New Brunswick, for Quebec, Lower Canada; they were conveyed on the
ice of the St. John river, to the junction of the river Madawaska
with the St. John, then up the river to the head of the Timiscouta
Lake, in two-horse sleighs, each sleigh carrying eight men, with
their arms and accoutrements: from the head of the Lake Timiscouta,
they were conveyed in carioles, two men with their arms, &c., in
each, across the Portage to the river St. Lawrence, and on reaching
the village of St. André, they followed the course of the river
to Point Levi, opposite Quebec, where they crossed in canoes,
having suffered little from the severity of the weather, and the
inhabitants aiding their progress in every way. The few men left at
different places sick, were treated with every kindness, and were
all sufficiently recovered to proceed with the head-quarters on
their marching up, except two men left at Fredericton, but whose
complaints were quite unconnected with the exposure of the march.
On the regiment being ordered to proceed to Canada, the following
general order was issued by his Excellency Major-General Sir Colin
Campbell, K.C.B., &c., Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
“(General order.)
“_Head-Quarters_,
“_Halifax, N. S., 8th January, 1838._
“The Major-General commanding cannot allow the THIRTY-FOURTH
Regiment to quit the command, without expressing his perfect
satisfaction with the discipline and regularity with which the
corps has uniformly conducted itself; and his Excellency desires
that Major Ruxton will convey to the officers and soldiers, under
his command, his best wishes for their future welfare, assured as
he is, that in whatever service the corps may be employed, they
will continue to display those qualities which have secured to
them so high a character as soldiers.
“(Signed) J. S. SNODGRASS,
“_A. D. A. General_.”
This year the regiment lost a valuable officer, MAJOR MARK MCLEOD
TEW, whose many excellent qualities occasioned him to be highly
esteemed by the officers and soldiers of his corps. He entered
the regiment as ensign in 1800, was promoted lieutenant in the
same year, captain in 1809, major by brevet in 1830, and major in
the regiment in 1837. His distinguished services with the flank
battalion, during the Mahratta and Pindaree war, from 1817 to
1820, are set forth in the record of his regiment. The state of
his health occasioned him to retire from the service in August,
1837; but his decease occurred in October, at Halifax, Nova Scotia,
before he could embark for England.
In transmitting to his brother, Captain J. McLeod Tew,
Twenty-second Regiment, an account of his effects, &c., Captain
E. Broderick expressed himself in the following affectionate
terms:--“One of the snuff-boxes found among his effects, has been
retained by the officers, as a memento of him who had been so
long the father of the regiment, and who was so deservedly loved
and respected by us all: it is a wooden box, presented to him by
Mr. Markham, which the officers intend to place in a case, with a
suitable inscription.
“The officers intend to erect a monument to our respected friend,
to be placed in one of the churches. The men of the regiment have
also subscribed to the erection of this monument, and I can assure
you, that every officer and soldier feels that in your late brother
he has lost a friend.”
[Sidenote: 1838]
On the 8th January, 1838, the head-quarters, and remaining four
companies, consisting of one field officer, three captains, four
subalterns, three staff, twenty-two serjeants, eight drummers,
and two hundred and eighty-one rank and file, under Major Ruxton,
embarked in Her Majesty’s ship “Cornwallis,” and sailed the
following day for St. John’s, New Brunswick, where they landed on
the 14th of the same month.
The regiment marched from St. John’s for Quebec by companies,
which were conveyed in the same manner as the flank companies had
been, and were equally fortunate in escaping without casualties of
any importance; they reached Quebec on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th
February.
The flank companies and Nos. 1 and 2, were detached to Three
Rivers: they took part in various movements made in the disturbed
districts, adjoining the river Richelieu; and were quartered in
different villages in the neighbourhood.
The regiment next moved by detachments to Montreal. The
head-quarters then proceeded to Kingston, but were not disembarked
there, proceeding on to Toronto, where they arrived on the 4th of
June. In July the head-quarters, under Lieutenant-Colonel Airey,
proceeded to Amherstberg.
In December a company, consisting of one captain, two subalterns,
three serjeants, and fifty rank and file, under Captain Broderick,
proceeded to Sandwich, in expectation of that place being attacked
by brigands from the state of Michigan, from whence it returned on
the 25th of that month.
