HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
THIRD, OR THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1846.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING CROSS.
M DCCC XLVII.
LONDON: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE GUARDS,
1st January, 1836._
His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have
distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy,
an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army
shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the
Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following
particulars, viz.,
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the
Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed;
The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations, in which it has
been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement it may have
performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from
the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers, and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the
Place and Date of the Action.
---- The names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy,
have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His
Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and
Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been permitted
to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or
any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD.
_Adjutant-General._
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are
animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any
measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone
great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military
History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples
to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to
emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their
honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the
present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
"London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time
of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration
to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of
Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders,
and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions
of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery; and these
testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's
approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears
to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British
Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements.
Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly
from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and
subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having
been pleased to command that every Regiment shall in future keep a full
and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive
information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the
career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain,
where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns
of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits
have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the _presence of
war_, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is
known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of
climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in
every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives
from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the
trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect
on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on their
sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many
national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite
of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness
with which they have maintained their advantages against superior
numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps
employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual
bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's
special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk of the
Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail
to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is
considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to
the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the
Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are
serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment to everything
belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the
services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic
accounts of the actions of the great, the valiant, the loyal, have
always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people.
Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger
and terror, have stood "firm as the rocks of their native shore;" and
when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the
battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a
record of achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising,
gained by our countrymen, our brothers, our fellow-citizens in arms,--a
record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant
deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers
will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and
the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred
upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its
services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will
be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be
completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
INTRODUCTION.
The ancient Armies of England were composed of Horse and Foot; but the
feudal troops established by William the Conqueror in 1086, consisted
almost entirely of Horse. Under the feudal system, every holder of land
amounting to what was termed a "knight's fee," was required to provide
a charger, a coat of mail, a helmet, a shield, and a lance, and to
serve the Crown a period of forty days in each year at his own expense;
and the great landholders had to provide armed men in proportion to the
extent of their estates; consequently the ranks of the feudal Cavalry
were completed with men of property, and the vassals and tenants of the
great barons, who led their dependents to the field in person.
In the succeeding reigns the Cavalry of the Army was composed of
Knights (or men at arms) and Hobiliers (or horsemen of inferior
degree); and the Infantry of spears and battle-axe men, cross-bowmen,
and archers. The Knights wore armour on every part of the body, and
their weapons were a lance, a sword, and a small dagger. The Hobiliers
were accoutred and armed for the light and less important services of
war, and were not considered qualified for a charge in line. Mounted
Archers[1] were also introduced, and the English nation eventually
became preeminent in the use of the bow.
About the time of Queen Mary the appellation of "_Men at Arms_"
was changed to that of "_Spears_ and _Launces_." The introduction
of fire-arms ultimately occasioned the lance to fall into disuse,
and the title of the Horsemen of the first degree was changed to
"_Cuirassiers_." The Cuirassiers were armed _cap-à-pié_, and their
weapons were a sword with a straight narrow blade and sharp point, and
a pair of large pistols, called petronels; and the Hobiliers carried
carbines. The Infantry carried pikes, matchlocks, and swords. The
introduction of fire-arms occasioned the formation of Regiments armed
and equipped as infantry, but mounted on small horses for the sake of
expedition of movement, and these were styled "_Dragoons_;" a small
portion of the military force of the kingdom, however, consisted of
this description of troops.
The formation of the present Army commenced after the Restoration
in 1660, with the establishment of regular corps of Horse and Foot;
the Horsemen were cuirassiers, but only wore armour on the head and
body; and the Foot were pikemen and musketeers. The arms which each
description of force carried, are described in the following extract
from the "Regulations of King Charles II.," dated 5th May, 1663:--
"Each Horseman to have for his defensive armes, back, breast, and pot;
and for his offensive armes, a sword, and a case of pistolls, the
barrels whereof are not to be undʳ. foorteen inches in length; and each
Trooper of Our Guards to have a carbine besides the aforesaid armes.
And the Foote to have each soldier a sword, and each pikeman a pike
of 16 foote long and not undʳ.; and each musqueteer a musquet with a
collar of bandaliers, the barrell of which musquet to be about foor
foote long and to conteine a bullet, foorteen of which shall weigh a
pound weight[2]."
The ranks of the Troops of Horse were at this period composed of men of
some property--generally the sons of substantial yeomen: the young
men received as recruits provided their own horses, and they were
placed on a rate of pay sufficient to give them a respectable station
in society.
On the breaking out of the war with Holland in the spring of 1672, a
Regiment of Dragoons was raised[3]; the Dragoons were placed on a lower
rate of pay than the Horse, and the Regiment was armed similar to the
Infantry, excepting that a limited number of the men carried halberds
instead of pikes, and the others muskets and bayonets; and a few men in
each troop had pistols; as appears by a warrant dated the 2nd of April,
1672, of which the following is an extract:--
"CHARLES R.
