in the _Annual Register_, vol. 87, page 280:--
“After landing at Stralsund, and assisting in completing the works
of that town, Lieut.-Colonel Harris, with the SEVENTY-THIRD, was
detached into the interior of the country, to feel for the enemy,
and also to get into communication with Lieut.-General Count
Wallmoden, which dangerous service he successfully effected,
though he had, with great care and caution, to creep with his
small force between the large _corps d’armée_ of Davoust and other
French generals at that time stationed in Pomerania, Mecklenburg,
and Hanover. Having joined Count Wallmoden, the SEVENTY-THIRD
contributed greatly to the victory that General gained over the
French on the plains of Gorde, in Hanover, where Lieut.-Colonel
Harris, at the head of his battalion, declining any aid, and at the
moment when the German hussars had been routed, charged up a steep
hill, took a battery of French artillery, and unfurling the British
colours, at once spread terror amongst that gallant enemy which
feared no others; a panic struck them, and they fled.”
[16] A list of the British and Hanoverian army at Waterloo is
inserted in the _Appendix_, page 73.
[17] “Once, and once only, during the dreadful carnage at Waterloo,
did the stern SEVENTY-THIRD hesitate to fill up a gap which the
relentless iron had torn in their square; their Lieut.-Colonel
(Brevet Colonel Harris) at once pushing his horse lengthwise across
the space, said with a smile, ‘Well, my lads, if you wont, I must’;
it is almost needless to add that immediately he was led back to
his proper place, and the ranks closed up by men still more devoted
than before.”--(_Annual Register_, _vol. 87_, page 280.)
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.
SIR GEORGE OSBORN, BART.
_Appointed 18th April, 1786_.
The early services of this officer were associated with the
sixteenth light dragoons, in which, upon that regiment being raised
in 1759, Sir George Osborn, Bart., obtained a troop on the 20th
of December of that year, and on the 13th of February, 1762, he
was promoted to the rank of major in the eighteenth, Royal Irish,
regiment of foot. On the 31st of March, 1763, Major Sir George
Osborn was appointed deputy quarter-master-general to the Forces
in Ireland, and on the 19th of November, 1765, he was promoted to
the third regiment of foot guards as captain and lieut.-colonel, in
which regiment he was appointed second major, with the brevet rank
of colonel in the army, on the 7th of August, 1777. On the 19th
of February, 1779, he was advanced to the rank of major-general,
and was appointed lieut.-colonel in the third regiment of foot
guards on the 25th of March, 1782. Upon the second battalion of the
forty-second, Royal Highlanders, being numbered the SEVENTY-THIRD
Highland regiment in 1786, His Majesty King George III. appointed
Major-General Sir George Osborn, Bart., to the colonelcy of the
SEVENTY-THIRD on the 18th of April of that year, and on the 11th
of August following he was removed to the fortieth regiment, which
he retained until his decease. On the 28th of September 1787, Sir
George Osborn was advanced to the rank of lieut.-general, and to
that of general on the 26th of January, 1797. General Sir George
Osborn died at Chicksands Priory on the 29th of June, 1818, in the
seventy-seventh year of his age.
SIR WILLIAM MEDOWS, K.B.
_Appointed 11th August, 1786_.
The early services of this distinguished officer are connected
with the fourth horse, now seventh dragoon guards, in which corps
he was appointed captain in March, 1764, and was promoted to
the rank of major on the 1st of October, 1766. He was further
advanced to the rank of lieut.-colonel of the fifth Fusiliers
in 1769; was removed to the twelfth light dragoons in 1773, and
to the fifty-fifth regiment in 1775. While serving with his
regiment in North America, he evinced that valour, magnanimity,
and military skill, which were afterwards more fully developed in
the West, and also the East Indies. He was again removed to the
lieut.-colonelcy of the fifth Fusiliers in 1777, in succession
to Lieut.-Colonel Walcott, who died of wounds received at the
battle of Germantown, in Pennsylvania, which was fought on the
4th of October, 1777. He commanded the fifth during the long and
hazardous retreat from Philadelphia to New York; and having been
appointed to act as brigadier-general, he proceeded with the
expedition under Major-General James Grant to the West Indies.
