to effect the subversion of the Protestant church; and, with the
view of overawing his subjects, he doubled the numbers of the
regular army, and had large bodies of troops encamped, from time
to time, on Hounslow Heath, where he frequently attended in person
and witnessed the exercise of the troops. The ROYAL REGIMENT OF
DRAGOONS formed part of the force at these encampments in the
summer of 1686, again in 1687, and in 1688. At this period many
noblemen and gentlemen, resolving to preserve the nation from papal
domination, solicited the Prince of Orange to come to England with
a Dutch force to assist them in opposing the proceedings of the
King, and the Prince provided an armament for that purpose.
The colonel of the ROYAL DRAGOONS appears to have been a zealous
Protestant, and to have entered warmly into the measures taken to
resist the proceedings of the Papists who surrounded the court.
In November, 1688, when the Prince of Orange had landed, VISCOUNT
CORNBURY, having marched with his regiment to Salisbury,[23] where
the King's army was ordered to assemble, and where the blues and
eighth horse had already arrived, resolved, in connexion with
Lieut.-Colonel Langston, of the eighth horse, and several officers
of the blues, to endeavour to take these three regiments over to
the Prince, in the following manner:--
On the night of the 11th of November, directions were given for the
adjutants and quarter-masters to await the arrival of the post, as
orders to march were expected. At twelve o'clock the post arrived,
when Colonel Langston opened the bag before the officers, and the
orders, apparently from the Secretary-at-War, were produced, and
carried to Viscount Cornbury, who gave directions for the regiments
to proceed, at five o'clock, towards the enemy. The regiments were
accordingly on the march before daylight on the 12th; continuing
their progress throughout that day and the following night
(excepting a few short halts to refresh the men and horses[24]),
on the afternoon of the 13th, they arrived at Axminster, within
six miles of the Prince of Orange's quarters, where they were
joined by the Earl of Abingdon, Sir Walter Clerges, and about
thirty other gentlemen, who pretended to be volunteers. It was
now asserted that a design of the Dutch to surprise the quarters
of the King's forces had been discovered, and orders were issued
for beating up the quarters of the enemy that night. Accordingly,
after dark, the three regiments were again in motion, and the
Prince of Orange, apprized of their approach by Lord Cornbury, sent
a large body of cavalry to meet them. The greater part of the men,
however, resolved not to join the Prince of Orange, and, when they
observed what was taking place, they galloped back. Major ROBERT
CLIFFORD, of the ROYAL DRAGOONS, marched back that regiment, with
the exception of a few officers and about fifty dragoons, who
accompanied Viscount Cornbury. The blues also returned, excepting
about twenty-seven. But the Duke of St. Alban's regiment (eighth
horse) having mustered at a distance, the men, ignorant of the
transaction, followed Colonel Langston to Honiton, where they were
received as friends by the Dutch general.[25] Many of the men,
however, returned to the King's service; and the Duke of Berwick,
having collected the remains of the three regiments, marched them
back to Salisbury.
The king arrived at Salisbury on the 20th of November, and his
Majesty rewarded the loyalty of Major Clifford by promoting him
to the colonelcy of the ROYAL DRAGOONS. The King, however, soon
discovered that the defection among the officers was general,
and that the soldiers, although they were reluctant to desert
his service, were not disposed to fight in the cause of Papacy.
The superior officers of the army, with the nobility and gentry,
continued to flock to the Prince's standard, and King James,
alarmed for his personal safety, returned in haste to London;
at the same time the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched into garrison at
Portsmouth. The Prince of Orange advanced to the capital without
experiencing serious opposition; King James fled to France; and the
Prince, having assumed the reins of government, restored Viscount
Cornbury to the colonelcy of the ROYAL DRAGOONS, and ordered them
to occupy quarters at Farnham and Alton.[26]
[Sidenote: 1689]
After the flight of the King to France, the crown was conferred on
William and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange. Their Majesties'
accession, however, met with opposition; and VISCOUNT DUNDEE having
induced several of the Highland clans to take arms in favour of
King James, the ROYAL DRAGOONS were immediately ordered to the
north.[27] At the same time, the Earl of Clarendon refusing to act
with the new government, his son, Viscount Cornbury, was superseded
in the command of the regiment by the lieutenant-colonel, ANTHONY
HAYFORD, whose commission as colonel was dated the 1st of July,
1689.