"Our will and pleasure is, that a Regiment of Dragoones which we
have established and ordered to be raised, in twelve Troopes of
fourscore in each beside officers, who are to be under the command
of Our most deare and most intirely beloved Cousin Prince Rupert,
shall be armed out of Our stoares remaining within Our office of
the Ordinance, as followeth; that is to say, three corporalls, two
serjeants, the gentlemen at armes, and twelve soldiers of each
of the said twelve Troopes, are to have and carry each of them
one halbard, and one case of pistolls with holsters; and the rest
of the soldiers of the several Troopes aforesaid, are to have and
to carry each of them one matchlocke musquet, with a collar of
bandaliers, and also to have and to carry one bayonet[4], or great
knive. That each lieutenant have and carry one partizan; and that
two drums be delivered out for each Troope of the said Regiment[5]."
Several regiments of Horse and Dragoons were raised in the first year
of the reign of King James II.; and the horsemen carried a short
carbine[6] in addition to the sword and pair of pistols: and in a
Regulation dated the 21st of February, 1687, the arms of the Dragoons
at that period were commanded to be as follows:--
"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, strapt, with bright barrels
of three foote eight inches long, cartouch-boxes, bayonetts, granado
pouches, buckets, and hammer-hatchetts."
After several years' experience, little advantage was found to accrue
from having Cavalry Regiments formed almost exclusively for engaging
the enemy on foot; and, the Horse having laid aside their armour, the
arms and equipment of Horse and Dragoons were so nearly assimilated,
that there remained little distinction besides the name and rate of
pay. The introduction of improvements into the mounting, arming, and
equipment of Dragoons rendered them competent to the performance of
every description of service required of Cavalry; and, while the long
musket and bayonet were retained, to enable them to act as Infantry, if
necessary, they were found to be equally efficient, and of equal value
to the nation, as Cavalry, with the Regiments of Horse.
In the several augmentations made to the regular Army after the early
part of the reign of Queen Anne, no new Regiments of Horse were raised
for permanent service; and in 1746 King George II. reduced three of
the old Regiments of Horse to the quality and pay of Dragoons; at the
same time, His Majesty gave them the title of First, Second, and Third
Regiments of _Dragoon Guards_: and in 1788 the same alteration was made
in the remaining four Regiments of Horse, which then became the Fourth,
Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Regiments of _Dragoon Guards_.
At present there are only three Regiments which are styled _Horse_ in
the British Army, namely, the two Regiments of Life Guards, and the
Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, to whom cuirasses have recently been
restored. The other Cavalry Regiments consist of Dragoon Guards, Heavy
and Light Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers; and although the long musket
and bayonet have been laid aside by the whole of the Cavalry, and the
Regiments are armed and equipped on the principle of the old Horse
(excepting the cuirass), they continue to be styled Dragoons.
The old Regiments of Horse formed a highly respectable and efficient
portion of the Army, and it is found, on perusing the histories of the
various campaigns in which they have been engaged, that they have,
on all occasions, maintained a high character for steadiness and
discipline as well as for bravery in action. They were formerly mounted
on horses of superior weight and physical power, and few troops could
withstand a well-directed charge of the celebrated British Horse. The
records of these corps embrace a period of 150 years--a period eventful
in history, and abounding in instances of heroism displayed by the
British troops when danger has threatened the nation,--a period in
which these Regiments have numbered in their ranks men of loyalty,
valour, and good conduct, worthy of imitation.
Since the Regiments of Horse were formed into Dragoon Guards,
additional improvements have been introduced into the constitution of
the several corps; and the superior description of horses now bred in
the United Kingdom, enables the commanding officers to remount their
regiments with such excellent horses, that, whilst sufficient weight
has been retained for a powerful charge in line, a lightness has been
acquired, which renders them available for every description of service
incident to modern warfare.
The orderly conduct of these Regiments in quarters has gained the
confidence and esteem of the respectable inhabitants of the various
parts of the United Kingdom in which they have been stationed; their
promptitude and alacrity in attending to the requisitions of the
magistrates in periods of excitement, and the temper, patience,
and forbearance which they have evinced when subjected to great
provocation, insult, and violence from the misguided populace, prove
the value of these troops to the Crown, and to the Government of the
country, and justify the reliance which is reposed on them.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] In the 14th year of the reign of Edward IV. a small force was
established in Ireland by Parliament, consisting of 120 Archers on
horseback, 40 Horsemen, and 40 Pages.
[2] Military Papers, State Paper Office.
[3] This Regiment was disbanded after the Peace of 1674.
[4] This appears to be the first introduction of _bayonets_ into the
English Army.
[5] State Paper Office.
[6] The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appears to have
taken place in 1684; the Life Guards, however, carried carbines from
their formation in 1660.--_Vide_ the 'Historical Record of the Life
Guards.'
