taking with him the ROYAL DRAGOONS and Staremberg's Imperialists,
and proceeded to Cienpoznelos. The ROYAL DRAGOONS appear to have
become a favourite corps with his Majesty, and when he retired
to Barcelona he took with him two squadrons of the regiment as a
body-guard. The other squadron remained with the army, and during
the retreat it formed part of the rear column on the left commanded
by Lieut.-General STANHOPE. This retrograde movement was performed
under great difficulties from the hostile spirit of the Castilians,
inclement weather, and a scarcity of forage and provision. On the
6th of December the column of which the ROYAL DRAGOONS formed
part arrived at _Brihuega_, a village of about a thousand houses,
situate in the mountains of Castile, near the river Tajuna, where
they halted on the following day. While the troops were reposing
in this rural seclusion, the town was suddenly surrounded by the
French and Spanish forces commanded by the Duke of Vendosme. The
British, though invested by a force of more than ten times their
own numbers, resolved on a vigorous defence; but unfortunately they
had no artillery, very little ammunition, and the wall round the
village was in a ruinous condition. The enemy forced the gates,
battered down part of the wall with their cannon, and assaulted
the place by storm, but were repulsed with severe loss. A second
assault was given, and the British troops, having spent all their
ammunition, defended themselves a short time with stones and other
missiles; but were eventually forced to surrender prisoners of
war.[41]
[Sidenote: 1711]
The officers and men of the ROYAL DRAGOONS who were thus made
prisoners were sent to France, and, after being exchanged, were
removed to England, and subsequently to Scotland. The remainder
of the regiment continued in Spain, where it served under
Lieut.-General the Duke of Argyle.
[Sidenote: 1712]
In 1711 the Emperor Joseph died, King Charles proceeded from Spain
to Germany, and was elected Emperor of the Romans. This event
removed one of the competitors for the throne of Spain. King Philip
made a formal renunciation of his claim to succeed to the throne
of France, and the danger of an union of the kingdoms of France
and Spain was thus removed. Negotiations for a general peace were
commenced, and in the summer of 1712 the officers and men of the
ROYAL DRAGOONS quitted Spain and returned to England. They were
mounted on Spanish horses; but before they quitted Catalonia their
horses were sold, and the men returned home dismounted.
[Sidenote: 1713]
After their arrival in England the ROYAL DRAGOONS were stationed in
dispersed quarters in Yorkshire; and the establishment was fixed at
twenty-seven officers, eight quarter-masters, and three hundred and
twenty-eight non-commissioned officers and private men. During the
summer of 1713 a detachment of the regiment proceeded to Dover, and
received a draft of two hundred horses from Kerr's (now seventh)
dragoons, which regiment was ordered to proceed, dismounted, to
Ireland, where it was disbanded.
[Sidenote: 1714]
On the decease of Queen Anne on the 1st of August, 1714, the ROYAL
DRAGOONS left Yorkshire, and marched into quarters in the villages
near London; but after the arrival of King George I. from Hanover
they returned to Yorkshire, and a reduction of fifty men was made
in the establishment.[42]
[Sidenote: 1715]
In January, 1715, two troops of the ROYAL DRAGOONS, with three
troops of the Scots greys, and a newly-raised troop of dragoons,
were incorporated into a regiment--the present seventh hussars.[43]
The establishment was thus reduced to six troops; and on the 13th
of June in the same year the colonelcy was conferred on RICHARD
LORD COBHAM, who was advanced to the dignity of Viscount three
years afterwards.
At this period Jacobite principles were very prevalent in the
United Kingdom; and in September, 1715, the Earl of Mar raised
the standard of rebellion in Scotland, and excited the clans
to take arms in favour of the Pretender. The ROYAL DRAGOONS
were immediately ordered to the North; and in the early part
of October they arrived at Edinburgh, from whence they marched
immediately afterwards, and, being placed under the command of
Lieutenant-General Carpenter, went in pursuit of a body of rebels.
[Sidenote: 1716]
After several marches and countermarches Lieutenant-General
Carpenter arrived at Jedburgh on the 30th of October: three days
afterwards he ascertained that a division of the rebel army had
marched in the direction of Carlisle, and he instantly went in
pursuit of them. The rebels, however, eluded his vigilance,
and arrived without opposition at _Preston_, in Lancashire.
