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British Regiments in War and Peace

II

THE NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

THE

NORTHUMBERLAND
FUSILIERS

BY

WALTER WOOD

AUTHOR OF ' WITH THE FLAG AT SEA,' ETC.

ILLUSTRATED

LONDON
GRANT RICHARDS

• • » . * •

uAkS

HENRY MORSE STEFHEMS

ouc

TO

THE OFFICERS

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

AND MEN

OF

THE NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

'^9261

INTRODUCTION

Sixteen battle-honours on the colours of the

" Ever-fighting, Never-failing Fifth " stand for

what the Northumberland Fusiliers have done

for Crown and country. But those distinctions,

illustrious and wide-reaching though they are,

do not go beyond indicating part of the

regiment's work. They cannot do more than

that, because the first of the honours dates only

from the year 1762, whereas the regiment has

existed, and has been almost constantly in action,

for more than two centuries and a quarter.

The Fifth began well, for very soon after

they were raised they lost nearly half their

officers and men. This wafc at the siege of

Maestricht, in Holland. In two more years —

at St. Denis — the regiment again suffered heavily,

losing 12 officers and 50 men killed, and over

b

viii NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

ioo wounded. The Fifth led the attack in the
most valiant style, and the French were routed.
For years the regiment fought in Flanders,
afterwards in Portugal, then at Gibraltar during
the siege of 1727 ; later in France and Germany.
In the last-named country it secured its first
and most famous honour — " Wilhelmstahl,"
for that honour is not only not shared by any
other regiment in the British Army, but it also
made the Fifth the first British grenadier
regiment, and gave them other unique distinc-
tions. At Wilhelmstahl the Fifth took more
than twice their number of French grenadiers
prisoners, and finally helped to capture nearly a
whole French division. An act so exceptional
demanded unusual recognition, and accord-
ingly the Fifth were allowed for many years to
wear French grenadier caps, instead of the hat
in ordinary use by the British troops of the
day.

To this famous privilege there was quickly
added another, which is as greatly cherished —
that red and white hackle feather which is worn
alone by the Northumberland Fusiliers, no other

INTRODUCTION ix

British corps sharing the right to it. This
plume was given to the regiment in recognition
of its valour at St. Lucie in 1778. The regi-
ment was furiously attacked by an army of
9000 Frenchmen ; but the assailants were
repulsed with the loss of 500 killed and 1100
wounded, the Fifth losing 15 killed and 130
wounded. For this notable victory the honour
was gained of wearing a plume in the head-dress,
because on the field of battle the Fifth took
from the dead Frenchmen plumes more than
enough to decorate the whole regiment.

The Fifth Fusiliers have indeed a bewilder-
ing wealth of distinctions. Besides the unique
honours of Wilhelmstahl, the plume, and of
being the first British grenadier regiment, they
rank as one of the oldest corps in the Line,
and possess one of the most ancient badges
and mottoes in our army — St. George and the
Dragon, with duo fata vocant. To the Fifth also
belongs the distinction of establishing the first
instance on record of a charge with the bayonet
being made upon cavalry by infantry in line.
Again, the Fifth enjoy the privilege of wearing

x NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

red and white roses in the head-dress on St.
George's Day — a very old custom, and so faith-
fully honoured that neither war nor distance is
excuse for non-observance. In the past year —
1 900 — roses were sent from England to South
Africa, where the officers and men of the regi-
ment on active service stuck the flower in cap
and helmet, and by means of it maintained a
link with home six thousand miles away.

The device of England's patron saint is not
borne by any regiment except the Fifth. In the
matter of facings, too, the Fifth are honoured.
The colour is " gosling green," and it has for
a lengthened period been one of the peculiarities
of the dress of the regiment. For a season the
ancient privilege was tampered with, but re-
presentations made in the proper quarter have
been successful, and the historic facings have
been restored to the regiment and the Army List,
to the great pride and satisfaction of the corps.
This particular colour, which has been produced
by one firm of Yorkshire dyers for more than
a hundred years, is worn exclusively by the
Fifth. There is a further distinction, which

INTRODUCTION xi

may be almost called a literary one, for Scott,
in tVaverley, made the gallant conduct at
Prestonpans of Charles Whitefoord, who sub-
sequently became the colonel of the Fifth, the
groundwork of one of the most striking scenes
in the novel. To these and other matters
further reference is made in the chapters of this
volume.

The Fifth have enjoyed the right, very rare
in the British Army, of possessing a third
colour. The distinction arose, it is believed,
out of the battle of Wilhelmstahl in 1762, and
the third colour was possessed by the regiment
until 1833. In tnat year, to the great grief of
the Fifth, the colours, including the third, were
destroyed by an accidental fire at Gibraltar.
Strenuous efforts were made to get permission
for the trophy to be replaced, but without
success, and the regiment had to be content
with permission, granted on May 14, 1836, for
" Wilhelmstahl " to be borne on the colours.
This third banner, which was small, and of
green silk, was inscribed with the badge, motto,
number, and designation of the corps, and was

xii NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

carried at the head of the regiment, amid the band
and drummers. The distinction is supposed to
have originated in the capture by the Fifth of
the colours of the French Grenadiers at Wil-
helmstahl, as well as the Grenadiers themselves.

The ist and 2nd Battalions possess a
third colour at the present day, subscribed for
by the officers, and the newly-raised 3rd and
4th Battalions are making similar arrangements
to provide themselves with a third colour.
Those in possession of the ist and 2nd Bat-
talions are facsimiles of the old one. Each
appears once a year only, on St. George's Day,
when it is carried, as of old, amongst the
drums. This is usually called " the third," or
" drummers' colour."

Of the quickstep of the Fifth there is little
more to say than that it is the same as the
quickstep of other Fusilier Regiments — u The
British Grenadiers." The Fifth share this
march in common with the Royal Artillery, the
Royal Engineers, the Grenadier Guards, and
the other eight Fusilier Regiments in the British
Army.

INTRODUCTION xiii

Of all these distinctions the Fifth are very
proud, and justly so, for they shed peculiar
lustre on the regiment ; but there is another
cause for great satisfaction with them, and that
is their esprit de corps. This has been at all
times one of the most marked characteristics of
the regiment. It has been noted and referred
to repeatedly by members of the Fifth them-
selves ; but it has been commented upon also
by men who have had no actual association
with the regiment. Amongst these was Major
Patterson, a Peninsular officer who was not of
the Fifth, and who therefore spoke without
prejudice. Probably in no other regiment in
the British Army has this spirit been more
evident and more carefully fostered than in
the " Old and Bold." In the earlier years of
the century it gave the Fifth an officer like
Ridge, and at the close men like Keith-Falconer,
"Young Ray," and "Boy Booth" — to name
three only of that brave band who have gone
to rest in South Africa. The spirit, too, is
evidenced in every number of the regimental
journal, the St. George s Gazette, one of the

xiv NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

oldest, ablest, and most successful papers of its
class, and the first to find its way to the Royal
presence. In January 1897 an edition de luxe
of a number of the journal was accepted by the
late Queen. No issue of the paper can be read
without proof appearing of the great, silent,
inexpressible motive power which binds all
ranks and sections of the Fifth together, and
makes them not so much a mere regiment as
that " band of brothers " spoken of by Nelson
in relation to himself and fellow-officers.

Only recently an example was afforded of the
way in which the regiment is remembered in the
farthest corners of the world, and how, despite
the passing of the years, the spirit of the corps
remains with those who have been of its life
and blood. A few years since, when the 1st
Battalion was quartered at Cambridge Barracks,
Woolwich, it was visited by Mr. Franklin, an
old member who had left the regiment half a
century ago. Eventually he accompanied the
battalion on the march from Woolwich to
Aldershot. On leaving he was presented with a
complete uniform of the Fifth, including busby,

INTRODUCTION xv

to take back with him to his home in Australia.
When he died it was found that he had left
directions in his will for the sum of £50 to
be expended on a treat to the children of the
regiment — the love of which had never left him.
It was this affection, too, which prompted the
Militia battalion stationed at Malta to cable to the
members of the Fifth who on St. George's Day
1 900 were held by the fortune of war as prisoners
at Pretoria, the one-word greeting, " Luck."

In 1886 the regiment came into possession
of a historic relic through the kindness of Mrs.
King, the widow of Captain John Wingfield
King, 5 th Fusiliers, who was shot on November
19, 1868, at an election disturbance in Sligo,
when Deputy-Lieutenant of that county. Cap-
tain King was the son of Sir Henry King, K.C.B.,
who served many years with great distinction
in the " Old and Bold." The relic was one of
the original colour poles which were carried by
the regiment in the Peninsular War. On the
reduction of the 2nd Battalion in 18 16, the
colours were presented to its Colonel, Sir Henry
King, who commanded it during the Peninsular

xvi NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Campaign. At his death they became the pro-
perty of his son, Captain King. Mrs. King
presented to the Officers' Mess a small piece of
the Queen's colour pole, which is now carefully
preserved in a glass case, and she afterwards,
in 1886, gave the pole which carried the old
regimental colour, and which is in a very good
state of preservation. It has been attached to
the regimental colour now carried by the 1st
Battalion, and bears the following inscription on
a silver plate : " This pole was carried by the
5th Regiment during the Peninsular War, and
in 18 16 became the property of Sir Henry
King, K.C.B., whose daughter-in-law, the widow
of Captain John W. King, late of the 5th,
graciously presented it to the 1st Battalion/'
The remnants of the original colours (of which
the 1 st Battalion has a small piece in a picture
frame) are in the possession of Captain King's
eldest son, at his residence in Australia. Mrs.
King, who died in 1899, took the greatest
interest in everything connected with the Fifth.
For a great many years the regiment possessed
a highly-valued "Order of Merit." To this

INTRODUCTION xvii

reference is made in Chapter III. ; but it may
be said here that so admirable were the results
to the Fifth of the introduction of this reward
that they suggested to the authorities the Long
Service and Good Conduct Medal now in general
use.

It is somewhat strange that in the two and
a quarter centuries of the regiment's existence
the senior battalions should have met only twice ;
it is still more singular that one station —
Gibraltar — should have been the meeting-place
each time. In 1800 the 1st and 2nd Battalions
were quartered together at that fortress. In
1896 the 1 st was at Gibraltar and the 2nd
on passage home from Singapore on board the
Cephalonia. On New Year's Eve the transport
touched at the Rock, and accordingly the two
battalions met. The officers, numbering thirty-
nine, dined together at the Mess, and of this
notable gathering a record was kept by each
officer signing his name in the Mess Meeting
Minute Book.

In the long period of its existence the regi-
ment has naturally been the home of many

xviii NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

famous and noted people. Of these Colonel
Ridge, of immortal memory, Phoebe Hessel,
and Private James Grant may be named, Colonel
Ridge as representing all that has been excellent
in the higher ranks of the Fifth, Phcebe Hessel
as typifying the romance of the regiment, and
Grant as an example of that courage and de-
votion which have at all times marked the doings
of the corps on active service. Of the colonel
much is naturally written in succeeding pages.
Grant belonged to the 2nd Battalion of the
Fifth when in the Peninsula. As a member of
the band his duty was not so much in the front
as in the rear, but such was Grant's warlike
spirit that he could not keep himself out of
the fray. He invariably stole away from the
band when his regiment had gone into action,
and took to himself the arms of the first man
on the field who, by disablement, could not use
them. Grant was a tall and likely soldier, and
fell in on the right of the Grenadier Company
and fought until the end of the battle. Having
, done that, he returned to the less exciting duties
of the bandsman. It is curious that although

INTRODUCTION xix

Grant took part in some of the fiercest of the
Peninsular fights he escaped without a wound.
It is strange also that the death of a man like
him should have been brought about by such
a simple thing as a fall. Yet Grant died at
Malta in 1835 fr°m tnat cause. He had been
appointed Sergeant -Major of the regiment in
1828. The Fifth erected to his memory a
handsome tomb, on which a record of his achieve-
ments was placed.

Phoebe Hessel was a character famous not
only in the annals of the Fifth but also in
British military history generally. She was
one of the most celebrated of the few women
who have served as soldiers in the British Army.
Born at Stepney in 17 13, she dressed herself as
a man and enlisted, at the age of fifteen years,
in the Fifth, the regiment being at that time
under orders for the West Indies. Phoebe's
purpose was to follow and keep near her lover,
Samuel Golding, who had accompanied his regi-
ment, the 2nd Foot, now the Queen's (Royal
West Surrey Regiment), to the West Indies.
Eventually the 2nd Foot and the Fifth were

xx NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

quartered together at Gibraltar, where Golding
was wounded and invalided home to Plymouth.
After leaving the service Phoebe married Golding,
and they lived happily for more than twenty
years. Not long after her husband's death
Mrs. Golding married a Brighton fisherman
named William Hessel, who died about 1792.
Phcebe, however, lived until December 12, 1821,
having then reached the age of 108 years. It
is related of her that before her decease she
pathetically complained that every one could die
except herself. She was buried in the church-
yard of St. Nicholas, Brighton, and on a tomb-
stone there the principal events of her remarkable
life are set forth. " She served for many years,"
the inscription states, " as a private soldier in
the 5th Regiment of Foot in different parts of
Europe, and in the year 1745 fought under the
Duke of Cumberland at the battle of Fontenoy,
where she received a bayonet wound in her
arm. Her long life, which commenced in the
time of Queen Anne, extended to the reign of
George IV., by whose munificence she received
comfort and support in her latter years." A

INTRODUCTION xxi

picture of the memorial is in the possession of
the officers of the 2nd Battalion of the Fifth.

The Fifth have such a long and striking
record of campaigning that it is only possible
to obtain a clear record of their services by
scanning tables of their fights and losses. I
have accordingly prepared such statements,
which are given in the Appendix, and in which,
while the battles and sieges and their cost to
the regiment can be seen at a glance, other
details may be incorporated which would not
only burden the narrative itself but also very
probably escape attention.

As in the case of The Rifle Brigade ', many
authorities have been drawn upon for facts
contained in this volume ; but I am specially
indebted to the editor of the St. George's Gazette
(Major J. W. Malet) for placing at my disposal
a complete file of that journal from 1883 to
the end of 1900. The pages of that periodical
contain a mass of information relating to the
regiment which is not available in any other
way, and which is original and to all intents
and purposes unpublished.

xxii NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Each British regiment has its own peculiar
way of referring to itself, irrespective of the
official designation in the Army List. The
regiment dealt with in this volume knows itself
as the Fifth, and that honoured name is used
throughout these pages.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I

PAGE

The Early Years of the Regiment i

CHAPTER II

Fights in Ireland . . . . . 13

CHAPTER III

The Cap and the Colour 28

CHAPTER IV

The Winning of the Plume . . . .38

CHAPTER V

In the Peninsula ...... 47

CHAPTER VI
A Disastrous Expedition .... 57

CHAPTER VII

The Affair of El Bodon ..... 65

CHAPTER VIII

The Storming of Ciudad Rodrigo ... 74

xxiv NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

PACK

CHAPTER IX

The Escalade of the Castle . . . 91

CHAPTER X

"LUCKNOW" 113

CHAPTER XI

Minor Campaigns' . . . . . .138

CHAPTER XII
To South Africa . . . . . 149

CHAPTER XIII
The First Price of Victory . . . 155

CHAPTER XIV
Three Battles in Six Days . . . .162

CHAPTER XV

Magersfontein and Stormberg . . . .172

CHAPTER XVI
Marches and Privations . . . . .184

CHAPTER XVII
Nooitgedacht 204

APPENDIX 211

INDEX " . 235

ILLUSTRATIONS

Badge of the Northumberland Fusiliers . Frontispiece

Lieut.-Gen. G. Bryan Milman, C.B., Colonel,

Northumberland Fusiliers . . . Page 68

Lieut.-Col. C. G. C. Money, C.B. . . „ 140

Lieut.-Col. The Hon. C. Lambton, D.S.O. „ 210

CHAPTER I

THE EARLY YEARS OF THE REGIMENT

Since the Northumberland Fusiliers were raised
more than two centuries and a quarter ago, they
have held themselves in instant readiness to obey
whatever orders have been given to them for
fulfilment. Those orders have been issued
lavishly, and so it has happened that in all sorts
of countries, and under all possible conditions,
the Fifth have been concerned in war, and have
earned a fighting reputation second to none in
the Service. That is saying a good deal, because
the British Army includes some regiments which
have a record of service unparalleled by that of
any other military bodies in the world. For
sheer weight of fighting, the Old and Young
Guards of Napoleon may not have been surpassed

2 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

by any other troops ; but their record covered a
comparatively limited period, and their field of
operations was restricted in comparison with that
of British soldiers, for the demands of Empire
have made the latter fight in every corner of the
world, and during a very great length of time.

The regiment was raised for the Dutch
service in 1674. In that year a treaty of peace
was negotiated between England and Holland,
and the Dutch Government, which had employed
auxiliary British troops in former wars, and had
found those soldiers of great service, obtained
permission to have certain British regiments
again in its pay. When, therefore, Charles II.
in 1674 disbanded part of his army, many of
the officers and men proceeded to Holland, and
there the formation of a British division was
begun. Rapid progress was made, and by the
autumn the Prince of Orange, who was besieging
Grave, in North Brabant, was informed that ten
English and Irish companies, complete and fit
for service, were 18 miles away. The Prince
immediately ordered these troops to join him,
and they did so, sharing in the siege. The

EARLY YEARS 3

capture of Grave on October 28 ended the
campaign, and the troops went into quarters.
During the winter four regiments of British
subjects were formed — two English, one Scotch,
and one Irish. This Irish corps became the
Fifth — the Northumberland Fusiliers.

In 1675 tne designation " Irish " was dis-
continued, and many English gentlemen received
commissions in the regiment. The badge of St.
George and the Dragon, with the motto duo
fata vocant, was resumed, and the facings of the
uniform were gosling green. These two ancient
distinctions remain with the Fifth exclusively to
this day.

The new regiment had been in action already ;
but it was soon to share in operations far more
desperate than the siege of Grave. About two
o'clock one morning in July 1676 the drums
beat " To arms," and the regiment assembled at
the alarm post and began a five days' march,
which ended, to the enemy's astonishment, in
the siege of the famous city of Maestricht.
The city was defended by 8000 chosen men, and
was fortified in every way that skill suggested.

4 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

The Prince of Orange was in command of the
besiegers, and during the investment made great
use of the Fifth and the other two English
regiments with him.

These three regiments were formed in one
brigade, and numbered 2600 men. They
petitioned the Prince to assign a particular
quarter to them and a separate command, so
that they might have all the glory or bear all the
shame of their achievements. They repeatedly
distinguished themselves, beating back with great
slaughter the sallies of the garrison. On July
30 a storming party of 200 men, furnished by
the three regiments in equal proportions, attacked
the Dauphin Bastion. They won a temporary
triumph, at a cost in killed and wounded of 1 50
— 75 Per cent-> — DUt afterwards lost the ground
they had gained.

A second attack on the bastion was made on
August 4, when the storming party was formed
of a detachment from the brigade, with another
from the Dutch Foot Guards. The English
attack was in the following order : — 2 sergeants
and 10 firelocks ; 1 sergeant and 12 grenadiers ;

EARLY YEARS 5

1 officer, 1 sergeant, and 12 grenadiers ; 1
lieutenant, 2 sergeants, and 30 firelocks ; 1
sergeant and 1 2 men with half-pikes ; 1 captain,
1 lieutenant, 2 sergeants, and 50 firelocks ; 1
sergeant and 1 2 men with half-pikes ; 1 captain,
1 lieutenant, 1 sergeant, and 2 8 men with spades
and shovels. The support — 1 captain, 1 sergeant,
and 58 men.

The bastion was stormed with the utmost
determination. The English, gaining the lead
of the Dutch, first made a lodgment ; but the
soldiers had hardly gained a footing when the
French sprang a mine and blew many of the
assailants into the air. Following this up with
a fierce attack, they retook the bastion — only
for a time. With renewed energy and fury
the English returned to the attack, and again
drove out the enemy and took the bastion.
The cost was heavy, half the officers and men
of the party being either killed or wounded.

Early on the morning of August 5 the
neglect of a sentry enabled 300 Swiss infantry
to sally from the city and surprise and capture
the English guard on the bastion ; but a

6 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

reinforcement from the brigade dashed to the
rescue of their comrades. With volleys of
musketry and a shower of hand grenades they
charged furiously upon and retook the bastion,
drove out and chased the Swiss infantry, and
pursued them so relentlessly that of the 300
all were destroyed except a score who regained
the safety of the city.

By way of showing his appreciation of this
bravery and energy, the Prince of Orange gave
each of the three regiments a fat ox and six
sheep, which they killed and hung upon poles
in sight of the army, to divide into equal parts
to each company. " Some of the Dutch, mur-
muring at this bounty to the English in par-
ticular, were told that the same was given to
save Dutchmen's lives, and therefore they ought
to be thankful to His Highness for it."

This famous siege dragged on, the valour
of the assailants being met by the resolute
behaviour of the defenders. Everything was
ready for a general assault when a French army
of overwhelming numbers advanced to the city's
relief. The Prince of Orange, seeing no chance

EARLY YEARS 7

of success, immediately raised the siege and
retired. The three English regiments were
sent into " quarters of refreshment " in Holland,
having suffered very severe losses, and nearly
half the surviving officers and men being
wounded. At this time a misunderstanding
occurred between Colonel (afterwards Sir John)
Fenwick, of the Fifth, and the Prince, and the
colonel resigned his commission. Though the
siege had failed, yet Maestricht was restored to
the Dutch in 1678. In 1748 it was besieged
by the French, who gained possession, and in
1794 they again became masters of the city.
Maestricht was in 18 14 made part of the king-
dom of the Netherlands.

In 1677 — April 11 — the Fifth took part in
the battle of Mont Cassel, under the Prince of
Orange. The English Brigade fought against
great disadvantages of numbers and ground,
and the Prince was forced to retreat with his
artillery and baggage. Afterwards the Prince
went to England, where, on November 14, he
married the Princess Mary, the presumptive
heiress of the Crown.

8 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

A year later — 1678 — the regiment was
encamped near the ground where, in 18 15, the
battle of Waterloo was fought. It took part
in the battle of Casthau, near Mons, where it sus-
tained serious losses. Lieutenant-Colonel Archer
and Lieutenant Charlton and about 50 men
were killed, and Major Hales, Captains Charl-
ton, Coleman, Floyd, and Dupuy ; Lieutenants
Augerne, Marchany, and Wilson ; and Ensigns
Barnwell and Arnesby were wounded, with
more than 100 men. For four years the regi-
ment— then known as Colonel Wisely's Regi-
ment— was employed on garrison duty at Grave,
remaining in the Dutch service with the other
five British regiments, subject to a liability to
return to England when they were wanted by
the King. Under this treaty the six regiments
were, in 1685, applied for by James II. to assist
in putting down the rebellion in Scotland which
was headed by the Duke of Argyle, and that
in England which was led by the Duke of
Monmouth. The services of the troops, how-
ever, were not needed, as by the time they
landed in England the risings had been crushed.

EARLY YEARS 9

The three English regiments — Colonel
Thomas Monk's, now the Fifth ; Colonel Sir
Henry Bellasis', now the Royal Warwickshire
Regiment, formerly the Sixth Foot ; Colonel
Alexander Cannon's, afterwards disbanded —
were on the English establishment from June
5 to August 3, 1685. The six regiments
returned to Holland, where they were employed
in garrison duty. In 1687 James demanded
the return of the British regiments in the Dutch
service ; but the States-General, in concert with
the Prince of Orange, determined not to part
with these favourite troops, especially as they
expected to have urgent need of their services.
No restraint, however, was placed upon the
officers, who were allowed either to remain in
Holland or to return to England, as they
wished. Out of 240 officers only 60 embraced
the latter alternative, the rest binding themselves
" to stand by and defend the Prince of Orange
against all persons whatsoever." Religious feel-
ing ran high, and the Papal leanings of James
II. found but feeble support amongst the British
regiments in Holland.

io NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

One of the officers who left the Dutch service
at this time was Captain John Bernardi of the
Fifth, a soldier who had fought in many actions
and received several wounds. He obtained a
commission in the regiment on its formation in
1674. At the Revolution in 1688 he adhered
to King James, and served in Ireland and
Scotland in that monarch's cause. Subsequently
he lived in London, and being implicated in
the plot to assassinate King William in 1696,
he was imprisoned. Although his guilt could
not be established and he was never brought to
trial, yet Bernardi was detained in prison by an
Act of Parliament expressly passed for that
purpose. After remaining in prison for more
than thirty years Bernardi wrote his life, which
was published in 1729. The book contains
much that is of interest relating to the earlier
years of the Fifth.

To this period also belonged Cornet George
Carleton, another historian of the times. While
the Fifth were in England Carleton left the
Dutch service, and obtained a commission in a
newly-raised regiment on the English establish-

EARLY YEARS n

ment. He served as a volunteer with the Fleet
under the Duke of York in 1672 and 1673,
and in the same capacity with the army com-
manded by the Prince of Orange, from 1674 to
1676, when he obtained a commission in the
Fifth. He saw much fighting, and his experiences
have been preserved in his memoirs, which were
highly successful as a book, and admittedly
contain the best account extant of the services
of the Earl of Peterborough in Spain.

When in 1688 many of the English nobility
solicited the armed aid of the Prince of Orange
in averting the threatened Papal domination of
Great Britain, the Prince and the States-General
permitted the six British regiments to return,
and these troops sailed from Holland for their
native land. The Prince's army consisted of
about 15,000 men, of whom "the most formid-
able were the six British regiments." After some
delay, arising from bad weather, the army
put to sea on November 1, 1688, "the
trumpets sounding, the haut-boys playing, the
soldiers and seamen shouting, and a crowd of
spectators on the shore breathing forth their

i2 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

wishes after them." The Fifth landed at
Brixham Key, two miles from Dartmouth, and
marched to Exeter ; later they marched to
London. The threatened revolution did not
come to pass. James fled to France, and
William and Mary ascended the throne.

In 1689 the regiment was permanently placed
on the English establishment, and taking date
from June 5, 1685, the day on which it first
received pay from the British Crown, it ranked
as the Fifth Regiment of Foot in the British
Line.

CHAPTER II

FIGHTS IN IRELAND

The battle of the Boyne, the siege of Limerick,
and operations against bands of armed Roman
Catholic peasantry called Rapparees demanded
the services of the Fifth for a couple of years
after their return from Holland. Ireland had
become the seat of war, and in that country
James was at the head of the Roman Catholics
and a French auxiliary force. The Duke of
Schomberg commanded the Protestants and
English troops.

The Fifth were ordered to Ireland in 1690.
Embarking at Bristol, they landed at Belfast,
and in June pitched their tents in the neighbour-
hood of Armagh, where four regiments of
English infantry, with three regiments of
Danish horse and eight of foot, were encamped.

i4 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

King William having landed in Ireland, the
Fifth marched to Dundalk, where the army
was assembled, and on July i the enemy were
attacked in their position on the banks of the
Boyne. In this engagement King William
inflicted a severe defeat on his father-in-law,
who, out of 30,000 troops, lost 1500. The
Protestant army, out of the same number, lost
about 500. James fled to Dublin, thence to
Waterford, and escaped to France. Schomberg
was killed in the battle. He was shot by
mistake by the soldiers of his own regiment as
he was crossing the Boyne.

In April 1691 the regiment was quartered
at Mountmellick, and, like the rest of the troops,
suffered from the raids of the Rapparees.
Those bands remained in hiding during the day,
and prowled about at night, committing every
sort of depredation. To check these outrages
a detachment was sent of 200 men of the Fifth,
commanded by Major Rider, with 100 men of
Lord George Hamilton's Regiment, and 50
troopers of Colonel Byerley's Horse, now the
6th Dragoon Guards. The whole force was

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 15

under Major Wood, — afterwards celebrated as
General Wood, — and marched from Mount-
mellick on the night of May 4.

