TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}. For example, Aug^t or
13^{th}. The original text has a dot under the superscripted
letter(s); this has been removed in the etext.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
More detail can be found at the end of the book.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE EIGHTEENTH,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1684,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO 1848.
COMPILED BY RICHARD CANNON, ESQ., ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE
GUARDS.
LONDON: PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER, 30, CHARING CROSS.
MDCCCXLVIII.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET, FOR HER
MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE-GUARDS_,
_1st January_, 1836.
His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the view of
doing the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals
who have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with
the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the
British Army shall be published under the superintendence and
direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall
contain the following particulars, viz.:--
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations in
which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement
it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have
captured from the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers, and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying
the place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks
of His Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and
Privates, as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honorable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service
are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that
any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which
alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the
Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright
examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to
incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have
preceded him in their honorable career, are among the motives that
have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
"London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and
admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions,
the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on
the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their
orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill
and bravery; and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour
of their Sovereign's approbation, constitute the reward which the
soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)
for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services
and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in
obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic
account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty
having been pleased to command that every Regiment shall, in
future, keep a full and ample record of its services at home and
abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth
derive information as to the difficulties and privations which
chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In
Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to
the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and
where these pursuits have, for so long a period, being undisturbed
by the _presence of war_, which few other countries have escaped,
comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service
and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the
British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little
or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country
derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist
and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to
reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on
their sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which
so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in
spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and
steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against
superior numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the
Corps employed; but the details of their services and of acts of
individual bravery can only be fully given in the Annals of the
various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under his
Majesty's special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk
of the Adjutant General's Office; and while the perusal of them
cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every
rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and
information to the general reader, particularly to those who may
have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or
are serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment
to everything belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a
narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove
interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the
valiant, the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with
a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race
of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood "firm
as the rocks of their native shore:" and when half the world has
been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their
Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained
by our countrymen, our brothers, our fellow citizens in arms,--a
record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their
gallant deeds before us,--will certainly prove acceptable to the
public.
Biographical Memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished
Officers will be introduced in the Records of their respective
Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to
time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value
and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment
will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall
be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE INFANTRY.
The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for
innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority
of the British troops over those of other countries has been
evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains
so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can
be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be
admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is
INTREPIDITY. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England
when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army,
on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to
attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and,
although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their
adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated
the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar's favourite tenth
legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other
weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of
which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades,
and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted
and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat,
sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry.
These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar's
legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline
and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being
thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full
development of the national character followed, and it shone forth
in all its native brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of
infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on
horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The
former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords
and spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only.
They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and
javelins.
The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted
(as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost
entirely of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with
their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion
of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior
degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When
stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a
considerable portion of the military force; and this _arme_ has
since acquired, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never
exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns
succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances,
halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour
was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice
became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel,
that it was almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive
purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth
century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the
infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of
fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries;
and, owing to the inconvenient construction and imperfect bore of
the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained
in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable
acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century.
During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company
of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in
every hundred men forty were "_men-at-arms_," and sixty "_shot_;"
the "men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and
thirty pikemen; and the "shot" were twenty archers, twenty
musketeers, and twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides
his principal weapon, a sword and dagger.
Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150
to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of
formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John
Smithe) in 1590 was:--the colour in the centre of the company
guarded by the halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on
each flank of the halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank
of the pikes; half the archers on each flank of the musketeers,
and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the
muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the
company for skirmishing.[1] It was customary to unite a number
of companies into one body, called a REGIMENT, which frequently
amounted to three thousand men: but each company continued to carry
a colour. Numerous improvements were eventually introduced in the
construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to
make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried
a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier,
armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seventeenth
century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and the infantry
were reduced to two classes, viz.: _musketeers_, armed with
matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and _pikemen_, armed with
pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus,
King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He
caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks,
or in small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be
made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed
each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division
of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of forming four regiments
into a brigade; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to
three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his
infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen
and Austrian cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of
other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English,
French, and other European states; but so great was the prejudice
in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not
adopted until near a century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled
the Admiral's regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually
consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light
firelocks. In this year the King added a company of men armed with
hand-grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was
designated the "grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived as to
fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets similar to those
at present in use were adopted about twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James
II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers
(now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did
not carry pikes.