Brigadier-General Medows commanded the reserve, consisting of the
fifth foot, grenadiers, and light infantry, at the attack of St.
Lucia in December 1778; and having seized on the post of La Vigie,
he evinced signal intrepidity in defending it against the attacks
of a French force of very superior numbers: though severely wounded
early in the day, he refused to quit his post, and finding his
ammunition nearly expended, he drew up his men in front of their
colours, and waving his sword, exclaimed, “Soldiers, as long as you
have a bayonet to point against an enemy’s breast, defend these
colours.” They did so, and secured the conquest of St. Lucia.
His distinguished bravery was rewarded in 1780, with the colonelcy
of the (late) eighty-ninth regiment: and in 1781 he was promoted
to the local rank of major-general in the East Indies, where
he acquired numerous laurels under General the Earl Cornwallis.
He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1782, and was
appointed to the colonelcy of the SEVENTY-THIRD Highland regiment
on the 11th of August, 1786; and his meritorious services procured
him the honor of wearing the insignia of a Knight Companion of
the Bath. Sir William Medows was afterwards appointed Governor
and Commander-in-Chief of Madras. In 1792 Sir William Medows was
promoted to the rank of lieut.-general; in 1796 he was appointed
colonel of the seventh dragoon guards; and in 1798 was advanced to
the rank of general. He was also Governor of Hull, and a member of
the Privy Council in Ireland. The decease of General Sir William
Medows, K.B., occurred on the 20th of November, 1813.
GERARD LAKE,
(Afterwards Viscount Lake.)
_Appointed 2nd November, 1796_.
Gerard Lake, third son of Lancelot Charles Lake, Esq., choosing
the profession of arms, was nominated to the commission of ensign
and lieutenant in the first foot guards, on the 9th of May,
1758; in 1762 he was promoted to lieutenant and captain, and in
1776 to captain and lieut.-colonel. He served in North America
during the War of Independence; was engaged in operations in
the southern states, under General the Earl Cornwallis, and had
opportunities of distinguishing himself. When Earl Cornwallis’s
force was besieged in York Town, by the united French and American
armies, Lieut.-Colonel Lake commanded a detachment of foot guards
and grenadiers of the eightieth regiment, which made a sortie
on the 16th of October, 1781, forced the entrenchments, spiked
eleven heavy guns, and killed and wounded about a hundred French
soldiers. On the surrender of York Town he became a prisoner of
war; but hostilities were terminated soon afterwards, and he
returned to England, having been promoted to the rank of colonel
in February, 1782. In 1784 he was nominated major, and in 1792
lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards. In 1790 he was advanced
to the rank of major-general. On the breaking out of the French
revolutionary war, he was nominated to the command of the brigade
of foot guards which proceeded to Flanders, and served under His
Royal Highness the Duke of York. He commanded this brigade at the
battle of Famars, and at the siege of Valenciennes, and highly
distinguished himself at Lincelles, on the 18th of August, 1793,
for which he was thanked in general orders. He also served before
Dunkirk, and in other operations: and in 1794 he was rewarded with
the colonelcy of the fifty-third regiment, and the government of
Limerick; he was afterwards nominated Governor of Dumbarton. In
1796 he was removed to the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment: in 1797 he was
promoted to the rank of lieut.-general, and placed on the staff
of Ireland, where he evinced talent and energy in suppressing the
rebellion which broke out in 1798, and gained several important
victories over the insurgents. When the French landed in Ireland,
he was obliged to retire a short distance; but additional troops
advancing to his aid, he intercepted the French soldiers and forced
them to surrender prisoners of war. In 1800 he was appointed
Commander-in-Chief in India, and colonel of the eightieth regiment;
and in 1802 he was promoted to the rank of general. He arrived
in India at the period when the Governor-General, the Marquis
Wellesley, was displaying the energies of his mind in counteracting
the intrigues of France among the native powers of Hindoostan; and
the ambitious designs of the Mahratta chiefs soon called General
Lake into the field, when his talents were conspicuously displayed.
