was taken possession of, and the British troops took up a position
at Germantown, the FIFTEENTH being posted on the left of the
village.
Making a forced march during the night of the 3rd of October, the
American army appeared suddenly in front of _Germantown_ before
daylight on the following morning, and attacked the British
outposts, thinking to surprise the troops in an unprepared state.
The first assault was opposed by the second battalion of light
infantry, and the fortieth regiment, under Lieut.-Colonel Musgrave,
posted at the head of the village; these corps were forced to fall
back, and Lieut.-Colonel Musgrave threw himself, with six companies
of the fortieth, into a large store-house, where he was attacked
by an American brigade, aided by four pieces of cannon. During the
contest, while the soldiers of the fortieth were defending their
post manfully, Major-General Grey brought forward the FIFTEENTH,
and two other corps; and making a determined attack on the American
regiments, drove them back with great slaughter. The enemy was
also repulsed at every part of the field, and forced to make a
precipitate retreat.
Lieut.-Colonel John Bird, Ensign Anthony Frederick, and five rank
and file of the regiment were killed; Captains George Goldfrap and
Harry Ditmas, Lieutenant George Thomas, Ensign Henry Ball, two
serjeants, and forty-two rank and file wounded. In alluding to the
death of Lieut.-Colonel Bird, General Sir William Howe spoke of it
as an event 'much to be lamented, he being an officer of experience
and approved merit.' General Washington formed a fortified camp at
_Whitemarsh_; and early in December the British army advanced with
the view of inducing the Americans to quit their lines and offer
battle, or of finding a vulnerable part in their fortified camp.
Several skirmishes occurred, in which the British troops evinced
their native intrepidity and firmness, and were victorious in every
instance; but the defences of the American camp were found too
strong to be attacked, and the army marched into winter quarters at
Philadelphia.
[Sidenote: 1778]
After passing the winter at the capital of Pennsylvania, the
regiment furnished several parties, in the spring of 1778, to range
the country, and open communications for bringing in supplies.
The regiment also shared in the fatigues and difficulties of
the march of the army from Philadelphia to New York, under
Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, rendered necessary by the French
monarch having united with the revolted British provinces, and thus
changed the character of the war. As the army pursued its journey,
crossing rivers, and traversing a wild and woody country, the
enemy menaced the flanks and rear with an attack in force; and on
the 28th of June, some sharp fighting took place, near _Freehold_
in New Jersey, when the grenadier company of the FIFTEENTH
distinguished itself, and the enemy was repulsed. Captain Cathcart,
of the regiment, was wounded; and also Captain Ditmas, who was
attached to the second grenadier battalion.
The army afterwards continued its route, and arrived at New York in
July.
A powerful French armament menacing the British possessions in
the West Indies, the FIFTEENTH, and several other corps, sailed
from North America, early in November, for Barbadoes, under
Major-General Grant.
While the regiment was at sea, its colonel, Major-General the
Earl of Cavan, died at Dublin, and was succeeded by Major-General
William Fawcett, deputy adjutant-general to the forces.
On the arrival of the reinforcements at Barbadoes, the British
naval and military commanders resolved to act offensively, and
attack the French island of _St. Lucia_. On this occasion the
regiment was formed in brigade with the twenty-eighth, forty-sixth,
and fifty-fifth, under Major-General Prescott. The expedition
sailed from Carlisle-bay on the 12th of December, a landing was
effected at St. Lucia on the following day, and on the 14th, the
French troops were driven from several important posts. In the
meantime a French armament of very superior numbers approached the
island, and the British took up positions to repel the enemy. The
French fleet made a desperate attack on the British naval force,
but was repulsed. A numerous body of the enemy landed, and stormed
the post of La Vigie, which was occupied by the grenadiers, light
infantry, and fifth regiment, under Brigadier-General Medows;
when the determined bravery of the British proved triumphant
over very superior numbers, and the French were repulsed and
forced to re-embark, leaving the ground covered with killed and
wounded. The flank companies of the FIFTEENTH had an opportunity
of distinguishing themselves on this occasion. The governor
surrendered the island to the British arms immediately after the
departure of the French armament.