King William III. incorporated the Admiral's regiment in the second
Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service.
During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting
the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46
musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans;
ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in
1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on
the breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every
infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the
grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand grenades;
and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour:
the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this
reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry
ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light
companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of
General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside
their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the Seven
Years' War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have
been limited to the musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed
materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European
states; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods,
been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they
have had to contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and
superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many
and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained
over very superior numbers.
Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have
dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves
valiant with any arms. At _Crecy_ King Edward III., at the head of
about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip
King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000
men; here British valour encountered veterans of renown:--the
King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles
were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten
years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the
Black Prince, defeated, at _Poictiers_, with 14,000 men, a French
army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of
France, and his son Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October,
1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although
greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness, defeated,
at _Agincourt_, the Constable of France, at the head of the flower
of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men,
and gained a complete victory.
During the seventy years' war between the United Provinces of the
Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and
terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the
States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and
firmness;[3] and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant
Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the
service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of
heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British
army under the great MARLBOROUGH was spread throughout the world;
and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory
of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons
of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the
qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of
the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in
Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French
army, which had been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate that
country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous
campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON; and
the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where
Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great
Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means
he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to
their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British
Government. These achievements, with others of recent dates in the
distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy
which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers,
Agincourt, Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons
of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular
frame,--intrepidity which no danger can appal,--unconquerable
spirit and resolution,--patience in fatigue and privation, and
cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities,--united with
an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give
a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of
the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to
command, whose presence inspires confidence,--have been the leading
causes of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5]
The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the
various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought
and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory;
these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of
time.
The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a
detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the
hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in
the various parts of the world, where the calls of their Country
and the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed
in the execution of their duty, whether in active continental
operations, or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and
unfavourable climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set
forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest
commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements
of this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted
to every species of warfare, and to all probable situations and
circumstances of service, are well suited to show forth the
brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and
scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have
been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements
have from time to time been introduced, to ensure that simplicity
and celerity by which the superiority of the national military
character is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain
has attained among the nations of the world have in a great measure
been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have
the welfare of their country at heart the records of the several
regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:--
__|
| |
|__|
|
20 20 20 30 2|0 30 20 20 20
Harquebuses. Muskets. Halberds. Muskets. Harquebuses.
Archers. Pikes. Pikes. Archers.
The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.
[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign
of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under
Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and
in its subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at
the siege of Barcelona in 1705.
[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed
in 1590, observes:--"I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation
would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the
field, let them be chosen where they list." Yet at this time the
Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe.
For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during
the Seventy Years' War, see the Historical Record of the Third
Foot, or Buffs.
[4] _Vide_ the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of
Foot.
[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes
the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in
Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but
His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed
on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a
strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which
has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and
has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national
military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under
circumstances of peculiar difficulty."--_General Orders in 1801._
In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope
(afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the
successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January,
1809, it is stated:--"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of
British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a
severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority
which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired
the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be
encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the
troops themselves; and the enemy has been taught, that, whatever
advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is
inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows
not how to yield,--that no circumstances can appal,--and that will
ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any
human means."
THE EIGHTEENTH,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT,
BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR
"THE HARP AND CROWN,"
AS THE BADGES OF DISTINCTION CONNECTED WITH ITS ROYAL TITLE;
THE ARMS OF NASSAU,
WITH THE MOTTO
"VIRTUTIS NAMURCENSIS PREMIUM,"
AS A LASTING TESTIMONY OF THE GALLANTRY DISPLAYED IN THE STORMING
AND CAPTURE OF THE CASTLE OF NAMUR IN 1695 IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS
MAJESTY KING WILLIAM III.;
THE WORD "EGYPT" WITH THE "SPHINX,"
IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS DISTINGUISHED SERVICES IN THE EXPULSION OF
THE FRENCH ARMY FROM EGYPT IN THE YEAR 1801;
AND
THE WORD "CHINA" WITH THE "DRAGON,"
FOR ITS SERVICES IN THE WAR WITH CHINA FROM 1840 TO 1842.
EIGHTEENTH,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
CONTENTS
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD.
