and joined the army under the command of the Duke of Ormond, who
penetrated the French territory to the frontiers of Picardy,
encamping at Cateau-Cambresis, while the Germans undertook the
siege of _Quesnoy_. In the mean time the French monarch had
solicited peace, and had agreed to deliver the city of Dunkirk into
the hands of the British sovereign, as a pledge of his sincerity. A
suspension of arms was proclaimed between the British and French,
and the army under the Duke of Ormond withdrew to Ghent. On the 4th
of August the regiment was detached from the camp near Ghent, with
several other corps, under Lieutenant-General the Earl of Orkney,
to Dunkirk, where it was stationed some time.
On the 30th of November, 1712, Queen Anne conferred the colonelcy
of the regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Chudleigh,
from Brigadier-General Durell’s regiment, in succession to
Brigadier-General Hamilton, who, on the death of Brigadier-General
Durell, in December following, was nominated colonel of his
corps,--the Sixteenth Foot.
[Sidenote: 1713]
At the conclusion of the peace of Utrecht, the regiment was
withdrawn from Dunkirk, and proceeded to Great Britain. At this
period a considerable reduction took place in the numbers of the
regular army, and all the corps raised after the peace of Ryswick,
in 1697, were directed to be taken off the establishment, except
two, viz., the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Regiments of Foot.
This reduction included the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment, which was
accordingly reduced, and the officers placed upon half-pay.
[Sidenote: 1714]
[Sidenote: 1715]
The decease of Queen Anne, and the accession of King George I.,
on the 1st of August, 1714, was followed by a short period of
tranquillity; but in 1715 the partisans of the Pretender made
efforts to procure his accession to the throne, and commotions
occurred in England; at the same time the nation was threatened
with invasion from abroad. The King augmented the army, and
warrants were issued for the restoration of the THIRTY-FOURTH and
several other regiments of foot, in the summer of this year.
Names of the officers appointed to the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment, at
its restoration in the summer of 1715:--
_Colonel_, THOMAS CHUDLEIGH.
_Lieutenant-Colonel_, THOMAS WHITNEY.
_Major_, CHARLES DOUGLAS.
_Captains._
Robert Hayes[8]
Samuel Daniels
Richard Doige
Michael Moore
Francis Mutys
Henry Skelton
Richard Pyott
_Lieutenants._
-- Saubergues
Walter Yard
Edward Cooksey
-- Brereton
William Hamilton
John Tremaigne
Thomas Batten
Christopher Philips
Timothy White
William Hayes
Thomas Ford
_Ensigns._
Henry Sirck
Roger Sterne
John Sutton
John Spaddy
Thomas Kitson
Thomas Parker
Thomas Price
John Brushfield
William Wickham
[Sidenote: 1716]
Soon afterwards the standard of the Pretender was raised in
Scotland, by the Earl of Mar; but the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment was
retained in England; and the rebellion was suppressed in the early
part of 1716, by the troops under the Duke of Argyle.
[Sidenote: 1717]
In 1717, the regiment received orders to proceed to Ireland, to
relieve one of the corps ordered to be disbanded in that country.
[Sidenote: 1718]
[Sidenote: 1719]
The regiment remained in Ireland until the early part of 1719,
when the preparations made by the King of Spain to forward the
interests of the Pretender, occasioned it to be withdrawn from that
country; and it was subsequently encamped in the Isle of Wight,
and held in readiness for active service. The British Government
projected the capture of Corunna, in Biscay, and of Peru, in
South America; and the THIRTY-FOURTH sailed in the early part of
September with the expedition, under General Viscount Cobham, for
the attack of the former place; but on arriving off the coast of
Gallicia, circumstances occurred which occasioned an attack on
_Vigo_ to be resolved upon. The fleet entered the harbour of Vigo
on the 29th of September, seized on seven Spanish ships, and on
the following day the troops landed under the fire of musketry
from the mountains. Advancing towards the town, the British forced
the Spaniards to abandon Vigo and Fort St. Sebastian, which were
taken possession of by eight hundred men, under Brigadier-General
Honeywood. A battery being opened against the citadel, the garrison
was soon induced to surrender, giving up two thousand barrels
of powder, eight thousand muskets, and fifteen pieces of brass
artillery, which had been prepared for the invasion of Britain in
favour of the Pretender. While the siege of the castle of Vigo was
in progress, _Rondondella_ was captured by a detachment from the
army; and on the 12th of October a thousand men proceeded, under
Major-General Wade, against _Pont-a-Vedra_, from whence thirteen
companies of Spaniards fled in a panic; the town, arsenal, barracks
for two thousand men, thirteen pieces of brass and eighty-six of
iron ordnance, five thousand small arms, three hundred barrels
of powder, and a great quantity of other stores, were captured.