Divided into small parties, they made their way
for several miles through the woods and bogs,
encountering lurking bands of the enemy.
They killed 70 men and captured a number of
cattle, which Wood sent to Mountmellick under
a guard of 30 men. Next morning Wood,
with 34 horsemen and 30 foot, engaged 400
of the enemy's regular forces not far from
Castle Cuff. This little band was reinforced by
a detachment of 80 men of the Fifth, and with
his 34 horsemen and no foot Wood boldly
attacked the enemy's column. While the
troopers trampled upon and cut down the
enemy, the foot slung their muskets and drew
their swords and pursued the enemy for a
considerable distance. The Irish had 150 killed
on the spot, and 127 of their number were
taken prisoners — a total loss of 277 ; whereas
the loss of Wood's force was only one corporal
killed, one adjutant, two foot soldiers, and one
trooper wounded. On the 12th of the same

16 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

month another party of the regiment, when
scouring the woods, killed 18 Rapparees and
took several prisoners. In June the Fifth took
part in the siege of Athlone, which began on
the 19th. On the 30th the grenadier company
was included in the storming party.

The attack was made at 6 p.m., when the
forlorn hope, consisting of Captain Sandys,
with 2 lieutenants and 60 grenadiers, all in
armour, entered the Shannon, which was breast
high. They were followed by the rest of the
storming party, some of whom passed by means
of a bridge of boats, and the rest over planks
placed across the broken arches of the stone
bridge. In less than half an hour the town was
taken, with a loss to the assailants of 12 men
killed and 5 officers and 30 men wounded, the
enemy's loss being about 500 killed.

The Fifth were actively employed in the
siege of Limerick until that place surrendered
on October 3. This conquest ended the
war in Ireland, and the Fifth proceeded to
England, landing near Chester on December
29.

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 17

Two months only passed before the Fifth
embarked for Flanders to join the Allies in
operations against the French ; but the regiment
had scarcely landed when it was recalled to
England to help to repel a threatened invasion
by the French. The defeat of the French fleet
near La Hogue by the combined English and
Dutch fleets under Admirals Russell and Rooke
prevented the descent, and the Fifth had a short
spell of inactivity.

In 1693 tne regiment took part in an
expedition to Martinico, laying waste, with the
rest of the forces, several French settlements in
that island. The summer having been employed
in this way, the Fifth returned to England in
the autumn. By the end of the year they were
back in Flanders, being one of the regiments
chosen to reinforce the Allies after the heavy
losses at the battle of Landen.

Again the regimen*" was commanded by King
William, under whom it shared in the siege of
Namur, forming part of the covering army.
From Namur, which capitulated on August 22,
the regiment marched to Nieuport, and encamped

1 8 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

on the sand-hills near that town. The Fifth
remained in the field until late in the season,
when, as the weather was very cold and wet,
they were ordered to build straw huts. Towards
the end of October they marched to Bruges, and
with that city they were closely associated until
the end of the war. Before returning to England
the regiment again encamped near Waterloo. In
December 1697 tne Fifth landed in England,
and in the year following embarked for Ireland,
where they were stationed during the early part
of the war of the Spanish Succession.

In 1707 the Fifth were selected, with other
three regiments, for service in Portugal. But
operations in that country were flagging, and
it was not until 1709 that the regiment was
again called upon to exercise those fighting
powers for which it was already famed.

The French and Spaniards having, on May
7, 1709, marched towards Campo Mayor,
the Portuguese generals, against the advice of
the Earl of Gal way, determined to pass the
Caya and attack the enemy. A great show was
made by the Portuguese cavalry and artillery,

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 19

who, having taken the lead, passed the river,
gained the opposite heights, and opened a smart
cannonade. When, however, the enemy advanced
to charge, the cavalry and gunners faced about
and galloped from the field, leaving their cannon
behind. At this critical stage of the action the
British Division, now consisting of seven regi-
ments— fresh troops having arrived from home —
came up and repulsed the enemy. The leading
brigade of three regiments, commanded by Briga-
dier-General Pearce, recaptured the abandoned
guns, but pressing too far, they were surrounded
and made prisoners. Encouraged by this great
success, the enemy made a desperate attack upon
the Fifth, the 20th, the 39th, and Lord Paston's
Regiments. These troops, though deserted by
the whole of the cavalry, withstood the assaults,
and enabled the Portuguese infantry to retire.
They then, in the steadiest manner, effected
their own retreat, occasionally halting and firing
into their pursuers, of whom they destroyed
1000. The loss of the four regiments was
only 150 killed and wounded. The Fifth
acquired great honour on this occasion, which

20 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

was a fit precursor to the brilliant feats that
distinguished the regiment in the same country
a hundred years later.

On October 5, 17 10, the Fifth, 20th, and
39th Regiments stormed Xeres de los Cabaleros,
on the river Ardilla, in Spanish Estremadura.
The garrison surrendered a few minutes after
the assault began, so that the assailants scored
an easy victory.

The year 1 7 1 1 was notable chiefly for the
discovery of a clandestine treaty between the
Crown of Portugal and the enemy, in which the
Portuguese agreed to separate from the Allies.
As an excuse for this extraordinary treatment of
troops to whom they owed so much, " a mock
battle was to have been fought, in which the
British troops were to have been sacrificed. "
This treaty was broken off, and soon afterwards
the British Government entered into negotiations
with France.

From Portugal, the Fifth, in 1713, went to
Gibraltar, where they remained in garrison for
fifteen years. The protection of the fortress was
given to the Fifth and their comrades, the 13 th

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 21

and 20th Regiments, now the Somersetshire Light
Infantry, and the Lancashire Fusiliers. The
establishment of the Fifth was 500, and while at
Gibraltar they became as celebrated for good
conduct and discipline as they had been on the
field of battle for courage and devotion.

The Fifth, in 1727, shared in the defence
of Gibraltar against a Spanish force of 20,000.
The Spaniards encamped before the place in
January, and spent many weeks in collecting
their artillery, mortars, and stores. Troops
were brought from all parts of the country, and
the heavy guns from Cadiz and other fortified
towns, so that nothing should be wanting which
should help in the reduction of the Rock. These
preparations were made before a declaration of
war, and despite the protests of the Governor
of Gibraltar. At a council of war, the officers
commanding the regiments at Gibraltar resolved
to make a determined opposition to the enemy,
and on February 2 1 the garrison opened fire on
the besiegers. The hostilities lasted for four
months, the cannon roaring and the small arms
crackling almost incessantly during the daytime,

22 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

and partially continuing throughout the night.
The Spaniards lost about 3000 men, burst many
of their guns, and made others useless, and at
the end of it all had to withdraw in defeat and
confusion. The garrison sustained a loss of
only 300. In addition, they suffered heavily
in their ordnance, which for the most part was
old and practically worthless. No fewer than
70 cannon and 30 mortars burst during the
siege.

In 1728 the Fifth left Gibraltar for Ireland,
where seven years were spent. Two years were
then passed in England, the regiment returning
to Ireland in 1737, and remaining in that country
for seventeen years. In 1752 the command of
the regiment was given to Colonel Whitefoord,
an officer who demands more than passing
mention, not only because of his personal
character, but because he was at the head of the
Fifth at a singularly interesting period of their
history. Colonel Whitefoord had been of great
service to the Government during the rebellion
in Scotland in 1745, and as a reward he was
appointed lieutenant -colonel of the Fifth in

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 23

September 1751. The regiment was at that
time commanded by General Irwin, and in
accordance with the custom of the day was
known as Irwin's Regiment. In November 1752
Whitefoord was given the colonelcy in succession
to Irwin, but he died after holding the office
for a brief period. Whitefoord first entered
the sea service in 171 8, but he joined the Army
two years later, apparently serving in the ranks
of a cavalry regiment. It was not long before
he got a commission, and ultimately reached the
post he held at the time of his death, which took
place at Gal way, where the Fifth were stationed,
on January 2, 1753.

Whitefoord died like a brave officer and an
unassuming English gentleman. He expressly
made known, in writing, this, his last wish : —
"Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Whitefoord begs
ye favour of Captain Dering that he will take
ye direction of his funeral, who desires to be
buried out of consecrated ground, without any
stone or decoration on his grave, and without
military honours. But begs that Captain Dering
will inform ye garrison, that such as pleases

24 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

will meet where he appoints, and drink a hearty
glass to his jorney."

A century and a half ago it was a profitable
thing to be the colonel of a regiment. Before
numbers were instituted, regiments were known
by their colonels' names, and on the colonel a
vast responsibility rested ; in fact there was
between the Crown and him a sort of contract
by which the regiment was recruited, paid, and
maintained. The colonel, through the regi-
mental agent, received the pay and allowances
for the establishment, and made his own terms
as to recruiting, through his captains. This
allowance, which covered clothing, went to what
was known as the " stock purse " of the regiment,
and after the accounts of the year had been settled,
the balance became the captains', amongst whom
it was divided. Accordingly, the officers had
a pecuniary interest in maintaining the regiment
and preventing desertion and waste, so that it is
obvious that false returns and fraud were frequent
occurrences. It happened, too, that when men
were badly wanted, and this was often the case,
no means were too contemptible to fill the ranks.

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 25

An Act was in 1779 actually passed for
impressing soldiers, with the result that " thieves,
too lame to run and too poor to bribe, were
caught." But (adds Grose) "the soldiers con-
sidered it a grievous and cruel insult to have
these men forced on them, and loudly complained
to their officers." " Fraud on the Government
and harsh treatment of the soldiers were," the
authors of The Army Book for the British
Empire state, " for long, characteristics of our
army institution."

This explanation has been needful to make
clear the following quaint letter which Colonel
Whitefoord wrote in 1752 to an officer : —

" I have the pleasure of yours, with one from
Lieutenant M'Laughlin, which gives me a good
deal of concern. He says men are very hard
to get, and has sent over but six, whereof two
have been in the service. I have fatally ex-
perienced the bad consequence of giving the
recruiting officers a latitude, and must have a
very good opinion of the man to whom I give
a discretionary power. To change low men for
others no taller is folly, and not to be compleat

26 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

in Aprile is dangerous : therefor lads under 1 8
of 5 ft. 7 in. I consent to take, but would alter
the instructions no further. Now I must reveal
my secret in order to make you easie and
procure the general's approbation, whose will
shall always be to me a law. Our drummers
are sightly fellows. I propose turning as many
of them into the ranks as will compleat us, and
listing boys in their roome. That saves us with
the commissary, and does not exhaust the ex-
chequer. After the review I discharge the
boys, and then shall have a fine sum in the stock
purse. At the same time the general saves the
cloathing. When winter comes we will send a
greater number of officers, by which method we
shall save to the general, put money in the
captain's pocket, and effectuat our scheme of
not haveing (at least) the worst regiment in
Ireland. I have a plot of making our sergeants
fine at a small expence. You see their cloaths
are new lapell'd. That I shall propose to alter,
and have them looped up like the men's with
a half silver lace, which you must buy in Eng-
land. By this means we shall make a show

FIGHTS IN IRELAND 27

with economy. For the cloath saved will near
purchase the lace, and as I have communicated
this to nobody, I hope you will keep it to
yourself."

The letter is not only most interesting in
itself, but is also of great value as affording
a glimpse into the inner life of the Fifth a
century and a half ago ; indeed there is much
in the Whitefoord Papers generally which is of
peculiar value regimentally.

CHAPTER III

THE CAP AND THE COLOUR

For thirty years, during most of which they
were quartered in Ireland, the Fifth had enjoyed
peace; when in 1758 another war broke out,
the regiment formed part of an expedition to
reduce the French naval power and make a
diversion in favour of the Hanoverians. On
May 25 the regiment embarked at Cowes, 888
men strong, and its grenadier company were
the first to land on the French coast. This was
on the evening of June 5, when seven companies
of French foot and three troops of dragoons
were met and speedily dispersed. The army
on the 7th advanced in two columns, and the
Fifth encamped in the evening about a mile
from St. Maloes. After sunset they furnished
a detachment which, with detachments from

THE CAP AND THE COLOUR 29

the other regiments, fired the magazines and
shipping, and having destroyed a valuable fleet
and all the stores, re-embarked for England.
This expedition may rank as one of the shortest
and most successful of its kind. In the follow-
ing August the Fifth took part in a second
expedition to the coast of France. Cherbourg
was captured, and the harbour, forts, ordnance,
and magazines destroyed. Iron cannon to the
number of 173 and 3 mortars were thus made
useless, while 22 fine brass guns and 2 brass
mortars were brought to England. These
trophies were inspected by George II. in Hyde
Park on September 16, and were afterwards
taken in procession to the Tower. In September
a third successful descent on the French coast —
Brittany — was shared in by the Fifth, who on
these occasions lost 95 men. Three triumphant
undertakings of such a character make the year
1758 one of considerable interest in the annals
of the Fifth.

The war in Hanover and the neighbouring
States continuing, the Fifth, in 1760, were
ordered to Germany, where the grenadier

30 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

company, with the grenadier companies of the
other regiments, composed two battalions which,
united with the Scots Brigade, usually formed
the advanced guard of the army. This campaign
added greatly to the renown of the Fifth, the
regiment itself and the detached grenadiers
displaying the utmost courage and endurance
from first to last. Landing near Bremen, the
Fifth, on July 10, had a sharp skirmish with the
French on the heights of Corbach. Late at
night on the 30th the Fifth, with the rest of the
troops, marched to attack the enemy in his
position on the heights of Warbourg. The
attack was delivered early on the following
morning. The grenadier company of the Fifth
was in the column which began the attack, and
highly distinguished itself. The brunt of the
action fell on the British grenadiers and the
German corps who began the action, for the
French withdrew before the English infantry
arrived. In his despatch concerning this affair
the Marquis of Granby said, " No troops could
show more eagerness than they showed. Many
of the men, from the heat of the weather,

THE CAP AND THE COLOUR 31

and overstraining themselves to get on through
morasses and difficult ground, suddenly dropped
down on their march." The grenadier company
on September 5 gallantly and successfully sur-
prised a French force in the town of Zierenberg,
and afterwards was engaged in an attempt to
surprise the enemy's camp at Rheinberg on the
morning of October 16, when a sharp action
was fought at the convent of Campen. In
February 176 1 the regiment forced its way
through deep snow into Hesse-Cassel, where it
achieved success in several conflicts with the
enemy. In March it returned to its former
quarters, but was again in the field in June.

While encamped in front of Kirch-Denkern
the Fifth and other British troops were attacked
on July 15, but drove the enemy back. The
attack was renewed next morning with great
determination, but again it failed. The Fifth
were very prominent in this engagement. After
five hours1 fighting some disorder was observed
in the ranks of the enemy. Instantly the Fifth
took advantage of the situation, and charged
and routed the foe. At the same time the

32 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

grenadier battalion, of which the grenadier com-
pany of the Fifth formed a part, made prisoners
the Regiment of Rouge (formerly Belsunce)
with its colours and cannon. The Fifth suffered
considerable loss in this action. After being
engaged in several minor affairs — including a
skirmish on November 10, in which the grena-
dier company fought knee- deep in snow — the
winter was passed " among the rude peasantry
of Osnaburg."

All these affairs were but the sharpening of
the Fifth for that triumph at Wilhelmstahl which
has conferred lasting glory on the regiment and
British troops. On June 4 a battle was fought at
Groebenstein and in the woods of Wilhelmstahl.
The enemy having taken post at Groebenstein,
Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick determined to
surprise them in their camp. Accordingly the
army was formed into several columns. The
Fifth, who were part of the centre column, left
their camp before daylight on the morning of
June 24, and at four o'clock crossed the
Dymel at Liebenau. After advancing nine miles
through a rugged and woody country, they

THE CAP AND THE COLOUR 33

arrived before the enemy's camp and opened a
sharp fire. "Surprised and confounded,,, the
French abandoned their camp, leaving their
tents standing, and began their retreat. In-
stantly a French division was thrown into the
woods of Wilhelmstahl to favour this move-
ment, and against that division the right and
centre columns of the Allies advanced.

The Fifth, taking the lead of the attacking
column, threw themselves into the wood and
opened fire upon the French with destructive
effect. At the same time the enemy's rear was
attacked. A stubborn resistance was made, but
the Fifth pressed irresistibly forward, and ad-
mirably paved the way for the troops which
followed. In spite of the fact that the British
were opposed to the flower of the French in-
fantry, the enemy was badly beaten. Except
two battalions which got away, the whole French
force surrendered to the Fifth, the total number
of prisoners being 2732, of whom 162 were
officers.

After the surrender, an officer of the Fifth,
who went up to receive the enemy's colours from

34 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

their standard-bearer, was shot dead by a French
sergeant, who was standing near. The sergeant
was instantly put to death, and the colours were
quietly taken possession of by the victorious
Fifth.

In this brilliant and exceptional affair the loss
of the Fifth was very slight. Prince Ferdinand
was so much impressed by the extraordinary
valour of the regiment on this occasion that he
presented a snuff-box to the commanding officer,
Colonel Marley, and this relic is still treasured
by the officers to-day. But the honouring of
the Fifth for that action did not stop there ;
the men were allowed to exchange their hats
for the French grenadier caps, and for many
years afterwards the regiment wore a fusilier's
cap instead of the hat then used by the infantry
of the line. Furthermore, a third colour was
carried by the regiment in memory of the
victory. This colour was retained until 1836,
when in place of it " Wilhelmstahl " was author-
ised to be borne on the colours and appoint-
ments. " Wilhelmstahl " is the first, as it is the
most unique, of the battle honours of the Fifth.

THE CAP AND THE COLOUR 35

In reference to this action the London Gazette
said : — " Prince Ferdinand pursued and pressed
upon them as close as possible, and they would
without doubt have been entirely routed if
Monsieur de Stainville had not thrown himself,
with the Grenadiers of France, the Royal Grena-
diers, the Regiment of Aquitaine, and other
corps, being the flower of the French infantry,
into the woods of Wilhelmstahl to cover their
retreat. That resolution cost him dear, his
whole infantry having been taken, killed, or
dispersed, after a very gallant defence, excepting
two battalions which found means to get off.
Some of these troops 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 Regiment of Foot."

In 1763 the Fifth marched from Germany
through Holland to Williamstadt, where they
embarked for England, landing early in March.
By the beginning of June they were again
quartered in Ireland, where the next ten years
were passed. During this period the Fifth were
so remarkable for their cleanliness and attention

36 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

to dress and appointments that the men were
usually called " The Shiners." While in Ireland
— early in 1767 — the Order of Merit was
established. This was a system of honorary
distinctions for long-continued good behaviour
which had the most beneficial effect on the
regiment, smart and efficient though it was ;
and the result was the possession by the Fifth
of a body of non-commissioned officers the like
of which few regiments could claim. These
medals were of three classes, and given only
to soldiers who for seven, fourteen, or twenty-
one years had never incurred the censure of a
court-martial. The decorations were conferred
at the head of the assembled battalion by the
commanding officer, and if — rare event — the
possessor of this valued distinction forfeited his
recommendation to continue to hold it, the
medal was cut from his breast by the drum-
major as publicly as he had been invested with
it. The first, or lowest class of medal, was of
gilt metal, with the regimental badge of St.
George and the Dragon on one side, and the
motto, Quo fata vocant> and on the reverse

THE CAP AND THE COLOUR 37

" Vth Foot, Merit." The second was of silver,
with the badge and motto on one side, and on
the other, " Reward of fourteen years' military
merit " ; while the third was similar, but was
inscribed with the recipient's name, "A. B.,
for twenty-one years' good and faithful service
as a soldier, had received from his commanding
officers this honourable testimony of his merit."
Those who received the third medal also got
an oval badge of the colour of the facings of
the regiment. This badge, which was worn on
the right breast, was embroidered round with
gold and silver wreaths, the word "Merit "
being inscribed in letters of gold in the centre.
For nearly a century this treasured distinc-
tion was enjoyed by the Fifth. It was finally
abolished by a letter dated February 23, 1856.

CHAPTER IV

THE WINNING OF THE PLUME

While in Ireland the Fifth were frequently
engaged in the Revenue service, and from
time to time were called upon to suppress bands
of armed peasants known by such titles as
Whiteboys, Hearts of Steel, and Hearts of Oak.
When in 1774 the deplorable events between
Great Britain and her North American colonies
necessitated the sending of additional troops
across the Atlantic, the Fifth were chosen to
proceed on that service. The regiment was
part of the force which caused the first blood to
be shed in this memorable war. This was at
Lexington, not far from Boston, on April 18,
1775. This skirmish was followed by an ex-
traordinary march of about thirty-five miles, on
a hot day, to Charlestown, from which place the

THE WINNING OF THE PLUME 39

troops were ferried across the river to Boston
under cover of the fire of the men-of-war.
The whole province being now in arms, an
immense number of men invested Boston on
the land side, and on the morning of June 17
it was found that they had constructed works
on high ground beyond the river, known as
Bunker's Hill.

The Fifth formed part of a force which was
ordered to attack the heights, and the force
managed to land without opposition and form
up on some high ground near the shore. It
was clear that the enemy was determined to
defend his post, and under cover of the fire of
the ships of war the troops went bravely to the
assault. It required high courage, too, to face
a defence like that on such a day, for the heat
was great and the hill that was stormed was
steep. The men were encumbered with three
days' provisions ; they had their knapsacks on
their backs, and altogether carried a weight of
125 lbs. They had to force their way through
grass which reached to their knees, and was
intersected with walls and fences of various

4o NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

enclosures. Further, they were met by a fierce
and well-directed fire, so that the conquest of
Bunker's Hill became an unusually severe task.
Twice the British troops were stopped in their
assault, and twice they returned to the charge.
Nothing but sheer pluck and physical power
could have' ensured success, and it speaks well
for the quality of the Fifth in those days that
they gained their goal despite almost over-
whelming obstacles. They made a last grand
rush with fixed bayonets, and having actually
come face to face with the foe, they drove him
out of the works and remained masters of the
situation. Well might General Burgoyne say
of Bunker's Hill that " the Fifth has behaved
the best and suffered the most," for in the
assault the regiment had a loss of officers and
men which proved a very serious drain on its
resources.

This success was great, but the army re-
mained at Boston in a state of blockade, and
so hard pressed for fresh provisions and other
necessaries were the troops, that live cattle and
vegetables, and even fuel, were dispatched from

THE WINNING OF THE PLUME 41

England. Many of the ships containing these
supplies, however, were either wrecked or fell
into the hands of the Americans, and the
consequence was that sickness and death made
havoc amongst the imprisoned soldiers. Side
by side with this scarcity of food was the
renewed activity of the enemy, who suffered
from no such lack of needful things. Evacua-
tion became inevitable, and in March 1776
the army embarked from Boston and went to
Halifax ; but most of the troops had to remain
on board ship, as the town had neither
accommodation nor food enough for them.

For several months the Fifth were engaged
in minor operations in various districts, at all
times mindful of their reputation, and enduring
privations and lean living with a fortitude that
earned for them unstinted admiration. Between
the fight at Bunker's Hill and another severe
action in which the Fifth greatly distinguished
themselves, they were concerned in the attack
on Long Island (August 27, 1776), the capture
of White Plains (October 28) and Fort
Washington (November 16). In 1777 they

42 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

were quartered in the Island of New Jersey,
and on October 4 took part in the
defence of Germantown, where they fought
bravely and suffered severely. The next year,
1778, was an eventful one, for during it the
Fifth earned the right to the plume which for
so long a period has been peculiar to the
regiment. In September 300 men of the
regiment and New Jersey Volunteers embarked
in transports on an expedition to Little Egg
Harbour, in New Jersey, a place which in those
days was noted for its connection with privateers.
On reaching the harbour the detachment went
on board small vessels, which, with several row-
galleys, proceeded twenty miles up the river to
Chestnut Neck, where, under the cover of the
galley's fire, the troops landed. Of that little
expedition the Fifth made a thoroughly good
bit of work, for having routed the enemy's
forces which opposed the descent, they chased
it into the woods, and then returned and
destroyed the village, as well as several store-
houses and armed vessels. Subsequently a
night excursion was made tQri miles farther up

THE WINNING OF THE PLUME 43

the river, the result being that the troops
surprised some companies of the enemy in
their quarters, put many to death at the point
of the bayonet, and destroyed the enemy's
shelter. This was accomplished with the loss
of only two killed and two wounded of the
Fifth.

As soon as this detachment had returned,
the regiment was ordered to form part of an
expedition against the French West Indies, and
sailed from Sandy Hook on November 3, under
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel (afterwards
Sir William) Medows, its chief. The expedi-
tion reached St. Lucie on December 13, and
immediately the Fifth, by another exhibition of
valour, secured a distinction as unique as that
of the third colour. This work began with the
capture of the town of Morne Fortune on
December 14. The Fifth, having seized the
town, the governor's house, and the hospital and
barracks, occupied an important post named La
Vigie, situated on a tongue of land commanding
the north side of the Carenage Harbour, and
separated by that harbour from the rest of the

44 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

army. Meanwhile the French fleet had arrived
off the harbour and had disembarked 9000 men,
and on the 18 th this force attacked the handful
of soldiers of the Fifth under Medows. The
enemy, in three columns, made three fierce
attacks, and were beaten off each time. They
lost about 400 killed and 1100 wounded, while
the British killed numbered only 10, and the
wounded 130.

Once more the English had overpowered
the French, and the conduct of the Fifth was
signalised by the granting to them of the right
to wear a white plume in the cap instead of the
red and white tuft worn by other regiments
of the line, the Fifth having taken from the
bodies of slain French Grenadiers enough
white feathers to decorate every man in the
regiment. Those were the days in which colours
were essentially a rallying-point, and Medows,
who was in command, at one great crisis of the
battle, finding that his ammunition was nearly
done, drew up his gallant band in front of
them, and waving his sword, exclaimed, "Soldiers,
as long as you have a bayonet to point against

THE WINNING OF THE PLUME 45

an enemy's breast, defend these colours ! "
Besides uttering these inspiring words he set
a glorious personal example, for he refused to
quit his post, though wounded severely in the
right arm, and continued to ride from point
to point until the attack was over and the
victory assured. In a letter from Morne
Fortune, dated December 19, General Grant
said : " I cannot express how much I feel
obliged to you, and the troops under your
command, for repulsing, with so much spirit
and bravery, so great a body of the enemy, and
own it was just what I expected from you and
them."

From this time until the end of the century
the Fifth served on both sides of the Atlantic,
renewing their associations with Ireland. In
1784 they received the denomination of the
Northumberland Regiment, in compliment to
Earl Percy, who for sixteen years had held
the command, and was then promoted to the
colonelcy of the second troop of Horse Grena-
dier Guards.

The colours of the Fifth, which time and

46 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

battle had reduced to shreds, were in 1785
replaced by a new set. This was on St. George's
Day, on the evening of which " the men dined
sumptuously in the barrack-yard by companies,
at the expense of their lately promoted colonel,
Earl Percy."

Just before the century ended, the Fifth were
once more in Holland, the country in which so
many of their fighting years had been passed,
and where they did good service in spite of
hardships which the Duke of York in General
Orders described as "insuppor table.' ' The Fifth
were amongst the last of the British troops
to leave Holland in 1799. The regiment had
been divided into two battalions of 800 each
this year, and these battalions, after a short stay
in England, were ordered to Gibraltar in 1 800.

CHAPTER V

IN THE PENINSULA

The opening years of the nineteenth century
were uneventful for the Fifth, but the critical
and disturbed state of politics made it impossible
for the regiment to remain long inactive. In
1805 tne lst Battalion embarked for the defence
of Hanover, but the Helder transport, con-
taining the left wing of the battalion, was
wrecked off the Helder — strange coincidence —
and the officers and men were made prisoners
by the Dutch. The Helder was a large armed
transport, formerly a Dutch brig-of-war. She
was taken at the Helder in 1799. The troops
on board were commanded by Major Henry
King, Fifth Regiment, afterwards General Sir
Henry King, who served many years in the
Fifth, and commanded the regiment during the

48 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Peninsular War. This officer left amongst his
papers a most interesting MS. diary, inscribed
on the title page: — " Henry King, Major,
5th Regiment, Enkhurgsen, North Holland,
January 10th, 1806, Prisoner on Parole, 'Spero
Meliora.' "

It was feared that these prisoners of the
Fifth, numbering about 250, would be marched
into the interior of France ; but they were
unexpectedly released and sent home. In his
manuscript diary, " Account of the Return to
Regimental Head Quarters, Fifth Regiment, at
Rye, of the Three Companies of the Regiment
who were taken Prisoners of War in Holland
in 1805," Lieutenant (subsequently Lieutenant-
General) Nicholas Hamilton, K.H., Fifth Foot,
said the men were pitiable objects. They were
almost naked, and their appearance gave proof
enough of what they had suffered from poor
and scanty food and the damp and filth of
the prison ships on board of which they were
confined. But crippled and ragged as some
of them were, they speedily forgot their suffer-
ings, "as they each received sufficient money

IN THE PENINSULA 49

to drown all their cares in good beer on their
arrival in quarters."