YEAR PAGE
1684 Formation of the regiment in Ireland 1
---- Arthur Earl of Granard appointed to be Colonel 2
1685 Decease of King Charles II. -
---- Accession of King James II. -
---- Rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth -
---- Embarkation of the regiment for England -
---- Capture and execution of the Duke of Monmouth -
---- Regiment re-embarked for Ireland -
1686 Proceedings in Ireland in favour of the Roman Catholics 3
---- Arthur Lord Forbes appointed Colonel in succession to
the Earl of Granard -
1687 Encamped on the Curragh of Kildare -
1688 Embarked for England 4
---- The Prince of Orange arrived from Holland -
---- Adhesion of a certain number of the officers and
soldiers to the Protestant cause 5
---- The Protestant officers and soldiers marched into
Hertfordshire with the regiment 6
---- The Irish Roman Catholic soldiers sent to the Isle
of Wight -
1688 Lord Forbes retired from the service, and succeeded in
the Colonelcy by Sir John Edgeworth 6
---- Colonel ---- Talbot, Earl Tyrconnel, appointed by King
James II. as Lord-lieutenant of Ireland -
---- The Prince of Orange elevated to the throne with the
title of King William III. -
1689 Regiment marched to Chester -
---- Sir John Edgeworth deprived of his commission, and
succeeded in the Colonelcy by Edward Earl of Meath -
---- Arrival of King James II. in Ireland, with troops from
France 7
---- King William III. assembled an army at Chester -
---- Regiment marched to Highlake, and embarked for Ireland -
---- Engaged at the siege of Carrickfergus -
---- Encamped at Dundalk -
---- Quartered at Lisburn during the winter -
1690 King William III. arrived in Ireland and assumed the
command of the army -
---- Battle of the Boyne -
---- Marched to Dublin, and reviewed at Finglass 8
---- Detached against Castle-Connell -
---- Engaged in an unsuccessful assault upon Limerick -
---- Siege of Limerick raised 9
---- Marched towards Mullingar -
---- Proceeded to the relief of Birr -
---- Stationed at Mullingar during the winter -
1691 Detachment advanced towards Dunmore -
---- Quitted Mullingar, and engaged in the siege of
Ballymore 10
---- Engaged in the siege of Athlone --
---- ------- at the battle of Aghrim --
---- Marched against Galway 11
---- Engaged in the siege and capture of Limerick --
---- Termination of hostilities in Ireland --
1692 Regiment embarked for England 11
---- Naval action off La Hogue, and French fleet nearly
destroyed --
---- Menace of French invasion ceased 12
---- Projected expedition to the coast of France --
---- Certain regiments ordered to Flanders --
---- Regiment landed at Ostend --
---- Capture of Furnes and Dixmude --
---- Re-embarked for England --
---- Lieut.-Colonel F. Hamilton promoted to the Colonelcy
in succession to the Earl of Meath, retired --
1693 Embarked as Marines on board the fleet --
---- Disembarked and proceeded to Norwich 13
---- Marched to London, and reviewed by King William III.
in Hyde Park --
---- Embarked for Ostend --
1694 Proceeded to Louvain 14
---- Engaged in the siege of Huy --
---- Marched into winter quarters at Ghent --
---- Rank of the regiment fixed as EIGHTEENTH of the
infantry of the line 15
1695 Engaged at the siege of Namur --
---- ------- in storming the castle of Namur 16
---- King William III. conferred on the regiment the title
of the ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT OF IRELAND, with the
HARP IN A BLUE FIELD AND THE CROWN OVER IT, the
privilege of bearing his own arms, THE LION OF NASSAU,
on its colours; with the motto _Virtutis Namurcensis
Premium_ 17
---- Title afterwards changed to "THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT
OF FOOT" 18
---- Surrender of the fortress of Namur --
---- Marched into winter quarters at Ghent --
1696 Served under the Prince of Vaudemont --
---- Returned to Ghent --
1697 Joined the army of Brabant under King William III. --
1697 Termination of the war, and treaty of Ryswick 19
---- Embarked at Ostend for Ireland --
---- Arrived at Cork --
