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[Illustration:
BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IV^{TH}.
_and under the Patronage of_
Her Majesty the Queen.
HISTORICAL RECORDS,
_OF THE_
British Army
_Comprising the_
_History of every Regiment_
_IN HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE_.
_By Richard Cannon Esq^{re}._
_Adjutant Generals Office, Horse Guards._
London.
_Printed by Authority._]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT,
OR,
THE DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1778,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1848.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL’S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30 CHARING CROSS.
M DCCC XLVIII.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
FOR HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE.
THE SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT,
OR
THE DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS,
BEARS ON ITS REGIMENTAL COLOUR
_THE DUKE’S CIPHER AND CORONET_
AS A REGIMENTAL BADGE;
ALSO THE WORD
“HINDOOSTAN,”
IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS SERVICES IN THE EAST INDIES FROM
1781 TO 1798;
AND THE WORDS
“CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,”
IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS SERVICES AT THE CAPTURE OF THAT COLONY
IN 1806.
SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT,
OR
DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS.
CONTENTS OF HISTORICAL RECORD.
PAGE
YEAR INTRODUCTION xxxiii
1778 Formation of the Regiment 1
---- The Earl of Seaforth appointed Lieutenant-Colonel
Commandant 2
---- Officers appointed to Commissions 3
---- Establishment and National Composition --
---- Assembled and inspected at Elgin 4
---- Marched to Edinburgh --
---- Embarked for Jersey and Guernsey 5
1779 Defended Jersey against a French Naval force --
1781 Embarked for Portsmouth 6
---- ---- for the East Indies --
---- The Earl of Seaforth died on the passage --
---- Casualties on the voyage to India --
1782 Arrived at Madras --
1783 Joined the army destined for the attack of Cudalore 7
---- Attack of the fortress of Cudalore 8
---- Peace concluded with France 9
---- Decease of Hyder Ali, and succession of his
son, Tippoo Saib --
---- Negotiations of Peace with Tippoo Saib --
1783 Decease of Colonel Humberston 9
---- Major-General James Murray appointed Lieut.-Colonel
Commandant --
---- Advanced into the Mysore country 10
---- Capture of the fortress of Palacatcherry --
---- Capture of the fortress of Coimbetore 10
1784 Termination of the War in India 11
1785 Re-formation of the Regiment by volunteers from
other Corps --
1786 The numerical title altered from Seventh-eighth to
the Seventy-second Regiment --
1787 Establishment increased --
1789 War with Tippoo Saib recommenced 12
1790 Marched to Trichinopoly --
---- Advanced to Caroor, and encamped --
---- Marched to Daraporam --
---- Thence to Coimbetore --
---- Flank Companies of Seventy-first and Seventy-second
Regiments engaged in the siege of Palacatcherry 13
---- Advanced from Coimbetore to Velladi 14
---- Returned to Coimbetore 15
---- Capture of Palacatcherry --
---- Advanced from Coimbetore to Erroad --
---- Traversed extensive districts in pursuit of the
Sultan Tippoo Saib --
---- Returned to the Carnatic 16
---- Arrived and encamped at Arnee --
1791 General the Earl Cornwallis assumed the command of
the army --
---- Advanced to Vellore --
---- Traversed the pass of Mooglee 17
---- Marched towards the fortress of Bangalore --
---- Storming and capture of Bangalore 18
---- Received the thanks of Earl Cornwallis 20
1791 Joined by the Nizam’s Troops 21
---- Advanced towards Seringapatam 22
---- Returned to Bangalore 23
---- Storming and capture of Savendroog 25
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- of Outra-Durgum 26
---- Again completed by recruits from Scotland 27
1792 Marched for Seringapatam --
---- Crossed the Lokany River 28
---- Victory over the army of Tippoo Saib 30
---- Termination of the War 31
---- Marched from Seringapatam to Wallajabad --
1793 Proceeded against Pondicherry 32
1794 Returned to Wallajabad 33
---- Major-General A. Williamson appointed to the Colonelcy
in succession to General Murray, deceased 33
1795 Embarked from Fort St. George, and proceeded against
Ceylon --
---- Siege and capture of Trincomalee 34
---- Surrender of Batticaloe --
---- ---- ---- of Manaar --
