West India Islands ..... —
109
111
112
113
114
115
116
■1:1
m
' ' ill
; 'i -
11
■A '
XXXVIU CONTENTS OF THE HlfiTORIOAL REOOItD.
!)■'
1 . ,
i'lf^'
Year
1794
1796
1798
1799
1800
1801
1802
1803
Embarkation of the Regiment for St. Domingo
Capture of Port-au-Prinee , , ,
Return of the Regiment to England .
Expedition to Ostend . . • ,
Embarkation of the Regiment for Holland
Action upon landing . . • ,
Engaged on the Zi/pe Dyke , , ,
Action near Bergen • . . .
BATTIiE OF AlkMAAR , , ,
Subsequent operations ....
Convention for the withdrawal of the Uritiih
troops from Holland. , , ,
Part of the Regiment wrecked . ,
The Regiment joined the fleet under Admiral
Earl St. Vincent . . • .
Unsuccessful attempts on Ferrol and VJgo
Expedition to Egypt . , , ,
Action on landing in Egypt . . ,
Attacked by the French while on the march to
Alexandria . • . • •
Battle of Alexandria . , »
Death of Lieut. -General Sir Ralph Aberoromby
Advance of the main body of the Army on Cairo
Capitulation of Alexandria , , ,
Embarkation of the Regiment for Gibraltar
The thanks of Parliament voted to the troopi
Received the Royal Authority to bear the
Sphinx, with the word Eotpt, on the Regi
mental Colour and Appointment*
Gold Medal presented to the ofl^cert by the
Grand Seignior . . , ,
Peace of Amiens, and stipulations of the Treaty
Renewal of the war with France , ,
Return of the Regiment iVom Gibraltar to
England
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
127
128
CONTENTS OP THE HISTORICAL RECORD. XXXIX
1604
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
The threatened French invasion
Augmentation of the Army .
A second battalion added to the Regiment
The^rit battalion embarl^ed on the expedition
under Lieut.-General Don . .
Occupation of Bremen
The troopi recalled to England
The^rtt battalion employed on the expedition
to Coijenhagen
Skinniihes on the march to Copenhagen .
The^rst battalion quartered in the vicinity of
Copentiagen
Returned to England ....
The second battalion embarlied for Ireland
The^rtt battalion embarked for Nova Scotia
The second battalion proceeded to Spain .
Battli! or CoauNNA
Received the Royal Authority to bear the word
Corunna on the Regimental colour and
appointments
Return of the second battalion to England
Embarked for Walcheren ....
Returned to England . . . . ,
T\\Qflrit battalion formed part of the expedition
to Martinique
Capture of Martinique, . . . .
Received the Royal Authority to bear the word
Mautimiquis on the Regimental Colour and
Appointmentfl . ....
T\\e first battalion returned to Nova Scotia
■ embarked for the Peninsula
Action at Bedinha ....
Surrender of Olivenfa
Siege of Budujoz ....
Dattlii: ov Albuubua
Page
128
129
130
131
132
134
135
136
i
I '.Hi
j|i I
r
I.'
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1811
1812
1813
1814
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
The Allied Army retired across the Guadiana
Blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo , ,
Skirmishes at Fuente Guinaldo
The enemy repulsed at Aldea-de-Ponte ,
Occupation of cantonments on the Portuguese
frontier . . .
Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo
The siege of Badajoz resumed
Capture of Badajoz ....
Skirmish at jiSanCAm^ova/ .
Battle of Salamanca \ . . ,
Triumphant march to Madrid
The Regiment marched to Soutilla
Battle op Vittoria ....
Retreat of the French across the Pyrenees
Blockade of Pampeluna
Action near Pampeluna
Siege of San Sebastian
Actions in the Pyrenees
Battle of the Nivelle . . .
Battle of the Nivb ....
The Regiment cantoned at Ustaritz
Battle of Orthes . .
Battle of Toulouse ....
Sortie from Bayonne ....
Termination of the Peninsular War
Napoleon Bonaparte retired to Elba
The Regiment embarked for England
Received the Royal Authority to bear the words
Albuhera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria,
Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse, and
Peninsula, on the Regimental Colour and
Appointments. . . . . .
Honors conferred on the Officers for their
services during the Peninsular War
Page
139
140
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
Xli
Tear
1814 Reduction of the second battalion . •
1815 Return of Napoleon Bonaparte to France
— — Embarkation of the Regiment for Flanders
Battle of Waterloo * . .
Death of Colonel Sir Henry Ellis . .
Monument erected to his memory in Worcester
•Cathedral . . . •
— — - The word Waterloo authorised to be borne on
the Regimental Colour and Appointments
— — March of the Allied Army for Paris
Occupation of Cambray . . .
Encamped on the plain of St. Denis
The Regiment selected to form part of the
" Army of Occupation " . . .
1818 Withdrawal of the British troops from France
— ~ The Regiment stationed in Ireland.
1823 Decease of General Richard Grenville
Major-General Sir James Willoughby Gordon
Bart., appointed Colonel of the Regiment
— — Embarkation of the Regiment for Gibraltar
Complimentary general order issued previous to
embarkation .....
1825 Formed into service and depot companies .
1826 Thedepdt companies embarked for Guernsey
' returned to England
1827 Expedition to Portugal
1828 Return of the Regiment to Gibraltar .
1830 The depdt companies embarked for Ireland
1834 The service companies embarked at Gibraltar
for England, and joined by the depdt from
Ireland .......
1836 Embarkation of the Regiment fc * Ireland
1838 The service companies embarked for Nova
Scotia .......
1840 The depdt companies removed from Ireland to
Great Britain
Fkge
152
153
154
155
156
157
ii;
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m
h
'111 \
xlii
CONTEMT8 OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD.
' Hi
.'ill
l;1
Year Page
1840 The service compauies proceeded to Canada • 157
1842 The Regiment again formed into two battalions. ^-—
— Embarkation of the reserve battalion for Canada 158
1843 Embarkation of iY^Q first battalion for the West
Indies. ....... —
1844 Presentation of two Cashmere Goats to the
Regiment by Her Majesty . . • .
1847 Result of the sanitary measures pursued in the
West Indies , . . . ...
— — < T\\B first battalion embarked for Nova Scotia • 159
1848 — : : England, . «—
1849 Presentajtion of New Colours by Prince Albert.
■ Address of His Royal Highness on the occasion 160
Reply of the Commanding Officer . . . 161
The Old Colours deposited in St. Peter's Church
^t Carmarthen • . . . .163
1,850 TflE Co^rCLUSION
1
PLATES.
Costume of the Regiment . . . .to face page 1
Costumei of the Regiment in 1742 . . ,, 68
Monument to Colonel Sir Henry Ellis, KCB.,
in Worcester Cathedral . . . . ,, 154
Colours of the Regiment . . . . ,. 162
) >
il I
( xliii )
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT,
OR,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
Yeu
1689 Henry Lord Herbert .
Charles Herbert.
1691 TobyPurcell .
1692 Sir John Morgan, Bart.
1693 Richard Ingoldsby
1105 Joseph Sabine .
1739 Newsham Peers . .
1743 John Huske
1761 The Honorable George Boscawen
1775 William Viscount Howe, KB.
1786 Richard Grenville
1823 Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Bart.
Page
164
165
166
167
168
110
i' -I
• *
■:t-
C il
V
( xlv
CONTENTS OF APPENDIX
M
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT,
OB,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands, from
1689 to 1697
Definition of the Old and New Styles
List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands and
Germany, from 1702 to 1713, during the " War of
the Spanish Succession " . . . . •
List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in Germany and the
. Netherlands, from 1743 to 1748, during the " War
of the Austrian Succession" ....
List of British Regiments which served in Flanders
and Germany, between the years 1742 and 1748,
during the " War of the Austrian Succession** »
Names of the ofiicers belonging to the Regiment on
the Ist of August, 1759, the date of the Battle of
MlNDEN
Ancient custom of the Regiment being preceded by a
Goat with gilded horns, and adorned with ringlets of
flowers ........
General Order relating to the campaign in Egypt in
1801
List of Regiments, and names of the Commanding
Officers, employed in Egypt ....
Page
171
172
174
175
176
177
178
180
;. IS
i
i
m
m
m
xlvi
CONTENTS OF APPENDIX.
li
m
m ' \
General Orders, dated 18th of January and 1st of Feb-
ruary 1809, relating to the Battle of Corunna, and
death of Lieut. •General Sir John Moore
List of Regiment!, and the names of their Commanding
Officers, which composed the Army under Lieut.-
General Sir John Moore
Letter to Colonel Pearson, from Major-General Sir
Willoughby Gordon, Bart., on his appointment to
, the Colonelcy of the Regiment ....
n«t
182
186
187
Pago
182
186
187
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT,
m
•',t;
>B,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS,
;i;
14
if
I
V.'
ll ?i
IIISTOIUCAL HHCORl)
or
TIIli: TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
o«,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
The attempts of King James II. to subvert the Pro- jggg
testant Establishment, contrary to his declaration on
ascending the throne, caused great disaffection amongst
liis subjects, and at length terminated in the Revolution
of 1688. This event was hastened by the birth of the
Prince of Wales, afterwards designated " The Pre-
tender,"* which occurrence destroyed the hopes of the
Protestants, who had expected that relief would arise to
the nation on the decease of James II. by the accession of
the King's eldest daughter, the Princess Mary, r<insort of
the Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the U' . aed Provinces.
The Prince of Orange was regarded as the Military
defender of tlie Protestant cause n\ Europe, and the
principal nobility and gentry, with a portion of the clergy,
invited the Prince over to England to aid them in securing
their religion, civil liberty, and legislation.
In October the Prince of Orange sailed from Holland,
but was driven back by a storm. The Prince, however,
* On tbemcM-ning of Sunday the 10th of June, 1688, the Queen wa«
delivered of a child, James Francis Edward, who was designated in
England " The Pretender," on the decease of King James II. at St.
Germains, on the 16th September, 1701, when his son was encouraged
to assert his pretensions to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland.
B
2
THE TWENTY TIIIUD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
11 n
1688 again set sail on the 1st November, and landed at Torbay
on the 5th of that month. The Prince was gladly welcomed
by the nation, and was shortly joined by the principal
persons of the kingdom, including Lord Churchill, after-
wards the renowned Duke of Marlborough, the Duke of
Grafton, and several other noblemen.
Perceiving that the army, and the nation generally, were
strongly attached to the Protestant religion, as by law esta-
blished, King James fled to France on the 10th December,
and was afforded an asylum in that country by Louis XIV.
1689 On the 13th of February, 1689, the Prince and Princess
of Orange were proclaimed as King William III. and Queen
Mary, and were shortly afterwards crowned at Westminster.
A formidable opposition was, however, offered to the
Revolution by the adherents of the exiled monarch in
Ireland, where the majority, being Roman Catholics,
naturally regarded his cause as their own. King James,
being assisted by the King of France* with men, money,
and a fleet, resolved to proceed to Ireland, for which
country, accompanied by his natural son the Duke of
Berwick, and certain other adherents, he embarked from
France, and having landed at Kinsale on the I'ith March,
1689, soon afterwards made his public entry into Dublin.
These circumstances rendered it necessary to augment
the army, and the following twelve regiments were at this
period raised to aid in the deliverance of Ireland from
the power of King James ; three of which have been since
retained on the establishment of the army, namely, the
twenty-second. Twenty-third, Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers, p.nd twenty-fourth regiments. The remaining nine
regiments, namely, Erie's, Kingston's, Drogheda's,
Gower's, IngoliLby's, Lovelace's, Roscommon's, Lis-
burne's, and Hastings's, were subsequently disbanded.
On the 17th of March, 1689, King William IIL
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FU8ILIERS.
3
authorised Henry Lord Herbert to raise a regiment of 1689
infantry ; some circumstances, however, occurred, which
prevented His Lordship from assuming the duties of his ap-
pointment, and the colonelcy was conferred on his relative,
Charles Herbert, on the 10th of April following.
The regiment was formed of men raised in Wales and
in the adjacent counties ; and consisted of thirteen com-
panies, of three Serjeants, two drummers, three corporals,
and sixtyprivate soldiers each; the head quarters were fixed
at Ludlow, in Shropshire ; and the regiment, which forms
the subject of this memoir, now bears the title of *' The
twenty'Third, or The Royal Welsh Fusiliers."
The recruiting of the regiment was attended with
success, and in a few months it was brought into a state
of fitness for military duty.
The Highlanders of Scotland at first supported the
cause of King James, but gave in their adherence to the
existing government, shortly after their defeat at Killi-
crankie on the 27th of July, 1689, in which battle their
leader, the Viscount Dundee, was killed.
Meanwhile the Protestants in the north of Ireland,
particularly the inhabitants of the towns of Inniskilling and
Londonderry, determined to make resistance, and to
require aid from England. In order to afFwd this assist-
ance, Cunningham's (9th) and Richards's (17th) regiments
had been sent in April to the relief of Londonderry, which
was besieged by King James, but returned to England
in consequence of Colonel Lundy, the Governor of Lon-
donderry, reporting that the garrison would be compelled
to surrender, on account of a scarcity of provisions, and a
resolution was passed against the landing of the two re-
giments. These statements proved incorrect; for after
the flight of the Governor, the town made a gallant and
successful defence under the Reverend George Walker,
n 2
Mi
. r. y ;'; ■
■Hi
'm
m
■ f'»3
. 5.' i„V^
-■'4!,.
4m
.* -
at
THE TWENTY-THIRD REOIMEiNT OV FOOT,
1689 and Major Baker. The Queen Downgor'i (2nd foot)
Stewart's (9th foot), and Hanmer'g (llth foot), towards
the end of May, proceeded under Major-Genoral Kirkc,
to make a second attempt for the relief of Londonderry.
On the 31st of July, King Jameg was eompolled to raise
the siege, having lost 9000 men, and many of his best
officers before the place. The besieged also luiFered a
loss of 3000 men, chiefly by famine and disoaie. King
William considering that Colonels Cunningham and
Richards had not sufficiently investigated the state of the
fortress, deprived them of their commiggioni.
On the 12th of August, Marshal Frederick Duke de
Schomberg embarked Math several of the newly-raised
regiments for Ireland.* The troopg anchored in the
* Regiments which proceeded to Irelftixl i—
Horse. Daasooni.
Lanier's .
VJUiers's
Coy's .
Hewitt's.
1st Dragoon Guards
2nd ditto
5th ditto
6th ditto
ditto
Cavendish's. 7th
T *„„.„ [ afterwards disbanded
Langstons i
Hayford'n
Leveson'i
iMt Koynl Dragoons
3rd Dragootis
Beaumont's .
Wharton's .
Hastings', .
Meath's . .
Hamilton's •
Duke of Norfolk'
Herbert's . .
Deering's
8th Foot
12th ditto
13th ditto
ISth ditto
20th ditto
22nd ditto
23rd ditto
24th ditto
Infantry.
Erle'«
• \
afterwards
dUbanded.
KingRton'fi
Droghedft'g ,
Gowor'g . •
Ingoldnby'i ,
LovelBce'i .
BoBcommon'i
Lisburne'g .
Halting**! .
The second and sixth Dragoon Guards oniborked at Illghlako for
Ireland in September. The first Dragoon GuBrdg, lloyal Dragoons,
and thirteenth regiment of foot, proceeded from felootland to Irolund in
October, 1689.
The Duke; of Schomberg's French regiment of Horin, two bat-
talions of Dutch Guards, and the three French Uuglmcnts of La
Mcloni^re, Du Cambon, and La Caillenioto ulio fbt'tticd port of the
army in Ireland.
oil, TIIK nOYAfi WELSH FUSILIERS.
Bay of Carrickfergua in the afternoon of the 13th of 1689
August, and landed without opposition. The siege of
Carrickforatw was afterwards commenced, and, before the
end of the inontli, il^e garrison surrendered.
While the siege of Carrickfergus was being carried on,
the remainder of the troops, which for want of ships had
been detained, embarked at Highlake, near Chester ; the
TwENTV-TJliiiD regiment formed part of the division,
which diaorabarked at Belfast on the 30th of August.
Upon the approach of the Duke de Schomberg, the Irish
burnt and abandoned Ncwri/, retiring thence to Dundalk,
which place the Irish also abandoned, and retreated to
Ardec, where they had assembled a considerable force.
The Duke do Schomberg finding Dundalk a strong
position, with a good harbour, resolved to establish liim-
solf there, whore he wi., i'-^^'^d by the second, ninth, and
eleventh regiments of fo ; 'he Dutch erected for them-
Bclves huta and other conveniences, so as to be provided
against th.y itu-lemency of the weather ; but the English,
being at that period inexperienced soldiers, and unused to
tlie diffifultieg and privations inseparable from field-service,
omitted, until it was too late, to procure timber, straw,
and otlier materials necessary for" the construction of
buildings. The wet season set in, and a severe winter suc-
ceeded ; the army consequently suffered much from sick-
ness, and the Duke dc Schomberg found himself obliged to
break up his encampment, and to proceed northward, with
the logs of a considerable portion of his troops by disease.
After passing the winter in garrison, the army took iggo
the field in the spring of 1690. King William III.,
having detennined to take the command of the army
in person, embarked at Highlake on the 11th June,
and landed at Carrickfergus on the 14th of that month,
accompanied by Prince George of Denmark, the Duke
"ill!
"ft
6
THE TVVENTY-THTUD liEGIMENT OF FOOT,
ilj;
1690 of Ormond, tlio Earl of Oxford, and other chief
officers of his army, which exceeded thirty thousand men.
On the 30th June, the English army, marching in
three lines passed Ardee, and the advanced guard of
horse, under Sir John Lanier, halted on the hanks of tht.
river Boyne, on the opp- i-e side of which King Jameei's
forces were strongly posted, and formed in order of battle.
King William proceeded to reconnoitre the position of
the Irish army, and as he approached the ford at the pass
of Old-bridge, where he intended to force a passage, the
Irish opened their fire from a battery of six- pounders, and
killed some troopers and horses; a spent cannon-ball
grazed the King's right shoulder, bruising it considerably.
At a Council of War held on the night of the 30th
June, it was resolved that the English army should
attempt the passage of the river. Accordingly, at break
of day on the 1 st of July, the whole army was in motion,
every man having a green bough, or sprig, fastened in his
hat, to distinguish him from the Irish, who wore bits of
white paper
A practicable ford below Slane-bridge having been
discovered, the right wing passed the river at that point.
King James perceiving this movement, strengthened his
loft flank, and his army was drawn up in two lines to re-
ceive the English. King William then ordered his in-
fantry to pass at Old-bridge, which was performed very
gallantly, the Dutch guards leading che way through the
water, though opposed to a sharp fire of musketry ; the
left wing at the same time passing the river between the
Irish camp and Drogheda.
The Duke de Schomberg, at the head of a corps of
infantry, advanced to the attack, when he himself was
beset by a party of Irish horse, which had broken through
one of his regiments ; the infantry he was leading fired a
oil, THE ROYAL WEI^II FUSILIERS.
volley at the Irish dragoons, while they were engaged 1690
with the Duke, and unfortunately shot him dead : this
accident produced much disorder as well as regret.
King James's army gave way, and fled in confusion ;
but King William, though strongly urged by some of
his General Officers to pursue the Irish, was unwilling to do
so. King James fled to Dublin that evening, and soon after
re-embarked for France ; but the Irish Roman Catholics,
aided by the French troops, adhered to his interest.*
On the 2nd of July, the day following the memorable
Battle of the Boyne, King William sent a detachment of
his army, consisting of horse and foot, with eight pieces of
cannon, to summon Droffheda, which surrendered on the
same day.
King William marched to Bally-Breghan on the
3rd of July, and encamped there, and on receiving advice
of King James having quitted the capita', sent the
Duke of Ormond, the colonel of the second troop of
Life Guards, with one thousand horse, to take possession
of the out-posts of Dublin, and the Dutch guards to occupy
the Castle. On the 5th of July, His Majesty marched
forward, and encamped within two miles of Dublin, and on
the 7th and 8th the King reviewed the army at Finglass.
On the 9th of July, the King marched the greater por-
tion of his army beyond Dublin, with the intention of
proceeding westward, and sent five regiments of cavalry,
and ten of infantry, under Lieutenant -General Douglas,
towards Athloiie, for the purpose of investing it; but
finding the place stronger than had been reported, and
having learnt that fifteen thousand men were advancing
to relieve the town, the Lieut.-General marched back,
and rejoined the army.
* The spurs worn by Major Toby Purcell at the Battle cf the Boi/ne,
are still preserved in the regiment, in possession cf the senior Major for
the time being.
"-«'
8
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1690 A detachment of the King's army was sent to be-
siege Waterford on the 24th of July, the garrison of
which surrendered without waiting for an attack. Fort
Duncannon, seven miles below Waterford, surrendered
also at the same time.
On the 27th of July, King William left the quarters
of the army, and proceeded to Dublin. After being en-
gaged three days in civil affairs. His Majesty returned to
the army, and marched towards Limerick, in front of
which city the Irish had formed a strong camp. On the
morning of the 3rd of August, a detachment of eleven
hundred men advanced within cannon-shot of the town,
and drove three regiments of Irish cavalry and two of
infantry from their entrenchments : six days afterwards
the King's army compelled the Irish to retire under the
guns of the fortifications, and in the evening the place
was formally summoned ; a breach having been effected,
an attempt was made to carry the place by storm, but
the Irish soldiers made so vigorous a resistance that they
succeeded in repulsing the assailants.
A party of the enemy's cavalry under Major-General
Sarsfield crossed the Shannon, and surprised a detach-
ment of artillery then on the march to join the army under
King William, which was attended by a guard of insuffi-
cient strength ; General Sarsfield collected the guns, am-
munition, and carriages into a heap and set fire to them,
on which occasion King William's loss was considerable,
both in men and provisions. Major-General Sir John
Lanier had been ordered to proceed with the Queen's
Regiment of Horse (now First Dragoon Guards) to Cullen
to intercept the enemy, but he arrived too late to
prevent the destruction of the convoy, and the Irish
effected their escape, retiring by way of Athlone.
On the 30th of August, King William was inducec|
on, THE IIOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
9
to raise the siege of Limerick, and to direct the troops to 1690
be s..it into quarters. Fatigue, with excessive rains,
which had impaired the health of the troops, rendered it
necessary to afford them relief from the laborious services
in which they were engaged.
King William returned to England on the 5th of Sep-
tember, leaving the Count Solms in command of the army.
In the month of September a detachment of the King's
army, under Major-General Kirke, marched to Birr, and
laid siege to the castle. On the advance of the British
troops the Irish retired.
During the winter, detachments of the King's regi-
ments were frequently engaged in skirmishes and
rencounters with bands of armed Catholic peasantry,
designated " Rapparees."
King William, being zealous in his efforts to resist 1691
the ambition and power of Louis XIV., had, in the
spring of 1689, caused several British regiments* under
the Earl of Marlborough, to be sent to Flanders, in
order to unite with other nations in checking the designs
of France. His Majesty resolved therefore to leave
the settlement of his affairs in Ireland to General de
Ghinkel, and the other General Officers employed with
* List of troops sent to the Netherlands in 1C89, under the Ecirl of
Marlborough.
Second troop of Guards, now 2nd
Life Guards.
Koyal Regiment of Horse Guards
One battalion of the 2nd Foot
Guards.
One battalion of the Scots Foot
Guards, now Scots Fusilier Guards
One battalion of the First or
Royal Regiment.
The Prince George of Denmark's
Regiment, now 3rd foot, or the
«uffs.
Seventh Royal Fusiliers.
Colonel John Hale's Regiment,
afterwards disbanded.
Colonel Sir David Collier's Regi-
ment, afterwards disbanded.
Colonel Robert Hodges's Regi-
ment, now 16th Foot.
Colonel Edward Fitzpatrick's
Regiment, afterwards disbanded.
Colonel Fergus O'Farrell's Regi-
f:A,
i, :v
ment, now 21st
British Fusiliers.
Royal North
JO
TUB TWKNTY-TIIIHD IlEGIMENT OF FOOT,
I
*: 'i
1691 the Britisli iirmy in that country, and to proceed to
Flandoi'B, in order to take measures preparatory to the
opening of the campaign in 1691. His Majesty ac-
cordingly embarked in January, 1691, and proceeded
to the Hague, where ho was received with acclamations
of joy by tlje people, for the safe return among them of a
Prince, who liad encountered so many dangers in his
expedition in 1688 ; in a victorious campaign in Ireland
in the year 1690 ; and who, after an absence of two
years from his native country, had again come among
them.
Immediately after His Majesty's arrival, the Prince and
Plenipotentiaries from the several states forming the Grand
Alliance, assembled in Congress at His Majesty's palace,
in order to concert the most ad\ isable plana for preventing
the French, who had already gained possession of many
strong forts and towns in the Netherlands, from becoming
masters of the places remaining, if a prompt and sincere
union was not established to check the enemy's conquests,
and to preserve the liberties of Europe.
The great Congress broke up in March, and King
William hearing of the advance of Louis XIV. to Mons
with a numerous army, ordered Prince Waldeck to *^e
general rende^svous at Halle. Towards the end of
March, King William followed, and formed an army of
fifty thousand men.
In April, Moim surrendered to the French, whereupon
King William returned to the Hague, and from thence
to England, where he arrived on the 13th of April. In
May, the King again proceeded to Holland, and arrived
at the Hague on the 3rd of that month.
Notwithstanding the victory of the Boyne on the Ist
July, 1690, and the withdrawal of King James from
Ireland, the state of that country was far from being
OR, TUE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
11
settled, and from being reduced under King William's I691
authority ; the great mass of the Irish people were still
attached to the cause of King James, and strong re-
inforcements had arrived from France under General
St. Ruth, an officer of reputation.
About the beginning of May, General the Baron de
Ghinkel, who had served in the preceding year under
the late Duke de Schomberg, had been appointed to
succeed Count Solms in the officfc of Commander-in-
Chief, and had assumed the comma.id of the army in
Ireland, which consisted of about 20,000 men of six
different nations, English, Scots, French, Dutch, Germans,
and Danes, under the following offices, viz. —
Ei)glish
Scots .
French
Dutch.
Germans
Danes.
Major- General Thomas Talmash.
Major-General Hugh Mackay.
t The Marquis de Ruvigne, and
1 Major-General La Meloni^re.
The Count of Nassau.
The Prince of Hesse Darmstadt,
Major-General De Tettau.
The cavalry and infantry were respectively under
the orders of Major-General de Schravemore and Lieut.-
General the Duke of Wirtemberg ; the chief command
was held by General the Baron de Ghinkel.
The Irish had assembled a considerable force at
BaUi/more, and General de Ghinkel and Major-General
Sir John Lanier advanced from Streamstown with a
body of cavalry and infantry. On the advance of the
King's troops the Irish fled with precipitation, and
were pursued towards the moat of Grenoque, and from
thence to a hill where their main bodv was drawn
at
up, whence they subsequently retreated into the town, at
the entrance of which they had thrown up a trench ; but
not finding it defensible, they abandoned the place. The
English army encamped at Mullingar, and on the 6th of
#]
12
THE TWKNTY-TIIIKD UEOIMENT OF FOOT,
I ]
1691 J'-*nc besieged JJalhjmore, which surrendered on the 8th
of the eanio month.
After the capture of Balli/more, the Duke of Wir-
temburg was ordered to advance, and to join the main
body of the army, about four miles from Ballymore, on
the road to Atldone. This was a large and well-fortified
town, fifty-five miles west of Dublin, situated on the
river Shannon, which divided it into two uviequal
portions. The King's army arrived at this place on
the 19th of June, and on the following day drove the
garrison, composed of native Irish, across the bridge to
the larger (or Cotmaught) division of the town, where
they sheltered themselves in strong works erected during
the last year by a rreneh engineer officer in the service
of King James, and were supported by General St.
Ruth's army of 2r),()()0 French, encamped within a short
distance of the town.
Notwithstanding these obstacles, the Baron de Ghinkel
resol.ed to force the passage of the river, and gain the
other portion of the city. Several days were employed
in the erection of batteries to cover the passage of the
troops, and in attempts to repair the arch of the bridge,
which the Irish had broken down on their retreat. The
arrangements being finally completed, at six o'clock on
the morning of the 2nd of July, 1691, a body of two
thousand men jjrepared for the daring, if not desperate,
enterprise of crossing, in the face of the enemy, a rapid
river, passable only during the heat of the summer
when the water was low, and then but for a space barely
sufficient to admit twenty men abreast. One of the
six regiments employed on this occasion was Major-
General Mackay's own regiment of the Scots Brigade,
which was comuuinded by his nephew, Colonel /Eneas
Mackay.
OR, THE llOYAL WELSH FU8ILIEU8.
13
After seeing the advance enter the water under Colonel 1691
Gustavus Hamilton, of the 20th regiment, and the
gallant young Prince Henry of Hesse Darmstadt, Major-
General Mackay, having stationed an aide-de-camp on
the bank to repeat his instructions to each regiment as
it entered the river, fearlessly plunged into it himself
under a hot fire of grape and musketry. As soon as
they gained the opposite bank, the soldiers, animated by
the example of their commanders, scrambled up the
bank as they best could, one helping another. Having
gained the summit, they formed in two divisions, one of
which, led by Major-General Mackay, moved to the right,
and the other by Major-General de Tettau to the left, both
scouring the ramparts and driving all before them, until
they met on the other side of the town, to the utter
dismay of the garrison and of the inhabitants. Of the
former 1000 were slain, and within an hour the King's
troops were in possession of the town, the guns of which
were turned on the astonished St. Ruth, who little ex-
pected the passage of the Shannon to be forced, or the
city of Athlone to be captured. This bold and hazardous
undertaking was thus brought to a successful issue with
the loss of about fifty men only.
Finding it in vain to attempt to dislodge General
de Ghinkel's troops from the city. General St. Ruth re-
treated in the direction of Ballinasloe, and on being
followed, he assumed a strong position, three miles
further, near the village of Aghrim, where he deter-
mined to make a stand. A skirmish took place be-
tween the Irish outposts and Cunningham's (6th Innis-
killing) Dragoons, which regiment had been sent forward
to dislodge the Irish from some garden grounds, about
a mile distant from the enemy's right, which it was deemed
expedient to occupy by the left wing of the British.
m
I MXYt I
m
'1 j
]M
14
THE TWENTY-TIIIUD UEQIMENT OP FOOT,
1691 In the first place, Eppinger's Danish Dragoons were
ordered to move forward as a support ; but the Irish
being disinclined to give way, the whole left wing was
ordered forward to occupy the disputed ground.
About two hours afterwards, Major-General Mackay
ordered four regiments, Brewer's (12th), Erie's (19th),
Herbert's (23rd), and Crichton's to advance : he then
moved himself v th the regiments of Kirke (2nd Foot),
Gustavus Hamilton (20th), Sir Henry Bellasis (22nd),
and Lord George Hamilton's, and drove the enemy from
the lines of hedges in front, and from the right and left
of the castle of Aghrim. By the bold and judicious
attacks of the combined forces, and by the timely aid of the
cavalry, consisting of the Royal Horse Guards (Blues),
the 2nd Dragoon Guards, the 3rd Dragoon Guards,
and other corps under the command of Major-General
de Schravemore, the castle of Aghrim was taken. The
French General St. Ruth was killed by a cannon shot
before the commencement of the general attack, which
took place about seven o'clock in the evening of the 12th
of July.
The Twenty-third, now the Royal Weijsh Fusi-
liers, suffered severely in the battle of Aghrim ; their
Colonel, Charles Herbert, was taken prisoner, and in-
humanly murdered by the Irish, when they saw he was
likely to be rescued. The regiment had also three captains,
and thirty-two rank and file killed ; and one lieutenant
and forty-five rank and file wounded. On the 13th of
July, Lieutenant-Colonel Toby Purcell was promoted to
the colonelcy of the regiment, in succession to Colonel
Herbert.
On the following day the whole army encamped a mile
beyond the field of battle on the road to Loughrea ; de-
tachments were sent to besiege the Castle of Banagher
OR, THE ROYAL WEIJtII PU81MKH8.
15
and to occupy the pass of Portumna ; tlic army after- 1691
wards inarched to Lotighrea and thence to Atheury,
General de Gliinkel subsequently proceeded to Galwat/,
which, next to Limerick, was the most considerable place
in the post^ession of the partisans of King James. Having
posted his forces before; Galway, the Governor, Lord
Dillon, was summoned to surrender the town, Ijut refused,
stating that the garrison were resolved to defend the
place to the last extremity. The General, however, had
no sooner marched a portion of his army across the river,
and captured the fort which the Irish were building, than
the besieged beat a parley. Hostages were exchanged,
but the garrison demurring as to the manner of sur-
rendering, General de Ghinkel became impatient, and
sent orders for them to come to a speedy conclusion.
The articles were at last agreed upon, and the town
was surrendered, the garrison marching out on the 26th of
July. By the capitulation it was agreed that such of the
garrison as desired, were to proceed to Limerick, for
which purpose Monsieur D'Usson, the French Lieutenant-
General, received permission to depart thither, three
hours before the remainder of the garrison marched out
of Galway.
The TwENTY-TuiRD Royal Welsh Fusiliers was
one of the regiments selected to take possession of Galway
on the surrender of that town, and remained there until
the 23rd of November, when it marched from thence to
Kinsale, and embarked for England, where it arrived in
December following.
On the 28th of July, the army proceeded towards
Litnerickf where the English arrived on the 25th of
August, and on the same day captured Forts Iretou
and Cromwell, which were ordered to be named Mackay's
and Nassau's, by whom they were gained. A vigorous
f!
m
^1
m
16
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1691 defence was made by the garrison, but at this period
the war languished in Ireland, the French monarch
being unable to furnish reinforcements, which were re-
quired in the Netherlands, where the liberties of Europe
were to be contested. The absence of King James from
Ireland, and the death of Earl Tyrcoimel, the devoted
adherent of the Stuarts, materially contributed to the
settlement of affairs in Ireland ; the garrison of Limerick
defended the place until the 3rd of October, when the
city surrendered to General de Ghinkel upon honor-
able terms, with the castles of Ross and Clare^ and
all other places and castles that were in possession of
the Irish. The fall of Limerick terminated the war in
Ireland, and gave a final blow to the cause of King
James.
King William returned from Holland in October, 1691,
and arrived at Kensington on the 19th of that month,
being welcomed with every demonstration of joy by his
English subjects, increased by the successes gained in
Ireland by General de Ghinkel, and the news which had
been just received of the surrender of Limerick, which
terminated the war in that country.
The Generals, Baron de Ghinkel, and the Marquis de
Ruvigne, were subsequently raised to the Irish Peerage,
the former by the title of Earl of Athlone and Viscount
Aghrim, and the latter by the style of Baron Galway, in
honor of their services to King William and Queen Mary
during this momentous struggle.
The affairs of Great Britain and Ireland being at thw
time in a settled state, King William was enabled to
devote his attention to the grand confederacy, of which
he had been the principal irovor, against the projects of
the French court. With this v'.3w. His Majesty again
embarked for Holland on the 5th March, 1692.
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
17
On the 20th April, 1692, Sir John Morgan, Bart., 1692
was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Twenty-third
regiment, in succession to Colonel Toby Purcell, de-
ceased. During the year 1692, the regiment was
stationed in England.
In May, Marshal the Duke of Luxemburg laid siege
to Namur, with an army of one hundred and twenty
thousand men, and was speedily followed by the French
King, accompanied by a magnificent cortege of the
princes, princesses, lords, ladies, and others of the French
court.
Namur had always been considered one of the strongest
fortifications in Europe, and it had recently been strength-
ened with additional works, under the direction of Cohorn^
a celebrated Dutch engineer, who was employed in its
defence. To him was opposed Vaubaji, a French en-
gineer of equal celebrity, whose works at Lisle and
Tournay have always excited the admiration of competent
judges. The spectacle, thus exhibited, was novel and
imposing, inasmuch as the two most powerful Monarchs
of Europe, headed their respective armies, while the two
greatest Engineers of the age put forth their utmost efforts
of genius and science combined, in opposition to each
other. Cohorn was dangerously wounded during the
siege.
King William advanced with his army to relieve the
town, but the march being impeded by heavy rains,
which occasioned an overflow of the rivers, his object was
frustrated, and the garrison was forced to surrende" on
the 1st of July, after an obstinate resistance. King
Louis was elated with his success, and returned in
triumph to Paris, to receive the congratulations of his
subjects.
King William was en- amped at Melle when the Castle
1i
18
THE TWENTY-THIRD REOIMENT OF FOOT,
I 'I'
1692 of Namur surrendered to the French, fi'(nn whonce Ilia
Majesty marched his army to Genappe, and on the l»t of
August, crossed the river Seime, when he wiii joined by
eight thousand Hanoverian troops.
Tlie King of France, satisfied with the glory of having
taken Namur, left the command of hia army to the Duke
of Luxemburg, who encamped in an advantageous posi-
tion, covered by a wood and thick hedges, between
Enghien and Steenkirk, where King William resolved to
attack the enemy. The second in command to King
William was the Count Solms, and under him were the
Duke of Wirtemberg, and the Elector of Bavaria.
Lieut.-Gcneral Hugh Mackay commanded the British
infantry. A battle took place at Steenkirk on the 3rd
of August, in which the confederate forcei, who were the
assailants, sustained a loss of five thouiand men in killed
and wounded. Among the killed were Lieutenant-
General Hugh Mackay ; Colonels Sir John Lanier, First
Dragoon-Guards; Sir Robert Douglni, First Royals;
Robert Hodges, Sixteenth Foot ; the Earl of Angus,
Twenty-sixth Foot ; and many other diHtinguished officers.
The French lost, in this battle, the Prince of Turenne,
the Marquis of Belleford, the Marquis of Tilldet, and
many other officers of rank, with above two thousand men
killed, and three thousand wounded and taken prisoners.
In September, 1692, the towns of Furim and Dixmude
were taken by the British troops, and in the following
month the army proceeded to its winter quarters, and
His Majesty returned from tl. Hague to London,
1693 ^" *^^ ^^^^y P^^* ^^ *^^ y^*^*" 1^^*^» Colonel Sir John
Morgan died, and on the 28th of February, His Majesty
was pleased to promote Lieutenant-Colonel Richard
Ingoldsby, from the Eighteenth ruginiunt, to the Colo-
nelcy of the TwENTY-THIUD RoYAL WfiLSli FuSlLlERS.
on, THE nOYAL WELSH FtSILIERS.
19
Towards tlio end of March, King William proceeded 1693
to Holland, and assumed the command of the confederate
forces.
In July, King William detached a portion of the army,
in ordor to proceed, under the Duke of Wirtemberg, for
the attack of the enemy's fortified lines between the river-j
Scheldt and Lys. After a march of eight days, the troops
arrived in front of the lines, near UOtignies, and on the
following day, the works were attacked at three points.
After forcing these lines, on the 10th of July, at
D'Otigniea, the Duke of Wirtemberg levied contribu-
tions on the territory subject to France, as far as Lisle.
While these operations were carried on. King William
determined to attack the Duke of Luxemburg; His
Majesty accordingly encountered the French array on
the 29th of July, 1693, at Neer- Winden, or Lajiden, a
town of the Austrian Netherlands, seated on the river
Becke, twenty miles from Namur, where the allied army
was defeated. Count Solms had his leg shot off by a
cannon*ball, was taken prisoner, and died in a few hour
afterwards. The Duke of Berwick was taken prisoner by
the English in this battle. The French were superior in
numbers to the confederate forces during the whole of the
campaign. In the midst of their victories, the enemy's
troops were suffering from a dreadful famine, which
afflicted France, and King Louis endeavoured to conclude
a separate peace with some of the allies, but without
success.
No further service of importance occurred during the
year 1693, and in October the army marched into winter
quarters in Flanders. In the same month, King William
returned to England.
The campaign of 1694 was opened in the month of 1694
May, when King William again embarked from England,
c 2
h±
W
■*,;■■
111;
20
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1694 and placed himself at the head of the confederate army
in Flanders.
Additional battalions had been sent from England
during the preceding winter, to augment the army in
Flanders, and in the early part of the year 1694, four
regiments of infantry, namely, Lloyd's (5th Foot), St.
George's (17th), Frederick Hamilt »n's (18th), and
Ingoldsby's (Twenty-third), embark ;d, and were for a
time disposed in quarters in Ostend and Nieuport.