The right wing, on returning to England in
1806, was in September joined by the left wing,
which had been liberated by an exchange of
prisoners. In that year also the 1st Battalion
sailed in the expedition to South America, and
in addition to suffering much discomfort and
enduring many privations, took part in the
attack on Buenos Ayres on July 5. The Fifth
had their post towards the convent of Recolata,
and in the plan for the general attack were
formed in two divisions, with orders to penetrate
the streets immediately in front. Early in the
morning the troops advanced through what
appeared to be deserted streets, but suddenly,
at a given signal, the whole of the male popula-
tion appeared, and from the windows and flat
roofs of the houses, which were crowded with
armed men, there came a furious and destructive
fire. It was also found that the streets were
crossed by ditches and protected by guns, and that
an advance, if not actually impossible, was very
difficult. The task was one for the bayonet only,

50 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

for orders had been given that not a shot was to
be fired until the great square was reached. The
Fifth, with fixed bayonets, forced a way through
the streets as far as the river and seized the
church and convent of St. Catalina. Thence
they moved to the Plaza de Toros, where the
British force captured a large number of guns,
a vast quantity of ammunition, and many
prisoners. But three British regiments had
been forced to surrender, as it was impossible
for them to make effective answer to the
fire which was poured upon them. Altogether
the assailants in this contest lost 2500 men, the
Fifth having a heavy list of casualties. On the
following day Lieutenant - General Whitelocke,
commanding the British force, agreed to vacate
Buenos Ayres, and the army returned to
England after a long voyage, marked by much
suffering from shortness of water and provisions.
On his return Whitelocke was brought to trial,
the Government being forced by the country
to take that step. In January 1809 he was
court-martialed and dismissed the service.

The drummers of the Fifth were in 1807

IN THE PENINSULA 51

clothed in white, with white and red lace,
instead of gosling green.

In the summer of 1 808 the Fifth began that
long connection with the Peninsula which was
to make so serious a drain on their resources,
but which was also to give the regiment many
of its greatest honours. On August 9 the 1st
Battalion landed in Portugal, and immediately
joined the army of Sir Arthur Wellesley.
Within a few days it had earned for the regi-
ment the first of the Peninsular distinctions,
" Roleia," and had enabled the Fifth to claim
the honour of being amongst the first of the
British troops to come in contact with the
enemy.

The village of Roleia crowns an eminence,
which again is flanked by a range of hills on the
one hand, and by rugged mountains on the
other. Immediately in front of it at that time
was a sandy plain, not woody, but studded with
firs and shrubs, and in its rear were four or
five passes, leading through the mountains. In
this strong situation the French awaited the
approach of the British army. But when Roleia

52 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

had been reached it was found that the peculiarly
difficult nature of the ground and the extremely
narrow openings allowed of no more than five
British battalions, a few companies of British
light infantry, and a brigade of Portuguese
being brought into action. The Portuguese
infantry moved on the right, through the pass
next that, upon the right, through which the
light companies of Hill's Brigade, supported by
the Fifth, were ordered to penetrate. The
forcing of the third pass was entrusted to the 9th
and 29th Regiments, the fourth to the 45th,
and the fifth to the 82nd. Of his immense
natural advantages the enemy made the utmost,
and contested every inch of ground with the
greatest confidence and stubbornness. Defeated
in the end, he yet managed to make good his
retreat, with the loss of 3 guns and about 1000
men. But for an order to halt which was given
by a British general, the French could have been
pursued and destroyed ; as it was, they were
able to rally and retreat in admirable order.

Wellesley in his despatch said, "I cannot
sufficiently applaud the conduct of the troops

IN THE PENINSULA 53

throughout this action. The enemy's positions
were formidable, and he took them up with his
usual ability and celerity, and defended them
most gallantly. I must observe that, although
we had such a superiority of numbers employed
in the operations of this day, the troops actually
engaged in the heat of the action were, from
unavoidable circumstances, only the Fifth, Ninth,
Twenty-ninth, the riflemen of the Sixtieth and
Ninety-fifth, and the flank companies of Major-
General Hill's Brigade, being in number by no
means equal to that of the enemy ; their conduct
therefore deserves the highest commendation."

Four days later the Fifth gained their next
Peninsular honour — " Vimiera." In this severe
struggle, August 21, the 1st Battalion of the
regiment formed, with the 9th and 38th Regi-
ments, the first brigade, and were posted on the
mountain on the right of the village. Vimiera,
standing in the midst of a beautiful valley two
or three miles from the sea, offered every requisite
for a desperate contest, and enabled the French
to make preparations, unseen, for an attack
which would have taken a less watchful man than

54 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Wellesley by surprise. The French advanced
like troops who were used to victory and resolved
to win, and only after a most valiant effort to
defeat the British were they themselves routed
at all points with exceptional slaughter. Of
12,000 or 13,000 men whom they brought into
the field, between 3000 and 4000 fell, besides
many prisoners. The total British loss was 783
killed, wounded, and missing.

From Portugal the 1st Battalion of the Fifth
marched into Spain to help the people of that
country in their resistance to the French. But
when, after rapidly traversing 400 miles, the
little British army found that their allies had
been routed and dispersed, there began that
terrible retreat to Corunna which ended with
the glorious action of the 16th of January 1809,
and gave to the Fifth the right to have
" Corunna " emblazoned on their colours. In
that forced retreat of 250 miles under Moore,
the Fifth, owing to their appalling privations
and meetings with the enemy, sustained a loss
which has never been correctly known ; but
when the 1st Battalion was mustered on its

IN THE PENINSULA 55

return to England in February 1809, it was
found that 132 men were missing. In the
battle of Corunna the officer commanding the
Fifth distinguished himself greatly. One horse
being shot under him, he mounted another, and
was at length shot dead. The command of the
battalion then devolved upon Major Ernes, who
for this service received a medal.

Roleia, Vimiera, and Corunna had enabled
the Fifth to share largely in the honourable but
disastrous first British campaign in the Peninsula.

Only sufficient time passed on returning to
England to allow the battalion to be fully
equipped and completed to more than a thousand
rank and file when it was ordered to join the ex-
pedition to Walcheren, that splendidly equipped
large force from which so much was hoped.
The expedition proved abortive and disastrous,
and of the subsequent terrible loss from disease
the Fifth suffered their proportion. The swamp
fever attacked 600 of the men, and on the Island
of Walcheren itself, and later in England, carried
off large numbers. The Walcheren Expedition
claims a separate chapter, but before dealing

56 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

with that deplorable undertaking, the record of
the regiment may be carried to a point from
which the narrative may treat of the resumed
campaign in the Peninsula.

The Fifth were represented at Talavera, July
27 and 28, 1809, by a detachment of the 1st
Battalion, which had been left in Portugal when
the battalion advanced into Spain. This detach-
ment had been added to a battalion of detach-
ments under Lieutenant-Colonel Copson of the
Fifth, who received a medal for Talavera. The
detachment in September reinforced the 2nd
Battalion, which had proceeded to Portugal from
Ireland. The 2nd Battalion took part in the
battles of Busaco (September 27, 18 10), Fuentes
d'Onor (May 5, 181 1), and the second siege of
Badajoz, and was afterwards employed in the
blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo.

CHAPTER VI

A DISASTROUS EXPEDITION

When the regiment embarked for Walcheren
it was in every way fit for the severest service.
In his diary of the Walcheren Expedition and
siege of Flushing, Lieutenant-General Nicholas
Hamilton said, " Though we had so very lately
returned from the campaign in Spain, I never
witnessed the Regiment in such health and high
discipline. . . . Indeed its appearance was the
astonishment of the whole army." July though
it was when the Fifth began their preparations
for embarkation, yet the weather was so bad that
it might have been winter ; but " booths were
put up, and liquors of all descriptions consoled
the soldiers for the inconveniences of wet
weather.' '

The Fifth embarked on H.M.S. Bellona, and

58 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

while waiting with the rest of the warships and
transports for a fair wind had the constant
mortification of seeing seven Russian line-of-
battle ships which were included in the Conven-
tion of Cintra, "and which by right should
have been the just reward of the bravery dis-
played by our troops at the battles of Roleia
and Vimiera in Portugal." On making an
unopposed landing on Sunday, July 30, three
days' cooked provisions were served out to the
troops.

The disembarkation was made in a heavy
rain, and the men had to wade up to the middle
before they landed. On August 1 the British
came in contact with the enemy, and had many
casualties, the Fifth acquitting themselves in a
manner worthy of a regiment fresh from the
Peninsula. On the 2nd a man of the Fifth
received a very strange wound. "The ball
was extracted from his skull, cut in different
shapes." It was generally remarked that the
prisoners who were taken were always drunk,
as they received an extraordinary allowance of
spirits when sent on outposts, and that the

A DISASTROUS EXPEDITION 59

enemy's fire was always more brisk after the
hour at which they were supposed to have
received this " gratuity." By August 3 the
casualties of the Fifth were 5 killed and 40
wounded. Many of the latter died of their
injuries. The weather continued miserably bad
— the men were wet even in their huts, but so
far they continued in good health and spirits.

The garrison of Flushing made a sortie on
August 7 with the object of destroying the
British batteries, now almost ready to open fire.
The post defended by Hamilton was fiercely
attacked, but the Fifth drove the enemy
back, his dead lying in heaps across the road.
Hamilton was shot through the thigh, so
severely that after a month's " most excruciating
torture" amputation was necessary. By the
time the enemy withdrew that day the Fifth
had lost between 60 and 70 killed and wounded,
the flank companies of the regiment being the
heaviest sufferers.

The General Orders of the day were most
flattering to the Fifth, and the prisoners taken
from the 48 th Regiment of French Infantry,

60 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the force opposed to the Fifth, declared that
they had never seen anything to equal the
firmness of our troops. Some officers of the
48 th asserted that their regiment alone could
not have lost less than 500 men. Major Bird,
of the Fifth, with a few men of his company,
was- taken prisoner, having become separated
from the regiment and surrounded. Ensign
Walton's life was saved by his greatcoat, which,
rolled up and slung on his back, expended the
force of a bullet which penetrated to the skin.
Hamilton was removed to a neighbouring
village, his sufferings being greatly increased by
the sorrow of his father, who closely attended
him, and the grief of his brother William. The
subsequent portions of the diary were based
largely on what the writer heard, but they bear
the impress of reliability.

The weather continued very unfavourable,
the troops being exposed night and day to the
constant rain, protected only by huts made of
branches of trees, and lying upon beds of straw
which were spread upon the oozing, swampy
ground. The work in the trenches, too, was

A DISASTROUS EXPEDITION 61

done while the men were ankle-deep in mud and
water. Yet so long as the troops were actively
employed in the siege no particular sickness
prevailed. It was only when Flushing was in
their possession, and mind and body were less
actively engaged, that sickness made its fearful
ravages. "The new turned-up soil, soaked
with rain, was the only place our officers and
men had to lay on during the whole siege.
Thus it will appear that the 5 th Regiment had
their share of the hardships and fatigues of the
campaign.' '

The siege ended on August 15 — a siege
which, "though short in duration, exceeded
everything of the sort that ever happened in
point of activity and effect during the time
it lasted." There was a striking difference
between the garrison and our own troops, the
former being, with the exception of a regiment
or two of French, " the refuse of all nations —
a wretched lot. Indeed the island is so un-
healthy that Buonaparte never sacrifices his
good troops to its baneful effect, but has raised
Colonial battalions for the purpose, composed

62 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

of deserters and all descriptions of vagrants,
amongst which number, Irish were the greater
part."

The bombardment of the town of Flushing
was as complete as engines of destruction could
make it, and the way had been made clear for
perfect success to attend the expedition ; but
all these brilliant endeavours were to prove
fruitless. The gross incapacity and indecision
of those who were responsible for the campaign
turned it into one of our most memorable
catastrophes, instead of one of our greatest suc-
cesses. One of the most magnificent and for-
midable armaments that had ever left England
returned to that country with only part of its
original purpose accomplished.

Disease made frightful ravages, and some
regiments became altogether ineffective. By
the middle of October the sick numbered more
than 10,000, and so numerous were the dead
that orders were given for them to be buried at
night only, and without military honours to
either officers or men.

The Fifth, though one of the healthiest regi-

A DISASTROUS EXPEDITION 63

ments in the island, had at one time more than
600 men unfit for duty, and by the beginning
of October had lost 3 officers and more than
60 men. Not more than half a dozen officers
were at one time fit for duty. From August
21 to December 1, 1809, no fewer than 12,860
sick men were sent home, exclusive of those
who fell sick and died in the island — " a degree
of sickness and mortality unprecedented in any
of our unfortunate West India expeditions.' '

Since the Fifth had by that period suffered
heavily in the West Indies, and General Hamil-
ton compared the mortality of the two regions,
it will be useful to give the following return of
the deaths of the army in the Leeward Islands,
part of the West Indies, from March 1, 1796,
to the end of the year 1799 : —

Brigadier- Generals 2 Adjutants ... 11

Lieutenant-Colonels 19 Quartermasters . 9

Majors .... 12 Surgeons ... 14

Captains. ... 72 Assistant-Surgeons 19

Lieutenants . .109 N.C.O.'s and

Ensigns .... 60 Privates . . 14,327

About 187 men belonging to drafted regi-

64 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

ments, who were left in different general hos-
pitals in July, died in the subsequent months of
1796, and are not included in the above returns.
The mortality in that year was most prevalent
in St. Lucia and Grenada. The 31st Regiment
landed at St. Lucia 775 strong in May ; by the
latter end of October it had only 16 fit for
duty, and by March 1797 had scarcely an
officer or man left. The 44th, 48th, and 55th,
and York Fusiliers, all strong regiments in
May, lost by far the greatest part of their
officers and men in the same period. The 27th
Regiment lost at Grenada, from June 1796 to
February 1797, 20 officers and 516 men; the
57th lost at Grenada, in the same period, 13
officers and 605 men.

CHAPTER VII

THE AFFAIR OF EL BODON

The Fifth have many Peninsular honours, but
they do not include a name — El Bodon — which
is as much associated with the regiment as
any of the distinctions that have been officially
bestowed, and one in all respects worthy of
putting side by side with " Wilhelmstahl."
Even amongst the brilliant achievements of the
regiment at a time when brilliant deeds were
expected from our troops as a matter of course,
there stands forth prominently the exploit of El
Bodon. At that village, near Ciudad Rodrigo,
the Fifth, the 77th (now the 2nd Battalion
Middlesex Regiment), and a Portuguese regiment
held in check a force of 1 4 battalions of infantry
and between 30 and 40 squadrons of cavalry,
with 12 guns, and by their bravery elicited

66 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

from the Duke of Wellington words of praise
the like of which he rarely uttered.

On September 24, 181 1, the Fifth were
ordered to a position on the heights near El
Bodon. The enemy, having assembled in very
strong force for the relief of Ciudad Rodrigo,
advanced on the morning of the 25 th, and a
furious attack was made on the village. The
enemy's horsemen, without waiting for their
infantry, began the fight, and a bold dash
resulted in the loss of a couple of our guns.
" The danger was then imminent," wrote Napier,
" when suddenly the 5th Regiment, led by Major
Ridge, a daring spirit, darted into the midst of
the French cavalry and retook the artillery,
which again opened its fire, and nearly at the
same time the 77th, supported by the 21st
Portuguese, repulsed the enemy on the left. . . .
Then the 5th and 77th, two weak battalions
formed in one square, were quite exposed, and
in an instant the whole of the French cavalry
came thundering down upon them. But how
vain, how fruitless to match the sword with
the musket ! to send the charging horseman

THE AFFAIR OF EL BODON 67

against the steadfast veteran ! The multitudi-
nous squadrons, rending the skies with their
shouts, and closing upon the glowing squares
like the falling edges of a burning crater, were
as instantly rejected, scorched, and scattered
abroad ; and the rolling peal of musketry had
scarcely ceased to echo in the hills, when bayonets
glittered at the edge of the smoke, and with
firm and even step the British regiments came
forth like the holy men from the Assyrian's
furnace."

The Marquis of Londonderry also gave a
stirring description of this affair, so memorable
in the annals of the Fifth. The attack, he
said, was begun by a column of cavalry, which
charged up the heights in gallant style, cheering
in the usual manner of the French, and making
directly for the guns. The artillerymen stood
their ground resolutely, giving their fire to the
last ; but there being nothing immediately at
hand to support them, they were compelled to
retire, and the guns fell for a moment into the
hands of the assailants. But it was only for a
moment, for the Fifth Regiment was ordered

68 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

instantly to recover them. They marched up
in line, firing with great coolness, and when at
the distance of only a few paces from their
adversaries, brought their bayonets to the
charging position and rushed forward. "This
is, I believe," he added, " the first instance on
record of the charge of the bayonet being made
upon cavalry by infantry in line ; nor, perhaps,
would it be prudent to introduce the practice.
But never was charge more successful. Possess-
ing the advantage of ground, and keeping in
close and compact array, the 5 th literally pushed
their adversaries down the hill, retook the guns,
and limbering them to the horses, which had
followed their advance, removed them safely."

Wellington, in his public despatch, describes
how he had reinforced the Fifth by the 77 th
Regiment and the 21st Portuguese Regiment
and other troops. The small body of defenders
had to sustain the attack of the French cavalry
and artillery. " One regiment of French
dragoons," said Wellington, " succeeded in
taking two pieces of cannon, which had been
posted on a rising ground on the right of our

Photograph by Ball, Regent St., W.

Lieut. -Gen. Bryan Milman, C.B.

(Colonel, Northumberland Fusiliers)
IN HIS UNIFORM AS MAJOR OF THE TOWER OF LONDON

THE AFFAIR OF EL BODON 69

troops ; but they were charged by the second
battalion of the Fifth Regiment, under the
command of Major Ridge, and the guns were
immediately retaken." There was plenty more
stiff fighting before the British withdrew in
perfect order. " The conduct of the second
battalion of the Fifth Regiment," . . . continued
Wellington, " affords a memorable example of
what the steadiness and discipline of the troops,
and their confidence in their officers, can effect
in the most difficult and trying situations. . . .
I have never seen a more determined attack than
that made by the whole of the enemy's cavalry,
with every advantage of the assistance of a
superior artillery, and repulsed by these two
weak battalions " (Fifth and 77th). So im-
pressed was Lord Wellington by the courage of
the Fifth and other troops on this occasion, that
in General Orders he held up their conduct as
an example to the whole of the allied forces.

The affair of El Bodon has not been dealt
with chronologically ; it has been referred to out
of its place partly because it stands as an isolated
instance, but principally because it formed the

70 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

best possible opening to a chapter dealing with
the work of the Fifth in the Peninsula. What
that work was is shown by the list of honours
for the Peninsular War, during the whole of
which the regiment served, differing in this
respect from some corps which shared only in
part of the great campaigns under Wellington
in Spain and Portugal. " Roleia," "Vimiera,"
" Corunna," " Busaco," " Ciudad Rodrigo,"
"Badajoz," "Salamanca," "Vittoria," "Nivelle,"
"Orthes," " Toulouse,' ' and " Peninsula "—
these are the distinctions which represent the
doings of the Fifth in time of war from 1808
to 1 8 14, and which cause the regiment to be
particularly identified with the operations in the
Peninsula, just as some other British regiments
— the "Old Immortals," late 76th Foot, now
the 2nd Battalion West Riding Regiment, for
instance — are specially associated with the fight
for India.

Time after time the Fifth won praise from
Wellington and other distinguished officers for
their conduct in this great war, and historians
like Napier, the Marquis of Londonderry, and

THE AFFAIR OF EL BODON 71

Alison have recorded in their pages many
instances of the valour and devotion of the
corps. But it was not from these men and
officers of the Fifth alone that the regiment
won praise for its work in the Peninsula. The
most generous admiration of the appearance
and performances of the Fifth was expressed by
men who had nothing whatever to do with the
regiment, and whose testimony therefore is of
special value as proof of the high standing of
the Fifth amongst the fine old regiments of
Wellington's times. In Camp and Quarters,
Major Patterson, of the 50th — now the Queen's
Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) — wrote in
terms of admiration of some of the crack corps
of the campaign. " There is," he said, " some-
thing in the appearance of many corps not
easily defined, but which at once gives to the
most inexperienced eye the impression that is
usually understood among military men by the
term 'crack regiment.' This may be dis-
tinguished by an off-handed style of doing
things, a smartness of their trim, a neatness and
particularity, even to the very polish of their

72 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

buttons, a sharp, lively step of confidence, a
sort of pride in one another, expressed upon
their countenance, all of which, both as regards
the officers and men, immediately informs you,
whatever it is, that their tout ensemble breathes
the very life and essence of a soldier. So
peculiarly are they characterised in this way,
that even after the lapse of years, of many a
hard campaign, when you would suppose the
rough usages of service would tarnish or break
them down a little, they still retain the impress ;
it seems associated with their c number ' in your
mind, beyond the possibility of erasure. . . .
These regiments seem to be handed down as an
heirloom from one clever officer to another. I
scarcely ever knew an instance to the contrary.
Perhaps none could be said to verify these
remarks more strictly than the Old Fifth, or
Northumberlands (since made Fusiliers). There
was an air of warlike spirit about them, re-
tained from past experience when, under Ridge,
Mackenzie, Eames, Pratt, and many more, they
preserved a reputation acquired in other fields.
There was nothing lively in their uniforms,

THE AFFAIR OF EL BODON 73

their facings being a muddy gosling green ;
but notwithstanding this, there could not be a
cleaner regiment. When I knew them there
were three Mackenzies in the corps, one of
whom, a colonel, a remarkably fine officer, was
killed at Corunna, the others, captain and
subaltern of the Light Company, died in the
West Indies."

CHAPTER VIII

THE STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO

The fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo, which gave to
the Fifth the honour of that name, was invested
by the French on June n, 1810, and was
surrendered to them on July 10 following.
They held it for six months, then — the allied
forces under Wellington having stormed it — the
fortress fell. With it were 1 500 prisoners and
321 pieces of cannon. The allied casualties
during the siege were 9 officers and 217 men
killed, and 84 officers and 1000 men wounded ;
of these 6 officers and 140 men were killed, and
60 officers and 500 men wounded on the night
of the assault alone.

While the fortress was one of the most
difficult of places to invest, the means at
Wellington's disposal for reducing it were

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 75

utterly inadequate. It happened about this
period that some of the implements which had
been furnished for the use of the British troops
by British contractors were so bad that rather
than use them the soldiers did all they could to
get tools of French manufacture. These were
at any rate reliable. They had been made for
service, whereas the British goods had been
manufactured for profit by scoundrelly con-
tractors. The force that was to storm and
capture a fortress which seemed impregnable
and was held by a well -equipped, courageous,
and confident garrison, had neither plentiful
nor satisfactory means of working. Their
materiel was scanty, and it was deficient in
quality. Wellington had demanded 1400 cars ;
he could muster no more than 450. He had
not a single mortar, his stock of shells and
powder was scanty, and he had only 38 24-
pounders and 12 howitzers.

The scarcity of transport had made it possible
for only these weapons to be got to the trenches,
and they would have stood in need of their due
supply of ammunition if 8000 shot had not been

76 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

found amid the ruins of Almeida. So slow and
unwilling were the native carters that they were
two days in getting materiel over ten miles of
flat and excellent road. Yet the carters were so
powerful and essential to Wellington that it was
dangerous to find fault with them. They took
offence readily, and deserted on the slightest
pretext. It was fortunate for the English general
that in order to meet the difficulty of getting
country transport he had had 800 carts made,
and these now proved his surest means of bring-
ing ammunition up for the siege.

Wellington calculated that he would need
twenty-four days to reduce and capture Ciudad
Rodrigo ; but the siege lasted only half that
time. Yet the task had been carried to com-
pletion in spite of heavy drawbacks, such as
inexperience both of engineer and soldier, heavy
fire from the fortress, and cold, wet weather ;
but the worst obstacle of all was the disgraceful
badness of the cutting tools which had been sent
from the Storekeeper-General's office in England.
"The profits of the contractor," said Napier
bitterly, " seemed to be the only thing respected ;

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 77

the engineers eagerly sought for French imple-
ments, because those provided by England were
useless." Strange irony of warfare, that the
tools which the Frenchmen had made should
be the partial means of their undoing, and of
driving the garrison from its fastness.

As described by Lord Londonderry and in
Jones's Journal of the Sieges ', Rodrigo stood upon
the brink of a rapid river, surrounded by a
plain destitute of positions, water, or cover for
the troops. It would therefore be necessary,
after driving the garrison within their lines, to
carry out the siege by relays of divisions — in
other words, to keep the main body in canton-
ments on the left bank of the Agueda, whilst
a sufficient force should carry on the works
upon the right bank, the rest relieving them in
turn of duty. The Agueda, though fordable
in dry weather, became impassable after a few
hours' heavy rain ; while, if the rain should last
a few days, it would inevitably sweep away the
only bridge which the besiegers had found
practicable to lay down.

Ciudad Rodrigo was built on a rising ground

78 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

on the right bank of the Agueda ; it had a
double enceinte all round it ; the interior wall
was of an old construction, of the height of
32 feet, and was generally of bad masonry,
without flanks, and with weak parapets and
narrow ramparts. The exterior enclosure was
a modern fausse-braie, of a low profile, and
constructed so far down the slope of the hill
as to afford but little cover to the interior wall ;
and from the same cause of the rapid descent
of the hill the fausse-braie itself was very
imperfectly covered by its glacis. On the east
and south sides there were ravelins to the
fausse-braie, but in no part was there a covered
way, nor were there any counter mines. With-
out the town, at a distance of 300 yards, were
the suburbs ; they were enclosed by a bad
earthen retrenchment, hastily thrown up by
the Spaniards during the investment of the place
in 1 8 10. The French since they had been in
possession of Rodrigo had made strong posts
of three convents, one on either flank of the
suburbs, and one in the centre, and they had
also converted into an infantry post the convent

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 79

of Santa Cruz, situated just beyond the glacis
on the north-west angle of the place. The
works of the suburbs, therefore, though con-
temptible in themselves, yet, as supported by
these convents, were considered as fully com-
petent to resist a coup-de-main. The ground
without the place was generally flat and the
surface rocky, except on the north side, where
there are two hills, called the lesser and the
greater Teson ; the one, at 180 yards from the
works, rose nearly to the level of the ramparts,
and the other, at 600 yards' distance, to the
height of 13 feet above them. The soil on
these hills was very stony, and during winter
water usually rose at the depth of 6 inches
below the surface. The French had erected a
small redoubt on the highest hill, which, from
its situation, prevented any attack on that side
till it should be taken. This redoubt was sup-
ported by two guns and a howitzer in battery
on the top of the fortified convent of St.
Francisco, at 400 yards from it, and a large
proportion of the artillery of the place was in
battery to fire upon the approach from the hill.

80 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

By the 17 th of the month the siege had
advanced so well that the fausse-braie was
shaken to atoms and two formidable breaches
had been made in its main walls. Wellington,
wishful to spare the lives of the garrison as
well as his own troops, demanded surrender.
This being refused, it only remained to carry
the place by storm, and Wellington fixed on
the night of the 19th for the assault. The
attack was to be made by such divisions as
should happen to be on duty that day in the
trenches, and as these chanced to be the Light
and 3rd Divisions, theirs was the duty of
carrying the fortress by assault.

The main breach was to be carried by the
3rd Division, consisting of the 5th, 45th,
60th (five companies), 74th, 77th, 83rd, 88th,
and 94th Regiments ; the smaller breach was
to be stormed by the Light Division, consisting
of two battalions of the 52nd, one of the 43rd,
two of the 95th, and two of cacadores. The
regiments of the 3rd Division were preceded
by their light companies, under Major Manners,
as a storming party. These companies were to

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 81

be headed by parties carrying wool-packs and
ladders, the former for the purpose of filling
up the ditch, and the latter to enable the assail-
ants to mount the wall. To aid this principal
attack, a demonstration was to be made on the
right by Major O'Toole, of the 95th Rifles, at
the head of five companies of that regiment,
with the light companies of the 83rd and 94th.
At the smaller breach, as at the greater breach,
a select party of men were appointed to head
their comrades. They consisted of 300 volun-
teers, under the command of Major Napier,
brother of the historian ; and they, like the
storming party elsewhere, were preceded by the
bearers of bags, ladders, and other engines for
assault.