1796 ---- ---- of Colombo --
1797 Removed to Pondicherry 35
1798 Embarked at Madras for England --
---- Arrived at Gravesend and proceeded to Scotland --
---- Authorised to bear the word “_Hindoostan_” on its
Colours and Appointments --
---- Major-General James Stuart appointed to the Colonelcy
in succession to Gen. Williamson, deceased --
1801 Embarked for Ireland --
1802 Establishment reduced after the Peace of Amiens 36
1803 War with France recommenced --
1804 Second Battalion formed in Scotland --
1805 First Battalion formed part of an expedition
under General Sir David Baird --
1805 Arrived in the Bay of Funchal in Madeira 37
---- Sailed to the Brazils, where the troops were landed
at St. Salvador for a few hours for refreshment --
---- Proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope --
1806 Effected a landing at Lospard’s Bay 38
---- Advanced against the Dutch troops 39
---- Expression of thanks and compliments to the Highland
Brigade 40
---- Authorised to bear the words “_Cape of Good Hope_”
on its Colours and Appointments 41
---- Surrender of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope to
the British Crown 42
1807 Stationed at Cape Town for three years --
1809 Discontinued the Highland Costume 43
---- Second Battalion embarked for Ireland --
1810 Marched from Cape Town to Stellinbosch --
---- Formed part of an Expedition with troops from India
against the Mauritius --
---- Surrender of the Mauritius --
---- Remained at the Mauritius upwards of three years --
1814 Embarked for the Cape of Good Hope 44
1815 Appointment of Lieut.-General Lord Hill to the
Colonelcy, in succession to General Stuart,
deceased 45
---- Embarked for Bengal 46
---- Re-embarked for the Mauritius --
1816 Proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope --
---- Disbandment of the Second Battalion --
1817 Appointment of Major-General Sir George Murray to the
Colonelcy, in succession to General Lord Hill,
removed to the Fifty-second regiment 47
---- Proceeded to Algoa bay, and engaged in detachments
against the Kafirs --
1819 Detachment engaged with a party of Kafirs; Captain
Gethin killed 48
1821 Embarked for England 49
1821 Received the thanks of the Governor of the Cape of
Good Hope --
1822 Arrived at Portsmouth --
1823 Proceeded to Jersey and Guernsey --
---- Appointment of Lieut.-General Sir John Hope to the
Colonelcy, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir
George Murray, removed to the Forty-second
Royal Highland Regiment --
---- Authorised by King George IV. to resume the Highland
Costume, the Officers and men wearing _Trews_
instead of _Kilts_, and to bear the title of
“_The Duke of Albany’s own Highlanders_” 50
1824 Embarked for Plymouth --
---- Authorized by King George IV., to assume as a
regimental badge, _the Duke of Albany’s
Cipher and Coronet_ --
---- Embarked for Scotland --
1825 Presentation of New Colours 51
---- Embarked for Ireland 52
1827 Formed into six Service Companies and four Depôt
Companies --
---- Service Companies embarked for Liverpool, and
marched to London --
1828 Reviewed in St. James’s Park --
---- Marched to Canterbury, and inspected by General
Lord Hill, Commanding-in-Chief 53
---- Embarked for the Cape of Good Hope --
1830 Depôt Companies removed from Ireland to Scotland --
1833 Service Companies engaged in war with the Kafir
tribes --
1835 Depôt Companies proceed to Ireland 55
1838 Service Companies continued on active service at
the Cape of Good Hope --
---- Depôt Companies returned to Scotland --
1840 Service Companies returned to England 56
---- Service and Depôt Companies re-united --
---- Expression of approbation of the conduct of the
Regiment by the Governor of the Cape of
Good Hope --
1841 Proceeded from Portsmouth to Windsor 57
1842 Presentation of New Colours by Field-Marshal the
Duke of Wellington, at Windsor Castle, in
presence of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the
Prince Albert, the King of Prussia, &c. --
---- Marched into Lancashire 60
1843 Embarked for Ireland --
1844 Formed into six Service, and four Depôt Companies --
---- Service Companies embarked for Gibraltar --
1847 Depôt Companies removed from Ireland to Scotland --
1848 Service Companies embarked for the West Indies --
---- Arrived at Barbadoes 61
---- Depôt Companies embarked from Scotland --
---- Arrived at Sheerness --
---- The Conclusion --
SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT,
OR
DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS.
