there happened a pleasant adventure between one of them and a
dragoon of Colonel Hayford's regiment (the Royal Dragoons) as they
were guarding the Irish towards Armagh. They fell into a discourse
about religion; the point in hand was _Transubstantiation_: the
dragoon, being a pleasant, witty fellow, drolled upon the priest,
and put him so to it, that he had little to say, upon which he grew
so angry that he fell a-beating the dragoon, who, not being used
to put up with blows, thrashed his fatherhood very severely. Upon
which, complaint being made to Teague, as he was at dinner with
our officers at Armagh, all that he said was, he was very glad of
it, adding, 'What te de'il had he to do to dispute religion with a
dragoon?'"--_Story's History of the Wars in Ireland_, p. 63.
[30] Story's History.
[31] Story.
[32] Colonel Clifford, of the Royal Dragoons, adhered to King James
at the Revolution, and having proceeded to Ireland he was appointed
a Brigadier-General.
[33] Story.--London Gazettes, &c. &c.
[34] D'Auvergne's History of the Campaigns in Flanders.
[35] Official Records, London Gazettes, &c.
[36] London Gazettes, Millner's Journal, and Annals of Queen Anne.
[37] London Gazettes; Present State of Europe; Mémoires de Berwick;
Annals of Queen Anne; and Official Records in the War-Office.
[38] "Notwithstanding King Charles has received no reinforcements
since he landed in Catalonia, his partisans, and the small army
under the Earl of Peterborough, have been so active, that their
progress looks altogether romantic, and will hardly be believed
by posterity. They have not only maintained their conquest of the
whole principality of Catalonia, but they have gained the kingdom
of Valencia, and carried their arms as far as Alicant; at the same
time they blockaded Roses, though the two places were above four
hundred miles one from the other."--_Present State of Europe_,
January, 1706.
[39] Doctor Freind's Account of the Earl of Peterborough's Conduct
in Spain.
[40] The Present State of Europe for 1708.
[41] List of British troops which surrendered in the village of
Brihuega, 9th December, 1710:--
Harvey's horse, now second dragoon guards.
Royal Dragoons (one squadron), now first, or the royal dragoons.
Pepper's dragoons, now the eighth light dragoons.
Stanhope's dragoons, disbanded.
Foot Guards, one battalion.
Harrison's foot, now the sixth.
Wade's ditto, now the thirty-third.
Dormer's ditto, disbanded.
Bowle's ditto, ditto.
Gore's ditto, ditto.
Munden's ditto, ditto.
Dalzel's ditto, ditto.
[42] Marching Order Books and Establishment Books in the War-Office.
[43] The seventh and eighth regiments of dragoons were disbanded
after the Peace of Utrecht; but the seventh was restored, as stated
above, and the eighth in a few months afterwards.
[44] Two newly-raised corps, afterwards disbanded.
[45] Annals of George I., &c.
[46] The Lieutenant of the Colonel's troop was styled
Captain-Lieutenant.
[47] London Gazette.
[48] War-Office Establishment Book.
[49] Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston rose to the rank of general: he
was, at different periods, colonel of the ninth dragoons, first
horse (now fourth dragoon guards), and sixth dragoons: he was also
governor of Quebec. He died 13th December, 1797, and was interred
in Westminster Abbey. He wrote a Journal of the Campaign of 1760,
which has been forwarded to the compiler of this record by his
grandson, Major Frederick Johnston, unattached.
[50] Journal of Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston, Royal Dragoons, MS.
[51] Journal of the Campaigns in Germany, by an Officer present
with the Army.
[52] On the 19th of December, 1768, a royal warrant was issued for
regulating the clothing, horse-furniture, and standards of the
regiments of cavalry, which contained similar directions to the
warrant of the 1st of July, 1751. See page 65.
[53] Official Records, Adjutant-General's Office.
[54] GENERAL ORDERS.
"The heavy cavalry, with the exception of the two regiments of life
guards and royal regiment of horse guards, are to be mounted on
nag-tailed horses.
"The first, or King's regiment of dragoon guards; the first, or
royal regiment of dragoons; the third, or King's own regiment of
dragoons, are to be mounted on _black_ nag-tailed horses.
"The second, or Queen's regiment of dragoon guards, are to be
mounted on nag-tailed horses of the colours of _bay_ and _brown_.
"The second, or royal North British regiment of dragoons, are to be
mounted on nag-tailed _grey_ horses.
