of France fitted out a fleet, and embarked troops at Dunkirk,
for the invasion of Great Britain, with a view of placing the
Pretender on the throne. To repel the invaders, the TENTH regiment
embarked for England in the middle of March, 1708, and arrived at
Tynemouth on the 21st; but the French squadron, with the Pretender
on board, was chased from the British coast by the English fleet,
and the TENTH were ordered to Flanders: they landed at Ostend, and
proceeded in boats to Ghent, where they arrived towards the end of
April.
In May the regiment quitted Ghent, and was engaged in the
operations of the main army; and soon afterwards the French, by
treachery and stratagem, obtained possession of the two towns
of Ghent and Bruges. They also invested _Oudenarde_, and this
circumstance led to a general engagement, in which the TENTH gained
new honours.
Passing the Scheldt on pontoon bridges near Oudenarde, on the 11th
of July, the allied army encountered the legions of the enemy,
commanded by his Royal Highness the Duke of Burgundy and the
Duke of Vendome, in the fields beyond the river, and the battle
immediately commenced. The TENTH, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel
Grove, passed the Scheldt by the bridge between Oudenarde and the
abbey of Eename, and ascended the heights of Bevere. At this place
they halted a short time, then descended into the plain, and
engaged the French battalions in the grounds beyond the rivulet,
near the village of Eyne. About five o'clock in the afternoon the
regiment opened its fire, and it continued to gain ground upon its
opponents, until the shades of evening gathered over the field of
battle. The wings of the allied army gained upon the enemy, and
the circling blaze of musketry enveloped the French troops, whose
destruction appeared inevitable, but the darkness of the night soon
rendered it impossible to distinguish friends from foes, and the
Duke of Marlborough ordered his soldiers to cease firing, and to
halt. The darkness favoured the escape of the enemy, and the wreck
of the French army retreated in disorder towards Ghent.
This victory prepared the way for an undertaking of great
magnitude,--viz., the siege of _Lisle_, the capital of French
Flanders,--a fortress deemed almost impregnable, and garrisoned by
fifteen thousand men, commanded by the veteran Marshal Boufflers.
This enterprise put the abilities of the generals, and the courage
and endurance of the troops, to a severe trial. The TENTH formed
part of the covering army under the Duke of Marlborough, while the
siege was carried on by the brigades under Prince Eugene of Savoy.
The services of the TENTH were of a varied character,--escorting
supplies,--furnishing out-posts,--confronting the French army which
advanced to raise the siege; and eventually the grenadier company
joined the besieging army, and took part in the attacks on the town.
When the Elector of Bavaria besieged Brussels, the TENTH formed
part of the force which advanced to raise the siege. The enemy's
strong positions on the _Scheldt_ were forced on the 27th of
November; and the Elector made a precipitate retreat from before
Brussels.
The citadel of Lisle surrendered on the 9th of December, and,
notwithstanding the lateness of the season, the soldiers of the
TENTH were called upon to engage in another enterprise. They
appeared before _Ghent_,--drove back the enemy's out-guards, and
took part in opening the trenches between the Scheldt and the Lys,
on the night of the 24th of December, on which occasion their
colonel, Lord North and Grey, evinced signal gallantry, and he was
rewarded, a few days afterwards, with the rank of major-general.
On the 26th of December, ten companies of French grenadiers issued
from the town to attack the besieging troops, and they put the
first regiment they came in contact with in some confusion.
The TENTH were immediately led to the spot, and they engaged
the French grenadiers with spirit. The commanding officer of
the regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Grove, was made prisoner, and
Brigadier-General Evans, who commanded the troops at that point,
was also captured; but the enemy was soon driven back into the
town. On the 2nd of January, 1709, the governor surrendered; and
the TENTH took up their quarters for the winter in the captured
town.
[Sidenote: 1709]
From Ghent, the regiment marched, in the spring of 1709, to the
plain of Lisle; and was afterwards encamped on the Upper Dyle.
After menacing the enemy's lines, and causing Marshal Villars
to draw all the troops out of the fortified towns, which could
possibly be spared, to strengthen his army in the field, the allies
suddenly invested _Tournay_. During the siege of the town the TENTH
regiment formed part of the covering army, but when the citadel was
attacked, this, with several other regiments, left the covering
army, and marched to Tournay to take part in the siege.