The arsenal, barracks, and Fort Marine, were destroyed; the iron
ordnance and the more valuable stores were removed on board the
fleet.
Finding himself oppressed on every side, and his resources
exhausted, the King of Spain made pacific overtures; and a
treaty of peace was concluded before the expedition to Peru was
undertaken. The armament returned to England, and the THIRTY-FOURTH
were again stationed in Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1723]
On the 18th of February, 1723, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Hayes,
from the command of a company in the First Foot Guards, was
appointed colonel of the regiment, by purchase, in succession to
Colonel Chudleigh, who retired.
[Sidenote: 1726]
Few years elapsed before the Spanish monarch again violated the
peace of Europe. The possessions, of which he was deprived by the
peace of Utrecht, in 1713, had been relinquished with reluctance,
and towards the end of 1726, he assembled an army in Andalusia,
under the command of the Count de la Torres, to make a determined
effort for the re-capture of _Gibraltar_.
[Sidenote: 1727]
In February, 1727, the garrison of Gibraltar opened its fire on the
besieging army; and the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment was, at this period,
on its way from Ireland, to share in the honor of a successful
defence of this important fortress. The regiment encountered
a storm at sea, and lost several companies by shipwreck; six
companies proceeded to Plymouth, and afterwards continuing their
voyage, arrived at Gibraltar on the 26th of March, in company with
the Twenty-fifth Regiment; they were followed by several other
corps. The garrison made a very gallant defence of the fortress
committed to their charge, against the storm of war, which raged
against them with increasing fury until the thunder of one hundred
cannon became almost incessant in the day time, and was partially
continued throughout the night. The tremendous fire of the
Spaniards produced little effect beyond the bursting of many of
their own cannon, and rendering others useless; and many thousands
of the besieging army perished in the attempt. In the early part
of June, the fire slackened; on the 18th of that month hostilities
ceased; and the fortress of Gibraltar continued to form one of the
trophies of British prowess.
[Sidenote: 1728]
Peace having been concluded with Spain, the regiment was withdrawn
from Gibraltar, and proceeded to Ireland, where it was conspicuous
for its good conduct in quarters.
[Sidenote: 1731]
[Sidenote: 1732]
Colonel Robert Hayes died at Jamaica, on the 7th of April, 1731,
and the colonelcy of the regiment remained vacant until the 8th
of January 1732, when King George II. conferred the appointment
on Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Cornwallis, from the command of a
company in the Foot Guards.
[Sidenote: 1738]
Colonel Cornwallis commanded the regiment until 1738, when
he was removed to the Eleventh Foot, and was succeeded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord James Cavendish.
[Sidenote: 1739]
On the commencement of the war with Spain, in 1739, the
establishment of the regiment was augmented, and in the autumn it
was removed to England.
[Sidenote: 1740]
In 1740, a detachment of the regiment served on board the fleet, as
marines.
[Sidenote: 1741]
[Sidenote: 1742]
Colonel Lord James Cavendish died in November, 1741, and in
1742 the colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on Colonel
the Honorable James Cholmondeley, from the Fifty-ninth, now
Forty-eighth Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1743]
[Sidenote: 1744]
During the summer of this year a British army proceeded to
Flanders, to support the house of Austria, against the united
efforts of the King of France and the Elector of Bavaria, who were
endeavouring to deprive the Archduchess, Maria Theresa, of her
hereditary dominions. In 1743, a victory was gained at Dettingen;
and in the summer of 1744, the allied army confronted the forces of
France in the Austrian Netherlands.
In June, 1744, the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment embarked for Flanders,
and joining the allied army at the camp on the bank of the Scheldt,
took part in several operations. It penetrated the territory
subject to France to the vicinity of Lisle; and subsequently
returned to Flanders, where it passed the winter.
