of Ormond summoned the place; his terms being refused, a landing
was effected between Rota and Fort St. Catherine on the 15th of
that month, where the troops encountered and repulsed some Spanish
cavalry. St. Catherine’s fort was compelled to surrender, and Port
St. Mary’s was occupied by the British troops; the expedition,
however, proved not of sufficient force to capture Cadiz, which
was found much stronger and better garrisoned than was expected
from the information which had been received in England prior to
the fitting out of the armament, and the soldiers returned on
board the fleet. The THIRTY-SIXTH regiment was afterwards detached
from Cadiz to the West Indies with a division of the royal navy
under Commodore Walker, and sailed on this service on the 24th of
September.
[Sidenote: 1703.]
A powerful armament was prepared for the attack of the French and
Spanish settlements in the West Indies in 1703, but this enterprise
was subsequently abandoned.
[Sidenote: 1704.]
After losing several men from the effects of the climate, the
regiment was withdrawn from the West Indies, and was stationed in
Ireland in the year 1704.
[Sidenote: 1705.]
The successes obtained by the Duke of Marlborough in Flanders
and Germany led to an attempt to place the Archduke Charles of
Austria on the throne of Spain by force of arms. In the former
year Gibraltar had been captured by the combined English and
Dutch fleets, and in connexion with these events the THIRTY-SIXTH
regiment was embarked from Ireland in April 1705, in order to
proceed with the force under the Earl of Peterborough.
The design of this expedition was either to aid the Duke of Savoy
in driving the French out of Italy, to make an attempt on Naples
and Sicily, or to further the progress of the Archduke in Spain.
The fleet arrived at Lisbon in June, and additional forces were
embarked; at the same time the Archduke Charles went on board
the fleet to share in the toils and dangers inseparable from the
enterprise. From Lisbon the expedition proceeded to Gibraltar,
where it was joined by the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt and a
reinforcement from the garrison.
The fleet next proceeded to the bay of Altea, in Valencia, and
there the officers and soldiers had opportunities of observing the
attachment of the inhabitants of that part of Spain to the Austrian
Prince. A thousand Catalonians and Valentians who had thrown off
their allegiance to the house of Bourbon, and had acknowledged the
Archduke Charles as the Sovereign of Spain, seized on the town of
Denia, while others made demonstrations of giving effectual aid to
the expedition; such a spirit of enterprise was evinced by King
Charles, the Earl of Peterborough, the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt,
and others, that both officers and men became imbued with the
ardent zeal of their superiors, and resolved to effect something
great and remarkable.
Under these feelings, the celebrated city of _Barcelona_, the
capital of Catalonia, and one of the most ancient towns in Spain,
was selected as the scene of the first attempt. Its situation on a
plain near the sea, with a mole capable of containing only galleys
and small ships, defended by ten bastions, several old towers, and
other works, with a strong castle and citadel named _Montjuich_,
on a hill on the west side, and commanding the town; the garrison
consisting of between five and six thousand men under the Viceroy
of Catalonia, Don Francisco de Velasco, while the besieging army
was unable to bring more than seven thousand men into the lines;
these circumstances, with the fact that in 1697 this fortress
resisted the Duke of Vendôme, with a French army of thirty thousand
men, eight weeks with open trenches, and cost the French monarch
twelve thousand men, gave an interesting and romantic character
to the enterprise, in which the THIRTY-SIXTH, and other regiments
employed, gained much honour. It is also to be noticed, that it was
the same Prince of Hesse Darmstadt who was now engaged in capturing
what he had before so nobly defended; for it was a question whether
the Duke of Vendôme gained more glory by the taking, than the
Prince of Darmstadt by defending Barcelona, when employed in the
Spanish service.
