King of France fitted out a fleet and embarked a body of troops at
Dunkirk for the purpose of making a descent on the British coast in
favour of the Pretender; and the ROYALS, with the Foot Guards and seven
other corps, were ordered to return to England to repel the invaders.
The ROYAL Regiment marched from Ghent on the 8th March, 1708 (O.S.),
embarked at Ostend on the 15th, and arrived at Tynemouth on the 21st.
Meanwhile the French fleet, with the Pretender on board, had sailed
from Dunkirk; but being chased by the British men-of-war, the enemy
returned to Dunkirk without effecting a landing. The ROYALS were then
ordered back to Flanders, and having landed at Ostend on the 20th of
April, proceeded in boats along the canal to Ghent.
The regiment remained at Ghent until the 22nd of May, when it took
the field and engaged in the general operations of the army, and soon
afterwards the French obtained possession of Ghent and Bruges by
treachery. A more important advantage was, however, gained on the 11th
of July by the allied army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough, who
crossed the Scheldt and defeated the French army, commanded by the Duke
of Burgundy and Marshal Vendôme, near _Oudenarde_. The ROYALS formed
part of the division of twenty battalions commanded by the Duke of
Argyle, and having traversed the Scheldt by the pontoon bridge between
Oudenarde and the Abbey of Eename, they ascended the heights of Bevere;
then, inclining to the right, engaged the enemy in the fields and open
grounds beyond the rivulet. A fierce conflict of musketry ensued, and
charge succeeded charge, until the shades of evening gathered over the
scene of conflict, and the combatants could only be discerned by the
flashes of musketry which blazed in the fields and marshy grounds.
The French, having been driven from hedge to hedge, and from thicket
to thicket, were eventually overpowered. Part of their army being
separated from the remainder was nearly surrounded and destroyed, and
the work of destruction was continued until the darkness became so
intense that it was impossible to distinguish friends from foes, when
the troops were ordered to cease firing. Night favoured the enemy;
many of the corps, which were nearly surrounded, escaped in the dark,
and the wreck of the French army made a precipitate retreat to Ghent,
leaving the allies in possession of the field of battle, with many
prisoners, standards, colours, and other indisputable marks of victory.
The ROYALS were subsequently employed in covering the siege of _Lisle_,
the capital of French Flanders, which was captured by Louis XIV. in
1667, and ceded to France by the treaty of peace in 1668. This city
being situated on a plain watered by several streams, and protected
by a series of stupendous works constructed under the superintendence
of Vauban, the celebrated French engineer, and being defended by a
garrison of 15,000 men commanded by the veteran Marshal Boufflers, who
was prepared with everything requisite for a protracted defence, the
siege was considered an undertaking of great magnitude, and it excited
universal attention. The French made strenuous exertions to preserve
the place, and an immense body of troops advanced against the covering
army, of which the ROYAL Regiment formed a part; but the French
Marshals were dismayed by the determined countenance of the allies,
and frustrated by the superior tactics of the Duke of Marlborough. The
enemy next attempted to cut off the supplies of military stores and
provision from the army; and a quantity of stores having been sent
from England to Ostend, and there placed in waggons, one battalion of
the ROYAL Regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton, was detached
from the covering army to protect the stores from Ostend to the camp.
