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HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE THIRTEENTH, FIRST SOMERSET,
OR,
THE PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT INFANTRY;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1848.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL’S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30 CHARING CROSS.
M DCCC XLVIII.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES & 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 array 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 calculated 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 insure 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.”
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE THIRTEENTH, FIRST SOMERSET,
OR,
THE PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT INFANTRY;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1848.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL’S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30 CHARING CROSS.
M DCCC XLVIII.
THE THIRTEENTH,
THE FIRST SOMERSET REGIMENT OF FOOT,
OR
THE PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT OF
LIGHT INFANTRY,
Bears on its Regimental Colour
THE SPHINX, WITH THE WORD “EGYPT,”
In Commemoration of its Services in Egypt in 1801;
THE WORD “MARTINIQUE,”
In Commemoration of its Services at the Capture of that Island
on the 24th February, 1809;
AND THE WORDS
“AVA,”--“AFFGHANISTAN,”--“GHUZNEE,”--“JELLALABAD,”
_WITH THE MURAL CROWN_,
AND
“CABOOL, 1842,”
In Commemoration of its Arduous and Meritorious Services in the
Asiatic Territories from 1839 to 1842.
THIRTEENTH, PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT OF LIGHT INFANTRY.
CONTENTS.
Year Page
1685 Formation of the Regiment 1
---- Station and Establishment -
---- Earl of Huntingdon, and other officers appointed
to Commissions 2
---- Encamped on Hounslow Heath -
1686 Establishment of the Regiment -
---- Uniform of the Regiment -
---- Marched into Yorkshire and Cumberland -
---- Removed to Chester -
1687 List of Officers 3
1688 Declaration of the Regiment in favour of the
Protestant Interest 4
---- Colonel F. Hastings appointed in the place of
the Earl of Huntingdon -
1689 Proceeded to Edinburgh 5
---- Engaged at Killicrankie 6
---- Embarked for Ireland 8
1690 Engaged at the Battle of the Boyne 9
---- Embarked for England -
---- Re-embarked for Ireland -
---- Engaged at Cork and Kinsale 10
1691 Engaged at Drumaugh and Ballycleugh 11
---- Took possession of Drummaneer --
1691 Engaged at Lismore 11
---- Termination of hostilities in Ireland --
---- Embarked for England --
1692 Selected to form part of an Expedition against
the French Coast 12
---- Proceeded to Ostend --
---- Returned to England --
1693 Detachment sent to Flanders to replace the
casualties of the Army after the Battle of
Landen --
1695 Colonel F. Hastings cashiered, and Colonel Sir
John Jacob appointed to succeed him 13
1697 Termination of the War in Flanders and the
Establishment reduced --
1699 Proceeded to Ireland --
1700 Hostile measures of King Louis XIV. of France --
1701 Embarked from Cork for Flanders 14
---- Landed at Helvoetsluys --
---- Reviewed at Breda by King William III. --
1702 Encamped at Rosendael --
---- Colonel the Earl of Barrymore appointed by
purchase to succeed Sir John Jacob --
1702 Engaged in the siege of Kayserswerth --
---- The Earl of Marlborough assumed the command
of the Army in Flanders --
---- Formed in brigade under Brigadier-General
Frederick Hamilton 15
1702 Engaged in the siege and capture of Venloo --
---- ---- ---- ---- of Fort St. Michael --
---- ---- ---- ---- of Ruremonde 16
---- ---- ---- ---- of Liege --
---- Entered winter-quarters at Breda 17
1703 Engaged in the siege of Huy --
---- ---- ---- ---- of Limburg --
1703 Spanish Guelderland delivered from France 17
---- Embarked for England --
---- Proceeded to Portugal --
1704 Encamped at Estremos 18
