been given to his arms, but that he was likely to lose many of
his conquests, endeavoured to weaken the confederates by causing
England to become the theatre of civil war. A party favourable
to the Stuart dynasty still remained in England; the Duke of
Berwick and several French officers were sent across the Channel
to persuade the friends of King James to rise in arms; at the same
time a plot for the assassination of King William was formed; and a
French army marched to the coast to be in readiness to embark with
King James for England.
Information of these events having been obtained, the QUEEN'S
regiment of foot was suddenly ordered from its cantonments in
the city of Malines to embark for England. It marched to Sas
Van Ghent, where it went on board of transports, and sailed to
Flushing, from whence a convoy of Dutch men-of-war accompanied
the fleet to England. In the mean time the conspirators had been
discovered, a British fleet was sent to blockade the French ports,
and the designs of Louis XIV. were frustrated. The greater part
of the forces which were ordered home on this occasion returned to
Flanders without landing in England; but the QUEEN'S was one of the
corps which disembarked at Gravesend, and was selected to remain on
home service that year.
[Sidenote: 1697]
In the summer of 1697 the regiment again embarked for the
Netherlands; and having joined the army commanded by King William
near Brussels on the 14th of July, was reviewed by His Majesty on
the 16th. Soon afterwards the King had the satisfaction of seeing
his exertions in behalf of the liberties of, and balance of power
in, Europe, crowned with a treaty of peace, which was concluded at
Ryswick in September; and in the succeeding month this regiment
was ordered to return to England. It landed in the beginning of
December at Woolwich; from whence it marched to Plymouth and
Penryn, where its establishment was reduced from nine hundred and
twenty-five to five hundred and seventy-two officers and soldiers.
[Sidenote: 1698]
The danger arising from the exercise of so unconstitutional a
prerogative as the raising of troops and the maintaining of a
large army on the authority of the Crown only, as practised in the
reign of King James II., was provided against at the Revolution.
In the Bill of Rights, the raising or keeping of a standing army
within the kingdom, in time of peace, unless with the consent of
parliament, was declared to be contrary to law, and from that
period to the present time the army has been maintained under the
authority of an Act, annually renewed, called an "Act for punishing
mutiny and desertion, and for the better payment of the army and
their quarters." This Act specifies the number of soldiers to
be kept up; the conditions under which they are enlisted, paid,
billeted, &c.; and lays down a system of martial law for their
government. Owing to the jealousy with which a standing army was
regarded, and the cost of its maintenance, it was confined, after
the peace of Ryswick, within very narrow limits; and in 1699 it
was reduced, in opposition to the most obvious considerations
of expediency, and in despite of the efforts of the King, to so
few as seven thousand men. These troops were limited to "His
Majesty's natural born subjects," and King William, who had been
the instrument, under Divine Providence, of establishing a free
government in these realms, and of fixing the balance of power
in Europe, was obliged to submit to the mortification, which
he felt most acutely, of dismissing his favourite regiments of
Dutch guards and French refugees. When this reduction took place,
the establishment of the QUEEN'S regiment was decreased to ten
companies of thirty-six private men each. It continued to occupy
Plymouth and Penryn, with one company detached to the Isle of
Scilly.
[Sidenote: 1701]
The success which had attended the exertions of King William to
prevent the aggrandizement of France by conquest, and to establish
the balance of power in Europe upon an apparently solid foundation,
was suddenly countervailed by the accession of the Duke of Anjou,
grandson of Louis XIV., to the throne of Spain; and two years had
scarcely elapsed, before the signs of approaching war appeared,
and the short-sighted policy of placing the army upon so low an
establishment proved a source of great inconvenience.
[Sidenote: 1702]
The strength of the QUEEN'S regiment of foot was again increased
to twelve companies, and in February, 1702, King William conferred
the colonelcy on Brigadier-General William Seymour from the
twenty-fourth regiment.
His Majesty having died in the following month, was succeeded by
Queen Anne,[14] who declared war against France; and the first
service in which the QUEEN'S regiment of foot was called upon to
engage in this reign, was the expedition to the coast of Spain
under the command of General the Duke of Ormond, a nobleman more
remarkable for generosity and personal bravery, than for ability as
commander-in-chief of an army.