"All other regiments of heavy cavalry on the British establishment
are to be mounted on nag-tailed horses of the colours of bay,
brown, and chestnut.
"The custom of mounting trumpeters on grey horses is to be
discontinued, and they are in future to be mounted on horses of the
colour or colours hereby prescribed for the regiment to which they
belong.
"HARRY CALVERT,
Adjutant General.
"_Horse Guards_,
_10th August, 1799_."
[55] 28th Aug. "A piquet of this regiment (ROYALS) made a _gallant
and successful charge_ on a party of the enemy's cavalry and
infantry, and took some prisoners."--_Lord Wellington's Despatch._
[56] "I have received a report of a gallant action of one of our
patroles yesterday evening, under the command of Lieutenant Persse,
of the 16th Light Dragoons, and Lieutenant Foster, of the Royals,
who attacked a detachment of the enemy's cavalry between Alverca
and Guarda, and killed and wounded several of them, and took the
officer and 37 men prisoners."--_Lord Wellington's Despatch, 27th
March, 1811._
[57] "It is with great pleasure I have to mention _the
very admirable conduct of the Royals_ under the command of
_Lieutenant-Colonel Clifton_, and one troop of the fourteenth
light dragoons, which being all that were employed in covering the
front from Villa de Egua to Espejo, were assembled at Gallegos,
and retreated from thence agreeably to my directions. And
notwithstanding all the efforts of General Montbrun (who commanded
the French cavalry) to outflank the British, pressing them at the
same time in front with eight pieces of cannon, _their retreat to
Nave d'Aver merits the highest commendation_.
"Major-General Slade speaks in much praise of _Major Dorville_,
of the _Royal Dragoons_, and of _Captain Purvis_, of the
same regiment, who had opportunities of distinguishing
themselves."--_Lieutenant-General Sir Brent Spencer's Despatch._
[58] "Nothing could exceed the gallantry displayed by the
officers and men on this occasion. Sir Granby Calcraft, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Clifton, commanding the two regiments,
particularly distinguished themselves, as well as all the officers
present.
"I beg particularly to report the conduct of Brigade Major
Radclyffe, of the Royal Dragoons, to whom I feel particularly
indebted for his assistance on this occasion."--_Major-General
Slade's Despatch._
[59] Journal of Major Radclyffe, of the Royal Dragoons--MS.
[60] "The infantry complained they had suffered much from our
absence and tardy arrival, though, God knows, we had lost no
time."--_Major Radclyffe's Journal._
[61] Now Colonel A. K. Clark Kennedy, C.B. and K.H.,
lieutenant-colonel of the seventh dragoon guards.
[62] Francis Stiles was rewarded with an ensigncy in the sixth
West India regiment on the 11th of April, 1816, and was placed on
half-pay on the 28th of December, 1817: he died in London on the
9th of January, 1828.
[63] "I was in command of the centre squadron of the ROYAL DRAGOONS
in this charge. While following up the attack, I perceived, a
little to my left, in the midst of a body of infantry, an Eagle
and Colour, which the bearer was making off with towards the rear.
I immediately gave the order, 'Right shoulders forward,' to my
squadron, at the same time leading direct upon the Eagle, and
calling out to the men with me to 'Secure the colours.' The instant
I got within reach of the officer who carried the Eagle, I ran my
sword into his right side, and he staggered and fell, but did not
reach the ground on account of the pressure of his companions.
As the officer was in the act of falling, I called out, a second
time, to some men close behind me, 'Secure the colour; it belongs
to me!' The standard coverer, Corporal Stiles, and several other
men, rushed up, and the Eagle fell across my horse's head, against
that of Corporal Stiles, who came up on my left. As it was falling
I caught the fringe of the flag with my left hand, but could not
at the first pull up the Eagle: at the second attempt, however,
I succeeded. Being in the midst of French troops, I attempted to
separate the Eagle from the staff, to put it into the breast of my
coatee; but it was too firmly fixed. Corporal Stiles said, 'Pray,
Sir, do not break it!' to which I replied 'Very well; carry it off
to the rear as fast as you can,' which he did. Though wounded, I
preferred remaining in the field in the command of my squadron,
which I did until near seven o'clock in the evening, when I was
obliged to withdraw; having had two horses killed under me, and
having received two wounds, which confined me to my quarters at
Brussels nearly two months."--_Captain Clark's Narrative of the
Capture of the Eagle._
[64] This respected and lamented officer (Major-General Sir
William Ponsonby), beloved by all who served with or under him,
met his death in a manner which conferred upon it an interesting
character. When the order was given for attacking the enemy, he led
the three regiments forward with that noble ardour for which he
had been distinguished in the campaigns in the Peninsula. Having
cut through the first column, he proceeded where the ROYALS were
so hotly engaged, and found himself outflanked by a regiment of
Polish lancers in a newly-ploughed field, the ground of which was
so soft that his horse became blown, and was unable to proceed. He
was attended by only one aide-de-camp. At this instant the lancers
were approaching him at full speed. His own death, he knew, was
inevitable, but supposing his aide-de-camp might escape, he drew
forth the picture of his lady and his watch, and was in the act of
delivering them to his attendant to be conveyed to his family, when
the enemy came up and they were both speared upon the spot.
