with eight men and three horses wounded.
Notwithstanding the signal bravery of the British troops, the enemy,
by superior numbers, was enabled to gain possession of several
important towns; and, on the advance of the main army under the Duke
de Broglio, the Dragoon Guards left their advanced post at Wilda,
repassed the Dymel, and joined the lines near Warbourg on the 3rd of
August. During the remainder of the campaign many brilliant services
were performed by the British troops and their allies. By secret and
expeditious movements, by daring and rapid advances, and by sudden
and unexpected attacks, the enemy was kept in constant alarm; and
this warfare of detachments, in which the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS took
an active part, prevented the French from deriving that advantage
from their superior numbers which had been anticipated. At the
conclusion of the campaign the British troops went into quarters in
the bishopric of Paderborn, where they suffered great hardship from a
scarcity of forage and provision.
[Sidenote: 1761]
The French having, by their superior numbers, gained possession of
Hesse and the Lower Rhine, amassed immense magazines of provision
and forage in convenient situations; and having secured the
communications necessary for their subsistence, they possessed great
advantages over the allies, whose numbers were daily diminishing in
consequence of privations.
Prince Ferdinand, conscious of the difficulties of his situation,
formed one of those daring schemes which he knew the innate ardour of
his troops would execute. In the most severe season of the year, when
military operations were least expected, he made a sudden, extensive,
and vigorous attack upon the enemy's cantonments, threw the French
into the utmost consternation, and drove a superior army before him
for many miles. Having taken several strong towns, and captured
many of the enemy's magazines, the allies returned to their former
quarters, and the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS went into cantonments in the
villages near the banks of the Dymel.
On the advance of the French army in the middle of June, 1761, the
allies, having assembled from their cantonments, marched in several
columns to Gesecke, and subsequently took post with their left on
the river Lippe, the left centre under the Marquis of Granby at
_Kirch-Denkern_, and the right extending towards the village of
Werle; at the same time the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS were posted on the
heights of Wambeln.
The combined French armies, commanded by Marshals Soubise and the
Duke de Broglio, advanced against the allies; frequent skirmishes
took place in the early part of July, and on the 15th of that month
a furious attack was made upon the post occupied by the Marquis of
Granby; but the enemy were repulsed and driven back to the woods,
where the fire of the skirmishers was kept up throughout the night.
The division of the allied army commanded by the Prince of Anhalt
having been removed to support the Marquis of Granby, a body of
British troops, under Lieutenant-General Conway, took possession of
the ground vacated by the Prince, being an eminence, between Illingen
and Hohenover; and here the brigade of Dragoon Guards, commanded by
Major-General Douglas, was posted. On the following day the French
drove in the skirmishers, and renewed the attack with additional
forces, at the same time extending the sphere of their operations;
and an attempt was made upon the post occupied by the brigade of
Dragoon Guards. The assailants were, however, everywhere repulsed,
and they were eventually driven back with the loss of above 5000 men,
9 pieces of cannon, and 6 colours. Unfortunately the nature of the
ground prevented the cavalry from taking part in the engagement.
In August the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS were engaged in a general attack
upon the enemy's posts, near the Dymel; and afterwards crossed that
river and advanced to the vicinity of Cassel. In the early part of
November they were engaged in dislodging a French corps from its post
near _Capelnhagen_. On the 6th and 7th of that month they skirmished
with the enemy's advanced posts at _Eimbeck_, in the Electorate of
Hanover. On the same evening the Dragoon Guards, with several other
corps, marched through a heavy snow, and the following morning
arrived at _Foorwohle_, where they erected their tents; but just as
the encampment was formed, an alarm was given by the out-posts of
the advance of the enemy in force. The British horsemen instantly
formed, attacked the enemy with their accustomed gallantry, and drove
them back with loss. Prince Ferdinand was a spectator of this act of
gallantry, and expressed great admiration of the spirited conduct of
the officers and men.[50] This warfare by detached parties, which
occasioned considerable loss in men and horses from fatigue and
exposure to inclement weather, produced no decisive results; and in
the beginning of November the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS went into quarters
in East Friesland.