The citadel of Tournay was situated on some high ground, with a
gentle ascent from the town, and the siege proved a service of
the most difficult character. The peculiarities arose not so much
from the strength of the fortifications, as from the multiplicity
of the subterraneous works, which were more numerous than those
aboveground. The approaches were carried on by sinking pits several
fathoms deep, and working from thence underground, until the troops
arrived at the casements and mines. The soldiers engaged in these
services frequently encountered parties of the enemy, and numerous
combats occurred in these gloomy labyrinths. On some occasions
the men at work underground were inundated with water; on another
occasion three hundred men were suffocated with smoke, and a
hundred men were buried by the explosion of a mine. A detachment
of the eighteenth foot was blown into the air, and their limbs
scattered to a distance; and a battalion of Germans was destroyed
by another mine; the TENTH foot also lost a number of men in the
mines. At length it became difficult to induce the soldiers to
enter these dark caverns, and engage in so appalling a service;
they were, however, persuaded to persevere, and the citadel
surrendered in the beginning of September.
After the capture of Tournay, the allied army traversed the country
with a view of besieging the city of Mons, the capital of the
province of Hainault; but when on the march, the allies found the
French army, under Marshals Villars and Boufflers, in position near
_Malplaquet_, and resolved to hazard an engagement.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 11th of September, the
TENTH were on parade in the meadow where they had passed the night,
and the chaplain performed divine service. A thick mist concealed
the opposing armies from each other, but the din of hostile
preparation was heard, and the soldiers, having confidence in their
leaders, were anxious to acquire new laurels under their favourite
chiefs. They waited till the sun broke forth, and then the battle
commenced.
Entrenchments, _abatis de bois_, and other defensive works, covered
the front and flanks of the French, and the storming of these
formidable works occasioned a greater loss of life, than occurred
at the battles of Blenheim, Ramilies, and Oudenarde put together.
The TENTH were formed in brigade, on this occasion, with the
foot guards, royals, and thirty-seventh, and were in the column
commanded by General Count Lottum. To this column was allotted
the task of storming the enemy's entrenchments in the wood of
Taisniere, which proved a difficult service. The foot guards led
the attack, and behaved with great gallantry, but they encountered
such formidable opposition that they were repulsed. The royals
seconded the foot guards, and the buffs, being at the head of
the next brigade, prolonged the attack to the left. The TENTH
penetrated between the royals and the buffs, and the whole rushing
forward with determined resolution, forced the entrenchments,
when the French fell back fighting, but halted and renewed the
contest in the wood. The TENTH, and other corps at this point,
penetrated among the trees, and a sharp fire of musketry was kept
up. The foliage was thick, every tree was disputed, and the wood
re-echoed the din of battle. In the meantime a severe contest was
taking place at other parts of the field, and obstacles deemed
insurmountable were overcome; but the carnage was dreadful.
The enemy's centre was forced; the cavalry of the allied army
triumphed over the French horsemen, and the TENTH, and other
British regiments in the woods of Taisniere, gained ground on
their opponents. Eventually the French legions were driven from
the field, with the loss of many prisoners, colours, standards,
and cannon. When the soldiers of the allied army gazed at the
formidable entrenchments, and other difficulties they had overcome,
they were astonished at their own success.
On this occasion the regiment did not sustain a very severe loss
in killed and wounded: the only officers mentioned in the list are
Lieutenants Fellowes and Elstead wounded.
After the victory of Malplaquet, the siege of _Mons_ was
undertaken, and the TENTH formed part of the covering army: the
garrison surrendered on the 20th of October, and shortly afterwards
the regiment marched into winter-quarters at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1710]
Leaving its winter-quarters in the middle of April, 1710, the
regiment directed its march to the vicinity of Tournay, where the
allied army assembled. The capture of the small post of _Mortagne_
proved a prelude to another campaign in which several fortresses
were wrested from the French monarch. By a forced march the enemy's
lines were passed at _Pont-à-Vendin_, and the siege of _Douay_, a
considerable fortress in the second line of defence which covered
the frontiers of Artois, was undertaken. Douay is a town of
antiquity, having been a place of note in the time of the first
Counts of Flanders; the river Scarpe running through the town, the
river Haine being near it, the works being also strong, numerous,
and well garrisoned, the siege of this place was an important
undertaking. The TENTH foot, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Henry
Grove, had their post in the lines of circumvallation, but did not
take part in the attacks upon the works. When the French army,
under Marshal Villars, advanced to raise the siege, the regiment
was in position to oppose the enemy, and it had several men killed
and wounded by a heavy cannonade which occurred on that occasion.
