time at Inverness; where Lieutenant Carleton was rewarded with a
commission of captain in Brigadier-General Tiffin's regiment (now
twenty-seventh foot) for his distinguished conduct at the action
at Cromdale. Defeated on every occasion, and overawed by numerous
garrisons, the Highlanders lost all hope of success, and in 1691
they tendered their submission to King William. A proclamation was
afterwards published, offering indemnity and pardon to all who
should cease opposition to the government and take the oath of
allegiance, before the 1st of January, 1692.
[Sidenote: 1692]
Tranquillity being thus restored in Scotland, the regiment became
disposable for other service; it, however, remained in the northern
districts of the kingdom during the year 1693.
[Sidenote: 1693]
In the meantime, the British Monarch was engaged in war to arrest
the progress of the French aggressions on the continent. The King
of France brought an army of superior numbers into the field, and
gained several advantages.
[Sidenote: 1694]
The allies made strenuous exertions to raise new levies, augment
the strength of their contingents, and to turn the balance of war
in their favour; the FIFTEENTH foot was one of the corps selected
to proceed on foreign service. The regiment embarked from Scotland
in the spring of 1694, and landed at Ostend, marched from thence to
Malines, where it was stationed until the army took the field.
In the beginning of June, the British train of artillery arrived at
Malines, from whence it advanced under the escort of the twelfth,
FIFTEENTH, and Buchan's (afterwards disbanded) regiments, and
joined the army under King William in person, at the camp at
Hertogendale, on the 6th of June. The tenth, fourteenth, FIFTEENTH,
seventeenth, Castleton's, and Lauder's (afterwards disbanded)
regiments, were formed in brigade under Brigadier-General Stuart,
in the division under Major-General Bellasis.
The regiment took part in the operations of this campaign, and the
numbers of the confederate forces were so far augmented, that the
progress of French conquest was arrested, the enemy was forced
to act on the defensive, and in the autumn the allies besieged
and captured the fortress of Huy. The FIFTEENTH formed part of
the covering army during the siege; and afterwards marched to
Dixmude, where they halted a few days, and subsequently went into
cantonments in the villages along the canal of Nieuport, where they
were stationed during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1695]
From these quarters, the regiment was called in May, 1695, to
enter upon the active services of another campaign, and it pitched
its tents near Dixmude, where a small force was assembled under
Major-General Ellemberg; at the same time the main army took the
field under King William. In June, the Duke of Wirtemburg took the
command of the troops at Dixmude; reinforcements also arrived; and
an attack was made on _Fort Kenoque_, situated at the junction of
the Loo and Dixmude canals, with the view of drawing the French
forces to the Flanders side of their fortified lines, to favour the
design of besieging Namur. On the 9th of June, the grenadiers of
the FIFTEENTH, and other corps employed on this enterprise, drove
the enemy from the entrenchments and houses near the Loo canal; and
the attempts made by the French to regain this post were repulsed.
A redoubt was afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected on the
works at the bridge, in which service the regiment had several men
killed and wounded. These attacks produced the desired effect; the
fortress of Namur was invested, and the attack on Fort Kenoque was
soon afterwards desisted from, when the FIFTEENTH regiment returned
to Dixmude.
During the early part of the siege of Namur, the FIFTEENTH foot,
commanded by their colonel, Sir James Lesley, were in garrison at
_Dixmude_, a fortress of very little strength, under Major-General
Ellemberg, a foreign officer. On the 15th of July, this place was
invested by a strong division of the French army, under General
de Montal, who commenced the siege with vigour. Major-General
Ellemberg failed to make that spirited opposition to the enemy
which the circumstances of the case called for: he appeared to view
the progress of the besieging army with apathy; and eventually
called a council of war, to which he advanced several reasons why
the town could not be defended, and proposed to capitulate to save
the garrison, which was agreed to by the majority of the council of
war, although opposed by others. When the soldiers were informed
they were to become prisoners of war, they became enraged at not
being permitted to defend the place, many of them broke their arms
to pieces, and some tore their regimental colours from the staves,
that they might not be delivered to the enemy. D'Auvergne states,
in his history of this campaign,--'The body of the garrison had
the same heart and soul with their comrades which did such wonders
before Namur;' but the soldiers were delivered into the power of
the enemy against their will.