[Sidenote: 1745]
The French monarch assembled a numerous army in the spring of
1745, and commenced operations by besieging the strong fortress of
Tournay; and the Duke of Cumberland, having arrived in Flanders,
assembled the allied army with the view of raising the siege. The
THIRTY-FOURTH were called from their quarters in April, to take
part in this service; and when the allied army approached, the
French took up a position at the village of _Fontenoy_.
[Illustration: THIRTY-FOURTH (THE CUMBERLAND) REGIMENT OF FOOT. M
DCC XLII.
(Uniform of Private Soldiers in 1742)
(_To face page 24._)]
At an early hour on the morning of the 11th of May, the allied
army advanced to engage the enemy, and the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment
entered the plain in front of the French batteries, to take part
in the action. Soon after nine o’clock, the British infantry
moved forward to attack the French position on the right of the
village of Fontenoy, and their gallant bearing, in the face of a
storm of grape and musketry, excited admiration; by a resolute
charge they broke the French lines; but the Dutch failed in their
attack, and the British regiments were forced to retire. A second
attack was made, and the heroic valour of the English infantry
was conspicuous; their steady fire destroyed entire ranks of
their enemy, and the determined charge with the bayonet proved
irresistible; but the Dutch again failed, and a retreat was
ordered. The THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment evinced great gallantry on this
occasion, and it had the honor of performing a conspicuous part in
covering the retreat, and in bringing up the rear of the right wing
out of the plain, to the village of Vezont. The determined bearing
of the regiment, with that of the Thirty-second Foot, and the
brigade of Life Guards under Major-General the Earl of Crawford,
intimidated the enemy, and the retreat was effected, without
serious loss, to the town of Aeth.
The regiment had one serjeant and seventeen rank and file killed;
Lieutenants Cramer, Forrest, Mure, Courtenay, and Hargraves,
Ensigns Donallen and Stacey, two serjeants, and fifty-three rank
and file wounded; one serjeant and twenty-seven rank and file
missing.
The regiment was afterwards encamped on the plains of Lessines; and
was subsequently employed in operations of a defensive character;
but the enemy had so great a superiority of numbers, that it was
found impossible to prevent the loss of several fortified towns.
In the mean time, Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender,
had arrived in Scotland, and being joined by the Highland clans,
he resolved to make a desperate effort to overthrow the existing
government. The THIRTY-FOURTH regiment was ordered to return to
England on this occasion; it left the camp at Vilvorde on the 13th
of September, embarked at Williamstadt, on the 19th, and arriving
in the river Thames on the 23rd, landed at Blackwall, from whence
it was ordered to proceed to Newcastle, where a body of troops was
assembling under Field-Marshal Wade. Having joined this force, the
regiment was formed in brigade with the Buffs, the Thirteenth, and
Forty-eighth Regiments, and when the clans penetrated England,
it marched by Durham, Darlington, and Richmond, in order to
cover Yorkshire, and eventually proceeded to Ferrybridge, where
it arrived on the 8th of December. When the Highlanders quitted
Derby, and made a precipitate retreat to Scotland, the regiment was
engaged in the attempt to intercept their return; but the clans
escaped with the loss of a few men killed in a skirmish on Clifton
moor.
[Sidenote: 1746]
Early in January, 1746, the regiment marched to Edinburgh, from
whence it advanced, with the troops under Lieutenant-General
Hawley, to _Falkirk_, for the purpose of forcing the insurgents to
raise the siege of Stirling castle.
The clans quitted Stirling, and on the 17th of January, they
advanced to Falkirk moor; when the King’s troops marched to
attack the insurgents. As the royal army diverged upon the moor,
a storm was seen approaching, and as the soldiers moved forward
to commence the battle, a violent hurricane, with a heavy shower
of rain, beat violently in their faces, and nearly blinded them;
at the same time, it beat on the backs of the Highlanders and
caused them little annoyance. The engagement commenced under great
disadvantages to the King’s troops, who could not see to take aim;
more than half the muskets would not give fire, and the powder
became wet and useless while the men were in the act of loading.
Being thus blinded and confounded by the storm, several regiments
faced about and retreated. Others stood firm and repulsed the
clans; but during the night the whole retired. The regiment lost
its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Powell, who was mortally
wounded on this occasion. Its colonel, Brigadier-General the
Honorable James Cholmondeley, highly distinguished himself.
