suffered severely, several hundreds of them having been killed, and
their guns, and three standards, captured from them. A detachment of
the THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS formed part of the rear-guard of the army
under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Richmond, of the 33rd Native
Infantry, and it being resolved to anticipate the evident intention
of the Affghans, by attacking them in the valley of Tezeen, on the
13th September, the guns were moved forward within range of the
enemy, supported by the front squadron of the THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS
under Captain Unett, with other corps, in order to charge the foe if
the ground proved favourable, and an opportunity offered; this soon
occurred, the guns having made good impression, and the other squadron
of cavalry, under Major Lockwood, was hurried forward as a support,
thus ensuring the success achieved by the spirited and gallant charge
of their comrades in front, which completely dispersed the enemy, who
left about fifty men on the field.[47]
Major-General Pollock, in his despatch of the action at _Tezeen_,
expresses his satisfaction with the exertions of Lt.-Colonel White of
the THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS, commanding the cavalry brigade, and also of
Major Lockwood, who commanded the regiment. The THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS
sustained but trifling loss in the _Tezeen_ valley, and on the Huft
Kotul, on the 12th and 13th September, having only one serjeant and
four rank and file wounded; two horses killed, and eleven wounded.
After these successes, the army moved on without opposition, and
arrived at CABOOL on the 15th September, where they encamped on the
race course. The THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS, under Major Lockwood, proceeded
with other corps to plant the British colours in the _Bala Hissar_, on
the spot most conspicuous from the city. On the colours being hoisted,
the band of Her Majesty's Ninth Regiment of Foot struck up 'God save
the Queen,' and a royal salute was fired from the guns of the horse
artillery, the whole of the troops present giving three cheers. The
colours in the Bala Hissar were hoisted daily as long as the army
remained at Cabool.
The head-quarters and two squadrons of the regiment, under Major
Lockwood, formed part of the force which was detached under
Major-General McCaskill (Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninth Foot), for
the purpose of dispersing the enemy collected in the vicinity of
_Charekar_, and took part in the operations against the strong and
populous town of _Istalif_, which was considered by the Affghans as
totally inaccessible, but which was captured on the 29th September
1842; the numerous levies collected for its defence were totally
defeated, and property of every description (much of it plundered from
the army in 1841) was recovered; two brass field-pieces were captured,
one of which was seized with such promptitude, that its captor,
Lieutenant Elmhirst, of Her Majesty's Ninth Foot, turned its fire upon
the fugitives with some effect[48].
Among the gratifying results of these successes was the release
of several ladies and officers who had been detained prisoners by
Akbar-Khan.
The regiment, having been present during the whole of the operations
west of the Indus, leading to the occupation of Cabool, has received
the Royal permission to bear on its appointments the word '_Cabool
1842_.'
[Sidenote: 1843]
[Sidenote: 1844]
The regiment left Cabool on the 12th October, 1842, and arrived at
Ferozepore on the 18th December, from whence it marched to Kurnaul,
where it arrived on the 27th January 1843; it remained at Kurnaul until
November, when it marched for Umballa, and continued at that station
during the year 1844, and until the end of the following year.
[Sidenote: 1845]
On the 11th December, 1845, the regiment, consisting of 518 men, under
the command of Lieut.-Colonel Michael White, marched from cantonments
at Umballa, and formed a part of the leading division of the _Army of
the Sutlej_, hastily assembled, under the personal command of General
Sir Hugh Gough, G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief in India, for the purpose of
repelling an invasion by the _Sikhs_.[49]
On arriving at the village of _Moodkee_, a distance of one hundred
and fifty miles, on the 18th December, the army had just taken up its
encampments, when intelligence was received, that the enemy's forces,
consisting of twenty thousand cavalry, and about the same number of
infantry and artillery, were close at hand, and intended to surprise
the British camps. The cavalry were immediately turned out, and
advanced to cover the formation of the infantry, and the distinguished
part which the _Third, or King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons_, took
in the sanguinary and memorable battle of the evening of that day may
be best judged from the words of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief
in his despatch of the 19th December 1845:--'I directed the cavalry,
under Brigadiers White and Gough (of the KING'S OWN), to make a flank
movement on the enemy's left, with a view of threatening and turning
that flank, if possible.