The soldiers of the FIFTEENTH were sent prisoners to Ypres; the
conditions of the cartel were afterwards violated by the enemy; the
British were sent to Arras, Bethune, Bouchain, &c., the officers
were placed in close confinement, and attempts were made to induce
the men to enter the French service.
When the castle of Namur surrendered, the garrison was permitted
to march out with the honors of war; but Marshal Boufflers was
arrested, and detained until the British and other soldiers of the
allied army, kept prisoners contrary to the cartel, were released.
This produced the desired effect; the FIFTEENTH rejoined the army,
and marched into quarters at the town of Damme, where they received
new arms and equipment.
All the officers concerned in the surrender of Dixmude, were tried
by a general court-martial: Major-General Ellemberg was sentenced
to be beheaded, and executed at Ghent on the 20th of November.
Colonel Sir James Lesley, and several other officers were cashiered.
King William conferred the colonelcy of the FIFTEENTH regiment on
Colonel Emanuel Howe, from captain and lieut.-colonel in the first
foot guards.
[Sidenote: 1696]
After passing several months at Damme, and receiving a detachment
of recruits from England, the regiment marched, early in 1696, to
Bruges, where it was left in garrison when the army took the field.
On the 20th of May, it marched out of Bruges, and pitched its tents
along the banks of the canal, where it was posted several weeks.
The regiment served the campaign of this year with the army of
Flanders, under the Prince of Vaudemont; it was formed in brigade
with a battalion of the royals, the twelfth, and Collingwood's
(afterwards disbanded) regiments, under Brigadier-General the Earl
of Orkney; and was stationed, during the summer, along the banks of
the Bruges canal, to cover Ghent, Bruges, and the maritime towns of
West Flanders, which service was fully accomplished.
In the autumn, the regiment marched into garrison at Bruges, where
five regiments of cavalry and eleven of infantry were stationed
during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1697]
On the 13th of March, 1697, the regiment quitted Bruges, and
proceeded to Brussels, from whence it advanced, through the
forest of Soignies, and pitched its tents near the village of
Waterloo. It served the campaign of this year with the army of
Brabant, under King William; and brought into the field forty
officers, thirty-four serjeants, twenty-five drummers, sixty-three
grenadiers, one hundred and sixty pikemen, and five hundred
and eighty musketeers (including men detached). The FIFTEENTH,
seventeenth, twenty-seventh, Collingwood's, and Saunderson's
(afterwards disbanded) regiments, were formed in brigade
under Brigadier-General Tiffin, in the division commanded by
Lieut.-General Sir Henry Bellasis.
The regiment took part in the operations of the campaign; and when
the French commanders menaced Brussels with a siege, the FIFTEENTH
marched with the army, from Waterloo through the forest, during the
night of the 22nd of June, in dark and tempestuous weather, and
taking post before that city, was instrumental in defeating the
designs of the enemy.
After the regiment had been encamped before Brussels nearly three
months, hostilities were terminated by the treaty of Ryswick; and
the efforts of the British monarch, to arrest the progress of
French conquests and preserve the liberties of Europe, were thus
attended with success. The restoration of peace being accomplished,
the regiment proceeded in boats down the canal to Bruges, and
during the winter it embarked for England.
[Sidenote: 1698]
The regiment was placed upon a peace establishment; and, in 1698,
it proceeded to Ireland, where it was stationed during the two
following years.
The respite from war, ceded to Europe by the treaty of Ryswick,
was of short duration. The French monarch, continuing to pursue
schemes of aggrandizement, by which he had long agitated
Christendom, procured the accession of his grandson, Philip Duke
of Anjou, to the throne of Spain,--seized on the Spanish provinces
in the Netherlands,--and detained the Dutch troops which were
in garrison in the barrier towns. These proceedings produced a
violent sensation throughout Europe: the house of Austria claimed
the Spanish monarchy, and declared war against France; the Dutch
solicited British aid; and the FIFTEENTH Foot was one of the corps
which proceeded to Holland on this occasion.