Partly with a view to draw the enemy's
attention from the breaches, and partly in hope
that, during the confusion, an entrance might
be obtained by escalade, Pack's Portuguese
Brigade received instructions to demonstrate, as
soon as the firing should become general, against
the outwork of St. Jago and the convent of La
Caridad. They were to plant their ladders at

82 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the moment when their comrades issued from
the trenches, and were to deliver the attack,
real or false, as circumstances should direct.

The last clause in these instructions was the
most significant of all : " Ciudad Rodrigo must be
carried by assault this evening at seven o'clock/'
The order was imperative, but Wellington knew
his men, and neither his judgment nor his confi-
dence was at fault.

Thus far the general plan, the success of
which was proved by the result of the storming.
Letters written to friends by Ridge himself
show what the part of the Fifth was in the
assault. The letters were amongst the last he
wrote. One dated January 22, 18 12, was to
John Dewes, Paymaster of the 28 th Regiment.
" The siege of Ciudad Rodrigo," wrote Ridge,
" has terminated gloriously, being carried by
assault the 12th night by the Light and Third
Division. In this the Young Fifth has played
a conspicuous part, being honoured with a
separate command in the first instance, with
directions to force the gate leading into the
ditch, then with the ladders provided for the

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 83

purpose to scale the walls of the Fausse Br aye,
dislodge the enemy's parties there, and turn the
guns which flanked the breach, then to proceed
along the Fausse Braye until we arrived there,
when I was to wait and follow in the rear of
General M'Kinnon's Brigade, who were to have
carried the breach ; but our business was so
rapidly executed that the Brigade had not arrived
at the breach, only the 94th of our Brigade,
which had also a separate route, had come up
when a juncture of the two weak regiments was
formed, when the enemy opened a perfect sea of
fire, of shell, of grenades, grape, and musquetry,
and all the combustible devilment they could
collect ; our only alternative which presented
itself was to run by force the breach, as in the
ditch we could not line. ' Rush ' was the word,
and the breach was presently carried by the
Fifth and 94th, though I regret to say with
very great loss. ... I have made prize of
the Govenor's saddle cloth, which is extremely
rich, being crimson velvet edged with beautiful
gold lace two and a half inches wide ; his French
double-barrelled gun has also fallen to my lot.

84 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Our General of Division had given a very
handsome order on the occasion, which I shall
enclose a copy of. This business has reduced
the Battalion to a very few, but we have a
detachment of 130 coming out. . . . The 5th
Division are at present sent on garrison at
Ciudad Rodrigo, destroying our works and
clearing and repairing the breach. I think the
expedition with which Ciudad has been taken
will astonish both French and English, as it cost
Massena 5 1 days, 1 6 of which he was bombarding
the place. Lord Wellington has done every-
thing in 12. We certainly have been most
fortunate in the weather, not having a fall of
any kind during the siege, but a continued
steady frost.' '

Extract from Division Orders, Tamorra, 10th
January 18 12. — By the gallant manner in
which the breach was last night carried by storm,
the 3rd Division has added much credit to its
military reputation, and has rendered itself the
most conspicuous corps in the British Army. . . .
The Commanding Officers of Regiments will
be pleased to communicate to the Officers, non-

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 85

commissioned Officers, and Soldiers of their
respective Corps his high approbation of their
gallantry on this occasion, and assure them that
he conceives the command of the brave 3rd
Division as the greatest honour his Majesty
could confer upon him. Lieutenant - Colonel
Campbell, commanding the Right Brigade and
94th Regiment, Lieutenant -Colonel Duncan,
commanding the 77th Regiment, and Major
Ridge, 2nd Battalion 5th Regiment, are par-
ticularly entitled to the thanks of the Lieutenant-
General, as having led and carried the breach,
as is Major Manners, 74th Regiment, who
gallantly volunteered for the storming - party,
and Captain Milne of the 45th Regiment, for
the able support of the attack. . . . The
Lieutenant -General promised the Flank Com-
panies one guinea a man in case they were the
first to carry the breach, but as from unforseen
circumstances it fell to the lot of the corps
already mentioned, this sum, which would have
amounted to about £300, will be proportionately
divided among the British Regiments of the
Division, who will do the Lieutenant -General

86 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the honour to drink to the future success of
the Division.

The other letter was dated January 24, 18 12,
but the name of the recipient was omitted from
the United Service Journal, in which the com-
munication was published : — " My dear , I

shall give you a copy of the order under which
we acted on the night of the 1 9th, and then its
result.

Order

" The 5 th Regiment will attack the entrance
of the ditch at the junction of the counterscarp
with the main wall of the place. Major
Sturgeon will show them the point of attack.
They must issue from the right of the Convent
of Santa Cruz. They must have twelve axes,
in order to cut down the gate by which the ditch
is entered at the junction of the counterscarp
with the body of the place. The 5th Regiment
is likewise to have twelve scaling ladders,
25 feet long, and immediately on entering the
ditch are to scale the Fausse Braye, in order
to clear it of the enemy's parties, on their left,

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 87

towards the principal breach. It will throw
over any guns it may meet with, and will
proceed along the Fausse Braye to the breach
in the Fausse Braye, where it will wait until
Major-General M'Kinnon's column has passed
on to the main attack, when it will follow in
its rear.

"This Regiment will make its attack at
ten minutes before seven o'clock. The 77th
Regiment will be in reserve on the right of the
Convent of Santa Cruz."

In the course of this letter the writer said :
" This order was executed to the entire satisfac-
tion of all our superiors — you may suppose not
less so to mine. But instead of following into the
breach on our arrival at it, General M'Kinnon's
Brigade had not arrived ; the 94th only, which
had also a separate route, came up, and a
junction of the two weak regiments was
formed, supported by the 77th — 150 men!
The enemy, on our halting as directed, opened
a most destructive fire of shells, grenades, and
every kind of combustible devilment he could
bring together. This had the effect of deciding

88 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the step we must take, as our orders said
nothing about going back, and poor Dubourdieu
at the moment observing, c Major, it is as well
to die in the breach as in the ditch, for here
we cannot live/ the two regiments, as by one
consent, pushed up the breach, almost eating
fire. But the 'Mounseers' liked fighting best
at a distance, and gave us ground, and, taking
General Funk with them, neglected to pull
away the planks they had thrown over the
ditches cut by them across the ramparts, by
which neglect their preparations for defence
were rendered ineffectual. Five and ninety-four
followed them right and left, at the same time
keeping, as well as we could, the centre in
check until the arrival of the intended assailants,
when the town and all was ours, the enemy,
one and all, throwing away their arms and
flying to their holes, where they endeavoured
to conceal themselves until the rage of the
British lion had subsided, but they had already
taken the most effectual means to obtain
mercy — as it was, even here, glorious to see
Britons incapable of slaying unarmed men,

STORMING OF CIUDAD RODRIGO 89

though their lives became forfeit by awaiting
the assault with two practicable breaches.

" Besides possession of the fortress, the whole
of Massena's battering train has become prize,
as well as an immense quantity of light artillery
which Marmont brought against us on our
retreat after El Bodon. The fortress is so well
supplied with warlike stores, that not an article
of any kind is wanting, notwithstanding the
expenditure during the siege. I have been
enabled to complete the whole of our drummers
with French brass drums, and more had we
wanted them.

" The George and Dragon has nearly dis-
appeared from our King's colour by a shell
passing through it, though I trust his spirit
is left amongst us. . . . Our loss — poor
M'Dougall, killed ; Major Grey, Dubourdieu,
Johnson, Wylde, M'Kenzie, Fitzgerald, Fairt-
lough, Ayshford, Canch, and Volunteer Hilliard,
wounded ; 38 men killed and 62 wounded.
This includes our losses during the siege as
well as in the assault.

"Your poor Light Bobs have suffered — 3

9o NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

killed and 10 badly wounded. The grenadiers
are the greatest sufferers. . . . There has been
a regular traffic of the plunder, but the brave
fellows earned it all."

The successful storming was followed by one
of those mad orgies which so greatly marred
the capture of the chief fortresses of the Penin-
sula. When the enemy was broken and was
flying, the victorious soldiers followed him from
street to street, from house to house, in un-
governable fury. While any fugitive who
surrendered was spared, the conquerors ruthlessly
put to the sword all who resisted. Houses
blazed, churches were despoiled, wine and spirit
cellars were ransacked, and every kind of outrage
added to the wickedness of that appalling night.
Not until the exhausted drunkards sank to sleep
and the wounded had been taken into temporary
hospitals did something like order reign again
in the shattered fortress. When the sad dawn
broke fires were dying out, and the pallid light
showed up the gutted buildings and the corpse-
strewn streets. This was part of the price of
victory.

CHAPTER IX

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE

Like " Wilhelmstahl," " Badajoz " is an honour
of special interest to the Fifth. It was at Badajoz
that the regiment led the escalade of the castle
— that desperate and splendid feat which Wel-
lington is said to have declared saved his honour
and gained him the town ; and it was there that
the Fifth lost their commanding officer, Ridge,
a man who caused Napier to pen one of his
most striking sentences, and whose name cannot
be forgotten by the Fifth so long as the regiment
holds together. " Ridge fell," said Napier,
" and no man died that night with more glory —
yet many died and there was much glory."

Badajoz endured the miseries and sufferings
of a siege three times in thirteen months. The
first siege was in April 181 1, by Lord Beresford,

92 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

who was, however, forced to abandon operations
by Soult advancing to the relief of the town.
This advance of the French marshal led to the
battle of Albuera on May 16. Wellington in
person undertook the second siege, which was
abandoned on June 10, Soult having again
advanced, in combined operation with Marmont's
army, from the north. The third siege also was
directed by Wellington himself. It began on
March 17, 18 12, and went on uninterruptedly
till April 6, when, after a most desperate defence
by the French, the town was stormed and taken.
Badajoz, which had a population of about
16,000, was then a large and fortified town
standing upon the left bank of the Guadiana,
which varied from 300 to 500 yards in width
at that place. The river protected the area it
embraced from the British operations. Towards
the land side the defences were numerous, promi-
nent amongst them being the Picurina, a strong
redoubt, and an old castle which crowned the
summit of a hill 120 feet high. These ruins
covered a considerable area, and with proper
care could have been made very formidable.

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 93

But the defences had been neglected, and the
castle at that time was deficient even in parapet
to shelter guns. Recognising the weakness of
this spot, the engineers determined to turn one
of their attacks against it, believing that here
was one of their best chances of success. On
the opposite bank of the river, and in a direct
line with the castle, stood the heights of St.
Cristoval. Their altitude was little less than
that of the castle hill, but from the peculiar
formation of the latter, the heights commanded
a view of everything that went on within its
walls. So that an enemy should be prevented
from enjoying this advantage, a square fort, of
about 300 feet face, had been built on the
heights. This fort was strong and regularly
constructed, with a stone scarp 20 feet high,
and was able, by reason of the rocky ground on
which it stood, to offer a determined resistance.
But the means of communication between the
heights and the town were not good, being
carried on either by a long bridge, which was
liable to be enfiladed, or by the more dangerous
employment of boats. The second attack, it

94 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

was determined, should be made against Fort
St. Cristoval, and the engineers were sanguine
of success for this double assault.

Hopeful as the engineers were, the colossal
nature of the task was clearly seen. A deter-
mined enemy, a garrison of 3000 men, with
excellent artillery and two months' stores and
food, was shut up in works which had many
natural and artificial advantages. To oust him
there were besiegers to the number of 14,000
or 15,000, including 3000 Spaniards and 2000
Portuguese militia ; but against the 150 pieces
of artillery in Badajoz and its outworks we could
oppose only 40 pieces, including four 10-inch and
six 8-inch howitzers. The besiegers had no
mortars, and accordingly eight of the howitzers
were used as such. Their guns were all of
brass, of Portuguese manufacture, and two
were 24-pounders and four were 16-pounders.
The ordnance was, in a word, both old and
inefficient, and in consequence the fire at times
was quite useless against the weapons of the
garrison. There had been collected, too, but
a poor supply of engineers' stores, comprising

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 95

3500 entrenching tools, 60,000 sand-bags, 600
gabions, a very few fascines, and a totally in-
adequate supply of splinter-proof timber and
planks.

Wellington, despite the odds against him,
was determined to reduce Badajoz, and the
work of the second siege began. With intrepid
spirit the besiegers paved the way for the
assaults, Wellington being all the more anxious
to storm and reduce the place because of his
unwillingness to risk a battle with a covering
and besieging corps combined. Bad as the
artillery was, a breach which was considered
practicable was made in Fort St. Cristoval.
The attempt to force in by escalade was made,
and with the utmost gallantry, amid a shower
of shell, hand grenades, and other missiles, was
continued for an hour. At 1 o'clock in the
morning, June 7, it was seen that the assault
would not succeed, and the storming party — a
mere handful of men, less than 200 — retired,
with half their number killed or wounded.
Undeterred by this evil fortune, preparations
were made for a fresh assault, incessant practice

96 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

being kept up with seven iron guns which had
arrived from Lisbon. On June 9 Fort St.
Cristoval was stormed for the second time.
Again there was a forlorn hope of 25 men,
the whole storming party numbering 200 ;
again for a full hour the valiant band strove
to take the fort, and not until 40 of the
stormers were killed and more than 100
wounded did the survivors withdraw. It was
a short, fearful struggle. The ladders by which
the stormers mounted were seized and upset,
and the swarming soldiers thrown into the ditch.
A perfect storm of shells and stones, grenades,
and bags of powder and combustibles fell upon
the living and the dead, while those intrepid
men who fought their way up to the parapet,
rung by rung, were instantly bayoneted. The
second attempt had been made, it had failed,
and the stormers who had tried to take the fort
had been almost destroyed. On the 10th there
was a short truce to allow of the wounded being
removed and the dead buried. By evening,
guns and stores were being removed, and on
the 1 2 th the siege was raised, at a cost to the

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 97

allies of 9 officers and 109 men killed, and

25 officers and 342 men wounded and taken

prisoners — a total loss of 485.

For the time being Badajoz was left. When

Wellington again appeared before the town it

was as the victor of Ciudad Rodrigo, and with

a much more complete siege-train than he had

possessed at the second siege. In March three

divisions, under Beresford and Picton, were

investing Badajoz, and regardless of the stormy

weather which prevailed, were making ready for

the downfall of the place. Everything, even

the weather, was against the assailants, and it

was only by the most splendid exertions that

the necessity of retiring from before the place

was obviated. On the night of the 24th, Fort

Picurina was stormed and carried, after a

desperate struggle, by 500 men of the 3rd

Division — the division to which the Fifth

belonged. The assailants lost four officers and

50 men killed, and 15 officers and 250 men

wounded ; but of the garrison of 250 only

34 escaped.

By April 6 a general assault was considered
H

98 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

practicable, and Wellington ordered that assault
to be given at ten o'clock that night. Three
efforts were to be -made — to storm two breaches
that had been made, and, if possible, escalade
the castle. The taking of the castle was the
most dangerous part of the task, and this was
given to the 3rd Division, under Picton, the
breaches being entrusted to the Fourth and Light
Divisions respectively. Other efforts were de-
termined on late on the day of the assault.

In perfect silence and the intense darkness
of the night the divisions formed at their
alarm-posts and moved to the points of attack.
Scarcely had the 3rd Division reached the
bank of the Rivellas when they were discovered
by the garrison of the castle, and from the entire
face of the work fire was opened on the
assailants. But they were not checked for so
much as a moment. They pressed on, reared
their ladders against the walls, and began the
escalade. Now came the crisis. The garrison's
efforts so far had been feeble, but no sooner
had the ladders been reared and the stormers
assembled under the walls than havoc was

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 99

wrought amongst them by the descent of
enormous stones, huge beams of timber, and
loaded shot and cold shot, while at the same
time a furious fire of musketry caused fearful
slaughter. More ladders were fetched and
more stormers mounted, but only to be hurled
back or bayoneted when they reached the top.
But in spite of everything that told against them
the Division triumphed. One ladder held, and
the assailants clung to it and leaped from it to
the wall ; other stormers followed upon other
ladders, and the place was gained. Maddened
stormers swarmed upon the ramparts, and once
there, no power within the garrison could drive
them back. The castle fell to the Division,
and before that valorous body of assailants the
French fled, some who resisted being put to
the sword, others laying down their arms and
becoming prisoners of war.

"He (Ridge) was killed, but the place was
carried," wrote an officer who took part in the
storming ; and so it was. The example of the
commanding officer had inspired the Fifth to
perform one of the most dangerous and difficult

ioo NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

acts of the storming. The castle was won, and
was filled by the 3rd Division, who remained
in it till daylight. So impossible did the task
of capturing the castle seem, that Philippon,
the French commander at Badajoz, when told
of the escalade, refused to believe the officer who
brought the tidings, and delayed sending help
until the English were unquestioned masters
of the castle.

Wellington, too, scarcely credited the intelli-
gence. During the whole of the fighting he
remained in one position, on a height near some
quarries, listening to the crash of the guns, the
rattle of the muskets, the cries of the combatants,
and the whole hideous din. From time to
time his aide-de-camp brought him reports of
the fight — how the assault went and how the
garrisons were holding out. When at last an
officer — Lieutentant Tyler, from Picton's Divi-
sion— reached him and said the castle was
taken, Wellington demanded to know who the
bearer was. "Are you certain, sir?" he asked.
" I entered the castle with the troops, have just
left it, and General Picton is in possession/' was

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLfe 101

the answer. "With how many men?" inquired
Wellington. " His division," answered Tyler.
Then Wellington commanded the bearer of
the tidings to return to Picton instantly and tell
him to maintain his position at all hazards.
For the time being there was delirious joy of
conquest ; not till later, when Wellington
learned at what a sacrifice the victory had been
gained, did his wonted firmness fail. Then he
yielded to an overwhelming burst of grief.

To the Fifth the escalade of the castle of
Badajoz and the death of Ridge will always
remain an inspiring memory. A general
impression of the storming has been given, but
details which concern the Fifth and their com-
manding officer must be offered also.

It was at a stage of the assault when success
seemed hopeless that Ridge rushed forward,
mounted the first of the ladders, and at the
same time called upon a gallant young officer of
the grenadiers of the regiment — Ensign Canch
— and the men to follow. " Canch," cried Ridge,
"won't you lead the Fifth?" Instantly the
ensign was on the steps of another ladder, his

102 KdRfHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

sword shielding his head, and the bayonets of his
grenadiers protecting him in clusters on either
side. Filled with an inflexible determination to
succeed, Canch forced his way up the rungs, and
was the first to mount the ramparts. In a few
seconds Ridge was at his side, having mounted
the adjoining ladder ten yards on his junior's
left. The cheering and triumphant troops
swarmed after their leaders, the castle was won,
and the enemy were forced through the double
gate into the town. But a reinforcement came
from the French reserve ; there was a furious
firing through the gate from both sides, and in
the moment of the victory which he had so
gloriously won, Ridge was slain.

Canch subsequently became fort-major of
Edinburgh Castle, and furnished particulars of
the assault on Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz
to Alison for that author's History of Europe.

Of Ridge a miniature is preserved in the
Officers' Mess. At the foot of it is the inscrip-
tion, " Lieutenant-Colonel Ridge, 2nd Battalion
of the 5th Regiment of Foot, who was killed at
the siege of Badajoz."

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 103

This escalade of the castle of Badajoz was
briefly described by an officer who was amongst
the very first to enter the building. His
statement, which was accepted as a faithful
personal account by an eye-witness, reads like the
work of an officer of the Fifth ; certainly the
description relates almost solely to the doings
of the regiment, and the writer says of " our
beloved and heroic commander " that he was so
near as to be in contact with him at the instant
of his fall. Be that as it may, the story of the
escalade, as told by this officer, deserves a place
in the records of the Fifth. On the evening
of April 6, 1 8 12, he says, as soon as it was
dark enough to prevent observation from the
garrison, the two British brigades of the 3rd
Division, composed as follows : the right, of
the 45th, 74th, and 88th, under Sir J. Kempt ;
the left, of the 2nd Battalion 5th, 77th, 83rd,
and 94th, under Colonel Campbell of the 94th,
their light companies, and three companies of the
5th Battalion 60th, the whole under Lieutenant-
Colonel Williams of the 60th, forming the ad-
vance, moved from the ground on which they

io4 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

were encamped, in columns right in front. The
Division took a circuitous direction towards the
river, and, according to a preconcerted plan,
halted on the ground which had been pointed out
to them, there to await the arrival of the several
divisions and corps at the points allotted to each
previous to the general attack. During this halt
the brigades were earnestly addressed by their
commanders on the duty they had to perform.

On the signal for the general attack, the
brigades advanced in the order named. The
enemy appeared fully aware of the attack,
having commenced, and continuing, to throw
fireballs, which completely exposed the advance
of the troops, particularly on their arrival at the
wet ditch which covered the approach to the
castle wall. This ditch was passed by wading
or going along the top of the dam which
terminated it, and which was so narrow as only
to admit of the assailants passing by single files,
while the enemy continued to keep up a destruc-
tive fire at this point. As soon as this obstacle
was surmounted, the light companies and the
right brigade, under Kempt, moved to the left

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 105

towards the principal gate of the town ; the left,
led by Campbell, advanced direct to that part of
the castle wall which had been bombarded the
preceding year.

"At this point," the officer continues, "some
ladders were reared against the wall by some
grenadiers of the 5th, at one of which were
Colonel Campbell and Lieutenant-Colonel Ridge,
who commanded the 5th Regiment, and at an-
other the officers of the grenadiers of the 5 th ;
Colonel Ridge called to Ensign Canch of the
latter to lead at his ladder, and immediately
both, at their respective ladders, pushed up,
followed by their men, and, having succeeded
in gaining the top of the wall, they joined, and
found that they mustered strong enough to beat
off whatever was immediately opposed to them.
The gallant Ridge called out, ' Come on, my
lads ! let us be the first to seize the Governor,'
and dashed on, making his way, with those
along with him, over the works which had been
raised during the siege, exposed to a heavy fire,
by which numbers fell, who were soon replaced
by those who followed.

106 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

"As the 5th advanced, the enemy retired,
leaving in the works a few men, who were killed
or taken prisoners. Retiring from the ramparts,
the French formed in an open space near the
castle 'gate. For a short time the firing ceased,
and the regiment, headed by their commander,
continued to feel their way in the dark, follow-
ing the ramparts until they came to a passage
leading to the centre of the castle, and on
advancing a short way a column was observed,
which caused a momentary hesitation in our
advance. Colonel Ridge, who at the time was
reconnoitring another opening, called out, ' Why
do you hesitate ? Forward ! ' We again, with
the greatest caution, and without firing, con-
tinued to advance, and on proceeding a little
farther, the enemy were observed. We then
commenced firing, which was returned by a
volley. At this moment our beloved and heroic
commander fell, having received a wound in the
breast, which immediately proved fatal. The
writer of this was so near as to be in contact
with him at the instant of his fall. We left a
guard by his honoured remains.

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 107

" The regiment continued to advance, keeping
up a fire, and being now supported by the other
corps who were following them up, the enemy
retiring and shutting the gates. The inner gate
was forced without much difficulty, but the
outer one was found strongly secured. The
French, however, had left the wicket open, and
kept up a heavy fire on those who attempted to
pass it. Colonel Campbell now ordered the
men to retire within the inner gate of the castle,
and directed the Fifth to form in column facing
the gates, and that the other regiments should
imitate that formation as they collected. The
command of the whole had devolved upon
Colonel Campbell, Sir J. Kempt having, as well
as Sir Thomas Picton, been wounded in the
assault. The regiments remained in this order
of formation until a communication of their
having possession of the castle was made to the
Duke of Wellington, to whom, as we under-
stood, the news of our unexpected success had
given the highest satisfaction.

11 Having continued formed as above till
morning, we received orders to advance into

108 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the town, and were cheered by the generous
admission of our brave comrades, that Picton
and the Third Division had taken Badajoz."

The taking of the castle was signalised by a
memorable incident. Lieutenant Macpherson
of the 45th, having got possession of the French
flag, immediately doffed his own jacket, and
hoisted it on the flagstaff. The officer subse-
quently presented the captured trophy to Picton.

Badajoz had fallen at last, at a cost to the
allied army of 5000 officers and men. The
5000 included 700 Portuguese. In the assault
alone 3500 fell, 60 officers and more than 700
men being slain on the spot ; 600 officers and
men fell in the escalade of San Vincente, as
many at the castle, and more than 2000 at the
breaches.

" Let any man picture to himself this fright-
ful carnage taking place in a space less than
100 yards square," said Napier. " Let him
consider that the slain died not all suddenly nor
by one manner of death ; that some perished by
steel, some by shot, some by water ; that some
were crushed and mangled by heavy weights,

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 109

some trampled upon, some dashed to atoms by
the fiery explosions ; that for hours this destruc-
tion was endured without shrinking, and that
the town was won at last. . . . No age, no
nation, ever sent forth braver troops to battle
than those who stormed Badajoz."

The other side to this picture is that spectacle
of hell let loose which was witnessed in Badajoz
for two days after the town fell. Murder,
pillage, intemperance, outrage in every form —
these were stopped only on the third day, when
Wellington, furious at the continuance of the
tumult, marched two fresh divisions into the
town and hanged some of the worst offenders
on a gallows which had been erected in the great
square. That stern example quelled the pillage,
and order was restored.

The enemy had suffered a loss of 3500 in
prisoners alone, the entire survivors of the
garrison being captured, while to the victors
there fell large numbers of guns and vast
quantities of stores and ammunition. In the
siege a tremendous amount of materiel was
expended. In this were included 2523 barrels of

no NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

powder, each containing 90 lbs., 31,861 round
shot, 1826 common and spherical 5^-inch shells,
and 1659 rounds of grape and case shot ; 70,000
sand-bags also were required, 1200 gabions, 700
fascines, and 1 570 entrenching tools. In addition,
3500 Spanish dollars were disposed of.

The year 18 12, in addition to " Ciudad
Rodrigo" and " Badajoz," gave to the Fifth the
honour of " Salamanca," the 1st Battalion, which
had landed at Lisbon on July 20, taking part in
this victory on the 22nd, and losing heavily.
The 2nd Battalion was ordered home to fill up
its depleted ranks. Wellington showed his
appreciation of the work and behaviour of that
battalion in General Orders, dated Arcala, July
27, 1 8 1 2 : — " The Commander of the Forces can-
not part with the officers and non-commissioned
officers of the 2nd Battalion of the Fifth Regi-
ment without again requesting them to accept
his thanks for their uniform good conduct and
brilliant and important services since they have
been under his command."

At Vittoria, May 16, 18 13, the 1st Battalion
forded the river, and advancing against the

THE ESCALADE OF THE CASTLE 1 1 1

right of the French army at Margarita and
Hermanded, drove in a superior force of the
enemy in gallant style. Again the Fifth came
in for the warm praise of Wellington ; Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Pratt obtained a medal, and
" Vittoria " was added to the honours borne on
the colours. The loss of the regiment in this
stubborn and important battle was exceptionally
severe. " Nivelle " and "Nive" were fresh
honours for the regiment before its fighting
ended for the year 1 8 1 3. In the succeeding year
"Orthes" and "Toulouse" were added to the
honours, while " Peninsula " covered generally
the series of battles in which the regiment had
given so many of its best lives and striven so
successfully for England.

Peace was restored in Europe for the time,
but the Fifth had no rest from warlike operations.
Both battalions in 18 15 were in America, from
which country the 1st Battalion joined the British
Army in Paris, having just missed the battle of
Waterloo. The 2nd returned and went to
Gosport. This battalion was disbanded on
June 24, 1 8 16. In 1819 the regiment, now

ii2 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

reduced to one battalion, went from Portsmouth
to the West Indies, returning to England in
1826. So famous was the corps, and such a
favourite in the country, that it recruited nearly
500 men in the first eleven months which
followed its return from the West Indies.
After another spell of service in Ireland, the
Fifth proceeded to Gibraltar, where in June and
July 1834, 53 members, including 1 officer,
3 women, and 4 children, died of cholera. From
this period until 1857 the Fifth enjoyed im-
munity from war, serving in the Mediterranean,
Ireland, and the Far East. In 1857 the Fifth
were called upon to take the field again, this
time in a country where the regiment had not
campaigned, but where it was to win one of its
greatest honours — " Lucknow."