ON THE INSTITUTION
OF
LIGHT CAVALRY
IN
THE BRITISH ARMY.
The records of the military events of the remote ages speak of
heavy-armed horsemen being accompanied by others mounted and equipped
for light services. The Barons and Knights, who rode the powerful
horses celebrated by historians, and took the field completely cased
in steel, had a few light-armed attendants; the feudal horsemen were
variously armed; and the practice of employing Light, as well as Heavy
Cavalry, was adopted, to a limited extent, by several commanders of
antiquity. Armour, proof against arrow, lance, and sword, and men and
horses of colossal appearance, in whom the greatest amount of weight
and physical power, consistent with a moderate share of activity,
could be combined, were however held in the highest estimation;
but eventually the great advantage of having a portion of Cavalry
in which lightness, activity, and celerity of movement, might form
the principal characteristics, was discovered. The introduction of
fire-arms occasioned armour to be gradually laid aside, or limited to
a few heavy horsemen; superiority of weight was no longer thought so
necessary; and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the use of
Light Cavalry became more general than formerly.
During the seventy years' war between Spain and the United Provinces of
the Netherlands, Prince Maurice of Nassau (afterwards Prince of Orange)
selected a few English and Dutch heavy-armed Lancers, and constituted
them _Carabineers_, for skirmishing, and other services of a similar
character. The Emperor of Germany formed regiments of Hungarian
_Hussars_, who were light men on small horses. The Carabineers were of
an intermediate class, being much heavier than the Hussars, and lighter
than the English Lancers and Cuirassiers, who rode powerful horses, and
wore armour on the head, body, and limbs. The French monarchs adopted
the practice of having a few Carabineers in each troop of Horse; and,
in 1690, Louis XIV. added a troop of Carabineers to each Regiment of
Cavalry. During the campaign of 1691, these troops formed a Carabineer
brigade; but their motley appearance, and the defects of the plan,
occasioned them to be constituted a regiment of Carabineers, and
clothed in blue. In 1693 the French King added a regiment of Hussars to
the Cavalry of his army.[7]
In England the same principle was partially carried out; the heavy
horse laid aside their armour, excepting cuirasses; they were mounted
on horses of less weight than formerly, and they were supplied with
carbines by King Charles II. In 1685, King James II. raised several
independent troops of _Light Horse_, and one of them (Sir Thomas
Burton's) was retained in his service until the Revolution in 1688,
when it was disbanded. In 1691-2 King William III. constituted the
Seventh Regiment of Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards, a corps of
Carabineers, as an honorary distinction, and for the performance of
services for which the other regiments of Horse, being Cuirassiers,
were not well adapted. The object was to combine with strength and
power a greater degree of activity and speed than was to be found
in the Cavalry at that period; and His Majesty appears to have
contemplated having several corps of this description in his service,
as he designated this _the First Regiment of Carabineers_; but no
second regiment was formed.[8] In 1694 a troop of foreign Hussars
formed part of the Army commanded by King William in Flanders.[9]
During the wars of Queen Anne the Regiment of Carabineers was again
supplied with cuirasses, and was mounted on the same description
of horses as the other regiments; retaining, however, the title of
Carabineers. The activity, size, weight, and strength of the horses
ridden by the British Cuirassiers and Heavy Dragoons, with the bravery
and muscular powers of the men, established their superiority in
continental warfare over the Cavalry of other nations; they acquired
great celebrity in the valley of the Danube and on the plains of the
Netherlands, in the early part of the eighteenth century, under the
renowned John Duke of Marlborough; and after the peace of Utrecht, in
1713, the reputation of the British Horse and Dragoons was so high that
no alteration was thought necessary, and many years elapsed without any
attempt being made to revive the practice of having either Carabineers,
or Light Horse, in the British Army.
The great utility of the Light Cavalry of the continental armies had,
in the mean time, become apparent. Improvements in military tactics,
and in the arming and equipment of corps, were taking place in various
countries; and a spirit of emulation extending itself to Great Britain,
on the breaking out of the rebellion in 1745, his Grace the Duke of
Montague evinced his loyalty and public spirit by raising a Regiment
of _Carabineers_ for the service of King George II.; at the same time,
his Grace the Duke of Kingston, with equal zeal and generosity, raised,
at his own expense, a Regiment of _Light Horse_. The latter regiment
approximated, in the lightness of the men, horses, and equipment,
to the Hussars of the continental armies; the Duke of Montague's
Carabineers were of a heavier description of Cavalry.
At this period the old Cavalry Regiments rode black horses (excepting
the Scots Greys) with docked tails; but the Duke of Kingston's Regiment
was mounted on light horses of various colours, with swish or nag
tails. The accoutrements were as light as possible: the men carried
short carbines slung to their sides by a moveable swivel, pistols, and
light swords inclined to a curve.