Information had been received in England that the garrison of
the city of _Cadiz_ was weak in numbers, the fortifications out
of repair, and that the inhabitants of that part of Spain were
favourable to the house of Austria. This fortress had been captured
by a British armament in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,[15] and, in
the anticipation of a similar result, an expedition was fitted out,
and the QUEEN'S (now fourth) regiment of foot embarked[16] from
Plymouth (mustering upwards of eight hundred men) to join in the
enterprise.
When the fleet arrived on the Spanish coast, some delay was
occasioned by the Admiral, Sir George Rooke, on pretence of seeking
for information; but the troops landed in the middle of August, and
dispersed a body of Spanish cavalry which was drawn up to oppose
them, on which occasion the grenadier company of this regiment was
engaged.
After landing, the QUEEN'S regiment took part in the operations by
which the capture of the towns of _Rota_ and _Port St. Mary's_,
and also _Fort St. Catherine_, was effected; it also took part in
the siege of the fort of _Matagorda_; but the delay in landing had
given the Spaniards time to recover from their first surprise, and
Cadiz was found better prepared for resistance than was expected.
The expedition proving too weak for the capture of this fortress,
the troops retired to Rota, where they re-embarked, and afterwards
sailed for England.
Nothing gives rise to more painful feelings in the breasts of
British soldiers than the failure of an attempt of this nature.
Though their honour and fame were untarnished, and their personal
bravery had been conspicuous throughout, yet their fondly cherished
hopes and sanguine expectations were blighted; the palm of
victory and glory of conquest, which had appeared almost within
their grasp, had vanished, and they were returning to England
(where the anticipations of the people had been incautiously
heightened by paragraphs in the Gazette expressive of the certainty
of success) without having achieved anything to answer the
expectations of their sovereign and country. The remembrance of
their disappointment, however, suddenly vanished on the receipt of
information of the arrival of a Spanish fleet from the West Indies,
under a French convoy, at the harbour of _Vigo_ in Gallicia. The
prospect of capturing this prize gave new life to the seamen and
troops, and the squadron immediately bent its course thither.
The French Admiral, M. Chateaurenaud, had placed his shipping and
the galleons within a narrow passage, the entrance to which was
defended by a castle on one side, and by platforms mounted with
cannon on both sides of the river; and a strong boom was laid
across the entrance. These obstructions, instead of daunting the
British and Dutch, raised their energies and gave new vigour to
their movements. The fleet passed Vigo under a heavy cannonade from
the works, and anchored within four miles of Rondendella. The Duke
of Ormond landed with two brigades, in one of which was the QUEEN'S
regiment of foot, in a sandy bay on the south side of the river,
two leagues from Vigo; and captured the platforms and castle by
storm in a most intrepid and gallant manner; while the fleet forced
the boom, and bore down upon the enemy's men-of-war and galleons,
which were all captured or destroyed. In this brilliant enterprise
the troops had only two officers and forty men killed, and four
officers and thirty men wounded; among the latter was Colonel
Seymour of the QUEEN'S regiment.
The Duke of Ormond took possession of the town of Rondendella, and
being inspired with confidence from this success, he was desirous
of capturing Vigo, and of passing the winter with the troops in
Spain, in order to follow up the advantage he had acquired in the
spring; but the admiral could only supply the troops with two
months' provision, and could not leave more than six frigates
on the coast; the design was consequently laid aside and the
expedition returned to England with its booty. Queen Anne went in
state to St. Paul's cathedral to return thanks for this success,
and each of the regiments of infantry received £561 10_s._ prize
money.
[Sidenote: 1703]
After its return to England, the regiment was again stationed at
Plymouth with four detached companies in village cantonments; a
thirteenth company was added to its establishment, and in the
summer of 1703 the nature of its services was changed, and it
became a corps of MARINES.