SUCCESSION OF LIEUTENANT-COLONELS COMMANDANT AND COLONELS.
YEAR PAGE
1777 Kenneth, Earl of Seaforth 63
1782 Thomas F. M. Humberston --
1786 James Murray 65
1794 Adam Williamson 66
1798 James Stuart 67
1815 Rowland Lord Hill 69
1817 George Murray 70
1823 John Hope --
1836 Colin Campbell 71
1847 Neil Douglas 72
PLATES.
Costume of the Regiment _to face_ 1
Colours of the Regiment ” 62
INTRODUCTION
TO THE
SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT.
As several corps have, at successive periods, within the last
century, been borne on the establishment of the Army, and numbered
SEVENTY-SECOND regiment, it is considered necessary to prefix to
the Historical Record of the services of the Regiment, which at
present bears the title of the “_Seventy-second Highlanders_,” the
following explanatory details, in order to prevent the blending, or
misconception, of the merits and services of corps which, although
bearing the same numerical title, have been totally distinct and
unconnected.
1.--In April, 1758, the _Second Battalions_ of fifteen regiments of
infantry, from the 3rd to the 37th, were directed to be formed into
distinct regiments, and to be numbered from the 61st to the 75th
successively, as shown in the following list, viz.:--
2nd Batt. 3rd Foot, constituted
as 61st Regiment.
” 4th as 62nd ”
” 8th as 63rd ”
” 11th as 64th ”
” 12th as 65th ”
2nd Batt. 19th Foot, constituted
as 66th Regiment.
” 20th as 67th ”
” 23rd as 68th ”
” 24th as 69th ”
” 31st as 70th ”
The Second Battalion of the 32nd was constituted the 71st Regiment.
” ” 33rd ” ” the 72nd ”
” ” 34th ” ” the 73rd ”
” ” 36th ” ” the 74th ”
” ” 37th ” ” the 75th ”
The above 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments were disbanded
in the year 1763, after the peace of Fontainebleau.
The _Seventy-second_ Regiment, formed in 1758, was constituted,
as above shown, from the Second Battalion of the Thirty-third
regiment, and Major-General the Duke of Richmond was appointed the
colonel. It was disbanded on the 29th of August, 1763.
2.--On the commencement of the American war in 1775, additional
forces were raised, and the number of the regular regiments
of infantry, which had been reduced in 1763 to _Seventy_, was
increased to _One Hundred and Five_, exclusive of 11 unnumbered
regiments, and 36 independent companies of invalids.
In the year 1777, a corps was authorised to be raised at the
expense of the town of Manchester, consisting of ten companies of
one hundred men per company; it was numbered the _Seventy-second_
Regiment, or Royal Manchester Volunteers, commanded by Colonel
Charles Mawhood, and was placed on the establishment of the army in
December, 1777. The Regiment embarked at Portsmouth for Gibraltar
on the 28th April, 1778, and was employed in the memorable siege
of that fortress from 1779 to 1782, and continued on duty in that
garrison until the early part of the year 1783, when the Spaniards
abandoned their attempts to regain possession either by force or
stratagem. The regiments at Gibraltar were relieved in the spring
of 1783, and the _Seventy-second_ Regiment, to which Major-General
Charles Ross had been appointed, in October, 1780, in succession to
Colonel Mawhood, deceased, returned to England in 1783.
