glory; but in as far as the industrious exertions of those
non-commissioned officers and privates, who could be spared from
military duty, have been exerted, this colony is much indebted
for many useful improvements, which but for the soldiers of
the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, must have remained only in the
contemplation of those anxious for its civilization for a length
of time, and the Major-General cannot doubt but that the comforts
enjoyed by the colonists, in consequence of the zealous and
laborious exertions of the soldiers of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment,
will long be remembered with grateful recollections.
“Major-General Macquarie feels particular satisfaction in rendering
his best acknowledgments to Lieut.-Colonel O’Connell for his
attention to the discipline of the corps, and the health and
comfort of the soldiers under his immediate command, and also for
his zealous and assiduous attention to the duties devolving on him
as Lieut.-Governor, during the Governor’s necessary and occasional
absence from head-quarters.
“To the field-officers, captains, and subalterns, of the
SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, the Major-General desires to offer his
best wishes for their health and happiness, and particularly
to those with whom he has had a long acquaintance, and whose
worth and honorable sentiments he is thereby the more fully
enabled to appreciate; and he has no doubt but that the martial
appearance, and strength of the corps, so far surpassing what is
generally to be met with, will call forth feelings of surprise and
gratification, wherever their services are required.
“Under these impressions, Major-General Macquarie now takes leave
of the regiment, with that regret which a long acquaintance
naturally inspires, but at the same time with the consolatory
assurance that the SEVENTY-THIRD will show themselves at all times
worthy of the respect and esteem which cannot fail to be paid to
military bravery and unshaken loyalty.”
The “Windham” having made nearly the same voyage as the “General
Hewitt,” after leaving Van Diemen’s Land, did not arrive at Ceylon
until the 6th of November.[12]
In the meantime the reigning sovereign of Candy had evinced so
cruel and tyrannical a disposition, that he became odious to his
subjects, who experienced a total insecurity of life and property
under his rule, individuals being frequently deprived of both at
the caprice of the king. The governor of one of his provinces was
summoned to appear at the capital; but this chief, expecting that
the sacrifice of his life, and the seizure of his property, were
intended, did not obey the mandate. The king assembled an army,
overpowered the forces of the disobedient chief, and forced him to
fly for protection to the British settlements in the island.
In addition to this oppressive tyranny over his own subjects, the
King of Candy, elated with his success against the refractory
chief, prepared to invade the British territory, against the
frontier of which he had long carried on occasional hostilities. He
had also inflicted cruelties on some British subjects, who had gone
into his dominions on trading speculations.
[Sidenote: 1815]
These circumstances occasioned Lieut.-General Robert Brownrigg, the
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Island of Ceylon, to render
assistance to the natives to throw off the yoke, and at the same
time preserve the English provinces from aggression, by invading
the kingdom of Candy. The British troops advanced into the kingdom
of Candy in seven divisions, in the beginning of February 1815, and
detachments were formed from the SEVENTY-THIRD, and attached to
four or five divisions of the invading army.
The soldiers underwent great fatigue in crossing mountains, passing
morasses and rivers, and traversing regions inhabited only by
the wild beasts of the forest; they succeeded in overcoming all
opposition, and arrived at the capital in the middle of February.
The king had fled with a small number of his Malabar adherents; but
on the 18th of February, he was surrounded, and made prisoner by
his own subjects, who showed the utmost detestation of the tyrant.
A solemn conference was held between the British Governor and the
Candian chiefs, and the assembly declared the Malabar dynasty
deposed, and the provinces of Candy united to the dominions of the
British Crown. Thus was an extensive tract of country, bountifully
endowed with natural gifts, and producing the necessaries and
luxuries of life, including spices, metals, and precious stones,
added to the British dominions; a numerous race of human beings, of
a peculiarly interesting character, was delivered from the power of
despotism, and brought under the advantages of the just government
and equitable laws of Great Britain. Every species of torture was
immediately abolished; but the ancient religion of the inhabitants,
and the former mode of administering justice, were preserved.