The famine which had prevailed in France, and in the
conquered portions of Flanders, in the preceding year,
had prevented the French monarch from taking active
measures for prosecuting the war, by replacing the
casualties oi men and horses sustained in the previous
year- and a scarcity of money (the prime sinew of war)
was the grand cause of the diminished exertions on the
part of France.
During this period, the allies had increased their forces
by raising new levies, recruiting the losses sustained
in the battle of Landen, and in the campaign of the
previous year, in the hope to turn the scale of the
war, which had hitherto been in favour of the French
King.
The Marshals of France, Luxemburg and Villeroy
assumed the command of the French army, under the
Dauphin of France, whom King Louis had appointed
Generalissimo of his forces. The Dauphin was accom-
panied by the Dukes of Chartres and Bourbon, and other
princes of the blood royal.
i Ivr; French being informed of the march of the con-
federate army to the camp at Valduc, passed the river
Sambre on the 4th of June, and encamped at Gcmblours,
whore the Dauphin took up his quarters, and disposed his
forces in order of battle. No general engagement, how-
OR, TUE llOYAL WELSU FUSILIERS.
21
ever, took place, but the confederate army performed 1694
many long and tedious marches, in order to counteract
the operations of the enemy.
As the French were masters of Huy, from whence they
incommoded Liege, the frontier town of the confederate
forces, it was determined to expel the enemy from Iluy,
the possession of which place enabled the French to march,
and subsist their army as far as Maestricht.
It was, however, necessary to act with great caution,
otherwise the removal of the confederate forces to the
vicinity of Huy might have enabled the French to possess
themselves of Liege, and other populous towns in Brabant.
Accordingly, while the French army was entrenched
near Courtray, from whence they had strong detachments
to cover Ypres, Menin, Bruges, Fumes, and Dunkirk,
King William determined to dispossess the enemy of the
town and castle of Huy. In purr-;iance of this design, the
Prince Tserciaes de Tilley passed the Maese, and invested
the place with all the horse and dragoons of the bishopric
of Liege, a party of Brandenburg horse, and some bat-
talions of foot. Sixteen regiments of foot, with the Duke
of Holstein-Ploen, who was appointed to command at the
siege, afterwards arrived, at v.Iiose approach the town
surrendered, but the castle held out. By the 19th of
September the batteries wert; raised against the castle ;
on the 21st the trenches "ere opened, and the attacks
were so vigorously carried on, that all things being ready
for an assault by the 27th September, the French governor
beat a parley, and surrendered on the ioll wing day.
This conquest expelled the French from the bishopric of
i'<iege, and no further operations took place during the
J ear 1694. King William returned to England in
November, and the Twenty-third and other regiments
repaired to their winter quarters at Bruges.
ffi'..!
n-
H^ i
22
TUB TWEMTY-THIKD REGIMENT dP FOOT,
1695 In May, 1695, King William returned io Holland, and
the opposing armies commenced taking the field. The
Twenty-third regiment was formed in brigade with
the Fifth, Seventh, Eighteenth, Collingwood's (.afterwards
disbanded), and La Melcniere's regiment of French
Protestants in the English service, untter Brigadier-
General Fitzpatrick.
Arseele was appointed as the general rendezvous of
King William's army, but the King's design was lo
besiege Namiir, which had surrendered to the French on
the 1st 01 July, 1692.
On the 12t.b of June, 1695, the confederate army
marched in Umi' colunsnb from Arse? le to Rouselaer, and
from thence to Becelar, in the vicinity of the eneniy's lines
between the Ypre and the juya. On the lo';!! of June in
the evening, the King proceeded \u reconnoitre the enemy's
lines, about three miles distu'st, with aa escort of hoi-se,
and all the grenadiers that had arrived, commanded by
MAJor-General La Meloniere, and the English by Colonel
Ingcldsby (Twenty third regiment) and Lieut. -Colonel
Rook. The King returaed late to the camp, and the
artillery, baggage, and rear- guard did not arrive until
midnight.
Marshal \ illeroy, who succeeded to the command of
the French army on the decease of the Duke of Luxem-
burg, which occurred early in the year 1695, seeing his
lines thus threatened, had passed the Scheldt and the Lys,
and posted his head-quarters at Houthem near the Lys.
The French had provided in the winter for such quick
marches, by making royal v^ays (as they were termed)
from M . ns to the sea, in order to facilitate the marches of
their ami}, by cutting and pulling down all they met,
without any regard to houses or villages, so that a squadron
could march abreast on these roads.
OH, THE ROYAL WELSU FUSILIERS.
23
of
lo
on
i
In the preceding year, King William had remained 1695
satisfied with arresting the progress of the French arms,
but he now determined to recover the strong and important
fortress of Namur from the power of Louis XIV. As a
divi!i'eJ»>n to favour the operations of the main army, King
William dotiched certain regiments to threaten Fort
Knocque, £ ft .'ress at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude
canals, whtre ;ne French had a garrison. On the 9th of
June, an attack was made on the French, who were driven
from the entrenchments and houses near the Loo Canal.
A redoubt w.'*^ afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected
on the v/orks of the bridge, but when Namur was invested,
itir riterprise became no longer necessary, and, on the
1st of July, Lord Cutts returned to the camp at Temploux
with six battalions, including the Twenty-third regi-
ment. The loss sustained before Fort Knocque by Briga-
dier-General Tiffeny's brigade, of which tiie Twenty-
third formed part, amounted to three officers killed
and thirty-two wounded, and 337 soldiers killed and
wounded.
No longer concealing his intentions. King William de-
termined to invest Namur, and, on the 2nd of July, arrived
at the castle of Falise ; on the following day, the Elector
of Bavaria having brought up the remainder of his army
with surprising celerity, the town and castle of Namur
were completely invested. Marshal Boufflers had, in the
meantime, succeeded in rehifjrcin<>; the garrison, which
consisted of about fifteen thousand men, comprising the
best troops of France.
The siege of Namur at first proceeded slowly, owing to
the want of cannon, which having arrived, the works were
carried on with vigour On the 8th of July, several of
the regiments encamped at Templcnx, received order.< to
march into the lines of circumvallation, and the 'I'wenty-
ii,
m
^
24
TJiE TWHNTY-TlIlllU REGIMENT OF FOOT,
I
It!
H
1695 TUIRD foriiiecl p/irt of this force. In the evening of the
same day, a «iUT088ful attack was made on the covered
way upon the iiill of Bougc. The attack was made about
seven in the evening ; and such were the spirit and energy
with wliieh the British soldiers rushed upon their opponents,
that the puHsades were speedily broken dowri, the covered
way carried, and the JVench overpowered and chased
among the works, many of them throwing themselves into
stone-pits to escapcj the fury of their assailants. Brigadier-
General iMtzpatrick was ordered to mount the trenches
with the regiuK'nts of Lauder, Ingoldsby (Twenty-third),
Saunderson, and Maithiiid ; and Brigadier-General Fris-
heim, with the Dutch, relieved the posts which had been
gained. The Twenty-third regiment had Captain
Hamilton and Lieutenant Jasaut killed.
This success was followed by increased ex' i ilou ? o ", the
part of the hemiegcsre, and on the 17th of Jur' al prejav^-
tioMs werj! coinjjloted for an attack on the cou.itcr ;c'n;p.
Major-Gcneral Jiindeboom was then in the trenches with
Brigadier Selwyn, and the regimehts of Lauder, Ingoldsby
(Twentv-th/hd), Hnunderson, and Maitland. The attack
was ordered for the (jveuing at the relieving of the trenches,
so as to httv*; plenty of regiments ready to sustain the
assault. Fifteen grenadiers were detached from each
of the regiments concerned in the siege of the town (except
the Foot Guards), amounting to about fifty men, com-
manded by T'olonel Collingwood. The attack was com-
menced by the grenadiers about five o'clock in the after-
noon, who gallantly advanced to the glacis, and fired their
grenades over the palisades into the covered way. The
enemy hud traverses palisaded the entire length of this
covered way from the Porte-de-For to the Maese, which
btrengthermd the counterscarp considerably. The grena-
diers notwithstanding gained the glacis, but the besieged.
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
25
under cover of their traverses, very much annoyed the 1695
assailants, and disputed the lodgments upon the glacis
with great obstinacy ; for which reason the regiments of
Ingoldshy (Twenty-third) and Saundcrson marched
out of the trenches to their assistance ; but when they
came to lodge the woolsacks and gabions upon the
palisades of the glacis, the French, who still defended
themselves by means of their traverses, set them on
fire, and sprang two or three mines, which did some
execution. Several grenadiers leaped over the palisades
into the covered way, and fought with much bravery
in the thickest of the conflict. The lodgment was at
length effected, and the French were forced to abandon
the counterscarp.
D'Auvergne, in his History, computes the casualties
at about seven or eight hundred men killed and wounded,
and states, that " Colonel Ingoldshy s {2Zrd) and Saunder-
sons regiments suffered most among ours (Scots Fusilier
Guards,) in gaining the counterscarp.'*
The TwENTY-THiun li.ad Lieutenant Brooker and
Ensign Paget killed, and Captains Purefoy, Jones, and
Stedman, Lieutenants Ogilby, Moor, Disney, and Lloyd,
and Ensigns Patteson and Johnson, wounded.
The Twenty-third regiment was also in the trenches
in the evening of the 20th of July, the day on wliich King
William received the news of the surrender of Dixmude
to the French, for which Major-General Ellemberg was
afterwards tried by court-martial, and sentenced to be
beheaded, which was carried into effect at Ghent on the
30th of November, 1695. Deinse was also taken by the
French on the 21st of July.
King William prosecuted the siege of ''^ainur with
vigour, and with such . urcoss, that the garrison hoisted
a white flag, and agreed to surrender the town, which was
':W\
!.■• >•'■
r J.
1.
:i||
li
20
TUB TWENTy-TIllUU llEQIMENT OF FOOT,
it
1:
j:
i i
j
t
1695 delivered up on tlio 25tli July, 1695, when the garrison
retired into tlie Castle, where they determined to defend
themselves to the lust extremity.
After the surrender of the town of Naraur, the Twenty -
THIRD regiment marched from the lines of circumvallation
to Genappe, where a force wasascamlieu i.ider the Earl
of Athlone to co-oporute with the covering army. The
confederate army being thus ui . Ided, part carrying on the
siege of the Catitle of Namur, and the remainder stationed
in various places in the Z^Tetherlands, the French co»n-
mander. Marshal Villeroy, having assembled an immense
force, advanced to Jirussels, and bombarded the city.
Upon this march of Marshal Villeroy to Brussels, ten
battalions were (1» Ui-jhed from the Earl of Athlone's
array at Waterloo .o reinforce the army under the Prince
of Vaudemont ; four of these battalions vi^ere English, and
the TwENTY-THiiiD regiment formed pi^rt of the number.
Marshal Villeroy, after bombarding the city of Brussels,
withdrew his army on the 7th of August, and marched
towards Namur, w ith the design of raising the siege of the
castle. The Prince of ' uont's force in the meanwhile
approached closer lo the inuin army under King William,
and encamped at Mazy, about five miles from Namur.
On the 30th of August, the grenadier company of the
TwENTY-Tiinu) regiment took part in . n assault upon
the Castle of Namur, and was engaged with the force
under Lord (Jutts in storming the counterscarp and breach
of the Terra Nova. This proved a severe and sanguinary
service ; the assailants and defenders fought bravely, and
several lodgments were effected, but the castle vas not
carried. Captain Parry, of the Twenty-third, was
killed on this service.
Preparations were afterwardb made for anc er assault,
when the garrison, despairing of all hope of ^uc^our from
OR, THE ROYAL WEL8U FU8IL1EH8.
27
Marshal Villeroy's army, was forced to surrender. t 1095
the capitulation of Namur, the 'J'wenty-tuiud regime ut
took possession of the gates. On the 5tli of September,
the garrison marched out, when Marshal Boufflers was
arrested, in order to obtain satisfaction of the French
monarch for the detention of the garrisons of Dixmude
and Deinse, who were detained prisoners contrary to the
cartel. Marshal Boufflers was soon afterwards released
on parole gi ven that the garrisons should be liberated.
In this manner was effected this important concjuest,
which greatly increased the military reputation of King
William, and added fresh lustre to the confederate troops ;
twelve thousand men were lost by the Allies in recovering
Namur from the French.
No further actions occurred during the year 1695, and
the Twenty-third regiment returned about the middle
of October to its former winter quarters at Bruges.
In the spring of 1696, Louis XIV. endeavoured to 1696
weaken the power of the confederate army in Flanders,
by causing England to become the seat of civil war.
The partisans f King James were excited to rise in
arms ; a plot wao formed for the assassination of King
William, and a French army approached the coast to
embark with King James for England.
Several regiments were in consequence selected to
return to England, but the Twenty-third remained
in Flanders. In the meantime the conspirators had
been discovered ; a British fleet was sent to blockade
the French ports ; the designs of Louis XIV. upon
England were frustrated, and several of the corps re-
turned to Flanders.
The Twenty-third regiment, in May, 1696, marched
out pf Bruges, and was posted at Bellem, together with
the Dutch cavalry, commanded by Brigadiers Sohack
wi
!-■
28
THE TWENTY-TIIIUU KEUIMENT OF FOOT,
169G and Boncourt ; tlio brigade of infantry, consisting of" tlio
regitnunts of Macliay, Sir David Collier, Ingoldsby and
Ferguson, being under the orders of Sir David Collier :
the wiiole were under the command of Lieut.-General
Sir Henry Bellasis.
In May, King William embarked at Margate, and
landed in Holland on the 7th of that month. On the
29th of May, His Majesty reviewed the Twenty-third
and other regiments stationed at Bellem, and expressed
his satisfaction as to their condition. The troops were
well clothed, and most of the regiments were complete
in numbers, the losses of the preceding campaign having
been replaced.
On the 31st of May, King William promoted several
officers, and Colonel Ingoldsby, of the Twenty-third
regiment, was appointed Brigadier. His Majesty, in
order to strengthen the Brabant army in infantry, sent
for a considerable detachment from the Prince of Vau-
demont's army, to be commanded by the Duke of
Wirtemberg.
Accordingly, on the 4th of June, the Twenty-tuird
and other regiments proceeded en route to Appels upon
the Scheldt, near Dendermond, and marched to Malen-
stein, where they passed the canal at Sas-van-Ghent.
Brigadier Ingoldsby commanded the brigade, of which
his regiment, the Twenty-third, formed part. On the
5th of June, the whole of the troops, amounting to
fifteen battalions, which had been detached under the
Duke of Wirtemberg, joined at Appels.
No general engagement, however, occurred, and, in
September, the Prince of Vaudemont having been
informed of the march of the enemy to Turnhout and
Wynendale, requested to be reinforced, in order to provide
for the safety of Bruges. The brigades of Fitzpatrick
Olt. THE KUYAIi WELSH Fl'^ill.IKUS.
•2U
(Sevonth Royal Fusiliers) and Ingoldshy (Twenty- 1696
TiijRD) ttccortlingly niarchud towards Ghent to reinforce
the Prince, from whence they ])rocceded in boats to
Brugoa. The confederates had j)ut their camp into such
a state of defence, that Marshal V'illeroy's designs on
Bruges wen; frustrated.
In October, King William returned to England.
During the campaign of lGi)6, neither the French, nor
the confederates, had entered upon any siege, or fought
any considerable action. The great scarcity of money,
upon the recoining of the silver in this year, is one of
the reasons given for the inactivity of the English : the
loss of the nation upon the reeoinage is stated to have
amounted to 2,200,000/.
Th TwENTY-THiiiD regiment shortly afterwards occu-
pied its former quarters at Bruges.
In AprJl, 1697, King William embarked at Margate 1097
for Holland, and the army entered upon the operations
of another campaign ; but while the troops were in the
field, negotiations for a general peace were opened at
Ryswick, Monsieur Letinroot, the Swedish ambassador
being mediator. The treaty of Ryswick was signed
during the night between the 20th and 21st of Septem-
ber, 1697.
By this treaty, France was to restore to the Spanish
monarch Barcelona, Roses, Gironne, and all that she
had acquired in Catalonia ; also Luxemburg, Mons,
Charleroi, and all other towns she had obtained posses-
sion of in the Low Countries, as well as in America. It
was also stipulated between England and France, that
Louis XIV. would not attempt to disturb King AVilliam
in the enjoyment of the British dominions.
After the conclusion of peace, the Twenty-tuiud
regiment embarked for Ireland, whore it remained until
"A
\■\^
m
.■>!,
^'■i
30
THE TWENTY THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
m
I
?
I J
1
1697 events occasioned it to be again sent on foreign service in
the Netherlands, the scene of its former glories, and
which has been aptly termed the battle-field of Europe,
on account of the liberties of Christendom having been so
frequently defended in that country.
1700 These events arose from the decease of Charles II.
King of Spain, without issue, which occurred on the 1st
of November, 1700; and he bequeathed his crown to
Philip, Duke of Anjou, second son of the Dauj, 'lin of
France, Louis XIV., in violation of existing treaties,
accordingly endeavoured to procure the accession of his
grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain, in
opposition to the claims of Charles, Archduke of Austria,
the second son of Leopold, Emperor of Germany.*
Louis XIV. sent a body of troops to take possession of
the Spanish Netherlands, and detained 15,000 Dutch,
who formed the garrisons of the barrier-towns in virtue of
a previous convention with Spain, which was concluded at
the peace of Ryswick in 1697.
King William immediately adopted active measures
for augmenting the army and uavy, and sent thirteen
British battalions to assist the Dutch against the advance
jf the French army towards their frontiers.!
* On the 5th of May, 1705, Loopold, Emperor of Germany died,
and was succeeded by his son Jcie])h, whose decease occurred at
Vienna on the i7th of April 1711, when his brother Charles III.,
of Spain, was elected Emperor.
t Jiegimentu vihich proceeded to Holland in 1701.
A battalion of the Foot Guards from England.
The following regiments embarked at Cork on the 15th June, 1701,
1st Foot. Royals, 1st Batt.
13th Foot.
Sir John Jacob's.
Ditto 2nd Batt.
l.-ith „
HoM'e's.
8th „ Princess Aiine's.
1 7th „
Sir Matthew Bridge's.
9th „ Stewarts.
18th „
Eoyal Irish.
10th „ Sir Bevil Granville's.
24th „
Seymour's.
The 1 6th (Stanley's,) and 23rd (Ingoldsby's,) regiments, embarked at
Carrickfergus on the 7th of June, 1701, but did not sail from thence
until the 15th of that month.
OR. THE UOYAL V. r ^SII FUSILIERS.
31
The Twenty-third regiment, commanded by Briga- noi
dier-General Ingoldsby, embarked at Cavrickfergus for
Flanders on the 7th of June, 1701 ; and afterwards
increased its former reputation, by sharing in the victories
gained by the Duke of Marlborough ; triumphs which
rivalled the ancient glories of Cre^y, and of Agincourt.
Brigadier-General Ingoldsby arrived in Holland on the
30tli of June, with the Sixteenth and Twenty-third
regiments under his command, which proceeded to their
appointed garrisons at Worcum and Heusden.
On the 6th of July, King William proceeded to Hol-
land ; and on the 16th of September the troops under
Brigadier-General Ingoldsby marched to Breda Heath,
where the army was reviewed by His Majesty on the 21st
of September. After the review, the troops marched back
to their respective garrisons, where they remained during
the year.
On the 1 6th of September, 1701, the decease of James
II. occurred at St. Germains, and his son (known in
England as the Pretender) was, by order of Louis XIV.,
proclaimed King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, by
the title of King James III. This indignity to the
British sovereign and nation, added to the contemplated
union of the crowns of France and Spain, aroused the
feelings of the British people ; and King William con-
cluded an alliance with the Emperor of Austria and the
States General, against the French monarch, which was
termed " The Grand Alliance," the principal objects of
which were to procure the Spanish Netherlands as a barrier
for the Dutch, and to prevent France and Spain being
united under the same prince. In November, the King
returned to London.
While these active measures were in progress, the de- 1702
cease of King William occurred on the 8th of March,
^ ' 1
( '8
\T
i
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7 V!"
i
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p
h
32
THK TWKNTV-THIRD JIKOIMMNT 01'' I'OOT,
1702 1702 ; and his successor, Queon Anno, rcwdvod to carry
into effect the views of her predecessor. War will accord-
ingly declared against France and Spain on the 4th of
May following, and additional forces wero Hunt to Flanders,
the Earl of Marlborough behig appointed to command the
British, Dutch, and auxiliary troops, with tho rank of
Captain- General.
In the meantime the TwENTY-TiiinD rogimunt, having
passed the winter amongst the Dutch, quittod it« canton-
ments Oil the 10th of March, proceeded to Roscndaol,
where the British infantry assembled and oncatnpcd under
Brigadier-General Ingoldsby.
On the 16th of April, the Prince of Nasgflu Haarbruck,
commanding the German and Dutch troops, invested
KaTjsersiverth, st strong fortress on tho Waul, a branch of
the Rhine, which was garrisoned by the Froncii ; and the
Twenty-third, with the other Britinh ruginimits, pro-
ceeded from their camp at Rosondaul to tho duchy of
Cleves, where they joined a body of Dutch and Gcrmnns
under General the Earl of Athlono, and cnd/inipt'd at
Cranenburg, on the Lower Rhino, to cover the Hiege.
While the allies were engaged in tho Hit<g(> of Kayeers-
werth, Marshal Boutflers, who coinnnunlod tin; French
army under the Duke of Burgundy, with a very »iiperior
force, in point of numbers, traversed tho foi'ont of Cleves,
and advanced through the plains of Gocli with tho design
of surprising Nimeguen. This movement oniwed tho
Earl of Athlone to advance upon Nimeguen, nnd the
troops under his command arrived on tlu^ morning of the
nth of June, within a few miles of iho place, when the
French columns appeared marching with all possible
expedition to surround the allies. Some nliiirp Mkirmish-
ing ensued, in which the rear-guard diMtiiigtUKlied itself
in opposing the leading coUuuns of the Frcsnch army.
on, THE nOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
33
Nimoguon wa« thus saved from the French, and on the 1 702
17th of J\xm, Kayserswcrth surrendered to the confederate
troops.
In tho beginning of July, the Earl of Marlborough
arrived in the Netherlands, and assumed the command
of tho Britiih, Dutch, and auxiliary troops. At this
period tho Duchy of Cleves had been overrun by the
enemy, who menaced the frontiers of Holland. His
Lord«hip oiiomblcd the troops of the several nations,
advanced ngainst the French, and by skilful movements
forced them ♦'o retire. The Twenty-third formed
part of the force under the Earl of Marlborough, and
were engaged in several movements designed to bring
on a general action, which the enemy avoided.
Vmloo, & town in the province of Limburg, on the east
side of the river Maese, was invested by the allies on
tho 29th of August, and the Twenty-third formed
part of the covering army during the siege. The town
surrendered (ni the 25th of September.
StemMwaert and Ruremonde were the next objects of
attack, and were captured early in October. Animated
by thoae succcsf^es, the main army struck its tents at one
o'clock in i,nc morning of the 10th of October, and ad-
vanced in two columns towards tlie city of Liege, and
encamped near the works about four in the afternoon.
Marshal Boufflers, thereupon, abandoned the city, and
setting on fire the suburb of St. Walburg, retired into
tho Citadel and Chartreuse.
After Jiaving occupied the city '^f Liege, the Earl of
Marlborough commenced the siege of the Citadel, which
was tiiken by storm on the 23rd of October, and in the
capture of which tho Grenadier company of the regiment
«listi!)gui«hed itself.
The Earl of Marlborough has alludcc. to the bravery
D
.1 l\
I-
11
\- ' '
I'
34
THE TWENTY-THIRD nEGIMENT OF FOOT,
II
1 702 of the troops employed in the capture of the Citadel of
Lieye, in a letter to the Earl of Nottingham, dated the
23rd of Octoher, 1702. This letter forms part of the
correspondence which was discovered by the present
Duke of Marlborough in the year 1842, upon making
some improvements at Blenheim, and is included in
" The Letters and Despatches of John Churchill^ first
" Duke of Marlborough^' recently published und-^r the
superintendence of the late General the Right Honorable
Sir Georjie Murrav G.C.Ij :-
" The p'jst not be!'.' g^iK', I could not but open
" this letter tn let you know, that, by the extraordinary
" bravery of the officers and soldiers, the Citadel has been
'* carried by storm, and for the honor of Her Majesty's
" subjects, the English were the first that got upon the
" breach, and the Governor was taken by a lieutenant
" of Stewart's regiment.* Tiie necessary orders are
" given for the hastening the attack of the Chartreuse."
A few days after this capture, the Chartreuse surren-
dered, and the Earl of Marlborough proceeded to
Holland, and thence to London, where, on arrival, Her
Majesty Queen Anne created him a Duke, as a reward
for the successes of the (.ampaign of 1702.
In a list of the forces in Holland, in 1702, preserved
in the British Museum, the Twenty-third regiment is
stated to have consisted at that period of 44 commissioned
officers, 104 non-commissioned officers, and 736 privates.
The British troops (juitted tiie valley of Liege in
November, and marched to Holland for winter quarters.
,^ In the beginning of April, 1703, the Duke of Marl-
borough arrived in Holland, and Bonn, a strong town on
the Rhine, was invested by the Dutch and Germans on
* Now the Ninth Kegimcut of I'\iot.
ilii
OH, TUE ROYAL WELSH FU8ILIEUS.
85
the 24th of April. MarshalsVilleroy and BouiBers, taking 1703
advantage of the dispersed state of t'^e allied army, made
a sudden advance to surprise the troops in their quarters.
The first attack was made on the 10th of May upon two
British regiments; at Tongres; and these regiments, the
second foot, and Elst's corps (the latter since disbanded),
defended themselves upwards of twenty-four hours before
they surrendered. Upon this the Twenty-third, and
otliei regiments, proceeded to Maestricht, where they
formed in order of battle near the works : the French
Commander advanced, reconnoitred the position, and
withdrew to Tongres, after a sharp cannonade. Bonn
surrendered on the 15th of May, and the army was
afterwards assembled in the vicinity of Maestricht, where
t'lie Twenty-third was fvormed in brigade Wiih the
battalion of Foot Guards, the first battalion of the Royals,
and the regiments of Stewart, Howe and Marlborough,
(now 9th, 15th, and 24th regiments) under the orders of
Brigadier-General Withers, in the division commanded
by Litutenant-General Charles Churchill, brother of tiie
Duke jf Marlborou^. On the 24th of May, the army
advanced towards Zbrt^/rcs, when the Fi'ench retreated with
precipitation, and the confederates encamped at Thys.
The Duke of Marlborough then made several movements
in order to bring on a general engagement, which the ;
French avoided, and took post behind their fortified lines,
wliere His Grace was desirous of attacking them, but was
prevented by the Dutch generals and field deputies.
The Dukt of Marlborough, in a letter to the Dutch
General, Mr. D'Obdam, dated 3rd of July, 1 703, of which
the following is an extrac, has feelingly alluded to the
long marches, made by the troops in order to bring the
enem} to a battle : —
'* Nous avons eu une cruelle niarche aujouid'hui pour
]) 2
if
^1 w\
»
It
il'f'
i
I .",
36
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
■f
1703 " les pauvrea soldats, qui ont ete la plupart du chemin a
" mi-jambe dans I'eau et la boue, ce qui nous obligera,
" j'ai peur, de faire halte ici demain. Mais nous pour-
" suivrons la marche demain pour vous approcher de plus
" pres, et attendrons avec impatience vos sentiments, avec
" ceux des generaux, sur les operations que nous aurons
" a faire pour parvenir au plus-tot a nos desseins."
Operations were therefore continued against the fortified
towns in possession of the enemy, and in August, the
army advanced to Hut/, a strong fortress on the Maese
above the cily of Liege, which was invested on the 16th,
and captured on the 25th of August. Another proposal to
attack ihe French lines was declined by the Dutch ; and
the Hi "n army afterwards advanced to St. Trond; at the
same • ne a detachment invested Limhurg, a city of the
Spanish N i ■ erlands, situated on a pleasant eminence
amongst the woods near the banks of the little river
Wesdet. The siege of this jilace commenced on the
10th of September, and on the 28th, the governor, with
a garrison of fourteen hundred men, surrendered.
Spanish Guelderland was thus delivered from the
power of France, and the Dutch were freed from the
dread of an invasion. The army, shortly after the capture
of Limburg, went into winter quarters in Dutch Brabant.
1704 In the early part of 1704, a detachment of the regiment
proceeded to Maestricht, to take part in the duties. of that
garrison, while the Dutch troops were throwing up a
strong entrenchment on the heights of Petersberg.
Meanwhile the progress of the war had assumed an
unfavourable aspect in Germany ; the Elector of Ba' aria
had embraced the French interest, and, having been
reinforced by a numerous body of French troops, had
gained considerable advantages over the army of the
Empire. Under these circumstances the Duke of Marl-
Coi
the
the
OR, THE UOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
a?
borough resolved to lead the army under his command 1704
from the ocean to the Danui>?; and make a powerful
effort to change the fortune of the war in the heart of
Germany.
To engage in this splendid enterprise, the Twenty-
third regiment marched towards the Rhine in the early
par- ■'" ^'f'y, and was joined at Bedburg by the detach-
irf^i- f. . x\Iaestricht. The designs of the British Com-
mai' ci were secret; the object of his movements held
Europe in perplexing anxiety, suspended the operations
of the Elector of Bavaria, and confounded the French
Generals, who, the moment the advance assumed a specific
direction, were unable to counteract the plans of the Dukr
of Marlborough.
On the 19 til of May, the army inarched from Bedburg
along the course of the Rhine towards the Moselle, and
traversed both rivers at Coblentz on the 25th and 26th
of that month ; thence proceeding towards the Maine,
arrived at the suburbs of Mentz in the beginning of June ;
the cavalry being in advance with the Duke of Marl-
borough, the infantry and artillery a few marches in the
rear, under General Charles Churchill. From the Maine
the infantry proceeded towards the Neckar, and passed
that river on the 15th of June, shortly afterwards arriving
at the seat of war in Germany, and co-operating with the
Imperial forces.
At three o'clock in the raorning of the '2nd of July,
the army marcher' towards- Donawerth, to attack the
entrenched camp of the French and Bavarians, under the
Count d'Arco, on the heights of Schdlenberg , situated on
the left bank of the Danube. After traversing a difficult
tract of country, the troops crossed the river Wernitz,
and arrived in front of the enemy's camp. About six in
the evening, the leading di'ision, consisting of a detach-
-11
% '\
i I:
f 1'
lii
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3»
TUB rWRNTY-TIlIIlD llECIMENT OF FOOT,
is-.
1704 nioiit from cacli BritiHlj regiment, with the Foot Guards,
RoyalH, urid Twenty-third regiment, commanded by
Brlgadier-Gencrul Fergusson, and a Dutch force under
General Goor, advanced, under cover of a heavy cannonade,
to attack the (nitrencliments. The difficulty of the ground,
the formidable preparations of the enemy, and the steady
})ravery of th(j Bavarians,occasioned the contest to be severe.
All the confederate troops behaved with much bravery
and rcHohition, and the cavalry shared the .dory of the
(lay with the infantry ; but the first attack being com-
menc(!d by a battalion of the Foot Guards, and the regi-
mentH of ( )rkncy and Ingoldsby (First foot, and Twenty-
Tumi) n.'giment) they suffered more than the others.
The determined assaults of the British soldiers overcame
all rcBiHtancc!, and after an attack, which lasted nearly
two liours, the French and Bavarians abandoned the
lieightH, and were pursued across the Danube by the
A ietors, who captured sixteon pieces of artillery, several
standardw, colours, tents, with the equipage and plate
of tlie Bavarian commander, the Count d'Arco; the
Count and his generals, saved themselves by swimming
across the Danube.
The Duke of Marlbc 'ongh stated in a letter to Her
Maj(>sty Queen Anne, dated 3rd of July, 1 704, from the
camp at Kbcrmergcn, that " Mr. Secretary Harley will
" have the honor to lay the relation of yesterday's action
" before Your Majesty, to which I shall crave leave
" humbly to add, that our success is, in a great measure,
" owing to the particular blessing of God on the un-
" paralleled courage of your troop "
The regiment had Captains Harman, Ogilvy, Lieu-
tenants Fra/ier, Agan, and Price killed ; Colonel Sabine,
Lieutenant- (Jolonel Jones, Major Ingoldsby, Captain
Eyme, Lieutenants Jeverau, Kf^nok, Richards, Cadroy,
on, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
89
Piggot, Aldy, and Jones wounded ; six Serjeants killed, 1704
and six wounded ; sixty rank and file killed, and one
hundred and fifty-six wounded.
After this victory Donmcerth was taken possession of
by the allies, who penetrated the country "^ Bavaria,
and the Elector concentrated his forces ai Augsburg.
The enemy having left a garrison at Rain, a Si la'J town
near the River Lech, the confederate Generals resolved
to attack it. The siege was under the command of the
Count de Frise, and to favour the enterprise the allied
army, on the 12th of July, moved to the right, its former
position being between Standa and Bercheim. The
trenches were opened before Bain on the 13th July, and
the garrison, under the Count de J^ ""ercy, capitulated on the
17th of that month, and wa>; permitted to proceed to the
Elector's camp at Augsburg. The camp at Augsburg
was too strong to be attacked v ith any prospect of success,
and the troops retired a few b cages ; the siege oi Ingoldstadt
was commenced by the Germans under the Prince of
Baden in August, and the British troops formed part of
the covering army.
When the Elector of Bavaria quitted his entrenched
camp, and formed a junction with the reinforcements sent
by Louis XIV. to his aid, the united forces encamped in
the valley of the Danube, near the village of Blenheim.
At the same time the allied army, commanded by the
Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, had
advanced to the village of Munster, and was encamped
with its left to the Danube.
The plain upon which the two armies were encamped,
was about two leagues in length, and of unequal breadth ;
the entrance into it being about the breadth of a cannon-
shot, but widening soon after to about a league. It was
bordered on one side by the wood of Schellenberg, and
' i
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r
1.
11
M^ ii
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40
TlIK TWKNTYTIWHI) UKOiMENT OV FOOT,
III
If ''
I
I
1704 on the other by tlio Duimbo ; the plain was also inter-
sected by three or four rivulets in their courses to the
river. Several niarslu's, with about .venty scattered vil-
lages and hamlets, injpeded the marfli of the confederate
army, which amounted nearly to fifty -two thousand men,
and upwards of fifty pic'ces of cannon : the enemy was nearly
sixty thousand strong, with ninety pieces of artillery ; the
right wing was conunanded by Marshal Tallard, and the
left by the Elector, with the Bavarians, and the Marshal
de Marh?in, with the French troops under his command.
All preparations being made, and the Duke of Marl-
borough satisfied that the chivalrous spirit of his soldiers
would overmatch the advantages of the foe, the British
Commander, cm the memorable 13th of August, 1704, after
a brisk eannc'iade, gavt; orders for a general attack, which
commenced about a quarter before one o'clock, p.m.
M;i jor-General Wilks made the first onset with the tenth,
fifteenth, twenty-first, Twenty-third, and twenty-fourth
regiments, under Brigadier-General Row, who led the
attack in gallant style, folio vod by four battalions of
Hessians, and 8Uj)ported by i^li vcji battalions of infantry,
and fifteen squadrons of cavjilry. This column proceeded
to the banks of the little river iScbel, and took possession
of two water-mills, which the enemy had evacuated and
set on fire ; then advancing through the enclosures, made
a determined attack on the French troops posted in the
village of Blcnkeim ; Brigadier-General Row striking his
sv ord into the enemy's palisades, before he gave the word
" fire."
Although tlic assault was made with spirit and resolu-
tion, yet the brigade was unable to force the entrench-
ments against the superior numbers of the enemy ; and
while retiring, it was charged by the French troopers, who
were repulsed by the Hessian brigade. After repeated.
on, TUE UOYAL WELSH FUSILIEHH.
41
attempts on 1)m, vjllngc had provetl unavailing, ii few corps 1704
blockaded t'i ; avenues ; the army traversed the rivulet,
and attacking the French position along the front, engaged
in a sanguinary conflict. The volleys of musketry, and
the charges of cavalry vere continued with varied success,
and amidst th's storm of war, the Twenty -tiiihd regiment
had repeated opportunities of distinguishing itself. At
length victory declared in favour of the confederates, and
the French were driven from the field with great slaughter,
and the loss of many officers and men taken prisoners,
among whom was the French Commander Marshal
Tallard.
The main body of the French army bt>ing defeated,
with the loss of its artillery and baggage, the troops posted
in Blenheim attempted to escape by the rear of the village ;
but were repulsed. Additional forces were brought against
the village; Lieutenant-Gcneral the Earl of Orkney
attacked the French troops in the churchyard with eight
battalions; and Lieutenant-General Ingoldsby attacked
the right of the village with four battalions. The eflbrts
of the French troops to escape became hopeless, and at
eight o'clock in the evening, twenty-four battalions of
infantry, and twelve squadrons of cavalry, surrendered
prisoners of war.
Thus ended the mighty struggle of this eventful day.
Bavaria was subdued ; the German empire was delivered
from the menaced danger ; the terrors of the British arms
awed the States of Italy, which supported the bourbon
cause ; and the tide of war flowed prosperously in the
interest of the Allied Powers.
ISIonarclis, statesmen, and poets, all vied with each other
in doing homage to the genius of the Duke of Marl-
borough, and to his brave soldiers, who had, as Marshal
Tallard expressed himself, conquered the best troops in
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42
TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1704 the world, a high compliment from an enemy to the valour
of the victors.
Few comnuuiders of note were lost by the English in
this battle, except Brigadier-General Row, and the Prince
of Holstein Beck, who died of their wounds. The total
loss of the allies amounted to 4485 men killed, and 7525
wounded, with 273 lost or made prisoners ; while that of
the enemy was estimated at nearly 10,000 killed, about
thirty squadrons of cavalry drowned in the Danube, and
13,000 prisoners.
The Twenty-third regiment had Major George
Morgan, Captain Henry Cookman, Lieutenants Hugh
Smith, Griffith Jones, Baily, Fleetwood Dormer, Rowland,
John Paterson, and Adjutant Powel, wounded. The
number of non-commissioned officers and private soldiers of
the regiment, killed and wounded, has not been ascertained*
So great was the number of French and Bavarians
taken in this battle, that several regiments were sent in
charge of them to Holland; but the Twenty-third
regiment remained with the army in Germany.
The battle of BlenJieim rendered it unnecessary to con-
tinue the siege of Ingoldstadt, as the Duke of Marl-
borough considered it more advisable to unite all the con-
federate forces, in order to oblige the French to repass the
Rhine. Ratisbon, Augsburg, Meningen, and other im-
perial towns were abandoned by the enemy, and the allies
took possession of them. The Twenty-third regiment
proceeded through the circle of Suabia, and directed its
march to Philipsburg, where it crossed the Rhine on the 7th
of September, and was subsequently encamped at Croon-
Weissemberg, forming part of the covering army during
the siege of Landau by the Germans under Pnnce
Iicwis.
Here the Duke of Marlbo.'ough received an express
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
43
from General Thungen of Ulm having surrendered on 1704
honorable terms on the 11th of September, and the
Imperialists found in the town several pieces of cannon,
plenty of ammunition, and a quantity of stores and pro-
visions, a seasonable supply for carrying on the siege of
Landau^ which was invested on the 12th of September,
and surrendered on the 24th of November.
On the 13th of October the Twenty-third, and three
other corps, marched from the covering army encamped
at Croon- Weissemberg to Germersheim, and sailed down
the Rhine to Holland, where they were placed in garrison
for the winter.
The Duke of Marlborough took possession of Treves on
the 29th of October. His Grace having settled the dis-^
tribution of winter quarters, proceeded towards TVaerbachf
on the Moselle, which was occupied by a French garrison
of six hundred men. The Duke returned to the camp at
Croon- Weissemberg after having given directions to the
Prince of Hesse- Cassel for the siege of Traerbach, which
was invested on the 3rd of November, and surrendered
on the 20th of December.
At the commencement of the year 1 705, the regiment 1 705
was in garrison at Ruremonde, where it remained until
the opening of the campaign.
On the 1st of April, Lieut.-General Richard Ingoldsby
was removed to the Eighteenth (Royal Irish) regi-
ment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Sabine, who was
wounded at the battle of Schellenberg, was promoted
to the colonelcy of the Twenty-third, Royal Welsh
Fusiliers.
