Major-General Mackay proceeded to Edinburgh, where he learned
that the clans expected to be joined by a reinforcement from
Ireland, and would probably soon descend from the hilly country;
the major-general, therefore, assembled the THIRTEENTH foot, and
several other corps, and marched from Edinburgh, to watch the
motions of the insurgent Highlanders. Arriving at Dunkeld, he
received an express from Lord Murray, son of the Marquis of Athol,
stating that part of Viscount Dundee’s army had arrived at Blair;
and in consequence of this information, he commenced his march at
daybreak on the morning of Saturday, the 27th of July, towards
the pass of Killicrankie,[6] to confront his opponents, and on
this occasion the THIRTEENTH foot, commanded by their colonel,
Ferdinando Hastings, formed the rear-guard, to cover the march of
twelve hundred pack-horses, which carried the baggage of the army.
Entering the pass of Killicrankie, the troops moved along the
east bank of the river Garry, by a narrow road, confined between
a range of craggy precipices on one hand, and on the other the
river, considerably below the road, rushing from rock to rock with
a murmuring sound; and as the THIRTEENTH regiment emerged from
this difficult defile with the baggage, the royal army was seen in
order of battle, on some rising ground at the foot of a hill, on
the summit of which appeared the insurgent host, under Viscount
Dundee. The THIRTEENTH foot formed on the right of the line, the
grenadier company on the flank, with a supply of hand-grenades, the
musketeers formed two wings; and the pikemen stood in column in the
centre. During two tedious hours of a bright summer evening the
armies stood looking at each other; and about half an hour before
sunset, the Highlanders moved slowly down the hill, barefooted,
and stripped to their shirts, to commence the battle: as they
descended, they quickened their pace, uttered a loud shout, and
commenced an irregular fire of musketry, which produced little
effect. The King’s troops reserved their fire until the clans came
within a few paces, and then by a regular discharge, with a sure
aim, produced great havoc on the thick masses opposed to them; but
at that moment the Highlanders threw down their muskets, drew their
swords, and closed upon their opponents, who had not time to fix
their bayonets in the muzzles of their muskets,[7] and being thus
attacked, under peculiar disadvantages, many of the king’s troops
gave way.
The THIRTEENTH foot, commanded by Colonel Hastings, stood their
ground with great gallantry, and the Highlanders were unable to
make any impression on this brave regiment. After being repulsed
in their attack on its front, the Highlanders attempted to turn
its right flank, when Colonel Hastings wheeled his pikemen to the
right, and by a determined charge routed the clans at that point.
As the conquering pikemen of the THIRTEENTH were returning to
their post in the centre of the regiment, they discovered that the
other corps of the royal army were overpowered, and the soldiers
flying in every direction; at the same time the Highlanders had
discontinued the pursuit, to plunder the baggage. At that moment
Major-General Mackay galloped to the regiment; he collected the
fragments of other corps to it, and retreated. In his memoirs of
this war, published in 1833, Major-General Mackay commends the
conduct of this regiment;[8] and in his life, published in 1836,
the author (John Mackay, Esq., of Rockfield) states, ‘HASTINGS, on
the right, sustained the reputation of the English lion, but all
to no purpose, so far had the panic extended.’ Yet it was to great
purpose, for one corps was preserved entire, which enabled the
commander-in-chief to make good his retreat to Stirling.
Viscount Dundee was killed in the action; and the loss of the
clans, in killed and wounded, was much greater than that of the
king’s troops. Major-General Mackay called to his aid additional
corps, resumed the offensive, and by a series of active and skilful
operations, restricted the movements of the Highlanders so much,
that they separated to their homes.
In the meantime King James had arrived in Ireland with a body of
French troops, and all the country, excepting Inniskilling and
Londonderry, was subjected to his dominion. To rescue Ireland from
his power, an army was sent to that country, under the veteran
Marshal Duke Schomberg, and the THIRTEENTH foot were ordered to
take part in this enterprise.