---- Embarked for Gibraltar 19
1705 Engaged in defence of Gibraltar 20
---- Re-embarked for Spain 21
---- Engaged in the siege of Barcelona 22
---- ---- in storming Fort Montjuich --
---- ---- in relief of St. Matheo in Valencia 23
1706 Formed by the Earl of Peterborough into a
Regiment of Cavalry commanded by Colonel
Edward Pearce 24
---- Marched to Oropeso and formed into eight troops 25
---- Remainder of the Regiment sent to England to
recruit --
---- Pearce’s Regiment of Dragoons engaged in
Valencia 26
1707 ---- ---- ---- ---- at Almanza --
1708 Thirteenth Regiment, having been recruited,
again embarked for Portugal, and encamped
between Elvas and Campo Mayor 27
1709 Proceeded to the banks of the Caya --
---- Engaged at the attack on the Caya --
---- Colonel the Earl of Barrymore taken prisoner 28
1710 Served the Campaign on the frontiers of Portugal --
1711 Embarked from Portugal for Gibraltar --
1713 Received volunteers from several Corps disbanded
after the peace of Utrecht --
1715 Colonel the Earl of Barrymore succeeded by
Colonel Stanhope Cotton, then Lieutenant-Governor
of Gibraltar 29
1725 Colonel Cotton died, and succeeded as Colonel of
the Thirteenth Regiment by Lord Mark Kerr --
1727 Engaged in a second successful defence of
Gibraltar against the Spaniards 29
1728 Relieved from duty at Gibraltar, after foreign
service for twenty years 30
1730 Reviewed on Winkfield-plain, with the Twelfth
foot, by King George II. --
1732 Colonel Lord Mark Kerr removed to the Eleventh
Dragoons, and succeeded by Colonel John Middleton --
1739 Colonel John Middleton died, and succeeded by
Colonel Henry Pulteney --
---- War declared against Spain, and augmentation
took place --
1740 Encamped on Windsor Forest --
1741 Encamped on Lexden Heath 31
1742 Embarked for Flanders under the Earl of Stair --
1743 War declared against France --
---- Encamped at Aschaffenburg --
---- Engaged at the battle of Dettingen --
1744 Engaged under Field Marshal Wade on the
banks of the Scheldt 32
1745 Engaged at the battle of Fontenoy --
---- Encamped on the plains of Lessines 33
---- Arrival of Charles Edward, elder son of the
Pretender, in Scotland --
---- Thirteenth Regiment returned from Flanders,
and landed at Blackwall 34
---- Proceeded to Doncaster and Newcastle --
1746 Engaged at Falkirk-moor --
---- ---- at Culloden-moor 35
---- Rebellion in Scotland suppressed 36
---- Flight of the Young Pretender --
---- Regiment returned to Holland --
1746 Advanced to Maestricht, and thence to Liege 36
---- Engaged at Roucoux --
1747 Engaged at Val 37
1748 Employed in Limburg, and in North Brabant 39
---- Treaty of Peace at Aix la Chapelle --
---- Returned to England --
1751 Royal Warrant issued regulating the clothing,
and colours of Regiments --
1754 Embarked for Gibraltar --
1762 Returned to England --
1766 His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester appointed
Colonel in succession to Honorable Henry Pulteney 40
1767 Reviewed in Hyde Park with the Twelfth Foot,
by King George III. --
---- The Duke of Gloucester appointed to the Third
Foot Guards, and succeeded in the Colonelcy
by Honorable James Murray --
1768 Proceeded to Ireland --
1769 Embarked for Minorca --
1776 Returned to England --
1781 Embarked for the West Indies 41
1782 The war with America ceased and the regiment
returned to England --
---- The Regiment directed to assume the County
title of First Somersetshire Regiment --
1784 Embarked for Ireland --
1789 General George Ainslie appointed Colonel in
succession to Honorable James Murray --
1790 Embarked for Jamaica 42
1793 Embarked for St. Domingo --
1794 Proceeded on an expedition under Colonel John
Whitaker to Cape Tiburon 43
---- Engaged at the Post of L’Acal 44
1794 Engaged at Port-au-Prince 44
---- ---- at Fort Bizzeton 45
1796 Re-embarked for England --
1797 Proceeded to Ireland --
1800 Embarked for England 46
---- Embarked on an expedition to the Coast of Spain --