This battalion was sent, in the first instance, to Oudenburg, with
orders to wait there until the convoy had passed, and afterwards to
join the escort at Turout. The waggons left Ostend on the 27th of
September, and continued their route towards the army; at the same
time the French commanders sent a detachment of 22,000 men under the
orders of Count de la Motte to intercept the convoy. After the waggons
had proceeded a considerable distance on their way, the battalion of
the ROYAL Regiment quitted Oudenburg and proceeded to Turout, where
information was received of the movements of the enemy, when the
battalion marched with all possible expedition to succour the convoy,
and arrived at the wood of _Wynendale_ at the moment when Major-General
Webb was forming the few troops he had with him in an opening beyond
the wood. The French had to pass through the wood, and Major-General
Webb placed a battalion in ambush amongst the trees on each side of the
defile, and drew up the main body of his detachment, which consisted
of about 8000 men, in an open space at the end of the defile. The
French advanced in full confidence to overwhelm a force which did not
amount to half their own numbers; but, when passing through the wood,
they were assailed by the ambush on their left, which put them in some
confusion. They, however, continued to advance and broke through two of
the battalions of the allies posted at the end of the defile; but the
battalion in ambush on the enemy's right having opened its fire, and
the head of their column being attacked, the French were repulsed and
driven back through the wood. They soon rallied and returned to the
attack, and were again assailed by a destructive fire in front and on
both flanks, and they shrunk back in dismay. The attack was repeated,
and the destructive cross fire was again opened with the same results;
and Count de la Motte, being unable to induce his men to return to the
charge, he was forced to relinquish the contest and retire. At this
moment Lieut.-General Cadogan arrived with a few squadrons of cavalry,
and the convoy was conducted in safety to the army. This gallant
exploit excited great admiration, and Major-General Webb was honoured
with the thanks of parliament, and the approbation of the Queen, for
his conduct on this occasion.
The ROYAL Regiment continued to form part of the covering army, and
was employed in several services connected with the procuring of
provision and stores for the besieging troops. In November, the Elector
of Bavaria besieged Brussels, and the ROYALS formed part of the force
which advanced to relieve the place. The strong positions of the enemy
behind the _Scheldt_ were forced on the 27th of November; and when the
troops advanced upon Brussels, the Elector of Bavaria raised the siege,
and made a precipitate retreat.
The citadel of Lisle, being vigorously pressed, surrendered on the 9th
of December. The period for military operations had passed away; but
notwithstanding the lateness of the season the Duke of Marlborough
resolved to besiege _Ghent_, and the ROYAL Regiment was one of the
corps selected for this service. An attack was made on the out-posts of
the town on the night of the 24th of December, when a detachment of the
ROYALS formed part of the forlorn-hope, and had several men killed and
wounded. The trenches were opened during the same night, and the siege
being prosecuted with spirit and vigour, the garrison surrendered
on the 2nd of January, 1709. Bruges was also vacated by the French;
and the ROYAL Regiment, having marched into Ghent when that city was
delivered up, remained there during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1709]
The regiment, having reposed for a few months in convenient quarters,
and obtained a body of fine recruits from Scotland, advanced from
Bruges to the plain of Lisle, and was afterwards encamped with the
army on the banks of the Upper Dyle. The French had constructed a
new line of entrenchments and forts: the allies advanced with the
apparent design of attacking the enemy, when Marshal Villars drew a
number of troops out of the neighbouring garrisons, and prepared to
make a determined resistance. This was what the Duke of Marlborough
wished; and no sooner had a considerable detachment of French troops
quitted the garrison of _Tournay_, than the allies struck their tents,
marched to the left, and invested the town. Both battalions of the
ROYAL Regiment were in the besieging army, and took an active part in
the several attacks on the works, and in repulsing the sallies of the
garrison. On the 29th of July, while preparations were making to attack
the town by storm, the governor surrendered. The citadel still held
out; but five British regiments, which had not taken part in the siege
of the town, were selected for the siege of the citadel, and the ROYAL
Regiment joined the covering army.