[Sidenote: 1840]
The regiment remained at Amherstburg until May, 1840, when it
returned in three divisions to Toronto, detaching three companies
to Kingston, at which station it remained until May, 1841, when the
head-quarters moved to Montreal.
[Sidenote: 1841]
On the 31st May, 1841, orders having been received for the return
of the regiment to England, four serjeants, nine corporals, two
drummers, and two hundred and one privates, volunteered to serve
permanently in North America.
At Montreal, the head-quarters were joined by the left wing on the
3rd June, 1841, and on the 20th of that month the regiment, under
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Airey, sailed from Quebec in the
“Cornwall” transport for England, where it arrived on the 22nd
July, 1841, and landed at Gosport and occupied Forton Barracks.
In September, the head-quarters moved over to Portsmouth, where
they remained until August, 1842, during which time the efficiency
of the regiment, which had been impaired, to a certain degree, by
the number of recruits which had taken the place of those who had
volunteered to remain in Canada, was completely restored.
[Sidenote: 1842]
On the 13th August, 1842, the regiment received a sudden order at
half-past seven o’clock P.M., to proceed to London by an early
train the following morning. Accordingly, on the 14th of August,
the head-quarters, consisting of one lieutenant-colonel, one major,
nine captains, ten subalterns, three staff, twenty-seven serjeants,
eleven drummers, and five hundred and twenty-four rank and file,
left Portsmouth at eight A.M., and proceeding by the South Western
Railway to London, arrived at the Nine Elms Station, marched to
the Birmingham Railway Station, and proceeded forthwith to Weedon,
where it arrived at twelve at night; sudden disturbances in the
manufacturing districts were the cause of this unexpected movement.
On the 16th August, three companies left Weedon for the disturbed
districts, and on the 17th two more companies proceeded in the
same direction. These were detached at Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Wolverhampton, and Stafford; other companies were detached to
Birmingham, and during the autumn of 1842, the head-quarters were
moved to Northampton, all the ten companies being on detachment at
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Burslem, Hanley, Stafford, Wolverhampton,
Bilston, Birmingham, and Coventry.
The companies were subsequently withdrawn from Bilston and
Stafford; but the others remained as above described until the
4th August, when the entire regiment was collected together
at Weedon. At this period the strength of the regiment was as
follows, viz:--One colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, two majors, ten
captains, twelve lieutenants, eight ensigns, one paymaster, one
adjutant, one quartermaster, one surgeon, one assistant-surgeon,
forty-seven serjeants, fourteen drummers, and eight hundred and one
rank and file.
[Sidenote: 1843]
During the year 1843, political agitation was carried to such an
extent in Ireland, as to induce Her Majesty’s Government to take
measures for putting down the demonstrations of physical force
which had been made in that country.
For this purpose, additional corps were ordered from Great Britain
to Ireland. The THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment, on this emergency, was
ordered on the 4th of October to be removed by railroad to
Liverpool. The regiment quitted its station at Weedon early in the
morning of the 6th of October, and arrived at Liverpool on the
same day. It was embarked on the afternoon of the 7th of October
in steam-vessels for Dublin, where it arrived on the following
morning, and being disembarked, it marched to Clontarf[16] (a
village situated about two miles from the capital, on the Bay
of Dublin), where a numerous public meeting had been advertised
to be held, but which was prohibited by Government proclamation
as illegal. A large body of troops had been concentrated in the
neighbourhood in apprehension of a breach of the peace; but the
assemblage having separated without disturbance, the troops
returned to their quarters in the evening.
[Sidenote: 1844]
The regiment remains in Dublin at the period to which this record
is brought.
The foregoing pages record the bravery, endurance, and uniformly
good conduct of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment, both at home and
abroad: its early services during the wars in Spain and Flanders
in the reign of Queen Anne; its subsequent achievements on various
expeditions in Europe, Africa, America, and the West Indies; its
employment, for a period exceeding twenty years, in the East
Indies; and its gallantry in Portugal, Spain, and France, to the
conclusion of the Peninsular War in 1814, afford the best proofs
of the zealous and honorable conduct of its officers and men,
who, under severe trials, have evinced a steady adherence to the
rules of discipline, and a gallant bearing whenever they have been
brought into contact with the enemies of their country: nor has
the conduct of the regiment been less conspicuous on home, than on
foreign, service; but has been, at all times, such as to merit the
approbation of the Sovereign, and the gratitude of the kingdom.