CHAPTER X

Part of the price of the cherished honour of
"Lucknow" is told on regimental monuments
in and near the city. One in the old church-
yard of the Residency is to the memory of those
of the regiment who fell in the Indian Mutiny
campaigns of 1857-58-59. The names are
given of six officers and eighty-four non-com-
missioned officers and men of the 5 th Fusiliers
who lost their lives in the advance upon Luck-
now under General Havelock during the de-
fence of the Residency under Sir James Outram,
K.C.B., and the subsequent operations at the
Alumbagh and at the final capture of Lucknow.
The second is at the village of Bagorwah, on
the Cawnpore Road, five miles from Lucknow,

and is in remembrance of Lieutenant J. Brown

1

1 14 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

and two sergeants and twenty privates who fell
during the occupation of the Alumbagh ; while
a third memorial is near Havelock's tomb in
the Alumbagh to the memory of Lieutenant
and Adjutant Edwin Haig, who was killed by
a round shot on September 23, 1857. The
Fifth, too, have an honoured place on the
Havelock statue in Trafalgar Square, London.

The total casualties, however, were 473, for
from the date of the regiment's arrival in India
till that of embarkation for England 2 sergeants
and 25 rank and file were killed in action, 1
sergeant and 32 rank and file died of wounds,
17 sergeants, 3 drummers, and 273 rank and
file died of disease, and 120 were invalided to
England for wounds or disease.

When the Mutiny broke out the Fifth were at
Singapore, and were ordered to India. Calcutta
was reached on July 4, and on August 2 a
detachment of the regiment was present at the
engagement which resulted in the relief of
Arrah. The rebels had besieged Arrah, and
the British force there was in a very precarious
position. It was in this action that the Enfield

"LUCKNOW" 115

rifle was first tested in earnest since its introduc-
tion to the regiment. The weapon was a great
success, the conical bullets causing havoc amongst
the enemy. But the Fifth had to fall back on
the bayonet before the road was clear to enter
Arrah. It was a brilliant victory against over-
whelming odds, and though the loss of the Fifth
was but slight, yet the success of the expedition
was so marked as to call for special commenda-
tion from the Government of India and the
Commander-in-Chief. Arrah, too, was of special
interest to the Fifth, since it was there that the
regiment first encountered the Indian rebels,
and for the first time in its long career fought
on the soil of Hindostan.

This was the beginning of another period of
constant fighting and privation for the Fifth.
Many were the skirmishes and actions in which
the regiment shared, all of them leading up to
the great achievement of their campaigning — the
relief of Lucknow. That city had been seized
by the mutineers, and the garrison, consisting
mostly of the 32nd Regiment — now the 1st
Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

n6 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

— was besieged in the Residency in July. On
September 21, Nos. i, 2, 3, 6, and 8 Companies
of the Fifth, commanded by Major Simmons,
formed the advance of the united force under
General Havelock which crossed the Ganges
near Cawnpore, and, after being engaged in the
actions of Lumglewar and Alumbagh, were
part of the force which cut its way through to
the relief of the Residency. They continued the
defence until the advance of Sir Colin Campbell
in the following March. In this second relief
Nos. 4 and 7 Companies were under Sir Colin,
so that the Fifth have a special claim to the
honour of " Ludlow," having shared not only
in the defence of the city but also in the relief
under Havelock and that by Sir Colin Campbell.
The regiment, under the command of Colonel
Guy, took part in all the operations before the
city, and during the capture, after the second
advance of Sir Colin under Major Master
(Colonel Guy having command of a brigade),
from November 1857 to March 1858. The
officers killed during the operations were Major
Simmons, Captain L'Estrange, Captain Johnson,

"LUCKNOW" 117

Lieutenant and Adjutant Haig, and Lieutenant
Carter. Three Victoria Crosses were won — by
Private Peter M'Manus, Sergeant Robert Grant,
and Private Patrick M'Hale.

The Oudh Field Force, under the command
of Brigadier-General Havelock, C.B. — Major-
General Outram having, with a magnanimity to
which there is no parallel, waived his rank and
determined to accompany Havelock to Lucknow
as a volunteer — numbered 3179 men of all arms.
This total was made up as follows : —

European Infantry .

. 2388

European Volunteer Cavalry .

109

European Artillery

. 282

Sikh Infantry

• 34i

Native Irregular Cavalry

59

3J79

This force on September 19 began to cross
the Ganges, and on the 2 1st the troops advanced,
resolved, whatever the cost might be, to rescue
their comrades and the women and children who
were imprisoned in Lucknow and almost at the
mercy of a cruel foe. That advance was made

n8 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

under conditions resembling those of many
famous marches in which the Fifth had shared
in other parts of the world. On the 22nd, for
example, they forced their way along, through
a deluge of rain, for 20 miles, finding shelter
for the night in an enclosed village, where
officers and men arrived soaked and weary.
On the following day the head of the column
entered the large plain which extended in front
of the Alumbagh, and there the enemy were
discovered in force, posted to cover Lucknow,
which lay behind. Now was fought the first
general engagement of note in which the Fifth
had taken part in India, and in which they bore
a splendid share. Not long after the action
began the regiment advanced through a marshy
plain, and notwithstanding the fire of three
batteries, drove the rebels from the Alumbagh
and palace, and after capturing five guns pursued
the mutineers for a considerable distance towards
the Charbagh. Darkness stopped the operations,
and the regiment, returning to the ground
which had been just won, took up quarters
for the night in the Alumbagh. Early in the

"LUCKNOW" 119

action Lieutenant Haig was killed by a cannon
ball. He was afterwards buried in the Alum-
bagh gardens.

On September 24 Generals Outram and
Havelock, from the flat roof of the Alumbagh
palace, from which an extensive view of the
surrounding country was obtainable, planned
their attack for the following day. From this
point also a large number of officers and men of
the Field Force witnessed that act of valour
which gave to the regiment its first Victoria
Cross.

A reconnoitring party of the Fifth, under
Lieutenant Brown, had been sent from the
Alumbagh to ascertain the depth of a stream
which flowed along the British front and close
under the enemy's position. This party in
advancing, skirmishing, was met by a sharp
artillery and musketry fire, but it achieved its
object and was returning when the enemy's fire
became hotter and more dangerous. Private
E. Deveney, who was with the retreating detach-
ment, had a leg shot away by a cannon ball.
Noticing the occurrence, and determined that

120 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

not a man of his little party should fall into the
power of the merciless foe, the lieutenant rushed
to the assistance of the helpless soldier. With
him went Corporal R. Grant. There was now
a heavy fire from less than a hundred yards in
front, but, regardless of this fusil ade, Grant
helped Deveney, and having collected and
brought back a number of the scattered skir-
mishers, raised the bleeding soldier from the
ground, and carried him safely into the Alum-
bagh.

The actual relief was effected on September
25. By daybreak the whole force, carrying
three days' cooked provisions, was steadily
advancing. The tents, the sick and wounded,
the commissariat — all that could impede progress
— were left in the Alumbagh enclosure, where
a little garrison remained and kept up a gallant
defence against furious and repeated assaults of
the enemy. To that garrison the Fifth con-
tributed Lieutenant Oldfield, 2 sergeants, 3
corporals, and 65 privates.

In the advance the Right Brigade led the
column, and the Fifth led the Right Brigade.

"LUCKNOW" 121

The route to be covered was both difficult and
confined, and this added seriously to the heavy-
task before the relieving body. Before progress
could be made there was a fierce duel between
the hidden and well-protected guns of the enemy
and the exposed weapons of the column ; but
Maude's battery of Royal Artillery cleared the
course, and Major Simmons, of the Fifth, ordered
his men to advance. They forged ahead until
the time for charging came, then, cheering, they
dashed at the mutineers and scattered them.
At this stage Captain L' Estrange was struck
by a grape shot and mortally wounded. The
desperate advance continued, the Fifth fighting
their way against the growing opposition of the
enemy. The city being reached, there came
that sort of fighting which Havelock in one of
his despatches compared with the fighting at
Buenos Ayres and Saragossa, in the former of
which the Fifth had taken part. In the Huzrut
Gunge a body of the Fifth assaulted and entered
a house, and there captured the regimental
colour of the 5th Oudh Irregular Infantry.
An officer of the Fifth at once presented it to

122 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Generals Outram and Havelock, who, having
inspected the colour, returned it to the captors.
The trophy was carried by the Fifth through
all the subsequent campaigns, and is still in the
possession of the regiment.

Meanwhile the struggle continued. In the
fierce fighting at the Kaiser Bagh, Captain
Johnson was mortally wounded by a musket
ball while leading his company, and there were
many other losses before the Fifth, weary, thirsty,
and hungry, received the praises of the thankful
and delighted garrison, and enjoyed a hard-
earned but still incomplete triumph.

A distressing circumstance attended the
success. While the foremost men of the Fifth
were clearing the adjacent courtyards of the
enemy some Sepoys were encountered. Being
clad and armed like the rebels, the Fifth natu-
rally supposed that they were enemies, and
rushed upon them with the bayonet. The
Sepoys fell, but something in their looks and
cries and actions caused the Fifth to stay their
hand. An officer who came up interpreted the
words which the soldiers had failed to compre-

"LUCKNOW" 123

hend, and the Fifth, to their grief, learned that the
Sepoys were a remnant of the faithful band of
natives of the Lucknow garrison. In their
eagerness to meet their deliverers they had
pushed out from their entrenchments, and had
suffered death at the hands of friends.

Much had been done, but the relief was not
yet complete. On the morning of the 26th it
was found that part of the relieving force,
consisting of 100 men of the 90th Regiment,
nearly all the wounded, the heavy guns, and a
large number of our ammunition waggons, had
been cut off, and were in a precarious position,
being surrounded by the enemy in a walled
passage in front of the Moti Mahal. The
Fifth, torn from their rest, accompanied by a
portion of the Ferozepore Regiment, marched
to the relief of the beleaguered detachment and
effected a junction with it. The Fifth then
took position in a building known as Martin's
House, and this, with the buildings and out-
houses, they held throughout the day against
the enemy in increased force. When darkness
fell another party of the 78 th Highlanders had

i24 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

arrived, and the removal of the wounded to
the Chuttur Munzil Palace began. At three
o'clock in the morning advantage was taken of
the enemy's silence to get through his posts,
and in this way the whole force marched undis-
covered to the palace, where the heavy guns
and waggons were safely parked in one of the
royal gardens. An abortive attack on the rear-
guard was made by the rebels, who had been
aroused too late to prevent the operation from
being carried out.

The Fifth fixed their headquarters in the
Chuttur Munzil Palace. Finding a large body
of Sepoys in a walled garden adjoining that in
which the guns were placed, Lieutenant J. Creagh
got together a little party of his men, and,
rushing upon the rebels, the Fifth almost de-
stroyed them. During the subsequent siege
this garden was held as an advanced post.

The wounded, who on the 26th had been
sent from Martin's House, were under the
guidance of a civilian. He showed a short, safe
road, but by- an unlucky mistake many of the
doolie-bearers left the track and unconsciously

"LUCKNOW" 125

proceeded towards the enemy. This they did
not discover until, reaching the gateway leading
into the Cheenah Bazaar, where on the previous
day General Neill had been killed by a musket
ball — the general was succeeded in the command
of his brigade during the advance by Major
Simmons of the Fifth — they were fired upon
from the loopholes. Terrified by this discovery
of their perilous position, the doolie-bearers
turned and fled, leaving the wounded to their
fate. The escort who accompanied the doolie-
bearers could only defend themselves in a
neighbouring house, which was swiftly sur-
rounded by the rebels, who set the roof on fire.
The case was desperate and seemed hopeless — so
hopeless that some of the soldiers proposed that
the wounded should be abandoned, and that
they should cut their own way back through
the enemy.

This terrible suggestion was condemned by
some of the troops, and foremost amongst those
who repudiated it was Private Peter M'Manus
of the Fifth. This valiant Fusilier not only
refused to leave the helpless sufferers ; he left

126 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the shelter and comparative safety of the house,
and from their exposed and dangerous position
helped to remove to a safe place the wounded
officers and men in the doolies. M'Manus and
his comrades held the house until the morning
of the 27th, when a relieving column came from
the Moti Mahal. For this and other acts of
valour M'Manus was decorated with the Victoria
Cross.

General Havelock, in his despatch dated
September 30, said, "I am filled with surprise
at the success of the operation which demanded
the efforts of 10,000 good troops. The advan-
tage gained has cost us dear. The killed,
wounded, and missing, the latter being wounded
soldiers who, I much fear — some or all — have
fallen into the hands of the merciless foe,
amounted up to the evening of the 26th to
535 officers and men."

In Division Orders dated Lucknow Residency,
September 26, 1867, Sir James Outram said : —
"The relief of the Lucknow garrison having
last night been accomplished by General Have-
lock and his brave troops, Major-General Sir

"LUCKNOW" 127

J. Outram resumes his position as commander
of the forces. The Major -General heartily
congratulates General Havelock, and the troops
whom that gallant and distinguished officer has
so gloriously led to victory, on their brilliant
success over the hosts that have opposed them
since the army crossed the Ganges on the
19th instant. He sincerely believes that in
the history of warfare British valour was never
more conspicuously displayed than on the 21st
instant at Mungulwura, on the 23rd at Alum-
bagh, and on the 25 th, when his heroic comrades
forced the city bridge and other formidable
obstacles which interrupted their passage to the
position held by the beleaguered garrison. . . .
The Major -General begs to return his most
sincere and heartfelt thanks to the General and
his gallant army for their glorious exertions,
the only acknowledgment of their achievements
which it is in his power to render.

" He would especially note the behaviour of
the 5th Fusiliers and Captain Maude's battery,
who led the column on the 25 th instant under a
most murderous fire."

128 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Lucknow had been relieved, but the rebels
prevented the garrison and the women and
children from being withdrawn. The women
and children at the Residency numbered 700,
and there were more than 500 sick and wounded ;
but against this heavy burden it was possible to
set off the advantage of plentiful food. The
grain in store was enough not only to feed the
garrison, increased by 2000 new-comers, but
Sir Colin Campbell is stated to have carried
away with him 160,000 lbs. of corn when he
left the Residency. Danger of imminent starva-
tion, therefore, did not exist. Communication
with the Alumbagh was cut off, and Outram
had two courses open to him. One was to
reinforce the garrison with 300 men, and,
leaving everything behind, to retire immediately
to the Alumbagh with the remains of the
infantry ; the other was to occupy an extended
position in Lucknow, keeping a force large
enough to command supplies of provisions, and
to maintain himself even on reduced rations
until reinforcements came to his relief. General
Outram resolved on the latter course, and disposed

"LUCKNOW" 129

his troops with the object of holding the palaces
and strong buildings to the south and east of the
Residency. The Fifth occupied the Chuttur
Munzil Palace, and furnished pickets for the
defence of the advanced gardens and posts.

The force which Havelock had led was
indeed in Lucknow, but, in the General's own
words, since the night of the 26th they had
been " more closely blockaded than in Jellalabad.
We eat a reduced ration of artillery bullock
beef, chupatties, and rice, but tea, coffee, sugar,
soap, and candles are unknown luxuries. . . .
The enemy fire at us perpetually with guns,
mortars, and musketry, but our casualties are
not very numerous. . . . We are now daily
expecting Sir Colin Campbell. ... I visit the
whole of my posts in the palaces and gardens
with my staff on foot daily."

During this siege the Fifth were kept
constantly on the alert. To the officers already
lost they soon added Major Simmons, who on
September 29 was killed by a musket shot while
leading his men in a sortie against the enemy.
A column of 560 men, which was formed to

130 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

take the enemy's battery in the position called
"Phillips' Garden," near the Cawnpore Road,
included Lieutenants Meara, Brown, and Creagh,
and Ensign Mason and ioo men of the Fifth.
On October 2 the battery was assaulted and
captured.

On this occasion Lieutenant Brown was
mentioned in despatches, and Private M'Hale
was recommended to the notice of Sir James
Outram. M'Hale was the first man in at the
capture of one of the guns, and in a letter
to the officer commanding the Fifth, dated
November 4, 1857, the Commander-in-Chief
made known his wish that if an opportunity
occurred of giving M'Hale promotion he would
be glad to learn that it had been awarded
to him. M'Hale afterwards, with Private
M'Manus, received the Victoria Cross, the two
men having been selected by their comrades for
the honour, under Rule 1 3 of the Royal Warrant
for the Victoria Cross.

The Fifth, it is true, were quartered in a
palace, but their mode of life was not in keeping
with their surroundings. The officers lived in

"LUCKNOW" 131

the same hall as the men, sleeping, as they slept,
on the floor or guard -beds. There were
no servants, no change of clothing, no toilet
requisites, no bedding — not even soap. Their
food was the soldiers' scanty ration of meat,
atta (coarse flour), rice, and salt ; but there was a
total absence of sugar, wines, and spirits, and the
physique of all ranks of the Fifth was affected
in consequence. The inmates of the hospital,
which was at the Residency, suffered seriously,
and many lives were lost which could have been
saved if proper food had been available. In
the matter of clothing the Fifth were no better
off than with respect to food. More than one
officer considered himself lucky to be able to
buy a pair of half-worn trousers from the men
of the Residency garrison, who were compara-
tively well supplied. Owing to this dearth of
raiment Havelock issued an order that the
troops were to cut holes, large enough for the
head to pass through, in the Hindostani counter-
panes which they had found in the native houses,
and to wear them as greatcoats on guard and
picket. To the same use as clothing, soiled silks

1 32 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

of the Palace begums were put — indeed the
Fifth in India employed many of the shifts to
clothe themselves which the regiment had known
in the Peninsula half a century before.

The coming of Sir Colin Campbell was
anxiously awaited. It was determined that as
soon as he should reach the Secunder-bagh,
about three miles from the Residency, the outer
wall of the advanced guard of the Palace, in
which the enemy had made several breaches,
should be blown in by mines previously pre-
pared ; that two powerful batteries erected in
the enclosure should then open on the insurgents'
defences in front ; and, after the desired effect
had been produced, that the troops should
storm two buildings called the Hureen Khana,
or Deer House, and the steam-engine house.
Mines had been driven under these also. Of
these mines Sir James Outram, in his despatch
to the Chief of Staff, November 25, 1857, said:
" I am aware of no parallel to our series of mines
in modern war ; 2 1 shafts, aggregating 200
feet in depth, and 3291 feet of gallery, have
been executed. The enemy advanced 20 mines

"LUCKNOW" 133

against the palaces and outposts ; of these they
exploded three, which caused us loss of life, and
two which did no injury ; seven had been blown
in, and out of seven others the enemy had been
driven, and their galleries taken possession of by
our miners.' '

On November 16, at about 11 a.m., it was
ascertained that Sir Colin was operating against
the Secunder-bagh, and the explosion of the
mines in the garden was ordered. Their action,
however, was comparatively feeble, so that the
batteries had the double task of completing the
demolition of the wall, and prostrating and
breaching the works and buildings beyond it.
At a quarter-past three the mines at the Hureen
Khana were effectively exploded, and at half-
past the " Advance " sounded. " It is impos-
sible," wrote Havelock in his despatch, "to
describe the enthusiasm with which this signal
was received by the troops. Pent up in inaction
for upwards of six weeks, and subjected to
constant attacks, they felt that the hour of re-
tribution and glorious exertion had returned.
Their cheers echoed through the courts of the

i34 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

palace, responsive to the bugle sound, and on
they rushed to assured victory. The enemy
could nowhere withstand them. In a few
moments the whole of the buildings were in
our possession, and have since been armed with
cannon, and steadily held against all attacks."

On the day following this glorious meeting
of the besieged and the relieving forces, the
officers and men of the Fifth who had held
Lucknow against the mutineers shook hands with
their comrades of Nos. 4 and 7 Companies, who
were with Sir Colin Campbell. The garrison at
Lucknow executed its retreat from the Residency,
and the women, the wounded, the state prisoners,
and the king's treasure, with all the serviceable
guns, having been brought out, the covering
force, of which the Fifth, now united, formed
part, fell back on the Dilkoosha in presence of
the whole force of Oudh, and thence, by a slow
retreat, to the Alumbagh plain. Sir Colin
continued his route to Cawnpore with the
women and children, sick and wounded, and
the greater part of the effective garrison of
Lucknow, leaving General Outram, with a force

"LUCKNOW" 135

of 4000 men, constituting the First Division
of the redistributed army, to hold Lucknow and
its armed hordes in check until it was possible
to take the city from them.

Sir James Outram scored a little victory at
Guilee on December 22, 1857. Determined to
surprise the enemy, Outram marched in the
early morning wtth 1100 infantry, from 100
to 150 cavalry, and 6 guns. Of this force the
Fifth numbered 400, and in a private letter
from the Camp, Alumbagh, Ensign R. W.
Danvers, who during the Mutiny was attached
to the Fifth as interpreter, said : " The Fifth
were as usual, in front, and did all the work,
with the artillery and cavalry." This smart
skirmish ended in the capture of 4 of the enemy's
guns, and 11 tumbrils filled with ammunition
packed for service, elephants, camels, and bullock
waggons, with the loss to the English of only 3
killed and 7 wounded. Danvers, who was wounded
by a shower of grape in charging the guns, was
afterwards accidentally shot on parade in China by
some of his own men. He wrote a large number
of important letters relating to the Mutiny.

136 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

From the going of Sir Colin until the
assault and capture of Lucknow on March 17,
the Fifth had an excessively harassing duty to
perform. There was constant turning out to
repel threatened attacks, the regiment had
to furnish strong pickets, and had to obey
frequent calls for escorts for convoys. On
March 31 the Fifth marched to Cawnpore,
and during the rest of the year were employed
in stamping out the rebellion in Oudh.

While Sir Colin was effecting the relief of
Lucknow the Fifth suffered a loss which was
greatly regretted. This was the disappearance
of the drum-major's stick, which was a valued
trophy, because it had been taken in action in
the Peninsula from the drum-major of a French
regiment. The colours of the Fifth and the
stick, with those of other regiments, had been
placed in charge of a guard of the 88th Regi-
ment, as no men of the Fifth were available.
The stick was stolen, as well as the tassels, which
were cut from the colours ; but the thieves
were not discovered.

Early in 1859, wnen tne regiment was at

"LUCKNOW" 137

Allahabad, cholera broke out and carried off
46 men in a few weeks. Later in the year
the disease reappeared and 24 men were lost.
From January 12, 1858, to August 18, i860,
the Depot sent out to India 16 officers, 3
sergeants, 1 drummer, 10 corporals, and 633
privates. Owing to the heavy casualties in the
service companies the regiment fell far below
its establishment, and great exertions were made
to obtain recruits, at first without much success,
but later with better results, for while in four
months of 1857 only 52 were got, in 1858
307 were obtained. The total number of
recruits for five years was 892.

Before leaving Calcutta for England in March
i860 the Victoria Cross was presented to
Sergeant Grant and Private M'Hale. This
ceremony took place in presence of the garrison
of Fort William. In his letter recommending
M'Hale the commanding officer said : " His
conduct has won the praise of every officer of
his regiment who had seen him in action, and
his name has become a household word for
gallantry amongst his comrades/ '

CHAPTER XI

MINOR CAMPAIGNS

In the long life of the Fifth there have been in
many odd corners of the world minor campaigns
in which the regiment has taken part. For a
considerable period after the Indian Mutiny the
Fifth were peacefully employed at home and
abroad. Twenty years passed before the regi-
ment was called upon for active service ; then
the campaigning was in the East, a part of the
world in which the Fifth had won their last
great honour for the colours.

On October 8, 1878, the 1st Battalion, then
stationed at Chakrata, was warned by telegram
from the adjutant-general for service in Afghan-
istan. The message ordered the time-expired
men who had left for the port of embarkation
on the previous day to be recalled. On the

MINOR CAMPAIGNS 139

1 8th the battalion, consisting of 27 officers, 43
sergeants, 15 drummers, and 690 rank and file,
marched for the front, leaving a depot with the
women and children under Captain Beamish.
On November 7 the battalion reached Lawrence-
pore and joined the 1st Brigade, Hassan Abdul
Field Force, which became on the 20th the
2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Peshawur Valley
Field Force. While at Jumrood the battalion
was employed on convoy duties and working
parties, and took part in operations in the
Bazaar Valley, a skirmish at Deh Sarrak (March
24, 1879), anc* an affair against the Mohmunds
at Kam Dakka. The battalion returned to
India, arriving at Chungi on June 23. The
number of deaths during the year in the battalion
was 2 officers, 3 sergeants, and 64 rank and file,
of whom 2 sergeants and 3 5 rank and file died
of cholera.

In 1880 the battalion took part in the second
Afghan campaign in operations near Kam
Dakka with a force from Safed Sung, and against
several forts, and at Gurdi Khas. This period
was marked by a stirring and brilliant little

i4o NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

achievement by members of the regiment. On
May 19, 1880, a force, made up of the head-
quarters of the Fifth, two guns Royal Artillery,
two guns Mountain Artillery, a detachment of
the Madras Native Infantry, and 120 sabres,
Central India Horse, having crossed the Cabul
River, found about 2000 Afghans holding some
ruined forts and walled enclosures at Besud.
From these the enemy was easily driven, with the
exception of twenty-two men, who, seeing that
their retreat to the hills was cut off, retired to a
little loop-holed tower in a corner of the fort.
As it was out of the question to storm this
refuge, the mountain guns were directed upon the
tower. Three of the defenders rushed out, and,
charging, were met by Colonel Rowland, Captain
Kilgour, Colour-Sergeant Woods, Private Open-
shaw of the Fifth, and Private Longworth of
the 1 2th Foot (now the SufFolk Regiment).
Woods, closely followed by the captain, dashed
into the tower, and the rest of the defenders
were killed. Brigadier-General Doran, who
commanded, said, in his despatch relating to this
exploit, that " a finer display of courage cannot

Photo by Knight, Aldershot.

Lieut. -Col. C. G. C. Money, C.B.

Commanding ist Battalion.

MINOR CAMPAIGNS 141

well be imagined, and I do not hesitate to say
that it deserves the highest reward valour can
obtain." Both Captain Kilgour and Colour-
Sergeant Woods were recommended for the
Victoria Cross ; but this well-earned honour
was denied them. Subsequently Woods re-
ceived from the hands of Her Majesty, at
Osborne, the Medal for Distinguished Conduct
in the Field, in commemoration of the gallantry
displayed by him at Besud, and the officer
obtained a brevet majority.

The battalion returned to India, and on
November 8 embarked for England. The 2nd
Battalion meanwhile had gone out to India
from England, disembarking at Bombay on
February 4. In 188 1 the words " Afghanistan,
1879-80," were permitted to be borne on the
colours. The medals for the campaigns of
1878-80 were presented to the battalion at a
full-dress parade at Mullingar on May 10, 1882,
by Mrs. Harkness, wife of Lieutenant-Colonel
Harkness, who was in temporary command
pending the arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel Mac-
donald from India. The territorial system

1 42 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

coming into operation in 1 88 1, the designation
of the corps was changed to " The Northum-
berland Fusiliers," the facings were altered
from " bright green " to " white," the colour
for English regiments not entitled to wear blue
as Royal regiments, and the gold lace of officers
from the regimental to the "rose" pattern.
The Depot ceased to be the ist Brigade Depot,
being called the 5th Regimental District; and
was moved from Berwick-on-Tweed to New-
castle-on-Tyne. In 1886 the ist Battalion, then
in Ireland, was called out (June 1) to assist
the civil authorities in quelling riots in Belfast.