On the 27th of July, six battalions of infantry and two
newly-raised troops of Scots horse, commanded by Lieut.-General
Mackay, were defeated at _Killicrankie_ by the Highlanders and a
few Irish, under Viscount Dundee and Brigadier-General Cannon.
Immediately after the action, the ROYAL DRAGOONS were directed
to march to the assistance of Lieut.-General Mackay, and they
arrived at Perth in the early part of August. The object of the
Commander-in-Chief being the prevention of the descent of the
mountaineers into the lowlands, the regiment was posted a short
time at Forfar, under the command of Major-General Sir John
Lanier, and subsequently proceeded by forced marches to Aberdeen.
The Highlanders eventually retired over the mountains by paths
inaccessible to cavalry, and separated to their homes.
In the mean time, the lord-lieutenant of Ireland (Earl Tyrconnel)
had retained the greater part of that kingdom in the interest of
King James. King William sent an army to that country under the
veteran Duke Schomberg; and, immediately after the dispersion of
the rebel Highlanders, the ROYAL DRAGOONS were ordered to proceed
to Ireland. They embarked for this service in the early part of
October, landed at Carlingford on the 9th of that month,[28] and
were ordered to take post at Armagh and Clownish, from whence they
were removed to the isle of Maghee.
[Sidenote: 1690]
Several skirmishes occurred during the winter; and in the spring
of 1690 the ROYAL DRAGOONS were before _Charlemont_, which place
was blockaded by the King's forces. _Charlemont_ was defended
by a garrison of 500 men, commanded by Sir Teague O'Regan, a
humorist, who returned the following laconic answer to the summons
to surrender:--"Tell the General, from Teague O'Regan, that he's an
old knave; and, by St. Patrick, he shall not have the town at all."
He, however, surrendered on the 14th of May, and a detachment of
the ROYAL DRAGOONS escorted the garrison towards Armagh.[29] Soon
after the surrender of Charlemont Lieut.-Colonel Edward Matthews,
from Leveson's (now third) dragoons, was appointed colonel of the
regiment. In June it was encamped near Loughbritland, where it
was joined by a remount from England. On the 22nd of June King
William arrived at the camp, and "His Majesty was no sooner come
than he was in amongst the throng of the troops, and observed every
regiment very critically. This pleased the soldiers mightily, and
every one was ready to give what demonstrations it was possible
both of his courage and duty."[30]
The French and Irish, commanded by King James, took post on the
banks of the _Boyne_, to dispute the passage of that river. King
William marched to the opposite bank on the 30th of June, and,
on the morning of the 1st of July, the army forded the river and
drove the enemy from his position with great slaughter. The ROYAL
DRAGOONS and other British troops engaged in forcing the passage of
the _Boyne_ are reported to have "acquitted themselves well." King
James fled from the field and proceeded to France; and the British
army advanced on Dublin. A few days after the battle King William
reviewed the ROYAL DRAGOONS at Finglass, on which occasion they
brought 406 private troopers into the field.
On the 21st of July Major-General Kirke proceeded with the ROYAL
DRAGOONS and Queen Dowager's and Colonel Cambron's regiments of
foot to Waterford, and summoned the place, and on the 25th the
governor capitulated.
At the moment when success attended the operations of the army in
Ireland, the English and Dutch fleets, commanded by Lord Torrington
and Admiral Evertsen, were defeated by the French fleet under the
Count de Tourville, and the enemy afterwards menaced the descent
of a formidable force on the British coast. King William commanded
a troop of life guards, with Count Schomberg's horse (now seventh
dragoon guards), the ROYAL DRAGOONS, and Trelawny's and Hastings'
(fourth and thirteenth) foot to be immediately embarked for England.
The ROYAL DRAGOONS landed at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the early
part of August. The alarm of invasion, however, soon subsided;
and they were ordered to return to Ireland, in which country
they again landed on the 20th of October, and proceeded into
extended cantonments in the county of Cork. Many thousands of
the Roman Catholic peasantry of Ireland were, at this period, in
arms in behalf of King James: they were called _rapparees_, and
being formed into bands they made frequent incursions into the
cantonments of the English regiments. Several men of the ROYAL
DRAGOONS were murdered in their quarters by these _rapparees_;
and detachments of the regiment were frequently sent out to scour
the country and chase these bands of marauders from the English
cantonments.