Major-General Wills, who commanded in Cheshire, assembled
several regiments, and marched towards Preston. In the mean
time Lieutenant-General Carpenter, with the ROYAL, Molesworth's,
and Churchill's dragoons,[44] were marching with all possible
expedition from Scotland; and they arrived before Preston about
mid-day on Sunday, the 13th of November, when they found the town
surrounded by the troops under Major-General Wills: some sharp
fighting had previously taken place, but on the arrival of the
forces from Scotland, the rebels surrendered at discretion. On
the same day another division of the rebel army was defeated at
Sheriff-moor, near Dumblain; and in the early part of 1716 the
Pretender and insurgent chiefs made their escape to France, and the
common people retired to their homes.
[Sidenote: 1717]
After the suppression of this rebellion, the ROYAL DRAGOONS were
stationed in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, from whence they
marched, in February, 1717, to Newcastle upon Tyne, and were placed
under the command of Major-General Wills. This march was occasioned
by the preparations made by Charles XII., King of Sweden, for an
expedition to England to place the Pretender on the throne; but
the measures taken by the British government defeated the project.
The journals of this period speak highly of the condition of the
British army, particularly the _cavalry_, which they represent as
the _best in the world_.[45]
[Sidenote: 1718]
In the spring of 1718 the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched into quarters
in Yorkshire and Lancashire; and, the King of Sweden having
been compelled to relinquish his projected expedition, the
establishment was reduced to two hundred and seven officers and men.
[Sidenote: 1719]
The peace of Europe was disturbed in 1719 by Philip V. of Spain,
who was desirous of recovering the places ceded by him in the
treaty of Utrecht; and among the measures contemplated by the
Spaniards was placing the Pretender on the throne of Great Britain,
that the interest of this country might be insured in favour of
the projected innovations. An expedition, commanded by the Duke
of Ormond, was prepared in Spain for a descent on the British
coast; but the fleet was dispersed and disabled by a storm: two
ships, however, reached the coast of Scotland, and between three
and four hundred Spaniards landed, and were joined by a number of
Highlanders. When information of this event reached London, orders
were issued for the ROYAL DRAGOONS to proceed with all possible
expedition to Scotland, where they arrived in May. Major-General
Wightman advanced with a body of foot and three troops of the Scots
greys, and attacked the Spaniards and Highlanders on the 10th of
June at the pass of _Glenshill_, and forced them to retire with
considerable loss. On the following day the Highlanders dispersed,
and the Spaniards surrendered themselves prisoners of war. The
ROYAL DRAGOONS returned to England in July, and were quartered in
Yorkshire; and a detachment was ordered to embark at Portsmouth
and accompany the expedition commanded by their colonel, VISCOUNT
COBHAM, intended to make an attack on Corunna. The design on that
place was, however, abandoned; but the troops effected a landing on
the coast of Spain, and took _Vigo_, where they obtained possession
of several pieces of brass ordnance, with a magazine of muskets
and other arms. _Rondendella_ and _Pont-a-Vedra_ were also taken,
and additional captures of military stores effected. The Spanish
court made overtures for a treaty of peace; and in November the
expedition returned to England.
[Sidenote: 1720]
In February, 1720, His Majesty issued a regulation, fixing the
amount of purchase-money to be paid for regimental commissions, and
the following prices were established for the
ROYAL REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS.
Colonel and Captain £7000
Lieutenant-Colonel and Captain 3200
Major and Captain 2600
Captain 1800
Captain-Lieutenant[46] 1000
Lieutenant 800
Cornet 600
Adjutant 200
[Sidenote: 1721]
The ROYAL DRAGOONS left Yorkshire in April, 1721, and were
stationed at Nottingham and Derby; and on the 10th of that month
the colonelcy was conferred on SIR CHARLES HOTHAM, Baronet,
Viscount Cobham having been removed to the second horse, now first
dragoon guards.
[Sidenote: 1722]
[Sidenote: 1723]
During the summer of 1722 the ROYAL DRAGOONS were encamped near
Durham; and on the 12th of January, 1723, the colonelcy, having
become vacant by the decease of Sir Charles Hotham, was conferred
on Brigadier-General HUMPHREY GORE, from the tenth dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1724]
[Sidenote: 1725]
[Sidenote: 1726]
The regiment occupied extensive quarters in Nottinghamshire and
Derbyshire in 1724; in the following year it furnished detachments
to assist the revenue officers in their duties on the coast; and in
October, 1726, it was stationed in Sussex and Essex.