The regiment embarked from Scotland in the beginning of October,
landed at Carlingford on the 9th of that month, and received
orders to join the army encamped at Dundalk; but these orders were
countermanded, and the regiment marched into quarters at Armagh and
Clownish, where it was stationed during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1690]
In April, 1690, the THIRTEENTH were stationed at Belfast, and they
had the gratification of serving in the campaign of that year,
under King William III., who commanded his army in Ireland in
person. They had the honour to contribute towards the gaining of
the battle of the _Boyne_, on the 1st of July, when the army of
King William forced the passage of the river Boyne, overthrew the
French and Irish forces under King James, and gained a decisive
victory.
After this victory, the regiment advanced with the army towards
Dublin, and it was stationed several weeks in garrison in that
city, under Brigadier-General Trelawny.
In the meantime, considerable alarm had been produced in England
by the defeat of the combined English and Dutch fleets, under
Admirals Lord Torrington and Evertsen, by the French navy, under
the Count de Tourville. After this disaster, England was menaced
with invasion, and a body of French troops landed on the western
coast, and destroyed a village; when the THIRTEENTH, and several
other corps, were ordered to return to England.
After landing at Portsmouth, the regiment was encamped, for several
weeks, near that fortress; and when the alarm of invasion had
passed away, it was ordered to join the expedition against _Cork_
and _Kinsale_, under Lieut.-General the Earl of Marlborough,
(afterwards the celebrated Duke of Marlborough). It embarked on
this service in the middle of September, arrived in Cork roads
on the 21st of that month, and the co-operation of part of the
army on shore having been secured, the troops landed on the 23rd,
and besieged the city of Cork. A breach having been made, the
THIRTEENTH regiment was selected to form part of the storming
party, which advanced to assault the town on the 28th of September;
but before the soldiers gained the breach, the enemy hung out a
white flag, and agreed to surrender.
The troops marched out of Cork on the 1st of October, arrived
before _Kinsale_ on the following day, and commenced the siege of
the two forts. The old fort was taken by storm immediately, and the
new fort surrendered on the 15th of October.
After taking part in these services, the regiment was stationed in
garrison at Cork. The health of the men suffered from having been
employed in sieges during inclement weather, and in the official
returns the regiment is stated to have had 462 rank and file fit
for duty, and 216 sick.
[Sidenote: 1691]
In the spring of 1691, when the army took the field under General
de Ginkell (afterwards Earl of Athlone), the THIRTEENTH were
left in garrison at Cork, from whence they frequently sent out
detachments in quest of the bands of Roman Catholic peasantry who
prowled about the country in arms, committing every description
of depredation. On one of these occasions, when Colonel Hastings
was out with two hundred men of the regiment, and five hundred
militia, he was informed that a party of the royal dragoons was
surrounded by a numerous body of the enemy at _Drumaugh_, and he
instantly marched to their relief. On arriving at the vicinity of
_Ballycleugh_, he found the hedges on both sides of the road lined
with opponents; when the soldiers of the THIRTEENTH rushed into the
inclosures, killed fifty adversaries, and chased the remainder some
distance. On the following morning the soldiers of the THIRTEENTH
drove the Irish from Drumaugh, and liberated the party of the royal
dragoons at that place.
Soon after this exploit, Colonel Hastings marched out of Cork
with a party of the regiment and some militia, and seized upon
_Drummaneer_, an important post near the Blackwater.
On the 12th of September, Captain John Orefeur left Cork, with a
detachment of the regiment, to scour the country; and arriving in
the vicinity of _Lismore_, he encountered a numerous body of armed
partisans of King James, whom he instantly attacked, killed twenty
of their number upon the spot, and put the remainder to flight,
which so alarmed the armed bands of Roman Catholic peasantry, that
they did not again appear in that part of the country for some time.
While the regiment was engaged in these services, the Irish army
was defeated at Aghrim, and the city of Limerick was besieged by
King William’s forces. The surrender of this fortress, completed
the deliverance of Ireland from the power of King James, and
terminated the war in that country.
The THIRTEENTH regiment was relieved from garrison duty at Cork on
the 22nd of December, and embarked for England, where it arrived
towards the end of that month.