The Earl of Peterborough landed his troops on the 23d and 24th
of August near the river Bassoz, about three miles east of
_Barcelona_. On the 28th of that month, King Charles came on
shore, and several of the inhabitants of the neighbouring towns
and villages greeted his landing with great acclamations. The
progress of the siege was, however, retarded by opposite opinions
and views entertained by the superior officers. It was at length
determined to surprise the detached fortress of _Montjuich_, as
proposed by the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt. The storming party of
four hundred grenadiers, selected from the various corps employed
in the siege, with a support of six hundred musketeers, commenced
its march in the night of Sunday the 13th of September, round the
mountains, and were followed by another detachment and a party of
dragoons. The greater part of the way not being passable for above
one man abreast, and the night very dark, the first detachment was
nearly twelve hours on the march, and did not arrive at the foot
of the mountain until break of day of the 14th of September; some
Miquelets, in the service of the enemy, gave the alarm to the
troops in the castle and in the town, so that the Prince of Hesse,
on his arrival, found the garrison in arms, with guards in the
outworks, who received the Confederates with a general discharge of
artillery and small arms. Upon this the Prince of Hesse, and the
Viscount Charlemont, Colonel of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, (who
commanded on the 14th of September as Brigadier, in consequence
of the indisposition of the Dutch Brigadier Schonenberg,) ordered
Lieut.-Colonel Southwell, of the Sixth foot, to commence the
attack with the grenadiers; this service was performed with signal
intrepidity and resolution. Upon this success the Prince of Hesse
Darmstadt advanced to possess himself of a post which would prevent
the enemy’s communication with the town, and in the attempt was
mortally wounded. The loss of this officer damped the spirits of
the soldiers;--the enemy, perceiving some disorder amongst the
Confederates, called out, “Long live King Charles!” and invited the
assailants to come to them; upon Colonel Allen’s advance to the
fort, with about two hundred and fifty men, the Spaniards opened
the gate the better to conceal their stratagem, but immediately
fired upon the men, and compelled this detachment to surrender; at
the same time, a large reinforcement was seen advancing from the
town to aid the garrison in the castle, whereupon the troops were
seized with a panic, and Lord Charlemont, with other officers,
endeavoured to counteract the disorder which ensued.
Upon the Earl of Peterborough receiving this intelligence, his
lordship placed himself at the head of the detachments that were
retreating,--rallied them, and ultimately regained the posts they
had before so nobly acquired; the Spaniards who were advancing from
the town retired, and the outworks of _Montjuich_ were gained.
Batteries were then constructed, and the inner works were assailed
with cannon balls, bombs, and grenades. After the action was
over, the Earl of Peterborough introduced Lord Charlemont and
Lieut.-Colonel Southwell to the King of Spain, as officers that had
done His Majesty signal service on this occasion; for which they
both received the thanks of that Prince.[6]
On the 17th of September, Lieut.-Colonel Southwell, of the Sixth
regiment of foot, being on duty in the trenches, observed that
the bombs thrown by a Dutch bombardier from a small mortar fell
to the left of the fort, and concluding that there was a magazine
in the place, he traversed the mortar himself more to the right,
and fired it; the bomb fell into a small chapel where the garrison
had stored their powder, which exploded, and buried a number of
officers and men in the ruins. Lieut.-Colonel Southwell advanced
at the head of his men, and was met by the surviving officers and
men of the garrison, who immediately surrendered the fortress. The
Lieut.-Colonel was made Governor of the place, in consideration of
his services.
The capture of _Montjuich_ facilitated the siege of the city of
_Barcelona_, which was prosecuted with vigour; and on the 4th of
October the garrison agreed to capitulate. The Viceroy made several
extravagant demands, which occupied some days in debating, so that
the capitulation was not signed until the evening of the 9th of
October; it was agreed that the Angel-gate and bastion should be
immediately delivered up to the Allies, and the whole city four
days after, when the garrison should march out with all the honours
of war. The capture of Barcelona was accompanied by the submission
to King Charles of all Catalonia, with the exception of Roses.
King Charles commenced forming a Spanish army for his service; he
soon had five hundred dragoons for a guard, and six regiments of
infantry. He was joined by Colonel Nebot, who forsook the service
of King Philip with a regiment of horse, and in a short time the
province of Valencia submitted to the Austrian Prince.
[Sidenote: 1706.]
The regiment continued under the immediate directions of the
Earl of Peterborough, with whose achievements its services are
connected; his raising the siege of _San Matteo_, the capture of
_Monviedro_, his exploits in _Valencia_, and the relief of the
capital of that province,--successes gained with a small body of
soldiers over a numerous army,--carry with them the appearance of
fiction and romance more than of sober reality; but being supported
by abundance of collateral and direct evidence, the truth of these
achievements is unquestionable. Unfortunately, no documents have
been discovered to prove what particular corps his lordship left
in garrison, and what he took with him in his daring enterprise
in Valencia; the part taken by the First and Eighth dragoons, the
Thirteenth, Thirtieth, and Thirty-fourth foot, and a few other
corps, can be clearly made out from history; but whether the
THIRTY-SIXTH remained in garrison in Catalonia, or was employed in
the enterprise in Valencia, has not been ascertained.