[65] Now Lieutenant-General Sir Joseph Straton, K.C.H. and C.B.,
colonel of the eighth royal Irish hussars, who was authorised to
take and use the surname of _Straton_, instead of Muter, on the
28th of September, 1816.
[66] Major Radclyffe was wounded in the first charge, and taken
from the field. He was an excellent swordsman, and had taught
many of his men his peculiar method of giving point, and he was
afterwards much delighted on being informed that the troopers, by
adhering to his instructions, had been signally successful in their
attacks. The decease of this gallant and excellent officer, clever
man, and good scholar, took place on the 24th of February, 1827:
the following is an extract from a periodical work respecting him:--
"Died on the 24th of February, 1827, in Connaught-square,
Lieutenant-Colonel Radclyffe, Major of Brigade to the Cavalry in
Great Britain, aged 53.--This distinguished officer served in
all the campaigns of the late revolutionary war, commencing with
the Duke of York's, in Flanders, in 1793, and ending with the
sanguinary battle of Waterloo. There he received a severe wound
from a musket-ball, which lodged in his knee, the constant pain
and irritation of which (as it could not be extracted) has thus
prematurely destroyed his valuable life. His Lieut.-Colonelcy took
its date from that glorious day. He was present at the battles
of Salamanca, Vittoria, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, the blockade of
Pampeluna, and the attack of Bayonne, besides numerous engagements
of minor note. He was Major of Brigade during the campaigns in
Spain to the battle of Toulouse in April, 1814; after which he
was appointed Assistant-Adjutant General to the Cavalry, and
accompanied it as such through France to England. So entirely was
his mind devoted to his profession, that almost the last words he
spoke (only two hours before his death), in answer to a question
from his physicians as to how he felt, were, 'I am retreating,
retreating, retreating: I cannot advance.' He was a most scientific
and dexterous swordsman, a skilful officer, and able tactician.
Witness a small work which he printed on those subjects. He was a
sincere and ardent friend, a conscientious Christian, and a brave
and good man. He lived highly and universally respected, and died
sincerely lamented."
[67] A guard of honour, consisting of one major (Major Marten), two
captains, two subalterns, four serjeants, and one hundred rank and
file, with the royal standard, was ordered, by the king's special
command, from Canterbury to Windsor Castle, for the purpose of
escorting their majesties on the occasion of the presentation of a
new standard to the royal horse guards (blues) by King William IV.
on the 13th of August, 1832.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS.
JOHN LORD CHURCHILL.
_Appointed 19th November, 1683._
At its formation the ROYAL REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS had the honour of
being commanded by one of the most distinguished officers Great
Britain has produced,--a general who acquired celebrity in the
field and in the cabinet,--who never fought a battle he did not
win, nor besiege a town which he did not capture.
JOHN CHURCHILL was born on the 24th of June, 1650. At sixteen
years of age he was page of honour to the Duke of York, who
procured him an ensign's commission in the first foot guards;
and he soon afterwards resigned the pleasures of the court to
acquire a practical knowledge of his profession at Tangier, in
Africa, where he served as a volunteer against the Moors, and gave
presage of those bright qualities for which he afterwards became
distinguished. On the breaking out of the Dutch war in 1672 he was
appointed captain in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of foot, in
the service of the King of France, with which corps he served in
the Netherlands, where he signalised himself by a regular attention
to his duties, and by volunteering his services on occasions of
difficulty or danger; and he evinced signal gallantry in 1673, at
the siege of Maestricht,[68] where he was wounded. He subsequently
served with the French army on the Rhine,--attracted the particular
attention and regard of the celebrated Marshal Turenne,--and in
1674 he was appointed colonel of one of the English regiments in
the service of the French monarch, in succession to the Earl of
Peterborough. His regiment was recalled from France in 1678, and
he was appointed to the command of a brigade of foot in Flanders;
but the peace of Nimeguen taking place, he returned to England, and
his regiment was disbanded. He became the constant attendant of
the Duke of York, and being employed in several delicate missions
between His Royal Highness and the King, he evinced great address.
