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HISTORICAL RECORDS
OF THE
BRITISH ARMY.
PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
ADJUTANT-GENERAL.
THE SECOND REGIMENT OF FOOT;
OR,
QUEEN'S ROYAL.
LONDON:
Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS,
14, Charing Cross.
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE-GUARDS,_
_1st January, 1836._
His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who
have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the
Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British
Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction
of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the
following particulars, _viz._,
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations,
in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any
Achievement it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies,
&c., it may have captured from the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying
the Place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other
Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers
and Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in
Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service
are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that
any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which
alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the
Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright
examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to
incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have
preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that
have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
'London Gazette,' from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and
admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions,
the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on
the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their
orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill
and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour
of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the
soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)
for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services
and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in
obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic
account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty
having been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future
keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth
derive information as to the difficulties and privations which
chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In
Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to
the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and
where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed
by the _presence of war_, which few other countries have escaped,
comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active
service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during
peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe,
with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country
derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist
and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to
reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on
their sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which
so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in
spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and
steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against
superior numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the
Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of
individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the
various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under His
Majesty's special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON,
Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while
the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting
to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will
also afford entertainment and information to the general reader,
particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have
relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or
are serving, in the Army, an _Esprit du Corps_--an attachment
to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a
narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove
interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great,--the
valiant,--the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with
a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race
of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, "firm
as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has
been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their
Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained
by our countrymen,--our brothers--our fellow-citizens in arms,--a
record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their
gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the
public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished
Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective
Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to
time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value
and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment
will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall
be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
SECOND,
OR
QUEEN'S ROYAL REGIMENT
OF FOOT;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN THE YEAR 1661, AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT
SERVICES TO 1837.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY CLOWES AND SONS, 14, CHARING CROSS.
MDCCCXXXVIII.
[Illustration: SECOND (THE QUEEN'S ROYAL) REGIMENT OF FOOT.]
THE SECOND,
OR
QUEEN'S ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT,
BEARS IN THE CENTRE OF
EACH COLOUR
THE QUEEN'S CYPHER
ON A
RED GROUND WITHIN THE GARTER, AND CROWN OVER IT;
ALSO THE FOLLOWING DISTINCTIONS,
_Egypt, with the Sphynx_--_Vimiera_--_Corunna_--_Salamanca_--
_Vittoria_--_Pyrenees_--_Nivelle_--_Toulouse_--and _Peninsula_.
IN THE DEXTER CANTON OF THE SECOND COLOUR
THE UNION:
IN THE THREE OTHER CORNERS
THE PASCHAL LAMB;
WITH THE MOTTOES
_Pristinæ Virtutis Memor_, and _Vel Exuviæ Triumphant_,
AND THE DISTINCTIONS ABOVE SPECIFIED.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE SECOND,
OR
QUEEN'S ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT.
[Sidenote: 1661]
The Second Regiment of Foot was raised in 1661, for the purpose
of providing a garrison for _Tangier_, a fortress on the northern
coast of Africa, which was ceded to England as part of the marriage
portion of Donna Catherina, Infanta of Portugal, who, in the
following year, was married to King Charles II[1].
The command of this regiment was conferred by King Charles II. on
Henry (second) Earl of Peterborough, whose commission as Colonel
bears date the 30th of September, 1661.
King Charles II. having, soon after his restoration, disbanded the
army of the Commonwealth, the ranks of Lord Peterborough's regiment
were speedily completed with disciplined soldiers: it is reported
to have assembled on Putney heath on the 14th of October, 1661, and
to have numbered one thousand men.
The destination of Lord Peterborough's regiment to garrison so
valuable a portion of Her Majesty's dower was, no doubt, the
cause of its early advancement to royal favour: it was designated
'the _Queen's_,' and the _Paschal Lamb_, the distinguishing badge
of Portugal, was placed on its colours, and has ever since been
continued to be borne by the regiment[2].
[Sidenote: 1662]
In a few months after its formation, the _Earl of Peterborough_
embarked with his regiment and a troop of horse[3], and arrived at
_Tangier_ on the 29th of January, 1662, where he found a British
fleet, under the command of the _Earl of Sandwich_, lying in the
roads, and _Sir Richard Steyner_, with a detachment of officers
and seamen, occupying the town: a duty from which the _Queen's_
Regiment, relieved them on the following day[4].
The fortress was already surrounded by walls upwards of a mile and
a quarter in extent, but the English began constructing, at immense
cost both of money and labour, a series of external fortifications.
It was also determined to form a secure harbour by building a pier,
or mole, several hundred yards in length. A spirit of enterprise,
which has since become so conspicuous in British subjects, was, at
this early period, strongly evinced in these improvements, carried
on amidst barbarian tribes on the unpromising shores of Africa.