King Charles and his counsellors, instead of exerting themselves
to provide for the security of the towns which had been acquired,
and collecting the means for future conquests, wasted their time
and money in balls and public diversions. The breaches in Barcelona
and the detached fortress of Montjuich were left unrepaired, and
the garrison unprovided for a siege. Meanwhile King Philip was
obtaining reinforcements from the frontiers of Portugal, from
Italy, Provence, Flanders, and the Rhine; and he soon appeared at
the head of above twenty thousand men to recapture the provinces
he had lost. A powerful French and Spanish force approached
_Barcelona_ by land, a French fleet appeared before the place, and
the enemy encamped before the north side of the city on the 2nd of
April 1706.
The Earl of Peterborough hastened from Valencia with a body of
select troops, but found the town so closely beset that he was
unable to force his way into it, when he took to the mountains,
and harassed the enemy with skirmishes and night alarms. When the
garrison was nearly exhausted, its numbers decreased from deaths,
wounds, sickness, and other causes to about a thousand effective
men, and a practicable breach was ready for the enemy to attack
the place by storm, the English and Dutch fleet arrived with five
regiments of foot; the French fleet withdrew from before the town,
and the reinforcements were landed. Barcelona being thus relieved,
the enemy, having lost six thousand men before the town, made a
precipitate retreat on the 12th of May, leaving two hundred brass
cannon, thirty mortars, and vast quantities of ammunition and
provision behind him, together with the sick and wounded of his
army, whom Marshal de Tessé recommended to the humanity of the
British commander.
Barcelona was thus preserved by British skill and valour; and the
THIRTY-SIXTH, with the other regiments in garrison, received the
thanks of King Charles for this important service.
On the 10th of May 1706, Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Alnutt was promoted
to the colonelcy of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, in succession
to the Viscount Charlemont, who had been removed by the Earl
of Peterborough. A complaint on this subject was subsequently
preferred by Lord Charlemont; and the reports made by the council
of general officers, after a patient investigation, are inserted
in the memoir of that nobleman, as Colonel of the THIRTY-SIXTH
regiment, at page 109. These documents are highly flattering to
Viscount Charlemont, and bear ample testimony to his gallant
conduct at Barcelona.
An immediate advance upon Madrid having been resolved upon, the
Marquis das Minas and the Earl of Galway, who commanded a British,
Portuguese, and Dutch force on the frontiers of Portugal, were
requested to penetrate boldly to the capital of Spain. To engage
in this service the THIRTY-SIXTH embarked from Barcelona, and
proceeded by sea to Valencia, where King Charles was expected to
arrive with the cavalry by land. While in Valencia the regiment
furnished a detachment of non-commissioned officers and soldiers,
which, with similar detachments from other corps of infantry,
were formed into a regiment of dragoons, named the Earl of
Peterborough’s regiment.
_Requena_ and _Cuenza_, which places lie on the line of march from
Valencia to Madrid, were captured after a short resistance by the
troops detached under Major-General Wyndham. Meanwhile the army
from Portugal had penetrated to Madrid, and was anxiously awaiting
the arrival of King Charles, who, following the pernicious advice
of his Italian counsellors, delayed his journey, and eventually
proceeded by way of Arragon. This afforded time for the French and
Spanish troops under King Philip to re-enter Spain; and uniting
with the forces under the Duke of Berwick, the enemy had a great
superiority of numbers. The allies were forced to retire from their
forward position, and being joined on the 17th of September at
Veles, by the troops which had been detached under Major-General
Wyndham, they continued their route towards the frontiers of
Valencia and Murcia, where they remained during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1707.]
The THIRTY-SIXTH, in the year 1707, joined part of the Allied
army, which was composed of English, Spaniards, Portuguese, and
Dutch, commanded by the Marquis das Minas and the Earl of Galway,
and took the field for offensive operations in the early part
of April. After destroying several of the enemy’s magazines, the
siege of the castle of _Villena_ was undertaken, and while this
was in progress, a French and Spanish force, of very superior
numbers, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, advanced to the plains
of _Almanza_. As the enemy expected the arrival of reinforcements
under the Duke of Orleans, the allied generals, though much
inferior in numbers, resolved to attack their adversaries without
delay.
