of St. Helen's, withdrawing the companies at Napierville, but
detaching two companies to William Henry, and one to Three Rivers.
During the summer, the regiment suffered severely from ophthalmia,
and although situated most favourably (the rapid and clear stream
of the St. Lawrence perpetually flowing round the island), and
unremittingly watched by the staff and regimental surgeons, the
disease was not eradicated.
[Sidenote: 1840]
The service companies returned to England on the 25th June of
this year, on board the "Athol" troopship, and disembarked at
Portsmouth, where the depôt companies awaited their arrival.
[Sidenote: 1841]
The regiment was quartered at the Haslar and Fort Monckton
barracks, until January, 1841, when it marched to Winchester. From
thence it was moved to Woolwich in June, detaching three companies
to Deptford.
[Sidenote: 1842]
The FIFTEENTH moved to Windsor early in the month of April,
where the regiment remained until November. On being relieved by
a battalion of the grenadier guards, the regiment proceeded to
Manchester, the head-quarters moving shortly after to Chester
Castle.
Whilst stationed at Windsor, the regiment was highly honored by the
personal inspection of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, and her
August Consort, the Prince Albert.
Her Majesty, on another occasion, reviewed the regiment in the Home
Park, attended by H.R.H. the Prince Albert, and the Hereditary
Grand Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha.
Her Majesty was, on both occasions, most graciously pleased to
express her approbation of the appearance of the men, and the
precision of their movements.
The half-yearly inspection of the regiment, by Lieut.-General Sir
John Macdonald, _G.C.B._, Adjutant-General to the Forces, took
place in the Home Park at Windsor, on the 22nd of July. He was
pleased to approve highly of the interior discipline and appearance
of the regiment.
At this period, upwards of five hundred men had been recruited
for the regiment since its return from Canada, and fifty-eight
volunteers were furnished to the following corps this year, namely,
to the forty-second royal Highland regiment, the ninety-seventh
regiment, and the St. Helena regiment.
[Sidenote: 1843]
On the 31st October and 1st November, the FIFTEENTH proceeded from
Windsor to the northern district, and were stationed at Chester,
where the regiment remained until June 1843, when it marched to
Manchester, and in the following month embarked for Ireland, and
was stationed at Templemore.
[Sidenote: 1844]
[Sidenote: 1845]
In March, 1844, the regiment proceeded from Templemore to Limerick;
and in July, 1845, it was formed into six service and four depôt
companies. The former marched to Cork, and embarked on the 8th and
17th September, in the "Maria Somes" and "Mariner" transports,
for Ceylon; the head-quarter division under the command of
Lieut.-Colonel Thomas A. Drought, and the second division under
Major R. A. Cuthbert. The depôt companies proceeded from Limerick
to Waterford in August, 1845, and were quartered there during the
following year.
[Sidenote: 1846]
[Sidenote: 1847]
The service companies arrived at Ceylon on the 15th and 26th
January, 1846, and were stationed at Colombo until the 26th
November, when the head-quarters were removed to Kandy, remaining
there during the year 1847. The depôt companies marched from
Waterford to Clonmel, in July, 1847; and on the 21st October
embarked at Dublin for Liverpool, and proceeded to Chester.
[Sidenote: 1848]
In June, 1848, the period of the conclusion of this Record, the
service companies of the FIFTEENTH regiment remained at Kandy; the
depôt companies removed in the month of May, from Chester Castle
to South Wales, the head-quarters being stationed at Brecon, with
detachments at Dowlais and Swansea.
1848.
[Illustration: FIFTEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT
FOR CANNONS MILITARY RECORDS.]
FOOTNOTES:
[6] Afterwards colonel of the twenty-seventh foot.
[7] Memoirs of Captain GEORGE CARLETON. This officer was appointed
lieutenant in the FIFTEENTH foot, from the Dutch service, in June,
1687. He was born at Ewelme in Oxfordshire, and was descended from
an ancient and honorable family: Lord Dudley Carleton, who died
Secretary of State to King Charles I., was his great-uncle; and
in the same reign, his father was envoy in Spain, and his uncle
ambassador in Holland. Several editions of his Memoirs have been
printed.
[8] Carleton's Memoirs.
[9] London Gazette.
[10] Carleton's Memoirs.--From a defect of memory, Captain Carleton
has placed the expedition to Inverlochy after the action at
Cromdale.