The 2nd Battalion took part in the Black
Mountain Expedition in 1888. Under orders
received on September 2, the battalion — strength,
15 officers and 600 warrant and non-commis-
sioned officers and men — marched from Kil-
dunna on the 20th to join the Hazara Field
Force against the Black Mountain tribes. On
arriving at Dilbori the battalion joined the ist
Column under Colonel Sym on September 27.
The column advanced on October 4, meeting
with slight opposition, to Mana-Ka-Dana, pro-

MINOR CAMPAIGNS 143

ceeding next day to Chittabutt. That place was
reached with difficulty, owing to bad roads. On
the 6th the column was engaged at Doda,
inflicting severe loss on the enemy, and on the
1 6th a force under Major W. F. Way attacked
and burned the village Saidara, the enemy losing
several men. On the 19th the force left for
Mana-Ka-Dana, and marched thence to Chir-
mang, and on the 24th took part in operations
against the Parari Syads. On the 26th they
marched to Maidan, and advanced next day to
Dubrai, in support of a force operating against
Thakot, returning on the 30th to Maidan.
Forming part of the 1 st Column against the
Allai country, the battalion was engaged on
November 1 with the enemy at Corapher Pass,
and occupied Chaila Peak, inflicting severe loss
on the enemy. Advancing against Pokal, they
destroyed the village and blew up the tower.
On the 4th they returned to Maidan, and on
the 6th marched to Dilbori, thence to Abbota-
bad, where the force was broken up, and the
battalion returned to India, reaching Rawal
Pindi on November 25.

i44 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

In November 1895 the 1st Battalion fur-
nished a section of 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, and
22 privates for field service in Ashanti, under
Captain W. H. Sit well. The operations of the
Special Service Corps in Ashanti were most
successful, and the troops who took part in them
were subsequently decorated with the Ashanti
Star.

The Fifth were represented by the 1st Bat-
talion in the Soudan Campaign, for which
"Khartoum" is borne on the colours. In that
exceptionally successful campaign the 1st Bat-
talion formed, with the 1st Battalion Grenadier
Guards, 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, and
2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade, the 2nd Brigade
of the Infantry Division of the British troops.

Lieutenant -General Grenfell, commanding
the Forces in Egypt, in his despatch described
the campaign as one of the most successful ever
conducted by a British general against a savage
foe, resulting in the capture of Omdurman, the
destruction of the Dervish power in the Soudan,
and the reopening of the waterway to the
Equatorial Provinces. "The concentration of

MINOR CAMPAIGNS 145

the Army on the Atbara was carried out to the
hour, and the arrangements for the transport of
the Force to the vicinity of the battlefield were
made by the Sirdar and his staff with consum-
mate ability. All difficulties were foreseen and
provided for, and from the start of the campaign
to its close at Omdurman, operations have
been conducted with a precision and complete-
ness which have been beyond all praise, while
the skill shown in the advance was equalled by
the ability with which the Army was commanded
in the field. The Sirdar's admirable disposition
of the Force, the accurate fire of the artillery
and Maxims, and the steady fire discipline of
the infantry, assisted by the gunboats, enabled
him to destroy his enemy at long range before
the bulk of the British and Egyptian Force
came under any severe rifle fire, and to this
cause may be attributed the comparatively small
list of casualties. Never were greater results
achieved at such a trifling cost. ... As regards
the Force employed, I can say with truth that
never in the course of my service have I seen
a finer body of troops than the British contingent

146 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

of cavalry, artillery, engineers, and infantry
placed at the disposal of the Sirdar as regards
physique, smartness, and soldierlike bearing."

The Sirdar, Sir Herbert (afterwards Lord)
Kitchener, in his account of the operations,
mentioned, amongst others, the following
officers and non-commissioned officers of the
Fifth who had been brought to his notice for good
conduct : — Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. C. Money,
Major the Hon. C. Lambton, Major W. H.
Sitwell, Major C. E. Keith-Falconer, Captain St.
G. C. Henry, Captain and Adjutant G. L. S. Ray,
Lieutenant C. M. A. Wood, Colour-Sergeant
T. Burdett, Sergeant-Drummer J. Cordeal, and
Sergeant A. Bannerman. Lieutenant Wood
was the only British officer who accompanied
Major Stuart- Wortley and the Friendlies along
the eastern bank of the Nile during the advance
on Khartoum. On one occasion they were
suddenly attacked by about twenty-five Baggara
horsemen, who appeared from behind a village.
One of these rode at Lieutenant Wood, who
fired his revolver, but missed him. The Dervish
then hurled his spear at the officer, whom he

MINOR CAMPAIGNS 147

failed to hit. Again the lieutenant fired, and
this time he shot his opponent in the mouth,
and knocked him off his horse. For their
services at Khartoum Colonel Money was made
a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of
the Bath, Major Lambton a Companion of the
Distinguished Service Order, Major Sitwell and
Captain and Brevet -Major Keith - Falconer
became brevet lieutenant-colonels, Captain Ray
was promoted major, and Burdett, Cordeal, and
Bannerman received the Medal for Distinguished
Conduct in the Field.

Though the casualties in battle were confined
to a few men wounded, yet the battalion suffered
considerably from disease, two officers — Second
Lieutenants W. A. L. Hale and H. V. Fison —
and thirty-two non-commissioned officers and
men dying of illness during or contracted in the
Soudan Campaign. To their memory a latten
brass memorial was unveiled in the north aisle
of Newcastle Cathedral on August 25, 1899,
by the Duke of Northumberland, K.G., honor-
ary colonel of the 5th Battalion. The brass is
nearly under the old colours of the regiment,

148 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

and close to the Indian Mutiny memorial. The
special service was attended by a detachment of
the Fifth from the Depot at Newcastle, and was
deeply impressive throughout. In withdrawing
the banner covering the tablet the Duke solemnly
said: "I unveil this memorial brass to the
glory of God and in memory of the officers,
non-commissioned officers, and men of the ist
Battalion of the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers
who died in the Soudan Campaign of 1898 for
their Queen and country." The troops then
presented arms, and the band, which had taken
up a position in front of the pulpit, played the
National Anthem. "Blest are the departed who
in the Lord are sleeping " was sung by the choir,
and at the close of the service the choir and
congregation, accompanied by the band, sang,
to Sullivan's Jubilee tune, a special hymn dedi-
cated to the Fifth.

CHAPTER XII

TO SOUTH AFRICA

At io p.m. on September 8, 1899, the 1st
Battalion of the Fifth, then stationed at Alder-
shot, received the telegram, " Hold Northumber-
land Fusiliers in readiness to embark for South
Africa about 16th." Instantly preparations were
made for active service. One of the most
striking features of the departure proved to be
that, of the 900 odd men of the battalion, only
one failed to pass the medical examination as to
fitness for the field. When the 1st Battalion
had overcome the excitement which was felt
upon the receipt of the order, their thoughts
turned instantly to the sister battalion, for there
were then only two Line battalions of the Fifth,
and the satisfaction was complete when it was
known that the 2nd Battalion also had been

150 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

warned to hold itself in readiness for active
service.

On Saturday, September 16, the ist Battalion
left Ash Camp Station, Aldershot, for South-
ampton, where it embarked on the Union liner
Gaul, a steamer of 4744 tons. Twenty-seven
officers, 2 warrant officers, and 781 non-commis-
sioned officers and men embarked. In addition
to them the Gaul took out several special service
officers, three companies of the Army Service
Corps, and one of the Army Ordnance Corps.

The officers of the Fifth who embarked were :
— Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. C. Money, C.B.,
commanding ; Majors Hon. C. Lambton, D.S.O.,
and E. W. Dashwood ; Captains E. B. Eagar,
C. H. L. James, Brevet Lieutenant - Colonel
C. E. Keith-Falconer, D. Sapte, R. H. Isacke,
and S. C. Ferguson ; Lieutenants A. J. B.
Percival, C. E. Fishbourne, H. T. Crispin,
C. A. Armstrong, F. Bevan, B. T. Buckley,
H. S. Toppin, H. G. Lynch-Staunton, R. C. B.
Lethbridge, R. W. M. Brine, H. C. Hall, A.
C. Gird wood, F. L. Festing, and F. R. Coates ;
Second Lieutenants C. Wreford Brown and St.

TO SOUTH AFRICA 151

J. E. Montagu ; Brevet Major and Adjutant
G. L. S. Ray ; Lieutenant and Quartermaster
J. Bett. Amongst those who saw the regiment
off was Lieutenant-General Bryan Milman, C.B.,
Colonel of the regiment, which he had joined
more than sixty years previously as an ensign.

The men were formed up in companies on
the wharf, and their arms and ordinary kit and
equipment, including their helmets, were passed
from hand to hand to the hold of the Gaul,
where they were stored for the voyage. The
men marched on board with their personal
belongings only — the clothes they were wearing,
their greatcoats, and their sea-kit, which was
carried in a canvas bag. So smartly was the
embarkation conducted that it was completed in
an hour. From Aldershot the battalion took
300 rounds of ball ammunition per man and a
machine gun. The Gaul reached Cape Town
on October 7, and on disembarking subsequently,
the Fifth received an enthusiastic welcome.

Exactly seven weeks after the 1st Battalion
left England for the seat of war, the 2nd Battalion,
then stationed at Portsmouth, sailed. They left

1 52 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Southampton on Saturday, November 4, in the
Kildonan Castle, which was then the biggest
troopship which had ever left any port in the
world. A vessel of 10,000 tons and 11,000
horse-power, she became notable at once, since
this was her maiden voyage, and she was con-
verted into a model troopship from a model
ocean steamship in the course of three weeks by
the incessant labour, night and day, of no fewer
than 3000 workmen. When she sailed she
carried 99 officers and 2242 men, of whom more
than 1 700 were accommodated on the main troop-
deck alone. Yet there was a place for every
soldier and his belongings. Over each man's
mess seat was accommodation for his kit, the
hammock which by night served as his bed, and
a life -belt, in case he should need it. Besides
these troops the Kildonan Castle carried 5000
revolvers and half a million rounds of Lee-
Metford ammunition. A finer and better
equipped troopship never sailed from port. The
noble vessel justified the expectations held con-
cerning her, for she reached Cape Town at
11 a.m. on November 22.

TO SOUTH AFRICA 153

The total number of the 2nd Battalion on
board the vessel was 29 officers and 981 rank
and file. The officers were : — Majors G.
Frend, in command, W. E. Sturges, and D. S.
Stewart ; Captains J. F. Riddell, W. A. Wilmott,
E. W. Fletcher, F. G. Casson, Brevet Major
and Acting Adjutant A. W. C. Booth, Hon. M.
O'Brien, W. Somervell, and F. B. Morley ;
Lieutenants J. A. C. Somerville, H. J. C.
Rostron, A. W. Rickman, A. M. Gibbes, A. R.
Sandilands, A. C. L. H. Jones, H. B. Warwick,
J. H. Matthews, H. F. Stobart, L. B. Coulson,
A. D. Shafto, and H. J. S. Stanton, and Captain
and Quartermaster J. Thomson, with Lieu-
tenants F. W. Radcliffe, of the 2nd Battalion
Dorsetshire Regiment, and W. Gowans, of
the 1 st Battalion Yorkshire Light Infantry,
attached for duty. The troops on board were
under the command of Brevet Lieutenant-
Colonel S. C. H. Monro, of the 2nd Battalion
Seaforth Highlanders, an officer well known to
the 2nd Battalion of the Fifth at Rawal Pindi
from 1889 to 1893.

There were two exceptional circumstances in

154 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the case of the regiment which, in such strong
force, left Great Britain to take part in one of
the most difficult and harassing campaigns on
record. In the first place nearly all the men
were veterans ; they had already been on active
service ; in the second place, the majority were
reservists. There were few men who did not
possess the Khartoum medal, while of the
reservists not one was an absentee. Of the ist
Battalion's total of 8 10, 619 were reservists, and
of the total of 1005 °f a^ ranks of the 2nd
Battalion on board the Kildonan Castle when
she sailed, no fewer than 602 were reservists.
Another circumstance worthy of noting is the
selection of both battalions for active service.
The compliment paid to the corps by the
authorities was the greater since both battalions
were taken out of their turn.

When the ist and 2nd Battalions had landed
in South Africa there were on active service
nearly 2000 officers and men of the Fifth.
During the absence of the battalions at the war
the colours were taken to the Depot at New-
castle-on-Tyne.

CHAPTER XIII

THE FIRST PRICE OF VICTORY

From Cape Town the ist Battalion went by train
to Stellenbosch, a rest camp 30 miles to the
north, and there received orders to prepare a
Mounted Infantry Company of 118 non-com-
missioned officers and men and 5 officers.
Lieutenant-Colonel Keith-Falconer was put in
command of this company. Some 50 trained
mounted infantry were with the battalion, and
the rest were made up by volunteers. Un-
trained horses and the lack of saddlery were
difficulties which had to be overcome in con-
nection with the formation of this mounted
section. On October 10 the battalion left
Stellenbosch for a destination then unknown,
but which proved to be De Aar, the important
junction on the Cape Government Railway

156 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

through which all troops landed in South Africa,
except at Durban, had to pass to get to the
front. On the 18th the battalion went to
Orange River, 80 miles up the line, and there
joined the garrison, which consisted of a half
battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regi-
ment, a half battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers,
some Engineers, and a detachment of the Royal
Artillery, with two guns. Eventually this
place was garrisoned by the troops named, the
9th Lancers, and thirteen guns. Orange River,
which was a point of importance, was divided
into two camps — north and south. The south
defended the railway station, and was garrisoned
by the Fifth, the Lancers, and the Royal
Artillery. The station refreshment-room was
used by the officers as a dining, reading, and
writing room. For some time the whole bat-
talion was extensively employed on fatigue
duties, unloading the heavy trains full of stores
that were constantly arriving. But there was
soon to be much more serious work than this.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, November
8, Colonel the Hon. G. Gough, who was in

THE FIRST PRICE OF VICTORY 157

command of the troops at Orange River, made
a reconnaissance in force, having heard that the
Boers were in considerable strength near the
camp. The force consisted of the Mounted
Infantry Company of the Fifth — 118 men,
Lieutenant-Colonel Keith-Falconer in command,
with Lieutenants Crispin, Bevan, Toppin, and
Hall ; two squadrons 9th Lancers, three field
guns, and another company and a half of
Mounted Infantry from the Loyal North Lanca-
shire Regiment and the Munster Fusiliers. The
single-line railway bridge having been crossed —
a tedious and slow proceeding — the little force
started for the other side, where it bivouacked.
Reveille sounded next morning at four o'clock,
and an hour later the troops were searching for
the enemy. The Boers' position was supposed
to be at Belmont, some 20 miles to the north.
After marching till ten o'clock, a halt was made
at a large farmhouse near Wittiputs ; the horses
were watered and fed, and the officers made the
pleasing discovery that the owner had tea and
coffee and other good things ready for them.
By night the party were back at the farm,

158 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

having visited Belmont without discovering the
Boers.

Early next morning the search was resumed,
this time in a slightly different direction. At
ten o'clock it was evident that the enemy were
about, for some Lancers who had had their
horses shot were returning on foot. Hereupon
the line of advance was changed almost at right
angles, and very soon a puff of smoke from
a neighbouring hill indicated hostile artillery.
The shells did not burst, but were so well
aimed that one fell nearly in the middle of the
front squadron of Lancers.

It was now clear that there was to be a smart
little brush with the enemy. Not without diffi-
culty the guns were got over a nullah, and the
Lancers opened out to the left. The Mounted
Infantry galloped off to the right, the guns
remaining in the centre. The Boers by this
movement were shown to be on the top of a
very strong and high ridge of hills, with an
extensive front, and with the foe making an
admirable target on a perfectly open plain.
Despite a very heavy rifle fire the Lancers

THE FIRST PRICE OF VICTORY 159

dashed up in open order to within a thousand
yards of the Boers' position. They were lucky
enough to escape with the loss of two horses
killed. On the right the Mounted Infantry
galloped to within 500 yards of the position in
the most gallant style. As they rushed forward
they dismounted, and now came the time when
the Fifth were to make the first of many heavy
sacrifices in the war.

Shot through the thigh, so severely that he
could not move, Lieutenant Bevan was the first
to fall. Seeing the helplessness of his comrade,
reckless of personal danger, wishful only to
succour and to save, Colonel Keith-Falconer,
who was with another section, rose from behind
cover to give assistance. His generous courage
cost his life, for he instantly fell dead, shot
through the side. With a mere handful of men,
Lieutenant Hall kept the Boers from getting
round the party's flank. He shot three or four
of the enemy himself before he was wounded in
the thigh, but he was able to ride in. One
officer of the Loyal North Lancashire was shot
through the head, and two of their men were

160 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

wounded ; but although a couple of men of the
Fifth received bullets through their helmets, not
a man or horse of theirs was hit. The dead
and wounded were brought in, the Mounted
Infantry retiring, covered by the Lancers ; while
four companies of the Fifth went out by train
just beyond Wittiputs, to cover the retreat of
their comrades if necessary. The farm, how-
ever, was reached without attack, and a halt of
an hour and a half was made for water. About
six o'clock the return to Orange River was
made, and that place was reached at one o'clock
the following morning, after nineteen hours in
the saddle.

The reconnaissance had been successful ; the
object of the party had been fulfilled. But at
what cost? Three out of the five officers of
the Fifth killed or wounded. Colonel Keith-
Falconer had met a soldier's death ; he was laid
in a soldier's grave, a rude but honoured
sepulchre in the veldt, with a stone inscribed in
white letters : — " Capt. and Bt. Lt.-Col. C. E.
Keith-Falconer, ist Northd. Fusrs., ioth Novr.,
1899." He was succeeded by Major Ray —

THE FIRST PRICE OF VICTORY 161

" Young Ray " he was spoken of affectionately,
a brave officer who was soon to follow his
superior. He was killed in action at Magers-
fontein on December n, 1899, while trying to
save a comrade's life. He was at one time
editor of the regimental journal, and a sad co-
incidence was the publication of his last letter in
the issue which contained his obituary notice.
That number, indeed, was tinged with sadness.
It gave a reproduction of a photograph of
Colonel Keith-Falconer's grave by an officer —
Lieutenant Brine — who by that time was also
included in the list of killed. Ray was full of
sorrow for his friend. " Poor Keith ! " he
wrote in his last letter. "Little did I think when
I last wrote to you light-heartedly about the
comedy of the campaign that we should so soon
be brought face to face with the naked tragedy
of it. Yet here we are mourning the loss of as
gallant a gentleman and as smart an officer as
ever adorned the ranks of the Fifth — killed,
too, in a miserable little skirmish."

This honourable but dearly-bought little affair
was quickly followed by more serious operations.

M

CHAPTER XIV

THREE BATTLES IN SIX DAYS

The ist Battalion was with the column, 8000
strong, with which Lieut.-General Lord Methuen
was to advance without delay from Orange River
Station to the relief of Kimberley. When, at
dawn on November 21, the advance began,
the column consisted of the 9th Lancers, Rim-
ington's Guides, three companies Mounted
Infantry, a small Naval Brigade, three field
batteries Royal Artillery, the Guards Brigade of
four battalions, and the 9th Brigade, also of
four battalions. The comrades of the Fifth in
the 9th Brigade were the half battalion ist
Loyal North Lancashire (the other half was
shut up in Kimberley), the 2nd Northampton-
shire Regiment, and the 2nd Yorkshire Light
Infantry. In a week the column had won a

THREE BATTLES IN SIX DAYS 163

series of brilliant victories — Belmont, Graspan,
and Modder River, and the Fifth, sharing in
these triumphs, were amongst the regiments
which suffered most severely.

On the 2 1 st the column marched fourteen
miles, and on the following day it was found
that a Boer force was strongly posted in the
hills a few miles east of Belmont Station. A
battle was imminent, but the troops were fit and
ready for it. Not a man of the Fifth had fallen
out, although the heat was intense and they
carried rolled greatcoats with all the "oddments"
in the pockets. These "oddments" consisted
of field cap, flannel shirt, canvas shoes, socks,
towel, soap, worsted cap, housewife, laces, and
grease-pot, so that the bundle was by no means a
light one. At a farm at Belmont the column
bivouacked, the troops making themselves snug
in blanket tukuls.

At dawn on the 22nd, D and E Companies of
the Fifth relieved the Scots Guards on outpost
duty. Seven or eight miles to the north-east,
part of the enemy's position was visible, and
Boers were seen moving about. Just before

1 64 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

noon the Boers opened fire on some of our
cavalry scouts, but the firing was without effect.
Early in the afternoon the 9th Lancers, two
guns, and a company of the Guards moved off
towards Belmont, the rest of the force marching
two hours later, and reaching Belmont Farm at
7 p.m. Three Boer guns which opened fire
were speedily silenced by our artillery.

It was now Lord Methuen's intention to
attack the enemy, if possible by surprise, at
dawn on the 23rd, and accordingly a night
march was ordered. The column bivouacked
until 2.15 a.m., and then started for the enemy's
position, which was east of the railway line, very
strong among big koppies, and with a front of
about two miles. A formidable task awaited
the column, even in the most favourable cir-
cumstances, and it was made the greater because
the Guards Brigade did not reach their rendez-
vous at the appointed time. This meant that
the attack was delayed until daylight. The
9th Brigade formed the left, and the Guards
the right attack. Of the Fifth the C, D, E, F,
G, and H Companies composed the firing line

THREE BATTLES IN SIX DAYS 165

and supports, and A and B Companies the
reserve. From the railway, across an open
plain, the assailants advanced. The Boers had
the range exactly, and in crossing the line the
force suffered heavily. But the resistless on-
ward movement continued. The first small
koppie was stormed. It was captured. Then
the assailants rushed upon the big one, and
after much firing and struggling, reached the
top, and held it. So furious was the combat
at this stage that the opponents were pouring
fire into each other at a distance of only 50 to
120 yards.

On this shot-stormed summit the Fifth lost
heavily. Captain Eagar, while tending a
wounded man, was shot dead, making the
third officer of the regiment who had given
his life for another within a few days, for Keith-
Falconer and Ray had met their end in the
same nobly unselfish manner. Lieutenant Brine,
while peering over a boulder, was shot through
the head. Major Dashwood, Captain Sapte, and
Lieutenant Fishbourne, with a large number
of men, were wounded at the same place.

1 66 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Dashwood was shot through the neck and chest,
Sapte was shot through the left side, and owed
his life to the protection given by his watch ;
and Fishbourne was struck on the mouth, his
jaw being broken. Lieutenant Festing was
shot through the chest.

The fight was over at eight o'clock in the
morning. When the Fifth began to search for
their fallen they learned that 2 officers and 12
men were killed and 37 wounded. In the
evening the fourteen were buried in one grave
in the north-west corner of the Belmont Farm
Cemetery, and on the following morning the
Fifth heaped up rocks and earth over the grave,
made a big cross, and planted a prickly pear-
tree in the centre of their comrades' resting-
place.

Amongst the killed and wounded were officers
and men who had been struck by several bullets.
The wounded included two brothers of the
Fifth, each of whom had been hit in the thigh
by a bullet.

The total British loss at Belmont was 3
officers and 50 non-commissioned officers and

THREE BATTLES IN SIX DAYS 167

men killed, and 25 officers and 220 other ranks
wounded, of whom 1 officer and 2 1 other ranks
died.

After the battle Lord Methuen, addressing
the troops, said : — " Comrades, I congratulate
you on the complete success achieved by you
this morning. The ground over which we
have to fight presents exceptional difficulties,
and we had as an enemy a past master in the
tactics of mounted infantry. With troops such
as you are, a commander can have no fear as to
the result. There is a sad side, and you and
I are thinking as much of those who have died
for the honour of their country and of those
who are suffering as we are thinking of our
victory."

The battle of Enslin, or Graspan, fought on
November 25, meant eleven and a half hours'
fighting, with little to drink and nothing to eat.
The 1 st Battalion of the Fifth formed the advanced
guard of the division, and at 3.30 a.m. on the
25 th moved from its bivouac at Swinkspan,
7 miles from Belmont, towards Graspan Station.
Although it was not anticipated that there

1 68 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

would be any serious meeting with the enemy
on this day, by half-past seven in the morning
the British artillery was shelling a very strong
position in front, and the Boers were answer-
ing briskly with gun and rifle fire. Five
companies of the Fifth were employed as a
containing force in front of the main position,
while two escorted the guns and one was carried
to the right in a large turning movement to
envelop the left flank of the enemy. This left
flank was most gallantly assaulted by the Naval
Brigade, the Yorkshire Light Infantry, the
Loyal North Lancashire, and the Northampton
Regiments. The assault was successful, but
at a heavy cost. It was possible from this
hill to enfilade the main position, and an inces-
sant fire on the Boers' flank was kept up by the
whole of the 9th Brigade and a force of blue-
jackets and marines. The enemy was compelled
to withdraw, but owing to the poor condition
of our cavalry, effective pursuit was impossible —
a repetition of the drawback which had been
experienced at Belmont. The Naval Brigade
and the Yorkshire Light Infantry suffered very

THREE BATTLES IN SIX DAYS 169

heavily. In a few minutes the Naval Brigade
lost 100 officers and men in killed and wounded,
but the Fifth escaped with only 2 men hurt.
The brunt of the battle was borne by the 9th
Brigade, which on this occasion was commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel Money, 1st Battalion of
the Fifth.

The losses at Enslin, according to the table
issued by the War Office, were 3 officers and
13 other ranks killed, 6 officers and 163 other
ranks wounded, 9 missing. Of the wounded,
4, including 1 officer, died.

Modder River made the third action to be
fought in six days. The struggle was a long
and desperate one, lasting fourteen hours. The
estimated strength of the enemy was 8000.
The Boers, established in very strong entrench-
ments on both sides of the river, were under
the direct command of General Cronje. During
the day a party of the 9th Brigade got over
the river below the enemy's position, turned
his right flank, and established themselves on
the far bank. They were, unfortunately, shelled
by their own as well as the Boer artillery, and

170 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

forced to halt, but they maintained their
position on the far bank. The greater part of
the Fifth was engaged in a hot fire fight with
the front of the enemy's position. This fire,
which began early, lasted until nearly dark. The
artillery did admirably, one battery firing close
upon iooo rounds. The party of the Fifth re-
crossed the river at about 9 p.m. and bivouacked
on the southern side, the rest of the battalion
being not far away. The whole force crossed
the river next day, but during the night the
enemy had cleared away, and the victory rested
with the column.

For nearly twenty hours the Fifth had nothing
but a cup of coffee, and the emergency ration
had to be used. The cocoa which was thus
obtained proved most acceptable to all ranks.
On the day following the engagement the column
bivouacked at Modder River Station, and a
week's halt was ordered, so that the exhausted
troops could recover from the excessive strain
which three actions in six days had made upon
them. In this battle the Fifth had 13 killed
and 31 wounded.

THREE BATTLES IN SIX DAYS 171

The total casualties at Modder River were
4 officers and 66 other ranks killed, 20 officers
and 393 other ranks wounded, of whom 31
died, and 2 were missing. Lord Methuen was
amongst the wounded. In his official despatch
he referred to the action as " one of the hardest
and most trying fights in the annals of the
British Army."

CHAPTER XV

MAGERSFONTEIN AND STORMBERG

So far the record of the Fifth had been brilliant
in the war. There had been losses, heavy
losses; but while these had been a source of
grief both to the regiment and at home, they
had been looked upon as one of the inevitable
features of a great campaign. There was now
to come one of the darkest periods of the
operations, two reverses which seemed all the
more depressing by contrast with the strik-
ing successes which since the war began had
been achieved by British arms. It was the
fortune of the Fifth to have a share in both
these defeats — a trifling share in one, but a
much more serious part in the other. The ist
Battalion suffered somewhat in the Magers-
fontein disaster, the 2nd was a victim to

MAGERSFONTEIN 173

the circumstances which resulted in the check
at Stormberg.

After the fight at Modder River Methuen's
modest force received a great accession in the
form of a 4.7 Naval gun, four quick-firing 12-
pounders, two howitzer batteries, firing 50 -lb.
shells, additional cavalry and mounted infantry,
etc., and the Highland Brigade, with a half
battalion of the Gordon Highlanders extra.
The force at Christmas 1899 was composed as
follows : — 9th and 1 2th Lancers, the Fifth, Loyal
North Lancashire, and Yorkshire Light Infantry
Mounted Infantry and Rimington's Scouts ; one
4.7 and four 12-pounder Naval guns, one battery
Royal Horse Artillery, the 18th, 62nd, and 75th
Batteries Royal Field Artillery, the 37 th and
65 th Howitzer Batteries, the Guards Brigade,
the 9th Brigade, the Highland Brigade, four
companies Royal Engineers, one balloon section,
ammunition columns, etc.