The following regiments were present at the battle of Almanza, and
their effective strength is taken from the weekly return dated 22nd
of April, three days prior to the battle:--
Men.
Harvey’s horse, now Second dragoon guards 227
Carpenter’s dragoons, now Third light dragoons } 292
Essex’s dragoons, now Fourth light dragoons }
Killegrew’s dragoons, now Eighth hussars 51
Pearce’s dragoons, disbanded 273
Peterborough’s dragoons, disbanded 303
Guiscard’s dragoons, disbanded 228
Foot guards 400
Portmore’s, now Second foot 462
Southwell’s, now Sixth foot 505
Stewart’s, now Ninth foot 467
Hill’s, now Eleventh foot 472
Blood’s, now Seventeenth foot 461
Mordaunt’s, now Twenty-eighth foot 532
Wade’s, now Thirty-third foot 458
Gorges’s, now Thirty-fifth foot 616
Alnutt’s, now THIRTY-SIXTH foot 412
Montjoy’s, disbanded 508
Mackartney’s, disbanded 494
Bretton’s, disbanded 428
John Caulfeild’s, disbanded 470
Lord Mark Kerr’s, disbanded 429
Count Nassau’s, disbanded 422
------
Total 8,910
======
After a march of several hours along the rugged tracts of Murcia
under a burning sun, the soldiers arrived in the presence of the
enemy, at _Almanza_, about noon on the 25th of April. It was
nearly three o’clock in the afternoon when the battle commenced.
The THIRTY-SIXTH were formed in brigade with the Ninth, Eleventh,
and Lord Mark Kerr’s regiments under Colonel Hill, and Mino’s
Portuguese dragoons were posted in the centre of the brigade,
which was stationed in the second line; but nine of the enemy’s
battalions having attacked Major-General Wade’s brigade, consisting
of the Sixth, Seventeenth, Thirty-third, and Lord Montjoy’s
regiments, the Ninth moved forward to their support. Great valour
was displayed, but in vain, for the flight of the Portuguese
squadrons had left the British and Dutch exposed to the weight
and power of the enemy’s superior numbers, and no hope of victory
remained. The Earl of Galway effected his retreat with the
dragoons; several general officers collected the broken remains of
the English infantry, which fought in the centre, into a body, and
uniting them with some Dutch and Portuguese, formed a column of
nearly four thousand men, which retreated two leagues, repulsing
the pursuing enemy from time to time. On arriving at the woody
hills of Caudete, the men were so exhausted with fatigue that they
were unable to proceed further: they passed the night in the wood
without food, and on the following morning they were surrounded by
the enemy. Being without ammunition, ignorant of the country, and
having no prospect of obtaining food, they surrendered prisoners of
war.
Thus ended a battle in which the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment behaved with
great gallantry, but was nearly annihilated. Captains Musgrave
and Parsons, Lieutenants Ayriss and Ballance, and Ensign Wells
were killed; the following officers of the regiment were taken
prisoners:--
Colonel Alnutt (_wounded_).
Lieut.-Colonel Frankland.
Lieut.-Colonel Barry (_wounded_).
Lieutenant Hicks.
Lieutenant Duckinfeild (_wounded_).
Lieutenant Wants.
Lieutenant Dancer (_wounded_).
Lieutenant Bishop.
Ensign Bennet (_wounded_).
Ensign Erwine.
Ensign Sheen (_wounded_).
Ensign Pascal.
Ensign Money.
The number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers killed,
wounded, and taken prisoners at the battle of Almanza has not been
ascertained; those who escaped, and were found serviceable, were
afterwards transferred to other corps in Spain, and certain of the
officers returned to England to recruit the regiment.
On the 15th of September 1707, orders were addressed to Colonel
Alnutt to recruit and fill up the respective companies of the
regiment; and the recruits were to assemble at Chester and
Namptwich, which places were appointed for the rendezvous of the
corps.
[Sidenote: 1708.]
In the Annals of Queen Anne for the year 1708, it is stated, “Some
time before, orders and commissions were delivered for new raising
the regiments of--
Mordaunt’s, afterwards Twenty-eighth regiment,
Wade’s, afterwards Thirty-third regiment,
Gorges’s, afterwards Thirty-fifth regiment,
Alnutt’s, afterwards Thirty-sixth regiment,
Montjoy’s, afterwards disbanded,
Mackartney’s, afterwards disbanded,
Lord Mark Kerr’s, afterwards disbanded,
which suffered most at the battle of Almanza, and the officers
whereof, who were prisoners in France, were supplied by others.”