Tangier was announced after its occupation 'a place of such
concernment that all the world will envy the English the attainment
of it;' but this opinion was founded more on an expectation that
the new colony would open a mart for trade, and bring to our
influence, if not to our power, the adjoining states. It was,
however, an acquisition of consequence to a nation aiming at
commercial rivalry at a time when the voyage to India by the Cape
of Good Hope was of rare occurrence. Tangier was situated so as
to be a convenient resting-place for the Mediterranean trader,
similar to what Gibraltar affords at the present time. These
speculations gave the command a great importance, made evident by
the warrant from King Charles II. on the appointment of the _Earl
of Peterborough_ to his government. It designates him '_Captain
General, Chief Governor, and Vice-Admiral of our City of Tangier,
and of the ports and coasts adjacent, and any of our dominions
and territories, castles and forts, in or near the kingdom of
Tangier, Fez, and Morocco, in Africa, which are or shall be in our
possession, or reduced to our obedience, &c._'
On the arrival of Lord Peterborough at _Tangier_, he found Gaylan,
the sovereign chief of Fez, with a body of 10,000 men, encamped
within a league of the fortress. A treaty of peace was concluded
between these commanders, and limits were fixed, beyond which the
English were not to forage or cultivate. No great reliance was
placed by the British on their new ally, and accounts from the new
colony state, 'how the Moors will observe these articles we know
not; however, we are, and we still shall be, upon our guard.'
[Sidenote: 1663]
Three other battalions of infantry also proceeded to Tangier from
Dunkirk[5]. The friendly understanding which was established
with the natives was for some time interrupted only by trifling
skirmishes, in which the Moors satisfied themselves by beating
back, with sticks, those of the garrison who passed the stipulated
bounds. A jealousy was, however, very soon evinced; and upon
opposition being made to the English in prosecuting the works and
fortifications already alluded to, war burst out, in which the
number and ferocity of the Moors were defeated and overcome by
great discipline and courage on the part of the garrison. The use
of cannon by the Europeans at length diminished the courage of the
barbarians, but not before the garrison suffered severely. They had
already lost 250 men, and the Moors about 500, amongst whom was a
brother of Gaylan, when a peace was at length concluded in 1663,
and Lord Peterborough returned in the same year to England[6].
_The Earl of Peterborough_ was succeeded, both in the government
of Tangier and in the Colonelcy of the Queen's Regiment, by
Lieutenant-General ANDREW RUTHERFORD, _Earl of Teviot_
(late Governor of Dunkirk), whose commission was dated the 9th
of April, 1663. This second governor of Tangier consolidated all
the infantry in garrison, and added them to the Queen's Tangier
Regiment; he also so beautified and strengthened the town, that he
obtained the title of its 'Restorer.'
Gaylan, hearing of the progress of the works, assembled an army
of 4000 horse and 20,000 foot[7]; and at mid-day, on Sunday the
14th of June, 1663, when all the officers were at dinner, the
Moors surprised and carried the advance-posts and attacked the
great redoubt, where Major Ridgert of the Queen's Regiment, with
forty men, made a most gallant defence, until the garrison, led
by Colonel Norwood, sallied out, and charging the Moors with
signal bravery, retook all the posts which had been captured.
The garrison lost fourteen men killed and twenty wounded in this
encounter; and the enemy upwards of one hundred. In an account of
this action published at the time, it is stated, 'The Moors are men
of resolution, and have most excellent fire-arms. When the horse
charged us, he that did command them was clothed in crimson velvet,
who being killed, they all went off immediately; it is presumed,
therefore, that he was one of their chief men.'
A second attack was subsequently made with 10,000 men, 'but the
most vigilant governor had so warily supplied the defects of the
place, by planting great guns to annoy the assailants, that though
the assault was very sharp, the enemy was beaten off with the loss
of 900 men[8].'
In August a peace was concluded for six months, and a free trade
was opened with the Moors, 'they daily bringing their camels laden
with commodities, and in return they get money and other things.'
Further additions were also made to the works, which again gave
rise to acts of hostility, and in one encounter the garrison
captured a splendid scarlet standard. A correspondence was opened
with Gaylan--the Earl of Teviot insisted on making additional
works--Gaylan objected, when his Lordship replied, 'he must have
peace on those terms, or war without them.' The latter was the
result, and led to numerous losses, particularly of the natives, in
attempts to assault the fortress.