The conduct of the British troops was highly meritorious, and
reflected credit on the several corps employed in this enterprise;
the soldiers abstained from plunder and violence, and behaved with
such order and regularity as to conciliate the inhabitants, whose
condition, improved by a policy founded on liberal ideas, and
exhibiting enlarged views, prepared the way for their emancipation
from the errors of superstition, and their introduction to the
advantages of Christianity, and of European arts, sciences, and
commerce.
While the first battalion of the SEVENTY-THIRD was thus employed,
the _Second Battalion_ had acquired the word “WATERLOO” for the
regimental colour and appointments, in commemoration of its
distinguished services in that memorable battle, which terminated
the lengthened war in which the powers of Europe had been engaged.
A portion of the British troops occupied posts in the
newly-acquired territory, and the corps not required for this duty
returned to their former quarters. The first battalion of the
SEVENTY-THIRD regiment was again stationed at Colombo.
[Sidenote: 1816]
During the year 1816 the battalion continued to be stationed at
Colombo.
[Sidenote: 1817]
In the month of September 1817, intimation was received at Colombo,
that several Candian chiefs, who were hostile to British interests,
were making preparations in various parts of the interior provinces
of Ceylon, in favour of a new claimant to the throne of Candy, who
subsequently arrived in the island from the continent of India,
and they actually commenced hostilities on the 25th of October,
1817, by the murder of a native Mahandiram in Ouva, and by that
of Mr. Wilson, the collector of that place, who had gone out to
remonstrate with the natives assembled in the vicinity of Badulah.
Detachments from all the regiments stationed in Ceylon were in
consequence ordered into the interior, and the SEVENTY-THIRD
furnished for this service nearly the whole of the officers and men
fit to march.
[Sidenote: 1818]
The head-quarters of the battalion were transferred, in December
1817, from Colombo to Trincomalee, and a detachment from the
second battalion, which had been disbanded on the 4th of May, of
this year, having arrived from England at the latter port, it was
immediately ordered into the interior, where the rebellion had
become general in the beginning of 1818.
On this service the battalion lost ten officers, and three hundred
and sixty-six men, of whom only one officer (Lieutenant John
Maclaine) and about twenty men were killed, or died of wounds
inflicted by the enemy, the remainder having fallen victims to
the unhealthiness of the climate, which even after the rebellion
was subdued, continued to prove fatal to the officers and men who
remained on service in the interior. The frequent exposure to the
sun, and the heavy dews at night (when detachments were constantly
on the march, particularly in the mountainous districts, where the
enemy could not be surprised by day) together with a scarcity of
provisions, brought on the jungle fever to an alarming extent, and
had not an auxiliary force been sent from Madras, the interior of
the island must of necessity have been evacuated.
In this harassing campaign, the superiority of the British over the
native troops acting with them, was very evident; small parties
only could be employed with effect, and therefore, more individual
courage and exertion were required than with large bodies, where
the excitement is much greater. The want of surgical aid was
severely felt, and the officers at last, with the assistance of
manuscript instructions, administered medicine, dressed wounds,
and, on some occasions, performed trifling operations. Besides
fever and dysentery, leech-bites were the occasion of many
casualties.
The peculiar kind of warfare carried on during this campaign,
afforded many opportunities for the officers and men to distinguish
themselves. The following, among many instances, is deserving of
record. A very small party of the SEVENTY-THIRD, in charge of
Lance-Corporal Richard McLoughlin, was furiously attacked on its
march to Badulah, by a numerous force; two men were killed, and the
rest, instead of leaving their deceased comrades to the Candians,
who generally mutilated the remains of British soldiers, divided;
part remained in charge of the bodies, and the other portion, at an
equal risk, proceeded to Badulah, a few miles distant, and returned
with a reinforcement, that enabled them to carry off their deceased
comrades, in spite of the exertions of the enemy to the contrary.
For this gallant conduct, medals were struck by the Ceylon
Government for the following men, who, however, died of fever
before they could be issued, namely, Lance-Corporal Richard
McLoughlin, Privates John Wilson, Christopher Sheppard, and William
Connor.
Whether the WATERLOO medals worn by the men who formerly belonged
to the _Second Battalion_, caused an extraordinary emulation
amongst the other soldiers of the SEVENTY-THIRD is a question; it
is, however, matter of fact, that their conduct during the whole of
the campaign gave not only their own officers, but those of other
corps, the highest satisfaction.