1699 Marched to Waterford, thence to Dublin --
1700 Removed to Kinsale --
1701 Hostilities recommenced with France 20
---- Embarked for Holland --
---- Reviewed on Breda Heath by King William III. --
1702 Proceeded to Rosendael --
---- Engaged at the siege of Kayserswerth --
---- ------- in skirmish near Nimeguen --
---- The Earl of Marlborough assumed the command of the
allied army 21
---- Engaged in the siege of Venloo --
---- Extraordinary attack of Fort St. Michael --
---- Engaged at the siege and capture of Ruremonde 24
---- -------------------------------- of Liège --
---- Retired to Holland, and entered winter quarters at
Huesden --
1703 Engaged at the siege and capture of Huy 25
---- ------- at the siege and capture of Limburg --
---- Marched to Breda --
1704 Proceeded from Breda to the Danube --
---- Joined the Imperial army 26
---- Battle of Schellenberg --
---- Crossed the Danube --
---- Siege and capture of Rayn --
---- Battle of Blenheim 27
---- Marshal Tallard and many officers and soldiers made
prisoners --
---- Returned to Holland 28
1705 General Ingoldsby appointed to be Colonel, in the
place of General Hamilton (retired) 29
---- Marched to Maestricht --
---- Engaged in the recapture of Huy --
---- Passed the works of Helixem and Neer-Hespen --
---- Returned to winter quarters in Holland 30
1706 Advanced to Tongres --
1706 Battle of Ramilies 30
---- Surrender of Brussels, Lierre, Ghent, Bruges, &c. 31
---- --------- of Oudenarde and Antwerp --
---- Siege and surrender of Ostend --
---- Attack and surrender of the fortress of Menin --
---- Capture of the fortress of Aeth 32
---- Returned to winter quarters at Ghent --
1707 Engaged in active field-movements --
1708 Re-embarked at Ostend for England to repel invasion
by the Pretender 33
---- Returned to Flanders --
---- Recaptured Ghent and Bruges from the French --
---- Battle of Oudenarde --
---- Siege and surrender of Lisle 34
1709 ------------------- of Tournay --
---- Battle of Malplaquet 35
---- Extraordinary collision between the two regiments
called "_Royal Regiments of Ireland_:" one in the
_English_ service, the other in the _French_ service,
both regiments bearing the _Irish Harp_ 36
---- Employed in the siege of Mons 37
---- Marched into winter quarters in Ghent --
1710 Engaged in forcing the lines at Pont-à-Vendin --
---- ------- at the siege of Douay --
---- ------- at the siege of Bethune --
---- ------- at the siege of Aire --
---- Returned to Ghent 38
1711 Passage of the French lines at Arleux --
---- Siege and capture of Bouchain --
---- Marched into winter quarters at Lisle 40
1712 Lieut.-Colonel Stearne promoted to be Colonel in
succession to General Ingoldsby (deceased) --
---- Marched from Lisle, and encamped beyond Bouchain --
---- Joined the army under the Duke of Ormond --
---- Suspension of hostilities --
1713 Rank of the Royal Irish Regiment as 18th regiment of
foot in the English army, directed to take date from
the time of its arrival in England, in 1688 40
---- Conclusion of the treaty of peace at Utrecht --
1714 Remained in the garrison of Ghent until the Barrier
Treaty was signed 41
---- Reception of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough on
passing through Ghent --
1715 Returned to England on account of the rebellion of the
Earl of Mar, leaving the Lieut.-Colonel and 100 men
in the castle of Ghent --
---- Landed at Greenwich, marched to Gloucester, and thence
to Oxford --
1716 Rencontre at Oxford, in consequence of acts of
disloyalty evinced in that town --
1717 Marched to Portsmouth 42
---- Lieut.-Colonel William Cosby promoted to the Colonelcy
in succession to General Stearne, who retired --
1718 Embarked for Minorca --
1727 Detachment of 500 men proceeded from Minorca to
reinforce the garrison of Gibraltar, besieged by
the Spaniards --
1732 Sir Charles Hotham, Bart., appointed to the Colonelcy
in succession to General Cosby, appointed Governor-
in-Chief of New York --
1735 Colonel John Armstrong appointed to the Colonelcy in
succession to Sir Charles Hotham --