[Sidenote: 1692]
At this period, the desire of conquest, with the disposition,
by adding city to city and province to province, to form a vast
empire, and to control the nations of Europe with despotic
sway, marked the policy of the French court: this rendered it
necessary for the British monarch to engage in war to preserve
the civil and religious liberties of Europe; and while the army
of the confederate states, commanded by King William, confronted
the forces of Louis XIV. in the Netherlands, the THIRTEENTH
were selected to form part of an expedition against the French
coast, under Lieut.-General the Duke of Leinster (afterwards
Duke Schomberg). The French fleet had been defeated a short time
previously off La Hogue, and Louis XIV. had anticipated a descent,
and had assembled so many forces on the coast, that the Duke of
Leinster did not venture to land his troops. After menacing the
coast of France at several points, the fleet sailed to Ostend,
where the regiment landed on the 22nd of August. The THIRTEENTH and
a number of other corps advanced a few stages up the country, when
the French withdrew from Furnes and Dixmude, and the English took
possession of, and fortified these towns.
When the army went into winter quarters, the THIRTEENTH were
ordered to return to England, and they were employed on home
service during the remainder of the war.
[Sidenote: 1693]
After the loss of the battle of Landen, in July, 1693, by the
confederate army under King William, the THIRTEENTH regiment sent
a draft of one hundred and fifty men to Flanders, to replace the
losses of the regiments which had suffered most on that occasion.
[Sidenote: 1695]
In the early part of 1695, an accusation was preferred against
Colonel Ferdinando Hastings, of charging the soldiers too high a
price for certain articles which he, as Colonel, was in the habit
of providing for them; an investigation afterwards took place, he
was proved guilty of extortion, and deprived of his commission on
the 4th of March. On the 13th of March, King William conferred the
colonelcy of the regiment on the Lieut.-Colonel, SIR JOHN JACOB,
Baronet, who had served in it several years, and distinguished
himself in Scotland and Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1697]
[Sidenote: 1698]
[Sidenote: 1699]
In 1697 the war was terminated by the treaty of Ryswick, and King
William saw his efforts to arrest the progress of French conquests
attended with complete success. The regiment was placed upon a
peace establishment in 1698; the army was further reduced in 1699,
and the THIRTEENTH proceeded to Ireland to replace one of the corps
ordered to be disbanded in that country.
[Sidenote: 1700]
When a powerful monarch adopts measures of unprincipled aggression,
and pursues schemes of aggrandizement without regard to the
stipulations of treaties, to the rights of nations, or to the
privileges of individuals, peace is not of long duration; but
princes of a pacific disposition, and people devoted to the
interests of industry and commerce, are forced to assume the
profession of arms, and to fight in defence of their just rights
and privileges. Such was repeatedly the case during the reign of
Louis XIV., who terminated the repose granted to Europe by the
treaty of Ryswick, by procuring the elevation of his grandson, the
Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain;--by taking possession of
the Spanish Netherlands,--making prisoners the Dutch garrisons in
the barrier towns, and other acts of aggression. The interests of
every state in Europe being affected by the change in the dynasty
of Spain, the preparations for war were universal, and King William
sent thirteen British battalions to Holland, to act as auxiliaries.
[Sidenote: 1701]
The THIRTEENTH regiment was selected to proceed on foreign service:
it was augmented to eight hundred and thirty officers and soldiers;
and sailing from Cork in the middle of June, 1701, arrived at
Helvoetsluys, in South Holland, on the 8th of July. The British
troops were afterwards sent up the Maese to Breda, and other
fortified towns; and on the 21st of September they were reviewed on
Breda heath by King William III.
[Sidenote: 1702]
After passing the winter in garrison in Holland, the regiment
quitted its quarters on the 10th of March, 1702, and proceeded
to Rosendael, where the British infantry encamped under
Brigadier-General Ingoldsby, then Colonel of the 23rd Royal Welsh
Fusiliers.
Colonel Sir John Jacob, Baronet, being desirous of retiring from
the active duties of commanding officer of the regiment, which
were performed by all colonels not having higher rank, procured
permission to dispose of the colonelcy of the regiment for fourteen
hundred guineas, to his brother-in-law, JAMES EARL of BARRYMORE,
whose appointment was dated the 15th of March, 1702, being seven
days after the death of King William III., and the accession of
Queen Anne.
In the middle of April, the Imperialists besieged the strong
fortress of _Kayserswerth_ on the Lower Rhine, and the THIRTEENTH
regiment was one of the corps which traversed the country to the
duchy of Cleves, and joined the covering army, under the Earl of
Athlone, encamped at Cranenburg.
