_depôt_ companies, preparatory to its embarkation for the West
Indies[13]. In October, the service companies proceeded to Cork,
leaving the depôt under Captain Stuart, at Buttevant, and embarking
on board the “Princess Royal,” “Waterloo,” and “Thetis,” transports,
sailed for Barbadoes, from whence they were ordered to Trinidad and
Tobago, to relieve the Ninth Regiment, which was about to return
home. The retirement of Major Baird occasioned Major Michael Creagh
to return from the West Indies, to take command of the depôt.
[Sidenote: 1827]
At Trinidad, the regiment occupied the Orange-Grove Barracks, until
the completion of the new barracks at St. James’s. During the year
1827, Ensign Selway died at Tobago, and the loss by deaths, at the
two islands of Trinidad and Tobago, amounted to three serjeants,
forty rank and file, and eleven soldiers’ wives.
[Sidenote: 1828]
In January, 1828, the regiment was relieved by the first battalion of
the Royal Regiment, and proceeded to the island of Barbadoes, where
Adjutant Dolman, three serjeants, and fifty-six rank and file, died
of fevers contracted at Trinidad and Tobago.
[Sidenote: 1829]
[Sidenote: 1830]
The regiment remained at Barbadoes during the year 1829; in January,
1830, it was removed to Antigua, St. Kitts, and Montserrat.
On the 2nd of December, Major W. Richardson died at Antigua,
universally regretted by the officers and soldiers of the regiment,
who testified their regard for his merits, by erecting a monument to
his memory in the church of Newry, County Down. He was the last of
the three brothers who served with distinction in the corps.
[Sidenote: 1831]
In March, 1831, the slaves of Antigua, being opposed to the abolition
of the Sunday market, set fire to several plantations, when a strong
detachment was sent to protect the town of St. John’s, where it
remained until tranquillity was restored.
[Sidenote: 1832]
Colonel Mallet, C.B., after having assumed charge of the civil
government at St. Lucia, died at that island, very much regretted by
the regiment; and was succeeded, in February, 1832, by Lieut.-Colonel
MICHAEL CREAGH, from the half-pay, whose services are recorded in the
preceding pages.
In the spring of this year, His Majesty, King William IV., was
graciously pleased to approve of the regiment bearing on its colours
and appointments the Irish “HARP AND CROWN” and the motto “QUIS
SEPARABIT?”. The harp and crown only was assumed when the corps
obtained the title of ROYAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT.
During this year, detachments were employed in controlling the
disposition to violence evinced by the slave-population at Tortola,
Barbuda, and other places.
On the decease of General the Earl of Kilmorey, the colonelcy of the
regiment was conferred on Major-General William George Lord Harris,
K.C.B. by commission, dated 3rd December, 1832.
[Sidenote: 1833]
In February, 1833, the regiment was removed to Demerara and Berbice,
with detached companies at Fort Wellington, Mahaica, and Fort D’Urban.
Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, K.H., arrived from England, on
the 1st of March, bringing with him the new colours, presented to
the regiment by the late Earl of Kilmorey, bearing the “HARP AND
CROWN” with the motto “_Quis Separabit?_” also the “SPHINX,” and the
words “EGYPT,” “BOURBON,” “INDIA;”--distinctions reflecting honour on
the corps, and calculated to stimulate the youthful soldiers of the
regiment to emulate the noble example of their predecessors.
[Sidenote: 1834]
The regiment remained at Demerara and Berbice during the years 1834
and 1835.
[Sidenote: 1835]
[Sidenote: 1836]
In December, 1835, Major-General Lord Harris was appointed to the
Seventy-third Regiment, and Major-General the Honourable Sir
Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, K.C.B., was appointed to the colonelcy
of the EIGHTY-SIXTH Regiment. This officer was removed to the Royal
Dragoons, in March, 1836, and was succeeded by Major-General James
Watson, C.B.
From Demerara and Berbice, the regiment was removed in May, 1836, to
Barbadoes.