[Sidenote: 1701]
The regiment was augmented to eight hundred and thirty, officers
and soldiers; and embarking from Cork on the 15th June, 1701,
arrived at Helvoetsluys, on the island of Voorn, in South Holland,
on the 8th of July. From this place the regiment proceeded up the
Maese, in small vessels, to Gertruydenberg and Huesden, where it
was stationed two months, and afterwards proceeded to the vicinity
of Breda, and encamped on the heath. On the 21st of September, the
regiment was reviewed, with the other British troops in Holland, by
King William III., on Breda heath, and afterwards returned to its
former quarters, where it was stationed during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1702]
On the 10th March, 1702, the regiment marched out of garrison, and
proceeded to Rosendael, where the British infantry encamped under
Brigadier-General Ingoldsby. At this place, the troops received
information of the death of King William, on the 8th of March,
and of the accession of Queen Anne, to whom they took the oath of
fidelity.
The fortress of _Kayserswerth_, on the Lower Rhine, was occupied by
the French, and this place was besieged by the Germans, under the
Prince of Saarbruck, in the middle of April; the British marched
across the country to the duchy of Cleves, joined a body of Dutch
and Germans under the Earl of Athlone, and encamped at Cranenburg,
on the Lower Rhine, to cover the siege.
A French force of superior numbers, commanded by the Duke of
Burgundy and Marshal Boufflers, made a rapid advance through
the forest of Cleves, and along the plains of Goch, to cut off
the communication of the troops at Cranenburg, with Grave and
_Nimeguen_; when the allied army struck its tents a little before
sunset, and making a rapid march throughout the night, arrived
within a few miles of Nimeguen about eight o'clock on the morning
of the 11th of June; at the same time, the French appeared on both
flanks and the rear, hurrying forward to surround the allies. Some
sharp skirmishing occurred, and the British corps, forming the
rear-guard, evinced great gallantry; they took possession of some
hedges and buildings, and held the enemy in check while the army
effected its retreat under the walls of Nimeguen.
The regiment remained at Nimeguen a short time. Queen Anne declared
war against France and Spain; additional troops arrived from
England; and the Earl of Marlborough assumed the command of the
allied army. The FIFTEENTH foot took part in the operations of
this campaign: the French avoided a general engagement, and retired
from the frontiers of Holland, and the British general commenced
operations against the fortresses in possession of the enemy, on
the banks of the Maese.
The FIFTEENTH foot formed part of the covering army during the
siege of _Venloo_, which town surrendered on the 25th of September.
The services of the regiment were afterwards connected with the
siege and capture of _Ruremonde_, in the early part of October; and
the FIFTEENTH foot was also one of the corps which advanced to the
city of _Liege_, took possession of that place, and undertook the
siege of the citadel. The grenadiers of the regiment took part in
the storm of the citadel of Liege, on the 23rd of October, on which
occasion the British soldiers highly distinguished themselves,
and captured the place in gallant style. A detached fortress,
called the Chartreuse, surrendered a few days afterwards: and
these conquests terminated the campaign. The regiment quitted the
pleasant valley of Liege on the 3rd of November, and marched back
to Holland, where it passed the winter in garrison.
[Sidenote: 1703]
From their pleasant quarters among the Dutch peasantry, the
soldiers of the FIFTEENTH foot were called, in the spring of
1703, to participate in the achievements of another campaign; and
while the Duke of Marlborough was besieging Bonn, they directed
their march towards the Maese; and they were in position before
_Maestricht_, when the French army, under Marshals Villeroy and
Boufflers, approached that place; but after some cannonading and
skirmishing, the enemy withdrew, without hazarding a general
engagement.
After the surrender of Bonn, the allied army assembled at
Maestricht, and the FIFTEENTH were formed in brigade with
a battalion of the foot guards, a battalion of the royals,
and the ninth, twenty-third, and twenty-fourth regiments,
under Brigadier-General Withers, in the division commanded by
Lieut.-General Churchill. The French forces taking post behind
their fortified lines, operations were continued against their
fortified towns, and the services of the FIFTEENTH foot were
connected with the siege and capture of _Huy_, a fortress in the
valley of the Maese, which surrendered on the 25th of August. The
regiment also participated in the services connected with the
siege of _Limburg_, and this fortress surrendered on the 28th of
September. After these conquests, the regiment marched to Dutch
Brabant, and passed several months in garrison.