[Sidenote: 1762]
In the spring of 1762 the allies made an excursion into the country
of Berg, where they raised contributions. On the 18th of June the
main army encamped at Brakel, where the First and THIRD DRAGOON
GUARDS formed a brigade under the command of Major-General the Earl
of Pembroke. On the 20th of the same month the army advanced towards
the Dymel; and the French, under Marshals d'Etrées and Soubise moved
forward and encamped at _Groebenstien_; when a favourable opportunity
presenting itself, Prince Ferdinand immediately made dispositions for
attacking the enemy.
Moving from their camp at an early hour on the morning of the 24th
of June the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS, forming part of the centre column,
crossed the Dymel between Libenau and Silen, and took part in
surprising the enemy in their camp, and in driving them from their
ground, with the loss of their camp equipage and many prisoners.
At the same time a French corps, consisting of the grenadiers of
France, the Royal Grenadiers, the Regiment of Aquitaine, and other
troops, under the command of General Stainville, threw themselves
into the woods near Wilhelmsthal, to cover the retreat of the army;
when the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS, with the main body of the allied army,
surrounded the wood, and nearly every man of this French corps was
either killed or taken prisoner, two battalions only escaping.
The THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS afterwards pursued the main body of the
French army in the direction of Cassel, and at night encamped on the
heights between Holtzhausen and Weimar.
In the middle of July the regiment took part in an attack on the
enemy's posts on the _Fulda_; and was subsequently engaged in
several military operations on that river, and also on the Eder. By
a succession of combined operations the allies compelled the enemy
to evacuate a considerable portion of territory, and the campaign
ended with the taking of Cassel. The success of the British army
was followed by a suspension of hostilities, which took place in
November, and the troops went into quarters in the Bishopric of
Munster.
[Sidenote: 1763]
The THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS having received, in common with the whole
army, the thanks of Parliament for their eminent and meritorious
services during the war, commenced their march on the 27th of
January, 1763, through Holland to Williamstadt, where they embarked
for England: the numbers of the regiment on embarkation appear to
have been 14 officers, 328 men, and 434 horses, with 32 officers'
servants, and 33 women who had accompanied their husbands through
these long and toilsome campaigns.[51]
After its arrival in England the regiment was stationed at
Canterbury; and its establishment was reduced to 28 private men
per troop. At the same time the LIGHT TROOP, which had not been on
service with the remainder of the regiment, was relieved from the
King's duty at Windsor by the 15th Light Dragoons, and disbanded.
Eight men per troop of each of the old troops were, however,
subsequently equipped as LIGHT DRAGOONS, a practice which appears to
have been general in the heavy cavalry regiments.[52]
In consequence of a representation of the increase of smuggling, and
of the inability of the officers of the revenue and civil authorities
to resist, successfully, the organized gangs which infested the
maritime towns and villages, the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS were dispersed
in detachments along the Kentish coast, the head-quarters being at
Canterbury.
[Sidenote: 1764]
In April, 1764, the regiment was ordered to call in its detachments
and march into quarters near London; and on the 14th of May it
was reviewed in Hyde Park, by His Majesty King George III., who
was pleased to express his approbation of the uniform and compact
appearance of the regiment, and of the manner in which the various
evolutions were executed. After the review the regiment marched to
Leicester, Northampton, and Kettering.
This year His Majesty commanded the recruiting and remounting of
the several cavalry corps to be submitted to the consideration of a
Board of General Officers; and in consequence of its report, orders
were issued for the recruits received into the regiments of dragoon
guards to be from five feet eight inches to five feet ten inches
in height; and that the remount horses should not be under fifteen
hands, nor above fifteen hands one inch: at the same time the several
regiments were ordered to be remounted with _long-tailed_ horses:
jacked leather boots were also laid aside, and boots of a lighter
description were adopted; and the men were ordered to wear epaulettes
on the right shoulder instead of aiguillettes.
[Sidenote: 1765]
The reputation which the regiment had acquired in the field, and its
uniform good conduct on all occasions, attracted the attention of the
King, and in 1765 his Majesty was pleased to confer upon it the title
of THE PRINCE OF WALES' REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS, in honour of the
heir apparent to the throne (afterwards King George IV.), who was
then in the third year of his age: at the same time it obtained,--as
a regimental badge,--a coronet, with a plume of three feathers, a
rising sun, and a red dragon, with the motto 'ICH DIEN.' In the
month of March of the same year, it proceeded to Scotland; and in
September Major-General Lord Robert Manners was appointed its Colonel
in succession to Sir Charles Howard, deceased.