[Sidenote: 1709.]
Colonel Archibald Earl of Ilay, afterwards Duke of Argyle, was
appointed to the colonelcy of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment on the 23d
of March 1709, in succession to Colonel Thomas Alnutt, deceased.
[Sidenote: 1710.]
On the 23d of October 1710, Colonel Henry Desaulnais (afterwards
spelt Desney) from the Coldstream foot guards, was appointed to the
colonelcy of the THIRTY-SIXTH regiment, in succession to Colonel
the Earl of Ilay, resigned.
During the nine years which this war had been raging in Europe,
British blood and treasure had been expended in making conquests
for the house of Austria. The only advantage which had accrued to
Great Britain was, that the power of the House of Bourbon had been
diminished, and that of Austria augmented; the new Ministry chosen
by Queen Anne, in 1710, resolved to act upon a different principle.
Colonel Nicholson having made a successful attack on Port Royal,
in Nova Scotia, on his return to England he submitted to the
Government a plan for the reduction of Placentia and Quebec, as a
preparatory measure for acquiring Canada for the British crown, and
for expelling the French from Newfoundland, in order to regain the
fishery.
Canada is stated to have been discovered by the famous Italian
adventurer, Sebastian Cabot, who sailed under a commission from
Henry VII.; and as the English monarch did not make any use of
the discovery, the French soon attempted to derive advantage from
it. Several small settlements were established, and in the early
part of the seventeenth century the city of _Quebec_ was founded
for the capital of the French possessions in this part of the
world. Although the colony continued in a very depressed state
for some time, and the settlers were frequently in danger of
being exterminated by the Indians, yet, in the beginning of the
eighteenth century, it had become of such importance that its
capture was considered one of the best means of weakening the power
of Louis XIV.
[Sidenote: 1711.]
An expedition, consisting of about five thousand men, was accordingly
ordered to proceed to North America under Brigadier-General Hill, for
the purpose of making an attempt on Quebec. A large fleet formed part
of the armament under Commodore Sir Hovenden Walker, and the force
was to be further strengthened by troops from the North American
colonies. The following regiments were employed on the expedition:--
Kirke’s regiment, now Second foot.
The Queen’s, now Fourth foot.
Hill’s, now Eleventh foot.
Desney’s, now THIRTY-SIXTH foot.
Windress’s, now Thirty-seventh foot.
Clayton’s, disbanded in 1712.
Kane’s, disbanded in 1713.
Churchill’s Marines, disbanded in 1713.
Walton’s and Vetch’s, North American Militia, joined the expedition
at Boston.
On arriving at North America the fleet called at Boston for a
supply of provisions, and the troops landed and encamped a short
time on Rhode Island; but on the 20th of July they re-embarked, and
having been joined by two regiments of provincial troops commanded
by Colonels Walton and Vetch, sailed on the 30th of July from
Boston for the river St. Lawrence. The expedition did not reach the
river St. Lawrence until the 21st of August, when it encountered
storms, and being furnished with bad pilots, eight transports, a
store-ship, and a sloop were lost by shipwreck, and twenty-nine
officers, six hundred and seventy-six soldiers, and thirty-five
women of the Fourth, Thirty-seventh, Colonel Kane’s, and Colonel
Clayton’s regiments, perished. There was also a scarcity of
provisions. It was, therefore, determined in a council of war,
that further operations should be abandoned. Some of the regiments
engaged in the expedition proceeded to Annapolis Royal, in Nova
Scotia, but the THIRTY-SIXTH returned to England, and arrived at
Portsmouth on the 9th of October.
On the 12th of October 1711, Charles III., the claimant to the
throne of Spain, was elected Emperor of Germany by the title of
Charles VI., his brother Joseph having died at Vienna in the
preceding April. This circumstance materially affected the war, and
inclined Great Britain to agree to peace; for the consolidation of
Spain with the Empire of Germany would have perilled the balance
of power in Europe as much as the anticipated union of the crowns
of France and Spain. The course of events had also shown, that a
French and not an Austrian Prince was the choice of the Spanish
nation.