'With praiseworthy gallantry, the THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS, and the second
brigade of cavalry, consisting of the body-guard and Fifth Light
cavalry, with a portion of the Fourth Lancers, turned the left of the
Sikh army, and sweeping along the whole rear of its infantry and guns,
silenced for a time the latter, and put their numerous cavalry to
flight.'
In this action the regiment suffered severely, owing to the nature of
the ground, and the immense body of cavalry opposed to it. The loss,
out of four hundred and ninety-four men, on this occasion, was as
follows:--killed, 3 officers, 58 men; 5 officers' chargers, and 100
troop horses; wounded, 3 officers, 34 men; 2 officers' chargers, and 21
troop horses.
Brevet Major W. R. Herries, Captain G. Newton, and Cornet E. Worley,
were killed.
Lieutenant S. Fisher (Acting Major of Brigade), E. G. Swinton, and E.
B. Cureton, were severely wounded.
On the 21st December, the army again advanced; the Third Light Dragoons
had about four hundred men; and came up with the enemy, said to consist
of 70,000 men, who were strongly posted in and around the village of
"FEROZESHAH" their camp intrenched, and defended by a numerous and
powerful artillery.
At about four o'clock in the afternoon the action became general. The
_Third Light Dragoons_ were ordered to attack the enemy's position at
a point defended by some of the heaviest batteries, most of the guns
being of battering calibre: as the regiment advanced, it was assailed
with round shot and shell from several batteries. On arriving within
about two hundred and fifty yards of the guns, the regiment moved on at
top speed, under a most destructive fire of grape and musketry, whilst
their infantry held the trenches at the point of the bayonet. Nothing
dismayed, but determined on victory, the regiment pressed forward, and
never for a moment was checked in its career until it finally entered
the enemy's camp, and captured the whole of the batteries opposed to
it; many of the Sikh artillerymen remaining to be cut down at their
guns. Night having fallen, while the conflict was everywhere raging,
and several mines having been sprung, together with the exploding of
their field magazines, by which several men and horses were destroyed,
the regiment was withdrawn a short distance from the burning camp,
where it bivouacked for the night.
The enemy having held a portion of his position, and being strongly
reinforced in the night, the battle was renewed the next morning, and
the _Third Light Dragoons_ at daybreak joined the remainder of the
cavalry, and participated in the action of the 22nd of December, when
about three o'clock, P. M., the _Third Light Dragoons_ were again
ordered to charge the enemy, which he did not wait to receive, and
he was finally driven from the field, and the army bivouacked on the
ground they had won. The men and horses of the _Third Light Dragoons_
were upwards of forty hours without food or water, nearly the whole of
the time exposed to, and in conflict with, a powerful enemy; the days
were hot and the nights intensely cold.
In this great battle the regiment lost as follows:--killed, 2 officers
and 53 men; wounded, 7 officers and 86 men; total, 9 officers and 139
men: killed, 9 officers' chargers and 98 troop horses: wounded, 60
troop horses; total killed and wounded, 9 officers' chargers and 158
troop horses.
The officers killed, were Captain J. E. Codd and Cornet H. Ellis;
wounded, Colonel M. White, slightly: Major C. W. M. Balders, slightly:
Lieutenants, H. C. Morgan, severely; J. G. A. Beeston, slightly:
Cornets, W. H. Orme, severely; J. D. White and J. Rathwell, slightly.
The Commander-in-Chief, in his despatch of the 22nd December, 1845,
observes as follows: 'Although I brought up Major-General Sir Harry
Smith's division, and he captured and long retained another point of
the position, and Her Majesty's Third Light Dragoons charged and
took some of the most formidable batteries, yet the enemy remained in
possession of a considerable portion of the great quadrangle, whilst
our troops, intermingled with theirs, kept possession of the remainder,
and finally bivouacked upon it, exhausted by their gallant efforts,
greatly reduced in numbers, and suffering extremely from thirst, yet
animated by an indomitable spirit. In this state of things, the long
night wore away!'
The Right Honourable the Governor-General, (Lord Hardinge), who
personally witnessed the prowess of the regiment on the battle-field,
makes honorable mention thereof in his Orders, dated 30th December,
1845.
'The Governor-General offers his thanks more especially to Her
Majesty's Third Light Dragoons, who, on all these occasions, sought
opportunities of useful conflict with the enemy, and fought with that
superiority over their opponents which skill and discipline impart to
brave and determined men.'