During the period the siege of the citadel of Tournay was in progress,
Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney was detached, with the grenadier
companies of the ROYAL and several other regiments, and twenty
squadrons of cavalry, towards St. Ghislain, to seize on certain passes,
and to facilitate the subsequent operations of the campaign; and the
citadel having surrendered on the 3rd of September, the army afterwards
proceeded towards Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault,
which the allies intended to besiege. While the troops were on the
march, Marshal Villars made several movements with the view to prevent
the loss of Mons; and on the 10th of September the French army was in
position in front of Taisniere and the hamlet of _Malplaquet_, and
having thrown up entrenchments and constructed _abatis de bois_ and
other defences, until their camp resembled a fortified citadel, they
there awaited the attack of the allies.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 11th September, the forces of
the several nations which composed the army commanded by the Duke
of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, were under arms. The two
battalions of the ROYAL Regiment appeared on parade on the ground where
they had passed the night, and divine service was performed by the
chaplain. The French camp was a short distance in front; but a thick
mist overspread the woods and open grounds, and concealed the armies
from each other. Under cover of the fog, the artillery was brought
forward, and dispositions made for the attack: the French heard the din
of hostile preparations, and seized their weapons, and two powerful
armies, headed by commanders of renown, stood arrayed against each
other. The troops of both armies had confidence in their leaders, and
were anxious for the combat; the one to acquire new laurels under
their favourite chiefs, and the other to retrieve the disasters of
eight successive campaigns. The fog lingered on the ground until about
half-past seven, when the sun broke forth. The fire of the artillery
instantly opened on both sides, and the columns of attack moved
forward, and commenced one of the most sanguinary and hard-contested
battles on record, in which there was a greater sacrifice of life than
at the battles of Blenheim, Ramilies, and Oudenarde, put together.
"It is impossible to express the violence of the fire on either side.
Besides the enemy's advantageous situation, they defended themselves
like brave men, and made all the resistance that could be expected
from the best of troops; but then nothing could be a finer sight than
to see our foot surmount so many obstacles, resist so great a fire,
force the enemy's entrenchments, beat them from thence, and drive them
quite out of the wood, and after all, to draw up in good order of
battle on the plain, in sight of our enemies, and before their third
entrenchments[90]."
The ROYALS formed part of the division commanded by General Count
Lottum, and were engaged in the assault of the entrenchments in the
wood of Taisniere. Two battalions of Foot Guards led the attack, and,
having overcome several local difficulties, they commenced ascending
the enemy's breastwork, but were repulsed and driven back. The ROYALS
seconded the Foot Guards; Argyle's regiment (3rd Buffs), and several
other corps, prolonged the attack to the left; and these troops,
rushing forward with the native energy and resolution of Britons,
forced the entrenchments in gallant style, and the French fell back
fighting and retreating into the woods. The ROYALS, and other corps,
pressed forward: the trees and foliage being thick, the ranks were
broken; every tree was disputed, and the wood echoed the turmoil of
battle on every side.
When the fighting in the wood of Taisniere, where the ROYALS were
engaged, had assumed the character of a series of skirmishes, a
most sanguinary conflict was raging in other parts of the field,
particularly in the centre, where the Prince of Orange led the Dutch
infantry against the enemy's treble entrenchments, and at the points
of attack allotted to the Germans. Eventually the enemy's position was
broken, and a conflict of cavalry ensued, in which the allies proved
victorious. Meanwhile the ROYALS, and other corps engaged in the woods,
continued to gain ground, and the French were forced to retreat. The
allies captured a number of prisoners, colours, standards, and cannon;
but this victory was purchased at an immense expense of human life,
especially of Germans and Dutch. The ROYALS having fought a great part
of the day in the wood, where the men were partly covered by the trees,
the regiment did not sustain a very severe loss. Lieutenant Haley and a
few private men were killed; and Lieutenants J. Stratton, Dixon, and W.
Stratton, were wounded[91].
The victory at Malplaquet was followed by the siege and capture of
_Mons_, which was terminated by the surrender of the garrison on the
20th of October. The ROYALS formed part of the covering army during the
siege, and afterwards marched back to Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1710]
The regiment having passed the winter in its former quarters, quitted
Ghent on the 14th of April, 1710, and directing its march towards
the frontiers of France, arrived at the rendezvous of the army, in
the vicinity of Tournay, on the 19th of that month. The allies, by a
forced march, succeeded in passing the French lines at Pont-a-Verdun
without opposition, and invested _Douay_. The ROYALS formed part of the
covering army during the siege. The French army advanced and menaced
the allies with an attack, but retreated after a sharp cannonade, and
Douay surrendered on the 27th of June.