The TwBNTY-THiRD and Twenty- fourth regiments,
which formed the garrison of Ruremonde, were reviewed
there on the 7th of May by the Duke of Marlborough ;
the regiment afterwards marched to Juliers, and from
M-
m
44
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1705 thence proceeded through a mountainous country to the
Moselle valley, and encamped near the ancient city of
Treves. In the order of battle near Treves, on the 29th
of May, the regiment was stationed in the first line. The
army being united, it passed the rivers Moselle and Saar
on the 3rd of June, traversed the defile of Tavemen, and
pitched its tents near Syrk. The army here waited for
the Imperialists, whose tardy movements, and inefficient
state, disappointed the expectations of the Duke of Marl-
borough, and rendered it necessary for him to make a
retrograde movement to the Netherlands, to arrest the
progress of the French in that country.
The approach of the army towards the Maese caused
the French to raise the siege of the citadel of Liege, and
to retire. On arriving at the Maese, a detachment of the
regiment was employed in recapturing Hui/^ which had
been taken by the enemy during the absence of the con-
federate forces up the Moselle. Huy was recaptured on
the 11th of July, after having been occupied onlj for a
month by the enemy.
A stupendous barrier of fortified lines, forts, and bat-
teries, had been constructed with great labour and expense
to oppose the progress of the Bri General ; but by
menacing the lines to the south of tim Mehaigne, to draw
the attention of the French army to that quarter, and
afterwards making a fovced march to the right during the
night of the 17th of July, these stupendous works were
forced on the following day at Helixem and Neer-Hespen.
The advance was concealed by a thick fog, and under the
cover of this obscurity, one column cleared the village of
Neer-Winden and Neer-Hespen ; another gained the
bridge and village of Helixem ; and a third carried the
castle of Wange, which commanded the passage of the
Little Gheet. The enemy, being surprised and con-
on, THE ROYAL WKLSII FUSILIEltS-
45
founded by the suddenness of the attack, retreated in a 1705
panic. The pioneers were instantly set to work, and in a
short time a passage was made for the cavalry.
While this was in progress, the Marquis d'Allegre
advanced with twenty battalions of French infantry, and fifty
squadrons of cavalry, and opened a sharp cannonade ; but
his advance was retarded by a hollow way, which gave
time for more troops to pass the lines; after a sharp
attack, his forces were defeated ; the allies took many
prisoners, and captured a number of standards and
colours. The Duke of Marlborough stated in his letter
to Her Majesty Queen Anne, " that it is not possible to
" express the bravery and resolution which your Majesty's
" troops, as well as those that icere with them, have shown
" on this occasion.^*
In this service, the Twenty- third regiment was
formed in brigade with the sixteenth, twenty-sixth,
twenty-eighth, and Stringer's (afterwards disbanded),
under Brigadier-General Fergusson, and composed part
of the main body of the army.
The next position occupied by the enemy was behind
the river Dyle. The Duke of Marlborough advanced
with the design of passing the river, but was prevented by
heavy rains. On the 21st of July, a small body of French
troops crossed the Z>yle, when a slight skirmish ensued.
The Twenty- THIRD regiment was subsequently engaged
in several manoeuvres, but the designs of the English
Commander being frustrated by the Dutch Generals, the
forcing of the lines was not followed by such splendid
results as had been anticipated.
In the autumn the French lines were demolished, and
on the 24th of October, a detachment was sent from the
grand army, under Count Noyelles, to invest the small
town and fortress of Sandvliet, on the Scheldt, which sur-
1 '
i
i.' ;.l
i't
4
46
THE TWENTY TIIIIID REQIMENT OF FOOT,
1705 rendered on the 29th of October. In the following month
the Twenty-third regiment marched back to Holland,
and was placed in garrison for the winter.
1706 Every successive victory had inspired the tooopswith
additional confidence in their Commander, and in their
own prowess ; to besiege a town, or fight a battle, and not
conquer, when the Duke of Marlborough commanded, ap-
peared impossible Confident that fresh triumphs awaited
them, the soldiers took the field in May, 1706, nnd the
Twenty-third joined the camp near Tongres on the
19th of that month. On the 23rd of May, as the army
was advancing in eight columns, information was received
that the French, Spaniards, and Bavarians, commanded
by Marshal Villeroy and the Elector of Bavaria, were
taking up a position at Mont St. Andre, with their centre
at the village of Ramilies^ and the Allies immediately
prepared for action.
Diverging into the open plain, the allied army formed
line, and advanced against the enemy. The Twenty-
third, being on the right of the line, proceeded in the
direction of the village of Autreglise, and made a demon-
stration of attacking the enemy's left. The French
weakened their centre to support their left, and the Duke
of Marlborough instantly seized the opportunity, and
attacked the weakened point. The Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers were among the corps which, occupying some high
ground on the right, were not engaged during the early
part of the battle ; but they had a full view of the plain.
A crisis at length arrived ; the brigades on the right were
ordered into action, when the regiment evinced that intre-
pidity and firmness for which it had been distinguished on
former occasions, and another decisive victory exalted the
fame of the British arms. The broken remains of the
French, Spanish, and Bavarian legions were pursued for
OR, THE ROTAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
47
many miles, and an immense number of prisoners, cannon, 1706
standards, and colours were among the trophies of the
victors.
The battle lasted about three hours, and the wreck of
the French army continued its precipitate flight to Louvain,
but immediately afterwards abandoned that city, and also
Brussels. The states of Brabant, and the magistrates of
Brussels, renounced their allegiance to the Duke of Anjou.
The principal towns of Brabant, and several in Flanders,
were immediately delivered up, and others surrendered on
being summoned, or in a few days afterwards.
Ostendf however, held out, and in June, the Twenty-
third regiment marched to Arseele, and afterwards to
Rouselaer, forming part of the covering army during the
siege of Ostend, which was invested on the 28th of June,
and which surrendered in the beginning of July, the
allies taking possession of the place in the name of King
Charles III. of Spain, afterwards elected Emperor of
Germany.
Menin, a strong town on the river Lys, accounted
the key to the French conquests in the Netherlands, and
one of the masterpieces of the celebrated Vauban, was
besieged on the 25th of July, and surrendered a month
afterwards; four pieces of cannon with the Arms of
England, which were taken by the enemy at the battle of
Landen, fought on the 29th July, 1693, were found on
taking possession of Menin, and were, by order of the
Duke of Marlborough, sent to London. Dendermond
was also delivered up in September, after a week's resist-
ance. During these sieges the Twenty-third continued
to form part of the covering army, and after the surrender
of Aeth, a town and fortress on the Dender, which oc-
curred on the 3rd of October, the regiment took up its
winter quarters at Ghent, where it arrived in November.
Ui
48
THE TWKNTY-THinD REOlMbiMT OV FOOT,
1107 On thi 10th March, 1707, a letter wnf addressed by the
Duke of Marlborough, from St. James's, to Lieutenant-
General Ingoldsby, in which the following allusion is made
to the 1'wENTY-THiRD regiment.*
" Colunel Lalo is acquainted that his officers must con-
** form themselves to other regiments, and use pertuimm
*' as those of the regiment of Welsh Fu8iLiEH8."t
In May the Royal Welsh Fusiliers again took the
field, and were formed in brigade with the Toot Guards,
first battalion of the Royals, and the sixteenth regiment
under the command of Brigadier-General Meredith. The
regiment was stationed in the first line of the order of
battle at the camp at Meldart, near Louvain, on the 2Cth
of June. The opposing armies passed the campaign in
manoeuvring, and observing the movements of each other ;
two such armies were probably never in sight for so con-
siderable a period, without coming to an engagement ; the
French avoided a general action, and in October, the
Twenty-third and other regiments returned to Ghent.
170S Louis the Fourteenth seeing his armies beaten and
dispirited, and his fortresses wrested from him, meditated
the separation of England from the allies, by placing the
Pretender on the throne, and an expedition was prepared
for this purpose at Dunkirk. Her Majesty's Government
receiving intelligence of these preparations, sent out
Admiral Sir George Byng with a fleet to watch the
enemy's designs. Admiral Baker sailed at the same time
to Ostend, in order to convoy from thence Brigadier-
General Sabine, of the Twenty-third Fusiliers, and
ten English regiments, consisting of one battalion of the
* This letter forms part of the collection of the Despatchoo of the
Duke of Marlborough, edited by the late Ocneral the .Uight Honorable
Sir George Murray, G.C.B.
t Colonel Sampson de Lalo was at this period (17U7) Colonel of the
Twenty-first, Royal North British, Fusilier*.
OA, THE HOTAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
4b
Foot Guards, and the first Royals, third, eighth, tenth, jy^
fifteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-
fourth regiments. The troops embarked at Oatend on the
26th of March, 1708, and arrived at Tynemouth on the
1st of April. Meanwhile the French fleet, with the
Pretender on board, had sailed from Dunkirk, but being
chased by the British men-of-war, returned to Dunkirk
without effecting a landing. The English troops then re-
turned to Ostejid, where they arrived on the 30th of April
and proceeded to Bruges ; from whence, on the 3rd of
May, Brigadier-General Sabine, with the seven battalions
of the garrison of Ghent, resailed to Ghent, which he had
left on the 19th of March.
The Twenty-third regiment commenced its march
from Ghent on the 22nd of May, 1708, for the rendezvous
of the army near Brussels. Shortly afterwards the French,
by treachery and stratagem, obtained possession of the two
towns of Ghent and Bruges. They also invested Oudc-
narde, and this circumstance led to a general engagement,
in which new honors were gained by the Twenty-third
regiment.
Oudenarde^ being situated on the Scheldt, and at the
verge of the frontier, was a connecting link for the alter-
nate defence of Flanders or Brabant. The place was
invested by the French on the 9th July, and t/ Duke of
Burgundy and Marshal Vendome designed to oc( apy the
strong camp of Lessines, on the Dender, to cover the
siege ; but they were opposed by a Commander, whose
promptitude and alacrity have seldom been paralleled,
and whose resources were called forth by the magnitude
of the stake for which he was contending. By a forced
march, the Duke of Marlborough gained the position at
Lessines before the French, and disconcerted their plans.
Being thus foiled, they relinquished their designs on
'i
60
THE TWENTY-TUIBO REGIMENT OF FOOT,
^'■'t
1 708 Oudenarde, and proceeded in the direction of Gavre,
where they had prepared bridges for passing the Scheldt.
In order to meet the enemy on the march, and bring on a
general engagement, the Twenty-third regiment was
detached, with a number of other corps, under Major-
General Cadogan, to throw bridges over the Scheldt near
Oudenarde, for the army to pass over.
The confederate army marched with such expedition,
that about two o'clock in the afternoon of tj|e 1 1th of July,
the advance arrived at the bridges over which the sixteen
battalions, that were with Major-General Cadogan, were
then passing. The French had thrown seven battalions
into the village of Het/nem, through which the highway
runs along the Scheldt, and about tlu'eo o'clock the action
commenced by the enemy attempting to dislodge Major-
General Hantzan from the eminence on which he was
posted ; the French, discovering the ground to be marshy,
did not venture to cross the rivulet, and retired towards
their own right. Hereupon Major-General Cadogan, who
had passed the river, attacked the village of Heynem with
such bravery (Brigadier Sabine, of the Twenty-third,
with his brigade, being at the head), that the village and
the seven battalions of the Swigs regiments of Phiffer,
Villars, and Greder, were soon captured. Three of these
battalions were taken entire, and the greater portion of
the other four likewise.
Halting for a sjiort period in the village after this gal-
lant attack, the regiment afterwards attacked a body of
troops poster^ in the enclosures, and soon drove the French
from their ground. As the regiment was advancing in
pursuit, a numerous body of the enemy's cavalry menaced
it in front and flank, and it fell back to the hedges, where
it repulsed the French horsemen. Other British brigades
arriving, the whole advanced ; a fierce conflict of musketry
OH, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
61
ensued, and night coming on, so that it was impossible to 1708
distinguish friend from foe, onlers were given to the
troops to cease firing, which put an end to the slaughter,
and saved the remainder of the French army, which re-
treated in disorder towards Ghent.
The French had four thousand men killed and wounded,
and seven tliousand taken prisoners, including eleven gene-
rals and seven hundred officers, while the loss of the confede-
fates amounted to about three thousand killedand wounded.
Numerous standards were also taken from the enemy.
After this victory, the confederate Generals resolved to
besiege Lisle, the capital of French Flanders, a fortress
deemed almost impregnable, and garrisoned by tifteen
thousand men, commanded by the veteran Marshal
Bouiflers. It is a singular historical fact that, in the early
part of his military career, the Duke of Marlborough had
served with Marshal Boufflers under the celebrated Mar-
shal Turenne. The Twenty-third regiment was selected
to take part in this gigantic enterprise, which excited the
universal attention of Europe. The place was invested
by Prince Eugene on the 13th of August, and the Duke
of Marlborough stationed the main army at a convenient
distance to cover the siege.
The troops appointed to carry on this famous siege con-
sisted of fifty battalions, including thirty from the grand
army, and on the evening of the 7th of September the pre-
parations were cjrupleted for storming the counterscarp.
Upon the trenches being relieved by Lieutenant General
Wilks, the following dispositions were made for the attack.
Eight hundred grenadiers, supported by the same number of
FusiliersyWith. two thousand workmen and thirty carpenters,
designed for cutting down the palisades, were commanded
for the attack on the right, between the lower Deule and
the gate of St. Andrew, under the direction of Monsieur
E 2
i i-'.(
■'ll.
52
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOUT,
1708 des Roques ; sixteen hundred grenudicrB, supported by the
like number of Fusiliers, were ordered for Jie left, between
tho Dcule and St. Magdalen's gate, under the direction of
Monsieur du Mey. Resides the troops in the trenches,
two thousand men were, in addition, employed in tho
attack, being detadied for that purpose from the grand
army, and placed under the command of Rrigadier-General
Sabine, of tho Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
About eight o'clock on the evening of the 7th of Sep-
tember, the signal was given, and the artillery opened
against the counterscarp. Whereupon the troops selected
for the attack on the left marched out of the trenches in
admirable order. They proceeded to the palisades, drove
back the defenders, and several leaping into the covered
way put all the French found there to the sword, except-
ing four officers and a few soldiers, who were taken pri-
soners. While effecting this lodgment, the enemy's artil-
lery made a terrible fire, and the French sprung three
mines, which did considerable execution. The besieg-
ers, however, lodged themselves on the salient angle of
the counterscarp of the small horn-work, and on the angle
of the tenailh.
The troops on the right attacked the enemy with the
same courage, and successfully maintained their lodgment
on that part of the works situated un the lower Deule,
between the two attacks ; in addition to these lodgments,
the communications towards the breaches were considerably
advanced. The Twenty-third regiment had twelve
rank and file killed, and sixty-two wounded, in this attack
on the counterscarp. At another attack, on the 21st of
September, the allies sustained a loss of upwards of one
thousand men, and Prince Eugene was wounded, when
the Duke of Marlborough sustained the command of the
siege and of his own army.
OH, TUB ROYAL WELflll KUSILIEUS.
53
On the 28th of SL>pteinl)cr, a convoy of eight hundred 1708
waggons, containing an imrnenso quantity of military jtores,
inarcliing from Ostend to the allied army under the com-
mand of Major-General Webb, colonel of the eighth foot,
»vtts attacked near Wyncndalc by a very superior body of
the enemy under Count de la Motte. The French were
however repulsed, and the convoy arrived safely at Lisle on
the 30tii. Mojor-General Webb acquired great honor
by this victory, the enemy being nearly treble the number
of his force, and possessed of a train of artillery, which he
wanted. The Major-General received the thanks of
Parliament for this eminent service.
Other attacks were made on Lisle, and on the 23rd of
October the town surrendered, and the garrison retired
into the Castle, except the horse, which were allowed to
proceed to Douay, with the wives and families of the
officers and soldiers.
The casualties of the regiment at 'the siege of Lisle,
from the 14th of August to the 22nd of October, amounted
to one captain, three subalterns, three Serjeants, and one
hundred and fifteen rank and file killed ; three captains,
eight subalterns, fifteen Serjeants, and two hundred and
thirty rank and file wounded.
On the 14th of November, Prince Eugene had effected
a lodgment on the counterscarp of the citadel of Lisle,
and on the 17th of that month the troops stationed them-
selves on the glacis of the second covered way.
The Elector of Bavaria having marched towards Bra-
bant, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene con-
certed measures to pass the Scheldt, in order to relieve
Brussels. The enemy's strong positions on the Scheldt
were forced on the 27th of November ; and the Elector
made a precipitate retreat from before Brussels.
After a gallant defence, the French were obliged to
\ii' ■
54
THE TWENTY-THIRIX KEGIMENT OF FOOT,
;*li;
1708 surrender the Citadel of Lisle, which took place on the 9th
of December. Notwithstanding the lateness of the season,
the army was called upon to engage in another enterprise,
and on the 18th of December the confederate generals
invested G/ient, which surrendered on the 30th of Decem-
ber, and the town was immediately occupied by the vic-
torious troops.
1709 Having reposed a few months in quarters, and received
a body of recruits from England, the regiment traversed
the conquered territory to Lisle in June* 1709, and after-
wards took part in the manojuvres by which Marshal
Villars was induced to diminish the strength of his garrisons
in his fortified towns, to reinforce a line of entrenchments
and forts, in which he expected to be attacked. This
object gained, the siege of Tournay was commenced, and
the Twenty-third regiment formed part of the covering
army. The town was invested on the 27th of June, and
after a month's defence surrendered, when the garrison
retired into the citadel. The Citadel of Tournay was
situated on some high ground, with a gentle ascent from
the town, and the siege proved a service of the most diffi-
cult character, arising from the multiplicity of the sub-
terraneous works, which were more numerous than those
above ground. The approaches were carried on by sink-
ing pits several fathoms deep, and working from thence
under ground, until the troops arrived at the casemates
and mines. The soldiers engaged in these services fre-
quently encountered parties of the enemy, and numerous
combats occurred in these gloomy labyrinths. On some
occasions the men at work underground were inundated
with water ; at other times suffocated with smoke, or buried
by the explosion of mines. At length it became difficult
to induce the soldiers to enter these dark caverns, and
engage in so appalling a service. Perseverance and gal-
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
6St
lantry eventually triumphed, and the Citadel surrendered ] tt^
on the 3rd of September.
After the capture of Toumay, the Allied Army ti-aversed
the country with the view of besieging Morts, the capital
of the province of Hainault ; but when on the march, the
confederate Generals encountered the French army under
Marshals Villars and BoulSers near Maiplaquet, on the
11th of September, when a most sanguinary engagement
ensued, the loss of life being greater than at the battles of
Blenheim, Ramilies, and Oudenarde put together.
Early on the morning of the 11th of September, the
forces of the several nations, which composed the army
commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince
Eugene of Savoy, were under arms. The Twenty-third
and other regiments appeared on the ground where they
had passed the night, and Divine service was performed
by the chaplain. The French camp was a short distance
in front ; but a thick mist overspread the woods and open
grounds, concealing the armies from each other. Under
cover of the fog, the artillery was brought forward, and
dispositions made for the attack ; the French heard the
din of hostile preparations, seized their arms, and two
powerful armies, headed by Commanders of renown, stood
arrayed against each other. The troops of both armies
had confidence in their leaders, and were anxious for the
combat ; the one to acquire new laurels under their
favorite chiefs, and the other to retrieve the disasters of
eight successive campaigns.
Shortly after eight o'clock, the signal for the attack was
given, and the cannonading continued sharply on both sides.
The Twenty-third regiment formed part of the division
commanded by General Count Lottum, and was engaged
in the assault of the entrenchments in the wood of Tais-
niere. Notwithstanding the impediments from the bar-
I
!i
"lii
Ia^«
'S
;;;«
66^
THE TWENTY-THIRD UEQIMENT OF FOOT,
.1709 ricades of felled trees, the French were, after an hour's
resistance, driven from their entrenchments. The design
of this attack was to drive the enemy from the wood, and
then to attack them in the flanK of their entrenchments
on the plain ; the movement succeeded, and the infantry
of the enemy's left wing were defeated. General Withers,
with nineteen battalions, attacked the enemy in another
entrenchment beyond the woods of Taisniere and Great
Blagniere with similar vigour and success.
Other attacks raged at the same time in various parts
of the ''field, led by the Prince of Orange, the Dutch
Generals, and the Prince Eugene. Eventually the enemy's
position was broken, and the Twenty-third and other
regiments drove the French from the woods to the plain,
when a successful charge of the cavalry decided the
battle. The allies pursued a portion of the enemy as far
as the village of Quievrain, where the French, having
taken up an advantageous position near the small river
Haisneau, the confederate Generals gave over the pursuit,
and thereupon the French crossed the rivulet. The re-
mainder of their discomfited army retired in great con-
fusion to Maubeuge Conde and Valenciennes, leaving the
allies in possession of the field of battle, with sixteen
pieces of artillery, twenty colours, twenty-six standards,
and other trophies of victory, including many prisoners.
The Twenty-thirdFusiliers had Lieutenants Bartley,
Fullerton, and Parker killed ; and Captains Jefiro, Brett,
and Vincent, Lieutenants Skane, Price, Powell, Aspee,
and Gordon, wounded.
After this victory, the allies besieged Mons, which was
invested on the 21st of September, and the garrison capi-
tulated on the 20th of October. The Twenty-third
regiment formed part of the covering army during the
siege, and afterwards marched to Ghent for winter quarters.
' ;¥ W ■
Olt, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
57
In t'- niiddle of April, 1710, the regiment directed its 1710
marcii . the vicinity of Tournay, wiiere the allied array
assembled. The necessary dispositions for advancing
towards the enemy's lines being made, the army marched
on the 20th of April in two columns, the right under the
Duke of Marlborough to Pont-a-Veqdin, and the left
under Prince Eugene to Pont Oby, on the Deule. The
march was so well planned, that the enemy's lines were
passed on the following morning at Pont-a- Vendin, and
four days afterwards JJouay, a considerable fortress in
the second line of defence, which covered the frontiers of
Artois, was invested.
Douay is a town of antiquity, having been a place of
note in the time of the first Counts of Flanders ; the river
Scarpe running through the town, the river Haine being
near it, and the works being also strong, numerous, and
well-garrisoned under General Albergotti, an oflScer of tried
valour, the siege became an undertaking of importance.
The Twenty-third took part in repelling the nume-
rous sallies made by the garrison of Douay^ and the
French army under Marshal Villars vainly endeavoured
to raise the siege. After a gallant defence, Douay sur-
rendered on the 27th of June. The regiment had one
captain, one lieutenant, five Serjeants, and forty-nine rank
and file killed ; and two captains, seven lieutenants, ten
Serjeants, and 137 rank and file wounded during the siege.
It appears by the Duke of Marlborough's correspondence,
that the casualties of the Twenty-third reduced the
regiment to two efiective captains.
"I have received your letter of the lltli of May,
" relating to Colonel Bennet, and am apt to believe if you
" had seen and considered Brigadier Sabine's memorial,
" which he might have shown you, you would not have
" thought it any hardship to oblige him to dispose of his
■
I
58
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1710 " company after having enjoyed it as a sinecure through the
" whole course and hottest of tlie war, now at a time when
" the re^ment is employed at the siege, and reduced to two
" captains only to do the duty of the whole." — (Letter
to the Board of Ordnance, dated 5th Jknie, 1710.)
After the capture of Douay, the Twenty-third regi-
ment formed part of the covering army encamped at
Villars Brulin during the siege of Bethune, which sur-
rendered on the 29th of August, and the French army
avoiding a general engagement, the fortresses of Aire and
St. Venant were invested and taken.
These towns were so situated as to admit of a simul-
taneous investment : on the 30th of September St. Venant
surrendered, but Aire made a vigorous defence, and was
not taken until the 9th of November. After taking part
in these services, the regiment marched into quarters at
Courtray, where it was stationed during the winter.
1711 Towards the end of April, 1711, the Twenty-third
Royal Welsh Fusiliers advanced from Courtray, and
joining the army near Douay, were formed in brigade
with the foot guards, a battalion of the royals, and the
fifteenth regiment.
Numerous and well-appointed Armies, headed by expe-
rienced Generals, had proved ineffectual against the British
Commander and his brave troops, and the remark applied
by Justin to the campaigns of the Macedonian Conqueror,
" Alexander cum nullo hostium unquam congressus est,
" quern non vicerit : nullam vrbem ohsedit, quam non ex-
* pugnaverit,^^ is equally applicable to the successes of the
Duke of Marlborough, who " never fought a battle which
he did not vnn, nor besieged a town which he did not
take."* Before the campaign of 171 1, the French had pre-
* Vide List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands and Germany
during the ** War of the Spanish Succession," Appendix page 172.
«>Il, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
59
pared a line of entrenchments to cover their country, and on nif
account of the strength of these works, Marshal VUlars
had styled them Marlborough's Ne plm ultra ; but the
English General, by a series of skilful movements, passed
these stupendous works at Arleux on the 5th of August,
The Twenty-third regiment participated in these skil-
ful operations, and this success was followed by the siege
of Boucfiain, a fortified town of Hainault, situated on
both sides of the Scheldt. The regiment formed part of a
division of twenty battalions of infantry, commanded by
Lieutenant-General the Earl of Orkney, which took post
on the north and north-west side of the town and river ;
it shared in the duties of the trenches, and in carrying on
the attacks, in which services it had several men killed
and wounded. The garrison on the 12th of September
beat a parley, and on the following day the Duke of Marl-
borough took possession of one of the gates of the town.
On the 14th of September, the garrison marched out, after
delivering up their arms and twenty-four colours ; when,
Major-General Grovestein, being appointed Governor,
took possession of Bouchain with a detachment of the
troops that formed the siege.
The regiment remained at Bouchain until the works
were repaired, and afterwards went into winter quarters.
On the 12th of October, Charles III., the claimant to the
throne of Spain, was elected Emperor of Germany by the
title of Charles VI., his brother Joseph having died at
Vienna in the preceding April. This circumstance
materially affected the war, and inclined Great Britain
to agree to peace ; for the consolidation of Spain with tlie
Empire of Germany would have perilled the balance of
power in Europe as much as the anticipated union of the
crowns of France and Spain. Tfie course of events had
also shown, that a French and not an Austrian Prince, was
the choice of the Spanish nation.
! i
■ I
! 3
60
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
nil Louis the Fourteenth, finding his armies defeated and
dispirited, his fortresses wrested from him, and the vic-
torious troops of the allies prepared to penetrate into the
interior of France, at length sued for peace, negotiations
for which were shortly afterwards commenced.
1112 In the early part of April, 1712, the regiment once
more took the field, and on the 19th of that month en-
camped near Tournay, where the Duke of Ormond
arrived on the 9th of May, and took command of the army,
the Duke of Marlborough having, for a political cause,
been removed from his military appointments.
On the 19th of May, the army advanced, and on the
21st encamped on the hills of St. Denis, near Bouchain ;
thence proceeding across the Scheldt, arrived a few days
afterwards near the frontier of France. The siege of
Quesnoy was subsequently undertaken, and General Fagel
invested the place on the 8th of June, but the trenches
were not opened until the 19th of that month. The
Twenty-third regiment formed part of the covering
army under the Duke of Ormond at Chateau-Cambresis,
but was not engaged in any act of direct hostility. The
garrison beat a parley on the 3rd July, and on the follow-
ing day the town was surrendered. Soon afterwards a
suspension of arms was proclaimed between the British
and French, preparatory to a treaty of peace, and the
Duke of Ormond withdrew, with the troops under his
orders, to Ghent, from whence several corps were detached
to take possession of the fortress of Dunkirk, which city
the French King delivered into the hands of the British,
as a pledge of his sincerity in the negociations for a treaty
of peace.
On the 17th of July, 1712, when the English
army, under the command of the Duke of Ormond
separated from the Allies, the Twenty-third regiment
mustered 670 men, on which day it marched from Cam-
OR, TUG ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
61
bresis towards Ghent, where Major-General Sabiue 1712
remained with his regiment, in command of the citadel,
until the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht on the 11th of
April, 1713. By this famous treaty the Protestant succes- 1713
sion iu England was recognised by Louis XIV.; the separa-
tion of the crowns of Spain andFrance secured ; the harbour
of Dunkirk demolished ; Nova Scotia, Hudson's Bay,
Newfoundland, and St. Christopher's ceded to England ;
Naples, Milan, and the Spanish Netherlands yielded to the
Emperor of Germany. Sicily was separated from Naples,
and transferred to the Duke of Savoy, with the regal
title ; and the Dutch obtained Namur, Charleroi, and
other strong places for a barrier. Gibraltar and Minorca,
which had been taken by the English during the war,
were also ceded to Great Britain.
The regiment shortly afterwards returned to England, 1714
and was subsequently stationed in Ireland, where it re-
ceived the news of the decease of Queen Anne on the
1st of August, 1714, and of the accession of King George
the First to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland.
The following announcement appeared in the London
Gazette of the 9th of November, 1714 : — :
" His Majesty has been pleased to appoint Major-
" General Joseph Sabine to be Colonel of His Royal
" Highness the Prince of Wales s own Royal Regiment of
" Welsh Fuzeliers"*
In August, 1715, the Earl of Mar withdrew from court, 1715
and in the following month erected the standard of rebel-
1
V
* As Major-General Joseph Sabine had been Colonel of the Twenty-
third regiment since April, 1705, the announcement, in the 'London
Gazette ' of November, 1714, was a renewal of the Commission upon the
accession of King George I., and had reference only to the change of
title of the regiment in honor of the Prince of Wales, who succeeded
to the throne on the decease of his father King George I. on the 11th of
June, 1727.
62
THE TWENTY-THIRD RBOIMRNT OF FOOT,
1715 lion in Scotland, by proclaiming tho PretendeVi K\ng of
Great Britain and Ireland. This circ'urotttanco occasioned
the Twenty-third regiment to bo removed to England,
to replace other regiments ordered to proceed to the north
to crush the rebellion. The regiment landed at Chester
on the 9th of October, and was quartered in the neigh-
bourhood. The rebels, assembled under the Earl of
Derwentwater and Mr. Forstor, were compelled to aur-
render at Preston, in Lancashire, on tho 13th of November,
to General Carpenter, in the evening of which day tlie
TwENTY-THiitD and other regiments, under tho command
of General Wills, arrived at Preston, On tho same day
was fought the battle of Skeriffmuir^ near Dumblaine, be-
tween the Duke of Argyle and the Earl of Mar, and both
parties claimed the victory. Towards the end of Decem-
ber, the Pretender arrived in Scotland, and assumed all the
ensigns of royalty. He held his court at Scone, and his
head-quarters were at Perth. But the Highland chieftains,
finding it •n»pos8ible to resist tho royal forces, resolved to
abandon ti;e enterprise. They, however, burnt several
villages to distress tlie Duke of Argyle in his march, who
1716 in January, 1716, obliged them to abandon Perth, whence
they retired to Montrose, where tho Pretender escaped
on board a French ship, together with the Earl of Mar
«nd other adherents. After this the rebels dicpcrscd to
the Highlands.
The regiment was subsequently stationed at Harwich,
and continued on the Home Establishment for several
years.
1717 Charles XH., King of Sweden, in the year 1717, made
preparations for a descent in favour of the Pretender, in
consequence of His Britannic Majesty having purchased
the duchies of Bremen and Verden of the King of Den-
mark, who had conquered them from the Swedes; the
OR, THE ROYAL WELBH FUSILIERS.
63
first attempt was defeated by sending Admiral Sir George 1717
Byng to the Baltic ; and King Charles being killed in
the following year at the siege of Frcderickshall, in Nor-
way, the alliance, which he had formed with Peter the
Great of Russia and the Spanish monai'ch, for raising the
Pretender to the throne of Great Britain, was dissolved.
During the year 1717, the regiment remained at
Harwich.
In July, 1718, the King of Spain having taking Sar- I7l8
dinia, and invaded Sicily, the " Quadruple AUiatwe" was
formed between Great Britain, France, Germany, and
Holland. War was declared against Spain in December
by England and France.
During the year 1718, the regiment was stationed at
Harwich, Rochester, Landguard Fort, and Tilbury.
The Pretender arrived at Madrid in the beginning of I7i9
the year 1719, and the expedition, which had been some
time in preparation for the invasion of Great Britain,
sailed from Cadiz ; but the Spanish fleet was dispersed by
a violent storm, and only two frigates reached Scotland.
The Spanish troops, which landed in Scotland in April,
were joined by about two thousand Highlanders. 1 o
oppose this force, Major-General Wightman proceeded
from Inveraess with three troops of the second dragoons,
the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth regiments of foot,
and on the 10th of June attacked the insurgents at Glen-
shiely near the pass of Strachell, and completely defeated
them. The Spaniards surrendered on the following day,
and the Marquis of TuUibardine, Earl of Seaforth, and
other rebel leaders, fled to the Continent.
An expedition was projected by the British Government
against Corunna, and the armament under General
Viscount Cobham sailed in September ; but circumstances
occurred that occasioned an attack to be made on Vigo,
■1 :
|i
,
/V ■'
64
ii
I
i
■itl
THE TWENTV-THIRD HEOIMENT OF FOOT,
ni9 which was taken, and afterwards abandoned, together
with Rondondella and Pontevedra. After these services
the expedition returned to England.
1720 In January, 1720, the King of Spian accepted the
(.onditions of peace, and acceded to the " Quadruple
Alliance,'* the principal design of which was to guarantee
the succession in Great Britain and France, and to confirm
the partition of the Spanish monarchy.
1*722 During the year 1722, the regiment was stationed at
Edinburgh Castle.
1723 In the early part of the year 1723, the regiment was
ordered to proceed to London, in consequence of the
threatened invasion, and discovery of a plot at home to
seize the Tower. The Twenty-third and other regi-
ments were encamped in Hyde Park.
1725 The regiment returned to Scotland in 1725, and was
stationed at Edinburgh.
1726 In the year 1726, the regiment was stationed in Eng-
land, where it remained for the following nine years.
The possessions of which Spain had been deprived by
the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, had been yielded with
reluctance, and in the year 1726 the Spanish Monarch
assembled an army in Andalusia under the command of
General the Count de la Torres, for the purpose of
recapturing Gibraltar.
1727 I" February, 1727, the garrison of Gibraltar, under the
command of the Lieut.-Governor, Colonel Jasper Clayton,
opened its fire on the besieging army. Several regiments
were ordered to embark to reinforce the garrison of
Gibraltar, but the Twenty-third, Royal Welsh
Fusiliers remained in England. King George I. died at
Osnaburg on the 11th of June ; on the 18th of that month
hostilities ceased, and Gibraltar continued under the
dominion of Gr^at Britain.
OR, TUB ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
65
On the 18th of May, 1728, the eleventh and Twenty- 1728
THIRD regiments were reviewed on Ilounslow Heath by
King George II., and, according to the * London Gazette,'
the two regiments " made a very fine appearance." The
Twenty-third was subsequently ordered to proceed to
Chester.
King G«orge II. concluded at Seville a peace between 1729
Great Britain, France, and Spain, in November, 1729, by
which it was agreed that mutual reparation should be
made for the ships and effects captured on both sides.
In the year 1735, the regiment was stationed at £din- 1735
burgh Castle, where George Augustus Eliott, afterwards
Lord Heathfield, the celebrated governor of Gibraltar,
joined the regiment as a volunteer.
General Joseph Sabine died on the 24th of October, 1739
1739, and Lieutenant-Colonel Newsham Peers, of the
Twenty-third, was promoted to the Colonelcy of the
regiment on the 23rd of November, 1739.
In the two previous years, the British merchants had
made great complaints against the Spanish depredations in
America, and on the 23rd of October, 1739, war was
proclaimed against Spain by Great Britain ; the events in
Germany of the following year finally caused a general
European war, and disturbed the long interval of com-
parative peace which had succeeded the treaty of
Utrecht.
These events were occasioned by the decease of Charles 1740
the Sixth, Emperor of Germany, on the 20th of October,
1740. The Emperor was the last Prince of the House
of Austria, and he was succeeded in his hereditary
dominions by his eldest daughter, the Archduchess Maria
Theresa, who married, in 1736, the Duke Francis Stephen
of Lorraine. The Duke, in the following year, became
Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Archduchess, on the day
F
!i
I
^Hj
|:
6G
THE twenty-tiiihd ueoiment of foot,
1740 following licr father's death, ascended the throne of Hun-
gary, Bohemia, and Austria, and declared her husband
co-regent in the government of her dominions.
Although the possessions of Austria were gnar-nntecd
to the Archduchess Maria Theresa by the German EJict,
known in history as the " Pragmatic Sanction"* to which
nearly all the powers of Europe had been parties, yet the
succession of the Archduchess to her father's Austrian
hereditary territories was disputed by several claimants ;
and among others by Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria,
who was afterwards elected Emperor of Germany. The
King of Prussia also revived a dormant claim to Silo la,
which he invaded in November ; the Prussian monarch
offered Maria Theresa sufficient money to resist all her
enemies, on condition of ceding Silesia to him, but the
proposition was indignantly rejected.
These circumstances occasioned the contest, which is
designated the " War of the Austrian Succession^" in which
most of the Eurojjean powers were ultimately engaged.
The King of France supported the Elector of Bavaria,
while King George II. supported the Archduchess Muria
Theresa ; and in April, 1741, the British Parliament voted
a subsidy of 300,000/. to the Queen of Hungary and
Bohemia. His Majesty also Informed the Parliament, that
the Queen of Hungary had demanded the twelve thousand
troops he had stipulated to furnish ; and accordingly he had
requested the King of Denmark and the King of Sweden,
to hold in readiness their quotas of sis thousand men each,
for the maintenance of which they bad '.'jniced sub' r.a
from England. King George II. ^as drawn into the war
1741
* The *^ Pragmatic Sanction"' was published by the Emperor
Charles VI. on the 1 7th of April 1713, whereby, in case of his having
lio male issue, his daughters were to succeed to his hereditary do-
Riinions in preference to the sons of his late brother Joseph I.
OH, THE UOYAL W£L81I FUSILIEIIS.
67
from the apprehension uf losing Hanover, butattliis period 1741
His Majesty abstaiuc'l from being a principul in thecontest,
by agreeing witli the l* reiich sovereign fiOuia XV. to give
his vote, as Elector f Hanover, to the Elector of Ikvariu
for the dignity of Emperor of Germany, and thereby to
preserve the neutrality of his Hanovt;rian territories.
Several British regiments were ordered to be prepared
for continental service, but no embarkation took plnce
during the year 1741.
During the summer of 1741, the Twenty third
Royal Welsh Fusilieiis were encamped ou Lexdun
Heath, near Colchester.
The Elector of Bavario was chosen Emperor of Germany 1742
at Frankfort on the Maine, and crowned, as Charli-s VH.,
on the 11th of February, 1742 : he was, however, most
unhappy prince ; his electoral dominions were overrun by
the Austrians, the French were driven out of BoIk mia,
and the King of Prussia, under the mediation of King
George H., concluded a peace at Brcslau with the Queen
of Hungary.
The King of England resolving to take a more active
part in the war, an army of sixteen thousand men, under
Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, was ordered to be em -
barked for the Netherlands in the summer of 1742, in
order to support the Queen of Hungary.
On the 28th of April, the regiment was reviewed on
Kew Green by His Majesty King George II., and in
May, the Twenty-third and other regiments embarked
for Flandere ;* but no action took place during that year,
the troops being suddenly marched into winter quarters,
after every preparation had been made for active operations.
* See list of British regiments which served in Flaudere'and Germany,
betweei 1742 and 1748, during the " War of the Austrian Succession."
—Appendix, page 1 75.
F 2
11
68
THE TWENTY-THIKD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1743 Early in the year 1743, the Earl of Stair inarched his
army towards the Rhine, and in May encamped near
Hoechst, on the Maine.