[Sidenote: 1691]
Towards the end of December a detachment of the ROYAL DRAGOONS
proceeded, with some other troops, on an expedition commanded by
Major-General Tattea, and on the 1st of January, 1691, attacked
an Irish fort near _Scronclaird_, which was taken in two hours,
although the enemy had employed five hundred men during two months
to build it.[31]
In the spring, when the army took the field, the ROYAL DRAGOONS
were ordered to remain in the county of Cork to restrain the
incursions of the _rapparees_, and to prevent the several forts
and small garrisons from being attacked. In the early part of June
Major Culliford, with a detachment of the ROYAL DRAGOONS and some
militia, penetrated that part of the country from whence the enemy
received their supplies, defeated the Irish troops, and captured
several droves of cattle. At length General St. Ruth, who commanded
the French and Irish forces, detached two thousand horse and foot
to cover this part of the country. Major Culliford, however,
continued to make inroads, and having advanced with one hundred
and twenty men of the ROYAL DRAGOONS, and fifty militia foot, he
encountered two troops of Irish cavalry. The English dragoons
advanced boldly to the charge, defeated their opponents, killed
twenty men upon the spot, and pursued the remainder to Newmarket,
where the Irish, being reinforced, made another stand. The ROYAL
DRAGOONS, however, attacked them again with great bravery, and
having sabred fifteen, the remainder fled in disorder, leaving
a quantity of provision and some cattle behind. Major Culliford
despatched eleven dragoons and twenty-four of the militia to the
rear with the booty, and then pursued the fugitives four miles
farther, when he encountered five hundred of the enemy's horse
commanded by Sir James Cotter. Notwithstanding their disparity of
numbers, the ROYAL DRAGOONS boldly confronted their opponents, and
made a gallant resistance, but were eventually overpowered; and
forty men having fallen, Major Culliford made good his retreat
with the remainder. In retiring, the dragoons,--chafed in spirit
and burning with revenge,--often turned round upon their pursuers;
and at length Captain Bower and twenty men boldly faced about and
killed about twenty of the Irish horsemen, whose eagerness in the
chase had caused them to advance in front of their main body. In
the meantime the eleven dragoons and twenty-four of the militia,
with the captured cattle and stores, arrived at _Drumaugh_, where
they were attacked by a detachment of the enemy, but defended
themselves with success until relieved by a body of troops under
Colonels Hastings and Ogleby.
At the time the ROYAL DRAGOONS were making these diversions, the
main army, commanded by Lieutenant-General De Ginkell, gained a
decisive victory over the French and Irish at Aghrim; and on the
1st of August the regiment joined the army at Banagher-bridge.
The enemy collected the remains of their defeated regiments at
_Limerick_; and towards the end of August Lieutenant-General De
Ginkell besieged that city, commencing his work on the right bank
of the Shannon: the Irish army lay encamped at the same time on the
opposite side of the river.
A pontoon bridge having been prepared, several regiments were
ordered to cross the river at daybreak of the 16th of September.
The ROYAL DRAGOONS took the lead; and Brigadier-General
Clifford,[32] who commanded four regiments of King James's
dragoons, being taken by surprise, made little opposition: some
infantry, however, attempted to make a stand; but a squadron of the
ROYAL DRAGOONS dashed forward and routed them in an instant. Two
or three French and Irish battalions retired to a bog and wood in
their rear, from whence they were driven with the loss of several
men killed, and a French lieut.-colonel, a captain, and a number
of men made prisoners. The regiments which had passed the river
advanced upon the enemy's camp, where a curious spectacle presented
itself:--many of the Irish were running about in their shirts, some
were pulling down tents, others driving away cattle, many were
making their escape into the town, and others hurrying towards the
mountains; a regiment of dragoons, whose horses were two miles
distance at grass, dispersed in confusion: at the same time a party
of horse buckled on their arms and made a show of fighting; but
they fled on the advance of the English, who took possession of the
camp, where they found a quantity of beef, brandy, and corn, with
the saddles and appointments of three hundred dragoons. The ROYAL
DRAGOONS were commended by Lieut.-General De Ginkell for their
gallant conduct, and they returned to the other side of the river
on the same day.[33]
On the 22nd of September the regiment, with several other
corps, crossed the Shannon into the county of Clare; when the
advance-guard, which consisted of eighteen men of the ROYAL
DRAGOONS, was attacked by a squadron of the Irish cavalry: this
small party sustained the first onset with admirable firmness,
but were forced to retire; part of the regiment, however, soon
advanced to their assistance, when the enemy was defeated and
chased under the range of their batteries, and three small pieces
of brass ordnance were captured. Orders were then given for the
infantry to attack the works which covered Thoumond bridge. These
works were carried after a sharp struggle; when the troops which
had defended them endeavoured to enter the town; but the drawbridge
had been raised, and they were left to the mercy of the English,
who slaughtered such numbers, that the dead bodies lay in heaps
on the bridge higher than the parapet walls. Five colours were
taken on this occasion, and so many men slain, drowned, and taken
prisoners, that the enemy surrendered the place in a few days
afterwards.