[Sidenote: 1664]
The chief losses sustained by the garrison of Tangier were in
the sallies they made into the adjacent country to obtain fresh
provisions. The Moors had a custom of driving two or three hundred
head of cattle within sight of the walls, and planting a body of
men in ambuscade, ready to fall on the detachment, which military
ardour, to say nothing of a natural wish for fresh beef, was
sure to bring beyond the cover of the fortress. These skirmishes
frequently brought on more serious engagements, and in a sally made
by the garrison on the 4th of May, 1664, the _Earl of Teviot_[9]
met his death.
The Earl of Teviot was succeeded in the command of the Queen's
Regiment by Colonel, afterwards Lieutenant-General _Henry Norwood_,
whose commission is dated the 10th of June, 1664. The government
of Tangier at this time was bestowed by His Majesty on _John
Lord Bellasyse_, a younger son of the _Earl of Fauconberg_, who
arrived at his government in April 1665, on board the Smyrna fleet,
consisting of 'seven lusty, brave ships.'
[Sidenote: 1665]
[Sidenote: 1666]
_Lord Bellasyse_ found the judicious arrangements of the late
Commander-in-Chief had rendered Tangier impregnable to its
enemies, who by this time were much disheartened, and inclined to
terminate hostilities. A peace was concluded in the following year,
and Lord Bellasyse was himself the bearer of it to England, where
he arrived in May, 1666. The London Gazette states his favourable
reception by His Majesty, and great expectations of future
prosperity to Tangier were raised from his report.
_General Norwood_, who has been mentioned as succeeding, on
the death of the Earl of Teviot, to the command of the Queen's
Regiment, was now appointed to succeed Lord Bellasyse in his
government. His administration was that of a judicious and vigilant
officer; he acquired the confidence of the Moors, and conciliated
Gaylan the sovereign chief of Fez. General Norwood's proceedings
among the natives were considered so honourable, and his character,
altogether, stood so high, that the Emperor _Muley Xeriff_ admitted
him to traffic at Tetuan free of imposts; a most beneficial offer,
which he failed not to accept, as it so much concerned the welfare
of Tangier, 'to whose advancement,' says Addison, 'he always
declared a singular propensity.'
[Sidenote: 1668]
The death of this valuable officer, which occurred in 1668, made
room for the appointment of _John Earl of Middleton_, whose
commission, as Governor of Tangier, and as Colonel of the Queen's
Regiment, is dated the 15th of May, 1668.
It was during the colonelcy of the Earl of Middleton, when war had
been resumed with the ferocious Moors, that this regiment had the
honour of numbering amongst its volunteers the man who afterwards
became the most successful and most celebrated general of his
age;--'the man who never fought a battle which he did not gain, or
besieged a town which he failed to reduce,--JOHN CHURCHILL,
DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.' Mr. Churchill was at this time about
twenty years of age, and held an ensign's commission in the Foot
Guards, but made his first essays, in actual service, beneath the
walls of Tangier, where he eagerly engaged in the frequent sallies
and skirmishes of the garrison, giving, in this desultory warfare,
the first indication of his active and daring character.
[Sidenote: 1675]
After an administration of nearly seven years, the Earl of
Middleton died in the fortress, on the 25th of January, 1675[10].
He was succeeded in the command of _Tangier_, and also in the
colonelcy of the Queen's Regiment, on the 5th of March, 1675, by
_William O'Brien, Earl of Inchiquin_.
[Sidenote: 1678]
Tangier had by this time so increased in strength and importance,
that its occupation by the English was become an object of
jealousy, not only to the natives of the country, but to all
European powers. The fortifications had been rendered secure,
and the harbour had been improved, and now afforded a safe
anchorage. These important points had not been attained without
great opposition from the Moors, and much credit was given to the
garrison for their conduct and steady perseverance in the arduous
duties they had to perform. We find acknowledgment made of them by
the journals of the day in the following terms:--'Many and various
have been the warlike exploits of the heroic English against
the barbarians, during the possession of this famous garrison
of Tangier, so much renowned throughout the world, standing as
commandress of those seas, and a protection to shipping from the
Turkish pirates.' The Oxford Gazette of the same period also
contains a letter from Tangier, reporting a threatened attack from
a French fleet, and adds, 'the soldiers, far from being surprised
at the news, are infinitely rejoiced at it, expecting them with
much impatience.' Thus we find the Queen's Regiment was ever at its
post, and had for eighteen years, almost single-handed, maintained
this important fortress, in defiance of numerous assaults from the
equally destructive effects of war and climate.