Marshal Villars did not hazard an engagement, and the governor of
Douay, after a very gallant defence, surrendered on the 27th of
June.
After this conquest the English general resolved to attack
_Bethune_, a strong town formerly belonging to the Counts of
Flanders; but having been taken by Gaston, Duke of Orleans, it was
annexed to the French monarchy at the peace of the Pyrenees in
1659. During the siege of Bethune, the TENTH had their post in the
covering army encamped at Villars-Brulin, where the regiment was
stationed until the garrison surrendered on the 29th of August.
The next undertaking in which the army was engaged was the siege
of _Aire_ and _St. Venant_, which towns were so situated as to
admit of a simultaneous investment, and as the capture of these
fortresses would secure the navigation of the Lys, and open a
water communication with Tournay, Lisle, and Ghent, the skill of
the generals and the valour of the troops were called forth to
insure their reduction. The TENTH were among the corps engaged
in the siege of Aire, and as the governor of that place made a
very vigorous defence, a severe loss was sustained in killed and
wounded. The regiment was several times warmly engaged in carrying
on the attacks and storming the out-works; on which occasions its
gallant bearing called forth the commendations of the Prince of
Anhalt, who commanded the troops employed in the siege. On the 9th
of November, the garrison surrendered; but the possession of Aire
was purchased at a serious loss of brave soldiers.
Thus, fortress after fortress fell before the superior skill of the
commanders and the prowess of the troops composing the allied army.
After the surrender of Aire, the TENTH marched to Courtray, a town
of Hainault, situate on the river Lys, and defended by towers and a
strong castle erected by Philip, Duke of Burgundy, in 1385: at this
place the regiment passed the winter, and its losses were replaced
by recruits from England.
[Sidenote: 1711]
Towards the end of April, 1711, the regiment was again in the
field; it was reviewed at the camp at Warde by the Duke of
Marlborough, on the 8th of June, and commended for its appearance
and discipline: it afterwards encamped on the plains of Lens. A new
line of formidable entrenchments, defended by a powerful French
army under the command of Marshal Villars, appeared as a barrier to
arrest the victorious career of the allied army; but the British
General, by menacing the enemy's left, and making ostentatious
preparations for storming the works at that point, occasioned the
French troops to be drawn to that quarter; in the meantime he had
privately assembled a number of corps at Douay, and by a forced
march these formidable works were passed at the unguarded post of
_Arleux_. The TENTH regiment of foot had the honor to take part
in forcing these lines, on which occasion the British General
developed that sublimity of military talent which has justly
stamped this campaign as peculiarly scientific and glorious. The
regiment was afterwards engaged in the siege of _Bouchain_, a
well-fortified town, situate on both sides of the river Scheldt:
and in carrying on the attacks, and performing its turn of duty in
the trenches, the regiment had several men killed and wounded. The
garrison surrendered in September, and after the damaged works were
repaired, the TENTH went into winter-quarters.
[Sidenote: 1712]
The French monarch saw his generals overmatched, his soldiers
beaten and dispirited, the barriers of his kingdom trampled down,
and the great Duke of Marlborough ready to lead his victorious
legions into the heart of France. Under these circumstances the
ambitious Louis XIV. solicited peace. Negociations commenced before
the TENTH foot took the field in April, 1712: the British troops
were, however, assembled near Tournay, and the Duke of Ormond
assumed the command in succession to the Duke of Marlborough.
According to the returns of this period, the regiment brought six
hundred and twenty-three rank and file into the field.
From Tournay the regiment advanced to the vicinity of Bouchain;
it subsequently formed part of the covering army, encamped at
Cateau-Cambresis, during the siege of _Quesnoy_, which fortress
surrendered on the 4th of July. Soon afterwards a suspension of
arms was proclaimed between the British and French, preparatory to
a treaty of peace, and the Duke of Ormond withdrew, with the troops
under his orders, to Ghent, from whence several corps were detached
to Dunkirk, to take possession of that fortress.