[Sidenote: 1819]
In 1819, the nineteenth regiment was ordered home from Ceylon, when
one hundred and seventy-two men volunteered to the SEVENTY-THIRD
regiment.
[Sidenote: 1821]
Upon the SEVENTY-THIRD being directed to proceed to England in
1821, all the men fit for service in a tropical climate were
permitted to volunteer, in the first instance, to regiments in
Ceylon, and ultimately to His Majesty’s regiments stationed in the
territories of the East India Company.
A detachment of one subaltern, three serjeants, one drummer, and
forty-six rank and file, embarked as _Marines_ on board of His
Majesty’s ship “Alligator,” on the 22nd of May, 1821; the remainder
of the regiment embarked at Trincomalee on the 25th of June
following, and landed at Gravesend on the 10th of November. It was
then ordered to proceed to the barracks at Weedon, to which place
the depôt of the regiment had been a short time before removed
from Chichester, and where most of the men brought home were soon
afterwards invalided.
The establishment of the regiment was, on its arrival, reduced to
eight companies, forming a total of four field officers, eight
captains, sixteen subalterns, five staff, twenty-nine serjeants,
twelve drummers, twenty-four corporals, and five hundred and
fifty-two privates.
[Sidenote: 1823]
In March, 1823, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Hull, and
to furnish detachments at Chester, Carlisle, and Tynemouth: in May
it marched to Edinburgh Castle, furnishing detachments at Glasgow,
Stirling and Dumbarton Castles, and at Fort William.
In December, 1823, the regiment embarked at Port Patrick for
Ireland, and was stationed at Castlebar, furnishing twelve small
detachments within the limits of the counties of Mayo and Galway.
[Sidenote: 1824]
[Sidenote: 1825]
The regiment was assembled at Athlone in June, 1824, where it was
quartered until July, 1825, when the head-quarters were removed to
Naas, and detachments were furnished to Drogheda, Wicklow, Trim,
and some villages in the counties of Kildare and Wicklow.
In 1825, the regiment was augmented to ten companies, consisting,
while at home, of forty-two serjeants (including six staff
serjeants), fourteen drummers, and seven hundred and forty rank
and file; when ordered on foreign service to be divided into six
service companies, of four serjeants, and eighty-six rank and file
each; and four depôt companies for home service, consisting each of
three serjeants, one drummer, and fifty-six rank and file.
[Sidenote: 1826]
In November, 1825, the regiment was reunited in the Royal Barracks
at Dublin, where it continued until May, 1826, when, in consequence
of riots in the manufacturing towns in Lancashire and Yorkshire, it
was ordered to proceed to England. The head-quarters were fixed at
Halifax, and detachments were sent to Huddersfield, Bradford, and
to various other towns.
Tranquillity being restored in the above counties, the regiment
was ordered to return to Dublin in July, 1826, and from thence it
proceeded in August to occupy its former quarters at Naas, and the
outposts.
In December following, the regiment received orders to march
to Waterford, furnishing detachments at Kilkenny, Wexford,
Carrick-on-Suir, and Duncannon Fort.
[Sidenote: 1827]
In August, 1827, the regiment was ordered to Fermoy, preparatory
to embarkation, where in the course of the month, the service and
depôt companies were formed.
The service companies embarked at Cove for Gibraltar towards the
end of August and beginning of the following month, and arrived at
their destination on the 10th, 17th, and 24th of September.
The depôt companies remained in Ireland during this and the two
following years.
[Sidenote: 1828]
During the prevalence of the contagious and dreadful fever which
visited Gibraltar in the year 1828, the SEVENTY-THIRD were encamped
with the twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers on Europa Flats, from
the 10th of October to the 17th of January, 1829.
[Sidenote: 1829]
The casualties in the SEVENTY-THIRD were, compared with the other
regiments in that garrison, fortunately limited to a small number.
Out of nine officers and one hundred and ninety-six privates, who
were attacked with the disease, only two officers and thirty-five
men proved fatal cases. Lieutenant Hedworth Huddleston Williamson,
and Assistant Surgeon John Gordon Fraser were the officers; the
latter, though a very young assistant, fell a victim to his zeal
for the service.