The usefulness of the Duke of Kingston's Regiment of Light Horse was
proved in Scotland, where it served under His Royal Highness the
Duke of Cumberland, and was found qualified for every description of
service; the light horses traversing hilly grounds with facility. It
distinguished itself on several occasions, particularly at the battle
of Culloden, on the 16th of April, 1746, when it charged the clans with
signal gallantry, and evinced great spirit and activity in the pursuit
of the rebel army upwards of three miles from the field of battle. The
Duke of Cumberland was highly pleased with its behaviour during the
period it was under his command; and the conduct of the Light Horse
throughout the contest reflected credit on the noble peer who had
raised them.
The rebellion being suppressed, the regiment was, in consequence of the
conditions on which the men had enlisted, directed to be disbanded;
but the Duke of Cumberland so highly approved of its conduct that he
obtained permission to embody as many of the men as would re-enlist, as
his own Regiment of Light Dragoons.
His Majesty's thanks and particular satisfaction were communicated to
His Grace the Duke of Kingston, for his zeal and affection for His
Majesty's person and Government; and His Grace was desired to convey to
the officers and soldiers His Majesty's high sense of their loyalty,
activity, and gallant behaviour, at a period of national danger. The
regiment was afterwards disbanded at Nottingham, and nearly every man
engaged in the Regiment of Light Dragoons, of which, as a signal mark
of honour and distinction, His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland
was appointed Colonel.
The Duke of Cumberland's Light Dragoons were mounted on active
nag-tailed horses, from fourteen and a half to fifteen hands high.
The men were from five feet eight to five feet nine inches in height;
and their equipment was upon a new and light plan, but retaining the
cocked hat of the Heavy Dragoon pattern. This regiment served in the
Netherlands, with the Army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke
of Cumberland: its general usefulness was fully established, and it
distinguished itself at the battle of Val, in 1747. The treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle having put an end to the war, it returned to England,
and was disbanded in 1749.
From this period the value of light horsemen was more appreciated in
England than formerly; the general utility of this arm, on home and
foreign service, had been fully proved; and at the commencement of
hostilities with France, in 1755, King George II. resolved to possess
the advantage of a body of Light Cavalry in the approaching contest.
His Majesty accordingly commanded _a troop of Light Dragoons_ to be
added to the First, Second, and Third Regiments of Dragoon Guards,
and First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh
Regiments of Dragoons. The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Irish Horse
(now Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Dragoon Guards), and the Fifth,
Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Dragoons, being on
the Irish establishment, did not receive the same addition.
These troops of Light Dragoons were mounted, armed, equipped, and
trained, according to specific instructions, calculated to render
them available for the services for which they were designed. Several
of them were reviewed in Hyde Park by His Majesty; and their neat
appearance, celerity of movement, and the spirited and exact manner in
which they performed their evolutions, were much admired.
Nine of these troops were formed into a brigade in 1758, under the
command of one of the King's aides-de-camp, Colonel George Augustus
Eliott, of the Horse Grenadier Guards; and they were employed in the
expeditions to the coast of France under Charles Duke of Marlborough
and Lieut.-General Bligh. They landed in France twice; skirmished with
the French Cavalry; and throughout these enterprises they evinced
activity, spirit, and general usefulness. After their return to
England, they were augmented to 125 men per troop.
At this period, the war on the Continent had involved most of the
European states; and the extended and active operations which were
taking place in Germany rendered it necessary for a British force
to join the Allied Army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. This
gave rise to a further augmentation of the Army; and the increased
estimation in which Light Cavalry was held induced the King to give
directions for the raising of _entire Regiments of Light Dragoons_, in
addition to the five Regiments of Horse, three of Dragoon Guards, and
fourteen of Dragoons, already on the British and Irish establishments.
The following corps were accordingly embodied:--
LIGHT DRAGOONS.
_Incorporated in 1759._
FIFTEENTH, in England, by Colonel George A. Eliott;--now the Fifteenth,
or the King's Hussars.
SIXTEENTH, in England, by Lieut.-Colonel John Burgoyne;--now the
Sixteenth, or the Queen's Lancers.
SEVENTEENTH, in Scotland, by Captain Lord Aberdour;--disbanded in 1763.
EIGHTEENTH, in England, by Lieut.-Colonel John Hale;--now the
Seventeenth Lancers.
NINETEENTH, in Ireland, by Lieut.-Colonel Lord Drogheda;--numbered the
Eighteenth in 1763; constituted Hussars in 1807; and after performing
much valuable service at home and abroad, it was disbanded at
Newbridge, in Ireland, in 1821.
_Incorporated in 1760._
TWENTIETH, in Ireland, by Captain Sir James Caldwell;--disbanded in
1763.
TWENTY-FIRST, or Royal Foresters, in England by Lieut.-General the
Marquis of Granby, and Colonel Lord Robert Sutton;--disbanded in 1763.
After the peace of Fontainebleau, three of these corps were disbanded,
and the other four continued in the service. The light troops attached
to the heavy regiments were also disbanded, but a few men of each troop
were afterwards equipped as Light Dragoons.