[Sidenote: 1713]
[Sidenote: 1714]
The TENTH regiment of foot was subsequently quartered at Ghent; it
remained in Flanders while the negociations were being carried on
at Utrecht, and, in April, 1714, it was in garrison at the strong
maritime town of Nieuport.
While the regiment was in garrison at Nieuport, Queen Anne died
(1st August), and was succeeded by King George I.; several corps
were ordered home on this occasion, but the TENTH were selected to
garrison one of the fortresses in Flanders during the negociations
for the barrier treaty.
[Sidenote: 1715]
In the summer of 1715, the adherents of the Stuart dynasty,
who were numerous, particularly in Scotland, made active
preparations for the elevation of the Pretender to the throne,
and Lieut.-General Lord North and Grey, being known to entertain
sentiments favourable to the Stuart family, was removed from
the colonelcy of the TENTH foot, which was conferred on the
Lieut.-Colonel, Brigadier-General Henry Grove (who had often
signalized himself at the head of the regiment), by commission
dated the 23rd of June, 1715.
King George I., supported by his parliament, adopted very energetic
measures to oppose the designs of the Jacobites, and His Majesty,
having great confidence in the zeal of Brigadier-General Grove, and
in the attachment of the TENTH foot to the Protestant succession,
gave directions for the regiment to return to England: it landed
at the Tower-stairs, London, about the middle of August, and
afterwards marched to Colchester.
The rebellion broke out in Scotland in September, and the Earl
of Mar headed the insurgent bands; but it was found necessary to
detain a number of corps in England, to overawe the disaffected;
and the TENTH were ordered to march, in the beginning of October,
to Hammersmith, Kensington, and Chelsea, to be near the court.
After the victories gained by the King's troops at Dumblain
and Preston, the regiment marched to Lichfield and Newcastle,
in Staffordshire, where it remained during the winter and the
following spring.
[Sidenote: 1716]
[Sidenote: 1717]
In the summer of 1716, the regiment was stationed in Warwickshire,
and in 1717, in Lancashire.
[Sidenote: 1722]
The regiment continued to occupy various quarters in England,
until the summer of 1722, when it was encamped on Salisbury Plain,
where it was reviewed with a number of other corps, on the 30th
of August, by King George I. and his royal highness the Prince of
Wales. After the review, the regiment proceeded to Wolverhampton
and Birmingham.
[Sidenote: 1723]
[Sidenote: 1724]
During the summer of 1723, the regiment marched to Scotland, from
whence it returned in 1724, and was stationed at Nottingham.
[Sidenote: 1727]
On the prospect of hostilities taking place on the Continent,
in the spring of 1727, between the Emperor of Germany and the
Dutch, the regiment was held in readiness to proceed on foreign
service; at the same time its colonel was promoted to the rank of
major-general, but no embarkation took place.
On the 11th June, 1727, King George I. died, and King George II.
was proclaimed Sovereign of Great Britain and Ireland on the
following day.
[Sidenote: 1730]
In June, 1730, the regiment marched to Portsmouth, where it
embarked for Gibraltar, and formed part of the garrison of that
important fortress during the following nineteen years.
[Sidenote: 1736]
[Sidenote: 1737]
[Sidenote: 1746]
The decease of Lieut.-General Grove occurred on the 20th of
November, 1736, and the colonelcy of the regiment remained vacant
until June of the following year, when it was conferred on
Major-General Francis Columbine, who commanded the regiment nine
years, and was succeeded in December, 1746, by Lieut.-General James
Lord Tyrawley, from the third troop of life guards, which King
George II. had resolved to reduce, in order to diminish the public
expenditure.
[Sidenote: 1749]
On the conclusion of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1749,
the regiment was relieved from garrison duty at Gibraltar, and
proceeded to Ireland.
General Lord Tyrawley was removed to the fourteenth dragoons, in
July, 1749; and in August King George II. conferred the colonelcy
of the TENTH foot on Colonel Edward Pole, from the lieut.-colonelcy
of the twelfth dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1751]
A royal warrant was issued on the 1st of July, 1751, in which the
King's or first colour of the regiment was directed to be the great
Union: the second colour to be of _bright yellow_ silk, with the
Union in the upper canton, and in the centre of the colour the rank
of the regiment, in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses
and thistles on the same stalk.