The number of infantry regiments was again reduced in 1783, after
the termination of hostilities with America, by the treaty of
peace concluded at Paris on the 30th of November, 1782, and when
peace had also been concluded with France, Spain, and Holland; the
_Seventy-second_, or _Royal Manchester Volunteers_, was disbanded
on the 9th of September, 1783.
3.--The disbandment of certain regiments after the conclusion
of the general peace in 1783, occasioned an alteration in the
numerical titles of certain regiments, which were retained on
the reduced establishment of the army: the _Seventy-third_
was directed to be numbered the _Seventy-first_ Regiment; the
_Seventy-eighth_ to be numbered the _Seventy-second_ Regiment; and
the _Second Battalion_ of the _Forty-second_ to be constituted the
_Seventy-third_ Regiment. These corps had been raised in Scotland,
in 1777, and denominated _Highland_ Regiments.
They embarked for India in 1779 and 1781; the alterations took
place in 1786 in their numerical titles, which were regulated by
the dates at which they were placed on the establishment of the
Army, viz.:--
71st late 73rd Highland Regiment on 19th December, 1777
72nd late 78th ” on 29th December, 1777
73rd late Second Battalion of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment
raised in 1779, and constituted the 73rd Regiment on the 18th
April, 1786.
The details of the services of the present _Seventy-second
Regiment_, or _The Duke of Albany’s own Highlanders_, are contained
in the following pages; the histories of the 71st and 73rd
Regiments are given in distinct numbers.
1848.
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE-GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.
His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the 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 Honorable
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 honorable career, are among the motives that
have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
“London Gazette,” from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute 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, being 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
TO
THE INFANTRY.
The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for
innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority
of the British troops over those of other countries has been
evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains
so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can
be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be
admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is
INTREPIDITY. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England
when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army,
on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to
attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and,
although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their
adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated
the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar’s favourite tenth
legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other
weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of
which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades,
and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted
and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat,
sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry.
These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar’s
legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline
and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being
thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full
development of the national character followed, and it shone forth
in all its native brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo Saxons consisted principally of
infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on
horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The
former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords
and spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only.
They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and
javelins.
The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted
(as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost
entirely of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with
their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion
of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior
degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When
stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a
considerable portion of the military force; and this _arme_ has
since acquired, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never
exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns
succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances,
halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour
was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice
became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel,
that it was almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive
purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth
century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the
infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of
fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries;
and owing to the inconvenient construction and imperfect bore of
the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained
in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable
acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century.
During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company
of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in
every hundred men forty were “_men-at-arms_,” and sixty “_shot_;”
the “men-at-arms” were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and
thirty pikemen; and the “shot” were twenty archers, twenty
musketeers, and twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides
his principal weapon, a sword and dagger.
Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150
to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of
formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John
Smithe) in 1590 was:--the colour in the centre of the company
guarded by the halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on
each flank of the halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank
of the pikes; half the archers on each flank of the musketeers,
and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the
muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the
company for skirmishing.[1] It was customary to unite a number
of companies into one body, called a Regiment, which frequently
amounted to three thousand men: but each company continued to carry
a colour. Numerous improvements were eventually introduced in the
construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to
make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried
a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier,
armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seventeenth
century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and the infantry
were reduced to two classes, viz.: _musketeers_, armed with
matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and _pikemen_, armed with
pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus,
King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men; he
caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks,
or in small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be
made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed
each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division
of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of forming four regiments
into a brigade; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to
three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his
infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen
and Austrian cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of
other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English,
French, and other European states; but so great was the prejudice
in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not
adopted until near a century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled
the Admiral’s regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually
consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light
firelocks. In this year the King added a company of men armed with
hand-grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was
designated the “grenadier company.” Daggers were so contrived as to
fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets similar to those
at present in use were adopted about twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James
II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers
(now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did
not carry pikes.