A corps was raised for SEA service by King Charles II., in 1664,
and designated the admiral's regiment; and during this reign
battalions for sea service were formed as the occasions of the
state required, of drafts from the land forces, and embarked
on board the fleet. In 1689 King William III. incorporated the
admiral's regiment in the second foot guards, and two marine
regiments were established for service on board the fleet. These
regiments were disbanded in 1698; but on the breaking out of the
war of the Spanish succession, six regiments of marines were
raised, and six regular regiments of foot were placed on the
establishment of the navy for sea service.[17] In May, 1703, the
QUEEN'S regiment, commanded by Colonel Seymour, was constituted a
corps of MARINES; and its colonel was appointed to the care and
command of Her Majesty's marine forces.
The uniform of the regiment underwent some alteration on this
occasion, and the three-cornered cocked hats, worn by the officers
and men, were replaced by high-crowned leather caps, covered
with cloth of the same colour as the facing of the regiment, and
ornamented with devices, the same as the caps worn at this period
by the grenadiers.[18]
The first service in which the QUEEN'S (now fourth) regiment was
called upon to engage after it was constituted a corps of MARINES,
was embarking on board the fleet commanded by Admiral Sir George
Rooke, for the purpose of conducting to Portugal the Archduke
Charles of Austria, who had been acknowledged by the British,
Dutch, Imperial, and Portuguese governments as sovereign of Spain
by the title of Charles III., an event which excited a lively
interest at the time, and from which most important results were
anticipated.
His Catholic Majesty arrived at Portsmouth on the 26th of December,
and was received by the fleet and town with the honours paid to
crowned heads; after visiting Queen Anne at Windsor, he went on
board, and put to sea, but was driven back by a storm.
[Sidenote: 1704]
The fleet again set sail on the 12th of February, 1704, arrived at
Lisbon on the 25th of that month, and was followed by transports
having a British and Dutch force on board under the command of Duke
Schomberg, which force was designed to assist King Charles in his
attempt to gain the throne of Spain.
It was customary at this period to employ marines occasionally
in the field; but this regiment did not land. It remained on
board the fleet, which, having put to sea, proceeded to the city
of _Barcelona_, and expecting the Catalonians would declare in
favour of King Charles III. as soon as they should be assured of
protection and support, the governor was required to surrender;
but he refused to receive the summons. Although the fleet was not
prepared to capture the place, yet a body of MARINES was landed,
and the town was bombarded. This producing no alteration in the
governor's resolution, and the people exhibiting no marks of
attachment to the house of Austria, the MARINES were re-embarked.
The British and Dutch squadron subsequently proceeded in quest of
the French fleet under the Count of Thoulouse, and, although the
latter had the advantage in point of numbers and other particulars,
yet the French admiral avoided an engagement.
Being unable to force the enemy to fight, the British and Dutch
admirals resolved to make a sudden attempt on _Gibraltar_, and the
QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF MARINES, now the FOURTH OR KING'S OWN REGIMENT
OF FOOT, had the proud distinction of taking part in the capture
of this stupendous fortress, a conquest from which the kingdom has
probably derived as much advantage as from any previous achievement
of the British arms, and which remains a monument of the national
glory. The combined fleet arrived in the bay of _Gibraltar_ on
the 21st of July; a body of English and Dutch MARINES were landed
on the neck of land northward of the town under the orders of
the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, to cut off the communication of
the garrison with the country, and the governor was summoned to
surrender the fortress for His Catholic Majesty King Charles III.
This being refused, a heavy cannonade was opened on the 23d, by
which the Spaniards were driven from their guns at the head of the
south mole. The boats were manned, a body of men from the fleet,
climbing up the difficult acclivity, with signal gallantry captured
the fortifications on the mole, but had two lieutenants and forty
men killed, and sixty wounded, by the explosion of a mine. Another
body of men landed, and, urged forward by their innate valour and
thirst for glory, captured a detached bastion between the mole
and the town; and the governor, having been again summoned, agreed
to surrender on condition of being permitted to march out with
all the honours of war. On taking possession of the fortress, the
seamen and MARINES were astonished at their own success; and they
viewed, with a mixed feeling of wonder and delight, fortifications
which a comparatively small number of men might have defended
against a numerous army. The capture of _Gibraltar_ gave rise to
new hopes and expectations to the friends of the house of Austria,
and it derived additional interest from the fact that it preceded,
but a very few days, the glorious victory gained by the Duke of
Marlborough at Blenheim.