England having agreed to furnish ten thousand men to assist the
States-General in their war with the Emperor of Germany, the
ROYAL DRAGOONS were augmented to nine troops, of five hundred and
fifty-two officers and men, and selected to form part of this
force. No embarkation was, however, required.
[Sidenote: 1727]
[Sidenote: 1728]
The decease of King George I. took place on the 11th of June, 1727;
and a few days previous to the coronation of his successor, George
II., the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched into quarters near London, and
were reviewed in brigade with Honeywood's (now eleventh) dragoons
by his Majesty on Hounslow Heath, on the 17th of October. They
subsequently proceeded into Leicestershire and Derbyshire; and in
the beginning of the succeeding year the establishment was again
reduced to six troops.
[Sidenote: 1730]
[Sidenote: 1731]
[Sidenote: 1732]
[Sidenote: 1733]
In the spring of 1730 the regiment marched into cantonments in
Worcestershire and Gloucestershire; in 1731 it was stationed in
Kent, with detachments on coast duty; and in the month of March
in the following year proceeded into Somersetshire, from whence it
detached, in the spring of 1733, several parties to the maritime
towns and villages on the Suffolk coast, where frequent rencounters
took place between the military and smugglers.
[Sidenote: 1734]
[Sidenote: 1735]
[Sidenote: 1737]
[Sidenote: 1738]
The several detachments were collected in May, 1734, and the six
troops assembled at Taunton, where they were reviewed by their
colonel, Major-General Gore. One troop was afterwards detached
into Sussex; and in August another troop proceeded to Bath, and
furnished a daily guard for the Princess Amelia during her Royal
Highness's residence at that city. In August, 1735, the five troops
in Somersetshire marched to the north, and were placed under the
orders of Lieut.-General Wade, commander-in-chief in Scotland.
They, however, returned to England in April, 1737, and were
quartered in Lancashire; and during the summer of the following
year the six troops were stationed in Essex and Kent, with
detachments on coast duty.
[Sidenote: 1739]
In July, 1739, the ROYAL DRAGOONS were ordered to call in their
detachments and march into quarters at Hounslow and its vicinity;
and on the 28th of that month they were reviewed on Hounslow Heath
by his Majesty. In the beginning of August they marched into
quarters in Worcestershire; and their colonel, Major-General Gore,
died on the 18th of that month. On the 1st of September his Majesty
conferred the colonelcy on CHARLES, second DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH,
from the 38th regiment of foot.
The Spaniards having repeatedly violated the existing treaties
in regard to the commerce of England with America, his Majesty
declared war against Spain; and the establishment of the ROYAL
DRAGOONS was augmented to four hundred and thirty-five officers and
men.
[Sidenote: 1740]
In May, 1740, the colonelcy, vacant by the removal of the Duke
of Marlborough to the second troop (now second regiment) of life
guards, was conferred on Major-General HAWLEY, from the thirteenth
dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1741]
During the summer of 1740 the ROYAL DRAGOONS were encamped (with
three other regiments of cavalry and six of infantry) near Newbury,
and afterwards near Devizes, under the orders of General Wade. In
October they marched from camp into quarters in Leicestershire; and
in November, 1741, removed into Somersetshire.
[Sidenote: 1742]
In the mean time hostilities had commenced on the continent, and
France, Bavaria, and Prussia were endeavouring to deprive the house
of Austria of its hereditary dominions. King George II. resolved
to support the Austrians; and in the summer of 1742 his Majesty
sent Field Marshal the Earl of Stair with sixteen thousand men
to Flanders. The ROYAL DRAGOONS were selected for this service,
and, having been reviewed by his Majesty on Hounslow Heath, they
embarked in August, and after their arrival in Flanders were
stationed in the cavalry barracks at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1743]
Leaving Ghent in February, 1743, the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched for
Germany; and in June they were encamped, with the other forces,
near Aschaffenburg, on the river Maine, where they were joined by
King George II. and the Duke of Cumberland. On the 26th of June
the army marched for Hanau, a town of Hesse-Cassel, and the ROYAL
DRAGOONS formed part of the advance-column. When on the march the
French were discovered in position near _Dettingen_: his Majesty
commanded the army to form opposite the enemy, and the ROYAL
DRAGOONS were posted near the right of the line.
