having been declared against France and Spain, an expedition, commanded
by the Duke of Ormond, was sent against _Cadiz_, and a detachment
of the QUEEN'S dragoons, consisting of three field-officers, three
captains, four lieutenants, five cornets, three staff-officers, five
quarter-masters, five serjeants, fourteen corporals, eight drummers,
and one hundred and eighty-six private men[15], was embarked for this
service. A landing was effected on the coast of Spain, near Cadiz, on
the 15th of August; on the following day Rota, a town on the north side
of the bay seven miles from Cadiz, was taken, and on the 21st, Port
St. Mary's, situate at the mouth of the river Guadalete, was captured.
The QUEEN'S dragoons, being the only cavalry with the expedition, were
almost constantly employed on piquet and outpost duty. On the 25th of
August the army encamped at _Santa Victoria_, and in the early part of
September the attack of the Matagorda was commenced. 'On the 5th of
September a squadron of Spanish horse made bold to attack a small party
of the QUEEN'S dragoons, who behaved themselves so gallantly, that they
put the enemy to flight, having wounded and taken an officer and two
men with their horses, and on our side we had a cornet and a private
man killed, and a lieutenant taken, whom the Spaniards, against all the
laws of nations and arms, most barbarously cut in pieces[16].'
Cadiz was found better prepared for a siege than had been expected, and
the troops were re-embarked. A successful attack was afterwards made
on the fort of Vigo in Galicia, and a rich fleet was captured in the
harbour, for which the QUEEN'S dragoons received 187_l._ 3_s._ 4_d._
prize money[17].
[Sidenote: 1703]
On the 31st of December, 1703, Brigadier-General (afterwards LORD)
CARPENTER, was appointed to the colonelcy of the QUEEN'S DRAGOONS, by
purchase[18], in succession to Major-General Lloyd.
[Sidenote: 1706]
The regiment remained on home service until 1706, when another
detachment of about two hundred and forty officers and men embarked on
board the fleet of Sir Cloudesley Shovel; forming part of a force of
10,000 men commanded by the Earl Rivers, and designed to invade the
coast of France, on a plan suggested by the Marquis De Guiscard. The
descent was, however, rendered impracticable by contrary winds, and the
troops were ordered to Lisbon. In the meantime the English forces in
Spain had retired from Madrid to Valencia and Catalonia, and the troops
under the Earl Rivers were directed to proceed thither.
[Sidenote: 1707]
The QUEEN'S dragoons, and other forces, were accordingly re-embarked;
they left Portugal in the early part of January, 1707, and, having
landed at Alicant in Valencia on the 11th of February, commenced their
march to join the forces under the Earl of Galway,--the united camp
being formed at Caudete, on the 30th of March. The army soon afterwards
destroyed several of the enemy's magazines, and besieged Villena in
Murcia. Meanwhile the French and Spanish forces, commanded by the Duke
of Berwick, advanced to the plains of _Almanza_, where the allies
resolved to attack them on the 25th of April.
After a march of fifteen miles through a rugged and mountainous
country, the wearied British and Portuguese troops entered an open
plain between Caudete and Almanza, where the enemy, superior in numbers
and artillery, was formed in order of battle. After a short halt the
attack was commenced, and the detachments of the QUEEN'S and Essex's
(now the fourth) dragoons particularly distinguished themselves;
being ordered to charge a battery of guns, so placed on the brow
of a hill, that the artillery mules, though concealed from sight,
remained close to the guns and could be instantly attached to them.
The charge was made with determined gallantry, but the guns being
quickly withdrawn, ten squadrons of select Spanish cavalry charged the
British dragoons, amounting only to about two hundred and ninety men,
killing Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence of the QUEEN'S, who led the attack,
also Captain Smith and Cornet Petty of the same corps, and nearly
annihilating the two squadrons. The greater part of the Portuguese
cavalry fled from the field in a panic, when the British infantry
were nearly surrounded, but the cavalry, by a desperate charge, in
which three generals (Brigadier-General Carpenter of the QUEEN'S being
one) and thirty-four officers fought in the front ranks, succeeded
in breaking through the enemy. The Earl of Galway was wounded, and
in danger of being taken prisoner; but the spirited conduct of the
dragoons enabled him to effect his escape[19]; and he retreated
with the remains of the English and Dutch cavalry to Alceira, where
he received information that the greater part of the infantry, after
retreating to the hills of Caudete, had been surrounded and compelled
to surrender prisoners of war.