The regiment was detached from the army at Sultan-Khan-Wallah, and sent
to _Ferozepore_, where it arrived on the 31st December 1845.
[Sidenote: 1846]
It remained at Ferozepore until the 18th January, 1846, and again
proceeded to, and joined, the head quarters of the army at Jelliwallah,
on the 20th of January.
The glorious action at _Aliwal_ took place on the 28th of January,
'when the enemy's camp was carried by storm; the whole of his cannon
and munitions of war were captured, and his army driven headlong across
the Sutlej; even on the right bank of which he found no refuge from the
fire of our artillery.'
The Third Light Dragoons were assembled on parade on the morning of the
29th of January to celebrate the victory of _Aliwal_, when the Right
Honourable the Governor-General, in the presence of the whole army,
was pleased to make use of the following words, most gratifying to the
feelings of every soldier:--'Colonel White, your regiment is an honour
to the British army; and I wish you to make known these my sentiments,
as head of this Government, to your officers and men.'
On the 10th of February, 1846, the regiment had the proud satisfaction
of sharing and taking a conspicuous part in that glorious and mighty
combat, _the Battle of Sobraon_, when the Sikhs were driven from their
stronghold, and precipitated in masses into the Sutlej, and those proud
invaders were expelled the soil of British India.
The Right Honourable the Governor-General, in his Order of Thanks
to the Army, was pleased to pass the following high encomium on the
conduct of the regiment in this fight:--
'Her Majesty's Third Light Dragoons, as usual, were in the foremost
ranks, and distinguished themselves under their commanding officer,
Lieut.-Colonel White.'
His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, in his despatch, dated 13th
February, 1846, thus expresses his unqualified approbation of the
conduct of the regiment on this occasion:--'The Sikhs, even when at
particular points their intrenchments were mastered by the bayonet,
strove to regain them by the fiercest conflict sword in hand; nor was
it until the cavalry of the left, under the command of Major-General
Sir Joseph Thackwell,[50] had moved forward and ridden through the
openings in the intrenchments made by our Sappers, in single files,
and reformed as they passed them, and the Third Light Dragoons, whom
no obstacle usually held formidable by horse, appears to check, had on
this day, _as at Ferozeshah_, galloped over, and cut down the obstinate
defenders of batteries and field-works, and until the full weight
of three divisions of infantry with every field artillery gun which
could be sent to their aid, had been cast into the scale, that victory
finally declared for the British.[51]
'The fire of the Sikhs first slackened, and then nearly ceased; and
the victors then pressing them on every side, precipitated them in
masses over their bridge, and into the Sutlej, which a sudden rise of
seven inches had rendered hardly fordable. In their efforts to reach
the right bank through the deepened water, they suffered from our
horse-artillery a terrible carnage: hundreds fell under this cannonade;
hundreds upon hundreds were drowned in attempting the perilous passage.
Their awful slaughter, confusion, and dismay, were such as would have
excited compassion in the hearts of their generous conquerors, if the
Khalsa troops had not, in the earlier part of the action, sullied
their gallantry by slaughtering and barbarously mangling every wounded
soldier, whom, in the vicissitudes of attack, the fortune of war left
at their mercy.
'I must pause in this narrative to notice, especially, the determined
hardihood and bravery with which our two battalions of Ghoorkhas, the
Sirmoor and Nusseeree, met the Sikhs, wherever they were opposed to
them: soldiers, of small stature but indomitable spirit, they vied in
ardent courage in the charge with the grenadiers of our own nation; and
armed with the short weapon of their mountains, were a terror to the
Sikhs throughout this great combat.
'Sixty-seven pieces of cannon, upwards of two hundred camel-swivels
(zumbooruks), numerous standards, and vast munitions of war, captured
by our troops, are the pledges and trophies of our victory.
'The battle was over by eleven in the morning; and in the forenoon I
caused our engineers to burn a part, and to sink a part, of the vaunted
bridge of the Khalsa army, across which they had boastfully come once
more to defy us, and to threaten India with ruin and devastation.
'The consequences of this great action have yet to be fully developed.
It has at least, in God's providence, once more expelled the Sikhs from
our territory, and planted our standards on the soil of the Punjaub.