King William III. incorporated the Admiral’s regiment in the second
Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service.
During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting
the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46
musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans;
ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in
1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on
the breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every
infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the
grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand-grenades;
and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour:
the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this
reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry
ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light
companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of
General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside
their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the seven
years’ war. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have
been limited to the musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British troops have seldom differed
materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European
states; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods,
been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they
have had to contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and
superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many
and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained
over very superior numbers.
Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have
dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves
valiant with any arms. At _Crecy_ King Edward III., at the head of
about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip
King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000
men; here British valour encountered veterans of renown:--the
King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles
were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten
years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the
Black Prince, defeated, at _Poictiers_, with 14,000 men, a French
army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of
France, and his son Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October,
1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although
greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness, defeated,
at _Agincourt_, the Constable of France, at the head of the flower
of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men,
and gained a complete victory.
During the seventy years’ war between the United Provinces of the
Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and
terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the
States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and
firmness;[3] and in the thirty years’ war between the Protestant
Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British troops in the
service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of
heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British
army under the great MARLBOROUGH was spread throughout the world;
and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory
of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons
of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the
qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of
the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in
Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French
army, which had been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate that
country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous
campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON; and
the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where
Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great
Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means
he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to
their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British
Government. These achievements, with others of recent dates in the
distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy
which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers,
Agincourt, Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons
of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular
frame,--intrepidity which no danger can appal,--unconquerable
spirit and resolution,--patience in fatigue and privation, and
cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities,--united with
an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give
a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of
the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to
command, whose presence inspires confidence,--have been the leading
causes of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5]
The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the
various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought
and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory;
these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of
time.
The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a
detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the
hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in
the various parts of the world, where the calls of their Country
and the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed
in the execution of their duty, whether in active continental
operations, or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and
unfavourable climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set
forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest
commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements
of this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted
to every species of warfare, and to all probable situations and
circumstances of service, are well suited to show forth the
brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and
scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have
been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements
have from time to time been introduced, to ensure that simplicity
and celerity by which the superiority of the national military
character is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain
has attained among the nations of the world have in a great measure
been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have
the welfare of their country at heart the records of the several
regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.
[Illustration:
SEVENTY-SECOND
OR
DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN
HIGHLANDERS.
_For Cannon’s Military Records_
_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t Strand._]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:--
__|
| |
|__|
|
20 20 20 30 2|0 30 20 20 20
|
Harquebuses. Muskets. Halberds. Muskets. Harquebuses.
Archers. Pikes. Pikes. Archers.
The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.
[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign
of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under
Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and
in its subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at
the siege of Barcelona in 1705.
[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed
in 1590, observes:--“I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation
would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the
field, let them be chosen where they list.” Yet at this time the
Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe.
For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during
the Seventy Years’ War, see the Historical Record of the Third
Foot, or Buffs.
[4] Vide the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of
Foot.
[5] “Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes
the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in
Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but
His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed
on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a
strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which
has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and
has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national
military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under
circumstances of peculiar difficulty.”--_General Orders in 1801._
In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope
(afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the
successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January,
1809, it is stated:--“On no occasion has the undaunted valour of
British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a
severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority
which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired
the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be
encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the
troops themselves; and the enemy has been taught, that, whatever
advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is
inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows
not how to yield,--that no circumstances can appal,--and that will
ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any
human means.”
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT;
OR THE
DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS.
ORIGINALLY NUMBERED AS THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH HIGHLAND
REGIMENT ON ITS FORMATION IN 1778,
AND AFTERWARDS NUMBERED THE SEVENTY-SECOND
HIGHLAND REGIMENT IN 1786.