[Sidenote: 1766]
In the spring of 1766 the regiment returned to England, and was
stationed at Manchester and its vicinity. In July the DRUMMERS were
taken off the establishment, and TRUMPETERS were appointed in their
place.
[Sidenote: 1767]
[Sidenote: 1768]
The regiment left Manchester in April 1767, and proceeded to
Coventry, Warwick, and Birmingham. In March of the succeeding year,
the several troops assembled at Coventry, from whence they proceeded
to Newbury and Speenham-Land, and after having been reviewed by
His Majesty on Bagshot Heath, marched to quarters at Dorchester,
Sherbourn, and Blandford.
[Sidenote: 1769]
[Sidenote: 1770]
[Sidenote: 1772]
In 1769 the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS were on coast duty in Sussex, with
their head-quarters at Lewes. After calling in the detachments, the
regiment assembled at Chichester in 1770, from whence it proceeded
to the vicinity of London, and had the honour of passing in review
before His Majesty on Blackheath. In May it marched to Colchester,
Chelmsford, and Ingatestone; and in the spring of 1772 proceeded to
Scotland.
[Sidenote: 1773]
[Sidenote: 1777]
After remaining in Scotland twelve months, the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS
returned to England and occupied quarters in South Britain, until the
spring of 1777, when they again proceeded to the north.
[Sidenote: 1778]
The nation was at this period engaged in a war with its North
American colonies, and the French monarch having agreed to assist
the revolted provincials, the army was augmented, and during the
time this regiment was in Scotland, an addition of one serjeant, one
corporal, and fifteen private men was made to the establishment. It
returned to England in April, and in May a squadron was in attendance
on the King and Queen at Portsmouth, whither their Majesties
proceeded to witness a naval review, &c. In August, a further
addition of eight men, who were to be equipped as light dragoons, was
made to its numbers. During the summer it was encamped on Salisbury
Plain.
[Sidenote: 1779]
In 1779 the men of the PRINCE OF WALES' DRAGOON GUARDS equipped as
light dragoons, with the men of the 1st, 6th, and 11th Dragoons were
formed into a regiment, which was numbered the 20th regiment of Light
Dragoons; and from this period the heavy regiments ceased to have a
portion of their men equipped as light cavalry.
During the summer the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS with the 1st Royal
Dragoons, and the 15th, 20th, and 21st Light Dragoons, were encamped
on Lexdon Heath, near Colchester.
[Sidenote: 1780]
During the summer of 1780 the regiment was stationed at Shrewsbury,
and on the breaking out of the memorable riots in London, it was
suddenly called upon to proceed thither. Severe measures being found
absolutely necessary to preserve the metropolis from destruction, the
suppression of these riots was a painful service to the troops, and
the violence of the misguided people was so great, that about 300
rioters fell victims to their own folly, before order was restored.
The PRINCE OF WALES' DRAGOON GUARDS returned to their quarters at
Shrewsbury in July, where they continued for some time.
[Sidenote: 1782]
On the 7th of June, 1782, his Majesty conferred the Colonelcy on
Lieut.-General Philip Honeywood from the 4th Regiment of Irish Horse
(now 7th Dragoon Guards), in the place of Lord Robert Manners,
deceased.
[Sidenote: 1783]
After the British Government had recognised the independence of the
United States of America, the strength of the army was reduced,
and the establishment of the PRINCE OF WALES' DRAGOON GUARDS was
decreased 154 men.
[Sidenote: 1785]
The decease of General Honeywood having occurred in January, 1785,
his Majesty appointed Major-General Richard Burton Philipson Colonel
of the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS.
[Sidenote: 1788]
[Sidenote: 1789]
The regiment continued in England until the spring of 1788, when
it again proceeded to Scotland, and remained in that kingdom the
usual period of one year. After its arrival in England, in 1789, the
establishment was increased nine men per troop.