A French army of superior numbers proceeded, by forced marches,
through the forest of Cleves and plain of Goch, to cut off
the communication of the troops at Cranenburg, with Grave and
_Nimeguen_. In consequence of this movement, the British and
Dutch struck their tents on the evening of the 10th of June, and
retreating throughout the night, arrived, about eight o’clock on
the following morning, within a few miles of Nimeguen, at which
time the French columns appeared on both flanks and in the rear.
Some sharp skirmishing occurred: the British corps forming the
rear guard behaved with great gallantry, and the army effected its
retreat under the works of Nimeguen. Kayserswerth surrendered three
days afterwards.
Additional forces arrived in Holland, the EARL OF MARLBOROUGH
assumed the command, and the Eighth, THIRTEENTH, Seventeenth,
and Eighteenth regiments, were formed in brigade under
Brigadier-General Frederick Hamilton. This brigade took part in
the manœuvres by which the French army was forced to withdraw
from the frontiers of Holland; and when the siege of the fortress
of _Venloo_--a town in the province of Limburg, situate on the
east side of the Maese, with fortifications beyond the river--was
undertaken, Brigadier-General Hamilton’s brigade formed part of the
force of thirty-two battalions of infantry and thirty-six squadrons
of cavalry, detached from the main army for this enterprise, under
Prince Nassau Saarbruck.
The THIRTEENTH regiment carried on its attacks against the detached
fortress of _St. Michael_, on the west side of the river; and on
the 18th of September, the grenadier company of the regiment was
ordered to take part in storming the covered-way, which, from the
extraordinary gallantry of the soldiers, ended in the capture of
the fort. Between five and six o’clock in the evening the signal
was given, when the grenadiers rushed forward;--the French fired a
few rounds and fled;--the British leaped into the covered-way, and
pursued their opponents so closely, that friends and foes entered
the ravelin together. The French in the ravelin were soon sabred;
those who escaped fled across a small wooden bridge, and were
followed so closely that they had not time to remove the bridge,
and after a sharp struggle, the English and French entered the
fort together. The British got over the fausse-braye, climbed up
the rampart with great difficulty,--pulled up the palisades from
the parapet, ascended the rampart, and captured the fort sword in
hand, making thirty officers and one hundred and seventy soldiers
prisoners; the remainder of the garrison, which consisted of six
hundred men, were either killed in the attack, or drowned in
attempting to escape across the river, excepting twelve men, who
passed the stream in small boats.
In a few days afterwards, information arrived of the capture of
Landau by the Germans, when the army before Venloo assembled to
fire three rounds for that event, and the batteries were ordered
to fire three volleys. When the garrison and inhabitants saw the
preparations in the besieging army, they imagined it was for
attacking the place by storm: the magistrates begged the governor
to surrender, and the town was delivered up.
After the surrender of Venloo, the THIRTEENTH regiment was engaged
in the siege of _Ruremonde_, which fortress was invested towards
the end of September, and surrendered on the 7th of October.
The army afterwards advanced towards _Liege_; the city was
immediately delivered up, and the citadel was captured by storm
on the 23rd of October: on which occasion the grenadiers of the
army distinguished themselves. A detached fortress, called the
Chartreuse, surrendered soon afterwards, and these conquests
terminated the campaign.
Quitting the valley of Liege on the 3rd of November, the regiment
marched back to Holland, and was stationed in garrison at Breda
during the winter.
[Sidenote: 1703]
From Breda the regiment marched, in April, 1703, towards
Maestricht. The French attempted to surprise the British troops in
their quarters, but the gallant resistance of two regiments, at
Tongres (the second, or Queen’s Royals, and Elst’s), gave time for
the army to assemble in order of battle at Maestricht. The regiment
served this campaign in brigade with the same corps as in 1702: it
was employed in several movements designed to bring the enemy to a
general engagement; but the French withdrew behind their fortified
lines, where the DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH was desirous of attacking
them, to which the Dutch generals would not consent.
In August, the fortress of _Huy_, situate on the Maese above the
city of Liege, was besieged, and it was captured in ten days.