[Sidenote: 1692]
[Sidenote: 1693]
The conquest of Ireland having been effected, the ROYAL DRAGOONS
returned to England, where they arrived in January, 1692, and
marched into dispersed cantonments in Leicestershire; and during
a part of the summer a detachment was stationed in garrison at
Portsmouth. The regiment was subsequently stationed, on revenue
duty, in the maritime towns on the southern coast of the kingdom;
and in the autumn of 1693 it had the honour of furnishing a relay
of escorts to attend King William from Margate to London, when His
Majesty returned from Holland.
[Sidenote: 1694]
The war with France, which was commenced in 1689, had been
continued with varied success; and in the spring of 1694 the ROYAL
DRAGOONS were ordered to proceed on foreign service. They left
England in May; joined the army encamped near Tirlemont in South
Brabant, on the 21st of June, and were reviewed by King William
on the following day. On arriving at this camp they were ordered
to take post in front of the village of Camtich, and this quarter
being much exposed to attacks from the enemy, they were reinforced
by two regiments of Dutch infantry. The army marched from Tirlemont
on the 13th of July, and encamped at Mont St. André and Ramilies,
where the regiment was formed in brigade with the royal Scots and
Fairfax's (now second and third) dragoons, under the command of
Brigadier-General Matthews, and this brigade was encamped on the
left of the line. The French army encamped near Huy, with their
left upon the Mehaine. On the 17th of July a foraging party of
the allies crossed the river, and, meeting with several French
squadrons, a skirmish ensued, when the ROYAL DRAGOONS lost eight
horses and had three men wounded. On the 28th of the same month
another foraging party encountered a detachment of the enemy, when
the regiment had two men and several horses killed. The allied
army was again in motion on the 8th of August: much manœuvring,
and some skirmishing took place between the hostile squadrons, but
no general engagement occurred. On the 29th of August the ROYAL
DRAGOONS were stationed at Wacken--a post situate at the junction
of the Mandel and the Scheldt; and in October they marched into
cantonments in the villages between Ghent and Sans-van-Ghent.[34]
[Sidenote: 1695]
In the spring of 1695 the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched to Dixmude,
forming part of a division of the army commanded by Major-General
Ellenberg, and were brigaded with Lloyd's (now third) dragoons
and a regiment of Danish cavalry. On the 7th of June the Duke of
Wirtemberg took command of this division, and attacked the French
forts at _Kenoque_ as a diversion to conceal King William's design
upon the strong and almost impregnable fortress of _Namur_, which
he commanded to be invested shortly afterwards. The ROYAL DRAGOONS
joined the covering army towards the end of June; but were detached
to Bruges in July: they were subsequently recalled from thence
and joined the camp between Genappe and Waterloo, from whence
they proceeded to the vicinity of _Namur_, to protect the troops
employed in the siege from a threatened attack of the French army.