[Sidenote: 1837]
On the 20th of February, 1837, the regiment was inspected,
preparatory to its return to England, by Lieut.-General Sir Samford
Whittingham, who stated in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael
Creagh, that he had “reported the EIGHTY-SIXTH, as about to embark
for England, after ten years’ service in the West Indies, in a
state of hardy, soldier-like efficiency, fit, if necessary, for
immediate service in the field: a circumstance alike creditable to
the commanding officer and to the corps.” On the embarkation of the
regiment, on the 21st of March, the following appeared in general
orders:--“The Lieutenant-General Commanding the Forces, having in
person witnessed the embarkation of the EIGHTY-SIXTH Regiment this
morning, it gives him sincere satisfaction to express in general
orders his acknowledgements of the soldier-like and orderly manner in
which it was conducted. The arrangements were perfect, and the whole
proceeding reflects the highest credit on Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael
Creagh, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, of the
Royal County Down Regiment. They carry with them the Lieut.-General’s
best wishes for their future honour and welfare.”
In May the service companies arrived at Chatham, having sustained
a loss of five officers, and two hundred and ninety-nine soldiers,
during the period they had been absent from Great Britain, and
bringing back four hundred and twenty-four effective men. The depôt
companies arrived at Chatham from Ireland, on the following day[14].
On the 24th of May, Lieut.-General Watson was removed to the
Fourteenth Foot, and was succeeded by Lieut.-General Sir Arthur
Brooke, K.C.B.
In June the regiment marched to Weedon, where it was inspected on
the 8th of August by General Lord Hill, Commanding-in-Chief, who
expressed to Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, in front of the
regiment, his approbation of the highly efficient state of the corps,
after so long a service in the West Indies.
After the inspection, the regiment marched into Lancashire, and
occupied Salford-barracks, Manchester, detaching one company to the
Isle of Man. During the Chartist disturbances, the EIGHTY-SIXTH were
much employed, and frequently received the thanks of Major-General
Sir Charles Napier, and Colonel Wemyss.
[Sidenote: 1838]
[Sidenote: 1839]
[Sidenote: 1840]
In April, 1838, the head-quarters and flank companies were removed to
Stockport, in Cheshire; but returned to Manchester, in June, 1839;
and in June, 1840, the regiment embarked at Liverpool for Ireland,
and landed at Belfast; in September it was removed to Dublin.
[Sidenote: 1841]
The regiment was employed in the summer of 1841, at Templemore,
Clonmel, Cork, and other places, aiding the civil power in the
preservation of the public peace, during the election of members
of parliament, and were particularly thanked for their conduct and
forbearance.
The regiment received orders to form their depôt companies
preparatory to proceeding on service.
[Sidenote: 1842]
The Gazette of January 7, 1842, announced the exchange of
Lieut.-Colonel Sir Michael Creagh, K.H., with Lieut.-Colonel Derinzy,
K.H., of the Eleventh regiment.
At the period of the conclusion of this record, the EIGHTY-SIXTH,
or the ROYAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT, is under orders again to proceed
to India. Although comparatively a young corps, it has performed much
valuable service to the country in all quarters of the globe; it had
not the good fortune to serve in the Peninsular War, in which so many
corps acquired honorary inscriptions; but it has earned distinctions
for its colours, which furnish a powerful incentive to perseverance
in the path of duty and honor to all who may have their names
recorded in the books of this distinguished regiment.
1842.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE EIGHTY-SIXTH,
OR
THE ROYAL COUNTY DOWN REGIMENT OF
FOOT.
CORNELIUS CUYLER.