His spirited and judicious operations at Coel, on the 29th of
August, 1803; the assault of Aly Ghur, on the 9th of September;
and the overthrow of the Mahratta army near Delhi, on the 11th of
September, on which occasion his charger was killed under him,
produced decisive results. The country between the Ganges and Jumna
rivers, called the Doab (a general name in India for the space
between two rivers), became subject to British authority; and six
days afterwards General Lake visited the Emperor, Shah Alum, whom
he had rescued from oppression, and who conferred upon him titles
which signified,--The Saver of the State,--Hero of the Land,--Lord
of the Age,--and the Victorious in War.
Afterwards proceeding to Agra, General Lake speedily captured that
place, and on the 1st of November, 1803, he gained an important
victory at Leswaree, when the French-officered battalions of Dowlat
Rao Scindia were annihilated, the Mahratta army overpowered,
and its colours, artillery, and baggage captured. His services
on this occasion were of a distinguished character; he led the
charge of the cavalry in the morning;--conducted in person the
attacks of the infantry, and in the midst of the storm of battle he
displayed valour, professional ability, promptitude and decision;
his magnanimous example inspired confidence and emulation in the
troops, and they triumphed over very superior numbers. Two horses
were killed under him on this occasion.
His important services were rewarded, in 1804, with the title of
LORD LAKE OF DELHI AND LESWAREE.
Pursuing, the war with vigour, Lord Lake routed the power of Holkar
at Furruckbad; but the war was protracted by the defection of the
Rajah of Bhurtpore; and when his Lordship besieged the city of
Bhurtpore, he failed in capturing the place from the want of a
battering train. The Rajah of Bhurtpore was, however, brought to
terms; and Lord Lake pursued the hostile Rajah of Berar from place
to place until this chief was brought to submission. The British
military power in the East was strengthened by these successes; and
the extent and stability of the dominions in India augmented.
His Lordship returned to England, and in 1807 he was advanced to
the dignity of VISCOUNT LAKE.
He caught cold while sitting on the general court-martial which
tried Major-General Whitelocke; and died on the 30th of February,
1808.
GEORGE LORD HARRIS, G.C.B.
_Appointed 14th February, 1800._
This distinguished officer entered the service in 1759 as a
cadet in the Royal Artillery, and was appointed ensign in the
fifth fusiliers on the 30th of July, 1762; he was promoted to be
lieutenant on the 2nd of July, 1765, was appointed adjutant in
1767, and promoted to the rank of captain on the 25th of July,
1771. In May, 1774, Captain Harris embarked for America, and
was present in the first action of the American war, namely, at
Lexington, on the 19th of April, 1775. At the battle of Bunker’s
Hill on the 17th of June following, he was severely wounded in the
head, and obliged to be trepanned, which caused him to be sent to
England; but he returned in time to take the field previously to
the landing of the British army on Long Island in August, 1776.
Captain Harris was present at the affair of Flat Bush; in the
skirmishes on York Island; in the engagement at White Plains; at
Iron Hill (where he was shot through the leg), and in every action
up to the 3rd of November, 1778, except that of Germantown. In
1778 he was promoted to the rank of major in the fifth fusiliers,
and embarked with the regiment for the West Indies with the force
under Major-General James Grant, by whom he was appointed to
command the battalion of grenadiers, and landed with the reserve
of the army under Brigadier-General Medows, at St. Lucia on the
25th of December. After the taking of Morne Fortunée, Major
Harris was second in command under Brigadier-General Medows at
the post of La Vigie, where the French were repulsed in their
repeated attacks, and in consequence they retreated from the
Island. Immediately after the departure of the French armament,
the Governor surrendered the Island of St. Lucia to the British
troops, the capitulation being signed on the 30th of December,
1778. In 1779, Major Harris embarked with the fifth fusiliers,
which were ordered to serve as marines, and was present in the
engagement off Grenada, under Admiral Byron, on the 6th of July,
1779. In 1780, Major Harris returned to England, and in December of
that year succeeded to a lieut.-colonelcy in the fifth fusiliers,
from which he exchanged into the seventy-sixth regiment, and
accompanied to the East Indies, as secretary, Sir William Medows,
who was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Madras.