The troops in Scotland were reinforced: his Royal Highness the Duke
of Cumberland assumed the command, and on the 31st of January they
again advanced; when the Pretender raised the siege of Stirling
castle, and made a precipitate retreat. The THIRTY-FOURTH were
engaged in the pursuit of the clans to Perth, where the army halted
in consequence of the severe weather, until the 20th of February,
when the march was resumed, and in the beginning of the following
month the army arrived at Aberdeen, where its progress was retarded
by heavy rains and snow storms. In the early part of April, the
King’s troops were again in motion towards Inverness, and on the
16th of that month, they discovered the clans in order of battle on
_Culloden moor_, when they formed line opposite the hostile ranks;
the THIRTY-FOURTH, or Cholmondeley’s[9], five hundred men, being
in the right wing of the front line, and on the left of the second
battalion of the Royal regiment.
The action commenced between twelve and one o’clock, and in less
than one hour the rebel army was overpowered and chased from
the moor with great slaughter. This victory was decisive, and
it instantly transformed the young Pretender from an imaginary
monarch to a humble fugitive; an interval of hardship and suffering
followed, and after wandering for some time in disguise, among the
isles and mountains, he escaped to France.
The loss of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment at the battle of
Culloden[10] was limited to three private soldiers. After returning
from the pursuit of the clans, the regiment was encamped a short
time near Inverness, and it was subsequently employed in escorting
prisoners towards South Britain. The rebellion being finally
suppressed, the services of the THIRTY-FOURTH were no longer
required in Scotland, and they were stationed in England.
[Sidenote: 1748]
[Sidenote: 1749]
The war of the Austrian succession was terminated in 1748, by the
treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and in 1749 the regiment was placed on a
peace establishment.
Major-General the Honorable James Cholmondeley was removed to the
Twelfth Dragoons, in July, 1749; and was succeeded in the colonelcy
of the THIRTY-FOURTH Foot by Colonel the Honorable Henry Seymour
Conway, from the Forty-eighth Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1751]
On the 1st of July, 1751, regulations were issued, under the sign
manual, for establishing uniformity in the clothing, standards,
and colours of the several regiments; in which the facings of the
THIRTY-FOURTH were directed to be of _bright yellow_. The first,
or the King’s colour, was to be the Great Union; the second, or
regimental colour, to be of bright yellow silk, with the Union in
the upper canton; in the centre of the colour, the rank of the
regiment in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and
thistles on the same stalk. The costume of the regiment at this
period was three-cornered cocked hats, bound with white lace, and
ornamented with a white loop and a black cockade; scarlet coats
faced and lined with bright yellow, and ornamented with white
lace; scarlet waistcoats and breeches; and white gaiters.
In December of this year, Colonel the Honorable Henry Seymour
Conway was removed to the Thirteenth Dragoons, and King George II.
conferred the colonelcy of the THIRTY-FOURTH Foot, on Colonel the
Honorable Charles Russell, from major in the Second Foot Guards.
[Sidenote: 1752]
[Sidenote: 1753]
Early in the year 1752, the regiment embarked for Minorca, the
second of the Balearic islands, situated in the Mediterranean, near
the coast of Spain: this island had fallen successively under the
dominion of the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Vandals, the Moors,
the Arragonese, and the Castilians; in 1708 it was captured by the
British, and it was ceded to Queen Anne at the peace of Utrecht in
1713. In this small island, which is diversified with hills and
valleys, and in some parts rich in vegetation, and abounding with
the necessaries and many of the luxuries of life, the THIRTY-FOURTH
were stationed several years.
[Sidenote: 1754]
Colonel the Honorable Charles Russell died on the 20th of November,
1754, and was succeeded in the command of the regiment by
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Earl of Effingham, from the second troop,
now second regiment, of Life Guards.
[Sidenote: 1755]
[Sidenote: 1756]
While the regiment was stationed at Minorca, the undetermined
limits of the British and French territory in North America,
occasioned a war between the two kingdoms; and early in 1756, the
French monarch prepared a powerful armament for the capture of the
island of _Minorca_.