1742 Colonel John Mordaunt appointed to the Colonelcy in
succession to General Armstrong --
---- Returned from Minorca to England --
1744 Reviewed on Hounslow Heath by Field-Marshal the Duke
of Cumberland 43
1745 Embarked for Flanders --
---- Landed at Ostend, and marched to Mons 44
1745 Re-embarked for England in consequence of Charles
Edward, son of the Pretender, having landed in
Scotland 45
---- Landed at Gravesend, and embarked for Leith --
1747 Colonel John Folliott appointed to the Colonelcy in
succession to General Sir J. Mordaunt 46
1748 Returned from Scotland to England --
---- Conclusion of the treaty of peace at Aix la Chapelle --
1749 Embarked for Ireland --
1751 Royal warrant issued for regulating the clothing,
colours, &c. --
1755 War recommenced with France 47
---- Embarked for England, marched to Edinburgh --
1757 Re-embarked for Ireland, and remained there during the
Seven Years' War --
1762 General Sir John Sebright, Bart., appointed to the
Colonelcy in succession to General Folliott
(deceased) --
1767 Embarked from Ireland for North America --
1775 Commencement of war with America --
---- Engaged at the village of Lexington 48
---- Proceeded to destroy American stores at Concord --
---- Engaged in the battle at Bunker's Hill 49
1776 Quitted Boston and embarked for Nova Scotia --
---- Embarked for England and stationed at Dover Castle --
1778 Encamped at Coxheath --
1779 -------- at Warley 50
1780 -------- at Finchley --
1782 Termination of the American war --
---- Embarked for Jersey --
1783 Removed to Guernsey --
---- Engaged in quelling a mutiny in the 104th Regiment --
---- Received the thanks of the Lieut.-Governor and of the
States of the Island, accompanied by one hundred
guineas for distribution among the non-commissioned
officers and soldiers, for their loyal and spirited
conduct 50
1783 Proceeded to Portsmouth, and embarked for Gibraltar --
1793 Embarked from Gibraltar to take possession of Toulon
in aid of the French loyalists and in the name of
Louis XVII. --
---- Evacuated Toulon after destroying the shipping,
arsenal, and magazines 52
1794 Embarked for the Island of Corsica --
---- Siege and capture of the town and fortress of Calvi 53
---- General Sir James Pulteney, Bart., appointed to the
Colonelcy in succession to General Sir John Sebright,
Bart., deceased 54
1796 Withdrawn from the Island of Corsica --
---- Proceeded to the Island of Elba --
---- Embarked for the coast of Italy, and took possession
of Campiglia, Castiglione, and Piombino --
---- Re-embarked for Elba 55
1797 Removed to Gibraltar --
1800 Embarked from Gibraltar for service in the
Mediterranean --
---- Proceeded to Minorca --
---- Sailed to Genoa to co-operate with the Austrians --
---- Returned to Minorca --
---- Embarked on an expedition against Cadiz --
---- Sailed to Gibraltar on the design of the expedition
being relinquished --
---- Proceeded again to Minorca --
---- Sailed to Malta, and joined the armament under
Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby 56
---- Sailed to Marmorice Bay --
---- Proceeded to Alexandria, and anchored in the Bay
of Aboukir --
1801 Landed at Aboukir 56
---- Advanced to Alexandria 57
---- Battle of Alexandria on the 21st of March 58
---- Death of Sir Ralph Abercromby --
---- Proceeded to Rosetta --
---- Captured Fort St. Julian --
---- Advanced up the banks of the Nile --
---- Engaged in operations at El Aft and Rahmanie 59
---- Siege and capture of the city of Cairo --
---- Surrender of Alexandria, and expulsion of the French
from Egypt --
---- Authorized to bear the _Sphinx_ with the word _Egypt_ --
---- Proceeded to Malta 60
1802 Treaty of Peace concluded at Amiens --
---- Embarked for Ireland --
1803 War with France recommenced --
---- Augmented to two battalions --
---- Two battalions embarked for Scotland --
---- Received a complimentary letter from the magistrates
and clergy of Haddington --
1804 Proceeded to England --
---- Landed at Ramsgate and encamped on Barham Downs 61