Lieut.-Colonel Harris served in the campaigns of 1790 and 1791
against Tippoo Sultan; in the action of the 15th of May, 1791,
he was appointed by General the Earl Cornwallis to command the
second line; he was also personally engaged in the attack of the
Sultan’s camp and of the Island of Seringapatam, on the night of
the 6th of February, 1792, the success of which terminated that
war. Peace being re-established, Lieut.-Colonel Harris returned
with Lieut.-General Sir William Medows to England. On the 18th of
November, 1792, he was promoted colonel by brevet, and on the 3rd
of October, 1794, he was advanced to the rank of major-general,
when he re-embarked for India, and was placed on the Bengal Staff.
On the 3rd of May, 1796, Major-General Harris received the local
rank of lieut.-general, and was appointed Commander-in-Chief in the
Presidency of Fort St. George; in February, 1798, he succeeded to
the military and civil government of the troops and territories of
Madras.
In December, 1798, Lieut.-General Harris was selected, by the
Marquis Wellesley to command the army assembled to repel the
threatened hostility of Tippoo Sultan, to besiege his capital, and
to reduce his power. The army under the command of Lieut.-General
Harris exceeded fifty thousand men, and the object of the
expedition was accomplished by the capture of _Seringapatam_, the
death of Tippoo, and annexation of his dominions to the British
Crown, as detailed in the Historical Record of the SEVENTY-THIRD,
of which regiment he was appointed colonel on the 14th of February,
1800, as a reward for his important services:--on the 1st of
January, 1801, he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. On
the 1st of January, 1812, Lieut.-General Harris was advanced to the
rank of general. In August, 1815, General Harris was raised to the
peerage by the title of Baron Harris of Seringapatam and Mysore in
the East Indies, and of Belmont in Kent, and was appointed a Knight
Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on the 27th of May, 1820. His
Lordship succeeded General Francis Dundas as Governor of Dumbarton
Castle in January, 1824. During the latter years of his life his
Lordship lived in retirement at his seat at Belmont, Feversham, in
Kent, where his decease occurred on the 19th of May, 1829, at the
advanced age of eighty-two years.
THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR FREDERICK ADAM, G.C.B., & G.C.M.G.
_Appointed 22nd May, 1829._
Removed to the fifty-seventh regiment on the 4th of December, 1835,
and to the twenty-first, Royal North British Fusiliers, on the 31st
of May, 1843.
WILLIAM GEORGE LORD HARRIS, C.B., & K.C.H.
_Appointed 4th December, 1835._
This distinguished officer was the son of General the first Lord
Harris, and entered the army as an ensign in the seventy-sixth
regiment of infantry, on the 24th of May, 1795; was promoted
lieutenant in the thirty-sixth regiment on the 3rd of January,
1796, from which he was removed to the seventy-fourth Highlanders
on the 4th of September following, and joined in India in 1797.