[Sidenote: 1778]
The Highlanders of Scotland have long been celebrated for the
possession of every military virtue, and the services of the
warlike natives of North Britain have been consequently sought
by foreign potentates on many and important occasions, when the
less martial spirit of the people of other states would not enable
them to contend against their oppressors. The achievements of the
Scots regiments, which fought in the armies of France and Sweden,
and of the celebrated _Scots Brigade_ in the service of the
United Provinces of the Netherlands, are recorded in the military
histories of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and the
annals of the last hundred years abound in instances in which the
Scots troops in the British army have displayed, in every quarter
of the globe, the qualities of intrepidity, valour, and temperance,
which adorn the national character of the natives of North
Britain. The SEVENTY-SECOND regiment, or THE DUKE OF ALBANY’S
OWN HIGHLANDERS, is one of the corps which has performed valuable
services to the crown and kingdom; its formation took place in
1778, under the following circumstances:--
WILLIAM, fifth EARL OF SEAFORTH, having engaged in the rebellion
of 1715, was afterwards included in the acts of attainder, and
forfeited his title and estate. His eldest son, however, became a
zealous advocate for the Protestant succession, and supported the
government during the rebellion in 1745; his grandson, KENNETH
MACKENZIE, was permitted to re-purchase the estate from the
Crown,--and was created an Irish peer, in 1766, by the title of
Baron Ardeloe, in the county of Wicklow, and Viscount Fortrose,
in Scotland,--and in 1771, he was advanced to the dignity of
EARL OF SEAFORTH, which had been long enjoyed by his ancestors.
The American war commenced in 1775, and the EARL OF SEAFORTH, in
gratitude for the favours he had received, made an offer to His
Majesty, to raise a regiment of foot on his estate, which, in
former times, had been able to furnish a thousand men in arms. This
offer was accepted in December, 1777; the EARL OF SEAFORTH received
a letter of service to raise a regiment of foot, of which he was
appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant, and in January, 1778, the
following officers received commissions:--
_Lieut.-Col. Commandant_, KENNETH, EARL OF SEAFORTH.
_Major_, James Stuart, (from Capt. 64th Regt.).
_Captains._
Thos. F. Mackenzie Humberston
Robert Lumsdaine
Peter Agnew
Kenneth Mackenzie[6]
George Mackenzie
Hugh Frazer
Hon. Thomas Maitland
Charles Halkett[7]
_Captain Lieutenant_, Thomas Frazer.
_Lieutenants._
Donald Moody
William Sutherland
Colin Mackenzie
Kenneth Mackenzie
Patrick Haggard
Thomas Mackenzie
George Innes
Charles M^c Gregor
David Melville
George Gordon
James Gualie
George Mackenzie
Charles Gladoning
William Sinclair
Charles Mackenzie
John Campbell
James Stewart
Robert Marshall
Philip Anstruther
Kenneth Macrae
John M^c Innes
_Ensigns._
James Stewart
James Finney
Aulay M^c Aulay
Malcomb M^c Pherson
Robert Gordon
John Mitchell
Ewen M^c Linnan
George Gordon
_Staff._
_Chaplain_, Wm. Mackenzie
_Surgeon_, ---- Walters
_Adjutant_, James Finney
_Quar.-Mr._ George Gunn
The establishment was to consist of fifty serjeants, two pipers,
twenty drummers and fifers, and a thousand and ten rank and file.
The men were principally raised from the clan of “_Caber Fey_,” as
the Mackenzies were called from the stag’s horns on the armorial
bearings of Seaforth. Five hundred men were from the EARL OF
SEAFORTH’S own estates, and about four hundred from the estates of
the Mackenzies of Scatwell, Kilcoy, Applecross, and Redcastle, all
of whom had sons or brothers holding commissions in the regiment:
the officers from the Lowlands brought upwards of two hundred,
of whom seventy-four were English and Irish. The clan Macrae had
long been faithful followers of the Seaforth family, and on this
occasion the name was so general in the regiment, that it was
frequently designated the regiment of “the _Macraes_.”