[Sidenote: 1779]
[Sidenote: 1780]
The FIFTEENTH remained at St. Lucia several months. In the
meantime, the French possessed a great superiority of numbers,
both of naval and land force, in the West Indies; and in June,
1779, they attacked the island of _St. Vincent_, and in July
_Grenada_; the regiment embarked from St. Lucia, for the relief of
these islands; but they were captured before any force could arrive
to their assistance. While the regiment was at sea, some sharp
fighting occurred between the hostile fleets, without decisive
results, and the regiment was afterwards landed at the island of
St. Christopher's, where it was stationed during the year 1780.
[Sidenote: 1781]
Holland having adopted a line of politics hostile to the British,
and favourable to the American interest, war took place between
Great Britain and the United Provinces; and in February, 1781,
the Dutch island of _St. Eustatius_ was captured. The FIFTEENTH
regiment was afterwards removed from St. Christopher's to St.
Eustatius, and the flank companies were subsequently detached to
the former island.
The British commandant at St. Eustatius neglected to adopt the
necessary precautions for the security of the island, and during
the night of the 26th of November, a French force, under the
Marquis of Bouillé, effected a landing, captured the commandant
as he was taking a morning ride, overpowered the posts, and
forced the garrison, consisting of the battalion companies of the
thirteenth and FIFTEENTH regiments, to surrender prisoners of war.
The commandant, Lieut.-Colonel Cockburn, was afterwards tried by a
general court-martial, and cashiered.
After being detained a short period, the regiment was exchanged,
and resumed its duties.
[Sidenote: 1782]
The flank companies were stationed at _St. Christopher's_, with
the first battalion of the royals and a detachment of artillery,
which constituted the military force of the island, under
Brigadier-General Fraser, when a powerful French armament appeared
off that place in the beginning of January, 1782. Eight thousand
French troops landed, with a powerful train of artillery, under
the Marquis of Bouillé; and the English troops, being unable to
oppose so numerous a host on open ground, took possession of
_Brimstone-hill_, a formidable post, but the fortifications were
old and in a ruinous state, and the soldiers had no intrenching
tools; a desperate defence was however determined on, in hopes of
being relieved.
Against this post the French batteries opened their fire, on the
19th of January, and from that day a storm of balls and bombs
rattled round the hill with increasing fury, until the houses on
the heights were battered to pieces, and the old works were nearly
destroyed. During this period a British naval force approached
the island, and a body of troops landed; but the enemy had so
great a superiority of numbers, that no reasonable expectation
could be entertained of being able to save the island, and the
troops returned on board the fleet. In the meantime, the works
on Brimstone-hill had been breached in several places, and the
garrison was reduced to the last extremity; yet the troops
continued to evince that valour and firmness for which British
soldiers have been distinguished; and their conduct excited the
admiration of their enemies. When all prospect of being able to
resist many hours longer was gone, the garrison capitulated, and
was permitted to march through the breach with the honours of
war, and return to England, on condition of being considered as
prisoners of war until exchanged. The conduct of the officers
and soldiers who defended Brimstone-hill was highly commended in
Brigadier-General Fraser's despatch; and has been held up as an
example of British courage and resolution, by historians.
The regiment returned to England, and many of the officers and men,
who had been made prisoners, were lost on the voyage, in the _Ville
de Paris_, a French ship, which had been captured by Admiral Rodney.
This year the FIFTEENTH received the title of the EAST RIDING
YORKSHIRE regiment, and was directed to cultivate a connexion with
that part of the county, to facilitate the procuring of recruits.
[Sidenote: 1783]
[Sidenote: 1784]
[Sidenote: 1785]
During the year 1783, the regiment was stationed in Yorkshire, and
rapidly increased in numbers; in the following year it proceeded to
Ireland, and was employed on Dublin duty in 1785.
[Sidenote: 1790]
[Sidenote: 1791]
After remaining in Ireland six years, the regiment embarked at
Cork, in the summer of 1790, mustering seven hundred men, and
proceeded to Barbadoes. In 1791, its establishment was reduced, and
upwards of two hundred men were transferred to other corps.
[Sidenote: 1792]
Lieut.-General Fawcett was removed to the third dragoon guards,
in August, 1792; and King George III. conferred the colonelcy
of the FIFTEENTH foot on Major-General James Hamilton, from the
lieut.-colonelcy of the twenty-first, or royal North British
fusiliers.