From thence the allied troops proceeded to Kellenhuch
and Aschaffenberg, wh.Te they found themselves hemmed
in, and their supplies cut off by the able dispositions of the
French commander. Marshal Noailles, who had crossed the
Rhine in the beginning of June, with an army of sixty thou-
sand men. In this state His Majesty King George the
Second found matters when he assumed the command of
the army on the 9th of June. A retreat was determined
upon, and commenced on the 26th of June. His Majesty
had no sooner quitted Aschaffenberg than it was seized by
the French. He had not proceeded above three leagues
when he perceived that the enemy, to the number of thirty
thousand, had crossed the river farther down at Selingen-
stadt, and was drawn up at the village of Dettinffen, to
dispute his passage. The route of the allied army lay
between a mountain and the Maine, and the French army
was drawn up with this narrow pass in its front. In this
situation the destruction of the allies seemed inevitable ;
but Marshal Noailles having repassed the river, the Duke
de Grammont, who succeeded to the command, advanced
to the attack through the defile, thus foregoing all the
advantages of his position. The British troops, under the
immediate eye of their King, on the 27th of June, received
the impetuous attack of the French with such steadiness
and intrepidity, that the latter were forced to retire, and
recross the Maine with the greatest precipitation, and the
loss of five thousand men. The loss of the Allies was
two thousand, of which the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
sustained fifteen men killed. Colonel Peers was severely
wounded in the throat, of which he afterwards died.
Lieutenant Price and twenty-seven men were wounded.
XXIII ,
TllK KOYAL WELSH
s«!(^!:;^f'--v
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OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
69
Major-General John Huske was removed from the 1743
thirty-second regiment to the Twenty-third Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, on the 28th of July, 1743, in succession
to Colonel Peers, who died of the wounds received at the
battle of Dettingen.*
This victory, though honorable to those by whom it
was achieved, was productive of no decisive results.
The army, after some unimportant movements, retired
into winter quarters in October.
On the 20th of March, 1744, France declared war 1744
* Although the results of the Battle of Dettingen, fought on the
27th of June, 1743, were not equal to those attending the victories
gained over the French by Edward the Third and Henry the Fifth,
yet there are circumstances which render the conflict at Dettingen
similar to those of Cre^ and Agincourt. At Creqy, on the 26th of
August, 1346, King Edward the Third and his Son Edward the
Black Prince, were present ; and at Dettingen King George the
Second was accompanied by his son the Duke of Cumberland. It
was the debut of both the Royal Princes on the tented plain, and
the chivalrous bearing of the Black Prince, particularly his behaviour
to the prisoners, finds a parallel in the conduct of the Duke of Cum-
berland, who refused to have his wound attended to, until the surgeons
had examined that of a French officer, the Count De Fenelon,
who had been taken prisoner and conveyed to the Duke's tent.
" Begin," said His Royal Highness, " with the wound of the French
officer ; he is more dangerously hurt than I am, and stands more in
need of assistance."
The disadvantage, under which the British fought at Dettingen,
was equal to that at Agincourt, and the impetuosity of the enemy,
in both instances, prevented the English army perishing from want
of provisions.
AH these battles are likewise note'd for the number of the French
Royal family and nobility who were present.
King George the Second, when Hereditary Prince of Brunswick
Lunenburg, took part in the victory gained by the famous Duke of
Marlborough atOudenarde on the 11th July, 1708 ; and the battle of
Dettingen is further remarkable as being the last action in which a
British Monarch commanded the army.
The want of provisions and tents, unfortunately, compelled the
victors to abandon the field of battle, otherwise Dettingen might
have rivnlled many of the achievements recorded in British History.
70
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1744 against England, and on the 29th of that month a counter
declaration was made by Great Britain, in which the
Frencli monarch was accused of violating the Pragmatic
Sanction, and of assisting the son of the Pretender in his
designs on the British throne. The French, during the
year 1744, possessed themselves of several towns in the
Netherlands, hut no other event of importance occurred.*
1745 The following year is inemorahle in the annals of the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers. In the spring of 1745, a
French army of seventy-six thousand men, commanded
by Marshal Saxe, invested Toumay. The Duke of
Cumberland, who had assumed the command of the allied
army of British, Austrians, and Dutch, resolved to attempt
its relief, though his force did not exceed fifty thousand.
His Royal Highness accordingly advanced, and on the
9th of May took up a position at Maulbre, in sight of the
French army, which was strongly posted behind the village
of Fontenoy. The following day was employed by the
allies in driving in some of the enemy's outposts, and
clearing some defiles through which they were to march
to the attack, while the French completed their batteries,
and made the most formidable preparations for the recep-
tion of their enemy. The Duke of Cumberland began
his march at two o'clock in the morning of the 11th of
May ; the action commenced at nine, and lasted till three.
The efforts of the British infantry, who began the attack,
were at first successful : they drove the French from their
lines; but the left, composed of Austrian and Dutch
troops, failing in its attack of the village of Fontenoy, the
British were compelled to retire with greaf loss. They
rallied, however, and again charging the enemy, drove him
• " Vide List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands and Germany,
during the War of the Austrian Succession." — Appendix page 174.
OU, TUB ROVAL WELSU FUSILIEHS.
71
back to his entrenchments with great slaughter; but, from 1745
wanting the support of the left wing, the British troops
became exposed to the tremendous fire of the French
necessary,
which
was
batteries, and a retreat became
effected in good order.
The Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers had
Lieutenants Weaver, Price, Forster, and Isaac, four Ser-
jeants, one hundred and eighty-one privates, killed;
Captains Hickman, Gary, and Drysdale, Lie"<^'"*"ants
Bernard, Izard, Awbry, Clarke, Eyre, Robertr '*.
six Serjeants, and seventy-one privates, woun(
Lort, Captains Sabine, Taylor, and Johnston, j
Berners, Gregg, Haws, and Lort, five Serjeants, ♦, '. ( : j i ^
four privates, missing.
While the army was in Flanders, Prince Charieo
ward, eldest son of the Pretender, arrived in Scotland, and
being joined by several clans, he asserted his father's
pretensions to the throne. Unaccustomed to hear the
sound of war at their own gates, the British people were
at first alarmed, but soon recovering, they evinced loyalty
and union in sustaining the fixed rights of their Sovereign
and in defending their own liberties. The volunteer as-
sociations were not, however, ready to tike the field for
some time, and in October, 1745, the Twenty-third
Royal Welsh Fusiliers, with several other regiments,
were recalled from the Continent, on account of the break-
ing out of the rebellion in Scotland. In December, the
regiment was sent to the coast of Kent and Sussex, in
anticipation of a descent by the French.
The Twenty-third remained in England until the n46
suppression of the Rebellion had been effected by the
defeat of Prince Charles, at the battle of CuUoden on
the 16th of April, 1746.
In 1747 the regiment was again removed to the theatre 1747
■ -H-l
' I
. !
\
72
TUB TWENTY-THIKD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
7'tv\ '
PI
iVi
1747 of war in the Netherlands, where it arrived in time to take
part in the operations of the campaign. On the 2nd of
July, the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers were
engaged in the battle of Laffeld, or Val^ where they again
suffered severely from the misconduct of the Dutch allies.
A squadron of their horse giving way, fled with such pre-
cipitation and confusion, that they overthrew and trampled
down the infantry in their rear ; two platoons of the
Fusiliers fired upon them ; but the French cavalry, charg-
ing after the fugitives, increased the confusion, and pene-
trated to the centre of the Allied Army. The Duke of
Cumberland exerted himself with great courage and ac-
tivity to remedy the disorder ; but the defeat would have
been total, had it not been for the gallantry of General
Sir John Ligonier, who, at the head of three regiments of
British cavalry and some squadrons of Imperial horse,
charged the whole of the French cavalry with such im-
petuosity and success, that he overthrew everything before
him, and enabled the army to effect an orderly retreat to
Maestricht.
In this battle, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had Cap
tain Johnston and one man killed ; Captains Fortescue,
Izard, and Baldwin, Lieutenants Eyre, Rich, Gregg, Aday,
M'Laughlan, and Hewett, and forty-two men wounded ;
and Lieutenant Oakes and one hundred and eighty-seven
men missing.
1748 ^^^ regiment was again in the field in the summer of
1748, but hostilities were at length terminated by the
treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which was signed on the 7th of
October, 1748. By it all the great treaties from that of
Westphalia in 1648, which first recognised the principle
of a balance of power in Europe, to that of Vienna in
1738, were renewed and confirmed. Prussia retained
Silesia, and the Empress-Queen Maria Theresa was guaran-
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
73
teed the possession of her hereditary dominions, according 1749
to the Pragmatic Sanction. France surrendered her con-
quests in Flanders, and the English those in the East and
West Indies ; so that Great Britain gained nothing hy the
war, save the glory of having supported the German
sovereignty of Maria Theresa, and of adhering to former
treaties. During the winter the regiment returned to
England.
In the Royal Warrant, dated the 1st of July, 1751, for HSl
ensuring uniformity in the clothing, standards, and colours
of the army, and regulating the number and rank of
regiments, the following directions are given for the
Twenty-third, or the Royal Welsh Fusiliers : —
" In the centre of their colours, the device of the Prince
" of Wales, namely, three feathers issuing out of the
" Prince's Coronet ; in the three comers of the second
" colour, the badges of Edward the Black Prince, namely,
" the Rising Sun, Red Dragon, and the Three Fba-
" thers in the Coronet ; with the motto, * Ich Dim*
" On the grenadier caps, the Feathers as in the colours,
" White Horse, and motto * Nee aspera terrent,* on
" the flap.
" The same badge of the Three Feathers and
" motto, ' Ich dien,* on the drums and bells of arms ; rank
'* of the regiment underneath."
The Twenty-third regiment remained in Great Bri- 1755
tain until the year 1755, when it embarked for Minorca.
While the regiment was stationed at Minorca, the 1756
undetermined limits of the British and French territory
in North America occasioned a war between the two
kingdoms ; and early in 1756, the King of France pre-
pared a powerful armament for the capture of the island
of Minorca. The regiment assisted in the glorious,
though unsuccessful, defence of Fort St. Philip in that
w
THE TWENTY-TIIIBD REGIMENT Or yOOT,
1156 island. The troops at Minorca consi^ited of four regiments,
the fourth, or King's Own, the TwENTy-TiiiRO Royal
Welsh Fusiliers,* the twenty-fourth, and thirty-fourth,
which together mustered not more than two thousand four
hundred and sixty duty men, a force too nnall even for the
defence of Fort St. Philip. His Majesty's Government,
having received intelligence of extensive preparations in
the port of Toulon, the object of which was generally
' supposed to be an attack on Minorca, despatched, early
in April, a fleet under Admiral Byng for the defence of
that island. The French force destined for the reduction
of Minorca amounted to sixteen thousand men, and was
commanded by the Due de Richelieu. The armament
sailed from Toulon on the 13th of April, 1756, appeared off
Citadeila on the 18th, and disembarked on the following
day. A fiaw days sufficed to make the French masters of
the whole island, with the exception of Fort St. Philip, into
which all the troops were withdrawn, after having broken up
the roads and bridges, and opposed every possible obstacle
to the movements of the enemy. The works of the fort were
strong in themselves, but they were at this time in a
ruinous condition, notwithstanding the efforts of the
governor. General Blakeney, to put them in a posture of
defence.
The enemy entered the town of Mahon on the 27th of
April, and commenced their approaches under an incessant
fire from the fort, which caused them much loss. The
French batteries opened on the 9th of May, but they were
soon discovered to be at too great a distance, and to be
* At the commencement of the siege they were commanded by General
Hoske, Colonel of the Twentit-thibd Kegiment, and Bitiiterfd 1 major,
4 captains, 14 subalterns, 1 chaplain, 1 adjutant, 1 lurgcon, 1 asitistant
surgeon, 1 quarter-master, 28 serjeantR, 27 corpor/ili, 17 drummers,
616 privates, of whom only C were sick.
1i'
OR, THE ROYAL WELSU FUSILIERS.
75
liablj to much annoyance from the guns of the fort *hey 1756
therefore, on the 12th, pushed forward a body of tivjps,
which took possession of the town of St. Philip, and com-
menced erecting batteries under cover of the houses,
within two hundred yards of the fort, while the garrison
kept up a continued fire, which destroyed in the day the
works thrown up during the night, besides causing the
enemy a great loss of men. In consequence of this
attack on Minorca, war was declared mgainst France on
the 18th of May.
On the 19th of June, the fleet of Admiral Byng ap-
peansd off the island, and the exertions of the besieged
were redoubled : the elation of hope, however, was but of
short continuance, for on the 22nd, the French fired a
feu-de-joie in honor of their pretended victory over the
English fleet. The siege was carried on with the greatest
vigour until the 27th, when the enemy's fire had done such
execution on the defences of the fort, that the Due de
Richelieu judged that the moment had arrived for giving
the assault. At ten o'clock that night, the enemy issued
from their works to the different attacks, which/were
made simultaneously on so many different points, thail the
garrison, worn out with seventy days' incessant duty, were
unable to repel them in all. The assailants were, however,
received with the most determined courage, and repulsed
several times with immense slaughter : strong in numbers,
however, they as often returned to the assault ; and after
a long and sanguinary contest, ultimately succeeded in
effecting a lodgment in the Queen's redoubt, and in the
Anstruther and Argyle batteries, the last of which blew
up with three companies of French grenadiers.
The firing having continued from ten o'clock at night
until four in the morning, the French general beat a parley,
for leave to bury the dead and carry off the wounded.
I:
ii
V- H
70
TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1156 and a cessation of arms was agreed on, of which the
French took the advantage of strengthening the force
in the lodgments they had effected. The success of the
assailants, on this night, was purchased at the expense of
two thousand men ; while the loss of the garrison did not
exceed forty-seven killed and wounded. The governor,
however, considering the worn-out condition of his men
and the shattered state of the works, and one of the prin-
cipal outworks being in possession of the enemy, summoned
a council of war, in which it was unanimously agreed that
the fort could not sustain another assault. Terms of sur-
render were accordingly proposed, and on the 29th of June
a capitulation was signed, allowing the garriscTi all the
honors of war. " The noble and vigorous defence which the
" English have made " (says the Due de Richelieu in his
reply to the second article proposed by General Blakeney)
" having deserved all marks of esteem and veneration that
" every military person ought to show to such actions, — and
" Marshal Richelieu being desiroun also to show to General
" Blakeney the regard due to the brave defence he has
" made, — grants to the garrison all the honors of war that
" they can enjoy under the circumstances of their going
" out for an embarkation, to wit, firelocks on their shoul-
" ders, drums beating, colours flying, twenty cartridges
*' for each man, and also lighted matches."
Beatson, in his Naval and Military Memoirs^ has thus
alluded to the conduct of the garrison of Minorca: —
" Thus did four regiments,* and one company of artillery,
" maintain the fort against such numbers of tlie enemy,
" by sea and land, for such a length of time, as can,
" perhaps, scarcely be paralleled in history. The terms
" on which the fort was at last surrendered by a handful
The 4th, 23rd, 24th, and 34th regiments.
oil, THE ROYAL WELSU FUSILIERS.
77
" of men, so distressed, so shattered, and so neglected, 1 756
** remain a lasting monument to their honor."
The total casualties of the siege were eighty-nine
killed, three hundred and sixty-seven wounded, one
missing, twenty-three died of wounds, and ten of disease.
The loss of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers
exceeded that of any other regiment, being twenty-eight
killed and ninety wounded, among whom was Lieutenant
Price ; five died of wounds and two of disease.
The garrison embarked on the 12th of July, and pro-
ceeded to Gibraltar, from whence the Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers soon returned to England, and were quartered in the
Isle of Wight. At this period the army and navy were
increased, and among other augmentations, fifteen of the
regiments of infantry were authorised to raise second
battalions from the 25th of August, 1756.
In 1758, these additional battalions were formed into 1758
distinct corps, and numbered from the sixty-first to the
seventy-fifth regiment. By this q^rrangement the second
battalion of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers
was constituted the present Sixty-eighth regiment.*
In the summer of 1758, the Government resolved on
making a descent on the French coast, by which it was
expected to make such a diversion in favour of the British
Allies in Germany as would obviate the necessity of send-
Snd Batt.
Constituted.
Snd Batt.
Cunitituted.
► 3rd Foot,
the 61 St Regimeut.
24th Foot, the 69th Regiment.
4th „
the 62nd Regiment.
31st „
the 70th Regiment. ;
8th „
the 63rd Regiment.
32nd „
the 71st Regiment.
11th „
the 64th Regiment.
33rd „
the 72nd Regiment.
12th „
the 65th Regiment.
34th „
the 73rd Regiment.
19th „
the 66th Regiment
36th „
the 74th Regiment.
20th „
the 67 th Regiment.
37th „
the 75th Regiment.
23rd „
the 68th Regiment.
The 71s
t, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, an
i 75th regin
lents, were disbanded
I
after the peace of Fontainebleau in 1763.
7t)
THE TWENTY-THIRD REQIMENT OF FOOT,
iimi
1758 ing them a reinforcement of troopB. The Royal Welhii
FudiLiEHS formed part of the army employed on this oc-
casion, which amounted to fourteen thousand men, and was
commanded by the Duke of Marlborough. The embark-
ation commenced on the 24th of May ; the expedition
sailed on tlie 1st of June, and on the 5th stood in for the
bay of Cancale, two leagues to the eastward of St. Malcetj
where a landing was effected without loss. The army
was put in motion on the 7th, and took up a position
close to St. Maloea, which the Commander-in-Chief recon-
noitred. Having observed several houses filled with
naval and military stores, which were not protected by the
guns of the town, a detachment was sent after dark to set
fire to them, a service which was most effectually per-
formed, thirteen vessels of war, besides several mer-
chantmen and prodigious quantities of stores, being de-
stroyed.
St. MaloeSy though incapable of making an effectual
resistance against a regular siege, was considered too
strong to be attempted by a coup- de-main ; the army,
therefore, returned to Cancale Bay, where it embarked
on the 10th and 12th, having lost thirty men firom the
time of landing.
The fleet left Cancale on the 21st of June, and on the
23rd made the Isle of Wight ; but the wind changing, it
again bore away for the coast of France, and on the
26th was close to Havre de Grace. Preparations were
made for landing, but, on reconnoitring the coast, the
enemy was found to be so well prepared, tliat the de-
sign was abandoned, and the fleet steered for Cherbourpf
where it anchored on the 29th. Here the preparations
for a descent were renewed ; but a strong gale blowing
on shore, occasioned such a surf, that it was deemed too
hazardous to land the troops. The gale meanwhile in-
mi
V 'V
OR, TUE UOYAL WELSH FU8ILIEI18.
79
creused to such a degree, that several of the transports 17.')8
were driven from tlieir anehore, and ran foul of each
other ; and the whole fleet was in considerahle danger.
The provisions and forage were nearly exhausted, and
sickness hegan to show itself among the troops. Under
these circumstances, the design against Chcrhourg was
abandoned ; the fleet returned to England ; and the
Royal Wklsu Fusiliers, early in July, once more took
up their quarters in the Isle of Wight.
Soon after this, the Government considering it necessary
to reinforce the army in Germany, a brigade, consisting
of the twentieth, Twenty-third, and twenty-fifth regi-
ments, was ordered from the Isle of Wight, under the
command of the Duke of Marlborough.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers disembarked at Hal-
zoone, near Embden, on the 2nd of August, 1758, and on
the 4th commenced their inarch to join the allied army
under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. They eflfected their
junction about the middle of the same month ; but though
they had much severe service in marching and counter-
marching, during the remainder of the campaign, they had
no opportunity of signalizing themselves against the
enemy. On the 13th of November they went into winter
quarters in Munster.
Operations were commenced early in the spring of 1759
1759, and the allies gained some advantage; but when
the French forces were assembled, they possessed so
great a superiority in numbers, that Prince Ferdinand
was obliged to fall back as the enemy advanced. A
series of retrograde movements brought the allied army
to the vicinity of Mindetij situated on the bank of the
river Weser, in Westphalia.
The French army, commanded by Marshal de Con-
tades, took possession of Minden, and occupied a strong
position near that city.
I \'-i
80
TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1759 Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick manoeuvred: he de-
tached one body of troops under his nephew, the Here-
ditary Prince of Brunswick, and appeared to leave another
exposed to the attack of the whole of the opposing array.
The destruction of this corps was resolved upon by the
French Commander, and he put his army in motion for
that purpose during the night between the 31st of July
and the 1st of August. While the French were on the
march. Prince Ferdinand advanced with the allied army,
and early on the morning of the 1st of August, as the
leading colunm of the enemy attained the summit of an
eminence, it was surprised at discovering, instead of a few
weak corps, the allied army formed in order of battle.
Tims the French Marshal suddenly found himself com-
mitted, and under the necessity of fighting upon unfavour-
able ground. After some delay he formed line, and the
battle commenced.
The . Twenty-third, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel
Edward Sacheverel Pole, with the twelfth and thirty-
seventh British regiments, followed by the twentieth,
twenty-fifth, and fifty-first, under Major-General Walde-
grave and Major-General Kingsley, flanked by two bat-
talions of Hanoverian foot guards and the Hanoverian
regiment of Hardenberg, and supported by three regi-
ments of Hanoverians and a battalion of Hessian foot
guards, advanced to attack the left wing of the French
army, where Marshal de Contades had posted the Sliteoi
his cavalry, the carabineers, and gendarmes. The twelfth,
Twenty-third, and thirty-seventh regiments led the at-
tack with signal intrepidity : as they moved forward in firm
array, the enemy's artillery opened a tremendous fire,
which rent chasms in the ranks, and the French carabineers
advanced to charge them ; but a rolling volley from the
three British regiments smote the hostile squadrons, when
many men fell, and the survivors reined up their horses.
A'V
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
81
wheeled about, and galloped to the rear; their artillery 1759
recommencing its fire as the repulsed squadrons with-
drew. The Hanoverian brigade came up on the left of
the twelfth, Twenty-third, and thirty-seventh, and the
other three British regiments on the right. Soon, another
line of French cavaliers, gay in splendid uniforms, and
formidable in numbers, came forward, the soldiers shout-
ing, and waving their swords ; but they were struck in
mid-onset by a tempest of bullets from the British regi-
ments, broken, and driven back with severe loss. Still
pressing forward with a conquering violence, the three
brigades became exposed to the fire of the enemy's
infantry on their flanks ; but nothing could stop them :
encouraged by success, and confident in their own prowess,
they followed up their advantage, routed the whole of the
French cavalry, and drove it from the field.* Two
brigades of French infantry endeavoured to stem the
torrent of battle ; but they were quickly broken and dis-
persed.f A body of Saxon troops made a show of coming
* "Notwithstanding the loss they sustained before they could get up
" to the enemy ; notwithstanding the repeated attacks of the enemy's
"cavalry; notwithstanding a fire of musketry well kept up by the
" enemy's infantry ; notwithstanding their being exposed in front and
"flank, such was the unshaken firmness of those troops (12th, 20th, 23rd,
" 25tb, 37th, .'ilst, and brigade of Hanoverians) that nothing could stop
" them, and the whole body of French cavalry was totally routed." —
Campaigns of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.
t " The brunt of the battle was almost wholly sustained by the English
" infantry and some corps of Hanoverians, who stood the reiterated
" charges of so many bodies of horse, (the strength and glory of the
" French armies,) with a resolution, steadiness, and expertness in their
"manoeuvres, which was never exceeded, perhaps never equalled : they
" cut to pieces or entirely routed those bodies. Two brigades of foot
" attempted to support them ; but they vanished before the English
" infantry." — Annual Register.
" Six regiments of English infantry, and two battalions of Hanoverian
" guards, not only bore the whole brunt of the French carabineers and
"gendarmerie, but .ibsolutely broke every body of horse and foot that
"advanced to attack them on the left and in the centre."— Smollett.
1'
I
O
82
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
'I
I
I
1159 down upon the conquering British regiments, hut they
were soon put to flight, and the triumphant English con-
tinued their splendid career, overpowering all opposition.
The action commenced hetween six and seven o'clock
in the morning: ahout nine the enemy began to give
way ; a general confusion followed ; and at ten o'clock
the whole French army fled in disorder, with the loss of
forty-three pieces of cannon, ten stand of colours, and
seven standards.
The loss of the allies fell chiefly on the British regi-
ments; that of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh
Fusiliers was four Serjeants and thirty-one rank and
tile killed ; Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Sacheverel Pole,
Captains William Fowler and John Fox, Captain- Lieu-
tenant Richard Bolton, Lieutenants Charles Reynell,
Joseph Patterson, Arthur Barber, Grey Grove, and George
Orpin, Second Lieutenant David Ferguson, six Serjeants,
three drummers, and one hundred and fifty-three rank and
file wounded ; and ten rank and file missing.*
In the general orders of the following day, it was stated,
" that His Serene Highness orders his greatest thanks to
" be given to the whole army for their bravery and good
" behaviour yesterday, particularly to the British infantry
"and the two battalions of Hanoverian guards. His
" Serene Highness declares publicly, that next to God, he
" attributes the glory of the day to the intrepidity and
•' extraordinary behaviour of the troops."
The distinguished conduct of the Twenty- third regi-
ment on this occasion was afterwards honored with the
King's authority 'to bear the word "Minuen" on its
* See List of Officers belonging to the Twenty-third Kotal Welsh
Fusiliers on the 1st of August, 1759, the date of the Battle of JUindtn,
Appendix, page 176.
OH, THE ROYAL \V£LSII FUSILIERS.
83
colours and appointments, in commemoration of its gal- 1759
lantry.*
Minden was' taken possession of on the following day,
and the French army was forced to make a precipitate
retreat to a distance of about two hundred miles. The
allies followed the retiring enemy with great energy,
ascending precipices, passing morasses, overcoming nume-
rous difficulties, and pressing upon and attacking the
retreating army, with so much resolution, that several
French corps were nearly annihilated, and many prisoners,
with a great quantity of baggage, were laptured. The
Twenty-third shared in the hazards, toils, and conflicts
of this brilliant success, and when the weather became too
severe for the troops to remain in the field, the regiment
went into cantonments in the bishopric of Osnaburg in
Westphalia.
The regiment left its quarters on the 5th of May, 1760, 1760
to take the field, and on the 12th of that month it arrived
in the vicinity of Paderborn : it was joined by a numerous
body of recruits from England, to replace the losses of the
preceding campaign.
A hundred thousand French troops took the field under
the Duke of Broglio, with a separate corps under the
Count de St. Germain, and so far outnumbered the allied
army, that the latter was obliged to act on the defensive.
The Twenty-third took part in numerous operations,
and towards the end of May they were encamped on the
heights near Fritzlar ; in July they proceeded to the
vicinity of Saxenhausen, from whence they retreated
towards Cassel, and encamped near Kalle.
Upwards of thirty-thousand French troops crossed the
* The six British regiments of infantry which took part in the glo-
rious battle of Minden were the 12tb, 20ih, 23rd, 25th, 37th, and Slst
rcgioieuts.
G 2
I
. I
84
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1 760 river Dymel, and took post near Warhourg, to cut off the
communication of the allies with Westphalia, when Prince
Ferdinand of Brunswick quitted the camp at Kalle, and
crossed the river to attack this portion of the French army.
The battle commenced on the morning of the Slst of July,
at which time the regiment, and other British infantry
corps, were several miles from the scene of conflict. The
grenadier company of the Twenty-third, however, being
in advance, was sharply engaged, and highly distinguished
itself : it had one Serjeant and eleven privates killed ;
Captain Rainey, Lieutenant Mercer, and nineteen privates
wounded. The remainder of the army hurried forward
with extraordinary zeal to share in the action : it was a hot
summer's day; the soldiers had a rugged country to
traverse, morasses to pass, and numerous difficulties to over-
come, and they exerted themselves with so much energy,
that several men dropped on the road ;* but before they
arrived at Warbourg, the French troops had retreated
across the river.
The regiment afterwards encamped near Warbourg,
and on the 1st of October proceeded towards the Lower
Rhine, in order to form part of the separate corps under
the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, who invested the
town of Wesel, in the duchy of Cleves, on the 3rd of
October. A numerous French force advanced to raise
the siege, and encamped behind the convent of Campen„
The Hereditary Prince determined to surprise the enemy's
camp at Rhynberg, and for this purpose the confederate
army marched at ten o'clock in the night of the 15th of
October ; but it was found necessary to dislodge a corps
which occupied the convent : this occasioned some firing ;
the French camp was alarmed, and the soldiers im-
mediately formed for battle. The Hereditary Prince
* London Gazette.
? . L_
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
85
attacked the French army before daylight on the 16th of 1760
October, and the Twenty-third regiment was engaged
in a desperate musketry fight for many hours ; it was
opposed to very superior numbers, and the French had
the advantage of a wood. The fire of musketry was con-
tinued from five in the morning until nine at night, when
the Prince, finding it impossible to force the enemy from
the wood, ordered a retreat.
The Twenty-third had two Serjeants and nineteen
rank and file killed ; Major Marlay, Captains Gould and
Fowler, Lieutenants Ferguson, Grove, Orpin, Blakeney,
Mecan, four Serjeants, and ninety-seven rank and file
wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Pole, Captains Gould and
Fowler, with forty-four rank and file, were taken prisoners.
The siege of Wesel was raised, and the regiment
repassed the Rhine, and was cantoned in the Principality
of Hesse.
On the 16th January, 1761, Lieut.-General the Honor- 1761
able George Boscawen was appointed, by His Majesty
King George HL, Colonel of the Twenty-third Royal
AVelsh Fusiliers, from the twenty-ninth regiment, in
succession to General John Huske, deceased.
The enemy having amassed immense magazines in tlie
country of Hesse, and on the Lower Rhine, the allied
army made a sudden advance into the enemy's canton-
ments, and in February, 1761, captured several strong
towns, and seized on numerous stores of provisions. The
Twenty-third shared in this enterprise, advancing
through a deep snow, and taking part in several important
captures : when this service was performed, the regiment
retired to its former quarters.
Again taking the field in Jmie, the regiment was em-
ployed in several manoeuvres, and in the middle of July
it was in position near the Aest and Lippe rivers, in
i m
86
THE TWENTY-TIIIIID UEGIMENT OF FOOT,
1761 Prussian Westphalia. After several harassing marches,
the regiment was stationed in front of the village of Kirch
DcnherTif and near to Fellinghaus(n^ in the hishopric of
Paderborn. The French, commanded by the Prince de
Soubize and Marshal Broglio, attacked this post on the
15th of July ; but the ground was maintained with firm-
ness and resolution by the British infantry, and the enemy
was repulsed with loss. The fire of the skirnrlshers was
contitiued during thr- night, and at three o'clock on the
following morning, the attack was repeated with fresh
Uoops, but the position was gallantly maintained by the
British and other regiments. After five hours' sharp
fighting, some disorder appeared in the enemy's ranks,
when the several brigades charged and routed the oppo-
sing battalions, which retreated with precipitation, aban-
doning their dead and wounded, together with several
pieces of cannon.
The Twenty-third regiment, which foriped part of
Lieut.-General Conway's division, had no officers or men
killed in this battle, the casualties being limited to one
Serjeant, and a few privates wounded.
The Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers were
stationed near Kirch Denkem until the 27th of July ;
they were subsequently employed in manoeuvring and
skirmishing in various parts of the bishopric of Paderborn
and on the river Weser ; in September they were em-
ployed in the country of Hesse. In the early part of
November the regiment was engaged in several skirmishes
in tlie electorate of Hanover, and was subsequently
quartered in the bishopric of Osnaburg, where it passed
the winter.*
* The following singular statement appeared in " Tlie London
Gazette,'''' of the 17th November, 1761, which surpasses a similar
incident recorded of the famous Lord Mayor of London, Sir Richard
Whittington : —
on, THE llOYAL WELSH FU8ILIER8.
87
In the spring of 1762, the regiment quitted its canton- 1162
nients in Osnaburg, and was formed in brigade with tlie
same regiments, as in the preceding year. It was engaged,
on the 24th of June, in the surprise of the French army
encamped at Graebenstein, and commanded by Marshal
D'Etrees and the Prince do Soubize.
The TwENTV-THiRD formed part of the reser/e under
the Marquis of Granby, who marched between two and
three o'clock in the morning of that day, to the eminence
opposite Furstenwald, in order to fall upon the left wing
of the enemy. The troops under Prince Ferdinand also
passed the Dymel at four o'clock in the morning, and the
allied army arrived in presence of the enemy, before he
had the least apprehension of being attacked. The French
were surprised and confounded ; they abandoned their
camp, leaving their tents standing, and retreated towards
Cassel : one division, under General Stainville, throwing
itself into the woods of PFilhelmstafd, to cover the move-
ment This division was attacked, and ultimately forced
to surrender : part of the division had before surrendered
to Lord Granby's corps, and upon the coming up of the
army, the remainder, after one fire, surrendered to the
fifth fusiliers.
His Serene Highness stated in his despatch to His
Majesty King George III., that " all the troop* behaved
extremely well, and showed great zeal and willingness ;"
and also that " Lord Granby acquitted himself, upon this
occasion, with remarkable valour, and had a great share in
the victory^^
The casualties of the allies amounted to about three
'* The French have demanded from the country of Eischsfeld
" and IIohen3tein,_/oM;' hundred cats ; one hundred and eighty had
" been already delivered to them. The motive for the demand is,
•' that the mice eat up their magazines, "
>, »i
Pi
■
I
88
TUE TWENTY-TUIBD HEtilMENT Or FOOT,
I
■If
i
1762 hundred men, but it is not recorded tlmt the Twenty-
THiuD regiment sustained any loss on this occasion.
, A series of successful operations, in which the Twenty-
third regiment was engaged, followed this victory. The
enemy was forced to quit several strong posts ; on the 2l8t
of September, 1762, a most obstinate contest took place
on the height of Brucker-Muhl, near Amonchourg, which
continued, without intermission, from six o'clock in the
morning until night put an end to the struggle. The
Royal Welsh Fusiliehs do not appear to have partici-
pated in this action, as they are not included in the list
of killed and wounded, which amounted to about eight
hundred men.
In the beginning of November the allies took Cassel,
after which a suspension of hostilities was proclaimed, the
preliminary articles of peace between France and England
having been signed at Fontainehleau by the Duke of Bed-
ford on the 3rd of that month.
By this treaty, the whole of Canada, part of Louisiana,
together with Cape Breton, and the other islands in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, were ceded to Great Britain. In
the West Indies, the islands of Tobago, Dominica, St.
Vincent, and Grenada were retained by Great Britain ;
but Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marigalante, and St. Lucia
were restored to France. In the East Indies, the French
obtained the restitution of their settlements, but agreed
not to erect any fortifications in Bengal. Minorca was
restored to England in exchange for Belleisle, and the
fortifications of Dunkirk were agreed to be demolished.
Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain, in return for the
restitution of the Havannah, Manilla, and all the places
which Spain had lost since the cornmencoment of the war.
1763 The regiment was quartered in the bishopric of Munster
after the suspension of hostilities, and in the beginning of
OK, THE llOYAL WEI^II FUSILIERS.
89
1763, the thanks of Parliament were cominunicated to the 1763
army for its conduct during the war. In February the
regiment marched ^luough Holland to Williamstadt,
where it embarked for England : its effective strength,
according to the embarkation return, was twenty-nine
officers, six hundred and eighty-nine non-commissioned
officers and soldiers.
The treaty of Fontainebleau was concluded at Paris on
the 10th of February ; the ratifications were exchanged
on the 10th of March, and peace was proclaimed in
London on the 22nd of that month.
For the next ten years the regiment remained in Great
Britain, but in the summer of 1773 it embarked at Ply- 17*13
mouth for North America, and disembarked at New York
on the 14th of June.
In the following year, 1774, the regiment was removed 1774
to Boston, where, in consequence of an anticipated out-
break by the Americans, a strong military force had been
assembled under the command of General Gage.
During the winter a firm determination of resistance to 1775
the acts of the mother-country became general in the
American States; and on the 19th of April, 1775, the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers were engaged in the first hos-
tile collision that took place between His Majesty's troops
and the colonists, in the unhappy contest which was soon to
assume a most formidable character. Information having
been received that the Americans were forming a con-
siderable depot of military stores at a place called Con-
cord, about twenty miles from Boston, a detachment,
consisting of the fiank companies of the army, was de-
spatched under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Francis Smith, of the tenth regiment, for the purpose of
destroying it. Though the greatest secresy had been
observed in the preparations for the expedition, and the
il
m-.
m-M
!
ii
!
I
i
M
'ill
90
THE TWENTV-TIIIUD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1775 detachment inarched with the utmost caution, they soon
perceived, by the ringing of bells, the firing of guns, &c.,
that the country was alarmed ; and, on arriving at Lex-
ington, about fifteen miles from Boston, they found a
'jonsiderable body of people assembled under arms.
These dispersed in confusion on the approach of the
detachment ; some shots were exchanged, though it does
not seem certain which party was the first to fire. One
soldier and several of the Americans were killed. The
detachment continued its march to Concord, where a
strong party of the militia of the country was found
posted on an eminence at the entrance of the town ; these
were attacked and dispersed by the light infantry, not
without further loss on both sides, while the grenadiers
carried into execution the purpose of the expedition, by
destroying the stores.
In the afiair at Lexington, the regiment had four rank
and file killed ; Lieutenant- Colonel Benjamin Bernard,
and twenty-six rank and file, wounded.
By this time the alarm was spread far and near ; and an
immense multitude appeared, who opposed the return of
the detachment to Boston, by keeping a galling fire on its
front, flanks, and rear, under cover of the houses, hedges,
and walls, which lined the road ; the colonists displaying,
at this early stage of the contest, that skill in this species
of warfare, by which they were subsequently so much
distinguished. Thus harassed, the detachment reached
Lexington, where it met another detachment, con-
sisting of the remaining eight companies of the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, and the same number of the eighth
regiment, which had been sent to its support under the
command of Colonel Earl Percy. These formed a square,
under protection of which the wearied soldiers of Colonel
Smith's detachment took some rest and refreshment, the
OR, THE HOYAL WELSH FlTSILIEllS.
91
first since leaving Boston : so much were they exhausted, 1775
that they are described in Stedman's History of the Ameri-
can War, as " having their tongues hanging out of their
mouths like those of dogs after a chase." Both detachment}
soon resumed their march, still harassed by the Ameri-
cans, till they arrived at Boston about sunset.
The British force amounted in all to about eighteen
hundred men, of whom seventy-one were killed, one hun-
dred and thirty-six wounded, and forty-nine missing ;
the loss of tlie Americans is stated by themselves at about
sixty, of whom two-thirds were killed.
On the 11th of May, 1775, His Majesty was pleased
to appoint Major-Gcneral the Honorable Sir William
Howe, K. B. (from the forty-sixth regiment), to be
Colonel of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers, in succession to Lieutenant-General the Ho-
norable George Boscawen, deceased.
Boundless was the exultation of the Americans at the
result of this unhappy affair, — they talked of nothing but
driving the King's forces out of Boston ; the militia
poured in from all quarters, till twenty thousand men were
assembled under commanders who had acquired some
military experience as militia officers. This formidable
force was even still further increased, and a line of
encampment was formed thirty miles in extent, enclosing
Boston in its centre. At the same time the provincial
congress was busily employed, in framing regulations
and providing equipments, which should give to their
forces some semblance of a regular army. Meanwhile
the British tioops were kept blockaded in Boston, their
numbers being considered inadequate to any hostile opera-
tions, though about the beginning of June reinforcements
arrived from England with Major-General the Honorable
Sir William Howe, which placed the army on a more re-
I
I
'■
(*i1
TIIR TWENTYTirillU HKOlMENT OF I'OOT,
IT,
!
|ti .1
I
•^1
1775 spectablc footing as to numbtTs than it had hitherto
been.
Separated from the peninsula of Boston by the river
Charles is the peninsuhi of Charlestown, in the centre of
which rises an eminence called Bunker n Hill, which
commands the whole of Boston. This eminence, General
Gage, owing probably to the insufficiency of his force,
had not occupied ; but the Americans perceiving the
advantages of the position, formed the hardy design of
taking possession of it, which they soon executed with
singular skill. As soon as it was dark, on the evening
of the 10th of June, a strong body moved with great pre-
caution across (liarlestown neck, and gained unobserved
the summit of the hill. Being provided with the neces-
sary tools, they commenced throwing entrenchments, with
such order and silence, that before morning they had
comjdeted a considerable line well flanked, and in many
places cannon-proof. The first alarm was given by the
fire of some of the men-of-war, by which the peninsula
was nearly surrounded ; this was soon followed by that
of the batteries of Boston. About noon of the 17th of
June, a detachment from Boston was landed at Charles-
town, and joon after a reinforcement, which increased
the whole to two thousand. These, under cover of the
artillery, advanced to attack the works : the Americans,
with the steadiness of veterans, kej)t close behind their
entrenchments, and reservetl their fire till the near ap-
proach of their enemy, when they poured it in with such
effect, that the British ranks were literally mowed down,
and the soldiers forced to recoil in several places.