[Sidenote: 1680]
Towards the termination of the Earl of Inchiquin's[11] command
Tangier became an object of still greater attention in England. The
Emperor of Morocco had joined with the forces of Fez, and a crusade
was carrying on against the Christian occupants of this part of
Africa; Europeans were found ready to direct the operations of the
savages, and the war assumed an importance hitherto not bestowed on
it. The following is an account given at the time:--
'The Moors being vexed, knowing it was impossible to make their
approaches against Tangier above ground, resolved to effect it by
drawing lines and working underneath the earth; which stratagem of
war, it is supposed, they learnt from several French and Spanish
mercenaries whom they keep in pay: this practice they were before
quite ignorant of.'--The public journals also speak indignantly of
some English who clandestinely imported 1500 barrels of gunpowder
to the enemy, and say, ''Tis too often the custom of our nation to
give away their swords, and fight with their teeth, and furnish
our foes with means to cut our own throats.' Numerous losses
sustained by the garrison, together with the increased force of the
assailants, rendered it requisite to send reinforcements to the
relief of the former. For this purpose a detachment left Ireland
in the spring of 1680, consisting of four companies of the Royal
Regiment of Foot; twelve other companies of the same regiment
followed in the same year; five companies of the Foot Guards also
sailed for the same destination under the Earl of Mulgrave.
In addition to the above reinforcements, a new regiment was raised
in 1680, of which _Charles Fitz Charles, Earl of Plymouth_, (a
natural son of King Charles II.) was appointed Colonel, and
embarked on this service. This latter corps was called 'the Second
Tangier Regiment,' and is now the 4th, or King's Own Regiment.
It has been stated that the Duke of Marlborough was initiated at
Tangier in the first rudiments of war. The same theatre for the
display of British valour and enterprise was at this time chosen by
several other volunteers, among whom were Charles Lord Mordaunt,
the afterwards celebrated Earl of Peterborough, and others of rank
and celebrity.
In the year 1680 the Earl of Inchiquin vacated his appointment on
being made Governor of Jamaica. Colonel Sir Palmes Fairborne[12],
of the Queen's Regiment, who succeeded to the command of the
fortress on the departure of the Earl of Inchiquin, was, in
consequence of his gallant and meritorious services, confirmed in
the appointment by his Majesty. The demise of this brave officer,
however, occurred before the commission for his appointment was
signed; he was wounded in an action with the Moors on the 24th of
October, 1680, and died three days after, leaving the charge of the
garrison to Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Sackville, of the Coldstream
Foot Guards[13]. On the 27th of October the garrison attacked the
enemy's lines with determined bravery, and the Queen's Regiment is
reported to have '_behaved to admiration_[14].' Considerable loss
was however sustained by the English; 'not above fifty men were
left in one of the battalions of Lord Inchiquin's Regiment (the
Queen's): the English and Scotch behaved as brave and gallant men,
and the Gentlemen Volunteers have alike proved themselves men of
courage.'
The Queen's Regiment had Ensign Watson, Ensign Trent, and
thirty-four men killed; and Captain Philpot, Lieutenants Guy and
Tate, Ensigns Roberts, Thomas, Fitzpatrick, Webster, Norwood,
Beckford, and Elliott, with 124 men wounded.
[Sidenote: 1681]
In a short period after the above engagement, his Majesty
was pleased to appoint Lieutenant-Colonel Sackville to be
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Queen's Regiment of Foot Guards, by which
he was removed from service at Tangier.
[Sidenote: 1682]
The Government of Tangier was next conferred upon Colonel Piercy
Kirke[15], who, on the death of the Earl of Plymouth, had been
promoted, on the 27th of November 1680, to the Colonelcy of the 2nd
Tangier Regiment, with which Regiment he had embarked for Africa as
Lieutenant-Colonel in September of that year. He was removed to the
Colonelcy of the Queen's Regiment on the 19th of April, 1682, in
succession to Colonel Sir Palmes Fairborne, deceased.
During Colonel Kirke's services at Tangier, he had been frequently
employed upon missions to the Emperor of Morocco. In Ockley's
'Account of South-west Barbary,' there is a letter from the Emperor
to him, dated the 27th of October, 1682, which shows that there
was a mutual interchange of civilities between them; it is written
to acknowledge the receipt of a present of three English horses,
which, however thankful he might be, the Emperor seems to think
might have been improved upon, for he remarks, 'everybody knows
that a carriage requires _four_ horses to travel.'
The support of the colony of Tangier appears to have been a matter
of serious dispute between the King and the Parliament: repeatedly
the King urged upon the House of Commons the importance of the
place, and the House as often acknowledged it; but still withheld
the supplies necessary for its defence.
The advantage derived from the Levant trade, the fact that two
millions of money had been expended on the works, and various
arguments in favour of maintaining Tangier, were at length fully
set forth in a speech from His Majesty on the 17th of November,
1680: a reply was made to it in eighteen articles, but the
following remarks will sufficiently explain the whole affair, and
account for the final sacrifice of the colony:--
'It was said by the Parliament that the money granted for works
had been misapplied;--that the same thing might happen again; and
although they were, indeed, afraid of Tangier, they were more
afraid of a popish successor.--It was a nursery, not only for
popish soldiers, but also for priests and religious persons too,
and that there had been sometimes a popish governor of the place,
so that to succour it was but to augment their present evils.'