_Appointed 30th October, 1793._
CORNELIUS CUYLER was appointed ensign in the fifty-fifth foot,
on the 31st of May, 1759, and, immediately proceeding to North
America, joined his regiment before the fort of Ticonderoga, on the
west shore of Lake Champlain, in July of the same year, in time to
take part in the reduction of that post. In 1760 he served at the
reduction of Isle-aux-Noix and at the capture of Montreal, which
completed the conquest of Canada. In 1764 he was appointed captain
in the forty-sixth foot, with which corps he served two years on
the frontiers of North America, one year at New York, and eight in
Ireland. On the breaking out of the American war in 1775, he was
appointed first aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Sir William Howe,
who proceeded to Boston with reinforcements. In 1776, he was promoted
to major in the fifty-fifth, but continued to perform the duty of
first aide-de-camp to Sir William Howe, then commanding-in-chief
in North America, and served at the reduction of Long Island,
the capture of New York, and the battle of White Plains. He also
accompanied the expedition to Pennsylvania in 1777, and served at
the battles of Brandywine, and Germantown, and in November of that
year he succeeded Colonel Meadows, who was removed to the fifth
foot, in the lieutenant-colonelcy of the fifty-fifth, which corps he
commanded in the retreat from Philadelphia to New York in 1778, and
was at the battle of Freehold, under Lieutenant-General Sir Henry
Clinton. In November of that year he proceeded with his regiment
to the West Indies, and was engaged in the capture of St. Lucie.
He performed the duties of adjutant-general to the troops in the
West Indies, under Major-General Christie, in 1781; he afterwards
performed the duties of quarter-master-general in the West Indies
until 1784 when he returned to England, and took the command of his
regiment, then in Ireland. In 1787 he was appointed to the situation
of quarter-master-general in the West Indies, which he held until
1792, when he succeeded to the command of the forces in the Windward
and Leeward Islands. He commanded an expedition against Tobago,
and, having captured the principal fort by storm, on the morning of
the 15th of April, 1793, the island submitted. Returning to England
soon afterwards, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and
appointed colonel of the EIGHTY-SIXTH Regiment, then first raised,
and styled “Cuyler’s Shropshire Volunteers.” He was also placed
on the staff of Great Britain, and in April, 1794, he obtained
the appointment of lieutenant-governor of Portsmouth: in June of
that year he was removed from the EIGHTY-SIXTH to the sixty-ninth
regiment. In June, 1796, he was appointed commander-in-chief in the
West Indies, with the local rank of lieutenant-general; in January,
1798, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the army,
and returned to England in May following. In June he was appointed
to the command of the Sussex district; and in January, 1799, he was
nominated commander-in-chief in Portugal,--the government of that
country having refused to ratify a treaty of peace with France,
and agreed to receive British troops into the ports: he returned
to England in November, the greater part of the troops being sent
to the Mediterranean. The rank of general was conferred on this
distinguished officer in 1803; he was also appointed governor of
Kinsale, and, in July, 1814, he was further rewarded with the dignity
of BARONET.
General Sir Cornelius Cuyler, Baronet, died at St. John’s Lodge,
Herts, on the 8th of March, 1819, after an honourable service of
sixty years.
RUSSELL MANNERS.
_Appointed 20th June, 1794._
This officer was appointed cornet in the royal regiment of
horse-guards, in May, 1755; captain in the seventh dragoons,
in February, 1758, and in April, 1760, he was promoted to the
lieutenant-colonelcy of the twenty-first dragoons, or royal
foresters. He served in Germany under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick,
and, at the peace in 1763, when the royal foresters were disbanded,
he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the second dragoon guards.
On the breaking out of the American war, in 1775, he was appointed
colonel of the nineteenth light dragoons,--then newly raised;
in 1777, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and, in
1782, to that of lieutenant-general; in 1783 his regiment was
disbanded. The colonelcy of the EIGHTY-SIXTH foot was conferred on
Lieutenant-General Manners in 1794; in 1795 he was removed to the
twenty-sixth light dragoons, and in 1799 he was promoted to the rank
of general.
On the 23rd of May, 1800, as General Manners was riding, accompanied
by two other gentlemen, in a post-chaise, to Cambridge, he was
stopped by two highwaymen, who demanded his money, when he shot one
dead on the spot, and the other rode off. In September of the same
year, he was residing at Southend, for the benefit of his health,
and, having a presentiment of his approaching death, he set off for
London, alone, to obtain medical advice, but he was taken ill on
the road, and died at an inn, at Billericay, in Essex, on the 11th
September, 1800.
WILLIAM GRINFIELD.