The King having resolved to add to the regular army a regiment of
dragoons for permanent service, Colonel Churchill was commissioned
to raise a troop of dragoons, and was appointed colonel of the
regiment, which was honoured with the distinguished title of the
ROYAL REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS. He was also advanced to the peerage of
Scotland by the title of Baron Churchill of Aymouth. Soon after the
accession of King James II. he was created an English peer by the
title of Baron Churchill of Sandridge. On the 14th of May, 1685, he
was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general: on the breaking out
of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth he was sent, with a body
of cavalry, to the west of England, and he was second in command
at the battle of Sedgemoor. His meritorious conduct during this
rebellion was rewarded with the colonelcy of the third troop of
life guards, and the rank of major-general. No ties of interest,
or charms of royal favour, could, however, induce him to abandon
the best interests of his native country; and at the Revolution in
1688 he joined the standard of the Prince of Orange, for which he
was removed from the life guards by King James. On the accession of
King William III. he was restored to the command of the third troop
of life guards,--appointed colonel of the royal fusiliers,--sworn
a member of the privy council,--made lord of the bedchamber to his
Majesty,--created EARL OF MARLBOROUGH, and appointed to the command
of the British troops sent to the Netherlands, to be employed
in the war with France. During the campaign of 1689 he served
under Prince Waldeck, and gave proof of his personal bravery, and
ability to command, at the battle of Walcourt. In June, 1690, he
was appointed commander-in-chief, and proceeding, in the autumn
of that year, with a body of troops to Ireland, captured Cork and
Kinsale. In 1691 he commanded the British infantry under King
William in the Netherlands. In the following year he was confined
in the Tower of London on a charge of high treason; but was
subsequently released without being brought to trial, and restored
to royal favour. On the breaking out of the war in 1701, he was
selected by King William to command the British forces sent to
the Netherlands, and to negotiate the treaties to be formed with
foreign powers; and he was appointed colonel of a regiment of foot
(now twenty-fourth). Queen Anne confirmed these appointments;
also advanced him to the post of captain-general of her forces,
and procured him the chief command of the united British, Dutch,
and auxiliary troops. At the head of these forces he evinced the
abilities of a great captain; he forced the enemy to take shelter
behind their lines; took Venloo, Ruremonde, Stevenswaert, and Liege
with surprising rapidity; extended and secured the Dutch frontiers;
and was rewarded with the thanks of parliament, the approbation
of his sovereign, and the dignity of DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. In the
campaign of 1703 he was again victorious; he captured Bonn, Huy,
and Limburg; but his career of victory was impeded by the jealousy
or timidity of the Dutch, which he bore in a manner corresponding
with the greatness of his mind. On the 25th of April, 1704, he
was appointed colonel of the first foot guards. The succeeding
campaign was splendid in glorious achievements. He led his army
from the ocean to the Danube; forced the heights of Schellenberg
on the 2nd July, 1704, and compelled the enemy to take shelter
behind the lines of Augsburg. New armies and new generals appeared,
and their overthrow, at the decisive battle of Blenheim on the
13th of August, added new lustre to the reputation of the British
commander: there the heaps of slain gave dreadful proofs of British
valour, and whole legions of prisoners of their mercy. This
victory displayed the distinguishing character of MARLBOROUGH,
and produced important results: Bavaria was subdued; Ratisbon,
Augsburg, Ulm, Meninghen,--all were recovered. From the Danube he
marched to the Rhine and the Moselle; Landau, Treves, and Traerbach
were taken; and the British commander,--courted and honoured by
sovereign princes,--applauded by nations, became the pride of
armies, and was rewarded with the dignity of a PRINCE OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE. While his judgment swayed the councils of the states of
Christendom, he led their armies to battle and victory. In 1705
he experienced disappointment from the princes he had delivered
in the preceding year; but, suddenly changing the scene of his
operations, he led his army from the Moselle to the Maese; Liege
was relieved; Huy retaken; and the boasted impregnable French lines
forced. In the spring of 1706 another campaign opened, when the
discipline he had introduced, and the confidence he had inspired,
again proved invincible. He met, attacked, and triumphed over the
French, Spaniards, and Bavarians, at Ramilies, on the 23rd of May.