In December, 1680, and again, in a Royal Declaration, dated the
8th of April, 1681, its great importance was urged. At length, in
1683, the King, finding the expense of maintaining the garrison
and fortifications greater than he was willing, or, unassisted by
Parliament, able to bear, came to the resolution of recalling the
one, and demolishing the other.
[Sidenote: 1683]
[Sidenote: 1684]
About the end of the year 1683, Admiral Lord Dartmouth was sent
to Tangier with twenty sail of the line, with orders to demolish
the fortress and mole, and to bring away the inhabitants and
garrison. Great sufferings had been endured for some time for want
of supplies from England, and much joy was evinced by the former
on the announcement being made. In six months all the arrangements
to abandon this once favourite colony being completed, the final
evacuation took place in April, 1684. The Portuguese government had
offered a remuneration to have Tangier restored to that nation,
but their power of defending it was questionable, and it was not
considered prudent to risk so important a fortress falling into the
hands of the Moors.
There are no means of ascertaining the number of officers and
men lost by the Queen's Regiment during the twenty-two years of
its service at Tangier; but to judge from the casualties amongst
officers of superior rank, it must have been immense. The regiment
had steadily persevered in performing the arduous duties required
of it, and now retired from its post when a final evacuation of the
fortress took place, by the King's command.
The Queen's Regiment left Tangier in April, 1684; and on its
arrival in England it mustered 560 men, who were portioned into 16
companies. This number was part of 2300 troops, which had comprised
the garrison of Tangier, and which, beside the Queen's Regiment,
included
4 Troops of horse, which were incorporated in the Royal Dragoons.
5 Companies of Foot Guards.
16 Companies of Earl of Dumbarton's (now 1st or Royal Regiment).
16 Companies Trelawny's 2nd Tangier Regiment (now 4th or King's
Own).
1 Company of Miners.
4 Independent Companies.
[Sidenote: 1685]
The want of confidence alluded to, as existing at this epoch
between the Court and Parliament of England, did not terminate
with the death of King Charles II., which event occurred on the
6th of February, 1685. His successor King James II. had scarcely
ascended his throne, when the army was called upon to protect him
from the designs of disaffected subjects, headed by the Duke of
Monmouth, who had landed from Holland, and raised the standard of
rebellion in the west of England. On this occasion the Queen's
Regiment formed part of the forces assembled under the Earl of
Feversham, and it is reported, that at the decisive battle of
_Sedgemoor_, where Monmouth and his party were defeated, and his
cause irretrievably ruined, 'the two Tangier regiments, Kirke's
and Trelawny's, did good service[16].' Colonel Kirke was promoted
to the rank of Brigadier-General on the 11th of May, 1685, and
afterwards appointed to command at Bridgewater.
Here we would willingly close the detail of this unfortunate
affair; but there have been too frequent allusions to Kirke,
and also to his regiment, by various historians, as connected
with subsequent proceedings in Monmouth's rebellion to justify
such a course. Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys was appointed by King
James to conduct a special commission, and to pass judgment on
the misguided people who had aided the ill-fated Duke and his
adherents: Kirke with his regiment was ordered to escort the
judges in their circuit; numerous are the acts of barbarity which
history has handed down as perpetrated by Jeffreys and Kirke in
what were termed the 'bloody assizes,' and we are told that no
less than 261 persons were executed. The remorseless character
said to have been evinced by Kirke on the occasion was supposed to
be the result of the long and sanguinary wars he had been engaged
in with the barbarians in Africa; but _Savage_, in his history
of Taunton, states, that 'on Kirke being afterwards upbraided
for his conduct by General Foulks, he excused himself, and said
he had an express order from the King and his General, and that
his commission went further.' Kirke is represented as 'a loose
and bold soldier of fortune;' and there cannot be a doubt but
he made himself a willing agent to his ermined and sanguinary
coadjutor; but we are inclined to believe his vices have been
greatly exaggerated. The most outrageous acts attributed to Kirke
were said to have been perpetrated in the neighbourhood of Taunton;
and a piece of ground, west of the castle, where he and his force
were cantoned, was called '_Tangier_,' in allusion to the services
of his regiment. Had the conduct of Colonel Kirke approached the
violence attributed to him, it is not very probable that in the
short space of four years it would have been so lost sight of as to
admit a demonstration of joy similar to the following, noticed by
the historian of Taunton already quoted: 'The people of Taunton,
in commemoration of his (Kirke's) relieving Derry, when besieged
by James II. in 1689, devoted an evening to the drinking of his
health in public, the expenses of which may be now seen in an old
church book.' Zeal for party, or misstatement, are at all times
liable to disfigure the pages of history; and if the case of Kirke
is not admitted as exemplifying this fact, a very short statement
will show that the character of _his regiment_ has been unjustly
implicated in these outrages. Dr. Toulmin and other writers remark,
that the name of '_lambs_' was given by Colonel Kirke to his
soldiers, who were most ready to execute his cruel orders; but the
truth is, that the regiment, as already shown, had the device of a
_Lamb_ on its colours and appointments from its first formation,
and continues to bear it to this day. From this circumstance they
were called 'The Lambs' long before the period alluded to, and
without any connexion with its services in the West of England at
this unhappy period.