---- Proceeded to Gibraltar and Malta 47
1801 Joined the expedition to Egypt under General
Sir Ralph Abercromby --
---- Landed at Aboukir 48
---- Advanced to Alexandria, and engaged the French
on 12th March --
---- Engaged a second time at Alexandria against
“Buonaparte’s Invincibles” on the 21st of
March 49
---- French Army expelled from Egypt --
---- The Grand Seignior conferred orders of Knighthood
and Gold Medals on the Officers 50
---- Authorized to bear the “Sphinx,” and the word
“Egypt” on the Colours and Appointments --
1802 Embarked from Egypt for Malta 51
1803 Embarked for Gibraltar --
1804 General Ainslie died, and Lieut.-General A.
Campbell appointed to the Colonelcy --
---- Epidemic fever prevailed at Gibraltar which
occasioned many casualties 52
1805 Embarked for England --
1806 Proceeded from Portsmouth to Ramsgate --
1807 Embarked for Ireland --
---- Completed by Militia Volunteers, and re-embarked
for England --
1808 Embarked for the West Indies and proceeded to
Bermuda --
1808 Joined an expedition against Martinique 53
1809 Stationed at Martinique 54
1810 Joined an expedition against Guadaloupe --
1811 }
1812 } Stationed at Martinique --
1813 Lieut.-General Edward Morrison appointed to the
Colonelcy in succession to General Campbell,
removed to the thirty-second regiment --
---- Embarked from Martinique for Canada 55
---- Proceeded on an expedition to Plattsburg --
1814 Defended a post on the La Cole river against a
numerous Corps of Americans 56
1815 Peace concluded with the United States of
America 57
---- Embarked from Canada and landed at Portsmouth
58
---- Proceeded to Jersey --
1817 Presentation of new Colours --
---- Proceeded to Guernsey 59
1819 Embarked for Portsmouth 60
---- ---- ---- Scotland 61
1820 ---- ---- Ireland --
1822 ---- ---- Liverpool 62
---- Proceeded to Edinburgh --
---- Furnished Guards of Honour to King George IV.
on his visit to Scotland --
---- Proceeded to Chatham to prepare for embarkation
for India --
---- Constituted a regiment of Light Infantry --
1823 Embarked for Bengal --
1824 Employed in the war with the King of Ava 63
---- Capture of _Rangoon_, the principal city of the
Burmese Empire --
---- Detached against the Island of Cheduba --
1824 Advanced against formidable stockades erected
by the Burmese 64
---- Repeated attacks of the Burmese on the British
possessions 65
---- Attack on the Burmese in the neighbourhood of
Rangoon 66
---- Another victorious attack under Majors Dennie
and Sale 67
---- Further attacks followed up 68
1825 Proceeded against the city of Bassein 69
---- Embarked for Rangoon 70
---- Proceeded to join the army at Prome --
---- Advanced to attack the Burmese at Simbike 71
---- Again marched to attack the enemy at Napadee
Hills --
1826 Advanced and took post at Melloon 72
---- Engaged with the Burmese at Pagahm Mew 73
---- Advanced upon the capital, Ummerapoora --
---- Treaty of peace concluded with the King of Ava --
---- Order of thanks from the Governor-General of
India for services performed in this arduous
campaign 74
---- Authorized to bear the word “AVA” on its colours
and appointments --
---- Embarked for Calcutta --
---- ---- ---- Berhampore --
1827 Arrived at Dinapore --
1831 Proceeded to Agra --
1836 Marched to Kurnaul --
1837 A detachment proceeded to Lahore with the
Commander-in-Chief on a visit to Runjeet Singh,
the ruler of the Sikhs 75
---- Detachment returned to Kurnaul --
1838 War with the chiefs of Affghanistan 76
---- Joined the army of the Indus, proceeded to Ferozepore,
and encamped on the banks of the river Gharra --
---- Marched to Bhawulpore 77
1839 Arrived at Roree, and took possession of Bakkur 78
---- Crossed the river Indus and arrived at Shikarpore --
---- Continued its march to Beloochistan --
---- Penetrated the Bolan Pass 79
---- Marched through the Vale of Shawl --
---- Arrived at Candahar --
---- Advanced to Ghuznee 80
---- Stormed and captured the citadel of Ghuznee 81