This decisive action was followed by the surrender of Louvain,
Brussels, Malines, Liege, Ghent, Oudenarde, Antwerp, Damme, Bruges,
and Courtray; and by the capture of Ostend, Menin, Dendermond,
and Aeth,--places which had resisted the greatest generals for
months--for years; provinces, disputed for ages, were the conquests
of a summer. So great was his reputation, that, throughout the
campaign of 1707, the enemy avoided a general engagement: but in
the following summer a gallant French army, led by the princes of
the blood, was overcome at Oudenarde; and, although new armies
and new generals appeared, the career of Marlborough could
not be stopped. The barriers of France on the side of the Low
Countries,--the work of half a century,--were attacked. A numerous
French army were spectators of the fall of Lisle, the bulwark of
their barriers. Every campaign added new conquests. In 1709 Tournay
was taken; and a powerful French army posted near Malplaquet, in a
position covered by thick woods, defended by triple intrenchments,
was attacked. The battle was bloody,--the event decisive; the
woods were pierced; the fortifications were trampled down; and the
enemy fled. After this victory Mons was taken. In the succeeding
year Douay, Bethune, Aire, St. Venant, shared the same fate; and
the campaign of 1711 was distinguished by splendid success. A
new series of lines were passed, and Bouchain captured. Nothing
availed against a general whose sagacity foresaw everything,
whose vigilance attended to everything, whose constancy no labour
could subdue, whose courage no danger could dismay, and whose
intuitive glance always caught the decisive moment and insured
victory; while the discipline he maintained, and the confidence he
inspired, were equivalent to an army. The French monarch saw with
alarm his generals overmatched, his armies beaten and discouraged,
his fortresses wrested from him, and an invincible leader with
a victorious army on the confines of France, ready to carry all
the horrors of war into the heart of his kingdom, and he sued for
peace. A change of the ministry in England, with the adoption of
a policy favourable to the French interest, was followed by the
removal of the great MARLBOROUGH from all his offices dependent on
the British crown. He retired to the Continent, where he remained
until the accession of King George I., when he was replaced in his
former posts, in which he continued until his decease in 1722.
EDWARD VISCOUNT CORNBURY.
_Appointed 1st August, 1685._
EDWARD HYDE VISCOUNT CORNBURY, son of the second Earl of Clarendon,
was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the ROYAL DRAGOONS when that
corps was first embodied; and having distinguished himself at the
battle of Sedgemoor, he succeeded Lord Churchill in the colonelcy
of the regiment. The circumstances of his removal are stated at
page 19 in the 'Historical Record of the Royal Dragoons.'
ROBERT CLIFFORD.
_Appointed 24th November, 1688._
MAJOR ROBERT CLIFFORD of the ROYAL DRAGOONS was firmly devoted
to the Roman Catholic interest, and in November, 1688, by his
exertions he recovered the regiment for the service of King James,
as stated at page 19 in the Historical Record of the corps. At the
revolution he adhered to King James, and he commanded a corps of
dragoons in Ireland, until the siege of Limerick in 1691, when he
was imprisoned by the Irish on a charge of favouring the passage of
the Shannon by the English; and would have been condemned to death,
if the town had not surrendered soon afterwards.
EDWARD VISCOUNT CORNBURY.
_Re-appointed 31st December, 1688._
LORD CORNBURY was restored to the colonelcy of the ROYAL DRAGOONS
by the Prince of Orange; but was removed from his command a few
months afterwards. He was governor of New York, in the reign of
Queen Anne; and in October, 1709, succeeded to the title of EARL OF
CLARENDON. His decease occurred on the 31st of March, 1723.
ANTHONY HAYFORD.
_Appointed 1st July, 1689._
This Officer served in the life guards as a private gentleman, and
afterwards in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of horse in the reign
of Charles II. In 1684 he was appointed lieutenant in the horse
grenadier guards. In 1687 he was lieutenant-colonel of the ROYAL
DRAGOONS. He joined the Prince of Orange in November, 1688; and
succeeding Lord Cornbury in the colonelcy of the regiment in 1689,
served in Scotland and Ireland.
EDWARD MATTHEWS.
_Appointed in June, 1690._
This Officer served as a volunteer at Tangier, in Africa; also in
Ireland in 1690 and the following year, and distinguished himself
on several occasions. He also commanded a brigade of dragoons under
King William in Flanders, in 1694, 1695, and 1696; and died on the
28th of May, 1697.
THOMAS LORD RABY.