[Sidenote: 1792]
In August, 1792, the Colonelcy of the PRINCE OF WALES' DRAGOON
GUARDS, vacant by the decease of General Philipson, was conferred on
Major-General Sir William Fawcett, K.B., then Adjutant-General of the
Forces.
[Sidenote: 1793]
A further augmentation was made in the establishment in the spring of
1793, with a view to its being employed in actual warfare against the
revolutionary party in France, who had seized the reins of government
in that country, and beheaded their sovereign.
A French army under General Dumourier, having attacked the frontiers
of Holland, a British force was sent to the continent under the
command of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, to co-operate with
the Austrians, Prussians, and Dutch; and on the 25th of May, four
troops of the PRINCE OF WALES' DRAGOON GUARDS embarked at Northfleet
for this service. Having landed at Ostend, they advanced to the
vicinity of Tournay, and formed part of a corps of reserve to the
covering army during the siege of _Valenciennes_, which place
surrendered to His Royal Highness the Duke of York on the 26th of
July. The siege of _Dunkirk_ was next undertaken, with the view
of replacing that fortress under the dominion of England, and the
THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS formed part of the force employed in covering
the operation. The enemy having brought forward an immense body of
troops, attacked the covering army with great fury; when some severe
fighting occurred, during which the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS, owing to
the nature of the ground, had to dismount and act as infantry; and
the covering army, being eventually driven from its ground by the
superior numbers of the enemy, the Duke of York raised the siege. The
British troops afterwards returning to the vicinity of Tournay, were
engaged in several skirmishes with the enemy; and towards the end of
the year the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS proceeded to Ghent and Bruges for
winter quarters.
[Sidenote: 1794]
Early in 1794 the regiment was again in the field; and it was engaged
in the general attack on the enemy's positions at _Vaux_, _Premont_,
_Marets_, and _Catillon_, on the 17th of April; and was subsequently
encamped, with nearly the whole of the British army, on the heights
of _Cateau_, to cover the siege of _Landrécies_, which was undertaken
by the Austrians.
On the evening of the 25th of April a French corps of about 30,000
men, commanded by Lieut.-General Chapuy, marched out of Cambray,
and on the following morning advanced against the British troops.
At day-break the enemy formed line, and being concealed by a thick
fog, took possession of a village in front of the British position.
At length their movements being plainly seen, His Royal Highness
detached the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS and other cavalry of the right
wing, to turn the enemy's left flank; and this movement having been
executed, the British squadrons charged with their characteristic
gallantry, overthrew the troops of the enemy, and pursued them to
the gates of Cambray. In the midst of the conflict the THIRD DRAGOON
GUARDS, ever emulous of glory, were seen carrying destruction and
defeat through the enemy's ranks; and in their victorious career,
the allies captured thirty-five pieces of cannon, with a number of
prisoners, amongst whom was the French commander, Lieut.-General
Chapuy, who surrendered his sword to Major Tiddieman, the
commanding-officer of the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS.
The regiment, however, purchased its laurels with the loss of Captain
Pigot, Lieutenant Fellowes, 1 quarter-master, 1 serjeant, 36 private
men, and 46 horses killed, besides a great number wounded. His
Royal Highness the Duke of York expressed his admiration of its
conduct,[53] and inserted the following paragraph in the General
Orders issued on this occasion.
'The Austrian Regiment of Cuirassiers of Zetchwitz, the Blues,
the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Dragoon Guards, the Royals, Archduke
Ferdinand's Hussars, and the 16th Light Dragoons, who attacked
and defeated the principal column of the enemy on the right, HAVE
ALL ACQUIRED IMMORTAL HONOUR TO THEMSELVES.'
After the surrender of _Landrécies_, the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS marched
to the vicinity of _Tournay_, and on the 10th of May were engaged in
repulsing the attack of the enemy, whose troops were forced across
the Marque, with the loss of thirteen pieces of cannon. The regiment
behaved on this occasion with its accustomed gallantry; and sustained
a loss of 2 officers, 1 serjeant, and 14 private men, with 25 horses
killed; and 2 officers, 2 serjeants, 6 men, and 2 horses wounded.