[Sidenote: 1686]
After the decease of King Charles II. this regiment was styled
'_The Queen Dowager's Regiment of Foot_.' During the two years
which followed Monmouth's rebellion, the Queen Dowager's Regiment
formed part of a body of 12,000 troops assembled in camps for
exercise on Hounslow Heath. King James made great efforts to
ingratiate himself with this army: his success, as well as his
object, on the occasion, will be inferred from the following
remark given by Bishop Burnet--'That which abated the King's joy
in seeing so brave an army about him, was, that it was visible,
and on so many occasions, that his soldiers had as great an
aversion to his religion as his other subjects had expressed.' An
anecdote related of Colonel Kirke is further illustrative of the
times:--when asked respecting a change of religion, he is stated
briefly to have replied, 'he was pre-engaged; for he had promised
the Emperor of Morocco, if ever he changed his religion, he would
turn _Mahomedan_.'
[Illustration: FIRST TANGIER REGIMENT OF FOOT, MDCLXXXVII.; NOW
SECOND (THE QUEEN'S ROYAL) REGIMENT OF FOOT. [_To face page 18._]
[Sidenote: 1688]
An attempt to displace Protestants from various situations, civil
and military, and to substitute Catholics, as well as to force
popish recruits into the army, and other causes, at length brought
on the _Revolution_; and at this important crisis we find the
Queen Dowager's Regiment faithful to the best interests of its
country. The Prince of Orange (afterwards William III.) made
good his landing at Torbay early in November, 1688, and marched
to Exeter. The advanced position of King James's army was at
Warminster, and comprised two battalions of Dumbarton's Regiment
(the Royals) and Kirke's (the Queen's), a troop of Life Guards,
and the Queen Consort's Regiment of Horse, now the First Dragoon
Guards. The whole was commanded by Brigadier-General Kirke, who,
on some frivolous pretence, refused to march to Devizes, for
which he was placed in arrest, and ordered to London. The King,
deserted by many of his followers, and even by a portion of his own
family, adopted the resolution of retreating towards London, and
caused his forces to retire behind the Thames to Staines and its
neighbourhood; and ultimately, his Majesty vacating his throne,
without any government being nominated, left the troops at liberty
to use their own discretion. Little opposition was made to the
advance of the Prince of Orange, who was soon joined by Kirke,
and the latter was received by his new monarch with particular
distinction.
[Sidenote: 1689]
King James II., with a view of maintaining his authority in
Ireland, and assisted by Louis XIV., embarked from France,
and landed at Dublin in March, 1689. The Protestants in that
country were determined to resist his dominion, particularly at
Londonderry, where, under the gallant direction of the Rev. George
Walker, rector of Donoghmore, they nobly defended that city for
several months, notwithstanding the Governor, Colonel Lundy,
Colonel Thomas Cunningham, 9th Foot, and Colonel Solomon Richards,
17th Foot, had resolved, in a council of war, that the place was
not tenable, and that it would be imprudent to land those two
regiments which had been sent to their assistance: these officers
were in consequence cashiered, and the most active measures were
taken for sending a further number of troops from England to the
assistance of the Protestants, and to the relief of Londonderry.
Major-General Kirke was appointed to the command of the troops
embarked on this service, on which the Queen Dowager's Regiment
was employed, and, with Sir John Hanmer's (the 11th) Regiment,
sailed from Liverpool on the 21st of May. Great difficulties were
encountered in gaining access to Londonderry on account of the
batteries which had been erected on each side of the river by the
besieging army. At length the ship Mountjoy, under convoy of the
Dartmouth frigate, forced a boom or barrier which had been placed
across the river to obstruct the entrance, and General Kirke
succeeded in landing men and provisions. The troops of King James
were so dispirited by the success of this enterprize, that they
abandoned the siege in the night, and retired with precipitation,
after having lost some thousands of men before the place.
