to the command of the army in Scotland. After several movements
and skirmishing, the rebel army, commanded by the Earl of Mar,
advanced, in the early part of November, towards the Firth; and
the Duke of Argyle quitted the camp at Stirling, and proceeded
to the vicinity of _Dumblaine_. On the morning of Sunday, the
13th of November, the hostile armies confronted each other on
_Sheriffmuir_. After half-an-hour’s sharp fighting the left wing
of the rebel army gave way, and the King’s troops captured several
standards and colours; but while this portion of the rebel army
was being pursued, the rebels had defeated the left wing of the
royal army. Thus each commander had a wing triumphant and a wing
defeated: both armies returned to their former ground, but the
action was not renewed. The rebels were, however, defeated in their
design of crossing the Firth, and they retired, during the night,
towards Perth. The royal army returned to Stirling on the following
day. The rebels who had assembled in England under the Earl of
Derwentwater and Mr. Forster, were also compelled to surrender at
Preston, in Lancashire, to General Carpenter, on the same day as
the battle of Sheriffmuir was fought.
Towards the end of December the “_Pretender_” arrived in Scotland,
but his presence did not animate the Scots sufficiently to induce
them to renew the contest in his behalf; they considered him unfit
to be the leader of a great military enterprise, although the
Chevalier is recorded in history to have greatly distinguished
himself in the battle of Malplaquet in 1709, “when he charged
twelve times with the household troops of the King of France,
and, in the last charge, was wounded in the arm by a sword.” The
Chevalier had the credit of possessing plenty of animal courage,
when led by others, but no moral fortitude when left to himself,
and dependent upon his own resources.[10]
[Sidenote: 1716]
In the latter part of the year 1715 the royal army had been joined
by considerable reinforcements, and in January, 1716, the Duke of
Argyle advanced towards Perth.
The Pretender and the Earl of Mar, being unable to oppose effectual
resistance, and seeing no prospect of establishing a footing
in Scotland, withdrew from their army privately, and escaped to
France, after which the Highlanders dispersed.
The rebellion in Scotland at this period thus terminated.
The THIRTY-FIRST regiment proceeded to Ireland, and continued to
form a part of the force in that portion of the United Kingdom
until the year 1739.
On the retirement of Colonel Sir _Harry Goring_, on the 8th of
September, 1716, Lord John Kerr was appointed to the Colonelcy of
the regiment.
The remainder of the reign of King George I. did not produce any
events to give occasion for the active services of the army, and
the movements of regiments from one station to another seldom took
place.
[Sidenote: 1727]
His Majesty’s decease occurred on the 11th of June, 1727, and his
son, King George II., succeeded to the throne.
[Sidenote: 1728]
Major-General Lord John Kerr died on the 1st of August, 1728, and
on the 13th of that month, Colonel the Honorable Charles Cathcart,
from the Ninth foot, was appointed to the Colonelcy of the
THIRTY-FIRST regiment.
[Sidenote: 1731]
Colonel William Hargrave was promoted on the 1st of January,
1731, from the Seventh Royal Fusiliers to the Colonelcy of the
THIRTY-FIRST regiment, in succession to Colonel the Honorable
Charles Cathcart, who was removed to the Eighth dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1737]
On the 27th of January, 1737, Colonel William Handasyd was promoted
from the Fifteenth foot to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST
regiment, in succession to Colonel William Hargrave, who was
removed to the Ninth foot.
[Sidenote: 1739]
In the year 1739 the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was removed from Ireland
to Great Britain.
[Sidenote: 1740]
In the two previous years the British merchants had made great
complaints against the Spanish depredations in America, and on the
23rd of October, 1739, war was proclaimed against Spain by Great
Britain; and the events which occurred in Germany in the following
year occasioned the contest that is designated the “War of the
Austrian Succession,” in which most of the European powers became
engaged, and which disturbed the long interval of comparative peace
that had succeeded the Treaty of Utrecht.[11]
These events were occasioned by the decease of Charles VI.,
Emperor of Germany, on the 20th of October, 1740. The Emperor was
the last Prince of the House of Austria, and he was succeeded in
his hereditary dominions by his eldest daughter, the Archduchess
Maria Theresa, who married, in 1736, the Duke Francis Stephen, of
Lorraine. The Duke, in the following year, became Grand-Duke of
Tuscany. Immediately on her father’s decease, Maria Theresa was
proclaimed Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Transylvania,
Archduchess of Austria, and universal successor to all the
dominions of the House of Austria, pursuant to the “_Pragmatic
Sanction_;”[12] and she declared her husband co-regent in the
government of her dominions.