The loss of _Gibraltar_ disconcerted the measures of Philip II.,
and his grandfather Louis XIV. Eight thousand men, under the
Marquis de Villadarias, were immediately detached from the Spanish
army to retake the fortress; and the French admiral received orders
to engage the British and Dutch fleet, and to co-operate in the
re-capture of Gibraltar.
At this period the French monarch possessed a naval force of
considerable magnitude, and his fleet under the Count of Thoulouse
exceeded in numbers and power the combined British and Dutch
squadron. The hostile fleets engaged on the 24th of August, about
eleven leagues south of _Malaga_, and, after both sides had
suffered severely, they were separated in the night.
[Illustration: Landing of the British and Dutch troops at Gibraltar
on the 21st July, 1704. [To face page 34, in 4th Foot.
]
The Marquis de Villadarias, having been joined by four thousand
French from the fleet, commenced the siege of _Gibraltar_ on the
22d of October; and part of the QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF MARINES, being
in garrison, had now the honour of defending that magnificent
fortress which they had so nobly assisted to capture. The garrison
was weak in numbers; but Sir John Leake and Rear-admiral Vander
Dussen arrived in the bay from Lisbon, with thirteen English and
six Dutch men-of-war, and, thus securing the besieged from an
attack from the sea, gave them an opportunity to direct all their
energies to the repulsing of the attacks from the land side.
During the night of the 11th of November, five hundred of the enemy
contrived, by means of rope-ladders and other inventions, to ascend
the mountain by a way which was deemed impracticable, and were
supported by another body of three thousand men. The men engaged
in this daring enterprise were, however, soon discovered, and
were charged by five hundred of the MARINES in garrison with such
resolution, that two hundred of the enemy were killed on the spot,
upwards of two hundred were taken prisoners, and the remainder,
endeavouring to escape, fell down the rock and were dashed to
pieces.
The fire of the enemy's batteries having damaged the works, a body
of men was landed from the fleet to assist in the defence, and
Brigadier-General Fox with several other officers and a number of
men having been killed, (5th of December, 1704,) aid was solicited
from the army in Portugal. Meanwhile the enemy had made several
breaches, and the garrison was held in constant readiness to resist
an attack on the works by storm. British courage and endurance were
now sternly proved. The governor, the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt,
spent his days in the works, and the greatest part of every night
in the covered way, and his example produced so good an effect,
that the conduct of the troops exceeded all expectation, and
"THE ENGLISH MARINES GAINED IMMORTAL HONOUR."[19] New works were
constructed within those already damaged, mines were prepared, and
every means used to give the French and Spaniards a warm reception
if they attempted to assault the fortress. In the midst of these
preparations the garrison was reinforced by a battalion of foot
guards, part of the English regiments of Barrymore (thirteenth
foot) and Donegal (thirty-fifth foot), and of the Dutch regiment of
Waes; and during the night of the 22d of December, a body of men
issued from the fortress in the dark, forced the Spanish lines,
routed a body of cavalry, levelled part of the works, burnt the
fascines and gabions, and retired with little loss. The success
which attended this display of British intrepidity, with the
discovery of a conspiracy which several residents in the garrison
had entered into with the enemy, disconcerted the measures of the
besiegers and retarded their operations.
[Sidenote: 1705]
The siege was, however, prosecuted with vigour, and the Marquis of
Villadarias, having received a considerable reinforcement, attacked
the round tower in the beginning of February, 1705. On this
occasion a chosen band of French grenadiers climbed the rock with
hooks in one hand and their swords in the other, but were repulsed
with loss.