[Sidenote: 1690]
The Queen Dowager's Regiment continued in Ireland, and served
with distinction in the army of King William at the battle of the
_Boyne_ on the 1st of July, 1690. It was also employed in the siege
of _Limerick_; in the relief of _Birr_; and in December drove a
division of the enemy out of _Lanesborough_.
[Sidenote: 1691]
In 1691 four men per company were mounted, and performed dragoon's
duty[17]: the grenadier company was also mounted. In February the
mounted part of the regiment distinguished itself in an action
at the _Moat of Grenogue_; and the remainder of the regiment took
_Cairn Castle_ and _Conway Castle_. In May the regiment defeated a
body of Rapparees near _Wyands-Town_. It was afterwards employed
at the siege of _Athlone_, which was carried by storm on the 30th
of June, 1691. It is recorded that 'never was a more desperate
service, nor was ever exploit performed with more valour and
intrepidity.' Lieut.-General De Ginkell, to whom King William had
entrusted the command of his army, was created Earl of Athlone
for his conduct and success on this occasion. On the 4th of July
ten mounted grenadiers of the Queen's Regiment and twenty horse,
engaged 400 of the enemy's cavalry in the woods of _Clanoult_, and
displayed astonishing bravery. Our men defended a bridge until half
their numbers were killed, and then retired.
The Queen Dowager's Regiment was engaged at the decisive battle
of _Aghrim_, in the county of Galway, on the 12th of July, 1691,
when the French General St. Ruth was killed, and about 4000 of his
troops. It was also engaged in the second siege of Limerick; and on
the 22nd of September distinguished itself in an attack upon the
works which covered Thoumond Bridge. So great was the loss of the
enemy, that the place surrendered a few days afterwards.
The ambition and power of Louis XIV. caused England to unite with
other nations to check the designs of France, and in 1689 the Earl
of Marlborough proceeded to Flanders with several English regiments
to join the army of the confederacy. In 1691 King William assumed
the command of the allied forces in Flanders.
The war in Ireland having ended with the capitulation of Limerick,
King William was thereby enabled to withdraw some regiments from
that country, and to re-inforce his army in Flanders: the Queen
Dowager's Regiment was one of those selected for foreign service,
on which it immediately proceeded.
Lieutenant-General Kirke, who was promoted to that rank on the
24th of December, 1690, joined the army in Flanders, and died at
Breda on the 31st of October, 1691. The Colonelcy of the Queen
Dowager's Regiment was conferred on Colonel William Selwyn, from
the Coldstream Foot Guards, on the 18th of December, 1691.
[Sidenote: 1692]
In the spring of 1692, the preparations making by Louis XIV. of
France, and the late King James II., for the invasion of England,
caused King William to send back some of the regiments, which had
been sent from Ireland to join the army in the Low Countries;
amongst others the Queen Dowager's returned, and was encamped
at Portsmouth. The glorious victory off La Hogue, obtained at
this critical period by the gallant exertions of the fleet under
Admiral Russell, dispelled all fear of invasion, and distracted
the councils of the enemy. Seven thousand of the force assembled
at Portsmouth, including the _Queen Dowager's_ Regiment, were
embarked under the Duke of Leinster with the intention of returning
the compliment by making a descent on the coast of France; but
this expedition being postponed, and ultimately abandoned, in
consequence of the lateness of the season, the troops were ordered
to proceed to Flanders. They landed at Ostend on the 22nd of
August, and took and fortified the neighbouring towns of Furnes and
Dixmude.
[Sidenote: 1693]
The Queen Dowager's Regiment continued to form part of the army
on the continent, serving with distinction in various operations
there, and more particularly at the battle of _Landen_ on the 29th
of July, 1693, where it was posted in the left wing of the allied
army, and in conjunction with the regiment of _Hamilton_ (the
Royals) defeated a superior force of the enemy, and retarded, for a
time, the disasters of the day. Nothing could surpass the courage
and perseverance of King William, whose presence with this portion
of his troops urged them on to deeds of the greatest heroism. At
length, weakened by repeated attacks from a far more numerous army,
and having their ammunition expended, they retired, leaving their
enemy little more than the name of a victory, for the Duke of
Luxembourg gained no advantages, and his army had a greater number
of officers and men killed and wounded than the allies. The Queen
Dowager's Regiment lost in this battle Captain Collins, Captain
Sandys, Lieutenant Campbell, Ensign Burt, and about 100 men.