Although the possessions of Austria were guaranteed to the
Archduchess Maria Theresa by the German Edict known in history
as the “_Pragmatic Sanction_,” to which nearly all the powers of
Europe had been parties, yet the succession of the Archduchess
to her father’s Austrian hereditary territories was disputed by
several claimants; and among others by Charles Albert, Elector of
Bavaria, who was afterwards elected Emperor of Germany. The King of
Prussia also revived a dormant claim to Silesia, which he invaded
in November; the Prussian monarch offered Maria Theresa sufficient
money to resist all her enemies, on condition of ceding Silesia to
him, but the proposition was indignantly rejected.
[Sidenote: 1741]
The King of France supported the Elector of Bavaria, while King
George II. supported the Archduchess Maria Theresa; and in April,
1741, the British Parliament voted a subsidy of 300,000_l._ to
the Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. His Majesty also informed the
Parliament, that the Queen of Hungary had demanded the twelve
thousand troops he had stipulated to furnish; and accordingly
he had requested the King of Denmark and the King of Sweden to
hold in readiness their quotas of six thousand men each, for the
maintenance of which they had received subsidies from England. King
George II. was drawn into the war from the apprehension of losing
Hanover, but at this period His Majesty abstained from being a
principal in the contest, by agreeing with the French sovereign,
Louis XV., to give his vote, as Elector of Hanover, to the Elector
of Bavaria for the dignity of Emperor of Germany, and thereby to
preserve the neutrality of his Hanoverian territories.
During 1741 and the previous year the regiment was encamped at
Windsor, and on Lexden Heath, near Colchester, as part of the force
ordered to be prepared for the assistance of Maria Theresa, but no
embarkation for continental service took place during the year 1741.
[Sidenote: 1742]
The Elector of Bavaria was chosen Emperor of Germany at Frankfort
on the Maine, and crowned, as Charles VII., on the 11th of
February, 1742: he was, however, a most unhappy prince; his
electoral dominions were overrun by the Austrians, the French were
driven out of Bohemia, and the King of Prussia, under the mediation
of King George II., concluded a peace at Breslau with the Queen of
Hungary.
The King of England resolving to take a more active part in the
war, an army of sixteen thousand men, under Field-Marshal the Earl
of Stair, was ordered to be embarked for the Netherlands in the
summer of 1742, in order to support the Queen of Hungary.
On the 17th of May the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked at Deptford
for Flanders, having been previously reviewed on Kew-green by King
George II. and the Duke of Cumberland, with the other regiments
destined for the above service.[13] No action took place during
the year, the troops being suddenly marched into winter-quarters,
after every preparation had been made for active operations.
[Sidenote: 1743]
In the commencement of the year 1743 the British and Hanoverian
troops were assembled in the Low Countries, commanded by
Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, as _allies_ to the Austrians,
under the command of Marshal Neuperg and the Duke d’Aremberg, and
advanced towards Germany, in order to secure the navigation of the
Upper Maine. The French Marshal, Noailles, had anticipated the
British general, and was already on the opposite shore of this
river, and in possession of its principal posts when the Allies
arrived at Aschaffenberg. Here the Allied army remained until June,
on the 19th of which month King George II., attended by the Duke of
Cumberland, arrived at the camp.
The two armies were encamped on the plains near the banks of the
Maine, opposite to, and in sight of, each other; with a ridge of
hills, covered with woods on the north of each, the Allies being
on the north and the French on the south side of the river. The
Confederate army amounted to nearly forty thousand men, in high
spirits, though nearly destitute of provisions. A retrograde
movement being resolved on for the purpose of obtaining supplies,
as well as to effect a junction with a corps of twelve thousand
Hessians and Hanoverians, in some danger of being cut off at Hanau,
His Majesty, on the evening of the 26th of June, gave orders
that the army should hold itself in readiness to march on the
following morning; accordingly the Confederate army marched towards
_Dettingen_ before daylight on the morning of the 27th of June. The
army was weakened for want of provisions, the soldiers having been
on half-rations for some time, and the horses were without forage.
Marshal Noailles immediately ordered a large force of cavalry and
infantry, composed of the household troops and of the Royal Guards,
to the village of _Dettingen_, by which the British had to pass.