[Sidenote: 1704]
In the early part of 1704, a detachment of the regiment proceeded
to Maestricht, to take part in the duties of that garrison, while
the Dutch troops were working at the fortifications on the heights
of Petersberg.
In the meantime, the progress of the war had assumed an
unfavourable aspect in Germany; the Elector of Bavaria had embraced
the French interest, and having been joined by a numerous body of
the forces of Louis XIV., he had gained considerable advantage over
the army of the empire. Under these circumstances, the Duke of
Marlborough resolved to lead the British troops from the ocean to
the Danube, and make a powerful effort to change the fortune of the
war, in the heart of Germany.
To engage in this splendid enterprise, which was replete with
important results, the FIFTEENTH foot marched towards the Rhine
in the early part of May, and were joined at Bedburg by the
detachment from Maestricht. The designs of the British commander
were secret; the object, for which the movements were made, held
Europe in perplexing anxiety, suspended the operations of the
Elector of Bavaria, and confounded the French Generals; and the
moment the advance assumed a specific direction, the enemy was no
longer able to render the plan abortive. Arriving in the heart of
Germany, the regiment was formed in brigade with a battalion of the
royals, and the twenty-sixth and thirty-seventh regiments, and this
brigade was posted in the second line.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 2nd of July, the army
advanced in the direction of Donawerth, to attack a body of French
and Bavarians under Count d'Arco, in an entrenched camp on the
heights of _Schellenberg_, on the left bank of the Danube. Arriving
in front of the enemy's position, the attack was commenced about
six in the evening, by a detachment from each British corps, and
the foot guards, royals, and twenty-third regiments. The difficulty
of the ground,--the formidable preparations of the enemy,--and
the steady bravery of the Bavarians, occasioned this to prove a
particularly severe contest; but the determined assaults of the
British soldiers shook the strength and weakened the resistance
of the enemy; and eventually the soldiers of the allied army
overpowered all resistance, captured the heights, and pursued the
French and Bavarians across the Danube, capturing sixteen pieces
of artillery, a number of standards and colours, with the enemy's
tents, and the equipage and plate of the Bavarian commander.
The FIFTEENTH regiment shared in this splendid triumph of the
British arms on the banks of the Danube. Its loss was one serjeant
and nine rank and file killed; Captains Bolton and Lesley,
Lieutenant Morris, three serjeants, and nineteen rank and file
wounded.
After this victory the army penetrated the country of Bavaria, and
the Elector concentrated his forces at Augsburg, where he formed an
entrenched camp. The FIFTEENTH regiment advanced to the vicinity
of Augsburg; but the fortified camp was found too strong to be
attacked with any prospect of success, and the troops retired a few
stages; the Germans commencing the siege of _Ingoldstadt_, and the
British troops forming part of the covering army.
The Elector of Bavaria quitted his entrenched camp, and joined the
reinforcements sent him by the French monarch; the united armies
encamping near the village of _Blenheim_, in the valley of the
Danube.
Commanding soldiers whose chivalrous spirit panted for distinction
in the shock of battle, the British general led his columns
forward, on the morning of the memorable 13th of August, 1704, in
full confidence in the firmness and prowess of his troops. About
mid-day a column, of which the FIFTEENTH foot, under Lieut.-Colonel
William Britton, formed part, developed its attack against the
enemy's right, under Lieut.-General Lord Cutts and Major-General
Wills. The tenth, FIFTEENTH, twenty-first, twenty-third, and
twenty-fourth regiments, under Brigadier-General Row, led the
attack in gallant style, followed by four battalions of Hessians,
and supported by eleven battalions of infantry, and fifteen
squadrons of horse and dragoons. This column proceeded to the banks
of the little river Nebel, and took possession of two water-mills,
which the enemy had evacuated and set on fire; then advancing
through the enclosures, made a determined attack on the French
troops posted in the village of Blenheim; Brigadier-General Row
striking his sword into the enemy's pallisades before he gave the
word "fire." The assault was made with spirit and resolution, but
the brigade was unable to force the entrenchments against the
superior numbers of the enemy; and while retiring it was charged
by the French troopers, who were repulsed by the Hessian brigade.