After the capture of Douay, the ROYALS marched in the direction
of Aubigny, and formed part of the covering army encamped at
Villers-Brulin during the siege of _Bethune_. This place having
surrendered on the 28th of August, the ROYALS were afterwards detached
from the main army, and sent under the command of the Prince of
Anhault, to besiege the town of _Aire_, which is situated on the banks
of the river Lys. The governor of this place made a vigorous defence;
and the regiment was sharply engaged several times in carrying on the
attacks and storming the outworks, and had a number of men killed and
wounded. The garrison having surrendered on the 9th of November, the
regiment afterwards marched back to its former winter-quarters at
Ghent, where it arrived on the 23rd of November.
[Sidenote: 1711]
The ROYALS again took the field towards the end of April, 1711, and,
advancing up the country, joined the army near Douay, and were reviewed
with the remainder of the British infantry, on the 8th of June, by
the Duke of Marlborough, at the camp at Warde. On the 14th the army
advanced to the plains of Lens. The enemy had thrown up a new line of
entrenchments; and the French army, commanded by Marshal Villars, was
posted behind these formidable works, which were deemed impregnable.
But the British commander, by menacing the enemy's left, occasioned the
French troops to be drawn to that quarter; then, by a forced march,
passed the lines at an unguarded part at _Arleux_, and afterwards
invested _Bouchain_, a fortified town of Hainault, situated on both
sides of the river Scheldt. The ROYALS formed part of a division of
twenty battalions, commanded by Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney,
which took post on the north and north-west side of the town and river.
The French, by a night march, gained possession of the heights of
Wavrechin, from whence they expected to be able to relieve the town;
and the ROYALS formed part of a division of infantry which advanced
to dislodge the enemy; but the position was found too formidable to
be attacked, and the regiment retired without firing a shot. During
the night a series of works was constructed; a causeway was also made
through the deep inundations which the enemy had, by means of sluices
on the river, caused to overflow the low grounds near the town; and
thus Bouchain was completely invested, and all communication with
the troops on the heights of Wavrechin cut off. The siege was then
prosecuted with vigour, and the ROYALS took their turn of duty in the
trenches, and in carrying on the attacks, and had several men killed
and wounded. The total loss of the British troops in this siege was
1,154 officers and men killed and wounded. The garrison agreed to
surrender on the 13th of September. The ROYALS remained at Bouchain
until the works were repaired, and afterwards went into quarters for
the winter.
[Sidenote: 1712]
In the early part of April, 1712, the regiment once more took the
field, and on the 19th of that month pitched its tents near Tournay,
where the Duke of Ormond arrived on the 9th of May, and took command of
the army, the Duke of Marlborough having, for a political cause, been
removed from his military appointments.
On the 19th of May the army advanced, and on the 21st encamped on
the hills of St. Denis, near Bouchain; thence proceeding across the
Scheldt, arrived a few days afterwards near the frontiers of France;
and the two grenadier companies of the ROYAL Regiment, forming part of
a reconnoitring party, advanced a few miles into Picardy.
The siege of _Quesnoy_ was afterwards undertaken, and the ROYAL
Regiment, forming part of the covering army, was encamped at
Cateau-Cambresis; but was not engaged in any act of direct hostility.
The garrison surrendered on the 4th of July; and soon afterwards the
Duke of Ormond having received orders to proclaim a suspension of arms
between the British and French, preparatory to a general treaty of
peace, the British troops retreated from the frontiers of France to
Ghent.
The French monarch having agreed to deliver the city of Dunkirk
into the hands of the British as a pledge of his sincerity in the
negociations for peace, it was taken possession of by six battalions
from England; and on the 4th of August, the ROYALS, with four other
British regiments, twenty pieces of cannon, and four mortars, under the
command of Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney, marched from the camp
near Ghent to Dunkirk, where they arrived on the 6th, and the regiment
remained in garrison in this city nearly two years.
[Sidenote: 1713]
[Sidenote: 1714]
A treaty of peace having been concluded at Utrecht, the British troops
were ordered to return from Flanders. Several regiments embarked
in the spring of 1714; the ROYALS marched from Dunkirk, in May, to
Nieuport, where they remained until after the decease of Queen Anne
and the accession of King George I., which occurred on the 1st of
August, 1714. The first battalion embarked a few days after this
event, and landed--seven companies at Dover, and five at Greenwich
and Deptford--on the 15th of August; and the second battalion landed
at Gravesend and the borough of Southwark on the 22nd of that month.