After occupying their entrenched position for nearly a month, the
Khalsa army had perhaps mistaken the _caution_, which had induced us
to wait for the necessary materiel, for _timidity_: but they must now
deeply feel, that the blow, which has fallen on them from the British
arm, has only been the heavier for being long delayed.'
The following are the losses sustained by the Third Light Dragoons
in the action of _Sobraon_: killed, 5 men, 1 troop horse; wounded, 4
officers and 22 men, 2 officers' chargers and 13 troop horses.
The officers wounded were, Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Gough (Acting
Quarter-Master General), very severely; Lieutenant J. B. Hawkes,
slightly; Cornet Kauntze, severely; and Quarter-Master A. Crabtree,
slightly.
The Third Light Dragoons crossed the Sutlej on the 13th February,
1846, and marched on _Lahore_, where the British army arrived on the
20th, and encamped on that soil held sacred by the Khalsa troops, the
'Plains of Myan Meer,' where it remained until the 24th March. The
object for which the army was assembled having been attained, the Third
Light Dragoons returned to their former quarters at Umballa on the 7th
April, having, in less than four months, marched upwards of six hundred
miles, and taken a conspicuous part in _three_ of the greatest actions
recorded in the annals of British India.
On the 22nd of February, 1846, the Right Honourable the
Governor-General made the following announcement in General Orders:--
'The British Army has this day occupied the gateway of the _Citadel of
Lahore_, the Badshahee Mosque, and the Huzzooree Bagh.
'The _Army of the Sutlej_ has now brought its operations in the field
to a close, by the dispersion of the Sikh army, and the military
occupation of _Lahore_, preceded by a series of the most triumphant
successes ever recorded in the military history of India.
'The British government, trusting to the faith of treaties, and to the
long subsisting friendship between the two states, had limited military
preparations to the defence of its own frontier. Compelled suddenly to
assume the offensive, by the unprovoked invasion of its territories,
the British Army, under the command of its distinguished leader, has,
in sixty days, defeated the Sikh forces in _four general actions_;
has captured _two hundred and twenty pieces_ of field artillery; and
is now at the _Capital_ dictating to the _Lahore Durbar_ the terms
of a treaty, the conditions of which will tend to secure the British
Provinces from the repetition of a similar outrage.'
On the 4th March, 1846, the Governor-General made the following further
announcement:--
'Early on the morning of the 22nd February, a brigade of British troops
took formal possession of the _Citadel of Lahore_, the Badshahee
Musjed, and the Huzzooree Bagh.
'I considered the occupation of Lahore, and the close of active
operations in the field, a proper opportunity for marking, by
substantial reward, the gratitude of the British Government to
its faithful and brave army, which had fought so gloriously, and
so successfully; and I was glad at being able thus to bring into
prominent contrast, the just reward of discipline and obedience, with
the certain penalty of insubordination and violence, as exemplified
in the fate of the two armies, which had been so long the objects of
mutual observation; the one, victorious in the field, and honoured
and bountifully rewarded by its Government; the other, in spite of
its exceeding numbers and advantageous positions, vanquished in every
battle, abandoned by a government it had coerced, and, with its
shattered remains, left, but for the intercession of its conquerors,
to disperse with no provision of any kind, and to seek a precarious
subsistence by rapine and crime.'
[Illustration: 3rd Light Dragoons in India.
[To face page 106.]
The following Regular Regiments formed part of the Anglo-Indian Army
engaged in the Punjaub in 1845 and 1846:--
+------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------+
| | Actions at which each Regiment was | |
| | engaged. | |
| +----------+-------------+----------+----------+ |
| | Moodkee, | Ferozeshah, | Aliwal, | Sobraon, | Total.|
| | 18th Dec.| 21st & 22nd | 28th Jan.| 10th Feb.| |
| | 1845. | Dec. 1845. | 1846. | 1846. | |
| +----------+-------------+----------+----------+-------+
|3rd Light Dragoons| 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
|9th Lancers | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 |
|16th " | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|9th Foot | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
|10th " | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 |
|29th " | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 |
|31st " | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|50th " | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|53rd " | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|62nd " | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 |
|80th " | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
+------------------+----------+-------------+----------+----------+-------+
* * * * *
THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS, from the period of its
formation in 1685, to the present time, has performed upwards of one
hundred and sixty years' faithful and meritorious service in the reign
of nine successive monarchs. It was employed in the several wars on
the continent of Europe during the reigns of King William III.,--of
Queen Anne,--and of King George II. It was again employed in Portugal,
Spain, and France, from 1811 to 1818. It has been since engaged in most
arduous duties in _Affghanistan_, and on the banks of the _Sutlej_,
where it has acquired additional honours by its bravery; it continues
to be employed in guarding the possessions of the British Crown in the
distant clime of India.