After repeated attempts on the village had proved unavailing, a
few corps blockaded the avenues; the army traversed the rivulet,
and attacking the French position along the front, engaged in a
sanguinary conflict. The combat of musketry, and the charges of
the cavalry, were continued with varied success; and amidst this
storm of war, the FIFTEENTH regiment had repeated opportunities of
distinguishing itself. Eventually the legions of the enemy were
overpowered, driven from the field with great slaughter, and the
loss of many officers and men taken prisoners, among whom was the
French commander, Marshal Tallard.
The main body of the French army being defeated with the loss of
its artillery and baggage, the troops posted in Blenheim attempted
to escape by the rear of the village; but were repulsed. They
were environed on every side, and being unable to effect their
escape, twenty-four battalions of infantry, and twelve squadrons
of cavalry, surrendered prisoners of war. Thus ended the mighty
struggle of this eventful day. Bavaria was subdued; the German
empire was delivered from the menaced danger; the terrors of the
British arms alarmed the states of Italy which supported the
Bourbon cause; and the tide of war flowed prosperously in the
interest of the allies.
Major Cornwallis, Captain Tankard, Lieutenants Kerr and Simpson,
and Ensign Jackson, of the FIFTEENTH regiment, were killed;
Lieut.-Colonel Britton, Major Armstrong, Captains Villebonne and
Gaston, Lieutenants Barton, Dickenson, and Harrison, Ensigns
Lesley, Hargrave, Edwards, Dean, Patrick, and Dawson, wounded: the
number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the regiment
killed and wounded, has not been ascertained.
After this victory, the army traversed the country in triumph;
the enemy abandoning several important cities and towns, which
were taken possession of by the allies. The FIFTEENTH regiment
proceeded through the circle of Suabia, and directed its march on
Philipsburg, where it crossed the Rhine on the 7th of September,
and was subsequently encamped at Croon-Weissemberg, forming part of
the covering army during the siege of _Landau_ by the Germans. At
the termination of this splendid campaign, the regiment struck its
tents, and embarking in boats on the Rhine, sailed down that river
to the Netherlands, where it passed the winter.
[Sidenote: 1705]
In the spring of 1705, the losses of the preceding campaign were
replaced by the arrival of one hundred and fifty recruits from
England; and when the regiment took the field, its appearance and
efficiency were commended by the Duke of Marlborough at the general
review of the army. The regiment proceeded, in the first instance,
to the vicinity of Maestricht,--afterwards marched to Juliers,
from whence it traversed a mountainous country to the valley of
the Moselle, and towards the end of May pitched its tents near
the ancient city of Treves. In the early part of June, the army
passed the Moselle and Saar rivers, and the English general was
prepared to carry on the war in Alsace. The co-operation of the
imperialists under the Margrave of Baden was, however, so long
delayed that the British commander was forced to return to the
Netherlands, to arrest the progress of the French arms in that
quarter. The regiment shared in the difficulties of the retrograde
movement to the Maese; and on the return of the army, the French
raised the siege of the citadel of Liege and retired. The French
had captured _Huy_, during the absence of the army up the Moselle;
but this fortress was retaken in a few days.
The services of the regiment were next connected with the forcing
of the stupendous fortified lines constructed by the French to
cover the territory they had seized upon in the Netherlands. These
lines were menaced by a detachment on the south of the Mehaine,
to draw the French army to that quarter; and were afterwards
passed, by a forced march in another direction, during the night
of the 17th of July, at _Neer-Hespen_ and _Helixem_. The French
guards at these places were surprised and overpowered early on the
morning of the 18th of that month, and the lines were forced with
little loss. The Marquis d'Allegre advanced with a large body of
French, Spanish, and Bavarian infantry and cavalry, but he was
repulsed with severe loss. The FIFTEENTH were in reserve on this
occasion. They shared in the subsequent operations of the campaign:
but the designs of the English commander being frustrated by the
Dutch generals, the forcing of the lines was not followed by such
splendid results as had been anticipated.
[Sidenote: 1706]