The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel
Montague, was in advance towards Dettingen, when the French made
the above movement, and gave the first intelligence of it to His
Majesty.
Aschaffenberg was occupied by the French the moment it was
evacuated by the Allies. The Confederate army had to march through
a narrow way between a mountain and the Maine, the cannon on the
opposite side of the river commanding its flank. Dettingen, in
front, was occupied in force by the French, and also Aschaffenberg
in the rear. In this situation the destruction of the Allies seemed
inevitable; but Marshal Noailles having repassed the river, the
Duke de Grammont, who succeeded to the command, advanced to the
attack through the defile, thus relinquishing all the advantages of
his position. The British troops, animated by the presence of their
Sovereign, on the 27th of June, received the impetuous attack of
the French with such steadiness and intrepidity, that the latter
were forced to retire, and recross the Maine with the greatest
precipitation and the loss of five thousand men.
The Twentieth and THIRTY-FIRST regiments were in reserve in a
wood on the British right, and towards the afternoon they were
led into action by his Majesty in person, who evinced the same
martial qualities for which he was distinguished at the battle of
Oudenarde, on the 11th of July, 1708, when Hereditary Prince of
Brunswick Lunenburg.
The regiment sustained but trifling loss at the battle of
Dettingen, in consequence of its having been in reserve during the
early part of the action.[14]
Although the victory was highly honorable to those by whom it was
gained, yet it was productive of no decisive results.[15] The
allied army continued its march to Hanau; it subsequently crossed
the Rhine, and was employed in West Germany, but returned to
Flanders for winter-quarters.
[Sidenote: 1744]
On the 20th of March, 1744, France declared war against England,
and on the 29th of that month a counter-declaration was made by
Great Britain, in which the French monarch was accused of violating
the “_Pragmatic Sanction_,” and of assisting the son of the
Pretender in his designs on the British throne.
The regiment served the campaign of 1744 with the army commanded
by Field-Marshal Wade; it was encamped some time on the banks of
the Scheldt, and afterwards penetrated the French territory to the
vicinity of Lisle, but no general engagement occurred.
[Sidenote: 1745]
In January, 1745, the Emperor Charles VII. died at Munich, and
Francis, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, consort of Maria Theresa, became a
candidate for the Imperial crown; this event changed the aspect of
affairs in Germany, and led to the re-establishment of the House of
Austria in the Imperial dignity.
Colonel Lord Henry Beauclerk was appointed, on the 22nd of April,
1745, from the forty-eighth to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST
regiment, in succession to Colonel W. Handasyd, deceased.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland was appointed to the
command of the Confederate army, and on the French investing
Tournay, which towards the end of April was besieged by an immense
force, under Marshal Count de Saxe, His Royal Highness determined
to raise the siege, which resulted in the battle of _Fontenoy_.
On the morning of the 11th of May, the formidable position at
_Fontenoy_, occupied by the superior numbers of the enemy, was
attacked, when the British infantry evinced that heroism for
which that _arme_ of the service has ever been conspicuous, and
forced the enemy’s position; but being exposed to a destructive
cross-fire, in consequence of the Dutch having failed in their
attack on the village of Fontenoy, and Brigadier-General Ingoldsby
not having captured a battery in the wood of Barry, the British
regiments, which had forced the French position, were ordered to
retire. The attack was repeated, with the same results: British
valour was conspicuous, but the failure of the Dutch rendered a
retreat necessary, and the Allied army withdrew to Aeth.[16]
In the London Gazette it was stated that,
“The Highland regiment (42nd), the regiment late Handasyd’s
(THIRTY-FIRST), Duroure’s (12th), and many others also
distinguished themselves. The honor gained by the Infantry
was in a great measure owing to the conduct and bravery of
Lieut.-General Ligonier.”
It was the practice at this period in all the armies of Europe
to form battalions of _Grenadiers_ of the different regiments
composing the force in the field; it was their privilege to lead
upon all arduous occasions, when they were ever conspicuous, and
suffered the most. The _grenadier_ company of the THIRTY-FIRST
regiment brought only _eleven_ men out of the field of Fontenoy,
of the seventy-five that it took into action, and its captain and
subalterns were killed.