A more perfect knowledge of the efficiency and capabilities of Light
Cavalry, acquired during the campaigns in Germany and Portugal, had
advanced the estimation in which that arm was held; and, in 1768, the
TWELFTH Dragoons (one of the heavy regiments raised by King George
I. in 1715), underwent a change of equipment and clothing, and was
constituted a corps of _Light Dragoons_, by General Carpenter, in
Ireland.
This alteration served as a precedent for subsequent changes; and
further experience, during the American war, from 1775 to 1783,
confirming the value of Light Cavalry, the SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH,
TENTH, ELEVENTH, THIRTEENTH, and FOURTEENTH Regiments of Dragoons were
changed from _heavy to light_. The Light Dragoons attached to the heavy
regiments were incorporated into newly-raised corps, and the following
regiments of
LIGHT DRAGOONS
_Were embodied in 1779._
NINETEENTH,--by Major-General Russell Manners;--disbanded in 1783.
TWENTIETH,--by Major-General Richard Burton Phillipson;--disbanded in
1783.
TWENTY-FIRST,--by Major-General John Douglas;--disbanded in 1783.
TWENTY-SECOND,--by Lieut.-Colonel John Lord Sheffield;--disbanded in
1783.
_Embodied in 1781._
TWENTY-THIRD,--by Lieut.-General Sir John Burgoyne, Baronet, for
service in India, and was numbered the NINETEENTH after the peace
in 1783. This regiment signalized itself on numerous occasions in
India, and was rewarded with the honour of bearing on its guidons
and appointments the _Elephant_, with the words _Assaye_ and
_Seringapatam_. The word _Niagara_ was also added in commemoration
of the gallantry of two troops, in the year 1813, in North America.
In 1817 it was constituted a corps of LANCERS. It was disbanded in
Ireland in 1821.
Thus a few years had produced a great change in the British Army.
Twenty-five years previously to the termination of the American war
there was not a single Light Dragoon Regiment in the Service, and in
1783 there were seventeen; four of them were disbanded at that period,
and thirteen retained in the Service.
Soon after the termination of the American war, the French monarch
having, by aiding the rebellious British provincials, taught his own
subjects a lesson of insubordination, was deprived of the reins of
government; and the violent conduct of the French revolutionists in
the West Indies occasioned the TWENTIETH or JAMAICA REGIMENT OF LIGHT
DRAGOONS to be raised in 1791 by Colonel Henry F. Gardner, for service
in that island. Besides its services in Jamaica, detachments of this
regiment served at Malta; Sicily; at the taking of the Cape of Good
Hope, in 1806; at the capture of Alexandria, in 1807; at the attack on
Monte Video; in Portugal; at Genoa; and on the eastern coast of Spain;
and acquired the honour of bearing the word _Peninsula_ on its guidons
and appointments. It was disbanded in Ireland in 1818.
War with France commenced in 1793, and was followed by augmentations
to the Army. It was not found necessary to add a single Heavy Cavalry
Regiment; but the following Regiments of
LIGHT DRAGOONS
_Were incorporated in 1794._
TWENTY-FIRST,--by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas R. Beaumont. This regiment
served at the Cape of Good Hope and in India thirteen years; a
detachment was sent to do duty at St. Helena, when Napoleon Buonaparte
was removed thither. This regiment was disbanded at Chatham in 1820.
TWENTY-SECOND,--by Major-General William Viscount Fielding;--served in
Great Britain and Ireland;--disbanded in 1802.
TWENTY-THIRD,--by Colonel William Fullerton;--served in Great Britain
and Ireland;--disbanded in 1802.
TWENTY-FOURTH,--by Colonel William Loftus;--served in Great Britain and
Ireland;--disbanded in 1802.
TWENTY-FIFTH,--by Major-General Francis Edward Gwyn. This regiment
was numbered the TWENTY-SECOND after the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
It served with reputation in India; was employed at the reduction of
Java; signalized itself on several occasions; and was rewarded with
the royal authority to bear the word _Seringapatam_ on its guidons and
appointments. It was disbanded in England in 1820.
_Raised in 1795._
TWENTY-SIXTH,--by Lieut.-General R. Manners;--numbered the TWENTY-THIRD
in 1803. This regiment served in Egypt, Portugal, Spain, Flanders, and
France; and its distinguished conduct was rewarded with the honour of
bearing on its guidons and appointments, the _Sphinx_, with the words
_Egypt_, _Peninsula_, and _Waterloo_. In 1816 it was constituted a
corps of LANCERS. It was disbanded in England in 1817.
TWENTY-SEVENTH,--by Major-General Wynter Blathwayte;--numbered the
TWENTY-FOURTH in 1804. This regiment served in India, distinguished
itself at the battles of Ghur and Delhi, and was permitted to bear
the _Elephant_, with the word _Hindoostan_, on its guidons and
appointments. It was disbanded in England, on its arrival from Bengal,
in 1819.