The French expedition, commanded by Marshal Duke of Richelieu,
arrived at Minorca in April, and effected a landing at Ciudadella;
and no part of the island being fortified to resist so powerful a
force, excepting _Fort St. Philip_, situate on a rocky promontory
at the entrance of the harbour of Port Mahon, the several
detachments were withdrawn from the interior, and assembled in the
fort, where they resolved on making a desperate defence, in the
hope of being reinforced.
The THIRTY-FOURTH mustered twenty-six officers, twenty-nine
serjeants, nineteen drummers, and six hundred and sixty-five rank
and file fit for duty, exclusive of thirteen sick, under the
command of Lieutenant-Colonel John Reed, for the defence of Fort
St. Philip, and the officers and soldiers evinced an extent of
personal bravery and resolution, which reflected honor on their
country. The garrison was commanded by Lieutenant-General Blakeney.
The siege of the fort was commenced by the enemy, and the
determined resistance encountered by the French commander
occasioned him to send for additional forces. The conduct of the
garrison became a subject of admiration, and the bravery and
vigilance of the officers inspired the soldiers with increased
confidence.
The British fleet was discovered on the 19th of May, and the
soldiers, having become exhausted by hard duty, were stimulated to
perseverance by the prospect of being speedily relieved; but were
disappointed: Admiral Byng skirmished with the French squadron,
and afterwards retired, for which conduct he was subsequently
brought to trial, and shot. Lieutenant-General Thomas Fowke,
then commanding at Gibraltar, was also brought to trial, for not
sending a reinforcement to Minorca, and sentenced to be suspended
for one year; the king confirmed the sentence, and directed
Lieutenant-General Fowke to be dismissed the service.
Although thus abandoned to their fate, the four regiments in
garrison at Fort St. Philip, (viz., the Fourth, Twenty-third,
Twenty-fourth, and THIRTY-FOURTH) defended their post with great
gallantry; incessant duty and watching so exhausted the soldiers,
that they frequently were overpowered by sleep under a heavy
cannonade, yet they persevered with admirable resolution. During
the night of the 27th of June, a general assault was made by the
enemy at several points, when the garrison met the assailants
with great courage, and repulsed them several times with much
slaughter,--many of the sick and wounded coming out of the
hospital to take part in the defence. The enemy’s superior numbers
enabled him to renew the attack, and after much severe fighting
he gained possession of three of the outworks. On the following
day, conditions of capitulation were tendered and accepted; when
the French marshal caused it to be inserted in the articles,--“The
noble and vigorous defence which the English have made, having
deserved all the marks of esteem and veneration which every
military man ought to show to such actions, and Marshal Richelieu
being desirous also to show to General Blakeney the regard due to
the defence he has made, grants to the garrison all the honors of
war they can enjoy under the circumstances of going out for an
embarkation; to wit,--firelocks on their shoulders, drums beating,
colours flying, twenty cartridges each man, and also lighted match.
He consents, also, that General Blakeney and his garrison carry
away all the effects that belong to them.”
On this subject, Beatson observes in his _Naval and Military
Memoirs_,--“Thus did four regiments, and one company of artillery,
maintain the fort against such numbers of the enemy, by sea and
land, for such a length of time, as can, perhaps, scarcely be
paralleled in history. The terms on which the fort was at last
surrendered by a handful of men, so distressed, so shattered, and
so neglected, remains a lasting monument to their honor.”
The regiment had Captain Hobby, Lieutenant Armstrong, and twelve
rank and file killed during the siege; also Captain Sir Hugh
Williams, Bart., and seventy-seven non-commissioned officers and
soldiers wounded; seven men died of their wounds, and two of
diseases produced by excessive exertion: at the general assault the
regiment only lost four men.
Immediately after the surrender of Fort St. Philip, the regiment
embarked for Gibraltar, and after a short stay at that fortress,
proceeded to England, where its arrival was hailed with
acclamations by the inhabitants of the towns through which it
passed, who were proud of the honor acquired by the regiments which
defended the principal fortress of Minorca.
[Sidenote: 1757]
Soon after its arrival in England the regiment was augmented to
_two battalions_, and in the summer of 1757, both battalions were
encamped on Barham downs, under the Duke of Marlborough: the second
battalion afterwards served on board the fleet as marines.
[Sidenote: 1758]
In June, 1758, the second battalion was constituted the
_Seventy-third Regiment_, under the command of Colonel Browne. This
regiment was disbanded at the peace in 1763.