Whether confronting a foreign enemy in the field, or performing duties
of a painful character at home, its conduct has, on all occasions, been
such as to procure the acknowledgments of the Civil Authorities by whom
its assistance was required;--the commendations of the General Officers
under whose immediate command it has served;--the thanks of Parliament;
and the approbation of its Sovereign.
* * * * *
The compiler of the Records of the Army feels it his duty to
acknowledge, that his labours have been greatly assisted by a
memoir of the services of the Third, or the King's Own, Light
Dragoons, which was printed, in 1833, by Lieutenant Colonel Charles
Stisted, then lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. King William
IV. expressed himself much satisfied with the manner in which
the Colonel had executed a task, to which His Majesty attached
great importance, and gave him credit for the zeal and industry
with which he had undertaken and prosecuted it; a notification
to the above effect was made to Lieutenant-Colonel Stisted by
Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Taylor, G.C.H. Lieutenant Colonel
Stisted entered the Army in May, 1794, as an ensign in the 39th
Regiment.--He was appointed to a lieutenancy in the 13th Light
Dragoons in January, 1803, and was promoted to be captain of a
troop in February, 1804: he exchanged to the Third Light Dragoons
on the 7th of February, 1811; and was promoted to a majority on
the 14th of October, 1819, and to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the
Regiment on the 22nd of July, 1830: he continued in command of the
Regiment until the 19th of May, 1837, when he exchanged to the
half-pay: he was reappointed to the full pay in September, 1841,
and retired from the service by the sale of his commission; he died
at Torquay on the 24th of July, 1842.
FOOTNOTES:
[10] The Third, ranked as Second Dragoons; the Fourth as Third; and the
Second as Fourth; until the peace of Utrecht, when the claim of the
Greys to precedence was submitted to a board of general officers and
admitted.--_See the Historical Record of the Scots Greys._
[11] Major Wood rose to the rank of lieut.-general. See a memoir of
this distinguished officer in the record of the third dragoon guards.
[12] The account of the services of the regiment in Ireland has been
taken from the Official Records--London Gazettes--Accounts published by
authority in 1690, and 1691--State of Europe--Story's History of the
War in Ireland--Harris' Life of King William III.--and Boyer's Life of
King William III.
[13] D'Auvergne's History of the Campaign in Flanders.
[14] Colonel Lloyd being sick at Brussels and the Lieutenant-Colonel on
leave of absence.
[15] The original embarkation return, signed by the Colonel of the
regiment, is among the Harleian manuscripts in the British Museum, No.
7025.
[16] Annals of Queen Anne, page 93.
[17] Bibl. Harl. 7025.
[18] In Lodge's Peerage of Ireland it is stated that Brigadier-General
Carpenter gave 1800 guineas for the colonelcy of the QUEEN'S dragoons.
[19] Annals of Queen Anne.
[20] Two engravings were published of this brave man; one representing
him in the act of preserving the standard, and the other a half figure.
He recovered from his wounds in about six weeks, and as a reward for
his gallantry he was promoted to the post of a private gentleman in the
life guards; an appointment which, at that time, was usually obtained
by purchase.
[21] Major Honeywood received five wounds; he was thought dead, and
stripped, and in that state lay six hours on the field of battle. He
was, with Captain Brown, and Lieutenant Robinson, reported dead; but
all three recovered. We learn from a private letter from General Bland,
published in the Gentleman's Magazine, that all his officers were
wounded except two, but they gallantly refused to be reported so, and
remained with the regiment.
[22] The loss of the THIRD DRAGOONS was equal to that of the whole of
the other cavalry regiments, excepting Ligonier's horse, now seventh
dragoon guards.
[23] It is said that when the King reviewed his army, previous to
leaving them in 1743, he noticed the deficiency in the ranks of the
THIRD, by sharply asking whose regiment it was, and what had become of
the remainder of it. 'Please your Majesty,' was the reply of General
Bland, 'it is my regiment, and I believe the remainder of it is at
_Dettingen_.'