TWENTY-EIGHTH,--by Major-General Robert Lawrie;--served in Great
Britain, Ireland, and at the Cape of Good Hope;--disbanded in Ireland
in 1802.
TWENTY-NINTH,--by Major-General Francis Augustus Lord
Heathfield;--numbered the TWENTY-FIFTH in 1804. This regiment served in
India, and was at the reduction of the Isle of France. It was disbanded
at Chatham, on its arrival from India, in 1819.
_Raised in 1794._
THIRTIETH,--by Lieut.-Colonel J. C. Carden;--disbanded in 1796.
THIRTY-FIRST,--by Lieut.-Colonel William St. Ledger;--disbanded in
1796.
THIRTY-SECOND,--by Lieut.-Colonel H. J. Blake;--disbanded in 1796.
THIRTY-THIRD,--by Lieut.-Colonel J. Blackwood;--disbanded in 1796.
* * * * *
Soon after the re-commencement of hostilities with France in 1803,
the SEVENTH, TENTH, FIFTEENTH, and EIGHTEENTH Light Dragoons were
equipped as HUSSARS. Since the termination of the war in 1815, the
THIRD and FOURTH Dragoons have been changed from _heavy to light_; the
NINTH, TWELFTH, SIXTEENTH, and SEVENTEENTH Light Dragoons have been
constituted LANCERS; and the EIGHTH and ELEVENTH Light Dragoons have
also been equipped as HUSSARS.
At this period (1847), the Cavalry of the British Army consists of
twenty-six regiments--thirteen Heavy and thirteen Light; and is
composed of three regiments of Cuirassiers, ten of Heavy Dragoons, four
of Light Dragoons, five of Hussars, and four of Lancers.
THE THIRD,
OR
THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS,
BEARS ON ITS APPOINTMENTS
THE WHITE HORSE,
ON A RED FIELD WITHIN THE GARTER,
WITH THE MOTTO
"_NEC ASPERA TERRENT_:"
ALSO THE WORDS,
"SALAMANCA"--"VITTORIA"--"TOULOUSE"--"PENINSULA,"
To commemorate its Gallant Conduct in Spain and France from 1811 to
1814;
AND THE WORD
"CABOOL, 1842,"
For its distinguished Services in Affghanistan in 1842.
FOOTNOTES:
[7] _Histoire de la Milice Françoise_, par le PÈRE DANIEL.
[8] National Records.
[9] The equipment of Hussars at this period is described by D'AUVERGNE,
in his _History of the Campaign of 1694_, pp. 22, 23.
CONTENTS.
Year Page
1685 Formation of the Regiment 1
---- Styled the Queen Consort's Regiment 3
---- Names of Officers 5
---- Reviewed by King James II. on Hounslow Heath --
1688 The Revolution 6
1689 Proceeds to Ireland 7
---- Attacks the Enemy's out-posts at Ardee 8
1690 Storming of Bedloe's Castle 9
---- Battle of the Boyne 11
---- Investment of Waterford 12
---- Surrender of Youghal --
---- Disperses the Rapparees--capture of Castle Martir 13
---- Siege of Limerick --
1691 Expedition to Streamstown 14
---- Battle of Aghrim --
---- Siege of Galway 15
---- Surrender of Limerick 16
1692 Arrives in England 17
1694 Reviewed in Hyde Park by King William III. --
---- Embarks for Flanders --
1695 Augmentation of establishment 18
---- Attack on the forts at Kenoque --
---- Siege of Namur--Surrender of Dixmude 19
1696 Reviewed by King William III. 20
1697 Operations in Brabant 21
---- Returns to England --
1698 Reduction of establishment --
1702 Expedition to Cadiz under the Duke of Ormond 21
---- Attack on Vigo, and Capture of the Spanish fleet 22
1706 Forms part of an expedition under Earl Rivers,
and proceeds to Spain 23
1707 Battle of Almanza 24
1708 Returns to England 25
1712 Reduction of establishment --
1713 Stationed in Scotland --
1714 Designated the King's Own Regiment --
1715 Battle of Sheriffmuir 26
1718 Reduction of establishment 28
1720 Establishment augmented --
1723 Augmentation of establishment --
1727 Establishment further augmented --
1729 Reduction of establishment --
1738 Augmentation of establishment --
1742 Reviewed by King George II. on Blackheath 29
---- Proceeds to Flanders --
1743 Battle of Dettingen 31
1745 Battle of Fontenoy 35
---- Returns to England 36
---- Proceeds to Scotland --
---- Engagement at Clifton Moor 37
1748 Reduction of establishment 39
1751 Clothing, Appointments, Guidons, &c. regulated
by Royal Warrant --
1754 Employed on coast duty in the South of England 41
1756 A light troop added --
1758 The light troop forms part of the force for a
descent on the coast of France --
---- Capture of Cherbourg 43
1763 The light troop disbanded 44
1764 Marches to Scotland --
1765 Returns to England --