[Sidenote: 1793]
In 1793 the regiment was removed from Barbadoes to Dominica, where
it was stationed several months.
[Sidenote: 1794]
Resistance to the authority of the crown, in France, had, in the
meantime, led to a violent and sanguinary revolution, and the
French West India Islands had become the scene of democratic
outrage. Great Britain engaged in war to arrest the progress
of anarchy; and the FIFTEENTH regiment was selected to join an
expedition under General Sir Charles Grey, prepared to rescue the
French West India Islands from republican outrage.
The expedition sailed from Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes, early in
February, 1794; landed at three different points on the island of
_Martinique_, on the 5th, 6th, and 8th of that month, and drove the
enemy from numerous strong posts. Two companies of the FIFTEENTH
distinguished themselves in storming Mount Mathurine, where a
battery was erected, which compelled the garrison of Pigeon Island
to surrender at discretion. 'The FIFTEENTH regiment, led by Major
Lyon and commanded by Captain Panmier, surprised several hundreds
of the enemy, very strongly posted, on the heights of Le Grand
Bouclain, on the 12th of February, killing several and taking all
their arms, ammunition, cattle, &c.'[13] The enemy's out-posts
being driven in, Fort Royal and Fort Bourbon were besieged;
the former was captured on the 20th of March, and the latter
surrendered two days afterwards. The loss of the regiment on this
service was limited to a few soldiers killed and wounded.
The regiment remained at Martinique, while a detachment proceeded
to St. Lucia, and captured that island.
From Martinique the expedition proceeded against _Guadaloupe_.
A determined resistance was experienced at this place, but the
island was captured before the end of April; and Sir Charles Grey
stated in his despatch, that he 'could not find words to convey an
adequate idea, or to express the high sense he entertained of the
extraordinary merit evinced by the officers and soldiers in this
service.' The regiment had Captain Comb and Ensign Croker killed,
and several private soldiers killed and wounded.
[Sidenote: 1795]
The regiment remained a short time at Martinique, and afterwards
proceeded to Dominica; but returned to Martinique in January,
1795, and was stationed at that island twelve months, under
Lieut.-Colonel Madden.
[Sidenote: 1796]
In 1796 the regiment transferred two hundred and fifty men to the
forty-fifth foot, and embarked for England, its numbers being
reduced to fifty-three men. It landed in November at Portsmouth,
marched to Derby, and active measures were adopted to recruit its
ranks to the augmented establishment of a thousand men.
[Sidenote: 1797]
[Sidenote: 1798]
[Sidenote: 1799]
Marching northward from Derby, in April, 1797, the regiment
proceeded across the border, and was stationed two years in
Scotland. It afterwards returned to England, and was quartered at
Sunderland barracks.
The militia regiments being permitted to volunteer into the regular
army, fifteen hundred and thirty-eight men volunteered to the
FIFTEENTH, and the regiment was augmented to _two battalions_.
[Sidenote: 1800]
Both battalions proceeded to Ireland in 1800, the first under the
command of Lieut.-Colonel Madden, and the second under Major Lord
Sinclair; Lieut.-Colonel Barry afterwards succeeded to the command
of the first battalion.
[Sidenote: 1802]
In 1802, the war was terminated by the treaty of Amiens; when
the British army was reduced, and the second battalion was
disbanded,--the establishment of the regiment being fixed at seven
hundred and fifty rank and file.
[Sidenote: 1803]
The conduct of Napoleon Buonaparte, then First Consul of France,
occasioned hostilities to be resumed in 1803, when the British army
was augmented, and preparations made to repel a threatened invasion
of the French. The FIFTEENTH regiment remained in Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1804]
Preparations to repel the menaced French invasion were continued
in 1804, and a _second battalion_ was added to the regiment. It
was formed of men raised for limited service under the Additional
Force Act passed on the 29th of June, 1804, and was quartered at
Scarborough, in Yorkshire.
[Sidenote: 1805]
During the winter, the first battalion again embarked for the West
Indies, and landed at Barbadoes on the 12th of March, 1805. In May,
Surgeon Shaw died at Barbadoes.
This year is celebrated in the naval annals of Great Britain for
the splendid achievements of the marine forces of the kingdom.