---- Shah Shoojah-ool-Moolk restored to his dominions
in Affghanistan 82
---- Rewards to the conquerors of Affghanistan 83
---- Remained in Affghanistan to support the government
of the restored Shah 84
---- Encamped near Cabool --
1840 Advanced against Dost Mahomed in the Kohistan
of Cabool --
---- Assisted in carrying the town and forts of Tootumdurra --
---- Engaged in the attack of Julgar 85
---- ---- ---- ---- of Babookooshghur 86
---- ---- ---- ---- at Purwan --
---- Returned to Cabool --
1841 War recommenced with the Affghans --
---- Attempt of the Affghans to expel Shah Shoojah --
---- Marched to the Khoord Cabool Pass --
---- ---- ---- Tezeen 87
---- ---- ---- Gundamuck 88
---- Engaged at the Jugdulluck Pass --
1841 Captured the Fort of Mamoo Khail 88
---- Returned to Gundamuck --
---- Captured the town of Jellalabad 89
1842 Defended the town --
---- Defeated the Affghans --
---- Renewed attempts of the Affghans to expel the
British from the Cabool territory 90
---- Means adopted for a general attack on the
Affghan camp 91
---- Death of Colonel Dennie 92
---- Defeat of Mahomed Akbar 93
---- Expression of approbation and thanks by the
Governor-General of the conduct of Major-General
Sir Robert Sale, and of the army under his command 94
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- of the houses of Parliament to
the army in Affghanistan 95
---- Arrival at Jellalabad of the forces under Major-General
Pollock 97
---- Major-General Sir Robert Sale’s report of the
services and privations of the troops for five
months 98
---- Her Majesty’s approbation and marks of distinction
conferred on the Thirteenth regiment 101
---- Marched from Jellalabad to Gundamuck 102
---- The Affghans defeated at Jugdulluck 103
---- Actions at Tezeen, and in the Huft Kotul Pass 104
---- Re-occupied Cabool --
---- Detachment marched to meet the prisoners detained by
Akbar Khan on their release and return to Cabool --
---- Quitted the Affghan territory on return to India 105
---- Marched to Jellalabad --
---- Proceeded to Peshawur --
1842 Proceeded across the Punjaub to Ferozepore 105
---- Received with military honours by the troops at
the several stations on the route to India, by
orders of the Governor-General --
---- Received the Queen’s authority to bear
“CABOOL, 1842” on the colours and appointments 106
1843 Marched from Ferozepore to Mowbarukpore 107
---- Proceeded to Kussowlie --
---- Marched to Ferozepore --
---- Embarked for Sukkur --
---- Major-General Sir Robert Sale appointed to the
colonelcy of the Thirteenth regiment, in succession
to General Morrison, deceased --
1844 Moved to Kurrachee 108
---- Embarked for Bombay --
1845 Embarked for England 109
---- Arrived at Gravesend --
---- Proceeded to Walmer --
1846 Lieutenant-General Sir William M. Gomm appointed
to the colonelcy in succession to Major-General
Sir Robert Sale, killed at the battle of Moodkee,
on the 18th December, 1845 --
---- Marched to Portsmouth --
---- Presentation of new colours by Field Marshal
His Royal Highness the Prince Albert --
1847 Embarked for Ireland 112
---- The Conclusion 113
Description of the Flags captured from the Affghans
in the Year 1842 115
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
Year Page
1685 Theophilus Earl of Huntingdon 117
1688 Ferdinand Hastings 118
1689 Sir John Jacob, Bart. --
1702 James Earl of Barrymore 119
1715 Stanhope Cotton --
1725 Lord Mark Kerr 120
1732 Lord Middleton 121
1739 Henry Pulteney --
1766 William Henry Duke of Gloucester 122
1767 Hon. James Murray 123
1789 George Ainslie --
1804 Alexander Campbell 124
1813 Edward Morrison 125
1843 Robert Henry Sale 126
1846 William Maynard Gomm 128
PLATES.
Page.
Colours of the Regiment _to face_ 1
Costume of the Regiment ” 62
Standards captured from the Affghans in the
Action at Jellalabad on the 7th April, 1842 ” 116
[Illustration: THIRTEENTH, PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT OF LIGHT INFANTRY.
QUEEN’S COLOR.
REGIMENTAL COLOR.