Both battalions assembled in the vicinity of London, and having been
reviewed by the Duke of Ormond, afterwards proceeded into garrison at
Portsmouth and Plymouth.[92] At the same time a reduction of four
companies took place, and the establishment of each battalion was fixed
at 10 companies, of 3 officers, 2 serjeants, 2 corporals, 1 drummer,
and 36 private men each[93].
[Sidenote: 1715]
After the arrival of King George I. from Hanover, the Protestant
succession to the throne appearing to be peacefully established, the
ROYALS were ordered to proceed to Ireland, where the presence of a
considerable military force was deemed necessary to restrain the Roman
Catholics from taking arms in favour of the Pretender. The regiment was
accordingly relieved from garrison duty at Portsmouth and Plymouth by
the Third Foot Guards, in March, 1715, and proceeded to Chester, where
both battalions embarked for Dublin.
[Sidenote: 1716]
[Sidenote: 1717]
[Sidenote: 1727]
[Sidenote: 1728]
During the remainder of the reign of George I. and the early part of
the reign of George II. the regiment was stationed in Ireland. In
1717 its establishment was fixed at 22 companies, of 3 officers, 2
serjeants, 2 corporals, 1 drummer, and 38 private men each; and the
expense of the regiment was estimated at £16,710 18_s._ 4_d._ per
annum. Thus it continued for several years; but in 1727, when 10,000
men were held in readiness to embark for Holland to assist the Dutch in
the war with Austria, an augmentation of 20 serjeants, 20 corporals, 20
drummers, and 500 men, was added to the establishment; no embarkation,
however, took place, and the regiment was afterwards placed upon a
peace establishment.
[Sidenote: 1737]
In January, 1737, Field Marshal the Earl of Orkney, who had commanded
the ROYALS nearly 45 years, and had often led the regiment to battle
and to victory, died in London; and in June King George II. conferred
the Colonelcy on the Honorable James St. Clair, from the 22nd Regiment
of Foot.
[Sidenote: 1740]
The death of Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, having occurred in the
autumn of 1740, the succession of the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, as
Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, was disputed by the Elector of Bavaria,
and immediate signs of war appearing, an augmentation was made to the
strength of the ROYAL Regiment; and its establishment was increased to
1628 officers and men.
[Sidenote: 1741]
[Sidenote: 2nd Batt.]
[Sidenote: 1742]
[Sidenote: 1743]
Previous to this period both battalions had usually been employed at
the same station: they were considered as one corps, and few instances
occurred of their being engaged in separate services, even for short
periods; but on the 21st of October, 1741, while the first battalion
remained in Ireland, the second battalion, having been placed on the
English establishment, embarked at Cork for the West Indies. It however
remained in the West Indies only a few months, and arrived in England
in December, 1742, together with the 6th, 15th, and 24th regiments[94].
In the following year it returned to Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1st Batt.]
In the meantime, the French having taken part with the Elector of
Bavaria against the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, a British force had
been sent to Flanders to co-operate with the Austrians; and in the
spring of 1743 the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment was ordered
to proceed from Ireland to Flanders to join the army. It accordingly
embarked from Ireland, and on its arrival at Ostend, in June, took
charge, together with three other regiments, of the clothing for the
army which had marched from Flanders to Germany. From Ostend the ROYALS
marched with the clothing to Brussels, where they arrived on the 10th
of July; thence, continuing their route for Germany, passed the Maese
on the 14th and joined the army at Hanau, a few days after King George
II. had gained a victory over the French at Dettingen. The ROYALS were
afterwards engaged in operations in the west of Germany, but returned
to the Netherlands in the autumn.
[Sidenote: 1744]
During the following year the first battalion of the ROYALS formed
part of the army commanded by Field Marshal Wade, and was employed
in several operations in the Netherlands; but no general engagement
occurred.
[Sidenote: 1745]