Rear-Admiral Viscount Nelson having proceeded to the West Indies in
quest of the French fleet, the FIFTEENTH regiment received orders
to embark and serve as marines. It went on board on the 4th of
June, Lieut.-Colonel Barry and the staff being appointed to the
"Conqueror" of seventy-four guns; but after a cruise of fourteen
days, the fleet returned to port, and the regiment landed: it
therefore missed sharing in the glorious victory of Trafalgar, on
the 21st of October, 1805. During the months of July, August, and
September, the regiment lost nine officers and two hundred and
twelve men by fever.
[Sidenote: 1806]
In May, 1806, a draft of one hundred and twenty-four men joined
from the second battalion, and a few volunteers from the eleventh
regiment.
[Sidenote: 1807]
On the 24th of January, 1807, the regiment was suddenly embarked on
board the fleet; but after a short cruise returned to Barbadoes,
from whence it was removed to Grenada in April.
The court of Denmark having united with France, in hostilities
against Great Britain, an expedition was prepared against the
Danish islands of _St. Thomas_ and _Santa Croix_, and the FIFTEENTH
embarked from Grenada to take part in this service. These colonies
surrendered on being summoned, and loss of life was thus prevented.
[Sidenote: 1808]
In July, 1808, a draft of six serjeants and two hundred and
ninety-three rank and file joined from the second battalion.
In November and the early part of December, the regiment lost about
one hundred and fifty men from the effects of the climate of the
West Indies.
[Sidenote: 1809]
The regiment joined the expedition under Lieut.-General Beckwith,
which sailed from Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes, on the 28th of January,
1809, against the island of _Martinique_. The first division landed
in Bay Robert, and the second near St. Luce and Point Solomon.
The enemy's force was numerous, and some sharp fighting occurred,
in which the regiment had the honor to distinguish itself, and
had several men killed and wounded. The conquest of the island
was achieved in a few weeks, and Lieut.-General Beckwith stated
in his public despatch,--'The having commanded such an army will
constitute the pride of my future life. To these brave troops,
conducted by Generals of experience, their king and country owe
the sovereignty of this important colony; and I trust, that by a
comparison of the force which defended it, and the time in which it
has fallen, the present reduction of Martinique will not be deemed
eclipsed by any former expedition.'
The royal authority was afterwards given for the regiment to
bear the word "MARTINIQUE" on its colours, to commemorate its
distinguished gallantry on this occasion. Lieut.-Colonel Riall
received a medal for commanding a brigade, and Major Andrew
Davidson for commanding the regiment.
Three French sail of the line and two frigates, from L'Orient,
having taken shelter in the _Saints_, in the vicinity of
Guadaloupe, they were blockaded by Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander
Cochrane; and three thousand men, of which force the FIFTEENTH
formed part, were detached, under Major-General Maitland, for
the reduction of the islands. This expedition sailed from Port
Royal on the 12th of April; a landing was effected in Ance Bois
Joly, and the difficult heights of Mount Russel, eight hundred
feet high, were stormed and captured, and a battery soon forced
the French shipping to put to sea. The reduction of the islands
was accomplished in a few days, and the enemy's garrison was
made prisoners of war. During the action on the 15th of April,
Lieut.-Colonel Phineas Riall volunteered to storm Fort Morelli,
with the FIFTEENTH regiment; but Major-General Maitland would not
allow the corps to engage in so dangerous an enterprise.
Towards the end of April, the regiment returned to Grenada, where
it was stationed about nine months.
[Sidenote: 1810]
Three hundred men of the regiment, including the flank companies,
embarked from Grenada, early in January, 1810, under Lieut.-Colonel
Riall, for Barbadoes, to join the expedition against _Guadaloupe_,
under Lieut.-General Sir George Beckwith, and were formed in
brigade with a battalion of light infantry, and the third West
India regiment, under Brigadier-General Harcourt; this officer
being afterwards appointed to the command of a division, the
brigade was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Riall, of the FIFTEENTH.
The expedition rendezvoused at Prince Rupert's, Dominica, and the
FIFTEENTH accompanied the second division, which sailed on the
26th of January, and anchored at the Saints until the 29th, when
it proceeded towards Guadaloupe, and menaced the enemy's defences
at the Three Rivers. During the night the regiment landed in the
bay near the village of Les Vieux Habitans without opposition, and
afterwards advanced, the enemy's posts falling back skirmishing.