The French advanced from their position and attacked the left of
the allied army; the contest soon became general, and the English
cavalry engaged the French cuirassiers with varied success. The
MOUSQUETAIRES NOIRS, a choice corps of French cavalry, separated
themselves from their line, and, passing between two columns of
infantry, rushed headlong towards the British cavalry. The ROYAL
DRAGOONS, undaunted by this audacity, met the French horsemen with
a cool, determined bearing, and, encountering them in mid-onset,
overthrew the presumptuous squadrons, cut them down with a dreadful
slaughter, and captured a STANDARD. The ROYAL DRAGOONS were
afterwards engaged with the enemy's household troops; they were
again victorious, and, though without armour, fought and triumphed
over their steel-clad opponents, and received the thanks of his
Majesty for their gallant conduct. Eventually the French army was
overthrown, and driven from the field with great loss.
In this action the ROYAL DRAGOONS had six men and thirty-four
horses killed and wounded. The STANDARD of the MOUSQUETAIRES NOIRS
was taken by a serjeant of the right squadron. It was of white
satin, embroidered with gold and silver: in the middle a bunch of
nine arrows tied with a wreath, with the motto _Alterius Jovis
altera tela_. The lance was broken, the standard was stained with
blood; the cornet who carried it was killed without falling, being
buckled to his horse, and his standard buckled to him.[47]
The ROYAL DRAGOONS passed the night near the field of battle,
exposed to a heavy storm of rain, and on the following day marched
with the army to Hanau, and encamped on the banks of the river
Kinzig, where they remained until the early part of August, when
they advanced, and, having crossed the Rhine above Mentz, were
employed in operations in West Germany. Nothing of importance,
however, transpired; and in October they commenced their march
for Mentz, where they repassed the Rhine, and, proceeding through
the duchy of Nassau, the principality of Liege, and province of
Brabant, entered Flanders, and, arriving at Ghent on the 18th of
November, again occupied part of the cavalry barrack at that place.
[Sidenote: 1744]
The campaign of 1744 passed without any general engagement. The
army penetrated the French territory; but the services of the
ROYAL DRAGOONS were limited to piquets, out-guards, and protecting
foraging parties from the attacks of the French garrisons; and in
October they returned to their former station at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1745]
In April, 1745, the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched from their winter
quarters, and encamped near Brussels. The enemy assembled a
numerous army, and invested _Tournay_, the chief town of a district
in the province of Hainault; and the Duke of Cumberland, though
inferior to the French in numbers by above thirty thousand men,
resolved to attack them. His Royal Highness accordingly advanced;
and on the 10th of May (N.S.) a squadron of the ROYAL DRAGOONS was
engaged, with other forces, in driving in the enemy's out-guards
and piquets. The French army was discovered in order of battle
on a gentle ascent protected by batteries, and rising gradually
from the plain near _Fontenoy_. At daybreak on the morning of the
11th of May the allies moved forward, but, having many defiles
to pass, the attack did not commence until near ten o'clock. The
British infantry advanced against the enemy, and throughout the
day they displayed the greatest valour and intrepidity; but the
Dutch did not evince equal resolution, and their failure occasioned
the most unfortunate results. It was near the conclusion of the
action before the ROYAL DRAGOONS were called upon to charge, when
they advanced through a hollow way abounding with difficulties,
and were exposed to the destructive fire of two batteries: they
charged by alternate squadrons with all the spirit and resolution
which characterizes the attack of British cavalry. But the Duke
of Cumberland, perceiving that, from the failure of the Dutch and
other causes, it was impossible to retrieve the fortune of the day,
ordered a retreat, and the army marched from the field of battle,
and encamped near Aeth.
The loss of the regiment in this engagement was fifteen men and
sixty-nine horses killed; with Lieutenant-Colonel Naizon, Cornets
Hartwell, Desmeret, and Creighton, thirty-one men, and forty-seven
horses wounded.
The allied army afterwards encamped on the plain of the Dender,
near Lessines; and subsequently near Brussels.
In the mean time Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender,
arrived in Scotland with a ship laden with arms, and, being joined
by several of the Highland clans, took the opportunity of the
King's army being abroad to make a desperate effort to gain the
throne. Several regiments were immediately ordered to England; and
in November the ROYAL DRAGOONS marched to Williamstadt, in North
Brabant, and embarked; but the shipping was delayed for some time
by contrary winds, and several horses were lost from the transports
being stranded.