Whether the comparatively few casualties were attributable to the
successful practice of the Surgeon George Martin, or some other
accidental cause, can be only matter of conjecture. One thing,
however, is certain, that His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor,
as well as numerous other officers unconnected with the regiment,
acknowledged, in the most public manner, the talents and attention
of Surgeon Martin, of the SEVENTY-THIRD, on this trying occasion.
Major-General Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B., was appointed colonel of
the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 22nd of May, 1829, in succession
to General George Lord Harris, G.C.B., deceased.
In December, 1829, the service companies embarked for Malta, where
the last division arrived on the 31st of that month.
On the departure of the SEVENTY-THIRD from Gibraltar, His
Excellency the Lieut.-Governor, General Sir George Don, G.C.B.,
issued the following order:--
“_Head Quarters,
Gibraltar, 2nd December, 1829._
“His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor is desirous to express to
the SEVENTY-THIRD, on their departure from this garrison, the
satisfaction afforded him by their regular and orderly conduct
during the period of upwards of two years that they have been
under his command, and he feels peculiar pleasure in noticing,
that in no instance has any individual of this corps been
reported to him for any irregularity on duty during the above
period.
“To the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of this
regiment, His Excellency offers his thanks, and more particularly
to Colonel O’Connell, whose zeal and constant attention must have
so essentially contributed to maintain the discipline and good
order of the corps under his command.”
The first two divisions of the regiment embarked on board the “Lord
Suffield” and “Stentor” transports on the 2nd of December, and
sailed the same day; the last division (head-quarters) embarked on
board the “Henry Porcher” on the 8th. The first two ships reached
Malta on the 20th of December, and performed the usual quarantine
in the Lazaretto; but the “Henry Porcher” experienced such severe
weather on the 10th and 11th off Capo de Gato, that she had to put
back again to Gibraltar in distress. She, however, sailed again
on the 15th, and the men landed in the Lazaretto on the 1st of
January, 1830.
[Sidenote: 1830]
In February, 1830, the depôt companies were removed from Ireland to
Great Britain.
The service companies remained in St. Elmo barracks during the
year 1830, and at the periodical inspection which took place in
April, the Commanding Officer (Colonel O’Connell), by desire
of Major-General the Honorable Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby,
Lieut.-Governor of Malta, issued the following order:--
“_Valetta, 5th April, 1830._
“The Commanding Officer has great pleasure in complying with the
desire of the Major-General commanding, that he should express
in regimental orders the General’s perfect satisfaction with
everything he has this day seen of the regiment.”
On the 22nd of July, 1830, Colonel Maurice Charles O’Connell was
promoted to the rank of Major-General; and on the 25th of the
ensuing month the following farewell address was read to the
regiment:--
“Major-General O’Connell, being removed from the SEVENTY-THIRD
regiment by promotion, avails himself of the kindness of Major
Lloyd, now commanding officer of the regiment, to address to it a
few farewell words.
“The Major-General cannot contemplate his separation from a corps,
endeared to him by all those sacred ties which bind the members of
a family together, and which have, in their fullest sense, existed
between him and the regiment for a period of nearly twenty-five
years, that he has almost uninterruptedly commanded it in so many
parts of His Majesty’s dominions, at home and abroad, without
experiencing sensations which he would find it impossible to
describe here, but which he feels most acutely. He will content
himself with requesting the officers of the regiment, generally,
to accept his most sincere thanks for the kindness that he
experienced from them, and for the uniform, undeviating attention
they have paid to his orders, and to his suggestions for the good
of the regiment; where every officer merited his approbation,
the Major-General cannot particularise individuals, but he feels
himself called on by a sense of justice, as well as of duty, and
he certainly has great pleasure in obeying that call, to offer to
his friend Lieutenant and Adjutant Russell his most particular
thanks for the zealous and effectual aid he has ever received from
him in the discharge of every duty, and to declare, that to the
exertions and abilities of this meritorious officer he is mainly
indebted for the high state of discipline which has characterised
the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, in every garrison where it has been
stationed.
“To the non-commissioned officers and men, he begs to express his
thanks for, and his approbation of, their uniform good conduct,
which he exhorts them to persevere in, as the surest means of
insuring to themselves the approbation of their superiors,
exemptions from punishment, and of preparing them for acquiring
honor and glory, when called to meet the enemies of their country
in the field.