[11] _Cape Breton_ had been previously captured, in the year 1745,
by the New England Militia, under the command of Colonel William
Pepperell, assisted by a naval squadron under Commodore Warren.
Mutual restitutions taking place by the conditions of the treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle, _Cape Breton_ was restored to France, in exchange
for _Madras_, which had been taken by the French.
[12] In censuring the grenadiers for their rash conduct,
Major-General Wolfe observed in orders, 'Amherst's (the FIFTEENTH)
and the Highlanders (seventy-eighth), alone, by the soldier-like
and cool manner in which they formed, would, undoubtedly, have
beaten back the whole Canadian army, if the enemy had ventured to
attack them.'
[13] General Sir Charles Grey's despatch.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
FIFTEENTH, OR YORKSHIRE EAST RIDING REGIMENT OF FOOT.
SIR WILLIAM CLIFTON, BART.
_Appointed 22nd June, 1685._
WILLIAM CLIFTON succeeded, on the decease of his uncle, in January,
1675, to the dignity of Baronet, of Clifton in Nottinghamshire.
On the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth,
he evinced loyalty to King James II., and interested himself in
raising a regiment for His Majesty's service, now the FIFTEENTH
foot, of which he was appointed colonel, by commission dated the
22nd of June, 1685. When tranquillity was restored, he retired from
the service, and was not afterwards employed in a military capacity.
ARTHUR HERBERT.
_Appointed 12th May, 1686._
ARTHUR HERBERT (son of Sir Edward Herbert, attorney-general to
King Charles I., and afterwards keeper of the great seal) was
educated for the naval service, and after serving in subordinate
commissions, he had the command of a squadron before Tangier; he
afterwards was at the head of a fleet sent against Algiers, and
obtained the reputation of an able naval commander. King James II.
gave him the colonelcy of a corps of musketeers and pikemen, now
the FIFTEENTH foot; but afterwards deprived him of his commission
for opposition to the measures of the court. He proceeded to
Holland, and was well received by the Prince of Orange, who
nominated him Admiral of the Dutch fleet which accompanied His
Highness to England in the autumn of 1688, when the revolution
was accomplished. When the Prince and Princess of Orange were
elevated to the throne, Admiral Herbert was raised to the peerage
by the title of Baron Torbay and EARL OF TORRINGTON, his creation
bearing date the 29th of May, 1689. He was also constituted first
commissioner of the Admiralty, commander-in-chief of the fleet, and
colonel of a regiment of marines, which was afterwards disbanded.
He commanded the British shipping in a sharp engagement with the
French, in Bantry-bay, in the summer of 1689; he also commanded the
British fleet in the disastrous naval action off Beachy-head, in
the summer of 1690; and was afterwards committed to the Tower on
suspicion of treachery, in consequence of his not having brought
the British fleet gallantly into action, which occasioned the Dutch
shipping to sustain severe loss in contest with superior numbers.
He was brought to trial before a court-martial, and acquitted;
but he was removed from his appointments, and was not afterwards
employed in the service of his sovereign. He died in April, 1716.
SACKVILLE TUFTON.
_Appointed 12th March, 1687._
SACKVILLE TUFTON, brother of the Earl of Thanet, was several years
an officer of the first foot guards, in which corps King Charles
II. promoted him to the commission of captain of His Majesty's
own company. He also served in the foot guards in the early part
of the reign of King James II., who promoted him to the colonelcy
of a corps of infantry, now the FIFTEENTH foot. At the revolution
in 1688, he adhered to the interest of the Stuart dynasty,
and refusing to take the oath to the Prince of Orange, he was
superseded in the command of his regiment. He died in 1741.
SIR JAMES LESLEY.
_Appointed 31st December, 1688._
This officer served with reputation in the Queen's regiment, now
second foot, or the Queen's Royal, at Tangier in Africa, where he
had opportunities of distinguishing himself against the Moors, and
King Charles II. promoted him to the majority of his regiment.
He served against the rebels under the Duke of Monmouth, in the
summer of 1685; was at the battle of Sedgemoor; and was rewarded
by King James II. with the lieut.-colonelcy of the Queen Dowager's
regiment. Joining the interests of the Prince of Orange, at the
Revolution, he was nominated colonel of the FIFTEENTH foot, with
which corps he served against the insurgent clans in Scotland, and
also under King William III., in Flanders. He commanded a brigade
at the attack of Fort Kenoque in 1695; and was afterwards engaged
in the defence of Dixmude, where he yielded to the suggestions of
the governor, and voted, in a council of war, for the surrender
of the town, for which he was cashiered, by sentence of a general
court-martial. The governor, the Dutch General Ellemberg, was
beheaded at Ghent.