Rallied by their officers, and stung ' the reflection of
having been repulsed by an enemy .lom they held in
contempt, they again mounted to the assault, with such
impetuosity that they forced their way over the entrench-
on, Tin; iioYAL WKLsn fuhilikks.
99
monts, driving tlu; colonists from tlunn nt the point of the 1776
bayonet. The success was complete ; the Americans fled
with precipitation ; hut the reduced and exhausted state
of the victors did not admit of a pursuit.
The casualties of the day amounted to about one-half
of the numbers engaged, being two hundred and twenty-
six killed, and eight hundred and twenty-eight wounded ;
among the former nineteen, and among the latter seventy
officers. Of this severe loss, the Royal AVklsii Fusi-
liers, eager to distinguish themselves the first time they
were engaged under the immediate eye of their colonel,
Major- General the Honorable Sir William IIowc, appear
to have borne their full proportion. No return has been
preserved of the casualties of the regiment generally ; but
the grenadier company went into action with three officers
and forty-six rank and file, and returned with five eff'ective ;
the rest were all killed or wounded.* The loss of the
Americans is estimated by themselves atone hundred and
forty-six killed, and three hundred and four wounded.
* Journal of rii|)taiii Julian, one of" the surviving veterans of the
day. If it i' _v be permitted to quote a work of fiction as uti autlio-
rity, it niay l»e observed, as a confirmation of tlie severe loss of the re-
giment, ihrti the celebrated American novelist, J. Fenniniore Cooper,
in fiis wort entitled " Lionel Lincoln," after describing the battle
of Bunker's Hill, states, " The VVklsh Fusilikbs had hardly men
" enough left to saddle their goat ;" and after alluding to the keeping
of a goat, with gilded horns, by the regiment, adds, " that the corps
" was distinguished alike for its courage and its losses." — For account
of the custom of keeping the goat, above uiiudcd to, vide Appendix,
page 177.
Mrs, Adams, in a letter to her husband .(ohn Adams Esq. (after-
wards the second President of the United States), dated 25th June,
1775, has thus alluded to the battle of Burkcr's HiH : —
" But in the midst of sorrow we have abundant cause of thankful -
*' ness, that so few of our brethren are numbered with the slain,
" while our enemies were cut down like grass before the scythe.
" But one officer of all the Welsh Fusiliers remains to tell his
" story,''''— Letters of Mrs. Adams, third edition, vol. i. p. 43, 44.
m
Ik
04
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
I b
1776 After the battle of Bunker's Hill nothing of importance
was attempted on either side ; the begieged and besiegers
remained in a state of equal inactivity, till the commence-
ment of 1776, when General Washington began to carry
on his operations with more vigour, in the hope of reduc-
ing Boston before the arrival of some expected rein-
forcements from England. Among the besieged, the
slow but sure effects of the long blockade began to show
themselves ; provisions were scarce, and a supply could
not be procured, and the men were worn out with in-
cessant toil. On the 2nd of March, two batteries opened
their fire on the town with such effect, that Major-General
Sir William Howe, who had succeeded to the command,
soon became sensible that nothing now remamed but to
evacuate the place. Accordingly the garrison, and such
of the inhabitants as adhered to the cause of the mother-
country, were embarked, and conveyed to Halifax, in
Nova Scotia.
'fhe troops having recovered from the sickness and
fatigue produced by the blockade of Boston, Sir William
Howe sailed for Staten Island, near New York, where
he landed on the 2nd of July, and was joined by con-
siderable reinforcements from England. On the 4th
of July, the American Congress issued their Declaration
of Independence, abjuring their allegiance to the Crown
of Great Britain, and all hope of accommodation failed.
Shortly afterwards another body of troops arrived from
the southern provinces, commanded by Major-General Sir
Henry Clinton, and the operations of the campaign com-
menced on the 22nd of August, by the army crossing over
to Lonff Island, where the Americans had raised a strong
line of defence across a narrow neck of land, near Brooklyn,
for the protection of New York, which it commanded.
The Americans were soon compelled to retire to their works,
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
95
which the British Commander prepared to attack in form; I'j'je
this was no sooner perceived by the enemy than he resolved
to abandon his lines, which he was sensible were incapable
of resisting a regular attack. This resolution was car-
ried into effect on the 29th of August, with extraordinary
secresy and«good order, — an army of nine thousand men
being transported from New York, with all its cattle,
artillery, and stores, without the loss of a single indi-
vidual. Early in September the British crossed over to
New York Island, and soon after took possession of New
York without opposition. After a series of movements
and skirmishes, which terminated with the battle of
White Plains, on the 28th of October, the Americans
were driven from all their positions in York Island,
with the exception of the important fort of Fort Wash-
ington, which kept open the communication with the
Jerseys : this place was reduced on the 16th of Novem-
ber, the garrison of 2500 men surrendering prisoners of
war. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, having assisted
in all these operations, went into winter quarters on
New York Island.
On the I'ith of April, 1777, the regiment embarked, m?
under command of Major-General Tryon, and pro-
ceeded to Norwalk Bay, in Connecticut, where it landed.
From thence it marched about twenty miles, to Dan-
bury, and destroyed the magazines of warlike stores
belonging to the enemy. The following day the troops
marched to Ridf/e/ield,v,herc the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves, being at-
tacked by very superior numbers, stationed to protect very
large magazines of military stores of every description,
which were burnt, after the Americans had been defeated
and dispersed. * The intention, for which the expedition had
* Journal of Licutenant-General Sir Thomas Saumarcz, then a
Lieutenant in the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
I
96
THE TWENTY-THIRD REaiMENT OF FOOT,
:ii'
n*!*? been undertaken, having been fully accomplished, the
British troops returned to embark, when they were con-
stantly harassed and attacked, night and day, by a very
superior force of the enemy ; particularly when they came
in sight of their ships, they saw more than three times
their own numbers, drawn up in a very advantageous
position, with the intention of disputing their passage.
After much manoeuvring on the part of the British, they
at length attacked the Americans with the bayonet, and
totally defeated them, with great loss in killed and
wounded. While the embarkation was proceeding, a
strong party of the enemy, under General Arnold, at-
tacked a British regiment with so much vigour as to
make it give way. Upon this the Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers were ordered by Brigadier-General Erskine,
Quarter-Master General of the army, to charge ; this
they did, after firing a volley so effectually, aided by
the other regiment, which had rallied, that, after killing
and wounding a great number of the Americans, the
latter dispersed, and did not fire another shot, but allowed
the rear-guard to embark without further molestation.
In this expedition the regiment had five rank and file
killed ; second Lieutenant Edward Price, one serjeant,
and eighteen rank and file wounded.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers received the particular
thanks of Brigadier-General Erskine, and of the other
general officers, for their gallant conduct on this and every
other occasion since they disembarked : after this the
troops returned to New York.
Early in June the Commander-in-Chief crossed over
with the army, to Staten Island, and subsequently to
New Jersey. He, however, found General Washington's
position at Middlebrook too strong to be attacked with
any prospect of advantage, and every scheme to draw
that cautious officer from his fastnesses having proved
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
97
unavailing, Major General the Honorable Sir William 1777
Howe returned to Staten Island on the 20th of June, and
on the 24th the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were again in
New York.
Having failed in his attempt to penetrate to Phila-
delphia through the Jerseys, Sir William Howe now
resolved to embark the army, and to arrive at that place
by sailing up the Delaware. The troops destined for this
service, among which were the Royal Welsh Fusiliers,
embarked on the 21st of July, and sailing two days after-
wards, arrived on the 30th off the Capes of the Delaware.
Here, in consequence of information that the enemy had
taken means that would render the navigation of the
Delaware extremsly dangerous, the Commander-in-Chief
altered his plans, and proceeded to the Chesapeake, where
he arrived about the middle of August : on the 25th, the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers disembarked at Elk Ferry, in
Pennsylvania. The army marched for Philadelphia, the
enemy retiring, and taking up a position on the opposite
side of the Brandywine^ of which he determined to
dispute the passage. The able disposition of the British
general, and the valour of his troops, however, prevailed,
and on the 11th of September, after a sharp contest, the
Americans were driven into the woods in their rear, where
they took up a second position, from which they were
also dislodged and completely routed. The Americans
suffered severely in this action, having three hundred killed,
six hundred wounded, and four hundred taken prisoners ;
the British loss was one hundred killed and three hundred
wounded. Captain Thomas Mecan, of the regiment, was
wounded in this action. On the 20th of September another
body of the Americans, under General Wayne, was com-
pletely routed by a detachment, commanded by Major-
General Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey, who, in pur-
u
ii
08
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
.4 '
hillV
1777 suance of a system which he afterwards strongly inculcated
on his array in the W est Indies, commanded that not a shot
should ht fired, but the b"yonet only should be used ; the
surprise was, in consequence of this precaution, irost com-
plete, and the slaughter of the enemy dreadful, at the
expense to the English of one officer killed, and seven
men killed and wounded.
On the 26th of September, Lieut-General Sir William
Howe advanced to Germantown, and, on the foUowuig day,
Lieut.-Geueral Earl Cornwallis took possession of Phila-
delphia. The first object of the British Commander, after
the occupation of the town, was to open a communication
with the fleet, by removing the obstructions which the
enemy had contrived to the navigation of the Delaware ;
large detachments were made for this and other services,
which considerably reduced the main body of the army
stationed at Germantown, an important post about
seven miles from Philadelphia. General Washington,
who was apprised of this circumstance, conceived the
moment favourable for an attack on Germantown. He
accordingly moved from l.is encampment on the evening of
the 3rd of October, and on the morning of the 4th, under
cover of a dense fog, commenced a vigorous assault on
the British outposts, which were driven into the village,
while the Americans advanced in separate columns, with
the view of at once penetrating the centre of the position,
and attacking it on both flanks. Their desigris were, how-
ever, frustrated by the gal' itry of the fortieth regiment,
which occupied a large stone house, in which it maintained
itself, and checked the advance of the enemy till the whole
of the British line had formed. The action was kept up
with considerable obstinacy for some time, but the thick-
ness of the fog preventing the combination of the several
attacks of the enemy, he was repulsed, and, under cover
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
99
of the fog, withdrew, with all his artillery. The regiment 1771
was not engaged in any other operations during this
winter, which it passed in Philadelphia, but it shared in
some very severe duty at the reduction of the forts on the
Delaware below the city.
In the spring of 1778, Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir 1778
William Howe returned to England, and resigned the com-
mand of the army to Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton,
who decided on evacuating Philadelphia, and returning
with the army to New York. The evacuation was eflfected
on the 18th of June, when the army was transported, with
its baggage, provisions, and stores, to the Jerseys, in the
boats of the fleet. General Washington having received
intelligence of the design, had despatched messengers to
various points, with orders to collect all the troops that
could be assembled, to harass and obstruct the British
army on its march. After a variety of movements on both
sides. Sir Henry Clinton arrived on the 27th of June, at a
place called Freehold^ where, judging from the appearance
of more numerous parties of the enemy, that a serious
attack was meditated, he encamped in a very strong posi-
tion.
The night passed without any hostile movement on the
part of the enemy, and in the morning Sir Henry Clinton
conceiving that the vast convoy of baggage, with which he
was encumbered, would be the object of attack, despatched
it at an early hour, escorted by General Knyphausen's
division, himself following at some distance with the
rest of the army. The rear-guard, composed of the flank
companies, understood Lieut.-General the Earl Comwallis
had not proceeded, for when near Monmouth Court-House,
a vastly superior body of the Americans made its appear-
ance under Generals Lee and the Marquis Lafayette. The
British immediately commenced their dispositions for
u 2
>;:S||ti
100
THE TWENTY-THIKD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1178 attacking them, but ere these were completed, the Ameri-
cans retired to a rising ground in their rear. Sir Henry
Clinton still resolved to engage, with the view of compelling
the enemy to recal some parties that were advancing on the
flanks of the army in pursuit of the baggage. The attack
was made with such vigour, notwitnstanding the exhausted
condition of the men from the severe heat of the weather,
that the Provincials were forced to give way, and were only
saved from a total rout by the arrival of General Wash-
ington with the main body of his army. The flank com-
panies of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers distinguished
themselves on this occasion ; particularly the right flank
company, which received the warmest thanks of Brigadier-
General Sir William Medows, who commanded the grena-
dier brigade ; that company had one-third of its ofiicers
and men killed and wounded: among the latter was
Captain Thomas Wills, who had his thigh carried away
by a cannon shot, of which he died a few days after ; he
was assisted ofl^ the field by his subaltern. Lieutenant
Saumarez. After this affair the army continued its
march unmolested to Sandy Hook, from whence it was
conveyed to New York on the 5th of July.
About this period the French King having taken part
in the contest, a powerful fleet under the Count D'Estaing
arrived on the coast of America, and appeared off the
harbour of New York. The British Admiral, Lord Howe,
though inferior in force, made such preparations for their
reception, that the French thought it prudent to withdraw
to Rhode Island, whither his Lordship resolved to go in
pursuit of them. On this occasion, the fifty-second regi-
ment was ordered to serve on board the fleet as Marines,
but the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, desirous of paying a
eompliment to the brother of their Colonel, volunteered
their services, which were accepted, and the regiment em-
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
101
barked on the 2nd of August The fleet was prevented, 1 178
by contrary winds, irom sailing before the 6th, and on the
9th it arrived ofl" Rhode Island, where a part of the hostile
fleet was discovered at anchor, the remainder had gone up a
river. Lord Howe immediately made the signal to prepare
for action, and bore down to the attack ; unfortunately,
however, when almost witliin gun-shot of the enemy, the
wind all at once became contrary, and the Admiral
was obliged to put back. On the following day, the
French fleet was observed coming out of the harbour, and
forming in line of battle ; Lord Howe having mancBuvred
unsuccessfully to gain the weather gage, at length resolved
to attack the enemy without that advantage. But just as the
fleets were nearing each other, so furious a tempest arose,
that both were so completely dispersed, that, on the fol-
lowing morning, no two ships were in sight of each other.
A general engagement was thus prevented, but three
encounters afterwards took place between single ships
of the hostile fleet, which terminated most honorably
to the British arms. On the evening of the 15th, the
* Renown,' of fifty guns, fell in with the ' Languedoc,' of
ninety guns. Count D'Estaing's flag- ship, and attacked
her so vigorously, that the French Admiral was every
moment expected to strike his colours, when, unfc^u-
nately, six of the enemy's ships hove in sight, and com-
pelled the gallant Captain Dawson to desist. On the same
evening. Captain Hotham, in the * Preston,* also of fifty
guns, engaged the ' Tonnant,' of eighty guns, with every
prospect of success, when night put an end to the contest,
which he was prevented from renewing in the morning by
the appearance of the French fleet. On the 16th, Captain
Raynor, of the ' Isis,' another fifty-gun ship, fell in with the
' Caesar,' seventy-four, and engaged her in so spirited a man-
ner, and with so much advantage, that she put before the
1
:|
102
THE TWENTY-THIRD BEGIMENT OF FOOT,
.
1*778 wind, and sailed away, leaving the ' Isis' so diiiabled in her
masts and rigging, as to be unable to pursue. The loss
of the * Isis' was only one man killed, and fifteen wounded,
while that of the * Caesar' amounted to fifty, and her keel
was so much damaged, that she was obliged to put into
Boston harbour to refit. The regiment disembarked at
New York on the 4th of September, when Admiral Lord
Howe was pleased to present " his most particular thanks
" to the officers and soldiers of the three companies of the
*' Royal Welsh Fusiliers for their spirited and gallant
" behaviour on board the ships that had engaged the
" enemy, and to the whole regiment for its conduct during
" the time it served on board the fleet."
1779 On the 27th of May, 1779, the regiment embarked
with a part of the army, and sailed up the river Hudson
to East Chester and Vereplanks, when it assisted at the
taking of Fort Lafayette^ and other fortified places,
which the Americans had constructed there and at Stony
Point. Soon after it proceeded on another expedition,
under Major-General Tryon, to Newhaven, in Connec-
ticut, a great rendezvous for American privateers. Tlie
troops landed, and having demolished the batteries
that had been erected to oppose them, destroyed severe^
ships, and a vast quantity of naval stores. From New-
haven they proceeded to Fairfield, where they destroyed
the stores, and reduced the town itself to ashes ; Norfolk
also shared the same fate, as did also Greenfield, a small
seaport in the neighbourhood. Tlie detachment then
returned to New York, having, during an absence of not
more than nine days, occasioned prodigious losses to the
Americans.
On the 20th of September, the regiment embarked, with
a strong detachment of the army, under Lieut.-General
the Earl Cornwallis, and sailed under convoy of Admiral
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIEHS.
103
Arbuthnot's fleet, with the intention of invading tho whole i'j7g
of the French West India Islands. In consequenco, how-
ever, of information received from an English frigate, that
a greatly superior French fleet was within a few days' sail,
the British fleet put back, and made all sail for New York,
where the troops disembarked.
Towards the end of this year, the Commander-in-Chief,
Lieu .-General Sir Henry Clinton, having resolved to carry
the war into the southern provinces, embarked with a great
part of the army, in which were the Royal Wklsh Fusi-
liers, andsailed for Charlestown, in South Carolina. After
a tedious and tempestuous voyage, during which some of the
transports were lost, the troops disembarked, on the 12th
of February, 1780, at North Ediston, on St. John's Island, HSO
about thirty miles from Charlestown. So great were the
obstacles encountered by the army in its advance, that it was
the 29tli of March before the Commander-in-Chief, having
established the necessary posts to preserve his communica-
tion with the sea, crossed the river Ashley, and established
himself on Charlestown Neck. This interval had been
diligently employed by the Americans in strengthening
and improving Ae defences of the town, which were, how-
ever, too much extended for the numbers of the garrison.
On the 1st of April, the British army broke ground within
eight hundred yards of the works, and, on the 8th, the
guns were in battery ; on the 10th, Sir Henry Clinton
and Admiral Arbuthnot, who had passed the outer
defences of the harbour, summoned the town to surrender
to His Majesty's arms, but the Governor, General
Lincoln, declaring it was his determination to defend it
to the last extremity, the batteries opened, and the fire of
the enemy's advanced works was soon observed to slacken.
General Lincoln had been expecting supplies and re-
inforcements ; but these, by the activity of Lieut.-General
■i
'J
!
104 TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OP FOOT,
1180 the Earl Cornwallis and Lieut.-Colonel Tarleton, were
intercepted. A considerable body of militia and cavalry,
that was marching to the relief of the town, was totally
routed by these officers, who now crossed the Cooper river,
and completed the investment of the place. Meanwhile
the second and third parallels had been completed, and a
second summons had been answered by proposals which
were deemed inadmissible.
The batteries of the third parallel now opened on the
town ; the works were pushed to the very edge of the ditch,
and preparations for an assault were in progress, when the
terrified inhabitants presented a petition to General Lin-
coln, praying him to accept the proffered conditions. A flag
of truce was sent out, and the articles of capitulation, which
had before been rejected, were agreed to on the 11th of
May, a circumstance highly honorable to the humanity of
Sir Henry Clinton, considering the extremities to which the
place was reduced. Great quantities of ordnance and
military stores were taken in Charlestown^ and several
French and American ships were captured, or destroyed.
The loss of the British during the siege was seventy-
six killed, and one hundred and eighty-nine wounded.
Soon after the surrender of Charlestown, Sir Henry Clinton
returned to New York, leaving Lieut.-General Earl
Cornwallis with four thousand men in South Carolina ;
to this part of the army the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
were attached. As the season was unfavourable for
active operations, the little army was distributed in canton-
ments, securing the frontiers of the province, the Welsh
Fusiliers at Camden, with some others corps under Lord
Rawdon. The Americans, however, were not disposed to
. leave the British in quiet possession of South Carolina ;
and, during the month of July, various parties, moving
from different points, assembled under the command of
OR, THE ROVAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
105
General Gates, and entered the province. The British 1780
outposts were also called in, and united at Cnmden.
On the 15th of August, General Gates heing at
Rugeley's Mills, about twelve miles distant. Earl Com-
wallis, who had arrived at Camden from Charlcstown
two days before, got his little band under arms about
midnight, and marched with the intention of surprising
and attacking him. 'At the same hour the American
General moved from his ground with similar intentions, and
about three o'clock in the morning of the 16th the advanced
guards met. Some shots were exchanged, but the firing
soon ceased, as if by mutual consent, and both armies
lay on their arms till daylight. The ground, on which
they had thus accidentally met, was a small sandy plain,
with some straggling trees ; some swampy ground on the
flanks of the British narrowed the field of action, and
made the numerical superiority of the enemy of less con-
sequence.
Each army was drawn up in two lines; the right
division of the first line of the English was composed
of a small corps of light infanty, the Twenty-third,
and thirty-third regiments, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel
James Webster of the thirty-third. Observing a movement
on the enemy's left, which appeared to be with the
intention of making some alteration in their order. Earl
Comwallis directed Lieut.-Colonel Webster to begin the
attack, which was done with great vigour, and in a few
minutes the action became general along the whole front.
The enemy's left, which was composed of Virginia militia,
soon gave way, thus leaving that flank of their army
uncovered ; on this, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and
light infantry, instead of pursuing the fugitives, wheeled up
to their left, and falling on the exposed flank, materially
contributed to the success of the day. " Our line," re-
106
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1780 marked Lieut.-General Earl Coniwallia, "continued to
" advance with the cool intrepidity of experienced British
" soldiers, keeping up a fire, or making use of the bayonet,
" as opportunities offered." After an obstinate resigtancc
of three-quarters of an hour, the Americans were thrown
into complete disorder, and forced to fly from the field in
the utmost confusion. Tlie cavalry pursued, and made
about one thousand prisoners. .
The army by which this victory was achieved did not
exceed two thousand men, of whom not more than fifteen
hundred were British or regulars, the remainder were
militia or refugees ; the American force was computed at
six thousand, of whom eight or nine hundred were killed
or wounded ; the loss of the British was two hundred and
thirteen. The Twenty-third regiment had six rank
and file killed ; Captain James Drury, and seventeen rank
and file wounded. Seven pieces of artillery, all the enemy
had, one hundred and fifty waggons, laden with ammunition,
provisions, &c., and several stands of colours, fell into the
hands of the victors.
Earl Comwallis having awaited at Camden the arrival of
ome necessary supplies from Charlestown, set out on the
8th of September on an expedition, which he had long medi-
tated, for the reduction of the province of North Carolina.
Towards the end of the month his Lordship removed to
Charlotte, where he halted and established a post. As tlie
army depended entirely for subsistence on the country
through which it marched, several mills in the neighbour-
hood of Charlotte were occupied by detachments in order to
be preserved for the purpose of grinding c^rn for the troops.
At one of these (Polk's Mill) a small detachment was
posted, commanded by Lieutenant Guyon, of the regiment,
a very young man. The Americans made an attack
upon the mill with a very superior force, but
were
OH, THE ROYAL WEIJSII FU8ILIEKS.
107
repulsed. Lieutenant Guyon'B conduct was highly ap- 1760
plauded.""
Here Earl Cornwallis received the intelligcnco of the
defeat and destruction of the detaclnnent of Major Fer-
guson ; and oh this disaster left the western frontiers of
South Carolina exposed to the incursions of the enemy,
his Lordship found himself under the necessity of return-
ing to protect the loyal inhabitants of that ])rovince. On
this march the army was exposed to the greatest priva-
tions, being frequently two days at a time without suste-
nance. " For five days they were supported on Indian
" com, which was collected as it stood in the fields, — five
" ears was the allowance for two soldiers for twenty-four
" hour8."t At this period, and for several months after,
the army was without tents, bivouacking in the woocS;;,
under torrents of rain, while at every step the so! '^t sunk
over the shoes in mud.
On the 29th of October, the troops arrived at Wynes-
borough, a convenient station for supporting two of the
most important posts, Camden and Ninety-six, where
Earl Cornwallis halted to await the junction of reinforce-
ments from New York, with whose assistance his Lordship
would be able to resume his operations in North Carolina.
On the 17th of January, 1781, the British cause in 17SI
North America suffered a severe blow in the defeat of a
detachment under Lieut. -Colonel f.. *leton, at Cowpens.
Earl Cornwallis, hoping to retrieve ui some measure the
disaster, by recovering the numerous prisoners made hy
the enemy on this unfortunate occasion, commenced the
most vigorous pursuit of General Morgan, by whom the
blow had been struck. To expedite the movements of
the army, orders were issued for the destruction of
* Stedman's History of the American War, \oi. ii., p. 233.
t Ibid., vol. ii., p. 224. The author was Commissary to the Army.
108
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
'!
I
1781 all superfluous baggage ; these were obeyed with the
most rigid exactness : the soldiers, emulating the example
of their Commander, destroyed even the spirits without
a murmur. By extraordinary exertions the army
reached the Fords of Catawba on the 29th of January,
only two hours after the passage of General Morgan,
having on this march suffered even greater hardships
than on that from Charlotte to Wynesborough. " The
" troops had to ford one or more rivers or creeks daily or
** nightly, and had to march generally all night, without
" any wine or spirits to drink, having destroyed all they
" had, and that without having ever been recompensed for
" so doing."
A heavy fall of rain during the night rendered
the Catawba impassable for the next two days, and
enabled General Morgan to disencumber himself of his
prisoners, whom he despatched under an escort of militia,
by a different route from that which he proposed to follow
himself. On the 1st of February, the river having so
far subsided as to be fordable. Earl Cornwallis made his
dispositions for crossing during the night. A portion of
his small force was detached to make a feint at a public
ford called Beakies, while his Lordship marched with the
remainder to a private one, called M'Gowans. The fires
on the opposite side soon made it evident that this ford
had not escaped the vigilance of the enemy ; it was,
nevertheless, determined to proceed with the enterprise,,
and the column entered the river, which was five hundred
yards wide,, and reached to the men's middles. The head
of the column had not got half way over when the enemy's
piquets were alarmed, and commenced firing. "The
" current was so strong," says Sir Thomas Saumarez, "that
" the officers and men were obliged to fjasten to each other,
" otherwise they must have been carried down the river and
\
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
109
"perished. The bottom was rocky and uneven, and the nsi
" enemy firing from the opposite bank all the time the
" troops were crossing. Notwithstanding all these diffi-
" culties, they made good their landing, and immediately
" attacked and dispersed the Americans. General David-
" son was killed, and several of the enemy bayoneted."
Captain James, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was
wounded.
The enemy now fled with a precipitation that again
baflled the most active pursuit, and crossed the Yadkin,
where the British were again detained by a sudden rising
of the river. Earl Comwallis now endeavoured, by a
circuitous route, to cut off the enemy's communication
with Virginia ; but in this design his Lordship was also
frustrated by the excessive rains and the swollen state
of the rivers.
The Americans were, however, driven from North
Carolina, and Earl Comwallis retired to Hillsborough,
in that province, where he hoisted the Royal Standard,
and invited the people to join him ; but provisions becoming
scarce in the neighbourhood, his Lordship was under the
necessity of making a retrograde movement, and the
enemy re-entered the province. Earl Comwallis ad-
vanced to meet them, but General Green, who now com-
manded the American army, declined a battle, till, being
joined by strong reinforcements, he at length made a
stand at Guildford Court- House. The Britisli General
seeing, with much satisfaction, that the long-wished-for
opportunity of bringing his antagonist into action had
arrived, put his little army in motion early on the
morning of the 1.5th of March.
" About one o'clock," says Sir Thomas Saumarez,
" the action commenced. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers
" had to attack the enemy in front, under every disad-
U
U'^
M
m-:-\
I'
110
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1
mi
'■1:
1781 "vantage, having to march over a field lately ploughed,
" which was wet and muddy from tlie rains which had
" recently fallen. The enemy, greatly superior in numbers,
" were most advantageously posted on a rising ground, and
" behind rails. The regiment marched to the attack under
** a most galling and destructive fire, which it could only
" return by an occasional volley. No troops could behave
** better than the regiment and the little army did at this
" period, as they never returned the enemy's fire but by
" word of command, and marched ou with the most un-
" daunted courage. When at length they got within a
" few yards of the Americans' first line, they gave a volley,
" and charged with such impetuosity, as to cause them to
" retreat, which they did to the right and left flanks, leaving
" the front of the British troops exposed to the fire of a
"second line of the enemy, which was formed behind
" brushwood. Not being able to attack in front, the Fusi-
" LiERS were obliged to take ground to their left to get
" clear of the brushwood. They then attacked the enemy
" with the bayonet in so cool ■ H deliberate a manner, as
" to throw the Americans into tlic greatest confusion, and
•' disperse them. After this the Royal Welsh attacked and
" captured two brass six-pounders, having assisted in
" the attack and defeat of the third line and reserve of
" the Americans. Such men of the Fitsiliers and seventy-
" first as had strength remaining were ordered to pursue
" the dispersed enemy. This they did in so persevering a
" manner, that they killed or wounded as many as they
** could overtake, until, being completely exhausted, they
" were obliged to halt, after which they returned as they
" could to rejoin the army at Guildford Court-House."
" This action," continues Sir Tliomas Saumarez, " was
" unquestionably the hardest, and best-contested, fought
" during the American war. The Royal Welsh Fusi-
on, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
Ill
" LTERS had about one-third of the officers and soldiers 1761
*' killed or wounded." Earl Cornwallis, in his official
account of the battle, thus characterises his troops : " The
" conduct and actions of the officers and soldiers that com-
" pose this little army, will do more justice to their minds
" than I can by words. Their persevering intrepidity in
" action, their invincible patience under the hardships and
•' fatigues of a march of above six hundred miles, in which
" they have forded several large rivers, and numberless
" creeks, many of which would be considered large rivers
"in any other country in the world, without tents or
" covering from the climate, and often without provisions*
" will sufficiently manifest their ardent zeal for the honor
" and interests of their Sovereign and their country."
The victory at Guildford was gained by one thousand
four hundred and forty-seven men over an army computed
at seven thousand ; the loss of the victors was ninety-three
killed, and four hundred and thirteen wounded, a largo
deduction from so small a force. Unfortunately too, many
of the wounded perished on the night that succeeded the
action, as the great extent of ground on which it was fought,
rendered it impossible to collect them all under shelter
from the torrents of rain which continued to fall.
This brilliant and dearly -purchased success was followed
by no beneficial results ; the army could not be subsisted
in that part of the country, and Earl Cornwallis was under
the necessity of retiring to Wilmington. General Green
now penetrated into South Carolina, and caused so much
apprehension for the detached posts in that province, that
Earl Cornwallis, Mith the view of drawing him off, marched
into Virginia. At Petersburgh his lordship was joined
by a detachment from New York under General Arnold.
From Petersburgh the army marched to Richmond and
Williamsburgh, destroying everywhere vast quantities of
"A'
1
112 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
ill
nsi tobacco and other produce, in which the wealth of the colo-
nists consisted. At this period seventy men of the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, under the command of Captain Forbes
Champagne, were mounted, and detached with Colonel
TarletL i to surprise the General Assembly of the State of
Virgivia, which was sitting at Charlotteville. This novel
service- tiiey performed very eflSciently, for they charged
through a river into the town, took prisoners seven members
of the Assembly, and destroyed one thousand stand of
arms, and a great quantity of gunpowder, tobacco, &c.
While at Williamsburgh, Earl Cornwallis received in-
structions from Lieut.- General Sir Henry Clinton to detach
a considerable portion of his force to New York, where Sir
Henry expected to be attacked by General Washington.
Earl Cornwallis, conceiving that he should not be able to
maintain himself at Williamsburgh with the remainder
of his army, resolved to march the whole to Portsmouth,
where the detachment was to embark for New York. For
this purpose it was necessary to pass the river James, and
while the army was thus engaged in doing so, on the 6th of
July, the Marquis de la Fayette, who served as a volunteer
in the American army, came up, expecting to cut off the
rear-guard after the main body should have crossed. Earl
Cornwallis, aware of his intention, made his dispositions
such, that the Marquis supposing that there was only a small
body opposed to him, advanced briskly, driving in the
piquets, which had been instructed to draw him on. The
whole line was, however, under arms, and gave the enemy
so warm a reception, that night alone ,^ved them from
total destruction ; as it was they lost three hundred in
killed, wounded, and prisoners.
It soon became evident that the preparations of General
Washington, which had caused so much apprehension for
New York, were in reality directed against the army in
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
113
Virginia. Earl Cornwallis's situation was indeed becoming 1 781
most hazardous ; General Washington, with eight thousand
American troops, and the Count de Rochambeau, with an
equal number of French, were rapidly approaching to sur-
round him by land, while the French fleet was preparing to
blockade him by sea. His Lordship selected York Town,
at the mouth of the river York, as the best post for at
once securing his own troops, and the ships by which he
was attended. The army arrived at York Town in the
month of August, and immediately commenced fortifying
the place. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers were directed
to construct a redoubt on the right flank, anrl 'n advance,
having a ravine between it and the town, anu were in-
formed by Earl Cornwallis, that this post was to be
entrusted to them to defend.
On the 28th of September, the combined French and
American army made its appearance, and Earl Cornwallis
having the same evening received assurance of speedy
succour from Sir Henry Clinton, withdrew his troops from
the outer works, which were, on the following day, occupied
by the enemy, and the place completely invested. On
the 6th cf October the enemy opened the first parallel,
and on the 9th, their batteries commenced firing on the
British left ; other batteries fired at the same time against
a redoubt, advanced over the creek upon the British right,
and defended by one hundred and twenty men of the
TwENTY-Tin, T> regiment and marines, who maintained
that post with uncommon gallantry ; * soon after three
thousand French grenadiers, all volunteer.' , made a vigor-
ous attempt to stoiui the right advanced redoubt, and
were repulsed by only one hundred and thirty officers and
soldiers of the Royal Welsh Fusilierg, and fort"
\m
ii> .Mi
n
* Lord Cornwallis's despatch.
Ill
THK TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1781 marines ; two other attempts were also made by the French
to storm the ledoubt, which were also Knsucce;?tful.*
On tl'e night of the 14th October Die enemy e''t/iblig'::^d
the seco.id parallel, and as it was eyidt f!< that the hulf-
reined works of the town could not stand mfttiv hoc; i,
against its fire, a so; de v/as determined on. Thi£ was nuuk,
on the mor2iing of the 16th, bv a party of three hundred
and fifty men, who gull uitly forced their way into two of
the batteries that were in the ifreatest state of forwai 'Ines^',
spiked the gut.3, and killed about one hundred o? the
enemy. This success was, however, of litt '^ ivail, the
guns having been hastily and imperfectly spiked, were
?onn ';e&tored, and before evening were fit for service.
^fot a gun could be shown on the works of the townj and
the shells were nearly all expended ; no alternative, there-
fore, remained, but to surrender, or attempt to draw off
the garrison by the Gloucester side of the river, on which
there was only a small French force, which could be easily
overpowered. The latter alternative was decided on^ and
some large boats were, on other pretences, ordered to be
in readiness at night. In these a detachment of the army,
including a part of the Ro'iAL Welsh Fusiliers, em-
barked, some reached the opposite side, but at this critical
moment, the weather, from being calm and moderate,
changed to a most violent storm of wind and rain, and
drove all the boats, some with troops on board, down the
river. Fortunately^ they were all enabled to ''cturn in
the course of the forenoon, but the design of drawing off
the garrison was completely frustrated. Meanwhile the
enemy's batteries had opened at daybreak ; the defences
were crumbling into ruins, and were J ready assailable in
more than one point. Under ihi-^.^ circumstances, Earl
* sSir Thon, vS Sav.ioarez.
OR, THE KOYAL WELSH FU8ILIERS.
115
Cornwallis, unwilling to expose his men to the carnage of 1781
an assault, which could not fail of success, made proposals
for a capitulation on the 17th. The terms were adjusted
on the following day, and on the 19th the articles were
signed ; and so terminated the services of the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers in the American war, though not
ingloriously. Earl Cornwallis, in his official account of the
siege, observed, " The detachmentof the Twenty-third
"regiment and marines, in the redoubt of the right,
" commanded by Captain Althorpe (Twenty-third), and
" the subsequent detachments commanded by Lieutenant-
*' Colonel Johnstone, deserve particular commendation."
Sir Thomas Saumarez adds, " for the gallant defence made
" by the troops which defended the right redoubt, they
" received the particular thanks of Earl Cornwallis, and
" also the most flattering testimonies of approbation from the
" general officers of the army, for their persevering and in-
" trepid conduct during the siege, and on all former occa-
" sions." Even the French general officers, after the termi-
nation of the siege, gave the Royal Welsh Fusiliers their
unqualified approbation and praise, for their intrepidity and
firmness in repulsing the three attacks made by such
vastly superior numbers on the redoubt, and could not
easily believe that so few men had defended it.
The combined army, including militia, amounted to
twenty thousand men, while the garrison, on the day
previous to the surrender, mustered five thousand nine
hundred and fifty rank and file, of whom, however, only
four thousand and seventeen were reported fit for duty.
Lieutenants Mair and Guyon, of the Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, were killed during the siege.
By the terms of the capitulation, the garrison surrendered
prisoners of war, but the officers were permitted to return
to Europe on parole, and to reUiin their private property ;
I 2
, ( j!
',i
I
116 THE TWENTY-THIRD REOIMRNT OF FOOT,
1*731 the coloura of the regiment were thus saved, hy Captain
Peter and another officer wrapping them round their
bodies, t
On the 29th of October, Captain Saumarez, who was
appointed to attend the regiment during its captivity,
marched from York Town with half the garrison, and on
the 15th of November arrived at Winchester, iii the back
settlements of Virginia, where the soldiers were confined
in barracks, surrounded by a Btockade.
1782 On the 12th of January, 1782, the regiment marched
from Winchester, through the state of Maryland to Lan-
caster in Peimsylvania, a long and severe march, during
■vhich save' if ;^ the soldiers were frost-bitten. Here, on
ihe 2nd o" Javc, \ <^'>., Captain Saumarez was one of the
thirreen Lritiib i aj/i- ns whc were compelled to draw lots
for their lives.
At this period King George III,, having been induced
to concede the Independence of the United States, hostili-
ties ceased, and on the 30th of November, 1782, the
preliminary Articles of Peace were signed at Paris b} the
commissioners of the King of Great Britain, and those of
the American Congress,
1783 The preliminaries of the treaties between England,
France, and Spain, were signed at V'Tsailles on the 20th
of January, 1783. St. Lucia wa« restored to France ;
also the settlements on the river Senegol ; and the city of
Pondicherry in the East Indies, France relinquished all
her West India conque»t«, with the exception of Tobago.
Spain retained Minorca (whiclj she had captured in the
previous year), and alw) We»t Florida ; and East Florida
was ceded in exchange for the restitution of the Bahamas
to Great Britain.
.* '"he late Lieutenant- Gdnu-rsl Wciar. f ((ti'^il^n Julian's Journal.
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
117
In May, 1783, the regiment quitted Lancaster, and 1783
joined the British army in Staten Island, and in January,
1784, embarked for England, and was stationed in the i784
United Kingdom during the ten following years.
Major-General Richard Grenville was appointed by i786
His Majesty King George III. to be colonel of the
Twenty-third Royal ^VEL8H Fusiliers on the '2lat
of April, 1786, in succession to Lieut.- General the
Honorable Sir William Howe, who was removed to the
colonelcy of the Nineteenth (late Twenty-third) Light
Dragoons.
In the year 1789, the regiment was employed on the 1789
King's duty at Windsor, and on His Majesty visiting
that place on the 17th of March, upon his recovery, the
regiment was posted on the batteries of the Round
Tower, and fired thrice a feu-de-joie.
The affairs of France, which had been for some time
in an unsatisfactory state, approached a crisis, and in
this year was commenced the Revolution in that co jntry,
which ultimately affected all rhe dynasties of Europe, airl
involved Great Britain in a war of upwards of twenty
years' duration.
On the 21st of Januray, 1793, Louis XVI. was de- 1793
capitated, and the progress of democracy menaced Europe
with universal anarchy. On the l&t of February, the
National Convention of France dr jlared war against Great
Britain and Holland, and the iiritish Government caused
a large army to be sent, under the command of the E uke of
York, to join the Austrian and Prussian allies ; several en-
gagements occurred, and the French gained possession of the
Austrian Netherlands. Holland opened her principal towns
to the enemy, and they were garrisoned by French troops.