Lieutenant Harris served at the battle of Mallavelly on the 27th of
March, 1799, and during the campaign under his father, Lord Harris,
which led to the capture of Seringapatam, and was in nearly all
the affairs, out-posts, and in the storming party on the 4th of
May, 1799, which carried that fortress, where Lieutenant Harris was
one of the first to enter the breach, for which he was commended
on the spot by Major-General (afterwards Sir David) Baird. Being
sent home with the captured standards, Lieutenant Harris had the
honor of presenting them to His Majesty King George III., and
was promoted to a company in the forty-ninth regiment, on the
16th of October, 1800, which he joined at Jersey, and embarking
with it towards the end of the year for England, was wrecked on
the passage off Guernsey. Captain Harris afterwards accompanied
his regiment in the expedition to the Baltic under the command
of Admiral Parker and Vice-Admiral Nelson, and was present in
the “Glatton” frigate in the desperate action off Copenhagen on
the 2nd of April, 1801. In 1802, Captain Harris embarked with
the forty-ninth regiment for Canada, and served in the upper
province for two years; being then appointed to a majority in
the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, he proceeded to join that corps in
India, and on his way out was employed at the capture of the Cape
of Good Hope in January, 1806, and was present at the action of
Blue Berg. The SEVENTY-THIRD having quitted India previously to
his arrival, he returned to England the same year, and found he
had succeeded to the lieut.-colonelcy of that regiment. Upon the
formation of the second battalion of the SEVENTY-THIRD, which was
placed on the establishment of the army from the 24th of December,
1808, Lieut.-Colonel Harris was appointed to the command of it,
and zealously applied himself to perfecting its discipline, and
rendering it efficient in every respect. In 1813, Lieut.-Colonel
Harris embarked on a particular service with the second battalion
of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, but afterwards joined the expedition
to Stralsund, in Swedish Pomerania, under Major-General Samuel
Gibbs. On arrival Lieut.-Colonel Harris was selected to take the
field with his battalion, and place himself under the orders of
Lieut.-General Count Wallmoden, and was present in the action of
the Gorde (in which he highly distinguished himself), under that
commander, on the 16th of September, 1813. In November, 1813, the
second battalion of the SEVENTY-THIRD re-embarked in the Gulf of
Lubec for England; but on arriving at Yarmouth, it was ordered,
without landing, to join the army of General Sir Thomas Graham
(afterwards Lord Lynedoch) in Holland. During the winter campaign
before Antwerp, rendered more difficult in consequence of the
severity of the weather, Lieut.-Colonel Harris had the honor of
carrying the village of Merxem by storm, under the eye of His late
Majesty King William IV., then Duke of Clarence, and, during the
remainder of the operations, was employed as brigadier-general.
After the peace of 1814, when Antwerp was delivered up, Colonel
Harris, to which rank he had been promoted on the 4th of June,
1814, was quartered in that town, and remained in the Low Countries
with his battalion during the remainder of the year 1814, and the
early part of 1815. On the return of Napoleon from Elba, Colonel
Harris joined the army of the Duke of Wellington, and his battalion
was appointed to the brigade commanded by Major-General Sir Colin
Halkett, and took part in the stubborn contest of the 16th of
June, 1815, at _Quatre Bras_,--assisted in covering the retreat on
the 17th; and on the 18th of June, at _Waterloo_, bore a gallant
part in the complete defeat of Napoleon in that memorable battle.
Colonel Harris, late in the afternoon, received a shot through the
right shoulder, from which severe wound he continued to suffer
at times for the remainder of his life. On retiring on half-pay,
a testimony of admiration and regard was presented to him by the
officers of his battalion in the shape of a splendid sword. On the
19th of July, 1821, Colonel Harris was advanced to the rank of
Major-General. Major-General the Honorable William George Harris
was employed on the staff of the army in Ireland from the 17th of
May, 1823, until the 24th of June, 1825, when he was appointed to
the command of the northern district of Great Britain, which he
retained until the 24th of July, 1828, and contributed materially
in quelling the disturbances in the manufacturing districts. On the
decease of his father, Lord Harris, in 1829, he succeeded to the
title, and from that period lived in retirement at Belmont, the
family seat, near Feversham in Kent. On the 3rd of December, 1832,
Major-General Lord Harris was appointed colonel of the eighty-sixth
regiment, and was removed to the SEVENTY-THIRD on the 4th of
December, 1835. In January, 1837, Lord Harris was promoted to the
rank of Lieut.-General. His decease occurred at Belmont, after a
short illness, on the 30th of May, 1845. Lord Harris was a Knight
Commander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order, a Companion of
the Bath, and a Knight of the Order of William of Holland.
SIR ROBERT HENRY DICK, K.C.B., & K.C.H.
_Appointed 10th June, 1845._