1766 The Drummers replaced by Trumpeters 44
1767} Employed on coast duty in Kent, Sussex, }
and } Suffolk, and Essex } --
1768}
1770 Proceeds to Scotland --
1771 Returns to England 45
1773 Employed on coast duty in Kent --
1775 Marches to Scotland --
1776 Stationed in South Britain --
1778 Employed on coast duty in Sussex --
---- An additional trumpeter authorised 46
1781 Reviewed by King George III. in Hyde Park 47
1784 Proceeds to Scotland --
1785 Stationed in South Britain --
1789 Reviewed by King George III. at Reading --
1791 Marches to Scotland 48
1793 Augmentation of establishment --
---- Four troops detached to Scotland --
1797 Reduction of establishment 49
1798 Alteration in the Arms and Clothing --
1800 Augmentation of establishment 50
---- Proceeds to Scotland --
1802 Reduction of establishment --
---- Embarks for Ireland --
1805 ---- for England 51
1806 Augmentation of establishment --
1807 Reviewed at Brighton by the Duke of York --
1809 Embarks for Holland 52
1810 Reviewed at Guildford by the Duke of Cambridge 53
1811 ---- on Wimbledon Common by the Prince
Regent --
---- Embarks for the Peninsula 54
1812 Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo 55
---- ---- Badajoz --
---- Affair near La Granja 56
1812 Action at Llerena 57
---- Attack on the bridge of boats at Almaraz 58
---- Skirmish near Salamanca --
---- ---- on the heights of St. Christoval --
---- ---- near Castrillos 60
---- Battle of Salamanca 61
---- Siege of Burgos 65
---- Covers the mining party at Palencia 66
1813 Affair on the heights of Estepar 68
---- Battle of Vittoria 69
1814 Advance on Bayonne 71
---- Affair of La Mosquiere --
---- Battle of Toulouse 72
---- Furnishes horses to mount the royal guard of
France 73
---- Returns to England 74
---- Reviewed on Hounslow Heath by the Duke of
York, Commander-in-Chief --
---- Reduction of establishment 75
---- Authorised to bear the word "SALAMANCA" --
1815 Embarks for Ostend 76
---- Reinforces the Army in France --
---- Reviewed by the Emperor of Russia, King of
Prussia, and the Duke of Wellington --
1816 Forms part of the Army of Occupation --
---- Reviewed by the Duke of Kent, and the Duke of
Wellington 77
1818 Returns to England --
---- Reduction of establishment --
---- Constituted _Light Dragoons_ --
---- Attends the funeral of Queen Charlotte 78
---- Proceeds to Ireland --
1820 Reviewed for the first time as a Light Dragoon
Regiment --
1821 Escorts King George IV. on his entry into
Dublin 79
---- Reviewed by His Majesty --
---- Furnishes the guard of honour on the embarkation
of the King for England --
---- Authorised to bear the words "VITTORIA" and
"TOULOUSE" 80
1822 Returns to England 81
1823 Reviewed by the Duke of York --
1824 Again reviewed by his Royal Highness the
Commander-in-Chief 82
1825 Receives testimonials for its conduct in aiding the
Civil Power at Sunderland 83
1826 Proceeds to Ireland 84
1829 Returns to England 85
1830 Establishment of horses augmented 87
1831 Proceeds to Scotland --
1833 Returns to England --
1834 Proceeds to Hounslow --
1835 Embarks for Ireland --
1837 Returns to England 88
---- Embarks for the East Indies --
1842 Expedition to Affghanistan 89
---- Storming of the heights of Jugdulluck 90
---- Action at Tezeen 91
---- Arrives at Cabool, and plants the British colours
in the Bala Hissar 93
---- Capture of Istalif 94
---- Authorised to bear the word "CABOOL" 95
---- Returns to India --
1845 Forms part of the Army of the Sutlej --
---- Battle of Moodkee 96
---- ---- Ferozeshah 98
1846 ---- Aliwal 100
---- ---- Sobraon 101
1846 Occupation of Lahore 105
---- Returns to India --
---- The Conclusion 107
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
1685 Duke of Somerset 109
1687 Alexander Cannon 110
1688 Richard Leveson --
1694 Thomas Lord Fairfax 111
1695 William Lloyd --
1703 George Carpenter 112
1732 Philip Honeywood 114
1743 Humphrey Bland --
1752 James Lord Tyrawley 115
1755 Earl of Albemarle 116
1772 Charles Lord Southampton 117
1797 Francis Lascelles --
1799 Sir Charles Grey 118
1807 William Cartwright 119
1821 Viscount Combermere 120
1829 Lord George Beresford --
1839 Lord Charles Somerset Manners 121
PLATES.