From the battle of Modder River until
December 9 there was little to vary the routine
of camp life, a life which was made all the more
irritable because of the great heat and the dust

i74 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

and dirt common to the country and the time
of year. On that date, however, some excite-
ment was afforded by a night march to the
west side of the railway line with the R.H.A.
Battery, the 9th Lancers, the Mounted Infantry,
and the big 4.7 Naval gun, which had become
known as " Our Joey." The force advanced
about 1 \ mile towards the enemy's position,
and, with the object of forcing them to disclose
themselves, the Boers were shelled, admirable
practice being made with the 4.7 at nearly
7000 yards. The weapon seemed, says the
correspondent of the 1st Battalion, "to hit
anything it liked to. We saw a good many
Boers skipping about ; then we skipped home
ourselves to breakfast at 7.30 a.m. — to us a
novel and charming way of fighting ; all the
hitting on our side. The wily Boers disclosed
nothing."

December 1 1 was a gloomy day for Methuen's
forces. On it was fought the battle of Magers-
fontein, which cost us 23 officers and 148 other
ranks killed, and 45 officers and 647 other
ranks wounded, of whom 3 officers and 35

M AGERSFONTEIN 1 7 5

other ranks died. The missing and prisoners
numbered 107. In this disastrous attack on
the Boer position the Fifth took only a small
part, being with the Reserve Brigade guarding
the camp and making a demonstration to threaten
the Boer right flank. The Mounted Infantry,
however, were engaged, and acquitted themselves
most honourably. It was here that Captain and
Brevet Major G. L. S. Ray was killed while
trying to aid a wounded comrade. The koppies
at Magersfontein, with a front of 2 miles, and
trenches running south-east to the Modder
River for another 4 miles, made an immensely
strong position. But if the Fifth did not share
actively in the fight, officers and men had to
undergo severe privations on the veldt for four
days and three nights, one of which was bitterly
cold and wet — incessant heavy rain, with thunder
and lightning. At this period, indeed, one only
lived from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., "the rest of the day
being absolute purgatory, owing to the dust, heat,
and flies.,,

Meanwhile, at Stormberg the 2nd Battalion
of the Fifth had met with exceptional ill-fortune.

176 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

The battalion, after reaching their base, East
London, at the end of the voyage from England,
had made a twenty hours' railway journey to
Puttar's Kraal, where they were met by their
general officer commanding, Sir William Gatacre.
They were eventually transferred from the lines
of communication to the 3rd Division, and were
very soon in as perfect fighting trim as any of
the troops in South Africa. Their first taste
of the war was to be an action in which
they furnished something like half of the total
casualties suffered by the force engaged.

General Gatacre's intention was to attack
Stormberg by surprise at dawn, after a night
march. His force was a very small one, con-
sisting only of some 850 mounted infantry and
volunteer horsemen, two batteries of field artillery,
and three and a half battalions of infantry. It
was known from the first that there was great
risk in the attempt, but the possession of
Stormberg was imperative, and the General was
not alone in believing that the effort to be made
was justified by circumstances. The risk was
great, but the consequences of victory were

STORMBERG 177

greater, and accordingly the assault was ordered.
A chain of unlucky events brought not success,
but heavy failure. To begin with, the troops
had a long and harassing march before the
scene of action was reached. The veldt and
the railway had deprived them of much of that
energy and stamina which were essential for the
success of the task imposed upon them. There
were many telling drawbacks, but the most
serious was the incompetence of a guide who
had been employed to lead the way to the
enemy's position.

' When, soon after midnight, the troops began
what was supposed to be the last part of their
march before coming into actual conflict with
the enemy, there was grave reason for suspect-
ing that the guide did not know his way. The
General was accordingly placed in a position
of great anxiety and peril ; but courageously
resolving that it was better to advance than
retire, he held on. Not until dawn broke was
the enemy's position — or his supposed position
— pointed out. This was a koppie about two
miles off, and the better to approach it the

N

178 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

column, in fours, made its way round a group
of hills.

In fancied security, the men were marching
on, when from some neighbouring koppies a
fierce fire at short range assailed them. The
time for action had come. Recovering from
their surprise, the troops sprang over the
boulders, and made desperate efforts to storm
and capture the impregnable places in which the
Boers were hidden. It was in reality the sort
of work which the Fifth were called upon to do
at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, except that
here they had none of the appliances with which
the troops under Wellington were equipped.
To reach the enemy ladders were needed, and
of these there were none. So stubborn was the
attempt, nevertheless, that some of the members
of the column actually succeeded in getting
within a few yards of a lower line of " scanses,"
but beyond this they were powerless to go.

Such was the critical situation at the break of
day. To add to the gravity of it, our artillery)
failing in the imperfect light to see that their
comrades of the infantry were so gallantly

STORMBERG 179

ascending, opened fire on the enemy. A de-
plorable result of this was that several of the
shells fell short, and wrought mischief in the
ranks of the assailants. At the same time the
artillery fire prevented the Boers from destroying
our infantry entirely.

This hopeless struggle had lasted for about
half an hour, when, as it was clear that the
assailants could do nothing — they could neither
fire nor use the bayonet with prospect of success
— the General ordered a retreat. Sadly, un-
willingly, the troops obeyed. In perfect order
and with the utmost steadiness the assailants
withdrew — so collectedly, indeed, that from
time to time a halt was made for a shot at the
entrenched foe. Everything was in favour of
the Boers and against our own people ; but with
a courage and endurance that make Stormberg
as memorable as if it had been a conquest, and
not a reverse, the troops of all ranks continued
their retirement.

u As an example of our rear-guard skirmish-
ing," wrote the correspondent of the Times, " the
performances of the Northumberland Fusiliers

180 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

and Irish Rifles could scarcely have been sur-
passed. Disputing every inch of ground, the
survivors of the ill-fated attack finally gained
a line of low hills which formed a horse -shoe
about 1500 yards west of the scene of their
repulse, and from which the road by which the
column had advanced shortly before was within
easy reach. It was indeed fortunate that this
most excellent rallying -position was at hand.
Whilst a sufficient portion lined the crests and
easily kept the enemy back, the remainder were
re-formed in the rear. Then finally, when
all hope of collecting more men had to be
abandoned, the General gave orders for the
retreat upon Molteno. Fortunate, indeed, was
it at the last moment, before leaving Puttar's
Kraal, Sir William decided to take both batteries
of artillery in place of only one. Had there
been but one battery the entire force must have
fallen into the hands of the enemy."

As it was, more than 600 unwounded men
were made prisoners by the enemy. Most of
these were those who, from utter exhaustion,
had fallen at the foot of the ridge from which

STORMBERG 181

the Boers had opened fire, and, unable to join
their comrades in the withdrawal, and those
troops being powerless to take them away,
became captives.

The total casualties at Stormberg were 31
non-commissioned officers and men killed, 7
officers and 5 1 other ranks wounded, of whom
1 died, and 13 officers and 620 other ranks
missing. The loss of the Fifth was 5 officers
and 1 attached missing, 12 men killed, 39
other ranks wounded, 1 of whom died ; 322
missing. Of the total casualties for Stormberg
— 702 — considerably more than half — 399 —
were sustained by the Fifth alone.

The missing officers were Major W. E.
Sturges, Captain E. W. Fletcher, Captain
Morley ; Second Lieutenant L. B. Coulson,
Second Lieutenant G. R. Wake ; Lieutenant
Radcliffe, 2nd Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment
(attached). These officers were removed to
Pretoria, where they remained as prisoners of
war for many weeks. They were subse-
quently joined by Lieutenant Toppin of the
1 st Battalion, Lieutenant Stewart of the Indian

1 82 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Staff Corps, formerly of the 2nd Battalion of
the Fifth ; and Second Lieutenant Butler, 3rd
Durham Light Infantry, attached 2nd Battalion.
These captives, with about 130 other officers,
all lived together "in a long tin building, set
in the middle of a space of ground about 200
by 100 yards in size. This resembles a great
fowl run, for it is surrounded by an 8 feet high
wire netting, outside which is a formidable high
barbed wire entanglement." The men were at
Waterval, just outside Pretoria, and there,
like the other British prisoners, they suffered
severely from disease. Many of the men died
in captivity. The rest were set free after a long
and tedious imprisonment.

Disastrous as Stormberg was to the Fifth, it
had many redeeming features. When the full
circumstances of the reverse were known and
General Gatacre's report was published, it was
seen that several of the officers and men of the
regiment had acted so well that they were
singled out for special praise. The General
said, " I bring the names of Second Lieutenant
Duncombe Shafto, No. N.F. 2270 Band-

STORMBERG 183

Sergeant J. Stone, No. N.F. 1989 Colour-
Sergeant A. Landen, No. N.F. 3923 Private
G. Benson, 2nd Battalion Northumberland
Fusiliers, to the notice of the Commander-
in-Chief.' '

CHAPTER XVI

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS

The ist and 2nd Battalions of the Fifth, at all
times bound together by the strongest links of
comradeship, had suffered heavily in the closing
weeks of 1899. Death and disaster had told
seriously upon them, and the place of many a
gallant officer and soldier was to know him no
more. But the spirit of the regiment remained
as firm and unbroken as ever, the thinned ranks
were closed up, and from the feeding-ground at
home more members of the Fifth went forth to
take the places of the fallen and the missing.
Each battalion felt that the campaign had made
a heavy drain upon the corps, and was likely to
make a heavier ; but one spirit only animated
every member, and that was, to be in perfect
readiness to answer every call. Battle, disease,

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 185

misfortune, climate — all at this time tended
to make a combination of circumstances of
depressing nature ; but the regiment was
undismayed by them. There was just the same
eagerness to be in action as there had been when
the Fifth first landed in South Africa, and it
was reckoned evil fortune that after Stormberg
there should come a time of what was almost
inactivity. It was indeed with both battalions
a case of calm succeeding storm.

The New Year opened very quietly. The
1st Battalion remained at Modder River, fort
and road making, carrying boxes and baggage,
and being otherwise usefully and constantly
employed. The life and vigour of the battalions
were wonderfully well maintained. The realities
of war were tempered by the amenities of peace.
There was fishing to be had — the battalion took
it ; bathing was possible — the battalion enjoyed
it ; sports were considered desirable — the bat-
talion got up a gymkana on New Year's Day,
and ushered in with fitting honour 1900. The
Boers were plentiful among the koppies with
their Mausers and their bullets, but this hard

1 86 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

fact did not keep the Fifth from having their
live wheelbarrow race, their mule race (300
yards, transport only, bridles only, sticks, no
spurs), their dancing competition, their officers'
handicap ; nor did the battalion forget the
outsider, for there was a strangers' race, open
to all civilians. Life was made tolerable by the
battalion for itself ; and the gifts from friends
at home did much to make the time pass
pleasantly.

The 2nd Battalion early in February returned
to the country— Sterkstroom Camp — after a
month at the seaside. A concert was given for
the widows and orphans of the fallen. A
notable feature was a selection of music by
the band, which, under the conductorship of
Sergeant Hamilton, had been brought to a state
of creditable efficiency, in spite of the fact that
all but eight of the members had been captured
at Stormberg. No Boers were in the immediate
neighbourhood, but the battalion longed for the
day when they could " pitch their tents and eat
their breakfast on the top of Stormberg."

While the 2nd Battalion were at East London

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 187

orders were given for the raising of a mounted
infantry company for every battalion, but the
scheme did not advance very rapidly owing to
the scarcity of horses and equipment. At
Sterkstroom, however, matters improved, and
Captain Casson became leader of the " troop,"
with Lieutenants Rickman and Barclay as his
subalterns. Barclay had just joined the battalion
for the first time, arriving with a draft of 300
non-commissioned officers and men from home.
Casson and he were soon to pay their highest
tribute to the enemy.

Several uneventful weeks passed with both
battalions, when General Gatacre dined with the
officers of the 2nd Battalion — February 22.
On the following day a reconnaissance was made
from Sterkstroom Camp towards Stormberg by
the artillery and mounted infantry. Captain
de Montmorency, V.C., with his scouts, was
sent forward to reconnoitre. Leaving his men
in a position on a koppie, he went forward with
three others, amongst whom was Sergeant Howe
of the Fifth, who was attached to the scouts as
Signalling Sergeant. Howe was left at the

1 88 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

foot of the koppie to hold the horses while the
others ascended it. On arriving at the top they
were all three shot dead by a party of Boers on
the other side, about fifty yards away. Sergeant
Howe with great luck escaped unhurt back to
the remainder of the scouts. The death of
Captain de Montmorency, who had won his
Cross in the Soudan, was deeply regretted
by all.

Within a week the Fifth lost three more
officers, killed in action — Brevet Major Booth,
Captain Casson, and Second Lieutenant Barclay.
Major Booth was killed at Sanna's Post, near
the waterworks, Bloemfontein, on March 31,
and Casson and Barclay at Reddersburg on
April 4.

At Moster's Hock, or Reddersburg, on
April 4, 1900, a body of mounted infantry,
composed of the 2nd Battalion Fifth and 2nd
Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, engaged a much
superior force of the enemy. After a long,
hard fight the mounted infantry were compelled
to surrender, overwhelmed by numbers. It was
a little affair in which the Fifth suffered heavily,

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 189

the only two officers of the regiment engaged
being killed. One of the officers who was
present, Second Lieutenant Butler, 3rd Battalion
Durham Light Infantry, attached to the 2nd
Battalion Fifth, gave a short, clear statement of
the affair on his arrival at Pretoria as a prisoner.
His story was that on the morning of April 3,
the second day after leaving Dewetsdorp, their
advanced guard reported clouds of dust on the
right flank, showing mounted troops moving in
a south-westerly direction. Second Lieutenant
Barclay, 5 th Fusiliers, went out on the right
flank with a small party, and was met by a
party of Boers, under a white flag, who demanded
surrender, in the cause of humanity, as they
numbered 2200 and 4 guns. The party, having
replied that this was impossible, took up an
entrenched position on hills running east and
west. Barclay rejoined his company, which held
the most eastern part of the position, and was
then sent with six men to occupy the left flank
of the eastern koppie, where the enemy first
made their attack. Here the lieutenant was
mortally wounded, being shot through the head

190 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

in the first half- hour's fighting. He was in-
stantly attended by Dr. Home, of the Australian
Ambulance. Shortly after this the Mounted
Infantry Company of the Fifth, under Captain
Casson, retired about iooo yards to the next
koppie, which was due west, and held by the
Mounted Infantry Company of the 2nd Battalion
of the Royal Irish Rifles, under Captain Dims-
dale. The Irish Rifles were on the right and
the Fifth on the left. Dimsdale was on the
extreme right, and early in the afternoon he
was mortally wounded in the neck and head.
On hearing this Captain Casson went over to
his assistance, and while either helping or talking
to him he was shot dead through the head.
Casson had walked from the left under a perfect
hail of bullets. This left Second Lieutenant
Butler in command of the Mounted Infantry of
the Fifth. The enemy was beaten back in the
afternoon, but the attack was renewed at dawn,
and after four and a half hours' heavy fighting
under shell and rifle fire, the koppie was out-
flanked and cut off from the rest of the position,
and surrendered at about 10 a.m. on April 4.

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 191

Almost simultaneous with the death of Captain
Casson and Lieutenant Barclay was the loss
of Major Booth at Sanna's Post. This officer
had only recently left the 2nd Battalion at the
front to join the 1st, and was appointed to the
command of the Mounted Infantry, vice the
late Brevet Major Ray. He, with two other
officers and two men with a Maxim, covered the
retreat of Colonel Pilcher from Ladybrand, and
kept at bay 500 Boers until that officer was
able to take up a strong position. Colonel
Pilcher and Booth were old brother officers, the
former having served in the Fifth. At the time
of this occurrence he was second in command
of the 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment,
but on special service in South Africa. At
Sanna's Post, too, Lieutenant Hall was again
wounded and Lieutenant Toppin taken prisoner,
Private Downes was killed, and eleven privates
wounded. The missing, who were with the sick
convoy, numbered eighteen. Lieutenant Buckley,
who was present at Sanna's Post, wrote that
apparently Booth, Hall, and Toppin, with some
eleven or twelve men, were holding on tenaciously

icp NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

as rear-guard, to let the Mounted Infantry get
away. The others retired so slowly that Booth
and his party found the enemy coming on so
close that they were firing at each other for
some time at 200 yards' range. The firing was
extremely hot, and Hall was soon knocked over,
but not before he had fired more than 200
rounds himself. When Hall recovered he found
that the Boers were among them, and that the
firing had ceased. Booth was shot while en-
deavouring to get his handkerchief out, for they
had expended all their ammunition. Toppin
and Lance -Corporal Raynham were the only
men of the party not wounded. Private Downes
was killed, and all the rest were taken prisoners.
Corporal Sinclair died of wounds on April 2,
at Bloemfontein.

After these incidents of warfare quietness
again fell upon both battalions. The 1st re-
mained at Boshof Camp, the 2nd at De wets-
dorp, in the Orange Free State. An event
with the 2nd was a visit from Captain A. G.
Tozer, late of the Fifth, then a Captain in the
Queenstown Rifle Volunteers. At this period

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 193

the correspondent of the 2nd Battalion remarked
that they had finished their last bottle of whisky,
and for the space of three weeks were " a shining
band of irreproachable, if somewhat unwilling,
teetotalers." So heavy and constant was the
work of digging trenches and making shelters
that the same scribe had grave fears as to the
effect of evolution upon officers and men of
the Fifth. He opined that by the time the
battalion left Dewetsdorp they would all be
qualified navvies, or develop into prehistoric
cave men, and when they got home insist on
sleeping in the back garden or the coal cellar.

From Boshof the 1st Battalion went to
Lindley Camp, Orange River Colony, and the
2nd marched to Bloemfontein. At that place
they soon had the joy of receiving a telegram
from Pretoria saying that Lord Roberts had
entered the capital and released 3500 prisoners.
The good news was greeted with great cheering
in camp, and there was much speculation
as to whether all the officers and men of the
Fifth who had been removed to the Boer capital
were amongst the prisoners who had been set

1 94 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

free in such dramatic fashion. It was not until
the battalion got into Bloemfontein that they
had certain news which told them that all their
officers and men were again at liberty and had
been formed into a provisional battalion to
protect the Vereeniging Bridge. The battalion
learned that the ex-prisoners, although looking
well, appeared somewhat strange in the prison
garments, in which they were still clothed.

It was at this stage of the war that the 2nd
Battalion correspondent proved an exceptionally
sound prophet. " The war in the Orange River
Colony," he said, " is practically a thing of the
past. As soon as those two ' Will- o'- the -
Wisps,' the De Wets, have been captured, there
should not be another shot fired. Just at
present their liberty is full of threats to all,
especially to those who travel by train from
here to Kroonstad. It must be confessed that,
whatever else they may be, they are good sports-
men, and know how to play a losing game out
to the finish.' ' These words were fully verified.
For a considerable period De Wet, in the most
skilful and successful manner, harassed British

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 195

troops and evaded capture and destruction, at
the same time doing great mischief to his
enemy.

To the lot of both battalions a good deal of
marching had fallen by this time. From May
14 to June 13 the 1st covered 310 miles, the
rate varying from 18 to 4 daily. So much
marching about was there by the battalion with
the object of relieving every one who might be
in distress, that they became known as the
Salvation Army and Methuen's Mudcrushers.
From July 30 to August 22 the 2nd Battalion
marched 265^ miles, the day's total varying
from 22 to 4. In fifteen consecutive days, begin-
ning on August 8, the battalion marched 234^
miles, an average of about 15^ miles a day —
a striking achievement when it is remembered
that during this period the men were often on
half rations, snatching food and sleep whenever
time allowed, and that each man actually carried
a weight of arms, equipment, ammunition,
necessaries, and blanket or greatcoat, varying
from 35 lbs. to 40 lbs. Despite weariness and
sore feet — the soles of the boots were worn to

196 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the thickness of brown paper — the men stuck
to their task with unflagging determination, and
in that way gained not the least of the distinc-
tions which their conduct in the war conferred
upon them.

Short though such a distance as 4 miles looks
in print, it must not be forgotten that many of
these fours were made equal to fourteens, or
even more, because of the nature of the ground
over which the troops were forced to go. " It
was koppies and kloofs, kloofs and koppies, the
whole time, drops of 400 feet and climbs of
500 feet, so that the 5 miles passed lightly
over by the straight-flying crow, lengthened
themselves out into the 12 to 15 for the less
mobile, perspiring, foot-slogging, crag-hopping
Atkins, particularly when his company happened
to be one of the two forming the long, widely-
extended line of beaters that stretched from
north to south of the long mountain range, and
was known as the advanced guard."

One day — August 11 — brought a march of
exceptional severity — a steady drive through
blinding, choking clouds of dust raised by a

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 197

strong head wind. " Just had to put down our
heads and plough through it for 14 of the longest
miles ever travelled — mostly over burnt veldt
and dusty road. Arrived about 4.30 p.m. at
Woolfaardt's Farm in most deplorable condition.
Eyes like well-cooked chops — black outside and
blood-red in ; faces grimy, hair full of dust,
footsore, thirsty, and dog-tired. May we never
put in such another day ! " Yet at 3 o'clock
next morning they were on the march again —
not amid heat and dust, but against a high,
chill wind which cut into all ranks like a new-
set razor.

So much impressed was he by the marching
of the column of which the 2nd Battalion of the
Fifth formed part, that Major-General Hart,
C.B., commanding, issued a Special Order,
dated August 12, 1900, Camp Woolfaardt,
Transvaal, in which he said : " I congratulate
the troops of the Column upon what they have
accomplished so far in this difficult and forced
march after an active and clever enemy. Great
distances have been got over day by day with-
out waiting for needful food and drink, and in

198 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the face of abominable wind and blinding dust.
Extreme difficulties have been got over with
guns weighing seven tons apiece, and the trans-
port of the Force has been kept going to a
degree that beats anything I have seen yet in
three wars in South Africa." In Regimental
Orders, August 14, the commanding officer
made known his appreciation of the way in
which the non-commissioned officers and men
were " sticking to a very trying march under
difficult circumstances " ; while on the following
day Major-General Hart issued a Special Order
stating that he had just received a message from
Lord Kitchener, who said he fully appreciated
the very good marching of the men under
difficulties.

The 5th Brigade, which General Hart com-
manded, was made up of the 2nd Battalion Fifth,
2nd Battalion Somersetshire Light Infantry,
1 st Battalion Derbyshire Regiment, and the
2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers. It had
harassing and incessant work in its chase after
and search for the Boer leader, and had to
endure the bitter disappointment of knowing

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 199

that De Wet had slipped away, and that the
whole of the work had to be started afresh.
Of the appearance of the 2nd Battalion when
there had been much fruitless chasing of De
Wet the correspondent wrote : " We are like
greyhounds ; . . . our coats no longer fit us, . . .
but flap idly against our sides like a sail about
a mast."

There was a gleam of hope in the report in
mid-August that the Brigade were to march to
the relief of Colonel Hore, who, besieged by the
enemy a few marches away, was in urgent need
of help, his small force having suffered a loss of
nearly 100. The march was begun early on
the morning of August 16, but after two miles
had been covered word came that Hore had
been relieved, and a return to camp was made
to await orders. These came in the evening,
and were to the effect that the Brigade were to
march at one o'clock next morning and join
Kitchener's force, proceeding with him to
Pretoria, via Elands River, Rustenburg, etc.

The first part of the march to the captured
capital was in keeping with the hardships of

200 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

this famous and fruitless pursuit — it was " a
lawful 20 miles on empty stomachs/ ' inasmuch
as the commissariat arrangements had gone
wrong. The day was hot and dusty, too.
There was hope of rest for the day. Vain
longing! At 1 p.m. the " dress" sounded,
and half an hour later the troops were pushing
ahead again to the west. Soon, in the distance,
a helio was seen at work. It flashed out a
message from Lord Kitchener ordering them
to retrace their steps and spend the night in
the camp which had been left that morning,
and on the morrow to continue the return and
start for Pretoria via Krugersdorp. Quite in
keeping with the buffeting of the Brigade was
next day's leading incident — a veldt fire which
made havoc in the officers' lines and destroyed
kit that was priceless because it could not be
replaced. Some consolation was, however,
afforded by the publication that evening of an
order from Lord Kitchener, as follows : —

"The Major -General has the pleasure to
announce the expression of Lord Kitchener's
appreciation of what he calls 'the excellent

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 201

marching' of this Column, together with the
expression of his regret that the efforts of all
ranks of this Column have not been crowned
with better success as regards the enemy. The
Major-General in thanking Lord Kitchener on
behalf of the Column for his appreciation of our
efforts, has said that we are ready to do it again
when there may be a chance of tackling them.',
When Krugersdorp was reached four days
were spent in refitting, in so far as the scant
resources of the place allowed this to be done.
Here a little auction was held of gifts by friends
at home to officers who had returned to England,
and to whom therefore the presents were of no
value. That they were welcome to the fighters
left behind was proved by the prices paid for
the articles — prices greatly in excess of the first
cost ; in the case of slabs of chocolate, seven
times as much. Pretoria was at last reached,
and then came a prolonged period of tedious
service which made all ranks yearn for the day
when the order for home should be given.
Apparently this was not to come until long
after the anniversary of the departure of the

202 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

battalion from England for South Africa —
when the greatest fear of the Fifth was that
the war would be over before they could have
a share in it.

This hope of a speedy return to England
also filled the members of the ist Battalion,
now that the actual heavy warfare seemed at
an end and there was little to do but struggle
through long rounds of tedious duties and
endure perennial discomforts. For some time
the battalion was at Mafeking Camp, Orange
River Colony ; later it was at Camp Rustenburg,
where occasional excitement was afforded by
skirmishes with the enemy. So far it had not
been the good fortune of the battalions to meet
each other during the campaign.

The i st Battalion Mounted Infantry Company
reached Pretoria early in June, and was after-
wards incessantly " trekking " to and from that
city. In one of its moves the company went
over the actual ground where, twenty years earlier,
a detachment of the 94th Regiment (now 2nd
Battalion Connaught Rangers) were massacred.
Of 9 officers and 248 men who were on their way

MARCHES AND PRIVATIONS 203

to Pretoria, 202, including the commanding
officer, were killed or wounded. These victims
of Boer treachery were buried in a little
cemetery, rude and lonely, where they fell.
Strangely enough, the company, in passing this
sad spot, were accompanied by the 1st Battalion
Connaught Rangers — one of the most dramatic
features of many in the short history of the
Mounted Infantry Company of the 1st Battalion
of the Fifth.

CHAPTER XVII

NOOITGEDACHT

In the closing days of 1900 the Fifth again lost
heavily in South Africa. The 2nd Battalion,
after a prolonged period of the most harassing
duty, suffered another mishap which in some
respects resembled Stormberg. As with that
event so with the affair at Nooitgedacht — early
reports distorted and exaggerated the actual
occurrence. At Stormberg the Fifth only
abandoned the struggle through sheer physical
inability to continue it and because of over-
whelming odds and want of ammunition. At
Nooitgedacht, too, they held on until the last
cartridge had been fired and circumstances
compelled acceptance of a merely temporary
control by an enemy greatly superior in strength
and having every advantage of position.

NOOITGEDACHT 205

The story of Nooitgedacht is simple. The
scene of the action was a horseshoe- shaped
depression in the Magaliesberg range. A couple
of posts in the centre of this depression were
held by four companies of the 2nd Battalion of
the Fifth. General Clements's camp was pitched
1000 yards lower down, at the eastern point of
the horseshoe, and Colonel Legge's camp was
about 800 yards away. The enemy's object
was to make a surprise attack, and by sheer
weight of numbers overwhelm the British. At
dawn on December 13 General Clements's
force was attacked by 2500 Boers. The fight
began with an attack by the Boers on the positions
at the foot of the hills. The enemy were dressed
in khaki, and wore slouched hats with ostrich
feathers. It was not until they were within
about 40 yards of the British position that they
were recognised. They assaulted with the utmost
determination, and with an excellent prospect of
success, as apparently their plans had been
skilfully prepared, and they knew where to
employ their strength to the best advantage.
A simultaneous attack was made on every

206 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

company and picket in the nek, the Boers
departing from their general practice, and rush-
ing forward in the most reckless manner, waving
their arms wildly and yelling.

This furious onslaught was repulsed ; but
the Boers managed to get to the top of the
Magaliesberg, in spite of the most gallant efforts
of the Fifth to keep them back. The Fifth had
but four companies to hold the mountain, and
these proved inadequate to cope with the great
force which the enemy brought to bear against
them. They held the koppies until their ammuni-
tion was entirely exhausted, then, being defence-
less, and a meagre reinforcement of one company
from another regiment having failed to reach
the top, they were overpowered and held as
prisoners. The Fifth had made known their
critical position, but the General, believing that
they could hold their own, and finding it all but
impossible to spare troops, sent only a little
reinforcement. When this small band reached
the spot where the fight was fiercest the Fifth
were still holding out, falling where they stood,
struggling to the end. Only when their last

NOOITGEDACHT 207

cartridge was spent, when it was impossible to
get more ammunition, and when they were
overwhelmed by numbers, did they surrender.
Their stand on the Magaliesberg was one of the
noblest episodes of the war, and one of the finest
achievements in the history of the regiment.