Republican pr ,> ijiles also became prevalent in the
F-ench West In'lif I'^lands, and the settlers of St.
. ,t
118 THE TWENTY-TUIUD llBaiMENT OF FOOT,
1793 Domingo solicitod protection from tlie British GoYcni-
mcut against the inhabitants of colour, whoso violence
threito' fju to involve the colony in all the horrors at-
tc idant 01- leraocratical outrages.
ViO-i In the year 1794, the Twenty-tihui) regiment cm-
barked for St. Domingo, where it assisted at the taking
of Port-au-Prince, Lut suffered so severely from the
climate, that the regiin .i; returned to England a perfect
1796 skeleton in 1796, and wn? stationed jit Chatham.
1798 In 1798 the regiment formed part of a force, sent under
the command of Major-Gcneral Coote, to destroy sluices
and works in the canal of Ostend. Two companies only
landed on this service ; they were made prisoners of war,
in common with the rest of the troops, and marched to
Lisle ; they were soon after, however, exchanged, and
joined the head-quarters of the regiment in Guernsey.
1799 In August, 1799, the regiment embarked for Holland,
with the army under Lieuteiiant-Genenil l^ir Ralph Abor-
cromby, sailed from the Downs on the 13th of that month,
and after a tedious and tem])estuous voyage arrived in
Texel Roads on the 22nd. Preparations for a landing
were immediately commenced, but it coming on to blow so
hard on-shore, the fleet wi.s forced to put to sea again :
and the gale continuing unabated for the two following
days, it was not till the 2Gth that it finally came to anchor.
On the morning of the 27th, the troops got into the
boats and launc^ies of the fleet to disembark. The re-
serve, composed of the Royal Welsu Fusiliers and
fifty-fifth, ccmmanded by Colonel M'Donald of the latter
regiment, w ''e the first to reach the shore. They had
scarcely for aod, rnd begun to move forward, when they
got into actiun with a considerable body of Dutch infantry,
cavalry, and artillery, commanded by General Daendels.
" The ardour and glorious intrepidity displayed by the
Oti, THE I
'XL WKIilll F(F8IMEn8.
Ih)
" troops soon drovo the enemy from the nearest gnntl-hllls ;" 1199
but the contest continiiod from five o'clock in the morning
till three in the afternoon, when the enemy, completely '
worn out, were compelled to retire. Ihe loss of the
British fell chiefly on the reserve, whicli were the corps
principally engaged. The Royal WEi>iH Fusiliers had
eighteen rank and file killed, and Captains Bury, Ellis,
and the Honorable Godfrey M'Donald, five Serjeants,
and sixty-nine '•ank and file wounded.
For some days the troops remained in the position they
had won on the sand-hills, suffering severely from the
weather, having no other shelter than trenches, which they
dug for themselves in the sand. On the 1 st of September
they advanced from this uncomfortable situation, and
established themselves on the Zi/pe Dyhe^ extending across
the peninsula of the Helder, from the Atlantic to tlie
Zuyder Zee. Early in the morning of the 10th of Sep-
tember, the enemy advanced in, three columns to attack
the position, but were repulsed at every point : the reserve
quickened the retreat of the French.
In a few days His Royal Highness the Duke of York
arrived and assumed the command of the army, and as
considerable reinforcements of English and Russians
arrived about the same time, offensive operations com-
menced. On the 19th of September the Allied army
marched in four columns to attack the posts of the enemy.
AH conducted themselves with great bravery, and the
efforts of three of the columns were crowned with com-
plete success. The right column, however, composed of
Russians, was unfortunately surrounded in the village of
Bergen, and ultimately repulsed with considerable loss.
In consequence of this misfortune, the whole of the troops
were recalled to the position from which they had marched
in the morning. The reserve had marched on the evening
I
120
TUP. TWKXTV-THIUI) HIUJIMENT » .' i'OOT.
1799 procodiiig tlio battle to turn the cvtrerae right of the
enemy. There was no opposition in that quarter, out the
colunui also resumed ita former position.
The state of the weather prevented further active
operations during the remainder of the month of Septem-
ber ; but the interval was usefully employed in prepara-
tions for a renewal of the attack on the enemy : this was
made on the 2nd of October, on which was gained the
hard-fought battle, generally known as that of Alkmaar.
The action commenced by the reserve, which formed the
advance guard of the right column of the army, under
Sir Ralph Abercromby, attacking and carrying a redoubt
in front of the village of Campe, and driving the enemy
from that village and the heights above it. 'i he soldiers
then advauccd along the sand-hills, inclining to their left,
took the Slaper Dyke in reverse, and cleared the road
to Groete, and the heights above it, for the Russian column
which marched by the Slaper Dyke. Having cleared the
ground in front of the Russians, the reserve inclined con-
siderably to the right, to connect itself with the right
column (which had marched by the sea-shore), still warmly
engaged with the enemy, who were in considerable force
on the sand-hills. Meanwhile Lieut. General Sir Ralph
Abercromby had been for several hours warmly engaged
with a superior body of the French, which occupied Egmont-
op-Zee, and the hills in front of it. The arrival of the reserve
enabled him to advance and take post on the sand-hills, on
which the troops lay on their arms that night, and on the
following morning occupied Egmont-op-Zee. In this battle
the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had seven rank and file
killed, and Lieutenants M'Lean and Keith, one serjeant,
three drummers, and forty-nine rank and file wounded.
After the action, the enemy took up a strong position
between Boever W} ok and Wyck-op-Zee, from which His
Oit, TUB HOYaI. VVB1.SII Fl SI I.I Kits.
121
the
tlic
Royal Highness (Icturmiiioil to drive him heforo hcshouhl 1799
have time to strengthen it, or to receive reinforcements.
In pursuance of this determination, and preparatory to a
general movement, the advanced posts were ordered to
be pushed forward on the 6th of October. This was
effected in general with little opposition ; but the Russians,
while attempting to take posesssion of a height in their
front, were attacked by a strong party of the enemy. Sir
Ralph Abercromby moved up with the re;;erve to support
them, and the enemy advancing with his whole force, the
action soon became general along a great i)art of the line,
and was maintained with great obstinacy till a late hour
in the night, when the enemy withdrew from the field.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers had six rank and file killed,
and one serjeant and thirty-three rank and file wounded.
Winter was now Betting in with such rigour, that it was
evident nothing further could be effected during that
season ; a retrograde movement was therefore resolved on.
About seven o'clock in the evening of the 7th of October,
the troops were suddenly ordered to fall in, and by ten
the retreat had commenced. The night being extremely
dark and stormy, and the greatest precautions having been
taken to elude the vigilance of the enemy, there was no
pursuit, and the army on the 9th resumed its former
position on the Zype Dyke unmolested.
On the 14th, His Royal Highness the Commander-in-
Chief made proposals to the French General Brune for
withdrawing the British and Russr^ian troops from Holland,
and on the 18th, articles to that effect were agreed on.
In pursuance of the convention, the Royal W^ei^h
Fusiliers marched to the Ilelder, and on the 29th of
October embarked on some Dutch schuytz, to be conveyed
to some line-of-battle ships about fifteen miles off". The
wind dying away they were unable to proceed, and were
122 TUE TWENTY-THIUI) REGIMENT OF FOOT,
m i
1 799 ordered on board some Dutch frigates, when it was the
fate of Lieutenants Hill, Llanson, Viscer, Maclean, and
Hoggard, with the grenadier and two other companies,
amounting to two hundred and sixty-two men, and twenty-
five women and children, to embark in the ' Valk.' This
ship was prevented from sailing at the same time with
those which conveyed the rest of the regiment, but she
got out with the next tide. On the following evening
they were, by reckoning, within thirty miles of Yarmouth,
but would not come nearer the shore during the night.
Next morning the wind was contrary, and soon increasing
to a storm, drove the ' Valk' towards i .e coast of Norway.
She now beat about for several days, till all idea of her
position was lost. On the morning of the 10th of Novem-
ber the ship struck on a sand bank, as was afterwards
ascertained, within six miles of the Dutch coast, from
which the captain had conceived he was many leagues
distant, supposing himself to be at least equally near to
that of England ; the crew, of whom, indeed, scarcely
twenty had ever been at sea before, abandoned themselves
to despair, and trusted more to their prayers than to their
exertions.
The spirit of the Englishmen was not, however, dis-
mayed by th 3ir appalling situation. Lieutenant Hoggard,
who had some little knowledge of nautical affairs, took
some of the soldiers down to the pumps, and Lieutenant
Hill, having failed in an attempt to break open the powder-
magazine, fired several rounds from a soldier's musket ;
the ship guns had all been drawn, and the gunner could
not be found. The ship now beat over the bank and
drifted among some breakers, the mainmast went over-
board, severing the long boat in two in its fall ; the mizen
and foremasts soon followed, carrying with them numliers
of people who had crowded into the rigging. Lieutenant
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIEU8.
123
jbt.
Hill now hearing the ship going to pieces, took his station 1 199
on the forecastle, where he lay down, and from whence he
^vitnessed the unhappy fate of most of his companions, the
afterpart of the ship having soon broken away. The
forecastle seemed to be fast bedded in the sand, but it
soon fell over, when Lieutenant Hill quitted it, and after
many fruitless and fatiguing efforts, succeeded in fastening
himself with his braces to a fragment of the wreck, on
which he at length reached the shore, when he found, that
of four hundred and forty-six souls which had sailed in the
' Valk,' only twenty-five survived, — himself, nineteen men
of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and five Dutch sailors.
The land on which they were cast proved to be the
island of Ameland, on the coast of Holland. The in-
habitants had hoisted the colours of the House of Orange,
and cut off all communication with the main land ; they
received the survivors in the kindest manner, and per-
formed the last offices to those who were washed ashore,
with as much decency as their poverty would permit.
Having fulfilled these melancholy duties. Lieutenant
Hill hired a fishing-boat, in vhich he and his companions
were conveyed to the Helder, from whence they returned
to England in the ' Success ' frigate.
The regiment was now reduced by shipwreck and the
casualties of the campaign, from one thousand to about
four hundred men ; drafts were received from the Irish
militia, and a few recruits were raised in England, but
the supplies were far from placing the regiment on its
former establishment.
In June, 1800, the regiment embarked at Plymouth in
three frigates, and joined the channel fleet under Admiral .qqq
I arl St. Vincent, disembarked on the Isle de Houat
oii the coast of France, re-embarked and joined the army
under Lieutenant-General Sir Janios Pulteney, in the un-
SI
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'5 if J/;
i
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If '
124 TUE TWENTY -THIIJU llEGIMENT OF FOOT,
i
1800 successful attempts on Ferrol and Vigo in August; it
thence proceeded to Cadiz Bay, and joined tlie anuy
assembled there under the command of Lieut.-General
Sir Ralph Abercromby. Tlie troops being prevented from
landing in consequence of an epidemic fever raging in the
city, it was resolved to employ them in an expedition to
Egypt. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers sailed for Malta,
where they landed early in December, for the purpose of
refreshing the men, and cleaning the ships ; from Malta
they proceeded to the general rendezvous, Marmorice
Bay, in Asia Minor, where they again landed and en-
camped. The expedition finally sailed from Marmorice
1801 Bay on the 23rd of February, 1801, and on the 2nd of
March, anchored in AhoukirBay. The Royal Welsu
Fusiliers formed part of the reserve, with the flank com-
panies of the fortieth regiment, the twenty-eighth, forty-
second, and fifty-eighth regiments, the Corsican rangers,
and detachments of the eleventh dragoons, and of Jlom-
pesch's regiment, commanded by Major-General, after-
wards Lioutenant-General Sir John Moore.
The state of the weather, and the surf on the slii. :,
prevented any attempt to land until the 8th of March. At
two o'clock on that morning, the reserve, the guards, and
the first brigade, amounting in all to about five thousand
five hundred men, commenced getting into the boats, but
owing to the great extent of the anchorage, the assembling
and arranging of these at the ])lace of rcmdezvous were
not completed till nine. When the signal was made to
advance, all sprang forward at the same instant : the
French, to the number of two thousand, drawn iip at the
summit of the sand-hillt^, in part sixty feet high, and
apparently inaccessible, looking down in amazement at
the hardihood of the attempt \\'hen they could no longv r
doubt of the seriousness of the intention to land, they
OR, THE ROYAL WEI^II FUSILIERS.
125
opened such a tremendous fire from their artillery, and 1801
as the troops approached, from their small arms, that the
surface of the water was broken into foam, and it seemed
as if nothing could live in it. This only increased the
ardour of the rowers, who pressed on and forced the boats
to the beach. " The reserve jumped on shore and formed
" as they advanced ; the Twenty-third and fortieth
" rushed up the heights with almost preternatural energy,
" never firing a shot, but charging with the bayonet the
" two battalions which crowned them, breaking and pur-
" suing them till they carried the two Mole Hills in the
" rear, which commanded the plain to the left, taking at the
" same time three pieces of cannon."* The guards and
the first brigade were no less successful, and the British
were left in full possession of the heights, and eight
pieces of cannon.
The loss of the regiment was six rank and file killed,
and Captains Ellis, Lloyd, and Pearson, one Serjeant,
and thirty-seven rank and file, wounded.
The rest of the army disembarked during the day, and
the whole occupied a position about three miles in ad-
vance, till the 12th of March, when ^t again moved forward
and came in sight of the enemy, wl.j was ftrongly posted
with his right to the canal of Alexandria, and his left to the
sea. On the morning of the 13th, the army marched in
two columns against the ng';!. of the enemy's position,
but had not proceeded far, when the French, descending
from the heights, attacked the leading brigades of both
columns. These quickly formed line, repulsed the enemy,
aiid continuing to advance in the same formation for three
o
lulics, finally compelled him to take refuge under the
fortified heights of Alexandria.
I\^'
5* i * '
• Sir Robert Wilson's History of the Expedition.
12G
TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1801 The reserve, which had covered the right flank during
these operations, was now brought forward, while the
second line marched to the left to turn the enemy on
both flanks. The Commander-in-Chief, however, on
reconnoitring the position, judged it prudent to with-
draw the troops rather than expose them to the certainty
of consideraVle loss, when the extent of the advantage
to be gained could not be ascertained : they had already,
-, 'sed, suflPered severely during the reconnoisance.
The army remained unmolested in the position to which
it had retired within about four miles from Alexandria,
till the morning of tlie 21st. The reserve was posted
on an eminence on the extreme right, within a few
yards of the sea, and among the ruins of an ancient
palace, the work of the Romans. About an hour before
daybreak on the morning of the 21st of March, the French,
to the number of twelve thousand, issued from their works
and advanced to the attack. The action comra»>nced by
a feint on the British left, but it soon becam. evident
that the greatest efforts were directed against the right.
The attack on this point was begun by the infantry,
sustained by a strong body of cavalry : the contest was
unusually obstinate ; the enemy was twice repulsed, and
their cavalry were repeatedly mixed with the British in-
fantry. I'hey at length retired, leaving a prodigious
number of dead and wounded on the field. " The reserve,
*' against whom the ])rincipal attack of the enemy was
*' directed, conducted themselves with unexampled spirit:
" they resisted the impetuosity of the French inffintry, and
" repulsed several charges of cavalry."* " To Major-
" General Moore, Brigadier- General Oakes, and the
" reserve, no acknowledgments arc sufficient."t
* Major-Geiicral JluUhinson's despateh. f tleucral Order.
OH, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
127
The regiment had five rank and file killed ; second 1801
Lieutenant Samuel Cooke, two Serjeants, and twelve rank
and file wounded.
In this battle the nation sustained the loss of the gallant
Sir Ralph Abercromby, who was wounded early in the
action, and died on the 28th of March. l^Jajor General
Hutchinson, on whom the command devolved, marched
against Cairo with the main body of the army. The Roval
Welsh P'usiliers remained with Major- General Coote
before Alexandria, and assisted in the operations which
terminated in the capitulation of that place or the 2nd of
September. In November they embarked for Gibraltar.
" The conduct of the troops of every description," 3ays
Major-General Hutchinson, in his despatch of the 5th of
September, " has been exemplary in the highest degree :
" there has been much to applaud and nothhig to repre-
*' hend, Theii* order and regularity in the camp have
" been as conspicuous as their courage in the field." -
For their conduct on this service the troops received
the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, and His
Majesty was graciously pleased to permit each regiment
to bear on its colours and appointments, the Sphinx,
with the word " Egypt." Each officer was presented
with a gold medal by the Grand Soignior.*
On the 27th of March, 18(j2, a definitive treaty of 1802
peace was signed at Amiens between the French Re-
public, Spain, and the Batavian Republic, on the one part,
and Great Britain on the other, The princiual features of
the treaty were, that Great Britain restored ail her con-
quests during the war, excepting Trinidad and Ceylon,
which were ceded to her, the former by Spain, and the
* Vide List of Regiments employed in Egyj.t, and General Order,
dated Horse Guards, 16th of May IbOl, inserted in pages 178,
etc. of tlie AppcnJi.x.
= S
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128
THE TWENTY-THIRD llEGIMENT OF FOOT,
■ <'■ -
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11
1802 latter by the Batavian Republic. Portugal was main-
tained in its integrity, excepting that some of its possessions
in Guiana were ceded to France. The territories of the
Ottoman Porte were likewise maintained in their integrity.
The Ionian Republic was recognised, and M ' "ii to
be restored to the Knights of St. John < ^ > ' : ;<iiem.
The French agreed to evacuate the Nepy i^ian and
Roman States, and Great Britain all the ports that she
held in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.
1803 The conduct of Napoleon Bonaparte, at this period
First Consul of France, occusioaed hostilities to be re-
sumed in 1803, when the British army was augmented,
and preparations were made to repel a tin oatened invasion
of the French.
In August, 1803, the Twen'iy-third regiment returned
to England from Gibraltar, and was quartered in the
southern counties of Great Britain for the two following
years.
1804 Preparations to repel the menaced French invasion
were continued in 1804, and a second battalion was added
to the regiment. It was formed of men raised in Wales
for limited service under the Additional Force Act, passed
on the 29th of July, 1804, and placed on the establishment
of the army from the 25th of December following.
The second battalion was embodied at Chestei, where
it remained until it' was completed, and rendered tit for
service.
1805 The first battalion of the Twenty-thiud regiment
embarked at Ramsgate in October, 1805, on an expe-
dition under the command of Lieutenant- General Don :
it disembarked at Cuxhaven early in November, and
after a severe and fatiguing march was cantoned on the
banks of the Weser, about a day's march from Bremen.
Aboui two months afterwards, the army, now commanded
■'|!i
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUS1LIER8.
129
by Lieut-General Lord Cathcart, occupied Bremen, where 1805
it remained in anxious expectation of being called upon to
partake in more active scenes, till the battle of Austerlitz so
completely changed the aspect of affairs in Europe, that the
British troops were recalled to England in February, 1806. 1806
The next service in which the first battalion was em- 1807
ployed, was the expedition to Copenhagen under Lieut.-
General Lord Cathcart.
The first battalion of the Tw^enty-third Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, which with the fourth regiment formed
Major- General Grosvenor's brigade, embarked at Har-
wich on the 25th of July, 1807, sailed on the 30th, and
on the 16th of August, landed without opposition, on the
island of Zealand, about twelve miles from Copenhagen.
On their advance toward the capital on the following
day some skirmishing took place with the advance-guard,
commanded by Major Pearson, in which the battalion lost
five or six men.
On the 18th of August, the stores and artillery were
disembai'ked, and the troops soon commenced erecting
batteries, and making other necessary preparations for a
bombardment. During the progress of these, the piquets
had frequent encounters with the enemy, in which tlie
first battalion had a few men killed and wounded ; but
the greatest annoyance was from the fire of the Danish
gun-boats. The bombardment commenced on the evening
of the 2nd of September, with such effect, that the town
was soon observed to be on fire in several places. The
firing continued on both sides till the morning of the 6th,
when negotiations were opened, and on the 7th articles
of capitulation were signed. Lieutenant Jennings and two
men were killed on the 4th by a six-pound shot, which
wounded two other men c" the battalion, and killed two
of the fourth, or King's Own regiment.
K
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130
THE TWENTY-TIII UD I'KUIMKNT OF FOOT,
1
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[ffil
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f^Oi
1807 From the signing of the capitiilrttl<»n, tlu; first battalion
was quartered in the suburbs of (/openhagen till the 18tli
of October, when it embarked for Kngland in the Bruns
wick, Surveillante, and Heir Apparent Frederick, one of
the Danish prizes. On the 6th of November the battalion
landed at Deal, after a stortny voyage, (luring which the
Heir Appa'^nt was more than onoe in considerable dan-
ger. From Deal it irrarched to Colchester, from whence
it soon moved to Portsujouth.
On the 23rd of November, 1807, tho jiccond battalion
embarked at Portsmouth for Ireland.
1808 In February, 1808, tho first battalion emlmrked in
transports, and proceeded to Halifax in Nova Scotia,
where it arrived on the 10th of Aj)ril. From Halifax
one company was detached to Windsor, the remainder
were ordered up the Ray of Fundy, the head-quarters,
with three companies, to Annapolia lloyal, and the rest
to St. John's, New Brunswick.
In the summer of 1808, the second battalion was en-
camped on the Curragh of Kildure, where a considerable
body of troops was assembled to be exercised by Lieu-
tenant General Sir David Baird.
In the autumn of 1808, the iccond battalion formed
part of the force which proceeded with Sir David Baird
to join Lieutenant General Sir ifoht; Moore's army in
Spain. It subsequently accompanied the former General
in his march to Sahagun, and shared in all the hardships
of the disastrous retreat which followed, being one of the
regiments of General Fraz'jr'g division, which unfortu-
nately advanced a few days' march on the road from
Liego to Vigo, in consequence of th(f misconduct of the
orderly ciragc on who carried tho despatch directing the
retreat to be made on ('orunna.
In the battle at Corunna on tne 10th of January, 1809,
Oa, THE IiOVAii VELSII FL8ILIE1JS.
131
the second battalion was in Major-Gcneral Beresford's 1808
brigade, which wad in reserve, and which formed the rear-
guard when the army embarke i on the 17th, the IIoval
Welsh Ftish .tjrs being the last battalion to quit the
Sj' nis!' shore.
For the services in this campaign, the Twenty-third
Royal, Welsh Fusiliers were permitted to bear the
word " Corunna" on the regimental colour and appoint-
ments, and Lieutenant-Colon. 1 Wyatt received the
honorary distinction of a medal.*
The second battalion -sturned with the aimy to Eng-
land, and in the summer of the same year again embarked
to join the expedition to the island of Walcheren, under
General the Earl of Chatham. On this service, the bat-
talion suffered so severely from the pestilential climate
of the island, that it returned to England almost a skeleton.
It was never afterwards employed on foreign service, and,
indeed, never attained to v\c\\ a degree of efficiency as to
be equal to repair the casualties of the first battalion
during the Peninsular War.
The first battalion of die Twenty-third remained in
Nova Scotia until Dece.iibe . i»OS) when it was selected
to proceed with the seventii Tloyal Fusiliers and other
regiments, under the comr.and of Lieutenant-General
Sir George Prevost, to the ^V'est Indies, to take part in
an expedition agiiinst the French Island of Martinique.
The armament assembled at Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, jgog
under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir George
Beckwith, and sailed for Martinique on the 28tli of Ja-
nuary, 1809. On the following day, the troops being
separated into two divisions, in order to attack on dift'erent
* T/V/e Gonoral Orders, dated 18th J -uiaryand 1st February 1809 ;
also List of Regiments eiiiployeci under Lieut.-General Sir John
Moore at Corunna, inserted in pages 182, etc. of the Appendix.
'"1
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132 THE TWENTV-TIIIRD llEQIMENT OF FOOT,
ISOQpouifs, the Royal AVelsii Fu8ilter8 landed in the Cal-
de Sac Rohcrt, on the north-east sic' of Martinique, a
small hody of the French disappearing, i.a Uiey approached.
As soon as it was dark they commenced their march, the
men dragging two pieces of artillery, as the horses were
quite unserviceable, from the length of time they had been
on board ship. The roads were in such a wretched con-
dition from the rains, that it was one o'clock in the
morning ere they accomplished a distance of five miles,
when they halted. In this manner they continued their
march across the island towards Fort Bourbon.
" On the 1st of February, the Royal Fusiliers, and the
" light companies of the brigade which were in ridvance,
" drove a body of the enemy from Morne Bruno to the
" heights of Sourier. Lieutenant-Colonel Ellis, who was
" advancing in support with the grenadiers of the Royal
" Welsh, now ascended the heights, and drove the enemy
'* across them, and down a narrow road between two sugar
'^ plantations, at the mouth of which the grenadiers took
"' post. Here they were soon assailed by a superior force,
" which they ultimately repidsed. The contest, however,
*' was most obstinate ; the French repeatedly returning to
" the attack, witb drums beating. The grenadiers, how-
" ever, maintained their ground, though with the loss of
" twenty-six of their number killed and wounded.
" The remainder of the battalion now came up, and a
" sharp action took place, which terminated in the retrciit
" of the French, and in which the Royal Wijlsii Yxjfu-
" liers had upwards of a hundred men killed ard wounded.
" A most important position was now gained, from which all
" Jhe subsequent operations against Fort Bourbon were
" directed. On the following morning two redoubts were
" discovered iii front, and in advance of them a body of the
" enemy's inthntry. The redoubts opened their fire, and a
on, Tlili ROYAL WKLSII FLSILIEUS.
i;]3
" few men of the brigade were killed and wounded. Parties ^^^^♦'
" from each regiment were now ordered forward ; they ut-
" tacked and drove the enemy into their forts, but were
" ultimately obliged to retire, covered by the grenadiers,
" and Captain Keith's company of the Royal Welsh
" FusiLiER». In this affiiir Lieutenant Roskelly was
" wounded. Sir George Bi( ;:whh now came uj), and asked
" Lieutenant-Colonel Elli '" hw he thought he could
•' trust his grenadiers to ^orts. — ' Sir,' r(?j)lied
" Colonel Ellis, ' I will tai> "• >ut of their firelocks
" and they shall take them.' .. G jrge would not, how-
" ever, permit the attempt to be made. The enemy eva-
" cuatcd them during the night, spiking and dismounting
" the guns, and retired to a third fort near their principal
" works. The second division of the army having now
*' come up, and the way being opened for the fleet by the
" capture of Pigeon Island, preparations were commenced
*' for bombarding Furt Bourbon.
"Four mortar batteries opened on the evening of the
" 19th of February, and continued firing all night. This
" was repeated till the 23rd, when the French proposed
" terms of capitulation, which were deemed inadmissible,
*' and the firing was resumed. On the following day three
" white flags were hoisted, and negotiations were opened,
" which terminated in the garrison, amounting to two thou-
" sand men fit fo duty, besides seven hundred sick, laying
*' down their arms and eagles, and becoming prisoners of war.
" The casualties of the first battalion during this ser-
" vice were two Serjeants, and eighteen rank and file killed ;
" and twooflicers. Surgeon Power and Lieutenant Roskelly,
" three Serjeants, and ninety-seven rank and file wounded.
" Of 850/. voted to the wounded at Martinique from the
" Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, 250/. fell to the share of the
" grenadier comj)any of the Royal Welsh Fusilieus, out
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134
THE TWENTY-TUIUD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1 809 " of which sum the company erected a monument in the
" Dutch church at Halifax, to the memory of their con., ides
" who fell in the expedition."*
For their distinguished conduct on this service, the
Royal Welsh Fusilieks received the gracious per-
mission of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the
name and on hehalf of His Majesty, to hear the word
"Martinique" on the regimental colour and appointments.
After the reduction of Fort Bourhon, the first battalion
returned to Halifax with Lieutenant-General Sir George
Prevost.
1810 The first battalion embarked at Halifax, in Nova
Scotia, on the 10th of November, 1810, arrived in the
Tagus on the 1 1th of December, and having disembarked
on the following day, marched on the 16th to join the army
under Viscount Wellington, which was then advancing
from the lines of Torres Vedras in pursuit of Marshal
Massena ; on the 18th the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
arrived at Sobral, where they joined the fourth division,
commanded by Major-General the Honorable George
Lowry Cole, under whose orders they continued till the
termination of the war ; they were brigaded with the two
battalions of the seventh Royal Fusiliers under the
Colonel the Honorable Henry Pakenham.
1811 The hostile armies soon went into cantonments; the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Azembuja, where they re-
mained till the 24:th of January, 1811, when they moved
to Aveira de Cima ; in the meantime Major-General
Houston had been appointed to the command of the
brigade.
On the 5th of March, Marshal Massena broke up from
his cantonments at Santarem, and put his army in motion
* Letters and Journal of Lieutenant, afterwards Lieut.-Colonel,
Harrison.
oil, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
135
for the frontiers of Portugal. Tlie allied army was 1811
immediately ordered in pursuit. The fourth division
formed part of a force which was sent in the direction of
Thomar, under the orders of Marshal Beresford, who, on
the 12th, came up with a strong rear-guard of the enemy
at Redinha. It was immediately attacked, and, after a
sharp contest, driven in on the main body of the army.
Viscount Wellington now determined to detach a consi-
derable portion of his army to lay siege to Badajoz, which
about this time fell into the hands of the French, and the
fourth division was ordered on this service, the execution
of which was entrusted to Marshal Beresford.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, having quitted the
main army, marched by Thomar, and on the 18th of
March crossed the Tagus at Tancos. A bridge having been
constructed with some diflSculty, the division crossed the
Guadiana, and on the 9th of April arrived before Olivenga,
which they were directed to besiege. Major-General
Cole sat down before the place on the 11th, and on the
15th, when the breaching battery was completed, sent a
flag of truce into the town, ofl'ering favourable terms in
case of an immediate surrender. No answer was returned,
and the batteries opened their fire. A breach was soon
effected, when the governor, apprehensive of an assault,
made an unconditional surrender of the town, and
the garrison, consisting of three hundred and seventy men,
marched out prisoners of war.
Soon after this event Viscount Wellington arrived ia the
neighbourhood of Badajoz, and having reconnoitred the
place, gave orders for the immediate commencement of
the siege. The fortress was completely invested on the
8th of May, and the operations of the siege carried on
with little effect till the 14th, when Marshal Beresford
having received intelligence of the march of Marshal
I
1
136 THE TWENTY-raiBD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1811 Soult from Seville with a strong force to raise the eiugc,
broke up from before the place, and advanced to Valverdu.
The fourth division was left to cover the removal of the
stores to Elvas,a service which was so completely effected,
that not a single article fell into the hands of the enemy.
As the position of Valverde left Badajoz completely
open, Marshal Beresford, on the 15th of May, moved
his army to the heights of Albuhera, where ho resolved
to give battle. The fourth division joined on the morning
of the 16th, only about half an hour before the com-
mencement of the action, and formed, with a brigade of
Portuguese, the second line of the British and Portuguese
army; the Spanish troops, under Generals Blake and
Castauus, forming in two lines the right of the allied
army. About eight o'clock in the moming the enemy was
observed to be in motion : a strong body of cavalry, and
two heavy columns of infantry issued from the woods in
front of the position, and moved on the bridge and village
of Alhuhera. Meanwhile Marshal Soult, with the main
body of his army, crossed the river considerably above
the position ; and, having taken possession of the heights
on the right, attacked and drove the Spaniii" '^ from their
ground, and formed his line so as to rake ;' r' the allies
nearly at right angles. In order to dislodge the enemy
from this commanding position, which he had thus gained,
Major-General Cole was ordered to form his division in
an oblique line in rear of the right, with his now right
thrown back, and an ineffectual attempt was made to
make the Spanish troops advance. Major- General
Stewart's division now arrived from the centre of the line,
passed through the Spaniards, and attacked the heights.
At this period of the action a heavy storm of rain, added
to the smoke of the guns, obscured the atmosphere so
much, that the leading brigade of this division, while in
oil, TU£ UOYAL WELSH VVHUIEM.
137
the act of deploying, was attacked by a body of Polieh 1811
Lancers, when two regiments were unfortunately broken
and cut to pieces. Major-General Hoghton'i brigade
next arrived, and sustained the contciit for some time
with the greatest gallantry, but the enemy's artillery and
musketry spread havoc through their ranks, while a deep
gulley in their front prevented the British from using
their bayonetjs. At this crisis the fourth division was
ordered to advance, and Major-General the Honorable
George Lowry Cole in person led the Fusilier brigade
up the heights.
*' Such a gallant line issuing from the midst of smoke,
*' and rapidly separating itself from the confusion and
" broken multitude, startled the enemy's heavy masses,
" which were increasing and pressing forward as to an
" assured victory ; they wavered, hesitated, and then
" vomiting forth a storm of fire, hastily endeavoured to
" enlarge their front, while their fearful dischargi? of grape,
" from all their artillery, whistled through the British
" ranks. Myers was killed ; Cole, and the colonels,
" Ellis, Blakeney,* and Hawkeshawe full, wounded ; and
" the Fusilier battalions, struck by the iron tempest,
" reeled and staggered like sinking ships. Suddenly and
" sternly recovering, they closed on their terrible enemies,
" and then was seen with what a strength and mnjesty
^* the British soldier fights. In vain did Soult, by voice
" and gesture animate his Frenchmen ; in vain did the
" hardiest veterans, extricating themselves from the
" crowded columns, sacrifice their lives to gain time for
" the mass to open on such a fair field ; in vain did the
" mass itself bear up, and, fiercely striving, fire indis-
" criminately on friends and foes, while the horsemen,
• Now Lieut.-General the Right lion, Sir Kdwurd Blukeney,
commanding the forces in Ireland.
138 THE TWE^TV-TUIRD IIEGIMENT ^F FOOT,
1811 " hovering on the flanks, threatened to charge the advanc-
" ing line. Nothing could stop that astonishing infantry
" No sudden burst of undisciplined valour, no nervous
" enthusiasm weakened the stability of their order, — their
" flashing eyes were bent on the dark columns in front ;
" their measured tread shook the ground ; their dreadful
" volleys swept away the head of every formation ; their
" deafening shouts overpowered the dissonant cries that
'- broke from all parts of the tumultuous crowd, as foot
" by foot, and with a horrid carnage, it was driven by the
" incessant vigour of the attack, to the farthest edge of
" the hill. In vain did the French reserves, joining with
" the struggling multitude, endeavour to sustain the fight ;
" their efforts only increased the irremediable confusion ;
" and the mighty mass giving way, like a loosened cliff,
" went headlong down the ascent. The rain flowed after
" in streams discoloured with blood, and fifteen hundred
" unwounded men, the remnant of six thousand uncon-
" querable British soldiers, stood triumphant on the fatal
" hill."*
The loss of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in this des-
perate conflict was severe. Captain Montague, and
Lieutenant Hall, one serjeant, and seventy-three rank and
file killed : Lieutenant-Colonel Ellis, Captains Hurford,
M'Donald, and Stainforth, I^ieutenants Harrison, Treeve,
Booker, Tliorpe, Castles, Harris, Ledwith, and M'Lellan,
twelve Serjeants, one drummer, two hundred and thirty-
two rank and file wounded, and one serjeant and five rank
file missing ; Captain M'Donald and Lieutenant Castles
died of their wounds. So numerous were the casualties
among the officers and Serjeants, that Captain Stainforth's
company was, at the conclusion of the action, commanded
by a corporal, named Thomas Robinson.
* Colonel Napier's History of the Peninsular War.
on, TUE KOVAL WELSU FUSILIERS.
130
About three o'clock in the afternoon both armies 1811
resumed the positions they had respectively occupied in
the morning, and remained in them during the 17th of
May. On the morning of the 18th Marshal Soult retired
towards Seville, pursued for some distance by the allied
cavalry, though far inferior in numbers.
On the retreat of the French, the siege of Badajoz was
resumed, and the place again completely invested on the
25th of May, under the immediate superintendence of
Viscount Wellington. The additional divisions arrived
from the northern army to assist, and the fourth division was
stationed at Almandralejo to cover the operations ; these
were continued till the 10th of June. A breach had been
effected, and had been twice assaulted without success,
on the 6th and 9th, when Viscount Wellington, in conse-
quence of the information he received of the movements
of the French generals, converted the siege into a^block-
ade, and removed the stores to Elvas, himself taking post
at Albuhera. As the forces, however, which were
moving upon Badajoz proved to be greatly superior in
numbers to the allies, his Lordship retired across the
Guadiana, and placed the army in position on the Caza,
with the right protected by the fortress of Elvas.
The army continued in this position till the middle of
July, when the French corps, which were opposed to it,
having separated, the fourth division marched to the north,
and joined the main army, which was occupied in block-
ading Ciudad Rodrigo. Towards the end of September,
Marshal Marmont, having been joined by the corps of
General Dorseene, advanced to raise the blockade, and
Viscount Wellington withdrew on the 25th to the heights
ofFuente Guinaldo. Several partial encounters took place
on the 25th and 26th, and during the succeeding night the
Allies retired towards Alfazates, leaving the fourth
! k
^
I. U
!i
140
TUE TWENTV-TIHUD llEaiMENT OF FOOT,
1811 division as a rear-guard at Aldea dc Ponte. Tliis village
was attacked on the 27th by the French advanced guard,
which twice succeeded in gaining possession of it, and was
as often repulsed by the gallant division, which remained
masters of the disputed post, and which it maintained till
night, when it fell b.nk to Soita. Viscount Wellington
having asked Major-General Pakenham for a "stop-gap
regiment " to cover the retreat of the division, the latter
replied, " That he had already placed the Royal Weisii
" Fusiliers there." " Ah I " said his lordship, " that is
" the very thing."
In these affairs Captain Van Courtland was killed, and
Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Pearson, commanding the light
companies of the brigade, and Captain Cane were severely
wounded.
Viscount Wellington awaited the enemy in the position
of SoUa ; but Marshal Marmont, satisfied with the sample
he already had of the prowess of his opponents, declined
an engagement, and retired to Ciudad Rodrigo. The
Allies went into cantonments on the frontiers of Portugal.
While in quarters, the troops were employed under the
direction of the engineers, in preparing large quantities
of fascines and gabions, which they were soon summoned
to employ in the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.
1812 As the fourth division contributed to this brilliant affair
only by taking its turn of duty in the trenches, — in which
the Royal Welsh Fusiliers suffered a loss of seventeen
rank and file killed and wounded, — it may be sufficient to
state that the ground was broken on the night of the 8th of
January, 1812, and that on the 19th of the same month
the place was taken by storm ; a rapidity of operation
which Marshal Marmont, (who was ajjproaching somewhat
hastily to its relief,) declared to be quite incomprehensible.
Having repaired the works of Ciudad Rodrigo, and
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
141
placed a Spanish garrison in it, the Earl of Wellington next 1812
turned his attention to Badajoz. The preparations for
the siege of this fortress had heen carried on with ex-
traordinary secrecy, and were completed ahout the be-
ginning of March. The army broke up from its canton-
ments in the neighbourhood of Almeida, and marching
with the greatest rapidity, arrived before Badajoz on the
16th of that month, when the place was invested by the
third,, fourth, and light divisions. On the 6th of April,
three breaches were considered practicable, and orders were
issued for the assault. The storming of the breaches in
the face of the bastion of La Trinidad^ and in the
curtain between that bastion and that of Santa Maria, was
assigned to the fourth division, led by Major-General the
Honorable Charles Colville.
The troops destined for this service issued from the
works at nine o'clock at night ; when on the glacis they
were discovered by the enemy, who poured a heavy fire
upon them ; they, nevertheless, advanced in good order
to the covered way, which they entered at various points
where the palisades had been broken by the fire of the
besiegers. Bags of hay were now thrown into the ditch
to lessen its depth ; and on these the men jumped down,
or descended by the ladders. The ditch was now filled
with men, and the enemy exploded an incredible num^ r
of fougasses, shells, and other combustibles, which they
had arranged along the foot of the breach, and in the
ditch : their effect was in the highest degree appalling, as '
well as destructive, and naturally created some confusion
among the assailants. In the midst of this fire, smoke,
and noise, three flank companies of the fourth division,
that were intended for the attack of the breach, in the
curtain, mounted an unfinished ravelin in front of it, con-
ceiving it to be the breach itself. They soon discovered
142 THE TWENTYTIIinO RBOtMENT OF FOOT,
1812 their mistake ; but being now exposed to a musketry fire
from the whole of the front attacked, and seeing a difficult
descent, before they could reach the foot of the breach,
they halted, and returned the fire of the garrison. At
this crisis the light division, which was to have stormed
the breach in the bastion of Santa Maria, being led too
much to the right, joined these flank companies of the
fourth division on the summit of the ravelin, and con-
siderably increased the confusion. Order being at length
restored, these troops were conducted to the real points
uf attack.