FOR CANNON’S MILITARY RECORDS.]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE THIRTEENTH,
FIRST SOMERSETSHIRE REGIMENT;
OR
PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT OF LIGHT INFANTRY.
[Sidenote: 1685]
When JAMES DUKE OF MONMOUTH denounced the character and pretensions
of King James II., asserted his own claims to the throne, and
organized a military force to establish his authority, the small
regular army then in England was not deemed sufficiently numerous
for the protection of the crown and kingdom against lawless
usurpation, and a number of additional corps of cavalry and
infantry were embodied. Among the noblemen who stood forward in
support of the throne at this important juncture, was THEOPHILUS,
EARL OF HUNTINGDON, who was appointed colonel of one of the
regiments ordered to be raised,--now THIRTEENTH LIGHT INFANTRY,--by
commission dated the 20th of June, 1685.
This regiment was raised in the southern counties of England,
and its general rendezvous was at Buckingham, where the Earl of
Huntingdon established his head-quarters; it consisted of ten
companies, which were raised by Colonel the Earl of Huntingdon,
Lieut-Colonel Francis Villiers, Major Charles Morgan, Captains
Watson Dixey, Thomas Condon, Thomas Skipworth,--Hildibran, John
Tidcomb, Bryan Turner, and Charles Hatton; and a number of loyal
men coming readily forward to enrol themselves under the colours of
the regiment, it was speedily formed and quartered at Buckingham
and Aylesbury. In the middle of July it was employed to guard
prisoners taken after the overthrow of the rebel army at Sedgemoor.
The rebellion being suppressed, and the Duke of Monmouth beheaded,
the King assembled many of the newly-raised corps on Hounslow
Heath, where the Earl of Huntingdon’s regiment encamped in the
beginning of August: it was reviewed on the Heath by His Majesty;
the officers and soldiers received the expression of the King’s
royal approbation of the ready manner in which they had come
forward to support the throne at the hour of danger, and they
afterwards marched into garrison at Hull.
On the 6th of January, 1686, the establishment was fixed at the
following numbers and rates of pay, viz. (_see_ p. 3).
[Sidenote: 1686]
The uniform of the regiment was, round hats with broad brims, the
brim turned up on one side, and ornamented with yellow ribands;
scarlet coats lined with yellow; yellow breeches, and gray
stockings; the pikemen were distinguished by white sashes tied
round their waists.
In June the regiment was again encamped on Hounslow Heath, and in
August it marched into Yorkshire and Cumberland; the head-quarters
being at York, where it passed the winter.
From York the head-quarters were removed, in February, 1687, to
Chester, where they remained during the following twelve months.
+-----------------------------------------+-----------------+
| THE EARL OF HUNTINGDON’S REGIMENT. | Pay per Day. |
+-----------------------------------------+-----------------+
| STAFF. | £. _s._ _d._ |
| | |
| The Colonel, _as Colonel_ | 0 12 0 |
| Lieut.-Colonel, _as Lieut.-Colonel_ | 0 7 0 |
| Major, _as Major_ | 0 5 0 |
| Chaplain | 0 6 8 |
| Chirurgeon 4_s._ and Mate 2_s._ 6_d._ | 0 6 6 |
| Adjutant | 0 4 0 |
| Quarter-Master and Marshal | 0 4 0 |
| +-----------------+
| Total Staff | 2 5 2 |
| | |
| THE COLONEL’S COMPANY. | |
| | |
| The Colonel, as Captain | 0 8 0 |
| Lieutenant | 0 4 0 |
| Ensign | 0 3 0 |
| Two Serjeants, 1_s._ 6_d._ each | 0 3 0 |
| Three Corporals, 1_s._ each | 0 3 0 |
| One Drummer | 0 1 0 |
| Fifty Soldiers, 8_d._ each | 1 13 4 |
| +-----------------+
| Total for one Company | 2 15 4 |
| +-----------------+
| Nine Companies more at the same rate | 24 18 0 |
| +-----------------+
| Total per day | 29 18 6 |
| | |
| Per Annum £10,922 12_s._ 6_d._ | |
+-----------------------------------------+-----------------+
[Sidenote: 1687]
LIST OF OFFICERS IN 1687.