A second attempt was made about four days afterwards. Six hundred
select French and Walloon grenadiers, supported by a large body of
Spaniards, ascended the hill with great silence during the night,
and concealed themselves in the cliffs and hollow grounds until
day-break. When the night-guard had been withdrawn from the breach
near the round tower, they made a sudden rush at the wall, and
with a shower of hand-grenades drove the ordinary guard from its
post. At the same time two hundred French grenadiers attacked the
round tower by storm. The troops in garrison were soon alarmed.
CAPTAIN FISHER of the QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF MARINES, an officer of
a most daring and heroic spirit, charged the enemy at the head of
seventeen men; but his small party was soon overpowered and himself
taken prisoner. Major Moncall, of Lord Barrymore's regiment,
rushed to the scene of the conflict at the head of four hundred
men, and being seconded by Colonel Rivett of the foot guards,
who had climbed the rock on the right of the covered way with
twenty grenadiers, he charged the enemy sword in hand, retook the
round tower, and liberated CAPTAIN FISHER of the QUEEN'S MARINES.
Additional troops were brought forward, and the French and Walloon
grenadiers were chased from the works with the loss of more than
half their numbers; but the gallant CAPTAIN FISHER, being foremost
in the pursuit, was again made prisoner.
The French and Spaniards continued their attempts against this
fortress with unavailing assiduity, until their formidable army
was half ruined, and towards the end of March, 1705, they raised
the siege, and retired. "And thus," observes the author of the
Annals of Queen Anne, "the siege of that important place, after
six months' toil and fruitless attempts, was at last raised, _by
the obstinate and valiant defence of our brave Englishmen_;" and
the QUEEN'S MARINES had their share in the glory of this brilliant
success. The importance of _Gibraltar_ occasioned the siege to
become a subject of great interest throughout Christendom, but
especially in England; the result gave rise to the most lively
feelings of joy and exultation; and the conduct of the British
troops was the subject of merited commendation.
[Sidenote: 1706]
[Sidenote: 1707]
[Sidenote: 1708]
In the subsequent actions during this war, the regiments of MARINES
gained additional honour. They had their share of the glory
acquired in the capture of _Barcelona_ in the autumn of 1705, and
in the gallant defence of that city in 1706; they fought at the
unfortunate battle of _Almanza_ in 1707; took part in the capture
and defence of several fortified towns in Spain, and in the capture
of the island of _Minorca_ in 1708. In some of these services,
detachments of the QUEEN'S MARINES were probably engaged; but,
after the defence of Gibraltar, the regiment appears to have been
employed, generally, on board the fleet.
[Sidenote: 1709]
[Sidenote: 1710]
Six companies of the regiment, having landed from on board the
fleet, were stationed, during the winter of 1709, in Devonshire,
and after reposing a few months in quarters, were removed, in
March, 1710, to garrison duty at Plymouth. In July of the same
year, the other seven companies, having arrived at Spithead, landed
on the Isle of Wight, where they encamped until September, and
afterwards proceeded to Portsmouth.
About this period the regiment was removed from the establishment
of the navy, its title of MARINES was discontinued, and it
resumed its station among the regular regiments of infantry; it
was, however, included in the estimate for 1711, in the list of
regiments for sea-service; but this did not prevent its being
employed on other duties.
[Sidenote: 1711]
In January, 1711, the six companies at Plymouth having been
relieved by Colonel Andrew Windsor's (now twenty-eighth) regiment,
marched to Portsmouth; and on the 23d of that month the regiment
received orders to hold itself in readiness to proceed to Portugal;
but its destination was soon afterwards changed.
During the nine years which this war had been raging in Europe,
British blood and treasure had been expended in making conquests
for the house of Austria. The only advantage which had accrued
to Great Britain was, that the power of the house of Bourbon had
been diminished and that of Austria augmented: even Gibraltar and
Minorca, though subsequently ceded to Great Britain, had been
captured for the house of Austria. The new ministry chosen by Queen
Anne in 1710 resolved to act upon a different principle. Colonel
Nicholson having made a successful attack on Port Royal in Nova
Scotia, on his return to England he submitted to the government a
plan for the reduction of Placentia and _Quebec_, as a preparatory
measure in order to secure Canada to the British Crown, to drive
the French out of Newfoundland, and regain the fishery.