The costume of the regiment at this period was,--Three-cornered
cocked hats bound with white lace; scarlet coats faced and turned
up with bright yellow, and ornamented with white lace; scarlet
waistcoats and breeches; white linen gaiters reaching above the
knee; white cravats; buff belts.
[Sidenote: 1757]
[Sidenote: 1759]
[Sidenote: 1762]
Colonel Pole was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1757,
and to that of lieut.-general in 1759. He commanded the regiment
thirteen years, and died in the winter of 1762; when King George
III. conferred the colonelcy on Major-General Edward Sandford,
from the twenty-sixth regiment, by commission dated the 4th of
January, 1763.
[Sidenote: 1763]
[Sidenote: 1767]
[Sidenote: 1768]
The regiment was stationed in Ireland during the whole of the seven
years' war, but when the disputes between Great Britain and her
North American colonies began to assume a serious aspect, the TENTH
was one of the first corps ordered to proceed across the Atlantic.
The regiment embarked from Ireland in the spring of 1767, and after
a short stay in Nova Scotia, it was ordered to Boston, where, in
1768, the conduct of the populace assumed so violent a character as
to render the presence of a military force necessary.
[Sidenote: 1769]
The policy pursued by the British government towards the North
American provinces alienated the affections of the people from the
mother-country, and the idea of these extensive colonies becoming
a great and independent empire, having gained possession of many
minds, the Americans became impatient of their condition. The
events of each succeeding year appeared to mature the revolutionary
designs of the colonists, and the determination to assert their
independence became prevalent.
[Illustration: COLOURS OF THE TENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.]
[Sidenote: 1775]
In the spring of 1775, General Gage, who commanded the British
troops at Boston, ascertained that the Americans were collecting
military stores at Concord, about eighteen miles from Boston, and
the flank companies of the TENTH, and of several other corps,
embarked in boats, at ten o'clock on the night of the 18th of
April, under Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith of the TENTH, for the
purpose of destroying the stores. Proceeding to the entrance of the
Cambridge-river, the troops landed at Phipps's farm, and advanced
upon Concord, while the Americans, by the ringing of bells and the
firing of guns, spread an alarm over the country. About four
o'clock on the morning of the 19th of April, the light company of
the TENTH, being in advance, approached the village of _Lexington_,
where a body of American militia was forming; they were called
upon to lay down their arms, but instead of obeying the order,
they attempted to take shelter behind a stone wall, and several of
them fired at the King's troops, wounding a soldier of the TENTH,
which was the first blood shed in this unhappy contest. The light
infantry responded to this act of hostility with an irregular
volley, which killed and wounded several Americans, and dispersed
the remainder: the commencement of the American war thus took place.
After this rencounter, the flank companies continued their route
to _Concord_, and Captain Parsons of the TENTH was detached with
several companies to secure the bridge beyond the town, while the
remainder of the detachment searched for and destroyed the military
stores. The light companies of the fourth and TENTH regiments
were posted on some heights near the bridge; crowds of armed
men assembled on the high grounds near the town, and a party of
Americans fired upon the soldiers at the bridge, killing three men
and wounding several others, when the fire was returned, and the
detached companies joined the main body in the town.
The military stores having been destroyed, the troops commenced
their march back to Boston, when the country was found swarming
with armed men, who commenced a sharp fire from behind walls,
fences, trees, &c., and skirmish succeeded skirmish until the
soldiers were exhausted, and had expended nearly all their
ammunition. Arriving at Lexington, they were met by a brigade
of infantry and two guns, under Colonel Earl Percy, who formed
his men into a square, with the exhausted flank companies in
the centre, and, after a short halt, continued the retreat to
Charlestown, from whence he crossed the river by the ferry to
Boston, having lost several men from the incessant fire which the
Americans kept up from behind walls, trees, and other coverts on
both sides of the road.
The regiment had two men killed; Lieut.-Colonel Francis Smith,
Captain Lawrence Parsons, Lieutenant Waldron Kelly, Ensign Jeremiah
Lester, and thirteen rank and file wounded.