The French appearing in force on some high open ground, the
FIFTEENTH turned their right flank, the Royal West India Rangers
the left, and the thirteenth light infantry advanced against the
front, when the enemy was speedily forced from his ground.
The regiment afterwards took part in completing the conquest of
the island, an achievement which reflected credit on the troops
employed in the enterprise. The conduct of Lieut.-Colonel Riall was
commended in the public despatch of the Commander of the Forces.
The following statement appeared in general orders, dated 6th
February:--'The Commander of the Forces returns his thanks to the
officers of all ranks, for their meritorious exertions, and to the
non-commissioned officers and soldiers, for the cheerfulness with
which they have undergone the fatigues of a march, difficult in its
nature, through the strongest country in the world, and the spirit
they have manifested on all occasions to close with the enemy.'
The loss of the regiment was limited to a few private soldiers
killed and wounded, and Captain William Grierson wounded.
To commemorate the distinguished gallantry of the regiment on this
occasion, the royal authority was afterwards given for the word
"GUADALOUPE" to be displayed on its colours. Lieut.-Colonel Riall
received a medal for commanding a brigade.
In March, that portion of the regiment which had been left at
Grenada, joined at Guadaloupe; also a draft of ninety men from the
second battalion. Another draft of one hundred men joined from the
second battalion in July, under Lieut.-Colonel Barry, who assumed
the command of the regiment,--Lieut.-Colonel Riall proceeding to
Europe on leave of absence.
The health of the men soon afterwards suffered severely from
the effects of the climate of Guadaloupe, and two hundred and
seventy-six non-commissioned officers and soldiers died. The
survivors were moved to the Champ de Mars, and afterwards occupied
the convalescent posts of Matuba, Dolce, Vermont, and Vieux Fort.
[Sidenote: 1811]
[Sidenote: 1812]
The regiment remained at Guadaloupe during the year 1811; in
May, 1812, it was removed to St. Christopher's and stationed on
Brimstone-hill, under Lieut.-Colonel Davidson.
On the 21st of September, Lieut.-Colonel Renny joined with a
detachment of two serjeants, and one hundred and forty-six rank and
file, from the second battalion.
[Sidenote: 1813]
Several detachments also joined from the second battalion in 1813.
[Sidenote: 1814]
After commanding the regiment twenty years, General Powell died
in the summer of 1814, and was succeeded in the colonelcy by
Lieut.-General Moore Disney, from major in the first foot guards.
The victories of the British troops, in the Peninsula and the
south of France, having accomplished the reduction of the power of
Napoleon Buonaparte, and the restoration of the house of Bourbon to
the throne of France, a general peace was proclaimed, the army was
reduced, and the second battalion of the FIFTEENTH was disbanded
in October, 1814, on the island of Jersey, whither it had proceeded
in June, 1811: its services had been limited to Great Britain and
Jersey.
[Sidenote: 1815]
Early in 1815, the men of the late second battalion embarked
to join the regiment at the island of St. Christopher; but the
transports encountered much severe weather, and were forced
into Falmouth harbour, and the soldiers landed. At this period,
Buonaparte had violated the treaty of 1814, and regained the
throne of France. War immediately followed; and His Royal Highness
the Prince Regent directed the second battalion of the FIFTEENTH
regiment to be re-formed; this took place accordingly, and the men
who had landed at Falmouth proceeded to Guernsey, where they were
joined by the depôt.
The French troops on the islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe
evinced a disposition to renounce their allegiance to Louis
XVIII., and proclaim Buonaparte, and the former island was taken
possession of by British troops in June; at _Guadaloupe_, the
Emperor Napoleon was proclaimed on the 18th of June, a day fatal
to his power on the field of Waterloo; and the first battalion of
the FIFTEENTH regiment proceeded from St. Christopher to Barbadoes,
from whence it sailed with the expedition against Guadaloupe, under
Lieut.-General Sir James Leith. A landing was effected on the
island on the 8th of August, and the French troops were speedily
forced to surrender prisoners of war.
The regiment proceeded to the Champ de Mars, where it was stationed
until the end of September, when it embarked for Barbadoes.
[Sidenote: 1816]