The allies subsequently sustained several severe losses in actions
with the enemy, and the Austrians having resolved to abandon the
Netherlands, the Duke of York, who had maintained his position in
front of Tournay against all opposition, was obliged to make a
corresponding movement. The THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS shared, in common
with the other regiments, the hardships which this event occasioned.
In the subsequent retreat through Holland, which was occasioned
in a great measure by the defection of the Dutch people, the
incessant fatigue, the inclemency of the season, and the difficulty
experienced in procuring supplies, reduced the British troops to a
most distressing state of ill health, and occasioned the death of
hundreds of brave men. At length the Maese and the Waal were frozen;
the French, with their cannon and all the _matériel_ of their army,
passed these rivers on the ice: some hard fighting occurred, but
the British, in their reduced condition, were unable to oppose
effectual resistance. The army retired in the midst of a rigorous
winter, through a hostile country covered with ice and snow, without
necessaries, and without accommodation: consequently numbers perished
from want, and others were frozen to death; yet the survivors
preserved a firm and undaunted countenance, and defeated the attacks
of the pursuing army. 'Such was the fate of as brave a body of men as
ever Great Britain sent into the field. Both men and officers behaved
themselves throughout the whole of the campaigns of 1793 and 1794,
with a spirit that distinguished them wherever they were employed,
and that fully corresponded with that idea of British valour, so
justly entertained by foreign nations. It was, however, in the last
stages of this unsuccessful campaign that their courage appeared with
the most lustre. The undesponding perseverance with which they met
and surmounted every hardship and obstacle, arising from the various
incidents of war, was the more remarkable, that they contended
against an enemy in full possession of every advantage occurring from
victory, and whom they could only expect to impress with a sense of
their valour. Herein they certainly succeeded.'[54]
[Sidenote: 1795]
Having arrived at Bremen, in Lower Saxony, the troops there obtained
provision and rest. The infantry embarked for England in April, 1795;
but the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS, and several other cavalry regiments,
remained in Germany until November, when they returned to England.
[Sidenote: 1799]
In the summer of 1799 the regiment was encamped near Swinley, under
the command of Lieut.-Colonel Payne, and was this year ordered to be
mounted on nag-tailed horses.
[Sidenote: 1800]
It was again encamped at Swinley in the summer of 1800, and was
reviewed on the downs by his Majesty King George III., who was
pleased to express to Lieut.-Colonel Payne, through Sir William
Fawcett, the colonel of the regiment, his high approbation of the
appearance of the officers and men, and of the superior description
and high condition of the horses.
[Sidenote: 1803]
[Sidenote: 1804]
In 1803 it proceeded to Scotland, and was stationed at Piershill
Barracks, near Edinburgh; from whence it marched, in February,
1804, to Portpatrick, and embarked for Ireland. After debarking
at Donaghadee, it occupied quarters at Londonderry, Enniskillen,
Dundalk, and Belturbet.
On the 2nd of April, 1804, His Majesty appointed Major-General
Richard Vyse to the Colonelcy of the THIRD OR PRINCE OF WALES' OWN
REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS, in succession to General Sir William
Fawcett, K.B., deceased.
[Sidenote: 1805]
In the summer the regiment marched to Dublin, from whence it
subsequently proceeded to Limerick, Fermoy, Mallow, and Bandon, and
returned to Dublin in December, 1805.
[Sidenote: 1808]
Orders having been given for the THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS to join the
intended expedition to the Continent, one-half of the regiment
embarked from Dublin and sailed to Liverpool, but the expedition,
having been countermanded, on the arrival of the remainder of the
regiment, the whole proceeded to Exeter, where the head-quarters were
stationed until June, 1808, when the regiment marched to Dorchester;
and shortly afterwards to Chichester and Arundel.
The THIRD DRAGOON GUARDS were present at the review which took place
at Brighton on the 12th of August, 1808, in honour of the birth-day
of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. They afterwards occupied
quarters at Brighton and Lewes, and in the autumn they were called
upon to hold themselves in readiness to proceed on foreign service,
to participate in the victories gained by the British forces in
Portugal and Spain serving under that illustrious commander, now
Arthur Duke of Wellington, whose splendid achievements are interwoven
with the history of Europe.