[Illustration: THIRTY-FOURTH (THE CUMBERLAND) REGIMENT OF FOOT.
(Uniform of Private Soldiers in 1844)
(_To face page 78._)]
FOOTNOTES:
[6] “About nine o’clock in the morning, the enemy made an attack
with a body of foot, supported by two bodies of horse, on the
weakest and most westerly part of the outworks, and where were only
one hundred English of HAMILTON’s (THIRTY-FOURTH) Regiment, who had
that very morning come upon duty, from travelling forty leagues in
the two foregoing days, upon mules; notwithstanding all which, they
fairly repulsed the enemy.” _Journal of the Siege of Barcelona._
[7] BOYER’s _Annals of Queen Anne_.
[8] Afterwards colonel of the regiment.
[9] _History of Scotland_ by Sir WALTER SCOTT, Bart.
[10] Strength of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment at the battle of
Culloden, 16th April, 1746:
2 field officers, 7 captains, 15 subalterns, 21 serjeants, 15
drummers, and 399 rank and file--459 total.
[11] On being appointed to the colonelcy of the regiment in 1760,
Lord Frederick Cavendish presented to the officers’ mess two
handsome silver vases, which still ornament the mess-table of the
corps.
[12] BEATSON’s _Naval and Military Memoirs_.
[13] On the 22nd January, 1796, Private John Perry was promoted to
serjeant for gallant conduct before the enemy.
[14] In this year Lieutenant-Colonel Cunyngham presented a handsome
silver side dish to the officers’ mess, which is still in their
possession.
[15] The brass drums and the drum-major’s staff of the FRENCH
THIRTY-FOURTH REGIMENT were captured on this occasion, and are
now used by the British THIRTY-FOURTH REGIMENT; and Serjeant
Moses Simpson, the individual who actually took the staff from
the drum-major of the French Thirty-fourth Regiment, is, at the
period of completing this historical record, (September, 1843,)
in the situation of barrack-serjeant at Northampton, and has been
presented by the officers of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment with a
handsome medal, in commemoration of his gallant conduct.
[16] The “Conquer Hill” of Clontarf is celebrated in Irish history
as the scene of a victory gained by the Irish over the Danes.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
THIRTY-FOURTH,
OR,
THE CUMBERLAND REGIMENT
OF
FOOT.
ROBERT LORD LUCAS.
_Appointed 12th February, 1702._
ROBERT LORD LUCAS was distinguished for his attachment to the
interests of civil and religious liberty; and at the revolution
in 1688, when King James II. had fled in disguise, and London was
in great confusion, his Lordship was nominated, by a committee
assembled for the preservation of tranquillity, to take the charge
of the Tower. This appointment was confirmed to Lord Lucas by King
William III., who gave his Lordship a commission of Governor of the
Tower of London.
LORD LUCAS entered the army, and served under King William in
Flanders; and he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the
Thirteenth Regiment, commanded by Sir John Jacobs. On the breaking
out of the war of the Spanish succession, his Lordship took great
interest in raising a regiment of foot, now the THIRTY-FOURTH, of
which he was appointed colonel by King William, in February, 1702.
Queen Anne superseded his Lordship’s commission as Governor of the
Tower, and appointed the Earl of Abingdon to that dignity, with the
title of Constable.
LORD LUCAS retained the colonelcy of his regiment until his
decease, on the 31st of January, 1705; when the dignity of BARON
LUCAS of Shenfield, in Essex, became extinct.
HANS HAMILTON.
_Appointed 1st February, 1705._
HANS HAMILTON served in the wars of King William III., and
acquired the reputation of a brave and meritorious officer: he was
afterwards nominated to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Earl of
Derby’s Regiment, now Sixteenth Foot, with which corps he proceeded
to the Netherlands in the summer of 1701. He served under the
celebrated JOHN DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH, during the campaigns of 1702
and 1703, in the Netherlands, and also in Germany in 1704, when
the victories at Schellenberg and Blenheim exalted the reputation
of the British arms. In February, 1705, he was rewarded with
the colonelcy of the THIRTY-FOURTH; and in the same year he was
nominated quartermaster-general to the expedition to Spain, under
General the Earl of Peterborough, and he served at the capture of
Barcelona; also in other important transactions until 1706. He
subsequently proceeded to Flanders, and having been promoted to the
rank of brigadier-general in 1710, he commanded a brigade, under
the Duke of Marlborough, during the campaign of 1711, when the
enemy’s celebrated lines were passed at Arleux, and the fortress
of Bouchain was besieged and captured. In 1713 he was removed to
the Sixteenth Regiment, with which corps his early services were
connected: and in 1715 he was succeeded by Richard Viscount Irwing.