Costume of the Regiment _to face_ 1
Battle of Sobraon " 106
[Illustration: 3rd Light Dragoons.
[To face page 1.]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
THIRD, OR THE KING'S OWN, REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS.
[Sidenote: 1685]
JAMES THE SECOND ascended the throne of England on the 6th of February,
1685, and four months only had elapsed, when his nephew, JAMES DUKE OF
MONMOUTH, erected the standard of rebellion on the western coast, and,
having been joined by upwards of three thousand men, proclaimed himself
king. To oppose MONMOUTH and his rash adherents, the King obtained from
Parliament a grant of four hundred thousand pounds, and augmented the
strength of his army. Among the loyal yeomen and artisans who arrayed
themselves under the banners of their sovereign, a number of young
men from Berkshire, Middlesex, Herts, and Essex, were formed into
five independent troops of Dragoons under Captains RICHARD LEVESON,
JOHN WILLIAMS, THOMAS HUSSEY, EDWARD LEA, and FRANCIS RUSSEL. These
five troops, with an old independent troop of Dragoons, commanded by
Colonel Strather, were attached to the Royal Dragoons under JOHN LORD
CHURCHILL, (afterwards the great DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH,) whose regiment
was thus augmented to nine hundred men, and from these additional
troops the corps which now bears the distinguished title of the "THIRD,
OR KING'S OWN REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS," derives its origin.
Captain Russel's troop rendezvoused at Chelsea and Knightsbridge, and
having been speedily mounted and equipped, it was attached to the three
Scots regiments of foot which had arrived from Holland, and ordered
to join the army; but the insurgent bands having been overthrown at
Sedgemoor on the 6th of July, it halted at Bagshot; and proceeding
to London on the 13th, was present at the execution of the Duke of
Monmouth on the 15th of that month.
Although the insurrection was thus speedily suppressed, and the
executions which followed were sufficiently numerous to intimidate
the disaffected, and prevent a second appeal to arms of a similar
character, yet the King resolved to retain a considerable number of
the newly-raised forces in his service. On the 17th of July several
troops of Dragoons were formed into a regiment, (now the fourth
light dragoons,) under the command of Colonel John Berkeley; and in
the beginning of August, four of the additional troops attached to
the royal dragoons, with one troop from Berkeley's regiment, were
incorporated; at the same time another troop was ordered to be raised,
and the six were constituted a regiment of which HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF
SOMERSET was appointed Colonel, and ALEXANDER CANNON, from a regiment
of foot in the Dutch service, Lieutenant-Colonel, by commission dated
the 2nd of August, 1685. The regiment thus formed is the subject of
this memoir; its Colonel being Lord-Lieutenant of Somersetshire, had
commanded the militia of that county during the rebellion, and his
regiment was honoured with the title of the "QUEEN CONSORT'S REGIMENT
OF DRAGOONS;" and being composed of troops raised previously to those
of Berkeley's regiment, it obtained precedence of the last-mentioned
corps[10].
[Sidenote: 1686]
The establishment was fixed by warrant under the sign manual, bearing
date the 1st of January, 1686, from which the following is an extract.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| THE QUEEN CONSORT'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS. |
+---------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| STAFF-OFFICERS. | Per Diem. |
+---------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| | £. | _s._ | _d._ |
| | | | |
| Colonel, _as Colonel_, xiiˢ, iij horses iijˢ | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Lieutenant-Colonel, _as Lieut.-Colonel_, vijˢ, } | | | |
| and ij horses ijˢ } | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Major (_who has no troop_) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Chaplaine | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| | | | |
| Chirurgeon ivˢ and j horse to carry his } | | | |
| chest, ijˢ } | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Adjutant ivˢ, and for his horse jˢ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Quarter-Master and Marshal in one person } | | | |
| ivˢ, his horse jˢ } | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Gunsmith ivˢ and his servant iˢ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| +------+------+------+
| | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| +------+------+------+
| THE COLONEL'S TROOP. | | | |
| | | | |
| The Colonel, _as Captaine_, viiiˢ, and iij } | | | |
| horses iijˢ } | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Lieutenant ivˢ, and ij horses ijˢ | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Cornett iijˢ, and ij horses ijˢ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Quarter-Master, for himself and horse | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Two Serjeants, each jˢ viᵈ, and ijˢ for horses | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Three Corporals, each jˢ, and iijˢ for horses | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Two Drummers, each jˢ, and ijˢ for horses | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Two Hautboys, each iˢ, and ijˢ for horses | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Fifty Soldiers, each at iˢ viᵈ for man and } | | | |
| horse } | 3 | 15 | 0 |
| +------+------+------+
| | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | |
| Five Troops more, at the same rate | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| +------+------+------+
| TOTAL PER DIEM | 39 | 6 | 8 |
| +------+------+------+
| PER ANNUM £14,356. 13_s._ 4_d._ | | | |
+---------------------------------------------------+------+------+------+