EMANUEL HOWE.
_Appointed 1st November, 1695._
EMANUEL HOWE, brother of Viscount Howe, of Ireland, served under
King William III., in the Netherlands, in the first foot guards,
in which corps he was advanced to captain and lieut.-colonel. In
the autumn of 1695, His Majesty nominated Lieut.-Colonel Howe, to
the colonelcy of the FIFTEENTH foot, with which corps he served
during the remainder of the war. In the reign of Queen Anne he was
employed in a diplomatic capacity, and was several years envoy
extraordinary at the court of Hanover. He was promoted to the rank
of major-general in 1707, and to that of lieut.-general in the
beginning of 1709. He died on the 26th of September, 1709.
ALGERNON EARL OF HERTFORD.
_Appointed 23rd October, 1709._
ALGERNON SEYMOUR, Earl of Hertford, eldest son of the Duke of
Somerset, served with reputation under the celebrated John Duke
of Marlborough, in Flanders, and was at the battle of Oudenarde,
and covering the siege of Lisle, in 1708. In 1709 he served at
the siege of Tournay, the battle of Malplaquet, and the siege of
Mons; and on the death of Lieut.-Gen. Howe, he was nominated to
the colonelcy of the FIFTEENTH foot, at the head of which regiment
he served in Flanders during the campaigns of 1710, 1711, and
1712; and he was appointed governor of Tynemouth castle, and
Clifford-fort. On the accession of King George I., the Earl of
Hertford was appointed to the second troop, now second regiment,
of life guards; in 1737 he was nominated governor of Minorca and
was removed in 1740 to the royal regiment of horse guards (blue);
in 1742 he resigned the government of Minorca, and was appointed
governor of Guernsey. In 1748 he succeeded to the dignity of DUKE
OF SOMERSET. His decease occurred in February, 1750.
HARRY HARRISON.
_Appointed 8th February, 1715._
This officer entered the army as ensign in a regiment of foot, on
the 22nd of February, 1695, and served two campaigns in Flanders
under King William III. He also served with reputation in the wars
of Queen Anne, and was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the
thirty-ninth foot, with which corps he embarked for Portugal in
1707. He served the campaign of 1708, on the frontiers of Portugal,
under the Marquis of Fronteira; and in 1709, evinced signal
gallantry at the battle of the Caya. He served in Portugal during
the remainder of the war; was promoted to the rank of colonel in
1711; and at the peace of Utrecht, accompanied his regiment to
Minorca. In 1715, King George I. rewarded his services with the
colonelcy of the FIFTEENTH foot, with which regiment he served in
the action at Glensheil in 1719. He was promoted to the rank of
brigadier-general in 1735, to that of major-general in 1739, and
lieut.-general in 1748. He died in March, 1749.
JOHN JORDAN.
_Appointed 15th April, 1749._
JOHN JORDAN procured a commission in the army in December, 1704,
and served in the war of the Spanish succession. In 1739 he was
appointed major, and in 1741 lieut.-colonel of the tenth dragoons;
and his constant attention to all the duties of his station was
rewarded, in 1749, with the colonelcy of the FIFTEENTH foot. In
April, 1756, he was removed to the ninth dragoons. He died in the
following month.
JEFFERY AMHERST.
_Appointed 22nd May, 1756._
JEFFERY AMHERST attached himself in early life to the profession of
arms, and in 1745 he was appointed captain and lieut.-colonel in
the first foot guards. In 1756 he was promoted to the colonelcy of
the FIFTEENTH foot; and in 1758 he was nominated commander-in-chief
in North America (with the local rank of lieut.-general), and
colonel-in-chief of the sixtieth regiment: in the following year he
was promoted to the rank of major-general.
The achievements of the British forces in North America, during the
period he was commander-in-chief in that country, are inscribed on
an obelisk in the grounds of his seat at Montreal, viz:--
_Louisbourg_ surrendered, and six battalions made prisoners of war,
July the 26th, 1758.
_Fort du Quesne_ taken possession of, 24th November, 1758.
_Niagara_ surrendered, 25th July, 1759.