The THIRTY-FIRST regiment had Lieut.-Colonel Montague, Captains
Baird and Pollock, Lieutenant Dalway, four serjeants, and one
hundred and twenty-five rank and file _killed_; Lieutenants
Stafford and Porter, Ensigns Worsley, Bromley, and Freeman, six
serjeants, and one hundred and thirty rank and file, _wounded_.
Tournay made a gallant defence until the 21st of June, when it
surrendered to Marshal Saxe.
After the battle of Fontenoy the Allied army encamped at Lessines
and Grammont, when a demonstration being made by the French to
attack the Confederates, it was concentrated at the latter place,
in order to receive them. After exchanging a few cannon-shots, the
enemy withdrew, showing a disposition to surround the Allies, which
determined the Duke of Cumberland to fall back on Brussels.
The Confederate generals suspected that the French would make an
attempt upon Ghent, and therefore despatched Lieut.-General Baron
de Molck to Ghent to reinforce the garrison of that fortress. The
troops appointed for this service were Sir Robert Rich’s (fourth)
dragoons, three squadrons of Slipperbach’s dragoons, and two
squadrons of the regiments of Ligne and Styrum, and seven hundred
hussars; with a battalion of the Royal regiment of foot, and
Bligh’s and HANDASYD’S regiments (Twentieth and THIRTY-FIRST foot);
in all about four thousand men.
The Baron de Molck led his column along the cause-way of Alost,
until he reached the Priory of _Melle_ (_Pas du Mésle_), when it
was suddenly assailed by a volley from two batteries near the
priory, and the next moment from ten to fifteen thousand French
sprang from their concealment among the trees and surrounded the
detachment. The Baron de Molck attacked them with such resolution,
that he forced a passage, and arrived safely in Ghent with the
fourth dragoons, the Royals, and the hussars. Brigadier Bligh,
finding it impossible to follow the Lieut.-General, drew off to the
right with his own regiment (the 20th), the THIRTY-FIRST, and the
Austrian and Dutch dragoons, forced a passage through the enemy,
gained an adjacent wood, and retired thence to Dendermond, twelve
miles east of Ghent. The loss of the Allies amounted to about six
hundred men. This action, which was fought on the 9th of July, is
called by the French the combat of _La Mésle_. In the account of
this affair published at the time, it was stated that “our troops
behaved with incredible bravery, and have acquired immortal honor.”
Ghent was shortly afterwards taken by the French.
The allied army remained entrenched between Antwerp and Brussels
until the French Marshal had reduced the chief fortified places in
Austrian Flanders.[17]
On the 2nd of September the Grand-Duke of Tuscany was elected
Emperor of Germany, by the title of Francis I. At this period the
rebellion in Scotland began to assume a formidable aspect. Prince
Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, who had arrived in
the Highlands towards the end of July, had been joined by several
clans, and on the 16th of September proclaimed his father King of
Great Britain, at Edinburgh. The success gained over the Royal
army, under Lieutenant-General Sir John Cope, at _Preston-Pans_, on
the 21st of September, caused numerous adherents to flock to the
Prince’s standard.
Several regiments were in consequence recalled from the Continent,
and the THIRTY-FIRST, with other corps, arrived in the river Thames
on the 25th of October.[18]
The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, which had been much reduced by its
casualties during the campaigns in Flanders, did not proceed
to Scotland, but remained in the vicinity of London. The young
Pretender marched as far as Derby, from whence he commenced his
retreat to the north on the 6th of December, as he found but few
partisans in England to join him in his expedition.
[Sidenote: 1746]
On the 16th of April, 1746, a decisive blow was given to the hopes
of the Pretender by the defeat of the rebels at _Culloden_. Prince
Charles, after enduring many hardships, escaped to France.
[Sidenote: 1747]
Several regiments were now ordered to return to Flanders, but the
THIRTY-FIRST remained in Great Britain. On the 2nd of July, 1747,
the Duke of Cumberland engaged the French at _Laffeld_, or _Val_,
where the Allies suffered severely from the misconduct of the Dutch
troops.
[Sidenote: 1748]
In the summer of 1748 the Allies again took the field, but
hostilities were at length terminated by the treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle, which was signed on the 7th of October, 1748. By
it all the great treaties, from that of Westphalia in 1648, which
first recognised the principle of a balance of power in Europe, to
that of Vienna in 1738 were renewed and confirmed. Prussia retained
Silesia, and the Empress-Queen, Maria Theresa, was guaranteed
in the possession of her hereditary dominions, according to the
Pragmatic Sanction. France surrendered her conquests in Flanders,
and England those in the East and West Indies; all therefore Great
Britain gained by the war was the glory of having supported the
German sovereignty of Maria Theresa, and of having adhered to
former treaties.