The Boers followed this success by seizing
the northern ledge of the ridge overlooking the
camp, whidi was thus made untenable. A with-
drawal now became inevitable, and the transport
was inspanned. Though this had to be done
under a heavy fire, yet everything, including
the guns, was got away, and a second position
was taken up at a distance of a mile and a half
to the south-east. This was held until the
afternoon, when a retirement in the direction of
Rietfontein was effected in admirable order.
The enemy at this period brought two guns and
a Maxim into action for a time, and the British
casualties were heavy. The retirement, however,
was continued in perfect order, being covered in
excellent style by a mere handful — sixty — of
the 1 2th Brigade Mounted Infantry. This little
band kept the whole of the Boers at bay, and

208 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

the 600 or 700 men who formed the withdrawing
force were enabled to cover a distance of 20
miles to Rietfontein. Some of the stragglers
defended themselves with great success until
darkness enabled them to slip away. A little
party was on the edge of an enormous precipice
in the middle of the nek. Above them were
the Boers, who could not, however, see them,
and below was a 200 -feet abyss. This party
watched the fight from start to finish, firing
their rifles whenever the chance offered, and in
this way causing many casualties amongst the
Boers. One man fell over the precipice and
was killed.

The loss at Nooitgedacht was heavy — 7
officers, including the brave Colonel Legge, who
belonged to the 20th Hussars, and 7 wounded,
and a considerable number of non-commissioned
officers and men. Of the Fifth, Captain Somer-
ville, Lieutenant H. J. S. Stanton, Lieutenant J.
E. V. Isaac, Lieutenant A. C. L. H. Jones, and
Second Lieutenant G. P. Westmacott were
wounded; 15 non-commissioned officers and
men were killed, and 68 non-commissioned

NOOITGEDACHT

209

officers and men were wounded, of whom 2
died. The missing were 8 officers and 333 non-
commissioned officers and men ; they were,
however, prisoners for a very brief period, being
released after a detention of a few hours.

By the end of 1 900 the Fifth had suffered
greatly in the war by fighting and disease. All
ranks contributed to the heavy casualty lists.
The appended statement shows the number of
officers killed and wounded up to the beginning
of 1901 : —

Killed.

Lieut. - Colonel Keith -
Falconer.

Major Booth.

Major Ray.

Captain Eagar.

Captain Casson.

Lieutenant Brine.

Lieutenant Stanton (died
of wounds).

Second Lieutenant Bar-
clay.

Wounded.

Major Dashwood.
Major Sapte.
Captain Somerville.
Captain Fishbourne.
Captain Crispin.
Captain Bevan.
Captain Hall.
Lieutenant Festing.
Lieutenant Jones.
Lieutenant Isaac.
Second Lieutenant Hall.
Second Lieutenant West-
macott.

210 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Until the war is ended, complete returns of
the losses of the Fifth for their country will
not be available. When the new century opened,
however, the Fifth had a casualty list equal to
about 50 per cent of their numbers at the war.
This list was represented by the killed, wounded,
and missing alone ; but the total is far greater
if the deaths from disease and the invalids sent
home are added.

The Fifth have many distinctions arising out
of war. Is it to be their melancholy honour to
have suffered a heavier total loss in this South
African Campaign than any other regiment
engaged ?

Photo by Knight, Aldershot,

Lieut. -Col. the Hon. C. Lambton, D S O.

Commanding 2nd Battalion.

APPENDIX

i. General Chronology of the Fifth Fusiliers

1674. The regiment was raised during the winter
of this year for the Dutch service, and was known as
The Irish.

1675. The designation cc Irish " was discontinued.
The badge of St. George and the Dragon, with the
motto ^uo fata vacant and the Rose and Crown, were
assumed by the regiment. The facings were gosling
green. (This is the colour to-day, the Fifth being
the only regiment in the British Army entitled to
wear it.)

1676. Siege of Maestricht, at which the Fifth
distinguished themselves. Received from the Prince
of Orange a gift of six sheep and a fat ox.

1677. Battle of Mont Cassel, April 1 1. Regiment
behaved gallantly against superior numbers and in spite
of difficulties of ground.

1678. Battle of St. Denis. Regiment lost 2 officers
and about 50 men killed, 10 officers and more than
100 men wounded. This year the regiment was

212 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

encamped near the ground where the battle of Waterloo
was fought in 1815.

1679. Marched to Grave, where the regiment was
employed on garrison duty for four years.

1680. Colonel Wisely drowned while on passage
to England.

1684. Encamped near Brussels.

1685. Was on the English establishment for two
months.

1686. Returned to Holland.

1688. Accompanied the Prince of Orange to
England. Revolution. Placed on the English
establishment.

1690. Proceeded to Ireland. Battle of the Boyne.

1 69 1 . Skirmish near Castle Cuff. Siege of Athlone.
Siege of Limerick. Returned to England.

1692. Went to Flanders. Returned to England.

1693. Expedition to Martinico. Returned to
England. Went to Flanders.

1695. Covered the siege of Namur.

1 696. Major John Bernardi, of the Fifth, imprisoned
for being implicated in a plot to assassinate King
William. He remained in confinement for more than
thirty years, under a special Act of Parliament.

1697. Returned to England.

1698. Went to Ireland.
1707. Embarked for Portugal.

1709. Battle of Caya. The regiment on this
occasion acquired great honour by its valour.

APPENDIX 213

1 710. Xeres de los Cabaleros stormed and captured.
1 713. Embarked for Gibraltar, where the regiment
remained in garrison for fifteen years.

1727. Defence of Gibraltar.

1728. Proceeded to Ireland, and remained there
for seven years.

1735. Embarked for England.

1737. Returned to Ireland.

1755. Left Ireland and was quartered in England.

1758. Expedition to the coast of France. The
Grenadier Company was the first to land. Destruction
of shipping, etc., at St. Maloes. Capture of Cherbourg.
Returned to England.

1760. Embarked for Germany. Skirmish at
Corbach. Battle of Warbourg. Surprise at Ziren-
berg. Skirmish at Campen.

1 76 1. Battle of Kirch - Denkern. Affair at
Capelnhagen. Skirmish at Eimbeck. Skirmish at
Foorwohle.

1762. Battle of Wilhelmstahl. In this action six
regiments of French grenadiers surrendered to the
Fifth. To show his admiration of the conduct of the
regiment Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick presented the
colonel with a snuff-box, which is still preserved by
the officers. The regiment after this action carried a
third colour. This was destroyed by fire in 1833.
In place of it the regiment was in 1836 authorised to
bear "Wilhelmstahl" on the colours. Skirmishes at
Lutterberg and Homburg. Covered the siege of Cassel.

2i4 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

1763. England and Ireland. In the last-named
country the regiment remained for ten years.
1767. " Order of Merit " established.
1 77 1. Suppression of disturbances in Ireland.

1774. Embarked at Monkston, near Cork, for
Boston. The voyage to America lasted two months.

1775. Affair at Concord and Lexington. Attack
on Bunker's Hill.

1776. Went from Boston to Halifax. Reduction
of Long Island. Action at White Plains. Capture
of Forts Washington and Lee. Reduction of New-
Jersey.

1777. Expedition to Pennsylvania. Actions at
Brandywine Creek and Germantown.

1778. Retreat through the Jerseys. Skirmish at
Freehold. Expedition to Little Egg Harbour. Re-
duction of the Island of St. Lucie. The regiment
captured the town of Morne Fortune, and for this act
was granted the privilege of wearing a white plume.

1779-80. In various actions in the West Indies.
The regiment returned to England in 1780.
1 78 1. Embarked for Ireland.

1783. Present at the installation of the newly-
founded Order of St. Patrick, the Grenadier Company
furnishing a Guard of Honour at the cathedral.

1784. The regiment named the "Northumberland,,
Regiment, in compliment to Earl Percy, who had
commanded it for sixteen years, including the whole
of the American War of Independence.

APPENDIX 215

1785. Received new colours. The men dined by
companies in the barrack-yard at the expense of Earl
Percy, lately promoted to the Horse Grenadier Guards.

1787. Proceeded from Ireland to Canada. Re-
mained in the interior for nine years.

1797. Returned to England.

1799. Divided into two battalions of 800 each.
Both battalions embarked in September for Holland.
Actions of Walmenhuysen, Shoreldam, Egmont-op-
Zee, and Winkle. Returned to England.

1800. Proceeded to Gibraltar.

1802. Returned to England on the Peace of
Amiens. 2nd Battalion disbanded at Winchester.

1803. Ist Battalion ordered to Guernsey. Returned
to England in 1804.

1804. A 2nd Battalion again raised.

1805. 2nd Battalion went to Guernsey, ist
Battalion to Hanover. The left wing of the ist
were wrecked off the Helder, and the officers and
men made prisoners by the Dutch.

1806. The right wing, ist Battalion, returned to
England, where it was joined by the left wing, which
had been liberated on an exchange of prisoners, ist
Battalion went to South America.

1807. Attack on Buenos Ayres. Both battalions
went to Ireland.

1808. ist Battalion proceeded to Portugal. Battle
of Roleia. Battle of Vimiera. Advanced into Spain.
Retreated to the coast.

216 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

1809. Battle of Corunna. 1st Battalion returned
to England and joined the disastrous Walcheren Ex-
pedition. Returned to England. Detachment at the
battle of Talavera. 2nd Battalion went from Ireland
to Portugal.

1 8 10. Battle of Busaco. Lines of Torres Vedras.
1st Battalion went from England to Ireland.

1811-12. 2nd Battalion, affair at Redinha. Battle of
Sabugal. Battle of Fuentes d'Onor. Siege of Badajoz.
Action at El Bodon. Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.
Storming of Badajoz. Colonel Ridge killed. 1st
Battalion went from Ireland to Portugal. Both
battalions at the battle of Salamanca. Advance to
Madrid. Gallant conduct of Private James Grant.
2nd Battalion returned to England. 1st Battalion
retreated from Madrid to Portugal.

18 13. 1st Battalion, Battle of Vittoria. Battles of
the Pyrenees. Entered France. Battle of Nivelle.
Passage of the Nive.

1 8 14. Affair near the Gave d'Oleron. Battle of
Orthes. Battle of Toulouse. Embarked for North
America. Action near Plattsburg.

1 8 15. Went from America to Flanders in four
transports. Just missed the battle of Waterloo. Ad-
vanced to Paris, and formed part of the Army of
Occupation. 2nd Battalion ordered to Gosport.

1 8 16. 2nd Battalion disbanded.

1818. 1st Battalion returned to England ; thence
to the West Indies.

APPENDIX 217

1 82 1. Reduced from ten to eight companies. In
1825 the battalion was augmented from eight to ten.
Phoebe Hessel, formerly a soldier in the Fifth, died,
aged 108 years.

1 824. Confirmation of privilege of wearing a dis-
tinguishing feather. In 1829 the regiment was
authorised to wear a red and white feather, the red
uppermost as a special honour, the Army Regulations
prescribing a white feather to be worn by the
infantry.

1826. Embarked for England.

1827. Went to Ireland.

1830. Good conduct during the Galway Election.

1 83 1. Six companies went to Gibraltar, four re-
maining in Ireland.

1832. The "Order of Merit" sanctioned.

1 833. Colours, including the famous third, destroyed
by fire at Gibraltar.

1834. Cholera attacked the garrison at Gibraltar.
The deaths in the Fifth numbered fifty-two. The
colour of the facings changed to a lively green.
Service companies went to Malta.

1835. Correspondence respecting an additional
banner. Reserve companies proceeded to England.

1836. Regiment equipped as Fusiliers, and styled
the Fifth Regiment of Foot, or Northumberland
Fusiliers. " Wilhelmstahl " inscribed on the colours,
in lieu of the third colour. New colours presented to
the regiment at Malta.

218 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

1837. Service companies went to Corfu. Home
and foreign stations until 1849.

1850. Both battalions again incorporated.

1 85 1. New colours presented.

1856. The "Order of Merit" finally abolished.
The men who had medals were allowed to wear them,
but any further distribution of the medals was pro-
hibited. Cross -belt abolished and waist-belt sub-
stituted.

1857. Headquarters 1st Battalion went from Mau-
ritius to Hong-Kong, thence to Calcutta on outbreak
of Mutiny in India. In April i860 the battalion
was back in Calcutta, having fought in many engage-
ments, shared in the relief of Lucknow, and lost in
killed, wounded, died of disease, and invalided 473
officers and other ranks from the date of arrival in
India to the date of embarkation for England. During
the Mutiny, Sergeant Robert Grant, Private M'Manus,
and Private P. M'Hale received the Victoria Cross.

1 86 1. 1st Battalion returned to England.

1863. 2nd Battalion went to Natal from Mauritius.

1864. Received new colours. Presentation made
by H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, Commander-in-
Chief, on the Horse Guards Parade, London. Went
to Woolwich, where the regiment helped to rebuild
the embankment at Erith, which, by an explosion of
about 40 tons of gunpowder, had been hurled into the
Thames.

1865. 2nd Battalion to Ireland.

APPENDIX 219

1866. Three companies 2nd Battalion from South
Africa to St. Helena. 1st Battalion to India.

1867. 2nd Battalion to England.

1868. The King's crest authorised to be borne on
the regimental colours. At Queenstown there died,
aged seventy -six years, Lieutenant W. Randolph
Hopkins, who carried the colours of the regiment at
Ciudad Rodrigo fifty-six years previously. He planted
the colours on the enemy's fortress amid a storm of
shot and shell. At Badajoz he had a leg shattered by
a grape shot. Home and foreign service till 1872.

1872. Non-commissioned officers and men were
permitted to wear grenades on their collars. The
distinction of colours in numerals and chevrons on
greatcoats between the 1st and 2nd Battalions was
abolished.

1873. Officers permitted to wear feather plume,
half red, half white, red uppermost, instead of horse-
hair plume, ordered to be worn as a peculiar mark of
honour on September 11, 1829.

1874. White tunics for the band abolished.

1876. Furnished Guard of Honour to Her Majesty
on her visit to Aldershot.

1878. 1st Battalion marched from Chakrata and
joined the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Peshawur Valley
Field Force.

1879. Employed while at Jumrood on convoy duties
and working parties, and after sharing in several affairs
returned to India.

220 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

1880. Took part in second Afghan Campaign.

1 88 1. Territorial system introduced. The desig-
nation of the Fifth was changed to "The Northumber-
land Fusiliers." The facings from " bright green "
to "white," and the gold lace of officers from the
regimental pattern to " rose " pattern. The chevrons
of all non-commissioned officers, previously worn in
the regiment on both arms, to be worn on the right
arm only. The words "Afghanistan, 1878-80," per-
mitted to be borne on the colours.

1882. Appointment of hospital sergeants in India
discontinued. 1st Battalion went to Ireland.

1883. The St. George s Gazette, the regimental
journal of the Fifth, founded. First number published
at Mullingar, January 31.

1886. 1st Battalion took part in suppressing riots
in Belfast. During August and September the de-
tachment was called out in aid of the civil power no
fewer than twenty-five times.

1887. 1st Battalion left Newry to take part in
Jubilee Review at Aldershot.

1888. 2nd Battalion took part in Black Mountain
Expedition.

1890. Medals for Black Mountain Expedition
presented at Gharial.

1 89 1. 1st Battalion formed part of troops lining
streets when German Emperor visited London.

1892. Privates Bown and Welsh, 2nd Battalion,
awarded Royal Humane Society's medals for trying to

APPENDIX 221

save a comrade's life in the Cabul River at Now-
shera.

1893. Headquarters and wing 2nd Battalion left
Peshawur on December 4 by route march to Sitapur
(803 miles), arriving at that station on March 3, 1894.

1894. 1st Battalion furnished the English Guard
of Honour to Her Majesty on her visit to Aldershot ;
also to the German Emperor on his visit there.
Wearing of silver grenade on shoulder-cords of mess-
jacket officially sanctioned.

1895. 2nd Battalion to Straits Settlements and
Singapore. Royal Humane Society's medals presented
to Corporal Corbett, Privates McVay, Miller, Brown,
and Owen for gallantry in saving and trying to save
comrades from drowning at Fort Siloso, Singapore.
On October 5 the Duke of Cambridge made
his final inspection of the Portsmouth garrison as
Commander-in-Chief. A curious circumstance of the
ceremony was that the three regiments which were
together at the relief of Lucknow, the 5th, the 90th
Light Infantry, and the Madras Fusiliers, were the
only regiments of infantry of the line on this parade.

1896. Detachment of the 1st Battalion was with
the Special Service Corps in Ashanti. 1st Battalion,
after sixteen years' home service, was moved to
Gibraltar. 2nd Battalion, after seventeen years'
foreign service, embarked from Singapore for Portland.
Of the officers who embarked with it for Bombay in
1880, only two and one warrant-officer returned with

222 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

it. These three were all that remained of nearly iooo
Fusiliers who sailed from Portsmouth in the Crocodile
on January i, 1880. Regiment represented in Dongola
Expedition. A feature of the year was the meeting
at Gibraltar of both battalions. This was on New
Year's Eve.

1897. The Queen accepted a copy of the St.
George's Gazette. Lieutenant Binny received the
Royal Humane Society's medal for attempting to
save life at Portland.

1898. 1st Battalion went from Gibraltar to Egypt.
Battle of Khartoum.

1899 and 1900. South African War. Both bat-
talions went on active service, and suffered heavily.

Battles of Belmont, Graspan, and Modder River,
1st Battalion. Disaster at Stormberg. 2nd Battalion
suffered heavily. Long marches, under most difficult
conditions, by the Fifth. The regiment earned frequent
and special praise for its marching powers. The old
gosling green facings restored. New battalions being
added to the army, two — the 3rd and 4th — were added
to the Fifth. Fifth suffered heavily at Nooitgedacht.

APPENDIX

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224 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

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APPENDIX 225

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Nooitgedacht

APPENDIX 229

3. Nicknames of the Regiment

"The Old and Bold," by reason of the long and
gallant conduct of the Fifth in war.

"The Fighting Fifth," from a favourite saying
of Wellington — the " Ever- fighting, Never-failing
Fifth " — in connection with the services of the regi-
ment in the Peninsula.

" Lord Wellington's Bodyguard," arising out of the
constant association of the Fifth with Wellington.
In 181 1 the Fifth were attached to headquarters.

" The Shiners," commemorating the cleanliness and
smartness of the regiment. This nickname originated
in Ireland about 1770.

4. Bibliography

"Military Memoirs. Captain George Carleton."
1728. Reprinted in 1741 under the title of
"History of the Last Two Wars," and in 1743
as " Memoirs of Captain George Carleton." New
Edition, 1808.

"A Short History of the Life of Major John Bernardi,"
formerly an Officer of the Fifth. 1 729. " Written
by himself in Newgate, where he has been for
near thirty-three years a Prisoner of State, without
any Allowance from the Government, and could
never be admitted to his Tryal." Printed for
the benefit of the author.

"A System for the Complete Interior Management
and Economy of a Battalion of Infantry." Dedi-

230 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

cated to Lieutenant-General Studholme Hodgson,
Colonel of the 5th Foot. Lieutenant Bennet
Cuthbertson, Regimental Adjutant. 1750.

" An Account of the Fifth, or Northumberland Regi-
ment of Foot." The British Military Library,
December 1799.

" Historical Record of the Fifth Regiment of Foot."
Richard Cannon. 1838.

"Memoirs of a Sergeant of the Fifth Regiment of
Foot, containing an account of his service in
Hanover, South America, and the Peninsula."
1842. (The British Museum copy contains a
M.S. note, dated December 18, 1890, by Captain
(now Lieutenant -Colonel) Money, identifying
the author as Sergeant Stephen Morley.)

" A Short Narrative of the Regiment." London, 1873.

"Standing Orders." Old Brompton, 1879.

(Second Battalion). "Standing Orders." Chatham,
1882.

" The Standing Orders of the First Battalion North-
umberland Fusiliers [5th Regiment of Foot]."
1st May 1895.

" The Whitefoord Papers." Edited, with Introduction
and Notes, by W. A. S. He wins, M.A., Oxford.
1898.
Many valuable manuscripts by members of the

regiment, mostly officers, relating to the Fifth on

active service and in time of peace, are included in the

volumes of the St. George's Gazette.

APPENDIX 231

5. Extract from " A Short History of the
Life of Major John Bernardi," p. 4.

Bernardfs father having removed from Windsor
into Worcestershire, to be "more remote and un-
known," " his son John arriving to the thirteenth Year
of his Age, began to entertain Thoughts of getting from
under his Father's Discipline, whose severe Corrections,
in the said young Rover's Eyes, had the Appearance of
too great Severity, particularly in confining him some-
times like a Criminal in a little Dark Room or Dungeon
for Trifles, allowing him only Bread and small Beer
for several Days, whilst so confined, and Nobody durst
relieve or let him out until his Father gave Order for
it. Thus the said John was unhappily destined to
Confinement in his Youth by an unkind Father, and
in his Old Age to undergo the like rigid Fate by un-
precedented Acts of Parliament, without ever being
Heard or proved Criminal by any Court in the
Kingdom. . . ."

6. Extract from " Cuthbertson's System, for
the Complete Interior Management and
geconomy of a battalion of infantry."

Chap. XVI.

Of Courts-martial (sic) and Punishments, and the
Establishment of an Order of Merit. Art. xxiv.

232 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

"To render the necessity of applying to Court-
martials (sic) less frequent, and to form a Battalion
on principles which must produce the happiest effects,
an order of merit is recommended for the Non-com-
mission-officers, Drummers, and Private Men ; by
which the deserving Soldier will be encouraged to
persevere in those paths which led him to the enjoy-
ment of so public a testimony of his Officers' approba-
tion ; and the vicious idle one may be likewise tempted
to imitate that conduct which gained the other such
applause ; a number of years (not less than seven)
employed in the closest attention to military duty, and
never in that space having incurred the censure of a
Court-martial, should entitle a soldier to the honour
of receiving at the head of the Regiment, from the
hand of the Commanding Officer, a metal medal, of
the size of half a crown, to hang by a ribband from a
button of his lapel, in the most conspicuous part ; on
one side of which the device or number of the Regi-
ment to be raised, and on the reverse the words, Seven
Years' Military Merit, encircled in a wreath of
laurels ; and as that passion for applause, so natural to
mankind in every condition of life, may create a desire
in even the most profligate to be some time or other
entitled to wear such an honourable badge, they should
by no means be excluded from it, if by changing from
their former courses they attained to the prescribed
number of years established for the order. The
greatest strictness must be observed in never conferring

APPENDIX 233

this medal on any person without having completed
his time of service to a day, and that without the
smallest suspicion to the prejudice of his character,
because if once a deviation from the original design
is countenanced, the order of course must sink in the
esteem of the Soldiers, and will no longer answer the
purpose of its establishment. It must also be observed,
when a Soldier by misconduct forfeits his pretensions
of being longer enrolled among the Men of Merit,
that his Medal be taken from him by the Drum-
major, in the same public manner it was given to
him. . . ."

Note. — As the " Order of Merit " was not estab-
lished in the Fifth until 1767, it seems probable that
the introduction of the reward was due to the advocacy
of Cuthbertson.

7. Extract from the Standing Orders
of the ist Battalion

Section IX. — The Colours.
5. On St. George's Day the Regimental Colours
will be decorated with roses, and trooped, and the
Officers and men will wear roses in their caps.

INDEX

Afghanistan, campaigns in, 138
Africa, South, war in, 149
Alumbagh, capture of the, 118
Arrah, battle of, 114
Ashanti Expedition, 144

Badajoz, siege and storming of, 91
Badge, the regimental, ix.
Barclay, Lieutenant, 189
Battalions, meeting of 1st and 2nd,

xvii.
Battle honours of the regiment,

the, vii.
Belfast Riots, 142, 222
Belmont, battle of, 164
Bernardi, Major, 10
Besud, affair at, 140
Bibliography, 229
Black Mountain Expedition, the,

142
Booth, Major, 188
Boyne, battle of the, 14
Brine, Lieutenant, 165
Brunswick, Prince Ferdinand of,

34
Buenos Ayres, attack on, 49
Bunker's Hill, battle of, 39
Busaco, battle of, 56

Campbell, Sir Colin, 132
Canch, Ensign, 10 1
Carleton, Cornet, 10
Casson, Captain, 187
Caya, battle of, 18
Cherbourg, capture of, 29
Cholera, ravages of, 112, 139

Chronology of the Fifth, 211
Ciudad Rodrigo, siege and storm-
ing of, 74
Colour, the third, xi.
Corunna, retreat to and battle of,

Cronje, General, 169

Dan vers, Ensign, 135
De Wet, pursuit of, 194
Dutch service, the, 2

Eagar, Captain, 165

El Bodon, the affair at, 65

Esprit de corps, xiii.

Facings, the regimental, x.
" Fighting Fifth," the, vii.
Flanders, the Regiment in, 17
France, expeditions to coast of,

28
Fusiliers, the regiment equipped as,

219

Gatacre, Sir Wm., 176
Gibraltar, siege of, 21
Grant, Private James, xviii.
Grant, Sergeant, V.C., 117, 120
Graspan, battle of, 167
Grenadiers, capture of French, 35

Hamilton, Lieutenant-General, 48
Havelock, General, 129
Helder, wreck of the, 47
Hessel, Phcebe, private soldier, xix.
Hopkins, Lieutenant, 219

Impressment of soldiers, 25

236 NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

Keith-Falconer, Colonel, 160
Khartoum, 144
Kildonan Castle, the, 152
Kilgour, Captain, 141
King, Sir Henry, xv.
King, Mr3., and the Fifth, xv.
Kirch-Denkern, battle of, 31
Kitchener, Lord, 146

Letter, curious, 25

Limerick, siege of, 16

Little Egg Harbour, expedition to,

42
Londonderry, Marquis of, and the

Fifth, 67

Lucknow, relief of, 120

M'Hale, Private, V.C., 130
M'Manus, Private, V.C., 125
Maestricht, siege of, 3
Magersfontein, battle of, 174
Martinico, expedition to, 17
Methuen, Lord, 167
Modder River, battle of, 169
Mont Cassel, battle of, 7
Morne Fortune, capture of, 43
Mounted Infantry, 187

Namur, siege of, 17
Napier and the Fifth, 91
Nicknames of the Fifth, 229
Nive, battle of, 111
Nivelle, battle of; 1 1 1
Nooitgedacht, 204
Northumberland, the Fifth named
the, 45

Orange River, 194
Orange, the Prince of, 2
" Order of Merit," the, xvi.
Orthes, battle of, III
Outram, General, 117, 126

Patterson, Major, and the Fifth, 71
Picton, Sir Thomas, 98

Plume, the regimental, viii.

Quickstep, the regimental, xii.

Rapparees, fights with, 13
Ray, Major, 161
Reddersberg, affair at, 188
Reservists, loyaity of, 154
Residency, defence of the, 128
Ridge, Lieutenant-Colonel, 105
Roleia, battle of, 5 1
Roses, the wearing of, x.
Roberts, Lord, V.C., 193

St. George's Gazette, the, xiii.
St. Lucie, reduction of, 43
Salamanca, battle of, no
Sanna's Post, 191
Scott, Sir Walter, and a colonel of

the Fifth, xi.
Secunder-bagh, the, 132
Snuff-box presented to the Fifth,

34
Soudan Campaign, the, 144

Stock purse, the, 24

Storm berg, disaster at, 175

Toulouse, battle of, in
Treachery, an instance of, 20

Victoria Cross, the, 130
Vimiera, battle of, 53
Vittoria, battle of, no

Walcheren expedition, the, 57
Warbourg, action at, 30
Wellington and the Fifth, 69
West Indies, disease in the, 63
Whitefoord, Colonel, 25
Whitelocke, General, 50
Wilhelmstahl, battle of, 32
Wood, Lieutenant, 146
Woods, Colour-Sergeant, 140

Xeres de los Cabaleros, capture of, 20

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