---- Second battalion embarked for Jersey --
1805 First battalion embarked for Jamaica --
1807 Second battalion embarked for Curaçao --
1809 First battalion embarked for St. Domingo --
---- St. Domingo surrendered by the French 62
---- First battalion returned to Jamaica --
1810 Second battalion embarked for England --
1811 ---------------- proceeded to Jersey --
---- General Lord Hutchinson, afterwards Earl of Donoughmore,
appointed to the Colonelcy in succession to General
Sir James Pulteney, Bart., deceased --
1814 Termination of the war with France --
---- Disbandment of the second battalion --
1817 Returned to England from Jamaica 63
1817 Proceeded to Brighton --
---- Furnished the guard of H. R. H. the Prince Regent at
the Pavilion --
1818 Marched to Gosport --
---- Embarked for Ireland --
---- Received the thanks and approbation of the public
authorities of several of the principal places in
Ireland --
1820 Marched to Cork --
1821 Embarked for Malta --
1824 Embarked for the Ionian Islands 64
---- Received the testimonial of General the Marquis of
Hastings --
1832 Embarked at Corfu for England 65
---- Appointment of General Lord Aylmer to the Colonelcy
in succession to General the Earl of Donoughmore,
deceased --
1834 Embarked for Ireland --
1837 Formed into Six Service and Four Depôt Companies
preparatory to embarkation for Foreign Service --
---- Service companies embarked for Ceylon --
1838 Depôt companies embarked from Dublin for England --
1839 Removed from Colombo to Trincomalee --
---- Three companies embarked from Portsmouth --
1840 War commenced with China --
---- Six companies embarked from Ceylon for China 66
---- Capture of the Island of Chusan 67
---- -------------- city of Ting-hae-hien --
1841 Possession taken of Hong-Kong --
---- Regiment sailed up the Canton river, and the City of
Canton surrendered 69
---- Capture of the Island and City of Amoy 70
---- -------------- Island of Koolangsoo --
---- Island of Chusan again taken possession of 71
---- Capture of the City of Chinhae --
1841 Capture of the City of Ningpo 72
1842 Four companies stationed at Ningpo, and five companies
at Koolangsoo --
---- Defeat of the Tartars and Chinese in an attack upon
Ningpo --
---- Capture of Tsekee, and heights of Segaon 73
---- Forced the Chankee Pass --
---- Attack and capture of the city of Chapoo --
---- Employed on an expedition up the Yangtse-Keang river 74
---- Capture of Woosung, Poonshau, and the city of Shanghae --
---- Capture of the city of Chin Keang-foo by storm --
---- Embarked for Nankin, the ancient Capital of China 75
---- Conditions of Peace agreed --
---- The word "_China_" and the device of the "_Dragon_"
authorized to be borne on the colours and
appointments --
---- Proceeded from Nankin to Chusan --
1843 Head-quarters at Koolangsoo 76
---- ------------- removed to Chusan --
1845 --------------------- to Hong-Kong --
1847 Embarked at Hong-Kong, and engaged in operations on
the Canton River --
---- Returned to Hong-Kong --
---- Embarked for Calcutta --
1848 Arrived at Fort William, Bengal --
---- The Conclusion 77
1848.
PLATES.
Colours of the Eighteenth, Royal Irish Regiment,
_to face_ 1
Representation of the Battle of Blenheim, on the 13th
August, 1704 28
Costume of the Regiment 80
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
EIGHTEENTH, OR ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
YEAR PAGE
1684 Arthur, Viscount of Granard 81
1686 Arthur, Lord Forbes 82
1688 Sir John Edgeworth 83
1689 Edward, Earl of Meath --
1692 Frederick Hamilton 84
1705 Richard Ingoldsby 85
1712 Richard Stearne --
1717 William Cosby 87
1732 Sir Charles Hotham, Bart. --
1735 John Armstrong --
1742 Sir John Mordaunt, K.B. 88
1747 John Folliott 89
1762 Sir John Sebright, Bart. --
1794 Sir James Murray, Bart., afterwards Pulteney --
1811 John Hely, Lord Hutchinson, K.B., afterwards Earl of
Donoughmore 90
1832 Matthew, Lord Aylmer 91
[Illustration: EIGHTEENTH.
ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT.
QUEEN'S COLOUR.]
[Illustration: REGIMENTAL COLOUR.