_Ticonderago_ taken possession of, 26th July, 1759.
_Crown Point_ taken possession of, 4th August, 1759.
_Quebec_ capitulated, 18th September, 1759.
_Fort Levi_ surrendered, 25th August, 1760.
_Isle aux Noix_ abandoned, 28th August, 1760.
_Montreal_ surrendered, and with it all Canada, and ten _French_
battalions laid down their arms, 8th September, 1760.
_St. John's, Newfoundland_, re-taken, the 18th of September, 1762.
In 1768 Sir Jeffery Amherst resigned his commissions; but was
soon afterwards appointed colonel of the third regiment of foot,
and also re-appointed colonel-in-chief of the sixtieth, or royal
American regiment of foot. He was advanced to the peerage by the
title of BARON AMHERST of Holmesdale, in the county of Kent, in
1776; and three years afterwards the colonelcy of the second troop
of horse grenadier guards was given to his lordship. On the decease
of Lord Robert Bertie, in 1782, Lord Amherst was appointed colonel
of the second troop of life guards, which, in 1788, was formed
into the second regiment of life guards. His Lordship retained the
commission of colonel of the second life guards, and performed the
court duty of Gold Stick until his decease in 1797.
CHARLES HOTHAM.
_Appointed 21st September, 1768._
CHARLES HOTHAM, son of Sir Beaumont Hotham, Baronet, was many years
an officer in the first foot guards, in which corps he was promoted
to the rank of captain and lieutenant-colonel in May, 1758, and in
1762 he obtained the rank of colonel in the army: he also held the
court appointment of groom of the bedchamber to King George III.,
who nominated him to the colonelcy of the sixty-third regiment in
1765, and removed him to the FIFTEENTH foot in 1768. On the decease
of his father, in 1771, he succeeded to the dignity of BARONET; and
his relation, Mr. Thompson, a wealthy merchant, having left him a
valuable legacy, he obtained His Majesty's permission to assume the
surname of THOMPSON. He was promoted to the rank of major-general
in 1772; to that of lieut.-general in 1777; and general in 1793;
he was also honored with the dignity of Knight of the Order of
the Bath. He resigned the colonelcy of his regiment in 1775; he
also relinquished his court appointment of groom of the bedchamber
to His Majesty, but the King kept the situation vacant until his
decease in 1794.
RICHARD EARL OF CAVAN.
_Appointed 7th September, 1775._
RICHARD LAMBART, son of the Honorable Henry Lambart, third son of
Charles third Earl of Cavan, served in the army in the war of the
Austrian succession, and in June, 1756, he was promoted to captain
and lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards. He was advanced to
the rank of colonel in 1762, and to that of major-general in 1772;
he succeeded to the dignity of EARL OF CAVAN in the same year. In
1774 he was appointed colonel of the fifty-fifth regiment; and was
removed to the FIFTEENTH in the following year: in 1777 he was
promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. He died in November, 1778.
SIR WILLIAM FAWCETT, K.B.
_Appointed 12th November, 1778._
WILLIAM FAWCETT, descended from the ancient family of Fawcetts,
of Shipden Hall, near Halifax, having, from his early youth, a
strong predilection for a military life, his friends procured him
an ensign's commission in General Oglethorp's regiment, which was
stationed in Georgia; but a British force having been sent to
Flanders in 1742, he resigned his commission, proceeded to the
continent, and, serving as a volunteer, was at the battles of
Dettingen and Fontenoy, where his gallantry attracted admiration;
and he was appointed ensign in a regiment raised by Colonel
Johnstone, with which he served until the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle,
in 1748, when it was disbanded.
Being now unemployed, he engaged in the service of a mercantile
establishment in the city of London; but finding his propensity to
a military life invincible, he subsequently purchased an ensign's
commission in the foot guards, and, by a strict attention to his
duties, procured the favour of his Royal Highness William Duke of
Cumberland, who gave him the adjutancy of the second battalion of
the third foot guards, which he held together with a lieutenantcy,
which gave him the rank of captain. Neglecting no opportunity of
qualifying himself for the highest posts in his profession, he
studied the German and French languages, acquired a knowledge of
Prussian and French tactics; and in 1757 published a translation of
the 'Memoirs upon the Art of War, by Marshal Count de Saxe,' and
'The Regulations for Prussian Cavalry;' and, in 1759, 'Regulations
for the Prussian Infantry,' and 'The Prussian Tactics.' These works
met with great attention, and a new edition in 1760 was also well
received.