After the surrender of the important fortress of _Namur_, the
regiment marched into cantonments behind Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1696]
The French menaced an attack upon the quarters of the allied army
in Flanders in the spring of 1696, when the ROYAL DRAGOONS were
suddenly called from their cantonments to encamp on the banks
of the canal between Ghent and Bruges, where they were reviewed
by King William on the 29th of May. They served the campaign of
this year with the army of Flanders, commanded by the Prince
of Vandemont, and were brigaded with the royal Scots and royal
Irish (second and fifth) dragoons, commanded by Brigadier-General
Matthews. The object of this army was the protection of Ghent,
Bruges, and the maritime towns of Flanders: no general action
occurred; but a party of the ROYAL DRAGOONS, with a detachment of
Langston's horse (now fourth dragoon guards), surprised one of the
French out-guards on the night of the 20th of September and took
thirty prisoners. This appears to be the only action in which the
regiment took part during the campaign of this year; and on the
6th of October it marched into quarters in the villages behind the
Bruges canal.
[Sidenote: 1697]
During the campaign of 1697 the regiment served under King William
in the army of Brabant, and was brigaded with the royal Scots and
Eppinger's dragoons.
On the 28th of May Brigadier-General Matthews died; and on the 30th
His Majesty conferred the colonelcy of the ROYAL DRAGOONS on THOMAS
LORD RABY, afterwards Earl of Strafford.
[Sidenote: 1698]
The enemy, having great superiority of numbers, besieged and took
_Aeth_, and afterwards menaced Brussels; but were frustrated in
their designs by King William. The ROYAL DRAGOONS were encamped
before Brussels in June; and subsequently at Wavre. Hostilities
were terminated in September by the treaty of Ryswick, and
after the conclusion of peace, the regiment embarked from the
Netherlands,--landed at the Red House in Southwark on the 21st of
November, and, at the end of the same month, marched into extensive
quarters in Yorkshire, where the establishment, which during the
war had been eight troops, amounting to five hundred and ninety
officers and men, was reduced to six troops of two hundred and
ninety-four officers and men.
[Sidenote: 1699]
[Sidenote: 1700]
During the two succeeding years the ROYAL DRAGOONS occupied
quarters in Lancashire and Leicestershire. In June, 1700, they
assembled on Hounslow Heath and were reviewed by King William
III., who was pleased to express his royal approbation of their
appearance and discipline. Leaving the south of England in July,
they proceeded into quarters in Yorkshire and Cumberland, with one
troop stationed in garrison at Carlisle and another at Hull.
[Sidenote: 1701]
[Sidenote: 1702]
In 1701 the ROYAL DRAGOONS were stationed in Yorkshire, with three
troops in garrison at Hull; at this period the ambitious Louis XIV.
of France violated the treaties he had entered into, and procured
the accession of his grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou, to the throne
of Spain. War was resolved upon, and the establishment of the
regiment was augmented to eight troops amounting to five hundred
and thirty-two officers and men; and it embarked for Holland in
the beginning of March, 1702. Before the transports sailed, the
death of King William occurred (8th March, 1702), when the regiment
was disembarked and placed in cantonments in the villages in the
immediate vicinity of the metropolis. In a few days afterwards,
Her Majesty Queen Anne having resolved to pursue the foreign
policy of her predecessor, the regiment re-embarked, and after
landing at Williamstadt, went into quarters at Breda, where it was
formed in brigade with the royal Scots and royal Irish (second and
fifth) dragoons, under the command of that excellent officer,
Brigadier-General Ross, and was placed as a guard to the English
train of artillery.[35]
[Sidenote: 1703]
A powerful French army was in the field menacing the frontiers of
Holland. The EARL OF MARLBOROUGH assembled the forces under his
orders towards the end of June, and in July the ROYAL DRAGOONS
joined the army with the train of artillery. By a daring advance
the British commander disconcerted the designs of his opponents,
who retired without venturing an engagement. The ROYAL DRAGOONS
were employed in covering the sieges of _Venloo_, _Ruremonde_,
and _Stevenswaert_; and took part in the capture of the city
of _Liege_: they afterwards marched back to Holland, and were
quartered at Arnheim, the capital of the province of Guelderland,
where they were reviewed in April, 1703, by their colonel, LORD
RABY, who was passing through Holland on his way to Prussia, as
envoy extraordinary to that court.[36]
At the commencement of the campaign of 1703 the ROYAL DRAGOONS were
employed in covering the siege of _Bonn_, and afterwards joined the
army near Maestricht, with six battalions of infantry commanded
by the Prince of Hesse, and were formed in brigade with the same
regiments as in the preceding year.
On the advance of the allied army commanded by the DUKE OF
MARLBOROUGH, the French retreated, and took post behind their
fortified lines.