“The Major-General will conclude by assuring both officers and
men, that their happiness and glory will be for ever dear to
him, and that to the latest day of his life he will consider the
SEVENTY-THIRD regiment as part of his family, whose interests are
inseparably interwoven with his own. Should any fortunate event
ever enable him to promote the general welfare of the regiment, or
the individual interest of any of its members, whether officers,
non-commissioned officers, or privates, he hopes it is needless for
him to declare with what pleasure he shall avail himself of the
opportunity.
“He now, with sincerest good wishes for the health, happiness, and
glory of the whole, bids them adieu.”[13]
[Sidenote: 1831]
In October, 1831, the depôt companies proceeded to Jersey.
[Sidenote: 1834]
On the 12th of April, 1834, the service companies embarked at Malta
for the Ionian islands.
[Sidenote: 1835]
In September, 1835, the depôt companies embarked at Portsmouth for
Cork.
Major-General William George Lord Harris, K.C.H., was removed from
the colonelcy of the eighty-sixth to that of the SEVENTY-THIRD
regiment on the 4th of December, 1835, in succession to
Lieut.-General the Right Honorable Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B., who
was appointed colonel of the fifty-seventh regiment.
[Sidenote: 1838]
The service companies embarked at Zante for Gibraltar on the 21st
of January, 1838, and arrived at that fortress in the following
month. In April and May of that year they proceeded to Nova Scotia,
and in July, 1838, were removed to Canada.
[Sidenote: 1839]
In June, 1839, the depôt companies were removed from Ireland to
Great Britain.
[Sidenote: 1841]
The service companies embarked at Quebec for England on the 5th
June, 1841, and arrived at Gosport in July, at which place they
were stationed during the remainder of the year.
[Sidenote: 1842]
In April, 1842, the regiment proceeded to Woolwich, and in August
to Bradford, from whence it was removed in September to Newport, in
Monmouthshire.
[Sidenote: 1843]
During the year 1843 the regiment remained at Newport.
[Sidenote: 1844]
The regiment embarked by divisions at Newport, on the 8th and 16th
of August, 1844, and disembarked at Kingstown, Dublin, on the
11th and 19th of that month. In December, the regiment moved from
Richmond to the Royal Barracks at Dublin.
[Sidenote: 1845]
Major-General Sir Robert Henry Dick, K.C.B., was appointed colonel
of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 10th of June, 1845, in
succession to Lieut.-General William George Lord Harris, K.C.H.,
deceased.
The service companies, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Charles
Jowett Vander Meulen, embarked at Cork in H.M. troop-ship “Apollo”
on the 29th of September, 1845, for the Cape of Good Hope. In
consequence, however, of political events in South America,
they were required (together with the reserve battalion of the
forty-fifth regiment) by the British minister at Rio Janeiro to
proceed to the river Plate, and they were disembarked at Monte
Video in January, 1846.
[Sidenote: 1846]
On the 3rd of April, 1846, Major-General Sir John Grey, K.C.B., was
appointed colonel of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, in succession to
Major-General Sir Robert Henry Dick, K.C.B. and K.C.H., who was
killed on the 10th of February, 1846, at the battle of Sobraon.
While the service companies were stationed at Monte Video, from
January to July, 1846, they were employed in the protection of the
town, and of the British merchants and inhabitants, against an
Argentine force under General Oribe, who was investing the place.
[Sidenote: 1847]
In July, the service companies were re-embarked for the Cape of
Good Hope, and arrived at Cape Town in August. After landing their
sick, they were ordered to proceed to Waterloo Bay, near to the
Great Fish River, there to disembark, and join the troops employed
in the field against the Kaffirs, on which arduous duty the
regiment was subsequently employed.
From the 1st of January to the 3rd of February, 1847, and from the
10th of September to the end of the year, the service companies
were engaged in active field operations against the Kaffirs. On
this service the SEVENTY-THIRD had the following officers killed,
namely, Captain William Baker, Lieutenants Clarevaulx Faunt, and
the Honorable William John Granville Chetwynd, Ensign William
Burnop, and Surgeon Neil Stewart Campbell.