Tn the meantime the columns of the fourth division
moved on to the attack of the breach La Trinidad^
without firing a shot ; but from want of sufficient ladders,
there was no formation of the troops to make them advance
with eflfect. Only the bravest, prompted by their indi-
vidual gallantry, or those nearest the spot, followed their
officers ; and the enemy was found to be so well prepared,
that notwithstanding the most heroic and persevering
effi)rts of the assailants, no lodgment could be effijcted
on the breach. As the men ascended, the besieged rolled
down upon them an astonishing number of loaded shells,
and exploded a variety of other combustibles, which had
been previously arranged on the face of the breach.
Several officers and men reached the summit, and grappled
with the chevaux-de-frise with which it was guarded ; but
being unable to force over them, they were much cut and
bayoneted in their attempts to remove them ; and finally,
driven down the bread' with great slaughter. Though
thus repulsed in repeated assaults by the seemingly inex-
haustible combustibles of the enemy, not an individual
attempted to withdraw from the scene of carnage ; but all
remained patiently to be slaughtered in the ditch. The
Earl of Wellington, however, hearing of the state ofaflfairs.
OR, THE IIOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
143
ordered the divisions to bo withdrawn, and to be formed ^^^^
again for a renewal of the assault a little before daylight.
The success of the third and fifth divisions in escalading
the castle and the bastion of San Vincente, however,
obviated the necessity of any ulterior measures, — the
British were already masters of Badajoz.
The loss of the Royal Weijju Fusiliers during the
siege and in the assault was, — Captain Maw and Lieute-
nant Collins, three Serjeants, and nineteen rank and file,
killed. Lieut.-(^olonel Ellis, Captains Potter, Leahy,
Stainforth, and Hawtyn, — Lieutenants Farmer, Johnson
Harrison, George Brown, Walley, Brownson, Walker,
Tucker, Fielding, Holmes, Llewellyn, and Wyngate, —
seven Serjeants, one drummer, and eighty-four rank and
file wounded ; of whom. Captain Potter and Lieutenant
Llewellyn died of their wounds ; one serjeantand nineteen
rank and file missing. On the night of the assault, in
consequence of Colonel Ellis's wounds, the battalion was
commanded by Captain Leahy.
Major-General the Honorable Charles Colville was
severely wounded, and carried from the breach by Serjeant
James Ingram, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
After the fall of Badajoz, the army marched to the
north ; and on the 16th of June, arrived at Salamanca.
Marshal Marmont retired on its approach, leaving gar-
risons in some forts which commanded the Tormes at
that place. The Allies crossed the river by the fords
above and below the town ; and while the sixth division
besieged the forts, the remainder were held in readiness
to oppose the main body of the enemy, who still attempted
to keep up a communication with them. On the 20th,
Marshal Marmont aj)peared in front of the position of
San Christoval, and made a strong demonstration with his
cavalry on the plain ; but after a warm skirmish, again
144
TUB TWENTY-TIIIUD nt:0IMENT OK FOOT,
1812 retired. Lieutenant Leonard, of the Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, while witnessing the afTuir, was killed hy a
chance shot from a great distance. The forts being taken
on the 27th, the French retired to the Douro ; but being
soon reinforced, resumed the offensive, and obliged the
Allied army to retire in turn. These movements continued
several weeks, each General narrowly watching his ad-
versary, and holding himself in readiness to attack, on the
commission of any important fault. Such an opportunity
presented itself on the 22nd of July, on the plains of
Salamanca, and the Earl of Wellington hastened to avail
himself of it. The attack was made against the centre and
left of the enemy. On the former point the resistance
was obstinate. The fourth divisicn advanced to the
attack in line, exposed to a very accurate fire of grape,
round, &c. : it carried two positions in the most gallant
style, — but the vuost determined valour must yield to
numbers. It was opposed to Bonnet's division, about
ten thousand strong, — got intermixed with the lines of the
enemy, who involved it, — deployed on the left flank of
the Portuguese brigade of the division, and finally, com-
pelled the French to retrograde about four hundred yards :
here it re-formed, and being joined by the supports, the
sixth division renewed the attack with complete success.
The victory of Salamanca cost the regiment Major
Offley, and nine rank and file killed ; Lieut.-Colonel Ellis,
Major Dalmer, Lieutenants John Enoch,* M'Donald,
Fryer, and Clyde, and eighty- four rank and file wounded.
The enemy being now driven across the Douro, the
Marquis of Wellington, to which title his Lordship had
been advanced after this victory, marched upon Madrid,
where the army arrived on the 12th of August.
Nothing
* Now Major Enoch, Deputy Assistant Quarter Muster General
at Head Quarters.
OR, THE ROYAL WBL8U FU8IUBR8.
145
could exceed the enthusiasm with which the allies were 1813
received by the inhabitants of the capital ; thousands came
forth to meet them, bearing branches of laurel and other
emblems of triumph. All business was suspended in the
city, — the streets were strewed with flowers, — and the
houses decorated as on occasions of the greatest festivity.
Bull-fights and other public amusements were exhibited
for their entertainment.
From this scene of gedety and dissipation, the regiment
removed to the Escurial, where it remained till the retreat
of the army to the frontiers of Portugal, in consequence
of the failure of an attack on the Castle of Burgos, and
the approach of Marshal Soult, with his army, from
Andalusia, and of General Clausel, with the troops that
had been beaten at Salamanca.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers reached Soutilla, on
the banks of the Douro, on the 5th of December, so re-
duced by eleven months of incessant service, that they were
about this time formed into six divisions of twelve files each.
In the course of the winter a few men joined from the ^813
second battalion ; but the regiment commenced the cam-
paign of 1813, with only three hundred effective men;
most of these, however, were hardy experienced veterans,
and all were newly clothed, and in the highest state of
equipment.
The army did not take the field this year till the middle
of May, when it advanced and drove the enemy from his
position on the Douro ; following him up without inter-
mission, as far as Vittoria, where, on the 21st of June,
a general action was fought, which terminated in the total
defeat of the French, commanded by King Joseph, who
narrowly escaped being made prisoner. On this occasion
the Royal Welsh Fusiliers did not come in immediate
collision with the enemy. Lieutenant Sydney
L
. Id
'_ I
was
146 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1813 wounded, and four men killed, in driving the French
across the Zadorra, on the 19th of July.
In consequence of this decisive victory, the whole of the
French, with the exception of the garrisons of San Sebas-
tian and Pampeluna, evacuated the Spanish territory,
and retired across the Pyrenees. The blockade of Pam-
peluna was entrusted to the Spaniards ; the fourth division
covering them in front of the pass of Roncesvalles. On
the 25 th of July, Marshal Soult, who now commanded
the French army, made his appearance in the pass, with
a very superior force ; and the division, after an obstinate
resistance, was compelled to retire to a strong position in
the rear, which the enemy did not venture to attack. On
the two following days, the enemy continued to advance
in great force ; and the allied army, which was now con-
centrated to protect the blockade of Pampeluna, fell back
on that fortress, near which, on the 28th of July, both
armies appeared in order of battle.
The chief efforts of the enemy during this day, were
directed against the position occupied by the fourth divi-
sion, which was engaged in a contest second only to that
of Albuhera, in severity. " The battle of the 28th of
" July was a beautiful display of military manoeuvres ; the
" enemy formed his columns in the most perfect order, and
" advanced to the attack with a rapidity and impetus, ap-
" parently irresistible. I was in immediate support of the
" seventh Caqadores (Portuguese), who were the advanced
" piquet, and consequently received the first shock of the
" enemy's column. My people only thought of fighting,
" and at once checked their progress. Our supports on
" both sides were brought up, and the contest continued with
" varying success till four o'clock, when the enemy with-
" drew, only leaving his voltigeurs in our front. We had
" three divisions upon us, — the fourth, fifth, and seventh;
OR, THE ROYAL WEL8H^ FUSILIERS.
147
"the two former were chiefly opposed to the fortieth, who 1813
" made two unheard-of charges ; indeed, the whole day was
" a succession of charges."* " In the course of this con-
" test," says the Marquis of Wellington, "the gallant fourth
" division, which had been so frequently distinguished in
" this army, surpassed their former good conduct.! Every
" regiment charged with the bayonet : and the fortieth,
" seventh, twentieth and Twenty-third, four diflorent
" times." Their officers set them the example, and Major-
General Ross, commanding the brigade, had a horse killed
under him.
On the 28th, Captains Stainforth and Walker were
killed, and Lieut. -Colonel Ellis, Lieutenants the Honor-
able John Neville, Harris, Br ce^ and Adjutant M'Lellan
were wounded. " The battalion," says Colonel Ellis, " has
" only the semblance of one. I commenced the action of
" the 25th, with only two hundred and fifty-four ; so with
" the loss of one hundred and five in action, sick, and
" attendants on the wounded, I am reduced to one hundred
" and sixty bayonets. On the morning of the 30th, when
" formed for the pursuit of Marshal Soult, I only stood
" one hundred and twenty-one ; and by the 2nd of
" August, I was reduced to one hundred and eight."
On the 29th of July, both armies remained inactive ; but
on the 30th the enemy was observed to be in motion. He
was instantly attacked, and compelled totally to abandon
a position which the Marquis of Wellington declared to be
one of the strongest and most difficult of access ever
occupied by troops. On the 2nd of August, the French
* Letter of Lieut.-Colonel Ellis to Captain, now Lieut.-Colonel
Harrison.
f Colonel Ellis, in the letter above quoted, feelingly laments that
his Lordship had not witnessed the conduct of the regiment in the
battle of Albuhera, which ho declares is " still without a parallel."
L 2
■m
148
THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1813 were once more driven through the passes of the Pyrenees^
into their own territory.
The siege of San Sebastian, which had heen suspended
on the advance of Marshal Soult to the relief of Pampe-
luna, was now resumed. On the 31st of August, the
breach was carried by assault ; the storming party con-
sisted of volunteers from the different divisions of the
army, and those of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were
commanded by Lieutenant Griffiths, who was among the
wounded.
After the fall of San Sebastian, the hostile armies re-
mained for some time inactive, or occupied only in
strengthening their respective positions, and preparing for
the further prosecution of the campaign. The troops,
however, suffered severely from the inclemency of the
weather. Exposed on the bleak summits of the Pyrenees,
they gazed with intense longing on the beautiful plains of
France, which lay stretched out beneath their feet. The
close neighbourhood of a watchful enemy rendered the
greatest vigilance necessary, and the duties were severe.
The mf ment so ardently desired at length arrived.
Early on the morning of. the 7th of October, the army,
under favour of a dark and stormy sky, descended from
the heights, crossed the Bidassoa, and established itself
on the French territory, with little opposition from the
enem}. The continued inclemency of the weather, and
the badness of the roads, retarded the further advance of
the army till the 10th of November, when all preparations
being completed, the columns moved down the passes of
the Pyrenees in the most perfect silence, and lay down,
each at its appointed station, to await the dawn of day to
make their attack. This was commenced by the fourth
division, which carried a strong redoubt in front of the
village of Sarre^ drove the enemy from that village, and
OR, THE ROYAL WEL8U FUSILIERS.
149
continued its e<' icc against the heights in its rear, ex- 1813
posed to the fi jf entrenchments by which the position
was secured. These, however, were successively
abandoned as the division advanced, the enemy flying in
great disorder, towards the bridges on the Nivelle ; the
garrison of one redoubt, which alone offered any resistance,
were made prisoners. The other attacks were all equally
successful, and terminated in Marshal Soult withdrawing
the whole of his army, and resigning his position to the
Allies, who now went into cantonments in advance of the
Nivelle, where they were permitted another interval of
repose.
On the 9th of December, the army was again in motion
and attacked the enemy's position on the Nive ; on that
and the four following days, a severe contest was main-
tained by the hostile forces, in which each was in turn the
assailant. The flanks of the position were the contested
points, and the fourth division, which was in the centre,
was not immediately engaged ; but it had much severe
duty in marching to the support of either flank, as they
were successively engaged.
On the 11th of December, two battalions of Nassau
troops, having heard of the liberation of their country from
the yoke of Napoleon, deserted from the French, and were
received by Lieutenant-Colonel Ellis, who then com*
manded the brigade.
After the passage of the Nive the army again went into 1314
cantonments ; the Royal Wklsh Fusiliers at Ustaritz,
where they remained till the middle of February, 1814,
when they again took the field, and drove the enemy
through a most difiicult and intersected country, till on
the 27th of February, he took up a strong position at
OrtheSf where he determined to await the issue of a battle.
The attack was commenced by Major-General the Honor-
5
J
^M^M
150 THE TWENTY-THIRD REOIMENT OF FOOT,
1814 able George Lowry Cole, with the fourth division, carry-
ing the village of St. Boe'a, after an obstinate struggle.
Marshal Beresford, who directed the movements of this
part of the line, next turned his attention to two lines of
the enemy, posted on the height, above ; the only approach
to these lay along a narrow tongue of ground, flanked on
either side by a deep ravine, and completely exposed to
the fire of the enemy's artillery. In this contiued situation
it was impossible to deploy, and so destructive was the
action of the enemy's guns on the columns, that notwith-
standing the most gallant and persevering efforts of the
fourth division, it was impossible to gain the heights. By a
powerful attack in flank, however, the enemy was at lengtli
driven from the position, and forced to retreat with precipi-
tation, pursued by the cavalry, who made many prisoners.
Captains Wynore and JoUifle, and Lieutenant Harris,
were severely wounded ; and fifty men were killed and
wounded.
By the 10th of April the whole army had crossed the
Garonne, and an immediate attack on the enemy's position,
under the walls of Toulouse, being resolved on, it was
begun by the fourth division, which, having driven the
enemy from the village of Mcmt Blanc, proceeded in open
columns along the front of the position till they gained the
extreme right, when they wheeled up, and advanced in
line, overcoming all resistance, and forcing the French
from the heights, and beyond their entrenchments. Hero
they waited for the artillery, which, owing to the badness
of the roads and the rapidity of the advance, had been left
behind. As soon as the artillery came up, they continued
their advance along the ridge, following up their success,
till the enemy, repulsed on all points, was compelled to
take refiige within the walls of Toulouse.
The Twenty-third were not much exposed to
OR, THE ROYAL WEL8II FUSILIERS.
151
musketry in this action, but were under a licavy cannonade 1814
the whole day. The casualties did not exceed eight
men killed and wounded.
During the night of the 11th of April, the French army
evacuated Toulouse, and the white flag was hoisted. On
the day following, the Marquis of Wellington entered the
city amidst the acclamations of the inhalntants. In the
afternoon of that day intelligence was received of the
abdication of Napoleon; and had not the express been
detained on the journey by the police, the sacrifice of
many valuable lives would have been prevented. A dis-
belief in the truth of this intelligence also occasioned
much unnecessary bloodshed at Bayonm^ the garrison of
which made a desperate sortie on the 14th of April, and
Lieut.-General Hope was wounded and taken prisoner.
Major-General Hay was killed, and Major-General
Stopford was wounded. This was the lost action of the
Peninsular war.
By the treaty of peace, the island of Elba was ceded to
Napoleon Bonaparte in full sovereignty for life, and a
pension payable from the revenues of France* On the drd
of May, 1814, Louis XVIII, entered Paris, and ascended
the throne of his ancestors.
After the battle of Toulouse, the first battalion of the
Twenty-third Regiment marched to Langon, near
Bordeaux, where it was stationed during the whole of the
month of May. On the 1st of June it marched for
Blancfort, where it arrived on the Gth, and embarked on
board the ' Egmont,' 74, disembarked on the 26th at Ply-
mouth, from whence it soon after marched to Gosport.
For the services performed by the first battalion during
the Peninsular war, the Royal Wei^u Fusilier^ have
received the Royal Authority to bear on the regimental
colour and appointments, the words "Albuhera,"
152
THE TWENT7-TH1RD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1814 «« Badajoz," "Salamanca," " Vittoria," "Pyre-
nees," " Nivelle," " Orthes," " Toulouse," and
" Peninsula."
Lieut.-Colonel Ellis, who had been promoted (4th June,
1814) to the rank of Colonel by Brevet, was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Bath, and received the honor-
ary distinction of a Cross, and one Clasp. Lieut.-Colonel
Sutton, also Colonel by Brevet, and Knight Commander
of the Bath, a Cross and three Clasps, for his services in
the Portuguese army. Lieut.-Colonel Pearson, a Medal.
Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Dalmer, a Medal and one Clasp.
Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Hill, attached to the Portuguese
army, a Cross. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Hurford, a Medal
and one Clasp. Captain Leahy, who commanded the
regiment at the storming of Badajoz, a Medal.
On the 25th of October, 1814, the second battalion
was reduced, when twenty-six Serjeants, twenty-one cor-
porals, twenty-three drummers, and three hundred and
seventy-seven privates, were transferred to the first bat-
talion, which now mustered upwards of one thousand
rank and file. Of these, however, many of the veterans
of Holland, Egypt, Martinique, and the Peninsula, and
some limited service men, were soon after discharged.
1815 On the return of Napoleon from Elba, the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers were again ordered on service, and
embarked at Gosport on the 23rd of March, 1815. On
the 30th they disembarked at Ostend, and immediately
proceeded in canal boats to Bruges, from whence they
marched to Ghent, and subsequently to Lessines, where
they were attached to the fourth division, commanded
by Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Charles
Colville.
On the 24th of April the regiment marched to Gram-
mont, where it remained, with the intermission of a few
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
153
days, till the 15th of June, when the troops were hastily 1815
summoned from their cantonments in consequence of the
advance of the French army, commanded hy the Emperor
in person. The Rotal Welsh Fusiliers marched witli
the greatest expedition during the whole of the 16th and
17th, and arrived late in the evening of the latter day,
at Braine la Leude, in the neighbourhood of which they
bivouacked in a wheat-field, under torrents of rain.
The station of the fourth division, on the memorable
18th of June, was in the reserve ; and during the early part
of the day, the re^ment was merely exposed to a distant
cannonade, from which it sufiered no loss. The light
companies of the brigade were, however, engaged, and lost
some men.
As the day advanced, Colonel Sir Henry Ellis perceiving
an opening where his regiment might be employed with ad-
vantage, moved it up into the line ; where, formed in
square, it sustained several charges of the French cuiras-
siers. The greater number of the men were now, for the
first time, in presence of an enemy ; but these en^ulated
the steadiness of their veteran comrades, and all nobly
maintained the character of the regiment-
The glories of the battle of Waterloo were, however,
dearly purchased by the Rotal Welsh Fusiliers with
the life of their beloved commander. Sir Henry Ellis, who,
continuing on horseback in the centre of the square, was
struck with a musket ball in the right breast. Feeling
himself faint from loss of blood, he calmly desired an
opening might be made in the square, and rode to the
rear. At a short distance from the field he was thrown
from his horse while in the act of leaping a ditch;
here he was found soon afterwards, much exhausted,
and conveyed to a neighbouring out-house, where
his wound was dressed. In the course of the night
154 THE TWBNTY-TUIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1815 of the 19th, the hovel in which he was lodged unfor-
tunately caught fire, and he was with difficulty rescued
from the flames by Assistant-Surgeon Munro, of the
regiment ; but exhausted by so many shocks, he soon
after expired.*
The other casualties were, Brevet-Major Hawtyn,
Captains Jolliffe and Farmer, Lieutenant Fenshaw, two
* The officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the regi-
ment, have commemorated their affection and esteem for their dis-
tinguished leader, by erecting a monument to his memory, at •
cost of 1200/., in the Cathedral of Worcester, his native city. The
following is the inscription : —
In Memory of
f I. .*» • ^ Colonel Sir Hiitkt Walton Ellis, K.C.B.,
A native of this city .
Who, at ui early age, entered the Twintt-thiro Regiment,
Or, ROTAL WlL«H FUNLIEBI,
Then eommanded by hU father, Mijor-Qeneral John Joyner Bllit,
And afterwards led on to honourable distinction by himself, during seven yean of
unexampled military renown ;
Having received eight wounds, and rendered servicesaa important as they were
brilliant,
In Holland, Bgypt, the West Indies, America, Spain, Portugal, and France,
He fell by a musket-shot at tlie head of his Regiment,
Almost in the glorious moment which announced victory to Great Britain, and
Feact ' '^.urope, on the memorable Plains of
Waterloo. ,»"" j" v■
He died of his wounds on the 90th of June, 1 8 1 5, aged 3S years.
His loss was lamented, and his worth recorded, by his illustrious Commander,
Wellfaigton,
In words that will perish only with history itself. 'i ' ''Vff,'"'' -^ '
This Monument was erected
By the officers, non-commissioned offlcem, and privates of the Royal Wilsb Fitsilibrs,
As a Tribute of their respect and affection to the Memory of a Leader,
Not mure distinguished for Valour and conduct in the Field,
Than beloved for every Generous and Social Virtue. .•.'■'.'
ij
li^K:'.-
Extract from His Grace the Duke of Wellington's despatch, dated
Orville, 29th of June, 1815 :— /
" Your Lordship will see in the enclosed lists, the names of some
" valuable officers lost to His Majesty's service. Among these I
<< cani^ot avoid to mention Colonel Cuneron, of the Ninety-second,
" and Colonel Sir Henry Ellis, of the Twemty-thibd regiment, to
♦• whose conduct I have frequently drawn your Lordship's attention,
** and who at last fell, distinguishing themselves at the head of the
<* brave troops which they commanded."
" Notwithstanding the glory of the occasion, it is impossible not
« to lament such men, both on account of the public and as friends."
.«'
ifad4Uy hU'3mUru)t»vS\Sawi
JFor (iumone .
2iiooraU.
OR, TU£ ROYAL WEL8U FU81LIKR8.
155
Serjeants, and nine rank and file killed. Brevet Lieu- 1815
tenant-Colonel Hill, Captain Johnson, Lieutenants Field-
ing, Griffiths, Clyde, and Sidley, seven Serjeants, and
8eventy-(Mie rank and file wounded. Lieutenant Clyde
died of his wounds. o - ....... i . «..
The Twenty-third Royal Wbubh Fusiliers, re-
ceived the royal authority to bear the word " Waterloo"
on the regimental colour and appoinments, in commemo-
ration of their services on this occasion ; a medal was
conferred on each officer and soldier ; and the privilege
of reckoning two years' service, towards additional pay
and pension on discharge, was also granted to the men.
After this brilliant and decisive victory, the allied army
advanced rapidly on the French capital. On the 24th,
the fourth division arrived before Cambray, of which
it took possession the same day: the Royal Welsh
FusiuERS entered by an old breach near 'the Port du
Paris, with the loss of Lieut. Leebody, and one private
killed. The citadel having surrendered on the following
day, the division resumed its march to Paris on the 26th,
and on the 1st of July encamped on the plain of St.*Denis.
Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Lowry Cole,
having now joined the army, the Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers were, at his request, transferred to the sixth divi-
sion, in which they were again brigaded with the seventh
Royal Fusiliers, their associates in so many victories.
The regiment formed part of the Army of Occupation, 1818
and remained under the command of the Lieutenant-
General, in Major-General Kempt's brigade, till October,
1818, when the British troops were withdrawn fipom
France.
On their return from France, the Royal Welsh
Fusiliers were stationed in Ireland.
Major-General Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Bart., 1823
156 TUB TWBNTy-THlRD RKOIMBNT OF FOOT,
1823 K.C.B., Quarter- Master General to the Forces, was re-
moved from the colonelcy of the eighty-fifth light infantry
to that of the Twenty- THIRD Royal Welsh Fusiliers,
on the 23rd of April, 1823, in succession to General
Richard Grenville, deceased.*
In December, 1823, the regiment embarked for Gib-
raltar. Previous to the embarkation, the following general
order was issued by Lieut.-General the Right Honorable
Lord Combermere, G.C.B., commanding the Forces in
Ireland.
" Adjutant-GeneraTs Office, Dublin,
24th November, 1833.
" General Order.
" The Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers
" being on the point of embarkation for a foreign station,
*' Lieutenant-General Lord Combermere feels he cannot,
" in too strong terms, express his approval of the general
" good conduct and discipline of this superb regiment,
" during the time it has been under his orders.
" The Twenty-third, so eminently distinguished for
" its services in the field, has, been uniformly conspicuous
" in this command for its soldierlike aonearance and be-
A A
" haviour ; and from the ample opportunity the Lieu-
" tenant-General has had of personal observation, he is
" enabled to bear testimony to the merits of the system, —
" evincing throughout the corps the greatest zeal, energy,
" and talent on the part of Colonel Pearson, as well as un-
'' remitting attention on the part of all under his command.
" By command of the Lieutenant-General,
(Signed) "J. Gardiner, D.-A.Goiiernl.
^'' Lieut. -Col. JV. Harruon^
commanding 2Srd Fusiliers."
* Vide Letter addressed by Mm'or-General Sir Willoughby Gordon,
Hart., to Colonel Pearson, commanding the Twbntt-thjrd regiment,
^i.z>\ ?8tb. of April 1823, inserted at page 187 of the Appendix.
OR, THE ROYAL W£LSU FU8IUERS.
157
In the year l''^25 the r«.-^tment was formed into six 1835
service and four depSt companies, the latter being
stationed first at Plymoutli md afterwards at Brecon.
The depdt eompanie^ proceeded to Gueniuey in April 1826
1826, but returned to £iigland in September following.
In January, 1827, the regiment joined the expedition
to Portugal, under Lieutenant-General Sir William Clia«
ton ; and in March, 1828, returned to Gibraltar.
I VI November, 1830, the depdt companies embarked for 1^30
Ireland.
On the 28th of October, 1834, the six service com- 1834
panics embarked at Gibraltar for England, and arrived
at Gosport on the 10th of November, where they were
joined by the depdt companies, which had been removed
from Ireland in August.
In September, 1836, the regiment embarked at Liverpor 1 1836
for Ireland, and landed at Dublin on the 14th of thatmoath ■
On the 22nd of May, 1838, the six service companies, ig3g
under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Ross, embarked at
Cork for Nova Scotia, where they arrived on the 13th of
June. The four depot companies remained in Ireland.
In June, 1840, the depot companies were removed 1840
from Ireland to Great Britain.
The service companies proceeded from Nova Scotia, to
Canada, in October, 1 840.
In consequence of the augmentation of the army, in 1842
April, 1842, the Twenty-Third regiment was ordered
to be separated into two battalions, the service companies
abroad being styled the First Battalion, and the depot,
augmented by two new companies, being styled the
Reserve Battalion. The depot was accordingly moved
from Carlisle to Chichester, and there receiving one hun-
dred and eighty volunteers from other corps, was organised
for foreign service ; the reserve battalion embarked from
158 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1842 Portsmouth, for Canada, on the 1 3th of May, 1842, under
the command of Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Wellesley Torrens,
and arrived at Montreal on the 30th of June following.
1843 The first hattalion proceeded from Quebec to the
West Indies, in September, 1843, under the command of
Lieut-Colonel Arthur Wellesley Torrens, and arrived
at Barbadoes in October.
1844 The first battalion remained at Barbadoes until Novem-
ber, 1844, when it proceeded to the Island of Trinidad.
In the year 1844, the Regimental Goat* died, and
Her Majesty was pleased to direct that the two finest
goats belonging to a flock in Windsor Park, the gift of
the Shah of Persia, should be given to the regiment ;
one of these joined the first battalion at Halifax, and is
still serving " the observed of all observers ;" — the other
was sent to the reserve battalion in Canada.
1845 During the year 1845, the first battalion remained at
Trinidad.
1846 In April, 1846, the first battalion proceeded to Antigua,
where it remained until December, when it was moved
to Barbadoes.
While the first battalion was stationed in the West
Indies, Lieut.-Colonel Torrens, of the Twenty-Third
Royal Welsh Fusiliers, for two years and a half
administered the civil government of St. Lucia, and by
the sanitary measures pursued by him, preserved the
health of the troops serving in that island with unpre-
cedented success. The correspondence on this subject
was subsequently published, by command of His Grace
the Duke of Wellington, Commander-in-Chief, for the
information and guidance of General (or other) Officers,
commanding at foreign stations, in a circular letter dated
* Vide Appendix, page 177.
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
159
from the Horse Guards, on the 18th of November, 1847, 1846
in which it was directed that similar precautions might
be attended to at all military commands, where draining
and clearing were requisite, particularly pointing out the
salutary effects of removing from the immediate vicinity
of military stations all superabundant vegetation, brush-
wood, strong weeds, rank grass, «SiC., by means of
fatigue parties, as had been effected at St. Lucia.
On quitting the colony, the offer of the permanent
Lieutenant-Governorship, on an augmented salary, was
made to Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens by Her Majesty's
Government; but it was declined, — the Lieutenant-
Colonel preferring to continue his service in the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers.
The first battalion embarked on board the freight ship 184*7
* Herefordshire,' at Barbadoes, on the 16th of March,
1847, and sailed for Nova Scotia, where it arrived in the
beginning of April.
In September, 1848, the first battalion embarked at 1848
Halifax, in Nova Scotia, for England, under the command
of Major Charles Crutchley, and was afterwards stationed
at Winchester.
On Thursday the 12th of July, 1849, new Colours were 1849
presented to the regiment by Field Marshal His Royal
Highness the Prince Albert, at Winchester Barracks.
The first battalion being drawn up in line, with the
old Colours in the centre, received His Royal Highness
with the usual honors : the flank companies were then
brought forward so as to form three sides of a square,
to the centre of which the new Colours were brought
under escort, and piled on an altar of drums. The
Reverend George Gleig, M.A., Chaplain- General to
the Forces, then consecrated them, after which His
160 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT,
1849 Royal Highness delivered them to Lieutenants Bruce and
Sutton, making the following address to the battalion : —
" Soldiers of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers I The ceremony
" which we are performing this day, is a most important,
" and to every soldier, a sacred one : it is the transmission
" to your care, and keeping, of the Colours which are
" henceforth to be borne before you, — which will be the
" symbol of your honor, and your rallying point in all
" moments of danger.
" I feel most proud to be the person who is to transmit
" these Colours to a regiment so renowned for its valour,
" fortitude, steadiness, and discipline.
" In looking over the records of your services, I could
" not refrain from extracting a few, which show your
" deeds to have been intimately connected with all the
" great periods in our history.
" The regiment was raised in 1689. Its existence
-* therefore began with the settlement of the liberties of
" the country. It fought at the Boyne under Schomberg ;
" captured Namur in Flanders in 1695 ; formed part of
" the great Marlborough's legions at Blenheim, Ramiliesy
" Oudenarde, and Malplaquet; fought in 1743, at Dettingen,
" and at Fontenoy in 1745 ; decided the battle of Minden
" in 1759, for which the name of Minden is inscribed
" on the colours. Showed examples of valour and per-
" severance in America: in 1775 at Bunker's Hill, in
" 1777 at Brandywine, in 1780 at the capture oiCharles-
" totm, and in 1781 at Guildford. The regiment ac-
" companied the Duke of York to Holland ; was amongst
" the first to land in Egypt, in 1801, under the brave
" Abercroraby, and was the last to embark at Corunna
" in 1809. Between these two important services, it fought
" at Copenhagen, and was at the taking of Martinique.
OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
161
" Egypt, Martinique, and Corunna are waving on 184U.
" these colours. In the Peninsula the regiment won for
" its colours, under the Duke of Wellington, the names
" of Albuhera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria,
" Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, and Toulouse. The
" deeds performed at Albuhera are familiar to everybody
" who has read Napier's unsurpassable description of that
" action. The regiment was again victorious over a
" powerful enemy at the Duke's last great victory at
" Waterloo.
" Although you are all, of course, well acquainted
" with these glorious records, I have thought it right
" to refer to them as a proof that they have not been
" forgotten by others, and as the best mode of appealing
*' to you to show yourselves at all times worthy of the
" Name you bear.
" Receive these Colours, one, emphatically called The
Queen's, — let it be a pledge of your loyalty to your
Sovereign, and of obedience to the laws of your country ;
*• the other, more especially the Regimental one, — let
*' that be a pledge of your determination to maintain the
" honor of your regiment. In looking at the one, — you
** will think of your Sovereign : in looking at the other^
*' you will think of those who have fought, bled, and
** conquered before you."
To which gracious address Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur
Wellesley Torrens replied in these words, " May it please
" your Royal Highness. In the name of the Royal
*' Welsh Fusiliers, I return you the heartfelt thanks
" of the regiment, for the honor you have conferred upoft
us this day.
" The eminent services of the Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers, during a lapse of one hundred and sixty years,
are deeply impressed upon our memories, and while
M
«
«(
«
«
«(
162 THE TWENTY-THIRD REQIMBNT OP FOOT,
1849" we welcome the responsibilities, wo fuel the privilege
•* of succeeding to so vast an inheritance of renown.
" Our hearts have beat v,Uh pride and exultation to
•* hear those achievements so accurately romemborcd, and
" so graceiully recorded by your Royal Ilighnoss, the
" honored Consort of the Sovereign to whoso service we
" have devoted our lives.
" With the exception of a brave and skilful officer
*♦ (Lieutenant-Colonel Holmes) now absent in command
" of a hattalion of the regiment in America, ond of two
" highly respected veteran officers present upon this
*♦ parade (the paymaster and the quarter-^ master of the
" battalion), not one of the present generation of Welsh
" Fusiliers has had a share in the acquisition of the
" glorious badges which are inscribed on their colours.
" But though it has not been our good fortune to have
" taken part in any of the campaigns since the termination
" of the great continental War, the regiment has served
" faithfully, patiently, and honorably, though with less
" hrilliant glory indeed, during a prolonged foreign and
" colonial service in every climate, from the burning sun
" of the Mediterranean and of Portugal, to the snows of the
*' Canadas, and the heat and pestilence of the West
" Indian archipelago.
" Throughout I have seen the discipline of the regi-
" ment preserved, and its high spirit maintained ; and,
" Sir, I know and feel, that when the hour of trial shall
" arrive, it will be found that a discipline so patient
" and so enduring, is animated yet by the self-same
*' determination which hurled back tlie French mo^scH
" from Albuhera heights, and stemmed their squadrona
•' on the crowning field of Waterloo^
The new Colours were then trooped, and took the place
of the old ones, which were marched off the parade.
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OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
163
The battalion then marched past in slow and quick 1849
time. **
His Royal Highness afterwards honored the officers
with his presence at luncheon.
The old Colours were lodged in the church of St
Peter's, Carmarthen, on the J 9th of November, 1849,
with military honors.
In April, 1850, to which the Historical Record of the 1850
regiment has been brought, the first battalion, under
the command of Lieut. -Colonel Torrens, proceeded from
Winchester to Plymouth ; and the reserve battalion,
under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Crutchley, con-
tinued in Canada, the head-quarters being stationed at
Montreal.
M
[ 164 ]
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT,
OH,
THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS.
Henry, (Fourth) Lord Herbert, of Cherbury.
Appointed l*Jth March, 1689.
This nobleman was a cousin of the celebrated Admiral
Arthur Herbert, who was created Baron of Torbay, and Earl
of Torrington, by King William III., for his eminent services
at, and subsequent to, the Revolution of 1688. Henry, Lord
Herbert, who raised the Twenty-third Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, was appointed colonel of tjje regiment on the
17th of March, 1689, which he shortly afterwards resigned,
and was succeeded by Colonel Charles Herbert, the youngest
brother of the Admiral ubove mentioned. Henry, Lord
Herbert, of Cherbury, died without issue on the 21st of April,
1691, and the titles became extinct; but were revived in
about three years afterwards in v.he nephew of the first peer.
Charles Herbert.
Appointed 10th April, 1689.
Amongst the Lords and Commons summoned by the letter
of the Prince of Orange, (afterwards King William III.,)
to meet at Westminster on the 22nd of January, 1689, were
Henry, Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, and Charles Herbert,
Esq., M.P., for the town of Montgomery ; the latter suc-
ceeded his cousin Lord Herbert, as Colonel of the Twenty-
third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, on the 10th of April,
1689. Colonel Charles Herbert was iiilled at the battle of
SUCCESSION or C-OLiUMKt.S.
105
Aghrim, on Sunday the 12th of July, 1691, after having
passed a bog up to the middle, at the head of his regiment,
and forced the Irish to quit the Itedges they had occupied
beyond it. But pushing tl»em briskly to their main body, he
was unfortunately taken prisoner ; and the enemy seeing a
probability of rescue, inhumanly put him to death. The
honors of his brother. Admiral the Earl of Torrington, were
entailed on him, so that iiis dying immaturely, and unmarried,
made his loss the more to be regretted. Both the Admiral
and his brother Charles, together with their cousin Lord
Herbert, were all zealous supporters oftlie Revolution of 1688.
Toby Purcell.
Appointed 13M July, 1691.
Upon Colonel Charles Herbert being killed at the battle of
Aghrim, Lieut.-Colonel Toby Purcell, of the Twenty-third
Fusiliers, was promoted colonel of the regiment by King
"William III. Colonel Purcell distinguished himself at the
battle of the Boyne, on tlie 1st of July, 1690, when major
in the Twenty-third, and the spurs worn by him on that
occasion are still preserved in the regiment, in possession of
the senior major for the time being. Colonel Purcell did not
long enjoy the honor of the colonelcy of the regiment, con-
ferred upon him by his Sovereign, as his decease occurred in
the year 1692.
Sir John Morgan, Bart.
Appointed 20th April, 1692.
This officer's connection with the Twenty-third, as colonel
of the regiment, was but of brief duration, for his decease
occurred in the early part of 1693, tiie year following his
appointment to the colonelcy of the Twenty-third regiment.
lllCHARD InGOLDSBY.
Appointed 28th February, 1693.
Richard iNGOLDSBit entered the army in the reign of King
Charles II., his first commission being dated the 13th of June,
1667. He adhered to the Protestant interest at the Revolu-
tion in 1688, and served under King William III., who
166
8U('( eSSION UK COLONRLS.
promoted Lieut.-Culonel Ingoldsby, from the Eighteenth
Royal Irish regiment, to the colonelcy of the Twenty-third
RoTAL Wklsh Fusiliers, on the 28th of February, 1693.
He commanded the Twentt-third at the siege of Namur, in
1695, and in June, 1696, he was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General. On the breaking out of the " tVar of
the Spanish Succession*' in 1701, he was sent to Holland
with a body of British troops, and he highly distinguished
himself during several campaigns ui.der the great Duke of
Marlborough. He was promoted to the rank uf major-
general on the 9th of March, 1702, and served in that ca-
pacity during the campaigns of that and the following year.
In January, 1704, he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-
general, and his name is found among the officers wlio dis-
tinguished tiiemselves at the battles of Schellenberg ani
Blenheim. On tiie 1st of April, 1705, Lieut.-Gencra!
Ingoldsby was removed to his former regiment, the colonelcy
of the eighteenth Royal Irish being conferred upon him by
Her Majesty Queen Anne. After acquiring a high reputa-
tion in the field, he was honored with the appointments of
one of Her Majesty's Lords Justices, and of Master of the
Horse for Ireland. He died on the 29th of January, 1712.
Joseph Sabine.
Appointed 1st April, 1705.
The commission of tliis officer, as major in the Twenty-third
Fusiliers, is dated 13th July, 1691, and his military career
is intimately connected witli the services of the regiment.
Colonel Sabine was wounded at the battle of Schellenberg,
near Donawertli, fought on the 2nd of July, 1704, and shared
in the splendid victory obtained by the Duke of Marlborough,
over Marshal Tallard and the Elector of Bavaria at Blenheim,
on the 13th of August following. For his eminent services.
Her Majesty Queen Anne conferred the colonelcy of the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers upon him, on the 1st of April,
1705, on Lieut.-General Ingoldsby being removed to the
Eighteenth Royal Irisli regiment. In 1708, Brigadier-
General Sabine commanded the ""ten regiments sent from
Ostend to Tynemouth, to oppose the designs of the Pretender,
who made an unsuccessful attempt to land in England. Upon
the return of the Pretender to Dunkirk, Brigadier Sabine re-
nUCCKttSIUN OP CUI.ONRI.fl.