_Appointed 25th March, 1795._
WILLIAM GRINFIELD was appointed ensign in the third foot guards, in
1760; he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and captain in 1767,
to that of captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1776, and in 1782 he was
promoted to the rank of colonel in the army. In 1786 he obtained the
commission of second major in his regiment. He commanded the first
battalion of the third foot guards, under His Royal Highness the Duke
of York, in Flanders, and evinced great personal bravery and ability
on several occasions, particularly at the siege of Valenciennes, and
at the re-capture of the post of Lincelles on the 18th of August,
1793, for which he received the thanks of the Duke of York in general
orders. He had been appointed lieutenant-colonel of the third foot
guards a few days before this action occurred, and in October of the
same year he was promoted to the rank of major-general. In 1795 he
was rewarded with the colonelcy of the EIGHTY-SIXTH foot; in 1798 he
was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and at that eventful
period he was called upon to transfer his services to the West
Indies, with the important appointment of commander of the forces
in the Windward and Leeward islands. On the renewal of hostilities
with France in 1803, he commanded an expedition against St. Lucie,
and, having captured the fort of Morne Fortuné by storm on the 22nd
of June, the island submitted. He landed on the island of Tobago on
the 30th of June, and, by a spirited advance upon Scarborough, forced
the French General, Berthier, to surrender. He captured the islands
of Demerara and Essequibo, from the Dutch, on the 19th of September,
and Berbice, in a few days afterwards. On the 25th of September he
was promoted to the rank of general. He died at Barbadoes on the 19th
of October, 1803, of the yellow fever, surviving his lady only three
days. It is recorded, that a short time before he left England for
the West Indies, Mrs. Grinfield’s brother died, leaving them £20,000;
the general, finding two cousins of the deceased were left unprovided
for, observed to his lady, that, as themselves possessed an ample
fortune, he purposed making provision for the unfortunate relatives;
she readily assenting, he sent for them, and divided the whole legacy
between them.
SIR JAMES HENRY CRAIG, KB.
_Appointed 5th January, 1804._
JAMES HENRY CRAIG obtained a commission of ensign in the thirtieth
foot on the 1st of June, 1763, and he served with his regiment
several years at the fortress of Gibraltar. In March, 1771, he was
promoted captain in the forty-seventh foot, with which corps he
served in the American war. The forty-seventh were at Boston when
hostilities commenced; they took part in the actions at Concord
and Bunker’s Hill in 1775, and in 1776 they served in Canada. In
December, 1777, Captain Craig was promoted major in the eighty-second
regiment, then serving in America, and in 1781 he obtained the
lieutenant-colonelcy of that corps, from which he was removed, in
1783, to the sixteenth foot. In 1790 he was promoted to the rank of
colonel, in 1794 to that of major-general, and in 1795 his services
were rewarded with the colonelcy of the forty-sixth foot. In 1801 he
was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general, and was removed to
the EIGHTY-SIXTH regiment in 1804. On the 25th of March, 1805, he was
appointed commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, with the local
rank of general; he was also honoured with the dignity of a Knight
of the Bath, and nominated governor of Blackness Castle; in 1806 he
was removed to the twenty-second regiment. The services of General
Sir James Craig were afterwards transferred to British North America,
of which country he was appointed governor, with the local rank of
general in Upper and Lower Canada, dated the 21st of August, 1807. In
1809 he was removed to the colonelcy of the seventy-eighth highland
regiment, or Ross-shire buffs. On the 1st of January, 1812, he was
promoted to the rank of general in the army, which he only held a few
days, his decease occurring on the 12th of the same month.
SIR CHARLES ROSS, BART.
_Appointed 30th October, 1806._
CHARLES ROSS, son of Admiral Sir Lockhart Ross, of Balnagown, Bart.,
who signalized himself during the seven years’ war, obtained a
commission of cornet in the seventh dragoons, in January, 1780, and
in May, 1784, he was promoted captain in the third Irish horse, now
sixth dragoon guards, in which corps he remained three years, when he
was advanced to the commission of major in the thirty-seventh foot.