On the 15th of May the EARL OF SEAFORTH’S regiment assembled
at Elgin, in Moray, amounting to one thousand and forty-one
rank and file; it was inspected by Major-General Robert Skene,
adjutant-general in North Britain, and the men were found so
remarkably effective and fit for His Majesty’s service, that nearly
every one was accepted: the corps was placed on the establishment
of the regular army under the designation of “SEAFORTH’S
HIGHLANDERS;” the supernumerary men were formed into a recruiting
company, and the regiment received orders to march southward, for
the purpose of embarking for the East Indies. It soon afterwards
obtained the numerical title of the “SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT.”
Towards the end of July, the regiment was ordered to Edinburgh
Castle; and on its arrival there, the men began to show symptoms of
dissatisfaction; the result of investigation proved that some of
them had not received their bounty, and that others had contrived
to obtain it twice, which was the more easily accomplished in
consequence of so many men being of the same name. Full attention
being paid to their claims, they embarked at Leith shortly
afterwards, with much cheerfulness, being highly gratified in
consequence of their commander, the EARL OF SEAFORTH, being about
to accompany them on service.
The departure of the regiment was however delayed. The king of
France had taken part with the revolted British provinces in North
America, and had commenced hostilities against Great Britain; when
the French settlements in Bengal were seized by detachments of
troops from Calcutta, and Pondicherry was besieged and captured
with so little loss, that it did not appear necessary to send
additional troops to India at that time. The regiment was ordered
to Jersey and Guernsey, where it arrived towards the end of
November, five companies being stationed at each island.
[Sidenote: 1779]
On the 1st of May, 1779, a French naval force approached the island
of _Jersey_, and made preparations for landing a body of troops in
St. Owen’s bay; when the five companies of SEAFORTH’S regiment,
with some of the militia of the island, hastened to the spot,
dragging some artillery with them through the heavy sands, and
opened so well-directed a fire, that the French soldiers returned
to their ships, and quitted the coast, followed by several British
vessels of war, which inflicted a severe loss on the enemy. The
defeat of the enemy’s designs on this occasion was in a great
measure owing to the zeal and efforts of Major Thomas Frederick
Mackenzie Humberston of SEAFORTH’S regiment, who had been promoted
from captain to second major, on the 22nd of March, 1779.
[Sidenote: 1781]
The regiment remained at Jersey and Guernsey during 1780, and the
early part of the following year, in which time, circumstances had
occurred in India, which occasioned its removal to that part of the
British dominions.
HYDER ALI, a soldier of fortune, had risen to the chief command of
the army of the ruler of Mysore, and when the rajah died, leaving
his eldest son a minor, the commander-in-chief assumed the title
of guardian of the young prince, whom he placed under restraint,
and seized on the reins of government. Having a considerable
territory under his control, he maintained a formidable military
establishment, which he endeavoured to bring into a high state
of discipline and efficiency, and he proved a man possessed of
activity, courage, and talent. He soon evinced decided hostility
to the British interests in India, and formed a league with the
French. Hostilities had also commenced between Great Britain and
Holland, and the British troops were employed in dispossessing
the Dutch of their settlements in Bengal, and on the coast of
Coromandel. Thus three powers were opposed to the British interests
in India, and SEAFORTH’S HIGHLANDERS were ordered to reinforce the
British army in that country.
Towards the end of April, 1781, the regiment was removed from
Jersey and Guernsey, to Portsmouth, where it embarked on the 1st of
June, for the East Indies, mustering nine-hundred and seventy-five
rank and file, all in excellent health.
During the passage the Earl of Seaforth died suddenly in August,
and was succeeded in the commission of lieut.-colonel commandant,
by Thomas Frederick Mackenzie Humberston, from lieut.-colonel
commandant of the one hundredth regiment, by commission dated the
13th of February, 1782.
[Sidenote: 1782.]
At that period the passage to India occupied about ten months; the
accommodation in the ships was very limited, and the provision
issued to the troops not of good quality; this was attended with
serious results, and the regiment lost two hundred and forty-seven
men, of scurvy and other diseases, during the passage to India;
which is now frequently performed in less than half the time, and
under superior regulations, without the loss of a man.