After this disaster, the few troops which remained were employed in
defensive operations for the preservation of Catalonia. The QUEEN'S
dragoons were stationed a short time at Manresa on the river Cardener,
to refresh their horses; and after the fall of Lerida, the army went
into winter quarters. The Earl of Galway embarked for Lisbon, and
Brigadier-General Carpenter remained in command of the troops in
Catalonia.
[Sidenote: 1708]
The QUEEN'S dragoons had suffered so severely at the battle of Almanza,
that the officers were sent to England in March 1708, and the regiment
was ordered to be recruited to sixty men per troop. The recruiting
was carried on with rapidity, and the difference in the state of the
regiment may be seen from two different returns in one year; in the
first its numbers are 150, and in the second 303.
[Sidenote: 1709]
[Sidenote: 1710]
[Sidenote: 1711]
[Sidenote: 1712]
[Sidenote: 1713]
In 1709 the regiment mustered 443 men, and it continued at the same
number during the two following years; but in October 1712 a reduction
of ten men per troop took place. In 1713 it was quartered in North
Britain, and mustered 339 men.
[Sidenote: 1714]
After the accession of King George I. in 1714 there being no Queen
Consort on the throne, the regiment was honoured with the distinguished
title of THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS.
[Sidenote: 1715]
In the summer of 1715 the regiment marched to Glasgow, in consequence
of disturbances in that neighbourhood; and on the 8th of September
it joined the camp at Stirling under Major-General Whetham, which
was formed to oppose the Earl of Mar, who had raised the standard of
rebellion, and proclaimed the Pretender at Aberdeen, Dundee, and Perth.
The Duke of Argyle afterwards reviewed the troops at Stirling, as
Commander-in-Chief in Scotland.
On the 10th of November His Grace, having intelligence of the design
of the rebels to endeavour to pass the Forth and to penetrate towards
England, resolved to prevent them, and immediately gave orders to his
troops to hold themselves in readiness. An order of battle was issued,
in which this regiment and Kerr's dragoons (the seventh) formed the
extreme left; and according to that order, the army marched from
Stirling on the 12th, and encamped on a rising ground to the east of
Dumblain, between the town and Sheriffmuir. On the 13th the battle of
SHERIFFMUIR was fought, when each party had one wing defeated and one
victorious. The KING'S OWN dragoons were in the left wing; about six
hundred highlanders surprised the infantry of that wing, in the act of
forming, and put it into confusion; but upon the dragoons charging and
defeating the rebel cavalry opposed to them, capturing their standard,
the rebel infantry pursued their advantage no further, and Captain
Armstrong, who was sent with orders from the Duke of Argyle, being
killed, the infantry retired in good order. Both sides claimed the
victory; but all the advantage remained with the Duke of Argyle, who
captured the royal standard of the rebels, called "The Restoration,"
also six pieces of cannon, four waggons, and a number of prisoners.
On the following day the army returned to Stirling, and awaited the
arrival of reinforcements from England.
[Sidenote: 1716]
On the 9th of January, 1716, the Duke called a council of war at
Stirling, where an order of battle was issued, in which CARPENTER'S
dragoons were again placed on the left of the front line. Owing to the
roads being rendered impassable by the snow, no advance was made till
Tuesday the 29th, when the whole army advanced to Dumblain, and thence,
on the 30th, to Tullibardine. At one in the morning of the 1st of
February, the Duke with his cavalry entered Perth, where he was joined
in the evening by his infantry; the next day he advanced to Errol,
and on the 5th, with all his cavalry, moved towards Brechin; General
Cadogan leading the infantry to Aberbrothock. On the 8th Aberdeen was
occupied, and it being ascertained that the Pretender had retired to
France, and that the rebel force had totally dispersed, the army went
into winter quarters, and the KING'S OWN dragoons were stationed at
Elgin.
[Sidenote: 1717]
[Sidenote: 1718]
[Sidenote: 1719]
[Sidenote: 1720]
[Sidenote: 1721]
[Sidenote: 1722]
From this time the KING'S OWN do not appear to have been engaged in
any service of importance for a period of more than twenty years.
They were usually stationed in the southern and western counties of
England; but occasionally occupied quarters, for short periods, in
Scotland. In 1718 the establishment was reduced ten men per troop; in
the following year the numbers were only 186; an addition of 21 men was
made in 1720, and during that and the two succeeding years the regiment
mustered 207 men.