Another proposal to attack the French lines having been declined by
the Dutch, _Limburg_, in the Spanish Netherlands, was besieged, and
on the 27th of September, the garrison surrendered, which completed
the deliverance of Spanish Guelderland from the power of France.
[Sidenote: 1704]
After taking part in these captures, the regiment was selected
to transfer its services from the Netherlands to Portugal, to
take part in the attempt to place Archduke Charles of Austria on
the throne of Spain by force of arms; several states of Europe
having acknowledged him as king of Spain, the British, Dutch, and
Portuguese had engaged to aid him in gaining possession of the
throne. The regiment embarked from Holland in October, and sailed
to Portsmouth; but it was detained so long by contrary winds, that
it did not arrive at Lisbon, before March, 1704, when it landed,
and marched to Abrantes; but was afterwards removed to the Alemtejo.
The British troops in Portugal were commanded by General Mainhard
Duke Schomberg, and he suggested active measures; but tardiness
and inability were manifested by the Portuguese authorities, to so
great an extent, that the Duke of Berwick invaded Portugal with
a French and Spanish army, before the allies were prepared to
take the field. The court of Lisbon was alarmed; Duke Schomberg
solicited to be recalled; and the Earl of Galway was sent with
reinforcements to Portugal.
In the early part of the campaign, the THIRTEENTH foot were
employed in the Alemtejo: they were reviewed at the camp at
Estremos on the 21st of July, and were afterwards removed to
Vimiera.
After the summer heat had abated, the regiment joined the army, and
penetrated into Spain as far as the bank of the Agueda, near Ciudad
Rodrigo; but the Duke of Berwick had made so skilful a disposition
of the French and Spanish forces under his orders, on the opposite
side of the river, that the allies were prevented passing the
stream, and the British troops returned to Portugal for winter
quarters.
In the meantime the important fortress of _Gibraltar_[9] had been
captured by the combined English and Dutch fleets, and garrisoned
by a body of marines under the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt. The
capture of this fortress revived the hopes and expectations of the
allies, and disconcerted the measures of King Philip, of Spain,
and his grandfather Louis XIV.; a combined French and Spanish
army was assembled to retake Gibraltar, and the French monarch,
who possessed, at that period, a naval force of great magnitude,
directed his fleet to co-operate in this service. The troops under
the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt defended the fortress with great
gallantry, and eventually applied to the commander of the forces
in Portugal for aid, when a battalion of the first and second
foot guards, the THIRTEENTH and thirty-fifth regiments, the Dutch
regiment of Waes, and the Portuguese regiment of Algarve, were
selected to reinforce the garrison.
The THIRTEENTH regiment, mustering thirty-nine serjeants,
thirty-nine corporals, twenty-six drummers, and six hundred and
fifty private soldiers, marched from the frontiers of Portugal to
Lisbon, and embarked on board of transports on the 8th of December:
two days afterwards the fleet sailed under the convoy of four
frigates, and on the 17th it was becalmed, when the boats were
hoisted out, and attempts made to gain some progress by the use
of oars. A fleet of men of war appeared in sight, under English
and Dutch colours, and it was supposed to be the squadron under
Vice-Admiral Leake and Rear-Admiral Vander-Dussen; but observing
the men-of-war forming a half-moon to surround the transports, a
private signal was made, and the men-of-war being unable to answer
it, instantly hoisted French colours. The danger was great, with a
hostile fleet so near, but the transports put out every boat, and
made some way by towing: the enemy was becalmed, and in the evening
a breeze sprung up, which enabled the British vessels to escape,
excepting one ship, which was captured. On the following day, the
THIRTEENTH regiment landed at Gibraltar, at the moment when the
garrison was beginning to despair of assistance.
The regiment was not long at Gibraltar before it had opportunities
of distinguishing itself, and a detachment formed part of the
body of troops which issued from the fortress during the night
of the 22nd of December, forced the Spanish posts, routed a body
of cavalry, levelled part of the works, burnt many fascines and
gabions, and retired with little loss.
[Sidenote: 1705]
Still anticipating success, the French and Spaniards prosecuted the
siege; and, in the beginning of February, 1705, a chosen band of
French grenadiers attacked the round tower: they climbed the rock
by the aid of hooks, but were repulsed with loss.