In the early part of the Seven Years' War, Captain Fawcett served
in Germany as aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Grenville Elliott,
where he acquired increased knowledge of the military art; and his
ardour, intrepidity, and attention to the duties of his situation,
were such, that on the decease of Lieutenant-General Grenville
Elliott, Captain Fawcett was recommended for the appointment of
aide-de-camp to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and he had also the
offer of the same appointment to the Marquis of Granby; he chose
the latter, and was sent to England with the despatches which
gave the account of the victory at Warbourg; on which occasion,
King George II. was highly gratified at having the particulars of
this engagement related to him in the German language by Captain
Fawcett. He was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in
the army on the 25th of November, 1760; and, continuing to serve
in Germany, was appointed military secretary to the Marquis of
Granby. It is recorded that, in Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett's
character, strength and softness were happily blended together,
and to coolness, intrepidity, and extensive military knowledge, he
added all the requisite talents of a man of business, and the most
persevering assiduity. He was highly esteemed by every officer on
the staff of the army, and was the intimate and confidential friend
of the Marquis of Granby. He remained on service until the peace
in 1763, when he returned to England; and his knowledge of the
German language, with the information he possessed from his late
office, was the occasion of his being employed by King George III.
as commissary to settle the claims made by the Allies against Great
Britain for the expenses of the war.
In November, 1767, he obtained a company in the third foot guards;
and in 1772 he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and
nominated deputy adjutant-general of the forces.
At the commencement of the American war, Colonel Fawcett was sent
to Germany, to negotiate with the states of Hesse, Hanover, and
Brunswick, for a body of troops to serve in British pay. In 1776 he
was appointed governor of Gravesend and Tilbury-fort; was promoted
to major-general in 1777, and nominated colonel of the FIFTEENTH
foot in 1778: in 1781 he was constituted adjutant-general of the
forces. The rank of lieut.-general was conferred upon this valuable
servant of the crown in 1782; in 1786 His Majesty honored him with
the riband of the Order of the Bath, and in 1792, gave him the
colonelcy of the third, or Prince of Wales's, dragoon guards.
In May, 1796, Sir William Fawcett received the rank of general,
and was appointed governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in
July following. The duties of adjutant-general requiring greater
exertions than his health would admit of, he obtained the King's
permission to resign, and on retiring from office His Majesty
honored him with distinguished marks of his royal favour and
approbation. In 1799 Sir William Fawcett was appointed general on
the staff, and performed the duties of commander-in-chief during
the absence of the Duke of York on the continent.
He died in March, 1804, and his funeral was honored with the
presence of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, their Royal
Highnesses the Dukes of York, Clarence, Kent, and Cambridge, and of
many noblemen and general officers.
JAMES HAMILTON.
_Appointed 22nd August, 1792._
This officer served with reputation in the reign of King George
II., and in 1761 he took an active part in raising the 113th
regiment, or Royal Highlanders, of which corps he was appointed
major-commandant. At the peace in 1763 his corps was disbanded,
and he was placed on half-pay; he was promoted to the rank of
lieut.-colonel in May, 1772, and appointed to the twenty-first
regiment, or Royal North British Fusiliers, in March, 1774. He
served with reputation in the American war; was promoted to
the rank of colonel in 1780; to that of major-general in 1787;
appointed colonel of the FIFTEENTH regiment in 1792, and removed to
the twenty-first in 1794. He obtained the rank of lieut.-general in
1797, and that of general in 1802. His decease occurred in 1803.
HENRY WATSON POWELL.
_Appointed 20th June, 1794._
At the augmentation of the army in 1756, this officer was appointed
captain of a company in the second battalion of the eleventh foot,
which battalion was numbered the sixty-fourth regiment in 1758. In
1770 he obtained the majority of the thirty-eighth, and in 1771 the
lieut.-colonelcy of the fifty-third, at the head of which corps he
served in the American war. He was promoted to the rank of colonel
in 1779, and to that of major-general in 1782; in 1792 he obtained
the colonelcy of the sixty-ninth regiment, from which he was
removed in 1794 to the FIFTEENTH foot. In 1796 he obtained the rank
of lieut.-general, and that of general in 1801. He died in 1814.
SIR MOORE DISNEY, K.C.B.
_Appointed 23rd July, 1814._