He died on the 24th of October, 1721.
THOMAS CHUDLEIGH.
_Appointed 30th November, 1712._
The early services of Colonel CHUDLEIGH were connected with the
Sixteenth Regiment of Foot, with which corps he served with
reputation, under the celebrated JOHN DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH, and his
meritorious conduct was rewarded with the lieutenant-colonelcy of
his regiment; from which he was promoted in 1712, to the colonelcy
of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment, with which corps he proceeded to
Ireland in 1717. In 1723, he retired from the service, selling his
commission. He died on the 14th of April, 1726.
ROBERT HAYES.
_Appointed 18th February, 1723._
This officer served in the First Foot Guards, in which corps
he rose to the rank of captain and lieutenant-colonel, and in
February, 1723, he obtained the colonelcy of the THIRTY-FOURTH
Regiment, by purchase. He proceeded with his regiment to the relief
of Gibraltar, when that fortress was besieged by the Spaniards, in
1727: and subsequently sailed from Gibraltar in command of a body
of troops, for Jamaica; where he died on the 7th of April, 1731.
STEPHEN CORNWALLIS.
_Appointed 8th January, 1732._
STEPHEN CORNWALLIS was appointed to a commission in the Second
Foot Guards, in March, 1719; and in 1723, he was promoted captain
in the Ninth Dragoons; he was afterwards nominated captain and
lieutenant-colonel in the Third Foot Guards, and procured the
colonelcy of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment in 1732: in 1738 he was
removed to the Eleventh Foot. On the commencement of the war with
Spain in 1739, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general,
and in 1742 he accompanied the army to Flanders, under
Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair: in February, 1743, he was promoted
to the rank of major-general. He died in Germany, in May, 1743; at
which period he was a member of parliament for Eye.
LORD JAMES CAVENDISH.
_Appointed 1st November, 1738._
LORD JAMES CAVENDISH, second son of William (second) Duke of
Devonshire, was many years an officer in the Third Foot Guards, in
which corps he rose to the rank of captain and lieutenant-colonel
in 1730, and in 1738, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the
THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment: he was a member of parliament for Molton.
His decease occurred in November, 1741.
THE HONORABLE JAMES CHOLMONDELEY.
_Appointed 18th December, 1742._
THE HONORABLE JAMES CHOLMONDELEY, third son of George (second)
Earl of Cholmondeley, obtained the commission of guidon and major
in the Second Troop, now Second Regiment, of Life Guards, in 1725;
in 1731, he was nominated lieutenant and lieutenant-colonel in
the third troop of Life Guards; and in 1741 he was promoted to
the colonelcy of the Forty-eighth, from which he was removed, in
1742, to the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment. Accompanying his regiment
to Flanders in 1744, he served the campaign of that year, under
Field-Marshal Wade. He was at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745; and
was afterwards promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. On the
breaking out of the rebellion in Scotland, he returned to England
with a brigade of infantry, and afterwards took the charge of two
battalions which had arrived from Ireland, with which he joined the
army under Field-Marshal Wade. On the flight of the rebels from
Derby, he was detached to Scotland; and he commanded a brigade of
infantry at the battle of Falkirk, on the 17th of January, 1746,
when he highly distinguished himself; but the excessive fatigue he
underwent, with continued exposure to severe weather, deprived him
of the use of his limbs for some time. In 1747, he was promoted
to the rank of major-general; and he was removed in 1749, to the
Twelfth Dragoons. He was again removed, in November of the same
year, to the Third Irish Horse (now Sixth Dragoon Guards); and in
1750, to the Sixth Dragoons. In 1754, he was promoted to the rank
of lieutenant-general; and he was many years lieutenant-governor of
Chester. He died in 1775.