[Sidenote: 1723]
[Sidenote: 1724]
[Sidenote: 1725]
[Sidenote: 1726]
[Sidenote: 1727]
[Sidenote: 1729]
In 1723 the establishment was augmented to 333 men, at which number
it remained, with an alteration only of six men, until 1727, when the
regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to embark for Holland,
as part of the complement of 10,000 men which England had engaged to
furnish the States; at the same time its establishment was augmented to
552 men. No embarkation, however, took place; and in 1729, the numbers
of the regiment were reduced to 309.
[Sidenote: 1732]
After the decease of General Lord Carpenter in 1732, King George II.
conferred the colonelcy on Major-General PHILIP HONEYWOOD, from the
eleventh dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1738]
[Sidenote: 1739]
An augmentation was made to the establishment in 1738; in 1739,
the breaking out of a war with Spain occasioned general orders for
recruiting to be issued:--the establishment of the KING'S OWN dragoons
was raised to 435 men, and in the summer they were encamped on Hounslow
Heath, where they were several times reviewed by the Duke of Cumberland.
[Sidenote: 1740]
[Sidenote: 1741]
During the summer of 1740, the KING'S OWN were encamped in Windsor
Forest; and in 1741, they were ordered, with several other regiments
and a train of artillery, amounting nearly to 10,000 men, to prepare
for embarkation for foreign service. This force encamped in July, on
ground cleared for the purpose, on Lexdon heath, near Colchester: no
embarkation, however, took place, and after a few weeks, the troops
went into quarters in the various towns in the neighbourhood.
[Sidenote: 1742]
In the meantime war was raging on the continent; the King of France
and the Elector of Bavaria had united to deprive the Archduchess Maria
Theresa of her hereditary dominions; and in 1742, His Britannic Majesty
sent sixteen thousand British troops to Flanders to make a diversion in
favour of the Austrians. The KING'S OWN Regiment of dragoons was one
of the corps selected for this service, and having been reviewed on
Blackheath by King George II., accompanied by the Duke of Cumberland,
it embarked shortly afterwards at Woolwich and Deptford; their colonel,
Lieutenant-General Honeywood, taking the command of the expedition
until the arrival of Field Marshal the Earl of Stair.
After landing at Ostend the KING'S OWN dragoons advanced a few leagues
up the country, but all active operations were prevented by the
tardiness of the Dutch.
[Sidenote: 1743]
Early in 1743, the British troops moved from their cantonments towards
the Rhine; the KING'S OWN, and four companies of the foot guards,
forming the advance-guard of the army, were at St. Trond, in the
province of Limburg, on the 9th of February, and on the 11th resumed
their march for Germany. In May, the regiment, with the Inniskilling
dragoons, and four battalions of the foot guards, formed a detached
camp a little below the town of Hochst, in the duchy of Nassau on the
Maine, and was afterwards encamped at Aschaffenburg in Franconia,
a town situate on a hill on the side of Maine. In the meantime
Lieut.-General Honeywood had been removed to the first dragoon guards,
and the colonelcy of the KING'S OWN conferred on Brigadier-General
HUMPHREY BLAND, from the thirteenth dragoons.
His Majesty King George II. having left England towards the end of May,
landed at Helvoetsluys on the 2nd of June, and joined the army on the
9th; when he found his forces under considerable embarrassment, from
the French commander having succeeded in gaining possession of several
important posts on the Maine, by which means he cut off the supplies of
provisions and forage.
Under these circumstances His Majesty resolved to march to Hanau, where
a reinforcement of 12,000 Hessians and Hanoverians had arrived; and at
daybreak on the 16th of June, the troops commenced the march along the
banks of the Maine: but scarcely had they proceeded three leagues when
it was ascertained that the enemy had crossed the river, and was drawn
up near DETTINGEN to dispute the march of the army.
The allies were immediately formed for action, with their left on the
river, and their right extending to a wood, in which the baggage was
placed. Shortly afterwards the action commenced, when Lieut.-General
Clayton, who commanded the left wing of infantry, requested some
squadrons to cover his flank, and the KING'S OWN dragoons were ordered
to this important post, where they suffered severely, being exposed
three hours to the fire of the French batteries, as well from their
front, as from the other side of the river, which commanded their flank
and rear. At length the regiment was led forward, and encountering nine
squadrons of household cavalry, the élite of the French army, charged
these celebrated horsemen with a degree of gallantry truly astonishing.