[Sidenote: 1746]
After their arrival in England the ROYAL DRAGOONS formed part of
the army assembled near the metropolis to repel the threatened
descent of a French force on the southern coast of the kingdom.
[Sidenote: 1747]
[Sidenote: 1748]
The rebellion having been suppressed by the victory at Culloden,
the ROYAL DRAGOONS continued in the south of England: they were
stationed at Windsor, Reading, and Colnbrook, and had the honour
of furnishing travelling escorts for the royal family: in July,
1746, one troop attended the Princess Caroline at Bath. On the 26th
of December, 1747, they were reviewed by His Majesty on Hounslow
Heath: in the following summer they were employed on coast duty
in Lincolnshire, and in suppressing riots among the weavers in
Lancashire.
[Sidenote: 1749]
[Sidenote: 1750]
After the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle the establishment was reduced
to two hundred and eighty-five officers and men; and in 1750 the
regiment marched to Scotland.
[Sidenote: 1751]
A regulation was issued in 1751 relative to the clothing and
standards of the several regiments; from which the following
particulars have been extracted relative to the ROYAL DRAGOONS:--
COATS--scarlet; double breasted; without lappels; lined with
blue; slit sleeves turned up with blue; the button-holes worked
with narrow yellow lace; the buttons of yellow metal, set on two
and two; a long slash pocket in each skirt; and a yellow worsted
aiguillette on the right shoulder.
WAISTCOATS and BREECHES--blue.
HATS--bound with gold lace, and ornamented with a yellow metal
loop, and a black cockade.
BOOTS--of jacked leather.
CLOAKS--of scarlet cloth, with a blue collar, and lined with blue
shalloon; the buttons set on two and two upon yellow frogs or
loops, with a blue stripe down the centre.
HORSE FURNITURE--of scarlet cloth; the holster-caps and housings
having a border of royal lace, with a blue stripe down the centre;
the crest of England within the garter, embroidered on each corner
of the housing; and on the holster-caps, the King's cipher and
crown, with I.D underneath.
OFFICERS--distinguished by gold lace; their coats and waistcoats
bound with gold embroidery; the button-holes worked with gold; and
a crimson silk sash worn across the left shoulder.
QUARTER-MASTERS--to wear a crimson sash round the waist.
SERJEANTS--to have narrow gold lace on the cuffs, pockets, and
shoulder-straps; gold shoulder-knots or aiguillettes, and yellow
and blue worsted sashes tied round the waist.
DRUMMERS and HAUTBOYS--clothed in scarlet coats lined with blue,
and ornamented with royal lace with a blue stripe down the centre;
their waistcoats and breeches of blue cloth.
_Guidons._--The first or King's guidon to be of crimson silk,
embroidered and fringed with gold and silver; in the centre the
rose and thistle conjoined and crown over them, with the motto
_Dieu et mon Droit_ underneath: the white horse in a compartment in
the first and fourth corners, and I.D in gold characters on a blue
ground in a compartment in the second and third corners. The second
and third guidons to be of blue silk, in the centre the crest of
England within the garter on a crimson ground: the white horse on a
scarlet ground in the first and fourth compartments, and I.D within
a wreath of roses and thistles upon a scarlet ground in the second
and third compartments.
[Sidenote: 1752]
[Sidenote: 1753]
[Sidenote: 1754]
In 1752 the ROYAL DRAGOONS returned to England, and were stationed
at York, from whence they marched, in October, 1753, into quarters
in Norfolk and Essex, and in September of the following year they
proceeded into extensive cantonments in Kent.
[Sidenote: 1755]
Disputes having occurred between England and France relating to the
boundaries of the British possessions in North America, hostilities
commenced in 1755, when an augmentation of one hundred men was
made to the establishment: a _light troop_, consisting of three
officers, one quarter-master, two serjeants, three corporals, two
drummers, and sixty private soldiers,[48] was raised and added
to the regiment on the same principle as the light companies to
regiments of infantry.
[Sidenote: 1756]
[Sidenote: 1757]
War was declared against France in 1756, when the French monarch
made preparations for a descent on the British coast, and the ROYAL
DRAGOONS were stationed in the maritime towns in the southern
counties: during the summer of 1757 they were encamped near
Salisbury.
[Sidenote: 1758]