THE HONORABLE HENRY SEYMOUR CONWAY.
_Appointed 24th July, 1749._
THE HONORABLE HENRY SEYMOUR CONWAY, second son of Lord Conway,
and brother of Francis Earl of Hertford, was appointed lieutenant
in the First Foot Guards in 1737, captain and lieutenant-colonel
in 1741, and in 1746 he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Duke of
Cumberland, and promoted to the colonelcy of the Fifty-ninth (now
Forty-eighth) Foot. He was removed to the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment in
1749, to the Thirteenth Dragoons in 1751, and to the Fourth Horse
(now Eighth Dragoon Guards) in 1754. In 1756 he was promoted to the
rank of major-general, and in 1759 to that of lieutenant-general:
he was removed to the Royal Dragoons in the same year. He commanded
a division of the allied army in Germany, under Prince Ferdinand of
Brunswick, in 1761; and the British forces in Germany were placed
under his orders during the absence of the Marquis of Granby. He
was also one of the grooms of the bedchamber to His Majesty, and
a member of parliament; and having voted against ministers on the
great question of military warrants, in 1764, he resigned his court
appointment and military commands; but in 1768 he was appointed
colonel of the Fourth Dragoons. In 1770 he was removed to the Royal
Regiment of Horse Guards; in 1772, he was promoted to the rank of
general; in 1782, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the army,
and in 1793 he was promoted to the rank of field-marshal. He died
in 1795; at which period he was eldest general officer and first
field-marshal in the army.
CHARLES RUSSELL.
_Appointed 17th December, 1751._
CHARLES RUSSELL was many years an officer in the Foot Guards; he
rose to the rank of captain and lieutenant-colonel in the First
Regiment, and was promoted to major, with the rank of colonel,
in the Second, or Coldstream, Regiment, in 1745; in 1751 he was
nominated colonel of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment of Foot. He died on
the 20th November, 1754.
THOMAS EARL OF EFFINGHAM.
_Appointed 2nd December, 1754._
LORD THOMAS HOWARD succeeded to the title of Earl of Effingham in
February, 1743, and on the 11th of April following he was nominated
lieutenant-colonel in the Second Troop, now Second Regiment,
of Life Guards. In 1749 he was appointed one of His Majesty’s
aides-de-camp, with the rank of colonel; and in 1754 he obtained
the colonelcy of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment. His lordship was
promoted to the rank of major-general in 1758; and was removed to
the colonelcy of the First Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards in 1760.
His decease occurred in November, 1763.
LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH.
_Appointed 30th October, 1760._
LORD FREDERICK CAVENDISH, third son of William (third) Duke of
Devonshire, was honored with having the Prince of Wales, (father
of King George III.,) for his godfather. Choosing the profession
of arms, he entered the army as ensign in the First Foot Guards,
and was appointed lieutenant and captain in the Second Foot
Guards in 1752; in 1755 he was nominated lieutenant-colonel of
the Twenty-ninth Regiment; he was honored with the appointment
of aide-de-camp to King George II., with the rank of colonel, in
1758, and in 1759 he obtained the colonelcy of the Sixty-seventh
Regiment, from which he was removed in 1760 to the THIRTY-FOURTH.
He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1761,--to that of
lieutenant-general in 1770,--general in 1782,--and field-marshal in
1796. In 1797 he resigned the colonelcy of his regiment. He died in
October, 1803.
GEORGE FERDINAND LORD SOUTHAMPTON.
_Appointed 13th July, 1797._
THE HONORABLE GEORGE FERDINAND FITZROY, eldest son of Charles
(first) Lord Southampton, son of the Duke of Grafton, was appointed
captain in the Forty-first Regiment on the 25th of December, 1787,
and was promoted to the majority of the Fifty-first Foot on the
25th of April, 1792; in February, 1793, he was advanced to the
commission of captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot
Guards, and he received the brevet rank of colonel in May, 1796. On
the decease of his father in March, 1797, he succeeded to the title
of LORD SOUTHAMPTON; and in July following he was nominated colonel
of the THIRTY-FOURTH Regiment. His lordship obtained the rank of
major-general in 1801, and of lieutenant-general in 1808. He died
in June, 1810.
SIR EYRE COOTE, G.C.B.
_Appointed 25th June, 1810._