FOR CANNON'S MILITARY RECORDS
_Madeley lith 3 Wellington S^t Strand_]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE EIGHTEENTH,
OR THE
ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
[Sidenote: 1684]
THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF FOOT existed many years, as independent
companies of pikemen and musketeers on the establishment of
Ireland, previous to the formation of the regiment in 1684; several
of these companies having been in the service of the Commonwealth
in the time of Oliver Cromwell. At the Restoration in 1660, King
Charles II. disbanded the army of the Commonwealth in England, and
embodied several new corps. Little alteration was, however, made
in the Irish forces, excepting the formation of a regiment of foot
guards, called the "Royal Regiment of Ireland," which, with about
twenty independent troops of horse and eighty companies of foot,
constituted the military force of Ireland. Towards the close of
his reign, King Charles II. took particular interest in improving
the organization of the military establishments of his dominions,
and the Irish independent troops of horse were embodied into three
regiments of cavalry; at the same time the companies of foot were
constituted seven regiments of infantry. The colonelcy of one of
these corps was conferred on ARTHUR EARL OF GRANARD, by commission
dated the 1st of April, 1684; it is the only one of these ten
regiments which has continued in the service of the British crown;
and it now bears the title of the EIGHTEENTH, or the ROYAL IRISH
REGIMENT OF FOOT.[6]
[Sidenote: 1685]
On the 6th of February, 1685, King Charles II. died, and was
succeeded by his brother, James II.; and in June following James
Duke of Monmouth erected the standard of rebellion in the west of
England, and asserted his own pretensions to the throne. On this
occasion the EARL OF GRANARD'S regiment was ordered to proceed to
England: it embarked from Dublin, landed at Park Gate, and marched
to Chester. In a few days after its arrival in England the rebel
army was overthrown at Sedgemoor, and the Duke of Monmouth was
subsequently captured and beheaded; when the regiment returned to
Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1686]
The King, being of the Roman Catholic persuasion, soon evinced
a determination to use his utmost endeavours to subvert the
Protestant religion and the constitution of the kingdom;
commencing in Ireland, where the Catholics were more numerous
than the Protestants. The Earl of Clarendon was nominated
Lord-Lieutenant; but "Colonel ---- Talbot, a furious Papist, was
empowered to model the army, and he dismissed the greater part of
the Protestant officers, filling their places with those of his own
religion. After having performed this signal service, he came over
to England, where he was created Earl Tyrconnel and lieut.-general
of the Irish army."[7] The Earl of Granard, not approving of these
proceedings, resigned the colonelcy of the regiment in favour of
his son, ARTHUR LORD FORBES, whose commission as colonel was dated
the 1st of March, 1686.
[Sidenote: 1687]
In the summer of 1687, the regiment was encamped, with the other
Irish corps, on the Curragh of Kildare; and the Earl Tyrconnel
made a minute inspection of every troop and company, inquiring
the name of every man, and discharging many because they were
the descendants of men who had served Oliver Cromwell. When the
regiment went into quarters, nearly all the Protestant officers and
soldiers were dismissed from the service, a few only being retained
to discipline the recruits, and the ranks were completed with men
of the Roman Catholic religion.[8]
Colonel LORD FORBES being a spirited young nobleman of the
Protestant religion, Earl Tyrconnel paid some deference to his
Lordship, to avoid an open collision with so chivalrous an officer;
and more Protestants were retained in LORD FORBES'S regiment than
in any other Irish corps.
[Sidenote: 1688]
In the summer of 1688, the regiment was again encamped on the
Curragh of Kildare. Meanwhile the proceedings of the Court in
favour of Papacy and arbitrary government, had alarmed the kingdom,
and a number of noblemen and gentlemen had invited the Prince of
Orange to come to England with an army to support the Protestant
interest. On this occasion LORD FORBES'S regiment was ordered to
proceed to England:[9] it landed at Chester, marched to London, and
was quartered in the borough of Southwark.
The Prince of Orange having passed Dover with a powerful armament,
the regiment was ordered to march to Salisbury, where it joined
King James's army a few days after the Prince had landed at
Torbay, and marched to Exeter. The English army, which amounted to
thirty thousand men, had not been remodelled as the Irish forces
had been, but consisted principally of Protestant officers and
soldiers, who refused to fight in the cause of Papacy and arbitrary
government, and many of them joined the Prince of Orange. Under
these circumstances, the King ordered the army to withdraw towards
London, and LORD FORBES'S regiment marched to Colnbrook, where
it was quartered when King James attempted to escape to France
Lord Forbes waited on the Prince of Orange, who directed him to
disband the Roman Catholic officers and soldiers, and to keep the
Protestants to their colours: upwards of five hundred officers and
soldiers were dismissed, and about two hundred Protestants, of all
ranks, remained with the colours.