British valour was most conspicuously displayed; though over-matched
with numbers, and nearly surrounded by enemies, the KING'S OWN dragoons
were seen nobly contending for victory, and mingled in close fight
with their antagonists, the swift motion of their glittering sabres
showed with what vehemence the gallant troopers fought for the honour
of their King and country. They cut through their renowned opponents
three times; distinguishing themselves in the most signal manner under
the eye of their Sovereign, and contributing materially to the victory
gained on that occasion. Their loss was however great. Of the three
cornets who bore the standards, two were wounded, and the third, Mr.
Child, the brother of Lord Castlemaine, had two horses killed under
him. The standards were totally destroyed by shot and sabre-cuts,
and one of them was only preserved from capture by the heroism of a
private in the regiment, named THOMAS BROWN, a native of Kirkleatham,
in Yorkshire. This gallant soldier, on the cornet's receiving a wound
in the wrist, and dropping the standard, attempted to dismount in order
to recover it, but in so doing lost two fingers of his bridle-hand by
a sabre cut, and his horse ran away with him to the rear of the French
lines. Whilst endeavouring to regain his regiment he perceived the
standard, which the French had succeeded in capturing by overwhelming
numbers, in the custody of a _gendarme_, who was conveying it to the
rear. This man he attacked and killed, caught the standard as it fell,
and fixing it between his leg and the saddle, succeeded in cutting his
way back through the ranks of the enemy: but received, in so doing,
seven wounds in his head, face, and body, and three balls passed
through his hat.[20] A letter, in the Gazette of July 16th, states,
'that in this action Ligonier's horse, (the seventh dragoon guards,)
and the THIRD dragoons suffered most, and gained great reputation.' The
loss of the THIRD was Lieutenant Baily, one serjeant, two drummers,
thirty-eight private men, and one hundred and forty-one horses,
killed; Major Honeywood[21], Captain Brown, Lieutenant Robinson,
Cornets Dawson, Monteith and O'Carrol, with three quarter-masters, six
serjeants, five drummers, eighty-six private men, and fifty horses
wounded[22]. The victory was most decisive; the French were completely
defeated in their attempt, and were compelled to recross the Maine with
precipitation, with the loss of many standards, colours, and four pair
of kettle-drums.
The KING'S OWN dragoons passed the night near the field of battle,
surrounded by their ensanguined trophies, and, having marched to Hanau
on the following day, were encamped, for some time, on the banks of the
little river Kinzig, from whence they advanced with the army, in the
early part of August, for the Rhine; and, having crossed that river
above Mentz, were employed in operations in West Germany, where the
army was joined by the Dutch auxiliaries. The enemy's entrenchments
at Germersheim, in the Bavarian circle of the Rhine, were afterwards
destroyed, but no general engagement occurred; and in the middle
of October the army repassed the Rhine, and marched back to the
Netherlands in eight divisions[23]. The royals, greys, and KING'S
OWN dragoons, with the Scots highlanders, forming the first division,
proceeded through the duchy of Nassau, the provinces of Limburg,
Liege, and South Brabant, to Brussels, where they arrived on the 16th
of November, and on the following day continued their march for West
Flanders, to pass the winter in quarters at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1744]
Notwithstanding its severe loss the regiment remained in Belgium, and
being joined by a number of recruits, in the spring of 1744, it took
the field, and in June it formed part of the army encamped on the banks
of the Scheldt, near Oudenarde, in East Flanders. During the summer it
was employed in operations in the province of Hainault, and in levying
contributions in the French territory towards Lisle. In October it
marched into quarters at Ghent: and by the Muster Rolls for this year
we find its numbers were 538.
[Sidenote: 1745]
After leaving their winter quarters about the middle of April, 1745,
the KING'S OWN were encamped a short time near Brussels, where they
were reviewed by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland. They were
afterwards assembled with the army at Soignies. The French having
assembled a numerous army and besieged Tournay, the Duke of Cumberland
resolved to attempt the relief of that fortress; the army, accordingly,
advanced, and on the 28th of April took post at Leuse. On the following
day a squadron of the KING'S OWN was employed, with other troops, in
driving back the enemy's advanced-posts, and on the 30th the battle of
_Fontenoy_ took place; when the gallant efforts and brilliant success
of the British were rendered unavailing by the failure of the Dutch.