16T
embarked for Ostend. The glorious victories gained by tlie
Duke of Marlborougii in tlie Netherlands, and wliich are de-
tailed in the Regimental Record, afforded Brigadier Sabine
frequent opportunities of distinguishing himself, particularly
at the battle of Oudenarde, on the 11th of July, 1708, where
his brigade captured the seven battalions of tlie Swiss regi«
ments of Fliiifer, Yillars, and Greder. He also gained
additional reputation at the siege of Lisle, on the 7th of Sep-
tember, 1708, in the attack of the counterscarp, Brigadier
Sabine being selected to command tlie force ordered on that
duty. In July, 1712, Major-Gcneral Sabine was appointed
to command the citadel of Ghent, and on the conclusion of
the treaty of Utrecht in April, 1713, he returned with the
regiment to England. Here his active military career ceased,
for Ihe long interval of peace which ensued, afforded no op-
portunities for further display, althougli the attention he paid
to the discipline of the Twentv-tiiikd, kept the regiment in
a state of efficiency, and paved the way for its future honors
in the " War of the Austrian Succession,* previously to
which the decease of General Joseph Sabine occurred, namely,
on the 24th of October, 1 739, a few months after his pro-
motion to the rank of General.
Newsham Peers.
Appointed 23rd November, 1739.
LlEUT.-COLONEL NeWSIIAM PeeRS, of the TWENTY-THIBD
Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was promoted to tlie colonelcy of
the regiment on the 23rd of November, 1739; but he did not
long enjoy the honor, for the colonel was severely wounded
at the battle of Dettingen on the 27th of June, 1743, of
which he afterwards died.
I
.John Huske.
Appointed 2%th July, 1743.
Colonel John IIuske, of the thirty-second regiment, served
as Brigadier at the battle of Dettingen on the 27 th of June, 1 743,
and was severely wounded. He was promoted td the rank of
major-general, and appointed Colonel of the Twenty-third
Royal Welsh Fusiliers on the 28th of July, 1743, by King
George II., as a reward for his distinguished services. On
III I
II!
lOfl
HUCCRBSION OP COLONELS.
the breaking out of the rebellion in Hcutland in n45, the
Minjor-gcnerurB services were called in requiHition tu araiHt
in forming the camp in the north of England under the com-
mand of Field -Marshal Wade. By his judicious conduct at
the bntrle of Falkirk, on the 17th of January, 1746, he
secured the retreat of the Hoyal forces to Linlithgow. He
also distinguiHhed himself at the battle of CuUoden on the
IGth of April, 1746, which crushed the rebellion. On the
Uth of August, 1747, he was promoted to the rank of lieut.*
general, and was further advanced to that of general on the
flth of December, 1746. General Iluske commanded the
TwEXTY-TiiiHD regiment during the siege of Minorca, by
the French, in 17o6. General Iluske died on the 16th of
January, 1761.
The IIoNonABLK George Roscawen.
Appointed \6th January, 1761.
Lieut.-Genehal the Honohable Georoe Boscawen,
brother of Viscount Falmouth, entered the army as an ensign
in the Foot Guards in the year 1728, in which he was after-
wards promoted to the rank of Captain. He distinguished
himself iit the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy in 1743 and
1745; in the latter year he was appointed Deputy-Governor
of Scilly. He was appointed colonel in the army on the 18th
of August, 1749 ; and on the 14th of October was appointed
aide-de-camp to the King: on the 4th of March, 1752, King
George II. nominated him colonel of the twenty-ninth regi-
ment. On the 14th of January, 1758, Colonel the Honor-
able George Boscawen was advanced to the rank of major-
general, and to that of lieutenant-general on the 22nd of
February, 1760. On the 16th of January, 1761, King
George III. removed Lieut.-general the Honorable George
Boscawen from the colonelcy of tlie Twenty-ninth to that of
the Twenty-third Royal Welsh FCsiliers. Lieut.-
general the Honorable George Boscawen's decease occurred
on tiie 3rd of May, 1 775, in York-street, St. James's.
AViLLiAM Viscount Howe, K.B.
Appointed Wth May, 1775.
This distinguished officer commenced his military career as a
cornet in the Duke of Cumberland's regiment of light dragoons,
in which he was promoted to a lieutenancy on the 21st of Sep-
SUCCKSSIUN OP L'UI.UNKI,*i.
m)
tem')er, 1747. Tlio rt'^imellt was dinbanded in 1749, sliortly
after tho conclusion of the treaty of Aix-la-('lia|)«'lle, wliich was
(•igned in ( )ctober of tlie preceding year. lie wa* promoted to
the rank of captain in tiie t\ventietl\ regiment on the l8t of
June, 17<'jO, and to tliat of major in the sixtieth (afterwards
fifty-eighth; regiment on tlie 4tli of January, 1756. On the
17th of December, 1757, lie was promoted to tlie lieutenant-
colonelcy of the fifly-eiglith regiment. During the *' Seven
Years* War" lie served in America under Major-General
"VVolfewith great reputation, and was advanced to the brevet
rank of colonel on the lOtli of February, 17G2. Colonel the
Honorable William Howe was appointed by King George III.
to the colonelcy of the Forty-sixth regiment on the 2l8t of No-
vember, 1764. His iSIajcsty also advanced him to the rank ol
major-general on tlie 25tli of May, 1772, Major-general the
Honorable AVilliuin Howe was appointed to succeed General
Gage in the chief command of tli(> liritisli forces in Americ:
shortly after the commencement of the War of Independence
and arrived at Boston with Major-generals Clinton and Bur-
goyne in May, 1775. Major-General the Honorable Sir William
Howe, K.B., was appointed by His Majesty, colonel of the
TwENTY-THiiiD RoYAL Wklsh Fusiliers, from the forty-
sixth regiment, on the Uth of May, 1775. He commanded
at the attack on Bunker's Hill on the 17tli of June following,
was besieged in Boston during the winter, evacuated that
town in the spring of 1776, and retired to Halifax, in Nova
Scotia. In June, he arrived at Staten Island, where he was
joined by his brother Admiral Lord Howe. The brothers
here informed the American Congress, that they had received
full power to grant pardon to such as should return to their
obedience ; but the Commissioners appointed by that body
declined the proposition as unworthy of attention. In
August, he defeated the Americans at Lciig Island, and took
possession of New York in September. After the campaign
of the Jerseys, Sir William Howe sailed for New York, and
entered Chesapeake Bay. Having previously secured the
command of the Schuylkill, lie crossed it with his army, and
repelled the attack of the Americans at Germantown, in
September. On tiie 29tli of the previous month (August) His
Majesty had advanced him to the rank of lieut. -general. In
the spring of 1778, he returned to England, having resigned the
i:
i
no
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
command of the army to Lieut.- general Sir Henry Clinton. On
the 2l8t of April, 1 186, Sir William Howe was removed to the
colonelcy of the nineteenth (late twenty-third) Light Dra-
goons, which he retained until his decease. On the 12th of
October, 1793, Sir "William Howe was promoted to the rank
of general. In 1799, he succeeded to the Irish peerage held
by his brother Richard Earl Howe, the celebrated Admiral ;
and in 1805 he was appointed Governor of Plymouth. Gene-
ral Viscount Howe died on the 12th of July, 1814, in the
eighty-fifth year of his age.
Richard Grenville.
Appointed 21st April, 1786.
This officer entered the army in the year 1759, as an ensign
in the First Foot Guards ; he obtained the rank of captain
in 1760, by raising an independent company ; and on the 7th
of May, 1761, he was removed to the twenty-fourth regiment.
Captain Grenville served the campaigns of 1761 and 1762,
in Germany, as aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Granby. In
1772, he purchased a company in the Coldstream Guards, and
in 1776, he accompanied the brigade of Foot Guards to North
America. On the 19th of February, 1799, he was promoted
to the rank of colonel, and on the 20th of November, 1782,
to that of major-general. His Majesty King George III., as
a reward for his ser\ices, conferred upon Major-general
Grenville the colonelcy of the Twenty-third Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, on the 21st of April, 1786; on the 3rd
of May, 1796, he was advanced to the rank of lieut. -general ;
and to that of general on the 1st of January, 1801. General
Grenville died in London on the 22nd of April, 1823.
Sir James Willougiiby Gordon, Bart.,
G.C.B., and G.C.H.
Appointed from the JSighfy-Jifth regiment on the
23rd April, 1823.
APPENDIX.
List of Battles, Sieges, ^-c, in the Netherlands, during the
reign of King William III., from 1689 to the Peace of
Jtyswick in 1697.
Battle ofWalcourt 25 August, 1689
Fleurus 1 July, 1690
Mods surrendered to the French . . . . 10 April, 1691
Namur surrendered to the French . . . 1 July, 1692
Battle of Steenkirk 3 August,
Fumes and Dixmude captured .... — Sept.,
The French lines at D'Otignies forced . . 10 July, 1693
Battle of Landeu, or Neer-Wiuden ... 29 July,
Surrender of Huy 28 Sept., 1694
Attack on Fort Knocque 9 June, 1695
Dixmude surrendered to the French. . . 16 July, — —
Deinse surrendered to the French . . . 21 July, — .
Namur retaken by King William III. . . 25 July, .■
Citadel of Namur surrendered .... 5 Sept.,
Treaty of Rycwick signed 21 Sept., 1697
N.B. — The dales given in this, and in the three following pages, are
according to the Gregorian, or New Style.
r;
'.1 •
I
Ill
hi
I
The Julian or Old Style, was named after Julius Cajsar, who ad-
justed the Calendar, and ordained that the year should consist of 365
days 6 hours : — a day being added to every fourth year by the accumu-
lation of these six hours. This mode of reckoning continued until the
sixteenth century ; but as the year was upwards of eleven minutes
too long by this calculation, the excess had amounted in the year
1582 to ten days. Pope Gregory Xlll. accordingly amended the
Calendar by ordering that the 5tli of October should be reckoned the
1 5th of October. The Catiiolic nations adojjted the Gregorian Style,
but the Protestants rejected the improvement. In the year 1700,
however, when it became necessary to omit eleven days, the Protest-
ants of Germany, Switzerland, and the Nctlicrlands, adopted the
New Style.
England retained the Julian computation until the reign of King
George II., when an Act of Parliament (24 George II,, 1751) was
passed, whicii provided that eleven days should be dropped from the
year 1752, by considering the ard of September as the 14th of
September,
The year 1800 was not reckoned as a leap year, and therefore inter-
posed another day between the Old and New Style, so that Russia,
where the Julian method is still followed, is twelve days behind the
other nations of Europe, which have adopted the Gregorian compu-
tation.
Hi
172
Appendix.
List of Sieges, Battles, Sfc, in the Netherlands and Ger-
many, connected with the Services of the British Army,
during the " War of the Spanish Succession," from 1702
to 1713.
Invested. Surrendered.
Siege of Kayserswerth by the Prince
of Nassau Saarbruck .... 16 April, 17 June, 1702
Skirmish near Nimeguen between the
French army under Marshal
Boufflers, and the Allied troops
under the Earl of Athlone 11 June, — —
The Earl of Marlborough assumed the
command of the Allied Army 2 July,
Siege of Venloo 29 Aug., 25 Sept.,
Capture of Fort St. Michael 18 Sept.,
Siege of Stevenswaert .... 29 Sept. 3 Oct., -^—
Ruremonde 2 Oct. 7 Oct.,
Capture of Liege Citadel by storm 23 Oct.,
The Chartreuse of Liege surrendered .... 29 Oct.,
The Earl of Marlborough created
Duke of Marlborough 14 Dec,
Action with the French near Tongres .... 10 May, 1703
Siege of Bonn 24 April, 15 May,
Huy 16 Aug., 25 Aug., •
Limburg 10 Sept., 28 Sept.,
March of the Allies into Germany 19 May, 1704
Battle of Schellenberg, near Donawerth ... 2 July,
Donawerth entered by the Allied Army ... 3 July,
Siege of Rain. . {trenches opened) \S ZvAy, 17 July,
Tngoldstadt {abandoned after
the Battle of Blenheim) . . . 9 Aug.,
Battle of Blenheim 13 Aug.,
Ratisbon, Augsburg, Meuiiigen, and
other imperial towns occupied by
the Confederate Army —Aug.,
Ulm surrendered to General Thungen . . . . 11 Sept.,
Siege of Landau 12 Sept., 24 Nov.,
Occupation of Treves 29 Oct.,
Siege of Traerbach 3 Nov., 20 Dec,
E(uy captured by the French 11 June, 1705
Recapture of Huy 11 July,
Forcing the French Lines at Helixem,
and NeerHespen, near Tirlemont .... 18 July, — ^
Skirmish near the Dyle 21 July,
Siege of Sandvliet 26 Oct., 29 Oct.,
Battle of Ramilies 23 May, 1706
The principal towns of Brabant, and
of Flanders, occupied by the Allied
Army — May and June, —
APPENDIX.
113
Invested. Surrendered.
Siege of Ostend 28 June, 8 July 1706
Menin 25 July, 25 Aug.,
Dendermond 29 Aug., 5 Sept.,
Aeth 16 Sept., 3 Oct.,
Battle of Oudenarde 11 July, 1708
Siege of Lisle 13 Aug., 23 Oct.,
Battle of Wynendale 28 Sept.,
The Citadel of Lisle surrendered 9 Dec,
Passage of the French positions on the Scheldt 27 Nov.,
Siege of Ghent 18 Dec, 30 Dec,
Tournay 27 June, 29 July, 1709
Capture of the Citadel 3 Sept.,
Battle of Malplaquet 11 Sept.,
Siege of Mons 21 Sept., 20 Oct., — —
Passage of the French lines at Pont k, Vendin . 21 April, 1710
Siege of Douay 25 April, 27 June,
Bethune 15 July, 29 Aug.,
St Venant 6 Sept., 30 Sept.,
Aire 6 Sept., 9 Nov.,
Passage of the French lines at Arleux . . . . 5 Aug., 1711
Siege of Bouchain 10 Aug., 13 Sept, — —
The Duke of Ormond assumed the
command of the forces, in succes-
sion to the Duke of Marlborough 9 May, 1712
Siege of Quesnoy 8 June, 4 July,
Occupation of Dunkirk by the British troops . . 7 July,
Treaty of Utrecht signed 11 April, 1713
t ■
174
APPKNUIX.
Battles, Sieges, ^c, tohich occurred in Qcrmany and in the
Netherlands from 1743 to 1748, during the " War of the
Austrian Succession."
Battle of Dettingen (Germany) 27 June, 1743
Menin invested by the French 18 May, and captured t 6 June, 1744
Ypres invested by tlie Freuch 7 June, and captured . 14 June,
Fort Knocque surrendered to the French # • . • Juno, — — .
Fumes surrendered to the French •..••! ft July, — —
Friburg (Germany) invested by the French , . i 21 Sept. — —
Citadel of Friburg captured by the French i . • t 28 Nov. — —
Tournay invested by the French . .,.,., 23 April, 1745
Battle of Fontenoy .11 May, — —
Citadel of Tournay surrendered to the French. . . 21 June, — —
Skirmish near Ghent 9 July, —
Citadel of Ghent captured by the French .... 15 July, — —
Bruges captured by the French July, — —
Oudcnarde captured by the French 21 July, ——
Dendermond captured by the French Aug. — — <
Ostend invested by the French on 14 July, and captured 23 Aug.
Nieupoit captured by the French 26 Aug, — «
Aeth captured by the French 28 Sept.
Brussels invested by the French 24 Jan., and captured 20 Feb. 1 746
Mechlin captured by the French , May,
Antwerp captured by the French 20 May,
Citadel of Antwerp captured by the French . . . 31 May,
Mons invested by the French on 7 June, and captured 1 1 July, —
Fort St. Ghislain captured by the French .... 21 July, — -
Charleroi invested by the French on 25 July, and
captured ,, 2 Aug. — —
Huy captured by the French. ...,.,, Aug. — —
Namur invested by the French 26 Aug, ; Citadel captured 19 Sept. — —
Battle of Roucoux, near Liege 11 Oct, —^
Sluys surrendered to the French 11 April, 1747
Fort Sandberg in Hulst, and Axel, surrendered to the
French 28 April,
Sandvliet captured by the French June, — —
Battle of Vai, or Laffeld, near Maestricht .... 2 July,
Bergen-op-Zoom invested by the French 13 July, and
captured • • 10 Sept. ——
Forts Lillo, Frederick Henry, and Croix .... 2 Oct. — —
Limburg Cc7»tured by the French March, 1 748
Maestricht in ested by the French 3 April, — —
Maestricht surrendered to the French 3 May, — —
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 7 Oct.
APPENDIX.
175
List of the Britisu Regiments whicli gervcd In Ff<AMt>t;n« and Ueihiant
between 1742 and 1748, during tlio •' Warnf tha Aitntfian Succession."
CAVAI-Br.
\mt
III
Wllllll
Kill'
Iwrkiiil
fur
Chm.
".}
'.'}
Regiments.
3rd Troop Horse
Guards . .
4th ditto ditto
2nd ditto Horse Gre-l
nadier Guards • /
Royal Regiment )
Horse Guards . )
1st Horse (Ist Dra-l
goon Guards) . . j
4th Irish Horse (7th j
Dragoon Guards) /
1st Dragoons . i
2nd ditto . .
3rd ditto ....
4th ditto . . . •
0th ditto (Inniskilling)
7 th ditto . . .
Foot Guards.
Ist Foot Guards 1st
Battalion .
2nd ditto ditto
3rd ditto ditto •
Infantry.
1st Foot 1st Batt. .
3rd ditto (Buffs) .
4th ditto . . .
8th ditto , . .
11th ditto . . .
12th ditto . . .
13th ditto . . .
18th ditto . . .
19th ditto (Green) .
20th ditto . . .
2l8t ditto, Royal Nth
British Fusiliers
23rd ditto, Royal
Welsh Fusiliers
25th ditto . .
28th ditto . .
31st ditto • .
32nd ditto . .
33rd ditto . .
34th ditto . .
SOth ditto . .
37th ditto . .
42nd ditto . .
48th ditto . .
.}
Colonels.
Earl of Albcmairlo
Earl of Efflngimm
EarlofCrauftird
Earl of Hertford
Earl of Pembroka
Sir John Ligonlcr
Hawley . .
Campbell . .
Honey wood t t
Rich. • • .
Lord Cadogun ,
Cope . . I
Duke of Cumberlnnd
Duke of Marlborough
Earl of Dunmore
St. Clair . ,
Howard t •
Barrel . • •
Onslow . . ,
CornwalliB . ,
Duroure . .
Pulteney , •
Mordaunt . ,
Howard • .
Bligh . . .
Campbell . ,
I Hejoined
IMi;n,«.t,,«,«. |t%*,™r
KillHin In r,m»»- d„,, ,ft„
j|ilf(lic uf llip Re- ||,„ ,„p.
MKtin IN f.niir uf preMionof
kli« I'lMtindcr. UieHebel-
lloo.
Peers , . .
Earl of Rothes .
Bragg . . ,
Handasyd .
Skelton . . .
Johnson . •
Cholmondeley ,
Fleming . .
Pousonby . .
Lord Semphill
LordHarry IJeaucIcfk
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1742
1744
1742
1744
1742
1742
1743
1742
174.1
1744
1742
1742
1742
1744
1744
1742
1742
1742
1744
1744
1742
1744
1744
174(5
1740
1740
1740
1740
1749
1745
Retnd. In Plandsri
1745
1740
Ittfltinliied In 1
riDiideri. I
1745
1745
1745
1745
1745
1745
1745
Htmd. In f Inndcn
1745
1745
1745
n«mdi In Plnndm
1745
1745
1745
1745
1749
1745
1 netnnlnrd In 1
i flondira. I
1749
1745
1745
1 1745
I 1745
1747
1747
1747
1747
1746
1746
• •
1748
1747
1747
1747
• •
1747
1747
1747
176
APPKNOIZ.
Names of the OflScers belonging to the Royal Welsh Fcpilieks on the
1st of August, 1759, the date of the Battle of " Minden."
Rank.
Name.
Date of
Rank in tlie
C'ommisiiion,
Army.
Colonel . .
.John Huske . .
29 July 1743
(Lt-Gen. Jlth
t of Aug. 1/47.
Lieut.-Colonel
E. Saclieverel Pole*
9 Jan. 1756
Major . .
Thos. Marlay . .
7 Sept. „
Captain . .
Charles Hemington
29 Oct. 1754
> t
Paston Gould . .
IG „ 1755
1 1
Patrick Kainey .
25 Dec. „
• >
Paul Castleman .
23 Mar. 1756
» >
William Fowler* .
.>6 Aug. „
27 Apr. 1766
< )
John Fox*. . .
28 „ „
Captain Lieut.
Richard Bolton* .
5 Apr. 1757
First Lieuts.
L^njamin Young .
29 Oct. 17.54
11
Benjamin Bernard
2 „ 1755
> t
Cutlibert Shafto .
26 Dec. „
>»
Charles Reynell* .
25 Aug.l756
27 Apr. 1756
1 )
Joseph Patterson*
26 „ „
23 June „
f f
James Sutherland.
27 „ „
>t
Harry Blunt .
28 „ „
n
Arthur Barber* .
iSept. „
>i
Philip Mercier .
* tf »l
1 >
Arthur Hawthorne
3 9t ti
1 1
Edward Evans
* 9> >*
>>
Grey Grove* . .
25 „ 1757
>»
George Orpin*
26 „ „
> >
William Blakeney
27 „ „
))
Robert Gibbings .
28 „ „
) f
Thomas Grant
29 „ „
1 »
Joseph Ferguson .
30 „ „
9 9
Fred. Mackenzie .
3 Oct. „
, f
Charles Owen. .
9 June 1759
Second Lieuts.
William Tyrwhitt
24 Sept.1757
> J
James Crcswell .
25 „ „
9 9
William Wollery .
27 „ „
) >
David Ferguson* .
30 ., „
1 9
George Pettener .
1 Oct. „
9 9
Thomas Mecan .
20 Dec. 1758
> I
Robert Douglas .
7 Feb. 1759
? )
Maxwell Boyle .
9 June „
Chaplain .
James Ashton. .
28 Sept.1757
Adjutant . .
Benjamin Bernard
23 Mar. 1756
Quarter Master
Richard Baily
22 July 1758
Surgeon . .
William Pearson .
15 „ 1758
* Wounded at Minden.
APPENDIX.
177
[From Grose's " Military Antiquities."']
" The Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliebs has a privileged
honor of passing in review, preceded by a goat with gilded horns,
and adorned with ringlets of flowers ; and although this may not
come immediately under the denomination of a reward for merit,
yet the corps values itself much on the ancientness of the custom,
" Every 1st of March, being the anniversary of their tutelar saint,
David, the officers give a splendid entertainment to all their Welsh
brethren, and after the cloth is taken away, a bumper is filled round
to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, (whose health is always
drunk to first on that day,) the band playing the old tune of ' TJie
noble race of Shenkin,' when a handsome drum-boy, elegantly
dressed, mounted on the goat, richly caparisoned for the occasion,
is led thrice round the table in procession by the drum-major.
" It happened in 1775, at Boston, that the animal gave such a
spring from the floor, that he dropped his rider upon the table,
and then bounding over the heads of some officers, he ran to the
barracks with all his trappings, to the no small joy of the garrison."
-Major Donkin's Military Collections.''^
!
f!
Ill
;n!
N
178
APPKMDIX.
" General Orders. Horse Guards,
leth May, 1801.
•' The recent events which have occurred in Egypt have
induced His Majesty to lay his most gracious commands on
His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, to convey to
the troops employed in that country His Majesty's highest
approbation of tlieir conduct ; and at the same time His
Majesty has deemed it expedient that these his gracious senti-
ments should be communicated to every part of his army, not
doubting that all ranks will thereby be inspired with an
honorable spirit of emulation, and an eager desire of distin-
guishing themselves in their country's service.
•* Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty
ascribes the successes that have attended the exertions of his
troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent
in Britons ; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly
and most forcibly impressed on the consideration of every
part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order,
discipline, and military system, which has given its full energy
to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them
proudly to assert the superiority of the* national military
character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under cir-
cumstances of peculiar difficulty.
*' The illustrious example of their Commander cannot fail to
have made an indelible impression on the gallant troops, at
whose head, crowned with victory and glory, he terminated
his honorable career ; and His Majesty trusts that a due
contemplation of the talents and virtues which he uniformly dis-
played in the course of his valuable life, will for ever endear the
memory of Sir Ralph Abercromby to the British army.
" His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief having thus
obeyed His Majesty's commands, cannot forbear to avail him-
self of this opportunity of recapitulating the leading features
of a series of operations so honorable to the British arms.
" The boldness of the approach to the coast of Aboukir, in
defiance of a powerful and well-directed artillery, the orderly
formation upon the beach, under the heaviest fire of grape and
musketry, tlie reception and repulse of the enemy's cavalry
and infantry, the subsequent charge of our troops, which
decided the victory, and established a footing on the shores of
Egypt, are circumstances of glory never surpassed in the
military annals of the world.
APrKNDIX.
no
" The advance of the army, on the 13th of March, towards
Alexandria, presents the spectacle of a movement of infentry
through an open country, «vho, being attacked upon their
march, formed, and repuh.a ihe enemy ; then advanced in
line for three miles, engaged along therr whole front, until
they drove the enemy to seek his safety under the protection
of his entrenched position. Such had been the order and
regularity of the advance.
"Upon the 2lst of March, the united force of the French
in Egypt attacked tlie position of the British army.
"An attack, begun an hour before daylight, could derive no
advantage over the vigilance of an army ever ready to re-
ceive it. The enemy's most vigorous and repeated efforts
were directed against the right and centre. Our in&ntry
fought in the plain, greatly inferior in the number of their
artillery, and unaided by cavalry.
" They relied upon their discipline and their courage. The
desperate attacks of a veteran cavalry, joined to those of a
numerous in&ntry, which had vainly styled itself ^Invincible,*
were everywhere repulsed j and a conflict the most severe
terminated in one of the most signal victories which ever
adorned the annals of the British nation.
" In bringing forward these details, the Comnmndev-in-Chief
does not call upon the army merely to admire but to emulate
such conduct. Every soldier who feels for the honor of his
country, while he exults in events so splendid and important
in themselves, will henceforth have fresh motives for cherishing
and enforcing the practice of discipline, and by uniting, in the
greatest perfection, order and precision with activity and
courage, will seek to uphold, and transmit undiminished to
posterity, the Glory and Honor of the British Arms.
" Nor is a less useful example to be derived from the con
duct of the distinguished Commander who fell in the field. His
steady observance of discipline, his ever- watchful attention to
the health and want* of hid troops, the persevering and un-
conquerable spirit which marked his military career,, the
splendour of his actions in the field, and the heroism of hi»
death, are worthy the imitation of all who desire, like him, a
life of honor and a death of glory.
" By Order of His Royal Highness the Commander-m-Chief.
'* Harry Calvert, Colonel and Adjutant- General.**
180
APPKNDIX.
The following Regiments were employed in Egypt, in 1801,
and were permitted by His Majesty King George the Third,
to bear on their colours the Sphinx, witii the word " Egypt,"
as a distinguished mark of Ilis Majesty's, Royal approbation,
and as a lasting memorial of the glory acquired to His
Majesty's arms by the zeal, discipline, and intrepidity of his
troops in that arduous and important campaign, viz. —
Corps. Commanding Officers.
J8th Light Dragoons, 1 Troop . Captain Hawkins.
1 1th Light Dragoons, 1 Troop . Captain A. Money.
12th ,, . Colonel Mervyn Archdall.
t22ncl , , . Lieut.-Col. Hon. Wm. Lninley.
26th (afterwards 23rd) Light) , • . ^ i , « u . />, o
Dragoons . . . . . . f Lieut.-Colonel Robert Gordon.
Hompesch's HuRsars (detachment) Major Sir Robert T. Wilson.
Coldstream Guards, 1st Battalion Lieut.-Colouel Arthur Brice.
3rd Foot Guards, 1st Battalion . Lieut.-Colonel T. Hilgrove Turner
Royals, 2nd Battalion ... Lieut.-Colonel Duncan Campbell.
2nd, Queen's Royal .... Colonel the Earl of Dalhoosie.
8th Foot, King's Colonel Gordon Drummoud.
TOth , Lieut.-Colonel Richard Quarrell.
13th , , , Hon. Chas. Colville.
18th, Royal Irish .... , , Henry T. Montresor
t20th Foot, 1st and 2pd Battalions , , George Smith.
23rd, Royal Welsh Fusiliers . , , , John Hall.
t24th Foot , , John R. Forster.
t25th , , Colonel William Dyott.
f 26th , , , , Lord Elphinstone.
27th, Inniskilling, 1st & 2nd Bns. Lieut.-Colonel Samuel Graham.
28th Foot Colonel Hon. Edward Paget.
30th , , Lieut.-Colonel Wm. Wilkinson.
40th , , (Flank Companies) . Colonel Brent Spencer.
42nd, Royal Highland Regt. . Lieut-Colonel William Dickson.
44th Foot ....... , , David Ogilvie.
* The 10th, 80th, 86th, and 88th Regiments proceeded from the East
Indies, under the orders of Major-General David Baird, to join the army
in Egypt.
t The 22nd Light Dragoons, 20th (two battalions), 24th, 25th, and
26th Regiments, the Ancient Irish Fencibles, and the foreign corps of
De Watteville and Chasseurs Britanniques, joined the Army in Egypt in
July, 1801.
X One troop of the 8th Light Dragoons and the 61st Regiment, embarked
from the Cape of Good Hope, joined the army under Major-General
Baird at Cosseir, in July, 1801, and proceeded through the Desert to
Ghcueh, or Kcnneh, on the Nile, where the troops embarked for Cairo.
Ari'KNDIX. 181
Corps. Commanding Officers.
50th Foot Colonel Patrick Wauchope.
ft4th ,, Ist and 2nd Battalions Lieut.-ColondJohnTlios. Layard.
5gth J J , , William Iloustoun.
teigt , ^ , , Francis Carruthers.
79th , Colonel Alan Cameron.
*80th • Lieut.-Colonel John Montresor.
*86th ',] . . James P. Lloyd.
*88th , , Colonel Wm. Carr Beresford.
89th , , , William Stewart.
90th ,, .. Rowland Hill.
92nd , Lieut.-Colouel Charles Erskine.
tDe Watteville's Regiment . . Lieut.-Col. Louis de Watteville.
The Queen's German Regiment Lt-Col. Peter John Jas. Dutens.
De Roll's Regiment .... , , The Baron De Durler.
Dillon's Regiment .... , , The Baron Perponcher.;
Royal Corsican Hangers . . . Major Hudson Lowe,
f Ancient Irish Fencibles.
•f Chasseurs Britanniques . . . Colonel John Ramsay.
Staff Corps (detachment).
182
AI'I'KNDIX.
»' G ENERA L Orders. Hia Majesty's Ship, * Audacious,'
18r/j .lanuarij, 1809.
'* The irreparable loss that has beeti sustained by tiie fall of
tlie Commaiuler of tlie Forces {Lieut.- General Sir John
Moore), and the severe wound whicli has removed Lieut.-
General Sir David Baird from his 8tati»)ii, render it tlie
duty of Lieut.- General Hope to congratulate the army upon
the successful result of the action of the 16th instant.
'< On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British trOops
ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and
harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which
the enemy luul acquired, and which had materially impaired
the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be
encountered.
" These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops
themselves ; and the ehemy has been taught, that whatever
advantages of position, or of numbers he may employ, there
is inherent in the British officers and soldiers, a bravery that
knows not how to yield, that no circumstances can appal,
and ihat will ensure victorj' when it is to be obtained by the
exertion of any human means.
<' The Lieut.-General has the greatest satisfaction in distin-
guishing such meritorious services, as came within his obser-
vation, or have been brought to his knowledge.
*' His acknowledgments are, in a peculiar manner, due to
Lieut.-General Lord William Bentinck, and the brigade
under his command, consisting of the fourth, forty-second,
and fiftieth regiments, and which sustained the weight of the
attack.
" Major- General Manningham, with his brigade, consisting
of the Royals, the twenty-sixth and eighty- first regiments, and
Maj<yr- General Warde, with the brigade of Guards, will also
be pleased to accept his best thanks for their steady and gallant
conduct during the action.
"To Major- General Paget, who, by a judicious movement
of the reserve effectually contributed to check the progress of
the enemy on the right ; and to the first battalions o^ ' he fifty-
second aiid ninety-fifth regiments, which were tl eby en-
gaged, the greatest praise is justly due.'
"That ^a,rt of Major- General Leith's bTiga.de which was
engaged, consisting of the fifty-ninth regiment, under
APPKNDIX.
183
tlio conduct of the Mnjor-Gfiierul, also claiiiiH inarkeil
approbation.
*' The enemy not having rendered the attack on the led a
serious one, did not afford to tlie troops stationtil in tliat
quarter an opportunity of displaying that gallantry which
must have made him repent tlie attempt.
•' The piquets and advanced |K>.sts, liowever, of the brigades
under the command of Major' Generals Hill and Leith, and
Colonel Cntlin Craufurd, conducted themselves with deter-
mined resolution ; and were ably supported by the officers
commanding these brigades, and by the troops of wliich they
were composed.
" It is peculiarly incumbent upon the Lieut.- General to
notice the vigorous attack made by the second batti.lion of the
fourteenth regiment under Lieut.- Colonel Nicolh, which
drove the enemy out of the village, of the lefl of which he
had possessed himself.
" The exertions of Lieut.- Colonel Murray, Quarter-Master
General, and of the other officers of the General Staff, during
the action, were unremitted, and deserve every degree of
approbation.
" The illness of Brigadier- General Clinton, Adjutant-
General, unfortunately deprived the army of the benefit of
his services.
** The Lieut. -General liopes the loss in point of numbers is
not so considerable ns ni^'Ut have been expected ; he laments,
however, the fal' t the gallant soldiers and valuable officers
who have snffi'rwl.
" The LitHU.-lteneral knows that it is impossible, in any
language he can use, to enhance the esteem, or diminish the
regret, thai the army feels with him for its late Commander.
His career has been unfortunately too limited for his country,
but has been sufficient for his own fame. Beloved by the
army, honored by his Sovereign, and respected by his country,
he has terminatetl a life devoted to her serviVi by a glorious
deatli, — leaving his name as a memorial, an example, and an
incitement, to those who shall follow him in the path of honor,
and it is from his country alone that his memory can receive
tiie tribute wliich is its due.
(Signed)
" John Hci'E, Lieut. -General."
184
APPENDIX.
'' General Orders. Horse Guards,
\at FeJruary, 1809.
" The benefits derived to an army from the example of a
distinguLihed Commander, do not terminate at his death ; his
virtues live in the recollection of his associates, and his fame
remains the strongest incentive to great and glorious actions.
" In this view, the Commander-in-Chief, amidst the deep and
universal regret which the deatli of Lieut.-General Sir John
Moore has occasioned, recals to the troops the military
career of that illustrious officer for their instruction and
imitation.
" Sir John Moore from his youth embraced the profession
with the feelings and sentiments of a soldier ; he felt that a
perfect knowledge, and an exact performance of the humble
but important duties of a subaltern officer, are the best found-
ations for subsequent military fame ; and his ardent mind>
while it looked forward to those brilliant achievements for
which it was formed, applied itself, with energy and exemplary
assiduity, to the duties of that station.
" In the school of regimental duty, he obtained that correct
knowledge of his profession so essential to the proper direction
of the gallant spirit of the soldier ; and he was enabled to
establish a Ci^aracteristic order and regularity of conduct, be-
cause the troops found in their leader a striking example of
the discipline which he enforced oti others.
" Having risen to command, he signalized his name in the
West Indies, in Holland, and in Egypt. The unremitting
attention with which he devoted himself to the duties of every
branch of his profession, obtained him the confidence of Sir
Ralph Abercromby, and he became the companion in arms
of that illustrious officer, who fell at the head of his victorious
troops, in an action which maintained our national superiority
over the arms of France.
" Thus Sir John Moore at an early period obtained, with
general approbation, that conspicuous station, in which he
gloriously terminated his useful and honorable life.
*' It? a military character obtained amidst the dangers of
climate, the privations incident to service, and the sufferings
of repeated wounds, it is difficult to select any one point as
a preferable subject for praise ; it exhibits, however, one
APPENDIX.
185
feature so particularly characteristic of the man, and so im-
portant to the best interests of the service, that the Commander-
in-Chief is pleased to mark it with his peculiar approbation—
«' The life of SIR JOHN MOORE was spent amongst
THE troops.
" During the season of repose, his time was devoted to the
care and instruction of the officer and soldier ; in war he
courted service in every quarter of the globe. Regardless of
personal considerations, he esteemed that to which his
country called him, the post of honor, and by his undaunted
spirit and unconquerable perseverance, he pointed the way to
victory.
" His country, the object of his latest solicitude, will rear a
monument to his lamented memory ; and the Commander-in-
Chief feels he is paying the best tribute to his fame by thus
holding him forth as an Example to the Army.
" By order of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief.
'* Harrt Calvert,
" Adjutant- General!*
o
186
APPENDIX.
The following Regiments composed the Army under Lieut. -
General Sir John Moore, at Cohunna, on the 16th
of January^ 1809.
Corps.
Comrhanding Office s.
7th Light Dragoons
10th ,,
15th ,,
18th ,,
Srd ,, (King's Germ. Leg
Artillery
Engineers
Waggon Train Detachment .
1st Foot Guards, 1st Battalion
3rd
Ist Foot
2ud
4th
5th
6th
9th
14th
20th
23rd
26th
28th
32nd
36th
38th
42nd
43rd
43rd
50th
51st
52nd
52nd
59th
60th
60th
71st
76th
79th
81st
82nd , ,
91st ,,
92nd , ,
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3rd
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
. 1st
. 2nd
Ist
» •
1st
2nd
2nd
2nd
5th
, 1st
Ist
1st
2nd
t •
1st
let
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9.5th (Rifle Reg.) 1st
, , , , 2nd
Staff Corps Detachment
1st Light Batt. King's German
Legion.
and
Lieut.-Colonel Vivian
, , Leigh.
, , Grant
, , Jones.
Major Bnrgwesel.
Colonel Harding.
Major Fletcher.
Lieut-Colonel Langley.
, , Cocks.
, , Wheatley.
Major Muller.
Lieut-Colonel Iremonger.
, , Wynch.
, , Mackenzie.
Major Gordon.
Lieut.-Colonel Cameron,
Nicolls.
Ross.
Wyatt.
Maxwell.
Belson.
Hinde.
Bum.
Hon.Chas.Greville
Stirling.
Gifford.
Hull.
Major Charles Napier.
Lieut.-CoIoneI Darling.
Barclay.
John Ross.
Fane.
Codd.
Major Davy.
Lieut.-Colonel Pack-
, , Symes.
, , Cameron.
Major Williams.
, , M'Donala.
, , Douglas.
Lieut-Colonel Napier.
, , Beckwith.
Wade.
Nicolay.
Leonhart.
} >
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It
Halkett
APPENDIX.
187
Letter addressed to Colonel Pearson^ commanding the
TWENTT-THIRD RoYAL "WeLSH FuSILIERS, by MojOT-
General Sir Willoughby Gordon^ Bart.^ on his appointment
to the Colonelcy qfthe Regiment.
" Horse Guards,
" Dear Sir, 28th AprH, 1823.
" The Commander-in-Chief having acquainted me that
the King has been graciously pleased to appoint me to the
colonelcy of the TwENir-THiRD Royal Welsh Fusiliers,
I take the earliest opportunity in my power to notify the same
to you. I beg you will be assured, that it has been to me a
source of the highest gratification in having been thus selected
for this honorable command ; and that while I receive it as
an additional proof of His Majesty's favour to me, I feel a
pride in the national distinction of the corps, and in being
thus associated with its long and hardly-earned honors and
renown, which it will be ever one of my most anxious duties
iy« endeavour to maintain and extend.
" It is also no small satisfaction to me to be immediately
placed in communication with an officer under whose com-
mand this fine regiment has established so much of its fame
and glory.
••I have, &c.,
(Signed) « J. W. Gordon,
" Colonel Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
" Colonel Pearson, C.B.,
Commanding Twenty-third
Royal Welsh Fusiliers."
LONDON I
Printed by William '^Lowit and Bom, Sttmrord 8tr«et,
For Her M^eity'i Stfttionery Oftte*.
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