_Captains._ _Lieutenants._ _Ensigns._
Earl of Huntingdon, Thomas Carleton. William Delavale.
(col). William Rhodesley. Ralph Cudworth.
Ferdinando Hastings John Hook. Deacon Garrett.
(lieut.-colonel). John Fry. Henry Fern.
Robert Ingram (major). John Sheldon. John Orefeur.
Watson Dixie. Talbot Lacells. Ambrose Jones.
John Tidcomb. George Comly. Hussey Hastings.
Owen Macarty. Michael Dunkin. Joseph Byerley
Charles Hatton. George Keyworth. Thomas Knivetton.
Sir John Jacob. Henry Walrond. William Callow.
Thomas Condon.
Charnock Heron.
Christopher Viscount } Bernard Ellis { Company of grenadiers
Hatton. } William Hawley { added to the regiment
{ in 1687.
Gabriel Hastings, _Chaplain_. Talbot Lacells, _Adjutant_.
Claudius Gilbert, _Chirurgeon_. John Evans, _Quarter-Master_.
[Sidenote: 1688]
The regiment left Chester in April, 1688, and in June it pitched
its tents on Hounslow Heath. In the meantime, the proceedings of
the King, to establish Papacy and arbitrary government, had filled
the country with alarm, and many of the nobility and gentry had
solicited the Prince of Orange to come to England with a Dutch
army, to aid them in opposing the measures of the court. The
Earl of Huntingdon continued, however, faithful to the interests
of the King, and his regiment was ordered into garrison at
Plymouth, together with the Earl of Bath’s (now Tenth) regiment.
When the Prince of Orange landed, the garrison of Plymouth was
divided in its political views: the governor, the Earl of Bath,
and Lieut.-Colonel Hastings, of the THIRTEENTH (cousin of the
Earl of Huntingdon), were in the Protestant interest; the Earl
of Huntingdon, who was present, and performing the duties of
commanding officer, with Lieut.-Colonel Sir Charles Carney, of the
Tenth, were devoted to the Roman Catholic interest; but nearly all
the officers and soldiers had espoused the Protestant cause. The
Earl of Bath, Lieut.-Colonel Hastings, and several other officers,
arrested the Earl of Huntingdon, Captain Owen Macarty, Lieutenant
Talbot Lacells, and Ensign Ambrose Jones, of the THIRTEENTH, who
were Roman Catholics, and afterwards declared for the Prince of
Orange, in which the two regiments in garrison concurred. When the
fortress of Plymouth was established in the Protestant interest,
the arrested officers were released.
The army refusing to fight in the cause of Papacy and arbitrary
government, King James fled to France and the Prince of Orange
promoted Lieut.-Colonel FERDINANDO HASTINGS to the colonelcy of the
regiment, by commission, dated 1688.
[Sidenote: 1689]
The accession of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne
having met with some opposition in Scotland, the regiment was
ordered thither; and on arriving at _Edinburgh_, in the spring
of 1689, it was employed in the blockade of the _castle_, which
the Duke of Gordon held for King James; at the same time Viscount
Dundee was arousing the clans to arms.
While the regiment was at Edinburgh, Major-General Hugh Mackay,
commanding-in-chief in Scotland, was watching the motions of
Viscount Dundee, and he sent orders for Colonel Ramsay to join
him with six hundred men of the Scots Brigade, in the Dutch
service. The colonel commenced his march, but was intimidated by
the menacing attitude of the Athol men, and returned to Perth;
when a hundred men of Berkeley’s (now Fourth) dragoons, a hundred
of the THIRTEENTH foot, and two hundred of Leven’s newly-raised
regiment (now Twenty-fifth), were ordered to join him. Thus
reinforced, the Colonel commenced his march through Athole and
Badenoch for Inverness; and with the aid of this detachment,
Major-General Mackay chased the clans, under Viscount Dundee, from
the low country, and compelled them to take refuge in the wilds
of Lochaber: the detachment of the THIRTEENTH foot was afterwards
stationed at Inverness; and the regiment was relieved from the
blockade of Edinburgh Castle by the surrender of that fortress on
the 13th of June.