After an action of several hours the KING'S OWN dragoons were ordered
forward, and they charged the enemy with their accustomed gallantry;
but under such disadvantageous circumstances that their manly efforts
only retarded the fate of the day. The Duke of Cumberland ordered
a retreat, and the army marched to the vicinity of Aeth. The enemy
had great advantage in numbers, in artillery, and in the favourable
ground they occupied; the loss was nearly equal on both sides, and
the Allies lost no honour, though compelled to retire. The KING'S OWN
had nine private men, and twenty-eight horses, killed; Captain Wade,
Quarter-Master Corbidge, fourteen private men, and thirty-four horses
wounded;--and Cornet Bland, two non-commissioned-officers, fifteen men,
and twenty-three horses missing.
The regiment was afterwards encamped on the banks of the Dender, near
Lessines; from whence it proceeded with the army on the 30th of June,
to Grammont in West Flanders, and was subsequently encamped before
Brussels.
In the mean time Charles-Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, had
arrived in Scotland, and, being joined by several of the highland
clans, he asserted his father's pretensions to the throne. There being
few troops in Scotland at this time, the rebellion soon made alarming
progress; when orders were given for the return of several regiments
from the continent, and the KING'S OWN were among the first troops
ordered home.
Having embarked at Williamstadt, the regiment, after a boisterous
passage, arrived in the River Thames on the 25th of October, and
immediately landed and proceeded towards the north. On the 10th of
November it joined the army of Lieutenant-General Sir John Ligonier,
then assembling near Lichfield. On the advance of the rebels towards
Derby, the regiment formed part of the army commanded by his Royal
Highness the Duke of Cumberland; and when the highlanders retreated
towards Scotland, it was sent in pursuit. It left Lichfield on this
service on the 9th of November; on the 11th, it was at Macclesfield;
on the 13th at Wigan, and on the evening of the 19th--after ten hours'
march--it arrived on _Clifton Moor_, three miles from Penrith; at
the same time the rear-guard of the rebel army, consisting of two
battalions of highlanders and some hussars, occupied the village, and
lined the hedges on both sides of the road.
The sun had set; the shades of evening were gathering over the little
village of Clifton, and distant objects were scarcely discernible,
when the KING'S OWN, and a few detachments from other corps, forming
the advance-guard of the royal army, having dismounted, proceeded
in compact order to attack the rebels. As the troops approached the
enclosures, the highlanders opened a sharp fire, which re-echoed
along the vale, and was soon answered by volleys of musketry from the
dragoons. After several rounds, the KING'S OWN were ordered to retire a
few paces; when the highlanders, mistaking this for a flight, raised a
loud shout and rushed forward with sword and pistol; but they were well
received by the dragoons with their broad-swords, and a fierce combat
ensued, hand to hand, both sides displaying great bravery. Some of the
highlanders broke their swords on the steel caps of the dragoons, when
they drew their daggers, and continued the fight with great obstinacy.
Eventually, however, the dragoons proved victorious, and the rebels
made a precipitate retreat to Penrith. The loss of the King's forces on
this occasion was twelve men killed and twenty-five wounded, amongst
whom were four officers of the KING'S OWN, viz., Lieutenant-Colonel
Honeywood[24], Captain East, and Cornets Owen and Hamilton. The rebels
had about twenty killed, and Captain Hamilton of the hussars with about
seventy men taken prisoners[25].
The KING'S OWN afterwards marched in pursuit of the rebels to Carlisle,
and were stationed near the town during the siege, which was terminated
by the surrender of the place on the 30th of December.
[Sidenote: 1746]
[Sidenote: 1747]
[Sidenote: 1748]
The regiment continued to advance into Scotland, and is mentioned in
the list of the Duke of Cumberland's army in the spring of 1746. On the
14th of February it was detached to Dundee, and after the suppression
of the rebellion, returned to England, where it was employed in
guarding the rebel prisoners at York. The establishment continued the
same in this year, as it did in the following, but after the peace of
Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, the numbers were reduced to 285, the regiment
being then quartered at Bury St. Edmunds.
[Sidenote: 1751]
A regulation was issued on the 1st July, 1751, relative to the clothing
and standards of the several regiments; from which the following
particulars have been extracted relative to the KING'S OWN dragoons.