[Sidenote: 1695]
The Queen Dowager's had also the glory of being in the line of
circumvallation at the siege of _Namur_, and at the reduction of
that fortress in August, 1695, which event was looked upon as one
of the greatest in King William's military life. _Namur_ was so
well furnished and prepared for this attack, and so well situated,
that the attempt to reduce it was considered one of the utmost
temerity. It was defended by 15,000 chosen men, and commanded by a
Marshal of France (Boufflers) who 'made the point one of the King's
glory.' He was, however, forced to capitulate, after losing nearly
two-thirds of his garrison, and the place was occupied by King
William within two months from his investing it. On this occasion
Colonel Selwyn, commanding the Queen's, was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General.
[Sidenote: 1696]
In the winter of 1695-6, the king of France assembled an army near
Calais, for a descent upon England in favour of King James, who
had privately concerted measures for a rebellion in this country,
and had sent the Duke of Berwick with a number of officers in
disguise, through whose persuasions 2000 men were prepared to
rise, at a moment's notice, under the directions of Sir John
Fenwick[18]; at the same time a conspiracy was formed in London
for the assassination of King William, and fifty men were engaged
and prepared with arms to commit the diabolical act. The Queen
Dowager's and several other regiments were immediately ordered to
England to resist the threatened invasion. The plot was, however,
discovered; many of the conspirators were apprehended and executed;
and the designs of the enemy frustrated.
[Sidenote: 1697]
The regiment remained in England until the summer of 1697, when
it again proceeded to the Netherlands, joined the army encamped
before Brussels on the 14th of July, and on the 16th was reviewed
by his Majesty. This war was terminated in September by the Peace
of Ryswick; and the regiment returned to England the same year. The
establishment of the regiment after the peace was 44 officers, and
884 non-commissioned officers and men.
[Sidenote: 1701]
On the 28th of June, 1701, General Selwyn exchanged from the
Queen's to the 22nd Regiment of Foot, with Sir Henry Bellasis, Kt.
The throne of Spain having become vacant by the death of King
Charles II., which took place in 1701, the Duke of Anjou was
crowned king, under the title of Philip V., and was supported by
his grandfather Louis XIV. of France.
The conduct of France alarmed the other Powers of Europe, and the
death of the late King of England, James II., having taken place
at St. Germains on the 16th of September, 1701, the resentment of
England against France was further called forth by Louis XIV.
having proclaimed his son, (the pretended Prince of Wales) King of
England, Scotland, and Ireland, and having also influenced Spain to
concur in the same affront and indignity.
[Sidenote: 1702]
War was determined, and whilst active preparations were making for
prosecuting it, King William III. received a fall from his horse,
and his death took place on the 8th of March, 1702. His policy was
adopted by his successor, Queen Anne, who entered into treaties of
alliance with the Emperor of Germany, the States General of the
United Provinces, and other princes and potentates, for preserving
the liberty and balance of Europe, and for reducing the exorbitant
power of France.
Declaration of war was accordingly proclaimed against France and
Spain on the 4th of May, 1702. The importance of rescuing Spain
from foreign oppression, and of checking the ambitious views of
France, was also acknowledged by the English Parliament, and
liberal provision was made for increasing the means of prosecuting
the war with activity and vigour, both by sea and land.
The Earl of Marlborough was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the
English troops in Holland, whither he had proceeded as Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, immediately after her Majesty's
accession to the throne.
In the beginning of June, 1702, it was arranged that a naval force,
consisting of fifty sail of the line, besides frigates, under
Admiral Sir George Rooke, and a land force, consisting of nearly
fourteen thousand men, under the command of the Duke of Ormond,
should proceed to the coast of Spain. The following corps were
employed on this service; namely,--
Corps. Present title. Officers and
men.
Lloyd's Dragoons 3rd Light Dragoons (Detachment) 275
*Foot Guards 1st and Coldstream 755
*Sir H. Bellasis' 2nd Foot 834
*Churchill's 3rd " 834
*Seymour's 4th " 834
*Columbine's 6th " 724
*Royal Fusileers 7th " (3 Companies) 313
Erle's 19th " 724
Gustavus Hamilton's 20th " 724
Villiers's (Marines) 31st Foot (5 Companies) 520
*Fox's (Marines) 32nd " 834
Donegal's 35th " 724
Charlemont's 36th " 724
*Shannon's (Marines) 834
------
{ Commanded by Baron } 9653
Dutch Regiments { Sparr and Brigadier} 3924
{ Pallandt. } ------
13,577
_The Regiments marked thus * landed at Vigo._
The armament appeared off Cadiz on the 12th of August, and the Duke
summoned the place; but his terms being refused, he landed on the
15th, between Rota and Fort St. Catherine, where he encountered and
repulsed some Spanish cavalry. The next operation of the army was
the attack and capture of Fort St. Catherine and of Port St. Mary;
but the attempt on Cadiz failed.