On the 16th of March, 1791, he was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy
of his regiment, and he performed the duty of commanding officer
several years with reputation to himself and advantage to the
service. He afterwards took an active part in raising the hundred
and sixteenth regiment, but this corps was disbanded in 1796. On the
18th of June, 1798, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and
to that of lieut.-general, in October, 1805. In December of the same
year, he was appointed colonel of the eighty-fifth foot, from which
he was removed, in October, 1806, to the EIGHTY-SIXTH, and in June,
1810, he was appointed to the thirty-seventh regiment. He was endowed
with many amiable qualities, which rendered him an ornament to his
country; he was eminently useful in every relation which connected
him with society, particularly courteous in public life, and
affectionate and valuable as a friend. He died at Balnagown Castle,
in the county of Ross, on the 8th of February, 1814.
THE HONORABLE FRANCIS NEEDHAM.
_Appointed 25th June, 1810._
THE HONORABLE FRANCIS JACK NEEDHAM, third son of John, tenth Viscount
of Kilmorey, choosing the profession of arms, procured a commission
of cornet in the eighteenth dragoons, on the 17th of December, 1762;
in February, 1765, he was removed to the first dragoons, in which
corps he obtained a lieutenancy in 1771, and in May, 1774, he was
promoted captain in the seventeenth dragoons. He accompanied his
regiment to North America, in the spring of 1775, and served at
Boston under Lieut.-General Gage; he also served at the capture of
Long Island under General Sir William Howe, and received, with his
regiment, the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief, for his conduct at
the battle of Brooklyn. He also served in the actions at White
Plains, and in the Jerseys; afterwards proceeded to Philadelphia,
took part in several skirmishes in Pennsylvania, and in covering
the retreat to New York, in the performance of which service he was
engaged at Freehold. He was subsequently stationed in the lines in
front of New York, where he was taken prisoner by the Americans. In
August, 1780, he was promoted major in the seventy-sixth Highland
regiment, then serving in America, with which corps he shared in the
contest until the peace. In February, 1783, he was promoted to the
lieut.-colonelcy of the hundred and fourth regiment, and six weeks
afterwards he was appointed captain and lieut.-colonel in the first
foot guards; he was nominated aide-de-camp to the King in 1793,
with the rank of colonel. In 1794 he was appointed adjutant-general
of the expedition to the coast of France, under Lieut.-General the
Earl of Moira; and in 1795 he was appointed third major in the first
foot guards, promoted to the rank of major-general, and placed on
the home staff. He was subsequently detached, second in command to
Major-General Doyle, with Monsieur Compte D’ Artois and his suite,
to take possession of Isle Dieu, which place the troops maintained
so long as the navy could afford them protection. An appointment on
the staff of Ireland was next conferred on him, and he commanded a
body of troops during the rebellion in 1798; he was at the battle
of Arklow, on the 9th of June, and commanded a division at Vinegar
Hill, on the 21st of June. He continued on the staff of Ireland until
April, 1802, when he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general.
He had previously been appointed lieut.-colonel in the first foot
guards (21st of August, 1801,) and in April, 1804, he obtained the
colonelcy of the fifth veteran battalion. In 1806, he was elected
member of parliament for Newry, and he sat for that borough in four
parliaments. He was appointed colonel of the EIGHTY-SIXTH Regiment
in 1810, and took great interest in the reputation and welfare of
his corps: in 1812 he was promoted to the rank of general. On the
decease of his brother Robert, in 1818, he succeeded to the dignity
of VISCOUNT KILMOREY. Large and influential estates in Ireland were
bequeathed to him by a distant relation; and in January, 1822, he
was advanced to the dignity of EARL OF KILMOREY and Viscount Newry
and Morne, in the County Down, Ireland. This excellent and patriotic
nobleman died at his seat of Shavington, in Shropshire, on the 21st
of November, 1832, much regretted, particularly by his numerous
tenants in Ireland, to whom he had evinced great kindness.
WILLIAM GEORGE LORD HARRIS.
_Appointed 3rd December, 1832._
Removed to the seventy-third regiment of foot, 4th December, 1835.
THE HONORABLE SIR FREDERICK CAVENDISH PONSONBY, KCB., GCMG., KCH.
_Appointed 4th December, 1835._