[Sidenote: 1749]
Colonel Henry Holmes was appointed by King George II. to the
Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment on the 8th of May, 1749, in
succession to Colonel Lord Henry Beauclerk, who retired from the
service.
In the year 1749 the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was embarked for
Minorca, where it remained for the three following years.
[Sidenote: 1751]
In the Royal Warrant, dated the 1st of July, 1751, for ensuring
uniformity in the clothing, standards, and colours of the army,
and regulating the number and rank of regiments, the facings of
the THIRTY-FIRST regiment were directed to be _Buff_. The first,
or King’s colour, was the Great Union; the second, or Regimental
colour, was of _Buff_ silk, with the Union in the upper canton; in
the centre of the colour the number of the rank of the regiment, in
gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the
same stalk.
[Sidenote: 1752]
In 1752 the regiment returned to England from Minorca.
[Sidenote: 1753]
[Sidenote: 1754]
During the years 1753 and 1754 the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was
stationed in England.
[Sidenote: 1755]
In the year 1755 the regiment proceeded to Scotland, in which
country it remained for seven years.
[Sidenote: 1756]
While the regiment was stationed in North Britain, the Peace of
Aix-la-Chapelle was interrupted by the aggressions of the French
on the British territory in North America, and early in 1756 the
King of France prepared a powerful armament for the capture of
the island of Minorca. In consequence of this attack on Minorca,
hostilities became inevitable on the part of Great Britain, and on
the 18th of May war was declared against France.
The garrison of Minorca, consisting of the 4th, 23rd, 24th, and
34th regiments, after making a noble and vigorous defence, which
called forth the unqualified admiration of their opponents, was
forced to surrender on the 29th of June.
At this period the army and navy were increased, and among other
augmentations, fifteen of the regiments of infantry were authorised
to raise second battalions from the 25th of August, 1756.
[Sidenote: 1758]
In 1758 these additional battalions were formed into distinct
corps, and numbered from the sixty-first to the seventy-fifth
regiment. By this arrangement, the second battalion of the
THIRTY-FIRST regiment was constituted the present _Seventieth_
regiment.[19]
[Sidenote: 1759]
The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, having been selected to remain in the
United Kingdom, was precluded from taking a part in _The Seven
Years’ War_, the most memorable occurrences of which were, the
battle of _Plassey_, gained in India by Colonel Clive, on the 23rd
of June, 1757, which laid the foundation of the British dominion
in India; in Germany, the battle of _Minden_, which was fought on
the 1st of August, 1759; in North America, the capture of _Cape
Breton_, in July, 1758; and the capture of _Quebec_, in September,
1759, which cost the life of the gallant _General Wolfe_, but
which led to the conquest of _Canada_ in the following year, when
_Montreal_, with the whole of that country, surrendered to General
Amherst, in September, 1760.
[Sidenote: 1760]
In Germany several hard-fought but indecisive actions occurred: the
battle of Warbourg, on the 31st of July, 1760; the action near the
Convent of Campen, on the 16th of October following; and the battle
of Kirch Denkern, or Fellinghausen, on the 15th and 16th of July,
1761. In the following year actions were fought at Wilhelmstahl and
at Amonebourg; the former on the 24th of June, and the latter on
the 21st of September.
[Sidenote: 1762]
On the 4th of January, 1762, war was declared against Spain; and
Martinique, Grenada, St. Vincent, and other West India islands
surrendered to English valour. The important city of Havannah, in
Cuba, also capitulated to the British arms.
These successes were followed by a Treaty of Peace, the preliminary
articles of which were signed at Fontainebleau, by the Duke of
Bedford, on the 3rd of November, 1762.
In June, 1762, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment proceeded from Scotland to
England, where it was stationed during the two following years.
On the 20th of August, 1762, Colonel James Adolphus Oughton, from
the fifty-fifth regiment, was appointed by His Majesty King George
III. to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, in succession
to Lieutenant-General Henry Holmes, deceased.
[Sidenote: 1763]
The treaty of Fontainebleau was concluded at Paris on the 10th of
February, the ratifications were exchanged on the 10th of March,
and peace was proclaimed in London on the 22nd of that month.